My New Book

Once I had my heart set on something...I have to get it!

I watch Oprah on TV last month, and she was talking to comedian Steve Harvey ...I didn't know that this guy actually writes books! I mean, I know him only as a funny guy...What I didn't know that he has a radio program which attracts 7 million listeners every morning in Chicago ..! People call in for advice..from a guy's point of view....You know, a person who can give advice and be funny at the same time is the best person to talk to! He knows when to be funny and when to actually advice you especially on relationships.

As usual, I ordered the book online from Kunikoniya (I hope I got the spelling right!)...The price is ...let's just say you can buy a week's grocery with that amount (considering my household headcounts!)...


I 've only read half way through, though...and yet, I have learnt quite a lot about - not only what actually lingers in a man's mind - but also their expectations and how they show their love (believe me girl, it's nothing like how we show our love)....


I recommend to those women who is always searching for answers esp when it comes to the man you love...or just buy it for easy reading...Steve really knows how to make you laugh..hehe...

I am so ready to.......

I think I am so ready to "pop"!!...My body aches everywhere especially bottom down!!!! I have put on weight like crazy....and my Doc said maybe it's the water retention ...(yeah right!!)...

I cannot imagine being pregnant again after this...I love babies, though...but I just can't take the pain, the weakness in body, the mood swings anymore!

So just hope everything is gonna fine...I am due next January...(24th)..

Oh,yes..for those who didn't have the chance to visit my Facebook...here is my baby's first "pose" from inside my tummy!hehe..this was taken at 6 months ++ I think...Now I am 8 months plus preggy....

(Just being a proud, over reacting mommy...)

Salam...

Mak aii...lamanya tak berblogging...too busy with..with ...life...I guess!

So many things had happened since I last logged in.

In August my 3 year old son, Kimi, was admitted to Hospital Penawar on August 12. Operation tonsil. Sian dia. Imagine a 3 year old had to endure the pain before, during and after operation. First he had to fast about 8 hours. Ya Allah, tak tahan aku dengar dia menjerit mintak susu, tapi tak boleh bagi!!! Then, kena bius sebelum operation...I saw his eyes before he 'knocked out'...sedih giler tengok anak aku kena lalui semua tu. Then after the operation..bayangkan lah kesakitan dia... ( I hope I'll never have to go thru that experience again... )...

At work, I am bossless again (macam dah biasa pulak ngan keadaan). Tapi yg aku bengang tu, ada yg tanya...u buat apa ek, boss tak de? Aku jawab "buat bodoh je lah". As if, the absence of my boss is my fault. Lagipun, although he's in our Corporate Office in KL, he still gives me work. Yelah, zaman sains dan teknologi, multi media apa ke ntah...Masa ni lah nak guna sepenuhnya, ye tak????

And......For those yang tak tau...

I am pregnant (again) with my 5th! Yup! Believe it....At my age, risau jugak mula-mula nya..tapi I am blessed with friends and family who are very supportive. My hubby said "mesti ada hikmahnya Allah nak bagi"...My friends sume happy for me...And my doctors (my gynae and my cardio specialist)...are being so supportive and feed nothing to my brain other than positive words. Phewwwww! I really need that...Tau la aku ni, suka pikir bukan2...(born with it la ni)...ish...

Oh, yes...dah 6 bulan dah pun...It's gonna be another boy for us...hehe..4 boys and 1 girl je. But right now, my concern is the health of my baby...Korang doa2 kan aku, ek...

Alhamdulillah, tak de major problems during this pregnancy...tapi cuma terasa berat sungguh badan...yelah, dulu 52 kg. Sekarang dah 60 kg...tolongggg!!

Satu lagi, nak pilih nama. My husband nak gak nama start ngan "Ha"..Dah ada Haziq, Hafizy and Haqimi. Pening kepala aku mencari dlm buku and in the net...Korang ada suggestion maksud nama yg baik-baik tak?

OK. GTG. I will try update my blog every now and then ek...

Till then...tata...

Bila Politeknik Johor Bahru kena kuarantin

Abih semua students balik semalam bila keluar surat rasmi mengatakan Politeknik Johor Bahru had been quarantined...70 plus students were suspected with H1N1.

Lagi best, my husband aka..the warden sent 6 students the night before to Hospital Sultan Ismail. He came back around 2 am and told me the hospital had screened the students and they were released. He dare not enter the Innova this morning knowing the virus could still be in the the car! Hehehe...(kelakar pulak)...

The next morning 2 buses of students were sent to the hospital! All have the symptoms of H1N1...

And what about me? We are staying in the hostel of Infotech 2 (the warden quarters laa)...Hmm. So far I am fine, Alhamdulillah. Only my son is having fever at the moment and we have to be wary. My company told me not to come to work today. Well, I am not having fun, though...quarantine is still a quarantine...we are supposed to stay put...Kinda of boring staying at home...but I do not want to be the culprit incase the flu spreads in MMHE. Tak pasal2 pulak famous for a bad reason...tak mao!

Well, I do not know until when this quarantine applies to me (one week for students and staff of Politeknik)...As for me, I'm fine..and if the company thinks it's ok for me to go to work...by all means....I'll be back...very soon!

till then...chow chin chow...

Gossip

My single-mum friend told me that she got a lot of attention from men since being single (duhh!! what's new??). She is young, good looking and has her own career.

But what disturb me a bit is, most of her admirers are married man! I mean...among them are married like over 20 years...Are they bored? Are they trying to 'spice up' their lives?Are they into some kind of a long term relationship or just having fun?

I told my friend not to give them hope or even a hint that she's interested in them. Men are men...they try and have got nothin' to lose...And as always, the victims is alway the woman! ...Correct me if I'm wrong...

So be careful, we may be weak physically...but inside - - we are stronger!

PS: (Aku doa laki aku tak la miang bila dah tua-tua...buruk betul kalau jantan miang bila dah tua...eee...)

Transformers

I "hate" Megan Fox!!! That face, that body....I hope they're fake! Grrrr.....!!!

(Do you smell jealousy..???)

I'm out of ideas....my brain seems to be blocked from...err...thinking, creating, wanting....I just want to lay back and enjoy whatever moment that is left to enjoy...before "the" hormone starts kickin' again!!!

Hello people!...Transformer is the "thing" at the moment....Book your tickets early next time!! (We got our tickets 3 days earlier...Are we smarter than these people, or what??? ha ..ha...ha!)

Popcorn!

Can I have three of these...??

What's Cooking??

Hi, guys...It's been quite some time since I last logged in...The thing about blogging is...you really have to have the time and mood to keep updating your blog...(rightttt..??)...

This week we baked a cheese cake...and fried some shell pasta for dinner (well, tired of eating rice all the time...this sounds good)...

The process of baking a cheese cake is quite tedious...So, it's my husband's job to do it...we just help with whatever we could...

Fried shell pasta....

Preparing the base of the cheese cake with crackers crumb

The base of the cheese cake

Preparing the batter....

Almost done.....

The final process before baking....

The aroma is unbelievable...yummmmm.....

Want some...???

Tomorrow we are going to the movies....Transformer 2 at Jusco Tebrau City...Till then...adios...!!

Let's walk down memory lane......

First, I want to thank my husband for his 'effort' in scanning all these pics:)))...

Ok, enough of the 'grandmother's story'...let's just enjoy the pics which were taken between 1994 - 1997 in Columbus OHIO....

Graduation 1997 - Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

On our way back to Malaysia - Disneyland, Los Angeles, California...1997

Our last spring in Ohio 1997

Apple Picking 1997

Picture taken at Factory Outlet, OH

First Snow in OHIO

More pics to come :)))...

Nak dengar cerita takk..?

Eish..entahlah...rasa tak tenteram lately ni..mood dah go haywire! My brain cells are going crazy...

Macam-macam aku pikir..Aku kan jenis suka memikirkan benda tak sepatutnya....I just can't help it..Dah born with it kot....Aku tengok mak aku pun serupa...Well, dah anak dia...it's in my genes!

First of all, I want to say goodbye to my cousin Farah, the newly-wed (I posted her wedding pics in my previous post). She is going to Columbus OHIO next weekend to work ... I mean, Petronas Research is sending her to work on some research, I guess, for two years....Sian dia...baru kahwin dah kena pisah ngan husband...Sian Lukman. Yelah, Petronas bukan keje gomen yg boleh ambik cuti tanpa gaji bertahun-tahun nak ikut suami/isteri. This is the sacrifice they'll have to make lah kan...Tak pe, 2 tahun kejap je...

I am happy for her.....lagipun I stayed 3 years in Columbus from 1994 - 1997....The most wonderful experience in my life is during those 3 years....Seronok tau duduk negara orang. Columbus is a peaceful place. We lived around Ohio State University campus area...Less crime....nice place to raise a family. My husband and I did part time work. I worked at the Ohio State University Child Care Center for 2 years (I always think about those babies I cared for...they are all in their teens now:))...Then, I joined Fawcett Center (ni kira macam hotel kat UiTM)...Lagi best kerja sini. Pepagi buta aku bukak kiosk for buffet breakfast. Aku sorang je tau. Pakai tudung kemas-kemas, pakai kemeja putih lengan panjang (with black bow), seluar hitam and smiled....Dapat banyak tips dari hotel guest...Sayang aku tak ambik gambor...Yelah, sape nak ambik gambor aku? Anak2 aku, yg sulong and 2nd duduk rumah ngan abah dia. Bila aku abih keje pukul 10 pagi, balik rumah..then it's my husband turn to go to work/classes...Sempat lah kami gi Disneyworld, Orlando....Chicago and few other places around Ohio...Then bila balik Malaysia...singgah Los Angeles for 3 days....Merendek lagi...hehe...Hmm..ntah ada ke lagi chance nak gi US...

Satu lagi aku suka shopping kat sana...Ngan duit part time yg tak seberapa tu pun boleh beli barang branded yg ter amatttt le murah...Especially kat Factory Outlet...Ya Allah...boleh giler kalau korang pergi...Sume jenis jenama ada....Dia org mana ada ciplak macam kita...nak mampus kena saman??? Aku suka cara American ni berfikir...Kita org Malaysia ketinggalan berpuluhan tahun dari segala segi...Yelah, kat sana pun ada yang hampeh macam kita kat sini...Tapi mostly are very nice especially bila kita tinggal di kawasan kampus...People come from all over the world. Ohio State Univeristy is the biggest U in the USA (masa tu...skg pun masih kot). Cara dia org ni hormat wanita, orang tua2 dan kanak-kanak. Cara tatatertib di jalan raya...At least I can see all these positive awareness in Columbus....Rinduuu sangat.....Khaleeda pun born kat sana...tak de bezanya layanan masa kat hospital walaupun aku org Asia....Harap2 dapat le bawak anak2 aku pergi sana satu hari nanti...kalau ada rezeki...Insyaallah.....

So, bila my cousin akan stay there for 2 years...I am so happy for her...she'll be ok...walaupun tetap le rindu husband tercinta....We'll miss her too...Jangan lupa hantar gambar banyak2...Am sure dah banyak perubahan kat sana....eeeeeeeeeeee....nak pergi, nak pergi!!!

Saje nak cerita pasal pengalaman paling indah in my life. Dapat mengubatkan tensen dan serabut kat otak ni...Tambah pulak CPD kena pindah KL...Aku suka keje ngan my boss yg pendiam dan tak banyak kerenah tu...Kawan2 pun ok...Tapi aku tak leh lah duduk KL...Kalaulah company transfer aku ke Dept yg memeningkan, membosankan...satu hal le pulak..Aku pulak jenis family dulu....Kalau kena stay back sampai memalam...memang aku tak sanggup!!

Eeeeeeeee.....serabut seyyy...

Aku serahkan pada Allah SWT jelah..tu je yg aku boleh buat....In the meantime, baik aku pikir perkara/kisah yang indah-indah je...kalau tak...hmm..naik lagi darah aku yg memang dah naik ni...

More Food...

Mushroom Soup with 'betik muda' (young papaya(?))

Please forgive the low quality picture...I blame myself for forgetting to turn on the oven light!

Menu on Saturday was:

Breakfast - Fried Rice

Lunch - Rice Porridge (with fried anchovies and fish)....Didn't feel like eating rice or anything 'heavy'...The porridge was a perfect choice!

Dinner - Roast Chicken and Mushroom Soup.(As pictured above).

I roasted a chicken in the oven for the first time. Marinated a medium-sized whole chicken for 4 hours and roasted it until golden brown...or was it dark brown??

Hey, nothing beats a home-cooked meal ...(You don't have to be a chef to prepare a great, simple meal for the family....:)

Old pics...hehe

Sebenarnya ada aku post gambar aku di ‘zaman jahiliah’ dulu..Aku bila tengok je gambar tu, sure tergelak besor…It was in the 80s. I was in my teens! Sabor jelah…dengan lengan baju kurung berlapis-lapis tu…Huyooo…zaman tu memang trend! Haha…Rambut ku ala-ala Zaiton Sameon lak aku tengok..wakakakaka! Tapi yg paling tak tahan – my eyeliner! Tapi I have taken out the pic from this post ...because ...rasa bersalah...sebab nampak aurat (guilty as charged!). So sesape yg sempat tengok...kira rezeki lah!!!

Zaman tu, me without the eyeliner (setebal mungkin) is like ice-cream cone without the ice-cream!!!LOL!

I remembered using double-layered eyeliner –first the pencil type from Revlon, then the liquid type also from Revlon…Dah rupe orang pakai spek je pulak…haha… Masa tu konon cun giler laa….Those days, I will never ever go out without my eye-liner (and my clothes, of course....LOL!)…

The picture was taken at my friend’s birthday party (in Keramat, Kuala Lumpur). I was 18 or 19 years old. Yang tak larat lagi tu, ada ka husband aku gi tampal gambar ni kat opis dia! My husband actually stick this particular photo on the wall by his office table…Daaahhh..sume orang tanya betul ke itu gambar aku? Of course, don’t compare me now with this pic…!

Then, these two photos of my husband when he was in the USA 1993 – 1997. He was around 26 years old. Perasan pulak dia bila tengok gambar ni “hensem jugak I ek..” E’eleh…sabo jelah…Aku kata terimalah hakikat nya sekarang dah tak macam tu…haha…(kalau ada yg terpikat pun ...hmm...ini gambor lama daaaaa....)!

Winter in Columbus, OHIO, USA

Fall Season...

Those were the days…I am posting this pics for old time sake…Dengan kekalutan hidup kat ofis dan di luar nun..sesekali teringat kisah zaman dulu, hehe..best gak..I'll find more pics..so ..tungguuuu...

Hai...

Lamanya tak update blog...dah tak idea lately nih...

Tapi macam2 berlaku...

Dan yg menghairankan aku boleh terima dengan redha...syukur Alhamdulillah...selama ni aku dipertemukan dengan sahabat-sahabat yg berpegang kuat dengan ajaran Islam dan di kalangan orang-orang yang berfikiran positif. Sedikit sebanyak, kena gak tempiasnya....syukur sekali lagi...

Ingat:

Segala nya adalah ketentuan Allah SWT. Dia yg Maha Mengetahui...Rezeki atau bukan hak kita - semua adalah di atas kehendakNya.

I will keep you guys posted....

Time to watch movies...on TV!

I spent the whole weekend at home, recuperating….craving for something, then forced myself to cook and ended up eating just a little.

Pelik, tak de selera tapi teringin nak makan itu ini…lepas masak (yes, I even baked a butter cake with some dates) makan sikit je…

A slice of my butter cake with dates....

I just lazed around the house and got some rest/sleep and even had the chance to watch movies on HBO! Yes, at last…this golden moment of watch-all-the-movies you can!

First it was The Bird – Land’s End on Star Movie. Not bad ..I like the scenery…an island, a house by the beach…one happy American family…and yes, here comes the thriller….killer birds..which attacked and killed humans! Yikes!…Oh, well ..not that scary but it was ..like I said..not bad for family viewing…

Then, on HBO I got to watch Philadelphia (again). I remember watching this movie on VHS…years ago… Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington are just two brilliant actors which made this movie worth every seconds of my full concentration (like…for the 6 or 7^th times)! This movie is already 16 years old and I recommend to those who love drama (and hate action/kungfu movies)… Tom Hanks won the 1993 Academy Award for Best Actor (in this movie he played Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer who was fired because he had AIDS). Again 1994 Academy Awards, he won the Best Actor for his character in Forrest Gump. I just love this guy…he’s a true talent…what can I say….

On Sunday, I watched The Beach…..the one which has Leo DiCaprio in it. I didn’t have the chance to watch it until that day! Good movie…the rave about this movie is actually worth the trip to the cinema ((I mean if you’re living in year 2000!)…I am so ‘ketinggalan zaman’…

Then I realized, I was a frequent movie-watcher (on VHS/VCD)…..as the years go by and as my responsibilities demand ¾ of my life….there goes my favorite hobby which I think help me get connected with the world outside my home for many years….(sigh!)

More food....

Since I wasn't feeling really well ... my hubby decided to cook on Thursday. I came back from work that day, and there he was in the kitchen preparing for dinner..(awwww..that's so sweettt...).... And this was what we had for dinner....Lamb Chop...

And on Saturday I feel like eating fish curry....I peeked into my freezer and found two pieces of 'ikan tenggiri' that had been in there forever...

Fish curry

"White Carrot" Soup

"Pappedum"

Nothing compares to a home-cooked meal especially when you're not feeling well...burp! (My throat still sore and my body still ache..but at least I can satisfy my tastebud..)

Demam la pulak..

I was working as usual on Tuesday although I was not feeling well. (Yelah, konon nak jaga tak nak MC banyak-banyak)..But I felt worse before lunch and since I had an appointment with Dr Ibrahim Abdullah at Hospital Penawar for my blood pressure, I decided to wait till after lunch.

After my check up, Dr Ibrahim asked whether I would like to be hospitalised and I said 'no'. He said he had few cases of Dengue and Chikunguya fever recently.I promised him, if I do not feel better after a few days, then I will 'volunteerily hospitalised" myself (haha..). He gave me two days medical leave and told me rest..really rest at home.

I do feel better today although I have not fully recovered. Tak sedap hati pulak boss ada kat ofis, and I cuti lama-lama...Tapi...haa..tapi...selama ni I dok jaga tak nak ambik MC banyak-banyak..tak appreciate pun??? (err..kalau org HR baca ni...jgn la btau my boss ek..nanti I kena transfer ke dept jin bertendang pulak)..hihihi...

Satu lagi nak share, accordingg to Dr Ibrahim..the swine flu is so dangerous because the virus will damage the human lungs and eventually causes death..Nauzubillah...So, be careful and take care of yourselves.

Penyakit sekarang ni dah canggih. Even nyamuk aedes pun dah jenis species canggih zaman sekarang ni. Allah SWt turunkan bala, supaya manusia sedar siapa yang lebih berkuasa...All those advance technologies can never ever challege the power of the Almighty

Allah turunkan penyakit untuk menghapuskan dosa..kena redha...dan kita kena usaha mencari penawarnya..Dan kata Dato' Dr Fadzilah Kamsah...memang semua penyakit ada ubatnya tetapi kadang-kadang kita yg tak jumpa...

Well, I have to log of now...Hope to be back on my feet again...(tomorrow)!!

Happy Mother's Day

I received this email from a friend, wishing me a Happy Mother's Day ...

I was overwhelmed with emotions when reading this, not only because I'm a mom, but also because I'm a daughter..All those words and the things I've done to hurt the most special woman in my life...Nothing in this world can compare to her unconditional love ..nothing!No matter what, she's always been there...But still, we children could never understand her emotions, her way of showing how much we mean to her...

To my mom, Norma bt. Khalid....I wish you A VERY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY....Again...and again..... I thank you ...for everything......

Love: Ija...

SELAMAT HARI IBU!

Kita semua adalah anak. Dilahirkan oleh ibu selepas berbulan mengandungkan kita dengan segala susah payah. Sesungguhnya kita sangat terhutang budi dengan bonda yang melahir dan membesarkan kita. Al Quran sendiri menjelaskan betapa tingginya penghormatan dan kebaikan yang wajib dilakukan oleh seorang anak kepada ibu bapanya. Allah berfirman:

“Dan telah kami perintahkan kepadamu, Janganlah sekali-kali menyembah selainku dan berbuat baiklah kamu kepada kedua orang tuamu. Sama ada kedua ibu bapamu atau salah seorang daripada mereka sudah lanjut usia, janganlah kamu mengatakan kepada mereka walaupun pun perkataan ‘uhh’, dan janganlah sekali-kali kamu meninggikan suara kepada mereka, dan bercakaplah dengan mereka dengan ucapan-ucapan yang mulia. Dan Hendaklah kamu sentiasa merendahkan diri di hadapan mereka dan berdoalah: Wahai Tuhanku, kasihanilah kedua-dua mereka sepertimana jerit perih mereka membesarkan kami sedari kecil” (al Isra’: 23-24)

Cinta Tak Berpenghujung Sungguh jasa bonda tak dapat dibalas. Mengandungkan kita berbulan-bulan lamanya, bertarung antara hidup dan mati ketika melahirkan kita ke dunia. Masih ingatkah kita, bagaimana kesabaran ibu kita melayan karenah dan segala ragam kita sewaktu kecil, bersengkang mata hingga ke pagi ketika kita demam dan sakit, menyedia sarapan untuk kita sebelum ke sekolah… Banyak sungguh jasa ibu… banyak yang sudah kita terlupa… Masih ingatkah kita doa ibu di penghujung solat mendoakan kejayaan kita anak yang dikasihinya, tangis syukur yang tumpah dari kelopak mata ibu sewaktu kita menggenggam ijazah. Ibu kita mungkin buta huruf dan tidak bersekolah tetapi mata hatinya celik, ingin melihat masa depan anaknya cerah, secerah mata hatinya.

KASIH IBU SANGAT LUAR BIASA; kasih tanpa syarat, cinta yang tak berpenghujung… Highway ke Syurga Rasulullah bersabda: “sangat rugilah, sangat rugilah, sangat rugilah, mereka yang masih memiliki ibu bapa atau salah seorang daripada mereka patah lagi yang sudah lanjut usia, sedangkan anak-anak tersebut dicampakkan ke dalam neraka” (riwayat Muslim). Hadith ini menjelaskan mentaati dan menyantuni ibu bapa apatah lagi yang sudah tua adalah antara jalan yang mudah untuk menikmati syurga.

Bahkan ganjaran lebih besar buat anak yang melayani ibu dan bapanya yang sudah tua sehinggakan Rasulullah menyebutkan betapa rugi dan malangnya seorang anak yang masih mempunyai ibu dan ayah sedangkan si anak tersebut tidak memperolehi syurga kerana mengabaikan kedua orang tuanya. Antara tanggungjawab seorang anak terhadap ibu bapanya termasuklah menyediakan makan dan minum serta kelengkapan hidup mereka sekiranya mereka tidak mampu, taat dan patuh kepada perintah mereka, sentiasa memohon maaf di atas segala kesalahan dan kealpaan dan sentiasa mendoakan keampunan untuk mereka dan kesejahteraan mereka di dunia dan di akhirat. Memang kita sibuk, kerja banyak, masa tak cukup dan bermacam-macam lagi alasan, namun sementara mereka masih hidup, janganlah bertangguh untuk mendapat ganjaran besar yang disediakan.

Ingatlah, Allah Maha Adil, sekiranya kita menghormati dan mentaati kedua ibubapa, maka kita juga akan dihormati dan di taati oleh anak-anak kita kelak dan begitulah sebaliknya. Kejayaan dan keberkatan hidup banyak bergantung kepada restu ibu dan ayah…

To Kuala Lumpur...

Hmm...I went to KL on the 1st - 3rd May 2009. Again, attended a wedding (kali ni menghantar my cousin ke rumah sebelah pengantin lelaki)...Buat kat Dewan Kastam di Kelana Jaya. My cousin Farah was wearing the Aceh bride costume..hehe..cute je nampak...rasa nak cubit-cubit..wakakaka!

It's time to cut the wedding/groom's birthday cake...2-in-1!

Say cheese!!!...Waaaa..so happy lovey-dovey...hehe

Then, I got the chance to stroll around JTAR area....bought myself and my daughter a few kain ela for Raya. Luckily my sons and husband decided to go somewhere else as they are not really into textile shopping!


At Sogo, while waiting for him to pick us up..there I was being hypnotized by the Estee Lauder sales girl and end up with these............! (I hate myself for being so ...WEAK!!!!..Arghhhhhhhhh!!!)

Sesekali balik kampung...

Aduh…masih sakit-sakit badan ku ini. 7 jam traveling from Ipoh to JB by bus…no kidding, man! Especially when there’s a three year old on board! Overall, Haqimi behaved well on the bus. And of course, he had his moments…at one time he even sang his favourite song (the one by Bunkface)…Imagine bus full of sleepy people, and there’s a cute small voice singing on top of his lungs!...

But it’s all worth it. I’m glad that I could make it to my cousin’s wedding. The wedding is as lovely as the newly-wed and oh, yes…Congratulations to both of them. May your life fill with happiness 24/7.

I love this pic...heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....

I also got the chance to meet up with a long lost friend from school, Zarina. My daughter Khaleeda was admiring her from head to toe. She is as lovely as ever and yes, we got to see the Louis Vuitton handbag that she carried ....Hmm…cantik nya....padanlah dengan harganya yg beribu-ribu…

Antara yang seronok bila balik Ipoh ni, got to hear people talking with Perak accent. Masa nak naik teksi dari bas stand to my mom’s, I asked the driver “Pergi Taman Meru berapa?”..He replied “Lima beleh (belas)”…I said to myself…"Dah lamaa tak dengar slang Perak”..hehe…

Then, there’s the akad nikah on Saturday nite and the reception at Carsem Hall the next day. I was so happy to see almost everyone I know at the wedding…My aunts, uncles and other relatives…Seronok!!!!

My children and my cousins

Hmm…ni yang maleh balik Ipoh ni..you know why? Bila balik sana, maleh giler nak balik JB..Help!!

At least dapat jugak mengubat hati yg luka di saat boss bagi rating…This one is a whole different story altogether (sigh!)

When my brother wrote an email.....

My brother forwarded an email that he wrote to the Star newspaper yesterday. He was commenting on the earlier email from a reader in KL.

Kelakar (It made me smile).. because I have never seen my brother angry and I have never heard him raised his voice to anyone. Where in the world that he gets his patience from?…(You tell me… I am sooooo opposite of him).

He wasn’t really angry with the reader’s opinion, just disagreeing with what was written. And of course I agree with my bro 100%!...…But then, I keep on imagining his face when he wrote that email!

Here's what he wrote:

I REFER to Hassan Talib's "http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/4/15/focus/3693054&sec=focus" target="_blank">Our Children need English-medium schools". He has jumped to the conclusion that the English medium is the only reason that his friend's son, who attended an international school, had the numerous characteristics that he proudly listed.


He should have also asked his friend about the international school's curriculum, syllabus, teaching staff, environment etc. Then ask him how much he paid the international school. Then compare all of that with those of a "sekolah kebangsaan", including the overworked and undertrained (for some) teachers.


I don't think English is the only reason. Let's compare apples to apples. English, though, is undeniably the universal language. It's important to master it, no doubt. But to go back to the good old days of the 1950s through the 1970s is to step backwards.


We already have a national language and should be proud to use it. It is part of who we are. The weakness of English in our present students should be addressed by focusing on improving the English lessons to the most effective methods for all students.


This is already the 21st century. I am sure this country has enough academicians and experts who can help the Government to achieve that. Just give them the opportunity to contribute and implement their ideas.


Lastly, Hassan also wrote that the "handicapped" students have to depend on the Government for work. It implies that those in the private sector are English proficient . Don't be too sure. After almost two decades of working in the private sector, I dare say the level of English among most of them is far from perfect. It is more Manglish than English.


ZULKIFLI MOHAMED YUSOF,


Penang.