Living with Sarah

We had a nice treat from Hubby yesterday night - dinner at Equatorial. Aliyah - to compensate for not going anywhere this school holidays, me - "commission" for introducing him to a project :). The food? Obviously good lah. We kept on going for the grill section - grilled lamb and mushrooms. I don't really fancy lambs but those were so good. I had 3 servings that I can still feel the taste at the back of my throat this morning! Aliyah digging into her bread pudding with vanilla sauce The place is still in Christmas mood So fascinated with the gingerbread counter :)

Time really flies. School holidays almost over. Aliyah will be in Standard 5 next week! The year after she'll be in Standard 6, then Form 1, then Form 2... At times I wish time to just slow down. I always feel she's still a baby... Aliyah had her hair cut at Izzkin last week. So cute :). She had a manicure the week before... My little girl is such a "girlie". She could lose herself at the spa for hours if I just let her be. Everything there fascinates her. School stuff? School books ready, stationery ready, school bag use last year's - still very good, new uniforms ready, 1 pair of new shoes - old one also still very good... Yup, all ready except that I totally forgot to wrap her books (is that the correct term? wrap book?). Will do it this weekend. What Aliyah did this holidays? Nothing much! Nope, no vacation anywhere. Parents busy working. We promised her the next school holidays. She spends most days at the office with us... which from the looks of it, she'

I didn't cycle last week - Hubby went outstation and then everyday hujan. Morning yesterday and today - off-road dengan semangatnya. Yesterday pegi Ldg Bangi, this morning pegi the one next to it - Ldg UKM. I like UKM better - the route less muddy and more matured. Tapi banyak batu pulak. Siap ada ada anak sungai yang air sangat, sangat jernih. Amazing. And good also sebab bike tak kotor sangat. Err... akak tak pernah basuh pun, Hubby yang rajin cuci :). Siap minyak rantai sekali. (You should see our car! Rasanya dah berbulan tak basuh. Tapi basikal hari-hari basuh ok!) For 1.20hr ride, we covered 13-15kms. Ok la tu sebab off-road. I lost count of the hills we climb. And I am so happy that I no longer stop in the middle of a climb. Dah berjaya get the pace/momentum, so cycle all the way up then baru stop. Most of the time tak stop pun! This morning, lepas morning ride pegi kerja. Walaupun melepek sikit, tapi siap buat meeting lagi. Dulu-dulu ride pegi office yang cuma 4.5km tu pun

Last Friday, on the 16th, Mimi gave birth to another set of kitties. Adoii... 6 kittens! She's now confined at the back. This morning, I went to get laundry, took a peek at the kittens all inside a carrier. She then stood up and touched my hair. Apahal la pulak si Mimi ni? I then took one and put it in the basket. She then went in and tended to the kitty. Mintak tolong ambik kan anak dia rupanya... So I took out all. After a week, they are all very healthy, looks like they have medium hair and some have started to open their eyes. Very cute kittens. The biggest is the orange & white. One has this light brown colour that I seldom see on cats. I can't have all these... I believe the cough I've been having for a year now is due to the cats. I might have allergy. So, these will be put up for adoption. Kittens for adoption anyone?

I've finished The Gods of Small Things. Made me depressed. Now, since LOTR trilogy is now permanently played by Aliyah, I decided to take up the book again. The first time was such a pain. I vowed to read the book before the final movie came out. And I did. But there were a lot of things I didn't understand due to the rush. Now I'm just at the early pages - the time when preparations are being made for Bilbo's eleventy-one birthday. (Gosh! Who would have thought to call 111 that!) And so far very good :). I have yet to get those Murakami books. A new novel is out - IQ84. So thick = 3-in-1. I would have huge hole in my purse if I were to get all of his books I have yet to read. Will see... The Hobbit trailer is out. It'll be in Dec 2012. Such a long time to wait! I searched for my book but couldn't find it. I must have lent it to someone. Can't remember who. Aliyah watched the trailer and said - "December 2012? Lamanya lagi!". It amazed me that she&

Hubby went off to Kulim yesterday for the 2nd leg of his training. Right after sending him off at my sister's place, Aliyah and me went to Alamanda for - actually tiada arah tujuan. It was still early to go home, nothing much to do at home, don't feel like going home... You get me. I know it's a Sunday and we never go out to any shopping malls on a Sunday, but then, redah saja lah. So, there we were - amidst the hundreds (ke thousands?) thronging the mall. The aim - to have a drink and then buy Puss in Boots tickets for today's show. But Aliyah wanted to watch yesterday itself, so belilah ticket yg 3rd row from the screen. That shows how bored we were! Now, Puss in Boots? I didn't like it. But Aliyah enjoyed it. I guess I always have high expectation on everything! I expected it to be at least as good as Shrek. I just don't get it - the history, the quest, the revenge, the hot lover in fur, they just don't tie up together very well. My only consolation - fin

About 2-3 years ago, I received the book Travelog Dakwah by Prof Muhd Kamil from my brother. It was to be passed to my father actually, but I asked for permission to read it first - until I finish. Truthfully, I have not finished reading it. I always have it on my desk at the office. And I would read a few pages during lunch break. Then, after some time, I would go back to the earlier pages and read the book again. Then, after some time when the end is near, I would turn back to the earlier pages and start reading again. You might ask why. I don't know... It is one peculiar book because it kind of follow your life events. The "me" when I first started reading the book is not the same "me" as I am now. And the "me" who read the pages of the book today will not be the same "me" as I will be tomorrow. So, how I relate to the book at a specific point of time differ. How? Simply said, let's say I have yet to perform the Zohor solat, the reflec

Whatever channels you subscribe on Astro, many, many times you'll find yourself surfing the channels and finding nothing to watch. Seriously... So, starting from 2 weeks ago, Hubby transferred our DVD player downstairs where Aliyah and me have been indulging in LOTR marathon - all 3 movies. And then back again. We are at our 2nd cycle now. It amazed me that Aliyah has quite high standards on the kind of movies or programmes she watches. Nowadays, it's Merlin, now going on the 4th season. I'm so glad she's not the type who watches stupid Malay comedy programmes overloaded on Astro nowadays. She would watch for a while and said - "Bodohnya...". I'm thinking, I should re-read the LOTR book. Let's see how long I will take to finish it this time around! I'm now finishing re-reading The Gods of Small Things. Yup, no new books. I have yet to go and get me those Haruki Murakami books.

Yesterday, the weather was surprisingly good that we cycled to Sg Buah again. This time, one big round from the river up to the main road to Bkt Unggul and then through the kampung and then back. One session up "Bkt Digi", this time around stopped twice. Bukan tak larat, tapi macam berat! So, I blame it on the heavy lunch of ayam kampung panggang. Hehehe... Managed to get almost 16kms. Flat road only stopped once for gulps of water. The route by the river not so good due to the heavy rain nowadays. But not bad la for about 1 hour of cycle. If nak lagi jauh kena keluar lagi awal. But then, balik office pun dah almost 6pm. Today, if weather permits, another session. Tomorrow morning, Akak Limah Lambung SPride ajak cycle Ladang Bangi - special session for beginners. Let's see... that would take at least 3hrs. Kesian pulak kat Aliyah. We'll see...

Just came back from a hearty delicious meal - Nasi Ayam Kampung Panggang at Mantin. Sounds far right? Actually, not really. Hubby selalu ride that area and singgah makan there, so hari ni bersungguh-sungguh nak bawak makan sana. Ikut short cut through Nilai 3 and then - sampai! The place - simple gerai, meja & bench kayu. Menu - ayam kampung organik panggang, itik panggang, ikan keli salai... Yang lainnya besides the normal nasi ayam sauces - sos kicap and sos cili, ada sambal cili api. Sedappp... The three of us had nasi ayam, 1 ekor ayam kampung panggang, air tebu 1/2 jug and hot tea = RM25 only! Very recommended! Ambik gambar pun senget... Ayam panggang mula-mula order 1/2 je. Tapi terpaksa tambah lagi 1/2 :)

Stumbled upon Borders last weekend - and my jaw almost dropped to the floor. One shelf dedicated to Harumi Murakami books under "Recommended". Just HIS books! I have more than half of them, there are a few more that I've been searching. MPH Alamanda doesn't carry many of his books. Novel Melayu memang banyak la... So I stood there like a child who found a gingerbread and candy house. Buy one book and get the next one 50%! Adusss... But nope, I didn't swipe my CC. This is not an emergency case. I told myself - next week when I get that payment, I'll come back. I want that, that, and that... Also, that one and that one.

For all the hours that you didn't pay attention in class, I am so glad that English education has proven to be useful.

Linda's father passed away this morning. I got a call from her at 8.30am. She was on her way to work. We visited her at her parents' house. I guess after seeing so many neighbours and relatives, seeing a friend was such a relief. We hugged. I sat her down and she started talking. I offered my hands, she held them firm and talked. After some time, she stopped talking and we just sat holding hands, real firm for long moments. I guess no words are needed when two best friends simply sit in silence. Al Fatihah for her arwah father.

Apparently, the logic of building a rocket is not that difficult. When we design a rocket, one of the first questions we ask is what do we want the rocket to do? In other words, what mission will the rocket perform? Identifying what mission a rocket will perform helps us understand what characteristics a rocket must have (these are called “mission requirements”). For example, if a rocket’s mission is to carry humans into space, then it will require cabin space for the astronauts, pressurization equipment, and multiple redundancies to ensure safety. Identifying these mission requirements helps us understands the multiple design tradeoffs we need to consider to get to a final design. To get to a final design, a rocket designer must tradeoff three things – size, weight, and power. Going back to our example, the astronaut cabin, pressurization system, and redundant components will add weight to the rocket and will require more power to keep running. More weight and power means we need a la

I was a science-stream student with obsession with books and language and writing and photography. My favourite science subject was chemistry. Even though I enjoyed concocting chemicals, observing the colour changes and got headache inhaling vapour clouding the lab, seriously, chemistry doesn't really fit into my big plan. But you might find this piece here interesting. Bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol is significantly hindered by the structural and chemical complexity of biomass, which makes these materials a challenge to be used as feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production. Cellulose and hemicellulose, when hydrolyzed into their component sugars, can be converted into ethanol through well established fermentation technologies. However, sugars necessary for fermentation are trapped inside the crosslinking structure of the lignocellulose. Hence, pretreatment of biomass is always necessary to remove and/or modify the surrounding matrix of lignin and hemicellulo

I'm seriously into knowledge sharing. Especially for those who find my thought process worthy of public discussion. I find this physics paper quite interesting... The goal of molecular manufacturing is to build engineerable high-performance products of all sizes, rapidly and inexpensively, with nanoscale features and atomic precision. Molecular manufacturing is the only branch of nanotechnology that intends to combine kilogram-scale products, atomic precision, and engineered programmable structure at all scales. It is no coincidence that molecular manufacturing has gone far beyond other branches of nanotechnology in investigating productive nanosystems, because high-performance nanoscale manufacturing systems are the only way that these goals can be achieved. Building such a product appears to require direct computer control of very small operations. In other words, it needs programmable manufacturing systems capable of acting at the nanoscale. So, you find this interesting? The co

1st Muharram is this Sunday. A warm new year wish from me. May the new year brings much happiness, health and rezeki to all. I've kick-started plans for next year. Despite having 2 projects at the same time, we are still in survival stage. The struggle is not over. 2012 is going to be an uncertain time for all. There will be a lot going on next year - things that will affect people like me - general election, economic uncertainty... One thing I'm sure - training will be affected. I believe budget for training will be reduced. As we have experienced 3 years ago. Immediate plan - training will be secondary next year. Well, unless I can churn out several new topics not yet offered in the market. And still... nothing is sure. My only consolation is that I have secured projects for us at least until March. But that is not so far off, so efforts to source for new projects must start now. I pray the current two we are pursuing will bear fruits. That can cover us until mid-year. And on

That bukit I cycled last week. The one that I stopped 5 times. The one that was 45degrees steep and 90meters long. The one they call Bukit Digi because there's a Digi pencawang next to it. Yesterday I revisited it and I only stopped - once! Major major improvement! Thank you to Sdr Muzz for "donating" his handle bar. My old one was a bit heavy. This new one is very light and easier to handle. Not much difference on flat road but on such steep hill - baru tau its true capability. Little things matter I always say. That's the route. I stopped about 3/4 of the way for 1-2mins. The 1/4 balance was actually not so bad. I think I'm getting the hang of this stuff. Total ride was almost 13kms. Enough for a short exercise. The weather was excellent yesterday. But it drizzled a bit along the way and then stopped. It just felt good to feel the fresh air and the droplets of water on my face. That 1 hour of escape from the harsh realities of life was really amazing. Today'

Alhamdulillah because Aliyah has gotten much much better. Such strong little girl. Must have been a very painful experience. No more pills for her. Alhamdulillah because it's now school holidays. Can spend more time with her, even though at the office. A nice break from ironing her school uniforms. Alhamdulillah for whatever things I might not be thankful for. Or I might forget to thank. Or I might missed to thank. Thank you. Doa is my best gift for you. Alhamdulillah for some experiences with people lately. My presentation last few days was not so good - we were not given fair chance to present. I am very sure we didn't get the project. Lesson learned - I hope there's a lesson learned but seriously how can one predict the situation of a sebutharga presentation? The panel you would meet? Their expectations? But a few days later an ex-colleague contacted to offer an opportunity. So, all is not loss. Hopefully. I know it's still early - year end is a month's away. But

My father was discharged from hospital yesterday. He spent about a week at Hospital Serdang due to low blood platelet. The results finally came yesterday and he's cleared - he's healthy. Alhamdulillah... I pray Allah swt gives him good health and strength to perform ibadah. On another note, someone is in hot soup. To me - "diam itu lebih baik...".

Finally, my first off-road ride. Last Sunday morning, Hubby and I head off to Ladang Bangi. His gang went to Sg Long - a very difficult track. He'd rather take me for my maiden journey :). Actually, not so bad even though the route was muddy due to the rain. The little Sg Bangi running across the palm plantation looks so clean and "presentable". I guess, a dip in it won't be so bad! Lots of tough small hills to climb and the ride down were very slippery. But such nice ride in the clean and fresh air. We only ride for about 8kms in the plantation. My bad right knee started to give me problems. Next time must wear knee-guard. All-in-all = 20kms ride on-road and off-road. Nice one! Little Sg Bangi on the right. Surprisingly clean and clear macam kat Sg Tekala. Tapi kalau tengok yang lalu kat Pekan Bangi... macam2 bendasing terapung! Tengah berusaha keras naik bukit... I gave up once - after 4-5 of such bukit. Terpaksa sorong gak sikit. Tapi kalau sorong lagi penat and ta

Akak dah start ride balik. Walaupun tak consistent dgn alasan yang sangat munasabah iaitu - musim hujan - tapi yang penting bike baru datang dengan semangat yang baru. Hehehe... So, baru 3 kali tapi seriously feels so good. The latest one - instead of joining SPride Muslimah kawan-kawan lady riders - sebab rasa macam tak confident nak ride 30kms tiba-tiba dengan stamina yang berada di tahap sangat minimum. Bukan takut basikal pancit. Takut napas pancit. So, Hubby dengan baiknya membawak akak ke Kg Sg Buah. Such a beautiful kampung - not many cars, fresh air, nice view, just heavenly... Tapi didera ride naik bukit yang mendongak 45degrees dekat 90meters cycle to the top. Adoi, rasa putus napas nih. I stopped 5 times throughout and actually Hubby kata OK sebab dia dulu masa first time pun stop 5 kali jugak :). At the top. Masa naik tu memang rasa dah give up. Rasa nak je turun dan sorong je bike naik atas. But I told myself - banyak lagi cabaran kat dunia ni yang I dah go through, takkan

Aliyah started her school holidays sooner - on MC. She complained some rashes on her stomach and back on Tuesday night. Those looked so severe I scolded her for waiting so long to tell me. The next morning we took her to the clinic and apparently she got "kayap" or shingles or herpes zoster. Orang Melayu kata kayap ular. The doctor said it's virus, most probably dormant from her previous chicken pox. One fine day, when the time is right ie when the body is low in immunity, the virus will come out in the form of shingles. The rashes look exactly like chicken pox but more grouped together. So now Aliyah is on strict medication - anti-virus pill every 4.5hours. So, even at night I have to wake her up to get her to take the pill. She couldn't sleep much last night, today she started to feel the pain. I have to cancel all my meetings to attend to her. Kesian sangat tengok even though she looks braver than she feels. I'm very sure she's in real pain. Taking a nap at

My nephew & GF officially opened their spa on 11/11/11. Nice date to start a business. We went there to visit that afternoon and Aliyah became their first manicure customer. Ekin is very professional. Punyalah sedap kena urut tangan, Aliyah tidur before 9pm that night. The spa is only for ladies. But married couples/families can book a session to themselves. Hubby try masuk sauna :) It's an all-in-one spa - including hair saloon.

Someone posted this on FB - asking where were you and what were you doing at 11.11am 11/11/11. Don't get me wrong, I'm just trying to mark this in my life history so that I can reflect on it later. At 11.11am 11/11/11, I was at our office's little surau, performing solat dhuha and then one round of yassin. Sampai terlepas alarm I set to fetch Aliyah from school. Alhamdulillah... something good to remember. However, if it is 2 hours later I might actually write - at a shopping complex trying for a blouse :)

I'm replacing this posting. I found it to lead to different interpretations. And sadly, it led to a negative analysis of an ibadah to Allah swt. Astaghfirullah... Hanya Allah swt dan aku sahaja yang tahu apa yang diniatkan di dalam hati semasa mengangkat takbir. Hanya Allah swt dan aku sahaja yang tahu keikhlasan hati semasa meminta petunjuk. Hanya Allah swt dan aku sahaja yang tahu pilihan yang ingin aku dibuat. Hanya Allah swt dan aku sahaja yang tahu sama ada air mata yang membasahi sejadah itu ikhlas atau tidak. Hanya Allah swt dan aku sahaja yang tahu apa yang diminta semasa tangan diangkat dalam berdoa. Hanya Allah swt dan aku sahaja yang tahu... Jadi, siapalah kita untuk menganalisa solat orang lain? It is a mistake to share my thoughts, I must be careful in the future, but it shouldn't be the reason to take the 2 sentences of experience and mock it. Astaghfirullah... I take it as a lesson well learned. Semoga Allah swt ampunkan segala dosa-dosa kita semua. Jom kita doa

Hubby sent my bike for service during the Raya holidays. Yesterday it came back - with a new frame! My blue bike was sleek but a bit on the heavy side - 15kg in total. Sesuai for beginners (hah, sejak bila akak jadi pro? Hehe...). Hubby apparently have been saving up since February to by me a new frame - a white Orbea - 11.9kg. Much much lighter and faster. Now I got no excuse not to ride! Siap letak ribbon lagi :) Along with the bike is a new silver helmet. Also new is the gear - 9 speed. The old XDS frame. For sale to any who's interested. Macam brand new lagi. Well maintained by Hubby :)

Dah lama cari lagu ni. One of the most romantic Malay songs ever. Especially since Jay Jay yang nyanyi. Kalau hubby ku nyanyi untuk akak... Hmmm... Permaisuriku - Jay Jay Tika renungi malamku Bersama tirai perindu Potret permaisuriku Lenamu didakapanku Inginku belai rambutmu Saat malam malammu Walau kembara ku meredah alam maya Kan ku pertahan garis cinta kita Oh Ku hancur dikala tak bersama Kau yang ku cinta Impi rinduku disaat mesra Oh kasih Oh Terbina rona kota bahgia Permata dijiwa Oh kernamu Lautan duri ku tempuh Demi sucinya cintamu Tak ku hiraukan waktu Ampunkan kesalahanku Ku pinjam raut wajahmu Hanya kau yang kurindu

Nothing much except for the same old problems and issues. After some time, I really don't feel much concern about it anymore. Whatever... I believe all these years I have done my part. Maybe now it is someone else's job to take over. Do I miss the good old days? Of course I do. If not, how do you explain all these dreams I've been having. I dream of them at least a couple of times a week. I was asked - why do you alone get all these dreams amongst us? I guess because I am close and I used to be the one always visiting and cooking for them especially mid-week. And I used to be the first one to arrive if something happened. If my heart broke to pieces, I'm not trying to mend it. At times anger crept in - but then who's to blame? The pampering of a child who's suppose to leave the nest and take care of himself? Or the parasite who's sucking up all the juices? Seriously, again, I don't really feel much anymore. It was a choice that has been forewarned. If so

Our three little kittens now tinggal seekor je. Miki aka Jerry aka Tommy dah diadopt oleh Bob & Mas - our neighbour belakang rumah. Julie pulak dah diadopt oleh our "besan" - another neighbour. Now tinggal Eecah je and in just days nampak mcm dah sangat besar. She's not so friendly actually but now we can see she actually is cute. Dulu-dulu comot. Eecah is just 2 months tapi punya la besar. Kalau tidur, memang tak sedar apa dah...

Our little family had this little birthday "bash" for Aliyah. We bought her a Game Boy - with some contribution from her Mak Long and Abang Ijam. Blueberry cake for my little angel. Sesi memotong cake... Dinner - mee goreng Mommy (bukan Mamak). Dengan Game Boy nya...

My little girl is 10 today! How time flies... Will be going out early to buy her present. She's a gadget girl - anything electronic is fine with her. Alhamdulillah things are getting better for us, even though still too early but at least we can celebrate her birthday. But the party has to be deferred until she finishes her exams.

This new project has started to gain its momentum. Yesterday we conducted a workshop to get requirement study. Hubby was the master facilitator. I know he can handle the group of Govt reps with his quirky jokes. And the feedback on the evaluation form - mostly I saw "very good" :). But it has been quite some time since I did a training - even though yesterday jadi facilitator utk one group je tapi penatnya... adooii... Group 3 yg I handle ada rep yg sgt active with ideas & feedback. Would be good if can implement his ideas for the new portal. My only comment to him was - "If content ada Encik Zamri, memang boleh buat!!!". The rest of the participants... My team led the whole workshop with Hubby at the helm and the rest of us handling 3 out of the 4 groups. Good start for us. Hopefully, by Dec when our contract ends, we have proven our value to the project and get our contract extended :)

Had the privilege of taking care of my mother at the hospital for 2 nights last weekend. She will be discharged today. I pray that she can walk again, even with aid. I pray she will be able to take care of herself, even just the basic needs. I pray she will be able to perform her solat again, even while sitting. I pray for her health and her happiness.

Hubby's turn to enter the Four O yesterday. But have not really celebrated. Morning I had to go to that favourite agency for a meeting. Brought along Aliyah because we are spending our weekend at my Kak Long's. Taking some time off from my neighbourhood. Lagipun Hubby busy with his bike rides... We have bought him a present :)

There is this predictability in life. At a certain point of time, there will develop a certain habit or hobby. This involvement will gradually start to consume things - time, interest, etc. Then, this habit or hobby will reach its peak, when nothing else matters except for that particular habit or hobby. Everything will evolve around this habit or hobby and it will start to interfere with lots of things - work, relationship, etc. Then, a certain distraction will start to develop, which I might or might not know of. And then, something will happen and the habit or hobby will start to fade out. And after a period of time, the cycle will start again. My stand - after all that has happened before - I don't really care anymore. It takes a lot of traumatic experience for the heart to become unconcerned.

The kitties are already one month old. So cute and naughty. Rasa macam bela anak kecik pulak kat rumah. Now when I'm in the kitchen or doing laundry must always be careful. Sebab they like to hover around my legs. Takut terpijak! We plan to give away two for adoption. Too many to take care off, nanti rumah jadi huru-hara. Anybody interested can contact me :). Anyway, fyi we have changed their names. Female: Eecah @ Aishah. This is the smallest of all. Mula2 Aliyah bagi nama "Luna" but then she said cute macam Aishah anak Mak Ngah dia! Hehehe... Female: Julie. Second biggest. Macam Catwoman. The only one that has not started eating yet. Male: Miki. Mula2 Hubby bagi nama Kimi [Raikkonen]. Memang laju pun! But then susah sikit nak sebut. He's the first to eat, the biggest and fastest. But his legs a bit cacat - macam weak. Hope he'll get better or adapt to the deformity. Still - very cute.

A big thank you to Earna of Residence @ Uniten for inviting our big group to the hotel's open house on the 22nd of September. Residence hotel ni memang generous. Every year we get invitation :). The food - mostly sangatlah excellentnya. I got addicted to the lontong concoction - nasi impit lontong yang authentic balut daun pisang, kuah lodeh, sambal sotong kering, sayur jawa yang sangat yummy with huge fresh prawns and for my second helping - rendang itik. Balik rumah dengan sangat puas hati... Aliyah, Linda & her Hubby Faizul. Aliyah dapat her favourite food - Japanese. Our new director Ejat with Ekin. Insyallah akan jadi business partner :) The whole gang. Termasuklah Caspian yang dah lama tak jumpa. My two other staff tak join - rumah jauh!

Yup, I celebrated my entry to the big 40 last 20th September. No celebration. We just started a project and that day was the kick-off meeting. Financially pun tengah merundum ni. Aliyah made me a big red card with the words - "Sorry tahun ni tak ada hadiah". Hehehe... Love you lots anyway. Hubby sent me a poem - the kind of poem that he used to write years ago :). Love you lots too. My in-laws threw me and Hubby a surprise birthday "party" the 2nd week of Raya. That Saturday, my youngest SIL called saying they are coming over before going back to Melaka. A few minutes later, my MIL called saying Angah's family are also coming over but just cook rice because they will bring over lauk-lauk. After Hubby came back from his ride, the other 2 BIL also called saying they're coming over. Call that an impromptu Hari Raya Open House! Just that I only prepared the venue :). After makan-makan, they brought out a cake for both of us. So sweet :). And finally that night,

The night before my encounter with the parang-yielding lady, I was watching TV at my sister's place while Aliyah was at the dining table playing games on my notebook. Suddenly my sister grabbed the spray and sprayed something on the wall. It happened to be a huge cockroach (or so I thought - with me all cockroaches are huge!). The cockroach flew up the wall and then dropped behind the cabinet. Aliyah, who was sitting directly below the cockroach, cowed a bit, while I simply jumped to my feet and dashed to the door. I am thinking of my reactions to the encounters with the cockroach and the parang-yielding lady. Know what, I will risk my life for my beloved daughter anytime. At the Mamak restaurant, despite my trembling hands, I leaned over to my daughter grabbing her chair anticipating any crazy actions the lady might take. I was prepared to push my daughter under the table and face the parang myself. I had all that mentally planned in my head. But under the attack of a huge big fly

God, my hands are still shaking... I'm now spending the weekend at my Kak Long's place. Aliyah has been staying with her since Wednesday. It's a week's holiday for her due to UPSR exams and we thought it's better for her to spend her time with her Mak Long rather than being left at the office while we go for meetings. Anyway, my sister, Aliyah and I went to have roti canai at Syed's just now. It was already past 10am, so not many people were there. While eating, I saw this old Indian lady with very long hair (which she draped across her shoulders that made it looked like she was wearing a shawl) going to the counter to order and pay for her takeaway. The counter was just next to us. What startled me was that she had a parang under her armpit, like she was casually carrying an umbrella. My heart skipped a beat. I slowly leaned over to Aliyah to put my arms on the back of her chair because Aliyah was closest to the lady. A man walked past, saw the lady with the pa

Things have been a mixed of emotions lately. Work wise, alhamdulillah, things have started to get better. We worked hard, pray and doa hard, and finally projects and opportunities are coming our way. Some opportunities are even unexpected - a letter from East Coast inviting us to a sebutharga, Hubby's bike ride comrade asking him whether we can improve his agency's website. It is still early but at least this new project we are starting next week will pay for our and our staff's salary at the very least till end of the year. I thank God for that. Maybe it is also a sign. The moment I got that person's name off my company share, rezeki started to come in. However, in my prayers, I always say "redha" for all the challenges and hardships we have been facing. It brought us closer to Allah swt for sure. Family wise, it is now a sad episode actually. Certain things happen and it is not what we wish to "embark" on but something we had to do. The only thing

This is Tabby - the kitten who came to us one Ramadhan night. When we first took him home, he was soaking wet, shivering, with bloated stomach, protruding bones and fungus on his ears, nose and head. Credit to Hubby who diligently bathed and put minyak gamat, plus 2 visits to the Vet. Now, he is so naughty, so manja, so mischievous. When we first took him home... One month later... very clean and healthy. He is like a "replica" of Kiki. Main kat garden. Tengah menyorok from Boboi.

Here are pix of Mimi & her babies. Their names? Arthur, Morgana & Merlin. Aliyah tengah gila tengok Merlin the series. Day 2: Baru 2 hari tapi dah nampak besar. Last Saturday. This is the one Aliyah named - Morgana. This morning... Ok gak si Mimi ni jaga anak... This is Merlin. The smallest and most comot. My favourite and the biggest - Arthur aka Wolf Boy.

A warm Selamat Hari Raya wish from me. Maaf zahir batin. Tak sempat nak wish last week. This year my little family raya kat Melaka first. Then back to Bangi on second hari raya. We didn't get to go anywhere. My parents are not so well. It was my turn to help out when the others went back. So, kerja, kerja, kerja... Then, back home for another round of cooking - for 2 days in a row. This year our neighbourhood block agak bersemangat beraya. The neighbours came over, then we went over, then to another house, then they came over pulak... The next night pun sama. But quite enjoyable I must say :). And since our dining hall is also the kitchen, must make the kitchen clean and spotless. I hope I lost some weight over the past days! Anyway, personally, it has been a very good Ramadhan for me. I pray I can continue the routine this month and more months to come.

Subuh this morning I heard loud tapping noises from the back room upstairs where we put Mimi - isolated her in Aliyah bathroom until she gives birth. She wanted to go out. She then rushed out and went under the bed sniffing here and there. Aliyah's old baby mattress fell down under the bed and I told Mimi - "Nak beranak kat atas tu pun boleh!". Then I closed the bedroom door. This morning, I went to feed her and found she actually has given birth - relaxing on the baby mattress nursing her babies. I saw 3 little kittens - mostly black with whites. Black and white! More black than white! Adoii... Tak apa lah... Hope she can take care of the kittens. Now there are 6 in the house. I have yet to tell my story about another kitten we adopted an orange tabby Aliyah named - Tabby. He looks exactly like Kiki masa baby. One rainy night this Ramadhan we heard meowing of a kitten very near to our house. Aliyah and me went out to investigate with a torchlight. It was still d

This mess I'm in will, insyaallah, be over soon. I'm buying that person's share of my company. And then things will be back to normal as before. And I believe rezeki adalah anugerah Allah swt. And I will continue praying.

I think this has been the best Ramadhan thus for - for my entire life. Perhaps the challenges and hardships I'm currently facing has its blessing in disguise. I am more at peace and calm. And I love the feeling of craving to perform the solat sunat. Such a beautiful month.

I put aside re-reading "Sophie's World" (which still proves to be a difficult book to finish) in favour of this old book - "Liar's Poker" - which also proves to be a difficult book to finish because of the dog-eat-dog world of the US stock market. I can never admire such profession of making one rich or bankrupt in matter of seconds. My long talk about fantasy books with Megat H to a meeting a few weeks ago made me dig back my old books. At one point during my uni years, I was crazy about fantasy books. Now I'm re-reading "Servant of the Empire" - the 2nd in the Empire trilogy by Raymond E Fiest and Janny Wursts. The book was one I rented from an outlet at Subang Parade (my favourite rent-a-book shop) and never returned. After reading about a quarter of the book, it just doesn't feel right. I need the first book! My online search found the book no longer available at MPH. So, I Googled and finally managed to get this PDF copy, which I

We had a gotong royong session at my parents' place to paint two rooms of the house - Hubby, Nizam, Zura and me. For amateurs, the end result looked quite ravishing :). Nizam - for someone yang tak pernah pegang roller, kira ok la. Boleh la cari makan! And as a reward, we had a scrumptious iftar meal of lauk kampung cooked by my BIL Abang Din who went back to Pasar Sari Temerloh that morning - masak tempoyak ikan patin, masak sambal cendawan kukur, gulai daging kerbau... Excellent!

Let's see... We rearranged the stuff of our house. Since we now have bicycles that cannot be simply be left outside (nanti orang curik!), we have been putting the bicycles inside in front of the main door (which we actually seldom open because we normally use the side sliding doors). We finally decided to change the layout of the furniture to suit the space for bicycles. So, the weekend before puasa we got to work. The study has been moved to the back room. Aliyah has proven to be very independent in doing her homework, so we don't really have to watch over her shoulders. Now, the TV, DVD player and PS2 are now moved to Aliyah's room - to the corner that used to house her toys. Nowadays, her toys are permanently in containers. No more Barbies and stuff. A better place to put the TV since she can play with her friends in her own room. The sofa bed at the back room is now at the previous study. Very cool place especially in the afternoon. The bicycle space and the yellow sofa

Asam pedas ikan pari - our main dish for iftar on 1st day of Ramadhan. And I suspect will be the dish for quite a number of days in the month just like last year. It's Aliyah's favourite. However, both of us are not really a fan. Tapi makan tu boleh lah... So, yesterday after work, Aliyah said she wanted me to cook ikan pari. Aisey, akak ni malas betul lah nak masak ikan ni. Bukan apa, selalu tak jumpa ikan yang fresh. Tapi yesterday rezeki Aliyah, dapat beli ikan pari yang agak OK. So, memasak asam pedas lah akak... Bawang semua tumbuk ok... Tak yah lah masuk blender kalau tak sampai segenggam... Dah siap masak dalam periuk. Demi anak tersayang. I don't really call this asam pedas. Masak asam is more like it.

It's 1st Ramadhan finally. A blessed Ramadhan to all. So far so good. Work as usual. No scheduled meetings for the next few weeks - for now lah. I pray this blessed month will bring us good fortune.

We have added quite a lot of new stocks of baju kurung cotton for kids: - Stok Promosi (sizes from 1 - 7) - stock clearance - Stock Baru (sizes for 6 months - 2 yrs) - Stock Baru (sizes for 2-3 yrs) - Stock Baru (sizes for 4-5 yrs) - Coming Soon (in the making - sedang dijahit) Check them out at our FB page :)

Dulu-dulu crazy about Grey's Anatomy. Siap download all the episodes sampai penuh my external hard drive. Patutnya buat backup working files. At one point had to make one hard decision, so I deleted all the episodes. Mana lagi penting kan? Of course lah working files. Anyway, watched one episode last weekend. I actually dah tak follow sangat now. But that episode made me remember one of the reasons why I was so crazy about the show. It's McDreamy's smile. Not any other ordinary smile, you see. It's the kind of smile that he gives as a husband to his wife. That episode, he just woke up from sleep in the morning to go to work while his wife just came home to catch on her sleep. He got up, closed the window shutters (so that Mer can sleep in the dark - sighh... small sayang gestures), turned back to look at Mer (who had fallen asleep) and smiled. The kind of loving smile that a husband gives no matter how crazy, eccentric, irritating, clumsy, or nonsensical a wife is. The

We were invited to present at a knowledge sharing session yesterday. Topic - KM. Venue - the agency managing the city opposite where Hubby used to work. I didn't present - Hubby and Hajar did. My point? I thought that was one of our best presentations. I have always tried to do things differently from other people. And I have always stressed to my team that our strength is our experience and expertise. We can never win against any established companies if we follow their approach - listing out past high-profile projects, showing impressive demos, etc. Technology is always secondary. What's important is how the technology is used. Thus the importance of good storytelling - of how technology is used for the betterment of things, showing examples and ideas, opening people's minds of how things should be implemented - instead of being awed by superficial demo presentation. The feedback from the organiser - the information flow was very good, they understood and gained a lot fro

Our biggest koi named "Mommy" died last Sunday. I found it at the bottom of the pond. While I can't say I have feelings for pet fish, it was quite sad to see it lifeless. It was one of the earliest 3 that we bought for the pond and became the biggest of all. Farewell. It has been therapeutic watching it swim in the pond. Farewell "Mommy" koi. That's Mimi busybodying herself.