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!  

With only 7 days to go..

I'm feeling a tad sad (haishh...again with the 'sad' thing...give it up why don't you??) that Ramadhan is almost over. I haven't been able to finish reciting the Quran  :(  and I was only able to perform Tarawikh only 7 times out of this almost finished month.

And right now, I'm torn between folding clothes or washing the dishes from this morning, heh.

Maybe I should make a list (pssttt..Aina, tiru u boleh? heh) so that I'll be better organized (yeah, right!)

Ok, here goes:

1- Tidy up our bundles of clothes!!!! <--------- this is my main concern since they're smack dab in the front area of the house.

2- Sweep the floor and the ceiling (spiderwebs everywhere!!!)

3- Make more choc chips cookies (more on this later heh)

4- Wash the windows

5- Tidy up outside

At least with the coming Eid celebration I'm motivated to spring clean the house. If not, it would've stayed this way forever..forever..forever...forever......

BM entry: Hati tersentuh

Sebak bila tengok seorang lelaki tua yang dah berumur 70'an bekerja gigih menjual air tebu di bulan puasa ni. Dia selalu demam tapi waktu sihat, memang tak senang duduk diam, ada saja kerja yang nak dibuat.

Rambut yang beberapa tahun dulu masih ada kehitaman, sekarang dah penuh uban.
Tangan tuanya penuh kedutan dan rekahan dek terlalu banyak bermain air.

Senyuman tetap tersedia di bibir tatkala melayan pelanggan yang tak putus datang.
Hati ini tersentuh.

Kasihan melihat seorang ayah yang pada usia itu masih gigih mencari rezeki.
Sedangkan anaknya boleh melepak di pondok sambil bermain telefon.

Sungguh.
Hati ini tersentuh.

Ke mana kasih seorang anak sehingga tidak terdetik untuk membantu si ayah?
Tidakkah dia sedar, dia juga bakal tua suatu hari nanti?

Sedih.
Hati ini menangis.

Being The Mediator..

I'm stuck in the middle of a cold war.
It has lasted almost 6 years now.

Being the only one partial to both parties, I have been or rather I
have appointed myself as the "MEDIATOR'.

Unfortunately, I'm no Kate Reed.

This coming Eid will mark the 7th year of the war.
So far, one party is willing to meet but the other party has been reluctant
whenever I try to arrange a meeting in order to resolve this stupid war. :(

I am SAD.
I have been unable to patch things up.
Just like I am unable to run my own little family.

Ugh.

Ya ALLAH, aku hamba-Mu yang kerdil, bantulah aku menghadapi dugaan hidup di dunia ini agar kehidupanku di akhirat kelak lebih baik. Jika ini adalah ketentuan-Mu, kurniakanlah kepadaku kekuatan
dan ketabahan.  

Day 15

Things are beginning to settle down a bit, alhamdulillah.
I'm finally getting into the groove..yeaahhhh...hehhe

I'm currently tackling our overloaded/overwhelming bundles of clothing items.
Asked Ahmad to make some wooden shelves like to ones from IKEA but so far, his bundles are still all over the floor. We've been needing a proper storage system since forever but financially we can't afford to buy any 'industrial' shelves. Whenever I suggested we buy some shelves, he would say he'd make some DIY since he's good at welding but that day has yet to come. *sigh*

Been feeling melancholic. Depressed. Saddened by things in my life that I have no control over.
Frustrated.

Ok, ok..enough is enough.

Heh.

Excuses, excuses...

Remember this post?
I barely managed to finish the project while operating on auto-mode the whole time.
Then, the next day, my neighbour's friend who's a teacher asked me to do something for her.

I botched that project. Couldn't finish the 3 articles she wanted me to do. Well, I did finish the 2 main articles that she wanted but I only completed 3/4 of the 3rd one. :(

It was embarrassing!

I've never submitted incomplete work before. I've been late and I've been way past my datelines but I have NEVER submitted incomplete work before. *sigh*

Not 2 days later, the same friend I mentioned earlier SMSed me asking if I can translate several pages of his original work into Malay. Turns out he wanted 7000 words of English (from his thesis) to be translated into only 3000 words of research paper.

I have to admit, the promise of the payment got me excited about this project but I failed to evaluate my current sleep-deprived condition. Plus, the task at hand was near impossible since the Malay language uses way more words to convey the same idea in English.

But I pushed myself to complete the project because i) it belongs to my ex-schoolmate and ii) I needed the money. I spent 3 more sleepless night* editing and translating his work. The translating part was manageable but the editing part really got me. I mean, can you imagine trying to compress 7000 words worth of research into just 3000?? I really had to go through the whole document several times just to work out the best way to keep the research idea & results intact while keeping the words to the bare minimum.

In the end, I think I had disappointed him. I was late and couldn't satisfy the paper requirements as he had requested. But he made the payment anyway which made me feel a bit shameful with myself for submitting a half-assed work but still took the full payment. He was gracious about the whole thing though which made it a bit better for me.

I have to admit that I spent the next few days catching up with my sleep which can be said to be a lesson in futility. The boys kept interrupting my sleep with their endless demands! Then, Ramadhan arrives and threw my daily schedule to the dumps. After 2 straight weeks of staying up late and waking up late, having to wake up for Sahur at 5 in the morning have turn me into a zombie. 


I'm slowly getting into the rhythm of things. Sorry to have kept this blog silent for so long. 


* I have to wait till the boys are asleep before I can really do my work. Unfortunately, these kids sleep waaayyyyy past 11'ish so I have to stay awake at night to complete my work :(      

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 :(

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.   

Update on the empty fridge post...

As of 2 days ago, my freezer compartment is filled with these items:

-edited-
i) A bag of chicken nuggets
ii) A bag of fries
iii) A bag of chicken balls
iv) 2 packets of frankfurters
v) A packet of fish chips

I'm not much of a cook, so these easy to fry items are life savers for me. Whenever Shahrin's hungry, I can just boil or fry (whichever he prefers at that moment) the frankfurters (or hotdogs as he calls them). For Nazrin, he is not picky about what he eats, so it's easier preparing a meal for him. Though normally these items are eaten as snacks rather than during mealtime. At least they are eating something other than biscuits all the time (which was the case with Shahrin before he was introduced to the 'dogs).

I love poking around the internet, looking up easy and simple recipes. I do have a couple copied and pasted in my recipe folder but so far, I haven't tried any of them. I'm always looking for meals that don't require more than 3-5 ingredients in them since I'm lazy that way hehe. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to restock my cooking essentials since 8 -9 months ago, you know, when I wasn't cooking due to being pregnant?

Anyways, things are slowly but surely looking up. The house is slowly getting organized although there are times   I feel like I'm taking 1 step forward and 5 steps back (the boys keep messing everything up!!) Well, I just have to stick to getting organized, hopefully without blowing my head up. Heh.

Come on, be honest. What's in your fridge?

Love this haiku. Kind of funny in a truthful way. 

 

Both images are curtsy of Google.

This is a normal condition/situation for my fridge.

Bottom compartment:

It's only ever constantly filled with plain water and a jug of Nescafe (for Ahmad and me) 

or Milo (for the boys). A container of honey, some kids' medicine (usual cough and fever ones),

a bottle of soy sauce (kicap la tu hehe), chili sauce and oyster sauce, each and 6 eggs.

Top/freezer compartment:

2 alphabets ice makers (you know, containers to put water in to make ice cubes?), 3 frozen puffs (my mom gave these 2 weeks ago hehe) and icicles. 

These items are what's currently in my fridge, as of today.

Since we often eat out, there's basically no left-overs in here.

Hopefully when my editing payment comes through sometime this week, we can go

shopping for things to fatten up my fridge again. 

*sigh*

So, what's in your fridge today?

Sleep? What is that?...

Ugh..now everybody's staying awake..nobody is sleeping, not even Khairin the baby...

What's up people????!!!



arrrrr...apparently we are...up that is....



*sigh*

Today...

1. Shahrin, who has the fever since yesterday, is vomiting frequently. This only started earlier this morning. Should I be worried?

2. Today is the last day of EOD BP monitoring. So far, everything looks fine, blood pressure maintained at 110/70 since last week & no more protein in my urine, alhamdulillah. Thursday will be a more thorough check-up plus an ultrasound scan. Can't wait to see Baby again.

3. Last month, my total personal income (money from doing freelance writing) was RM325.00. I've just checked my account heheh.

4. I'm already booked for more writing assignments. Not sure if I can comply during my confinement but they were insistent, so I guess I have to rope in my youngest brother as my hired help :p

5. I didn't sleep last night. AT ALL! Till after Subuh prayer (I know..shouldn't have slept after praying but couldn't help myself any longer)  

6. Ahmad has been surfing & checking out smartphones, BBs and iPhones. Just saying...

AHA! moment while watching TV?

Watched Criminal Minds tonight.
Love! LOve! LOVe! LOVE it!!!!

As usual, there were quotes spoken by the characters as the opening and closing part.

Tonight, Dr. Reid (love this character, sometimes funny but always brilliant!) said a quote by James T. McKay.

"TOMORROW, YOU PROMISE YOURSELF, WILL BE DIFFERENT, YET, TOMORROW IS TOO OFTEN A REPETITION OF TODAY."

As Oprah always says, this was an AHA! moment @ lightbulb moment for me when I heard it tonight.
This is soooooo totally me.

Wake-up call for ANIS!!!!!!

My to-do list for today...

Hopefully, I can get them all ticked off but then again....

heheheheh...

1- Laundry (with 2 adults and 2 kids, I have to do this EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!)

2- Fold them (yesterday's load)

3- Take out the boys' old baby clothes for tomorrow's washing (I'm already 32weeks in & have done absolutely nothing to prepare for Baby's arrival *sigh*)

4- Try and finish up writing project.

Well, that's about all I'm gonna try to tackle for today.

The longer the list, the more frustrated I get if I can't get them done. Better to just keep them short & simple.

Have a good day everyone!

Do you lie? I do...

Small lies.
White lies.
Lies of omission.
'Selective misrepresentation'.

You know, these kind of lies.

Why do I do it?
Because I find it easier to do than telling the truth.
Because I want to save face.
Because I don't have anything interesting to tell.
Because I can't stand the person I'm talking to.
Because I don't want to be judged.
Because I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings.
Because...
Just because...


How about you?
Why do you do it?

Carpe diem!

Ughhh...

My life is so boring!
I wake up, feed the boys (usually just one boy) and myself, do the dishes, do the laundry, give the boys their baths, sweep the floor (sometimes), socialize with the neighbor (rarely), watch TV (most of the time), break up fights, stare at my lappy, complete my part-time projects, pick Ahmad's zits, hide in my room whenever TB is around, fold laundry (only when the basket is overflowing), eat, pee, poop, cry, sleep, yawn, burp, fart, get angry, get frustrated, get irritated, get bored.

Random thoughts..

1. I watched The Edge of the Garden last night on ASTRO's Channel 702. About half an hour later, I began to have a feeling that I've watched this movie before, though not the same actors. I kept having deja vu moments while watching this Hallmark movie. Then, it hit me. 

The Lake House!!

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock! Individuals from different times, falling in love with each other. Just like the characters in last night's movie. What a rip off!

The Edge of the Garden:


PLOT: 
A lonely businessman temporarily relocates to Maine after a bad breakup. He moves into a rundown cottage, where he meets the beautiful spirit of a woman who lived in the house fifty years before. As they form a friendship, they begin to help each other in ways they never knew were possible, and change both their fortunes forever.

http://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2010/10/edge-of-garden-hallmark-channel.html

The Lake House:


PLOT:


A lonely doctor who once occupied an unusual lakeside home begins exchanging love letters with its former resident, a frustrated architect. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410297/

Similarities:
a) Both stories involves the 'supernatural', two person falling in love but they are from
different times, just sharing the same space; the house.
b) Both stories have the characters exchanging letters, in The Lake House, Sandra and
 Keanu had the mailbox while in The Garden, Rob and Sarah placed
their letters in a cookie tin and hid it in the fireplace.

Differences:
In the end, Sandra and Keanu did get together, happily ever after while Rob did find Sarah again, problem is, she's old BUT she did have a granddaughter
who's the spitting image of her, so win-win in the end.

And enough of this.

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

Moving on.


2. I'm having horrible morning sickness for this first trimester. Haven't fasted in 8 days. Don't think I'll be able to finish this fasting month *sad*. I was hoping to be able to complete the whole month but the baby had other thoughts. Even after sahur, I'd be so hungry by 9am, my stomach heaving and acting up that I have to break my fast. *sigh*


Hopefully my Eidul Fitri day wouldn't be so bad. 

Third time's the charm?

Let's hope so heheh.

- The original post has been edited to add these words from the sponsor -

Terima kasih Anonymous kerana menegur. Saya call beberapa kenalan tadi dan betul la, amalan ni khurafat sebab percaya kepada makhluk selain ALLAH. Sebenarnya, tujuan saya tulis cerita ni hanya sebab nak beritahu khabaran gembira yang kebetulan hampir serupa dengan apa yang berlaku waktu tu. Bukan sebab saya percaya dengan ramalan tu. Dan bukan juga dengan niat nak mengajar orang lain ke jalan yang sesat. Masa buat tu ingat kut macam takpe la sebab berselawat kepada Nabi Mohammad dan mulakan dengan Al-Fatihah, tambahan pula cetek ilmu. Rupa-rupanya perbuatan ni salah. Alhamdulillah ada orang sudi menegur. Terima kasih sekali lagi.    

Weird dreams..

I've been having weird dreams lately.

Weird as in "What the ??"

One was about a girl catching a ghost (of all things) and a few of her friends documenting the event.
Another one was about a spooky dorm, complete with bubbling pools (kolam tadahan air tuu) and doors closing by themselves.
And yet another one was about my primary school, where I was the teacher (this was the first weird dream, minus the 'paranormal' activities in the newer, more recent dreams) and I needed to do some rescuing.  

What's so weird about these dreams?


They all have my friends in them; high school friends and primary school friends.
Not all of them, just a few of my closest friends.

Really weird, especially the paranormal focus of the dreams themselves.

Does anybody know how to decipher dreams?

Anyone?

Ermmm...

While waiting searching for ideas for the [iPad MySuperKids] contest, I visited some of the other contestants' entries, to steal get an idea of what I should write about for the contest. My conclusion? WOW..seriously!

I love quite a few of them for the simplicity of their entry, for the sheer novel approach to posting an entry as well as for their creativity.

Well, there goes my chance of ever winning this contest coz I'm neither creative nor have a good entry (hhuhuhu).
I would really love to be able to write as well as some of these bloggers.
I do notice something while blog-hopping; most of them use very 'loose' writing styles, whereby they wrote their entries with street-style language, be it in Malay or English. Some even mix English & Malay while writing.

I wish I could be that loose.

I've always been so strict with myself except for the times when I wrote about things I hate or when I just don't give a d*#n about what I write about.

*sigh*

Ok, ok...this is a crappy entry, I know. I wanted to write something meaningful but as usual, my brain is not cooperating with me. So what else is new, right? Heh.