April Fool Weekend 1

Started of the April Fool weekend with the cancellation of my swimming class. I was actually looking forward to practice my swimming (sort of addicted hahaha) ever since I made it to swim the whole laps. Yupp it was such a big deal to someone like me to be able to do that. Am a bit frustrated, after all I drove all the way just to know they cancelled the class and Aqeelah kept asking why and why they need to clean the pool when its already clean etc…but am still in a happy mood because now I don’t have to rush home to get ready for my first outing with my “zebra” face (my sun block don’t really do the work ..berbelang2 muka after swimming).

Yes..my first outing without kids. It has been almost 6 years and am kindda looking forward to it. However Aqeelah really made a big fuss over it. She kept asking me why she wasn’t invited? Why am not going to bring her or Haaziq? When are you coming back? Why this why that. And am like, my dear why you are “concern” of me going out when you never bother when daddy go somewhere? She gave me her long face and went off. Haaziq on the other hand, doesn’t even care since he was too occupied with the Bubble gums. Hubby was supportive though because he knew that I do need some “time out” after many many years. The party was actually a going away party for our dear friend CL. It was the longest lunch ever at Cyberjaya Lodge Restaurant – the Verandah. Though am not really satisfied with the food I ordered, but the company of good old friends makes all the differences. It is nice to catch up with everybody and reminiscence the good times we had back there in Boston. Too bad Ain could not make it because her son, Aqin, was admitted due to asthma and not to forget Minah. Maybe next time..How about during CL’s wedding everyone? God Willing.

Back from left: Angah, Suriyati, Effie, Denn, Me. Front from left:Suriyati's boy-Ammar,KakNiza, CL

Hubby came to pick me up later. Kids were all showered and in their pyjamas. Who said hubby could not look after the kids.. Maybe next time I could have more “time out”? What do you reckon Yang? By the way, thanks again to Denna, Effie and CL for keeping me company. And again thanks for a wonderful day everyone and CL good luck to your new life.

Not a good day!

It has not been a good day for me today. It started out pretty ok until the cashier at McD took someone else order before me! Didn't she see me standing there with 2 loud kids running here and there? and didn't the other person whom being served before me saw me standing there just slightly next to her? I wanted to complaint to the manager but NO i choose not to do that. Maybe this is another way to test my level of patience. Finally, we had our lunch and kids were enjoying themselves as the rain started to pour..i mean really really pouring! The only thing that crossed my mind at that time was..my washing! I hang it outsides before we left. Another misfortune. We left McD after the rain stopped and I took the longer route home just because I needed to stop at the ATM machine for some cash. I could not believed my eyes when i saw a sign "close from 1.20pm until 2.20pm due to Friday prayer" and I was like 10 minutes late! There are women workers in there and I asked politely if they could just let me in for the ATM..but NOPE! SOO frustrating. Worst to it..I have been trying to upload pics for my previous post but keep getting the same thing " file contain no data" or "could not connect to blogger.com, test your connection". Can somebody or anybody help me? Arghhhh

Bougainville aka Bunga Kertas

Women and flower are like two things that are meant to be together. I lovesss flower. No specific one though. Roses, Jasmine, Petunia, Orchid, Tulips and many more. I love waking in the morning and smell the jasmine or admiring the splashing color of bougainvillea in a sunny day. They are like part of my life. Today I want to share some facts about bougainvillea or known as “bunga kertas”.
Bougainvillea is a genus of plant named after a French navigator, Louise Antoine de Bougainville . It is a thorny, woody, flowering vine native to the Amazonian Rain Forest of South Africa. Bougainvillea are popular plants grown extensively in the tropical or warm climates. It is an evergreen vine which is just as happy spreading horizontally or hanging downwards as it is climbing upwards, it makes itself at home in almost any situation. It can be grown as a hedge, groomed as a ground cover, pruned as an espalier, trained as a tree or contained in a pot in a variety of shapes. Its trunk tends to be gnarled. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six showy bracts that sport the bright colors associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white or yellow. Bougainvillea are sometimes referred to as "paper flowers" because the bracts are thin and papery. Single and double flower forms are available. Double forms tend to carry their blooms near the end of the stems rather than distributing them evenly over the plant. The colourful, papery "blooms" are not flowers; they are bracts. The true flower is white, trumpet shaped and almost unnoticeable within the bracts. Bougainvilleas are available in a variety of species, each having its unique characteristics. The bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea generally blooms on new growth, each branch. As blooms begin to fade, it should be cut back to a point somewhat shorter than the desired length to encourage new growth. Bougainvillea grow best in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilization, but the plant requires little water to flower. If overwatered, it will not flower and may lose leaves or wilt. When you water Bougainvillea, it is better to thoroughly water them on occasion, rather than water them frequently with a light amount. The reason? Deep watering promotes the growth of deeper roots, which help hold the plants in the ground.Oppositely, light, frequent watering promotes the growth of shallow roots, which will not help hold the plants in the ground. Bougainvillea are relatively pest-free plants, but may suffer from worms and aphids.

ps: i've been trying to upload the photos since morning, but none of them seems to go thru. so will try again later

ps: thanks to my dear hubby, finally the pics are here. These beautiful bougenville are from my own small garden.

The road to clutter is paved with good intentions

When you walk around your home do you feel relaxed, in control and surrounded by things you love and that reflect your life today? If not, then probably your home is being taken over by clutter. Imagine being the caterpillar inside of its cocoon. It is cramped, dark, gloomy, hot, and overwhelming. Clutter is just that. You feel cramped and overwhelmed. Every clutter intends to get organized. BUT...there is never enough time, isn’t it?

I would categorize clutter into 4 main categories:
- Things you do not use or love i.e.: your outdated tudung
- Things that are untidy or disorganized i.e.: magazines, paper cutting
- Too many things in too small place i.e.: free tiny toys
- Anything unfinished i.e.: old DIY project

How do you deal with clutter? Do you simply ignore it or take action one day at a time? How much stuff do you have that you need? What can you give away and allow to be used by someone else? Set priorities. This is how I manage my clutters and i hope this will help you to take the first step to de-clutter.

- First and foremost, don’t panic. You are not alone when it comes to clutter. Start today. Remember that procrastination is the major obstacle to decluttering.
- Choose a small area to start and keep up the momentum. If you feel energized then keep going. But always work on one area at a time and finish it before you start somewhere else.
- Next, remember that one person’s clutter is another person’s treasure so get the rest of your family involved in sorting out their stuff. This is the hardest part for me, letting go of old stuffs. Believe it or not I still keep some of my high school “love letters” :o)
- Once you have decided to let things go, it’s crucial to get them out of the house as soon as possible. Unwanted items can be given to charity, friends or family or recycled. Or you could sell them at a car boot sale or second hand clothes shop or advertise in your local newspaper.
- Last but not least, once you have decluttered and decided what to keep, then it’s time to look at storage.
To maintain a clutter free home it is essential that everything has a home. Find or create a home for every item in the home and store related items together.

Happy de-cluttering!

311 Huntington Ave

courtesy of ART Harun

From left: the most caring and understanding - Cik Lat, healthy concious beauty queen - KNiza, cute and adorable - Minah, Myself, tall serious and funny - Elin and last but not least Beckham no. 1 girl - Angah

Remember our early years in Boston, those were among the fondest memories in my book of life. Having a chance to share the yellowish fall foliage, cold and snowy winter, colorful spring tulips and hot summer day with all of you makes life even more beautiful. We've been thru lots of things...happy, sad, misrable you name it but those were the things that made us who we are today. Kniza is a proud owner of She's Fit, Elin with her Gymboree, Angah and Cik Lat doing great in their Financial Industry while myself and Minah at this moment are happy looking after our little family at home.

in front of Museum of Fine Arts T-station

We've grown so much from the day we landed our feet in Boston. Could not believed my eyes every time i flipped thru my old photo albums. It that really us...hahahah so funny. The way we dressed, we posed at almost every single place.. even with the policeman hahaha. Gosh really missed those day. And of course i miss all of you too!

LOVE

There are mysteries about our love,
things that neither one of us may ever understand
because love is an emotion that is beyond understanding

We know we love each other
but we could never explain completely,
why we love each other

Love isn't like a clock.
You can't take it apart to see what makes it tick
and if you could,
probably you could never get it back together again

HomeTown - Alor Setar

I went back to my hometown Alor Setar last week. It was a 6 hrs drive from Bangi. Although hubby wanted to leave as early as 7am but as usual..too much traffic at home so we left at 10am instead. Kids were excited to go. Aqeelah even packed her suitcase 2 days earlier. The journey was alright. Arrived at my parents house at 3.30pm. Weather was very hot and humid. Kids went straight begging their Tok Wan ( grandad ) to take out their small swimming pool and in minutes they were splashing and screaming happily.

The next day, we went to my 2nd cousin's wedding in Gurun which is approximately 30 minutes drive from Alor Setar. I love going to weddings. Like my mom always said, it is the time where you can meet everyone.. especially your own relatives. Believe me, some of them i don't even recognize if my mom did not introduce us and yet there are our flesh and blood. Hubby and my dad were patiently waiting for the ladies ( my mom, me, aini ) as we women talked to almost everybody. Aqeelah wanted to see the bride so we had to wait like another hour before the bride and groom arrived. While waiting, we snapped few pics in front of the "pelamin". We left around 4pm and rushed back as my best friend Ida and her family were on thier way to our house. I have not met Ida for almost 4 years and it was nice to see her again.

Monday: Aini, my sister went to pick her SPM result. Hope its not too late to congratulate her for a job well done. Aqeelah said, Aini cried because she wasn't satisfied with her result. Too me, she did well, much-much better than us her brothers and sister and everybody is proud of her. This is just the beginning. There are lots more to come. I wish her all the best and the best is yet to come.



We left Alor Setar wednesday morning. I managed to "steal" some of my dad and mom plants. Thank mak, abah. My hubby spotted a new Honda Civic on the road and asked me to snapped some photos of his dream car. Kids were sleeping quietly at the back when Awie's latest song "kau masih ku cintai" were aired on the radio. Told hubby that i sincerely dedicated this song to him. Arrived in Bangi at 3pm and that's the end of a lovely trip.