Dinner Date with The Keliwons

On 18 December 2009, my MSM chum, Ana, came down to KL with her family, for a holiday. Ana is based in Kuantan. Although I met Ana last May wen I visited Kuantan, most of my friends have not seen her since we laft MSM/graduated.

So I took the opportunity to organise a Jejak Kasih session at Tony Roma's, The Gardens. Emails have been sent much earlier but many did not commit. I truly understand as it was a long weekend and other people may have made prior plans. So for all I know, the attendees would be Ana, Nurul, Eppa and I.

Alhamdulillah, on the day itself, many texted me informing that they would be coming. So, in the end, on top of the people mentioned above, Dina and family, Dida, Zaza and Mardiana were also present. as usual, it was havoc and chaotic. Most of us were there by 7 p.m. Lan, Aisy, Syam Hakimi and Umar had to witness the kekecohan! I hade the big sandwich (I think that was what it was called) and it was yummy. Later we had complimentary desserts. I think we were there for the longest time, inviting stares from the waiters and other customers. We left at almost 9 p.m.

Dina & Umar Aisy

Catching-up session

My dinner

Yeay, Eppa's here!

Group pix. Wey, Nurul is missing lar!

The Convent Class of UA81 (and their little men)

L-R: Umar Aisy, Dida, Ana, Mar, Nurul, Dina, Zaza, ME, Hafizuddin Umar & Eppa

Since Rafiq gave me the green light to stay on a bit late, Ana, Nurul, Mardiana, Dida and I decided to continue our catch-up session next door, at Paddington House of Pancakes. I think the only reason we didn't stay long was because we were informed that the restaurant is closing at 9.45 p.m.

As usual, it is always good to meet up. I'm happy that we still keep in touch even though we left college 14 years ago. Deep down inside, we are still the same MSM Convent Girls.

Farewell Teratak Comel Bestari

Today is Faiq's last day at Teratak Comel Bestari. Faiq has been a student of the nursery since he was 10 months old. We stopped sending him when we got a maid, and then had to continue sending him there when my mother in-law suffered from a mild stroke 2 years ago.

I sent Faiq this morning, his last day at "school", as Faiq calls it. I felt a pang of sadness as the nursery had become a big part of Faiq's life. It was a place where I entrusted my son, a place where Faiq grew up and developed his social skills. It was a place which becomes his playground and where a bulk of his stories come from. I have come to know his friends (Hana, Qaisara, Asyraf@Acap bin Kicap, Aqil, Jiah, Casper, Malissa, Aliff, Amna, Ammar and loads more) and those who are dear to him.

Alhamdulillah, after spending 2 years there, Faiq knows his ABC (he only recognised certain alphabets though), able to count from 1-10, recite 3-4 doas, recite al-Fatihah and 3 Quls and sing many songs. Instead of saying, "TEPILAH!", he now says "Excuse Me".

I am truly indebted to Kak Ratna and the many caretakers who taught and took care of Faiq (the ones I remembered were Nor, Nadia, Shima, Ain, Kak Long, Fatin, Ina & Wani), those who took over my responsibility for 3/4 of the day, 5 times a week. I can never repay you for all your kindness. THANK YOU!

Reflection of 2009

2010 is only minutes away, and as usual, the reflection of 2009.

Honestly, 2009 came and went in a breeze. I realised that it was a very fast paced year. Is the clock ticking faster? All I know is that suddenly half the year has passed, all the long weekends that we were looking forward to has ended, Aidilfitri and AidilAdha was celebrated and now the year has come to an end.

January: Alhamdulillah, we were blessed with the presence of Aira in our life. She was born 16 days early, which was expected. And it was my first time experiencing birth through c-sect. If you asked me, personally I would go for c-sect. It was all about adapting to a new life, an additional member of the family. Mak stayed at AD throughout my confinement and for that, I am thankful. Confinement was spent quarelling with Faiq (as he too was adapting to having a little sister), watching tv and catching up on all the series I loved (Grey's Anatomy, THAT 70's SHOW, The Ellen Show). I also got the opportunity to watch the inauguration of President Barrack Hussein Obama which was very historical indeed and American Idol 8 right from the audition till the end. It was priceless and I don't think I will ever get that chance again, unless I have another baby..hehehe!

February: Still in confinement. Very much a potato couch, lazing in front of the tv. I think I was spoiled because I had a very good maid. Hubby went to UK for a work trip (GRRRRRR!) We also hosted an aqiqah for Aira at AD which went well, alhamdulillah.

March: Dreading to go back to work. Worst still, I had to go for a course in Johor 2 days after I started working. Tension sebab kena tinggalkan Aira who just turned 2 months old..huhuhu! Faiq was also hospitalised for viral fever, and later in the month, alhamdulillah I got a promotion. My friend, Hani gave birth to Hasya Arya :o) Sheikh's wife, Oly, gave birth to Sofea Airis Khalisah.

April: Hubby participated in Kapas Marang Swimathon for the first time. Started working in new office. A different experience altogether. All I can say is the grass is not necessary greener on the other side. We had our first Sisters' Day Out, watching Confession of a Shopaholic. And then, the whole Khan clan (including my mom and my maid, so there was about 20 of us) suffered from eye infection, caused by B-Haemolytic Streptococcus bacteria. It was really bad. Faiq and Aira was hospitalised for it. The birth of My Life Is An Open Book.

May: First family trip with Aira to Kuantan. Kris Allen was crowned the 8th American Idol. I really though it was going to be Adam Lambert! Hubby participated in 1st running competition. Long working hours in the office! My friend, Iza gave birth to Iffat Sidqi :o)

June: New addition to the family with the birth of Ilham Muneerah, my niece and my parents 5th grandchild. Rafiq participated in Xterra competition in Kuantan (got him on tv..hehe), Went to Singapore on a work trip, Michael jackson died.

July: Witnessed Rafiq in action and completing the PD International Triathlon for the first time (even though it was his 4th competition)!, childhood friend Haziqah, gave birth to Muhammad Ariiq Irfan, took leave to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2nd time doing it..hehe), my friend, Mariesa, gave birth to Raja Xander Mikhail, celebrated our 5th year as Mr. Yong & Mrs. Rafiq :o)

August: My friends Julie & Amy menamatkan zaman dara mereka (hehehe), Faiq celebrated his 4th birthday with a high fever (Alhamdulillah it wasn't AH1N1), my good friend, Raz, gave birth to Alya Batrisya who shares the same birthday with Faiq. Another friend, Eppa, also delivered Maryam Husna in August.

 

September: I did a lot of travelling this month. To Miri, to Labuan. Home-cooked buka puasa most of the time, thanks to having a maid, hubby purchased his dream car.

 

October: Got the opportunity to watch a tennis tournament LIVE (Malaysian Open), hubby lost his laptop, Hasfaradi tied the knot, my friend Belle gave birth to Natalie, Aunty Leela underwent surgery, I turned 32.

 

November: Participated in Terry Fox Run 2009, Zalia gave birth to Harez Rayyan, Zaty menamatkan zaman dara, Liza gave birth to Aisyah Ardini, career crisis/dilemma.

 

December: Long, blissful holiday which includes family trip to Penang and watching 3 movies, Zureen gave birth to Khairy, the sudden demise of Shima's father, Faiq's last day at Teratak Comel Bestari.

 

All in all, I think it was a pretty good year, alhamdulillah rezeki bertambah. My wish for 2010? I hope it will be a better year in every aspects for me and my family, insya-Allah.

 

Happy New Year 2010!

Plush

I was on my way back from kajang and nearly squealed with delight when I heard Stone Temple Pilot's Plush on Fly.fm. Layannnnn!

PLUSH
STONE TEMPLE PILOT

And I feel that time's a wasted go

So where you going 'till tomorrow?
And I see that these are lies to come
So would you even care?


And I feel it
And she feels it


Where you're going for tomorrow?
Where you're going with that mask I found?
And I feel, and I feel
When the dogs begin to smell her
Will she stand alone?

And I feel, so much depends on the weather

So is it raining in your bedroom?
And I see, that these are the eyes of disarray
Would you even care?


And I feel it
And she feels it


Where you are going for tomorrow?
Where you are going with that mask I found?
And I feel, and I feel
When the dogs begin to smell her
Will she stand alone?


When the dogs do find her
Got time, time to wait for tomorrow
To find it, to find it, to find it


When the dogs do find her
Got time, time to wait for tomorrow
To find it, to find it, to find it


Where you are going for tomorrow?
Where you are going with that mask I found?
And I feel, and I feel
When the dogs begin to smell her
Will she stand alone?


When the dogs do find her
Got time, time to wait for tomorrow
To find it, to find it, to find it
When the dogs do find her
Got time, time to wait for tomorrow
To find it, to find it, to find it

To find it, To find it, To find it

3 Days, 3 Movies

During my 10 day leave, I took the opportunity to watch these movies:


1. Princess & The Frog with Ms. Rose

Typical feel-good Disney movie. I loved it as it reminded me of Disney Movies that I used to love like Aladdin, Beauty & The Beast and others. I love the characters especially the alligator and the firefly. And Evangeline, of course..hehe! Although I do feel that they could do less with the singing. When the flamingoes joined it, I thought they were over-doing it a bit.

2. Avatar with hubby

A.W.E.S.O.M.E!! I simply can't imagine how James Cameron could think of doing that movie. Throughout the 2 1/2 hours period, I kept saying to hubby, "Camne diaorang terfikir nak buat movie macam ni ek?!" I definitely vote it to be 2009 Movie of the Year! I hope it'll win loads of awards! And Jake Sully is so yummy!

3. Alvin & The Chipmunks 2 with Amy & Faiq

You can't expect much from a movie which features talking chipmunks. Ms. Rose cannot accept movies as such e.g Stuart Little and the likes. But I though Faiq might enjoy it! Although he didn't sit still, I guess he did enjoy the movie. And the Chippets were a cute addition! They sang Corrine Rae-Bailey's Put Your Records On, Katy Perry's Hot and Cold and Beyonce's All The Single Ladies. There was a team-up song, We are Family, so I can bet there'll be another sequel!

I'm actually impressed with myself, having watched 3 movies in 3 days. Normally, I'll be like scratching my head, thinking what was the last movie I saw..hehehe.

The Cutest Thing :o)

Aira has not been feeling well, thus I decided to send her to my in-laws house. This morning, while I was waiting for the front gate to be unlocked, I heard Irsyad's voice from his roon.

"Aiya! Aiya! Aiya!"

Irsyad was actually calling out to Aira. When Aira heard Irsyad's voice, she too responded, "Aaaaaaa...."

Irsyad ran to the front door and when the door opened, Irsyad dashed to the gate and I saw a huge smile from both their faces.

It was the CUTEST thing!!

Welcoming December Babies :o)

Alhamdulillah, a few of my friends have given birth to a December babies. The first December baby was Nur Abyana Safiyya (I hope I got her name right) @ Fifi. Suzy had an easy delivery. I received a text message from Hani at about 11.30 a.m. informing me that Suzy is being wheeled in the labour room and two hours later, Suzy texted me about the delivery! I was so busy that week, I only managed to visit Fifi when she was 10 days old. It was a quick visit with Mega, and I was embarresed because I didn't get anything for her. I visited Fifi again the following week, after my trip to Skudai, with Fifi's gift. I took some photo's of Fifi on my handphone but unfortunately, there seemed to be a technical problem to transfer the files so no photos of Fifi :o( Hope to visit Suzy and Fifi again before she goes back to work.

The second December baby was Khairy, Zureen's third child, who was born on Christmas Eve. Zureen's text message that morning woke me up in time for Subuh prayers. I was indeed surprised, as Zureen's EDD was in mid January, if I was not mistaken. Anyways, my agenda for the day was to send my car for servicing, to Putrajaya to settle some errands for my MIL and have an Avatar date with hubby. We managed to catch the earliest show at The Mines at 11.20 a.m. and was home by 2 p.m. Since hubby had other errands to run, I decided to go visit Zureen at Pantai Hospital in Bangsar. I arrived at about 4 p.m. Aunty Fauziah and Zureen's niece were there. Khairy was indeed a healthy 3.44kg baby, Zureen's smallest baby of the three. I was like, "WHATTTTT????!" Compared to a 2.58kg Faiq and 3.01kg Syamima Aira, that is HUGE. Zureen said that her first born was 3.7+kg and her second born was 3.6+kg. WOW is all I can say!

Meet Khairy!

Zureen's niece and mom

I stayed on until about 5.15 p.m. and made a quick stop at Zalia's in-laws' house to drop Harez's stuffs. It was starting to rain and since it was Christmas eve, I didn't want to be stuck in the jam. Alhamdulillah traffic on the Federal Highway was still smooth when I headed back home.

So to both Suzy & Zureen, congratulations on the arrival of your bundles of joy! It is indeed a perfect way to end 2009!

Takziah

Takziah buat Nurul Shima Mislan sekeluarga on the sudden demise of her father this morning.

Shima's dad was ran over by a car, which was racing and was taking over on the left side. At the time, Shima's dad just bought some fruits and was about to get in the car. Shima's mom just saw her husband being ran over in front of her eyes.

I got the story from Aden as I couldn't hear what Shima was saying between her sobs. I do not have the courage to call her, for fear that I myself will not have the strength to console her.

My doa is for arwah. Semoga arwah ditempatkan di kalangan golongan yang beriman dan beramal soleh. And for Shima and her family, semoga tabah menghadapi dugaan ini.

To those who are involved in racing of this sort, stop wasting your time. If you are into racing, there are avenues and proper places for it to be done. A public road/highway is for the public. You don't want to end up being a murderer, like the person who ran over Shima's dad. And you know, what goes around comes around!

Al-Fatihah...

YIPPEE!!!

My leave has been approved! YIPPEEEEEEEEE!!!

If you count the weekends and public holiday, technically I will be on a 10 day leave!

BLISS!

Can't wait to go to Penang!

Last Saturday

Last Saturday, I met up with Nina and Nurul at Itallianies, The Curve. I can't remember the last time I met up with Nina, I think it was quite recent before Ramadhan. I can't remember when I last met Nurul though but it is definitely more than 5 months.

Nina is back from Dubai for about 2 weeks for Raya Haji. Infact, she just got back from Bali with her family. Nurul, on the other hand, follows her husband to wherever he sails. She will be on land for about 4 months before she sails away to another destination

Agenda for lunch : Eat & gossip, the usual stuff.

With my makan-tido-gelak chums

Then, I headed straight to Bandar Bukit Raja, Klang to visit Belle and her newborn, Natalie. Masa kat traffic light The Curve tuh, tetiba bengang giler sebb ada sorang minah nih selamba jerk potong queue. Tapi bila tengok betul-betul, rupa-rupanya it was Nurul. She was late for a kenduri in Kelana Jaya. Takpe Nurul..aku maafkan sebab kau dah berbulan-bulan tak nampak darat...hehehe.

Anyway, I called Belle for directions so I made it to Tesco. Then I called her again a few times but there was no answer. So I went looking for Belle's house on my own. After a few trial and error, alhamdulillah, I reached my destination. Collin, Belle's husband was indeed very impressed..woohoo! Even I myself was surprised because I am such a bimbo when it comes to directions!

Raz and Kama were already there when I arrived. Natalie was born on 7 October 2009. She is so cute, adorable and squashable!

Hi, my name is Natalie

With my UiTM chums

Natalie with her big bro, Noel

We chatted fo about an hour before saying our goodbyes. I then headed to Kajang to pick up Rafiq and kids. Thank you for taking care of them, Sayang! I had a great time!

McDreamy's Marriage Smell

Read about Patrick Dempsey's new fragrance, Patrick Dempsey 2, on the internet today.

*Sigh*

This is what love is all about!

And I *heart* McDreamy....

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PATRICK DEMPSEY'S MARRIAGE SMELL

Patrick Dempsey's new fragrance is about his marriage.

The 'Grey's Anatomy' actor - who has recently launched Patrick Dempsey 2, with beauty retailer Avon - designed the scent to represent the "power" of his ten-year union to Avon's Creative Colour Director, Jillian Dempsey. He said: "The first fragrance, Unscripted, was about the individual, following your passion and all of that. Why not take it to the next step and go, 'this is about two people and the power of the relationship.' "

The 43-year-old star even turned down the chance to snuggle up to a sexy model in the advertising campaign, and instead persuaded Avon bosses to let Jillian pose in front of the camera with him. He told Avon staff: "I don't feel comfortable having a model in the ads. I'm married, and that's not something I want to project. Why can't I just use my wife and make it about that?"

In the end, the dark-haired hunk was pleased with the advertisement for the mandarin, spiced wood and green fig fragrance. It shows the couple gazing lovingly at one another at the seaside while the sun sets in the background. He is quoted by People magazine as saying: "It was a nice moment for us to be together."