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!

Ramadhan Kareem. Ramadhan Mubarak!

Syukur Alhamdulillah, my family and I get to experience another Ramadhan in good health. With the passing of so many people we know in the last few months, indeed, life is short and death is inevitable. Death comes to anyone regardless of age, language and religion. Ok, I sound like I'm reading the Singapore pledge. Anyway, do good, be good and most importantly, do not suka-suka label other people and create fitnahs. I text my bestfriend to ask him about his rempeyek supplier cos in the past years, he would always order from the same lady. Unfortunately, this year, this rempeyek-maker doesn't make anymore. I thought, ok, I'll just buy those packet ones whenever I go to JB. But one fine morning, I received a pleasant surprise from him. He text me to say that he has ordered for me. The only not-pleasant part is that he ordered via someone who always has negative thoughts about me and him. Well, life goes on. I've been friends with him for more than 5 years; went through with him all the ups and downs. May Allah bless my bestfriend always and protect him for evil. Amin.

Hijab And Vacation

Syukur Alhamdulillah, it has been 4 months since I decided to don the hijab permanently. There were no reservations because I had prepared for this journey for about two years. My other half gave his blessings after I came back from my company trip and there was no turning back eversince then. Of course, there were challenges prior to The Day. I accepted these challenges as Allah's way of "cleansing" me and leading me to the right path. So, my other half and I took our kids for a mid-year vacation. For the first time, KL took a back seat. We opted for Batam. We split our 3 nights' stay into two different hotels cos we wanted to experience Harris Resort Waterfront and at the same time, also wanted to experience Nagoya area without the hassle of taking taxi to and fro. It was a good experience. The next time, we'll probably stay in Harris again. Simply love the tranquillity surrounding the resort. What's next in my agenda? My other half's birthday is just around the corner. School will reopen in a week's time. There will be another long weekend for the kids just before Ramadhan begins, so we are thinking of some activities to do in that weekend. Till then, I hope I can find the time again to update my blog. Wassalam :-)

New Year, New Company, New Resolution

Syukur Alhamdulillah, my family and I ended 2012 in good health. Managed to do some physical, mental and spiritual "spring-cleaning", got rid of some rubbish and pray to Allah SWT consistently for His continued guidance. My family had a short but memorable trip to KL in Dec. KL is treated as a "compulsory" year-end destination by us and my best friend. Nothing much to shop cos the highlight of every KL trip is food :-)... Once back from KL, Aqil had to report for his band practice, my other half was back to work and I was back to office on eve of Xmas and Boxing Day. Had a quiet birthday celebration with my loved ones. What is there to be noisy about, anyway? Turning 39 was a turning point for me cos that means the Big 4 was juz few days ahead in terms of calendar year. After so much food-hopping and year-end outings, I could not procrastinate anymore with the book-wrapping for my kids. So, on 1 Jan 2013, the wrappings begun in the morning. That was how I ushered in 2013. On top of that, I got an unexpected text message from an old friend. Truly unexpected. I'm thankful for the opportunity given by Him to re-embark on my journey as an insurance agent. I'm now working under a great director and have a fantastic team of colleagues. In a few days' time, I'll be in Bangkok with them for a Life Planners' meeting cum Agency Team-Bonding. My extension of stay will be juz for a nite but I hope I can food-hop as much as I can, go for that 3-hour spa and massage at the same spa which I've been since 2008 and shop for my family. So, Bangkok, here I come! Can't wait to visit Usman Restaurant again to have an authentic Thai-Halal meal :-) To Wilym, we may not be of the same religion, but I will keep you in my prayers.

With All Due Respect...

With all due respect to the word "Friendship", I have nothing to say about you. My kids read my blogs and I don't wish for them to ask, "Mummy, what is this all about? Who are you talking about?" I want to be a good mother. I want to teach them good values and kindness. At least when I am gone, they can re-read my blogs along with their respective spouses and children, and remember me for being a doting mother, a patient wife, a caring sibling, a soft-spoken and filial daughter, a dedicated insurance agent and most importantly, a genuine friend to all who have come into my life. I don't bite unless bitten. I don't know how to confront friends who have spoken ill about me. I don't know how to confront friends who have slandered me. There is Allah and He is the Know-All. Work has kept me busy lately. Work, for me, is defined as lunch/tea/dinner with my friends. Friends who engage me to be their insurance agent and friends who are simply friends! :-)... With work, comes homework. Almost every other day, I will be busy studying my clients' needs and requests. I listen to their financial goals, I take down notes, I go back to study the notes and prepare proposals based on their needs and budget. I enjoy preparing proposals. Today, I prepared 9 proposals for my sales appointments which are scheduled between tomorrow till Friday. I can only say that I feel very blessed to have clients, friends and family members who are very supportive of me, who love to do business with me, who love to chit-chat with me and who don't mind recommending their friends, colleagues and loved ones to me. Syukur Alhamdulillah :-) Aryna has started the countdown to our vacation since Monday. Thank God she did that cos I kept on thinking that we would be driving up only two weeks from now. This time round, I'm not feeling the excitement yet. Maybe because I still have a lot of clients to meet and work to do. I let my kids plan the itinerary for our trip; like where to eat, what to do, etc. So far, I am quite satisfied with their plan. Today is a Stay-At-Home-Wednesday. Lunch with my friend from Perth is postponed to tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be quite a busy day for me. A trip to my office, lunch with my beloved friends and two sales appointments after that. Syukur dengan rezeki kurniaan Allah swt. Syukur Alhamdulillah.

Exporting In Progress...

My best friend text me this morning to ask if I have done my Multiply-exporting to Blogger. I am guilty of not checking the status of my export request yet. So, I told him that I haven't done so... Ok, since I decided not to attend my training today and have some free time in hand, I might as well discipline myself to do what I need to do. Both him and me cannot afford to lose our postings juz like that. And so, I have completed my first round of export already and they are all sitting in Draft. I'm unsure if I want to publish them. Let's see if they are worth publishing for my fans to read (Fans sey... Haha... Perasan!). Didn't know it is so easy and fast to do the export job. Nevertheless, I will still miss Multiply. Meanwhile, let's talk about what happened in the past week. As it is the school holiday, I am tempted to bring my kids out everyday to soak in the outdoor atmosphere. But as I am now back to life as a working woman, I have to balance out my time between my family, my admin work and also my clients. The most beautiful part about my job is, other than the flexible hours, my clients become my friends and my friends become my clients. Syukur Alhamdulillah for the continued support :-) Mon, 19 Nov - I spent the whole day with my kids. Nothing beats having all four of them by my side. We went out only in the evening to visit Sha's son who was circumcised on 8 Nov. As we reached Hougang early, I decided to take my kids to Hougang Mall. It was our first time there. The first shop we saw was Smiggle. And needless to say, we were smittened by Smiggle. My kids bought some cute stationery from Smiggle and we adjourned to Watson's to get some toiletries. Aryna saw the Angry Bird section. She asked if she could buy the Angry Bird earpiece (she needs a earpiece, anyway). It was only $4.90, so I made my gal happy by obliging her. I don't usually indulge my kids on instant purchases but Aryna has been a very good gal, very obedient, very helpful, did well in her SA2, so what is there not to love...? :-)... We reached Sha's house at 6pm. We were served mee goreng, fried chicken and snacks. We chatted, our kids played with each other and by 8.45pm, we left to fetch my other half from work. Tue, 20 Nov - I spent the first half of the day doing paperwork, filing, data-entry, etc. All admin stuff. In the evening, after I have settled my kids down with their dinner and got them to wash up to change to pyjamas, I left for my agency meeting in my office. Wed, 21 Nov - Had a training session to attend at CFE. Took the public transport cos parking charges would have killed me. During lunch-break, I had the urge to eat at McDonald's. So, I walked to Chinatown Point. Unfortunately, the whole building was under renovation. I decided to walk to The Central to eat at Burker King. Lost in the mall, I text my younger sis and also asked a security officer to show me the directions to BK. While searching for BK, I walked at the riverside of the mall which was heading towards Clarke Quay. MasyaAllah, I was mesmerised by the beauty of the surrounding, especially, the Singapore River. It has been ages since I last went to Clarke Quay. So, after 40 mins of walking from CFE, I finally got to savour my lunch... After class, I went back home to spend some time with my kids and settled their dinner. By 6.45pm, I left home again for a sales appointment at Jurong Point. As I was having my "off" day from solat, I didn't mind the appointment time. My client and I had dinner at Fig n Olive cos it has the least crowd. We ate, we chatted, we talked business and Alhamdulillah, I was asked to prepare a proposal for her. She has actually bought for herself and her whole family in early Oct. But she is buying another one for herself again now. Thur, 22 Nov - At home the whole day once again with my kids. All of them didn't want to go out. So, we juz stayed at home the whole day, ate what I cooked, snacking on chocolate chip cookies and ginger snaps from M&S, playing PC games, etc. As for me, I drowned myself for a few hours in the evening with paperwork, data-entry and preparing proposals. Fri, 23 Nov - I cooked fried kway teow for my kids' lunch and the kitchen was clean and shiny by 9.45am. I showered again, sent my other half to work, went to The Central again to have lunch with my manager and then, I was off to Sengkang for a sales appointment. Again, Alhamdulillah for the rezeki... The rain became heavier. Thunder and lightning aplenty. The sky was very overcast. My next appointment was at 6.30pm. Juz as I was about to leave my client's place, my Pre-U girlfriend text me to say that her mum had juz passed away. I replied her and followed up with a phone call to her. Told her that I had to go for another appointment and would be there as soon as I was done. I was at Sengkang. The deceased was at Sembawang. My next appointment was at Simpang Bedok. It made sense to drive to Sembawang from Sengkang as it was directly accessed via TPE/SLE. But I didn't have the heart to cancel my appointment. So, I went to Simpang Bedok first. Spize, to be exact. By 9pm, I was at Sembawang already. Not that I dressed indecently but I was dressed inappropriately for a funeral. A short-sleeved loose blouse with long black pants. No tudung. I stayed with my girlfriend till 11.30pm when her another girlfriend came to keep her company. I told her I would be come again the next day to pay my last respects to her mum. We are close friends since school days. I last saw her mum when I visited them in Syawal this year. Sat, 24 Nov - I woke up for Subuh. My other half was unwell, so he didn't follow me to Sembawang. After a light breakfast, I left home and reached my girlfriend's place at 8.45am. I stayed by her side throughout the funeral to give moral support. I asked if she wanted me to stay or if it was ok for me to follow to the cemetery. She asked me to follow to the cemetery to see her mum's burial. From the cemetery, I dropped by Sheng Siong kopitiam to buy chicken briyani back for my family. Sun, 25 Nov - Stay-home Sunday. Pretty relaxing. Cooked Nasi Lemak for my family. A little ironing to do. Other than that, we juz lazed around the house, watching TV, reading books and playing games. I have had a good week in the company of my loved ones, my clients and my friends. Hope your week had been good too :-)... Getting ready to run my second-round of exporting now. May we all have a blessed week ahead, InsyaAllah (Ok, I am sticking to this spelling. It's the pronunciation and the intention of its utterance that matters. I have sought the views and opinions of some asatizahs in our country and they, too, are not fancied by the new spelling by a foreign clergyman. Wallahu 'a'laam.)

Upcoming Closure Of Multiply

My best friend and I are looking at where to export our blog entries and photo albums from our Multiply accounts. We are so used to Multiply's platform. Multiply's management has created export tools for Multipliers to export to Blogger or Tumblr... And yes, we are still in two minds, whether to create Tumblr accounts or juz use Blogger. Wherever I'll export to, my friend will follow; that's for sure. What do we both have in our Multiply accounts? We have blogs. Lots of blogs. Writings of our own mundane stuff and inspiring stories to share with our Multiply friends. Writings that chronicle our journey in life, our love for our families and friends, our vacations, etc... We have photos there too. Photos of our vacations, our families, randoms, etc... Multiply.com... The place where it all started. I am grateful and I feel blessed. Life is about journey. And the journey that we travel, still travelling and have travelled, makes us feel blessed to be what we are now. Syukur Alhamdulillah.

PSLE

Yesterday, 25 Nov 2010, was PSLE result-taking day. I was nervous since two weeks ago and I guessed, I got even more nervous as the day was coming nearer till I dreamt about this day two nites before. People always say that dreams are, well, juz dreams. Not a reality. But in this case, it seems that Allah swt gave me that dream as a premonition and as a preparation for me to face what was to happen on the actual day. I dreamt that Aqil scored juz enough to take him to Normal Academic stream. In the dream, I did not reprimand him, although I was disappointed. All I said was it was over, no point regretting cos no effort was truly put in by him and it was time to move forward to a new life in secondary school and buck up.

So, yesterday, his aggregate was juz 7 points higher than that in my dream. Juz like what happened in my dream, I was cool about it. Disappointed? Yes. Extremely. Cos I know I've put in a lot of effort in this child of mine and have spent a lot of time teaching him as compared to the other three. He is my eldest son and I want him to be the positive example to his siblings. But what can I say? Dear assured me that I've done my part; it was juz the boy himself. As long as he has a nonchalant attitude in him, no matter how much effort and time I invest in him, that attitude will be the main recipe for his failure in life. Having said that, I cannot and I do not wish to give up so easily. He is my son. I love him as much as I love my other three children. I juz take it that he may be a late-bloomer...Today onwards, the revision for all core subjects will re-start.

I cried. Which mother won't cry upon seeing her son crying after getting his result? But I didn't cry on the spot at the school canteen. I cried when we were inside McDonald's. It was the first time Aqil saw me cry.

The whole day yesterday, many people asked me about Aqil's performance. When I told them, they consoled and comforted me. I hope they were truly sincere. Cos past incidents have made me become sceptical about some of them. Anyway, no piece of news travels slowly in my extended family. As of last nite, I am very sure that empress already knows the PSLE results of Adon and Aqil. And I am very sure that the first thing that came out from her mouth would be, "Padan muka!"...It's a shame that you create an enemy with your own flesh and blood. Again, I told myself, I've done my best as her daughter but probably, my best is not good enough for her. Cos my best doesn't include giving her $200 or more every month as duit belanja. I still remember what my girlfriend's soon-to-be-ex-husband said: MONEY TALKS, SHIT WALKS.

It's Friday. I have a sales appointment tonite. Syukur Alhamdulillah, I still have friends who have faith in me and my company, to do business with me and indirectly, help me to earn some rezeki for my children and to allow me to be nearer to my company's sales target for my contract maintenance, so that I won't lose my job...It has been very hard for me, juggling between career, household chores, kids' studies, family problems, etc. Those who are close to me know that I am struggling with my sales target. Those who are close to me know that even a $10-per-month sale goes a long way for me. Hence, a $100-$200 per month of premium from a client is a bonus to me.

PS:- Enggang sama enggang, biar pipit sama pipit.

From Food To Shampoo, From Kindness To Evil

So, we spent Hari Raya Aidil Adha at home. I wasn't feeling too well and we didn't go to Azman's house for his jemputan makan-makan. Nevertheless, food was still aplenty at home for us to stuff ourselves with.

Last Friday, 19 Nov 2010, I attended the Speech and Prize-giving Day of my sons' school. Saw Aqil performing on stage. Afif was with me, Akmal had to do Prefect's duty and Aryna was at her class farewell party. After the event, we went to Swensen's Jurong Pt for lunch. Aqil didn't come along cos he wanted to be with his friends. With Dear's permission, I let him be free for the day to enjoy and have fun with his friends. After all, it was their last day together as Pri 6 students.

Over the weekend, 20 & 21 Nov 2010, we didn't go anywhere cos the boys were having Madrasah exams. Dear didn't have class and so, he decided to cook beef lasagna for tea-time cum dinner. Delicious to me but among all our 4 kids, only Afif ate it. The rest didn't like cos they have been so used to Daddy's creamy pasta...Aryna had mild fever and flu again. We brought her to a clinic at Jurong Pt on Saturday morning after sending Afif to madrasah. After the consultation, we decided to try out the $1.50 chicken rice at Boon Lay MRT station. We bought 3 packets of chicken rice and 3 packets of Nasi Lemak which cost $2 each. Needless to say, the taste was Ooomph! Kids loved both so much that they requested to have the same thing again on Sunday for lunch...That same Saturday, my younger sis came to visit with her son. She bought for me a scalp-care shampoo. $19. Expensive to me but she highly-recommended me to try, to ease my itchy scalp and slow down the sprouting of my white hair. I've used it for 3 days now. I love the smell but I haven't really seen any positive effect on my scalp yet.

Yesterday, 22 Nov 2010, was Aryna's Pri 1 Orientation. Originally, my 3 sons planned to tag along. But Aqil's friends wanted to go for a swim. Together with Adon, they left home at 9am. Kak Ijan and husband brought Afif along to the pool after she was done with her cooking and packing food for the kids. Akmal decided to stay at home cos he said he was tired. At 11am, I fetched him and Kak Long and we went to Swensen's Jurong Pt for lunch. Kak Ilah was on leave and she joined us too...At 3.30pm, I left home to meet a client at Northpoint. Well, as sms-ed last week, 3 Mengongs were supposed to meet yesterday after my sales appointment. Somehow, Jah went to KL on Saturday and didn't even text to say that Monday's meet-up was off. I had to find out about it via FB feed, when she updated her status on Saturday morning...Ami had her off-day but had to go back to her workplace to pick up her charger and when she got there, she got stuck with some work. She didn't text me to say that she could not make it by 6pm. I had to find out about it only when I called her after I finished with my client. Told her that I could not wait up for her then. Since Dear had finished work, I might as well meet him somewhere and spend time with him...I don't know what to say. Am I so insignificant to my friends now, that a simple sms to indicate cancellation, lateness, etc., is hard to send?

Ok, enough of ranting. My laundry in the machine should be done soon and I've gotta fetch my kids from mengaji. Later, I have to do paperwork for submission before end this month. Alhamdulillah, I still close deals here and there. They may be small premiums but the support, trust, confidence and friendship that these clients give to me are gems that matters most to me.

PS:- Dear always says that I am too nice and kind to people. I told him that I don't even know that I am that nice and kind. So, probably it's time to learn how to be evil? Can I? Should I? Will I?

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha and Happy Holiday!

The weekend is juz over and I am so looking forward to the upcoming weekend. I've satisfied my craving for Manhattan Fish Market meal with my aunt last Thursday for lunch and also with my girlfriend last Friday for dinner. So, enough of Manhattan for now. Unless I can go to Manhattan, New York. Hehe...

Last Tuesday, Dear came back from work with a bad flu. The next day, I brought him to see Dr Tan at Healthway Tuas and voila! He got 2 days of MC. He rested well on Day 1 but on Day 2, we decided to go to JB to run some errands. Before we left JB, we drove by Setia Eco Gardens, a new housing development by SP Setia. I love the houses there, the prices are very affordable but the location is a bit out of the way; well, at least, to me...I still prefer East Ledang.

On a low note, I am getting more and more tired because I am beginning to do a lot of things all by myself. I try to put in positive thoughts when doing the chores. I'll tell myself cleanliness is for the sake of my kids and no one else...But on a high note, the kids have been very well-behaved, helpful and both Akmal and Afif have given me very good results for their SA2 and overall scores. In addition, they were awarded the Star Pupil award for exemplary character in the respective classes. Syukur Alhamdulillah. As for Aqil, I could see that he had truly enjoyed himself with the dance practice for his Graduation Concert which was held yesterday. And to make it sweeter, his class and Adon's class got selected to perform this Friday at the school's Speech and Prize-Giving Day. I'll be there to watch!...Aryna can't wait to enter Pri 1. Her orientation will be held on 22 Nov. She has started doing Pri 1 Maths and English assessments since early this year and is coping very well. I pray for my kids to be successful in both duniawi and ukhrawi. Amin.

I sent Dear and our 2 elder boys to Assyakirin for Solat Aidil Adha. Time-check: 7.36am. Gotta log out soon to fetch them. Afif and Aryna are still in dreamland.

PS:- It's my company's financial year-end. I am still struggling to hit my sales for contract-maintenance. Every single deal counts, even if the premium is juz $10 per month; let alone premiums of hundreds of dollars...Housework, laundry and taking care of my 4 kids really take a toil on my time and energy, till I don't have much time to prospect for new clients. Such is the life of an insurance-agent-mother-of-4-kids like me.

Dear Knows Best!

Dear, you are spot-on, baby! You told me a few times about my career, the people around me and most importantly, the support I will get, can get and have gotten. Well, all I can say is, 99.9%, you are accurate!

PS:- I'm not a full-time housewife yet. In fact, I may never be. Cos as long as I manage to fulfill my company's annual requirement, I am still a loyal and dedicated agent to my clients. And Dear, thanks for being my faithful client and thanks for all your support and encouragement all the time. I love you very much!