Living with Sarah

After the workers finished installing the access door system, Linda and I went downstairs to have lunch. Bawah pokok - for cendol and mee rebus. Seriously one of the best cendol and mee rebus around this area. Anyway, I have been friends with Linda since our hostel days. While we were not really in the same group of friends, we were in the same groups of notorious friends. At that time, some groups "overlap". After we finished school, all the groups sort of got "joined" together as ex-88ATPNers. Nope, we didn't reflect on the year. We just touched on issues that came to mind. Rule of thumb: there shouldn't be any serious conversations over cendol and mee rebus. Let's see - how we still can't understand why some women go gaga over tudung Fareeda which cost hundreds of ringgit per piece, how at this age the most important thing is to spend by our own means and not by what other people think we should, how ridiculous some people spend their money but ...

On this last day of the year, I am at the office, buried deep in translation work that has started to make my back ache. These stinging sounds of the drill really disturbs. Some workers are here installing the access door system. It is high time we install it. The number of tenants has increased. One tenant actually broke the key of the glass door (leaving half of the key inside the keyhole) a few months ago and since then we have been having problems with the door. While doing this monotonous work of formatting the translated work into the format requested by the client, I try to recall what 2012 has been - for me, my family, my company. One thing for sure - it has been such a tough year. From all aspects - financially and personally. However, the challenge has opened my eyes to the true meaning of kinship and friendship. It has taught me that even in the tough test of times, there are generous and kind people all around us. That is such a blessing. And I thank Allah swt for such wo...

Our office is due for new tenancy agreement. The whole 3-storey was bought by another party. We have been pestered on rent increment for months. Since early November, we have been trying to get the increment reduced. Hubby siap pergi jumpa lawyer dengan Robert - the real estate agent who handles our Puchong apartment sale. Alhamdulillah, dapat kurang RM500 than initial amount. Next, came the amount that we need to pay - aduii... punyalah banyak. We need to top-up the deposits, + legal fees, + 2 months advance rent. Memang tak mampu nak bayar. I was really down for weeks. Memang sangat sayang dengan office tu. Just a couple of weeks ago, I thought of offering the office for take over to our tenants. Mula-mula ada 2 yang interested. Agaknya bila tengok amount nak kena keluar, terus tak jadi. Seriously, ingat senang ke nak rent an office? The amount to fork out is over rm5K. It was back to square one... At one point, ingat nak offer to Bro Muzz. I don't mind losing on the amount tha...

Alhamdulillah, my niece Titin safely delivered a baby boy today. Well, via cesarean. It has been quite a difficult pregnancy for her. And I am so glad that she and the baby are well. So, that's a new cucu sedara for me. A new cucu for my Kak Long yang I am very sure has been having sleepless nights for weeks.

Both Hubby and I had to go for a meeting in Bdr Baru Bangi after breakfast and had to leave Aliyah - somewhere. At first, plan to tumpang her at my Angah's office. We then remembered that she badly needs a haircut. Rambut dah panjang sangat. Sekolah pun dah nak buka next week. So, we parked her at Izzkin instead dengan pesanan khas kepada Ekin - potong rambut for school and nothing else - meaning no manicure or pedicure ya!  Sangat comel... 

I wrote previously about this pokok pisang yang tidak ada harapan untuk hidup but we decided to plant it anyway. That the ones yang we all sangat berharap untuk hidup dan tanam di luar telah dikerjakan oleh lembu-lembu durjana. That pokok pisang dah nak berbuah... Yeay! Tak lama lagi, insyaallah, dapat lah makan pisang tanduk merah...

I have been watching too much of Jamie Oliver these past few days. All those Christmas food he prepared looked so yummy and mouth watering. And he made it look like they are so easy to make. So, hari ini I dah janji dengan Aliyah that we will make Christmas food, not because it's Christmas, but because the food looks so tempting. Hubby pun tak jadi pegi ride ke Kelang yang jauh tu, so good day to cook something special. Hasilnya...  Roasted chicken with stuffing yang I suka hati buat - breadcrumbs, hotdogs, lotsa onions, some flour and an egg.  Roasted carrots and potatoes with the stuffing leftovers. Wanted to roast till crisp tapi perut dah lapar. Kalau  letak cheese kat atas lagi sedap nih... Then I made coleslaw (grated cabbage and carrots with mayo and black pepper) and gravy (heat what's left on the roasting pan and add black pepper, milk and parsley). And we have a complete meal... and 3 happy tummies. There's still half of the chicken in the oven...

One of Aliyah's favourite food is roti bakar kopitiam style. I had to rush to the bank just now, somewhere near my Angah's office. Then, decided to drop by for a visit. And then a short stop at Bangi Kopitiam. Aliyah successfully memorised these few bacaan solat today - while in the car - and roti bakar is her treat. Bukan apa, last week during our meeting there memang teringat kat dia. Nak tapau nanti dah tak sedap pulak bila balik rumah.  Bangi Kopitiam has these "artifacts" of not-so-long ago. I explained to Aliyah the concept of typewriter. She looked at it and wonder how the ribbons can actually produce printed words. She said - tak sakit ke tangan tekan-tekan tu? Sigh... budak-budak sekarang main iPad mana ada tekan-tekan...  Now, this is called a "roller-skate" before the invention of roller-blades. I remember I was so good at this!  Where is my roti bakar??? She ate 3 of this double set. I only ate one and was so full!

Alhamdulillah, syukur pada Allah swt. We just nailed 2 projects these 2 days. Semalam dapat request for quotation from our regular insurance company untuk translation work. They have new products to launch in February. Our contact said there are more to come. Should be the usual - policy, brochures, etc. Today, dapat confirmation to start work on the first batch of materials. Yesterday, setelah Hubby menunggu hampir 1 hari kat office Bro Muzz, akhirnya dapat PO for intranet & website development yang telah dipursue for the last 2 months. Next week start work. Alhamdulillah ya Allah. That consultation work masih menunggu confirmation. Which actually is a blessing. Sebab then we can focus on these 2 projects. Lagipun, I pening kepala pikir transport arrangement if we were to start that work immediately. Hope it will start after school commences so that we can better plan our time.

Aliyah, walaupun seorang yang kuat makan, bukan seorang pemakan yang adventurous. She doesn't like to try anything new. She would eat the same thing over and over again. Like Tempura Udon... and Roti Telur... Kalau makan kat Nazeem, Jaafar the Cook akan geleng-geleng kepala tengok dia makan - telur goreng (or ayam goreng) + sayur + kuah kari + kicap manis. Never anything else. Dia selalu kata - "Aliyah, bagitau Acik Jaafar apa Aliyah mau makan. Acik Jaafar kasi masak untuk Aliyah." I cakap dalam hati - Aliyah order sushi nanti baru tau!!! Just recently I found that she likes Lala. Hari ni since duduk rumah, I pun memasak lah lala. Let's see - sweet and sour with chillies tambah telur. Macam chili crab kot. Entah... I kan masak suka hati. Ajar Aliyah masak ni. Hopefully, next time she can make this on her own!

I am not a gadget person. So, while everybody has started using iPhones and Androids, I still use my E75 Nokia Symbian. To me, as long as I can make calls, send SMSes, make some notes and use the calendar, very very fine with me. The past 2 days rasa so useless. My phone decided it's time to take a rest. Out of the cinema after watching The Hobbit for the second time, I immediately took out my phone. It's reflex, you see. 3 hours confined in a dark room will surely ensure at least a couple of missed calls and SMSes. But then, I realised that I could not scroll up and down, left and right either. Restarted the phone and can't even enter my PIN. Aduss... The drive home was one of the longest - my phone can't be used, Aliyah forgot to bring hers... Felt so insecure. What if something happen? Seriously, how did we survive without mobile phones last time??? Yesterday we scouted around, today finally got to send the phone for repair. Nasib baik lah tak mahal and siap in ha...

Everybody needs a sanctuary. A place he or she is comfortable at. A place where the person can go and be at peace. This sanctuary obviously differs based on a person's needs, personality, etc... even heart. I have my own sanctuary. I created it from scratch. And I don't want to lose it. Because it is not only my sanctuary. It is also Aliyah's. My little office is my sanctuary. I created it, yes, from scratch. The size and shape is a bit awkward. But that's what makes it special. It has my desk and Aliyah's. It has a sofa for my guests to sit. It also serves as the place for me to take a snooze if I go to work real early and gets sleepy by 9am. It is also the place where Aliyah takes a rest after school, or if she's not well, or if she just wants to rest. It has a huge desk with very comfortable chair. It is the place where I work best. Where I spend day and night working. At times even weekends. It is where problems are solved and projects are won. It is also ...

Despite warning Aliyah that I would get migrain and puke if I were to watch a 3D movie - literally demonstrating to her how I would puke while she laughed and laughed - we actually went to watch The Hobbit 3D today. Sigh... demi anak tersayang. Aliyah was so determined to watch it in 3D that all was on her today - our tickets (Abahnya tak ikut), popcorn combo and even lunch! (But then, tak sampai hati la pulak nak "pau" anak sendiri kan, so I told her lunch was on me!). She really enjoyed it. She really is into LOTR. I remember she was 2-3 years old when she first watched Fellowship of the Ring and I was amazed that she could follow the story and relate to the characters - ie Atok Gandalf, Abang Frodo and Sam, Uncle Aragorn... And when she started to watch the DVD extended versions she could identify the added the scenes. Even The Hobbit ni pun dia dah start tanya I bila nak keluar DVD extended version!

One round of solat Istiharah completed. Rasanya solution ada tapi still goyang. Paling penting, sedang tunggu confirmation... Yesterday, Hubby and I met this guy - a friend of a friend. My friend Aimy suggested to me a consultancy work early this year but it didn't materialise. That person then requested for resume again a few weeks ago and we finally meet yesterday after months of email communication with Hubby. It's nice to meet someone on the same wavelength with possibilities of venturing into this new consultancy line of work that has started to grow in demand. The kind of work that we usually do in our projects but on a more professional and formal scale. And to be given opportunity to learn hands on this new line of work is very exciting too. We are now waiting for confirmation of the first project together. But it will start with only one of us first. We both are equally qualified. It'll be a 6-month project. The site office will be in KL. I spoke to Aliyah abou...

Menonton The Hobbit seawal minit pertama! Jam 10.50am dah siap duduk munching caramel popcorns and sipping Coke waiting for it to start. Only half of the theater was filled. I'm sure they are just like us - die-hard fans. Now, I am skeptical actually. The Hobbit is such a "mini" book compared to the hefty LOTR. I read it years ago and I remember lending it to someone who didn't return it. Now I'm dying to read it again. Anyway, how can that 160++ pages of book become a trilogy? (Dalam kepala - saja la tu nak suruh orang tunggu bertahun tengok sampai 3 movie). The LOTR has set a standard so high that even Peter Jackson himself couldn't achieve it this time around. But the book was written for younger audience anyway, so, no scary and haunting characters. (I remember I had a nightmare after watching The Two Towers - I dreamed being chased by Uruk Hai who attacked the area where I used to live as a child and I can still recall that I ran and ran and ran but m...

Aliyah and I were at Alamanda today. Just for a couple of hours.  1. Main reason - to buy tickets for The Hobbit that opens tomorrow. Yea, yea, can always buy online. Just an excuse to go jalan-jalan. And as expected - I got tickets for the first show, got the best seats. People around this area don't watch our kind of movies lah I think. I'm sure queue at other places are really long. So, if you want to watch English movies at ease, go to Alamanda :). 2. I always say Aliyah eats a lot. Dia ni macam Abang Ijam dia. Kalau pergi mana-mana, perut kena isi dulu. So, after getting the tickets, and before going anywhere, it's early lunch first at Kenny Rogers. Kalau tak, baru nak tengok-tengok barang dia akan sibuk tanya bila nak makan. 3. All humans have this thing called "personal space" right? So, when you stand, even in a crowd, there is this  invisible circle around you, perhaps of about 12 inches in diameters, that others cannot intrude. I was standing wai...

Just some pictures from last week...  Kittens tidur dalam laci. Their favourite place. So, laci ni memang sentiasa kena buka. We plan to keep only Nina and the rest to hand over to the Vet to get adopted. Hmm.. sedih jugak ni...  Aliyah & I had lunch at Sushi King last Thursday. Actually, only Aliyah. I tak larat dah makan sushi. She finished up the huge bowl of udon and the tempura. Lepas habis beli groceries, boleh pulak mintak waffle! Tapi kurus macam tu jugak...  This is Hachiko aka Chiko. So cute and naughty. Just now he tried to jump over this bowl used by Hubby to clean bike chains. Tak lepas. So, habis kaki kena turpentine.   Kalau jalan-jalan kat shopping complex dengan my Kak Long, memang kena ambik gambar parking bay. Semua tak boleh harap nak ingat parking kat mana. We went to Paradigm last Saturday. Spent the weekend at her place.   Beautiful fairy tale Christmas concept at Paradigm. Everthing is blue and silver. ...

This week, I am so grateful for a lot of things... 1) Yesterday, I realised that no matter how difficult life can be, we are surrounded by many good, generous and nice people. A business acquaintance (whom we actually have no successful business yet together) offered me VIP passes to BBW book sale for today. I politely declined saying it's not the right time due to financial constraint. What touched me was that he replied my SMS offering if he can be of any help at all and knowing that I am reluctant to ask for help (bukanlah berlagak, tapi rasa boleh survive lagi) he said whenever I wish to discuss, can always call him. I just felt like a portion of the heavy weight being lifted from my shoulders. Such nice gestures offered in the name of friendship. 2) My ex-colleague Marina came over yesterday to adopt a kitten. She and her kids finally selected "Alfie" - which has since been renamed as "Fluffy Muffy". Such adorable name! It was just a 30mins meet with he...

Aliyah and I took a trip to Tanjung Karang today. My good friend from school - Mas - invited this lot of ex-ATPNers to her Mom's place for makan-makan before she goes off to follow her husband to Turkmenistan. Yup, Turkmenistan. Punyalah susah nak sebut! Our little group from Bangi set off at around 10am++. Naik kereta Ijun - Prius C. Dah lama nak try naik kereta hybrid ni. Very nice. (Ijun isi minyak 2 minggu sekali? Sangat jimat...). Sampai around 12.15pm. We were the first to arrive and terus dihidang dengan Nasi Ambeng Warung Ibu. Sangatlah awesomenya. Warung ni agak famous kat Tanjung Karang, within the compound of the house. Siap rumah tu jadi homestay lagi. Teringat masa Form 4 dulu - masa my parents pegi Haji - this big group of us of about 8 people spent a week at the house. Buat aktiviti kampung. Siap pegi sawah padi. It was such a fun meet up. I dah lama sangat tak join sesi jumpa-jumpa ni. I almost forgot how much fun such meet can be. Even Aliyah had fun :). Masa b...

I ni sebenarnya agak clumsy. Kadang-kadang kalau I buat perangai clumsy, Aliyah akan cakap - "You clumsy woman!". Adoii... My trip to Kuantan started clumsily but I thank Allah that I have such a wonderful Kak Long who took care of all the loopholes for me. I stayed late at the office on Tuesday till 8.30pm waiting for the heavy rain to stop and also to wait for one tenant to pay his overdue rent. But he didn't show up. Dah lah cash ngam-ngam je for the trip. After dinner, we went to PJ. Isi minyak almost full tank and then realised - I'm not going to drive this car to Kuantan lah, I'm borrowing my sister's!". Sungguh membazir minyak! By the time we reach PJ, it was 10pm+ and I was too tired to do anything much. But my sister had prepared everything. Isi minyak full tank, top-up TnG (even though I insisted not to use) and she even put Sudirman CD on for me to listen to (knowing that I love Sudirman songs and somewhere at the LPT stretch radio signal suc...

Aliyah cukup suka kalau I cakap "whatever!". Dia akan ketawa beriya-iya. But little does she know that I am not that kind - to just let stuff go and say "whatever!". I have a meeting tomorrow in Kuantan. It's to kick start a small project. Even though the trip tu tak lah berbaloi, I still have to go. While being cash-strapped. Ada orang promise nak bayar sewa office yang dah  months outstanding tu, tapi tak juga datang bayar. Angin jugak ni. I planned a short holiday for Aliyah, as her present for getting the award. But have to cancel last minute. Kecewa sangat-sangat sebab dia dah happy nak pergi. There is this project which we just got but is sub-contracted to another company that I need to monitor. Also tak lah berbaloi sangat. I submitted a quote because the person at that favourite agency of ours asked me to submit. It's nice to be trusted to source out for new companies for the project, but then, it is a responsibility even though another party is ...

Yang selalu terjadi - di dunia ni kita sibuk dengan orang atau benda lain. Nak kejar jumpa orang tu lah, nak kejar siapkan kerja ini lah... Sampai makan pun terkejar-kejar. Jemput pun terfikir-fikir. Semuanya suruh cepat, cepat dan cepat. Mata sentiasa tertumpu pada telefon walau tangan menyuap nasi. Whatsapp sentiasa menyala. Berbual bukan dengan yang fizikalnya di depan mata, tetapi pada orang yang terletak di hujung jari. Jangan sampai suatu hari nanti, bila akhirnya muka diangkat, orang yang selalunya ada di depan atau di sisi sudah tiada lagi. Orang-orang itu juga tahu rasa penat dan bosan. Pada waktu itu, tak perlu lagi menghambat terkejar-kejar atau suruh cepat, cepat dan cepat.

I learned something valuable today - no matter how difficult my life is at the moment, there are thousands of other people out there whose lives are much, much worse. And, no matter how difficult I think my life is at the moment, rezeki is still in abundance. My short visit to my Angah's place just this evening turned out to be an enlightening one. He earlier sent me an email containing 2 YouTube links to a talk by Ustaz Yusuf Mansur about "sedekah". I'm still watching it. But the gist is - kalau kita beri sedekah, in shaa Allah pulangan yang Allah bagi balik adalah berlipat kali ganda. And my brother told of his own story - susah atau senang, at least 2.5% from company revenue every month akan disalurkan ke rumah anak yatim. And he recounted how at even the most difficult time, in shaa Allah rezeki tak putus. And I reflect on my own situation - selalunya bila ada duit lebih baru cuba nak sedekah. Kalau bayar makan kat kedai Mamak, balance duit masuk dalam tabung u...

Our little kitties are 1 month 1 week old. Actually kecik sangat lagi. Tapi they are way beyond their age - so big, naughty and active. Akak pening. Nasib baik "business" wise, they go to the downstairs toilet - either in the litter or tak tau lah yang mana satu yang kurang pandai sikit ni, on the floor. Cuci pun agak senang. We brought them to the Vet yesterday. Mintak carikan nice people to adopt the kitties. Doc siap cium-cium lagi the kitties. Sayang... Here they are this morning. Aliyah saja je susun diaorg macam ni tapi memang tak sedar pun orang angkat bila tidur. Cuma Alfie the dark grey one tak suka tidur macam this pose. Comel-comel sangat... takut by the time nak handover kat orang yang nak adopt, akak ni yang tak sanggup nak lepaskan...

I use FB daily. In fact, that's my main source of news. But then, here are 3 things about people's status updates or comments that really irritate me. 1. Status cari perhatian Tidakkah anda naik hangin kalau baca status cari perhatian macam "Please pray for me...", or "How I wish..." or "Rindu lah kat...". Boleh tak habiskan ayat tu? Kalau nak mintak kawan-kawan doakan, then tell la nak doa untuk apa - sihat dari sakit ke... ditimpa musibah ke... then, kawan-kawan boleh la doakan. Or kalau dah rindu sangat tu, tulis je la rindu kat sapa. Rindu kat boyfren ke, kat mak kat kampung ke, kat ayam dalam reban ke... Bukan apa, lepas tu mula lah semua orang dok comment. Bila cakap boyfren marah pulak. 2. Comment cari pasal Yes, people love posting the pictures of the food they eat. I have no problem with that. I actually suka tengok gambar delicious food - ie makan kat mana or masak sendiri ke. Nampak sedap sangat... But I have problem with people wh...

Let's see... Two things made me busy the past week: - cucu-cucu yang dah semakin nakal - side-business yang surprisingly agak menguntungkan Our little kittens are already 1 month old plus. Already due for a trip to the Vet. So naughty and so comel. Aliyah kata dia nak simpan Nina. The others tu we are thinking of giving away. Lama-lama sangat bela nanti sedih pulak nak bagi kat orang.  All four of them sleeping after Aunty Mas and Uncle Bob came for a visit. Ini lah Nina. Yang paling active, naughty and adventurous. The only one with a funny looking tail. My little side-business has given quite good returns. Alhamdulillah. Tapi biasalah food business - ada hari laris, ada hari tak berapa. But then, so far hari paling tak laris pun memang balik modal with a few ringgit of profit. I ni memang boleh menyimpan duit, I strictly put away the profits. End of the week split dengan business partner ie Hubby 60-40. We actually made RM100 the first week. That w...

My good friend Yatt is getting married :). I am so so happy for her. I remember a couple of years ago when she just moved to her condo, we sat and talked for hours about life, work and men. She said that she always prays she will one day marry the right man. I then asked her a question that made her silent for a few minutes - "Tell me the one reason why you want to get married". She pondered for a few minutes and replied, "That's a very good question. I actually have not thought of it". She then said perhaps she wanted someone to share her life with, a person she can come home to and talk about the things that happen that day. I told her, "I think that is a good reason to want to get married. And you should. As long as you know why you are taking the plunge". I just don't want her to succumb to the pressure of having to get married pinned down by the society. Getting married is not compulsory. And marriage is a lot of work. Speaking of a lot of w...

We used to stay at this rumah sewa my father years ago. Very small house but cozy. That was before we moved to Seri Putra and before buying this current house. Sebelum beli rumah sendiri, kenalah bersusah dan berusaha dulu - tinggal di rumah yang kecil, belajar hidup susah dan berdikari, sikit-sikit kumpul duit baru lah dapat beli rumah yang OK sikit. Tak gitu? Anyway, now my uncle Acik Yaya stays there. He has such productive green fingers everything he plants grow so well. (I sempat lah memetik buah mengkudu konon-konon nak blend buat air dan mintak anak pokok cili.) We went for makan-makan sambil membeli produk kesihatan last Sunday. Pergi rumah dia memang macam pergi kiosk kesihatan. He has this bookshelves full of products. And such a good salesman too. I always try not to look at stuff so much takut tak sengaja membeli!  Kat dinding penuh dengan product buntings & banners!  Makcik menyiapkan food...  Nizam ni pembeli tegar produk kesihatan. Ni teng...

Aliyah topped her class for the final exams this year. Merasa lah tahun ni naik stage ambil hadiah. I really hope that boosts her spirits. She was so excited. Even pinned her hair today (cikgu suruh biar nampak muka katanya!).   Received certificate & plaque  Happy & proud mommy & abah... Tapi kena usaha lagi. Next year UPSR!

These are the kitties yesterday. We moved them temporarily to the back because my Kak Long, Nizam and Zura were back last weekend. Perlu ada extra bathroom! They are still not strong enough tapi dah start pandai gurau-gurau and mandi sendiri. So cute bila tengok dia orang ni try mandi diri sendiri!  Mimi ni memang ibu yang bagus... Hubby kata Alfie yang warna dark grey tu nampak macam pakai jacket je :). I pulak rasa macam kena celup dalam Clorox! Hehehe...

Petang yang agak boring. Hujan pulak tu. Jadinya, Mommy and daughter buat projek di dapur - Banana Pancake atau juga dikenali sebagai Lempeng Pisang. Bukan apa, last week asyik tengok Chef Sherson masak Apam Balik Pisang kat AFC. Nampak deliciousnya... Tapi, tak lah minat sangat dengan apam balik. So, ikut recipe pancake Jamie Oliver, tambah sendiri pisang kat atas, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Seriously delicious... Aliyah buat sendiri batter. Dah pandai la sikit-sikit dia memasak :).  Simple batter: 1 cup self-rising flour, 1 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 pinch of salt. Letak olive oil & butter dalam pan, masukkan 1 senduk batter. Bila dah half cook, letak la sliced banana. Then, sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon. Then flip over.  Chef ni terus makan the first pancake. Yang lain, Mommy dia yang kena masak. Tambah lagi 2-3 slices of fresh banana. Then a dash of maple syrup. Yummy! Abah dia balik from KL dengan laparnya telah menyebat dua keping terus, w...

We already brought the kittens to see their "grandpa" - Sazali kat Vet clinic. Dia dan doctor pun macam heran the kittens are that big. Selalunya kittens start bukak mata day 10. Mimi's kittens bukak mata day 8. Today they are actually 15 days old. Still "gigil-gigil" lagi walaupun dah besar dari tapak tangan I.   Aliyah dah bagi nama semua. Nowadays dia tengah crazy tengok House of Anubis so nama semua ikut cerita tu.    Port masih lagi di bawah sinki bathroom downstairs... Yang ni girl - she named it "Amber". Ni yang grey (see picture above).  This is a boy. Namanya "Fabian".  Yang ni girl. Nama dia "Nina".  Yang ni girl kot. Tapi Aliyah bagi nama "Alfie". Memang macam Alfie cerita House of Anubis! These two are so cute! Yang multi-colour tu Marina my friend dah book.

1. Raya Haji I tak jadi balik Melaka. Demam lah pulak. Agak teruk juga. Must be the weather yang panas sesangat, then hujan lebat, then panas balik... Hubby pun tak sihat gak. Aliyah saja yang antibodi agak kuat. Dia gembira je buat hal dia sendiri. Apa-apa pun, dapat kiriman daging dan tulang dari MIL yang korban lembu tahun ni. Alhamdulillah... tapi masih di dalam freezer. Agak penuh jugak freezer dengan daging. Neighbour depan pun korban juga, so dapat satu plastik. Jenuh lah nak habiskan... 2. We finally got words on our grant. Their presentation to their committee was finally completed last month, hari ni dapat email nak meeting mintak a few clarifications. Tapi lepas tu diaorg nak present balik kat committee... Haiyoo... by the time approve, idea pun dah tak canggih lah... Doa banyak-banyak mintak mudahkan dan cepatkan. Cepatkan yang penting tu... 3. Insyaallah we'll get another tenant. Orang dekat-dekat sini juga. 2-3 more then cukuplah... Semoga suasana kekal harmoni. S...

Itu advantage being an entrepreneur kan. Sambil merendang boleh bekerja or sambil bekerja boleh merendang. Rendang I baru je siap. Atas dapur lagi. Tahun ni Raya Haji di rumah sendiri. Esok petang baru balik Melaka. Oleh kerana buat rendang di rumah sendiri, boleh lah masak sesuka hati. So, tahun ni I masak Rendang Nyonya. Wahh... yang pasti bukan Rendang Nyonya Mansoor Ibu Mertua Kasim Selamat okey. Itu jahat punya orang. Rendang ni sebenarnya ilham dari tengok Florance nyonya tu masak Laksa Nyonya untuk Bobby Chin kat AFC. So, I pun try la buat (mana ingredient yang dapat tangkap) tapi I buat gulai ayam nyonya. Agak sedap la... Memang macam rasa Laksa Nyonya kat Secret Recipe tu - yang memang marvelous. Untuk rendang I hari ni, apparently memang wujud rendang nyonya ni. Recipe yang paling simple I jumpa exactly macam gulai I selalu buat tu. This time around I memang guna buah keras. I really don't know what difference it will make. Tapi nyonya style memang wajib - buah keras, b...

Aliyah had her BFF over on Saturday. I took the opportunity to bake her a cake. Since her BFF's birthday was 2 days before hers, good to have a small celebration for the 2 girls. I have not baked for so long. My spring cleaning session last month saw me throwing out lots of baking stuff. The utensils are nicely arranged on the top shelves. Macam saja je susahkan aktiviti mengeluarkan barang. But then, for my little girl - I baked!  Bottom layer vanilla cake, top layer choc moist. Malasnya nak buat piping deco (malas nak mengemas sebenarnya), so I just put the choc moist cake crumbles all around. The taste? Yummy la jugak. But I should've cut the vanilla cake in half and spread more butter cream. This is supposed to be a 3 layer cake - tapi last minute macam malasnya... My little girl is on a school trip to Melaka today. I pray Allah looks after her.  

We actually went for a short trip to Bukit Mertajam on Thursday, and came back on Friday. Yup, very short trip. And very tiring. Hubby has an appointment to interview a company in one of the industrial areas in Bukit Mertajam. Since Thursday was the last day of exams for Aliyah, and Friday was her birthday, and not having her father around on her birthday was not acceptable, I suggested we followed. We reached there around 8.30pm. It rained heavily on the way there. I counted 6 weather changes throughout the 4.5 hours journey. We stayed at The Summit - the nearest to the industrial area. The next day, Hubby went off to work at 9.30am and what did both of us do? Watched TV and surfed the Net. The swimming pool was small - Aliyah tak ada mood nak swim. She then spent one hour in the bath tub - quite a big one. We didn't go to the island - weather was horrible (very heavy rain) and we need to get back. On the way back, we thought of stopping by at interesting places along the highwa...

First glimpse at our little kittens. I took these photos last Thursday - 4th day. The grey ones are very unusual - their colours I mean. The vet said Mimi has good genes. That's why he didn't let us spay Mimi. Aliyah wants to keep one of the kittens. I'm still thinking...  Very unusual grey colour...  Aliyah loves this one... So tembam. Another grey. But the head is slightly darker in colour. Another one is the same colour as Mimi.