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Happy New Year!
2011 has been an amazing journey for us, filled with ups and downs. We’re so thankful the year ends on a happy note for us, alhamdulillah.
Here’s to summarize some awesome moments of 2011 during my blogging hiatus.
- November Babies birthday celebration. Hi-Tea, scones and great company! Thank you Liza, Farah & Syidah for making this day a memorable one!
- Cousin Ridhwan & Nadia weds. It was unfortunate we couldn’t be there with them on their joyous occasion, but we’re extremely happy for them!
- Cousin Lilin & Hafiz ties the knot. Congratulations to the newly-weds!
- Great short getaway to Krabi (Thailand) with family and close friends! We had a fabulous time there!
- Holes in heart no more. My thirdborn, Anaqi, has both holes in his heart closed, as we found out during his recent heart scan. All praises to Allah!
While we cherish these happy times, 2011 has also given us moments of grief. We lost a cousin very near and dear to us, due to pneumonia :’(. Her demise has truly shaken our families.
Raihaniah, may Allah bless your soul and place you among the believers.
Hopefully 2012 will bring us more joy, prosperity, wealth, great health, and Barakkah from the Almighty - insyallah. Looking forward to a wonderful 2012 ahead!
05.03.2011 – Seeing that wordpress.com has been down for the past 12 hours, I’ll be posting on my Tumblr account until they resolve the issue.
My bro, Musli, was one of the many who had waited anxiously for the ‘A’ level results to be out yesterday afternoon (04.03.2011). According to my mom, he had received a call from his school sometime around mid-day informing him that Radio Warna 94.2FM would like to conduct an interview with him at 3pm. Mom was super excited and badly wanted me to record his interview when it gets aired.
I wasn’t sure if they were going to air him live so I tuned in and waited from 3pm (having quickly fixed my laptop speakers) but NOTHING! So I sms’ed him asking what the interview was about, and he said to tune in much later that day to Berita (news) at 5pm and 7.30pm.
HAHA!!
To those who missed Berita on Radio Warna 94.2FM at 5pm and 7.30pm yesterday, here’s a recording I took at the latter time, thanks to a last-minute installation of FreeCorder4.
Click on Audio file link here: http://chirb.it/m4JsFN
To Musli: Despite the fact that your penjodoh bilangan CMI* :p, we are still very proud of you! <3 Love, Your family.
(*CMI = Cannot Make It)
Can you make a guess who these babies are?
These photos were taken on Day 1 & 2 by the peeps from Peter Pan photography.
Edited: Poll will be closed end of this week (26th Feb) and results will be announced. 
Re-edited (26th Feb): Poll is now closed. Majority of you guessed it correctly. The correct answer is: A) Aqeil B) Mika’il C) Misha D) Anaqi. Thank you to those who voted.
February is about celebrating birthdays. Three members of my immediate family was born in February. My second sister, Ana a.k.a Menot, was born on 10th Feb, my brother, Musli, on 17th Feb, and last but not least Baby Aqeil on 6th Feb.
Yesterday, we had a mini celebration. It didn’t matter that the celebration was small, but we had good food and great company, and above all, everyone was happy!
It’s a little unfortunate the cake got smashed partially (thanks to Anaqi’s quick hands), but we managed to save it. LOL!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE THREE OF YOU!!
Much love!! ♥♥♥
Flickr photoset here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprima/sets/72157626093070598/
This year promises a lot of family weddings – from aunts to cousins to second cousins. I don’t know why but 2011 appears to be a good year to be tying the knot for some of my relatives.
In January itself, I’ve attended two family weddings – one is of my maternal cousin’s daughter (Yani), and the other is of my maternal aunt (Cik Noi).
Here’s me with Yani, the bride.
And here’s me with Cik Noi, the bride.
More photos on my Flickr:
On 1st & 2nd Jan – Wedding of Yani & Faris: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprima/sets/72157625754152765/
On 15th Jan – Wedding of Cik Noi & Cik Wan: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprima/sets/72157625811924357/
I’ll be expecting at least 3, if not more, family weddings to attend sometime mid this year and towards the end. So exciting!
To Yani and Faris, and Cik Noi and Cik Wan: May you be blessed with eternal happiness and an everlasting marriage.
This year’s Eid celebration didn’t feel quite as ‘gala’ as previous years. So much has happened the past months that I don’t quite look forward to Hari Raya this year. Despite that, I try my very best to be as merry as possible.
I did find time (albeit really last minute) to bake. I made the usual macaroons, sugee and chocolate chips, and this year I attempted the Horseshoe cake (Malays call it ‘Kek Tapak Kuda’). Not bad for a first-timer, heh. Laku, y’know, because I have to bake more batches during Syawal! (masuk bakul angkat sendiri) 
Last year, Misha helped A LOT with my bakings. This year, I have an additional helper 
Well done, Mika! The macaroons you made are now finished liao.
Misha also helped out with housework. Boleh pakai jugak budak-budak ni.
First Day of Syawal
This year’s Syawal, we had rented an acquaintance’s car for 2 days since we can’t use ours (see previous post why). On Day 1, we had dressed ourselves in white. Seriously, we didn’t really choose this colour, but we couldn’t get a SINGLE size we want in any other colours! (all thanks to last minute Raya shopping – have I mentioned I am such a procrastinator?). So we resorted to white. Don’t ask how we manage to avoid food disasters the whole day, cos we couldn’t! (soap is my best friend that day – for cleaning I mean :p)
P, Misha and our helper went for morning prayers @ Teban Gardens, while Mika, Anaqi and I stayed home in the morning. We only left for my parents and grandparents in the afternoon after Friday prayers.
Every year, taking a group family photo is always a HUGE challenge. You can never get EVERYONE to look into the camera at the same time.
Here’s one with my parents and siblings (sans Musli – tidur pulak dekni)
And what’s Hari Raya without seeking forgiveness to your love ones *hearts*
Here’s wishing everyone a blessed Syawal!! (ok, ok, Syawal dah habis pon)
More photos can be found on my Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprima/sets/72157625131127918/
Finally, a “proper” picture of the three!
Everybody I know seems to be falling sick for the last couple of weeks. The number of times my family and I had visited the clinic in just one week alone is probably more than the number of times I get to see my parents this whole month! (Okay, slightly exaggerating here.)
Last Thursday (22.04.2010) I left work early because P had called me up in the evening to let me know Misha and Mika were having a (high) temperature. The night before they both, along with Anaqi, have been coughing very badly and their noses were runny. So, we brought them to their pediatrician @ Tampines1 that night. It’s the only Children Clinic nearby that opens after 6.30pm and accepts my company medical card.
Just as we step through the door we saw a familiar face. Liza was there too! And no, she wasn’t there for a check-up by the PD (she was at the RM section waiting for her queue number to be called).
After waiting for a fair bit at the waiting area, Anaqi’s name was called for diagnosis. He alone was prescribed with Salbutamol (wheeze), Zyrtec (runny nose), Prospan (cough) and Paracetamol (fever). Mika was called next and was prescribed the same medication as Anaqi, with Dexchlorpheniramine replacing Zyrtec, and an additional antibiotic for his yellowish mucus. Finally, it was Misha’s turn and she was prescribed the same medication as Mika, plus Vitamin supplements, Kids’ Wash/Cleanser and Moisturizer for her dry skin.
In the end, it looked as though we’d gone on a medicine-shopping frenzy!
Kids’ medicine to bring home.
The next day (23.04.2010) an hour after we had sent Mika to his childcare center in the morning, his teacher called me up to inform that his temperature shot up to 38.5°, and I was asked to fetch him home immediately. P volunteered to fetch him after I conveyed the message over the phone.
That night, all three had their temperature yo-yo-ing throughout. I had to stay awake to sponge and monitor them.
On Saturday, their temperature subsided and there were no fever. I figured I could then bring them out in the evening, either to Parkway or Vivo City or Marina. That I did. We went to catch the fireworks display at the The Helix bridge opening in Marina.
Pretty fireworks on display
Fast forward to Monday night (26.04.2010) all those bad germs must have gotten onto me. I was feeling feverish. It didn’t help that my packed dinner (or supper rather) almost turned bad. The morning after, I felt phlegm accumulating in my throat and made me wheeze pretty bad. On the way to work in my car, I was wheezing so bad that I demanded P to drop me off at RMG clinic at Ogilvy Centre.
There, I had an asthma attack. The moment I stepped in to doctor’s room, before I get a chance to be seated, the doctor knew I was having trouble breathing! Then, I was instructed to go on a nebulizer treatment.
That’s me inhaling Salbutamol gas.
This must have been my Karma for arguing with Mom on Chocolates = Cough equation earlier that morning. Padan muka aku!
After the treatment, I felt lightheaded and was quivering despite being relieved that I was wheezing no more (at least for that morning). I was given a two-day medical leave.
That same night, as if things could not have gotten any worse, Anaqi was seen to have spots all over his body – more prominently around his mouth. Initially we suspected it could be due to medicine allergy so I proposed to bring him to see the PD again that night. To my surprise, the doctor confirmed it was a case of HFMD plus viral rash!
Spots on his foot.
Spots on his mouth.
“This normally takes about 7 to 10 days to fully recover. Please make sure his kakak and abang (brother and sister) don’t get near him”, the PD advised.
So there we go – today, on my second day of sick leave – I’ve to attend to a cranky Anaqi, get grocery to cook for us, cook, attend to Anaqi, send Misha to school, fetch Misha from school, attend to Anaqi, fetch Mika from school, finally eat, and then attend to Anaqi again. Faint, can?
I hope everyone gets better soon, otherwise plans set for this weekend (a BBQ & Baby J’s birthday party) have to be given a miss.
My family had been wanting to have a belated celebratory birthday dinner for my siblings (Dhiah, Ana and Musli). I suggested Badoque Cafe to them just because (1) I’ve never been there since they first launched, and (2) people were raving about their food on twitter so I figured I just HAVE to try.
I made reservations for Friday (2nd April) which happens to be a public holiday (Good Friday). We were supposed to meet at 8.30pm but some came late (what’s new, haha…). Despite us leaving the house early, we ended up reaching there on the dot, just because finding a parking space was a challenge (it always has been, in that area) especially on a public holiday AND a weekend.
Badoque: The Recession Menu
So we ordered our food first while waiting for the rest to arrive. Mom and Dad wanted us to order steak for them since it’s one of the longer ones to prepare. Their service is good in general, and their waiters and waitresses were friendly and catered very well to our needs.
The only downside, I feel, is that the food took too long to be served, and their well-done steak wasn’t really that well-done (cos my dad’s steak still has traces of red meat in it). Their lamb and spaghetti were just okay, not quite price-justified. But I have to say their chicken and orange salad was indeed awesome. It came in a big serving for just $5 worth. My bro ordered Mermaid’s Tears for dessert, and that was nice too.
Me, with the birthday peeps.
Happy kids in the house!
In all, I think everyone enjoyed each other’s company. We should do more of this kind of family gatherings in future. Maybe, Sedap Corner next?
More photos on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprima/sets/72157623831994048/
This is my first attempt at posting a wordpress entry via my blackberry just because I’m too lazy to boot up my PC. So here I am typing this in the comfort of my own pillow and mattress, hurhur!
Aaaanyway, back to the point of this entry…
My extended family had a fantastic BBQ get-together and mini-celebration for my dearest grandma to commemorate her 75th birthday. Actually I was told that no one actually knew her exact age because during the old days, information printed were sometimes inaccurate. My uncle told me that Nyai (what I call my grandma) was born in 1943 (which I doubt), but mom told me that Nyai was 21 when mom was born. If that’s the case, then Nyai would’ve been born in 1935!
Whatever it is, I’m glad that God has granted her longevity, and that she’s blessed with good health!
Here’s a photo of me with Nyai.
You might ask why she’s showing a sad face? Maybe she’s gotten tired of me requesting her to smile for the camera one time too many, LOL!
My aunt and family from Perth came to Singapore for a visit (they normally do during year-ends due to company shutdown for holiday season). When they visit, we normally think of ways for the whole family to get together and catch up. This BBQ idea was their plan, I guess (I wasn’t in the organizing committee). They’ve actually brought meat from down-under specifically for this BBQ. And of course, potluck is welcome.
P & I did not bring any food though, cos we hadn’t replenished our groceries, so we did not cook, but I did volunteered to be the official photographer of the night, hurhur! And P volunteered to BBQ!
As maghrib fall, we took turns to solat cos the BBQ premise was near to my other aunt’s residence. Thereafter, we ate our hearts out, and presented Nyai with gifts after cake-cutting.
The surprise of the day was much later in the night when my family from Melbourne made a surprise appearance! I hadn’t known that she had come to Singapore for a holiday for a couple of months, and I haven’t seen her FOR AGES!! I mean seriously! I think the last time I saw her was after she gave birth to her first daughter, and now she has THREE of them, and the youngest is already running!! Yes, it was *that* long.
Another highlight of the night was when Misha made a new friend with a resident preschooler who was at the playground with her grandpa. The first thing Misha asked the girl (Leah) was, “Hello, are you friend?” Lol, too cute! And the girl even shared her battery-operated police motorbike, and also taught Misha how to work the machine and manoeuvre. Very friendly that girl! Even her grandpa did not object to them playing together.
Even though it was a Sunday (3rd Jan) it felt like a Saturday. But as much as we wanted to stay late, we had to leave early cos the next day is a working day and the kids have school.
P/s: Did not even checked on spelling and typos and grammatical errors, cos I’m getting sleepy now (Time check 1:16am SGT) *yawn*
That’s it for now. I’ll probably check how my entry looks like when I’m on my PC, likely when I’m in the office tomorrow (or today technically).
Here’s a few photos taken from my blackberry. Better quality ones can be found on my Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprima/sets/72157623173115758/.
**edited: urgh, photo size is too large when posted from the blackberry, so I had to re-upload them on my PC.
