Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I am on leave tomorrow. Reason being, I have arranged to have a day out with the Gurls. It’s like going to work expect that I won’t be at work. Instead I’ll be at the Mid Valley or The Garden the whole day, hanging out with them, catch a movie and have long lunches. Truthfully, I can’t wait to meet them. I think I haven’t met them in ages. Yes I did see them (well, some of them only) during my brother’s wedding, but we didn’t get to hang out much because I was basically busy entertaining guests and running here and there. And that was only Pah, Yamm, Zha and Min. The others couldn’t make it. Prior to that, I think the last time I saw them was in PD. Hhmm… I think that was months ago. So yes, I am looking forward to see them. We’ve been planning this for more than a month now. The only not-nice thing is that not ALL can make it. So end up, there’ll only be four of us tomorrow. Oh well.

We plan to call it a day at about 5.30pm because we were adamant to make it like as if we went to work (even though we didn’t). But my day doesn’t end there. I have also made other plans to meet my homies at a karaoke centre in Ampang where we will be singing our hearts out in view of the recent Anugerah Juara Lagu. My homies are my girlfriends at work. All are younger than me (I know..!!) and only one of them are still single. But out of the four, only one of us has kids and that would be ME. I am a little excited. I have already booked a medium room and plan to buy a bucket of KFC to enjoy while singing. We can bring food to this karaoke centre so of course I’m going to ensure that food will be there. So yes, I can’t wait for that as well.

But my fun doesn’t stop there. The next day, a bunch of my Seremban friends are coming over to the house for brunch. This was also something that was planned for quite a while. We haven’t met up with one another for AGES. I think the last time we met was during raya last year. So yes, I am also looking forward to meet up with them. Lin is bringing nasi goreng, whereas Elly is going to bring daging masak assam pedas and caramel. I can’t wait for that. As for me, I don’t know what to cook yet. Elly suggested I prepare some fried vegetables and eggs or fried chicken. Hhmm… I don’t know. We’ll see.

The next day, which is a Saturday, I received an invitation from a former colleague to go to her house for her son’s birthday party. And since she is such a dear friend, I will definitely go to her house. Besides, I think I am the only one who hasn’t gone to her house yet. She also invited a few of our other friends whom we fondly refer to as the Gang of Six.

So yes, I am looking forward to the days ahead. I know I am married and all, and have two kids, but that doesn’t stop me from having fun. I feel that fun should not be restricted just because you have kids. You should have time for yourself and of course with the kids. That somehow makes me sane. That was one of the reasons why I suggested taking leave to have a day out with the Gurls. So at least my weekend will solely be for the kids. After all, weekends are the only time that I could get to spend some quality time with the kids.

So for all women out there, married with kids especially, MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF. After a hard day’s work, it doesn’t hurt to splash a few RM and time just to pamper yourself.

Let’s have fun..!!

The Wedding In Seremban

I had wanted to update what went on during the wedding at my parent’s house, but I never seemed to find the time to draft it. Besides, I needed the right mood to capture the event.

The wedding at our side I must say was superb (I’m biased.. I know). The pelamin was beautiful than the one at the bride’s house, and the guests were many. My brother and his wife were also beautiful. The clothes which were songket were beautiful, and the bride’s make-up was also beautiful (compared to the bride’s house). As Ayah has many friends, his guests include various VIPs (whom I didn’t recognize at all, so how was I supposed to know they were Tan Sris or Datuks – one Datuk complained that she didn’t get the bunga telur and ‘door gift’) as well as the old and current MB.

It was tiring. Imagine that we didn’t finish with the ‘door-gift’ for the guests even on the actual wedding day itself. So that morning, we had to quickly finish off the bunga telur so that we could distribute to all guests that came.

I wasn’t even dressed (or bathed for that matter) until it was nearly 12pm. After that, it was just rushing here and there. As my parents had to greet the guests whereas my brothers and husband were usherers, I had to act like the event-coordinator. So I was running here and there, making sure that certain things are done and/or given to the appropriate persons. I pity my little one as I couldn’t entertain him as much. Luckily there were many volunteers from my relatives to hold him and feed him. I stopped once in a while to breastfeed him, but other than that, I could be found in the kitchen, underneath the tent and inside the newly-weds room.

The entourage from my brother’s wife’s side came a bit late. In fact later than as programmed in the invitation card. They wanted to perform their Zohor prayers first and I could perfectly understand that. When they arrived, I was among the first to greet them and invited them to the house near the pelamin for the tepung tawar event. All of them sat in front of the pelamin. The emcee for the day did his job. He called the bride’s parents first to do the tepung tawar followed by her other close relatives. The last couple to tepung tawar was of course my parents. Then we invited them for lunch. We in fact reserved a few tables for their side so that when they came, foods were already guaranteed for them. The parents and other close members of the bride’s family sat at the newly-weds’ table. I have to admit that our caterer did a really good job. She made sure that the serving of the food for them was tip-top; so no room for complaint there.

The foods were good. I especially liked the beef rendang. For someone who doesn’t take beef, I sure ate the beef rendang a lot. Others were the normal chicken korma, dalca, etc. Ayah also had his famous Teh Tarik Corner with cendol and other kuih-muih (from crispy delicacies to sweet kuih kuaci). And there was also ice-cream. I had a tub, but before I could finish it, I was called to meet my parents’ guests. When I returned to the table to retrieve my ice-cream, it was already gone. Those boys sure were efficient in collecting dirty plates and cups including my half-eaten tub of ice-cream.

I think I only sat down to rest at about 5pm. There were still guests about, but since my parents were there to entertain them, I just let them be. I was just tired. We wanted to sing (there was karaoke there), but we were too shy because there were still plenty of guests around. So, we didn’t sing anything. As for me, I just sat there and played with my baby.

As usual, that night, Ayah invited his close friends and neighbours to the house. There is this informal ritual that Ayah likes to perform after the wedding reception during the day. It all began from my wedding five years ago. Well basically, that night, we had another event at the house. Lucky draws (Ayah managed to get about 8 to 10 hampers and several small gifts), birthday cake-cutting (collectively celebrated as there were many of us who were born in January including my daughter Marsya and Ibu) and performances by ‘professional’ performers like my dearest Bie, my brother, his friends and my Maksu (karaoke went on till midnight).

It was fun. We sang, we ate and drank more teh tarik. Bie and I also performed a duet together. We sang ‘Doa Buat Kekasih’ originally performed by Ramli Sarip and Khatijah Ibrahim. And for those who know me upfront, my performance was somewhat fun. Well, I danced while singing (more like swaying my body to the left and right) and held on to Bie’s arm as a show of affection. My new sis-in-law thought my voice was good. Hehehe… kembanglah aku. I thought it was cute.

All and all, the event ended at midnight. By that time, I was already in the room, trying to make Raqib go to sleep. Marsya was just too excited playing with her little aunts whereas Bie and my other brothers were hanging out with their friends while drinking teh tarik. The neighbours had long left. The house wasn’t so much of a mess because most of the event was held outside, on the porch. Luckily we used caterers instead of cooking the food ourselves. But the kitchen and dining area was a bit of a mess. By that time, I didn’t bother much. All I know was that I wanted to go to sleep.

I was pleased. The wedding went smoothly. Even if there were hiccups here and there, they weren’t noticeable. So it was alright. So yeah, the next wedding will perhaps take place in another five years time (by the looks of it since my youngest brother had already introduced his girlfriend to the whole family.. imagine his boldness), but still a long way to go.

Tagged: Pic In My Wallet / Purse / Handbag

I have been tagged by a dear friend (who else but Pah) to share with her (and the rest of the world too) of a picture that I may keep in my wallet, purse or handbag (collectively defined as “Purse”). The tag is basically another way to know the personality and/or character of a person just by the picture(s) that he or she has in her Purse.

Before I began to answer to the tag, I opened up my Purse hoping to find a picture or something that somehow defines me. There was that little part of me who was confident that I have a picture of my family and/or the kids tucked somewhere in my Purse. Imagine my disappointment to discover that I don’t. I do not have a picture of my loved ones in my Purse.

Come to think of it, I have never been a person who keeps pictures in her Purse. Yes I have a picture of Bie in it. But that’s only because it was imprinted on our kad kawin (as proof that we’re married in case we get caught spending the nights at a hotel somewhere; particulary useful when you don’t have ‘excess baggage’ in your arms – kids lah. But now that I have my two wonderful kids with me, the card no longer serves much purpose, I think, well maybe useful in circumstances which I can’t think of at the moment). Other than that, I have a lot of rubbish in my Purse. Receipts, statements, business cards, Jusco member card, IC, driving license, ING Insurance cards, etc, etc. But NO family picture.

Before I start using this pink Purse, in my old Purse, I used to keep a picture of my friends in Newcastle. It was one of the Raya gatherings at Boo’s house (Yamm, for the life of me, I can’t remember her real name). All my Gurl friends were there. Then there was that handsome Mamak guy (I can’t remember his name) who likes Prada bags and was always into designer clothes, bags and shoes. And also that rich Bangladeshi fellow; remember Pah he used to be our course-mate. And also that cute pony-tailed Indonesian fellow who now I think looks like Dato’ Fadzilah Kamsah. I particularly like that picture. Everyone was grinning happily. I think it still is in my old Purse. I haven’t transferred it into my new Purse. But then, I think it should just stay there. New Purse means new pictures.

So yes, I will be looking through cute family pictures and putting it in my Purse soon. Perhaps the one taken during my brother’s wedding. There was this very cute picture of four of us on the pelamin. My aunties were being cheeky saying that I was dreaming of being newly-weds when for the fact was, we had excess baggage (my kids lah) in our arms. I didn’t mind. I think it’s the best picture ever. I will load it up soon when I have access to it.

Do mobile phones count? I’ve got pictures of my kids there. But I don’t think I’ve got pictures of Bie. Hhmm… I wonder what that means.

Skeptical I May Be

It is nearly a year since Bie left his job to start doing on his own. I was heavily pregnant with Raqib at that time and was very worried that he was going to stop working the 9am to 5pm job and start on his own. He was worried as well. He was stressed. He had stubbles in his face and he rarely laughed or smiled. He was always thinking. Whenever I saw him, his face was always one of that who was thinking deep; probably thinking of what was to come if he had no fixed income. Or probably thinking whether he could make it on his own. I was very worried. We needed the money. I was in my final trimester. We needed money for the delivery, not to mention the monthly house instalment which reached to about RM1,200 each month. My salary isn’t very big. Yes I could cover groceries and other bills, but to pay the extra RM1,200 each month was something that really bugged me. But Bie went ahead and tendered his resignation. Of course he was sick before he tendered. He had the fever and was always having headaches. The fear of not getting a fixed income was getting to him, I guess.

But Allah is mighty great. About a month after he left his job, I received my bonus. I also managed to liquidate a few stocks so that I could have the cash to cover the whole family’s expenses. As for my maternity, because of the hemmorhoid operation post-delivery, my ING was able to cover the cost of my staying at the hospital and of course the operation. I was lucky there. So we managed. Cut a bit of stuff here and there, and we managed to sustain the cashflow – Alhamdulillah. Yes we couldn’t spend lavishly as we had wanted to, but we somehow managed. If I felt like eating out at fancy places, there’re always the credit cards. I just have to make sure that I don’t miss my monthly credit card payments.

During the course of Bie’s non-fixed employment, he was always running here and there, trying to secure jobs or find small time contractors to help him in doing jobs. Out of all the so-called jobs that his company was supposed to do, I only saw ONE job that gave us some returns. One very small job involving beautifying the kawasan kubur of Mont Kiara. Others gave him nothing. He received many various (possible) jobs but there are always the issues of trying to secure them, and of course mobilization fund, or what Bie usually refers to, “duit minyak”. With no mobilization fund upfront, how are you going to take up the job and do it? His partner was waiting for some funds from out of the country whereby upon the drawdown of these funds, a percentage of it will be disbursed to Bie’s company. But that talk has been around for ages, and till now, the funds are not really showing any positive signs. Luckily throughout this whole thing, we somehow managed.

So when he brought to my attention yesterday that he got a job from EPU, doing some project in Kedah, I was a bit skeptical. He was very enthusiastic though. He had wanted to let me in on it for quite a while, but he wanted to surprise me. So he was keeping quiet about it and didn’t say a word to me about this particular project.

He showed me the letter that the Kedah’s state official bestowed on his company, and that the next step was to meet the MB to get his blessings. I remained calm. In fact, nothing went in my head. I kept on thinking whether it was real or not, and whether this was just another one of his huge potential projects that up till now, none has materialized. I have become very skeptical. I wanted to be happy for him. I do. But I could not run away from the skepticism. It’s like the Jerry McGuire movie when Cuba Gooding Jr’s character asked Tom Cruise to repeat after him, “SHOW ME THE MONEY”. No money, how can one possibly be productive?

He looked at me, wanting a positive reaction. But I couldn’t. I just sat there and stared into space. How can I be enthusiastic for him when I am not able to see anything? A letter from some big hot shots meant nothing until money starts flowing in. When that happens, then can I smile, hug him and whisper words of congratulation. But right now, right at this moment, my level of enthusiasm is not at par with his so how can I possibly fake it and be happy about it.

Don’t get me wrong, however. I am happy that now he finally has something to look forward to. So he’s not reaching out for empty promises anymore. He’s going to be pretty busy for the next two weeks wanting to lay down the structure and how to go on about this. Just last night, he had a long meeting with his two other partners and two associates.

I really hope that this works. I pity seeing him running here and there. Besides, I need a break myself. I just need to rest mentally and physically. I haven’t been able to do that in a long time.

I pray for Bie’s success and hope that this time round, this new project that he’s working on will materialize soon.

Happy Birthday Marsya

(Thanks Pah.. I love the card)

Today is Marsya Hazirah’s birthday. She is three years old. I can’t believe how time flies. She was just a baby when I first laid eyes on her; a small baby all wrapped up in the hospital’s baby napkin with eyes closed, sleeping. And now, look at her. She’s all grown up.

Marsya likes to call herself Kak Long. I don’t know where she gets it from. I guess friends at Maksu’s place keep on calling her that, so the name Kak Long just sort of stick with her. She is still wearing the diapers (I am trying to teach her to not wear it, but it can be very testing), and still asks for her susu-milo (little does she know I opt for Sustagen, the chocolate flavour to replace the milo).

She can be VERY verbal these days. It’s actually tiring and fun at the same time whenever I have to converse with her. It’s always, “Tak nak kawan dengan Umi”, or “Kak Long nak gi swimming”, or “Umi, tengok Abi”, or “Kak Long nak tinggal dengan Uwan” (when she doesn’t want to come back with me but want to stay with Maksu), or “Umi, Laqib sepak Kak Long”, or “Umi tak marah Kak Long kan” or “Kakak nak ikut”, or “Laqib ada siput, Kak Long ada sunflower” or “Umi, Abi cakap bodoh. Tak baik kan, nanti Allah jentik telinga” and the list goes on and on. Fun? YES… adorably fun. The things that come out from her mouth these days can be something which is out of the ordinary. And I look forward to hear what she has to say.

Well, that’s my daughter for you. I love her a lot and I pray the best for her always.

UMI LOVES YOU MARSYA HAZIRAH. Take care darling...