Monday, February 18, 2008

My Two Lil Angels

It’s been a while since I blog about them. So, expect a loooong entry this time around. More of it is just for my own personal record.


Ashraff vs Aliff (sorry Eiseai, curi idea you for this sub-heading)


Even when I'm pregnant with Aliff, I have somesort of an instinct that the two will be different in terms of characters, judging from the "action" in my tummy. My instinct is right. Here's to sum up some of their differences, right from my pregnancy days:-


1. Ashraff in the tummy - moving actively in the tummy throughout the day. Aliff in the tummy - not that active and I can tell when he's having his nap.

2. Ashraff in tummy - from 12 am and above, hardly any movement. I got a peaceful sleep. True enough, he was a good night baby. Aliff in tummy - active at night, so I know he's not a good night sleeper. True, he's a restless sleeper. Makes all sorts of sounds at night that makes me want to check on him all the time.


3. Ashraff in tummy - pregnancy was a breeze. Aliff in tummy - Quite a bad first trimester, from spotting to thruout-the-day sickness.


4. Ashraff - can latch on (breastfeed) easily. An active nurser. Aliff - took him some time to learn the art of breastfeeding. A lazy one. Will fall asleep everytime he latched on, and will wake up the minute I put him down.

5. Ashraff - a demanding baby. Kuat nangis from day one. Masa dalam pantang cam serik nak beranak lagi. It was so intense and highly stressful during the day (malam dia tidur). The only place that makes him nap longer is on my chest, so I can have a rest too. He sleeps on my chest till he's a giant 6-mo baby. He needs to be carried all the time.

Aliff - a relatively easy baby, alhamdulillah.


6. Ashraff - may be a demanding baby at first. But as he grew up, he was easier to handle. Aliff - works the other way around. Demanding as he gets older.

7. Ashraff - fairly easy to train him to use car seat. Aliff - sampai sekarang will cry and scream as we strap him in car seat.

8. Ashraff - loves stroller. Aliff - hates stroller, loves baby sling. Till now, we are using the sling to carry him around.

9. Ashraff - loves to be center of attention. Loves the crowd. Aliff - clingy. Stress je bila nampak ramai orang.

10. Ashraff - A picky eater. At one time, he only depends on milk (I think I blogged about it long time ago). Aliff - loves to eat, tolak batu & kayu je. Itupun hari tu, sikit lagi dia nak makan batu.


11. Ashraff - loud. Aliff - the quiet type.


12. Ashraff - could not sit still, what more focus. Aliff - can focus a lot longer.


13. Ashraff - soft skills (living skills) ada slow sikit - pandai bukak pintu at the age of 2 1/2 yo, pandai bukak kasut pun lebih kurang 2 1/2, can only eat with his own hands at the age of 2 and using fork and spoon at the age of 3. Sampai sekarang tak pandai pakai seluar sendiri or kasut sendiri. Pedal bicycle pun tak tahu lagi.


Aliff - relatively fast in this area. Except for pedal bicycle and pakai baju sendiri, the rest dia dah pandai.

Because they are so different in every way (even the looks), I am now expecting everything to be the opposite so I have to get ready with tactics and ways to handle it should Aliff meets my expectation, for e.g.


1. Ashraff - only scribble on paper. Aliff - maybe he'll scribble on wall, sofa etc. (Omigod!)

2. Ashraff - No seperation anxiety on first day of school. Aliff - maybe he'll cry and cry..and I have to berkampung kat sekolah itu utk beberapa hari?

Negative betullah Ibu ni!

Ashraff & Aliff


Although they differ in terms of characters and development, they are still brothers.


They adore each other. They are inseperable.


Ashraff loves to give smooches on Aliff's tembun cheeks. And Aliff will show his affection by coming to Ashraff and shove his head to Ashraff’s face. More of like trying to kiss his brother but in quite a rough way.


If one saw the other lying down, he'll come and lie down too. And they will hold hands.

The adik will follow his brother. If they brother jump on the bed (which I don't quite like), the adik will jump too. So they jump together. Two lil cheeky monkeys on my bed, jumping and laughing. Really make my day!


If the brother read book, the adik will try to get a book (usually the same book the brother is reading), so they read book together. If it's of the same book, then Ashraff will "read" to his brother, and his brother will try to imitate the words Ashraff says. Of course, that's is when the brother is in good mood to share. Or else...berentaplah apa lagi.

They'll play together. They're most favourite place is under the dining table. Actually masa kecik dulu Ashraff tak pandai main bawah meja, but since Aliff loves to play under there, Ashraff tags along.




Their secret hiding place is always the walk-in cabinet inside my room. They'll both sneak in, and when they're in, I usually can't hear a sound. So, after few seconds, I got scared, and tried to open the door. And I found them both lying on the floor, having lots of fun. There's this one time Ashraff says to Aliff "Ibu's coming. Syhhhh....". And I'll pretend I didn't know where they are by saying "Where's Ashraff? Where's Aliff?". And I can hear them giggling inside the cabinet. Usually the adik will break free, and come running to me. Then Abang will be frustrated and said "Alaaa...Aliff ni tak pandailah....".

Now, Ashraff loves to comb his brother's hair. "Hair Aliff ni macam girl lah. Macam Rina kat dalam Ultraman Tiga (the heroin). Ashraff pulak macam Diego (the Ultraman himself)". That's the usual remark given by Ashraff.

Those were my best moments..my stress reliever after a hard day at work. No amount of massage or relflexeology could beat that.


But of course, those were the good moments. How about the not-so-nice part?


The not-so-nice part involves a fight, screaming and whining of a 3 yo and 1 yo boys.


Ashraff was known to be the biggest bully in the house, and to Aliff especially. But now, Aliff knows how to play equal. He can defend for his right. And he can even bully Ashraff in return.


He wants almost anything that is in Ashraff’s hands, eventhough it is exactly the same looking toys or pencil or whatever. Nope, we can’t substitute with anything else. Either Ashraff has to give up, or Aliff will continue screaming for that thing. Berentap dengan abang dia. Pening kepala makcik!


He is also a great destroyer when it comes to almost anything, and yang selalu jadi mangsa is Ashraff’s toys or books. Kejap-kejap tercabut kaki, kejap-kejap hilang tayar, kejap-kejap koyak and lagi worst, pecah berderai terus. For the past 3 years, the book is in condition. Sampai kat tangang Aliff, bang! terburai. Ashraff goes berserk everytime that happens. The short-tempered brother will push Aliff till he falls down..and sometimes bang his head on the table sharp edges (!). But that lil boy hardly cries. Dengan muka dek, dia akan bangun and cuba ambik barang tu semula. Ibu goes berserk as well…hahaha…


Well, I guess the love-hate relationship is normal between siblings. Cuma I need to improve myself on how I can handle the "hate" part. I'm currently reading a book "Raising Boys" loaned by my friend. Interesting...and a must have for parents with boys. Probably it can help me in raising my two boys in a more healthy environment. I just wish I have more time with them to really understand them.

Oh, I just hang my boys picture in this small cubicle of mine in the office. It's indeed a stress reliever and a source for motivation for me. It also makes me want to go back home..like right now!


Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Events in January, Blog in February

4 days holiday was a bliss. It gives me enough time to recuperate my energy, although I do wish it could be longer. So I hope no more depressing entry like my last one. It sounds pathetic when I re-read it today…haha. Anyway, here are some of my long past events which I think I ought to blog about it.

….About our new house

We took the keys to our house on 5th January 2007. We were both excited to see the house, eventhough it was entirely empty. Mak and Abah share the joy with us. And Ashraff too. He just loves the echoing sound of an empty house.




Now we are scratching our heads on how to finance the renovation cost. Our pockets are shallow, and renovation is costly. Even building kitchen cabinets costs a bomb. What are we thinking when we thought of hiring an ID consultant before? Now we have to ponder on decorating the house on our own. Not that we can’t do it. But we need some professional help in some areas…like colour coordination and decorative items. Any FOC advise here?:)

…About our 5th Anniversary

It’s on 17th January this year. I can’t believe it. We were married for half a decade! How time flies!


Usually for anniversary, we do not have the exchange of gifts ritual. That’s exclusively for birthdays only. Finding gifts for the same person twice a year is a lot of hassle…haha.
So for anniversary, we only dine out in some exclusive restaurant.

Except this year, I decided to celebrate it with our special 5th Anniversary cake. So I ordered Hubby’s all-time favourite cake – the yummylicious baked cheese cake – without Hubby’s knowledge. Hubby was happy and surprised to see the lovely cake.



We had a simple cake-cutting ceremony right after dinner (that explains why we didn't dress out properly).

Then only yesterday we both had the chance to dine out at LeMeridian's fine dining restaurant. The food is superb! Thanks to ChefAyie who made the meal extra special for both of us (and also great discount on the meal..haha).



I’m thankful that after 5 years of marriage we are blessed with two adorable boys and still a happy marriage life. Alhamdulillah.



That's it for now. I really want to blog about my two lil cherub, but I guess that'll take quite some time and I don't have extra left. Shall do in my next post. Till then, tata...

Added just a few seconds ago:-

"Thanks a lot for the positive comments for my last post. When I blogged about it, I feel partly relieve from my daily stressful life, but when I got the motivation and word of encouragement from my fellow bloggers, it really boost my energy! It makes me feel that my life doesn't suck big time like I used to think it was...Thanks, thanks!"

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

All work and no play....

...makes me a dull woman.

Ok. Let me see...

Option 1 : Ask for a transfer of department. (But to where?)
Option 2 : Tender resignation (But who’s going to pay my loan?)
Option 3 : Enrol in a stress management course (is this effective?)

I’m tired. Dead tired.

Work has been tremendously challenging in this new department. I work productively for full 8 hours, even beyond that. Everyday is an intense and highly stress moment. Everything URGENT. This one on my desk After about one month in this department, I ended up having headache almost everyday, towards evening. I think I better check my BP.

There was this one time where I actually broke down and cry. Could not take it any longer. It doesn’t help when all my female collegues are still single, thus, I could not share with them the situation I’m in. Me, a married woman with two kids, having to juggle between a demanding full-time job and an equally tough parenting task. I’m not sure whether I can be good at both when my mental and physical energy have been sucked out from my body system. Letihnya…

I wanted to blog about this misery long before today…just so that I could let go some of the boiling pressure I have inside. And as I am writing this, I feel like crying. Never for the entire 8 years working in this corporate world had I feel such burden. Partly because I devote more than half of my day doing something which I don’t quite like doing.

One thing for sure, I can’t let this thing from prolonging. It will effect my role as wife and mother…and it will definitely affect my health. Hmmm….what should I do?