June Rendezvous

June 13, 2007

It has been a really long months (may-june) as I had to juggle between works and family. Works was and will be dull and boring as always. Oops, but ya, I kind of hating my job sometimes. No, no!, not hating my family! Oh please, they are the best of me! I had a really sad entry about a family member who were diagnosed with cancer (explains the juggling, frequent visits to hospital/BIL’s house and all) but decided to defer the post after such a great time I had with Chenta. Kami berdating! Our last dating at this very same place Ikano & The Curve was last March! It was supposedly my birthday outing but turned out a bit uncomfortable for me as I just infected with chicken pox! Itchy! Managed to have dim sum at Eden, and had a super duper heavy tea at Paddington Pancake after watching 300!.

Anyway, we started early this time. Infact, it was too early as most of the shops hasn’t opened when we reached there!. Duh! After browsing rows after rows at Cold Storage, we had breakfast at X1 a famous kopitiam from down south. We had our toast and that was it because the waiter told us, ‘Abang, air yang panas semua tak ada, air sejuk sahaja ada. Kami belum siap lagi, the chef is late.’ What is coffee shop with no hot coffee? Duh! duh! Moved downstairs and had our half-boiled egg and soya at another kopitiam X2. While waiting for the eggs, we sneaked to an organic shop entah tak ingat nama apa checking their baby food range. None pass Chenta’s justification of good healthy baby food. Finished our bf and headed to X3 to watch Shrek!. Emm this green creatures and friends failed to make me feel worthy of taking a day break from work!. Ya lorr dating buat apa lagi kalau tak tengok movie n makan2!. The dialogue and main quips are mainly aimed for adults and sophisticated kids. The most kiddy humor is on the burp or fart or yucky dining habits, Shrek’s way!. if not for the guilty of leaving Iman with baby sitter, I would rather wait another hour to watch Captain Jack.

Then the best part of the outing, m.a.k.a.n. at X4. Been reading reviews of this place many times. True enough, the ribs were excellent! Sampai menjilat tulang temulang! Can’t finished the onion loaf, It was good but the portion was too huge for us both. Sambil makan sambil updated each other of juicy office gossips, discussing this and that, Iman, future plan, Iman, holidaying, Iman and Iman lagi.

With filled stomach we headed to mind therapy spot. A book store. Got me a reading material to keep me occupied for emm a month? Singgah pula di Ikea – looking for good bargains at As It Is. worthless. And after browsing here and there for a couple of minutes, balik.

which X goes to which outlet?

Emm..as a normal woman, my day felt deeply satisfying after the great time with Chenta and indulging on movie, foods and books. What else can I say.. things couldn’t be more satisfying and we plan to make it as our monthly agenda. Ye la…over ambitious la pulak kan…dua tiga bulan sekali pon dah baguih!

Time to pick up our little munchkin!

Special Ayuni

June 20, 2007

I just finished my lunch, a bowl of Soto Ayam and was busy absorbing the hustle bustle of the food court. From far I spotted one small figure on a special padded wheel chair being pushed along the aisle towards my table. Oh, poor kid!. My heart sank looking at a dire state this kid in. I was about to turn/looking at somewhere else when I realised that the women (the one pushing the wheel chair) was actually smiling at me! Ya Allah, I knew this lady! She stopped, cheerfully introduced me to her daughter.

“Ayuni, ini Kak Ida…”. Her motherly gentle soft voice sounded so beautiful to me.
“Hai Ayuni…” I touched Ayuni’s hand and tried my best holding back my tears.

I’ve known this Kakak for many years. I was in Technical Unit back then, hence meeting up with users, troubleshoot their problems was what I did. This Kakak is so friendly, witty and humble. She couldn’t thank me enough every time I solved her problem with computer. Even after I was transferred to other Unit, she still say hi, asking my wellbeing or my son’s progress every time we stumbled to each other, be at parking lot or café. Never, never a hint of expressions or words showing that she got a special 7 year old daughter. I learnt that Ayuni was born pre-matured and weighted only 750gm. She got saraf problem therefore can’t be able to walk. Her thin legs sometimes do shiver. Kakak then explained Ayuni just got back from her checkup with specialist. They were going to have their lunch.

“Ayuni lapar ye.. jom kita makan” Ayuni remained silent. She looked at her mother and smiled. She can’t talk too, but the mother kept on explaining this and that and asked her to say goodbye to me. My heart sank once again. I touched Ayuni’s face and said goodbye. At this point, I can’t hold my tears anymore.

I do pray to God someday, Ayuni will be healthy and strong like other kids her age. Special pray for Kakak that she will always be in good health to take care of Ayuni. Special kids need a super special mother. Kakak is. I missed my Iman. I want to hug him.

Terima kasih Tuhan di atas rezeki ini.

main masak-masak - Carrot Cake Kak Ija

Carrot Cake

you need :

• 4 eggs ~ separate the whites and the yolks
• 1 1/2 cups corn oil or vegetable oil
• 150 g castor sugar 150 g brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup carrot ~ shredded
• 100 g walnut ~ chopped (a must to give the cake a better taste)

to be sifted :

• 250 g flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

direction:

• Beat the egg yolks. Then add in oil, castor sugar, brown sugar and shredded carrots. Mix well.
• Add in the walnuts.
• Add in the sifted ingredients. Mix well.
• Beat the egg whites till stiff.
• Fold in the egg whites into the cake mixture.
• Pour into prepared pan or cupcake paper cup
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 Celsius for 45 minutes.

frosting

• 120 g butter
• 250 g cream cheese
• 120 g icing sugar

Beat the above ingredients till light and fluffy. Spread on top of the cooled cake.Just add a few drops of desired food colouring and you can be creative with the frosting!

enjoy!

Sarawak - Final Installation

May 19, 2007

Ya, akibat kepenatan dan makan malam yang sungguh akan dikenang, kami mulakan hari terakhir ini dgn suasana hening subuh yang tenang. Dikejauhan, perkampungan sepanjang sungai berhadapan hotel kelam dibalik kabus pagi, tetapi jelas kedengaran azan Subuh saling sahut menyahut. Bila ku jenguk ke bilik sebelah (joining room) Bapak sedang bediri ditepi tingkap, menghadap sungai menikmati pemandangan. ‘Suasana macam kat Mekah’ itu katanya. Aku biarkan dia ditepi tingkap itu mengenang saat menjadi tetamu Allah. Mak duduk di bucu katil hanya tersenyum.

subuh hening

Kami turun bersarapan apabila Iman bangun. Si Kecil agak meragam pagi ini, mungkin badannya letih. Tapi dia bijak memanfaat ruang. Apabila ditegur ketika dia mula mengurai tisu, terus lari ke bilik sebelah, seolah2 mahu mengadu kepada Atuknya.

Niat untuk pusing-pusing bandar Kuching awal pagi tertangguh kerana tayar kereta pancit!. Dalam renyai, Chenta dibantu Abg Skuriti dan seorang Pemandu Pelancong (PP) menukar tayar. Alhamdulillah, dalam ½ jam selesai. PP mencadangkan kami mengikutnya ke Sarekei. Memikirkan kekangan masa dan keadaan tayar dan jalan yang kurang selamat, kami menolak. Lalu terus bergerak ke Masjid Negeri. Ya, setelah semalam Chenta dan Bapak hanya bersembahyang di Masid Bandar, kali ini tidak akan kempunan lagi. Selesai lawatan di situ, kami ke Stadium Kuching, sekadar berlegar-legar mengelilinginya. Singgah juga di Pusat Kesenian, Kelab Golf dan Bangunan Parlimen Kuching. Terasa benar-benar seperti pelancong asing. Hehhehee.

Chenta terus memandu ke arah perkampungan di Petra Jaya. Asalnya mahu singgah di Fort Margherita, tetapi tersesat-sesat di kawasan perkampungan lalu patah semula kearah Bandar. Untuk melengkapkan lawatan social ini, kami singgah pula di Museum Etnologi. Masuk percuma sahaja, mungkin sebab itulah museum ini tidak banyak berubah. Susun atur dan bahan pameran masih sama seperti..emmm 5, 4 tahun dulu? Keadaan lebih sedih lagi dibahagian hidupan aqua. Banyak tangki yang kosong tidak ber ikan. Ikan yang ada juga tidak semenggah mana.

Tapi Iman menceriakan kami dengan aksi spontan tanpa disuruh!.

Kami kemudiannya sekali lagi singgah di pasar Kuching. Membeli buah segar pembasah tekak. Pusing-pusing lagi dideretan kedai lalu pulang ke hotel. Hanya ada dalam 1 jam untuk rehat dan solat Zohor sebelum kami check out. Aktiviti wajib En Iman, berbasahan dalam tub mandi! Atuk sempat berselimut dan Mak Nab menikmati kek lapis Sarawak.
Selesai urusan check out kami bergerak ke Pasar Satok. Rezeki kami dapat parking tanpa perlu menunggu lama. Terlalu banyak yang mahu dilihat di sini. Menyusuri deretan jualan sayur, buah-buahan dan makanan laut buat Chenta hilang focus untuk mengambil gambar.

Semuanya menarik! Ya, kami paling lama singgah di gerai menjual terubuk masin.

Senarai bakal penerima terubuk Bapak sungguh panjang! Habis terubuk on display, tambah lagi dengan yang sedang diproses. Maka semua mengambil kesempatan melihat bagaimana delicacy ini disediakan. Dengan senang hati Abang-abang terubuk mengangkat kotak-kotak kami ke kereta. Chenta hanya menunjuk arah!.
Kami terus menyusur Pasar Satok hingga ke hujung, dan berhenti di Restoran (?) untuk makan tengah hari. Agak lambat tetapi masih ramai yang berjamu disitu. Dapat merasa mee kolok. Not bad…

salak anyone?

Kasihan melihat Atuk Nah yang kelihatan agak kepenatan berjalan jauh tadi, Atuk Tam menemaninya kekal di kedai makan sementara kami (Mak Nab, Chenta, Iman dan daku) sekali lagi mengharung Pasar Satok. Harus diingat ya tuan-puan sekalian, Pasar ini berlapis-lapis dan tadi kami hanya baru habis lapis pertama!
Yang dicari adalah barang kenangan beg, kek lapis lagi, kuih cincin dan t-shirt. Juga akhirnya membeli buah Salak, sayur Paku Gajah dan Umbut. Kembali ke tempat membeli terubuk lalu meminta jasa baik Abang tadi pack kan barangan kami. (byk sgt plastic bag!). Terima kasih ya!.

giant paku - sesuai juga dibuat ulam

Tiba-tiba hujan turun!. Lega kerana kami telah selesai di sini, jika tidak mesti kempunan. Bila diangkut barang ke kereta, penuh! Oh No…. Terpaksalah membuat 2 trip ke airport. Mak Nab ditinggalkan sendirian di airport bersama semua barang dan kami patah balik mengambil Atuk Tam dan Atuk Nah. Kenapa lama sangat? Tanya Atuk Nah….kami senyum aje….
Hujan betul-betul lebat!. Abg kereta sewa dan Penghantar Tikar (ya, tikar diupah untuk dihantar terus ke airport) lambat!. Kami berehat dan Maghrib di airport, lalu makan malam di KFC sahaja.
Tikar sampai beberapa minit sebelum panggilan akhir untuk flight check in. Sungguh kelam kabut, hujan masih lebat dan tidak putus berdoa agar cuaca jadi lebih baik.

lihatlah kotak-kotak itu

Iman at Kuching Airport

Akhirnya kami terbang pulang tepat pada masa yang di cetak pada ticket. 9.15 malam. Selamat mendarat di Senai dan sempat menonton Mila menyanyi lagu Ezlin!

Adios Sarawak! We had a splendid holiday!!

sarawak - day 2

May 18, 2007

Everybody had a good sleep last night. We decided to start the day early. At 7.00am (still raining) we were ready for breakfast. The food was good! Chenta took the best food from every counter to our table. I was happy to see Atuk Tam and Atuk Nah enjoying their heavy breakfast.

enjoying our breakfast

Right after the last drops of the light morning rain we headed to the beach.

I let Iman stood by the sea.

He watched the tide cover his tiny feet in amusement. Suddenly a gush of current came and got him scared.

But he was very brave, only after a few seconds he walked happily towards the sea. I was tempted to let Iman swim/dip deeper in the water but Chenta continually warned me not to (I even had him changed to proper attire!). The signboard shown red flag indicated the sea condition as very dangerous. How could such a lovely beach in the lovely morning be dangerous? No life guard on duty was the answer.

mummy, i want to swim..

please let me...

next time ok...

our family!

look at the kabus dibalik gunung...

After failed attempt on the beach I was determined to dip Iman in the pool. Baru la nak kuak-kuak hujan renyai2 turun lagi! but I was not giving up yet. In the room we splashed till kecut2 jari! We stopped only when abah said ‘enough you two! Today is Friday, remember’. Oops. Chenta did mentions many times he wanted to have Friday Solat at Masjid Negeri Kuching. Ok..ok…

We checkout Holiday Inn Resort Damai Beach, Santubong around 10.00am and drove leisurely to Holiday Inn Kuching. Again, our rooms were not ready yet. Have to wait at the lobby. Chenta and I managed to do a brief window shopping at the mall near the hotel. When our room finally ready, it was not much time for Friday Solat. Chenta and Atuk Tam decided to join the other hotel guests and hopped in the bus provided by the hotel. They had their prayer at golden-domed Kuching Mosque, previously the State Mosque. The ladies and Iman rest in our room.

Around 2.00pm we went out for lunch. A bit late, and after few times circled Satok area, akhirnya jumpa juga Restoran Didi! I still remember the very tasty Umai and Midin from my previous visits and hoping that my family can taste them today. Unfortunately semua tu dah habis!. We had our lunch there though and Chenta bought some Prawn Umai from restaurant nearby.

Then we moved to pottery factory somewhere Jln. Penrissen. Bought our compulsory souvenir, fridge magnet! Headed back to town, the wet market.

The seafood and vegetables were all very fresh and cheap! Strolled along Main Bazaar Street, got another vital souvenirs, tikar, beg and kek lapis Sarawak.

Tired bargaining for cheap prices, we crossed the road and lepaking at Waterfront.

It was near Maghrib went we back to the hotel.

No, the day hasn’t ended yet. After solat, we dressed up casually (even Atuk Tam wearing kain pelikat!) and had our dinner at Top Spot: Seafood Paradise. Even though it only 5-min walk from our hotel, we went there by car! Hehehe cian Atuk dah penat kan…..
we had : Ambal (bamboo shellfish) masak cili, crab masak pedas, siakap steam – chinese style, buttered prawn and midin goreng belacan. I totally forgot to order oyster omelet!!! Sorry Chenta….(the thing was, we change kedai as the 1st one didn’t have ambal. I did order the omelet there! cis..cis…). Iman behaved well through out the dinner. The trick, get him occupied with all the chopsticks and straws, one at a time! He will played, get bored, throw it to the floor, gave another..bla..bla.. bersepah atas lantai!!!

Uihhh..gendang gendut tali kecapi…kenyang perut..perut jadi gendut..mata pon mengantuk!. But Chenta, carrying his Crumpler, continued exploring the hotel and waterfront area.

He came back from his night tour to our hotel room right after Iman slept. He said waterfront is NOT happening at all! And also no live band at the lobby! Hahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahaha…..

Sarawak - Day 1

May 17, 2007
we woke up at 5.00am for the final preparation, most importantly to change iman’s clothes, gave his 4th dose of syrup (his temperature was quite high last night) and prepare his milk. If you think it was early, add another about 45mins, and that was when my SIL prepared our so call-breakfast which ended up in the food containers (bekal) as everyone refused to eat in the wee hour! At 5.30am Pok Sop and Kak Jila drove us to the airport. Stupidly/Carelessly/Tak Sedarly we left iman’s document at Kajang and being denied to check-in (immigration procedures). Chenta managed to call Pak Ngah and later got to call Pak Ngah Wahid to settle. Pak Ngah Wahid is our current Director General Of Immigration Malaysia, ya I’m not bluffing!.
It was 7.00am when we flew to Kuching.

At first I was quite worried that we were going to get angry stares by other fliers or even the flight attendances (knowing budget airline services) if Iman cry. But then at the airport, i saw two other families with babies much much younger than Iman. In my mind : if iman cry, those two babies will cry too, so pheeww! Hahahah tak baik kan? On board, it turn out that Iman fell asleep minutes before take off and sleep the all the way to Kuching. Good boy!

Poor baby and at the other side, Atuk Tam seated with minah salleh.

We landed smoothly (I really mean smooth! Even my mom said so!) at Kuching airport on schedule. Have to wait about 30 minutes for our car to come as they thought our flight will be late. Air Asia darling… typical Malaysian.

iman admiring himself

crocs on sarawak ground

The plan is to drive to Damai Beach but Kuching map was all I got, so Kuching town we headed and sightseeing we did! After pusing2 at the waterfront area, and still no Damai Beach signboard I ask chenta to stop at Holiday Inn and ask to the direction to Damai Beach. What is men with asking directions?

At last we manage to reach Damai Beach. The rooms were not ready yet, they gave us the complimentary drinks at the bar beside the pool. We ate our bekal, laparrrr.. and check out the beach. Niceee….

thirsty iman

Around 2.00pm (after resting in a comfy room) we went to Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV). SCV covers a huge piece of land. Except Chenta, I guarantee that we didn't cover the whole place. The fact that it was a scorching hot day did not help either. After what seems our leg can’t take it anymore, we rest a bit and then enjoyed the air-conditioned mini-theatre where the 45-minute cultural performance of songs, dances and entertainment was held.

sampei tertido gue layan buai bawah rumah melayu!

tq chenta for this heavenly pic!

overall, I am disappointed!

• darn expensive tickets – RM50/Adult (buy from hotel) it will cost you RM60 at the counter.
• badly maintain – semak, nyamuk, kotor, rumah2 tak cantik,
• it was the same show/tricks when I came in 2001/2002! And the dancers talked to each other while dancing – obviously!

Atuk Nah, Mak Nab and Atuk Tam on their way to exit SCV

Kami kemudian menyusuri jalan-jalan kampong di Santubong. Tersesat ke pantai Santubong lalu berhenti utuk ABC dan pisang goreng panas di tepi jalan. Sungguh murah. Atuk Tam yg pada mulanya memikirkan apakah sumber pendapatan orang tempatan kerana langsung tidak kelihatan aktiviti Agriculture juga terpempan dgn harga pisang goreng itu. For RM2.00 you get satu beg pastik merah penuh!!!!! Kami dimaklumkan ada kedai makan sedap beberapa meter dihadapan dan memutuskan untuk mencuba. Tidak hampa! Laksa Sarawakdan nasi goreng ayam sungguh sedap. Rupanya kami makan ditepi sungai Santubong. Sungguh indah!

look at the river behind the car!

pemandangan dari kedai makan!

Sudah gelap bila kami sampai di hotel. Letih seharian berjalan.
Tapi abah meneruskan misi nya mengexplore damai beach diwaktu malam dan kurang sejam pulang dengan hampa kerana tiada live band mlm itu, Hahhahahahahahah

main masak-masak - bread pudding

you need

• 6 slices day-old bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

direction

• Preheat oven to 350 175 degrees C
• Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

ketika sedang menggebu dlm oven

Source: recipe.com

early BABYhood education

"let children be children. a skilled five year old grows from a busy four year old, a curious three year old, a cuddled two year old, an adventurous one year old and a communicative baby"

-somewhere in the net-

curious iman

encourage partnership and involvement with his little guy

i just love calling him BABY...

• mind the white spots at his body and face. it is calamine lotion and u know what it for..