Monday, December 31, 2007
So its yet another last day of another year. 2007...has been bittersweet. Full of ups & downs, lessons learned & taught. The kids are a year older & mighty wiser I have to add, so we are now more on our feet having to always be prepared about what surprises they may come up with next. I have gone through quite a bit myself throughout. If last year was a year of stepping into certainty, this new year is no guarantee. Its time again to rethink priorities & how the decisions will affect our lives. Changes must definitely be made. But isn't it always scary to chart into unfamiliar territories? I've always been a person that once have find herself a 'comfortable-spot' would always feel jittery if I have to repeat the whole process of doing things from scratch again. But changes IS in the pipeline I reckon. Insyaallah we'll ride through the tides & emerge stronger & braver. Mira will be stepping into the school-world. I dont know how she will be. She does look the stronger one when compared to Amirul, but honestly, she is one that is full of surprises, always coming up with things that I may never expect. I hope she'll be strong & not cry on the first day - unless she gets affected looking at other crying kids.
Amirul will be in primary 2 - big boy he is now. More mature too. Getting very shy to get hugs & kisses from me in public, so Ummi, stricly no PDA ok? NOT if I can help it :) He is still thinking way beyond his young years & we are forever being kept doing R&D to scour for answers to all his curious questions - thank god for the Internet.
So, although we plan to stay humble, not expecting too much for the New Year, we do hope that we are more prepared to face any challenges that come our way. Hope it would be a better one for my dear husband who had gone through more than the fair share than any man can possibly be confronted with. My upmost gratitude to family & friends who have rallied around us in our more sombre moments. Bittersweet it may have been, 2007 is tsill a memorable one nonetheless. So yes, we cant wait for the new year. May it be a positive new start for all of us. Insyaallah...
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Its time of the year for our annual family visit to my grandaunt's house in Batu Pahat again. The last year we went on a day trip so it was not so relaxing & we did not really get to explore the quite sleepy town at our own leisurely pace. This time round, with 3 cars in tow, we had 3 days to soak & relax in the rural atmosphere in an old kampung house with enough space for the kids to run around & even play hide & seek! We even managed to visit Malacca on a day-trip.It was a very simple lifestyle that the kids had to adapt to, no aircon,no cable TV,no water heater & the 'big loo' is a small hut about 10m away! But they did not complain & did just fine & were more excited by the fact that the huge house is like a novelty & a playground to them. A refreshing change in environment that I feel they should experience & be comfortable with.
This house is about 60 years old now. Back in its hey days, it used to be a rest-house for official dignitaries & royalties as my maternal grandaunt have got some royal family connection somewhere along the family line. (I don't know exactly how far down I am down the royal family tree but I used to wonder why my mum addressed her cousins as Tengku Long & Engku Amin:p )
So we set out early on Christmas morning & reached Batu Pahat in less than 2 hours. The weather was cool & a lil overcast & the kids were soon excited running around the big old grand house, up & down the stairs that led to the kitchen & other parts of the house. Our room was humble & quaint that reminds me so much of my grandma's kampung house. As a matter of fact, while we were going around the peaceful & quite town, I felt like I was on a set of 'Growing Up' - from the buildings to the roads, & for a while thought that time had simply stood still in the 70s & we had simply moved on. We certainly felt like characters from back to the future when locals would stare & gawk like we just came from the future :)
But it was definititely a much-needed getaway from the hustle & bustle of urban SG. (amidst all that has happened for the last few weeks) With nice kampung style home-cooked food that greeted us everyday surrounded by family members, it is one of the trips that I look forward to every year :)
Monday, December 24, 2007
Aidiladha have always been a fairly simple affair for our family - simple when compared to Aidilfitri of course. Over the years, it has been a routine to make our mandatory house visits first to the in-laws & next to my grandma's house where 4 generations of Haji Bakar's family would eat, sit & make merry. This year was extra special for the Yusope's family as after 2 years being away, we get to celebrate Hari Raya with my dear sister in law & family. And its is especially sweeter with the new addition, the only cousin of Amirul & Amira, Hana Mahirah who's grown bubbly & cuter by the day.As in previous years, half of my family could only get together in the late afternoon after their voluntary duties at the mosque were completed. The rest of the day is spent relaxing & chatting away with loved ones, just the way we like it...
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Last Saturday, I had the honour of gracing my first ever baby shower of a dear friend. It was Shireen's 4th baby but her first baby shower organised & wonderfully planned by her sister Shameen. It was lovely executed, from the yummy food, the super-fun guests - half of whom I'm meeting for the first time, the pink decor, the candy-filled socks 'berkat', right up to the fun mummy trivia game contest, which I must say I didn't do so well in - no time to prepare u know, completely off-guard ;ppIn the cosy room of Suite 2301 at the Conrad Centennial, amidst the cold showers of blessings outside, we mingled & chat & laughed & played games. I felt like we stepped out of the events page of an Instyle magazine :)
Mira had fun too meeting up with the familiar faces of her girlfriends, although she took her usual long time to get warmed up. I had my share of fun, meeting up with the usual suspects to chat & share stories with chuckles in between - and any chance for us to meet up & mingle like this is already a blessing in itself. Thanks again Shireen for having us :)
Monday, December 17, 2007
It was supposed to be a beautiful Sunday. We were to attend the wedding of a good friend at Fort Canning, meet up with a few friends & just enjoy the rest of this lazy Sunday. But what greeted us when we were about to leave the wedding was devastating. Our car window was smashed & gone was my Coach tote bag together with Amirul's PSP, my Armani shades, my house keys & Mira's milk bottles in it. Our car was parked along the main road & there was even a security shelter just ahead, we could not fathom how it could have happened. But the unimaginable DID happen. There was no one else but myself to blame. I guess my bag was an 'attention-seeker' & I should know better than just placing it on the back seat like I always do. And I not only lost my prized possession bought with my own hard-earned moolah but also the PSP that Amirul got for doing well in his exams. I guess this is just a huge test for us. "Bukan Rezeki" as what my hubby said in between his heartwrenching expression through his eyes that he is trying to hide. So the police were called in & they did scout the area & the car for fingerprints but I guess I can safely say that I can now say some things are just not meant to be yours...
There were a thousand 'what-ifs' going through my mind, like what if I had brought the bag along, or what if I had put the bag in the car boot.At the end of the day, the deed is done & we've learned our lesson albeit the hard way...Innalillah...
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Congratulations to my girlfriend Julie who is now a proud mummy to Naila, her gorgeous Princess all the way in France. Thank you to Jule's Bomi bro for updating me on the latest development & the very good news. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Motherhood Girlfriend!!
Monday, December 10, 2007
The week following our vacation came & went in a jiffy. Right after we came back, it was a 4-day computer course for Amirul which means putting on hold any outdoor plans, which is good as we settle down back to our daily routine, which also means I can slowly take my time doing the post-holiday laundry. It is also fortunate that work has somewhat 'slowed' down a wee bit during the holiday season which see me spending precious vacation time with the kids. I dutifully did my mummy-'homework' by listing down all the free holiday shows (we DID spend during the vacation you know, so must be economical a bit..) all around the various shopping malls & decided to hit United Square first as we could kill '2 birds with 1 stone' as they have the Dora show there(for Mira) & also Spongebob Greet & meet session (for Amirul).
Next up was us hitting the movies to catch 'Enchanted' - and my verdict? MACDREAMY - enough said!! But it IS an entertaining show, very light, fun, feel good with all the happily ever-after, good triumphs evil type of show.
Rounding up the week, we attended a Barney birthday of Asrar, a cute boy of my friend Nadya. It was a busy-filled & fun week for us. With around 3 more weeks of holidays to go I sure hope the weather would be all smiley, sunny & cheery for us so more things can be planned with more options to choose from to keep them kids busy :)
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Lei Hou Mou!!
Thats 'How are you' in Cantonese. That was the language we heard day in & day out throughout our 4 days in HK.
Hong Kong was a blast. A definite blast for the kids who felt that 2 days in Disneyland was simply not enough(Hey its Disneyland,I reckon 1 week is also not enough for them!!!)
I was pretty cynical about our trip there hearing reviews about how small & not very clean it was. But the place was surprisingly clean & even though it was relatively small to the other Disneylands, t was enough for the kids & us included to relive our childhood fantasy & be kids once again. The locals are also very friendly (& very stylish to boot!)
The next 3 days in Kowloon was heaven-sent for me especially. We met up with my husband's friend in HK who showed us the nook & cranny of HK bargain shopping at its best. No major shopping malls for me as I only went to all the major street markets for good-old bargain shopping. There were a whole street of clothing outlet shops, whole street of fish & pet stores at Fa Yuen St or Goldfish St as it is known, & streets of good & cheap sports goods stores. Thank God for Salon-Pas medicated plasters as I do not think I could last the whole day of walking & shopping in the cold 14c streets of Hong Kong. We also went to some of the tourist attractions like the Madame Tussauds at The Peak, went on the Tram ride up to the peak, took the famous ferry ride, watched the spectacle of the Symphony of lights at the Harbour, rode on a Hk local cab and were almost experts at the MTR travelling processes.
Our hotel in Kowloon was situated at the heart of HK's shopping area along Nathan Road, the MTR is just next to our hotel & halal food restaurants were just a few streets away. Although we had back up supplies of food in the form of cup noodles & bread & my mum's sambal ikan bilis kacang, we were more than happy to savour the halal Pakistani, Turkish & Muslim cuisine over there. It was a blast indeed & we definitely rate it as one of the best holiday places we've been so far...:)