A day out with Emir Effendy (20.9.2010)

20.9.2010 - today was my last day of my raya leave so I decided to fully utilise the day and was adamant that it would be a fulfilling day for both Emir and I.

So I woke up early and was all ready to go out with Emir by 9am.

My first plan was to make a stop at DBKU (Jalan Satok) to pay my overdue parking penalty which amounted to RM10. Believe it or not it was for the month of Feb, 2010 and the notice only came out in Sept, 2010!!! Little did I know that there were a lot more overdue parking penalty for my car and so I had them checked Erwin's car too. Yup, you guessed it, there was! I ended up paying RM79.00 (Inclusive of RM5 charges for printing out the list of penalty(ies) for both my car and Erwin's).

So peeps, even if you thought you have paid all your parking coupon fees, you may have missed out a few/missed out the dateline of paying within the 3 working days - just go and have a check at DBKU before it starts piling up!!

Well, after spending that much money that morning, we got hungry and decided to have a light snack - I took Emir to Bombay Masala, Jalan Kulas and we had roti canai and tossee.

He could finish half of the tossee and loves to dip them into all the sauce(s).

Ok - DBKU done! Tummy filled!

Next destination - Choicefood Supermall. I needed to get some groceries for the house and buy some baking stuff for Aurel's birthday cake.

http://anor-mycupcakes.blogspot.com/2010/09/polka-dots-for-1-year-old-aurel.html

It was almost lunch time and I made the last min decision (before going to Choicefood Supermall) to visit the CAT MUSEUM at DBKU's headquarters. I didnt know whether they were open during lunch time but apparently they did! YEAY!!!

Emir was a bit scared to enter the Cat Museum because the "entrance" of the same is a really the head of very very BIG cat ... but he did anyways... he went around the place and was so excited seeing soo many cats in many many forms... pictures, statues etc...

... but they do need to update some of the stuff there... so outdated!!

I couldn't get any nice pictures of him because my camera went all foggy on me as we entered the air-conditioned museum. Outside it was blazing hot!

Well, that was that. You can use your camera for a minimal fee as follows:

We go again k Emir.. next time with Daddy!

Then, off to Choicesupermall (pic still foggy):

All tired - after the trip to DBKU/Bombay Masala/Cat Museum/Choicefood Supermal... and so it's nap time for him:

After he has freshen up and had a nice long nap... it's time to take a dip in the pool with the dinosaurs and power rangers!!! Nice!!

Well, what a nice day for Emir and mummy....

Note:

Did I tell you that this is actually my first outting with Emir ON MY OWN!!!

Daddy or there will always be someone with me whenever I go out with him...

well, he was a good boy throughout... we had a fun filled day!!!

Enjoy the pictures!!

Love

Anor

A Tribute to Yasmine Ghazali

Yasmine Ghazali, 17, was taken too soon from her loved ones.. diagnosed with brain cancer stage 2 she underwent a surgery to remove the tumor on Monday (6.9.2010)... and yet Allah swt Almighty decides that it is indeed her time to go... Pronounced dead at 915pm at her family's home on 9.9.2010 @ Thursday night (the 1st of Syawal @ Friday according to the Muslim calendar) ... we lost a wonderful sweet soul...

Such cruelty that a parent had to see the demise of child, no parent should bury their child... I could not possibly in a million year fathom what Bang Ghazali and Kak Lina feels right now despite their smiles and brave front... I remember how hurtful it was to lose my mom to cancer... but to lose your child in a span of a week.. is unimaginable...

I remember her being this very respectful young girl.. taught well and raised well by her family... very friendly... outgoing ... a bit shy at times but does not deter her to be outspoken...

I only saw her on Wednesday (8.9.2010) ... late afternoon when Erwin got news from his dad of her critical condition... we were informed that she has suffered fever and that there was no change to the dangerously high pressure on her brain... When they finally took her out of ICU to have a brain scan that was when I saw her... head shaven clean when there used to be such long thick black hair... tubes... eyes closed when there used to be such laughter and such a promising future...

All the while I kept telling myself and Erwin that she WILL bounce back.... she WILL ... she WILL... she is young and that many has survived ... but we are only His humble servants...

She will be remembered well by her family and friends.... too short of a time spent here physically... but she will be remembered for a lifetime in our hearts and minds... for whom she could have been ... but most of all... for the beautiful person that she was... sweet young and innocent...

Yasmine... Al Fatihah and may your soul rest in peace. Amin.

Something to remember you by dear Yasmine....

Love

Aunty Anor

Note: While writing this.. it dawned on me... I lost my mother 8 years ago ... on the 10.9.

Further note: It took me years before I could go through my late mom's belongings... I pray that Allah swt will give strength to Yasmine's family to go through this rough times....

23 weeks

Yesterday (6.9.2010) was baby's further check up. This time around we waited for almost 2 hours before we get to see Dr Azizah... and had the company of meeting up with a dear friend of mine and his wife who is also expecting and due to hold their baby in their arms in Nov, 2010. Insya Allah everything will go smoothly.... Our prayers are with you...

During the last check up, we couldn't determine the baby's gender due to baby's sitting position (which is of secondary importance to us) and this time around... nope, we didnt know either ... We didn't do any scan because Dr Azizah said the best time would be when baby is in his/her 7th month age.

Nonetheless, based on the size of tummy, baby is estimated to be in his/her 24th - 26th week and based on the heartbeat sound ... which is described as swoosh-ing... or more like horse's galloping as oppose to a boy's normal sound of drum like beat... Dr Azizah said highly likely baby could be a girl.. either way, we're happy so long as baby's thriving and healthy right...

oh ya, I was given a tetanus shot this time around...

.. and Emir when asked what's the baby's gender? He would say baby girl... =)

While Dr Azizah was checking the heartbeat... baby was either was overly excited or he or she was having hiccups hehehe.. Mummy and daddy cant wait to see you Sayang...

Oh ya, did I tell you how good and understanding baby was throughout this fasting month... yes, am happy to say so far I fast throughout the month... and a few more days to go Alhamdulillah...

On a more somber note, on this day we found out that Erwin's niece was having an operation to remove some tumor found in her brain!!! ... and she's only 17!!! We pray for her recovery to the best of our hearts to Allah swt.... I cannot imagine how her family especially her parents would feel... even Emir getting fever is enough to drain me of all my strength let alone this major operation....

Min, we are praying for you...

... well, that's update for now..... raya is just a few more days and as usual.. the house is still looking like a shipwreck...

Tudeeeeluuuuu

Love

Anor

18w4days

Yesterday (9.8.2010) was my monthly check up. Despite the tight schedule that morning (I had a seminar to attend to which thankfully finished earlier/Erwin had to clear his 5s) we manage to see Dr Azizah (without having to wait for hours).

I am in my 19th week and starting my 2nd trimester which means the vomitting has lessen (it is still there but not as bad as the first trimester) and I have gained (gasp!!) back all the weight I lost and even more... huhuhu... courtesy of my daily intake of roti canai... I've tried various types of food for breakfast but the only thing that seems to settle in my tummy and keep me going until lunch time is hmmm... the high carb roti canai).

Alhamdulillah, from the scan baby is doing well... but a bit shy in showing whether we'd buying a pink or blue themed clothings.. .which is not our main concern... we saw the spine, the heart chambers beating... but we couldnt really see the kidneys cause baby was in a sitting down position... and then we saw baby SUCKING his/her thumb!!! What a sight to behold! The beautiful gift from Allah Al-mighty....

We're happy to hear that baby is doing well... from all indication with regards to how different all my pregnancy symptoms was from my firstborn son and the fact that ... usually the size of the second child (usually slightly smaller) would indicate that baby is a girl... Either way, all we want is for the baby to just be happy and healthy....

Amin.

Mummy daddy and bro Emir cant wait to see you in person dear baby....

Love

Mummy

15 weeks

Yesterday (12.7.2010) was my check up .. based on my last menses date ie 28.3.2010 ... am now in my 15th week of pregnancy... technically just left the first trimester ... entering into hopefully (like previous pregnancy with Emir) renewed energy and Insya Allah would be able to perform and complete my fast in the month of Ramadhan... Insya Allah...

Result of check up was that ... despite being in my 15th week, the size of tummy indicates that baby is growing well and from the look of the size of the same baby could well be in the 17th-18th week of age.

Felt like crying when I heard what Dr Azizah said cause I have been worried that baby is not getting enough from me due to me losing weight and the vomitting and headache ... Alhamdulillah... in fact I felt so proud of baby and felt that baby is being such a good baby to mummy and daddy by elevating mummy and daddy's worries by growing up well above the supposed weekly gestation.

Actually I was kind of disappointed that there was no scan done on baby cause at this stage Dr Azizah said there wouldnt be much analysis can be done based on scan and hence she only did the check up on the heart beat.

I did a blood test afterwards ... I soooo dont like needles!!!! Brought me back memories when needles were poking my son's feet during him having jaundice... so kesian... I am adamant that second baby will not have to go through that at all... mummy will make sure you are breast fed well ok ok

But am looking forward to my next check up which would be on the 9.8.2010 ... Do pray that baby will fine... First baby... second baby ... the worries are all the same ... and who ever says that you would love your child differently is just that ... a whole lot of talk ...

Anyways, will update you soonest!

Anor

Note: Since we manage to clear the check up early by turning up during lunch hour ... we were the second in line ... we picked Emir earlier from the nursery and later went to Pustaka and fed fish!! He had a fun fun time there!!!

But mummy had a few vomitting sessions thou on the way/coming back from PUSTAKA ... and Emir said "mummy nangis" (mummy's crying) when he saw tears (due to vomitting/not crying) ... Note to self: gotta always keep plastic bag in the car!!

Fun weekend for Emir

Erwin's parents' house is like a stone throw away from our place... it'll basically takes us less than 5 mins to go over and it's been a while since we last "berambeh" (have a sleep over) at their place and so somehow last weekend we manage to find the time/energy to pack and stay over ...

Erwin and I got to talking and tried to remember the last time we have a berambeh... apparently it has been 1 1/2 year ago since we had to stay over at the place when our place was flooded ... my in law's house became a temporary flood shelter for us ...

Now that my mother in law is busy with their kedai makan ... which means there wouldnt be anyone at the house until late at night and the only time the shop is closed is on a Saturday. So we packed our bags etc etc (looked like we were going to stay for one whole week there with the things I have packed) ... got there Friday night and slept over ...

Emir had sooooo much fun esp playing with his grandparents and his cousin...

... he slept late ... woke up late .... jumped up and down ...

... and we even manage to slot in "swimming time" ...

(Note: pic of Emir WITHOUT diaper)

... oh ya, we're in the midst of potty training him while waiting for his sis/bro's arrival Insya Allah either end of Dec, 2010 or early Jan, 2011... and we manage to do it ONCE! Yeay! ... well after that he peed on grandma's couch...

... luckily my vomitting wasnt that bad ... otherwise I'd scared everyone in the house with the endless agonising sound of vomitting ...

All in all it was a succesful berambeh for us and of course ... the most important part ... FUN WEEKEND for Emir ...

Insya Allah ... there will be more berambeh session

Anyways take care peeps

Anor

Snippets ... here and there

Hi peeps... it's been a long whirlwind of adventure in my world... busy with cupcakes and family etc etc and since then my adamant determination to update my blog (which also acts as a life journal for me) somehow was put to a halt... well, am back... so here it is ... snippets of here and there ...

Cupcakes

They have been a wonderful chapter in my life ... creating new designs for various functions ... not only that it is a wonderful second source of income but then ... what a fulfillment when I manage to deliver each and every order of MyCupcakes' customers.

But ... at this stage it has to be put on hold cause ... there is something else baking in the over and it's not cupcakes hehehe

EMIR

My boy is now 2years5months and growing up beautifully .... he's getting more conversant now.. learning new words... and my love is endless for him ... thou he does get on mummy's nerve once in a while =)

Still hooked on Ultraman ... but after watching TOY STORY 3 with us .. he seems to be taken with BUZZ .... by the way he watched the whole movie .. but fell asleep during the last 10mins or so of the movie... mummy and daddy so proud of you ... which means we can plan the next movie trip ... DESPICABLE ME Yeay!!

MORNING SICKNESS

This time around ... it should be called ALL DAY sickness ... the constant nausea and vomitting really wears me out ... not too mention the splitting headaches... and the worst part would be the car sickness after I travel from home to work and vice versa...

I know it is part and parcel of the whole process ... I am not complaining and finding ways to minimise the effects ... but on days it just doesnt do much... I do miss my old active self... luckily reading literature like "What to expect ... " does help and very reassuring when it says ... it is normal to feel as such and that it is OK to not do and complete housechores... and am the luckiest having the most understanding hubby in the world... Emir doesnt have much use of me... so long as daddy is around to care for him ... so in that sense atleast I dont feel I am neglecting him much while I lie down and wait for my headache to subside... the vomitting I can handle.. it's the splitting headache which renders me sometimes immobile ....

Nonetheless, indeed I am very thankful for this second gift and cant wait to meet her/him in person soonest... mummy loves you very very much

... Hmmmm... what else ... oh ya, last weekend Erwin's second bro Irwan finally tied the knot with his fiancee Azilawati (Ilot). The akad was on 3.7.2010 and the reception was held at Civic Centre the day after. But at the same time one of my best friends' wedding was also held on the same day in KL!!! Mixed emotions there .... wish I was there for Ene .... but in my early pregnancy, it is adviseble to take it easy and not travel ... so I only sent love thru my messages and calls...

... Hmmm ... I guess that's about it... I do hope it will get better this second tri mester and that I would be able to complete the one month Ramadhan fasting ... Insya Allah if God is willing...

Ciao!

Anor

Emir's FUN FUN day at the library

As parents we would like to find activities which Emir would enjoy and one fine day... when we go to the State library over the weekend (usually just to feed the fish) and ... somehow we found out that there was an "activity room" at the children's section where the library would hold activities for kids!

That activity room has toys, play area as you can see above.

It just so happen, that day they had a drawing/arts and crafts day for kids... But obviously they were meant for toddlers/bigger kids ... but that didnt stop Emir from joining the club...

So some pictures taken of that day:

Emir had a good time colouring... but since he still doesn't know the concept of sharing.. he didnt want to share colour pencils with the bigs kids.... and kept the colour pencil box to himself...

After that, we had a late snack at the cafe adjoining the library and then...

you guessed it... fed the fish...

It was a FUN FUN day at the library!

Enjoy the pictures!

FISH FISH

Erwin and I have been meaning to take Emir to Pustaka during the weekends.. somehow time does not seem to permit us... yup with cupcakes.. us being lazy to get off our lazy bum ...

and finally one fine sat... we did it!

Emir had such a great time! Played football with daddy... run here and there...

We fed the fish too... it was a saturday so most probably they were hungry! HUGE HUGE DINOSAUR sizes fish flocked to us... splash splash water... and when we turned around a small crowd was gathering behind us to see all those HUGE HUGE DINOSAUR size fish!!!

Some pictures taken of the day:

We go again k Emir.
Mommy and daddy promise!

My little Ultraman

There was this one time that Emir accidentally watched this Ultraman series on tv and he was transfixed by it and when the show was over he was wailing wanting to see more. So I decided to get him a dvd of ultraman series and the first time I played the dvd, he sat without moving a muscle watching ultraman fighting monsters.

He watches other cartoons too like Mickey Mouse, Pocoyo but the one which is true to his heart his Ultraman.. why? I dont know... Mystery of the world I suppose.

Anyways some pictures of my little Ultraman with his Ultraman:

Note: Emir's pronunciation of Ultraman - "oko-man" =)

LINUT

I have this fond memory of my late mother making us "linut" for snacks and she would usually make the dipping "sauce" which is either mango with red chili/belacan sambal paste or the basic garlic paste that I love (garlic/dry anchovies/belacan paste).

This "linut" is made of the sago flour/lemantak. It's a love and hate relationship with Linut. It's either you love it or you dont... but a friend of mine who did not quite like the taste at first... is now addicted to this =)

I have found the perfect place to have my Linut craving and to all Linut lover out there:

BARONG TINUK

BANGUNAN MASJA PETRAJAYA

Do check it out peeps! It is mighty mighty delicious

Linut lover!

Anor

Kch Swk

AVATAR

As far as my memory serves me right I have not watched a movie for ages... years.. literally... my son is almost 2 years... which means I've not set foot in a movie theatre for 2 years... and if my memory serves me right.. I did not watch any movies at the cinema during my pregnancy... that's another 9 months of non-movie activity...

Then AVATAR by James Cameron came out! We decided that we MUST atleast not miss the boat on this one.. we missed out on Twilight (finally manage to see what the fuss is about once it was shown in HBO) ... missed out on the last two Harry Potter movies...

Watching cinema seemed to be the last thing on our mind... in light of finding time to take off to catch a movie, finding a baby-sitter for Emir during the weekends... cupcakes... etc etc...

So after our little mini vacation, we decided... to catch AVATAR after reading and hearing all the raving reviews about the same. Emir of course had to go to nursery/school that day... I wish that he was old enough to appreciate watching a movie in the cinema... but I doubt that my little one would have the ability to stay still and focus for the next 2hr 45mins ... but when I sent him to nursery that morning he had a big grin on his face cause he already saw his friend, Amar Zaim at the door... so Erwin and I can go and catch a movie... guilt-free...

I know that literature has said that a couple has to take time off for themselves... but for Erwin and I .. we do want to make the effort and will still do so... but we just love that little boy so much... that after the movie we went straight to nursery to pick him up cause we miss him sooo much.... and even got him new Ultraman toys.. which he is totally obsessed about!

Anyways, review of movie... I had zero idea of what the movie was about and Erwin did tell me it had nothing to do with Ang the Avatar... and I wanted to catch the movie with zero idea/expectation to have a good clean review of the same.

I gave it 7/10. Only cause I found some scenes a bit slow and that was the only flaw. Most probably I'd give it a different review had I watched the movie in 3D... (but the earliest show was at 315pm and we had to pick up Emir latest by 530pm) ... but once is enough for me...

Erwin loved it!

Other than that... the movie is superb. The CGI... the cinematography... songs... characters..

Oh ya, that's the first time we've been to MBO The Spring. Facilities and surroundings were impressive. Never in a million years I would think that Kuching would have something of that standard... but then again, there was a brief moment when the sound system wasnt really functioning during AVATAR... So there was a bit let down there...

But all in all it was a fun day for me and hubby... and we plan to make this a monthly event... dating.. just the two of us =)

Our Little Mini Vacation

It's been a while since we had a vacation just the three of us. The last one we had was a speedy gonzales' style which came and left as fast as I can say speedy gonzales...


Had to sort of some things last year 2009... a bit bumpy here and there.. and I guess I was just tired... cupcakes, cakes, work, house chores... baby... and felt like there was just too much things goin on and I sooooo needed the rest...

So Erwin and I took a few days off and brought our little boy to our little mini vacation.. a 1 day 1 night stay at Hilton Kuching... we holiday-ed like nobody's business esp in terms of the 'makan-makan"... technically speaking we never left the hotel for food... we just press the hotel lift button and went down to the Waterfront cafe... for buffet lunch... buffet dinner... and the day after the buffet breakfast... maybe I should call this our little mini buffet holiday instead...

Both Erwin and I agree that we splurge on FOOD... we love our food.. fine dining... eating BUFFET in particulars I suppose... apart from the variety of food to choose from... we know that there will always be something for little Emir's tummy...

4.1.2010

Of course they came along....

While waiting for daddy to arrange check in:

All three tummy(ies) growling - mummy daddy and Emir off to Waterfront Cafe...

After makan... we slept kwang kwang kwang...

One of the reasons that we wanted to check in was to bring our little Emir to the kiddy pool. First time ever!!! He loves the water... he loves the bath tub... we practically had to use every trick in the book to get him out of the bath tub... or his small basin at home... after every bath... We're so excited for him. Alhamdulillah the weather was warm and sunny... not too hot that it'll scorch our skin...

(Lucky we went to the pool that day - the day after it rained)

Before we reach the kiddy pool.. we would need to walk pass the adult pool... he was already gleefully saying "Aik" (Air)(Water)! "Ma-nik" (Mandi/take a bath) ... and was already trying to squirm out of my arms...

He had a blast and wonderful time and wasnt even scared to dive in! He had a good 1 hour pool time before we had to carry him crying all the way back to our room... for a second round of swimming in the bath tub (to stop his crying and take his mind off the pool!)...

Waaah! He had a good time and that's all that matters.

So tired after the swimming session...
That's it.. he's going to a swimming class soon ... definitely! and I'm sure he'll love it!

After all the activity... three tummy(ies) growling again...mummy daddy and Emir off to the Waterfront Cafe... for their international dinner buffet... yummy!

We were so busy eating, didnt even have time to take pictures and the only pic taken of food is this haha:

The spread is quite good... but mighty pricey though...

Then we slept like we've never slept before... bed sheets and pillows in the hotels feels so much wonderful don't you think... most probably even more since you're paying to use them hehehe...

Then next morning... wake-y wake-y... three tummy(ies) growling again... mummy daddy and Emir of to... you guessed it! Waterfront cafe again... for breakfast buffet!

Among the three buffet(s).. the best value for money would be the lunch buffet. Do give it a try folks! Except... you'd be carrying a full stomach throughout your afternoon session work. Hence it is a definite NO-NO to binge.. so doesnt serve the purpose of a buffet is it.. in that case, I change my mind... their breakfast buffet is the best! You can eat your heart out without guilt as breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

All in all it was a good decision to take that little mini vacation. Our full attention was on that little fellow and that little fellow enjoyed himself tremendously! The friday before was a holiday so he had the two of us all by himself for 5 whole days and no nursery for him on monday and tuesday...

Guess what he's doing? See-ing himself "be - nang" (berenang/swim) in the mirror:

Some pictures taken during our little mini vacation:

Thanks for staying tune peeps!

Anor

Kch Swk

Just another blog