Mom of the Year Award

February must be a good month for me. Birthdays, Valentine's and now an award has come my way. TM, my sister has so very kindly nominated me this award. As I reflect my days in days out, at assuming this position MOM, I wonder if I really, really qualify as a recipient. But TM, I appreciate the award loads, thank you..thank you!!

I’m kinda blur off late. As always many things are cooking, be it at work or at home. So let me digest what exactly I need to do in order to achieve the award. Ohh got rules one kah?? Okay, kita copy paste je lah kan.

The rules are:

1. Admit one thing you feel awful about (involving being a mom). Once you have written it down, you are no longer allowed to feel bad. Remember you are a good mom!

2. List 7 things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you.

3. Send this to 5 other moms of the year that deserve a reminder that they too are the best moms that they can be. Remember to send them a note letting them know you have selected them, and also add a link to your post that directs people back to the person who nominated you.

Alamak…ni pasti banyak part yang not meeting KPI yet (but still Q1 mah..can still catch up).

First on the list.

1. One Thing I Feel Awful About

Not being able to breast feed any one of them. The longest one that latched onto me was Faris – only 3 days. Both Farah and Nissa hung on for 2 days. Reason for such short stint, nipple malfunction, err got such thing ah? They became sore, cracked and then bleed. Painful nyer Tuhan saja yang tau.

Second thing on the list.

7 Things I Love About My Kids

a. Seeing them all grown up now, pretty independent and able to manage and organize things on their own.

b. Seeing them develop intense liking on varied skills. Faris - DIY and technical skills (so like father like son). Farah – arts and craft, cooking and baking and sports too. Nissa – also into arts, literature and IT.

c. Listening to Faris talk to the two sisters about life in college. I could see that the young ones are inspired by his pep talk.

d. Watching them sleep when they camp in the living room. Positions of all sorts; a young man, a teenage girl and the over grown baby sister.

e. Having Nissa remind me that I don’t need any more shoes or handbags or new clothes when ever I have that sudden itch to go do my impulse retail therapy.

f. Going on vacation together. Perth was the best and so was the trip to Hong Kong in 2007 (more stories here) when they all (Faris, Farah, Nissa and TM’s Aliah and Ayna) doted on their Grandmother. Sorang angkat bag, sorang picit kaki Uwan and I could see how happy my Mom was during that vacation.

g. Push comes to shove, all three of them are good and responsible kids. Only when we are around they do the darnest things which I believe is their way of telling us to pay attention to them.

5 others who deserve this award.

1. Ummi
2. Laracroft74
3. myheartbleeds
4. Kak Ezza
5. Mamasita Mamamia

Incidentally, I Googled the Job Scope of Mom and this is what I got.

POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment.

Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, hopefully just temporarily.

Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.

Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

Now, doesn’t it feel GREAT to be a MOM??

Glimpses of Shenzhen

Rummaging through my external hard disk, led to the discovery of these enthralling pictures of Shenzhen.

Clear skies on a new day in downtown Shenzhen

Cycle away...

All geared for the day

Breakfast & snacks stops

Queque for the Metro

The fast and efficient Shenzhen Metro

The Lou Hu stop brings one right into the Mall

Shopping heaven... the Lou Hu Centre


Big task and hard work - stacking up these trash.

Loads by the bundles

Future Shenzhen cosmopolites

Super "Supir" Saturday

9.30am

“Can you manage the girls today? I’m off to Subang now.” Those were ABE’s parting words to me this morning before he left to continue working on his DIY project.

“Ahh..what? Where are you going? I want to….”

Nah…I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence, let alone negotiate. He was already off. Oh what a bummer, I was up till 4 in the morning doing work and I really wanted to sleep till much later. Not leaving we with any choice, I dragged myself out of bed.

10.30am

Had fried rice for breakfast, something I very seldom do. Rice in the morning would normally give me the drag, but somehow this morning, I had the premonition that the extra carbo was going to be much required.

11.00am

Drove Nissa to her art class. She gave me a list of workbooks for me to get from the bookstore. Farah tagged along coz she wanted to get a birthday present for her friend. Five minutes later, Bibik called and reminded us to get food for the cats. Laa..dah habis dah ker?? Bukan ker like baru two days back I just got them their Whiskas.

Dropped off Nissa at her class. Both Farah and I went to a bookshop at SA Mall. We managed to get Nissa’s workbooks but Farah couldn’t find any good paperbacks for the present. She asked if we could go to M*H at SACC Mall, more books to choose in that outlet, plus they were offering discounts for members. Opppss…before that, quick stop at Giant to get food for the kitties.

12.00 noon

Off to SACC Mall and by then the sun has started its assault. It was so, so hot and the slight haze was making the situation worst. Spent a good hour at M*H looking for good books (and to enjoy the coolness of the air cond too!!). I prefer the M*H outlet in S*bang P*rade. Bigger and it carries more topics. But for today, this one in SACC Mall would suffice.

Books we got..the Malay novels for Nissa & VC Andrews is mine.

Deliberated if I should get myself another book. In the end, couldn’t resist VC Andrews latest – Delia’s Crossing. Ohh…bilalah nak baca ni?? Tak pe lah, one of these days, I’ll catch up with my reading. Beli je dulu, nanti baca, as I hope for the opportunity to come by, to go do marathon book reading one of these days.

Before we left SACC Mall, sempat stray away to Big Apple for some donuts. Sparkling new, this latest joint had its ribbon cutting earlier today. One Pak Deputy Minister was there to grace the event. Ramai lah pulak orang gomen, all with smiles on their faces…dapat donut free lah katakan. Told Farah, tak pe lah, we won’t bother with the free ones. Let’s do it the old fashion way, nak merasa, beli sendiri!!! More afdhal that way.

1.00 pm

Picked up Nissa from her art class and headed home. While the girls were having lunch, I managed to nap for a while.

2.30 pm

Sent Nissa for her piano class and dropped off Farah and her friend at the Kopitiam where the birthday party was held. (The Shah Alam affluents celebrate anak-anak’s birthday parties at Pi*zza Hut, N*ndos, Kopitiams and others yang sewaktu dengannya. Told Farah, no way I’m gonna jump into the band wagon. Kita celeb kat rumah je lah, potong cake with the family).

4.00 pm

Picked up Nissa from class and lepak at McD for a while. Mommy and daughter treated each other to sundae and Mc Flurries. Heavennnn….before we headed home.

6.45 pm

My head felt really heavy. Bibik asked if I wanted to pijat (picit) kepala. Bolehhhh bibik, please do what is necessary.

7.15 pm

Merci manja-ing with Nissa

Farah texted asking if I could pick her up. Grabbed car keys and off again. This time Nissa wanted to follow and she asked if we could bring Merci along. I said yes, but if the cat pu-pu or she-she in the car, she’s to answer to her father.

Check out Merci's expressions..she must be thinking, "I must be the luckily one..."

7.45 pm

Got Farah and headed home. ABE was already home and was about to perform his solat. I asked Bibik what’s for dinner. She said, “Ohh..ingatkan Ibuk mau makan diluar.” Okay lah, I did mention to Nissa just now that we may go out for satay later. Obviously, words had gotten around.

8.15 pm

Since ABE was beat with exhaustion, and had like no energy left to go out, I had to go tapau the satay. Left with Farah for our usual satay joint, G*mbira Satay at Seksyen 3, and there was already a queue. Had to wait for a good 30 minutes before our satay was ready. Told Farah to get the nasi lemak kukus too. (Ni betol-betol kemaruk makan dah ni..ahh must be the stress!!)

I stayed in the car as Farah waited for the satay. I jerked as the soft knock came on my windscreen. Another car had pulled next to mine and the guy was asking me to wind down my window. Could be someone asking for directions I figured. My door was locked, so I guess it was safe for me to be talking to these strangers.

There were two young men in the car. One of the guys asked, “Kak, akak nak jual tak kereta ni?” as he looked at my two door coupe.

Huh..say what?? Cakap apa?? Sell the car??

“Errr..tak de lah dik. No intentions what so ever of selling the car.”

“Kenapa tak nak jual?” asked the same guy again.

“Ohh…my son uses the car now.”

“Ooo..iyer ker? Tak pe lah. Cantik kereta ni, kalau nak jual, saya minat nak beli.” He said thanks and drove off, leaving me puzzled over the whole exchange of conversation. Nasib baik he called me “kak”. Had it been “aunty”, sorry lah nak entertain!!!

Finally...the satay!!!

Some whirling day I had today, from staying behind the wheels - morning till evening, to mall hopping and almost doing an auto sale, I hope the last few hours of the day will remain uneventful.

Some day it was, “Super Supir Saturday” – that’s how I have declared it.

Note to Myself....

It’s two minutes into the day and yeah…it’s my birthday!! Another year has passed so quickly. Eventful, stressful, packed with triumphs and tribulations but all in all, Alhamdulillah, God bless, it was a wonderful year.

I turn 45 on this very day. Some people may dread this milestone, as it's kind of neither there nor here at the 40 & 50 age marker. But it really hasn’t been that big of a deal for me. I suppose birthdays are a natural time to reflect upon where you're at and what you're doing.

This last year, its full depth and breadth of the 365 days, has been a great year to reflect upon. All the hard work I’ve been doing over the last few years is progressing great. I’m incredibly overjoyed knowing that my friends and family are all healthy and well and are living lovely lives. I am feeling fitter and stronger than I have in a few years, and am looking forward to feeling even better in the future.

I’m pretty happy with where I am. It’s so cliche, I know, but I feel like I have so much ahead of me. There are so many exciting things happening in the world and so many opportunities to help people learn. I’m glad to have my place in all of it, at least until things change again and I go off on my next adventure.



My hopes for the upcoming year…

I hope for my life to be calm and enveloping peace. No drama and to stay away from conflicts.

I want to always have new and old friends - the ones I've known forever, the ones I have known for a while, and friends I've only just met.

I wish to move forward, to move on, without dwelling on failures or disappointments or hurt.

I wish to move forward, wisely, sagely. And most importantly, I want to grow older with grace and dignity.

Twistin' and Turnin'

Commitments at work have definitely picked up. Yesterday's meeting with one of the clients almost gave me a nervous attack. When I entered the "check point" dates into my PDA this morning, I could very well say goodbye to my March and April. There is a deadline each week and come mid April, the "beef" has to be ready and served to the client.

I am feeling feverish already, don't know if it's the stress or intense hot weather that's bugging me to the bones. A few of my colleagues are already falling sick. From where I am seated, I could hear the nasty uncharacterized melody of someone's cough. And just a while ago, another colleague complained of a stubborn cold which doesn't seem to want to disappear, even after days of gobbling down the prescribed antibiotics.

My neck is starting to feel stiff after a whole day of staring at the computer screen. Fatigue caused by the eye strain is undeniably evident. I remember receiving an email from a colleague on neck exercise sometime ago. And just where could that piece be, now that I am in need of it.

After doing a quick search in my almost full mailbox, the piece emerged. Try reading this exercise piece and allow the neck to go twistin' and turnin' folks.

The email says that the exercise helps with blood circulation and ease muscle stiffness too. There is no affirmative if it will work. But I'm surely going to give it a try....

Afternoon Splash and Peddling Passion

What a hot day is was today!! I could have sworn that it felt like a hundred degrees out there. It was only 11.00 am and my two girls were cooling off in their room with the air-cond on full blast. Even the four kittens were smuggled into their room to enjoy a more refreshing atmosphere. I was in my room, also with the AC on and trying so hard to comprehend a technical write up, the homework I had brought back from the office. Half way during my read, I must have dosed off. Next thing I knew, the folder had slipped from my grip and Nissa was knocking on my door, grumbling about the heat.

It was just us girls at home today. Bibik had gone to help ABE finish his DIY project in Subang. I’m such a hopeless soul at this DIY thingy; can’t tell the nails from the nuts and bolts (and he’s got like two tool boxes full of these things, just the nails, nuts and bolts, mind you all nicely arranged according to the different shapes and sizes and don’t anyone dare mess with them!!) or the tapes for the electrical wires from the ones used for plumbing (like who cares, yah??) So Bibik was the closest aide he could get. And of course, Bibik will always accommodate her Boss lah kan.

I was practically drenched with sweat when I did my Zohor. “That’s it.” I told myself. I just needed to go cool off somewhere. Told the girls to get their swim gear, grabbed some snacks on the way out and soon we were off to the pool at Conco*d* Shah Alam for our afternoon splash.

My hectic schedule during the last two weeks has not allowed me to work out in the pool much. As we walked into the hotel, banners of the on going Le Tour De Langkawi were visible all around the premise. These publicity banners and buntings gave the place a festive look and the sight of state of the art race bicycles caught the curiosity of mommy and her girls.


As we checked out the Shimanos from the Schwinns, I disclosed to the girls that I used to ride a similar kind of bike when I was in secondary school. It required me to bend forward to reach out for the handle, just as how they’d see the bikers today. During the afternoons when I had tuition class, I’d ride the bike for a good cycling distance. The challenge wasn’t on the distance but more on the uphill stretch I had to tackle. Berpeluhhh… I rode with all the strength I had while maneuvering the gears and the brakes. Else, the bike would be extremely heavy and it’d be difficult and tiring for me to make it up the hill. If riding up was a killer, going down hill on the way home would be another scary affair. I remember the bike going down so fast, even my palms would get sweaty due to the speed. And how I pressed on the breaks, praying that I’d get home in one piece. But those days at the age of 17, fear wasn’t a factor, and I must say it was quite a thrilling time riding with the wind!!!

The bikes we saw today were obviously more sophisticated than the ones during my time. They are lighter and reels are specially designed to give that superfluous advance during the sprint. My cycling days are long over, but I do know of some friends who are so very into this sport. As ardent biking enthusiasts, some of them have spent a lot on their bikes, ensuring that they have the latest bits and pieces of parts for their two wheeler peddling passion.


After all that story telling about my adventure on the race bike, Nissa gave me a tug and told me, “Err…Mama, do you know that I can’t ride on a bike!!!”

I went like, “You can’t do what?”

“I can’t ride a normal bike yet. Basikal roda tiga boleh lah…”

Oh my God!! How could I have overlooked this? Then she told me, “Mama, actually I’m afraid to ride on a normal bike. Abang dah ajar, but I’m so afraid of falling.”

Ohh… you poor girl. Before we left Conco*d*, I assured Nissa that we’ll do this bike riding thing all over again. Next week we’ll service the three bikes at home, ensure that the wheels and brakes are in good condition, ready for her to go riding. I caught a worried look on her face, but promised her that we’ll take one thing at a time. She smiled and told me that she’ll give it her best shot. Ahhh… that’s my girl :)

Roses@Valentine's

One of the boys in the office brought back a bouquet of roses a few days ago, a display of gesture which is not always seen in the young men at my office these days. We teased and asked him who it was for. The cute, chubby young programmer proudly revealed that it was for Valentine’s and the beautiful blossoms were for his girlfriend.


So, when exactly does he plan on giving them? He said, “Like tonight.”

But Valentine’s is not till Saturday, we cited to him. His reply was, “Tak pe saya beli and bagi girlfriend saya dulu. Nanti hari Jumaat dah mahal dah.”

In my heart, I was saying…woo I like his attitude. When exactly the roses get to the girlfriend, don’t really matter. It’s the thought that counts and if I was the girlfriend, I’d be on top of the world. Why wouldn’t I be thrilled?? I beat the other girls at receiving my roses. And it didn’t burn a hole in my boyfriend’s pocket either.

I like it when people do things differently. I applaud at how this young man is handling this Valentine’s craze at showing and showering love and affection. His approach which I categorize as creatively risky, may not be the practice of the mainstream boys and girls in love. Iyer lah…silap langkah the pre-Valentine’s flower thingy may just backfire. But girls being girls, rest assured roses will just melt them, Valentine’s or no Valentine’s.

Those days when I was teaching, come Valentine’s day, students would go all the way to get roses for their sweethearts, or girls they were trying to get close to. There were also students who’d give the lecturers roses, some gave only their favorite ones but there was one semester, these bunch of Hotel & Catering students gave the whole lot of us a stalk of rose each. Wow…such a wonderful feeling when being appreciated in a simple, yet meaningful manner.

There was one time, a dazzling bouquet of red and yellow roses was delivered mysteriously to my office. It sat so prettily on my table for half a day, welcoming compliments and comments from anyone who walked into the room. On the card, some words were scribbled, but I just couldn’t make out who the sender was. According to my officemate she saw a young man, whom she believed was one of my students, tip toeing into the room, hurriedly making the drop, trying so hard not to be spotted. Ummm…siapakah itu?? Peminat daku kah?? Ohh..so perasan of me!! Of course, I had my hunch on who the rascals could be. My gut feel told me that this must be the doing of the cheeky bunch from the Mass Comm off-campus group. It wasn’t till much later I discovered who the sender was. I didn’t get to thank him personally but since I thought that it was a group effort, the whole class received my words of appreciation. So kira at that time, lembu punyer susu, sapi dapat namalah nampak nyer.

So what’s Valentine’s going to be like for me this year? I’m not sure if ABE has any surprises for me. Ada pun ok, and if none, it’s no big deal. I was at KLCC for a meeting with a client earlier. On my way out, this cute little teddy caught my eye. It came with a box of Ferraro Rocher too. Aahhh just something that I could indulge in, after the long and hard week. And I know for sure Nissa wouldn’t mind a new teddy bear. You can have the teddy Nissa, but hands off them chocs. They are for both Mama and Daddy okay :)

Happy Valentine’s Day people!! Spread the love, be happy and enjoy the day and the many, many wonderful days to come.

Turning Twenty

No longer that little boy...

Oh how the years go by,
Oh how time can certainly fly
a full head of hair
cute right from the get-go

Exactly 20 years ago
On this very day
I held my breath
As I heard them say
It’s a boy!!!

It’s a boy
You must be thrilled
And in that moment
The tears that spilled

Once a little boy, now a young man
And when the day comes for you to be on your own,
never feel that you are alone.
Always remember whatever you go through
no matter what, WE will always love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABANG!!!
From ALL of US!!! Daddy, Mama, Farah & Nissa

Guess Who???

This bouncing little baby boy
with laughter and smiles
that could go for miles...

A handful of happiness,
A heartful of love.

Just who could this little one be???

SERF Show

Lugging my backpack, I walked into the female locker room located next to the 63 meter swimming pool. ABE (then my boyfriend..heh..heh ) had gone to the male room while I hurried to get myself a locker space to store my stuff. It was during one of those boring winter weekends, tired of slogging in the library, we though that it’d be good to head to the pool at the Sports and Recreational centre (SERF) and do some laps.


Unlike the weekends before that, when the pool was quiet, with only a handful of students splashing up and down the swim lanes, this time around, the place was packed with students from a nearby high school. I got to know later that the kids were there for an invitation swim meet organized by the University.

This new sports facility at the SERF was considered the best on campus. During winter, the pool would be heated, leaving swimmers with overwhelming therapeutic felling after the good workout.

On my way into the locker room, I grabbed a towel from the towel counter, changed into my swimsuit and headed straight towards the pool. From where I was standing I could see ABE swimming in the outer lane, giving himself a head start before me. Did some stretching routines and I was in the pool not long after that. Ahh..the water felt good as it warmed the body all over.


Having gone through strict swim regime when I was young, the pool is always a serious place to be. “No hanky panky stuffs, do your laps and, only to rest, if you need to catch your breath,” those were the stern words from my swim sir, Mr. Tan, a stout guy who wouldn’t compromise anything the moment you got into the water.

It was a good swim for us both, the half hour of aqua workout, had been enough to recharge us albeit, the earlier mental exhaustion. It was cold once I was out of the pool. In a jiffy, I grabbed my towel and went straight to the shower. There were loud voices coming from the shower area, followed by sporadic bursts of laughter. It sounded like there was a ball in there, but what I was about to encounter, was never in my wildest dream. It was a sight to behold!! The girls who earlier were working out in the pool, were taking their shower in the open area. And…ooo…la…la tropica, mamamia, papa don’t preach, viola…they were stark naked!!! Kalau beli lottery mau hit jackpot, for sure!!

The innocent and guileless me, just didn’t know where to look. To stare would have been rude, but dalam hati curious jugak nak tengok the anatomy of minah salleh ni. Stealing quick gazes and glimpses in between, I was somewhat amused with the sight of “flesh” running around me. Fidgety they were not, in fact they moved around with so much freedom, doing their usual business in the shower.

Of varied shapes and sizes, different tones and colour spectrum, some tundra like, whilst some shrubbery trimmed, and not forgoing those of the thick Amazon like forestation (LOL), they were ever happy flaunting their assets. Undeniably, that was an “exquisite” intro to my shower room exposure. Free show babe!!!