A brief trip down memory lane

I woke up this morning all semangat to go to the office when it's still dark to finish up a paper and presentation both due at 8.30am in the morning. Tapi keluar je bilik mandi, Yaya was already awake..hubby was looking all over for a tie that I too could not remember where/what I have done to it.. so that means yeap..me gonna be late again. Haiyayayayaya! I was prepared for a crazy Monday and to go insane in the car in my efforts to beat the traffic!

So as I started the engine I switched on the radio for something to calm me down.. yeah we all need a little something to stop us from having that anxiety attack.. And since music more often than not can easily change my mood and take a hold of my head, I often turn to it for comfort, relaxation and even motivation...I guess it was just my luck...HotFM was playing Ikhlas Tapi Jauh... I totally love this song..not just because it is infact a good song but because this is D SONG that will bring back good memories of those days in college..especially of my then very best friend called Hanim who is now in UK..

I don't know why.. padahal dulu2 gila barb punya kitaorg dengar lagu 4u2c sampai tertido and bangun tido je dengar the same song balik.. Psycho..psycho...tapi when I hear this song I will have images of me and Hanim lepakking at the bed till wee hours berborak..tido masa time Add Maths..berlari from class to the lobby to catch a glimpse of KRU performing masa Muzik2... stay up tengok World Cup especially if Italy was playing...going to Ikhlas concert together.. being homesick on weekends after our parents go back...being late comers for breakfast...study kat bawah lampu corridoor...'fly' from the college to watch cerita Abang 92..siap nyorok kat tempat letak kaki dalam kereta ngan Zett (Zett I bet u don't remember!)...usha abang hensem plumber yang betulkan toilet tersumbat kat Block B ngan Yeen, Kydd and Lisa from Liza Kedah's room...(wait! before u guys pass your judgement, dia memang hensem giler cam model okay!) and damn.. a lot of other crazy and weird stuff that we shared together..we had fun..of course fights that almost broke the bond that we had (sebab 4U2C!!psycho..psycho).. but we were inseparable.. we were like sisters...

These images kinda occupied my thoughts while driving this morning and made me smile to myself and miss the simplistic life when we were still schooling.. of course at that time to us life was just super complicated.. tak sabar nak abis blajar.. carik duit and dapat duit... dulu nak kena bangun pagi and book the shower by putting my towel at 5.00 am pun rasa macam torturenyaaaaaaaa.....tu tak termasuk rasa terkucil nak pegi shower pagi2 buta with the background of anjing menyalak beramai2 dengar azan.... and then what's with 1119 and SPM that konon will determine your future FOREVER!!!! (yeah.... rightttttttt!!!)

Hmmm.. yeah..I'm definitely telling my kids to enjoy their schooldays because when they graduate from school their Mummy will be a hawk and not let them enjoy life too much.. hehe.. takdela... I pray that they will have as good of an opportunity that I've had to be in a good school surrounded by special friends who will protect and keep them grounded always.

Kat tembok blakang class..kalau nak keluar kena ikut tingkap yang dah pecah..tak taula ni posing skema tahap apa.. hanim is the one with the striped t-shirt next to me..

p/s: Punched card at 8.22am. Handed over paper and presentation at 10.00am.

p/p/s: Yaya's b'day party Alhamdulillah went well..clown and magician were both superb and worth every RM!!! If any of you failed your SPM, try a carreer in clowning!

Special Invitation!

I'll be dropping a note to you people!

Mum of The Year

Prologue

In Facebook I took the "What kind of Mother are YOU?" quiz and the result is: The What was I thinking Mom
According to the result: I was thinking I was going to be so much better at this mom... You r the mom that just keeps trying to get it right. Multi tasking everything... Working, volunteering, you r trying to get it right but there's just so much to do. You r ok just keep trying...

My sister treated both my parents to a holiday in Hong Kong (Disneyland included). And because of this I have to take 2 days off from work for a 'holiday' at home with the 2 brats. And yeah with the brats we had our own version of Disneyland a la' Sg Ramal Dalam!

This morning I checked out another Mocha Lover's blog and her entry was about a nice bouquet of tulips, VIP spa treatment and a scrumptuous lunch and many many more manja treatment for Mother's Day.. so I went like huh? Is it Mother's Day already? Don't I deserve some Manja treatments too..Ni yang nak marah ni... Siap google to check the dates... well apparently it's celebrated on different days in different countries.. the official one is in May..

Phew! Of course if the two brats send me tulips and give me spa vouchers that would mean I have given birth to 2 geniuses who could possibly be rocket scientists when they grow up...I am hoping that well, someone would be doing some creative thinking for them...

So thanks Azfa & Yeen for the award and tagging me. I sooo need this today! ;)

Admit one thing you think awful about (involving being a mom). Once you have written it down, you are no longer allowed to feel bad. Remember you are a good mom!

One only?? hehe.. Hmm.. when I'm all exhausted or angry at them I'll miss the so-called life as a single. This is when I would feel awful mostly about 'losing' myself. I can no longer be that person who has my me time-I can stay up to watch tv & DVDs, has never missed a good movie at the cinema, able to spend time with friends/window shopping/have coffee without having to worry about the kiddies and fairy godmama. I am a Mother.

List 7 things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you.

1. I love changing their diapers... (NOT!!).. okay..okay..seriously.. hmm.. I love smothering them with loads and loads of kisses..Amir thinks this is icky..I don't know where he gets this from.. but it makes me more geram and would smother him even more.. yaya is quirky but manja...if I ask her to kiss me she would almost lick my nose... I likkkkkeee...

2. Watching Yaya bullying Amir until he cries. It's simply hillarious. Especially because Amir thinks that he's Ultraman so strong and all tapi dengan adik sendiri boley nangis. Kalau berebut barang pun Yaya would go all out and Amir would just cry to get my attention and sympathy. Ntah apa2 ntah.

3. Playing hide and seek before we go to sleep. We would go under the blanket and whisper to each other.. Amir's standard line would be shh..shh..hide from Babah...hide from Datuk.. Nenek... Yaya.. Irfan.. Maman... Jaja (his cousins)

4. When Amir answers dengan pelatnya that his name is Adam Farmemey.. abah is nasharuddin..yaya is arah armilla..and mama until today dia tak dapat tangkap lagi the name.. hampeh..

5. Yaya showing off her 2 big rabbit teeths.. makes me smile everytime I think about it... even when I'm at the office. Tapi bila pikir balik the teeths could be kenan 'Madam Cenc'..huhuhu

6. Going to the mall with Amir and watching him all excited at the sight of Ultraman/Thomas The Train!

7. Yaya makes this particular funny face complete with sound effects to show that she's happy when I feed her with food that she likes. Yaya can now say nak = 'ak!ak!' just like a baby bird waiting for the mother to feed her.

Actually I have many many more.. tiba2 rasa nak tergelak pulak bila pikir pasal all of their antics! :)

Send this to 5 other moms of the year that deserve a reminder that they too are the best moms that they can be. Remember to send them a note letting them know you have selected them, and also add a link to your posts that direct people back to the person who nominated you.

Well I don't know that many moms who blog. The ones I know have already been tagged. But hmm..here goes:

Fydd, Jaa & Edina.

To all Moms... Everyday should be Mother's Day for us! Kan..kan..kan..

Calling all Earthlings!

If you have not heard of the Earth Hour initiative then u all are soo not IN okay!

Thank God you have me! :)

As a socially responsible corporate citizen who had just attended a CSR conference and is genuinely worried about global warming I think I should do my bit to promote a good cause.

From melting glaciers to increasingly intense weather patterns, we know that climate change is already impacting life on our planet. So, on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm, people and organizations worldwide are taking part in Earth Hour—the world’s largest global climate change event.

Switching off your lights is a vote for earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Led by the World Wildlife Fund, more than 50 million people in 370 cities around the world took part in Earth Hour last year. The lights went out at Sydney’s Opera House, Rome’s Coliseum, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. Even the Google homepage went dark for the day. This year, Earth Hour will be even bigger.

In Malaysia, cities large and small have said they’ll participate including with more signing up daily. These cities will join international cities such as Beijing, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Hong Kong, London, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rome, and Toronto. (Of course, the joke during the conference was that kalau kat Malaysia WWF should get T*B to just switch off the power and do their CSR bit for the nation..har..har..har..)

To get a better sense of the magnitude and inspiring nature of the event, take a moment to watch WWF’s video about Earth Hour 2009 by visiting www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWD8pbK5t8.

Even B*N has made a pledge to be part of the event. We will be shutting down all the lights at our HQ and main branches. Of course as a Bank, we can't be in total darkness (ATMs would still be lighted) because then all the crooks in town will have one helluva party at our premises. The robbers would probably have their own "Operasi Earth Hour".

Energy efficiency isn’t just good for the bottom line. As citizens of the world, we all have a stake in the future of our planet and must seek to operate in ways that don’t deplete our world’s limited natural resources.

Participating in Earth Hour is easy, fun and absolutely free. To get more information and to sign up to for Earth Hour 2009, just visit www.earthhour.org and agree to turn out your lights from 8:30-9:30 pm on March 28, 2009. From there on you can think of many many many things that you can do for one hour in the dark! ;)

Let's vote for earth, y'all!

One more day...

One more day...just one more day of cencorotness!
I'm counting the hours, minutes and seconds! :)

Sociallizing responsibly

I am thanking my lucky stars! I had 2 days away from the office attending a conference which has 4 coffee breaks and a buffet lunch. Best kan..it’s not even a workshop where I’ll be like menggelupur if I’ve to go to the front and make presentations to strangers or do role plays which will then be videotaped and shown over and over again.. *cringe*..just a conference where I can sit back, relax and listen to the speakers...

The Conference=Corporate Social Responsibility International Conference for Directors and Managers.

So yeah.. I am learning to be a socially responsible corporate citizen. Good topic with some really good speakers who are passionate about CSR.

But as always the thing that I don’t like about attending conferences would be the networking sessions.. we had like 2-3 networking sessions in a day.. I know..I know.. I do PR so networking is part of the job function... I can do it lah.. making some lame conversations for 10 minutes or so per person max..exchange business cards and then disappear. It’s just that it’s not something I enjoy. Especially when I am in the room full of PR people who already have 20 different lame conversations formulated in their heads with 40 different American/British slangs...

Why la you all have to be like that... can’t talk like normal people aaaa if want to do PR? Okay what if we use Manglish..I’m sure that’s how you talk in your sleep or to the mamak when you order your teh tarik... malu2 kucing lak kalau cakap takde slang...

And the best is when they ask : Which company are you from? .. and me clad in my baju kurung sebab pagi tadi tak sempat nak go for power dressing and pakai suit answers: Ohh..I’m from B*N..*smile*... then almost in an instant I’ll get this condescending look... sometimes a smirk even... Lu apahal beb? (in my head,not out loud) .. I’m doing national service to the country you know. I’m sure your parents, grandparents, monyang, monyet etc all have had accounts with B*N.I'm proud to be where I am tau!

Conversations over lunch were just as animated..

On both days I was 'fortunate' to be in the company of a fairly good looking old man during lunch.. but at first impression .. to me he seemed somewhat cranky..not angry-cranky..but more like crazy-cranky..

Let me just share with you snippets of the conversations...

Old man: Adik (he calls me Adik.. he said I look like his sister).. I am 98 years old.. u believe me?

Me (just wanting to attack the buffet spread): Yup I do.. you really look that old... (actually he does'nt..saje je did'nt want to give him an ego boost)

Guy 1: Would that be in the context of earth years or cats years?

hahahahahahahahaha..laughter at the table

Old man: This ginseng soup is really nice.. only my wife can cook like this..but I haven't had one for many years already.

Lady 1: Why don't you ask your wife to cook the soup?

Old man: My wife passed away many years ago..so I'm looking for a candidate who can cook equally good..What about you..are you married?

Me: Yup.. married with 2 kids and I can't cook.

Old man:I am from Pahang you know.. Pahang people's really good.

Lady 1: My mother is from Pahang

Me: My husband is from Pahang

Old Man: Haaaa.. husband orang Pahang..let me tell you about Pahang men... people say... orang Pahang ni semuanya beso...negeri beso..badan beso...kepala beso... yang lain2 tu pon beso jugak ler..

Guy1: Okay, I think from this conversation hereon I should just keep quiet..

Old Man: Adik, if a man says that "Yang, malam ni Abang balik lambat...dalam pukul 12..." and then at 12 he calls and says "Yang sorry..banyak lagi belum settle..lagi sejam dua abang balik"... then that means there is something wrong..he's doing some hanky panky stuff out there..

Me: Hmm.. okay kot.. Husband saya tak panggil saya Yang..

hahahahahahaha..laughter at the table..

Trust me there were many many more ridiculous conversations that we had during lunch with the old man...Little did I know that the old man is actually a well-respected Tan Sri who sits on the boards of many big organizations,used to be an Exco member and Speaker of the State Assembly in Pahang and a Senator in the Dewan Negara..patutla dia cakap dia pernah berdiri cakap kat Parlimen 3 jam.. ingatkan dia buat lawak... My knowledge of Malaysian politicians is really bad..ntah apa2 ntah aku cakap kat dia...

So much for sociallizing and networking eh.. :)

10 years!

This has been in my draft box.. though there was no actual celebration and what nots..I think I should still post this to remember this day.. maybe to some people it's not a big deal..

Even last year, when I told azah that I was buying a gift for such anniversary she went like how many anniversaries do I wanna have in a lifetime?"Nanti kau nak celebrate anniversary jadi couple..hari merisik..hari bertunang..dah ada wedding anniversary cukupla.."

Well I dunno..to me it's something worth remembering..

Of course, I was kinda disappointed that he had forgotten the day/date.. for 2 years in a row already.. :p .. but hmm..nevermind..leave it to the drama queens for all the dramas..I'm too old err.. no make that too wise for that already.. I just wanted to capture the moment before it's gone..especially if it's the 10th year.. the number is nice.. we won't be able to get that number again..tahun depan dah nombor 11..like Amir has now learnt to say..TAK BEST!

10 years..that's how long we've been together and tolerated each other.. I've always believed in stupid crushes and falling in love at first sight.. but with him I am not too sure.. it was more 'i like you' at first sight... and I somehow knew that there could be a possibility for the two of us.. well true enough, soon after a friendship blossomed into companionship and albeit all the challenges,anasir2 jahat and cerekarama..it was legalised with a marriage..


so yeah..6/3/1999-6/3/2009..

He is soo 'mengayating' me time ni...suprised me by coming to my graduation day siap bawak bunga..





and I was soo into his ayats...look at my idiotic face.. I probably went like..uh-uh..yeah..yeah..I buy whatever you're saying.. I just want to marry you and have babies with you... :)

Happy 10th year anniversary of friendship and companionship!

One lil' Yaya in Switz!

Don't really have time to blog today.. so this will just be a short entry.. guess what?! Just after I posted my entry yesterday on having more Yayas, I got an email from a friend in Switz..he's just got a lil' Yaya..yup nama pun Sara jugak.. Congrats to u..now you have 3 lil' monsters.. :) ! And of course congrats on the new job as well!

Mental note: This friend has a Masters/PhD (not sure) in Engineering but willingly and happily took on the challenge to be a househusband handling 2 kiddies in a foreign country...

Why we need more Yayas in this lifetime...

Whoaa...I've been wanting to blog for the longest time mannn... Lately blogging has become somewhat precious and expensive for me..Precious because time is precious and I don't have that much of a free time..Expensive because it's becoming a habit to blog with a small Mocha ice blended and a chocolate chip muffin at Coffee Bean.. I took a day off today..the media fiasco has taken a toll on me both physically and mentally..hari ni I've got some time to blog and well, since Kajang takde Coffee Bean I'd just settle for an Old Town White Coffee ice blended and Kaya Thick Toast...

Here are some of the stuff which had been in my draft box..never quite got the chance to finish em..

26/2/09

Really I don't know where to begin!!!!!! I feel like ending all my sentences in tanda seruan!!!!! Korang ni tak sekolah ke apa!!!!!!! Takkan la bengap sangat kot!!!!! Kalau dah gi skolah blajar elok2...masuk universiti...blajar mass comm ke journalism ke...berangan nak jadi reporter takkan bila dah keluar tak reti nak menulis betol2???!!!!Lainla kalo macam aku ni...masuk uni amik Accounting..bila keje kena buat keje macam bebudak mass comm...kalau nak tulis camtu baik lepak umah jadi blogger ajer.. piahzadora pun reti nak buat research dulu bila publish anything...

3/3/09

I’ve not been blogging for quite some time eh..did anyone miss my entries… :p .. wekk..wekk.. Sorry.. I’ve been really busy..the whole media fiasco had a chain reaction..a bad one, that is.. I was asked to do damage control but really much as I want to control the whole situation and put everybody at ease..Peeps! We are dealing with the media here! They always have the upper hand! If they are really as ethical as they should be then we would not be fed with political garbage and celebrity thrash everyday..

lagipun heyy..who cares.. there's no such thing as a bad publicity..just a bad story..look at the company like 3-4 years back..we're like the little kuchi which to the rest of the nation will be extinct anytime...and now we're back in business and put in a good light we want to avoid publicity?? If we're now newsworthy then by all means use all the opportunities...

So much for The Prospect lah kan.. Markah kat Numero Uno dah tinggal negative dah kot... This is Divine Intervention to test me agaknya.. *sigh*

**************************************************************************

Well, I'm back.. If I had been blogging last week I would probably bore everyone to death anyway.. it would all be about the media fiasco..

I got a call from a good friend of mine yesterday...she was despressed..I told her that I've been there before..for similar reasons/situations.. and frankly it's not a journey that I would want to travel again...I've talked to The One and in so many ways He had shown me how to start dealing with the situation.. so, I've learnt my lessons..the solution may not be something that I hope it would be but to me, in order to not be a madwoman and just treasure life as it is, I will have to settle for what is best for now... and once I got the hang of it.. well, it's not that bad..I got some positive vibes..saw some changes that I like.. and I look forward to even more good stuff in the years ahead...

As a woman I guess sometimes we wonder why the heck is it so hard for a man to understand us....I think much of the time that we spent brooding over life or dissatisfaction would be about how unappreciated we feel...especially if you're a wife and a mother..it's not easy to deal with the insecurities, physically challenged by your daily routine and wanting to get an A++ for all that you do... the men.. they know this.. they know when you are not in a good mood..you're unhappy..when you need some hugging and cuddling... but they too expect women to understand that they just do not want to acknowledge it...they are just comfortable where they are..they are men..

I guess if you want a life partner then you will have to learn to live with having 2 different attitudes, 2 different perceptions, 2 different ways of understanding things, 2 different things of dealing with all sorts of situations, 2 different ways of parenting and many many many more differences... The sooner we accept this concept, the better it will be for everyone.. and yeah never ever stop seeking help from The One...don't dwell on the negative vibes because that would be the devil at work..

I found this on the net..This is by Stephen Devoy who learnt to understand a woman through his precious daughter.. this is certainly a cycle that I hope every men would have the privelege to experience..

My understanding of women has changed with every year of my life. It has been a continually morphing understanding and I believe it proves that though my understanding will improve continuously, it will never be complete. I propose that this is not a problem unique to myself, but a universal problem routed in the distinction between knowledge of fact and knowledge of being. I spent years of my life studying philosophy of mind.

Can a man every really understand what it is to be a woman and can a woman ever really understand what it is to be a man?

Men, on the average, are bigger and physically stronger than woman. Men, on the average, are more physically aggressive than women. Thus, if any injustice occurs due to the lack of understanding between sexes, one would expect women to suffer more than men do. Even if a man does not intentionally abuse a woman, the lack of understanding and the asymmetry in physical power may still abuse her. And even if a man does not abuse a woman, she is acutely aware of the potential and the fear of that potential can do her harm. Thus, women are hurt by their relationship to men. The more ignorant the man with regard to understanding women, the more damage he will do.

If I could point to the most important turning point in my own understanding of women, it would not be the first date, the first kiss, the first time making love or the first time marrying. None of these things really brought a strong understanding of women. The most profound event of my life, the one that forms the turning point of my understanding of women, was the birth of my daughter.

There are three aspects to this:

(1) the pain and suffering of my wife,

(2) being privileged to observe the development of my daughter through the eyes of a father, and

(3) the absolute and selfless love a father has for his daughter.

It seems then that the cycle of human development is guaranteed to generate men who do not properly care for women until they have a daughter. Even then, some may fail to ever achieve sufficient understanding. However, for those of us that do come to understand, at least as well as a man can understand, this guarantees a reflection upon the past where one looks back and sees just how stupid one has been. For every woman is someone's daughter and until you have been the father of a daughter you cannot understand what it is to be the father of a daughter.

In this sense, a daughter is the greatest gift a man could receive, for she not only gives him the opportunity to learn, but she gives him the opportunity to understand his own past and how his lack of understanding caused him to err. I believe there is no greater love than that between a father and a daughter. It is a love that is in every regard unique and distinct from all other kinds of love.

Until I had a daughter, I did not really understand how strong love could be. That love extends beyond my daughter. To whatever extent I loved my wife before the birth of my daughter, that love has been augmented by the profound significance that it is she who brought my daughter into this world.

Perhaps we need to find a way to help boys understand girls from the start - to see them as their fathers do - so that as they grow and become the partners of other men's daughters, they will realize what a precious gift has been given them.

Yaya, our little baby girl who will soon turn 1, is what I would describe as a quirky baby...really she is...she is 100 times more mischievous than the brother.. her mischiefs and quirkiness could drive us crazy but somewhat cute in every manner.. and I totally love it when I see my other half smiles/laughs at her quirkiness after she drives him totally nuts.. and so hmmm yeah...if there is some sense in what Stephen Devoy had said, I could see bits and pieces of them unveiling when we have our little Yaya...

Maybe in future I should have more Yayas to make this world a better place? ;)