Living with Sarah

Lama tak buat entry pasal 3 Things :). Hubbs was back over the long weekend. I sent him to the airport around 5am this morning. He was not so well and unfortunately I caught the flu bug. Sigh... ni tengah rasa macam demam nak start balik. Anyway, 3 Things I really appreciate when Hubbs is home: 1) Tak payah drive! Yeay... bestnya rasa bila duduk front passenger seat :). I don't like driving. 2) When I complained that I have gained weight sebab dah lama tak exercise dan sebab layan Aliyah kat rumah cuti sekolah, he said - "sama je, tak gemuk pun!". Hahaha... 3) When there's cockroach in the kitchen, he would swiftly run, armed with a spray and kill the beast. And make sure that the dead roach is dumped into the tong sampah.

1) We closed shop for 2 days (Thursday & Friday). Dua hari yang terasa sangat lama. Rasa macam weekend, yang tentunya bukan weekend. For us yang waktu kerja tak sama dengan orang makan gaji ni, cuti yang jarang diambil ni memang digunakan dengan sepenuhnya. It was family time for us :) 2) On Thursday - keluar dating dengan Hubby. He bought 2 tickets for us to watch The Hobbit at Alamanda. Aliyah memang tak nak tengok for the 2nd time. Sedih, katanya. She insisted to stay home. Terserempak dengan Azam & Azura with their kids. Lama sangat tak jumpa. Lepas tu aktiviti mencari laptop baru for me :). I've been using my Dell Netbook since our days in Sek. 15. Bayangkan punya lama. A new laptop is definitely due. Finally settled on Lenovo Flex i7. Such huge laptop - 15.6". Tetapi laju macam lightning compared to my old Dell. I was poorer by RM2800. But it was so worth it. Semoga boleh digunakan dengan seoptimum mungkin untuk mencari rezeki :). 3) Semalam patutnya buka ked...

1) I finished 1Q84 last week. Finally. Read it a few months ago, then I stopped. Mainly because it's such a hassle to read in bed without my specs. After Inferno, I picked it up again, and finished the remaining 2 volumes in under 3 weeks. This is the first Haruki Murakami book that I didn't straight away read the book again after finishing it. Nak kata tak best, OK. But not too intriguing as the rest of his books. Sekarang tengah baca Norweign Woods for dunno-how-many-times. Rasa macam nak pick up Kafka on the Shore back. And as predicted, Aliyah hasn't even touched The Hobbit! 2) Last Saturday, after I escaped from my own bedroom, went to have lunch with Aliyah at Subway, and then to Bangi Gateway. I ni kalau stress, I don't go shoes- or clothes-shopping. I go grocery shopping. After seeing Aliyah carrying 2 boxes of her favourite TGIF mozzarella cheese sticks, I thought, why not just buy something for us both to enjoy. So I picked up a lamb shank! The frozen one ...

FB users never mature kan? I have written about them so many times. And I still can find them everywhere. 1) I found one yang sangat menjengkelkan 200%. One post by my nephew about him riding his bicycle with us was responded by, I believe, his friend. That guy wrote: "Tak ajak pun!". My nephew replied: "Jom la, hari Sabtu depan...". That guy replied: "Aku tak ada basikal". How stupid is that? 2) You know those advertisements - jual produk kecantikan lah, tudung lah, jubah lah... You will find yang sangat menjengkelkan any day. Kalau akak la kan, nak beli barang la kan... I will buy from a seller who has (not perfect, tak apa) good grammar or tatabahasa yang elok. The language you use to promote your products shows the kind of person you are and the quality of product you sell. I will never, ever buy from those who use: "meletoppsss...", "gila kentang!", "terbaekk dari ladang!", "mantoopss"... 3) Those who nev...

1) After watching The Matrix last night (cerita no 1 - dah tak ingat how Neo started), I was about to go to sleep when I checked Awani update on my phone. Astaghfirullah... I told Hubby a MAS plane lost contact in Ukraine. Terus buka channel 501 and the worst fear was splattered on the screen. The plane was shot down and crashed. It seemed like just yesterday MH370 was lost and yet to be found (obviously presumed crashed) and now MH17. I didn't get much sleep last night. Every hour check latest updates. Sampai alarm 4.15am boleh terlepas (I must have touched "Dismiss" instead of "Snooze"). Alhamdulillah, terjaga jam 4.50am dan sempat prepare sahur. Al Fatihah to all Muslims on flight MH17. 2) Nowadays, I make simple lunch for my mother and send over (after sending Aliyah to school) daily. Except weekends when my sisters are usually there. Starting this week, malam pun cuba untuk ke sana untuk suap dia makan. Kalau tak ada orang bagi dia makan, memang dia tak...

1) I now know how it feels like to be in an ambulance. Like a roller-coaster ride. Seriously. That Friday morning I accompanied my mother to Serdang Hospital in a Pusat Kesihatan Seri Putra ambulance. The journey was bumpy but speedy. My mother kept on asking what this and that was showing the lights and the window. I told her we were going to see the doctor because she was having a fever. She kept on holding my hand to her chest and closed her eyes. Once in a while, she would reach out to my face, feel my forehead and ask me if I am already OK. She thought I was the one with fever. The one we took back was better. It was a private ambulance. And we were not in a hurry anyway. I took two ambulances last week! 2) I accompanied my mother throughout her "ordeal" at the yellow zone from the time she arrived till about 9.30pm. The yellow zone only allows one person at any time. Since it is not a ward, there is also no where to sit. Imagine having to stand for almost the whole ...

1) I notice a slight change in Aliyah. When I fetched her from school yesterday (her first day of school after the holidays), she sat in the car, said Hi and smiled. When we were at Nazeem waiting for our orders, she actually started a conversation. Well, before borrowing my phone to play Candy Crush. Hmm... such a pleasant change. I don't know whether it's the time spent during the holidays together, or her dengue fever made her a bit clingy. When I told her yesterday that I'd be going to KL to meet up with Aunty Yatt for some business and she has to stay with her Abah, she actually asked, "Mommy pegi tak lama kan?". As a teenager, she has been acting like a true teenager ever since she started her Form 1. The usuals - the sulks, the silence, the "really?" face... I really missed the manja kid she used to be. Lately, she has begun to "balance" out her teenage behaviour. I hope she stays this way. 2) I had lunch with Yatt today. Biasanya jum...

Semangat nak bangun dan bersiap pun dah kira challenge, inikan pulak biking. Malas memanjang. Yesterday did an 18-km cycle from our shop to Nilai Impian and back. This time around is a huge challenge sebab Hubby lalu route yang berbukit (instead of the safe one we usually take). 3 things on my mind while biking yesterday: 1) Riding up hills can release whatever psychological pressure inside your chest. You ride up the hill dengan mencungap-cungap and cursing (why oh why did I wake up early to torture myself to death?). And all these negative thoughts will come out. I hate this, I hate that, I hate my spouse who rides next to me forcing me not to use the easy gears, I hate not having this and that. Negative thoughts keep coming out and replaced with positive ones. I am not going to give up, I will cycle and cycle up this hill, I will not let this small stupid hill laugh at me, I will continue cycling, just a few meters more, I will not stop and show any weaknesses, I can do this, I h...

Career wise, I'm wearing at least 3 different hats every day... 1) First thing this morning - siapkan accounts for the shop. Update monthly sales, expenses, stock purchase for April. Siap print for the 2 bosses to study. Data is there but I can't pinpoint why certain months sales are up and certain months sales are down. I guess we have to look out of the box (or shop for that matter) ie customers' behaviour. Early of the year maybe dapat bonus so sales naik. Lepas tu turun sikit. Then naik sikit - perhaps yang private sector tu start dapat bonus. Last month turun sikit, maybe stagnant a bit as regular customers have gotten all that they need and they come for bike service. Hence my suggestion to the 2 bosses that we need to embark on marketing efforts to expand the reach. Nak kena buat paper gak nih! 2) Linda & I have started working on our yearly project: Baju Kurung Cotton for Kids (and Mommies). Semalam dah mula dapatkan stok kain. Today I just uploaded 18 new...

1) Aliyah and I spent the weekend at my Kak Long's place. Lama tak balik kampung :). Aliyah pun asyik terperuk kat rumah. So, it was girls day out - as usual pegi Paradigm. We had the most hearty lunch at Serai. Delicious. Kenyang sampai esok paginya sebab both my sister and I had to finish up Aliyah's choc ice cream yang sangat chocolaty and creamy and filling. Sesak nafas. 2) Hubby fetched both of us yesterday. After lunch of Nasi Kandar, then on the way back singgah pulak A&W PJ (Aliyah suddenly wanted fries and coney dog after having them at KL Book Fair). The joint has improved a little bit compared to very run down place the last time I went there last year I think. Membaham curly fries dan huge rootbeer float dalam kereta. Sampai rumah, weather was quite nice, we decided to go cycling. Kayuh tak sampai 1km hujan mula menitik. Patah balik ke kedai. Tunggu sekejap. Then, cycled again. Niat di hati menggunung tinggi nak cuba track MCP. Baru 15 minit dah surrender. Men...

1) I have known other people getting it but never thought I would get it one day. I am having vertigo. Ya Allah... seksanya. It started at 3am last Wednesday. Bangun nak ke toilet tapi bilik berpusing-pusing. Pagi terus ke klinik. Nasihat doktor - see what position is best either baring or duduk. No driving until it goes away. Seriously not the best feeling. Nauseous rasa sebab pening. Now dah belajar sikit macam mana nak handle. Must not move abruptly, must not bend, try to maintain straight head position. My friend Iteq, who is a doctor, is also having it now. Alhamdulillah boleh minta advise. Ya Allah, sembuhkanlah... (kerja sangat banyak ni...) 2) Aliyah is, at this very moment, with her friend at Pesta Buku PWTC. Ada one mom as chaperon. Risau juga fikirkan orang ramai. Insyaallah semoga dia OK. Bila fikir balik, when I was 13 - macam-macam dah experience. Tinggal asrama, buat semua benda sendiri... Setakat pegi pesta buku or any such events yang orang beribu-ribu datang, OK je....

Nowadays, life is much easier for me that Aliyah can do simple cooking - masak burger, maggi and goreng fries or "ice cream goreng". Cuma kadang-kadang je manja-manja sikit mintak I buatkan sandwich and stuff. She's still awkward in the kitchen but slowly have started to get comfortable. But I still cringe when I see her handle a knife! Her kitchen exploration did lead to some mishaps though :) 1) Once she made cheese sandwich express style. I showed her how to do it using a frying pan. But she thought she was really smart and used the toaster instead. Very innovative. The cheese melted. I still can't get the rest of the melted cheese sticking at the bottom of the toaster till now.  2) She told me she wanted to fry "ice cream goreng". Since I just used the wok she normally use for that to fry fish, I told her to get a new wok and put fresh oil. My daughter, at times, tend to not focus on what I said. (Typical teenager!) There was this smell of fried f...

I thought by now people have matured in using FB. But nope. Idiots still roam FB. 1) Someone posted photos of food. An idiot commented: "Sedapnya... nak sikit!". 2) Someone posted photos of him/her at some nice location. An idiot commented: "Pergi tak ajak pun!'. 3) Someone checked in at emergency wing of a hospital (with no additional info whatsoever). Concerned friends started to ask what's wrong. After an hour, the idiot replied: "Visiting auntie who just gave birth".

1) After my Angah and Kak Ros came back from umrah, they resumed their normal duties of bathing my mother in the mornings. Well, after Kak Ros took 2 days "MC" due to her fever. After a few days of leading a little bit less hectic mornings, I have to admit that I miss caring for my mother. I miss seeing her in the morning, catching that smile when she sees me coming into her room. I miss making her fresh and smelling of baby powder. Most of all, I miss kissing her hand and her cheeks and asking her to pray for my little family's wellness. So I took over the tasks during weekends. Have to give Kak Ros some rest. So, that's what I do weekend mornings now. Sometimes my other sisters will come back as well. When they come, I will reserve the time for my cycling activity. 2) Aliyah is at her friend's house in Nilai Impian for her first sleepover. I guess, from me not receiving any bit of WhatsApp message from her, means that she's having a blast of a time. She pr...

In my opinion, di dunia ni ada 3 kategori orang yang berani. Saya akui, saya memang bukan seorang yang berani. 1) Atheist - recently kecoh pasal kes murtad orang Islam jadi free-thinker. Sebelum kita bash up these people, buatlah a little bit of research. Pasal apa dia orang ni beralih arah. But my point is not on the cause. Who am I to judge? However, to me, such people are very "berani" sebab hidup independent. Very independent. Without any reliance on a supreme being. I cannot imagine such a life. Kalau I tengah susah, ditimpa masalah, sedih, etc, secara automatic akan doa dan minta tolong pada Allah. Allah tempat bergantung. Sama dengan kalau tengah senang, gembira, dapat rezeki, etc, secara automatic akan berterima kasih. Alhamdulillah. Susah atau senang kita tahu yang ada satu supreme being yang mencipta kita sebagai manusia dan pada Dialah tempat kita mengadu dan bergantung. So, kalau ada orang yang boleh hidup di dunia ni tanpa bergantung kepada Tuhan (no matter wha...

Have been really busy. What a week. With both mysas. And the usuals chores and duties. 1)  I finished processing the  bulk of stocks. Took me 1.5 days. And gave me back pains. Now, we have more variety of items. And finally - apparels. Not much but enough. Good to hear our customers say - "sini semua ada, tak payah pegi tempat lain!". Latest photo of the shop. 2) Within just 1.5 months of opening the shop, I actually met more people I've not met in ages than the years I spent holed up in my office (obviously!). Last week I met Nordin whom I used to work with for the Brunei project many, many years ago. He sent his bike for repair and was deep in conversation with Hubby when I stepped in after sending Aliyah home. Nampak macam familar. Lepas Hubby borak-borak and heard the word "sismi" being mentioned, terus ingat! Today, a guy stepped into the shop, I looked up and instantly know that I've worked with this guy before years ago. He looked at me, sai...

1) Pagi-pagi Aliyah dah pegi ko-ko kat sekolah. Stay-back. That's 2 days in a row. Kita kesian kat dia, tapi dia suka je sebab geng-geng dia semua stay-back juga. Pesan kat dia - don't go out! Just stay in school! Anyway, hari ni Hubby telah menurunkan pisang tanduk yang dah masak. Dulu terawal ambik. Kali ni sampai dah masak 2 biji kena makan burung baru sempat turunkan. Alhamdulillah... dah betul-betul masak nanti boleh buat pengat pisang or just goreng. 2) For some peculiar reasons (again), I am back at sending food to my parents. Alhamdulillah. Suka je. Since Aliyah tak ada, I pun tak masak. Beli lah saja. Semalam mee rojak Asik Maju, hari ni mee rojak Haseena Maju for my mother. I told her - nanti bagitau yang mana lebih sedap. Makin putih mak aku ni. Apa la Kak Ros dok sapu kat muka dia hari-hari? Dia suka potong rambut pendek sebab my nephew Along Iwan selalu puji dia nampak awet muda! Hehehe... 3) Today work as usual at the shop. Nothing special planned....

1) I just recovered from another round of insomnia. Seriously, what's up with the body? I get it at least once a month. It can stretch up to 2 days of no sleep. Imagine more than 48 hours of not getting any sleep. With work as usual. Tiring. Finally resorted to sleeping with Aliyah in her room just for a change of bed. Before sleep layan dia tengok LOTR. She's so happy... :). 2) Things at the shop are progressing very well. Alhamdulillah... Last Sunday, a group of usual cyclists started their cycle from the shop up to Kg Jeram Kedah and back. We provided nasi lemak for breakfast. One good thing of having them start and finish at the shop is that - they would become tempted to leave their bikes for service. Come Monday morning, I was presented with this!  Penuh service bay... 3) Alhamdulillah... I really feel blessed to be able to practise this flexible working hours I'm currently enjoying. My Whatsapp group of good friends are always full of "traffic jam...

Hari ni suasana kedai agak slow. So, selepas seharian semalam membuat accounts dan report untuk tokey-tokey kedai (very detailed you, hari ni siap buat sales graph lagi errkk... tapi kedai baru bukak 3 minggu mana ada sales trends yet!), hari ni nak hilangkan pening dengan share cerita menarik masa wedding Ejat dan Ekin. From my point of view lah! 1) Masa the rest were at the mosque waiting for akad nikah, my Angah and Kak Ros dok risaukan both of us. "Kesian kat Ateh Fairuz & Ateh Nizah kena jaga caterer kat clubhouse. Mesti banyak kerja...". In truth, both Hubby and I were sitting around doing nothing because the caterer was very efficient. I sempat balik rumah ambil phone yang tertinggal and then ke KTM fetch my Acik Adol. Lepas tu barulah rajinkan diri susun gift packs. Yeay, we got the easiest work! 2) Backdrop pelamin tumbang! The incident will be the talk of town for years! Setelah berdiri kukuh selama semalaman dan sepagian sehingga jam 1.30 petang, elok-elok ...

I'm starting with selawat dan salam ke atas junjungan kita Nabi Muhammad solla Allahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam. Yesterday was such a glorious and generous day.... 1. Tak terkira dan tak terkata bertapa bersyukurnya pada Allah swt. I got a phone call informing that we got the writing job for that agency I went to last week. Registered with sennago and now waiting for formalities. Managed to arrange with Linda on days that I need to be stationed there for her to take care of Aliyah. Praying that I can negotiate to come in 2 days a week instead of the requested 3. InsyaAllah... 2. Our video project with that favourite agency got dragged but the client is willing to pay for the additional days. Allah permudahkan urusan. Mula-mula recalculate lebih dari ceiling price. Dok pikir-pikir, dapat ilham untuk separate into 2 quotes and accepted by the client. Sedang bercakap on the phone tu, that favourite contact person terus dapat idea for another small "project" - casing f...