Thank God for Mr. Handyman!

In the midst of a tight budget when raya is just nearing the corner, time ni la every items in the house nak buat hal! The fans woudn't function properly, the door knob decided to call it quit, the lampu of the car and motorbike too decided to buat perangai!

Imagine if we have to call someone to repair all of these, tak ka kebulur makan pasir ja time raya nanti? Luckily I've got a handyman at home, he has been repairing all these broken items and now they're back to live! Alhamdulillah. At least we can save some duit upah on the repairing part.

I love you Mister Handyman!

Wonder Girls : One WONDER BOY in the making

Seems that everyone is going gaga over ermmm... NO! NOT LADY GAGA PLEASE!!! Though she seems to be making lots of appearances recently in quiet a number of TV series that I've watched (read : Gossip Girls and Glee!).

Anyway.

It's the Wonder Girls I'm talking about. The big guy is having it very bad. Dia dah kena hinggap dengan penyakit. Every night he would be sitting snugly on the couch menghadap desktop, you-tubing them and everything that has got to do with them. Gila bayang sangaaaaaaaattt! Hehe.

Since the first time listening to the NOBODY song, I can't seem to tune out the song outta my head too! I've been humming to it and singing only the chorus part (cause that's the only part I know) until the little guy can sing them too. Every time he sees the advert on  the tele, he would go "Badeee badeeee but yewwwwww!". Hahaha! Sahih anak bapak hokeh!

You want those handbags for your keeping?I totally disapprove!!

Today I'm just pretty busy with the transcribing job. I told the little guy not to disturb me and brought his books and toys into the study room. Hoping that I could do my stuff in peace. 

My wish didn't come true as he only managed to playealone for about 5 minutes, and then he started to bother me by asking so many questions just for the sake of distracting me from my work. So I told him firmly; "Please don't bother me, mama nak buat kerja". And then much to my dismay, he started to throw tantrum and screamed at me "JANGAN BUAT KERJA!!!" while threw the books and toys to the walls. I tried talking him out of it but tak jalan. So mak dia pun apa lagik! Tantrum balik lah!

That got him to settle down for a few moments. So I happily proceeded to do my work. After a while, I realized that things are like eerily quiet in here. So I look over my shoulder and saw this :

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OH NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Not those bags you little tyrant!!!!! Inhaleeeeeeeee... exhaleeeeeeeee.... phew phewwww!

Very clever indeed, this little guy. He just knows where to push the right button! Tsk tsk tsk...

ALL ABOUT DATING. And Something Nostalgic #2 : Friends Forever

One of the comment in my previous post inspired this short entry. Thanks Ely! I owe you one! Ok, straight to the point, shall we? Among my siblings, three of us are among those people who took a long time courting before tying the knot.

- But first, it was  MY PARENTS! They met in Form 3(either one of them F.3) and got married when my mom was 24 y.o.

- Then, it was my eldest brother who met his better half in 1997 (if I'm not mistaken) and tied the knot in either 2005 or 2006. Tak ingat! Hehe. That's like 8-9 years of courtship before they were declared man and wife.

- After that, followed by moi! The big guy and I met early 2001 and tied the knot in 2007. That's more or less 7 years of courtship.

- Finally, my youngest brother who started dating his current gf since Form 3 and now he is in UTP doing matriculation (or whatever you call it). Semoga sampai ke jinjang pelamin, ameen!

Anyway. Moving on to Something Nostalgic #2 : I found a bunch of stuff related to my eldest SIL. Let's see.

We used to be very close while we were reaching adulthood. While we were studying in KL and my bro in UUM, we used to hang out together too. Not that often but there were times when she would bring me to her relatives house and all. And she always treat me to good food and stuff, that's what I love most about my SIL. Hahahaha! mata duitan. 

Anyway, I found a bunch of pictures, the birthday pressies and card she gave me last time.

This was taken during their engagement

The hantaran tunang she made herself! Kagum tak? Heeee! That's my BIL holding it. :-D

And finally the birthday gifts and card!

Though they're old and worn, they are nostalgic stuff. That's the reason why I find it extremely hard to throw them away! It shall be passed down to my daughter, if I am to have one lah. Hehe!

Anyway.

Back to our main topic. What about you? How long did you date your better half before tying the knot?

Egg in A Hole

I'm sure you people have come across the egg-inside-the-hole-sandwich before. I don't know what it's called, but apparently it was featured in one movie before this.

Anyway, though I didn't have all the ingredients (read : cheese and mayo) in the fridge, I still wanted to make 'em for the big guy. So I made do with what we had instead. I used these for one set of roti telur : butter spread on the 2 pieces of bread, sprinkle a pinch of salt, lotsa black pepper, an egg and some chilie sauce.

Because the big guy was too lazy to take out the oven from the store room, I had to make do with grilling 'em in the microwave instead. It took foreeeeeeever to cook in the microwave, that I managed to iron a pair of work clothes for the big guy while waiting! But I'm glad I made it anyway.

Because? The big guy loves them! 

However, despite the presentable look, I still don't like it. BUT. If you like runny egg ala half-boiled egg, then you would love this. The big guy even asked me countless of times on how I made them. But since he loveeeeeessss 'em to bits, he can be sure that I would never ever tell him the secret of making the roti-telur-lubang-tengah. 

You know why?

Because it's gonna be add to the 'List of Things That You Can't Do Without Me'! Muahahaha!

Beg kesayangan suda mari!

I've been enjoying my time with the kesayangan(s) during the weekend. They just arrived from The State, and has been sleeping under my ketiak for a couple of days now. Yippie! I sooo can't wait to melaram with them but the big guy said to wait till raya. What?! COME AGAIN! RAYA???? Man!!!! That's like almost 2 more month to go. And I don't know if I can wait THAT long!

Anyway.

I've promised the big guy that I won't be handbag-shopping for a year in order for him to agree with these purchases. I seriously hope my shopping lust can be curb that long. Or else, I'm sure gonna be one meroyan lady come year end!

Hopefully he will treat me the same way when I get pregnant again!

The big guy has been extra supportive dalam melayan his wife's craving nowadays. Bukan craving due pregnancy ya tuan-puan, it's craving due to fasting. Haha!

The latest was on Friday last week. Usually tengok advertisements on TV, tak terliur pun. But now that I'm on a fasting marathon, all those advert seems to make me salivate to the core! So on Friday, when I saw the KFC advert, hati mula meruntun. Tak keruan dibuatnya. So I told hubby that the craving has strike again! 

I wasn't sure if he would get it, as his answer to my request was "Tengok lah macam mana nanti". I was in the kitchen when he got home. The scream from the little guy "Wowww! KFC" confirmed the big guy has brought home the thing that his fatty bom bom wife has been drooling over earlier.  Bukak posa that day, I makan tak tengok kiri kanan uols!

Thank you sweetheart! I shall slave myself in the kitchen even more for you now! Heeeeeeee.

Memasak nasik lemak di tengah-tengah malam.

As usual. Monday is recuperating day.

Yesterday I was extra energetic. Happiness always gives you extra energy, isn't it? The big guy brought me to shop for baju raya dating at the BJC Mc Donalds, just the two of us. Irfan was left at PIL's. It reminded me  of the old times, when we were courting. Sangat mengimbas nostalgia ok!  Terus in the lovey dovey mood for the whole day yesterday.

So.

 As I've said before, happy wife makes efficient wife! When we got back home from PIL's place that night, saya dengan penuh bersemangat telah memasak not-so-perfect nasi lemak for him to bring to work this morning.

I was excited to prepare the bekal early this morning because I rarely make breakfast for him to tapau to work. Later, he proudly told me  that his colleagues drooled over the aroma of the nasi lemak. And then he promised to bring home-cooked nasi lemak for the whole team some time soon. Hahaha! Mati lah haku!

Hopefully tomorrow semangat jugak to make breakfast for the big guy!

Pengalaman menggembirakan dan menyeramkan in one night!

Last Friday night, we visited the big guy's colleague who had just undergone a brain surgery. At Penang Adventists Hospital. So alang-alang we were around that area, we shot off to Feringghi.

The last time we went there was when I was pregnant with Irfan. It has been 2 long years that I almost forgot how CROWDED the place is with local people and foreigners too! The stretch of stalls along the pedestrian walk goes on forever. At one point while I was walking along the street, I thought I was going to faint! It was hot. It was crowded. But it was all interesting at the same time that I didn't want to stop walking.

Unfortunately,  no pictures were taken as we were busy stopping at each and every stalls admiring the stuff they have there. Among the goods offered were fake designer bags, sunglasses, clothes, shoes, jeweleries, table runners, cushion covers, home deco and countless items tat I can't seem to recall at the moment.

However, the goodies that really caught my attention was the various colorful bangles selling at such low price! I managed to grab only 4 though, before the big guy gave me a hard stare. Oh, if you haven't know, that's cue for us ladies to stop buying; or else! Hehe. But they are like reaaaaally dirt cheap, selling from RM10 per piece to belasan ringgit. Any one can afford them, that's for sure!

Hey y'all! Mamu nak pi CHAMBERING sat naa! Daaa!

We didn't walk until the end of the street though as the little guy was tired and wanted to be dukung all the time. So after almost an hour walking around, we made a detour to the car park. Once inside, the big guy's genius brain suddenly came up with a crazy idea. He wanted to go round island, in the middle of the night. Yerp it was nearing midnight, and he wanted to take the winding road through Teluk Bahang to go home. 

Naively, as I never went round island during the night,  I agreed with him. That was the most stupid decision I ever made in my whole life! Seriously, if you ever think of going round island in the middle of the night, I advise you not to. There was this one stretch of the road near Teluk Bahang, where the road were so narrow and dark, that even when the big guy was driving 40km/h it felt like he was speeding!  One side of the road was the semak samun segala, and the other side was gaung. There were seriously no street lights at all. None. Nil. ZERO! Yilek! I was so afraid for our lives then! Mengucap banyak-banyak ja time tu. I was also afraid to look at anywhere else but my own hands, takut nampak benda-benda tak di ingini. Heeee! Scary!

At one time during the looooooong drive, I tried to look for the Quranic verses CD but it was hard to see anything in the dark. I turned down the volume of the radio as I was feeling uneasy, but the big guy responded by saying " Lahhhhh! Lagi la seram ok when you turn down the volume!". Haaa! It definitely gave me goosebumps all over the body when he said out loud what I've been thinking all the while! That night, it took forever for us to reach home. All I wanted to do once we arrived was duck under the cover and be thankful that we were back home in one piece!

So two pieces of advices for you guys out there :

1) If you ever make it to Penang, don't forget to jenguk the Feringgi Night Market for all sorts of interesting and CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP goods to bring back home.

2) BUUUUTTTT, never attempt to go round island in the middle of the night. You might not be able to survive the suspense throughout the journey!

Tolong jangan benci saya sebab anak saya buat bising dalam panggung wayang!

The little guy has been getting so excited every time he sees the Toy Story 3 advert on TV. So last week  I was all set to bring him to his first movie experience ever! That's because I could see him associate with the movie characters and I noticed too that his attention span is getting better. 

So, once the big guy gave his green light, I got so worked out thinking of the fun we were going to have watching movie together! It was the most anticipated moment of my life! One of my son's FIRST experiences in doing something huge! Tengok movie with a 2 y.o is a huge experience in my book okay!

So last Saturday, off we went to buy tickets for the movie. The big guy went to check at QB but it was full house except for midnight show. Oh no! Midnight is no good as little guy would be asleep by then, so off we went shopping first before making a stop at GSC Gurney Plaza. We reached GSC at around 6:30, and the next available slot for Toy Story 3 was at 9ish pm. The big guy refused to wait that long as we've been out since afternoon. So we had to settle for the available shows instead. Sob sob!

Seriously, I was soooo disappointed that we didn't managed to catch the Toy Story. Now, I don't know about you. But I seriously hate the way it makes me feel when I don't get to fulfill my baby's desire. Cehh! Macam lah dia kisah sangat kan. Come on, he's only 2 years! He wouldn't miss what he didn't get. But I don't know why, I was seriously sebak ja tetiba! I was thinking all sorts of things like "His first movie experience ever, and not watching something he had been so psyched about!". And things like that you know. I guess fathers don't get emotional like that, the way we mothers do. Tsk tsk tsk.

First popcorn experience!

First 1901 experience!

Oh and to make matters worse for me, every time he saw the Toy Story banner/bunting, the little guy would shout and jump with joy "Woooooww! Toy Stoyie!" and made people around him laughed looking at his over-excitement. Lagiiii la sebak mama dia kan!

Anyway, once we were inside the cinema - watching Nanny McPhee instead - the little guy was just excited all the same. He was quite jakun looking at big screen TV and the fantastic surround system, that he didn't take his eyes off the screen for the whole 10 minutes. But his attention span lasted for only that long, before he discovered the joy of the kerusi lipat and started to sandwich himself in between them. And trying to squeeze himself along the aisle and between his parents' legs. And oh, he even went overboard by asking for popcorn from the kakak seating in front of him! Nasib  the kakak thought the he was cute instead of annoying. I think. Cause the kakak just grinned joyously at him. Whatever.

However, the worst part was, he couldn't stop talking so loudly that I was afraid someone would throw eggs at us right there and then. Luckily no sumpah seranah came our way, though I noticed and tried to ignore some hateful stares from a couple of ladies after the show ended. Hiks. Anyway.  You can't blame me! I tried to be discreet with him by whispering every time I wanted to talk to him, but the big guy spoke to him in his normal voice every time, which in that hushed environment sounded like a bomb explosion at Pearl Harbour! Haih! So the little guy, taking cue from his dad, thought that it was okay to scream like he always does. At one point of the movie, where the pigs were doing amazing stunts on the screen, he shouted so loud "Woowwwwwww!!!! PIG FLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!" that I almost went into hiding under the chair. Oh tapi tak muat, I was too big for the minute space. Haha!

The movie was quite good, and I enjoyed it despite not paying 100% attention to what was shown on the screen. I know the little guy had such fun time too, though he didn't understand half of it. But the best thing was, he just loved being in the cinema as it was totally a new experience for him. Oh, he didn't tell me that! I just made it all up to make it sound as if it was such unforgettable experience for a 2 y.o like him. Hahaha!!

But seriously, despite not getting to watch what we initially planned to watch, the experience was still priceless. Hopefully the big guy tak serik wanna bring his son to the movie again. We still have time to catch the Toy Story 3 this weekend kan kan kan! Hehehe.

Oh, since tak dapat tengok the movie, I bought the toy for him instead. Now my days are filled with the rifle shots by the bravest galaxy defender ever, Muhammad Aqil Irfan!! *pengsan!*

What???? The diaper cake biz is no longer mine, ALONE?!?

So The Body shop is having sale. As I needed to get some basic necessities , on the way to our main destination for the day, we 'dropped by' Gurney Plaza. I was then reminded why I always hate shopping during 'Sale' time. Manusia macam ulat! If you are a humpty dumpty like me, there's no way for you to squeeze in between the people to properly select the stuff that was on sale! Benci!

So with the big boss watching me like a hawk the whole time while I browsed through the stuff,  I only managed to  buy kalau-tak-beli-hidup-tak-complete stuff. These were hardly on sale though. I had no opportunity to kirai duit on the harum-haruman that were on sale gila-gila!. Sedih tau!

Let me tell you something, if you haven't know. Have you notice how dangerous it is to go out without the kids in tow. Yes, it is! It would be truly hazardous to your bank account. Because every shops we went into, each stalls that we passed by, I was reminded of the little guy who had been left at PIL's place. I was thiiiiiiiiiiissss close to getting him a pair of crocs, but of course my kedekut big guy stopped me midway. As usual.

So we got a box doughnut for the little guy instead. Do you notice that one piece has gone missing? That's because while the big guy pi beli ayam dan ikan kat market, the big momma who waited in the car couldn't stand looking at them, maka seketoi ngappp masuk mulut big momma! Maafkan momma, Irfan.

On the way back to PIL's, I was just looking out the window when something caught my eyes. What?! You gotta be kidding me! I'm not the sole maker of diaper cake in  the whole Penang?!? I can't believe my eyes when I saw the banner. A florist somewhere near Anson Road provides the same type of baby gifts too. Ini tak boleh jadi. Next week, by hook or by crook, I'm going to raid the shop!

Anybody wants to join force with me?!?

Bila suami ambil alih tugas...

Rentetan dari enty ini, once in a while when the husband do something out of his usual routine, it makes the wife feel much appreciated. Feeling like she's not burdened with the household chores all alone.

So husbands out there, instead of putting expectation that once you're home everything will be ready on the table for you, why don't you take over being a chef in your wives' kitchen once in a while. That'll surely bring your wives to the 7th heaven. Maknanya bini hangpa nanti sonok tak terhingga la kan!

And I have to admit, the husband makes a great cook! I ate the Ayam Masak Kicap sehingga menggonggong tulang!

Cheating on the husband with HIS OWN FRIEND!

I've read some reviews in other mommies blogs about how they hate Maya's guts in the drama series AdaMaya currently playing on TV3. For those of you who haven't know, Maya is a married woman with a daughter, who cheats on her husband after 5 long years of marriage. Cheated on him with her ex.

Well,, I'm not gonna babble about the drama series. I'm just using it as a 'case study' to our 'discussion' today.  Cewah!! Apparently, whatever they're showing on TV depicts the real happenings of our society today.

A reader shared with me the story of her life. The real-happening in her family. I've seen and heard too many cases like this but still, the moment I finished reading her story, I was filled with shock and disbelief. How can a wife cheated on her husband with his OWN friend(s)? 

After the shock worn off, many things crossed my mind. How did the husband felt when he found out about it? What drives the lady in question to sleep with other man, in HIS (the husband's) house, with HIS own friends? Bukan satu, but plural, mind you!

Clearly, there's a lot of lesson to be learned from such things. First, like the old proverb goes "IKUT RASA BINASA". Perhaps the wife found the marriage didn't go the way she'd hoped it to be, and thus looked for an easy way out by having an affair. She might or might not realized that by doing so, she not only destroyed the trust and love the husband had for her, but also those of her kids. They would grow up  being accustomed to seeing their mother hooking up with different men and get used to that lifestyle. Sorry to pop your bubble, dear; but this is NOT Hollywood or Beverly Hills 90210 makcik oi! We're MUSLIMS, and what you did/still doing is so very not according to the teaching of our religion. You've destroyed your marriage, the trust your parents put on you, and now you're on the way to destroy your kids lives in so many ways that you could never imagine. YET. See, ikut rasa binasa tau!

Having said all that, I believe that love and marriage doesn't come cheap. You have to make a sacrifice in order to keep the love blossoming and the marriage thriving. Yes, you used to be so madly in love with one another despite not having to put in any effort at all. Why can't it be like that for the rest of your life?

Think of it this way. The beach will change every time the wave struck. Roses wither. People change. And so does marriage. I vividly remember while we were still courting, the husband suka sangat lah mengayat me with things like this "My love for you is not like a rose, as roses wither. My love is like the running river, it never stops flowing." Or something like that. Boleh tahan karat laki I okeh! Hahaha!


 But that's just the typical things people say to each other when they're head over heels in love. But love is like any other living thing. You need to feed it and take good care of it, in order for it to grow and thrive. You need to do things that are NOT routine. Once in while, you need to do things that will surprise them and rekindle the love the spouse has for you. Like slipping a love note into his pocket.

Or surprise your other half with their favourite things without them having to request it from you.

One of my fave thing is food!

Marriage needs to be shower with all these little things that might not seem like a big deal to outsiders, but means everything to each other.

I'm scared to think of what 5 years of marriage gonna be like for us. I even voice it out to the husband, but he told me not to worry. InsyaAllah, we'll be doing fine. InsyaAllah, we'll prevail. We've gone through 7 hard years of courting before we got to tie the knot. Thus we can go through anything, come what may.

But Dear Husband,

If you're reading this, and I know you will read it soon, I want you to know you're totally right about one thing. Love is indeed like a river. It keeps on running and flowing for a long time, until at some point when it meets up into a pool of stagnant water. Then it stops flowing. When that happens,  I believe we'll need to put in all the effort we can to purify it, in order to keep it fresh and 'alive'. 

Let's pray we'll get through our eternal love breezily. InsyaAllah!

And so it was the best anniversary ever!

So it is our anniversary today. The 3rd anniversary. 3 years back, on this day, we tied the knot.

So last night the hubby was telling the son how nervous he was the same night, 3 years back, trying to etch these words in his memory forever "Aku terima nikahnya ...". But the son preferred to jump on the bed and had fun rather than hearing his old man babbling about his old romance. Haha!

So yesterday evening, I made a last minute decision to surprise the man I love with some anniversary cuppies. Extremely last minute. Thanks to Anne from Liplickin'! who willingly took my order and did her very best with the cuppies. They were not only appealing in look, but in the taste department as well!

And so the son couldn't keep his hands off them. I had a hard time hiding the whole bunch of cuppies from him before his father got back from work. He kept going "Wow! Shedaaapppnya! Mama, pleasheeeee! Irfan nak shikiiiiit!". Haha! Kids, they're like too cute to disappoint, kan? I was thiiiis close to letting him eat one. But I knew one would lead to two, and before I knew it the whole thing would be gone in a blink of an eye. So, sorry dear, but this time I had to say a firm NO! :-)

So later on, the son was happy that he got to blow the candles. See Irfan, good things come to those who are patient. :-)

So the hubster was being his usual unromantic self. He came back home empty-handed, to a pleasant scream of "SURPRISE!!" from his wife and son. When the wife whined, he had the gut to ask what flowers did the wife wanted and went out to get them at the kedai keling tepi jalan. Hahahahaha! Kejiiii okeh!

So the wife requested a sweet treat from the hubster. While they were in the car heading to the nearest mall, the hubster asked "Ice cream Cornetto tak boleh ka?". The wife replied : "Just keep in mind that whatever you say or do tonight, shall be narrated in THE blog, ok". And with that, off we shot to Baskin Robbins for the sweet treat! Hahahaha! Terpaksa menjadi keji to get what I want. :-p

So it was the sweetest anniversary ever, though I could do without the gummy bears, cherries and the much-too-sweet-to-my-liking whipped cream. The 3 sweet years we spent married to each other felt like 3 short days. And at this very moment, I can't help wishing for more and more wonderful years to be spent with these 2 guys I love most.

To the dear hubster : Thank you for being the best husband in the whole wide world. I love you eternally.

Hadiah yang paling bermakna buat si dia

Finally, after enormous pressures from the wife here and here, Irfan's father decided to get him a belated birthday present.

It's isn't what Irfan momma initially wanted but since his father rationalized about using up the  billions of Cosway coupons we had rather than wasting it on unnecessary stuff, we had no choice but to agree. Sebab mak dia dok plan duit lebih boleh splurge untuk anniversary, haha! Hence, the daddy was only too happy to get Irfan this thing.

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 Haha! Tipu. This is only an impromptu purchase, since the momma son was doing monkey jumps looking at all those cute Barney stuff they had on display. Cheapskate  sangat lah abah nya if he gets this for anak punya birthday kan. Hiks.

The gift is this double-sided easel, practical for this little man's obsession to conteng-conteng everywhere. Earlier, I had a great notion that by getting him this easel, he won't be painting his artwork all over the walls and floors anymore. But now I'm not so sure about it. Hopefully anak bertuah won't shunt it aside like what he did with his arwah magnetic drawing board and Aqua Doodle too!

Anyway, what do I like about this double-sided easel?

I like that it is just the right size for his small room. The fact that it can be brought along while traveling just add to the appeal. You can stick those magnetic alphabets, numbers etc on those white board or use the marker pen provided to DRAW ON THE BOARD TAU ANAK OI BUKAN KAT DINDING ATAU LANTAI! It even has chalks for the blue blackboard on the other side.

Having said all that, I have to admit that the easel is the most meaningful gift he got for his birthday this year. Perhaps I couldn't say so on his behalf, but it is definitely so with his momma and abah. Because they're hoping against hope that it'll save them a lot of trouble having to clean up  his artworks kat dinding, lantai, siling, TV, meja, kerusi dan segala benda tak hidup in the house!

So Easel Boy, you better do your very best to keep this boy occupied, or else, you'll be shunted aside in the dark store room at the back!