b3 b0rn.. c0nf0rm, b3 si|3nt .. di3

it’s 2:16am.. and i am on my last batch of cookies for the night. yup. last minute worker, i am.

anywho, it’s due to being emotionally tired after anaqi threw a tantrum @ tesco ampang’s parking that my earlier plan to bake during lunch hour was unceremoniously moved to after iftar.

kakak had mentioned to her dad on sunday that she wanted to go to tesco - there’s this kiddie play area that she absolutely loves. as it was already 10am at that point, neither of us wanted to brave the crowd (for those who live near carrefour wangsa maju, can you believe the queue towards the entrance of their parking?!! - it’s been like that since thursday!) so amir volunteered me to take her and adik in tow on monday.

we left the house @ 8:30am monday so as to be the first ones to arrive at the kiddie play area. just our luck, apparently they shifted their opening hours to 10am and we ended up with 1hr+ to spare. i had with me the $50 voucher i won during the company annual dinner - what better time to use it? - and cashed it to get me some kitchen utensils that i’ve never got round to buying in my other shopping trips

fast fwd one hour later, kakak was already restless with the shopping and couldn’t wait to get to the play area. we spent another hour ++ there - both kakak and anaqi had the whole area to themselves for nearly 40 mins before the other kids made their appearance. when i decided it was time to head home. kakak seemed disappointed that we were leaving already but didn’t complain. anaqi? he just went with the flow.. or so i thought.

anaqi started to act up when i tried to strap him into his baby seat… fine i thought.. tried to distract him with his toys.. didn’t work.. then i placed him on the back seat and tried to strap him using the normal seat belts (i know, not very well-thought out.. ).. it worked earlier on the trip to tesco - but this time, he still resisted.

thinking that he’s demanding his feed (tho he didn’t make his usual signals for a feed), i proceeded to ask kakak to activate the car lock mechanism while i settle down to feed in the backseat. he pushed me away repeatedly before starting to push at the door. got out, then settled into the driver’s seat with him - to see whether he’d be happy playing with the steering wheel.

he still got upset and kept signalling to get out of the car and was, by then, crying at the top of his lungs (you know the type where each cry is followed by a hiccup and sometimes he ends up wailing without a sound)… i complied with his wishes and it was then that he started pointing back at tesco’s entrance… apparently he still wanted to go back and play.

as i had plans for the afternoon - tried to talk some sense into the kid on why we should head home (yet another half-baked thought). finally got fed up - locked the car, started the ignition and just drove home - wailing toddler in lap and all.. kakak even tried to help calm her brother down by singing a lullaby.. but that only got him to wail harder.

it was only when we reached the exit from mrr2 heading towards wangsa maju did anaqi start to calm down - i didn’t dare reposition him for fear that it would start another bout of tantrum. funny thing tho - upon arriving home and being placed in the living area - he immediately started happily playing with his new toy truck as if none of the earlier drama had occured.

which was why - at 12pm - i ended up taking a nap instead of starting on my choc chip cookies. and here we are..

btw, his two molars have really shown themselves so now he has a grand total of 10 pearly whites.. was wondering out loud to amir earlier why his incisors have yet to make their appearance.. but then i stopped short - as it is, i am barely able to contain myself whenever he decides to take a nip while feeding - if the incisors decide to make themselves known, i might end up smacking anaqi on his bum!

see. told ya.

it’s always the first week of ramadhan that kinda drags.. as we’d be getting used to not munching every other hour.. after that, time just flies… now to make sure the remainder is wisely spent!

anywho, just realised i pretty much ignored this blog (and fb).. what to do.. had a lot of stuff going on at le office. my current project should be nearing its end.. (hopefully soon!) and i’m already half-way in the next project.. this year’s been full of projects which are way different from what i’ve been focused on for the last 6 years. in a way, it’s quite refreshing to do something else, but on the other hand - there’s that 6 years of knowledge that may go to waste. but what de heck.. i’d rot if i stuck with the old portfolio anyways..

speaking of which.. gotta cut down on my usage of ‘wat de heck’.. quite a few times, kakak actually uttered the same sentence when something didn’t go the way she wanted it. it’ll be either ‘what the heck!’ .. or ‘what the………. ‘. then she’ll catch my horrified look (yep, guilty me for being too free with my use of expletives).. then she’d grin sheepishly and apologise. but do it again a few days after.

anaqi is now officially in his ‘Go, Diego, Go!’ phase. sibuk explore everything, pantang grill main door ternganga.. he’d be out and about - without his footwear.. argh!! (never had this problem with kakak as she never liked getting her feet dirty).. last night, while packing the kids to head back home from their grannies’.. he climbed into the car and settled into his car seat all by himself.. but then, one traffic light away from reaching home, he threw a tantrum wanting out of the car seat. aiya ya ya ya!

planning to knock off work monday to friday as my raya break.. but looking at the way things are progressing at le office, i may need to still report to work monday.. wargh. bila nak wat choc chip cookies nie?

this is the second time we’ve terlajak tido and barely had enough time to gulp down a bowl of koko-krunch with milk + dates + plain water (while for amir, it’s a mug of hot milo and plain water) before the call for subuh prayers… it doesn’t help that lately anaqi is cutting down on his early morning feedings - normally around 4am-ish he’d ask for one….. yeah, now i’m complaining.. cuba kalau bukan bulan puasa, i’d be cheering!

good thing it ain’t a working day - so can just laze around at home.

oh.. and it’s our 6th anniversary today! should probably have iftar outside to celebrate.. but then again, amir had always preferred me to prepare the meal (thank you for the vote of confidence, yang!)

in our previous years, we’d take the 1st week of sept off (as the anniversary is just 2-days after amir’s birthday).. and we’d head for somewhere to a bit of r&r.. or at least, go for dinner. this year? heheh.. puasa month kinda tones down everything.. everything in moderation, eh?

if i were a gal into flowers, amir would probably be asked to buy me calla lilies (featured in this post) - but am not.. nenek on the other hand, is into flowers - yaie in their so many years of being together would send a bouquet to the office (on her birthdays)… since their anniversary is on the 1st may - public holiday u see!

while on this site, it says the traditional gift for 6th anniversary are assorted candies.. we just bought these yesterday, along with my supply of soymilk and his supply of 100plus - so would these count ?

back to ramadhan and iftar.. there’s one traditional kuih that i’d be craving for whenever ramadhan comes around.. and it’s onde-onde .. funny that it’s only during ramadhan that i’d suddenly feel like having it.. and since me familia has pretty much sworn off bazaar ramadhan for the past few years .. you know the issues..parking hassle, pricey items, not-so-good-taste and the lack of self-control leading into purchasing too much food which will go to waste.. not keeping to the spirit of ramadhan at all!… so we’ve gotten into the habit of making our own.

not that hard to do.. check out the recipe linked above.. i even make do without the pandan juice when am exceptionally malas.

now proof that i actually make my own kuih! (for those detractors from the office who questioned why i hurry home and look surprised when i say i cook for iftar - or at least, chip in and help)

i can safely say my iftars up to yesterday were all home-cooked! … just make sure when u ask for the grated coconut from your neighborhood mini mart - that they only grate for whites and don’t forget to toss in that pinch of salt - if not, it’ll taste bland!

it’s still not too late to wish all my muslim friends - selamat menyambut ramadhan al-mubarak!

this year’s ramadhan is a bit less flustering than the year before. this time last year - it had been my first time having to prepare iftar and sahur all by myself (seeing that i crashed with my parents for 4 yrs++ after getting married)

no more rushing to feed mid-preparation (ahh.. i miss those days of anaqi wanting to feed frequently -now - back then, was counting the days when he’d wean himself)

the office allows us to knock off early (so long you’ve completed the 8 hrs or so).. so i am almost always home by 5 (latest 5:30)… tried to get in the office by 7:30am (so can leave at 4) a few times.. but jln jelatek is worse than ever.. now @ 7:05am pun the # of cars already on the road is mind-boggling… so am sticking with arriving @ 8:00-ish and work through the lunchbreak

driving to-and-from work is definitely one ‘dugaan’ … try as i might, a few expletives would either emerge from my mouth or i’d think it.. and there goes a percentage of my goodwill. one constant cause for this is this car parked indiscriminately at the corner of one of the junctions leading to yaie’s crib. thing is before ramadhan, the car was never there!

i’ll leave the diagram to explain.

prepared 2 very sopan-ly worded notes - this is ramadhan month you see - in both english AND malay (mane la tau, x paham bahse nye orang) to express my displeasure. planned to place it on the windshield of the car on my way back to yaie’s but it’s been raining every evening - have the notes still in my glove compartment. dah lah sakit hati tiap pagi/petang, i don’t want to catch a cold or fever braving the rain to place the notes.

so how are you guys faring in refraining from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex during the day (this was explicitly stated in thestar newspaper) ? and in my case, from getting mightily pissed off and muttering expletives for every moronic driver (or parker) i encounter.