"Step by step...

..gonna get to you girl"

Yes my darlings, I hear you...

soon OK, very soon..... ;)

Happy 4 years Anniversary

"When the stormy past is put behind us,
The sunny future will shine brightly before us"



Dear Hubby,

This year is a special year as we celebrate our first anniversary as parents. Haidan's arrival in our life completes us as a family and it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you for your love, support and understanding and I promise I will try to be a better wife and mother. Let's give Haidan the best that he deserves.

Love always,
Wifey

The dream home

We went out for dinner in town and while walking back to the car, we passed by a real estate agent office. And there it was... like a shining light, an advert for a 3 bed townhouse on sale. It's situated at the most sought after area of my borough, with the easiest access to town and bus & rail stations, but still amidst the beautiful greenery and calmness surrounding I so desire. 

Then, suddenly I imagined myself and Haidan arrived at our "home". Our little rose bush along the private driveway welcomed us. As soon as I opened the door, Hubby arrives home from work.  

While Hubby parked the car in our private garage (just next to the entrance door), Haidan and I went straight to our favourite part of our home - the kitchen. 



While I boil the kettle, I went through our lovely organised kitchen cabinets for some HaroonAli teabags and biscuits for tea. By this time Haidan was already running to open our garden door to cari Boboy the cat, whose enjoying the early evening breeze in our mini garden.


While I serve tea at our garden patio, Hubby went straight up to the 1st floor to his small office- his retreat, his private little library. As usual, he'll check his letters and bills, made a few notes and then head to the living room. He opened the door of our private Julliette balcony to let some fresh air in. He settled in his comfy couch and turned on the TV.



About half an hour later, Haidan ran up the stairs to the living room to join his daddy while I started the bath running in our big family bathroom on the 1st floor.



A good bath, dinner and some DVD movie watching together- it was time to go to bed, and up we go on the 2nd floor. While I washed my face in our ensuite shower room, Hubby tucked Haidan to bed with a storybook in Haidan's room. Soon after, we all retired for the night, all happy happy and looking forward for the next day again.....

..... (sigh)

... what a good dream, Adita.... dream on....

Salam Ramadhan :)

I am so sorry that I have abandoned my blog. I have no one to blame except myself. It has been a whirlwind roller coaster ride since I last wrote, with the inlaws' visit to crazy workload to our short city breaks and to the lovely time-outs with my girlfriends.

Tup, tup dah September! Haidan is already 9months old and can stand up on his own while holding on to everything and everyone!  He still have  to take his antibiotics every night and go for follow up checks and treatments in St Heliers, but other than that he's totally fine and lepaks. 

Puasa time in September is a tiny bit longer than in KL. Tak lama lagi nak raya, then not long after Mama & Vas arrives. I so can't wait!!!! 

Anyways, to all my friends, hope all is well. Salam Ramadhan and selamat berpuasa!

Kitchen Tag!

Tagged by Marisa:

Five things I want in my kitchen:

• Mama - we missed her cooking so much :(
• A new light bulb for the cooker hood- kept forgetting to get one!
• Proper teh tarik tapis/ sieve
• More space! (well, actually more time lah, coz if we spend time to organise the crap in our kitchen, there should be abundant space available)
• Errr... Nintendo Wiii... can ah???

Five things I plan on cooking pretty soon:

• Nasi
• Tandoori chicken wings (guna perencah jer.. and then grill in the oven)
• Vegetable curry
• Haidan's chicken pasta
• Haidan's cinnamon apple / sweet potato dessert puree

Five things I have to get from the grocery store / supermarket:

• A new light bulb for the cooker hood
• Chicken
• Ginger
• Kailan
• Fish fillet for Haidan

And since this is a tag of five... I'm tagging:
Izreen, Faiez (Mate), Dian, Ezah (Ibdil), Zura (Chikong)

Busy bee no more....

... well until next week at least!

I was super busy at work, trying to meet the project deadline for a report. With Haidan not well (tummy upset due to Hubby accidentally giving an overdose of antibiotics), I had to take days off at home while finishing work till early hours in the morning. Didn't have much sleep either. Anyways, I managed to submit the report last Friday and successfully celebrated it with a big bash last Saturday. We had a small party for Hubby and had a great time with our friends till 5am! Pictures coming up (note to self: must beg from Marisa soon..).

Anyways, must respond to Mimi now coz I got tagged!

Tagged!

1. When you buy a greetings card, are the words or the picture more important to you?
:: Words definitely- I get all jiwang with it.

2. What's your favorite kind of cake?
:: I miss Secret Recipe's chocolate banana cake back home. But I can't refuse any warm and moist chocolate sponge cake with its dark chocolate oozing out... mmmmm, bliss!

3. Do you ever make gifts for people, if so what, or do you buy them?
:: I used to prefer making gifts- from cards, cross-stitch to CDs. But now, due to time constraints, I try to personalise gifts I bought as much as possible.

4. What's your favorite holiday?
:: Oh no, I can't decide! - There's the one in Penang with me & Vas lost as tourists, our all-over-USA stint back in 2000 with my uni mates and the time when I swam with dolphins in Gold Coast in 2004.

5.Are you going on holiday this year? If so, where?
:: I so want to go to Zurich during the Christmas holidays, hopefully with Mama and Vasantha joining us.

6. What was the best party you've ever been to?
:: UniS foam parties during my zaman-zaman kegemilangan... (sigh). But this year, I'd say it would be Azmarea's 3rd birthday party- not only it was Haidan's first party, but it is from there that I met all the good friends that I can always party with... anytime, anyday! :)

7. If you are married, describe your wedding. If not, what would your ideal wedding be like?
:: We had a 'Puteri Gunung Ledang' themed wedding. It was more like a concert with dancers, hulubalangs and performances (silat, montage, singers and nasyid by the Ilham boys). We basically wore costumes from the PGL movie- from the baju to the gold earpiece (ala-ala macam Tiara) and my bridesmaids (dayang-dayang) wearing batik jawa. We didn't do the traditional kompang entrance- we entered to the song "Asmaradana" instead, being carried to the stage on a pedestal. Yes, it's a bit drama... but it was my dream wedding came true....

8. What's the most romantic thing that's ever happened to you?
:: With Hubby? None - he's a hopeless non romantic and I got used to learning to live without it. (With my past relationships? Got-lah, but we shall not go there shall we...)

9. What's your favorite girl's name?
:: Arieana

10. What's your favorite boy's name?
:: Hayden... but we melayu-nised it to Haidan instead ;)

11. Which celebrity would you like a dream date with?
:: David & Victoria Beckham. But if I'm still single, then just David will do.

12. Which female celebrity do you find beautiful?
:: Ashwarya Rai (correct spelling ah??)

13. Which male celebrity do you think is attractive?
:: David Beckham. Full stop.

14. What is your best character trait?
:: Patient and loyal

15. What is your worst habit?
:: Mild Seven Lights

Tagging time. I would like to TAG (5 people):
Mate (Faeiz), Fabmama (Loly), Izreen, Dian, Ghaz.

To my wonderful Hubby on his birthday...

Sometimes I'm absent minded

Sometimes I'm kind of cross

Sometimes I do make out as if

I think I am the boss

Sometimes I shop too much

And you get kind of worried

Sometimes I'm just plain stubborn

And always nag you to be hurried

Sometimes I'm hyperactive 

And forced you on your toes

But at least I was forgiving 

When you gave Haidan an overdose

Sometimes I can be quite blurr

And never pay attention

Sometimes I spend too much time working

Rather than cooking in the kitchen

Sometimes I am a bit drama

I can be quite gedik too

But there's one thing I always am

And that's in love with you

So as you blow your 30 candles

I pray your dreams come true

And from the bottom of my heart

I'm so thankful I have you.

Happy Birthday, sayang!

The smile we have been waiting for...

... is finally back :)

Dear Haidan Part 2

Yes, since my last post last Thursday Haidan was sent home from the Emergency unit with antibiotics (Triamethraphin). We anticipated that he would recover well, as he always did when given the right medication. Unfortunately he did not this time...


On Friday, he seemed to get worst. His temperature still soared high and he still had his fit of shivers every 4 hours. Soon after, he started vomiting loads and refused to eat. We knew something was just not right. We called up the hospital again on Saturday morning and the GP told us to come in for a second look.

Our appointment was at 10.30am, but there were so many people that Saturday morning that by the time we were called in, it was already 11.45am. And just on time, Haidan had another shivering fit and his temperature was at 40deg when the GP saw us. He was a different GP and was baffled that Haidan did not recover after medication. When we told him Haidan was given Triamethraphin, he made a few calls, concerned that his temperature was still very high. He rushed us off to the Emergency unit (again!) and made us wait for the next Paediatrician.

We waited, and waited and waited.. and by 2pm, Haidan was checked in by Dr Elvis. He told us that the results were out and that his pH was a bit too high than average. The first antibiotics were not the 'optimal' one and they would replace with a new one - Tenkorex. He was also booked in for an ultrasound in the next 2 weeks and Haidan would have to go for a MCU (Micturating Cystourethrogram) at Queen Mary's Hospital in 6 weeks. They suspect he might have an abnormality in his ureters/kidneys.

We were finally done at the hospital at 3pm. Haidan was in a bad mood coz he was hungry. We didn't prepare anything!.. mana lah I tahu yang a 15min GP visit would turn out to be a 5 hour ordeal! We were supposed to go to Reading that weekend, but ended up orang Reading yang turun all the way to Sutton instead. So, Haidan was totally pampered by his Aunty Zihan and Uncle Jeril who stayed the weekend for him.





Alhamdulillah, thanks to the tender loving care from Aunty Zihan and Uncle Jeril (sampai Haidan menangis drama OK, bila diorang nak bye-bye balik Reading), Haidan is recovering well now. He hasn't had any shivering fits since and his temperature is back to normal after the new antibiotics.

Now, we just have to wait for the ultrasound and MCU appointments. I don't know how I'm going to cope when Haidan goes through the MCU- apparently they will do an internal X-ray of his kidneys with a tiny plastic tube put into his urethra.... I'm very sure I will faint!

Letting go

I wanted to save something I really missed having. But it's time to let go now.

Will I be sad? Yes, it brought tears in my eyes.

Will I recover? Yes, because I realise now that it was not worth keeping.

Dear Haidan, get well soon please....

Last Wednesday, Mama got a call from the nursery around lunch time. Your carer, Illetia wanted Mama to come pick you up because you had a high temperature and that you didn't respond well to Calpol. Mama rushed to the nursery and Illetia was right, you didn't look happy at all. It was the first time you didn't smile when you see me- you looked so weak and fragile. Mama called the local surgery and the GP could only see you at 6.30pm. While waiting at home, Mama gave you another dose of Calpol. Your temperature dropped this time and by the time the GP saw you, you looked well. The GP crossed out flu and cold coz you didn't have any runny nose or cough. He said you were probably teething, and that you should be OK the next day. He sent us home without any prescriptions.

Yesterday morning, your temperature soared again. Mama gave you some Neurofen with breakfast and you were fine. You were a bit moody, but Mama thought it might just be the teething. After lunch around 11.30am, you looked tired and took a nap in the living room with your favourite teddy. Since you needed your rest, Mama left you there while attending to the house chores - yes, the laundry in the guest room is mounting up, it looks like we have a mini volcano about to explode!

Time passes so fast while Mama sorted the laundry when suddenly Mama realised that it was nearly 6pm. Mama's instinct kicked in- this can't be right, Haidan will never take this long a nap. When Mama checked on you, Mama nearly had a heart attack - your hands were shiveriing, your body stiff, your tiny fingers were clenched tightly and you look really pale and your lips were purplish. Your feet were freezing cold. Mama was dead panic and wrapped you up with all the towels and blankets Mama could find while feeding you a bottle of warm milk. A few minutes later, your temperature suddenly soared high to 39.2deg and Mama had to strip you off and give you more Neurofen. You were still stiff and breathing fast. Mama called Papa to rush home and your Aunty Marisa for help. She advised us to rush to the hospital. Mama was all shaking and couldn't think straight - all I could think of while preparing you was how stupid I was leaving you and how bad a mother I am.

As soon as I picked you up to the car seat, you vomited (a lot!) all over Mama's shirt and hair. "Oh no!" Mama screamed in panic... and suddenly, out of all the chaos... you smiled! Your face lit up again, no more stiffness, your purpled lips has turn pink and there it was, a great big giggle from you, as if nothing had happened! (Mama swears that she was close to fainting, OK...). And like perfect timing, your Papa rushed into the door. To his surprise, you were all happy and excited and with your big smile you greeted him, "Papapapapa!".

"OK jerr... nampak sihat, tak sakit pun???" Papa remarked. (Mama was so tempted to give Papa a tight slap, but decided to clean your vomit with Papa's towel instead). Determined that something was wrong, Mama collected some urine sample from you- which you happily cooperated, since you were such in a good mood.

We went to St Helier's Hospital and at 10pm, the GP checked on you. He said you looked well and gave Mama "the stare" instead. When Mama passed him your urine sample, he took out the test kit and suddenly his face changed when he saw the results. He made a few phone calls and was starting to prepare some forms. He then came back and told us to go to the Emergency unit, where the paediatrician was already waiting.

By midnight, we were in the Emergency ward and the nurses took more urine samples. Your paed, Dr Heather explained that they suspect you to have a UTI (urinary tract infection) that might have to do with your kidneys. They will run more tests in the morning and sent us home with antibiotics.

When we got home and put you to bed, you had another fit episode at about 1.30am. Again, you were shivering and your temperature soared to 40deg, your highest ever. Your little fingers were clenching to ours as if in pain. We were told to give your medications and sponging, which worked to bring your temperature down again.

Dear Haidan, as we wait to hear from the lab results, Mama promise to be with you all the way through this OK. Mama will never let you off her sight anymore. Thank you ever so much to your caring Aunties & Uncles who called and sms to check on you; including Mummy Vas who was really worried - kept us awake all night to make sure we check on you properly (bless her...). Love you all!

Get well soon sayang, please...

Prime member??? Yah, right!

I wanted to surprise Hubby for Father's Day. I knew what to get him. In fear of him finding out, and knowing how busybody curious he naturally is, I figured I would only nip by the shops to get it (all wrapped and ready) during the last couple of days before Father's Day.

Unfortunately, work was super busy in the last 2 weeks (boss was in the States and left loads of work), the shops are well closed by the time I reach home (err... Sutton a bit kampung- 4.55pm sharp, all shops closed shut!).

I panicked. I scoured through the internet for reasonable deals that could deliver his present within a couple of days. Then I found Amazon Prime - a membership that entitles for unlimited "next day delivery" for my Amazon buys for just £49 per year is having a free trial period. Fantastic! Dengan serba rakus, I signed up and Hubby's present will arrive on time for Father's Day on 14th June, all wrapped up with a card and all! Hoorrraaaayyyyy!!!!

..... >:/

It's Tuesday, 17 June - Father's Day has gone and passed and I still have not heard from Amazon "Prime". This past 2 days of tracking the parcel was a nightmare! 'Prime' member my a*s*.. and to make it worst, Hubby (who by now OBVIOUSLY knew what the gift was) said, "Hmmm... kalau I tahu you nak kasi I tuh, baik kita gi beli sesama jer kat kedai dekat rumah kita tuh"

Hmmphh! Sabo jer lah!

Carried away....

Thanks to Marisa for organising a great day out with the girls. As usual, food was glorious and the company fabulous!

Anyways, the movie made me cry... it reminded me of my best friends and how much I miss the good old days- through the good and bad, we had each other. Back then, it didn't matter whether we earn zillions or we have tummies or we didn't fly straight from SPM- we were always there for each other.

Never take your best friends for granted... Sincere friendships will last, and that was what the movie (and life while we're at it) is all about.

We hate you Mr Weatherman >:/

7 days ago:
You reported that the whole of last week would be an awful week with heavy rain. But come bank holiday weekend, the sun will be shining again.

So, we booked our family outing ticket to Hampton Court Palace for Sunday.


4 days ago:
You reported that Friday & Saturday is going to be sunny, but expect very heavy rain (possibly flooding) on Sunday. However, bank holiday Monday will have some showers in the morning, and the sun will shine again later in the day.

So, we cancelled Sunday’s plan and postponed the trip for Monday instead – tickets bought & sorted!


During the bank holiday weekend:
Saturday – Cloudy with heavy wind
Sunday – Sunny, bright & warm
Monday – Torrential rain non-stop throughout the day!



Thus, thanks to you Mr Weatherman, our anticipated fun day out in the sun at Hampton Court turned out to be a miserable one. We got home with frizzed-out hair, muddy shoes and soggy socks!

My makan-sedap weekend :)

Last weekend was my official makan-sedap weekend:

Friday night we rushed from Sutton to meet with the Atanmayas and made it to LittleLili's housewarming kenduri. We had laksa Johor and nasi kunyit, which was sedap coz dah lama tak makan Laksa Johor, Okey..

Then, Saturday we had nasi lemak for breakfast (mmm.. sedap!), as we retired at Atanmaya's. And as usual had our borak-till-pagi session. They have a new Wii and Hubby & I enjoyed the Saturday ber-Wiing. Marisa's getting really good with bowling, caya-lah!

Sunday, met up with the Atanmayas (again! hehe) and HAwari & Kak Zihan for some delicious chilli crab. I so miss the Chili Crab in Matahari and literally makan hingga menjilat jari. Was enjoying every minute of the meal and company coz they were a bit too expensive to go to on a weekly/monthly basis... so obviously had to makan-sampai-mengah. We all then took a stroll up the hill to enjoy the views of the old ruins of Guildford castle.

Leelwan and Haidan posing in front of the castle pond:


The ruins of Guildford Castle on top of the hill:


Me & Kak Zihan senyum semput setelah berjaya mendaki bukit:


Hubby prefers posing at the gardens:


Haidan's & his Aunty Zihan's gossip session:

Apparently, this coming long weekend will be marvelous weather-wise. So, me can't wait!

Rain, rain go away...

I guess summer is officially over. The weather was doing so well the past few weeks. It was really sunny and warm- perfect for a BBQ get-together, which we successfully did attend to. Thanks to Mimi, we had a wonderful time at their place in Rumford. I for one truly enjoyed the BBQ chicken, lambs (mmmm… lamb… sedap…) and pineapples. Pictures below courtesy cetak rompak from Marisa’s camera (thanks dear!).






I had so much fun lepak-ing with the cool-hot-mamas (Marisa, Mimi, Amy, Fay and err Alan.. hehe), followed by some Wii-ing and a game of 31’s. Haidan behaved really well and Hubby obviously enjoyed the food and company too.

Such perfect weather- clear blue sky, warm and sunny….

But alas, … now it’s raining more than ever…

(hmmm…)

…Know that we’ll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
Ella, ella, ehh, ehhh…..

Ladies, this one's for you ;)

A Spanish Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. 'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.' 'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computers should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine('el computador'), because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

Dear Haidan

Dear Haidan,

You are now 5.5 months now and growing up so fast. Am really sorry that Mama didn't update much in our blog coz you have kept us very busy since!

Anyways, here's an update:
1)You can now sit up on your tummy with no problems. You love the different view and call up for Mama & Papa to notice every time you sit up on your own :)



2) You love to give us a BIG smile... (err..and for some strange reason, that big smile of yours seems to appear everytime you just done soiling your nappy!)



3) Your favourite activity at the moment is looking at yourself in the mirror... uhm yess.. Everytime you feel cranky or moody, all Mama & Papa have to do is just show you a mirror and suddenly you're in a world of your own- all happy and chatty... (hmm.. how ah?)





4) You have started on solids.. Hoorrraayyy!!! Your first food was baby rice, and then you moved on to purees- sweet potatoes (his favourite!), apples and carrots. You much prefer Mama's fresh homecooked purees than the ready-made-bottled ones tho... So thanks to you, Papa finally caved in to buy Mama the TEFAL steamer that I've always wanted.. hehe, kita geng kannn- calit sikit ;)



5)You seem to love music and sing-alongs. You enjoy listening to Mama singing to "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" and playing our "5 little fingers" sing-along-game. Excited sampai gelak tergedik-gedik... (either that or you find Mama's terrible croaking really funny... sabo je-lah!)





6) You're getting chattier too (hmmm... maybe you're not like Papa after all... hehe). Your favourite words are "aaa--buuu" (followed by a trail of air liur bubbles), "ammm-mmmaaamm-mmmaamm" (especially when you see your bottle) and your trademark grunt.. Here's a picture of you giving Papa a lecture on "the-disadvantages-of-coming-home-late-from-work and how-it-would-be-so-cool-&-fun-if-we-can-go-on-a-holiday-to-Europe-this-summer" ;)





Aaahhh.. yess my dear Haidan.. Mama thought you well, I'm so proud of you sayang!

A great weekend :)

I truly enjoyed the long May bank holiday weekend. On Friday night, Marisa, Alan and little Azmarea came over and we all went for a lovely dinner at Tony Romas in Kingston. Thank you dearies for the presents - me, the desperate housewife is intimately Beckham-ised... hehe ;)

Haidan wore his first formal shirt and vest for the dinner...


I got a pleasant surprise from them when they came up with a birthday song and cake (which was lit up by bunga api). Obviously, Haidan was surprised too and enjoyed the mini-sing-along


Here's the yummy warm chocolate birthday mud cake.. so sedap!


The next morning, we drove up to Lemington Spa to meet up my dear friend, Devina and her sis, Shivani. We lepak the whole Saturday at her house catching up on gossips- it has been quite a while since I last met her... so much stories! Devina made yummy nasi lemak and surprised us with a strawberry truffle birthday cake- it was lovely!

On Sunday, we decided to jalan-jalan Royal Lemington Spa town and gardens. It's a really nice lovely town, people are so relaxed and laid back. The flowers were in full bloom- beautiful!



On the way back from town, Molly, the next door neighbour cat greeted us in her own special way. She jumped in the car as soon as Devina opened the door! Here she is, the cheeky one:


She refused to get out of the car (much to the delight of Haidan who was squealing away excitedly!):


On Monday, Marc came over and we had dinner in Sutton.

It was a lovely long weekend - great food, great weather and great company.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

... come, on clock!

Can't wait till the clock strike 4.30pm... and I'm off work for a long 4-day weekend.

Can't wait for tomorrow... we're having dinner at TGIF with Marisa, Azlan & Azmarea to celebrate me getting a year older. (I so miss Leelwan!)

Can't wait for Saturday... we're going to spend the weekend at Devina's in Lemington Spa.

Can't wait for Vasantha's parcel, which is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Can't wait to explore & "i-touch" my birthday present from Hubby.

Can't wait to see Haidan's smile.... miss him!

Interesting Geeky Facts

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
-------------------------------------------
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
-------------------------------------------
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
-------------------------------------------
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
-------------------------------------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
-------------------------------------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-------------------------------------------
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The average number of people airborne over the U.K. in any given hour:
61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
------------------------------------------------------------
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

“WHAT GRIND MY GEARS”

Things that make you go “GGGrrrrrrrrr!!!!”

Another tag from Marisa.

Here are the things that make me so Gerrrraaammmm!:

1. When Hubby can never, ever be on time when it comes to my or Haidan’s appointments!

2. When Hubby can be very punctual when it comes to his work (see item no1.. Grrrr…. sabo je lah!)

3. The dreadful feeling when British viral flu hits you- the GPs can't do anything, the weather makes it worst and despite cups and cups of Lemsip Max Plus, it will take you at least a week to fully recover!

4. Facebook applications and quizzes that forced you to invite innocent people BEFORE you can reveal the anticipated results.

5. Receptionists with that rude “look” (a.k.a assumes you are an asylum seeker seeking for free healthcare, just because you have a different skin colour, not knowing that nearly half of your professional pay goes to taxes to support ‘their’ benefits)

6. Stupid visa and immigration rules

7. Selfish people who think the whole world needs to revolve around them - If you have a problem, fix it! Whining and complaining all day won’t solve anything.

8. The day you left your umbrella at home is the day the rain decides to pour!

9. Kiasu people who purposely do not queue or ‘cut line’ – hate them!

10. After all the effort to get Haidan ready to go out, with matching shirts and pants and shoes and coat all, he suddenly berak and soiled himself just as we are about to leave the house….(especially when we are already late- see item no1).

Now who would I tag???... my usual suspects, of course.. hehe!

• Mate
• Devina
• Ibdil/ Ezah
• Lolyta/ Fabmama
• Dian
• Ghaz
• Sherie
• Fina
• Zura Chikong

LISTS OF EIGHTS

I have been tagged by Marisa to do lists of eights:

8 things I am passionate about:
• My family & Boboy
• My good friends
• Travel
• Career
• Spice Girls
• Cats & tigers
• My SK2 essence
• Mild Seven Lights

8 things I say often:
• “Ayang…”
• “Haidan Arief”
• “Oh my God"
• "Yes ah?”/ “Iye ker??”/ “Is it??”
• "I love you” / “I love you too”
• ”Assalammualaikum”/ “Waalaikumsalam”
• "Sure or not???”
• “Balik pukul berapa ni???”

8 books I've read recently:
• My Best Friends Guide to Motherhood by Vicky Iovine (I love her!)
• My Best Friends Guide to Pregnancy by Vicky Iovine (did I mention that I love her?)
• The Complete Baby & Toddler Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel
• What to Expect in your 1st Year
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting
• Bounty magazines
• My weekly doses of celeb gossip mags – Grazia & Look
• My IET magazines

8 things to do before I die:
• Travel the world with my family
• Have another baby (hopefully a girl this time)
• Get my Professional Engineer Charteredship
• See the Cirque du Soleil
• Perform the hajj and/ or Umrah
• Have our own house with our own way of making it our home (get it??)
• Organise my children’s wedding (if they want me to lah… or at least convince them to let me do the montage hehe)
• Kiss and hold my future grandson/ granddaughter

8 songs I could listen to over and over again:
• Satu Dalam Sejuta (Amy Mastura) – I listen to this every night before I sleep when I was pregnant. It’s now Haidan’s favourite song- everytime it’s on, he’ll smile and gets excited coz he recognizes it.
• Stop (Spice Girls)
• Viva Forever (Spice Girls)
• Who Do You Think You Are (Spice Girls)
• Kerinduan (Sheila Majid) – our wedding song
• Penantian (Kris Dayanti)
• Kini (Feminin)- yes, serious! Hahahah
• Trauma (Elite) – our must have karaoke song, eh Vas?? hehe

8 things I've learnt in the last year:
• Motherhood changed my life completely- I never knew how much I can love and be willing to sacrifice anything and everything for my son
• You cannot get your pre-pregnancy body back within the first few months (without plastic surgery)
• Hubbies don’t get hints. If you want them to get it right, just tell them!
• Appreciate your loved ones and never ever take them for granted. You’ll never know- they might not be there tomorrow.
• LOL means ‘Laugh Out Loud’ and LMFAO means ‘Laugh My F***ing A** Off’… oooohhhh… iyer ker?? Now I get it….
• People who likes to call other people fat or who likes to boast about their huge savings account are just insecure
• RM120 for a weekend is nothing compared to the time you spend with your best friends who were there for you through thick and thin… that’s priceless!
• I believe in karma. Good things happen to good people.

8 people to pass this tag to:
• Dian
• Zura Chikong
• Ghaz
• Devina
• Mate
• Vasantha
• Ibdil
• Sherie

Life as a (part-time) desperate housewife...

... is actually not bad at all.

I'm now working part time Tues-Thurs and am off work to have a very long weekend Fri-Mon to sort out stuff at home. At first , I was quite dreading it coz I'm not much of the housewife type- I can't cook too well and cleaning are on an as-and-when-needed-only basis. However, now I'm beginning to enjoy this arrangement. I finally wiped the dust off Mama's recipe books she gave me for my wedding present (..yup, after so long!). Last Friday, after sending Haidan off to his nursery, I was suddenly on a 'master-chef' mode. I cooked 7 lauks all in one day! Masak and portioned them to freeze - itupun I "had" to stop at the 7th lauk coz tak cukup tupperware for freezing. If not, I could have kept going! That's 2 weeks dinner sorted!

Next, was the laundry. I sorted Haidan's wardrobe- oh my, he can't wear half of his clothes already! He's growing too fast now... how ah??? I washed everything- from the bedding to the bath mats. I even managed to iron ALL of Hubby's shirt (which was much to his surprise coz I usually moan and groan everytime I picked up the seterika).

Last but not least was the cleaning- the dapur and bathrooms got a good scrubbing and polishing and I managed to re-organise the cupboards and shelves.

Phew! By the end of the day, my body was all aching.. but it was worth it! Now that it's all clean and organised, I feel like Bree from Desperate Housewives.... everything in the house must be perfect in its place. I was so "over" that Hubby's getting a bit irritated now coz he'll get my deadly stares and sneers if he tries to move ANYthing out of its place in this house.... Muahahahha....

Tomorrow, we'll be taking Haidan out to town. He's feeling so much better now after a hell-ish 2 weeks of fever and diarrhea. Thank you so much for the well-wishes guys! Here's Haidan's latest- all smiles and kicking again. Yup, he got his chubby cheeks back!




Hopefully on Monday, I will be updating more pictures and replying to the tags (coming soon Marisa!). Till then, I better get some rest... I'm totally knackered.

OK, over and out!

I'm back....

... but not for long.

We got back from KL 2 weeks ago and we have been so busy trying to juggle between Haidan, work and home. I hardly have time to turn on the laptop nowadays!

Last weekend, Haidan was hit with a viral fever. He's temperature soared to 39deg and had diarrhea. He lost so much weight coz he refused to feed. We rushed him to the Emergency ward at St Helier's last Monday night coz he was not getting any better. The doctor kept him for a couple of hours to do some checks. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious but he was still a bit dehydrated. He's now recovering at home (with me & hubby taking turns taking day-offs).

I'm now at work, bored (not much work yet..) and can't wait to go home and check on my little baby. Hopefully Hubby's taking good care of him....

I am so tired... exhausted. Mornings have to rush to get Haidan ready and catch the train to work. Evenings have to rush to pick Haidan up from the nursery and then prepare dinner for the family. Now that Haidan's not well, he's been very clingy and there's nothing that I can do, except cuddle and nurse him.

After this 2 weeks ordeal, I hereby salute all the working mommies & daddies that have managed their family without the help of parents/ inlaws and maids. Tabik spring!

I miss Mama now more than ever...

Oh well, until Haidan is fully recovered, I might not get the chance to update this blog with all the happenings and dramas while we were in Malaysia. So many pictures, so many stories to tell... gosh..

Attack of the Mummies

We arrived safely on Monday afternoon and went straight to my inlaws' new house in Alam Damai. Haidan's Tok and TokMummy was so excited, that they have been waiting at the airport 1 hour before we land pun- just in case our flight sampai awal.. hehe.

We rested to recover on Tuesday (serious jetlag!) and by Wednesday Haidan was already attacked by his favourite mummies: Mummy Vasantha, Mummy Mate & Mummy Mar.

Obviously he loves being the center of attention!

KUALA LUMPUR...

.... HERE I COME!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)

A special message to my best friend, Vasantha, who turns 31 today :)




Also, birthday shout-outs to Ezrul and my brother Danial.

Happy Birthday, may all your wishes come true!!!

Tips on melaram!

I was about to do my report... and then I got bored (as usual, sigh..). So, I browsed through the net, trying very hard to avoid ebay (ebay is eviiilllll!) and other shopping sites. Then I bumped into this one. Its a web from this quite pretty girl on how to apply make-up and do your hair. Its so cool! What makes it different is that she demos on herself, rather than someone doing make-up on someone else. This is an excellent tutorial if you need help.. especially for people like me yang tak reti pakai make-up. I love how she does her eyes- brilliant!

Its 2 am...

... and I can't sleep. Mostly because I slept through the evening with Haidan. He's been quite grumpy and clingy the whole day. I can't really do much. Everytime I put him down, he'll scream his lungs out. Not sure why though. Its either I dukung him or I have to lie with him on the bed.. baru dia settled.

I was trying to start packing for our Reading trip this weekend and also gearing up for our trip home to Malaysia. But everytime he saw me putting things in our luggage he gets really upset. This really reminds me of Boboy when I was packing up to leave to UK last year. Stress di buatnyer!! Sabor je lah.

So, now I'm trying to get some things done.. very quietly while Haidan is fast asleep in his bassinet. Hopefully I can pack as much as I can and get to sleep soon. Its going to be a busy day tomorrow- we're going for our 3rd settling session at the nursery and then a trip to the post office.

Thank you Mummy Vasantha :)

Dear Haidan,

Your surprise from Mummy Vasantha arrived today- its a lovely light stroller for you to use in Malaysia nanti. Mama had quite a struggle reading the manual to put it up together but voila...



You loved it when Mama tested the stroller around the living room. But sorry sayang, you can't use the seat yet until you're a bit bigger. So, when we balik KL nanti, we can use the frame and attach your car seat instead!

Anyways, to Mummy Vasantha and Daddy Shasi- thank you so much for the lovely present. Can't wait to go strolling together in KL! 10 days more to go and counting!

Who's the boss??...

.... I am!

Sorted :)

Yeayyy!! Thank you for all the advice to help me out on Haidan's travels.. you guys are a gem :)

So now, we are getting a stroller courtesy of Haidan's godmummy Vasantha and sampai KL je Auntie Nina will pinjamkan her carseat. I'm so excited now that it's sorted!

My Operasi Februari update:

1) Ops 1: Operasi Nurseri - I've registered Haidan in his nursery and later today will be our first trial run. I'm leaving him there for a couple of hours to get him used to the surroundings. I've also started Haidan on formula for lunch... he's quite OKlah with it, no allergic reaction or anything. Sorted!

2) Ops 2: Operasi Lesen Pandu - Got my provisional license and have enquired around for my driving lessons. I've already made up my mind on this one school and hopefully we can start after Easter. Planning to take up my tests in April so that I can drive dah when I start work full time. Sorted!

3) Ops 3: Operasi Kuruskan Badan - Though still have not been exercising, I have successfully given up my Nutella & Doritos suppers... so that's a good start lah kot.. eheh.

4) Ops 4: Operasi Shopping Sakan - Hampir pokai because I took Mama shopping instead. Though knowing that I takkan sempat kurus by the time I start work, I did buy 2 pairs of size 12 working pants for £5 each. Primark rocks! Sorted!

5) Ops 5: Operasi Celik IT - Skip!... for now.

6) Ops 6: Operasi Imbas Kembali - Alamak, tak buat lagi. Sure Hubby bising... better start sorting this out by next week.

How ahh???

Nothing much happened since the makan-makan. Haidan got his 2nd jab and as expected, he had a slight fever. But since dia dah besar sikit, he's now good at merengek-rengek if he doesn't get his dukungs, hugs and kisses. Sabor je lah...

On another note, I finally received my provisional driving licence (and my passport!) in the post. I was dead worried that my passport would be lost in transition and that I wouldn't go back home this coming March. Speaking of which, we've got 2 more weeks to pack and I'm confident I'll be in panic mode as to what to bring and what not to bring for the journey with Haidan along.

Since it is a long haul flight for Haidan (he'll just turn 3 months then), I was wondering whether we could bring his buggy with him to the cabin? I mean tak larat lah nak dukung dia all the time while waiting for the flight, especially when I have to tend to the luggage and Mama without Hubby around (Hubby's flying in 2 weeks later).
I have seen people with strollers around the waiting lounge but most strollers are for 6months and above, right? Haidan still can't sit unassisted. At the moment, he's using his car seat, which attaches to the buggy frame. Can I bring his car seat in the flight with me? To those with experience- help please!


If I were to get a sling/ carrier instead, then sampai Malaysia nak jalan-jalan leceh pulak, especially if we eat outside (which we definitely will!).

Hmmm.. how ahhh????

Gong Xi Fatt Chai Makan-Makan

Me and my mates here have made a pact that we'll always try to get together for makan-makan to celebrate Malaysia's festive spirit. Last Saturday, we celebrated Chinese New Year at Holiday Villa London, where they've laid out a special Gong Xi Fatt Chai buffet spread. We conquered 4 tables altogether! It was so much fun meeting with everyone again, we truly enjoyed the food and the company- so kecoh I tell you. Can't wait for the next one!

Operasi Februari

I plan to keep myself busy this month. There are so much things to settle before we all pack up and balik kampung for a month in March. Then in April, I will start work already. Its gonna be really difficult to adjust I bet, mostly due to the fact that I'll have to cope without Haidan for 10hours straight in a day and worst still Hubby & I will be independent to keep the house a home because Mama will not be here. Yes, its sad because Mama could not be granted a visa to live with us- she'll have to come in and out of the UK every 6months... (hmm... which reminds me that we might need to apply for a frequent flyer membership for her lah). I think its more sad to acknowledge the fact that Mama will be all alone in Kg Baru for the first time in her life. Though she said she's going to be OK, deep down I can see the frustration in her eyes knowing that soon her loved ones will be far away from her and that 6 months would feel like an eternity.

Because Mama won't be around when I start work, I was busy looking around for nursery arrangement for my Baby Bubbles. So far, I've been to 6 already and my god the childcare here is soooo expensive... I mean a return flight ticket to M'sia once a month pun lagi murah! Hubby & I did contemplate to bring a relative or nanny from Msia to help take care of Haidan at home while we work but it proved to be difficult to find the right person to leave all their commitments in Malaysia and stay here every 6 months to ganti Mama. So, we decided to send Haidan to the nursery instead until his Nenek's next visit-&-stay.

So below are my Operasi Februari:
1) Ops 1: Operasi Nurseri - Need to confirm booking for Haidan's enrollment this April. I found a good one in Sutton, a bit of a walk but the place is so much better than the rest I've seen. Its pricey but worth it coz Haidan will have one sole key carer and is inclusive of nappies, formula milk and 4meals a day. So, I'll have to bring him from next week onwards to practise him (and myself!) settling in the nursery.

2) Ops 2: Operasi Lesen Pandu - I need to (legally) drive now in the UK, especially for those just-in-case cases with Haidan when Hubby's not around. I've sent out my application to apply my British driving licence. Now have to wait patiently (and anxiously sebab my passport is with them now) for the provisional driving card (and my passport!) to arrive within the next week. Hopefully no dramas coz I would need my passport on time for my flight back home! Then, its organising my mandatory driving lessons to fit my schedule in April.

3) Ops 3: Operasi Kuruskan Badan - This Ops is a bit overdue.. eheh. I'd have to stop eating junk food and start exercising vigorously again. I can't fit all my work clothes anymore lahhh... how ahh???

4) Ops 4: Operasi Shopping Sakan - This Ops will only be valid if Ops 3 fails. Then, I have no choice but to buy an all-new-all-out well fitting working wardrobe.. (sigh... with an evil grin.. hehe)

5) Ops 5: Operasi Celik IT - Yes, I'm a bit the buta IT compared to all my mates. Since I was pregnant, I have always wanted to reorganise my photos, learn scrapbooks, build a canggih blog for Haidan's milestones and make the most of my iCal, iWeb and iPhoto. I would need to sit down and go through the online tutorials.. but this proves to be a bit difficult when you have a baby who seems to get hungry every time I turn on the laptop...

6) Ops 6: Operasi Imbas Kembali - This is an important one. I need to sort out and finish my report on my past engineering experiences with Petronas. The hardest part is to remember all the technical stuff I've done for the past 5 years and compile them ready for review for my Chartered application. Need to do this before I balik so that my ex-bosses (if they are still around) can sign and verify.

Hmmmm... looks like I'm a bit too optimistic with my Operasi Februari. Well, better make the most out of it now while Mama is still around to help out with Haidan. Wish me luck!