Aaqil 1st attempt to solat...

Preparing solat ..waiting for Bapak to take ablution...

These pictures are all taken in my mother in law's house in Aljunied, Singapore. I never expected kids learn so fast. Normally, when we both perform solat, he just sat quietly and observed us. Well, of course there were some of bad times where he pulled our "kain". But in Aljunied he started asking for songkok and kain...although his Bapak said...so long you cover your aurat, no need to wear the kain. Alhamdullillah...he keeps asking us to solat together with him now and he can read Al-fatihah quite fluently made me wonder whether i should send him to Islamic taska.....One of my Hong Kong friend who converted, told me her kid now read koran better than her.....since she is still learning the content in English and Chinese. I told her...I am learning in English too...so there is no need to worry if she is slow in Arabic...Understanding is more crucial!

Tahiyyat awal..

Allah-hu- Akbar..(GOD is great)

Semoga anak tunggalku menjadi orang beriman....Ameen...

Oh ye..O...I am amazed by thee...

I would like to declare that I have new respect for O.

Steve and my husband right before the ceremony....

Last week, he was asked by his chinese ex-colleague, to be his best-man. And the wedding day was just 2 days away. I remembered I was in Giant with him, and he asked me to find a nice suits for him...And I was like..."Whatttt the hell??"

I have known him as a very simple man. He hardly wear fancy clothes and he likes to buy cheap t-shirt in bossini or giordano and mainly in white, coz he hates the sticky feeling when the temperature rises. So when he mentioned that day that he needs a nice suits I was laughing my heart out loud thinking that he was talking rubbish with me....Eventually he told me, that his friend pestered him to be his best man. And of course in chinese ceremony, if the groom wears suit, the best man must be in suit too.

He is the only one here who looked very Chinese....cant see the pony tail though!!

Anyway, after much negotiation with the groom, O has managed to lower his bestman status to brother, meaning that his responsibility is less and he does not have to wear suits. So I gave him funny idea to be a real chinese that day. Wear a cheong sam complete with pony tail. Here are some pictures of my supporting husband. According to him, everybody enjoyed seeing him in the costume and some woman kept tidying up his pony tail. I did not go as I have to look after Aaqil. If not mommy Aaaqil also in hot cheongsam..hahaha

Advising Steve....life as husband and wife is not always bed of roses....

To bride and groom, Steve and Jennifer, Wishing you life happiness with full contentment.

celebrity look alike-muka tak make up...

tapi seronok..sbb mcm aung san yg manis tuh..hahhaha..perasan sekejap..

Celebrity look alike...kalu gambar muka penuh make up....

Aaqil tangkap udang...

Bersungguh Aaqil menjala udang fresh sbb mommy dia suka udang mentega....Pics taken in one seafood restaurant in Indonesia......on 2nd eid.

Lepak-lepak in JB

Last Tuesday, my wish to eat at Pasar Ramadhan in Malaysia came true. Well, I went to JB only hehehe....to drive further up, memang tak kuasa dan taklarat....I dont know why, this year Ramadhan is quite challenging for me....Rasa lemau ajer badan....Nevertheless...it was a fruitful short trip. We checked in at Puteri Pacific which is in the heart of JB..and the Pasar Ramadhan was just 100 metres away. So, after freshen up, I took a stroll with my 2 boys..ended up we bought some kuih-muih yang takder di Singapore, some ayam percik, air katira and rice with some lauk...Unfortunately, during breakfast, O told me nasik tuh basi.....Luckily 3 of us tak kena food poisoning....so with the kuih and ayam percik and mark and spenser cookies...we broke our fast in the hotel room that day. After prayers, we roamed in JB...mcm scary betul JB nie..mcm kat NY pulak....I did not bring handbag....lengang kangkung and Omar brought his napsack...I think he also brought less that 50 rm....passports and the rest of cash all in safebox...Sungguh notorious JB nie.....Ada one time, I went to window shop baju raya....when I bargained...they said "ala....u orang Sing, duit besar...takkan nak tawar.." I told them...hallo..i mai dari Kedah nu....terpaksalah keluar loghat2 pekat to convince them...Anyway tak beli pun...mahai kalah Singapore...Baiklah I berjimat ..recycle ajer aper2 yg ada.....

Walaupun tak beli aper2 di JB, I had the best sahur from the hotel. They sent it to my room...nasik panas...rendang daging pinang..ayam golek..sambal musslels...dan sayur goreng yg sungguh lazat bersama buah2 yg enak....Alhamdulillah....

Kambing golek yang nampak sungguh sedap di Pasar Ramadhan...tak beli pun.....takut pening cewahhhh...

Sungguh sakan anakku melepak di kedai mamak tunggu teh tariknya.....

I had a chat with a friend, who is 8000 miles from home....
She is still single and available....
She told me this....

" I can't live without a maid..even one day I will end up being a housewife. "I dah biasa ada maids".

At first I was completely bewildered....In my head.." hey..i was raised by maids too when my mom was teaching at school..but I definately CAN LIVE without maid. In fact, I thank GOD I am among the few who gets the opportunity not to work, clean and cook for the family. Although my cooking can be sucks at times but I always make sure..I have regular meals for them.

On a serious note, Alhamdulillah, I have moved to another apartment. The place is all right I guess...just that I am not used to a bigger space. I hear echos everyday because there is not much furnitures. Aaqil is enjoying his pink bath tub in the master bedroom. He spends almost half an hour every morning inside there. My neighbors are Malays...and 3 units shares one lift which is so much convenient as compared to my older apt. Previously I had to use stairs after taking lift to 14th floor. During that period of moving house, I had my MIL's maid to help me packing and unpacking things as well as doing the cleaning. OMG....I totally cannot stand her cleaning system...tapi bulan puasa kan.....sabar ajer..plus..I am not a type "can you do this can you do that" . At first I thought I can become complacent having her with me. Anyway me and O ended up doing all the major cleaning like toilets scrubbing, mopping the floor, cleaning and disinfecting the kitchen cabinets and etc. She did try to clean the fridge since I smelled the fishy smells from there....but I ended up vomit in front of her...because the smells got worse and worse while she was doing the cleaning.

Moving house is the second worst thing that can happen in life after a family member pass away. I guess that was why my late mom only moved once. Me....10 times maybe and I am only 32.
Back to having maids, I admit that I used to have a silly dream that one day I can be at home and I have a live in maid that can help me with house chores and if she is indonesian..she might know how to massage my head and body. And I might be able to enjoy those beautiful indonesian delicacies like udang balado. I guess I am not that lucky. But the plus point is I know that, if I get into hard times...I can survive. I can do everything myself.

And in Singapore...you can hire part time maid for 10 bucks per hour.
Massage lady for 30-60..

So...I should be fine.....

By the way, O and myself lost some pounds due to fasting and moving house. He is so darn happy today to be able to wear his old levis jeans...Cissss...meluat I tengok.....hahahahhaa

Holy Ramadhan and Food...

Peace to you!!

I got an article from my dear husband yesterday. He has been consistently reminding me on how to eat right very Ramadhan for the past 6 years we have been together. At first.."naik angin" la jugak..because naturally when we hungry..we tend to get cranky. I remember our first Ramdhan together, O requested only cereal and some warm milk during breakfast and said he would eat later whatever I prepared on the table. He has been like that since every Ramadhan....He eats a lot only during sahur....Alahai..at first...so hard for me to adjust myself..

Anyway..I am not a right person to write abt food and diet actually as my weight now increasingly shooting up due to I dont know why...I blame "sambal belacan" because everytime I prepare this dish..I would have at least 2 plates....Why ahhhh??????

I hope this Ramadhan AlMubarak...I can lose some weight..because for my case....i easily get lethargic with my current weight...and nauseaus at times....No medical problems yet...but that is my symptoms lah...

To all, I want to share you this good article...."Heath Guidelines for Fasting"

This article provides useful advice on how to avoid some common problems encountered in Ramadan. If followed, it would enable one to fast comfortably and enjoy fully the spiritual benefits of Ramadan.

During the holy month of Ramadan, our diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible. The diet should be such that we maintain our normal weight, neither losing nor gaining. However, if one is over-weight, Ramadan is an ideal time to normalize one's weight.

In view of the long hours of fasting, we should consume slow digesting foods including fibre containing-foods rather than fast-digesting foods. Slow digesting foods last up to 8 hours, while fast-digesting foods last for only 3 to 4 hours.

* Slow-digesting foods are foods that contain grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour, unpolished rice, etc. (called complex carbohydrates).
* Fast-burning foods are foods that contain sugar, white flour, etc. (called refined carbohydrates).
* Fiber-containing foods are bran-containing foods, whole wheat, grains and seeds, vegetables like green beans, peas, sem (papry), marrow, mealies, spinach, and other herbs like methie, the leaves of beetroot (iron-rich), fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, figs and prunes, almonds, etc.

The foods eaten should be well-balanced, containing foods from each food group, i.e. fruits, vegetables, meat/chicken/fish, bread/cereals and dairy products. Fried foods are unhealthy and should be limited. They cause indigestion, heart-burn, and weight problems.

AVOID

* Fried and fatty foods.
* Foods containing too much sugar.
* Over-eating especially during the meal before Dawn (sehri. or suhur)
* Too much tea during the meal before Dawn (sehri. or suhur). Tea makes you pass more urine taking with it valuable mineral salts that your body would need during the day.
* Smoking cigarettes. If you cannot give up smoking, cut down gradually starting a few weeks before Ramadan. Smoking is unhealthy and one should stop completely.

EAT

* Complex carbohydrates during the meal before Dawn (sehri. or suhur) so that the food lasts longer making you less hungry.
* Haleem is an excellent source of protein and is a slow-burning food.
* Dates are excellent source of sugar, fibre, carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium.
* Almonds are rich in protein and fibre with less fat.
* Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates.

DRINK

* As much water or fruit juices as possible between iftar (Breaking fasting) and bedtime so that your body may adjust fluid levels in time.

Common Medical Problems

CONSTIPATION
Constipation can cause piles (haemorroids), fissures (painful cracks in anal canal) and indigestion with a bloated feeling.

Causes: Too much refined foods, too little water and not enough fibre in the diet.
Remedy: Avoid excessive refined foods, increase water intake, use bran in baking, brown flour when making roti.

INDIGESTION AND WIND
Causes: Over-eating. Too much fried and fatty foods, spicy foods, and foods that produce wind e.g. eggs, cabbage, lentils, carbonated drinks like Cola also produce gas.

Remedy: Do not over-eat, drink fruit juices or better still drink water. Avoid fried foods, add ajmor to wind-producing foods.

LETHARGY ('low blood pressure')
Excessive sweating, weakness, tiredness, lack of energy, dizziness, especially on getting up from sitting position, pale appearance and feeling faint are symptoms associated with "low blood pressure". This tends to occur towards the afternoon.

Causes: Too little fluid intake, decreased salt intake.

Remedy: Keep cool, increase fluid and salt intake.

Caution: Low blood pressure should be confirmed by taking a blood
pressure reading when symptoms are present. Persons with high blood pressure may need their medication adjusted during Ramadan. They should consult their
doctor.

HEADACHE
Causes: Caffeine and tobacco-withdrawal, doing too much in one day,
lack of sleep, hunger usually occur as the day goes by and worsens at the end
of the day. When associated with "low blood pressure", the headache can be
quite severe and can also cause nausea before Iftar (Breaking Fasting).

Remedy: Cut down caffeine and tobacco slowly starting a week or two
before Ramadan. Herbal and caffeine-free teas may be substituted. Reorganize
your schedule during the Ramadan so as to have adequate sleep.

LOW BLOOD SUGAR
Weakness, dizziness, tiredness, poor concentration, perspiring easily,
feeling shaky (tremor), unable to perform physical activities, headache,
palpitations are symptoms of low blood sugar.

Causes in non-diabetics: Having too much sugar i.e. refined carbohydrates
especially during the meal before Dawn (sehri or suhur) . The body produces too much insulin causing the blood glucose to drop.

Remedy: Eat something at suhur (sehri) and limit sugar-containing foods and
drinks.

Caution: Diabetics may need to adjust their medication in Ramadan,
consult your doctor.

MUSCLE CRAMPS
Causes: Inadequate intake of calcium, magnesium and potassium foods.

Remedy: Eat foods rich in the above minerals e.g. vegetables, fruit,
dairy products, meat and dates.

Caution: Those on high blood pressure medication and with kidney stone
problems should consult their doctor.

PEPTIC ULCERS, HEART BURN, GASTRITIS AND HIATUS HERNIA
Increased acid levels in the empty stomach in Ramadan aggravate the
above conditions. It presents as a burning feeling in the stomach area under
the ribs and can extend upto the throat. Spicy foods, coffee, and Cola
drinks worsen these conditions.

Medications are available to control acid levels in the stomach. People
with proven peptic ulcers and hiatus hernia should consult their doctor well
before Ramadan.

KIDNEY STONES
Kidney stones may occur in people who have less liquids to drink.
Therefore, it is essential to drink extra liquids so as to prevent stone formation.

JOINT PAINS
Causes: The increased pressure on the knee joints during Salat. In the elderly and those with arthritis this may result in pain, stiffness, swelling and discomfort.

Remedy: Lose weight so that the knees do not have to carry any extra
load. Exercise the lower limbs . Being physically fit allows greater fulfillment,
thus enabling one to be able to perform salat with ease.

From an article by :

Dr. Farouk Haffejee
Islamic Medical Association of South Africa - Durban

My Smoky Chilie Crabs Ala Me...

It was my first attempt trying to cook chilie crab. I had it before in some local restaurants but a good chilie crab can cost around 35 kg per kg. So, I decided to try it myself. Aaqil and I had this for dinner yesterday....with some herbal chicken soup and keropok melinjau and just a steamed chap chye. Although O is always not around during dinner time due to his workload...we both had a good time at our dining room early last night. Aaqil turned in to bed at 8 pm yesterday and I felt like a good achievement since he had been sleeping later and later in the past. I had my own ME time, chatting with a friend and watched my favourite soap opera till midnight. Being a housewife ...i can say sometimes is a beautiful mess..haha....

Smokieee...smokieee.....mommy....i see fire....Aaqil uttered...

Crab Curry with Pineapple...

Today is a very wet and gloomy day. To bringten my day and well...actually to make my stomach happy, I decided to have some seafood.....but kampung style.....I made crab curry...here it is not famous at all and when I asked my MIL the other day..she said.."what....where got crab curry..only mamak style have laa.." In Singapore...chilie crab is the most popular....But my late mom always cooked this dish as it is a my dad's favourite dish...

Here is my humble crab curry recipe...Its quite suitable for toddlers too..

600 g of flower crab
half small pineapple...unripe..
fish/seafood curry powder- 4 table spoon
a bit of tamarind juice
1 spoon of plain yoghurt
curry leaves and herba fish curry..
3 shallots-cut
3 cloves of garlic-crushed
a bit ginger
salt and sugar to taste
1 tomato and 2 green chilies
Olive oil -3 spoon

1. Tumis curry leaves and herba until fragrant...Mixed the shallots, garlic and ginger
2. Mix the curry powder with warm water ..add yoghurt inside
3. After the mixture turn yellow and fragrant, mixed the curry powder inside...
4. Wait till it boil..then add tamarind juice and some water..
5. Add tomatoes, green chilies and crabs...
6. Lastly put the pineapple..salt and sugar...and cover it. Simmer for another 10-15 mins...

How I miss my mommy's cooking!!!

Ladang Kambing di Singapura..

One of our favourite hangout in Singapore believe it or not is Hay Dairies located at Lim Chu Kang. It is a small goat farm and they are producing milk for sale from 1000s of mixed goat breed. According to the Hay Dairies owner, goat's milk is the next best thing to mother's milk. In fact, it is a good substitute to breast feeding infants as it is easily digested and assimilated by a infant's digestive system. I have no comment on that. Me and O find the fresh goat's milk delicious and different...Yalah....asyik makan fresh cow milk...We visit this farm once a month and last weekend we brought my brother who came all the way from Kedah to this place...hahah....He enjoyed feeding the goat and of course Aaqil..so busy feeding and petting those goats....

My bro...working in penang..still single and available...but he is a bit reserved!@

Aaqil feeding baby goat...He used to be afraid but now..he loves goat more than a cat...

Bapak is very natural with animals.....

Check out my Slide Show!

Breast-stroke from A Breast-milk fan..

Aaqil has turned 3 years last July. I am super pro breastfeeding mommy so Aaqil is still a breastfed baby..oppsss toddler. I thank GOD for giving me supply and strength to breastfeed Aaqil day and night. I thank GOD for being able to ignore abt what people said in breastfeeding a toddler (budak dah besar katanye).

Disclaimer: This is not a bragging post...Just to encourage mothers that it is POSSIBLE to breastfeed your baby as long as you want.

Caught In Action...

Aaqil was caught in action this afternoon in our neighborhood playground. He was so excited to see some children running around as there was a Malay wedding reception nearby , suddenly a cute Malay girl walked passed him....

"Alamak..cun la budak nie...cun dari mommy aku lah.mommy aku dah gemok lah...ehhh seganlah tengok lama2..Baik sembunyi muka belakang tiang..."


Seboknya mommy aku nie..belum aper2 dah jeles distract2 orang nak break the ice dengan awek cun nie.....
Aiseh man..dia bolayan lah....sebok main kasut buat aper....Meh aku staring dia lama2...!!!
Main peekaboo nak????? ( Aaqil pi tanya girl tuh muakaka)
Yahoo...abang dia suruh aku salam.....Aku pun salam....siap cium tangan awek cun nie lagi....Apalah tuah hari nie...dah la mommy masak kari ikan kurau sedapppp....kejap lagi boleh dinner....
Cium lagi tangan for the second time...haha....Gue hero la kat Boon Keng!!!
And now..back to reality...balik bawah ketiak Mommyku....!!!

Quickie Getaway to Batam Island...

It was a cool getaway for 3 of us, although it was supposed to be a work trip for O, experiencing unspoilt beauty of nature, beautiful beach and living in a traditional villa, Bali style. All the stress of living in metropolitan city suddenly gone the moment I stepped into the resort after an hour journey with speed boat. Aaqil quickly adapted to this new land, enjoying every moment. The food was fabulous inside the resort itself. I had my "Nasi Rames" with "cabeeii (their sambal belacan)", Nasi goreng kampong batam style and macam2 lah. By the way, that night, we went for a seafood treat in kelong at the edge of the village, the butter crab was superb. Makan macam like there is no tomorrow for about 150 K rupiah.

Besides that, we just hanging around in the resort. We had good massage, good swim in the beautiful swimming pool, had a good time at the pool bar and had a good walk along the beach.

I would recommend this place, Turi Beach Resort those who wants to run away from the city. I tell you, you will never regret.

luge, skylift and a night with an Oscar...

Hello from Singapore!!

Dear friends,

How is everybody doing? I have been so lazy updating my blog due to more important things that I have to think about right now. And yes, I have been gaining some weight too. I wonder why this fats are accumulating as I am still breastfeeding and always running like a headless chicken to tame my little rascal.

Father and son love racing????

Yesterday, since O decided to take a day off, we decided to treat ourselves to Sentosa Island. We had the purest excitement when we went for luge and skylift. Its Part go-cart, part-toboggan, gravity ride that's safe for all ages with a unique steering and braking system. We took their hot deal on weekedays, buy 2 rides and one ride free. It was so much fun for us.

Omar overtook me....and won a chequered flag haha

After an exhausting ride, we went to watch a show, Song of the Sea. Songs of the Sea is a multi-sensory spectacular with dramatic effects, engaging music, pyrotechnics and a live cast.

I guess that's all for now. I hope everybody is well. I hope everybody is doing fabulous. Time flies. I am proud that at the age of 32, i never feel old....Again...just joking....!!!

Nostalgia 4 thn di Boston

Pic courtesy of Angah: Front row left: Ain, Che Lat, Angah, Elin, Niza, ME and Yus

A note to all my friends...I miss you all.....

Hola!

Dear friends...

Sorry I went missing......We both pick up golf hahahha..Just joking...!!!

Weekend with Butterflies, Snake and Water Dipping..

Yesterday, I brought Aaqil to visit Butterfly Park and Insects Kingdom in Sentosa Island. It was an amazing experience for Aaqil to see more than 1500 butterflies with over than 50 species. We also witnessed the blossoming of new life at "Pupa House" and it was really fantastic to see how they emerged to a flying butterfly. But we have to watch out Aaqil carefully as he tend to touch those butterflies quite roughly. As a reward for behaving quite well in the park, we let him played in the small fountain outside the park. He was there alone as we both watched him from a distance.

"Wowww..."

After a light lunch, we had a photography session with phyton. I was quite surprised to see Aaqil bravely touch the snake's skin. Well, still early to assume anything..maybe he was just curious. After roaming around at the Merlion's side and watch the flower's festival, suddenly wheather became wet with non-stop drizzling. At first we decided to swim at Palawan beach. As we did not want to dissapoint our little boy, we walked to Vivo City from Sentosa for a dip at the roof's pool. Lots of kids were dipping there and Aaqil had a fabulous fun interacting with new friends.

"Bapak dah penat"

Microwave Cooking...

It was a lazy day and I decided to cook steam fish and steam emperor-chicken. Jgn terpedaya dengan nama yang canggih..I am very suck at cooking indeed... . What I did? After marinated the wings with emperor chicken powder (yang halallah okay) I potong2 veges (asparagus, brocoli, carrot, pak-choy) and dried mushrooms, then dumped my golden pomfret and mid-joint wings in microwaveable steamer and microwaved each dish for 15 mins. Lastly I boiled the seafood light soy-sauce to be poured on the fish and chicken. For this type of cooking, it was saltless.

Easy-peasy!!! Thanks to the genius microwave's inventor.


Verdict: Both my boys burped :)

Waiting for my update??????

Please read below....

Singapore vs Malaysia

Despite the many tussles between Singapore and Malaysia, ok that's only in politics, a game of soccer has always been on the softer side. I was there with free admission tickets witnessing the whole of the Singapore-Malaysia game, with the presense of the 55,000 strong crowd.

With this article, definitely gossips were already flying around my circle of lost friends, who may be already assuming, I have forgotten that I am Malaysian. Well, once again, I will not be elaborating on that, and let them speak their minds.

But you know what, the game was interesting, I think, towards the very end. And that has resulted me in the stadium again when Singapore met Thailand in the first leg finals, to feel the energy level of the 55,000 strong supportive crowd.


As you can see, both of us were wearing red, so let the critics again do the talking. Boring article? Hear me again next time.