Gateway to Heaven...

Was sitting around earlier when I remembered that some of you probably have not seen my bedroom door... :)

Eat With Your Family Day

It was 'Eat with Your Family Day' on Friday, 26th May 2006. My company so graciously let us off at 5pm, an hour earlier than normal, to let us go home and have dinner with our family.

So we did. since hubby was working, I asked mom to whip up anice dinner so that we all could eat together that day. Reached mom' s place ard 7pm (left office at abt 5.30 to complete some things) and was glad to see that everyone was there.

Ours is a small family, just mom, me, nadia and mamat. besides the 2 kids, nadia's hubby and dear of course. but even so, it is not always easy to get everyone together. I'm glad they came up with such initiatives to remind us of the importance of family. So hope u guys had a great 'Eat with your family day' too. If not, hey dun wait for it to come. Go and make it happen! After all, nothing in this world matters as much as family.

I'm Back!

I'm back... last night. Reached home safely at about 9.30pm. Alhamdulillah.

The trip with the family was great fun! Certainly a lesson for me when I bring my own kids for a holiday in the future. The whole troop was there for the KL/Genting trip. There were 9 of us. Me, Hubby, MIL, Mak, Nadia, Mamat, Nenek, Naqib and Raziq. Two nihgts at Genting and two nights at KL.

At Genting, we had fun. Went there in style on board Transtar's First Class coach. We felt as though we were on board the airplane as the bus came complete with tv (for movies, mtv and videogames), a massage chair, a meal and a steward. The 7-hr journey didn't feel as long as it should when u're being pampered so nicely.

We checked into First World hotel. Had expected to get additional beds for our two rooms, but alas, they've run out of beds. Had to make do with two super-single beds in two rooms. As u can imagine, it was a squeeze that night. The first night was spent wondering around and plannng for the next day. Went to the Snow World as well. Although bigger and more fun than snow city in Singapore, we felt it was colder in Snow City. After that, we had dinner at Marrybrown's and went to bed quite early.

We took the rides on the second day. At RM$49 per adult for indoor and outdoor games, we tried to make it worth it by taking as many rides as we could. Roller coasters, boat rides, kiddy rides... u name it, we had it. We also had time to take the kiddy rides that we sat on when I was 5 yr old. Took loads of photos... will download over the weekends.

The next day, we rented a van to take us down to KL. The weather seems promising and we reached just after 3pm. Checked in to the Agora Hotel at Bukit Bintang, KL's shopping district. Though the hotel wasn't fantastic, the location more than made up for it. We were practically surrounded by shopping malls! So what else can we do besides shop, shop, shop!

Among the places we went to were Sungei Wang Plaza, Bukit Bintang Plaza, Petaling Street, Masjid India, Berjaya Times Square and Lot 10. Thought of going to KLCC too for them to have a look But, not enough time and even wif we managed to, our legs couldn't take it. As it is, mom and nenek had to ask for time out for a couple of times.. hee! Sorry both!

I must tell u abt the materials/kain i bought for Hari Raya. I like it so much! I just hope I'd remember to send it to the tailor in time!

Overall, everyone had a good time. For more pictures on the trip, click here.

I dunno what came over me last night. For sure I've been feeling tired last few days and thoughts of Dad has been coming back to me. But I didn't know what made me post such an entry for all to see.. I feel a little bit exposed now.

Neway... we'll be off to Genting and KL tomorrow morning. And I;m feeling a bit panicky cos I've yet to pack a single thing! Haven't decided what to bring, what to wear, what luggage to lug... Haiyz, I'm in trouble for sure.

Hopefully this trip will rejuvenate me and bring back the cheeriness that once were. This trip will also be good for mom, Nadia, Mamat and the kids. They have not been anywhere for the longest time. This will also be my brother's last trip before his enlistment to the army.

I'm worried about Naqib. His habit of biting his fingernails is getting from bad to worse. At times, he bites until he draws blood.. and even so, he will start again when the blood stops. Mom says she read somewhere that children who bites their fingernails are stressed. Is he stressed?

Well, for sure if I were him, I would. Firstly his maternal grandfather passed away. Just weeks after, his paternal granny passed away. Its no wonder he wakes up crying at night telling Mak that he don;t want her to 'meninggal' or pass away as well. Then there's the thing abt his dad. We try to ease this for him by taking him out, buying him toys and etc. But although he enjoys himself, bites away he still does. All of us are very worried. So ok... here's calling all mommies out there.. any advice? Email me at: zarina_11@hotmail.com

dun think I'll be able to log on tonight. So I'll be back upon my return from Malaysia. Till then.. byez!

I Think of You

I dun understand why.. but I'm so tired this week. My previous injury on my left ankle is acting up and giving me problems every single night. My back hurts, most likely from trying to keep my limp from becoming too obvious. My neck feels stiff and my head aches...

I miss my dad. We weren't very close when he was alive. That's proably because he was so busy working while we were young, that we simply grew used to talking to my mum instead of him. I mean, yeah, there were holidays and all that. And of course I loved him, but ours just weren't talking types. But no matter how, there would always be this bond between a daughter and her father. And this bond would forever remain. Were there any regrets on my part? For sure, I regret all those times I walk past him without saying a word. The countless of times we chose to have separate meals although living under the same roof. All those times worry for him would creep inside me, and I'd pushed it aside...

It's funny how it takes his passing away to make the family closer. Nowadays, hardly a day goes by without me talking to mum although we stay in separate houses. Not seeing them for more than a week is too much for me to take. And everyone puts in effort to spend time with each other. Isn't it amazing? But it no longer feels the same. Without him.

My wedding day will forever stay in my mind. And its not just because I got married to the man I love. It was also the day I gave dad a hug. And another. The customary act of kissing your parent's hand before u leave for the groom's side was especially significant to me. I don't what made me hug him twice. I just felt so heavy leaving him especially. Nobody expected that to be the last time I hugged him ever... The things that came after that were so hectic. I didn't even hug him goodbye.

Thoughts of him keeps drifting to me these few days. It still feels unreal. I don't even dare to look over my many wedding albums. It's just too much.

How do you say goodbye to someone who's no longer there? How do you let go of someone so dear? How do I take each day knowing that I'll never see you again?

I think of you dad... always will.

Mummy... It's over...!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Haha...! My title's so corny! But I just find it so funny. Anyway... the holidays are over. The next public holiday will be.. gasp! in August!! That'll be for our National Day... And its ages away! So how was the long weekend people? Let me tell you about mine.

On Friday, there was the Mother's Day gathering for my maternal granny. It was held at her place. Everyone was there.. and you can imagine that there was such a spread! We ate and ate. Following that, we managed to say some prayers for my great-grandma who just passed away last week. We went back to my house after that to celebrate Mother's Day for mom. We got cake and I'd cooked earlier. Mom says that my curry is very good for a first try.. but mom always say such things, so I'm still a bit sceptical. I hope she likes the cake we got her.

The next day, I woke up and made Roti Kirai. That's because I got lotsa leftover curry from day before. Hubby got back from work with the makings of a salad to accompany the meal, which also happens to be one of his favourite! We watched 'In Her Shoes' after that on VCD. Actually, I watched while he slept. So much for spending time with me huh ;P Later that evening, sis and mom came to our house again cos they just realised they forgot to top up on their electricity. And the next day's a Sunday, which means the office is closed and they're unable to top up.

That night was fun. For once, my house which had always been so quiet, was full of laughter. There was noise and I was so glad for the company. The kids made such a din, I didn't know how MIL managed to go to sleep. Raziq's such a terror now. And to think that I used to worry that Naqib will bully him.

On Sunday morning, my mom and I prepared breakfast for everyone together. I missed doing that. We made roti john and serawa durian with glutinous rice. Later, we went to Casueway Point. We bought toiletries and shopped around. Sis bought this Guess bag which is so pretty. I saw one nice bag which I fell in love with at first sight. Same with another wallet. But I know if I get it, hubby will probably scream at me. So I'm now persuading my sis to buy it for me as my birthday present! :)

We had dinner at Vista Point and I had the Tori Katsu Don. There was such a crowd and the kids were starting to get cranky. Naqib also managed to throw up his dinner which was a signal for us to get home. Its been a long day. That night, we cut cake for MIL for her mother's day celebration. That is after hubby finally decided to return home from fishing. I'd bought her a cake too when I bought Mom's cake on Thursday.

I end this post with words of the wise Ustazah, ".. if u buy ur mom a lapis cake, make sure you buy MIL the same cake. Both should be equally important to you and there should be no discrimination.." Haha... welcome back to work everyone!

Yeay! It's here..!!

Yippeeeee!! Hooray!! (claps and jumps up and down).. The long weekend's here again! Its gonna be 3 whole days at home.. i loike! It's also mother's day. We'll be having a celebration tomorrow at nenek's house. Besides that, I've no idea what I will do over the next 3 days. Maybe, I'll just use the 3 days to do housework until I go mad. Or, I'll just blog and surf all 3 days long. Otherwise, I can also enjoy my SIMS 2 for a whole 3 days! Goodness.. it's gonna be 3 whole days of great fun.. aargh... i loike!!! Happy Mum's Day to all!!

Something to think about...

It seems that there's a pattern in the frequency of my blog entries. I only blog during weekends or public holidays. I'm not too busy at work, I'm not too busy at home either. However, the journey to and from work tires me. It is a long journey, one that I'm starting to dread each day. You can do a lot of things in 1hr 15mins.

Anyway, back to the point. I did a lot of things today. Went to the market, bought breakfast for the family. I cooked porridge, sambal ikan bilis and kacang, vege in oyster sauce... I was happy with my self. Encouraged, I went on to wash the clothes and mop the kitchen. However, I was careless of the wet and slippery floor. I slipped and fell. Hurt my bum.. and mostly my pride. Cos mom-in-law was around and she heard all the commotion.

Hubby was on night shift the previous night. Thus he was asleep when it all happened. When he woke up, I told him about my fall. I also told him that in the commotion, I grabbed the shower screen and now its not working as it should. It no longer slides open and close.. in fact it can no longer move.

He didn't say anything. Just asked me how it happened. But where were his words of concern? He did not ask me if I was hurt.. he did not see that I was near to tears and needed TLC. In fact, soon after, he went to check on the shower screen. I told him to. And together, we managed to solve the problem.

But I was still waiting.. And while waiting, I managed to watch tv, have dinner, vacuumed and mopped the whole house. And still it never came. Now he's gone to work, I'm going to bed soon after.. why am I still waiting?

The weekend came and gone...

The long weekend came and went in a flash... That always seems to be the case. So today, we're back at work.. doing mundane things like filing and typing letters and emails. Haiyz...

Last Friday at 5.30pm, while counting down the hours to the long weekend, we had a mini bday celebration for our colleague, who is also my good friend. One of my other colleague had bought the cake. Whilst the rest gathered in the conference room, I switched off the lights and ta-daa... the cake was brought out. The bday gal was all smiles as we all sang her the bday song. Happy Birthday Angeline...!

On Saturday, as promised, I brought my sister's kids to Snow City. It was freezing.. but other than that, we had fun! Despite slipping and falling down a couple of times, both Naqib and Raziq had so much fun that they refused to leave after our 1-hr session was up. They were too busy throwing snow at Nenek, Mama and Mami... Yup.. that's right! We became their target and had to grin and bear their feeble attempts at aiming the snowball at us. However, it was worth suffering. You would think so too if you heard their giggles and laughter that even now, brings a smile to my face. After that, we went to Jurong Point for dinner at Banquet. Following that, headed back to Mom's place to wait for hubby's return from work.

Sunday was a lazy day for me.. spent the whole day at home. The first part of the day was spent with my Sims 2... glad to say that my Sims has just got promoted and is busy getting herself a new partner! Haha.. you wouldn't understand if you're not a Sims player... After that, I switched on the Net. I was so busy surfing, I almost forgot to cook for hubby who was due home in a few hours time. Luckily I made it just an hr before he was due. Otherwise, I would have expected a earful from him.. heheh..!

Monday... we went to JB in the afternoon to top up petrol and get hubby's long overdue haircut. Following that was lunch at our neighbourhood shopping centre. Went home to rest and change before going out again to meet my bestest girlfriends for dinenr at town. Over the coffee cum update session, we chatted on and on till it was time to leave. Jillian, by the time we meet up next, you may already be a married woman! Welcome to the club! Hahaha...

So that's it.. my long weekend which came and is now gone.. can't wait for the next one!