Happy Independence Day!

A true Malaysian will always remember what August 31st  is all about. As our beloved Malaysia celebrates 53 years of independence today, here’s wishing all fellow Malaysians wherever you are, a very Happy National Day.To my beloved home country of Malaysia, here’s wishing you “Happy 53 years of Independence. May you continue to grow and prosper”.

With much love from a proud Malaysian, who’s just a bridge away.

Birthday Parties From The Past.

Be Warned! This is a photo-blogging post. :p

Every year come August, yours truly would start planning for Shafiq’s birthday party as his birthday falls in September. I will be busy spending my time “googling” on the latest party themes, birthday cakes, party favours, etc, etc. You see, this particular Mummy has not missed celebrating her son’s birthday since he turned one in 2003. Without fail, whether on a small scale or a big one, there’s always a birthday party for my beloved son as he turns a year older, every single year.

However, this year, there’s not going to be a birthday party when Shafiq turns 8 on September 23rd next month. Mummy’s little darling said that he doesn’t want a birthday party this year. Shafiq said that he wants to celebrate this year’s birthday only with his Mummy and Daddy. I know it’s kind of hard to believe as all kids love birthday parties but that was Shafiq’s exact words. (I love him sooooo much!!!) 

So as a birthday treat for being such an amazing son, his Daddy has promised him a short holiday to Penang next month where we plan to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, Shafiq’s favourite hotel. (We stayed there when we were in Penang earlier this year and Shafiq loved it so much that we promised him that we’ll take him there again) That reminds me, need to make hotel reservations and book flight tickets.

As there won’t be any birthday party for Shafiq this year, allow me to share pics from his previous birthday parties.

 

Shafiq's 1st ever birthday party,

celebrated at A&W.

Shafiq's 2nd Birthday, 

a small do at my inlaws place in Bangi.

3rd Birthday, celebrated at McD in Centrepoint, Bandar Utama.

4th birthday party, at our former home in Bandar Sri Damansara.

 

Shafiq with his "first girlfriend" at his 5th Birthday Party. :D

5th Birthday Bash at Burger King in Mutiara Damansara.

6th Birthday Party with Ben 10 theme, 
celebrated at my inlaws place in Bandar Baru Bangi.

 

 

Shafiq's 7th Birthday Bash, also celebrated at my inlaws place.
It was quite a big do as it was a 2 in 1 event: 
Birthday Party cum Raya Open House.

There you have it folks. Shafiq's birthday parties. Though there won't be a big celebration like last year's, so looking forward to spending Shafiq's coming birthday with just the 3 of us, chilling by the Hard Rock Hotel pool. Be prepared for the Penang pics! :D

Me and Mom.

I think all of us take our parents for granted, especially our mothers, at some point in our lives. The same goes for me. I always think that she’s just a phone call away, that I could just pick up the phone and call her whenever I need her input/take/help on something. I know it’s bad of me but as I get caught up with my own life, I don’t really give her that much attention that she so deserves. Especially since my Dad passed away nearly 3 years ago, I know she gets lonely but since both my sister and brother are staying with her, I always thought that she’s well taken care of.

Last weekend, when we were about to break our fast with the family, I told my Mom how much I missed her cooking. Then my Mom suddenly said, “Learn whatever cooking or recipes you want from me while I’m still around”.  Just like that, with one sentence uttered by my Mom and yours truly here was experiencing a mixture of feelings; sadness, anger and guilt. Sad because I have to face the fact that I will eventually lose her when her time or my time is up. Anger because I hate it whenever my Mom talks about her no longer being around. Guilt because I know that I’ve not been around that much for her, especially since I am no longer living in the same country with her.

My Mom and I don’t really see eye to eye on a lot of things especially since I got married and had a family of my own. I just want her to know that I am so sorry for taking her for granted at times and for not always being able to be there for her. I’m also so sorry for the stupid silly arguments that we sometimes have. I am also sorry for sometimes being a bit jealous of the extra love and affection she showers upon my younger brother. (My sister and I always knew that our Mom loves our youngest brother a little extra. I guess we can’t blame her though as we both have always been Daddy’s girls).

To my beloved Mom;

Please know that I love you so much. My actions may say otherwise but I truly, truly "heart" you. 

Aunty Oh Aunty.

Happy Monday You All! How was your weekend? We were in KL over the weekend. Have not been back in a while so we drove back to KL last Friday morning as Shafiq was on holiday and Hubby managed to get leave even though he’s still on probation at his “new job at his old place". Alhamdullilah, dapatlah berbuka puasa with the inlaws and my family.In two weeks time, will be driving back to KL again for Raya. Pejam celik, pejam celik, dah 13 hari kita puasa. My baju raya pun dah siap (it’s been quite a while since I last buat baju kurung so nak lepaskan geram, buat 3 pasang terus. Hehehe)

I seriously need to look for a new tailor though. My tailor is this Chinese Aunty in her sixties. She’s been doing my baju kurung for the past few years but lately, I’ve been having some problems with her tailoring.

Last year, she nearly ruined this really expensive lace material that she was supposed to make into a long maternity dress that I was to wear for my BIL’s wedding. When the time came to collect the dress, I saw that there was a big tear in between the lacey material. I nearly cried no thanks to the pregnant hormones in me at that time and the fact that I might not have anything to wear to my BIL’s wedding. Somehow or rather, she managed to fix it but even after fixing it, if you really look closely, you can tell that there is this part of the baju, where she had to do some “patch” work and trust me, it ain’t pretty.

Okaylah, that was last year’s story. This year, I thought kalau setakat buat baju kurung pesak biasa, takkanlah dia boleh rosakkan the material, right? So, when I went to collect the baju kurung at her place in SS2 last weekend, I saw that the baju kurungs’ looked okay. At first, I thought to just pay her, take the baju kurung and leave. Luckily, Hubby insisted on me trying it on first, to see that everything fits well. So dengan malasnya, I pun try it on and guess what. My baju kurung sleeves came up above my wrist. It was so hideous! It was like I was wearing an old baju that doesn’t fit me anymore.

Guess what she said when I said that I was not happy with the sleeves? She said, "Cantiklah itu macam. Mana ada orang pakai baju kurung dengan lengan panjang-panjang. Nanti you nampak macam orang kampung! Sekarang punya style, memang lengan pendek punya. Itu Datin-datin sekarang suka pakai lengan itu macam, Boleh kasi nampak itu gelang emas, gelang berlian".

So I pun replied to my tailor:

"Haiyah Aunty. Saya bukan mak datin. Saya takde emas ke, berlian ke mau tunjuk sama semua orang. Saya suka buju kurung pesak style zaman dulu punya. Saya mahu Aunty betulkan saya punya baju punya lengan. Saya mahu lengan baju kurung saya panjang. Saya tak kisahlah kalau orang mau cakap saya ni kampung punya orang".

After much arguing, she finally agreed to lengthen the sleeves of my baju kurung. But seriously, after these few “episodes” with this tailor of mine, I think it’s high time I look for a new one. Furthermore, I don’t know how long more she’ll be around to sew. sigh...

Anybody out there who could refer me to a good tailor?

The Day I Met Him.

Ten years ago, on this very day, I met the man who would change my life forever. He became my husband, the father of my children and the love of my life.

We have endured many trials and tribulations in our time together which made our relationship stronger. Today, we are closer than ever. Who knows where I’ll be today had fate not thrown us together on that fateful day ten years ago. I am truly blessed to have him in my life and to be given the chance to be in his. I am what I am today, because of him.

To that "Him" in my life,
Happy 10th  Anniversary of the day we first met, my darling.  

I Love You.

Sahur.

Anas (may Allah swt be pleased with him) quoted that the Prophet s.a.w (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying, “Make sure to have your sahur meal, for sahur is blessed” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Amr ibn Al-Aas quoted that the Prophet s.a.w (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying, “the difference between our fasting and that People of the Book is the sahur meal” (Muslim)

Some people find the task of waking up for sahur  (the meal Muslims have before they begin fasting at the start of dawn) is troublesome. Many refuse to lose sleep over it.  I admit that I was one of those people during my younger days. However, after marriage and especially now as my son has started fasting as well, the family would make it a point to wake up for sahur. (Alhamdullilah, managed to wake up without fail since the beginning of Ramadan this year)

I know that eating that early in the morning means making a lot of adjustment to your entire body system. But what I do is that I equate sahur similar to having breakfast, no doubt a bit early than the normal time the family usually have breakfast on a normal day. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You need all the energy and nutrients you can get to jump start your day. I’m sure you all know how your day is (on a normal day) if you missed out on breakfast. Kind of hard to be focused on anything or to get any job done.

I don’t know what goes on in the household of others during sahur. But for us, sahur is indeed a simple affair. As we equate sahur to breakfast, it’s basically breakfast menu for the family. It could be scrambled eggs and sausages with toast or just plain cereal. Over the years, we’ve discovered that having rice does not go down well with us. We tend to feel bloated afterwards. But then, different people have different preferences.

Well, having to go without food and water for 12- 14 hours in a day for the whole month of Ramadan is no small feat. Therefore, the body needs all that it can get before the fasting begins. Sahur is very important for the body to undertake the task of fasting throughout the day.

On a normal given day, people tend to wake up late, way late that sometimes you missed the timing for Subuh prayers. (It happens to me also. Guilty!) If you make it a point to wake up for Sahur, you will definitely not miss your Subuh prayers. Use whatever remaining time after Sahur and before Subuh prayers for reciting the Quran, “berzikir” (*), etc, Insya-Allah, you will be rewarded much more amply especially in the month of Ramadan.

Seven days of fasting completed. (Alhamdullilah) 3 weeks more to go.

“Selamat Berpuasa” dan “Selamat Bersahur”.

(*) Zikir, according to the book Fiqh-Us-Sunnah by Sheik Sayyed As Sabeeq, mentions that, "All words of praise and glory to Allah, extolling His Perfect Attributes of Power and Majesty, Beauty and Sublimeness, whether one utters them by tongue or says them silently in one's heart, are known as Zikr or remembrance of Allah


p/s: I've just noticed that I have a new follower. Welcome to this humble blog of mine, "MYRA". Please feel free to leave your comments my dear. 

The "Buah Melaka" Fiasco.

Three days into the month of Ramadan, all is well as can be for the family. This is our second Ramadan in Singapore. Shafiq is into his second year of fasting, and I sure am so proud of him. He wants to be able to fast for one whole month this year as he only managed to fast for 27 days last year. Knowing how determine Shafiq can get when he sets his mind on something, I’m very sure he will be able to go the whole nine yards with the one month fasting.

Iftar (breaking of fast) for us is always a simple affair but there always have to be rice, of course, our staple food. Accompanied with two dishes of either poultry, meat or fish with  one compulsory vegetable dish.  It’s just like our dinner menu on any given day with the exception of some sweet traditional cakes (self made or bought) with some “kurma” (dates) of course and Iced cold drinks.

However, here’s a funny story that I would like to share about my first day of Ramadan this year. As usual, when it’s the very first day, you get all hyped up about it and want to prepare the best home cooked meal for Iftar. Menu for first day iftar was quite simple actually: Rice served with Kari Kepala Ikan Merah, Daging Goreng Kunyit and Sayur Kangkong Goreng Belacan. Decided for dessert, to prepare “Buah Melaka”.

“Buah Melaka” is definitely one of the most simple Malay/Nyonya kuih to prepare and yet somehow or rather, I managed to screw it up. I haven’t made it for a while. Hubby and Shafiq likes it so this particular Mummy was feeling quite excited about making the “buah Melaka” for them. I’m not going to type the recipe for “buah Melaka” because it’s so simple. Just “google” it and trust me, you won’t be disappointed. There’s about 172,000 results for it.

As I was making the dough into balls to be put into the pot of boiling water, I realized that the dough balls were taking a long time to cook. It’s normally just a few minutes affair. Once the dough balls are cooked/boiled, it will float right up to the top, so then you scoop it out and have it coated with grated coconut. This time around though, it took more than 10 minutes, that I was beginning to think that there was something seriously wrong with the flour. The dough balls even after it’s cooked were supposed to be soft when you pressed it with your fingers. When I tried pressing it, it was as hard as rubber. “Mmmm…something is definitely not right” so I tried to break the dough ball into two to check the texture inside and guess what? I had a hard time breaking the small dough ball into two. It was already difficult for me to break it, imagine having to bite and eat it!!!

Oh No!!! The “Buah Melaka” is totally ruined. So much for trying to prepare something simple and nice for the first day of Ramadan. I just couldn’t figure out what I did wrong. I mean, I have prepared it so many times before , so how come the “Buah Melaka” went horribly wrong this time around. So, I did what I thought was the most appropriate thing to do. I googled the recipe for “buah Melaka” on the internet to see what was wrong with my recipe.

Guess what? The reason to the screwed up "Buah Melaka" was because yours truly was using the wrong flour. I used “tepung beras” (rice flour) instead of “tepung pulut” (glutinous rice flour). That explains why the “Buah Melaka” was like a rubber ball instead of it’s normal soft, gooey texture. What an idiot I was! I don’t know what was going through my head when I went to the shop that morning to buy flour.

As there was still a lot of palm sugar, pandan juice and grated coconut left, I threw the first batch of the dough using rice flour (the wrong flour!) and rushed back to the shop to get the correct type of flour this time around. Luckily there was still time to finish up the "Buah Melaka" before I have to pick Shafiq from school at 6pm and Hubby from the office at 6.30pm so that we could be back home in time for Iftar at 7.16pm.

All in all, the “Buah Melaka” turned out fine the second time around. Maybe I’ll just stick to buying the “kuih muih” instead of trying to make them for the remaider of this Ramadan.

Happy Fasting People! :D

Ramadan Mubarak.

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.

As Muslims around the world begin their yearly fasting and prayers in the month of Ramadan, to all my fellow Muslims out there, wherever you are, I wish you all a blessed Ramadan.

And as you fast and pray in this holy month of Ramadan, may all your prayers be accepted by Allah s.w.t and may your life be filled with peace and happiness.

Wassalam.

A Girl's Hope.

A very touching video in conjunction with the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that will be held here in Singapore from August 14 till August 26, 2010 . You would need to see this video to the very end to understand how touching and emotional it is. It brought tears to my eyes. Decided to share it with all of you dear friends of "mylittledomain". (Video uploaded from YouTube)

Depression Mode - On!

Hmmmmm. Depression mode is in full gear today for yours truly. Either pms is on its way or I’m just finding excuses to be in depression.

August is finally here, and the doctor has said that it’s okay for us to seriously start trying for another baby. It’s been about 10 months since that fateful day last October and the family has been coping well though the road to recovery has not been easy.

I’m going to turn 36 in December and in 4 years time, will be hitting the big 4-0. I don’t know whether I’ll able to be pregnant again or should I even consider trying to have another baby again in my late thirties. (especially with women’s chances of conceiving falling dramatically after 35)I gave birth to Shafiq when I was 28. I got pregnant with him 2 months after getting married. How easy it was  back then. If only it is as easy now for me to get pregnant as it was when I was in my twenties.

My greatest regret in life was not having as many kids as I could when I was much younger. I guess I was just following the pattern of women of our generation who are told to go to school, get qualifications and then reach a point on the career ladder before deciding to settle down and have children. Well look at where it’s gotten me now. I have been blessed with a healthy handsome 7 years old son and a daughter with a 2 days 10 hours existence in this sometimes unfair and cruel world.

My advice to those who just got married or who are planning to tie the knot soon, not to wait to have kids. Just go ahead and have as many babies as you can while you are still young. (as the quality of your eggs will suffer as you get older.)

I guess it is possible to have babies in your forties . After all, just look at all those Hollywood stars; Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek, Halle Berry, etc. Well, yours truly ain’t no movie star nor does she have the bank balance of those famous stars to enable her to go for all those expensive fertility treatments.

I read this very interesting article about “Women lose 90 percent of eggs by 30” posted on Telegraph. co.uk. Please click on this link for the full write up of the said article.

Having read that article, I don’t know whether I should consider trying for another baby.  I don’t want to go through the heartache of losing another child. I don’t want to go through life hoping to get pregnant again but to be disappointed when “Aunty Flow” shows herself every month thus dashing my hopes of getting pregnant. I don’t want to waste my life (and Hubby’s bank balance) visiting fertility experts hoping that I could be pregnant again only to find out that it’s never gonna happen again for me. I don’t want to keep my son’s hope of having another sibling alive only for him to be disappointed again if his Mommy never gets pregnant. (or if she does get pregnant but only to lose the baby again.)

Am I ready to go down that road again? I really don't know........