Count your blessings.

Recently, in the fasting month while visiting HR's parents in Rembau, we encountered a flat tyre. With the parents in the car, we heard a thud and more thuds as the car continued to move.

We stopped.

HR confirmed it was a flat tyre and we changed course to a nearby tyre shop. It was nearby because we were in the city. On our way to drop HR's dad to the Klinik Kesihatan.

All I could think of was the cost. The money. Cash. Blingbling. Moolah.

Especially with Eid celebration around the corner.

Stress could not best describe me at that time. I was beyond that.

Came an old Chinese uncle. "Banyak untung maa!" He said to me as he looked at the condition of the tyre.

I gave him a tight smile.

And I reflected.

Gosh. I was lucky.

The tyre was bad. Both back tyres were actually. Even the edges and wires came out.

Licin. Botak. Haus.

We were fortunate. We were driving quite peacefully. Slowly. Not on the highway. Near a tyre shop. No accidents. No lives lost.

We were blessed surely.

He is back for good

Yesterday. 

So sad that I couldn't see him. Not until my school break. Sometime by the end of March. 

He will be in Penang by this week to continue his dream. 

Sad. 

And Happy. 

I should be thankful?

We got a new bibik. An old one.

As usual, we had a lot of miscommunication.

For example, when mama reminded her to wipe everything with wet cloth, she said she was gonna wipe all the screens (computers, tv, laptops) with 'Koran'. Her words. I was dumbfounded.

Until my mama explained, 'Koran' is newspapers. 

Oh!

The other day, my mama asked her to weed out the semak samun in front.

What she did was the lawn with the 'rumput carpet' which we all bought and planted.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I told HR this. His response: 

"Oh, really? Nasib baik dia tak cabut rumput plastik (tiruan) tepi kolam tu. Lagilah sengal kan?"

Ha? What rumput plastik tepi kolam?

 There, the grass beside the reflexology thingie.

Slap forehead.

I married that guy.

not yet .. not yet ..

During the school holidays, HR once asked me, I wonder why you never bother to wake me up in the morning anymore. 

He thought it was weird. Me, waking up early, doing stuff downstairs (in KL obviously) like bugging my tok, disturbing my mom with her sequins and diamonds and crystals for the tudungs or even online aimlessly.

Basically not bugging him. 

I have no idea how to answer that.

Wordless Wednesday

Our first day shopping in Bandung. 

My mom's and four other teachers' belongings.

Boboiboi

My house is too quiet now.

Last weekend it was fill with laughter and little kiddies. My in-laws were here. It was fun gathering and outings and more food outing. Lol.

A few more hours till I'm back again in real civilization. A real one.

Blergh~

My mama

The other day, I received a BBM from my mama,
     
      'Mama dah lepas level 32.'

Cute, no?

She is so tech savvy at the young age of 50something. I ain't telling.

She recently celebrated her birthday, her wedding anniversary  and her one-year-surviving-heart-operation. I'm so proud of her.

Love the fact that I'm hers.

My raya

Raya as an adult is more about giving than receiving. Giving food, forgiveness and mostly giving the angpows.

It is more tiring as an adult of course.

But still happiness all around.

Raya as a wife is about tolerance. About which family first, which family should we stayed longer.It is not much hardwork with HR. He is very tolerable and awesome. 

I have my own (rented) house to prepare for now. The cookies. The cookies jars. The dining table. The curtains. The furniture. The dishes. It is truly adult moment.

We spent our Raya in Kedah first. Then head back to Rembau. We visited many relatives houses. We introduced our spouses to the families. We discover family secrets and scandals. 

p/s: HR gave me duit raya. Yay!

Of my boys and girls

My bro went back to Ireland safely. I didn't have the chance to send him off. That's a bummer.

My other brother went back to UiTM Melaka recently, his choice. I also didn't manage to send him off.  But I can visit him whenever I want. While I do want to visit Ami, I need a lot of plans and preparations and ka-ching!

One by one, my girlfriends are getting hitched. I am arranging my calendars to grace each occasion. This, apparently, includes my pregnancy plans. Lol. I am happy that each of my girls is meeting her other half. And I hope to be in their presence all the way to their children's marriages.

Like what I've seen in my own. My mom's friends were most of the back bone of my wedding. They not only helped but they stayed over. Leaving their husbands behind. (Just like what I did during Ten's and Bayah's ceremony - I bet HR is counting how many more girlfriends do I have). 

I saw the same thing in Ten's wedding. The mom's bff was working as hard as her mom. Totally BFF moment, babe!

Above all, I am thankful for an awesome and understanding husband that allow me to be all that I am.

A whole new world

Now that I am in the married team, I am exposed to new world of knowledge. Totally unprepared, I just listen and never contribute.

These teachers talk about babies, the IVF, the breastfeeding (not all sweet, sometimes gory), the pregnancy, the hormones, the best way to do it, the dos and the donts, the urutan, the nurseries, the ovum, the sperm, the fallopian tubes. Everything is thoroughly discuss. 

Listening to all these wannabe mothers, I am touched. How they really cares for the baby even before conceiving. 

Suprisingly, a few teachers in my school are/were/will be doing the IVF or other alternatives with shortform I am unaware of.  I feel bad for them who has been married for five, seven and even twelve years. These future mothers happily share their experience as they are rubbing their tummy. Sweet, I tell you.

There's one lucky teacher who 'bunting pelamin', that keep sharing her own experience and sorta brag about it. She said, "Ala, ada sebab lah kenapa Allah tak bagi lagi. Belum bersedia la tu."

I mean, yes you are lucky to have baby so easily but dont bring down others. Yes, maybe they are not ready yet and Allah knows best but pray for them and keep supporting them with positive spirit.

Bagai ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak

I have been meaning to write about this for awhile. As long as I started to feel it but I am that girl who like to proscatinate.

As I mentioned earlier my mom had successfully undergone bypass and now she is just recovering at home for around three months. Well, one of the possible reason for her condition is stress related to work as she is kinda workaholic and also perfectionist (sometimes to point that drives me mad).

So, while resting at home, she still contacted her school and getting updates. She also received/exchanged emails with her PKs. She couldn't let her reign over them as she needed the school to be perfect administrating wise.

My dilemma is that while my elder brother keeps getting furious over this matter and bans her from the computer (oh yes he bans her), I keep on helping her out. He forbids her from doing and even thinking about possible stressful things.

I will be the one who helps her out. Any simple detail that she doesn't know I will aid her and be at her side. She doesn't know how to copy, how to make this thing bigger, or that thing there but make sure it is also here, I make it happen. I am the enabler.

My logic, let her do things that makes happy. I will help her out as far as I can. That is how I am keeping her from being stressful. I'll do the complicated-ish part. I do the hard work while she edits. Sometimes from afar sometimes on her own.

She keeps telling stories how my brother wouldn't let her do this and that because he cares. Proudly. That sting a little. Is it I don't care? That is why I am enabling here? Should I not let her do it? Should I not drive her to school where she found out only one clerk left for the school (the other two were on holidays) and went beserk right there and then? Should I just let her take the cab?

It is just like when she was just out of her operation (like maybe 4-5 days), she didn't really eat anything and she felt like she wanted to eat nasi goreng at Pak Chu's. So I told my brother who was on his way to get food for us who were in the hospital. He was furious at me. He said mean things.

Here I was just thinking, let her eat what she wanted as she barely eat anything. And she was telling me how it would be nice and lovely if she can eat that. I just told my brother, "you tell her that yourself. I won't deny her that." At the end of the story he brought us the nasi goreng but she just ate like 4 spoons. She knew she wasn't supposed to eat but she wants it. So she just had a little to satisfy the cravings.

Yes, I am the enabler. And yes I always feel guilty of being that. Just like I don't love her enough to say no.

Grenade

The other day, my eldest bro was singing to Bruno Mars song, Count on Me. I told him that he should check out the "Marry You" song. It is catchy too.

He was like, "Tak main r lagu kawen-kawen."

I was like, "That's why you are still single. You have so many 'friends' kan?"

LOL

My mom is the best mom in the world

These days my food cabinet is full with boring and healthy food. Like dry biscuits, all kind of oatmeal (you will be surprised of the diversity), muesli, herbs tea and fruits (which I like!).

These are mostly gift from when people come and visit my mom. I am happy to annouce that some of the stuff are from my friends. Go my friends!

For those who don't know, my mom undergone her bypass surgery less than two months ago. It was due to some heart issues that I don't feel like elaborating. It was a difficult situation for everyone in the family.

Being the only daughter and yet stucked in GM sucks ball, I tell you!

Anyhow, she is recovering well. Fast, I would say.

Thanks for all the wishes and prayers.

p/s: She is well enough to go venue/catering hunting with me. But not for long. So it is a daily routine for us to go hunting but only for a few short hours and near places and not to many movement needed.

Of mini me and him

*
Ten : You should start buying some kitchen stuff.
Me : What? Where to put?
Ten : Eh, you have to start planning. About the future. How many kids do you want?
Me : Hmm.. I don't know. Four, five.
Ten : Ok. How many kids HR wants?
Me : However many I want. You see? The beauty of the relationship.



*
Me: Ten mentioned that we should discuss our future.
HR: Ok. What about our future?
Me: How about kids? How many?
HR: What? Urm.. 2, 3 maybe. White Stripes only has two members.
Me: So?
HR: They can do 2-man-band. Or four like SOAD *listed some band names* Ah, what about five iron frenzy?
Me: What? They have like 7 members rite?
HR: Yeah, it's not like I ask for SuperJunior.
Me: Dang! Not that many.
HR: One of them should be tahfiz kan? Not the first one kan?
Me: Why not? Oklah tuh. Alang-alang boleh jadi Rabbani.



p/s: How many kids do you want?

Wordless Wednesday

Pearl

Gem

gigly giggles

Mama : Abah ada kat Kelantan ni.
Me : Eh, yeke? Kat mana? (All excited)
Mama : Takkan kat Gua Musang kot. Gua Musang apa ada!!
Me : Dang! (Hati pecah)

I love him, sometimes

I was on the phone with my younger brother. Laughing and talking aimlessly.

Me : Ayeh, habaq kat kawan Ayeh tuh suara dia tak sedap. Takyah la dok nyanyi.
Arif: Train la.
Me: Huh? Dalam train? Hang pi mana?
Arif: Tak la. Train. Band la. Ayeh pasang iPod. (Laughing)
Me: Dang!

I should trust my brother rite? It's just that I adore Train's singer. He has such an awesome seductive voice. Not like that.

I should trust him.

Hoping that forever will never ends

She is always worried about me.Sometimes, a tad too much. She would advise me by saying, "Jangan dok galak sangat kat tempat orang. Jaga diri baik-baik." She never forget important dates. She would sacrifice so much for me. Her favourite phrase would be, "Aku masa besaq hang ni, mak aku balik rumah suap nasi ja." To which we would love to laugh together.

She who would stop and eat durian in the middle of nowhere.

She who is my inspiration. Always and forever.




Happy Mother's Day, mama!!!
I love you to bits and pieces.

the view from here

*
There was one incident where one guy honked his huge expensive car when I was nearby. I thought I was blocking his way or something so I peeped at his extravagant tinted window, (preparing to jeling if he wanna show me fingers).

Nope, he was happily waving at someone far from me or the car. Excitedly.

Oh how I wished I could let him know how ridiculous he looked waving through a tinted window. Obviously his friend couldn't see him. Even I merely catched his shadow.

Nak sgt tingkap tinted kan~

*

Now you get to watch her leave
Out the window
Guess that's why they call it window pane
-Love the way you lie -

Well, I just think that Eminem's trying to teach us homophones. Same sound different meaning. Different spelling. Pane & Pain.

*

The other day the window of the car that I drove to work daily (Myvi) was broken into. They stole the Smart Tag. Yup, I kept it in the dashboard but it's no help. Glasses were everywhere. I was so panicked that I had to call someone.

I'm perfectly clueless and scared.

I mean I parked at a safe area. Busy area where people lalu-lalang. In front of market. In a parking box. Paid and show the parking tag with coins and all.

Thank goodness for a decent elder brother and his colleagues.


*
I'm pretty scared to open my windows nowadays to ventilate my own room. With my preferences to put my gadgets everywhere in my room (near my bedside, on my bed - both places that are near to the window), I could not risk it.

Learned my lesson, robber!

Puffy room is better than being poorer than I am now.

My 300th post is for you

To my dear abang sulung yang kemungkinan besar akan dikahwin-paksa..

You're someone I can count on
When I need a helping hand
You know me so well
You always understand

We may be different
In many ways
We have our ups and downs
This we both know
Through it all our bond
Still manages to grow

What I'm trying to tell you
You may already know
You're an important part in my life
And I hope this I show


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRO!

When we were younger

Truthfully, I love having a big brother that I can look up too and guide me from right and wrong; also a brother than I can count on to take the blame if ever unfortunate happens.