Ramblings Of A Beautiful Creation Called Woman

Thank you Zana for the sms that reads like this :

"A woman has strength that amazes men. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens. She holds happiness, love and opinions. She smiles when she feels like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying, cries when she's happy and laughs when she's afraid. Her love is unconditional! There's only one thing wrong with her, she sometimes forget what she's worth.."

It is somewhat invigorating - but at the same time made me feel sad - in a way. Dont we wish we WILL scream when we feel like it. And not smile.

That we will cry the moment the tears welled in our eyes instead of waiting when we are alone and then cry our hearts out in a secluded corner somewhere?

Or that we do feel conditional love; with every conceivable strings attached.

Dont we at times wish we are just as weak as a new born kitten and leave to fate to take care of everything.

Or wish that the jigsaw puzzle called LIFE would just fall neatly into its place..

I dont know about you - but I do.

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Living Life In The Slow Lane

I went over to the mall earlier. Got a couple of stuff at Jusco and then made my way slowly through the shops.

Body Shop doesnt have the marketing strategy to make me want to buy its night cream, eye cream or anti-aging cream although I was looking for something along that line..

Vincci bags and shoes looked uninspiring.

MPH has lots of beautiful magazines. Vogue says Reese has a new man, new life. Yeah, ok.. Mawi & Ikin berahsia menunggu hari bahagia. Whatever. Wan NorAzlin buang malu demi anak-anak. Good for her. Impiana? Next. Laman? I'll pass.

And books are aplenty here also. Devereaux? So dated. Sidney Sheldon? Been there. Judith McNaught? Done that. I picked up the book Duchess. It looked interesting - but I've sworn off novels for now. I'll keep that in mind instead. And those delicious ones by Dan Brown - I never finished his book - not even the Da Vinci Code.. Ok, let's run along now..

Poh Kong's bangles and rings designs seem all wrong. Its charmed bracelet couldnt charm a smile out of me..

And there is nothing at Guardian either.

What? Nothing interesting or anything to buy at the mall? That must be a first. I told my daughter it must be the age.

When I got home the smart guy said, cepat nya balik (it felt like rubbing salt on the wound). I blame the ultra sensitivity on age too.

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Books, Books And More Books Part 5

There is the thing about food binge; but book binge-ing?

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I did that I suppose when I finished this last night before sleep. The author also writes The Devil Wears Prada. I simply LOVE the movie and had watched that maybe 3 or 4 times.

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But nevertheless I think this particular book falls short of my expectations. It dwells too much on the characters instead of what's happening. Maybe in a movie that would be fab; exactly like in the devil and prada..

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I'm giving chick-lit and recreational reading a rest for a while now while I explore other recreations / non-recreational stuff..

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Not Really An Anti-Social

Not that I am a recluse - but I really like to sit at home all quiet and at peace.

But I love last night, we had company for raya and it was really nice. Thank you to you, you and you who had been so nice to come over to my place. It's not about food but company instead.

As I waved everyone off I told my husband - well those are the only people I want to invite for raya (but thinking about it again I do have other people I'd love to have over for raya also).

But my idea of raya do or any get-together has always been a small group of friends with common interests coming together for laughs, great conversation and of course bonding. I suppose that is what raya is all about anyway - bonding aka silaturrahim.

We must do something like this again (unfortunately there is no photo..)

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Books, Books And More Books Part 4

And no, I dont do this just to make Delinn jealous.

I picked up the book when I was down with the rashes. Of course I cant put it down once I've started - and had it finished within the day. And of course nothing else gets moving in the house while I read (but I dont presume anyone expects me to do anything - I am just not well.. ). Although I got dinner - we went to McD's drivethru!

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A nice book and I'd recommend it. But if you do read it, make sure you have lots of Kleenex ready beside you. You are definitely going to need them. Lots of them.

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Books, Books And More Books Part 3

Finished this a couple of weeks back; within the first few days of raya actually.

Being true to a promise I made to myself, I ignored the temptation of picking up any of my typical novel all through Ramadhan. Melalaikan.. So by Syawal I am like an addict looking for a fix. ha-ha.

As usual once I started I would never be able to put the book down till I closed the last page. Sigh. A pretty engrossing read actually. Read the book review here. This is her first book that I've read. And she has quite a few. So I guess there is a new author I could follow.

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Wishes May Just Come True

I wouldnt mind being a nurse if all my patients look like this everytime.. and yes, I do get distracted by a handsome face anytime.. (there's Brad and George and Richard..)

Anyway. Let's keep that story for another day.. There is one orang putih line that goes, be careful of what you wish - you might get more than what you have bargained for. I guess that came true for me..

I wanted to stay home and memerap last weekend. I just didnt feel up to socializing and be nice and make small talks. I avoided all raya invitations except the one on Fri evening at a neighbor's - I HAD to do that. And the other at my sister's place in Bangi - it was raya makan2 with some family discussions, so I HAD to do that also. The few others I had declined much earlier citing prior engagements..

Past midnight Sat I knew something was wrong. I had measles-like rashes and my God, arent they scratchy. Cant sleep. So we went to see the doctor. Allergies - as we had expected. Must have been something I ate. Went home, took a couple of the tablets and dozed right off.

Sat I did the Bangi do. Had to (although I did parade the rashes on my arms - meraih simpati from my sisters..).

I dozed on and off on Sun. I didnt sleep till morning on Mon. The tablets didnt work although I took extra (can I / should I have done that?) The rashes were bad. I felt like I was lying and thrashing on a bed of lalang.

So went to see my fave doctors today (whose clinic isnt open after 10pm on any day) and told her my woeful rashes tale. She gave me more ubat with strict instructions. Yang ni lebih kuat she said. And she gave me a couple of days to recover too. I wonder if yippee is the right response at this time; considering my scratchy red arms and legs..

So the moral of the story is yes, be careful of what you wish for. I had to memerap for the last 2 days like it or not. And had only ubat for company. Aint the mighty have fallen..

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She Did What?!!

So here I am blogging and reading cute posts on the blogs and then suddenly -- screeeech, crash, kaboom !! - what the..?


You had access control on your blog (yes you - you know who you are!) & you dont include me in your invitee list??

(.. thinking .. thinking some more..)

Well, maybe I had posted some bad comments once. Or twice. Seriously? You mean there were more? Ooopss..

And maybe sometimes I read but I dont post anything. I mean what do I know about geng reban ayam (..? err .. is that something like geng bas sekolah on tv? ) or whatever vibrations - ooohh - the gegar functions you have. Or even about deo.

But I demand that you put my name in that list now. That's it. Thank you. You take care now. Bye-bye then.

(& I'll be checking on the progress of this..)

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Dull, Dull, Dull

I was going to moan about how bad traffic had been all through this week. Both mornings and evenings. It had rained every evening which of course affected the traffic in the city. I wouldnt want to complain about the torrential rain - itu rezeki.

Maybe I should move to Sintok or Changlun or Ko'diang or kawasan yang sama waktu dengan nya - then the sky can open up and pour water down but it wouldnt affect traffic all that much - would it, girls-in-Changlun-Sintok-Ko'diang? (Macam London-Paris-NY gitu. Or almost)

But who wants to read about the traffic anyway? So I decided not to write about that (although I have already said all I wanted to say on the subject anyway.. )

And since my life is so dull, I dont have anything else to write about either. So, cheerio everyone - until things brighten up a bit around here / me.

... I wonder if I should stay home or go out and meet people this weekend, starting from tonight. We have invitation for raya this evening - and of course tomorrow and Sun (now where is that coin.. heads I will go out and mingle a bit, tails I will stay put at home..)

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Yeah, Blackmail Works Too

I dont know about you, but when I was a kid and then did or say something out of line, my mum would give me an earful about it. Then she'd go on about the next thing that comes to her mind and then the next and the next..

And so growing up I convinced myself one way or another that lecturing is not the way to make the children behave (although I do behave despite - or inspite - of the lectures; it's just that fun is taken out of the whole process..) And I dont know what is the 'correct' way of instilling disciplines (if there is a correct way anyway..) I suppose it is personal parenting style.

Case study :
Last raya I hunted high and low for a suitable shirt for my son. I asked the abangs to get one for him but they didnt. I went to Metro but didnt find it. I went to Studio R, didnt find it either. I went to Nike, Adidas. Zip. I went to Jusco - and finally found something that looked quite decent. I pondered until Iman said mama let's just get it. And we did - finally. (And I must emphasis that I am not that choosy over boys' clothes - ever)

On hari raya my son wore something else - I asked him why isnt he wearing the shirt I had bought? He said it is black, it is a hot day, I dont like black, and mumbled other things I dont remember.. I said yang, do you know what I went through to get that shirt for you? & I told him. Lastly I said, tak nak pakai baju tu pun tak pe - mama masih doa bahagia dunia & akhirat (the drama queen that I am..)

My son laughed but fetched the shirt and put it on anyway despite it being black, it is a hot day and he didnt like black... blah..blah..

I suppose if there would be names to the styles of parenting, mine would definitely be emotional blackmail..

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Emotional Blackmail, Maybe?

So the final exams are almost here. Eirfan has many extra classes by the tuition teacher to polish things up. What a blessing actually as I do not think he does enough revision on his own.

Last Fri he asked if he could play the games on PC (which means he will be playing games on the internet.) I sometimes wish his abang will take that fast and furious PC back to college. Being a design student at college he needs that kind of performance on the PC but when at home, I find it is just a nuisance because all the adiks love it. Especially so Eirfan as it means playing games is such a delight. His eyes would be glued on the screen and he will not even twitch on the chair for hours.

I lost my temper Sun evening because he played all through the weekend and had forgotten about his homework. He had tuition that evening till 10 and only started his homework after that. Wouldnt you be losing your temper too?

So when I scolded him, he had tears trickling the corner of his eyes (dia anak bongsu.. He always insist he wasnt crying when this happens, air mata je keluar he said. Duh..)

I complained to his father - he didnt do his homework till Sun night, I get mad, I scolded him, he cried then I felt guilty over the whole thing - where are my rights?!! He laughed.

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Celebrating Raya

And I am sort of like in a I-am-not-going-to-lift-my-little-finger-to-do-anything mood today.

The children had some (ah well maybe 40 or so) friends over for raya makan-makan yesterday evening. So I had been cooking and was busy all day yesterday.

I had planned to start everything very early. I had gone and do the shopping on Fri evening; but the shelves were almost empty and the stuff I was looking for are all gone or have wilted beyond recognition. So I had to visit pasar tani after all.

Later that evening my brother told me that he'll be taking my mum home a little later than planned so I could visit with mum before he leaves (I told him I would if he werent going at an ungodly pre-dawn hours). Humph.. but a promise is a promise and anyhow I like to try to be a bit more conscientious where mum is concerned.

After the pasar and that trip to Cheras it was almost noon by the time I started on the food preparation (tapi nak masak macam-macam..); despite planning on starting early. Talk about Murphy's Law..

But anyhow by the time the kids arrived in the evening, things are actually done. The pizzas were ready to go into the oven, the laksa and curry mee were served. Ketupat, lemang, nasi impit, kuah kacang and rendang were nicely arranged together. The brownies were waiting to be iced and fruits are nicely cooling in the fridge.

Ilyas had managed to get a few additional tables (from the surau! How resourceful..) And the drizzle that came down steadily all afternoon did finally let off at Maghrib. Alhamdulillah.

I went upstairs at 11 (it had been a long day for a makcik with muscle spasms like me) after making sure that the children have enough to eat and that the rush for food is finally over. They were sitting drinking and talking instead of gobbling down food.

When I came down this morning, the dishes were drying, the counters clean, the chairs nicely stacked. I asked my husband if he were responsible for all that (he came back late after teh tarik session last night). He said no, when he came back all things were done.

... & I thought I have really nice children and that I really had trained them well... ha-ha.

So today here I am browsing through my magazine, blogging, watching tv.. not lifting much of anything at all.

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An Oozy Chocolate Evening

And I could be sooo terrible sometimes.

While I was sitting in the office yesterday I felt this compulsive need to have some chocolate cake oozing with luscious chocolate sauce.. (I was fasting actually).

After dinner I gathered all the cake ingredients and since I didnt have any cream, I begged someone who was kind enough to get me the stuff. Later on I discovered I was out of eggs too. Humph.. With a stern warning, I will not go to the shops again after this, the kind man went on his way again to get the eggs.

By the time the cake was taken out of the oven it was already half past ten. I had baked the cake in a fluted baking tin. I flipped the cake over and then the fluted cake became - not : it broke into 2 big chunks (that's what I get for being impatient, I should have waited for it to cool down some more).

I cut the - disreputable - cake into chunks and generously dribble the chocolate sauce over it. Yum. It was rich and creamy and the cake was light and still warm.

But.. I think when my niece made the same cake it tasted nicer (maybe beause it had looked nicer and more presentable too!)

It was late, I didt get any photos of the cake but you can get the recipe here..

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One For The Kids

And there are times that I would ask myself, what were you thinking? (or better yet, why werent you thinking?)

I followed a friend to a bakery supplies warehouse yesterday as she wanted to get some stuff. On a whim I told her I'll take a box of the pizza base for myself.

I took the BIG box home and put it in front of my open fridge and then paused. Now how would I fit all that stuff in there? Too late to start thinking now.. because by hook or by crook they all need to fit inside. And after a lot of rearranging, they all finally did fit in nicely, though tightly.

I counted and I actually have 17 pizzas in there. Large pizzas, mind you.

My son had told me his friends had asked when they can come over for raya. Last year we had a makan2 for them and served pizza with the more traditional dishes. This year they are asking for the same stuff. I dont mind cooking for the kids, kesian raya2 ni kampung entah mana-mana. Balik raya pun sekejap je.

So I suppose it is destiny that I will be hosting a raya feast for a big bunch of college kids this weekend..

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Inspiration Vs Mum-thing

And while browsing on the net and reading other blogs I got to thinking I am such a dull person..

I write about nothing but things that happen within my own window of life.. I'd like to swap that tiny window with a great portal and provide insight and inspiration to - well, anything and everything - which comes to mind about somebody and everybody and in the end nobody - generalisation never work. That I have found out since eons ago.

If you are confused about this then good. Because so am I.

I need to get to the kitchen; we are having soto for the visitors today.. (see ? back to the same old me..) Inspiration and the world will just have to take the backseat. I need to go cook and get the laundry done. lol.

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This Is Eid

I suppose it is not too late to wish everyone a joyful eid on the 4th of Syawal.

We survived the 3 days seeing, meeting everyone - except my sister who is celebrating eid at her own place, my brother who went back to Johor, the other sister (I never found out what happened to her actually) and a couple of aunt/uncle.

Raya in Bangi wasnt too bad after all. The table creaked with the weight of food that everyone brought for the potluck. My mum seemed happy enough (which is all that matters) although she didnt celebrate raya at her own place. Thanks to my sister; things are never dull when she takes charge.

Raya at the in-laws wasnt that bad either (can you believe that coming from me..?) We are never short of visitors. But I did bring a book to read (just in case things get a little bit too rough..)

And we were surprised to see traffic was quite heavy heading back towards the city yesterday evening. Nevertheless the flow was alright, thank god for the newly completed third lane all the way from Slim River. We stopped at the R&R for prayers - it was full of people; but I am somewhat blessed - the toilets are decently clean.. (unmaintained toilets is one of my many many many pet peeves..)

But on the 4th day of Syawal I am thinking if Ramadhan has actually left the desired impact on me. Have I changed in any subtle way if not drastically?

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