Zarra's Birthday Celebration in March 2012

Dear Diary,

Zarra turned 4 at the end of March. As usual, her Tok Ma would hold a birthday party to celebrate everybody whose birthday falls in March. Last year Zarra’s birthday was held at my parents in law’s house but this year it was celebrated at their restaurant, Sambal de Lesung.

Besides Zarra, there’s another birthday girl, Syasya, who celebrated her 8^th birthday. The menu for that day were fried bihun, KFC, nuggets, fries, watermelon and lychee drinks. Simple tapi mengenyangkan, Alhamdulillah.

It was a joyous family affair indeed…

BBQ Potluck

Dear Diary,

Don’t you feel blessed going to work everyday knowing full well that you have co-workers who click with you? Colleagues who make your office a happier place? Friends whom you can spend hours with without getting bored or restless?

I resigned from 7 Eleven to become a fulltime housewife at the end of 2009, but my friendship with ex-colleagues remains till today. Majority of them have moved on to greener pastures but somehow we manage to meet up every now and then.

It has been awhile since our last get together at DesaWaterpark. It all started with only a comment in Facebook about old times and how long it has been since we meet each other. One of us then suggested to have another get together followed by consensus of the majority. Soon, plans were made and attendances were being confirmed. It was agreed by all to have a barbeque potluck at my place on a Saturday last March.

The day arrived with anticipation of jolly times among peers. One by one they arrived. When everyone safely turned up, we went down to recreational area. There are BBQ pits besides swimming pools provided by the management.

Laksam

Entrees - Baked Macaroni, Fried Noodles, Chicken Rendang & Fried Rice

While fire was being lit up, foods were being arranged. It was quite a feast, I tell you. We caught up with each other’s latest news while waiting for marinated chicken, sausages, shrimp and squids to be grilled. Our kids played and swam together, having their own fun activities.

Drink - Sunquick Mango. Desserts - Burger Malaysia, Agar-agar, Kek Gulung, Puding Roti Marble, Cucur Badak, Mini Donut & Fruits

Later in the evening, the event was brought upstairs to my house. We continued talking and eating. What’s even better is that our spouses can get along. We’re like one big happy family. It was a successful event with the last guest left our house around 9pm.

I’m very thankful I have friends who keep in touch even though we’ve parted ways. Though we’re now on different paths, all the memories we shared will be cherished forever.

So looking forward to our next get together...

Aim So High You'll Never Be Bored

Dear Diary,

AIM SO HIGH YOU'LL NEVER BE BORED

The greatest waste of our natural resources is the number of people who never achieve their potential.

Get out of that slow lane.

Shift into that fast lane.

If you think you can't, you won't.

If you think you can, there's a good chance you will.

Even making the effort will make you feel like a new person.

Reputations are made by searching for things that can't be done and doing them.

Aim low: boring.

Aim high: soaring.

* A message as published in the Wall Street Journal by United Technologies Corporation

Ps: Sorry for missing in action. The truth is I'm helping out at parents in law's restaurant for the time being. So, my surfing time is very limited. What ever spare time I have left, I use it to spend with the kids and to catch up on household chores.

Imran's Year 2 First Half Results

Dear Diary,

Last Friday, Hubby went to Imran’s school to get his exam results. We already knew some of the marks. As suspected, his results dropped drastically from last year’s results. There’s no A at all. He only managed to score 3Bs, 2Cs, 1D and 1E. His overall percentage is 55.2%.

His class teacher commented that his percentage is better than majority of the boys. She is also surprised that Imran scored C for Mathematics because according to her the questions are difficult. Well, for us C is still not good enough. In our opinions, it is better to compare him with students who achieved better results than with students who didn’t surpass the half percentile. That way he wouldn’t feel complacent with barely passing grades and hopefully it would motivate him to strive harder.

I don’t know whether this new school’s standard is higher compared to his previous school or not. One thing I’m sure is that Imran’s interest in studying now is lesser compared to last year. It’s a battle to get him do his school work let alone do extra exercises. There are other things that occupy his mind and interest such as PS3 and iPad. Tu pun dah set limit masa penggunaan.

Another thing that his teacher mentioned was that he’s playful. Imran or Imran, when are you going to take learning seriously? Every morning when I wait with him for his school bus, I’ll remind him to pay full attention when teacher is teaching. There’s time to play, there’s time to learn.

I know, I know he’s only in Year 2. As the saying goes, Melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya, I think it’s better to start children early in inculcating the love for learning and to teach them that quest for knowledge is a never ending process.

Reading is A Good Habit

Dear Diary,

See, I'm not lying when I told that Irfan likes to imitate whatever us adults or his siblings do.

I was reading that magazine just minutes ago when I stepped away for awhile. When I returned, there he was my baby engrossed with the magazine.

Or was Jennifer Lopez's picture the culprit that attracts Irfan to "read" the magazine? I was reading about J.Lo's and motherhood. Hmm, now I wonder...

A Year Older

Dear Diary,

Guess who is a year older? Who else but yours truly. So, today I am 37. We had birthday dinner at Secret Recipe. Nothing fancy, it was just a family dinner with my loved ones.

I'm very grateful...

to be still breathing and living in this world

to have good health

to be blessed with loved ones

to be able to enjoy life

FOR EVERYTHING

Amin

Irfan at 1 Year Plus

Dear Diary,

It’s been awhile since I last wrote about my youngest prince. Irfan is such a big boy now. In October, he’s going to be 2 years old already. Time flies when we’re having fun huh. It’s such a joy watching him growing and witnessing his progress.

He follows his elder siblings and imitates whatever they do. I think he’s in the talking phase now. He already masters a few words like Mama, Abah, Kakak, Abang, nak, tak nak, fish, bird, beg, ubat, etc. Other than that, he speaks his own language. Sometimes I understand what he’s trying to convey but other times I don’t have the slightest idea what he means. He understands what we talk to him though.

He’s one cheeky boy who likes to tease all of us. He likes to play hide and seek. Sometimes he goes hide somewhere even if no one is playing with him. I’ll pretend looking for him and calling out his name, then all of a sudden he’ll come out to surprise me.

Irfan is also very helpful. Always wants to help me with chores. Whenever his siblings do something for me, he would want to help out too. Don’t be deceived by his helpfulness though because Irfan is also a garang boy (stern). When he says no, he really means NO. Don’t try to mess with him.

He’s into girlish stuffs. Funny or weird? I’m not overly concerned about this. It makes sense because a big chunk of his time is spent with females (me and his elder sister). So whatever Zarra plays, he plays too. Whatever sister does or wears, he does too. Hopefully, this "confusion" does not prolong into adulthood. Insya Allah.

Last but not least, Irfan kuat merajuk. Cepat je muncung mulut tarik muka 14. Haish, tak padan kecik!