Jalan Hj. Mat Tembikai

Moving on!

2009-03-03T09:25:00.001+08:00

Hullo. Haji Mat Tembikai has got himself a new home! Visit our quirky nonsense at

http://azr3na.wordpress.com/

This message will self-destruct in 10, 9, 8.....

Kitty Wangsa Baiduri

2009-03-02T11:04:00.004+08:00

After a week of negativity, and of bad news all around (my dad’s not well no thanks to chikungunya), I’ve become somewhat like a walking zombie. Seems like I’m in a perpetual state of blur-ness, 24-7. Catatonic is probably the best word to describe me all of last week. I can’t really pin down what significant contributions that I’ve done – work-wise or even down at the home-front. Well, if washing baby’s bottom and chasing kids up and down the staircase is a contribution, you can tick those then.

And so with that feeling of blah-ness, I made my way to the kid’s kindergarten this morning. The 1st day of the week has already started on the wrong foot. I forgot to pack Arleen’s towel in her school bag. How would she pat herself dry after noon shower at daycare today? Share other kids towels? Gah! So off I went to her kindie, and in a way, I was pretty glad I had that momentary lapse of memory when packing her bag this morning.

You see, whilst enroute to her kindie today, I saw something quite powerful, like a much-needed boost to my state of stupor. I saw hope, I saw an act of kindness so simple, plain yet inspiring. It gave me the conviction that all the good the world has does still exist. There are some kind-hearted people out there somewhere, amongst the baddies and the crooks. These folks are like a ray of sunshine, a pick-me-upper, a happy pill.

What I saw made me smile. I saw a man saving a kitten.

Ok, so it’s nothing fancy-schmansy, gun-whipping heroic act but still, it made me all teary-eyed and all gooey-warm inside.

So let me dish. A car was ahead of me, when it suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. He had some sense putting on the side indicators, otherwise it’ll be another blog entry altogether. The man stepped out of his car, smiled, waved me to overtake him, which I did, and only then I realized why he stopped in the first place. A small kitty was curled up right there in the middle of the road. A truck would’ve knead her to bits! He then knelt down, picked up the kitten gently and placed it at the side of the road, far from the interweaving traffic. I drove off slowly, mouthed “Thank You”, smiled and waved at the caring gentleman.

Sigh…it’s these small acts of kindness that softens the harshness of reality. It may appear insignificant, or may not matter at all to most people, but a life has been spared, people, a kitten’s life! Had the man not stop and saved the kitty, who knows, I could’ve rolled over the poor feline, fur and all! Am already in a mental state of distress which makes me sometimes oblivious to my surroundings, so I am so thankful to that nice man for saving the cat, which inadvertently helped me from becoming a kitty killer!

With those thoughts running through my head, I made my way out from the kindie, and headed to the office. And there, ladies and gentlemen, the same kitty curled like a ball right in the same bloody spot in the middle of the road!! Holy feline fur! Are you committing suicide, cat?! A man just picked you up and placed you away from harm, and there you go strutting back to Ground Zero! Two trucks came thundering by, and you still sat there like Friskies were about to be served al fresco!

At this point, I thought the cat has lost it. Is it worth saving, is it not? Of course it is! It’s still a precious life. But I was already two cars ahead, with several cars behind me…all swerving to make sure they don’t have fur tracks on their tires. I just prayed that the cat will come around and realized that it still years away from kitty heaven. Or at the very least, another kind-hearted person will stop traffic to save the stupid cat from being crushed. With that, I made peace, drove off and prayed I don’t see a blotch of flattened fur on my way back to pick up the girls later this evening.

Moral of the story is: Be kind and save those in need, despite them not knowing the danger they’re in. You’ll make the world a happier place.

Hulkamania

2009-03-01T17:14:00.003+08:00

It's been almost a week since the snatch theft incident. And boy, am I still feeling the pain! Although thankfully none of us were hurt, I still feel upset, revolted and just plain angry at those two lowlife buggers who robbed me. I kept on replaying the incident over and over again -- and then I'll end up kicking myself in the rear with all the "What Ifs" and the "Why didn't I's..". Ugh.

Although I know I shouldn't beat myself up to pulp, I still wonder if I really had control over what had happened. Questions like..."Had I waited for the teachers to approach me, would I've been a victim?", "Had I kicked the arses' bike, could I've prevented them from fleeing the scene?", "Had I left the house earlier/later, could this have happened?"...

And so I get riled up after analyzing these rhetorical questions. To the point I just had to stop myself and just be thankful to God that we were spared from the worse. Which I am, honestly. Every second of the day. I know I am truly, truly blessed. After all, it's just a laptop for crying out loud (a spanking brand-new one, to boot!). It would have been bad if I'd been slashed with the knife kan? or worse...they took off with the car, with the kids in it! Na'uzubillah! What is material possession when our precious life is spared?

Just as I've learnt to pacify and just chill, news broke out today that a similar case happened RIGHT HERE in my neighbourhood. Just a street away from my house. A car window was smashed, and a lady's handbag was snatched, just as she was stepping out of her car to close the gate. This happened about 8:30 AM last Thursday.

I am mad. I am seething with anger. If I were Hulk, I would have turned green, yellow and red, like a traffic light...and then some!

This is getting ridiculously out-of-hand. Damn these lowlifes! Get a decent job! I swear you'll get steamrolled into pulp! Karma will come and get you before you have the chance to whimper in it's face!

It's obviously not a safe world anymore. Baddies are everywhere, and they may look young and innocent as a lamb (mine looked like college kids...dropouts maybe). With these outcome, I had to learn to change my routines. No more leaving the engine car running whilst locking the gate. To do that, I now have to drive the car out of the porch, park, cut the engine, lock the door (with the kids in it!), walk 5 paces to the gate, lock it, walk back 5 paces to the car, unlock it, jump in the car, lock it, turn on the engine, look left and right, then go.

Phewh!

Sigh...the price one has to pay to stay safe. Such is life. So stay safe everyone!

Melancholic yesterday, traumatized today!

2009-02-23T23:25:00.002+08:00

I got robbed at knifepoint today. What made it worst, my kids saw everything. Right down to me screaming my lungs out...to the buggers making an escape with my laptop. I am just so thankful that they didn't think of hijacking the car and making a run with it...with the kids all strapped in their car seats and all!

Mental note to self: NEVER leave the car with the key in the ignition, and the kids in the car alone...even for a minute!

More on this soon. I'm too tired, physically, mentally and emotionally. Will be carrying this a looooong time. Such was the scare. :(

Me being melancholic

2009-02-21T23:53:00.004+08:00

The rain has been a welcoming sight these past few days. After weeks of blazing sun and scorching heat, parched throats and sun-baked skin, I welcome the sight, sound and smell of raindrops plopping down the windowsill.

But not tonight.

The rain did little to ease the heat. In fact, it made the air teemed with humidity, so thick you could run a knife through it. Even with the air-conditioning turned on, I’m beaded with sweat. I look at the time, it’s midnight. I see the rain has stopped, but the night remained balmy and humid. No stars, just clouds. It’s one of those nights where everyone’s asleep in their beds, possibly conjuring happy dreams, and there you are, wide awake, with a million thoughts running around your gray matter, spinning into swirls of incomprehensible scenarios and themes.

I’m turning melancholic. If you must know. And the balmy night ain’t helping either.

I thought about how easy it was to be a kid again. To just lived the days as it is. Carpe diem. No worries, no pressure, no baggage. As a kid, I used to enjoy sneaking out of the house on a clear, cloudless night. I don’t go very far…just out in the porch (I might be a kid, but I wasn’t stupid to wander about in the darkness). I’d sit on my dad’s car, staring up onto space, and just stare at those blinking lights out yonder in the Milky Way. I’d get dazzled by the stars, spellbound by its magic, despite it being a million light years away. I wished I could just float amongst the stars, maybe catch a shooting star on my way home.

I remembered a scene from Superman, circa 1980 – the one with him flying about space with Lois Lane, with the love theme “Can You Read My Mind” playing at the background. Loved that scene! Just him and Lois soaring through the clouds, big full moon and twinkling lights enveloping them in the night sky. Sighhh..fell real hard for Christopher Reeve right there and then. Now THAT is my idea of a stellar date (pun intended). These days, if you want to see stars on your date, you either have to have a very super-rich partner who owns a spaceship, or you need to get high on drugs or get plonked on the head to see stars. Not recommended, of course.

So Christopher Reeve helped reaffirm my love in the celestial body. And I am now babbling like a fool…first with the weather, and then the stars, and now Superman. I told you my mind gets awry on starless, humid, balmy nights!

I guess all I wanted to say was, I wished there were times where we can shun the inhibitions, ignore the norm, throw caution to the wind and just be a kid again. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Of capati, Bangkok vomit and utter craziness.

2009-02-14T20:34:00.003+08:00

I can't believe I've only posted 2 blog entries throughout last year. In fact, I've almost reached the one-year mark of 'AWOB' (Absence WithOut Blogging). Which I've only realized thanks to persistent nagging by fellow blogger friends, especially by one of the most industrious blogger this side of Penang has ever seen. Who else but Miss Blogger Extraordinaire, Chiao Ju. Who, if you must know, writes and maintains beautifully, not one, but two or even three (I lost count really) blogsites. That, on top of her scuba diving, lomo-taking, Mainland (China)-travelling, the works. How does she do it? I don't know. Babe, tell me if there's a wonder pill I can take. After all, I'm already on a 56-tablet antibiotic prescription today for my blasted throat infection. Another pill won't hurt, methinks.

If you must know, work has been the bane of me last year. I am the poster child for the "Buruh Paksa Movement", the "Orang Gaji tanpa Gaji Club", the "Sleep-Deprived-Mommy-but-who-cares-coz-you've-got-a-million-ARs-to-complete Association".

Google "Insane mom of 3 who talked to a terung coz she thought that was the phone"...and you would've found me. It was bizarre. The workload, not the terung.

It was made a whole lotta painful without a maid around. Yes, I've been maidless for the past 1.5 years, out of our own choice really, so I won't complain. But that's a different topic altogether, so let's keep the lid on that first.

Through it all, the kiddos and I have been in and out of the clinics, hospitals and mental asylums. Just kidding! Our health took its toll, and I am guilty of that for not enforcing the time to ensure good, nutritious, home-cooked food were made available for my kids. We were eating take-outs most of last year. We were on first-name basis with the mamaks, McDonalds', and Restoran Abang 'E' Capati (which happens to have the softest and most sedap capati I've ever gorged on).

Apart from the intense workload, midnight conference calls and such, there's also the frequest business travels I had to endure last year (not that bad really if you count in the shopping blitz!). Most memorable was a biz trip to Bangkok late last year, where I famously puked and almost passed out in the arms of a cushion-seller dude, in my detour to Chaktuchak Market. I swear I whispered "Kap Kun kaa" to him as I slowly blacked out.

So yes, 2008 has been quite a whirlwind. By far, the shortest year I've ever experienced. But it was all for a good cause really, despite it all. The company was driving a special global project designed to bring a world of good to the community. And that was motivation enough for me to clear those backlogs, burn that midnight oil, even if it means 4 nights of capati or a puke-fest in Bangkok!

But let it be clear. I didn't go through this craziness alone. The central force of this, my biggest supporter, and the anchor of it all (cue sappy music), is no other but my hubby. He understood my work commitments, never once complained and provided me enough pep talk and motivation to finish the year with a bang.

And what a bang it has been. The global project's a big success, everyone's happy...but sadly, there were collateral damages along the way (my poor kids, hubby and health). I owe it to them and for that reason, and those reasons only, I decided to take a whole month off just this January to chill, relax and spend time with those I care the most. I also had to find some "ME" time, even if it means watching The Nanny re-runs uninterrupted. (I wished they were showing Three's Company sitcoms, that would have been a riot!).

And golly, taking that one month off was the best decision I've ever made in my career life. I'm thankful for a very supportive manager who completely understands the pain I went through. (Think comforting your kid who's miserable no thanks to HFMD, whilst coordinating a big event right from the hospital bed!).

So there. That should explain why I went missing. But see, I've already written one loooong post...that should make up for the absence. I've even made the blog template all frilly and nice just to earn some brownie points. Suka?

So in the spirit of overtly-priced chocolates and roses, Hallmark cards and cut-throat romantic dinners, I'd like to thank my family for being my biggest supporter ever. I love everyone of you, and I swear, I'm not going to put you folks through this again! Mak tak larat!

And to my friends, I love you too and thank you for being very quirky but sane just the same.

Let's hope the blogging spirit continues in me, and if I lapse, please feel free to throw in some terungs, capatis, and Bangkok cushions my way. Just so I don't forget the misadventures of last year.

With that, adios, take care and have a safe week ahead.

Moo!

2008-03-08T23:27:00.007+08:00

You loike me spots?

It's 11:30 PM on polling night, and am listening to defeat cries from Samy Vellu, Shahrizat, and Koh Tsu Koon. And the fun has just started.

The kids are still up. They're on the floor right now, playing together and for once, no one's complaining of being bitten, yanked or poked in the eyes. Yet.

Awesome.

Except, it hasn't been that awesome in the health department for all of us. Hands-down, we've been afflicted with the most awful, horrid, and weird viral infection ever. It started last Monday night when Arleen suddenly came down with a fever. Okay, the usual sniffles and low-grade fever, I can deal with that.

Only it wasn't.

The next day, Arleen's tummy were riddled with spots, and her left eye were all crusted and red. Off to the peds we went. A viral infection, said doc. Monitor her temp, make sure she gets lots of liquids and rest, and come back if her fever spikes.

That night, baby Arleya showed similar symptoms -- fever, conjunctivitis in the left eye, and light spots on her trunk. The next day, she was completely covered with rashes, from her face down to her little toes. Poor bub.

And throughout the two days, I was beginning to feel ill. By the 2nd night, I was wasted -- fever, bone chills, extreme lethargy, the works. Which continued till this very day, with additional tonsillitis the size of New Jersey.

Thank god Jeff and Arissa were spared from it.

Or so I thought.

Arissa came home from kindie on Thursday evening, running a temperature. By night, her left eye showed signs of conjunctivitis. (Weird kan, just the left eye). By Friday morning, she was sporting spots on her tummy and legs. Now all my girls are spotty (and they still are).

And I realized this morning, I was turning into a Frisien cow too!

It's been almost a week now, and we're hanging in there. The kids and I still have the pesky fever on and off, with the spots lingering a lot longer than I've expected. And unfortunately, that's what you get with viral infections -- you got to wait it out and let the body's immune system fight it for you. And nothing that a good rest and a huge dose of TLC can't do.

I think spots are the in-thing this season, is it not?

A Window of [blogging] Opportunity

2008-02-16T01:58:00.007+08:00

Contrary to most excuses you may get from err, less-productive bloggers these days, Facebook wasn't the cause of my MIA. Nor have I been b**ch-slapped, sheep-thrown, sucker-punched and butt-kicked into working in an election office, feverishly printing party posters and chanting corny slogans to the annoyance of everyone. A political idiot, I am not.

Rather, Pakcik Mat Tembikai has been left high and dry, cobwebby, and dusty, thanks to the following reasons.

work
work
work
more work
balik rumah, jadi amah
office work, house work
i-wish-i'm-out-of-work

So, please be forewarned, this may be my only posting, for a long, l o n g, l o o o o o n g while.

Oh, happy new year everyone!! And make that, happy Chinese New Year too, and a belated Awal Muharam, and since I'm all festive like dat (and god knows when my next entry is), Selamat berpuasa, Selamat Berhari Raya, Happy Deepavali and Merry Xmas 2008 y'all!!

Sigh, if only we have 87547 hours in a day. Work at the daily grind has been unbelievably crazy. As much as I love the excitement that this new project brings, the trust to lead an entire Asia region, and the adrenaline rush of being at the core of something so hugely important for the company -- it is just so intensely, and insanely, draining. The killer is the weekly midnight conference calls with our US counterparts. While the kids sleep, hubby snores (he swears he doesn't, heh), there I am cooped up in a corner, laptop and speaker phone blazing away till 1:30 AM.

I have been sick for the past 5 weeks. No joke hombre. Been down and out, sick like a chihuahua, flu, cold, cough, lost my voice TWICE, the works. Germs anyone?

To top it off, I STILL don't have a maid. So CrashTestMom, I am envious! You got maid oledy, me still the amah. Choiz. Well, it's really not that bad. I found out that I actually enjoy doing the laundry. Teehee. And hubby -- good golly, bless him. What a great hubby, daddy, friend (and now, dishwasher, errand-driver, and sometimes tukang kebun). Divide and conquer, and you shall prosper!

Oh, the kids are doing great. They drive me up the wall at times, but hey, that's what they're for. Trust me, I have saved countless photos, made mental notes on the things to blog about -- but alas, there just aren't enough time in the world these days to do just that. So here's a snapshot of the crazy adventures or mindnumbingly-mundane-yet-worthwhile mentions of my life these past few months.

Arleen turned 3 on January 10. My dempol-dempol is a big girl now!
Baby Arleya turned 1 on February 2. She's teething now, and gnawing on everything but a teether.
Arissa and Arleen is learning jawi, on top of the mandatory Peter and Jane books. Arissa is reading very well, yippee!
Hubby and I just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary in February!
I found some long-lost friends and childhood confidants through FB. Awesome!
Presented a case study in a big CSR conference. Nearly peed in my pants.
Travelled to the US in January for work. Went crazy Coach shopping. Murah semurah-murahnya! Relived college-days experience through taco-eating, shrimp fried rice-bingeing, Orange Julius' pina-colada-sipping, and right-hand driving. GPS rawks!
Looking forward to a big family vacation in July! Whoopee!!

There you go. My life in bullet-points. :)

So you folks out there, keep your blogs alive and kicking. I shall be making rounds when time permits, and dropping comments whenever I can.

Here are some photos to leave you by. It's of Arleen, and her newfound fashion sense. It's called "Wear Your Spender, On Your Header". Guffaw!! Oh, or "Wear Your Undies, On Your Dahi"! Guffaw Guffaw!! (ok I need my sleep). Cheerio!

Gasp. I've been Tagged.

2007-12-16T19:13:00.000+08:00

In-between mopping the floor, and making the bed today (like Crash Test Mom, me maid thought of nothing better to do, but to run for the Beijing Olympics. Well OK, not really. In other words, she's fled-lah, and am the house janitor for the past 4 months..oh my breakin' back!)..ok, where was I? Oh yeah, despite the house chores, I am doin' the deed, thanks to Ms. Frankensteina. :)

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night.
P. Ramlee. I was watching Seniman Bujang Lapok.

2. What were you doing at 0800?
Zzzzz..Zzz...

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Watching vain teenagers getting a liposuction on MTV's "I Want A Famous Face".

4. What happened to you in 2006?
Got me a bun in the oven.

5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
"Beeee, jom basuh berak baby!" (you see, at 10 months-old, Arleya's getting a wee bit feisty for a sit-down diaper change. She now needs two people to do the deed...one to hold her over the sink, and the other to wash, soap and rinse. Guess who always gets to be up, close and personal with the doo-dampening?)

6. How many beverages did you have today?
Not enough. Gotta keep up with the liquids!

7. What color is your hairbrush?
Pink, red and red.

8. What was the last thing you paid for?
RM70.38 for a couple of Powerpuff Girls dresses for the girls. They were cute, and they were on sale. The dresses were, not the girls.

9. Where were you last night?
Sunway Carnival, Seberang Jaya. It's the next best things to The Garden. Damn you KL shopping malls! We need to share zipcode!

10. What color is your front door?
A pale beige. Am I an oxymoron? Pale is beige. Beige is pale.

11. Where do you keep your change?
Anywhere and everywhere but the piggybank.

12. What’s the weather like today?
Sunny in the AM, ribut taufan in the PM.

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?
Plain ol' Chocolate by Haagen Daaz. Simply orgasmic. OK, am I leading to the next question?

14. What excites you?
Refer to the above answer.

15. Do you want to cut your hair?
I'll keep it long, thank you.

16. Are you over the age of 25?
No, I'm still under. I kid you not. Honestly. I'm not kidding you. Seriously. No joke.

17. Do you talk a lot?
Only to the plants.

18. Do you watch the O.C.?
When I'm bored, I watch A.C di Sini. Are they related?

19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
As a matter of fact, I do. Steven Seagal. Adore his ponytail. Ooo geramz!

20. Do you make up your own words?
Sorry selorry, I don't. Donwan to scary-kebary my friends with bo-zoz words now, do i, although a keputats or two would be nice this Raya Haji. *confuses self*

21. Are you a jealous person?
I don't know. Lemme ask hubby.
*hubby made a strange, guttural voice, with hands clawing in the air*. Err, what do you make of that?*
Hah! Of coz I'm not!
*hubby rolls eyes, sticks out tongue, and I think he mentioned "Denial"...or sumthing like dat*

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’.
Anouk

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’.
Karen, a new friend thanks to Live and Loud!

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?
Kak Ida the babysitter. She called to say Arleya's out of baby lotion, diaper, soap and whatnotz.

25. What does the last text message you received say?
"Ya puan terima kasih, berarti saya ada harapan kerja di rumah puan. Saya di indonesia tidak kerja dan perlukan uang". Incoming maid's reply after I told her we're working on her visa. My days as the house janitor is numbered! At last!

26. Do you chew on your straw?
Nope.

27. Do you have curly hair?
Nope.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
To the shower.

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
Just this dude at work.

30. What was the last thing you ate?
KFC's snackplate.

31. Will you get married in the future?
Already happily am. :)

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?
The Bee movie. It was Arissa and Arleen's first trip to the cinemas. It was a real treat for them (although we had half a popcorn tub raining down on to the floor courtesy of Arleen, with bits and pieces stuck in her hair...but we survived!)

33. Is there anyone you like right now?
No one really, except Kimora.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes?
Like, every freaking day.

35. Are you currently depressed?
I don't know. Ask my shrink.

36. Did you cry today?
Nope. But the kids did. A lot. Arleen whacked Arissa, and bub crawled into the cupboard, head first.

37. Why did you answer and post this?
Because it's a good way of de-stressing oneself after a day of doo-cleansing, house-mopping and back-breakin'.

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey.
Lemme see....

[Miss Rocker Chick] http://chiaoju82.blogspot.com/
[Miss Crazy Shit] http://ketchupmissy.blogspot.com/
[Mr. "I'm-In-Love-with-all-things-Japanesey" http://infinitium.blogspot.com/
[Miss Singapore Sling] http://nicolaephoria.blogspot.com/
[Miss Bring-on-the-Beer] http://joanofarc74.blogspot.com/

What's up with bub

2007-12-09T01:55:00.000+08:00

Thanks for your kind wishes and prayers for baby Arleya. I am happy to note that she has recovered very well from her surgery, although she still needs to be on the 6-months medication for BCG-adenitis.

Surgery took place on Oct 22 at Gleneagles Medical Centre with pediatric surgeon Dr. Dinesh. Dad was so nice to come all the way from KL. It's always nice to have your support network so near at these times. Thanks ayah!

Anyways, I wasn't prepared, nor will I ever be, for the emotional roller-coaster I faced just as I was about to hand-over Arleya to the nurses at the Operating theatre. Mak oii. Drama mama!

But alhamdulillah, the surgery went well. Recovery, though, had its ups and downs. She had fever post-surgery, but was told that it was the body's normal reaction to the procedure considering that she's still a little baby. It was also painful to see the tubes attached to her small frame. Although I must say, the nurses were absolutely heaven-sent! And it helped that they took a special interest in Arleya...I never lacked ever-ready volunteers who would hold bub while I took a quick shower or to pray.

All in all, we were admitted for 7 days. Am glad it went well so thanks again for all your prayers. Here's some snapshots taken of our hospital stay.

Arleya sleeping, post-surgery.

Arleya 'kidnapped' by the nurses.

Post-surgery: tubes draining lymph fluid from the incision site

Gimme no porridge, hand me some nachos!

A nurse prepping up Arleya for the doctor's check-up

Pre-surgery : Being wheeled to the OT

Waiting in the OT. Mommy's getting jittery by now.
Post-surgery: Sleeping off the meds. Super groggy.

Everlasting shampoo

2007-12-07T22:32:00.000+08:00

So there I was, in the bathroom, fiddling around, while I glanced through the ingredients listed in the shampoo I've just bought. The usual scientific mumbo-jumbo terms. Then I did a quick double-take -- "Formaldehyde".

OoooK, isn't that the chemical used for embalming?

Floating mice, snakes and other forest creatures so infamously stored at my school science lab many yonks ago flashed through my mind. And *shudder*, it's used to embalm human remains too innit?

Damn you shampoo and your sneaky marketing ploys! Longer-lasting freshness konon! Well with formaldehyde you can.

*flips ramos, toss hair and wiggle booty*

Well, if it makes the departed look good, I guess it'll work on me too.

Thank you for reading this morbid entry.

:(

2007-10-14T23:27:00.000+08:00

Baby Arleya's lump popped and oozed thick pus today.

Doc scheduled a surgery on Monday...please pray everything goes well...

More updates when the storm has cleared.

A lumpy issue

2007-10-03T13:28:00.000+08:00

Went to Gleneagles Penang hospital yesterday. Baby Arleya has a 3-cm lump at her left armpit. Spotted it by chance a week ago. Boy was I alarmed. Brought her earlier to our pediatrician and she told us it could be a lymph node infection or a BCG-related complication. Gave her a 1-week antibiotic course to treat the infection, but up till yesterday, the lump was nowhere smaller, infact, it was much redder than before. Terkejut mak! Was referred to a pead/surgeon in Gleneagles, told to anticipate admission and minor surgery on Arleya.

So we brought her over yesterday, and the doc confirmed it was post-BCG lymphadenitis (swelling of the lymph nodes caused by the BCG vaccine). Very uncommon, but not dangerous if treated early. Alhamdulillah no surgery needed at this time. Although she is put on a 6-months medication course...SIX months of daily wrestling, screaming and crying to force the meds down her throat. (Do note the wrestling, screaming and crying are to be expected of me, not the baby.)

The pesky lump in question, taken 2 weeks ago

We were told to monitor the lump...if it pops/oozes, need to bring her immediately to the hospital and they may need to do surgery to remove the affected lymph node. Sigh..whenever I think of lumps, I get wobbly knees..but doc said malignant lumps are almost non-existant in babies....mudah-mudahan...amin.

The good thing is, she's not in pain. The lump is there more to scare the blinking shitlights out of the parents than anything else.

I pray she responds well to the medication, and I pray we will manage the 6-months treatment course well. InsyaAllah...

On another note, Arleya has now blossomed into a bouncy 8-month old bub. She's sitting well on her own now..although sometimes tumbang here and there. Her favorite past times: blowing raspberries, chuckling, gnawing on fingers or any objects within reach, and eating. Oh boy, does she eat, this one!

Here's some of my fave pics of bubbly bub.

What have we become

2007-09-23T20:59:00.000+08:00

Much has been said, reported, analyzed and discussed over poor little Nurin Jazlin. Much tears, grief and overwhelming sadness overcame many around the nation. And I too wasn't spared. Deep pangs of sadness overcame me at times...for the little girl, for her parents and family, and for the society that has become what it is now...an ugly, and dangerous society for us, let alone small, innocent children to live in.

What I couldn't shake off was the absolute hell that poor little Nurin went through the 30 days prior to her death. MasyaAllah, I cannot even imagine the terror that she must have felt then - day in, day out. It makes many wonder why He has allowed this monstrosity to happen.

But Nasreen, my good friend, you have again put things in perspective, like you always do. To never question the will of God. For He is the Almighty, Maha Penyayang Lagi Bijaksana.

And here, I'd like to share you her assuring words to whoever's reading this, and hoped that it'll comfort you, as it did me.

I just got back from my company's buka puasa when I heard the news. The swelling has subsided and now the parents can recognize her. I couldn't stop myself from crying. Like you, I questioned many things. Then it hit me...Allah itu Maha Pengasih dan Penyayang. If I am sad, if I feel the love for this child, apa lagi Allah?

HE cooled the fire of which Nabi Ibrahim was thrown into.
HE replace Nabi Isa before he was crucified.
HE replaced Masyitah with the devil when Firaun wants to "be" with her. Hence, she never had a child. That's why Nabi Musa was given to her.

HE will no let Nurin suffer. I tell myself. I pray he replaced Nurin long before any it happened. I pray HE replaced it with the devil. The devil that will be the companion to the BEASTS who ravaged Nurin's body. Perhaps that's why her parents can't recognize her. That's why only when she returned home, she is herself, like the Nurin her parents remember.

Still, I feel for her parents. I am grieving for her parents.

There were callers from the radio who said, we should now take care of each other's kids. Kena jaga tepi kain orang. Know who our neighbors are, who their children are..I couldn't agree more.

Al-Fatihah to little Nurin Jazlin.

Of snapping crabs, free mudbaths and bowling

2007-09-04T13:52:00.000+08:00

August wins hands-down for the "Let's-Make-Her-Go-Loony-with-Work-and-Stuff!" month. Let's see...what did I do these past few weeks....

Got knee-deep in mud planting mangrove trees with fellow volunteers
Emceed two big events.
Danced the twist to "Bunyi Gitar" sung by Vince, live infront of hordes of people. (OK, so it's not Gwen Stefani, but it'll do lah)
Played bowling for department's teambuilding. Four strikes, whilst 45 other throws masuk longkang.

OK, so this is what I call work. Others I label as Occupational Hazards. As Yoda once said, "One has only 24 hours to live by in a day. Fill it with bowling, twisting and mud-bathing, and you will live a bountiful life".

Am looking forward to September. Have pushed out all big events until Q4, so I would at least have some breathing space, and free weekends for my family. Oh, and Ramadhan is dawning upon us...how I look forward to solat terawikhs and family gatherings during Iftars. :) Selamat berpuasa y'all!

Post-holiday drama

2007-08-11T08:59:00.000+08:00

Twas a Wednesday. After a three-hour 'brain-hemorrhage-inducing' meeting here (of which the highlight was a chocolate fondue over lunch..oh my god, blissssss), I made my way back home. It was 4 pm-ish, roads were still pretty clear, so me and ol' faithful trudged along the intertwining roads of Penang. Now, please be informed, am directionally-challenged. One-way streets, misplaced road signs, unfamiliar terrains are the bane of me.

So, it wasn't a surprise old buffoon (me, not the car) ended up taking a wrong turn. That wrong turn took me a good 15 minutes of mat-rempit maneuvering before I saw the familiar Penang Bridge looming ahead of me. Ahh, nice....it's still pretty early, traffic shouldn't be building up, 30 minutes of mencilok here and there and I should be back home faster than you can spell "superfragalisticexpialidocious".

Wrong.

Just as I exited into the bridge, I could see cars going at a snail's pace, s l o w l y and s l o w l y before coming to a complete halt. Another fender-bender lah ni...thought I.

Not a moment later, I heard sirens blaring behind me. Not one, but TWO ambulances squeezed its way ahead. The flashing strobe lights stopped just ahead of me. Boy, must've been an awful accident.

It took me another 5 minutes or so before I got out of the snarl. Saw a white car with it's tyre busted, and a motorcycle that has seen better days. Said a little prayer and hoped no one was badly injured.

Only when I got to the office the next day did I know exactly what happened. Read this.

Shot after high-speed chase
By BERNARD SEE
bernardsee@thestar.com.my

PENANG: A 50-year-old man with a long criminal record was shot by police
after a 10km, high-speed chase from Island Glades here to the Penang Bridge that
caused a huge traffic snarl on both ends of the bridge.
The drama unfolded when two policemen on two motorcycles rode up to a white Nissan Sunny
in Island Glades after suspecting something amiss at 4.45pm yesterday. George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said the driver then sped off.
The policemen gave chase and after a short distance the driver forced one of the policemen, Lans Koperal Zulkifli Md Isa, 42, off the road.

The other, Konstabel Yuhizwan Yusof, 20, continued the chase until Km7 of the Penang Bridge where the driver lost control of his car and crashed after knocking into the policeman's motorcycle.

Closer inspection:
Police personnel checking the crashed car at the Penang Bridge on Wednesday.
“As he was getting out of the car, the constable opened fire and hit the suspect on
the right shoulder.
“Both of them were rushed to the Seberang Jaya Hospital by a Fire and Rescue Department van which was passing by,'' ACP Azam said.
The man, wanted by the police for fleeing a Restricted Residence Enactment order in 1999, has been arrested 22 times before on various charges ranging from theft to drug addiction.
“We searched the vehicle and found an assortment of burglary tools together with a laptop computer and three handbags which could have been stolen,” said ACP Azam.
Thousands of vehicles heading towards the bridge were caught in a traffic snarl after the
incident.

They were pulling an OJ rupanye! Then it dawned on me...had I not been lost on my way to the bridge, I would have possibly arrived at about the same time and spot the shoot-out occured. Being the miss melodramatic that I am, I could have probably witnessed the whole shebang, peed
in my pants, run out of the car, flapped my arms around, screamed like a banshee...and most possibly get shot by a stray bullet.

Another divine intervention?

And it's scrunch time...

2007-07-27T09:24:00.000+08:00

T-minus 1 day, 15 hours, 35 minutes and 10 seconds....

I am a jolly, jolly woman I am!

___________________________________________

Edit : 2:30 PM

Okay. This countdown is beginning to get to me.

In short, I'm counting down to the weekend lah.

But this is no ordinary weekend.

Am off with hubbles and the kids to the beach, and hitting the highlands thereafter.

No blogging, just suntanning.

See y'all in two weeks!

Of haircare and durians...

2007-07-24T19:58:00.000+08:00

Picked up Arissa from kindie today. Interesting conversation ensued:

Arissa : Mommy, you kenal Zahid* tak?
Me : Yes, I know him. He's Aunty Liza's son. He's in your class kan?
Arissa : Yes, he's in my class.
Me : Why did you ask?
Arissa : Because Issa, Angie, and Mimi suka kat dia. Mimi ajak kita semua marry him.
Me : Hah?! Why?
Arissa : Pasal Zahid punye rambut macam Prince Eric.

Ladies & gentlemen, introducing you my future son-in-law. Made famous in Disney's "The Little Mermaid".

Ahh...if hairstyles are the deciding factor for matrimonial union, Yun Nam Haircare and Rogaine will be a cash-cow, if they aren't already.

* (Names changed to protect the identities of underage minors)

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

Post-lunch. Bottomless pit, that is I, is still hungry. What do you do?

Why, take advantage of the durian season, and head to the nearest durian stall!

Enjoy scrumptious durian kampung, in an idyllic setting -- shaded under pokok kelapa sawit, with angin sepoi-sepoi bahasa blowing through your hair.

Eat these fleshy treats til you drop. Or get gassy. Whichever comes first.

Only RM3 sebijik! For a whole durian yo!

(Edit...later in the day...:)

Mental note to self: Durians and sambal tumis petai do not mix well. Think erupting volcanoes. Think spewing lava. Think blimp. Bellllccchhhh!

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

T-minus 3 days, 4 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds....and counting.

And the countdown begins...

2007-07-22T09:10:00.000+08:00

T-minus 5 days, 15 hours, 49 minutes, 48 seconds...

Divine Intervention Part I

2007-07-16T20:46:00.000+08:00

I had one of those "Twilight Zone" moments yesterday.

I was driving home during lunch hour, taking my usual route, driving my old faithful. Just ahead, I noticed a roadblock. It was one of those JPJ roadblocks that's been popping up quite regularly on this stretch of the road. Being a law-abiding citizen that I am, I was unfazed, mildly annoyed, but waited nonetheless as the officers inspected each passing vehicle. They scanned for the usual stuff...road tax, car tint, et cetera.

Two cars ahead... officer nodded... waved them off... then it was my turn.

I smiled my law-abiding smile, confident that I'll be waved off, as usually the case.

Heck no. I was asked to roll down my window.

"Ye cik...ada apa-apa?"

"Tolong bawak keluar lesen...nak check" said smug JPJ officer-on-a-power-trip.

Mild annoyance hiked up 3 notches. For the record, I've never had a run-in with the law enforcers, nor have I ever been stopped at a roadblock before. I did a quick mental run-through -- IC, check ... road tax renewed, check ... driver's license, check.

And so while I was reaching out for my wallet, said smug JPJ officer walked up to another vehicle. Another chap took his place and waited as I fiddled with my wallet.

The fiddling turned to actual arm-wrestling. My driver's license refused to budge! Somehow it got stuck in one of the compartments, snugly sandwiched between my IC and Blood Type A medical card. The line of cars behind me grew longer. Mak was under pressure!

"Alamak...lesen stuck la cik...tak boleh keluar," said red-faced buffoon that was I. "Sekejap ye saya cuba keluarkan".

"Pelan-pelan...takpe," said JPJ officer.

The line of cars grew longer. Arm-wrestling with wallet well underway. Credit cards, Jusco/Metrojaya/Bonuslink cards went flying about...but no sign of driver's licence. It. Just. Wouldn't. BUDGE! I don't know if it was my innocent fumbling that got his attention, or whether he was tired of waiting, or the dagger looks the other drivers were giving him, but JPJ officer let me go.

"Takpelah...saya percaya kat awak. Lesen tak mati kan?"

"Eh lesen memang tak mati cik! Betul! Saya memang confirm...tak tau camne boleh stuck pulak ni," said clown.

"Takpe...saya percaya."

So I was let go. As I continued my drive home, I reminded myself to un-budge the driver's license so as to avoid future roadblock faux pas. Buat malu kompeni aje...said clown.

Arriving home, I flipped open my wallet, wrestled yet again with it, and finally managed to dislodge the culprit in question. My jaw dropped.

My driver's license were well beyond its expiry date. I could have been in a lot of trouble had it not been for the mysterious 'melekat' episode.

I decided, there and then, that some divine intervention had to take place! The unbudging of the said license happened to ensure my law-abiding days aren't numbered. That I continually have a place in society, and not a detainee of a JPJ jailhouse somewhere, if any.

Moral of the story : If you get stuck (pun-intended) in a situation, do not gripe. A divine intervention is taking place.

Birthday Girl

2007-07-13T22:56:00.000+08:00

In between a nasty viral fever that attacked bub, Arleen and I, and Jeff's unfortunate 2nd degree burns to his leg, we managed to throw Arissa's 5th birthday party on 7/7/07. Having it at McDonalds was the best decision ever...it may have dented our pockets a little bit, but hey, at least our sanity's intact!

Anything for Little Miss Princess Arissa Sofeya. Happy birthday my munchkin jr. intan payung little gumby wumby! Mommy and daddy loves you to bits!

The Party That Was...

Princess Arissa, tiara and all!

Princess Arissa and best friend, Dayana.

Let me dig in the Happy Meal...

Barbie cake with a chocolate brownie base *drool*

Here's lookin' at you bub! Princess Arleya

Princess Arleen, decked in fairy wings and looking uber-cheeky...

Arleen inspecting the towering gifts galore.

Princess Arissa and Arleen amidst all the prezzies, post-party. Thank you aunts, uncles, friends and family for the lovely gifts!

It's unwrapping time!

Arleen fiddling with Arissa's toy...

And the result of the fiddling...

Of cosmic dreams, polar bears and kacang bendi

2007-06-28T21:55:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to meeee

Happy birthday to meeeeee

Dah tua tak sedar diri....

Bila nak taubat ni..........

Yessiree folks. I have just turned a year older (but non the wiser I'm afraid). Woke up today and analyzed last night's dream. I was at a zoo with a bunch of people...we were on a double-decker open-air tour bus, circling around the gorilla cages and some polar bears. Next thing I know, I was scrutinizing a string of kacang bendi (that's okra or lady's finger y'all), all daintily hanging from a lamp post. If these are some cosmic signs from above, I'm stumped. Is it a sign to start championing the rights of gorillas, or start introducing bendi in my diet?

Anyhoo, had a ball at the daily grind. Wacky office mates, including boss, ganged up early in the morning and ambushed me at my cubicle and sang, albeit pitching masuk laut, a birthday song so loud, the entire east wing almost joined in.

The rest of the day was filled with phone calls, sms'es, and emails from good friends, all wishing me a happy *cough* 21st birthday.

Dear hubby surprised me the most. Didn't expect anything from him since he's all injured and tempang and stuff (refer to last blog entry). But don't you sangka still water got no crocodile (air yang tenang tiada buaya). I don't know how, or when he bought it, but I was presented with a neat shiny package containing a top-of-the-line skincare products. Which I've been wanting. Like. Forever. I was ecstatic...but Ms. Anal here just had to ask the 3 million rupiah question..."Muka I tak cantik ke that's why you beli kan i ni?".

Hubby's retort, "Excuse me, you've been hinting rather loudly for it for the past 60 years."

*squirm*...Oh yeah. He's right. *cough*

Later that night, we had blackpepper steak and the kids had spaghetti. Arleen made a fuss at the dinner table. She insisted in drinking her orange juice from a syringe! Your heard me..not a cup...not a glass...but a syringe. Go figure. And if it's some phase they're going through, warn me. My fingers are cramped having to feed her glass-full juice through a syringe.

One circus over. Next one coming in less than 10 days. Arissa's first full-blown birthday party, clowns and all. Egad.

Freak accident

2007-06-24T00:59:00.000+08:00

Something awful happened today.

A pot of boiling water slipped from hubby's hands. Hot scalding water rained down his left leg.

As he was seething in pain, pieces of burnt skin rolled off his leg and fell on to the floor. Like pieces of tissue paper. Like peeled skin of grapes. It was surreal. It was agonizing. To watch. And to feel. It must be.

And to made it worse, I wasn't home when it happened. Poor hubby had to drive himself to a nearby clinic to get his 2nd degree burns treated.

Arleen's quite traumatized by it. Refuses to go near daddy. I think it's the sight of bright-red raw flesh and open weeping wound that scared her. Heck, it scared me!

I cleaned it up though. Cut away pieces of dead skin, brandished some Dettol, put on some Aqua-Gel, and lastly rolled him up on some gauze. Thanks to tips from a couple of pharmacists, and a cousin.

Said cousin had a similar but far worse tragedy than this. Her 5 year-old daughter had hot tea accidentally poured all over her back and bum by her &$&(*%($#!! incompetent maid...2nd degree burns...peeled skin...exposed raw flesh...month-long hospitalization, that one.

He's sleeping now. Poor daddy. I know the pain's gonna be a bitch tonight, and worse tomorrow when he wakes up.

As I cleaned him up, I asked him what his immediate reaction was when the accident happened. Did you menjerit? Did you holler for help?

Funnily no, said hubby. Instinctively I put both hands out to my side, blocked the way, looked around and made sure the girls didn't come near me or the hot water.

Sigh. So much in pain. Yet, so much a great father.

Gay Paree

2007-06-21T16:05:00.000+08:00

Someone asked me what was the most adventurous thing I've ever done? Well, apart from uprooting myself from KL to Kulim, or that time when I ate siput sedut , I must say the most adventurous thing I've ever done was travelling across Europe, while 7 months pregnant!

There I was, six months ago, tagging along hubby who was on a business trip to Belgium. Whilst he was busy at work, I busied myself with the confusing maps and train schedules, trying to make my way to the touristy spots. Not that it was easy with French & Dutch being the main language.

Despite it all, it was a really neat trip. We hit France, Belgium and Holland..and went to all the tempat-tempat wajib i.e. Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre museum, Brugge in Belgium, the clog and cheese-making factory in Holland etc. Even stayed a couple of nights at aunt's place in The Hague...where we met Charlie the Hantu Raya. A true-blue ghostly apparition. So not pulling your leg. Another blog entry, that one.

But the most jaw-dropping of it all was definitely Amsterdam's Red Light District. I was probably the one and only pregger woman meandering from one alley to another, gawking at the glass displays of human flesh. All shapes, age, color and sizes. A big vending machine of carnal pleasure! Gory in all honesty. *shudder*

Anyhoo, who knew, a travelling pregger woman does come with it's own perks & benefits:

With a tummy rivalling a ripe watermelon, yours truly got upgraded to business class. Ooooh...jakun woman beware! I picit all the buttons and gizmos at the luxurious recliner seat. I even serbu the galley in pursuit of more snacks and tidbits. I am a self-professed jakun.
The nice folks at Arc de Triomphe let me take the elevator down. If only they would tell me that as I went up!! Climbing 282 steps while 7-months pregger was enough to almost break my waterbag!
In Belgium, the chocolate haven -- it is OK to gulp down as many chocolate samples as possible. I was, afterall, eating for two.

Some tips & tricks for anyone planning a backpack Europe trip -- whilst pregger or not!:

Book those damn Thalys (bullet-train) tickets fast! Like 2 months prior before your trip.
Boats don't sink carrying pregger ladies. So go on, take the canal boat ride in Amsterdam or Brugge.
Take those tourist Hop-On, Hop-Off buses whilst touring the city. Value for money.
Try patat. No, am not swearing. It's Amsterdam's version of French Fries.
Don't selamba kutuk with Bahasa Melayu whilst you're in Holland. There's a high number of Indonesians who resides there, intermarriage and stuff...so there's a high chance of people who can understand Indonesian/Bahasa. So leave your "Eeee comotnya anak mat salleh tu" or "Drebar bas ni goblok betul" comments at home.
Before doing the museum rounds in Paris, find out when they're giving free admissions to the national musuems i.e Louvre where Monalisa is. You will save A LOT.
Do not buy souvenirs at Eiffel Tower. Mahal nak mampos. Instead, make your way to Notre Dame Cathedral and get your fridge magnets, t-shirts and whathaveyous from the line of souvenir shops next to it.
Do not snap photos of the hookers in Red Light District, unless you want to risk getting pounced by the bouncers. Lots of them. Hidden. In shadowy corners.

Some photos to share. :) Hubby trying a full-French breakfast. Croissant and all. In all honesty, all we wanted really was nasi lemak and roti telur kuah banjir.

Arc de Triomphe, Paris -- where I nearly went into labor after climbing up 282 steps up to the summit.

The statues of Arc de Triomphe are quite, err...well-endowed.

A misty gray morning in Paris. If you could tune out the traffic sounds, you could almost imagine yourself back in time. The sound of horses clip-clopping their way around cobbled-paved streets...

Parisians are such art lovers. I, on the other hand, have had enough of cherubic angels, naked fat ladies and stone-carved male genitalia in one sitting.

One of the many pics of Eiffel Tower.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. Was half-expecting the Hunchback to clank the churchbells.

A boatride meandering through the canals of Brugge, Belgium

How not to resist a short detour to a chocolate factory!

Mussels in Brussels. Seafood restaurants and famous tourist-traps -- expensive but sub-standard food quality, or so I was told.

A fruit market in The Hague, Amsterdam. These fruits are called 'pisang kaki'. And remember what I told you about leaving your 'kutuk-ing' at home? Check out the fruit display and what does it say?

I've lost my marbles

2007-06-15T19:43:00.000+08:00

It's absolute madness. I have work piling up to the moon. Just by looking at all the ARs (Action Required) lined up this month, I can go berserk.

Funny how one can be so preoccupied with work. As I showered this morning, I thought of nothing but my deadlines. Media release tu dah buat ke? Briefing book dah ready ke? VIP dah confirm ke? So on and so forth. So whilst thinking of work and shampooing my hair at the same time, I realized there wasn't any frothy bubbles on my head that one usually create after a good rub-in of one's crowning glory.

It wasn't long before I realized that instead of shampoo which I slathered on my head, but rather big globs of facial cream! Facial cream I say! Hot damn! Nasib baik bukan toothpaste!

Sigh. I better pay close attention to how I dress up for work tomorrow. Don't want to mix my inner and outer-wear now, do I?

Three Weddings & A Dingbat

2007-06-06T23:18:00.000+08:00

It was a frenzied, kelam-kabut naik bot type-of-weekend. Three weddings over two days. One in KL, the other two in Seremban.One of my cousins', and two of my good friends.

Day 1: Cousin's wedding, Ampang
Wedding number 1 was held right smack in the heart of Ampang. Dad thought we should all squeeze in one car. So hubby drove, bringing dad, mak, my bro, my girls, Ilham, my nephew, and I. Kereta serupa macam kapal bijih karam.
The pouring rain coupled with accompanying flash floods created one big traffic mess tak hengat!. Nevermind the fact that we got lost en route. Thanks to varying advise from four passengers, hubby missed a crucial exit to Ampang, which made us detour all the way to KLCC. And just as we were approaching the right exit the second time around, we missed it again! Thanks to expert co-driver, Mr. Bro, who suggested a short-cut...which resulted in us heading back towards Shah Alam rather than to Ampang.

So what was supposed to be a short 45 minutes ride, turned into a long, draggy, crampy 2-hour lawatan sambil belajar. At this point, my glamour sanggul that was initially perched majestically on top of my head, has veered completely 5 batu nautika off-course to my right ear!

Arleen, on the other hand, was enjoying every minute of the joyride and decided to serenade us with her noisy rendition of Baa, Baa Black Sheep. Loudly. Very, very loudly.

Baa, baa back chip

Ayoo-ani woooooo

Yeh cher, yeh cher

Tee bag poooooolll!!

Day 2: Friends wedding, Seremban & Tampin

We woke up bright and early as we had to get our bums to Seremban on Day 2. It was an uneventful trip to Seremban (marred by a slight sesat episode, which we quickly recovered from). It was hubby, baby Arleya, Arleen and I (Arissa decided to ditch mommy and go to Subang Parade with her nenek instead). Syawa and Apam led the way to the groom's house. Upon arrival, we were greeted with loud singing, and wafting smells of nasi minyak and ayam masak merah. Super yummy! As we were enjoying the spread, Syawa and I saw ushers handing out exclusive-looking bunga telurs at each tables. They were like really cun! But much to our dismay, the ushers somehow missed out on our tables! Both Syawa and I waited until the last second, hoping somehow they'd notice us. Unfortunately, they did not. We were too spine-less to ask for one. Hubbies thought nothing of it, since they think we've got enough mengkuang-box to last a lifetime. Sigh.

But I wasn't too dissapointed, because I had another wedding to attend to in Tampin that very day! Sure kotak mengkuang dia lagi cun, I consoled myself. So Syawa and I parted ways, as Jeff, the kids and I travelled further south to Tampin from Seremban. The traffic was pretty bad, considering it was a three-day weekend plus school holidays. But we hung on, in spite of it all, and drove on. Halfway to Tampin, I flipped open the wedding invitation card to check on the map, when something on the card caught my eye. Suffering suckertash!!

Me: Hey bie, what's the date today?

Hubby: June 3...why?

Me: *pause* err...ok...

Hubby: What?!

Me: You can turn back now...the wedding was yesterday. June 2!

Like...duhhh!! I am a dingbat.

Mental note to self:

Stop chasing after mengkuang-boxes!
Check dates on invitation cards
Check dates on invitation cards...again!
Sporting a sanggul in a packed car can be damaging to self-image, if not fixed quickly upon arrival

Got milk?

2007-06-05T21:54:00.000+08:00

Arleen caught in candid action. Guess she saw mommy milking McBoobies one time too many. Takpe, breast is best! Start 'em young, I say!

First take a sterilized bottle....

Unhook the cap...

Point...

...aim...

... and squeeeeze!

Why Thy Name?

2007-05-20T11:47:00.001+08:00

You may think my blog name -- Jalan Hj. Mat Tembikai -- is fictional. And you may have even thought to yourself..."Apalah...banyak-banyak nama to choose from, she chose this. She musta have some weird fixation to watermelons...or some Pak Haji's for that matter!".

Well, neither of both I must say. Rather, the blog name is an honest-to-goodness reference to Jeff's old primary school. I kid you not. He was privileged enough to attend one of the most quirky-named school in the world ever...the Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Haji Mat Tembikai, in Kedah.

Nestled amongst paddy fields and shaded by towering coconut trees, Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Haji Mat Tembikai was named after it's Headmaster, Tuan Hj. Mat Tembikai himself. (did i just hear you gasp?) Again, I kid you not.

But somehow along the way, the school got a name-change -- from its original fruity connotations to something pretty boring...Sek. Ren. Sg. Daun Tengah (ok, still funkier than Sek. Ren. Jln. Selangor..ehem). But alas, what a waste of creative labeling (but add one possibly-pissed Pak Haji too).

As such, I decided what best to keep the quirky legacy on by renaming my blog to what it is today. To Tuan Hj. Mat Tembikai, your name has inspired many "What-I-don't-Believe-That's-Your-School-Name!" retorts between hubby, friends and I. Nevertheless, you must be a fine, fine man dedicated to his fruit, err, school and I salute you.

And Baby makes Three!

2007-05-13T15:47:00.000+08:00

[From left to right: Arissa, baby Arleya and Spidey girl, Arleen]

It was Mother's Day on Sunday. We decided to take a trip to the nearest shopping mall. A simple family outing by any standard.

After an hour or so of fuss-free shopping, Jeff and I were convinced we had our parenting skills down pat. The girls were absolute angels.

And then... all hell broke lose.

-- Baby Arleya had one milk too many and puked all over her rompers.
-- Arleen threw a tantrum in the middle of the dried goods aisle. She was screaming and mommy dearest got a good bashing by her tiny fists.
-- Arissa, in all her excitement of getting a new Barbie stationery, peed all over her carseat.

Yippee.

Happy Mother's Day!

The Minah of All Trades

2007-05-06T11:17:00.000+08:00

In salute of Hari Pekerja (or Labor Day for you mat-salleh speaking readers), here’s a look at some memorable, yet menial jobs I’ve had the luck (and insanity) to be a part of. In other words, here’s my CV-lah!

Job # 1: Candy salesgirl
It was my first real taste of employment. I was 15 years old. It was school holidays. Color Me Badd was coming to town (hey, they were the next best thing after New Kids on The Block!). I needed money to buy tickets. Told my dad I’d quit once school holiday is over. It was the coolest job ever. The pay was pitiful, but I got to eat a lot of candy! That was probably why my employer was seen jumping for joy when I quit. Selamat candy dia!

Job # 2: Product promogirl
I was 16 years old. A new breakfast cereal came to town. The name was “Hot Treats”. My sister and I were employed at RM25 per day to handout cereals to people waltzing across Subang Parade. We coaxed dad to allow us to work (ala ayah, this job simple aje, dekat rumah summore… we’ll earn our own pocket money, so this month no need to give us duit lah). Dad was sold on to the idea. Little did he know that the job required us to wear very, very short tennis skirts. A few days on the job, we were busted. Busy handing out cereals to shoppers, I didn’t notice dad was one of them. He saw our very, very short tennis skirts. He became very, very angry. We were very, very scared. We quit the next day.

Job # 3: Extra in commercial ads
One was for Fuji film, one for Southern Bank and the other was an ad solely for Indonesian TV (I think it was for some household products, or was it make-up? All I remembered was Ms. Nasha Aziz was the leading face). Anyhoo, the pay was peanuts, but heck, it made me feel like a star! Siap kena mekap lagi! Not that it mattered, coz you could only see my sleeve in the ads!

Job # 4: Admin clerk at a consultancy firm
This was a nice pre-college job to have. The pay was good, the consultants were very nice (but very old uncles), and I remembered my typing skills were much sought after. The only thing was, the office was near this makcik jual nasi lemak, and without fail, I would have this super-sedap nasi lemak with sambal tumis kerang every freaking day at the office. A killer to my cholesterol.

Job # 5: Parking officer (nama tak glamer : budak jaga parking)
I was in college in the US. Through some unexplained phenomenon, our Malaysian students, every one of them, opted for extra bucks by becoming parking officers at football games. I think it was US$15 per hour or something. But damn, they made us work man. We had to stand in the dead cold, with snow up to our eyeballs, selling parking tickets and directing traffic. I nearly lost my toes from the cold. Suffice to say, I lasted only one game.

Job # 6: Student clerk at Math Dept
Since I couldn’t brave the cold, indoor job it was. It paid US$6.50 an hour, easy work (sort mails for the professors, fotostat itu ini, run simple errands..)..but most important of all, I wasn’t out in the elements. I was all warm and toasty. But did I mention it was B.O.R.I.N.G…what do you expect from an office full of Math professors. Zzzz Zzzzz…

So, what funky jobs have you done when you were in your teens? Anyone with the best answer gets treated to a Color Me Badd concert, and a free sampling of Hot Treats!

The 'Massacre' at Banana Leaf Restaurant

2007-05-04T08:37:00.000+08:00

Burrpppppp....

Hey! It's World BestFriends Day today! :)

2007-05-03T17:35:00.000+08:00

Jacq sent me this. Very cute. :)

"True" Friendship : None of that Sissy Crap
You will see no cutesy little smiley faces on this card- just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.
2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
3. When you smile -- I will know you finally got laid.
4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.
5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.
6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.
7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.
8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy arse.
9. This is my oath..... I pledge it to the end. "Why?" you may ask; "because you are my friend".

* Send this to 10 of your closest friends, then get depressed because you can only think of 4.

* Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth.

* And always remember....when life hands you Lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over (I'd settle for Ali cafe) !!!!!

Mind Your English

2007-05-02T15:43:00.000+08:00

Alia the birthday girl, making a birthday wish. Flanking to her right is Arleen and left is Arissa. Hero Aydin oversees from a distant.

Out of the dozen or so 4-year-olds that I know, Alia must be the most charming, intelligent and articulate girl by far. The apple of Chaine & Shaiful’s eyes, Alia simply knocks you off your feet with her excellent command of English, her thick American accent, and most of all, the uncanny maturity she displays when she speaks.

Chaine, you must be a proud, proud mama!

Anyhoo, I was so taken aback by Alia, that I repeatedly encouraged Arissa to speak proper English throughout the ride home from Alia’s birthday party -- (vs. “Mommy, where is my pemadam? Or Mommy, I look like a princess coz my skirt is so kembang).

Me : Arissa, see Alia, her English is very good…

Arissa : Yes, I know.

Me : Do you want to speak like her? Well, you’re already speaking English, which is good, but you should use complete sentences like her ok…

Arissa : OK mommy…*pause* I promise to speak good English like Alia…

Me : Atta girl!

Arissa : So I start now ok. Err, what is “Assalamualaikum” in English?

Conscious Unconscious

2007-05-01T01:25:00.000+08:00

The Malay translation to this sign makes me pick on my grey matter. I mean, who goes to this joint? Mereka-mereka yang tak sedar diri?

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

2007-04-30T00:55:00.000+08:00

We were down in KL for Fara’s wedding reception. As usual, she looked glam and radiant – a sight to behold! Your wedding dress was maksimum cun, my dear! Congrats to you and Emir Vish. May there be many more anniversaries to come…oh, and the tapai aiskrim was pretty darn good!!

It was a low turnout from the KPCers though, since most were out ‘for repair’ *chuckle*. Anouk, Saeda and Chaine are in confinement (hubbies too naturally)…so it was just Nurms (future Prof. Madya), Syawa (Hong Kong superstar) and I. Jeff was stuck in Kulim for work…so twas pretty much a girl’s night out. We had fun pretending we were singles. Not that anyone batted an eye. Hah!

Thinking about it, my tight knit of girls a.k.a the KPCers and some great pals have been a big part of my wedding, and I reckon at each other’s weddings too. Either as Ahli Jawatankuasa or simply as special guests, these funky folks added colour (and comic) to an already chaotic affair! Here’s a look at some:

-- Who could forget the mad dash Opi and I made to KL to get my wedding dress. It was just hours away before the reception, and going into KL on a weekend, at a peak hour to boot, can be nerve-wrecking for a bride-to-be. Thanks Opi!
-- Upon arriving at the hotel, I realized I didn’t have the dang wedding shoes! Horror! Can’t wear Bata slippers, can I? So Anouk came to the rescue, she zipped across town to Isetan, bought a pair, and the day is saved! Thanks Anouk!

-- Due to some ballroom layout fault, poor KPCers were seated behind a pillar! Mintak ampun!
-- Mr Amir Mahmood Razak a.k.a Lembu Macho was the appointed emcee-tak-bergaji. If I didn’t thank you enough that day, Amir, well thank you again for being part of my big day.

-- Chaine’s wedding: the sight of two pregger moms mencekik udang besar tak hingatt! I won’t disclose who…(hint: one’s a blogger and the other is the ‘mad-dash driver’ mentioned in bullet number 1).
-- Anouk’s wedding: All I could remember was the dazzling bride and groom, and the superb dessert!
-- Syawa’s wedding: The hujan rintik-rintik and angin sepoi-sepoi tak reti bahasa didn’t deter us from your wedding. I can’t remember, did you have your grand entrance via the sampan/tongkang/speedboat? I was too engrossed with gossip-mongering to notice. :P
-- And Arnie a.k.a Lembu Bermuda, I went to your wedding while super-sick with morning sickness. Fresh out of the hospital, aku redah Taiping jugak nak memeriahkan suasana. Please thank me.

Prof. Madya Siti Nurms, although you hope to kawin koboi, please invite us nonetheless. And remember what I told you, put in lots of our photos for your wedding slideshow. Though we may gasp and feign protest over seeing our college photos for your guests to see, in all honesty, we secretly enjoy the limelight, however brief!

Arissa's dream job

2007-04-25T20:47:00.000+08:00

A few months ago, Arissa and I had this conversation when she was down with a bad flu.

Arissa: Mommy, badan Issa panas-lah and my nose is stuffy...

Me : Yes, that's because you have the flu...(Trying to steer her away from her discomfort, I asked this question..)

Me: Anyways, let's talk about something else. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Arissa: *thinking*...when I grow up...*pause*...i want to be a clown.

Me : (dalam hati : takde profession lain ke? the flu must have gotten to her bad!)...err...why do you want to be a clown?

Arissa: Coz clowns tak demam...they make people happy only.

Me : *melt*

Skewed Perception

2007-04-16T13:32:00.000+08:00

I don't get it. I reallllllly don't get it.

Being a super-duper fan of The Amazing Race (Phil Keoghan sebenornye...ahaks!), I get menggelabah and over excited tak tentu pasal when the racing teams of the reality-based show made its way to our shores recently. I mean, it's darn time we get featured in this race man! Yes yes, I know Malaysia was briefly shown a few seasons back, but note the operative word here, "briefly".

Well, in this season, we're talking a whole FULL day in Malaysia. Yessiree folks. Phil Keoghan in KL a whole day? Wowee! Well anyhoo, the idealist (and sometimes nationalist) in me was excited that we get to show the world how exciting the colourful and interesting our country is. I truly was. I was envisioning a footrace across Botanical Park ke, or abseiling down Gua Niah ke...anything of the sort that shows how lawa our country is.

But noooooo....

Instead, we get to see some really grimy street alleys, a comot jejantas and some old cars up and down a dusty street. By the power of quick editing, Malaysia successfully looked like slums.

The only consolation was the nice albeit small shots of the Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, and Carcosa Seri Negara.

Even then, it didn't manage to counter what The Entrapment potrayed years earlier. Boleh naik sampan pegi KLCC konon. :P

Introducing baby Sarah!

2007-04-16T13:19:00.000+08:00

Here she is...in all her dempol-ness glory!

Name: Arleya Sarah

D.O.B: 2/2/2007

P.O.B: Subang Jaya Medical Centre

Weight: 3.28 kg

Length: 44 cm

Forced Diet

2006-08-18T13:36:00.000+08:00

After a hiatus of over what felt like 23,459,814 months, I humbly begin this blog by saying...."Apa khabar?"
It's been a looooooong time since I've updated Antenna Bandanna...so much so, I forgot my login ID and password!

So much happened over these past few months, I dont think I'm able to capture everything. But let's try. Here are some worthwhile snippets of events that took place. Let's see...

-- got me a 'bun in the oven'. Yessiree folks...am pregger!
-- awful, awful nausea throughout June-August. Hospitalized for severe dehydration. Lost 6 kgs.
-- Arissa turned 4 years on June 28. Celebrated her b'day while mommy's lying like a sick cow in bed.
-- Nausea's gone. Appetite returned - 10-fold! Yikes.
-- A few friends got hitched...one got divorced...
-- Down with chicken pox at 6 months pregger! Scary deal...the kids got it too. But we survived, alhamdulillah.
-- Just returned from Europe. Bloody great trip! More in the blogs to come.

OK. Don't know if anyone's reading...but I'll write summore I promise.

Tata and adios.

Songbird

2006-06-09T23:15:00.001+08:00

I just watched "One in a Million", the reality-show that aims to unearth the best singer known to Malaysia. And I'm like....awed....these folks have really, really good pipes and great talent. Hats off!

Sighh...if only I was blessed with the same gift. I swear if I can sing like Mariah Carey, I won't be writing this blog. Someone else will do it for me!

You see, I've always wanted to pursue singing. It started years ago when I was probably 6-years-old. My parents brought me to this local fair, and there on the stage, I saw this girl, about my age, singing with gusto "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"...and I was like, KaPOww!! I wanna be just like her!

So, fast forward to a few years later, when I was about 12-years-old, I saw a newspaper ad looking for talented young singers to audition. "It's now or never..." innocent Rena muttered. Since am too juvenile to drive at that time, plus I didn't know where the audition place was, I figured my mom was my only connection to stardom! But heck, she first needs to be sold on to the fact that I really had some raw talent! So I crept downstairs, took a peek at what she was doing, and figured my next move...I mean, timing was everything!

So, there she was busy marking papers. I thought what better way to relieve her stress by serenading Mom with my vivacious vocals! So slowly, I opened my mouth....the notes flowing gently at first...gradually rolling to a crescendo...

....and then....

"Rena, stop that awful CROAKING, or get outta here!"

Gulp.

So, fellow readers...you see, I grew up thinking I had IT, the vocal prowess...but in actual fact, I was a very confused girl, with a big over-active imagination...but hey, at least I had some self-confidence to boot! (heck, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have sung for my mom!)

I guess am destined for the sleazy karaoke joints lah....

Ribbit.

Ear in the Sky

2006-06-06T18:46:00.000+08:00

Many a-times, I've been (un)fortunate to listen in on lousy in-flight announcements. You know, the stuff the Leading Stewards/Stewardesses say to welcome passengers on board. Most often than not, they'll say it with the thickest of thickest of un-identifiable slang unknown to mankind.

"Twwann-twwann dan Pwwann-pwwann...terrrrimer kaser keraner memiley pernerrrbangan XXX."
"Ladeeesandgentermen,wekemtofright342to yada yada yada...."

By the end of the announcement, I'm already hit with a migraine. And golly, that's only the welcoming announcement we're talking about. Let's not forget the security briefing, the mid-flight info, and the arrival announcement as we land. Panadol panadol, three tablets please...no, make it three packs please.

There was one particular local flight that stuck in my mind (and not to mention my ear drums). The announcements were SOOOO bad and unintelligible, I can't really tell if he was speaking in English, Malay or Swahili! If it weren't for the seatbelt, I'd probably have jumped out of my seat, run down the aisle (probably knocking a few cabin crew on my way), and start a crash-course on ARTICULATION & PRONOUNCIATION with the poor chap.

But today -- today was good. Was on a business trip via PEN-KUL and I must say, I was treated to a very good, if not the best, in-flight announcement I have heard in a loooooong time. Sigh...all's not lost, after all.

"Twannn-twaann dan pwaaannn-pwaaan, kiter telarr mendarrat dir lapangan terrrbang antrrrebangser...."

Beauty and the Idiot Box

2006-06-04T20:32:00.000+08:00

Grrrrr. I just saw a TV commercial that really was an insult to my intelligence (or what's left after watching that! *chuckle*). This ad showed a lady getting dissed by her hubby, just because she didn't look good or feel good, thanks to not using a particular brand of shampoo -- which, if she did, implies that hubby's gonna go ga-ga over her and will pick her over his own mom anytime. I mean...a shampoo can do that??!

Now, seriously, what's up with these beauty ads on TV and such?! Day in, and day out, we're bombarded with skewed perceptions of beauty. You know what I'm talking about. The marketing ploys of telling women that fairer skin is in; that long, shiny black hair is the only way to go; that being slim and slender is everything and more.

So, TV advert person...tell me:

Are you saying that I'm less appreciated if I'm dark-skinned....

Are you implying that I'm so OUT if my hair is short and GREEN?

Are you saying that my thoughts and actions don't matter if I'm 20 pounds off-target?

Hellooo...Reality-check.

Through the power of evolution, the world is made-up of diverse mix of people, of varied shapes and sizes, with different needs and desires. It's time we respect (and celebrate) our differences. Dontcha think?

Then again -- they won't call the TV the 'IDIOT BOX' for nothing.

The Circle of Life (as narrated by a 4-year-old)

2006-06-04T20:00:00.000+08:00

A snippet of conversation overheard between Arissa (my 4-year old) and Aunty Jacq.

Arissa: "Aunty Jacq, my mommy got baby in her tummy"
A. Jacq: "Oooh, that's nice!"
Arissa: "You know how she put baby in tummy?"
A. Jacq: "Errr..no, how?"
Arissa: "Mommy and daddy love each other verrrry much, then suddenly they have baby, then daddy become 'pengantin' with mommy"

Egad! Damage-control!

Mommy: "Issa...wrong sequence-lah munchkin."
Arissa: "Huh what?"
Mommy: "Daddy and mommy love each other very much....then we both become 'pengantin', then only have baby".
Arissa: "Yeah ok, whatever you say... la dee da."

Would have been scandalous, wouldn't it?! =P.
(and to set the record straight, am not pregger ya ;)

Introducing the KayPeeCees

2006-06-03T21:58:00.000+08:00

Am blessed with a bunch of great buddies, whom I love deeply and dearly. We're like sistahs!! We withstand each others' idiosyncrasies, bad hair days and PMS-es. We go waaaay back from pre-college, pre-marriage, pre-baby days. We so tight!

As I'd probably be making references of them here, allow me to introduce them (from left to right):

Fara @ Ferrafoams: this lady just got hitched! A sweetie pie with a big heart.
Edura @ Dugha: A.k.a Ketua Dorm. I blame her for teaching me how to play gin rummy. We'd spent marathon hours at it.
Op: my Gameshow buddy! We both partnered in "Lingo", you know, the pre-Jurassic hit TV game show. It was hilarious.
Esma: this girl is out-of-this world. Well, almost literally. She's based out of Aussie, and spearheads her own natural beauty product business called TheraSkin. Super products!!!
Syawa @ Casper: she's so fair, she's Casper! My roommate, loanshark, counsellor, partner-in-kryme all rolled into one.
Me with Arissa. :)
Nasreen @ Chaine: a.k.a Pengawas. Seen here with Ms. Alia (Pengawas Junior).
Anouk: great pal. Gets picked on by us for her 'extensive' Malay vocab. But she's so farneee.... :)
Nurmaya @ Nurms: responsible for the 'varied' diet we had in college. From sup kincam, to HL milk to spaghetti. Our matron of the century! May be petit, but don't play-play, Universiti Lecturer hokay!

(Not in pix: Saedah: jet-setting pal. One day in Paris, the next day in South Africa, and Keramat the day after.)

KPCers, I love you folks! Here's to 5 more decades of fantabulous friendship!

Royal Pain

2006-06-03T19:43:00.000+08:00

It's the King's Birthday today (read: Public Holiday). Yippee!
But while everyone is happy prancing about with holiday plans and all, yours truly slipped and fell in the shower today. (read: busted back). Am now walking like Chewbacca on neck brace.

Anyways, I realized how accident-prone I've been in the past. Here's to list a few:

- twisted left knee playing Frisbee (it was on the first throw, dang it!)
- a blob of jellyfish decided to kiss my left arm at Teluk Batik, leaving a super-painful, red itchy sting as a souvenir
- cracked left toe. A big can of mosquitoe repellent decided to roll itself from 6 feet high and land on me poor toe (ultimately launching a series of 'toe' jokes and puns from wacky colleagues i.e. 'toe' sorry 'toe' hear about your pain. Must be 'toe'tally unexpected...)

I'd probably was on a first-name basis with the doctors, at the rate that I was going. :P

Then again, I should thank my lucky stars that I'm still up and about (Chewbacca or not). Think about those victims of Yogyakarta, they're definitely at a far worse condition than all my pain combined.

My prayers to them...