rumi the samson

I am never gonna hear the end of it about Rumi's hair kan?
The other day my colleague asked Hey Nate, when are you cutting your daughter's hair?

Very funny. She has been having issues with Rumi's hair since day one.
"His hair is too long!"
"Cut his hair already! He's starting to look like a girl!"

Excuse me, for the record, I did cut his hair like a boy okay. Once. And people still think he's a girl. Since then we (okay, I) stopped cutting his hair. Maybe just a trim here and there. Especially his bangs. But he has gorgeous hair, why let it all go to waste?

Besides, having long hair does not dictate your life or your future. I've had boy haircut (like really short boy haircut here) for years until I was old enough to dictate my father* that I'm sick of having short hair! If Rumi is happy with long hair, so be it.  If Rumi wants to keep his long hair in school, then we'll find him a private school. Unless his hair is a deterrent for him or his movement, then we'll (consider) cutting.

Or if he starts looking like Ren from Nu'est.

I'm a boy.

My handsome boy.

Heheh.

* My father always wanted a boy. He stopped teaching me how to play football when my brother was born.

the last days of the the reluctant emcee

You know what's embarrassing  When you're the emcee, and at the end of the program you happily tell the audience "refreshments are now served outside the ballroom" and by the time you step out of the ballroom your heart sank because hello there are NO refreshments outside! oops. 

Sucks.

My lack of attention to details these days is probably gonna sink my KPI deeper. But c'est la vie. I'm mentally exhausted wei! 

*picks self up, goes to bed*

saturday

Still feeling kinda lethargic, that kind of lethargy that reminds me of dengue fever... ish touch wood.

Come onnnnn

Why I'm so lazy to work out these days -- haze, work pile and I hardly check tumblr for motivational quotes! Especially the fitness ones. Ish. This has got to change. 

Because i can..

I think i can safely say that the boys are asleep because I feel like having a good bowl of maggi right now. Have yet to check what type do I have in the kitchen though. Now should I add egg to go with it? I like my maggi plain a la university -- which means I don't need to boil them on the stove, just dump everything sans egg in the Tupperware, wait 2 minutes, then gobble them all up. simple.

Managed to get free tickets to see more kpop acts this Wednesday (the aia sponsored one). Thanks Suzie for understanding how much i need to see b2st in action. Now how do I tell my husband that I want to drag him along? :)

GD's concert review is in the works. In other words, I only have one sentence penned. Probably will never be published here because the haze is making me lazy lazy lazy (I skipped gym, naturally) but g-dragon's One of a Kind tour? Best 500 bucks spent this year ever. 

Think I'm gonna hit the sack now. Tiada mood pula. Night. 

Fickle.

Couldn't decide which filter I like better. It's a good time-killer, these photo apps, although I'd take curling up on a sofa with a good book anytime. 

Glad my event went well today. Bumped into a fellow colleague at the HQ and we laughed at each other "I can't believe we've been here for 5 years!". 5 glorious years and still much more to learn. I don't foresee leaving for now because until I can find a company that can offer better benefits, I'm more than happy to continue stressing myself out here. :)

Zumba in a bit with my colleagues. Should be fun!

Tomarrow

Can't sleep! What else is new. Nervous about tomorrow's event which I almost single-handedly handled except for printing job, ordering people around a bit and got my colleague to help with the pointers for tomorrow because even if the hell freezes over I'll never be able to understand fixed income or sukuk yeuchhhhhh. The past 4 days I've been waking up thinking OMG I FORGOT TO HIRE THE PHOTOG or I DON'T HAVE A BACKDROP but seriously having a list helps. Which I don't, because making a list overwhelm things.

I have not seen Master Pok since Muay Thai on Tuesday. My abs have been hurting *insert #soretodaystrengthtomorrow hastag here* and my week is flying by so slowly at times, too fast when I least needed it to be and before I know it's almost the weekend already. Gah! Suffice to say it's one of those weeks where everyday is a deadline day. I can handle this, I can handle this.

This weekend: Gym | post-father's day lunch | G-dragon's concert | yoga | Mama | Monsters University (in random order).

Right, time for bed. I leave you with one of my all-time favorite lagu Melayu. Wish me luck.

vegetate

Oh God I have a press release to edit. It's for our Thailand team and I need to go easy on the language and choose the words carefully otherwise they won't be able to understand it. I love working with the Thai team, they're generally soft-spoken and kind. If any of them ever have to work with us in KL they'll die because we're pretty much aggressive and kiasu here. J

Thoroughly enjoyed Muay Thai this morning. Now I just want to take a nap and vegetate.

Monday & the emancipation of master pok

I'm so exhausted today. Not like I did much anyway. Didn't go for yoga but I did attend a wedding sans the husband who participated in a treasure hunt (placed 28th out of 200 teams not bad at all for a first-timer) but the heat got to me I guess. 

And don't you just hate it when your overslept in the evening? I am still feeling a buzz in head up to now. 

Busy week ahead. One colleague is hospitalized so I'm back to juggling 2 portfolios. Barf. 

Final session with Master Pok tomorrow. As promised we will be doing Muay Thai. Can't wait! Let's kick some ass before I head to work! I'm glad I signed up with him. It's like a having a cool kid brother that you feel like smacking most of the time but you can't otherwise you'll get fat (eh?). I've added ten more sessions with him and will probably continue training under a personal trainer until I have the discipline to control my food intake (tsk) and lose at least 20 kg or something haha. Master Pok asked me if I'm expecting a promotion this year. I said probably not, but it doesn't matter as long as I 'get promoted in health'. Wax lyrical lah sangat kan. 

My right knee is still giving me problems whenever I run so until I can run properly, I'll just keep trying. 

Right, bedtime. Refusing to iron my work clothes right now because I'm a rebel without a clue like that. 

midnight

Just when I'm watching something good (it's a K-drama okay) the internet refuse to work properly and I'm waiting for it to buffer and buffer...

Then I tried to change the font of this blog but I don't know how to edit it...

Then I thought okay we sleep now.

*cough*

normalcy

"Give me 20 squats"

Ah, music to my ear.

wants and needs

Eventually I will need a new Mac. Takpe, priorities first. What I need right now is tickets out of this country. Watch this space.

Round 14

You know what, it's not easy to stay motivated. It's a constant struggle and I try to fill my head with positive thinking. My battle with my weight is far from over. I just hope I could stop being impatient and expect to see fast results. Because there won't be any shortcuts.

Training has gone from okay-I-can-handle-this to hardcore. It's gonna be harder but I'm just gonna march on with whatever thrown at me. Squats, lunges, rpm, give them all to me.

In the meantime, bila nak control food ni?

Round 13

Ohhh that Master Pok has trouble waking up early! Arghhh our 7am sessions are often delayed by 5 to 10 minutes but today he was late for 15 minutes! I'm sorry but 7am is just not on for me let's do 715 next time, he said.
Hmpfth.

Maybe I'll just alternate morning and evening sessions. I really hate showing up late to work (not that anybody care) but morning workouts are the best right? Feeling great about myself today. And no visible pain whatsoever. See? Thoroughly enjoyed circuit training today although RPM (cycling workout) got me sweating like a pig in a sauna. >.<

Okay time for bed. Yes I'm aware it's not even 10 yet.

Minor feat

Just realized that I can now button my favorite jacket at the office. :)

Monday tee bee

So a colleague contracted TB recently and because I was in the same training with him few weeks ago, I (with 50 other colleagues) had to go through a TB screening today. What they didn't tell us was that we needed a shot too. Shit. 

Oh well, it's for our benefit anyway. I was nervous of course, until a colleague reminded me that child birth is more painful than getting a tiny jab. Oh-okay. 

Follow-up with the nurses on Thursday. I'm sure I'm okay, since I'm not showing any symptoms whatsoever.

On another note, I skipped training today.  My arms refuse to co-operate -- they're so painful! But as passé as it may sound, no pain no gain la hoh? Went for a light cardio workout at the gym near my office instead. 

And rewarded myself with panini chicken sandwich. I've been craving panini for the longest time. This is quite delicious I must say, despite the burnt look. :) 

Session with Master Pok resumes tomorrow at 7am.  Murdahhh! 

Round 12

Dapat pep talk pulak today. Master Pok said by end of the year, you'll be feeling great you'll look great but I need you to jaga makan! 

Okay will do my best. I'm serious! 

Circuit training today. I must be crazy to think that I can handle 2 trainings in 2 mornings in a row. But I did it anyway. We spring-cleaned in the afternoon and me, body aching and all, fell asleep until evening. I swear I dreamt about kettle bells flying above my head. 

Watching tv. Shit, Rachael Ray lookin' great these days. Ha! Jaga makan lettew!

Round 11

So Master Pok been feeling under the weather since he got back Thailand last Monday. Gastric katanya. So our sessions this week, although still strenuous, are more mellow (in other words I didn't feel like smacking him so much this time around). He said he is okay but he seems kinda pale lately. 

Me: Dude, you're looking kinda pale. Are you okay?

MP: Yup I'm okay. Of course I'm pale. I'm Cainis!

Me: Of course la. But there's a difference between a pale Cainis and a pale sick Cainis youknowwhatImean?

(>.<)

Round 12 tomorrow. How time flies!  

Splurge of the weekend: Bought a new yoga mat to replace the old one. Reebok gittew. 

Ok I'm off to bed. Today I sent my kain Raya(s) to a tailor my friends recommended. Oh the price. *gulp*

ttyl.

Round 10

First thing Master Pok said to me this morning: "Murdahhh"

Oh I was murdered alright. -_-

Paella.

Hmm now I'm craving paella from la bodega. And their tapas. And lamb cutlets!

Seems like the morning crowd in bangsar  are flocking Antipodean (non-halal) next door now. Guess la bodega has to step up a bit. Their usual chicken tandoori was pretty crappy today but I absolutely love their latte. 

Went to the park this evening. Managed a 10 mins brisk walk. Tried running but my calves still refuse to cooperate and there were too many things in my head. Sigh. 

Here's to a better and forgiving week. 

Mea Culpa.

I won't delete the post about my siblings. Just a grim reminder for me that terlajak perahu boleh diundur, terlajak kata...

Thank you for reading. 

Mommy's day out

Going out with the boys today to meet my uni friends (haven't seen them for ages). Yup just me and my kids. I must be losing my mind. Me with the boys who only listen to their Ayah?!

Wish me luck. But in case you see a frantic mom chasing after two kids in rainboots, send help.

Stop.

I keep forgetting I'm not my siblings' banker nor financial advisor. Macam ni lah, I'm done with all three of you okay? I'm done preaching, I'm done telling you about how to save money, about your future savings, about your retirement, about long-term investments...

I'm tired and I'm done. The money of the dead can only bring you temporary joy. My only hope is that you don't come running to me when you need money. I've done my part as a sister. I hope you're happy. 

Round 9 and the weekend is here~!

Early morning session today, and most likely I'll go to the gym in the morning if possible. It feels fresher to go in the morning and I won't die of  heat in the car or worry about trying to beat the evening traffic if I were to go for an evening session. Or maybe do alternates. We'll see how it goes.

 

I thought there's only one type of evil planking but I was made to do 3 types of planking today (apparently there are 22 types in total) - spider planks, cat and bird plank (I made this up but I swear he mentioned some animals) and plank mountain climb while Master Pok did some push-ups to stay awake. I AM ROLLING MY EYES AS I TYPE THIS. The rest of the hour went by in a blur.

 

==

 

I kinda miss drowning myself in a good book. But reading doesn't burn calories! No lah, actually I can't seem to find a good book to read right now. Either that or my attention span is as short as how I can keep the house in order haha.

 

Have a good weekend. Thinking of going for yoga on Sunday morning. My trainer is on leave until Monday but he ended his session yesterday with a caution: "Jaga makan".

 

Pffthh.

 

OK I'm hungry now. Peace out.

It's alright. Round 8

Had my first weigh in with Master Pok yesterday. A little bummed that my weight didn't show significant drop but it's alright (maybe I'm going through a weight loss plateau?). I'm thankful with the encouragements and support that I get from my family and friends but by the end of the day, it is still me who needs to sort myself out. Workouts yes, bring them on but I'm still having issues with saying no to unhealthy food. I CAN NEVER SAY NO TO FRIED RICE! *whimpers* I had nasi goreng for breakfast today.

 

Funny how Master Pok has a new word/phrase for every session with me. The other day it was "I'm feeling murderous", yesterday was "torture". I also get words like "suffer" or "Beyonce" etc. And I don't think personal trainers are paid to laugh at their clients!

 

We did 64026841 sets of lunges and push-ups and squats yesterday. I swear I could almost feel my legs ready to snap into two. Or four. Or nano-smithereens. When I say 'we' this means I make my trainer suffer as well by working out alongside with me (although he did it without even puffing at all. Pffthh). You know I have the right to torture him as well for laughing at me. Hah!

 

That aside, managed to secure G-Dragon's concert ticket in June. Hoping that this will be my last concert for the year then bam, I found out that CN Blue is coming in August. Shit.

 

Anyways, here is a picture of my eldest trying to make friends by doing whatever the other boy is doing. Whenever he make new friends he doesn't ask their names but automatically calls them 'kawan'. I don't know why some boys just don't want to be friends with him maybe because they think he's a girl? Boleh blah. Ibu will kick their sorry little asses.

Round 7

I ate so much last weekend and of course I had to work my ass off during Round 7 with Master Pok yesterday! Magically enough I can now maintain the same pace in ten minutes on the stationary bike and stepper. This is wonderful because it's a sign that my stamina is getting better. 

The only thing I hate to do is jumping because I still feel heavy. It's okay. Easy does it. After all we are working on strengthening my knees and legs first. Blah blah blah. 

You guys, Mustafa Jones' New York steak is delicious. Just sayin'.

Life is beautiful.

Happy Mother's Day

Hope you guys had a wonderful Mother's Day. Can't wait for the boys to grow big enough to understand Mother's Day so that they can throw a tea party for me or something. Hee hee.

Eurgh Monday tomorrow. Work piling up.

Notes from sore limbs.

• My eldest baby turned 4 recently!!! Such a beautiful soul this boy.
• I pretty much cut down on my twitter time since the GE13 (or weeks leading to the big day) because, okay, I get it, everyone has something to say. It's your platform to voice out your opinion and disgruntlement (shit is this even a word*). These days tumblr is my new friend because there's no politics there, only a disgruntled teenager (my niece), kpop stuff and fitness inspirations. Ha! Ha! 
  
• Glad that the weekend is almost here. Road trip to Raub tomorrow. I heard nasi hujan panas and ayam masak merah will be waiting. Can't wait.


• Session 5 & 6 with Master Pok were good. We've gone full cardio although lifting weights made me want to cry a little. I need to cut down on cursing though. Can't help it! 


• Mother's Day this weekend. Can't wait to see my pretty Mama.

You know, when life gives you lemons, just cut a few slices and drown them in warm water and drink! Especially in the morning. Good for digestion, boost immune system, balances PH levels, clears skin, freshens breathe etc!

Have a good weekend.

a stop.

I've stopped following 'plus size' instagrams, blogs or shopping websites. I need to stop feeding my delusion into thinking that I am plus-sized, when I'm actually not. All I need is to get fitter and eat healthier. Oh yes.

Weekend movie

Saw The Impossible today (heavy load laundry that needs to be folded always require a good movie to go with it). Think I cried 4 times throughout the movie! Can't imagine the trauma those survivors have to go through! :(

Long week ahead. Changes are happening within the organization and although I am spared (through word of mouth) I can't help but feel a bit sad that some of us might not be reporting to the same boss anymore.

Master Pok is on leave tomorrow! Small curses. Now have to unhinge my limbs and do my own workout until I see him again on Wednesday. Blah.

Round 4

Oh I'm sorry I'm just gonna update my progress here. Besides, don't you wanna see my before and after pic by the end of the year? *fingers crossed*

Friday's training was a bit easy. Wait, I should never say easy out loud. It will bite me in the butt sooner or later. I went to the gym nearby my office during lunchtime just to test my legs (they were fine, the dull aches were finally replacing the soreness) and braced the Friday traffic for my appointment with Master Pok.

Eh, I digress lah. Yesterday I walked on the treadmill for 8 mins (it's usually 10 mins, thank you MP) and he said we need to work on my arms. Ohkay, I hope it doesn't involve the dreaded weigh ball. Did squats with kettle ball, some liftings, hmmm and more liftings. Blek. Since my husband told him that I've been feeling down lately, Master Pok been encouraging by saying "CONTROL FOOOOOOOOD" and "no pain no gain". Dude, nobody uses "no pain no gain" anymore. That is sooooo the 80s! Sometimes I feel I can just kungfu kick my trainer. I could, I'm paying him good money what.

Aaaaand because I didn't feel so sore today, I tried Les Mills BodyStep in the morning. I'm a disgrace to myself! My coordination is terrible, and oh those steps made me feel like my knees will pop man! Talk about pushing myself over the limit. I think I should just stick to dancing like Zumba or BodyJam like the makcik2 in the gym. -___-

Okay time for bed. Happy voting tomorrow (you'll never see me talk publicly about politics ever, that's just not my forte) and VOTE GYM FOR LIFE.

Bye!

:)

Feeling much better today. So I miscalculated the weight I've lost so far. I know, I can't even do a simple Maths.

Weekend is almost here!

(Photo by Himchan BAP. I haven't been taking photos lately except of me and Rumi making faces)

Just one of those days

Wish I could wax lyrical about what I'm feeling right now but I can't. There is no dull aches in my joints because I am still unable to walk properly after last Tuesday's torture session. :/

I'm probably gonna look back on this post weeks later and think god Nate, you're such a wuss.

But I want to wallow in self pity as a wuss right now.

(image from tumblr)

Round 3

Crazy workout last night. Squats, push-ups, brisk walking moved up to walk-fast-but-try-not-to-fall-off-the-treadmill, planking, steps, ball passing while squatting, wah wah wah no mercy betul Master Pok now eh. I will never give up, although most of the time I'll be begging him to let me stop and catch my breath. I think he knows it too that I won't give up. I hate to disappoint him and most of all I don't want to disappoint myself (and my husband who has so much faith in me). The triumph lies in the high-five that I get from my trainer at the end of every session that signifies hey, I've made it for this round.

[gym posts will be labeled "sore today sexy tomorrow" from now on. Ah the stuff you get from Facebook!]

This is an article written by an ex-uni mate who lost so much weight. An inspiration indeed.
The amazing race.
And another one from a blogger's guest post: Weight loss story.

Also, I've signed up for my company's The Biggest Loser Challenge! First weigh-in will be tomorrow. It will run for 2 months so yeah! Let's do this!

Round 2

"Today is the most tiring session ever" I said to Master Pok.
"But you've only had 2 official sessions with me", he said.

-_-

Dying, surviving, dying, surviving, I just want to be a better person.

monday

Trying to be productive on a monday. But nah, not gonna happen.

Hotodogu

My husband, the reigning food connoisseur took me to Cyberjaya because he said "you must try this Korean food it's really nice". Okay buster, here's the lowdown:
a. Hotodogu is Japanese, not Korean.
b. I don't like Korean food.
Hehe.

If you're in Cyberjaya, head over to Shaftsbury Square (god the cheesiness of the name of this place! Shaft?! Really?!) and check out Hotodogu. They specialize in hotdogs (duh) but they have rice burgers, and the hotdogs and chickens have a savory taste of seaweed, kimchi and mayonaise. Nice.

a: P2-18 Shaftsbury Square, Persiaran Multimedia, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya
t: 03-8325 1018

Now on to a new special segment, gym updates! (I can see I-d0 rolling her eyes already)
So I've signed a 20-sessions training regime with Master Pok. Fun times! Right. I just hope he doesn't kill me in the process. My arm is killing me right now. And my calves are aching. This better be worth the money man.
Oh don't tell him I had nasi lemak for breakfast okay. Ngee.

Not now.

I've been asked to forgive.

Gym day 1

Of course I bought donuts after my first gym session. Nearly died on the treadmill. Master Pok, the unassuming personal trainer said that I have the metabolism of a 61 year old. Not that I would refute that.

If I have power of focus to pretend that the donut shop in front of the gym doesn't exist, I also need to focus on the Elle shop right across it. I will fit into that nice fuchsia dress oh yes. Which means I need to lose some weight before the season ends. Oh cry.

In case you're wondering if this space is gonna change into a health-conscious freak blog, fret not. I still love my food. I had Peruvian chicken for 2 days in a week. Come on!

Flying to KB tomorrow where the foodie in me will run amok. I promise I'll hit the gym to kill all those Kelate calories next week. :)

Weekend is here.

What a day!
Hitting the gym for the first time ever tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Royal Post coffee

Maybe I'm only in love with the idea of this new coffee joint but not the coffee itself.

I'm like an Eskimo buying an igloo! You can try sell to me anything! Heh.

 

p/s: The latte taste a bit weird, which is probably why I came back the next day for a second try. Doesn't taste like your typical latte. But the coffee makes my tummy grumble. Guess I'll make my own coffee tomorrow.

 

 

let go.

My mind is drawing blank right now but I’m taking a break from my awards submissions. April is here and there are 2 main agenda that requires immediate attention for May: Japan trip and the boys’ birthday party. The former will be the last trip and the latter will be the first party so we are gonna try to make the best out of them.

 

For this month, I’m flying back to KB for a day-trip after all this Sunday. Not really looking forward to it (now this is a first!). I just pray that everything will turn out alright. Sign the damn documents, and let go.

 

On a positive note, I hope I can stuff my face with Kelantanese food as much as possible (did you know I joined the gym. That, in another post later my friend); pay a visit to the cemetery; shop a little; visit my foster dad and adios!

 

“These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.”

― Rumi

your life or mine.

I think I've offended a filmmaker because I indirectly told him (through my husband) that his movie is not selling because I don't see any promo done. Of course he was quick to retort this allegation because I think they've spent millions making the movie and more millions on advertisement. Come on, I was being honest and I was just commenting as a lady on the street. I could be wrong about the movie promotions, I'm probably reading the wrong newspapers, watching the wrong channels, listening to the wrong radio stations to even notice the movie promo (also I only watch KBS/OneHD most of the time…). Felt bad about it because I didn't mean to offend him that way.

 

Then my estranged bestfriend from uni is offended with me because his miniscule effort to get us talking again is down the drain only because I forgot to reply his message. Goodness. We are gonna grow old constantly bitter and emotional I'm telling you. After all that we've been through I don't even remember how we fell apart (God now I sound like a sad love song). So I put aside my ego (or whatever left of it) and apologized. Let's meet.

 

And now I am offended because my money-hungry of a stepbrother is pestering me to fly to KB to sign some documents so that he can get his portion as soon as possible. That bastard. Honestly I can't wait to close this episode of my life. The money of the dead can only bring tears and unhappiness.

 

The circle of life. Hope you had a better week.

 

Friday humor

Ame ran over a monkey today and I lol-ed at her whatsapp. Sorry to hear about the monkey but I'm sorrier that her monkey emoticons will face extinction faster than I thought.

Bwahaha.

Whistle Thistle

So much for wanting to write a hotel review! Alas, not enough photos. Fail.
I took no photos of the hotel except for the pool and my kids goofing around in the kids playroom! *slaps head*

Anyway, by some stroke of bad luck and silver lining we booked a room for 2 nights at Thistle PD. Didn’t even know they have a Thistle in PD but being an agoda.com web crawler it was our third best option after Avillion and Grand Lexis. We paid about 800 bucks (not sure if that’s a good deal) but I needed a mini holiday with my family so belasah je lah.

Well I’m glad we stayed there because (this is where laziness kicks in and I start writing in pointers):
· Kids-centric hotel with a clown waiting at the lobby! Note to self, Rumi hates clowns. For a zombie-lovin kid, this is kinda weird of him haha
· Massive swimming pool with 3 kiddie pools
· It’s at the Teluk Kemang side, which means we get to avoid the crazy traffic in PD itself
· Good food. We didn’t try the buffet/breakfast but we did order in. The burger and club sandwich are delicious!
· Room is spacious

My only gripe is that the room lighting kinda sucks. It’s too dim! I’m so used to having bedside lamps on both side of the bed.

[I just remembered I need to get myself a bedside table stat]

My husband googled what to eat in PD and we’re glad we didn’t experience anything bad so yay for that. I still dread dining out with the boys but that was compensated with a patient husband who is willing to look after kids while the wife stuff her face with food. Hehe.

Next holiday? Kelik Kelate jom.

If there's one thing to describe the ostrich farm in Port Dickson: sad. Actually, I said "pathetic" on that day. The thing about animal farms and zoos in Malaysia is that you can't help but feel sorry for the animals. At the farm, there was a camel - DYING - the poor thing couldn't even get up! I swear I saw tears. Thank god the boys were not paying attention (because they saw smelly donkeys) but I think I am scarred for life. :(

Thank god for dinosaurs and crazy rabbits to make up for everything. Well, almost.

Hey 36.

4 more years til I hit the big 40. A good reminder to live life to the fullest, within our means. I don't think we need birthdays or New Years to change, as long as we keep in mind to break the bad habits and learn to improve.

Oh fuck it, I still can't sound like a 36 year old no matter how hard I try hehe. So here's to a wonderful life!

Nate, who is fond of side-profile photos.

phew

Think my heart dropped seeing some weird coding on this blog. Turns out my super useless yahoo email sent out few emails of its own including this blog's remote email address. Hoi!

Got my early birthday present today. Syncing it now! I can pass my archaic iPod Touch to Emre and no more fighting over the iPad with Abang! The Mini is all mine mine mine.

Thank you Ayah! Me love you long taim.

hey children.

Am I the only mother who look back at my kids' old photos and laugh at them?

 

Found a photo of Rumi with a cat. Emre does the same now too! Hish. Except Emre goes to the extreme by pulling the cat's tail and dragging it into the elevator because he thinks the cat belong to us. *face palm*

That of course after he's done kissing and wrestling with the (now) traumatized cat. HELLO BUDAK KECIK YOU HAVE SENSITIVE SKIN!

 

But so far so good lah. I let them roll on the ground, jump puddles, hug animals or trees etc. So thankful that they hardly get sick anymore so everything is a-okay.

 

Okay few more hours to go before I head home to see the birthday boy!

Sent from my funky device. Touch the sky!

Imaan Emre is 2

Happy birthday my little man.

read-lah.

I know I keep saying I'm gonna start reading again every single year but looks like this is the year after all! I guess these days I read books that I buy on impulse and I like reading brand new books. Pffth, I know, but hey at least it got me reading again! Then my friend, FA, said that she's gonna lend me 'some' books. Didn't know that 'some' books means 3 bags of books! So my reading supply is all set for the rest of the year.

How do you find time to read?

I don't. With 2 kids, you simply have to make the time. In between internet time, fighting zombies, doing laundry, wrestling with the boys etc. If you're hooked on a good read, you'll find yourself picking up that book whenever possible. Except when driving. Heh. At work, I tend to read when I'm sick of work (which is pretty often these days – pre-bonus mode) or during lunchtime. After or before my afternoon nap that is.

Be gone, internet! You are terrible.

I'm feeling kinda wretched today. Why are women so helpless at fighting our hormonal imbalances? 'Girl on Fire' was on radio this morning and I wanted to scream you're a liar Alicia Keys! You don't know anything about my suffering! I can't fly away from my catastrophe! You can't either! When we're PMS-ing it's a different kind of fire altogether!

Ok I'll shut up now. I'm gonna listen to some K music because B2ST is out with a killer song for Iris 2 and music from Primary and the Messengers heal everything. Well, almost.

Let's eat.

only 5 days more

I managed to clear our wardrobe over the weekends yay! well kind of. it looks tidier now but I have a whole bunch of clothes-that-I-dont-know-if-I-should-donate-or-keep in the big basket. So the battle is half-way over. Hee hee.

 

New week but I'm already singing 'here's to a freaky weekend, I'll drink to that'. Looking forward to a short getaway with the family.

Cutting down internet time

"Everyone lives life through a screen now," Zihan, Basement in City blog.

Just a thought

Some people just refuse to learn from other people's tragedies. Parents, don't ever leave your kids unattended in the car. Even if you need to make a quick dash to the ATM. A silly mistake may cause a lifetime of regret. Always keep an eye on your children.

I hate to preach. I am imagining that if that woman's kids get kidnapped I would never forgive myself for not telling her off for leaving her kids in the car.

No more sad March

I used to call the month of march - sad March.

But that is no more! Live life to the fullest tally-ho and all that. Ok reasons to be happy, March time:
1. Birthday month
2. Bonus month
3. Husband has revealed what he's getting for me and it is a gadget!
4. Imaan Emre turning 2. That child walks
with a ray of sunshine I tell you.

I haven't decided what to get for myself. I suppose we'll have to see what's my bonus like this year. Can't wait. :)

(I have Daniel Henney on my table oh glee)

Hey Baba

He would have been 69 today. I can't seem to imagine what would a 69 year old man be like. Cranky? At ease? Cares more about the grandkids than me?

Anddddd just like any other grieving posts I can't seem to write things down.

==

Hope you are resting well Baba. I think my boys inherited your stubborness. I love you always.

Amy.

Work is work is work

Probably just one of those weeks. Feeling unmotivated at work. Should I be worried? "One of those days" is normal but "one of those weeks"? That's a first.

Hopefully this is just a phase. I normally don't let what my superior complain about me (especially when it is uncalled for) get to me but the current workload is not helping me at all.

Jack of all trades, master of nothing. Hate it.

The boys

Everytime the boys misbehave in public I tell myself "the next time we go out again is when they're 15!"

They never listen. They wriggle themselves out of my grasp when I hold them. Emre would resort to biting me. Rumi would go all dramatic, roll on the floor and tell me he doesn't love me.

But all it takes is patience. Because when we go home Rumi would fall asleep with his face tucked under my neck. Emre, in his weird diction would tell me he loves me even if his bite marks are starting to hurt a little.

Everyday I tell myself I'm so blessed to have them. Life is too short to be angry at them all the time.

Ahh that sinking feeling when you realize you're back to square one when you can't share your workload with other (new) colleagues. Only consolation is that my jobscope is a specialized portfolio. wuhhuu.

Bad news? I can't get a decent day off without thinking about my deadlines.

Oh well, work is work is work. I'm just going to chill with my boys tomorrow. A day off on a Friday oh yeah!

I took a picture with my brother yesterday. I can't really remember the last time I smiled for the camera with him. Maybe it was on my wedding day.

Most of the time he frustrates me, where is your direction in life? How much money do you have in your savings account right now? What are your plans for the future?

 

I dont blame him. Growing up, he's always been protected by our Queen Mother and to this day, their stories together of how he took care of my grandmother till her last breath continues to warm my heart. By the time Mok passed away after my father, he was a lost kid trapped in a man's body. We decided that he should move to KL and start over and until today, I still find myself worrying about him.

 

We have never been close. Him, being lampooned in Kota Bharu and me in KL, I just couldn't really connect with him. I guess the past few years since his move I've been trying to mend everything. Not a daunting task except both of us are the quite types, so you can imagine the dramatic pauses and the sound of crickets throughout our meals together! But now I take pride in nagging him. I'm not too concerned about his personal life, boy can try to mend his broken heart for as long as he wants but when it comes to his savings, I'm on full mak nenek mode. I'm thankful that he is not the rebellious type, I mean we started pretty late on his savings, but he's been saving diligently for the past few years. I should know, I've been keeping the money for him!

 

My prayer for Aiman is that one day he will grab life by its horns and soar like the wind. I want him to find a better job, a nicer girlfriend etc. but he should do it on his own accord. Ganbatte!

 

And oh, Happy Valentine's Day. Spread the love.

Wordless Wednesday

Bagan Lalang lulz

Well we went to Bagan Lalang yesterday (Monday) and all I took was the photo of this tiger! The last time we were here was probably 5 years back, when R wanted to introduce me to his bestfriends. Talk about being nervous. The seafood was good (still good) and the funniest thing from that trip was how we got stopped at a road block. Why? Because I was faking an expression of being kidnapped. So kudos to the cops for being suspicious about us but R was a nervous wreck! Hee hee. And I thought I couldn't act.

2 kids later, we're back at the same place but this time around to check out the beach. As expected, the beach was dirty, the water was murky but I think the kids enjoyed themselves. Rumi was immediately drawn to the sand, and Emre took a nose-dive into the water. That kid knows no fear I tell you.

A mild annoyance is that we couldn't find fresh water to wash ourselves (I guess most of them at the beach were staying at the hotels/motels/chalets nearby) but thank god the seafood restaurant had a clean restroom (but not an hour later, when people started flocking the resto like bees). No food photos either, because Emre was quite cranky -- I would too, if I had sand in my wet diaper!

Looking forward to more beach trips but I think I should consider getting a sandbox for the boys for now. Less stress for us. :)

Hope you guys will have a good Chinese New Year. Off to collect some ang pows!

Just realized that my posts are pretty angst-y lately. Stop it!

Got myself a new phone today. Yeah, big deal I know. But I paid in cash! I am totally winning at life. Well, kind of. :)

(photo stolen from my husband's instagram)