The "Never Ending" Weekend.

Have you ever wished there were more seconds in a minute, more minutes in an hour, more hours in a day? Well, that was exactly what I was wishing for last weekend as my hubby and I had to attend a birthday party, a wedding, a “tahlil”, a get together luncheon with friends,a site visit to a friend’s new house, etc. All these functions within the span of 48 hours. Highlight of the weekend was meeting my standard 1 schoolmate Nita, whom I have not met for nearly 23 years. Had to meet her at the hospital though as her little princess was hospitalised for HFMD. (Hand, foot, mouth disease)

It was a jam-packed weekend for the family as we drove back to KL last Saturday. Earlier plan was to leave for KL right after Subuh prayers but ended up leaving around 7.3oam. By the time we reached Tuas (the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link) there was already a long queue of cars at all the Immigration checkpoints. Reason for queue, it was the beginning of the school holidays here in Singapore and it seems like the entire population of Singapore decided to go for “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia”. Finally, after waiting for like forever (though it was only about 40 minutes), we made our way into Johor.

Upon reaching my in laws place in Bangi around 12 noon, spent some time catching up with my in laws, had lunch and a quick shower. Around 3pm, left the house and off we went to Shah Alam for a friend’s daughter’s 1^st birthday party in the midst of heavy downpour. We were the earliest guests at the party and had to wait for the birthday girl and the birthday girl’s Mom to get ready. Birthday girl totally gorgeous, results of mix parentage (Mom-Malay, Father-Dutch).

It was a quite a sweet affair but hubby and I was kind of “pissed” with these 2 ladies who came with their one year old sons. We were sitting by the playpen where they placed their sons and asked us (these 2 total strangers) to help look after the boys as they wanted to go and get a quick bite from the buffet. Thinking that it will only be for 15 to 20 minutes, we agreed to help out. As soon as the Mommies left, both boys started crying so Hubby and I had to pick them up to pacify them.

We ended being the unpaid nannies while the 2 mommies took their own sweet time eating, drinking and mingling with other guests. By then, my hubby was boiling mad that he carried both boys to their Mommies only to be told by the Mommies to put the boys down on the grass (next to where the Mommies were sitting and mingling) without a word of thank you. They didn’t even bother taking their sons from my husband.For them, their sons were just like accessories to bring to a friend’s kid’s party. In my opinion, they so do not deserve to have children.

After the party, we zoomed off to Ampang to my sister’s place. As hubby refused to listen to the wife’s suggestions we ended up taking the Guthrie Corridor Expressway from Shah Alam and what was supposed to be a 30 minutes drive took us one hour.  Upon arriving at my sister’s house, my hubby and I was asked by my sister to attend a wedding dinner on behalf of my Mom who went to Kuala Kangsar for a relative’s wedding.  And guess where the wedding venue was? Zoo Negara. Yup, you read it right. The wedding was held at the Zoo Negara. As I was not told that I would be attending a wedding dinner, had to go through my Mom’s closet and borrow one of her “baju kurung”.

Luckily, the wedding was “buffet-style”, so hubby and I made our way to the wedding, had dinner and then left. All within 30 minutes. I have to say though, the Zoo wedding was quite spectacular. They had beautiful lightings with real life birds at the “pelamin” and the wedding procession had animals from the Zoo accompanying the bride and groom - 2 pythons, 2 macaw birds, a civet and 2 miniature horses. I didn’t have a camera with me so I was unable to snap pictures. So if there’s anybody you know who plans to tie the knot, maybe you guys could suggest to them a “Zoo Wedding”.

After the wedding dinner, went back to my sister’s place and changed into my jeans and blouse and then off we went to Gleneagles to visit my friend’s daughter. Wish I could have met my friend in better surroundings and circumstances, but it was a sweet reunion nevertheless. Finally got to meet up with my dear old friend Nita, my standard one classmate when we were both studying in Assunta Convent, Kuantan.

From the hospital, we made our way to my friend’s parents home to collect my new Bottega handbag and hubby’s Gucci shoes (my friend who helped us buy the bag and shoes in Florence outlets, stays in Hong Kong so she passed our stuff to her Mom who was coming back to KL) The things we do for designer bags and shoes. When we finally reached my in laws place, it was already past midnight.

The following morning, around 11am, we left Bangi to attend a “tahlil” at Bukit Jelutong. As we had a get together luncheon to attend at my hubby’s friend’s house in Shah Alam, right after we finished reciting “Yassin” and prayers, without even having a drink, rushed for the get together luncheon. After lunch, made a short site visit to a married couple friend of ours new home which is under renovation as we wanted to check out their new “RM25,000” kitchen. (If they knew that I’m mentioning about their “RM25,000 kitchen here, I’m dead!!!) I really liked the kitchen. After seeing the kitchen, I can understand why it cost them RM25,000.

We finally made our way back to Singapore around 6.30pm. As it was nearly night, I had to take over the wheels as hubby’s night vision was not that good.  Furthermore, he had to work the following day, so at least he could have a short nap and some rest during the drive back to Singapore. Upon arriving Singapore, we had a quick dinner outside as it was just hubby and me. (We left our son with his grandparents in Bangi for some grandparents and grandson bonding time) and had to drop by our friend’s (who’s also a neighbour) place to get his spare sets of house keys as he needed me to help open the doors to his place for some furniture delivery the next morning.

We finally got to bed at 1.00am., after what seemed like a "never ending" weekend. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chocolate Chip Cookies And Urban Myth.

A few entries earlier, I put up on my blog an email that was forwarded to me by a friend, a story behind the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. It’s about a lady who felt she was cheated out of $250 for the cookie recipe and in retaliation, decided to make the recipe available for free to as many people as possible.

Apparently, the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe story is an urban legend. It’s been circulating since the late 80s. Although Neiman Marcus denied the story, the urban legend continued to circulate, with the help of the Internet and E-mail.

There is actually a long history of urban myths about overpriced recipes. In 1960’s, there was a similar story involving a red velvet cake recipe from the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. A lady who wrote to the hotel asking for the cake recipe was charged $350 and just like the Neiman Marcus cookie story, to get even, the lady made the recipe available for everybody.

In the 1970s, the urban myth changed from cake to cookies. The cookie version of the myth started with Mrs Fields cookies. The story was so popular that Debbi Fields had to put up notices in her stores stating that she was not charging $250 for her cookies recipes as it is a trade secret.

Come the 90s, there was a shift in the urban myth. This time around, targeting Neiman Marcus. Neiman Marcus kept getting inquiries about the costly cookie recipe that they came out with their very own cookie recipe in 1995 which everybody can access for free as it is posted on Neiman Marcus's Website.

The "actual" Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder

1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer  on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)

2.In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.

3.Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies.

I never did try the urband legend version of the recipe. Maybe I’ll give this actual version a go. Happy Baking you all!

Confessions Of A Handbag Addict.

Confession: I have a slight obsession with designer handbags.

My love for handbags started when I got my very first paycheck. My love for designer handbags however started when I was residing in Hong Kong. I blame it on my hubby who had the family relocated to Hong Kong, a shopping haven for designer goods.

From my very first Coach shoulder bag to my current Louis Vuitton Damier Trevi, my collection in the last 2 years have surprisingly grown. I was going through my handbag collection the other day and my, oh my, I sure do have quite a few. I currently have in my collection, 5 Coach Handbags, 2 Coach purses, 2 Coach wristlets, 3 Louis Vuitton handbags, 1 Gucci, 1 Celine, 2 Loewe handbags, 1 Loewe purse, 1 Burberry, 1 Kate Spade, 1 DKNY, 1 Tod’s purse, 1 Marc Jacobs and finally my latest purchase, a Bottega Veneta which I'm waiting to collect as it is still with my friend. Got my friend who went to Italy recently to purchase the Bottega at a fraction of its original selling price at the outlets in Florence.

It may seem quite a bit but all the bags were purchased during sale so the prices have been marked down with the exception of Louis Vuitton. (When we actually asked the sales staff at Louis Vuitton as to when they normally hold sale, they smugly replied “Louis Vuitton Don’t Do Sale, Never Had & Never Will”)

So, what’s with having to own designer handbags? Well to me, it pretty much started like I mentioned earlier, when the family moved to Hong Kong. Travelling on the MTR, you see ladies parading their latest designer bags. Even going grocery shopping, you get to see housewives with their "Louis Vuitton Neverfull", going about their daily grocery shopping. On top of that, we were living near Citygate Outlets Shopping Centre, that houses a few Designer labels like Burberry, Bally, Coach,Kate Spade, etc so as you probably may have figured out by now, yes, some of my handbags came from there.

I have never been a “brand conscious” person or a better word for it,  a “branded person”. I was satisfied with my Bonia, Carlo Rino, or whatever local brands I stumbled upon when I go shopping in KL. I wouldn’t be caught dead entering any of the designer boutiques in KLCC. ( I was terrified of entering those espensive boutiques when I know I couldn't afford it) I guess, when your spending power increases, so does your taste in the things you buy. Not to mention, if you’re lucky enough to be blessed with a husband who buys you everything your heart desires. (Well, in my case, my hubby is willing to entertain my handbag obsession as he’s got very expensive obsessions as well, designer watches and photography) Ladies, take note: during courtship, the man who loves you will at least entice you to pick something you like and never say a word about the price. Never choose and marry a man who stops you from buying a handbag.

Owning designer handbags opened my eyes as to why people buy designer handbags. The quality is amazing. (Though in my personal opinion, Coach, Kate Spade and DKNY’s quality is "so-so" as they are made in China. Having said that, I'm still a big fan of Coach. Just love their designs and vibrant colours) ) Try buying handbags with classic designs as it will never go out of style.

My Mom does not support my love for designer handbags. She feels that it’s a waste of money when I could actually invest the money I’ve spent on bags buying gold instead.(Can't blame her though, she's from the old school) Little does she know, there’s this thing about designer handbags having resale value. All I have to do is put it up for sale on the internet & there are buyers waiting. To ensure that my handbags look brand new (if I eventually plan to sell them on ebay someday) all I have to do is sent them to the bag spa (Yup, there’s such a thing called bag spa over here in Singapore) and my handbags will look as though they just came out from the stores.

I've read somewhere that a designer handbag is a collector's item, and if you choose the right one, it will rise in value just like the price of gold. So what are you ladies waiting for? Life is short, so enjoy yourself. Get out there and treat yourself to a new handbag.

My Baby.

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My son Shafiq, when he was 9 months old. Sure miss his baby years. Now he's 7 and no longer a baby but still wants his Mummy to hug and cuddle him. Hoping he'll never get tired of Mummy's hugs and kisses. Mummy love's you!

Tick-tock, Tick-tock.

Feeling kind of down today. Could it be because of the gloomy, rainy weather? Truth be told, I’m feeling envious of my friends with their beautiful babies. Seeing pictures of my friends with their babies on facebook make me long for a little baby of my own. How I wish, my Sara was still with me.

I often ask myself “why”. Why did such an innocent little life have to end so quickly? What went wrong? Did I not take good care of myself during the pregnancy? Why did our baby had to be the “one” in every 3,000 to 5,000 babies to die of Edward’s Syndrome”?

I am hoping and praying that I’ll be able to get pregnant again, but the doctor has advised me to wait for at least a year before trying for another baby as I’ve had 2 previous c-sections. Can I afford to wait? I’m 34 going on 35 and very much conscious of my biological clock ticking away.

Wishing You A Happy Ever After.

A friend whom I consider dear to me, sent a message to my facebook informing me of her forthcoming nuptials. I couldn’t be any happier for her. This particular friend of mine could have actually been part of the family. I was introduced to her by my brother in law, many, many years ago as both of them were once an “item”.

Sad to say, things did not work out between this friend of mine and my brother in law as there was a “third wheel” in their relationship. I can’t say much about this so-called “third wheel” as my brother in law eventually married her and she’s part of the family now. I don’t condone what my brother in law did to this friend of mine but I guess when things are not meant to be, it’s just not meant to be. My brother in law is happily married now and I wish the same for her as well.

To this dear friend of mine,

Never forget what is worth remembering or remember what is best forgotten. May the unhappiest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past. May your joys be as deep as the ocean, and your troubles as light as its foam. May your love be added, may it never be subtracted, may your household multiply and may your hearts never be divided.

You’re starting a journey as husband and wife, and as you both look forward to share a new life together, may all your days ahead be happy ever after. Congratulations!

With All My Love.

Just Another Day At The Hospital.

I went to see the doctor a few days ago for a postnatal follow-up, at the same hospital my baby daughter was born. My appointment was scheduled at 8.45am. As my hubby was away in Abu Dhabi, I had to drive myself to the hospital so I left my house quite early as I didn’t want to be late for my appointment. I was there by at 8.15am.

Come 9.00am, the doctor was nowhere to be seen so the nurse sent me to see a post-natal counselor. According to the nurse, it’s part of the hospital requirements for all postnatal patients to be referred to the counselor to see how the patients were doing emotionally after having delivered a baby.

Kudos to the hospital for really taking into consideration their patients well being by introducing the postnatal counseling. However, having said that, it came as a shock to me, when I went in to to see the counselor, the first thing she asked me was how my baby was doing.  Here I was, having just underwent the most traumatic and heartbreaking experience of losing my daughter, and the counselor didn’t have the courtesy of checking my file before seeing me.

I had to explain to her that my baby had passed away and upon hearing that, she looked as though she was on the verge of tears and kept apologizing to me throughout the whole session, saying how sorry she was for not knowing about my baby. Me, the one who needs counseling ended up counseling her, telling her I’m doing okay, recovering well and she should not feel bad about not knowing what happened. (Though in my head I was screaming. You stupid b***h, have the decency to read a patient’s file before seeing the patient. Pardon my French!)

After I finished the so-called post-natal counseling, I went back to the waiting room to wait for my doctor who was still nowhere to be seen. Finally, after waiting for like ages, she finally appeared looking very stylish in her suit and her  epi leather Louis Vuiton handbag (being a self proclaimed handbag addict, I sure do know my handbags. Well, that's another story to blog about later) and I was called in to see her.

Going through my file, the first thing she said to me was that I should be thankful my baby did not make it because if she did make it through, she will not be able to lead a normal life as she was an "Edward's Syndrome" baby. I know being a doctor, she’s being practical and logical about the whole episode with my baby but couldn’t she at least sugar-coated her words? Which mother in the world wants to feel thankful that her child is no longer with her regardless of the circumstances?

To the outside world, I may look strong, cheerful and happy but only God knows the aching pain, the emptiness I feel inside every time I look at my baby’s photos, the only keepsake I have to remember of her 2 days 10 hours existence in this world.

I am thankful for being blessed with a wonderful life filled with family and friends who has always been there for me. But I will never be thankful that my baby girl is no longer with me. No matter what the doctor says.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Anybody???

A friend of mine forwarded me the following email some time back. I don't know whether the story is true and I never bothered trying out the recipe attached to it. So, if anybody of you out there who's into baking, give the recipe a try and let me know how it turns out. :D

 "The E-Mail"

This is a true story. 

Please forward when you finish reading!


A little background:

Neiman-Marcus, if you don't know already, is a very expensive boutique shop. (they sell a typical $8.00 T-shirt for $50.00)


My daughter and I had just finished lunch at a Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas,USA. Because both of us are such biscuit lovers, we decided to try the 'Neiman-Marcus cookie'. It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe. The waitress said with a small frown, 'I'm afraid not, but you can buy the recipe.'

I asked how much, and she responded; 'Only two fifty - it's a great deal'

I agreed to that, and told her to add it to my bill.

Thirty days later, I got my Visa statement, and the Neiman-Marcus chargewas $285. I looked at it again, and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two sandwiches and about $20 for a scarf. At the bottom of the statement, it said, 'Cookie Recipe - $250.00'. That was outrageous!

I called Neiman's Accounting Department and told them the waitress had said it was 'two fifty', which clearly does not mean 'two hundred and fifty dollars' by any reasonable interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge.They would not refund my money because according to them; 'What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe. We absolutely will not refund your money.

I explained to the Accounting Department lady the criminal statutes which govern fraud in the state of Texas .I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau and The Texas Attorney General's office. I was basically told: Do what you want. Don't bother thinking of how you can get even, and don't bother trying to get any of your money back'.

I said, OK, you've got my $250, and now I'm going to have $250 worth of fun. I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the world with an e-mail account gets a $250 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus for free.She replied, 'I wish you wouldn't do that.' I said, 'Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you RIPPED ME OFF!' and slammed down the phone.

So here it is! Please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of.I paid $250 for this, and I don't want Neiman-Marcus to EVER make another penny from this recipe!

NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES 

(Recipe may be halved as this makes heaps)

2 (500 ml) cups butter

680 g chocolate chips
4 (1000 ml) cups flour
2 (500 ml) cups brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
2 (500 ml) cups sugar
500 g Grated Cadbury chocolate
5 (1250 ml) cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla
3 cups (375 ml) chopped nuts (optional)

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour,oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Add chocolate chips, grated Chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees (180C).

The above quantities make 112 cookies. Enjoy!

PLEASE KEEP THE RECIPE AND SEND IT TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW WHO HAS AN E-MAIL ADDRESS!

This is not a joke-it's a true story.

- End of the E-Mail-

If the above is true, it is indeed a very expensive chocolate chip cookies recipe. To those of you brave enough to try out the recipe, don't forget to let me know how the cookies turned out. "Happy Baking".

Farewell My Princess

"In The Name of Allah, 
Most Gracious, Most Merciful"

My first entry as a blogger is dedicated to 
my little princess Sara,

though no longer with us, 

will be loved and cherished forever.

November 4^th, 2009. It’s been exactly one month since I gave birth to my precious little princess, Sara, who only managed to grace us with her presence in this world for exactly 2 days and 10 hours.

When my husband and I discovered that I was pregnant, we were over the moon as we have been trying for another child, a little brother or sister for our 7 years old son, Shafiq. Later, when the ultrasound revealed that we will be welcoming a daughter in October, my husband and I could not be happier. It felt as though our little family is now complete. Shafiq was estatic that he will be getting a little sister and is always kissing Mummy’s tummy and asking Mummy when is his baby sister arriving. Little did we know what awaits us.

Sara was born on October 4^th, 2009 via an emergency C-section and was immediately rushed to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) as her vital organs were struggling to function. The doctors suspected that she was suffering from some chromosome disorder and when the test results came back, it was confirmed that Sara has Trisomy 18 (also known as Edward’s Syndrome). The syndrome occurs in approximately one out of every 3,000 to 5,000 births and the doctors explained that babies with Trisomy 18 has a very low survival rate and in Sara’s case, there’s nothing that they can do as her vitals organs are not functioning.

At 3.30 am on October 7^th, 2009, my husband woke me up as he received a call from the NICU. He wheeled me there (as I had to move about in a wheelchair because of the C-Section) and when we arrived there, our little princess is no longer with us. After the nurses removed all the tubes and wires attached to Sara, I finally got to hold her in my arms and cuddled her though she was no longer with us. After my husband called up our family members to tell them the sad news and made the necessary arrangements for Sara’s funeral. we spent the next hour holding her, touching her, talking to her, saying our goodbyes. No words can describe the pain and heartache, the numbness, the loss that we felt and still feel to this very day.

My little Sara is indeed very strong and a fighter because Edward’s Syndrome babies usually will not survive the prenatal period and some are stillborn. Our little princess fought against all that so that Mummy, Daddy and Abang Shafiq got a chance to meet her and be with her even though for the briefest period of time.

Never a day goes by that I do not think of my precious little Sara.

-My Precious Sara-

You were so wanted, so wished for, so anticipated 
and so loved 
by Mummy, Daddy and Abang Shafiq.

In my heart, I feel as your Mummy I should have done more,

something, anything to keep you safe from harm.

I am so sorry if there was anything

I did or didn’t do that would have made a difference.

Please forgive me my precious.

I wanted so much to be your Mummy.

Holding you in my arms, kissing you goodbye

was the hardest thing I have ever done.

You will be in my heart till the end of time

You are and will always be my little princess.