we are 1!

assalamualaikum..

alhamdulillah..today we are 1 year married.

how time flies.. we dated since 2002 and now we have a son together.. =)

i pray that our marriage will be forever blessed.

i pray that our love and passion will forever grow.

i pray that our patience will be stronger.

i pray that our family will be merrier.

i pray that we will one day have our own home.

i pray that we grow old together.

i pray that we understand each other better each day.

amin..

it has been a while..

assalamualaikum..

it has been a while huh?

miahaha..i guess this title will appear in many entries in the future..
life is great so far. alhamdulillah..

adjusting to work takes time.. but i'll cope. emm feeling a lil bit nervous about teaching. it has been a while (haha..again..)

ishh what to teach?.. *biting fingernails*

emm.. the family trip may be delayed since zarief comes with huge travelling package.. hehehe.. we travel heavy now.. there's just enough space for me, hubs and zarief in the car.. so definitely in need of a bigger ride.. like a bus.. haha that would be perfect to my imagination but since not many shopping complexes provide parking space for buses.. i would have to cross that out of the list.. =p

p/s: oh yeah..i wondered how on earth some people are so lucky to win cars by filling up forms.. wouldn't it be nice if i sometimes win a car in a lucky draw instead of tupperwares and food hampers?

oh this entry is just ramblings of what are going on my mind now.. hence, it's not neatly organized. not a good examplefor essay writing yeah?

toodles!

Family Trip~*

Assalamualaikum..

I've been dreaming of a holiday trip since forever..

well, we did not really have a proper honeymoon because of many reasons.. so this december for our first anniversary i wish that i could have a proper holiday trip to celebrate the anniversary and to have a belated honeymoon (or babymoon now? haha)..

of course this time around it's no longer the missus and the husband.. we have a little baby tagging along.. so the three of us (or probably more?.. i don't mean another baby or something.. haiihh)

travelling with a baby..by december he will be 3 months old.. would be very challenging. of course it would be very meaningful to have him along for this special holiday.. it's like celebrating his 3 months birthday as well.. =)

ok.. back to the main concern.. where should we go? i have a few places in mind.. i limit the trip to be 2 days and 1 night only.. or 3 days and 2 nights? =)

let see..
1) cameron highlands

i really wanted to go here because of the scenery and tranquility.. it's cold.. we could rent an apartment so we have proper kitchen and we could cook..it would be easier to prepare baby's needs because it will be spacious.. i wanted to visit the sg palas tea plantation and buy lots of veggies.. and strawberries.. i wanted to try strawberry picking.. we could snap lots of photos.. but it's quite far and the trip up the hill is winding..

2) penang

probably the main reason is to shop.. since december is end of year megasale.. but we could always go here without a sleepover.. but penang has a few attractions that we could go but i don't know if its suitable for the baby.. the hot weather and all..

3) kl + selangor

it's our dream to back here and to enjoy the things we left before coming back to our hometown.. murni, nasi ayam section 11, ikea, one utama.. satay samuri.. etc.. but it's too far..probably it will be more suitable when zarief is older..

so if it's me i definitely vote for Cameron Highlands! say if my MIL would like to go along with us we have space for her as well.. i shall prepare a complete holiday package for the trip! let's start planning! yehaa!

a big wake up call..

assalamualaikum..

zarief is still asleep after his dose of milk. i am blogging while waiting for the chicken in the oven to be ready. oh yeah.. today is my 24th day of confinement.. 20 days to go! yess!!

anyway, i was combing my hair last night. it's my sort of entertainment and stress reliever.. oh yes believe it. i don't have many things that excite me for now.. (excluding the son ok.. i am eternally grateful for this bundle of joy) so, my normal dilemma everytime i comb my hair is 'to cut or not to cut' haha but usually i'll end up with 'sayangla rambut..dahlah lambat grow..' ok back to the main idea.. hehehe

i found a strand of grey hair!!!!! about 15cm long..

who has been using my comb?

my mum strictly taught us not to share comb with anybody.. in fact i have nobody at home except for my mum and my dad and my baby.. husband used my comb once and he has short hair.

oh no!

I AM OFFICIALLY OLDer!!! i have a grey hair.. (please note the article 'a' it means singular..)

ya allah.. aku x cukup beramal ibadah lagi.. panjangkanlah umurku untuk ku beribadah dan menebus dosa..

selamat beramal..

zarief's nipple confusion..

assalamualaikum..

hehe zarief is bottle fed since day 2.. we both have latching problem.. and i have lack skills in breast feeding.. and i could not stand to see him cry of hunger. so the best way is to express the breast milk and feed him by using the bottle.. i breaks my heart not being able to feed my own son directly but i am still grateful to Allah because i could still feed him nutritious milk.

anyways, since he is bottle fed he has gas problem in which he swallowed air during feeding. before he was born we did not see the bottle feeding coming hence we crossed out the bottle part. (a reminder to young parents: it's better to be prepared beforehand..). when the siren blared (zarief's) everybody panicked and the only option was the bottles that were available in the anakku hamper that we bought.. so zarief is contented with the silicone teats.

the nurses who came for house visits did explain and assisted me and zarief with direct feeding but it only lasted for a few minutes since he's accustomed to the silicone teats thus rejecting mine.. (sobs!) but for me as long as he's full and happy i'm fine.

so the pumping episodes begin.. they were tedious as you have to wash the pumping equipments after every use.. well i pump every 3-4 hours so you do the math.. and we have to be concern of the time of pumping, the storage of the milk etc. and it is costly mind you. a good electric double pump costs a bomb.. of course manual pump is just fine but it takes a while to pump both sides. i end up with a sore arm and it's very discouraging to pump. (the main thing is you have to work extra hard but extra hard work and me? totally a mismatch haha) but again, it's all worthwhile when i see zarief drank the milk happily..

another scary episode started yesterday.. i intended to feed zarief by using a little expensive bottle with suitable silicone teat for a newborn.. with features that could reduce colic (he has gas problem) so hubs and i went to alor setar and hunt for that bottle.. upon reaching home we tried feeding zarief using that bottle and you know what? he HATES it. he wants the old bottle that sometimes made him tersedak during feeding, the fast flowing bottle. hehehe there goes my intention of feeding him using a branded bottle. hahaha!

anyway zarief, despite all the tantrums and merajuk episodes.. mummy still loves you very much. you are still very adorable and unique. i felt that my boy is so clever! he has tastes and he's headstrong.. hehe my mum says he's just like me in terms of behaviour. haha well it runs in the genes!

later people..

postnatal blues..

assalamualaikum..

dulu i thought these things wouldn't happen to me.. now i know.

it's not that i am severely depressed or anything.. but sometimes i feel sad and helpless. life with a newborn who could only communicate through crying for now is really challenging. and your body is recuperating from the labour.. (no wonder people call it labour.. it was darn tough) and also your hormones are still shooting up and down trying to find the balance.. and you are confined at home with no one to crack jokes and made you laugh out loud..

pheww!

time is nasty slow now..

astagfirullah.. ingat Allah banyak2..
i keep telling myself this..

later people!

alhamdulillah.. the greatest gift of all..

assalamualaikum..

alhamdulillah.. muhammad zarief safwan was born on 20th September 2009. the date that i and mr husband got engaged last year.. =) no words but alhamdulillah could express my gratitude to Allah for the greatest gift of all.. many things could go wrong but Allah has made it an easy journey for me.. the pregnancy and the birth.. he was born normally but he was also vacuum assisted. the weight was 2.78kg and was lesser that i expected.. alhamdulillah. he cried the moment he was out and for me that was the most beautiful sound i heard that day.. despite being drowsy and sleepy.. today he is 7 days old.. and there are so much things to keep up with him.. it's like knowing a whole new person.. my life revolves around him now.. in fact my mum is the greatest of all.. i couldn't imagine of she's not around. what would i do? * seriously i'm more teary these days*

i shall continue later. it's time to pump.

alhamdulillah Ya Allah.

Aidil Fitri 2010

Assalamualaikum..

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to everybody!! Maaf Zahir Batin..

Alhamdulillah.. raya this year was great like the previous years. of course last year was awesome because i was engaged on 2nd raya and this year was even more awesome because i am heavily pregnant! how time flies!

a little correction on not having baju raya or kasut raya this year. since the baby is still happily roaming inside mummy's belly.. i begged mr husband for new attires and shoes. hehehe so last minute shopping was done on wednesday night. hubby had to queue for nearly 2 hours but it was worthwile because he bought some t-shirts for himself, handbags for his mom and grandma and a pair of shoes for me.. hehehe see it's not totally me! then after the long queue we head to tesco to buy my baju raya.. luckily the desired shop was still open for customers and i was the last one. i was there for nearly one hour while mr husband went up for a massage.. and i managed to buy 3 new attires, 2 jubahs and 1 kurung moden. i could still fit into a kurung moden ok! *grinning*

raya day 1 was spent at home because visitors kept coming. the initial plan was to go to my house but was later cancelled because pak long and mak long came all the way from bukit mertajam to the house. that night we went to pak ngah's house and that's that.

second raya was spent visiting relatives. first stop my grandmother's house then mine. how i miss celebrating raya at home.. it's true that there's no place like home. then we went to jitra and bukit pinang and went stright home.

third raya is at bukit mertajam.. spent the whole day there and later in the evening we went to my house..

raya day four: my siblings went back. they'll start working tomorrow.. so does mr husband..

so basically raya this year is pictureless but fun still.. hehehe

selamat hari raya again everybody!

raya next year will rock! there are a few improvements to be made.

Selamat Hari Raya!

assalamualaikum..

raya is coming in probably 8 days.. this year i don't have any baju raya or kasut raya.. these stuff would have to wait for the raya haji to come.. haha. anyways, the shopping craze has started wayyy before ramadhan starts and it gets crazier.. last tuesday, on the national day, my friend went to Alor Setar to shop.. she arrived half an hour after the shopping complex opened and the parking areas were already littered with cars.. how crazy is that? and we are talking about the most spacious shopping complex we had in Alor Setar.. haha..

oh! while packing the baby stuff, i felt that the baby should have more newborn attires.. hehe but thinking about the long queue to park the car, to pay and the thoughts of people running into me made me very much sober.. hehehe.. i wondered sometimes can't they see the bump? it's painful you know when somebody bumped your bump..

anyways, if things are not hectic and chaotic then it wouldn't be a celebration right? so enjoy raya everybody.. i would be very anxious during raya waiting for signs of labour.. hehehe but that's fine.. i consider that a reward and a raya gift for me.. so, i would like to wish everybody

Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin!

p/s: bunyi meriam dan mercun kadang2 membuat baby dlm perut terkejut tahu..

18 days to go.. and I am scared.

Assalamualaikum..

oh ho.. the days are approaching really quick now. at least that's what i feel.. but still alhamdulillah i am not freaking out yet.. haha sometimes i do feel extremely nervous.. worrying about the safety of the baby and the after pains.. but InsyaAllah, everything will be just fine.. i need to keep telling myself that and confide to what Allah has destined for me.. so far i am really worried about leaving the kiddos at school.. i have so many things to be done but i hope they will do just fine too during my maternity leave. i'm sure my besties will take good care of them.. speaking of which i should get them something nice! haha.. definitely in my to-do list.

oh! how i hate packing.. now packing the hospital bag drives me crazy too.. not only it reminds me the labour is coming reallll soon it also makes me buy more and more unnecessary stuff.. and heavy loading the bag too! usually i pack my stuff the night before i travel somewhere and i usually pack more than i need resulting a super heavy bag.. haha.. this time around the nurses reminded not to bring too much things but how would i know whether i am going to need them or i don't.. and i hate feeling insufficient.. you know like you have the thing that you need but it's at home. how irritating would that be? can i pack right before the pre-labour? ok.. don't answer that. I shall try my best to pack tonight.. let's start with the baby stuff then mine ok.

hmm.. right now i am *secretly* scared of the ambulance.. the vehicle, the siren and what not. since my mum's is next to the hospital sometimes it does not really help. but ambulances in kuala nerang are pretty well behaved. they do not scare me by blaring the siren really loud.. which is a big relief. but whenever i go to Alor Setar, the ambulances are really nasty. they send me shivers up my spine everytime.. catching the sight of an ambulance racing through the traffic is enough to make my eyes water. get that? oh i pray that i'll be brought to the hospital in a car not an ambulance..

oh.. ramadhan in nearing the end. which is sad.. i am a better person this ramadhan.. i recite more Al Quran than before and i have more patience and calmer.. alhamdulillah. hopefully there will be next ramadhan for me..

so everybody, have a wonderful ramadhan! happy packing for me! take care everybody!

may Allah bless all of us!

Flash Flood!

Assalamualaikum everybody!

Yesterday was 7th of Ramadhan.. and we were tested. It was raining heavily around 3.30pm and i was taking a cat nap.. haha.. suddenly at 5pm mama called and asked me to check whether it was flooding outside or not.. i was pretty annoyed because i was sound asleep and mama was shouting on the phone.. well, maxis sucks in kuala nerang when it rained that bad. i went out from the room to see hebi (my brother) sleeping too in front of the TV. i woke him up and asked him to go check at the back. we were darn surprised to see a riverflow of water at the back and it was as close as 1 cm to enter the kitchen area. hebi quickly grabbed some old clothes and put them at the door.. within seconds water started flowing inside the kitchen.. imagine the situation with me being heavily pregnant and all panicking and stuffing the kithcen door. hebi went out to get some tiles and what not to block the water from flowing rapidly inside the kitchen.. i was worried that that the water was going to flow inside mama's room and the tv area because the water in the bathroom was also rapidly rising. that would be horrible!

i called mr. hubs and he said to lift the baby stuff in the room and to put them on the bed. i did that and they were pretty heavy especially the baskets! pheww.. i lifted some of mama's stuff in the room under the bed like the vacuum cleaner, bags etc. then some of the stuff in the TV area like the feet massage machine, the pillows etc. by that moment the water was already flowing in the kitchen reaching the end corners of the kitchen already. we created some barriers made of curtains and clothes found in mama's room (hey that includes my long lost night dress.. hahaha) so that the water will not flow to the TV area.

after that we went out to see the flood outside.. the water flowed like a rapid river.. the shoes were all gone, the things from the backyards like the stool, the garbage container, the paint can were floating.. it was scary. i just hoped that the water will not enter the living room.. it was like a few inches away already. if it did, it would be a different story altogether!

i captured a few pictures for the keep..

Ramadhan is here..

Assalamualaikum everybody..

alhamdulillah we are still here to welcome a holy month of ramadhan again.. I pray that I am granted good health to complete fasting this year and to perform lots of ibadah too.. Insyaallah.

i have put the blog on hiatus for quite some time.. thehehe.. i was busy updating the baby blog hence making this blog a supplementary one. hehehe.. anyway, life is great at the moment. alhamdulillah. last night i managed to perform solat tarawih at the college's surau. packed with the kiddos of course.. alhamdulillah.. i am proud to see the kiddos performing prayers. the whole congregation made me proud. one funny thing happened last night though.. there was a student who tried to stop me from going home after the prayers since they had a meeting or something. thehe that poor girl was clueless. she didn't know that i am a teacher.. hehe i guess she didn't see the bulging pregnant tummy of mine under the telekung..

emm, i dunno what else to say. i pray that everybody will have a blessed ramadhan and may this ramadhan bring new hopes and hidayah to us! happy fasting everybody..

p/s: i pray hard that the baby is patient waiting inside the tummy until after hari raya.. please.. =)

Padang Besar + Kuala Perlis Trip

Assalamualaikum..

I had the best trip with the family! Yehaa.. Bought a few items at Padang Besar but we did walk around the whole place.. Seriously. Bahaha.. Mr. Hubs was worried that he would have to massage my feet that night. =) Anyways, the best part was the DINNER! It was yummylicious.. We had ikan jenahak bakar, ikan siakap 3 rasa, sotong goreng tepung (super yummy!), kailan ikan masin, kerang bakar, telur dadar and tomyam (this one is a spoiler). Hubs and mr brother had to finish the rice because mama and I were attacking the dishes.. haha. Anyways, everybody makes way for me and my sotong goreng tepung! Lovely! The nite ended well, we went home with satisfaction! I can't wait for another trip though.

Highly recommended: The food court opposite of Hotel Brasmana, Stall No:7! Reasonable price with awesome food!

My Puasa Rejab.. Day Uno

Assalamualaikum..

Today is the first day of fasting in Rejab as well as qada the puasa. Ramadhan is coming very soon and hopefully Allah will bless me the strength to complete fasting. Well, i slept in this morning. woke up at around 9.00am and discovered that everyone else has gone to work. decided to clean the car boot and managed to throw a whole bunch of things.. theehehe.. read the newspapers already. i haven't done the laundry because it's kinda cloudy so probably tomorrow. emm.. what to eat this evening? i wanted to get some cheese tarts.. yumm! will ask hubs permission to go to tesco later. he despises me going alone.. hehehe. =) but fret not, i have the lil one inside to keep me company. oh yeah. i should reduce weight now. my appetite is definitely coming back y'all.. unlike the early days of pregnancy.. still strong odour makes my head spins! emm.. i just remembered that i should give my ride a wash.. a thorough one if possible. and i should get the shoes fixed so i could wear it next week to school. emm.. in terms of wardrobe.. i think i need another maternity dress and a skirt for working attire. so it's time to shop this weekend.. so i need to do a lot of things actually.. haha.. well, better start doing it now! ciao!

Sotong Goreng Tepung..

Assalamualaikum..

Sotong goreng tepung idaman.. When am I gonna meet you? *drooling*

Mandi Sungai!! Wee~*

Assalamualaikum..

Seriously, i really wanted to take a dip in one of those waterfalls available in Kedah. The plan was made 2 years ago but it remains a plan.. haha.. anyway, since the cousins are home (hubs's side) we made it possible! We went to Air Terjun Titi Hayun which was only 20 minutes away from the in laws. The place was magnificent! The green forest, the cool water, the shady areas.. Perfect! What is more interesting that this waterfall has this hanging bridge (hence the name Titi Hayun). It made me dizzy though.. hehe.. Anyway, those who have not been here are really encouraged to go!!

One for the keep!
Dipping the feet.. Ahhh..

Jom Titi Hayun!

It's My Birthday!

Assalamualaikum..

Alhamdulillah.. Allah has blessed me another wonderful year of living. I am 27 years old today. So far i have been blessed with a lot of happiness, love, health and wealth. I pray that Allah will always extends His blessings and sustenance of happiness, love, health and wealth to me and my beloved ones. I pray that I will be a better Muslimah, wife, daughter, friend, teacher and hopefully a mummy in September. Life is great! Alhamdulillah.. Alhamdulillah.. Alhamdulillah.

Dapatkan Mesej Bergambar di Sini

I really miss the degree years~*

Assalamualaikum.

B.Ed TESL was super great! Great friends, great housemate, great place, great lecturers. what else is not great?

oh yeah.. the academic exercise was not. haha -_-*

Living in Pangsapuri Anggerik Indah really taught me about life. B217 was our home. we were the first tenant there so everything looked so prim and proper until we came.. hahah.. whatever it was the house rocks because we have ayu, anis, elia, me, ashu, didee, ana and shaz.. seriously it was fun and believe me we had lots of drama too.. hahah.. i couldn't stop smiling reminiscing the good old moments and the small progress we had in the house.. from no TV, DVD player, fridge, kitchen to all complete lovely little apartment for us. we had weird neighbours too.. from the pondan to the immigrants.. hahah

if you asked me the thing i missed most is the moment that we ate lunch. everybody would gather in front of the TV and watched friends while enjoying lunch. we didn't have many stalls back then. our first option was makcik bukit who cooked delicious dishes but really unhygenic.. then we had makcik bela (who charged anis cheaply.. only anis), makcik mak ayu (killer nasi lemak!!), makcik ning baizura (daging dendeng beb), makcik wan maimunah (really authentic N9 dishes).. and also not forgotten the kedai mamak.. hehehe.

dinner was a little bit different, we used to buy our dinner in section 17 or further.. but when we decided not to go out, we had nasi lemak from mak cik mak ayu, all the thai dishes from the kedai kelantan, makcik flowerhorn (dirty! dirty!), mak cik laksa, mak cik that sells kueteow goreng.. (i used to fancy her son.. couldn't remember the name though) and of course the kedai mamak..

i really missed the time that we played saidina because i was the loser everytime.. and the times that we stayed inside during merdeka or new year and celebrated them with saidina instead. the times that we went to uptown.. that's when ayu had the red kancil.. or enjoying satay hj samuri.. seriously those were the good old days..

i also missed the time that the hormones were going crazy that we started dating.. hahah.. that was a lot of drama.. who could still remember ana who nearly fainted because she had a fight with abg faizal? bahaha.. the guys that we like and we don't like.. thehehehe..

not forgotten the clashes that we had among ourselves too.. haihh drama! drama! =)

i miss my old housemates so much.. i believe that all are doing great in life now. i just wish that we could gather some time in the future and catch up on each other's life.. i wish everyone well!

Cooking Is Just Campak2.. NOT!

Assalamualaikum..

Good Day Everybody!

I am not a good cook.. used to be so rajin in the kitchen in the uni years but not so nowadays.. bahaha.. but still, cooking is actually fun. it would be funner if you have somebody to help to prepare the ingredients and clean the utensils afterwards.. -_-*..

Well, so far i have experimented a few recipes in the kitchen.. i am not creative in cooking i must say. i follow the recipe exactly the way it is supposed to be. hence, cook books or downloaded recipes are definitely a big no-no.. i think the chefs who prepared the recipes assumed that everyone knows how to cook and cooking is just common sense.. I tell you IT IS NOT! i just hate it when people tell you that it is easy to cook because it is just campak2.. you need to follow some steps right because you could not possibly put in the chicken before the blended chilli paste is totally ready in the pan.. seeeeee? so don't tell a beginner like me that cooking is just throwing in the ingredients.. chaitt!

Therefore i strongly advocate for seeing is believing.. I asked my mum and dad how to prepare the dishes because they would tell me the exact measurement of something like the santan to cook fish curry.. the spices that you used to tumis something before you cook.. when to put in the ingredients.. what should go in first and what should come last.. things like that.. about the measurement of the ingredients, i don't get it if it's in the metric system.. hahaha.. i get the measurement from the mangkuk and the koleh that we have in the kitchen.. that works wonders tahu!

probably your cooking skills are far more advanced than i am and probably you have reached the stage of campak2 when you cook your dishes.. have a little compassion for the beginners like me. i mean be specific when you wanted to share some recipes online ok. because i might be interested to try but probably i just don't know how to do it.. haha..

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Baby Kicks Are AWESOME!

Assalamualaikum..

I was wondering in the earlier stage of pregnancy, how would baby kicks feel?

Now that I am feeling it.. the answer is: total AWESOMENESS! hehehe

it's like having a tiny fish living inside your belly.. it swims and squirms.. sometimes when the baby kicks real hard, it could wake you up from your sleep! it could be quite ticklish too.. especially when you are sitting for quite some time. It's not painful or uncomfortable at all. I take it as a bond that i have with my child right now. i super love it when i talk and the baby kicks.. it's like he responds to what i said..

Baby kicks are totally God sent gifts to all preggers.. I pray that Allah will grant all the wishes of those who are trying to conceive.. The feeling is marvellous and of course it made me realize that Allah is Almighty.

Alhamdulillah for all the blessings..

Hello World!

Assalamualaikum..

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.

I am officiating the blog. I feel that it's time to share my feelings and experiences about life's great moments..

I am super excited!

May Allah Bless All of Us!