12-12-12 : K Boys Welcome Another New Cousin!

no, this date doesn’t necessarily bring luck, or holds any special ‘magic’ just because of the triple number – I’m thrilled with this date because it’s the LAST repeating date we will ever encounter in our lifetime.

…AND I got a new nephew, and my boys got another boy cousin! (earlier my bro-in-law received his second child, a boy). congratulations to scientist parents syima and my bro-in-law din, getting this precious gift on this rare date!

this would be the 10th member of ‘Kelab Cucu-Cucu Atuk Podin’, and my younger sister’s syima’s 3rd child, and her 1st boy. much reason to rejoice!

 

 

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I knew my sister was already at the hospital by 1pm on 12-12-12, so with Allah’s will, the baby could come out by today. I called her up from dubai kasi semangat haha but no sweat, it’s her third time so I’m sure she’s all prep and ready.

 

 

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and then came the SMS announcing that my sister’s 3rd baby is OUT! alhamdulillah! mom and baby in excellent condition. it’s a BOY!

 

 

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…and then I finally got the photo from my youngest sis azi whatsapp-ing to everyone. he is SO adorable, like any newborn would be. can’t wait to see him!

 

 

at the time or writing, the parents have not confirmed the name of the baby – the baby boy’s elder sisters are named sufiyyah syafiqah and marissa marha – SS, MM – because mama is SS and their abah is MM. so it’s a wild guess what’s this boy’s name would be!

My 1st Baby Turns Se7en

my eldest son is 7 years old today, coincides with the first day of the new year in islamic calendar. salam maal hijrah semua, and happy birthday khaleef!

we started the ball rolling that whole week before the exact date : took him to kidzania a few days before, had pizza dinner the night before, surprised him with a lego dinosaur from his opah that morning, and of course THE birthday meal at IHOP (international house of pancakes).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KHALEEF!

 

treated birthday boy to a fun time at kidzania, dubai mall. just mak and khaleef. details and pictures coming soon!

 

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thanks for the fb wishes, friends!

 

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lego dinosaur from his opah.

 

when mr. khairul last went back to malaysia for an exhibition, my mom-in-law gave this to him to bring back to dubai, and we’ve been hiding it in the closet for weeks and weeks – until today. surprise!

(what’s with that face? oh, nothing. khaleef impersonating a dinosaur. haha. by 7 years old khaleef is absolutely crazy about all things DINOSAUR! do NOT get him started on dinosaurs – he won’t stop talking!)

 

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as usual, a big birthday meal – this time at the newly opened IHOP at JBR. details and food review coming soon!

 

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thanks for the fb wishes, friends. appreciate it very much!

Dubai-Ipoh Can Eat Together : Thanks Skype!

one in dubai. surviving summer heat; surrounded by palm trees, hunky pak arab in kandoora, mountain of dates and delicious mandi rice, and camels walking by as you drive on the highway.

another one is in ipoh. surviving without her other half; surrounded by malaysia’s infamous traffic jam, glorious hawker food and irritating issues of awkward merdeka song with its ugly logo and inappropriate theme.

me in ipoh with my boys; and mr. khairul in dubai. bulan ramadhan pun kan mengajar erti sabar? hihi

 

 

as we’re enjoying our iftar in malaysia, in dubai he is waiting for asar. we’re living 4 hours apart, and thousands of miles away, so we have sessions like this : the boys eating dinner *with* their bapak – via skype!

oh my technology!

thanks to skype, the boys had the best time showing and describing what they’re eating. sometimes i just focus the camera at the carpet where the boys are making their usual racket, conducting wrestling mania or just being plain nuts!

i’m sure to mr. khairul, the noise makes him feel that they boys are right there in our dubai home! hihi.

 

 

at times, after updating each other on our respective activities, we just simply let the skype go on, our videos showing each other’s location – not talking, not chatting – just keeping each other’s video on.

it’s really comforting in its own way – knowing that your loved one who is so far away, seems so near, even just through a screen. even without uttering a single word.

thanks skype, phone bills pun tak melambung!

 

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…and speaking of keeping skype on and on without chatting…

when ipoh is ready for berbuka at about 7.30pm, dubai’s clock is only at 3.30pm. when dubai is ready to go to sleep at 12 midnight, ipoh is busy waking up to prepare sahur.

so just last night i woke up to prepare sahur in the dead of night. i was at abah’s house already in ipoh. i switched on notebook, logged on skype and just let the visual image of him stay there on the screen, accompanying me as i cook.

he just came back from iftar and terawikh at matrade. at times we just talked while i cook, and other times, dia cuma temankan aku masak sambil dia browse the net.

it was simply a nice feeling.

*smile*

(esok subuh teman masak sahur lagi ye…)

I’m 33 : FB Bday Wishes!

thanks to the magical invention of FACEBOOK, wishing someone a happy birthday has never been easier. tip tap tip tap at the tip of our fingers. thanks for taking the time to type out those lovely words on my 33rd birthday. THANK YOU!

 

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from my youngest sis~

 

from my eldest sis~

 

from my sisters-in-law~

 

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see you in 2013, and many more years to come insyaAllah!

Putera Bongsu Kazim is 2WO

to everyone else, it may be april fool day. to us, it’s april FOOD day! ok, bad joke but really APRIL 1st is my youngest prince’s birthday – so HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAZIM! you’re 2 today!

when you were confirmed by doc as being A BOY, mak and bapak just laughed it off as another wonderful surprise gift from Allah. no girl yet for this third one, but you’re still very much a gem in our hearts.

 

 

10 fun facts about Kazim Khairul on his 2nd birthday :

1. was born in al-wasl hospital, the best maternity hospital in dubai. my labor pain was barely a few hours. pagi sakit, tengahari dah deliver. senang. thank you, kazim!
2. he likes to *read*. he can spend hours just sitting down on the floor by the bookrack and flipping through his picture books and stopping long enough to look at the pictures.
3. favorite tv shows are ‘bo on the go’ and ‘imagination movers’. a big fan of shrek too. also love watching youtube videos on animal sounds.
4. i just stopped breastfeeding him few months ago. read all about it here.
5. drinks cranberry juice in a bottle before napping.
6. picking a fight with abang ngah kahfi is a routine EVERY MORNING.
7. absolutely nuts about any animals that make the growling, roaring sound – lions, dinosaurs, dogs, crocodile, bears. naturally, would imitate these animals’ sound. grrr! rawwr!
8. hates being photographed. haven’t gotten that natural cam-whore passion that his eldest brother has. haha.
9. will cry very badly whenever i go into the bathroom, for whatever reason. EVERYTIME, and i do mean EVERYTIME. when i come out, the cries and mengamukness will instantaneously stop.
10. without a doubt, THE MOST manja mengada between the three, even when the other two were his age. loves to cuddle, kiss, hugs and literally just dangling around my neck – no matter when, where and why. sometimes it’s just because!

 

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how did birthday boy celebrate his 2nd birthday?

 

we went to JBR for a light evening birthday snack (since bapak is having a dinner date with some malaysian guests tonight), and after that a stop at the water fountain for some crazy fun time. birthday boy had a blast. and yes, it was VERY hard to make him stop and get him to leave!

enjoy the clip!

 

 

happy birthday, kazim sayang mak. we all love you very much, and wishing you would finally STOP crying when mak needs to answer nature’s call, ok. haha. till next year!

Ingatan Yang Buat Aku Sebak

cikgu ibrahim ni jiran sebelah rumah lama abah aku kat ipoh. anak dia kak linda ialah senior aku kat MGS (methodist girls school, ipoh). kitorang dulu ngaji sama-sama, main sama-sama, dan masa raya pun semestinya lah rumah cikgu ibrahim ni antara yang terawal mendapat kunjungan budak kecik yg nak kumpul duit raya ni. hihi. aku lah tu.

dah lama sangat aku tak jumpa kak linda, dan cikgu ibrahim. ade la dalam lebih 10 tahun kot. tambah-tambah lepas abah aku pindah dari kawasan perumahan tu ke rumah yang sekarang ni.

baru-baru ni, nampak gamba pakcik ngan makcik kat facebook kak linda. terus teringat kenangan-kenangan masa kecik dulu. jadi aku pun komen la kat situ, kot-kot ingat lagi ke kat aku ni…

jawapan pakcik betul-betul buat aku sebak. ntah kenapa aku terus nak nangis. mungkin sebab aku terharu pakcik masih ingat begitu skali, dan cakap aku ‘cute’ haha. dan juga sebak kot sebab dia tulis ‘atuk (abah aku) mesti happy ramai cucu’. (rindu kat abah!) yang paling aku sebak ntah kenapa aku terus teringat kat mak. sekarang pun aku macam nak nangis lagi.

mungkin sebab kehidupan aku dekat kawasan perumahan lama berjiran dengan cikgu ibrahim masa tu ialah kehidupan best aku masa mak masih ada. kenangan rumah lama di mana mak besarkan aku. tu yang sebak sangat tu. automatik teringat…

dulu bila mak aku jemput mak kak linda datang rumah, mak akan buat lawak kat tetamu lain, “ha, ni nak kenalkan tetamu palingggg jauh ni.” haha. lawak la tu. padehal makcik duduk selang satu rumah je.

harap pakcik tak kisah saya letak komen pakcik di blog saya ye.

 

 

“inda, papa & mama still remember syigim. she was a very cute little girl. very friendly & most talkative among her sisters. we liked to citcat with her. i’ve gone through her FB wall and she doesn’t change much. wow she has many children and the grandfather must be very happy. i used to travel & tours with tok oddin. syigim tak teringin ke nak dtg melawat? dtglah ziarah kami yang masih ada lagi & alhamdulillah masih sihat. all the best to u & family in dubai. oh how we wish to visit dubai one day. may Allah SWT blessed you all always.”

 

lagi satu yang buat aku sebak ialah ayat, “..dtg lah ziarah kami yang masih ada lagi..” sebab teringat jiran aku sblah lagi pulak, cikgu mokhtar baru meninggal awal tahun ni, dan yang aku dah lama tak jumpa jugak arwah padehal aku ngan anak dia si ani tu memang bestfriend masa kecik-kecik tocang dua dulu. mak dia cikgu zaharah pulak tengah sakit.

aku mesti ingatkan diri aku pegi melawat jiran-jiran lama ni.

dari Ali r.a katanya: aku mendengar Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda: "apabila seseorang telah menziarahi saudara seislamya, sebenarnya dia telah berjalan-jalan memetik buahan syurga sehinggalah dia duduk. apabila dia duduk maka rahmat menaunginya. jika di di waktu pagi maka 70,000 malaikat berselawat ( berdoa memohon ampun ) untuknya sehingga waktu petang. jika di waktu petang, maka 70,000 berselawat ( berdoa memohon ampun ) untuknya sehingga waktu pagi ". (HR Ibnu Majah, Abu Dawud)

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april ni adik saya nak kawen, pakcik kena datang ok! (eh, macam la pakcik baca blog aku ni!) insyaAllah saya datang menziarah pakcik bila balik ipoh nanti. terima kasih atas ingatan pakcik. sangat terharu saya. moga Allah sentiasa melimpahkan keberkatan, kesihatan dan rezeki pada pakcik sekeluarga. amin.

Kahfi Turns Thr3e

my 2nd son KAHFI KHAIRUL turns 3 this day. everytime your birthday comes, mak will tell you that :

1. you were 7mths in my tummy when i flew with abg long on a plane from malaysia to dubai
2. you were born in dubai hospital
3. bapak was not with us in the labor room as he had to take care of 3-yr old abg long
4. you were delivered by a really nice indian nurse (too many babies coming, docs were super busy!) who had worked in dubai hospital since day it opens (around 1983!). otai tu! otai tak otai – i didn’t need any stitches!
5. while pregnant with you, mak craved indian food – and then you came out looking very chinese. hihi.

 

birthday boy is crazy about pizza, so on his birthday we picked one of the many pizza places in JBR (jumeirah beach residences) especially for birthday boy. nyum.

 

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thanks for the wonderful well-wishes via facebook. you made my day! *smile*

 

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making it simple this year – just a little itty bitty blueberry cheesecake for the birthday boy

 

happy birthday sweetheart!

 

as of today, kahfi has been off pampers too for the past 2 months, and we’re so proud of him. he calls kazim as ‘baby’, and khaleef as ‘anong’. i suspect that he’s a chinese-looking italian disguised as my son haha, because he absolutely love spaghetti, cheezy pasta, pepperoni pizza – anything italian!

his favorite quote for the time being is :

“mak, what’s that? what’s that? what’s that?”

“not me, it’s abg long!” or “not me, baby!” – whenever he’s accused of something.

and

“what’s that noise?”

mak, bapak, anong, and baby kazim love you very much and may Allah bless with you many wonderful years ahead. easy on the naughty stuff ya!

Kerana Facebook

terbaca dalam status seorang sahabat facebook pagi ni. katanya :

kerana facebook : daripada kawan bertukar musuh
kerana facebook : couple boleh gaduh sebab cemburu
kerana facebook : pasangan couple boleh berpisah
kerana facebook : hidup boleh diperbodohkan
kerana facebook : kawan lupa kawan
kerana facebook : kita tak tidur & tak makan
kerana facebook : seseorang tu lupa diri konon dah hot

masa aku baca tu, aku amati ayat-ayat tu satu-persatu. hmm. ade betulnya. memang ada kawan-kawan facebook aku sendiri gaduh sebab status politik yang berbeza pendapat. ada pulak yang risau sebab kawan lelaki fb ntah mana-mana asyik suka 'like' status awek dia. ada yang diperbodohkan sebab membuka pekung di dada - contohnya mengutuk boss sendiri, atau mengeluh tentang 'keperitan' hidup yang terpaksa guna kipas sebab air-cond rosak...

tapi...

kerana facebook : kawan sekolah yang rapat masa kecik tapi terpisah,
dipertemukan
kerana facebook : couple bole meluahkan perasaan sayang di status dengan
gamba profile yang romantis
kerana facebook : ade pasangan yang bertemu di facebook, hingga ke jinjang
pelamin
kerana facebook : hidup bole lebih bermakna dengan berkongsi hadith
Rasulullah, dan kata-kata hikmat yang memberi semangat dan membuatkan kita
berfikir
kerana facebook : kawan akan sentiasa ingat kawan sebab setiap kali
harijadi, pasti ada notification! ruang news feed pula akan
sentiasa berputar menyajikan kita dengan pelbagai activiti dan asam
garam rakan-rakan fb

kita yang tentukan facebook ni bagus atau tidak untuk kita sendiri. seperti benda-benda yang lain jugak. pisau tu, contohnya boleh membunuh, tapi kita-kita yang boleh berfikir waras ni guna untuk potong ayam je lah ye!

moga kita semua pengguna facebook yang bijak! ok, masa untuk log on...

My Prince Khaleef is 6ix

my eldest boy turned 6 on 15/11/11.

khaleef is a strawberry-fan, so for his birthday, he requested for a strawberry cheesecake, very berry strawberry ice-cream from baskin robbins, and a berry banana smoothies. so very berry!

we didn’t do any kenduri harijadi (birthday party) this year with a big cake and lotsa guests – i just packed goodie bags for khaleef to bring to school for his classmates. and that night we just went out to JBR to get him a small cake, because this weekend there’s gonna be another hoopla.

*wink wink*

 

 

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thank you BERRY much for the well-wishes!

 

 

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happy birthday khaleef, may you always be in the loving protection of Allah ~ always here for you, mak, bapak and your brothers kahfi and kazim. we love you very much, abang long!