Aliff confirm kena chicken pox semalam...
I thought I'm mentally ready for this..but when the reality sinks in....arghhhh!!!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
In my other window
Alhamdulillah, Ashraff is recovering tremendously from his chicken pox. Except for that one big scar on his nose, which I doubt will fade anytime soon, the rest of the spots are diminishing. By the way, that scar on the nose is resulted from hasil korekan padu oleh Ashraff ketika pox tersebut masih belum kering menyebabkan ia berdarah dan kemudiannya berlubang...Urgh! When we showed him the scar on the mirror, he was scared to death to scratch another spot. Dia akan tahan je gatal, selagi terdaya. Thank God, doktor ada bagi ubat tahan gatal, which really does help. But, as a mother, I really hope the scar will fade. Kalau tak, kurang hensemlah anak I...hehe.
As for Aliff, so far no sign of chicken pox, which is good. However, he still has phlegm and cough quite often...and have a restless night. Kept on waking and crying almost every hour. Maybe due to teething coz I can see him poking his finger in the mouth..and saliva keeps on drooling. As for his development, I shall update in my next posting...with photos somemore...
Oh now, as per my post's title today, I just want to inform you that CMOG has received orders from the fan club of one Akademi Fantasia's winner. I'm not a huge fan of AF, but receiving order from a public figure is indeed a priviledge for us. Do u want to know who I'm talking about? Pls check it out here!
As for Aliff, so far no sign of chicken pox, which is good. However, he still has phlegm and cough quite often...and have a restless night. Kept on waking and crying almost every hour. Maybe due to teething coz I can see him poking his finger in the mouth..and saliva keeps on drooling. As for his development, I shall update in my next posting...with photos somemore...
Oh now, as per my post's title today, I just want to inform you that CMOG has received orders from the fan club of one Akademi Fantasia's winner. I'm not a huge fan of AF, but receiving order from a public figure is indeed a priviledge for us. Do u want to know who I'm talking about? Pls check it out here!
Lesson for Ashraff...
I've posted this in my earlier posting, but I think I should make it a stand-alone post just for my record purposes. So, here's is it...cut and paste from my earlier post...
"Ashraff saw Ultraman Nexus's figurine at one of houses we visited on the way back to KL and he wants to own one too (For our record, the date is 17/10/2007). We immediately made a deal with him that if he can sleep on his own without us patting him on his buttock, we will give him RM1 each time it happens. So far, he has RM4 in his pocket...hehehe (date of our last post : 19/10/2007). We'll let him count the money so he appreciates it. Teach him the value of money. Our plan is as the money reaches RM20, we'll buy him the Ultraman Nexus (altho that Ultraman thingy is more expensive than RM20)...or anything that his heart desires at that time. I hope that this reward-based strategy works well. It's about time he learns to sleep on his own. Come on lah, he's already 3 years old..."
Well, if you have been reading my entries since the last era, you should have known that Ashraff has problem dozing off without any assistance. When he was baby, we had to resort using the pacifier to make him sleep, although we dislike very much the idea of using a dummy. Even with pacifier, we had to carry and rock him to sleep. He didn't know how to lie down, that's the problem. Instead he chose to cry and cry while walking about if he's tired and sleepy. We tried to force him to lie down, so he could sleep, but lagi kuat pakcik tu menjerit! We were left with no choice, but to carry and rock him to sleep. We had to do that till he's about 1 1/2 yo. Imagine a besar panjang toddler being carried and rocked to sleep...imagine how sakit my belakang is...
Then after that, a pat on the buttock with a pacifier on, makes him sleep. That lasted until he's 2 1/2 yo, where he finally decided to wean from pacifier. Alhamdulillah...it was an easy weaning process, but we had to continue patting on the buttock until he falls in deep slumber. Sometimes we patted for 10 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes...sometimes dah nak kat 1 jam pun ada...Imagine how lenguh our tangan was...
Now, he's another step of 'weaning'. Weaning from patting or 'kopok' (as the way Ashraff likes to put it). Alhamdulillah, despite the difficulty in raising Ashraff, Allah makes it easier for us to teach him how to throw away the old and"not so nice" habit. He has been cooperating with us, all the time, from that old carry-and-rock stage, till throw-away-the-pacifier stage, and now patting-the-buttock stage.
Actually we did not plan on what method to use. It all came out of a sudden. Just out of no where, suddenly me or hubby will throw the idea to Ashraff and he will buy it. Like when we wean him from pacifier, all we need to say is "puting ada ulat warna black" and he refused it immediately much to our suprise.
Same goes with this latest idea of buying the Nexus. Hubby had enough of "kopok"ing when he suddenly said "Ashraff, kalau Ashraff tidur tak payah kopok, Ayah beli Ashraff Ultraman Nexus macam kat rumah yg kita pergi tadi." And I added," Macam nilah, Ibu bagi Ashraff RM1 bila Ashraff tidur tak payah kopok. Bila dah banyak-banyak, kita beli Ultraman Nexus." Ashraff was excited and said "Beli Ultraman Nexus macam kat rumah tadi ke?". We both answered "Ya!" and I sempat winked kat Hubby. And he immediately dozed off to sleep. Boleh pulak. Now we realised how mengada this little lad is...
Alhamdulillah, from there on, dah tak berkopok lagi dah Ashraff. He can finally sleep on his own, after 3 years. It makes our life much easier...We can just sleep first if we want too. But what saddens me is that he refused to let me lie on his side sebelum tidur. He will "halau" me away. So unlike before, where he needs me or Hubby to be beside him to pat him before he sleeps. I know I shall miss the days where I lie, hold, cuddle and pat him to sleep, no matter how tiring it is. I will have to accept the fact that my boy has grown up...and soon another step to follow which is letting him sleep in his own room.
"Ashraff saw Ultraman Nexus's figurine at one of houses we visited on the way back to KL and he wants to own one too (For our record, the date is 17/10/2007). We immediately made a deal with him that if he can sleep on his own without us patting him on his buttock, we will give him RM1 each time it happens. So far, he has RM4 in his pocket...hehehe (date of our last post : 19/10/2007). We'll let him count the money so he appreciates it. Teach him the value of money. Our plan is as the money reaches RM20, we'll buy him the Ultraman Nexus (altho that Ultraman thingy is more expensive than RM20)...or anything that his heart desires at that time. I hope that this reward-based strategy works well. It's about time he learns to sleep on his own. Come on lah, he's already 3 years old..."
Well, if you have been reading my entries since the last era, you should have known that Ashraff has problem dozing off without any assistance. When he was baby, we had to resort using the pacifier to make him sleep, although we dislike very much the idea of using a dummy. Even with pacifier, we had to carry and rock him to sleep. He didn't know how to lie down, that's the problem. Instead he chose to cry and cry while walking about if he's tired and sleepy. We tried to force him to lie down, so he could sleep, but lagi kuat pakcik tu menjerit! We were left with no choice, but to carry and rock him to sleep. We had to do that till he's about 1 1/2 yo. Imagine a besar panjang toddler being carried and rocked to sleep...imagine how sakit my belakang is...
Then after that, a pat on the buttock with a pacifier on, makes him sleep. That lasted until he's 2 1/2 yo, where he finally decided to wean from pacifier. Alhamdulillah...it was an easy weaning process, but we had to continue patting on the buttock until he falls in deep slumber. Sometimes we patted for 10 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes...sometimes dah nak kat 1 jam pun ada...Imagine how lenguh our tangan was...
Now, he's another step of 'weaning'. Weaning from patting or 'kopok' (as the way Ashraff likes to put it). Alhamdulillah, despite the difficulty in raising Ashraff, Allah makes it easier for us to teach him how to throw away the old and"not so nice" habit. He has been cooperating with us, all the time, from that old carry-and-rock stage, till throw-away-the-pacifier stage, and now patting-the-buttock stage.
Actually we did not plan on what method to use. It all came out of a sudden. Just out of no where, suddenly me or hubby will throw the idea to Ashraff and he will buy it. Like when we wean him from pacifier, all we need to say is "puting ada ulat warna black" and he refused it immediately much to our suprise.
Same goes with this latest idea of buying the Nexus. Hubby had enough of "kopok"ing when he suddenly said "Ashraff, kalau Ashraff tidur tak payah kopok, Ayah beli Ashraff Ultraman Nexus macam kat rumah yg kita pergi tadi." And I added," Macam nilah, Ibu bagi Ashraff RM1 bila Ashraff tidur tak payah kopok. Bila dah banyak-banyak, kita beli Ultraman Nexus." Ashraff was excited and said "Beli Ultraman Nexus macam kat rumah tadi ke?". We both answered "Ya!" and I sempat winked kat Hubby. And he immediately dozed off to sleep. Boleh pulak. Now we realised how mengada this little lad is...
Alhamdulillah, from there on, dah tak berkopok lagi dah Ashraff. He can finally sleep on his own, after 3 years. It makes our life much easier...We can just sleep first if we want too. But what saddens me is that he refused to let me lie on his side sebelum tidur. He will "halau" me away. So unlike before, where he needs me or Hubby to be beside him to pat him before he sleeps. I know I shall miss the days where I lie, hold, cuddle and pat him to sleep, no matter how tiring it is. I will have to accept the fact that my boy has grown up...and soon another step to follow which is letting him sleep in his own room.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Hari Raya with a difference
Back in the office yesterday and have been blog hopping almost the whole day. Hehehe..still in Raya mood maaa...Well, almost all the blogs I visited, it's either there is no new update as yet or there is new entry talking about Raya, with lovely Raya's pix. So I want to join the bandwagon and talk about Raya too. Hehe.
For those who have received my Raya-wish sms, you have heard the news about Ashraff. Yes, he was diagnosed with chicken pox last Tuesday, 3 days before Raya. Prior to that, we have been going back and forth to clinic for his continuous blocked nose and cough's medication. That has been going on for two weeks, before the pox actually surfaced. We were suprised at first coz from what we heard and experienced, usually chicken pox started of with high fever. Ashraff did not have fever at all...
Ashraff's Raya Look
If you are wondering whether we have taken chicken pox vaccination for Ashraff before, the answer is NO. Even a compulsory 1-year old jab, we took it when he was almost two. So what more with "jap sunat" macam chicken pox tu. I know, Ibu and Ayah are just a bunch of forgetful procrastinators.
Then in between taking care of Ashraff, Aliff also suffered a runny nose, but just a minor one. Off and on. With medication it stops, and then it started again. And moi, I guess, due to lack of sleep, was also down with flu two days before Raya. And am still coughing till today.
With the pox's virus circulating in the house, we had to seperate Ashraff and Aliff. Ashraff was quarantined in his TV room downstairs with Mak in-charge. While Aliff was upstairs with Bibik. It's not the easiest thing to do coz by noon, both boys have been missing each other badly. Aliff will crawl to where the TV room is, macam tau-tau je Abang dia ada kat dalam tu. And Ashraff, the moment he heard Aliff's voice outside the room, he will open the door and say"Jomlah masuk."
Back in Pontian, it's even harder to seperate them. There is no upstairs and downstairs in Pontian. Semuanya satu level je. There is only one tempat berkumpul in the house, which is kat bahagian belakang. So takkanlah I nak duduk kat bahagian depan rumah with Ashraff, while the rest of the family is at the back, chit-chatting away. Plus, it breaks my heart to see the boys missing each other. So I just langgar je pantang larang, and let them play together as usual, praying that Aliff won't catches the pox while preparing mentally should Aliff terkena jugak serangannya.
Alhamdulillah, the pox isn't that bad. Probably because we do not let Ashraff minum air kelapa. Orang cakap kalau minum air kelapa, keluar semua. We refused to do so because some advises us that air kelapa can cause brochitis or asthma knowing the fact that Ashraff has a bad cough at that time.
Ashraff also is still in his usual active mode. Kalau orang tak nampak muka dia bercapuk, pasti orang tak tahu yang dia kena chicken pox. Although at times, he is a bit cranky due to lack of sleep. Not so much because of the pox, but more of the coughing. He coughed badly at night and vomitted few times. On 2nd day of Raya, he coughed continuously sampai dah tak sanggup nak dengar. So on 3rd day of Raya, we brought him to the paeditrician, and he was put on nebuliser immediately. He lost quite a weight...
We thought at first there will be no Raya for us this year due to the sickness. But hey, beraya jugak rupanya. Except for no Muar, Kulai or Pasir Gudang trip, our Raya went on as usual. We still had our customary photo taking session in the morning, before heading to JB to visit my parents.
It's Aliff's first Raya!
At my Tok Mak's house in JB - Ashraff & Aliff impressed by the flying helicopter.
We visited nearby relatives' houses, but Ashraff has to be left at home with Bibik. We had to warn every guest who came to our house, especially those with children that our little boy has chicken pox. And we had to educate Ashraff not to get near to other children because of his pox. He seemed to be cooperating. I've also overheard him saying to the one of the guests that he has chicken pox. The only time Ashraff visited relatives' houses is on the way back to KL.
Hubby with his mother and siblings.
Alhamdulillah, on the fourth day of Raya, selamatlah sudah kenduri aqiqah untuk Ashraff. We did it at Pontian with the help of Mak Pontian. Meriah sungguh. And the kambing, according to Hubby, is super-delicious. Sorry folks, I don't take mutton..hehe. So now, another two kambing for Aliff pulak, which we plan to do it Raya Haji nanti, insyaAllah. Tak jadi nak buat masa birthday nanti. 
Hubby and adiknya, enjoying the mutton dish.
Ashraff is not feeling well on the kenduri day, but he still makes an effort to smile.
Oh, Ashraff saw Ultraman Nexus's figurine at one of houses we visited on the way back to KL and he wants to own one too. We immediately made a deal with him that if he can sleep on his own without us patting him on his buttock, we will give him RM1 each time it happens. So far, he has RM4 in his pocket...hehehe. We'll let him count the money so he appreciates it. Teach him the value of money. Our plan is as the money reaches RM20, we'll buy him the Ultraman Nexus (altho that Ultraman thingy is more expensive than RM20)...or anything that his heart desires at that time. I hope that this reward-based strategy works well. It's about time he learns to sleep on his own. Come on lah, he's already 3 years old...
I guess, that's our Raya story this year. How about yours?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Siblings are meant to be together...
...Through good times...
...And bad times...
Internet connection is soooo slow these days! Sampai berhari-hari tertangguh nak post this entry...So ala-ala entry dah basilah ni...
Oh well, after days of having iftar at home, finally we had our buka puasa outside the house for a change...for three consecutive days.
On Friday night, hubby and I (with Aliff tagging along) had our iftar together with the rest of Hubby’s "kawan-kawan kapal" at Tupai2. This is our second time buka puasaing there. Our first was 2 years ago. But have to say the atmosphere and the foods are still the same. An extensive selection of foods with quite an affordable price. Too bad I can’t enjoy the food that much with Aliff “attached” to me almost all the time. He has developed somewhat a serious separation anxiety. He will play only if I’m around. But once I’m out of his sight, he’ll cry like there’s no tomorrow. Even Ayah could not come to the rescue. No photo taken. Bawak camera, tapi tak sempat nak ambik gambar. But I have to tell you, the foods are super-delicious. We were thinking of dining-in at the restaurant during the non-puasa period. Orang cakap the speciality there are the asam pedas and thriffle. Yummy!
On Saturday night, our good buddies, Sheila and Atan invited us for a buka puasa at their house. It was a potluck arrangement so foods are a bundle. The couple together with Nissa & Shahnaz are me and hubby’s uni mates (kitaorang ni kawin sesame budak U jugak..hehe). It was quite a gathering for us, after a long time. Yelah masing-masing busy with work and family.
Now each couple has two kids each. Cuma the combination is different. Like Sheila, she has two girls, me have two boys, while Nissa has a pair. During the short gathering, we plan to actually go on a holiday together. Still deciding on the right time and place. Should be fun kan…Now our kids are also best buddies…
Kaum Ayah jaga yang sulung…Kaum ibu jaga yang no 2…
Then, on Sunday night, we had our iftar at Izreen’s residence to celebrate her daughter’s (Nadya) first birthday bash. Time flies really fast. It seems like yesterday when I visited Izreen during her confinement. Now 12 months have past…Cepatnya!
I had the priviledge to deliver Nadya’s party favors…
And I come out with something different for Nadya’s pressie. Actually, I really don’t know what to give her. Wanted to shop for nice baju kurungs or hari raya dress, but I found out that I’m poor with the girls’ department. Maybe after having two boys, I’ve lost touch with the latest trends in girls’ fashion…hahaha…So, I comeout with something called the Survival Kit.
Inside, there are few ordinary items that I can think of that are suitable for someone who is no longer a baby. Oklah, let’s share ok…
Ada four items altogether…and I put a tag at all the four items…
1 – Times Bookshop Gift Voucher – “for lots of books so Nadya could learn and get ready for school”.
2 - Toys R Us Gift voucher – "for lots of toys so Nadya could play".
3 – A washable crayon so Nadya could scribble everywhere.
4 – A Barney CD – “for in-house entertainment so Nadya could sit at one spot at least longer than the usual”.
I wanted to make a personalized T-shirt but seriously tak sempat. Sorry Nadya, nothing special coz Aunty Rafiqah is extremely busy the last few weeks…
So, this shall be our last week of puasa. I hope it's not too late for me to wish all my fellow blogger’s friends, Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin sekiranya ada terkasar bahasa ketika blogging, ataupun ketika meninggalkan komen di blog anda. For those who travel back to kampung this festive season, please drive carefully. Here I leave you with some of our lampu likur photos…kitaorang dah pasang lampu ni since last week. Thanks to Hubby for lighten up my Raya mood!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
RaYa SpIrIt
When you seldom blog, you will end up with mental block…and your writing skill will go rusty (macamlah ada skill sangatkan..).
I think I’m going through this phase currently.
But we can't let this situation prolongs right? So I better start writing before I lost touch with blogging completely.
Emm..what should I talk about? My life seems to evolve around the same thing everyday, with quite the same schedule. Cam orang yang sedang dilanda keboringan je kan? And I don't take interesting photos of the boys lately. Our camera are full of CMOG's accomplished projects, which I'm yet to make a posting in the other window. I think I should carry the camera around more often so I could snap those "Kodak" moments..especially when the two boys play together. It's lovely sight (as opposed to fighting).
Well, fasting so far masih penuh, alhamdulillah. I expect a full month puasa this year. Still haven’t got my menses after Aliff’s birth. I think I've gotten it as soon as I returned to work after confinement. But hell, no. It’s not menses. It just shows up one month, and never again the following month. Some suggested I go for a check-up..and some suggested I pergi mengurut since it’s almost one year. Tengoklah macamana. It might be due to breastfeeding. But then again, it’s no harm if I want to go for a check-up.
Now on Raya. It's going to be my fifth Raya with hubby. I still remember our first Raya together on how we make a pact to celebrate every Raya's eve at MIL's house in Pontian. Not that Hubby is being unfair or something, but that's just the way it has to be. My parents will go back to my grandma's house in JB, which is full of other 30 other unmarried cucus (I'm the first cucu), who have no choice but to spend their nights at JB house. Thus, there is no room for the married cucu like me to overnight there. Atok Mak pulak tu disallowed us to tidur kat luar..with us being newly married and what not. Thus, we then decided that we shall overnight at Mak Pontian's house. And the very next morning, we shall shoot to JB to pay Mak Abah a visit. I don't mind at all since I love to stay at Pontian anyway. Lovely kampung environment. After all, I see Mak Abah everyday, but Mak Pontian, hardly. So, basically that's how it goes every year.
Our first Raya, it's just the two of us. We were almost 11 months married then. Every time we met people, they'll ask..Dah mengandung ke belum? Pressurenye lah. Not like we didn't try. Actually, I was pregnant at that time, but I didn't know. Until after Raya, we found out the great news. As for Raya photos, I thought I have no digital image of our first Raya together, but as I did some housekeeping of all my PC folders, I found one, courtesy of my cousin. We don't have digital camera back then. Theme colour for the year was greyish blue. And I still remember I baked like 3 Raya cookies that year. I don't like cooking, but I love baking. Baking cookies, to be specific.
Then came our second Raya. We've got a new family addition i.e. Ashraff. He was almost 4 months old. Already an active young lad. I thought he was still too small to wear baju melayu, but atok-atok dia bersemangat. He got two baju melayus at that time, from both side of the family. Theme colour - pink. Hubby nak tak nak kena agree with that colour...hehehe. I didn't bake any cookies that year coz I really didn't have time. Ashraff was a handful with his evening colic..and I didn't have a helper. Since we've lost all our digital images when Ashraff was younger, here's the only photo that we have. Nasib baik I upload it in my frienster.
Gelapnya Ashraff masa tu...hehehe. He was born dark..like really dark, dengan bibir yang lebam ala-ala heavy smoker. Nasib baik sekarang ni tidaklah segelap dulu...
Third raya, the theme colour was brown. Hubby was being extra generous that year. We spent the eve of Raya in JB..and only went back to Pontian at around 12 midnight. Ashraff was like 1 yo 3 mo then. He's full of antics. Being the first and only cicit, he seemed to be in the centre of attention. And dia pulak, having that "celebrity personality", akan buat je apa orang suruh buat. Kalau orang suruh nyanyi, dia nyanyi. Orang suruh senyum, dia akan senyum. I baked 3 raya cookies that year, but too bad, semuanya tak menjadi. Entah kenapa. That year I would say is one of those rare moments when I actually put on weight. Lots of them. Semua orang ingat I was preggy again. Bengang je...I still remember my plan to go on a diet binge that year...
The night at TokMak's house in JB
Di zaman kegemukanku suatu masa dulu...
Came fourth Raya, I was even more bloated! I was heavily pregnant with Aliff back then. I'm due on the second week of Raya. We were contemplating on whether to go back to Johor or not. But, we took the risk and went back. In fact, that year we went all the way to Mersing for "adat merisik" for my BIL. Nasib baik tak terberanak kat Mersing! I guess, so far, this is the only Raya where I wore gown instead of baju kurung. I didn't make any cookies this year. Kepenatan. Our theme colour was dark blue. Ashraff was 2 yo 2 mo then. He seemed to enjoy Raya so much this time. He followed Mak Su Siti (Hubby's sister) around kampung to deliver juadah Raya. That's the best thing when you have a "real" kampung to celebrate Raya. Meriah sangat! And if I'm not mistaken, that's the first year I got to celebrate Raya with my BIL who is an army and was forced to work during Raya. He managed to secure a Raya leave that year.
On the 10th of Syawal, Aliff was born. A lot of people insisted us to give "Raya name" to Aliff...like Fitri or Aidil or Syawal. Sorry folks, Fitri is taken. That's his father's name. Syawal is way out of list. Aidil? Not bad. I was thinking of improvising the spelling to maybe..errr..Aidiel? But Hubby don't quite like that name, plus, we've decided on Aliff long time ago. Now that I think of it, I've never actually blog about this Raya. I went straight for my maternity leave after Raya holiday, leaving me with no internet access to blog.
This year...hmmm...unlike the past years, I don't quite plan well for this year's Raya. I guess we are too busy planning for the holiday trip we had earlier and A&A's party, till we 'overlook' Raya altogether. No new baju Melayu for both hubby and Ashraff. They are going to wear the same baju they wore for BIL's wedding, which makes our theme color for the year Red. I haven't really try the baju on Ashraff yet to see whether it still fit. Kalau terkecik, parahlah! Kenalah beli baju last minute. No home-made Raya cookies this year either. Semua beli. I have not shop for my tudung Raya..and I need new brooches as well. Most of my brooches are mismatched..and "urgh" looking. Ashraff still does not have sampin. Sampin dulu dah kecik. I think I need to pay Jalan TAR a visit soon. Kain baju melayu Aliff baru dibeli. Nasib baik MIL is willing to sew. Seriously everything last minute this year. I just hope everything turns out okay. Yang penting Raya pertama tu kena perfect for the customary salam-salaman and photo taking.
Oh, this year, Pontian's side has two additional family members One is 11 mo Aliff. And another one is BIL's wife. Mak would be very happy with the growing family member. If only we could get together one fine day, and go to photo studio to get our family photos taken. I always wanted to have a formal family photo with Hubby's side. Too bad, my late FIL (whom I've never met) is not around to celebrate Raya with us.
This year jugak, rezeki, alhamdulillah melimpah ruah. Just got my long awaited bonus. Few days after that, gaji pulak masuk. And then few days after, I received two cheques from IRB for tax refund. I’ve settled my credit card bills in full amount, put aside for A&A’s party end of this year..and some for savings and other good course. Just when I need them the most, they are here…alhamdulillah. When I think about salary increment, revision and bonuses, rasa sayang nak tinggalkan 9-to-5 job. But when we think about those highly-stressed moments, rasa macam masa tu jugak nak tender resignation…hahaha...
Oklah, better stop here. Hey, I think I still haven't lost touch with blogging. When you put your heart and soul to it, you can do it. Tengoklah berapa panjang my entry this time...hahaha. Err..how should I end this post ye? Raya wish? Maybe later. Too early for that...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Latest Craving
I'm sure most of you have encountered this...
When you eat something, and when you are almost finished / finished the food, you feel that you have to take somemore. And the feeling goes on and on...payah nak stop...
This is how I feel when I ate this super-delicious moist steam fruit cake...
Marvellous! Super-moist! Tonnes of fruits and nuts!
I am not a fruit cake lover...but then when I blog-hopped to The Kek's blog one day during this Puasa month, my saliva immediately drools the moment I looked at the photo of the cake.
Terus order!
And the next day, dah dapat...Excellent service!
Sekarang tinggal sikit je lagi. Definitely gonna order for Raya (I hope tempahan untuk Raya masih dibuka)!
You guys should try this...(no, I don't earn any commission on it. I'm just sharing what I think I ought to share). Anyway, kalau you don't quite like it, don't blame me eh...after all, we humans got different taste buds...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Updates on my three heroes
CAUTION!
This entry is long...and there is no photos. I'm doing it for my own personal record. But you can still read if you want to:)
On Hubby
Hubby has officially joined the 30s club on 15th September 2007!
This entry is long...and there is no photos. I'm doing it for my own personal record. But you can still read if you want to:)
On Hubby
Hubby has officially joined the 30s club on 15th September 2007!
HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, DEAR!
So we are now both in our 30s..hehehe...He actually made a vow long time ago to control his diet as he reached 30. So, on 15th September he also officially started his diet regime. Takde lagi tambah nasi dua tiga pinggan macam dulu. He also reduced his asam pedas intake. I know it is not an easy step to do as you are used to eat whatever and whenever you want, but he is determined to do it. So I just support, motivate and remind him every now and then.
Hmmm..he's not exactly the fat and big type, but he is also no longer the "Matpet" (term used to described mat-mat dadah, which is also Hubby's nickname in school) I used to know. Anyway, no matter what size he's in, I still love him the same. Oh, don't get the wrong idea that I persuaded him to do so. No! It's his own choice...
As for the birthday celebration, nothing much. Just a wish from all of us. I haven't bought him his birthday gift as yet. I just gave him a card, bought all the way from OZ. Tengoklah keadaan macamana. Probably we will celebrate on the 1st day of Raya ke, coz that's his birthday as well (according to kalendar Islam). On Ashraff
Nowadays, Ashraff asked lots of questions. Almost every single thing he saw. The questions are becoming tougher these days. It is no longer "apa?" but more to "kenapa?". So, yeah, tough especially if you yourself does not the answer.
He also quite a chatterbox. He is so good in talking that I almost thought that he's not just a mere 3 yo. He talks like he's 5yo boy or something. I would say that I love to layan dia bercakap. It's so fulfilling. And I'm amazed by all his vocabs, be it English or Malay. His English vocab also increased drastically. Like the other day I asked him whether he likes lasagne (coz we were both watching Garfield who loves eating lasagne. And he answered "I don't like lasagne. I like fish." Terbuntang mata I when he could reply in such good sentence structure. I was just expecting "No" for an answer.
Ashraff is into numbers these days. He'll tell you the number everytime he saw one. He'll count and count almost anything. He tried to "do the numbers" with his finger and I have to show him with my finger so he could follow. He still have problem doing no 3.
He is also learning the different languages. Like when he saw a Malay movie or TV show, he'll ask "dia cakap apa ni?". And I'll answer "dia cakap Melayu." Or when he saw an English movie, he'll ask "dia cakap apa ni?". And I'll tell "English". He'll then replied "oh, sama macam Garfield, Barney and Power Rangers kan?"...hehehe...Now he can differentiate English, Melayu, Cina, India, Indonesia and Japanese (coz Ultraman's songs are all in Japanese..dia hafal okay lagu2 Jepun tu..).
He is also partially toilet-trained. He still put on his diapers, but he'll tell you whenever he wants to go to toilet. My thanks goes out to my aunty (tempat yang I menumpang while my mak, abah & hubby were away). She's the one who managed to train him to do his business in the toilet. What she did was she urut Ashraff's lower abdomen sebab kata dia Ashraff ni kuat melompat so ada possibility tempat kencing dia jatuh. After the urut session, terus Ashraff boleh do his biz in toilet. This aunty of mine has years of experience taking care of children (including me) and she's good in it. Even Ashraff has gained lots of weight within the span of one week staying with her.
But Ashraff still put his diaper on coz at one time, we tried to take it off, tengok2 bocor merata. So for the time being, we let him wear diapers first. Give it a few more days, then we'll try to take off the diaper. After all, business "number 2" still in the diaper.
What else? Oh now, Ayah is teaching him "Alif, Ba, Ta" and we intend to buy a CD for that. And also I want to start introducing him to alphabet.
On Aliff
Oh, what can I say about my Japanese-looking boy? He has gone through quite a milestone. Aliff could now stand on both feet, unsupported. At first he was just doing it unconsciously like he was holding a toy in one hand, while the other hand hold on to something. But suddenly without realising, dia lepas tangan yang tengah pegang something tu, and used both hands to play with the toys. Meaning which, he was standing unsupported, without him realising it.
After a while, he got used to the idea and now he could stand unsupported every now and then, and usually it lasted for few seconds (now becoming longer). Now, bibik told me two days ago that Aliff has started to take few steps forward. I guess he wanted so much to walk because he seems impressed with his Abang's ability to run and jump. I can see it in his eyes that he really wants to join in the fun. And he always reached out his hands to people / object infront of him everytime he was standing unsupported. I really hope he could walk before his first birthday, just like Ashraff. Ashraff stands unsupported when he was 11 months old, and within the span of 4 days, he could walk. And within one week, he could run steadily. I've never gone through "jalan-jalan jatuh" stage with Ashraff. This is because Ashraff is the type that is determined. He'll try and try to practice the new skill he got almost every hour. Kitaorang yang tengok pun jadi penat tengok dia trying...
Unlike Ashraff, Aliff is a more relax and cool type. He's the type that "alah...kalau tak dapat jalan, merangkak je lah..."
Aliff sekarang ni pun dah pandai melawan. If the brother took his toys, he'll crawl back very fast to his brother, and tried to snatch that thing away. And if he could not get it, dia akan pukul muka abang dia. Ashraff was crying yesterday sebab adik pukul muka dia. And if Aliff still could not get it, he'll shout really loudly (not crying, just a shout) tanda marah.
This small boy is also very active, which is quite the same as Ashraff. Cuma Ashraff ni ada sifat penggeli. So kalau bawah meja tu ada habuk, he won't go in there. And kalau tempat tu ada air sikit-sikit, he won't step on it. Yang kecik ni, semua main redah - belakang curtain, bawah meja, bawah kerusi, dalam dapur...
One thing I noticed about Aliff is he's the quiet type. So, he'll do everything in silent. Like tahu-tahu je, benda tu dah pecah..atau buku tu dah koyak..atau tiba-tiba je dia dah bawah kerusi. As opposed to him, Ashraff is loud. He'll do things with his hands..and mouth. So you can detect where he went to or what is he doing. In Aliff's case, monitoring him is a bit harder. But since he's not the mengelupur type like Ashraff, he seldom falls down. Thus, I'm not scared that much. So far, with him, belum lagi ada incident jatuh katil...
Aliff is also an analytical person. Like when he enters a new place (a room, for e.g.), he'll take sometime to analyse the new surrounding. He'll study the faces that he saw, and if that face is familiar to him, he'll smile. But if that's the first time he saw you, big possibility he'll cry. Unless you have that warm look that makes his heart mealt...then he'll smile back at you.
Oh, the two boys have contrast personalities..and contrast look. One look like Japanese/Korean with his straight, black hair...and another one..hmmm...more of a Malay with a wavy, brownish hair. But both are of the same gender..and both comes out from Ibu's tummy. But they do not like adik-beradik at all! Not that I mind though...it's just something to note.
In terms of personality, the elder brother, I'd categorise as the Extremist as he could move from a cheeky, lively boy to the most rebellious, monstrous lad in split second. As for Aliff, I'd say he's just stays at the Median point. He's not as cheeky as his brother...and he's also not that loud. This is just my judgement at this point of time. Maybe they'll change as they get bigger.
Phewhhh...I told you it'll be long. That's it. Two entries in two days time. Enough to menghilangkan perasaan gatal tangan nak blog. Now back to work...Have a nice day everybody!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Updates about Moi.
Hellew!
When was the last time I update this blog? Last two weeks? And when was the last time I hop to your blog? Before going for our holiday?
Life has been very hectic here. Most clients are pushing for money before this coming Raya, so we were, of course, overloaded with disbursement proposals. But, I miss blogging..and I miss blog hopping, where I got all the juicy stories from my blogger's friends. And I don't stay back these days. 4.30 sharp dah cabut! And I don't do the write-up at home any more coz I'm busy doing something else with my notebook. Hmmm...I guess that explains a lot why I didn't blog these days.
But today, I'm determine to update the blog...curi office hour sikit-sikit...hehehe...Let see, I intend to write an update about the four of us - me, hubby and the boys.
On Moi
Like I say, I'm one of a hell busy employee, mommy and the same time a very amateur businesswoman, trying to get a small piece of the market share.
Despite that, I''m feeling refreshed (after my depressing last entry) due to the fact that all my loved ones are back in the house - hubby, mak and abah.
Fasting, so far, has been great except for this one fact...Milk supply really decreases! Pretty alarming. If let say one day I could get like 3 5oz bottles full of milk (or more), now I can only get 3-quarter of it, or in much worse days, I could only get half. But alhamdulillah, Aliff still get full breastmilk because I've managed to have some buffer stocks in the fridge after having abundant milk supply, right after the OZ trip. Then again, I don't know how long this will last. Not that I mind though. Taknak exert my energy so much pondering on this matter coz I have lots of other more important things in my mind now. Kalau tak cukup, I can just supplement him with formula. Done it before, so no harm in doing it again. Cuma Aliff hates the taste. So worse comes to worse, we mix breastmilk and formula together, and that works like wonder before.
Business, alhamdulillah, is picking up. I thought demand will fall this Ramadhan coz people are concentrating on Raya preparation rather than buying gifts. But tidak juga. I still got orders for gifts..and mostly for events after Raya.
At the same time, I have to allocate some time or the party planning, especially the designing part. Design of party invites, party favours etc. I feel like taking a one-month unpaid leave je so I could concentrate on biz and party planning. If only money is not an issue...
Lately also I've been thinking of becoming a lactation consultant. Hehehe..baru berjaya fully breastfeed, terus nak jadi consultant...hehehe...But yeah. This company does not have this kind of "fully breastfeeding" culture. Rata-rata semua campur bila dah start kerja. It seems like I'm the only one pumping in this one damn big building. But I've managed to start the culture here. Pregnant ladies in the office came and ask me if they saw me pumping in the surau. And a friend of mine managed to exlusively breastfeed just by talking to me. Few other friends and family members sms/call me when they are in confinement, just to ask about breastfeeding. Other male collegues sampai suruh isteri dia call me just to ask about breastfeeding. I'm not shy now to disclose to even my male collegues that I do pumping in the office (unlike before). My MIL, who is a lactation consultant herself, used me as an example when she gives one of her talks. It is a huge satisfaction for me when I manage to help others to successfully breastfeed. So this is where the idea to become a lactation consultant arises. Yet, it's just a thought. Belum ada planning apa-apa lagi. Still struggling to find some free time here...hehehe...
Guess that's about it. Lama jugak I curi masa office ni. Better start doing some work now. Will update about Hubby and the boys later in the next entry...
When was the last time I update this blog? Last two weeks? And when was the last time I hop to your blog? Before going for our holiday?
Life has been very hectic here. Most clients are pushing for money before this coming Raya, so we were, of course, overloaded with disbursement proposals. But, I miss blogging..and I miss blog hopping, where I got all the juicy stories from my blogger's friends. And I don't stay back these days. 4.30 sharp dah cabut! And I don't do the write-up at home any more coz I'm busy doing something else with my notebook. Hmmm...I guess that explains a lot why I didn't blog these days.
But today, I'm determine to update the blog...curi office hour sikit-sikit...hehehe...Let see, I intend to write an update about the four of us - me, hubby and the boys.
On Moi
Like I say, I'm one of a hell busy employee, mommy and the same time a very amateur businesswoman, trying to get a small piece of the market share.
Despite that, I''m feeling refreshed (after my depressing last entry) due to the fact that all my loved ones are back in the house - hubby, mak and abah.
Fasting, so far, has been great except for this one fact...Milk supply really decreases! Pretty alarming. If let say one day I could get like 3 5oz bottles full of milk (or more), now I can only get 3-quarter of it, or in much worse days, I could only get half. But alhamdulillah, Aliff still get full breastmilk because I've managed to have some buffer stocks in the fridge after having abundant milk supply, right after the OZ trip. Then again, I don't know how long this will last. Not that I mind though. Taknak exert my energy so much pondering on this matter coz I have lots of other more important things in my mind now. Kalau tak cukup, I can just supplement him with formula. Done it before, so no harm in doing it again. Cuma Aliff hates the taste. So worse comes to worse, we mix breastmilk and formula together, and that works like wonder before.
Business, alhamdulillah, is picking up. I thought demand will fall this Ramadhan coz people are concentrating on Raya preparation rather than buying gifts. But tidak juga. I still got orders for gifts..and mostly for events after Raya.
At the same time, I have to allocate some time or the party planning, especially the designing part. Design of party invites, party favours etc. I feel like taking a one-month unpaid leave je so I could concentrate on biz and party planning. If only money is not an issue...
Lately also I've been thinking of becoming a lactation consultant. Hehehe..baru berjaya fully breastfeed, terus nak jadi consultant...hehehe...But yeah. This company does not have this kind of "fully breastfeeding" culture. Rata-rata semua campur bila dah start kerja. It seems like I'm the only one pumping in this one damn big building. But I've managed to start the culture here. Pregnant ladies in the office came and ask me if they saw me pumping in the surau. And a friend of mine managed to exlusively breastfeed just by talking to me. Few other friends and family members sms/call me when they are in confinement, just to ask about breastfeeding. Other male collegues sampai suruh isteri dia call me just to ask about breastfeeding. I'm not shy now to disclose to even my male collegues that I do pumping in the office (unlike before). My MIL, who is a lactation consultant herself, used me as an example when she gives one of her talks. It is a huge satisfaction for me when I manage to help others to successfully breastfeed. So this is where the idea to become a lactation consultant arises. Yet, it's just a thought. Belum ada planning apa-apa lagi. Still struggling to find some free time here...hehehe...
Guess that's about it. Lama jugak I curi masa office ni. Better start doing some work now. Will update about Hubby and the boys later in the next entry...
Monday, September 10, 2007
It's flat and boring...
I married a guy whose work requires him to travel frequently. Usually it's overnight trips...can vary from one week to two weeks to even 1 month.
Sebelum ada anak, I don't quite mind that much. In fact, I love the arrangement, coz not having him around for few days is like an escapism for me from being a wife. I live with my parents. So when he's not around, I'm back to being single again. Kekadang I got to chit-chat with mak until late night...that kinda thing.
And then like the saying says, seperation makes our heart grow fonder. So, yes it is. Despite having to live as a bachelor, I still look forward to seeing him again at the end of the week or month. Plus at that time, I also had a fair share of outstation trips coz my work at that time requires me to do lots of site visiting at various states.
When I had Ashraff, I got a bit frustrated over him having to leave me and Ashraff for his usual outstation trips. I somesort of envy him. I felt like he got to be 'free' from his role as a father. He doesn't have to wake up to make Ashraff's milk at night. And he got to sleep whenever he wants too...
In fact, I still have that feeling inside me everytime he went outstation.
But I still live with my parents. And they are there in case I need help in taking care of Ashraff. Abah drove me around whenever Hubby was not around. He was the one who went to grocery store to buy Ashraff's milk or diapers when we were running out of it. He drove me to paeditrician should Ashraff fall sick.
So, I don't mind that much.
When I got Aliff, I still doesn't mind coz mak and abah are around to help me. To make my life more livelier whenever he's not around. And I got a helper to help me.
But now...
Hubby is off again to his outstation trip. Nothing unusual...
Except this time, mak and abah are also not around. They were on their umrah trip.
So the big house is left empty, with only me, bibik and the two boys. This is my first time being left in this kind of situation.
And I got trouble going to work. You see, when I got married, almost 100% of the driving part is done by hubby. So, when he's not around...and abah too, I lost my reliable driver...hehehe...
Since I don't drive that much since I'm married, I'm afraid to drive especially in the middle of congested morning traffic.
So, I have to resort using the public transport. But, there's no convenient public transport in BA. Thus, me and my troop have to move to my aunt's house, which is near to Wangsa Maju's LRT station. Other factor is I don't quite trust my Bibik to handle the boys alone, so at least by staying at my aunt's she could monitor them both.
So, here are we are..menumpang di rumah orang...
During weekends I have to go back to BA to have a look at my parents' house. See if everything is under control.
Well, it's one week now. I had to run the normal errands that usually is done by Hubby or Abah (if hubs is not around). Like the last few nights, we were running out of wet tissue..and filtered water (usually kitaorang beli kat water filter machine near the house). It was raining cats and dogs and me with two big bottles full of water, was struggling to get in the car. Basah kuyup. Then later I went to G1ant to shop for some neccessities. Uish...quite a challenging task for me especially in the middle of heavy rain, and it's pretty hard to get a parking lot.
And I was so tired when I reached home...and wanted to doze off immediately. But the boys decided the opposite. They were having loads of fun..with Ashraff running around the house..and Aliff ransacking the toy box. Masa tu perasaan jealous kat Hubby meluap-luap lah..."he must be having a good sleep at this hour now", "uish, tak fairnya...". That kind of inner talk popping in my mind. Iblislah tu...takde lain...Actually, I always have this feeling whenever hubby is outstation and the boys buat perangai atau fell sick. I rasa macam tak fair...Tak fairnye I have to handle this alone...I want to be 'set free' as well...let me go outstation pulak...
Hmmm...that kinda thoughts.
But when I think about it, I don't want to leave the kids alone. I want to bring them anywhere I go. I don't want to trouble other people to take care of them whenever I'm not around...I felt guilty should I leave them to sleep with my mom or my maid. It's pretty ironic. A part of me wants an equal share of freedom as hubby...but another part of me, wants to be attached to my kids. I'm like torn in between. Or maybe I'm the woman that don't know what she actually wants in life...hahaha...
Anyway, the last one week has teached me what it's like should mak and abah are not around anymore in this world...and hubby is off to his outstation trip at the same time. Or what is it like to live as a single mom. It teaches me to be independent. Yup, my life is flat and boring without Hubby around...or mak and abah to talk too. But at least I got the boys to cheer me up.
Well anyway, Hubby is supposed to come back this Wednesday...but he postpone it till the end of this week due to heavy workload. Meaning which, I have to menyambut bulan Ramadhan alone, without hubby, mak and abah. Oh my God...I'm sad...
To my blogger friends and readers, Selamat Menyambut Bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak....
Sebelum ada anak, I don't quite mind that much. In fact, I love the arrangement, coz not having him around for few days is like an escapism for me from being a wife. I live with my parents. So when he's not around, I'm back to being single again. Kekadang I got to chit-chat with mak until late night...that kinda thing.
And then like the saying says, seperation makes our heart grow fonder. So, yes it is. Despite having to live as a bachelor, I still look forward to seeing him again at the end of the week or month. Plus at that time, I also had a fair share of outstation trips coz my work at that time requires me to do lots of site visiting at various states.
When I had Ashraff, I got a bit frustrated over him having to leave me and Ashraff for his usual outstation trips. I somesort of envy him. I felt like he got to be 'free' from his role as a father. He doesn't have to wake up to make Ashraff's milk at night. And he got to sleep whenever he wants too...
In fact, I still have that feeling inside me everytime he went outstation.
But I still live with my parents. And they are there in case I need help in taking care of Ashraff. Abah drove me around whenever Hubby was not around. He was the one who went to grocery store to buy Ashraff's milk or diapers when we were running out of it. He drove me to paeditrician should Ashraff fall sick.
So, I don't mind that much.
When I got Aliff, I still doesn't mind coz mak and abah are around to help me. To make my life more livelier whenever he's not around. And I got a helper to help me.
But now...
Hubby is off again to his outstation trip. Nothing unusual...
Except this time, mak and abah are also not around. They were on their umrah trip.
So the big house is left empty, with only me, bibik and the two boys. This is my first time being left in this kind of situation.
And I got trouble going to work. You see, when I got married, almost 100% of the driving part is done by hubby. So, when he's not around...and abah too, I lost my reliable driver...hehehe...
Since I don't drive that much since I'm married, I'm afraid to drive especially in the middle of congested morning traffic.
So, I have to resort using the public transport. But, there's no convenient public transport in BA. Thus, me and my troop have to move to my aunt's house, which is near to Wangsa Maju's LRT station. Other factor is I don't quite trust my Bibik to handle the boys alone, so at least by staying at my aunt's she could monitor them both.
So, here are we are..menumpang di rumah orang...
During weekends I have to go back to BA to have a look at my parents' house. See if everything is under control.
Well, it's one week now. I had to run the normal errands that usually is done by Hubby or Abah (if hubs is not around). Like the last few nights, we were running out of wet tissue..and filtered water (usually kitaorang beli kat water filter machine near the house). It was raining cats and dogs and me with two big bottles full of water, was struggling to get in the car. Basah kuyup. Then later I went to G1ant to shop for some neccessities. Uish...quite a challenging task for me especially in the middle of heavy rain, and it's pretty hard to get a parking lot.
And I was so tired when I reached home...and wanted to doze off immediately. But the boys decided the opposite. They were having loads of fun..with Ashraff running around the house..and Aliff ransacking the toy box. Masa tu perasaan jealous kat Hubby meluap-luap lah..."he must be having a good sleep at this hour now", "uish, tak fairnya...". That kind of inner talk popping in my mind. Iblislah tu...takde lain...Actually, I always have this feeling whenever hubby is outstation and the boys buat perangai atau fell sick. I rasa macam tak fair...Tak fairnye I have to handle this alone...I want to be 'set free' as well...let me go outstation pulak...
Hmmm...that kinda thoughts.
But when I think about it, I don't want to leave the kids alone. I want to bring them anywhere I go. I don't want to trouble other people to take care of them whenever I'm not around...I felt guilty should I leave them to sleep with my mom or my maid. It's pretty ironic. A part of me wants an equal share of freedom as hubby...but another part of me, wants to be attached to my kids. I'm like torn in between. Or maybe I'm the woman that don't know what she actually wants in life...hahaha...
Anyway, the last one week has teached me what it's like should mak and abah are not around anymore in this world...and hubby is off to his outstation trip at the same time. Or what is it like to live as a single mom. It teaches me to be independent. Yup, my life is flat and boring without Hubby around...or mak and abah to talk too. But at least I got the boys to cheer me up.
Well anyway, Hubby is supposed to come back this Wednesday...but he postpone it till the end of this week due to heavy workload. Meaning which, I have to menyambut bulan Ramadhan alone, without hubby, mak and abah. Oh my God...I'm sad...
To my blogger friends and readers, Selamat Menyambut Bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak....
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Sydney - Day One.
Hellewww!!
I'm back at the office after a one week holiday break. What a bliss!
The next 5 entries will be about our first "over-the-sea" holiday as a family (Note : We have posted the Day 4 and Day 5 entries. Sorry for the late update. Been very busy with office work. We are short-handed here).
As much as we are worried of the 8-hour flight journey for the last 8 months, the journey turns out to be okay, except for a few hiccups. We departed at 10.10 pm from KLIA. It was a night flight so Aliff slept throughout the journey, and woke up quite a few times for night feeding. I think he must be a bit uncomfortable sleeping in the bassinet.
Ashraff, on the other hand, could not get a shut-eye because he was uncomfortable. He wanted his bed pretty bad. The thing is if you are seated at the front row, where there is the only place you can enjoy bassinet facility, the handle (or divider) between the seat could not be uplifted. So Ashraff could not lie down and had to settle for sleeping sitting upright. We had to resort using the cough syrup to make him doze off. So at about 12.30 am Malaysian time, he finally dozed off to lalaland. And was awaken by the breakfast calling 4 hours later. Only 4 hours of sleep?! As expected, Ashraff was very cranky due to lack of sleep. Aliff too, despite sleeping throughout the journey. Maybe he was not use to wake up at around 6.00 am Malaysian time (8.00 am Aussie time).
Thus, with two boys whinning, crying and shouting throughout the check-out and security procedures, few catastrophic events occured. One
Two
, we left our Avent Thermabag with two bottles in it at the airport trolley.Three
, our stroller's front handle (where you normally attach a toy to it) patah.Bengang, sedih, rasa nak balik, semuanya ada. It's pretty hard to handle all the things (eventhough we packed lightly) when your main focus is only on the kids. I had to take care of Aliff who needs to be carried all the time (because he is tired)..and Hubby needs to focus on Ashraff and at the same time take care of the things...Ya Allah, memang challenging!
Anyway, we managed to fix things (of course with additional expenses). We bought a new smaller and handy camera, we carried the thermo flask and milk powder everywhere we go and we fix the stroller with a cellophone tape. One thing good is we lost our camera in the beginning so tak banyak photos yang hilang...What if we lost the camera in the middle of the jouney. I would have gone besserk!!
Now back to our "nicer" holiday story. We checked-in at a one bedroom apartment at Pacific International Suite at approximately 10.30 am (OZ time). It was a perfect accommodation with fully equipped kitchen (which kitaorang tak guna sebab nak kena samak semuanya), a microwave, washing machine and a dryer, a flat screen TV and a sofa bed. Thanks for the review I got from this travel forum.
This is the message that appears on the TV Screen as we switch it on for the 1st time. I'm impressed!!
We had our rest. The kids slept for like 3 hours straight, while me and hubby feed our famished tummy and I did the laundry after that.
The apartment was right in the heart of the city, so we did our first tour by foot at around 3 pm, when the both kids are well rested.
The weather was sunny with a temperature of about 23 degree celcius. Our first place to visit is Queen Victoria Building which is just two streets away from our apartment. It's actually a beautiful shopping complex, in contrast with modern buildings. I love the exterior as well as the interior design. Macam building lama-lama gitu. Even the elevator pun stail lama...nice...
Tidur lagi...He must be very tired...
The life size replica of Queen Victoria during her coronation.
Then from QVB, we walked to the main shopping street, which is the Pitt St. Tak singgah mana-mana coz by that time, the shops were mostly closing (they closed at 5pm). We just dropped by at Coles to shop for some food for tomorrow's breakfast...and of couse, not to be forgotten the fresh milk. If you are a milk lover, you have to try OZ's milk. Mmg fresh!
At night, we walked to the Darling Harbour which is just a short walking distance from our apartment.
The harbourside is superb with lots of yacht, sailboats and ferries. Too bad our new camera could not capture a good night vision of the harbour. We even witnessed the lunar eclipse that night. Lots of professional photographers were there to take the excellent view of the eclipse from the harbourside.
We went to bed at around 11 pm that night. Ingat nak lagi cepat, but the kids refused to sleep. Probably due to a minor time difference...
Sydney - Day Two
Weather : Sunny (but can be a bit windy at times)
Temperature : 24 degrees.
Hubby shot off to the car rental service at about 7 am to take the car that we have booked yesterday. It turned out to be a brand new Toyota Camry. Superb!
Today, our mission is to visit Featherdale Wildlife Park and the famous Blue Mountain.
We arrived at Featherdale at around 11 am selepas sesat barat. We took the wrong turn, entered the wrong highway and had trouble getting back to the right route. Nasib baik both kids are fast asleep so Ibu and Ayah got to look for the way in peace.
At 11 am, most of the shows or feeding times have passed. But that doesn't stop us from having fun. The boys had a close encounters with the Australian native animals. Ashraff got to feed and pat the kangaroo...and both boys got to pat the koala. Aliff siap tarik lagi bulu koala tu...
Then we continued our journey to Echo Point, Blue Mountain where we viewed the famous rocks called the Three Sisters. Why these rocks are called Three Sisters? Panjang ceritanya...Can google if you want to find out more..hehehe...
Do you see the three big rocks behind? Those are called "The Three Sisters".
Then we took the skyway to view the scenic Blue Mountain Range, with the lovely Katoomba Falls.
Shoes need to be cleaned before entering the Skyway.
On the way back we stopped at Auburn St for our dinner. It turned our the sepanjang-panjang street tu ada halal foods. Best betul! This is one thing good about Australia. You can get a great deal of halal foods here (of course not as many as in the UK).
Ashraff by that time has developed a runny nose with quite a severe cough. His lips are dry and started to crack and bleed. He refused to wear lip balm. Lekit kata dia. He hates the sweater/jacket as well. Everytime nak pakaikan, mesti nak nangis. I guess handling him throughout the holiday is so challenging. Memang testing our patience betul!
Oh, and that lil lad also kept on asking for his Iced Milo everytime we dined-in. OZ does not serve Milo. Kesian sangat tengok dia. Dia macam homesick coz he kept on saying nak balik rumah Tokmak. But of course, everytime we stopped at any place of interest, he's the most jovial boy around town. Tak ingat apa dah...
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