It's been a long time but I don't think I want to abandon this blog. This is what I do to de-stress so I definitely still need it. My job as a teacher is ranked at no. 5 on the most stressful jobs list in Malaysia. Believe me it's not even slightly what you think.
Anyway, I do hope that I am going to improve more next year. I know that I did improved some this year. I want to be a more cekap and berdisiplin teacher.
I have moved from Sabah to Selangor now. I love my new house and I can't wait to make it a home (just a few days left before we move in). I miss the comfort of old routines. I am anxious about my new school. It's a good school - ranks at no. 2 in my district for its PMR result (no. 1 goes to a science boarding school so there's no suprise there) but I can see that vandalism is a problem there.
Ok, new year; new life. Wish me luck ;)
PS: Suprisingly I miss my ex-principal's strictness haha.
I love my raya in perantauan. Seriously! I don't ever feel sad celebrating Aidilfitri away from everyone. I enjoy Eid ul-Fitr with strangers more than relatives haha.
I love that our raya is celebrated at our own pace; our own everything. Raya at your own house means many things. These include waking up in your own bed, not needing to queue up in order to use the toilet and you know definitely how clean your bathroom / toilet is ;)
I started cooking my raya feast (like everyone else) the day before 1st Syawal. For the first day of Eid we had rendang daging and lontong accompanied with sambal sotong. We ordered some kelupis (the local ketupat) to be eaten with the rendang of course. Cooking for hari raya on my own is something I know most of my close friends don't experience. Believe me it's really tiring (even with Mr. A constantly helping with everything else) but rewarding =)
1st Syawal was spent mostly at home. This year we received visitors before we had the chance to step out of the house. Furthermore, the kids took their naps in the late afternoon and they chose to sleep more than three hours! They managed to sleep really well even though they were some visitors coming in and going out during those hours.
We went visiting friends on the 2nd and 3rd Syawal. And on 4th Syawal I decided to cook mee kari because I know some of our friends were planning to visit us and I seriously didn't want them to feast only on air sirap and kuih raya. We went out visiting friends the next day and the next and the next... We even got to stuff ourselves with plenty of delicious durians when we visited some locals who own durian orchards here hehe.
Tomorrow's the last day of the school holidays. It has been a week of pure leisure. We hardly ever have school holidays exclusively to ourselves. School holidays are usually spend with family and friends back in Peninsular but this time there is no one else but the four of us.
The first day of the school holidays was also the first of Ramadhan so I decided to do some extra cooking. For the first time in my life I made traditional kueh. Mr. A helped of course. We made buah melaka. One of my favourite traditional kueh. I would say it is an easy sweetmeat to make. That's why I chose to make it! Our buah melaka turned out quite okay except it was kind of too green haha.
On the fourth day, Mr. A and I went to KK to do some shopping. We didn't bring Kakak and Adik because of the H1N1 situation. We came back quite late - around 8.30 p.m. We broke our fast in the car on a roadside.
This school holidays I love how we got to sleep in in the morning. Everything was done leisurely. We got to watch movies - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Brokeback Mountain, The Bucket List, Thick as Thieves, and The Notebook. How I wish we have billions of ringgit in our bank accounts so that we never have to work anymore! Haha such wishful thinking.
One horrible thing did happened though. Adik fell from a sofa he loves to climb just this late afternoon. There was a small gash that almost an inch long. We rushed him to the ER and his small gash was sewn three stitches. It was heartbreaking to see him wailing and screaming while getting the stitches. The funny thing was when we arrived home from the ER, he could merrily danced and jumped to Jojo's Circus' song, Jump For Joy. He even ended it with a huge clap. Boys will be boys *sigh*
After that, he even wanted to ride the motorcycle with Mr. A. Mr. A had to ride and ride because Adik wouldn't let his father stops even though he was really sleepy. He ended up sleeping on the motorcycle haha.
He sure loves us so much!
We love him so much too =)
Tomorrow’s our 4th anniversary. Four years and two kids. How time flies. Mr. A is my first love and he will forever be =)
We met in 2004. Both of us were taking Kursus Perguruan Lepasan Ijazah (KPLI) in Institut Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim. We met because we played active parts in the Jawatankuasa Perwakilan Pelajar of the institute. We were also in the same class for the subject Ilmu Pendidikan so we always saw each other.
Earlier in the year I saw him as a big brother. He’s nine years older so that sense of respect was automatic. Furthermore, he was always looking out for me because I was the youngest of them all. Big brother and kid sister – nothing more.
However, around April I could sense that there was a different kind of chemistry between us. On the other hand, we only went out two months later. We became an item towards the end of July of the same year.
I brought him home to meet my parents the next month. My mum prepared OTT lunch; with fried pomphret perfectly laid on a bed of lettuce. I remember the first my mum said to me about him, “Hidung dia mancung”.
My dad was the champ. He purposely slurped the gravy from his plate! Picking it up and slurping with no shame. Haih.
I met his parents a few days after that. I went to meet them wearing a slim-fit blouse and tight jeans. My grandma gave me a good scolding for that. But I guess what mattered most was that I was being myself. Not some girl clad in some baju kurung.
We got engaged in November. Everything came fast for us. Maybe it was meant to be. I hate to think about my engagement day. My kebaya was too tight and my makeup was hideous!
Alhamdulillah, we were solemnized on the August 20th, 2005. At that time I was teaching in Melaka and he’s in Sabah. We lived as long-distance husband-and-wife for a year. I moved to Sabah a few days after our 1st anniversary. Kakak was about two months old then.
Living together for the first time proved to be such a challenge. It was too overwhelming to me especially. It was my first time as a “full-time” wife and I was a new mum. In addition to that, it was a whole new teaching experience for me because before moving to Sabah I taught in a matriculation college.
Living in a kampong also got to me. The house where I grew up in is situated next to a busy road. The quietness here almost killed me. But I’m used to it now =)
Marriage is bliss but it’s not a walk in the park. I thank God for a husband who is patient, helpful and a good father to my kids. I am also thankful to be married to someone who loves food as much as I do. I especially love it when he marvels (even) at the smell of my cooking.
We are different as much as we are alike. It is not easy to complement each other but we do give it our best. We pray that the state of happiness is where we will always be. InsyaAllah...
Here are some of the pictures of our wedding.
Some of the hantaran.
My wedding bed.
Khatam Quran the morning before solemnization.
The solemnization.
Both of us were so thin compared to how we are now =D
I love this picture so much!
The specially-ordered bunga manggar by Along and Fidah.
My bridesmaid, Fidah, and my orang kuat, Am.
With Akma, my BFF and her sis.
Ain - so pretty. Kalah pengantin!
My favourite wedding picture.
Cheekiness =)
A picture taken during our honeymoon in Pangkor. I love how it shows how alike our facial features are. 
1) Lose weight (up to 14 kg just to get to being overweight. Yes, I know it’s crazy)
2) Exercise more.
3) Stop stressing out about my job (so help me)
18.5 – 23 – Normal
23 – 27.5 – Overweight
More than 27.5 – Obese
Freeman plays Carter Chambers, a mechanic, and Nicholson plays eccentric billionaire Edward Cole. In Chambers’ freshman year, his philosophy professor suggested that his students compose a “bucket list”, a collection of all the things they wanted to do before they die (kick the bucket). The other day my FB status read: (My full name) is going to cook mee udang for today and she's going to cook it with THE special ingredient. Whenever she cooks with this special ingredient she always know that even without tasting the food it's going to be good. And no, it's not ajinomoto ;p
However corny it may sound, I must admit that the special ingredient is L.O.V.E. I once read a story in one of the Chicken Soups for the Soul books about a mother's secret ingredient stored away in a jar and kept away from all her children's reach. When this woman passed away, a daughter of hers finally had a peek in the jar. In the jar was a note, worn and looked like it had been passed down from one generation to another. The note said that everytime one cooks, one should cook with all his/her love. Only then the food taste good.
I truly believe in that story.
And I also believe in the theory of how positive energy and thoughts impact water and its molecular structure.
As a wife, I know that I'm definitely not a "trophy". But I want Mr. A to be proud to have a wife who can cook good food for him. One of the best things that he said to me was that even though he loves his mother home-cooked food, he eats mine with more selera (appetite). I was so happy to hear that. He loves my ketam masak lemak cili api, asam pedas ayam, ayam masak cili api (fried chicken with thick gravy based with oyster sauce and cili api) and sambal petai udang. On some weekends I would cook nasi lemak (i have yet to master this), nasi ayam, spaghetti, mee kari, mee rebus, mee bandung, mihun sup or (the latest) mee udang. Mr. A also has been pestering me to cook laksa and make traditional kueh which I don't think will happen so soon because they are too tedious for me.
As a mum, my only wish is that my children would say their favourite food is my home-cooked food!
I had to include some of my food pictures (taken by my beloved Mr. A) in this post. I have no intention of boasting. Err maybe just a need of some ego boost haha.
The ketam masak lemak cili api.
Ikan tiga rasa.
Ikan stim.
Nasi ayam.
Udang galah goreng kunyit.
Last weekend's mee udang.
PS: I'm a foodie married to another foodie =)
This has to be one of my favourite forwarded emails.
Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tanned woman appeared in the window of a gym.
It said: "THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?"
A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.
"To Whom It May Concern:
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins, stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.
Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they don't have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?
The choice is perfectly clear to me; I want to be a whale."
P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a good cup of coffee with my friends. With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, "Good gosh, look how smart I am!"
And looking at the size of my butt I guess I'm definitely one of the smartest! ;)
Currently there’s a fiesta in the town I live in. It’s a three days fiesta and today’s the last day. The fiesta is called Pesta Gata (an abbreviation of Gasing / Tamu Besar). This fiesta is held every two years in the sleepy town of Sipitang. It is a truly big event for the locals here. Most locals can’t afford going to KK for some leisure and entertainment activities so whenever Gata comes the whole town is buzzing with excitement. Everybody dresses their best and wouldn’t be left out of anything relating to the fiesta.
On the contrary, I have not the slightest interest in going to the festival due to the spreading of H1N1 virus locally. Last Tuesday the principal at my school announced that a student from our school had tested positive for the virus. The number increase to three students in the following days. Mr. A’s school was also inflicted. Four students of his school were positive of the virus. However, these four students were affected by the virus when they were in Melaka (some two weeks ago) for a national event and haven’t been allowed to attend school.
In my opinion the state should’ve have cancelled the fiesta. I think the risk of the H1N1 spreading wildly easily increases with all the close proximity. I heard rumors that the local Health Department had advised against the fiesta but were brushed off because Gata is one of the main events in the Sabah Tourism Calendar.
You would wonder why my school hasn’t closed down yet. I think there’s a politic to it. I mean why go on with the fiesta if a local school has been closed down because of the virus right? I am afraid for the week to come. Pray for us.
PS: Mr. A had to go there today because he somehow in charge of one of the events. Luckily he was provided with a mask and he wore it all the way through.
PSS: H1N1 has been declared as a Phase 5 of WHO pandemic alert. The pandemic alert has only six phases.
I didn't sit at my desk for almost a week. It was so cluttered (with everything)! I don't know whether it's because I have too many irons in the fire or I am just disorganised. I can be so disorganised sometimes but sometimes I also can be obsessive-compulsive. Such imbalance roles! For the past few days I've been doing my work elsewhere - wherever I can squeeze in including colleagues' desks haha. It took me almost an hour to de-clutter the desk just this afternoon. Guess I have lots of catching up to do eh.
Strewn books and papers everywhere. Visible - my box of raisins for healthy snacking ;)
I’ve been planning to write this review for quite some time now. Please know that this review is just an honest opinion of mine. I'm not a pro.
We know how harmless BPA can be if we “consume” it on a daily basis and issues on materials containing BPA in feeding bottles have been raised in these past two years. After some research on the net I’ve decided to change from Avent to Safety Plus.
Why did I want to abandon Avent? Avent products contain BPA. It has come up with BPA-free products but they are only marketed overseas. Malaysia is one of the countries that they treat as a dumping ground for those non-BPA-free baby products. However, Avent BPA-free products are available at most local online baby stores but at very expensive prices.
Safety Plus is a brand by a local company – Brand Melody Sdn. Bhd. For this particular brand R&D is done in Australia (by a partner company) and manufacturing is done in Taiwan. The feeding bottles from Safety Plus are similar to a US product, thinkbaby, one of the top choices in US for plastic baby products.
I chose to use Safety Plus because I fell in love with the design. I think the design looks elegant and neat. And the brand is easily available in KK. There is an exclusive reseller here that has all its range.
The first thing that I notice about the bottle is the silicone teat. As you can see below the teat is different from any other teats in the market. It has a valve that’s hanging down from the teat. The teat is the cross cut type and has an anti-collapse feature… which I’m sorry to say doesn’t work.
I’ve never experience any teat-collapsing when I was using Avent. The teat kept collapsing while Kakak and Adik were nursing from the bottles. However, the problem has been solved because the company has come up with a new range of teats.
And then at first I was so in love with the cross cut feature of the teat. Even if the bottle is lying horizontally the milk will not drip out. But the feature wears off rather easily. I don’t know whether it’s because the teat is “naturally soft” but the teats get torn at its opening easily. I have to change the teats every month and it cost RM16.90 a pair.
I have no other problem with using Safety Plus but I really hope they once again improve their teats.
The feeding bottles are easy to take care of. I wash it with a non-anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid. Please take note that a BPA-free product cannot be washed with an anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid – it damages the material.
The feeding bottles from Safety Plus can be used up to a year and a half if you use two alternating bottles. Please avoid scratching the inside of the bottles to ensure that the bottles are always safe for use.
I don’t recommend this brand to feed infants. I think it is more suitable for toddlers.
Will I use this brand for long? The answer is no. I hate to change teats too often and I would like to opt for a cheaper product. For now I’m thinking of MAM.
Note: We had started using Safety Plus in May 2009. We bought two 300ml / 10oz twin packs. The twin pack costs RM77.90 per pack.
I was really angry at one of my students today. The incident happened first thing in the morning. While I was making rounds checking whether they have finished their homework or not, I noticed one of the boys wearing a chain around his neck with an animal tooth hanging onto it. I immediately asked him to take it off. He hesitated of course but then he seemed somewhat glad giving it up to me. Just a few minutes later, his classmates told me that it was a pig's tooth. How dare he! He is non-Muslim but I knew that he knew that pigs are haram to us Muslim. I threw the chain at his face and directed him to the principal's office immediately. I also gave him three good canings and asked him why he gave it to me knowing that it's a pig's tooth. He simply answered I was the one who asked for it. I told him that he could at least be courteous by telling me it's pig tooth so I could take it away by holding it between papers or other things! I really felt like killing this kid. I think what he did was so kurang ajar. He thinks he's a gangster of some kind. He never finishes his homework, he's a "sleeper" in class, and he talks a lot too. He's from the weakest class of the second formers. Some of the students from this class can't even read. Most of them are "hyperactive" - they can never sit still and never quiet. And they like to sleep in class. I've read that it takes all sort to make a world. I hate this sort.
PS: I had to "samak" my hands after that. Samak is a ritual cleansing done by Muslim whenever he or she (accidentally) touch animals (or animal parts in my case) haram to Islam such as pigs and dogs.
Ugly Betty's third season ended last night. What I love about it was:
Promo pic from the second season.
Sorry for this long break. The Internet was down for a few days last week; and the weekend before that was spent in KK. This post is really long so I’ve divided in into six parts. If you can’t finish reading in one go, please come back another day =)
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Part 1 – Our first furniture
I was so looking forward to our two-night trip to KK the previous weekend (11 – 13 July) but Mr. A ruined it to some degree when he forgot to bring the camera! I was so geram but we were already 30 minutes on the road when we realized it so we didn’t turn back. The trip to KK from our home would take a minimum of 2 hours.
It was a shopping trip… plus we need to do some banking on the 13th. As soon as we arrived in KK (and after we ate lunch), we went shopping in Parkson Grand in Wawasan Plaza. And we were done clothes-shopping! Suprisingly I can get all that I wanted in one place (and mind you that Parkson Grand was only a one-floor shopping haven).
One of the things on our shopping list was teak furniture. We wanted to buy our first set of dining table and some other things. We went window shopping for them mostly at Seri Jati (both in Penampang and Sadong Jaya) and Jamilah Furniture (both in Wisma MUIS and Putatan). We wanted modern wooden furniture. Like I’ve said in one of my previous posts, the decoration concept I’m going for is resort concept.
We were so happy to find exactly what we wanted. We bought two pieces of furniture – a dining table set and a sideboard. Both in dark natural colour. The dining table is huge for a six-seated. It actually fits eight. We are planning to purchase another pair of dining chairs when we get back in Selangor. And I am so in love with our sideboard. For now it acts as what it is but in our new home it will become our TV cabinet.
Our first very own dining table!
My mum hearing that we were shopping for teak furniture quickly placed her orders! One of them was a daybed. I wanted one for myself and I found only one (in the exact design I desired). But of course we didn’t have the budget for it so we bought it for my mum. I didn’t mind at all. Besides, we are the ones who got to use it first haha.
Part 2 – Hotel review: Grand Borneo Hotel
We spent the two nights in KK at Grand Borneo Hotel (a four-star hotel). A hotel adjacent to 1Borneo – a hypermall. I booked a standard room for us. The room was really really small. I knew about the size but I didn’t know it could be that small! There were only mere spaces around the bed. It became much smaller for us because Kakak and Adik conquered the bed most of the time.
The room would be more suitable for honeymooners. But if you have room service you definitely will eat on the bed. There was a working desk but not enough space to sit two. The bathroom is A-okay to us except for the full length window facing the bed. The problem was the blind was situated outside so Kakak and Adik were always peeking inside. Haih. There was no bathtub but the power shower was great.
The room has all the usual amenities – flat-screen TV, kettle, small fridge and a safe. You could borrow a set of iron and ironing board and keep it in your room as long as you stay. And the towels are so nice and fluffy.
We upgraded to a superior the next night. I couldn’t bear the smallness of the room anymore. Superior was roomier in fact. The bathroom had a bathtub (but not a separate shower) and no more window facing the bed hehe. What luxury comparing with kids always peeking in while I were busy soaping. The same amenities applied.
I really like the breakfast buffet at the Soul Out Coffee House as the foods were delicious. The ambience was really nice. Most furniture were white and there were huge windows looking out to green mountains. There were the usual egg/omelet station, noodle station, bread and pastries, fresh and canned fruits, cereals, etc. The funny thing was I love the most basic food – their fried rice. By the way, this is the first hotel restaurant that I saw with a Jakim halal sticker.
The staff were nice and well-trained. The swimming pool is situated indoor. We didn’t have time to swim but we managed to visit it. The size was okay, it was not really big nor it was small. The hotel parking space (situated outdoor in front of the hotel) was very limited. However, the jockey service was really cheap – only RM5 for the whole day!
Unfortunately we didn’t have the camera so I have no picture to include here. Please visit their website for more information and of course to see pictures of the hotel.
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Part 3 – Camping
And last weekend, my school had organised a camp – Perkhemahan Integrasi Unit-unit Beruniform. We camped for two nights at a nearby Pusat Kegiatan Kokurikulum. I was one of the AJK Keselamatan committee members. I was there most of the time even though I didn’t sleep at the camp site. I just had my period. I know I’m the lemah semangat type so it’s better to be safe than to be sorry right?
We did nothing much. Just the usual school camping routine – setting up camp site, LDK, exercising in the morning, marching, cooking, Kembara activity, Malam Kebudayaan, etc. I’m with the Puteri Islam. My kids won the cooking competition.
Kakak visiting.
The most fun people in my life right now - Kak As and Amir.And of course there were ghostly sightings.
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Part 4 – Hormonal imbalance
I just had my period. Only after the 50th day after my heavy bleeding episode. At first, I thought I was pregnant. I tested twice and both were negative but I still didn’t have my period. I went to a clinic and was told that most probably my hormones are still not stable so I just have to wait for it.
Waiting for it was hell. I really feel that my hormonal imbalance has caused me to gain weight (yet always)! The urge to eat was so bad. Plus Mr. A didn’t let me exercise thinking that I was really pregnant. Now, I have to really work hard to lose kilos again.
I nearly reach my peak and that can’t happen. I already feel uncomfortable with my clothes which is a horrible sign! If only I had speedy metabolism =(
Am i fat or am i fat?Part 5 – My lingerie from US
… was a let-down. It was a size too big (or two sizes too big). I followed the size chart exactly but I guess it was just my luck. So now I have to find somebody bigger than me to sell it off. Yea good luck Ms. W!
Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the service provided by my friend from Beauty Corner. I am currently waiting for another order of mine to arrive (not lingerie). I’ll show it off here once it arrives okay.
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Part 6 – Kakak’s first drawings.
Last week while I was busy folding laundry and Kakak was busy doodling, I heard she says the words ate (eyes), idung (nose), uyut (lips), ambut (hair), angan (hands) and angki (legs) again and again but I didn’t check what she was doing. Later I found four pieces of paper with her doodling and boy I was so proud of them!
She did this all by herself. We have not yet teach her to draw caricature.
Kakak may be a late talker but I really believe in her kinetic skills. I really hope she inherits my father’s talent in art. I didn’t.
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I have busy weeks ahead of me. Lots and lots of books to mark, paperwork and reports to submit and weight to lose. Yes, my weight bugs me. Tell me yours don’t.
