Alfatihah

Was on my way home with my family after attending a kenduri doa selamat on Sunday, 23/8/08 in Tanjung Karang when i received a call from my mum saying that my grandma was truly sick, and unable to catch her breath. My parents went back to our hometown the day before after getting a sms from Cu saying that Wan has been on fever for a week, and not getting better. An hour later, i received a call from mak again saying that Wan has passed away peacefully that evening.

A bit terkilan, as Abang and I was just planning last week to go back to Merapoh and visit my grandma and busu during my 1 week Perodua shutdown break this coming 28~6 April, however, tak kesampaian...

My beloved Wan , Hajjah Dijah Bt. Khatib Jali telah selamat pulang ke rahmatullah pada 23/8/08, 5.15 pm. There is no word to describe how amazing she was and how caring & loving she has been to all of us this years.

We arrived in Merapoh that night. I feel a bit sad, that Nurin did not get to know her moyang as we were. Busu was sadly lying on her bed, she did not cry at that time, but i can see from her eyes that she was crying deep inside. When Busu saw me, she said, 'Lepas Wan putus nafas, abah pegi depan and menangis kuat2..'..I felt tears running down when hearing that.

We read the 'Yasin' all night long, berganti2 ngan abah, makcik2 as well as our cousins, while waiting for the funeral the next day, everyone had only minimum 2 hours of sleep.

I wanted to get part in everything, so i watched the 'mandi', 'kafan' as well as the solat jenazah, which takes place in her sweet home. I was really touched and sad as all of the family members pay our last respect and say goodbye. We all kissed her forehead before they close her 'kain kafan'. It has just been 1 and a half years since we lost our grandpa, and now her...

She was buried next to him.

Nurin & i came back to Sg Buloh today, 26/3/08 with Abah. On our way home, he said , 'dah selamat dah orang tua abah'... 'Dah takde dah 2 generasi atas abah'. Nobody can describe how we felt at that time. We have now lost two of the greatest person that we've known all our years, that Allah had given. They will always be in our hearts no matter where we are and we will cherish the memories that we had with them.

Alfatihah

Allahyarhamah Hajjah Dijah Bt, Khatib Jali

27/9/1926 ~ 23/3/2008

Semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat ALLAH S.W.T dan ditempatkan bersama2 org yang beriman

P/s: Sedih bila dengar busu cerita yang arwah Wan sakit2 pun pegi mengundi on the 8th Mac. She was truly an idol...

Trip to Thailand

Yeaaa....I'm back from my business trip...I miss my girl so much...more than she misses me,... ;) My hubby told me that she searched for me everytime she hears my voice on the loudspeaker phone...happy when she plays around with her toys, and suddenly cries for no reasons.. (Ayah dia kata rindu kat ibu laa tu bila nangis) .

Well, went to Thailand, on the 17th ~ 19th March 2008. Arrived in Suvarnabhummi Airport at 4pm, and took an airport coach to Pattaya. The journey took approximately 2 hours....We checked in at Sabai Resort ..which is beautiful...the scenery was breathtaking and the room was spacious and indeed exclusive..We even met few of our colleagues there who was there to confirm some jigs for one of our local vendors.

The famous Pattaya walking street.....see it carefully....

On our first day in Pattaya....my goodness...totally CulTure Shock...sex are everywhere in the city. The city is full of 'pink colour' lights which marks the 'sex and bar' shops. From only 'European girls' to 'Local girls' and not to be miss...the 'nyah's' or the transexuals group....They were either half naked, wearing see-through clothes (hides nothing inside-naked in other words), walking around wearing g-strings only, while the co-workers, the guys handing over brochures and cool packages for subscribing them. Their target customers were the single male tourists.. They also attract the female tourists to watch the 'a-go-go a.k.a. the tiger show' performance. I was beyond speechless.. I was there on a business trip (group audit on potential vendors) with a group of men and i was quite embarassed as we walk pass by the famous 'Pattaya Walking Street' to catch our 'seafood' dinner.

Me at Sabai Resort in office attire before checking out

2nd day.....Checked out of the resort and off to work...went to audit one of Perodua's vendor in Rayong, Thailand. The journey took approximately one hour..The service and commitment of our vendor was superb... (biasalah...kami kan customer). I had Tempura Udon for lunch. (That is the food that i always ordered if i were to eat Japanese Food)...Then after lunch, we had Genba Visit (assembly line inspection), and then were served with the local cuisine...the famous Durian Chips & Sticky Rice with Mango as well as coffee... It was superb (Durian + Pulut + Mango + Kopi = hehehe pening)

The sweet temptations...Emmm sedapnya

Durian Chips that i bought as souvenirs on the way from Pattaya to Bangkok

At 4 pm... after we had said goodbye...and took some photos...we head back to Bangkok...Checked in at Tara Imperial Hotel, had steamboat dinner at Coca Suki restaurant (same outlet as the one in Bangsar Shopping mall and Subang Parade) and off to our shopping session at the famous Suan Lum Night Market.

Dinner at Coca Suki Restaurant

The night market was as big as Stadium Merdeka.. where hawkers/stalls selling imitation goods, souvenirs item, t-shirt as well as collectible items..

The imitation GUCCI bag that i bought at Suan Lum Market..hehehe..

Thought of buying Ida's & Nana's bag at the Market, however fails. Found this beautiful Dolce & Gabbana handbag but was too expensive for an imitation product. Bargained for 300 bahts but the hawker will only settle for 900baht which is equivalent to RM90.. No way man, i'm not gonna pay RM 90 for some imitation goods.. It's not worth it. Hence, i only paid for my 'Gucci' handbag, abang's 'Polo' belt, souvenirs t-shirt for abah and father in-law and some cute coin box for the relatives and colleagues.

Then we head back to hotel, exhausted and frustated that i didn't had time to bargain more and bought that bag for Ida.

After breakfast on the next day, i followed a colleague to the grand 'Imperial Shopping Complex' which sells imported and expensive goods ONLY, to catch my last minute shopping...wahaha.... tengok kedai2 kat dalam tu pun tau tak mampu nak beli...hehehe..Anyway, pegi jugak la, the complex opens at 10am daily, and was supposed to check out at 10.45am to catch our flight home, heheh..tapi mengenangkan, mungkin susah nak datang lagi, so pegi jugakla ke shopping complex tu... As we were walking through and passing Louis Vuitton , the real 'Gucci' as well as Prada outlet, i saw a Guess outlet which was written 'CLEARANCE STOCK ' sale...hehehe Apa lagi....berlari masuk dalam outlet tu... and fortunately and lucky for me, most of the items were 70~90% discount...wohoooo... Plus, if i were to use my Citibank credit card, i'm entitled to additional 5% discount... Yippee... So.. dalam kekalutan (almaklumlah..ada 30 minutes je to shop before check-out...dah laa kena jalan kaki balik hotel lagi)...wahahaha...dapatlah something for my Baby Nurin, her aunty's Ida & Nana's handbag.... yeahhhh...at last...a bit kotor...biaselah,...dalam bundle..and on clearance sale..

So here are the items :

Ida's bag : Guess original price 4960baht....90+5% = RM24.80

Nana's bag : Guess original price 3900baht....90+5%=RM19.50

Nurin's clothes : 2 pairs of jeans & shirt....

Sampai je Malaysia...happy, exhausted and excited to meet my girl... Tapi ngan sedih nya, baru tinggal 2 hari ngan bibik dia during the day, and ayah during the night, pipi nurin kena gigit nyamuk and her front chest and back kena rashes sebab gatal.. dah laa kepala dia ada kesan scratches and telinga merah sebab gatal....waaaaa...tensennya... baru 2 hari...sedih tengok anak banyak luka...but happy that she's home safely with me...

Nurin nya pipi kesan gigitan nyamuk and kepala yang luka kena garu..warghhhh

Kesetiaan Takkan Goyah.... YOSHHHHHH!!!!!

Just finished reading my sister's, Hedaya's super...longgggggg 'The Aftermath by a BN supporter' blog post.. I was totally impressed and amazed that my 21 years old sister has come out with such a beautiful rendition of 'Melayu' & Bumiputeras. She called me late last night just to highlight her frustations on the Penang DAP's moves to 'demolish' the 'Dasar Ekonomi Baru'. My 'once' spoilt sister has finally grown up. Her enthusiasm and the 'blooming' spirits that she still carries with her all the way to Jordan makes me feel very proud to be her sister.

I am still loyal to what i believe in (like Ida said in her blog ...'it runs in the family/blood'). There were corruptions, false allegations as well as disagreements in the policies, but despite all that, we still need to look at a brighter side....I am deeply grateful as well as very thankful for the education that i've received, the shelter and food that my parents had gave me throughout the years of working in the government sector and for the piece and harmony.. (i certainly would not want to live in a place like Palestine, Iraq or Pakistan where bombs and explosions are everywhere, bodies are scattered all over the place and childrens were injured by flying bullets on the way to school). I would not want any of my child or even family members to face any of the situation. -Nauzubiilah-

I just hope that this coming 4-5 years will still be the same, safe grounds for my girl to run around. -Insyaallah-

P/S: Where are all the 'fuss' that SPR not doing a good job once 'BA' wins?..hmm...i wonder...
Yelah macam abah kata, bila dah kalah, semua benda lah salah, bila dah menang, senyaplah

Monday BLUES!!!...

Six o'clock already
I was just in the middle of a dream
I was kissin' Valentino
By a crystal blue Italian stream
But I can't be late
'Cause then I guess I just won't get paid
These are the days
When you wish your bed was already made
It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I don't have to runday
It's just another manic Monday

Bangles (Manic Monday)

It's MONDAY....yup...i'm bored and it's back to work.

The election result was out...and it shocked everyone (including the opposition)..

Penang, Kelantan, Kedah, Perak and Selangor has all been taken over by the opposition.

News and Media , even CNN called it as Malaysia's political TSUNAMI.

The PEOPLE has spoken... they have become more and more educated as time goes by..

It's not that there are against the party or because of the increase in cost of fuel, house-goods or even tolls that made people vote the opposition, the PEOPLE are clever than that..they know that all of that won't go away, or reduce drastically.....but it's more on personality..

Nobody wants a corrupted person as your representative, and no one wants old people who has been doing nothing but the same since they was born.

The PEOPLE wants changes and improvements.

It's time to improve and to gain back the trust of the PEOPLE..

Now, let's see where we will be in 4 years time..Will there be any improvements or will the opposition be able to keep their promise that they made during the campaign week...We'll just wait and see.

Oh...by the way, went to meet up my boss
earlier this morning, and my proposal to go to Thailand next week has been
approved... So PATTAYA, here i come....

woohoooo....

Ok...it's back to office
work...waaaaaa.....it's just another manic MONDAY..

Dillema of a first-time mom...

"Yati ni dah gemuk la....kena exercise sikit....Ni baru anak sorang",

that's what my mum always say everytime we see each other...huhuhuh...

I stare into the mirror and frown slightly while tracing the curves of my new body shape.

"Abang, do you think i'm fat?"
My husband answers in careful trepidation
"Hmm...takdelaa...Biase je..."
"Tipu laa..."
"Iya...Masih cantik...Abang sayang Yati"
I smile a bit because his answers is SOOOO rehearsed, so careful and EXACTLY what i needed to hear.

"Tapi tengok laa ni....banyak stretch marks...not to mention ..the sagging ***** , and look at my flabby tummy...."
"Dah exercise pun still ada nampak lagi"..."Maybe due to the C-section" ....

(hmm..ayat untuk pujuk diri sendiri)....wawawawa

"Alaaa...takpelaa..janji isteri dan anak abang sihat....cukupla untuk abang"

I raise one eyebrow at him...
Then , i turn around to the girl who is responsible for making me feel so insecure about my physical looks...

However, her grin, goo-goos and ga-gas makes me stop short of being cross with her..

I pick up my jeans and turn to look at my expanded posterior.
I fold it back, and put on my track-suits...
I am not a fashion guru, but i do know the rule of thumb which is ....

FLAUNT THE GOOD, and HIDE THE BAD.

Nowadays, it is just plain t-shirts and tracksuits...to markets, groceries shop, playground...etc..I've been wearing it ever since she was born..

So, the truth was, the reliable sportswear were comfortable and hid my flaws, my insecurities.

At the corner of my eye, i can still see my protruding tummy and feel slightly discomfort on wearing any clothes that can show my new body shape.

Then, the little one comes crawling and buries her head on my chests as if to comfort me, and my husband who was watching us at the time said...
"Ala...manja and comelnya 2 puteri ayah ni"....
"Cantik anak ayah ni..macam Ibu dia.."...

Feeling the tenderness in the air.... I just feel blessed for having her in my life...and a husband who is still the same caring and loving person i've known,
And this time around...I believe him...
(No matter how you look, or how you've changed...Being a mother is always beautiful)...

The day has finally arrived.......

It's election day....
Here i am carrying Nurin towards my primary school, along with my mum and brother to cast our votes, anxiously...almaklumlah, it is my first time voting ...hehehe..berkobar2 masuk sekolah lama...We reached SK D.Jaya around 1pm...the weather was good, and not many people around (maybe they went in the morning, to escape the afternoon heat).

With Nurin holding her mummy's IC...hehehe...sibuk nak ikut....tak nak duduk kat umah ngan ayah dia, who went out as early as 8.15am to vote at Bukit Rahman Putra primary school or her Atuk who just came back from voting at our 'kampung' Merapoh.

The four of us went to the SPR counter to check our voting rooms...and my brother and I was allocated at the same room...room no. 4 while mak in room no. 2.

Since there are no people in room 2, so mak cast her vote in 2 seconds...huhuhuhuhu...

So while Abg Long went into the room to vote, here i was, trying to persuade my girl to follow her grandma while waiting for my turn to vote..which however ..fails...
So...with the blessings of the two policewomen who was guarding the room, and the ever smiling election worker, i went to the room carrying Nurin...haishhhh...kecik2 dah masuk mengundi...hehehehe

As the smiling election worker shouting out loud...."1751 81......48 NOORHAYATI BINTI IBRAHIM", Nurin just stared at him, as if wondering why is he talking so loud...hehehe..while the other 2 election workers who was sitting next to him was happily 'mengagah' nurin while passing my voting ticket...

So we went to the dedicated booth , and I sat her down on the table. To keep her busy while i cast my 'X' on the ticket, I gave her my IC for her to play around.
After folding the tickets into two... i carried her to the clear BOX stated 'DUN' and 'PARLIMEN', and drop the tickets in. My girl was trying to follow my act, and tried to drop my IC as well...Nasib baik the worker who was guarding the box acted quickly...ishh...kalau tidak, abis semua vote dalam kotak tu...

Then, we went out of the room and join my brother and my mum who was waiting outside for us...It was quick, less than 10 minutes...and very efficient.
I don't see what's the fuss which everybody has been making saying that SPR was not doing a good job and so on... For me, it was a fast, efficient and very professional.

So , there goes my 1st real-life experience on ELECTION DAY..

Whoever won the election, grab the opportunity given and be held responsible for every promise that you made during the campaign week.. For those who fails to continue to service, take this time to evaluate what you have done in the past that had made you loose the trust of the people who have been supporting you all this time.
Peace for all....

5 mOrE DaYs to EleCtiOn DaY

The battle has began...

From the banners to campaigns...as well as the flags...there are all over the place...from lamp posts to flyovers, as well as on hospitals gates. We even now have historic tv advertisement...;) in the name of politics....

Nescafe, Mercedes Benz and even Nokia road advertisement (by the highway) have been replaced by election campaigns. What a sight..!!
We even miss a junction when we went to a friend wedding invitation at Taiping last week ; simply because the only signboard that leads to the house was covered with flags from all parties...

There were Rockets , one-eyed symbols, the beautiful green full moon..
as well as the most famous of all for ruling the country since the independence day; the 'Dacing' symbol... An 80 year old Granny even registered as a candidate for one of the Terengganu Parlimen constituency seats...She even has her own symbol....a key...and from what i've read in the papers, she lived in a RM60 rental house with no furnitures, and goes around earning a living by selling fabric to make 'Baju Kurung'. Where are all her relatives to advise her NOT to compete... The RM10k that she put as the deposit to compete can easily be 'burned'. She might as well use the money to perform pilgrimage (Hajj) or even Umrah.

I personally think we are living in an 'up-side-down' country. People can just woke up one day from sleep and decide to compete and become a candidate, Ulama' can say it's OK to bad-mouth others when it comes to politics, and there are many 120 years old citizens in Malaysia that can woke up suddenly from the dead to vote.

Election mood is everywhere...

In office too, hundreds of emails..most of it was 'hate' mail & so-called 'bad-mouth' other people just for the sake of politics and to gain some extra votes..
People criticizing the minister for not doing his job...and for the old to step down, to give some room and space for the young ones to get the chance..and also on the HINDRAF and BERSIH rally ...These are among many other emails that i have received and have to delete because my mailbox have exceeded it's limit storage due to everybody around me is so passionate when it comes to politics.

Some people even asked me...what will my vote be, this coming 8th March..
What's the point of asking?...Haishhh. Aren't votes supposed to be a secret?..
Then, if i refuse to say anything, they will start to talk politics...on why we should vote for this and not for that...mmmm decisions decisions...A friend even 'tarbiyah' me in Yahoo Messenger just to ensure that i support his argument and vote as his is....aiyoohhhh.. poning..poning..

To vote or not to vote is no more a question... As a citizen of a democracy country, we have to vote. Once you reach 18, you have your own right to vote.. I miss my vote when i was 23 years old..and i'm not going to do the same this coming election.

Therefore, be a responsible person and vote wisely.. Your vote can make a difference...

The Birthday Dinner

We celebrated Abang Long's Birthday at San Fransisco's Steakhouse in Damansara...
At first, it was difficult to decide on the venue...hmmm...Abang Long wanted to eat Baba Nyonya cuisine at Restoran Sri Melaka in One Utama or to eat steamboat at Coca in Bangsar Shopping Mall, while abah wanted to have Steak....Mak suggested that we go to Victoria Station...., but since Victoria Station was quite a distance, we decided to go to San Fransisco...

It was raining heavily that night....Mak kata ' Hujan rahmat..on Di's birthday '...'Dahla 4 tahun sekali....hujan lak tu'.... hehehehhehehe

Anyway the service was excellent.....siap payungkan kami dari kereta to the restaurant...then...we had one dedicated waiter just to cater to our needs....Kesian mamat tu...tak pasal2 kena jadi tukang kutip mangkuk Nurin je...Nurin campak mangkuk je ...dia kutip, ganti yang baru....hehehehe....



Well...The meal was superb

.... and the service was good...and we had a fun night...
Just wishing that Ida and Nana could join us on that night...(Ida is at Jordan while nana is having examination at her UITM Melaka...)