Aidil Fitri 2008

we have just had our raya. contrary to what i wrote in the previous posting, it was considered 'meriah'. last nite kakak made kuah laksa johor, boiled nasi himpit and prepared rencah for kuah kacang. i was just too tired to do anything last night, slept at 9.30pm and woke up an hour later to prepare lecture notes for thursday's class. this morning i woke up at 6.30am masak kuah kacang, boiled 'ketupat palas' and baked marble cake. by 10am everything was ready and so were the kids.
mimi & family arrived at 11am, brought rendang ayam and pulut kuning. then herlina & family arrived at around noon, bawak daging dendeng and kuah lodeh.

makanan penuh meja...of course when our table is small and meant for 4 people !! aliyah loved pulut kuning.

hubby came home for lunch with his boss Richard who's quite adventurous and tried everything on the table. i even tau-pau nasi himpit, pulut kuning & kuah kacang for his wife Jane.

we spent the day having a good laugh watching vcd - Diva Popular which i brought from msia; makan few rounds and our guests left at 5pm.

our next break

this morning i confirmed the accommodation for our next break. after few weeks of searching for 'cheap and good' place to stay, i finally decided where we will be going for our week long break between xmas and new year.

despite what people say about the british weather and that year end is not the best time to enjoy Devon & Cornwall but its 'high season' during xmas holidays. accommodation are not cheap and most places are booked in advance.

3 months to go....

Eid Mubarak 2008

"Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Maaf Zahir Batin" kepada semua kaum keluarga dan sahabat handai; dimana jua anda berada.....

this is going to be our 3rd raya di perantauan. sama macam tahun2 yang lepas, it will be just us and mimi & family. the only difference, kakak (hubby's sister) is here with us and mimi's mom is back in msia.


guess its going to be a quiet one; hubby's not taking day off sebab dah habis cuti balik malaysia. he will just come home for lunch to have the raya spread; aisyah is off from school just for the day and i'm taking 2 days off. honestly, i kinda miss the raya atmosphere especially being around family and friends. yang tak miss nya, traffic jam nak balik kampong if we raya in KB!

back to teaching

i had a long day yesterday; 6 hours of teaching. i have to stand in for my colleague Sani who's gone back to msia for a month holiday.

my 'audience' was the MA (Masters of Art) Property Management students. there were 70 of them, 'mature' students who had gained their first degree in archeology, history, music, sports, economics, business admins to name quite a few which make it quite interesting. they are eager, participate in the activities and engaging.

we had a good laugh yesterday when i asked them do some Area calculation of irregular shaped building plans to 'refresh' their mathematical ability. they were competing against each other; who could finish first or got the correct answer!

in 2 weeks time i will be seeing the undergrads, 240 new 1st year and around 120 2nd year students will be back 'to torture me' and vice versa ha!ha!

roast lamb leg

last nite for berbuka, we had roast lamb with the normal accompaniments - roasted carrots, tomatoes & brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and yorkshire pudding.























tonite, for berbuka, kakak made sup kambing with the leftover.

Nemo on ice

we are treating the kids (and ourselves) to Finding Nemo disney on ice at Trent FM Arena Nottingham on Saturday 4th Oct. we bought the tickets over the phone at £7 per person soon after i got their email sent to the Members Club; otherwise it would have cost us £18 per person.

tickets arrived in the post today..

SATC

finally, New York's hottest ladies strutted their stuff onto DVD, which i bought on the way home from work. the DVD is released today. i missed the movie at the cinema in june, tak de orang nak babysit the kids. when we went back to msia, they were not screened yet until end of august. lagipun kat msia, sure banyak scenes kena censored and we dont condone piracy!!

i bought it at woolworth at £9.90, ingatkan dah murah; sekali pergi tesco, they only cost £8!!! could have returned it to woolworth tapi malas. dapat free 'LOVE' keyring with the dvd, macam 'belia' sikit la pulak...








anyway, yesterday sempat gi tkmaxx kejap while we were in town. bought a new shoulder bag for work and classes for the new academic year. love the colour - bronze and the size and especially the price.....

back to the classroom

yes, i was back to the classroom as a learner, not a teacher...

yesterday i was at the university's clifton campus from 10am-4pm for the post grad cert in higher education, doing module 2 all over again. i've completed module 1 when i was pregnant with Aliyah, took time off before resuming module 2 in january but then, time was really tight with long teaching hours and i didnt have time to do the courseworks. so i decided to go back to classes to do module 2 again, hope to finish off in december and submit 2 pieces of coursework and the portfolio in january next year.

this morning, i was back in the classroom again, but this time at the university's park row building in the city, from 9-4pm; for the MSc in Project Management programme. i started the course in sept 2006 when i was 5 months pregnant with Aliyah. but then i stopped going to classes and didnt submit any work cos i had severe backpain and was advised to defer my studies. now that Aliyah is 20 months old and i get help from kakak, hubby and aisyah; its a good time to continue. after all its a distance learning programme, classes are held on weekends every 10 weeks. if all goes well, i hope to complete the programme in 2 1/2 years; well before i turn 50 ha!ha!

i vowed to myself that i have to start cracking early so that i can complete all courseworks before xmas holidays and enjoy the xmas break.

once the new academic term starts in mid october, i will be go back to uni as a full time teacher, teaching 3 full days a week from 9am to 6pm with probably 1 or 2 hours break in between. by the time i get home, i will be exhausted...but i cannot ignore the 'part time mom/housewife' duties and responsibilities.

stressful time

i'm going through a hard time now... Aliyah is almost 20 months old and eventually she has to stop 'clinging' to the 'susu gantung' but i find it quite stressful for both of us.


i spend more time at the office now that kakak (aunty yan to the kids) is here and i'm getting busier with the new term coming up in october and also with my post grad courses. that basically means aliyah doesnt drink breastmilk as frequent/as much during the day but the minute i get home, she just gets clingy and screams for her feed.


Aliyah's bedtime is distressing for both of us. i have to practically force her to take the bottle and she does, fearing that she would have to go to daddy if she doesnt. she would initially scream and push away the bottle, but eventually finish 4 oz formula milk then dozed off. but when she wakes up in the middle of the nite, she just refuses the bottle and i had to give in... kesian pulak tu; hisap sekejap pun tak apa then she goes back to sleep.


last wednesday i took both of them to the dentist. Aisyah's teeth were ok but some of Aliyah's teeth are decayed due to the 'clinging on' at nite after she brushes her teeth. its quite common for breastfed toddlers. their eastern european dentist whom i labelled as 'brutal and incompassionate' told me to stop breastfeeding Aliyah IMMEDIATELY! that was a bit harsh ...


now i'm trying to wean her slowly but mind you, its not easy and tearing me apart.

excerpt from www.breastfeedingmum.com

Although the World Health Organisation recommends continuing breastfeeding for at least two years, beyond this age breastfeeding is likely to be more of a comfortable habit for both you and your toddler. Older children have their own developed immune responses; they do not necessarily require the immune-boosting benefits breastmilk offers in the same way that small babies do. However, they may just prefer the taste of breastmilk and the tenderness that extended breastfeeding offers. After all, it is a guaranteed way to get a cuddle with their mother! And mom gets to enjoy a cuddle with her rapidly growing child too.
Deciding when to stop breastfeeding is a personal decision for each mother and her child. Until then, your decision to extend breastfeeding beyond baby and toddler-hood should be respected and even applauded! As with breastfeeding, extended breastfeeding should be an individual choice for each mother and child

cupcakes

i couldnt resist buying the 'cupcakes' recipe book this morning. the recipes are quite easy and the cakes look cute and fanciful... boleh la try buat for raya nanti.

easter cupcakes

birthday party fairy cake

cupcake wedding cake

halloween cupcakes

happy birthday ina

2 nites ago we invited Ina and family over for berbuka puasa, and at the same time to celebrate her birthday. she brought a chocolate mousse cake which was actually a birthday present. i cooked pilau rice 'hujan panas', gulai malbari daging, ayam madu and also popiah goreng.

gigantic onion

tadi our neighbour brian gave hubby some tomatoes from his garden and also this gigantic onion which he got from his friend who has a plot of land in the allotment behind our house.



isnt that huge or what??? it weighs 1.3kg, around 2.5lb.. tu pun brian kata ada lagi yang besar.

happy birthday to me

today i am 45, nothing to hide nor shout about.....

• in 5 years time i will hit the big 5-0;
• in 10 years time kalau kat msia, dah pencen....
• kalau rezeki still remains in the UK, it would be another 20 years before i can call myself OAP (Old Age Pensioners)/Senior Citizen...

at buka puasa time, i blew the birthday candles with the kids.

i cooked mee kari for berbuka and baked the gooey & fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cake, had it with double cream and fresh blackberries & raspberries.

i just hope to stay healthy, waras, murah rezeki, panjang umur for years to come to be able to raise my 2 kids and be a life companion to my dearest husband.

sarah amelie scavino

hello SARAH AMELIE SCAVINO!! Ainol & Eddy Omar Scavino welcome their first born on 9/9/2008, weighed 3.40kg at birth. congrats to the new parents...

got (curi) these photos from Oya's facebook. jealous nya tengok hidung dia mancung & rambut banyak !!

caramel croissant pudding

after reading mimi's email bercerita pasal dia buat croissant pudding, i decided to bake one for today's berbuka puasa since there are few pieces of croissants in the bread bin.

we used the same recipe, from Nigella Express cookbook. whoever reads this blog and wants to try making it, senang aja. i got everything done; from start to finished product in 1/2 hour.

ingredients

• 2 croissants
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 125ml double cream
• 125ml full fat milk
• 2 eggs, beaten

1. preheat oven to 180 degC/gas mark 4
2. tear the croissants into pieces and put in small gratin dish; i used the oval one (see picture)
3. put caster sugar and water into saucepan, swirl around to dissolve sugar, put the saucepan on hob over medium to high heat
4. caramelise the sugar and water by letting it bubble away, without stirring; about 3-5 minutes until it turns a deep amber/orange colour.
5. turn heat down to low, add cream and whisk away; add milk and keep whisking. take off heat and still whisking, add beaten eggs.
6. pour caramel custard over croissants and leave for 10 minutes. i added some raisins.
7. place in oven for 20 minutes.
   

tunggu la buka puasa nanti baru makan !!

mee rebus muar 'Adami'

age is getting at me - need reading glasses to read the instructions!!

last nite for berbuka, i tried the 'mee rebus muar Adami' paste which my friend Mira gave masa balik baru ni. sedappp!! rasa lebih kurang macam mee rebus pak itam kg melayu.

pretty easy to make, just rebus air & paste; i added daging. garnishing - taugeh celur, telur rebus, bawang goreng, tauhu goreng, lemon slices..yang takde cuma benderam (tak reti nak buat). then, letak kicap bila nak makan.

Aisyah makan bertambah, Aliyah tried but preferred mee with kicap aja.

we are 10

Saturday 6th Sept marked our 10th wedding anniversary and the best (or worst) part was that both of us forgotten about it until mid morning, on the way to the riding school. we just laughed it off!


we didnt do anything special for the day; i just made eton mess, one of his fav dessert and also popia goreng for berbuka puasa. hubby bought me a digital camera in msia; i havent got him anything yet. maybe i'll take him out on a date, after puasa.

whatever it is, we are just blessed with our life together, raising the 2 lovely girls ourselves, in a happy home before our very eyes. i just hope and pray for many more years of togetherness and happiness, Amin!

splish splash

yesterday at the riding school, aliyah found out betapa seronoknya main dalam lecak...

Atan is 2

today Atan is 2 and Ina had his birthday party at Twinlakes Park, near Melton Mowbray about 6 miles away from where they live. Atan shared the birthday party with his friend Owen.









wet and miserable weather over the weekend tapi ramai juga orang. most spend time in the indoor park. we got there at 2pm and party started at 3pm. aisyah was 'exempted' from puasa for the day!

when the sun was out again, we went on the outdoor rides and the kids (and the adults) enjoyed ourselves, screaming on the 'rather mild' rides









me & mimi and the girls on "the roller coaster"









aisyah & tisyia on "the high flyer"









the girls on "the verry mild mercury mini coaster"









me, mimi, faizal, daniel and tisyia on the gladiator galleon swinging ship.











hubby decided just to sit and watch and looked after aliyah. he just couldnt take the anxiety to be on the rides...that comes with age!!






we left at 5pm and adjourned to Ina's house for berbuka puasa; nasi biryani gam with dalca, poppadum, raita; finished off with kopi o and pengat pisang & jagung. i brought konnyoku fruit jelly.












me & ina and faizal before tucking the food in...