THE SIGN!!...

At the age of 33 I discovered the first major SIGN of AGING - my 1st UBAN (grey hair) EVER!!!... what a GREAT REMINDER FROM GOD!

Ohh... sudah tua aku ini... Saya tak takut jadi tua... saya cuma takut attitude saya yg perasan masih muda yg tak hengat dunia akhirat w/pun sebenarnya dah tua... ohh!!.. sedarlah diri wahai Hanum!!!

Jika dipanjangkan umur, Insyaallah... I would love to grow old together with Abaji... age gracefully, peacefully and wholesomely on my way to the next life...

Friends... please remind me if I see me going over the limit of my age appropriate behavior!

Mari mencampak di dapur :)

Abaji's little chef in the kitchen...

It's been ages since the last kitchen event featured in my blog... bukannya ape... sayakan malas masak busy dgn keja skolah gitu... Lagi pun aku bukanlah kitchen goddess seperti Akak Campak or Kak Gee and wanita2 mithali yg seangkatan dengan mereka. Huhuhuh... mmg jauh panggang dari ape le... jauh periuk dari stove!! hehh.. nama je SAHM... isyykk.. buat malu kaum je!

Since mak dah abis skolah ni, kerap jugak la kena paksa ngan itu budak main masak2 bila dia balik skolah... cuma yg lainnya kali ni, tgh main masak2 time Abaji balik keja... so ape lagi... Abaji pun dgn excitednya menjadi paparazi amik gambor perempuan kecik ni... maka secara automatic ade la gambar buat tatapan kenang2an utk mak yg terover malas nak mengupdate blog ni... makin xde keja.. makin malas jadinya! How mahh??..

Yes, Abaji... your anak dara ni sgt pandai dan rajin memasak!!! fuhhh... seb baik ade kitchen slave nenet for the 'after event clearance'... tidak kalu... mak fengsan nakkk!!

Dia dadar telur berejam ok nak bagi rata...

Sauteing the beef... sambil menjeling camera??...

Hasilnya... "Cheesy Weezy Scrambled Beef Egg"... heheh.. sukati je aku letak nama.. :)

Ini resepi campak2 kalau nak try.... very the easy one... ala2 kampung mat saleh...

Ingredients:
Finely chopped ground beef (lean meat) - 1/2 cawan
Eggs - 3 biji
Onion/ shallot - 1/2 biji
Garlic - 2 ulas
Oyster sauce - 1 tsp
Cheddar cheese - selambak!
Parmesan cheese - berlambak2!! (anak aku mmg hantu cheese!!)
Mixed veggie (peas, carrots and sweet corn - akak guna frozen je dekk...)
Salt & pepper to taste
Few drops of cooking oil (pakai non-stick pan, save the minyak... very the healthy!)

Method:
Marinate the beef with blended shallot, garlic & oyster sauce. Whisk the eggs with a dash of salt & pepper. Heat the oil in the pan, saute the beef till half done. Put in eggs, mix and scramble them till cook. Throw in cheddar cheese and let it melts, then throw in mixed veggie. Turn off the heat and sprinkle parmesan cheese.

Kitorang makan dgn baked sweet potato for dinner...

Sekian... terima kasih :)

Baru tadika la...

I didn't know how hard it was to enter kindergarten (don't think my mom had had a hard time enrolling me at tadika kemas...), until my little one is entering in this September '10. Starting with school tour for parents on the 1st quarter of the year before applying the school (most of the schools make it compulsory for the tour - kalo tak tak leh apply)... then isi the lengthy application form dari yg basic info kepada soklan2 yg memerlukan aku berfikir yg membuatkan aku terkebil2 nak menjawabnya seperti:

• Describe the 3 most important aspects that needed in kindergarten...
• Why do you thing this school is suitable for your child... panjang la pulak ruang jawapan tuh... nk suh buat karangan ke ape?!
  
• Describe the character and personality of your child...
  
• Describe the uniqueness / special talent / ability of your child - be specific!.. oh... has yet to be discovered!
  
• Apart from monetary donation, as a parent, how are you going to contribute for the betterment of the school?...nk suh hakak jadi helper mom lagi kah??
  

Berejam gak la pikir bila aku isi borang secara ad-hoc right after the school tour, tak anticipate langsung soalan2 mcm ni.... seb baik apply 2 skolah je...

Alhamdulillah... Hanna dapat offer Ella Baker School last week... banyak "gagak" skolah ni. Well, I'm not racist... but they are generally associated with 'rough manner'... hhmm... dah more than 300 years kena paksa jadi hamba abdi... mana tak kasar?!.. but I don't mind sbb skolah ni dekat, and lagi pun sementara je... Oh!! nak kena balik Malaya... balik Melaya... balik Malaya...

So for admission, hakak kena la pegi ke skolah itu membawa segala documentation (offer letter, passport, proof of residency - utility bill, surat from building mgmt, immunization card... etc...) dan mengisi admission form yang... huhuuh... lagi la panjang berjela... forms for school, for NY Dept of Education, release and disclaimer form, emergency form, health/ medical declaration form, ethnicity survey form, health report form kena bagi doctor dia lak fill up and send back to the school... aduii... mcm nak masuk MRSM la pulak!!!.. anak aku baru nak masuk tadika laaaaa!!!...

Next week ade interview and induction for her... adoi aiii!!.. mak pulak yg nebes..

And balik Malaya thn depan masuk tadika lagi... kena ulang lagi ke procedures ni semua???!!!... arrrgghhh... mak pinsan!!!!

bye-bye Pre-School!...

Letter from Pauline...

Siapakah Pauline itu??! Cuba teka?...
hehe..heee
...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

I received a letter today...

Sender address: COACH, Madison Avenue NYC...

Tiba2 excited!! Ada nak bagi discount lagi kah??... UNBELIEVABLE!!.. normally it's only once a year...

Sekali bukak...

...

...

...

...

Pauline is my personal shopper... customer service mmg terbaekk!

Alaaaa... anti-climax btol la.... thank you card je rupanya...

Maka buat kesekian kalinya saya menjadi Ms. Bin Saadun !
... kwang...kwanggg... kwanggg.. ;p

NYC Parents Gone Crazy!

Hanya pasal anak nak masuk tadika... mak bapak yg gelabah!



Although I'm not as crazy (and obsess) as them, being a part of the community of the most "cutting throat" city in the world, I share the same anxiety and hope like those parents (featured in the youtube) since my child is going to kindergarten soon. Owh... sudah besar itu budak - 5 thn suda... umur WAJIB ke sekolah according to NY law.


Of course with the same reason ~ WE WANT THE BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN ~ and since I want to be a good Muslim and my perspective of BEST comprises of dunia dan akhirat, I have already targeted a non-conventional kindergarten/school in KL which I thought the school would be the BEST for her, for me and my family (according to my perspective of BEST). I already have this plan since she was three months old (wayyy back in 2005 - ok la... i admit... I'm an obsessed mom!!).


Tapi sapa sangka yg aku anak beranak akan terjebak kat NYC ni??!! So, my plan to get her the "best" school in Malaysia will still be on once we are back for good, (Insyaallah... kalau ade rezeki la... kalau dia layak diterima masuk skolah tu...), but at the moment I'm restless in and out of surveying the "good" school for her. (Well... that explained why I was on the silence mode for the past 1 month??.. apart from malas dan bangun sampai tgh hari seperti biasa... hahaha).


While public schools are free, they are often perceived as less good than private. Private kindergarten on the other hand, will cost us about $26,000/year (average). While money is not an issue here, I noticed even the best private schools in Manhattan are not up to my standard since they are mostly either run by the Church or a bunch of secularists yg perasan elite!! Well, don't get me wrong... I'm not an anti-Christ and I'm a living product of secular education in hedonism environment!!. It's just because my perspective of 'BEST' as I mentioned before, makes me uncomfortable with the mainstream education system - both public & private - di sini dan di M'sia.


And while other parents have applied as much as 10 schools for their kid (for there is no guarantee you'll get the school u applied - both public n private) , I only applied 2 (both public schools). And I'm considering to apply another one school - private Islamic school (the only Islamic School in Manhattan with some drawbacks in term of location and transportation) or maybe I have to consider homeschooling seriously???!!! - iskkk... mmg kena solat isthikharah nih!

Got Confused by My Own Name!

My name is Hanum... Hanum Binti Kamarudin. Short, simple and easy! Thanks to my parents for have given me a simply good classic name with such a beautiful meaning.

Orang kata "apalah ade pada nama..." Tapi Islam suruh mak bapak letak nama anak dengan nama yang baik2. Bila orang panggil jadi doa... doa yg baik2 untuk orang yg empunya nama, supaya elok juga lah perangainya seelok namanya.

Tapi ni citer bukan nama elok ke tak elok... ni citer lain...

It's written in my United States VISA...
Surname / Family Name: Kamarudin
Given Name: Hanum Binti (tak pasal2 ade 'binti' jadi first name aku daa... sukati je diorang nih...)

In some of the events I attended, people addressed me as Miss Kemarudean... Oh, mula2 sangat janggal bunyinya... sebab tak biasa dengarkan... but after sometimes I can accept it. But some ignorant American ni mmg sengal btul lah... Kenapa? Sila ikuti contoh2 kejadian yg telah saya alami seperti di bawah:

Scenario 1:
Talipon berbunyi ring...ring... ringg...
Me: Hello?
Caller: Good afternoon, may I speak to Mr. HENAM?
Me: Err... sorry I think u've got a wrong number...
Caller: Hmm... there's no Mr. or Ms. HEANAM KEMAARUDDEAN there?
Me: OHHH!!..Ohh... yea.. it's me, HANUM speaking... bla...blaaa... and the conversation continues...

Ni la bahasa omputeh kan... A makes 'aa' and 'ae' sound, and U makes 'yu' and 'a' sound. And apparently mamat yg call tu tak tau aku ni laki ke pompuan. Well, since you American have lidah pengkor yg pelat serta mudah tergeliat... you were forgiven for pronouncing my name incorrectly!

Scenario 2:

People also addressed me by my husband's name as in Mrs. Mohamed or Mrs. Fairuz. Hmm... standard la kan diorang ni, slang mat saleh yg pelat... Kekadang sebut Farooz... kekadang Feiroos... yg panggil Ferazz pun ade... Tapi yg tak tahan tu, there's one time when we stayed at the hotel in California, tetiba kunci (card) bilik aku tak berfungsi la pulak. So I went down to the lobby counter to get it replaced.

Man: Good evening Ma'am... How can I help you?
Me: I couldn't get into my room. Something wrong with this card sambil bitau no. bilik mintak dia fixkan..
Man: Certainly Ma'am... sambil check computer
Man: You are Mrs. Bensadoon?...
Me: Err... Excuse me?.. I didn't get you... muka confuse sudah...
Man: The room is registered under Mr. Bensadoon Mohamed Feirooz?
Me: Oh... yaa, Mohamad Fairuz Bin Saadun.
Man: Here u go, this should be ok. Any other thing that I can help u with, Mrs. Bensadoon?
Me: Err.. no thanks...
Man: You are welcome. Have a pleasure stay Mrs. Bensadoon...

Time tu aku dah menahan gelak... tak pernah terpikir yg nama aku ni boleh jadi Bin Saadun... hahahha.... den teringat Bin Laden la pulakk...

Dan yg paling sengal skali....

Scenario 3:

During our annual medical check-up recently, bersama Abaji ditempat kejadian... lama gak la dok kat doktor's office ni menunggu giliran... aku sudah kebosanan... tetiba Abaji cuit bahu...

Abaji: Eh, dia panggil nama you tu...
Me: Aaarr?... Mana de, tak dengar pun...
Nurse: Benti?... BENTII!!.. seakan2 menjerit, mata meliar tengok setiap patient yg menunggu...
Me: Yes... Aku terkocoh kacah bangun masuk ke examination room...

And she gave me that 'ARE-YOU-DEAF?!' look while i entered the room. Hehehehehh... mmg la nak dekat 5-6 kali aku dengar nurse tu panggil "Benti" tu... but never thought she was calling me!... hehehe... tak pernah hayat la orang panggil aku BENTI!... Seb baik Abaji ade... hehehehe...

In the examination room, aku sempat la menjeling my health record atas meja tu. Hahh!!! Sapa la yg mangkuk sangat ni isi nama aku dlm form mcm ni?!! Obviously, it wasn't my handwriting! I suspected the either insurance company or doctor's assistant yg tulis nih, coz i remembered filled up my health information exactly as per my VISA... but it turned out to be:

Last Name: KAMARUDIN
First Name: BINTI HANUM

Laaaa... patut la dia panggil aku BINTI... tak ke sengal tuh?! Terasa mcm nama aku diperkotak-katikan... tapi tengok muka nurse tu pun dah mencuka... aku batalkan je la niat nak suh dia betulkan... makcik tak koserr!!! Thn depan je la hakak suh dia betulkan...

Scenario 4:
This happened way back in early 2008. Hanna and friends participated in the Kids' Art Exhibition where they jointly drew a picture. Hmmm... what a lovely picture they made.. but I felt weird when I looked the name list... can u spot the ERROR?!

K.E.R.E.M.P.E.N.G

My daughter is SUPER THIN... seriously thin. She will be 5 in 3 months time, with her height of 41 inches but her weight maintain at 15 kg since last year (short & petite like mommy?!). It didn't bother me much because she is active and focus and generally healthy… (Except for unhealthy eating habits which I think is a standard phase among the kids at her age).

But lately, whenever she sits on my lap, tulang tongkeng dia terasa sangat tajam menusuk ke peha ku and it HURTS!!.. SANGAT SAKIT which I automatically push her aside (tindakan reflect ringkas yg dah banyak kali terjadi… kesian anak aku...). I thought my thighs were oversensitive or I was just being ngada2 and overreacted, but Nenet also complaining the same thing whenever Hanna sits on her lap!

Have you ever experience the same thing with your children? Apart from forcing persuading her to eat healthy foods and supplements to gain ideal weight, what would you do? I know it sounds cliche, but would you consult the pediatrician (in case of any coccyx abnormality ~na'uzubillah~)? So far she never complains of any pain or discomfort though…

MY SACRIFICE...

Kehh.. kehh… kehh… mcm poyo je tajuk!!... My sacrifice la konon.

Tapi memang iye jugak le sempena Hari Raya Aidil Adha yang memang bertemakan 'pengorbanan'. Mengimbas kembali dan mengambil ibrah sejarah Nabi Ibrahim yang sanggup berkorban apa sahaja untuk mengabdikan diri kepada Allah walaupun terpaksa menyembelih anaknya sendiri, tentu saja umat Islam di sana sini (but not in Manhattan tho…) amat sebuk dengan acara sembelihan binatang korban.

With AidilAdha jatuh pada hari Jumaat 27 Nov, the day after Thanksgiving day a.k.a THE BLACK FRIDAY, adalah hari yg sangat ideal untuk menyoping stock barang2 for 'Original For Less' and other personal cravings needs. Tetapi aku telah berkorban untuk tidak ber 'midnight madness' and 'morning madness' melayani BLACK FRIDAY SALE yg semamangnye GILA!!... seriyes beb… giler murah! Ini adalah bagi menghormati dan merayakan Hari Raya Korban yg jauh lebih mulia daripada sale yg ntahapahapa itu… kedai bukak seawal 4 pagi (some of them start 12midnite)… and bargain up to 85% but only for limited time, sampai tengahari sahaja ye… memang sgt tempting ok… Sesungguhnya aku berjihad dan bekorban menundukkan nafsu shopping ku di AidilAdha ini… Well… takde la sesuci mana pun pengorbanan tu… layak ke dipanggil korban, cenggitu??.. Actually I've experienced the Black Friday at Woodbury Premium Outlet last year… and I don't think I want to do it again this year… makcik dah tak kuasa nak berpusu2 dlm crowd n beratur panjang nak masuk Coach outlet tuh dengan cuaca yg sejuk sampai ke tulang ni… sampai demam2 okeh… tp tengok la thn depan, mungkin?! Kalau raya tak jatuh on Black Friday?... hehehh…

Alhamdulillah, disebelah petangnya adalah acara open house hosted by Razi & Wani, and after that to Zarina's house for another double celebration feast (Thanksgiving + Aidiladha). Maka turkey2 itu telah menjadi korban… Perghh!!.. Marvelous!!... Saya rasa sgt G.E.M.U.K…!!

To friends and families… Salam Adiladha dari kami sekeluarga di perantauan. Apa sahaja pengorbanan yang kita lakukan, semoga diiringi dengan IKHLAS.

Thanks Rena :)

Hehehehe.... Kasut ala2 terompah gediks ini telah ditaja oleh Rena Norman (Norman itu laki dia... bukan abah dia...). Aku sesaje je terai, sekali dah melekat kat kaki ni terperasan sangat cantik plak!!.. Bertambah la cantik kasut nih bila tetiba je ko announce nak blanje. Aku tau Rena, ko agak kaciwa kan sbb tinggal satu saiz je... and saiz aku lak tu... hehehe... Anyway, thanks a lot dear!!!... I like!!!...

Oh... saya sangat suka with this brown Montego Bay Club high street chic platform, feeling Heidi Klum gracing on the Victoria Secret runway show bila memakai kasut ini (hehehe... verangan...). 4 inches above the sea level saya terasa sgt tinggi okey... hampir mencecah tahap bahu Abaji!!!... Being no. 1 fan of pumps and high heels dek kerana 'ketinggianku yg terlampau', I used to have dozens (or more??!) of heels for work which I no longer put them on since I officially be the NYC pedastrian for the past 2 years. Skarang ni akak main belasah flats and flip-flop aje turun naik subway dan berjalan 2-3 batu. But the average shoes collection which I had for work was 3" heel. Rena sponsor ni kira paling tinggi la ni... jgn terpeleot sudah... hahahah!!

To Rena & Norman, it was nice having u hear. U guys take care and have safe journey home. Semoga ukhwah yg baru terjalin ini akan kekal hingga ke akhir hayat, insyaAllah. Aku doakan korang murah rezeki, bleh dtg sini lagi thn depan... belanja aku lagi... lalalalala...

4th of July Fever...

Sangat meriah ok... US Independence Day together with celebration of 400 year of New York exploration along Hudson river. The fireworks spectacular non-stop for 26 mins featuring more than 40,000 shells exploding at a rate of more than 1,500 per minute... mmg lenguh tengkuk mendongak ke langit dan berpinar2 biji mata melihat keindahannya. Abaji being very the good boy tak mau pegi dengan alasan nak buatkan assignment. He that hates crowds tak bagi Hanna ikut. Sian anak mak.. Hanna tengok dalam tv je la ye. So mak pergi la berpoye2 ngan Uncle Hamid and Aunty Wan :)

Seperti biasa... acara membeli belah pada hari sebelumnya tetap berlangsung tetapi dalam keadaan hujan renyai... seb baik tak lebat... dan inilah hasil tangkapan Classic Coach yg tah bila hakak nak upload dlm "Original For Less" memandangkan tahap kemalasan diriku tahap gaban!!

Sedar tak sedar, assignments deadline for this short semester tinggal tak berapa hari lagi... and I haven't started anything yet!!!... Arrgghh!!!.. tacuttt... kecut peyuttt...

23 Forever??...

I am 'thirty-something' now. Owhh... Mengapakah aku terasa seperti 23 sentiasa??.... kehh... kehhh... geli!!!..

Apa2 pun syukur pada Allah, dengan kehidupan dan rezeki yg mencurah2 selama 32 thn ni. Of course there were always ups and downs, thicks and thins through out the journey of my life in the making of what and who I am now.

Walaupun saya sentiasa perasan muda... saya sebenarnya sudah tua. Umur saya bukan semakin panjang... malah semakin pendek menghampiri mati setiap hari dari setahun ke setahun!! Dan itu amatlah mengerikan saya sbb "Amal Makruf Nahi Mungkar" saya masih tak ke mana!! Jadi bagaimanakah saya boleh nak bersuka2 setulus hati nak nyayi lagu tema puja umur "Happy Birthday to You", tiup lilin dan potong kek la bagai?!!... seperti yg dipersoalkan oleh anak kesayangan saya... "Why there's no party for you, Mommy?". And I just simply said... "Grown ups don't do birthday party like kids do", malas nak explain pepanjang.

Membuat kebaikan mungkin lebih senang daripada mencegah kemungkaran, tapi... adakah saya betul2 ikhlas dan berserah kepada Allah apabila ber'Amal Makruf'?? Dan bab2 Nahi Mungkar ni yg payah sket nak tinggal... apa lagi nak mencegah dan mengubahnya?!!... Walaubagaimana pun saya tetap bermujahadah dalam berAmal Makruf Nahi Mungkar. And that's the purpose of life, indeed. To submit wholeheartedly to the one and only Allah. Insyaallah, akan cuba sebaik mungkin utk jadikan teladan mana yg elok, dan jadikan sempadan mana yg tak elok, dan tidak mengulangi kesalahan dan dosa2 silam.

Ketika ini saya dapat rasakan apa yg arwah emak rasa when we celebrated her 56th birtday, 4 years ago - a month after her mastectomy procedure. She cried when we brought the cake and sang to her and she said, "Sedih (kena cancer, sapa tak sedih...) dan syukur Allah bagi mak idup tahun ni... mak tak tau dapat hidup lagi ke tahun depan." Dan dia menjalani hidup dengan penuh berhikmah 3 tahun selepas itu sebelum pulang ke Rahmatullah pada tahun lepas. Walaupun saya sihat walafiat, masih adakah tahun depan untuk saya? Atau 3 tahun berikutnya??.. Apa yg terjadi adalah hikmah untuk saya... dan juga hikmah utk kakak saya Hikmah, abang2 saya Hamka dan Hakim, dan adik2 tersayang Heikal, Hanim dan Haiat dan sesiapa yang mengambil pengajaran daripadanya. Ketika ini juga saya terasa amat rindu kat diorang, abah saya, tok Baah saya, ipar duai dan anak2 sedara saya yg sangat hensem, cantik dan juga best itu.... Alahh.. ni yg saya malas ni... mesti saya terkememeh menangis bila mengingatkan diorang... ke saya nak period agaknye... sgt emotional, ok!!

Tidak berniat menyambut besar2an, hari jadi saya dan hari jadi Agong pada hari sebelumnya telah pun dipenuhi dengan acara makan2 secara besar-besaran di Mission and house warming party kat rumah Head of Tourism M'sia di Forest Hill. So, special dine Abaji and me tidak dapat diteruskan pada tahun ini sbb perut saya sudah bloated dan buncit dek kerana makan sedap dengan banyaknye!!! Tetapi seperti biasa tradisi bertanyakan "nak hadiah ape?" tetap berlangsung dengan jayanya... kehh...kehhh... Yeah!! we've made a plegde - no surprise present for both of us. Sebab masing2 mempunyai cita rasa yg berlainan dan berubah dari masa ke semasa. Nanti kang, salah beli prezen ade yg kecik hati kang kalau tak suka/pakai/guna. Cukuplah Hanna dengan full of surprises everyday :)

As I've developed a new interest on crystal lately... tah ape symptom penyakit duniawi aku ni tah... hakak sangat la terbekenan dengan Waterford Lismore vase yg anggun itu... tetapi reganya hakak tak sampai hati lak nak mintak kat Abaji. So, buat masa ni akak kena la mengdown-gradekan nafsu dengan membeli Adelaide vase from Mikasa Crystal. Workmanship cantik, kualiti yg elok dan harganya sgt berpatutan sempena Summer Sale ini... I LIKE!!!... kalo takde sale... berpuasa la aku gamaknyerr...


Inspired by Kak Gee the Super Mom a.k.a Minah Bunga, I got myself a bunch of red roses. Ape ke mahal bebenor le bunga2 ni. But the aura from these fresh flowers memang betul2 terkesan pada diri... Rasa best, and fresh and calm... hhmmm lovely!! My mood is always good when looking and smelling these flowers. Thank you Abaji for sponsoring all these... Mari kita kaji berapa lama dapat bertahan bunga2 ni especially when being poked by Hanna everyday... hahhaa... dengki btul!!

Hot Summer Scene!!

Summer is here.. Yeayy.. after long cold winter and spring. Now, Central Park looks so GREEN... i like!!... As usual kitorang pergi melepak lah kat CP.

Acara melompat atas batu... Nenet lah juaranya...

Anak aku menyorok... dia telah menjadi camera-shy lately... tah apsal tah...

Best jer.. nyaman jer... relax jer.... TAPI... yg tak bestnye tu... banyak pulak 'pencemaran' alam... yg boleh mempengaruhi minda kanak2 di bawah umur... dan jugak orang2 tua yg tak kuat iman... Acara membogelkan diri telah bermula... tskk...tskk..tskkk!! :(

Fanass... fanasss... fanasss... Abaji tak berani nak zoom in snap gambar2 ni... u segan ngan i ke Yangg?.. kui..kuii.... Abaji yg kuat iman hanya snap scene2 yg agak sopan... yg lebih 'menyerlah' aku pun tak beranik nak upload... takut mendapat rating 'unsuitable content' lak kang blog nih....

Silence is Golden

Blog ini dijangka akan bersawang sehingga 4 May 2009. Harap maklom.
But I'll be hooking up (on and off) at FB :)
Sorry my dear blog, u've been (and will be) neglected for such a long time.
I'll write when I'm able to 'breath' again.

All these things are currently taking my breath away and replaced with everlasting headaches:

22 March - 1st submission (3 papers)
23 March - 2nd submission (1 paper)
10 April - 3 submission (1 paper)

Exams:
27 April
29 April
30 April - ayarkkkss!! takde gap pun yg ni... killer subject lak tuh! :(
4 May

p/s: Sorry Hanna... Mak sayang Hanna. Tp Mak tak boleh main ngan Hanna selalu. Appreciate for your patience, understanding and sacrifices.

Things that I'm gonna miss...

Entry pasal rindu lagi... hhmm.. dah makin tua ni makin sentimentel la pulakk!!

Taakk.. ni bukan rindu pasal orang yg dah pergi (mmg akan sentiasa dirindui...) or rindu pada barang yg hilang or perkara yg dah lepas... tapi ni pasal rindu yg akan datang... rindu akan saat manis yg aku lalui skarang... kehidupan yang ringkas dan gembira, relax dan tenang... aduhh.. makin kronik la penyakit 'M' aku nihh...

1) tak payah keja (bleh bangun lambat...)

2) tak payah masak (order saja...)

3) tak payah mengemas (buat sepah lagi ade laa...)

4) higher purchasing power - bukan banyak duit, okeh! (shopping...shopping... dan window shopping...)

5) good enforcement of consumer rights (after sales service n consumer awareness mmg superb!)

6) good neighborhood (tersangat lah convenient doing my errands... almost everything's nearby)

7) tak payah pk traffic jam (cuma risau pedastrian walk licin jer bila snow + hujan serentak)

8) have time to pause and reflect... to learn and improve.... and to love and appreciate... about life, death and life after death...

Antara aktiviti yg paling akan dirindui.... main snow ngan Hanna...

Dan melihat anak ini membesar di depan mata.... setiap masa....

Isykk... aku ni menulis... mcm la dah nak kena masuk keja balik esok pagi... Okey, back to REALITY!!!.. I have a child to nuture, and a hubby to jaga... so, bukannye dok mengangkang sesaja... and this semester, I hv doubled my CIFP subjects... ye.. aku terpaksa defer masa balik M'sia sem lepas... so terpaksa la berganda subjects sem ni, kalo tak thn bila lak nak grad?!... which makes me pecah kepala nak menyetelkan 20 assignments dan 4 project papers dlm masa EMPAT PULUH HARI!!! Tersangat bz la makcikk.... Iskk.. seriously aku rasa mcm amik MASTER la plakk...

Sekian, harap maklom...

Anak-anak Akhir Zaman...

Pada suatu hari....

Me: Makcik... Makcik!! mai jap...

Nenet: Ya Mak... ade ape? (sambil datang berlari2 ngan Hanna into my room)

Me: Buah dah abiskan?... makcik tolong beli sket kat bawah ye... (opened my drawer and handed her $10... Hanna tengok aje...)

Nenet: Ok.. jom.. Hanna nak follow? (Hanna angguk...)

Hanna: Mommy, I want money...

Aku malas nak layan lebih... bukak drawer bagi dia $1.

Hanna: Thank you... (sambil belek2 duit tu...)

Hanna: Nenekk.... Kita change ok... nenek ambik yg ini... Hanna yg ini... (duit $10 dan $1 bertukar tangan... Makcik dah jeling2 aku time tu)

Hanna: Hahahaa!!!.. Ten Dollars... money... money... money!!! (sambil kipas2 duit kat muka dia... and buat muka nak kena dengki kat nenet...)

Nenet: Ya Allah!!!!... budak ini... kok pandai ya Makk?!!...

Aku dah tergelak2 time tu tgk aksi spontan dia... hahaha... Mata duitan sungguh bebudak zaman skarang nih!!... tah mana la dia blajor macam tu..

Tak... aku tak ajar pun... i thought she's still too young for that... Confirm!!. kat skolah pun tak pernah ajor okeh.. aku tau sgt sbb tetiap minggu cikgu dia update syllabus kat parents.

Few minutes later....

Hanna: Mommy... can I have thousand dollars?

Me: (Tergamam kejap... tak tau nak cakap ape...)

Kira 1 sampai 30 pun terhegeh2...dia nak mintak THOUSAND DOLLARS??!!... tskk..tskkk... dah la liat nak baca Iqra'.... inilah cabaran membesarkan anak di akhir zaman...

The SQUARE that I like....

Thank you for sponsoring Abaji.... I lap u again and againnn... hehehee...

At last I got my own collection of pinggan petak yg aku dah aim sejak baru2 kawin dolu... semblom kawen aku tak amik pot pun bab2 pinggan mangkuk nehh... Tapi time tu yg petak set banyak corak bunga2 and rasa mcm mahal sgt although aku ushar kat Idaman Suri yg sememangnye lebih murah compared Sogo n Jusco... And kat sini mmg laaagggiii la murah and plenty of choices... cumanya makan setahun lebih gak ler aku nak memujuk rayu Abaji suh belikan ni....

Now no more round, flowery, boring oldskool thingy on my dining table.... the contemporary classic design has taken over! Yeah... Modern Lines ROCKS!!!!... theehehee... what a weird taste i have... tak kisah la.. hakak mmg suke yg itu, nak wat camna...

And on that day the French White ade promotion lah pulak... giler punye murah!... apalagaa... sambar!!!! Aduhh...mereng jap aku dlm kedai tu...

Hmmm... when I got back home and reflected myself that night.... aku jadi malu sendiri ngan Tuhan.... again I'm failed... aku gagal dan tewas dlm memboikot American brands... which have direct or indirect link to the contribution of the manslaughter in Palestine... I know, alangkan kat Malaysia orang bermujahadah berkeluh kesah susahnye nak memboikot barangan Israel and America yg sudah sebati dengan diri mereka... well, still plenty of them don't even care about this!!.. inikan pulak aku yg sangat lemah iman tercampak kat dlm negeri diorang nih... NY pulak tu!!.. The highest Jewish population in America.... 99% of everyday merchandise I'm using here are in the 'boycott list'!! Masih mencari alternative lain, dan masih belum berjumpa... Or should I declare myself as in 'darurat'??!!. Ya Allah... why am I justifying myself here?! Sekadar nak menyedapkan hati sendiri?? Astaghfirullah...

Yes, that's the biggest challange I have to face everyday... dan slalunye aku gagal... It's been quite sometimes I've been avoiding McD, Starbucks and items that bar code starts with 729.... yg ni slalunye berjaya... but I'm still wearing Levi's that made in Honduras, GAP that made in Thailand, Banana Republic that made in India, Coach, Aigner, Guess, etc..etc that made in China.... tp tak le terasa hina sgt membelinye sbb barang ni pun diimport dari tempat lain... but these Corelle and Corningware ni... mmg 100% purely made in USA... dan nafsuku tidak mampu utk tidak membelinye.... ohh... sungguh HINA!!... :(

Awesome Invention!!..

Suddenly I got so addicted to FB!! which I wasn't even care to explore when i 1st registered since the past 13 months...

Owhh... sungguh sonot melayan gambarr and jumpa balik the loongg lost friends... sampai aku meganaktirikan blog ku senirik... FACE BOOK ROARSSS!!!!

Ok... masa utk Bermuka Buku... :)

Gagal..!!

Urrgghh!!... skali lagi aku GAGAL melawan nafsu during Thanksgiving sale!!...

Main mission: Beli beg customer order... 4 bijik shj.
Mission accomplished with 5 additional items menjadikan 9 bijik Coach kesemuanya! Sekaligus menjadikan aku tak larat nak hangkut shopping bag kiri kanan... menyebabkan aku terpaksa membeli itu Delsey luggage wana biru (yg on sale jugak... ngehh..ngehh ;)) kasi load itu henbeg suma dlm itu luggage... utk diheret masuk dalam bas!! Niat nak ushar Cole Haan and Liz Claiborne terkubur begitu sahaja sbb aku dah beku giler time tu...

I thought of buying for myself, but terbayang2 Abaji's dissaproval face berkhutbah kat aku... "U nak wat pe beg bebanyak... kan u baru beli utk u haritu..." (which that beg aku dah sedekah kat Mak Nem after i bot myself the other one... hehehehh). So friend out there... wait till i update "Original For Less" with my personal favorites... Pink Ergo Leather Pleated Hobo, Dark Brown Legacy Medium Flap Shoulder Bag and Optic Minisignature Clutch Wristlet... ohh sungguh cyber color wristlet nihh.. i like!!!

My next mission: Mengendeng kat Abaji supaya sedekah kat aku all my personal peberet kalau tak berjaya dijual... kwang...kwanggg...kwanggg....

Awning Munawarahku Penyek!...

I unpacked my luggage recently and discovered my munawwarah's awning dah terpenyett... urghhh!! tensi gue!! hilanglah keserian Sri Munawwarah ku ituuss... uhukk.. uhukk :(

Dengan otomatiknye aku tuduh kastam mengopes beg aku tak letak balik barang betul2... hampehhh...

Mari Berenang :)

This entry was dated sometimes in Aug 08... hehehe betapa malasnyer aku time tu nak mengupdate. Anyway, me, Shelly and the contigent were exploring the newly discovered play park @ the upper-east side of Manhattan... it's called John Jay Park... very cool!! Imagine in the one big area, there are several playgrounds specially designed for different kind of age... for infants/toddlers, for small kids and preschoolers, and for bigger kids (bigger than my size hehehe... size shj ye.. umurku telah melebihi had kelayakan tidak sesuwaii utk dibuat comparison). Budak2 ni apalagaa... pantang nampak, nak main terus tak nak balik. I like this neighborhood although not as "high end" as our area... apartment area sini ala2 ancient European style... they are old buildings i guess, tp cantik and well preserved... takde la petak2 batu-bata semata. And kat sebelah tu ade tennis and basketball courts (i'm sure Abaji gonna love this)... and the other side kawasan lapang with few benches for picnic... and jengg...jengg...jenggg... kat hujung sebelah sana pulak akak ternampak ini!!!

Yess... yessss... hakak suke!!! It's free... the best public swimming pool in Manhattan, is it??! Dan nampaknye tak ramai orang. Ini sudah bagusss!!!

I LOVE SWIMMING very much!.. Kalau kat KL dulu merata cari tempat nak swimming (yg private and free of course... hehehh). It was easy when I was in UKM coz ade dedicated swimming pool for ladies only. Tak la besar mana... but good enough for me. Then when I started working, rasa2 nak berenang aje, menempel la aku kat condo Mala @ Hill Park, takpun gi BNM swimming pool kat HRDC which always be more men than women in the pool... so akak kurengg la sket nak layan pool BNM ituss. So kalau gian sgt, lari gi Bangi, did few lapses kat UKM's pool. Fee pon murah jer... jauh sket la tapinye...

Years after... (few months b4 I left for NY) Lynn lak offer swimming kat UM... Yess.. olympic sized pool opened for ladies once a week, bayar RM2 ajer... yeayyyy!!.. Apalagaa.. tetiap minggu la aku layann... thanks Lynn for introducing it to me. I had great times swimming with u, buddy :). Sure ko dah terrer free style ko tuh! Skarang tgh master kuak ape lak Lynn?

Kat sini boleh la join health club nak swimming doplohpat jam... hehehe. Cuma sediakan $$$ jer la. I've surveyed, paling murah pun $250 with other facilities which I don't need... ohh.. tidakkk!!!!... aku nih bukannye nak berenang hari2 pon... buat rugi duit jer. Itu pasal la aku dah terover excited bila dicovered John Jay swimming pool yg free itusss... :)

And the very next day, sungguh bersemangat mengalahkan Michael Phelps... aku telah berkobar2 menerjunkan diri ke dalamnye... Fulllamaakkk... sojukkkk gilerrrr air dia!!!! Dah la angin sejuk sepoi2 bahasa dipenghujung summer nih. Laggii lah aku menggigil... and I found my skill deteriorated... huhuuhuhuu :( .... Stamina hancuss.... separuh lap jer aku sudah pancit!!!!... uuwawaawawaaa!!!

Less than 20 mins I decided to get out from that freezing water... aku dah sesak nafas... tak pepasal kang pengsan dek hypothermia!! muskel gak aku org lain releks jer berendam dlm tu... iskkk... Sabar... sabar... aku tunggu next summer 2009!!

Time nak masuk changing room ade la sorang minah ni pangkat makcik gak kot?! tegur aku.

Minah: "Hey... nice attire!!.. i like this very much, especially the weather is getting cold like this, it's good to cover up".

Me: "Thanks, I'm a Muslim. I have to cover up in public regardless what's the weather like. (sungguh aku bermujahadah nak menutup aurat but yet masih tak dapat nak buang keinginan towards fashionable and trendy dressing... syndrome lemah iman... :()

Minah: "I'm a Jewish. You know... we Jewish have to cover too. I normally cover myself when I go out, but not when going swimming. But looking at yours, I think I have to find one for me. Does it come with a skirt?"

Me: "This is the normal diving suit, I know that there's a swimming suit designed for muslim women that is not so tight, with the skirt covering the hip and with full head gear covering the neck. But don't think it's available here. Perhaps u could check in the Internet" (Serta-merta aku teringat Kak Mimi (or Sina?) yg jual muslimah swimming suit kat opes dulu. Rugi lak rasa tak beli. Kalo tak leh gak promote kat dia...).

Minah: "Oh.. that's interesting! For the sake of my health, i need to swim but u know... the pool rules is to wear the swimming suit. I wish one day they'll sell it here."

Me: "Yeah, I know... I'm sure u'll find one that is suitable for u..." (sambil bersalam kenal and borak2 jap before saying goodbye).

Masa mandi dan salin baju macam2 perkara terlintas kat fikiran... Pasal swimming suit, pasal Yahudi, pasal Palestine yg ditindas oleh Yahudi, pasal muslim community living in Judoe-Christian country... hhhmmm.... I'm making friend with Jewish and yet my Muslim brothers and sisters in Palastine are killed by the Jewish... hhmm mcm2 perasaan timbul lepas tu...