It remains a notion

Last weekend kicked off, on Friday night, with a b'day dinner Mrs N, Mr N, wifey and I hosted for superwomanwannabe, my work partner at Il Tempio . It was cosy and intimate. The ambiance was, according to wifey, like in her kampung - well, she's right but with a luxe-touch; the tag-line of the restaurants of tamarind group is after all "Jungle Luxe". It was meant to be a surprise dinner for SW but we had to really inform her and huby ahead of time as they are one active family...one might end up surprised oneself to spring such dinner! We also got her "wrapped" presents which she hinted..he he he! I enjoyed myself very much..the food was slightly below my expectation but good nonetheless...most of all it was great company! Happy ....th b'day SW!!

The following morning I was dead exhausted (for lack of calories throughout the week, I think) to wake up for the pasar tani-weekly-ritual and gave it a miss. I asked Ib to accompany wifey to be her caddy boy. Saturdays at our household is spelt madness with a capital m! Ferrying the kids around to and fro as far as Taman Tun, Damansara Heights etc and we, as parents only would clock out about 9pm (i.e. after fixing them dinner). Last weekend, however, we were too dead beat that we asked them to give everything a miss (which is so unlike us) to prep ourselves for the big event the Saturday night. We even missed Umar's sports day! For wedding dinner pictures, click here. Oh yes, Khadijah sprained her ankle while playing volleyball that Saturday morning which dashed her hope to put on her heeled slippers for the wedding...She substituted them instead with a pair of crutches! It was a sight to be immortalised; alas she did not allow us to.

Surprisingly I successfully got out of bed pretty early that Sunday morning...Breakfsat was on the table by half seven....! More driving around later part of the morning; sent Yusof for his tuition and Khadijah to mak cik urut's house! Brought my two younger boys to a hypermarket to get their badminton rackets; assisted wifey baking carrot cupcakes etc. By five pm, I decided to give the garden its long due tending. I finally decided to prune and lop my ficus tree which wifey has been irritated with! Anyone out there who wants a matured ficus tree which currently stands (after the lop and prune) at about 10 feet in height, do contact me! I'm re-landscaping the garden with may be bucida variegated and/or my all time favourite plumeria (I just love the foliage of this tree). I retired from gardening after we had Ibraheem...Last weekend may mark my return, I think..(to the relief of wifey!). All this while I have been relying on Rahazi, my plant supplier! Ah...that reminds me, I have to do the courtyard this weekend....orchids may be? We'll see the transformation soon! I pray I will persevere and finish this new project!

Last weekend was topped of with a dinner of greasy and fatty food. I had read about it winning the best stret burger award in the 2009 Fried Chillies award here and completely ignored it until wifey, whose colleague had shared this piece of information with her, brought up the topic of Burger OM, a street burger stall (of course Ramly burger it carries) located in Ampang Jaya, last Friday. So we braved the night and drove to Ampang Jaya which is less than 10 minutes away. It was an easy find as we always frequent this place for Mak Jah's breakfast and the nasi kerabu stall next to Mak Jah's. Had to wait for quite a bit as there was a long queue..I ordered three double burger specials and three hotdog specials. The buns are slathered with sinful amount of mayonnaise, the burger pan fried with a whole year supply of margerine (ok this is a slight exaggeration - but if you are a health freak - don't bother coming here), the cooked burger is then wrapped with lightly pan fried egg with melted cheese and this ensemble is then dashed with chilli sauce not before shredded cabbage and sliced onions is strewn over the ensemble! My verdict......the cheese and sauce just ooze out of the burger and it made me feel like I was on the gastronomical seventh heaven! My weekend ended with the movie Inkheart....Off to snoozeland thereafter!

A quiet weekend remains elusive till this day....and it remains a notion.......

I'm back!

My transient blog-rest has been largely due the fact that I had to deal with a string of events which were thrown before us as a familyand at work! Anyway...here I am rearing to go sharing yet again the usual stuff!

Well, this blog needs a name change quite soon. Our fifth child is in h** (not revealing the sex here) 37th week of gestation. A week before my bro-in-law's wedding (31st August 2007), wifey experienced contractions of up to 10 minutes apart for almost half a day on a few occasions...It was no Braxton Hicks okay..(my suggestion which was quickly dismissed by her! Well..how can one contracdict a veteran in deliveries...LOL!). Well she still has her contractions now...but with no progress each time! The last check up she had was last Saturday - baby is engaged; placenta is ok..still supplying nourishment to the baby; wifey is still as active as ever (cooking, washing toilets, etc)...- my aunt made a comment this morning that wifey sounded (over the phone) like she's able to perform a 200m dash as opposed to her daughter-in-law who will be delivering her first baby today, who has been whining and complaining of fatigue etc.... - her baby's due date is actually 3 October 2007 whilst ours is 7 October 2007. Anyway....we are all looking forward to the baby's arrival (Yusof wanted to accompany us last Saturday to "interrogate" the gynae as to when the baby will be out!).

Because of this, wifey skipped the solemnisation ceremony of her brother, Mus, held in Felda Paloh....some 2 hours' drive away from Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan...She was home over the Merdeka weekend with Ibraheem and the maid. She told me not to be unduly anxious! Well she did drive herself to the hospital when Yusof was about to be delivered 10 years ago! But the again this time is her 6th delivery! You know how babies just arrive without ample warnings for the later pregnancies! Praise to Allah that the baby didn't arrive whilst I was away!

After the solemnisation ceremony

Remember my maid Acha? She's been found to be unfit to work after the medical check up! Urgh..... We went for a second opinion at University Malaya Medical Centre where wifey's sister work as one of the specialists....Did tests over a period of one and a half week and came out as borderline case....So...now waiting for an appeal by our agent to FOMEMA before deciding whether to send her for further tests and treatment! Like wifey said....don't be unduly alarmed wit this and just take one day at a time for now...(don't you just love the phlegmatic trait in her?)

Love this candid picture taken by Khadijah whilst waiting to go to the Bride's house

K-wire jutting out

Last Saturday was the first time I accompanied wifey for her check up with her gynae. Frankly, I have been somewhat traumatised after wifey had a missed abortion last year. She has been quite understanding....(I have been accompanying her to about 90% of her check ups for all my other children). Since Ib had to have his k-wire removed by the ortho, on the same day.....I braced myself and saw the baby's image for the first time real time...! Ib was excited asking the doc loads of questions.

Soon after wifey's check up, Ib had to have his k-wire "yanked" out by the ortho (Minah Celoteh's hubby is right in using the word "yank")...

Ib was initially ok until one of the patients started asking him questions and he just cried! Anyway, he was alright the minute he stepped in to the ortho's consultation room and was his usual self....The ortho was very engaging and excellent in making conversation with him! He even trimmed the not so nice looking suture around his thumb which was met with Ib's "ow" "ow" "ow".... He further engaged with him in light conversation and pulled out a surgical plier quietly and the next thing we knew...the k-wire was already out! Ib just yelled a single "ow"...Mmm....that wasn't too bad at all! The k-wire was slightly longer than the length of Ib's thumb....!


Waiting for Ib's turn to see the ortho at his English-inspired waiting room (complete with two three seater Chesterfields, a faux fireplace and floral wallpaper)