My Little Ali is growing up so fast

I took Ali for his immunisation shot yesterday, it was due when he turned one but you kinda get caught up doing other things don't you. Dr said he hasn't put on much weight, he is 9.7 kg and I should step up on the milk intake because for his age, he should be a bit more heftier. What do you expect! Ali is like a windup toy, he never stops moving around, climbing, finding new things to explore and do unless he is asleep. The other thing is he hardly sleeps in the day too. You are lucky if he sleeps for one hour in the afternoon. He is always the busy camper!

Ali made a mess of the cupboard. He ransacked all the clothes and gave me a toothy smile after

This is Ali trying to help his father check the tyre pressure of the bike. Bet he can't wait to grow up

This is Ali in a bag, going somewhere perhaps!

maids! (they don't even deserve a capital "M")

You can't live with them and you can't live without them. All kinds of horror stories we have heard about maids kan. Have I written this post before? No that was about foreigners. Not maids per say ... so that doesn't count.


This maid I have has been with me for seven years. She is very good. Hardworking. Quite efficient and trustworthy. Which I feel are the most important points. The only thing I cannot stand is that she is getting forgetful. Then when you ask why or what or whatever she will say oh sorry I forgot. Haiyah...so easy to say one. And what can you say when she said she forgot right?


My friend just this morning was complaining about her maid. It is a new maid who just came and the maid put chillie in coffee. HUH? Stupid is as stupid gets right. Oh well ...


I know there are mixed feelings about whether to get them or not. How about me? Can I live without a maid. If I don't have a maid I would probably go a little crazy I admit. Cause then I would have to worry about keeping house clean, laundry, getting the kids ready for school, their meals and Ali running around the house. If Ali was a little older, yes, it would not be a bad option to do without a maid. I could be like some of my other friends who just get cleaners who come in on a regular basis.


But really, the problems some of these maids give you. There is always a friend who has a maid problem. It all boils down to luck I think. We should just thank our lucky stars we don't get the maids that abuse our kids till the extent we have to install CCTV's all over the house. Or we don;t get maids that out soap powder in milk formula. Just this morning my friend was telling us about this Indonesian maid who pissed in the drinking water in the office. Go figure lah ...


It is as if maids or should I say Indonesians, are a different species of human beings like that. Which is so unfair and degrading to look at them that way. But sometimes they don't act like they are human. I have relatives who are Indonesians so am trying best to see them in a good light at all times. But honestly! That ain't easy.


So for all of us with maid problems ... try and smile a little.

Datukship and such

It was on the front page blurp on Saturday and since then his name has been on the tip of almost everyone's tongue. Yup, Shah Rukh Khan, the King of Bollywood, received a Datukship from Malacca. Why? Cause he shot some movie there in 2001 and since then Malacca has been blessed with so many tourists.

Yes, I like Shah Rukh Khan and I will try to argue this objectively (?????) So many people are asking why him and why he deserves it. For that matter, some argue that Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones as well as Jodie Foster should be given awards.

If I remember right, when Sean and Catherine shot Entrapment here, the then Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir had complained that the movie showed the bad side of town, ie Petaling Street. Those scenes were not favourable and made the streets look dirty. The "hotel" they were staying at in those scenes were also not the 5 star ones but the rumah tumpangan types and they caused a stir. It was even debated in Parliament. Remember? So why do you want to give them a datukship since you didn't like the scenes they showed anyway???

As for Jodie Foster, what movie did she shoot here? I thought it was that King of Siam one which was shot in Thailand wasn't it? Forgive me if me memory fails me.

Now we have the local artistes creating a fuss. Upset I guess cause some of them haven't got a datukship yet. Well, what can I say? Maybe you haven't done enough for your country but then again, we can buy a datuk-ship now right. Some time ago, last year I think, some women my friends and I know got a datukship from Pahang. Every one of us asked why cause she hasn't done anything for the country. Hmmmmm....

So, let's see, what has SRK done for the country? He shot Don here and made Malaysia look great didn't he? Better than how it looked in Entrapment anyways. Which is why no Ministry complained. And Bollywood movies are watched everywhere in the world, it has a global audience. I don't think Mami Jarum 1 or 2 is watched in Norway! And neither is Cinta no matter how many local awards it has won and neither is some drama which is aired on Tv1 or Tv3 in Munich.

He is the King of Bollywood isnt't he? The highest paid (I think) Hindi actor and most popular in the world. He even has a model of himself at Madame Thusauds in London. I don't see them rushing to put Azean Indrawarty there or even Tan Sri P Ramlee. Which means Bollywood actors are bigger than Malaysian artistes. Maybe they should put Datuk Siti Nurhaliza there ... point to ponder. She already has a datukship so I guess that is not an issue rite!

Now, with all these in mind, what is wrong then with giving SRK a datukship? Big deal lah people, let it be lah. Besides we don't know pun how long the TYT of Malacca will be in power. If it makes him happy, biar lah. If you all so desperately want one, go and buy lah. Or rub shoulders and cheeks with some Minister like what that women friend did. Why don't we worry or squabble about more worldly issues like our friends and relatives in Singapore who may be out of a job soon due to the financial crisis or jump on the bandwagon and wonder who will be our next Prime Minister.

After all, these titles Datuk ke Tan Sri ke are only in this world. When you die, it doesn't mean anything to God.

SISTA

I must share with you my latest venture with my girlfriends. There are 5 of us involved in this project. How it started? At Bob's Kedai Kopi Ara over a delicious lunch of ayam goreng, ikan masak taucu and assam pedas. No seriously!

Our project is called SISTA. We wanted to do something we liked, something that gave us the adrenaline rush we needed ... (???) So we decided on a business we all loved and enjoyed, clothes! We now have our own label called SISTA

What it is is exclusive cotton blouses. We personally hand pick the designs and colours. In a nutshell, it is clothes that we wear ourselves. They are stylish, colourful, trendy, and most importantly comfortable. Oh ya ... they are also very afordable!

These are the SISTA's: (From left) Hazleen, Suzana, Hayati (that's me), Raja Elona and Shariah

These are some of the clothes:

White blouse with handmade embroidery

These blouses come in various colours!

Gorgeous colour and cooling too

SISTA's with some of our happy clients

Simple and yet elegant. White never fails!

If you ever interested to see more of our collection, don't hesitate to call us. We are in midst of setting up a website, but till then, we would be happy to give you a private viewing.

What Will I Do

What will I do
When you are far away
And I'm so blue
What will I do


What will I do
With just a photograph


Hmmmm....I can't remember the words anymore. I can't even remember who sang the song. It's from that movie, the one where she is a mermaid. Haiya .... not Splash. Another one, with Demi Moore isn't it? I really can't remember. But I remember I loved that song so much. The movie was showing when I was studying in the U.S. Ah ... The Butcher's Wife!!! It just hit me. Have you seen the movie? This song in it is really great. Give it a listen. Or I will look for it in YouTube but I doubt I will find it.


Songs are great aren't they? They can take you back in time, make you sad, make you happy, all kinds of feelings and emotions. My friends and I have been going a little crazy posting up all our favourite hits from the 80s on our Facebook profile. It brings back a lot of memories. Somehow, I find myself stuck in time. Can't seem to find a song these days that I truly like.


Or maybe it is because I don't have the time to listen to music as I used to back then. I remember in school, music was such a big part of your life. Had to have a radio, then it was the casettes and then the CDs. Now I guess its the Ipod which I know nothing about. It is quite sad but I don't listen to much music anymore, only when I am driving in the car. When I am at home, where got time to just sit down and listen to music. There is always something or other to do. Gone are those carefree days when you can just do nothing and daydrea away with a song.


I have many favourite songs still. Songs that you hear and you go ahhhh....A favourite song doesn't have to be just one song does it? I have so many does that mean they are not a favourite. If I were to list it down, there would be too many lah. But right now a song going through my head is Dancing Queen by ABBA. Can't wait to go watch Mamma Mia. They say it's really cool show. I used to love ABBA. Grew up with that didn't I.


Some songs that I really like which I can think of right now:
Sheila Majid's Kepergianmu -- why? only because it brings me back to a first love
When Doves Cry by Prince -- only because I heard it last night and I remember how I used to dance to it
I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston
Saving All My Love For You
Everything of Madonna. But it stops at that disco queen album, don't quite fancy the songs after that as it is too techno for me
Mad About You by Belinda Carlisle
Lisa Stansfield's In All The Right Places
Basia's Time and Tide
Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of The Heart

Oh my, there are just too many songs for me to list it all down

U2's With or Without You
Lovely Day
Four Tops' The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine

Oh well ....I will have to continue another time. Or write it down each time a song hits me! In the meantime, have a good day dancing and singing to all your favourite tunes!

I am leaving you with:

Twinkle twinkle little stars
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

Open houses and such ...

What comes after one month of Ramadhan fasting? Open houses and more food. Sometimes it so hard to juggle one open house after the next. So much so the weekends are all taken up with going to house after house after house. Quite tiring. It is even harder to juggle when you have so many houses you have to go to.

Suggestion: make priority list. Who should come first and second, third and so on. Take this weekend for example, I am packed. To top the cake, the girls are having their family day in school and they have music class too. And two open houses which I have to go to: one in Bukit Beruntung and one in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. I feel tired already just thinking about Saturday.

Why is it that we have to organise an open house? Don't get me wrong, it is not that I don't like going for them. But who came up with this idea? Everyone is so anxious to hold their open house and they rush for the weekends. Of course the obvious reason would be to meet family and friends and celebrate the Eid with them. But other than that, a time of giving and sharing I guess. Any other reasons ah?

The Ministry of Tourism organised open houses for every festivity the nation celebrates. They say it is a good way of celebrating with other Malaysians and to share the spirit of giving. When I was in NST tourism was my beat and I think I wrote about why they held these events without fail year in and out. But now for the life of me I can't remember those many good reasons anymore. If I remember, I was rather critical at that age and used to think it was a lot of money spent. They stage a cultural show and a parade, fireworks and tables laden with food. People who come from near and far would make a beeline for the free food and its like a tug of war. I didn't see the reasons why it was organised when all you saw was the way the people grabbed at the food. It makes me feel quite sad that Malaysians can be so uncivilised when it comes to the word "free". If you remember sometime ago, one of the government agencies held an open house for tourists and all these other "public" people came and they swiped the table laden with a simple fare of dishes clean. The tourists were left with nothing to eat but only a bad impression of Malaysians who were "free loaders" and "greedy". Oh well ...

When I used to cover the Gerakan open house during the Chinese New Year it was the same deal too. Tables of food and withing minutes, clean! Some people even come with plastic bags. When annual general meetings of public listed companies are held its the same deal too. Tables of food and within minutes clean. And they have to bring plastic bags. Why? Why does this happen????

It is that word "free" that gets to them. That word takes away all dignity, integrity and pride. It may not even be big or expensive things that they are making grabs for. It is just because it is free!

Anyways, have a good open house for those who are organising them and Insyaallah, I will make my way to where I have been invited. But sometimes with three kids in tow, it can be a bit of a challenge!

Hari Faya festivities

It was a good Eid for all of us. We were not caught in any heavy traffic to and from Bukit Mertajam or KL. Kids had a good time with their cousins. A lot of food was consumed. And much money was spent! Hahahaha..

We left for Bukit Mertajam on Saturday evening Sept 27 and thank god traffic was smooth. We broke fast with nasi lemak I made in the car. The kids enjoyed that little picnic. There was some rain in Perak but it was only a short spell so it did not affect our timing at all.


This is Ali making a fuss about being in his car seat on the way to Bukit Mertajam that night. The girls were oblivious to his cries as they were busy with their picnic of nasi lemak and raya cookies

The kids and their cousins had a hap-a-loo time in Bukit Mertajam. They played all day so much so they forgot about being hungry the last few days of Ramadhan. But on the last day Nadiah and Ikhwan (my nephew), both seven, failed. They couldn't take the hunger anymore and broke fast. They ended up having their own little picnic at the abck kitchen of my mom in law's place

My niece Arina taking a breather from all that play! The kids wake up early and await patiently for their cousins to wake up. They play all day until late at night when the mothers have to scream to ask them to sleep
Ali kept on trying to find his way to the kitchen the last day of Ramadhan while we were busy making ketupat and rendang. He has this habit of ransacking and taking things out of their containers. He kept on wanting to take all the ketupat we had so neatly folded out of the basin
This was the night before Eid in Taiping at my late grandparents place. We made our way there for the last break fast. On the way we had bought lemang as requested by my mom. It wasn't hard to find lemang as the streest were littered with them. The question was whetehr it was good or not. After break fast I told my sister to go loo for fireworks. There was fireworks sold everywhere in Taiping town and the kids had a great time. It reminded me of all my Hari Raya's in Taiping with my cousins where the house was filled with laughter and chatter. My mother has nine siblings, and many more grandchildren, so you can imagine the noise and chaos. The good old days!
Tried to get a picture of the "fountain" fireworks. It was very smoky. This was one of my favourite fireworks. The older cousins were always the ones in charge of lighting them while is younger ones could only watch and enjoy the sights. They made us happy by holding on to sparklers!

This is Ali in his baju melayu and sampin. It is very hard to make sure that little head gear remains on his head! I had asked for the smallest they had but had to change it as his head is quite big after all. His head size is 19 half already!


The two girls waiting for breakfast on Hari Raya morning. Hubby was at the mosque for prayers and they kept on asking the time and rehearsing their lines of what to say when it was time to "beraya"This is Ali and his cousin Zara. My cousin came for a surprise visit on Saturday afternoon in Ara Damansara the day after we returned from the Eid hols. It was good to see them after so long and these two got along just fine!

I wish we had taken more pictures but you know what happened, we left the camera in Taiping. So we couldn't take more pictures in Bukit Mertajam. Oh well ....

Happy Eid everyone!