My Final Post for Mombloggersplanet (For Now!)

for the past year, starting december 2009 to december 2010, i was contributing blog posts for mombloggersplanet (MBP). i’ve stopped, because it’s taking too much of my time from my boisterous boys!

click here for my final posting on MBP.

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MBP is a site for moms, by moms and now even visited by dads. that’s how informative the site is. if you think it’s all girly-motherly stuff, it discusses parenting issues, bloggers events, blogging tips and tools, how to make money through blogging and many more.

at the same time you really do make friends, and i mean really – there are a few bloggers i met through MBP who have become regulars at my blog, and i regularly visit their blogs too.

how did i start writing for MBP?

the force behind mombloggersplanet dot com, kak ros or as she’s fondly known over the site – little mama wrote most of the articles, but she started to share the limelight with bloggers who loves writing, and want to share stuff, particularly on blogging, making money through blogs, and working from home.

and that’s where i came in!

here are my favorite postings that i wrote for MBP :

1. are you a super blogger? 
2. good blogging is like a yummy nasi lemak 
3. a dinosaur’s guide to blogging
4. you know you’re a freakoblog when…
5. comment, comment, comment!
6. you hate writing, but you want to blog?
7. go travel, then blog!
8. 5 reasons why dads must blog!

for your information, i wasn’t paid to write these postings. it was simply passion for writing, and sharing thoughts. pure and simple. also, i just wanted to fill my time! hihi.

if you ask me, the friendship i got through MBP is something that i appreciate the most. thanks kak ros for the opportunity, and for sharing your stage with a few of us. i hope to meet you one day and give you a hug!

for the rest of you, drop by mombloggersplanet, or click here to read all 33 of my featured articles there!

Selamat Datang, Ramadhan!

a self-'paint'-made card for all readers of syigimsharif dot blogspot! i'm in kl, celebrating 1st ramadhan with my younger sisters syida and azi.

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also, got this niat puasa from ciklilyputih, a funny, perky blogger. thanks ciklilyputih! just a reminder for those who might forget!

how was your sahur this morning?

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oh, and for bloggers who are searching for things to blog about this ramadhan, drop by my article at mombloggersplanet, '15 blog topics for ramadhan'. hope it helps!

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got plans for berbuka already?

today i break fast with my sisters, tomorrow a planned rendezvous with my bff put and irda at itallianies, and on friday off to mr. khairul's home at kampung lalang. 2-3 days after, finally spend ramadhan with my abah at ipoh. insyaAllah!

got this imsak and berbuka timetable from kak lina. thanks sis! waktu imsak penting, takut terlajak! waktu berbuka lagi penting, takut terlewat! hihi.

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happy fasting, people and don't go overboard during berbuka! speaking of berbuka, what's yummy at the ttdi ramadhan bazaar today?

Help! I'm Blogged Out!

sometimes, when there are no words...

help! i'm blogged out
by syigim

help! help! somebody please
i ain’t got no idea
my brain is stuck, my thoughts are dry
i’m lost for words, i fear

my blog has no new posts
for many many days
i need a topic now
please help me find a way!

should i write about those ants
lining up in one long row
or do you have better ideas
any topic i could borrow?

i quickly read the papers
for any breaking news
something i could share
some thoughts, a lot or few

then i go bloghopping
to read what others wrote
perhaps i could get some idea
and make a mental note

my kids say something funny
i should blog right away
i listen, laugh, record and write
whatever that they say!

talking might be good
so i called my elder sister
an idea could come up
out of the news from her

i could just get a picture
a really pretty shot
find words that go along with it
but ideas i have not!

i guess it’s best to write
a topic that i love
food? travels? kids? anuar zain?
or all of the above!

first i need a title
must be catchy, must be nice
contain key-words google-able
put zest to it, and spice

now it’s time to write
a short one is okay
describe the experience or feelings
is there any other way?

i need a nap, i need a rest!
a short break would be good
perhaps i need to go and raid
the kitchen for some food

after a while, after a sec
back to my blog i go
i type, i look, i delete, i stare
still no words out, oh no!

(first appeared in mombloggersplanet. click here for more of my writings on blogs, blogs and erm..blogging.)

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oh, by the way, in two weeks, i'm turning 31. wow.

Of Bloghopping and Blog Commentator Type

for you newbies to my blog, do you know i write for one of the coolest blogs for malaysian moms - the mombloggersplanet (MBP)? now how does this MBP-me relationship works?

at the beginning of every month, i try to send in a minimum of 3 articles to little mama, the mem besa of MBP. she then will review those articles before finally publishing it.

for april, i actually sent in my articles ahead, because i knew i might be giving birth and would probably be busy with the baby and pantang. (ye la busy. ni yg ko blog ni apehal? hihi)


anyways, all 3 april articles are already out, and if you missed any ONE of them, check it out by clicking the links!

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1st article : Let's Blog Hop!

the first article was about 'blog hopping', which means :

'reading one blog after another to read the postings or to leave comments; clicking them from your blogroll, from a link in your comment space, from the chatbox, or from blogrolls of other blogs'

when i first started blogging, i was actually selfish - i write for myself, and about myself. if i read other's blogs, i read blogs by my friends and families. my blogconscious was narrow and it was just me and a few bloggers in my little bloggy world.

however, gradually i realized that there are other bloggers out there with all sorts of stories to share, and i'd be wasting it if i don't take advantage and bloghop!

and then, when i joined MBP, i made a lot of new friends - making it A MUST to bloghop and visit all the 'jiran tetangga'. by then i knew the true meaning of bloghop, which transcends the need to get higher traffic, or just so that the blogger returns the visit - bloghopping to me became a reason for friendship.

it's as simple as that. read about the benefits of bloghopping here.

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2nd article : Blogging : It Comes With a Job!


blogging comes with a whole lot of other jobs. don't believe me? then click here - and read about my interpretation of 'blogging with a job!'

while blogging, you're not only the obvious writer of your thoughts - but a 'teacher', a 'student', and even a 'CSI officer!'

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3rd article : What Type of Blog Commentator Are You?

have you ever asked yourself that? that's the title of my 3rd april article. using a number of different food items - from banana split to siput sedut - i metaphorically linked it to the way we choose to give comments.

silly, amusing but fun - i hope! click here to read!


i agree, when we comment, it has a lot to do with :

• the type of posting we're reading
• how well we know the blogger/author
• whether we're in the mood or otherwise!
• time
• how many blogs we're hopping on and plan to leave comments

so we can be ANY type of blog commentator at one time or another depending on these factors. whatever you choose to be, be THOUGHTFUL. simple comment, or long one - a well-thought comment will always leave you and the blogger feeling good!

Aku Sebuah Blog

cuba bayangkan kamu sepasang kasut. ceritakan riwayat hidup kamu dalam satu karangan bertajuk 'Aku Sepasang Kasut' tidak lebih dari 80 perkataan.

sounds familiar?

karangan autobiografi right? i enjoy writing this type of karangan. something surreal, original and make-believe. often during UPSR, PMR or SPM, i seldom (almost never, actually!) choose something factual to write about. i almost always choose a karangan about something i could just fashion from the depths of my imagination.

i was thinking about this type of writing, and how i could write about a blog's point of view for my latest article on mombloggersplanet. wanna go inside a blog's head? click the picture to read!



these days do the kids still need to write this kind of karangan? if yes, perhaps, rather than 'aku sebatang pen' or 'aku sebuah kereta', it's probably 'aku sebuah konsul x-box' or 'aku sebuah tetikus' or 'aku sebuah telefon bimbit'! hihi.

Blog Ethics Lessons from Kindergarten

klik cepat!

my first march-article on the super-cool website for malaysian moms, mombloggersplanet for working moms, work-from-home moms and moms like me who stays at home while tryin to stay sane managing home and the screamin kiddos! hihi.

this time i list out the simplest, most logical, straight-forward rules that our kids learn while in kindergarten, and apply it to blogging. because you know, sometimes the simplest rule is the one that we forgot to remember!

click on picture to read further!

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did you know i was in early child education? loving it! i've lectured 20 year-olds before, and then i've endured 5 year-olds. i must say i enjoyed the little kiddos more!

sigh. i really miss my job. wanna know what i did before leaving for dubai? click here.

Go Travel, Then Blog!

another article of mine is up on mombloggersplanet! it's for bloggers, and travellers and one who likes to mix up both those titles. so for travelling bloggers, enjoy my rhyming words for your reading pleasure!

to the far reachest of switzerland, or to the neighbouring thailand - make your travel-blog postings extraordinary. make it personal, or make it informative, or make it a picture-travel-logue - but never make it ordinary!

click on the picture to read my poem!


i've not been too long in this blogging business. i just started in 2008, when my life changes as we moved to dubai and i started becoming a stay-at-home-mom. so there were so, so many trips and travels that i didn't blog about.

i felt so rugi looking back at my holiday pictures because i forgot so many interesting details about that particular holiday. after korek-korek, i'd like to share with you some of my holiday destinations, with a few great memories to share.

with that i would like to thank my abah and my cookiedough for all the trips - i'm so lucky to have a father and husband who enjoy travelling!

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where : great ocean road, victoria, australia
when : circa 2004
who : with abah and my youngest si azi
what : most beautiful, scenic coastline drive ever. sepanjang jalan nampak batu-batu besar di tengah lautan - grotto (caves in the middle of sea), the 'twelve apostles' (12 huge standing rock formations)
memorable moments : it was extremely cold, and we weren't prepared in terms of our clothings! however, the view was oh, so breathtaking. cantik ya amat!
tips : check the weather forecast first before going!

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where : musandam, oman
when : jan 2010
who : with mr. khairul, my boys and in-laws
what : dhow cruise along scenic rock mountains, and the high possibility of seeing dolphins
memorable moments : hanging out on an arabic dhow, enjoying the magnanimous sight of the rock mountains. and the sight of the jumping dolphins were priceless! oh, and also learned a new word, 'fjord' which are rock mountains.
tips : don't worry if the dhow moves when it sees doplhins in a distance - they just want the dolphins to swim along with the boat!

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where : melaka, malaysia
when : circa 2006
with : mr. khairul and khaleef
what : historical city which is listed as UNESCO world heritage sites, a magical place to go back in time during the malaccan sultanate period
memorable moments : our first full-fledged family vacation. also, got to know the BEST ikan bakar place in the world - sg. duyung.
tips : if you got lost, ask the locals for directions. very helpful. one of them actually rode his bike to lead us to sg. duyung!

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where : sovereign hill, ballarat, australia
when : circa 2004
with : kak arin (driver), kak laily, and the rest of melbourne msia hall girls
what : an open air museum with a whole town re-created to look like scenes from the 'gold rush' era, where gold was first discovered in ballarat. the shops, furnitures, roads, people all look like they came from the past!
memorable moments : digging for real gold at one of the man-made creek in the middle of the 'museum'.
tips : nak jimat, bring your own sandwiches and drinks. also map your way well as you walk so that you cover every single stop including the comboy 'schools' and 'bowling alley'.

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where : sky tower, auckland, new zealand
when : early 2005
who : with abah, syimot, syidot and azot. i think yong didn't join because she just had baby haqeem.
what : an observation tower in the middle of auckland CBD, the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere, the 14th tallest in the world.
memorable moments : the main observation level has a particular spot on the floor which has a 38mm thick glass section, giving a view straight to the ground! scary gile berdiri atas glass tu! also, met a group of 4 japanese girls who wanted to take pictures with us! comel diorang!

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where : pulau perhentian, terengganu
when : early 2008 (first trimester with kahfi)
who : with mr. khairul and khaleef
what : white sandy beach, and crystal-clear water where snorkeling is one of the best experiences with beautiful corals and marine life.
memorable moments : well, for mr. khairul, it's diving into a 3-storey deep ocean sea-bed with baby sharks, 'nemo' and many more. also, finding out that turtles can actually swim really fast! for me, the boat ride to the pulau was super-scary - the strong waves made the ride extremely bumpy so i was very, very afraid that khaleef might get flung out, or i might have a miscarriage since it's quite early in the pregnancy!

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where : sydney, NSW, australia
when : circa 2001
who : the whole family, including mak!
what : 'the harbour city' is the largest city in australia.
memorable moments : visiting sydney opera house, one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world, already named one of UNESCO world heritage sites because of its unique design. there's no mistaking when you see the bangunan cabang-cabang surrounded by water.

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where : singapore zoo
when : 2007
who : mr. khairul and khaleef
what : personally to me, one of the most beautiful, cleanest zoos i've ever been to - and that's very important!
memorable moments : naik bas gi singapore! we drove to johor, parked our car and took a bus there. also the sight of the albino tigers and just being there with a very excited animal-lover khaleef!

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so, any trips planned for the year? don't be selfish la - share your wonderful or klaka experience with your readers!

Who Are Your Favorite Superheroes?

do you have a favorite superhero? naah, don't give corny answers like "my dad is my superhero" - because of course he is! he's our first ever super duper hero who is always there for us!

but i'm talking about the superhero in the imaginative sense - the comicbook-tv-movie-cartoon superheroes!

my favorite superheroes of all time are dean cain's superman, zorro and fox mulder (eh, fox mulder superhero ke?) oklah. superman and zorro. hihi.

dean cain as superman!

i mention dean cain's superman, because there are a few supermen in the tv screen and i don't necessarily like them all! christopher reeve's superman is sweet, gentlemanly but not sexy enough! haha. brandon routh's superman in the latest superman movie is handsome but he's trying too hard to act like the legendary christopher reeves that he came off as unoriginal. tom welling's superman in 'smallville' is cute - but face it - he's too cute to be super - muka pretty boy sangat!

supermen of tv and movies

so that's why my fav superman is dean cain - handsome, gentlemanly, funny - a sexy hunk with a romantic heart as well! i never missed an episode when it was shown back in my school days. i love him also because dean cain didn't make his clark kent a nerd and clumsy. his clark kent AND superman are equally attractive!

oh, forget your lawak bodo of pakai spenda kat luar - with those buldging biceps in all the right places - it's sexy!

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duncan regehr as zorro in the tv series

my next favorite hero is zorro. oh, man. he's the don juan of all superheroes! devilishly handsome, perfectly charming, with the debonair of a perfect spanish gentleman.

and admit it - he has the most practical costume of all superheroes - you normal guys would wear it to a party, yah? all-black garb, normal shirts and pants with a black cape and black hat - coolness.

of course, the ultimate sexy-factor in zorro is his sword-fighting skills. total awesomeness. he doesn't need superpowers from his home alien-planet and he doesn't need nifty gadgets - he only relies on his trusted sword to fight bad guys and cross some z's on them!

swashbuckling never looked so sexy when zorro is around!

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i thought about superheroes only because my article on superbloggers just came out on mombloggersplanet yesterday! when you think of the traits needed to be a superhero - like skills or superpowers, having a sidekick, performing good deeds and having a secret identity and costume - you can also relate it to blogging. how so?

click on the picture to read further!

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ben10, ultraman and spider riders - khaleef already has his favorite superheroes. may he grow up to perform heroic deeds for his friends and families; agama, raja dan negara!

Dinosaurs Can Blog Too!

khaleef loves dinosaurs. he gets excited everytime watching 'jurassic park'. or any movie that has a dinosaur in it. well, they're ferocious, monster-like, and fascinating - creatures that we cannot possibly see LIVE during our time.

personally to me, their mysterious existance and extinction are what fascinated me the most. so, i chose 'dinosaur' to be the subject of my latest article on mombloggersplanet, where i am one of the contributors.

t-rex : the tyrant king of prehistoric times

i wanted to choose an animal - any animal - whose characteristics and lifestyle i can manipulate to match those needed to blog.

and eureka - before i knew it, i got that idea - 'a dinosaur's guide to blogging'. click on the picture to read more!

Kahfi is Top 10 Cutest On The Planet!

it started with a monthly contest organized by super-mom blog - mombloggersplanet in june 2009, with no less than 100 adorable babies participating. 'cutest baby in red' - and kahfi won 2nd prize! read about it here!

more and more montly contests followed, and each 1st and 2nd place winners of each monthly contest were elligible for the finale - 'cutest baby on the planet' with super-awesome prizes!

20 babies compete in this finale, where mommies have to put up the best, most adorable picture of their kid, answer a few trivia questions on the founder of mombloggersplanet, little mama, as well as complete a few questions through a sticky post in each other's blog!

how did kahfi do?

my handsome boy kahfi

he won 6th place! clap! clap! he won a photography session voucher for us, and book hamper! i LOVE that we won books!

well, the best thing about being in this finale of top 20, is that ALL of us get prizes! yes - from the grand prize to consolations - all of us will not leave empty-handed, thanks to the effort of little mama getting sponsors and writing great advertorials!

click on the picture to read more on the results!


congratulations my huggy koala bear kahfi! you're forever cutest on mak's planet! (ok, you too khaleef!)

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on a totally different note, an old school-mate of mine gave birth to twin boys few months ago. they were born small, barely 2kg and had been kept under tight supervision at the hosp until today because of their weak hearts.

i cry everytime i read her facebook status - she always kept her friends abreast with the twins' progress, or lack of - weight gain or loss, eye operation on one of the babies, and so on. below is her latest facebook status update :

mata khabir semakin critical...aku redha apa yg bakal tejadi...semoga anak mama tabah....khayr dah ok n mgkn blh blk..khabir tepaksa tinggal..tp sampai bl? ya allah kuatkan iman & ksabaranku...aminn...

friends, please extend your doa for this mom and her twins, may she continue to have the strength and patience for the coming days...

in the meantime we must take a good long look at our children and thank Allah for his blessings!

Babyface is Coming to Town!

do you love to sing? who doesn't, eh? man, i love to sing.

absolutely LOVE to sing. while i iron mr. khairul's shirts, in the shower, while sauteeing my sambal, changing kahfi's diaper, or while driving. i love to sing. and i consider myself very soulful when it comes to the songs i like. hihi. perasan soulful tu!

think blackstreet, after 7, boyz to men, shai, tevin campbell, bobby brown, tony toni tone, jodeci, new edition, mary j. blidge, montell jordan and SWV - ah, the list goes on and on - you got the 'new jack swing' (a branch of R&B) sound which i really, really dig.

with shoulder works, and finger snapping, hips slightly swaying and head tipping - you can get lost in the soulful solo, the harmonizing vocals, the passion, the soul - that's what real music and honest singing is all about.

ah, they don't make good music like that anymore... usher, neyo, chris brown - these are great singers but it ain't 'new jack swing'!

malaysian singers that can be on par with these guys are probably the awesome innuendo, anuar zain and lah from VE. they have soul, they have love, and they have passion!

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well, the 'father' of the 'new jack swing' sound is BABYFACE - and he's coming to malaysia for a gig in march! geramnya! i really, really wanna go! i absolutely adore babyface! his voice is not as strong as wanya morris, or as merdu as brian mcknight - but his soft, sweet, soothing voice has its appeal. lebih kurang macam ferhad or the indonesian singer glenn.

click on the picture to find out more about his coming show in malaysia!



if you like any of these songs -

• 'when you believe' - whitney houston & mariah carey
• 'last night' - az yet
• 'til you do me right' - after 7
• 'another sad love song' - toni braxton
• 'change the world' - eric clapton
• 'take a bow' - madonna
• 'superwoman' - karyn white
• 'exhale (shoop shoop)' - whitney houston
• 'i'll make love to you', 'song for mama', 'water runs dry' and the super classic 'end of the road' - boyz II men
• 'i'm ready', 'can we talk' and 'always in my heart' - tevin campbell

...then you have been listening to songs penned and music by the great babyface! and there are so many, many more great romantic songs by him!

enjoy this clip - one of my many favorites, from the master of love songs himself - 'i care 'bout you' by babyface, featuring k-ci & jojo, and babyface's brothers, kevon and melvin edmonds. enjoy.

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on an entirely different subject, here's my latest posting on the supercool blogger mom's site - mombloggersplanet. if you think you hate writing but still wanna blog - then click on the pictures on tips and suggestions!

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sigh. i've been watching babyface youtube video clip all day. is he coming to dubai?

New Article, New Blog, New Clothes

i'm not that great of a cook, so when i google recipes, i love the ones with big huge clear pictures of the dishes, with simple ingredients, and tips for it not to turn bad.

i know what i want to see in a blog recipe, so i compiled a list, and before i knew it, a blog post was created. i sent it to mombloggersplanet for my second entry of the month as an MBP contributor.

click on the picture to find out what i want to read in a recipe blog!

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i always believe that it's such a waste living in a whole other country, and not document your adventure there. be it pictorial or textual, you must try and make an effort to capture your day-to-day life overseas, for it is a priceless priviledge that not all can experience!


mr. khairul's sister teh is currently studying dentistry in cairo, and has just started to blog. she claimed to 'hate' writing, but from the looks of it, she has a certain flair and i hope she continues to blog.

she has already put up very interesting pictures of cairo scenes in her facebook, and i suggested for her to just transfer those pictures and write more detailed description of each. she has a good eye on taking one-of-a-kind shots so it's only a matter of expressing those shots into good writing!

you know how young girls like her, on a new place - they'd probably end up taking a lot of shots with their cute little faces against a nice background. but teh took more than that - pictures of the souk scenes of cairo, camels being slaughtered right in the middle of the street, a man selling nan bread on bicycle and many more unique shots that can illustrate the raw life in cairo.

have fun blogging teh, and for my readers, click on picture to visit the 'green monkey'!

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khaleef got a surprise very-belated birthday present yesterday, and kahfi got one too! their aunty tina had a walk to the dubai marina mall which is just walking distance from our place, and got them some new clothes from mothercare (my favorite brand for my kiddos!).


tina got khaleef a pair of blue corduroy pants, and he's really in need of one! the gap jeans that he's been wearing dah singkat! this one that tina bought is slightly gedoboh for khaleef but i like it - boleh pakai lama, and boleh pass-pass kat adik!

kahfi got a chequered sweater that made him look like a harvard graduate! super-cute! thanks to aunty tina for their brand new clothes!


and oh, she also got one mighty-adorable black and white 'cat-suit' for khaleef's and kahfi's baby bro/sis. yeap. what? you didn't know? really? about what?

what?

Got My Photobook!

remember the 'cutest baby in red' contest by the cool lepak mom site, mombloggersplanet in which kahfi won 2nd place? well, if you didn't know or can't remember, click here to refresh your memory!

it's a monthly contest with different theme each month, offering a real awesome prize from photobook, where we can download a software from its official site, upload the memorable pictures we want to include in the book, design our own book-cover and the layout of the pictures, save, send to photobook - and they will do the rest!


my in-laws are here for cuti-cuti dubai, and my abah and umi asked them to pass me a parcel - quite big, boxy, light but very intriguing. ape dalam ni?


i ravaged through the plastic cover and saw a cardboard box the size of a fat photo album, protected with bubble wrap.

and then i saw the logo. photobook. OMG my photobook is here!


my heart skipped a beat. i was so excited. i knew this was the photobook that kahfi had won for us for looking so cute in red!


i opened the box, and saw the book - not as thick as i expected but i was too engrossed looking at our picture on a sleek, glossy cover, along with our names subtly bolded across the front cover. lawa jugak ye aku design cover! haha! simple yet satisfying!

seronoknye tak terhingga. asyik la dok belek-belek tak jemu-jemu hihi

i counted.

i managed to squeeze over 500 pictures of the four of us - from the boypren-gopren dating period (which was not too long, barely a year - so tak banyak gamba!) engagement and wedding photos, khaleef, khaleef and khaleef; and the book ended with our adventures in dubai especially with the birth of kahfi.

it's like the most beautiful photobook there ever was! forgive me, but there's a certain feeling of flying on air when you see your own personal pictures that build memories and happy family moments printed and binded in a book-form, with glossy cover, thick pages and all!

thanks so much to little mama of mombloggersplanet for organizing such contest! i now hope a bigger prize is coming my way for the 'cutest baby on the planet' contest...

*wink wink*