Conversation between Ariz (3 year old) and Mia (4 year old) who are best buddies and live 4 doors apart.

Ariz : Ariz ada basikal baru. *points to shiny new blue bike with racing stripes*
Mia : Mia ada kitten baru. * points to her new kitten who died 5 days in custody*

Ariz : Ariz ada horse. *unrelenting brag-ish voice*
Mia : *thinks* Mia ada unicorn!

Hmmm. Oh yeah we do. We have a stable at the back of our houses, behind the barn, next to the crystal clear cool stream and right in front of gigantic tree-house our DIY daddies built out of love for us. Our horses and unicorns sleep in that stables with their friends, the goats, lions, rhinos, chickens, grasshoppers, cheetahs and of course, Horton the elephant and the big blue Hippo too. U wanna come and see?

What a weekend it was!

First of all, I was stuck at THAT hotel on top of that hill at THAT huge roundabout at Purtajaya for the whole 12 hours of Sunday. I only left around 10-ish.

Today I'm still here. Negotiation has been concluded. Chairs were thrown. Hair was pulled. Insults were exchanged. Punches flew everywhere. Not! I wish.

But it was interesting nevertheless.

It's Monday, right?

It's 3:11pm.

I went through a LOOOOONG meeting from 9:00am to 1:30pm. And then jumped to another meeting and only got to sit down for lunch about 2pm.

So, I'm mentally exhausted.

My brain's a little fuzzy and my eyes are a little blurry.

But the meeting was good. I thought I did great. I know I learned a lot. I hope I helped others learn too.

*singing Avril Lavigne's Keep Holding On, since Ariz right now is in his Eragon's mode.*

I love the movie, BTW. Eragon's a hearthrob alright and Brom was just wonderful in this. Murtagh was amazing and Sapphira was just awesome. This I can add to my favourita fantasy movies of all times where Narnia, LOTR, Spiderwick and every othe rmovie where there are dragons, orcs/urgals or swords. Heh! I'm such a fantasy lover!

MrGart's been away on a series of site visits since Monday and insyallah will be home late today.

He always worries that whenever he's not around, the lioness is me become lioness-er. I've always thought about this, whether he was right or not. But the truth is that, I'm almost always calmer when it's just me calling the shots at home.



Aliya, Adani & Ariz at KayeFCee Cameron Highland. Asha was throwing a merajuk tantrum for something petty and refused to be photographed.
I dunno why really.

Maybe because I realise that if there are two of us, I can be the villain and get things right and the kids will always have a hero to run to.

Or maybe because I'm less likely to blow a fuse because instead of expecting the other half to pick up some slack, I do it all without expecting.

I dunno. But we miss him, still.

Edited - recipe below.


This is slowly turning in a foodblog eh?

God forbid!

No. No. No.

I ain't that terer yet. These are all experiments. I feeds people and the satisfied looks on their faces are just priceless.

I made these for Leha's Zafri's 8th Birthday Party last weekend. I thought they worked out perfect.

The pastry cream I made the day before was rich yet not too sweet. The puffs were golden, and crusty, not soggy at all.

I brought the puffs and the cream in a ziplock bag. So, in the middle of the party, I piped the cream in and dusted them with icing sugar (brought my own icing sugar and a strainer).

Needless to say. Leha was pleased.

Thanks for having us, babe!

Happy 8th Birthday Zafri!

---

Since the overwhelming response to this pic and the cries for the recipe, here it is.

The pastry cream I used came from a separate recipe I googled which I've forgotten. The puffs recipe was from a durian puff recipe from a local food blogger.

I found that the pastry cream is really good and they keep well too. I never go beyond the two days in the fridge. Should google how long can they last.

For Pastry Cream:
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt and the 1/2 teaspoon sugar and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, briskly beat in the flour. Place the saucepan over high heat and continue beating briskly for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat again and scrape the contents of the pan into a large bowl. Add 4 of the eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until smooth.

Cream Puff Pastry

4oz butter
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs

1. Place water, butter and salt into saucepan and bring to boil till butter melts
2. With the heat still on, add flour and stir vigourously till mixture becomes ball like and doesn't stick to pan
3. Bring heat to low and when you hear a hissing sound, you know the dough is ready.
4. Set it aside into a mixing bowl to cool for about 5-10 mins.
5. Using a wooden spoon, add eggs one at a time into the mixing bowl with your dough and blend for at least one minute or until smooth
6. Continue doing this till all eggs are fully incorporated
7. Put the mixture into a piping bag or ziplog bag, snip a small hole at one corner and pipe swirls onto a non-stick tray or tray with baking paper (you can use a spoon to scoop too)
8. Bake for 20 mins at 220 degree celsius till golden brown. Cool on rack
10.Once cooled, fill puffs with durian filling and serve

Note:
I'm impatient. I waited for about 1 min, then dumped the dough into my ehem gorgeous fire-engine red Kitchen Aid and let it whir happily while I dumped the eggs one by one. Nak pakai wooden spoon? Lenguh weh!
My ziplock bags bocor. Maybe because the mixture is rather thick, but maybe because kena kuku. He he! Piping makes the balls look gorgous with a nippy tip (must find better phrase for this).

Another walk down the memory lane.

This was the Convent Bukit Nanas Prefectorial Board Year 1990.

To save you guys the torture of going through such pain, I'm on the 2nd row, right-most.

The fringe took hours to set. The tie choked me for the whole 2 years I was a prefect. Now I know when my rimas-around-the-neck disease began.

The pressure to conform was immense. I wasn't very methodical. I wasn't very conservative and I sure was not obedient.

I confess to letting friends go when they come late whenever I have gate duties. I confess to just ignore friends whose hair was bleached blond or have highlights instead of taking their names to the Headmaster. BTW, that was a sin then.

I hated having to uphold the very law I felt compelled to break. I hated the whole idea of policing the school.

Needless to say, I was a very popular prefect. The enforcer who became one of "us". Ha ha!

The highlights of the being a prefect in a school like CBN was of course the Interschool events. I'm sure there was a name to this. This was when we invited fellow prefects from neighboring schools. Tapi biasala .. tak main la invite St Mary's ke, BBGS ke or even MGS. Kita invite VI and St Johns aje. Ha ha ha.

I once dated an Agus Salim Yushak and I remember we had to play a game when he was in a box and something like that. WHatever has become of him, I wonder.

Anyways.

A little distraction from the ominous lynching I'm about to go through in about 3 hours time.

Ciao!

Am shutting my air-condition down.

Am hugging a tree today, especially as MrGart is away on a site visit.

Am not printing anything which is unnecessary today.

Am only printing on recycled papers today.

Am hunting for papers to be recycled today.

Am not littering today and ever.

Am thinking local today.

Am thinking before I buy anything that ends up in a bin 30 days from now.

Am also pissed cos today on Earth Day, I saw a man threw out tissues out of his car window nonchalantly.

Am also amazed and stumped to be greeted at the office lobby by marketing machineries of the company distributing flyers for the launch of a you-tube-ish channel for communicating braninwashing and mind-numbing messages to us, professionals treated as mindless freaks.

Am villified to find that those squares of flyers were blue in background.

Haven't we kill enough trees already?

Haven't we poisoned enough animals, people and trees already?

Haven't we sacrified enough child labors so we could have blue background on our stupid flyers?

Haven't we learnt anything?

I think I'll go and hug a tree now to at least sooze my frazzled nerves.

Sigh!

The SKBJ is having its Maulidur Rasul celebration today and children are to be garbed in their finest baju kurungs and tudungs.

Hokeh!

Let it be told. The girls don't have many baju kurungs and at least for Asha, she can still nick off Aliya's overgrown bajus. But Aliya this morning had to scour and try on 2 more bajus before settling on her blue, gold-flowered baju kurung she wore for the past 2 Maulidur Rasul celebrations at school, so she said. Errrkk! Nak buat camana babe, she's gone through such dramatic growth spurts and now have long legs and long arms and she's already at my shoulder height. So, I guess we need to go get more baju kurungs eh? My satu baju kurung during Raya may not work out anymore.

Anyway, my girls don't wear tudungs to school. Only to KAFAs. But thei KAFA tudungs are the slip on and they're ready type. So, for occasions like this, it calls for fanciful ones. I for one, do ot own a wardrobe of fancy tudung, just functional, non-attractive ones.

I found this purple, easy to wear tudung at Al-Amin at the SACC M@ll and I thought it was really nifty. It comes in two pieces. The inner one looks like a tube which you just slip over your head and slowly slides upwards to make the awnings. The outer layer is slided until it's before the top of the head. And it's so sleek and of good, gorgeous material.

I bought this for myself but have never summoned enough courage to wear. Furthermore, I have this thing about having something too close to my neck. This one does. So, I tried this on Asha last night cos I thought tudung bawal is hard to put on, especially when she's so small and cute. So, sesi menerai la ni.

Well, she sure looks pretty in this. Let's hope she puts it on correctly today.

Asha's been doing rather well in school. Better this year than last, I think.

She's in the K-u-m-o-n. And she's already in the 12+ 24 = calculations. But what worries me is that, whenever we do her exercises, a simple 7+6 she has to use her fingers. And I'd be like, eh, bukan Asha dah buat ke dalam k-u-m-on? This should be very fast. No need to think one!

But she does. And it gets worse when she gets to subtraction.

And I get absolutely livid when she was doing the subtraction 138-19= and just couldn't get her to give me the answer. She's done this before, 18-9 should be easy and she should answer instantly, But she's not. ANd she's using her fingers.

So, folks. I'm exasperated. I need help to help her.

Please tell me how you teach your kids to understand this better.

Please. Pretty please.

I just don't want another teary night and burst fuses too.

He hit that pole. A foot high, was probably the original pole housing the parking meter which was axed (literally). He didn't see it. I didn't see it till it's too late, though it was on my side.

Well, it was a tall-ish stratch on his remaining good car. Heh! Kasihan Moshi! I'm sorry about that Moshi, but the wantan mee soup I had sure paid for the sorry feeling in my soul.

Your steaming hot bowl of mee kari soothed your wounded ego too, I guess looking at the way you munch the chicken bones and the way you slurped the soup.

Heh!

But wait a sec! DIdn't you hit a tall-ish curb too the last time we were there for our wantan mee and mee kari fix? Dang! You did, didn't you?

Sheeshh!

I feel guilty.

Credits for this recipe should go straight to DesertCulinary

---

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes (Adapted from LCBO)

For the lemon curd

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon fresh grated lemon zest

For the cupcake batter

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

For the record, I didn't use this recipe for the cupcakes. I used my normal Nigella Lawson cupcake recipe which is the ultra simple. I'll post the recipe esok ah? Boleh?

For the meringue

3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

To make the lemon curd

In a heat-proof bowl, whisk lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk and sugar until smooth. Add butter and place bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisking gently, cook mixture until it thickens and leaves a ribbon when whisk is lifted - this can take anywhere from 8 to 20 minutes depending on how high the heat is set and how cold the ingredients were. Remove from heat and push through a fine mesh strainer. Fold in lemon zest, cover with plastic wrap and thoroughly chill before using.

To make the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, rub together the lemon zest and sugar with your fingers until the zest is evenly distributed and the sugar takes on a light yellow hue. Add butter and cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with the milk - beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Evenly divide batter between 24 paper-lined muffin cups - they should be roughly half full.

Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center and is just beginning to get a golden hue - about 16 to 20 minutes. Remove and place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the meringue

In a large mixing bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue whipping until egg whites hold stiff peaks when beaters are lifted.

To assemble the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 400

Place cupcakes on a large baking sheet. Use a paring knife to cut out a small cone out of the center of each cupcake. Pipe about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the lemon curd into each cupcake. Spoon dollops of meringue over the curd on each cupcake. Bake until the tops of the meringues brown - about 4 to 6 minutes.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Try them folks and bowl them over.

Guess this post if forth-coming.

Burp! *a waft of durian smell*


This image is borrowed from Masak-masak.


If you have to guess, I just devoured one duren duren donut from the EpalBesar. These designers donuts are such raves these days. The girls at the office have all caught on the fevers and everyone has their favourites, particularly the Aliean vs Predator (sinfully chocolatey).

I have only one favourite. Duren duren.

The durian cream is just heavenly. It's rich, it's creamy, it's white and it smells distinctly of durian flesh. And it's generously filled with it too. Sometimes the donut buldges and if I get to choose, I'll take the big bellied duren-duren.

In our early EpalBesar days, I remember, CikDay in all her haste to consume the donut, had the cream all over her shirt and tudung. Ha ha! But I thought she smelled good.

Anyways.

It's gonna rain here in Bangsar.

p/s sungguh bohsannya post ku hari ini. Kenyang sangat la kot.


Heh!

Remember this?



Well, I did it!. Here's mine!



I know!

*head hangs low*

Bad, awful, seriously shitty pictures. Lollies would never post something of such dismal quality. Camera phone, bad lighting, no camera, kitchen lighting, bad photographer. But since I was so pleased with my cupcakes, I just HAD to bear the pain of the awful picture. *grins and bears it*

But, my lemon meringue pie cupcakes were gorgeous! Tasted pretty good, even my mom was sold.
*kembang semangkuk*

To jiran-tetangga ku yang kucintai, sorry babettes, for not delivering them to your doorstep. WIl perfect these then, insyallah I will. Ni experiment baru!

DId I tell you, I messed up my meringue the first time? Think I overbeat the thing, it was holding stiff peaks, then the next time I peeked into the bowl, it's disintegrating. Sheesh! So, I had to toss them out and started with a new batch. Heh! Nasib baik jadik.

Anyways. Wan Nur Annissa who celebrated her 7th birthday yesterday had far too many cupcakes to choose from. Happy Birthday Annissa!

This post should really be accompanied by pictures. Lotsa 'em.

Unfortunately, I find it troublesome to use the camera in my phone, though MrGart still thinks my N95 has the best cameras ever. And of course, I wouldn't be in this quandary if our dedicated camera still functions. I had high hopes for that camera which was well, how shall I put it, died a premature death being hempap-ed by Adani, face down. Funny how, everything is being made to multitask.

Come to think of it, Adani's a pretty good at breaking devices. Hmm. 6 months old camera, the snake in my phone now doesn't turn left, it goes right and obviously dies and dies and dies. And of course, we are still sengkek this month and for months to come over the cracked Wish's windscreen which my princess-y and ayu little Adani banged her head.

I digressed.

Ooohh. It's Saturday and MrGart was lamenting this morning while we, he jogged, I brisk walked, that we really should take it easy during weekend considering our weekdays are seriously serious. Cakap je la, "Mummy, please get a grip on yourself and just quit the screaming!". Nyampah I !

Anyways.

Aliya & Adani reported for weeks that Ariz can now paddles correctly and efficiently too on Adani's lilac bike, which is way too big for him. He has a trike, well 2 of them, both inherited, which I know he hated. So, I thought, lets get him a real big boy bike.

So, after brunch of nasi lemak, and I baked brownies this morning and my chocolate ganache was really really great. we set out. Ceh! Macamla nak pegi hiking ek?

Anyway. 4 kids over, we've bought enough sub-standard stuff for the kids in almost every categories and one thing for sure, cheap bikes aren't the deal here. I've seen boys at the park, zooming here and there with their little bikes and they look sturdy. So, about 6 months ago, we bought Adani & Asha the Lerun bikes and I thought Ariz deserves the same too.

So, we went and Ariz chose the littlest bike around. We thought he should get the slightly bigger bike, so he could grow into. Nope! Not my call, apparently. He was adamant on his blue, racing stripes little bike with cool small training wheels. SO that's it!

Right now, it's siesta time. Nap time. Down time. Every one is napping. We plan to go biking at 5pm today. But it's thundering outside and a bit downcast where I sit in the study and I think that bike may need to wait out another day. Ouch! Ariz won;t be pleased. Waiting is not his best skills.

Anyways.

I should go and grab the PSP and get me to Level 12 on whatistcalled the game I'm currently hooked on. Hopefully before anyone wakes up and fights over the blinking thing.

Ciao!

I had plans for to spend the remaining .. *looks at the time* .. 24 minutes of my 2.5 hours of long lunch hour today.

Particularly as I've been stuck in the office almost all week long and no MidV excursions at all. Call it a MidV-withdrawal syndrome. So, when my 10:00 am meeting only began at 10:30am and by noon, we were singing the same doomsday songs, I had images of a lonely hour at the desk.

Amin and I were texting names to name this project.

Amin suggested Project FLAMED.

Or Project DOOMSDAY.

I got better.

Project G-ASSED!

Ha ha! That was hilarious. You know how it was in meeting when you have to appear intelligent, txts with the words g-assed or doomsday are likely to bring about the silliest grins on your face, particularly odd when the topic being discussed is really very doomed. But Amin was smiling his crooked, silliest grin ever and I couldn't help but return that silly grin. Ha ha!

Anyways.

I'm just so glad that today's Friday. Weekend's a little hectic, I can see. Birthday parties and poolside dips and things to bake. Did you watch Tuesday's Desper@te Housewives? Bree and Catherine were seething over lemon meringue pies. So, during my borrowed spare time at the office for the past 3 days, I went through a lot of the recipes. Then I bumped into the cupcake version. Aha!

That looked gorgeous. But I've never been a great meringue maker. Make that never! So, time to test eh? Or a lemon curd maker too? Oooohh ! I made cream puffs before, so this coulnd't be any different.

Anyways. Wish me luck.

p/s Thanks Naimah for offering to give her son's old kindy uniform (same kindy Adani goes to) to Ariz. He woke up this morning, way too early before I could sneak out, demanding to be dressed in Adani's school uniform which is blinking yellow dress! Grrr! Breathe. Breathe. Last week, he pulled this and we were late and amidst his kicking and screaming, MrGart just put on that dress on him. *GASP*

On yes, we did! Andes, the helper reported later that he willingly took it off an hour later. I was already having panic attacks by then. Gosh! Sungguh menakutkan.

Anyways.

Not mine yet. Though that's what I updated my status in my FB's page. I really wish today is my retirement day. I wish that I'd be relieved of all this back-bending responsibilities and the ever-present pressures to always always be on top of things and the immense need to equip myself with the latest and the fads of the management styles, the techie things and everything else in between.

Life for me right now is in the 5th gear, really. My career has somehow lifted off and threw me completely off into the work-oblivion. I love it, though. I love the suspense. I love the menagerie of office politics and I love the challenges.

But for once, I'd like to take things slightly slower. To just have time to sit down and ponder over it all, in leisure. But leisure is not the style right now.

I'll persevere, I will. These are challenges that I wanted. Chances to prove myself.

Then in exactly 10 years from now, the 28th August 2018, I'll hang my pen up and call it quits and dissapear into a life where time moves at my own pace. Where I call the shots and I call a public holiday every day.

I will, I will. You just watch me doing it.

Anyways, we watched Spiderwick on Saturday on the big movie screen at Bukit Tinggi. Lucky there were just about 15 ppl in the cinema cos Ariz was bored and unfazed by the loud speaker nor the gory goblins and the Mulgorath in the movie. I loved the movie. Aliya & Asha just lapped at it. Adani was slightly bored.

I came out of it wondering who Jared reminded me of. Then later, I realise he was in Arthur, another great great fantasy movie. We watched Water Horse on pirated DVD in the car and I thought it was a great movie. Thought I found the Captain and his whole battalion billeted at the Macmorrow's perperty was a bit preposterous, but it worked for me. I love the accent, reminded me of David Harrison, no one famous, he's one of my best buddies at uni.

Well, Sunday was spent at home. Kids devoured a kilogram of nangka I bought from the pasar tani and left me a bowl of biji nangka. Cehs! Ariz & Adani are now firm fans of teensy-weensy tapai wrapped in daun getah (methinks!) that I buy on a weekly basis from this couple at the pasar who mistakes me for Nobita, my twin and keeps asking me why this and why that and the answers to which, Nobita only knows. But since I'm such kind-hearted person, I think I'll just let him believe that we are one.

Ooo I should tell you. We were at Adani's best friend's Arania 5th Birthday party and whoohoo. I thought birthday party ke kenduri kawin. Large tents, big spread of scrumptious food and a magician who took away ny worries of the kids for on whole hour. Jejak kasih we did. We hooked up with my old classmate, nazrin and Nobita even met a friend in her alevels, yang I tak kenal la.

There you go. Dunia ini sungguh kecil. Well well well. I'd better get on with work, afterall, my 10 years left of working is ticking by. Tick tick tick. I hope I'll never get a kaboom! *yikes*

Sad, ain't it?

It's 8:08pm and I'm stuck here at the office with 3 projects appraised, 7 to go.

Darn!

So, pardon me folks for not visiting your blogs or even not blogging myself.

I dunno what happened but suddenly I've been inundated with work. I love my job, really I do and I think I'm quite good at it too. But this is getting a wee bit too overbearingly heavy. At the mo, I'm sitting on 8 very big and the do-or-die projects.

Adoiihh! I love them, though I feel like I just don't have enough hours in the day to read up everything and digest it all. Suddenly I have everybody calling me up and I have big people dropping in my room asking me this and that and phonecalls I haven't returned cos they came while these big ppl were busy talking to me. I've pressed "Silence" on my phone too many times already. Better that that "reject" phonecalls. No?

Anyway, insyallah I'll cope. People are happiest when they're busy and alhamdulillah I'm being trusted to do these, though I'd welcome slightly less responsibilities.

Anyways.

A short update.

Both Aliya & Ayisha have graduated from their swimming classes and have qualified for the Talent program, which after 6 months, they could ready for competitive swimming. We're thinking this through, though. Aliya is eager but Ayisha's not. Adani meanwhile had to repeat her Level 3 (max is 4) cos she has suddenly developed this I-don't-wanna-do-this-anymore disease and refused her test. Erkk! So she's taking time off. Ariz looks and swims like a pro, with a ring float. Still refuses to take proper lessons. Grrr!

Test results. Aliya's test results were encouraging. She's the 9th in her class and improved tremendously, I'd say. Her maths pulled her marks down but we soon will work that one out. Ayisha is the 24th in her class. I'm very proud of her. Her Maths was so low, I had to blink twice to believe it myself. That needs working out. Ouch!

School. Ariz woke up one morning while we were getting ready for school and demanded to go to school. Nothing wrong with that. Except that he demanded to wear Adani's school dress. Sigh! I have pictures of him but I think that would be worse than him nekkid.

Extra-curricular activities. Aliya & Asha took part in that marathon, Astro Ceri@ at Shah Alam Stadium. And despite having to wake up around 5:30am, even when I could barely open my eyes, they had fun. Aliya actually fell down and scratched her knee and arm but all in all, they had fun. They came home around 9:00am and together with MrGart dozed off till around noon. Cit!

I caught the missed heroes epidoses yesterday.

Ariz is almost toilet-trained. He's dry and on-spenders during the day but has never once defecated (baik sungguhla perkataan ku) in the toilet. Sungguh busyuk!

Ariz is still nursing at 3 years and 2 months old. Yikes!

Adani has perfected her morning rituals. She must be carried to the bathroom for shower. Carried back to be dressed. Plopped down for her hair-stuff. Given RM2 for school. In the car for the round-the-block customary pusing. Stop infront of the house. Open her door. Hold he hand while she steps out. Let her salam your hand. Hug her. Let her kiss you at right cheek, then left. Hug her again, feet must be off the ground. Then must wave at her before drive away. MrGart tries to go against this and suffers a late morning. Padan muka!

Errr .. cukupla tu kan. Will update later folks.

I dunno where I heard this or who said it. But I've been telling people this, somehow. Not that I know for a fact that it works or not.

Well, Ayisha & Adani are now coughing like seals now, which I welcome after their 24 hours of spiking fevers. It's not croup, though, lest I'd freak out. Nocturnal cough. I trust the Rhinathi0l Prometh@zine since Aliya's days and between the four of them, they'd consumed bottles of it. It did help that ALL of them love the taste. Especially Ariz. He hates the PCM tho. Grrr!

Anyways.

A coughing Adani means soiled sheets, carpets and everything else depending on when she feels like puking up the pghlem. Which I thought is still the best treatment for pghlemy cough. Just bring it up and get rid of them. Yesterday as I was stepping into the house after a long day at the office, I looked at her and she just purged a projectile of peachy-coloured jellied puke on to my precious carpet. Grrr! And she smiled, probably relieved that it's out of her system.

So, last night once the girls were asleep and once I've lifted them off MY bed and into their own, I took out the Vicks bottle and spread it liberally on both soles of Ayisha & Adani. The instruction was to liberally spread it, so that's what I did.

Did they cough less?

Err.. I dunno really cos I was so tired last night and tak dengar pun. Tido kayu. Sedar-sedar dah 6:30am, nasib baik tak terlajak.

So, did it work? I dunno either.

So, I guess this ends my post which has a great beginning but somehow never a great ending. Eh macam kisah hidupku pulak .. sheesshh!

p/s malam ni ada swimming class. nak pegi ke idak? macamana nak blow bubbles when you're coughing like seals? aku rasa if it rains cows and buffalos again tonight, I may just skive them the class tonight. They'd protest, surely.

Hmmm.

We were at the SmartKids exhibition Sunday and the girls had a great time. There were throngs of people around and I got into one of my paranoid "Stay where I can see you" mode with the kids.

Lucky for us, Ariz is completely terrified by the mascots. Any mascot. And at this venue, every corner you turn, there's one. There's clowns everywhere, tanned, feather-hat Indians and of course clowns on stilts. There's the blue hippo. Then there's the mascot for the exhibition, a hugely faced boy with a red cap, grinning at you. And there's Ultraman-like mascot promoting some drink.

So, Ariz went completely petrified. He screamed when one waltzed passed him. He yelled bloody murder when he saw the little ears of the huge humongous hippo and he thrashed about when the clowns handed him sweets. Oh my oh my! At one point, I was carrying him and just HAD to walk past that blue hippo, lest we'd be separated from the rest of the family. Ariz was struggling, screaming so I held him tight, close his eyes while people looked at us and prolly wondered why I abused him. Grrrrr! Haisshh .. I thought he's gotten over this fear of huge, cartoonish, larger than life creatures. Especially after the successful sitting on the lion dance. Guess not, huh!

Oh, I should tell you that we're well on our way to a diaperless home. Yippeee! But I've got a different sort of problem on my hands. Ariz has gottten absolutely curious and intrigued by his boy-hood and in "spender" couldn't help but inspect his ware every few minutes. Sheeessshh!

Worse now, he pulls down his pants and his spender and shows to everyone around what a big ehem ehem he has. The sisters are extremely ewwww-ed by this antic. Oh my God! There's no use telling him not to do it cos everytime he needs to pee, and naturally the thing begins to well, grow larger, he sticks it out and parades it. Geramnya aku! I guess he's just curious, especially when now it's a lot roomier down there than it used to be. But sampai bila?

And sicknesses abound. Adani was feverish the whole of Saturday and spend the whole day sleeping and very lethargic. And by Sunday morning, she was her perky self again. That was quick, I thought. Then Sunday night, Ayisha cried of headaches and a quick temp check showed that she's running a fever too. And last night, I was sponging her down to cool her 39.6C fever. Ouch! So, school's off for her today. I feel guilty about going to work but I've got so much work to do in the office. At noon, when I called, she's all better. Alhamdulillah. I pray that this bout of fever could just end there and not catch my litttle flasher-y boy.

Well, I did say I've got tons of work, right. So toodles.

p/s Did you guys watch AF6? Why in the world Ajai called that Rina makcik? SInce when AF6 practise adab-adab memanggil orang yang lebih tua daripada kita. I have no favourites. And zero interest in these budding singers.

p/s Whatever's happening to t'ganu? How dare these people defy the Sultan. Itula! Bukannya orang lain yang defy the Sultan, orang kita jugak. Ish ish ish!!