End of 2008..

Another 2 days before we begin New Year 2009. For Muslim we already in the new year yesterday Hijrah 1430. Time flies very fast. This year was a very busy year for me and my family. Work, financing, family matters, life and death. I had one new project on my own, with that I started the MEE program and DH with his postgrad studies. I had trouble with the servers upgrade that tarnished my performance because of the vendor’s failure. We lost few hundreds to scam boy at the office and nearly lost few thousands to Hai-O couple. Lucky that we bounced back, and the business is blooming again. I lost my most supportive MD in March for heart attack, and senior years older than me for brain tumor. I found Facebook and reconnected to many of my long-lost friends (coz’ I’m fond of writing than talking). But at the same time, I lost 3 months working time for being FB addict and the company banned FB. Damn. We survived the financing ordeal and things are getting better at home – new furniture, new spaces. I fought for my rights at Nabilah’s school but nevertheless it was too late, as the caretakers are not that educated to listen to what I was saying. I had great time presenting at a conference in JB. That was when we spent a whole day at Singapore Zoo and the kids were having so much fun at the bath tub and swimming pool. Thanks to Garmin nuvi navigator, I can opt not to be co-pilot again! This is the year I will remember that family bond better after a major catastrophe especially when it involved your dearly beloved parents. It makes you think twice of saying or acting like a fool.

 

Though 2008 has come to its end, it is a beginning to a new prosperous 2009 year. I missed arwah Dr. Salim’s New Year Address and I do not know whether I will stay for this year Address. New resolutions? I want to be a better and enjoyable person to be with, spend more time with my kids and more time to do things that I enjoy. Very general, huh. I thought so.

Bye Bye 2008. I had so much fun and sadness during this year. Au revoir.

 

Weekend's outing..

This week, I should say, a dusty but happy week, at least for me. DH started the store project work on Monday, and the house are all covered with dust!  We close the doors most of the evening (after work, I mean) but the kids were extremely happy as they got to play with neighbours's daughters freely. They took turn eating cookies and watched TV together. Well, the work started with breaking up the separation wall because the plan is to share the roof and build additional storage place. It has been a week since they started and hopefully by Monday or Tuesday everything will be finished and I got my store! Yeay!

So today, in conjunction with the new store, we decided to stop by at IKEA store to pick up the kids' table, after Adilin's wedding at Seri Kembangan. I love IKEA's furniture but too pricey. Early this year, we bought similar design and quality for a fraction of IKEA's price at a local furniture shop. I wish that tauke got more that kind of furniture for kids, but not for the time being. We ended up with SLAVA table and chairs for RM139, several plastic storage boxes and a puppy plush toy for Nabilah. Najihah was agitated by the time we got to the Mines because she could not get the first ice-cream her eyes landed on at Ikea Coffee Shop. Beratur panjang giler! So, DH started to giving her time-out but knowing Najihah, she kept on complaining and wailing until dinner time, waiting time and driving back time. I knew DH loves the kids so much, but today's ordeals were too much to handle actually.

This is what actually happened at Mines today. My Maybank Visa Debit card was declined because it has a limit of RM500 transaction amount per day that I did not know of (it shouldn't be like that, it is my money, why set a limit? idiots!), and he had to run back and forth to settle the payment for his Windows and Karpersky's licenses, plus another hour waiting for tauke Apple to install the software in his little MacBook. The kids were tired esp Najihah (who is still very much upset because of the first Ikea's ice cream, even though she had Mc'Donald's ice cream later on) and started doing silly things like asking for toys and such. Najihah fell off on the ground as she wailed for ice cream, DH was mad and gave her another time-out but later ended up, with both of them crying! That was the first time I saw DH cried after few years we came back from US. I was touched and honestly, I could not believe my eyes as Najihah was known to be protected by me (did I? I don't think so..) and she always the big-headed 3-yr old toddler in the house.

At 9 pm, everyone was damn tired and DH drove back as fast as he could to catch 10 pm bed time. At half past ten, with one Ikea's storage box filled with colored pencis, my angels slept soundly in their room. It was a tiring 10-hours outing today, but every moments are priceless. At least for me.

it is time..

.. to realize some of our long outstanding plans. We bought the sofa last Saturday, and this evening DH called a contractor to build the store we have planned for ages. Unfortunately, they started working right after Maghrib till midnight! I could not sleep, and I don't expect my young ones will sleep too. Lucky escaped for me as Najihah kept complaining her feet 'gatal', DH asked me to leave the room. I have to work on the project. Those simulation are giving me headaches, and I had to forgo 'good moments' for tonight. Maybe, or maybe not today. The work will continue for few nights are the Indonesian workers can only work at night for our house. Duhh!

I am still not good from the telephone bill conversation yesterday evening, but seeing DH effort today to realize the 'store' plan so that we can study in the 'computer room' made me think twice of bringing up to him about the 'numbers' again. Well, as long as he loves me, 'numbers' do not matter much. I think, we already had 'good moments' today ;o)

A little bit at a time..

After years looking for the new sofa, today marked the first day that we agreed that 'that' sofa will be ours. It was at Giant Nilai, in front of the post office where the sofa was exhibited for public. It is a simple dark brown colored full leather sofa priced at 50% lower that the usual market price - a whooping lots of cash discount plus trade in of the 'old-and-broken' fabric sofa with additional RM500. The kids, as usual, kind of like the idea of a new furniture at home. The broken ones shall be traded in for the new ones, and empty spaces will be filled in with another furniture for the kids. Life goes on, we are moving eventually after being stagnant will old furnitures for nearly half decade. I just hope that the new sofa will last for another decade before we begin another round of furniture-searching-adventure.