And life begins at 40…so they said

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T09:47:00.001+08:00

Happy Holidays Y'all!

20.10.2010

2010-10-19T23:23:00.001+08:00

twenty.ten.twenty.ten

mama rock turns 44 - a bit wiser, smarter, and wittier!

may i live to see 88, amin!

the first among eleven

2010-07-23T13:52:00.004+08:00

It had been a very tiring week. And it drained all the zest in me – physically, emotionally and spiritually. My uncle, the only one living near us whereas the rest are in Singapore, left us early Monday morning at 1.30am. He suffered from Multiple Myeloma, also known as Kahler's disease, cancer of the white blood cells. A high-spirited person, I remember last Raya he was one happy man. Was only given a year to live, he surpassed that year and was thankful he had another raya to celebrate with his other ten siblings. After chemo and rediotherapy, his hair grew back and he looked ten years younger.

When asked, “Pak Teh, apa rahsia nampak lagi muda ni” , to which he mused “hati mau baik be!”

No more bantering and teasing. No more the best laksa johor you can find in KL.
He’d gone back to his Creator. The same day a blogger returned home too.

Alfatehah for Arwah Abdullah Sani Talip and Arwah Dalilah Tamrin aka Raden Galoh.
Semoga roh mereka dicucuri rahmat dan di tempatkan di golongan orang-orang yang beriman, amin!

gloomy, gloomy singapura

2010-06-09T12:51:00.004+08:00

sudah tiga hari di singapura. cuaca sentiasa mendung dan meng-affect emosi saya juga.

gloomy day = gloomy emotions :(

a sneak preview of the sun this morning - and now it's gone again :(

busy mode...gambar je lah dulu ya

2010-05-26T14:07:00.013+08:00

i have been so busy lately. my daughter said my blog is an abandoned land now. as much as i want to write, i couldn't find the right time or just couldnt find the time. so, post pictures dulu la ya from my NZ trip. Enjoy....

A view outside my hotel room

Met a friend who lives in Mount Eden

A view of the jetty from the harbour

Along Parnel Street

Maori crafts at the Museum

Victoria Park Market

Thank you teacher!

2010-05-16T12:14:00.001+08:00

off to city of sails

2010-04-16T11:32:00.002+08:00

tonight I'm flying off again...

Bei Jing, Zhong Guo

2010-04-05T11:57:00.007+08:00

It's been a week since I came back from the Land of Confucious. May be a bit wiser now..ehem!

Did the workshop and did what every person would do in Beijing - climbed up the Great Wall. It's amazing to see a structure built with bare hands, majestically stood right in front of my eyes. Overall it was a good trip. I learned a lot from best-practices sharing from other colleagues, and at the same time had the opportunity to visit one of the wonders of the world. One down, six more to go...

ps - btw, I think they should put a warning/advise to those who rarely exercise (like me), to have a good solid one-week work out prior to the trip. mind ya, it's a long climb and thank god, my twenty-five-year old knees are still in one-piece :)

Majestic!

Forbidden City - this place is huge!

A view of Tian An Men Square

Two local kids hanging out at the Hu-Tong, the small alleys in Beijing

dare to try? this is the specialty at wangFuJin street :)

ming xing qi, wo qu zhong guo...

2010-03-16T17:21:00.003+08:00

I still remember when I submitted my application for a student exchange program. I got through but unfortunately I was not able to go. That time, China was still on the list of "forbidden" country to visit. So my slot was given to another student in my class :(

All i did was listen to their stories when they came back. And somehow I know one day I will be there, though under a different circumstances.

So, last week when I got this email, I was super-excited! Finally, after just listening to people in class, with a bit of envy of course, now I may be leaving my footprints in Tiananmen Square! I could have stayed for one whole semester in a dorm with rationed heat. But the Divine One up there has other plans for me. I will be checking into a nice hotel instead -- twenty years late and for a shorter period of time, but nevertheless I am grateful for the opportunity.

So China, here I come!

Zai Jian wo de peng you!

a two-in-one festivity

2010-02-14T14:11:00.004+08:00

I prepared a simple lunch for my loved ones in the spirit of hari raya cina and valentine's day :)

Nasi impit, kuah kacang, rendang daging, mandarin oranges and chocolates presented in heart-shaped serving dish

Xin Nian Kwai Le & Happy Valentine's Day!

A different look at life

2010-01-26T18:19:00.004+08:00

Innalillah...

Adik Hidayah Aziz left us at 9.30pm tonight.

Semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat, amin!

Al-Fatehah...

I wrote the entry below at 6.19pm today. Above is the update after 9.30pm tonight

As long as we can swim freely in our dream, we don’t need the sky anymore

fly! aha..i wish i can fly. huhu...i really want to go to my cousin's wedding this saturday. right now i'm listening to my old japanese songs collection. i'm crazy of them! tomorrow i have to go back to hospital to continue my treatment..so boring!

i wonder why so many people especially children have to suffer with their own disease. i have met a lot of them. i'm luckier than them because my childhood was enjoying..full of laugh although i can't feel it in my teenage life.

dream. lately i always dream i was taking my exam! it have been a long time since i went to school. i wish i can continue my study and reach my dream.

Why do we feel so alone anytime? You don’t have to take on everything.Why do we feel so alone anytime? Just putting up with it isn’t courage. You don’t have to force your smile for anyone else. It’s alright to smile only for yourself. i always remember that."

~ Hidayah Aziz

I took the above expression from a young girl's blog. I have never met her, but her sister is my daughter's best friend. Heard a lot about her from my daughter and today I stumbled upon her blog, which I wish I had found it earlier. She has lived her life to the fullest. Now that she's drained her energy to do an update. As I'm writing this, she's fighting for her life now against the big C. My heart goes out to her and her family and I pray that Allah gives them strength during this trying time.

Ps - You can read about her wish here.

up, down, like a yo-yo!

2010-01-11T23:27:00.002+08:00

I used to play with a Yo-Yo when I was a kid. It was fun but I always envy the boys who do all kinds of tricks such as “sleeping” and “looping”. I looked up the definition of Yo-Yo, and besides the toy, here are some interesting ones:

A toy consisting of a spool that is reeled up and down on a string by motions of the hand.
Yo-Yo (born Yolanda Whitaker on August 4, 1971 in Compton, California) is a Grammy nominated American hardcore rapper and actress.
"Yo-Yo" is a 1971 single by The Osmonds from their album Phase III.
Slang for a very volatile market.

As much as I want to be nostalgic about this game, I am still haunted by it till now. Sometimes I have a nightmare about me being the two-piece plastic round pieces connected to an axle. And they do say dreams or even nightmares come true.

And here we go again…I lost 5 kilos, and now gained back 2 kilos! Aiyo! Yo-yoist, have mercy on me!

Okay 2010, instead of just to concentrate on losing the five kilos, now I have to do SEVEN! Arrggghhhhh!!!!!

welcome 2010

2009-12-31T23:59:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year!

Twenty-Ten!

ps - everyday is my birthday!

a little bit of this and that before 2009 ends...

2009-12-27T10:38:00.010+08:00

Our trip to Jakarta and Bandung was great. But on a personal note, I prefer Bandung to Jakarta, and hope to be there again soon. We had a swell time shopping, and I was the kids’ favorite person to hang out with in Bandung, being the walking ATM!

Despite the heat, and really, really bad traffic jam in Jakarta, the kids enjoyed Dufan and the nice hotel which their uncle had arranged for us to stay while in the city. We stayed at Cottage Woods on the night we arrived. It was a very nice serviced apartment, but a little out of town. And later we put up at Manhattan Hotel, which offers a sumptuous spread of breakfast buffet. Though security was a bit tight, since it is located near all the embassies in Kuningan, but the hotel stay made it worthwhile in Jakarta.

Enjoy the pictures!

The heroes of Mount Tangkuban Parahu, Bandung

Nice weather with scenic view - Mt Tangkuban Parahu, Bandung

Had lunch at Kampung Daun, Bandung. Ambiance is great - food was just okay...

Inside Kampung Daun, while walking to our "ambin" to eat.

ka-ching! out of my pocket into the cash register machine!

At Dufan, Jakarta. This is the only highlight for the kids in Jakarta.

An early reflection

2009-12-10T23:38:00.002+08:00

Wow! Time really flies and I haven’t been writing for a while.

It is already year end and a lot of things had happened. Before I am in my lazy mode, I’d better reflect on the past before moving into the New Year.

Our family had gone through a terrifying ordeal in our lives in a matter of ten days in November. We nearly lost my 2nd sister, who is 41, but are thankful that our prayers are answered. Though she came out of it wounded but not defeated. In a matter of 10 days, my sister who has autoimmune disease (sjorgren), had an emergency surgery, fought for her life in ICU and got her left leg amputated below the knee. Although the doctor had given up and gave her only 24 hour to live, we prayed hard expecting a miracle and Alhamdulillah she came out of it and now is finally back at home recuperating and trying to adjust with less a limb.

On the work front, November 30 came and went. And I am still here, using the same email address, sitting at the same desk. I was supposed to receive a verdict on my role availability locally, after declining the offer to move to Singapore. The regional guys proposed and justified for a role locally for me. So far, it is looking good. If everything falls in place, my new role will take into effect on 1 Feb next year. In the mean time, I am still doing the same role while supporting the ops centre in Singapore virtually.

Last week we went down to Temerloh. My cousin got hitched. My uncle, who is not well due to his condition of multiple myeloma, was one happy man as he witnessed his son’s akad and, most of all, having us being there from his side of the family. This PakTeh of mine is one strong guy – the way he accepted his fate and fight the cancer, one will be amazed with his high spirits. Although this few weeks his health deteriorated a bit, but he made it for the trip and we are so proud of him.

So the last bit of 2009 will see us gather again, the whole clan from Singapore and JB, this weekend for the KL reception. Then we’re off to a short vacation to Jakarta and Bandung for a week. Maybe, god willing, we may take a trip down to JB during Christmas – sort of like a surprise for my sister; being there to lift her spirit. And I guess then back to normal routine again – school uniform, book and stationeries shopping.

Basically I have a lot to be thankful for – despite things that had happened of which one could only wish it had not, but eventually I just believe that things happen for a reason. There’s always a silver lining beneath the clouds. And I figured, family plays an important part in every aspect of your life. And I am thankful I am surrounded by one – physically and virtually.

With that, I am signing off…and if I happen to be in the lazy mode again, here’s a happy new year to you. May the New Year bring happiness to you and your family.

Salam Aidil Adha

2009-11-27T08:54:00.002+08:00

Salam Aidil Adha

Semoga raya ini membawa keberkatan...amin!

the power of dua

2009-11-10T12:30:00.001+08:00

Say a little prayer for my sister...

"I ask Allah who is the Lofty and the Lord of the Mighty Throne that He cures you"

Amin.....

i need to change my glasses!

2009-11-01T22:54:00.004+08:00

I was sitting in the living room and Gala TV was on, airing MJ's "This is it" snippets. I can see this on the screen very well, but what made me rubbed my eyes over and over again was a section on reviews.

The commentator and a guest were talking with a backdrop of the segment that says "REBIU".

Maybe I shouldn't have bought those sunglasses as a treat for my birthday but change my reading glasses instead.

Eh, betul ke mata mama nih? Ehhhh, betul la...the segment is called "REBIU".

Dah lama tak buat copywriting, so takdelah call DBP selalu for the correct phrase...maybe I tertinggal keretapi kot, dah ada phrase ni but I am still in the dark.

So instead of "ulasan", now I have to add this word in my vocabulary :)

errr, why does it sound not so right aaaa?

I am blessed

2009-10-20T23:54:00.007+08:00

43 is just a number

The past 24 hours had been an exhilarating ride. And I am not complaining…it had been fun and awesome. I am thankful to be able to celebrate life again.

I am blessed to have all the special persons in my life and thank you all…this had been one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had! Good food, good music, great restaurant, nice cakes, cool presents and most of all, grrrreat company!

a customized t-shirt specially designed by my kids :)

three siblings having fun like we were kids again :)

menghitung hari

2009-10-04T23:54:00.003+08:00

Raya came and went. I had a good time meeting up relatives and friends and wish the time I had with them was longer. We were back in KL quite early and had 2 lazy days to spend...aahhh what a bliss!

Life is back to normal routine except the crazy weekend traffic crawls! I've been avoiding driving over the weekends - not even driving, but leaving our taman too!

It's October and how time flies. I'd been informed about my relocation to Singapore sometime in the first quarter of the year but the relocation date is not confirmed yet. In fact it there is still no date yet, buy it's year end and I guess it's coming soon. And I've decided long time back i will not take up the offer. It's not as simple as packing my bags and go. I can't leave without family with me.

I am taking one day at a time and let things fall into its place naturally. If my rezeki with this company is up to this year end, then be it. InsyaAllah better things will line up for me.

So whatever will be, will be...

ps - i pray my friends in Manila are spared from the flood and hurricane.

Jalan Sehala

2009-09-17T14:38:00.003+08:00

People say that once you are a couple, it has to be jalan dua hala to make things work. And that was what I thought it would be to make everyone happy. It’s that time of the year again where sometimes people do not talk to each other, bear grudges against each other, resign to the other half’s decision, or simply go separate ways!

We have always been a jalan sehala. Initially I thought it was just not fair. But I accepted the decision as I can see clearly that Jalan Sehala works well for both parties.

And we are going to embark on our Jalan Sehala this Saturday. From Ampang, our first pit stop will be Seremban. After lunch on Sunday, we will move on downsouth to JB in a one way street manner. And I will be reunited with my mum’s BIG clan…I mean, HUGE!

Hubby’s family is quite small compared to mine. I have to spend days to get to see everyone of my mum’s ten siblings. So Jalan Sehala works for both of us - logistically and mainly emotionally :)

So my advise to my kids, when you marry make sure the both kampongs are on Jalan Sehala.
But at the end of the day, if Jalan Sehala does not work out for you…terima je lah, dah jodoh! Gilir-gilir je lah raya kat kampung masing-masing ;)

Mama Rock would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you salam lebaran and maaf zahir batin sekiranya terkasar bahasa and those driving, be it one way street, two way street or U-turn, drive safe!

Psssttt , so looking forward to be back in JB so I can pretend to be a chaperone for bunga api session...yayyyyy!

Salam Aidilfitri dan maaf zahir batin

so much for the disabled friendly sign

2009-09-04T13:17:00.000+08:00

As much as I want to stay calm and patient in the holy month, I still need to rant a bit. Well, I’m only human, right?

Both my in-laws are with us this week. They decided to rotate their stay at the children’s house this month. Just to kurang kan sayu buka puasa sendiri. Both my in-laws are partial mobile – hence they need support to move.

Last night I took my mother in law to a hypermarket – just for a break and a bit of shopping. I checked out the day before if they have disabled facilities of which they confirmed they are diabled-friendly. So, with that we took her along, rented the wheelchair and looked out for an elevator as the sign clearly indicated that they have one. After much looking around, I went back to the customer service desk and the staff confirmed there is no elevator, but ask us to use the elevated walkalator. What they didn’t tell us is that it was quite hard to push up a walkalator and you need 2 persons to do that – one to push the wheelchair, and one to pull it forward. Well, you know the whole story by now – I walked up to the customer service desk and gave my feedback (more like a piece of my mind), they will feedback to management yadaa…yadaa…yadaa!

Letihnya cakap benda yang sama. I guess the community expects those disabled to stay at home, being fed and chauffeured around…but never independent!

Ps – why I always rant about this? One day I will be old too and I would like to be independent…is that too much to ask?

Anywayyyyy…sabar mama rock, puasa nih!

puasa, jangan tak puasa ;)

2009-08-20T21:11:00.001+08:00

Have a blessed one everyone....

summary of three weeks :)

2009-08-13T19:02:00.004+08:00

Wow, it’s been three weeks since I last wrote. Been very busy at work and by the time I get home, I was too tired to on the laptop.

So, snippets, snippets, and snippets….

Mikey came and left. His school was closed due to some positive cases of H1N1. At least I have a week of everyone home :)

Freddy did pretty well last semester. Accompanied him for his registration, so he can cut queue :). Apparently parents have a special lane for registration and paying fees. Wahhhh, felt really out of place and kinda ancient around the kids, especially at his faculty!

Had fun helping Nadia with her nature photography contest at school. Chose the pictures she took and printed out for submission. I think she takes better pictures than me now!

My flight attendant brother, Kay, came by to flaunt his new CRV, a birthday present for himself. Hehe, happy for you bro! Okay, since I can’t afford an expensive gift, I got him the incredible yummylicious brownie from Jules. (check out her blog - www.julesmd.blogspot.com)

Ooooo…belted out songs with blog sorority sisters – Kak Teh , Andeh, MrsNordin, Anedra and Honeytar. Wah, baru terasa lamanya tak pergi menyanyi!

Missed out the company dinner – felt no so nice to join since my headcount has been moved to regional, instead of subsidiary.

Went to see my gynae for a routine check up – ended up to go under next week. Nothing major, but very-very minor, and it’s due to my laid back attitude – serves me right!

Looking forward to tomorrow – meeting up the Ansara girls AGAIN! Woohoo! ...and the reason why I chose the date for procedure above to be next Monday...else I'll miss out on this:)

Oh, oh, oh…one last thing, just had a follow up with my physician. I lost a total of five kilograms in two months! Yippeeeeeeee!

teen chic lit

2009-07-25T14:11:00.003+08:00

My saturday routine was disrupted today. instead of being the isteri and ibu mithali and preparing the extra kampung dishes for lunch, i ended up being a chaperone to a bunch of 14-year-olds who wanted to go to Petrosains.

And to kill time, I lepak at kinokuniya coffee club cafe while waiting for them.

and after that, guess which section did i hang out at?

yup, teen chiclit!

a great loss

2009-07-20T18:26:00.004+08:00

I am saddened by the demise of my favourite author, Frank McCourt, who opened the world to me through his storytelling.

Adios to you Sir, rest in peace.

cooped up!

2009-07-13T22:05:00.002+08:00

I am now downsouth in the small republic. my schedule is so tight, i hope i can even catch a glimpse of the hustle bustle of orchard road.

now i need to coop myself in this training for the next three days...wonder if sempat lari ke arab street kejap, the visual of the murtabak is driving me crazy!

we painted the town red!

2009-07-07T11:22:00.011+08:00

Well, well...what can I say? I think that was one of the highlights post high school. I can't describe the feeling - it's a euphoria that doesn't go away; more like a very-very nice hangover!

Of course we painted the club RED, and I mean chili red! Walking on the red carpet, giggling and shrieking away, checking out names that had slipped our minds, followed by high shrieks again when we realized the goldfish memory slipped in again, tears of joy, and then it toned down to that touching nostalgic feeling when the VIPs were ushered in. It was surreal - they were the ones we looked up to for answers, and now looking at them aged - there was a lump in my throat.

I was a sorority girl in college, but the sorority sisterhood could not beat this thirty-year-old sisterhood and friendship we nurtured over the years. The former was fun in a wild way, but the latter is a mix of every emotions you can ever experience.

So girls, yes, i am mushy today and still am. All i can say is that thank you, thank you and thank you!

Registration desk ...didn't I tell you we painted the town red!

Teachers present were (L - R) - Cikgu Zawiyah, Cikgu Umi, Cikgu Dasiah, Cikgu Nazariah, Ms Doreen yap, Cikgu Normah, Cikgu Khairiah, Cikgu Zaherah, Cikgu Azmi, Cikgu Zul, Cikgu Ramli a.k.a. Pak Ram, Cikgu Sairin, Cikgu Misran and Ckigu Izham

I took Nadia with me as I want her to meet the teacher that her papa always sakat in school :)

ps- yup, hubby went to the same high school

the spirit of sisterhood, we go all out to be in theme...ida azah had these fabulous shoes on for the occasion!

errrr..dah migraine ke tengok merah sangat nih?

errr, i thought this is a pretty picture. I got these for the committee members for their efforts in - i) meeting up diligently every Friday (it's a good excuse of a get-together though), ii)the Jejak Kasih of friends and teachers, iii)managing funds, iv)asking for sponsorships, iv)skip work (he he, that's moi!), v) delegate work (to locum, tee hee hee!), vi) continuously being on-line offshore, vii)practising till late for the performance, viii)digging out old pictures (scanned and burnt cd too), and many many more big and little things you guys did to make it happen. As the poet, William Ross Wallace, quoted "For the hand that rocks the cradle, Is the hand that rules the world." Hope this small gift will do a pampering for those tired hands :)

and the clock starts ticking...

2009-07-03T10:16:00.003+08:00

in less than 24 hours, i'll be seeing some of the girls whom i have not seen for the last 26 years!

this was taken in 1979 - we were then the giggling thirteen-year-olds :)

it's year end again!

2009-06-24T09:58:00.005+08:00

life has been hectic.

it's year end closing now...so I am busy crunching numbers.

and at the same time, i've been taking off friday afternoons for an upcoming event that makes me giggle like a high school girl! and it didnt help that everytime we speak on the phone to a former teacher, we were transformed to that girl in the beige uniform....

those school girl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone.....
<from the soundtrack, To sir With Love, Lulu, 1967>

Untuk Mu Sudirman

2009-06-10T18:04:00.010+08:00

It's true when the kids are big enough, jalan-jalan makan angin ni susah sikit nak plan as everyone will have their own plans.

So, what did we do over the holidays? We were at Istana Budaya last Saturday night for a tribute to the greatest entertainer in the local music scene. We went to see "Untuk mu Sudirman" musical concert.

The show was fabulous. I was only a bit sad that the hall was not filled to the brim, unlike the time when we saw MammaMia!

Anyway, I truly enjoyed the show. The stage set up was fabulous - the songs rendered by the younger singers were amazing...even I had forgotten the songs exist! So a bit of walking down the memory lane and a bit of a shaking and swaying in my seat!

And I truly miss the best entertainer ever....

Some of the memorabilias of the the late Sudirman

My kids and a friend with Haziq, who also performed that night. Look at Freddy (black tshirt & jeans). Remember I said about his transformasi in my previous celebrity karaoke entry? This is him now - 30kilos lighter!

yayy! it's the holidays...

2009-06-02T11:34:00.005+08:00

ikan sembilang masak berlado

pucuk paku gulai lomak

lauk kampung hidangan bersamo

semuo berkumpul anak lah omak!

yess! full quorum at dining table for at least 2 weeks :)

When you happen to...

2009-05-20T17:42:00.004+08:00

I love watching people and I happen to listen to conversations taking place in my surrounding. It is not intentional but I can't help but listen to conversation especially the one taking place in an elevator. With such a confine space who doesn't?

This is what I heard this morning...

Two guys walked after me inside the elevator

Guy 1 : dia kata kan, kalau aku nak kawin dengan dia, dia tak akan teruskan majlis kawin dia tu!

Guy 2 : ye ke? wah, cinta mati tu!

Guys 1 : tu lah dia...okay jugak, body macam adik Acha Septriasa, muka okay aaa

Guy 2 : okay la tu...

What have you heard lately when you happen to be in an elevator? tell me... :)

Celebrity Hour - Uploaded!

2009-05-08T15:42:00.003+08:00

Okay, I managed to get a copy of the video - only the last part of the show. But unfortunately due to my "kebutaan kreatif it", I didn't manage to cut the video shorter.

Anyway, my one-hour famed celebrity son is the one singing "Lelaki Ini" with Farah Asyikin. This was shot last year sometime September/October timeframe. Now he has gone through a major transformation - not AF Transformasi, but his waistline and the needle on the weighing scale. I will write a separate entry on this "Transformasi" .

In the mean time, enjoy!

And tell me, you rasa-rasa ada gaya tak I jadi manager? LOL!

Celebrity Hour

2009-05-04T16:16:00.003+08:00

I was a famed celebrity mom on Friday night. Only for an hour, but it was surreal!

He he...my son was on Celebrity Karaoke show last friday. So he had an hour of fame, partnered with Farah Asyikin versus the team of Farah BreepBreep. I had forgotten about this, coz the recording was done late last year and it was weird watching him on TV :)

And I am proud of him, though his team lost by 2 points, he sang "Lelaki Ini" very well on the show! Bravo!

ps - can't load the video yet, belum available lagi ;)

sighhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

2009-04-27T23:53:00.002+08:00

I am an event planner, in my previous life I think. My friends said I have the kiasu-ism in me. I plan things/events way ahead of time. Like this labour day weekend, we made plans to balik kampung. What more with mikey having the outing weekend. That means this time round the whole family can balik kampung and visit opah.

No matter how much one plans, the Divine One up there always has better plans. Mikey called up this afternoon. School has plans for him and another two students to attend the solar car competition. What exactly it is, I am not sure. hence, there goes our plan! i wont see my baby, and opah only gets to see 2 cucus.

No matter how I hard i try, I can't help feeling very very upset with the school, teachers, timing, working hours, messy rooms, dishes left in the sink...and the list can go on and on and on....like dominoes!

Okay, breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out.....

teh tarik blues

2009-04-20T17:21:00.006+08:00

Rintihan seorang suami dan bapa...

"Hello, pukul berapa balik?"

"macam biasa le"

"yo lah, den sorang yo kat rumah ni, anak lelaki takde, anak perempuan takde...sapo lah nak buek teh den ni.."

"pergi le mamak hafiz corner dulu..."

*we have a bit of honeymoon moments over the weekend - nadia went off for a school trip, freddy busy in college. i'm missing my kids!

what next?

2009-04-14T00:44:00.003+08:00

Maybe it’s jinx but I’ve had a string of negative incidents these few days!

It started off with a slight pain, but by next morning, hubby’s foot just swell 2-size bigger! So since Friday, I have been nursing him, loaned him my crutches...and it’s Monday today and he’s limping still!

Saturday morning, on my way to market, one id*** who was rushing overtook a few cars at a traffic light and of course my car had to be the one he knocked. It was only a 2-inch dent. What pissed me off is the fake phone number the guy gave. So my attempt to reach him was futile!

Saturday evening, I took Nadia for a haircut. Since it was just a trim, so I did not ask how much does it cost until I got the bill for RM35! Hey, by this time I was too exhausted to argue and even think straight!

Monday morning, my sister was admitted for a surgery and a friend who is allergy to hospital (she never goes to one!), was admitted for dengue.

And the final one today, I came back from work. Heated the assam pedas on the stove and happily walked away for a shower. I got dressed and smelled something burning…ran to the kitchen, my assam pedas became assam rentung!

Oh oh..kena mandi bunga ke? HAHAHA!

May tomorrow be a good day…InsyaAllah!

another confession?

2009-04-08T13:00:00.004+08:00

I always worry about how nadia has to face her college life later…especially being an april fool's baby. I love playing pranks and I am seeing the phrase what goes around comes around more often than not now. And I fret the day when she has to pay for my naughty deeds.

And, last Saturday morning I got a confession.

“ma, you know last Wednesday we did something silly for april fool”

“huh, what did you do?”

"Well, kitaorang beli oreos. Then kitaorang scrapped the cream and replaced with colgate. Then put it nicely together. Lepas tu offer la orang!

“hah! Siapa yang makan?”

“hehehe, sesiapa yang kena dalam kelas lerrr” she giggled

And I worry too much???

Confessions - Part II

2009-04-02T10:43:00.008+08:00

Forgive me for I have sinned…

I hereby confess I've been kissing a fool ....

I hereby confess that I’ve never read the book!

I hereby confess that I was too cheap to buy the book since Kinokuniya does not offer any discount on it!

I hereby confess that the movie time is just an excuse for a girls’ day out

I hereby confess that I secretly visualize that both of us are Gilmore Girls.

I hereby confess that I have always been worried about pranks awaiting her in college.

I hereby confess that I had wished the labour would prolong to midnight, so the delivery date is 2nd April instead.

I hereby confess that I had a kaya sandwich in labour room against doctor’s advise. (The nurse had to give in to the manager's request...hehehe)

I hereby confess that I did not buy a birthday cake coz the Ritz had presented the gourmet chocolates for her.

I hereby confess that I nag to the lil one, but down deep in my heart, I have all the unconditional love for her.

So lil one, here’s one big hug for me. Happy birthday my little april fool's baby!
Ps – let’s choose a movie for next year too. (before you slip through my fingers and a birthday bash is organized by your friends…hehehe!)

My One-day old April Fool baby -

even the gynae thought I was pulling his leg when I called in the morning :)

That button nose!

When teenager goes shopping!

errr...i need to confess

2009-03-31T14:52:00.001+08:00

a national duty :)

2009-03-12T14:52:00.010+08:00

We went off to Langkawi last weekend. That was a big entourage – all eleven of us. This trip was different as it was also the first time I went with my parents-in-law who are now both immobile/partial mobile. My father in law had second stroke late last year and that has left him immobile and needing assistance to move around. My mother in law has always had her knee problem and it had gotten worse over the years. So she moves around in a wheel chair or her pair of crutches.

Initially I had my doubts – I wasn’t looking forward to the trip. Maybe I didn’t know what to expect. But all in all, it was a good trip. I’m glad we did it.

Here are some pictures…enjoy!

Okay, lesson # 1 - When the convenient airlines tell you that they have service or cater for OKU, be very wary. The service means that they provide you with wheelchairs from the check in counter (of course you have to pay RM 12 for the wheelchair), and their friendly agent will push the wheelchair all the way to the steps. Then you need your nephews and son to help carry their atok all the way to his seat. Mind the steps, will ya!

The whole entourage - minus moi, madame photographer, and father in law. He's resting in the car.

The two strong boys - after ferrying their atok and nenek around, showing off their fear factor flavor. I was walking faaaaarrrrr away from them :)

I saw this t-shirt when we were walking by Chenang Beach. I wanted to get it for each of them if they are willing to wear it all the time...but none is willing, hence my money still stays in my wallet :)

Here are shots of the of the "sun and sand" we went to.

Tanjung Rhu beach

Waters at the Awana Porto Malai

Chenang Beach

The trip was worth it. We found out that Malaysia as a whole is not ready to cater for the disabled. The infrastructure and service are not ready for this. It was a challenge for us to manoeuvre the wheelchairs on pavements. Shops do not provide ramps, oohhhh...the list can go on and on...

Anywayyyyyyy...am glad I did it. Thinking of doing it again...insyaAllah!

Love is...polishing the dirt away!

2009-02-20T15:12:00.004+08:00

I only drive the car and fill gas.

I don't do car wash - maybe once a month I go the auto car wash to give my baby-on-wheels a shower. Well, it passes off as being clean, since office and home is only 10mins away.

This morning, hubby was supposed to go jogging after dropping off Nadia to school. My morning routine after Nadia goes off is to clean the kitchen (the mess after cooking), take a shower and catch up on my 15 mins snooze before getting ready to work.

Between my snooze I heard the gate was opened. I figured hubby decided not to jog at all. but he did not come up to the room.

Finally after getting dressed, I went down and surprise, surprise!

My car is gleaming! And from behind the car came my sweaty hubby with a smile on his face :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

what a feeling...when you're dancing on the ceiling!

2009-02-16T23:51:00.003+08:00

On Saturday, which we spoofed it as Valentina Hassan Day (check out YouTube Ken Lee), the girls from highschool decided to gather for hi-tea. After doing my wifely duty, by presenting a heart shaped brownie to dear hubby, visa was stamped on my passport for the whole afternoon out with the girls...hehehe, kena mintak multi exit visa, kalau tak susah nanti nak berfoya-foya with the girls.

We had hi-tea at a local hotel. Without realizing that the buffet line closes at 4pm, most of us were there after 3pm since there was school in the morning. I went with my little escort, Nadia. Even after warning her that it will be a makcik-makcik affair, she still wanted to tag along.

After 4pm, since we were not able to feast anymore, the girls decided to adjourn to the next room at eBox. So this is where the fun begins...the makcik-makcik vogue became unconscious and thinking they were 17, crooned to the eighties hits. Well, I wouldn't say we were crooning, but rocking and dancing as well...and on the table too! This happened in an enclosed room where we let our hair down and just relived the years!

I think the reception had never seen a big group of a bit less than thirty of makcik-makcik congregate in karaoke room. It was fun and I don't remember laughing so hard like we did there!

Of course by 7pm Nadia signalled me to go. "Pssst ma, you said you want to leave at seven"

Okay, I said...another 1o minutes ya...to which she whispered, sian papa tinggal sorang. With that I resigned and bid my goodbyes.

When we got home, since papa was an ansara too, so he kinda understand that when we meet it can take forever. "Nadia, bila dia orang jumpa tu dia orang jadi makcik-makcik ke diorang jadi budak-budak bailk?"

"Oh Papa! they were soooooooo immature!"

ps - that night, my pinggul/lutut sengal wei, kena sapu yoko-yoko...lama tak menari!

a disease of a nerve?

2009-02-03T23:55:00.002+08:00

Latah : a disease of the nerve that causes one to do or say something unconsciously or wildly; behaviour that is akin to being delirious or crazy ~ Kamus Dwibahasa Oxford Fajar

I had house guests over the last weekend, which included both my parents inlaw, sister in law and hubby and two teenage nephews. While I do not consider myself as being ehem ehem...old, err mature (HAHAHAHAHA!), I don't have the habit of "melatah".

Imagine this scenario in the kitchen after guests had finished lunch. I was standing by the sink, doing dishes. Nadia was standing beside me, watching me doing dishes. errrr...she should have known better to help me do dishes than watch me :)

Somehow or rather, her standing there watching me do dishes kind of save my day.

I was rinsing a jug. Somehow, it slipped and i was trying to juggle and grip it so it doesn't fall crashing on the floor. Well, of course I managed to save it from crashing. However, my waterface crashed down too...this is what happen. The moment the jug slipped, aku melatah orang putih..."HOLY S**T! holy cow! holy s**t!, holy cow!"

Standing beside me was Nadia between stiffles of laughter and giggles, tried to cover my mouth so i muffled rather than the words came out crystal clear. It was hilarious as I tried not to look past me to see if anyone heard that. I guess they did, but being nice nobody mentioned it.

Can I declare I have a disease of the nerve when something like this happens?

pesanan dari pihak penaja : don't ever do it at home!

you know time is bad when...

2009-01-21T14:24:00.001+08:00

… your afternoon lavish teabreak spread for company meeting is down to meehoon goreng, currypuffs and samosa, while desserts come from the pvc container filled with chinese new year cookies only!

ps – but I am thankful I still have a job.

it's all coming back to me

2009-01-12T13:59:00.001+08:00

I just got an email from the one of the girls from highschool.

Last Friday, 9 January 2009, a friend lost her husband in a fatal accident in Batu Pahat.

On Thursday, 9 January 1992, my mum lost her husband in a fatal accident in Batu Pahat.
I lost my dad.

AlFatehah!

won't pay a dime...

2009-01-08T14:33:00.003+08:00

New year was ushered in with a sick household. Thank God it’s over…we spent new year’s day as inpatients at home.

Now the house seems empty now, kids are back to school and I’m back to work.

On a brighter note, I received 2 small gifts from a friend in Hong Kong and my brother, Kay.

You know how it is like when receiving…seronoknya! It’s especially nice when you get things that you won’t spend money on it, but definitely nice to have one….if you know what I mean.

See! I got 2 pieces of lanyard for my name tag. The Esprit lanyard is from my friend and the Coach lanyard is from my brother. These are the kinds of stuff which I will not buy – but receiving them makes me shrieked like a kid :)

Cool stuff huh?

Cloud Nine on Eight

2008-12-30T16:37:00.001+08:00

Mikey is on cloud nine today.

The reason is that he got

A's in his PMR!

Alhamdulillah...

Dansa and Mama Rock, ehh Mamma Mia laaa!

2008-12-29T17:58:00.006+08:00

Okay, back to my update. It had been hectic at the office and even at home. Nevertheless as crazy as it had been, I survived and I think I deserve a little pampering with a bit of dancing and fabulous entertainment :)

I put on my red slippers to dance to two incredible couples dancing their way for charity. My sister treated me and the kids to the live telecast of Sehati Berdansa final. I had never followed the show, but all one need to know is how good these people can dance. Obviously, the winner Lisda and hubby, Fauzi deserved the top spot.

Sehati Berdansa! I wish I can dance like them...really smooth, considering they are not dancers.

And the finale of my treat is when Mama Rock goes Mamma Mia!

Wow! what can I say…it’s worth every wait, and every ounce of energy I had left to be shaking and swaying in my seat throughout the entire show! I'm glad my kids had fun too...though the songs are quite new to them :)

mamma mia! here we go again, my my how can i resist you!

Super trouper

beams are gonna blind me

But I wont feel blue

Like I always do

cause somewhere in the crowd there's you!

Salam Maal Hijrah

2008-12-29T17:35:00.003+08:00

Salam maal hijrah to all. Wishing all of you a blessed new year.

phew! it's over!

2008-12-26T18:43:00.003+08:00

wow! finally i can breathe a little.
closing's over, and as I expected, we ARE in KL...no travelling this time around.

so now it's PAWWWWWW-TY time.

ps - Tomorrow night, the lady in red will put on her red dancing slippers, and night after that will be another rendezvous...or shall i say voulez vous? look out for my update soon :)

bullet points only

2008-12-16T14:22:00.001+08:00

Wow! it’s been a while since I last updated. Sunggggguh lah busy nya kat office. Nak mengarang pun macam tak terkeluar ayat-ayat. So it will be in bullet point.

Can’t wait to see my mum this weekend. She’ll be in KL for a wedding reception. Though I would like it very much if we can spend time in JB – but as I said before, schedule tak menentu :(
In about 10 days time, Mikey will get his PMR results. Now dah tak tentu arah kat rumah tu…tapi stress macamana pun, laju gak jari tu menekan keyboard, dok mengadap computer games aje!
Still thinking of what to do for the long weekend. Thinking of going to Kuantan/Cherating, tapi hujan-hujan ni rasanya macam akan duduk kat KL je rasanya…
Work is never ending – moral of the story, stress macamana pn tak habis jugak. So I’m taking it one at a time
Interviewed three candidates – awat le susah dapat good candidate???
Need to run to the auditorium now – the staff here are given flu shot. Ouch!

A short escapade

2008-12-05T11:19:00.010+08:00

We didn’t plan for a vacation this time around due to erratic schedules of both me and hubby. The kids were kind of upset at first, but were cool about it later. Since planning was quite hard, we decided to play it by the ear and last Sunday we managed to juggle our schedule to have a short break.

So, we headed downsouth to savour our favourite ikan bakar at Umbai, with a stop over at Port Dickson for one night.

One day at PD beach – I was quite impressed coz the last time I was at the beach, it was dirty and the water was not inviting enough for me to dive in. We were at batu 4 ½, next to the Yacht Club. Kids wanted to try the banana boat ride. Since I do not know how to swim, so I was a bit apprehension to join them. Three other ladies wanted to join the ride…so that filled up all the seats. And guess what? Mama had a ride on the speed boat! The beach boys cajoled me into riding the speed boat so I can take pictures…pandai dia orang nih :)

Getting ready for the ride

The ride took them from Yacht Club to Marina Admiral Cove

This picure was posted as everybody was above the ground. The picture with me in, had me planted still to the ground whilst everybody was in the air...nampak na berat :)

Sunset at 4 1/2 mile beach, Port Dickson

On Monday, we headed down to Melaka. Actually budak-budak ni memang le tak nak pergi Melaka coz it’s like a persinggahan place whenever we go down to JB. To make it up to them, I told them we will be staying in a very, very nice place. I booked us at Majestic Malacca, a beautiful YTL property in Bandar Melaka. This place had been restored and the originality had been reserved since the 50’s. It used to be a hang out place for traders in 1950’s. The analogy to the kids, it’s just like Zouk in our time…LOL!

The welcome basket - nyonya cookies

When we got here, the kids' first impression was shock. mama! ini rumah tumpangan apa ni!

Freddy heading to the bathroom for a soak in the claw-foot bathtub.

The titbits in the hotel lobby brings out the kid in me. They had buah kana, asam boi, gula kelapa, iced gem biscuits...sangat la nostalgic!

Since the hotel is very nice, we utilized all the inhouse facilities. In the evening, when we headed to our favourite ikan bakar place and had a very-very –very fabulous meal. I am exaggerating here coz I had a whole crab to myself...yummy!

So our little escapade fun in the sun and a very relaxing nice hotel stay. Okay lah tu :) !

Mama, you’ve got the looks!

2008-11-27T12:38:00.003+08:00

I was told that I got the looks. In fact, not just the look, but LOOKS!

I was flattered (perasan sekejap) when my kids told me that.

Mama, you’ve got the looks all the time…

Mana ada…konon-konon shy-shy cat la

Seriously ma…betul!

Ye ke? Pulling my leg ni…

Iiiiyeeee! Cuba mama recall….everytime you get a phone call, or face people at check out counters or even us, and somehow the situation annoys you…you will start with “Look! Yada yada yada….” followed by their roaring laughter!

Okayyyyyy…. I got it…but look!

Ma! You’re starting again…!

oops!

ps - next time someone compliments you with the looks, think again...LOL!

when you've exhausted the gift list

2008-11-20T15:47:00.003+08:00

It’s hard to even think of a gift for a man you are hooked on to for the last nineteen years. So me being practical, I settled for a safe choice, or shall I say, boring choice. I ended up getting the man a gift-boxed towel set which I had little post-it notes for each little piece.

So the note says :

Despite the receding hairline, an extra thickness around the waistline, yup, I still find you hot!

Happy anniversary dear and thank you for putting up with my antics the last nineteen years…yo lah ha!

wonderful oasis of the world II

2008-11-12T16:59:00.003+08:00

This is the best picture i could find in my SD card.

Here's the pengantin with my mum, brother and saya yang malu-malu kucing...keh keh keh!

wonderful oasis of the world

2008-11-09T22:16:00.015+08:00

Marhaba!

I was away on a a tiny island of Saudi coast last week attending my lil sis' wedding. Let the pictures do the talking :)

We reached Bahrain International Airport at 1.15pm local time on 1 Nov 2008

The plate number of our rented car

Skyline of Bahrain

The Al-Fateh Grand Mosque - beautiful architecture, thaat can accomodate up to 7000 worshippers.

I think this is an office building. Accidently found it when we were out walking looking for breakfast. We were up at 5am everyday...cepatnya siang!

The telco building - not sure what it's called. I believe it is the haedquartes of Batelco.

This is Arad ford. We didn't manage to get in coz by the time we got there it was closed. By the way, the picture was taken at 5.00pm local time.

Ahhhh...now this is what we came here for. The wedding reception was held at The Monsoon, a beautiful Thai restaurant with a touch of Balinese decor too.

The dining table was decorated by Puan Daliah of Singapore Flowers. She hails from Singapore and has been in Bahrain for nearly 26 years She runs a florist with her husband.

Part of the dulang hantaran

The wedding cake - which intially I thought it was a gift in a nicely decorated paperbag..hehehe!

Hey, hey, hey...something that reminds me of home. Am glad that AliCafe made it this far. This is a billboard at the Juffair district.

Mr. He

2008-10-27T17:22:00.001+08:00

One Friday evening in my office.

Dean suddenly laughed out loud. “How do you react to this?”he asked, still laughing. We turned and and looked at him.

Dean, still giggling : “Listen ya, I got this call from one lady who sounds a bit blur. She started with “Err, hello, boleh saya bercakap dengan Encik Rosdin Ali” with a funny slow accent. I was caught off guard and replied”this is he” and she went “Oh! Sorry Mr. He!” I immediately cut off the line coz if I speak, I definitely will laugh!”

And we were rolling on the floor laughing out loud!

aaahhhh...to be 24 again

2008-10-19T22:59:00.009+08:00

When I was 24....

I can fit a Size 5/7 (US size) dress any time

Shopping for dresses was a breeze

I got my first baby and the weighing scale was very kind to me.

I got my legal driving license :)

Compact powder looked like I did the whole works on my face with foundation and all.

Stillettos were my best friends

And when you move the numbers around, all I got was a picture of a size 5 mommy, all made up and in her stillettos, with baby in tow. Those were the good old days….

Oiiii! Wake up la…tak payah tenung gambar tu lama-lama. Hari ni kan ke dah 42?

He he….despite my expanding waistline and multifocal glasses, at least my memory is still in tact. I am 42 today :)

Gone are the days when I used think that the song "Party All The time" by Eddie Murphy was my national anthem...

ps - i may have to prepare a celebration when it's 20.10.2010 :)

surprise, surprise...

2008-10-16T21:43:00.006+08:00

16 October is Boss' day celebration.

I am not sure if it's a worldwide national celebration or just of a Hallmark holidays but the date sticks in my head since the longest time.

In the past years, without fail I would organize a surprise treat for my boss, whom without fail will never remember what the occasion was. Which made it easier for me to plan the surprise. Block his calendar for a supposedly business update and voila, he shows up on time year in year out :)

So this morning....

helium filled...

food lined up....

banner hung....

and...TARAAAAAAAA! the guest of honor did not, I repeat, DID NOT show up due to high fever...so, you guess who got the surprise after all...LOL!

here you go boss, get well soon and happy boss' day!

break a leg, my son!

2008-10-12T20:54:00.003+08:00

I missed my son's majlis mohon restu yesterday.

Penat redah jam dari raub ahad lepas masih tak habis lagi, terima sms dari cikgu pada hari rabu beritahu mengenai majlis ini yang diadakan hari sabtu. majlis ini untuk murid-murid yang akan menduduki pmr hari isnin ini. saya tidak dapat hadir kerana ada urusan lain yang telah di rancang sebelumnya.

i just spoke to mikey on the phone a while ago. while i felt guilty for not attending the majlis, i am not too keen of the program held either. i shall reserve my comment.

however, i pray for mikey's success. same goes for his friends in the same batch too.

our prayers are with you. always remember that success is the peace of mind derived from making the absolute and complete effort to do the best of which you are capable. the quality of your effort to realize your potential counts first and foremost.

I'm sure you have prepared well dear, so break a leg, my son!

post raya traffic update

2008-10-07T21:44:00.007+08:00

Commercial Break - I had my dosage of bunga api with my little nephew who happens to share the same birthday as me :)

Well, I'm back at work.

Raya was great - we planned well so travelling was smooth. KL to Seremban trip was okay except a bit at Nilai due to an accident last Monday. Seremban to JB was moving okay, though lots of vehicles on the highway. Return trip was smooth too on Friday night except a bit at the infamous Seremban-Nilai stretch.

Now since both our kampungs are along the north-south highway, why the heck were we stuck with the east-coasters crowd! Our round trip of KL-Raub-KL took us 8 longgggggg hours on Sunday. Aikkk, kena hantar anak balik asrama daaa!

See the pictures below and you will see what i mean.

View from Bentong Toll - it stretched all the way as far as eyes could see

View of traffic heading to KL from Bentong Toll

Selamat Hari Raya, y'all!

2008-09-26T10:54:00.003+08:00

What do I miss during raya…

My arwah abah, of course. Abah was hardly around for most of my rayas when we were growing up. He was in the army and was always relocated to different places. My mum who was never too keen on travelling stayed put in JB all the time looking after us. But abah always brought up the spirit of raya whenever he was around – the house painting activities, chasing chickens around the house to be slaughtered, cleaning the chicken, looking after the water and flames for the ketupat, weaving the ketupat, hanging the raya cards and decorative lights etc. Ooooh seronoknya....that time I did not appreciate the asap yang memedihkan mata, cabut bulu ayam dalam air panas etc...

I don’t do that now. Basically it’s spring cleaning before we balik kampong, and errrr…both or parents’ places are not exactly a kampong. A district in town can be considered kampong ke?

And I am thankful to that because I live to tell the tales to my kids.

So, to those who are heading back to your kampong, drive safe.

Have a blessed Eid to you and family
Salah dan silap harap di maafkan.
sincerely from Mama Rock.

Ps – I still have not gotten my dosage of main bunga api. Nadia feels that she has outgrown the bunga api phase…ish,ish,ish, boring sungguh! So if you are in Jb and ternampak la makcik yang ala-ala glamour tengah pegang bunga api di tengah-tengah kumpulan kanak-kanak riang, tegur-tegur la :)

jom, jom, jom!

2008-09-18T10:17:00.002+08:00

Kakak ipar saya seorang yang tangkas. Dia selalu bergerak pantas dan frasa kegemarannya ialah "jom! jom! jom!". Dia ada seorang bibik yang telah berkhidmat dengannya lebih dari empat tahun.

Baru-baru ini, dia telah mengambil seorang pembantu rumah baru. Seperti biasa bila kakak ipar saya mahu keluar, dia bersiap dengan cepat sambil terus mengajak "jom! jom! jom!". Pembantu rumah yang baru ini turut keluar sama tapi masuk balik ke rumah kemudian sambil kelihatan tercari-cari sesuatu atau seseorang.

Kakak ipar saya kurang sabar, sambil meneriak "jom! jom! jom!"

Si pembantu rumah baru kebingungan dan terus berjumpa bibik. "Eh Bik! mana itu Jom? Ibuk sudah panggilnya banyak kali" Si bibik terus ketawa sambil berkata "Jom tu bukan orang, ibuk suruh cepat dan maksudnya yuk! yuk! yuk!"

3 - TIGA - THREE

2008-09-08T22:55:00.002+08:00

I was in Singapore last week and stopped by in JB before I left to KL.

Ini cerita tentang TIGA.

SATU – I left my car in the parking bay with 2 parking ticket stubs – thinking it will not last that long before I can run back to put in more parking stubs if need to. Yeah right! I was late and the prize was a parking ticket of SGD 20.

DUA – Decided to accompany my aunt, so we had a sleepover at her place. Left the night parking stub on the dashboard. I overslept after sahur annnnnnnddddd... I missed the 7.30am deadline and another parking ticket summons of SGD 10.

TIGA – Back in JB, I took my mum to the furniture shop. Parked my car and straight into the shop. Came back to the car with another parking ticket summon for RM 30. This is because I wasn’t aware I was supposed to display a parking stub on the dashboard.

Okay – itu lah cerita TIGA. And this is the first time it happened to me three times in a row and within 24 hours!!!

Ramadhan Mubarak!

2008-08-31T23:50:00.003+08:00

Have a blessed Ramadhan to all!

Sincerely from Mama Rock.

Wasallam

snippets here and there...

2008-08-21T22:47:00.006+08:00

I had been SUPER busy since our victory trip home from Penang...yup, our team won, 3 years in a row :) RM 3000 to be shared among those who performed...oops, sorry no video as it involved revenue numbers. by the way, i got a surprise call from Pakpayne while I was cleaning up the Library at St Joseph home, Penang.

back in office, the internal auditors from corp are waiting with heaps of document list...uurghh!

mikey came back. headed back to seremban for a kenduri. i was supposed to make soto as a side dish but a change of plan made it the main dish! oh man, i cook everyday but only for 4 people and even then, they will not complain as no one else cooks in the house. but things turned out well, soto sedap, and my mee goreng was a hit too ...ni kes masuk bakul angkat sendiri la, sendiri cakap sendiri masak sedap :)

got a message from jokontan to block my calendar on 20 Aug. got to finally meet pakpayne. along with jokontan, anggerik merah and zabs as well. it's amazing how the virtual land brought diverse people together. this is a very late update - all of them, who are discipline bloggers had updated the meeting in their blogs. me, hehehe..tertinggal keretapi :)

my mum came to KL. I had to pick her up at Puduraya. i called her at 1.30pm, checking where she was. well, she said she just passed seremban. so that gave me an hour to run some chores. 2.00pm, my phone rang. "mum dah sampai sungai besi toll" oops, i miscalculated the time...rushed from home and got there 20mins late...jeeez!

saturday was a kenduri day again in melaka. it took us more than 3 hours to reach ampang on the way home. it rained hard and was relieved to get home finally! oh, and freddy turned 18 too, besaqnya anak emak!

btw, i told freddy, after he gradutaes, my retirement plan is attend as many concerts that he can get me free tickets to :)

we sent mikey back to his hostel today. hmmm, as usual, last minute packing bound to have missing items when we got to raub. he realized that he missed out his foodstuff in the kitchen! well, too bad...we'll save it for his next trip home. this is not the first time for mikey to leave stuff at home - i've had to courier his locker key, socks, belt, assignments...you name it!

ok, now back to the real routine. tomorrow school starts and I will be buried in work. it's month end closing time again....

oh, btw, i did an initiation for my lil nephew who shares the same birthday as mine, but we are super forty years apart.

yeah, rock baby, rock!

Why it pays to lighten up

2008-08-06T17:20:00.004+08:00

The conversation I had with Nadia this morning.

Eeee…I’m soooo not looking forward to go tomorrow

Kenapa ma, I thought you like Penang.

Not that, we have to make a presentation Friday night

Bukan ke mama selalu buat presentation?

Well, bukan presentation cam tu…kita kena present our business values through menari and menyanyi la...

Hah…LOL! Mama ni pagi-pagi dah buat kelakar seram…hahaha

She was still laughing when she left the dining table to go to school…

Hmmm…so I will be up north for a few days and making a fool out of myself one Friday night. Hopefully the spa treatment, nasi kandar, pasemboq, laksa and cendol will make up for the embarrassment I have to endure :)

ps - my boss asked us to read this book, and I guess i should let my hair down at company events then :)

See you soon!

and off he goes...

2008-07-28T17:14:00.003+08:00

I took up motherhood at a young age - 24yrs to be exact. So how did I fare? Of course there were times I felt like a drop-out mom, but most of the time, I wouldn't trade those times I spent with them...priceless! At times I wish the kids were as clingy as before, depending on me for the world's answers. Now when I walk beside them I feel I'm growing shorter as they have grown a lot taller! I don't know why I am rambling away...maybe in denial that the kids have grown.

This morning, my son took his first step to college...boo hoo hoo (imagine me hanging on not letting go!) Good luck and I hope you will have the best years of college life like i did.

Freddy leaving for college registration this morning

Bang, bang, boom? What the 'toooooot'!

2008-07-23T11:40:00.003+08:00

I happened to watch this prank show on TV aired by a private local station last Friday night. This is a show about playing prank on others.

This episode showed a Mom from Batu Pahat, who requested the show to play pranks on her kids. She has about 6 kids – 2 boys and 4 girls. The boys are in their late teens, and the girls range from maybe 8 yrs to 15 yrs (my guess only).

The scene was in a medical centre / clinic, where the boy were called in individually into the doctor’s room. The doctor started with “Saya ada berita kurang baik nak sampai kan kat adik. Mak adik kurang sihat sebab dia tertekan selalu. Adik ada ke buat mak stress ke” to which the boy answered, “mungkin kot” So the doctor went on and on asking silly questions like “adik tak belajar kot bila mak suruh, or selalu berselerakkan bilik ke…tu yang buat mak stress and now dah affect buah pinggang dia” The boy muka dah terkejut. The doctor asked him if he is willing to donate his kidney for his mother coz if she doesn’t have a donor she will be very very sick. Of course la budak tu immediately said yes with a very sad face. Same goes to the other son.
When it comes to the girls, everybody started crying. Though not crying out loud, but terisak2 la jugak. Then all of them left the doctor’s room and waited out with their mother when suddenly the Bang, Bang Boom gorilla, the mascot, came prancing in and everybody yelled “bang, bang, boom!”

Now that everybody realized it was a prank…sure semua orang relief. The mother said “ Mama gurau aje, sayang jugak anak2 mama kat mama ya. No hard feelings ya!”

At the end of the show when they got together facing the camera to say out loud “Bang, bang, boom!”…I didn’t hear the enthusiasm in the voices and the girls still looked sad.

My remark after the show ‘what kind of a sick person would do that to her family’

Pathetic joke kan...cannot imagine a mum would do that kind of prank and worse still, the production crew actually agreed to air it on national tv...jeez!

is that sexy or what...

2008-07-18T12:02:00.003+08:00

Life goes on…anywayyyyyy, I got a new toy!

Taaraaa! Crazy sexy and sleek huh!

Ps – this is a token for driving all of us all up the wall to exceed planned numbers. Crazy fiscal year but thank you :)

i still can't forgive

2008-07-15T10:21:00.001+08:00

He died this morning
I still can’t forgive

My family and I, harm us he did
In the time of need

I am no angel myself
But he died this morning
My heart still can’t forgive

An excursion and a re-union

2008-07-07T16:06:00.003+08:00

I had been busy with year-end closing. After it was all over, we had a little excursion, business cum leisure trip, back to my kampong. We had our annual offsite at Pulai Springs Resort, and since I was not able to rush back to Larkin to spend time with my mum, I brought her with me to the resort instead.

The rooms were HUGE! We had a three-bedroom suite and since I took an extra suite for my mum, the three-bedroom suite fitted all of us just nice. So I called my sister and auntie to join us as well – else other suite would go to waste. And, at the same time I had written a white lie excuse to get Mikey out of his dorm for his physio session. So he joined us on this trip too. I was not too guilty about it coz I treated this outing as a “bayar balik” of his shortened previous school holiday.

In the end, the business meet for me turned out to be a little re-union for the family as well. Swimming in the pool, leg massages, a game of squash, a round of golf, a little bit Axe-Rock a.k.a. rock kapak at the karaoke lounge, great food and most of all, great company...FABULOUS!!

Battle of the bands

2008-06-23T17:43:00.002+08:00

I got a phone call from a representative of a local college asking for Freddy. Since it was to my phone, I asked him what is it regarding. He was introducing a college and invited us to the Open Day. Here’s a re-cap of the conversation:

College rep : Puan, apa rancangan anak puan lepas ni?
Me : Oh, dia dah accept untuk masuk ke college pilihan dia
College rep : ohhh, kursus apa kak?
Me : Music and sound design

Maybe the guy did not hear me…so he went on and on and on…

College rep : Kita nak buat open day kak. Bawak la anak akak sekali.
I was trying to be polite “tak pe lah, dia dah accept offer college tu”
College rep : kolej mana tu kak
Me : oh..college ABC
College rep : eh, college tu yuran dia mahal kak, apasal nak pergi sana…kita kat sini macam2 kursus ada…mechanical, civil, business. Siapa yang nak bayar kan yuran dia nanti?
Me : (ignoring some parts of his question) …tapi kursus yang anak saya nak, you tak offer
College rep : dia nak kursus apa kak?

I thought he heard me before, but I guess I was wrong.
Me : dia nak ambik music
College rep : music?! (suara terkejut) ohh, nanti battle of the band la ya kak! Takpe lah, terima kasih ya.
He put down the phone.

I don’t know whether I should be offended or I should laugh…

My super heroes

2008-06-03T10:53:00.005+08:00

My super heroes are real, unlike those of my kids’. They don’t have super powers but they either have whip or knife, but most of all, wits ! Yes, my superheroes are real people with that prof-like nerdy look or power-packed muscles with incredible hair.

I saw Indiana Jones last Sunday. Wow! he still amazes me and by the end of the movie, I didn’t want it to end. It’s just not enough…I still want to be mesmerized by Dr Jones’ adventure. Although in the Crystal Skull, I felt that my hero dah boyak…LOL!

Late last night, I was flipping the channel and saw First Blood was on. It was already 11.45pm, but the melody of “It’s a long road” by Dan hill haunted to the time I was 16. I felt for John Rambo – being ostracized by society. I watched the movie again, till the end.

Now that I have a teaser dose of my superheroes, I think I’ll run to the video store and get the whole series of Indiana Jones, Rambo and Rocky and have a marathon of the real superheroes…when I can find the time that is :)

So who is your super hero?

the unforgiving soul and the "khayal" mama

2008-05-21T22:03:00.004+08:00

I am so busy these days that i try to multitask as much as I can. The problem is, I have so much things in my mind that I tend to lose focus.

Just this morning, i was at a traffic light. I shifted the gear to Neutral while waiting for the light to turn green. I didn't realize that my car slowly was moving forward. I was fiddling with the radio and when I looked up, I just realized my car was in close proximity with the rear of the car in front. I didn't feel any thump - i figured I did not knock the car in front.

"Eh, apasal la pulak aku ni dekat sangat dengan kereta depan ni?", I was thinking aloud.

Then a stocky-built woman, came out of the car with a surly face. "Gulp!" I waved my hand apologetically and mouthed the word sorry. She just stared at me...if looks could kill, i would have been dead by then.

She wiped the car bumper and looked at me in disgust. I mouthed the word sorry again. When the light turned green, i moved slowly behind her. Perrrghhhh...not even a scratch! Some people can just be an outright bully! She was really intimidating, but i figured it was not worth to go the exra mile to justify my mistake. Anyway it was my fault.

I lost all my train of thought for the invite which I need to edit today and the logistics of my coming event. Thank god it was just a small incident. I just wish the lady would be more forgiving - it's not that I run into people's car everyday...helloooo!

we got Lucky!

2008-05-12T21:54:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday, it's a mom and daughter moment for both of us at The Mall. I haven't been here for the longest time. While hubby went across to PWTC to an exhibition, Nadia and I took our sweet time strolling in the mall.

Then we heard an announcement or some sort of an interview like at the concourse. One voice is a typical bahasa melayu voice and one with an indonesian accent.

Though I hate crowd, the kaypoh instinct got the better of me and we made our way to the concourse. There was this young boy on stage. The backdrop displayed "The launching of Lucky Hakim Website".

"Siapa ni, Nadia? kenal ke?"

"Ohhh ma, dia ni pelakon sinetron, ada dalam cerita Mutiara Hati"

"I see, mama tak kenal pun..."

Anyway, I persuaded Nadia to take a picture with him on stage. By the way, Nadia is more prim and proper than me...i'm the loud one, while she is more refine or shall i say, reserved? So she needs persuasion to do this kind of thing.

(for example, I took her to a concert, and I was the one singing along, yelling my heart out, while she sat there and clapped her hands in an oh, so proper way)

So here's the pix with Lucky Hakim (pronounced as Loo-key Hakim)

oh, by the way Fotokem made a lucrative business as the photography session was conducted by their photgrapher and one had to pay RM 10 for a polaroid shot :)

officially tok auntie

2008-05-04T21:21:00.003+08:00

Last Friday, I received a call from hubby.

"Hello nenek!"

"Hah?"

"Hello nenek!"

Then it dawned on me..."Ohhh dah bersalin ke?"

"Yup, kita dah officially atok and nenek...hehehe"

Okay, now we are grand uncle and grand auntie to a cute baby boy. Hubby's nephew is a proud father of a bouncy little boy, Edeni.

Welcome to the world little one. You made me sound so old at such a tender age...LOL!

My Lil Nadia is now an aunt!

Okay, This is Tok Auntie signing off :) !

casualty II

2008-04-28T21:34:00.004+08:00

After a week of immobility and being cooped up at home, we decided to take Mikey for an outing to the Curve last weekend.

Macho anak mama jalan laju aje...and we were there for over three hours!

casualty

2008-04-24T18:09:00.001+08:00

Mikey called me last Saturday night. “Mama, ada accident sikit la.”

“huh, apasal?”

“semalam main takraw and masa lompat tu terjatuh and kaki terhentak hujung court and now dah retak.”

“Hah! Bila jadi ni and apasal cikgu tak call mama?” a defensive motherly instinct in me made me jump to conclusion that things were taken lightly.

“Takde la ma, malam tadi dah pergi hospital. Now dah pakai cast pun. Mikey yang beritau cikgu that I will call you, cikgu tak payah call.”

“How do you move about?”

“Pegang bahu member la…aaa, mama boleh post kan crutches ke?”

“Takpe la Mikey, we’ll fetch you tomorrow. Since you have medical leave, might as well stay at home.”

On the end of the line, I was feeling guilty because I was too quick with accusation. (teruk kan I?)

Anyway, we fetched Mikey home on Sunday. Had to miss a birthday party at Rimba Jinbara, Ulu Kelang…but you know what, the casualty made up for the lost time with Mikey!

He’s resting at home now, and actually is really good with the crutches. I was really slow when I had to use it before (sebab mama overweight…LOL!).

So, besides the unlucky incident, we are together for over a week…and that’s divine!

when you're on time, you're late!

2008-04-11T09:16:00.003+08:00

I have bad discipline of arriving to work on time in the morning. so people who knows me will only schedule meetings after 9.30am

This morning, I had a conference call at 8.30 am. I seriously did not look forward to attending this. my boss always preach to us that if you are on time, that means you are late.

So i was on time today, managed to get to the office at 8.30 but i was late for the conference call because i did not factor in the time i need to start my machine, start the live meeting and calling into the conference call centre. duhh!

okay, okay...so i can stop singing "papa don't preach"

Nenek

2008-04-08T17:11:00.002+08:00

Al-Fatihah

Arwah Nenek left us a year ago on this day. Here’s the last picture the kids took with her.

When thriller is no longer a thrill

2008-03-28T12:16:00.003+08:00

ma, hari tu kan, nadia tengok one video ni...siaaaapa nama dia ya? aaahhh michael jackson...

kenapa?

ni video yang masa dia belum putih lagi.

hmm..

yang dia dengan one girl and later all the weird characters were dancing, and muka Michael jackson pun macam hantu gak

ohh, you mean the video Thriller? That was one of his biggest album...kira cool habis la masa tu! album tu ada lagu beat it and billie jean too. kenapa?

takde lah, weird aje video tu...macam kelakar la pulak

nadia, you have to be there to experience the thrill.

oooo..tuanya aku, dah takde thrill tengok video thriller lagi nih :)

cikgu kiasu and i miss you

2008-03-15T18:43:00.002+08:00

well, they decided to have an early start to the exam prep. though i know the nawaitu is murni, but i don't believe in depriving one from spending time with the family.

since the teachers decided to sacrifice their weekend which was supposed to be part of the school holiday, i had to send mikey off on friday as he will be attending extra classes on saturday morning, afternoon and evening and sunday morning and afternoon. so there goes my extra days with him. i don't know whether to call it a sacrifice or the teachers are just being kiasu since we are only 3 months into the year.

i hope all the form three and form five students of semesta benefit a lot from the deprived weekend - jangan fly ke town sudah le!

i miss my baby already!

eh eh, romantik ke?

2008-03-03T21:17:00.004+08:00

CRM is all about knowing your customers' profile - a very important aspect to maintain your database. At a recent brown bag session of introducing the new CRM 4.0, each staff were presented with a little personalized surprise.

The cute pillow has one's name on it, one's zodiac sign and one's attributes. Ye ke mama rock ni romantik..keh keh keh!

zoologist and tag

2008-02-26T21:29:00.005+08:00

ma, zoologist tu kerja macamana?

they do research about animals especially the wild kept in captivity...something like that la

ohhh ye ke, nadia ingatkan yang bagi makan kat binatang-binatang dalam zoo tu

itu tukang bagi makan binatang le

LOL! she actually nearly fell off the bed laughing!

-----------------------------------------------------

I've been tagged by nj and simah to list my frequent links. the rules are :

1. The links must be CLEAN. No X-RATED sites

2. List out only five links

3. You must tell FIVE people

4. A link back to the person who tagged you

5. An active link

Usually i shut down when I leave the office, but if the computer is on I will be online too :) so here goes:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

Sure you kata i boring kan...sah, sah dah homepage tu msn, still nak baca msnbc lagi. Still keeping in touch with the happenings in the US – a habit I acquire after leaving the States long time back.

http://giftbasket.toplisted.net/

A top list of giftbasket links. A link where I would go to look for fresh ideas for our gift biz.

http://lost80s.com/

Here I am an old school music fan . This is the best 80's music radio on the net, broadcasting live from Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas. The station is listener supported and commercial free. If you grew up in the 80's, you wouldnt want to miss this station...awesome!

http://www.sentraalstation.blogspot.com/

keh keh keh...my virtual friends :) I couldn’t give this link a miss coz it’s where I meet virtual friends from all walks of life and from around the globe.

http://www.semuapages.com/

A B2B portal which I would check out for any available memorabilia or any opportunities to get ka-ching!

Hah..there goes...I dont know who to tag anymore, so for those who want to share the favorite links, please go ahead and share with us.

Oooh..i have one more tag that I owe een tapi macam belum fikir-fikirkan itu poem la. Een, sabar ya...next entry pulak.

kids say the darnest things

2008-02-18T17:28:00.002+08:00

Two kids aged six and seven were at my house last night. The two chatterboxes were a delight.

“cantiknya rumah auntie”

‘terima kasih…”

“Adik dengan kakak dah makan ke?”

“Dah…”

“Dah sekolah belum?”

“Adik sekolah tadika, pukul 7 baru pergi sekolah. Kakak dah darjah satu..jadi kakak keluar rumah bila gelap tapi macam dah cair-cair sikit, macam nak malam.”

“Ohhhh…itu panggil subuh.”

Since I know the father, I asked about their mother instead.

“Mak kerja ke?”

“Mama berniaga jugak, macam papa”, said the kakak

Then adik menyampuk, ‘mama hisap rokok tau, auntie”

To the horror of her elder sister, she whispered something to the little sister's ear.

The kakak said, “tadi adik cakap tak betul”

Then the adik re-affirmed her statement “betul adik cakap betul, sumpah..” And the kakak’s fingers went straight to her little sister’s thigh with a pinch.

“Jangan la kakak…”

I straight away changed the subject to the pictures on the wall. "tengok gambar abang ni masa dia kecik-kecik dulu.."

I personally have no issues with people smoking (your lungs, not mine..tee hee hee) but I guess if you don’t want people to know, don’t do it in front of the kids.

that long, long weekend...

2008-02-11T23:13:00.000+08:00

Well, Chinese new year’s over and this had been the laziest holiday I’ve ever had…well not exactly but we were basically lounging around and only left Ampang once to visit my in-laws in Seremban. Other than that, it was just home and I am not complaining...

Let the pictures do the talking

Well, Mr baldy is not so baldy afterall. His hair seems to grow fast – so I only had a look of a recruit than a skin head :). And that’s also a look of a 15-year-old teenager too.

I helped Mikey paint his room – and I was in an old kaftan. Come to think of it, it was a wonder I didn’t fall off the ladder as the kaftan kept getting hooked on the ladder. So, now he as a fizzy lime room.

Freddy and his friend have turned entrepreneurs. Enough of hanging out, they decided to run a burger stall in the evening. So if you happen to be in Bandar Baru Ampang, stop by Restoran SA, a 24-hour eatery, and don’t forget to order a burger – just a moral support to the young boys!

While Freddy cooks away, Nadia enjoys her big bite of the chicken burger :)

And I also learnt that when you’re cooking in the kitchen, don’t try to blog hop in between. You’ll definitely get some burnt potatoes…LOL!

from bold to bald

2008-01-27T18:43:00.001+08:00

i can't wait.

in about a week's time i will be ble to see the result of a bold move to a bald person.

my phone rang last night.

"ma, i did a bold move"

"huh?"

"i am bald now

"HAH!"

''i am bald now..."

"how come!!!"...this is unbelievable and i have this picture in my head of discipline teachers gave mikey and other boys a crew cut

"i was playing with a trimmer...sekali ter, i mean ter-tekan and rambut dah ter-tobek sikit"

"hah, abis macamana boleh ter-botak"

"lepas tu nak adjust, dah lagi tobek, alang-alang botak kan terus le"

"adoi...kan dah tak ensem"

"ehhhh...budak-budak ni kata okay la"

"hmmm, whatever la mikey...lain kali jangan buat lagi. orang lain takde rambut dok sayang le rambut yang sikit tu. awak ni pergi botak kan pulak"

to which he just chuckled.

one in a million

2008-01-20T17:18:00.000+08:00

The one in a million phrase which was taught to me in school was when one or someone is unique that it is hard to find the same quality on other people unless you keep counting till the next million.

During my teenage years, the phrase will be on valentine’s card with lots and lots of hearts of the same color all over the card except one red heart that stands in the crowd of the other hearts. And when you open the cards, it says “you’re one in a million, happy valentine’s day”

As I grow older, this phrase evolves into a one in a million topless superman! Too bad faizal…

lodeh oh mak lodeh!

2008-01-13T20:58:00.000+08:00

On my round of weekly marketing, i found the ready made lontong packed in daun pisang. This is the first time I found it in the market here. So I bought 2 pieces (?) of them.

So what happens when everyone else in the household only eat the lontong with kuah kacang?

Just teeny-weeny 5" diameter periuk of lodeh just for one serving.

ps - i hate, or shall I say am verrry lazy, to cook for one serving. Seriously, they don't know what they are missing! mmmmm...sedapnya lontong!

first weekend in 2008

2008-01-06T17:33:00.000+08:00

How was your weekend?

Reflections of 2007 from the Rock Shop

2008-01-01T21:35:00.000+08:00

Well, time to see what had I done this whole year. Here goes...

The good news were…

Did a city vacation with family. This was a recovery period after the dengue fever and we decided to check into a hotel in central KL and did things like tourists do. Surely was fun!

Saw Mr Spidey aka Alain Robert, in person right outside our window, scaling the heights of KLCC.

Whilst some other friends had their graduation picture with a more mature King, I completed my Masters degree and got to salam with the YOUNG king :)

A treat to ClubMed Cherating had another great thing in store for me -- the boss announced my promotion too

Nadia got 5As in the UPSR exam.

For the first time, Mum decided to leave her home and follow us for our family vacation in Bali.

I met the Kak Teh, not once but TWICE this year. And this time around I met Sir Awang Goneng too and that day I walked away proudly with an autographed copy of GUIT.

The bad news were…

Both hubby and I had dengue fever at the same time.

After suffering from stroke, Nenek had a lung infection and later died of a liver failure in April. It was hard for my kids. I didn’t blog about it as I believe it will be too painful for them.

A short vacation to Cameron Highlands turned out to be very short for sight-seeing as we were stuck in the worst holiday jam up in the hills! That was the worst vacation ever!

It took nearly a month of waiting for me to indulge myself into main bunga api! My kids have outgrown me…boringggg!

Once is an accident, twice is a bit too many for a forty-something rocking mama! I fell down twice this year – once while mopping the kitchen and another one, just recently in the public in front of the lunch crowd in Suria.

Finally, for someone who loves to eat so much, a discovery to an allergy is a shocking experience! Wooohooo! It will be a while before I try siput sedut again!

Farewell 2007...An arrow can be shot only by pulling it back. So when life was dragging you back this 2007 with some difficulties, it means that it is going to launch you into something great this 2008. Have a good-filled life this new year

We closed off 2007 with a family dinner and ended with a sinfully yummilicious brownie :)

Welcome 2008!

serves me right!

2007-12-23T21:29:00.000+08:00

After the leg incident, I had a bad gastric attack during raya at my in-law's place. Ni gara-gara degil nak gak makan lomang tu...den dah kato, angin tapi ekau ni dogei...raso kan! I took a bit, then, eh sedap la pulak, so another piece..so far okay so no harm la to gobble another piece. Serves me right! Langsung memulas perut malam tu!

Back in JB, I discovered that somehow i had developed an allergy to siput sedut. I've never had any allergy in my entire life after tonnes of seafood, but somehow over raya, I had a nice bowl of seput sedut masak lomak cili padi...and voila!

A pair of swollen eyes, swollen lips and my palms were itching like crazy! So as I always say, things always come in three. I hope this is the last of it, can't take anymore mishaps!

ps - my mum said, i could have developed an allergy to FOOD while I am already very full!

it's musical wheelie!

2007-12-15T23:12:00.000+08:00

it's either a result from the additional 4kilos gained i just discovered, or I was plain clumsy. I had lunch at Little Penang last Thursday with my 2 sisters and for the first time meeting my future bro-in-law. After lunch, as we were leaving to our own destinations, I slipped in front of Bukhara Restaurant and I was on all four - macam sujud gitu. With the bum in the air and supported on my palms. Whoa! it didn't hurt that much as it was like a controlled fall. I somehow manage to support myself with the palms of my hands. But the pride hurts most!!!! LOL!

Anyway, I walked back to the office with a teeny weeny pain on my ankle. Towards the evening, I can feel the throbbing pain and my ankle was already swollen. I tried making my way to the medical centre in Suria but only made it to the reception desk. Dah tak boleh jalan lagi dah...sakit! So the KLCC Safetty team came with a wheel chair and wheeled me to the medical centre. A bit of voren gel and a bandage cost me more than a hundred ringgit, and the nurses expected me to be up and walking gracefully back to my office. A request for a wheelchair finally was granted after a bit of negotiation that ticked me off. Anyway, the service was rendered halfway as the medical attendant requested for the wheelchair back at the front desk of tower 2. Wow! incredible service they have there. The security team at the front desk was kind enough to lend me a wheelchair they have at the counter. So I switched to another wheelchair and back to office so I could pack my stuff and leave. Masa-masa immobile ni la masa tu lah nature calls. Siksanya nak pergi toilet!

After packing and all, my staff wheeled me downstairs and I am supposed to return the wheelchair at the front desk. meanwhile the klcc safety team was already waiting for me with their own wheelchair to drop me off to the car park. Finally got to my car - boleh la drive balik as yang swelling tu kaki kiri.

By the time sampai rumah, I was already in tears - berdenyut2 sakitnya! Hubby brought me to the A&E of a hospital to get an x-ray done and i think he was not sure what to do either since I was already crying! Once I reached the A&E area, Mikey brought another wheelchair for me.

I think I've had enough of wheelchairs. had my x-ray done - kinda suspected a hairline fracture. Got a brand new pair of crutches. I left my old pair in college - that's a different story and was for a different leg too :) Had a shot to relief me of the pain. And had a half-cast too!

Next morning, went in to see the orthopaedic surgeon. And he said"today is your lucky day! the hairline fracture we thought it was, turned out to be a bad sprain only"

Thank god! Anyway after all the wheelie acts, i missed an outing with my sisters, nieces and nephews and the Office family day. Coz the doctor said - no jalan-jalan for you ya!

My ankle is getting better. i can walk finally walk without the crutches - though at a slower pace. Blessings behind all that had happen - a reminder of bila jalan tu jangan lupa pandang ke bawah, and I found a new game and let's call it musical wheelchair!

bisa posting foto dulu ya...

2007-12-11T22:38:00.000+08:00

Been back since Saturday, trip was good but eventually I found out my kids are more of city slickers. Bila sampai Kuta, masing-masing segar je...bila trips to the outskirt, slow aje reaction. Well, first of all the roads are small so driving was a cruise basically. I love the sceneries especially the intricate designed kampung houses against the expanse of the bluest sky.

Though it rained a bit, that did not stop us from raiding the sidewalk shops and oh, how we haggled on the price. As Mikey put it, they offered a ridiculous price and mama bargained to another ridiculous price! And the leg massage was heavenly after the long walk!

Well, we will be back , InsyaAllah, for a pampering trip instead. Till then enjoy the pictures.

Goa Gajah

blessings, anyone?

Did i say the bluest sky?

Tanah Lot, pretty eh?

I had a taste of freshly roasted bali coffee

A beach at Nusa Dua

This poster is too catchy - it greeted me from the airport all the way to Kuta :)

the countdown begins...

2007-11-29T15:50:00.000+08:00

Well, we decided that this will be the ultimate family vacation - but I hope that this won't be THE last one where everybody gets together. I managed to convince my mum, who rarely leaves her home, to join us too.

So, let the countdown begins...Bali, here we come!

and then, there are three

2007-11-22T19:01:00.000+08:00

School’s over and it just hit me that I have teenagers / tween at home. Mikey came back last Friday and already had an outing with his friends on Sunday. They watched the Bee Movie – he didn’t know this but I was waiting for him to come home so we can all go to see this movie together. Nadia and her friends are planning an outing to celebrate what’s left before going to high school. Well, Freddy is already a full-fledge teenager who has his hands full with his weekend activities.

There goes – suddenly mama tinggal sorang :(

Anyway, being in the teens – their arguments are different. Pening di buatnya! But this makes my heart melt – gadgets draw them together.

I caught this while they were busy checking out the a new game on the phone :)

>>anyway, now need to plan for a family holiday coz I figured, next year onwards, it won’t be the same anymore. It’s gonna be a challenge to get everyone together :)

between giggles and tears

2007-11-15T17:12:00.000+08:00

Ahhh…I hate waiting especially one that makes me anxious and nervous. The phone didn’t ring at all…could my phone hang again? So much for smartphone technology! I dialed my own number from the office desk. It rang. So the phone worked…

Should I call her? Maybe not coz she told me to wait for her call. It’s either early or late. If she calls early, that means good news. Late means bad news…but how does one quantify the bad news? To me it’s subjective. Well, I’ll just wait.

Oh god, oh god..she’s calling!

Between giggles and laughter, I heard her saying “Ma! Nadia dapat 5A!” to which I replied a grateful and relief Alhamdulillah. Tears welled in my eyes. I am very happy for her and she deserves it too.

I cried of happiness and at the same time sadness. It’s time to let go of the little girl who clings to me. She’s a big girl now and she will step into another phase of life. I remember this phase where friends takes a higher priority than me…I know because I was there before too.

Oh man…I’m getting sentimental…tak rock la kan.