***What Wan Shazerina Izlin Means***


You are very charming... dangerously so. You have the potential to break a lot of hearts.
You know how what you want, how to get it, and that you will get it.
You have the power to rule the world. Let's hope you're a benevolent dictator!

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.



You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience.
You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along.
But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.


You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.


What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourn...aningquiz/



Kejora's note:
I hope that the success in business wud be so true.. and I fear the not finishing what I started bit.. (which is also true sometimes.. :p)

Kalau takut di badai ombak, jangan berumah di tepian pantai.. (somewhere along that line... direct translation in English: if you are afraid of tsunami, don't live nearby the beach.. har har har)

Well, that was the first thing I told Mas after I collected my sales at the M0bil station.

These cuppies did not just fell of the table... just like that.
I believe they have been crushed!
You see.. I have stressed test these cuppies.. and if they fell really hard.. of course the dome will be smeared but not like that!..don't you think..?


I don't want to finger point.. or even show finger.. :p.. but it is just to hard not too.. :p

I just smiled, when the pump attendan mentioned her name. After many months of just producing 2 bills, I obeyed her instructions to produce three! 1 upon submission of the cupcakes, 1 upon collection, 1 is mine.

The incident above happened last week. In fact I wrote the above last week, but failed to post.

And then, after many days, I'm not upset anymore. So, no need to post-lah!

Even when I dropped by to collect my cakes, and it was her, I simply asked ' Can I collect the money today?'. She said, 'come next time.' I still maintain my cool..

But today!!!! after I finished packing cupcakes designed for the upcoming CNY, I sent them to the M0bil.. and in my heart, I prayed - 'please, let it be shima, let it be shima,.. and then I saw the yellow skuter! owh dear...

with a big smile, I greeted her.
and then she looked at me. and make a 'what-?-face'.
I said hello again.
still not a single smile.

me - I want to collect my money, and give these new ones
she - u come 3 o'clock
time was 2.30
me - I already have 3 bills now, like you suggested
she - come at 3. my shift ends at 3..
me - can I just give these cupcakes first?
she - come at 3..

I was so pissed.. am still pissed..!!
as if I have nothing better to do. even though I stay nearby, but still it is not a walking distance. Come on la! I have other things to do too!

Sometimes I think, I don't get much from the sale at M0bil.
Seriously! It is less than RM 20 if ALL of them are sold! Sometimes no sale at all.. and the heartache with that lady is so not worth it!

Then again.. I still insist on putting them there, despite having to face her. Cos, that is also my marketing strategy, I got some loyal customers from that M0bil. And cupcakes sold there, had travelled to Shah Alam, KL, and closed many deals as well.

So? adat berniaga.. Kalau takut dibadai ombak, jangan berumah di tepian pantai.. and put a fake smile - grin - whatever.. even though don't feel like it.

(psst: I wanted to insert the image here.. tapi cam tak boleh ajer.. (asal tekan image icon, dia tak jadi apa2) so I just post this first.. bila ada time I see if I can post the pic)

and I have not exactly listed down all my resolutions. It seems too many to do, too many to achieve.

Among others, I would like to be healthier this year. So, yesterday, I switched on to something Home & Living, was it Discovery Home & Living (not sure).. for Namaste Yoga. and started doing the yoga without the mat.. (for afraid I might missed the program while searching for my mat).
And today, at 8 am sharp, I switched on the channel again.. and it appeared blank! and it said.. You are not subscribe to this channel (somewhere along that line).. and I immediately called Astr0. (bak kata mas: amboi.. mentang2 duduk rumah aje.. cepat la complaint eh..)

me: dik, semalam akak elok2 aje buat yoga ngan namaste yoga.... alih2 hari ni dia kata, akak dah tak subscribe.
cs: ha ah kak, mulai hari ni channel 7xx (and along with another 3 channels he mentioned..) dah masuk dalam pakej metro,,
me: oh ya ke.. berapa ye harga dia kalau akak nak include kan?
cs: RM14.90
me: (pressing the buttons on the calculator).. hmm tak pe lah dik.. akak guna cd yoga lah..

and that is another resolution of mine: save money wherever and whenever I can.
my astro bill is RM59.90.. and I just want to pay only that and not a single sen more. The other day, I called up M@xis c@ll c3nter because I saw that my maxis broadband was more than RM68. Told that guy to investigate why is it still more than RM68 despite the fact that I've called every month for the past 3 months to say that I do not wish to subscribe to the voice services.. I am not paying a single sen extra. Itemised billing pun tak nak! These people, they really know how to make money out of us citizens! That's why I'd rather scrutinize my bill than use the auto pay or auto debit services, or whatever they call it.

owh.. I also aim to be more successful in my new venturethis year. more creative in terms of design, packaging and the sorts. As I was writing this as well as preparing quotations, I have Dania next to me reading her text book, which is also another resolution of mine.. making sure the kids do better this year.. or actually.. make sure they do their homework this year. hahahaha! with Nurin sitting for her UPSR this year.. ooh la la..

I also hope to write more in this blog and read my fellow efxers' entries.. tapi, apakan daya.. :p
bila the urge to write is hgh, I could not find the time to write.
when I found the time to write, the issues I wanna talk abt is already basi... to me.. :-p

I have another resolution.. to manage time more efficiently! But, how do I measure this? hehehe
I also want to read a novel a month.. ok la tu a month..

Ok.. as of this moment.. I have hmm another, 1 fondant cake to decorate.. just to put flowers on top, pack 2 boxes of choc moist cupcakes for tomorrow's delivery, as well, as 1 box of mix flavored cupcakes to be decorated.. Dah la the theme is Ultraman.. and I dok tengah browse cari the latest Ultraman figure. color and all.

Mas is at KK. Mujur dia tak de kat rumah, or else, I will feel very guilty.. in between wanting to spend time with family this public holiday, and wanting to complete my projects.

Mas called just now and was laughing when I said that I was decorating cakes.. and he said.. 'Sian nya... buat kerja public holiday..' orang lain semua rest..
hahahahha...

That's all for now. I found my ultraman already..
Check out updates kat Mama Chak's Recipe

I wanted to update my Makan2 Aidilfitri.. Thanks so much Dory and sis, who came.. as well as mommyalif.. Pics here

Till then folks!

err... another 22 days more as an employee...
shud have more time to blog then.. tee hee hee

Cis! I accidentally deleted all comments made to my previous posts!!!! #$%^&*^%$^&...

and yesterday, while buying stuffs for my baking needs, I was surprised to see the price of the SRF (Self Raising Flour). Before Ramadhan, it was RM2.20. Before Raya, it was RM 2.60.. and after raya is RM3.20???
#$%^&*()_(*&^%$^&*()

aiyooo... I am just starting this biz.... uwaaaa!!!!!

and they say, that the price of Philladelphia Cream Cheese will also increase! huhuhu....

I am planning to do makan2 raya next saturday, 27/10.. and have started inviting ppl, even before confirming the caterer... ( I call depa tak angkat.. sakit jiwa tak?), and today, when I finally got hold of them, they are fully booked!!!! another round of @!#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$%^&*(

Anyways, got hold of another relative caterer... so, yes, insyaAllah the makan2 raya is on Saturday, 27/10, 11 to 5... I am inviting you guys to come to my house... mommyalif, famygirl, mamarawks, rotidua, dory, mosh2.. sapa lagi eh.. I jemput semua.. so, do email me.. for address and direction if you are coming... kejora7@gmail.com (I am not sure if ada PM tak this new efxblogs.. I tak buat amazing discovery lagi..) .. for elisa, lollies, beelove, aieychomel, makan2 lain kali eh... :p


xxx

I am so happy that the minister wanted to propose 10/10 as Hari Angkasawan! hehehe... I like! I hope the cabinet agrees... :D

This year around, I know I'll be busy with cakes on my birthday, so, I kept bugging mas to celebrate my birthday in advance... say.. 6th or 7th of October.
mas: eh, ppl don't celebrate birthdays in advance la...
me: eh.. gotttt...
mas: where gott..??
me: *make face*

anyways, I was busy wrapping Aidilfitri Premium Gift Baskets..( a new venture) see photos.. that day..
and I didn't want to follow mas and the kids to Pasar Ramadhan..
and then, I realised it was time to break fast, but mas and kids were not yet back. I went downstairs and was attracted to the aidilfitri gift baskets that my dad received.
I was busy scrutinizing the items, the wrappings and the flowers, and then I heard noises at the porch.. (sapa la nak mintak sedekah time2 cam ni..) I can see three figures standing behind the car.. and then I realised they were Nurin, Dania and Mas... and I said - why did u guys use this door?? (my parents door)

and then I saw Mas clumsily lighting the candles.. and Dania singing Happy Birthday... tee hee hee... *malu*

My dad and mom appeared from their room.. and my brother too.. My dad with his video cam of course..

So, there I have it... a birthday celebration in advance!

True enough, come Oct 10, I was busy with cakes that I totally forgot about the astronaut :rolleyes: $%^&*()

When I told my good friend last year of my intention to resign, he said: Shaz, you've been talking about resigning for the past four years. Hehehe...

And on Monday, 03/09, I have officially tendered my resignation. I didn't expect it to be an emotional one for me when I placed the resignation letter on my boss' table. I've been serving the company for 10 years now. When I stepped out from his room, I could not believe that I finally did what I wanted to do four years ago! I was surprised when my eyes were wet and my hands were cold. I enjoyed my 10 years tenure. But I guess, enough is enough.


It is high time to be my own boss! I have been doing promotions for Mama Chak's Recipe since August. So far, it is promising. insyaAllah. Amin... Pray for me ya friends. I have butterflies in my tummy like every other hour thinking about it.:laugh:

Owh, my last day is 30th November.
Iskandar will be 1 year old on 4th December. He would not know that his mom was a career woman before. Heh heh... (Macam my brothers and I! we didn't know that our mom ada degree.. until we were in our teens.. Tu pun sebab dia terjumpa her scroll.. boleh?)


Till then folks..

Lawakla buat posting ni..
Mas works at Prudential BSN Takaful, and today PruBSN turned 1.

I would like to share the following poem by Mas the poet. :p

Kelahiran

Bicara.... sebuah kelahiran....
bicara sebuah kewujudan....
meniti detik kejadian....

Lantas....tergumpal suatu mahluk...
bagai sebuah hamparan....
warnanya dilukiskan....

Paras..... rupanya
Tingkah... lakunya
Tergantung pada pelukisnya....

Cermat....gayanya...
Bijak....olah warnanya...
indah hasilnya...

Semua...tergantung pada pelukisnya...
...kita...?


Selamat hari lahir PruBSN..... selamat hari lahir lukisan indah.....
semoga semua pelukisnya.....diberkati...
semoga terus cantik lukisannya... biar di papar di galeri nusantara....
biar megah.... kagum melihatnya....

sesungguhnya segunung pujian itu hanya kerana Nya... dan untuk Dia....

I took one day leave to complete the 2-tier wedding cake, hantaran cupcakes as well as 100 cupcakes in gift boxes.
Waaaahhhh... started working at 7 am, and completed tying all 100 ribbons at 2.50 am the next morning.

The week before that, Mas painted the idea for me to stop work and bake full time. I was damn scared. Many things came to mind when he said that. What if there were no orders? Uwaaaa! Hahaha! Exagerating a bit.. Jangan marah aa.. He told me not to worry. If there are no orders, I have time on my side to be with my angels. True... but money??? Hehehe..:D

I suddenly have so many things to do. Being in IT, I tend to wanna automate stuffs and have things organised.. like client db, material db, etc. My brain could not stop thinking and planning. From finding a cake box manufacturer for single cupcakes to preparing Mama Chak's Recipe leaflet. I forced myself to complete Mama Chak's Recipe blog at 2 am last night. Tu pun, not truly complete. Have not put in the map and delivery charges.

Mommyalif suggested I use picasso to further sharpen my photos. Yeah, the photos are not sharp, especially the recent ones. My camera charger chose this moment in time to hide himself. Hmmphh! I have to rely on my camera phone for now... Uwaaaa.

I just wanna get the blog done. I got my brother to help me with the marketing plan. Requested that I give him the costing for him to plan and strategize. My eyes wanted to pop out! He is suggesting many more things, cookies la, bread la... and I wanted to faint already. :eek: Breathe! Breathe!

When I told Mas about my brother's strategy, he told me to take one step at a time. He told me to calm down, and focus on what I am currently doing now. Breathe! Breathe!

I have not told my parents about Mas' idea to retire from the IT world. I am sure they are not too keen on that. I have August to prove not to them, but most importantly to myself.

I've been having sleepless nites already!


Dear friends, with this I also would like to take the oppurtunity to kick start Mama Chak's Recipe online. :D
Comments and feedback are most welcomed!

I've been busy with work, kids and cakes.
I singgah kejap2 je blog kawan2 efx yang sungguh rajin semuanya. Miss u guys a lot.

I am starting ssslllloooowwwwlllyyyy Mama Chak's Recipe blog. Takut pun ada.

Also started ssslllloooowwwwlllyyyy the flickr site. Check it out.. Comments are welcomed too..

Orang lain buat kejap je.. tapi I buat, mak aih punya la sslllooowwww nya..
Kejap Iskandar jerit, sekejap Dania complaint pasal Nurin, then Nurin complaint balik.

Mas is on the way home to fetch me for dessert..

adios

We brought Iskandar for his final HIB jab on 1st June '07 (after the Barbie Party! ;)) Since he is already 6 m.o, I asked the Dr Azizi of DSH, on the best way to introduce solid to him. We have known Dr. Azizi for almost 10 years now. Him being Kedahan, and my grandparents are Kedahans, we tend to speak that dialect whenever we visit him.

Dr Azizi suggested that we feed Iskandar with blended rice porridge once a day, and then a week or two after that, make it twice a day. Slowly introduce vegetables, like carrots, spinach. And then, fresh fish, etc.

Dr: Tok sah dok bagi food had dok juai dalam tin la, apa la.. Tu ada banyak preservatives.(Don't give canned food. It contains lots of preservatives) [He was referring to those bottled ones.. Gerber or something liket that.)

Me: O ya ka Dr? Tak boleh eh? (Oh really? Cannot is it?)[Pretend to be dumb.. I like to pretend as such so I get more info :p]

Dr: [Talking to Iskandar] Suruh mama masak.. Tok sah dok masak processed food.. Nanti esok pi belajaq overseas, takkan nak ingat nugget yang mak goreng.. Ingat la masak lemak cili padi ka.. gulai kari ka.. (Ask your mommy to cook. Don't cook processed food. You want to remember her masak lemak and curry. You don't want to remember her nugget.)

Me: Nugget pun tak boleh ke dr? (I can't cook Nuggets?)

Dr: Nugget tu ada banyak preservatives. (Nugget has lots of preservatives).

I laughed.

Dr: Masakla.. Budak2 la ni, dah tak macam dulu dah.. Masak.. baru budak tu ingat kat kita (You've to cook so that your kids will always remember you)

Me: Ye ke dr? Maid masak tak boleh ke? (Really? What if the maid cooks?)

Dr: Nanti, depa dok ingat, hmmmm kakak ni masak kari sedap, kakak nu masak kicap sedap (Later the kids will just remember the maids' cooking, which maid cooks what best.)

Me: Saya nak kena masak ka ni dr? (Do you mean I've to cook?)

Dr: Haa la... (Yes)
:p :p :p

So, for my dearest Iskandar, I've started cooking for him already.
Every night I would put 2 tablespoon of organic rice (Elisa's idea) into the slow cooker, and blend it early in the morning before I leave for work. Juriah will heat it up and feed Iskandar (Dr said cook, not feed kan... ? Huhu mommy dilemma)

As for the rest of the kids and Mas, honestly I can't cook everyday, as I'll rush to fetch Dania at 630pm, so I would cook on weekends only. :D

I started the following recipe last week, thanks to mommyalif: Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe, which she got from the net :

It was easy to do (even for me... honestly I don't cook.. I love to bake).
So, if I say this is easy for me, it is easy for everyone.
Here is the outcome:



and this is Iskandar's latest pic with Baba:

Dania woke up that Friday morning smiling from ear to ear. Four parents confirmed attendance, but only 2 kids, Ve Co (Coco) and Yi Xing turned up. Coco is a very cheerful and bubbly girl, and Yi Xing is the quiet-when-with-adults type.

The kids including Nurin rushed upstairs to play with their Barbie, and ended up playing restaurant, dancing on the dance mat, coloring and God knows what else.
I prepared pizza with mushroom and sausage toppings, samosa, cake and trifle. I didn't manage my time well. Ye la, the night I was supposed to do the groceries was spent watching Pirates of the Caribbeans (Carrot of the Carrabeans as Dania calls it) with Mas. I can't say 'No' to Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom!! ;) So, I did the groceries shopping on Friday itself. Good thing Juriah is around to help slice the sausages and mushrooms. I even made trifles that morning.

I really wanted to make friends with Dania's friends, especially the one who had written a note to Dania weeks back, which sounded like this: "To Mas Dania. If you do not bring the chop tomorrow, you are out of the club." Dania explained to me that the girl wanted a name chop, not with Dania's name, but with her name on it. But, she didn't give Dania any money to do so. She didn't even write her name, and her chinese name on any paper. Dania was with all tears begging me to do the chop, or she'll be out of the club.. I told Dania - No money, no chop. That was already extortion to me. :rolleyes:

Somehow, I was hoping that the tyco-girl would turn up at the Barbie Party. I want to find out who the tyco is.

Me: Coco, do you have some sort of club in school?
Coco: No
Me: Yi Xing, how about you?
Yi Xing: (nodded her head), Yes..
Me: (make excited voice), oh really? what club is that?
Yi Xing: Winx Club..
Me: oh ok...How many people are there in your club?
Yi Xing kept quiet.
Dania: Three (showing three fingers)
Me: oh.. who else is in your club?
Yi Xing still kept quiet.
Dania: Jenny, ... (and mentioned another name..)
Yi Xing was silent for a moment.
Me: I see...
Yi Xing: and Mas Dania
Me: I see...
(Dania grinned!!!... mommy indirectly enrolled her daughter in a club, winx club.)

So, the tyco-girl is the quiet one.. Hmmm...

Coco is so smart and obedient. She can also play the piano very well.
I got the kids to wash their hands before lunch.
I squeezed the liquid soap on each hands.

Coco: waaa... nice smell.. this is dettol.
Dania: how come you know so many things?

Coco laughed. I was amazed myself. True enough she can read Dettol, but she said by the smell, instead of the sight.

Yi Xing granddad came to fetch her at 1130, so she didn't actually had lunch with us. So, I packed pizza and cake for her.

The trifle was rather semi-chill semi-warm when served, hence I believe the reason why it wasn't a hit. Nurin loved it anyways.





Coco's mom, Joanne came at 12+ to fetch her. We immediately clicked! She thanked me for organising the "party". I told her it was not a party, it was just a play play thing.

Anyways, I was glad myself for "throwing the party" for Dania. She had fun that makes me happy. :)

The following conversation happened 2 days ago (23rd May):
Dania: Mama, when is my birthday?
Me: 20th November.
Dania: What is twenty-yeth?
Me: That means 20..
Dania: Eh, dah lepas dah.. Sekarang 23.
(It has passed! Now is 23)
Me: But you have to wait till November. 20th November.
Dania: I want my birthday now. (makes a long face)
Me: Sabar la sayang..
(Patience my dear)

This happened yesterday:
I saw Dania putting her panty and a naked Barbie in her school bag..

Me: Dania, what are you doing? :confused:
Dania: (Grinning)..Nanti, kawan Dania punya mother datang, nak ambik Dania pergi rumah dia.
(my friend's mom is coming to fetch me to her house)
Me: Rumah dia kat mana?
(Where is her house?)
Dania: Dania tak tau.
(I don't know)
Me: (dunno what to say.. still looking at her..)
Dania: Dania dah bagi mama nye phone no. kat dia.. Nanti mama dia call.
(I've given her your phone no. Her mother will call you)
Me: Tak de sapa call pun.
(No one has called)
Dania made a sour face.
Me: I tell you what, why don't you take out the panty and Barbie.
Go to school first. I'll let you know if her mother calls.
Dania: (still a sour face and removed her panty and naked Barbie from the bag)

Dania went to school anyways.

I think what Dania wants is a party, but her birthday is still far away.
After discussing with Mas, we decided to call Dania's friends to our house.
So, I've created an invitation card, asked Dania to invite 10 of her friends to come.

(Inspired by Elisa.. thanx dear...)
Well, it is a numbers game, you invite, 10, prolly only 5 would turn up, huh..


and come think of it..how pathetic my world is nowadays..
Nak ajak main pun berjemput..(They'll only come when there is an invitation).
Miss the old days.

You see, first of all, I do not see myself working till 55. True, I do pray that Mas gets richer each day, and I'll be lady of leisure then. Then again, I always believe, 'If it is to be, it is up to me'.

I enjoy my career now. Though, honestly I prefer to stay with my kids given the choice. :p So, I've started Mama Chak's Recipe in 2005. Part time. I named it after my Mak Chak, who taught me how to bake. I got orders from friends, colleagues, Mas' colleagues, mom's friends.. I would say it was pretty good. Boleh la...

A good friend of mine offered to create a web-site for me back then, for free. The deal is that, if I get orders from the web, I'll give him a percentage of the sale. I agreed. But, the web-site was never built yet. The last time I spoke with him, he was busy with work, and his networking biz.

Dilemma #1:
Do you think he would mind if I start off on my own?
I do my own blog and advertise myself.
Of course I've to call him la.. *Takutnya nak call* I just don't wanna ruin friendships.

Dilemma #2:
If I should start on my own:
I am still not sure though, if I should just create a category on this efx2 - for Mama Chak's Recipe.
or have another one, say - MamaChaksRecipe.efx2, mainly on my cakes?

*Fenin*

Finally, the mid term exam is over!. *Phew*. Why is it that I worry everytime the kids sit for exam? Is it just me or is it happenning to you guys too? The thing is I don't remember my parents sitting down with me revising even when I was in Std 1.
Well, TV was prohibited when we were young. So, I had nothing better to do. I am the youngest and the only girl, hence no sister to gossip with. My 2nd brother won't play with me as he was busy riding the bicycle here and there. My eldest brother was a bookworm. So, ya.. I have nothing better to do. I know.. boring me..
My kids live in a totally different world. We let them watch TV, let them access the internet.. I find that Dania can't study on her own. Well, I can still forgive that, since she is in Std 1. I still have to guide her.But Nurin is in Std 5 this year. And believe it or not, I have to sit next to her just to ensure that she actually reads or does her exercises. I feel like a class monitor, or a prefect for that matter. No TV for me too for the past two weeks. Huhu.. On the bright side, I also finished my chic-lit - The Kept Woman while being a prefect.
On another note, I have also kicked start my Mama Chaks' Recipe, after resting for a year. The last time I baked was when Iskandar was 4 mths in my tummy. I got mommyalif to snap the Mother's Day cakes, and she had gone the extra mile to make the pics nicer. Thanks Rad for being so kind! I'll upload the pics tomorrow, since the pics are now in my work ThinkPad.
I am not feeling so well today. I somehow got sore throat, which I figured getting it after eating Kuah Taruk Atas at Mamak Pokok Ceri yesterday.

My dad is 67 years old this year. His birthday was actually on 28th April, but he wasn't home to celebrate with us on that day. So, we postponed it till today. We usually celebrate one's birthday by eating out at Victoria's Station, or the sort. My dad would pay for the dinner (even if it was his birthday) :D But, today was different.

My mom has this backyard project going on since about 3 months ago. I am not sure if beautifying is the right word for it. Our backyard before was dull. Plain and dull. We had flower beds, with barely alive plants. No grass. And the wall was plain white. My mom, together with Bibik (the helper) worked hard on the project, day and night. Both of them have been mixing cement, plastering tiles, laid slates and filled the gaps with pebbles, bought plants, bought more plants. I lost count on the number of trips made to Sungai Buluh. And now, we have a garden pond with waterfall at the backyard! (my uncle helped with the waterfall). *Will upload photo*

My mom is a sentimental person. She ensured that the project completed today so that we can all enjoy the beautiful landscape when my dad cut the cake. She wanted the garden pond to be a birthday present to my dad. She made sure that everyone was in the same page in making my dad's birthday a big event. She made it sound so big that bibik thought many people were coming. :D
Anyways, we cooked (well, Mas cooked) spaghetti, prepared french bread, salad and shrimp fritters. Just that. But.. my mom had it well planned. We were told to dress-to-kill, the maids too. We were also told to prepare a performance, be it singing, dancing or whatever. I told Nurin, tak nak (No..) when she conveyed to me about her Tok Mak's (Grandma) plan. Nurin came again later and said "Tok Mak ask you to sing Ba Ba Black Sheep.:laugh:

My mom elected Nurin to be the emcee.. We started off with singing the birthday song, and cutting the cake. And we had my dad to switch on the switch to the waterfall, as a symbol to launch the backyard (my mom is full of drama). There were oooh and aaahhhs from all of us when we saw the water coming down. And then, it was performance time. Nurin and Dania were up first. They sang and danced the Happy Birthday song - again. Then, it was Mas' turn. He recited a poetry he wrote himself, with Nurin playing the piano as the background music, and Dania dancing ala-ala balet gitu. I saw my dad's eyes watered. The following was the poem:

Seperkenalan ini..
aku cuba pelajari,,

Seperkenalan ini..
aku cuba mengerti

Seperkenalan ini..
masih mencari
Dikau sering kukagumi

Setiap itu aku mencari puncanya
Kita kurang bicara
tapi tiap bicaranya
aku simpan buat pedoman

Kita jarang berlaku
tapi tiap lakunya
aku jadi pandu

Seperkenalan ini..
aku banyak mengerti
ada rahsia hidup
yang aku pelajari

Seperkenalan ini..
aku banyak terima kasih

Seperkenalan ini..
izin ku tumpang kasih

Seperkenalan ini..

Semoga kau segar
bagai pohon...
makin usia
makin berdiri

Seperkenalan ini..
semoga selamanya
Selamat Hari Lahir

He received a hug, not only from my dad, but from my mom too. Both were with tears.
Then it was my turn to perform. :D Well, I sang 'Que Sera Sera' with showmanship lagi.. Just a paragraph though.

Then, we forced my mom to sing... (oooh.. bukan main lagi dia nak ngelat.. suruh kita je perform).
And she sang! I can't remember the title.. apa eh?
The lyrics goes like this:
Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you lately there's no one else above you (something like that)..

and then she said.. I can't remember already... (ngelat la tu..) :laugh:

All in all, it was fun! Something different.
Even my maid, Juriah sang a Jawa song.. She is such a sport!

My dad enjoyed it. We all did..

Happy Birthday Daddy! Many happy returns! :)

Nurin has never been away from her family. Today, is her first day at the spiritual awareness camp (Khemah Ibadah). Even though, her exam starts on the 30th, I insist that she enrolls for this program.
She'll be sleeping at her KAFA school till Sunday. Early next morning (Saturday), at 4 a.m, there'll be a qiamullail (very early morning prayers). The students' dads are encouraged to attend.. He he .. I did not expect Mas to attend as it is not compulsory.. but he said, he'll attend.. We'll see if he can wake up at 4!!


At the same time, I am in the midst of filling up E-Filing for IRB, on behalf of Mas.. This has been going on since ever.. I'll be the one doing the submission.. :rolleyes:
And, as always, I'll wait till the 11th hour to do so :laugh:
This time around, I did not receive the BE Form. I have the option to download the BE form from the www.hasil.org.my, or get my pin no at their office tomorrow. My dearest neighbour cum colleague, Ivan told me that he just lined up for 10 mins at the IRB branch in Kelana Jaya to get his pin. I guess I'll do that tomorrow. They were open till 10 p.m, but Mas was hooked watching Oliver Twist on Star Movies.. (very rare..)

Ya.. I know my site is still using the original skin... :p

I am flat out after today's Cake Decorating Class. Man! From 10 till 4! We learnt how to decorate a doll cake and make roses from the butter cream icing. It was fun. Mr. Hau, the instructor showed us how to also make chrysantenum flower. It looked easy when he demoed it to us.. and I remarked 'kalau tak boleh jugak.. saja...) (damn easy!). But, it was not! Heh heh! I speak too soon.
Well, at least I know how to do that already. The rest is practise.
I made a few friends there.. Safiah, (yes Elisa, your friend Safiah..), Mona Lisa (she is actually in the business of making cake mix.. and she actually bakes about 2000 muffins a day! Wow!) and also Siti (She does cupcakes..visit: http://www.coffeetorque.blogspot.com...gspot.com/..
This is the doll I decorated (which I finally learnt how to upload :p )


Since Mas is in Alor Setar till Wednesday, Dania is sleeping with me (and Iskandar, of course!).. and she just told me that she could not sleep. And I told her to switch off the lights and she made her face and tepuk her butt.. (pat her butt)... aiyoh.. can't go to sleep without the tepuk.. Till then.

I took leave on Friday. Mainly because my parents went to Kuantan, hence no one was around to fetch the kids from school. Furthermore, Nurin was coughing and sneezing and complained that her eye was sore. Her left eye did look a little smaller. However, since the exam is just around the corner, I told her to go to school anyways and promised that I would fetch her during recess. Called the paed and made an appointment at 3 p.m.
When I arrived at her school, she looked all too well to be considered sick. I brought her home anyways.

I then asked her, how she was feeling… she said, she didn’t know. I did not want to waste time going to the paed if she was alright. She just practiced 2 out of 5 pieces for her piano solo class performance on Saturday.

Cancelled the appointment with the paed. Nurin practiced piece #3, #4 and #5. It was an intensive practice (plus some scolding, :rolleyes: ) We were flat by 9 p.m., and worried all the same time. How would she play on Saturday? And why on earth didn’t she tell me about the solo performance! Luckily, her teacher sent me a text message about it on Tuesday. Nurin needs to practice 5 pieces, and the teacher would just choose 2 pieces to be played on that day.

Anyways, both Nurin and I called it a night, and prayed that the teacher would not ask her to play Minuetto. To our relieved, she only had to play Lullaby and Hide and Seek.. :D The teacher was actually pleased with her despite the hiccups.. (because she could see that Nurin practiced her pieces after all…)

At the same time, I decided to make sweet buns. I actually attended a bread making class at Bake With Yen. This was my second attempt in bread making. I failed the first attempt. I decided then that I just can’t make bread. I am more a bake-a-cake person. I just can’t stand the dough having to rest so many times!! Anyways, I decided to give it a second try.

When I mixed the high-protein flour, yeast and cold water, I could already see that the texture was not the same as the one done by my instructor. I was already demoralized. :rolleyes:
But, I was also determined to do it anyway. So, got the dough to rest overnight in the fridge. Took it out on Saturday morning and followed the rest of the instructions.. Since I was making the bread, as well as keeping an eye on Nurin practicing her pieces, I misread the lines. I was supposed to put in the filling before I let the dough to prove for 1 hour. Heh heh… I just let the dough prove without any filling.. So, realizing my mistake, I just put cheddar cheese on top and bake for 10 mins… They turned out OK though. My parents loved it. My kids and Mas too… So, I am thinking to try again..

By the way, I’ll be attending cake decorating with butter cream this Tuesday, 24th. I would be learning to decorate a 2-tier wedding cake and a doll cake. I’ve made quite a few wedding cakes thus far, but I used the pre-made flowers sold at BWY as decoration. The reason I attended this is that I’ll be learning on how to create flowers from butter cream. I’m just so excited! Will upload the photo of the decorated cake. (once I know how to upload photos). :laugh:

And today, I bought two chic-lits - The Kept Woman and The Waitress.
I think my life is already too complex.. I just wanna chill by reading nonsense! :D

Finally, after 4 and a half months, Iskandar rolled over last night at about 2 a.m. I can't believe that I actually witnessed his first rolled over. He has been trying to roll over many times, and everyone in the house were told not to help him roll over. Well, the great-great-grandmother stories said that babies shouldn't be helped at this point of time, so that they grow up independant. Dunno how far its true. But, we follow... :p
Anyways, we did not help Nurin and Dania when they were trying to roll over. We were actually pretty worried that Iskandar took 4 and half months to do so, when his sisters actually rolled over at 3 months! Well, different babies.. different styles!
Iskandar came to the world 2 weeks earlier than the expected due date, compared to his sisters, who were overdue for almost 2 weeks!

Mas felt elated too to have witnessed this. His new job (well, not so new.. he got a new job Nov '06) requires him to travel pretty often. He just got back from Melaka at 1 a.m this morning. Mas was the reason Iskandar woke up... and decided to roll over.. Boleh?

This is a pic of Iskandar.
I am also in the midst of uploading his other pics to flickr.
Yes.. saya budak baru belajar (I'm a new kid in the block!)

~