ok..backtracking..

last night i complained about the clutter in this house.
i wish to take them back..the complaints..not the entry.

why?

because this morning, i happened to read a FACEBOOK note* written by Saiful Nang about his wife who has a full time job but still manages to cook and look after her family well.

his note really made me realise that the clutter is not the problem.
my mental state is the problem.

i tend to say i can't before i even try..or give up halfway..or most often, blame it on somebody else.  

ok, so..i have admitted that i have a problem.

now what???

hahahaha..


*the note is in Malay but in summary:

he wrote that
1- his parents demanded that their future in-laws have at least these 2 important criteria; wears hijab and can
    cook
2- his wife has both criteria although he initially thought that knowing how to cook is not very important
3- after his mother died, he realised that what he missed the most about his mother is her cooking
4- he wanted his children to have the same kind of memory of their mother (his wife) so he himself began to
    cook at home
5- his wife who is a PhD holder, picked upon his effort to cook more at home
6- he praised his wife for being able to manage the family well even though she is a very busy career woman

there's more but i'm pressed for time right now, still have to 'manage' my boys and complete a translating project due next week

but all in all, THANK YOU Saiful Nang for the inspirational note. I applaud you and your wife!  

In just one hour...

I went from

INDIFFERENT to

SLIGHTLY FRUSTRATED to

HIGHLY IRRITATED to

OUTRIGHT RAGE!

from seeing all the clutter around me. *sigh*

The mountain of clothes resembles our current living room where Ahmad does all his sorting through his bundles 

Just like me when tackling the boys' toys *sigh*

I keep wanting to do 'something' about the first issue but knowing Ahmad, it would be a lesson in futility.
Same goes for the toys. Ughhh...

Wish the 'Clean House' team can come here and help me out :(

Quick lame updates..

1- we went for monthly check-up today for both nazrin and khairin. sadly, both boys didn't put on much weight even though nazrin eat a lot and khairin nursed a lot. nazrin's weight is in the lowest weight percentile while khairin is going under the normal weight percentile. not good, not good.

2- khairin has been acting up a lot lately which could be why he didn't gain much weight. anyway, i think i know why; he can already turn on his stomach now! he has beaten nazrin's record of doing so by the time he was 4 months old, khairin is currently 3 months, yesterday was his 3 month birthday hahah. he would effortlessly turn on to his stomach then cry out loud when he couldn't hold his head up and his nose is pinched on the floor, hahah.

3- nazrin is also acting up but i'm not sure why he is. i mean, he's already 3 years old, so why the crankiness?    i thought such behaviour only lasted through the terrible 2..maybe he still couldn't accept the fact that he is no longer 'Adik'

4- i'm out of ideas...hmmm...

-edited-

5- just heard a sad news from a friend. i pray that she stays strong. i regret not keeping in touch with her even though i read her FB status..i'm so sorry rumet T__________T

6- i hate these cartoons; Tom and Jerry, Oggy and the cockroaches, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Totally useless and meaningless cartoons..i don't get the stories behind them.

7- i love disney channel, lovelovelove spongebob squarepants

Tired...

the baby just wouldn't go to sleep all day yesterday...

i have big puffy eyes right now @___@

When it rain, it pours!

Literally and figuratively.

Although the weather has been hot all week long after the downpours we had 2 weeks ago.
Well, all in all I would just like to say that I am thankful either way.

My workload is also experiencing a downpour. More of the cats and dogs variety.
Mind you, I'm not complaining..this is very good actually. I'll be swamped for the next 2 weeks with 3 projects; 3 editing and 1 ghostwriting (2 articles for 1 client). I just need to get organized and set my priorities right in order to make the deadlines. Off course my children come first (well, the baby does, his brothers can just entertain themselves hah!) but I think house chores may get pushed to the backburner for the time being. And this blog as well.

*sigh*

Can't complain. Not complaining.

I'm thinking of the money and the rewards I'm getting for myself afterwards.

p/s: I might throw in a post about said rewards sometime tomorrow (or whenever I'm able to). I just need to take pictures of them and upload them here soon. A teaser; one is yellow and the other is stack-able. Any guesses?

Update on our little 'holiday' getaway.

We left for the waterpark at around 2 o'clock. You know, after I have done all the work around the house as well as packed everything we would need for the outing.

Anyway, we got discounts for our tickets since Ahmad is a Kerian resident and his cousin (another Kerian resident) works there, so she used her IC card to get me my discounted ticket. All in all, we only paid RM30 for 2 adult tickets since we didn't have to buy any tickets for the boys. Now, I've been to Tambun and Sungai Petani's theme/water park and boy! were the tickets expensive. Nevertheless, you do have plenty of water hole choices to choose from, plus in Sg Petani's water park the ticket includes lunch for all ticket holders. 

However, the Bukit Merah water park was smaller with just a few water hole attractions which may account for the cheap entrance fee. Anyways, the boys sure had fun (I think) and I'm sure Ahmad did too. In fact, I think he had more fun than the boys, playing in the water with the figure-8 float. Since I had to look after Khairin, the 3 of them went of to splash in the water at the biggest pool there (it has waves going every half hour or so which made everyone screamed with joy when they were hit by the 'big' waves haha). Me and Khairin just wet our feet and dip our butts in one of the shallower kiddy pool but we had fun too.

Ahmad did come and took Khairin twice so that I can have fun in the water too. Well, in that sense, the boys had all the fun, both with Ahmad and me since that's all they had to do; enjoy themselves. I took them for a 'walk' in one of the waterways surrounding one of the waterholes on the floater. We did have some accidents with other visitors on floaters but everyone was just goofing around, so nobody got angry or anything. Nazrin loved going down slides, so we stayed at one for half an hour. By the time we completed the circle, Nazrin was already shaking in his clothes even though it was a hot day. Shahrin was practically all over the place; running/swimming here and there.

We met a friend of mine and her family while we were there but didn't stay long for a chat since each family wanted to play some more- the kids went everywhere. But one thing that caught my attention was that her husband has gotten a bit chubbier since I saw him last. I have also noticed that this is true for most of my friends' hubbies. My husband is the only one who hasn't put on weight in the 7 years that we've been married. He has stayed the same from the first day we officially met till today. Hmmm..does that has anything to do with my not cooking? heh..

Another thing that caught my attention was that how different we were compared to other visitors that day. I observed that everyone came loaded with tote bags (the kind companies give as freebies) and floaties and strollers (those with babies) and baskets (although no outside food and beverages were allowed in the area) and 1 family even took their tent along.

I only packed 2 bags; one Celcom freebie tote bag and an over-the-shoulder Anmum gift bag. The tote contained change of clothes for all of us while the Anmum bag was stuffed with Khairin's change and wallets and android phones. I specifically took along the Anmum bag since it was partially waterproof and can be slung over for easy handling. This way, we wouldn't have to rent one of those cubbies and still keep our valuables safe.

In a way, I think I was being a minimalist; a pair of change for each of us, except for Khairin, I packed 2 sets for him, 1 towel for us parents and 1 towel for the boys. That was all. As I sat at the seating area with Khairin, I watched all these other people going about, enjoying their day at the water park. They seemed to lug around bags full of stuff and I wondered what did they put in all those bags. One family of 3 in particular; parents and a baby, had at least 5 bags with them, plus a buggy and a baby carrier. The father was wearing the baby while the mother struggled with the bags and the buggy. I thought to myself, "what in the toot are in all those bags??" I mean, just how many change do you really need for a day at the park with just 3 people? If it were me, I'd only bring along my set of change, Ahmad's and the baby's (but since I already have 3, I had to bring more).

One more thing that caught my eyes were how some of them were so concerned with their appearance that they missed the whole idea of having fun. They came in high heels and their bling-blings and their iPads and their expensive watches. Then, they spend half an hour just to arrange all their belongings just so and they can't all go in the water since someone had to look after all their stuff ( you know, to prevent theft). I mean, if you already know that you're going to a place where there would be a huge crowd with little security, just leave all that expensive getup at home and just come in your shirts and flip-flops. It would definitely be easier on your peace of mind.

Like we did. I dressed the boys all ready in their bathing suits at home and I put on mine (T-shirt and slack). By the time we got there, we just had to take off our flip-flops (or slippers as we call them) and head on right into the pool. When we're all done and wrinkled up, all we had to do were change into clean clothes and we're on our way home. Easy, isn't it? Well, that's just me being the minimalist. I sure would like to know what you would bring to a family day at the water park.

Do tell.   

Morning 'pick-me-ups' with Khairin.

Morning peeps,

Or should I say, afternoon? It's been raining all morning here so things are a bit gloomy and chilly at the moment. Hopefully everything will clear up by noon since we're planning to go and have fun at Bukit Merah Laketown Resort today. YAY!! I initially wanted to ask Ahmad to take us to the beach but with all the recent rain, it wouldn't be safe at the beach, especially with 2 rowdy boys. So, a little bit of change to our holiday outings was in store. The boys don't know about this plan yet, it's a surprise for them heheh. 

Owh...meant to do a post about Khairin. 

Well, he's almost 3 month old now and very recently had a total head shave. He is now as bald as an...eagle? hehe.. he has started cooing just last month and giggling just a few weeks ago. Oh, you should see him going, cooing with his toothless grin, tongue all over the place, lips pursed just so and the giggles. OMG! the giggles. I can't handle the giggles hahahahha..

Even after a sleepless night with him, mornings are still happy moments. We'd spend a few minutes just enjoying each other before his brothers wake up. Coffee has nothing on this boy when it comes to giving you a boost of energy to perk you up. Oh, don't forget those ever flapping arms and legs. They are constantly moving, like he's trying to get somewhere in a hurry. Even when I've pinned his arms to his side, he'd still keep moving his body and legs. Hahah.

No pictures though. I need to learn how to put watermarks first. Till then, toodles.  

7 years ago...

Wooo...

The day's almost over, I better step it up.

Okay, so on this day, 7 years ago (04/06/2005), Ahmad and I finally tied the knot. After going through so many rough patches, we were finally given the green light and became husband and wife. I still remember my husband being given the lecture by the Imam, he kept his head down the whole time. Such a proper 'gentleman' hahah.

Arrghhh...just missed it. The time I mean. It's 5/6 now...

Oh well..

After 7 years, I know that I may not have the best life can offer but I have enough with what he can give me. Although I would still prefer to live somewhere else other than here.

Thank you Abg for Shahrin, Nazrin and Khairin. 

Thank you for loving me the way I am.

Thank you for being patient with me.

Thank you for changing. Please let's move out. Pretty please? 

I'm really glad you changed. Love you so much more now.

Looking forward to getting old with you by my side. :p