Ada Tetamu.....

Kelmarin, semalam dan hari ni, I busy melayan tetamu kat rumah.

Tak sempat nak update or go singgah blog you all.

Esok boleh resume normal activities.

Tungguuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

I hate waiting, but who does kan.................

Banyak benda yang saya tunggu.

Tunggu results four proposals

Tunggu cheque masyuk

Tunggu kes tipah tertipu settle

Tunggu macam macam lagi....yang malu nak tulis pun ada;-)

Sabar sabar sabar i tell myself every day

Sing Me a Lullaby

I am having trouble sleeping again.

Kalau boleh tidor pon, if i tidor kat depan TV.

I have been advised to sleep early....ada kawan cakap between 11p.m. and 2a.m. - masa critical for cell renewal.

Hmmm, habis la cell2 aku dah expire tak sempat nak renew.

I have also been reading about radiation from the TV - supposedly bad for health.

Semalam i cuba gelapkan the whole place, masuk tidor on my own bed.

2 jam lebih i was so restless. Finally i on the light, and fell asleep browsing the IKEA catalougue.

I have to find a reason to love my bedroom again.

Notes on the pics: Tu BABY, my brother's cat. He obviously does not have any sleeping disorders.

Friday Reflections: Rise to the challenge

The more burdensome the challenge, the more valuable the response.

Out of extreme difficulty, greatness is born.
When things seem to be at their worst, they are likely to soon get much better.

The more intensely the problems are illuminated, the more effectively they can be addressed.
Always remember that life is incessantly dynamic.

Life is able to respond with innovation, determination and an underlying goodness that cannot be denied.
The best cure for a problem is the problem itself. Because each problem is a well-defined opportunity for improvement.
Whether you judge something to be a problem or opportunity says more about you than about the situation.

The way you choose to see the world is the way the world will be for you.
In life there is challenge and in challenge there is life.

Rise to each challenge, and continue adding value to the ever-growing richness of life.

Ralph Marston

Cry For Help

Today THE IKEA SALE started. I tak ada plan pun nak pergi. Almaklum la takde budget nak shopping2. For IKEA Friends members, boleh enter seawal 7 pagi. Jill is one of those eager 'friends' yang buka pintu Ikea pagi ni.

Pukul 9 lebih dia sms - cry for help. Nak tolong angkat barang naik atas trolley. I pun rajin nak layan. Semalam satu hari mood tak berapa ok...i thot some 'social activity' would help kill the lousy mood.

Sambil tolong2 Jill, sempat snappy-snappy activity Jill shopping. Mentang2 rumah baru shopping tak hengat dia.



She got a new bed, and this contemporary chandelier type lighting for her living room. The TV rack is a bargain, sebab an ex-display item. The hole is for wiring - made for Plasma/LCD TV. Cool kan.

Inilah where i come in, part angkat-angkat barang from the racks at Markethall. Jgn ingat si kurus ni tak kuat tau....:-)




Sempat rest dengar lagu, pastu gelak tengok Jill tolak trolley...hehehe.




Ni kat As-Is section. Muka boring tu sebab lama sungguh kena park my butt on this tv rack Jill wants to buy. Section ni kan ex-display. Kalau tak book, kejap je orang sapu. Macam gambar last tu, nampak tak makcik warga emas tengah pegang rack putih. Jill nak beli dah, tinggal kejap cari the Ikea staff, makcik tu dah sapu..sian Jill.



Finally, we headed for the check-out. 3 trolley Jill borong!! Sempat i snappy THE DAMAGE...so that i can rub it in to Jill....JOM KERJAAAAA!!!!!!!!! Banyak nak bayar credit card tu!!!!:-O

After all the hardwork, of course kena makan dulu before balik:-)

Anne is NOT in the mood

............Bengang .........................Marah.........................Merajuk....................Tak Kuasa......
............Sedih...............................Risau...........................Pilu.............................Sepi..........

The Nanny: Welcome Home

My nanny duty has ended.

Except for the horrific maid, the kids were not too difficult

Ada la gaduh2 sama dia orang - but biasa la tu.

On Saturday, kids nak bake a cake to welcome their mom n dad home.

So i layan je la. Brought them back to my place, bake cake dgn choc topping semua.

Sha yang rajin tolong. Hazeem and adik excited mula2 je, then ended in the swimming pool.

Then i had a working weekend on Sunday.

Alone.

The Nanny Part 3: Anne Salutes Career Moms

did the maid eat the kids lunch???
Semalam, lepas pagi yang havoc, maid takde la buat hal apa-apa sangat.
Come to think of it, memang dia tak buat apa-apa sangat pun kat rumah tu.

I went to my meeting in KL, and after i came out i realised i forgot to call Hazeem.
Dia sekolah petang. I just wanted to make sure he ate his lunch....i mean ada lagi lunch untuk dia makan.
But it was pass 12, so dia dah tinggal handphone kat rumah la. He walks to school.
Maid tu tak angkat pun housephone.
Dalam hati i hope he had some food. Kesian pulak kalau pegi sekolah lapar.

Then i sorted out my work, made some calls and ended up in One Utama to have lunch with MissQQ. I lapar, tapi all throughout lunch rasa tak sedap hati je makan, sebab i know the girls will be coming back from school. And they will only be having KFC from last nite, and if the maid remembers to masak nasi, with some rice kosong je.And that is not a decent meal pun. (wah, hati seorang ibu tuuuu, bakal.... bakal;-))
I was thinking if i kerja, ada anak, and leave kids at home dengan Maid tak competent macam ni. Harus go crazy ni...stress!!!!!!!!!.

Which is why Anne's Prelude dgn rasminya salute all career moms. And all those career moms who quit their jobs to be with the kids. (....ok la and dads as well)

So lepas lunch, i kept calling the girls on their handphone, tak dapat.

My plan nak balik bkt jelutong, buat kerja sikit, plus i need my phone charger..
Tak sedap hati punya pasal, i pergi USJ dulu. They just had lunch masa tu.


Maid tu takut jugak dengan warning i agaknya. Kids cakap maybe dia makan nuggets la seketul dua...hehe, siap kira stok bebudak ni. Actually,tak kisah nak kasi dia makan pun - tapi bengang dengan perangai dia tu. Kalau perangai elok, i lagi nak kenduri kat dia.

So malam tadi, i took the kids dinner kat SS19. Orderlah apa dia orang nak.



are you smarter than a std 4 kid???

the nite before, dah 10.30pm, baru la si kecik tu nak bawak keluar homework.
sepanjang hari dia cakap takde homework, pastu dok jerit aunty....tak paham....susssahhhhhh

so i was doing std 4 math on length conversions
convert cm jadi mm, metre...macam tu la, kira dalam otak boleh la kan we as adults
but jalan kira yang cikgu nak tu...adus...tercabar sekejap
sampai 11 lebih dok ajar dia. lucky lepas dia faham, laju je dia buat sendiri

happy dia balik sekolah semalam cakap semua betul
budak lain banyak salah. (nampak sangat budak lain buat sendiri...hehehe)

The movie treat: Hancock

mula-mula kids nak tengok Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D
but the tickets mahal sangat la...RM18 per each
So negotiate dengan depa la - watch Hancock
Best jugak cerita ni - superhero of a different kind. tak cliche langsung
They had fun, and that's good enough.


Ini hobby hazeem, ambik gambar dengan large movie posters
Lepas tu dia letak kat myspace dia.







To be continued: The Nanny - Part 4

The Nanny Part 2: Maid Fr Hell

I just dropped the the girls off at school.
Now i balik bukit jelutong, nak get ready sebab kejap lagi ada meeting kat KL.
Wah merasa sekejap juggling family and career...hehehe, takde maknenya..;-)

Adoi, havoc betul pagi ni.
Dah banyak dengar cerita from my bro, wife and the kids betapa teruknya maid baru diaorang ni.
Wah, pagi ni memang merasa sendiri.
Budak2 buat statement...kalau kak yani tak buat hal pagi2, memang bukan dia lah.

Dah pesan semalam, siapkan breakfast untuk budak2.
At least buat milo, letak roti pun jadila.
Budak2 tadi bawak air kosong je, itu pun i kelam kabut gi cari botol mineral water dalam kereta yg kosong - selamba je...botol dah habis. Yg kecik tu ada aerobics practice apa tah half day hari ni. takkan tak bawak air???

Yang kakak pulak couldnt find her singlet.
I dah tengokkan semalam, suruh pilih timetable, tengok baju.
Mana I tahu yang dalam2 pun kena tengokkan
Rupanya school rule kena pakai over underwear so that tak begitu sexy bila pakai baju kurung putih
Sha said dia ada banyak helai singlet putih tu, hitam pun ada
Maid cakap "HILANG". Pastu cakap TAK TAHU, tak pernah nampak. ALL of them missing.
Sha cakap panties dia pun ada hilang.
Havoc gila pasal singlet issue dari 6.30 pagi.
Last last jumpa satu yg basah...IRON ok!, tapi still lembab sikit
Dia pakai gak...dah 7 lebih masa tu. Sian betul Sha.
Then the maid kasi tercabut pulak butang baju kurung sekolah. ....besar gedabak dia pakai safety pin kat leher!

Ni best, bebudak cakap, maid tu if dia tak basuh anything, dia akan ambik dan pergi sorok mana2 kat belakang rumah ke....
MAID FR HELL

And she doesnt cook apparently.
Kalau buat nasi goreng, nasi kosong tuang kicap
Kids pun tak nak makan

I took kids out for dinner semalam at KFC
Beli mini bucket tak habis, so i sd boleh makan lagi esok for lunch
Kids cakap she MAY finish it berdasarkan rekod sebelum ni
(depa cakap dia selalu habiskan roti meant for kids breakfast, habiskan pizza yang kids save for next day, mcm2 lagi horrific story)
Dia tak kisah...selamba je. Takde langsung sifat kesian kat kanak2.Tak mengaku pulak tu, Nanti dia tuduh budak2.
I dah pesan semalam SPECIFICALLY this is Hazeem's lunch before pegi sekolah petang.
And also for the girls bila balik sekolah nanti.
then i cakap masak nasi je, boleh makan dgn ayam goreng tu nanti.

Tengok la apa jadi karang.

Nak pi KL ni, nanti kita sambung telenovela lagi uols;-)...

The Nanny

Hari ni I start duty as The Nanny.

My brother and wife holiday - shopping2 kat Bandung.
Tinggal 3 anak kat rumah mintak i jagakan.
Nasib ada maid so i tak payahla ada situ 24-7.

Hazeem Form 1, Sha from 4, Sabrina Std 4

This morning i dah start duty hantar my bro & mrs pergi airport
Pukul 8 i dah sampai rumah dia orang.
Dapat briefing sikit - schedule bebudak - sekolah, tuition, kelas quran

Bebudak skip school today
dengan alasan hari ni tak belajar - ada gotong royong
dah mak bapak dia kasi,....
Semua pun nak ikut hantar pergi airport

Lepas tu demand nak Auntie bawak tengok wayang
Gila aku kena tangkap polis bawak budak2 tak pegi sekolah berpeleseran
(saje je gempak dia orang)
Pandai je depa ayat...Auntie hutang kita orang birthday treat
(memang betul pun adik n abang punya birthday i belum belanja apa2)

Lepas dah farewell, hugs n kisses dgn daddy mama diaorang, i hantar depa balik rumah
Pesan dia orang pergi study, jangan tengok TV, jangan tido
(ada bunyi macam mak orang tak? hehehe)
Then i balik bukit jelutong
Settle keje i sendiri apa yang patut
Kejap lagi nak pergi sana balik -Tido sana la kan, esok depa sekolah
Rasa macam baik hati je nak bawak depa tengok wayang kejap lagi.....

The Debate

The Anwar Ibrahim v Ahmad Shabery Debate
"Hari Ini Membentuk Kerajaan, Esok Turun Harga Minyak"

Tonite. 9.00p.m. LIVE

I'll be watching. I thinks its gonna be fun to watch - even if its not gonna change anything. I have never witnessed a face-to-face, open political debate in Malaysia. This is gonna go down in history.

(if you have Astro, it will be on AWANI 501. On free-TV, i read somewhere TV9 will air it)

Road Blocks

SEBAHAGIAN Anggota polis trafik membuat sekatan jalan menuju ke Bangunan Parlimen di Jalan Maharajalela, pagi ini . - Foto dari Utusan Malaysia

Any of you guys was caught in traffic this morning????? Cerita la sikit - how bad was it?.

I was at home the whole day, i had a roadblock of my own to deal with - finishing a complicated and tricky proposal for this client. I patutnya finish it semalam. I know....me BAD!

After sakit perut eased a bit late last night, my brain didnt have any creative juices left for the proposal. (thanks to lily, u.lee and semua yg kasi tips and yr concerns yesterday)

Early morning i sms the Marketing contact - who was expecting the proposal and a meeting with me today. I sd i cant meet her today because i have something to do (WHICH IS DO THE PROPOSAL...HAHAHAHA), and can only meet her tomorrow! She replied - OK, but make sure we can send proposal out to client tommorrow. I replied - No Problem (dgn confident-nya)

OK, i told a lie.....well, technically i didnt. Did I?:-P hehehe, naughty sikkkit je.

Its a BIG proposal, and i really wanna get it right. Didn't wanna rush a half-baked one. You all doakan i dapat project ni boleh?? It would really be a big boost for me if i land this job.

Anywho....tomorrow's another day.......

Ouuuchhhhh!

I sakit perut...........tak tau kenapa.

I have a proposal halfway done due tomorrow.

Dah letak minyak angin:-(

Takde makan pelik2 pun, makan roti n peanut butter for breakfast.
Lepas tu dah start sakit.

After a while, tak hilang.
I thot maybe gastric datang ke, i makan nasi for lunch.
Tak hilang jugak.

Tengah letak laptop atas perut...it works like a hot water bottle.
(Thanks Halley for the tip)

Macam mana ni....

Water Therapy

"DRINK WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers.

For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT

1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water

2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute

3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.

4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours

5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.

6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:

1. High Blood Pressure (30 days)

2. Gastric (10 days)

3. Diabetes (30 days)

4. Constipation (10 days)

5. Cancer (180 days)

6. TB (90 days)

7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards – daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times. It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

AVOID COLD DRINKS WITH YOUR OILY MEALS

This makes sense ... The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals ..not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain... For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.

Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine.Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer."

Anne says:

My brother email this article to me (not sure from which publication)...and i think i'm gonna give it a try for 10 days. I have tried this before - first thing when i wake up, drink a glass of water. I was told the rational is that there are good enzymes in your mouth that's produced while we sleep - supposed to be good for the stomach. But as usual i only do it when i remember.

Jom...who wants to give this a try. Its only water right - no harm trying. And the one about cold water and fat makes a lot of sense. Imagine having some fast food...with the oily fries...then you wash it down with cold soda...gosh i wanna puke just thinking about it - imagine you freeze up old those oil in your stomach lining...

Friday Reflections: Keeping faith...

A note from Anne:

Lama tak buat Friday Reflections ni. Dulu nak cuba jadi regular post every friday. Bukan niat saya nak tunjuk pandai ya- nanti jadi berdosa pulak, banyak sangat yang saya tak tahu sebenarnya. Sekadar peringatan untuk diri sendiri dan berkongsi dengan sesiapa yang merasakan boleh mendapat sesuatu dari apa yang saya share kat sini. Minggu ni saya share apa yang saya baca dari buku La Tahzan - Dont Be Sad by Dr 'Aidh Abdullah Al-Qarni.

********************************************************************************

Jika Allah memudahkan perkara,

maka mudahlah ia

kekuatannya akan meleleh

dan kerumitannya akan binasa

Alangkah ramai orang

yang menghendaki sesuatu

namun tidak mendapatnya

Dan alangkah ramai orang

yang sudah putus asa

namun kemudian datang kegembiraan

Sungguh ramai orang ketakutan

menjadi menakutkan

dan orang yang miskin

menjadi kaya

Banyak peristiwa yang pahit

berubah manis

Mungkin dunia berubah

di mana yang kaya

berubah jadi fakir

dan yang fakir

menjadi kaya

Sungguh banyak kita lihat

orang yang hidup sengsara

namun tiba-tiba

menjadi manusia yang senang hidupnya

Tulisan Al-Husain bin Mathir al-Asadi

********************************************************************************

"Dan sesiapa bertaqwa kepada Allah, nescaya Dia akan mengadakan baginya jalan keluar. Dan memberinya rezeki dari arah yang tidak disangka-sangka. Dan sesiapa bertawakal kepada Allah nescaya Allah akan mencukupkan (keperluan)nya."

(Surah At-Talaq:3)

OST Sepi - Aku Bukan Untukmu

Zaf & Lah
From OST-Sepi

Dahulu kau mencintaiku
Dahulu kau menginginkanku
Meskipun tak pernah ada jawabku
Tak berniat kau tinggalkan aku

Sekarang kau pergi menjauh
Sekarang kau tinggalkan aku
Disaat ku mulai mengharapkanmu
Dan kumohon maafkan aku

Aku menyesal tlah membuatmu menangis
Dan biarkan memilih yang lain
Tapi jangan pernah kau dustai takdirmu
Pasti itu terbaik untukmu

Janganlah lagi kau mengingatku kembali
Aku bukanlah untukmu
Meski ku memohon dan meminta hatimu
Jangan pernah tinggalkan dirinya
Untuk diriku

Note:

Belum tengok lagi filem ni. Plan to this week kalau sempat. Ramai komen best sgt2.

Nak pegi sorang2 la, boleh nangis- nangis tanpa segan silu;-)

Aku Bukan Untukmu is originally sang by Rossa - melody wise I prefer Rossa's version, but enjoy jugak this cover version sebab ada r&b and a bit of jazzy feel to it, plus the video clip's nice - clean and simple.

Jalan Jalan, Makan Makan

Semalam lepas habis training, Jill nak pergi Ikea cari barang untuk her new apartment. I decided to ikut - bukan nak shopping - saja nak relax kepala sekejap before mula kerja lain pulak.

So balik rumah kejap, letak barang2 training, change - terus pergi IKEA. Pusing2 satu IKEA tu, from living to dining to bathrooms, to bedrooms, to kitchen to lightings to home office to markethall....u name it. Penat tau. Pastu Jill tak beli apa-apa pun, boleh tak??? Hahahahah. At least dia identify sofa set yg dia nak beli. (You better buy that purple couch Jill!!)

Perut dah rasa kosong, i ajak Jill mamam dulu.



Lepas tu ikut Jill jalan lagi, pergi Macy's, Harvey Norman. Lepas tu dia nak cari baju pulak. After Ikano, kita seberang ke The Curve, Jill nak pegi Metrojaya sale (shoppaholic betul!!;-)). I dah malas nak ikut - I went to Borders. Its been a while tak pergi bookstore lepak2, belek2 buku. Usually i cari work related stuff, these days tak berapa nak layan fiction.

Nak sangat beli buku ni for work, but takde paperback version. Hardcover costs RM99.80:-( So i sat there for a while flippin' thru "mencuri" sedikit ilmu.

Lepas tu tengok jam dah 8 lebih. Dinner time. On the way back kitaorang stop kat Uptown, makan light dinner je. Tauhu bakar share - malangnya sejuk tauhu tu...issshhhh...bengang sangat. Ada ke tauhu tu dia dah bakar awal2. Luckily the sate ayam and nasi impit sedap.

Then i went home dengan semangat nak siapkan another proposal yg due. Tapi i tidor sampai pagi...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Cikgu???

I am conducting another corporate training today and tomorrow.

For the first time ever today, this one participant called me "cikgu, cikgu...." - now that felt super-weird...hahahaha. (LOL:-O)

Some pics of Cikgu...ooops, i mean me in action at last week's training.

Titian Kasih

My friend Tom held a birthday party for her daughter at Rumah Titian Kasih this evening. Its a shelter home for children of single mothers and orphans.

I thought that it is a very kind gesture - away from the normal celebrations with family and friends - share the joy with the not-so-fortunate. Tom had the people at KFC & Pizza Hut to bring over fried chicken, pizzas, garlic breads and potato wedges. They had games for the kids, and the loveable Pizza-Guy to amuse them.

It was a simple event, but the kids looked really happy. They might not have a lot going for them, no family, no real home but they are all smiling and having fun.

Jill and I were inspired to come back, insyaallah - when our company can afford it, we want to hold a small kenduri there for the kids.