I'm Emotionally Exhausted

Please, can someone tell me how anyone can justifiably equate karaoke to clubbing?? It's quite mind-boggling especially since such statement is made without ever setting foot into the former place and based on the scenes painted in our local drama aired on TV.

Come on lah... get your facts right before making any sweeping statements. What gives??

I'm Supposed...

I'm supposed to decorate two birthday cakes right now but somehow, the mood hasn't quite kicked in yet.

I'm supposed to get the contractor to come and give a final quotation and let me know the number of cans needed to paint my house but as usual, I've been procrastinating. Very bad!

I'm supposed to visit my two girlfriends who gave birth about a month ago (or was it two? Sheeshhh!). Gifts have been bought but I've yet to make my rounds. Now, add two more girlfriends who just gave birth a few days ago! Arghhh... I'm so weak...

I'm supposed to bake a blueberry cheesecake for B's colleague's wife who ordered before Raya Haji but I haven't. Now, that's really long!

I'm supposed to invade Zareef's toy room and transform it into a little boy's red haven complete with racing cars wallpaper but I'm too lazy to even start.

I'm supposed to buy and plant some colorful flowers in the new flower beds that I've just had constructed on the sides of my entrance gate but I don't even know which ones of them flowers do I want.

Now that I've listed the things that I'm supposed to do, I'm suddenly reminded how great a procrastinator I am and a lazy bump to boot!! Tsk.. tsk.. tsk..

I suppose, I'll have to go down the list again and tick the items off bit by bit with steel determination (Ya Allah, bagilah aku semangat nak buat sumer benda nih...).

Remind me again why I'm still here when I'm supposed to be decorating two birthday cakes which are due tomorrow?? Haihhh...

Bad Vibes

It's one thing to bash on other people's post in your blog, that I get, because it's yours. Write whatever you want. But when the comments that followed are utterly ugly, hurtful and shallow replete with sexual innuendos, it has reach a level that has become distasteful bordering to atrocious and appalling.

Read it people. Yes, I'm providing the link. I'm flagging it. If you think it deserves to be flagged as well, please do.

I can't believe that such mind sets still exist.

Letting Go...

That's what I'm doing now. The air has been cleared. I'm letting the past rest and not catch up with me. Thank you ;)

ps: Miraculously, the annoying song has stopped.

16 Random Facts

I've been tagged. All I have to do is to list down 16 random facts about myself that others may not know off. Eh... bukan dah pernah buat ke dulu? Oh silap. That was asking for six weird things about me.

Well, here goes...

#1. I don't watch malay horror movies. I'm too scared to watch them because the horrifying images would haunt me for life! Hantu mat salleh no problem pulak. I guess because the malay ghosts are too close to home.

#2. I still count while doing anything - going up and down the steps, folding the clothes, watering the plants, while pulling out weeds from my garden and so many others. It's weird bordering to OCD.

#3. I have severe distaste for bad written English and mangled spoken English. If my eyes could bleed while reading them, they would. Please, I beg you. If you truly want to write in English, please put in some effort to at least make it easier to read. And don't use bombastic words if you don't know the meaning. Simple is fine as long as it's grammatically correct and you can get your message across. Sentences like "Please bare with me" and "Get loose looser!" would simply get your readers to laugh their asses off. My advise is, watch plenty of cartoons, read lots of comics and start easy with Ladybird's Peter and Jane.

#4. I pronounce the alphabet 'Z' as 'zi' and not 'zed'.

#5. I write using US English and not UK English. Easier to spell and less alphabets to write. Eg. favorite instead of favourite and center instead of centre.

#6. My parents have never ever bought me a single toy when I was a child. The only toy that I got was a Barbie doll for my twelfth birthday given by my mom's best friend after she found out in horror that I had none. So that explains why my children have more toys than they can play with.

#7. However, I do have countless of books! I read voraciously. I have an impressive collection of Enid Blyton's hardcover books. Similar to my children, I buy more books than I can read them. The car boot sales in the UK would be my favorite hunting ground for cheap used books which I brought back to Malaysia by the cartons. Ick... now I sound like a geek.

#8. I am a garang mom. Zareef knows this and proudly announces it to the world whenever he can. However, when I indulge them, it'll be quite over the top.

#9. I am an adventurous eater. Whatever that's halal and can be eaten, I will try. A good candidate for TARA, no?

#10. I once had an ambition of being a pilot for the national airline but was quashed when I read one of the stipulated terms. "Hanya calon lelaki sahaja dibenarkan memohon". Piiiiirahh! Ingat pompuan tak leh jadi good pilots ke? Just look at A*rAsia. They do have female pilots.

#11. I am always inclined to do adventurous and extreme stuff. Anything that gets my adrenaline pumping will just do it to me. To date, I've done white water rafting at Ocoee River in Tennessee; parasailing at Sapi Island; naik rollercoasters tu toksah cakap la kan, wouldn't miss it for the world and I absolutely loved my Outward Bound School experience. Memang best although masa mula2 tu sangat lah menyampah. The next big thing that I really want to do is bungee jumping. Hmmm... bila agaknya boleh buat ye?

#12. When I am very, very, very tired, I'll snore. The closest eyewitness would be Zareef, of course. He'll complaint the very next morning "Eeee... Zareef semalam takleh tido la. Mummy and Daddy tido snoring kuat sangat. Satu rumah bergegar!". Amboiii... pandainye mengomel. He was so indignant about it that when the ad for a strip that you put on your nose called 'Breathe Right' came out on the television, he asked me to buy it for myself and his daddy so that "Zareef can sleep peacefully". Sabar je la budak nih.

#13. I am a speed demon when it comes to driving. However, I'm proud to say that I've never been summoned by the traffic police nor the highway patrols, InsyaAllah. Must be my luck, eh? My aspiration of being a racer has never quite disappear teehee...

#14. I HATE open fire burning. I hated it so much that I've put out several grass and debris fires in my neighborhood by hosing them down. My next door neighbor was my recent victim. His contractor had the cheek to burn construction leftovers right at my backyard. I was fuming mad.

I went and asked them nicely to put out the fire but it wasn't heeded. I waited for ten minutes before asking them again. Still buat tak paham. I then asked whether they were going to put it out or not, still depa buat tak paham jugak. Aku geram, aku bukak air, tarik hose and pancut kat api tuh sampai padam. Then after 30 minutes or so, I heard fire crackling at my backyard. Laaa... bakar lagi! I was beyond control by then. Bukak air, pancut lagi skali sampai padam. This time, aku siap bagi warning kat depa. Kalau bakar lagi aku panggil Jabatan Alam Sekitar. Don't play play with me.

#15. Although I'll be 33 this year, I still love watching young people's show like The O.C., Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, 90210 and Roswell. I even bought their dvd box sets. My heart melts when I hear NKOTB, N'Sync, BSB, 98 Degrees, Take That and Westlife's songs. Sighhh... my heart refuses to grow old.

#16. Finally! I am a daring, forward and steadfast person. If I want something, I'll go for it no matter what the consequences shall be. This is especially true when it comes to guys I like. Just ask some of them (hehehe... if you know who they are la). I'm not ashame to admit that I flirted with B first and went after him till he became my husband hihi. Nak tau cerita? Tunggu anniversary nanti ye. I will reveal...

So there. I've bare it all (baru la betul nak pakai the word 'bare'). I'm not tagging anyone but if you feel like doing it, please let me know ya. I'll be sure to drop by.

Boycott

I got an email and text message with a listing of brands that support Israel's mission in wiping clean Gaza. The context of the messages was the same; boycott these companies' products because for every sen that you spend will be used to buy a bullet to shoot down innocent Palestinian children.

This boycotting campaign has been going on for quite sometime even from my days in Loughborough. You can forget about my student days in the States. I was young, foolish and totally ignorant of all things related to world peace and economy. All I ever cared for was having a jolly good time there and at the end of the week to spend my moolahs at Tippecanoe Mall or Michigan City even. Kalau rajin sikit, terus shoot off to Chicago's Michigan Avenue.

The real eye opener was when I went out during one weekend to Leicester. I was just about to enter M&S when an Arab lady grabbed my hand and pulled me to one side. Terkejut aku ok! Thought she wanted to mug me. She started with a salam and practically shoved into my hands leaflets upon leaflets of information and pictures depicting bloodied and mutilated bodies of Palestinian children. She said that M&S is one of the biggest donors for these killing sprees. Everyday, they would set aside a portion of the day's profits for that particular cause. But the big killing would be on Saturdays when 100% of their profits goes towards Palestine's bloodbath.

So, from that day onwards, I have NEVER set foot into M&S nor have I ever bought any of their products either over there or over here.

Another store that I've not been to in a very long time is T*sco. Yes people, this store that has been so popular with Malaysians since it made its presence here a few years ago is also a strong advocate of the Zionist's onslaught of the Palestinians. It was founded by a J*w and it will forever stay as a J*wish company. Why do you think their slogan is "Every little helps"? Go figure...

To me, baiklah aku kayakan Cina Hongkong a.k.a G*ant than spend my money at a J*wish store.

I don't know about you, but for me, if I can't go to war myself, then I'll support them Palestinians my own way; I stop buying things from their biggest nemesis yang mana aku mampu. Yes, the key word here is mana yg termampu.

From the recent list that I got, Kotex and Huggies is included. Righttt.... Huggies, I can easily switch that to Mami Poko (I've tried Pampers. It didn't go well with Zara). It will cost more but heck, whatever I can do to save the innocent children of Gaza right?! As for Kotex, hmmm... ada sikit masalah di sini. I've tried so mana brands since I came into age and ONLY Kotex agrees with me. Kalau brand lain, alamat... melecet la aku.

Disney? Pun masalah jugak as my children watch them every single waking hour although Zareef has now graduated to watching Cartoon Network.

McD? Doable on my part but there will be lots of explaining to do to Master Zareef though. But he's still young so I don't think it'll hurt him too much.

Nestle... this brand is also causing me grief. I've been drinking Milo since forever and I just can't find another alternative that tastes the same or even better. I even had it imported by the kilos by mom and dad for the four years that we stayed in Loughborough. Teruk ke tak tu? And how about our favorite maggi?? Alahaiii...

Tapi, mana yang mampu la kan. The ones that can be avoided, I'll avoid it like the plague. The ones that can't, iskk... mintak ampun banyak2. The ones yang dah beli and ada stock banyak kat rumah, kena la habiskan. Nak buat camna pulak, takkan nak buang je. Membazir la pulak. Bukan ke membazir itu kawan syaitan?? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's the list for your perusal in case you haven't receive it yet.

COCA COLA
HUGGIES
RIVER ISLAND
MC DONALDS
CLINIQUE
DISNEY
DONNA KARAN
STARBUCKS
GAP
GARNIER
PERRIER
KOTEX
SANEX
JO MALONE
LANCOME
LIBBY'S
TCHIBO
MARKS & SPENCER
KLEENEX
MAYBELLINE
NESTLE
VITTEL
REVLON
WONDERBRA

So people, the decision is in your hands. If you find yourself crying everytime you see dead bodies that's well below 3 feet in height, then please do. If you don't, then your heart must be made of one hell of a steel. Oh well... each to its own I say and whatever rocks your boat.

Still Wondering...

That's how I feel right now after having a chat with a friend whom I thought I've lost but has now been found.

I have so many questions left unanswered but the reply to all my unanswered questions that I didn't get the chance to ask was "Let the past stay in the past". I know, I know but I need CLOSURE!!! Arggghhhh!!! This feeling is driving me insane!

Now I have SClub7's song playing on a death loop in my shrinking head. I don't need this.

Buckle Up!

Have you buckled up your rear seat passengers? It's now the law and if you fail to abide, an RM 300 fine shall be slapped upon you if your passengers are below 17 years old. If they are above 17, then let them cover their own ass.

As for my children, thank God I've trained them to be in car seats from day three they were borned upon leaving the hospital. Up till today, they sit nowhere but in their car seats courtesy of MaxiCosi. In fact, they are more comfortable in their MaxiCosi, able to sleep long hours during any journey than sitting freely in the rear.

Zareef in his MaxiCosi's Rodi (Stage Three) even though he keeps on saying that he's a big boy now and doesn't need to be strapped to one. Not yet my boy, not yet.

Zara all snugged comfortably and fashionable in Zareef's MaxiCosi's Priori.

So, buckle up people! Think of the safety of your loved ones. Not forgetting the hefty summon incurred per person if you fail to do so.

Last Day of the Year

In less than eight hours, we'll be ushering in year 2009. Most people will be out celebrating with friends and family in some noisy crowded smoky places but not me. I am never a fan of such places. I hate having to shout just to get my points across to someone. Lepas tu suffer sakit tekak. Just ask my posse of girlfriends when asked where to dine. My default answer would always be any place where I don't have to shout to talk.

Anyway, most people would also set out a long list of resolutions that they intend to keep for the coming year but never me. I used too but I was never good in keeping them. So why have one when I don't intend of keeping them? Just so you know, one of my default resolution since errr forever, would be to lose weight. Have I achieved them? As a matter of fact, I did. Twice. When I gave birth to Zareef and Zara but I gained them back real quick after I quit breastfeeding.

Just to keep right on track, I have these small stepping goals. I am a dreamer and a procrastinator. So it's a safer bet for me to have small achievable goals rather than huge long term ones which I KNOW I won't realize. What are they? Hmm... lemme think. Nope. None right now.

HOWEVER, there are several things that happened to me in 2008 that I am very grateful to Allah for;

1. Good health. Nothing major sickness or virus or overnights in the hospital this year. Just the occasional flu, fever and oh yeah I forgot. I had this nasty food poisoning which left me weak like a pulp with constant puking and purging. It got so bad that I slept on the bathroom floor coz I was too weak to walk out of it.

2. A wonderful husband. B has been the most tolerant person I know, bearing with my antics, hangat2 tahi ayam plans, my dreams, my quirkiness, my moodiness, my spending streaks and my craziness of doing all things ad hoc. Thank you darling from the bottom of my heart. I promise to be more understanding whenever you have to pull an all-nighter especially after slaving myself in the kitchen cooking up a storm only to find out that you'll be late and you've eaten at a mamak stall. I'll try not to pull a long face :p

3. My two loving kids. Nothing beats being a mom. The unconditional love that I get from them is priceless! Even after getting a round of scolding, yelling and a pinch or two (yes, I have to admit that I'm a momzilla most of the time), they still come looking for me to give bear hugs and smoldering kisses eventhough I've been rotten to them. So my goal for 2009 is to be more patient with my children.

4. Prosperous rezeki. Designer bags, holidays, eating out, jewelleries, no credit card debts, a car. You name it, I had it. Alhamdulillah...

5. Amazing friends. They accept me with all my faults and put up with me. I treasure them with all my heart. Thank you korang!!

6. My parents. Alhamdulillah, they are in good health. Their health checks came out clear. Despite them being 71 and 68, they can still go everywhere on their own. My dad can still drive from Klang to Batu Pahat alone. This year, he found a new passion in snorkeling. He would swim and swim without stopping. That's how strong he still is. And my mom? She can still walk on forever without complaining of short breath et. al. So yes, I'm very very grateful that my parents are ageing gracefully.

7. My large family. I simply love it when we get together. There would be total chaos and mayhem but that's what you'd expect from family gatherings. We went to several holidays together and they were awesome. Not forgetting my super best sister-in-laws. They make up for the sisters I never had.

I pray and hope that 2009 would turn out to be just as good or even better. Here's wishing all of you a blessed 2009.

All I Can Say Is...

Thank God I'm not stuck in Bangkok. And Thank God too that a friend I know came back safe and sound with her son a week earlier.

Imagine this scene where someone is stuck there but no one is supposed to know that someone is there... hehhehhee.... How does someone get help? Tak ke panic takut rahsia bocor?

I am in the midst of getting use to a change that I've done to myself. So far so good. Even got raving reviews from B but it comes with a big dent in my purse or shall I say B's wallet. Takpe lah. It's for something good so he doesn't mind... that much.

I am a very forgetful person! Today, I left my cheque book at Putrajaya's Tabung Haji!! I went there with Zareef and Zara in the morning. While I was at the counter of Pejabat Tanah Sepang in the evening, some guy from TH called me and asked me whether I was there sometime in the morning. At first, I thought it was a prank call whose purpose is to con me out of my money, (idiot me didn't think to go through my bag at that time) but upon further explanation from the guy, I was stricken with panic attack (lepas dah tonggang terbalikkan beg aku kat tengah2 jalan tang tu jugak). Never in my life have I drove so fast from Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi to Putrajaya... all in 15 minutes flat! I must have pressed the accelerator down to the floor board.

I can't wait for next month when we'll be going for a cuti-cuti Malaysia with my family. Land beneath the wind, here we come! So... please people, no orders from 16th-22nd December ya.

I'm hoping and hoping for... apa? Tak payah la tahu...

The Day My Daughter Turned Two

Zara turned two on the 9th November 2008 at 4 pm. Since it coincided with the kenduri aqiqah that we've planned for so long, we decided to throw in a birthday bash as well.




My darling Zara,

Your journey into the world was a short one compared to your brother's. It took me seven hours to push you through and Alhamdulillah, after all the hard labor with the help of epidural, you finally came.

MasyaAllah! I never could imagine that Allah could have bestowed upon us any greater gift other than you and Zareef. Looking at your full pink lips, dainty fingers and rosy pink complexion, Mommy was totally blown away.


Alhamdulillah, looking after you during your baby days was pretty smooth sailing.

Through breastfeeding, you quickly became a true Michelin baby, all cute and chubby with irresistible cheeks that tend to be pinched by unsolicited fingers.

Your physical developments were always spot on and sometimes even well ahead of the milestones that I religiously followed on BabyCenter.com


You started teething when you were just three months old. By the time you were a year old, you had your full set of teeth.


You rolled over when you were just three, crawled at five, stood up and cruised at seven and by the time you were 10, you were already walking steadily. You really blew me away with your amazing achievements.


I remembered how excited your Daddy and I were when we knew we were having a girl. Syukur Alhamdulillah. When I related the happy news to your Atok and Nenek, they didn't believe it especially Atok. Siap suruh pegi scan lagi sekali.



We did, numerous times till my gynae exasperatedly ask me "Why don't you believe me?". All I can say is, it's just too good to be true.


But now that we have you, you have brought us so much joy and happiness. I feel that our nuclear family is finally complete and I wouldn't trade it for the world or designer bags even.


It took us awhile to choose your name. Daddy and I wanted you to have similar initials as your brother. So, armed with books and an Arabic dictionary (you're lucky your Daddy reads Arabic), we finally decided on Zahra Ilana which means 'Kecantikan yang nyata' or as I would prefer to put it 'Outstanding Beauty', InsyaAllah.


You are my baby and always be. Your magical laughter has never failed to ease my stresses away. In fact, they are music to my ears. I am at my happiest when I hear you gurgling with your twinkling eyes and laughing even to the slightest peek-a-boo


One area that remain a mystery is your hair or the lack of it. When other babies were going for haircuts and shaves at six, you made do without either and survived for the whole two years. It gives me pain whenever people complimented what a cute baby boy you were despite being dressed from head to toe in pinks and purples complete with frills and the likes. Buta ke apa??!!


However, thanks to olive oil which the carers at your daycare perseveringly rubbed on your head every time you went for a visit, your hair finally grew. From short wispy fine ones to shoulder length curls and bangs.

Now that your vocabulary has grown, it's very had to stop you from talking non-stop. But why dear child, do you clam up in the presence of others, may I ask?


I love you with all my heart darling. I would move heaven and earth if it meant protecting you from all things evil and bad. Like I've repeatedly said in your brother's birthday post, I'll say it again here. I would even beg, borrow and steal for you. That's how much I love you.


Happy 2nd birthday my darling. May all your wishes come true. I pray that you'll be the doting daughter that I hope you'll be and grow up to be a beautiful, wonderful and solehah lady. Amin...

Love you till the power of infinity,

Mommy.

When I Can't Think Of A Title To This Post

I read with horror the news of carnage in Mumbai, India on NST's front page. I pray that no Malaysians where hurt what more killed in the despicable shooting. Tell me, where lies the logic of shooting aimlessly hundreds of civilians when their anger were aimed at the government? What further pissess me is that they (the militants) were doing it all in the name of Islam.

What the fish??!!

Islam did not teach us to kill innocent bystanders. So now, again, Muslims as a whole have been tagged as monsters, killers and terrorists. Yang buatnya berapa orang je. Yang dapat nama semua.

Marah betul aku!

I've just came across a blog that criticizes other blogs to the EXTREME! When I say extreme, it is cringing-cannot believe my eyes-harsh-bad after taste worthy. Yes, I know some people do brag about themselves, their kids, their lifestyle, they wealth, their spouses but does that give you the right to lash and attack them front, back, left, right and center? You choose to read their writings and then you trash them back in your own space. What amazes me is that this blog has HUGE following! People who support and enjoys reading this kind of horrible and hurtful writing.

My first thought was WHY? Has people become so jaded and heartless that they feel it's their right to comment every single thing that's being written in a totally twisted, condemning and freakish manner?

And those who support these hurtful writings, don't you guys have a heart? What if it was your piece that's being torn into pieces? What if it is someone that you love dearly and close to your heart? Tak sakit hati ke?

Come on people. Have a heart. A kind one at it.

My Ass Is Itching

Or if you'd prefer to translate it into BM "Bontot aku gatal" :)

Why is it itchy? Or what am I itching for?

I'm itching to get away. I'm itching for cold weather, bleak grey skies, short daytimes and sub-zero temperatures.

In short, I'm missing Lboro A LOT!

And it does not help that I've been going through my old posts a few years back and reminiscing every single event that happened while I was there.

Truth be told, I'm wishing we are there instead of here.

Ye, aku jenis orang yang prefer hujan emas di negeri orang. Camno?

What The Fish??

I've been trying to upload Zareef's and Zara's aqiqah and birthday pictures to Facebook as well as here but all have been in vain. It gets so frustrating especially when I've uploaded 60 pictures but after waiting for 20 minutes, the message that I got was "Upload Failed". Huahhh!!! Menangis okay!!!

Not once, not twice but numerous times till I've lost count. Tiba2 baru teringat, the photographer used a DSLR which has a 10 MP. Alahhh.. kena resize la pulak. Malas betul aku!

Anyway, I'll save a post on that joyful event for another day. Right now, I'm not in the mood to do the tedious job of resizing all 382 pictures.

On another note, I don't know whether to put it as 'Cuti-Cuti Malaysia' or 'Penat Ikut Suami Bekerja'. I think I'll put it as both.

We just got back from Melaka after a 3D2N stay at Bayview Hotel. So while B worked, I spent time at the pool with Zareef and Zara when it wasn't raining. And no, I didn't get to stuff my face with delicious seafood at Serkam. Tak sempat. However, we did manage to go up the Menara Taming Sari and get a bird's eye view of Bandar Melaka, drive through Jonker Street like seven or eight times (sesat punya pasal plus the town has a one-way system) which was more than I bargained for and ate asam pedas yang sedap menjilat jari hehhehe!

I've just finished washing and hanging our clothes that we brought back, managed to cook baked meatball pasta and pack another set of clothes, toiletries, food and swimming apparatus for our trip to PD tomorrow. It'll be another 3D2N stay but I'm looking forward to this work-getaway because I love beaches and we'll be staying here. So the place itself is something to be excited about. I hope it won't rain as much so that the kids and I will get to spend most of our time at the beach while B whiles his time in some boring meetings.

So, my dear friends who have been enquiring, this explains my long absence from the barrage of emails that has been going back and forth in my inbox and also from posting anything interesting here.

By the by, we just got THE official letter from PPD Petaling Utara regarding Zareef's school for next year. Syukur Alhamdulillah, he'll be going to PU2 instead of Pulau Meranti. Lega hati Mummy! Waduuhhhsss... ini baru nak masuk Tahun 1 dah kena buat surat rayuan bagai. Belum nak masuk good schools for Form 1 then Pre-U then Uni. By that time, Mummy here will be going bald from all the worrying and sleepless nights with regard to her children's education.

But for now, let me enjoy my weekend at this place before I have to worry about things that need worrying about.

Please Be Punctual

I've been dabbling myself in the cake business for the past three Rayas now. Amazing, right? I know, even I have to shake my head in disbelief.

Now, I can finally say that I have gotten my feet in the business. Okay la, sometimes a foot especially when things get out of control and all that is left is to cry my eyes out in my kitchen in the wee hours of the morning.

I digress. What I'm trying to say politely is, can people who plan to pick up their cakes from my home, to PLEASE come at the time that they say they're coming? If you say that you're coming at 10 am, so PLEASE come at 10 and not at 11.30. I have better things to do than to be your lady in waiting.

There have been SO MANY TIMES that I have to postpone my prior arrangement due to some people who totally disregard their promise to come at the times that they themselves have specified. I don't mind waiting for 15 minutes or 30 even but one and a half hours and sometimes two is simply too much. And please, do have the courtesy to call if you plan to come late so that I can readjust my schedule especially if it's late at night.

I know I'm a SAHM who bakes but I do have chores to do, places to go, business other than my cake to attend to and children to look after. A simple 'Sorry' would certainly put me back into my cheery mood.

I sincerely hope that punctuality improves after this else I'll have to have a demerit system put specially for tardy customers. Boleh ke?

So there! I've ranted.

The Chicken Kurma Phase

Zareef has a great love for Chicken Kurma and this love has been going for a year now. B and I call it the "Chicken Kurma Phase". Kalau boleh, tiap-tiap hari nak makan chicken kurma and oh boy, he certainly can lick em' plates squeaky clean every time.

When the phase started, I was all for it cooking chicken kurma for him every other day. But after a month of doing so, we, as in B and I got so bored and boleh muntah darah kalau makan another serving of chicken kurma.

So, after a while (a long while may I say so), I have resorted to buying them from a shop which I have come to become a regular customer, so much so, they'll be asking me where have I been should I not show my face there for more than three days. Hahaha... nampak sangat aku tak masak kan. Well I do, it's just that I find that cooking two pieces of chicken kurma everyday just for Zareef is SO not time economical especially since I have dabbled in the cake business.

I'm not sure when this "Chicken Kurma Phase" will end. Just like when we first got back from Loughborough, Zareef was in his "Kari Daging Phase" for months. Poor mom had to run out to the shops to buy them since she too got sick of cooking kari daging everyday. That phase lasts for a year.

On another note, I have decided to write short snippets everyday instead of writing long ones once in a while. The pieces may range from a sentence or two to several paragraphs. Whatever suits my mood. It seems that my loyal readers are ready to chop my head off if I were to ever go off for months without writing. So, today's snippet is about Zareef's obsession with chicken kurma.

Dah... aku dah tulis. Jangan bising2 nak saman aku ok!

The Day My Son Turned Six

Gosh... How time flies! Zareef turned six on Monday, 13 October 2008. After 4 years of celebrating his birthday in the month of Ramadan, Zareef got to celebrate his birthday in a big way (sort of..) with his friends from school.

I baked him an American Chocolate Cake with a Spiderman picture on it, totally deviating from his request which was a cheesecake with a Ben 10 Omnitrix on it. Reason for deviation? Mummy was too swamped and too tired to wait for a cheesecake and drawing an Omnitrix in the wee hours of the morning is certainly not a good idea especially when I found myself nodding off while the kitchenaid was whizzing away.


A small celebration was held at his kindy during break time. Zareef looked so happy surrounded by his friends, all wishing him well on his birthday.


For the first time, I am lost at words. I have this huge lump in my throat that no ehemmm can clear it away. Zareef is growing up so fast that sometimes I have to sit down and just stare into space to recall his growing days.

Happy 6th Birthday my dear son! I pray to Allah that you'll forever be blessed with good fortune, excellent health, joy and happiness this year and many years to come. For the six years that I have come to know you, you have brought only happiness, unconditional love and genuine heartwarming care to Mummy and Daddy and now to Zara.

It is my every intention to keep you under my wings for as long as I can but I know that is impossible because inasmuch as I want you to be safe and secure under my care, I also want you to be adventurous and explore every nook and cranny, every corner of the earth and gain as much worldly experience as you can.

You are our pride and joy. You are my light at my bleakest hour. You are my everything such that I would beg, borrow and even steal if I have to to ensure that you'll get the best that life has to offer.

All that I can hope is that you'll be a beriman, bertaqwa and beramal soleh son that Mummy and Daddy pray for.

I love you son, with all my heart, to infinity and beyond! Happy Birthday!!

Swatches For Sale

*This is a sticky post. Please scroll down for current posts.*

Dear All,

In my bid to clear up things that I'm currently hoarding, I'm selling off my Swatches (yes, I'm guilty of having a Swatch fetish). Please feel free to browse through the Swatches. I guarantee you, that all of them are 100% brand new in their respective boxes as shown below.

If you're interested in purchasing any of the Swatches, do email me at noresh_anshar@yahoo.com or call me (if you have my number). Oh... did I forget to say that shipping is FREE?? Yes, shipping is FREE.

First come first serve ya all! So, happy purchasing!!

The Swatches.

Swatch 05 - Scuba. Water resistant 200m. RM 130


Swatch 07 - Scuba. Water resistant 200m. RM 130


Swatch 08 - Scuba. Water resistant 200m. RM 130


Swatch 09 - Scuba. Water resistant 200m. RM 130


Swatch 12 - RM 100


Swatch 14 - RM 100

Stories to Tell

I've abandoned writing my thoughts for quite some time. My bad. I give credits to my laziness, writer's block, endless cake orders and the craziness of running a household.

At the moment, I've just recovered from a very bad case of fever and sore throat. Temperature reached 39 and my tonsil was swollen and covered with pus. Euuuwww... I know. Body is still aching and weak. I had to turn down several cake orders. My apologies!

In random order...

1. My family went to Redang during the August school holidays. Four families went so the chaos and havoc that came with it was unavoidable. We stayed at a beach-front, sea-facing chalet in Mozana. Zareef, Zara and their cousins had a whale of a time playing with sand, swimming in the sea and snorkeling during our 3D2N stay there. In fact, they practically lived in their swimsuits during the day from sunrise till sunset. The end result? All of us got a nice tan from the trip and everyone was hooked to snorkeling especially my Dad, so much so that we've already planned our next trip to Sabah this December with a trip to Pulau Manukan in mind.

2. In my effort to further beautify the house, we've decided to splash our boring old, crummy cream walls with vibrant colors. Steering clear from kindy colors, we've opted for reds, olives, pewter grays, espresso, plum pink, sunbaked orange and brewster blue. Banyak tuh! I went running around getting price quotations from painters and we finally settled for one affordable contractor that came highly recommended by my good friend and her mom. Since I'm down and out from the fever, so painting the house will have to take a backseat and resume after Raya.

3. Related to item no. 2, I've designed an under staircase storage with a display cabinet attached to it. Also ran around Puchong trying to get the best deal. I asked for four quotations and one came up to my expectation with a reasonable price. They're coming next week to do the installation. How does it look? You'll just have to come to my house and see it for yourself.

4. BIL just had his newborn last Saturday. I haven't had the chance to see my new niece (since I was sick and all and didn't want to pass the virus to a newborn) but from what Zareef told me, she's cute as a button. Her name? Nusaibah Irdina. Nice!!

5. So far, I've only cooked four times during Ramadan. All four times were food to be brought to houses that we were lucky enough to be invited for iftar. B gave me a mandate. He told me not to cook during this whole month of Ramadan. Just go out and buy from the sellers at the Pasar Ramadan to help generate their economy. At least, that'll give them some spending money for Raya. Yeahhhhhayy... I couldn't help but jump up and down with glee. Despite several friends of mine who are also my neighbors saying that the Pasar Ramadan in our vicinity sucks big time, I'll have to beg to differ. NOT ALL suck. Some stalls are actually quite good. Yes, I've had my fair share of bad food but I've managed to get some good ones as well. Zareef's favorite would be nasi lemak with ayam goreng berempah takde sambal from this one lady. My favorite laksam would be from another lady who is selling it for RM 1.50. Small portion but sedapp I tell you. B would go for nasi kerabu and Zara? She'll have a little bit of everything that we have.

6. At long last, Zareef got his ultimate wish of owning a GameBoy. It all started with his finger getting all swollen and infected and started to have pus in it. It got really bad on the eve of our departure to Redang. Fearing that he won't enjoy himself with a swollen finger while on holiday, B decided to take him to SunMed A&E to have a doctor to look at it. Doc said that he'll have to prick Zareef's finger and squeeze the pus out. Zareef being the scaredy-cat, howled and bawled and almost kicked the Doc out. To ease the torture, B promised him a Ben 10 figurine if Zareef would allow the Doc to prick his finger. You know what he said? "Zareef tak nak Ben 10. Zareef nak GameBoy" Hahaha.... dalam tengah sakit2 and nangis2, my little boy boleh blackmail his Daddy to buy him a GB. Maka, terpaksa la Daddy succumbed to his boy's whinny need. After all the drama, I told B, I could have done it at home with a sterilized needle, free of charge. Tak payah beli GB. So, the next day, we went to Subang Parade to buy his GB. It costs me RM 550 for the console and the game. The hospital bill was only RM 83. Go figure!

7. I have lost faith in our government. What were they thinking using ISA on a journalist who was merely doing her job on reporting a news of a suspended politician??!! I salute Zaid Ibrahim for standing by his principles saying that ISA should ONLY be for terrorists who are a threat to the country and resigning for it. I read the local politic news with much amusement because they are so obsessed with teenie weenie bit of political agenda when there are so much more other news worthy to report off.

More ramblings, rantings and ravings to come. I shall stop for now. Medicine time!

Tightening My Purse Strings

We were in JB when the PM announced the petrol price hike but we knew about it the day before thanks to a very reliable source.

The next day, TNB made an announce that they'll increase the electricity tariff.

Now, there's a cooking oil scare and everyone is making a beeline to the shops to stock up on them.

Zara's nursery fees has just increased by RM 5 overnight hopefully Zareef's school fees will remain the same although I highly doubt so. I am just waiting for his teacher to pop the news.

Everything is going up and up and up.

I can't wait for this month's water bill to come. Lets see if the Selangor MB is true to his words of giving free water for the first 20 cubic meters. Hopefully, my water bill now won't be more than RM 10 (wishful thinking here, I know..).

Lucky for you, I will not increase my cake prices. As long as I can weather the price surge phenomenon, I'll stay put with the existing prices. HOWEVER, I'll have to regretfully increase my delivery charges, sighhhh. I know, but it's inevitable. I'm guilty of driving a gas guzzling SUV but I love it! For safety reasons, B insists that I take the XTrail whenever I do my deliveries with the kids.

So, from now on, I'm taking these measures to cope with the price hike of almost everything:

1. Cook more, eat out less.

2. Do all my chores in one trip and at the same place.

3. Reduce air-cond usage at night.

4. Switch to cheaper brands for my toiletries (but I refuse to do the same for my makeups. A BIG NO!).

5. Find cheaper alternative for the kids' source of entertainment.

6. For holidays, wait till B has to go outstation for free accommodation and paid mileage.

7. Cut down on little luxuries such as Baskin Robbins, Big Apple or JCo, Starbucks and glossy international magazines.

8. Do a garage sale. This I'll most certainly try especially when I have an abundance of Zareef's unplayed toys, outgrown clothes and shoes and my unused bags. I just hope that I have the strength and time to organize all the stuff.

I'm sticking my guns to all of the above. But wait... my birthday is this Saturday and B's is next Sunday. How now brown cow?? Argghhh!! Oh well... looks like I'll be having a low-key affair then.