Is Anyone As Busy Or Busier Than Me?

Motherhood is a wonderful journey. I have always been kept busy by my children. The real challenge comes when a mother is also a working one. Recently, I was given a teaching assignment for five days. I took it up since I did not have any morning appointments or meetings scheduled in that week. It was fun but it was tiring too. After teaching, on some days, I had to go back to my own office to do some work. When I reached home, it was time to tend to my children's dinner, laundry, ironing for the next day's outfits for the whole family, etc. When my teaching assignment ended, it was time to focus on my sons' prom nite preparation. Didn't know that boys can be as fussy as girls. I thought it was just about shirts, pants, blazers and ties. But I thought wrong. Haha... The colour mix-and-match part, the cutting of the blazer, one button or two buttons, to wear necktie or bowtie... And the list goes on. I don't deny that I had fun in being the chaperone for my son's shopping. As for my second son, he is in the organising committee for his school's prom. It may not be his prom year yet, but he is enthusiastic about what to wear too. My third son, who is only 12 years old, also had a prom nite across the Causeway in a 4-star hotel ballroom. Kids nowadays are really lucky. I am grateful that my children are very understanding of the fact that it is year-end and I have started to be very busy with clients. However, my second and youngest children still have activities in school; at least, till end this month. It means that my working hours will still centre around my daughter's timings. This is the advantage of working flexi-hours and I cannot see myself working in a fixed-hour environment at all. Today, my third son is attending his school's musical nite. Tomorrow, he will be competing in the local futsal tournament. Next Friday, he will get his PSLE result. My little man is going into his next phase of life. To a new school. To a new environment. Alhamdulillah. Time to log off now. Need to get ready to meet my other half for a dinner date :-)

All Because Of Snow

My eldest sis-in-law will be flying to London for winter holiday with her grandchildren and will be staying with my other in-laws there for five weeks. When I first heard about it, I was so excited and asked for my gal tag along. My two elder sons are not interested to experience winter, while my third son cannot be out of the country for so long as he has to report to his new school before Xmas. When I spoke to my gal, naturally she was excited at the prospect of experiencing real snow and meeting her cousin. And then, reality struck. A discussion with my husband laid out various pros and cons. We talked to our gal and she understood. My husband would only allow her to go if I go too. That is the impossible part because I cannot be away for so long. It is not just about leaving my husband and sons behind but I cannot leave my work for too long too. So, the next thing I did was to ask my colleague if there is snow in December in Seoul as she was there last year. She excitedly told me about her kids' first snow experience. My gal has only been to the Snow Walk at I-City Shah Alam. I do not know what to expect in Seoul. I am not into any K-Pop stuff. I have to travel without my husband as he cannot get leave. As much as I want to book the tickets now to indulge my gal to pursue her snow dream, I am feeling 50-50 about it. The prospect of going to a place where English is not spoken much and Halal eateries are not plentiful make me feel doubtful if I can survive a week there with my gal. Once again, I talked to my gal. She is a very nice and easy-to-please child. She is also not into K-Pop. The only reason why Seoul was chosen was because it is the closest that we can experience real snow. Now, the planning is back to the comfort of KL. It will not be just KL but like in June 2014, we will explore Shah Alam again as well as the laid-back Banting town. Add in Putrajaya as well since my relative is working at Pullman and can get me a good hotel rate. Then again, Jetstar's return fare for Jakarta at SGD 64 is very tempting. Not to mention, Batam's SGD 0 promotion (just pay taxes at SGD 28 two-way) is also tempting. Time to go to bed now. Tomorrow is the start of a new assignment. I need to be fresh and hyper for it.

Ramadhan 1435H

Alhamdulillah, we get to meet Ramadhan again. As age is inching upwards, being able to prepare meals for my family for sahur and iftar itself is a blessing. Yesteday, I took a break from all the cooking because dear husband was cooking creamy pasta and baked potatoes for us. Yeay!... It's the 9th day of fasting today. Dear husband has been performing solat terawih diligently every night without fail nearby our house. Me and kids? We only go with him on weekends. Last Saturday, we went to Masjid Assyakirin because Ustaz Hafiizh Rapiee was giving a post-terawih talk. I've attended classes conducted by Ustaz Hafiizh. He is a young ustaz, very knowledgeable and witty. The world today is full of challenges. One of the challenges is to raise my children to be successful Muslims and Muslimah. I always share stories of my growing up years with my children; how strict my parents were, how I was grounded whenever I reached home past my curfew eventhough it was a group outing, how my dad insisted that I recited the Quran every night in front of him no matter how tired we both were, how my parents controlled the my attire, etc. Looking back, I am so glad that I was brought up that way. My husband is a strict father to our children, hence, the need to emphasise to our kids why we, as parents, do what we do sometimes. To my only girl, I am glad that she is a very simple girl. Her academic results in both secular and madrasah have been impressive since she was in Pri 1. She is uncomfortable showing off too much skin in her dressing. Most of the time, she prefers to wear jeans and pretty T-shirt blouses. At times, she would don the hijab. I don't put pressure on her. I just educate her. It's a pity that I myself took so long to don the hijab like how every Muslimah should be dressed in upon puberty but I thank Allah SWT for His hidayah. Dear husband set some terms and conditions before he agreed to me donning the hijab. (1) Once I've put on, I must always put it on whenever I go out and whenever we have guests at home. No changing of mind no matter how hot the weather is. (2) My clothes must not be tight-fitting. All blouses must be below the hip level, preferably covering the buttocks. I do not have that many roomy blouses, so I am trying my best here. Need to shop a bit for that 2-3 more pieces of roomy blouses.(3) My hijab must cover my chest area. This is not an issues because I love to put on long shawls. With long shawls, why would there be an excuse not to cover up the chest? Covering our aurat is not just for the sake of covering. The definition of covering aurat has been misinterpreted in recent years. May Allah SWT give guidance and hidayah to our Muslim sisters. As for me, I must always istiqamah. There is still so much to learn about this beautiful religion. It is time to log off now as an e-mail has just come in. That means that I have a business insurance quotation to prepare now. May we all receive his barakah in abundance in this holy month of Ramadhan. Amin... PS:- It's the Youth Day school holiday today. With a nice and cooling weather since this morning, I am letting my kids play some computer games in-between their revision. Everyone needs a break, right? :-)

Family Gathering

Some of my husband's siblings came to Singapore and Malaysia for their parents' death anniversary prayer. It has been five years since some of them came back. Before they went to Malaysia, we had dinner here. We could not join them for the prayer gathering due to some unforeseen circumstances but we still drove up one week later and even stayed for two nights. It was a good bonding session for our kids with their paternal side. We wanted to go to Port Dickson on Monday cos the kids wanted to ride the banana boat. Alas, we were told that it was the jellyfish season. So, we changed our plan and hung around in my husband's hometown instead. As the final destination was planned to be KL, before going to KL, we decided to go to Shah Alam and stayed for a night. It was our first time to Shah Alam. We wanted to go to I-City and also, the majestic blue mosque; it's exact name is Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. MasyaAllah, indeed, very majestic and beautiful! Walking into the mosque, I was overcome with many feelings. It was surreal being in the mosque cos all this while, I only saw it on TV and on some Hari Raya greeting cards and money envelopes. As I performed the tahiyatul masjid, I shed tears. I wonder how I would be when I do get to be in Masjidil Haram and Masjid Nabawi one fine day. Ya Allah, please invite me to Makkah and Madinah, at least to perform our Umrah. Please open up the door to more rezeki for me and my husband, so that we can go to see the Ka'abah together. Amin.

InsyaAllah, we will visit Shah Alam again. Some of my friends mentioned shopping at Seksyen 7. We were staying at Seksyen 7. I did see a few boutiques there selling Muslimah-wear but we did not enter any at all. Just drove past cos when we were going to I-City. Shopping in Shah Alam was not our agenda. Anyway, I am a simple person with simple taste. I do not need any boutique-ly attire or hijab. It has been two years since we last went to KL. We checked-in at Royale Bintang Hotel cos the usual hotels we stayed in were fully-booked. As usual, food-hopping was our main agenda in KL. In addition, this time round, we spent a bit longer than usual at Masjid India area to look for clothes for Hari Raya. We went to Pekan Banting upon driving back to Singapore to visit my relative. It was our first time visiting them, thanks to the GPS. Without this technology, this visit would have been impossible. My husband and kids love it there. It is a sleepy town, very laidback and very relaxing. Their house is huge, their outdoor compound is huge; no wonder we love it there. Who knows, when Singapore gets too expensive, we may just buy a land there and build a house. It is in Selangor, so going to KL for the food-hopping crave is just an hour away. PS:- It is my husband's birthday today. As it is a Wednesday, he said he would like to celebrate it this weekend. But I think I will still try to get a cake for him once I am done with a sales appointment which is scheduled at 5pm. May Allah bless my dear husband with good health always, strengthen his iman, bestow more rezeki onto him and protect him from evil and mishaps. Amin.

Story Of Nutella

Since the past two weeks, some friends in FB has been talking about Nutella spread. As mine was running out, I quickly joined the rush to buy and stock up. For two days in a row, I went to Giant and NTUC Extra, all I found was Nutella in glass jars with no halal logo; Made in Poland. I went home and pre-empted my kids that should there be no more halal-certified Nutella to be bought, our family should make do with peanut butter as replacement. Last Friday, after attending the Parent-Teacher's Meet at my second son's school, I decided to divert to Sheng Siong Supermarket before driving home. I got excited upon seeing the usual halal Nutella. About 20 plus jars were available. I grabbed some happily. Fast-forward to today, Monday, I saw 6 jars left at Sheng Siong. I was contemplating to buy all or to leave some for other Muslim customers who might want to stock up too. I just took two jars and walked away to look for other groceries. I have a total of a few jars of Nutella at home now. The kids must learn to be self-disciplined. Not that I am stingy. No. I am never stingy with food. But since it looks like there may not be anymore halal Nutella for a while in the shops, our stock at home may be able to last us for a few months.

Looking forward to meeting some girlfriends this evening. Meanwhile, it is time to do up some proposals for my clients. I love my job :-)

Mummy's Not Cooking

After dear husband went to work at 9am, I decided to open my freezer and see what I could cook today. Among the stuff I have in my freezer this morning, I saw dory fillet and knew what I wanted to cook for lunch. While waiting for the dory to thaw, I prepared the rest of the required ingredients and relaxed with a cup of coffee and reheated Kuih Kasuwi that I baked last Sunday. At 11am, I switched on my induction cooker. All the lights were blinking continuously even after I pressed the button for my usual cooking mode. After switching off and on again, the same thing was still happening. I concluded that my induction cooker is Out Of Order. Sigh... What a time to be spoilt. I had to make do with my Philips Airfyer to make breaded fish instead. It was my first time making breaded fish without deep-frying it. Alhamdulillah, it came out good and tasted delicious! Most importantly, healthy. I posted a status on my FB about my spoilt induction cooker cos I was hoping for any contact of mine to share alternative cooking ideas with me. True enough, some people responded by telling me that I can cook using the microwave oven and also, the rice cooker. It sounded funny cos I only used the microwave oven to heat up food and used the rice cooker to, of course, cook rice. Only this morning, I tried to use the rice cooker for something other than rice; ie. I used it to steam instant red bean pau for my breakfast. Thank God, my induction cooker is still under warranty. While waiting to send it for repair, I guess I should just make do with the rice cooker method. Seems interesting. I love to cook for my family. I love it when they go for second or even third helping. My husband eats anything that I cook and on weekends, he will take over the kitchen to whip out whatever Western food he desires. We enjoy his cooking as much too. Ramadhan is just about a month away. May we all be able to usher in the upcoming Ramadhan in good health, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Amin. PS: The school holiday is around the corner. 4 wedding invitations, 1 majlis cukur rambut and 1 extended family gathering. Some in Singapore, while some in Malaysia. Am I busy or busy? ;-)

Insurance

Insurance... It used to be a taboo topic for Muslims. But over the years, when more and more Muslims become more educated, they study, they research and some have even become theology experts and consider the act of buying an insurance policy as a Fardhu Kifayah and the one selling it also gets to reap the benefits (pahala) of Fardhu Kifayah too. I am an insurance agent since 1996. I have done a lot of claims, ranging from travel insurance claims, minor accidents to cancer claims. To-date, I cannot count how many accident and hospitalisation claims I have done for my clients. There have been simply too many. And to-date, I have done two cancer claims. No death claims so far and I do not wish to do this claim while I am still alive. May every client of mine is blessed with good health always. Amin... Nobody wants to be injured, nobody wants to be sick but as the Malay saying goes, "SEDIAKAN PAYUNG SEBELUM HUJAN"; which literally means, prepare an umbrella before it rains... Insurance... I am passionate about it. I talk to anybody about it. I help to create awareness to those who are unfamiliar about it. I help to create a listening pair of ears for those who have had issues about it. But just like any other sales job, I also look forward to new business all the time. So, to those I am comfortable and happy to take my acquaintance-ship and friendship to the next level, I ask them if they too are comfortable and happy with me. If yes, I will encourage them to embark on the agent-client relationship with me. I will walk through with every individual on his/her needs and aspirations. Some people are concerned only about protection. Some people are only concerned about how to save with discipline in order to achieve a lump sum amount after X years for their children's tertiary education, for their children's wedding banquet, for their long vacation, for their Haj. Most of the time, they are comfortable to tell me what their existing commitments are, what their salaries are, thus, how much they are willing to set aside to embark on their insurance journey with me. I have never done any hard-selling to anyone. My clients and friends who are non-clients can confirm this. If you tell me you only want to use your Medisave, I will propose policies that use only Medisave to pay for the premiums. If you tell me you want to do wealth-accumulation but do not want to use cash, I will ask you to log in to your CPF account and walk through with you the available options for investment-linked policies. If you tell me you only have $50 cash to spare every month, I will propose for your needs based on $50 per month. I am happy whenever my clients are happy, and that is most important to me where my work-life is concerned. From strangers, they become clients, from clients, they become friends; and some even become my good friends and family friends. Alhamdulillah :-) I do not follow-up closely with people whom I do not wish to have the agent-client relationship with. Call me judgmental but after almost two decades in this business, I more or less know what to look for before I want to serve a person as his/her insurance agent. Yes, we would talk about insurance whenever we bump into each other or whenever we have class reunion dinners but I stop short of setting an appointment for business. Simply put, I do not wish to have that person as my client, eventhough he/she would text me to ask when we could meet for the policy sign-up. "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill.

Easy-Peasy Dishes

Cooking can be a challenge for a working mum like me. When ideas run dry and knowing that the day is going to be a busy one, I always ask my kids what they want me to cook. Their answers would always be those dishes that would require more than an hour of preparation and cooking; not to mention the washing and cleaning after that. I used to oblige and cook dishes like Rendang and Ayam Masak Merah on a weekday. Quick dishes would be like soupy and stir-fried ones. They are super-quick that I am no longer cooking Rendang and Ayam Masak Merah on weekdays. (1) Beef with kalian/spinach in oyster sauce (2) Chap chye (3) Diced chicken meat Soto soup (4) Egg and fishball/fishcake in coconut gravy (5) Stir-fried sawi panjang a la Mee Hongkong gravy (6) Bittergourd in turmeric powder with egg (7) Yong Tau Foo soup (8) Fishball soup with beansprout and spring onion (9) Sambal (chicken/fishcake/hotdog/batang fish) (10) Belado (chicken/batang fish) (11)Airfried potatoes with rosemary and thyme (12)Airfried turmeric chicken (13)Butter rice (13)Sambal fried rice I have yet to try airfrying salmon fillet but will do it one of these days. Still on the lookout for more easy-peasy dishes to whip up for my other half and kids on weekdays. There are some days that I work from home with not much follow-ups to attend to. That will be the day that I will include making desserts (depends on my mood). (1) Puff (hotdog/sardine with cheese) (2) Brownie (3) Butter cake (4) Green bean porridge (5) Bread and butter pudding Again, on the lookout for more easy-peasy desserts. PS: My favourite Burger King's Rendang Beef burger is back! ;-)

Mid-Year Exams

And the mid-year exam in Singapore is just around the corner. Every parent wants the best for our children. Likewise, myself. My children have their own style of studying. I do not send any of them for tuition outside. I am their tutor. Feel so blessed that I am able to guide my own children. This year, my niece comes over to my place once a week to be guided for Math; all the way till the PSLE is over. My job allows me to plan my own working hours. I cook as often as possible on weekdays, so that my children come back to home-cooked meal. On days that I have no time to cook, I will buy food back or bring them out for a quick lunch before hitting the kitchen to whip up a simple dish for dinner. My other half is the type who comes back home immediately after work. Only once every 2-3 months, he will go out with his friends or colleagues. I've past age 40. Every waking second is a blessing. "Be with those who help your being." - Rumi.

And The First Quarter Of 2014 Is Ending Soon

New Year... Alhamdulillah, our family has had a great start to 2014. Prior to ushering 2014, we took our year-end break elsewhere instead of the usual KL. Many other great stuff happened in Dec 2013 but the pictures in my privatised FB album will serve as memories for my other half and children who can access to the album. Work... I am glad that Allah SWT is still blessing me with good health to continue servicing my clients, both corporate and individual, and to bestow upon me with rezeki from Him with constant recommendations from my existing clients and friends. Family... So, what have I been up to? I have never blogged for so long. It's not like I have nothing to blog about. A lot of interesting things have happened since the last time I logged in to this blog. But I just don't have the discipline to sit still in front of my laptop typing away. Cos most of the time, whenever I switch on my laptop, it is for work. My life mostly revolves around my other half and my kids. Housework, laundry, cooking; these are daily and never-ending chores but I cannot complaint because these are blessings. Cos it means that you have a complete family and good health to perform these chores. Apart from my own family, I also spend time with my extended family members, my friends, my clients, my colleagues, daily takzirahs, reading Quran, reading the tafsir, etc. I make every effort not to miss my solat and preferably on time; anywhere. I train my kids to do the same too. Life in this world is only temporary. Death is certain. What is uncertain is the time we will be called upon to meet Him, regardless of age. Thankful... I am thankful for every morning that I get to wake up, to be able to spend another day with my loved ones, to be able to do my work. After all, my work is a fardhu kifayah. In the past 1-2 months, 6 clients were hospitalised. I submitted their claims. Their claims were approved. The smiles on their faces and the "Thank You" from them have been enough to motivate me to continue with what I have been doing since almost 20 years ago. Children... All of them are doing fine in school. My eldest is improving as he is preparing for his major exam this year. My second is very active in school but he never neglects his studies despite being busy with school co-curricular activities. My third will be sitting for his major exam this year too. So far, he is consistent but some pushing can do wonders to him. My youngest, the baby in our family, is a self-motivated child who is independent. I tutor my kids myself and again, I feel blessed that I am able to teach most of the subjects, both primary and secondary schools. Life... Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah... Of course, there are hiccups here and there but at the end of the day, I accept these hiccups as part of my growing-up process. As a mother to teenagers now, I have these hiccups as real-life experience to guide them and not using other people's hiccups to educate my kids. Why Alhamdulillah when there have been hiccups? Allah sayang kita, makanya Allah duga kita. Allah sayang kita, makanya Allah beri peluang kepada kita untuk berubah, insaf dan kembali ke jalan yg diredhai. Hanya Allah yg tahu apa yg tersurat dan tersirat di dalam hati seseorang. Who am I to judge you? Who are you to judge me? Nobody. May we have a great weekend ahead!