...we are still very, very busy with the post-moving activities (which comprises unpacking, cleaning, unpacking, sorting out, disposal of stuff, setting up of furniture etc etc etc)
But here are things which I want to talk about which may or may not turn into lengthy blog posts of their own. ('May not' is a more likely outcome.)
1. LED there be light!
24 watts LED light as the lights in L-boxes are really an overkill. We were afraid that our bookworm kids will go blind if they read in such a dimly-lit environment so we went all out with the lighting. Our contractor told us that 12 watts or so is enough but nooooo, we had to go craaaaazy with the lights. 10 24-watt + 3 18-watt lights in the living room. 4 24-watt lights in the tiny study area. So now our house is extra extra bright if we turn all the lights on at the same time.
The bedrooms use Fanco fans with 4-light light kits. 2 lights are enough actually. 3 will be okay. 4 lights? Once again, only happens in our household. (We most probably contribute to the enhanced light pollution in Woodlands. Oops.)
2. Taobao
We taobao-ed Ihsan's bed and the dining table + dining chairs. A lot of small stuff too. All thanks to ezbuy.sg. Big items like beds and dining tables are really a case of hit and miss. It was almost a hit for the bed and quite a miss for the dining table. Things are really cheap on Taobao, though. But, I'm not buying anymore big items from Taobao. TheHusband, however, still believes in Taobao. We shall see.
(I should write reviews of all the Taobao stuff I bought. But, should. Should is the operative word here.)
3. ?
Eh. What else ah? I thought I had quite a bit to say earlier. Will add on to this list when I have more time and know what was it that I've forgotten. :p
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Sunday, November 27, 2016
And we moved!
We did it! We moved! We really moved and started staying at our new place.
That meant we did a lot of packing. A LOT! And we have also been doing A LOT of unpacking. A LOT!
The new place is at a very, very convenient location for non-car-owners like us.
But of course, I miss our old quiet environment. Even though we (kind of) move just across the road, it really feels like we have moved from a kampong to a city. When people talk about the bright lights of the city, they are not kidding. The sound and noise pollution here is quite apparent.
We haven't got our blinds and curtains yet. Hopefully, once those things are up, we will be able to block off as much of the noise and light when we need to.
The end, for now. Still much to do around the flat!
Friday, November 18, 2016
November Updates
Very quick one because I am so tired. But if I don't do this, the next update will most probably be next March or something.
1. We moved!
Well. At least our barang2 moved. We moved to my parents' house because our new flat is not quite ready yet. This is our second night at Mak and Abah's. Hopefully tomorrow night, we can spend it at the new place.
2. I will miss the neighbours and the sounds of nature. Sigh. Those are the 2 things I will really really miss.
But the thought of renovating the house using our savings is very painful. For this new place, reno funds came from proceeds from the sale of the house.
3. The Girls made me feel proud.
They were both awarded prizes in the recent PGD. H got Best in Conduct while F won three prize - First in Class, First in English Language and First in Mathematics. You just can't help but wonder what happened to her Malay because the school gives prizes to the top 3 students in each subject. So, that's an area to improve on.
This is something I wrote recently in response to my friend's fb post - that each child has a different Best. Some children do well academically with seemingly little effort but for some children, academic achievements may require a lot of hard work. Then there are kids who put in a lot of hard work and their results are okay. Not outstanding, but okay.
I have 2 school-going kids with 2 different Bests. My very enlightened principal, Mr M. S., - the best I've had thus far - once reminded parents on the day of the PSLE results that whatever the results are, you still love your kids. Because you love them unconditionally - a love without any conditions.
Sometimes we forget, don't we.
Whatever results my children bring home, I will not get too angry. Because (a), the results are a reflection of their hard work; and (b), they should have ideally done their Best.
And their best is not always 100%.
So, girls (and Ihsan too if you happen to read this), work hard. Never rest on your laurels because the tortoise can easily overtake the hare. Hard work is painful and often not that enjoyable. But the result is sweet.
Whatever it is, I love all 3 of you very much.
1. We moved!
Well. At least our barang2 moved. We moved to my parents' house because our new flat is not quite ready yet. This is our second night at Mak and Abah's. Hopefully tomorrow night, we can spend it at the new place.
2. I will miss the neighbours and the sounds of nature. Sigh. Those are the 2 things I will really really miss.
But the thought of renovating the house using our savings is very painful. For this new place, reno funds came from proceeds from the sale of the house.
3. The Girls made me feel proud.
They were both awarded prizes in the recent PGD. H got Best in Conduct while F won three prize - First in Class, First in English Language and First in Mathematics. You just can't help but wonder what happened to her Malay because the school gives prizes to the top 3 students in each subject. So, that's an area to improve on.
This is something I wrote recently in response to my friend's fb post - that each child has a different Best. Some children do well academically with seemingly little effort but for some children, academic achievements may require a lot of hard work. Then there are kids who put in a lot of hard work and their results are okay. Not outstanding, but okay.
I have 2 school-going kids with 2 different Bests. My very enlightened principal, Mr M. S., - the best I've had thus far - once reminded parents on the day of the PSLE results that whatever the results are, you still love your kids. Because you love them unconditionally - a love without any conditions.
Sometimes we forget, don't we.
Whatever results my children bring home, I will not get too angry. Because (a), the results are a reflection of their hard work; and (b), they should have ideally done their Best.
And their best is not always 100%.
So, girls (and Ihsan too if you happen to read this), work hard. Never rest on your laurels because the tortoise can easily overtake the hare. Hard work is painful and often not that enjoyable. But the result is sweet.
Whatever it is, I love all 3 of you very much.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
The Period
And this is about my period.
Immediately after implanon, my period was spotty for about 4 months.
Then, there was none. The absence of period was much welcome.
As someone who's trying to be a better Muslim, I could perform a lot of extra ibadah. And the absence of any interruptions meant that it was easy to be consistent in all these extras.
Then a year or so later, my period came back. When it came back, it came back with a vengeance. 20-day long periods (only 15 are counted), spotting here and there. Then a very brief dry spell before it starts again. Argh!
Sometimes the heart yearns to read the Quran but it is not quite possible to do so.
It is a bit of a challenge to have that istiqomah in your ibadah when the interruptions are so frequent. But as with all challenges in life, Allah knows best. As a woman and a wife and a mother, Allah has made it easy for us to enter jannah.
Immediately after implanon, my period was spotty for about 4 months.
Then, there was none. The absence of period was much welcome.
As someone who's trying to be a better Muslim, I could perform a lot of extra ibadah. And the absence of any interruptions meant that it was easy to be consistent in all these extras.
Then a year or so later, my period came back. When it came back, it came back with a vengeance. 20-day long periods (only 15 are counted), spotting here and there. Then a very brief dry spell before it starts again. Argh!
Sometimes the heart yearns to read the Quran but it is not quite possible to do so.
It is a bit of a challenge to have that istiqomah in your ibadah when the interruptions are so frequent. But as with all challenges in life, Allah knows best. As a woman and a wife and a mother, Allah has made it easy for us to enter jannah.
Monday, October 03, 2016
Packing Time
In slightly less than 7 weeks, we should be making our way to our new place. (If I happen to die within the next 7 weeks, this sentence will take on a whole new meaning.)
Our boxes will come sometime next week, courtesy of the sister-in-law. (I owe her $30 for 30 boxes. Very good deal!)
We have some boxes here and I am supposed to start packing.
But.
I wish it is as simple as dumping things into boxes. But noooooooo. That's not the case. I have so many things that I don't need. Maternity clothes - I'm waiting patiently for the younger sister to get pregnant. Then off that whole box goes. My clothes - I keep on wearing the same 4 or 5 tops. But my wardrobe is full! I need to get rid of stuff. Lots of stuff. Thank God for the Internet. It's now a lot easier to give things away. And we havent even started on Bedroom 3 which has long become a Big Storeroom. Oh gawd!
What a headache!
Our boxes will come sometime next week, courtesy of the sister-in-law. (I owe her $30 for 30 boxes. Very good deal!)
We have some boxes here and I am supposed to start packing.
But.
I wish it is as simple as dumping things into boxes. But noooooooo. That's not the case. I have so many things that I don't need. Maternity clothes - I'm waiting patiently for the younger sister to get pregnant. Then off that whole box goes. My clothes - I keep on wearing the same 4 or 5 tops. But my wardrobe is full! I need to get rid of stuff. Lots of stuff. Thank God for the Internet. It's now a lot easier to give things away. And we havent even started on Bedroom 3 which has long become a Big Storeroom. Oh gawd!
What a headache!
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Tales of An Addict
It is now 3.30am.
At 11.30pm, we went to Alazhar where I had naan and, despite TheHusband's raised eyebrow, teh tarik.
By 1.30am, I felt sleepy. Good good, maybe the teh was had too late in the night for it to take its effect.
I lay down. I closed my eyes. Suddenly, my mind became so awake. At the back of my eyelids, various movies were playing. A dolphin morphed into a frog and started jumping from cliff to cliff. The sun melted away and became a pool of molten hot lava.
I'm not getting any sleep at this rate.
I opened my eyes, closed them, tossed, turned.
Nope. No sleep.
Will this put me off tea? Of course not.
3.36am. Still no sleep.
TheHusband, whom I adore, is sleeping like a baby. The Baby has only woken up once. Both girls, whom I smother with kisses when they are asleep, are deep in dreamland. And I am up, in this caffeine-induced state, wondering if it's a good idea to start preparing breakfast now.
3.40am. Maybe I'll just soften the butter first. And maybe, I should avoid caffeine after 2pm like I told myself many moons ago.
At 11.30pm, we went to Alazhar where I had naan and, despite TheHusband's raised eyebrow, teh tarik.
By 1.30am, I felt sleepy. Good good, maybe the teh was had too late in the night for it to take its effect.
I lay down. I closed my eyes. Suddenly, my mind became so awake. At the back of my eyelids, various movies were playing. A dolphin morphed into a frog and started jumping from cliff to cliff. The sun melted away and became a pool of molten hot lava.
I'm not getting any sleep at this rate.
I opened my eyes, closed them, tossed, turned.
Nope. No sleep.
Will this put me off tea? Of course not.
3.36am. Still no sleep.
TheHusband, whom I adore, is sleeping like a baby. The Baby has only woken up once. Both girls, whom I smother with kisses when they are asleep, are deep in dreamland. And I am up, in this caffeine-induced state, wondering if it's a good idea to start preparing breakfast now.
3.40am. Maybe I'll just soften the butter first. And maybe, I should avoid caffeine after 2pm like I told myself many moons ago.
Tuesday, September 06, 2016
An Update About the Littlest Kid
Ihsan
He turned 2 in early August. Masya Allah. Sometimes I take Allah's mercy and kindness for granted because this little bundle of unlimited joy almost didn't happen. One after another medical emergency he overcame and, masya Allah, here he is.
Of course, here's a report card of his general progress. Area for improvement is clearly his eating habits. It's still woefully miserable. Last week he seems to be eating lots of pasta. So I gave him pasta with varied creamy sauce each day. But that was short lived. However, he often comes down with something after a good eating episode. Yesterday he developed a symptom-less fever which broke this morning, only to leave some kind of mild diarrhoea behind. That diarrhoea is not unwelcome; it'll help to flush out all the leftover virus in his body.
In terms of speech, there's no worries at all. With his 2 sisters talking (and quarreling) non-stop, he knows how to form short sentences and express himself although it many come out jumbled at times. Just now, he was trying to tell his youngest uncle (whom he calls Babum although youngest uncle is known as Pak Ucu to everyone else; dunno where Babum comes from) to eat together with him. It's supposed to be: Pakusu, mari makan sama-sama dengan Ihsan. It was a jumbled up sentence that came out: Babum! Makan! Cican! Camacama!
(Note: He calls himself Cican. Cican Bin Ooman.)
He can count from 1 to 10 in Malay. But this is purely by rote. He has not understood the concept of numbers yet.
He is somewhat obsessed with Elmo. Thanks to aunties and uncles who bribe him with videos of Elmo whenever they want him to go to them.
He still does not look too steady on his feet. Sometimes he stumbles and falls. His running is hilarious too. He can go up and down steps while holding on to the railing for support. However, sometimes he is a bit delusional of his capabilities and wants to forgo the railings. He cannot jump and hop yet although he's always pretending to jump.
Oh, and, while the 1+ year old toddler was an anarchist, this one is a bit OCD (not in a clinical way). In the past, all he wanted to do was to pull all books off the shelves. All books. It was a nightmare and room doors had to be closed because of his love for unbearable mess. But now, when he takes books from the shelves, it's only because he wants to 'read' those books. When cupboard doors are open, he wants the doors to be closed again. Likewise for fridge doors. Or floor rugs which are folded in the corner. Or prayer mats not laid out properly. It's much nicer not always having to clean up after a huge mess.
But sometimes, things do get messy. He has 3 toy boxes (the size of shoe boxes) and 1 lego box. If he wants one toy that he knows is inside one of those boxes, he will open and tip over the entire box. Getting him to put away that glorious pile of toys in the middle of the living room takes about one hour of convincing, cajoling, threatening and more threatening. The actual clean up takes no more than 5 but it is not right to always do the tidying up for him, right?
He's copying lots of good stuff and so I am constantly reminding myself and the older girls to always display our best. A few days ago, I was carrying him in one hand and manoeuvring the stroller with the other. (another story this love-hate relationship with his stroller). I almost bumped into a lady (who was thankfully unaware) and I said "Oops!" Ihsan immediately said, "Sowwie Aunty!"
Of course, Aunty couldn't hear it but I was impressed, both with his assessment of the situation and his tone of apology. And I pointed this out to the girls who were with me, "Did you hear the way adik said 'sorry'? That's the way it should be said. Blah blah blah..." Then the girls fussed over him. And he explained (in that breathless, laborious way that kids take to pull words out of their mouths), "Sebab. Mak. Ajar. Cican. Sowwie. Aunty." (Because - mak - teach - Ihsan - (to say) - Sorry - Aunty.)
Precious.
Medical issues: 3 appointments lined up in the next 2 months at KK for 3 different things. All will be well, insya Allah.
(The 2 older girls will get their airtime in the next post. Now, I have an appointment with a mountain of laundry.)
He turned 2 in early August. Masya Allah. Sometimes I take Allah's mercy and kindness for granted because this little bundle of unlimited joy almost didn't happen. One after another medical emergency he overcame and, masya Allah, here he is.
Of course, here's a report card of his general progress. Area for improvement is clearly his eating habits. It's still woefully miserable. Last week he seems to be eating lots of pasta. So I gave him pasta with varied creamy sauce each day. But that was short lived. However, he often comes down with something after a good eating episode. Yesterday he developed a symptom-less fever which broke this morning, only to leave some kind of mild diarrhoea behind. That diarrhoea is not unwelcome; it'll help to flush out all the leftover virus in his body.
In terms of speech, there's no worries at all. With his 2 sisters talking (and quarreling) non-stop, he knows how to form short sentences and express himself although it many come out jumbled at times. Just now, he was trying to tell his youngest uncle (whom he calls Babum although youngest uncle is known as Pak Ucu to everyone else; dunno where Babum comes from) to eat together with him. It's supposed to be: Pakusu, mari makan sama-sama dengan Ihsan. It was a jumbled up sentence that came out: Babum! Makan! Cican! Camacama!
(Note: He calls himself Cican. Cican Bin Ooman.)
He can count from 1 to 10 in Malay. But this is purely by rote. He has not understood the concept of numbers yet.
He is somewhat obsessed with Elmo. Thanks to aunties and uncles who bribe him with videos of Elmo whenever they want him to go to them.
He still does not look too steady on his feet. Sometimes he stumbles and falls. His running is hilarious too. He can go up and down steps while holding on to the railing for support. However, sometimes he is a bit delusional of his capabilities and wants to forgo the railings. He cannot jump and hop yet although he's always pretending to jump.
Oh, and, while the 1+ year old toddler was an anarchist, this one is a bit OCD (not in a clinical way). In the past, all he wanted to do was to pull all books off the shelves. All books. It was a nightmare and room doors had to be closed because of his love for unbearable mess. But now, when he takes books from the shelves, it's only because he wants to 'read' those books. When cupboard doors are open, he wants the doors to be closed again. Likewise for fridge doors. Or floor rugs which are folded in the corner. Or prayer mats not laid out properly. It's much nicer not always having to clean up after a huge mess.
But sometimes, things do get messy. He has 3 toy boxes (the size of shoe boxes) and 1 lego box. If he wants one toy that he knows is inside one of those boxes, he will open and tip over the entire box. Getting him to put away that glorious pile of toys in the middle of the living room takes about one hour of convincing, cajoling, threatening and more threatening. The actual clean up takes no more than 5 but it is not right to always do the tidying up for him, right?
He's copying lots of good stuff and so I am constantly reminding myself and the older girls to always display our best. A few days ago, I was carrying him in one hand and manoeuvring the stroller with the other. (another story this love-hate relationship with his stroller). I almost bumped into a lady (who was thankfully unaware) and I said "Oops!" Ihsan immediately said, "Sowwie Aunty!"
Of course, Aunty couldn't hear it but I was impressed, both with his assessment of the situation and his tone of apology. And I pointed this out to the girls who were with me, "Did you hear the way adik said 'sorry'? That's the way it should be said. Blah blah blah..." Then the girls fussed over him. And he explained (in that breathless, laborious way that kids take to pull words out of their mouths), "Sebab. Mak. Ajar. Cican. Sowwie. Aunty." (Because - mak - teach - Ihsan - (to say) - Sorry - Aunty.)
Precious.
Medical issues: 3 appointments lined up in the next 2 months at KK for 3 different things. All will be well, insya Allah.
(The 2 older girls will get their airtime in the next post. Now, I have an appointment with a mountain of laundry.)
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
A Little Move
This post is still not about the kids. Wait for that.
Boy is sleeping now and I have a bit of time.
Forgot to mention something in the previous post: our move is confirmed! We are definitely moving sometime in November to our new place, a stone's throw away from the girls' school. Just 2-3 minutes away from the MRT station. 30 seconds away from a bus stop that has many bus services. So near varied amenities. No Pokestop nearby though.
Sadly, will be saying goodbye to birds chirping, cricket songs, squirrel sightings, rambutans an arm's length away.
The peaceful morning is something I enjoy whenever Ihsan takes a nap in the morning. I will no longer hear this on a regular basis and my heart feels heavy to say goodbye to this magnificent beauty.
This is just outside my living room window. Beyond the trees, is a hill. A camera cannot capture what the eye and the mind see. It is beautiful. And this is the reason why I need a big push (or rather, pull) to leave this place. Will miss you lots, Nature.
Boy is sleeping now and I have a bit of time.
Forgot to mention something in the previous post: our move is confirmed! We are definitely moving sometime in November to our new place, a stone's throw away from the girls' school. Just 2-3 minutes away from the MRT station. 30 seconds away from a bus stop that has many bus services. So near varied amenities. No Pokestop nearby though.
Sadly, will be saying goodbye to birds chirping, cricket songs, squirrel sightings, rambutans an arm's length away.
The peaceful morning is something I enjoy whenever Ihsan takes a nap in the morning. I will no longer hear this on a regular basis and my heart feels heavy to say goodbye to this magnificent beauty.
This is just outside my living room window. Beyond the trees, is a hill. A camera cannot capture what the eye and the mind see. It is beautiful. And this is the reason why I need a big push (or rather, pull) to leave this place. Will miss you lots, Nature.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
August 2016: General Life Story
Many moons have waxed and waned but this blog continues to be put on the shelf waiting for life to be breathed into it.
Tonight, as luck would have it, a cup of ill-timed teh tarik ensures that this blog gets some much needed CPR.
--
Explanation: For the past 3 years or so, I've noticed something strange about me. Whenever I have a cup of teh tarik after 2pm, my body will react very strongly to the caffeine; I will not be able to sleep until about 3am. My mind will be whirring with thoughts and activities even though the rest of my body just wants to shut down for the night. And when I wake up, it doesn't feel like I've had much rest.
The solution is really simple - to avoid drinking teh tarik in the afternoon. But I am one incorrigible addict. I cannot resist the call of teh tarik when I'm at a new place. I absolutely must try the teh tarik, whatever the cost (ie, lost sleep).
--
On the general front, these are some activities that took place recently.
1. The younger sister got married! May Allah shower His blessings on both of them and unite them in goodness. Amin.
The nikah (solemnisation) was held at Masjid Tentera on a Thursday night. My father was rather emotional during the nikah (as was he during my sister and my nikah; can't tell whether he was emotional during all my brothers' nikah because he did not have to say anything during their nikah). Which father wouldn't? I think I will probably cry buckets at my children's nikah. Correction: I cry buckets at all my children's anything: first day of school at N1, K2 graduation etc etc etc..
The walimah (reception) was held on Saturday at Muslim Delight Venue (I'm sure that's the name, as kental as that may sound to some ears) which is at the shopping mall within Concorde Hotel. Not to be confused with the hotel itself. This place is at the shopping mall.
The original plan was to have the wedding at my sister's void deck. Her void deck is more spacious than the one at my parents' block. So booking was made. But, a few weeks after that, my father heard of this place. They have just opened and all the earlier slots are empty as most families would book the wedding venue and all sooooo much earlier. (See, procrastination is not so uncommon here and procrastination in this case brings great savings in time, money and energy!) To entice people to book the earlier slots, a very generous discount was given. Up til the end of the year. So if you are thinking of getting married, get it done by the end of this year. Haha.
After having had 6 void deck weddings, this one really makes us appreciate how little we have to do! Practically everything is settled by Muslim Delight itself. All we have to do is turn up, welcome guests, mingle with guests and enjoy ourselves. Masya Allah.
My one regret is I wish I had invited a few more close friends. But since this was the first time we've held a non-void deck wedding, I wasn't sure how safe it would be to invite more than the numbers we were allocated. Turns out, there was no worry at all. Service from Muslim Delight was waaaaay above excellent. They assured my parents that they would take care of the food and would ensure there'd be enough for guests even if we invite 100-200 more than the original figure. We just had to inform them beforehand. Wonderful. 10 million stars for them (out of 5).
2. Told the sister of the post-wedding funk when you miss your family terribly. You may have married the man you love dearly but at the same time, you will also miss your own family so, so, so badly. Especially if you move out of your home into your new home immediately after the wedding. And the sister has been feeling it. He he he. It'll take a few months to get used to the changes!
3. Back to the topic of teh tarik. We sent the brother and family off at the airport earlier. He was flying back to the UK where he is studying. (Digress a bit: I wish I could do that! Get a sponsor to sponsor my studies and take my family there. But as the brains have not been doing much work, it must be simple stuff like perhaps, a 3-year course on how to tie your shoelaces.) So after a couple of sad scenes and stoic faces suppressing tears, my parents wanted to stop by somewhere for supper. Of course, I had to try the teh tarik, right? It was 9.30pm. Very wrong timing. But this teh addict is, well, an addict. Poor self control, judgment et al. So, it is now 12.30am and I am not sleepy at all. Tired, yes. But not sleepy.
In another post, I'll write about the kids. So if you are expecting to read about them here, nope, not likely.
4.Photo-taking. Taking pictures at the nikah made me aware of one thing: suck in the tummy! The nikah photos in which my tummy was not blocked by someone else were horrible. I look pregnant. Not fat, just that mummy tummy which I have not done anything about. (Chope ah. I no longer do that stupid thing of fishing for compliment which I did when I was a stupid teenager. I'm very at peace with myself now and am aware of my flaws and (maybe) how others view me. Point is, not fishing for compliments here.) I know that most people do not think I'm fat (except my own siblings. we address each other in very loving ways such as "oi gemok".) I don't need people to tell me i'm not fat. Pictures, however, don't lie. I need to suck in the tummy for photo taking sessions. So, for the walimah, I was slightly cleverer during photo taking sessions. I remembered to suck in the tummy.
5. This brings me to my next thought. All over social media, people have to be reminded not to post things which may cause jealousy/envy in others. Why? Why are people envious of what other people post on social media? We must realise that what other people post are most likely, the best aspects of their lives. For example, if i were to put up a picture, i will most likely post a picture in which I look good. Why on earth would I post a picture of myself in something which accentuates my mummy tummy? Or, I will post about a happy moment I'm having with the kids visiting USS or the zoo. Will I post a picture of myself wringing their little necks while doing Science revision? So we all no need to be jealous of what other people post on social media, okay? That's the best aspect of their lives. Every person has their own challenges which they may not share with others. Be happy for others or if you can't do that, just ignore it.
Vaguebooking, however, is something that really gets my goat. Other than that, whatever you want to do on FB or twitter or instagram is really up to you.
6. Alicia Keys needs no make up to look good. I hardly ever apply any make up but my reasons are very different from hers. Laziness. Some fashion doyenne said, "There's no ugly women. Only lazy women." I suppose, you also won't need makeup if you are very diligent in your skincare routine. But, actually, it doesn't really matter. Roald Dahl said it perfectly: "If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.
A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."
So, it's time to let that inner beauty shine through your make-up free skin. Think good thoughts, always!
---
It's almost 1.15am. I must force myself to sleep. Or at least, lie down and wait patiently for sleep to come. Or for Ihsan to wake up for his night feed. Yes, he's 2 years and 3 weeks old and still not weaned off. Trying to but have not been effective.
Tonight, as luck would have it, a cup of ill-timed teh tarik ensures that this blog gets some much needed CPR.
--
Explanation: For the past 3 years or so, I've noticed something strange about me. Whenever I have a cup of teh tarik after 2pm, my body will react very strongly to the caffeine; I will not be able to sleep until about 3am. My mind will be whirring with thoughts and activities even though the rest of my body just wants to shut down for the night. And when I wake up, it doesn't feel like I've had much rest.
The solution is really simple - to avoid drinking teh tarik in the afternoon. But I am one incorrigible addict. I cannot resist the call of teh tarik when I'm at a new place. I absolutely must try the teh tarik, whatever the cost (ie, lost sleep).
--
1. The younger sister got married! May Allah shower His blessings on both of them and unite them in goodness. Amin.
The nikah (solemnisation) was held at Masjid Tentera on a Thursday night. My father was rather emotional during the nikah (as was he during my sister and my nikah; can't tell whether he was emotional during all my brothers' nikah because he did not have to say anything during their nikah). Which father wouldn't? I think I will probably cry buckets at my children's nikah. Correction: I cry buckets at all my children's anything: first day of school at N1, K2 graduation etc etc etc..
The walimah (reception) was held on Saturday at Muslim Delight Venue (I'm sure that's the name, as kental as that may sound to some ears) which is at the shopping mall within Concorde Hotel. Not to be confused with the hotel itself. This place is at the shopping mall.
The original plan was to have the wedding at my sister's void deck. Her void deck is more spacious than the one at my parents' block. So booking was made. But, a few weeks after that, my father heard of this place. They have just opened and all the earlier slots are empty as most families would book the wedding venue and all sooooo much earlier. (See, procrastination is not so uncommon here and procrastination in this case brings great savings in time, money and energy!) To entice people to book the earlier slots, a very generous discount was given. Up til the end of the year. So if you are thinking of getting married, get it done by the end of this year. Haha.
After having had 6 void deck weddings, this one really makes us appreciate how little we have to do! Practically everything is settled by Muslim Delight itself. All we have to do is turn up, welcome guests, mingle with guests and enjoy ourselves. Masya Allah.
My one regret is I wish I had invited a few more close friends. But since this was the first time we've held a non-void deck wedding, I wasn't sure how safe it would be to invite more than the numbers we were allocated. Turns out, there was no worry at all. Service from Muslim Delight was waaaaay above excellent. They assured my parents that they would take care of the food and would ensure there'd be enough for guests even if we invite 100-200 more than the original figure. We just had to inform them beforehand. Wonderful. 10 million stars for them (out of 5).
2. Told the sister of the post-wedding funk when you miss your family terribly. You may have married the man you love dearly but at the same time, you will also miss your own family so, so, so badly. Especially if you move out of your home into your new home immediately after the wedding. And the sister has been feeling it. He he he. It'll take a few months to get used to the changes!
3. Back to the topic of teh tarik. We sent the brother and family off at the airport earlier. He was flying back to the UK where he is studying. (Digress a bit: I wish I could do that! Get a sponsor to sponsor my studies and take my family there. But as the brains have not been doing much work, it must be simple stuff like perhaps, a 3-year course on how to tie your shoelaces.) So after a couple of sad scenes and stoic faces suppressing tears, my parents wanted to stop by somewhere for supper. Of course, I had to try the teh tarik, right? It was 9.30pm. Very wrong timing. But this teh addict is, well, an addict. Poor self control, judgment et al. So, it is now 12.30am and I am not sleepy at all. Tired, yes. But not sleepy.
In another post, I'll write about the kids. So if you are expecting to read about them here, nope, not likely.
4.Photo-taking. Taking pictures at the nikah made me aware of one thing: suck in the tummy! The nikah photos in which my tummy was not blocked by someone else were horrible. I look pregnant. Not fat, just that mummy tummy which I have not done anything about. (Chope ah. I no longer do that stupid thing of fishing for compliment which I did when I was a stupid teenager. I'm very at peace with myself now and am aware of my flaws and (maybe) how others view me. Point is, not fishing for compliments here.) I know that most people do not think I'm fat (except my own siblings. we address each other in very loving ways such as "oi gemok".) I don't need people to tell me i'm not fat. Pictures, however, don't lie. I need to suck in the tummy for photo taking sessions. So, for the walimah, I was slightly cleverer during photo taking sessions. I remembered to suck in the tummy.
5. This brings me to my next thought. All over social media, people have to be reminded not to post things which may cause jealousy/envy in others. Why? Why are people envious of what other people post on social media? We must realise that what other people post are most likely, the best aspects of their lives. For example, if i were to put up a picture, i will most likely post a picture in which I look good. Why on earth would I post a picture of myself in something which accentuates my mummy tummy? Or, I will post about a happy moment I'm having with the kids visiting USS or the zoo. Will I post a picture of myself wringing their little necks while doing Science revision? So we all no need to be jealous of what other people post on social media, okay? That's the best aspect of their lives. Every person has their own challenges which they may not share with others. Be happy for others or if you can't do that, just ignore it.
Vaguebooking, however, is something that really gets my goat. Other than that, whatever you want to do on FB or twitter or instagram is really up to you.
6. Alicia Keys needs no make up to look good. I hardly ever apply any make up but my reasons are very different from hers. Laziness. Some fashion doyenne said, "There's no ugly women. Only lazy women." I suppose, you also won't need makeup if you are very diligent in your skincare routine. But, actually, it doesn't really matter. Roald Dahl said it perfectly: "If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.
A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."
So, it's time to let that inner beauty shine through your make-up free skin. Think good thoughts, always!
---
It's almost 1.15am. I must force myself to sleep. Or at least, lie down and wait patiently for sleep to come. Or for Ihsan to wake up for his night feed. Yes, he's 2 years and 3 weeks old and still not weaned off. Trying to but have not been effective.
Japan in June 2016 (Series 3, Episode 2): Disneyland and Disneysea
Reserved for Disneyland/Disneysea. Will be updated "soon".
Japan in June 2016 (Series 3, Episode 1)
The moment school was out, off we went to Tokyo. As tickets were bought almost a year earlier, by the time we got round to planning the itinerary, it was too late to make changes. So, thoughts of going Hokkaido had to be shelved. For now. (TheHusband excitedly remarked that this opened things up for an Episode 4 of Japan.)
Our itinerary is a very simple one and things are added or taken away depending on the situation. Traveling with a 22-month-old means that most of the time, things are taken away because of a) he's tired and b) therefore I'm even more exhausted. The 7yo and 10yo are pretty okay although they do whine a bit when we are shopping.
For the sake of those who are planning their trips, this is our basic plan:
26 May, 2355. Flight from Changi Airport to Narita
Day 1: 27 May, 7-ish. Arrive at Narita.
Days 1 - 4: 27 May - 30 May. Airbnb apartment near Shinjuku/Shibuya. Jalan-jalan around that area. Day trip to Mount Fuji (Tip: Avoid weekends! Traffic is horrible!)
Days 4 - 7: 30 May - 2 June, Monday to Thursday (avoid weekends!). Tokyo Disneyland. Stayed at Hotel Mira Costa.
Days 7 - 10: 2 June to 5 June. Airbnb apartment at Asakusa. Across the road from Sensoji Temple.
5 June, 8.30pm. Flight from Narita to Singapore.
6 June, 3am. Arrive at Singapore. Sahur at airport.
You see, the reason why we could not go to Hokkaido was because of Disneyland and the fact that we booked our flights to fly into and out of Narita. We planned for Disneyland to be on weekdays so that didn't leave us with much time to do all the traveling to Hokkaido. And combined that with the fact that we have to cart 3 kids along (although the first 2 should be able to do things quickly), we will have to visit Hokkaido another day.
This time round, food was much easier to get. We didn't have a problem at all in that area, especially when we were at Asakusa. We had another problem - overeating. I was too full, too often, and I was looking forward to that hunger we feel in the daytime of Ramadan.
As I am obviously updating this blog looong after our return, I cannot possibly remember with much accuracy where we went to each day. So from here on, I will let pictures do the talking. I'll take a look at the pictures I've taken and hopefully, they will help me recall what we did.
As I have become unbearably lazy and not to mention horribly tardy in updating this post (I've been updating this in bits and pieces and my memory of what we did in Japan is becoming very sketchy), I will upload this first and I will reserve the next two posts for Japan-related entries. Maybe one for Disneyland and one for Asakusa. So this here is my very incomplete post on the Shibuya/Shinjuku leg of the journey.
Our itinerary is a very simple one and things are added or taken away depending on the situation. Traveling with a 22-month-old means that most of the time, things are taken away because of a) he's tired and b) therefore I'm even more exhausted. The 7yo and 10yo are pretty okay although they do whine a bit when we are shopping.
For the sake of those who are planning their trips, this is our basic plan:
26 May, 2355. Flight from Changi Airport to Narita
Day 1: 27 May, 7-ish. Arrive at Narita.
Days 1 - 4: 27 May - 30 May. Airbnb apartment near Shinjuku/Shibuya. Jalan-jalan around that area. Day trip to Mount Fuji (Tip: Avoid weekends! Traffic is horrible!)
Days 4 - 7: 30 May - 2 June, Monday to Thursday (avoid weekends!). Tokyo Disneyland. Stayed at Hotel Mira Costa.
Days 7 - 10: 2 June to 5 June. Airbnb apartment at Asakusa. Across the road from Sensoji Temple.
5 June, 8.30pm. Flight from Narita to Singapore.
6 June, 3am. Arrive at Singapore. Sahur at airport.
You see, the reason why we could not go to Hokkaido was because of Disneyland and the fact that we booked our flights to fly into and out of Narita. We planned for Disneyland to be on weekdays so that didn't leave us with much time to do all the traveling to Hokkaido. And combined that with the fact that we have to cart 3 kids along (although the first 2 should be able to do things quickly), we will have to visit Hokkaido another day.
This time round, food was much easier to get. We didn't have a problem at all in that area, especially when we were at Asakusa. We had another problem - overeating. I was too full, too often, and I was looking forward to that hunger we feel in the daytime of Ramadan.
As I am obviously updating this blog looong after our return, I cannot possibly remember with much accuracy where we went to each day. So from here on, I will let pictures do the talking. I'll take a look at the pictures I've taken and hopefully, they will help me recall what we did.
That's the firstborn, ready to be shipped off.
That's the son who woke up just when we entered the plane. Sigh.
Day 1: All three kids, safely arrived.
This is where we had our first meal in Japan. Halal udon and crispy tempura. This is at Narita airport itself. Pretty cheap (compared to the rest of our meals in Japan). And of course, so delicious!
Tempura!
When we were done with our meal, I looked around to see what other people did with their bowls and plates and all. You have to return them to the stall. I looked around some more and noticed that people were wiping their own tables. There are stations like this. You take the clean cloth, wipe your table and drop off the used cloth in the other tray. Only in Japan!
Done with our meal, we looked for a train that would get us to Shinjuku. We took the JR Narita Express train and it got us to Shinjuku in less than an hour but at twice the normal price. Time is money, I guess. Money-saving tip: take the bus.
We reached the train station where our first Airbnb apartment is. About 15-minute walk away. But, weather was good, so no issues.
Day 2: We went to the Fire Museum. Entrance is free and quite a few hands-on things for kids to do. All about firemen and emergency services. Very interesting because emergency services in Japan also include earthquake rescue. (Most pictures are in TheHusband's phone and he hasn't uploaded them into the computer so we'll just have to wait.) Here, the kids are fiddling with the insides of a helicopter.
Then, we walked and walked to this ramen place.
Buy your ramen here. Choices are limited but this is Ihsan's favourite ramen in Tokyo!
That's the owner, Megumi.
I only thought of taking a photo when I was almost done with my meal. That chicken is very juicy. The skin is crispy. The taste - ooh la la!
After that, we went to Takashimaya where there is a musollah. Then we (TheHusband, mostly) went shopping at Uniqlo. It's much cheaper in Japan! We were all exhausted after that and went back to our apartment for dinner. Dinner was rice + omelette + lots of the most divine cherry tomatoes ever. This dinner was repeated time and time again because we could not locate a supermarket near our house. There were lots of minimarts that sold basic goods like eggs and bread. Had we found a supermarket, salmon would have been a daily affair.
Day 2: Day Trip with Yokoso Japan. Full day in the bus. Not exactly fun for a wriggly little worm.
Strawberry picking and eating!
We learnt that the sweetest strawberries are the ones which are small and dark red. The big ones are almost always sourish. It's a nikmat to be able to eat fruit that has been ripened on the vine/tree itself.
On crowded, crowded Mount Fuji.
Extremely gorgeous place. Supposed to be covered with pink flowers but this year, the flowers bloomed a bit earlier so it ended its run earlier too but still so picturesque.
As I have become unbearably lazy and not to mention horribly tardy in updating this post (I've been updating this in bits and pieces and my memory of what we did in Japan is becoming very sketchy), I will upload this first and I will reserve the next two posts for Japan-related entries. Maybe one for Disneyland and one for Asakusa. So this here is my very incomplete post on the Shibuya/Shinjuku leg of the journey.
Monday, May 16, 2016
May Updates
Boy is sleeping now. Not cooking dinner tonight so I have a bit of time (at the expense of a tidy house, actually).
Some updates:
1. We *may* move to a new place. Signed some forms which allow the buyer a 21-day period to pull out. If they pull out, all deals are off. So, we have surrendered everything to Allah. Allah knows best.
2. We wish we got a better price for the sale of our present home. It is $15k below what we expect to get from the sale. But, again, I must tame my heart and accept that this is rezeki from Allah. We still get a tidy profit so one cannot be too greedy.
3. TheHusband and I have been thinking about our mortality. So, these are the things that I've lined up for myself. Holiday planning (1.5 weeks to go and our itinerary still looks so kosong.), renovating and moving house (if everything mentioned in #1 worked out), plan and write will.
4. Will writing will involve a lawyer. But you will save your children and relatives a lot of headache. Having witnessed this process when an elderly relative passed on without a will (which of our makcik/pakcik in their 60s/70s/80s bothered with wills?), the process of releasing her estate from the bank/CPF was a cumbersome process involving lawyers. So, it is best to write a will. That will will change over time. For now, the will which I'll be writing will be for the next 16-18 years when the children are still young. Who will take care of them? (Which aunt? Uncle?) Housing arrangement? Schools? Funds to cover their living expenses.
Once they are all adults, the will changes again and again and again. We shall see. (Those who are interested in this should check MUIS' faraid calculator. It shows who will receive the money you'll leave behind. You can will away 1/3 of your wealth in any way you please.)
5. Must help Huda improve her Malay AND English. SA1 results. :crying face:
Will stop now. More things for me to check on the computer. Must resist going to home reno pages and forums. Must plan holiday itinerary.
Some updates:
1. We *may* move to a new place. Signed some forms which allow the buyer a 21-day period to pull out. If they pull out, all deals are off. So, we have surrendered everything to Allah. Allah knows best.
2. We wish we got a better price for the sale of our present home. It is $15k below what we expect to get from the sale. But, again, I must tame my heart and accept that this is rezeki from Allah. We still get a tidy profit so one cannot be too greedy.
3. TheHusband and I have been thinking about our mortality. So, these are the things that I've lined up for myself. Holiday planning (1.5 weeks to go and our itinerary still looks so kosong.), renovating and moving house (if everything mentioned in #1 worked out), plan and write will.
4. Will writing will involve a lawyer. But you will save your children and relatives a lot of headache. Having witnessed this process when an elderly relative passed on without a will (which of our makcik/pakcik in their 60s/70s/80s bothered with wills?), the process of releasing her estate from the bank/CPF was a cumbersome process involving lawyers. So, it is best to write a will. That will will change over time. For now, the will which I'll be writing will be for the next 16-18 years when the children are still young. Who will take care of them? (Which aunt? Uncle?) Housing arrangement? Schools? Funds to cover their living expenses.
Once they are all adults, the will changes again and again and again. We shall see. (Those who are interested in this should check MUIS' faraid calculator. It shows who will receive the money you'll leave behind. You can will away 1/3 of your wealth in any way you please.)
5. Must help Huda improve her Malay AND English. SA1 results. :crying face:
Will stop now. More things for me to check on the computer. Must resist going to home reno pages and forums. Must plan holiday itinerary.
Friday, May 06, 2016
Simple Soup
With the 'war' on diabetes that's happening in Singapore now, we are looking closely at what the kids are eating as we do not want them to suffer later in life.
We must get them used to eating food which is less flavoursome than the Malay food which H is so addicted to.
Today, I am making ABC soup. This is otherwise known as the anyhow-anything soup. Just throw in potatoes, carrot and onions inside a pot of boiling water. Then after 10 to 15 minutes in a rolling boil, cover it and let it simmer for an hour or so. As I am easily distracted and may forget simmering things, I'll transfer it to my rice cooker, set the timer and let the rice cooker do the work for me.
Potatoes, carrots and onions are the basic ingredients. I also add tomatoes, sweet corn, chicken (blanch it first), dried scallop (because it's in the fridge). It's a simple simple soup that is idiot-proof. You can add salt to taste when the soup is done but I don't want to do that. My children with the Malay tongue may find it difficult to have this as they will find it bland. But, soup for the Chinese is to be drunk. Hopefully the girls, especially H, will get used to this.
Edit: Sans salt, the kids refused this. With some salt and light soya sauce, it is okay for them.
We must get them used to eating food which is less flavoursome than the Malay food which H is so addicted to.
Today, I am making ABC soup. This is otherwise known as the anyhow-anything soup. Just throw in potatoes, carrot and onions inside a pot of boiling water. Then after 10 to 15 minutes in a rolling boil, cover it and let it simmer for an hour or so. As I am easily distracted and may forget simmering things, I'll transfer it to my rice cooker, set the timer and let the rice cooker do the work for me.
Potatoes, carrots and onions are the basic ingredients. I also add tomatoes, sweet corn, chicken (blanch it first), dried scallop (because it's in the fridge). It's a simple simple soup that is idiot-proof. You can add salt to taste when the soup is done but I don't want to do that. My children with the Malay tongue may find it difficult to have this as they will find it bland. But, soup for the Chinese is to be drunk. Hopefully the girls, especially H, will get used to this.
Edit: Sans salt, the kids refused this. With some salt and light soya sauce, it is okay for them.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Notes for My Children
1. Always make do'a and work towards husnul khotimah.
2. Always thank the person who serves you. This will include teachers who scold you. Not kidding. A scolding is a lesson; a harsh lesson but a lesson nevertheless. Thank the person and learn from it. Thank everyone including the old lady who cleared your plate for you. Even if she never responds. Keep on thanking.
3. Brush your teeth with toothpaste twice a day. Brush in a systematic way and make sure every tooth has received attention from the toothbrush on all sides. Brush your teeth before you meet people.
Somewhat random. More will be added to the list.
2. Always thank the person who serves you. This will include teachers who scold you. Not kidding. A scolding is a lesson; a harsh lesson but a lesson nevertheless. Thank the person and learn from it. Thank everyone including the old lady who cleared your plate for you. Even if she never responds. Keep on thanking.
3. Brush your teeth with toothpaste twice a day. Brush in a systematic way and make sure every tooth has received attention from the toothbrush on all sides. Brush your teeth before you meet people.
Somewhat random. More will be added to the list.
2D1N at KSL Johor
For the first time in our lives, we are doing a kinda-like-a-staycation in Johor Bahru. This staycation is brought to you by the good people of KTM Berhad.
We have never seen the value of having a staycation. It's like, we are so close to home. Why bother paying $x on a hotel room? We go in and out of JB quite frequently so the idea of a staycation never quite appealed to us.
This long weekend, TheHusband wanted to go to JB. I said, we'll do it if we can get the train tickets. TheHusband looked for the tickets. There were tickets for the way back on Saturday. 6.55pm. Ok, can. But the way there, no tickets. There were still tickets for Friday, 4.30pm. And that's how we ended up here in KSL.
For those with no cars like us, we took a taxi from JB City Square (just beside the train station) to KSL for RM11.
KSL is a big hotel comprising 2 towers. We booked our room from the KSL website for SGD101. Ours is a Superior Triple room. There are a queen bed and a single bed. At night, we pushed both beds together so the 5 of us could sleep comfortably. This hotel has mixed reviews but so far, things are okay.
For breakfast, we did not opt for the buffet breakfast. There's so much to eat here so it's a waste if we were to fill our stomachs at breakfast. We had our breakfast of roti canai (aka prata in Singapore) at a kedai mamak beside the hotel.
(How to get there: Walk out of hotel, turn left, then turn left again. After walking past the hotel rubbish dump, cross the road and you are there.)
Your stay at the hotel includes complimentary entry to the dinosaur theme park which is actually a big pool with various slides. Otherwise entry is a ridiculous RM50 for adults and RM30 for children. It looks quite fun but I leave the kids to TheHusband while I sit by the pool and write this entry.
After this, we are heading to KSL mall. KSL mall is not much to shout about but there is Tesco.. I have a thing for supermarkets. And Tesco has a good selection of herbs. The Tesco brand herbs are cheaper than McCormick and another-brand-whose-name-i-cannot-recall now.
We asked for a late checkout and we were given 1pm. Good enough considering it's the Labour Day weekend. After checking out, we will go to City Square and Komtar for more eating and shopping. Pretty vacuous activities, I know. Heh.
That's about it!
We have never seen the value of having a staycation. It's like, we are so close to home. Why bother paying $x on a hotel room? We go in and out of JB quite frequently so the idea of a staycation never quite appealed to us.
This long weekend, TheHusband wanted to go to JB. I said, we'll do it if we can get the train tickets. TheHusband looked for the tickets. There were tickets for the way back on Saturday. 6.55pm. Ok, can. But the way there, no tickets. There were still tickets for Friday, 4.30pm. And that's how we ended up here in KSL.
For those with no cars like us, we took a taxi from JB City Square (just beside the train station) to KSL for RM11.
KSL is a big hotel comprising 2 towers. We booked our room from the KSL website for SGD101. Ours is a Superior Triple room. There are a queen bed and a single bed. At night, we pushed both beds together so the 5 of us could sleep comfortably. This hotel has mixed reviews but so far, things are okay.
For breakfast, we did not opt for the buffet breakfast. There's so much to eat here so it's a waste if we were to fill our stomachs at breakfast. We had our breakfast of roti canai (aka prata in Singapore) at a kedai mamak beside the hotel.
(How to get there: Walk out of hotel, turn left, then turn left again. After walking past the hotel rubbish dump, cross the road and you are there.)
Your stay at the hotel includes complimentary entry to the dinosaur theme park which is actually a big pool with various slides. Otherwise entry is a ridiculous RM50 for adults and RM30 for children. It looks quite fun but I leave the kids to TheHusband while I sit by the pool and write this entry.
After this, we are heading to KSL mall. KSL mall is not much to shout about but there is Tesco.. I have a thing for supermarkets. And Tesco has a good selection of herbs. The Tesco brand herbs are cheaper than McCormick and another-brand-whose-name-i-cannot-recall now.
We asked for a late checkout and we were given 1pm. Good enough considering it's the Labour Day weekend. After checking out, we will go to City Square and Komtar for more eating and shopping. Pretty vacuous activities, I know. Heh.
That's about it!
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Almost 21!
Ihsan is almost 21 months old.
He is taking a nap now so that explains what I'm doing here.
He is now very capable of tearing the house down. God knows how many times I have to tidy up the house in a day. It's difficult to ignore the mess because most of the mess is in the living room. Stepping on books and toys is not exactly fun.
More about TheBoy himself:
1. At 21 months, he weighs a mere 8.5kg (on a good day). But after Huda, I am not that concerned about weight. His doctor is, though, so I must do something (or at least comfort myself into thinking that I amd oing something). We are seeing a dietician although past experience shows that it doesn't really help. Presently, his favourite food is pasta and so he has different types of pasta with whatever the rest of the family is eating. If he hasn't eaten much vegetables for a few days, I'll prepare some roasted broccoli; he can eat quite a substantial amount of that.
2. He's still being breastfed. I'm left with 3 months of that. I will miss it so so much even though I constantly complain about the 6 times a night that he wakes up for milk or dunno-what-nonsense-reasons.
3. He is at a stage where he understands funny things and repeats them for our entertainment (or perhaps his). Two days ago, we bought thosei from a nearby coffee shop. The man serving us acknowledged him, calling out "Adiiiiiik!"
Our dear friend was so tickled. When we ate the thosei at home, he kept on repeating "Adiiiiik", laughing hysterically each time.
4. He is sympathetic towards his sisters. Whenever one of them cries (normally it's because the other one is supremely annoying), if he is not too busy, he will join in the crying. Then whichever annoying sister it is has to placate both siblings. However, if he is busy, he will not bother.
As my time is limited and I suspect he's going to wake up soon, I will let pictures do the talking.
This is the Ihsan-pretends-to-read series of photos. He copies his sisters. Macam paham. But it never fails to tickle me funny bones.
Ihsan, the tukang kacau orang solat.
He is taking a nap now so that explains what I'm doing here.
He is now very capable of tearing the house down. God knows how many times I have to tidy up the house in a day. It's difficult to ignore the mess because most of the mess is in the living room. Stepping on books and toys is not exactly fun.
More about TheBoy himself:
1. At 21 months, he weighs a mere 8.5kg (on a good day). But after Huda, I am not that concerned about weight. His doctor is, though, so I must do something (or at least comfort myself into thinking that I amd oing something). We are seeing a dietician although past experience shows that it doesn't really help. Presently, his favourite food is pasta and so he has different types of pasta with whatever the rest of the family is eating. If he hasn't eaten much vegetables for a few days, I'll prepare some roasted broccoli; he can eat quite a substantial amount of that.
2. He's still being breastfed. I'm left with 3 months of that. I will miss it so so much even though I constantly complain about the 6 times a night that he wakes up for milk or dunno-what-nonsense-reasons.
3. He is at a stage where he understands funny things and repeats them for our entertainment (or perhaps his). Two days ago, we bought thosei from a nearby coffee shop. The man serving us acknowledged him, calling out "Adiiiiiik!"
Our dear friend was so tickled. When we ate the thosei at home, he kept on repeating "Adiiiiik", laughing hysterically each time.
4. He is sympathetic towards his sisters. Whenever one of them cries (normally it's because the other one is supremely annoying), if he is not too busy, he will join in the crying. Then whichever annoying sister it is has to placate both siblings. However, if he is busy, he will not bother.
As my time is limited and I suspect he's going to wake up soon, I will let pictures do the talking.
"Just a regular day. Putting my feet up. Not eating."
But when Kakak eats, I insist on sitting on her lap.
And that's the other Kakak.
-The End-
Friday, March 25, 2016
DOTD
رَبَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ
Robbanaa laa tuzigh quluubanaa ba'da izh hadaitanaa wahablanaa milladunka rohmah
Innaka antal wahhab
At different stages of my life, certain doá will emerge as THE doa of the day/week/month. This is the top doá of the week, or maybe month.
Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, you are the bestower.
Takut seh, kalau lepas mati kene barbecue.
May all of us, our loved ones, our children, and all our descendants be given His guidance and never stray from it. Amin.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
16 February 2016
This update will be all about Ihsan. (To be fair. Cos the girls had frequent updates when they were babies.)
1. He had a rough week last week. Vomiting on Monday. Followed by 2 days of diarrhoea: watery poo et al. And 4 more days of twice daily wet poo. Thank God, it was all over by the following Monday. Whew! He hadn't pooped since yesterday but it's okay, boy. You did more than your fair share last week so it's okay if there's no poo today.
(We all (except TheHusband) got some form of vomiting/diarrhoea over the weekend which left us completely pooped.)
2. He is becoming a lot more chatty. He will talk a mile a minute if he feels like it. He can string 2 concepts together. For example: kakak, duduk.
Words that he can articulate include:
mak
ayah
kakak
atuk
nenek
amiya (favourite cousin, nabilah)
cititi (fearsome aunty, cik jiji)
duduk
lari
bola (pronounced buah)
burung (but pronounced as boooo)
dog (i kept on teaching him the malay word, anjing. he was using it for quite sometime. then someone taught him the english version. and he's been calling it dog ever since. tsk.)
gajah (pronounced ajah)
fish (sigh. tried to teach him ikan. but failed)
aying (favourite neighbour, miaoying)
and various body parts and a couple more verbs
Considering that the minimum number of words he's supposed to know at age 18 months is 6, i think this is fine. I don't have to worry about language development.
3. He has a preference for healthy food. Like, oats, wholemeal bread and mee sua in clear broth. Rich, creamy sauce does not tickle his tastebuds. Perhaps too rich for his young tongue.
4. He refuses to tell people who he is. I tried so hard to make him repeat his name. But, he refuses. If you point to him and ask him, "Ini siapa?", he will gleefully answer, "Ini mak."
5. His clinginess has reached a new level. When there are only the two of us at home, I cannot disappear from view. He will go on a merciless hunt. "Makmakmakmakmakmakmakmak," he will call out. He has no qualms breaking toilet doors to get his mother. Yesterday, I was in front of a hot wok, preparing lunch. He wailed miserably, asking to be carried. (To call it mere wailing, is an understatement.) Today and tomorrow, I have revised my cooking schedule so I don't have to deal with both wok and tot simultaneously.
I think that should be all. Cant risk little boy waking up now. Still more housework to be done before he wakes up from his nap.
Wednesday, February 03, 2016
3 February 2016
1. It's 8.05am and Ihsan is still asleep! He is normally up by 6.45am but today, he is possibly going through the effect of a sedative he had yesterday. He had his heart scan yesterday. It was supposed to be his last heart scan before he is discharged. Last August's scan showed good signs so this scan was supposed to confirm that all is good and off you go, lil boy. Unfortunately, no. His left coronary artery is at the borderline of normal/dilatation. So, no discharge. We will come back in 6 months for another scan.
That sedative? He had to be given a dose of sleeping meds to make him sleep during the scan. Prior to the sedative, he was an active little boy, running all over the waiting area. Then, the sedative kicked in and he fell asleep for 3 hours. His regular naps are 2 hours long. When he woke up, he had to be accompanied everywhere because he was still feeling woozy from the sedative. But an hour later, he was bouncing off walls again.
Additional medical info: The sedative was chloral hydrate. I was concerned about the side effects and read about them while waiting for his turn to be scanned. But the doctor assured me that the only one time when there was a side effect was when an overdose was given. Before the child can leave the hospital, he has to be roused from his sleep and has to open his eyes. Close monitoring by parents/caregivers for 4 hours after the sedative is given. Throughout the night when he is asleep, I check on him periodically. He still wakes up for milk, anyway. So, other than extra sleepiness this morning (which I dont mind; it makes up for all those times when he slept less than he should), I don't foresee any further issues with the sedative.
(I love you, Ihsan.)
2. Farah. Farah has shown that every child is different. Farah hardly ever buys proper food during recess. She buys snacks. Particularly, a snack called Corn Toes. Not exactly that spelling, but it sure sounds like that. (Insert angry mom emoticon) If it's not Corn Toes, it will be some other snacks. (Insert another angry mom emoticon)
She does this because:
a. She loves junk food.
b. Recess is at 9am, too soon after a hearty breakfast.
Besides spending her allowance at the snacks stall, she also spends her money at the bookshop. (Insert a gajimillion angry mom emoticons).
Her life goal is to be able to read storybooks all day and all night. This includes her time in the classroom. One day, I checked her schoolbag and found 4 storybooks in it. 4. Four. Empat. Hardcover books, mind you.
And her papers often come back kiam chye. Ronyok. Crumpled and dog-eared.
Does she organise and sort her things neatly? No.
I have a looooooooong way to go with this girl.
I lectured her once and asked her, "Do you think you will ever be selected to be a prefect if you cannot even be responsible for your own things?"
Her reply? "No. I don't want to be a prefect. I don't want to be responsible for other people."
Hati manyak sakit. Heart very pain.
(But then again, she only wanted to be a prefect so she could hold the mic and lead the school in pledge taking. So, that's not saying much about her prefectorial ambitions.)
(I love you, Farah.)
3. Huda has become more and more responsible and dependable lately. There are still many areas of improvement - toothbrushing and washing hair, for example. But she will pick up the slack if she has to.
She is still obsessed about reading but I intend to add more value to her reading. Quizzing her on the books she reads and more importantly, I will make her write down a paragraph that she enjoys from the book. I want her to not just pick up story ideas from her reading but for her to improve in her language abilities, there must be some higher order thinking/activity that goes on after she is done with each book.
(I love you, Huda.)
Must stop now. Boy is awake.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
21 January 2016
So Ihsan is now 17 months old. If I were to stop breastfeeding at 24 months, I am left with only 7 months in this breastfeeding journey. Oh nooooooo! This will be my last ever breastfeeding journey! Boo hoo hoo! I shall enjoy it and not complain about the lack of sleep or how frequently he wakes up at night. (If I ever tell you that he sleeps through the night, I define night as between 2am and 5am.)
17 months and a couple of days. What can Ihsan do?
He can climb. A lot. I don't remember the girls climbing our dining and computer tables. I don't remember having to push all chairs against the wall to prevent the girls from climbing the tables. This boy requires constant supervision.
Consequently, the simple meals that I cook have become even simpler. I really cannot afford to be in front of the stove and watch over the onions that I have to tumis sampai naik bau. So, baked stuff are convenient. And I start cooking really early. Vegetables are actually the most cumbersome dishes because the prep work takes some time. So, I start preparing the vegetables immediately after I'm done with his breakfast. On a normal day, by 9am, the vegetables for lunch and dinner will be ready. (If you want to tell me about nutrient lost because of the early preparation and et cetera, it's okay. At worst, we get the fibre from the vege.)
The Boy. He still hates eating and I don't know how to get him to swallow the food. I normally manage to make him eat the first 3 (tiny) spoonfuls of his lunch/dinner. But trouble often starts from the 4th spoonful. He will start spitting out the food the moment the food enters his mouth. It is infuriating! To avoid wastage, I scoop back whatever he spits out and shove it back in his mouth. We have to do a few rounds of this before the food disappears (most of the time it's because there's too much stuck to his clothes to be scooped up).
He is underweight. Way below the 3rd percentile. 8kg for a 17 month old baby. Sigh. On one hand, I am not *that* worried (unlike during the era of my firstborn) but on the other hand, I am somewhat concerned that he may not have enough nutrition. I have tried out so many recipes. Last year, my 12yo nephew whom I tutored often helped to finish his porridge especially if it's cod porridge. Sigh.
Developmentally, there is nothing alarming. Other than his less-than-steady walk, everything seems to be on track. Alhamdulillah for that. He is getting very cheeky these days and can follow commands. Ask him to make muka kiyut and he will cup his cheeks with his hands. He can point to his body parts except dagu and dahi. He can call out to his immediate family members and his favourite cousin. One day, the favourite cousin was at the door. He ran to the door and called out, "Ämiya! Amiya! Amiya!" Cousin's name is Nabilah.
He only salam people when he wants to. And when he wants to, he will salam you repeatedly. Likewise for kisses. He hates to see me sleeping. Everyone else can sleep but if I dare close my eyes when he's wide awake, he will immediately resuscitate me with a few smacks on my eyes. He likes to pretend to read. This is an influence of his sisters. He opens up a book and pretends to read by pointing at the words. He likes being read Llama Llama Red Pajama and any books that feature Elmo, pronounced Eh Mmmm. He also likes to tear pages off books. (let's pause for a minute and mourn the books that were sent to The Book Hospital)
He likes playing ball games - catching and kicking. He perspires a lot and needs the fan all the time. Thank God we don't have airconditioning at home; otherwise, our utilities bill would be astronomical. He has developed a penchant for magnets, stuffing them into his mouth whenever he managed to pry one off the fridge. (yes, they are placed higher but with this boy, short of putting the magnets on the ceiling, there's no place high enough) Sadly, he has outgrown his thing for durians. Was hoping to fatten him up on a regular dose of durians once they are in season.
Okie dokie. I must stop now. The Boy is sleeping and I have to do a couple of things online before he wakes up. I have about 30 minutes or so left before his nap time is over. Til next time, goodbye!
17 months and a couple of days. What can Ihsan do?
He can climb. A lot. I don't remember the girls climbing our dining and computer tables. I don't remember having to push all chairs against the wall to prevent the girls from climbing the tables. This boy requires constant supervision.
Consequently, the simple meals that I cook have become even simpler. I really cannot afford to be in front of the stove and watch over the onions that I have to tumis sampai naik bau. So, baked stuff are convenient. And I start cooking really early. Vegetables are actually the most cumbersome dishes because the prep work takes some time. So, I start preparing the vegetables immediately after I'm done with his breakfast. On a normal day, by 9am, the vegetables for lunch and dinner will be ready. (If you want to tell me about nutrient lost because of the early preparation and et cetera, it's okay. At worst, we get the fibre from the vege.)
The Boy. He still hates eating and I don't know how to get him to swallow the food. I normally manage to make him eat the first 3 (tiny) spoonfuls of his lunch/dinner. But trouble often starts from the 4th spoonful. He will start spitting out the food the moment the food enters his mouth. It is infuriating! To avoid wastage, I scoop back whatever he spits out and shove it back in his mouth. We have to do a few rounds of this before the food disappears (most of the time it's because there's too much stuck to his clothes to be scooped up).
He is underweight. Way below the 3rd percentile. 8kg for a 17 month old baby. Sigh. On one hand, I am not *that* worried (unlike during the era of my firstborn) but on the other hand, I am somewhat concerned that he may not have enough nutrition. I have tried out so many recipes. Last year, my 12yo nephew whom I tutored often helped to finish his porridge especially if it's cod porridge. Sigh.
Developmentally, there is nothing alarming. Other than his less-than-steady walk, everything seems to be on track. Alhamdulillah for that. He is getting very cheeky these days and can follow commands. Ask him to make muka kiyut and he will cup his cheeks with his hands. He can point to his body parts except dagu and dahi. He can call out to his immediate family members and his favourite cousin. One day, the favourite cousin was at the door. He ran to the door and called out, "Ämiya! Amiya! Amiya!" Cousin's name is Nabilah.
He only salam people when he wants to. And when he wants to, he will salam you repeatedly. Likewise for kisses. He hates to see me sleeping. Everyone else can sleep but if I dare close my eyes when he's wide awake, he will immediately resuscitate me with a few smacks on my eyes. He likes to pretend to read. This is an influence of his sisters. He opens up a book and pretends to read by pointing at the words. He likes being read Llama Llama Red Pajama and any books that feature Elmo, pronounced Eh Mmmm. He also likes to tear pages off books. (let's pause for a minute and mourn the books that were sent to The Book Hospital)
He likes playing ball games - catching and kicking. He perspires a lot and needs the fan all the time. Thank God we don't have airconditioning at home; otherwise, our utilities bill would be astronomical. He has developed a penchant for magnets, stuffing them into his mouth whenever he managed to pry one off the fridge. (yes, they are placed higher but with this boy, short of putting the magnets on the ceiling, there's no place high enough) Sadly, he has outgrown his thing for durians. Was hoping to fatten him up on a regular dose of durians once they are in season.
Okie dokie. I must stop now. The Boy is sleeping and I have to do a couple of things online before he wakes up. I have about 30 minutes or so left before his nap time is over. Til next time, goodbye!
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
6 January 2016
1. Farah started primary school life just two days ago. So far, no issues and we hope that it remains that way!
2. I am glad that we did not go into a buying frenzy prior to her starting school. We have a lot of things lying around the house. So she used things that we already have instead of buying brand new stuff. Other than her socks and schoolbooks, everything else has been used by others before her. I hope the kids will always be as practical as this.
3. This reminded me of an exchange I had with Huda sometime last year. There was a sale of stuff by a Science vendor in her school. I am Mother Scrooge and I am always fearful of accidentally raising spendthrifts so I discouraged her from buying anything from there because it is either not practical or Amazon sells it cheaper. She eventually settled on something that costs 50 cents and she bought two of them. On the way home, she talked about what she bought and demonstrated it. She wasn't too happy with how simplistic the toy was and commented, Ï wasted my 50 cents on this."
Music to my ears. She could come up with the conclusion that it was a waste of money.
4. Let's go back to Farah and her first day of school stories. I didn't accompany Huda to school on her very first day because I also had my own first day of school. So, this was my first experience in being one of those anxious parents. Only thing is, I wasn't anxious. Farah could hold her own. Stories that Huda had shared prepared her for school. I was a little bit worried that she would eat too slowly during recess but she managed to finish her food in about 10 minutes. At home, she often takes so long because she is the chattiest and has so many stories to tell.
5. Farah was assigned a P4 buddy. During the P1 Orientation in November, Huda was shocked to find out that P1 buddies would come from P4 instead of P2. She prayed hard to be assigned anyone except her own sister. Both of them were pretty sure they would be hauled to the office if they were buddies. They painted a lot of scenarios of possible fights that could take place. Thankfully, they were not partnered together.
6. This afternoon, when I fetched them from school, Farah excitedly shared the news that she was appointed group leader for the month of January. Hooray for her!
7. Ihsan is now 17 months old! He is feeling very lonely when his sisters are in school. He becomes extremely clingy and does not allow me to leave him for even a moment. Just this morning, while I was answering nature's call in the toilet, he banged at the door and wailed at the top of his lungs. He banged te door so hard that part of the lock flew out. Thankfully, it could be fixed.
8. He is at a rather mischievous state now. All he wants to do are things he should not do. Like, climb the computer table and fling things about. The house now looks like we are preparing for a kenduri. All the chairs which used to surround the dining table are pushed against the wall, far , far away from the table.
9. While he is walking, he is not too steady on his feet. He still looks like a drunkard when he walks - swaying this way and that and eventually stumbling.
10. Eating is a nightmare. A complete, absolute nightmare. But that will be contined later because he's awake now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)