Farewell Makan-makan

Another friends leaving us. This time around Kak Shikeen and Kak Sally. Kak Shikeen had been here for 3 years while Kak Sally 4 and a half years. Since they are close to me I invited them to our house for a small makan-makan. I made my favourite mee rebus and bread butter pudding for the dessert.

We had a nice long chat for the last time catching up their plans once they return to Malaysia. Kak Shikeen will be going back to Terengganu while Kak Sally will be staying in Rawang. Gonna miss them both and hope to meet again one day.

Sayonara!

Abg. Roslan, Kak Shikeen, Nuha, Kak Sally and Azman

Curfew in Khartoum

I had not much to really write on the curfew that we've been through. Since me and hubby experienced the same incident I just put up his writing on this blog. Malas nak karang la...

Friday, 9th May
We heard of it at first as a possible threat, and we were advised to stay indoors - which we did - I was supposed to bring Ehsan swimming that evening.

Saturday, 10th May - evening
When nothing happened, we assumed that it was just rumors flying about. Until the next day that is, when Ckn received a call around 6pm, from a friend who is working in Omdurman (the person was specifically in a place called Souq Libya - a market next to where we have our kharouf breakfasts). She told us that she could hear gunshots and a huge commotion from the streets. The fighting had begun.

The first thing going thru my mind was the safety of my family; I knew it was safer to stay put, and not appear on the streets. Ckn took it on herself to start communicating by any means necessary with all our friends in the city (ym? facebook? u name it, she had it! both my cousin Azlie and brother Fyan helped manned the Malaysia end!) while I tried to contact our security manager. The phone lines were undependable due to the congestion. I received a call from Mama from Malaysia the moment the news broke on CNN. Although we have never been thru this kind of experience before, I think we all kept our heads as everyone in our block was kept informed of what was happening in Omdurman.

I kept going to the rooftop to check the conditions on the roads (which looked pretty normal to me - people were milling about, but traffic was light. A curfew was being imposed). But I felt something in my gut (and gasped!) when I looked to the west; we can make out the smoke trails in the distance, and see flashes from the fighting - and once in a while, we can hear loud noises, booms and even felt vibrations in our apartment.

Saturday, 10th May - night
Major fighting ended at dusk. In all, heavy fighting lasted for about 3 hours that Saturday, although reports said it started much earlier than that. Khartoum was eerily quiet that night. Most buildings were lit, including the Fateh tower which can be act as a beacon for anyone looking for the Presidential Palace (which was the prime objective of the rebels). The main road in front of our block was blacked out, but a strategic bridge leading to Khartoum North was lit.

Ckn wouldn't leave her makeshift communications center (read:laptop in the bedroom!), so I made us a simple instant noodle dinner, which she readily devoured despite earlier protests. The kids were their usual selves, but even they noticed our anxiety and kept out of our way (most of the time!). I wasn't concerned about food or drinking water lasting a few days, as we just went shopping on Friday, but I did fill the kids wading pool and charged all 3 emergency lamps, just in case (Others weren't so lucky. My big boss was due to leave on the ill-fated day, but had to turn back as the airport was closed - and as he was not expecting to stay in Khartoum, he didn't keep extra cash or had fresh food for 2 days...)

Throughout the day, Sudan TV was only broadcasting folk songs and documentaries, until around 9pm when the first news report on the 'failed' attack was broadcast. We couldn't understand the news, but the pictures spoke for themselves - burning 4WDs on the roads, captured vehicles and heavy weapons being driven around by security personnel and militias, prisoners, and of course, bloodied corpses. I stayed up late to watch all the news channels to get any scrap of information possible.

Sunday, 11th May
Although the rebels didn't cross the bridge from Omdurman into Khartoum, they did however, managed to disappear in the vast suburbs of Omdurman. So the curfew was extended a few times, and we all just 'worked from home' that Sunday (hehe if you can call it that). The situation was calm, but we _think_ we heard some shooting in the distance.

Monday, 12th May - midday
On Monday we were told that the situation was under control and that we were allowed back to the office. Traffic was nearly normal, although Omdurman was still closed off. There was a sense of normalcy at the office, and everyone was excited to share their experience of the attack.

As for me it was a memorable experienced that will never be forgotten though it was a tragic one. Hope that the battle will end soon.

Mother's Day

A tribute to all mothers or soon to be a mother in the world. These nice quotes I got from a friend of mine. Try to understand the meaning of it and you will definitely agree with it. And hope that we could be one of the greatest mom.

"A mother is someone who guides and inspires. She helps us to attain our dreams and desires. Wisdom and insight are part of her way, and her faith on her children brighten their days."

"All mothers are rich when they love their children. There are no poor mothers, no ugly ones, no old ones. Their love is always the most beautiful of joys."
Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949)

She broke the bread into two fragments and give them to the children, who ate with avidity.
"She hath kept none for herself," grumbled the sergeant.
"Because she is not hungry," said the soldier.
"Because she is a mother, " said the sergeant.
Victor Hugo (1802-1885).

"The role of a mother is probably is the most important career a woman can have."
Janet Mary Riley (1915 - ), U.S Lawyer and Writer

"The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world."
William Ross Wallace (1819 - 1881), U.S Poet and Songwriter

p/s : To my mother - Mummy and my mum-in-law Mama thank you for all the loves and cares throughout these years. I love you both.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Tagged again!!!

These are the rules :

1. Post YOUR photo wearing red, may it be red top, bottom, the least would be red accessories if u hate wearing red. If u can’t find one, u still have an option.Either post your significant other’s photo or your child’s photo, if u have one. Of course, they should be wearing red.

2. Let us know the reason why u were wearing that particular day.Was it your birthday? Is red your fave color or was it the shirt that u first saw in your closet that day?

I have no problem finding the photos wearing red. If you look at the pictures attached I could put it up in the entry for each one of us wearing red. But there is a slight problem when it comes finding me in red. I have lots of pictures wearing red but not suitable to be posted. Reason being ada satu pakai pyjamas kang malu jek nak tunjuk kat orang rupa baru bangun tidur. Yang lain either gambar blur or gelap. Hampeh... So the only picture I have pun is with Ehsan. Kira ok la tu...

This is hubby's favourite shirt a.k.a his pyjamas


This is when we went to Kandahar to celebrate my birthday

Ehsan the spidey - his favourite outfit

Erica on a day out to Ozone.

Now the best part is to throw a list of name to do this tag. Good luck y'all.

Ita, Nadia, Ema, Meen, Salina, Lyn, Kak Anum, Farah, Najiba & Aisha....

Happy Birthday to Nana & Adik

A lot of things happened today. Penuh pulak schedule harini....

1. Had my 1st food order for Centroid. I cooked Mee Kari. I found it easy as I don't have to pack it because they want it a buffet concept. Start cooking at 10.00 a.m and deliver to them at 12.00 p.m before they went for Friday prayer.

2. Got lunch invitation soon after came back from delivering the food. Invitation from our single status neighbor - Andrew & Asrul. Nice Nasi Lemak for lunch.

3. Went to our normal weekend outing - Karaoke. This time around we went to Raja Khidhir's place as he invited us before he went back for good to Malaysia next week. Usually we go to Scomi's residence.

4. And today also is my nephew and niece birthday. They shared the same birth date. I called to wish them and found out they are having a small party cum my family gathering in Bukit Antarabangsa. Sedih gila tak dapat join.

"To Nana & Adik Happy 15th & 11th birthday. Study hard for your PMR and Adik for your UPSR next year."

Tagged by Lyn

This is another of those Linky Love game where you only have to tag 10 person in one post but still there is no actual limit (you can tag more if you want!). Once tagged, you have to copy paste the link in this post, and make them grow!

Do not delete any of the links and be honest to yourself!

************************************************************

BennyLiew, RamblingMoo, Mum & Kids In Wonderland, Judelittle, Our mini blog sphere, Rooms in My Heart, J@n!ce Ng, ChinNee, Jo-N, LadyJava's Lounge, Apples Of The Eyes, aNgRiAniWoRLd, persismutiara, my little family, LG a.k.a Lemongrass, McTa ,manje , nitta, yatt, mat gebu

next

The lucky 7 person I am going to tag is

S_Shamen, Siti Azma, Sweet Bobo, Mak Lang, Kak Pah Sherry, Lizah Zakaria, Dayang....
(Dan, untuk senarai nama di atas, sudilah kiranya menerima gambar "Touch Of Nature" dari mat gebu untuk blog/fotopages anda..)

10 person i'm going to tag is

shima, jasmeen, yullina,soulha,elianas,rani, sabrina,zuhri, kak rinchan,umi-kal...dan sudilah kiranya menerima TOUCH OF NATURE dariku untuk mu wahai sabahat sekelian untuk ditepek di FP/blog memasing supaya dinding umah cantik berseri.

Mereka yang ku rasa sudi menerima (sudi tak sudi, kena terima jugak! Wakakaka) bunga kantan kembang mekar ini ialah.....

1. Erna 2. Kak Noor 3. Muna 4. Cak 5. Aimi 6. Kuchai 7. Mama Ca 8. Mummy Jam 9. Zakiah 10. Anna

Terimalah bungan kembang setaman ini daripada mommy: (tengah garu kepala nak tag 10 orang!!!! huhuhu)

1. Madoct
2.Farah@Mama225
3. Shah,Sya,Syahmi,Syafikah adeii! makin panjang link ekau! jgn mare..siapkan takoyaki utk den..balik sok den singgah makan
4. Yaya just to remind me that i need to bake your cookies
5. Hana Mek buyong..alahai..kalau larat dan lepas segala sickness tu le yerr..
6. Nor@MommyHafiy ya ampun! kalau tak buat pun dimaafkan..mak buyong dah hampir nak meletops ni
7. Lyn@Sudan Ya Allah! Ya Ampun! baru ku teringat! nanti ya Lyn! mak wayar byk putus ni asik lupeeeee... akan ku settlekan asap!
8. Diba khas utk mu..cewah! asik takdak jodoh yo ekau nak oda brownies den..huhuhu..satu hari nnt insyaallah ya
9. Kak Gee
10. Valli congrats and good luck with 2 kiddos!

So now is my turn...jadi sudilah jugak menerima bunga yang cantik ini untuk hiasan fp anda...

1. suraya - yey! suraya is mama-2-b for her second child...dah la dgn cutey alea tu...geram tgk idung alea yg cute!.
2. nadd - another mama-2-b as well and also for her second child..bile lah momy khairyn nak menambah ni....
3. ckN - sorry dear....sudilah sekiranya terima bunga ni k...
4. mas - terima lah mas....hikhikhik
5. tesya/izwan - newly parent...a proud parent of mia...baby yg comel...
6. delia - 3rd baby to be delivered soon....bestnyeee....
7. ummi irdina - my fp fren...sudi lah terima k...
8. syah@bangkok - sorry syah...jgn marah haaaa....
9. suz - sudilah amik bunge dari aku ni suz...
10. nana - nana....update laaa fp ni...buh gmbr ainna byk2 k...

Since I received the tag from Lyn, then terpaksa la jugak ku panjangkan bunga kantan ini....

1. Ita - Ada alasan skang untuk ko update...
2. Salina - sudilah terima bunga I walaupun anak2 u semua teruna
3. Abg Azlie - walaupun dah break from blogging tapi boleh post kat Al-Jaleel
4. Ema - this picture may not as beautiful as your fella ambik
5. Nadia - Hadiah bunga untuk Nisa
6. Gjie - Kasi update itu blog...
7. Fakhzan - put up something different for your blog
8. Hubbyku - I know you wont do this tagging
9. Nonie - Cik Non ni untuk birthday ko...
10. Jo - I know u rajin update blog...

To those who receive my tagging don't forget to do it..... hehehehehe