Husband is away again. I told him that I only want 3 things from France – Choc Drink Mix, Choc Biscuits and Choc Spread, Nutella-style. In short, all 3 items spell calories with the capital C!
++++++++++++++++++++++++
I haven’t really spoken to Emi since the incident. Its best this way, I guess…since she’s going off to her homeland in 2 weeks time.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
My search for a feline companion is still futile. The colleague who wanted to give a cat decided against it at the very last minute. So now I’ve to haunt SPCA till I find my replacement for Tinkle. Tinkle was my cat when I was small (and died when I was 8) and I’ve always vowed that I’d replace him one day. Someday I will…
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Opi is starting his Iqra classes today. I wish him all the best!
Monday, October 25, 2004
Friday, October 22, 2004
The Price of Beauty
I’m obsessed with this new technique of beautifying your skin. The latest craze in town – Vitamin C injection!
All you need is one celebrity who swears by the product, and you’d see us (the fairer beings) run off helter skelter to search for the elusive elixir – the fountain of youth. The miracle water that promises to stretch our skin to the limit, to whiten the Asian skin to tepung gomak-like complexion and peel the skin in unveil the unborn skin.
So we allow ourselves to succumb to these promises. Wait...let me be frank…let’s not get others into this self denial episode. Its just me, probably. I allow myself to believe what the products promise and consequently, my $$$ too.
What’s the deal with this Vitamin C injection?
Cost
RM600 onwards for a box of 6 vials. Note: one has to buy a box, they don’t sell per vial.
Method of treatment
Intravenously – you have to get a certified doctor to inject the liquid into your arms; around $10 - $25 per injection handling.
Frequency
First month – Once in 3 days.
2nd and 3rd month – Once every week.
4th month onwards – Once every month.
Claims
Whitens, stretches, cleans face off any pimply stuff, uplifts sagging breasts and minimize pores.
Who uses it
Please note that these are all unauthorized claims. Anita Sarawak, Erra and of course our darling Siti.
All in all, for me to get myself drenched with Vitamin C, I’ve to invest $1,200 for the first month alone! That’s higher than my Wira instalments! And Opi and Isya need to be sent overseas (Russia: remember) for their studies. Not to mention, my credit card payment, my loan, bas sekolah Opi….oooooo…..can almost feel a wrinkle developing!!
All you need is one celebrity who swears by the product, and you’d see us (the fairer beings) run off helter skelter to search for the elusive elixir – the fountain of youth. The miracle water that promises to stretch our skin to the limit, to whiten the Asian skin to tepung gomak-like complexion and peel the skin in unveil the unborn skin.
So we allow ourselves to succumb to these promises. Wait...let me be frank…let’s not get others into this self denial episode. Its just me, probably. I allow myself to believe what the products promise and consequently, my $$$ too.
What’s the deal with this Vitamin C injection?
Cost
RM600 onwards for a box of 6 vials. Note: one has to buy a box, they don’t sell per vial.
Method of treatment
Intravenously – you have to get a certified doctor to inject the liquid into your arms; around $10 - $25 per injection handling.
Frequency
First month – Once in 3 days.
2nd and 3rd month – Once every week.
4th month onwards – Once every month.
Claims
Whitens, stretches, cleans face off any pimply stuff, uplifts sagging breasts and minimize pores.
Who uses it
Please note that these are all unauthorized claims. Anita Sarawak, Erra and of course our darling Siti.
All in all, for me to get myself drenched with Vitamin C, I’ve to invest $1,200 for the first month alone! That’s higher than my Wira instalments! And Opi and Isya need to be sent overseas (Russia: remember) for their studies. Not to mention, my credit card payment, my loan, bas sekolah Opi….oooooo…..can almost feel a wrinkle developing!!
And get this...the whiten your skin Anita Sarawak-like, there's Glutatione injection! That's a cool $1,000 per box of 8.
Now you know why there's no ugly women in the land of the rich.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
On my 6th day of Ramadhan
Trust - By general definition is having a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
What the dictionary fails to note is the fact that trust is also earned and not bought. It is earned through time, may take months and years. Trust is not a written guarantee; banks don’t work based on trust but humans do. Trust is built out of processes, incidences and outcomes. The course is painstaking but the result is gratifying. However, just like fine porcelain, it takes one careless act to break the trust. And once broken, no matter how hard you try, you can never put back it together like before. It may appear whole but if observe carefully, you can see the cracks. Just like fine porcelain.
Our compassion may allow us the peace of forgiveness yet our logical minds snub such weakness.
My mind is so drained that I feel nothing.
I came home yesterday and a stranger called me out. With half whispers, he told me stories that cringed my stomach and left me shaking. Apparently he works as a teksi sapu driver who shuttles people from Bangi Komuter to Bukit Mahkota. And during the course of his work that he knows what he told me about.
A man has been coming into your house, 3 – 4 times a month. Comes in around noon and leaves at 3pm.
Emi – my maid has been with me for 3 years. She’s due to leave for good in 3 weeks’ time. Why now?
The worst feeling is that I know the guy. But I thought she has more sense than that.
Both, Emi and the stranger profusely wanted to swear by the holy Quran. One of them was definitely lying. In the month of Ramadhan.
I told Husband who are as perplexed as I am. I asked Opi who swore that no one has ever been in the house, but it might have happened after he went to school. Isya would've been sleeping from 1230 to 3pm.
Who do you trust?
A stranger who has no motive in lying to you…or a friend who has stayed with you for almost 3 years.
What the dictionary fails to note is the fact that trust is also earned and not bought. It is earned through time, may take months and years. Trust is not a written guarantee; banks don’t work based on trust but humans do. Trust is built out of processes, incidences and outcomes. The course is painstaking but the result is gratifying. However, just like fine porcelain, it takes one careless act to break the trust. And once broken, no matter how hard you try, you can never put back it together like before. It may appear whole but if observe carefully, you can see the cracks. Just like fine porcelain.
Our compassion may allow us the peace of forgiveness yet our logical minds snub such weakness.
My mind is so drained that I feel nothing.
I came home yesterday and a stranger called me out. With half whispers, he told me stories that cringed my stomach and left me shaking. Apparently he works as a teksi sapu driver who shuttles people from Bangi Komuter to Bukit Mahkota. And during the course of his work that he knows what he told me about.
A man has been coming into your house, 3 – 4 times a month. Comes in around noon and leaves at 3pm.
Emi – my maid has been with me for 3 years. She’s due to leave for good in 3 weeks’ time. Why now?
The worst feeling is that I know the guy. But I thought she has more sense than that.
Both, Emi and the stranger profusely wanted to swear by the holy Quran. One of them was definitely lying. In the month of Ramadhan.
I told Husband who are as perplexed as I am. I asked Opi who swore that no one has ever been in the house, but it might have happened after he went to school. Isya would've been sleeping from 1230 to 3pm.
Who do you trust?
A stranger who has no motive in lying to you…or a friend who has stayed with you for almost 3 years.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Lucky Star and Little Einstein
If Opi is so much like me…then I’m really worried.
Friends and families will always say that both of us are so alike. He’s like my mini-me. He talks like me, and looks like me. And I can almost predict what he’s going to do and say, before he says it. He cries watching sad movies and the best part is, we would always look at each other because we know very well, which part will bring tears to our eyes.
Having said that, you can tell his competence and aptitude towards studying especially anything got to do with calculations!
Opi came home with 40% for his maths yesterday. Dear Husband hit the roof, totally upset. He kept on saying “I spent hours with him...he still got them wrong...its just so easy…I don’t know where he put his head…I don’t even know if he has brains in there..”. I simply asked Opi to take his shower and told him that after berbuka, we’d talk about it.
Now – everyone who knows me knows that I had to take out the calculator to get the answers to 6000/6!
I’m not joking. All my life, people will mention that I’m lucky. Because looking at my exams record and how I struggled through kindergarten. Ok, so I went to an all-girls boarding school – well, that was because Abah pulled some strings. Yeah I went to Australia for my degree – in Linguistics! I had some snide comments about my degree, but I couldn’t be bothered.
Explaining to Husband about Opi’s situation is easier said than done. He holds two degrees in Applied Science and Aerospace Engineering plus an MBA, and has just decided to pursue his doctorate next year. This is a man who couldn’t find the humor when I mentioned that I could ‘buy’ all my MBAs and PhDs…
Isya is so much a daddy’s lil’ girl. She's like this little Einstein with lipstick!
Last night, Husband repeatedly asked Opi “What comes after first?”. Isya had to sashay in, flicked her hair and said “Second” and walked away.
Its not that Opi doesn’t know. He knows. Its just that, when pressured or in exams situation – he freezes. I hope that explains…if he’s so much me.
If people say that I’m lucky…I pray very hard that Opi is too!
Friends and families will always say that both of us are so alike. He’s like my mini-me. He talks like me, and looks like me. And I can almost predict what he’s going to do and say, before he says it. He cries watching sad movies and the best part is, we would always look at each other because we know very well, which part will bring tears to our eyes.
Having said that, you can tell his competence and aptitude towards studying especially anything got to do with calculations!
Opi came home with 40% for his maths yesterday. Dear Husband hit the roof, totally upset. He kept on saying “I spent hours with him...he still got them wrong...its just so easy…I don’t know where he put his head…I don’t even know if he has brains in there..”. I simply asked Opi to take his shower and told him that after berbuka, we’d talk about it.
Now – everyone who knows me knows that I had to take out the calculator to get the answers to 6000/6!
I’m not joking. All my life, people will mention that I’m lucky. Because looking at my exams record and how I struggled through kindergarten. Ok, so I went to an all-girls boarding school – well, that was because Abah pulled some strings. Yeah I went to Australia for my degree – in Linguistics! I had some snide comments about my degree, but I couldn’t be bothered.
Explaining to Husband about Opi’s situation is easier said than done. He holds two degrees in Applied Science and Aerospace Engineering plus an MBA, and has just decided to pursue his doctorate next year. This is a man who couldn’t find the humor when I mentioned that I could ‘buy’ all my MBAs and PhDs…
Isya is so much a daddy’s lil’ girl. She's like this little Einstein with lipstick!
Last night, Husband repeatedly asked Opi “What comes after first?”. Isya had to sashay in, flicked her hair and said “Second” and walked away.
Its not that Opi doesn’t know. He knows. Its just that, when pressured or in exams situation – he freezes. I hope that explains…if he’s so much me.
If people say that I’m lucky…I pray very hard that Opi is too!
Epok-epok and teh tarik
When fasting month comes – so does Mak’s epok-epok. The thought of piping hot epok-epoks and its accompanying zesty homemade chili sauce is just so remarkably scrumptious!
Mak’s epok-epok is really simple. I’ve seen and ate the more extravagant ones, but I still prefer Mak’s version. She sautees shredded carrot, taugeh, daun kucai and tahu with a bit of garlic for the filling. She kneads the karipap dough using ghee instead of the normal butter/margarine. Then in goes the filling into tiny karipaps.
But the real killer has got to be her chilli sauce. She taught me over and over again, yet I still could get the right amount...of anything. Basically the ingredients are fresh chilli, sugar, salt, limejuice and lots of crushed garlic. The taste really teases the tastebuds - a bit hot, slight soury, somewhat sweet and complemented with the taste of crushed garlics..
So you should break the freshly fired epok-epok into half and spoon some sauce into it and….yummy!
Another delight is her super smooth crème caramel. This is like the official dessert for every first day of ramadhan. I tried on Sunday…it turned out to be a bit bitter and very holey!
And her teh tarik, of course!
Mak’s epok-epok is really simple. I’ve seen and ate the more extravagant ones, but I still prefer Mak’s version. She sautees shredded carrot, taugeh, daun kucai and tahu with a bit of garlic for the filling. She kneads the karipap dough using ghee instead of the normal butter/margarine. Then in goes the filling into tiny karipaps.
But the real killer has got to be her chilli sauce. She taught me over and over again, yet I still could get the right amount...of anything. Basically the ingredients are fresh chilli, sugar, salt, limejuice and lots of crushed garlic. The taste really teases the tastebuds - a bit hot, slight soury, somewhat sweet and complemented with the taste of crushed garlics..
So you should break the freshly fired epok-epok into half and spoon some sauce into it and….yummy!
Another delight is her super smooth crème caramel. This is like the official dessert for every first day of ramadhan. I tried on Sunday…it turned out to be a bit bitter and very holey!
And her teh tarik, of course!
Friday, October 15, 2004
Ramadhan
Ramadhan is here.
Every year I will hope to be a better person, not miss my prayers, to express my shukur more and basically refrain from all the bad things that fasting should. Almost every single year, I would fail. And failed miserably.
Today is the first day, and I’m still holding on.
My hands are trembling from nicotine withdrawal. My heads throbs slightly for not having the daily dose of caffeine and the attention level still starting to waver – my glucose level is going down…My vision has tiny yellow dotes floating around.
Wait..I’m getting all these wrong, I’m supposed to concentrate on the good deeds…all these are merely the devil’s obstruction to my faith.
Ok…breath in…..
Husband dear – what’s for berbuka again??
Note: Don't mind me....this happens every first day of puasa.
Every year I will hope to be a better person, not miss my prayers, to express my shukur more and basically refrain from all the bad things that fasting should. Almost every single year, I would fail. And failed miserably.
Today is the first day, and I’m still holding on.
My hands are trembling from nicotine withdrawal. My heads throbs slightly for not having the daily dose of caffeine and the attention level still starting to waver – my glucose level is going down…My vision has tiny yellow dotes floating around.
Wait..I’m getting all these wrong, I’m supposed to concentrate on the good deeds…all these are merely the devil’s obstruction to my faith.
Ok…breath in…..
Husband dear – what’s for berbuka again??
Note: Don't mind me....this happens every first day of puasa.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Car Affair
My dear 4-year old Wira enjoys poking fun at its owner. Yes – it brings me from point A to point B. Period.
The door at the driver’s seat can no longer be opened. The passenger seat’s window cannot be wound up or down. The right signal light has broke its latch, so I have it plastered using the masking tape. As such, when it rains, I have my ‘right eye’ dangles in high speed! The speedometer is not working – I’ve no idea how fast (or slow?) I’m driving. The petrol indicator and the lights have konked out since moon-dog-years ago – so I’ve no clue how far I’ve traveled and how full / empty is the tank!
At my very best day, all I’ve to suffer is to crawl in and out of the car, using the passenger’s door. The most it can do to my ego is having my (big) butt stuck in between the two seats and cramp my legs in the process.
But today might as well be the worst!
I went to a petrol station. Lifted a bit my kain baju kurung and crawled out. Noticed that the right signal light was dangling. Went to the cashier, queued up and put down $50, because I wanted to fill in full tank. I filled and realized it stopped pumping at $11. Walked back to the cashier, queued up again and took back my balance. Much to the annoyance of the girl behind the counter. Tried my best to squeeze the light into its socket, but to no avail. Crawled back into the car…only to realize that I haven’t put back the tank cap on!
So I had to crawl out again.
And I had to do this in front of the morning crowd.
One mamat motor actually had the guts to come up to me and said “Kak Long…ni kereta pinjam ke? Macam nak terburai aje…”
The new Toyota Avanza is nice....and affordable. The new Vios MPV is gorgeous though I’m sure the price will be ‘attractive’ too. Kia Picanto is almost perfect, except for the extra mini boot space. Honda City is just so tempting…errgh!
Of course I would love to just pick and buy an X5…………..
The door at the driver’s seat can no longer be opened. The passenger seat’s window cannot be wound up or down. The right signal light has broke its latch, so I have it plastered using the masking tape. As such, when it rains, I have my ‘right eye’ dangles in high speed! The speedometer is not working – I’ve no idea how fast (or slow?) I’m driving. The petrol indicator and the lights have konked out since moon-dog-years ago – so I’ve no clue how far I’ve traveled and how full / empty is the tank!
At my very best day, all I’ve to suffer is to crawl in and out of the car, using the passenger’s door. The most it can do to my ego is having my (big) butt stuck in between the two seats and cramp my legs in the process.
But today might as well be the worst!
I went to a petrol station. Lifted a bit my kain baju kurung and crawled out. Noticed that the right signal light was dangling. Went to the cashier, queued up and put down $50, because I wanted to fill in full tank. I filled and realized it stopped pumping at $11. Walked back to the cashier, queued up again and took back my balance. Much to the annoyance of the girl behind the counter. Tried my best to squeeze the light into its socket, but to no avail. Crawled back into the car…only to realize that I haven’t put back the tank cap on!
So I had to crawl out again.
And I had to do this in front of the morning crowd.
One mamat motor actually had the guts to come up to me and said “Kak Long…ni kereta pinjam ke? Macam nak terburai aje…”
The new Toyota Avanza is nice....and affordable. The new Vios MPV is gorgeous though I’m sure the price will be ‘attractive’ too. Kia Picanto is almost perfect, except for the extra mini boot space. Honda City is just so tempting…errgh!
Of course I would love to just pick and buy an X5…………..
Monday, October 11, 2004
Teach me again..
Opi is having his final exams this week. And I'm worrying myself to death!
I worry because he's still struggling to read...and as such, any revision on all the subjects include primarily on just how to read the instructions. He could read, but his memory is rather low. Sometimes I feel like 'upgrading his memory size' to a P4 processor and have his 'HD' increased to 50gigs!
I'm nervous..and I have to raise my hat off to Husband who will always calmly and diligently spend time with Opi - reading and revising. I can never do that...I tried but my tolerance level is pretty low when it comes to studying. Hell! I, myself struggled through kindergarten...
On the other hand, I'm not even sure of my parenting techniques now. Yesterday, I swiped some chillies onto Isya's lips. Just because she was yelling "Bodoh!" non-stopped to Opi. It took me half an hour just to pacify her and tone down her swollen lips. She was sobbing so hard that I broke down too. I hugged her and took her for a walk and tried my damnest to explain how much I love her.
Basically, I'm just a totally confused mom.
What worked for Opi just doesn't do it for Isya. There are times that I do wish they come instruction manuals or better still, like programme application where you control the output.
I worry because he's still struggling to read...and as such, any revision on all the subjects include primarily on just how to read the instructions. He could read, but his memory is rather low. Sometimes I feel like 'upgrading his memory size' to a P4 processor and have his 'HD' increased to 50gigs!
I'm nervous..and I have to raise my hat off to Husband who will always calmly and diligently spend time with Opi - reading and revising. I can never do that...I tried but my tolerance level is pretty low when it comes to studying. Hell! I, myself struggled through kindergarten...
On the other hand, I'm not even sure of my parenting techniques now. Yesterday, I swiped some chillies onto Isya's lips. Just because she was yelling "Bodoh!" non-stopped to Opi. It took me half an hour just to pacify her and tone down her swollen lips. She was sobbing so hard that I broke down too. I hugged her and took her for a walk and tried my damnest to explain how much I love her.
Basically, I'm just a totally confused mom.
What worked for Opi just doesn't do it for Isya. There are times that I do wish they come instruction manuals or better still, like programme application where you control the output.
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