Living with Sarah

There is this chili api plant which I brought from my previous house and planted here at the new house. Very small plant. For almost one and a half years I've planted it in a pot, then replanted it on the ground, changed location a few times... Put fertilizers, changed the soil. But still, it remained a small, thin, undernourished plant. Many, many times I wanted to simply pull out the plant and throw it into our stack of dry leaves and plants meant for compost. But I always tell myself, give it another chance. I finally replanted it at this final location and told myself - last chance. If it still remains as it is, I will pull it out. Time to start fresh with new seeds. It's been raining the first half of Ramadhan and I didn't have much time to tend to my vegetable patch. This week, I took a good look at all the plants and found that the chili plant has sprouted flowers (not many, but still flowers!) and has one tiny chili. And today, there are now 2 small chilies growing....

Rezeki Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah we got a new translation project. Participated in that sebutharga and we got it. Have been going up and down the client's office to discuss scope of work, negotiate pricing and agree on contract. But then, even before we even got it, I have started work. So very sure of getting it, huh? I really, really hope we will do a good job. It's quite a difficult project, but I'm roping in those with knowledge to review the texts. In my ex-boss' words - "kerja sambil cari pahala". I also just got my trusted investor to invest in this project - my old man. So, money for ground work is already covered. It's going to be 4 months of desk work - researching, translating, reviewing, proof-reading... The last time I did this kind of heavy duty desk work, my back hurt!

We just started this campaign. Membeli sambil menderma. Untuk setiap baju kurung cotton kanak-kanak yang dijual, RM2 akan didermakan kepada pembinaan Masjid al-Mustaqim, Bandar Seri Putra. Jadi, sama-samalah sokong usaha ini ya. If you don't have little daughters, maybe boleh beli untuk anak saudara ke, little cousins ke, etc... Check out: Baju Cotton for Kids

So many little lies flying around. Harmless nonetheless. But then how can I even believe anything being said?

Today is one of those days that I feel I've done enough. For everybody. And I'm tired. Of doing things for people. Of always being there for other people. Of giving all I can. I am truly tired. On many aspects, I have actually stopped caring. It might not make my heart feel better. But it makes my shoulders lighter.

I nak promote my sister's babysitter and transit service at Bandar Seri Putra. (I have deleted the old post.) She'll be ready to receive babies / transit kids starting after Raya. What she really wants is to take care of newborn baby - in her exact words - "Nak jaga dan sayang". So, anybody interested, can call her at: 019 - 6903173. I can assure you she will take care of your baby with love. My daughter Aliyah will be "transiting" there too. And she just lurve babies :)

We completed Aliyah's Raya shopping last Saturday. Actually, I bought materials and got her baju kurung made even before Ramadhan. This is the first time in a couple of years that I actually bought/made her baju kurung other than the ones Linda and I sell. Why? This year she has grown very tall and we don't have her size anymore. Furthermore, let's see her wear something else! We made full use of the huge discounts at Jusco and Aliyah ended up with one jeans, one cotton pants, one T shirt with hood and a belt. The only missing item is her shoes. Now, she has been wanting Crocs shoes for quite some time. We previously bought her a pair of pink fake Crocs for her daily use that cost only RM15. Then, after the raids shown on TV, she wanted real Crocs - well, I think after Hubby explained to her the differences between original and fake. And why the authorities seized the fake products (among others on how the Crocs company did all the research, spent a lot of money to produce ...

Aku memohon keampunan Allah yang Maha Besar, tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah, Dialah yang Maha Hidup, Maha berdiri sendiri dan aku bertaubat kepadaNya. Amin.

Those who know me would say I am generally a patient person. Not someone who gets angry very quickly, nor nags or scolds. Basically the kind of person no one would be afraid of. That's why I had this huge laugh when my staff Hajar said before she joined me, my other ex-staffs from my previous company actually raised their eyebrows asking, "Berani kau kerja dgn Kak Niza?". Apparently, some people were afraid of me. I told Hajar that I've never ever scolded or raised my voice to anybody (err... well, once to that person who later got sacked). And she said, that's why they were afraid of me - because I've never lost my temper and nobody knows how it would be if I do lose my temper. I am digressing. I'm going to write about last Friday. The day that I snapped, where all patience went down the drain, and I finally understood what "rage" means, how I reacted to it and how afraid I am to my own capabilities. My 2nd sister is going through an ugly divorc...

Wishing all Muslims friends salam Ramadhan. Selamat bersahur, berpuasa, beramal, berterawih... Semoga amalan kita diberkati Allah swt.

Aliyah is a die-hard fan of Avatar - the Last Airbender on Nickelodeon. I would be forced to watch the marathon cartoon starting Friday night. She has anticipated the coming of the movie since last year. And now it is finally here. I don't know who was so eager to watch it - her Abah or Aliyah. Because Hubby decided Aliyah can cut school on Thursday and we go watch it together. Or was it the feeling of guilty because we had to park Aliyah for a sleepover at my Kak Lang's place on Wednesday night because we had a late night meeting in KL. We tried to surprise her, but then I think she can now read our minds. The moment we parked the car at Level 1 Alamanda, she knew we would be going for a movie. (Note to self: Must find other ways to surprise her next time). To me - the movie is very so-so. I had my expectations very low because I am not really a fan. But then I was really hoping for a M Night Shyamalan miracle after his flops. It was a very slow and boring 1/2 hour before thin...

Adoii... penatnya rasa badan. Dah kerja namanya kan. But we had a good presentation this morning to that agency in PJ. This project will take long to kick start but at least we have a foot in already. Next step is to present to the top level. Really hope this project will materialise. About time we develop a product. Anyway, for this entry of entah apa-apa, let's see... Last Friday we parked ourselves at Parcel C, Putrajaya to sell our kiddie baju kurung cotton. We joined my Abang Ben and his wife Lia. Tak ada rezeki - zero sale, but I got an order for 2 year old baju kurung. Now kena rajinkan diri pegi cari kain. And I managed to sell off 2 pasang of Lia's kiddy baju kurung. That's an achievement for someone like me yang tak reti buat sale nih. This business is something we do for fun. And also to help out my Kak Lang - by getting her to sew the baju kurung. It's also a practical way of testing our SEO and online marketing theories. Seriously, there's a lot one can...

We actually took him home yesterday night. After dinner, we dropped by the Vet to visit Kiki and seemed the doctor was quite happy to let him go back, after the final jab that is. He came home, straight away went to his litter for some catty business, had some food and then sleep in his basket. Along with his doggy and teddy. Today, after half a day of being so sluggish, he finally had some strength to play with doggy. He tried carrying it around (with difficulty) and bit it. The exercise lasted only about 15 minutes. Kiki is still very weak. He can't even jump on to my lap when I'm sitting on the chair. He had to be carried up. But he's recovering well. We sincerely thank the Vet - Dr Saudi, his biz partner Sazali and their staff. I believe the doctor and his partner took turns sleeping at the clinic to take care of Kiki. They wake up every few hours during the night to check on our cat. Well, they do that every time there's an emergency case. They are a bunch of very ...