I'm expecting a (not-so-new) Mac next week so hopefully I can go back to regular programming in updating this space. Except, I think I said the same thing when we bought the iPad. The iPad? It's not mine anymore. It has Kid Rumi's fingerprints all over it. These days I only get to use it perhaps, I don't know, once a week on average. Think I also said the same thing about the iPod Touch no?

 

What a wonderful year it has been. Forget the tears and frustrations, I only want to dwell on the good and the awesome. Maybe I'll do a recap of 2011 next week, with photos. Let the photos do all the talking.

mind your language

Received a phone call from an ex-colleague offering a job and perhaps, better salary and benefits.

What impressed me most was that his English is better now, I remember I used to correct his grammar at work, in emails, correcting his English whenever I get the chance (mind you he was a manager back then and I was a lowly executive, we were not even in the same department!). 

 

I praised his flawless English and he simply replied, "sebab awak-lah". Happy to know that I am indeed, doing something good to people without realising it.

 

Perhaps I should start charging for ad-hoc English lessons?

 

 

I was watching this and suddenly remembered something -- didn't I used to meditate to this song? Winters ago, while nursing a broken heart, I took up yoga and did a lot of meditating. I remember the first few classes it was difficult for me to meditate -- for some unknown reason I was too afraid to clear my mind, I was too terrified of falling because the yoga teacher made us think of mountains, and rivers of clouds. I thought it was dumb, I don't want to die jumping off a cliff, and I didn't want to drown either.

Silly.

this sacrifice.

Hari Raya Qurban always reminds me of that particular year back while I was living alone in K metropolis. My beloved Danial was probably 13 or younger that time, and I made him go to the surau downstairs. "Perhaps they'll give you free meat", I said knowingly. How wrong I was. Danial waited and waited for the people there to give him some meat and they never did but he was too afraid to come home, worried that I might scold him for coming home empty-handed. When he got home he had tears in his eyes and kept saying sorry profusely to me.

 

I felt so bad for making Danial wait that long. I was watching him from the 7th floor, and he was there all the time. This boy would never disobey me, he has always been that good kid who'd do anything to make his loved ones happy.

 

I still miss him. I look at my kids and often wonder how Danial would love them unconditionally and how he'd be their 'abang' who they can look up to.

 

I miss my father too, I miss having a father figure who would tell me what's right and what's wrong, who probably will say Amy, you're moving too fast, you need to keep your feet on the ground. I miss having that superhero who is not afraid to fail and not reticent to show his weaknesses. The one who loves his Broery Marantika endlessly, the one who cooks up a storm in the kitchen eventhough there's nothing much too eat, the one who is stubborn but willing to listen, the list is an abyss...

 

How do people with this kind of emotional void in their heart move on with their lives? I am dying to know.

Money motivates. These days, when this urge to spend money on food or any shiny stuff I see online, I just stare at this bag and be reminded that I need to save money. Save money Nate. Save money. Saaaaave moneeeeeeeeeeey.

 

The thing is, I'm not sure if I even like this bag. This love-hate relationship I have with a Balenciaga is driving me nuts. I have too many bags already! But you don't have a really expensive bag, said the Devil. Look at the rose gold hardware studs. Aish, shut up! The leather is very light. Huwaaaaaaaa....

 

Ok bye. Happy Deepavali guys.

1. First thing you wash in the shower? Feet
2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Blue
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Yes
4. Do you plan outfits? Every (other) day
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Neck hurting but I'm hooked on Protect the Boss
6. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red? My husband's external drive
7. Do you say aim or a-i-m? aim
8. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? My kids playing
9. Did you meet anybody new today? today? Nope.
10. What are you craving right now? Virgin sangria
11. Do you floss? Sometimes
12. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Cabbage patch kids!
13. When was the last time you talked on aim? Never
14. Are you emotional? Yes hell yes
15. Would you dance to the taco song? I have no idea what this is although Taco Bell would be nice right now
16. Have you ever counted to 1,000? Nope
17. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? Lick it
18. Do you like your hair? No, but ask me again tomorrow, I have a hair appointment after lunch
19. Do you like yourself? Sometimes
20. Have you ever met a celebrity? Yes
21. Do you like cottage cheese? Yes
22. What are you listening to right now? Tablo's sizzling new album http://youtu.be/dPmX-K7eadM
23. How many countries have you visited? Less than 10 I think
24. Are your parents strict? No
25. Would you go sky diving? No
26. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? No
27. Would you throw potatoes at him? Yes
28. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in? Yes, my favorite pen Neri got for me from HK
29. Have you ever been in a castle? Yes
30. Do you rent movies often? No
31. Who sits in behind you in your math class? Can't recall
32. Have you made a prank phone call? Yes, in high school
33. Do you own a gun? No
34. Can you count backwards from 74? I have not tried
35. Who are you going to be with tonight? My small family
36. Brown or white eggs? Brown
37. Do you own something from Hot Topic? No
38. Ever been on a train? Yes
39. Ever been in love? Yes
40. Do you have a cell-phone? Yes
41. Are you too forgiving? Not really
42. Do you use chap stick? Yes
43. What is your best friend doing tomorrow? Whine about work. Heh.
44. Can you use chop sticks? Yes
45. Ever have cream puffs? Yes

(stolen from my fellow noona, Suzie)

I wish I was in a food business

Fasting month over and what else to do but go back to our regular foodie programming!

Tough week again so last Friday we drove to Bangsar Village 1 to check out Ben's. I've always wanted to go there, been hearing people raving about it, the pizza's good! and knowing that it's under the same management as Delicious and Plan B, I doubt we could go wrong with the food there. 

Except, I didn't know that 

BEN'S;

BEN'S GENERAL FOOD STORE;

are 2 different restaurants guys.. -_-

Was disappointed that Ben's GFS don't serve pasta (WHAT NO PASTA) because we googled the menu before heading to Bangsar (yeah, wrong menu, derp) and opted for Salami pizza which turned out very nice. Didn't get to take a picture of the pizza because I was starving. Heh. Had bread & butter pudding for dessert and latte and I am happy person. I'd definitely come again if I'm feeling health conscious BUT I STILL WANT MY PASTA. With lots of cream on it.

Ambiance is a bit noisy, you know how much I hate sitting too close with other patrons because I will end up eavesdropping on them. British grandmas on my left can't wait for Christmas, and mak datins behind us insist that the the cute waiter cut the pizza for them. Pfffttthhh.

So apparently my work is deteriorating again. I tried digging deeper into this issue -- am I depressed? Does my work-life balance needs rehashing? Do I watch too much k-pop? Am I not doing enough laundry? No no no no.

I love my job. However, loving your job but you're not that good at it can be problematic too. Or maybe I'm just too comfortable here. I don't know. I guess I just have to buck-up. But how does one improves the quality of work when the only (annoying) voice you hear at work is the demotivating type?

*grumble grumble*

My drooling rugrat turns 6 months today! Party!
(actually I need to work harder -- have you not seen the cost of formula milk these days?)

... and then he progresses...

My iPod is acting up today! Arghhhh. I noticed that if I let my baby play with it (SALIVATE all over it more like it) then the iPod will go all diva on me. Pssshhhhhh.

My 3 kids are a handful these days. Rumi dances like Pocoyo, Emre is cranky (teething, poor baby) and Alebu the cow is so smelly! Heh.

To keep the creative juice flowing (or what's left of it) I'm gonna update this blog more often. If you noticed in my previous post I updated via my iPod. When I'm at home I hardly use my blackberry (apart from whatsapp & the occasional sms). Most of the time I'll be on the 'pod, doing everything an iPad could do. Fun!

With the current surge (God Nate can you not write like an economist now) of nuffnang-blogs (hate them, where is the passion in writing money-driven blogs?) I'm kinda grateful with the minimal readers I get here. I'm happier to know that some of you have been growing with me since my hedonistic Diaryland days! Let's keep it low key like that lah kan. :)

So, 'welcome back'!

Spent 4 days in sweet Kota Bharu. It's good to be 'home', although we don't have a place to stay this time around. My grandmother's house is temporarily rented out but I don't want to talk about it further. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. It's sad to see how families can be easily broken when they fight over material things.

But that aside, it's great to be back. I'd never say no great food. Visited the cemetery and some relatives. Rantau Panjang for cheap kaftans and jerseys, Kubang Pasu for delicious nasi dagang, etc etc.

On our 2nd day there I decided to splurge a little. I bought my first gold! But not that little considering the price of gold (as of a couple of days ago) was RM188 per gram. And I don't even wear gold to begin with! But since I'm a very low risk investor and I dare not venture further than the usual ASB & TH investments, I figured buying gold would be the next best thing.

To be honest I couldn't stop staring at this pretty little thing. I always wanted a bracelet that is not too big to be noticed but not too thin that may break so easily. A trip to a gold shop is very intimidating, especially when the people on your left and right are buying chunky gold stuff and paying in bulky cash no less.

Only one depressing thing, if I die, who will inherit my one and only string of hard-earned harta? One of my sisters or nieces? Or one of my boys' wives? :)

You may think that I'm so pathetic for worrying about this. But if there's one thing I've learned about death -- you need to have a will. Estate planning is important. Trust me, you never know who'll be fighting over your estate.

That aside, all I'm hearing while I was in KB was "you should try for a girl". Arghhh you smartypants should just shut up and breed your own kids. Realistically it's not cheap to raise kids these days. My head throbs like k-pop beats everytime I think about education fees and healthcare. -__-

Oh hey, I just realised that I updated a 'wordless wednesday' on a Thursday.

 

Eh, I so clever lah!

#wordlesswednesday

Sent via BlackBerry from space.

Funny how I compare cooking like going into a battle. I need to strategize, go forth and fight! If fail, retreat or have a back-up plan. Ayam padprik turned out to be really good thank god. I have a knack of browsing for recipes and choose the easiest ones to make or the type of recipes that comes with exact measurements. Puasa what. Cannot taste. ;)

Also made butter prawns, a simple recipe lifted off from trymasak.tv and for once they have a recipe that really works!

It's 2am right now and it's raining heavily. Hope I can get up on time for sahur.

Blessed month

Alamak, didnt get to post the pre-Ramadhan stuff I ate.

 

With the ridiculous cost of iftar buffets going up every year I doubt I'll be eating out this month. Oh, except for Al-Salam resto which I'll probably check out next weekend.

 

But if I have money I'd check out the buffet at Rebung -- the food there doesn't disappoint!

 

Tak balik Raya tahun ni. Most likely I'll go back the week after to coincide with Danial's 1-year death anniversary. Cepat betul masa berlalu. I said goodbye to Danial last year during the final week of Ramadhan on his hospital bed. "Kita jumpa di KB okay".

 

I tak peluk dia kuat-kuat.

I tak gosok kepala dia, I tak tatap muka dia betul-betul.

I tak cium pipi dia.

 

Tak terfikir langsung that he was just waiting for 1st Syawal to leave us forever. I know I shouldn't be beating myself up over this but I just can't help it. Healing process takes the longest time.

 

====

 

On a happier note,

my husband turns (jap i kira with a kalkulator kejap - my Maths is very bad!) 32 today. wow masih muda! the trick to buying a good gift for your spouse is -- there isn't any. No more surprise gifts at least, asyik salah beli je. So sorry!

 

and three of my buddies are pregnant. Jealous leyyyy. Especially with the surge of baby girls born lately. Do you not see how cute Sheikh Muzaffar & Jimmy Shanley babies are! Read somewhere that the astronaut's wife tak berpantang sangat pun. I feel less guilty now!  Also, congrats to Cik Daun on the birth of her baby boy.

 

My rugrat Emre is doing find except for his eczema problem.

I don't know how babies can produce so much saliva! No sign of teething but he slobbers all over us on a daily basis hee hee. Don't think I was craving for anything particular during pregnancy.

 

Maybe nak handbag mahal kot? ;)

 

 

 

 

Lunch with vendors and dinner with a dear friend tomorrow. I sense 2 resto reviews coming! :)

supir-mak

How do you guys do it? Come home after a long day at work then cook dinner. Perhaps do a little laundry and cleaning. Watch a bit of your favorite k-drama and spend time with your kids.

 

I did just that last night, but unfortunately it's not something that I wish I can do on a daily basis. I wish my eyelids didn't have to be so heavy by the time the clock hits 9pm.

 

My neighbor upstairs, a fierce Kelantanese lady (I should know, I always hear her screaming at her 3 kids and husband haha) wakes up at 430am (almost) on a daily basis, when she's not cooking at night that is. She is probably maidless too like me, but everytime I see her with her kids, I'd go "man, that's a superwoman over there". My sister has 5 kids, with or without a maid she is constantly on her toes, persis a captain commanding his ship. I can only salute her.

 

Me? Cooking and laundry are meant for weekends. But then again, most weekends we'll be out and in the end, I'd be backlogged with a mountain of clothes and a fridge of wasted veggies and poultries. I am definitely not a superwoman.

 

But I'd like to believe that I AM a supermom. *winks*

 

Ramadhan is almost here. I managed to get my tealady (no, actually I begged her) to sew my baju Raya. Thank God. Now need to think about the rest of the family's baju Raya (yay for having boys!) and make travel arrangements for a holiday in Kota Bharu. Sad to say since my Queen Mother, my dad and my beloved nephew passed away, Kota Bharu is now just a holiday destination. I refuse to deal with harta-sucking relatives and I only want to come home to my Kota Bharu which I love so much for its food and cemetery. Sad but true.

 

I think there is a special hell for me for that. Sigh.

duviet, uptown

Wasn't in the mood to take pictures today (one of those days of TAKDE MOOD SEHARIAN).

 

Lunch with my bestfriends at Duviet, Uptown. I had their Vietnam fried rice which looks like fried rice ulam to me. But I gobbled it up licin anyway. Appetizer was very nice (as pictured), I makan sahaja, I tak pasti apa yang telah dimakan. Haha!

 

-_-

 

Weekend is here. Need to catch-up on laundry, spend time with my pretty Mama, probably cook a little, read a chapter or two of Hemingway and maybe potty-train kid Rumi.

 

Next week I have a photoshoot with a magazine. Very excited although it's just a small gig.

I just want to feel pretty again.