More on Eddie-Ana Engagement

Still not done with the engagement photos. Some readers wanted a closer look at the ring and Mr. AKO was harrassing me to put up a photo with him in it (kah kah, ye ke?). And I thought... welll... yeah... what the heck. Sayanglah kalau tak post a few more photos kan?

A closer look at the ring. 

Eddie in the green Baju Melayu complete with songkok but with no sampin songket. Like Hello? Orang dari Terengganu tak pakai songket hmmnnn? It was not intentional, terlupa to bring. Never mind - nanti time aqad nikah pakai jangan tak pakai ;) And ohhh... my car looks clean in the picture, in real life agak berhabuk gitu. 

Another shot of the hantarans. Quite dissappointed as the photo did not turn out well. Very dark it is. Or is it because of the gloomy setting of the 'nightmarish' villa (they call that villa?) that we stayed in in Alor Setar? I'm not that 'taitai' or snobbish , I think I can adapt well to many different situation or environment but please.. a villa without a kitchen? Not even a kitchenette? That is a total scam okay. With 6 kiddies + a baby in the 'villa' with no kitchen does not make a mummy happy. On a positive note, the 6 kiddies were HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY there, going around playing playing playing like little energizer bunnies. The joys of childhood ey?

Another shot of ayah carrying a sleeping BabyAzan with Acu Eddie in the background.

Okay, these people who look so serene and peaceful are actually waiting for makan. L-R Abang Nazri (Mr. AKO's 2nd brother), Ayah Ngah Din (my MIL's brother) with BabyAzan, the rep from their side, my FIL, Mr. AKO (note the longish hair - he uses more shampoo than I do most probably.. he he... joking!), Eddie (nampak sikit2 aje) and Ayah (my SIL's hubby).

And ta raaa... another one of the couple, bagi dia glamer lagi sekali. That's it folks. Hmmnn... I am awaiting photos taken by Ana's side. Err.. Cik Ana... do u have any? Sudi-sudilah meng'upload' =) 

Eddie-Ana Engagement 27/12/08

Remember I mentioned about prepping up some 'benda ngenik-ngenik' for an event which was scheduled on the 27th of December 2008? I was referring to making 'hantarans' for Mr. AKO's youngest brother. Eddie and Ana was engaged on that auspicious 27th December 2008 after 6 years of courting. Both met in high school and went off to further their studies separately. Eddie took an engineering course while Ana, a medical path. Alhamdulillah, the engagement ceremony and festivity went on smoothly without any hitches. Selamat Menempuh Alam Pertunangan to the cute couple =)

From our side, we brought over 7 dulangs of hantaran. The other side gave us 15! Wow! What was interesting to note was that our side mostly brought things for the fiancee, but we received hantarans meant mostly to be shared by family members. Pertembungan budaya di situ, it was enlightening and to me, very interesting. 

Here are the hantarans from our side. I tried to emulate the English Country theme. He he. Yes, pink was the order of the day.

Here is the 'manisan', a layered cheese cake ordered by my mom from her friend. I find the cake texture soft and moist and not too sweet. Yes, we had a tasting session :)

Here is another 'manisan', brought especially from Terengganu. This is the 'Jala Emas' which originates from the state of Terengganu and Kelantan. This sweets is usually given as hantarans in these two states along with 'Buah Tanjung' and 'Mas Jemput'. It has an eggy sweetness that is most appealing.

 

This box does not contain a hat, or a cake as most would believe. Forgot to snap a photo of it with the cover open =) Inside is a 'persalinan' of mauve lace & satin  material (to make baju kurung/kebaya), and also three pieces of 'Kain Batik Halus Terengganu'. In Terengganu, kain batik is commonly given as hantaran bertunang. I still have the kain batik I received during my engagement 10 years back. Sure brings back memories...

This is the 'wangian', Salvatore Ferragamo 'Incanto' perfume gift set. Teddy Bear wears bling bling necklace ha ha ha. The box is in the shape of a suitcase which I found very cute.

 
The Tepak Sireh (betel quid set). Made in Terengganu. As we are all well aware, in the olden days, the tepak sireh is often used as a means to start conversations going. And today, although most of us do not practise chewing betel leaves during social communications, it still remains as a symbol of diplomacy, dialogue, friendship and cooperation.

The 'Sirih Junjung' a combi of pale pink and soft pink roses. Shwweettness. From what I understand, pihak lelaki will 'meminang' with the tepak sirih and the pihak perempuan will 'menerima' with the sirih junjung. However, nowadays there are many variations on this tepak sirih & sirih junjung issue. From my observations, both pihak usually give both tepak sireh and sirih junjung. While some 'modern' thinking ones, couldn't be bothered with either one. As for me, we should try our best to preserve our adat. 

Oh The Ring! The Ring! Nestled on a fluffy pillow and tied with ribbons. The ring fits perfectly! Oh joy =)

Our Rombongan. From Terengganu - KL - Alor Setar, Kedah. Bearing gifts and hopes and well wishes.

Greetings greetings. Selamat Datang orang jauh. BabyAzan sleeping soundly amidst the commotion.

My mother in law putting the ring on her future daughter in law. Ni dah booking dah ni, orang lain takleh kacau daun eh? 

The meminang process. Tepak sireh pembuka bicara, sebentuk cincin diberi - diharap diterima.

Alhamdulillah, Eddie - Ana officially engaged. Berbaju hijau lembut, hati sama bertaut. Semoga sampai ke jinjang pelamin InsyaAllah. 

My favourite part. Makan time folks! We were served with an array of appetizing dishes. You can see from my excited face how yummilicious the food was. 

My favourite was the laksam Kedah. Manyak syiookkk ooo!! Thank you for having us, thank you for your hospitality. We had a jolly good time and thank you for all goodies we received. Really 'heart' the kek lapis sarawak and not forgetting the very awesome 'red chillies'!  

Sweet Things

Hu hu hu..... comelnyer. What is it that is cute? Cannot reveal now. Wait okay?

And to Justine Lee, take good care of your health. That's a directive!

Benda Ngenik-ngenik

I am in the middle of doing kerja-kerja yang menuntut high levels of patience. Have forgotten how mencabar kesabaran this is. So Eddie... remember, I do this because of you. So, for your first paycheck nanti - give me 50% of it. LOL LOL.

Jooooooking Eddie ;-)

p/s:- I really enjoy doing this actually. It's just that my superheroes are getting in the way most of the time...arrgghhh..

Macam Macam Kerja

Last Friday at The Gardens, I bought a lovely top at Warehouse. Warehouse was having sales, 50 - 70 percent off selected items. Regretfully, the one that I bought was purchased at normal price :(  Blahhh right? Principles, Promod, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins were also having sales but of course I did not go crazy la. I'm a much much 'toned down' shopaholic now.

After months of not buying any new books, I bought these but I have yet to read them. Just couldn't find time. Sigh. 

I bought 2 new jeans to accommodate my 'new' size.. ahemm. One is this, bought from DP. Yes, that's my size ....UK 12. My Royal Tembam Self is proud to be a size 12 (ye ke?! hehe. In denial la ni). Bought another Levi's pair but I had to alter the length, as usual. Will collect it 2moro.

I mentioned about the 'magic mascara' in my previous post yeah? Product from Korea, Tsuya Tsuya is the brand name. It volumizes, lengthens and thickens all at once. The trick is to apply all three prducts. First, apply the Long Lasting mascara (it comes with a toner), then the Angel Eyes Lash Treatment Formula for volumizing, then the Angel Eyes Lash Treatment formula for lengthening, finish off with a swipe of the mascara again. I am telling you, your lashes will wow... va-va-voomm!! Cam pakai Shu Uemura falsies!

Hmmnnn, look here pulak. Saturday night we had Johnny's. My mom, Mr. AKO, my SIL and I went to the tailor to tempah baju kurung baru for Eddie's big event on the 27th Dec. Yap, hantar last minute but takpe. Tailor ni dah lama kenal, he can accommodate our last minute requests.

Earlier today, I went to SSF Bandar Sri Damansara to get some stuff for .... errr... Eddie's big event on the 27th. So I shall have to get my creative juices flowing lah nampaknya dua tiga hari ni. Lama dah tak buat keje2 ni. Jadik ke tak?? he he he he... We'll see eh??

Okay folks, getting ready to bring the kiddos out for some makan2 and jalan2. NK solat and mandi dulu. TTFN!!

A walk in The Gardens

As I mentioned in my previous post, Azan went for his vaccination today. He did not cry or make a fuss, just a little grimace when he was poked. Overall he is doing well, Alhamdulillah. Went to The Gardens after. Both Mr. AKO and I wanted to get some stuff. What stuff? Oh... a little of this and that. 

BabyAzan and moi, you can't relly see from this picture but my eyelashes had been extended BUT not by the usual eyelash extension treatmant at the beauty salons. The magical transformation was made possible by using 3 mascaras. A Korean product made in the USA. Will show the prod in a different post okay. Love it!!

BabyAzan and my BF. I know I know, my BF awet muda kan? Macam tak age langsung. 

Decided to eat lunch at Cova (Baby, ok Ngah dah makan kat Cova dah, as u recommended). Mr. AKO ordered the Nasi Ayam of all things :D (kemaruk nak makan nasik ayam la pulak lepas balik dari Jakarta nih) Taste wise, very decent the chicken rice.

Like the true salmon lover that I am, I had the smoked salmon creamy angel hair pasta with capers. I love capers. It was very filling. No complains, sangat sedap.

And like the true pink lover that I am, I finished a whole glass of yummy pink guava juice. 

I had an enjoyable day. Came back at nearly 10 pm. When I got home, my second son Ammar said accusingly, "Mummy, Azan pegi see doctor from morning until nighttime? U sure or not?"

OOOooooookay.

;-) 

Pegi Cucuk

Mr. AKO is back. He is still in his yesterday's clothes, slept in jeans and his Polo T. Ish ish ish. However tired, one must always change clothes before sleeping no? When I was younger, my mom was real anal about this. Even when we were dead tired from 'jenjalan' the whole day and reached home at midnight, she would always make sure that we change to our night clothes. 'Nak tidur pakai baju bersih. Jangan malas nak tukar. Nak tidur jangan pakai jeans, tak selesa.' And her words which struck me as odd but I adhere to until now nevertheless is 'Jangan pakai baju jalan/cantik masa tidur. Nanti baju tu cepat buruk.' So now I am mental about this issue too, my kids jangan lah berharap nak tidur dengan baju jalan. Hee hee.

But with my eldest superhero, I kalah. He is very particular on this. His clothes are categorized into 'Baju Jalan. Baju Dok Umah. Baju Gi Kedai Dekat. Baju Gi Music Class. Baju Tido.' And this regiment he will not break. If we go out for a bit and he pakai Baju Gi Kedai Dekat, when we get back home he will get into Baju Umah even when the Baju Gi Kedai Dekat he wears only for an hour and is of course clean and more than suitable to be worn still. Well, thats Azfar Q for you. I am trying to make him more flexible. 

Okay folks, I am taking BabyAzan for his vaccination. After that... hmmnnn... maybe a little shopping? 

Kebas

Arrgghhh... dunno why Mr. AKO's iphone couldnt be used in Jakarta. Blackberry he did not bring with him. Miss him lah. Chehh... bosan! Tapi esok dia nak balik dah. Err.. I think. He has not updated me his confirmed arrival time. 

Anyway... brought the 5 kiddos and 2 bibiks to McDonald's for lunchy... gempaq sekejap McD tu. On a good note, all of them finished their food. It's true that we tend to have better appetite when we eat 'berteman' and 'beramai-ramai'. The adik cashier was really smart. He gave each of them a different toy each. And miraculously, they are all happy with theirs. Good good. Happy Kids equals Happy Mummy. 

Later, brought Bibik Adah to the dentist to extract her rotten teeth. Had to wait for about 40 minutes. Thank God Adam and Azan behaved themselves. Good good. Well behaved kids equals smiley mummy.

Okies.... feeding Adam kueh lapis now. TTFN y'all!

Jakarta Raya

Mr. AKO went off to Jakarta earlier today. Will be back on Thursday. 

:(

To Aju on Bread Pudding

My ex-classmate from the Kerteh years SOS-ed me in FB recently, wanting the recipe for bread pudding. So my dear Aju, here it is. Dah buat tu, bagi la jiran-jiran kat San Francisco tu rasa eh.

PUDING ROTI  (taken from HanieLiza)

Bahan: 
A: 
500 ml susu segar/fresh milk 
8 keping roti (gardenia/high 5) Aju, apa2 whitebread pun bley

B: 
4 sudu besar gula halus  If u like manis can add more
2 sudu besar butter 
2 biji telur ayam 
1 sudu teh esen vanilla 
1 sudu besar tepung jagung 

C: 
2 sudu besar kismis hitam  If don't want pun xpe

Sos Kastad 
1 tin susu cair 
2 s/b tepungkastad 
2 s/b gula 

CARA: 
1. Hancurkan /koyakkan roti dan rendam dalam susu 1/2 jam 
2. Kacau dan gaul rata bahan B. 
3. Masukkan kismis dan tuangkan kedalam loyang. 
4. Bakar dalam suhu 180'C selama 30 minit/masak. 
5. Gaulkan bahan sos kastad dan masakkan diatas api yg sederhana sebentar. 
6. Tuangkan sos diatas puding semasa menghidang. 

NOTA: 
Sos Kastad boleh juga di gantikan dgn ais kerim coklat/vanilla dan sebagainya.. 
ataupun cream coklat. 

One Superhero Down Part 2

Well, Adam bounced back the second day he was in the hospital. Friday he was admitted, on Saturday he was already full of vigour, Alhamdulillah. His appetite was getting better and his cheeky smile was back!

Wah wah wah, relax nampak! He forced me to purchase the toy phone from the convenience store on Ground Floor. Costed me RM14. Could have gotten it for far less in Pasar Malam Kelana Jaya. Hmmpphhh, terpaksa beli la kan, dia sakit kat spital - kesian (pushover-nye Mummy!)

Green Ranger on the third day at the hospital. Played with the bed remote. The bed was grooaaanning having to go up up up then down down down for so many times ( Mummy snapped after the 6th time so he knew I meant business so he stopped ;D )

Went jalan-jalan all around the hospital. Snapped these photos at the waiting area at the consultants' clinics on ground floor.

BabyAzan had to wear mittens as he oftens scratches his arms and thighs and neck area. Itchy I think, he has eczema. Kesian him. I pray hard for the eczema to be gone by his first year. Aamiin.

My littlest Superhero!

We went to Bubba Gump @ The Curve after Adam checked out from DSH. I love the food presentation. Adam's kiddies Fish & Chips served in a boat and onion rings stacked like a tower (Menara Bawang.. hehe). I looked hideous but what the 'hell'icopter la kan. After that, home sweet home. At last. Now Adam is still on antibiotics, but there's no follow up to the doctor. Last week was a real stressful week for my family. Hope this week is going to be full of laughter and happiness.

One Superhero Down

My poor little darling, pic taken on Friday. I can assure you he is feeling much much better yesterday. I even had to bring him 'jalan-jalan' around the hospital as he was feeling better and was bored cooped up in the room. Habis 'tawaf' ground floor twice, went for a snack in the cafetaria even. Then, lepak at the lounge area, also went over to the newly refurbished consultants' clinic area where he oohed and aahed at the central waiting area where a huge circular seating area was placed under a skyroof. Quite cool. Must remember to take a photo there, while it's still new and in good condition ;)

Okay, gtg. Need to get ready to go to the hosp. 

Update later yeah.

Muahhxx.

Hospital & Such

Urghh, my head hurts! Sakit kepala not enough rest not enough sleep. Adam and Mr. AKO in the hospital, I couldn't keep Adam company as I have to care for BabyAzan. Adam had to be admitted yesterday as his temperature reached 40 celsius. He had not been well since Monday. Brought him to the neighbourhood clinic twice and was given the normal rounds of meds. Paracetamol, cough syrup, phlegm and flu meds. No antibiotics. But the fever persisted and he did not want to eat and was weak, most of the time just lying down and sleeping. Yesterday he looked so pale and his skin looked blanched. After taking the bibik to the dentist (this is another story!), we brought him to the hospital. 

They checked his temperature, did sponging, inserted the supp. Did a blood test. Had to wait in the emergency ward as it was Friday and the Dr. went for Friday prayers. Told the nurse I want Adam admitted, just get on with the process with getting him a room. Wait some more. Finally was wheeled to a four-bedded ward, no single room available as yet. Dr. M came and did a check on him. His fever had subsided. But he was still weak, continued sleeping. By that time, BabyAzan was getting restless. Took him for a tour around the hospital and went to the cafetaria, my tummy was grumbling like mad okay, no food since morning and it was already 4 pm then! Breastfed Azan a few times already so I was hungry like a wolf! 

Went back to the room, asked Mr. AKO to go home for a shower and change his clothes (he was in office attire), reminded him to bring some essentials for Adam and Azan from home. When he got back to the hospital, we still haven't got the single room. Paediatrics ward always full, kan? There was a single room available but at fourth floor where some reno work is being done right next to the room! No Way Jose lah. Bising. Better stay at paediatrics. Finally, at long last, we got our room. It was already 8pm! 

A little bit later, Baby came with Aroha. My eldest sis came with her son. They stayed for a bit. Then, I had to say bye bye to darling Adam (sob sob). Baby and Aroha sent us back home. What a long day! babyAzan was a good boy throughout the whole ordeal. Managed to get a fan club going also at the hospital, the young nurses treated him like a celebrity baby, snapping photos of him etc ;D

Once back home, took a shower, settled the boys to sleep and I was lost to the world too..... zzzzzzzz..... went to bed wit hungry tummy.. sigh...

Okay, gtg now. 

Will update more later.

TTFN.

oh oh oh.... got a call from Mr. AKO.... The Dr. said that the fever was caused by the bio-plasma bacteria which infected Adam. Air-borned. But... there's nothing to worry about. He should be allright and most probably will be out from the hosp in a day or two.

Pile on those calories!

Been busy, been busy. 5 kids in the house, seronok tapi mencabar ;-)

Seronok feed the kids, seronok they all makan makan non-stop. Trying to fatten up Alissa, she is too skinny for her own good. Tee hee.

Trying to fatten up Mr. AKO also. There's gulai daging waiting for him in the kitchen so he better balik with empty stomach.

Baked bread pudding also. The kids makan with Hershey's chocolate syrup.

Okay, want to mandi and solat first.

TTFN.

Aidil Adha 2008

I feel so grown-up! Know why? Because it is the first time ever ever that kitorang sambut raya di rumah sendiri (well, student days kat Edinburgh tak kira la kan). Usually it's either at my parents or my in-laws but this year, this goes down in history man, we sambut raya at OUR own house. Whhooaaaa.... rasa seronok lah, eventhough the only thing that I cooked was the Ketupat Segera Adabi. Bought satay from Haji Samuri, Kak Long & Abg Razman bought lemang and rendang daging @ Taman Tun. Oh yeah, forgot to mention. Kak Long, Abg Razman and Alissa initially planned to go back to Terengganu for raya but due to the landslide, the trip had to be cancelled. Kereta pun takleh nak keluar from BA, road closure kan. So last Saturday, Mr. AKO brought them here. The COUSINS are happy la, boleh main sama-sama.. as u can see from the picture below; 

Ammar, Azfar Q, Alissa and Adam

Mummy and funny boy Adam

Ammar giving tutorial on the Cooking Mama game ;)

Junior DS addict =)

Hari Raya Big Breakfast

Atuk came for a little visit

Alissa swooning over Haji Samuri's satay

My SIL and her hubby, with the kids

Right at about noon, we went to my grandma's house and stayed there till about 6pm together with my parents. Then we drove back home. Had dinner, the ketupat lemang rendang medley again. Wajib lah kan time raya2 ni makan juadah tu. Now everyones retiring to bed. That's our Aidil Adha for this year. How's yours? 

One not so good news though; Adam demam pulak lepas balik from my grandma's. Demam Raya kot?

Landslide @ Bukit Antarabangsa

My heartfelt condolences to the victims' family of the recent landslide tragedy in Bukit Antarabangsa which buried 14 houses and killed 4 people. Last such a bigscale hazard happened was the Highland Towers tragedy in 1993. Nak tunggu berapa ramai lagi yg mati sebelum tindakan sewajarnya dilaksanakan?

At this moment Mr. AKO is there in Bukit Antarabangsa as his sister and her family are some of the thousands of residents who were asked to evacuate their homes. Pergerakan tanah masih berlaku. If it rains, disaster could strike. Nauzubillah. Called him earlier and he reported that the situation is bad. Photos here.

Watch video here and here.

Doa Selamat & Yaasin Reciting

Yesterday during lunchtime, we had an all ladies Yaasiin recital and doa selamat at the office. Thank you to Ustazah and friends from Kelana Jaya for making this event a success. It was quite a busy day for Mr. AKO and I yesterday as we also had Q's birthday party in the evening. But all in all, alhamdulillah everything went well. For the event at the office, I only brought Adam and Azan along, Q and Ammar I left with bibik at home. In case u are wondering how come there aren't any photos of me in this post, it is because I was so busy monitoring the two brothers, my hands are full. One, holding the Yaasin book and the other holding BabyAzan! He refused to he held by anyone else! Adam was busy playing with whatever it was that caught his fancy in the office. 

Some goodies for the ladies.

After the recital, the guests were served lunch and some stayed on until 5pm! All of them are friends of my mom, they took the time to chit-chat and catch up with whats going on with one another. I, on the other hand, had to rush off much earlier to prepare for Q's party.