News of The Year

Yes, We made it!!

Wishlist

Currently obsessed with these bags. Wish I can own any one of these. 

Mission kumpul duit bermula sekarang.

Oppa Gangnam Style

Honestly, I don't get the hype of this video. It annoys the hell out of me. And now, look what it has caused me - it's my kid's most favourite video. She even dance to it.

She is among those who contributed to the increase of most viewed video on Youtube coz she watch it every day, 100x a day. 

Sekali lafaz, sah!

About a month ago, one of my closest friends has officially signed the agreement letter of becoming a devoted loving wife to her beloved husband. The solemnization was held at her house the night of Merdeka Day followed by her reception on the next day and the groom's side the following day - one whole stretch!

The wedding prep was done about a year ago assuming that she'll pass her ACCA exams in November 2011 which she did! The initial plan was to have her wedding somewhere early this year but somehow the news of her sister and brother wanting the same thing as she is which is getting married, she decided to have hers in between them siblings. Oh, I can assure you that there were hell lot of dramas happening and finally, August 31, 2012 marked the day that ends her singlehood.

Syomir did the dress while she was "painted" nicely by Najeeb. She looked stunning in that dress. 

Dengan sekali lafaz Adil sah sebagai suami. I laughed during the akah, don't ask me why.

I always love akah nikah ceremony. It reminds me of my own. You can feel the love aura in the room. You can see how in love the bride and groom are.

The reception took place the next day at Dewan Perdana Felda. 

Group photo

Sekali sekala nak glamour

It was a good ceremony. Though it was a bit delayed but it was a good ceremony.

To Taj and Adil, congratulations and may this new journey be showered with lots of love and happiness. Shit happens and you may find that your partner is too annoying for you to handle but never give up hope on each other. Never stop communicating. Once you done that, it's a gone case! Love much xo.

3 down, 1 to go.

A reminder for me, a lesson for all

It was a first Monday after a long Raya break. I was still in Raya mood though my body was sitting uncomfortable at my working place. I was on facebook the whole morning and it caught my eyes when I saw quite a number of comments on one of my ex-schoolmate's wall. Not that I was doing my stalking work *cough* but you know how facebook works, they posted your friends activities by notifying on your newsfeed and that was how I got the news. 

Condolence messages were sent to her by almost everyone she knows. Being a kepochi me, I started doing my "investigation" and ohh my, what a sad, heartbreking news I got. Her husband passed away that morning while on his way back to Johore after the Raya celebration. 

I'm not sure the chronology of the incident but I'm sure her husband was on his normal speed when suddenly a trailer from the opposite side skidded and overturned to the opposite direction. He couldn't stop and hit the trailer. 5 cars followed and a motorcyclist were on the scene. Sadly, her husband passed away at the location.

The saddest part was she just gave birth to a baby boy 19 days before the accident.

This really caught me. I cried when I read the news. It really gives impact to my life. I couldn't imagine if this happens to me. Like seriously, I couldn't even think if this ever happens to me. What would I do? How would I feel? This is something that I couldn't bear with my own soul. But Allah knows what is best for His ummah. Allah tidak akan menguji umatnya jika dia tidak mampu untuk menghadapinya. She is a strong woman.

It took me days to calm down. I just couldn't get this out of my head and the faces of my loved ones keep on flashing in my head. I couldn't stop but to feel sorry for her. Poor baby, he doesn't get the chance to know his father. What if this happens to me and what will happen to my child? Ya Allah, besar betul dugaan yang kau berikan. She is still young and just gave birth. She lost the love of her life. Ya Allah. They haven't got the chance to celebrate their 1st year anniversary. Ohh god, it hurts even when I'm writing this what's worst when she is the one to bear with it.

Berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul. My prayers will always be with you friend. And I pray that you'll get through this and I also pray that your cute baby boy will be a Soleh, Insyallah. You are one strong woman.

Each time I'm on the road and everytime I feel like pressing the paddles, THIS reminds me and immediately, I'll slow down a bit and hit the road with a normal speed.

Allah kurniakan nyawa dan mengangkat nyawa kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya. He's a young nice man (according to his friends). He's done nothing but being the nicest to his friends and family members and yet he was taken by the Almighty unlike us who sins. Nauzubillah. He is in a better place now. Al-fatihah.

And to you who read this, I hope you can sedakah Al-fatihah to my dearest friend who has lost the love of her life whenever you can. Drive safe and if possible try to head to your destination during the day as most lorries and trailers are on the road during the night. They can be very unreliable on the road.

Syawal 1433H, Aildilfitri 2012

My lil family

Family potrait

Nenek & atok with lil Iman

Cerita basi but who cares!

We had our first day of Aidilfitri here in Kuala Lumpur. Rotation is essential for our marriage ye! So this year is my year. Well, our definition of raya rotation means where we celebrate our 1st day of raya. Like last year, we celebrated our 1st day of raya at Izwan's hometown so for this year we celebrate here. By that, it doesn't mean that we don't go back to Alor Star (gila! nak kena pancung) we went back on the 2nd day of Aidilfitri and shared an equal fun of raya.

What makes it so special? Isn't it obvious already? Of courselah Iman my lil munchkin. She was the centre of attraction. In fact, she was the centre of everything during our raya celebration. We had to scout for her 1st raya kurung (coz I am super excited to get her one) few days before raya. Mom had her kurung too but unfortunately, the tailor couldn't made it for raya. See, how fortunate this lil girl is sampaikan nenek pergi hantar tailor to make her kurung. Even when we balik kampung Izwan pon, Iman was the centre of attraction. Biasalah, cucu pertama on both sides. Begitulah layannya.

Apart from beraya-ing, my brother-in-law had his engagement on the 3rd day of raya. We weren't just balik kampung for raya, we balik to menghantar orang bertunang. Helped my mother-in-law with the preparation the night before and hell man, it was tiring. Surpisingly, I still have my hidden talent in creative design as I helped my MIL in decorating the hantarans *duduk bakul angkat sendiri*

I had a fun raya. Alhamdulillah.

Though Syawal has passed, I would like to seek forgiveness for all my wrongdoings. Maaf zahir & batin.

September 2012

I have so many things to write but I just couldn't find the time to post it.

1. Raya post - Raya pon dah habis.
2. Iman's first experience having solids - Iman pon dah nak dekat 9 months old, 3 months on solids.
3. Bff wedding celebration which is now close to 3 weeks overdue.
4. My first week experience of becoming a student again - exciting, exhausting, interesting, inspiring, mixed feelings. This is just the first week. I have hundreds of weeks to go.

I promise myself to write again. These 4 posts listed above as a start BUT not today. I will try to squeeze some time between lunch hour (before 2.30pm) to write at least a post a day. Well, not that I write a good article just that I need to polish my writing skills coz sure is I'm gonna need it anytime soon.

And the fact that I can only update during working days because I only have access to the internet at the office. This is not because I don't have internet connection at home, just that the husband and the sister are fighting over MY laptop to do their stuff - work, social networking and whatevernots. Limited source to access the internet. Big sigh!

On the other hand, I'm still actively breastfeed my baby Iman. Big accomplishment as I was struggling during Ramadan *clap hands*. Syukur, Alhamdulillah. My hard work never stops. 

Happy day peeps!

Managing Your Safety

With the recent cases on women being robbed and snatch-thieved especially at the shopping malls (car-park area), thought of sharing with you some useful information on how to prevent this from happening. It's always best for us to take precaution and be alert all the time. Of course, kalau nak jadi, dia jadi jugak but atleast we know what to do if it happens.

TIPS FOR MANAGING YOUR SAFETY - USE YOUR COMMON SENSE

Capt. Balasubramaniam who is an expert on rescue and survival shared this with some attendees in one of his programmes. What he emphasized was that we should never put ourselves in a dangerous and vulnerable position and this usually just entails some common sense and alertness most of the time. Of course things do happen no matter how careful you are.

At Car park :-

1. Don't walk towards your car, walk towards the next car / the car opposite. 
2. Do lock your car immediately you get in and drive off ASAP. Please don’t check your cell phone, your makeup etc.

At Bank / ATM :-

1. Use your ring finger to key in your pin, as the rest of the fingers will cover the keypad.
2. Do not count your money at the ATM. After all it’s not going to give you what it owes to you.

In a Taxi :-

1. Pretend to make a phone call to your friend / husband informing them where you are, what time you are expected, the colour of taxi, taxi no etc. you must of course talk within earshot of the driver.

If you live alone :-

1. Do get some men’s clothing and shoes. Hang them out with your own laundry! Leave the men’s shoes outside your house.
2. Do leave radio/TV on
3. Be suspicious if you receive calls that seem to have got the wrong nos. 

If you have husband who travel regularly :-

1. Do drive his car when he is not around as opportunists will notice that his car is dusty and in the same spot for many days.

If you have children tell them :-

1. Never to post photos of your new car on Facebook.
2. Never to reveal that they are ‘home alone’ or parents are away.

Also, get the telephone number of the police station in your area and list it as the first number in your phone contact list rather than list it under P. Calling 999 in an emergency will be a futile attempt.

Safety Gadgets :-

1. Keeping a loudhailer at home would be more effective than screaming and shouting for help in an emergency
2. Install sensor lights
3. Pepper spray - they have a shelf life, check the expiry date otherwise it will fail you when you need to use it!

Capt. Bala recommends that pepper sprays must be:-

• Water based
• Must be US made with finger ring on the bottom
• Must have double casing.
• Alarm padlocks.
• Throw some thumbtacks up the opening in the ceiling (what do you call that??) for those who live in link houses.

If you are ever, so unfortunate to have your bag snatched, do not struggle with the assailant. Let go and do not chase after them. Neither should your husband/boyfriend/son.

When you drop your friend/loved ones home, especially those who live in apartments, get them to text you once they are inside the safety of their homes. I think we should drill this in to our sons who drop off their girlfriends.

SMASH AND GRAB ROBBERS ATTACKED ABOUT 5 CASES A DAY FROM MAY TO JUNE 2012. 

WHAT IS THE STATISTIC FOR JULY? 

HAVE YOU TINTED YOUR CAR YET?

DO YOU ALWAYS WAKE UP LATE AND YOU LIKE TO RUSH DAILY?

Please make sure you are not adding to this statistic.

1. Do not rush from work or to work. Breathe! Start early.
2. Put your valuables away, and carry less in your handbag. Get a debit card. Consolidate your banking accounts. 
3. Forget about all these labelled bags until Malaysia gets peaceful again
4. Never talk on your cell phone, and i mean never when driving 
5. Pay attention to pillion driver that operate in pairs. At traffic lights, keep a distance from the car in front of you. If they attack you, just swerve your car at them. HONK, HONK, HONK Loud…..they could have tailed you.
6. Try not to wear too much jewellery, ie. big gold, flashy loopy earrings and long gold chain- you will be asking to be grabbed, and they will smash from the right
7. Avoid big gold bangles and expensive fancy watches
8. Keep a pair of sunglasses and wear them when driving, but not at night
9. Plan your diary well, smash and grab robbers attack people even when there are two of you in the car.
10. These robbers attack mostly from 7.00 to 10 am and also from 4 to 7.00pm. Peak, rush hours.

Ladies, wherever you go, please be extra careful. Try not to be alone. Walk in group.

Rezeki Ramadan

I received a call from one of the lecturer last month persuading me to apply for this programme. Well, the intention has always been there for me to pursue with Masters but I never really go and apply. The deal is to let the husband to continue first and then I'll think about applying. But the call that I received really, finally push me to apply. It was only a 2 days process as the lecturer helped me in applying. Actually, the application date has passed but the lecturer really helped me with this. I settled with my application in just one night, submitted the form to her the following morning and made the payment on the same day itself. Settled!

But I wasn't hoping to get. Ha! Jiwa kacau.

So, last Friday I thought of checking on my application. Sekali dapat. Alhamdulilllah.

It was actually a mixed feeling for me. I'm happy and clueless at the same time. I don't know what to feel or how to react on this. Dulu, time degree bila dapat tahu application dapat, melompat-lompat bagai nak rak, yang ini I seriously sat on my chair blurry don't know how to react with no feelings or whatsoever. Clueless.

I waited awhile before texting my husband to inform him on the news. Clearly, he was more excited than I am. 

One thing for sure that worries me is how am I going to juggle with work, family, Iman all at the same time? My working hours doesn't always fix. I'm still actively breastfeeding, nanti sure susu akan berkurangan. Musnahlah harapan nak bf-ing till Iman 2yo. Plus, Iman is just 7mo. But after consulting with my family, I am going to go for this and pray for the best.

When I think about it, it actually a great platform for me to pursue. I mean, I have always wanted to apply and this is my opportunity. Of course, there will be obstacles. Life isn't easy right? I have to juggle and face it with strong body, mind and soul. Chewahh.

I accept this as Rezeki Ramadan. Rezeki anak juga. The good always say, bersusah-susah dahulu, bersenang-senang kemuadian. So, I shall bersusah dahulu for a bersenang kemudian, Insyaallah.

Go! Go! Ajlaa!

Where Do People Check Their Phones?

Couldn't agree more.

27

I celebrated my 27th birthday over the last weekend. It was nothing big. Celebrated with close family members hosted by my maklong as her first daughter, my cousin, we share the same birth date. And since Ramadan is just around the corner, we had tahlil and doa' selamat together on the same night. Just how I want my 27th birthday to be celebrated.

I am truly blessed, syukur alhamdulillah for the life I live.

I don't ask much this year. All I ask is just for Allah to grant me with a lot of patience which I'm lacking much. They say, a year older a year wiser. Truthfully, I'm lacking of the wiser part.

So, with me being 27 this year, I pray for a healthy life for me to be able to be a better muslimah, to be a better wife to my husband, mother to my children, daughter to my parents & parents-in-law and sister to my siblings including the in-laws.

And also to loose some weight *shy*shy*

Like I told my husband, 27 is not old, it is just a number. I will always be 19 at heart. LOL

Have a good day everyone.

Iman Alexandria is 6mo

She is 6 months and 15 days to be exact.

Oh my, how time flies. I can still remember holding her on the 1st day she was born. Small and tiny but she is a big girl now. Chicky and happy. Very active I must say. You should see how her hands and legs move.

Weighing 6.45kg she is still on breastmilk. She was introduced to solids when she was 5 and half months old. Alhamdulillah, she can accept all.

In terms of development, she has stabilized her prone position. In fact she has mastered it when she was 2 months old. Problem is, she is too lazy to practise it. Is it normal? Now, she tries to crawl whenever she lie down but again, malas! Haish, ikut perangai malas siapa lah nih?!

She can sit stably. She lifts her body everytime she's on someone's lap. But she prefers to stand instead of sitting. And she can't stand still, always jumping around.

Had her 6 months injection last week and Alhamdulillah, she is healthy and ready to shine, chewah!

I am looking forward to another 6 months, Insyaallah. She'll be 1. Excited!

Dear baby Iman,

Ibu is very happy to have you in my life. No words can describe how happy and thankful I am for having you. You are my life. Semoga menjadi anak yang solehah yang patut kepadaNya. Ibu loves you very much.

Dilemma of A Young Working Mother

I am a working mother. And my working hours doesn't permit me to leave office early (by early means 6pm sharp). Well, working in this industry doesn't really have a fix working hours. It's not that I work till late at night everyday, it's just that my working hours usually ends around 8-ish an above. There are few occasions where I do get to leave the office early. The agency I work with is not that cruel (unlike other Internatinal agencies). The policy is to make sure that you deliver your task/work as per deadline and you deliver it well. Staying back for extra hours is not encourage but if needs be; then stay.

And because of this, I usually arrived home when my baby has fallen asleep and that makes me feel so guilty for not being home. I feel like I'm a bad mother. A mother who doesn't take care of her own daughter. The only time I have to play with her is when she wakes up in the middle of the night for feeding - itu pon if si kecil itu bangun, if not then the next morning lah jawabnya. Itu pon adalah untuk bagi Iman breakfast and to prep her for the day. Sad, isn't it?

And that is why I don't really go out on weekends anymore. I'll make sure that I will spend my day and night with my baby girl over the weekend and if I feel like going out for a shopping or something, I will make sure that baby Iman is with me.

The problem with me is I'm so in love with my crazy-hectic-work that I don't even want to quit my job to a more relaxing-flexible-like-kerani kinda job. I like what I do right now and that have caused me my time with my family.

I have asked my husband for the permission to become a housewife so that I will have all the time in the world to spend with baby Iman (and of course he said NO). But then again, I have a lot of things that I want to do for myself & my family - to make sure that they receive the best education for their future, the have a quality living, debt free; just to name a few and all that require ringgit and sense which I can only get by working. How I wish money grows on tree boleh di petik-petik macam daun di tepi jalan. Unfortunately, they are not!

Another thing is, well, I'm thankful for being able to still bf-ing my baby till today. The problem is, I'm not producing as much as I have before due to the work stress. When you're tired after the long working hours, you tend to skip a few sessions and due to that it is now drying up. The plan is to feed her till she turns two, Insyaallah but it seems that it may be impossible looking to the lack of supplies and since the demand is very high now (though baby Iman is on solids, she still drinks a lot of milk and the oz that she takes now has increases) I don't think that I can make it till she turns two.

It's hard to always stay positive. But I ain't giving up. I will try for as long as I can. After all, she has passed the 6 months must period. It should be ok, no?!

I must say that it's tough being a young working mother but if my mother can do it, so do I. She is the best example of a working mother that I shall follow. But I'm thankful for the support system I have - the family and the husband for helping out. I don't think I can do it if not with their help.

This is just the beginning. It's still too early to raise the white flag.

I.Must.Not.Give.Up.Now.

MAS vs AirAsia



AirAsia BIG & MAS Enrich



I am supporting both - product buatan Malaysia.

Regardless of their differences in political interest, for all I know, I'm going to the one who offers me the lowest rate during my traveling period.

Note to self: Macam lah kau travel like all the time wahai Ajlaa.

Jumaat yang bermakna

Generally, Friday is a day where you go to work late, sit at your workplace and while waiting for your desktop/laptop to start you go to your colleague's workplace and start chit-chatting till god knows when and for all you know it's already time for lunch break. By the end of the day, you leave your office half an hour earlier than your normal office hour simply because it's Friday.

Unfortunate for me, this never happens. Friday means never-ending in-coming workloads and a day for me the get everything cleared before Friday ends else I'll have a very bad Monday.

But last Friday was different. We were greeted by ........ yummylicious looking men giving us free breakfast.

Yumm Yumm

It was one Media Owner's presentation day and they brought these good-looking-buffy-gorgeous men to serve us breakfast. And after the presentation finishes, there were more hot-looking men filling the room.

*pengsan*

Jason Godfrey and Henry Golding from DIVA's Hot Men Who Can Cook came to our office to promote the latest reality show (which will be aired soon) and I must say that they are really HOT. Honestly, I have no idea who the hell these men are *malu tutup muka dengan selimut* until one of my colleague whispered to another colleague on Henry's profile. Hah! buat malu jer.

These two hot looking men are really friendly.

Extra friendly that they made Nicole's face turned red all the time. But isn't she lucky? They even sat on her lap.

And finally to wrap the presentation, everyone gets the chance to take picture with these two hot men

wuhooooo

Ohh jangan jealous!

My Precious

Goodbye Iman
Ibu's off to office now.
Don't go bullying your Nenek, Kak Rita and Aunty Agha.
I'll see you soon!
Ibu promise to be home early today so we can have our playtime together.
Ibu misses you very much!
Love and kisses, muuahhh!

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

We Are Back!!

Mark your calendar now!

I am sure gonna make a visit. 

Average Marriage Age

You see, my clients are all Female based product. In order to understand Females in Malaysia, research has to be done quarterly because their behavioral changes and Females, they are very much complicated.

The Makcik from Kuala Kangsar does not have the same routine as the Makcik from Batu Pahat while the Ah-Soo from Georgetown does not like the way the Chee Cong Fun was cooked as the Ah-Soo from Ipoh. Although all of them fall under the same age group and household income but they do not have the same lifestyle.

Similarly to the ones living in the Urban area. There are traditional urban Malay/Chinese and there are also modern Urban Malay/Chinese who live life differently. My job is to understand them all.

I found this very interesting article which I would love to share:-

I think this article was published in The Star and was reported in 2010 in-conjunction with Valentine's Day.

-------------------------------------------------

Cupid gets three chances

Yum Cha by LEE YUK PENG

When it comes to romance, the Chinese celebrate “Valentine’s Day” three times a year. But are Cupid’s little arrows, the tossing of fruits on Chap Goh Meh and computer match-making getting the desired results?

IT’S that time of the year again to toss Mandarin oranges into the sea, or river as the case may be. Today is Chap Goh Meh, the 15th and last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Chap Goh Meh or Yuen Xiao in Mandarin is also the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day.

The practice of tossing Mandarin oranges is uniquely Malaysian. To be precise, it originated in Penang where unmarried women would gather at the seaside on the night of Chap Goh Mei. There, they would toss oranges into the sea, hoping the fruits would be picked up by eligible young men who would then become their husbands.

In China and Taiwan, the 15th day of the new lunar year is also known as the lantern festival, and streets and temples there would be decorated with giant paper lanterns.

In the old days when girls were confined to their chambers, Chap Goh Meh offered them an opportunity to go out to see the outside world – and to be seen by eligible young men in search of potential partners.

These days, while unmarried women still toss oranges into the river or sea hoping for a good husband, there is a new twist to the practice. The women are writing their phone numbers and e-mail addresses on the oranges. This, of course, is to facilitate communication between the interested parties.

And, not content to be just picking up oranges, the men have also joined in the throwing game – they are tossing bananas with messages written on them!

Apart from Penang, this practice is also observed in Taman Jaya in Petaling Jaya, Taman Tasik Permaisuri in Cheras, and in Klang and Malacca.

For the Chinese, there is more than one day in a year to celebrate romance. There are in fact three if you include Valentine’s Day, which has become more popular among the Chinese.

While dating couples will not miss Feb 14 for Valentine’s Day and Chap Goh Meh, they can also look forward to Qi Xi, the day when Qi Jie, the weaver girl from Heaven, is allowed to meet her lover Niulang on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar.

According to legend, magpies would form a bridge across the Milky Way to make it possible for Qi Jie to meet her lover. The lovers were separated by the God of Heaven when He found out that the girl, who is a fairy from Heaven, had married a man on Earth. Thus, the day they meet is also regarded as a Chinese Valentine’s Day to commemorate the eternal love between the two.

However, despite all these festivals of romance and marriage, the Chinese in Malaysia are still slow in tying the knot. Sinologist Lai Kuan Fook attributes this to economic pressure which is pushing them to delay their marriage plans.

It is common for the Chinese to place financial stability before other things, and this happens not only in Malaysia but also in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

According to Wanita MCA chairman Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, a study showed that the average marriage age for Chinese men is 30.6, Indian men 28.8 and Malay men 27.8. For women, the average marriage age for Chinese is 27, Indians 25.4 and Malays 24.5.

Since it was formed in August 2001, the Wanita MCA-sponsored Cupid Club is still working hard to match eligible couples. So far, the official record shows that the club had successfully matched 173 couples. Of course, the figure does not include those who married without informing the club.

Lim Swee Kiang, chairman of Cupid Space Wanita MCA, says the club has a 7% success rate. It has about 4,000 registered members, two-thirds of whom are women.

It conducts computer matching and organises activities for singles.

The men who registered with the club were comparatively younger than the women. Men who join the activities organised by Cupid Space can be as young as 26 while women who sign up are normally above 33.

Another feature of the membership is that many women are well educated, with diplomas to master’s degrees, while most of the men have only SPM qualifications.

Late marriages

In his book Malaysian Chinese and Nation-Building, Assoc Prof Tey Nai Peng of Universiti Malaya says the mean marriage age of Chinese women has increased from 22.1 years in 1957 to 27 in 2000.

In addition, the number who remained single has also increased rapidly in tandem with increases in educational level. In 2000, close to a third of Chinese female graduates aged between 30 and 34 were single, and about 17% were still single at age 35 to 44.

Traditionally, women tended to marry men with at least the same level of education. But with higher educational levels, more and more women are now having difficulty finding compatible partners.

“Migration, urbanisation, modernisation and the erosion of parental roles in (their) children’s marriage are important reasons for non-marriage,” says Tey.

Lim also feels the younger generation is be­­coming more self-centred. They give priority to themselves rather than others, have high expectations and have become choosy, he says.

While it is hard to match higher-qualified women with men with lower qualifications, Peggy Lim, an executive of the Club, remains hopeful when it comes to finding life partners.

“There are couples who get to know each other from the tossing of Mandarin oranges and end up getting married,” she says.

Besides tossing oranges, don’t forget Cupid Space Wanita MCA, she adds.

-------------------------------------------------

Don't be surprised to see when there are more unmarried-successful-influential-women in the country than men.

2nd May 2012

No matter how screwed my work today, I'm gonna enjoy today even if it lasts only for few hours coz sure tomorrow is going to be another hectic day. So yeah, I am going to enjoy today with a big smile on my face.

Syukur for the Rezki. I couldn't ask for more. Alhamdulillah.

My Wednesday was good, how's yours?


Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

1st May 2012

It's been a roller-coaster ride for me for the past few weeks and I gotta tell you, being a mom is ain't that easy. I wonder how moms did it. How my mother did it, masyaallah, truly amazing! If it wasn't because of the strong support system, I think I've collapsed myself into the drain. Standing in between work and family is tough! Very tough! But I ain't giving up.

Am going back to work tomorrow after having a blissful 6 days of leave, spent it with the family heavenly. Went to Kedah for the second Aqiqah for Iman. How lucky she is to have TWO Aqiqah(s) made for her. Dropped by Penang for a day. Will definitely go back to Penang again. A day tour isn't enough. Oh! Iman had her first swim during the stay. But it wasn't last long. She cried after 30 mins in the water. Crying for sleep. Babies, what else can they do besides sleeping and feeding. Eh, dah lari tajuk. I wanted to write how lazy and not-so-happy I am to have to go to work tomorrow. Sigh!

Oh! It was a bad idea to sync the phone with the office email. Bad! Bad! Idea. Oh, wth! I'm already on it. Bohoo.

My lil girl has turned 4 months last week and we went to the clinic to get Iman circumcised yesterday morning. She cried of course but not because of the pain but because both of her hands had to be hold back to let the doctor do the procedure. Well, to be honest, this is the first time I'm actually witnessing a baby girl get circumcised. She did good. Alhamdulillah.

After all the hard work (it is really HARD work), it all pays off after I had my evaluation with the bosses last week. I'm thankful and syukur with the Rezki. Rezeki anak. My hard work is being appreciated though it takes 3/4 of my time but it's all worth it.

After reading her post on getting her diving license at Perhentian, it cross my mind that I have been putting on hold on getting myself one. I was supposed to get mine 2 years ago but I decided to get married first and continue with it after the wedding. But belum sempat pon nak pergi honeymoon (which was 4 months after getting married) I got to know that I was 6weeks pregnant. Terpaksalah di hold kan semula and now after getting husband's permission, I am going to pursue getting my diver's license once my baby girl is big enough to not to tag with me for feeding. And since the cousin-in-law is now a certified diving trainer, it will be easier  for me to get my license. Wohoo! But before I can further dreaming of my license, let's get Iman what she needs first - being feed healthily.

My Tuesday is reaching to its end. Let Wednesday comes with happiness and less stress. I need more holiday for crying out loud.

Goodnight lovers.

3 months

Taken during Iman's Aqiqah - 10 March 2012

Hello! Hello!

It's been awhile since my last post sampai terlupa that I actually have a blog. I've been very very busy with life - family, work, making sure my baby's growing healthily. Boy, I must say that it's been very tough juggling work and family dalam satu masa yang sama and there were times when I feel like loosing myself in between both. Kalau tidak ada support system yang kuat sure dah knock-out but Alhamdulillah, I'm still here standing strong.

Oh, did I mention that I've started working again. Time flies very fast it's been 3 months now since Iman was born. 3 bulan macam-macam dah berlaku. It's overwhelming but watching your baby grow makes it all worth fighting for.

So, as a start from the long hiatus, let me make a quick update on what had happened for the past 2 months.

After 44 days of "berpantang" I finally got the chance to see the sun again. Oh how I miss the sun. Baru lah nak appreciate matahari bagai. Berpantang sungguh menyiksa jiwa I even replied work from home. I think I covered that part already. So let's move on.

Then, 60 days passes like a speed boat, I went back to work with a heavy heart leaving Iman at home. Alhamdulillah, everyone is willing to look after her when I'm gone for work. Husband and mother are doing the morning shift while kakak is doing the evening shift while waiting for me to arrive home. We managed to find a nanny for Iman who's willing to look after her during the day for 4 hours at least. And she comes to our house so extra point lah to hire her. Sending Iman to a nursery is not an option, jadi nasib baik jumpa Rita, a very nice girl yang boleh look after Iman during our absence. Oh, she works only 5 days a week. So, tiada masalah di situ since I'm only working 5 days a week.

And working has been tough. Knowing how busy I become when it comes to work - time memang masalah. I have to wake up at 5.30am everyday to start my day. Alhamdulillah, Iman now wakes up once in the morning so at least I have time to rest before starting my day. Bangun to pump and to prepare bekalan untuk di bawa ke office. I have to make sure that Iman is all set before I can actually leave for work. Mandikan, susukan dulu and put her back to sleep lepas itu baru boleh bersiap pergi kerja. Although I get the help from everyone, Iman kan breastfeed so, anyhow pon I have to be around to feed her directly kalau tak nanti dia akan merajuk. Oh, Iman dah pandai merajuk-merajuk. Ikut perangai siapa pon tak tahu *cough*

Alhamdulillah, Iman still bf-ing up till today and I'm struggling now to make sure that she gets to breastfeed till 6 months at least. 2 years is too ambitious but I'll try. Awal-awal dulu memang bekalan, masyaallah tak cukup freezer nak storage the milk. Even when I'm at work, I'm able to bring home 4 bottles everyday. Bekalan memang tiada masalah. Over supply orang kata. But, few weeks ago, I was down with fever and flue. Demam panas yang berlanjutan and was under doctor care sebab takut dengue. And prior to that, my milk supply is drying up. Normally, I can get 2 bottles per session in between 3 hours tapi sekarang nak dapat 1 bottle pon susah. The fever really really has lessen my milk supply. Dugaan, dugaan. But I ain't giving up. 

Keeping a positive mind is easier said than done. Yes, she pooped. She peed. You change her diaper 6-8 times a day. Her poop looks fine. She's smiling. She gains weight. She's growing. But there's always a voice in your head asking you is your baby having enough milk? Are you giving her enough milk? Tambah pula bila your milk supply has lessen. You become demotivated. To stay positive memang memerlukan courage yang begitu tinggi. *Sigh*

Iman got her first fever 3 weeks ago. Siapa kata kalau breastfeed anak kurang sakit. She got her first fever sebab everyone kat rumah demam. She was down with a high fever nasib baik tak kena admitted tapi she had    to be oxygenated for few days to cairkan kahak. She's recovering but still on medication. Kesian anak ibu! But on the bright side, after demam she drinks a lot. A hell lot! And sekarang Iman tengah syiok nak meniarap. She can roll her body now and meniarap. Maybe sebab tu dia demam kot!

I think I better stop now. She's waking up. Toodles!

Eternity

Prior to below post, I believe this song suits it all. Trying not to be too kinky but who am I kidding? There's still  a jiwang side of me hiding somewhere underneath this serious looking girl, Lol! Love you husband :)

Oh! Watched the movie but it's not to my liking and I seriously don't understand why some people cried or going head over heels over the movie. I seriously don't get it. Nasib baik download aje! Jimat duit den.

But the song is to die for! Ah, jiwang.

Anyways, have a great day lovebirds.

365 days

A year ago, Izwan and I, we were officially announced as husband and wife witnessed by family members and close friends.

Today, with an additional member of our small family, it makes our Anniversary a joyous one, though I'm on kain batik and on 44 days mission of "berpantang".

With our bundle of joy, Iman Alexandria

I was in the midst of bf-ing Iman when Izwan forced me, yes forced me to go to the kitchen at 12am sharp, 15 January 2012 with a slice of Indulgence and bouquet of roses on the table. 

Oh dear husband,

Though we were in the midst of "disagreement", it was so sweet of you to give me that bouquet of roses. It was out of ordinary of you to do such thing - for the fact that you usually forget on all the important dates of ours but you didn't forget our first anniversary.

Firstly, thank you for being my husband. Though I may not be the best wife in the world for you for the fact that my stubbornness pisses you off most of the time but please know that you mean the world to me. Thank you for being so patient with me and to stand by me when I needed you the most. Thank you for being the best friend I've ever had by being the most understanding. Most of all, thank you for being YOU though you annoy the hell out of me but hey, that's what made me love you.

I'm not good with words and I have not expressed my love to you that much but my love for you is eternity. May this love we build for each other last forever.

Love much,

Your stubborn wife.

Underneath It All

A Day To Remember

It was a bright Monday, 26th December 2011 and as usual, public holiday means cleaning the house, doing 3 rounds of laundry, folding piles of clothes and entertaining Kakak's whines about not being able to jog at KLCC park - a productive day in deed. While waiting for Izwan to arrive home from work, I was busy preparing dinner - fried the marinated chicken mom had prepared, folding the 3rd batch of clothes and watching re-run of Masterchef US. Like I said, a productive day. Upon the arrival of Mr. husband, he asked for a cup of hot coffee since he had to continue doing his work at home and suddenly, I pee-ed on the sofa bed. I ran quickly to the bathroom as it won't stop flowing. I asked Izwan to call Busu (my aunt) to check on whether the running pee was a pee or air ketumban coz it doesn't look like a pee - clear whitey fluid and viscous with few drops of blood in the toilet bowl - confirm kena pergi hospital dah.

Izwan called my gynae to inform him that my water broke and he instructed us to go to the hospital immediately, straight to the labor room. We took our own sweet time. Sempat lagi nak pilih-pilih baju mana nak pakai between a jubah or a pyjamas. Luckily, I've packed my bag, itu pon banyak yang tertinggal. So, moms-to-be, be prepared. Nasib baik hospital-rumah dekat and MRR2 was being nice for not having traffic that night. Off we went to the hospital and get myself admitted at the labor room. I was still in good condition - no pain, no nothing. Sempat gelak ketawa dalam labor room and ordered nasi goreng pattaya and roti canai telur from Izwan. Lapar tak terhingga.

So relax. Rambut boleh kemas-kemas pakai cekak lagi.

After awhile the midwife came to my room and insert an unknown fluid inside my buttock to make me poop. At 12.30am, I was still in a good condition with minimal contraction. The midwife was struggling to get my baby's palm as she was not moving that much that night. Pity Izwan, he had to sleep on the floor as the labor room doesn't provide any extra bed for the husband. It's a labor room remember?! I was 2cm dilated at that time.

I was still fresh and awake that night. I was having a serious goosebump in my tummy. The feeling was surreal. I mean, I'm about to give birth to my child. Unlike Izwan who snored soundly sampai saya yang segan. 

At 4.30am, I asked for a pain-killer from the midwife as I couldn't bare the pain from the contraction. I remember the midwife said that I'm 4cm dilated and I was like baru 4cm? 

I fell asleep right after and suddenly the pain hits me like a bombshell. At 6.30am, I called the midwife half-cried as I couldn't bare the pain. Izwan woke up as I was squeezing his hand tightly. The pain was unbearable. They said that the birth pain is as worst as the period pain one had only that it's 10x painful. I've never experience any period pain before but I can assure you that it is very very very painful. Seriously painful.

The midwife and few nurses came in to prepare me for the delivery. They gave me the oxygen mask and instructed me to breathe only when I feel the contraction. Apa lagi, I breathe entirely using the oxygen mask sampai muntah-muntah kena salin baju. I think I passed out right after. I can't remember what happen to me as the pain kicks in very hard but I remember screaming, chanting ayatul Qursi during the entire process.

At 8.30am, I woke up from the pain and screamed "saya nak berak" to the nurses. The doctor wasn't there yet and the nurses asked me to hold on first and not to push the baby out. I kept on screaming "saya nak berak, saya nak berak" and for all I know I pushed as if I was pushing for the poop to come out and there she was, my baby's out the minute my gynae sat his butt on the chair, Alhamdulillah.

I was all high due to the extra dosage of oxygen. I opened my eyes slowly and I saw my baby being cleaned up by the nurses and I heard the sweet sound of her crying. Alhamdulillah was all I said. The sound of Izwan chanting the Azan and Qamat to my baby girl made it official that we are now the parents of Iman Alexandria. Alhamdulillah, syukur!

I was holding her minutes later and for all I know, I cried while feeding her for the very first time. It was a happy cry, a blissful cry.

Tuesday, 27th December 2011 bersamaan 2 Safar 1433, 8.35am - a memorable day to remember.

2012 & 40 Hari Berpantang

Celebrated new year at the hospital crying my lungs out seeing Iman laying in the Incubator crying for help. Her Jaundice reading was a bit high on the 4th day.

Started berpantang the minute I arrived home after giving birth. Ini tak boleh makan, itu tak boleh makan, minum air ini, mandi air daun itu but knowing me, I make my own berpantang rules. As long as it's not harmful and logical to do/apply to my body - I have no objection to follow. But if it's ridiculously unreasonably tiada logika (read: strictly no-no) to apply, I, in any chance will not follow.

But then again, who doesn't want to have a flat tummy with nice shape-curvy body after 9 months being flabby and HUGE.

Call me crazy but I constantly checking my working mails in between bf-ing and putting Iman to sleep. There's even times when I feel like going to the office and start working. It's only been 7 days and I already feeling restless staying at home doing nothing. 33 more days to go. Manusia, bila suruh kerja nak cuti, bila dapat cuti nak kerja pula.

I was supposed to have as much rest as I can have during confinement tapi macam tak berhasil je. I just don't know how to sit still.

Ohh bf-ing can be so challenging especially when your baby refuses to drink and choose to sleep instead. Nak kejutkan satu hal, nak suruh minum satu hal. It's even worst when your baby is a night person - drink and play during odd hours (3am onwards). Mencabar minda!

My husband is being over-protective over his daughter. Nak buat macam mana, dah menunjukkan ciri-ciri anak Papa.

I want to go shopping but I can't. Sigh!

I'm bored but I have no choice. Double sigh!

Gotta stop now, it's time to bf the baby. Gotta prep myself before she screams for milk.

Toddles.