Allotment Kak Tik@Wolfson College

Saiful came to visit on Saturday, and Kak Tik & Bro Din invited us all to their house. Had a lovely 'nasi kerabu' (mind you, I had seconds, as usual!) and Kak Tik took us to her allotment. She's very passionate about DIY gardening and she knows a lot about what and how to plant. I took some photos for our future references... (hehe, we've started our own gardening too, more stories here)

Gooseberry

Lettuces

Potatoes

Kak Tik

Took some photos around Wolfson College. Ah.. I love spring/summer.

Aqua babies

Wanted to get Mawaddah into swimming as early as possible. Just my luck, got this decent swimsuit for her for just GBP2.99 from the charity shop.

Ibu, let's go for a swim! (yes dear, we have to wait until you're 4 months old, ok?)

It's a small world after all.

Assalamualaikum wbt

A friend of mine wrote something about six degrees of separation in her blog not so long time ago, and I assume everyone of us had experienced something like this before.

My good friend from my UTM years, Naz, came for a visit, and we took her to a small gathering here in Oxford. She ended up meeting her long lost neighbour from her childhood (Umi), and their mothers (Umi's and Naz's) were once schoolmates.

I've been living in Subang Jaya for almost 25years now, and recently I've found out that Umi and her family have stayed in Subang Jaya before, in fact their house was near to my parents' and we went to the same primary school. She's 1 year older so we never had the chance to meet.

Umi and I were born in the same hospital, Assunta Hospital, but of course different years.

It is definitely a small world after all. :)

Pertama Kali Bertudung

Hadiah dari Tok & Tok Ki. Bole cover skit 'keluasan' dahi, hehehe.. :)
Baju Atok & Nenek bagi blom bole pakai lg. Tunggu Mawaddah besar skit..
Terima kasih Tok, Tok Ki, Atok, Nenek sbb bagi hadiah kt Mawaddah.

At the age of 3 (months)

By the age of 3, Mawaddah is able to;

.....'cepuk' Ayah's (and Ibu's) face when she's annoyed

.....lying on her front on her own

By the age of 3, she had 3 immunisations;

1. BCG
2. Diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis/polio/Haemophilus Influenzae
3. Pneumococcal infection

...and she's one tough baby, I tell you. (After immunisation no.2 and 3, which were done on the same day, she went back to sleep!) Alhamdulillah. By the way, she's due for another immunisation end of this month.

Despite of many comments about introducing 'dummies' to babies, we chose to give her one anyway, just to help her to sleep. Once she's asleep, she lets go of the dummy herself. :)


That's all for now. Will update from time to time.

Mawaddah yg semakin cerdik.

Mawaddah buat aksi mendade.

Mawaddah yg pasrah semase dibuli oleh Ibu & Ayah.

Mawaddah yg 'annoyed'.

Mawaddah yg skrg suke sgt dipegang.

Mawaddah yg terpinga2.

Mawaddah yg tgh geram dgn jari Ayah.

Mawaddah, anak Ibu & Ayah.

Picnic in the garden

Black sheep

"Black sheep is an English language idiom which describes an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within one's family. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness. It derived from the untypical and unwanted presence of black woolled individuals in herds of sheep, which was undesirable because wool from such sheep could not be dyed."

"A worthless or disgraced member of a family."

It sounded so demeaning, and I never like the idea. However, there's always the case where in any family, there's always someone who is the 'under-achiever', the 'outcast' if you like, and this person could turn out to be 'the disgraced member of a family' or totally the opposite.

I would like to think that it is a matter how parents and the other siblings deal with this kind of situation, without prejudice and denying one's right to be treated equally as others in the family. The same treatment, the equal opportunity to become the best that one could be.

However, it's easier to be said than to be done. In reality, nobody's the same which means no treatment would be equally the same. All parents want the best for their children, no matter what. At the same time, parents are still normal human beings, who make mistakes once a while.

To make things work for the family, I suppose that each and everyone should make some sort of compromising. The parents should accept the fact that no child is the same and the child should think what's best for the family and him/herself.

Then again, this is just my humble opinion, which subject to any comment and discretion. This is just me, being emotional, as always. :)

Don't judge a book by its cover.

I'm not much of a reality show fan, I do watch them sometimes but never voted or so what ever. Here in UK, it's not much different from Malaysia. In fact I think the Brits are so obsessed with reality shows and believe me, they really do. You name it, from scouting for talents to finding the best British dish.

I enjoy watching some of them, but what struck me the most is this episode of Britain Got Talent. She's definitely a gem. She has such a beautiful voice and for me honestly, she doesn't need any other package to be a great singer someday.

Enjoy!

Kenape aku .....??

Sebenarnye byk keje. Melambak yang tertangguh. Yela, dh bape lame cuti dr buat keje research. Tapikan, smpi skrg progress tersgt la slow!! Kenape la aku ni malas sgt??!! Tolong!!!!

Foto terbaru Mawaddah

Assalamualaikum wbt

Terima kasih buat Auntie Naz yg 'post'kan gambar2 ini di 'Facebook'.

Untuk tatapan Tok Ki, Tok & pakcik2 & makcik2 di Ajil, Atok, Nenek & makcik2 di Subang Jaya, Pak Ngah Izad di Colorado.

Nota : Ini foto2 bayi yang baru sahaja berumur 2 bulan. (ade rupe mcm 2 bulan ke? x kesah la kan Mawaddah, yg penting sihat & ceria)

Postnatal eating disorder?

Hi.

Since having Mawaddah, I've been eating 'excessively'. I'm back to my old habit; snacking between meals. This is not good for my slimming-toning-down regime. I need to lose weight desperately as I'm considered over-weight/obese (based on my BMI reading).

I can't help the cravings, so I've resorted to healthy snacks; cereals with milk, fruits, etc apart from other not-so-healthy e.g. crisps, desserts, ice cream, etc. I'm not much of a chocolate-olic, which helps with dieting department.

I'm not ambitious in everything I do, and this slimming regime is no-exceptional. I just want to be healthy. Period.

and honestly, I'm still not convinced that I can. For now. :)

Responsibility

Assalamualaikum wbt

Mawaddah is 1 month old today. How time flies, which reminds me of the 4-month backdated research work piled up just dusting away in my hard drive. And I really need to update my progress with my supervisors. I've been absent for quite some time; they must have 'missed' me by now.

Not that I'm totally burned out with my research, it's just that I get easily tired now. Physically tired, with this new sleeping pattern. I'm not the type of person who likes to take naps in the day, or wake up late in the morning. But I didn't get enough sleep ever since my later period of pregnancy and now with a baby in the family, I wake up late (the latest at 8.30am) almost everyday. Alhamdulillah, Hisyam is very helpful with Mawaddah and let me sleep on. Mawaddah is wonderful, although she does wake up in the middle of the night every 3-4 hours for her feed and nappy change. Sometimes she just wants a cuddle. What every baby wants.

I don't really want to write about my baby's routine; not that I'm unhappy or less enthused about her. Believe me, she's now the centre of my attention, and Hisyam's. That's why I thought writing on responsibility and obligation would make much better sense; not just being a parent, but being a person, period.

We started off not having any responsibility, and gradually our role evolve as we get older. I remembered my sister once told me that she wouldn't want to learn how to drive the car, as she thought it will require a lot of responsibility. And I remembered how I reminded her that she already has a lot of responsibility for just being human; as a child to your parents, as a sister/brother to your younger siblings, as a friend, as a student, as a being to its Creator. A husband/wife to your partner, a parent to your children.

I'm used to being the 'responsible' one. Being the eldest daughter, I always feel that my parents, especially my dad were 'extra' hard on me. As a teenager, who didn't understand (or at least refuse to understand) that the parents were just doing their job and responsibility to their child, I tend to disappoint my parents with my rebellious behaviour. To my everlasting regret, I'm sorry Mak, Ayah.

And now, I'm looking through their eyes, as new parents with a baby to care for. My experience so far, has taught me one thing (among others); the hardship and sacrifice of raising a child to every his/her needs. And imagined, how my parents felt when I raised my voice, when I talked back, when I disobeyed them. How rude. How ungrateful.

I still have the time to make up for my wrong doings. I still have the time to remind my siblings of appreciating Mak & Ayah and the importance of being respectful to them. Plus I now can educate my own daughter to become a better person than myself. This I promise, Insya-Allah.

Anak

Suatu amanah, anugerah Ilahi
Rasa kasih sayang yang tak berbelah bagi
Semenjak dalam kandungan lagi
Alunan Al-Quran didendang dari hari ke hari

Alhamdulillah, akhirnya dia lahir ke dunia
Sihat, sempurna, sejahtera
Hadiah berharga buat Ayah & Ibu berdua
Penyambung zuriat, penyeri rumahtangga

Syukur dipanjat kepada Allah
Atas kurniaan rezeki & anugerah
Seorang anak bernama Mawaddah
Lambang cinta kasih Ibu & Ayah
Nota : Dalam 'mood' sentimental. Hasil karya secara spontan, namun lahir dari jiwa & raga, ikhlas dari seorang ibu.

Drama Melayu

Assalamualaikum wbt

Ingatkan nak menulis tentang anak, tapi nak tunggu ade idea dulu. Sekarang ni tgh 'cuti' berpantang walaupun sebenar2nye dh lame ber'cuti' dari buat keje research. Rase bersalah sebenarnye tapi penyakit MALAS tu masih kuat lagi. Moge2 dgn kedatangan ahli baru ni membawa semangat baru. Almaklum la, tanggungjawab dh makin besar skrg. "Sorry ye bang, Huda jd pemalas sgt.. :)"

Dalam mengisi mase lapang, cube 'catch-up' balik dgn drama2 melayu kt tv3.com.my, antarenye SpaQ 2, Kasanova XXL, Fara S3 & Pemanduku Jutawan. 4 drama bersiri ni different genre, which undeniably ade yg agak 'lame', tapi rase rindu nak tgk drama melayu punye la kuat jadi daku layankan aje.

SpaQ mmg aku follow mase kt Msia dulu. SpaQ 2 ni mule2 mcm boring, so aku mule tgk bile dh episod 30. Well, it is fairly predictable, so I'm not worried if I missed some of the episodes (then again, you can always watch them online). Same old, same old; excessive make-up, revealing wardrobe, betrayal, board meetings, etc. Aku paling suke watak Qistina dan Norish Karman mmg sesuai dgn watak tu. Aku x bape suke Azizah Mahzan bwk watak Marlia sbb care die berckp mcm tak bape terang, mcm tergagap2 skit. Plus the fact that rambut die sgt la keras, ok.. Aku ade la sedikit menyampah tgk artis2 melayu wanita ni pakai mmg x igt akhirat punye, but then again what can you expect from them? However on a more positive note, it's good that they've included something about family values; bagaimane kecewanye ibu bile satu2nye anak lelaki die x percayekan die. Itu aku puji.



Yang ni plak komedi. Mule2 aku x minat nk tgk tp dah boring sgt, aku cube2 la. Skali tu mcm best la plak. Based on the title, you can guess what the story is all about. Lelaki yg 'obese', low self esteem, kaki chatting and guess what, pretending to be someone he's not. So predictable. Yg best tu die menyamar jd abg die. Pelakon Shaheizy Sam yg semmgnye x 'obese' telah digemukkan dgn sgtla budgetnye ala2 Erra Fazira dlm Cinta Kolestrol (maybe David Teo spent a little more, if I got the wrong producer so sorry ah Uncle David!). Well skrg cite ni dh smpi part yg mane mamat 'obese' ni kene diet dgn bantuan abg die (lakonan Rusdi Ramli) and awek abg die (lakonan Nanu). Aku suke cite ni sbb lakonan dieorg sume mmg bersahaje, mmg real mcm adek beradek. Cume aku x bape setuju on the idea of lelaki gemuk susah nk dpt awek. Dah kalau taste ko ppuan kurus ramping mmg la susah. Pokok pangkalnye, kene realistic la. Aku rase ppuan gemuk (ehem.. aku termasok la tu) lagi susah nk dpt pakwe, sbb kalau die nk mulekan, pastu skali kene reject lagi malu. (Emo la plak, mcm ade pengalaman jek.. cite lame, x perlu dikenang ye x?). Anyway, aku akan follow cite ni smpi habis, walaupun sebenarnye aku dh bole agak ending die camne.

Fara ni dh masok siri ketiga pon. Cume kali ni jadi makin serius. Ade cintun2 skit. Dah abis dah pon siri 3 ni, can't wait for the next series.

Sekali lg sitcom yang menampilkan DJ radio sbg pelakon utama. Honestly, Fara Fauzana is much much better than Faizal. Tp mcm aku ckp seblm ni, layankan aje. Siri ni kalau x tgk sume episod xpe, sbb antare episod xde kaitan sgt. Personally, aku rase cite agak boring, sbb tu aku x tgk sume episod. Sekadar menghilangkan rase rindu dgr org ckp bahase melayu. Tu jek.

Okla, entry kali ni sgt la kelam kabut, dr segi penggunaan bahase. Carca merba. Mcm air batu campur. Sorry ye kpd pakar2 & pencinta2 bahase.

Masya-Allah

Assalamualaikum wbt.

It has been a while since my last entry. Been busy; coping with a long pregnancy, moving to a new house, and well, 'malas sebenarnye'. As some of you might know, I've safely delivered a beautiful (Masya-Allah) baby girl on the 4th of February at 11.49am in John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, after a long 14-hour labour. If any of you ask me, "sakit x beranak?" and I'll honestly say, "Ye, teramat la sakit, tp trust me, sumenye berbaloi.."

The pain and agony of giving birth, has taught me a lot, but the most valuable lesson that I've learned having gone through the process myself, is that I can't never reward my mother enough even with all the money, energy and time that I could ever have. "Kasihkan ibu membawa ke syurga." Mak, terima kasih kerana melahirkan, membesarkan dan didikanmu. Kesabaranmu tidak terbalas. Huda sayang Mak.

Sorry for being rather emotional. It's just that, I'm missing my mother, a lot.

Mawaddah is 1 week old now. She sleeps through the day, wakes up occasionally for feeding and nappy changing. And without fail so far wakes up at 1.30am and again at 4.30am. She's quite a challenge, but Alhamdulillah, she's content for most of the time. Senang jage dan x byk karenah.

I have some of her latest photos, but I'm too lazy to transfer them from my handphone to my laptop. Perhaps some other time. If you're interested, please visit my husband's blog. I would like to express my gratitude to all who visited us both at the hospital and home (Kak Tik, Abg Din, Kak Rozi, Abg Wan, Kat, Amin, Yani, Abg Rosli, Kak Non sekeluarga, Umi, Asean). Thank you to all who have helped us move to our new house (Kak Tik, Abg Din, Zul, Saiful, Asean & Yani) and on personal note, terima kasih yg x terhingge utk Kak Tik & Abg Din di atas sokongan & bantuan yg diberikan. Hanya Allah saja yang mampu membalas jasa kalian semua.

Until my next entry. Assalamualaikum.

Me @ 36 weeks

I chose to put this latest photo of me, sitting down instead.

My last photo of 30-weeks pregnant had made quite the impression, mainly just how big my tummy was. Not that I mind, instead I appreciate all the comments. Thank you all for your concern and advise.

So this is me, smiling, waiting nervously for the delivery.
Can't wait to meet this little fellow.



Salam Maal Hijrah 1430.