House-headache

It has been 2 weeks since the date that we expected the house to be ready for occupancy. Disappointed, yes. There are a lot more work to be done before we can move into our own house. To date, I would say that the progress is at 80 percent. The stairs has yet to be covered, pending tile installation on the upper floor, ceiling painting and refurbishment of the toilet. The main concern is on the insufficient tile; stock will only arrive in April. I hope by April, the contractor means early April. Oh the heavy duty tile installed at the porch keeps on bugging me. I don't think I chose that design. But I decided to shut up since I have no evidence of noncompliance. Janji siap.

The renovation has taken place for almost 4 months now. All should be ready by 15 March 2012. And we have already committed the necessary purchase of electrical appliances, furnitures and cabinet. Due to the delay, we had to bag the salespersons of the electrical appliances (all the way from Seremban) and furniture (cap Bukit Beruntung) to extend the storage period, keeping our stuff at their premises. Finalization of kitchen cabinet measurement, design and costing will be done this weekend. The material will be ABS, instead of my-dream-glass-kitchen; expensive. Kitchen cabinet anganku musnah~

One thing unusual about the house is the colour. Gosh I am so not adventurous when its comes to wall-paint colours. I prefer white. BUT, our crib is mustard-yellowish-coloured, people! And my vision of creamy-themed inside turned out to be yellowish also!  Haha well, I kinda like it though. I am sure you will too; once we fill up the spaces that is. We will find things that complement the colours, no worry.

outside, no budget for roof-painting. Nasib la even byk black-spot pon :D

kitchen area

House-headache, I hope happy ending will colour our life soon. May all place into place, Insyaallah.

P/s: harap physical movement of the whole outfit to outside KL tak jadi. We need you here, ayah...

Powerful phrases

Doesn't cost you a penny. Doesn't consume much energy. Just sincere thought and appreciation. A note of apology for what turned out wrong.

.Sorry. Well done. Thank you.

Imagine world with sincerity, the spirit of togetherness and the fall of the Yang called ego. Wouldn't we be happier?

Say sorry for the damage done; even if it is a small one.

Say well done for the achievements, make people feel acknowledged once a while.

Say thank you for the kindness and support, the thought lasts in a long run.

Appreciate self, appreciate others.

Beautiful world for you and me :)

Reflection

Pejam celik, diam tak diam sudah setahun jarak masa sejak aku jejak tanah suci itu. Subhanallah. Hati jadi seronok tiap kali mendengar khabar teman-teman akan ke sana. Terlalu indah perasaan mengenang perjalanan ibadah di rumahMu.

Hati tersentuh. Semalam, semasa sesi tazkirah, bersempena topik perbincangan berkisar tentang sabar, boss kongsi pengalamannya menunaikan haji tahun lepas. Apa yang dikongsi dapat aku bayangkan. Aku sendiri punya ujian semasa menunaikan umrah di sana. Tambah dengan keadaan diri yang kurang upaya, penangan morning sickness. Tanpa disedari, air mata bergenang. Aku jadi sebak. Ya Allah, dah setahun. What have I achieved? Have I been a better person? Have I improved as far as ibadah is concerned? Ya Allah, Ya Allah...aku rindu. Rindukan ayat-ayatMu, rindukan ketenangan hati mendengar bacaan ayatMu. Betapa aku hanyut dalam deras arus masa. You seriously need to pull yourself together, Ja. Application Quran kan ada?

Semat azam lagi. Mathurat sudah lama tak berusik, sehinggalah semalam. Make time Ja, make time. Baiki diri.

P/s: Raudhah, Umar cepat besar ya. Ibu rasa nak ke sana lagi. Kali ni ibu harap semua ikut. Cukuplah lara tinggal Raudhah setahun lepas.

P/s2: Kadang terfikir, mata bulat Umar ni ikut siapa? Mungkin juga terkenan pada baby boy ibu jumpa semasa solat di Masjidil Haram. Ibu tak segan nak tegur, rindu anak yang ditinggal di Malaysia. Abdul Rahim namanya. Juga anak seorang tentera dari Syria kalau tak salah. Peramah ibu dan neneknya :) Siap tunjuk gambar ayah Abdul Rahim. Hehe ibu pon tayang gambar ayah sama, handsome! :p

1 down 3 to go

Time flies. March is approaching to the end. That leaves us with the remaining 3 quarters; 9 months of 2012.

With quarter-end comes quarterly reporting work. Nice. Here goes the workload; data-downloading, analysis and justifying the over/under utilisation of the green note. Perfect. Satisfaction.

Life has been hectic at work. Planning-related work usually is at peak during 1) the beginning of the year when direction, target and KPI are set and 2) middle of the year when the budget cycle kicks in.

Two events were conducted in Q1 alone. Headache. I love event management, seriously BUT not when change of directions is in the picture, resulted in last minute preparation = pain in the ass. Saya lah prepare slide, saya lah buat montage, saya lah compile semua material, saya lah MC dan saya lah facilitate group activity. Pening. Nonetheless, our recent away day was well-accepted by the bosses and colleagues. We received great remarks and that definitely worth the hassle; made my day. Alhamdulillah. Kurang lah ralat tinggal suami dan anak-anak di rumah.

I miss having the trust to run the show my way. Fuh, ko ingat ko boss ke apa Ja? But I had the opportunity to run an event for the Young Executives, based on my flavour. My ex-boss is so cool. Thank you for the avenue and trust given, to prove my worth. I captured the moment here.

Am working on 1 important proposal at the moment. Critical, involving millions of RM. I hope the MD/CEO will not jump over the not so good news. Haish, orang lain pakai budget, orang lain justify the reasoning, orang lain dapat nama. Takpalah, dapat kerja dengan MD/CEO pon dah cukup honoured. Great leader. MD/CEO pernah marah and suruh saya sendiri present case in Board meeting, awak ada? Hehehe

Work, despite of the challenges, it brings so much satisfaction to me. Lagi-lagi bila company declare incentive. Alhamdulillah, ada rezeki isi perut rumah :)

Another anniversary

sweet office

Hari ini, ulang tahun kelima aku berkhidmat dengan majikan tercinta. Mengikut kontrak, perlu 4 tahun perkhidmatan lagi sebelum pembiayaan pelajaran yang aku terima pada tahun 2002, langsai. Alhamdulillah.

5 tahun ini banyak mengajarku tentang hidup; tinggi rendah langit biru dan merupakan antara faktor yang mematangkan fikiran dan emosi. Jujur, aku pernah berputus harap tak lama dulu. Kenapa lambat dapat tawaran; tak layak kah diri ini? Sedangkan teman-teman yang lebih rendah pointer CGPA nya jejak menara megah itu sebelumku.

Akur, aku terima ini soal rezeki. Hikmahnya, aku ditawarkan jawatan tetap di sebuah syarikat yang juga one of the big players in the industry. Rezeki, aku tak pernah apply kerja itu; penghargaan buat bahagian Hal Ehwal Pelajar universiti, banyak bantu 'market' resume pelajarnya. Tak ramai dapat peluang bergelar permanent staff berbanding secara kontrak. Syukur; bertuah badan. Culturenya sungguh berbeza. Gaji pokok ketika itu pon tinggi berbanding di menara. Alhamdulillah, hujung bulan dapat guna bantu keluarga; dapat bayar itu ini.

Impian untuk terus di EM punah bila mana aku terima panggilan daripada majikan kini, bertegas supaya aku pulang berkhidmat dan membalas jasa baik mereka. Sempat 5 bulan di EM. Berat hati, terkilan pon ada. Kenapa hanya 2 minggu sebelum 6 months waiting period tamat? Kalau aku tunggu dan berharap dulu jawabnya 5 bulan poket kosong tanpa isi. Anak sulong ni punya hajat tinggi, bantu keluarga. Hati ini kupujuk, ada hikmahnya. Percayalah.

Tanggal 5 tahun ini, hati senang untuk mengakui; benar semua punya hikmah. Masakan tidak. Duit belanja majlis bertunang, kahwin, melahir dan membesarkan anak puncanya dari kerja yang satu ini. Belanja kahwin pon dapat aku adakan berkat rezeki dari kerja ini. Alhamdulillah, tak susahkan baba dan mama.

Membesarkan anak-anak dewasa ini tinggi kosnya. Mujur, hal ehwal perubatan semua di bawah tanggungan insurans yang dicarum majikan. Salah satu benefits yang melapangkan hati. Rezeki anak-anak. Kalau tidak, mungkin aku tak mampu ke situ. Kos bersalin normal senang-senang melangkau hampir 2 bulan gaji. Terima kasih majikan.

5 tahun, sepatutnya melayakkan ku untuk promotion ke gred seterusnya. Tapi tak kesampaian. 2 tahun sudah polisi penilaian prestasi dirombak. Aku kena tempiasnya. Maka promotion digantung. Ada rezeki, tahun depan baru dapat. Ini hikmah. Tamparan yang aku rasa merubah persepsi aku terhadap hidup. Aku jadi semakin tenang berdepan masalah; matured. Ujian ini menebalkan semangat positif dalam diri. Ya, benar aku ambil masa untuk kembali stabil. Kesal dengan nasib itu tidaklah setinggi kesalku terhadap respon pihak pengurusan. Pengecut. Buang duit pergi kursus mahal-mahal. Sudahlah pengecut, bias pula. Segelintir, bukan semua. Terkilan sampai peringkat nak letak jawatan. Kejap, kenapa nak buat macam tu? Aku bukan pengalah. Dek kecewa kerja penat seolah tak dihargai, aku telah develop perangai suka shopping mengubat lara. Parah! Hehe

Tak apalah, ada rezeki tak ke mana. Kalau tak dapat kat aku, mungkin dapat kat suami dan anak-anak. Benar, saat aku jatuh, suami sukses dalam kerjayanya. Dua kursus YO dia muncul best student dan best academic recognition. B grading lagi (dalam askar B grading tu payah nak dapat, tak macam kita civilian ni). Exam Kapt ke Major pon dah lulus. Kan hikmah tu? Alhamdulillah.

Aku pernah impikan kerjaya yang hebat. Tapi aku sedar, it does not work one way. Ada faktor-faktor luar kawalan yang ada impak ke mana arah kerjaya seseorang; selagi ada campur tangan manusia yang hasadnya pelbagai. Aku ambil pendekatan ini; terus berikan yang terbaik untuk perkhidmatan, selebihnya aku serah padaNya. Yang pasti, RA.UF dan Zulfadhli adalah semangatku. Ibu is so fortunate to have all of you in ibu's life. Saat diuji, I will take a step back and reflect how I am blessed with so many happiness. Jadi kenapa perlu bersedih dengan secalit dugaan?

Happy 5th Anniversary to us, Petroliam Nasional. May successs follows our way. How I have grown wiser serving you :)

Alhamdulillah.

P/s: Selamat Hari Tentera Darat :)

Kedua

Alhamdulillah. Tanggal 23 Februari lepas, genap usia Raudhah Amani 2 tahun. Bermakna sudah 2 tahun jugalah saya dan suami bergelar ibu dan ayah. Syukur ke hadratmu Ya Allah.

Pengalaman indah pertama kali bersua saya abadikan di entry ini.

Dear Raudhah Amani, ibu dan ayah doakan Raudhah terus membesar dengan sihat dan ceria. Mudah-mudahan jadi anak yang solehah, baik sahsiahnya, cemerlang peribadi menghadapi keperluan dunia dan tuntutan di sana kelak. Amin.

fantastic four :)

Ibu sayang kakak, sangat sangat sayang :)

Beautiful doa

Am touched by the beautiful words shared by a friend and wish to capture them here for my future reference.

"Ya Allah, give us eyes that see the best in people, 

hearts that forgive the worst, 

minds that forget the bad 

& 

a soul that never loses faith in You."

 Thank you :)

Teaser of the day

Source: Facebook.

Any comment? :) Well life is not a fairy tale. But one can choose how to make the most out of it.

Life is too short, so whats with the fuss?

The game of LOVE. You never knew what you have until you lose it. Question, what if it is too late?

Peace.

Pleasing the Princess

Yesterday, adik had the most attention; clinging to ibu for his precious milk. Kakak, felt unattended; cranky and a bit violent towards her baby brother.

So today ibu brought kakak for a quick outing. We went to Tesco to get some groceries and later to baby store. Guess what, the feeding bottle teat needs replacement, again! Hehe

It was fun spending time together, just the two of us. The first stop we made when we arrived was at the kid's section. There, ibu picked up a gardening tool set and a bubble gun. Ah, can't wait to play with my girl in the evening... :) On the way back, we shared Chocolate ice-blended. Yummy! That sure 'glued' her at the seat all the way home.

bubble time

tolong siram rumput atok ;p

picnic, Bukit Beruntung style :D

She had fun, I am so glad!

seminggu sendiri

Dah 8 hari suami kerja luar kawasan; di Temerloh. First time kena tinggal since the transfer. Rindu datang lagi. Perjalanan pergi balik ke pejabat seminggu lepas terasa sepi, sendiri. How I wish you were there; especially during the traffic jams. Ada juga teman bicara :) Lumrah manusia, bila ada depan mata nampak biasa. Dah jauh baru mencari. Rugi. Kita jangan macam tu la ok? Setiap detik itu sungguh bermakna.

Sekarang jam 3 pagi. Anak-anak masih belum tidur lagi. Rindu ayah juga mungkin. Kedua-duanya minat menonton macam ayah. Boleh mengadap tv atau laptop berjam-jam lamanya. Ibu bagi peluang. Hari ni seharian Raudhah puasa-tv, giliran atok tonton perkembangan semasa. Sangka ibu Raudhah meragam kerana sibling-rivalry. (Sorry kakak, adik nak menyusu tak henti. Bila kenyang tak tidur, celik pula dia. Terbatas plan ibu nak jenguk kakak.) Rupanya amuk tak dapat bersua dengan Disney Junior. Nah, tontonlah sampai puas hati. Ibu teman, mujur esok cuti.

RA.UF dan youtube

Kesal. Seboleh mungkin nak luangkan masa sama-rata, secukupnya dengan 2 anak kecil ni. Tak beri ruang pada sibling rivalry. Betul, keadaan ni normal tambah lagi dengan kehadiran orang baru. Tapi ini bukan alasan untuk bersenang hati. Harus terus perhati dan ambil langkah awal bendung hal-hal kecil hati ini. Hari ni saja, macam-macam gaya protes kakak. Tepuk perut, tepuk kepala, baling mainan... Kecut perut ibu. Mujurlah adik tough orangnya. Lebih sedih, kakak bertindak pukul diri sendiri. Signal kurang perhatian ya nak? Ibu kerja, balik lambat, balik penat... Tapi semua itu amanah. Suami, anak-anak, kerja itu berhak ke atasku. Belum lagi masuk tang baba dan mama. Ya, masih banyak ruang for improvement. Trust me, it is not easy as it seems; coping with work and bigger family. It is not bad either. The philosophy that drives me is simple; 'It is hard when I have to, it is easy when I want to'. Islam pon ajar setiap dugaan yang menimpa itu, Allah tahu kita mampu hadapi.

Come on Ja, this is not dugaan. This is blessing. Look how beautiful they are. Subhanallah, Alhamdulilah...

Let's work things out dear husband :)

P/s: I am not complaining. This entry serves as a self-reflection for improvement. Peace.

NGV-ed

Due to our bad experience with the old route to KL, we agreed to take the highway to work everyday. This costs on RM13.20 a day. Now how do we lower the monthly expenses for traveling? Exactly, by using NGV!

Read a little bit about NGV here.

Being meticulous about engineering and the related matters, husband did his research first; in terms of the specifications, costs and testimonials. Baba, being the experience NGV user for more or less 10 years now, act as our advisor. Baba also helped us to find the reliable workshop for installation. Thank you Baba!

The car was sent to the workshop on 3rd February and the installation completed on the next day. So far, we are satisfied with the performance and the reduction in fuel cost. Our journey to work costs us RM15 for petrol daily. Thanks to NGV, it is now RM6 to RM8 daily. But, the tank needs to be filled daily. So husband has to make a pit stop at the NGV station everyday before heading to office.

so long storage space...

interested? you know the number to call :)

We are still in the observation period. Hopefully everything is smooth as silk. Our cute car has been really good to us and our pocket, since day 1. Alhamdulillah. Use good motor oil; PETRONAS Syntium 800 - semi synthetic pon dah cukup baik. Dapatkan di pasaran ok? Hehe promo pulak.

Milky-deal

Nowadays, awareness on the benefits of breast milk (BM) is the main highlight of motherhood and indirectly, parenting. Many hospitals carry out campaigns and advertisement to encourage breast feeding for the new generation. Facilities at their premises are enhanced and advisory or consultation on the topic is offered to mothers/parents, especially the young/new ones. Efforts to support this aspiration are massive, but is worthwhile in the long run. Serious, indeed. To the extend that some even labeled their organization as breast feeding-friendly or established a non-formula (FM) or non-feeding bottle compound. Great. Not-so-fortunately (unfortunately sounds so ungrateful), both my babies were introduced to FM since day 2. And at the hospital, they feed the baby using a small cup; worry that baby gets confused when introduced to feeding bottle that early. Luckily, not in my case. Anak-anak belasah je; gaya askar.

Yes, BM is the best source of food for the newborn and babies; the right composition of nutritions, complete with immunization and water to keep a baby 'full' and happy. So keep on breast feeding, mommies!


Panjangnya mukadimah. Sebenarnya nak cerita pasal botol susu je. Haha. Alhamdulillah, both babies tak memilih. Tapi kalau dah kenal, percubaan untuk tukar botol lain sangat besar kemungkinan untuk tidak berjaya.

For working mothers, feeding bottles are our best friend besides our beloved gadget; the breast pump. Few weeks before going back to work,   introduction to feeding bottle is one of the crucial modules for the babies. Masa ni lah nak tengok baby serasi atau tidak dengan botol-botol pilihan ibu masing-masing.

Raudhah Amani's first feeding bottle was non other that what's included in Medela's CityStyle breast pump bag, teat sponsored by her Maklong Tida, from Dr Brown's. Relaks je; nothing grand. I only bought her proper feeding bottles when she was 6 months old. And MAM's anti colic bottles caught my eyes; bought a pack of 3 terus. Happy! I love MAM's anti colic feeding bottles. All parts can be opened/detached from each other; which ensure the peace of mind as cleanliness is reachable to every inch of its parts. The price is reasonable and among the cheapest too. To date, I have 3 units of 5oz bottle and 3 units for 9oz = 6 all together. Now, the 5oz bottles are passed down to Umar Faruqi. The bottles are still in good shape! Plus the material used is durable. Tahan lasak. You don't hear disturbing noise (macam Avent) when thrown hard by a toddler like Ms super RAZ. Tak kan terfikir, 'aduh habis pecahlah botol mahal tu...'with MAM. But one thing I do not enjoy is the time you take to assemble the 5 parts before feeding. Every connection must be in tact or you will find yourself crying over the spilled milk; moreover if the milk cost you RM94 per tin.

Stylish with MAM anti colic

A month after Umar was born, I thought of trying new bottles. I was looking for baby gift for a friend when I decided to buy one for my RA.UF too. Avent's PES feeding bottles. PES is an enhanced version of PP. Besides the 'grand' honey-tint colour, PES does not require additional valve to operate. So it is a normal 3 parts bottle like botol cap Disney. The starter pack contains 2 units of 4oz bottle, 2 unit of 9oz bottle, a soother, extra teats and bottle brush. In my limited feeding bottle experience, I would say Avent is expensive. Learned from a blogshop that Avent's PES 4oz bottle cost RM46.90. MAM RM40 pon tak sampai. Nonetheless, I am happy that milk leakage is no longer an issue with Avent. Just, RAZ and UFZ got problem with Avent's teat. They prefer MAM's silky teat. Yeah, Avent teats got wasted in my house! Teat MAM pula, memang pelawa kena gigit. Berlubang RAZ kerjakan. Hehe anak, anak...

Avent-ly happy :)

As for Tommie Tippie, I bought the Explora cup for RAZ. Biasa buat pakai untuk minum ribena. Pricey than MAM but cheaper than Avent. There are a lot more brands out there. But the question is, do they suit your baby? Bottom line, look for Bisphenol A (BPA) free; chemical content usually found in plastics that can harm your child's development.

Ms RAZ and Tommie Tippie

Breast feeding is so convenient. One does not have to wake up, assemble the feeding bottle, mix the FM with water, shake a little bit and serve the FM to the baby. All you have to do is breast feed; you can even continue the beautiful sleep while feeding your baby. Simple! I hope I would be able to breast feed Umar longer compared to Raudhah. Mudah-mudahan ada rezeki. I miss cuddling Raudhah while she is having BM. I miss that 'bonding' moment :) How time flies. She will celebrate her 2nd birthday this month. This also means that I have stopped breast feeding her for almost 1 year now.

No matter how breast feeding works for you, what FM your child consume and how expensive the feeding bottle is, take a step back and remember, rezeki ini dari Allah. Ramai kawan yang merungut susu tak banyak or bangga sekali pam 20oz. Well, Allah adil. Saya, awak, mereka malah kita semua ni kurang kat sini/situ, lebih kat situ/sini. Tak ada yang mewah dalam segala hal. Kalau kita hebat, ada yang lagi hebat di luar sana. Usaha, doa dan tawakal. Semoga rahmat Allah sentiasa bersama kita. Setiap kesusahan ada hikmahnya. Jangan putus asa ok?

P/s: This quote inspired me to bits, brighten my day when production gone low than usual. Hope it makes your day too :)

"In the end, how much milk you pump doesn't determine your worth as a mother. Your child will be better off with you as a happy, responsive, loving mother than the world's most productive wet nurse" - BSC


Alhamdulillah, besar nikmatMu Ya Allah...

Hidup sihat

Sejak akhir-akhir ni cuaca agak panas, bukan? Hati terdetik sejenak, perit barangkali bagi rakan-rakan yang bekerja di kawasan 'bebas-hawa-dingin'. Syukur punya nikmat bekerja di pejabat serba lengkap. Motivasi untuk kerja lebih bagus tahun ni. Insyaallah, amanah akan dilaksanakan sehabis baik. Mudah-mudahan berkat buat sama-sama suami menyara hidup empat beranak .

Akhir-akhir ini juga, ramai yang teruji kesihatannya. Raudhah dan Umar tak terkecuali. Ahad lepas, sedang empat beranak siap-siap untuk tidur, Raudhah batuk-batuk dan muntah di katil. Dua kali. Tugas tambahan untuk ibu dan ayah. Sudahnya, berdenyut kepala ibu semasa bertugas Isnin lepas angkara kurang tidur. Cumulative, setelah 2 minggu bertahan kelmarin ibu collapse. Terpaksa telan panadol 2 biji. Ayah keluar ke pejabat pon ibu tak sedar. Satu badan sakit. Mujur hari ni cuti umum. Ambil kesempatan untuk recharge.

Sebenarnya gaya hidup begini sungguh tidak sihat. Macam mana sibuk pon, jangan korbankan tidur dan rehat yang mencukupi. Pernah baca artikel tentang bahaya tidak cukup tidur.

Akur dengan hujah artikel di atas. Tetapi tengok anak kurang sihat, ibu manalah yang boleh senang hati? Penat macam mana pun, ibu gagahkan diri bangkit melayan anak yang menangis. Penat macam mana pun, emosi dikawal supaya terus tenang dan sabar berdepan kerenah anak yang sudah tentu resah dengan keadaannya yang tak seperti biasa. Oh anak...bagi ibu lah batuk, selsema tu. Raudhah cepat belajar cakap ya. Ibu tak faham bahasa 'German' kakak :(

Besar tanggungjawab seorang ibu, kan? Semoga terus diberi kekuatan untuk menjaga amanah Allah ini di samping tuntutan kerja yang kian menggunung kebelakangan ini.

Peringatan untuk diri sendiri, get good rest Ja. Quality sleep if enough sleep is not possible.

P/s: Pergi pilih tile untuk rumah petang tadi. Hopefully the combination blends well. Oh please get me the grey-coloured tile for the floor! I have problem with cream-coloured. BB needs more tile shop. Boring lah the designs offered...

The first...

The movement to KL-base office officially took effect on 16 January 2012. Alhamdulillah, RA.UF can now see their father more often, if not everyday :) Ibu on the other hand, gets a new traveling partner accompanying to/from work. Yey!

First day

Our traffic experience on the first day was really bad. One that we never put our bet on ever again; to take the old route to work! Woke up extra early that morning. Heated up a bottle of EBM for Umar's first feeding session, packed my breast pump bag and ensure the kids' nursery bag was all in place. Just when we were about to leave the house, it was ready Subuh. After prayer, we sent the kids to the babysitter then off we went to work; around 6.15am.

We reached Pasar Borong Selayang at 6.40-ish am; and the smooth-flow traffic ended! It was awful, bump-to-bump condition for more than half an hour. Even the snail could finish its race faster! I was nervous, gauging whether or not can we arrive at MINDEF before the parade, scheduled at 8 am. My eyes kept on hunting for alternative routes. We just could not afford to stick to Jalan Kuching, not on the day my husband is reporting for duty! A while then I saw our savor, its DUKE! Plan B! No need to send the wife to KLCC, husband gets to be escorted first! Asked husband to switch lane to an escapade to Jalan Semarak. Phewww~

Just could not have enough of you, KL :)

Well, the conflict did not end there. Everybody knows the congestion one is expected to face at the Semarak exit. I knew, husband just won't be able to arrive on time. But it is much closer to MINDEF rather than the originally-planned route. I cannot stop the time. So I had a moment of silence. In my heart, I prayed hard; for His mercy perhaps the test stops there for the day. May the remaining hours of the day be better, especially on the day husband is reporting for duty. I prayed for the best to happen for him. Amin.

We reached his office at 8.05am; the parade was in session. I then left for work. Later that day, on our way back, husband shared his first day's experience. Alhamdulillah, yes the disaster ended at the office gate that morning. Berkat solat Subuh jemaah perhaps?

First week as BWM

Breasstfeedinf. Working Mother...Hectic! Yes, we still live under the same roof with baba and mama. As much as possible, we tried to manage our kids and house chores on our own. Opportunist is not something that we aspire to be, seriously. We know our responsibility but some time, we are glad to accept lending hand(s) from surrounding people. Thank you.

Work is beginning to piling up. It is challenging to cope between work and motherhood, especially with 2 kids to handle. During the weekdays, I will wake up as early as 4.30am, heat up a bottle of EBM, pack my breastpump bag, pack the kids' nursery bag, iron my workdress, take a bath and change the kids' diaper before leaving the house at 6.00am.

Nursery bag(s)

As I arrived at the office around 7.00am, I will go to the pantry and make myself a mug of hot milo then straight away to the mother's room for my first pumping session of the day. Gosh, keeping up with breastfeeding and expressing at work are becoming tougher by the day. I have to express 4 times (3 times at the office and once inside the car, otw back) to get around 18 to 20oz of milk. Now, i am happy if I could at least pump 3 times a day. Ibu is doing my best to keep you breastmilk-fed, dear Umar. So far, the stock in the freezer can last only for 2 days. I hope my breastfeeding journey will go a long way this time. Insyaallah. Dear gadget, work with me aite!

First encounter with distance

Bukit Beruntung to KL is approximately 64km away. About 45 minutes to 1 hour journey. I understand how the husband feel. After 4 years living in the military camp, it must be hard for you to adapt; the day has to start at least 1 hour earlier than others at the MQ and traveling is energy-consuming too. Well that's what yours truly have been facing; back then, during pregnancy, and now as a mother of two. It is always mind over matter. Give yourself some time, Insyaallah you will be fine. Irony, despite of the hectic schedule during the day, I find myself smiling whenever I see my beautiful daughter and son; you keep me going, kids! Alhamdulillah.

I wish everything will fall into place soon. May Allah grant our doa and lend us the strength to cope and adapt with the challenges ahead. Amin...

Hmm

Part of being a mom is about letting go. So here goes :( 

Tomorrow, Umar turns 3 months. For the past 2 nights, Umar had difficulty to sleep. He cried  so loud to the point that I felt stressed out and devastated. What's wrong, boy? Just now, mama threw an idea, "Nak puting kot Ja." Hmm, yes the feeding bottle starter kit I bought recently included a soother for 0-3 months. You didn't want ibu to waste it, might as well give it to you ya Umar?

Fine, as long as you are happy. Ibu hopes that it won't be for long...

Happy 3 months, Umar Faruqi!

 

p/s: Went to clinic last night. Guess how much does Umar weigh? 9kg :)

2011 in a nutshell

Alhamdulillah. All in all it has been a great year. Terima kasih atas rezeki dan nikmat mu Ya Allah. Aku redha akan segala dugaan dan cabaran yang menimpa. Semoga hari-hari kami sentiasa di bawah lindungan dan petunjukmu...

Here are the highlights of my life, in 2011 :)


FEBRUARY 2011 Happy Birthday
Raudhah Amani turned 1 year old on 23.02.2011. Alhamdulillah. Ibu and ayah love you so much, girl!

MARCH 2011 Dream 'vacation'
Alhamdulillah. Thank you to ayah and mak, both Zul and I had the chance to perform umrah from 13-27 March 2011. Alhamdulillah, jejak tanah suci sebelum negara-negara selain Malaysia. It was amazing, penuh rasa syukur dan emosi; menatap Masjid Nabawi dan Kaabah depan mata. Terasa sungguh dekat denganNya. Tenang, walaupun hati berat merindu buahati Raudhah Amani di tanahair dan lemah menempuh fasa awal pregnancy di tempat asing. Ya, cubaan sangat besar buat ibu dan Raudhah. Tapi ini soal ibadah. Dan ibu tahu Raudhah anak yang tabah dan kuat. Setiap masa ibu doakan Raudhah dan Umar yang pada masa tu, masih kecil dalam kandungan ibu. Setiap kali ingat Raudhah, air mata mengalir. Dan untuk Umar, ibu kerap ke kedai beli canned Lychee in syrup buat hilang loya. Terbukti kita mampu laluinya, anak-anak sayang. Alhamdulillah. Ada rezeki, kita pergi satu family Insyaallah.

Terima kasih juga buat suami yang setia bantu isteri ketika itu. Lemah. Tawaf, sae semua perlu ditolak dari belakang. Kalau tidak, kaki longlai memberatkan langkah. Besar pahala abang. Insyaallah.

The end of my breastfeeding journey. After 2 weeks seperated by distance, Raudhah felt that she was big enough and convinced me that she doesn't need to be breast fed anymore. Tup tup (tutup) katanya bila ibu offer nenen :)

MAY 2011 Her first art work
Happy father's day ayah! Raudhah made a simple greeting card for ayah, with a little help from ibu :)



JUNE 2011 A year older
Officially 27 :) I am blessed to have loving family members and great friends to keep. Had few celebrations; at home with family and at the office with dear collegues and friends. Bliss!

OCTOBER 2011 3+1
The family gets bigger this year. Our sweetheart, Umar Faruqi bin Zulfadhli was born on 11.10.11, 20 months after our first child. The kids are getting along just fine. My heart melts seeing them together. Alhamdulillah :)

:)

This is Us

UFZ and RAZ

Got a BB before the baby was born. Thank you husband for the Blackberry, complete with data plan. Loving it to bits! I am now 24-7 connected to the net and can get many things done through phone :D

Nonetheless, I still keep my Samsung Galaxy S. Blogging comes in handy with Bloggeroid; one thing missing from BB world.

NOVEMBER 2011 Home sweet home
The biggest addition to our financial commitment this year onwards. Alhamdulillah, one of my resolutions for 2011 came true. Renovation work is going on at the moment. Hopefully all will turn out well.

messy ;p

Our marriage marks its third year's anniversary. Alhamdulillah. ILU ZI :)

My brother also got married in November. It was a beautiful celebration. I love family gatherings!

DECEMBER 2011 Welcome home
The official order is out. Alhamdulillah, ayah is moving to KL soon. What a beautiful way to end the year. Syukur.

Ayah finally turned 27 three days back. Happy Birthday! Wow, 27 with 2 kids, Alhamdulillah.

Alhamdulillah. May Allah bless us with good health, endless happiness and great achievements in 2012. Insyaallah.

posted from Bloggeroid

Rapid KL

Indeed. Time is golden. Especially when linked to development. In the world that we live in now, everything is expected to accelerate; increase or improve towards betterment.

I have been away from KL for 2 months due to maternity. Didn't expect to miss so much of KL and its isi perut :D

After 3 weeks of come back, today my path crossed with rapidKL LRT. Just a short distance; KLCC to Masjid Jamek then Plaza Rakyat. To my surprise, I am not familiar to the new ticketing system! Instead of the usual ticket, now it is in the form of token! Cool, I must say. Besides, the interface and navigation of the touch screen is integrated; for both Putra and STAR LRT. Amazed, experienced, impressed.



P/s: Hope the authority could have a look into the damage done at KLCC. Irresponsible taxi drivers park on the roadside causing unnecessary road block. Tarnish the image of the clan. Hey, my dad owns a taxi too so buzz off, I hate hearing complaints about the job that got me where I am today!

posted from Bloggeroid

Fenomena Gerhana Bulan

Dijangka berlaku pada esok malam, bermula sekitar jam 8.45malam dengan kemuncaknya dijangka pada jam 10malam.

Apa itu gerhana bulan? Ianya adalah suau fenomena di mana matahari, bumi dan bulan berada pada satu garis lurus yang sama, sehingga sinar matahari tidak dapat mencapai bulan kerana terhalang oleh bumi.

Ustaz Hanafiah Abdul Razak, Pegawai Falak di Jabatan Mufti Negeri Johor berkongsi di rancangan Al-Kuliyyah hari ini, fenomena gerhana bulan adalah keadaan di mana:
1. Bulan mengadap, hampir dengan bumi
2. Bulan berada di laluan matahari
3. Bumi mendapat cahaya penuh daripada matahari
4. Berlaku di pertengahan bulan, 14 malam 15 Muharram
5. Kekerapan berlaku sehingga 2 kali setahun

Sabda Rasulullah SAW : Sesungguhnya matahari dan bulan adalah tanda dari tanda-tanda kebesaran Allah. Kedua-duanya tidak gerhana disebabkan matinya seseorang atau disebabkan lahirnya. Tetapi kedua-duanya merupakan dua tanda dari tanda-tanda kebesaran Allah menakutkan hamba-hambanya. Apabila engkau melihat perkara tersebut hendaklah engkau solat dan berdoa sehingga gerhana itu hilang pada padangan“. (HR. Bukhari dari Abi Barkah).

Apa yang patut kita lakukan bagi menghayati fenomena ini? Ustaz sarankan ibadah dilakukan bagi mencari keredhaanNya serta dijauhkan dari kemurkaanNya. Amalan yang boleh dilakukan, mudah-mudahan Allah berikan kita kebaikan antaranya:
1. Solat sunat gerhana, sesudah jelas berlakunya gerhana.
2. Beristighfar
3. Berdoa sebanyak mungkin
4. Berinfaq

Hebat sungguh ilmu falak. Tahukah anda bahawa ada pengertian disebalik separuh awal bulan dan separuh akhir bulan dalam ilmu falak? Ustaz berkongsi, dari awal hingga tengah bulan adalah masa untuk mengisi. Manakala daripada tengah ke akhir bulan adalah masa untuk kembali reda. Dua contoh:

1. Kajian menunjukkan jika nelayan beroleh ketam antara awal hingga tengah bulan, isinya penuh. Sebaliknya, bagi tangkapan antara tengah hingga hujung bulan, kosong. Sama kisahnya dengan ikan.

2. Jika seseorang jatuh sakit antara awal hingga tengah bulan, antibodi kuat maka peluang untuk sembuh lebih baik. Sebaliknya, antibodi lemah pada setengah bulan terakhir.

Subhanallah, hebat ilmu falak ini. Sungguh cetek pengetahuan di dada hamba yang 27tahun ini.

Siapa nama?

Siapa nama? Ahmad.. Mau pergi mana? Chemor~

*Iklan tamat*

Alhamdulillah. Umar bangun awal pagi ni. As usual, ibu bawa Umar turun layan Indahnya Iman @ Astro Oasis. Pagi ni kami berkesempatan tonton slot Hadis Pilihan oleh Dato Hassan Din Al Hafiz. Menarik topik pagi ni, sesuai untuk ibu bapa muda seperti kami. Rasanya elok juga capture few points tadi untuk ingatan dan dikongsi bersama, tentang pentingnya nama.

Apa ada pada nama? Kan itu sekadar panggilan saja. Mungkin ada yang fikir begitu. Meleset sama sekali. Permulaan seseorang itu adalah pada namanya. Nama akan mempengaruhi perkembangan fizikal dan mental seseorang. Hebat bukan?

Pada permulaan episod, Dato Hassan Din berkongsi tentang sebuah hadis yang kurang lebih bermaksud begini:

"Nama yang mulia di sisi Allah swt ialah Abdullah dan Abdul Rahman. "

Abdul bermaksud hamba sementara Abdullah bermaksud hamba Allah. Hari ini, jarang sekali kita jumpa anak kecil bernama seperti atas di Malaysia. Kesedaran untuk memberi nama yang baik maknanya meluas, tidak ketinggalan juga yang gemar memberi nama berunsur glamour atau bunyi seperti mat salleh.

Selain Abdullah dan Abdul Rahman, nama yang disukai Allah swt ialah Muhammad, bermaksud yang terpuji.  Diriwayatkan bahawa, sekiranya seorang ayah mempunyai 3 anak lelaki dan tiada satu pun di antaranya bernama Muhammad, maka ayah tersebut adalah jahil. Satu ilmu baru buat saya hari ini. Padanlah dalam 3 orang adik beradik lelaki suami, ada seorang bernama Muhammad Ikhwan. Selebihnya Zulfadhli dan Amal Safwan. Barangkali ayah tahu tentang ini. Tapi ayah tak suarakan pada kami. Mungkin ayah yakin ada cucu lelaki lagi bakal menyusul nanti.

Beri nama yang baik satu. Sudah itu, perlulah juga dipanggil dengan nama yang baik. Ustaz kongsi, seorang yang hebat namanya sempana khalifah Abu Bakar tetapi dipanggil Burn. Rentung. Sempat berseloroh, jika masuk syurga insan ini, hairan penghuni syurga dibuatnya. Satu tamparan buat saya. Kami suami isteri punya nama 'manja' di rumah. Dan selalunya, dipanggil dengan nama itu. Walhal nama sebenar kami sungguh indah maknanya. Zulfadhli: yang mempunyai keistimewaan dan Nurhafiza: cahaya yang memelihara. Pernah sekali saya berbual dengan seorang staff berasal dari Sudan. Borak punya borak masuk bab keluarga. Lantas ditanya siapa nama suami dan anak. Mendengarkan jawapan saya, dia mengucap "Subhanallah, beautiful names. Beautiful family". Saya ingat ketika itu berkongsi dengannya, kalau ada anak lelaki nanti, mungkin akan namakan Salman Al-Farisi. Tapi lepas suami baca kisah Umar Abdul Aziz, teringin betul menamakan anak dalam kandungan saya ketika itu sebagai Umar.

Pada pengamatan saya, mereka yang punya nama lain biasanya mempunyai nama yang panjang. Saya sendiri mempunyai kesulitan menyebut nama sendiri ketika kecil. Nama Jaja itu saya sendiri yang panggil. Datang dari Za di hujung Nurhafiza. Melekat nama Jaja itu sampai beranak pinak. Mujur nama anak-anak berpangkalkan nama dua patah; Raudhah dan Umar. Tiada alasan untuk dipendekkan lagi. Cuma Raudhah, gemar bahasakan dirinya Ada. Insyaallah nanti dah pandai cakap eloklah tu.

Semoga anak-anak kita nanti besar menjadi insan berkeperibadian baik, mengambil berkat nama yang diberi. Insyaallah. Ayah dan ibu ambil ikhtibar daripada perkongsian ini. Alhamdulillah, berkesempatan tambah pengetahuan.

kepunyaan boyfriend suatu ketika dahulu :)

 

P/s: ada staff bernama Abdullah Aiman. Pandai ayahnya pilih. Suka pada nama, bukan orangnya. Harap maklum.

Money sense

The green note. Irony, the more we earn, the more we feel short of it. Insufficient, not enough. So what is the ideal salary do we need? Or it is something that WANTs out ruling the NEEDs?

I hate the fact how the green note influences how we live our life. With the factor of inflation, the value of money drops and resulted in higher cost of living. Oh my. This calls for proper planning and prudent spending especially when you have a family. Now that my family is bigger, I hope we could make do with the household income and live moderately happy if not lavish (kidding-on the lavish part).

$alary

Alhamdulillah. With both husband and wife working, the earning is sufficient. We made few expensive-big steps in 2011. These need fund. I hope to hear great news from the Management soon. And perhaps new salary scheme for the Armed Forces? We could use some extra notes!

$pending

The major spending is dedicated for the kids. The price of formulated milk is increasing day by day. Enfagrow A+ is now costs RM94 for a 1.7kg packing. Same goes to diaper. Even PetPet now costs RM34 per pack. All in all, a sum of RM1.5k is allocated for them beginning January 2012.

A new addition to our expenses is the house we bought. Inclusive renovation cost, the total price is RM200k++. The installment is significant. I wonder how on earth few friends of mine, with salary more or less at par, could afford buying RM450k and above houses. Wow. What a huge commitment! Something I don't feel worth doing. Cheapskate :p And don't see it as investment too. What's the point of it if I could not afford funding the loan. Take calculated risk, do financial standing analysis and decide; my philosophy.

Good news, no more hire purchase installment needed. Both cars are ours, debt free yippie!

Being the eldest in the family, I hope I can continue contributing to the parents. Looking at the current income, with the new house expenses, I can't afford to pay the installment of the parent's house anymore :( I could have if my promotion is on time. However, due to the downfall of my career in 2009, my promotion was delayed to 2013 :(  hopefully Allah murahkan rezeki untuk terus membalas budi baba and mama. I love them so much.

$avings/Investment

Insyaallah the salary deduction will be continued. It is the only way to save up, trust me. No such thing as kalau ada lebih nanti masuk tabung. Sheesh! Kalau ada lebih masuk tabung Mothercare ada la. We don't have a lot. Just sufficient to back up during emergencies.

Insurance for the kids-checked. Unit trust-checked. Monthly deduction-checked. Zakat-checked! And a few other investment products. But on top of all, I am glad that we have EPF. At least later after retirement, source of money is there :) hehe Account 2 has reduced, withdrawed due to the purchase of our-home-sweet-home. Alhamdulillah.

At the end of the month, no extra. Just enough to cover for the necessary. What went wrong? I don't think there is any. Being the eldest, we have commitment to the parents. What we gain, there should be a portion for them. I don't regret for not having to buy expensive clothes or live a lavish life like most of people at the towers do. Cause I believe that I spent portion of it to the right channel, my parents. Insyaallah berkat. And based on my experience, whenever emergency strikes, there is rezeki to drain it away. Berkat restu baba and mama. Alhamdulillah.

P/s: masih dalam mood belanjawan. Moga ada rezeki untuk isi perut rumah.

P/s2: pernah consult AKPK tentang pengurusan kewangan peribadi. 1) 10% of salary should go to savings 2) Benar, credit card is the culprit! Use it wisely. The quote "ukur baju di badan sendiri" says them all. That goes to you too, Jaja!