A Change

Well I'm supposed to continue writing on my travel journal  but there's no progress... hence this post. 

A change. Yes I am at the phase of turning my lifestyle to a better & healthier way. All this while I always have this love & hate relationship with this thing called exercise but this time around... it's going to be a love affair! You may want to read my journey on this exercise thing here & here.

You see after a long hibernation... since early March I started doing workout again but this time with JM 30 days shred L1. I just love that 20mins workout... you girls have got to try that. It's fun & pretty easy once you get used to it. It gets you soaking wet in sweat in no time!

I do the workout religiously every evening before fetching the girls from school. Instantly I felt the changes in me especially my sleep pattern. No more  sleepless nights & I feel very energetic during the days. 

Apparently somebody has been observing... I didn't know that HB had been wanting to sign up as a member at FF. When he noticed that I was disciplined with my workouts he brought me over to the gym. I didn't really like it at first. Working out with a bunch of people, indoor & those machines sure looked creepy! I thought he was registering for himself alone but no. He wanted me to join him. I wanted to decline but hey... for him to work out at a gym alone, no company, will get company, who's the company & with a blink of an eye... his wife agreed. I had no choice but to agree! Hahaha...

Now, I've become one of those gym-goers & loving it! I even have a Personal Trainer. Signed up for a 20 sessions workout which I was in doubt I could complete it within the time period of 100 days. Surprise... Surprise... I've attended 6 sessions in 2 weeks! 

My schedule is a bit packed now that I have included gym in my routine. Monday, Wednesday & Friday are gym days. I thought I was too busy to include workouts in my busy routine... but really when there's a will, there's a way. 

Come one people! Let's change to healthier lifestyle... 

Her 14th birthday

The date, March the 9th, 1999. The time, 1455. The place, Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital. The occasion, birth of my first born. 

HB & I became parents exactly 14 years ago. The baby everyone was waiting for... I remembered how pressured it was when family members kept asking me "takda apa-apa lagi ke...?". Come on... Give me a break! I was barely 23. Still too young! That was what I thought but the truth... deep inside me I wanted a baby. HB on the hand was cool... He didn't seem disturbed at all. Simply enjoying married life ;-)

It was one fine day, I was asking myself.... Did I do something improper? I doubted it. Now did I accidentally say something which I shouldn't have?... I thought I did. But it was no accident. I meant it!

You see I tied the knot on my final year at the university. Of course the questions for newlyweds are the common... "How was the honeymoon?" or " How do you enjoy married life so far?" or the ever famous "So when do you plan to have a baby?". In my case I answered Q1 with a blush (hehehe!), Q2 with a double blush :-P & I can recall clearly what I answered to Q3... "No not yet... I don't want to look like a fat cow on my graduation day!"

Served me right! Luckily I was wise enough to realize that early & sincerely took each word back.... Approximately 6 months after I became a wife, I conceived. Alhamdulillah...

I somehow loved the name "Amir" so much hence the "Amirah" as the first name which was not so to my liking. But as some of my readers are aware of the "Amir" remains as a name which I love but has no son to carry it ;-) Now to compliment the "Amirah", I added "Yasmin", the second name she is always addressed as. 

Yasmin is now in boarding school. This year her birthday falls on a Saturday but not a sleepover weekend. She requested for her mom's Baked New York Cheese Cake but that was for the celebration she planned to have in the dorm with her friends. Got her some pizzas, drinks & brownies as well. As to celebrate her... we got her a cake from SR. Here are the photos on her birthday...

14!

The cheesecake

The birthday card made by her sisters

The cake frm SR

HB.. getting the candles ready

Bday gal with her darling sisters

OK... her mom just have to be in front of the cam tooo ;-)

Pizza?

Cam-whoring as usual...

With Mama

With Papa

The next day, Sunday was an outing day. The school allows from 12pm - 6pm. We normally bring her home but to celebrate her... we had a belated bday treat instead.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY YASMIN DARLING... !!

Perth & KK Day 1

It has been a while since we had a family vacation abroad. I think last was India when we had a family reunion in Chennai (You may want to read day 1, day 2,  day 3, day 4, day 5, & day 6). That was the year 2010. Last year we were occupied with time & of course fund in moving to this new house. In fact for the whole year 2011 I was bitten by the moving to a new house bug ;-)

Well this year (as in year 2012) we did down under. HB was to be positioned in Perth to fly the plane to Kota Kinabalu (KK). Since he was not on duty a couple of days before the date of his positioning, he decided  to get an earlier ticket & bring us with him.

It was Yasmin's & my second trip to Oz but our first to Perth. Wardah was also once in Oz but she went without a passport. I was pregnant with her then in the year 2000.

As always we started the journey from home & took the ERL to KLIA. Everyone was looking forward to the trip & to wake up at 0530 was really nothing.

The girls in the ERL... all thrilled for Oz

Here's HB guarding our luggage

We were traveling during school break. Even though our tickets were firmed... priorities should always be given to those full paid passengers. Which means if the flight is overbooked out tickets are the last to be considered. Alhamdulillah... It had never happened to us but every time we travel during school holiday I am always psychologically prepared. 

Ironically our tickets were checked in smoothly however HB had a problem with his. He was supposed to fly into Perth 2 days after as a passenger & I supposed the problem occurred because of the change of date. Obviously if he could not get the boarding pass we wouldn't go. No way I am to handle 4 under my guidance at a place that is foreign to me!

The girls at KLIA

At this moment HB hadn't gotten his boarding pass just yet. Only the elder girls knew the situation not the younger girls. I did not stop praying... & finally 30 minutes before departure time HB was cleared to board. Alhamdulillah... We made a speedy walk to the gate & made it just in time.

In the aerotrain.. the younger girls just can't get enough of it... ;-)

We were separated in the cabin. 6 of us was divided to 3. The elder girls wanted to be together. HB took Balqis & I Nadeen. It was a smooth journey. Right after take off Nadeen requested to be with HB.  Love that arrangement... I could enjoy watching the inflight movie at ease. In fact she didn't give much trouble to HB. She fell asleep right after meal ;-)

Nadeen is a big girl. Much easier to travel with now.

Balqis & I in the flight

Arrived in Perth

So far so good. No more hiccups after HB boarding pass in KL. We straight went to Avis & claimed the transport we booked online. The registration was ready within minutes.

Us without Wardah in front of the Avis counter

The girls... thrilled to start their journey down under...

This 2 was obviously high on sugar! Too much ice cream in the flight huh girls..?

This trip was a bit different to me. My elder girls are already teenagers. Each was willing to take care of one younger sis... The best part was the camera. I was no longer the family photographer! Wardah was willing to hold that post. Now you see more of me in front of the cam... ;-)

Walking towards our ride. Yasmin here was posing for her sis ;-)

Of all the years I have been using my loyal dslr... never had I cam whored with it. Wardah did it like a pro!

Thank you for the gentle reminder :-)

I fell in love with the trees in Perth. This was my 1st encounter..

Ready girls..?

Headed towards Fremantle

We passed this river.... or was it a lake?

Didn't take many photos. I was busy navigating HB to drive us to a holiday park in Fremantle. Not that I was good... My first attempt with the GPS led us to the Perth city but good that we had HB with us. He noticed we were heading far from the sea & true enough I keyed in a different holiday park. Hehehe... 

At last we arrived at our destination... Aspen Parks

It was a last minute decision really. In fact we had booked an accommodation in the city at the hotel HB normally stays. Good that he flew with a friend staying in Perth before this trip. According to him the parking rate in the city is very expensive. Like all of our travels... we always come out with our own itinerary. We wont be visiting the city until day 3 hence the abrupt decision to put up the night in Coogee Beach, Fremantle. 

It was nothing fancy. Merely a cabin with a master bed, a dining area, a kitchen, wardrobes for each room, a bathroom & a room with 2 pairs of bunk beds. Since the girls had never experienced a beach cabin... they just loved it!

Here's HB unlocking the door to our 2 nights stay cabin

The master bed

The master bed was in the middle of the cabin. This was my only side back...  From the bed you could see the whole cabin. That was not really an issue but when something was cooking on the stove I really had to make sure our luggage was properly closed & all clothes were hung inside the wardrobe. 

The connecting room which my girls slept in.

The kitchen 

HB above was still in his uniform preparing dinner. He loves to play chef whenever we travel. In fact right after we checked in, had a look at the cabin & brought in our luggage, he drove us to town to get groceries. We found Woolworth's & the things we shopped... I doubt we could finish it up in 2 days!

The dining area

Our simple dinner that night. Cold salad, fries

and HB's grilled potatoes...

*to be continued

Cleopatra no more...

Yes. I'm a full time mom at the moment till my maid comes back end of Dec... So far I'm coping  quite well. This time around at our new house the feeling is different. It is really my first time managing & handling the house on my own without a maid.

I normally take this chance to turn my girls to be more domesticated. The elder girls especially have been helping a lot. The only dependent girl is dear Nadeen. At 5 she is most of the time impossible.... We have to have reasons to everything that we prohibit her to do. Like the other day..... HB allowed her play in the rain. The next time it rained she requested to do the same thing. I said no. She asked why. Told her that she might fall sick. She answered that she didn't get sick the last time she played because papa gave her Scott's Emulsion right after she showered. Told her we ran out of  SE which the truth a bottle was hidden in the cabinet.... & she reminded me to get a new bottle the next time I do groceries shopping.

I am out with the elder girls at this moment. Sent off Balqis for UCMAS & Nadeen for art class. We are at a kopitiam & I decided to update my blog. The elder girls brought their books as instructed by HB they have to start making notes for the coming school term. Frankly I disagreed to his idea at first. They totally have to stop facebooking & tweeting. Only given like half an hour on a weekend. But looking at the progress of notes they made & how their time is well spent... I have to thank HB for being firm. Or not the whole month of November right after the school holidays.. they were like using our unlimited broadband to the max!

I notice that the elder girls are more responsible in term of house chores. Even the younger girls I don't really have  to handle much. Their sisters are good with them though of course I won't lie.... All just loooove to tease Nadeen & make her whine & cry. When that happens only mama can solve the matter by showing my affection only to Nadeen & only Nadeen ;-)

We have like 2 weeks more before Wari our maid comes back. I plan to bring out all the Cinderella in them. Yasmin is good with the vacuum cleaner & broom, Wardah handles the toilet up to my standard, Balqis loves to help with anything but only her height & age hinder... Nadeen.? Well she's a challenge & entertainer to everything we do....

Excellent Eight

Our sweet Balqis turns 8 today. I still remember vividly the baby in my arm right after delivery 8 years ago. The first thing that got my attention was her deep dimple. She was hungry for milk & since it was my third baby, nursing was nothing foreign to me. The more she sucked for milk the prominent her dimple appeared. Over the years the dimple has captured so many hearts from little kids to grown ups...

As Wardah puts it she is papa's bling bling girl. No... It's nothing about her being  a bling in fashion. It's a trendy translation Wardah created from "anak emas" in Malay which means favourite child. Now... don't get the wrong idea. She being papa's bling bling girl doesn't bring jealousy to the girls. Nadeen perhaps but she prefers to be my bling bling rather than papa's ;-)

On your birthday Balqis dear we want you to know how blessed we are to have you in our lives. Your sweet smile, your contagious laugh & your impromptu hugs & kisses  have always touch us tremendously. Love you loads girl!

38 going on 18?

Alhamdulillah.. we have settled in comfortably at this new house. It has been.... wow! 7 months? Will update more I promise ;-)

Now, someone just turned 38 early this month. She was rather down the morning of her birthday. No cards, no cakes, no gifts... Only Wardah presented her with a birthday kiss & a hug. HB too before he left for work. Yasmin was in her boarding school. The younger girls were not aware of their mama's birthday.

A day before on the 30th, we visited Yasmin. She kind of expected HB to think like her & have a small celebration with all her girls around. But there was none... Yasmin anyhow made her day by presenting her a self-made card & a dainty jewelry box she bought in school. Thanks darling... (the picture is missing.. will share once I get hold of it..)

On her birthday, after her morning chores were done she logged in to FB & there were lots of wishes came from dear friends. Instantly she replied & updated her status that day. Her first 2 sentences rhymed hence a simple poem...

A digit added to my age today. 

But hubby's away. 

The girls are all in school with friends to play. 

Home alone with bibik I'm here to stay. 

Waiting for the time to fetch them in gay.

 Not a second I feel forgotten no way. 

My dear friends are non-stopping posting wishes on my birthday. 

I feel loved which money can't pay. 

That's what I call a facebooktastic way!

What on earth made her write such poem.. I too wonder. It got to be the age factor! That's no doubt...

Her best friend whatsApped for a lunch date. A birthday treat! That sure put back a smile on her face.. My! It sure was tough being 38 for her!!

With her best friend

They couldn't spent too much time together though. Anyway, it was supposed to be a quick lunch but ended up until 3pm. A call from her best friend's staff hurried them to the basement parking. 2 patients were already waiting for their runaway doctor... ;-)

Upon reaching home, Wardah told her there was a surprise on her bed. Oh really? Things were getting better for her that day... A bouquet of red roses! With a card merely written - From : Secret Admirer

SA? Hmmm... that would be no other than HB. Positive! Called him up but there was no line. He was flying.( Psst... baby! If really you wanted to SA me, could you at least not use the florist card with  the address clearly written...)

She was indeed in cloud nine. HB is not really the type to give flowers.. Just not his way. He prefers to give me a cake... something he can share with girls he said. And it was the cake she expected when they visited Yasmin!

She didn't smell it at all. He was good. Normally all surprises she was able to guess.. Apparently that weekend they put up the night at her in laws. She drove & HB rode his bike for it had not been ridden for quite some time... It was on the way back home that he detoured to the nearest florist.

The supper they had together before he left for work on her birthday

That night each of her other girls made a birthday card for mama... The younger girls of course had no idea of her birthday. Wardah who is in charged now whilst Yasmin is away, was occupied with school activities now that UPSR is over. Hence the almost belated cards.. 

Last week when visited Yasmin,  they felt like trying their skill in basketball. She was just monitoring but when insisted by Yasmin she joined in. Shot twice in a row on both her maiden throws...! And Yasmin went... "Are you 38 going on 18 mama?" Ahaaa...

It's Moving Day

We have officially moved in to the new house. Date 2nd of March 2012. Time 1530. No internet so far. Will update whenever I have the chance. As for the time being it's unpacking, unpacking & unpacking.....