Mother’s Day @ The Counter : Build Your Own Burger!

there’s a new burger place in walking distance at the beach JBR (jumeirah beach residences), and what better day to try it out than on mother’s day? thanks so much honey cookiedough for the delicious treat. if you feel i deserve it, it’s just because i have your help in my journey through motherhood. love always!

the counter is closer to the cinema, the same row as menchie’s and eggspectation.

 

my love and life. 3 superkids to call me Mak, and a sexy sidekick by my side through it all. mwah!

 

 

i was given a straightforward form to fill in – no frills, just a long list and little boxes to tick in. what kind of toppings i would like? what kind of bun i would want my burger on? preferred sauce? and most baffling of all – which cheese? cheese i’ve never even heard of like sharp provolone, smoked gouda, or tillamook cheddar whaaaaat?! to the usual ones like mozzarella, swiss cheese or blue cheese. just pick one CHEESE!

 

tekun mengisi borang macam nak apply keja. huhu. and we were dining outside with the view of a small part of JBR.

 

 

kids get a placemat with activities. always a saviour.

 

the form that i need to fill was even presented on a clip board! btw, burger on an english muffin? and 24 different sauces? wow! and peanut sauce?

 

 

cute little pencils available at the table to fill in the form

 

* * *

 

 

and after contemplating so long, THIS was the result! my juicy 1/3 beef burger with tillamook cheddar, organic mixed greens, segedabak avocado, and basil pesto sauce on the side. i must say that while the concept of building your own burger is very attractive, and all the ingredients are fairly fresh – i was not too wow-ed by the taste of the burger patty. it was just plain. tasty, yeah sure but no wow factor. for me, it tasted like any frozen beef burger i can buy from geant. pity.

 

  

apart from the built-your-own-burger bit, they also have burgers in their menu that has already been assembled! mr khairul opted for a simple one – beef burger on brioche style bun, with crispy onion strings, lettuce blend, sautéed mushroom, provolene cheese, ripened red tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes vinaigrette. he too found the taste of his burger ‘regular’. it’s simply – OK.

 

* * *

 

at the end of our experience at the counter JBR, we feel that it’s all anti-climax. well, yes the staff were courteous and helpful. yes the concept is so inviting when you know you can build your own burger; picking only the stuff that YOU like. and oh yes the burger looks juicy with fresh ingredients – but after a bite, it’s JUST ok. it’s a good burger, but there are others much better! in terms of tasty burger patty, burger fuel is still my number one pick. to me burger fuel has the best tasting burger patty! click here to read about my first taste of burger fuel!

but for a burger-freak, a regular burger is still a yummy experience for my tummy, so thanks again honey cookiedough for this mother’s day dine out. i literally couldn’t have done it (and the kids) without you! nyeh nyeh.

My Sons, in 3 Words : Mak’s Point of View

in conjuction with mother’s day in malaysia on 16th may, I take this chance to describe my THREE sons in THREE words or phrases, from my observation as their mother. I love that they all have strong personality and vibrant character, just like their bapak.

the year is 2013. khaleef is 7+, kahfi is 4+ and kazim is 3. I hope one day you boys (or your potential girlfriends! haha) will read this and it will put a smile on your face as you think about YOUR own kids and how similar, or different they are from you!

in the meantime, happy mother’s day to the rest of you beautiful people!

 

* * *

 

 

3 words to describe my boys :

khaleef

sensitive – he puts up this cool front – football and taekwando and all, but he’s a real softie at heart. he cries when his other brothers get scolded by mak or bapak. he cries when po gets kicked by the bad guys in ‘kungfu panda’. he cries when he found out that his bestfriend zain is moving to another school. he’s just a sensitive kid, man.

it’s ok to cry, son. being a man does not mean holding back emotions just to appear strong and macho. remember that your tears is not a sign of weakness – it’s a sign that you are alive. embrace your sensitivity!

responsible – (with pre-instructions and reminders), he can totally take care of his brothers independently. he can prepare breakfast for them in the morning – toasted bread with nutella or cereal with fresh milk. he can bathe them. he can clothe them. he has fun with them. he tells them about dinosaurs, and show them dubai on the map. he’s the true big brother anyone would be glad to have.

I am totally proud of this trait that you have. you’re becoming the young man that I can absolutely depend on. keep it up!

leader – the dynamics in the car is different and more mild whenever khaleef is not around. this is because he’s the sunshine that gives out rays of fun! he creates games for them to play, and they follow his lead during any playtime. sometimes it gets out of hand (someone ends up crying or bump of the head), and he turns out to be the culprit – but at the end of the day, it wouldn’t be a fun creative game play if it wasn’t for his ideas.

it’s clear that you have leadership quality, khaleef. use it well.

 

kahfi

realist – he keeps it real and I love this most about him. whenever I’m angry at him, or just finished scolding him, he doesn’t sulk too long, he doesn’t waste time crying all day (unlike big bro khaleef who would sulk in his room or hide under the bed for hours after being scolded) – he can walk right up to me demanding WHY I was angry, WHY was I being so hard on him, REASONS with me, DEBATES with me, and THEN he apologizes. if he accepts my explanation. if not, he would ask me to say sorry instead (in cases where he’s wrongly accused!)

I see a lawyer in the making.

mommy’s boy – he’s the most manja. being the middle child, he either lose the attention to the smarter big brother, or to the adorable little brother. so he totally seeks attention with his 1001 questions and endless stories. he snuggles up to mak all the time and ALWAYS say ‘I love you, mak’ every day without fail. I have to remind myself to reply, ‘I love you too,’ no matter how annoying he’s been – because I know I will regret the day he stops saying those three little words, just because I didn’t say it back.

oh, whenever he’s in trouble or just been scolded, he always manage to snuggle up to me and say, “mak, can you sayang me?” owh, who could resist THAT? you’re gonna be one heckuva player – but be a responsible player, ok!

good PR – this is warm and welcoming, but at the same time dangerous as well – he enjoys chatting up to strangers. from mothers with babies at the checkout counter, to the labourers we pass by while in the car. he asks questions or at least say hi. just look at his smile. nuff said.

this is a commendable trait, my son – to be able to smile at everyone no matter who they are, and where they’re from – well-dressed ladies to uncles with scruffy hair and worn-out shoes – but alas, we live in a world where kids are taught ‘stranger danger’. don’t speak to strangers. be wary of strangers. continue your warmth and friendliness, but tread carefully!

ok now I see a politician!

 

kazim

fearless – he’s one manly boy. he punches, he pushes, he gets it done with little crying, unlike older bro kahfi who cries easily! he’s demanding too – what he wants, he wants and he wants it now – and he gets in there to get it! while bapak’s rotan will scare his older brothers, it will do little to scare him. pinch him? smack his bum bum? he will get back on his feet and go up his business as usual. this is one tough cookie!

I hope in time, you will learn to control that fierceness in you and channel it well!

independent – he is 3 years old, and he can carry the big ribena bottle, his bottle, and the heavy plastic jug full of water all the way from the kitchen to my room, just so I could make the ribena drink for him without troubling me. while kahfi will ask me for water, kazim would just go through the diaper bag to look for water bottle when he’s thirsty, and then open it himself to have a drink. tak payah menyusahkan mak!

I can that see that you’re the one I don’t have to worry about when you go off to boarding school!

creative – while his older brothers prefer to follow the instructions while playing lego, kazim could just take pieces of lego and turn it into a weird masterpiece of his creation. full concentration, he would pick out the tiny lego pieces with his tiny fingers and fix them up into a spaceship. or a barge. or a train. he would take the ‘dinosaurs’ and line them up in the circle around ‘batman’. other kids his age start off drawing circles – kazim draws abstract lines.

creativity. is the first step to problem-solving. never lose it!

 

* * *

 

khaleef, kahfi, kazim

 

..no matter what THREE words mak use to describe all of you, you boys have ONE thing in common – that I LOVE YOU no matter what. remember that! mwah!

what are the THREE words that YOU can use to describe YOUR children?

10 Reasons Why I Love Being a Mum

1. i can always blame my extra pound (especially my muffin top in the tummy area) on motherhood instead of those choc cakes i have been indulging in!

that’s what i said when mr. khairul playfully made fun of my ‘extra pound’ – “hellowww, anak tiga ok? what’s your excuse?” hihi.

2. if i had my boy with me when we’re spotted playing with toys in a toy shop, i get the ‘aww, so sweet’ looks from onlookers.

because if i were to do that alone, i get the 'that’s creepy’ or ‘that’s just sad’ looks. haha. coz sometimes you just wanna press all that colorful musical buttons on a yellow bus with barney the purple dinosaur on board…

3. who needs a gym membership when you can get a wonderful workout running after a laughing bundle of endless energy? 

carrying them will build your arm muscles, and bending over picking up their toys is practically sit-ups already! toned tummy in no time! want a good jog and a nice run? let your kids loose in a shopping mall, i guarantee a few pounds lost…

4. when we travel, i get treated like a VIP. we’re allowed to jump queues and are given better seats.

so far when we travel, we’ve never been given better seats than what we’ve gotten (which was always good enough), BUT of course older passengers and passengers travelling WITH KIDS always get in first on the plane!

and yes, in dubai airport, the arab officers in kandoora are always kind and considerate to move us to a shorter line so that we don’t have to stay in line for too long. but sadly, this was not the case in indonesia. nangis la macam mana pun, pegawai kat situ buat tak tau je…

5. with my kids’ smiling face and curious stare, i don’t need to think of any ice-breakers when i want to make friends or start conversations with strangers.

this is very true for me. khaleef’s antics in school. the cheeky stuff kahfi does at home. kazim’s eating habits. ANYTHING goes. anything can be an interesting topic. kahfi was jumping while we’re in an elevator, and even THAT can be an opening for a topic!

but i remember never to over-do the owh-my-son-did-this-cute-thing story. sometimes people get bored! haha. sikit-sikit dah le, mummy! move on to another topic, shall we?

6. i don’t need any excuses for turning up late at a party. i just have to seem hurried and look at my kid with total exasperation.

haha. so true again! i think that’s one of our quotes in the car when we’re late for something. “kita ade anak kecik, mesti diorang paham kenapa lambat.” haha. i know having kids is no excuse to always be late, but i’m just saying that KIDDOS can save us WHEN we’re late! haha.

having said that, “sorry ye, anak mengamuk ni.” kiddos can also save you if you wanted to leave early…

7. “it’s all for him.” i can stock up my pantry with lots of goodies without feeling guilty.

big box of oreos. one tub of ben & jerry’s. really long bar of chocolate. yah, for the boys. *roll eyes*

8. there’s always a good excuse to have kapal-karam house when guests drop by for a visit. they always forgive you. well, pardon the mess ya. it’s the kids, you see… *wink wink*

9. my boys provide enough entertainment for years to come. kahfi’s silly faces and those adorable sepet eyes, the darnest things khaleef says or kazim trying on bapak’s huge sunglasses – anything can provide laughter for the whole family. no need maharaja lawak mega or mr. bean!

owh, and no need for sinetron too – i’ve got three drama kings as it is…

10. i don’t need cuddly stuffed animals, or a teddy bear. snuggling up with my boys are warm and comforting enough. *hugs!*

* * *

the ones in bold and italics are the actual points from the column ‘take 10’ in the dubai magazine ‘friday’, written by ‘sheryl sidharth das’. the rest is my take on the list. thank you for your wonderfully amusing list!

mums rock!

Super Mama, Captain Mak & Ultra Bio Mama

happy mother’s day to all you lovely ladies! to all moms, moms-to-be, and the moms in you. a special momsies day shout out goes to my comot sisters; yong and syimot. may we resemble mak in any small way.

her passion for learning. her indulgence in knowledge. her cookings of the yummy ayam masak merah, rendang or pengat durian. her humility. her simplicity. her ability to listen to us speak about boys and NOT freak out haha. her coolness. her youthfulness. her beauty. her grace. her patience. her strength.

we miss you so much, mak.

 

supermama puan syazrin syimee with her 4 kiddos : haiqal, haqeem, husna & adam harris

 

captain mak puan syazrin syigim with her 3 kiddos : khaleef, kahfi & kazim 

 

ultra bio mama puan syazrin syima with her 2 kiddos : suffiya & marissa

 

* * *

 

here are some of the cute little mother’s day wishes i found in my facebook feed. there are so many more, but these are the ones i like. hihi.

 

Happy mother's day semua! Hadiah hari ibu, tertusuk kaca di tapak kaki, hadiah yg Allah kurniakan untuk sentiasa beringat dan sakit itu adalah rahmat Allah Taala.

this is taken from my schoolmate’s fb yus. a dedicated teacher, her facebook status is always laced with remembrance of Allah and our religious and moral duties. reading this status reminds me of MY own sacrifice haha – stepping on lego blocks yang merata-rata and also how painful it is to step on one of those small green soldiers! betul, sakit gile!

 

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together -Pearl S. Buck-

i kiss and pinch together. hahahaha.

 

To all mothers: It's NORMAL when u're in yr 20s, u'll look very 'MENGANCAM'.. When u're in yr 30s, u begin 2 behave 'BER MACAM2 ..When u turn 40s-50s, u'll feel 'TERANCAM' & sadly, when u reach above 60s, orang langsung tak boleh 'CAM'!! Anyway, Happy Mother's Day!! Hope we'll all maintain MENGANCAM..! Selamat Hari Ibu! ♥

lawak kan! i am forever a very mengancam mak, ok!

 

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world" Happy Mother's Day...

so true. and i’m so lucky to have 3 little men calling me ‘mak’ each day. alhamdulillah. (though when they repeatedly call “mak! mak! mak! mak! mak! mak! look here mak! mak! mak! mak!” i just go bonkers!)

 

Hari Ibu : Ternampak tadi ibu kucing menyusu anak2nya, binatang pun tahu tanggung jawabnya, selamat hari ibu kepada ibu kucing tersebut, Allahuakbar ! :)

this is a really cute one from my wise uncle rosli, who likes to put these little anecdotes as his facebook status. jadi, sudahkah anda ucapkan selamat hari ibu pada kucing kat rumah tu? hihi.

 

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

My Mother’s Day Gift : Al-Fatihah

does your gift this year say it all?

‘i love you’? ‘you’re so special so you deserve a very expensive present’ or ‘because this is your favorite’, or maybe ‘i know you’ve always wanted one of these’ or ‘i’m broke but i hope you like it’. maybe even, ‘i wanna get you something that i could enjoy too, so i’m taking you to see justin bieber’.

mine usually say something like, ‘this is from your 2nd born who is a bit weird so that explains the gift’. haha.

most mothers will get the usual gifts – flowers, cards and a reserved seat at her favorite restaurant. practical children might get their moms a vacuum cleaner, a china set or a flower pot. those fortunate enough to have extra money to spare may splurge on designer handbags, a weekend spa or even jewelleries.

i haven’t been buying mother’s day gifts since new year’s eve 2004, when my mak passed away. and oh, how i miss going to the mall looking for something quirky for her. my sisters all felt the same way when they passed a mother’s day gifts promo at the mall, or received an e-mail notification about a free flower delivery for mother’s day.

we all thought of mak.

when it comes to me – yes, never a girly bouquet for my mak. or a flashy bracelet. mak was too gorgeous to get a facial hihi, nor did she ever need another electrical item. she’s a very simple person, so buying gifts for her was never a difficult thing.

when she passed away, i was just starting on my first ever job, so i don’t have that much money to buy expensive gifts. every mother’s day before that, mak will get a fairly affordable gift from me, and it was always something quirky, and unpredictable. oh, maybe a cake too thrown into the mix. hihi.

one time, it was a chicken-shaped metal-net container to put eggs in. i think the most NORMAL, practical gift i had ever gotten her was a silk flowery tudung. hihi.

so on this mother’s day, i give my mak al-Fatihah and it’s keberkatan. dengan izin Allah, harap-harap sampai lah doa anak-anak mak. kawan-kawan tolong sedekahkan sekali ye. buat mak aku, noriza binti mohd. anuar yang menemui ilahi pada malam tahun baru 2004.

to the rest, please let your mother know how much she is still needed in your world. because only Allah knows – after years of sharing my life with mr khairul, living in dubai and 3 boys later – i still need my mak very very much, if only just to talk to her, and tell her about my day.

Untuk Mak Sedunia

i am a mother.

(boy, that sounds so wonderful!)

i am a mother of three boys. 3. THREE. tiga. 3 BOYS. which sounds totally insane 15 years before - but seemed so fulfilling at this moment in my life.

happy mothers day to me!

* * *

much has been said about my mak in this blog, so no more sad tales here. instead, i will just honor her in this small mention in my humble blog, totally insignificant as compared to what she had done for me and my sisters.

a mak who was very strict when it comes to making sure we've done our homeworks. a mak who was so cool i could tell her about the crush i had for this cute boy in poetry101 class. a mak so smart she could quote shakespeare. a mak who can make the best ayam masak merah. a mak whose eyes squinted when she laughed at my jokes. a mak who was the best listener - ever.

al-Fatihah.

a mak who is my mak. happy mother's day.

* * *

my eldest sis yong, and my younger sis syimot

yong wrote this as her facebook status today :

"Wishing my sisters Syigim Sharifuddin (mother of 3) and Syima Sharifuddin (mother of 2) 'Happy Mother's Day'. Walaupun mak tak sempat melihat the 2 of u as mothers, u have turn out to be great moms. Al-fatihah to arwah mak."

~ From Syimee Sharifuddin (future mother of 4!)

my sisters. dulu kakak dan adik comot. sekarang mama kepada budak-budak comot. happy mother's day.

* * *

god works in mysterious ways. He took one, but He gave 3 and more in return!

these are the women i go to when i wanna know how to steam fish. i went to them to introduce mr. khairul for the very first time. i call them up to tell them i'm at the hospital doing check-ups. i share news with them. share stories. share updates. most importantly, these are the women i go to when i'm hungry!

these are my 'moms' too.

my mak's sisters - aunty na, mak keh and cik. happy mother's day.

auntyna, mak keh and cik

* * *

abah, my younger sisters syidot and azot, with umi

to umi, thank you for being there taking care of abah. happy mother's day.

* * *

this is the mother who gave birth to her first born, who would soon grow up to be a smooth-talker. he eventually won the heart of this ipoh girl, and rode off into the sunset to a castle built on a rainbow.

thank you to mr. khairul's mom for bringing him up well to notice me as mother to his children. happy mother's day.

* * *

got this from fida's facebook wall :

i am a parent, cook, housekeeper, teacher, nurse, handy man, maid, security, coordinator, supervisor, nutritionist, caretaker, personal assistant, life coach, bookkeeper, laundry maid, taxi driver and a motivational speaker. i don't get holiday pay, sick pay, or days off. i am on call 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. now, ......tell me YOUR job is harder than mine. post this if you're a MOM...(～o❤‿❤～o)

says it all, huh?

* * *

happy mother's day to all my buddies who are mothers, moms-to-be and moms-at-heart. we are the queens of the world!

Cheers to All Supermoms!

never in my life had i thought that this day would come when i have to blog about being a mother of TWO kids. man, TWO BOYS!

motherhood happened so fast for me. we met, fell in love instantly, i flew to melbourne the next day, came back after a year, got engaged, then married almost immediately - giving us no time to "you nak anak berape?" >senyap< "you dulu." "you la cakap dulu." "you lah." "you la dulu.."

we got married. fast-forward 4 years later - bam! - 2 boys in tow!


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, to all golden mothers, new mommies, moms-to-be, and mothers at heart. thanks to blogger-mom nekPP and fida for the mother's day cards

these are some amusing mother's day stuff i found all over the net:

* * *

4 Years Of Age - My Mommy can do anything;
8 Years Of Age - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot
12 Years Of Age -My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 Years Of Age -Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either
16 Years Of Age -Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned
18 Years Of Age -That old woman? She's way out of date
25 Years Of Age -Well, she might know a little bit about it
35 Years Of Age -Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion
45 Years Of Age -Wonder what Mom would have thought about it
65 Years Of Age -Wish, I could talk it over with Mom

mak passed away 5 years ago. from then on, yong has been my shoulder to cry on, my pillar of strength and she's able to cook rendang mak, which is a very big deal since it's our hari raya must!

with my aunts, auntyna and cik

i must also thank my mom's sisters, auntyna and cik, also mak keh for being there when i need advice on motherhood and cooking. one phone call and my sisters and i can order our favorite dish from these wonderful aunts. happy mother's day!

* * *

A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: "My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?" When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the students answered the question with the word - M o t h e r!

i'm glad to say that khaleef learns to pick, stash, put-things-back and arrange at a very young age, almost as soon as he could walk. i remember it began with his shoes. and graduated on with his many many little mcd toys.

at 3+ now, he is obligated to put his plate/bowl/cup back into the sink after every single meal, put his dvd cartoon back in the (correct) casing after watching, and of course, his toys - goes without saying! be it the beach toys in the bath tub, his football or his green beret.

when he can reach the sink, i'll be sure to teach him to wash his own plate! it's only a matter of time for him to have to wash the whole pile in the kitchen sink!

* * *

5 or 50, moms are moms...

One early morning, a lady went in to wake up her son. "Wake up, son. It's time to go to school!"
Son: "But why Mom? I don't want to go."
Mom: "Give me two reasons why you don't want to go."
Son: "Well, the kids hate me for one, and the teachers hate me, too!"
Mom: "Oh, that's no reason to not to go to school. Come on now and get ready."
Son: "Give me two reasons why I should go to school."
Mom: "Well, for one, you're 52 years old. And for another, you're the Principal!"

mommy's boy

mr. khairul has certainly done his mother proud. the eldest of six, he certainly has a lot to live up to, having his brothers and sisters looking up to him for examples and wisdom. sigh. and yet, and yet... he's forever his mom's manja along!

* * *

and behind every successful mothers, there's a hyperventilating father. ha ha. i love you honey, and you're a fantabulous bapak but this is just too cute!

answers given by elementary school age children:
"what's the difference between moms and dads?"

• moms work at work and work at home, but dads just go to work at work
• moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them
• dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power because that's who you got to ask if you want ice-cream
• moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine

fathers are equally important as we share the same roles, executed in different ways and delegated to different zones and time. i am lucky to have a husband who doesn't mind getting down and dirty with the diapers, mid-sleep milk time and kiss all the boo-boo-s away.

thanks honey, for mothering the boys when i need some time-out!

* * *

save the best for last.
remembering mak.
al-Fatihah.

*Ke Makam Bonda

Kami mengunjungi pusara bonda
Sunyi pagi disinari suria
Wangi berseri puspa kemboja
Menyambut kami mewakili bonda

Dalam kenangan kami melihat
Mesra kasih bonda menatap
Sedang lena dalam rahap
Dua tangan kaku berdakap

Bibir bonda bersih lesu
Pernah dulu mengucupi dahiku
Kini kurasakan kasihnya lagi
Meski jauh dibatasi bumi

Begitu bakti kami berikan
Tiada sama bonda melahirkan
Kasih bonda tiada sempadan
Kemuncak murni kemuliaan insan

~Usman Awang

* shortened. i admit it's because the actual length tu sedih sangat. whereever you are, call your mom! if you're at home, go and give her a great big hug. i'm calling abah in a sec...

in the meantime, i'm waiting for mr. khairul to come home for us to go have my mother's day special makan. yum!