Acara di Bulan Ramadhan

My 1st taste of Ramadhan only started on 9th Ramadhan huhu jenuh ku mau ganti...

No terawih yet. Just after solat Isya', Hannah wanted to go home, sleepy katanya and she only wants mommy, so I left surau and told her...' you'd better sleep hokeh...' only to hear her saying this 'Hannah rasa macam nak peluk ibulah tapi taknak tido..I love u mommy...' dgn nada yg oh so loving and cute + mata siap kedip2..

Budak mcm tu sampai hati ke nak marah ? Kata tak nak tido tapi 5-min after dah gone pun...

So what's different this year ? Mmm, this is our first Ramadhan in our new house, so preparing dish for buka puasa is more challenging. Why ? Coz I can no longer rely on lauk/kuih ehsan from my MIL kahkahkah and we have to detour for bazar Ramadhan. But the good thing out of it, I became (became ke have to ?) a little bit rajin than usual.

I have to plan ahead and be firm on what to cook coz my place is no longer surrounded by all facilities like before, ada la kedai runcit yang agak limited barangnya. Bibik is getting better in understanding my instructions tho it slipped few times especially during sahur, kemamaian gituh.

What else ? mmm I cook at night instead of after sahur and we now walk to surau for tarawih instead of driving, the kids siap janji2 dgn kawan pegi sama2 (Geng Surau??). So quite a change for us this year but I'm happy.

Sahur is very much an early affairs. By 3.30am I'm up and about if hot food required (nasik goreng or fresh lauk), if they want lauk b'buka then I'll just ask bibik to reheat and acara makan bermula at 4am. By 4.30 everybody back to dreamland. Too early ?? When Hanis started to observe fasting, she was 5, already in pre-school. We had sahur around 5am++ and waited for Subuh prayer before we went back to bed for another 30-min, it didn't work for us me & hubby were sleepy for 1/2 of the day in the office and Hanis complained the same too. She was tired at school. That's when we decided we should have our sahur earlier, catch a couple hours of sleep and we're good to start the day and it works till now. Kesian jiran2 aku..dah la kena dgr bunyi2 dari dapur aku pkl 11pm, pkl 3am pun aku duk kung kleng kung kleng...kan ?

Masa sahur aku godek peti ais tgk brg2 frozen yg bibik nak kena keluarkan, ayam, daging bagai so that aku bleh masak for the next day pulak. Kang kalu tggu aku balik opis baru nk bwk kuar nak kena defrost mwave plak, me not very keen on mv defrosting.

Biasanya aku bleh sampai umah dlm around 6.30, klu detour bazar or OTK then close to 7pm. I got 30min to 1hr to prepare apa2 yg lom siap. Masa ni biasanya bibik dah siapkan air & reheat lauk yg dah masak. Aku cuma masak stuffs yg simple2 time ni especially lauk2 yg x boleh masak awal mcm sayur. Goreng ikan or ayam hehe yang ni aku ngada2, aku x suka makan ikan/ayam goreng yg dah sejuk, so kena masak dkt2 waktu nak makan. Kalau tomyam, baru nak masukkan sayur bagai lah...masa ni jugak aku put aside bawang lada segala utk bibik kopek and bagitau dia bhn2 lain yg aku nak pakai. Bibik can only kopek or blender the bawang, kalau part2 mayang, cincang aku buat sambil2 tunggu piyuk panas...

Lepas b'buka, solat maghrib isya' tarawih sumer, aku either membebel kat budak2 sbb x buat homework or x salin jadual lagi. or tidokan Hannah else aku lepak depan TV, taking my own sweet time reading few pages of book kat atas before aku sarung balik apron, pegang senduk for next day meals. Normal days pun macam tu jgk (cooking at night) but I can afford to be slacking coz I have other options like bringing them out for dinner or buy bubur McD :P. While bulan puasa, you have to prepare the complete set.

That's how Ramadhan for me this year, challenging yet satisfying knowing that I CAN do it and the most important thing is I, myself, WANT to do it.

Next challenge ? Learn to cook more healthy meals which kids would love (I'm sure you know that I cook mostly Malay dishes which are oil-laden, santan-ised and all lemak tepu that u can imagine, sample macam kat bawah ni)

Asam pedas ikan merah, sotong kangkung, ayam guring, puding roti, agar2 merah

Tomyam ayam, bawal sweet sout, cream karamel

Gulai ayam, siput shedut, sambal cili, puding jagun :P

Keli sambal cili, ayam percik ,agar2 merah kegemaran ramai

Nota : Hanya lauk2 yg ada dlm gambar disebut, yang takde harap jangan kecik hati,

It's okay to cry...

A little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally, he went on his knees and asked God:

GOD... Why do women cry so easily?

And God answered...

…When I made women, I decided she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet her arms gentle enough to give comfort!

I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times will come, even from her own children!

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends, even when everyone else gives up, through sickness and fatigue, without complaint!

I gave her sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her badly! She has the very special power to make a child’s boo-boo feel better and to quell a teenager’s anxieties and fears.

I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite faults, and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart!

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly !

Son, for all of this hard work…

I also gave her a tear to shed. It is hers to use whenever needed and is her only weakness!

When you see her cry, tell her how much you love her and all she does for everyone. And even though she may still cry, you will have made her heart feel good.

She is special!!!

You can’t make someone love you

All you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth.

** Found this while housekeeping my lappy yg berbaki 6GB sahaja (out of 40GB).

Beli, beli, beli...dah abih baca ?

Last weekend, hampir2 terlupa..the Co. Booksale is almost nearing its end. Was flip-flopping on whether we should hit one in MV or 1U. Alpha Angle is out of the list due to its pathetic stock of books. In the end we decided that MPH 1U would be the best and we made the right decision... Not too crowded...this would be our final trip to MPH to buy non-school-related books (cayalah sgt, masuk mana2 kedai buku mulalah cair)..

My very FIRST cookbook...believe it

Next, we planned to have a peek at another bookstore which was highly recommended by DD and my boss, somewhere in Amc0rp Mall, so BookXcess here I come. I googled about it and I can tell you for sure that I can't wait to & go borong all those books. BookSale ? Mmmm save for school reference books and edu games. Hahaha tak kenang budi punya staff. Dah tu kalau buku Dan Br0wn leh jadik rm9.90, Sophie'holic' stuffs around rm13 oni, sapa x nak beli kan ? Tambah2 bila DD eksen ngan buku hardcover yg cuma rm19.90 uwaaaaaaaaa...

Found it...Happi-ness in Genting

Fuh..thank God I found the picture or should I say I recovered the picture. As expected, the SD card was corrupted...enjoy...

Mana : : Tanah Tinggi Genting
Bila : : 18 July 2010
Siapa : : 5 of us

My little lady having fun on ferris wheel

She refused to wear jacket. Stroller's raincoat to the rescue

Official photo of the day. No camera allowed in SnowWorld

Kejadian di hari minggu (Mid July)

Kita mulakan acara dari hari Rabu kerana hidup hectic bermula malam itu. All because aku belum menyiapkan assignment yg harus di hantar pada hari Sabtu. Dan hari Sabtu juga adalah hari exam.

Rabu malam stay up buat assignment, di opis mamai

Khamis malam stay up buat assignment, walopon dpt cuti study di hari Jemahat tapi aku harus pirgi ke library opis, menyiapkan assignment dgn teammate (ya ampun, sure depa serik nak bersama2 lagi huhu)

Siap aje, tgk2 jam..mak kau dh 11am, call cab nak ke Midvalleh, bukan beli buku tapi tengok movie dgn prempuan Dd. Movie apa ? Cerita Gerhana. Akhirnya...dari Tw1light, sampailah NewM0on..asik gagal nak dating. Movie no.3 barulah sukses tho all in kelamkabutness. Mkn yong tau fu beli popcorn bagai last2 aku agak kuciwa dgn Edward yg kejap hensem kejap hudus serta aksi kejung dia masa dlm khemah...sib baik dia sgt dreamy masa berkiss2. Jacob walopon bawah umur tetap hottie. Overall, the movie captured what it has to capture.But I wouldn't mind watching it again !! Love the bitter words between Edward & Jacob. Tanya Man, jom nengok..terus buat aksi geli2 hahaha hello honey I know u r not gay. As long as u shut up and keep all the comments to yourself then you're ok (dd, masa dlm tu rasa nak je aku sepuk mamat (ye MAMAT) sebelah aku tu pot pet pot pet)

Movie done, then seblom balik 'ter'singgah di Charles&Keith maka 'ter'beli kasut yg kononnya untuk dinner. While waiting for my boyfriend, 'ter'masuk ke Isetan, 'ter'tengok kasut putih yg super skema and 'ter'beli yang itu juga. Siapa yang tak 'ter' kalau brandnya adalah ZangToiNuYork, dan harganya <150 dan super comfy (comfy = tidak membunuh jari kelingkingku).

Ish baru citer hari Jemahat ek ? Alamak. Balik umah dah ala2 nak nervous breakdown sbb dgn nyata aku blom study utk exam. Sia2 aku bwk beg, buku & nota segala harem satu pun aku x baca. That nite, Man telah mengawal anak2 di bawah, aku kat atas mcm x senang duduk belek segala soklan past years. In the end, aku tawakal & tdo 3.30am tanpa sempat menghabiskan syllabus. Bangun pagi nervous lagi seround dua. Pi exam tgk member2 sumer rilek jek, nervous round ke-4. Masuk hall, jawab soklan, aku blah paling awal. Nervous lagik apsal org lain x abih2 tulis berkajang2 kertas depa pakai, aku pakai 4 page jek untuk 4 soklan esei. Sesi nervous berakhir dgn acara buat kad matrik. Yay! pasni tgk wayang, main bowling leh dpt student rate hehe terang2 nak misuse, org bagi nak soh access library !!

Balik umah layan Man mata Zzzzzzz

Esoknya, pepagi hari anak2 semangat bangun sbb nak breakfast d McD. Pancake yummy...dah kenyang detour jap naik bukit gi Genting. Surprise trip, ckp kat depa silap jalan and mtk tolong carik U-turn nak balik KL ekekekeke syiok tgk Along dah moncong2 sbb dia nak ajak jalan2 kat KL, Hannah plak dgn penuh konfiden yakin sgt jalan tu nak p KLCC.

Spend the day indoor, same ol games same ol rides except that we entered SnowWorld this time around since Hannah is big enuff to enter the freezer which was set to -5C. Molotku keluar asap, vontotku kebas main ais palsu (Tabung ayam : jom main salji kat Victoria or Korea).

Hannah did the Paris rides on her own and shared a junior bumper car with Adan. Hanis did roller coaster & adult bumper car. Hmm dah besau anak2ku.

Balik Genting sumer lembik, so tido seround pastu gi umah mak tgk SIL yg bleeding, katanya placenta previa. Adoi..

Sekian hari minggu saya

Aiyo, gambar gi Genting x jumpa2, rasanya dlm memory card yg corrupt kot...sib baik Genting jek..

Membina Pasukan di ChEERating

Mana : : The Legend H0tel, Cherating

Bila : : 23 - 25 July 2010

Siapa : : Sama teman2 sekantor (Ahli keluarga menyusul pada hari Sabtu)

Teambuilding will always be associated muscle-torture activities or boring class-room style of ceramah and all.

But when you have committee like yours truly, what you will get is something more fun instead of those dreaded stuffs everytime teambuilding is mentioned. I was tasked to handle all activities to be held there.

We left KL in bas persiaran sambil menonton KarateKid. Checked-in around 7.30pm. Tak sempat nak landing kat katil dah kena siap2 utk dinner & 1st xtvt of the day. We finished quite early and I crashed the bed almost immediately only to realise that I can't shut my eyes. I missed them back home. Hannah must be asking babah 'Ibu work ye ?'. I could imagine them dragging all selimut & bantal to camp in our bedroom for the night.

Next day started early, everybody donned their 'uniform'. We finished the morning session just in time for buffet lunch which was quite taste-less. While having nap, I got a call from hubby, 'We're at the lobby !!" Already ?? Ho ho ho I went there flying...the kids esp. Hannah screaming in delight the moment they saw me coz they were not expecting it. Babah zipped his mouth very well. I left them at the lobby to finish off my duty for the day. For 2 days, we had fun-filled sukaneka, controversial treasure hunt and indoor games.

Later in the afternoon, I joined them kids for pool time together with 2 of my colleagues who would rather take a dip in the pool instead of joining the bus-load going to Kuala Kemaman (kepok & satar hunting).

I stayed with my roomate at level 2 while hubby & kids occupied a room at level 3. Me & my rumet, L1yana crashed the bed and we ended up late for BBQ dinner. My luck..the moment I joined them, my name was called up, 2nd prize lucky draw = rm100 S0go voucher yippeyy. So happy that I gulped 4 pieces of lamb and countless trip to desserts section.

We girls then decided to crash in 1 of the room to chat, goss and story mory until midnight (ye puan2...pada masa itu suami & anak2 ada di bilik lain dan saya tidak sedar diri membujangkan diri saya). I went to check on them and kiss them goodnight. We only met the next day at buffet. I was no longer on-duty and back to my permanent role as mother. Like other mothers I'll make sure they eat, pack their bag, snap their pic and kiss the father :P

Time travel malam pun bantai jajan ye..

Before we left, made a quick stop at Kuala Kemaman for lunch & satar. We tried both Aziz Satar & Che Wan. Che Wan won handsomely in term of taste as well as presentation sbbnya Aziz punya dia letak cili api potong selamba badak je dlm tu, aku kena bukak, buang & makan tp dh tak best sbb x rasa pedas. I walloped pulut lepa..pehhh akhirnya, I can't help myself to pulut udang la weh..

Dah burp! Let's KL everyone. Just before Bentong toll, we saw the crawling traffic ahead. Quick thinking driver made a u-turn and we had new experience going back to KL via Bentong-KL federal route. Quite scary I would say, we then exited the small road onto Karak Hi-way from Genting Sempah. That would be the last time I will say yes to Bentong detour. Hujan di Kuala Lumpur greeted us. Home Sweet Home. 

Depan adalah gaung ye puan puan...

  Note : Bibik was not in the picture bcoz we left her in MIL's house. What ? Kejam ? Then help me pay for her room lah :P Quick..rm350++