Our stories.......

Mari belajar bahasa Indonesia

2010-04-23T23:19:00.008+08:00

Macet - Heavy traffic , jam
Urboun - Deposit
Pangsa Pasar - Market Share
Omnibus Line - Facility Line
Platfo - Limit
Saldo - Outstanding
Ditto - Same
Labarugi - Untung Rugi
Nasabah - Payer
Pencairan - Disbursement
Penarikan - Draw Down
Prelisasi - Pre-disburse
Bagaransi - Bank Guarantee
Telat - Late
Valuta - Value
Valas - Currency
Arus Kas - Cash Flow
Pengikatan Agunan - Collateral Charge
Gradasi/Tereng - Gradually
Penyusutan - Depreciation
Hapus Tagih - Waiver
Multijasa - Multipurpose
Aktiva - Asset
Pasive - Liability
Pendapatan Aktiva - Income

My working days in Jakarta

2010-04-21T22:24:00.022+08:00

My Days in Jakarta started as early as 6.00 am. Maklum la kat Malaysia dah kira lewat sebab it is 1 hour ahead! Since it's early, I can take my time ironing my work clothes, take a shower and get ready. By 8.00am am, I was already on level 3 having breakfast together with the others. After 30 minutes we went down to catch a cab to the office. It was just a 20 minutes journey through the jalan 'tikus', as the locals call it; if not it would take us 45 minutes using the normal road!

Our discussion started at 930 am and usually finished by 6.00 pm. I had difficulty on the 1st day as many terms that they used were in Bahasa Indonesia instead of in English. Alhamdulillah, things improved from the 2nd day as I can understand the discussion much better. It's a challenge doing unfamiliar things, especially as I had no proper training or background on Islamic Banking. But I take it as a challenge and it is a good exposure for myself.

After discussion we will catch a taxi back to the hotel and arrive around 7pm. My stay in Jakarta was full of after-work activities as my brother and sister-in-law were so nice to fetch us from the hotel and brought us out for dinner and shopping. I manage to grab 2 comforters, a few pairs of pyjamas and shoes for myself. This is what I am actually thankful for as I have an understanding brother who is willing to accompany the sister so that I won't feel so sad thinking of Ehsan & Erica back home....

Everyday that I went to work I would always pray that the work went smoothly and can finish on time so that when the kids & Mr. Hubby came over the weekend, I could spend it fully with them. Mama's waiting for you, miss & love you both so much.

Our team - still discussing @ 6.45 pm

My 1st journey without them.....

2010-04-19T16:04:00.007+08:00

There is always the first time for something in everyone's life. As for me my first time leaving the kids was the experience that I will never forget. I had to prepare myself mentally and physically the moment my boss instructed me to go to Jakarta for a walk through for Bank Maybank Indonesia. A few days before leaving I already told the kids that I will be away and 'sleep in the office' so I wont be around to cuddle and put them to bed. The moment Erica heard this she cried so hard as if I wont becoming back home!

Yesterday hubby send me to the airport, but I already asked that none of my family or my kids will be sending me as I don't want to see them crying or they see me crying. My dad had to bring the kids for a ride as he didn't want the kids to keep on crying. I tried very hard not to cry in front of them , but at the half way point to the airport, I failed and cried so hard... Hubby did not say much as he understand am a sensitive person when it comes to our children, and he was nice to wait for me until I passed through immigration. I guess he wanted to make sure that I will be okay.

A one and a half hours journey seems fast when there is a friend along. Thankfully, I went there with my mentor, Kak Ika. If I was asked to travel alone I would be miserable all the way! We arrived in Soekarno Hatta Airport at 5.00 pm local time (6.00 pm Malaysia time). Done with immigration an hour later, we got a cab to our hotel in Kuningan area. It was frustrating when the hotel informed us that the office didn't make any reservations, but luckily they had some spare rooms for the 3 of us. It was a nice hotel but I was a little afraid, as it is situated near to the bombing incident back in 2009. Who knows? it may be the next target! Alhamdulillah nothing bad happened and I was impressed with the security at the hotels. All incoming vehicles were scanned before entering the lobby, and all the occupants with luggage were scanned before approaching the lift. They were very thorough!

My brother Aman offered to fetch me from the hotel and bring us for dinner; if not I would be crying all night long in the room alone thinking of my kids! He arrived at 7.00 pm and brought us for dinner at Mimink Daeng, a Makasar Restaurant. It was famous for its tata ribs. After dinner we all headed back to the hotel and they stayed in my room until midnight - talking and catching up. I was too tired and distracted to have a chance to cry! it was a good start but the moment I tried to sleep it was difficult as my loves one were not there. Even though we were far apart, yet they were always near in my heart.

In Dilemma.....

2010-03-15T11:07:00.000+08:00

That is the feeling that is haunting in my mind right now. Taking it or losing it? Going or not?

Last Friday I was called by my boss and he asked me on something that am really looking forward since I start work back in 2002. And after these years the dream comes true. Working in oversea on project basis. Being able to go oversea on business trip for me is something valuable as I could gain knowledge, exposure and learn different culture. Even my previous work required me to travel a lot since I was in charge in handling airports' project but that was a bit different coz it was just for short period of time and I still haven’t has any children at that moment.

But now when the ONE opportunity that I have been looking for already in front of me, it suddenly hit my head and struck my mind – Will I be able to be away without the kids? How can I handle my night without them besides me? If they fall sick who is going to look after them? If Ehsan has any homework who will accompany him? Who will give me a good night kiss and hug before going to bed? Who will make me shouting like Tarzan? Who will make me angry like a monster and break my nerve? Will I still have dream while sleeping or it will give me a sleepless night? All these suddenly make me realize on how can I manage the life and time without them.

Hubby on the other hand is very supportive from the 1st day I started working. I guess he wants to see that all his investment (paying my MBA) is paid back. Hahahahaha….no lah…. He wants me to explore and gain experience as much as I could while am still young. Me personally I did mentioned to him that while the kids are still young I just want to grab all the opportunity in front of me so that I will not feel regret later on. But once I hit 40 (which I have another 8 years to go), I would consider quitting my job and focus on my family. By the time Ehsan will be in Form 1 InsyaAllah and it is the best time for me to concentrate on him and Erica on their education.

In a mean time, I will start preparing myself mentally and physically for the time to come. I pray hard that I would be able to go through the situation easily.

My 3rd 30th Birthday......

2010-03-06T15:13:00.005+08:00

Today marks another milestone in my life. I turn 32. I can’t ask more as I have everything (as for now…) in my life. I consider myself successful in my academic and career along with a proud husband to share with and enjoy life with our 2 beautiful kids, Ehsan & Erica. Nothing more can I ask except for our children’s health and success in their life. What ever it take to make them happy and become a successful and responsible person I will try to my very best to make it happen.

As I passed my life for more than 3 decades from a baby, little girl, teenager, adult, lady and a daughter, I do now appreciate life and people around me more. I do now understand that money (most of the time…) is not everything. Because even with a bag full of money when it does not come together with care, love and honesty it will not make one’s life happy. I may not come from a very rich family but with the unconditional care and love from both my parents, Alhamdulillah I am thankful and proud of what have I achieved now. Even though I know both of them have their own ways of showing their care and love.

And as I walk through the 7 years of life as a wife and a mother, I could not say much except for thanking Allah the All Mighty for what He had bless me with. A husband, that is full with love, understanding and sometimes pamper me with all my requirements and desires. My son, Ehsan who always break my nerve but at a same time a very responsible, cheerful, loving and a caring person. My daughter, Erica who has her own mind but so cute, cuddle, attractive, joyful and pamper. There’s no words that could describe what I felt for them. Allah knows best.

Pay Day....

2010-01-25T22:47:00.004+08:00

Today is the Pay Day! Yeaayyyyy! For someone who hasn't been working for almost 4 years, today is the day that I'm looking forward. Even before the day come I had so many plans inside my mind as a token for my husband, children, maid and parents. So here are some of the gifts that I end buying during lunch time and after work.

Cuffling with his name engraved

Dino book for Ehsan

Disney Character Book for Erica

Jeffery Archer book for my dad as he loves to read

Glassware plate for my mom on her request

Story book for my maid

The gifts may not look expensive but I do hope they appreciate the gifts that I gave with my 1^st pay after 4 years.

And talking about giving gifts for everyone I still can’t find a nice gift for myself so that I could remember and keep it for the rest of my life. I still remember the big purchase I bought using my 1^st pay way back in 2002 was a washing machine. And eventually the machine is still in good condition and look like brand new even after nearly 8 years.

p/s Sukenya dah keja boleh kembali bershopping bag, kasut n body shop like before….. YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!

My new routine for 2010.....

2010-01-24T08:55:00.002+08:00

This is my routine (for the time being…..) to my new office & my new work….

6.45 a.m – My morning starts
- Prepare breakfast & cook lunch for the kids

7.30 a.m - Take shower

- Getting ready to work

8.15 a.m - Leave the house & arrived 30 – 45 minutes later depends on the traffic

It took me…..

104 stairs from the roof top parking in 1Utama
Approximately 400 steps from 1Utama thru One World Hotel to my office building in KPMG Tower
1 lift up to level 2A
And a few more steps to my desk

During lunch hour I will usually take my car out and enter the parking again as to save the parking fee. The 1^st 6 hours will only cost me RM 1 so over lunch time I will go out and re-enter the parking again in level 3. So by end of the day I will only have to pay RM 2 if I go back on time (5.30pm), instead of paying RM16 for 8 hours in KPMG basement parking.

Going back may not take me a lot of time and energy

A few steps from my desk to the lift
1 lift down to ground floor
Approximately 300 steps to another lift in 1 Utama
1 lift up to level 3 or 4 depends on which level I park

In 10 minutes time I’m already at home with the kids……….

The buzy-ness has started......

2010-01-22T09:02:00.002+08:00

It’s been a tiring week for me the past 2 weeks. I had to stay back up until 8pm to finish up works. We had a demo presentation for Maybank Indocorp from Indonesia and also Brunei International Bank Development obviously from Brunei within this month. So I have to help out with testing the system and making sure the system is running smoothly during the presentation. My contribution may not that ‘wow!’ as to compare to those maintaining the system but hey….every little help counts right.

Even Ehsan had to call me one day asking me to come back home. Pity him and Erica had to wait for me to come home and by the time I arrived am so damn tired that I had my dinner with half eyes open. And am so thankful that my parents are around to keep the kids occupy and mummy for preparing the dinner whenever am late. But I guess this will only be one of the odd days and would not be the routine. Hope Ehsan and Erica will understand that their mama still love them despites having to work late at night.

And I am looking forward for our family retreat the end of this month. I had a brilliant idea for Mr. Hubby that we should have a retreat every month as to escape from all the hectic days that we had been through. *Wink* *Wink* Mr. Hubby great idea tak?... And for those who read my blog I do appreciate your ideas of places for holiday…

p/s Am writing this blog while waiting for Mr. Hubby to meet me for dinner at 1 Utama.

Tips for Parenting

2010-01-12T08:17:00.005+08:00

It was really horribly long hiatus for me in blogging. I have a lot of stories, pictures, and memories to share but so limited time to really sit down and write. Furthermore with lots of thing that needs to settle since we came back from Sudan in January 2009 it’s even worst. Hubby still needs to work as usual whilst I need to handle from the house renovation to movement, Ehsan’s school and lot more.

For this 2010 I would like continue back my ‘passion’ in blogging as I always remember that my ‘niat’ of having this blog is for me to write all the stories of mine for my memories later with my children as well as to share some if not all with others.

In this post I would like to share some tips that I got from my uncle a.k.a Paksu Man. The other day I wrote an email to him sharing my concern on what is the best way for us as young parents to bring up our children to become a good Muslim as well as a good human being. And not only that I also wish to become a cool parent to my children so that I can become their friend rather than only a mother/father. I find it the tips are interesting and would like to share with anyone who is interested. This is his point of view in bringing up the children the way he does. Of course bringing up kids and moulding them to become the way we want may be different from an individual to another, but for me getting an advice from the experienced people would be an added value.

So here are some of his tips:-

Below 4 yrs old - communicate your thoughts by leading them, & showing them in not so many words, but with many ACTIONS. Don’t spank them but with example action (e.g washing hands before food, eating with mouth close.)

From 4 to 10 - it is ACTION plus sharing the good things of particular activities. (E.g. rubbing the hand with soap and doing it this way, will ensure the germs will go away, n not make us sick, or hanging your towels after shower/bath will make it dry so that they will not give u kudis!!), say it just once...never berletiaq (nag) ...children or teens don’t like that at all!! When they forget, then repeat it again n again n again. But never fret by saying "I have told u many times....!!". This will make them withdraw & rebel. Especially at a young age, and they will find means to get back at you. At this age they will start to ask many whys.

10 to 13 or once they are balikh - They can reason more, and start asking over n over again. And they will say with a bigger WHY?...hehehe.. This is the time their hormonal change affect their physical n mental state more. Again the friend approach is, to be with them more, fill them up with closeness and more of listening.
Try to understand why they like this & that, or hobby. Share their interest. Chill out with them. Go to the mall with them, Treat their friends well. Never perleceh (condemn) the way they dress (as long as tak langgar aurat rule), they way they comb their hair... As long as it does not come to any harm or against the Islamic rule, let them be. They will get over it once they reach 16. At this age they want to be treated like an adult.

Communicating

Use a friendly intonation
Imagine that you are going to talk to a friend, the atmosphere is casual...VERY IMPORTANT, don’t interrogate with so many WHYs, I THINK....
listen and only give your views when ask
If you are still dying to give your views, entice them to ask you
Don’t interrupt
Don’t raise your voice (friends laugh it out and respect each other)
If the child needs to be admonished, then it should be communicated in private

These are some of the tips that Paksu shares with me. Some may find it interesting and some may have other opinion of their own. Either way we choose there’s always no right or wrong as long as we are happy with our spouse in bringing up the family that we wish it to be.

I guess for the 1^st posting of year 2010 it had been long enough. Until the next time I can find time for myself to blog again….. Au revoir people…….

Am back again....

2009-05-18T17:22:00.004+08:00

It was really a long hiatus for me since the last time I wrote in this blog 10 months back. Even some of my good friends start asking when will I start writing again. For some that already know yes I am back to Malaysia for good 4 months back and for those who doesn't know where have I been all these while, I was in Sudan for 3 years following my husband who worked there.

Some may wonder what happened to me the last 10 months? Owhhhh so many things happened to us the past 10 months that I had lots to tell but wish to summarized it later in the next writing. For now I have to get use again with this blogging thingy as I feel I have lost touch on it.

For now I just had to rewind and memorize back what happened the last 10 months. Wait for more stories after this.....

Hairless....

2008-07-19T22:42:00.000+08:00

Ehsan was born with very little hair. Erica too. Both of them inherit it from me. Mummy used to say that my hair look like bulu jagung when I was 2 y o. So it shows how little and fine my hair was. I still remember when I was in boarding school and I asked a friend of mine to tie my hair. She refused to tie as she afraid that she might loosen my hair. That is also the reason why I keep my hair short to make it look like I have a full head of hair.

And talking about hair, we never ever shaved Ehsan's head as even waiting for his hair to grow took years. The 1st time he had his hair cut was before Farah's wedding last December. Well his hair is now long at the back so we decided to cut it (I can even tie his hair ; goes to show how long his hair is!). But cutting his hair is not easy as he is a hypochondriac. He would scream and roll his body the moment I showed him the scissors. So hubby had to find another way.

Yesterday hubby asked Ehsan to make his drawings on the white board. While he was busy concentrating on that, Hubby began to snip at Ehsan's hair at the back. He got suspicious occasionally, as we would giggle after each cut. We managed to trim the back and sides, so now Ehsan has a new hair cut (even though it is not as good as a barbers) - The best thing is that he looks like a boy now!

This is Ehsan at 1 - so little hair he has

Ehsan's long hair

Hubby, the Sweeney Todd

Ehsan's hair

His new hair cut

A buzy week

2008-07-15T17:18:00.005+08:00

Been really busy the whole week last week. Finishing the assignments, packing the stuff to move to the new complex and sorted the old stuff to bring back to Malaysia next month, besides the normal routine everyday. I was still hoping that we could move to the new complex this month even though I know the chances are zero.

The packer came the other day to pack all the fragile stuff. So no more all the glass and dining ware for the moment until we move to the new complex. For the mean time we just use apa yg ada - melamine and plastic stuff. My display cabinet also already cleared. I asked the packer to pack it nicely as I will not open it anymore until we go back for good. Rumah baru takde display cabinet so no need to open the box.

Assignment statistic still put on hold even though I had already lend a book from a friend. Tapi sebab kuasa M yang kuat so I just put the book nicely on the table. When the dateline is nearer I guess I will start to do it passionately. In a mean time I prefer to be a procrastinator.

And to all my friends that been asking about the London trip, the entry will be put up soon. Don't worry I will share my trip this time as I shared before.

They did a nice job that day

Empty cabinet

Move or back for good?

2008-07-09T16:06:00.000+08:00

In a month to come we will be moving to our new complex near the Nile River. How do I feel? Excited, tired, lazy, not excited. Entah la I don't feel that great about moving to the new complex. Thinking of loads of stuff need to be pack, unpack again and by the time we settle down maybe it is about time for us to go back for good to Malaysia it made me feel tired.

I once mentioned to hubby that maybe it is better for me just go back to Malaysia and wait for him there. But he disagrees on it. To him the family should be with him during the bad and good times. So apa nak dikata. Kemas je la barang and pindah.

So yesterday we went for the balloting to choose our apartment. Alhamdulillah we got a place at 2nd level. Not so high not so low. We are scheduled to move on this 22nd August. Since I will not be around that time so hubby la kena berkerja keras. But I will make sure to pack all the stuff before leaving for Malaysia.

A-2-7 will be our house number

Our new block in the complex

My new kitchen

The new living area yang kecil

The toilet yang lawa

Later after balloting and tour to the new complex, we headed to Rotana Hotel to fetch and old friend who just arrived from Malaysia for business trip. He is hubby's good friend when they were both in PDB and the wife was my schoolmate. We brought Ramzul to our favorite restaurant, Solitaire. We ate and chat and ate and chat again until we send him back to the hotel at 9.30 p.m. Planning to invite him with some other friends this Thursday before I start to pack all my utensil into the box.

Ramzul & hubby

Khairyn's Party

2008-07-06T14:45:00.001+08:00

We just came back from London 3 days ago and been invited by a good friend, Lyn for her daughter's birthday party. Still in holiday mood and being so lazy to start my routine I delightedly accepting the invitation. Mana taknya ajak datang waktu lunch. So I don't have to cook.

The party were supposed start at 2.00 p.m but due to other commitment we excuse our self to come earlier. So we arrived their place at 1.15 p.m. Of course nobody have not arrived. We start the makan-makan session together with the stories of London and others. I brought some bubur pulut hitam as I have no mood to do any baking.

Later the blowing candle session started and of course my son yang over dari the birthday girl. He was the one who conquer the table. Khairyn nak tiup tak boleh tapi dia nak tiup boleh. Adoi la anak. Macam ni kena buat blowing candle session every month la. After that I leave the kids to play for a while, while waiting for our driver. We left the party when others start coming.

Mummy Khairyn buat

The table full of foods

Happy birthday to you.......

Ehsan yang melebih-lebih

Push Khairyn Push....

After sending the kids back home with the maid, we headed to Khartoum International University. Actually both me and hubby volunterred to become a coach for the students from several universities across the Sudan for their Petronas Intervarsity Debate Competition (PAVED). The coaching session is part of a program by Petronas to help the Sudanese community in term of humanitarian needs, education and social. Despite Sudan, Petronas also send their staff to Acheh, Phillipine and Pakistan. This program is called Petronas Volunteer Opportunity Program (PVOP).

The session started with briefing from Mdm. Samah, Executive of Corporate Affairs from Petronas. After the briefing we were given our university and we have to help and coach them to prepare for the topics given. I was assigned to the medical students from Omdurman Islamic University. The session ended at 7.30 p.m. We were supposed to attend the dinner at 8.00 p.m but we excuse our self as we were both tired.

Muka kebosanan

Birthday wishes

2008-07-04T17:23:00.003+08:00

I bet this month is the most people that I know celebrating their birthday and also welcoming their new people in life. In this special entry I would like to wish to all those who just got their bundle of joy.

Alena Hashim for her baby girl - Ailyn Sefira, 2nd July

Maslina for her baby boy - Muhammad Iskandar, 2nd July

Fauzal Amri for his baby boy - Baby Waiz, 3rd July

Aman my bro for his baby girl - Nafeesa Arafah Pfordten, 4th July

and not forgetting

Thomas Beatie for his baby girl. Have to read about him.

Not also forgetting for not so young anymore to those celebrating their birthday this month.

Yan Ijai for her 34th birthday on 1st July

Khairyn baby Lyn for her 2nd birthday on 5th July

Nasuha - for her 16th birthday on 9th July

Mama for her 60th birthday on 10th July

Daddy for his 67th birthday on 11th July

My best friend Nazlina Syazlind on her 31st birthday on 25th July

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!!!!

Another one leaving....

2008-06-21T17:21:00.003+08:00

I guess semua orang pun dah bosan baca my blog. Asyik-asyik entry farewell. Ada je orang nak balik tapi tukang tulis blog sendiri tak balik-balik jugak. Well what to do. Perjuangan suamiku di sini masih diperlukan. But this time punya farewell was organized for our neighbour, Kak Gina & Mus. They are the 1st from our block to go back to Malaysia for good. But actually they are not. They are leaving for another country and another company in August.

I make a must to have some makan-makan at our place if any of our close friends are going back. This time around Kak Gina punya turn so I invited the whole residence of our block and a few others from other blocks. I made some simple dish - Laksa Penang, bread butter pudding and fruit cocktail. Karipap and cucur badak goreng yang instant imported from Malaysia. Since we also will be leaving for London the next few days so we thought it would be great to have it over the weekend.

Bila tengok balik rupa-rupanya tak banyak gambar yang disnap. Just these 2 that hubby managed to take. Masing-masing lupa diri sibuk makan.

Me, Kak Gina, Hasina & Hassina

Senget-senget suamiku ambik gambar...

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T22:38:00.003+08:00

I still remember when.....I was born and mummy told me that Daddy will do everything from cooking for my mum during her confinement to caring for me. That's why mummy said she never knew how to hold a new born baby as Daddy was the one who look after the 4 of us.

I still remember when... We were in primary school, Daddy would send and fetch us all from school. Maybe to some people it is not a big deal but for us it is truly a big deal. We never had the chance to take the public transportation not until when we enter University. I wish I could do the same to Ehsan & Erica later. Nowadays we would just rely on the school bus or public transportation as to ease our day to day routine.

I still remember when.... Kak Liza - My sis got the offer to UTM, Daddy rented a van from a friend just to make sure that all of us could follow and bring all the stuff there. Dulu mana ada highway so the journey from Sungai Petani to Johor Bahru would take at least 8 hours. Daddy never leave us anywhere he goes. His principle is that anywhere he goes the family should come along no matter how far or how hard it would be. And that is also the reason why he forced me to follow hubby to Sudan.

I still remember when.... I was in secondary school Daddy will make sure that he would come to my hostel every week. He would bring all my favorite foods (of course mummy yang masak semua) and wait there to accompany me while I eat. And also of course they would bring back all my laundry to be washed. Alasan yang selalu I used is Sekolah asrama kena basuh sendiri pastu tak berapa bersih. Kalau basuh machine senang, bersih and wangi.... Actually sebetulnya anakmu ini pemalas..

I still remember when.... I was suspended from college due to a fight with a boy. Daddy came all along the way to see the principal and asked for appologies and appeal. But the appeal was rejected and so I had to go back to Sungai Petani and 'serve' my penalty. Ayahku ini garang gila... Almaklum ada darah keturunan Hitler.

I still remember when.... I had a very bad flu and called mummy at 11.00 p.m. The next morning they arrived in KL at 5.00 a.m. Daddy would trouble himself if he knew anybody sick. He would drive all the way just to see by his own eyes on the person's condition.

I still remember when... On the night before my graduation day Daddy was so sporting that he allowed me to go out with my guy friend (noted : bukan boy friend ye) and have dinner. Daddy never allowed us to go out with guys tapi dia tau anak2 dia bukan baik mana. But to get approval from him is such a big deal for me. Maybe he knows that it is time for me to enjoy the moment after my studies.

I still remember when.... I started worked in Malaysia Airports, he came all along the way from Sungai Petani to look at my office and met my immediate boss. It was a big deal for me as I never recall any of my friends would allow their parents to come and meet the boss. Daddy would do the same to all of us. Maybe he used to be so involved in PIBG that he still think we are still his young children.

I still remember when... I was 24 and I never mentioned anything about having boyfriends or what. Daddy was so concerned that he asked my sister and mummy about me. Ye la dulu dia risau anak dia ni banyak sangat BF tapi bila dah keja diam pulak.

I still remember when.... I finally made my decision to marry and asked his permission for my parents-in-law to come for merisik. I was really scared and anxious thinking of what his reaction would be. I even had to call mummy just to ask her to have some nice words with him. And Alhamdulillah he was so calm upon hearing the news and welcomed them.

I still remember when... Daddy became the wali to akad hubby. At that point of time I was relieved to know that I am my Dad's biological daughter. Mana taknye, sebelum ni my siblings always make fun of my hidung kemek. They would say I am 'anak Cina Melayu kutip bela'.

I still remember when... The wedding end and I have to go back to KL, mummy called me and said that Daddy was crying soon after I left the house. I was crying when mummy told me that. I called Daddy to know his condition. Of course he would sounded very gentlemanly but I can hear his voice was different. And I got to know also that Daddy never sleep in the room that was used for my wedding reception for at least 1 year plus.

I still remember when... He came to Sudan and Ehsan fell sick and need to be admitted. He would be by my side everyday just to make sure that both me and Ehsan were fine. He would accompany me from the morning till the evening. Later Daddy pulak sakit.

And most thing that I remember most is that eventhough he never shows his love and care through words, but his actions speaks for it. And I guess I adopt that from him. It is difficult for me to say I love somebody but I show it through my action.

And today I just would like to wish a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all fathers in the world especially
my father - Mohamed Saleh Pfordten,
my hubby - Ezalman Reezal and
my father-in-law - TS Hadenan Jalil.

Sushi

2008-06-07T13:55:00.000+08:00

I was so lazy to cook, lazy to go out, lazy of doing anything. Digging in the fridge and found some crab stick, carrot and cucumber. Ideas came through my mind. SUSHI!

Tapi beras takde, sea weed pun takde. So my loving hubby had to went out and bought the sushi rice and sea weed. Since he wanted to eat sushi also so of course he had to be kind and find the stuff for me.

So for dinner we had sushi tonight.

Agung's Reception

2008-06-06T13:54:00.000+08:00

Yesterday we were invited by the Malaysia Embassy in Khartoum for a reception celebrating Agung's birthday. The event started at 8.00 p.m with speech from Mr. Ambassador , Tuan Haji Zainal bin Hamzah, followed by singing the national anthem and 2 other songs. After that we had some makan-makan and gossip-gossip session with the rest of the invitees.

The food was great but the weather was not really. So we had to make our way back home by 10.00 p.m when it started to rain. It was nice to gather once in a while and get to know other Malaysian besides Petronas.

p/s : Tuan Embassy nanti selalu-selalu la buat makan-makan macam ni ek. Jangan lupa ajak saya lagi.... Hehehehehe

Us with Sham, Nasir & Azam

Sham, me, Lily, Rahimah, Faezah, Misliah, Jasila & Habibah

Ehsan's 3rd Birthday

2008-06-03T13:54:00.005+08:00

3 years had passed how I would turn back time over the moment when I was confirm pregnant. Ehsan was actually my 2nd pregnancy after I had a miscarriage soon after we got married. We waited almost 8 months to really prepare of trying again. On the day we supposed to celebrate Firhan's birthday (my BiL), we got a really happy news. I am expecting a baby. Of course the news a joy for others.

9 months of carrying Ehsan, seems so fast. And I was still working at that moment of time. He would always accompany me to work (eventhough he is still in my tummy) which took 45 minutes of journey from Sg. Buloh to KLIA. There were once when I was 4 months pregnant that I had to be admitted to the hospital. It is because I was diagnosed of having hypothyrodism. Apart from my illness the condition of the baby seems to be healthy.

In the morning of 2nd June I was awake at 5.00 a.m and felt stomach ache. I went twice to the loo before I ended up throwing up. Soon my mum told me just to get ready as she felt that my tummy started to become very hard. Took shower and went to the hospital at 8 am. Actually I was scheduled to go to the hospital for my weekly check-up but soon after the doctor checked she said that I already 2cm dialited. She asked me to go for one last time shopping in OU and be back to the hospital at 6 p.m. Knowing that I will be delivering a baby in nearest time to come, I just went back to our home and have a rest.

At 6.00 p.m I already in the hospital. I had to changed to the maternity gaun and waited for the gynae to checked. I was sent to a room at 8.00 p.m. During that time the pain had already started to feel but I still can bare it with the help of ethanox gas. No epidural at 1st as I told hubby I wanted to feel the pain. Not until 11.00 pm the pain was so unbareable that I asked for the epidural but the gynae told me that I was already 7cm dialited and she can't give it at this point. I was so much in pain that I can't remember anything.

The gynae checked again at 12.00 a.m and said that I was making no progress. She gave me another 2 hours until she decided to do the c-section on me. After 2 hours of pain it was still on 7cm dialitation that the gynae opt to operate me. I was asked to sign a consent letter before they prepare me for the opt. It was really a horror moment for me as I can feel the pain when they had to insert a tube inside my ***.

I was strolled into the labor room and the operation started. Hubby got the chanced to be in the room and videotaping the special moment for us. It was really a memorable moment when at 2.46 a.m of 3rd June 2005 the love of our life was born. Ehsan Reezal was named. And after 3 years of having him and Erica around, I felt my life already completed. Nothing much I would ask for, only to have and be for them all the time.

And so for Ehsan's birthday today we don't have any plan of doing any celebration here. Since we are planning for a holiday to London so we just thinking of celebrate it over there. Poor Ehsan for not having his friends to come and sing for him. But then during this month also lots of the families here went back to Malaysia for summer holiday.

Thus for not letting him down, I bake him a cake so that he could just blow the candle. Ehsan loves to blow candle regardless whether it's his or others. Kalau tak dapat candle batang mancis pun jadi. But I have to say that the cake I made I cheated a bit since I couldn't find the cooking chocolate for the topping. Instead I just bought Cadbury chocolate and made it for the topping. Everybody loves it so lepas ni takyah beli cooking chocolate.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING EHSAN. MAMA LOVES U SO MUCH!

The cake

The birthday boy

Farewell Makan-makan

2008-05-24T01:53:00.001+08:00

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

2008-05-13T17:08:00.000+08:00

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

2008-05-11T17:09:00.001+08:00

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!!!

2008-05-04T17:22:00.003+08:00

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

2008-05-03T04:06:00.002+08:00

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

2008-05-01T17:22:00.002+08:00

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

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

Exam - sucks!

2008-04-26T22:06:00.002+08:00

Lebih kurang macam ni la my situation tadi....

Had my 1st paper today - Managerial Finance. It is worse then I ever thought. Ada jugak yang aku fail ni... Aaaaahhhhhh tension.... But had no choice but to prepare for tomorrow's paper - Strategic Management. Lepas dapat C+ pun kira ok la...

To my loving Son - Ehsan & my dearest sis - Eleeza

2008-04-19T18:09:00.006+08:00

It is less than 2 months before Ehsan turns 3 this June. And before he turns 3, I had promised to myself that one of my resolution for this year is to potty train him. He is really testing my patience when he just keep quiet until the pant wet. Or the worst part is when he stands in a corner and do his business and suddenly berguguranlah peluru-peluru di atas lantai.

Hubby knows me well that I would easily get mad and lost patience but I promised to him and myself that I would try to control it and train until successful. Hubby said if we force him he will feel discourage and won't be cooperative. It is 100% true. Alhamdulillah for 2 weeks of close monitor I manage to potty train him. But of course when he had his nap in the evening and sleep during the night I would still put diapers on him. Well as of now I wont say that he is 100% potty train but having it done on the 1st place is quiet a big achievement to both Ehsan and me.

Well done Ehsan! Mama and Baba would like to present you a certificate for your great achievement. Lepas ni kita try bangun malam pulak pi toilet ok? Mama la yang tak tahan lepas ni....

And on this day also I would like to wish Happy Birthday to my only beloved sister - Kak Leeza on her 41st Anniversary.

"May you will be granted with healthy life and in Allah's protection all through the years. "

Petronita AGM

2008-04-13T18:05:00.004+08:00

Date : 12th April 2008

Time : 3.30 p.m - 6.30 p.m

Event : PETRONITA Sudan AGM 2008

Venue : Room Nile A, AsSalam Rotana Hotel

Had the Petronita Sudan AGM this year in Rotana Hotel. Thanks to Petronas Country Office for sponsoring the venue. This is the 2nd time I attended the AGM. The 1st time when I was then working with MAB. Last year's AGM I had no chanced to attend as I am away for Malaysia to deliver Erica. It went well as planned.

This is the 3rd year I hold a post in the association. The 1st year when I arrived I was the Secretary. Last year I was chosen as the Social & Catering Committee. This year I was honored to become the Head of Social & Catering Committee replacing Kak Shida's place. Being a leader is not only about having a post but a lot of commitment in term of ideas and strength are needed. But I know with the help from other members, Insyallah I could manage to handle whatever may come.

We also bid a farewell party for those going back for good to Malaysia. To Kak Harlina, Kak Shikeen, Kak J and Kak Faezah, I wish good luck for the challenges that might come in Malaysia. Maklum la kalau kat Sudan cool sikit.

Helping Nonie with the slides

The new committe for year 2008/2009

Bazaar Finale

2008-04-12T02:26:00.006+08:00

For our Final Bazaar Santai this time around, hubby had the idea of selling waffle besides our Laksa Penang. The idea came a week ago when I tried a new waffle recipe. It turns out so nice and fluffy. Hubby then told me that it would be great if we sell the waffle along with our Laksa. Since hubby volunteered to help me around so I don't want to disappoint him.

So this morning I woke up and made the batter. I have no confidence about it that I only made 2 adunan je. To our surprise our waffle sold like hot cakes. And not forgetting our Laksa too. I was so proud of hubby that I promised to him if there will be another Bazaar end of this year we will sell it again.

Full concentration

Showing off

Jordan Final Day - 22nd March 2008

2008-04-10T15:05:00.009+08:00

9.00 a.m - We start our journey on the final day to the Citadel. From here a splendid panorama of Amman can be had. Similar to Rome, Amman was situated on seven hills. The Citadel dates back to the Roman/Byzantine period where the traces of the fortifications of Roman times can be seen such as the temple of Hercules and the remain of Byzantine Church. It was constructed under imperial ruler, Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180). From atop of the hill, we can view the Roman Amphitheater below, the largest in Jordan, capable of seating 6,000 spectators. Beside the ruins, sits a nondescript archeological museum with only a token sampling of Dead Sea Scrolls, the majority of the collection residing in neighboring Israel.

The Bible also recorded that King David captured the city in the early 10th century BC; Uriah the Hittite, husband of King David's paramour Bathsheba, was killed here after the king ordered him to the front line of battle.

Temple of Hercules

The Audience Hall

Inside the hall

The remains of Byzantine Church

Cistern

Roman amphitheater

Archeological Museum

Skeleton of a baby buried in the vase

Dead Sea scrolls made of sheep's skin

10.45 a.m - We continue or journey to the Cave of 7 sleeper - Kubur Ashaful Kahfi. The story begun when the seven young men were accused of Christianity. They were given some time to recant their faith. Instead they gave their worldly goods to the poor, and retired to a mountain to pray, where they fell asleep. The emperor, seeing that their attitude towards paganism had not improved, ordered the mouth of the cave to be sealed. Decades passed. At some later time, during the reign of Theodosius the landowner decided to open up the sealed mouth of the cave, to use it as a cattle pen.

As stated in The Qur'an that the period of time these sleepers spent in the cave was three hundred years during which the calendar of their people was changed from solar to lunar and, as a result, the period of their sleep has increased to 309 (lunar) years. When they woke up, they had no idea they slept for centuries and thought they only slept a few hours. When they sent one of them to buy food, the coins he used to buy food were out of circulation and drew the attention of the town's people. After the story was widely known, the sleepers died. The Qur'an also mentions a dog along the sleepers.

The Cave of the 7 sleepers

The remains of skeleton

11.30 a.m - We then had our lunch at one of the restaurant in town. We planned to had our lunch in one of Malaysian restaurant but our tour guide got the info that the restaurant is closed for some construction. After lunch we went to the souk in the city to find some souvenirs to bring back home. Nothing much attract my interest but I did bought some table mat, shawl, t-shirts, key chains and fridge magnets for friends. After 2 hours of shopping we decided to go back to our apartment and had some rest before departed to Khartoum.

6.30 p.m - Hubby went to a nearby Burger King's restaurant to buy some food for dinner. Pack the remaining stuff bought in the souk and get ready to the airport.

9.00 p.m - Ust. Zaid and the driver had waited us to send to the airport. It was really a tiring holidays but we had fun and glad that we manage to cover almost the historical places in 4 days. Until our next holidays in June we will keep the sweet memories in Jordan in our heart. Last but not least thanks to my dear hubby for a wonderful birthday present for me and Erica.

Us in front of our hotel apartment

The kids waiting to check-in

Jordan Day 3 - 21st March 2008

2008-04-09T15:04:00.009+08:00

8.30 a.m - Ready for another day of adventure. Snap a few photos while waiting for the driver and Ust Zaid to fetch us.

Hubby & kids in front of Qairwan Hotel

9.00 a.m - Arrived at Karak Castle but we had no chance to enter since the opening hour was at 10.00 a.m. Hubby decided not to wait as we are supposed to go to the Dead Sea and the journey would take time. Took a few pictures outside the castles before headed up to the Dead Sea.

Karak Castle was constructed in the 1140s under Paganus, the butler of King Fulk before taken over by the Arabs. It was also called Crac des Moabites or 'Kerak in Moab' by the Crusaders. Because of its position east of the Jordan River, Kerak was able to control Bedouin herders as well as the trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca. During the Ottoman period, It played an important role due to its strategic location on the crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Greater Syria.

Us with the Ottoman canon

Karak Castle

9.30 a.m - Continue our journey to the Dead Sea. Took us 1 hour to reach there even though it look so near from the top of the castle. The side of the roads was full with tomato farm. I cant resist but to ask our driver to stop by at the road side to take some photos. The tomato was so fresh that I felt like taking some back home. Tapi kang makan hasil curi pulak.

The ripening tomato

10.30 a.m - The driver stop by a cliff overlooking at the Dead sea to take photos before heading to the public beach. If you can see from the pictures, the water was so clear and beautiful. No polution at all. I was amazed with the beauty of the ocean. How wonderful Allah created it. In the pictures below all the white stuff was all the mineral salts. The amount contain 4 times the amount of sodium chloride as is found in normal ocean, making it unsuitable for plant and animal life and also u could float by yourself. The formation of the mineral salts look similiar like coral. It was also told that the water can help in treating skin problem. Don't know how true is that.

Dead Sea is the lowest point on the surface of earth. It was once told that it was the land the Prophet Luth lived. The people of the towns and cities were sinful for their acts of homosexuality, raping men, robbery and murder and had therefore been given a punishment for such deeds. The punishment arrived when angels in the form of beautiful men were sent down by Allah as guests for Luth to host. When Luth's people heard of the men, they rushed to Luth's house to misbehave and rape the men. This was their final test which they failed so the angels raised the land where the prophet's people lived, tipped it upside down and threw it back on earth, causing the ground near the impact to cave in. Thus, the lowest land on Earth was formed because of this punishment. The non-believers were destroyed and the followers were saved.

The salt deposits on the cliff

Beyond the cliffs is Israel

Us at the beach - Ehsan tempted to swim

12.30 p.m - Since none of us swim, we continue our journey to Mount Nebo. According to the Bible, Yahveh had told Moses to climb so that he could see the promised land before dying and it is here that Moses was buried. A cross signs the spot chosen to commemorate his death. Now the place are use to display all the mosaic design by the mosaic craftmen Soelos, Kaiomos and Elijah and some say it is still been used for pilgrimage by the Christians.

Monastery Complex - under construction

Us at the stone mark

The Brazen Serpent sculpture

1.45 p.m - We went down from Mount Nebo to find our lunch. But on the way back we saw alot of craft shop making mosaic, so we insist the driver to drop us for a while. Eventhough the craftmen are handicap but they are talented. The mosaic made are not only to be frame for display but also they made into furniture like table top for dining table. But the bigger mosaic are the cheapest one compare to the smallest mosaic. This is because the smallest one consume time, neatness and patience. We did bought one mosaic for our new house in KD - our house number.

The craftmen designing for a table top

2.45 p.m - Had lunch at a restaurant in town and headed to Madaba Church.

3.30 p.m - Arrived in Madaba to look at the most famous floor mosaic design at St. George Church, the Greek-Orthodox church. It was a sort of geographic map of Palestine created for the benefits of the pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. It was a huge map that I guess about 3 meters long.

St. George Church

Mosaic design of Palestine map

The explaination of the map

4.00 p.m - Spent half an hour at the church and start the journey again back to Amman. The journey to Amman took about 1 hour before we reached at our apartment. This is the only time we got back to the hotel at early time. We also been introduced to our new tour guide, Ust. Said as Ust. Zaid had to go to Syria to guide the next group to arrive tomorrow. We had nap upon arrived at the apartment.

8.00 p.m - Later that night we went to a shopping mall since hubby desparate to have his McD. Got some toys for the kids and 2 pairs of blouse for me. Bought some vege from Carrefour to bring back to Khartoum. Had a wonderful night got to be in a surrounding similar to Malaysia. At least terlepas rindu nak jalan2 kat shopping mall.

10.30 p.m - Headed back to our apartment and started to pack our stuff as tomorrow another hectic day to come.

Jordan Day 2 - 20th March 2008

2008-04-07T15:04:00.010+08:00

6.30 a.m - Woke up really early to make sure that I could get ready and prepare the stuff to bring but only to found out that the water heater still wasn't switch on. Really got pissed off and told hubby to asked Ust. Zaid to find us another hotel. I can't tolerate with this. I don't expect a 5 star hotel but a basic need is needed - water heater & air cond. Nasib tengah winter so air cond takde pun takpe.

I started to pack all the stuff soon after Ust. Zaid agreed to find us another hotel.

9.00 a.m - Had a simple breakfast. Transfer our luggage and stuff to the new hotel room before heading to Petra. This time around I checked and make sure they had the water heater in place.

11.00 a.m - Stop for a while at tomb of Al-Harith b. Umair Al-Azdy. He was the emissary for Rasulullah. When he brought the Prophet's message to the Roman, he was decapitated by Ghassanid Chief. Due to that the Battle of Mut'ah started in attempt for Muslim to take retribution against the chief. Muslim won the battle even though they only send 3000 people defeating over 100,000 of Arab Christian.

The tomb of Al-Harith b. Umair Al-Azdy

Along the way to Petra the scenary much the same as yesterday. Jordan is full will valley that I found it sometimes very scare to look straight ahead.

The hills and mountains....

Tanur Dam

The scariest part was when we nearly arrived to Petra. The slope surrounding Petra were full of houses. So scared of looking the places. Kalau kat Bukit Antarabangsa mau terjunam rumah-rumah ni.

The hill fill with houses

12.30 p.m - Arrived in Petra. It was an amazing experience got to be in Petra and had the chanced to look the tall facade of the 'Treasury', the most famous monument in Petra. The area was so huge that the charioteer said that we should spend 1 week to really appreciate its secrets. We had to hire a chariot to the 'city' as the distance between the main entrance to the place is about 30 km away. Sapa larat jalan tahan la lenguh kaki...

Petra is an archeological site lying on the slope of Mount Hor. It is renowed for its rock-cut architecture and also one of the new wonders of the worls. The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was discovered by a Swiss explorer. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time". UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage". In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site.

Soon after we went through at the end of the Siq, we could see the famous Treasury. The facade of the building was carved out of a sandstone rock face. It was originally built as a royal tomb, probably between 100 BC and 200 AD. Its Arabic name Treasury derives from a legend that bandits or pirates hid their loot in a stone high on the second level. Many of the building's architectural details have eroded away during the two thousand years since it was carved and sculpted from the cliff. Religious unrest in the area during recent years has reportedly resulted in further damage to the site.

We spend 30 minutes to take some pictures there as the chariot had been booked earlier. We was lucky because the charioteer was sympathetic to us with the two kids. The road to the 'city' was bumpy that we felt our b*** numb after the journey.

Us in front of the Treasury

The facade of the Treasury

1.45 .pm - Out from the 'city' and spent some time looking around at the nearby bazaar selling souveniers. Ehsan took a break eating a cone of ice-cream after a tiring walk.

Ehsan enjoying himself

3.00 p.m - Stop by at a nearby restaurant to had lunch and changed the kids diapers before continuing our journey.

4.00 p.m - After lunch we stop at one the Prophet Musa's spring - Mata Air Nabi Musa. It was told when Nabi Musa went down to Jerusalem, the Israelite felt so thirsty. Allah had ordered Nabi Musa to struck the ground with his walking stick and with Allah's will water sprung out from it.

We also visited a nearby souvenir shop selling bottle sand. We had the chanced to see the making of it. We also bought around 20 ++ bottles sand for souvenirs for families and friends.

Kawasan Mata Air Nabi Musa

Nabi Musa's spring

Bottle sand making

A neat work needed

Seal the bottle with few drops of Pepsi

5.00 p.m - Headed back to our hotel in Karak. Stop by to buy dinner and some snacks.

7.45 p.m - Arrived at the hotel room. Took shower and had a nice dinner. Watched TV with the kids until we all passed out.

Jordan Day 1 - 19th March 2008

2008-04-05T20:35:00.010+08:00

2.30 am - Check-in at Khartoum International Airport for Jordan. We are the last passenger and the counter is nearly closing. The counter staff said there are only 3 seats available although we bought 4 seats. After arguing we decided to take the available seats. Had to wait about 45 minutes before boarding in the plane. Alhamdulillah at the very last minute we able to have our seat back.

Us at the runaway before boarding in the plane

6.30 a.m - Arrived in Queen Alia International Airport,Amman. Our tour guide - Ust Zaid a student in Jordan; were supposed to greet us but we have to wait about an hour. before he arrived. Change them out of their pyjamas and fed them before continuing our journey.

Ehsan & Erica waiting for the tour guide

10.00 a.m - Arrived in Ajloun Castle after a 2 and half hours journey from Amman. It was built as a small fortress by Izz Ad-Din Usama bin Munqidh on the site of Jabal Beni Auf. It permitted to control the road of Damascus and Egypt. It was also to develop and control the iron mines of the Ajloun. In AD 1260, the Mongols had destroyed sections of the castle including its battlements. After a majot destructive earthquake struck the castle, The Department of Antiquities had sponsored a restoration program and consolidation of the walls.

Ajloun Castle

The view from the top of the castle

The interior view of the castle

11.30 a.m - Headed to Jerash, the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Jerash, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. It is considered as one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities. It was a city of the Decapolis - a group of 10 cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Jordan, Syria and Palestine.

We are lucky to arrive early for the 1st show of the Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE). The show started by introducing their equipment and demonstrate battle tactics Roman army used such as throwing pilae (spears) and wielding the famous short stabbing sword, the gladius. Apart from that four chariots with two horses (bigae) appeared in a whirl of dust. It was really enjoying watching the shows. Even the kids stay still to the final.

The Greek, the Trojan, Retiarius, Secutor, Thracian and Us at the battle field

The Roman Army

The chariots

1.00 p.m - About few kilometers from the hippodrome there is the entrance to the city. We had to enter the Arch of Triumph to see the whole city that reached a size of about 800,000 square metres within its walls. I left hubby to take some pictures inside the city while Erica and I waited for them outside. But it doesn't last long as Ehsan start been cranky. I guess they are all tired and hungry.

Arch of Triumph

The column

The forum - the so-called oval piazza

Part of 56 Ionic columns at the forum

1.30 p.m - We headed from Jerash and had our lunch before continuing our journey to Karak which took us 3 hours to arrived. We are really tired that we all slept all the way through the journey. I had a chanced to snap a few pictures along the way after I woke up.

Agak seriau jalan-jalan kat sini. Lots of steep mountains

5.30 p.m - Arrived at the hotel and had some rest. Had a bad experinced - the hotel doesn't have water heater and the water is so d**n cold. Had to wait for the manager to switch it on at 7.00p.m. In the meantime we had to bare the coldness if terasa nak terkucil. Macam ni punya service pun ada.

8.00 p.m - Dinner was served to us in the room. Eat and all of us knock out by 10.00 p.m!

Our Holiday in Jordan...

2008-04-03T15:03:00.004+08:00

As mentioned in the last entry that hubby had promised to bring us to Jordan as a birthday present for Erica and I. So we went over the Maulidul Rasul holiday on 19th March till 22nd March. It was a tiring holiday as the places that we went took 1-2 hours of journey. But we did enjoyed the holiday.

A bit information on Jordan.

Country Name	The Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan
Simplest Name	Jordan
King	King Abdullah II bin Hussein at-Talal
Country Size	92,300 sq km
Capital City	Amman
12 States in Jordan	- Ajlun - Al 'Aqabah - Al Balqa' - Al Karak - Al Mafraq - Amman - At Tafilah - Az Zarqa' - Irbid - Jarash - Ma'an - Madaba
Independence Day	25 May 1946
Government	Monarchy
Total Population	5,759,732 as at July 2005
Population	Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religion	- Sunni Muslim 92%, - Christian 6% (Majority Greek Orthodox, a few Greek & Roman Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox & Protestant), - Etc 2% (Shi'a Muslim dan Druze)
Language	Arabic
Economy	Phosphate, Potash
Weather	4 seasons (Mediterranean Climate)
Highest Place	Jabal Ram (1734m)
Lowest Place	Dead Sea (- 408m)

* sources from Muhammad Hazimin Sulaiman

Is it worth to make a movie???

2008-04-03T02:31:00.007+08:00

yselfReceived an sms early this morning from a dear friend Najwa asking something unexpected. So the sms written....

Najwa: Ckn blh tlg.....By the way my friend tanya you ada sedare mare kat penang tak coz ada org kat kampong tok dia nama mcm u

Ckn: Penang? My mum mmg frm penang tapi my dad's side byk kt KL. Cuba tanya sikit sapa nama kot i yg x tau sedara mara sendiri.

This was 8.55 am when I got the sms. Later in the afternoon received an email at around 1.15 p.m from Iza; Najwa's friend asking about someone that her grandfather knew back then by the name of Pfordten in Penang. And so with that I just like to share a bit with everyone about my family history and the story behind my name Pfordten!

My grandpa; Arthur Reginald Pfordten was born on 23/11/1886 in Batavia, Java as a Roman Catholic. Later the family returned to stay in England and he was sent to study in German where he went to an English College. My late great grandfather; Frederick George von der Pfordten owned a Cable Company that made them moved various places. And their last stop was in Singapore.

Soon when the business in cable ended due to telephone took the forefront in telecommunication, my grandpa had to find jobs in other sectors. He later joined the rubber industry as a planter and soon he was made a manager in Cameron Highlands. Grandpa converted to Muslim in 1937 when he was 51 years old and married my grandmother; Jamaliah Puteh a Malay lady who was then 29 years old.

Grandpa and Tok Jam (my grandmother) was blessed with 3 children before the World War 2 strike. And when grandpa joined the British Army, the Japanese had captured him and thousand others and was taken prison-of-war and was intern at Changi Prison from 1942 till 1945. As Tok Jam was alone in raising 3 small kids, she decided to give my dad away to a Malay family in Penang. During that period, Daddy told me that his foster family had to really take care of him as they were afraid that the Japanese would harm him as he looked like a foreigner. They hid him in rolled up 'mengkuang' mats, or within piles of firewood, to avoid him from being spotted by Japanese patrols

3 years without news about Grandpa, Tok Jam had re-married with a Malay man but with a condition that should grandpa return, the marriage to the 2nd husband will automatically jatuh talak. Tok Jam had a daughter with the 2nd husband. Later when the war end, grandpa return to Penang to find the family and bring them back to Cameron Highlands. And yes Tok Jam and the 2nd husband automatically jatuh talak. But grandpa really nice to care for the daughter as if its his own child. After that they were blessed with another 2 child, my makcik and arwah paksu. So in Pfordten's family ni ada la macam2 jenis muka. Muka campur2, muka mat saleh, muka melayu.

Grandpa passed away on 23/12/1974 when he was 88 years old. He was buried in Cameron Highlands. I never had the chanced to know him but when Tok Jam was still alive I can see the love between them is truly pure. Tok Jam would always proudly told us about Grandpa; how good he was as a Muslim, a husband, a father and a man. And the most thing that I remember most was that the special name Tok Jam called grandpa as she couldn't pronounce Pfordten correctly - Fo'u. And Pfordten is to be pronounce as Forten with a silent P.

Najwa told me it is worth to make a movie. Ala2 macam ceta natrah gitu. To me it is interesting to know about my family history. Talking about movie you can check this movie and this movie to find more about our family. Both movies had the family's name as a character in it.

My late grandfather - Arthur Reginald/Abdul Rahman Pfordten

My late great grandmother - Augusta Pell

My late great grandfather - Frederick George von der Pfordten

Birthday Bash Erica

2008-03-30T07:45:00.003+08:00

Hari yang ditunggu sudah tiba... We had Erica's birthday party yesterday! It was tiring but full of fun. The house was crowded but I think we managed to entertain them all. And without fail, everybody asked of the significance of the 'pear' theme in the invitation card and the cake...

So here it goes ..... Erica was so chubby as a baby; so much so that she resembled a pear. TThis led to my mum starting to call her Pear! The nickname stuck; when hubby & I decided to do the party for her we thought it was a good idea to make the cake, the invitation cards, and colour theme for our guests (which was yellow and orange) to resemble pears as well!

We got some nice pics of the event - Happy birthday lil Pear!!

Venue : House No. 6, Block J, Khartoum 2

Time : 4.30 pm - 6.30 pm

Date : 29th March 2008

Before.....

Hubby putting up the home made birthday banner

The banner - all nice and ready.....

Me busy making the pudding....

The bolognaise sauce...

Mixed fruit pudding all set to go.....

Bumbu for meehoon Singapore...

The cake that I made - Pear shaped....

During.....

Birthday girl with Baba & Abang...

The Cake cutting ceremony ..

The crowd - the house was packed!

The food and drinks..

After....

Erica's presents....

Last but not least, we would like to thank all our friends and their children who came to celebrate with us and sharing their nice presents and making it such a memorable and meaningful event for the 4Es!

and to Najwa... Thanks for decorating the cake!

Nile Cruise

2008-03-28T22:39:00.005+08:00

Us on the Nile Cruise...

Petronita had organized a Nile cruise for it's members and spouse early this morning. It was the 2nd time for us as we had joined when we first came in 2006. This time around we wanted to bring our maid and Erica to experience it. The weather is not too hot. This time around we managed to take more pictures compared to before. Ehsan as usual was busy playing with the other kids that we had difficulty to make him stay still for our pictures.

What is so special about the Nile River in Khartoum? The Nile River is the longest river in the world. From its major source, Lake Victoria in east central Africa, the White Nile flows generally north through Uganda and into Sudan where it meets the Blue Nile at Khartoum, which rises in the Ethiopian highlands. From the confluence of the White and Blue Nile, the river continues to flow northwards into Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. The merger of the two Niles is known as "the Mogran". You can really see clearly the merger of the two Niles if you take the cruise.

See the color difference??

Apart from that we could also see their lifestyle and culture. Along the Nile we can see they grow vegetables and raise livestock especially kharuf.

River transport is still the main carrier between north and South Sudan. This a picture from Tuti Island; the west bank of River Nile. Tuti is one of the tourism sites in Sudan.

The work site of brick making also can be seen along the Nile. This is one of the work site of brick making. Perhaps it is the 'oven' to bake the bricks.

Picture below is the remnants of the old Omdurman fort built during Anglo-Sudan war over 100 years ago. It was built during the Mahdist period to defend Omdurman.

The picture of the bridge below was an old Khartoum North Bridge which links Khartoum-to-Khartoum North. It was constructed during the early colonial period in Sudan.

The building below is a complex consisting of modern hotel, market and other utilities. It lies on the west bank of the Blue Nile opposite Tuti Island and is owned by a Libyan Company.

Al-Fatih Tower

And the last picture shows an Islamic edifice that became a landmark in Omdurman. It was established during the period of President Jaafar Nimeiri. It overlooks the West bank of River Nile.

Al-Nilein Mosque

My Erica turns 1

2008-03-24T15:05:00.008+08:00

Many faces or Erica...

Today our Erica turns 1. How time flies so fast. Erica had completed us as a family. Now we have a pair and Ehsan has a friend to play with and bully!

There are lots of memories that I wish to forget during my pregnancy. The memories that should be replace with something more cheerful and meaningful. The memories that I dare not share and remember anymore. But those memories also made me a better mother, wife, child and human being. That memories also that taught me of being grateful for what had been written by Allah. Alhamdulillah I have families and a husband that are so understanding, supporting and caring during that period.

I first got to know about my pregnancy in mid August 2006 which is a month after we came back from Malaysia for summer holiday. It was an unexpected news for us as I never had any plan to conceive in Sudan. It wasn't that I didn't want another child, but Sudan is not the right place for us to have a baby, and with my health condition that need to be monitored. I used to have hyperthyroidism when I was 18 but when I was pregnant to Ehsan I had develop hypothyroidism which required me have long-life treatment. Due to that I had a very tough time during my pregnancy with Erica. I didn't have regular check up as I usually did when I was with Ehsan. I had no one to help me around plus I was busy in my 4th semester of MBA and still needed to do the house chores as usual. It was also worrying me as I just had Ehsan through cesarean procedure a year before. It really makes the pregnancy process tough and difficult for me in Sudan.

Later in January 2007, during the 7th month of pregnancy hubby sent me & Ehsan back to Malaysia, where we stayed for 7 months. It was really sad having to go for check up without a husband around. But luckily I had a family that was so caring and took care of us while hubby were not around. I had to defer my 5th semester as I didn't feel like I can cope with the situation alone.

Despite the illness and being alone I also were quite worried with the delivery process. Every time when I went for a check up, I will always ask the same question (I got the same answer from 3 different doctors). Do I have the chance to deliver my baby normally? And the answer was NO. With my history with Ehsan when I didn't dilate enough, the doctor said I wouldn't be able to deliver normally. And so I had to choose the date for Erica's delivery, and we decided on 24th March 2007.

At 6.30am, on the morning of 24th March 2007, the whole family got ready to send me off to Apollo Medical Center in TTDI. We arrived at 7.00 a.m and immediately the nurse asked me to change into a hospital gown. I was first asked to take the 'atomic enema' but since I had done my 'business' earlier, I declined it nicely. Nasib la nurse baik-baik....

Later I was brought to the operation theater and was prepared for the spinal block. It was really painful as I can feel the needle being inserted. I squeezed the doctor's hand hard as the pain was so unbearable. 15 minutes later, the scrubs were busy inserting the urine tube into my bladder and I started to feel uncomfortable, and asked one of the nurses to massage my back. It was quite a long procedure I felt, as compared to Ehsan as I was awake and knew what to expect this time; Ehsan was an emergency case, and that felt like it took a short while only.

Alhamdulillah, Erica was safely out of my tummy at 8.38 a.m with no complication. Her weight was just 2.7 kg, 300 grams less than Ehsan. But the most memorable thing was when a practical student, who was observing the procedure, fainted the moment the doctor delivered Erica from my tummy! I guess the blood made him dizzy! Hmmm apa jadi dengan budak tu sekarang???

I was put on morphine after the operation as a pain killer and I didn't take any food for 2 days due to that. I was only been given Milo to give me strength. After 3 days in the hospital I was allowed to go back. Alhamdulillah, Erica was fine and had no jaundice.

A year has passed, and I could see the differences between Ehsan and Erica. Erica is more independent compared to Ehsan. She can play by herself, but the moment she wants milk or is sleepy she would become so cranky. She is so hard to be put to bed, and would crawl all over the bed until she found her best position to sleep in. She eats more, but sleeps less compared to Ehsan. She had her 1st tooth when she was 10 months old and started walking when she turned 1. In contrast, Ehsan got his 1st tooth when he was 1 year old and started walking when he was 10 months old.

Nothing makes me happier than to celebrate my children's differences. I hope that Erica will become anak yang solehah when she grows up. My only wish for her on her 1st anniversary is just...

"...to be my cute and lovely daughter forever for the rest of my life...Mama loves u so much darling....."

Mama & Baba - the birthday planner

2008-03-14T15:07:00.007+08:00

In 10 days to come Erica will turn 1 year old. And of course we are busy preparing for her birthday bash that is plan to be held on 29th March 2008. Why late and not much earlier? It is because ... hubby is so nice to bring us all to Jordan for our holiday and also as another presents for me and Erica's birthday...

As of now what we had prepared are some goody bags, door gifts and invitation cards for the party. The items in the bags are all bought in Malaysia when hubby went back in February. Betapaku memaksa suamiku mencari semuanya untuk anak tercinta...

Why we are so excited preparing for the birthday bash is because this is the 1st time we are celebrating our child's birthday. We never had the opportunity to celebrate it as family during Ehsan's 1st & 2nd birthday since me & Ehsan were always in Malaysia for summer holiday. So for Erica's 1st birthday we decided to do all out for her and execute it by ourself. From the cards to door gifts to decoration and also food. Despite being tired preparing it we know we will be happy with the result. We will be proud and happy for her.

So here are some pictures of the preparation. We had to do all these once the kids are already in their dreamland. Usually we will start at 12 pm until 3 am. Ini baru birthday party. I don't know how it would look like if it is their wedding ceremony later on....Hmmmm sungguh advance....

So here are some of the stuff that I put in the goody bag for the kids together with some sweets and a boxed drink.

Paper blowouts....

Eraser....

Balloon....

Note book a.k.a buku hutang....

Pencil.....

Stamp....

Here are pictures of hubby decorating the invitation card to be send out. Designs and ideas were done by both of us. We need to send it out before our holiday on 19th March.

Hubby kusyuk buat kerja....

A sample of the card....

The invitation cards....

Last but not least is the door gift for the parents on that day. Hubby made it. It is a collection of Ehsan & Erica's favorite music plus a video clip hubby made specially for Erica.

Erica's VCD...

Mee rebus

2008-03-11T15:08:00.005+08:00

After a great birthday celebration and a long break from cooking, I had to find back the spirit, strength and energy to make the kitchen smoke again...

So I tried to do mee rebus as thought by Kak Intan a neighbor staying above us. I always like her mee rebus so I decided to make a try before she went back to Malaysia for her son's wedding.

So here it goes the recipe without any proper measurement. Ikut suka la nak campak banyak mana ek.... Enjoy!!

Ingredients:-

Dried chilies - blend
Onion - blend
Garlic - blend
Ginger - blend
Dried shrimp - blend

Beef - boil till tender
Prawn
Sweet potato - boil & blend
Tomato Sauce
Chicken cube
Salt & sugar

Methods :-

1. Heat oil, stir-fry all blended ingredients until oil rises except dried shrimp and sweet potato.

2. Put in blended dried shrimp and stir well.

3. Add in tomato sauce, salt, sugar and chicken cube. Adjust seasoning to taste.

4. Add in the beef and prawn and let it cook for a while.

5. Pour the stock from the beef and blended sweet potato. Adjust the thickness to your liking.

6. Dish up into a bowl and serve with fish cake, mustard greens, bean sprouts, bean curd, red chilies and boiled egg.

7. Ready to eat....

Birthday Celebration - Part 3

2008-03-11T01:59:00.002+08:00

As mentioned earlier my birthday celebration will be celebrated 3 days and 3 nights. And the final day of the celebration which is on 8th March, were just the 2 of us. Where?? It was the same place for any occasion. Rotana Hotel. For the time being this is the nice place to dine in despite for its good service and varieties of food. Later when new places were build we may change our preference. Hmmmm bila tu???

We spend the night without the kids tag along. It was such a wonderful dinner without any disturbance. This time we had an ala-carte since we had enough of the buffet set before.

The pictures are what we had on that night.

Orange juice - for me

Shirley temple - hubby's - the taste sucks!

1/4 grilled chicken with black pepper gravy - mine

Hamburger - hubby's

And with a wonderful dinner that nite, it end a meaningful 3-0 celebration for me. Hopefully I could still be around for another decade to celebrate another 3 days and 3 nights. Hehehehe...

For my lovely hubby - thank you for all the nice presents and soon to come surprise for us.

For my cheeky Ehsan - Despite you had pulled down mama's cake I still love you....

For my cutey Erica - Mama had already plan for your special day darling and Baba had a surprise for you too....

Birthday Celebration - Part 2

2008-03-09T22:45:00.003+08:00

My birthday celebration continued on 7th March as we celebrated in Kandahar, Sudan. It is a very famous place to experience a fresh kharuf cooked in front of your eyes. Kharuf is sheep in Arabic. Anyone who doesn't eat sheep or lamb will have a second thought when come to Sudan. Why? Because the kharuf doesn't have that strong smell and taste after cooked. Believe me. I love eating kharuf.

But bare this in mind if you really want to try it. The place that you are going to doesn't look and smell pleasant. For those who really concern about hygiene then it will be a big NO! But it doesn't mean the place is soooo dirty. Alhamdulillah (touch wood) so far nothing bad happen after we had a great meal over here. You have to come really early in the morning as the cooking process really takes time. The best time is during November till March as the weather is cooler.

There were supposed 3 families joining us; Salina's, Zila's and my family. But Zila had to canceled at a very last minute as her husband had a gout attack. So just us and Salina's family and 2 of Zila's daughter. It was fun celebrating with friend that love to eat. Thanks Kak Sally. Nanti sebelum balik kita makan lagi....

How you place you order?

Step 1 : You choose the fresh kharuf meat hanging at the stall

Step 2 : Just tell them how many kilos you need

Step 3 : Tell the lady how do you like it to be prepare

Step 4 : Another lady will prepare the salad

Step 5 : And there you go....yummy...

The preparation of kahwa (coffee) & chai (tea)

Birthday Celebration - Part 1

2008-03-08T14:24:00.003+08:00

I guess I had a wonderful birthday celebration this year. A big 3-0 mama will be celebrating 3 days and 3 nights this year. Not only with beloved hubby and kids but also with a few dear friends that are so thoughtful and kind to celebrate it together with us.

On 6th March itself we celebrate it at one of Sudanese local restaurant called Amwaj. Since I had the free coupon voucher from the family day last week so we thought it will be wasted if we don't use it. And luckily that hubby realized that the voucher valid until my birthday. So it was a good planning for celebrating it the whole family.

And the icing on the cake was that the voucher covered the entire amount for the lunch ordered! Isn't that wonderful?? We had shish tawook (Grilled chicken cube) and fried fish (Grilled fish cube) accompanied with salata (salad) and shata (hot spice like sauce) and some french fries. Hubby is so nice to come over from office to have lunch together with us.

Us in front of the restaurant

Ehsan is showing his creativity with the leftover bread

Later that night we were supposed to have a nice night out just the 2 of us but a dear friend Salinda and David had invited us to a Jazz Concert performed by the students at one of the International School in Soba (KICS). I was amazed watching the students playing various kind of instruments, sing and dance. Wish Ehsan and Erica had the opportunity one day.

Later we went for some drinks at a cafe in Amarat - Dabanga Cafe. It was a great evening that we almost forgot that time had already pass midnight.

Performance by the students

Nazri, David, Salinda, me & hubby

Birthday girl with beloved hubby

Birthday Celebration

2008-03-07T14:23:00.006+08:00

Hubby brought back a cake a day earlier for my birthday to celebrate it with the kids since he said that he wanted to spend some time alone just the 2 of us. Upon looking at the cake Ehsan was the first one to be so excited that he knows that he will get the chance to blow the candle. Before we are ready for the small celebration we put the cake on the freezer in the kitchen. Both hubby and me was busy in the room and suddenly Ehsan went missing. 5 minutes later he came to the room and asked hubby to follow him to the kitchen.

Ehsan was so excited that he no longer can wait for all of us getting ready to cut the cake. And what happened next??? The cake was all on the floor! OMG he had pulled the box and the cake fell down. I was so upset that I had no mood to celebrate it. Thank god that the cake is still in one piece and still can be safe.

But later we did celebrate it just the 4 of us. Thank you hubby for being so nice and loving.

Cake yang telah diselamatkan

My love of my life

And not forgetting the presents for the big 3-0 mama....Thank you for remembering my special day. And not forgetting to all friends and family for all the wishes.

Liz Claiborne handbag from hubby

New Sony Ericsson phone also from hubby

Another present from hubby of course

Quilt cover from far - Kak Eli & Kak Lind (my Best Friends)

Three Decades - 6th March 1978

2008-03-06T14:30:00.000+08:00

Time passed by so fast that I didn't realize that I am already reaching the figure '3' in my life. Life has always been changing from the beginning. I have gone through the hurdles - the ups and downs of life. If only I could refresh my memories - I would love to trace every bit of my life. But it would be too long to put in the entry; I guess a summary of my life for the past 30 years would be enough!

1st decade (1978-1988)

I was born in the hills of Cameron Highlands in the morning of 6th March. Being the youngest in the family I have always been pampered by my parents and siblings. And since I am the only one who had the 'kemek' nose, I always teased by the rest. Since I was born in a place full of fresh vegetables, they always said that my parents found me in a cabbage patch! or that I was actually a Chinese girl adopted by my parents. Being so naive I believed them and continue life as it was.

When I turned 3, my parents moved to Sungai Petani, Kedah and we lived there for 7 years. I attended kindergarten and primary school there. I didn't remember a lot of this period except that I spent most of my time with my brother, Aman, whilst my eldest brother had already moved to KL and my sister was at UTM Skudai. Aman also eventually left to continue his secondary school education in MRSM, Jasin. So I ended up alone, with nobody - but life was good as I had a lot of neighbours (mostly Chinese).

Daddy realized that he also missed my brother and sister , so much so that he requested for a transfer to IKM, which was also in Jasin (hence nearer to everyone down south). So my 2nd decade started in a new place with new people and new environment.

2nd decade (1988 - 1999)

I finished the 2 years of my primary school in Jasin plus my first year in secondary school. We only stayed there for 3 years, but until now I still cherish the moments there! Mebe it was because I was growing up and making new friends. I got my first admier when I was 12 years old - baligh pun belum lagi! I still laugh when I think back. I remember saying to myself that I wanted to marry a man from Malacca, who has a 'kampung' for me to go back for the holidays. Little did I know Allah would be granting me that wish...

When I was 14, and in form 2, daddy had to be transferred to another IKM, this time in Manjung. So there I was placed at SMKA Azlan Shah in Seri Iskandar - hehe, a Sekolah Agama! But I just stayed until after the PMR and since my Arabic wasn't good, daddy decided to take me out from the school and let me finish my form 4 & 5 in Convent, Sitiawan (yes...another sekolah Agama...).

Life back then was really a 'torture' for me as my dad was really strict and I don't have that freedom like teenagers have nowadays. Neither did I have the chance to go to my friends house during the weekends nor going to the shopping mall by myself. Daddy was really strict to the level that he filtered all incoming calls! Letter writing for sure is a big NO!!! That is why I guess I became so rebellious...

I had a good result in SPM and continued to do my Advanced Diploma in KL. Finally being away from my parents allowed me to start showing my 'taring': I was suspended from college for a semester for fighting with my classmate (lelaki ye..) in the middle of a lecture. Ni bergaduh yg siap nak bertumbuk ni.....But lucky for me, that my appeal to continue in the next semester was approved. I still remember how mad daddy became, after being called by the principal due to my actions. Brutal gila anak Pak Saleh ni....

But after that 'episode', I really worked hard and earned my Advanced Diploma in 1999. Kira dah bertaubat la....

3rd decade (1999 - 2008)

I was really lucky to be accepted to continue my degree in PPP-ITM (now UiTM section 18) even before my final results came out. Alhamdulillah, my wish to earn a degree like my brothers and sister was starting to come true.

Love : this is a totally new experience for me. Being loved, in love and hurt. Am not bragging but I did have 'tons' of admirers and boyfriends - back then. Well, I guess it was a normal thing to happen in someone life when we were young. The longest relationship I ever had lasted for 3 years and it was always a distance relationship. I guess the saying that long distance relationship won't work, was true enough - at least for me that is. Those experiences have made me wiser to continue life each and every day.

I started my career in Malaysia Airports the same week I graduated. It was really a happy moment in my entire life (apart from my wedding) and I can see the happiness in my parents' eyes. I didn't just bring joy to them, but also proving that I could be successful despite my disobedience. I always had happy memories while I was working - Having a good career and opportunities in young age made me proud of myself.

And it also happend to be the year that I found love again. Little that I knew that the man I knew only for 2 months would be sharing my life with me. Mummy and Daddy was really happy to know about the news as they thought I won't be getting married, considering all of the past break-ups. On the night of 5th September, 2003 I was officially declared as Mrs. EZALMAN REEZAL. The tears streamed - it was really mixed feelings: Sad for the fact that daddy had 'released' his responsibility to another man; Excited for the fact the ceremony went on smoothly. Nervous for the fact that I would be holding a new responsibility as a wife... But mostly I am happy for the fact that I am my parents biological daughter (hehehehe haunting sampai ke tua!)

After almost 5 years of marriage to the man I love and being gifted with 2 beautiful and smart children, I now appreciate my parents more for all the sacrifices and never ending love they have provided to us until we became somebody in the world. There is nothing more that I can wish for, except for the hope that I remain in good health and be able to spend the coming decades seeing my children grow up. Hoping also that this new 'figure' would make me become more wiser and always bersyukur...

p/s
Got surprises from hubby and my best friends in Malaysia. Will upload the pics in the next entry

Family day

2008-03-02T03:05:00.003+08:00

We had Petronas Family yesterday at Green Village Hotel in Burri. It was great to spend and get together with other Petronas' families and staff. The event started at 8.00 am until 1.00 p.m but we went back earlier since the kids are already tired. Well actually maknye.....

Lot of activities had been organized from kids at the age of 4 up to adults. Hubby asked me to register Ehsan for the fashion show. He planned to put Ehsan on Spiderman costume. But I disagree with him as I feel Ehsan is still small and will be shy later on the stage. Maybe next year perhaps if they organize it again. Thinking back rasa regret pulak. Hmmmmmm.........

There were several games had been organized by the committee such as:

1- Fashion show for kids age 4 - 8
2- Hot dog eating contest for boys age 9 - 12
3- Carrying sweets with mouth for girls age 9 - 12
4- 'Kelim' karipap for teenager girls
5- Limbo rock for teenager boys
6- 'Teka rasa' for men n women
7- Games for families
8- Miming contest
9- Inter block show

Meanwhile Ehsan had his own way of enjoying the day. He enjoyed playing with sand. On the other hand, I was so lucky that my lucky draw number was called - 163. Just like my birth date accept for the '1'. Hehehehehe......It was a free meal voucher at one of Sudanese Restaurant in Khartoum - AMWAJ worth SDG 60 (USD 30).

It was so fun even though tiring that all of us 'knock out' that evening.

The lucky girl....

Hot dogs eating contest

Limbo rock

Teka rasa

Family game

Ehsan and the koncos.....

Blog Addict

2008-02-27T23:33:00.001+08:00

I come across of this test of how addicted am I towards blogging. It turns out that am not that bad. Meaning am equally balance between my life and blogging.

But I just love to see whoever reading this entry to do it as I love to know your rating......

Especially to Salina, Nazlyn, Abg Azlie and Deary hubby.

55%

Ikan mentah...

2008-02-25T21:18:00.011+08:00

In the last cooking class we learned to ‘cook’ Umai Sarawak. However, it is actually raw fish mixed with ginger, onion, chillies and importantly, lime juice (limau nipis) – the acid in the juice actually cooks the fish!

It was really weird at first thinking whether it would be nice to eat and if I can swallow it! But it turned out to be delicious and I finished mine within minutes. It’s really nice to enjoy it by itself, with rice or together with ambuyat (a sticky glue made from tepung sagu).

I attempted to make the umai myself – it didn’t taste exactly the same as I only had limau purut. Yelah, living in Sudan – we don’t have all the ingredients right, so we have to make do.

For those interested in trying it, here is the recipe.....

Bahan-bahannya:-

1 ekor ikan tenggiri (isi di hiris)

1 sudu makan kacang tumbuk

1 sudu makan cuka

10 biji limau kasturi (perah)

1 inci halia muda (hiris halus)

1 btg sawi asin (hiris halus)

10 biji cili merah (hiris halus)

2 biji bawang besar (hiris halus)

garam secukup rasa

Cara-caranya:-

1. Isi ikan yang telah dihiris halus, di masukkan garam, cuka dan air limau. Biarkan selama 10 minit.

2. Kemudian masukan semua bahan hiris dan kacau sampai rata.

3. Akhir sekali masukan kacang tumbuk.

4. Simpan didalam peti sejuk sebelum dihidang.

Birthday Wishes

2008-02-20T02:07:00.008+08:00

This entry I dedicated to 3 wonderful person in my family who will be celebrating their birthday every other day. Wishes them a happy time without us around.....

Farah - 19th February (29th Anniversary)

I wish I weren't
So far away
Then I could help
Celebrate your birthday

Even though
We're far apart
You're always close
In my heart

Mummy - 20th February (67th Anniversary)

I always knew I was loved
By all your hugs and kisses
Even now that I have grown up
And became a Mrs.

When I acted up
Your punishment was fair
You've given me my self esteem
By all your loving care

Thank you mom for everything
I truly do love you
I'm hoping that my children
Feel the same in everything I do

Baba - 22nd February (62nd Anniversary)

This loving message I send to you
Is filled with gratitude
For all the loving things
For me that you do

The special things that you say
In your quiet way
Always manage somehow
To brighten up my day

I send to you warm wishes
That your happiness will be
As wonderful as the happiness
You have always given me

Seri Muka attempt

2008-02-16T20:54:00.011+08:00

My first attempt of my entire life making seri muka turns out well. Ehsan love to eat it especially the upper layer. Hubby loves too even though he is not so much fan for the sweet kuih. The only slack is the upper layer is more thicker than the below one. The thickness is suppose to be just nice between the two.

The reason of me making the seri muka is as buah tangan for a house warming party hosted by hubby's boss. Since I just learned it from the cooking class plus kepingin ingin merasa that I tried it. And bravo to me that it turns out nice.

Thank you to Kak Yati for sharing the recipe with us. Enjoy!!

Lapisan atas

8 biji telur (8 kuning, 6 putih)

450g gula pasir

2 ½ cawan santan pekat

1 cawan susu Ideal

1 cawan air pandan/ 1 cawan air + esen pandan

4 camca besar tepung gandum

4 camca besar tepung kastad

2 penutup botol esen vanilla

2 penutup botol esen hijau

Lapisan bawah

3 cawan pulut direndam semalaman

1 ½ cawan santan

1 cawan air

1 ½ sudu kecil garam

Untuk pes gam

3 sudu besar tepung gandum

5 sudu besar air

Cara-caranya:-

1. Kukus pulut dengan air sampai empuk.Setelah empuk, gaulkan dengan santan yang telah dicampur garam dan kukus semula sehingga masak.

2. Setelah masak, tekan pulut dalam loyang sehingga rata dan licin.

3. Buatkan pes gam dan ratakan atas pulut tadi dan kukus semula selama 10 minit atau sehingga panas.

4. Pukul telur dengan gula sehingga gula hancur dan masukkan santan dan susu. Tuang tepung perlahan-lahan dan campurkan kedua-dua esen dan air pandan. Tapis.

5. Tuangkan adunan kastad ke atas pulut tadi dan kukus selama 1/2 jam sehingga masak.

Erica Sick

2008-02-11T22:00:00.002+08:00

Erica was up in the middle of the night coughing non stop. At first we thought she was having a normal cough until I heard the loud wheezing. Waked hubby up to look on her condition and he decided to attempt to draw out the mucus thru her nose. We tried the 'sucker' instrument, but no success. However, Erica was fine when I held her up but the wheezing continued once I put her down. Since she was feeding and looked comfortable we tried not to worry.

But it was a traumatic incident for me that night - I just couldn't continue sleeping. All the bad memories when Ehsan was sick a year ago started to haunt me. I started telling hubby that I wanted to bring Erica back to Malaysia. Being sick here is no joke for me! I was really afraid if the kids fell sick and I still have doubt over the facilities and the equipment they have here.

Early in the morning hubby and I went to our nice Egyptian paediatrician - Dr. Amanda. After she did her check up, she said Erica had bronchitis. Dr Amanda had Erica on the nebulizer and a prescription. Dr. Amanda gave us 5 days until the next check up to see Erica's improvement. Until then we just had to make sure the medicine was given to her accordingly.

In the mean time both hubby and I were praying for her to get well soon. I hate looking at my kids being sick. I wish I could just take away all the pain...

Pity her....

Bowling

2008-02-10T02:37:00.001+08:00

Hubby had a family outing organized by Country Office today. They had a bowling tournament at the only shopping mall available in Khartoum -AFRA (hehe also the only bowling alley in Sudan!). We arrived at the center at 9.30 even before the center was open. But we were kept waiting for the rest to come and also for the owner to fix the bowling alley machinery - so we only started at 11.00 am.

It was really sad to find the alleys not being well maintained. They had 8 lanes but only 4 can be used at a time. The pin machine wasn't working properly. The pins will come out 9 or 8 at a time instead of 10. It was really frustrating but we just try having fun with the facilities available.

They also had pool tables and an old Daytona racing video game - but again the machines weren't in good condition. So while hubby was busy playing I tried to brush-up my skill in pool. It was really difficult to push the 'stick' (hubby tells me its called a 'cue'!) while at the same time aiming to shot the balls. But we were doing something different, and that was exciting!

We had lunch with the rest of the staff after bowling. Hubby's group was announced as 3rd place winners (hehe there were only 4 teams pun) and he was named 5th top scorer overall.

Strike !!!!

Hubby's team - from left: Ezal, Sarah, Sally, Nusral (Hubby's big boss), Abd Rahim, Amin Hashim, and Shariff

Full of style

Buang Tabiat

2008-02-09T02:36:00.004+08:00

Harini entry pendek je on my hubby. I guess masa sekolah he never had the chance to do this that today he just done it. Tapi nampak sangat tidak professional...

p/s Taken during the bazaar today.

Gaya lelaki macho...

Apa tengok-tengok???

Tak nampak asap keluar

Rida Modern School

2008-02-07T03:59:00.008+08:00

Today Petronita got an invitation to visit by a school for students with special needs in Khartoum; the Rida Modern School.

It is a non-profit organisation, established in 1993. Their focus is on pre-education level up to higher secondary level, and it is the only special needs school in Sudan that adopts the mainstream curicullum as a policy for education. They have 23 staff members and 135 students to care for.

The categories of students that are accepted are:

1. Normal children
2. Mild and moderate hearing children
3. Slow learners and students with dyslexia
4. Physically impaired
5. Mentally challenged

Recently the school sent 5 participants to the Special Olympics held in Beijing, China. They won 5 medals, including a gold. Although, this is the 1st time that Sudan sent athletes to the Special Olympics, they managed to show that their physical impairments do not limit their chances of achieving success in their life. Besides that, 8 of their students will be sitting for the Sudan Higher School Certificate as well.

The students that won the medals

The students that will be sitting for the Sudan Higher School Certificate

Being handicapped also doesn't stop them from being creative. They are not only learning on the curriculum taught but also making handcraft.

Some of the handicrafts

We had such a nice time with the kids. They were really appreciative and they entertained us with their shows and offered us refreshments.

It makes me realize how lucky we are to be born healthy and have normal lives. We left the kids with fond memories...

Illaliqouk ... 'til we meet again........

With the children and staff

Me with Mdm. Hind Mamoun Baheri (The Governor of Khartoum State's wife)

Potty Train

2008-02-03T16:02:00.005+08:00

We went to Khartoum Jubilee Fair last 30th January. There held an exhibition and had lots of small booths along the hall selling things from cutlery to clothes to toys. Ehsan's couldnt resist but to buy all the toys displayed. And we end up buying a potty train for Ehsan...

I told hubby that one of my resolution for this year is to potty train Ehsan before he reach 3 years old. Hmmmm we'll see whether it can be achieve or not.

So here are a few pictures I snap while Ehsan is trying to do his 'business' last night. It turn out he gave a false alarm. Anyhow it is a nice try for the beginning.

Ehsan with his new potty

Just like the father.....

p/s Today also is my nephew's birthday....

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY TO MY HANDSOME NEPHEW

MOHAMMAD IZZUDIN HAFIZ

Bijrawia, Shendy

2008-02-02T20:55:00.007+08:00

At last after 2 years in Khartoum, we finally went to one of Sudan's famous pyramid in Bijrawia, Shendy. We went there yesterday morning and the journey took us the whole day. The archaeological site of ancient kingdom of Shendi at Bijrawia are the remains of a royal cemetery from Meroetic kingdom between 300 B.C and 300 A.D. The pyramids are much smaller compared to their well-known counterparts in Egypt.

The journey to the pyramid took 3 hours plus as we had to stop at 3 check points for us to pay the entrance fee and also for them to check the passports. Ala-ala macam nak masuk Siam gitu...There were 5 families on this trip; Mahmood Hisham's, Shafino's, Zapri's, Zabuddin's and us plus 5 vehicles including 3 vans, 1 4WD and 1 car.

We started the journey at 9.30 am. Since the journey was so far, we had to take our breakfast in the van while the kids were so boring that they went to sleep. There is nothing much to look along the way. It was just like traveling across the desert.

Some of the sceneries along the way.....

We arrived there at 12.30 p.m and spend an hour from camel riding to walking and sliding to taking pictures. It was so tired to walk across the sand and dune but it was great since the weather was so nice. But for Ehsan, it was a happy moment for him as he could be walking freely without any disturb.

He had an exciting moment by himself...

The excavations at Bijrawia started in the 19th century, when the Europeans made their 1st archaelogical expeditions into Nubia. When the British took control over Sudan in its new boundaries, part of the treasury had been brought to Paris, Munich and Berlin. As most of the remains was left unprotected at that time, it experienced severe damage by the steady action of winds and dust storms over the decades of this century.

Today the most urgent preservation work is done a by small group of specialist and supported by the Sudanese government and some international aid.

One of the pyramid...

My 1st camel riding experience with Erica

Me with the kids

Hubby & Erica

The four of us...

Me sliding down the dune

We then stopped at the near by village which has a huge tree and a small river bank and had our lunch over there. It was great as all the families brought along lots of foods to be shared. We ate and pray and later continue our journey back to Khartoum at around 3.30p.m. We safely arrived home at 6.45 pm.

Lunch time....

We are not only had such a tiring day but also happy time plus we also bring back some sand in our shoes, jean's pocket and inside Ehsan's diaper for 'memories'. LOL

Babies Day Out

2008-01-26T20:52:00.004+08:00

Since it is still winter and the weather is so nice to do outdoor activities, we decided to have our breakfast in one of the famous bakery shop in Khartoum, Ozone. It is a bakery shop plus cafe with lots of tables for us to enjoy our breakfast. While we were having such a lovely time, the kids were having fun playing at the small park near the area.

This is one of the place that we will hang out for some time out with the kids.

The next player for Arsenal/MU

Erica is practicing to become one too...

Am enjoying my breakfast....

While hubby playing with Ehsan

Good Bye My Friend......

2008-01-26T03:45:00.002+08:00

The count down had come to an end. Our dear friend, Razman n Adila went back for good to Malaysia today. They had been staying in Khartoum for 3 years and it is time for them to return back. It was a sad evening to send them off at the airport. We may not spend so much time together but we do share some problems and stories when we meet up.

We wish them a happy journey and good luck in new upcoming life in Malaysia. We gonna miss both u!!!

Us at the Assaha a few nights back

A dear friend that would be miss.......

10th month of Erica

2008-01-24T17:35:00.011+08:00

Erica turns 10 months old today. And at 10 months Erica had grown up to be such a beautiful girl. She may have had several differences compared to Ehsan at this age, but she is growing up healthily. I would like to recall her development for the past 10 months.

1. She started to roll over by herself 1 week after we came back to Sudan - 25th August 2007. She was 5 months old.

2. At the age of 6 months she started crawling.

3. She started standing by holding to sofas at the age of 8 months.

4. We thought that since she had already started standing she would start walking as early as Ehsan but it turns out she was just 'lazy' to do so. Instead she can stand still without any help at the age of 9 months.

5. She had her first tooth on 10th January 2008 whilst Ehsan had his at the age of 1 year old. She now has 2 teeth.

6. She loves and likes to eat especially the food that I prepared. She can eat everything and anything! It is easy to care for her.

7. She loves to bathe. She would cry once the shower is turned off.

8. She is very hard to please especially when she wants to sleep. She would crawl over the bed to find her best spot before she could start dreaming.

9. Being the only daughter as of now, she is hubby's beloved lil girl! She would look for hubby the moment she wakes up in the morning. I guess she's going to be Baba's daughter when she grows up!

10. And the obvious thing that differs from Ehsan is that she has loads of hair!

But what ever different they had, we love them as the way they are. They make our live happy and give meaning to each and every day for us.

New Layout for new year

2008-01-23T20:54:00.005+08:00

It was already 2 years since we moved into this apartment. Ever since then we didn't do much with the entire look of it. Since all the furnitures provided are based on Arabic taste plus we are not going to settle over here, so we just make do. The very first things we bought way back 2 years ago was 2 new carpets. We bought it because the floor was bare and didn't look nice and also the carpet provided by the company doesn't suit the entire furniture. Sofa brown carpet blue...!

And after 2 years and having 2 growing up kids we guess we need to change the layout to suit the condition of the kids. Y did I said that?

The pictures below shows the layout when we first moved in. We made it look more like a 'cordon' since it helped Ehsan learn to walk. We did bring his walker in our kontena but it only arrived after 3 months; by that time it was useless as Ehsan had started to run already.

We also turned the other side of the living room into a play area for Ehsan.

So now after we had Erica we have to arrange back to make it look more spacious. Y??? It made our apartment look bigger. Ehsan can use it as his 'football field', and Erica can start her walking lessons using her walker in a spacious area. Plus we hanged some on the wall.

The playing area still remains, but with the extra addition of a new television for both the kids to watch their cartoon DVDs. Since Ehsan always - and still does - conquers the main television we have, hubby is so nice to bought a new one for him.

As for me, my 'spending time' area also had a new look with a new cabinet bought all the way from Malaysia. So now I had all the files nicely organized at the cabinet and also a more empty table for me to do my work.... (so where's my TV, abang??)

Macaroni Bakar

2008-01-21T17:36:00.006+08:00

Today was my turn to teach the cooking class. The menu is just a simple one. Baked Macaroni!. The only problem is I am very good at remembering to take pictures at other classes but not during mine. So these are the only pics available for my keeping.

I would also like to share this simple recipe. The trick is to use the stove instead of baking it in the oven. But make sure the pan you are using wont burn it out.

Enjoy!!

Lakonan semula dari actress yang sporting

Posing after class

Bahan :

250 gm macaroni – rebus & tos

3-4 sudu besar marjerin

3 biji bawang besar – potong dadu

4 biji lobak merah (size sdg) – potong dadu

1 tin cendawan butang – potong dadu

2 tin tuna – mayonis / pedas

6-8 biji telur – blend

1 paket cheese keping

Garam

Cara-caranya:-

1. Panaskan marjerin hingga cair dan tumiskan bawang besar hingga nampak translucent.

2. Masukkan lobak merah biar hingga empuk dan masukkan cendawan.

3. Masukkan tuna dan kacau hingga sebati.

4. Perasakan dengan garam dan masukkan macaroni yang telah direbus

5. Tutup api

6. Tuangkan telur ke dalam adunan macaroni tadi dan kacau biar sebati. Padatkan adunan.

7. Susun cheese di atas permukaan adunan dan masak lebih kurang 30 – 45 minit.

2nd Anniversary

2008-01-19T17:34:00.009+08:00

Anxious, excited, happy, nervous, sad are those feelings that I had when we first came to this continent 2 years ago. I was happy for the new experience and lifestyle that we would face. Nervous for what those unexpected things. Sad that I have to leave behind my career and opportunities that came at that time. But I always remember what my parents & parents-in-law always said - "Ikut je husband pegi mana even kalau dia masuk hutan". So that was what made me think deeper and made the decision to follow hubby.

Imagine the feeling when you first see the country from the sky and it has little to compare with when landing at KLIA. You can see lights everywhere. The feeling worsened when I first saw the condition of the airport -the so called 'international' airport - at that time. There has been changes (still not a KLIA!) but better than before. I had to make do with the limited rations that we brought with us; our 'kontena' would only arrive 3 months later. Tension la jugak masa tu. Dah la Ehsan only drink a soy base milk which is not available here. Even though I thought I was prepared mentally and physically, but I faced difficulty when actually facing the situation myself.

It was winter when we first arrived. Having to be in the kitchen all the time and constant contact with cold water made my skin terrible and horrible! It was sore, cracked and also luka - it just made me so depreseed during the first few months here. But I was lucky too - I made some nice friends, friends who can share and exchange views on 'surviving' here.

Having stayed here for the past 2 years I can see a lot of positive and negative sides:

+ve side :
1- I got to bring up my kids my way, by myself, without interference
2- Sudan has taught us to be independent, wiser and mature
3- To appreciate and always be thankful of how lucky we are to be Malaysian
4- I got to prepare the food for the family everyday without fail. (once in a while bila malas tak kira la....!)
5- I get to experience my kids' development and achievements. Kalau kat Malaysia selalunya bibik yang dapat tengok dulu.
6- The country is much safer compared to Malaysia.
7- Learning about a new culture and religion. Even though it is a Muslim country but they follow Mazhab Hambali which is different from our believe.
8- In term of food, there is nothing to worry about since the meat is slaughtered in the islamic way.

-ve side :
1- The weather is too hot during summer. (50 degree days!)
2- The country is full with orang-orang yang 'bodoh sombong'.
3- Full of reckless drivers
4- The Facilities are not up to date
5- The quality of work here is not good

So on our 2nd anniversary of our arrival in Sudan, I am grateful to be brave enough to leave all the good things and opportunities in my life to bring Ehsan and follow hubby to Khartoum. We celebrated by going on a picnic at Burri Beach (yes, even the Nile has a sandy beach!). We just let Ehsan & Erica spend the time playing in the sand, making sand castles and putting up the Jalur gemilang. (The weather was nice, but a bit cold so the kids needed to wear extra layers).

Erica trying to rake the sand

Ehsan making a sand castle

...a happy moment for both of them