Monday, November 26, 2012
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.)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
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.
Friday, November 26, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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?
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?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, November 12, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
A Human Being With Feelings
I thought I am strong. But I was wrong. I thought I am emotion-less. But I was wrong. I thought I can fully ignore what has been talked about me, what has been going around behind me...But I was wrong.
I am a human being with feelings, after all. Yes, I cried. I cried even more when the car came to a full stop near Dear's work-place last nite. While waiting for him to finish work, I text my sista love. It juz got too overwhelming that I needed someone to pour out to at that point of time. Thank you for being there for me.
All these years, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching every now and then. I've been asking myself what major crime have I done towards her to deserve this. It's not only now. As far as I can remember, it was eversince my childhood days. Even my bestfriend since Primary One remembers the verbal, mental and physical abuse that I went through during my childhood days, right through my teenage years, although it became mild when I started my working life. Of course, she could not hit me when I have reached my 20s, right? Also because, probably, I began to give her part of my salary every month. Yes, money. Money is the root of all happiness but money can also be the root of all evil. What kept me going since young was the unconditional love showered to me by my beloved Ayah. He was strict, like the typical traditional father, but he also could see reasons when explained.
Now, what keeps me going is my loving husband and our four children. For all the curses and swears that she showered upon my family, I pray to Allah swt to protect my family and I from harm, from sickness, from accidents, etc. Dear and I wanna raise our kids up well and see them grow up to be good people, successful, have their own families and prosper duniawi and ukhrawi.
To hell with my 3 elder brothers. They are the type who would rather see their own flesh and blood suffer than to make the situation better between her and me. I pity them. They probably didn't get enough loving from their wives, and that's the reason why they crave for so much attention from our mother, now that they are in their 50s. Kesiaaaannn...
I am a human being with feelings, after all. Yes, I cried. I cried even more when the car came to a full stop near Dear's work-place last nite. While waiting for him to finish work, I text my sista love. It juz got too overwhelming that I needed someone to pour out to at that point of time. Thank you for being there for me.
All these years, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching every now and then. I've been asking myself what major crime have I done towards her to deserve this. It's not only now. As far as I can remember, it was eversince my childhood days. Even my bestfriend since Primary One remembers the verbal, mental and physical abuse that I went through during my childhood days, right through my teenage years, although it became mild when I started my working life. Of course, she could not hit me when I have reached my 20s, right? Also because, probably, I began to give her part of my salary every month. Yes, money. Money is the root of all happiness but money can also be the root of all evil. What kept me going since young was the unconditional love showered to me by my beloved Ayah. He was strict, like the typical traditional father, but he also could see reasons when explained.
Now, what keeps me going is my loving husband and our four children. For all the curses and swears that she showered upon my family, I pray to Allah swt to protect my family and I from harm, from sickness, from accidents, etc. Dear and I wanna raise our kids up well and see them grow up to be good people, successful, have their own families and prosper duniawi and ukhrawi.
To hell with my 3 elder brothers. They are the type who would rather see their own flesh and blood suffer than to make the situation better between her and me. I pity them. They probably didn't get enough loving from their wives, and that's the reason why they crave for so much attention from our mother, now that they are in their 50s. Kesiaaaannn...
Sunday, November 07, 2010
My Life Is Like A Juggler
I am so looking forward to my family's "compulsory vacation". However, it still seems so far away. So, while waiting for the day to come, I shall juz continue to go about my usual routine.
It has been more than a week since I last posted anything here. First of all, my elderly neighbour passed away on 29 Oct 2010. I know I will miss this Apek cos we always bumped into each other in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. We would always have something to talk about. He was a very nice and friendly man. What I understood from his children, he took his last breath very easily. His funeral was held on 2 Nov 2010. Dear and I were supposed to leave home at 10.30am cos he started work at 12 noon. As I looked out of the window, I saw the funeral band taking position and I hurried Dear to get out of the house immediately, or else, we would get stuck and couldn't drive off! Thank God, we were in time. If we had been one minute late, juz one minute, and I would have no choice but to tell Dear to juz go to Pioneer MRT station by bus.
That same Tuesday, after fetching Aryna from school, we went to Jurong Pt for lunch. The Friday before that, Akaq fetched Aryna and brought her to Jurong Pt to meet me for lunch cos I was from office and could not finish my work in time to fetch my princess. Aryna loves to eat at Pizza Hut. The set lunch for students costs $6.90++. Aryna would usually order Beef Pepperoni pan pizza and it comes with a bowl of soup and free-flow Pepsi. It makes economic sense for us to eat there cos she eats only 2 slices of pizza and I would eat the other 2. That's enough for us...Total spent > $8.12 for the 2 of us.
Aryna with Elmo. Presented to her by Kakak Balloon at Pizza Hut.
For this month of November, Dear is posted to Changi. On 1 Nov 2010, I had planned to go out with Khadijah and her brother to celebrate his belated birthday. But something happened at home and I didn't meet them. That same nite, Dear finished work at 12.30am. I didn't want him to take a cab back, although the taxi fare is reimburseable cos that would mean spending almost $50 and not getting it back till end Dec. So, I fetched him and we went to Usman for supper. He had 2 plain Naans, while I had 1 butter Naan. We juz ordered one dish, Palak Paneer, cos we didn't want to eat heavily as it was already past 1am. Delicious!
On 5 Nov 2010, Deepavali, we woke up to Kak Long's home-made pancakes for breakfast.
Hotcakes at McMami.
After Maghrib, our family joined Mak Chom's family for a BBQ at East Coast. Aqil stayed overnite. I wanted him to enjoy his post-PSLE days before life gets heavy once he starts his Sec 1 life.
On 6 Nov, I went to The Chevron for my agency's annual bowling tournament. It started at 10am and with lunch, it ended at almost 3pm. Half of my day was gone juz like that. Dear cooked creamy pasta for lunch. Again, delicious!...In the evening, we went to McD at Gek Poh. After eating their burgers, the kids went to play at the mini-playground as they would always do. They've been playing there for years without any problem. But yesterday, a Chinese man in red told them off. He told them that the playground was meant for toddlers aged 3 and below. Well, his son was at the playground with his wife. Then again, I thought he was being inflexible and rigid. When my kids came to me and told me about this man, I actually went up to him and asked if he had any BIG PROBLEM with my kids. He pointed out to me a sign that showed the playground was for 3 year-olds and below. Point taken...But, still, I wasn't happy. My kids and other kids have been playing there since so many years ago and they have never been rowdy, and yet, this man was trying to exercise the "rule on sticker" on my kids. Damn!
The sticker I saw on McD's slide.
PS:- Doing laundry is getting too monotonous for me. But if I don't do it, who will? Apart from the routine laundry for my family of 6, I now have to clean the house too. Cos Akmal is sensitive to dust and I myself don't like to walk on sandy and sticky floor and I also hate dirty sinks, stove and cabinet top. As such, I bought KAO Magiclean dry and wet wipes...For my convenience...I can't wait to have my own house again.
It has been more than a week since I last posted anything here. First of all, my elderly neighbour passed away on 29 Oct 2010. I know I will miss this Apek cos we always bumped into each other in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. We would always have something to talk about. He was a very nice and friendly man. What I understood from his children, he took his last breath very easily. His funeral was held on 2 Nov 2010. Dear and I were supposed to leave home at 10.30am cos he started work at 12 noon. As I looked out of the window, I saw the funeral band taking position and I hurried Dear to get out of the house immediately, or else, we would get stuck and couldn't drive off! Thank God, we were in time. If we had been one minute late, juz one minute, and I would have no choice but to tell Dear to juz go to Pioneer MRT station by bus.
That same Tuesday, after fetching Aryna from school, we went to Jurong Pt for lunch. The Friday before that, Akaq fetched Aryna and brought her to Jurong Pt to meet me for lunch cos I was from office and could not finish my work in time to fetch my princess. Aryna loves to eat at Pizza Hut. The set lunch for students costs $6.90++. Aryna would usually order Beef Pepperoni pan pizza and it comes with a bowl of soup and free-flow Pepsi. It makes economic sense for us to eat there cos she eats only 2 slices of pizza and I would eat the other 2. That's enough for us...Total spent > $8.12 for the 2 of us.
Aryna with Elmo. Presented to her by Kakak Balloon at Pizza Hut.
For this month of November, Dear is posted to Changi. On 1 Nov 2010, I had planned to go out with Khadijah and her brother to celebrate his belated birthday. But something happened at home and I didn't meet them. That same nite, Dear finished work at 12.30am. I didn't want him to take a cab back, although the taxi fare is reimburseable cos that would mean spending almost $50 and not getting it back till end Dec. So, I fetched him and we went to Usman for supper. He had 2 plain Naans, while I had 1 butter Naan. We juz ordered one dish, Palak Paneer, cos we didn't want to eat heavily as it was already past 1am. Delicious!
On 5 Nov 2010, Deepavali, we woke up to Kak Long's home-made pancakes for breakfast.
Hotcakes at McMami.
After Maghrib, our family joined Mak Chom's family for a BBQ at East Coast. Aqil stayed overnite. I wanted him to enjoy his post-PSLE days before life gets heavy once he starts his Sec 1 life.
On 6 Nov, I went to The Chevron for my agency's annual bowling tournament. It started at 10am and with lunch, it ended at almost 3pm. Half of my day was gone juz like that. Dear cooked creamy pasta for lunch. Again, delicious!...In the evening, we went to McD at Gek Poh. After eating their burgers, the kids went to play at the mini-playground as they would always do. They've been playing there for years without any problem. But yesterday, a Chinese man in red told them off. He told them that the playground was meant for toddlers aged 3 and below. Well, his son was at the playground with his wife. Then again, I thought he was being inflexible and rigid. When my kids came to me and told me about this man, I actually went up to him and asked if he had any BIG PROBLEM with my kids. He pointed out to me a sign that showed the playground was for 3 year-olds and below. Point taken...But, still, I wasn't happy. My kids and other kids have been playing there since so many years ago and they have never been rowdy, and yet, this man was trying to exercise the "rule on sticker" on my kids. Damn!
The sticker I saw on McD's slide.
PS:- Doing laundry is getting too monotonous for me. But if I don't do it, who will? Apart from the routine laundry for my family of 6, I now have to clean the house too. Cos Akmal is sensitive to dust and I myself don't like to walk on sandy and sticky floor and I also hate dirty sinks, stove and cabinet top. As such, I bought KAO Magiclean dry and wet wipes...For my convenience...I can't wait to have my own house again.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Haze Is Back!
Ok, so the haze has been back since last week. The PSI in Singapore reached 108 either on Wednesday or Thursday. The air didn't smell good and to make it worse, some neighbours of mine burnt hell notes in a metal drum at the corridors! Urgh!
There were no lessons last Tuesday till Friday for primary schools due to PSLE-marking. However, Akmal had to go back to school for a few hours in the morning for supplementary lessons (to prepare for final-year exams) and Aryna's pre-school functioned as per normal. Being home-bound for those 4 days had let me spring-cleaned my clientele database, although, to-date, there is still so much more to do. On Friday, I drove to office immediately after sending Aryna and Akmal to school. I started my day with a review with my Agency Manager. After spending almost 2 hours in the office, I went to Plaza Singapura to meet a client.
My client and I had lunch here.
I asked Aqil to fetch Aryna and asked Akmal to walk back home on his own cos I knew I could not make it back home in time. This was the first time that Aqil went to fetch his sister alone. I told myself that it is now time for me to teach him independence and let him learn to uphold some responsibilities as the eldest son in our family. I even asked him to prepare clothes for all four of them to wear and to get ready for me to fetch them for lunch.
At 2.30pm, I reached our carpark and told them to come down on their own. We went to Swensen's Jurong Point and juz stayed there till 5pm plus. The kids took their time to eat their meals and also, savoured some ice-cream after that. Kak Long and her husband joined us for ice-cream.
PS:- It feels good to dine at Swensen's with vouchers. Hehe...
There were no lessons last Tuesday till Friday for primary schools due to PSLE-marking. However, Akmal had to go back to school for a few hours in the morning for supplementary lessons (to prepare for final-year exams) and Aryna's pre-school functioned as per normal. Being home-bound for those 4 days had let me spring-cleaned my clientele database, although, to-date, there is still so much more to do. On Friday, I drove to office immediately after sending Aryna and Akmal to school. I started my day with a review with my Agency Manager. After spending almost 2 hours in the office, I went to Plaza Singapura to meet a client.
My client and I had lunch here.
I asked Aqil to fetch Aryna and asked Akmal to walk back home on his own cos I knew I could not make it back home in time. This was the first time that Aqil went to fetch his sister alone. I told myself that it is now time for me to teach him independence and let him learn to uphold some responsibilities as the eldest son in our family. I even asked him to prepare clothes for all four of them to wear and to get ready for me to fetch them for lunch.
At 2.30pm, I reached our carpark and told them to come down on their own. We went to Swensen's Jurong Point and juz stayed there till 5pm plus. The kids took their time to eat their meals and also, savoured some ice-cream after that. Kak Long and her husband joined us for ice-cream.
PS:- It feels good to dine at Swensen's with vouchers. Hehe...
Friday, October 22, 2010
I Like "iLight @ Marina Bay"
So, last Friday, after meeting a client at Marina Sq, I waited for Dear to finish work and accompanied him for dinner. Upon leaving Marina Sq, he suggested that we drove along Marina Bayfront to go to Raffles Quay cos the Singapore Light Show had juz started on that nite. We parked our car opposite The Sail condo and decided to walk around a bit.
Juz one section of the light show.
Breath-taking view behind me.
Us.
The next day, we decided to take our children to the same place, together with 3 of their cousins.
Dinner at McD first.
Jumping with joy.
Lepak-lepak, searching for stars.
For more photos, go to my FB, kiddos ;-)
We left at almost midnite. The kids were tired and sweaty cos they were running around a lot in the open field. Overall, I know, everyone had a good time :-)
Juz one section of the light show.
Breath-taking view behind me.
Us.
The next day, we decided to take our children to the same place, together with 3 of their cousins.
Dinner at McD first.
Jumping with joy.
Lepak-lepak, searching for stars.
For more photos, go to my FB, kiddos ;-)
We left at almost midnite. The kids were tired and sweaty cos they were running around a lot in the open field. Overall, I know, everyone had a good time :-)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
For Memories' Sake
As I'm writing this entry, my sista love is enjoying herself with her family at Genting Highlands. Why am I thinking of her? That's because she is the one who opened up my eyes and mind about active blogging. What she said made a lot of sense to me. We blog for memories. We blog for our spouse and children to read, to rekindle their memories of us should we no longer exist physically in this world. I have left this site of mine dormant for quite a while due to laziness. Now, I truly feel that I should start penning my thoughts actively all over again...For memories' sake.
The past weeks had been hectic because I am once again maidless. The last maid I had was returned to the agency on 29 Sep 2010. I was hesitant about being maidless during the crucial moment of preparing Aqil for his PSLE but Alhamdulillah, I managed to make time for him and still managed to fulfill my new responsibility as a semi-full-time housewife, as well as diligently fulfilling my duty as an insurance agent to my clients.
Aqil celebrating with Cousin Adon after his last PSLE paper. Adon still had one more paper to go the next day; Higher Mother Tongue.
iPod Shuffle for each of them after they finished their PSLE. The blue iPod is for Aqil and silver for Adon. My pilot-friend helped me to purchase these from Apple shop in New York, thus, saved Dear and me some money cos US$ is quite low now. US$1 = S$1.32.
After 11 Oct 2010, I can relax for a week before I'm back to revision with Akmal and Afif for their final-year exams.
Gotta go now! Will be back to talk about iLight @ Marina Bay.
The past weeks had been hectic because I am once again maidless. The last maid I had was returned to the agency on 29 Sep 2010. I was hesitant about being maidless during the crucial moment of preparing Aqil for his PSLE but Alhamdulillah, I managed to make time for him and still managed to fulfill my new responsibility as a semi-full-time housewife, as well as diligently fulfilling my duty as an insurance agent to my clients.
Aqil celebrating with Cousin Adon after his last PSLE paper. Adon still had one more paper to go the next day; Higher Mother Tongue.
iPod Shuffle for each of them after they finished their PSLE. The blue iPod is for Aqil and silver for Adon. My pilot-friend helped me to purchase these from Apple shop in New York, thus, saved Dear and me some money cos US$ is quite low now. US$1 = S$1.32.
After 11 Oct 2010, I can relax for a week before I'm back to revision with Akmal and Afif for their final-year exams.
Gotta go now! Will be back to talk about iLight @ Marina Bay.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Her Stress - Part 1
Twenty pupils in Primary 5D were caned on their palms (their writing hands) on 20 July 2010. One of them is my son. Their form teacher had used the back-end of a feather duster to cane them juz because they did not bring back their spelling books for parents to sign. Twenty out of twenty-nine pupils did not listen to instruction? If it was juz one or two pupils, I could understand; maybe, they forgot. But twenty pupils? Something must be wrong with the way the teacher presented her instruction!
Anyway, I brought up the issue to the school principal. She arranged for a meeting on the very next day. On 21 July 2010, at 10am, I went to the principal's office to have that meeting with her and the teacher concerned. Both apologised to me. The teacher said,
"I sincerely apologise to you. I assure you that I will not hit the pupils anymore. You can have my word. I will also be professional and not black-mark or black-list any pupil in my class for complaining."
What she was trying to imply was she would not black-mark my son. She said she was feeling very stressed up, so, when twenty pupils did not get their spelling books signed, it juz triggered "something" in her till she resorted to hitting the pupils. I told her that everyone has stress; it's how you manage your stress. I said,
"If you can't manage your stress, then you should go see a counsellor or go for anger-management courses."
She juz stared at me and looked away. She even said,
"I react in certain ways because I want the pupils to learn, not to repeat the same mistake. I am here to help parents like you to bring up your children with integrity and moral values."
MORAL VALUES???...I stopped her there and asked her,
"What moral values? You ask yourself first whether you have moral values before you wanna instil moral values in others!"
I asked the principal to release her from the meeting room cos I wanna have a word with the principal alone.
The principal asked me repeatedly to forgive the teacher, saying that this teacher is very good in her subjects and has helped some ex-students to achieve excellence in the core subjects. She also told me that the teacher has been having health problems since four months ago and is on medication. The medication sometimes makes her sort of "floating". She even has some personal problems. I said, in that case, she is not fit to teach. But the principal insisted that I forgive this teacher. I thought, okay, I should juz ask the principal to monitor her closely.
That same afternoon, when visiting Mak at NUH, my niece, Syahirah, now 22, triggered my memory by telling me that my son's form teacher is the same form teacher she had twelve years ago in the same school! And the types of punishment meted out to her pupils twelve years ago were also the same! I fumed!...I called the principal but she was in a meeting. At nite, the principal called me and I told her what happened twelve years ago. She promised me that she would conduct a thorough investigation cos the teacher left the school in 2002 and came back only about two years ago. The teacher had asked to come back and when the principal hesitated, she asked two HODs to put in good words on her behalf...I have given the principal till Monday, 26 July 2010, to wrap up her investigation. No matter what, I will proceed to MOE on Monday...I had accepted her health condition since the principal said that she has been on medication since four months ago. But to think that the same things happened twelve years ago? That means that she has not changed a single bit! Someone has to teach her a lesson!
So much for her stress. A spinster who is stressed up and lets off steam by hitting her pupils. She probably gets a high seeing the faces of little children cringe after every punishment; any type of punishment, be it by hitting with the feather duster, throwing of the whiteboard duster, doing squads repeatedly (ketuk-ketampi), etc. I will not let this matter rest. While she thinks she can get away with whatever that happened twelve years ago and still continue to earn her big bucks and healthy bonuses, I beg to differ. I will go all the way to ensure that no pupil in the school can be hurt anymore juz because she is having STRESS. After all, I still have Aryna coming in to the school next year to start her primary education.
PS:- It hurts Dear and me a lot because our second son is the most obedient and most well-behaved among our three sons. As such, we have never used any corporal punishment on him because there isn't a need to.
Anyway, I brought up the issue to the school principal. She arranged for a meeting on the very next day. On 21 July 2010, at 10am, I went to the principal's office to have that meeting with her and the teacher concerned. Both apologised to me. The teacher said,
"I sincerely apologise to you. I assure you that I will not hit the pupils anymore. You can have my word. I will also be professional and not black-mark or black-list any pupil in my class for complaining."
What she was trying to imply was she would not black-mark my son. She said she was feeling very stressed up, so, when twenty pupils did not get their spelling books signed, it juz triggered "something" in her till she resorted to hitting the pupils. I told her that everyone has stress; it's how you manage your stress. I said,
"If you can't manage your stress, then you should go see a counsellor or go for anger-management courses."
She juz stared at me and looked away. She even said,
"I react in certain ways because I want the pupils to learn, not to repeat the same mistake. I am here to help parents like you to bring up your children with integrity and moral values."
MORAL VALUES???...I stopped her there and asked her,
"What moral values? You ask yourself first whether you have moral values before you wanna instil moral values in others!"
I asked the principal to release her from the meeting room cos I wanna have a word with the principal alone.
The principal asked me repeatedly to forgive the teacher, saying that this teacher is very good in her subjects and has helped some ex-students to achieve excellence in the core subjects. She also told me that the teacher has been having health problems since four months ago and is on medication. The medication sometimes makes her sort of "floating". She even has some personal problems. I said, in that case, she is not fit to teach. But the principal insisted that I forgive this teacher. I thought, okay, I should juz ask the principal to monitor her closely.
That same afternoon, when visiting Mak at NUH, my niece, Syahirah, now 22, triggered my memory by telling me that my son's form teacher is the same form teacher she had twelve years ago in the same school! And the types of punishment meted out to her pupils twelve years ago were also the same! I fumed!...I called the principal but she was in a meeting. At nite, the principal called me and I told her what happened twelve years ago. She promised me that she would conduct a thorough investigation cos the teacher left the school in 2002 and came back only about two years ago. The teacher had asked to come back and when the principal hesitated, she asked two HODs to put in good words on her behalf...I have given the principal till Monday, 26 July 2010, to wrap up her investigation. No matter what, I will proceed to MOE on Monday...I had accepted her health condition since the principal said that she has been on medication since four months ago. But to think that the same things happened twelve years ago? That means that she has not changed a single bit! Someone has to teach her a lesson!
So much for her stress. A spinster who is stressed up and lets off steam by hitting her pupils. She probably gets a high seeing the faces of little children cringe after every punishment; any type of punishment, be it by hitting with the feather duster, throwing of the whiteboard duster, doing squads repeatedly (ketuk-ketampi), etc. I will not let this matter rest. While she thinks she can get away with whatever that happened twelve years ago and still continue to earn her big bucks and healthy bonuses, I beg to differ. I will go all the way to ensure that no pupil in the school can be hurt anymore juz because she is having STRESS. After all, I still have Aryna coming in to the school next year to start her primary education.
PS:- It hurts Dear and me a lot because our second son is the most obedient and most well-behaved among our three sons. As such, we have never used any corporal punishment on him because there isn't a need to.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Rezeki Allah
Yesterday, I had breakfast at CoffeeBean Jurong Point with my sista love. She belanja me. Syukur Alhamdulillah. Rezeki Allah. Semoga Kak T dan suami sentiasa dimurahkan rezeki dari Nya. Amin...We talked, we laughed, we held our tears quietly about some issues and in the end, we got out of all serious topics and stayed cheerful throughout our outing. What's our outing like, usually? As with all my other close girlfriends, no shopping in the itinerary. It's juz eat, eat, eat and talk, talk, talk. We continued at McD Gek Poh after fetching Aryna and I let my gal have burger for lunch there.
Dear has been out of job officially since 01 Apr 2010. He left the hotel because he could not take the long hours and their total dependency on him anymore. Without any increment which was promised to him since Dec 2009 and with too little time spent with our family, he decided to leave cos he was assured of another job by one his contacts. Better pay, better benefits...But unfortunately, when the time came, it wasn't to be...Meanwhile, he was free-lancing while waiting for the call. Juz any call; for a full-time job. It was agonising because CVs were sent to so many companies and hotels but response were very slow...By early June 2010, he got an offer and accepted it. It was accepted out of desperation as that company was the only one that called with a serious job offer. By second week of June, three offers came in. Well, he didn't quite like the one which he accepted. So, by the time the three offers came, he was spoilt for choices. After reviewing all the packages and the companies' profiles, he accepted the one at a foreign bank...As a wife, what more can I ask for, except to bersyukur cos he not only gets a better salary than the hotel, he also doesn't have to work super-long hours with no OT payment and so much difficulty to claim off-in-lieu and no longer needs to stay overnite at work-place. Now, he's on a 5-day week and office hours. The only setback is that he has to wear office-attire and buy his own lunch. As he has been so used to the uniforms and meals provided by the hotel since so many years ago, he is still adjusting to his current situation. But so far, he's doing ok and all I can say is Syukur Alhamdulillah. Rezeki Allah...I hope he can last forever in this job cos when he changes jobs, saya yang penat tengok dia pergi interview sana-sini dan isi forms sana-sini.
As with all the previous years, July is the month where my company would deduct all my annual premiums for my insurance plans for my family. Thus, July has always been my "broke" month. However, there were some years when my company only did the deduction in August. Up till last nite, I was telling Dear that we have to live with whatever little balance we have, till the day he gets his salary from his previous short-stint job. He has submitted the time-sheet and should be receiving it by next week. I even told him that usually, in July, we would not be so affected by my "brokeness" cos he was still working at the hotel and we could get by with his salary and some savings in our account. But this year, as he was out of job for a few months, whatever little savings that we had were all depleted and wiped off...So, to my surprise, I did a check via phone-banking very early this morning and found some figures in our account. Syukur Alhamdulillah. Rezeki Allah...I need the funds to make new spectacles for my sons as theirs are already damaged through wear-and-tear.
I think I'm gonna stay put as an insurance agent till the day I retire. I've been in this line since Feb 1996; have gone through lots of thick and thin, suka dan duka, shitty clients, nice clients, exams, trainings, etc. It would be a waste to let go juz like that, juz because I refuse to get a new maid. So, I shall persevere and continue to hit my sales quota to maintain my contract, serve my clients diligently as I have always been doing and be the best that I can be to them as their agent.
To those out there, apa lagi? Sign up lah dengan saya. Ditanggung puas hati *winks*...Hehehehe...On a serious note, I am juz helping you to plan for your retirement, to plan for your family's financial readiness in the event of an illness or accident and most importantly, to plan for your family's financial readiness for an on-going survival in the event of your premature death...In short, what I am doing is Fardhu Kifayah.
Dear has been out of job officially since 01 Apr 2010. He left the hotel because he could not take the long hours and their total dependency on him anymore. Without any increment which was promised to him since Dec 2009 and with too little time spent with our family, he decided to leave cos he was assured of another job by one his contacts. Better pay, better benefits...But unfortunately, when the time came, it wasn't to be...Meanwhile, he was free-lancing while waiting for the call. Juz any call; for a full-time job. It was agonising because CVs were sent to so many companies and hotels but response were very slow...By early June 2010, he got an offer and accepted it. It was accepted out of desperation as that company was the only one that called with a serious job offer. By second week of June, three offers came in. Well, he didn't quite like the one which he accepted. So, by the time the three offers came, he was spoilt for choices. After reviewing all the packages and the companies' profiles, he accepted the one at a foreign bank...As a wife, what more can I ask for, except to bersyukur cos he not only gets a better salary than the hotel, he also doesn't have to work super-long hours with no OT payment and so much difficulty to claim off-in-lieu and no longer needs to stay overnite at work-place. Now, he's on a 5-day week and office hours. The only setback is that he has to wear office-attire and buy his own lunch. As he has been so used to the uniforms and meals provided by the hotel since so many years ago, he is still adjusting to his current situation. But so far, he's doing ok and all I can say is Syukur Alhamdulillah. Rezeki Allah...I hope he can last forever in this job cos when he changes jobs, saya yang penat tengok dia pergi interview sana-sini dan isi forms sana-sini.
As with all the previous years, July is the month where my company would deduct all my annual premiums for my insurance plans for my family. Thus, July has always been my "broke" month. However, there were some years when my company only did the deduction in August. Up till last nite, I was telling Dear that we have to live with whatever little balance we have, till the day he gets his salary from his previous short-stint job. He has submitted the time-sheet and should be receiving it by next week. I even told him that usually, in July, we would not be so affected by my "brokeness" cos he was still working at the hotel and we could get by with his salary and some savings in our account. But this year, as he was out of job for a few months, whatever little savings that we had were all depleted and wiped off...So, to my surprise, I did a check via phone-banking very early this morning and found some figures in our account. Syukur Alhamdulillah. Rezeki Allah...I need the funds to make new spectacles for my sons as theirs are already damaged through wear-and-tear.
I think I'm gonna stay put as an insurance agent till the day I retire. I've been in this line since Feb 1996; have gone through lots of thick and thin, suka dan duka, shitty clients, nice clients, exams, trainings, etc. It would be a waste to let go juz like that, juz because I refuse to get a new maid. So, I shall persevere and continue to hit my sales quota to maintain my contract, serve my clients diligently as I have always been doing and be the best that I can be to them as their agent.
To those out there, apa lagi? Sign up lah dengan saya. Ditanggung puas hati *winks*...Hehehehe...On a serious note, I am juz helping you to plan for your retirement, to plan for your family's financial readiness in the event of an illness or accident and most importantly, to plan for your family's financial readiness for an on-going survival in the event of your premature death...In short, what I am doing is Fardhu Kifayah.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Emergency...Yours vs Mine.
If you have known me long enough, you will know how I respond to emergencies. I am not juz talking about when one falls sick, meets with an accident, gets beaten up by spouse or whatsoever. The term "Emergency" encompasses all aspects; including when one needs financial help. I am the kind of person who will respond immediately when I have the capacity to help. I don't even ask "For what?". All I ask will be "How much?" and "What bank and account number?"...Somehow, Dear has the same attitude as me too.
Before internet-banking came into my life, I relied solely on ATM machines for transfers. Most times, I did not have money in my POSB account cos my active account has always been UOB. As such, when the party in need only has POSB account, I would go to a UOB ATM machine, make a withdrawal, walked/drove to the nearest DBS or POSB and deposited it into my account before making a transfer to the one in need. I would not do a cash deposit to the party's account directly because by depositing it into my account and then doing the fund transfer, I would have a record via my bank statement.
Now, with internet-banking, immaterial of time, whether it is 7am or 11pm, if someone asks for financial help, if I have, I will drop whatever I do and immediately log on to my internet-banking to do a transfer. I always treat every request as an emergency. Cos I've been in that situation and I know how it feels to be in need of financial help.
So, when I am in need and all I am asking for is for my own money to be returned, I got a "Yes, ok" but till today, now at 4pm, nothing materialises. I'm not asking for all to be returned now. I only want some back for my livelihood; to tide over a few weeks before Dear's payday...Dear and I have helped a lot, till we don't have any spare for ourselves. All because we've been scraping from our savings eversince Dear was unemployed and now, we are at Ground Zero.
Before internet-banking came into my life, I relied solely on ATM machines for transfers. Most times, I did not have money in my POSB account cos my active account has always been UOB. As such, when the party in need only has POSB account, I would go to a UOB ATM machine, make a withdrawal, walked/drove to the nearest DBS or POSB and deposited it into my account before making a transfer to the one in need. I would not do a cash deposit to the party's account directly because by depositing it into my account and then doing the fund transfer, I would have a record via my bank statement.
Now, with internet-banking, immaterial of time, whether it is 7am or 11pm, if someone asks for financial help, if I have, I will drop whatever I do and immediately log on to my internet-banking to do a transfer. I always treat every request as an emergency. Cos I've been in that situation and I know how it feels to be in need of financial help.
So, when I am in need and all I am asking for is for my own money to be returned, I got a "Yes, ok" but till today, now at 4pm, nothing materialises. I'm not asking for all to be returned now. I only want some back for my livelihood; to tide over a few weeks before Dear's payday...Dear and I have helped a lot, till we don't have any spare for ourselves. All because we've been scraping from our savings eversince Dear was unemployed and now, we are at Ground Zero.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Love, Live, Life...
It has been two months since my last maid was sent back to the agency after a short-lived employment with me for less than two months. I've been out of touch with real housework since nine years ago. But as soon as I made the decision not to employ another maid, I knew that I cannot evade the routine household chores.
Alhamdulillah, I've been coping very well without a maid. Dear helps with the laundry, vacuuming and mopping whenever he's at home and our kids have learnt to be more independent without a maid. The only setback is that I cannot go out to work as much as I used to because nobody looks after our kids. I don't want to trouble Kak Long so much. Only once in a while, when I need to go for scheduled meetings, trainings or urgent appointments with clients, I would leave our kids in her good hands. Otherwise, I would wait for Dear to have his off-day or when he comes back home early after his morning shift.
Recently, Dear was head-hunted by a foreign corporation. It took a number of phone calls from the head-hunter and e-mails to and fro to negotiate the package with him, before he agreed to join them...InsyaAllah, he will be joining the firm soon, doing what he loves to do; audio-visual. The best part is that he will no longer need to work shifts and also, no more working long hours. With weekends off, he can attend his Sunday classes without the need to apply for leave...What's in it for me as his wife? I'm not talking about monetary terms cos he has never been stingy with me since Day One we dated till now that we have four children. He trusts me to handle his earnings. We have a joint-account. We also have our own individual POSB savings account but his ATM card, passbook and token for internet-banking are all with me for my access...As a wife, I am simply grateful for the opportunity that Allah swt has opened up for him via the head-hunter. Obviously, he is tired working in the hotel line already since 18 years of age and I, as his wife, including our kids, hardly get to spend quality family time together as he would always be very tired. At least now, whenever there is a long weekend, I'll be glad to know that he will be around with us.
Yesterday, Dear mentioned again about getting a new maid. He said he wants me to go back to my usual lifestyle; that is, to go out to meet clients easily, to visit friends, clients and relatives within twenty-four hours of them calling me when they fall sick, give birth or meet with an accident, to go out with my friends for drinks or dinners without having to worry about "Who's going to look after our kids?", to continue to pursue the courses that I had registered for but put on hold, etc. Most importantly, he doesn't want me to feel tired because of housework. How can I not love this man?...It is true that we did drift apart at one point of time but we talked it out, we trashed things out, we cried, we shouted at each other, we deleted some "friends" and relatives from our lives and we are now back to Happy Land again.
I pray diligently to Allah swt to grant us the serenity, to protect us from all evils, to let us continue our love journey without any disturbances from anybody, to give us good health and most importantly, to always give us strength to love each other unconditionally and to love, nurture and bring up our children to become good Muslims and Muslimah. Amin.
Dear turns 41 tomorrow. He doesn't ask for and doesn't want any present. All he wants is for us to spend time with him the whole day tomorrow to makan-makan and jalan-jalan after I am done with my paperwork in the office. As he will be taking our boys to the mosque for Friday prayer, we have yet to plan where exactly we are going to.
Alhamdulillah, I've been coping very well without a maid. Dear helps with the laundry, vacuuming and mopping whenever he's at home and our kids have learnt to be more independent without a maid. The only setback is that I cannot go out to work as much as I used to because nobody looks after our kids. I don't want to trouble Kak Long so much. Only once in a while, when I need to go for scheduled meetings, trainings or urgent appointments with clients, I would leave our kids in her good hands. Otherwise, I would wait for Dear to have his off-day or when he comes back home early after his morning shift.
Recently, Dear was head-hunted by a foreign corporation. It took a number of phone calls from the head-hunter and e-mails to and fro to negotiate the package with him, before he agreed to join them...InsyaAllah, he will be joining the firm soon, doing what he loves to do; audio-visual. The best part is that he will no longer need to work shifts and also, no more working long hours. With weekends off, he can attend his Sunday classes without the need to apply for leave...What's in it for me as his wife? I'm not talking about monetary terms cos he has never been stingy with me since Day One we dated till now that we have four children. He trusts me to handle his earnings. We have a joint-account. We also have our own individual POSB savings account but his ATM card, passbook and token for internet-banking are all with me for my access...As a wife, I am simply grateful for the opportunity that Allah swt has opened up for him via the head-hunter. Obviously, he is tired working in the hotel line already since 18 years of age and I, as his wife, including our kids, hardly get to spend quality family time together as he would always be very tired. At least now, whenever there is a long weekend, I'll be glad to know that he will be around with us.
Yesterday, Dear mentioned again about getting a new maid. He said he wants me to go back to my usual lifestyle; that is, to go out to meet clients easily, to visit friends, clients and relatives within twenty-four hours of them calling me when they fall sick, give birth or meet with an accident, to go out with my friends for drinks or dinners without having to worry about "Who's going to look after our kids?", to continue to pursue the courses that I had registered for but put on hold, etc. Most importantly, he doesn't want me to feel tired because of housework. How can I not love this man?...It is true that we did drift apart at one point of time but we talked it out, we trashed things out, we cried, we shouted at each other, we deleted some "friends" and relatives from our lives and we are now back to Happy Land again.
I pray diligently to Allah swt to grant us the serenity, to protect us from all evils, to let us continue our love journey without any disturbances from anybody, to give us good health and most importantly, to always give us strength to love each other unconditionally and to love, nurture and bring up our children to become good Muslims and Muslimah. Amin.
Dear turns 41 tomorrow. He doesn't ask for and doesn't want any present. All he wants is for us to spend time with him the whole day tomorrow to makan-makan and jalan-jalan after I am done with my paperwork in the office. As he will be taking our boys to the mosque for Friday prayer, we have yet to plan where exactly we are going to.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Rush-Rush
When the nose started to leak last nite, the head began to throb too. I popped one Chlormine and two Panadols before going to sleep. I thought sleep could come easily for me because Chlormine has got a drowsy effect. But I thought wrong. I tossed and turned in bed till past midnite. I couldn't remember when exactly I fell asleep but I woke up at 5.20am with a heavy head.
After sending all the kids to school, I told Dear that I needed to sleep very badly. He let me nap and he napped for a while too. At 10am when he left for work, my eyes were barely opened...Aaargh! At 10.30am, he sms-ed me, asking me to collect our Acer CPU from the service centre. When I wanted to continue napping, a client called. In the end, I couldn't sleep anymore and decided to shower again before fetching Aryna.
Aryna smiled her sweetest smile when I told her that we were going to Jurong Point for lunch cos I had stuff to buy and bills to pay. I would say that she is a very lucky child cos when she finishes school at noon, I would always take her to Jurong Point for lunch and jalan-jalan while waiting to fetch her brothers at 1.45pm. That short but frequent outings to Jurong Point are truly precious to me. That is the time when I bond with her. Juz me and her; no sons around. It's fun to talk girly stuff like hair-clips, clothes, handbags, Winx Club, Barbie, etc...So, juz now, we went to Pizza Hut again. Aryna loves the Trio Cheese pizza; I love the free-refill of Pepsi. Often, the personal pan pizza will be shared between mother and daughter cos she would eat only one slice but she'll finish up the cream soup and a loaf of garlic bread.
After lunch, we bought food for the boys and my mum. After fetching the boys, we went home. At 4pm, I sent the kids to mengaji and I drove to Acer Service Centre to collect my CPU. There was a bad traffic jam along PIE cos there was an accident. Upon reaching Acer, I had to wait for my number to be called. Sigh...It was very crowded!...When I was done at Acer, I sped back to fetch the kids from mengaji. i let them play computer games, PSP and PS2 while I went about doing laundry and ironing.
I had to cancel a sales appointment tonite cos Dear had a set-up at St Regis and couldn't be back in time for me to get ready to leave home. I didn't want to trouble my sister to look after the kids for me...This is me. I don't like to impose on others, I don't like to trouble others and I don't want to feel obligated at the end of the day.
After sending all the kids to school, I told Dear that I needed to sleep very badly. He let me nap and he napped for a while too. At 10am when he left for work, my eyes were barely opened...Aaargh! At 10.30am, he sms-ed me, asking me to collect our Acer CPU from the service centre. When I wanted to continue napping, a client called. In the end, I couldn't sleep anymore and decided to shower again before fetching Aryna.
Aryna smiled her sweetest smile when I told her that we were going to Jurong Point for lunch cos I had stuff to buy and bills to pay. I would say that she is a very lucky child cos when she finishes school at noon, I would always take her to Jurong Point for lunch and jalan-jalan while waiting to fetch her brothers at 1.45pm. That short but frequent outings to Jurong Point are truly precious to me. That is the time when I bond with her. Juz me and her; no sons around. It's fun to talk girly stuff like hair-clips, clothes, handbags, Winx Club, Barbie, etc...So, juz now, we went to Pizza Hut again. Aryna loves the Trio Cheese pizza; I love the free-refill of Pepsi. Often, the personal pan pizza will be shared between mother and daughter cos she would eat only one slice but she'll finish up the cream soup and a loaf of garlic bread.
After lunch, we bought food for the boys and my mum. After fetching the boys, we went home. At 4pm, I sent the kids to mengaji and I drove to Acer Service Centre to collect my CPU. There was a bad traffic jam along PIE cos there was an accident. Upon reaching Acer, I had to wait for my number to be called. Sigh...It was very crowded!...When I was done at Acer, I sped back to fetch the kids from mengaji. i let them play computer games, PSP and PS2 while I went about doing laundry and ironing.
I had to cancel a sales appointment tonite cos Dear had a set-up at St Regis and couldn't be back in time for me to get ready to leave home. I didn't want to trouble my sister to look after the kids for me...This is me. I don't like to impose on others, I don't like to trouble others and I don't want to feel obligated at the end of the day.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Falling Sick
Kids' exams are over and the flu bug has decided to hang around within me. Frankly, I hate it. I simply don't like to get flu because I hate leaky nose and throbbing headache!
I'm so happy that Dear has been helping me a lot at home. It's not easy for me. I'm so used to having a maid for nine years and now, I'm maid-less. It's three weeks now but so far, Alhamdulillah, I can cope...I manage my time nicely so that I still can go to office, still can meet clients, still can go out with my close friends and most importantly, I still manage to catch a morning nap once or twice a week. The only eyesore is the basin-full of clothes that need to be ironed! This chore is never-ending because when the old pile hasn't been ironed yet, a new pile starts to stack up. My sis asked if I want to call her friend to iron at $12 per hour but I refused.
Life as a working housewife...Nobody says that it will be easy...But I shall persevere.
I'm so happy that Dear has been helping me a lot at home. It's not easy for me. I'm so used to having a maid for nine years and now, I'm maid-less. It's three weeks now but so far, Alhamdulillah, I can cope...I manage my time nicely so that I still can go to office, still can meet clients, still can go out with my close friends and most importantly, I still manage to catch a morning nap once or twice a week. The only eyesore is the basin-full of clothes that need to be ironed! This chore is never-ending because when the old pile hasn't been ironed yet, a new pile starts to stack up. My sis asked if I want to call her friend to iron at $12 per hour but I refused.
Life as a working housewife...Nobody says that it will be easy...But I shall persevere.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Passed Away In Peace
When I go to bed, I would switch my handphone to total-silent mode. No vibrations at all. Once I switch it to that mode, I will hardly look at my phone again till I wake up the next day. Somehow, last nite, juz before I closed my eyes to sleep, I felt the sudden urge to check my phone...I saw an sms.
My girlfriend's mum had juz passed away. She sent me the sms at 2250hrs to inform. I was shocked because the last time she spoke about her mum to me was juz a few weeks ago. Her mum wasn't sick, except for the fact that she had high-blood pressure, which was within control...I replied her and asked for the address and told her that I would visit her after sending the kids to school.
Dear accompanied me to Blk 933 Jurong West St 91, where the body was resting. The block is juz next to Aryna's kindergarten. When my girlfriend saw me, she hugged me and cried uncontrollably. I could feel her sadness cos her mum's death truly came as a shock to her. Arwahnya was still healthy, talking and joking hours before she passed away. What happened was she became breathless. The elder daughter called for an ambulance, told her to lie down on her bed while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. While lying down, she took one deep breath and went to sleep; or so they thought. Cos she looked like indeed she was sleeping. When the paramedics arrived, they checked her pulse, did what they could to jolt her but Allah loves her more.
Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rojiuun...Al-Fateha buat Allahyarhamah Naharah Bte Abdullah. Semoga Allah menempatkan rohnya bersama-sama roh-roh mereka yang beriman. Amin.
Life is short. Life is unpredictable...But while you live, live it to the fullest duniawi dan ukhrawi cos life has to go on no matter what.
My girlfriend's mum had juz passed away. She sent me the sms at 2250hrs to inform. I was shocked because the last time she spoke about her mum to me was juz a few weeks ago. Her mum wasn't sick, except for the fact that she had high-blood pressure, which was within control...I replied her and asked for the address and told her that I would visit her after sending the kids to school.
Dear accompanied me to Blk 933 Jurong West St 91, where the body was resting. The block is juz next to Aryna's kindergarten. When my girlfriend saw me, she hugged me and cried uncontrollably. I could feel her sadness cos her mum's death truly came as a shock to her. Arwahnya was still healthy, talking and joking hours before she passed away. What happened was she became breathless. The elder daughter called for an ambulance, told her to lie down on her bed while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. While lying down, she took one deep breath and went to sleep; or so they thought. Cos she looked like indeed she was sleeping. When the paramedics arrived, they checked her pulse, did what they could to jolt her but Allah loves her more.
Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rojiuun...Al-Fateha buat Allahyarhamah Naharah Bte Abdullah. Semoga Allah menempatkan rohnya bersama-sama roh-roh mereka yang beriman. Amin.
Life is short. Life is unpredictable...But while you live, live it to the fullest duniawi dan ukhrawi cos life has to go on no matter what.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Buang Yang Keruh...
"Buang yang keruh, ambil yang jernih"...Satu pepatah Melayu yang penuh dengan makna yang tersirat.
Ada orang "buang yang keruh" tetapi masih terkenang-kenang dan tertenggek-tenggek di atas dahan-dahan negatif...Ada orang "buang yang keruh" dan benar-benar buang kerana merasa amat tertekan jika ingin terkenang-kenangkan detik-detik yang tidak elok.
Rukun Islam lima perkara. Rukun yang terakhir masih belum dapat disempurnakan kerana belum bersedia dari segi wang-ringgit dan kebersihan hati. Walaubagaimanapun, tak semestinya kita dah tunaikan kesemua rukun, kita jadi manusia yang perfect. Dah namanya manusia, kita sentiasa akan diuji. Diuji dari segi kesabaran, diuji dari segi persahabatan, diuji dari segi kekeluargaan, diuji dari segi nafsu, diuji dari segi kebahagiaan dan bermacam-macam ujian lagi...Aku juga manusia biasa. Aku juga melalui banyak ujian. Aku juga mempunyai banyak kesalahan. Aku pelajari dari kesalahanku dan ambil iktibar dari setiap apa yang berlaku. Semoga setiap ujian itu benar-benar mempunyai hikmah di sebaliknya, untuk menjadikanku seorang Muslimah yang lebih baik dari sekarang. Wallahu'a'laam.
Ada orang "buang yang keruh" tetapi masih terkenang-kenang dan tertenggek-tenggek di atas dahan-dahan negatif...Ada orang "buang yang keruh" dan benar-benar buang kerana merasa amat tertekan jika ingin terkenang-kenangkan detik-detik yang tidak elok.
Rukun Islam lima perkara. Rukun yang terakhir masih belum dapat disempurnakan kerana belum bersedia dari segi wang-ringgit dan kebersihan hati. Walaubagaimanapun, tak semestinya kita dah tunaikan kesemua rukun, kita jadi manusia yang perfect. Dah namanya manusia, kita sentiasa akan diuji. Diuji dari segi kesabaran, diuji dari segi persahabatan, diuji dari segi kekeluargaan, diuji dari segi nafsu, diuji dari segi kebahagiaan dan bermacam-macam ujian lagi...Aku juga manusia biasa. Aku juga melalui banyak ujian. Aku juga mempunyai banyak kesalahan. Aku pelajari dari kesalahanku dan ambil iktibar dari setiap apa yang berlaku. Semoga setiap ujian itu benar-benar mempunyai hikmah di sebaliknya, untuk menjadikanku seorang Muslimah yang lebih baik dari sekarang. Wallahu'a'laam.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
To Maid Or Not To Maid?
I've been maid-less since 26 Apr 2010. The maid whom I sent back to the agency on that date was with me for less than two months. Subsequently, the next maid that I chose from the same agency, MIA from the training centre in Java. It was then that I decided that I would not want to have a maid; at least for now.
So, three days ago, an elderly ex-neighbour passed away. My sisters went to visit yesterday. The family has a maid to help take care of arwahnya when she was sick since the past eight months. Now that she had passed away, the family wants to return the maid back to the agency cos they don't need her. Kak Long asked me if I would like to take over. The maid is Indonesian, 38 years old, married with an 18-year-old son and had worked in Singapore before. Her current employer speaks all the good things about her; like she's hardworking, she's pious, she's very good, etc. For one moment, I was seriously thinking of employing her. But after discussing with Dear, I decided to abandon all thoughts of employing a maid at the moment.
I'm tired. Very tired from all the necessary household chores, the tutoring, the sending and fetching, etc. I believe I wouldn't feel that tired if I am a full-time housewife. The fact that I am still working (although at my own time, own target) tires me out easily; with all the never-ending e-mails, follow-ups, paperwork, courses, exams, etc.
There is a sister whom I have known since the early 1990s during my Goodwood Park days. We became close since 1999, when we happened to engage the same gynae. She's such a humble lady, always makes me see that although life can be sucky at times, there are others out there who lead a suckier life than me. She's in her mid-40s, has gone through, and is still going through, rough patches in life but she's always smiling...She joined Aryna and me for a rushed lunch at Swensen's yesterday cos the little princess wanted to go to Jurong Point for lunch before fetching her brothers. I spoke to her of my housing dilemma and she walked me through and brought me out of my dilemma-state-of-mind to a more positive outcome.
It's nice to have friends who truly understand what we are going through, simply because they have gone through a lot more in life than us. Every human being makes mistakes. I am no exception too. But mistakes make us learn and eventually, cause us to emerge out as someone who is stronger than before, InsyaAllah.
So, three days ago, an elderly ex-neighbour passed away. My sisters went to visit yesterday. The family has a maid to help take care of arwahnya when she was sick since the past eight months. Now that she had passed away, the family wants to return the maid back to the agency cos they don't need her. Kak Long asked me if I would like to take over. The maid is Indonesian, 38 years old, married with an 18-year-old son and had worked in Singapore before. Her current employer speaks all the good things about her; like she's hardworking, she's pious, she's very good, etc. For one moment, I was seriously thinking of employing her. But after discussing with Dear, I decided to abandon all thoughts of employing a maid at the moment.
I'm tired. Very tired from all the necessary household chores, the tutoring, the sending and fetching, etc. I believe I wouldn't feel that tired if I am a full-time housewife. The fact that I am still working (although at my own time, own target) tires me out easily; with all the never-ending e-mails, follow-ups, paperwork, courses, exams, etc.
There is a sister whom I have known since the early 1990s during my Goodwood Park days. We became close since 1999, when we happened to engage the same gynae. She's such a humble lady, always makes me see that although life can be sucky at times, there are others out there who lead a suckier life than me. She's in her mid-40s, has gone through, and is still going through, rough patches in life but she's always smiling...She joined Aryna and me for a rushed lunch at Swensen's yesterday cos the little princess wanted to go to Jurong Point for lunch before fetching her brothers. I spoke to her of my housing dilemma and she walked me through and brought me out of my dilemma-state-of-mind to a more positive outcome.
It's nice to have friends who truly understand what we are going through, simply because they have gone through a lot more in life than us. Every human being makes mistakes. I am no exception too. But mistakes make us learn and eventually, cause us to emerge out as someone who is stronger than before, InsyaAllah.
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