An Uninvited Guest - Part II

Remember the chicken that invaded my store room last August? Well, if you don't, you can read it here.

Well, guess what??!!! That same chicken made an appearance again during Ramadhan but it could not get in as I had sealed the house well from unwelcome invaders. Instead...

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It happily settled outside, right at my storeroom's window to lay eggs. I was so fascinated with the whole process, I went trigger-happy. Zareef and Zara was given a live performance and went "OHHHHH... AHHHHHH" followed by 1001 questions on the whys and hows. Penat mak explain okay.


Look! I have fresh eggs in my own backyard!! Hehehehhe... How cool is that?!

Suatu Hari Di Hari Raya

Suatu hari pada hari Raya ke 7, seorang mummy sedang sibuk mengemas rumah. Mood mengemas punya la hebat sampai beliau telah mengvacuum, mengemop dan mengelap segala habuk with a vengeance (apa phrase yang sesuai dalam BM ye?)

Anyway, while I was busy mopping the living room, Zareef and Zara came to offer their help but was flatly declined (very kind of them but if they were to do it, I'd have to do double duty after they are done). Instead, I asked them repeatedly to sit on the sofa and stay off the floor till it is dry.

I guess they were feeling rather bored, so I asked Zareef to apply white shoe polish on his school shoes. Eager to please me, Zara ran ahead of his brother on the wet floor despite me shouting at her to stop but it was already too late. GEDEBUKK!! Down she went sliding on the wet floor macam Superman and cried she did like there was no tomorrow.

At first I thought nothing of it. Heck, she falls a lot and will always make a huge drama out of it. Picked her up and carried her over to the sofa. Suddenly I felt wet warm liquid dripping on my t-shirt. I looked down and almost fainted! A tiny stream of blood was trickling steadily from her chin. Ya Allah!! It was such a HUGE cut.

Not wanting to panic Zara (tapi aku dah panic nak mampos okay! nak menangis tengok!!), I called for B with a normal calm tone. Panggil dua tiga kali tak dengar, aku pun jerit je la.

We decided to bring Zara to Sunway Medical A&E to get her cut checked out. The doctor checked it and decided to stitched it up with three stitches. Oh the drama when he wanted to stitch Zara, Allah saja yang tahu. We had three nurses to hold her down with the addition of B and I. She cried and wailed and bawled her heart out. Zareef was traumatized by his sister's wailing and at the sight of the needle that he hid under the table and pulled a long face, refusing to see her.

After all is done, this is the end result;

Two days later, we came back for a change in dressing. While waiting for the doctor to attend to Zara, Mummy and Zareef sempat bergambar :D

I leave it to B to hold Zara down. Zara muka dah cuak nak jumpa doctor hihi...

But she was very, very brave about it. Didn't make a fuss about her wound being cleaned up because we promised her, she could have ice-cream after that which was so unlike her brother who demanded a gameboy even before the doctor could touch him.

Itu lah dia... cerita Zara yang jatuh dan kena jahit di suatu hari di hari Raya :D

Overdosed...

I used to have only a pair which I bought with my baking revenue as a reward to myself for my hard work. But today, will be a historical event that certainly made it into my book....

Thanks to a friend, I'm able to buy all these at very, very affordable price. And no, they're not fake. All are originals albeit rejected but I don't care. I can't even detect the flaws . I even bought the basket. I just couldn't resist it. It was so cute and calling out my name. Perfect for picnics and trips to the beach and pool!

Korang nak ke? Kalau nak, email cepat to noresh_anshar@yahoo.com. But I'll have to forewarn you that only limited designs and sizes are available. Ohhh... did I tell you that there are Jibbitz too? Yupp... cute adorable ones at ciput price.

I am so in Crocs heaven right now... hehehhhee...

Momzilla...

I'm a crappy Mom and I'm not proud of it :( .

Taking care of a sick son, handling a soon to be terrifying three daughter, being at home 24-7, doing all the housework, minimum adult interaction and being cooped-up at home have taken a toll on me.

I'm depressed, tired, cranky, moody, angry, irritable, short-fused and bitter all rolled into one.

Forgive me, my children. It's not entirely you. Mommy just needs to vent out, let it off my chest and sulk in a corner for a while. Let's hope this momzilla mode will go off soon.

Thought Of The Day...

If a wife can survive without a husband, can a husband survive without a wife?

Randomly Rambling...

1. Zareef is sick - high temperature, whooping cough with the occasional projectile vomit to boot. He hasn't been to school for three days now and I plan to keep him at home for the rest of the week. Yeay! for him but Nay! for me.

You see, when my child gets sick, it's me they come clinging to like a baby koala. Daddy just doesn't do it for them. Hence the haggard mummy that you'll see trying to sort out fights between brother and sister, the neverending berebut session which will only end when Mummy makes a bellowing sound that'll put a bull to shame or the ceaseless mess that they seem to find joy making. Oh such fun job I have trying store order in my home.

2. I had the best of time with my shopaholic sisters last Saturday. Venue was Yaya's @ Rimbun Soraz. Food was potluck style courtesy from all except one (you know who you are hence the next round of food will be on you ya!). It was a vicious cycle of yakking, eating, laughing, camwhoring, karaokeing, yakking, eating, laughing and by then I had to take leave. I know, I missed out on the juicy parts of the gathering but duty calls (I am feeling rather bitter about it but nothing I can do about it, can I?). Next time, I'll be sure to make my whole day free for any such gatherings. You mark my word!

3. Sunday was spent at Janda Baik. I truly welcome the cool fresh air beating on my face, rolling greens that soothed my weary eyes and the carefree feeling that I experienced every time I'm there. It's like I checked all my worries and problems (macam banyak sangat masalah negara kan...) at the toll both and just let it be. It's my escape from the polluted, hustle and bustle city life of Puchong and its surroundings.

We had a durian feast at a durian orchard which was in season. While we were polishing off pangsa after pangsa of durians, more durians fell off the trees. Zareef and I went scampering after these fallen lots, all excited as it was our very first time collecting fresh durians which just fell off the trees. The taste? Just heavenly!! We even brought back two basketful of durians home to share among the family.

4. My doctor of a brother was telling us how he is having his hands full with patients coming in convinced that they've contracted the swine flu. They'd demand for Tamiflu when all they have is the common flu which is fully healable with a full round of Paracetamol and Amoxycillin (which I did with Zareef). Hundreds are queueing up at the A&E seeking for treatment making the waiting time to be an unbearable four to five hours at a time.

So people, panicking when you have a slight flu or an increased in body temperature will get you nowhere. Just head down to your nearest clinic and meet the GP. Get all the meds that you can get hold off and spend three days at home medicating yourself. If on the fourth day, you still feel like shit with a high temperature, then by all means rush yourself to the nearest public A&E and get yourself tested. However rest assured, if treated early and right, you can save yourself from the long torturing queue. Right now, the hospital is the last place you want to be seeing that it's a breeding place of all evil viruses. Your home is the safest and cleanest place to be right now and comfy to boot.

That's all I can think of now. I'm back to nursing my son to health. Alhamdulillah, at the time that I'm writing this, he's up and about playing outside with his sister and teasing her like crazy. Oh the sound of their laughter brings pure joy and is music to my ears. I'm off now to the playground. Let's just hope no one offers me a job as a maid again this time :P

An Uninvited Guest...

in my storeroom! I don't know how or when it got there. All we (Zara and I) heard were scrapping and rustling sound coming from the storeroom. Zara, being the inquisitive creature that she is, went into the room and started squealing with delight while pointing "Loooookkk Mommy! Looookkkk! Ada chicken! Hahahahhah..."

I went like "WHAT??". Betul ke anak aku nih?! And so I peeked. Lo and behold....


There it was in its full glory, cock-a-doodling away. I was scared shit! I tried to shoo it away but it came full force at me in an attack mode complete with wide-spread wings. Gila ayam nih!! Siap terbang-terbang lagi!!!

I shut the door and let it enjoy my storeroom for awhile while I went to pick up Zareef from school and try to think up of a plan to get rid of the chicken before it crapped in my storeroom which would be totally gross! Urgghhh...


Using my kids as a human barricade, I pulled up my courage and shooed this pesky fowl with a newspaper. It flew about me making angry sounds while I swatted at it with all my might, trying to usher it out of the door, into my kitchen and out through the back door.

Zareef and Zara went wild and started to shout, with the former giving me all kinds of ideas while the latter simply cheering me on. Hahahhha... what a sight!

I finally managed to shoo it out through my kitchen door. Goshhh... an excitement that needless to say, I don't need at all. I was so high-strung that the next natural thing to do was to drink some water forgetting that I was fasting. Oh well, I might as well eat after all the commotion and excitement.

What's next? A cow in my kitchen?? I certainly hope not!

A Nosy Parker I Am Not...

What would you do if you caught your neighbor's 13 year old son smoking in front of your house while lurking and hiding away from his parents?

Would you tell your neighbor, his parents?

Or would you just keep quiet and let it slide, hoping that your neighbor would eventually find out on their own?

If it were me, I'd want to know if Zareef was smoking behind my back (Nauzubillah, minta dijauhkan...). I would want to know if he was up to no good. I don't have eyes at the back of my head and I can't monitor him 24-7. So, if a neighbor were to come up and tell me that they saw Zareef doing certain vices, I would be relief. At least, I know my neighbors are a concerned lot and they care enough about my child to let me know anything that he's been up to, be it good or bad.

Well, that's just me. What about you?

Mistaken Identity?

I was with Zara at the playground yesterday evening. As usual, the little princess would run about non-stop while asking me zillions of questions, all in one breath. Such an energizer bunny that she is :D . I entertained every single one of her questions while running after her. Pancit mak okay!

While I was doing all these, along came a mom and asked me;

Mom: Excuse me, are you a Filipino?

Me: Huh? Oh no. I'm a Malaysian. What made you say that?

Mom: Oh, sorry. I thought you were a Muslim Filipino maid.

Nak marah pun ye, nak gelak pun ye.

Me: Huhhh??

Mom: I'm looking for a Muslim Filipino maid and I thought you were one, listening from your conversation with that girl.

Me: NO... NO.. she's my daughter. Muka I ada muka maid ke?

Mom: Errrr... sorry ye *smiling sheepishly*.

OKAYYYY... I know I don't dress to the nines when I go to the playground in fact, yesterday was the ultimate sloppy day for me - ragged Dorothy Perkins jeans, Nike flip flops, Burberry watch, Ariani tudung and my tattered 10 year old UC Berkeley T, plus I had zilch makeup on.

Lucky her, I was in a good mood and took it all in good-naturedly because I just had a fabulous outing with my bestie, Ana. Kalau hari lain, mau aku seligi minah nih. What an insult!

I related the story to B and boy, did he laughed his ass off! Sabar je lah...

Starting today onwards, I will dress to the nines just to go to the playground as to not be mistaken as a maid, ever again. SHEEEEESSSHHH!!!

Alone Was What I Needed...

Yesterday was the premiere of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince and being the fan of the books and the movies, I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Prior to that, I asked around for company but it seems that everyone else was either busy working (yeah, I booked the 11.45 am show) or they've already booked it to be watched with their loved ones.

Right... does that stop me? Hell no! Come hale or thunder, I am still watching it. And so, I went alone. I booked one paid ticket at GSC Pavilion and off I went but not before running around like a headless chicken arranging Zareef's and Zara's logistics and sending off cupcakes to a neighbor's house.

By then, it was already 11 and I took the MEX highway to avoid traffic snarls and such. It took me just 20 minutes to reach Pavilion from my house hehhehe... I HEART YOU MEX! I had plenty of time to spare. Happy! Happy! Happy!

Got myself an Ice Lemon Tea combo and I was good for the entire movie. How was the movie, you asked? I'll reserve it for some later post ya as I know a whole lot of people have not watched it and I'm not about to be labeled as a spoiler :)

After the movie, I was feeling a bit peckish and headed to Pepper Lunch. I missed out on this from a previous girlfriends' outing and have been itching to try it ever since. I got the salmon rice set. Didn't have to wait long for this though. It came about three minutes after I sat down myself in a corner booth. It came SIZZLING HOT! I had to wait for a good 5 minutes before the sizzling and heat subsided. Taste wise, fair. Nothing to shout about. It's just like a normal fried rice with salmon on the side. I guess, the sizzling hot plate pretty much attracted people to try them out kot.

Perut dah kenyang, time to go for a walk. Walking alone really does it to me. I simply enjoy it! No one to nag or hurry me along (like my kids always do). I went in and out from one shop to another. I tried on loads of shoes, fondled and smelled countless of bags and feasted my eyes on beautiful people bustling around. Best sangat!

Mega sale is on. Sakit mata and pening kepala aku tengok SALE signs everywhere. Haihhh... if only my money was on sale as well... I had no intention of buying anything but upon entering one store, I couldn't help but be besotted with this one particular bag. It was such a steal!

Lepas puas belek, telek, turned the bag inside out and went high with the leather smell, I came out with this...


Hehehehhe... More bags you say? But wait...

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Yes, it's for the man in my life. Happy belated birthday Aling! Wear it well ya!! :D

When Change Is Not Good...

So, Muhyiddin has finally announced that Math and Science will now be taught in Bahasa Malaysia fully by 2012 and it's FINAL. What do I think? Well, this is my humble and personal opinion - I think it's a bad move. It has only been six years since the MOE (Ministry of Education) implemented the PPSMI (Teaching of Math and Science in English) and despite seeing a decline in exam performance especially from rural areas, they should have waited for at least 11 years.

Why 11 years? Well, it takes an average Malaysian student 11 years to complete his/her education starting from Year 1 to Form 5. You can't take their UPSR result as a measuring yard stick and same goes to their PMR result. What really makes or breaks the success of PPSMI is their SPM results. Do a research and from there can you only make a decision on what is best for the students.

You have to start them young and give time to these students to get use to the idea of learning Math and Science in English. When they're young, their brains are fresh and they have a clean slate. They're like dry sponges, ready to absorb every single thing that is being taught to them. So, teach them right and their slate will be filled with good grammars, correct pronunciations and excellent vocabularies. Then, can they only have a mean command of the language.

You can't simply rush them in pursue of more As and less Ds and Fs. It's like teaching a toddler to walk - they would slither, crawl and toddle around first. When they're confident and strong enough, then only will they be able to walk and later jog and then run full speed ahead. Just because you want your record and statistics to look good, it does not mean that you can simply adjust the education system to suit your whims and fancies and have complete disregard for the students' education well-being.

I get that the MOE is doing this because students from the rural areas can't cope with learning Math and Science in English but again, it's all about giving ample time for these kids to enjoy learning these two subjects in English. Give them good English teachers and see how they will blossom and prosper under the guidance of such dedicated teachers. Now you're saying that we don't produce good English teachers anymore but don't you see that good English teachers come from a solid English-educated background?

From what I see, the higher powers above only want to see results and they want it fast. They don't see the repercussion of their hasty decision which is making us move a step behind by reverting to the old ways. If you want Malaysians to be glocal (a conundrum coined by Najib that wants global thinking and success but comes from local people), then you'll have to master the English language because with only a high profiency in the language, can you conquer the world. Takkan la bila nak buat international business closure or present your papers during a conference, you nak cakap Melayu. Tak jalan beb! Seeing that English is the universal language of the world.

In fact, when you step into universities, most subjects will be taught in English. You have to breathe and eat English more so if you're studying abroad. You're safe only if you decide to pursue your degree in countries to the likes of Japan, Korea, Russia, France and Germany where you have to learn their mother tongue. Even then, you still have to speak English in your daily conversation if you can't master the local language.

After graduating, what would be the next step? Of course, you'd have to find a job. Now here comes the best part, your interview will mostly be conducted in English. How would you be able to secure a job if you can't speak well during the interview? That is why, we always read in the newspaper that employers are lamenting about the quality of fresh graduates who can't even string a simple sentence when asked "What can you tell us about yourself?".

I used to not give a damn about our education system but eversince I have a son who's being victimized by the said system, I am starting to care. It's not about getting straight As or getting to be in the top three or being in the top class. It's about enjoying the lessons that's being taught, it's about gathering knowledge that is being passed down and it's about using the knowledge that they have for the better good of mankind. Isn't that what education is all about? And isn't learning a lifelong process? Even my dad who is 72 years old, still goes to classes to learn more about Islam, picks up the dictionary when he doesn't understand some bombastic words that his eldest son writes in his columns in the NST and picks my brain and B's with regard to any latest technology.

It's frustrating when our small voices are not heard or our opinions are being put down when it comes to decide what's the best way to educate our young and suddenly, KABOOM... a final decision has been made. But, isn't that always the way with our country? :P

As for Zareef, he'll be in for a BIG surprise. As it is, he's doing very well in his class, getting straight As with a 99 for Science for two terms. His BM is a bit rusty. He can read but he doesn't understand some words. Like the other day, we were cruising around Cyberjaya and passed Taman Tasik Cyberjaya. He read it and asked "Tasik tu apa Mommy?". "It's lake, Zareef". B and I looked at each other and started to shake our heads. B said "Zareef will have a HARD time when he has to learn Math and Science in BM. Sekarang ni pun you dok ajar BM kat dia in English". Well, at least I'm teaching him, aren't I?

Oh well, life goes on and I shall continue to teach BM in English to Zareef.

"Anggur tu apa Mommy?". "Anggur tu grapes". "Ohhh..." (jawapan default Zareef)

"Berdisiplin tu apa Mommy?". "Berdisiplin is you have to obey rules and behave yourself. Listen to what adults tell you". "Ohhhhh".

"Mempelam tu apa Mommy?". "Mempelam tu mango". "Ohhhh..."

See? Now please tell me, who will suffer at the end of the day??

On His Birthday...

B's birthday celebration was kicked off with the Japan SuperGT at Sepang. I've never seen so many beautiful Japanese cars gathered at one place at one time. If I was swooning and drooling over them cars, B almost died and gone to heaven heheh...


We brought along Zareef as he shares the same passion as his dad. Short of sounding like a cliche, he is his daddy's son. So very like father like son


By this time, Zareef can't fight the heat and ear-splitting sound anymore. With a sulk that stretched his mouth to the far corners of his face, we were ready to go home. As we were walking out, we spotted this lean, mean incredible machine. It's Zareef's all-time favorite car, thanks to the latest Knight Rider show of course.


That night, we rushed to Shah Alam for a family dinner with B's family to celebrate Father's Day and B's birthday. We dined at this remarkable restaurant called Restoran Tasik Indah at Shah Alam. It's located behind Plaza Alam Sentral. Food was excellent!! I ordered on behalf of the family (nampak sangat kaki makan!) buttered prawns, chili crabs, steamed lemon pomfret, siakap tiga rasa, black pepper venison, marmite chicken and sotong tepung. Sedap tak terkata sampai lupa nak ambik gambar hehehhe...


The seafood were all fresh from the tank. Seen here, Zareef tugging at a lobster's spiny whisker (betul ke?)


The next day was B's actual birthday. He took the day off. I sent the kids to their respective daycare and off we went gallivanting at The Curve. Tskk... cuti-cuti pun kena buat kerja jugak ;P


We lunched at Paddington House of Pancakes. It took me a good twenty minutes just to go through its menu, such a fat one it is.


What's a birthday celebration without food, eh?! We had this apple fritters with ice cream pancake. Very huge portion!


And this All-American pancake burger. Kenyang sampai tak boleh nak jalan ngeee...

After a slow and leisure walk around aimlessly, I treated B to a pedicure. God knows how much he needed it!


Now my man has very nice, clean and pedicured nails which he can show off proudly ngeeee...

Happy Birthday Darling!! You're my everything!!! Muahhhhssss...

The Month We Both Turned 33...

My apologies... I know a bunch of people out there who are ready to kill me for not updating. How long has it been? A month you say? Ahhh yes... my bad. First culprit would be the continuous orders of cakes and cupcakes (Alhamdulillah...), then the school holidays that saw me enjoying island life at Tioman for a week and recovering period for the kids and I the next. Then it was my birthday weekend and yesterday was B's.

I'll just make this a pictorial post since I am having a writer's block at the moment. Enjoy!

My take of the sunset at Tioman on our first day of arrival.


Despite having just traveled for six hours, these kids instantaneously hit the beach. Talk about beach bums!


We went snorkeling the next day. We hired a speed boat to take us to three snorkeling spots. We went to Tioman's Marine Park which I dare say is almost non-existent, the corals that is. All dead! What a disappointment!!


Then we went here which was totally awesome! Deep, deep blue water with lots of healthy, beautiful corals and friendly fishes to boot!! Hehehheh... I felt like I was in being attacked left, right and center by these hungry fishes.

I did my Discovery Scuba Diving (DSD) the next day. It's certainly one of the MUST-DO things before you die :). Totally amazing!!!!

Off to my DSD with my divemaster, Alfian. Cool dude who resigned from being a lawyer for his passion in diving and all things underwater :D. The tank weighted 20kg! Berat nak mampos but I persevered. However, it felt nothing underwater but after all the fun and joy of diving, it felt like a dead weight with every single step that I took exiting the waters towards the dive center. Malam tu terus demam!!!


The chalets that my family booked, the whole row of them. It's called Salang Indah Resort. Basic clean room with hot water and AC that suits me well. It's all about roughing it out.


Zara fed the fishes with bread. You can see how crystal clear the water is.


My cheeky monkey :D


Zareef doing his jump, terjun style from the jetty. He was well inspired by the local kids who could swim faster than the fishes, dive head on better than those synchronized divers and were only 6-7 years old! I was totally impressed!!!


My boy after several jumps. He totally enjoyed it!


Abah with his cucus during one of their bonding times.

After a week at Tioman, we went home, all supertanned and covered with sandflies' bites. Zareef, my mom and I semua demam. Tak tau la demam terkejut ke, penat ke or what. The next weekend was my birthday and B had arranged for a surprise getaway. I told him, "Please... no long distance. Tak larat dah".

I was pleasantly surprised when he brought us to Impiana KLCC for a revisit (we came here for our Sevenmoon :D). Oh such joy!!

Our room for the weekend.

B booked the Marine Escapade package which included a family package visit to the Aquaria. The kids were ecstatic! And it firmly reinforced my desire to do my PADI open water.

My birthday dinner at The Loaf. They've come up with a new and better menu which I must say, looked yummier than the last.


My main entree which was the beef shank with soba noodles. Delicious! The slices of medium cooked beef were tender, juicy and oh so yummy!!!


B ordered Beef Ribs for his entree. Hands down, this is THE BEST ribs that I've ever tasted!! Eat your heart out Tony Roma's! Every bite sent us to heaven :D

While we were busy tucking in, this cheeky monkey jumped around and ran about the restaurant. Nasib baik, it was just us.


The next night, we went to Swensen's at Subang Parade for dinner again (Mommy malas nak masak coz was still in birthday celebratory mood hehh).


I've always loved this place for its quintessential all-American food plus this is the only place where I can feast on a plethora of lip-smacking ice-cream sundaes at reasonable prices. This place is kinda sentimental to me too as I've been coming here since I was 13 (I used to frequent the one at Federal Bowl), hence the returned visits :)


This time, cheeky monkey slept all the way through. She was totally KOed.


As a finale to my wonderful birthday weekend, B bought for us an icecream cake, something which he said I can't do. He got that right!

Happy Birthday to the both of us! May we live long and prosper, jodoh berkekalan hingga ke akhir hayat and still be in love with each other till the end of time. Aminnnn...

My New Walls...

After 2.5 years of staring at plain boring cream walls tainted with drawings of little Picasso and a multitude of food stains, I have decided to give my walls a makeover :D

I bought the package at HomeDec in November last year but only now do I have the resources to do them up.

Installation at the dining area. This guy was very skillful and quick. I couldn't help but be amazed...

Installation at Zareef's room

Tadaaaa... dining area.

TV area

Zareef's room. Please excuse the mess. High time to do a garage sale. Seriously!

Finally, my bedroom.

I just can't stop staring at my walls. They are simply mesmerizing. I love them! :D