And our lovestory continues..

2011 so far.

2011-07-28T13:10:00.005+08:00

A friend of mine commented, "your blog is as good as dead."

I just laughed.
Well, it might lack updates, but it sure aint dead.
This blog records Hawra's first 3 years, so of course it will never be deleted.
It's contents are so important, so precious to me.
So, I won't let it die.
However, I find it harder and harder to blog nowadays.
With our tight daily schedules, I find it simply unnecessary to blog about..stuff.
After all, we now have facebook, twitter, foursquare and the likes to update about what is happening in our life almost everyday, so what's the point of blogging?

But then when I go to hawra.blogspot.com every now and then, I would read, then smile, then shed some happy tears looking at the pictures and the posts and wonder how fast time pasts by and how far I have been down the 'motherhood' road.

My darling Hawra Kalka'il is growing up way faster than I ever thought she is.

From a tiny person who only knows how to cry; cry when she's hungry, cry when she's pooing, cry when she's uncomfortable..she now knows A LOT.

We have been sending her to a chinese kindy since January this year, and alhamdulillah she is coping rather well there, I must say. She even managed to get 2nd place in her class for the 1st semester this year, which truthfully was rather surprising given the fact that she was totally oblivious of the exams and all. As a parent, I was really surprised but (obviously) proud of her accomplishment. If you have been in my facebook friends' list you will have notice that I update Hawra's progress every now and then. Let people say that I am 'obsessed' with my own child. But hey, cut me some slack, will ya? I only have one so if I am not 'obsessed' with her much then whom should I be obsessed with? Maher Zain? Nanti ada yang kata dah tua2 pun kemaruk dgn artis jugak makcik ni! Haiz, it's not easy to make everyone happy, I guess.

As for work, I am still doing the same job. I do complain sometimes, but at the end of the day, when I come back home after a shitty day at work, seeing the faces of my loved ones, I count myself among the lucky ones for having them close by me unlike some friends who have to stay far from their family for the sake of 'mencari rezeki'. Alhamdulillah.

Ramadhan is coming in a few days time. Let's make the best of this blessed month by doing more good deeds, my friends.

BaarikiLlahumma lanaa fee shahri Ramadhan, ameen!

5.

2011-02-14T10:25:00.009+08:00

Hawra Kalka'il

14th February 2006.
Kohilal Medical Center,
Taman Melawati, Selangor.

Hawra Kalka'il.
September 2010.

I have neglected this blog for as long as I can remember.
Really bad of me.
I have the time to write, yes.
To say that I am constantly busy till I have no time to spare to write a few sentences to keep this blog updated, is truly a big fat lie.
In other words, I am just plain lazy to blog anymore.
I would rather spend the free time that I have with Hawra, Husband and the Housework.
I now have 3 meaningful Hs in my life..ha ha :p

However, I feel the need to write again today.
Maybe not a lengthy one.
Just a short post to celebrate this special day.

Today, 14th February 2011, is my darling Hawra's birthday.

Today's the day she turns 5.

Yup, 5.

To say that she is my joy and my pride, is totally an understatement.
She is much more than that.
She is my everything.
These past 5 years have been the greatest of my life.
Alhamdulillah, I think as parents, the husband and I did a very good job on raising our own kid.
There were challenges and obstacles every now and then, but praises be to Allah, we managed to overcome whatever that has been thrown into our path.
May Allah give us the strength to continue what we are doing so we can provide the very best of everything for Hawra...ameen! Allahumma aameen!!

And to my dear Hawra,
if you ever get to read this when you're older,
know that both your daddy & I love you so very much.
And know that, we will always be there for you, through the good and bad.
Happy 5th birthday, cupcake.
May Allah bless you with the best things in life, and after..aameen!

Random thoughts.

2010-03-27T00:13:00.002+08:00

*Warning*
extremely syok sendiri post.
Don't say you weren't warned.

March is drawing to it's end.
Hawra's 4th birthday came and went.
As much as we wanted a proper celebration on the 14th February, things didn't turn out how we wanted it to be, so we decided to just chill and did nothing too fancy on her birthday.
Husband was out of the hospital a few days before Hawra's birthday, and was still recuperating, while I, on the other hand, fell horribly ill after spending a few restless nights tending to husband at the hospital, save for the night he was admitted to ICU for Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever.
I almost lost the man I love that night. *shudders*

So you'll understand why we didn't go big this year, despite the initial plan to do at least a decent makan-makan and potong-potong kek celebration for our dear precious.
It's not like we didn't want to..but sick parents = no mood for big celebrations. Geddit?
As much I want to remember February as a special month because it's my darling's birthday, I would rather just forget about this year's february as it had brought me this close to losing my sanity.

Alhamdulillah, the trying times are over.
And we are all back to our usual hectic weekly schedule.
Me, being here (in Singapore) at times and there (in JB) at times, and adjusting to it all.
It's totally nerve wrecking. And not to mention, heart breaking.
But as they say (who are they, anyway??), we do it all in the name of Love.
Love makes us do things that we thought we would never do.
Like me.
I never thought I would end up teaching.
I know teachers out there are going to dis me, or smirk at what I am about to say, but whateverlah, ok. I need to let this out, or I am going to become nuts before the year ends.
Truth be told, teaching was never a first option for me.
There, I said it. Shoot me.
Please, spare me your syarahans, ok teachers and asatizahs.
I applied for teaching because I got frustrated as none of my job applications were successful.
Senang cerita, siang-siang dah kena reject lah.
And yes, I admit, teaching, to me, was the last resort.
It seemed like at that time, logic took over me.
I needed to work.
I needed cash, my own earnings, so I could buy those shiny trinkets that beckon me each time I pass that certain shop.
I needed money, so I can afford to spend on things unnecessary.
I needed money, so I can afford to splurge on whatever my daughter wants without batting an eyelid twice.
I needed a job, and there were no other options available.
So teach, I did.
I didn't think I could teach.
I just...jumped and hoped for the best.
Few months into this field, I have come to love teaching.
Sure, there are bad days.
It's not a bed of roses, that's for sure.
But at the end of the day, when I pack my bags and head home after a long day at school, I feel satisfaction.
Well, not everyday, of course. Most days, I bring back headaches and heartaches.
But that doesn't mean that I don't love my job.
I love teaching.
I admit, it is not my dream job.
But it keeps me going.

I am not going to let today's incident ruin my love for teaching.
I pray to Allah that He gives his guidance to my student, Syafiq Hammady.
I know that you are better than this, Syafiq.
I forgive you, and I pray that you will be a better person one day. Amin.

Leaving on a jet plane.

2010-01-20T02:26:00.003+08:00

Weeeellllll....not a JET plane, exactly.
Just an aeroplane. And a budget one, at that..hoho
But still, it's a new experience for my darling Hawra, and I can't help but feel excited for her.
This is her virgin flight, and I sure hope she doesn't freak out when the plane takes off (I had a bit of a panic the first time I boarded the plane..hurhur)
She, on the other hand, is acting cool habis when we say that we're gonna take an aeroplane tomorrow.
Kids nowadays. Tsk.

My, my..is it nearing February already? *counts fingers*
And when was the last time I posted some kind of scribbles I regard as a blog post? *counts fingers again*
Oh. Just a couple of months.
But, gee....it certainly feels so long!
Tied up at work on most days, and on the days that I am not working, well, let's just say I simply couldn't be bothered to blog. It's always, laundry, housework, more laundry, more housework, and also HAWRA.
I pity that darling sunshine of mine. She has got to be the best daughter ever.
She knows when I am working, and she always seem to understand that when Mommy says that she's busy, then she is, and she would not bother me, not if she could help it.
That is why when I am not working, I would rather spend my free time with her, playing silly games, reading her favorite books together, and do the house chores together. She's, like, my little Personal Assistant...hehe

I do hope we will enjoy this first oversea trip together.
I can't wait to see her face when we go to Dufan.
Oooh, we're gonna have so much fun together, baby.

Jakarta and Bandung, here we come!

The One....

2009-11-10T01:59:00.001+08:00

...who gave me his heart, and trusts me with his,
turns 35 today.

The One...
...whom I bear my child with, the fruit of our love,
turns 35 today.

The One...
...who is a man of his words, and is not afraid to stand by them,
turns 35 today.

The One...
...who shares his life, his hopes and dreams with me,
turns 35 today.

The One...
...who listens to my heart, comforts me when I'm down,
laughs at my jokes (even the lousy ones),
turns 35 today.

The One...
...who has been with me, through ups and downs,
thick and thin,
hell and back,
turns 35 today.

The One...
...whom I love desperately,
..and am more than willing to spend 35 more years with, until eternity..
turns 35 today.

He is The One,
The air that I breathe..
My past.
My present.
My future.
My world.
My life.
My soul.
My everything.

and he is...
My Husband.

Happy Birthday, ol' man ;)
Thank you for being a great friend, and wonderful husband, and a loving father to my Hawra.
Though we have our differences, I believe that you and I, are two beings created by Allah to fit each other perfectly.
And I am forever thankful to Him for you in my life.
I love you.

xoxox,
Linymu.

Nine.

2009-09-16T21:18:00.002+08:00

Throughout the years...
Through the good and bad...
Through thick and thin..
To hell and back...

I thank Allah for having you beside me.
I thank your mother and father, for bringing you into this world.
I thank fate for bringing us together back in that fateful winter afternoon at Mujamma' Mafraq.
I thank you, for being you.
I thank you, for receiving me the way I am, flaws and all.
I am aware, that I am imperfect in so many ways.
But I am sure that you are also aware, that I am always trying my best to improve.

Dear Husband,
You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.
And you will always remain here, in my heart, till my last breath.
Bahibbak, Habibi.
Through these 9 wonderful years we shared together, you have taught me so much about love, laughter, joy, life.
You really are my significant other. And I love thee. For all eternity.

Happy 9th Anniversary, Sayang.
I promise you, I will be right here beside you, for all my life.
I am yours.

Forever yours,
Lin.

And they say...

2009-08-07T00:19:00.003+08:00

LOVE

is the force that keeps it together..

when everything else seems to fall apart.

I am glad we survived it.

I'm truly glad we did. =)

Bahibbak. Remember that sayang.

Pose for me, baby :)

2009-07-17T01:27:00.003+08:00

Can you believe it?

I brought the cammie with us but didn't bring the charger?? *slaps forehead*

I thought I did, but it turned out the thing I actually thought was the battery charger was terang-terang the bloody usb cable. Good grief, how much more gundu can I be? Pffft.

Luckily the camera survived our two days in a row trip to the zoo.

It finally decided to die on us after a few shots were taken when the kids were having so much fun at the Rainforest Kidzworld (that place is a must go when you're at the Singapore Zoo,btw)

So anyway, I had to menunggu belas ihsan from husband who brought back the camera with him and recharged the dead dead battery, and waited ~~not so~~ patiently for him to upload the pictures to his FB account (he uploaded a measly few, btw..oh you so busy eh Abang do housework? hehehe ;p), and when he did upload the few pictures, I greedily right-clicked and kopisusu-ed the precious pictures to my FB account pulak and then decided to go an extra mile and updated the blog using the same pictures..heeheehee

So these are a few pictures I have been d.y.i.n.g to share.

Pictures of who else, if not my darling gem, whom I have been d.y.i.n.g to send to some casting agencies, but held back (mak terpaksa, nak...:p) the dream yang ala-ala Impian Illyana gituh because the husband wasn't really sure that our Hawra could handle the pressures of being a lil' model.

Weeell, to tell you the truth (erm, who are you, btw? hehe), I am not that certain myself.

So for the time being, we'll just have to satisfy ourselves and make do with a cheap non-DSLR camera, and some asal boleh shots, with me as the photographer, can? ;)

"It's okay, Mommy...

I don't have to be a model to know how to strike a pose ;)"

Pandaaaai anak mak! lol.

The Princess and the frog.

2009-07-03T00:32:00.004+08:00

Once upon a time, in modern day world..a princess ~~wannabe~~..

...met a frog.

A cute one, at that.

Now, the princess, clad in her PJs, was at first a bit squeamish.
She was not fond of any amphibians nor reptiles..as any other normal princesses would be, obviously ;p
But this one particular frog, brought back home by her doting daddy, the King ~~of spades~~, really was cute.
She took her own sweet time trying to get to know the frog better.
The frog, named Jakro, was a green tree frog. And is unlike the typical katak purus she had met on several unpleasant occasions.

Ooookay, not too close, now, okay, Mommy..

Hello, Jakro. Why do you have a jawa twang to your name, huh? I thought this was supposed to be a fairy tale...?

Mommy : Hawra, if you kiss Jakro, he will turn into a prince.
Princess Hawra : *rolls eyes* Yeah, right. I'm not buyin' it, Ma..

So whaddaya say, Jakro? Wanna be my buddy? ;)
But I have just one rule for you to adhere, though...

This is the c.l.o.s.e.s.t that you'll ever get to me, really. You can blink your big green eyes and act all cute on mommy and daddy, but they'll never work on me ;p

And so the frog stayed in the castle for 1 whole week, and it was time for him to return to his own kingdom.
The princess was sad to watch her daddy bring Jakro back to his home.
But she knows that the frog will be back to visit her one day.
And anyway, she had pictures of them together having a good time.
And like they say, memories last a lifetime :)

~The End ~

All grown up..

2009-06-17T23:17:00.004+08:00

...and loves to wear make-up! ;p

It has been 40 months 3 days since she came into our lives, and took us on a big new adventure of parenthood.

Now, is it just me..or has she grown so much since the last I blogged a few months back?

She is 95% independent, and loves to help with almost anything, voluntarily or involuntarily ;)
She loves to help around the house, simple tasks like sorting out the laundry (whites, colors, and dark colored clothes), helping me sweep the floor, hanging and folding clothes (she can now fold her own clothes, rather neatly, I must say *so proud*) and stuff.

But above it all, she simply loves wearing make-up. It all started a few months back when one day she saw me taking out my cosmetics pouch and asked "Mommy~~ what's that?"
I will never forget her animated face when I said "This is mommy's make-up pouch"
" Mommy, nak jalan eh? Hawra nak pistik (lipstick)".
Oookay, she can use my lip gloss, it's fine by me.
But then, she saw me applying my mascara, and asked, "what's that?"
"Oh this is mascara. Hawra takleh use ok. You're too small for mascara"
The 'too small for you' card saved me that time.
But after a few more times ogling at me when I wear make-up, she'd beg me and keep on chanting, "mommy, nak mascara..nak mascara" *repeat 20x non-stop and you'll see how annoyed I was that I finally gave in, for the sake of my sanity*.
Yes, even little cute angelic beings like toddlers can make you lose your marbles sometimes.

And now, that little angelic being is now chanting, "Mommy, nak susu..nak susu..." *repeat 20x, and imagine me typing away on blogger*
Doesn't really make me a good mom, does it?
Now you get it when I said, I hardly have time to blog nowadays?

Till we meet again ;)

This heart of mine.

2009-03-28T16:55:00.003+08:00

Is still beating. hehe.

Thank you to friends who have been asking and wondering where I have gone to.
I am still here, laying low, hybernating, recuperating, or whatever it is you may call it.
No excuses, just plain laziness to do any updates at all.
I mean, what's the point of giving excuses, right?
This is my blog afterall, so I am free to write whenever I feel like it, or let it sit in the cobwebs for as long as I want it.
Not being an ass, really. I just need some room to breathe.
I mean, literally, I have had difficulty breathing a couple of weeks back.
It's like I was suddenly asthmatic (is that how you spell it, by the way?) or something.

But despite the rough month I went through, coping with demam kura-kura (took a few days before it went away), flu, and neverending coughing (still am coughing till today), also the occasional semput during cold nights (though I am a die hard a/c lover. Believe me, ask my close ones. Even if it is raining cats and dogs I will still want the a/c on! Oh the irony of it all! Denied from my a/c! boohoo!), I am still up and running.

Well, not literally, of course.
I did spend a night at Aloha Loyang with my mum & sis, to celebrate dear Namirah's birthday.
Everyone was asking me, what's with the deep husky rusty voice?
Fyi, the husky voice is still here to stay, and won't go away.
Boy, do I miss karaoke box!

Oh, and did I mention the family trip to Pangkor!
Oh, I loooove Pangkor. The 5 days we spent there was awesome!
We'll surely return there some day, soon.
But the next time round, we're eyeing Sipadan. Ooooh I love beaches!!!

So see what I mean, despite the horrid health condition, I am still enjoying myself.
And thanking Allah for the loved ones surrounding me, and caring for me.

Last but not least, some eye candies...

My 3 year old baby

2009-02-14T00:25:00.006+08:00

Happy birthday to you, my one and only Hawra.

I am such a bad mommy, for letting this entry sit in the drafts for, like, almost a week, now.
But I do hope I compensated you by spending much much more quality time with you, even more than usual ;)
And you and I both know that I did not forget the day you turned 3.
You didn't think I'd actually forget, now, did you? ;)
In fact, the whole family decided to go big this year and did a duo birthday makan-makan party in honor of you and Mak Kin's birthday at Tanjung Piai.
Sadly, mommy is just too busy to upload the pictures taken on your big day, what more edit, or even scrap any! Even the LO in this entry pun pakai quickpage! But, I am happy to have snapped a picture of you on your big day, at 01.09pm, the exact time you were born 3 years ago. :)

My darling sayang,
at 3, you are the most sweet tempered, angelic being a mother could ever wish for (well, at least, to me, you really are :).
I mean, you certainly do have your 'drama' moments, but most of the time you are 'fuss-free'.
You are more independent now, save for a few major tasks that need yet to be polished and mastered ;). And also, we are not so lucky yet in the potty department, and quite a number more, but we are nearing there (I hope! hehe)
And throughout these challenges, I will always remind myself, that, yes, the time will come, and that, no, I will not compare you to your peers.
I'll try to be more understanding, I promise you. :)

There are so many things that you can do now, that I am just lost at what to write about your updates. But just so you know, button, I keep everything right here, inside my heart.
Ok, that, and a hardcopy scrapbook where I write about you every now and then..
I mean, you can't really trust this old and rusty brain of mine to store such precious important data, can you? ;)

....
.
.
.
.

I still find that wishes are better expressed in malay, I don't know why.
Maybe it's because my english is not as good, but what the heck lah kan...
As long as you understand sudah..lol

sayangku buah hati pengarang jantung,
selamat hari lahir ke-3, sayang.
semoga dirimu sentiasa di dalam rahmat Allah,
membesar dengan akal yang cerdas, badan yang sihat,
dan menceriakan hari-hari kami dengan keletah dan telatahmu.
Kami akan sentiasa mendo'akan yang terbaik buatmu,
dan akan berusaha agar dirimu mendapat apa saja yang terbaik selagi termampu.

I love you, Hawra.
So so much.
More than anyone and anything.

love and kisses,
Mommy.

p.s: hopefully I will get to upload your celebration pictures, along with a few more 'berzaman' ones in the following days. :)

So little time...

2009-01-31T01:59:00.005+08:00

..yet so many things to do...

I have been busy these few months.

Don't believe me?
Wait till you see the pictures!

I baked brownies..

---
Got activity books..

..and practiced my penmanship..hehehe

---
..practiced on improving my poses..

-----

... I also ~~tried to make a fool out of~~ fooled around with my Kakak Namirah on Mak Tok's super comfy bed (=

I had actually wanted to make Kakak Namirah wear that thing like my teddy, Baby.

But I guess Kakak Namirah's head is too big for her own good..teehehe!

----

See what I mean when I say I was busy, mengalahkan those busy little bees?

I do want to blog about my daily activities, but I find that there are just so many other interesting things to do rather than blog.
I guess, in my defense, I can say that I am at that stage where everything around me is for me to feel, and explore.
You know, learning through playing..that kinda thing.

And anyway, Mommy is constantly taking pictures of me in action.
I find it amusing, though, that she always has the time to snap pictures of me, but always come up with excuses for not blogging.
She claims that she, too, has been too lazy, erm, I mean..busy to blog.
About me, of course.
Nothing more about her daily rants in this blog, I guess.

I have been in and out of Singapore so many times these previous months.
I guess my maktok doesn't miss me as bad as she used to back when I was in KL, because I always pop up in Singapore every now and then..hehe ;)
We usually cross the causeway during the weekends for short getaways to Wak's place.
I even have my kitchen set back in Singapore! (wait till I blog about that. HAH.)
I have bonded pretty well with Mommy's side of the family, alhamdulillah.

So, I guess, all in all, it has been hectic, yet fruitful.
I love it when Daddy is always at home due to the many holidays we have here in Malaysia..hehe!
oooh..and did you know, we spent the new year @ our home in Sg. Buloh?
I had a smashing time with my parents.
It just feels so so good to be back home, no matter how quaint your home may be :)

Oh, oh, oh..and guess what?
We are going up to the east coast, to Kuala Terengganu for Daddy's office's family day!
We will be leaving JB on the night of 6th February.
Oh gosh! I am super ecstatic!

Well I guess that wraps it all for the moment.
You know...busy, busy, busyyyy!! heh heh. :p

Oh, before I go, here are some pictures taken during our recent visits to Geylang (for breakfast at Joo Chiat's hawker center - the nasi padang over there is super sedap. I loooove the ayam lemak!) and also Orchard Road, a few days before christmas (where Mommy went a teeny bit crrrrayzee over the sales that day :p)

at Joo Chiat.

In the MRT.

@ Orchard.

Till we meet again in the next entry. (God knows when!)

with much love,
Hawra K.

Incredible (potty) tales - The series - I

2008-12-22T12:34:00.004+08:00

One morning..

Me : Hawra, today must potty ok.

Hawra : No. Hawra taknak (don't want to) potty today.

Me : Banyak cantik.. must potty okay..

Hawra : Noooo. Hawra %&$#* (babble) Mommy. Mommy wear huggies.

Me : *blur*

Hawra : Mommy wear huggies (proceeds to pull out my sanitary pad from to bottom drawer). Nah! Same like Hawra.

Me : Laaaaahhhh~~! *slap forehead*.

It then occurred to me that the night before, she saw me using the thing.
Aiyah...how to explain liddat? Serves me right for doing it in front of her lah..

I didn't know she is an observant kid. lol.

love.

2008-12-02T00:08:00.003+08:00

I love it when you say "I love you" out of the blue.
It makes me feel fuzzy warm and tingly all over.

Awww...I am such a hopeless romantic when it comes to you.

Gadis Hotlink.

2008-11-22T00:52:00.007+08:00

Why, hello!
Missed me?

Wow, it's been that long, hasn't it?
I miss blogging so much, that I have no idea what to write about!
But, then again, Mommy is blogstipated(?). I wonder what that is, because I only know the word 'constipated' and I don't like it very much - I learn from experience, ok, and it ain't good for me.

Ermmm, as I was saying, Mommy is blogstipated, so I guess I will have to do my best not to bore you lovely people with my gibberish. Yes, I still babble quite a lot, much to Mommy's worry about my lagging in speech development. It's not as if I'm not talking, but you know parents. They worry too much sometimes, now, don't they? *rolls eyes*

Anyway, last November 14th, which was 4 days after my daddy's ~~24th~~ 34th birthday, I turned 33. Oi...33 months old ok, not 33 years old! I am aware of how old I am, unlike daddy who seems to think that he stopped aging at 24! action muda la tu eh, daddy! kwakwakwa ;p

Should I bore you people with my monthly progress?
Nah...I don't think so. Let's leave all the updates to my Mommy ok, although I doubt she'll be doing so, anyway...hehe :p
I don't know. Maybe she's getting tired of keeping tabs on me because I learn new things almost everyday?
But what I do know is, my parents will be sending me to school next year!
Oh goody! *insert sarcasm here*
Truth is, I am,...what's the word again? TERRIFIED at the thought of me going to school.
God knows why, but perhaps I am a leeeeetle shy around strangers. (Or maybe, scared? hehe)
Hopefully I will be able to fit in, because I want to learn new things and be smart, just like my peers.
Otherwise, I'll end up as Gadis Hotlink, like in these following pictures.

Eh, I don't mind being a Gadis Hotlink. I personally think that this Kakak Hotlink is cute!
I don't mind looking all pretty on camera like her! kihkihkih

But seriously now...I do want to go to school!

Betul..tak tipu! :)

much much love,
Hawra.

Children of the cow.

2008-11-18T00:44:00.006+08:00

Before I begin, please be reminded that this is only my opinion, from my point of view.
Some may agree to it, while others may not.
Should you not agree with what I feel, then please, spare me the comments, because I don't need them.
(Yes, I am in a very pissy mood right now, so back off, ok?)

MIL had once said to me, kids in this era are totally different from the kids from yesteryears.
Kids from those times were not fed with DHA, SA, ARA, and all those mumbo jumbos they add in baby formulas nowadays, but they turned out all right. Well, maybe not all of them, but you get the drift.
They drink breast milk, Klim, Everyday, Nespray (not DHA-infused!), and even Susu cap junjung!, but manage to get a degree all the same.
They may be naughty, or even do bad things, but kids from that era, seldom raise their voices to their elderly, no matter how right they think they are (more about this later).
They didn't get any handphones, laptops, PSP etc when they get good results in their exams. (I got my first handphone when I was 20!!!)
Kids nowadays are so untung, kan? But are they thankful? Allahu a'alam.

Kids in this era live in a world full of modern technologies, WiFi, unlimited access to the internet, hi-tech gadgets and all. (Ya, ya..some parents think it's a necessity for kids nowadays to have these gadgets, I know. Spare me the drone, please.)
They are rough, as they live in high paced societies.
And these kids drink Enfagrow, Friso, and all those DHA+SA+RA-infused stuffs.
They are bright kids. Clever kids. Sometimes too clever for their own good.
Some may grow up full of good mannerism, while others, unfortunately, don't.
Harsh words are exchanged without thinking twice. Vulgarity is a norm among them.
Even a 7 year old knows the F word (!!!)
I mean, is it really necessary to use those words when talking?
Do they need to be heard using those words in order to 'fit in'?

Sometimes I just can't help myself wondering.
Is it about what we, as parents, feed our children?
Is it because, some parents, without thinking twice about syubhah, just let their kids eat what ever they want to eat?
Again, this is, I stress, my personal opinion, so please back off if you disagree.
Even Rasulullah PBUH once said, that what ever we feed our family, when consumed, will become flesh and blood. And Rasulullah even added, that what becomes flesh, will form one's personality. Simply put, if you eat food that comes from a good source, then you will, insyaLlah be a good person. And vice versa.

But I am here not to preach.

Perhaps it is true what my mother-in-law said.
Kids nowadays are rough, hard-spoken, probably because they didn't drink enough breastmilk.
She proceeded to say that babies who drink breastmilk, although sometimes they might answer back (kids will do that, I know), they will never raise their voices to the elderly.
Not to their parents, not to their teachers, not to the elderly around them.

At first, I didn't really pay much attention to what she was saying.
But then it dawned upon me.
My husband was fully breastfed till he was 4(!!!), and he is so soft-spoken with his family, especially his mother and father.
My brother, Joffri, was breastfed till he hit the age 4....5, maybe?
He, too, has never been known to raise his voice to my Mak and Abah, no matter how much he thinks he's in the right.

And when I come to think of it, I do not recall any of my classmates punching/kicking my teacher when they got whipped in public. It seemed like the word 'revenge' does not exist in our dictionary.
Nor do I recall seeing any of my brothers and sisters raising their voices to Mak and almarhum Abah, no matter how bad they were beaten up by Abah, no matter how right they think they were when they were arguing with Mak. Sure, they answered back, but in a low tone.
I do not see that often with kids nowadays.
I am not implying that all kids nowadays do not respect their elderly, but unfortunately, some do.
I guess DHA, SA and all that scientific crap only helps to promote better immunisation and brain development, but cannot do much on the 'mannerism' development.
I don't think you can get that from cows' milk, eh?
Who knows, maybe someday, some genius scientist will discover the nutrients needed to build noble, distinguished characteristics. We can only hope.
LOL.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Phew.

What was the purpose of this entry, you ask me?
I do not know.
I do not know what has gotten into me, honestly.
Maybe it's that time of the month.
Or maybe, just maybe, I am plain annoyed at someone whom I couldn't care less to mention his or her name in this blog.

Perhaps the mother didn't give him/her enough breastmilk, that is why he/she is being such an ass.
Or perhaps, he/she is just plain rude and has this annoying habit of disrespecting the elderly.
Perhaps.

To my boyfriend (=

2008-11-10T11:22:00.004+08:00

Today's the day, sayang.
Wish it was a sunday.
But we had fun yesterday, kan?

Happy 34th, abang.
But you look like 24 la, darling! hehe ;p

Here's to more birthdays to come (=
Bahibbak habibi.
I just can't say it enough.
I love you.

Ever thine.
Ever mine.
Ever ours.

An invitation to all.

2008-10-17T02:24:00.003+08:00

Come one, come all to our humble abode to celebrate this joyous occasion.
Be you near JB, Singapore, KL..or even Penang, for that matter, we would love to have your company ;)

No obligations to bring anything, just your tummy to be filled with, as Hawra would say it, "HHmmmm...Dap nyeee (tr : sooo yummy), mommy!!" food! :D

For further inquiries such as location map and telephone number(s), do email me at myzalyn(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)sg :)

Goodbye KL.

2008-10-16T02:51:00.004+08:00

...Hello JB & Singapore :)

Alhamdulillah, all our prayers have been answered.
That is, to be as close as we can to our family :)
Thank You, Allah.

And to you, KL...I bid you adieu.
Thank you for the memories dating back since 2003.
We had so much fun, didn't we?
I'm gonna miss all my favorite shopping haunts.
But I certainly won't miss the traffic. HAH!

Nah...don't be sad, KL. We will surely come to visit you once in a while..say, to do some damage to our pockets? heh!

And here's a side note from the KL born girl :

Don't miss me so much, ok my KL friends. Muacksss!

Farewell.
eh, I almost forgot. We STILL have our stuffs back in Sungai Buloh! So I guess we'll see you soon, eh, KL? ;)

Here's wishing you all...

2008-09-30T02:10:00.003+08:00

ALHAMDULILLAH

2008-09-25T13:52:00.002+08:00

She is back.

Thank you for all your well wishes. :)

MAK.

2008-09-24T02:15:00.002+08:00

..please get well soon.

We can go jalan-jalan together once you are well enough.

Ya Allah, give her the strength. Aameen.

*my mother is now at SGH's Intermediate Care Unit. Please, say a little prayer for her, will you?*

Singapore..

2008-09-21T11:41:00.002+08:00

...here we come .

And so the story goes..

2008-09-16T00:50:00.004+08:00

My dear husband,

We are officially 8 today.

I had wanted this entry to be full of sweet mushy overflowing streams of love serenades for you, my beloved other half, but decided to just keep it low.
After all, you are my husband, so there are so many other ways for me to say/show you how deep my feelings are for you ;)

And anyway, nothing beats an old fashioned hand-written card, eh?

But for the record, I do love you, sayang.
I love you for who you are...and not because you hensem ok! ;)

Happy 8th anniversary, Abang.
Thank you.
For everything.

Please, Allah. Keep our lovestory alive.
Aameen!

So here it is..

2008-08-29T01:20:00.004+08:00

....my very own (fugly) masterpiece.
My pride.
My blood, sweat and tears (ceeehhhh!!!)
My first baju kurung tulang belut.

Many thanks to my very own little model, Hawra, for wearing this baju kurung with much enthusiasm despite the baju was a bit 'gedobos' (tr : too big for her).

Dah? Dah habis ketawa? ;)

I tried snapping some close up shots on the tulang belut that I painstakingly sew for 3 nights in a row, but as it is, my cybershot cabuk is incapable of taking those detailed professional-like shots. It's times like these that make me mengidam for a D80 *drools*.
Not that I'm that excellent of a photographer, anyway ;p , but you get what I mean..hehe!

While it is no challenge to a first class english cotton baju kurung tulang belut from an exclusive boutique, I am thankful enough that the seams did not fall off while Hawra was wearing it to the kenduri we went. She ran around, climbed here and there like a lil' monkey, kangkang here and there samo, lacking all those demure and ladylike manners one should usually befit when wearing a baju kurung!

So, hubby..when's our next trip to Jakel?
Ah..forget Jakel.
Let's go Geylang! ;)

Damn, i'm proud of myself *pats own back*

2 1/2 years old? Wow!

2008-08-17T00:54:00.007+08:00

*broken record sound*
ANOTHER MONTH GONE, IN A BLINK OF AN EYE.
WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE TO?

I wish for time to just slow down, and let me savor these precious moments with my beloved Hawra.
It seems like she's growing too fast, and that my time with her seems..limited.
Feels like yesterday we blew her 2nd birthday candles.
In a blink of an eye, 6 precious months have gone by us, like a flash. (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit..lol!)

We have bonded, no doubt, both mother and daughter.
You can say that she 'sticks' to me - like glue! :)
She loves me, adores me..probably much more than I love and adore her.
But naah...I think I love her more...hehe!
I just hope all these special feelings between us will remain the same, no matter how kakak-kakak she is going to be in these coming years.
If not, I am going to be heartbroken lor!

Sometimes, when I see her running around, carefree, with her cheeky smile and rosy cheeks..I just had to pause and tell myself. "Yes, she is worth it. She is worth my every sacrifice. She is the reason I keep going on."

Because she truly is the reason for everything I have done and will continue to do.
Because she is my beloved.
And I just can't imagine a day passing by without her by my side.
Simply put, she completes me.

Happy 2 1/2 years old, baby.
It's a tad late, but you and I both know that I did not forget. Right? ;)
I love you, baby. Till my last breath.

Tulang belut.

2008-07-24T01:55:00.003+08:00

In my 32 years of life, I have never, ever sewn anything before. EVER.
Well, not from scratch, anyway.
But I guess there is always a first to everything.

The motivation to sew?
None.
One day, I just woke up and felt like it.
Yeah, same goes to my sudden urge to bake something.
I just woke up and felt like baking a couple of days ago.
But that's another story for another day =).

So, I bought 1 1/2 meter of kain murah (really cheap : RM3.00 per meter), alah, those cheap cotton material with tiny floral imprints tu, and some other sewing essentials, and started to do it.
Yep..Just do it. LOL.

So, I did it. I sew my first baju kurung tulang belut for Hawra.

And the results?
Weeeell....it's about 80% done, but if I were to judge my own sewing, I'd say it's damn fugly :p
Maybe sewing isn't my thing, after all. Not all women are blessed with excellent home economics skills, I guess :p

Maybe when I'm done with it, I'll make Hawra model that ugly baju kurung for me and snap some pictures and put it on this blog for you people to have a good laugh. Hah!
If she doesn't run away from it first, that is. :p

I think I won't complain too much when my tailor charges us for RM45 per baju kurung tulang belut this coming raya. (speaking of raya, have you guys been to yours? or are you like Martha Stewart Melayu who can sew your own baju kurungs?! :p hehe)
That tulang belut is sooooo damnleceh, I tell you.
Made my eyes juling aje! Pfft.
Anyway, as I was saying, I totally understand if the tailor charges us gila-gila.Erm, but not so gila-gila lah, you get what I mean kan? :), because tulang belut is really, really hard to sew.
No kidding! Serious!

Now excuse me while I do more damage to the baju kurung..Hehe :p
Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures!

29 months...

2008-07-14T00:54:00.004+08:00

..and she's still my baby.

3 words to describe her.
Manja.
Temperamental.
Princessy.

29 months into our lives, she still never fails to amaze/amuse me.
1st borns have that kind of effect on you, I guess.

I am too lazy to write her monthly progress, because frankly, I've lost track.
What I can say is, that alhamdulillah, she's progressing very well.
Apart from her picky attitude towards food, she is all right.
So far we haven't seen anything that we can describe as 'terrible' from her, except for a few occasional tantrums here and there. But I guess that's just normal for kids her age (I hope?).

Here are my darling's latest pics. Some were taken during our quite recent getaway to Sungkai, Cameron Highlands & Genting.

At the waterfall near Felda (insert name), Sungkai, Perak.

Hot Springs @ Sungkai.

Cameron Highlands.

Pasar malam @ Cameron Highlands.

And our trip to Genting.

We took the cable car.
Care to guess Hawra's reaction? =)

And these are some of my favorite shots of Hawra.
I am sooooo desperately in love with this girl of mine.

At Genting.

She looks so mentel, kan?

The famous crystal mosque @ Trengganu. Taken on February 08.

Posing with her diaper bag.

And her favorite susu-bag.
A very late thanks to you babe! Hawra loves the bag =)
Sorry I took too long to publish the picture of Hawra posing with the bag. (I'm sure you understand why kan? hehe)

To my one and only Hawra,

I hope you understand, that when I raise my voice at you, or 'bab' your feet when you are naughty, that does not mean that I do not love you.
Never think of it that way, baby.
It is because I love you, that I try not to spoil you so much.
Because there is a fine line in between being simply manja and a spoilt brat.
I want you to be manja, not the latter, ok darling? =)

Happy 29th months, my dear Hawra.
I love you, baby, deeply.

Say Aaaah...

2008-07-04T01:48:00.008+08:00

I am going to be a dentist when I grow up.
Or maybe, a doctor of some sort.
Why, you ask?
I get to help sick people.
And they say doctors make big money (!)
Wow.
And to have "DR." attached to my name.
Dr. Hawra.
Whoa...sounds cool, innit?

No, it's me talking, really. Not Mommy stuffing words in my mouth. Errr..I mean in my blog entry.
She now has her own secret hiding place, remember?
A place where she can act like a reckless teenager, no doubt. *rolls eyes*
Well at least I am big enough to manage my own blog.
But I do hope that she'll write on this blog again some day, to bore you people about me, of course.

Anyway, back to my 'for-now' ambition. Ahakz!

Now say AAAHHHH, daddy!
Open up wide!

Good grief, daddy. You really reaally need to cut down on those ciggies. tsk tsk. *shakes head*

What? did I say something wrong? *angel face*

love,
Dr. Hawra
(sounds sooo right, doesn't it? :p)

Goodbye (sort of)

2008-06-29T02:41:00.003+08:00

I've been thinking and thinking...
perhaps it is better for me to express my inner thoughts and feelings somewhere else safe.

A place where I can be myself, no pretense, no putting up a fake front, no readers.

A place where I am free to write my utmost feelings, with nobody judging me for the things I say or do.

I do not want to taint this blog with depressing, emo, drama entries anymore.
After all, this blog was and still is meant for Hawra, hence the name hawra.blogspot.com

I can get through this, I know.
I am strong.

Happy =)

2008-06-15T02:46:00.001+08:00

Happy 28th months, my dear Hawra.

And...Happy Daddy's day, to my beloved other half.

I love you both so much.
I truly do.

love,
Mommy.

Before leaving Singapore..

2008-06-02T21:23:00.006+08:00

...it's time for some serious indulgement.

Forgive the obscenity, but Mommy didn't want me to smudge my pretty dress, see.
So she stripped my clothes and only left me with my diaper (so evil hor, my Mommy! tsk3).

Ouh...this is a first for me. Eating es-kim with only my diaper on!

sooo...sedap!
sooooo...sinful! :D

It's too bad we had to go back tonight.
Kakak Nisreen & Kakak Namirah, we'll have to postpone our cupcake baking session to a later date la eh.
I can't wait (to make a mess in the kitchen..teehehehe) =)

love,
Hawra.

Dear Daddy

2008-06-02T13:00:00.002+08:00

Mommy told me that you are soooo missing me.
I miss you too, but I'm having so much fun here in Singapore..teeehehe~
Alah...just a few days away from me, you don't miss me that bad, do you? *angelface*
Mommy told me that you're coming here tonight to fetch me & Mommy, right? Alah...I was just about to hang out with the hot chick,Ooyah and her adorable mama, Aunty Fadelinah tomorrow. Habis la my plans to do catwalk with her...hmphh!
Well, it's not like we're never, ever, gonna come back here, ever again, kan?
We are coming back here, right, Mommy?
I wanna go to the ZOO!!!!! *big smile*

Anyway, as promised, here are my pictures that you requested.

bloggers, bloggers..on my blog...who is the fairest of us all?
(ouh...ouhh...pick me! pick me!!!)

Of all the nice places in City Plaza, atas tangga jugak posing!

Hawra berfeeling princess..hehehe

Do I look like a senoritta? :D

p.s : To all of my mommy's friends, Mommy is reaaally really sorry that she is not able to meet up with you aunties :( But we do hope to make it the next time round, insyaLlah!

love,
Hawra.

Oh Crap.

2008-05-31T23:46:00.002+08:00

The husband has informed me that our ext HDD crashed yesterday.
What's most frustating is, we lost MOST of Hawra's baby pictures!! *sobs*
It has happened to a kroni before, so I should've known better.
BENCI!!!!!

On a brighter note, today was awesome.
Ok I know I sound like some teenage girl who just went out on a date, but yeah..I'm that happy =)

Spent the morning making capatis for Mak, then around 1+ pm, went out to Tampines Mall with Hawra, Namirah & Nabilah. The original plan was to go to Penin, but I just can't handle Hawra constantly wanting me to 'KONG' her (patah pinggang makcik!)
Bought a pair of black tights for Hawra. Been wanting to buy black tights for her since before the day she was born, and now after 2 years and 3 1/2 months did I only manage to get my hands on one. And cheaper, too, than those online shopping blogs selling it. I is SO puas hati =)

Then went to have early dinner with Kak Tika & Abang Olan at Arnold's City Plaza. The mob was unbelievable. Sheesh.

Took some pictures, but maybe I'll upload later on another post.
I know you're missing your daughter, Abang. I will upload as soon as I can, ok ;)

I am exhausted (thanks to myself for not unloading the stroller from the car when husband sent us off here. Haizzz) while Hawra on the other hand is now acting like a jumping jelly bean on Mak's bed. Perhaps I fed her too much chocolate just now. Sugar rush la tu agaknya..hahaha!

Oh and Red, congratulations on being a full certified bimbo eh.
Better study hard, or else if you fail in your studies and become a bibik, confirm kena sack by your mem if you say, "maaf buk, saya tak tahu bikin susu!"
Ok, Kidding! But seriously, you need to improve your babysitting skills lah :P
Have fun in Thailand!

To friends emailing me for meet-ups, thank you so much!! I am currently busy having fruitful bonding sessions with my mom these few days, but insyaLlah, I will contact you all so we can meet up before I head back to Malaysia ok! Sayang korang many many tau *muacks*

Gotta split. Hawra needs her su-sou (read : susu).
I love Singapore =)

Just a note..

2008-05-29T00:37:00.002+08:00

..that Hawra & I are now safely in Singapore.

I is so happy!!!

Happy Birthday!

2008-05-22T14:11:00.002+08:00

To my dearest sis Tika.

Happy Birthday, sis.
I love you, no matter what you might think of me right now.

May Allah bless you with all the best things in life and after, amin!

Sometimes.

2008-05-13T16:23:00.002+08:00

Sometimes, I wish this was all a bad dream. That Hawra would wake me up from this bad dream I'm having with her slobbery kisses, whispering to my ears, "wekaap, Mommy!!".

It's getting harder to keep a straight face and hurt the people you care so much about with the words you say.

I wish I could just, you know, come clean.

If only it were that simple.

Sigh.

Another year...

2008-05-02T16:34:00.002+08:00

...gone by.

"Mommy, you 'ooooll", says Hawra (imitates apek bongkok, both hands behind back, complete with slouched shoulders).

Gee...thanks anakku sayang.

Sigh.

Save the Cheerleader, save the world.

2008-04-15T14:34:00.003+08:00

Hello all you beautiful people.
I am back. Maybe not for good, but hey, at least I do some updates to tell you beautiful people that I am doing a-o-kay.

I recently took up a new hobby. And that is...

C H E E R L E A D I N G !!!

Now let the pictures do the talking, aite?

Ready?
O K A Y !!!

Gimme a H.A.W.R.A !!!

Gimme a K.A.L.K.A.I.L !!!

G OOOOOOOOO HAWRA!!!!!!

Oooof...I'm tired lah sey... Amacam sheep-sheep? Gerek tak I gelek? kuikuikui

Too bad there's only one outfit, or we could've formed a pom-pom gegerl team kan? kan?

Thanks for lending me your outfit, Kakak Nabilah's bear-bear.
Merasa I jadi cheerleader! :)

lots of love,
Hawra.

Oh Hello. =)

2008-04-11T11:18:00.002+08:00

Boy...is it April already?

I can't believe how fast time really flies.

Been busy, busy, busy with Hawra & stuff, that I can't seem to find the time needed to do a proper entry.

Hawra is growing rapidly fast, learning new things almost everyday. She's a bit slow on the speech side, though. Should I worry? Hmm...

Kerepek business is doing great. Too great, too, if I might add, that once I hit the sack, I hit it damn good, I tell yewww...

So many meaningful important events come and go, with me failing to do a proper mention in this blog. My Kak Aton's birthday. My niece, Namirah's birthday. My kroni's anak's birthday, Irfan Adam. :(
This is soooo depressing.
But I hope you guys will understand my current situation.

I have so much to share, honest.
But the timing is not right. Not yet.

In the mean time, these are some of Hawra's latest pics.
She's grown so much for the past few months, hasn't she? :)

At a kenduri recently.

Doing her monkey thingy. =)

MeooOOOoOOooOooowwwwwwwWWwwwWww!!!

thank you to all you well wishers.
My mak is doing better, alhamdulillah..

We are now...

2008-02-20T23:45:00.004+08:00

in Singapore.

The bad news is, My mom has been fighting for her life @ CGH's MICU for the past two days. :(

The good news is, this evening, sometime after isya', she was transferred to the general ward. :)

SYUKUR ALHAMDULILLAH.

I have a favour to ask from my fellow muslim readers.
Please spare a duá for my mom, pretty please.

It's almost 12, and I need to rest, badly. Tomorrow is yet another day @ CGH.
Thank God, Hawra has been such an angel.

Nitey nite all. *yawns*

Dear Hawra

2008-02-14T15:45:00.003+08:00

My dear Hawra,

Today, exactly 1.09 pm, you are officially 2.
Seems like yesterday giving birth to you, and though the pain was too much for me to bear, it was worth it.
You are worth my every sacrifice.

I am sorry for not being able to do anything fancy for you this year.
No big birthday bash.
No balloons.
No streamers.
No party hats.
No cake.

Err, well..maybe we will get you a cake later tonight, just a small one, to remind you and me of our 2 years of wonderful mother & daughter journey together :).

I may not be as good with words as Nunu's momma.
I may not be as artsy and crafty as Irfan's mama too.
I can only give you my promise that I will try my best to be the best mom for you.
Oh, that and also cook for you dap-dap (read:sedap-sedap) food for you to eat, ok ;)

I find it hard to make you smile for the camera nowadays.
However, this is an exception.

Ooooh...Miss Grumpy!
At Sutra Beach Resort. Our chalet was right smack in front of the beach.
The waves were too noisy that night, I had a bit difficulty trying to sleep..lol! :p
The Aryani fully booked la, babe!

See what I mean? The perangai you do each time I whip out the camera to take your pic? Haizzzz...

ps : Hawra would like to say a million thanks to all her birthday wishers, and those who susah-sussaaaah jerrr posto-ed her birthday pressies :)
A million thanks to you all. Muackss!! XOXOX

She's almost 2!

2008-02-13T13:56:00.002+08:00

Another day to go
before my baby turns 2.

A proper update tomorrow, perhaps. ;)

MySacrifice

2008-01-29T16:00:00.000+08:00

while I've been away..

This is what sticking together is all about.

For better or for worse.
Through thick and thin.
Through hell and heaven.

This is my sacrifice.
Because we're in this together.

THIS IS L O V E.

My Furry Friends

2008-01-10T23:42:00.000+08:00

One of the nice things about being a girl is that you'll never be laughed at,
or be called a 'sissy' (whatever that means) if you have a collection of
soft toys as your 'besties'.
Here are my furry friends.
I *heart* them.

Eh?
Wait se-minute.

MOOOOM-MEEEEE!!!! I am no munkii okay?! I am Dora, the explorer!
Tsk.

Now this is the picture you're supposed to see.

I'm still gonna need to get myself an elephant, a monkey, an alligator,
a zebra, a baby jaguar, and I'm all set to open a mini zoo..teehehe :D

As I was saying, I love 'em.
I play masak-masak with 'em.
I feed 'em my food.
I feed 'em my binky.
I line 'em up in one (not so) straight line and read my books to 'em.
I tuck 'em to bed before I myself am being tucked in.
I would've bathed 'em too, but Mommy would create such a fuss if I did.
You know how moms are. *rolls eyes*.

Oh well.

I hope it's not too late to wish you all a very happy new year.
And to all my muslim friends, Selamat Menyambut Tahun Hijriah Baru 1429 :)

Ooops, I gotta go now. Mommy has just threatened to throw Sheep-sheep into the dustbin if I leave her to guard the front door.

Oh, by her, I mean, sheep-sheep. Not Mommy, of course.
You think IGILA issit telling my Mommy to guard the front door?!
She guards me, and only me.
Because she always whispers to my ears that she loves me very much, and will guard me with her life.

Aaww..and for that, Mommy, I will add you to my furry friends clan.
You'll be my No.1 TEDDY, ok?
But you haven't any fur on you. So, how? :p

p.s : And Mommy, don't you know that Sheep-sheep will make a very fine watch-dog? err, I mean, watch-sheep?

Back at One.

2008-01-07T16:03:00.000+08:00

I have been procrastinating a lot of stuff for the past month.

I have loads to share.

But somehow, I feel like something is amiss.

My blogging mojo, I can feel, is waning.

Oh, that and also the fact that it has been a crappy start to a supposedly better new year.

We're kinda going through a rough patch right now. Please don't ask.
Suffice to say, I hate mayflower.

Please pray that things will turn out fine for us, ok?

Thank GOD we have each other. And for that, I won't complain too much.
Thank You, ALLAH.

So, for the sake of a few who care still about us, and wondering why we're MIA-ing from the blogsphere, here are a few pictures of my angel and her (menyibuk) mommy. It's a kind of a sign that, yes, we're still here. And no, we didn't move the blog elsewhere.(too damn leceh..time consuming..etc etc)
Thank you for still caring. (everybody now.. Aaaaawwwwww.... hehehe)

Our short weekend getaway to Banda Hilir, Malacca, last december.

We had fun at Malacca, didn't we, baby?

Hawra having fun at the kiddy pool.
We spent 2 nights at Equatorial Melaka.

Missed me? ^_^

p.s : And Hubby, we'll get through this together like we always do. I'm always right beside you, no matter what.

This one's for you, baby.

2007-12-21T03:47:00.000+08:00

My dear Hawra,

I have always loved Mariah Carey's voice.
I was listening to her old skool songs, and this song made me think of you.
This one's for you, baby.

Just remember, no matter how grown up you will be in these coming years, you will always be my baby.
And I will always be there for you.
You can always count on me (yeah, ME, baby. Not Barney, hokay? *rolls eyes*)

One day when you are older, I hope you will come across this entry.
And if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, please, do not hesitate to come to me.
I'll be here, baby.
Whenever you call me.

Whenever You Call - Mariah Carey feat Brian McKnight

Love wandered inside
Stronger than you
Stronger than I
And now that it has begun
We cannot turn back
We can only turn into one

I won't ever be too far away to feel you
And I won't hesitate at all
Whenever you call
And I'll always remember
The part of you so tender
I'll be the one to catch your fall
Whenever you call

And I'm truly inspired
Finding my soul
There in your eyes
And you
Have opened my heart
And lifted me inside
By showing me yourself
Undisguised

And I will breathe for you each day
Comfort you through all the pain
Gently kiss your fears away
You can turn to me and cry
Always understand that I
Give you all I am inside

I won't ever be too far away to feel you
And I won't hesitate at all
Whenever you call.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just remember, baby.
I will always be there for you, I promise.

So much love in love with you,
Mommy.

The Number 2.

2007-12-14T15:11:00.000+08:00

Now I know I keep repeating the same words over and over again each time the 14th comes, but I have to say it again.

TIME SURE DOES FLY BY.

There, I said it. Shoot me.

Can you believe it?

Today Hawra turns 22 months.

In exactly 2 months from now,

she's going to turn

2 .

As much as I am looking forward to the day, I am also dreading the fact that Hubs may not be able to join us on Hawra's big day. :(

Oh well. Too early to panic, innit?

aaaaanyway.

Alhamdulillah, Hawra is a healthy active toddler.
To date, she has only had flu about 3 times, and fever, erm, 3 times too?
Recently, she had a slight temperature because of teething.

She's quite a fussy eater, like she has always been.
Sometimes she would eat like there's no tomorrow, but sometimes she would simply clamp her mouth shut and refuse to eat anything we feed her.

Her vocab has also expanded, and I don't think I quite remember all the words she now knows. Some of the words that I do remember are: Mommy, Daddy, Mak (Hub's mum), Ma' To' (my mum), A-yah (Hub's Dad), Ka-kak (Kakak), Baby [points to herself :) ], Cat, Dog, Sheep-sheep (her fave soft toy-she adores it so much), lion, hoss (horse), fishie (fish), teddy, bunni (bunny), binky, blankie, shoe, socks, milk, yak (when she make poopoo), shee-shee, car, haa-gis (her huggies diapers), monkey, a-syik (nasi), eat, no, yes, o-kay, uh-oh...

there's quite a number more, but tak ingat ah!

Additional body parts she knows : Head, feet, bum
Me: baby, show me your bum. Hawra : (pats own diapered bum)

Current faves : Hi-5, Sesame Street (thank GOD for youtube) and *gasp* BARNEY!

Loves mirrors, helping me with the laundry (this always makes my heart melt!), playing dress up with me (yes, me. You should see her purse her lips when she sees me applying lipcolor. lol!), pose for the camera, (try to) sing along her fave tunes, and of course, dancing!

Speaking of fave tunes, in addition to the nursery rhymes cd she will ask me to play for her everyday without fail (more than 10x weh!), she has one current favorite song.
One day, we were tuning in to Fly.fm, and Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry was on air, and she sang along! Well, not the whole song, of course. Just the "Don't Cry" part.
But it sounded more like "Don Kwaaai...don kwaaaiii" Hahahaha!! :)

Am I overdoing it? Too much information eh? :)
...................................................................

Ok, ok..moving on to the pictures :)

With her sheep-sheep.

Posing for the camera.

At Equatorial Bangi.

With Daddy on the merry-go-round.

And finally, the pictures taken on The Eye On Malaysia. Yes, finally I got myself a new charger.

With Kakak Ad, waiting for our turn.

We're almost there!

Me? Hyperventilate? where got?!

Admiring the view from the top.

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

Happy 22nd months, darling.
You are exactly who you are.
My love.
My angel.
My baby.

For my Mak Tok

2007-12-06T15:17:00.000+08:00

Dear Mak Tok.

It's been so long since you last came to KL.
We miss having you here.
Don't you miss Mommy and, most importantly, MOI?
I promise I'll bring you to your favorite Tosai @ Mahbub's EVERY DAY.
I promise.

I now know lots of new things, and am dying to show 'em to you.
I call out "Maa-Too'" each time Mommy shows your pictures to me.

Hello, Mahbub's? I want to order some tosais for my Maa' To'.

2 Paper Tosai.
1 Masala Tosai.
and 1 Ghee Tosai.

Yes, yes..you heard me right.
My Maa' To' loves tosai!

Oh Mak Tok, we miss you so much!
Please come soon. :(

love,
Hawra.

DAMMIT!! because...

2007-11-28T13:45:00.000+08:00

...my batteries charger died on me.
I was hoping to upload pictures taken on The Eye On Malaysia, but I guess that'll have to wait till a later date. Will need to scout for a new charger this weekend.

ILs are here for the rest of the week, till sunday.
Hawra is having sooo much fun with her 'gang'.
The house is in a mess, but I just couldn't be bothered to drag my ass and clean things up thoroughly (I am pretty anal about cleanliness, if you must know) and just learn to relax and 'go with the flow'.

Anyhow...here are 2 of my favourite pics of Hawra taken a couple of weeks back.

No time yet to scrap, as nephews tend to hog the notebook whenever they're around.
Just a quickie update to tell you all that I am still (very much) A L I V E.

Till the next entry, I leave you all with my darling's pictures. [Especially you, Mak. When are you coming to KL? Miss you, you know :( ]
Lots of love from me & Hawra.

Beautiful 21

2007-11-14T16:49:00.000+08:00

Another month gone, just in a blink of an eye.
You, my darling Hawra, are just 3 months short of hitting the big 2.

Where has the time gone to?
Sigh.

Your baby fats are all gone.
No more chubby cheeks.
No more thunder thighs.
Sigh.

You're no longer a baby :(.

But you will always be my baby.

Happy 21 months, angel.
Please continue whatever it is you do everyday.
Your smile, your laughter, your antics, your silliness, your tantrums..
Just bring it on, I don't mind.
Because you are never too much for me to handle.

Love,
Mummy.

Hungry?

2007-11-13T13:40:00.000+08:00

My latest experiment.

I didn't bake the buns, of course, nor did I make the sausages from scratch, or the mayonnaise too, for that matter.

I only experimented the relish recipe. *sheepish smile*

Inspired after grabbing a bite at our favorite food haunt, 1901, I went home, googled the recipe and made my own jar of this sweet thang! I just looooove 1901's sweet relish, and it took me quite a while to actually identify what the ingredients were.
I still can't believe it was so darn easy to make! Should've made this yonks ago. Would've saved us so much trouble whenever we felt the crave for 1901's hotdogs.

Allrighty. Enough yapping. Time for lunch! *rubs hands gleefully*

My Guy

2007-11-10T04:22:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday, my beloved Abang.
May Allah bless you with great health, great career, murah rezeki, and most importantly, may we lead our lives together till we both grow old and wrinkled ok!
Make a wish..I may just make it come true ;)

I love you.
You know that, don't you?
Of course you do.
It's so obvious that I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with you.
Always have.
Still do.
And always will.

*go ahead people, puke all you want for all I care.. :p*

Lelong...lelong...

2007-11-05T14:52:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone!
Missed me?
Awww...I missed you all too.
Been busy with raya & stuff.
And you know lah how mothers will fuss about what we (us girls) are going to wear each time we go out. The outfits, the matching socks, the matching shoes, matching hairclips, even matching diaper bag! The list can go on, believe me.

Speaking of hairclips..

These are all mine.
And this is just 1/2 of it. Some are in Mummy's tote bag, in her jeans pocket, in her handbag, in her other handbag, in my diaper bag, in my other diaper bag, in the car, under the bed, inside the bathroom, on the kitchen cabinet..EVERYWHERE!

And yet she claims that I don't have enough to match my outfits. Hish!
She keeps on buying new ones each time we go out!
When we pass shops, and I mean, ANY shops she sees selling hair clips, she'll end up buying a few more hair clips, which (according to her) I still don't have yet.
And each time she says that, Daddy & I would roll our eyes in unison.
My Mummy, she always finds excuses to buy new hairclips for me.

Please tell me it's not just my Mummy who acts like this..this...Hairclip freak?
Please.

The Divine Will

2007-10-30T15:16:00.000+08:00

A conversation between husband and wife thru sms:

Wife : Abang, I love you..

Husband : I love you too.. Nape ayang?

Wife : Nothing.. Just felt like telling u that.

Husband : Oh, ok.

Wife : Ok fine. I just read something that broke my heart. It made me wanna hold on to you for as long as I can.

Husband : You've been bloghopping again, haven't you?

Wife : Nope. Anne gave me the link. But I know that she was a fave blogger's neighbour back in Coventry.

Husband : So what happened?

Wife : Her husband succumbed to cancer last night. And I'm afraid of losing u the way she lost her husband.

Husband : Inna lillah wa inna ilaihi raji'un. Sedekahkanlah fatihah pada almarhum suami dia.

Wife : Abang? Promise me you won't go before me, ok?

Husband : Insya Allah...jodoh, ajal & maut di tangan Allah. Ini semua qada' & qadar, ketentuanNya.

...

...

...

Qada' & Qadar.
Ketentuan Ilahi.

I am devastated.

Even though I don't know her personally, but as a wife, my heart goes out to her and her 4 small kids.
I don't know if I will ever have her strength and will to move on if I were faced with this ultimate test.

He just turned 38, by the way.

It's true, then.
Life is too short to be wasted.
Make the best of it with the ones you love.

*al-fatihah buat almarhum suami Mrs D.*

Thank you, Anne, for sharing. *hugs*

It's getting to me..

2007-10-29T02:35:00.000+08:00

..really.

Age is catching up with me.

How can I forget that I owe Wan & Mak Nunu tags. *palms face*

I am sooo...soo...sorry u guys!
Didn't mean to..but I guess, it just slipped my muddled mind. Hish.

Ok, so now it's time to 'bayar hutang' no...

1st one from Anne.

Thank you, thank you *waves hand to audience*
I am so flattered, I really am. (eventho it's a tad too late for me to be flattered! the award was passed to me yonks ago!)
Does this mean that I'm nice? Aaaw...so shweet of you.
speechless weh!
Hope you won't change your mind when we meet up some day. lol *wink wink*

I will now pass this award to my fellow bloggers:

1) Delina (cikgu paling shweet)
2) Faye
3) Effa
4) Duwi
5) Nadia
6)Wan

No..no.
You guys are not obligated to respond to this meme.
The reason I'm handing out this award to you guys is simply because you guys are
sooo schweet & nice to me.
tapi kalau nak bikin gak, lagi bagus! lol ;)

...

...

Ok, 2nd one is from Wan.

:: Puasa & Raya questionnaire ::

Sejak bila anda mula berpuasa penuh??
Puasa penuh? err..primary 2? Puasa penuh sebab malu kawan2 semer posa penuh..tak nak ketinggalan.

Pernahkah anda ponteng puasa dan apakah alasannya??
Eh, tipu la kalau tak pernah.
Ponteng puasa, tapi senyap2, minum air dalam bilik dgn 2 sepupu. tapi terkantoi dgn mak..
apa lagi..kena paksa makan pisang 1 sikat..macam nak pecah perut...hurhurhur
takde alasan pun ponteng, saja gatal. lol.

Adakah anda pernah bermain bunga api dan mercun??
Pernah! Selalu! cuma meriam buluh je tak pernah rasa...

Juadah apakah menjadi kegemaran anda sewaktu berbuka??
Buka posa yer? Tak kisah la apa pun..tak cerewet.
Tapi time sahur tu yg cerewet sket. Menu tiap2 hari time sahur: nasi putih, makan dengan sotong ball & fish fingers.
Kalau takde tu dua, rela tak sahur.

Lagu raya manakah yang anda suka??
Erm..M Nasir's Satu Hari Di Hari Raya.

Tahun ini anda beraya di mana??
Singapore!!! yey...Hawra dapat collection!

Pernahkah anda bertugas di hari raya??
Tak pernah langsung, & rasanya kalau kena bertugas, amik MC kot..lololol

Apakah kenangan paling manis di hari raya??
Balik kampung, jumpa nenek. I miss my nenek :(

erm..dah 2 minggu dah raya, ada lagi ke org nak sambung legacy ni? lol.

O-kayyyyyy.

Went to Ikea just now to window shop, and ended up being jealous.
Jealous of who?
Who else? Those rich people, lah! Splurging money all around us, shopping like there's tomorrow.
Wah..shopping sakan eh?
So much money?
Payday issit?! Pfft.

Ok, it's 3 am. I need my beauty sleep.
Nitey nite.

*anne, I knoww I owe you another meme. Bear with me, k? I blogstipated nih!*

Aku Melayu.

2007-10-25T21:53:00.000+08:00

First things first, Happy 20th Month to my darling Hawra.
Wouldn't want to bore you all with her milestones this time, cos trust me, this is gonna be one helluva long entry with tons of pichas. *i see some of u yawning already* :p

I will write today's entry in Bahasa Melayu pasar.
To those Malays who claim they don't know Bahasa Melayu, screw them :p

Setelah sekian lama, akhirnya dapat jugak update blog yang dah lama bersawang ni.
Tugas sebagai surirumah, memang betul2 menguji kesabaran.
Semalam, tiba2 je badan Hawra panas. Demamnya membawak sampai ke pagi tadi.
Tidur pun merengeeeeek aje. Kesian betul.
Nasib baiklah pagi tadi, demamnya dah kebah. (ha ha ha pandai2la korang yang tak faham perkataan2 yang aku guna ni cari dalam kamus yer! kwakwakwa)
Anak Demam = anak merengek = anak tak lena tido malam.
Jadi, anak demam = ibu bapa yang tak cukup tido.

Oklah, tanpa membuang masa, kupersembahkan gambar-gambar yang sempat ku'tangkap' (lol).

Sampai je Singapore, malam tu tanpa membuang masa, kitorang ke Geylang dengan Kak Tika & Abg Olan. Crowded, tapi best!! Teringat masa zaman kecik2 dulu, Abah & Mak suka bawak pergi Geylang. Memang seronok sangat. Nak beli tu, dapat..nak beli ni, dapat...maklumlah, jalan dengan boss & mem! Hehe :D
Ini yang membuatkan aku terfikir sendiri. Mungkin generasi sekarang ni lebih suka habiskan masa merayap dengan kawan2 sebab mak bapak sendiri jenis yang amalkan sikap 'don't-like-crowds-so-better-avoid' sejak diorang kecik lagi.
Yelah, dah mak bapak tak suka tempat yang sesak camtu, kan..sape lagi nak temankan kalau bukan kawan2. Dan bila masing2 dah jadi mak bapak budak, kita pulak 'turunkan' sikap macam tu dekat keturunan kita. So, siapa yang harus dipersalahkan?
Sendiri mau ingat la..

Ok, so I digress kejap..

Hawra & Zali, tengah enjoy di bawah sinaran lampu lap-lip kat Geylang.
Tak dinafikan, kitorang takjub dengan Hawra yang nampak cool je tengah2 Geylang yang panas malam tu.

Dalam tempoh seminggu tu, dapat la aku buat 5 jenis kuih dengan kakanda2ku.
Seronok sangat, sebab dah lama tak buat kuih sama2 macam tu.
Gambar kuih...err, takde. Tak ingat pulak nak amek gambar. Boleh gitu? :p

Di pagi Hari Raya.

Bersama keluarga di Singapura.

Malam hari raya, hati aku diusik rasa sayu.
Teringat bagaimana almarhum Abah bertakbir di malam raya, atas sejadah hijau favoritenya. Dah 3+ tahun Abah pergi meninggalkan kami.
Dalam hati aku terdetik, kalaulah Abah masih ada, dah tentu atas ribanya penuh dengan cucu yang berebut nak duduk atas riba, termasuklah Hawra.
Aku rasa terkilan + sedih sikit, sebab Hawra tak berkesempatan untuk jumpa Abah, tak macam cucu2 Abah yang sebelumnya. Sempat merasa bermanja dengan Abah.
Hawra cucu pertama dalam keluarga yang lahir selepas Abah meninggal dunia.

Abah, kami rindu padamu.
Semoga Allah tempatkan Abah di kalangan hambaNya yang soleh, amin!
*alfatihah*

....

.....

.......

Hari raya pertama, sehari suntuk ikut Kak Tika beraya. Aku & Zali tak kira la diajak beraya ke mana pun, yang penting Hawra dapat duit collection..he he he :)
Bolehlah..balik modal. Lepas duit tol & duit minyak keter! kwakwakwa..joking!
Mana boleh pau duit anak weh! Tak baik woo...

Malam tu jugak Zali bawak balik JB, sebab pagi raya kedua tu, nak convoy dengan ipar2ku. Kluang, Melaka, Muar..semuanya jauh2. Sampai Mutiara Rini pukul 4 pagi.
Tak pernah dibuat dek orang.

Rindu nak tengok Hawra?
Nah!

Hawra ni memang pantang tengok kucing. Habis dia nak ramas. Nak cium.

Look into my eyes...When I count to 10..you will no longer be a kitty..You..will...be...a..monkey!

Bapak, rempit. Anak? drift kot...ahaks!

Hawra & Ad.

Ad, Hawra, Me & Afreen.

Afreen with her bro - Wafi, and kuzzin Hilmi.

With Nur Aina Khalisha, Zali's kuzzin, Faizal's newborn baby girl.
Born a day before raya.
Nasib baik tak taruk nama, Siti Aidilfitri or something..hahaha

Beraya rumah Wan Rodiah, sampai atas katil!

So, where are we heading next? I text them first ok, Daddy? So they can get my duit collection ready.

Oklah, cukup2lah untuk ari ni.
Seronok jugak eh tulis entry dalam Bahasa Melayu.
Lain kali bolehla buat lagi.
Bukan apa...kita ni orang Melayu. Dah dalam IC tu, nama Melayu, bangsa keturunan pun Melayu, janganlah dok claim tak tahu sepatah haram Bahasa Melayu.
Bangga sangat boleh berbahasa Inggeris, sampaikan ngaku konon tak reti cakap Melayu.
Piirah! Sambal belacan ko reti makan pulak eh?
Meluat tau tak?! puik..

Memang betullah..Melayu mudah lupa! tsk.

Selamat Hari Raya untuk semua pembaca!

with a miau-miau face like this, how much duit raya can I get? rm5? rm10? oo..rm50? hihihihih *cheeky laugh*

I'm a Lion..Meooowww!

2007-10-08T09:17:00.000+08:00

We are now in Singapore, yippaaaa!!!

We reached Wak's house on Friday night safely, alhamduliLlah.
On saturday night we went to Geylang with Cik Tika & Unkle Olan.
Contrary to Mummy & Daddy's belief, I behaved VERY WELL that night.
Cik Tika commented that "she is a very good girl! panas-panas macam gini pon tak nangis eh?"
See Mummy? I'm good what!!! :p

Mummy snapped a couple of pics, but she's now too busy baking kuih to upload pics.
Daddy went back to KL yesterday :(
He left Wak's house while I was having my afternoon nap. Hmph. The nerve! :(

ok then, can't blog much. Cik Tika is here so I'm now gonna help my mummy and aunties bake kuihs now! nyum nyum nyummmm...

She's 19!

2007-10-03T13:47:00.000+08:00

I am to be blamed for missing out on Hawra's 19 month update.
As much as I wanted to blog on that date, there were other more pressing matters which required my attention.
That, and the fact that a few days after 14th september, I actually totally forgot that I haven't done her 19 month update! *slaps forehead*
What is wrong with me?!
She's not even 2 yet and I already forget to do her monthly updates?! *slaps forehead summore!*

The days have been passing by freakingly fast. I haven't had enough of Ramadhan and already Syawal is approaching us at a very alarming speed!
I have just done some bling-bling sewing on me & Hawra's baju kurung. Yippee!!
And tonight I am going to start on another bling-bling project.

Ok, so I digress..
Can't help it mah..raya mood already sinking in! kwakwakwa.

Where was I? Oh, Hawra's updates. Riiight.

..

..

..

Nothing much really. She's as chatty as ever, loves books, adores her soft toys (which, according to her are all 'gehlllls' like her - including Mr. Garfield. Yep, Garfield has gone girly..lol).

She now enjoys adults food as much as we do. Her appetite is better now, alhamduliLlah. No more trying to force feed her. Whenever she sees food, be it on the table, or on the tv screen, she will say, "Nak..Nak..", or "Nyum nyum nyum!!"
She likes to brush her teeth, and has 3 toothbrushes to date.
It was hard to get her to actually like brushing her teeth at first.
It used to be, "Hawra, you want to brush your teeth?", which her answer would be a definite NO NO NO NO NO!!! (siap wags finger tau!!).
So, we changed our tactics. We bought another 2 brushes, and whenever she had her bath, the question would be, "Okay, which toothbrush do you wanna use today?"
Haha!

She loves to sing along the ABC song, Incy wincy spider, and a number of other nursery rhymes.
And she also likes Rihanna's Umbrella song, especially the ella-ella-eh-eh-eh part.
But hers sound more like, ek-ek-ek. Hehe.
Oh, that and Gwen Stefani's sweet Escape, the "Woohoo Woohoo" part. Kekeke!
Another song is the Rasa sayang song. She will clap her hands and sway her body while trying to sing along..hihihhih.

She still loves mirrors, and loves getting dolled up. But that doesn't mean that she's gone all girly, you know! She still enjoys playing ball. *ada harapan jadi soccer chick la..hehe!*

Certain parts of body she recognizes when asked : Eyes, nose, ears, teeth,hands, belly button, head, legs.

Favorite word of the month : "Uh-oh" when something goes wrong. I.e, she spills something, boinked her head, tripped, did something wrong.

Current fave book : I wanted to be, written by Shirley Jackson, from Ladybird books.
- mummy : I wanted to an astronaut..but Mum said..
-Hawra : NOOO! no-no-no-no-no *wags finger*.

Numbers : 1 - 10. (but she will NEVER count in front of strangers. apa laaa!)

..

..

..

Another couple of days and we'll be leaving for SG to spend the remaining Ramadhan & celebrate raya. Yippeee!! I can't wait!
Hawra, get your raya-bag ready baby! We're gonna do some serious collection! Hehe :p

Oklah, can't blog much today. I have some BAHARAT to blend, to bring back to SG.

p/s : wan, besok yer k lin do ur tag? muahs!!

Junkie Monkey Mommy

2007-09-27T02:19:00.000+08:00

This is so freakingly, bizzarely, ACCURATE!
(in my case, that is.)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

So I'm a JUNKIE MONKEY MOMMY then?
Hmm. *ponders*

The Kid.

2007-09-19T14:37:00.000+08:00

This is a tad too late for an update, but I don't care.
I have some pictures of Hawra I wanted to share.

Our latest trip to Singapore was so much fun.
Hawra wasn't as clingy as she used to be, alhamdulillah.
She mingled around really well with her cousins.
And she would follow just anybody who sets their foot outside the house.
So, all they had to do was stand outside the gate and reach out to her, and she would immediately want to follow. Hahaha!

The tahlil was led by zali. And it went well, alhamdulillah.
It was held for my almarhum Abah, Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed (al-faatihah).
Semoga Allah tempatkan ayahanda bersama hamba-hambaNya yang soleh, amin! *sobs*

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Anyway..

These were some of the pictures snapped after the tahlil.
Some of it are blurry, because yours truly left the cammie with her niece and trusted the niece to snap proper pics :p hehe

This is my family.
Yes, my family is BIG.

Zali and Hawra, with my big brother Joffri, who migrated to Dubai last year, only to come back home to Singapore last month.

Me with my beloved sister, Mustikawati.

Mak Budaks monkeying around. The girl donning the black tudung is my niece, Red.

The lovely and sweet Nisreen, my Kak Aton's youngest child.
Very helpful, this girl :)

Hawra & buku, ibarat irama dan lagu..tak dapat dipisahkan! hehe

US.

The day after the tahlil, we went to visit my almarhum Abah at CCK cemetery.
As usual, pose before leaving house.

I can't believe the mob at the cemetery. Maybe it's because it was a Sunday.
Or maybe it was due to the fact Ramadhan was just around the corner at that time so the families decided to spring clean the resting place of their departed loved ones.

We spent a good one hour at the cemetery, went to my almarhumah auntie's grave, and a few other relatives' too.

I had intended to let Hawra try goat milk for quite some time now, but couldn't find any restaurants selling them. The powdered version is too damn costly, and we weren't sure how Hawra would react to drinking it anyway, so we didn't bother buying.
So, it was fortunate that Hay Dairies Goat Farm was nearby, so we headed there to buy some fresh goat milk.

Goats' Milk is quite costly, I tell you. A 250ml costs SGD2, and a 1l costs SGD7.
But oklah, considering the goats at the dairy farm feed on alf-alf-a. lol.
Hawra didn't seem to fancy it much, but she just gulped it down without any complaints, anyway.

All right, enough yapping.
These are a couple of pictures of Hawra smooching with 'bek-bek' clan.

Come, come. I give you a kiss and turn you into a prince!

uuUUuummMMmMmuuUuaaAaaHHhhHHsss!!!
I love you kambeng.
kwakwakwa.

She kept cooing the goats "meeeww..meewww" despite us trying to correct her, saying, "no..not meww..beeekk". She even managed a scornful look, as if trying to say, "when I say it's a MEW, then it's a MEW lah!". lol!

She even refused to leave the barn, you know.
The mommy cannot tahan and left her and the Daddy to snap pictures.

Me & Red. She's 14, and she's already that tall. sheesh.

Bondaku berposing dengan susu kambingnya. lol!

Almost 20 minutes later, Zali and Hawra came out smelling like kambings themselves, especially the kid (read : Hawra).

Blueeek.

Oh well. She's my Kid, after all. harharhar!

7. And still going strong.

2007-09-16T13:09:00.000+08:00

Seems like yesterday...

We turned 7 today.
7 years.
7 great years together.
Even as time flies us by, I am glad that we are still holding strong.

We've been together through thick & thin.
We've been to hell and back.
We've went through the lowest point of our lives together,
and now we're slowly making our way to the top..together.

This one is for you.
My other half.
My significant other.
My lover.
My best friend.

Thank you, Abang, for always being there for me.
For sharing all the laughter.
For sharing my tears.
For being there beside me every night I close my eyes to sleep.

And for that, I love you.
Yes, You.
Only you.

Happy 7th anniversary, Sayang.
Today I cook maqlubah for you ok? hehe

*ya ya, I know I owe you all a post on our latest adventure in SG, but guess that'll have to wait until, erm, tomorrow, perhaps? ;)
I want to be jiwang-karat-nak-mampus today can?! :p

Singapura oh Singapura

2007-09-07T12:37:00.000+08:00

Singapuuuuuraaaa..
Oh Singapuuuraaaa..
Sunny island
Set in the sea..

Singapuuuuuraaaa..
Oh Singapuuuraaaa..
Pretty flowers bloom for you and meee...

*bla bla bla bla* (tak hafal lyrics)

We are leaving later this evening to Mumy's hometown, Singapore.
A kenduri will be held tomorrow at Wak Aton's place, and the whole family will be there.
YipppppeeEEeEeee!!!

But before we take a few days off blogsphere, just wanted to share with y'all some pics taken on merdeka week.

Eye on Malaysia @ Lake Titiwangsa.

Chakkkkk!!!!

With Dady on merdeka eve @ PICC Putrajaya.

Loved the fireworks that night.
I LOVE JAPAN(ese cute boys).Heehee *giggles mentel-ly*

Well that's it for today, I guess.
Need to help Mumy to do some packing.
That old lady really hates to pack.
I don't know how'd she pack our stuff without MY help. *sigh*

We'll be back on Monday, insyaAllah.
Wish us a safe journey, ok.
Muah. *blows flying kisses*

With much love,
Hawra.

Back..with a Tag

2007-09-04T16:09:00.000+08:00

Ok, ok..so I promised an update, like, almost a week ago.
I'm not even going to create any excuses. Truth be told, I am just plain L-A-Z-Y.
There.

So now I'm back. But most probably, not for good. Heh.

Anyway, I owe Anne a food tag, like eons ago.
So here it goes. So sorry babe. Better late than never, right??
Riiiighhhhtt.

Favorite Food Meme

rules:

1) Proposition: What is your favorite food in your state or country?

2) Requirements: Find some info about the food and show delicious pictures of it?

3) Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.

4) Tag Mode: You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.

I have passion for food and cooking, thus resulting into a shocking number of favorite foods.
It first crossed my mind to write about Hummus Bil Lahm, a Jordanian appetizer, which is chickpeas paste + sautéed minced lamb sprinkled with a pinch of paprika powder and served with warm lebanese bread. Hmm..yum yum!

But I changed my mind. Although it's one of my favorites, it still can't beat this.

Epok-epok, or more popularly known in Malaysia as 'karipap', is my all time favorite.
But not just any ordinary 'epok-epok'. I only eat 'epok-epok sardine'.

Here's what I found when I wiki-ed the word epok-epok:

"Curry puff is a Malaysian and Singaporean snack which is of Malay origin. It is a small pie consisting of specialised curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried pastry shell. The curry is especially thick and rich to prevent itself from running.

This snack is found at many stores, especially at Malay food stalls. The Malay version of this snack is known as epok-epok which is smaller than the curry puff. Other varies of the epok epok that is filled without chicken and half a boiled egg and an alternative is canned sardines. Curry puffs are also sold by Chinese stalls throughout the island.

Some of the more renowned curry puff includes A1 Curry Puff and Old Chang Kee. Polar Puffs and Cakes introduced the curry puff with western puff pastry, which has a different taste and shape. This version of the curry puff can be found also at Delifrance in Singapore as Curry Chicken Feuillette. Other puff snacks modelled on the curry puff concept have also been introduced. For example, A1 Curry Puff also sells puffs with sardine, yam, durian, corn and even custard filling.

In Singapore, the commonly known Old Chang Kee, has been selling curry puffs for over 50 years. Now it has outlets all over Singapore. Curry Puffs are also commonly seen in Singapore's Pasar Malams and other stalls in Shopping Centres".

Wikipedia is amazing, right? I wouldn't know what to write about karipaps, other than my love for it..ahaks~! :p

Perhaps some of you were wondering why I call it 'Epok-epok' instead of 'Karipap'?
Because that's what we call it in Singapore.
But don't ask me why it was named so, because I honestly have no idea why.

There was one time, when I was schooling in Al-Attas, my friends laughed their asses off just because I said, "Eh, boleh tak belikan epok-epok?" (read : Eh, can you buy for me some epok-epok?).
I was, like, what's so funny? :p
Turned out they don't call it epok-epok here in Malaysia, but KARIPAP! *slaps forehead*
(oooh....makcik baru tau!!! :p)

Anyway, as I was saying earlier, I only eat epok-epok sardine. MmMmm...yummeh!!

I remember craving for it when I was preggie with Hawra. Of course, lots of stalls here have epok-epok sardine. But most of 'em add potatoes into the filling.
Absolutely Bluek!
I hate it when they put potatoes in the filling. To me, it spoils the taste.
So Zali had a rough time looking for these sardines&onions-only karipap (sorry for al l the trubble I caused you, sayang! :D )
We went to more than 20 stalls selling karipap asking the same question over and over again - "Ada taruk kentang tak?"(read : did you add in potatoes?), to which the answer would always be, "Ada" (read : Yes).
Sometimes, the answer would be, "Takde..tak campur kentang pun" (read : nope,no potatoes added). So, we ended up buying a few RMs, only to find out later (to my utter disappointment) that it was full of potatoes! Double Bluek.
Predictably, I didn't eat these, so Zali would gobble 'em up in the end.

The only thing I can think of was, to make my own epok-epok sardine.
I know it's cumbersome and too painstaking, but no choice mah..
I just couldn't bear buying another plastic bagful of epok-epok and bring it back home only to find myself disappointed with the potatoes-full of epok-epok sardine!
Nak puas hati, bikin sendiri lah!
Right?
Riiiiiighhht!!

Since then, I've been making my own epok-epok sardine.
In fact, this is the third time in a span of 2 weeks I've been making epok-epok sardine. lol!
And nope, I'm not sick of it.
And I doubt I ever will..haha!

And now, for some tagging:
1. Deianira

2. Eriyza

3. Watie

4. Effa

5. Anyone.

Thanks Anne, for the tag. Made me appreciate my beloved epok-epok more. lol!

Believe it (?)

2007-08-26T12:24:00.000+08:00

Oh. My. God.

Oh My God!
Oh My God!
Oh My God!
Oh My God!
Oh My God!

I can't believe this.

Are my eyes playing tricks on me?!

I can't believe I'm featured as the cover girl for this sensational magazine!!!

And just when I thought things couldn't get any better..

This is AMAZING!!!!

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Don't tell me you guys fell for it?

LOL.

I see RED('s birthday)

2007-08-25T03:41:00.000+08:00

Just a quick birthday shout out to Ma Cuzzin, Kakak Nabilah, who is in Sunny Island Singapore.
She is also fondly known as RED among family ;).

Happy 14th birthday.
May Allah bless you with happiness, good health, and good grades. amin!

*see ya on the 7th otay! muackss!!*

18..and a quick update

2007-08-24T01:05:00.000+08:00

Cough..cough.. *blows of dust and cobwebs*

Is it just me, or do every SAHMs around the world just lack the time to write a decent entry while coping with house chores and an 18 month toddler who just can't seem to get enough of you?
I have no choice but to do some quick updates in this ungodly hours! Sheesh.

Hawra turned 18 last 14th August.

Like other 18 month old toddlers, she's very good with shape sorters and stackers.
She loves playing ball, blocks. No particular favorite toy yet. She just loves 'em all.
And she has a really special love with books, which is good, I think.

She now knows certain bodyparts like her nose, eyes, ears and belly button.

She is also extremely helpful nowadays. That is, when she's in a good mood lah. :)

Hm...I wonder where has the time gone to. Seems like she's growing up too fast I'm having troubles letting her go. I want her to stay as a baby forever, can? :p

Oh well.

We have been away from home sweet home for the past whole week, from 12th till 19th Aug, to be here. Yup, spent the whole week there with SIL and family who came all the way from JB. SIL had to attend a course from monday to thursday, and BIL & the kids followed suit on wednesday.

Hawra was of course excited to be among her cousins' company. That little girl of mine is really one friendly babe.

On sunday the 12th, we went to fetch SIL at KLIA.

But before that..a couple of quick poses before leaving home.

posing dulu, baru boleh jalan, ok Mumy?

Ok, come and hop on my ride! We can go fetch Mak Kin now!

We reached there sometime after maghrib.

Hawra had so much fun running around, dragging her blankie along, making the cleaners' jobs easier by helping them 'sapu bersih' the floor. :p

Run baby run baby run baby run..

The little girl was in such a good mood to pose for pics..hehe!

Guess who we bumped into while waiting for SIL's flight arrival?

She seemed more interested in Hawra, though. Hawra, on the other hand, looked otherwise. lol! Sorry lah yer aunty Ella ;)

Mumy ni..enter frame pulak!! syuuuhh..syuuuhh!!! :p

What's taking her so looong?

Are you sure you got the ETA right, Mumy?

Turned out the flight was delayed. Pfftttt.

On Monday, we checked in Seri Pacific.

tengah holiday pun baca buku.. Rajinnya anak omak! :)

The days we spent were pretty much the same. Went to KLCC, window shopping.

pantang jumpa kiddy ride, mesti naik. Hmph.

Went to Petrosains. Hawra mengamuk-ed halfway, due to lack of napping. lol!

She didn't seem scared at the sight of this t-rex at all.
In fact, she seemed BORED looking at it. Haha!

But we did spend a whole lotta deal of time at The Mall, as it is just across the street from where we stayed in. I even bought a new hat for her at Baby Poney's boutique.

And we went to IJN a couple of times too, to visit SIL's FIL who just had a bypass.

With Daddy dearest.

So, you like my new hat? :)

Ok, I'm done for now.

A special wish to Abg Kim!

2007-08-08T15:02:00.000+08:00

My cousin, Abang Kim, was involved in an accident near Yishun while riding his DRZ bike, and broke his arm. *OUCH*
It happened some time around last week.

Thankfully, that was all that's broken.
He is now on his road to recovery.

Looks like you're not coming to KL this august, then, Abg Kim?
Boohoo!! :(
I already planned for you to bring me to
my late nite visits to the playground, you know!
Looks like that'll have to wait. Hmph.

Boy, you sure don't look like you're in pain in this pic.
You're faking it so you can escape your NS ah?! LOL.

Anyway, have a speedy recovery ok!
And please, ride safely.
You almost gave my mummy a heart attack when she heard the news. *grins*

My new bulgy-tummied friend

2007-08-06T14:01:00.000+08:00

I made a new friend at the playground today.

His name is Irfan, and his tummy is soooo round it looks like it's gonna burst anytime!
I think he is bloated. :p

Lemme try and ask him to play ball with me.

Here lil' guy.
Let's play ball!! :)

Oh well, he didn't seem interested in playing ball with me.

Bummer. Just when I thought I made a soccer buddy.
Mebbe he thinks girls can't play ball? pfftt!!

I'll show him.

First, you gotta hold the ball tight.

Then...

You do the cheeky pose.

LOL!

Perempuan Melayu Terakhir

2007-08-03T13:26:00.000+08:00

Siapa bilang gadis melayu tak menawan?

Tak menarik hati?

Tiada memikat?

Kalaulah memang tak mungkin aku tertarik..

Kalaulah sungguh tak mungkin aku kan jatuh...

ADUHAAAAIIIII!!!

Reminiscing times...

2007-07-27T10:28:00.000+08:00

The rain went pitter-patter outside, and it reminded me of the good old days in Jordan.
Aaah yes! The dating days. *smiles dreamily*

We've been craving for arab food these past few weeks.
Maqali.
Hummus bil lahm.
Shawarma.
Mansaf.
Kibseh.
Maqluba.

A couple of weeks ago, we ate this.

Lebanese bread spread with hummus, and stuffed with fried potatoes,
eggplants & cauliflower. A.K.A : MAQALI.
This used to be our favorite, bought on a small restaurant
at the bus station in Mafraq, each time before we board the
bus back to Irbed where we stayed.

That left us wanting for more and led us to this last wednesday.

I tried cooking this before, but it didn't taste the same like the one we had in Jordan.
I think it was because I didn't add in any BAHARAT (arab spices) as I couldn't find it here.
Didn't blog about it of course back then, because I didn't even have a blog :D

This time, I included the BAHARAT into the recipe.
I googled the Baharat recipe here, went to Jusco, grabbed all the spices needed, proceeded to the counter (where the cashier shot a very funny look at me & the amount of spices that I bought), went back home & started making my own bottle of BAHARAT.

I tell you, it was worth it.

The aroma, the taste..it was exactly the same.
Zali & I had our dinner quite late that night because he had to stay back in the office until 9+.
So, when he reached home, Hawra was already sound asleep.
We had our dinner with the rain pouring heavily outside.
It was perfect.
The atmosphere, the food, US..it was Jordan all over again.

It was Jordan enough for us, suffice to say.

Wahlaaauuu so romantic! (don't puke hor! :p)

cockaDOODLEdoo

2007-07-25T14:31:00.000+08:00

First it was just color pencils.

Next, it was the crayons we bought for her at Tesco.

And then one day, this happened.

Yup. Artful pencil scribbles, right on my white white pristine wall. Haizzz...

And she even had the cheek to pose with a wide smile on her face
as if she had accomplished a very good artwork that needs recognition from both parents. Lol!

Oh well, I guess it was my fault to undermine her anyway.
I stashed the color pencils, crayons & pencils in the tv cupboard.
I didn't think she knew how to open cupboards yet!

Moral of the story?
Never, ever, underestimate your children's abilities. *grin*

Fanta(g)stic 4

2007-07-25T12:00:00.001+08:00

Wow...another two more tags in a month?
I am touched, really *grin*

Thank you Mama Irfan-The-Encem-Preppy-Tyke
for this honourable & FUN award..*drumroll*

Frankly speaking, I don't even think I deserve it, cause I don't see anything "rocking" about me anymore, except for my rocking-back-and-forth (a.k.a wobbly-jiggly) thighs. (Anne & Nadia, you know, I know lah, hor!)

And we (as in, me & Hawra) hereby pass down the award (ala2 Miss Universe 2006 passing down the crown to Miss Universe 2007) to :

Supernunu
Ooyah
Faye
Red - you still owe me a tag, you lazybum you!

Not that we think our other fellow bloggers don't 'rock'.
But today, it's all about the number 4.. hehe!

Ok...moving on to the next tag..

4-4-4-4

4 jobs in my life

1.Delifrance crew - my 1st job, right after SPM. lasted only for 1 month. Buey tahan!
2.Cashier at SOGO - my 2nd job right after I sucked at Delifrance. Lasted for a good 3 months. Then I flew to Jordan to further my studies.
3.Kindergarten teacher - During summer break. boy, was it challenging!
4.SyokAtHomeMom - The best job of 'em all. It is a job, right?

4 countries I've been to

1.Indonesia
2.Jordan
3.Egypt
4.Malaysia (hehe!) - my origin is SG, so, does this count? :p

4 of my favorite food

1.Sambal Tumis Udang
2.All kinds of pasta
3.Hummus bil Lahm
4.Sushi

4 places I'd rather be at now:
1.At home (wait a sec, I am at home! Duh~~)
2.With Hawra (Of course I'm with Hawra! Double duh~~)
3.On a holiday, anywhere!
4.On a bed, with no Hawra circling around me, poking & nudging at me to get out of bed and play with her. lol!

4 friends to tag:
1.Deianira - fair kan? One tag for you, one tag for Ooyah cutiepie!
2.Effa
3.Eriyza
4.Watie

Jet Black?

2007-07-23T15:22:00.001+08:00

Everyone says that I have jetblack hair.

What does that mean?
Does it mean there's a black jet parked on my head?!
Aiyah! I don't know..
Mumy keeps on harping about bringing me to some casting thingy.
(Ouh...is it like those spell casting thingys in Harry Potek movie that Mumy keeps on telling me she had to miss because she was worried that I would misbehave?
I mean..Me? Misbehave? Hmph. *pouts*)

Dady, however, insists that I'm not ready yet for all these castings.
Oh well, Mumy, if that's what my manager says, then too bad.

Perhaps in a few years time, your dream of me becoming
the next Sunsilk Girl will be fulfilled. Heh!
In the meantime, we'll just keep on practicing on improving my poses ok?

The cheeky pose.

The Perasan-Nak-Jadi-Model-Loreal-Elsevve pose.
kwakwakwaaaannggg

The Eksyen-Diva-Busy-Turning-Down-Job-Offers-Till-Pooped pose.

Hey! Wait a minute!
When did I pose liddat?!
ntahapapeje Mumy ni! :p

Somebody please...

2007-07-18T19:12:00.000+08:00

....babysit Hawra for me, can?

I wanna go watch my Harry Potek.
Badly.

I wish my tummy had a zipper attached to it so I can put Hawra
inside it.

Got any good spells, anyone?
Dumbledore? Help.

Busy as a bee

2007-07-17T10:17:00.000+08:00

My Girl is 17 months, as of last saturday, 14th July 2007.
No, I didn't forget.
Just that we (as in Zali, Me & Hawra) have been soooo busy that I couldn't find the time to write a decent entry on that day.
Busy doing what?
Shhh..it's a secret!

And yes, today represents yet another busy day for me..Ughh!
Loads of laundry to do..
Loads of ironing too..
Eeeeekkk!!!
But I digress.

Happy 17 months, baby!
We love you more with every breath.

..No, no pics. Too busy, remember? Ughhhh!!

Mirror Mirror on the wall

2007-07-11T18:26:00.000+08:00

ok, maybe not exactly on the wall.
I had to bring it down.

My little pumpkin is very vain nowadays.
She loves mirrors.
Everywhere we go, where there's a mirror, she will stop in front of it
and admire her own reflection! lol

Back at home, when I am busy in the kitchen, she will entertain herself
in front of the mirror. She will talk, laugh, sing (in her own way lah)
and even dance in front of it.
Haizzz...lama-lama retak jugak cermin tu..hehe!

She also enjoys watching me putting on my make up (which is rarely! heh).
I have the feeling that one of these days I might just catch her
scribbling her face using my lipstick!
I'll make sure the cammie is there when that happens.

My sweet escape.

2007-07-08T17:02:00.000+08:00

We were at the park yesterday afternoon.
I had soooo much fun running around, gazing into the big blue sky,
watching people (or at least some of them tried to) fly their kites.
I even had ice cream!
Yum yum!!!

I was high on sugar rush, and ran around like a convict
on the loose (lebih kurang macam Michael Scofield ah!).

I feel free.
I feel happy.
Aaaah....Sweet.

Soon after, I was pooped.
And I felt thirsty.
Really, reaaaally thirsty.
Mumy handed me my bottle of plain water, and I took (more like snatched) it away
from her and gulped down greedily.

Dady : "Eh! Ni apa ni? Nak jadi Mas Idayu eh?"

Mumy, who was busy fumbling with the bag's zip, immediately looked at me. Or rather, at the bottle I was holding.

Then both of them started laughing like nobody's business, right in front oh-so-many people, right there in the middle of the park!
Sheeesh.

Dady : Yang..quick! quick! take her picture!
(yup, that's what my Dady call my Mumy - Ayang. Eeeewww..too loveydovey right? Blueeeek!)

Mumy : Aaah! wait! wait! don't move! (fumbling again to unzip the darn bag)

Dady : did you bring the camera or not?

Mumy : I did! I did! Kejap ah!

The next thing I know, it was, SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

What's so funny about me quenching my thirst?

Wierdos.

Who is this Mas Idayu character anyway?
Sheeesh-kebab.

The Baby in Me

2007-07-02T13:40:00.000+08:00

I've been tagged.
Again.
Yay!!

I have come to love doing memes.
Don't know why, but I feel so...
Needed.
It's flattering when each time a friend needs to tag somebody,
the person that he/she can think of is you. Heee~~

In (late) response to Mak Nunu's tag, here is Baby Lin.

So I guess all of you know now where Hawra got that 'Rambut Terpacak' genes from.
I remember being called "CAGAT" (it's the banjarese word for 'terpacak') by my family.
I also remember being called 'Si Gigi' by my almarhum Nenek Lelaki,
due to the fact I was born with a front tooth already protruding.
Whenever he came to visit us, he will
'timang' me, saying, 'Mana si gigi mana??' (with a banjarese slang).

Yeah, the names they used to call me. *sigh*

I'm not sure how old I was at the time this photo was taken.
But I think it was around 8-10 mos, maybe?
I'll recheck with mom later.
But what I do know for sure is, this photo was taken in front of my house in Jalan Kobis.
Yup, I was born in Jalan Kobis, Singapore.
Don't bother looking up this place in the directory, you won't find it.
Jalan Kobis no longer exists.

Judging from the pictures' quality, you can roughly guess how very ~~old~~ ~~ancient~~ matured I am today. kwakwakwa

So, who are the lucky ones I'm thinking of right now?
Hmm..let me see...
1.Red
2.Wati
3.Effa
6.Faye
5.Drubilee

It's not obligatory or anything..
but I would love it if you guys could do this meme.
*step baik sket..hehehe*

Oh well, back to my daily housechores.
Hawra, come and help Mumy hang the clothes!

Malaysia's Next Top (Baby) Model

2007-06-26T15:07:00.000+08:00

I think my mumy has gone bonkers.
She keeps insisting that I act like a supermodel.
Hello, mumy..I'm barely 2 years old, you know?

Last night she ~~asked~~ forced me to don a teeny-weeny yellow headscarf.
I mean, hello? Yellow headscarf and my white nightshirt? Puhhh-leeese!
Bad sense of fashion. *sticks out tongue*
Anyway, I obliged after a few whines and pleas. I thought, oh what the heck, just let her have her way lah and then hopefully she'll leave me alone in peace.

Boy, was I WRONG!!!

This morning, after spending a good half hour in the bathroom playing bubbles, she put me through yet another torturous session of modelling.

This time, she asked me to put on the same headscarf last night, and told me to strike poses.
I was like, yellow & pink? You have got to be kidding me, Mumy!
Again, very, very bad fashion taste. Bluueeekkk!

Oh well, if you insist.

Move over Aunty ~~ex-con~~ Paris Hilton!
I'm the Next (Baby)Guess Model. *smug face*

Okay, so I may be a little too young to join any airlines cabin crew,
but you have to agree I do have what it takes to be a flight attendant; i.e. pose prettily, don't I?

Mumy was happily snapping away, while I was happily showing her my latest skill - walking backwards - when I accidentally tripped on Dady's bolster!
BE-DE-BUK!

I fell flat on my back. Even on the carpet, I can still hear the loud THUD, ok!
Being the supermodel material she wanted me to be, I started to act like one.
Yes, I did the supermodel diva tantrum thing.
Hah..take that!

So Mumy, next time you want me to model for something,
please make an appointment with my manager cum Dady, ok? Hmph.

Oh, and please. My Dady is not, I repeat, IS NOT interested in becoming an underwear model.
He is shirtless in the picture because that is his night costume, ok?

Thank you very much.

I love sundays!

2007-06-24T13:31:00.000+08:00

Sundays make everyone happy.

Dady is happy because he gets to wake up late.

Mumy is happy because she also gets to wake up late.
(well, maybe not that late..but still, later than usual!)

Me?

I'm just happy because Dady's home.

Especially today, I am happy Dady's home because I get to sit on his
belly & make funny faces till he laughs himself silly.
He will laugh until his belly 'shakes' (imagine a mini quake) and I will get my free kiddy ride.

No need to pay RM1 for a kiddy ride, I can take this kiddy ride for free! *grins*

We spent the morning lazing in front of the tv watching cartoons.
The best part is, I get to sit in the middle.
No smooching in front of me, ok Mumy & Dady. *wags finger*
I is underaged, you know!

Oh, and I have a special (yet, a very, very belated) wish for my dearest Dady.

Happy Father's Day, Dady.
I love you lots!
Oh...and Mumy says she loves you too *rolls eyes* ( sebok je :p )

Ok then. Need to get ready now.
We're going jalan-jalan.
Yaaabedaabedoooooooo!!!

Till then, y'all. *blows flying kiss*

Road Trip! Yaynesss!!

2007-06-16T10:57:00.000+08:00

We are going for a short trip to Mumy's hometown, Singapore! Yaynesssss!!!
My fellow orange anacondas, I can't wait to play with you all..heh heh
This time, I'm running babeh!

Have a great weekend, y'all, cause I know mine will be great. ^_^

*Mak Tok, here I come!!!!!

Anak Dara Mak

2007-06-14T15:16:00.000+08:00

Hawra turns 16 months today.
Yay!!

Happy 16 months, honey.
Dah besar anak mak! hehe

We're back from KL Plaza..after spending 2 days with my darling Kak Tika & her family.
It was soooo much fun. It's been quite a few months since my kakak came to KL, so we spent 2 whole days going jalan-jalan the way we used to back when Hawra wasn't around. Luckily the little girl didn't throw that much tantrums (thanks to Abg Olan - lol!)
So Hawra, next time you tunjuk kepala angin, Mumy will send you to Roslan's Army Camp ok.
Better behave yourself hor!

Too bad Hubs couldn't join us that much because of work.
Anyway, he did manage to have dinner with us at Izzi Bukit Bintang.
The cafe is nice. Too bad I didn't have the time to take any pics because I had both my hands full.
The right ~~hand~~ arm cradling a sleeping Hawra, & the left hand feeding myself Linguine.
The Linguine was ok, not that great.
But the Fettucini that Red had was, wow...POWER!!

We said our goodbyes the night after, Hawra being showered with gifts from my sister.
I think she loves that Patrick Star so much, she keeps smooching it.
Haizz...

It was a short get-together, but nevertheless, well spent.
Time sure flies by fast when you're with your loved ones. :(
Oh well, we'll be driving up to SG this saturday, anyway.
I can't wait to see Mum. Miss her so much!

The Italian (cooking) Job

2007-06-10T15:28:00.000+08:00

Il pomeriggio buono belle persone ^_^
Oh il mio dio! Non posso credere che parlo in italiano!

La ricetta di olio di aglio è perfetta!

I cooked this wonderful recipe for dinner last night.

Full credit goes to Delina dear.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. *hugs*
Your recipe got me speaking Italian, babe! kwakwakwa

You were right, it is so simple to cook, & I spent about one hour, more or less, in the kitchen. Even Hubs was impressed, saying,"Eh? Dah siap? Cepatnya!"
And it is more flavorful than the usual authentic Italian Aglio Olio! Thanks for the tips, hor!

At first, I was a bit worried.
You see, Hubs isn't the type who digs into Italian food, other than the occasional Pizzas, Lasagnas & Spaghetti Bolognaise. He's more into "hot-n-spicy-sambal food", see?
I was worried that the food would be ' tak laku '.

So, you can imagine my pleasure seeing him not only eating the aglio olio (dengan penuh semangat, you!), but helping himself to 2nd & 3rd helpings! I was smiling from ear to ear. Heeee...

When I asked, "So how? Sedap tak?", he managed to nod vigorously. lol ^_^
And in between bites, came words of compliments like, "MmmmMm".. "Sedapnya".."Very good" etc.

I sticked truly to Delina's recipe, except for black peppers & red bell peppers.
1)I didn't add in red bell peppers as I don't have any in my fridge.
2)I didn't sprinkle black pepper because :
2a. Hubs is allergic to it. Whenever he eats black pepper,
he will pay frequent visits to the loo, so I didn't dare add it in.
2b. Hawra ate the pasta with us.

But even without the red bell peppers & black peppers,
it is still delicious and flavorful. The dish didn't disappoint us at all.
Looks like Sea Creatures & Mushrooms Aglio Olio is here to stay!

For those who are curious about this recipe, you can ask for it from Delina herself. *promote sikit. hehehe*

So, Delina dear, go open a cooking blog now! I will always be your tukang test resipi. *grins*

Sambal Tumis Telur Pecah

2007-06-07T13:01:00.000+08:00

For sambal ~~freaks~~ lovers like me & Hubs.

Don't let the looks deceive u.
It may look ugly, or not appetizing, but it tastes Mmm..Mmm..good!
This recipe is very easy to cook, but as you can see, Anne, I myself can always screw up a simple recipe. *wink*
Usually it turned out fine, but this time round, it's too oily. Even Hubs complained. Oh well, sorry! ^_^

Basically, it's the usual sambal tumis recipe, only that u poach the eggs directly into the sambal, let it cook for a little while & just stir the eggs a bit to create that 'pecah' effect.

Thank you, Hubs, for garnishing this otherwise plain-red dish with cucumber & tomato slices before snapping this pic and then devouring it.

Oh...poor Hawra. It was a torture for her, watching us eat this very-red-food.
member sampai telan air liur..heh heh

Sorry honey, but you have to stick to your 'healthy-baby-food' for the time being, ok Darling? lol

The WOW Girl

2007-06-05T15:05:00.000+08:00

It's 3 pm.
The sky is dark, and my guess is it's gonna rain cats and dogs.
Yet another rainy & floody day in KL.

Hawra is napping, too pooped maybe, after a whole morning of endless gibberish babytalk.
Her favorite word these past few days : "WOW"

See cartoons on Tv, "WOW"
See alleycats at the playground, "WOW"
Touch flowers in park, "WOW"
Try to catch pigeons, she'll go "Wow! wow! wow!"
entah apa yg wow pun tak tahulah!

She has also learnt a new skill, after a couple of days of practising.
When I say "Salam", she will immediately stick out her hand (sometimes right, sometimes left..Hehe!), take my hand and bring it to her nose.
But so far, she's only willing to 'salam' my hand. When Hubs tried to get her to 'salam' him, she will only act blur, and sometimes pull away her hand!
Haizzz..macamana anak murid sorang ni?

And as you all may have noticed in a previous entry, she's dancing! Whenever she hears a tune, she will get up and dance to it, in a toddling kinda way, of course.
Her current faves are: Puteri Sitcom theme song by Amy Mastura, Jom Heboh's theme song v-clip (alah..u know where all the Tv3 personalities danced themselves silly, with special graphic effects and all) - thanks to Tv3 - & Incy Wincy Spider (siap dengan jari-jari lagi!) - thanks to Uncle Barney & frens. Heh heh.

It's so heartening to see her grow, right in front of my eyes, you know?
I can see her learning new skills day by day, and I can't help feeling lucky, you see?

I didn't think motherhood could be this fun!

And to think I once thought I could never love any other than Hubs.
Ridiculous!

Miss June 07

2007-06-02T21:38:00.000+08:00

Dear aunties & uncles, sistas & brudders, babes & dudes.

Mumy has signed me up to participate in a toddler photo contest at kindergartenmalaysia.com

If you think that I am cute enough, can you all please, please vote for me here?
Please..please...pretty please!!! *angelic face*

The Monthly Babystar Contest @ kindergartenmalaysia.com
click on the link above, please. ^_^

Oh, I am contestant No. 10, in case you were wondering, thank you.

With much love,

Hawra.

The L'oreal Girl

2007-05-31T15:34:00.000+08:00

*This is NOT a sponsored post*

I know I'm gonna regret posting this entry when I am older. Hmmm..

When I was a baby (well okay, I know I'm barely 2 years old), people around me used to say,
"Eh..rambut dia, rambut trojan lah!"
"Ee..rambut terpacak!"
"Ee..rambut dia tak cantik.."

And it sure didn't help that I loved to stick out my tongue like this!

Hmm..Sad but true.
Oy!..enough giggling already laa k!

Oh well, that was eons ago.

Thanks to L'oreal Kids' Strawberry Smoothie shampoo, I am no more a rambut-trojan girl!
And I smell like strawberries too..ihiks~!

Now I can flaunt my soft hair without people passing remarks like, "rambut durian", "rambut kalau-cicak-jatuh-terus-mati-terpacak", "trojan" etc.
Thank God!

What worries me now is that I almost used up the whole bottle that Mumy bought during our last trip to SG.
Mumy tried to look for it at Jusco, Carrefour, Tesco, Guardian Pharmacy..but to no avail!
Oh no! What will happen if I run out of shampoo??
Will I look like Lion ~~King~~ Queen??
Will people around me start passing annoying remarks at me like last time?? *palms face*

Aha! Mumy said Cik Tika is coming to KL next week!
Cik Tika, buy for me L'oreal Kids Strawberry Smoothie Shampoo when you come here, can??
Please..please..pretty please!! *bats eyelashes*
I'm sure Cik Tika won't let ~~her cute niece~~ me down.
You won't let me down, won't you, Cik Tika? Hmmmm? Won't you??

Oh well, now I think I'm up for a catwalk.

MmmeeEeeoOOoOwwwww!!!

Eid Milaad Sa'eid, Habibti!!

2007-05-22T00:03:00.000+08:00

My beloved kakak, Mustikawati, celebrates her birthday today.

Sanah helwah ya gamiiilah..
Sanah helwah ya gamiiilah..
Sanah helwah..sanah helwah..
Sanah helwah ya gamiiilah..

She's someone I admire
She's someone I can count on
She's someone who inspires me to be a better person
She's someone with style
She's someone who makes me laugh
She's someone I love

She's you my dear sister.

And I love you.

Happy Birthday!

Farnie Japs.

2007-05-21T13:15:00.000+08:00

Found this on YouTube recently.

Go ahead, watch it!
You're gonna laugh your ass off!
I almost peed watching it...waaakakaka
blardy hilarious.

Swing me!

2007-05-18T17:28:00.000+08:00

Since my mumy is currently in, err, major melancholy mode, I will attempt to enlighten her a bit by showing her pictures of her loved one.

ME.
*grins*

laju laju...buaiku laju..
aku nak kawen dengan anak rajaaaaAaAaaAaaaaa...
Hihihih!!

Err, Katak Puru??

Eeeeeeeekkkk!!!!

Torn like scrapbook paper.

2007-05-18T01:25:00.000+08:00

I can't believe I'm blogging at 1 in the morning.
I am sleep deprived, but somehow my eyes won't shut.
Perhaps I just need a few minutes to rant.
*thank you blogspot, for being here with me thru this difficult moment! chehhhh*
Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach.
I have these mixed feelings since I received some emails this afternoon.

A mixture of happiness and hope, yet laced with dread and doubt.

Oh God, I don't even know whether what I'm doing is right or not!

Should I? Or should I not?

Will I be happy? Will I be not?

I have been in Malaysia for, like, almost 6 years now, coming home to Singapore only for school breaks and holidays. I spent 2/3 of my life outside Singapore. I was sent to a boarding school in Malaysia eversince I was 13 years old. Upon finishing Sec 5, I furthered my studies overseas. Then I continued my studies in Malaysia starting year 2001, until last November.

Now, I have 3 interviews waiting in line for me, back in Singapore.
And I am now torn in between.

I think I have come to love Malaysia.
I so love Malaysia that I dread the day I will be leaving it to settle down in Singapore.
Please, don't misunderstand. Singapore will always be my home, and I will always love my Singapore.

However, I admit that I don't know much abt SG, the reason being, I am seldom there.
If you ask me to name 3 ministers, you would probably see me scratching my dandruff-free head for 1 hour & still come up with no answer. I only know the PM, Lee Hsien Loong (did I spell it correctly? Haiiiizzz..u see what I mean or not??)
But if you ask me abt Malaysia's ministers, I can name them, every single one of them.
Yes, that is how much I am attached to Malaysia.
And just the thought of leaving Malaysia, brings tears to my eyes.
Do you get what I'm trying to say or not? I hope you do.
It's difficult to explain lah..

But that is not the reason ( why I am torn in between).
This is..

I really, really, really, dread the thought of leaving Hubs all alone in KL.
It has nothing to do with trust.
You don't have to be far apart for your spouse to cheat on you.
kalau dah gatal tu, depan bini/laki pun dia boleh buat. Tak payah tunggu duduk jauh-jauh!

Oh well, let's just put it this way.
I have never been apart from him since the day we married.
Oh wait, there was one time I worked as a temp staff in SG, & Hubs worked in JB (he is a Malaysian, in case u readers haven't read my previous entries) during our term break. It was just 3 months, but it felt horrible! I was not happy, not a single bit, despite the 'boleh-tahan' pay I got.

I have never been apart from him since.

A lot is going thru my mind.
I'm not thinking straight right now.
Even scrapbooking doesn't cheer me up (it always did!)
And I feel like I'm gonna puke!
*bluuuuueeeeekkkk*

Uggghhhhh....tido lagi bagus!

Scrapperoo.

2007-05-16T18:07:00.000+08:00

Our trip to Ulu Yam earlier this month.

Oh..I'm sOoOooOo loving digital scrapbooking!!!

My new lover.

2007-05-15T15:22:00.000+08:00

I have found new love.

Oooh..I am sOooOooOoo in love with...

...

...

...

D I G I T A L
S C R A P B O O K I N G

I was googling elements to print for my traditional scrapbooking project when this website caught my eye.

Free Digital Scrapbooking
-click on link to check the website out-

I admit I am a cheapo when it comes to downloading stuff from the net, so whatever link that has the word "FREE" on it, to me was worth a click. Free mah! Who wouldn't want cute, nice pretty stuff for free, kan?
So I gave it a shot, and now I am H O O K E D.

I mean, TOTALLY HOOKED.

And this is my first digiscrapbook project.

So, whaddaya think?

Ok then, I got other stuffs to do rather than blog at the moment.
(read : I'm gonna start another scrapbooking project. Heh.)

Happy 15 months, Hawra!

2007-05-14T22:43:00.000+08:00

I have absolutely nothing to blog abt today, except for one thing.

My darling Hawra is 15 months as of today.

Wow...time sure flies by fast, huh?

Seems like yesterday she was a small helpless being who spends 3/4 of the time sleeping.

Now she's up & running & always up to some sort of mischief.
Today, she sprinkled a good bottle of talcum powder on my blue carpet.
I swear I left her for a mere minute or two to prepare her lunch.
When I came back to attend to her, there she was, happily dusting the carpet with her talcum powder! Too bad I was charging the batteries, or I would have snapped a few pics of the naughty girl for her Dady!

Did I scold her, shout at her, or smack her puffy butt?
Nah... still waaay too early. She is, after all, still a baby.
tapi kalau dah besar buat gini jugak, siap lah! Tau lah nasib awak!

I am very lucky to always be with her this past year, watching her develop, day by day, witnessing her first crawl, taking her first baby steps, her first smile, her first laugh, her first word..
I witnessed a lot of her 'firsts'.
Not many mums are as lucky as me, I think.

Happy 15 months, my love.
Don't grow up too fast, ok darling?

When parents get bored...

2007-05-12T22:29:00.000+08:00

One fateful night, a husband and his wife were bored to death.

There were no good shows on TV.

They were in no mood to surf the net.

So, they turned to a source of entertainment.

The daughter.

Poor girl. Tsk. (keh keh keh )

Alah... I will still look cute no matter what you do to me

=P

The Perfect Gift for the Not-so-perfect Mom

2007-05-11T17:12:00.000+08:00

My friends have been asking me abt how I'm gonna celebrate Mothers' Day this sunday.

This is the 2nd time I celebrate Mothers' Day.
The first time was a year back when I was in confinement after giving birth to Hawra, so there was no point celebrating. Hubs just gave me a simple wish and a kiss on the forehead, but it was enough.

So, what is my idea of a perfect Mothers' Day, you ask?

Hm..let's see.

A whole day all to myself, and only ME.
A day where I can pamper myself.
A warm bubble bath with Mozart playing in the background.
No Hawra crying.
No Hawra clinging.
No house chores to do.
No cooking.
No laundry.
No cleaning the house.
Nothing.

I just want to bask myself in 'nothingness'.

Don't misunderstand.
I do love my daughter, and can't bear to be away from her too long.
But sometimes, a woman just needs to have some quality time with her own self in order for her to emerge as a better wife, a better mum, and a whole lot better person.

I don't really care about greeting cards, flowers, chocolates or what-nots.
But of course it would be a bonus if I were presented with a greeting card & a bouquet of flowers.
I'm also not particularly choosy abt flowers, too.
To me, flowers are flowers, no matter what you call it.
Be it roses, tulips, orchids, lilies, tuberoses, or whatever lah..I don't really mind.
You can present me with a bouquet of Bunga Taik Ayam and I would still be smiling from ear to ear and thanking you profusely.

It really isn't that hard to please me ^_^

Hm...I wonder if other mums think like me *ponders*

Project Bling-bling

2007-05-10T15:21:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since my last bling2 project.

First it was her bling-bling swarovski binky.

Second, it was her bling-bling adidas originals crib shoes.
(dah arwah dah pon!)

Last night, after tucking in Hawra to sleep, I did my third bling-bling project.

Behold, Hawra's Bling-bling Shirt.

What I used :
A plain white shirt from Carter's.
Iron-on Blue, pink & diamond swarovski crystals.

Hooooo well..
I'm off to the neighbour's.
Ada rewang, for the kenduri tonite.
Toodles!

The Cutie On Wheels

2007-05-09T14:59:00.000+08:00

I SooOoOo love the weather today.

Not rainy, not sunny. Perfect.

Absolutely cooling. Refreshing.

Usually, at 3 pm my hair would be plastered to my forehead, and Mumy would say her ~~torture~~ magic words, "Hawra, come here & let Mummy toncet your hair!"

Tsk. Toncets are only for babies laa ok Mumy!
I now declare myself a big girl. Hmph.

A big girl with a spanking brand new pair of pink Adidas, summore!
Dady said that these kinda shoes are only for big girls okay!

Oy, I am a big girl already hokay!

If I were still a baby, I wouldn't be running like speedy gonzales around the playground all by myself now, would I?

I am the future olympics athlete! Plus, I'm cute too. Heh Heh

If I were still a baby, Dady wouldn't have bought me this spanking new set of wheels now, would he?
Woohooo!!

Fancy my wheels, anyone?

I can even eat & drive, like Dady & u too..ok?

And hey, I even have the mechanical skills shud the need arises, see?
I doubt you have the skills too, Mumy!

Hmm..Mebbe I shud install NOS on my wheels!

The only thing I need now is a driving license.
Issit for 18 years and above..or 18 months?
Hmm..