Teaser

Coming Soon:

Iman Amaris is Three

&

Hail Harraz is Four

Us

Any potluck plans during the weekends had to be cancelled due to individuals' commitments, so a dinner would do. I forgot to bring the promised CD. Luckily, Elis carries her laptop around every day.

Anyway, for this dinner, some bathed yet most did not. Two left their respective children at home. What mattered most, we now know who Kame is. Which is never to be mistaken as Goku's Kame Hame Ha. We also bumped into Yati.

The highlight of the day, aside from the food, was the slideshow of Elis and Nana's three-week trip to Japan that the former prepared at midnight. We concluded the evening with a vow to get better handbags for ourselves.

Nini and Huda could not make it at the very last minute. If only everybody could attend the next do. Everybody plus their respective expertise. Pasta, apple pie, steamed brownies, sushi, daging dendeng, and lots more that have escaped my work-infested mind at the moment.

Perhaps, Nini and I would catch Dragon Ball the Movie together. Meanwhile, thank you, Elis and Nana , for the souvenirs. Yes, this is a belated post. We met on February 20th.

1999-2009

Yani and her precious, Nabihah and Irfan.

The unexpected encounter with Yani and her family was a sign for us to organise a proper gathering indicating the coursemates' tenth year of camaraderie.

Madness

My laptop crashed again last evening. There goes my graduation gift. Time for a new reward, for finally understanding 0.0001 percent of the unit's core business, and for finally being myself after two weeks of Petrifying Monster Syndrome. I am truly sorry, Kamal.

Visualising: 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Wean Away

So, it was premenstrual syndrome. Top the symptoms with hairfall, and voila, I was officially a monster. I need to channel the negativity elsewhere.

It has been eons since I last blogged. I am slowly, but surely, learning the curves at the new work place that blogging took a back seat. Last week, my boss asked me to tag my colleagues along to the ministry's agencies in Johor Bahru, and then, Mukah, all in the name of learning. In between those visits would be a course held for one week in Kuala Lumpur, all day long. In the end, these new curves have led me to a separation. From Khalish.

No more separation anxiety for me. Khalish, meanwhile, has always been comfortable under his grandmother's care. Now, about milk. With mixed feelings, I have decided to wean my baby off breast milk. It started with Khalish's preference for the formula most times he was fed using bottle at the nursery. Expressed breast milk is always precious considering its nutrients and the time spent for expressing, so I instructed them to add the milk in his puree instead. Back at home, full from dinner, he would not nurse as long as I would like him to. Moreover, he has started to sleep straight from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Due the lack of demand and the numbers of outstation tasks, no amount of oat could bring back my standard of producing 20 ounces of expressed breast milk during the day. It has been a measly four to eight ounces lately.

More importantly, Khalish is 80 percent ready. He could now drink from the bottle even when I was near him. The next 20 percent depends on my efforts to feed him using the bottle myself. I tried once, to no avail. The scent of breast milk was too strong then, I guess. As usual, reading, for example, this source and this article, proffers great tips as well as the empathy much needed.

At home front, Kamal and I received guests from Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, and of course, Selangor, for the whole of last week. My parents-in-law were among the guests. Thinking how limited our time is with them, Kamal and I decided to let go our Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical tickets to a cousin's in-laws. In compensation, Kamal is treating me to a second honeymoon.

The guests gala started on Tuesday evening, which ended early Wednesday morning, and commenced again from Friday evening until Sunday morning. Too bad for me, Khalish became clingy then. A sign of stranger anxiety, perhaps. Fortunately, my parents understood my situation well. With Kamal helping here and there, they cooked, managed the cleanliness, and entertained the guests. May our maid, who would arrive at the end of March, be inspired by their diligence.

I will be away in a while. Be back in the office by Friday. Then, moonlighting during the weekends. All the while, Khalish will be gallivanting with his grandparents in the East Coast. Lucky me, I have my chums to console my longing for that child of mine.

Seven Months Since

News

New hairdo, courtesy of the grandfather and his barber

&

New finger food, celery

Khalish oh Khalish

Leaning oh so sluggishly against Angoh's thighs, Khalish entertained The Ketereh Clan (who were in Duyong then) simply by doing his thangs:

Counting 1,2,3,4,5 in Khalishese dialect.

And, staring non-chalantly at us rolling on the floor laughing out loud.
Look at his crossed feet.

Assignment

Shazremil Hariz Turned 1
Photographed by Aishah MAK

Special thanks to Shazremil Hariz's parents and family for the opportunity to shoot beautiful people during the boy's first birthday celebration. As importantly, I would like to thank Kamal Mustapha and Azmel Rasheed for their photography guidance. More, please.

Movement

It is the weekend again, which means more time and space for photographs, either to shoot or to post them. These photos at Eye on Malaysia, Melaka, were snapped last Sunday when my parents-in-law visited my sister-in-law's new place in Duyong. Kamal, Khalish, and I were excited to try the ride as we missed the one in Tasik Titiwangsa. Only to find the view rather lackluster. Mainly due to the prominent construction site near the ride location.

We enjoyed each other's company nonetheless. The twins shot a number of great photos alongside Kamal's. I was occupied with Khalish, as usual. He kept changing his mind about the things he wanted. It would be milk in a minute, and the view of his grandparents, uncles, and aunt a second later. Anyway, a note to myself: get Khalish a proper cap.

Yes, it was a hot day. So hot that even my father-in-law jumped at the idea of ice cream. That, to be savoured with the dinner leftover of Nasi Dagang, courtesy of my mother-in-law and much assisted by her daughter. We swore we could never be tired of their Nasi Dagang as well as the latter's Kway Teow, of course. Which reminds me that I love Nasi Kukus Ayam Berempah dan Gulai Daging Kerutup sold at a restaurant belonging to my brother-in-law's family in Subang. Another favourite is the Nasi Kukus at Lesung Emas, Bandar Baru Bangi.

The highlight of the weekend was Ikea outing with A, my parents-in-law's adopted son. The boy, whose dream is to start a soy-based business, has been driving for my parents-in-law whenever they decided to go out of Kelantan. He is spontaneous, the life of family gathering. A simple kampung boy, really. Upon reaching Bandar Utama area, it warmed my heart to hear him happily remarked, translated "oh, there is more of Kuala Lumpur than I thought."

In a way, he reminded me to appreciate the things I have been blessed with. Love, for example. I had a misunderstanding with a loved one over a phone conversation one day, but a boy who counted his little blessing, along a piece of advice from Kamal, made me realised that I was being silly. Ayah Soh always said about the ability to move ahead towards a better self.

A belated Happy New Year, Maal Hijrah, and Gong Xi Fatt Choy wishes to relevant ones. If you do not have any plan for the weekend, do go to Suria KLCC. Not merely for the shops, but also for Galeri Petronas. I love Soraya Yusof Talismail's Imaging Selfs exhibition there.