Of Commitments & Diversions.

Hiya peeps! Nearly a week into the school holiday, sigh, so fast it goes but I have not managed to mark all my essays yet. Have been back to my workplace though for the Exam Workshop and to conduct extra classes, plus monitoring the students rehearsing for the upcoming play. Seriously, I need to sit down and focus on the essays, I have to finish marking and keying in the marks before going off for a short getaway next week. I have started off well, managing to mark all Paper 1 for all classes, and half of Paper 2. I only have 2 more classes to go before calling it a day. But so much of distraction and thus I lost momentum. Arghhh! 

Started off well, nice rhythm and momentum going. CBTL's Cookies & Cream Ice-blended helped me along the way...... 

 Focus started wavering, had to rope in some Terry's chocolate orange to help me concentrate. 

 Momentum was fast diminishing, even Dr. Cafe's Ice Mocha Caramel did not help much.

 Diversion in the form of the delightful PINK STACK from Whisk.

Ahhhh, heaven...

And now, armed with Cheetos cheddar jalapeño, I am convinced that I will be able to finish marking the essays for one class today! I CAN DO IT!

YES, I CAN!

ROARRR!!

=D

Happy Birthday 2 & 4! ;-D

Oh gosh, it has been a superly-duperly busy two weeks! Exams going on at my workplace and my kiddos having exams also, in both Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Agama. As my maid has yet to arrive, my kids are still put in a 'transit' center which they are not particularly fond of. I told them to take it positively, in life we don't always get to do what we want or like all the time. But seriously though, hope the new maid arrives soon! 

Anyway, amidst the chaos and constant running around and worrying about a million things, we had a small birthday celebration at home for my No 2 and No 4. It was the first day of the week, imagine the madness. After work, went off straight to Citta Mall and bought the cake. Then, to the party shop for balloons and paper plates and whatnot. Went home to chill the cake, tidy up the mess of a house hahaha, and pick the children up from school & transit center. Decided on KFC for the celebration, unanimous vote from the kiddos that was. Once home, the boys showered and change into clean clothes, Mom and Dad too.

Finally, the small party started ;-)

It's the LOLA rainbow cake from Wondermilk. Six layers of buttery goodness!

My harta.... My four superheroes....

No 2 is now 9 years old...

My bongsu is now 4!

But he will forever remain as my Baby Azan ;-p

Happy Birthday boys. I will never forget the first moment I held you in my arms. Every year I am reminded of that beautiful, sweet moment in time and my heart filled with gratitude to Allah with His blessings. Please know that I love both of you very much, and maybe I will embarrass you from time to time (hahahah), do remember that I have you close to my heart, no matter when, no matter where. Be good, boys. My doa with you always.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello everyone!

It has been awhile since I have last updated this blog. Do people even blog anymore? I don't know really. I have not blogwalked for sooooo long, I am not even sure whether my favorite blogs are still running. I am just sitting here, thinking of whether or not my students taking the exam in the hall can actually answer the paper (Oh I do hope that they will come up with good essays!), and my thoughts lingered on this long neglected blog of mine. Do I even have readers anymore? I think not, being lackadaisical in my updates, I am sure my regulars have gone, and never to return.

Anyway, I have returned to work, no more a stay-at-home mom. I am still adjusting to the new routine, and my children too are getting used to the change in their lives. The reason for my great life decision to return to the grind? Hmmnnnn...... would you be interested to know? Heheh. More importantly, have I made the right decision? I am still in the midst of finding the answer to that, trust me ;-)

Oh, back to the real topic. How was your Mother's Day weekend. I am sure you have had a fantabulous time, spoiling Mom, or getting spoilt yourself. I had a great time. Syukur Alhamdulillah for what Allah has bestowed upon me. For the rezeki, and for my harta, my family...... Now let's just look at the photos, eh?

Here's the latest photo of Superheroes & Mom! Heheh. Me and my mom and my grandma were treated to a Mother's Day dinner on Saturday, and a Mother's Day tea on Sunday. We were, needless to say, overwhelmed by the attention. We felt like true Queens ;-) 

And......... tra la la....... I received a bouquet of flowers, roses (BIG SMILE) from my superheroes! I was so excited I was literally like Kera Mendapat Bunga, oh no no no, that's not an apt idiom, because that means the flowers are destroyed by the foolish kera right. Hmnnnn.... okay okay, I will not bore you with more idioms.... Suffice to say, I was OVER THE MOON to receive the fabu bouquet from my boys. THANK YOU darlings......

And here...... the QUEEN of my heart, my bonda. No words could ever describe how much I love this lady. My own pillar of strength, my motivator, inspiration and my everything.....

Happy Mother's Day to all mommies out there. You truly are diamonds.

Curio.

Last Friday, me & my boys accompanied my mom to Nilai 3. Not to buy carpets or fabric to make baju kurung, but my Mom wanted to buy some 'decorative items' for her canteen. She had one particular shop in mind. Last few years, she went there with my late Dad, also while scouting for stuff to decorate her canteen with.

After searching for quite some time, we managed to locate the shop. It was having a clearance sale. The shop will be closed soon! Stuff were selling cheap. Stock clearance. Not many nice stuff left though. Barangan yang dipamer bukan lagi menjadi trend ketika ini. Nevertheless, my Mom did get what she wanted. And at a very low price too.

While she was making purchase, I went around the shop looking at all the curios on sale. Have a look fellow bloggerinas...
























What do you think? Pretty interesting, no?

And pssttt, I too went shopping. For tudungs! Pretty cheap. Good enough for everyday wear for me. Happy with my purchase!



So I would say, a worthwhile trip down to Nilai 3 ;-)

Here's wishing all of my dearest readers Happy New Year 2012! To an awesome year ahead! Cheers!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Rose.

Did I tell you about The Rose in the family? She's everyones favourite. Recently, she turned two. So we bought a big cake for her in her favourite cartoon character.



Here she is with her birthday cake.



She was happy to have Spongebob with her on her birthday, but we had to rescue it from her to prevent Spongebob from being mashed to mush by a pair of cute but dangerous hands.



Because you see, although being the only Princess, she is not the girly princessy type. She's spirited, brave and prefers cars to dolls. But, alas, as you are the only girl sweetie, you have to adhere being dolled.



And so she was 'forced' to be a wee fairy, and she had to surrender to it, but very reluctantly so ;-)

But we had our fun, and she received a dollhouse nevertheless, chosen by the brothers for her (sorry hon, your brothers want you to be a proper princess). Hehe! Spongebob settled in our tum-tums nicely and The Rose looked so pretty in her Polka Dot dress. To her Mama & Papa, thank you ever so much for bringing her into this world. The Rose really made our world pretty and wangi!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY to my niece TWINKLE! We love you so much. Though your beloved Atuk is no more with us in this world, be sure that he is watching over you always, for he really loves you too....

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A little revelation...

2011 has proven to be a year full of ups and downs. Of joy, of sorrow, of pain, of hope. It started out pretty normal and then it started to spiral downwards. My Dad was sick, hospitalized, diagnosed as having end-stage lung cancer and fought with all his might and strength before he succumbed to it only 50 days after knowing. How it had affected us? In a million heartbreaking ways that you couldn't possibly imagine. It hurts to even put it down in words, the heart still pains from the memory of the heartwrenching 50 days. Three months have passed, and I still have tears in my eyes whenever I thought of my beloved Dad. The pain is still so raw. The heart bleeds, bleeds, bleeds.

Namun, akur dan pasrah dengan ketentuanNya. Semuanya sudah tersurat di Luh Mahfuz. Ini takdir Allah. Jika Dia mengkehendaki sesuatu, maka jadilah. Kun Faya Kun. Hanya doa yang dapat dikirim, moga Allah memberi rahmah dan kasih sayangNya. Sesungguhnya, Dia lebih tahu.

I love you for always, Dad. You have never, ever let me down. So lucky for the 36 years that Allah had given me you.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Makes People Happy ;-)

Scots Clan Meet Up

Once we lived in a place wreathed in magic and mystery. A place of reality and fantasy. A place of castles, dungeons, lochs and firths. A place of medieval streets of The Royal Mile co-existing with the neo-classical and Georgian architecture of the New Town. It is a perfect setting where fairy-tales are made, mythical, inspiring and absolutely stunning.

So special and magical and mysterious Edinburgh is that it had inspired JK Rowling's Harry Potter, Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

And it was at this place that we were fortunate enough to spend a few years of our lives, at an institute which is located right smack on The Royal Mile, next to the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood and The Holyrood Castle. We were bathed in history and culture! Even now, after 12 years we have left Edinburgh, our hearts yearn to be there again. To revel in it's beauty, mystery and magic.

And so with thoughts of Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle and Scottish Highlands in mind, we met again, six friends who will forever have a wee bit of Scottish spirit in our hearts and minds.



Checkered theme to commemorate our Scots Clan meet up. Next best thing to wearing an actual Scottish kilt, we agreed. Talks of Haggis, Fish & Chips, Scottish harsh winter & Ceilidh were included. Hehehe!



There were food, plenty of food.



















And there were smiles, laughter, playful banter, happiness, tears, joy, sadness and lots and lots of love.



Until we meet again: Beannacht leat go bhfeicfidh mé aris thú.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

dr. Cafe Coffee @ Citta Mall

Where do you usually go for your 'designer' coffee fix eh? Mostly Starbucks lah ek for the frappucino, caramel macchiato and the likes. I am not really a cofffee person, I prefer tea, but once in a while, adalah rasa teringin untuk mengopi.

And so, after just passing by this one shop called dr. Cafe Coffee kat Citta Mall ni, I decided to check the place out. Bukannya apa, kalau ke Citta Mall tu, I usually go to Wondermilk (my kiddos suka) or Chawan (I suka) or Baci (family favorite). Entah kenapa tak pernah nak masuk dr. Cafe Coffee tu. Tapi at long last, masuk juga.



Hey, not bad, the place is real comfy and cozy. Perfect if u want a quiet time with a good book to read, sit at the corner with the armchair it's nice.



The place offers all kinds of fancy coffee and also an assortment of hearty sandwiches and pastries. The staff are friendly and helpful.



My Ammar really liked the Club Sandwich, he has two plates, or it might just be because he was ravenously hungry after Taekwondo training.



See? Tersenyum kegirangan sambil memegang the sacred sandwich.



But alas! None of us had any coffee! I decided on the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate instead. Hard to resist lah. It was good!



Owhhh sedaaaaaaap! Nampak sedap tak? Best woo!



dr. Cafe Coffee, will visit you again. I was told the first outlet in Malaysia is in Hartamas kalau tak silap. Dr. Cafe Coffee ni is actually a franchise from Saudi Arabia. Hmm apa lagi kawan-kawan, let's dr. Cafe! ;-)

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Empire Strikes Back! 151111

Darlings! So mesti u all tau kan what happened to Empire before this? Of course of course, EVERYBODY knows about it lah kan. As I was sort of disconnected with the outside world pretty much so these past few months, nevertheless, news DO travel back to me. Via technology of course. Thru my lappy & iP4, I get pretty much informed about what's happening with the rest of the world. Sometimes, I know more than my hubs who's out merata everyday. Teehee.

Oklah, I do digress a lot lah. Talking about Empire kan, yeap. So, 151111 is the re-opening! Weehoo! And I was there meninjau kawasan and got my eyebrows threaded at long last @ Beautique by Glitters. I don't know why I have to wait till Empire re-opens to get my eyebrows threaded. I could just go to any Indian bridal shop to get it done cheap. RM 5-7 je usually. Tapi perempuan ini nakkkkk jugak buat kat Beautique, nak jugak Sarala tu yang buatkan kening ni. Ngada much? Heeeee!

Since time was short, as I had to fetch/pick-up my sons from school and to elakkan dari terperangkap dalam hujan lebat, my Empire Strikes Back trip was a short one. I perasan Ole2 Bali, Serai, Suchan, Tarbush belum bukak lagi. WHISK dah bukak, ramai orang masa I intai tadi. I tak sempat singgah. My kids wanted to eat Gelato Fruity, so we headed there. And of course, I had to buy some pastries at The Loaf ;-) 

That's about it. Happy that Empire is back. Another lepak place for me and kiddies other than Subang Parade. Variety at last, haha.

 They even spruced up the parking lot!

Tangs Xmas Sale window display seem to attract my littlest so much.

 "When do I get to build a real snowman, Mommy?'

Err, u belajar pandai2, nnt belajar obersee eh.

 Knock2!

Who's there?

Ellie.

Ellie who?

ELEPHANT!

 "Brrrrr, so cold, Mommy."

Ye, lah tu.

 "Dreaming of a white Christmas."

Me too, my sons, me too.

:-)

 Nyums!

 Double Nyums.

Kopak!

Burung marah punya pasal.

Haih.

C ya again, soon!

Ta raaaaaaaaa!!!