Duit itu macam…

…kentut. sori kalau korang rase macam x senonoh giler, tp mmg btol pon. Sebab walaupon ader byk duit, tp biler dah start belanje laju je abess. Kadang2 ader la bau yang linger for a while, kadang2 bau pon xde.

Alhamdulillah, since March 2007 aku dah dapat keje and bulan2 dapat lah gaji sendiri. Tapi bapak payah giler nak save duet2 nie sbb every once in a while ader je mende besar yg berlaku yg kna nak kuar duet banyak. Inilah milestone2 yang membuatkan duitku kuar secara besar2an…

2007 March	: Start keje!! (tp x bermaksud start dibayar)
2007 May	: Paycheck yang pertama!!
2007 Oct	: Engagement. Ye, kenduri-kendara nie mmg banyak pakai duit. Walaupon ibu ayah xdelah minta duit aku, tp kalau dah keje takkan tannak hulur2kan sedikit sebanyak kat derang. Dah la majlis sendiri. (kalau x hulur2 tu seres aku cakap x tau malu btol)
2008 July	: Gap almost setahun, tapi kenduri kahwin lagi la besar cost nye. Plus the honeymoon. Travelling will continue to be my biggest spendings.
2009 February	: Process membeli rumah. Downpayment + segala bagai lawyer fees itu telah menjangkau over RM10 k. Sekian (sebbaek share ngn husband dan juga tq ayah kerana telah membantu sket…haha~) siler lah amek tau walaupon loan umah anda ialah 100%, tp duet anda yg perlu kuar pon agak byk jugak…
2009 February	: In the same month, kami telah pegi ke Melbourne. Between us, we spent about Rm 7k, excluding ticket plane (sbb redeem points)
2009 April	: Dalam kesesakan, aku still beli laptop baru (kesian en husband aku asyik usung die nye lappie je biler pegi travel). Sbb xde cash, aku amik easy payment scheme yg 12 months tu. Alhamdulillah dah settle.
2009 December	: In the height of planning for our next big trip, aku pegi beli handphone idaman (apparently, yg chose to go bonkers already!!)
2010 May	: US Trip. Saving for this trip start from balek dari Melbourne. I really2 like travelling tapi costnye mmg menggunung. (ader hati lagi nak pegi KK, pastu Singapore, pastu Turki, in that order..hoho~)
2010 July	: Baru sejenak lega bernafas and tot can finally start saving BIG, datanglah sepucuk surat yang kate rumah kami dah siap. Alhamdulillah. Problem is, aku ngn husband nie X PERNAH dok umah sewa ke ape, so mmg TV sendiri pon xde. So, paham2 lah…
2011 Early	: InsyaAllah, en/cik muffin that is baking inside me akan lihat the world for the first time around this time. Those cute mittens, bottles, strollers and segala bagai dont exactly come free :)

Dan in between all these ader la gatal2 pegi capai baju-bajan (erk??), kasut2 and handbag. Kelemahan aku nie ialah kalau dah suke mmg aku x peduli harga. Tp nie salah sendiri. Yang list kt atas tu like almost keperluan, except travelling2 tu la kot, but all those travelling open your eyes to the world. Hah, alasan, tp kami ader alasan yg kukuh utk travel :)

Tapi sempat la jugak setiap bulan tu, duit gaji tu barang seposen dua aku dah asingkan siap2 masuk dlm saving and insurance (ini pesan ibu)

Mama pon pesan jugak, rajin2lah duit tu derma kat orang, tak yah nak kedekut and berkira2 sgt. Die kate ikut pengalaman die lah, kalau buat camni insyaAllah biler sesak2 nnti, ader la source2 duit tu tetiba je datang kat kite (bonus ke, hutang lama baru org nak bayar ke, tax return ke). Camtu la.

Ibu pesan lagi, dapat gaji jangan luper bagi kat parents walaupon parents tu bekerja and x nak pon duit korang tu. Point is, alah bisa tegal biasa. Biler dah biasa bagi, akan terus bagi. X kan nak jadi cam dalam news tu sampai parents nak sue anak die sbb tak bagi duit walhal parents die tolong jaga anak die lagi tu.

As always, pesan ayah paling bess. Kalau ada duit beli, kalau xde buat bodoh (buat bodoh ialah xyah beli langsung, bukannye pegi buat credit card baru)

Ibu used to say “Duit tu macam air”, but kentut brings the point home (better, I think).

Nenek and Me…

Nenek sleepover kat umah my parents last week sbb die tengah redo lantai kat umah die.

Aku baru balik keje masa tu, and skali nampak nenek ader kat dapur. I was like, ehh…nenek ader kat cni. Aku pon pg lah salam nenek and soh husband pg jumpe nenek skali. Pastu aku pegi lah tolong ibu kt dapur. Sambil2 tu en husband borak2 lah ngn nenek.

Like 5 mins after that aku pon jenguk la ape la yg husband borakkan ngn nenek tuh. Skali mase aku jenguk je, husband aku baru je blah dr duduk with nenek and nenek pon cakap la to me…

Nenek : Buatlah air utk faiz tu, die baru je balik keje…

Me       : (In auto response mode) Saye pon baru balik keje nek.

Ngeh. Aku mmg mcm tu. Dlm kepala aku ader lg mcm2 response (one of them includes takde sape pon buat air utk saye). Tapi seb baek simpan je that thought dlm kepala.

Truth is, I see it this way, I just got back from work, he just got back from work, kalau nak air marilah kite buat same2 and minum same2.

Nenek came from the ice age where women stayed home and men worked. So fair la kalau en husband balik nak hidang air ke ape.

And the reality is that Ibu dah siap buat hot tea pon. Hah~

Apsal McD plak??

This picture is from Google Map. Other than the frame and color of the picture, I didnt touch anything else in this picture.

The Tesco in that picture is Tesco Kajang which is located almost right in front my house (or my parents house, actually). So, my house must be in this map right?? It is actually. My house is the place marked as Mcdonald’s in this picture (and thus in google map). What the!!!

Feels like someone cam nak kenakan aku je. But, the most IT savvy person I know (which is my hubby) said that it’s not like anyone can edit the google map happily, freely or crazily. It’s as if my house has been registered as Mcdonald’s.

Agaknye sbb slalu sgt delivery sampai umah jadi McD (tapi slalu delivery pizza je). Or slalu sgt makan McD sampai umah pon kna mark as McD. But seriously, I dont like it. Macam labelling the family living here (which is MINE!!!) as makan McD 24/7 je.

If anyone have any idea how to remove this, please share. Rase humiliated la…

Cerita Beraya

Picture by Camera Nikon Mia. Photographer x tau sape, sbb camera asyik bertukar tangan.

Aku mmg ske beraya. Beraya tu as in pegi menziarah umah2 family & rakan la and layan tetamu kat umah. Bess tau jalan2 raye. :)

Nie la kesah aku sepanjang cuti raye aku tahun nie…

Hari Jumaat (18 / 9)	- Balik alor star (kg husband). Bertolak pkol 7.00 am pkol 12.30 pm sampai.
Hari Ahad (20 / 9)	- 1 Syawal. Pegi solat raye pastu salam2 kt umah and then balik umah nenek husband ku di baling. sampai malam berada disitu, visit sedara mara kat sana. Byk giler makan ketupat daun palas, kt Kajang and Melaka payah nak jumpe nie wooo~
Hari Isnin (21 /9)	- Kt alor star sudaa. Pegi umah kawan husband. Hari nie relax aje.
Hari Selasa (22 / 9)	- Bertolak ke KL dari Alor Star around 9.00 am. Sampai Kajang dlm pkol 2 lebey. Lunch nasi beriani by ayah & ibu (terbess ever!!) and layan2 tetamu yg dtg umah. Pkol 4pm blah ke Melaka (umah nenek aku) before ader ramai org dtg umah lagi. Sampai melaka around 6pm, malam tu jalan2 pegi umah Auntie Pah & Mak Mena.
Hari Rabu (23 / 9)	- Beraya sambil bfast kt umah Mak Bai. And then pegi umah sedara2 yg dekat. Lunch special by Auntie Yot kt umah nenek. Balik Kajang pkol 2pm. Sampai umah, ader tetamu sampei ke malam.
Hari Khamis (24 /9)	- Jalan raye!! Pegi umah Mak Long Jumi kt B.B.Bangi and then pegi umah auntie Noreen kt Bukit Damansara and Nek Ngal kt Kg Baru, KL. Malam tu plak, jiran2 dekat2 datang umah.
Hari Jumaat (25 /9)	- Pagi aku pg Jusco jap beli hadiah wedding utk Farah. Ptg tu pegi Shah Alam, umah Pak Long Yat. The message was that ader family meeting plus open house. Sme org ingat Nadiah nak kawen. hoho~ salah2. Malam tu Uncle Mael dtg umah.
Hari Sabtu (26 / 9)	- Pegi wedding Farah kat Bandar Baru Bangi. Petang tu tetiba Ita msg kate die kat Balakong. Aku ajak die datang beraya :)Malam tu pegi jalan2 umah cousin2 ayah kat kajang. Hoho~ Pak Lang Atan mmg klaka.
Hari Ahad (27 / 9)	- Hari nie couplivessary aku & husband yg ke-6. Hari nie pg kenduri Jeego kt Tampin. Ptg tu, uncle Sahar dtg umah. Ibu ajak pg umah Tok Yak around waktu maghrib, aku surrender. Sok keje sudaa, tak mau jalan lagi. Hoho~
Hari Isnin (28 / 9)	- Hari nie keje. Haha~ Weekend nie ader 2 open house :)

Note: Couplivessary ialah anniversary aku & husband couple. Hoho~

Salam Aidilfitri

Kami sekeluarga yg berada jauh di perantauan di Sg. Kantan, Kajang ingin mengucapkan Salam Aidilfitri kepada saudara mara yg berada di Malaysia dan mereka yg mengenali kami. Semoga aidilfitri ini mengeratkan lagi silaturrahim antara kita.

Maaf Zahir & Batin atas semua salah dan silap, sengaja atau tidak disengajakan. Sesungguhnya, nobody is perfect.

Kepada yg masih layak utk mengumpul duet raya, siler lah btolkan niat beraya anda which is bukan utk mengumpul duet tetapi utk berjumpa, update2 and kenal2 sanak saudara and saudara muslim yg lain. (aku dah x layak kumpul duet raya lagi…sob…sob..)

Salam Aidilfitri~

The Best Things in Life are... (Part 1)

definitely not free. At least not all of them. Yeah, there are good things that are free like love, happy memories, a stray cat that hangs around your house, etc, etc...but the best things i know has at least to cost something.

Hmm...when I really think about it even love is not free of charge. It costs you feeling. And time. And of course the phone bills, chocolate, presents, dinners, lunches, brunches, etc, etc. But it gives you a sense of belonging, the feeling being loved and the pleasure of sharing your love. Still love will cost you something, and that is my point exactly.

However, that is not my point totally. Actually, during a recent reorganization activities at rumah nenek, a few old photos were discovered by my aunt and one of them is the picture below. This is a picture of my ibu with her siblings minus my youngest aunt (who is the person who found this picture).

Now, my point is that The Best Things in Life Might Cost You Something, but They Make You Feel Good and Giddy. And Excited. And Happy!

~ In this picture, from standing from left is Mama (my aunt), Aunty Pah, Arwah Uncle Yeh. Sitting from left is Ibu (my mother), Uncle Mail and Uncle Yak~

To relate this picture to my point, when my aunt found this picture, being our family CNN that she is, she told all her siblings and close relatives. She showed this picture to those who went back to my kampung in Melaka.

Old memories started to flow. There are happy ones and there are sad ones. But every one of them is memorable. It costs you feelings, good and bad. Feelings that was way back and you thought disappeared, resurfaces. Feelings that you think are foolish now but matter most at that time. Now that the old memories came back, you shared them with your loved one and laughed at them together, all because your youngest sister found an old picture. Now, that is one of the best things in life :)

And this picture proves that I do look like my mother :) (In the picture she is in the lower left hand side)

-- Happy Bday Ibu --

Ibu's bday is 10 January. Selalu terlupe because it's the start of a new year (alasan~). This year i planned to make her a cross-stich of something (coz she's been asking me to make one for her since FOREVER!!) but i didnt have the time. So I decided to surprise her with cute & adorable cuppies, specially made for her!! It's not an original idea tho, i get the idea when an office mate of mine get a surprise!! delivery of cupcakes from his wife.

You can google up cupcakes, malaysia and get lotsa results. Most are online transaction and offers delivery so u dont have to move your ass at all, just ur fingers.

I picked hey! cupcakes for this mission of mine. I fell in love with Azura's (the owner) Bold Sugarpaste letters and cupcakes with filling. So i ordered.

~ My design ~

Hey! Cupcakes website is very informative; the price & menu, ordering instructions are all there. Hey! Cupcakes will want minimal specs of your order (colour scheme, size, filling or any special instructions) but not neccessarily a softcopy of your design. But me being me, of course i send Hey! Cupcakes a copy of my design. Very basic design though, i left most of the details for Hey! Cupcakes. I don't think i'm very creative (or very good at baking) that's i've outsourced this mission.

~ The end results. Cute eh?? ~

Hey! Cupcakes did everything you can see in the picture. Boxed it up and put up the ribbons. There's a package for this type of finishing, or you can opt to pick up your goods in a simple, normal box. I did it this way because it is the birthday present for ibu. Cute sangat kan? The theme i was going for is 'pastel & sweet, girlish love'. That's why the cupcakes look like it is meant for a five year old!

~ Yummy!! ~

The outcome of the birthday surprise for ibu? Yeay! Sumer orang pon happy lah!! The cupcakes are cuteness, and sumer orang pon sayang nak makan. But then, it is meant for eating, do we have any other choice? NOOOO!!! So makan ajelah. Nyum, nyum, nyum. After that, everybody is happier than before because of high level of sugar!!! Jumping, jumping.

But anyway, Happy Bessday to Ibu. No birthday presents, no words, no nothing can ever express our love and our many, many thanks to not only a mother but also a friend (and a shopping partner and one too many times, an enemy). And also no amount of arguments, misunderstandings and many other naughty things that we did (or will do) will make us love you any less. And we know, regardless of how much we think and believe we love you, ibu always love us much more. Walaupon aku dah kawen, aku masih anak ibu. Ehe~

And we will always enjoy our time together, and we will always be...

~ K.A.M.I ~