Yaaaaawwwnnnnnnnnn.....

yawn...yawnnn....yaaaawwwwnnnnnnn....

ughhh...i'm feeling soooo sleepy right now..

my two little ones woke me up at 4.30am!!!! first, it was khairin who wanted to nurse,
then nazrin woke up too wanting his bottle...

unfortunately, nazrin who sleeps in the swing, had peed during the night and the floor was wet..
*sigh* what to do? i took nazrin to the bathroom, cleaned him up & put him in a new pair of PJs while khairin played in front of the TV

when they realized that they are both up, it quickly became playtime.... yaaaawwwnnnnn...while i had to clean up the mishap and change the 'sarung' he sleeps in..huhuhu..

can't blame nazrin though....he usually makes it through the night without any 'accidents' like today..it's been raining a lot these days as the monsoon season hits, it gets so cold even i feel like i need to pee more often..*sigh*

well, since i was already up, i waited for subuh which was at 5.54am..
just as i finished praying, khairin started bawling..he's sleepy, so off to bed little man..

this was followed by nazrin who wanted to be tucked into his swing..luckily, khairin was so sleepy that i don't have to pat him to sleep...as for nazrin, he finally fell asleep with the help of the electronic baby-swing machine my father bought earlier this year..

now, i'm left all alone...yaaawwnnnnnnn... trying not to fall back asleep since i'd have to get shahrin ready for school in (checking the clock...) 20 minutes...if i do go back to sleep..i'm afraid i'd still be in bed till 10.00am heheheh..

well, gtg...need to get shahrin's lunch box ready..

My father bought something like this, so i  don't have to swing  the swing myself

nazrin's 'bed'-look-alike 

BM entry: Apo nak dikato....

Masa mula2 daftar broadband punya la seronok sebab akhirnya senang nak bertenet, tak payah nak berebut komputer dengan budak2 beringus & memekakkan telinga kat CC. Pastu, akhirnya boleh set-up servis proofreading, editing & translating dari rumah sebagai menambah duit poket.

Bila dah ada broadband, panjang la langkah menerobos blog sana blog sini sambil kunyah jajan sambil mata jeling2 anak (masa tu Nazrin kecik lagi) merangkak main sorang2 atas lantai. Waktu tu mula nampak orang letak iklan Nuffnang, buat entry pasal cash-out Nuffnang, teknik2 nak tarik ramai readers dan macam2 lagi la. Hati ni rasa teruja bila pikir, "aku pun dah ada blog, ble la letak Nuffnang ni, mana tau ble cash-out ratusan ribu macam bloggers lain" padahal masa tu blog ada di blogdrive.com.

Sudahnya, set up blog ni semata-mata sebab teringin nak buat duit dengan jadi affiliate member Nuffnang. Ni hah entry dulu2 pasal blogging untuk duit yang pernah aku tulis; Blogging for money. Malangnya, tadi bila check akaun Nuffnang (setelah sekian lama tak jengah), ni dia hasil yang aku dapat.....

Productive day indeed.

I was finally able to persuade Ahmad to start his business going again, alhamdulillah.

We went to the market this morning and open up shop there after being away for sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long.

The last time I went along with Ahmad to the market was way back when Nazrin was only 2 years old. He is now 3. It has been THAT long. Anyway, nothing much has changed except for the vendors who were there this morning. I don't know most of them, maybe they are newbies, maybe they have been going there for the past year. But I did recognize a few of the old time vendors who we used to be tight with before we stopped going there. Customers come and go and we did receive visits from quite a number of our 'loyal' customers from back then. Well, suffice to say that we managed to get the ball rolling again with Ahmad saying that we'll be going back there tomorrow morning. YAY!! to the end of Ahmad's bundle drought. 

Since we were already at the market, I took the time to buy half a chicken and the makings of 'Kailan Ikan Bilis'. When we got home around 12, I quickly went to work cleaning the chicken and the kailan. Okay, I was only motivated by the fact that Ahmad's mother and sister were here heh & I wanted to get lunch ready before they head back to Pokok Assam (they rent a house there since Ahmad's brother works in Taiping). Konon menantu yang baik la heheh.

I fried 1/3 of the chicken and made some chicken soup with the other 1/3 and get this, I made the soup using  ingredients already prepared by MY mother! Talk about instant! She knew that I am a lazy cook, that's why she went through all that trouble of preparing these things, heh. She gave me 1 small container of chicken broth/stock and a few packets of spices that she packed herself when she came here last month. I kept the stock in the freezer and was able to use it when I made the soup just now. THANK YOU MAK!!!! Love you lotsss.... <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">

As for the kailan, I sauteed some onions, garlic and 3 chilies. Then, I added a handful of anchovies and stirred them till they were a bit crispy. Finally, I added the kailan and some soy sauce. Should have used oyster sauce but I didn't have any. So, today's lunch was prepared by moi and not bought at a restaurant like we usually do. *patting myself on the shoulder* 

I'm so proud of me.

Heheheh...feel free to make silly faces at the screen now....  ~ _______~

p/s: how I wish I can upload pictures...waaaa...

Enjoying a special time with Khairin..

Khairin is in daaa hoouusseeeeee!!! WOOT WOOT!!!

heh..

my 2 older boys are out with their ayah, flying their wau at the playground. have fun kids!

i'm just chillin' with my youngest, with jamie oliver on the telly (he's touring great britain, presenting all types of food) and a paper to be proofread, while feeding khairin at the same time. talk about multitasking, eh? khairin is very vocal these days. he is babbling right now coz i'm not paying him any attention hahah. it's very relaxing when i don't have to cater to two other mini me and i intend to enjoy every minute of this time. i think khairin loves it too because now he has the whole place to himself instead of having to endure his 2 big brothers. ahmad, you need to take those 2 out more, ok?

khairin has perfected what i like to call 'the caterpillar move'. He would get up on all four, launch his body forward, land 'plop' on the floor and repeat. he has gotten quite far when using this technique. i often have to scan the whole living room area for any potential threats; sharp, poisonous, choking hazards, anything and everything before letting him roll around on the floor. that's a tall order when i have 2 other kids who love to toss their toys all over the place. *sigh*

khairin will be 6 months old in 4 days. YAY!! we've got the green light for solids from the clinic during our visit last week, so i've been experimenting with baby foods these days.

i remember that shahrin was (still is actually) the pickiest eater when he was 6 mo. but then, he had been fed solids since he was 4 mo by the babysitter & developed the worst case on constipation ever. i was busy with my studies back then and wasn't experienced when it comes to babies, so i just allowed the babysitter to do what she thought was right. shahrin was underweight at birth and didn't weight much those days, so the babysitter did what she thought would help him gain more weight. but that's in the past and i'm more experienced now, that's why i waited till i got the green light from the nurse before feeding khairin.

nazrin was the champion eater when he was 6 mo. i loved making porridge for him since he would gobble everything up and when his teeth started coming out by the time he was 9mo, he preferred non-puree food which made everything so much easier for me. by the time he was 1.5 years old, he was already feeding himself and eating food like grownups do. he doesn't mind spicy food and his favorite is fried chicken.

with khairin, i'm starting things slowly with farley's rusks, mushed bananas and boiled potatoes. so far, he seems to like the rusks and the bananas but since he is always busy exploring, i'm still uncertain when it comes to his eating schedule. what i've done so far is to feed him when he seems unsatisfied with nursing after a few minutes. after only 3 - 4 spoonfuls, he'd already lost interest in the food and wiggles off to explore the first thing that catches his eyes. sometimes he'd eat 3 times a day, other times he'd only want to eat once. well, it's still very early & very much trial and error, we'll have to wait and see how his eating habit is going to be in the next days. 

even after 2 older babies, i'm still learning. heh

p/s: if you've noticed how i've grown lazy and have ignored the proper way of writing with proper casing, then yes, you are right. i have been influenced by Syigim from how do i spell the word. just so you know, hahahah.

Being a good neighbor.

Living in this house comes with its own brand of 'excess baggages'.

Firstly, there's the woodland creatures*. We have rats (although their population has significantly dropped due to..) cats, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, lizards, not to mention a whole collection of other insects. Well, what do you expect when you live close to a forest and palm tree plantations, right?    

Then, there's also the primates which we call lutongs. They love to raid the small clusters of banana trees that grow around the area. Plus, they would sometimes rummage through the garbage pile (we don't get trash service here in the kampung areas, so we would mostly burn our trash. Except for Khairin's diapers, empty bottles, cans and other trash that should not be burnt. These would have to be thrown out at the BIG trash can  found in Bagan Serai and we usually take out these trash when we have business in town.

Finally, we have also inherited a few 'elderly' neighbors. Most of them are actually Ahmad's relatives plus a few close friends of Ahmad's foster mom.

This house is actually built on a piece of land owned by Ahmad's maternal uncle. His house sits closer to the main road while this house is a bit further down the plot. Thus, we are the closest family he and his wife has. Being senior citizens, I would say both of them should live with their children so that they can be looked after; he's blind and frail while she has arthritis and can't walk so well. Before her conditions got worse, she was the one who has to walk to the nearest shop and get all their daily essentials. Unfortunately, these few months have been hard on her since her feet started to hurt more. So, sometimes she'd come over and ask me to buy groceries for her.

   

Ahmad's uncle has had a few accidents in his house in just 2 months. He couldn't sleep well while lying down due to some complications with his lungs. So, he'd nod off quite a lot during the day, even while sitting on the bed. When this happens, he'd topple over and bash his head on the closest furniture. Last month, I drove him and his wife to the clinic to stitch up a HUGE gash on his forehead. Last Monday, a small piece of his upper right arm was torn open when he fell from the bed, again. 

Point is, I think they should live with their children rather than stay here on their own. I mean, yeah, sure I don't mind going to the shop for her once in a while or help clean his wounds every other month. BUT. They are getting older, not younger and they need better care than what I can offer. But whenever anyone suggest that they call their children to come and get them, Ahmad's aunt would say that they wouldn't want to bother their children plus her husband doesn't want to live with any of them for long. Maybe because he's already memorized the layout of his house but being in a new surrounding would be difficult for him since he's blind. 

I can only help with the little things but I believe that they deserve better than how they're living now. The other neighbors have their own problems too since most of them are senior citizens as well. So, everyone pitch in whenever they can like sending over a dish or two (except for me since, you know - I DON'T COOK hehhe) help pay the bills, etc. But I still think they need better care than what they have right now.

BM post: Kisah keluarga Ahmad

family sebelah Ahmad ni nalaaaa punya ramai. pasai pa? pasai kena amik kira adik bradik sepupu sepapat belah arwah mak dia, mak tiri dia, pak dia, mak angkat dia, pak angkat dia & mak angkat tiri dia (ok, tipu la, kami tak kenai pun sapa2 sebelah mak angkat tiri dia heh)

tapi kira ok la jugak sebab kalau nak ikut, pak angkat dia tu sepatutnya sepupu dia, sebab arwah mak dia dengan orang yang dia panggil 'tok' tu adalah adik dengan kakak & anak lelaki 'tok' tu dah lama kawin dengan mak angkat dia tapi takdak anak, so depa amik la Ahmad ni wat anak angkat.

masa mula2 kawin dulu, aku blur sungguh nak ingat sapa yang mana & apa kaitan, pehtu bila sembang2 pasai Ahmad or cerita pasai 'dulu-dulu' (zaman Ahmad kecik) jenuh la aku pasang telinga betui2 sebab waktu2 ni je la aku ble tau kisah Ahmad waktu dia kecik, kalau aku tanya dia sendiri, jangan harap la dia nak cerita..ada pun sekali ja dia cerita pasal waktu dia naik basikal dari rumah ni sampai la Bukit Merah. Serius jauh tu..mcm tak percaya ja cerita dia tapi dia kata dia ikut short-cut..cut kut mana pun aku tatau la hehe..

anyway, semalam ada kenduri tahlil hari ke-14 untuk arwah mak tiri Ahmad. ramai jugak yang pi w/pun pagi tu hujan lebat giler & ada 2 kenduri lain kat area kampung tu jugak. dapat la aku berjumpa lagi adik bradik belah pak & arwah mak w/pun tak ramai. Kakak Ahmad yang sulung dgn adik bongsu dia anak2 arwah mak (biological mom) dia ja yang balik, yg lain nak tunggu tahlil hari ke-100 baru nak balik. Adik Ahmad dengan arwah mak tiri ni ada 2 ja, yg sulung perempuan & yg bongsu lelaki. aku kagum dengan adik tiri yg perempuan tu, senang & efficient ja aku tengok dia urus rumah tu..kalau suruh aku, 2 hari lum tentu boleh buat benda2 yg dia buat dalam masa 3 jam..serius cekap buat kerja..

plus, she's very opinionated. apa yang dia rasa dia nak cakap, dia cakap ja depan2..kalau aku, jenuh la karang ayat dulu camna nak cakap..paling busuk, aku sengih & diam ja daripada cakap benda yg kut2 boleh sakitkan hati orang lain. ni la salah satu kelemahan aku, penakut sangat. kalau aku rasa tak puas hati pun aku diam ja sebab based on experience, bila aku bersuara, aku jugak yg akan kena balik, so baik diamkan diri ja. tatau la kut ada jugak orang yang akan anggap perangai aku ni cam sombong, sebab bila berkumpul ramai2 & semua orang bersembang sana sini, kiri kanan, aku prefer cari spot yg jauh skit dari orang, unless aku kenai orang tu baru aku duduk dekat2..

apa2 je la yer..tatau nak tulis apa sebenaqnya ni, nak upload gambaq pun tak lulus lagi padahal aku sekarang makin jatuh chenta dengan baking. SERIOUSLY!!! I've fallen in love with baking. Dah try buat kek coklat kukus 4 kali (ok, tipu, 2 kali kukus tapi sbb bkn pakai periuk kukus asli & banyak kali kemalangan, terus pakai oven cikai yg diwarisi dr my older sis ja), buat brownies tapi pakai instant mix tu ja, choc chip cookies pun dah try (menjadi plak tu, alhamdulillah), buat pudding caramel (1 instant mix, 1 fresh tp bnyk sgt telur jadi loya plak tekak)..teringin sangat nak upload gambaq kat sini..nanti belajaq ilmu kat Ahmad dulu lah..

so, TTFN folks!  

like a snail...

it's been 3 weeks since i last posted here..??
wow..didn't feel that long at all..but i didn't mean to neglect this blog
i'd start a post then cancel it..
i'd write a few sentences, read through them again, then delete the whole thing..

so many things to write about, mostly personal stuff & based on my experience with my last few entries, i've decided not to go through with them..

so many things are in my head right now..wish i have a pensieve like dumbledore..then i can just dispose of the ones bothering me the most & forget about them till i'm ready to face them again..yeah..wishful thinking..

Raya was a mixture of happiness and sadness.

firstly, i need to say that 24/8/12 is the day i lost my step-MIL..she was a wonderful lady..i barely had 7+ years with her & i miss her so much already :'( but she's free of pain now..May ALLAH place her among the pious..

well, this year, it was my turn to celebrate raya at my parents house. after so many years of running around after my parents who would stay at my sisters houses in selangor (one sister lives in ampang, the other lives in pandan indah), this year's raya was spent in alor star..at last! i was able to celebrate raya with ahmad & the boys. usually, if mak n baba were spending their raya over at either one of my sisters' house, he wouldn't want to go. plus, all my siblings were there & a few relatives came over to visit, so, raya was busy for my family.

that was last month..

these days..i'm just lazy..will try to find back my writing spirit..heh