I have to write something today for it'll only come once in every four years. Babies borned today sure are special but confused at the same time, I guess. How would you answer your child's question regarding his/her birthday that only occurs once every four years? You know how kids are when they start asking questions, don't you?
Like just now, after picking up Zareef from school, we headed to PP to buy some groceries. Along the way, there were banners and flags everywhere. Zareef being his normal inquisitive self, started asking questions on why are there so many flags and banners around. Me being the no-nonsense, straight to the point mom, said that it's election time. "What's election, Mummy?", he asked. Oh tidak. Start dah sesi soal jawab.
However, I decided to just dive in and answer his questions straight, honest and put it in a 6-year old layman's term. Told him that election is when everyone who stays in Malaysia can vote for their leader.
"Macam tu, nanti bila Zareef dah besar, Zareef nak jadi leader la. Boleh tak, Mummy?"
"Boleh... As long as you become a good and beriman leader, then by all means, be one."
That put a smile on his face. I wondered what sort of ideas were running in that little head of his. Good ones, I hope.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Good Bargains
Ladies,
1. If you're a COACH lover, please do go here. I bought my watercolor wristlet from her and I am very much impressed and happy with her service. Prompt, friendly and efficient. Authenticity is not a question at all. She provides original receipt of purchase. The bargain part; the items she's selling are way cheaper than in the boutiques.
2. If you're in need of a good massage, foot refloxology, manicure, pedicure and facial do at the comfort of your home, please go here. My best friend has recently ventured into this business and I must say, I'm so proud of her!
3. If you're in need of delicious cupcake fix (other than mine, hehehhe), please go here. My best friend is doing it part time although she wishes that she can do it for full. Her cupcakes are delish and reasonably priced too. I'm waiting for her to quit her job so that I can JV with her to open a cafe (sighhh... bila boleh jadi kenyataan nih).
1. If you're a COACH lover, please do go here. I bought my watercolor wristlet from her and I am very much impressed and happy with her service. Prompt, friendly and efficient. Authenticity is not a question at all. She provides original receipt of purchase. The bargain part; the items she's selling are way cheaper than in the boutiques.
2. If you're in need of a good massage, foot refloxology, manicure, pedicure and facial do at the comfort of your home, please go here. My best friend has recently ventured into this business and I must say, I'm so proud of her!
3. If you're in need of delicious cupcake fix (other than mine, hehehhe), please go here. My best friend is doing it part time although she wishes that she can do it for full. Her cupcakes are delish and reasonably priced too. I'm waiting for her to quit her job so that I can JV with her to open a cafe (sighhh... bila boleh jadi kenyataan nih).
On Being Original
My girlfriend Liza is a cupcake enthusiast and she bakes them too! Good yummy ones I might add. I know because I ordered 100 of them last year for Zareef's and Zara's birthday bash and everyone couldn't get enough of it
Naturally, being a cupcake connoisseur, she has thronged every available website there is on cupcakes. So when I wrote about Cupcake Chic in my previous post, I immediately got a message from her through YM!
Oh boy! She told me that the menu and cupcake design for Cupcake Chic looks so familiar but she can't quite pin-point where has she seen it before. But wait, thank god for bookmarks and favorites. Lo and behold, now she knows where she's seen the menu and the design. Check out Sprinkles, people! Especially their flavors section and compare it with this, Cupcake Chic's menu.
Same right! Coincidence? Uhhh... I don't think so. Sprinkles was established in 2005 and have garnered quite a number or awards while Cupcake Chic has just opened their doors at The Curve last month or maybe the month before i.e. a new kid on the block.
Liza said the latter is so not original and I totally agree with her. If you go to the latter's cafe, you'll find that their cupcakes are arranged in the same manner as Sprinkles (pictures can be found in their website). EXACTLY the same!
What I'm trying to say is, if you're gonna open a cafe, make it yours. Let it be your OWN design and not someone else's which you just then conveniently change and tweak a little bit here and there. BE ORIGINAL! The only thing that I'm glad that the latter didn't copy is the price. Kalau tak, bengkok jugak nak bayar RM 10 for a cupcake or would you? I'll let you be the judge.
ps: lagi satu yang musykil; try checking out donut epal besar's website. Takde you say? Hahhaha... memang la takde tapi kenapa depa tulis kat kotak that it's under construction? Kalau under construction, there should still be a thread of some sort, right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Nak jugak guna nama epal besar tuh...
Naturally, being a cupcake connoisseur, she has thronged every available website there is on cupcakes. So when I wrote about Cupcake Chic in my previous post, I immediately got a message from her through YM!
Oh boy! She told me that the menu and cupcake design for Cupcake Chic looks so familiar but she can't quite pin-point where has she seen it before. But wait, thank god for bookmarks and favorites. Lo and behold, now she knows where she's seen the menu and the design. Check out Sprinkles, people! Especially their flavors section and compare it with this, Cupcake Chic's menu.
Same right! Coincidence? Uhhh... I don't think so. Sprinkles was established in 2005 and have garnered quite a number or awards while Cupcake Chic has just opened their doors at The Curve last month or maybe the month before i.e. a new kid on the block.
Liza said the latter is so not original and I totally agree with her. If you go to the latter's cafe, you'll find that their cupcakes are arranged in the same manner as Sprinkles (pictures can be found in their website). EXACTLY the same!
What I'm trying to say is, if you're gonna open a cafe, make it yours. Let it be your OWN design and not someone else's which you just then conveniently change and tweak a little bit here and there. BE ORIGINAL! The only thing that I'm glad that the latter didn't copy is the price. Kalau tak, bengkok jugak nak bayar RM 10 for a cupcake or would you? I'll let you be the judge.
ps: lagi satu yang musykil; try checking out donut epal besar's website. Takde you say? Hahhaha... memang la takde tapi kenapa depa tulis kat kotak that it's under construction? Kalau under construction, there should still be a thread of some sort, right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Nak jugak guna nama epal besar tuh...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Syukur Alhamdulillah...
That's all that I can say for all the rezeki, blessing and good fortune that Allah has bestowed upon us right at this very moment.
To my Darling, you rightfully earned it. All your hard work, late hours and time away from home has been rewarded thousands fold over. I'm so proud of you and what you have achieved thus far. I love you with all my heart and soul. Never doubt that the children and I have your back.
To my Darling, you rightfully earned it. All your hard work, late hours and time away from home has been rewarded thousands fold over. I'm so proud of you and what you have achieved thus far. I love you with all my heart and soul. Never doubt that the children and I have your back.
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Long CNY Weekend That Was
What does one do if one's husband is away for the long CNY weekend? Some would say, stay home and be a couch potato but not me. No way! Eventhough B is not around, it doesn't hold me back from gallivanting with my two kids. So, here are the things that we did the whole of the four-day weekend...
Day 1:
We went here....
and saw lots of animals and people! so sesak but for the kids' sake and educational purposes, I dived into it head on!
Hihihi... Zareef imitating the fish's large mouth.
Zareef feeding the deers or was it reindeers? Their antlers were long and beautiful!
On the tram with cousin Hannah, his idol.
Last but not least, my favorite animal. So magnificently strong and big but still remained calm and sexy. Ehhhh... boleh ke?
Zara was so psyched to see all the animals. She kept on pointing to all the animals and saying "OOOHHH, OOOHHH" repeatedly.
Day 2:
We went for a swim in the evening at Pusat Kejiranan Presint 16. Despite it being a public pool, I was very impressed with it facilities and CLEANLINESS, what with me being the hygiene freak. There are three pools; one for the toddlers, one for the kids complete with a water slide and one for the adults with depth going to 1.6 m deep. You'll have to put on proper swimming attire complete with swimming cap though. No t-shirts and shorts and long pants allowed, which I'm so glad because I hate to be swimming in someone's hair, if you get what I mean.
We spent a good two hours here just lazing and swimming in the pool. Zareef was busy going down the slide and pulling all sorts of stunts in the water. I think it's high time to enrol him in a swimming class since he loves swimming so much.
Sorry no pictures here as I was busy tending to Zareef and Zara, the water nymphs.
Day 3:
We went to the likes of Ikea, Ikano and The Curve. Zareef puts it as "Lets go Shopping Day". We had lunch at Little Penang Cafe and bumped into Bess and Co. Her daughter Mariah is the sweetest thing, sitting down perfectly quiet in her highchair unlike mine who'll grab everything available on the table. We managed to catch the Lion Dance show. Zareef was so inspired by the show, so much so that he was trying to jump from one sofa to another when we got back.
Another reason I went there was to get my hands on these...
More information on them can be found here. It's RM 4.50 per piece, RM 25 for 1/2 dozen and RM 48 for a dozen. Pricey? You be the judge.
Clockwise from top left, I bought Butter Pecan (butter pecan cake with caramel frosting), Othello (chocolate cake with vanilla frosting), Banoppy (banana poppy cake with vanilla frosting) and Fatal Attraction (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting). The person at the counter claimed that these are all best sellers.
What do I think? Well, this is my honest-to-goodness opinion and does not reflect what others think; I didn't like the vanilla frosting at all and so did Zareef. Despite me having a sweet-tooth and a penchant for all things dessert, to me the vanilla frosting was way too sweet bordering to cloying. For every small bite that I took of the cake with the vanilla frosting, I had to drink a big gulp of water. We (Zareef and I) were cringing and closing our eyes everytime we took a bite. After two bites, Zareef gave up and said that 'I don't like it and Mummy can have all of it'. Aduhhsss... ada yang kena diabetes camni.
The banoppy and butter pecan cake were a bit dry and crumbly. The banoppy had bits of bananas at the bottom. I'm not sure what bananas that they used but it didn't work for me because I didn't really taste the banana (it wasn't ripe kot). It would have tasted better if they were to use pisang emas or rastali.
Butter pecan was so-so. It had small chopped pecans at the bottom and laced with caramel. Again, I didn't enjoy it that much because the frosting was too cloyingly sweet.
However,not all was lost as I truly like the Fatal Attraction and Othello. The chocolate cake was just right in its moistness, texture and it wasn't too sweet. I'm giving a thumb up for the chocolate frosting because it has the right amount of sweetness that goes very well with the chocolate cake but not for the Othello though. This time, I scraped off the vanilla frosting and ate it sparingly with the chocolate cake.
Will I try it again? Hmm, sorry to say, I think that's it for me. I spent RM 18 on four cupcakes which to me is a bit pricey but for research sake, I did it. I think I'll just bake my own whenever I'm in need of a cupcake fix after this.
Day 4:
We woke up early to meet and greet B at the airport. His flight was delayed so instead of just waiting for him at the arrivals, I had to park my car and bring the kids down. Forgetful me forgot to bring along the MacLaren. So I had no choice but to put Zara and Zareef on the trolley which they enjoyed immensely. After 30 minutes, B came out all grinning and our family is now complete again. How all of us miss him so much, only God knows.
After having breakfast, B started pulling out all kinds of goodies from his bag. Everyone got something. Zara got a stack-and-nest toy from Playskool, Zareef got a Transformer Decepticon named Storm Surge added to his collection and me? Nyeh nyeh nyeh...
Nak tengok ke apa ada kat dalam? Okay la, terasa macam show-and-tell pulak.
I feel complete. Thank you so much Darling for this. You're simply the best!! I don't know how to repay your kindness and generosity but hopefully with me being your loving and doting wife to you and the kids sort of make up for it. Like a friend put it "Baru la berbaloi kena tinggal selalu" and I readily concur...
Day 1:
We went here....
and saw lots of animals and people! so sesak but for the kids' sake and educational purposes, I dived into it head on!
Hihihi... Zareef imitating the fish's large mouth.
Zareef feeding the deers or was it reindeers? Their antlers were long and beautiful!
On the tram with cousin Hannah, his idol.
Last but not least, my favorite animal. So magnificently strong and big but still remained calm and sexy. Ehhhh... boleh ke?Zara was so psyched to see all the animals. She kept on pointing to all the animals and saying "OOOHHH, OOOHHH" repeatedly.
Day 2:
We went for a swim in the evening at Pusat Kejiranan Presint 16. Despite it being a public pool, I was very impressed with it facilities and CLEANLINESS, what with me being the hygiene freak. There are three pools; one for the toddlers, one for the kids complete with a water slide and one for the adults with depth going to 1.6 m deep. You'll have to put on proper swimming attire complete with swimming cap though. No t-shirts and shorts and long pants allowed, which I'm so glad because I hate to be swimming in someone's hair, if you get what I mean.
We spent a good two hours here just lazing and swimming in the pool. Zareef was busy going down the slide and pulling all sorts of stunts in the water. I think it's high time to enrol him in a swimming class since he loves swimming so much.
Sorry no pictures here as I was busy tending to Zareef and Zara, the water nymphs.
Day 3:
We went to the likes of Ikea, Ikano and The Curve. Zareef puts it as "Lets go Shopping Day". We had lunch at Little Penang Cafe and bumped into Bess and Co. Her daughter Mariah is the sweetest thing, sitting down perfectly quiet in her highchair unlike mine who'll grab everything available on the table. We managed to catch the Lion Dance show. Zareef was so inspired by the show, so much so that he was trying to jump from one sofa to another when we got back.
Another reason I went there was to get my hands on these...
More information on them can be found here. It's RM 4.50 per piece, RM 25 for 1/2 dozen and RM 48 for a dozen. Pricey? You be the judge.
Clockwise from top left, I bought Butter Pecan (butter pecan cake with caramel frosting), Othello (chocolate cake with vanilla frosting), Banoppy (banana poppy cake with vanilla frosting) and Fatal Attraction (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting). The person at the counter claimed that these are all best sellers.
What do I think? Well, this is my honest-to-goodness opinion and does not reflect what others think; I didn't like the vanilla frosting at all and so did Zareef. Despite me having a sweet-tooth and a penchant for all things dessert, to me the vanilla frosting was way too sweet bordering to cloying. For every small bite that I took of the cake with the vanilla frosting, I had to drink a big gulp of water. We (Zareef and I) were cringing and closing our eyes everytime we took a bite. After two bites, Zareef gave up and said that 'I don't like it and Mummy can have all of it'. Aduhhsss... ada yang kena diabetes camni.The banoppy and butter pecan cake were a bit dry and crumbly. The banoppy had bits of bananas at the bottom. I'm not sure what bananas that they used but it didn't work for me because I didn't really taste the banana (it wasn't ripe kot). It would have tasted better if they were to use pisang emas or rastali.
Butter pecan was so-so. It had small chopped pecans at the bottom and laced with caramel. Again, I didn't enjoy it that much because the frosting was too cloyingly sweet.
However,not all was lost as I truly like the Fatal Attraction and Othello. The chocolate cake was just right in its moistness, texture and it wasn't too sweet. I'm giving a thumb up for the chocolate frosting because it has the right amount of sweetness that goes very well with the chocolate cake but not for the Othello though. This time, I scraped off the vanilla frosting and ate it sparingly with the chocolate cake.
Will I try it again? Hmm, sorry to say, I think that's it for me. I spent RM 18 on four cupcakes which to me is a bit pricey but for research sake, I did it. I think I'll just bake my own whenever I'm in need of a cupcake fix after this.
Day 4:
We woke up early to meet and greet B at the airport. His flight was delayed so instead of just waiting for him at the arrivals, I had to park my car and bring the kids down. Forgetful me forgot to bring along the MacLaren. So I had no choice but to put Zara and Zareef on the trolley which they enjoyed immensely. After 30 minutes, B came out all grinning and our family is now complete again. How all of us miss him so much, only God knows.
After having breakfast, B started pulling out all kinds of goodies from his bag. Everyone got something. Zara got a stack-and-nest toy from Playskool, Zareef got a Transformer Decepticon named Storm Surge added to his collection and me? Nyeh nyeh nyeh...
Nak tengok ke apa ada kat dalam? Okay la, terasa macam show-and-tell pulak.
I feel complete. Thank you so much Darling for this. You're simply the best!! I don't know how to repay your kindness and generosity but hopefully with me being your loving and doting wife to you and the kids sort of make up for it. Like a friend put it "Baru la berbaloi kena tinggal selalu" and I readily concur...
Friday, February 08, 2008
Rude Ignorant People
What would you do if you were faced with these situations?
1. You are at a traffic light that's blinking in yellow (that means go at your own peril hehe) and you can't cross because traffic is nonstop. There's a car behind you that keeps on honking and revving its engine urging you to go. *Apa? Nak suruh aku ngan anak-anak aku kena langgar??? Giler punya manusia!*
2. You went to your husband's office with your kids to met his colleague (ada bisnes dealing sket). When everything is done, the whole lot of you started to make your way to the lift. Along the way, out came a lady from one of the offices and walked in front of you. Then you being the mulut laser takde insurans went away and said "Mak aii... Busuknye B.O dia Aling. Tak pakai deodorant ke?" only to find out a few seconds later in hushed tones that THE LADY is your husband's PA??? *Aiyakkkk... mamposss..*
3. Your Indonesian cleaner who comes once a week to clean your house went ahead and locked your bedroom door without first asking whether you have the keys to it. And this happened on the eve of CNY and so all locksmiths in town were out having their reunion dinner. Tried the paper clip and slipping ID techniques but to no avail. You were so fcuking mad that the only other option that's viable is to knock the door down. Thank god for your neighbor who suggested calling an Indonesian handyman who busted away the door knob and lock to your bedroom. You had to pay RM 55 for it but you don't mind at all as long as you can get into your room. *I am sooo gonna deduct her salary for this. Stupid idiot!*
4. People who asks for discounts but expects superior decorations and stuff on their cakes when you are already selling at 100% below the recommended retail price. Plus, you are repeatedly told that your cakes taste good. You know you only sell the best because you only eat and bake the best. *So how now brown cow??*
5. People who send petty comments saying that you are a show-off, snob and shallow for showing your bags to the world. *Huhh?? Get a life people! My blog, I'll do whatever I want with it. Kalau tak puas hati, pegi la buat blog sendiri. Besides, I greatly encourage shallow obsessing (borrowing from Purse Blog's motto) and I follow the "If you have it, then flaunt it" mantra. Apasal? Jealous ke that my husband loves me greatly and buys for me things that he knows I love? Malas aku nak layan*.
6. People who tells you what to do with your kids when obviously, the said people dah lama tak pegang and jaga budak kecik. *I'm their mom. I know what's best for them. Opinions and suggestions are highly appreciated but not when they are given under malicious undertones or in other words, sindiran semata-mata.*
Okay, enough of rantings for today. I'm going to cool it all off with a swim with my kids at my brother's place this evening. I'm all alone, again, this long weekend with my kids. B is away in the land of Ratatouille, Eiffel Tower, croissants and baguettes. He'll be back on Sunday morning. Arghhhh... I'm starting to dislike his out-of-country trips. Again, cepat la balik.... sighhh
1. You are at a traffic light that's blinking in yellow (that means go at your own peril hehe) and you can't cross because traffic is nonstop. There's a car behind you that keeps on honking and revving its engine urging you to go. *Apa? Nak suruh aku ngan anak-anak aku kena langgar??? Giler punya manusia!*
2. You went to your husband's office with your kids to met his colleague (ada bisnes dealing sket). When everything is done, the whole lot of you started to make your way to the lift. Along the way, out came a lady from one of the offices and walked in front of you. Then you being the mulut laser takde insurans went away and said "Mak aii... Busuknye B.O dia Aling. Tak pakai deodorant ke?" only to find out a few seconds later in hushed tones that THE LADY is your husband's PA??? *Aiyakkkk... mamposss..*
3. Your Indonesian cleaner who comes once a week to clean your house went ahead and locked your bedroom door without first asking whether you have the keys to it. And this happened on the eve of CNY and so all locksmiths in town were out having their reunion dinner. Tried the paper clip and slipping ID techniques but to no avail. You were so fcuking mad that the only other option that's viable is to knock the door down. Thank god for your neighbor who suggested calling an Indonesian handyman who busted away the door knob and lock to your bedroom. You had to pay RM 55 for it but you don't mind at all as long as you can get into your room. *I am sooo gonna deduct her salary for this. Stupid idiot!*
4. People who asks for discounts but expects superior decorations and stuff on their cakes when you are already selling at 100% below the recommended retail price. Plus, you are repeatedly told that your cakes taste good. You know you only sell the best because you only eat and bake the best. *So how now brown cow??*
5. People who send petty comments saying that you are a show-off, snob and shallow for showing your bags to the world. *Huhh?? Get a life people! My blog, I'll do whatever I want with it. Kalau tak puas hati, pegi la buat blog sendiri. Besides, I greatly encourage shallow obsessing (borrowing from Purse Blog's motto) and I follow the "If you have it, then flaunt it" mantra. Apasal? Jealous ke that my husband loves me greatly and buys for me things that he knows I love? Malas aku nak layan*.
6. People who tells you what to do with your kids when obviously, the said people dah lama tak pegang and jaga budak kecik. *I'm their mom. I know what's best for them. Opinions and suggestions are highly appreciated but not when they are given under malicious undertones or in other words, sindiran semata-mata.*
Okay, enough of rantings for today. I'm going to cool it all off with a swim with my kids at my brother's place this evening. I'm all alone, again, this long weekend with my kids. B is away in the land of Ratatouille, Eiffel Tower, croissants and baguettes. He'll be back on Sunday morning. Arghhhh... I'm starting to dislike his out-of-country trips. Again, cepat la balik.... sighhh
Monday, February 04, 2008
From Rome With Much Love
B just got back from Rome this morning. Right now he's sleeping off his jetlag and I can't wipe out the silly wide grin on my face.
Why????
Because he came back with all these....
nyehnyehnyeh... I'm a happy brown cow now.
Thank you sooooo much Darling!! You're the best! I totally love the Fs ( I only asked for one, but dapat tiga. I am so over the moon). And the smell, tok sah cakap la. It's the next best thing to a newborn child, seriously!
ps: Zareef pun menyelit gak his Transformer; Autobot Landmine which B also bought on his trip. Bagi can la...
Why????
Because he came back with all these....
nyehnyehnyeh... I'm a happy brown cow now.Thank you sooooo much Darling!! You're the best! I totally love the Fs ( I only asked for one, but dapat tiga. I am so over the moon). And the smell, tok sah cakap la. It's the next best thing to a newborn child, seriously!
ps: Zareef pun menyelit gak his Transformer; Autobot Landmine which B also bought on his trip. Bagi can la...
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