Monday, March 31, 2008
Do pardon me on my lack of updates. Over the past 2 weeks, I've been under the weather battling the flu & cold viruses. In Malay, there is a saying of how the disease is always "Datang macam Ribut, pergi macam Semut" or loosely translating it, how the virus comes so quickly like the wind & goes away slowly like ant. How true it is. My sniffles have been 'accompanying me' refusing to set-me-free for almost 2 weeks now. Which also means our Swensens meals have to be put on a hiatus for now. My Digital Art classes are into their 10th week now & this week there have been some rescuffling of time-table, therefore also some time changing & some adjustments in my exercise & 'outing' activities with my mummy-buddies. My cousin honeymooners are back from their holiday in the sun & sea of Hawaii bringing back some gifts that included something that could soothe my longing soul. (remember the dreaded Dec 16 2007 incident????)
My girlfriend Julie & family are back in SG from France for good and I sure can't wait for our afternoon tete-a-tetes with Naila & mum :))
Something to look forward to is another cousin's wedding come this weekend. Although the scale of 'sengseng-lengan' will not be as severe than the one we just had last month, it gives another excuse to make merry & noise with family, cousins & aunties once again. & this time we do not have to worry about staining our lace & songket bajus with the Ayam Masak Merah & Chicken Curry as we could officially be pretty 'wallpapers' for the day :))
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Brought Amirul & Amira to catch the sneak of "Horton Hears a Who".A very entertaining movie although I must say not the same league as our all-time favourite 'Toy-Story' & 'Ratatouille', But still an enjoyable watch...
We tried a new halal eatery called 'Griller' on the 3rd Level of Tiong Bahru Plaza just opposite the cineplex. The western spread was not too bad. We tried the Portuguese Beef Stew, Countryside Chicken with the special BBQ sauce & Spaghetti for the kids. I love the pop-art deco & ambience, will definitely make it one of our alternative 'makan' joint whenever we are tired of our good-ol Swensens.
Here's a little info about the movie, go watch it, the kids will enjoy....
"It a story of Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called "Who-ville", inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos.
The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming throughout the movie that "a person's a person, no matter how small". In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. His chief tormentors are Vlad Vladikoff, the Wickersham Brothers and the Sour Kangaroo, and the small kangaroo in her pouch. Horton tells the Whos that they needed to make themselves heard to the other animals, lest they end up as part of "beezlenut stew", which they finally accomplish. The Whos finally make themselves heard by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is the smallest Who of all, Jo-Jo, who provides the last volume lift to be heard, thus reinforcing the moral of "a person's a person no matter how small".
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Every year, my mosque would organise trips & outings to reward volunteers & activists for their work & time rendered. I usually do not make the trip as I'd rather give my place up to those more deserving & would enjoy the trip more. Especially Malaysia day-trips are among the favourites with the veterans & more senior activists.This year however it was a day-trip to Malacca. The trip would include visting places like a bee farm, a Kerepek Factory, Hi-Tea at a hotel & finally to Mahkota Parade.
*TING* Mahkota Parade! Cinnabon!!
So I MUST make this trip just so I can get my hands on those luscious sinfully round things. So me & my sis together with my parents lugged our kids, sans the dads of course, & faithfully followed the troupe to the farms, factories even markets before finally getting what we craved for.
We were still fresh & reeling from the activities of the previous 4 days of wedding-rewang but manage to get all the kids up by 6 to reach the mosque by 7 before we board the ultra comfortable coach. Fortunately they had a mini lounge area at the lower-deck so the kids were fully occupied throughout the trip entertained by the likes of Alvin & Shrek, nevermind that it was repeated more than twice.
But the most important thing is that we reached the all-important destination & get our CINNABON cravings fulfilled :))
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
It finally came & went - my cousin's wedding that was planned & so looked forward to by the 60 odd Abu Bakar Clan. It was worth the wait I should say coz the last time we had the wedding-rewang hullaballoo was like more that 9 yrs ago for MY wedding :)It started off on Thursday evening where we had a tahlil night and a berinai session for the bride adorned by humble me, followed by the Friday rewang & preparations, Saturday's Nikah & Reception Dinner & finally the Sunday Nikah & bersanding.
My cousin Nora, or Kikin as she is affcetionately known by close family members, looked resplendant in her shimmery outfits. Amidst some hitches along the way - as always there will always be unavoidable stuff, I think it went well without any major hitches.
My hubby was entrusted to be the man to assist the father of the bride making sure things run smoothly like clockwork. It was wonderful seeing the whole clan & friends 'singsing' lengan, chipping in whatever they can in one way or another to make the event a memorable one...kecoh-ness was definitely an understatement.
And yes, we were tired beyond words after the 4 days were over, but very happy & satisfied at the end of the day, but most importantly, the bride & the groom did have a wonderful 'Raja-Sehari' day :)
Monday, March 03, 2008
Mira turned 4 on Feb 28th Last week. She had her mini celebration at school (sorry no pics there ;( ) and another 2 mini celebrations held at my grandma's house & at the in-laws on Sunday. On both occasions, we were fortunate enough to have cakes from Canele by Kakak Kikin on Thursday & Princess Cakes made lovingly by my sis-in-law.Alhamdulillah, Amira have turned into a a cheerful, happy go lucky child. She is much more outgoing than Amirul but also ultra-sensitive too. She gets affected by little things that she see & feel but also have quite a big ego to boot for such a little girl. Her favourite game & pastime now is the Sesame St website where she learned all the alphabets & numbers, even learn new things every day.Her presence is much 'sought-after', with everyone missing her 'keletah' if she's not around for more than a few days. Hopefully she'll continue to warm everybody's heart & be the best lil girl that she can be & one that we would be proud of, Insyaallah...