home sweet home

Hubby dearest is back home and i couldn't be happier =). I took the day off yesterday, woke up at 6.30 a.m, and put my son in the back seat, and off we drove to the airport. nazim was awake at first, but dozed off just after we passed the ayer keroh toll, and woke up just as we passed the KLIA toll (wow..good timing nazim...). we reached the airport around 8.30 a.m and amin was already outside, sitting on his suitcase and as soon as i saw him, i flashed a big smile and so did he, and i went out of the car to give him a big hug. he then gave nazim one longgg hug as he totally missed our son after not seeing him for a week. nazim was of course, ecstatic to see his father that he kept calling him.."daddy...daddy..daddy..."

We reached back home by 10 a.m and had a small breakfast with toasts, eggs, and nasi goreng (for me...heheh). We then went thru his bags and uncovered the goodies he brought back with him, which include yummy Baklavas (and he got loads of them too..), nougat candies, a striking RED jubah for me, a lebanese cuisine cook book for moi (yaayy!! now i can try out the hummus and falafel recipes), and some pictures. After that, we both felt a bit sleepy, and i was ready to go back to sleep, but since we both weren't working that day, we thought it would be a good day to run errands...so, sent the car for servicing, and went to the banks to deposit and pay off some money.

Now life is back to normal...

what's in my bag?

i caught this bug after reading leilanie's blog and i thought what a fun thing to do! so i couldn't resist it and started to empty my handbag :). so here are the things in my bag...

clockwise from left: my 2006 planner, my sony camera, a bottle of my vitamins and calcium pills, my compact powder (which i only use when i feel that my face look awfully tired), used tissues and receipts (which i am too lazy to throw out), 2 lipsticks (one light shade, and one dark), small bottle of minyak cap kapak (it's been really handy), a pen, my thumbdrive, my wallet, my car keys, strepsils and fruitella (to get my son to behave whenever we go out) and last but not least, a watch, for i sometimes tend to take it off my wrist. So there you have it! what's in your bag?

productive day but i'm feeling pooped

It's been a week since my last entry. I really wanted to write something earlier, but nothing exciting has been happening for the last one week as my activity partner (hubby dearie) is away in a far far away land...so, basically, for the last week, i have been with my son and maid, and my parents and parents in-law ocassionally. Thank god, he is cutting his trip short (as he also realized that it is no fun traveling without the wife). and we miss each other terribly. so, we've decided no more traveling solo...(why didn't i follow? well, i can barely walk for more than 20 minutes and prefer to lie down every now and then to stretch my back...how in the world would i be able to stand such a long flight and the amount of walking there?) so, i thought he should go without me, since i've been to the place before, plus it's not really a vacation, vacation, per say. it's more of like visiting somebody.

so anyways, since he's been away, we've been sms-ing, chatting on yahoo and calling each other...until yesterday...when i didn't hear from him after 12 hours..then i started to feel my stomach squeezing..my smses were'nt answered, neither were my calls. and i tried and tried for 5 hours..at last, my not-so-strong heart began to crumble and all kinds of negativity swarmed over me...i knew there was something wrong, but at that point of time, i couldn't think logically (as some people can..i don't know how they do it). but there's just something wrong...he would normally reply my smses instantly or answer the phone after a few rings. sure, i've gone thru several reasons why he hasn't replied my smses and calls: ie. sleeping, phone out of battery, in a very important meeting..but all of these reasons didn't make sense to me since it's been too long...and, frantically, after not being able to do anything (coz i kept thinking of what might've happened to him), i called my sister-in-law and the moment she answered the phone, i was in my high-pitched voice crying and telling her i haven't been able to reach hubby. telling me to calm down, she told me to give him a few more hours..but after we hung up, she immediately called my parents in law and told them that i am freaking out. less than 15 minutes later, they both came, and again..yours truly cried like a little girl. hiyoooo...me and my emotional instability. i stopped crying, and made some tea for all of us...when my phone rang. there was nobody at the other end...so i suspected that it was my husband, trying to call me but since it's a long-distance call, there's bound to be some lags and he would have to try a few times to get a good connection. after about 5 calls, i finally got to hear his voice at the other end...it turned out that his phone was stolen and he was looking for it high and low..and finally decided to buy a calling card and call me. phewww...now i can start thinking again...but until he comes back, no more smses....nevermind, at least he'll be back soon..:)

today i am feeling rather pooped as i managed to get a few things done over at the immigration and registration department:

1. renew my passport which is going to expire in June (going to Bandung in may) - got it ready in less than 1 hr!!! since the lady was nice enough to acknowledge that i was 8 months pregnant and didn't want me to come again.

2. changed my address on my My Kad - will get it in 2 months

3. submit forms for my new maid - will be ready after chinese new year, which is not bad

so there, i killed three birds with one stone. i feel so good about it. tomorrow, got two more errands to run, including picking up a check which i thought was no longer possible. huuu huuu..come wednesday, i'm taking a break and plan to spend the day with my hubby who would be back by then. yayyy!!!

jom minum teh!

i've been wanting to make ondeh-ondeh (a.k.a buah melaka) for quite a while now and have been postponing it...and when i wanted to make it, i realized that i didn't have the right flour. (supposed to have glutinous flour but i had rice flour instead) so, had to wait another day to get that flour. but the day finally came when i managed to make my ondeh-ondeh..and what better to spend an afternoon than to spend it with my honey bunny...nazim :)

hmmm..what did mommy make for tea today??
first we open the tudung saji
ohh..ondeh-ondeh.my favorite (no lah.my first time trying it)
a sip of tea...
it's good mommy!!

never too late..

i know it's been almost a week since i wanted to put up pictures of the Qurban events...the thing is, i've been swamped with exam papers to mark and now i am finally done and can take a little breather. so here are some of the pictures taken on Hari Raya Haji last week, which also happened to be my anniversary day. tadaaa!!

Happy 3rd anniversary and Eid Mubarak

Today marks the day of our 3rd year of marriage and the day all muslims around the world celebrate the Eidul-Adha. Had quite and eventful morning with prayers, followed by slaughtering of cows and lambs, and then a cookout. Will post some pictures of the Qurban scenes later.

But for now, here are some pictures of me and hubby over the years we've been married..

Us, rendering Diana Ross' "When you tell me that you love me"



Our "Koch Koch Hota Hai" themed reception



The newlyweds..



On our Europe trip last year

time to celebrate!

I had a loooongg and relaxing weekend which started as early as thursday! i was also in much needed rest, as the longest time i can be on my feet these days is approximately 20 minutes before i could feel my hips and my feet aching. the doctor gave me 2 days off for me to get lotsa rest (of course i wasn't in bed the whole weekend, are you nuts? i would go crazy!!). so, i spent my off days in KL at my mom's where i had the luxury of not being the cook and enjoyed her yummylicious home-cooked meals (ie. ikan masak asam, among others). while amin goes for his meetings (which he conveniently arranged for thursday and friday), i basically had to crack my brains to come up with ideas to entertain my son, as he gets rather agitated if he is stuck at home the whole day. so, i took him to Midvalley's MegaSports and paid 15 bucks for him to knock himself out with all the toys there (accompanied by my maid). of course, when he's having so much fun, the last thing he would ask for is me, (which is fine by me, coz i had some time to jalan2 with my mom and managed to convince her to get the new Osim slimming machine..the one for the waist, butt and hips..hahahah). yours truly will get to pinjam the machine once she delivers and get back in shape!! yeaay yeayy!

oh, i also got to try the beard papa's cream puffs which were so big and yummy. the price was a little expensive (3.50 a piece) but i guess it's because it's so huge..and the custard is so creamy...

ahhh...don't you think it looks just yummy?? can you see the custard oozing out from the pastry? one of these days i will try to make my own cream puff...we'll see...if can be at par with beard papa's ones. :)

Oh..and tomorrow is my 3rd wedding anniversary!! we sorta had an early celebration (which started off with the night's stay at the mandarin, which is btw, my present for him) and followed by a really really nice present which had me smiling from ear to ear since saturday and an impromptu lunch at Victoria Station (his favorite place for T-Bone steak). Tonight i plan to bake a cake and maybe have it nicely decorated or something...

oh what's that on my finger?? hee hee...i dunno how but he could almost read my mind...that as we were sitting in front of the tv on saturday morning, he said, "come and let's get you an anniversary present today" and i went "really?" eheh..."let's look at some bracelets, or necklaces or rings.." (how does he know that i soooo wanted a ring? and mind you, i already went to look at a few the day before with my mom without him knowing). of course yours truly hugged him instantly and took less than 5 minutes to get in the car. the ring didn't leave my finger the entire weekend..even when i went to sleep or showered. as i am typing this, suddenly kylie minogue's "i should be so lucky" song is going thru my mind...and i indeed feel very lucky to have such a wonderful guy for a husband (not just because he got me this ring lah) but for all that he is..

We've been together for 3 years now, (7 years including courtship)...and of course, all relationships has its up downs, ours not excluded. and it all started during a cold michigan winter over hot chocolate, and a movie which we didn't really care much to watch. and the rest, like they say, is history. He was the sweet boyfriend who would surprise me with a bouquet of roses at my door step and a stalk of rose in his jacket. he was also the one who would pick me up and carry me around just for fun (it was possible back then as i was very light). ahh..and just to impress me on our first date, he cooked rendang (even i didn't know how to make rendang back then!) and vege with salted fish..now who wouldn't be impressed?!

I am grateful to Allah to have been given the perfect partner..perfect for me..and i pray that we will have a blissful marriage, insyaAllah. He is my best friend, my soul mate and my everything.

To my darling husband, even though you don't read my blog, i just wanna wish you Happy Anniversary and i'm so happy that we are together and have our own little family. i look forward to spending every single day with you, just like i wanted to before i married you. So, here's to many more anniversaries, and to a happy and cheerful life together!! I love you!

brownie attack!

Last weekend, as i was strolling down the confectionery aisle at the village grocer in bangsar village, i saw something irrisistable...a Pillsbury brownie cake mix with walnuts!!! i grabbed it instantly and last night, i made the brownie with a little help from nazim. it's so nice that he can understand my intructions now and does it so obediently....aaahh my little angel. first, he helped me crack the egg (yes, just one egg is needed per box), and then he helped me beat the egg and the flour for a little while..and also get kakak to open the walnut packet (it came along in the box). he then poured the walnuts into the mixing bowl without me asking him!! (what a clever boy...i think he already has some culinary instincts in him..) he then helped carry all the dirty stuff back to the kitchen..(i did all this in front of the TV as i was too lazy to get up to go to the kitchen). half an hour later, a sweet smelling aroma came from the kitchen and tadaaa...my brownie is baked, at just the perfect height and texture. we ate most of it last night (hubby loved it too) and today i brought the leftover to the office..and as i am writing, i'm salivating over the last piece..the walnuts are so big and chunky and just makes you yearn for more. once in a while, it's nice to take the easy road to heavenly-tasting food...just add oil, water and egg and you're there!! easy-peasy.

a weekend to remember..

The new year's weekend was one of my best weekends ever. i did more socializing than i ever did in the last six months. It was the perfect weekend, and was certainly a good start to this spankin new year! family ties were strenghtened, old friendships were rekindled, and simply just having a good time. both hubby and i enjoyed our stay at the mandarin on new year's eve and would definitely plan similar celebration in welcoming next year. we loved the room (i sooo love the room that i have this vision to change my own room to look like one of theirs), the facilities that came with it, (high speed internet, sophisticated looking kettle, and even personalized stationery..hee hee) the ambience, and KLCC being just next door.

So, picking up from my last entry from the hotel room, we went down and joined the small group of people to watch the amazing fireworks blasting right onto our faces. it was such a spectacular display and we could feel the glass windows vibrating where we were standing. after about 10 minutes or so, the smoke from the pyrotechniques got too thick and we could only hear the thumping sounds of what's left of the fireworks. and everybody cheered and hugged happy new year with one another (me and hubby only hugged each other la since we didn't know anybody there right..hehe)...by 12.30 am we were back up in our cozy little room under the fluffy sheets.

The next morning, i was greeted by the doorbell at 9 and there was my laundry, all nicely pressed and hung. (they gave us 5 pieces of complimentary laundry which i of course, made full use of). We had a hearty breakfast which consisted of mainly sausages, ommelettes, bacon beef, buns and pastries, cheeses, smoked salmon and coffee and juices. there was none of the usual nasi lemak or other malaysian breakfast, which i didn't mind at all since what we had alone was very fulfilling.

And then we were off to my good friend, Dolly's house in Shah Alam. i had not seen her since she gave birth to her second one two months ago, so it was nice to catch up with her even though it was a really short visit. i've known her since we were both 11 when i first moved to sabah and we've been best friends as long was i was there. she was my maid-of-honor when i got married. i've seen her transformed into a different person ( in terms of lifestyle and apperance) after she got married but it feels good to know she's still the same person inside and she's one of those people i don't have to keep in touch with all the time to make sure that we're still friends. we can be in a hiatus for a few months and still pick up where we left off as if we've been in contact all this while..u know what i mean? that to me, is true friendship.

After that, i wanted to check out this place where they had a Victoria Secret and Gap warehouse sale in PJ. Being a fan of VS (just love their cotton panties and some of their bras) i was hoping i could get some bright colored ones (like the ones i used to buy in the states...5 for $25...i would buy everytime they came up with a new design). but after arriving at the warehouse, they had nothing close to what i imagined of. all they had were those silky nighties (not even with nice lace, just plain silk) and bras with no padding whatsoever that you can actually see the headlights popping thru (not my kind of bra) and thongs (which i'm not really a big fan of). so i didn't buy anything...save duit...hehe..

So far i've only done one session of socializing..oh wait, i forgot, the day before new year's eve, we spent the night at my SIL's house...and that was the family strenghtening part....you see, we hardly get to see my SIL as she lives in Subang, and we live in Melaka. and everytime we are in KL, we'll be in my parent's place. so, for a change, we stayed over at her place and had a nice time chatting (more chatting done during breakfast over fluffy roti canai as we were too tired at night) and nazim got to play with his cousins' (toys).

Ok, wait, the next part of socializing is coming up...my brother's gf Hani came over to our house as i was preparing some bread pudding to bring for another socializing event (told ya i had several). Hani, thanks for the lovely baby blanket. it's so nice and pink!! hope to see you again soon. sorry i couldn't stay to chat longer. so off i went to meet with a few former classmates of mine from Assunta and enjoyed the afternoon appreciating different types of tea and cakes and puddings. wowww..tea has never tasted so different before!! It was nice seeing Hsiu Pin, Jacqui and Cindy again...which made me realize, i should get in touch with my other friends to enjoy their company and catch up over tea or coffee some time..Amin and nazim had their father-son bonding session during this time at 1-utama. :) and after all that, we arrived back safely in Melaka with nazim dozing off in his seat...

So that's that...a good start to my new year. i don't have any resolutions for this year (as other years)...but i will set some short term goals. being 7 and half months pregnant, the only goal i could think of now is:

1. to deliver my baby on it's due date (+ or - one week is still bearable)

as far as my career is concerned, i will bug the HR office again and ask them about my raise (i think i deserve one) and hope to get some feedback before i go on my maternity leave.

Ok, i'm out of ideas for now..and i'm sleepy. Come on people, it's only the first day of work for the year. (Ha hA....i'm such a bad influence)