since I last updated my blog. Lots of reasons why which are totally unavoidable.
1. Streamyx at my parents' area is driving me mad, mad crazy!! The dsl line kept on blinking non stop and sometimes, it just goes off completely. I've been complaining non stop and at least 3 technicians have been trying to fix the problem but everytime, they blame it on the old copper lines at my area. So, one day, a lady from streamyx called to say that they've downgraded my subscription from 1Mbps to 512 Kbps. But I told her the problem still exists. So she said, "Kalau camtu, Pn. Noraisyah kena terminate je la streamyx puan". Cehhhh... ada pulak camtu. You guys should be the one to look into the root of the problem and solve it. Not opting to take the easy way out. Boy... was I pissed!!
2. Freak thunderstorm and lightning which have been happening almost everyday for the past few weeks have wrecked havoc to my parents' phone line. The phone line died on us for a week before someone from TM could come out here to check on it. Two technicians came. The first one was an idiot. He climbed the house's roof and declared that the line was fine. It's the flooding and rubbish on the rooftop that's causing the line to be faulty and he had the cheek to ask my 69-year old dad to clear it up. I told my dad not to do anything about it. Instead, I called again TM and complained (I know... I'm such a whiner but hey... I'm paying the bills and I expect a service or else it's like I'm paying for nothing!). A second technician came and he declared that the phone cable is fried due to being strike by lightning. He said he can't do it. A contractor has to come to fix it. The contractor came yesterday and now, Alhamdulillah... I get to type this post.
3. Little baby has been causing havoc to my body system. I puke all the time. My nose has become extra sensitive picking up almost all unappetizing odor that causes me to gag and throw up. I shiver and shake everytime I drive the car. Occasionally, when it gets too much, I have to stop by the roadside to vomit. Very ugly sight I must say. I just pray that this phase will pass quickly so that I can enjoy the rest of my pregnancy.
4. I've only been with AIA for 3 months now and already I've gotten a dose of kiasuness from one of the cha-ya-nun-aliff agent who is a manager to boot! Goodness!! She has the nerve to call up another manager to ask that manager to call me and to warn me not to go to a certain developer because she (the kiasu agent) has an exclusivity there. Exclusive my ass!! That kiasu agent has not been servicing the developer for quite some time now and when I stepped in through proper procedures, she went berserk. Oiii... tell it to my face la!! Penakut punya manusia! And she even told me not to come to the developer's soft launching of a new housing project. I was fuming angry and fucking mad! I tell you, there are nothing straight about these kind of people except for their hair!
5. I've just got an insider information that BLR will be increasing again either next week or the week after. Yupp people... this time it's going up to 6.7 or even a crazy 7!! So... sape2 yg nak refinance their house, quick call me or email me (noresh_anshar@yahoo.com). The 5.89% fixed rate won't last any longer.
6. It'll be a 3-day weekend and we're going off to Janda Baik again. It's back to peaceful and serene kampung life. I've a good mind to let Zareef to play with the goats and the ducks and just roam about with his cousins finding their own adventure. It'll be a good escape. Not forgetting taking a dip in the clear cool stream. Such bliss!! And... it'll be a test for our new car.. nyeh nyeh nyeh. I suppose, I can't call it a car anymore since it has 4WD and more. At last, our wait is over. We even got the registration number that we wanted. Goody!!
Alright people... have good long weekend! Take care!!!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Friday, March 31, 2006
This Time Around, It's Worst Than The Last
It's the pregnancy that I'm talking about. I know that each pregnancy is always different and unique from the last, but I can't help but compare. When I was pregnant with Zareef, it wasn't this bad.
Now, I get nauseaness all the time. No more morning sickness. It's 24-7 sickness. I can't keep my food down. I throw up whenever I smell something frying. I get dizzy after driving. I'm exhausted all the time. My face is full of teenage zits. Big ones I might add. My ankles and feet swelled worst than a balloon. I can no longer traipse up and down shopping malls all day long because the last time I did, spotting occurred.
Ya Allah... please give me the strength to carry this child until the day he/she is supposed to be borned. Amin...
ps: I so crave for a good yummylicious plate of char kuew tiaw. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
Now, I get nauseaness all the time. No more morning sickness. It's 24-7 sickness. I can't keep my food down. I throw up whenever I smell something frying. I get dizzy after driving. I'm exhausted all the time. My face is full of teenage zits. Big ones I might add. My ankles and feet swelled worst than a balloon. I can no longer traipse up and down shopping malls all day long because the last time I did, spotting occurred.
Ya Allah... please give me the strength to carry this child until the day he/she is supposed to be borned. Amin...
ps: I so crave for a good yummylicious plate of char kuew tiaw. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
My Wish List
Dear B,
Seeing that our 5th anniversary is this Saturday, I'd like to list down a few of the things that has been swirling in my head since forever. I assure you that it's alright if you can't get it for me now, but sooner or later ya. Actually, sooner would be very much preferable, thank you very much! Here goes...
1. A spa treatment. A whole body massage, body scrub, body mask, the works.
2. A business bag that can fit in all my paperwork, laptop and other knick knacks. The one that I have in mind is the Coach Soho Signature Business Tote going at USD $398. Okay kan the price...
3. A chunky elegant dinner watch. I'd love to have the Fendi that I showed you. You remember kan. It's the one with the pink leather strap and a chrono one to boot.
4. Our BJB 676. Tender pun... tender la. I've been seeing signs of nombor apit (as you call it) everywhere. Maybe it's meant to be??
5. A laptop which you've kindly bought for me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear! But... that's work related. This is for me to enjoy. Me and only me. You get what I mean? It's like you getting your RC car, your Timberland Chrono watch and your Subaru shirt. Yeahhh... that's what I mean.
I think that's about it for this year. Take a pick darling then surprise me, hehehhehe... The list can always be brought forward. If all fail, then I'd really love it if we can spend dinner alone gorging down on Jap food... hehehhehe...
Seeing that our 5th anniversary is this Saturday, I'd like to list down a few of the things that has been swirling in my head since forever. I assure you that it's alright if you can't get it for me now, but sooner or later ya. Actually, sooner would be very much preferable, thank you very much! Here goes...
1. A spa treatment. A whole body massage, body scrub, body mask, the works.
2. A business bag that can fit in all my paperwork, laptop and other knick knacks. The one that I have in mind is the Coach Soho Signature Business Tote going at USD $398. Okay kan the price...
3. A chunky elegant dinner watch. I'd love to have the Fendi that I showed you. You remember kan. It's the one with the pink leather strap and a chrono one to boot.
4. Our BJB 676. Tender pun... tender la. I've been seeing signs of nombor apit (as you call it) everywhere. Maybe it's meant to be??
5. A laptop which you've kindly bought for me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear! But... that's work related. This is for me to enjoy. Me and only me. You get what I mean? It's like you getting your RC car, your Timberland Chrono watch and your Subaru shirt. Yeahhh... that's what I mean.
I think that's about it for this year. Take a pick darling then surprise me, hehehhehe... The list can always be brought forward. If all fail, then I'd really love it if we can spend dinner alone gorging down on Jap food... hehehhehe...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
I've been tagged...
by Along. She tagged me a month ago. Sorry ya. Who says I have plenty of time in my hands? WRONGGGG... By the way, this is my 100th post. Heheheh... thought I'd never reach this mark. So here goes...
Four Jobs I've Had:
1. Housekeeper - This was at Purdue's Union Hotel. My duties were to keep the rooms looking spick and span. Didn't like it at all! Quit after a couple of months.
2. Stripe Shop - My duties were to make pizzas, breadsticks, be the cashier and clean up the joint. Fun job despite burning myself several times. The plus side: I get to eat lots and lots of pizza and breadsticks dipped in cheese or tomato sauce. Yummmm!!
3. Prime Lab - This one was a bit on the heavy duty side. I had to sit by the computer for 8 hours and observe the ongoings of a HUGE machine whose job is to carbon date materials situated 4 levels underground. I had to climb, fix, change and do others things to the machine that runs on thousands of volts and had rays that could kill your body cells in an instant. (Betul ke Bogo?) The plus side: I got extra studying done, used the photocopying machine for free and downloaded songs at T1 speed...hhehehe...
4. Grader - Hah... easy peasy! All I had to do was grade student's homework while lying on the bed once a week. And for that, I get paid $6/hour for 10 hours. Absolutely love this job!
All the above were my undergrad odd jobs. After graduating, I was stuck at an IT company as a Systems Engineer. This was fun. I get to go up and down the KL Sentral office suites before anyone else. After that, it was downhill all the way. In the UK, I was a domestic engineer full time while in the mornings, I worked as an office assistant. The pay was enough for me to travel, shop and sent some home.
Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
1. Anything that has Reese Witherspoon in it. I absolutely adore her!
2. The Fast and The Furious and its sequel. Fast cars simply does it for me.
3. All of Harry Potter's. Yupp... this I can watch with Zareef. My boy can even memorize some of the lines.
4. Dead Poet's Society. This is a classic one. B could never understand why but I love it!
Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Klang, Selangor. Born and bred here for the past 30 years.
2. West Lafayette, Indiana. This is were Purdue was. Simply priceless!!
3. Seksyen 16, PJ. Just behind Taman Jaya and Amcorp Mall within walking distance, MidValley at the next exit, only 10 minutes to Bangsar and 20 minutes to UPM. Best giler dok sini.
4. Loughborough, Leicestershire. Zareef's birthplace. We built our lives here. Broke my heart when I had to leave it.
Four Television Shows I Love to Watch:
Seriously... I watch way too much tv shows. In fact, I'm absofcukinglutely crazy about tv shows. But the top four would be
1. The O.C
2. SATC
3. Desperate Housewives
4. One Tree Hill
Four Places I Have Been on Vacation:
Goodness... this is hard. I've traveled a lot thanks to my degree days and B's postdoc days. I managed to cover almost all of Northern America, Canada included and 5 countries of the EU when we made a road trip in 2003. The best places were...
1. New York. Yes, the Big Apple. I could totally live here. I loved everything about it. I even went here twice!
2. Switzerland - Interlaken, Lucerne, Geneva, Zurich . Rolling snow-capped mountains, bluest sky you'll ever see in a lifetime, fresh crisp air, big fat cows rumbling on well-kept grass, huge lakes that seem endless plus the best milk and cheese that I have ever tasted, bar none!
3. Italy. We travelled all over Italy for a week covering Venice, Rome, Lake Garda, Florence and Pisa. Best pasta and gelato I have ever had!! Can you believe it that a cone of gelato was only 1 Euro! I whalloped a minimum of 3 each day. They tasted like heaven, every time. Yes... every time.
4. West Coast, US. B and I went for a 3 week holiday. Felt like a movie star when we walked the Hollywood Boulevard, visited the infamous Alcatraz in San Francisco, got wet through at SeaWorld in San Diego, window shopping at Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills. Best! Best! Best!
Four of My Favorite Dishes:
I'm not a fussy eater and an adventurous one too!
1. Japanese food. Yupp... I'm a nutter over anything Japanese
2. Any kind of noodles. I'd always pick noodles over rice, anytime!
3. Iqbal's Briyani. This small shop located in Leicester is a gem! They serve excellent, fluffy briyani rice with equally delicious, succulent, moist lamb. Simply the best!
4. Seafood. My all time favorite would be the stalls at Kuala Kedah. 4 thumbs up and al cheapo too!!
Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1. I'm vain so I visit mine daily. Just to see who has read my blog. Hahahah...
2. Yahoo Mail
3. Maybank2U
4. Blogs listed in my Favorite
Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. At home with Zareef, which I am
2. A spa. God knows how much I desperately yearn for a good massage and someone to just spoil me rotten.
3. By the sea in a Mediterranean country which is doable coz B is having a conference in Cyprus sometime in May. Gotta check my account balance and see if I can spare a few thousands. Sighhh... baru check. Nope. Not gonna happen. Hmm... but Redang will do.
4. Shopping either at the many, many factory outlets in the States or Bicester Village.
Four Bloggers I Am Tagging:
Anyone who hasn't done this who's reading this right now. Yes you, you and you. hehehheh...
Four Jobs I've Had:
1. Housekeeper - This was at Purdue's Union Hotel. My duties were to keep the rooms looking spick and span. Didn't like it at all! Quit after a couple of months.
2. Stripe Shop - My duties were to make pizzas, breadsticks, be the cashier and clean up the joint. Fun job despite burning myself several times. The plus side: I get to eat lots and lots of pizza and breadsticks dipped in cheese or tomato sauce. Yummmm!!
3. Prime Lab - This one was a bit on the heavy duty side. I had to sit by the computer for 8 hours and observe the ongoings of a HUGE machine whose job is to carbon date materials situated 4 levels underground. I had to climb, fix, change and do others things to the machine that runs on thousands of volts and had rays that could kill your body cells in an instant. (Betul ke Bogo?) The plus side: I got extra studying done, used the photocopying machine for free and downloaded songs at T1 speed...hhehehe...
4. Grader - Hah... easy peasy! All I had to do was grade student's homework while lying on the bed once a week. And for that, I get paid $6/hour for 10 hours. Absolutely love this job!
All the above were my undergrad odd jobs. After graduating, I was stuck at an IT company as a Systems Engineer. This was fun. I get to go up and down the KL Sentral office suites before anyone else. After that, it was downhill all the way. In the UK, I was a domestic engineer full time while in the mornings, I worked as an office assistant. The pay was enough for me to travel, shop and sent some home.
Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
1. Anything that has Reese Witherspoon in it. I absolutely adore her!
2. The Fast and The Furious and its sequel. Fast cars simply does it for me.
3. All of Harry Potter's. Yupp... this I can watch with Zareef. My boy can even memorize some of the lines.
4. Dead Poet's Society. This is a classic one. B could never understand why but I love it!
Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Klang, Selangor. Born and bred here for the past 30 years.
2. West Lafayette, Indiana. This is were Purdue was. Simply priceless!!
3. Seksyen 16, PJ. Just behind Taman Jaya and Amcorp Mall within walking distance, MidValley at the next exit, only 10 minutes to Bangsar and 20 minutes to UPM. Best giler dok sini.
4. Loughborough, Leicestershire. Zareef's birthplace. We built our lives here. Broke my heart when I had to leave it.
Four Television Shows I Love to Watch:
Seriously... I watch way too much tv shows. In fact, I'm absofcukinglutely crazy about tv shows. But the top four would be
1. The O.C
2. SATC
3. Desperate Housewives
4. One Tree Hill
Four Places I Have Been on Vacation:
Goodness... this is hard. I've traveled a lot thanks to my degree days and B's postdoc days. I managed to cover almost all of Northern America, Canada included and 5 countries of the EU when we made a road trip in 2003. The best places were...
1. New York. Yes, the Big Apple. I could totally live here. I loved everything about it. I even went here twice!
2. Switzerland - Interlaken, Lucerne, Geneva, Zurich . Rolling snow-capped mountains, bluest sky you'll ever see in a lifetime, fresh crisp air, big fat cows rumbling on well-kept grass, huge lakes that seem endless plus the best milk and cheese that I have ever tasted, bar none!
3. Italy. We travelled all over Italy for a week covering Venice, Rome, Lake Garda, Florence and Pisa. Best pasta and gelato I have ever had!! Can you believe it that a cone of gelato was only 1 Euro! I whalloped a minimum of 3 each day. They tasted like heaven, every time. Yes... every time.
4. West Coast, US. B and I went for a 3 week holiday. Felt like a movie star when we walked the Hollywood Boulevard, visited the infamous Alcatraz in San Francisco, got wet through at SeaWorld in San Diego, window shopping at Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills. Best! Best! Best!
Four of My Favorite Dishes:
I'm not a fussy eater and an adventurous one too!
1. Japanese food. Yupp... I'm a nutter over anything Japanese
2. Any kind of noodles. I'd always pick noodles over rice, anytime!
3. Iqbal's Briyani. This small shop located in Leicester is a gem! They serve excellent, fluffy briyani rice with equally delicious, succulent, moist lamb. Simply the best!
4. Seafood. My all time favorite would be the stalls at Kuala Kedah. 4 thumbs up and al cheapo too!!
Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1. I'm vain so I visit mine daily. Just to see who has read my blog. Hahahah...
2. Yahoo Mail
3. Maybank2U
4. Blogs listed in my Favorite
Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. At home with Zareef, which I am
2. A spa. God knows how much I desperately yearn for a good massage and someone to just spoil me rotten.
3. By the sea in a Mediterranean country which is doable coz B is having a conference in Cyprus sometime in May. Gotta check my account balance and see if I can spare a few thousands. Sighhh... baru check. Nope. Not gonna happen. Hmm... but Redang will do.
4. Shopping either at the many, many factory outlets in the States or Bicester Village.
Four Bloggers I Am Tagging:
Anyone who hasn't done this who's reading this right now. Yes you, you and you. hehehheh...
Friday, March 17, 2006
Boilermakers
I know this post is long overdue. Many things happened that has rendered me temporary blogging disability. Firstly my ever loyal Toshiba laptop conked out on me after it was struck by a lightning. Plus, I don't know what the hell is going on with the Streamyx. I have not been able to go online for several days which has totally irritated me. I got so pissed, that I called the hotline to complain. Ye lah, dah bayar mahal2 every month kan, dapat connection seciput je. Camni baik pakai dial-up. Yes Along, it has been a nightmare using the Streamyx for the past two weeks. Baru yesterday boleh log on. I seriously pity the guy who had to listen to my complains. His ears must be bleeding.
Anyway, we had a dimsum buffet to bid farewell to Yaya who is going to embark on a life journey. She'll be heading to Calgary to join her husband who has been transferred there. Yeahh... dah ada port kat sana. I'll be sure to ask B to find a conference there so that I can join him and we can bunk at your place. You did say yes. Hehehhehe... So good luck living there ya!
I could only manage to snap a couple of pictures before my Ixus ran out of juice. So enjoy....
Anyway, we had a dimsum buffet to bid farewell to Yaya who is going to embark on a life journey. She'll be heading to Calgary to join her husband who has been transferred there. Yeahh... dah ada port kat sana. I'll be sure to ask B to find a conference there so that I can join him and we can bunk at your place. You did say yes. Hehehhehe... So good luck living there ya!
I could only manage to snap a couple of pictures before my Ixus ran out of juice. So enjoy....
Monday, February 20, 2006
Meeting Shu, Bobbi and Mac
Yesterday, I had the chance to meet my girlfriends at MV without Zareef tagging along. Where was he?? He tagged his dad to see his Wan (B's mom) at Subang. How did I feel? FREEDOM!!! Yeah... that's what I felt.
Don't get me wrong. I truly love my son BUT when I've been with him from day one uptill now (he's four this year, by the way) every single minute every single hour every day, a few hours alone did wonderful things to my soul.
I enjoyed walking and yakking with my close buds without Zareef trailing and whining. I enjoyed eating my huge bowl of curry laksa while yakking (again!) with my friends without worrying about feeding Zareef. I enjoyed immensely going in and out from out store to another with my crazy girls while yakking (goshh... we women do yak a lot, don't we!) without having to keep a watchful eye over Zareef, worried that he'll go wandering and get kidnapped by crazy people.
Eventhough it was only for a mere 3 hours, I came back feeling refreshed, filled with renewed love and passion for my boy an husband, appreciating them more than ever. Tu baru 3 hours, imagine if I were gone for the whole day or even a week for that matter.
Anyway, we went to Shu Uemura to try on some makeups. Not one of the sales rep approached us to ask us if we needed any help. Instead, one did but from our behind while religiously following us or eyeing us with her watchful eye in case we popped an eye shadow or two in our bags. They were rather unfriendly and didn't even bother to make an attempt to be nice.
Then, we made a beeline to Bobbi Brown. Surprisingly, we were greeted with a warm smile from one of the sales rep. Since she did make an effort to make an eye contact, I started asking her about some of the products and told he that I particularly love their lipgloss range. Then she showed me a blusher cum lipgloss and she even applied it on me! Along and Liza looked on and oohhhhed and aahhhhed at me. Both of them said that it looked really natural on me. Hehehhe... free makeover for me. I even told the sales rep that she is way friendlier and nicer than the people at shu uemura. She glowed and thanked me. That should make her day. But seriously, this isn't the first time that I got a great treatment from the people behind Bobbi. The first time was at Subang Parade's Parkson Grand. They were really nice to me too even after I've tried some of their stuffs and walked away with nothing.
We moved on to MAC. Equally friendly and helpful but they didn't offer to try on the products that we queried on us. So, minus one point there. However, I do love the feel of their eye makeup. Talk about good quality stuff!
That's it. I'm going to save up and buy Bobbi's stuff after this. Not just because of their quality makeup but also due to their helpful and friendly staff that made a world of difference. I truly felt appreciated. That certainly made me a very satisfied customer.
Don't get me wrong. I truly love my son BUT when I've been with him from day one uptill now (he's four this year, by the way) every single minute every single hour every day, a few hours alone did wonderful things to my soul.
I enjoyed walking and yakking with my close buds without Zareef trailing and whining. I enjoyed eating my huge bowl of curry laksa while yakking (again!) with my friends without worrying about feeding Zareef. I enjoyed immensely going in and out from out store to another with my crazy girls while yakking (goshh... we women do yak a lot, don't we!) without having to keep a watchful eye over Zareef, worried that he'll go wandering and get kidnapped by crazy people.
Eventhough it was only for a mere 3 hours, I came back feeling refreshed, filled with renewed love and passion for my boy an husband, appreciating them more than ever. Tu baru 3 hours, imagine if I were gone for the whole day or even a week for that matter.
Anyway, we went to Shu Uemura to try on some makeups. Not one of the sales rep approached us to ask us if we needed any help. Instead, one did but from our behind while religiously following us or eyeing us with her watchful eye in case we popped an eye shadow or two in our bags. They were rather unfriendly and didn't even bother to make an attempt to be nice.
Then, we made a beeline to Bobbi Brown. Surprisingly, we were greeted with a warm smile from one of the sales rep. Since she did make an effort to make an eye contact, I started asking her about some of the products and told he that I particularly love their lipgloss range. Then she showed me a blusher cum lipgloss and she even applied it on me! Along and Liza looked on and oohhhhed and aahhhhed at me. Both of them said that it looked really natural on me. Hehehhe... free makeover for me. I even told the sales rep that she is way friendlier and nicer than the people at shu uemura. She glowed and thanked me. That should make her day. But seriously, this isn't the first time that I got a great treatment from the people behind Bobbi. The first time was at Subang Parade's Parkson Grand. They were really nice to me too even after I've tried some of their stuffs and walked away with nothing.
We moved on to MAC. Equally friendly and helpful but they didn't offer to try on the products that we queried on us. So, minus one point there. However, I do love the feel of their eye makeup. Talk about good quality stuff!
That's it. I'm going to save up and buy Bobbi's stuff after this. Not just because of their quality makeup but also due to their helpful and friendly staff that made a world of difference. I truly felt appreciated. That certainly made me a very satisfied customer.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Presenting Our New Home
It's just 15 minutes away from UPM. So, B would not have the stress of making long commutes from Klang anymore once we've moved in. It's ours after the bank had finally called us last week confirming that our loan has been approved. Alhamdulillah!!
It's an odd end lot. The land at the side is not that big. It's just about 8 feet. When we visited it yesterday, B and I have already made plans on designing our garden. B left it entirely to me to design the garden of my dreams. Hehehehhe... this should be fun. I'll do all the creative work while leaving all the toil and labor to B.
It's an odd end lot. The land at the side is not that big. It's just about 8 feet. When we visited it yesterday, B and I have already made plans on designing our garden. B left it entirely to me to design the garden of my dreams. Hehehehhe... this should be fun. I'll do all the creative work while leaving all the toil and labor to B.
Zareef having a feel of the house. Although the land at the side is just 8 feet wide, we are well compensated with a huge piece of free land at the back courtesy of Majlis Daerah Sepang. We've already decided to turn it into our backyard where we can sit down and relax after a hard day's work. I was thinking of building a wakaf in the middle enclosed by clusters of fruit trees and a patch of herb garden.
That's our house, No. 74 Jalan... erk... can't remember pulak. Anyway, the CF is out and the keys are due to respective owners today. How I wish our loan is all finalized. I'm just itching to get in there and start decorating the house, laboring it with all my tender, love and care. It will be a long and laborious work but I'm sure I'll love every single minute of it.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Potty-Training Zareef Imran
Mama Farizal asked me how did I potty-trained Zareef. Well, to answer your question, I waited and bid for the right time to do it. But let me stress that each and every child is an individual. Therefore, as their moms, you know your child best when he/she is ready for the huge milestone. What I'm writing here, is purely based on my own experience with Zareef.
Last year, when Zareef started talking eloquently, I thought I could potty-train him. Me, being the religious reader of babycenter.com and all books alike, I thought it was the right time. But... I was sooooo wrong!
Zareef was only 2.5 years old then. Although he could talk and say whatever it is that he wanted to say, he would seldom tell me when was his time to go to the loo. So, I bought the Pampers Pull-Up pants and told him that he's a big boy now. Mummy bought special nappies for him to be potty-trained and to tell Mummy or Daddy whenever he feels like weeing or pooing. Hell, Mummy even bought the baby seat to be put on our loo for that matter.
The first day, he was excited. He even managed to say out twice that he needs to pee. But it soon stopped there. Everytime when I asked him whether he needs to wee, he'll just simply shake his head. But at the end of the day, I would always find his nappies to be wet and heavy. I was furious with my boy but that was that. I couldn't possibly punish a two-year old for wetting his nappy, can I? I mean, he's just two. He doesn't even know how to control his bladder. So, I gave it a rest. I told B that Zareef is not ready yet. It wouldn't help at all with me screaming down his throat everytime he forgets to tell me that he needs the loo thus making me seem like a monster to him. It would just make matters worse. Plus, it was winter at that time hence the cold weather requires visit to the toilet more often and not forgetting that our home then was wall-to-wall carpeted. So, it would be a horrible, horrible job cleaning up the carpet every two hour or so if accidents do occur.
I waited and waited quietly bidding for my time. By then, friends would make a snide remark or two on Zareef still being on the nappy although he's already three. But, did I care? Nah!! I didn't give a hoot about it. My son, my problem. If he were to pee everywhere in the house, would you be there to clean up after his mess? No? I thought so!
When we got back home two months ago, to our despair we found that Zareef couldn't fit into the Pampers XL nappies (despite me lugging home what seems like bundles of nappies from the UK). That's it then. Potty-training time, again.
We told Zareef that it's time for him to be potty-trained, firmly this time. We told him that he's a big boy now and no nappies could fit him anymore. Since he was a year older and a little bit wiser, he could understand and he was willing to have a go. We went out to buy briefs for him at Jusco (menyesal aku tak borong banyak2 underwear cartoon characters kat mothercare before balik They were going at 3 for the price of 2! Damn!!).
The first two days was a disaster! He would forget entirely what B and I have repeatedly told him that is "Cakap kat Mummy or Daddy kalau Zareef nak kencing tau!" We would caught him peeing in his pants. Nasib baik rumah nenek dia lantai marble sumer. Very easy to clean up after him. To teach him a lesson, I let Zareef feel the discomfort of having a wet pants. Then I told him "Kalau Zareef tak cakap Mummy nak kencing, nanti seluar Zareef basah. Do you like it?" He would feebly shake his head. After three days of feeling drenched in his own pee (which he is totally geli about), he picked up quickly from then onwards.
Now come the trickier part, teaching him to poo in the toilet. It has become Zareef's habit to hide quietly behind curtains or sofas everytime he does the No. 2. So, I told him that he has to poo in the toilet bowl. He refused at first but I told him that if he doesn't poo in the toilet bowl, he would make a mess in his pants and it would be soiled. "Would you want your pants to be dirty and smelly?" to which he shaked his head vigorously. And so, I slowly showed him how it is being done (Yes, you do have to show them. Or else, how would they know the right techniques of doing it. It does sound gross, but believe you me, it works like a charm! heheheh...).
After weeks of diligent perseverance, whackings and threats, I can proudly say that my son is now a pro at potty-training. However, I still put him on the nappy at night when he goes to sleep (Thank god for Mami Poko's XXL!). I don't trust him enough to not wet the bed because he still can't control his bladder in his sleep. But I'm taking it off soon because his nappies have been dry for the whole night for quite some time now. Give it a week or two and he'll be 100% free from diapers.
So there, that's the story of Zareef. If you plan to start with your child, a sure indicator is that he/she is ready is that your child has a dry nappy the whole night through. Next, please make sure that:
1. They are old enough. Yes the books say you should start at 2 or 2.5 but I say BULL! Girls would usually start earlier than boys. The safest bet would be to start potty training your child after their 3rd birthday. By that time, they can understand better and comprehend what you're trying to teach them.
2. You are firm. Don't start potty-training them one day and then put them in the nappies the next day. Your child would be confuse.
3. Your child can say out clearly that they need to go. It's no use asking your child to tell you that when clearly that he/she is unable to say it.
4. You put them in their underwears. Not pull-ups like what I did with Zareef. Even if they imitate underwears, they are still nappies. Your child wouldn't fell that they've wetted themselves if they wear the pull-ups. If they are in their underwear, they would know what's the feeling like when they have to pee and the consequences of not peeing in the potty.
5. Be very, very patient. Although I do admit that Zareef did receive a few blows from me but it was after tens of times of telling him. You would have to endure countless times of cleaning the floor, tracking down where the pee starts and ends and changing them like 10 times a day.
6. Do it in an environment that your child is most familiar with. Eg. your home. If you plan to go on a holiday, then put it on hold. It's not advisable and fair to the child because again, they would get confused and you would end up blowing up a fuse. That is why I waited till we were back in Malaysia.
Hmmm... I think that's about it. Again, these are all based on my experience with Zareef. Yours would be different. Ultimately, it would all boil down to your child. So, good luck Llah!
Last year, when Zareef started talking eloquently, I thought I could potty-train him. Me, being the religious reader of babycenter.com and all books alike, I thought it was the right time. But... I was sooooo wrong!
Zareef was only 2.5 years old then. Although he could talk and say whatever it is that he wanted to say, he would seldom tell me when was his time to go to the loo. So, I bought the Pampers Pull-Up pants and told him that he's a big boy now. Mummy bought special nappies for him to be potty-trained and to tell Mummy or Daddy whenever he feels like weeing or pooing. Hell, Mummy even bought the baby seat to be put on our loo for that matter.
The first day, he was excited. He even managed to say out twice that he needs to pee. But it soon stopped there. Everytime when I asked him whether he needs to wee, he'll just simply shake his head. But at the end of the day, I would always find his nappies to be wet and heavy. I was furious with my boy but that was that. I couldn't possibly punish a two-year old for wetting his nappy, can I? I mean, he's just two. He doesn't even know how to control his bladder. So, I gave it a rest. I told B that Zareef is not ready yet. It wouldn't help at all with me screaming down his throat everytime he forgets to tell me that he needs the loo thus making me seem like a monster to him. It would just make matters worse. Plus, it was winter at that time hence the cold weather requires visit to the toilet more often and not forgetting that our home then was wall-to-wall carpeted. So, it would be a horrible, horrible job cleaning up the carpet every two hour or so if accidents do occur.
I waited and waited quietly bidding for my time. By then, friends would make a snide remark or two on Zareef still being on the nappy although he's already three. But, did I care? Nah!! I didn't give a hoot about it. My son, my problem. If he were to pee everywhere in the house, would you be there to clean up after his mess? No? I thought so!
When we got back home two months ago, to our despair we found that Zareef couldn't fit into the Pampers XL nappies (despite me lugging home what seems like bundles of nappies from the UK). That's it then. Potty-training time, again.
We told Zareef that it's time for him to be potty-trained, firmly this time. We told him that he's a big boy now and no nappies could fit him anymore. Since he was a year older and a little bit wiser, he could understand and he was willing to have a go. We went out to buy briefs for him at Jusco (menyesal aku tak borong banyak2 underwear cartoon characters kat mothercare before balik They were going at 3 for the price of 2! Damn!!).
The first two days was a disaster! He would forget entirely what B and I have repeatedly told him that is "Cakap kat Mummy or Daddy kalau Zareef nak kencing tau!" We would caught him peeing in his pants. Nasib baik rumah nenek dia lantai marble sumer. Very easy to clean up after him. To teach him a lesson, I let Zareef feel the discomfort of having a wet pants. Then I told him "Kalau Zareef tak cakap Mummy nak kencing, nanti seluar Zareef basah. Do you like it?" He would feebly shake his head. After three days of feeling drenched in his own pee (which he is totally geli about), he picked up quickly from then onwards.
Now come the trickier part, teaching him to poo in the toilet. It has become Zareef's habit to hide quietly behind curtains or sofas everytime he does the No. 2. So, I told him that he has to poo in the toilet bowl. He refused at first but I told him that if he doesn't poo in the toilet bowl, he would make a mess in his pants and it would be soiled. "Would you want your pants to be dirty and smelly?" to which he shaked his head vigorously. And so, I slowly showed him how it is being done (Yes, you do have to show them. Or else, how would they know the right techniques of doing it. It does sound gross, but believe you me, it works like a charm! heheheh...).
After weeks of diligent perseverance, whackings and threats, I can proudly say that my son is now a pro at potty-training. However, I still put him on the nappy at night when he goes to sleep (Thank god for Mami Poko's XXL!). I don't trust him enough to not wet the bed because he still can't control his bladder in his sleep. But I'm taking it off soon because his nappies have been dry for the whole night for quite some time now. Give it a week or two and he'll be 100% free from diapers.
So there, that's the story of Zareef. If you plan to start with your child, a sure indicator is that he/she is ready is that your child has a dry nappy the whole night through. Next, please make sure that:
1. They are old enough. Yes the books say you should start at 2 or 2.5 but I say BULL! Girls would usually start earlier than boys. The safest bet would be to start potty training your child after their 3rd birthday. By that time, they can understand better and comprehend what you're trying to teach them.
2. You are firm. Don't start potty-training them one day and then put them in the nappies the next day. Your child would be confuse.
3. Your child can say out clearly that they need to go. It's no use asking your child to tell you that when clearly that he/she is unable to say it.
4. You put them in their underwears. Not pull-ups like what I did with Zareef. Even if they imitate underwears, they are still nappies. Your child wouldn't fell that they've wetted themselves if they wear the pull-ups. If they are in their underwear, they would know what's the feeling like when they have to pee and the consequences of not peeing in the potty.
5. Be very, very patient. Although I do admit that Zareef did receive a few blows from me but it was after tens of times of telling him. You would have to endure countless times of cleaning the floor, tracking down where the pee starts and ends and changing them like 10 times a day.
6. Do it in an environment that your child is most familiar with. Eg. your home. If you plan to go on a holiday, then put it on hold. It's not advisable and fair to the child because again, they would get confused and you would end up blowing up a fuse. That is why I waited till we were back in Malaysia.
Hmmm... I think that's about it. Again, these are all based on my experience with Zareef. Yours would be different. Ultimately, it would all boil down to your child. So, good luck Llah!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
No title would suit this post because...
it's a mixed-up post. I realized that I've not written anything about us settling down in Malaysia. So, for record purposes (future reference in case I forget), let me jot them down although not in order because like I say, it's all mixed up... I think I'll work my way backwards.
1. Zareef has been potty-trained. Yeayyy!!! Now, I can use the money that is usually spent on his nappies on the Home instead.
2. I went for an interview at GSM for the post of an administrative officer in corporate communication. It was set at 8 am and I arrived nice and early albeit some butterflies performing a tornado in my tummy.
When I arrived, there were a number of interviewees already there. All of us (about 25 of us) were ushered into the lecture hall. We were given forms to fill and.... an essay to complete. Bloody hell!!! To write an essay on the spot at the wee hours of the morning is certainly not my cup of tea. Not when my brains refused to cooperate and come up with any ideas on "Why do you think GSM needs the services of an administrative officer (corporate communication)". I didn't remember what I wrote but I do remember bull-shitting all the way. Hah! I hope they won't ask me what I meant in my essay because I sure don't know what I even mean to write.
Waited for a long time for my turn. When it was, I was bombarded with way too many questions. I was grilled until I can be grilled no more. The main issue that struck them was me converting from an engineer to a corporate administrator. I tried my damnest to convince them which I think, they didn't really buy it. After an hour of interview, the panel had really squeezed and exhausted my brain up to the point where I could only smile and say nothing. Imagine being bombarded with questions upon questions from all corners of the board room with only a few seconds to spare. Damn! my brain was tired and my tongue was dry. Tak bagi chance langsung!
When I got out of the board room, I had the feeling that I would have to find another job. What is it about these people that they can't grasp that an engineer CAN switch to do mundane jobs! Called B and we had lunch where I poured and whined and whinged my heart out. Oh well, I've done me best, kalau ada rezeki adalah. Kalau takde, I'm off in search of other jobs then.
3. Last weekend, I met with two dear friends to discuss some business propositions. InsyaAllah, we're all set to go. It's hard work going into the business where we know there are many, many who are well rooted and established but we're diving into it anyway, all heads two hands and feet. When we've worked out everything, I'll let you know ya! Hell, I'll even lead you to the website and give out our business cards.
4. Chinese New Year holiday was well spent with my entire family at Janda Baik. My parents, three brothers (sans the eldest) and their family and mine made our way up the rambling hill and lush forest to my uncle's place. We spent a night there. We had an awesome time!
The kids including their mums and dads had a whale of a time splashing in the cool and pristine river. Then, we headed off to the deep forest to visit my cousin's goat farm. The goats and their kids are so adorable! The kids (anak2 kambing) were so tame that we could even pat them like they were cats and not forgetting very clean and gebu because my cousin made sure that their pens were cleaned everyday.
At night, we pigged out over a barbecue and literally ate under the stars. It was so beautiful! For pictures, please go here.
5. Raya Haji was a family gathering of sorts. Yours truly got to meet all her aunts and uncles and cousins that she has not met for almost 4 years. They too, got to meet Zareef and gaped and gawked at me for putting on so much weight. Yeah... what's new eh?!
6. It took a month for Zareef to really settle down in Malaysia. Prior to that, he wouldn't stay in the same room as his atok and nenek. He would act hysterically if ever left alone in a room with my parents or B's mom and brothers. He refuses to shake hands with or talk to anyone. He didn't want to take a shower using the tap water, saying that it's too cold. So, his daddy had to fork out some dosh to buy and install a hot shower (daddy dia pun mentel jugak, kata sejuk nak mandi pagi2 nak pegi keje... chehhhh blame it on the son konon!). He was jetlagged for a month (and so was his mummy... hehhehhe...). He misses his Merc soooo much that he cried and cried for it on the first day we got back home. He refuses to go to school, saying that it's far, far away. He kept on saying his best friends' name, Abg. Firul, Sarah, Yana, Danish and Haiqal. None of his cousins here are his friends.
Now, he has warmed up tremendously to his atok and nenek (my parents) because his atok would bring him to the playground on his bike. His nenek would play throw and catch with him. At night, Zareef would play hide and seek with them. His atok and nenek are going all out to make him feel comfortable and settle down quickly so that I can go out and find a job.
However, he still refuses to be left behind alone with any of his grandparents which left me wondering, how in the world am I going to find a job with a son who kept on saying "Mummy tak boleh work. Mummy stay home with Zareef la. Daddy je yang work". My dear son, if it were up to me, Mummy pun malas nak keje but I can't. I have to work as we have just bought a new house and I can't possibly let Daddy work to the ground to earn all the dosh alone. Plus, Mummy needs her own money to spend as not to have a public enquiry everytime she asks Daddy for money to buy things. Isn't that what husbands are for? To provide for his wife and children? So B darling, jangan lupa bagi nafkah zahir kat I ye... even when I start working, be a sweetie and do provide me with some stipend.
7. How about B? He has been featured on the front page of Utusan's Mega a while back (please refer to my previous post). He's been complaining about the daily commute from Klang to UPM (sampai demam2 you!) Well... what do you expect. Masa kat Loughborough, boleh la drive 5 minit dah sampai. 15 minutes if you walk. Kat sini, commuting an hour to and fro is a norm. It'll be a different story when we move, though. It'll take only 20 minutes drive from the Home to UPM. So, lets pray that our loan will be approved soon and we can move in asap as the house is about to obtain its' CF anytime soon.
8) Me? I'm still adjusting to the weather. Even when we were at Janda Baik, when everyone else was cold and all wrapped up, I was feeling hot and bothered. Panas punya pasal, Dad installed an air-con in my room a day before we got back.
I finally got to pig out on all the food that I've missed and craved for the entire 3.5 years which then resulted in B and I coming down with food poisoning. Hahahha... our tummy just couldn't take it anymore.
It took me two weeks before I would even dare to drive around. I was so horrified with the Malaysians' attitude towards driving. Sekor2 macam pelesit. F1 drivers wannabe konon! Chehhh... I wouldn't mind if they keep their horrendous driving to themselves but when it comes to the point of endangering my family, then that's crossing the line! And, don't they ever learn about the yellow box? It irritates the hell out of me when people cram into the yellow box when you're not suppose to. I've a good mind to call up the police and have them come down here and ask them to stand in the yellow box everytime the traffic light turns red. Bagi saman sket orang2 yg masuk yellow box nih! Buat my neighbors and I susah betul nak get in and out of our housing area.
I still miss Lboro tremendously but I'm learning to let go. I'm learning to acclimatize myself to Malaysia. Yes, it's hard but I'm trying. Sometimes I forget and act like I normally do when I'm in Lboro like giving way to pedestrians and I get honked from behind by irate drivers. Thanking the cashier lady at Tesco and seeing their look of surprise. Cleaning up after every meals at McD and throwing the rubbish into bins with everyone around staring at me like I'm an insane person or something. Pushing my son in the MacLaren in the malls although he is getting too big to fit in with others gawking at me thinking that this boy is too old to be sitting in the stroller. Having a heart attack everytime I pay for groceries as I was so use to spending only £10 for a basketful of goods and now I have to pay RM100 for the same amount. Goodness! The numerical value is indeed something that I need adjusting quickly.
So, yeah... it's hard but we're getting there, slowly but surely.
1. Zareef has been potty-trained. Yeayyy!!! Now, I can use the money that is usually spent on his nappies on the Home instead.
2. I went for an interview at GSM for the post of an administrative officer in corporate communication. It was set at 8 am and I arrived nice and early albeit some butterflies performing a tornado in my tummy.
When I arrived, there were a number of interviewees already there. All of us (about 25 of us) were ushered into the lecture hall. We were given forms to fill and.... an essay to complete. Bloody hell!!! To write an essay on the spot at the wee hours of the morning is certainly not my cup of tea. Not when my brains refused to cooperate and come up with any ideas on "Why do you think GSM needs the services of an administrative officer (corporate communication)". I didn't remember what I wrote but I do remember bull-shitting all the way. Hah! I hope they won't ask me what I meant in my essay because I sure don't know what I even mean to write.
Waited for a long time for my turn. When it was, I was bombarded with way too many questions. I was grilled until I can be grilled no more. The main issue that struck them was me converting from an engineer to a corporate administrator. I tried my damnest to convince them which I think, they didn't really buy it. After an hour of interview, the panel had really squeezed and exhausted my brain up to the point where I could only smile and say nothing. Imagine being bombarded with questions upon questions from all corners of the board room with only a few seconds to spare. Damn! my brain was tired and my tongue was dry. Tak bagi chance langsung!
When I got out of the board room, I had the feeling that I would have to find another job. What is it about these people that they can't grasp that an engineer CAN switch to do mundane jobs! Called B and we had lunch where I poured and whined and whinged my heart out. Oh well, I've done me best, kalau ada rezeki adalah. Kalau takde, I'm off in search of other jobs then.
3. Last weekend, I met with two dear friends to discuss some business propositions. InsyaAllah, we're all set to go. It's hard work going into the business where we know there are many, many who are well rooted and established but we're diving into it anyway, all heads two hands and feet. When we've worked out everything, I'll let you know ya! Hell, I'll even lead you to the website and give out our business cards.
4. Chinese New Year holiday was well spent with my entire family at Janda Baik. My parents, three brothers (sans the eldest) and their family and mine made our way up the rambling hill and lush forest to my uncle's place. We spent a night there. We had an awesome time!
The kids including their mums and dads had a whale of a time splashing in the cool and pristine river. Then, we headed off to the deep forest to visit my cousin's goat farm. The goats and their kids are so adorable! The kids (anak2 kambing) were so tame that we could even pat them like they were cats and not forgetting very clean and gebu because my cousin made sure that their pens were cleaned everyday.
At night, we pigged out over a barbecue and literally ate under the stars. It was so beautiful! For pictures, please go here.
5. Raya Haji was a family gathering of sorts. Yours truly got to meet all her aunts and uncles and cousins that she has not met for almost 4 years. They too, got to meet Zareef and gaped and gawked at me for putting on so much weight. Yeah... what's new eh?!
6. It took a month for Zareef to really settle down in Malaysia. Prior to that, he wouldn't stay in the same room as his atok and nenek. He would act hysterically if ever left alone in a room with my parents or B's mom and brothers. He refuses to shake hands with or talk to anyone. He didn't want to take a shower using the tap water, saying that it's too cold. So, his daddy had to fork out some dosh to buy and install a hot shower (daddy dia pun mentel jugak, kata sejuk nak mandi pagi2 nak pegi keje... chehhhh blame it on the son konon!). He was jetlagged for a month (and so was his mummy... hehhehhe...). He misses his Merc soooo much that he cried and cried for it on the first day we got back home. He refuses to go to school, saying that it's far, far away. He kept on saying his best friends' name, Abg. Firul, Sarah, Yana, Danish and Haiqal. None of his cousins here are his friends.
Now, he has warmed up tremendously to his atok and nenek (my parents) because his atok would bring him to the playground on his bike. His nenek would play throw and catch with him. At night, Zareef would play hide and seek with them. His atok and nenek are going all out to make him feel comfortable and settle down quickly so that I can go out and find a job.
However, he still refuses to be left behind alone with any of his grandparents which left me wondering, how in the world am I going to find a job with a son who kept on saying "Mummy tak boleh work. Mummy stay home with Zareef la. Daddy je yang work". My dear son, if it were up to me, Mummy pun malas nak keje but I can't. I have to work as we have just bought a new house and I can't possibly let Daddy work to the ground to earn all the dosh alone. Plus, Mummy needs her own money to spend as not to have a public enquiry everytime she asks Daddy for money to buy things. Isn't that what husbands are for? To provide for his wife and children? So B darling, jangan lupa bagi nafkah zahir kat I ye... even when I start working, be a sweetie and do provide me with some stipend.
7. How about B? He has been featured on the front page of Utusan's Mega a while back (please refer to my previous post). He's been complaining about the daily commute from Klang to UPM (sampai demam2 you!) Well... what do you expect. Masa kat Loughborough, boleh la drive 5 minit dah sampai. 15 minutes if you walk. Kat sini, commuting an hour to and fro is a norm. It'll be a different story when we move, though. It'll take only 20 minutes drive from the Home to UPM. So, lets pray that our loan will be approved soon and we can move in asap as the house is about to obtain its' CF anytime soon.
8) Me? I'm still adjusting to the weather. Even when we were at Janda Baik, when everyone else was cold and all wrapped up, I was feeling hot and bothered. Panas punya pasal, Dad installed an air-con in my room a day before we got back.
I finally got to pig out on all the food that I've missed and craved for the entire 3.5 years which then resulted in B and I coming down with food poisoning. Hahahha... our tummy just couldn't take it anymore.
It took me two weeks before I would even dare to drive around. I was so horrified with the Malaysians' attitude towards driving. Sekor2 macam pelesit. F1 drivers wannabe konon! Chehhh... I wouldn't mind if they keep their horrendous driving to themselves but when it comes to the point of endangering my family, then that's crossing the line! And, don't they ever learn about the yellow box? It irritates the hell out of me when people cram into the yellow box when you're not suppose to. I've a good mind to call up the police and have them come down here and ask them to stand in the yellow box everytime the traffic light turns red. Bagi saman sket orang2 yg masuk yellow box nih! Buat my neighbors and I susah betul nak get in and out of our housing area.
I still miss Lboro tremendously but I'm learning to let go. I'm learning to acclimatize myself to Malaysia. Yes, it's hard but I'm trying. Sometimes I forget and act like I normally do when I'm in Lboro like giving way to pedestrians and I get honked from behind by irate drivers. Thanking the cashier lady at Tesco and seeing their look of surprise. Cleaning up after every meals at McD and throwing the rubbish into bins with everyone around staring at me like I'm an insane person or something. Pushing my son in the MacLaren in the malls although he is getting too big to fit in with others gawking at me thinking that this boy is too old to be sitting in the stroller. Having a heart attack everytime I pay for groceries as I was so use to spending only £10 for a basketful of goods and now I have to pay RM100 for the same amount. Goodness! The numerical value is indeed something that I need adjusting quickly.
So, yeah... it's hard but we're getting there, slowly but surely.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
B in the News...
Again!! This time it's on the front page of Utusan's Mega. I've never ever bought Utusan before but for this time, I'm making an allowance for it.
Now, to walk or drive to the Mobil near the house. Hmmpphhh... I think I'll walk. Some exercise will do me good.. hehehhe...
Now, to walk or drive to the Mobil near the house. Hmmpphhh... I think I'll walk. Some exercise will do me good.. hehehhe...
Saturday, January 21, 2006
I am So PISSED!
at MPPJ. Yupp that's right. Especially at their parking system. So, allow me to rant, aight..
Yesterday, after having a splendid lunch with Lin at Midvalley, we went to Victoria's Secret Warehouse Sale at PJ. I dragged Lin actually because I know she would want to go (she being a VS worshipper and all).
After navigating through roundabouts, small lanes, junctions and traffic lights, we finally made it to Jalan Tandang (that's where the warehouse sale was held). Parking was a breeze and I quickly found a spot right in front of the building where the sale was held.
The sale was quite a bargain. One VS bra for RM19.90 and 5 VS panties for RM 10!! Their lingerie were going at RM20/2 pieces. There were Nike Dry-Fits for RM39 a pop. Levi's jeans going at RM 39/pair. Shirts by Billabong, CK and DKNY. I was quite disappointed with their Osh Kosh selections. They were only selling OK jeans for ages 6 and above and they weren't even nice.
Opppsss... I digressed.
So, after happily paying for our stuffs we headed towards my car and what should I see... but a guy in a blue shirt with a gadget in his hand standing in front of my car. I was shocked! I quickly ran towards him while waving at him frantically to let him know that I am coming, leaving poor clueless Zareef with Lin. But that guy boleh buat tak paham je and terus print out a tiket and tucked in behind the wipers.
I almost fainted when I saw the amount. It was RM 100!! Bloody hell!!! I could buy 5 VS bras with that kind of money. I argued with that guy
"Encik... takde signboard pun tulis kena bayar parking". Which is very true! I looked everywhere for a signboard. There weren't one in sight on the side of the road that we parked and even on the opposite side.
"Ada, tu kat sana"
"Mana?"
"Tu bawah pokok sana"
"Laaa... mana nak nampak. Saya carik parking meter yang kita masukkan syilings tuh".
"Sini takde. Awak kena bayar kat orang bawah payung tuh".
"Mana saya nak tau. Kalau ada signboard kat sini or kat sana, dah lama saya bayar parking". And I pointed out to him that there weren't any signs whatsoever indicating that you have to pay for parking within 100 m radius of my car.
"Saya tak boleh buat apa. Saya dah print tiket so tak boleh cancel. Kalau awak nak komplen, pegi buat rayuan kat kaunter. Saya tukang check parking je".
"Mana boleh camni. MPPJ tak letak pun sign suruh bayar kat area sini. Tiba-tiba datang nak saman je".
"Orang kat sini sumer tau kena bayar parking camne awak boleh tak tau?"
"Saya bukan orang sini. Ini first time saya datang sini. Mana nak tau kena bayar parking kalau takde signboard or parking meter tempat masukkan syiling tuh! Kalau MPPJ letak signboard kat setiap block, mestila saya bayar. Takkan saya nak kena saman saja2 pulak. Ingat saya bodoh ke!" (Time ni aku dah hot sangat2!!)
"Awak jangan komplen kat saya. Awak pegi komplen kat kaunter". And he walked off!!! Boleh tak?!!
I was so angry at that time I couldn't help myself that I had to let out "Eiiii... fucked up giler la!!" to which he turned and gave me a venomous glare. Arghhh... lantak ko la nak tengok tapi MPPJ punya salah la. Sape suruh tak letak signboards terang2 kat every blocks!!! I would have paid you know! I'm a law-abiding citizen and takkan la aku nak free2 bagi duit kat MPPJ pulak. BodoohhhSSS!!!
Just to prove my point that MPPJ were careless in putting up signboards notifying the public to pay for their parking, I drove the whole stretch of Jalan Tandang. Guess what... for the whole stretch that was about 2 km long, there were only 2 signboards! 2!!!! And what makes my blood boil was that the place to pay for your parking was to a guy sitting under an umbrella who was in plain clothes at the start of Jalan Tandang. Mana la aku nak tau kat situ kena bayar parking. Ingatkan mamat mana la jual goreng pisang kat situ. At least, do wear the proper official uniform or put up a proper sign la. Ini tak. Memang saje nak mengenakan orang! And what if those who came and parked their cars at the very end of Jalan Tandang, takkan nak kena jalan all the way up front to pay. These MPPJ parking people can be so stupid sometimes that it's almost unbelievable!!
I was so fucking mad that I drove straight to MPPJ. I was lucky as they weren't close yet. I parked while Lin went to find the counter to pay for the fine. She, as me argued too.
"Ramai betul orang kena saman kat Jalan Tandang hari nih"
"Ye lah, orang ramai pegi sale kat situ. Sumer orang luar. Mana nak tau kena bayar parking. Kenapa tak letak signboard terang2 so that orang tau kat situ kena bayar kat orang bawah payung. Dah la tak pakai proper uniforms."
"Ohh... tu la satu kelemahan MPPJ." Goodness!! Is that all that she can come up with??
"Banyak la ye dapat untung hari nih. Kalau dah tau ada kelemahan, improve la. Letak signboard banyak2. Ni kat sepanjang jalan tu ada 2 signboard je. Jauh2 pulak tu. Kalau macam saya parking kat tengah2, tak tau pun kena bayar parking. Buat la pondok bayaran kat situ yg betul2. Tulis besar2 'PONDOK BAYARAN LETAK KERETA MPPJ' kan senang."
"Cepat la bayar. Kaunter pun nak tutup." She dah malas nak layan la tuh.
"Berapa kena bayar? Tak boleh kurang ke?"
"Paling kurang saya boleh bagi RM 30 je. Kurang daripada tuh, nanti saya yang kena bayar". Wah Wah Wah... minah ni perli balik pulak.
Lin paid and we walked off. She insisted that she pay half of the fine as she too were there to shop. Syukur Alhamdulillah dapat member camni.
So there. I've ranted. So to anyone who is working at MPPJ, please do improve on your parking signages especially along the roads near the industrial area. It is such a simple yet effective thing to do. I will definitely come back in 6 months' time to see if you've done so. If you haven't, then it proves that you are just out to get at the innocent public! No?
Yesterday, after having a splendid lunch with Lin at Midvalley, we went to Victoria's Secret Warehouse Sale at PJ. I dragged Lin actually because I know she would want to go (she being a VS worshipper and all).
After navigating through roundabouts, small lanes, junctions and traffic lights, we finally made it to Jalan Tandang (that's where the warehouse sale was held). Parking was a breeze and I quickly found a spot right in front of the building where the sale was held.
The sale was quite a bargain. One VS bra for RM19.90 and 5 VS panties for RM 10!! Their lingerie were going at RM20/2 pieces. There were Nike Dry-Fits for RM39 a pop. Levi's jeans going at RM 39/pair. Shirts by Billabong, CK and DKNY. I was quite disappointed with their Osh Kosh selections. They were only selling OK jeans for ages 6 and above and they weren't even nice.
Opppsss... I digressed.
So, after happily paying for our stuffs we headed towards my car and what should I see... but a guy in a blue shirt with a gadget in his hand standing in front of my car. I was shocked! I quickly ran towards him while waving at him frantically to let him know that I am coming, leaving poor clueless Zareef with Lin. But that guy boleh buat tak paham je and terus print out a tiket and tucked in behind the wipers.
I almost fainted when I saw the amount. It was RM 100!! Bloody hell!!! I could buy 5 VS bras with that kind of money. I argued with that guy
"Encik... takde signboard pun tulis kena bayar parking". Which is very true! I looked everywhere for a signboard. There weren't one in sight on the side of the road that we parked and even on the opposite side.
"Ada, tu kat sana"
"Mana?"
"Tu bawah pokok sana"
"Laaa... mana nak nampak. Saya carik parking meter yang kita masukkan syilings tuh".
"Sini takde. Awak kena bayar kat orang bawah payung tuh".
"Mana saya nak tau. Kalau ada signboard kat sini or kat sana, dah lama saya bayar parking". And I pointed out to him that there weren't any signs whatsoever indicating that you have to pay for parking within 100 m radius of my car.
"Saya tak boleh buat apa. Saya dah print tiket so tak boleh cancel. Kalau awak nak komplen, pegi buat rayuan kat kaunter. Saya tukang check parking je".
"Mana boleh camni. MPPJ tak letak pun sign suruh bayar kat area sini. Tiba-tiba datang nak saman je".
"Orang kat sini sumer tau kena bayar parking camne awak boleh tak tau?"
"Saya bukan orang sini. Ini first time saya datang sini. Mana nak tau kena bayar parking kalau takde signboard or parking meter tempat masukkan syiling tuh! Kalau MPPJ letak signboard kat setiap block, mestila saya bayar. Takkan saya nak kena saman saja2 pulak. Ingat saya bodoh ke!" (Time ni aku dah hot sangat2!!)
"Awak jangan komplen kat saya. Awak pegi komplen kat kaunter". And he walked off!!! Boleh tak?!!
I was so angry at that time I couldn't help myself that I had to let out "Eiiii... fucked up giler la!!" to which he turned and gave me a venomous glare. Arghhh... lantak ko la nak tengok tapi MPPJ punya salah la. Sape suruh tak letak signboards terang2 kat every blocks!!! I would have paid you know! I'm a law-abiding citizen and takkan la aku nak free2 bagi duit kat MPPJ pulak. BodoohhhSSS!!!
Just to prove my point that MPPJ were careless in putting up signboards notifying the public to pay for their parking, I drove the whole stretch of Jalan Tandang. Guess what... for the whole stretch that was about 2 km long, there were only 2 signboards! 2!!!! And what makes my blood boil was that the place to pay for your parking was to a guy sitting under an umbrella who was in plain clothes at the start of Jalan Tandang. Mana la aku nak tau kat situ kena bayar parking. Ingatkan mamat mana la jual goreng pisang kat situ. At least, do wear the proper official uniform or put up a proper sign la. Ini tak. Memang saje nak mengenakan orang! And what if those who came and parked their cars at the very end of Jalan Tandang, takkan nak kena jalan all the way up front to pay. These MPPJ parking people can be so stupid sometimes that it's almost unbelievable!!
I was so fucking mad that I drove straight to MPPJ. I was lucky as they weren't close yet. I parked while Lin went to find the counter to pay for the fine. She, as me argued too.
"Ramai betul orang kena saman kat Jalan Tandang hari nih"
"Ye lah, orang ramai pegi sale kat situ. Sumer orang luar. Mana nak tau kena bayar parking. Kenapa tak letak signboard terang2 so that orang tau kat situ kena bayar kat orang bawah payung. Dah la tak pakai proper uniforms."
"Ohh... tu la satu kelemahan MPPJ." Goodness!! Is that all that she can come up with??
"Banyak la ye dapat untung hari nih. Kalau dah tau ada kelemahan, improve la. Letak signboard banyak2. Ni kat sepanjang jalan tu ada 2 signboard je. Jauh2 pulak tu. Kalau macam saya parking kat tengah2, tak tau pun kena bayar parking. Buat la pondok bayaran kat situ yg betul2. Tulis besar2 'PONDOK BAYARAN LETAK KERETA MPPJ' kan senang."
"Cepat la bayar. Kaunter pun nak tutup." She dah malas nak layan la tuh.
"Berapa kena bayar? Tak boleh kurang ke?"
"Paling kurang saya boleh bagi RM 30 je. Kurang daripada tuh, nanti saya yang kena bayar". Wah Wah Wah... minah ni perli balik pulak.
Lin paid and we walked off. She insisted that she pay half of the fine as she too were there to shop. Syukur Alhamdulillah dapat member camni.
So there. I've ranted. So to anyone who is working at MPPJ, please do improve on your parking signages especially along the roads near the industrial area. It is such a simple yet effective thing to do. I will definitely come back in 6 months' time to see if you've done so. If you haven't, then it proves that you are just out to get at the innocent public! No?
Monday, January 16, 2006
The TOUGHEST Decision Ever!
I have made some hard and tough decisions in my life but all are pale in comparison to this particular one.
Like the time I decided to switch from A-Levels to doing an American degree thus breaching a scholarship agreement. That was a no brainer. I had the time of my life in the states and managed to score an engineering degree from a top university with a CGPA that I'm very proud of (goshhh... I'm sounding rather vain here, aren't I?)
Then there was this one time when I decided to call it quits at my company where I had to serve 10 years because I put family first before my employer by following B to the UK. That was a hell to pay but Alhamdulillah, I persevered and so did my family.
Now... this is the damnedest of them all. Even B can't decide. We've slept, ate, drove, walked, scoured and prayed on it only to be still stumped by it.
I have to make a decision by 1 pm today or else, it'll be gone. Someone else will eventually get it. It's all about the future roof that we're going to put on our heads. It's no joke man! Buying a property that is.
When we got back 5 weeks ago, we've scouted and turned every single new housing development within 20 miles radius of UPM upside down starting from day 4. Us, being the fussy ones, will always find fault with the development i.e. it's near a power line, near a landfill, near the pasar borong, next to the main road and so on. Until we've seen one particular housing estate, there were very few that met our unforgiving requirements. But now, we have two! Tu yang makan tak kenyang, mandi basah sikit2 je and tidur tak lena (this one literally happened to me because when I woke up yesterday morning, I had a really throbbing headache just dreaming about the two houses).
Unable to decide for ourselves, I dragged my parents to see the two houses yesterday to show them the confusion that has boiled up and the state of predicament that we're in.
HOUSE 1:
-Freehold, 22 x 75, 4 bed 3 bath, odd end lot with 8 ft of extra land at the side and huge space at the back of the house courtesy of Majlis Daerah Sepang where we can convert it to our own open backyard if we want to, open space plan, on a bukit, lots of parking space for guests if we ever hold a kenduri or open house, a safety bumper right outside the gate so I know for sure that cars will be slowing down, requires lots of time, energy and money on renovation and beautifying the extra land.
HOUSE 2:
-Leasehold, 20 x 100, 4 bed 3 bath, intermediate with only 5 feet at the back and a seciput garden up front, very open space plan to which I have to use my innovative and creative mind to create depth in the house, gated community, well designed gardens and good future plans of facilities and infrastructure, 24 hrs security which I have to pay RM 80 every month, not much of a parking space for visitors, it's situated near a cul-de-sac which is good as I don't have to worry about cars ramming through at high speed, no renovation required on the outside and just a seciput garden to maintain.
Huarrghhhh... now I really feel totally and utterly confused. I love house 1 because of the extra land and it's a freehold. Period. But I also love house 2 because the built-up area is 2800 sq ft. The living and dining is so huge that Zareef can cruise in his Peg-Perego without any obstruction plus I just love that the master bedroom is humongous but the downside of it is it's a leasehold. Price wise, house 2 is cheaper by 3k which doesn't contribute to the decision-making factor.
Arghhhh... decision, decision,decision. Please God... give me a sign. Any sign to make it easier for me to decide.
___________________________________________________________________
It's 4.25 pm now. A decision has been made about the house that we'll be purchasing and call it Home. I would like to thank Nong, Lara and Along profusely for providing me with valuable insights, point of views, input and key questions that has made this decision possible (on my part as I couldn't decide which house to go with in the first place).
B and I have decided to go with House 1. Phewwww... I'm so glad that this is soooo over. No more heavy clouds over my head. B is at the sales office now paying the booking fees of 3k. Then, we'll have to come up with the downpayment in 30 days time. Gulp!!
The CF for our Home will be out by end of this month. So, maybe just maybe, we'll be able to move in by March (wishful thinking, Nora!). So now, I would have to save every single sen for the Home. And I mean it! No more shopping sprees (Oh help me God!!), eating out lavishly, spur of the moment purchases. Nothing! Nada! Zilch!
So B, congratulations on our newest purchase. May we live long, happy and prosperous in our new Home.
Like the time I decided to switch from A-Levels to doing an American degree thus breaching a scholarship agreement. That was a no brainer. I had the time of my life in the states and managed to score an engineering degree from a top university with a CGPA that I'm very proud of (goshhh... I'm sounding rather vain here, aren't I?)
Then there was this one time when I decided to call it quits at my company where I had to serve 10 years because I put family first before my employer by following B to the UK. That was a hell to pay but Alhamdulillah, I persevered and so did my family.
Now... this is the damnedest of them all. Even B can't decide. We've slept, ate, drove, walked, scoured and prayed on it only to be still stumped by it.
I have to make a decision by 1 pm today or else, it'll be gone. Someone else will eventually get it. It's all about the future roof that we're going to put on our heads. It's no joke man! Buying a property that is.
When we got back 5 weeks ago, we've scouted and turned every single new housing development within 20 miles radius of UPM upside down starting from day 4. Us, being the fussy ones, will always find fault with the development i.e. it's near a power line, near a landfill, near the pasar borong, next to the main road and so on. Until we've seen one particular housing estate, there were very few that met our unforgiving requirements. But now, we have two! Tu yang makan tak kenyang, mandi basah sikit2 je and tidur tak lena (this one literally happened to me because when I woke up yesterday morning, I had a really throbbing headache just dreaming about the two houses).
Unable to decide for ourselves, I dragged my parents to see the two houses yesterday to show them the confusion that has boiled up and the state of predicament that we're in.
HOUSE 1:
-Freehold, 22 x 75, 4 bed 3 bath, odd end lot with 8 ft of extra land at the side and huge space at the back of the house courtesy of Majlis Daerah Sepang where we can convert it to our own open backyard if we want to, open space plan, on a bukit, lots of parking space for guests if we ever hold a kenduri or open house, a safety bumper right outside the gate so I know for sure that cars will be slowing down, requires lots of time, energy and money on renovation and beautifying the extra land.
HOUSE 2:
-Leasehold, 20 x 100, 4 bed 3 bath, intermediate with only 5 feet at the back and a seciput garden up front, very open space plan to which I have to use my innovative and creative mind to create depth in the house, gated community, well designed gardens and good future plans of facilities and infrastructure, 24 hrs security which I have to pay RM 80 every month, not much of a parking space for visitors, it's situated near a cul-de-sac which is good as I don't have to worry about cars ramming through at high speed, no renovation required on the outside and just a seciput garden to maintain.
Huarrghhhh... now I really feel totally and utterly confused. I love house 1 because of the extra land and it's a freehold. Period. But I also love house 2 because the built-up area is 2800 sq ft. The living and dining is so huge that Zareef can cruise in his Peg-Perego without any obstruction plus I just love that the master bedroom is humongous but the downside of it is it's a leasehold. Price wise, house 2 is cheaper by 3k which doesn't contribute to the decision-making factor.
Arghhhh... decision, decision,decision. Please God... give me a sign. Any sign to make it easier for me to decide.
___________________________________________________________________
It's 4.25 pm now. A decision has been made about the house that we'll be purchasing and call it Home. I would like to thank Nong, Lara and Along profusely for providing me with valuable insights, point of views, input and key questions that has made this decision possible (on my part as I couldn't decide which house to go with in the first place).
B and I have decided to go with House 1. Phewwww... I'm so glad that this is soooo over. No more heavy clouds over my head. B is at the sales office now paying the booking fees of 3k. Then, we'll have to come up with the downpayment in 30 days time. Gulp!!
The CF for our Home will be out by end of this month. So, maybe just maybe, we'll be able to move in by March (wishful thinking, Nora!). So now, I would have to save every single sen for the Home. And I mean it! No more shopping sprees (Oh help me God!!), eating out lavishly, spur of the moment purchases. Nothing! Nada! Zilch!
So B, congratulations on our newest purchase. May we live long, happy and prosperous in our new Home.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Leaving On A Jet Plane
by: Peter Paul and Mary
All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn
Taxi's waitinHe's blowing his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving, on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go... hate to go
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
Now you know, they don't mean a thing
Every place I go I'll think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leavin on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go...hate to go
Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, oh let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
And I won't have to leave alone
About the time's when I won't have to say..
Kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
oh babe, I hate to go
Leaving on a jet planeI
don't know when I'll be back again
oh babe I hate to go
I'm Leaving on a jet plane,
Leaving on a jet plane,
leaving on a jet plane...yeah
Yes people.... our tickets have been confirmed. We've even gotten our tickets via the travel agent at the Loughborough Union. The travel agent that deals for UPM apparently had overcharged Zareef's ticket to be RM12,000 while ours were just RM3,000 a pop. UPM was a bit reluctant in paying because of the 12k. In the end, B and I decided to buy our own tickets and will claim it later from UPM's bursar, with the consent of them, of course. It came to a total of about RM 8k just for the three of us, taxes included. Apalah punya travel agent. Tau la depa nak komisyen. But kok ye pun, distribute la sket the amount tu. Nih, selonggok depa charge kat tiket Zareef. Unreasonable betul!
A lot of my friends over here kept on saying to us, "Bestnya dah nak balik". Truthfully, I'm not that excited to go home despite being away for 3.5 years. I'm quite sad actually. If given the chance, I would really love to stay here longer but not forever though.
I would definitely miss this place a lot! I would miss the shopping excursions, car boots, trips to town alone, the quiet quality of life that the three of us went through together and the wonderful, wonderful friends that we've made and foster along the years that have become part of our big family here in Loughborough and the fact that we're on our own making our decisions independent from outside influences.
What I fear most about going home is trying to find a job. I've been away from the working scene for so long that I've forgotten how it was when I left it. Joining the rat race and competing with bright-eyed young graduates gives me the creeps because my engineering skills are rusty almost to the point of being unsalvageable.
If possible, I would love to be a stay-at-home-mom but I know with the current influx in the cost of living especially in the city, that is most impossible. Like B said, "If you don't work, we won't be able to buy the house of your dreams or even your favorite car for that matter". Aiyaaaa....
I'll be arriving at KLIA on Sunday at 6.30 pm. My brother will be picking us up in his Naza Ria (I specifically asked him because of his huge car capacity) and straight home to my parents' place in Klang where my family and B's will be congegrating. I've called my mom and asked her to prepare our favorite sambal goreng, yong tau foo (yg ni dah 3.5 tahun tak makan wooo...) and KFC. Laugh all you want people, but these delicacies have been on the top of my mental food list for so long that I'll salivate everytime I even think about it.
Give us a week to settle down (we'll be at my mom's place till we get a place to call our own) and after that, we're good to go. I'll be out and about meeting everyone and trying to gorge like a pig. Anyone care to join me?
So, this chapter of my life is officially closed now. Today's the last day for Zareef at his playgroup. I even got Zareef a thank-you card for him to give to his teachers. B is meeting up with his supervisor to hand in his hard-bounded thesis and also to bid his supervisor farewell and to give him a farewell gift that was specially flown in from Malaysia. And me, tears are rolling fast down my cheeks as I type this because I really don't want to go home.
This is me, checking out. Till we meet again in Malaysia, this place that I've called home will always hold a special and meaningful place in my heart and fondly remembered. Adios....
by: Peter Paul and Mary
All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn
Taxi's waitinHe's blowing his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving, on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go... hate to go
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
Now you know, they don't mean a thing
Every place I go I'll think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leavin on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go...hate to go
Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, oh let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
And I won't have to leave alone
About the time's when I won't have to say..
Kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
oh babe, I hate to go
Leaving on a jet planeI
don't know when I'll be back again
oh babe I hate to go
I'm Leaving on a jet plane,
Leaving on a jet plane,
leaving on a jet plane...yeah
Yes people.... our tickets have been confirmed. We've even gotten our tickets via the travel agent at the Loughborough Union. The travel agent that deals for UPM apparently had overcharged Zareef's ticket to be RM12,000 while ours were just RM3,000 a pop. UPM was a bit reluctant in paying because of the 12k. In the end, B and I decided to buy our own tickets and will claim it later from UPM's bursar, with the consent of them, of course. It came to a total of about RM 8k just for the three of us, taxes included. Apalah punya travel agent. Tau la depa nak komisyen. But kok ye pun, distribute la sket the amount tu. Nih, selonggok depa charge kat tiket Zareef. Unreasonable betul!
A lot of my friends over here kept on saying to us, "Bestnya dah nak balik". Truthfully, I'm not that excited to go home despite being away for 3.5 years. I'm quite sad actually. If given the chance, I would really love to stay here longer but not forever though.
I would definitely miss this place a lot! I would miss the shopping excursions, car boots, trips to town alone, the quiet quality of life that the three of us went through together and the wonderful, wonderful friends that we've made and foster along the years that have become part of our big family here in Loughborough and the fact that we're on our own making our decisions independent from outside influences.
What I fear most about going home is trying to find a job. I've been away from the working scene for so long that I've forgotten how it was when I left it. Joining the rat race and competing with bright-eyed young graduates gives me the creeps because my engineering skills are rusty almost to the point of being unsalvageable.
If possible, I would love to be a stay-at-home-mom but I know with the current influx in the cost of living especially in the city, that is most impossible. Like B said, "If you don't work, we won't be able to buy the house of your dreams or even your favorite car for that matter". Aiyaaaa....
I'll be arriving at KLIA on Sunday at 6.30 pm. My brother will be picking us up in his Naza Ria (I specifically asked him because of his huge car capacity) and straight home to my parents' place in Klang where my family and B's will be congegrating. I've called my mom and asked her to prepare our favorite sambal goreng, yong tau foo (yg ni dah 3.5 tahun tak makan wooo...) and KFC. Laugh all you want people, but these delicacies have been on the top of my mental food list for so long that I'll salivate everytime I even think about it.
Give us a week to settle down (we'll be at my mom's place till we get a place to call our own) and after that, we're good to go. I'll be out and about meeting everyone and trying to gorge like a pig. Anyone care to join me?
So, this chapter of my life is officially closed now. Today's the last day for Zareef at his playgroup. I even got Zareef a thank-you card for him to give to his teachers. B is meeting up with his supervisor to hand in his hard-bounded thesis and also to bid his supervisor farewell and to give him a farewell gift that was specially flown in from Malaysia. And me, tears are rolling fast down my cheeks as I type this because I really don't want to go home.
This is me, checking out. Till we meet again in Malaysia, this place that I've called home will always hold a special and meaningful place in my heart and fondly remembered. Adios....
Monday, November 28, 2005
A Little Bit of Everything
I know... I know... I've been neglecting this blog of mine again. So, here goes a round of updates.
1) We are cleaning the house and packing our stuffs furiously because... we're going home next Saturday. Yupp, folks! Finally, the time has come for us to bid farewell to this land that I've called home for the past 3.5 years. Seriously, it's no joke trying to spring clean our abode despite it being a tiny two-bedroom, 1 bath house. I have to sort out which goes to our friends, which goes to charity and which goes to the dumpster. Talk about being a hoarder!! And did I forget to include the food that I have to wade through??!!! My goodness!! I didn't realize that I've been hording packets and tins of food which quarter of them expired nearly two years ago!
2) I'm quite worried and feeling a wee bit apprehensive about Zareef going through a 13-hour flight. He has never been on a long-haul flight before and this being his first, will be quite an adventure for us all. We'll see how it goes. Any advice out there on how to handle a toddler on his first ever long haul flight? I've received some valuable advice from Rini. Thanks dear!
3) I've been telling Zareef about our journey to Malaysia which is coming up real soon. I told him that we'll be going home to Malaysia and this is what he said:
"Bukan... ni home kita. Kita nak go to Malaysia for holiday. And then, kita come back home here and Zareef have to go to school" while shaking his head indignantly.
Oh dear! With that reply, I'm pretty sure that Zareef will be asking when are we going home in no time at all. Just like the time when we went to stay at Bogo's and Fern's place. The first night that we were there, he was howling like mad wanting to go home. He didn't understand the concept of staying over. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally gave in and cried himself to sleep after we promised him a train ride to London.
4) I've taken out my IUD last Thursday. The gynae was bewildered as to why am I taking it out after just having it put in for only 6 months when the thing has a life expectancy of 5 years. All I could say was, "I've some change in plans. Plus, my son will be 4 years old next year. So, I'd really like for him to have a sibling by that time". Without further adieu, she crank me wide and pulled out the IUD. This time, it was smooth sailing and painless. Phewww... what a relief!
5) We have yet to receive confirmation from UPM regarding our tickets. Yikes! And we're going home this Saturday! Apa la yang lambat sangat ni!!
6) I've put up a mental list of things that I want to eat when I get back home. At the top of my list is whalloping Japanese food!!! Yes people, I know it sounds weird but it's so expensive to buy Japanese food here unless you have an income of 40k per year like one person I know, then, it's a big whack to the wallet if you plan to eat out at any Japanese restaurants here. I'm dying and itching to walk into Ichiban and eat to my heart's content. Anyone up for Japanese food with whales to the likes of B and I? Oh... and Zareef included. He's an avid sushi eater. I'm proud to say that my son can eat through 6 pieces of sushi that I make in one single seating which is quite a lot for a 3 year old, I must say.
7) I can't wait to meet up with relatives and friends whom I've not met for 3.5 years. One thing for sure, they'll be extremely surprice to see me because I have grown horizontally quite a bit during this long absence. So people, I know I'm fat but please, please, please don't remind me of that. It really hurts especially when I'm doing my best to reduce my supersize. Just be happy to see me and talk to me ya! I know my relatives won't keep their mouth shut. I know that they'll say, "Eeeee... gemuk nya Nora!!! Banyak sangat makan la nih" like the many times that I can remember since forever. When I was scrawny (this was like aeons ago when I was in SSP), they'd go "Eeeeee... kurusnya Nora!!! Sekolah tak bagi makan cukup ke?" Ishhhh... gemuk pun salah, kurus pun salah! That is why, I always dread going back to my dad's kampung in Johor. They just don't have the courtesy to be courteous. Shesshhhh... some people!!! How they can be so heartless is beyond me. And yet they claim to be close relatives of mine when the fact is, every single word that comes out of their mouth are like daggers cutting deep into my heart.
8) This will be my second last post before I fly home. I'll write again once our tickets have been confirmed, which sadly to say, isn't today.
1) We are cleaning the house and packing our stuffs furiously because... we're going home next Saturday. Yupp, folks! Finally, the time has come for us to bid farewell to this land that I've called home for the past 3.5 years. Seriously, it's no joke trying to spring clean our abode despite it being a tiny two-bedroom, 1 bath house. I have to sort out which goes to our friends, which goes to charity and which goes to the dumpster. Talk about being a hoarder!! And did I forget to include the food that I have to wade through??!!! My goodness!! I didn't realize that I've been hording packets and tins of food which quarter of them expired nearly two years ago!
2) I'm quite worried and feeling a wee bit apprehensive about Zareef going through a 13-hour flight. He has never been on a long-haul flight before and this being his first, will be quite an adventure for us all. We'll see how it goes. Any advice out there on how to handle a toddler on his first ever long haul flight? I've received some valuable advice from Rini. Thanks dear!
3) I've been telling Zareef about our journey to Malaysia which is coming up real soon. I told him that we'll be going home to Malaysia and this is what he said:
"Bukan... ni home kita. Kita nak go to Malaysia for holiday. And then, kita come back home here and Zareef have to go to school" while shaking his head indignantly.
Oh dear! With that reply, I'm pretty sure that Zareef will be asking when are we going home in no time at all. Just like the time when we went to stay at Bogo's and Fern's place. The first night that we were there, he was howling like mad wanting to go home. He didn't understand the concept of staying over. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally gave in and cried himself to sleep after we promised him a train ride to London.
4) I've taken out my IUD last Thursday. The gynae was bewildered as to why am I taking it out after just having it put in for only 6 months when the thing has a life expectancy of 5 years. All I could say was, "I've some change in plans. Plus, my son will be 4 years old next year. So, I'd really like for him to have a sibling by that time". Without further adieu, she crank me wide and pulled out the IUD. This time, it was smooth sailing and painless. Phewww... what a relief!
5) We have yet to receive confirmation from UPM regarding our tickets. Yikes! And we're going home this Saturday! Apa la yang lambat sangat ni!!
6) I've put up a mental list of things that I want to eat when I get back home. At the top of my list is whalloping Japanese food!!! Yes people, I know it sounds weird but it's so expensive to buy Japanese food here unless you have an income of 40k per year like one person I know, then, it's a big whack to the wallet if you plan to eat out at any Japanese restaurants here. I'm dying and itching to walk into Ichiban and eat to my heart's content. Anyone up for Japanese food with whales to the likes of B and I? Oh... and Zareef included. He's an avid sushi eater. I'm proud to say that my son can eat through 6 pieces of sushi that I make in one single seating which is quite a lot for a 3 year old, I must say.
7) I can't wait to meet up with relatives and friends whom I've not met for 3.5 years. One thing for sure, they'll be extremely surprice to see me because I have grown horizontally quite a bit during this long absence. So people, I know I'm fat but please, please, please don't remind me of that. It really hurts especially when I'm doing my best to reduce my supersize. Just be happy to see me and talk to me ya! I know my relatives won't keep their mouth shut. I know that they'll say, "Eeeee... gemuk nya Nora!!! Banyak sangat makan la nih" like the many times that I can remember since forever. When I was scrawny (this was like aeons ago when I was in SSP), they'd go "Eeeeee... kurusnya Nora!!! Sekolah tak bagi makan cukup ke?" Ishhhh... gemuk pun salah, kurus pun salah! That is why, I always dread going back to my dad's kampung in Johor. They just don't have the courtesy to be courteous. Shesshhhh... some people!!! How they can be so heartless is beyond me. And yet they claim to be close relatives of mine when the fact is, every single word that comes out of their mouth are like daggers cutting deep into my heart.
8) This will be my second last post before I fly home. I'll write again once our tickets have been confirmed, which sadly to say, isn't today.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Eid Mubarak!
I hope it's not too late to wish all Muslims a prosperous and joyful Eid. Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf zahir batin.
This is the 7th Eid that we've celebrated abroad. 3 in the States and 4 in UK with Zareef. I've gotten used to it but has sorely missed; being away from the family and asking for forgiveness on the morning of Raya, pigging out on gorgeous mouth-watering food, the duit raya and the visits to relatives' and friends' house decked in brand new colorful baju kurungs.
I cannot do anything about being away from the family or the duit raya nor the new baju raya (we've had ours for four years now) but I certainly did something in the food department.
I remembered my first raya in the States. I've just arrived at Purdue barely less than 2 weeks and it was already time for Raya. Since I stayed at the halls, I couldn't cook anything but luckily there were a handful of postgraduate families who were kind enough to feed us hungry lot. However, that didn't stop me from cooking the infamous Mee Jawa and inviting friends over to B's and Eijatt's room to have a taste.
Now that we're a family and our status has been upgraded to that of a postgrad family, I have no choice but to cook up a storm in my tiny galley kitchen. I would cook 3 kgs of rendang daging minang (B's request), sambal satay, nasi himpit, kuah lodeh, mee jawa, chocolate cornflakes and pineapple tarts every year. However, this time around, I had to tone it down a notch because all of my cooking stuffs and cutleries are on its' way back to Malaysia. Even so, that didn't hinder me from cooking 2kgs of rendang daging, 6 packets of nasi himpit, 2 pots of kuah lodeh and 1 wok of sambal satay.
Last year, we held an open house from 10 a.m. till late. Guests literally came non-stop and managed to polish off everything that I have to offer. Very tired we were but I was very satisfied and content that everyone came despite having to cramp themselves in our small hall and some even had 2nd and 3rd helpings although they had to squeeze themselves through throngs of people to find a place to sit and eat.
Raya in Loughborough is totally awesome! There are open houses every weekend. Not one, not two but averaging 14-16 houses per weekend. And this would last for the whole month of Syawal. The best part is, each house would cook different kinds of dishes according to their specialities or origin. I've tasted the best nasi dagang, nasi kerabu, dodol, mee rebus, soto, laksa johor, laksa penang, laksa terengganu, mee hoon sup utara and many, many more there are to offer. Zareef has even got into the mood of going from one house to another and I'm quite amazed that for a small boy, he can whallop quite a lot of food, mostly noodles (he's a hantu pasta. All types of noodles will be called pasta and he can eat it the whole day). We would have our breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner and supper at different houses and come back home just to sleep.
All these, are more than enough for my family to not feel homesick and in fact enjoy immensely our Rayas abroad. However, I do look forward to celebrating Raya with the family back home. Would you believe it, my side of family is never complete ever since I could remember. Every year, at least one member of the family would be missing. Usually it would be my fourth brother (he was a senior registrar based in Manchester and has been there for 14 years before my mom and his wife begged him to go home). Then it would be me or my second brother (he studied at Warwick University and A-Levels somewhere before that). Whenever we would take a family picture, it was never complete so we couldn't enlarge it to be framed.
Only once, yes once did the family complete itself and that was on my wedding day 4 years ago. My brother and his family came back solely for my wedding. We did managed to get a family photo after dragging my parents from the frontlines of receiving the neverending guests.
This Raya would be our last here, InsyaAllah and I'm sure I'll miss the atmosphere of beraya di perantauan when I go back end of this month. Well, that was my raya ramblings. What's yours?
This is the 7th Eid that we've celebrated abroad. 3 in the States and 4 in UK with Zareef. I've gotten used to it but has sorely missed; being away from the family and asking for forgiveness on the morning of Raya, pigging out on gorgeous mouth-watering food, the duit raya and the visits to relatives' and friends' house decked in brand new colorful baju kurungs.
I cannot do anything about being away from the family or the duit raya nor the new baju raya (we've had ours for four years now) but I certainly did something in the food department.
I remembered my first raya in the States. I've just arrived at Purdue barely less than 2 weeks and it was already time for Raya. Since I stayed at the halls, I couldn't cook anything but luckily there were a handful of postgraduate families who were kind enough to feed us hungry lot. However, that didn't stop me from cooking the infamous Mee Jawa and inviting friends over to B's and Eijatt's room to have a taste.
Now that we're a family and our status has been upgraded to that of a postgrad family, I have no choice but to cook up a storm in my tiny galley kitchen. I would cook 3 kgs of rendang daging minang (B's request), sambal satay, nasi himpit, kuah lodeh, mee jawa, chocolate cornflakes and pineapple tarts every year. However, this time around, I had to tone it down a notch because all of my cooking stuffs and cutleries are on its' way back to Malaysia. Even so, that didn't hinder me from cooking 2kgs of rendang daging, 6 packets of nasi himpit, 2 pots of kuah lodeh and 1 wok of sambal satay.
Last year, we held an open house from 10 a.m. till late. Guests literally came non-stop and managed to polish off everything that I have to offer. Very tired we were but I was very satisfied and content that everyone came despite having to cramp themselves in our small hall and some even had 2nd and 3rd helpings although they had to squeeze themselves through throngs of people to find a place to sit and eat.
Raya in Loughborough is totally awesome! There are open houses every weekend. Not one, not two but averaging 14-16 houses per weekend. And this would last for the whole month of Syawal. The best part is, each house would cook different kinds of dishes according to their specialities or origin. I've tasted the best nasi dagang, nasi kerabu, dodol, mee rebus, soto, laksa johor, laksa penang, laksa terengganu, mee hoon sup utara and many, many more there are to offer. Zareef has even got into the mood of going from one house to another and I'm quite amazed that for a small boy, he can whallop quite a lot of food, mostly noodles (he's a hantu pasta. All types of noodles will be called pasta and he can eat it the whole day). We would have our breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner and supper at different houses and come back home just to sleep.
All these, are more than enough for my family to not feel homesick and in fact enjoy immensely our Rayas abroad. However, I do look forward to celebrating Raya with the family back home. Would you believe it, my side of family is never complete ever since I could remember. Every year, at least one member of the family would be missing. Usually it would be my fourth brother (he was a senior registrar based in Manchester and has been there for 14 years before my mom and his wife begged him to go home). Then it would be me or my second brother (he studied at Warwick University and A-Levels somewhere before that). Whenever we would take a family picture, it was never complete so we couldn't enlarge it to be framed.
Only once, yes once did the family complete itself and that was on my wedding day 4 years ago. My brother and his family came back solely for my wedding. We did managed to get a family photo after dragging my parents from the frontlines of receiving the neverending guests.
This Raya would be our last here, InsyaAllah and I'm sure I'll miss the atmosphere of beraya di perantauan when I go back end of this month. Well, that was my raya ramblings. What's yours?
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
A Beginning to an End - THE END
Syukur Alhamdulillah!!....
After a gruelling 3 hours of questions, bashing, torment and torture, B was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy yesterday evening. It was a tough one especially when you have an external examiner who likes to talk non-stop and has a mind-set of his own.
He had to go out of the room for 20 minutes while the examiners discussed their decision. When they called him in, the examiner said "We've decided to award you your doctorate. Congratulations!"
B went speechless. He told me that tears welled up in his throat and so he couldn't say thank you. All he could do was shaked the guy's hand and shook his head as a thank you gesture. But later on, when the feeling has finally sunk in, he did thank the examiners and his supervisor profusely.
Till today, B still can't believe it that he has finally made it to the end. I told him, it was a well deserved success. My hearthiest congratulations to you, darling! I have always known that you could make it right from the start. No doubts about it. You've earned it!! Thank Allah too for blessing you with this sweet reward especially in this holy month of Ramadhan.
I'm very proud of you darling and from now on, I can call you Dr. Fadlee whenever I feel like it because it's rightfully yours and it does have a nice ring to it.
p/s: Zoow, see... it's not so syahdu after all... hehehhehe
After a gruelling 3 hours of questions, bashing, torment and torture, B was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy yesterday evening. It was a tough one especially when you have an external examiner who likes to talk non-stop and has a mind-set of his own.
He had to go out of the room for 20 minutes while the examiners discussed their decision. When they called him in, the examiner said "We've decided to award you your doctorate. Congratulations!"
B went speechless. He told me that tears welled up in his throat and so he couldn't say thank you. All he could do was shaked the guy's hand and shook his head as a thank you gesture. But later on, when the feeling has finally sunk in, he did thank the examiners and his supervisor profusely.
Till today, B still can't believe it that he has finally made it to the end. I told him, it was a well deserved success. My hearthiest congratulations to you, darling! I have always known that you could make it right from the start. No doubts about it. You've earned it!! Thank Allah too for blessing you with this sweet reward especially in this holy month of Ramadhan.
I'm very proud of you darling and from now on, I can call you Dr. Fadlee whenever I feel like it because it's rightfully yours and it does have a nice ring to it.
p/s: Zoow, see... it's not so syahdu after all... hehehhehe
Friday, October 14, 2005
The Day My Son Turned 3
My dearest son Zareef,
Today at 0820 hrs, you have reached a new milestone in life. It's the day you turned 3. I can still remember the day I felt the contractions on your expected due date, 12/10/02. Your daddy and I were really happy but at the same time quite nervous and scared that you were about to be borned into this unknown world anytime soon. But after a laborious, tiring, painful, 3 failed attempts of epidural, and a failed ventouse of 30 hrs, you finally made a grand appearance with the help of a pair of forceps.
Since then, I have always marvelled at how fast you grew. You were always spot on on all the markers that I religiously read and follow in babycenter.com and any books that I can get my hands on. You started teething at 5 months, crawling at 6, standing up and holding on to furnitures to move at 9 and walked just a week before your first birthday. By then, you were unstoppable in the physical and mental department. You grew your full set of teeth by 1.5 years and still hanging on to me for milk. Unfortunately, I had to wean you off when you were 2 because your set of teeth were too painful for me to handle.
I was so proud of you then and I am still proud of you now for your amazing achievements, your ability to put words together, your quick wit and resoucefulness in outwitting your daddy and I and your heart of gold that is able to love us unconditionally even after having to undergo a round of mummy scolding you like a mad woman.
You complete our world. Without a doubt, your presence has changed us from young foolish couples to ahemmm... responsible loving parents. Your daddy and I would lay the world at your feet even if we have to beg, borrow and steal. There is nothing that we wouldn't do for your happiness and safety. If it were up to me, I would never let you venture out into the cruel evil but wonderful world. But, I want you to grow up and experience what life has to offer you be it sweet or bitter.
It really has been a pleasure having you around for the past 3 years and I look forward to having you around for a very long time. Please just remember that your daddy and I love you very, very much.
Love you till the power of infinity...
Mummy & Daddy.
Rachel and Justine preparing Zareef's mock birthday cake. I wasn't allowed to bring in a cake in fear of the other children having allergic reaction to any of the cake's content.
Happy Birthday my darling! I pray that you'll have more wonderful birthdays to come and that you'll grow to be a good son and a faithful Muslim.
Today at 0820 hrs, you have reached a new milestone in life. It's the day you turned 3. I can still remember the day I felt the contractions on your expected due date, 12/10/02. Your daddy and I were really happy but at the same time quite nervous and scared that you were about to be borned into this unknown world anytime soon. But after a laborious, tiring, painful, 3 failed attempts of epidural, and a failed ventouse of 30 hrs, you finally made a grand appearance with the help of a pair of forceps.
Since then, I have always marvelled at how fast you grew. You were always spot on on all the markers that I religiously read and follow in babycenter.com and any books that I can get my hands on. You started teething at 5 months, crawling at 6, standing up and holding on to furnitures to move at 9 and walked just a week before your first birthday. By then, you were unstoppable in the physical and mental department. You grew your full set of teeth by 1.5 years and still hanging on to me for milk. Unfortunately, I had to wean you off when you were 2 because your set of teeth were too painful for me to handle.
I was so proud of you then and I am still proud of you now for your amazing achievements, your ability to put words together, your quick wit and resoucefulness in outwitting your daddy and I and your heart of gold that is able to love us unconditionally even after having to undergo a round of mummy scolding you like a mad woman.
You complete our world. Without a doubt, your presence has changed us from young foolish couples to ahemmm... responsible loving parents. Your daddy and I would lay the world at your feet even if we have to beg, borrow and steal. There is nothing that we wouldn't do for your happiness and safety. If it were up to me, I would never let you venture out into the cruel evil but wonderful world. But, I want you to grow up and experience what life has to offer you be it sweet or bitter.
It really has been a pleasure having you around for the past 3 years and I look forward to having you around for a very long time. Please just remember that your daddy and I love you very, very much.
Love you till the power of infinity...
Mummy & Daddy.
Rachel and Justine preparing Zareef's mock birthday cake. I wasn't allowed to bring in a cake in fear of the other children having allergic reaction to any of the cake's content.
His classmates sang "Happy Birthday" while Zareef watches the candles gleefully.
Zareef handing out Maltesers to his classmates.
Our gift to Zareef. His all time favorite, a truck load of cars and an aeroplane to boot.
Happy Birthday my darling! I pray that you'll have more wonderful birthdays to come and that you'll grow to be a good son and a faithful Muslim.Wednesday, October 12, 2005
A Beginning to an End - Part IV
B's viva which is supposed to be today at 2 pm has been POSTPONED to an undetermined date sometime end of October because his external examiner has emailed in sick. He just got to know about it yesterday evening.
He is very disappointed because he has his mind set on it and has been all out in preparing for his big day. Well, what can I say darling. Yes, you've worked hard and will continue to do so but Allah Al-Mighty is the decision maker and He knows best.
Like you said, "Maybe ada hikmah kot kena postpone. Maybe God knows that I'm not fully prepared yet even though I think I am".
He is very disappointed because he has his mind set on it and has been all out in preparing for his big day. Well, what can I say darling. Yes, you've worked hard and will continue to do so but Allah Al-Mighty is the decision maker and He knows best.
Like you said, "Maybe ada hikmah kot kena postpone. Maybe God knows that I'm not fully prepared yet even though I think I am".
Monday, October 10, 2005
News Flash
B was featured in Leicester Mercury for his ground-breaking research. I'm so proud of my man. His hard work has finally paid off. Congratulations darling!! You deserve every single bit of it.
More links:
1. Loughborough University Press Release
Update:
B's research has been interviewed by BBC1 Radio and Saga FM. The Observer has also called in and the story will be published during one of the weekends. Well darling, enjoy your fame while it lasts...
More links:
1. Loughborough University Press Release
Update:
B's research has been interviewed by BBC1 Radio and Saga FM. The Observer has also called in and the story will be published during one of the weekends. Well darling, enjoy your fame while it lasts...
Monday, September 19, 2005
A Beginning to an End - Part III
B's viva-voce date has been set. It's on October 12th at 2 ish. I'm praying and praying that it'll go on well and smooth sailing. Aminnnn....
Friday, September 16, 2005
Second Day of School
Hah! I spoke too soon. This morning, after doing my rounds of cleaning, I checked my mobile and there were 16 missed calls from B. 16!! Goodness!!!
Rupa2 nya... anak bujang sorang tak nak go to school pulak.
"I don't want to go to school. I don't want to go to school", he kept repeating. He cried, bawled, howled and protested all the way. B must have panicked and pushed the call button more than he intended to.
Anyhow, my salutations to B for sticking to his guns and managed to siapkan Zareef and dragged him to school albeit 5 minutes late. History repeated itself. Zareef was back to his nursery days. He won't let go of B. He kept on repeating "Daddy stay with Zareef, alright?!". And so B obliged. B took him to a corner and started rolling out the playdough. Zareef langsung tak nak. Yana (his best friend) kept on urging him to play with her, which on normal circumstances would be an irresistible offer but he declined. He kept on clinging to B's pants.
Out of his wits, B seeked Rachel's (Zareef's teacher) advice. She adviced him to keep on playing with Zareef for about 5 minutes. Then, bid farewell and leave because the longer B stays, the clingier (ada ka such word??) Zareef will be. And so B did. Maka bermula lah satu episode meraung yg maha hebat. When I called B, he sounded so depressed. I told him it's okay. Zareef is trying to test him whether B will bend to his demands. We are setting boundaries and rules so Zareef has to learn and deal with it. If we give in to his whims, Zareef knows that he is in control of his parents, which is a big NO NO.
Hmmmm... betul pun. When we picked him up, Rachel told us Zareef settled quickly after B left and joined in all the activities and was really happy. Cehhhh... auta sungguh anak aku sorang nih. But... he was a bit aggressive today. He managed to pick a fight with one kid and when some other kids tried to play with him, he pushed them away. Aduhhhsss... that is one tell-tale sign of his protest. So, Rachel asked us to speak with him about it. However, Rachel did compliment Zareef for standing up and taking his grounds. He fought back when one of the kids tried to bully him. Way to go, Zareef!
Back home, B and I slow talked Zareef in not hitting other kids. We said it's painful and it'll make his friends cry. We also talked to him about sharing the toys and taking turns on playing a big car that he is quite obsess with. After 2 minutes of talking (tak boleh lama2, nanti jadik melalut2 and budak tak paham and tak concentrate), Zareef seemed to understand. Ntah ye ntah tidak. We'll see tomorrow how it goes.
I know I have been blabbing non-stop about my kid. It does look like I'm obsess but I can't help it. Every single thing that is happening in Zareef's life, whether it's an achieved milestone, sickness, joyous occasion or fights are such big deals to me. I'm his mother and I just want everything to go smooth sailing for my little baby even if I know that it's impossible but I'll try my very best.
A friend did say there is a simple solution to Zareef's problem of sharing. "Ko bagi je adik kat dia, pandai2 la nanti dia nak share barang2 dia". Hahahhah... yupp, that's true. InsyaAllah, that'll come next year.
Rupa2 nya... anak bujang sorang tak nak go to school pulak.
"I don't want to go to school. I don't want to go to school", he kept repeating. He cried, bawled, howled and protested all the way. B must have panicked and pushed the call button more than he intended to.
Anyhow, my salutations to B for sticking to his guns and managed to siapkan Zareef and dragged him to school albeit 5 minutes late. History repeated itself. Zareef was back to his nursery days. He won't let go of B. He kept on repeating "Daddy stay with Zareef, alright?!". And so B obliged. B took him to a corner and started rolling out the playdough. Zareef langsung tak nak. Yana (his best friend) kept on urging him to play with her, which on normal circumstances would be an irresistible offer but he declined. He kept on clinging to B's pants.
Out of his wits, B seeked Rachel's (Zareef's teacher) advice. She adviced him to keep on playing with Zareef for about 5 minutes. Then, bid farewell and leave because the longer B stays, the clingier (ada ka such word??) Zareef will be. And so B did. Maka bermula lah satu episode meraung yg maha hebat. When I called B, he sounded so depressed. I told him it's okay. Zareef is trying to test him whether B will bend to his demands. We are setting boundaries and rules so Zareef has to learn and deal with it. If we give in to his whims, Zareef knows that he is in control of his parents, which is a big NO NO.
Hmmmm... betul pun. When we picked him up, Rachel told us Zareef settled quickly after B left and joined in all the activities and was really happy. Cehhhh... auta sungguh anak aku sorang nih. But... he was a bit aggressive today. He managed to pick a fight with one kid and when some other kids tried to play with him, he pushed them away. Aduhhhsss... that is one tell-tale sign of his protest. So, Rachel asked us to speak with him about it. However, Rachel did compliment Zareef for standing up and taking his grounds. He fought back when one of the kids tried to bully him. Way to go, Zareef!
Back home, B and I slow talked Zareef in not hitting other kids. We said it's painful and it'll make his friends cry. We also talked to him about sharing the toys and taking turns on playing a big car that he is quite obsess with. After 2 minutes of talking (tak boleh lama2, nanti jadik melalut2 and budak tak paham and tak concentrate), Zareef seemed to understand. Ntah ye ntah tidak. We'll see tomorrow how it goes.
I know I have been blabbing non-stop about my kid. It does look like I'm obsess but I can't help it. Every single thing that is happening in Zareef's life, whether it's an achieved milestone, sickness, joyous occasion or fights are such big deals to me. I'm his mother and I just want everything to go smooth sailing for my little baby even if I know that it's impossible but I'll try my very best.
A friend did say there is a simple solution to Zareef's problem of sharing. "Ko bagi je adik kat dia, pandai2 la nanti dia nak share barang2 dia". Hahahhah... yupp, that's true. InsyaAllah, that'll come next year.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
First Day At School
How did it go??? EXCELLENT!!! Alhamdulillah....
B sent him to school a.k.a playgroup because I was working at that time. Thank you very much darling for doing every thing from washing him, clothing him, feeding him, walking him to his classroom and leaving him happily playing with the toy car while lying on the floor. Iskkk... buat macam rumah sendiri pulak.
Yes people.... there were no separation anxiety drama. While B was busy completing the paperwork, Zareef played quietly with a toy car. He didn't even say goodbye to his daddy! He was oblivious to his surroundings, well ensconced in his own world. So, B left him quietly.
At 9.40 (school starts at 9.20), I called B (so shoot me for being a very anxious mom) expecting to hear Zareef wailing and bawling in the background but to my surprise, there were none. B was prepared to camp at the school for 2 and a half hours but he didn't have to. He told me what happened. I was quite astounded that Zareef did not make any scene. Instead he was such a good boy.
At 11.30, we were already at the playgroup center. Me, being the overanxious mom, sneaked and peeked through the windows to see what was Zareef doing. To my delight, he was busy driving a car while the others were sitting down in singing away. How typical of my boy to not adhere to the norm.
At 11.50, the gates were unlocked and we were allowed to pick up our child. When Zareef saw me, he ran straight into my open arms and gave me a fierce hug. Oh the feeling at that particular moment was indescribable. My heart was bursting with pride when his teacher said that he was a very, very good boy. He did his art work, ate his snacks (they were fresh fruits), drank his milk, joined in the class when he feels like it but never made any fuss.
All the way to the car with B and I holding his hands, he was replaying his day at school.
"What did you do at school today, Zareef?"
"Zareef paint with my hands. Lepas tu, Zareef splish splosh (this is him playing with his all time favorite, water). And then, Zareef minum milk and eat apples and banana. And then, Zareef sing. Lepas tu, Zareef drive the car (with the hands at the steering wheel action) ".
"Zareef nak go to school tak tomorrow?"
"Yes!", with a smile reaching his ears.
I am so relieved that Zareef is enjoying his school so much. Compared to the clingy, crying boy last year, he is so different now. He is becoming more independent, ready to do anything, socializes with kids his own age easily and he can now obey simple directions. Soon, he won't be needing me to do anything for him anymore. Nooooo..... my baby is growing up! Not so soon ye Zareef. Not so soon...
I'm just praying that everything goes on smoothly for my little boy. If he enjoys his school this much, then, it is worth every penny that we're paying. I really don't mind at all. Money, I can find but my son's happiness is all that matters.
So, hari ni bermula lah sejarah baru for Zareef Imran. Today marks the day of his many, many schooling years. I just hope and pray that he relishes and savors every minute of it.
B sent him to school a.k.a playgroup because I was working at that time. Thank you very much darling for doing every thing from washing him, clothing him, feeding him, walking him to his classroom and leaving him happily playing with the toy car while lying on the floor. Iskkk... buat macam rumah sendiri pulak.
Yes people.... there were no separation anxiety drama. While B was busy completing the paperwork, Zareef played quietly with a toy car. He didn't even say goodbye to his daddy! He was oblivious to his surroundings, well ensconced in his own world. So, B left him quietly.
At 9.40 (school starts at 9.20), I called B (so shoot me for being a very anxious mom) expecting to hear Zareef wailing and bawling in the background but to my surprise, there were none. B was prepared to camp at the school for 2 and a half hours but he didn't have to. He told me what happened. I was quite astounded that Zareef did not make any scene. Instead he was such a good boy.
At 11.30, we were already at the playgroup center. Me, being the overanxious mom, sneaked and peeked through the windows to see what was Zareef doing. To my delight, he was busy driving a car while the others were sitting down in singing away. How typical of my boy to not adhere to the norm.
At 11.50, the gates were unlocked and we were allowed to pick up our child. When Zareef saw me, he ran straight into my open arms and gave me a fierce hug. Oh the feeling at that particular moment was indescribable. My heart was bursting with pride when his teacher said that he was a very, very good boy. He did his art work, ate his snacks (they were fresh fruits), drank his milk, joined in the class when he feels like it but never made any fuss.
All the way to the car with B and I holding his hands, he was replaying his day at school.
"What did you do at school today, Zareef?"
"Zareef paint with my hands. Lepas tu, Zareef splish splosh (this is him playing with his all time favorite, water). And then, Zareef minum milk and eat apples and banana. And then, Zareef sing. Lepas tu, Zareef drive the car (with the hands at the steering wheel action) ".
"Zareef nak go to school tak tomorrow?"
"Yes!", with a smile reaching his ears.
I am so relieved that Zareef is enjoying his school so much. Compared to the clingy, crying boy last year, he is so different now. He is becoming more independent, ready to do anything, socializes with kids his own age easily and he can now obey simple directions. Soon, he won't be needing me to do anything for him anymore. Nooooo..... my baby is growing up! Not so soon ye Zareef. Not so soon...
I'm just praying that everything goes on smoothly for my little boy. If he enjoys his school this much, then, it is worth every penny that we're paying. I really don't mind at all. Money, I can find but my son's happiness is all that matters.
So, hari ni bermula lah sejarah baru for Zareef Imran. Today marks the day of his many, many schooling years. I just hope and pray that he relishes and savors every minute of it.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
When My Son Goes to School Tomorrow...
Yuppp... Zareef is going to school tomorrow. I've just enrolled him in a playgroup at Gorse Covert's Community Center (next to Morrisons where I had the oil fiasco). He got the last spot. It's from 9.20-11.50 a.m.
When I got home, I held my hands out to him and shaked it.
"Congratulations Zareef! You're going to school tomorrow."
He was stunned and rendered speechless but his face said it all. Totally priceless. Then he started jumping up and down.
"Yeahhhh!!! Zareef nak go to school with Sarah and Yana (his two best buds)!! Daddy, Daddy... Zareef nak go to school with Sarah and Yana!!!"
Bless him, my son. Even going to school makes him so, so, so happy. I'm ecstatic that he's happy.
He is sooooo excited about going to school because all of his friends are in school when he's not (thanks to Luqman of Bogo's and Fern's because he set a fine example on sleeping early, in his room on his own bed and going to school). He kept on asking us when can he go to school. Because we did sent him to nursery last year (refer to previous post) and had a dreadful experience, we didn't want to rush it this time. But, since he is all ready and prepped up and nagged us about it, we think it is the right time.
It doesn't matter that I have to fork out £100 every 4 weeks to pay for his playgroup (the academic year here starts 1st Sept. Zareef was borned after 1st Sept, so he is not eligible for the funded sessions. His free sessions start after Christmas) but if he enjoys going, learning, playing and socializing, then I'm all for it. Duit kat mana2 boleh carik but Zareef's happiness and wellbeing is priceless and is all that I care about.
He is already asleep now and has been sleeping since 6 this evening. Hihihihi... I told him that he has to sleep early if he wants to go to school tomorrow and he totally bought it!! That's why I can blog right now.
B is taking him tomorrow and I'll come along after I finish working. Good Luck Aling in handling Zareef on his first day at school!!!! Hahahhaha... you'll need it!
When I got home, I held my hands out to him and shaked it.
"Congratulations Zareef! You're going to school tomorrow."
He was stunned and rendered speechless but his face said it all. Totally priceless. Then he started jumping up and down.
"Yeahhhh!!! Zareef nak go to school with Sarah and Yana (his two best buds)!! Daddy, Daddy... Zareef nak go to school with Sarah and Yana!!!"
Bless him, my son. Even going to school makes him so, so, so happy. I'm ecstatic that he's happy.
He is sooooo excited about going to school because all of his friends are in school when he's not (thanks to Luqman of Bogo's and Fern's because he set a fine example on sleeping early, in his room on his own bed and going to school). He kept on asking us when can he go to school. Because we did sent him to nursery last year (refer to previous post) and had a dreadful experience, we didn't want to rush it this time. But, since he is all ready and prepped up and nagged us about it, we think it is the right time.
It doesn't matter that I have to fork out £100 every 4 weeks to pay for his playgroup (the academic year here starts 1st Sept. Zareef was borned after 1st Sept, so he is not eligible for the funded sessions. His free sessions start after Christmas) but if he enjoys going, learning, playing and socializing, then I'm all for it. Duit kat mana2 boleh carik but Zareef's happiness and wellbeing is priceless and is all that I care about.
He is already asleep now and has been sleeping since 6 this evening. Hihihihi... I told him that he has to sleep early if he wants to go to school tomorrow and he totally bought it!! That's why I can blog right now.
B is taking him tomorrow and I'll come along after I finish working. Good Luck Aling in handling Zareef on his first day at school!!!! Hahahhaha... you'll need it!
Minyak... Ohhhh Minyak!!
Oil prices are rising (what else is new??!!!).
Oil tanker drivers are on strike (they did this 5 years ago).
People get all riled up and started queuing to fill up their tanks (ingatkan kat M'sia je jadik camni).
B called and told me to fill up the tank when I was doing my groceries at Morrisons (but I didn't coz I saw that the lines were too long and jalan nak masuk Morrison dah jam sampai melimpah2. Decided to let B do the filling when he goes to work in the evening).
While doing my no. 2 in the loo, heard B pulling into the car park (eh???... awat balik? tempat keje tutup ke???)
"Apasal u tak isi minyak tadi??? Skarang sumer stesen minyak dah tutup"
"Haaa... tutup??!!! Why tutup???"
"Kan tengah ada strike and blockage skarang. Oil tanker drivers refused to drive to petrol stations. Sumer org gelabah pi isi minyak penuh2. Skarang stesen minyak pun dah tutup sebab minyak dah habis"
"Laaa.... patutla tadi panjang giler line kat Morrison tu. I ingatkan sebab kat situ je yg tengah murah, that's why they went there. Mana I nak tau stesen tu nak tutup!!!"
"Just pray that reserve oil tu cukup utk u pegi balik to work besok. Kalau tak, u jln kaki la..."
GULPPPP... and the tank light is flashing bright red!!!
ARGHHHHHH!!! stupid... stoopid... stewwwwwpitttttt!!!!
Oil tanker drivers are on strike (they did this 5 years ago).
People get all riled up and started queuing to fill up their tanks (ingatkan kat M'sia je jadik camni).
B called and told me to fill up the tank when I was doing my groceries at Morrisons (but I didn't coz I saw that the lines were too long and jalan nak masuk Morrison dah jam sampai melimpah2. Decided to let B do the filling when he goes to work in the evening).
While doing my no. 2 in the loo, heard B pulling into the car park (eh???... awat balik? tempat keje tutup ke???)
"Apasal u tak isi minyak tadi??? Skarang sumer stesen minyak dah tutup"
"Haaa... tutup??!!! Why tutup???"
"Kan tengah ada strike and blockage skarang. Oil tanker drivers refused to drive to petrol stations. Sumer org gelabah pi isi minyak penuh2. Skarang stesen minyak pun dah tutup sebab minyak dah habis"
"Laaa.... patutla tadi panjang giler line kat Morrison tu. I ingatkan sebab kat situ je yg tengah murah, that's why they went there. Mana I nak tau stesen tu nak tutup!!!"
"Just pray that reserve oil tu cukup utk u pegi balik to work besok. Kalau tak, u jln kaki la..."
GULPPPP... and the tank light is flashing bright red!!!
ARGHHHHHH!!! stupid... stoopid... stewwwwwpitttttt!!!!
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Cadbury World and Safari Park
This is another old post that I've postponed posting for so long. Ehhhh... it rhymes!! hehehhe...
So before Saturday comes (which is in 4 hours time), I'd better finish up this post.
We went to Cadbury World at Bournville, Birmingham last Saturday. Reached there at noon. Mak datukkk... punya la ramai manusia!!! People came by the bus loads. We queued to get our tickets but were baffled as to which line were we supposed to be in. Each line has the word 'reserved' on it. Since we were 'walk ins', we queued in the 'Non-reserved line'. Then B turned to me
"Eh Aling... look there"
"Where?"
"Up there la to that sign" and he pointed to me to one white signboard
"Alamak!!! 3.30 baru boleh masuk tengok kilang ke? Nak buat apa tunggu 3 jam ni??"
Yes people. If you ever decide to visit Cadbury World on a Saturday or make it any other day during the school holidays, PLEASE reserve your tickets by calling them or booking online. Kalau tak, kena macam kami. Tak jadi nak masuk kilang dia. Cancel terus. Instead, we went to the factory shop located opposite the ticket counter and bought loads and loads of chocolate at discounted price.
Kilang Cadbury yang tak lawa and agak ancient
Since we opted not to go for the factory tour and exhibition, we decided to let Zareef play at Cadbury Land (fancy name for a playground).
So before Saturday comes (which is in 4 hours time), I'd better finish up this post.
We went to Cadbury World at Bournville, Birmingham last Saturday. Reached there at noon. Mak datukkk... punya la ramai manusia!!! People came by the bus loads. We queued to get our tickets but were baffled as to which line were we supposed to be in. Each line has the word 'reserved' on it. Since we were 'walk ins', we queued in the 'Non-reserved line'. Then B turned to me
"Eh Aling... look there"
"Where?"
"Up there la to that sign" and he pointed to me to one white signboard
"Alamak!!! 3.30 baru boleh masuk tengok kilang ke? Nak buat apa tunggu 3 jam ni??"
Yes people. If you ever decide to visit Cadbury World on a Saturday or make it any other day during the school holidays, PLEASE reserve your tickets by calling them or booking online. Kalau tak, kena macam kami. Tak jadi nak masuk kilang dia. Cancel terus. Instead, we went to the factory shop located opposite the ticket counter and bought loads and loads of chocolate at discounted price.
Kilang Cadbury yang tak lawa and agak ancientSince we opted not to go for the factory tour and exhibition, we decided to let Zareef play at Cadbury Land (fancy name for a playground).
Excuse me, you're in my way...
New girlfriend ke Zareef?
I was quite disappointed since I was the one who badly wanted to visit Cadbury World coz chocolate is my passion. Then a friend called and asked if we wanted to go to the Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster, Birmingham. B said, yeah... why not. It's not like we're going anywhere pun.
So, after navigating through endless jalan kampung, we reached the place. We were allowed to drive in our own car.
The rhinos who were about to tanduk us. They are sooooo huge in real life and up close!
Never ever go to a safari during a scorching hot summer's day. You'll die in the car if it doesn't have air-cond because you have to close all windows and sunroof when you enter the tiger's and lion's den.
An unexpected visitor, the llama. He was extra friendly to Zareef. hehehheh
We're going to Evesham, Birmingham (again!) tomorrow to do some apple, pear and plum picking. Will do a story and post pictures later ya. Have a good weekend, peeps!!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Robin Hood Festival
This was supposed to go up last week but me being the lazy bugger, procrastinated until friends started to bug me with "Weiii... bila kau nak update??" Alamak... nak kena update selalu ke??
But to not disappoint them, I'm posting this. We went to Sherwood Forest to get a feel and taste of the Robin Hood Festival. It was only held for a week. At the first glimpse of sunshine, I dragged B and Zareef here. (Seriously, summer in UK is not all sunshine and clear blue skies. This was the first after a week and a half of miserable, gloomy and wet summer).
We did get a feel of being in the Robin Hood era what with people marching up and down the forest in medieaval costumes, old hags loooking like witches, one fat man looked like he has just lost a battle with Robin himself (he was sitting down all huffed and puffed wearing a suit of armor), the old and young trying their skills in archery sword fighting and weirdly, a van selling ice-creams. But I didn't get to meet the infamous Robin. Where art thou??
We, however, didn't get the chance to taste the food of the forest simply because we can't eat them. Luckily, Mummy dearest had the foresight to cook char kuew tiaw the day before and we then sat down under one of the huge trees for a picnic while Zareef went about trying to discover everything.
Here are some pixs... Enjoy!!!
The entrance of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood's Country.
The mighty old Major Oak tree. It's so old and huge that it has to be supported with poles and ropes.
Folks performing some old dance. Quite a bore, actually...
Wait Daddy... I can't see the chicks!!!
Zareef taking a breather. He has bountiful of energy I tell you. He doesn't even looked winded after running up and down the jungle trail.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
A Beginning to an End - Part II
After 3 years, B has finally submitted his thesis. It's now lying on the HOD's desk waiting for him to sign the submission form. He can now breathe easy. Lately, I've even noticed that his face is a picture of serenity. Sometimes I even catch him expelling a sigh of relief.
Yes folks, it was a hard and long winded road to reach this stage of his Phd. It kicked of with the birth of Zareef followed by the unavoidable stress, strain, late nights, early weekend mornings, sacrificed weekends, complex and complicated codings, experiments mishaps, red tapes shebangs have now come to an end. Almost.
Almost because it's now the waiting game. Bidding his time waiting for the viva-voce.
I am truly proud of you, Aling!! I pray that all's well, ends well, InsyaAllah...
Yes folks, it was a hard and long winded road to reach this stage of his Phd. It kicked of with the birth of Zareef followed by the unavoidable stress, strain, late nights, early weekend mornings, sacrificed weekends, complex and complicated codings, experiments mishaps, red tapes shebangs have now come to an end. Almost.
Almost because it's now the waiting game. Bidding his time waiting for the viva-voce.
I am truly proud of you, Aling!! I pray that all's well, ends well, InsyaAllah...
Friday, July 22, 2005
A Beginning to an End
"To my wife, Nora and son, Zareef
whom I dedicate
this thesis to..."
I'm so touched and overwhelmed. Nak pi lap mata sat...
p/s: Besok NEXT sale start pukul 5 pagi. I'm already there... huhuhu...
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
My Kid Says the Darndest Things
But he's only 2 years and 9 months old, for goodness sake!
Scene 1:
We were in the car ready to go to Sarah's birthday party. Zareef was strapped in his car seat at the back.
"Pakai seat belt la Daddy. Nanti mati!"
Huhhh?? Where did he get that from??? Must be too much of CSIs.
Scene 2:
I've switched off the bedroom lights and everyone is ready for bed and the little kiddo just jumped into our bed and pulled the duvet over him.
"Zareef, go and sleep in your katil please..."
"Mummy la tido katil Zareef. Katil Zareef best."
I would if I could but his bed is too short for my legs. So that night, all three of us crammed in one small double bed. Mind you, it was a very hot muggy night. Hmmmphhhh
Scene 3:
"Zareef, tolong tidy up your toys...!
"Mummy la tidy up toys Zareef. Zareef penat. Zareef nak rehat la"
And he immediately climbed on the sofa and lied down. Aduhhhssss... bertuah punye anak!!!
When I finally did tidy up his toys, he immediately came up to me and patted me on the back.
"Yeayyy... Mummy good girl!!"
Whattt??? Nih sudah terbalik...
Scene 4:
We were watching the telly one night and I asked B to pass me the remote. B threw it at me without giving any warnings.The remote landed on my tulang kering and I yelped out in pain.
"Kenapa Daddy baling remote kat Mummy!! Kan Mummy dah sakit!!!"
He then approached me and took my tulang kering and held it.
"Sakit ke Mummy? Zareef tiup okay?!"
Pfooohhhh.. he blewed.
My oh my this sweet child of mine!!!
Scene 1:
We were in the car ready to go to Sarah's birthday party. Zareef was strapped in his car seat at the back.
"Pakai seat belt la Daddy. Nanti mati!"
Huhhh?? Where did he get that from??? Must be too much of CSIs.
Scene 2:
I've switched off the bedroom lights and everyone is ready for bed and the little kiddo just jumped into our bed and pulled the duvet over him.
"Zareef, go and sleep in your katil please..."
"Mummy la tido katil Zareef. Katil Zareef best."
I would if I could but his bed is too short for my legs. So that night, all three of us crammed in one small double bed. Mind you, it was a very hot muggy night. Hmmmphhhh
Scene 3:
"Zareef, tolong tidy up your toys...!
"Mummy la tidy up toys Zareef. Zareef penat. Zareef nak rehat la"
And he immediately climbed on the sofa and lied down. Aduhhhssss... bertuah punye anak!!!
When I finally did tidy up his toys, he immediately came up to me and patted me on the back.
"Yeayyy... Mummy good girl!!"
Whattt??? Nih sudah terbalik...
Scene 4:
We were watching the telly one night and I asked B to pass me the remote. B threw it at me without giving any warnings.The remote landed on my tulang kering and I yelped out in pain.
"Kenapa Daddy baling remote kat Mummy!! Kan Mummy dah sakit!!!"
He then approached me and took my tulang kering and held it.
"Sakit ke Mummy? Zareef tiup okay?!"
Pfooohhhh.. he blewed.
My oh my this sweet child of mine!!!
Monday, July 18, 2005
Terror Within
Two weeks have passed since the London bombings. Since then, the aftermath of the tragedy has been felt all over the UK especially towards Muslims.
This Muslim does not condone such atrocious act. This Muslim is so sad to see 57 innocent lives taken away from them at a blink of an eye. This Muslim is furious that some extremists say that's it's alright for these men to commit such act as a way of martyrdom. Islam does not teach us to kill others for the sake of an eye for an eye. Two wrongs do not make one right. When our Holy Prophet went to war, he will always remind his men to spare the lives of civillians; the innocent bystanders, the mothers, children and the elders. Warfare at that time was more honorable unlike now you-attacked-me-so-I'll-attacked-you-back kind of war.
It doesn't help that the media is making a circus out of this horrible incident resulting in backlashes towards Muslims happening all across the UK. An hour after the bombing occurred, the media has the cheek of announcing to the public that these bombings were linked to Al-Qaeda without ever having even a speck of proof. All was done in the name of slander.
And it doesn't help also that a day later the media kept on saying that the bombers were British Muslims stressing the word Muslim over and over again. I mean, do they really have to say the word Muslim in every sentence? Did they call Ian Huntley a British Christian when he murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman? None at all. He was just a psycho who happens to like young girls. How about the Oklahoma City bombing? Did they report Timothy McVeigh as an American-whatever-his religion-is cult extremist? Definitely not. The media just labelled him as an anti-government supremacist whose motive was to avenge the death of the Branch Davidians whom he thought were killed by federal agents at Waco, Texas.
As a result of religion-naming reporting, a hatred towards Muslims in the UK has sprung. Mosques were disfigured. In Nottingham, a Muslim man was killed in a religious feud. A muslim woman's hijab was pulled and later she was dragged to the ground. Last Friday night, here, in this small town that I call home, a fight between Asians and Mat Sallehs ensued by stabbings resulted in a police and helicopter mayhem. A friend in London had her car's windshield smashed with a beer can when she was just about to start the engine.
Isn't this terror as well? Cultivating a feeling of fear in the heart of those who are innocent of doing any kind of terror acts except of guilty for professing the Islamic faith. As far as I know, Islam is a peaceful religion and condemns any act of killings of the innocents irregardless of their religion. Then, why do we have to succumb to a life filled with fear as to what other religions perceive us when we have done nothing?
I will not deny that I fear for the safety of my family. I used to be able to wonder around the town freely with Zareef feeling safe and all. But now, I fear that if I do, some stupid clueless mat salleh would backlash me just because I wear a hijab which to them is a beacon of Islam. Verbal words, that I can handle. Icy glacier glares, that I can look away from. But what if someone would come to me and pull my hijab? Or even worse, do harm to my boy and I? That, I can't handle.
When 9/11 happened, I was in Malaysia. At that time, I didn't feel the effect of it. You know, the religious slander, the backlashes and all. But now that it happens so close to home, I do feel the heat. I hate it when the media kept on hammering in the word Muslim again and again, making us look like the culprits. Because of that, I kept on having to look behind my shoulders to make sure that the coast is clear. Because of that, I can no longer go on my half-an-hour powerwalks to the playground with Zareef. Because of that, I kept on having to be on my toes to avoid any unwanted happenings.
When I went for my Europe road trip last year, I breathed a sigh of relief upon reaching Dover after clearing the immigrations. It felt like coming home. Even when I got back home from Disneyland, I felt so relief when the Eurostar pulled into Waterloo. But now, I'm afraid of home. I'm afraid of any unwanted unforeseen circumstances that I pray to God will not happen to my family while I'm here. I love being a Muslim. Nothing can take that away from me. But my love for my religion has resulted me living in fear for now in this land that I call home. It looks like home now no longer feels like home.
This Muslim does not condone such atrocious act. This Muslim is so sad to see 57 innocent lives taken away from them at a blink of an eye. This Muslim is furious that some extremists say that's it's alright for these men to commit such act as a way of martyrdom. Islam does not teach us to kill others for the sake of an eye for an eye. Two wrongs do not make one right. When our Holy Prophet went to war, he will always remind his men to spare the lives of civillians; the innocent bystanders, the mothers, children and the elders. Warfare at that time was more honorable unlike now you-attacked-me-so-I'll-attacked-you-back kind of war.
It doesn't help that the media is making a circus out of this horrible incident resulting in backlashes towards Muslims happening all across the UK. An hour after the bombing occurred, the media has the cheek of announcing to the public that these bombings were linked to Al-Qaeda without ever having even a speck of proof. All was done in the name of slander.
And it doesn't help also that a day later the media kept on saying that the bombers were British Muslims stressing the word Muslim over and over again. I mean, do they really have to say the word Muslim in every sentence? Did they call Ian Huntley a British Christian when he murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman? None at all. He was just a psycho who happens to like young girls. How about the Oklahoma City bombing? Did they report Timothy McVeigh as an American-whatever-his religion-is cult extremist? Definitely not. The media just labelled him as an anti-government supremacist whose motive was to avenge the death of the Branch Davidians whom he thought were killed by federal agents at Waco, Texas.
As a result of religion-naming reporting, a hatred towards Muslims in the UK has sprung. Mosques were disfigured. In Nottingham, a Muslim man was killed in a religious feud. A muslim woman's hijab was pulled and later she was dragged to the ground. Last Friday night, here, in this small town that I call home, a fight between Asians and Mat Sallehs ensued by stabbings resulted in a police and helicopter mayhem. A friend in London had her car's windshield smashed with a beer can when she was just about to start the engine.
Isn't this terror as well? Cultivating a feeling of fear in the heart of those who are innocent of doing any kind of terror acts except of guilty for professing the Islamic faith. As far as I know, Islam is a peaceful religion and condemns any act of killings of the innocents irregardless of their religion. Then, why do we have to succumb to a life filled with fear as to what other religions perceive us when we have done nothing?
I will not deny that I fear for the safety of my family. I used to be able to wonder around the town freely with Zareef feeling safe and all. But now, I fear that if I do, some stupid clueless mat salleh would backlash me just because I wear a hijab which to them is a beacon of Islam. Verbal words, that I can handle. Icy glacier glares, that I can look away from. But what if someone would come to me and pull my hijab? Or even worse, do harm to my boy and I? That, I can't handle.
When 9/11 happened, I was in Malaysia. At that time, I didn't feel the effect of it. You know, the religious slander, the backlashes and all. But now that it happens so close to home, I do feel the heat. I hate it when the media kept on hammering in the word Muslim again and again, making us look like the culprits. Because of that, I kept on having to look behind my shoulders to make sure that the coast is clear. Because of that, I can no longer go on my half-an-hour powerwalks to the playground with Zareef. Because of that, I kept on having to be on my toes to avoid any unwanted happenings.
When I went for my Europe road trip last year, I breathed a sigh of relief upon reaching Dover after clearing the immigrations. It felt like coming home. Even when I got back home from Disneyland, I felt so relief when the Eurostar pulled into Waterloo. But now, I'm afraid of home. I'm afraid of any unwanted unforeseen circumstances that I pray to God will not happen to my family while I'm here. I love being a Muslim. Nothing can take that away from me. But my love for my religion has resulted me living in fear for now in this land that I call home. It looks like home now no longer feels like home.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Strawberries, Anyone??
One fine Saturday morning, we decided to go for strawberry picking at Wymeswold, about 20 minutes drive from Loughborough.
Lo and behold, upon reaching there, we could see throngs of Malaysians already there with baskets after baskets of red, ripe, juicy strawberries. Slurrrrpppp...
"Alamak Aling... nih Melayu ramai mesti strawberries dah habis"
"Tak lah... you tengok sana tuh... ada lagi satu padang belum kena kutip lagi"
Zareef's two best friends, Sarah and Yana were already there.
I tried the raspberries. Oh my god!! It was so sour that I spat it out immediately. So were the gooseberries. They were only good for baking and not for eating it neat.
Zareef pondering on whether to give Sarah a great big hug...
Lo and behold, upon reaching there, we could see throngs of Malaysians already there with baskets after baskets of red, ripe, juicy strawberries. Slurrrrpppp...
"Alamak Aling... nih Melayu ramai mesti strawberries dah habis"
"Tak lah... you tengok sana tuh... ada lagi satu padang belum kena kutip lagi"
Zareef's two best friends, Sarah and Yana were already there.
I tried the raspberries. Oh my god!! It was so sour that I spat it out immediately. So were the gooseberries. They were only good for baking and not for eating it neat.
Zareef pondering on whether to give Sarah a great big hug...
These strawberries are surprisingly mighty sweet unlike the ones sold in the supermarkets. Satu masuk basket, satu masuk perut. Lama2 kenyang makan strawberries je.
My son getting good at picking the ripe strawberries. But after an hour or so, he soon got tired of it. Instead, he preferred to roam and run about, resulting in some squashed strawberries along the way.
Trying to wash the strawberries before Zareef pops it into his mouth but he refused. So, sod it! A little bit of dirt and hay won't do harm to him. Who knows, it might even help to cultivate some friendly bacteria in his tummy, hehhehe....
Menu for the day was strawberries, strawberries and strawberries. There were so many that I decided to make them into jams. The basic recipe for a strawberry jam; 6 cups of strawberries, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water and juice from 1 lemon. Simmer everything in a pot until it turns into a thick consistency. Let it cool and voila! you can eat it with bread and butter. Delicious with scones and cream too!! Ahhhhhh... nikmat sungguh!
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