Reverse Peristalsis

Updates:

1. I am in talks with an already established forum to integrate Positivity Heals in it. So issues that could use our help that are posted in that particular forum shall be directed to me, and be delegated to members who have registered at positivityheals.forumco.com

2. GI Jane regime homefront is rather sluggish lately hindered by overzealous drive to cook and eat. No weight loss for the past 2 weeks save for the yoyo effect of that 2lbs tipping indecisively to the left and right of the weighing scale depending on bowel movements and water retention. Renewed membership at the club but have yet to pop over and really making use of the facilities. Maybe I'll check out the al fresco bistro. Heh.

3. Aishah is getting better although I am still not to happy with the consistency of ..ah, u know.

4. My mom's cancer mark has gone down to 35. Alhamdulillah. Thanks to all of you who have offered prayers and well wishes.

Ok, back to blogging (reiterating how self-absorbed I can get sometimes)

I woke up pretty early today to what sounded like a modulated and spoofed version of Jingle Bells from Che Anwar's phone. I would not have appreciated and reacted very kindly if it had been the "Tenenenet...tenenenet" of regular alarm clocks. Getting on the right side of the bed rewarded Che Anwar a little breakfast, an ironed polo tshirt and a matching pair of socks. It is not very often that I really fuss over his stuff in the mornings plainly because I think that I should get as much rest as I could before Aishah wakes up. Excuses.

As usual, I got online, hoping to see Ely. Fair enough, she IM-ed me just as soon as I dropped a comment at her blog. Talk about ESP, y'all. It's spooky how Ely and I sync. We had a great chat, you know how it is, when your schedule revolves around a speeding bullet of a little girl. Anyways, y'all know her mom is with her right now. So I grabbed the opportunity to ngendeng recipes. I got a great paes telur ikan recipe. I thought of making some and bringing the dish over to the inlaws but sadly when I ran through the menu with Che Anwar over the phone, he wanted nasik. *chop, kita ngantuk sambung besok pagi*

*ok, dah pagi...huwaaaaaaaaaarghhh*

Where was I? Ok, Lauk. I told him about telur ikan, encik tu tak suka pulak...Ish! I thought people would kill one another for fish roe. Back where I came from, telur ikan goreng kunyit pun dah best dah. Ini members nak masak paes dia takmo...Rugi! I know why, he grew up thinking fish roe would make him tak pandai Math. So we finalised the menu, I made Black pepper beef with asparagus and Enoki mushrooms serta Fried Kurau with Thai Sweet Sauce. As upah for my good efforts, he took time off from work and brought me to IKEA.

We bought few stuff we needed for the house and a lot more that we didn't really need but looked too cute to miss. For a huge plastic bag of bric n brac, we were relieved the bill totaled up to just $77. We sat down for the free coffee( and refills) and Swedish Almond Chocolate torte to keep Aishah quiet while Ma and Abah sink into each other's eyes( macam betul...)

I needed( cewah, "needed" siot) some cookies, so I went looking for some, ended up buying toffee lollies instead. At the checkout counter Che Anwar asked me if I would like to rekindle my romance with smoked salmon. At that point I went, "Nak, nak, nak, nak...". So he got us the salmon sandwich.

All the three of us gobbled the scrumptious feast in less than 5 minutes. And it was time to go home.

A few minutes down the road, before I could even begin to oggle the sexiest street in Singapore that houses gallerias upon gallerias of shiny hot, hot, hot stuff (think Malayan Motors, MG etc), I suddenly felt a rush of cold sweat, and goosebumps. Good thing one of the shopping bags was in the back seat. Nothing much came out but a bit of foamy stuff. Man, for a while there I thought I was in the "new addition to the family" way.

As soon as we got home, I tried to get comfy on my bed with the aircond on, and the laptop perched on its usual place of rest and chatted with Ayu. Before we could exchange anything much, I had to run off and barfed the brains outta meself.

That must have been a seriously, seriously non-zabihah salmon sandwich, that was.

Engineers' Wives Club

I read with interest a leadership slideshow by IEEE and stumbled upon some interesting things about what spouses of engineers say about their significant others. Read letters to Ann Landers.

You probably have heard of golf widows and how some of them decided to take on the green stretch themselves. For us wives of construction or on-site engineers, our stomach are often tied in knots each time dear hubby has to go away longer than we can ordinarily cope. Especially for Malaysian and Singaporean engineers mid-career, the only way to make a lil extra is to seek jobs overseas, you know, get into the expat market and all that. A lot of families have had to uproot and squat temporarily in expat comfort(betul ke?) before the engineer moves on to another contract. Some, like me, would have to wait with bated breaths every single day that the engineer would come back in one piece and that he would always always come home to me.

I remember once, when I was heavily pregnant, Che Anwar had to spend a lot of time in Indonesia ironing out some regulatory disputes between the dredgers his company hired and the Indonesian Marine Police. The hearings were held in Karimun and Batam, two little islands south of Singapore, notorious for manly extra-curricular activities. When he had to be away for more than 4 days, I packed up my stuff and rushed to the ferry jetty, luggage, huge tummy and all, to get to him, yet I had missed the last boat out. I just sat at the station, crying and crying while I spoke to him over the phone. I just could not take another night alone. I was going to stay right there until the next day and take the first ferry out. Lucky for me, Che Anwar came back the next day. Only to leave two days later.

These days he doesn't really have to go abroad save for short meetings in China and Malaysia. That, he'd go just for the meeting and catch the flight back. Poor thing.

I am most worried when he has to go down 30m underground and walk 8km in a deep tunnel which is to be christened the passageway for crude biological waste channeled to various water treatment plants. No matter how much emphasis are put on "Safety First" campaign, I am not convinced a pulley system and basket are the way to ferry people underground and up.

Even this tunnel project is almost done. There has been talk that we might have to move to South Korea. I am oh, so not ready for that. And the possibility of that construction giant to loosen the noose around the set up here and get more locals in admin. Both ways, Che Anwar would still operate as every engineer's wife's nightmare. Extramarital affair with his job.

I emphatize with O&G widows, Middle East-bound families and the likes. My mom did not have any problems though, she was a TV person, she is more married to the station back then, but who knows, she too did not like sleeping alone.

Cinta Sejati

Bila termeterainya janji
sumpah setia berkait hati
kononnya bersatu sampai mati
berbunga-bunga besar dalam hati
simpan naluri perhamba diri
cinta dipupuk hari demi hari
memadu cinta berbuah kasih
saling percaya mempercayai
rukun damai berteman serasi


Bila cinta beraja di hati
akal waras tak lagi bererti
taksub menagih kurnia pemberi
langsung lupa tugas sendiri
cinta agung pada Ilahi
yang termaktub lagi hakiki
kasih sayang tak bertepi
tak bersyarat suci murni
takkan luput di penghujung hari


Tak usah gian bila menagih
pada hamba sesama semilir
bergantung harap bersama bertatih
sampai lumpuh terus bergeser
walhal yang teguh Maha Mengasihi
yang disuruh kita memadu kasih
agar tenang meniti hari
agar iman meningkat hampir
pada sucinya cinta sejati

Kembali Ceria

The latest song in the background is a duet written by Azlan Abu Hassan, an award winning songwriter who is also a Reiki Master as well as an avid exerciser. He is my sifu in many ways than one, most importantly he is a good friend who accepts me for who I am, teaches me lessons of life when I need it, in the way that works.

Saya tujukan lagu ini khas buat suami saya, Encik Anwar Mohamed dengan ucapan..."Buat apa tu?"

Copyright belongs to EMI Publishing Sdn Bhd.

Poor Lil Aishah

It must be some kinda bug that has caused Aishah to purge watery stools for 5 straight days. She had the flu last week and as soon as her nose had dried up, her stomach threw a tantrum. She has not shown any signs of dehydration. Her energy level is normal and she is eating very well. She has no fever and not whining about any tummy upset. But Ma is worried nevertheless. Textbooks tell me to get her electrolytes, weak 100plus or pedialyte. Ginger ale on standby for nausea. I watch her temperature and keep her off playing with potential contaminants. She is on a non-dairy diet for the time being. I hope that this is just the garden variety and not anything else. I have found this site of remedies for diarrhea, thought perhaps other mommies could bookmark it. My heart goes out to Moms who have to deal with much much more serious ilnesses in their children. It does not feel right, innit when you see young 'uns suffer eh? Kesian.

Looping in My Head is...

....The Rainbow Connection Lyrics are the property and copyright of its owners.


Why are there so many songs about rainbows

And what's on the other side?

Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,

And rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it

I know they're wrong, wait and see.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered

When wished on the morning star?

Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it,

And look what it's done so far.

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing

And what do we think we might see?

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,

The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

All of us under its spell,

We know that it's probably magic......

Have you been half asleep?

And have you heard voices?

I've heard them calling my name. ...

Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?

The voice might be one and the same

I've heard it too many times to ignore it

It's something that I'm s'posed to be...

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,

The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

Laa, da daa dee da daa daa,

La laa la la laa dee daa doo...

A dark intrepretation of this song can be found here.

Lovelorn Lamentations

To wait an Hour—is long—
If Love be just beyond—
To wait Eternity—is short—
If Love reward the end
Emily Dickinson

I keep telling myself that in this day and age, a 9-5 job is a sugarcoated fantasy. I made the decision to work from home and spend most of my time playing house, ehh... keeping house just so that Aishah would have at least one parent present most of her waking hours. And especially to keep Che Anwar's needs in check. Che Anwar on the other hand is a very busy man. My neo-Stepfordian regime to spice things up a tad is often sabotaged by last minute emergency meetings or simply by my lowered energy level immediately after Aishah's Energizer batteries run out.

But sometimes, with the help of herbal and verbal supplements that I get from the company of nocturnal friends who would listen to me ramble while waiting for the man of the manor to come back, I do stay awake long enough to earn a lil sum'in sum'in. It gets very frustrating sometimes when it is way too late, when dinner begins to disintegrate, hair gets de-coiffured, candles and moods burnt out...

Before I relive an episode of Idaman, I would just give up and sink my chakras into bed and let all the bad qi be earthed. Think happy, live strong.

Peekaboo!

Cak!

Update!

MIL has been under a lot of stress lately. So I thought she could use some timeout and brought her to the mall earlier today. Her blood pressure is tipping towards the higher side of things so she has been advised to lose 20 kilos and exercise 4 times a week. What better time to go shopping huh. With all that renovation sale, moving out and clearance sale going on almost all year everywhere, shopping is as natural as breathinglah. Her need to exercise also necessitate a major overhaul in wardrobe.

So as that designated shopping companion (the retail industry should start paying me lah), she is 3 track bottoms, 2 long sleeved t-shirt and a sports pouch richer. I even managed to hypnotize her into believing that Converse is comfortable and stylo even for a 50-something. Actually, I was really into that New Arrival 15% off X-training pair of Nikes but she would not budge from that budget of $70. She also did not agree to add one more t-shirt, which was a comfy Nautica grey and navy blue piece. Like all grandmas the world over, shopping for oneself would result in a serious case of after purchase guilt. So off we went to the kidstore and got all her grandchildren a few boxes of toys. I got Aishah a new hat and an el cheapo teach-your-child-how-to tell-the time toy clock. I also got my nephew a $5 army binoculars. The fad at the toy section is Batman merchandise. Aishah was fascinated by this dark brooding character and asked me if she could have a look at the Batman Bust bank. And then began, what sounded like a Cikgu Bedah lecture .

"Excuse me, (Bat)Man. Why Man fur-round(frown)? Don't fur-round.It's no good. Aishah say, don't fur-round ochey(ok)?"

She repeatedly nagged the same script, while Batman played deaf and mute the entire time. Last-last she got fed up and smacked Batman. Aishah said,

"Aishah haip Man. Aishah say don't fur-round,right?Notty Man!"

Whoops!My bad.

What did I get for myself? Hmm...a nice bag from Ren*ma 70% off. So what if I can't afford Marc Jacobs?

My lucky stars did not stop there. My FIL called to tell me that the MYR has been unpegged. So off went this kiasu entourage to the lone Money Changer at the mall and got ourselves crispy multicolored MYRs in preparation for our next trip up to good ol Malaysia. That's actually not quite an encouraging news for Singaporeans, they can't shop like rich people in KL anymore lah. I, on the other hand will gain more as royalties and payments I get are mostly in MYR .If MYR does appreciate,I would be able to spend my income guiltlessly in Singapore.

Oh, Tok Ghimau came down to Singapore a few days ago, and we met over Ribena and Teh Ais. Aishah took less than 15 minutes to warm up to him. She calls him Uncle Moo (short for Mohariz) and I thought that was just so cute. Meeting bloggers offline has been fun lah. BTW, sapa2 ada kawan2 single mingle, kenenkan lah dengan Tok Ghimau ni. Mamat ni nyer lawak, pecaaah!!! Bapak peh pecah!

Luo Pan

Decor Indecorum

Che Anwar sent this to me via email. Is he trying to tell me something?

QUESTION: Can you tell us some Fengshui(Mcdonaldization of an ancient Chinese science) Tips for the homes?

Mrs Tan asked Master Lynn Yap replies:Yes, here are some Fengshui Tips:

There should be no shoes or slippers lying around outside the main door of every house. Remove it if you can. Allow that space at the main door to be free and clear. Now, allow me to tell you why.


The chi (energy) rides with the wind and will collect all the smell of those shoes and slippers intoyour house causing sickness. These chi then travels about in your house looking for water to stay but if there are no water fountains or fish tanks then the chi will be disperse by wind.


There should be no television sets in your bedrooms: If you cannot get rid of that habit then after watching the television programmes, cover it with a plastic table cloth. Remember it has to be plastic and not simply cloth. Because the static from the television set will act upon you when you are sleeping causing to have a backache and still feeling tired after waking up.


There should be no mirrors opposite your bed or at the side of your bed. Mirrors opposite the bed can attract a third party to the relationship. Therefore, do not place mirrors anywhere you like and especially in your bedroom.

There should not be a dining table opposite your altar table. Some people are still not aware of this concept and still have that in their dining room. Shift the dining table. If you have a fish tank in your house, be very careful. A fish tank placed correctly can bring about greater fortune as you will tap on the "Divine Water Dragon's Den". But if you tap wrongly, it can cause you to have lawsuits, bankruptcy, work pressure, troubles and problems. If you noticed any of these after placing the fish tank for approximately four months, shift your fish tank to another location.

For more details, buy my 101 Fengshui Book. <---sempat tuh!


In your kitchen, ensure that opposite your stove there is no refrigerator, washing machine, wash basin and toilet. The fire and water crash causing family members to have disagreements. The fengshui solution? Remove one of them. If you can't then use wood to break between the fire and the water.

Try not to allow children to sleep on mattresses on the floor. Yes, this allows young children not to fall off beds but it also causes young children to fall sick frequently. The reason is: chi is not able to flow underneath the bed. Ideally, chi should circulate around the mattress where our children sleeps to allow them to be healthy.

For young children, try to have their back to the wall when they write. It is important there should be a solid wall behind a children's writing table. This allows the child to have support so that he can sit there and study longer rather than for only half an hour and then they tend to move about because there is no solid wall behind their back. Adjust your writing table. Do not allow children to sleep on double decker beds even if it means saving space. The child sleeping underneath the double decker bed will not have "fresh chi" and so his health might be weak. But if due to space constraints, then monitor your child's health if not add in a 6 metal rods windchime to break up the "stale chi" around his bed.

Your bed should always have a solid wall behind you. This is important if you wish to have a good rest. A solid wall simply means that you can go into deeper sleep and therefore enabling you to have good rest so that when you wake up in the morning, you will feel fresh and well rested.


This also allows you to be able to concentrate on your work better. There should be no beam on top of your bed, your stove, your sofa sets or the altar table. The beam above causes chi to be pressured thus enabling you to have pressures in life. Therefore, don't place furniture underneath it or alternatively level the beam. But make sure if you choose the latter,it is important that you have enough height for that space.

If you have a lot of work pressure, maybe it's the marble table that you have in your dining room that causes you to have those problems. Remove that marble table and change to a wooden one or alternatively live with that work pressure !

If your child usually falls sick in that bedroom: Then either change them to another bedroom or simply hang a six rod metal windchime as the metal element will break all the earth energies in that room. After hanging, if the wind could not do the job for you then you will have to "chime" it yourself and then watch for the good results.

Do not use a red sofa set: The colour red represent the element of fire. And for fengshui, some places simply cannot have the colour red in that sector. For example : the wealth area or some other sectors which without a fengshui check would be unable to tell you where it is. A red sofa set gives rise to heavy work pressure, troubles and obstacles. Most people simply accept that life is like that without realising that THAT is caused by the bad fengshui of that red sofa ! Fengshui Solution ? Change the colour of your sofa. Always open your bedroom windows at least once 20 minutes a day to allow fresh chi to come in - Why should we do it ? We do this so that it allows fresh new chi from outside to come into your bedroom, if not you will be sleeping with stale chi every night. And if that happens, then how can you expect your life to bring in more good fortune to come to you ? So open that window and never mind if dusts comes in ! The great good fortune that you can have will far exceeds the time you take to clean off the dust ! Trust me.
Copyright © 2001 Acadian Computer Services Pte Ltd

Pusaka Rimba

Tiada kedinginan embun

melingkari ayunan daun di sini

Mentari bersembunyi

kabut mengaburi

rentak dunia berlari

Kota berdiri megah diselimuti

cita menjauhi bumi

Suara berlagu

merintih nasibku

lemah dayaku

merindu...

Kemanakan kubawa sisa
kehijauan

semakin kerdil dibayang
kemewahan

Manusia menyahut

panggilan kemajuan

mereka lupa pusaka rimba

Semakin ku cuba menghampiri
bahagia

ribut meruntuhi cinta

harapan yang agung

mengubati sendu

pusaka rimba

duniaku

Lagu/Lirik : Maknye Dak Esah

Like Kak Tenah, I have also learned to put songs on my blog on my own, with the help of Nana's idiot-proof manual. If I can do it, so can you! Thanks Si Budak Nana Jambu.

P.S. Lanun yang namanya Ayu tu...siap kau! Kalau kau rompak aku lagi aku akan letupkan almari assam ko dan mee segera kau tu!

Instanteous Comic

I would like to invite you to pop over to Wanzu's blog. Very lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek. Tarbiyya berhikmah secara lawak. I think that about sums it.

Psst..psst...doakan supaya dia jadi sepupu ipar saya. Ahaks.

On Friendship

"and a youth said, speak to us of friendship.and he answered, saying:

your friend is your needs answered.
he is your field which you sow with love
and reap with thanksgiving.
and he is your board and your fireside.
for you come to him with your hunger,and you seek him for peace.
when your friend speaks his mind you
fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor
do you withhold the "ay."
and when he is silent your heart ceases
not to listen to his heart;
for without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born
and shared,
with joy that is unacclaimed.
when you part from your friend,you grieve not;
for that which you love most in him maybe clearer in his absence,
as the mountain
to the climber is clearer from the plain.
and let there be no purpose in friendship
save the deepening of spirit.
for love that seeks aught but the disclosure
of its own mystery is not love but
a net cast forth:
and only the unprofitable
is caught.
and let your best be for your friend.
if he must know the ebb of your tide,let him know its flood also.
for what is your friend that you should
seek him with hours to kill?
seek him always with hours to live.
for it is his to fill your need, but not
your emptiness.
and in the sweetness of friendship
let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
for in the dew of little things the heart
finds its morning and is refreshed.


(exerpted from: kahlil gibran, *the prophet*)

A PUBLIC APOLOGY

Friends, akibat terlampau syok sendiri with our own lives, we have inadvertantly and apparently hurt the feelings of our fellow active blogger, Susan Abraham.

Dear Susan,

On behalf of this humble circle of friends, I am terribly sorry things took the wrong turn and severed whatever friendships we have established following recent events. We have never had any malicious intent against you and have not made deliberate attempts to be hurtful towards you. However, it is possible that my friends and I have miscommunicated our intentions (I must go back to school and check my English) that we have caused things to get out of hand. For that, please accept our apology.

I do not think my friends are gossip-mongering bullies.We are not blog appraisers nor are we literary people. We do not have any authority and skills to give literary and/or linguistic values to anybody's blogs/books at all. We are merely bloggers with real lives and real feelings. We happen to enjoy each other's company. It's a unfortunate that we bore you with our Women Magazine material, Susan. We would not know what's the difference between magz stuff or top ten NY Times Best Seller stuff, we are peace loving with a lot to give to each other. Thing is, we have indeed become quite rich in each other's company. I put it to you,Susan, Nazrah and friends have not meant you any harm.

Keriuk keriuk basikal berkarat

Memecah sepi pekan Sedili

Orang tak kata orang tak umpat

Ada cermin berucap sendiri.

Salam Muhibbah,

Nazrah

With Cik Lin 

Bu...nga! 

Buat cam gini, nak... 

Aishah Kenit

You're my honey bun, sugar plum, pumpi-umpi-ump-kin, you're my sweetie pie. You're my cuppy cake, gum drops, snookums bookums you're, the apple of my eye... And I love you so, and I want you to know, that I'll always be right here. And I love to sing these songs to you, because you are so dear!"

My Adrenaline Machine

I had a wonderful chat with Kak Tenah yesterday. She pointed out something that made me look back and say , "Yeah la, Aishah is not as naughty as I make her out to be". I figured that it is unfair of me not to highlight how wonderful this little bundle of heaven that this daughter of mine has been. Well, I am not kidding when I said that she is a mess-maker supremo and a bullet train personified, but if you see her, spend at least 10 minutes with her, you will give her mom a good pinch for complaining so much.

Let me just share with you how I start my day with divine sunshine on my face. She usually wakes up earlier than I. What she would normally do is sit next to me on my bed, and put her face so close to mine with a wide smile plastered on her face, waiting for me to open my eyes. Upon feeling that something is breathing down my being, I would open my eyes and see the apple of my eye, in between my eyes, so close I'd get 'em crossed. Without fail, she would greet me with,

"Mommie, it's daytime, wake up!" , to which I will say,

"Alaaa, 5 minutes".

She must have been a boarding school warden in her previous life ( figuratively lah, I don't believe in reincarnations, thank you), she would pull my blankie and literally peel open my eyelids and tell me to "Kemas, kemas, kemas...!" while lifting up heavy down pillows konon-konon nak straighten up the place.

On lazy days, she would just lift my arm and put her head on my armpit and nuzzle close and say all the right things to me and we'd just spend tender moments in bed till about 11 am before she'd send me running to the kitchen to make her makan.

She a handy help in the kitchen too. She's actually my little commis chef who would get me my onions, garlic and what nots. Yesterday we made Fried Po Chai Noodles, and she was in charged of things. While I was bordering hypertensive keeping her off the stove, she was actually quite kitchen-savvy. She liked her cooking so much, we had to make a second batch.

She speaks to her grandmother almost everyday. On days that she's been especially messy, she'd report to her nani what a headache she's been. When I hear that, I would normally tear up and punish myself for apprehending her. But at least she knows what she's not supposed to do.

I would get a taste of my own medicine when I spill things. She would come to me and nag nag nag nag nag ....

"Why Ma spill the water?",

"Why Ma make mess?",

"See, the floor is dirty",

"Apaaaa la Ma niiiiiiiiihhh...Tsk... Tsk... Tsk.."

Being the absent-minded klutz around the house, I'd always bump into things. At the sound of my "adoi" and "alamak", Aishah would come to the rescue with our standard emergency procedure, "Aishah blow, Aishah kiss, thaaaaaaat's better."Dah baik dah...When my sister discovered that she had a breastlump and freaked out not knowing what lump it was,Aishah was in tears because Ucu won't let her go inside the room to see if everything was okay. I still remember her words,

"Ucu is sick, Aishah wants to see. Aishah nak sayang Ucu"

It amazes me how much compassion she has, for such a young kid. Ntah2 nak jadi tuan loktol tak? Amin... A clown doctor maybe, since she tickles my funny bone all the time with her antics, it is so hard to stay upset.

During our lessons and play time, she pays attention to instructions and would quickly try things out herself. And then some. Bila dah try sendiri tu paham2 je lah bersepahnya macam mana. I read somewhere that if you can get a toddler to focus for a full 5 minutes, that would be super. She can sit still a little under 5 minutes before she speeds off to another activity, I just let her be.

Aishah is also very gracious host. She would be very busy when guests come over. She gives a brief tour of her domain, her toys etc. She loves to serve food and drinks to our guests. I think she likes being able to do grown up things, to be independent, have a sense of purpose and responsibility.

Abah is a bit concerned that she has not learned to read. I am already so ecstatic that she recognises some words already, no need to pressure lah. She can count to 20 and can do kindy math like 1 plus 1 etc. Tak payah lah tahu banyak-banyak sangat, or she'd get bored in school later. Like Kak Tenah ajar, let her explore the world around her, which I think is a wholesome approach. I call it, freestyla !

I am convinced Aishah is by nature exceptional in her own ways. I just hope to be able to provide her with the right kind of enrichment just so that she will breeze through life. God willing. I am glad that she has shown very high EQ, her complex thought processes are outstanding that she outsmarts me to get her way. Her IQ is not yet Stephen Hawking's material la, tapi I think she will get by okay.

Most importantly, I want Aishah to be able to love properly, and know that she is loved by her family. I want love to be a non-issue, not something she will have to seek attention to get validated. I want her to feel at home at home. InsyaAllah.

As much as I would like to collect good memories with my own mother, I'd like to give good memories to my darling Safiyya Aishah Anwar, my "kakak big girl". That special way you touch my cheeks and say, "Sayyyang, Ma" and your noisy wet kisses are gems in my heart. I love you, boot boot....

Promo Jangan Tak Promo

Assalamu'alaikum,
Announcing the special mailing-list offer..for all of you who get this info through the internet....our carnival sale will start on 23 July 2005 , but the preview for the mailing list members & friends ( so forward this to your friends....) will begin Friday 15 July 2005.
What's on sale? Well....this time it is storewide ( but tudungs will not have that big 40% discount.....got a bit...but must read on....).
Discounts are from 10% - 50%.......including the jubah seluar linen, the blouses, the denim skirts, men's shirts ( up to 30% off...jadi RM66 or so....), various tudungs....and we also have baju kurungs and kebaya ( beaded & embroidered) going for 40% off.
Selendang T & Tudung T Offer ( Purchase with Purchase...)
For purchases above RM200, you get 10% off the tudung ( including the new arrivals and if your purchase is just tudungs....)
New Arrivals, Haji & Umrah Department and Accessories are not on sale, but you are still eligible for the tudung offer.
Stocks are limited, so don't wait too long.....
Ina Ali
Stylist, Marketing & PR Manager
Sri Munawwarah Design
33 Jln Tun Mohd Fuad 3
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday : 9.30 am - 6.30 pm
Sunday : 10 am - 6 pm

Little Nemo Leftover

Algae Invasion

The Bullet That Put A Hole in our Pocket 

*batting eyelids, beaming*

I don't know whether to laugh or to cry but a Mr Jay Kahn, a marine life enthusiast has linked my mini reef mayhem entry to his blog.

I guess Che Anwar and I can be a classic example of what-not-to-do eh?

All that, and yet I can't help but feel honoured that my humble entry was highlighted, and that people might learn the lesson I've learnt oh-so-well. Thanks again Jay.

Notice of Resignation

Image is originally published HERE

I was about to burst into tantrums considering the state of my house following the demise of my mini reef, I decided to ignore the mess and turned on the tv instead. I found a show that was just beginning, and how aptly was it titled to match my mood at the time, "Desperate Housewives". I know, I know, the hullabaloo about these chicas are oh-so-over but you see, I don't really watch TV these days, since I got my fix from blogging.Heheh. I wasn't really watching, since I was thinking about how pointless it has become to clean the floor of my house only to get it dirty again. Plus, the d*mnation of having lizards with poor sanitary habits squatting behind my picture frames leaving dried skid marks( Ely's term for benda2 terselet) on my lemony beige walls. And, God help me, no thanks to an open lid blender of a two year old who has turned greenfingers, de-potting my small patch of an almost dying green corner, scattering earth all over the place pretending it's winter and that she's playing with snow. Grr...

So,with my laptop comfortably perched atop God-given cushion and stealing glances at the going-ons on Wisteria Lane, I was fascinated by this character Bree Van De Kamp. I thought wow, how immaculate the Van De Kamp's home is. For a while, I was thinking, hey, that would every husband's dream come true huh, the idea of isteri solehah, domestic goddess wuteva. Until the husband asked for a divorce telling Bree that he could not take all that uptight Stepford-wife wannabe perfection. When he said, "I am tired of living like a detergent commercial", or something like that, it hit me. Oh-oh! If I am not careful, I would forget that I have other people living in my house who have every right to do what they like in a place they call their home.

Kak Teh and I had a discussion with me about housekeeping issues a few months ago when I was griping about having to pick up after people all the time, and how hard it is to keep my floor shiny and muck-free. As a result of that, I made the hijrah from the anal spasticolon to this blog which has been more positive than manic depressive eh? However, there are times when I think the old demons do get to me especially when it gets too messy that I have to go to bed with things still lying around the house.

I took a Desperate Housewives Quiz and found myself to be wee bit like a Bree without the hairspray, and that got me a wee bit worried. Hey, I don't want to be a Martha Stewart on steroids and make the people in my household feel uncomfortable in their own home. So folks, I give up. I will only use ONE magic mop and not be too uptight when things are slightly askew.See how it goes.

Hope it won't be as hard as losing this pack of jellied pastries on my multi-tiered waistline. Eww, ugly picture innit? Any success stories from other GI Janes? I, for one, gotta get back to the drawingboard. Heheh.

Makeover Magic

I decided to make use of an old animated typography of my name done by an old friend, the co-founder of Manggis some 5-6 years ago, back when we were colleagues. My braddah from the same moddah did the housekeeping.Thank you both. Thank you also MakNenek for my previous banner. I will kecek from you again for my next renovation.

The new song has been put up by Nana, entitled Ku Miliki Abadi, music by Anak Pak Abu Hassan , lirik oleh Anak Pak Aji Nasir. Enjoy! It's a new day after all!

Tak kuduga belum lama cinta kita
diperdaya gelora berlalu saja

Asmara yang dalam dada
tak lagi didamba
walau pernah hadir dalam jiwa

Keluhuran kasih dicari
hadir menghiasi sepi di hati
ku jelajahi bahagia yang ku ukir sendiri
selagi kuberupaya
berkasih*
ku miliki abadi

Dicari-cari dimanakah silapnya
pesona melukai hati yang rapuh

*Gemilangkan cinta,
kepada yang sudi,
bahagia yang sebenar kini hadir
....oh kasih....
selagi ku berupaya berkasih
kumiliki abadi yang abadi

Angsty Amateur Aquarists

We started off with big dreams, as colorful and lively as the animated movie Finding Nemo, a miniscule version of the Underwater World at Sentosa. We got ourselves a couple of clown fish, blue tangs, damsels, goby, gramma, firefish together with a handful of soft and hard corals, sponges and live rocks with great hope to one day become invincible aquarists. The thing with maintaining a mini reef, you gotta have a manic obsessive streak in you to have the will to constantly check the balance of an artificial ecosystem.

For three years, my house became a marine biology lab, with sticky floors and home-made raw seasalt crystallizing on various surfaces. We have a 4-foot bullet tank which is meant for tropical fish systems but because I thought it would look nice in my living room, lesser informed then about how messy marine systems can get. It was an expensive mistake, we had to correct all shortcomings with more expensive mistakes. We tried from the Smithsonian style to the Berlin-style minus the external sump to combining every equipment we could get our hands on. Just because the bullet tank was not designed to support a marine tank and we did not have the diligence to constantly keep the water quality pristine enough, corals and fish could not live happily ever after. We had a problem with high temperature, so we got a huge chiller that is so noisy, it's hard to think straight. Since the bullet tank has a covered top, it is so difficult to feed the fish manually. Some of them require thong-feeding of live food. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Everytime Che Anwar has to do something to the mini reef, he'd be so bingit I'd slip away into another room and blog, oblivious to doomsday waiting to happen.

Many a coral have died, so have sponges and most of all, our fish slowly disappeared as the hardier of the species became more territorial and predatorial. All the the non-confrontational and docile little fries were gobbled by the bigger ones. It became worse when we bought a lionfish, a grouper and a few triggerfish. It was very hard to catch up with their perakus pelahap carnivorous appetite. Even the doctor shrimps, snails, worms and hermit crabs weren't spared. When the bottom-grazing, and algae-eating critters have ceased to exist, came the most harrowing problem, high nitrates, resulting in hairy, slimy green stuff all over the place., not unlike the picture of that fish tank in "Finding Nemo" when the filter system went gazoink enabling Nemo to escape. Well, I did have clownfish and neon anemones.

The simple rule of keeping the mini reef as closely reminiscent with that of a natural ecosystem is not easy at all. The philosophy of duplicating the natural environments is a far fetched one as far as I am concerned. No series of tests based on tables after tables of parameters and obsessively monitoring the fish helped revive a decaying reef that was my fishtank. Sadly, the overzealous aquarists that Che Anwar and I aspired someday to become are throwing in the towel. Almost.

Yesterday, we gave up all of our fish for adoption save for Nemo, the surviving original fish we got when we first started. Twas indeed a sad and heartbreaking ordeal. It felt like we were bad parents, having to give up our kids to social service. Looking at the empty tank, without the graceful display of narcissism from the lion fish, nor the mafia godfather of a grouper, and piranha-like frenzy of the trigger fish, we feel so defeated yet a tad bit relieved that they are all now in the hands of professional fish people who will eventually sell them 5 times more expensive than the price we bought them for. We really fed them well but we failed at keeping house. Sigh.

With a huge eyesore in the hall, empty, lifeless and a small quarantine tank where Nemo currently resides, we are at a loss! To change to a tropical planted aquarium holds yet another future of heartbreaking meticulous watch over a similarly intricate ecosystem, minus the salt.

We have not decided on anything just yet. Che Anwar thinks the next time he wants to buy fish, it would be an Arowana, no need for rocks and plants. As if keeping those feng shui-friendly creatures is easy. Food for brilliant scales, special lightings, extra tank for live food. Aiyoh!What am I going to do with those marine equipments? I am already thinking about making a horticulture terrarium with landscapes of my kampung in the bullet tank, but I will hold that thought until Anwar is ready to give up fish-keeping altogether. He does not want the easy way out of this, which would be selling the bullet tank, buy a "double storey" system and start over a new mini reef. While lovingly supporting my husband's hobbies however half-cooked the ideas may be because Singaporean men have very little time for hobbies. I just need to make sure whatever it is, my house is kept in livable, do-able order. Asal tak macam tongkang pecah sudah.

My love affair with the mop is slowly blowing in the wind as Aishah now loves to spit on the floor and make green slimy patches of dodol or any sticky item for that matter, on the floor, and I am giving up my Monica-esque obsession. It's too tiring and so heartbreaking to find my lysol-ed and 3M-ed surfaces clean for just slightly over 5 minutes before my post-modernist expressionist artist gets to work.

Uja, let's arrange for a meeting before all that dodol end up on my floor. Please?!

Luther Vandross 1951-2005

Back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high and dance with my mother and me and then
Spin me around 'til I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved
If I could get another chance, another walk, another dance with him
I'd play a song that would never, ever end
How I'd love, love, love
To dance with my father again
When I and my mother would disagree
To get my way, I would run from her to him
He'd make me laugh just to comfort me
Then finally make me do just what my mama said
Later that night when I was asleep
He left a dollar under my sheet
Never dreamed that he would be gone from me
If I could steal one final glance, one final step, one final dance with him
I'd play a song that would never, ever end
'Cause I'd love, love, love
To dance with my father again
Sometimes I'd listen outside her door
And I'd hear how my mother cried for him
I pray for her even more than me
I pray for her even more than me
I know I'm praying for much too much
But could you send back the only man she loved
I know you don't do it usually
But dear Lord she's dying
To dance with my father again
Every night I fall asleep and this is all I ever dream


Goodbye.

Marc Jacobs

Oh ,the withdrawal symptoms are just too hard to bear. Oh, isn't that a cute lil diaper bag? 50% off lagi. How do I make this look like something I need?

Ooh La La Lacroix

To go with that bag, hmm, I will definitely need these....

Sigrid Olsen

And these, for that complete mommie of a toddler look. Howzaboutzats?

Berangan Mat Jenin je kerja aku nih...

Auditory Halva

Amacam? Okay?

Tepukan gemuruh buat adik Nana kerana berjaya meletakkan secebis dari hasil nukilan Anak Pak Aji Nasir di blog yang tidak sepertinya ini buat hiburan pengunjung-pengunjung bistari sekalian. Tuan-tuan dan puan puan...terimalah suara gemersik Anak Bujang Pak Zain dan keasyikan alunan penataan muzik berteknologi tinggi oleh Anak Bongsu Pak Abu Hassan. Psst..dua-dua ni trang tang tang lagi tau.

I had intended to put another song but the webhost was giving me problems uploading new songs. So tahan je ah dengan kejiwangan dan kekaratan tahap dewa ni eh?

Keabadian Cinta, or "Everlasting Love" is a song about how wunnerfoool it is to have found love and be loved. Last time I checked, not only has this song become a favourite at wedding banquets, it has afforded me some yippee and kachink moments at the bank too.

Amacam? Turun tak?

Promo Jangan Tak Promo Beb!

Gini beb! Wa tak brani aah nak cakap lebey eh, tapi pakcik-pakcik rock kapak nak turun bulan lapan ni sia'! Rugi tak turun, wa cakap lu! Gerenti gerek sehh! Gerenti kalo organiser tak kensel la...Truth be told, the only reason why I would throw all haberdashery, drop everything and kill for a backstage pass would be because Che Anwar's band is playing too. Fort Canning is a public place, and there are a lot of trees that can camouflage me from the papparazzis. Chewah...perasan Jada Pinkett la pulak.

What most of the bands have in common is the undying passion for raw classic metal/rock reliving their youth(in denial of their maturity?) despite prosperity guts and beer bellies. Rock never die lah katakan.

The younger bands address them as Abang-name-of-band, so it's not so bad yet. Give it another 5 years, when people start calling them Uncle-name-of-band, baru nak cari kopiah kot eh?

Pandemonium Broke Loose in Londra

Just received news from our beloved Kakteh who was in the middle of it when it happened. She has asked me to let y'all know that she is alright and to thank all of you for checking on her and for praying for her safety.Alhamdulillah she's okay. If you are in Malaysia stay glued to RTM news as she will be reporting live from time to time. Catch her reports in your local newspapers tomorrow. InsyaAllah.

Narcoleptic Adulthood

Okay peeps. I am back from Melaka.

Pakwe, my grandfather was ICU-ed for a few days after he was found unconscious early Monday morning. He came to the day before I got there, but he woke up a different person altogether. Doctor said that it will take some time before he can be normal again. Thank you to all of you who have conveyed well wishes and offered prayers. It really helped. Jazakallah.

Today, I am feeling bedraggled from the stress, lack of sleep, travelling with a 2 year old in dire strait need of a leash, and God, do I have to start thinking about travelling light. I have always been dependent on Anwar to get around, this time I had to go on my own. It's actually fun to check into the hotel room by myself, take care of food and transportation, and most of all, I had to be a grown up and rough it out.

Good thing my Pakwe has a young wife who can run things efficiently while he is in the woods- he's 80 and has just shown some signs of senility. Nauzubillah. I hope his incoherence is due to the drug cocktails forced down into his system, or perhaps because he's just frazzled. Please, please Allah, bring my old Pakwe back.

The trip back on Transtar Executive Coach was an easygoing one. I still cannot get over how wide the seats are, the ample leg space, and get this, every seat has a 8 step massage system. Think reduced risks of deep vein thrombosis. The ride went swimmingly smooth, I don't know where the driver was trained. Heaven help you if you get those drug-induced ex-army bus drivers. On the Transtar, you have no reason to kancheong and would probably enjoy the company of fun-loving, retiring age Singaporean tourists home-bound who would make sure you are comfy. The best part was that they kept Aishah so entertained that all that stress worrying about long journeys is now a thing of the past. She didn't nap much, not with this Aunty who had an interesting Ozzy accent, testing Aishah's mathematical skills, and an grand looking uncle who could not stop swooning about how great Aishah is-how kembang that made me, and that Pak Arab who took the bus downsouth for the first time, thinking that all Malaysian buses are as posh as this. Heheh. I wasn't going to spill the beans about our transnasional drivers.

I got off at Lavender MRT station rehearsing a Hindi film reunion with darling Anwar in my head, he was no where in sight. Turned out he had waited for me at the Lavender Bus Interchange. 15 minutes after circling a red fire hydrant, we saw Abah cruising by the ICA pick up point. Got in and a quick cap mohor(pinjam istilah AuntyN), Aishah needed a diaper change-Help! She's not toilet trained yet. Thank you Huggies for good fit pull-up pants, I did not need a baby room.

And then came a brooding giant of a security officer tapping on the glass screen asking us to bugger off. Maybe we all looked like some berani mati carb*mbers, sticking around suspiciously way too long in front of the Immigration head office. Dah le I was wearing all black ala Afghans.

If not for Aishah's Puss in Boots eyes, we'd be whisked away for further questioning. Scared die or not?

And-Oh! All that room service at City Bayview Melaka and no exercise did some damage to my program. Must startover lah !!! Ely has lost some more weight, Anedra is doing well, and so is Massy Lassy so I gathered .Good job girls!!

Another thing, I will start telling people about Positivity Heals in a day or two. Hope it catches on yea?

The Best Appetite Supressant

..is stress.

I have a 2 week menu plan with an Asian twist for us Makcik No-Chili-No-Rice-Can-Die-One but I will have to put that thought on hold as I have a family emergency I have to attend to. I will be in Melaka for a few days and if things get better, I will catch up with y'all soon.

Do take care.

Makcik Sambal Boot Camp - Update!

Reporting my weight management progress (or lack of it). It's been 5 days and I have lost a total of 5 lbs. I hope that's not just water. The only day I ate rice was on Monday and I don't miss it. I ate 6 times a day and kept my portions really small. Less oil, Less starch. More vege...Ala you know all this.

I stop eating by 8 pm. When I feel like munching, I stuff myself with cucumber slivers and drink ice water. I still have my candies in the fridge, I have stolen a few bites. Heheh. Did you know Hershey's dark choc block is good eaten with skittles and while munching them throw in one m&m. Digest together.Super! I keep my sinful indulgence to just one piece at a time. That skittle-m&m-hershey's episode tu..kira tak bley tahan punya case.

I did some muscle isolation stretches ala Pilates around the house which has not really worked cuz I am still a jiggly nona. The void deck soccer helps too. I don't find myself sleeping that late. And I wake up refreshed too! I will get my butt to the club's gym and try Kak Tenah's recommendations. Will hog the treadmill and see if the vigour of similarly jiggly Ah Sohs who would one day become pert Ah Lians would rub off on me.

Got my GNC catalogue today, Dermacare is nearly SGD250...tak payah! Terima kasih aje la, Ayu. Will stick to my Nona Roguy Minyak Mustajab.

I know Ely's pants have become roomier...what about the rest of you GI Janes?

Extreme Breakups

If you think this is about you, Mr Polan bin Si Polan, it's not. Although I must admit, I learnt a lot from you. You know, you can actually justify the way people break up based on their majors. But that's not the story I wish to share with you today.

I wanna talk about moving on, though I am no authority in psychotherapy or counselling, I am sure with the wisdom of the makcik groupie that we have now, we'd be able to bounce ideas and learn from ic aler (each other).

I am actually thinking out loud again, so bear with me. I am on the same path as the next plain Jane. When I am up, I'm up. When I am down, I feel like a dead man walking the green mile. When I get my faculties in order, I try to rest and do the 3Rs of change: recover, refocus, regenerate or put on my multicolored De Bono Hats if I have the time.

Well, we can't deny the reality that we can't always feel good everyday but there are ways for us to cope.

That's why we need friends.

Friends:

a) care about us and make us feel that sense of belonging, the acceptance and actualization we need.

b) are able to talk to us, help us feel good and hopefully numb stress.

c) give us enough warmth to get by especially when you have no family living close to us.

No matter how busy you are, you must, you must find time to see/meet friends. Blogspot is one way.

While absorbing good vibes from positively happy people, God created food, glorious, food. I am not advocating emotional eating, but you know, a scoop of Dreyer's won't hurt, eh Ely? Seriously, eat and exercise well. Run off your angst or sweat it out,or perhaps, take a stroll and pay more attention to your surroundings. The healthy symbiotic relationship between our body and our mind will only benefit our soul, aye?

In between running around like a headless chicken, we should set aside some time to manjakan diri. Uja can definitely vouch for the benefits of spa treatments, she is like a jet plane filled with fizzy bubbles ready to take off. Whatever you do, find a way to relax. Even if it means putting off some of that work. Before you breakdown, relax.

Get help, if you need it. Google about your problem, find out where you can go to get help.

Most importantly, talk to God.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Positive Charge

I am toying with an idea to further support Kakteh's positive blogging campaign. As a matter of fact, this idea was first introduced by Arwanzeefor earlier this year, bouncing off from another internet community that we were both contributing as netizens. I guess if we want to do something the time is now lah kan. I have set up a testrun discussion forum at forumco before I get meself an official domain and learn how to manage a database or pay/get somebody to do it for me.

The forum is called "Positivity Heals" where people can share their problems and talk it out with other members or privately with our in-house "listeners" or "positivists"( I am not talking about Comte, Mill, Spencer, Feuerbach, Marx and Engels, mind you). It is not fully operational yet as I would need more volunteers to help me manage private messages. I have 2 volunteers thus far. So I hope to get more support from my blogpals to contribute your wisdom and experience and to be that positive friend we cannot get enough of these days.

I hope to pass this message on to other forums and communities so that people who need help and those who can give help can congregate. I am open for suggestions and opinions on how best we could execute this.

Are you game? Please hop over to Positivity Heals and register as a member. Send me a note if you are interested to become one of our in-house listeners/positivists.

Thank you.

Maizakiah Ayu Abdullah

Selamat Hari Lahir Adikku Ayu!

Maizakiah Ayu Abdullah
orangnya molek budinya indah
diam berisi geliga terserlah
permata harapan ibu dan ayah

Maizakiah Ayu Abdullah
setahun lagi beranjak sudah
makin dewasa makin meriah
ilmu di dada melimpah ruah

Maizakiah Ayu Abdullah
yang rapuh pasti patah
yang lemah ada gundah
jangan sekali mengaku kalah

Maizakiah Ayu Abdullah
Mendung sudah beralih arah
Hari baru mulai cerah
Semangat jitu bukalah langkah

Maizakiah Ayu Abdullah
Let's go party-lah!

The Concept of Confirmation

Yang terdaya dianjak dik tangan

boleh dikuit biar bangun

yang berangin

dicucuk sembarangan

tiada budi bakal dituntun

yang molek permandangan

yang penting tekun

Allah bilang Kun

Fa ya kun.

Within the self-pity mode of jealousy overflows the need for social approval. One's sense of self is easily denigrated when rejected, snubbed, dissed or whatever people call it these days. There is a strong dependence on getting rewards, getting rave reviews, being in the good books of some highflyers and/or the strong desire to be popularly known as that nice person. Which is pathetic for some, yet one cannot help but wish, hey, I'd so love to be remembered fondly,eh? Within the vanity mode of narcissism,however, there is inferiority complex. When one begins to make attempts to behave and/or perform according to other people's standards and fail to see their own unique talents, one has an existential problem.

The thing with people whose vocation or interests revolve around creative work, much of their sensitivity comes from a great deal of inferiority complex. Ok, hasty generalization, but true to a certain degree. A little bit of humility opens doors to the secrets of the world kan? The products of sensitive thinkers are usually mindboggling masterpieces. I read somewhere that people who often seek the approval of others have a history of a deprived childhood, while people with inferiority complex is affected by physical disabilites or a previous failed relationship. No matter how hard these artists try to portray rich b*tch elitist snob attributes, it is very telling how lonely it can get to swimming in one's own smelly spit.

No no no no...

Don't phunk with my heart

Today is the Day I Decided

...to be kind to myself,watch my diet and exercise. Seriously. I am logging everything I eat in an ala 555 book, I'll make sure I eat 6 times a day,work out at least 30 minutes a day, and increase in duration and intensity as I go along.
Hopefully by December I'd find something cute, a mesh halter maybe...La Perla would be nice...and be able to slip into it effortlessly. You may think that this is yet another yo-yo diet of mine, or just guilt talking post-ice cream moments. Well it probably is, until I have something to prove ya?

Monday is a good day to start fresh. So here we are.

There is a need to control my obsession with food. I want to be able to remain passionate about food yet I want to make wiser decisions about what I actually let pass my lips.

At the end of the day, I'd like to lose 10 lbs with a program that is suitable for Asian mothers,especially those who have to cook for the rest of the family without needing a separate budget for diet food. Exclusively for those who will just wither and die if there is no chilli in their diet.

So those who have signed up to join me, today we begin our journey towards a healthier and happier us.

What I ate today:

Breakfast:

Muesli with full cream milk.

A glass of water

A glass of apple-grape juice

Morning Snack:

Iced water

Corn soup and plain crackers

Lunch

Grilled Sea Bream, smothered with bumbu pepes
wrapped in turmeric leaves

Hot Dipping Sauce

White rice

Ulam-ulaman

Tea

Water and butter coconut crackers

For the family I just added daging masak lemak chilli padi with bambooshoots, bergedil and sambal belacan mangga.

For dinner later, I plan to munch on 3 cucumbers cicah sambal belacan while I watch Che Anwar eat. After a cup of brown rice cereal before 8 pm, the kitchen will be closed.

My workout includes void deck football and walking around a few blocks. I will rest from qi gong for a while and get down to higher intensity cardio workout. Hopefully I will istiqamah dalam beriadhah. Muscle toning as in resistance and weight training will follow suit once the weight is showing some potential in gradual reduction.

Aishah needs me to be able to run around with her. How can I do that if my butt's too hefty.

Hopefully by the end of this project, I would have enough recipes that I can publicize my own get-with-the-program boot camp, The Sambal Belacan Blogger Way. Fellow blogger-dieters are welcome to contribute slimming Asian recipes anytime. As agreed previously, we'd continue cheering each other on okay? Good luck!

Effervercent Uja

It was like going on a date, I had to change three times before I decided on a non-iron salwar kameez. Our meet up point was in front of the dhoby, walking distance from Tampines Interchange. We had planned to meet at 1.45 pm Batam time, yet both of us showed up promptly at Singapore time.

It was pretty funny to get all fuzzy and nervous, macam nak jumpa blindate, you don't know how this person looks like and chances are you might be calling each other even when you're standing next to each other. So I rang her up to see if the girl who stood there beside me then was her. Uja solved the problem by telling me that she was going to pick me up in a maroon car. The moment I hung up, a maroon S class passed by..Aiyoh, dia ke ni? I feel so kerdil in the presence of a Benz. Oh bukan, tu Ah Pek bling bling rantai besar lengan...

Then dari jauh, kereta maroon chomel approached and somebody was waving at me...Ok that's her! Yeay! Got into the car, salaam and true to Kak Teh's word, Uja is spelt FUN (capital letters, bold print). There was not even time for that first meeting awkwardness. She made me feel like I was an old friend. In fact, looking at her, rasa macam, eyy, she is so like me she could be a sister of mine. The sister who can talk like ketapi and make you laugh so much you'd wet your seluar kecik.

Pastu apa lagi, makan aah...she brought me to Siglap, a bit like the uptown Bangsar kinda ambience. So kita pun makan lah....I had Breaded Sea Bass, she had Miso Soft Shell Crab. Chewaaah, macam fine dining je gitu eh.I wiped my plate clean sampai parsley pun I makan..but she is so happening I tell you, I was nearly sad when we had to part because, like all Singaporeans I know, schedule mesti penuh, dan semua benda pun mesti chop chop. I've come to accept this fast paced lifestyle. It's a bit like President Bush's timetable times two. Very adrenalizing!

We parted ways because I had to go and buy Aishah a toy- felt guilty sebab keluar tak bawak dia. And Uja had to pick up some friends who was already waiting for her.

I really hope that we'd get together again, so that I get to belanja her makan. It is so happening to eat with her because these days it's so hard to find someone who does not play with her food. Anyone whose weekend include meal appointments within short intervals of to-ing and fro-ing is a happy friend.

Thank you Kak Teh for hooking us up. Uja is a blast!!!!