Packing for Kuantan

We'll be in Kuantan for a quick getaway this weekend. Me, hubby, our kids and Jan, my SIL. Insya-Allah we'll leave AD at about 12 noon, after Faiq comes back from school.

Looking forward to meet up with Ida (ironically I see more of her in Kuantan than in KL) and Ana.

Kuantan, here we come!

Akif Khan is 7!

How time flies! When I got married to hubby, Akif was just 1 year old. He turned 7 last 18 April. Abang Sher and Kak Ida invited us for a birthday lunch at Taman Puncak Jalil on 24 April 2010. Let the pictures do the talking..

Irsyad

Jom soruuuu!

It's playtime!

Mama, Mak Long & Kak Liza with Naufal

Cake time!

Santai

Syamima Aira

The DIVA says: TALK TO THE HAND!!

Cik Wa hypnotised by the Wiggle Giggle

Happy 7th Birthday Akif! Semoga panjang umur, murah rezeki, jadi anak yang soleh to Babah & Ummi and a good example to Asif and Akisha!

I Saw Her Standing There

I first heard this song when it was performed by Sir Paul McCartney (featuring Dave Grohl on the drums) at the 51st Grammy Awards. Today I heard Tiffany's version of I Saw Him Standing There on Red.fm's Lost in the 80's. I LOVE IT!!! I think my favourite part was "whooh!" So this is today's favourite going-to-work song!

I SAW HER STANDING THERE - THE BEATLES

Well, she was just 17
You know what I mean
And the way she looked was way beyond compare
So how could I dance with another (whooh)
When I saw her standin' there

Well she looked at me, and I, I could see
That before too long I'd fall in love with her
She wouldn't dance with another (whooh)
When I saw her standin' there

Well, my heart went "boom"
When I crossed that room
And I held her hand in mine

Well, we danced through the night
And we held each other tight
And before too long I fell in love with her
Now, I'll never dance with another (whooh)
When I saw her standing there

Well, my heart went "boom"
When I crossed that room
And I held her hand in mine...

Oh, we danced through the night
And we held each other tight
And before too long I fell in love with her
Now I'll never dance with another (whooh)
Since I saw her standing there

Dance With My Father

I have forgotten all about this song until I heard it again on Astro when they show the AF advert. Such a touching song which never fail to make me teary-eyed.

DANCE WITH MY FATHER - LUTHER VANDROSS

Back when I was a child

Before life removed all the innocence

My father would lift me high

And dance with my mother and me and then

Spin me around till I fell asleep

Then up the stairs he would carry me

And I knew for sure

I was loved

If I could get another chance

Another walk, another dance with him

I'd play a song that would never, ever end

How I'd love, love, love to dance with my father again

Ooh, ooh

When I and my mother would disagree

To get my way I would run from her to him

He'd make me laugh just to comfort me, yeah, yeah

Then finally make me do just what my mama said

Later that night when I was asleep

He left a dollar under my sheet

Never dreamed that he would be gone from me

If I could steal one final glance

One final step, one final dance with him

I'd play a song that would never, ever end

'Cause I'd love, love, love to dance with my father again

Sometimes I'd listen outside her door

And I'd hear her, mama cryin' for him

I pray for her even more than me

I pray for her even more than me

I know I'm prayin' for much too much

But could You send back the only man she loved

I know You don't do it usually

But Lord, she's dyin' to dance with my father again

Every night I fall asleep

And this is all I ever dream

Introducing Mr. Noisy

He who inherits the decibels and loudness from his mother :o)

Mental Note: Don't Become a Taxi Driver in US

This is in the U.S. Does it apply to Malaysians?

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Firefighters, corporate executives and taxi drivers are the nation's three most stressful jobs, according to a new report on the most and least stressful professions by CareerCast.com.

Many of the most stressful jobs are highly sought after, while many of the least stressful jobs, according to the report, often come with a low salary and little room for advancement.

Top 10 Most Stressful Jobs for 2010

1. Firefighter

2. Corporate executive

3. Taxi driver

4. Surgeon

5. Police officer

6. Commercial pilot

7. Highway patrol

8. Public relations officer

9. Advertising executive

10. Real estate agent

The 10 Least Stressful Jobs for 2010

1. Musical instrument repairer

2. Medical records technician

3. Actuary

4. Forklift operator

5. Appliance repairer

6. Medical secretary

7. Librarian

8. Bookkeeper

9. Piano tuner

10. Janitor

Hmmm..maybe I should become a librarian.

All Grown Up

Dah besor ghupanya Beckham Jrs nih...

Mak diaorang maintain POSH!!!

My "Heroes" Ability

I think my "Heroes" ability is the ability to remember insignificant details.

For example, this morning I saw a rainbow on the way to work and I immediately thought of the way my primary school teacher (probably 23 years ago) taught us how memorize the colours of the rainbow (in sequence from below to top). Uda Ikut (is this indigo?) Bapa Hendak Kahwin Janda Muda. It is stuck in my mind till now and that's how I'll probably teach Faiq how to remember the colours.

Recently, my friend Shima emailed me about something that happened during in our MSM years. And then she asked me, "Siapa nama mamat pakai kasut merah?" And I simply answered, "Rashdan".

I find that really amazing. Although the same does not happen when I am trying to memorize for my PTK exam..huhu!And it is no fun when it reminds you of something painful.

Happy Thursday! 

DU & PD weekend

Last Saturday was spent at KidzSport One Utama. Faiq went wild. Aira seems to love the slides. Everyone was at my parents in D.U..all children, menantus and grandchildren.

Sunday was spent at PD. We packed fried mee hoon, chicken and sardine sandwiches, gaijor and nuggets. We arrived at PD at about 8.30 a.m. and were joined by Jan, Dik and Liz. Aira is still not fond of the beach. Faiq on the other hand, stayed in the water for 3 hours. He only got out of the water to get food from our tent. He seemed to be enjoying playing by himself (because none of his cousins were there), which at times looked kesian coz no one was playing with him. Later we had lunch at Kajang at got home in the evening.

I'm still tired. Old age must be catching up on me.

Melancholy

I was on my way back from Alamanda this afternoon when I saw a grandfather canning his granddaughter with a stick. The girl was about 5 or 6 years old and she was using her grandmother as her shield. The grandmother had a helpless look on her face, between embarressment and not wanting to cause a scene but she was trying her best to protect her granddaughter. Maybe she was also afraid of her husband.

On one hand, we always thought, how could someone do that in public. Maybe she was naughty and deserved it. Who am I to judge, when I too left a bruise on Faiq's leg when I pinched him recently. When I saw the bruise, I couldn't believe I did that. Did I pinched him that hard? I couldn't remember if he cried. Yes, he was naughty! But nothing beats the guilt and shame whenever he says, "Mama yang buat!" Those words still haunt me and I never fail to get teary-eyed and sad whenever I see it or think about it.

Forgiveness is all I can beg for, and hope that eventually his memory of that incident will fade away.

We Just Fit

Ashton Kutcher snubbed Demi Moore when they first met.

The 'Ghost' actress admits she took a shine to her future husband as soon as she saw him at a party in 2003 but claims the actor had his sights set on someone else.

She said: 'The first night I met him he didn't have two words to say to me - he had a singular focus and it was on somebody else.'

However, Demi - who, at 47, is 15 years Ashton's senior - says her fortunes changed two weeks later after she ended up at a party in Ashton's hotel room.

Demi - who has three daughters, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, with ex-husband Bruce Willis - says she left the suite to phone her children, which won Ashton over.

She added on US TV show 'Live with Regis and Kelly': 'All of a sudden the door to the hotel opened and he said, 'That is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard,' and closed the door. And I said, 'OK, this is somebody different.'

The pair then got to know each other through a series of text messages and Demi believes it provided them with the foundations for a great marriage.

She added: 'And now we've been together seven years.'

Demi recently revealed how she never thought she could love anyone as much as she loves Ashton.

She said: 'My husband is an amazing human being and I'm really almost speechless when I try to describe him. There aren't words to wrap up the amazing gift we've found in each other. I have experienced a love that I truly only imagined. We just fit. He loves me - and the best thing is that he loves me at my most vulnerable, at my most unglamorous and at my least attractive in always, not just physically. I feel wanted.'

I Know What I Did Last Weekend

No tennis this week due to morning rain.

Went to DU and after Faiq's approval, Rafiq, my sister Dhirah and I went to Tropicana City Mall to watch Clash of the Titans.

It was superb. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes looked so alike I thought Liam Neeson played both Zeus and Hades. Perseus was yummy, of course. Since my knowledge in Greek Mythology is limited, I'll just believe what the movie tells me. After the movies, I went to Borders to buy Faiq's Peter and Jane book. We went back to AD at about 9.30 after Rafiq's tennis game in Subang.

I did some groceries at Giant on Sunday whilst hubby, the kids and maid went to my in-laws. I had to stay in to start working on my assignment. I have 2 which is due this Friday, hope to finish one by tomorrow so that I can concentrate on the other one on Wednesday and Thursday.

One

My Life Is An Open Book turns 1 after 183 posts.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Adit-2 Blessing Ceremony

I was invited by PPAMPS to witness the blessing ceremony at Adit 2, Karak last week. Since this is the last ceremony to be held (blessing ceremony for Adit 1, Adit-3 and Adit 4 were done earlier), I honestly didn't want to miss it. Luckily my boss gave the permission, which made me the only representative from the Ministry.

We left Cheras at 8.30 pm and arrived at Adit-2 at about 10.30 a.m. The ceremony wasn't until 11 a.m., thus I was cursing at the fact that I'll be burnt again today. 4 days under the sun and I'm dark as a kuali, SERIOUSLY!

With Puan Norzani & Kak Zaharah infront of Adit-2

Notice the kesho-gi above the tunnel portal?

We chatted with the contractors and the highlight of the day was the success of the groundbreaking ceremony the previous day and the newspaper report of the event. I took the opportunity to take photos of the items that will be used for the blessing ceremony, namely salt, sakae and rice grains.

This blessing ceremony is done as the contractors of the project are Japanese (part of the JV). Japanese believe the gods are in nature such as in mountains and seas. They consider mountains as a holy place as back in the ancient days, mountain woships took place. As miners often face dangers while doing excavation or tunnelling works in the mountains and considered deadly dangerous, the blessing ceremony is conducted so that the miners can withstand and work with mother nature.

In Japan, the mountain god is said to be a woman. As traditional custom and in order to appease the goddess, Japanese decorate the tunnel portal with a curved shaped tree and pray for safety throughout tunnel excavation and construction works. They call the tree Kesho-gi. Kesho means make-up and gi means tree. Kesho-gi is considered equivalent to Torii, the entrance of approach to a shrine of a holy place.

Torii

The project director arrived at about 11.15 a.m., together with the DO and JD of Bentong. We assembled in front of Adit-2 and the ceremony started off with the recital of Doa Selamat. Then, the contractors faced the opening of Adit-2, bowed and started to tabur firstly the salt, followed by the rice grains and finally the sakae. They then bowed and clapped thrice. 

Assembling in front of the tunnel portal

Bowing to the mountain god

Tabur garam

Tabur beras

Tabur sakae

Bow again

Clapping thrice (or was it twice?)

To mark the end of the blessing ceremony, they invited the DO of Bentong to press the blasting machine. According to Puan Norzani, that was blasting tahap kanak-kanak but it was loud and bergegar enough so I cannot imagine how the real blasting would be like. We then had a toast (Muslims with Coke and the rest with sakae) and later took photos with the drilling machine infront of Adit-2. The drilling machine was really fascinating and I felt like I was in a Transformers movie coz it could open up (like it was transforming)..I really dunno how to explain it. Suffice to say that when it did its stuff, I did the transforming sound effect..hehehe.

Blasting master getting ready for blasting

Ka-BOOM!!!

 

Transformers-like equipments

 

We left Adit-2 at about 12.30 noon and had lunch at the site office. I was really glad I came because I don't think I'll have the opportunity to experience it elsewhere. It was a very unique custom and interesting to watch. I'm glad I was part of it.

 

With Puan Norzani & Mr. Kawata

Majlis Pecah Tanah Projek Penyaluran Air Mentah Dari Pahang ke Selangor

After months of preparation, headaches and stress, it all came down to this.

Tapak majlis at Karak

Rehearsal

Dayang-dayang cenderahati :o)

Going through the details

Alhamdulillah, on 6 April 2010, everything went as planned, except for the sudden speech.

Ampun Tuanku

I would like to thank all those who had assisted us in making this event a successful one, especially my PSU, who had to deal with everything when I went for my TK3 Course.

Couldn't have done it without all of them!

Alhamdulillah, all was well.

Tagged by Ja

I was tagged by Ja recently and since I was tagged before, you could always read about it here.

Cheers!

Lately

Whether it's Stevie Wonder's, East 17's or Kci & Jojo's version, I love it all the same!

LATELY
Lately, I have had the strangest feeling
With no vivid reason here to find
Yet the thought of losing you's been hanging
'Round my mind

Far more frequently you're wearing perfume
With you say no special place to go
But when I ask will you be coming back soon
You don't know, never know

Well, I'm a man of many wishes
Hope my premonition misses
But what I really feel my eyes won't let me hide
’Cause they always start to cry
’Cause this time could mean goodbye

Lately I've been staring in the mirror
Very slowly picking me apart
Trying to tell myself I have no reason with your heart

Just the other night while you were sleeping
I vaguely heard you whisper someone's name
But when I ask you of the thoughts your keeping
You just say nothing's changed

Well, I'm a man of many wishes
I hope my premonition misses
But what I really feel my eyes won't let me hide
’Cause they always start to cry
’Cause this time could mean goodbye, goodbye

Oh, I'm a man of many wishes
I hope my premonition misses
But what I really feel my eyes won't let me hide
’Cause they always start to cry
’Cause this time could mean goodbye

How Could An Angel Break My Heart

Heard this song on the radio on the way to work. All time favourite and Toni Braxton and Babyface sure knows how to make you cry!

Toni Braxton's How Could An Angel Break My Heart

I heard he sang a lullaby
I heard he sang it from his heart
When I found out thought I would die
Because that lullaby was mine

I heard he sealed it with a kiss
He gently kissed her cherry lips
I found that so hard to believe
Because his kiss belonged to me

How could an angel break my heart
Why didn't he catch my falling star
I wish I didn't wish so hard
Maybe I wished our love apart
How could an angel break my heart

I heard her face was white as rain
Soft as a rose that blooms in May
He keeps her picture in a frame
And when he sleeps he calls her name

I wonder if she makes him smile
The way he used to smile at me
I hope she doesn't make him laugh
Because his laugh belongs to me

How could an angel break my heart
Why didn't he catch my falling star
I wish I didn't wish so hard
Maybe I wish our love apart
How could an angel break my heart

Oh my soul is dying, it's crying
I'm trying to understand
Please help me

How could an angel break my heart
Why didn't he catch my falling star
I wish I didn't wish so hard
Maybe I wished our love apart
How could an angel break my heart

Happy 4th Birthday Feera

Last 31 March 2010, my niece turned 4.

My brother hosted her birthday party on 2 April. Since it was a working day, I requested for my mom to pick up my kids and maid in the afternoon. I went there straight from work.

Bought her a Strawberry Shortcake toy. I think I was seduced by the strawberry smell from the doll..hehehe!

Arrived at my brother's house at about 8.30 p.m. Feera had a mermaid cake. Surprisingly, Faiq didn't hogged the candle-blowing event.

This is a gift from Faiq and Aira

Aira & Atuk

Mak & Mama

Makan time

Faiq & Atuk

Feera's cake

Alhamdulillah, Aira started walking that night :o)

Had to leave at 10 p.m. as it was getting late.

Happy Birthday darling Feera. Hope you like the gift we got you!

2nd Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Festival

I'll just let the pictures do the talking!

Up, up and awaaaaay!

With my kids and maid

This is how we do it!

Darth Vader face down? A rare scene indeed!

Nice legs!

Syamima Aira & Faiq Khan

Li'l Miss Grumpy

Do not underestimate the Force!

Jom main lepas makan? Ada berani?

The more the merrier

Kak Tine and her family just arrived

Hungry people

Hann, Dhee & Aira

All we wanna do is have some fun

Lapor la weyyyy!

Faiq & Irsyad

Adam

Imran

We sure had loads of fun and looking forward for the event next year, insya-Allah!