Traveling Throwback ~ Top 5 international cities I love!

It's no secret I love traveling. I love going places ever since I was very young. Of course, back then budget was limited so movement was limited too. Mainly domestic travel. However, I am fortunate, my dad used to work for MAS and one of the employees benefit was flight tickets to travel abroad FOC once a year. Thanks to this we get to visit many countries.

There are however 5 cities I have visited and fell in love instantly

#5 Barcelona

We went to Barcelona in 2012. It's part of Western Europe backpacking tour I experienced with my better half. We went there during spring and the weather was just amazing. We walked around the city and of course use the cheapest way to see any cities i.e. via Hop On Hop Off. We also get to enjoy the seaview and hillview. Being a football fan, of course we visited Barcelona Stadium Camp Nou

We also enjoyed walking along La Ramblas. We were looking for halal tapas, unfortunately could not find any. There, we get to experience many street entertainment. We get to experience great architecture portrayed from the buildings around Barcelona.

Halal food was not a problem in Barcelona. Almost every street we walk through, there will be at least one restaurant or cafe that offers halal dishes

#4 Lucerne

There's nothing not to like except for how expensive things are! We love Lucerne. It's just so beautiful. Again, we were blessed with such good weather. Waking up and get to see a beautiful lake and mountains making waking up is not so bad after all. Like many other cities in Europe, we walked a lot. The highlight of course taking a cruise to Mount Pilatus, then took a train up. We enjoyed the amazing view going up and down the mountain.

Walking across Chapel Bridge was another interesting experience. We get to enjoy sunset from the bridge and it was really beautiful. Some may say it's cheap to buy watches and chocolates there. However, based our experience, it's not really that cheap. Even food was super expensive. I guess we are also paying for the view hence why the price is super high

#3 Gold Coast

I may be bias in choosing this city simply because I love beaches. Beach holiday has always been my kind of holiday. And Gold Coast beaches are just to die for. I can just sit at the beach for hours accompanied by good books, I am happy already. Kids of course love Gold Coast because of the theme parks. You need to spend whole day for one park. We were fortunate we came during off peak hours. So the queue was not long and kids get to enjoy rides they love few times.

One experience I enjoyed was strolling through the Pasar Malam aka Night Market on the beach. The items sold there were unique and majority of this were home made. Food was accessible anywhere as many joints offer halal food.

#2 London

 Yes, London. How do I even begin to tell you about London. This is a city I feel most comfortable with. This is the city I feel right at home. I just know where to go, what to do, what to eat. It's just so simple. Changing from one tube or train to another visiting many interesting places. Walking along Hyde Park every morning after breakfast is never boring. There is nothing I don't enjoy in London. I can go to London every year and still don't get bored. Planning to go again this year Insyallah.

#1 Oxford

First time I came to Oxford, I fell in love immediately. I went there for work and it was not a long trip and yet I enjoyed it. I told myself I can imagine living here and raising my kids. I made promise to myself I will be back with my better half and kids. True enough, I came back with them and went there again. Since 2011, I managed to return to Oxford every year without fail.

I love the architecture. I love the buildings there. I love the parks. I love the morning market. I just love Oxford. I got inspired and planning to pursue my studies there soon Insyallah. And if everything goes well, I do hope both Mira and Ilham can also study there. Yes, Insyallah

Of course, there are many other amazing cities apart from this 5. We do hope we get to visit more cities soon. In our bucket lists we have Istanbul, cities in East Europe, Scandinavian cities among others. Insyallah...Soon....

And traveling don't have to be expensive. Plan well and go for cheaper options. Save money. Insyallah even you can travel!

Throwback Entry ~ Canteen & Childhood Food

The way my better half and I give pocket money to our kids, we don't give it on daily basis. We give them monthly allowance which they use to buy daily food at the canteen, buy their phone prepaid top up or other stuff they want. We will still cover their education and other needs like books, stationery and kawasan2 sewaktu denganya. Should they need more than what they receive, they need to present a case to us and work for it. We are trying to teach them to live within their means so they can be better prepared for real life.

So, last night during dinner, we asked them about canteen food, whether they experience price increase. We read somewhere some canteen operators increased the price of their food and gave GST as the reason. Wanted to see if their school is affected. Alhamdulilah, the school still maintain the same price. Both of them then shared what food is good to eat and what are just big No No!

It reminded me of the childhood and canteen I consumed when I was in school. Unfortunately, on canteen food, my memory is failing me, somehow I don't remember much memory on primary school. I went to SRK Kelana Jaya and all I remembered was the hawker outside the school that sell junk food aka jajan. I don't remember about the canteen food at all.

However, for secondary school, I went to SM Seaport before I entered MRSM. I told my kids I was fortunate as the canteen did serve descent food at affordable price. They had like food court concept. I love the Mee Kari there. Next to it was the Yong Tau Foo stall. I usually buy Mee Kari and then go to Yong Tau Foo stall and buy 1 or 2 dumplings. I will request for the dumplings to be added directly to the Mee Kari. I usually eat a lot at the canteen since highly likely I don't get to eat lunch at home. Both of my parents were working so if I wish to eat, I have to cook myself. Hence makan kenyang2 then balik rumah :).

Many may say MRSM food is bad. However, as far as I can recall, it was not too bad. I remember I love the Friday menu the most, Ayam Bumia with special rice, I think that's the name. Of course, Friday is ice cream day so makin best! I also love Soto Pasar Gesel. It is still the best soto I have ever eaten. I think many of my MRSM mate can vouch to that.

I then went to college in MSM Trolak and what I remembered the most was Kuey Teow Hailam with chicken. There's this couple who sold goreng2 food and I remembered how I enjoyed their Kuey Teow Hailam. They also sell Nasi Ayam so I requested for the chicken from Nasi Ayam to be added on top of the Kuey Teow Hailam. Yes, people, I love to mix and match my food. Somehow, I was not bored of this food and I ate it almost everyday unless I am broke.

Of course, I have childhood food I miss till this day. I was brought up in Kelana Jaya and back then they were lots of food which I enjoyed. Everytime after kelas agama, I will buy goreng pisang from this Pak Cik whom all of us call him Pak Cik Goreng Pisang (duh!!). He also sell Cucur Udang and whenever I ordered the goreng pisang, I would ask the Pak Cik to add the sambal for Cucur Udang. Here I am, mix and match my food again.

If you are from Kelana Jaya, you should be familiar with Goreng Pisang garam (the only goreng pisang I know that sprinkle salt before handing it over to customer), Nasi Lemak Mak Cik Muka Masam selling next to 7-11. Though this Mak Cik is not so mesra alam (hence the nickname), she always give generous portion of everything like sotong, ayam and of course rice!. With the price we paid, the portion is super huge!. This Mak Cik only opened her stall from 6pm onwards.

I also love Nasi Lemak Mak Cik Garang, near the SS6 PKNS Apartment. She only opened for breakfast. She operated her stall with her husband and daughter. Though she has them helping her, she don't really allow them to help her. She always wants to do things herself. And very the garang one! Her sambal was so awesome. And I love her sambal sotong as well.

There are also pasar malam food which I really miss. Mee Soto at Wak Soto stall which has the best sambal cili api ever, this sambal guarantees you to sweat like you are under the hot sun. I also remember vadey and idli which we call gerai anak dara. If you consume this while it's hot, it's one of the best food experience you'll ever get.

And how can I not include the Aunty Gemuk Kuey Teow, Lau Wan Kuey Teow, Lontong at Restoran Jaya among others. There was also Nasi Ayam bawah pokok near what used to be the building of Jerry's tuition center. Also Rojak in front of Giant lama.

My mouth water just by blogging this entry. I better stop now before this crave becomes unbearable. Haih!

So my ex-schoolmates, college mates and Kelana Jaya people, do you remember the food I listed above. I bet you do!

Weekend Wonders ~ How To Make Burger Patties

Maternity leave is a good time to catch up on many things. Catching up with cleaning, putting our home in order, all the TV series I may have missed, blogging and of course what I love doing the most, cooking!

For those who don't know what to cook this weekend, try to make your own burger patties. It was my first time trying to cook it. I referred to few recipes and decided to improvised to suit my own tastes, and the kids also....

I always prefer beef than chicken so for this one, I am sharing beef burger patties recipe. Beef is much simpler, chicken if not cooked well, it can get a bit dry and not so delicious. Please also note when I cook, I don't really use specific measurement, more like a secukup rasa kind of thing

Ingredients (To make 4 burgers)

500gm Beef, please choose the part when it combines the meat and the fat so the patties can be moist and juicy

3 Garlic

3 Shallots 

1 egg

Black Pepper

Paprika Powder

Coriander

Anise (Jintan Manis) 

Salt

Worcestershire sauce

Soya Sauce

Step 1 

Mince the beef. Please avoid using blender as it may get too watery. Use the food mincer instead. If you don't have that (cause we don't) use the part that usually is used to blend the nuts. Sorry, I don't know what that part is called. When you buy blender, it will come with 2 main blending container, I used the small one

Step 2

Blend the garlic and shallots. Then mix that with black pepper, paprika powder, coriander and anise 

Step 3

Mix ingredients all including the beef and items in step 2. Make sure you mix in well with your fingers so all the spices are well segregated

Step 4

Mould the beef to burger shape. 

Step 5

You can choose to cook it either using pan or oven. We were hungry so I decided to pan fry it.

Step 6

Garnish it with buns, onions, salad, cucumber and tomatoes. Add cheese if you want to

Tada! The burger is now ready to be served. Do give it a try and share with me the outcome ya! 

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

See The World, Open Our Mind, Go Travel!

I love traveling. Every chance I have, I will try to fit traveling in my life itinerary though I do wish I can travel more. Many thoughts the moment you have kids, your traveling will be limited. I beg to differ to certain extend. Yes, of course financial level is key, however if we plan and do our budgeting well, it is still doable.

I still remember the first time I took my then 3 small children on an airplane. We have been planning that trip to Kuching for more than 6 months. We also took time to save money for the trip. Given our budget was not that large, we settled for 3 star hotel and took Air Asia. It was an eye opening trip for us.

Some of our traveling experience....

1. The Kuching trip. Back then, Air Asia has no seat booking facilities and we were not aware of that until we saw everyone running to the plane when announcement was made. Not knowing why people run, my better half just grabbed Ilham and run while I was walking super fast with my 2 girls. Apparently, everybody was running to book seats. If we don't do that, we may not get to sit together. I remembered my better half managed to book seats though he looked like he was about to faint due to the sprinting :). Traveling with 3 small children was not easy, however we managed to make the holiday enjoyable. From there we learned to improve the way we plan our holidays

2. Next, we had our first "abroad" holiday. Not that far, to Singapore. Still abroadlah kan. It was also the first time kids had their passport done and stamped. We decided to take the bus cause we can't afford to fly. It was quite taxing on us, kids were not that big that time. We had to all go down for immigration check together with our bags and then boarded the bus again after all that was done. We, however, enjoyed our time in Singapore. We went to Universal Studio, Night Safari and get to experience the Christmas Parade at Orchard Road. Halal food was a challenge but because we did our research and planned well, we stayed in the hotel near to halal food joint and MRT so that saved us a lot of time and money (and less stress!)

3. We then become more adventurous and of course has more money. We went to Australia, Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coast. We also learned that shopping for holiday packages are best done at MATTA Fair. We got really good deal and it was indeed an enjoyable holiday for us. Kids love all the theme parks and I enjoyed the beach. Again, because of good planning again, food was not an issue. We already know where to get ours.

4. Since the kids got bigger, my better half know it's the right time for us to go for holiday, just the two of us. We make it a point to go somewhere every year. We started with Bandung, then Ho Chi Minh, Singapore and in 2012, we did our Europe tour to 9 Western Europe countries. That was indeed an amazing experience. And last year, we went to London. We love London and we think we will make it a point to go there when we can.

5. So far, apart from Singapore and Australia, we have also taken the kids to Bali, Hong Kong, Krabi, UK and Paris. We also had 2 bigger group holidays where we took both of our parents to Medan and Ho Chi Minh.

6. Actually come to think of it, I started to take them traveling when they were really babies. Due to work commitment, I have to travel across the country to meet clients. Baby was still breastfeeding so everytime I travel, I take all my 3 kids with me. So they have been to all states in Malaysia by the time they were 5!

7. I have also been to few parts of US due to again, work commitment. Can't say I enjoy it though, not just because the traveling was due to work, also the stereotyping I faced by some of the people there just because I wear tudung. One waitress even asked a friend of mine while we were having dinner if I can speak English (pfffttt!!!). Every time I need to take domestic flight, I will be subjected to "random" checks by security. I guess I am not that random anymore. If I even want to go to US again for holiday, I will definitely consider San Fransisco and New York. I did not enjoy California including LA, Chicago, Boston and Wisconsin.

Why do we love traveling and encourage kids to travel?

1. It will teach them to respect other cultures. We are not the only one living in this world and with respect world will be a better place. I can see significant difference when we start to take our kids traveling. They tend to be more patient and able to accept different ways of doing things by people from different backgroud

2. They also become less choosy. When you travel especially abroad, you just have to settled with what you can afford. Current exchange rate is a challenge when we go to countries exchange rates are higher than ours. However, if we plan well, it is still manageable.

Now, traveling is much easier. Flights are more affordable, there's lots of hotel bookings portal which can compare prices before we decide where to stay, reviews we can read so we can plan well and also facilities like AirBnB so you can choose to live in a house or apartment which allow you to cook and clean. You will then save more money.

I always feel the best part about holiday is the planning part. Maybe I should consider that as a career. I can get paid to plan for people's holiday without having to go with them. I can book their hotels, prepare their itinerary and up to the point listing down place of interests and where to go....Hmmm....Sounds like a good proposition....

Protecting Vs Guiding ~ Where Is The Line.....

Pardon for my tardiness in updating this blog. Isyraf has not been well since Sunday and he just wants to be hold all the time. He is my priority so other things just have to wait. Alhamdulilah, he is better now and this allows me to do my daily routine while I am on maternity leave including updating this blog :).

Anyway, in our home, we make it a point we sit together for dinner. For the past 4 years this have become regular since work commitment is more manageable. Where I used to work, I hardly get to see my kids, usually by the time I am home the kids would have slept. Of course there will be occasions I miss dinner, however that occasions are very rare.

This is the opportunity for us to have good conversation with the kids. At their age, they need to have someone to listen to them and provide them with guidance on issues they are dealing with. This time is also a great opportunity to receive updates on what's going on at school, beyond academic of course.

Baby shared this one interesting scenario she faced last week.

It's a condition in Baby's school you can't hold 2 positions at one time. This is to give opportunity for others to also gain experience in assuming leadership positions. Baby came home so excited she got to be the asistant monitor for her class as the class monitor got appointed to be pembimbing rakan sebaya so the assistant monitor will be made monitor. The class then voted Baby to become the assistant monitor to which the class teacher agreed. And because of this new nomination, Baby got to go for leadership camp. She asked me for RM23 to pay for this. I happily obliged, I do want her to get exposed to many things while she is still in school.

However, the next day she came home disappointed. Her class teacher changed her mind and changed the rules. The class monitor can still be the class monitor despite holding another position in school. What disappoint her the most is now she can't go for the leadership camp. She then returned the money I gave her.

As a mother, of course it's my nature to protect her. I was silently upset on the treatment she received. Rejection is never easy at any age and she is only 14! I felt like going to school the next day and meet the teacher requesting for explanation. Not only she disappoint my daughter, she also gave her false hope which is wrong and a big sin in any mother's dictionary.

However, when I see how calm Baby is despite the disappointment shown in her eyes, I know she just need someone to talk to, to vent her anger and sadness. And I know, in life, she will face more disappointments and I can't protect her from all that. She just needs to deal with it.

I did ask her, to show that I support her, if she wants me to go and speak to her teacher. With a very relaxed tone, she just replied "It's ok Mama. The teacher just missed the opportunity to have the best Assistant Monitor she will ever meet. I don't think it's my loss. There will be other opportunities and those who choose to give me one will be glad they did".

Yes, though she is called Baby, she is more matured than some adults I know. I know she is sad, I know she also feel humiliated in front of her class for not being appointed when she was given hope she will be one. I am glad she finds it in her to accept, forgive and move on. And move on she did, move on to be a better individual.

I also learned one good lesson. I need to let go and trust my kids are able to take care of themselves. They know when they need my help. And they know I will be there for them when they need me.

Yes, parenting is tough. It doesn't come with a user manual. No matter how many parenting books you read, courses or talks you attend, it's not the same when you experience it.

And I am proud of Baby. She will definitely be a great role model to Isyraf. May Allah continues to guide her in doing the right thing....Amin....

The Most Powerful 7 with No More Excuses

I have been wanting to lose weight for the longest time. My weight loss journey is like a yoyo. It goes up then it goes down and up again. Before I gave birth to Isyraf, I loss a lot of weight. I must admit, though some may say I am perasan, I look good.

When I got pregnant, I even had this conversation with my gynae. It was half serious and half joking. I asked my gynae whether I can have a healthy pregnancy and not gain too much weight, you know like Fasha Sandha, her tummy is the only thing that got bigger(Yes, I did quote Fasha Sandha when I spoke to my gynae). She did not grow side ways and look so good. My gynae just gave me the stare and did not even entertain my question.....

My weight on the day of my first pregnancy check up was 65kg. I then wiegh 72kg one day before I gave birth to Isyraf. After I delivered, I weigh 64kg and today after 45 days, I am 62kg. My better half told me not to be too skinny and of course his speech about loving me no matter how fat I become ( Yes Sayang, how sweet of you but you know very well I need to lose this extra weight). I am doing this so that I can be healthy and able to take care of my 4 kids. I can't afford to fall sick especially after having Isyraf.

This pregnancy is also an eye opener. I was diagnosed with both high blood pressure and diabetes. According to my gynae it's mainly due to my age and if I don't start to have healthy lifestyle (eat right, exercise), I may have this for the rest of my life which is not good. How can I take care of my 4 babies when I can't even take care of myself. So, that's a good motivation. I will do anything for my kids, Yes, anything!

After I delivered Isyraf, I followed pantang diligently in terms food consumption. And of course breastfeeding helps to lose that extra weight. As much as I wanted to start exercising right away, I was advised to wait until my pantang period is over to ensure I recover well from child birth before I can start. So, today, my pantang has officially ended and my weight loss journey has officially started.

I acknowledge it's not easy. There will be temptations and also godaan sekeliling (you know what I mean). However, if I remind myself of my original nawaitu on why I need to do this, I believe it can be done Insyallah....

Ting! Day 1!

Wish me luck!

Still learning to be a mom

One thing I usually avoid is to give advise on anything related to parenting. Maybe because I had given birth 4 times, people tend to ask me what to do during pregnancy and child birth. I usually hesitate to give any comments mainly due to the fact I believe all pregnancy and child birth are different. Even my four pregnancy and child birth experience were not exactly identical. What I usually say when people ask, this is based on my experience which may differ from others.

I must confess (yes, another confession). It irks me when people say my life is easy cause my kids area all grown up. And now when I have a baby, some may say my life is still easy, cause I have 3 kids to help me take care of the baby. Well, from the look of it, I don't experience any hardship in my life, do I. Let me tell you the issues when you have small and later big kids.

I mentioned many times before I got married young. And I got kids at young age too. I have 3 kids by the time I am 25. Mira and Ilham gap is about 1 year 2 months while Ilham and Baby 1 year 9 months. Surprised huh? Yes, before my kids got big like they are now, they were small #sarcasm.

So raising all three of them was indeed a big challenge. And not having a maid added to that challenge. Every morning before going to work, we have to get them ready, bathe them, dress them, prepare milk and breakfast, get them and their stuff into the car and then send them to daycare. All that to be done under 1 hour including time for us to prepare ourselves. Of course, like other babies and toddlers, they threw tantrum, refused to get into the bathroom, fight among themselves and all the dramas you would know if you have young children.

When they enter school, it will be new set of issues. Making sure they do their homework, get their school items ready everyday, also reminding them not to lose their stuff like their lunch box, stationery among others, go to bed on time so they won't feel tired the next morning. Let's not forget the school drama about their teachers, friends and not so friendly people around them. Yes, you don't have to bathe and dress them. But let me tell you this phase is more complex. When they were smaller, you need to hear them. Now, you need to listen. Those 2 are different. You need to listen how their day went. Who is now friends with who, what are they up to. The kind of activities they do in school and what subject they hate and enjoy. Yes, you need to pay attention no matter how busy you are and you have to juggle this with your work since you still need to earn a living.

And now they are teenagers before you know it. They will have different needs. They want freedom at the same time they want you to be there for them. They are in a confuse state at times and expect your guidance. They want you around but they also want to look cool in front of their friends. Sometimes, you will be in a confuse state trying to guess what do they really want. They are trying to find their identity and who they are. They are discovering people from opposite sex and as muchs as you try to guide and control them, you can only pray for them to make the right decision. Yes, pretty complex. We all went through that before. We should be able to relate that.

Now we are re-entering the first phase while managing the teenage space. So, it gets tougher. Yes, we have 3 extra helpers but you do know these helpers need to go to school, do their homework, study and hang out with their friends. They are your kids, not your maid. So, we need to be sensitive with their needs. I am blessed Mira, Ilham and Baby love spending time with Isyraf. But I must also make sure they have their space too. They need to also enjoy teenage life and not forced to play the parents role. I want them to continue to enjoy having Isyraf's company, because they want to, not because they have to.

Some even say at least with bigger kids we will not be sleep deprived. Guess what, occasionally you will lose sleep but for different reason. Like worrying about how they are doing in school or when you have disagreement with them and you worry if they will start to distant themselves from you. And they do get sick so that will also keep you awake. You'll know when you get there.

Hence, that is why I am not the right person to ask about parenting. I am still learning myself. I am not even sure how my kids will turn up when they get bigger. Will they do well in college, will they get good descent job, will they have amazing life partner are some of many questions I constantly ask myself.

And the most critical questions, when I die, will they be the one to manage the funeral, will they be the one mandikan my jenazah, kafankan and solatkan. Will they be the one to carry the coffin and walk me to my final resting place. Will they be the one praying to Allah to forgive my sins and grant me Jannah.

Parenting goes beyond what life has to offer. If done well, it will be carried to the hereafter...(OMG, it rhymes! )

The most trying time

When it comes to child birth, there are many phases we need to go through. Major phases would e pregnancy and what comes with it and labour pain and what comes with it. Many thought labour pain is the most trying time, maybe to some. Not to me at least, epidural or no epidural.

As shared earlier, this round of pregnancy was quite taxing on me. I never had diabetes or high blood pressure when I was carrying Mira, Ilham and Baby, however, I was tested with this 2 diagnosis when I was carrying Isyraf. That was when I had this theory whoever said when you are pregnant, you can eat anything is a damn big liar. This pregnancy, I don't get to eat many things. Thank God I don't have any critical cravings. Otherwise, bak kata orang tua, meleleh air liur anak.

Most trying time for me is confinement (noticed I use IS since I am still in confinement, 2 more days 2 go). This round of confinement, unlike the first 3, food was not the issue. I am ok not having to consume many food I like. Having to eat fish cooked in certain way, nothing spicy except if it comes from black pepper, there are forbidden fruits and vegetables when I am hantu fruits and veges. I am just ok with it. Maybe because of that, my weight now is much lower than before I got pregnant the 4th time.

Why I find this time around confinement is the most trying time is I can't go out and do things I love even if I don't mind going anywhere wearing socks (still wearing them as I am typing this). However, I had to make this confession (sorry Mummy, I did go our few times cause I have to, not because I want to *yeah right*)

1. I won a contest organised by Shape Malaysia magazine and I got to have merchandise worth RM800. Condition is I had to go and collect the prize myself and I have to do this within 1 week. So, I had to go out. The collection place is in PJ. At the same time, my phone screen got cracked and Samsung had an offer which is only for that week where I had to pay only 50% of the actual price which is a lot. So yeah, I had to go out. I went with my better half and we took the kids including Isyraf as it was school holiday. Kids got hungry and I had to feed them. So we had to go to the nearest mall and feed them lunch (don't worry, I was still consuming pantang food, though I don't know why you should be worried)

2. It's a tradition we eat out to celebrate birthdays. And this time around it was Baby's birthday and it's only fair we take her out for the normal makan do. I need to show the kids even with the arrival of Isyraf, we will still maintain whatever family tradition we have. So we went out for 2 hours to celebrate and then went straight home. My better half parked our car at the nearest spot to the restaurant so I don't have to walk too far. And yes, I was still consuming pantang food

3. There were some issues with my better half's shop in Johor which need to be settled fast and my help is needed. So the whole family went back Johor to sort things out. Isyraf made his debut to my better half's kampung. It was a short day trip. We came, we solved and we went home. No stop over except for lunch at Mak's house and Friday prayers at the nearby mosque. Yeah yeah, still consuming pantang food

4. This one, is within my mom's knowledge. My Pak Lang passed away. I went back to Kuala Selangor so we can give our final respect. Of course, I am not allowed to go to the cemetery therefore Isyraf and I stayed in the car. Despite the sad reason to get together, I wanted to take advantage of this to have family lunch with my 2 brothers and my parents. It's a rare occasion for all 5 of us having meals together. And the best thing is without the kids (except for Isyraf, no way I am leaving him behind) so we can have good descent conversation and not worrying for someone to pecahkan pinggan mangkuk kedai makan or running around, falling and injuring themselves or losing any of the kids. My mom has always wanted to makan at Aaron Aziz's restaurant, Kidz and Creme so we took mom there. It was really worth it. Both of my parents were at their happiest mood seeing all their 3 kids in front of them. Oh I forgot, I was still eating pantang food (gila ko! Mummy ada situ, ingat boleh lepas!)

5. This one was entirely me wanting to go out. I was bored. I was (and still am) really really bored. So, I pujuked my better half to take me out and kids for lunch. We went to this new shopping mall in Cyberjaya, D Pulze. Good choice, not crowded and have nursing room. Had good lunch and went back. Yes, still pantang food ouls!!

Of course, in between I get to go our for doctor's appointment when Isyraf was diagnosed with jaundice and when he had to go for his jab. That one doesn't count ya cause we just have to kan? (like it matters)

So I told my better half, I am willing to go through the pregnancy and labour pain (only with epidural ok!) again. I know if I were to get pregnant again it will be tough as I am OLD! But I am still ok to go through the journey, my only worry is if it will affect the baby. But, no way I want to go through confinement ever again.

This is the long answer to your short question. No, I don't plan to have more kids. Of course, kuasa Allah kita tak boleh menghalang ketentuanNya (chewah, bahasa drama dah kluar dah!). If Allah decides for me to have more, I will accept the rezeki. If it's up to me, the answer is NO!

You stop asking, I stop answering ya!

I think I wanna write a malay novel.....

One thing that I do whenever I am on long leave, in this case, maternity leave, I will watch malay dramas. Many many malay dramas. Yes, I do enjoy malay drama. On normal days, malay dramas would be my lipat kain moment. It makes lipat kain more enjoyable. Before you know it, 2 baskets gone while I enjoy giving live commentary on how stupid the hero is or how mean the b**** who likes to kacau suami orang. However, given now I have so much time to spare, I get to watch more malay dramas.

Off late, I noticed few common trends in malay dramas. One trend is the title. Some how, many would have suami or isteri on the title. Either Suamiku something or Dia Isteriku or Suamiku. Like the one I am watching now while I type this, "Isteri Separuh Masa". Last week, I followed Suami Rumah Sebelah and Teman Lelaki Upahan (TLU) (which I have yet to move on from TLU, Kyra and El are 2 characters which are unforgettable, yes, I have not moved on). I also watched Suamiku En Perfect 10. Baby was complaining I have become more Mak Cik since I got pregnant and got worse after I delivered.

Another trend in malay drama which I noticed is secret marriage. Either parents not aware their OWN kids are married, or they got into arranged marriage and don't want others to know or something in between. Of course some of the story line are not logic. Well, that's the beauty of it. It's not logic and yet we still enjoy watching it and got addicted.

This give me an idea, maybe I should start writing malay novel while I am on confinement. I can write about some cliche marriage arrangement. It can be due to tangkap khalwat which of course not the fault of the 2 main characters (adalah orang aniaya diaorang) or the main character cannot claim CEO position or some harta pusaka until s/he got married or fulfilling parents or atok nenek wasiat. Of course, one part of the couple is from the city and another one orang kampung or some sopan santun gadis who is so naive and senang kena tipu.

The title must have Suami or Isteri in it. Since many are taken, so I need to squeeze my brain harder to get a catchy title. Suamiku CEO, Aku Orang Kampung or Isteri Vogue Suami Selebet or Isteri Terror Masak Kari Kepala Ikan...something like that lah. Still got time to think about the title. Some title already in the market don't make much sense, at least not to me, so why can't I choose one title some where along that line.

It must also have comedy elements. And then followed by sob stories. And this two has to blend in. Barulah can make more than a dozen episodes. Oh, didn't I tell you the reason why I want to write the novel so that it can be converted into drama. The longer the episode the better. I can then choose who I want as the main characters, Izzue Islam ke, Aiman Redza ke, Adi Putra ke or Emma Maembong, or Ayda Jebat....It's so scary I now know the name of these actors or actresses. Before this I only know them by their character names. You may call it progress, I may call it "I'm Bored" moment.

I have less than 2 months to go before I start working again. I better start the novel soon, otherwise sure tak sempat to finish lah!!

The Overdue Entry ~ Safely Signed, Sealed, Delivered and He's Ours

Yes, I know. I was supposed to blog more diligently. As much as I want to blame my job, my family or whatever other commitment I have, the truth is it was due to this syndrome called Malas or in English, lazylah. I have so many things I want to blog about, somehow I wish I can just talk and someone else can do the typing. Yes, I know, I can be a little bit diva sometimes.

Well, Alhamdulilah, I have safely delivered a perfect baby boy more than a month ago. Few months before delivery were quite dramatic. Being diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure and being told by my gynae even if I control my food and other elements in my life like work stress, I will still have this tagged to this pregnancy simply because I am old. Thanks doctor. That really boost my self confidence though I appreciate the honesty.

2 months before delivery, I had to poke my fingers 3 times a day i.e. 2 hours after meals to check my sugar level. I was still working so at times I have to excuse myself from meetings and go to the loo to do the poking. And that is not enough.

A month before delivery, I had to go to the nearest GP for my BP to be taken every day. I offered to buy the BP machine (which I did anyway) but my gynae insisted for me to still go to GP so I can be advised if I need to be rushed to the hospital if my BP level increased significantly.

This period was quite tough for the kids. However, like other things in life, it was a blessing. Having grown up kids and at the same time going through this pregnancy made them appreciate me more. They now know and see it for themselves how hard it is to carry them for 9 months and the pain that comes with it. I am blessed to have my kids taking care of me, not allowing me to do too many housework and occasionally gave me foot massages after I come back from work.

Yes, talking about work. I was still working even on the day I was due to deliver. This time around the delivery was much more organised. I knew when I was about to be admitted and when is the expected time of delivery so I get to plan better. And for those who know me, would know very well I love planning. I was induced on 25th Feb 9pm and delivered at 4.08am. This time I asked for epidural, unlike my other 3 delivery where I went through the real labour pain. I was young and stupid, I thought that's the right thing to do. Until many of my girlfriends told me it's stupid not to take epidural. Science invented this to make labour pain bearable, why on earth we choose not to use it. If I were to get the same advise before, I will be #TeamEpidural all the way!

Isyraf Zayd is just a perfect baby (Yes, all moms say that about their kids). After 2 push (and I did not even feel it, only worked based on my gynae instruction to recite Bismilah, selawat, take a deep breath and push) he came into our world. Of course, both my better half and I cried when we first saw him. He is beautiful and LOUD! Yes, I repeat LOUD which my gynae said that's good, it shows he has strong lungs.

And like all the other 3 babies I delivered earlier, Isyraf changed our lives. All 5 of us. And I can't ask for more. He makes our family happier.

How am I doing after entering motherhood again after 14 years from the last delivery? I will share with you later. For now, need to stop and feed Isyraf.

Alhamdulilah, life is good....