A SOHO Mama's Diary

Izzo - The Unbreakable..and The Baker

2012-01-27T03:33:00.000-08:00

I blogged about Izzo The Unbreakable, about 2 years ago. My second child, who will be turning 9 next month, was called The Unbreakable by my dad. He used to get into many mini accidents here and there. Like:

1) Terkena minyak panas when he was barely 2 years old (I think the scars are still on his arm).
2) Fell and chin had to be stitched, not even 3 years old.
3) Sat in front passenger seat with my mom (non-moving car) and bobbed up and down till head hit the windscreen (glass cracked, his head was okay). Also around 3 years old.

And some other smaller accidents which I don't remember.

Izzo likes outdoor activities. Even before he was 2 years old, he would just run and jump into the kiddie pool when we go swimming. *mak bapak kena alert kalau dapat anak-anak sebegini*. When we went on this cruise ship trip once, Izzo just ran into this jacuzzi-like pool and jumped. So, naturally, his Papa will jump after him lah because of course, Izzo didn't know how to swim yet. Some time after that, when he joined the other family members on a snorkeling trip in Pulau Redang, he was a like a water baby, a floater. Imagine a 3yo++ boy, wearing a t-shirt & pelampung, swimming trunk nowhere in sight (tertanggal kot ke apa), jumping into the sea. Rugi nya tak ambik gambar masa tu.

Nasib baik gambar kat Tasik Kenyir ni ada. He was 5 years old here:

Sometimes he follows The Papa on short motocross trips. At one time, he had a small scrambler. But some moron stole it last year.

(need to tell him this is NOT the way to catch tadpoles)

Apart from all those 'rough' activities, who would have thought that Izzo also loves to bake. He started last year, experimenting with cupcakes. I bought him a kid's cupcake recipe book..sedap-sedap jugak resipi kat situ. But he wanted to look for recipes on his own. So he googled and youtube-ed cake recipes a lot. Then he started baking cakes instead. Some were fabulous, some had to end up in the tong sampah.

Then he went on to cookies. Tapi guna premix la. Boleh tahan jugak.

Izzo is still in the kitchen now, probably dusting some sugar on the doughnuts he made. Armed with an iPad which played 'how to make doughnuts' in the kitchen, he measured, mixed, kneaded, fried..all by himself. Walaupun kali ni donut dia macam tak berapa jadi, dough macam lembik sikit..but hey, he made it from scratch and that's what I call EFFORT.

(I am not a baker so I have no idea why the dough turned out like that this time)

As usual, he'll wash everything up. If it's a cake that he's making, he'll even boil some water to pour over all those bowls or spatulas used to mix the cake batter. Sometimes he'll mop the kitchen floor, too.

My youngest sister once ordered vanilla cupcakes from Izzo. And of course my parents, my sisters and BILs (also a neighbour) have all tasted his cakes. Yang menjadi la. Yang macam tak jadi, Izzo buang dalam tong sampah. :P

Some girls are already impressed by his interest in baking. I'm just imagining how he'll be like when he's a teenager - maybe mixing up something while the oven is pre-heating...while some of his girl friends (okay la maybe guy friends also) are chatting away in our living room... :P

Wordless Wednesday - One of The Reasons Why The Mama has to Exercise Regularly

2012-01-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

Red Runners & Red Gift Baskets..

2012-01-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

To everyone celebrating the Year of The Dragon...Kong Hei Fatt Choy!

It's nice to live in a country that recognizes festive seasons of their nation's multiple races. It's also a nice break for us non-Chinese...nice break from work and nice to drive here and there (especially in Klang Valley) and not having to go through bad traffic as many cars have balik kampung.

Earlier today I briefly watched a Chinese New Year celebration shown live on TV3. Nearly everyone was donned in red. And it reminded me of the Mizuno Wave Run that I participated in on Sunday 15th January 2012. The running jersey was, ehem, my colour - red. Red runners everywhere. We started and finished at Stadium Putra UPM Serdang, ran quite a challenging route (well, at least for me) because there were quite a few hills..some 'gentle'..and some not so :P

I was super-excited because that was my first race with my new brutal-looking-love-at-first-try shoe, the Mizuno Wave Prophecy..

Good thing I got that RunAway casing so I can still use the Nike+ foot sensor with a non-Nike shoe. Alang-alang ada Nike+ Sportband, guna je la. Belum cukup bajet nak beli Garmin superwatch+GPS+segalamacam ataupun yang seangkatan dengannya (rasanya berbaloi beli when I start running 21km dengan agak pantas nanti).

It was the first time I ran in a different category - the Women's Junior Veteran Category for women aged 35 to 45 years old. Usually I'm in the Women's Open Category. I trained harder for this run as I wanted to improve my timing. I know I would surely go past 1 hour but I hate the belas-belas minit that came after that. Kalau timing 1 jam 8 minit ke okay jugak. Okay la 1 jam 10 minit pun boleh la. My personal best before Mizuno Run was 1 hour 12 minutes. *Shoo shoo belas-belas minit*

Okay let me share the interval training on treadmill (to shock that body :P) as taught by my friend Shahril:

Walk, 5 minutes
Run at comfortable speed (for me it's usually 8.5), level 0, 5 minutes
Run at incline level 2, 5 minutes
Run at incline level 4, 5 minutes (selalunya speed dah turun ke 7.5 dah ni)
Run at incline level 6, 5 minutes (kalau speed masih 7.5 kiranya I very terrer oredi)

Once, when I was like 2 minutes away from finishing the training and was about to yayyyy to myself *as I can finally press the STOP button on the treadmill*, Shahril suddenly appeared next to me and say, "Dah nak habis? Okay try incline 9 pulak. Seminit je!" Incline SEMBILAN???

But the training helped a lot. Although I did stop and walk for like 3 times during the Mizuno Run (must, must get over this stop-walk thing, TIGA kali pulak tu), I did feel I ran a bit faster than usual *at least I thought I did*. I fumbled with my Sportband during the start of the race, didn't press it properly so my mileage & timing macam tak betul la. Actually I just came out from the ladies room when they flagged off the women runners so imagine me running from the toilet while trying to put on my SPIbelt, de-tangling my iPod earphones, pressing the Sportband at the starting line (I did not, apparently!) & trying to avoid from crashing into any runners in front of me.

I stopped and walked the first time..just before the 5KM mark! Bad.

After 7km, I stopped and walked again. After like 30 seconds suddenly someone tapped on my shoulder from behind and said, "Come on Datin!". It was Rahimy, my university mate! He has started running full marathon already so 10K runs ni macam kacang putih je la untuk dia. He wore green and stood out among the sea of red. Tak boleh jadi ni, I started running again, pacing the man in the green shirt. Then I saw the last water station and stopped for a drink..and lost the man in green. Looked at my watch, and kinda gave up on going for better timing. "Sure tak sempat ni" I said to myself.

Long-distance running is a lot about mental. It's me against myself. Banyak suara dalam kepala. Most of the time, the body can still go on but the mind will say, "berhenti lari, jalan je lah". Memang mental.

Then I saw some volunteers..and saw the sign '1KM to go'! My yeehaaa was cut short when I saw red runners going uphill infront of me. Crap. But it was quite a nice view actually and I almost reached for my BlackBerry from my SPIbelt sebab nak ambik gambar when I heard an inner voice say, "This is a damn race, Millie!! Apahal nak ambik-ambik gambar! Cukup la masa Putrajaya Night Marathon tu berenti jalan pakai lip balm bagai!".

Okay.

Berselang-seli dengan suara volunteers yang jerit, "Come on, last K, last K..! Last HILL!" (adoiiii), my inner voice told me, "THIS is what you've been training for! Kamon lari naik bukit kamonnn.....!!!!"

Tapi lari 3/4 bukit je..pastu jalan menonggek. Penat, okay. Then I saw the stadium..and I continued running. Chewah boleh pulak lari laju sikit. When I entered the stadium the track suddenly felt soft and pleasantly bouncy against my brutal-but-crazy-comfy Mizuno shoes..so I ran faster.

My official time was 1 hour 10 minutes 32 seconds. Takde belas-belas minit! Finally did it.

Gambar wajib dengan The Running Sisters, Hanim & Nannoor:

The gang from KakiGym (minus Alif yang dah balik)...Aina, Amar, Hazim, me, and Shahril (I call him Ketua Pasukan):

Aina is the person you should see or call if you want to go check out KakiGym or ask any questions:

The finisher's medal. This is the 7th 10K running event that I've joined.

Back from the run, I had to prepare lists for the following week's work i.e. Chinese New Year gift baskets. Felt like deja vu. When I came back from the Rakan Muda Run in December 2011, I went straight to work on a set of engagement hantaran. Lari. Kerja. Takde. Rehat. Tsk.

Anyway, all gift baskets were completed and delivered according to schedule, alhamdulillah.

For more photos of our gift basket work for Chinese New Year 2012, just go to AZ Gift Baskets Facebook page :)

After all the red and gold gifts were sent out, I had to continue with a set of wedding hantaran for a teacher from the kindergarten that all my kids went to. Takde. Rehat. Lagi.

But after all that, I felt very 'successful'. Felt I had achieved a lot.

Personal best untuk 10K? Checked.

Chinese New Year gifts (yang kononnya tak nak buat mula-mula dulu)? Checked.

Hantaran kahwin 9 dulang guna bunga segar yang perlu di hangkut oleh kakak pengantin ke Muar? Checked.

All in one week.

Ya, terasa 'achievement' nya. :P

Year of The Dragon Gifts - WIP Phase 1

2012-01-14T00:28:00.000-08:00

To be honest, there have been a few festive seasons where I go "rasanya kali ni nak buat sikit-sikit je lah..tak payah buat design baru letak kat website lah...".

But almost every time, I somehow *I don't know how* put some new creations in the website. For example, there are 8 gift creations in our Chinese New Year 2012 range. Kononnya mula-mula tak nak buat sangat la kan..bla bla bla. Millie, Millie.

So last night I tweeted that I was working on the To Buy List as my staff will come Monday onwards to finish up all of the gift basket orders. The Hubby memang kena pegi KL tiap-tiap hari Sabtu - nak hantar Amsyar kelas kat Persatuan Dyslexia & temankan Izzo ada golf lessons. So most of the time if I have stuff to get from my suppliers there, The Hubby mesti "boleh!' punya :)

HOWEVER, when he arrived home, I didn't expect that the stuff would be this many (I seem to have lost my ability untuk mencongak saiz dan kadar kemuatan bahan-bahan mentah' dalam kereta):

If I know for sure that there'll be a lot of stuff, I'd just have the shop send them to me. But luckily he drove The Hilux today...I don't think all of this can fit into The Volvo even with all the seats down and the only human in the vehicle is the driver..

Nasib baik tak kena tahan polis ke JPJ ke.

Can you spot someone's little head squished somewhere between the baskets? I guess that someone basically had zero visibility throughout the journey home. Well, as long as he can breathe I guess he should be quite alright. Hehehehee....

Despite the 'danger' (tak sesuai nak diulang lagi macam ni), they managed to get all stuff from all 3 suppliers. And because I've called/texted a few times to those suppliers, most of them got the stuff all ready.

Except for stuff at the basket supplier. Well after 7 years, I know their 'process' already. Especially during festive seasons (on a weekend some more!), there are lots of people there. If I go there I usually sit on some chair and wait (and wait) for my invoice. But they have been treating me very well as a customer all these while, so no complaints from me :)

But Hubby & Izzo, they found a spot somewhere at the back of the basket shop and rilek je duduk bersila sambil tunggu pekerja kedai tu cari/bungkus barang2..

Comfortable Just Being Me

2012-01-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning up the folders in my BlackBerry when I found this photo, taken in March 2011. Hubby and I were on our way to Istana Abu Bakar in Pekan, Pahang.

It was a 2 day affair, first day rehearsal, second day actual event. We stayed 2 nights in Kuantan..and had to leave all 4 kids at my parents'. It wasn't a weekend and a part-time staff wasn't free to babysit the kids, my mom wasn't that well actually..thank God my sister Effie managed to take leave so she helped out a lot. Thank God for supportive family!

Anyway, during the ceremony, I saw most of the other Datins wore glamourous baju kurungs..but I saw some pakai baju pendek..bukan kurung panjang la. Thank God I have my mom to refer to. She's always the first person I'll refer to about these protocols especially when meeting royalty. Thank God for my mama!

So there I was, wearing my greyish silver Thai silk baju kurung Pahang, carrying a silver clutch (which was one of my hantaran kahwin 12 years ago..belum kategori vintage lagi kot hahaa), Stuart Weitzman shoes (yes, hantaran kahwin jugak!), wearing a simple bling bracelet and 2 handmade rings.

But I didn't feel small (I shouldn't be, wearing 4" heels made me 5'8" tall) amongst the other people who were immaculately dressed. I didn't go there to compete with anyone (why would I ever want to compete with anyone..in what we wear??), I just wanted to be by my husband's side. I didn't want to be the best-dressed Datin, I just wanted to be comfortable but of course presentable at the same time.

I just wanted to be me. And I'm always 'me', wherever I go. Recently, I wore a one-piece dark brown linen dress with a printed shawl. Someone asked, "Kak Millie nak pegi mana cantik cantik ni..?". I answered, "Nak pegi Giant." (dalam hati, "jangok ke ni"). Once, I was expecting my tasbih supplier to come so I wore a maxi dress and long cardigan. She was a bit late so I decided to pop out and buy some lauk first. That's when she arrived, and said, "Kak Millie nak pegi beli lauk macam nak pegi party!" *ni adalah statement terlampau, actually*

I wasn't overdressed on both occasions...maybe because I never wear normal round-neck t-shirts when I go out (other than to the gym la) so some people look at it differently. Entah kenapa, ni sebab dibesarkan oleh Komando kot..? *takde kaitan langsung la pulak* But I think it's good for the kids, too. When they see their parents nicely and neatly dressed, they would almost always do the same.

I think this also shows in my gift basket creations. If I think all those other hampers in the local market are not according to what I'd like to offer to my customers, I'll just try to make it more 'me'. That's why I like to say that I have a lot of syok sendiri creations :D

But of course I do have those days when I shower a bit late or have some pimple cream on my face. Who hasn't, right? :P

Wordless Wednesday..My Home, My Workplace

2012-01-10T17:40:00.001-08:00

Priorities..Priorities..

2012-01-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I really screw up my priorities. Sometimes..I really suck at placing which ones to do first. For example, I sometimes NEED to finish the dirty dishes and have the kitchen sink nice and empty before I go upstairs and bathe my smallest kiddo.

Sungguh tak betul priorities I ni.

Anyway, work-wise, I'm now more worried about the 3 hantaran sets more than Chinese New Year gift baskets. Not that we received a whole lot of CNY orders tapi selalunya kalau buat CNY baskets dulu-dulu, takde coincide dengan mana-mana orders sangat (setakat 2-3 all year round gifts tu adalah). But hantaran, satu set dah at least 7 dulang. Nak kena perah otak sikit ni. Hmmmm..

In choosing the most suitable baskets/boxes/containers to decorate the hantaran items in..I'm the one who has to go to suppliers and see/choose myself. Unlike orders for festive season gift baskets where the orders are usually in bulk and I just call the supplier and tell them which ones I want and they'll send the baskets over. Kalau tak berapa banyak pun, I can still ask my runner to go pick em up. I'm actually more comfortable being the person di belakang tabir.

I don't know what I'm trying to say in this post, actually.

Rant mode on, izzit..?

Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe I just feel tired and lazy today.

Whatever it is, you gotta love what you do..especially if you're doing what you love. Walk the talk baby.

*komplen sekali sekala tetap dibenarkan*

Amilita Zaini
Sent via BlackBerry

Our 7th 'Round' of Chinese New Year Gift Baskets

2012-01-04T04:22:00.001-08:00

I was doing up a new folder in my MacBook, entitled CNY 2012..when I saw the folder "CNY 2006". So, that means this time it's our 7th time doing up Chinese New Year gift baskets. Seventh. My husband said, "You're a veteran."

Well, technically I am. Age-wise, I'll be 40 years old this year so if I join a marathon happening any time after April 2012, I'll be a proud runner in the Veteran Category (sekarang je dah masuk Junior Veteran) :P

We initially wanted to take a break due to the many wedding hantaran orders..but then some regular corporate clients have asked, "Kak, ada gift sets baru ke untuk CNY?" or "Kak Millie, nanti I nak a few mock-ups ye..ermm I lupa lah last year punya budget berapa tapi agak-agak macam tu lah ye, kak!". Okay la adik-adik semua :)

So here are our small range of Chinese New Year 2012 Gift Baskets. We probably won't be as busy as before...but that's okay.
(lambat pun, selalunya sebulan sebelum CNY dah ready semua kat website).

Bah, RM198

Chee, RM198

Lyo, RM188

Woo, RM178

Sahn, RM168

Uhr, RM128

Kalau lah berminat, boleh la email ke amilita at azgiftbaskets dot com dot my
Thank you :)

First Blog Entry for 2012

2011-12-31T08:13:00.001-08:00

This post was supposed to have the title 'Last Blog Entry for 2011'. Yeah so I was busy with new year wishes on Facebook (sebab Twitter jammed up), WhatsApp..alih-alih dah berdentam-dentum bunyi mercun and it's past midnight.

I wanted to say how I was satisfied with 2011...for me personally and also for AZ Gift Baskets.

I was watching reruns of The Oprah Show just now, and I was amazed when Ralph Lauren (loved his ranch..the tepee and all!) said that in what he does, he has these short stories behind everything he designed. That made me say to myself, "that's what I feel too..in fact that's what I wrote in my recent blog entry..I have a little story behind nearly every gift basket creation" (especially the customized ones).

And as I mentioned in AZ Gift Baskets' Facebook page, I measure that satisfaction or success not only by quantity but more importantly - by quality. I felt that I was still blessed with the opportunity to carry on with my business at a comfortable pace, while helping my part-time staff to assist in their household finances, while helping clients say their thanks and wishes to someone in a form of a gift. Yes I may have had to decline some festive gift baskets orders towards the end of 2011..but that doesn't mean that I have failed in any way (walaupun kadang-kadang memang rasa macam tak boleh cope) but it's more of me being in control of myself and successfully making a wise decision in managing my priorities :)

Personal achievements in 2011 - some were on track, some were not. So I'm trying to do something to address this..for the FIRST time in my life, I will write down properly-defined new year's resolutions (more like goals), in this little handmade notebook that I have...

A friend asked me on Facebook just now if I could share those goals. Errmm..I will only share one goal at a time, here, once they are achieved. Belum capai tak boleh la letak dulu. Kalau tak jadi ke tak terbuat atau tak tercapai rasa macam hot hot chicken shit & macam malu pulak nanti.

On the last day of 2011, The Papa & The Boyz had a rock climbing session late afternoon so they proceeded to have dinner outside. So while I was those watching Oprah reruns, this was my New Year's Eve dinner - scrambled egg rolled in capati and some butterhead greens topped with crispy chilli (tekak Negri Sembilan, mesti ada cili tiap hari). Terfikir yang mesti ramai kawan-kawan dinner kat luar celebrate NYE..but somehow I felt like Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love pulak dah. Making a simple but filling meal and eating alone. And it felt blissful, actually!

(And by the way this was the new year's eve activity of the other lady of the house..entah apa yang ditenungkan tu I pun tak berapa pasti..dia paham ke tak lagilah I tak pasti..)

Anyway, for at least 2 years now, I have had these thoughts about 'taking one step back' with AZ Gift Baskets. Maybe it's because of what I think I have managed to go through and achieve. All these years, I was never aware of my 'hidden energy' that made me capable of handling family, home & work at the same time. Crazy+gila, and definitely not everything went on perfectly well. But I thank God I have my husband, family, part-time staff and friends who helped me sail through some storms. When I started in 2004, never did I expect to be called for TV appearances/newspaper interviews/product features in my favourite magazine. Terima kasih kepada Mr. Google :p dan juga kepada sesiapa yang meng-rekomen kan AZ Gift Baskets...!

Actually this morning started with a few uncertainties on my capability to handle next week..or next year. But as the day drew to an end, after getting in touch with some friends and sharing how we feel towards 2012..the uncertainties changed to drive and motivation instead.

So what if I won't be doing Chinese New Year 2012 gift baskets in full swing like before..? I still have clients trusting me with their wedding and engagement hantarans this month and next. And I'm sure there would still be those weekly flower baskets/muffin baskets/customized baskets orders..so I predict that I would still be sort of busy with work. Mana yang termampu, insyaAllah I can still do.

Work issues aside, 2012 will be an extra special year for me and family. I'll be entering my '4-series' this year..and there'll be a few other special events and hopefully personal achievements as well. And I think, finally (after 7 years of 'neglect' :P), these will have my attention much much more than my work.

InsyaAllah. Sebab kita hanya merancang dan berusaha tetapi yang menentukannya tetap Allah s.w.t... :)

Ideas & Inspirations from Friends, Clients & Suppliers

2011-12-30T02:44:00.000-08:00

More than a week ago, my friend Aina asked if I could me to make a chocolate-candy gift basket for her friend's birthday. Not the super-expensive gourmet chocolates but the normal treats that even I love. So she texted me what chocolates her friend loves. Then 2 days after she mentioned if I could include some imported candy. Then after that she asked me if I could include some imported chips.

I really like this. It somehow makes my job so much easier hehee..

So here's Candy Crazy, filled with Kettle Chips, Mars, Twix, M&Ms, Kit Kat, Wonka Nerds, Runts etc. Love this sugar high :D

Then I remembered some other customized gift baskets that I did before. Like The Actor in Me and Just Loved and Be Loved ordered by a friend who's younger brother was in a Shakespeare play some time last year. I remembered my friend & my ex-roomie (during college days) & me group-chatting *or brainstorming* via BlackBerry Messenger on what to include in those gift baskets. After much info & also more input from a schoolmate who actually went with me to hunt for suitable deco items..these are the finished products:

I only knew who the recipient really was just before delivery these gift baskets. He used to have a column named The Bangsar Boy..and he's also a well known blogger. Even Amsyar knows (and admires) Niki Cheong!

At one time a regular client who loves our flower baskets, muffin baskets (or both, combined) asked for a customized gift basket..for his best friend's wedding gift. He was the best man so in order to make the gift something that is well-thought through, I naturally had to 'interview' my client lah. Using the honeymoon-location info as the main idea for deco, I came up with Honeymoon Picnic (you can easily guess the couple will honeymoon by the beach!) :

And during Mother's Day, the same client wanted me to do up a gift basket that his mother could carry on the aeroplane back to Terengganu :P. After another round of 'interview', I got some things that his mother likes and assembled it as My Mom's Favourites:

Some time this year, a twitter-friend who was selling Dubai-produced makeup at that time asked if I can make them into gifts. Why not, ALL women I know wear makeup! (and I ended up buying some for myself when I looked through her range, konon nak pilih yang mana la alih-alih pilih jugak untuk diri sendiri). Here's Rose Garden Chic, Pink Country Rose and Spanish Rose. *yes, the makeup-distributor company name has the word 'rose' in it*

Sometimes close friends ask if I could sponsor a gift basket or two for an event, like school reunion and such. "Alaa yang simple-simple je boleh ke?". AZ Gift Baskets is all about simplicity heheee...but while we believe that 'less is more', we are also hardcore believers of 'simplicity is the ultimate sophistication'. Basic baskets don't seem very basic if you go that extra mile for the deco :). Red Polka Dots and Vintage Lace (by this time I was running out of ideas for gift basket names):

There are more, actually. And though I love going through photos of my previous creations..time is just not on my side. Hubby and The Boyz are getting ready for dinner outside with my SIL..and I'll be catching up on the loads of unfolded clean laundry (yang sampai bila takkan sudah hahahaa).

Other than that, you can also click HERE and read my older post about Syok Sendiri Creations that I come up with from time to time.

So there, I get ideas and inspirations not only from going through the web or from me only...but also from friends, clients and suppliers. Kita manusia biasa, kita memang tak boleh bekerja sorang-sorang. Even if we don't like it..but in business (and life, in general), we must seek others' help from time to time.

And if we need help, we have to have people who WANT to help us. I am forever grateful that I can always turn to them if I need to, and they can turn to me too, insyaAllah. That's why it's very important for me to take care of and maintain good relationship with my family, friends, clients (of course), suppliers (who sometimes become my clients, too)...and last but not least, people in the same industry. Believe it or not, these are the people who you need to turn to sometimes. So make them as the people who you CAN turn to.

Wordless Wednesday..Missed It Again

2011-12-28T08:37:00.001-08:00

I have lots of pictures that I've saved for Wordless Wednesdays. Tapi selalu miss. Oh well.

How old were you when you first entered a karaoke joint? Me, when I was 21, I guess. It was at a hotel. With my dad! It was those open-karaoke places where you have to go on that small stage to sing. Horror tau but who was I to say no to my dad? (Nak cari pasal..?) Hehheh. But phew thank God all those pakcik-makcik audience complimented my duets with my dad. I don't like to be on any stage, small or big, but I think at that time there was some sort of army dinner event coming up so I had to perform a few songs (yes, forced by who else) so my dad dragged me to karaoke for 'training'.
Back to the main topic - I went to the karaoke joint at Alamanda Putrajaya today with Effie my sister..and my 4 kids. Yang paling terrer ialah Zuleyka. First time karaoke masa umur 3 1/2 tahun. Oh ya, my nearly 11 year old son can rap, apparently. Kena asah sikit lagi la tapi.
This karaoke place is kind of family-friendly..so okay lah.

Zuleyka's hair is getting more and more springy. *okay I don't know how to spell that*. Macam spring lah. The curls seem to get tighter and tighter. And The Mama only rajin to comb her hair twice a day, every time lepas mandi. She hates the comb. So just imagine me chasing her around trying to comb her hair (yes I sometimes malas and give-up, tak sikat pun takpe bila kering jadi spring balik). Tak berapa vogue but when you're a mom, you'll have to do a lot of non-vogue things that you never imagined you would have to do. Trust me.

Since coming back from our short holiday, laundry was never-ending. Well, actually, laundry has been never-ending since I had more than 2 kids (when I had a maid, even she couldn't cope). Ye lah, we don't chuck all clothes all at one in the machine, right? Must have categories, of course - kids, adults, undies (gentle cycle), sheets & blankets & towels, whites, handwashed items (shawls, some of my clothes).

Hmmm. Banyak pulak kategori. Tapi memang macam ni la kan? Err..kan..?

Anyway, I wanted to workout at the gym tonight but with the karaoke activity, buying some stuff at Alamanda while carrying a 16kg *more or less* sleeping lil girl, cooking, more laundry..nak drive pegi gym yang 5 minit dari rumah pun rasa malas. Penat. So I did an hour of workout at home. Kind of reminded me back in 2001 when I was back to work after my first maternity leave, I worked out at home almost every night. No matter how tired I was. More than once, I almost dozed off in the middle of doing tummy exercises! Tapi dalam macam nak pengsan kepenatan tu, it was worth it lah. All those 20kg++ gained during the pregnancy gone and I could fit into all my office clothes soon after :)

Actually, I gained a lot of weight during every pregnancy. The most was 25kg, the the least was 18kg. My body has gone through 4 times of 'weight yo-yo' so when friends ask me how I manage to lose all that weight every time, my standard answer will be, "Not.Easy". Why? Maybe I'll share some tips in another blog entry :)

Teringat kat Tom Hanks, he's had a few movie roles which required him to put on a lot of weight or lose weight or both. Dan teringat seorang personal trainer kat gym yang jawab dengan terkejut, "Empat??" masa dia tanya I ada berapa orang anak. Again - Not.Easy.

Speaking of workout, I am in this phase of buying running & sports gear. I need to get out of this phase soon or else it will surely burn a bigger hole in my pocket. But so far I have no regrets on what I got..because I use them all. A few weeks ago I got this Adidas hoodie jacket. Proved to be a good purchase..so convenient when I have to make a quick stop anywhere nearby (macam beli roti ke susu anak ke) tapi malas sarung tudung. *oops* :)

Run With The Wind

2011-12-25T03:25:00.000-08:00

It's windy here in the 'land where I was born in' (actually I spent quite a few years in different schools here, and for work, too). But then again some of my friends said it was windy in parts of Klang Valley today, too.

I went for a 40 minute run with my new love this morning. I don't know how far I ran as my new love is not with the Nike team and I haven't bought the casing to fit the Nike+ sensor for it. The weather was lovely, not much sun, very windy..kind of reminded me back in 1995 when I was inline skating by Hudson Lake, Chicago. Melawan angin sungguh! Masa kat Chicago tu la, pagi tadi not too bad..terasa macam bukan kat Malaysia jugak la hahaa...

It was windy throughout the day actually. So the smaller kids and their cousins went to play at the open field. There were some teenagers playing frisbee..and I was thinking, this is how it should be. Kids playing outside most of the time instead of being cooped up infront of the TV or with iPad, Tabs and so on. And this is where adults, especially parents, play an important role. Nearly 12 years and 4 kids later, hubby & I are still trying our best at this.

I hope the weather tomorrow morning will be as pleasant as today's. I feel like running with the wind again :)

Hubby Hikes (and Cycles and Motocross), Wifey Runs

2011-12-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

The Hubby has successfully climbed to the top of Mount Kinabalu, 4,095m above sea level. Before this I actually thought that Mount Kinabalu is, err, biasa-biasa je. Like, why is it such a big deal..? But after hearing first hand experience from The Hubby (who also selama ni mountain biking berpuluh-puluh kilometer naik turun bukit dalam hutan..and also motocross sampai tunggang terbalik jatuh dalam hutan)..I respect & salute everyone who have went up there!

I think this is such a nice photo..like from a documentary..Hubby said it's "gambar peristiwa" .

Hubby & 8 others in his group started hiking early Saturday morning, 10th December 2011. They spent the night at Laban Rata that night before doing the 'summit push' at 3.00am Sunday morning 11th December 2011. From Laban Rata onwards, only 4 (including Hubby) went for the summit push. The rest gave up due to injury or due to the cold i.e not well prepared in terms of equipment & clothing (Hubby had 6 layers on!). It was darn cold, with howling winds around 100km/h. Tengok la gambar dia kat peak, bengkak2 muka macam winter kat U.S. Thank God he did a lot of research prior to the trip.

So he asked when do I want to go up there? Hmmm. Not that keen on hiking now, though. Would want to concentrate on running, still. I've set bigger goals for 2012..so I must walk the talk. And honestly, I feel scared thinking about those 'running goals'. But as Hubby said, "in life, there must be progress."

Anyway, last weekend I ran my 6th 10km. It was in Cyberjaya, the Rakan Muda Run. Actually I was 'running escort' to a friend, Aina, doing her first 10km. So I followed her pace, with the occasional "don't stop yet, let's run to the water station there" and also the "only 1km more...kamon kamon 700m je lagiii". Hehehee..

Aina, Hanim & me. Hanim is the 'founder of Kraziraner' hehheh..she ran in only 54 minutes. ONLY. Yes, crazy runner.

Timing was not too shabby, 1 hour 18 minutes. Aina nye first 10km, okay jugak tu! Aina asked me how I knew Hanim. I answered, "from Twitter."

Morale of the story: There are a lot of good things that come out of these social networking platforms..as long as we put it to good use.

Now back to the rest of the story:

I didn't feel too tired during the run, considering that I slept at 1.00am the night before. Mengopi sekejap dengan guys & gals from my ol' school, MRSM Jasin! We all know when you meet old friends, there's no such meaning as "okay SEKEJAP je I join okay!".

After the run I straight went to work, continuing on the 7 engagement hantaran which were to be collected on that same day. Nak bawak ke Brunei semua tu so I had to design the hantaran with the thought that semua tu nak kena naik kapalterbang..
*photos of these and another recent order are in AZ Gift Baskets' Facebook :) *

I just realized that I'm typing all this on my BlackBerry. And my fingers are not as slim as before. Sakit mata sikit-sikit jugak ni.

So that's all lah for now :)

FOR SALE: Almost-Brand-New Nike LunarGlide+3

2011-12-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

I just bought this...on 7th December 2011! It wasn't an impulse purchase, I wanted to get another running shoe..and I thought I'd stick with Nike+ as I already have the Nike+ Sportband and all my runs are recorded in the Nike Running site.

However..there might be a slight change of plans. So I'm letting this go. I still have my very-good Nike LunarGlide+2 though :)

Details:

Bought at: Nike, The Gardens

Size : US8 / UK5.5

Mileage: 10km ONLY, on treadmill i.e. used twice only

Retail Price at Nike shop: RM319 (the other LunarGlide+3 are priced at RM409 but the one that I bought had a slight out-of-season-colour issue so it was at RM90 less)

Selling at: RM280 ONLY

Good catch, ladies. If interested, please email me at amilita_zaini at yahoo dot com

One Hurt, The Others Feel The Pinch

2011-12-13T02:36:00.000-08:00

My youngest sister was pretty upset with a few people recently. She had good intention, menegur mereka kerana sesuatu yang dibuat yang ada kaitan dengan dia (my sister). Tapi ye lah, tak semua orang boleh terima teguran. Terutama budak-budak muda yang berdarah panas (yes I've been young before, I know how it felt...). However she was referring to one topic but those people just went on to talk about other things...things involving our family. That snapped her a bit - current issue remained unresolved but other issues were brought to surface. And that prompted my very-d-upset sister to write this in her blog:

Apa-apa pun, aku just nak cakap.... PADA MEREKA YANG PANDANG TITLE DATO SERI AYAH AKU TU KAN, AKU NAK BAGITAU KORANG BAHAWASANYA AYAH AKU NI BERMULA DARI BAWAH NAK DPT TITLE TU. MY PARENTS CAME FROM A VERY2 POOR FAMILY BACK THEN. ADA KORANG TAU?
MY SISTERS AND I WENT TO UNIVERSITY USING SCHOLARSHIP...YES WE GOT OUR SCHOLARSHIP BECAUSE WE DID WELL AT SCHOOL.
AND THE BUNGALOW THAT MY PARENTS LIVE IN NOW, CAME FROM THEIR HARDSHIP FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS....AFTER LIVING IN ARMY QUARTERS AND RENTING HOUSES..

My father sold kuih-muih when he was 9 or 10 years old at his kampung (about the age of my Amsyar now). In his free time then, he would climb trees and belt out English songs - his own way of improving his command of English. And yes, he can still sing very well now. I think I got that 'skill' from him..and it seems Amsyar got that too. *eh enterframe pulak*

When he was 19, he joined the army. He was a young man with goals. He said, "by 21 years old I want to go to the United States of America. And I won't be able to do that if I stay here in Askar Melayu." So he tried his luck to join the Special Forces, or KOMANDO as we call it here. He got in, got his green beret, and successfully set foot in the U.S when he was 21 years old.

Fast forward *through lots of army quarters, rented houses, schools for us sisters*...the Datukships that my father got were all because of his service in the army. And he got his Dato' Seri from the State of Perak after he played an active role in resolving the siege that involved a group who seized military weapons and killed several people in the process of wanting to 'overthrow the government'.

I remembered the Al-Maunah siege well. It was in the news for days. The then Defense Minister (our current Prime Minister) was also there at Bukit Jenalik, Sauk. It was the year 2000 and I was in my second trimester carrying Amsyar, my first child. The first grandchild for my parents. Imagine, when the siege was finally over, we switched on the TV3 news and the first sentence that popped out from the anchorman was:

"Panglima Medan Tentera Darat nyaris ditembak oleh ketua kumpulan Al-Maunah..."

*my dad is in Wikipedia :) *

If my father didn't 'backhand' the rifle away from his chest in time, he would have been shot, point blank.

So yes, we sisters are a bit sensitive when people think our parents had it easy, that me & my sisters have had it easy. Any of you had to sell 'aiskrim Malaysia' masa sekolah rendah? Mungkin ada. Kena bawak mee hoon goreng jual kat kawan-kawan sekolah masa umur 9 tahun? Mungkin ada. I've done those, too. When my mom was busy getting her customers' baju kurung etc ready (she was like a part-time tailor once), my youngest sister who was probably 5 years old at that time was the one looking after the 'peti aiskrim Malaysia' at the front door of our single-storey terrace house..in case some school kids come wanting some ice-cream.

No wonder my Supermom-mom gets so sad every time she looks at old photographs. She remembered all the hardship we had to go through. My dad was a true soldier..but he was busy. So my mom held the fort, at home. She and her four daughters. I still remembered when the chain on my bike fell off one day..I was maybe 10 years old and didn't know how to put it back on. My mom helped me and said, "you must learn to do things yourself, Millie...you don't have any brothers to help you..and you're the eldest. Kita takde lelaki nak tolong kita.."

*of course at that time my dad was not around, probably out of town, and my mom was sort of speaking figuratively*

We had to go through what we had to...and I think we turned out quite okay. Hehheh. We sisters used to fight a whole lot before but now we're very okay with each other. We know what our mom had to go through before, now that most of us are mothers ourselves. It's like..you'll never know what it's like, until you experience it yourself.

WAHM Working Out at Home

2011-12-09T03:18:00.000-08:00

Work-At-Home-Mom working out at home because The Papa is at Laban Rata on Mount Kinabalu now, probably going to sleep soon before doing the summit push starting 3.00am in the morn.

SO, I have to be with the kids and leceh la nak hangkut2 budak empat orang pegi gym atau rumah my parents..jadinya workout kat rumah je la.

I just bought these shoes on Wednesday..Nike+ LunarGlide3. I have LunarGlide2 so kiranya upgrade sikit la. This pair that I bought is about RM90 cheaper than a few other LunarGlide3. Just because of the colour (kiranya out of season sikit la). Tak kisah beb, lagi bagus ada diskaun.

So today was a series of burpees, lunges, squats, jumping jacks, sit-ups, ab crunches, push-ups...

Makcik mengah sekarang.

But never forget - "I am rewarding my body with strength and endorphins, not punishing our body". (Quote from KakiGym's Facebook page).

Amilita Zaini

Sent via BlackBerry

Common Household Items That The Kids Have..Eaten

2011-12-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

Amsyar - Uncooked spaghetti. When he was around 3 years old, I think. He would open the pantry cabinet, take the pasta packet/container and take a few uncooked spaghetti and happily crunch crunch away..

Izzo - Rice. Uncooked. Beras. Around the same age when Amsyar had his phase of makan spaghetti mentah. As I've had experience with another 'raw/uncooked food eating child' before, I just let it be. "Suka hati ko la labu."

Armand - hmmmm...somehow I don't recall any unconventional stuff that Armand has eaten. Maybe I was too occupied trying to practice my anger-management-act towards his Gangster Boy ways (yes that's what his brothers call him) all these while. :P

Zuleyka - Baby powder...and body lotion. I let her have some whenever I dress her up...of course NOT for her to eat la. She must practice some grooming skills also, right? But somehow she will manage to chuck some bedak in her mouth faster than I could say "KAKA! THE BEDAK IS NOT FOR EATINGGGGG!!!". Then she proceeds to lick at some lotion, just like licking a McD soft ice-cream.

The above are not a one-off act for them. It's usually a phase. Obviously Amsyar and Izzo has stopped eating the uncooked stuff..but Zuleyka is still happily in her bedak-lotion-eating phase.

Amilita Zaini

Sent via BlackBerry

This is YOUR Life

2011-12-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

I don't read Tessie Lim's 'Get A Life' column every Sunday..but today I was drawn to read it till the end. *yes I have this sick habit of reading things halfway..that's why my SPM aggregate was 21*

Her article today is entitled Mirror, Mirror on The Wall (New Sunday Times, Life & Times page 6). It starts with:

"If you want to be deeply unhappy, personalize everything. Make everything about you and then let it permeate all areas of your life."

To me, we're humans and definitely can't be positively upbeat and happy 24/7. We have down days, happy days. Yes once in a while I do personalize things, think that the world evolves around me..and sadly, yes, I let it affect certain aspects of my life. But alhamdulillah, I don't get too carried away with it and every time I manage to 'save' myself. And I must thank family and friends for this..oh and good articles like Tessie Lim's also. Sometimes a good movie does the trick, too :P

Look at your life. Like it or not, it's living proof of your habituated beliefs. Your life is a testimony of what you believe is important..and what's not. We attract what we believe. We attract what we are.

I always believe in the Law of Attraction. The article says that "if you're looking for ways to be offended, you won't be disappointed!". We do this, well at least once in a while..but why? Is this a way for us to find excitement in our lives (what's so exciting about sadness and angriness anyway?). I do have blunders here and there..which got me thinking, my life is good as it is..why in the world do I need to invite complications in it? Look at the poster, it says Life is Simple. We put in effort to achieve what we want to get, or want to have. But we also do need to realize that the results may not come instantly. Look how long it takes for a tree to grow, and how much water & fertilizer needed for that. Look how long contestants of The Biggest Loser takes to lose weight and be fit..and the strenuous exercises and extremely disciplined lifestyle they had to opt for.

If success matters....as entrepreneurs, it's always about the customer. Why? They put food on your table and they allow you to explore your potential!

At AZ Gift Baskets, it's always about the customer's best interest. We try do things according to their budget and most importantly, we try to follow what they already have in mind. If not for them, I would never ever know that I have a 'creative streak' inside of me. If not for my customers' belief in me, I would never thought that I could position gift baskets as an all year round gift and not only for festive seasons. If not for them, I would have never thought that AZ Gift Baskets would be around for 7 years.

Seek to increase, not limit choices.

I'm sure we all try to do this, within our capabilities. I myself feel good for all the good people that I've befriended over the years..with some help from blogging, Facebook and Twitter of course :P. And I've tried new things, conquered old fears, helped friends to change and help them try new things...we all have choices and only we know which ones to take. Forget what others may think. As long as it's for our own betterment :)

If I accept that people make the best choices that are open to them, what else would it take for me to appreciate things just as they are?

Sometimes I think that the decisions and choices made by others are selfish, they do that just because they think of how THEY feel, never considering about what I feel. That's when all those (as mentioned in the article), "What have I done to offend them? How dare they make me feel so unimportant? I don't deserve this!" come to mind. This brings us back to what was mentioned earlier - why am I making this everything about ME?

I am not perfect..but I try to improve and correct whatever mistakes that I've made.

I am not as strong as some may see me..but I try to do whatever I can within my strength.

I might forget to say my thanks sometimes..but I am forever grateful that Allah s.w.t never cease to give me chances and opportunities for me to realize my mistakes and do something about it.

The writer mentioned about The Beatles' song, Let It Be. When you 'let it be', I believe you'll achieve (supposedly) inner calm and peace. But if there's still that lil something bugging you..then don't let it be.

Maybe you should do something about it first.

ChilliDog Recipe ConeyDog?

2011-11-30T05:43:00.000-08:00

My BFF served me this during one of my me-time trips to her home. For every 'me-time session', we'd be talking for hours and hours..drink loads of coffee, sometimes munchies, watched DVD a bit sometimes..blissful, actually :)

When I twitpic-ed my homemade chillidog dinner last week, a twitter-friend asked for a recipe. Since I pun dah ambik gambar segala, I blog kan aje lah resipi nya ya.

Important Note:

This entry contains yummy photos. For anyone who loves bread, cheese and the likes..please make sure that you have eaten your dinner or had your supper etc before you proceed. Or else you might end up raiding the fridge later tonight. *speaking from experience*

1) Boil sausages/hot dogs. A tip from a cooking show - put in a few cloves of peeled garlic..this is to encourage the sausages to stay moist and tender :)

2) Pan-sear the sausages. I used the sausages that had cheese in it, sebab anak-anak I suka. Besar sikit pun dari sausages biasa tu.

3) Saute chopped onions, a few shallots and some garlic.

4) Add minced beef or chicken. I used minced chicken since I had chicken sausages only. Make sure you cook the beef/chicken until ala2-just-before-hangit (I don't know how to explain it properly)..of course jangan la sampai hangit, kan. However minced chicken can be a bit watery so maybe minced beef takes a shorter time..

5) Add about half a bottle of tomato sauce. I always loved Maggi sauces. Entah kenapa. Anyway, you may add more tomato sauce if you'd like..season to taste towards the end with salt and pepper i.e. when this 'meat sauce' has thickened a bit. Sometimes you don't need that much seasoning anyway.

6) Stir & watch the meat sauce turn into loveliness hehheh...

7) When it's done, just spread a bit of low-fat margarine on those hot dog buns..place one hot dog on the bun..put a dollop of the meat sauce. I put some cheddar cheese slices - me and my love for all things cheesy. *but NOT cheesy LINES okay! :P *

Eat warm. Easy peasy right? Very much so.

The next morning, I used the same meat sauce and made some sort of Sloppy Joe. Just put the meat sauce on bread (sebab sausages & roti hot dog pun habis dah), slap some cheese on it...and put it in the oven for a few minutes for the cheese to melt.

Senang gitu. Sesiapa yang dah cuba nanti cakap la best ke tak ye. We all loved it here :)

Mi Familia

2011-11-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

The Mama who is now melepek-ing in the living room's kerusi perahu, overlooking the garden while doing up this entry via her trusted and much-loved BlackBerry. The Mama is a crackberry. Oh The Mama baru-baru ni dah buat glasses untuk night-and-rainy-day driving. Multi-focals are also needed tapi mahal pulak masa tu.

When I went to the optometrist in Alamanda Putrajaya:

"Umur akak berapa ya?" 39 tahun.

"So akak ada masalah tak membaca ke tengok jauh ke.." Memang rabun jauh & lately yes I've had trouble seeing very very fine print macam kat cereal boxes macam gitu.

"Oo..kalau macam baca SMS tu pun memang ada masalah jugak lah kan..." Ehhh Dik, baca SMS okay lagi dik! (amboi, kita siap BBM & Whatsapp bagai adik ooii...nasib baik muka adik tu macam a younger & better version of Adi Putra, so takde la terasa sangat..)

The Papa who, since his younger days, loves to take 'mugshots' with poses which at one time attracted a glare which signals "no, I don't think so.." from the staff in charge of taking photos at Jabatan Imigresen.

Zar Amsyar a.k.a Abang who is mildly dyslexic but can identify most luxury cars even by looking at one rear lamp. Don't let him go on about different sizes of wheels that some Lotus cars have..

Zar Izz a.k.a Izzo, (who probably needs mugshot pics lessons from The Papa). The boy who would probably have Second Child Syndrome *once he knows about it later on* from the rate that I scold him. Well, I did tell him to kurang2kan gaya lawak clown dia tu kengkadang..

Zar Armand..the fearless, the nearly 5yo 'French Thug' (as someone once mentioned), The Rascal (according to my BFF). Oh ya also known as the K-Pop Star of the family. And also The Most Whiny. Drives Mama crazeeeeee..

Zuleyka a.k.a KakaMomo. The only princess, our pudgy lil girl who may not be a beauty queen when she's big..but the cutest, cutest girl I've ever laid my eyes on (bias alert!). I don't care if she has Global Development Delay or have an OKU Card or has the general skills of a 2-year old when she's now 3 1/2 years old..she has the most effortless dance moves and she walks like a cutie pie.
*maaf ye mak sendiri tulis memang la biased*

(In my earlier blogging days, there was a similar entry..but that was nearly 3 years ago..so now kiranya update la..and oh sorry if the photos are so big..I thought I resized it in my BlackBerry but somehow err..)

Keeping It Real

2011-11-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Busy day.

Nasib baik The Hubby tolong belikan breakfast & ambik bunga kat pasar..while I did laundry and bathed the smaller kids and took out soiled sheets of a lil girl who wee wee too much in her diapers. *what else is new*

The brownies for the Brownie Flower Basket for today's delivery was already packed the night before so I just needed to arrange the fresh flowers in the basket. Before sending it to Putrajaya. Then went to pick-up Amsyar from his KL Class camping trip...

Oh ya this photo will only be uploaded in AZ Gift Baskets' Facebook page next week, or end of this week (whichever is mengikut-kerajinan-saya) along with the orders. To view the orders for last week, just click HERE ..there was even an order received for Yuna and her mom. Yes, Yuna, the singer, the composer. Kebetulan pulak, I received this order for her while I was cleaning up my kitchen..while listening to my iPod..singing along..to Yuna's songs! The Law of Attraction :)

Oh dah lari dari topik asal.

Today was a hard day for me and the kids..particularly with Izzo my second child, who's 8 years old now.

Do I give a good spanking to the kids if they misbehave? If they lie? Yes, yes.

With four kids aged 3 - 10 years old, with no live-in maid for one year now, with me trying to sustain my 7 year old home business, with me wanting to do many things in between i.e. join running events, exercise regularly, occasionally meet up with friends, blog, tweet, facebook etc etc...

Tough.

Do I have my mood swings? Yes!

Do I have stress even though I'm a WAHM who supposedly can 'plan her time better / have flexible working hours'? Yes! *if I hear one more "oh Millie you senang lah..you duduk rumah..", I think I will go strangle someone*

Do I treat my kids like they live in an army camp? Of course. *but not all the time la..must make sure I show my silly & soft side too..gotta have balance lah kan*

Do I sometimes (err or most of the time? LOL) say to my husband, "okay Baby I can do the dishes/pots/pans and clean up/sweep/mop kitchen but you handle the kids & tuck them into bed..boleh?" Oh yes.

Do I mess up my priorities sometimes? Simple example - loads of clean clothes to be folded but rather sit back and watch TV instead at about 1am..? Yes lah.

Do I procrastinate? Yes. *I think the above just explained that*

Do I regret things I did or said to certain people, including family..? Yes and no. To the kids - sometimes I did whatever I did to teach them a lesson which will hopefully stick in their heads forever. To some/certain people - let's say I'm the type of person who forgives but doesn't really forget.

Do I cook everyday? No! But I DO cook. So what if sometimes I cook like what 'single people' make for themselves..? Or make something like turkey cold cuts / salmon slices with cheese & lettuce sandwiched in between focaccia baked by the neighbourhood bakery? Sedap jugak kan. As long as my family says it's good & they're well-fed. How about homemade Chilli Dogs? Simple je tapi sedap. This was what I made just now and it was a hit. Recipe? Next post ya :)

Do I wish I was younger & slimmer..? No! Whatever they say about aging..what I know is that experience, knowledge, confidence DOES come with age. I'll be 40 years old in April 2012 and I'm proud of it. And if there are any hardcore believers of The Skinnier The Sexier/Better 'code' reading this..all I can say is, "you gotta eat, girl!". In moderation la. Exercise is a must also. B-a-l-a-n-c-e.

Eh I lari topik lagi ke? Never mind.

So here's a pic of me with Izzo, Armand & Zuleyka (Abang Amsyar baru balik dari camping dengan geng Persatuan Dyslexia masa ni and he was knocked out). See, this is how it is most of the time with the kids. I am posting this photo because I am kind of amazed that I could keep a cool calm face while the kids bounced around me.

I wasn't trying to don the shawl like a hijabi fashionista..I just didn't have time to wrap it around properly.

Special note from the Owner & Founder of AZ Gift Baskets:

"My dear clients, thank you for understanding why we are not capable of doing same-day-delivery & sometimes need a few days notice to do gift delivery..or at least 1 or 2 working days (depending on availability of stuff). We're still a modestly-sized home-based business - trying to balance home & business the best that we can :) "

Bigger companies in the same industry may not be writing all these but for me, it's something that I don't mind sharing once in a while. After all, these are what happen 'behind the curtains'.

Just trying to keep it real :)

KakiGym!

2011-11-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

I try to go to the gym 3 times a week. When I'm not that busy, maybe 4 times a week. Two sessions for cardio (usually a bit of cycling, mostly running as I sometimes go for 10km running events and I also want to hike up my mileage in Nike+..it's an online 'running record system' where all my runs are recorded there).

If I'm not doing cardio, I do resistance training..more to build muscle tone la. So just now I thought I wanted to do resistance training. Kebetulan pulak malam ni ada The Biggest Loser training kat gym tu..and the instructor asked me to join in.

Adoi. Boleh tahan gaks penaattsss.

First I had to do jumping jacks for a minute. Then leg lunges. Then sit-ups (with that little but heavy ball in between my knees). Ni semua buat seminit seminit tau. Nama je seminit tapi rasa lamaaa.

Then a kind of squats where I had to hold this weight and lift up (as if I'm throwing the weight up) while I stand from the squat position.

Then jumping squat - ada apa tu platform yg selalu org guna masa step classes tu...imagine I'm in a squat position with that platform in between my legs..pastu jump on top of that platform. Pastu jump down from there, back to squat position. Satu minit!

Then squat using barbell! Pergh.

Ada jugak squat with dumbells. Wow woww..

(I think by this time we had like 2-3 minutes rest).

Next - push ups perempuan-style, with knees on the floor. I'm used with this..but doing this for one whole minute..arghh.

Another minute of squat with barbell, this time must so-call 'snatch' the barbell upwards when going to upright position. Fuhh.

I think I had to do plank also..but somehow I missed it hahaa..

Last (but not least as my legs wasn't really cooperating by then!)..the burpee! Nak terangkan pun dah tak tahu..google je la eh, youtube ke. Memang I couldn't by then..my mind wasn't strong enough to order my body to do it :(

(But when I came back home, dah rasa okay sikit, I buat la burpee sorang-sorang kat living room :P).

Last Sunday I went to KakiGym's outdoor gym area (or bootcamp area)..masa tu banyak buat arms & shoulder exercises like monkey bar, pull ups, chin ups, panjat naik tali yang gantung kat pokok. Memang a few days la sengal-sengal tangan & bahu ku ini. So tadi kat gym pulak banyak leg exercises. Memang lah power (the sengal-ness!).

However..overall it was GOOD!
I know many feel intimidated when others mention 'gym'. I think many gyms nowadays are not only for those buffed-up superfit looking guys (or gals)..but a lot of normal people (like me!) Go there too. Especially this gym that I go to. They brand themselves as "the family gym"..and true enough memang boleh nampak a vast mix of demography of the members there - muda & veteran (or vogue as I like to call em hehheh) semua ada.

So anyone staying in Kajang, Bangi atau kawasan yang sewaktu dengannya..please do check out KakiGym at Prima Saujana, Kajang. Their website is www.kakigym.com.my and they're on Facebook and Twitter, too.
*I'm blogging from my BlackBerry here and don't have any photos of the gym in my device*

Kalau nak call nak tanya apa-apa, lagi bagus. Just call the one of the Member Consultant there, the friendly Cik Aina. She can tell you whatever you want to know about. If you pay her a visit, she'll be happy to show you around the gym :)

Amilita Zaini
Sent via BlackBerry

Wordless Wednesday (maybe Thursday already) - Brother/Sister Love

2011-11-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

A Tip of The Trade

2011-11-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, a Baker Friend was rather disturbed by something that she saw on Facebook - another baker taking pictures from a very popular *non-Malaysian* baker's blog and posting it in Facebook without informing people/fans of the Facebook page that those photos of cakes and cookies are taken from somewhere else...and not freshly-baked from her kitchen. The Other Baker said that she doesn't see anything wrong in doing so as the photos are readily available in the internet and she wasn't using them for the wrong reasons.

Well, okay. But it's much nicer and more ethical if she mentioned where she sourced those photos from. Setuju?

Anyway, to some people in the creative industry, maybe it's okay to cut and paste from others. Or maybe it's okay for others to cut and paste from them. I, however, have never been comfortable with this. Sorry ya.

If we are so interested/inspired/love/minat giler with another person's creation (tak kira la kek ke cupcake deco ke handmade topi ke gift basket ke) and coincidently we are in that same line of business or work...cutting & pasting other people's creations until people think it's our own - a big no-no.

HOWEVER, taking the photo of other people's creation as 'a feather for tickling that creative bone' in our body - yes we may *to me lah..I don't know if my other creative friends are agreeable to this :P *

For example, let's take one of AZ Gift Basket's simple Brownie Box gift deco that I did a few months ago:

Surely, surely one can try take a cake box (a different shape or colour, maybe? There are so, SO many in the market right now), tie it up with whatever nice ribbons that one has and snap a picture of it...and not just cut & paste the above to incorporate in one's online pamphlet or blog (without mentioning the origin of the above picture)..? Right?

Even if the above photo is no longer in that other blog, the act of taking a shortcut using other people's stuff is...just not right lah. Sebaaabbbb..bukan senang tau nak buat benda-benda ni, walaupun gift box je. Like I mentioned in AZ Gift Basket's Facebook page about two months ago:

"Being in a home-based gift basket/hamper business is not all about arranging foodstuff in baskets & twiddling with ribbons while "having more time for family". Basics of business like research, 5 P's of Marketing, trial & error, customer service, competition, funding issues, staff issues etc..all still apply. On top of that tugas2 sebagai isteri & ibu juga harus dilaksanakan tetapi ya adakalanya tak sempurna juga. Saja nak share, terutamanya untuk WAHMs-to-be :) "

Kalau nak tahu lagi, just read one of my old posts entitled 'Nothing Much To Do?' and discover the 'complications I have to go through' in what I do ha ha haaaa *forced laugh*.

When we are in the business of doing something that hundreds (thousands, actually) are also doing - do our own creation based on our own style (just be yourself, we are always the most comfortable in our own skin) using whatever resources that we are capable of getting our hands on (don't say you can do up an arrangement full of hydrangeas and imported flowers..when you can only get chrysanthemums most of the time).

This especially applies to people like me & many of my friends who sells our creations online. Our stuff is just out there, for the world to see and scrutinize. Macam open book. But we are proud to do so because that's what we love doing, that's what we do to help with the family's finances, that's what we do to make other people happy, that's what we do to make ourselves happy (the feeling of satisfaction after doing up those gifts and seeing the clients so happy with it, *as cheesy as it sounds* is just priceless). Lagipun dah memang menjual barang2 tu online, kena lah ada gambar kan. Kalau takde gambar macamana pulak orang nak membeli ekekeke...

P.S Talking about 'open book', AZ Gift Baskets' Twitter and Facebook are open to public, also for the world to see and read. I don't have anything to hide there. Kalau nak sorok apa-apa, takde lah nak ditulis kat mana-mana pun. Kan? :)

Nearly A Year? Really?

2011-11-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

Amilita Zaini
Sent via BlackBerry

Yes, sedar tak sedar it has been nearly ONE YEAR since I've written anything here. If this blog has a soul of it's own, if it has emotions and can voice out how it feels, it'll say something like this, "Why are you doing this to me..why? You used to want to see me everyday..always coming up with some ideas on how to update me..and now you just chucked me aside, just because you're getting all close and chummy with Facebook and Twitter!!"

Okay maybe I got carried away a bit.
*both with imagining what this blog would say..and with 'being close' with Facebook and Twitter*

Well, whatever it is, I'm still SOHO Mama, AZ Gift Baskets is alhamdulillah still up and running..we're still comfortable operating from home, which still makes me a WAHM. And like before, it's still not easy to juggle many roles at one time..and trying to look hawt at the same time. *blerghhh*. Heheee..

But The Hubby has been a big help. We've been without a maid for a year now..relying on cleaners which we call once in a while (mahal la kalau nak panggil tiap-tiap minggu kan..). We're managing.

Speaking about The Hubby, I'm very proud to let everyone know (err that is if there are still anyone even reading this blog) that about a year ago he received a letter..pengurniaan Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang. After knowing him for nearly 13 years, married to him for almost 12 years, seeing him work him way through..I'm proud of him and happy that his hard work has paid off somehow. Here's a photo of us during the investiture in March 2011...

Till then. :)

*hoping this blogging via blackberry works!*

Still at Gold Coast! but not Australia ye

2010-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

At this very moment, I'm sitting in the dark, facing the sea and a few water villas, dengar bunyi air laut from outside the balcony..which Gold Coast am I at if not Australia..?

SEPANG Gold Coast lah. Eh best tau! We're having a short holiday at the Golden Palm Tree. The layout is like Palm Jumeira in Dubai..except these are water villas and not houses of the rich and famous.

*I am a firm believer that Malaysia has many wonderful vacation spots, so kalau harga nya lebih kurang sama macam nak pegi cuti overseas, baik explore yang M'sia nye dulu*

"With minimum impact to the environment and touted to be the first eco-friendly sea-hotel in the world, Golden Palm Tree is a 5 star haven of peace, perfect for eco adventure, non-motorized water sports, family-friendly fun or to just relax and unwind", the website says. True that!

My hubby is on a one month leave from work so every now and then since school holidays started he would ask, "so when are we going for our family cuti? Nak pegi mana?" I was hesitant to choose the date as I'm *as always* busy with some gift basket orders. And if I do choose a date, this would probably be the first time in 2 years++ that we would be travelling with the kids..without the maid! We didn't renew her contract (due to various reasons..I wouldn't want to start on that!) so the thought of handling the kids without extra help was pretty daunting.

Then I thought, hubby has been a great help during his cuti. He helped with the kids, and also with some chores too. We actually think it's so much better to be a bit tired with the kids, sometimes running around completing back-to-back chores...but no pening with the maid's perangai anymore! And eventhough I had outstanding work issues, my reliable staff Norul was on standby and she has saved me from a lot of headaches so far :)

So we decided to check-in on the 13th and come back home on the 15th. Hubby got the current promotion, which was RM599 per adult, All-In-Package for 2 days 1 night stay. A minimum of 2 adults and 2 kids can stay, eat and play for free (but we brought FOUR kids muahahaaa). This promo automatically upgraded us to the Canary Palm Villa:

Pic from www.goldenpalmtree.com

When we arrived, cuaca redup-redup macam tu so rasa macam bukan kat Malaysia pulak! *eventhough I haven't been to the Maldives or tempat yang sewaktu dengannya, it sure felt like that when we arrived!*

Thank God for the iPad that helped the kids stay put while Papa parks the car & takes a buggy to the lobby. Zaman teknologi sekarang, rasa janggal kalau tak boleh online walaupun tengah cuti. Do all online shop owners feel like that? We brought iPhone too, to keep kids (especially Armand) occupied coz he normally plays games there, and of course my MacBook eventhough both hubby & me can check emails or FB or tweet via BlackBerry...and my DSLR for taking photos for us to look back when we're all old and frail..he hee...

Then we got to the 2-bedroom Canary Palm Villa..and the kids (and us parents!) just loved it....

Of course, what holiday was it for the kids without a dip (or a few) in the pool? Nice view from where I sat to watch over Amsyar here..then I noticed the gym room *on the right in this pic*..and I went there twice during our stay here. Since we sent the maid home, I just couldn't make some time to go to the gym near home. Been there only once since school holidays! Bila dah habis chores, rasa penat/malas pulak..so away from home meaning no laundry, no cooking, no cleaning up, no gift basket orders to complete..and no excuse to not workout!

Zuleyka would shriek the first few times when The Papa tried to bring her to the middle of the pool...so she would stay and basuh baju tepi sungai instead..

My K-pop-looking Armand demam pulak on the second day here..but that didn't stop him from having fun. Demam pun tak boleh duduk diam. I wonder what I ate when I was pregnant with him..

Chillax-ing at the poolside..it was either lunchtime or tea-break whenever they finished their pool session, so ambik je makanan dari buffet spread & bawak kat tempat lepak ni. Cool!

Before coming here, I just finished up a few gift baskets for the delivery guy to pick up. And The Hubby was kind enough to help me pack for the kids while I straightened out my work and house chores. Packing for 5 (me + kids) was usually my duty..so yeah there was a bit of silap here and there but surprisingly I was okay with that. Usually this makes me flip out a bit (like I mentioned somewhere in my previous entries, my sister says I have OCD traits :P). Well, at least he helped, kalau tak lagi lah I pengsan!

I didn't plan to shut myself completely from work, so I brought my MacBook and updated AZ Gift Baskets' Facebook page a bit. Had a bit of sales issues with Jusco also so petang semalam was on the phone for a while to talk to my staff and suppliers. Work follows me, even on my holiday. Takpelah, like I said, I chose this so must do what I chose to do lah. Being a WAHM ain't smooth-sailing all the way..like any other business owners, I too have not-so-good experiences once in a while. "We just have to experience them, in order to learn from them", Hubby said. True.

Tapi cuti tetap cuti and I needed to make the most of it. Balik rumah nanti, back to the routine, back to work. It's not like we can come to Golden Palm Tree every weekend ha haa...kalau boleh memang lah nak lama-lama lagi kat sini (my kids wanted to move in here) so we decided to extend our stay, sehari lagi. We plan to go cycling in the morning before checking out. So before I go pack whatever I can to avoid kelam-kabut masa nak checkout, lemme share a picture of my view here whenever I'm online...

As I'm the one holding the camera most of the time, there aren't many photos of me. The Hubby is sometimes busy holding Armand and/or Zuleyka, so at times had to get Amsyar or Izzo to snap a pic of me. And this was one of the best. Blur pun takpelah :P

Me & My 'Syok Sendiri' Creations

2010-12-08T01:55:00.000-08:00

Yup, I do have gift creations yang boleh dikategorikan sebagai 'syok sendiri'. Those are usually the ones which I get inspiration by looking at the simplest like Zuleyka's bloomers when I put on her clothes or her colourful hankie when I wipe chocolate off her face. These gift baskets may not be like the ones you see in other local gift shops or websites so it may take a longer time for people to open up to the idea of it...

But I DO love my 'syok sendiri' creations. He hee..syok sendiri je..

Example, a gift basket that I came up with oh I don't remember...maybe early this year? I've always loved handmade stuff by WAHMs, especially. They come up with really good stuff, most importantly, PRACTICAL stuff. Which kid doesn't need a few pieces of cloth wipes? Or *at least* one sunhat? How about shorts (tak kira la baby lelaki ke perempuan ke mesti kena ada pakai seluar jugak kan he hee)? Small pillow...? And when baby is on the go, a lil wetbag (a small bag with waterproof lining) that can store those wet & used hankies is pretty useful, don't you think?

So here's one of my 'syok sendiri' creations. Her Rainbow. Dah lebih enam bulan 'di pasaran' in my online shop and I only got the first order for this 2 days ago!! Thanks, Zuraini, for believing in my syok sendiri creations *but very practical, I'd like to think*. And I even used a pretty handmade card for this (only a few pieces left with me, so, while stocks last!)

One other creation that I absolutely love but not very hot in the pasaran is Baby's Day Out. Again, I was thinking of practicality and of course, of what I like :). I found out babywearing only when I gave birth to Armand. This 3rd kiddo of mine is so-very-d-cranky and he just wails and wails especially if I'm not within sight and not in physical contact with him. So babywearing saved my sanity (masa takde maid, I back-carried him when doing dishes!) and I just wanted to share with everyone, moms and dads out there, of the many types of stylish babywearing options available now. And I wanted them to know that babywearing is not merely "gendong bayi" but it's totally IN :)

So far I have sold only one of this. Nope I'm not ashamed to say that some of AZ Gift Baskets' gifts are not that fast-moving...but it's important that I love the outcome and believe that it is or will indeed be a useful gift for some people. Especially for those who try to find unique gifts which are not that commonly found in the market...

Like Shamm's Scrapbook - I got this idea when I met up with my ITM roomie again, through Facebook. Scrapbooking is her hobby and one of the things she does to de-stress! Dina Cooks Dinner pulak, an idea that came when I met up with another long-lost ITM-mate. Apparently she loves to cook and the kitchen section is the first place she goes to if we step into a department store. And there's Baking With Ida..a gift inspired by some baking baskets on overseas gift sites..and also by a fellow WAHM who makes the most delicious muffins for AZ Gift Baskets :)

And yes I named them after all those ladies who gave me the inspiration for those gift basket creations...

So, pesanan penaja to everyone out there..if you wanna try a new cookie recipe, or include a what-about-this-ingredient for a cupcake, or try a type fabric not normally used for kids' clothes...just try it out and see how it goes. If you are trying to sell these, don't be afraid if it doesn't fly off the shelf instantly...at least you TRIED..and that alone is something that you should be proud of :)

Note:

This is maybe more of a "pat on the back" entry. I've been without a live-in maid since school holidays started (mutual, I didn't want her anymore and she couldn't go on working as she's worried about her kids under the care of her so-called unstable spouse) so the juggling act is a bit more intense. Alhamdulillah my hubby is on long leave so he helps with the kids and chores whenever he can. Kalau tak memang pengsan lama dah I :P

C*pycat..?

2010-12-01T00:42:00.000-08:00

Sebelum memulakan entry kali ni, terlebih dahulu saya ingin mengatakan (eh jadi macam ucapan pulak) yang entry ni bukan bertujuan untuk menjatuhkan atau mengata sesiapa. Sebab sebenarnya mangsa dalam hal ini ialah saya :(. And this is not 'mengata' as everything is the truth..and I have some photos to prove it.

This blog has been neglected long enough for me to forget if I've ever written about this 'copycat' that I have. This CC is doing the same business as I am and coincidently we started our lil biz during the same year (err if memory serves me well).

Every business has competitors. There are many, MANY people out there doing the same thing as I am. When I first started in 2004, I did a lot of research. A lot. Of course I didn't favor those pyramid-looking food hampers but was drawn to the styles of gift baskets from overseas and one premium hamper company here in Malaysia. Inspired from that, I tried to find my style based on the things that I googled here and there, sampai buat kepala jadi pening & mata berpinar..

However, there's a difference between 'inspired' and just plain copycat..!

I am trying to tell my blog followers and anyone else who reads this, that AZ Gift Baskets have no association with this other hamper company that I'm going to tell about. Some of our products may look similar (if not the same!) but that is entirely not AZ Gift Baskets' doing. We do not imitate other people's style, we do not plagiarize what people write on their websites, we do not claim some things as our own, when it is clearly not.

I have thought and thought of doing up this entry for quite some time, as these upsetting things have been going on for years. Sampaikan ada orang ingat AZ Gift Baskets also owns this other hamper-making company. Let's just call that other company CC.

In the earlier days of our business, CC's style of doing up hampers or fresh flower arrangements was way different from mine. Then maybe one or two years after we started, CC started going to the same basket shop as I did. I don't mind this, honestly, because many hamper companies, big and small, go to this very same shop. I believe the end product is according to one's own style.

But when I started my Home Spa gift basket range, CC did the same. I took almost 2 years to kickstart that range due to various reasons. I have seen the Tanamera brand in a newspaper but as I was busy with the kids & chores, I chucked this idea aside..until my neighbour who just moved next door gave me some Tanamera samples to try and "probably can be considered for your gift baskets" (her actual words). She was, apparently, the Marketing Manager for Tanamera..! Yeehaa!

And can anybody guessed what happened next..? Yes. Some time after that, CC came up with a Spa gift range in her website, too. Yes, she chose to use Tanamera brand as well. (err takde brand lain ke dalam Malaysia ni..?)

Then when I started my Chocolates & Freshly Baked category which mainly consists of muffin baskets, CC did the same. Well, she's a baker (and I can only bake for my family like once in 2 years ha haa) so I guess eventually this would come up. Still felt a little frustrated though, as I started the muffin basket range because I saw this a lot in overseas' websites and not here. Urghhh.

Then there was this one thing that really REALLY got to me. For Ramadhan & Raya gifts, corporations will usually request hamper-makers to provide mock-ups or samples of our proposed items to them. So last year, there was this one corporation which asked mock-ups from me & CC, too. I knew this because one of my satin kurma boxes tersesat kat tangan CC, that corporation tersilap pulangkan :P. I said okay no prob as CC & I live close by, I'm sure she'll hand the box to me soon.

One week after that, I saw that CC added one more item to her Ramadhan range in her website. Yup, satin box with a printed ribbon..very similar to mine. The left pic is mine and the one on the right is CC's:

I was upset. Again, who wouldn't be? One of my friends said, "just don't go look at her website because if you do find other similar things, then you're bound to get upset." I go over to people's (not only CC's) online shops or blogs as part of research...and to stay away from whatever style or creations that *especially* CC is doing! Since doing this in 2004, I think I have found my so-called 'style' that I'm comfortable with. I don't even go over to Martha Stewart's site anymore..sibuk pun ya, dah selesa dengan gaya tersendiri pun ya.

Now comes the best part..a few days ago I was having lunch with Amsyar, and I had my MacBook with me. I haven't visited CC's blog for quite a while since her blog is mostly for hampers and such, not really interactive. So I pun jenguk lah. Cantik-cantik hamper Krismas dia, she has improved..! Then I saw a pic underneath the latest entry..the "related posts" part..yg LinkWithin tu...I saw a picture of MY SATIN KURMA BOX yang tersesat kat tangan dia tahun lepas!! Putting two and two together, I figured that she must have snapped a pic of MY box first, posted it on her blog (to sell!), returned the box to me, then went to look for a similar printed ribbon and did one herself and posted her version on to her website...!

Imitating my style is one thing...but snapping a picture of MY product and posting it on her blog...with HER WATERMARK on it...?? This proves that I don't go over her blog a lot..as I only found out about this only one and a half years later! The left pic is the one published on my website Ramadhan 2009, the right pic is on CC's blog:

What made me so sure that it was my box? See the smudge on the left? Dua-dua gambar ada, kan. She probably just untied my ribbon & tied it back again (notice the slant on the tails of the ribbons, senget nya dah lain) but take note of the prints on the corners of the ribbons? Of course I know it was MY box that she put on HER blog. Wehhhh..?

The thing is, this CC lives so near to me. It's not my fault that I started my biz the same time as she did. Kebetulan! And I NEVER try to emulate her style or copy what she has. When CC started her muffin basket range, she even took captions and sentences from my muffin-maker's website..!

(as I don't bake, I had to search high and low for the best tasting muffins..I eventually found one muffin-maker, who also has an online shop)

My muffin-maker-friend was upset. Who wouldn't..."Order your muffins today!" and "Order OUR muffins today!" is not much difference. Itu tak termasuk ayat-ayat dari my muffin-maker's site yang jugak diambik sikit-sikit. At one time, CC even used my muffin-maker's company name as one of HER product name. Sampaikan ada customer my muffin-maker dah jadi konpius..

After that, these things kept cropping up. A few neighbours, suppliers, people in the same biz...some of them got confused on which is which. Mana AZ Gift Baskets punya, mana CC punya. One day a client texted me, said she saw CC's ad in some pamphlet. And as we stay in the same area, my client thought that ad was mine. She asked, "that company is Kak Millie punya jugak ke? Because I see that the products are similar-looking and style of taking photos are the same as yours." *!* Well, of course they got confused. Wouldn't you, if you saw this...

Or this...

Or maybe this...

Or probably this...

(well this "Jingle Bell Rock" was my Christmas 2009 design..so I guess CC is one year behind on this one. Never mind. I am still upset so I'll just post this pic.)

As I mentioned before, if CC uses the same basket/box/container, I don't really mind as we go to the same basket shop. Many, many people go there so apa la nak dikisahkan. Tapi bila ikut-ikut style tu..lain cerita lah, kan? Not only that, some of my suppliers has told me that CC also approached them. One supplier said CC insisted on using my supplier's home-baked item.

*ermm I think kalau lah CC meng-Google lebih sikit, mesti akan jumpa benda-benda lain atau benda yang sama tapi lagi menarik dari apa yang AZGB guna...*

Just-Added Notes:

Before this, CC's twitter was her company name..and mine is myazgiftbaskets (my webmaster suggested 'my' infront, konon 'Malaysia' lah, lagipun azgiftbaskets dah ada orang guna). Then sometime after my twitter was up, CC changed her twitter name..still her company name but with 'my' at the front. Coincidence..? No..?

So again, if anyone come across any products or hampers or gift items that looks very similar but does not bear the name AZ Gift Baskets on it, it's most probably not ours. We are a small company who have yet to partner up with any other company. We do not dare to follow other people's style or creations...let alone post other people's product picture online and put our watermark on it. No, we don't do that.

We're just a small home-based business, trying to earn an honest buck, doing what we love to do.

There, I've said it all. Finally!

Helllooooo!! blog spring-cleaning entry

2010-11-16T01:06:00.000-08:00

Hello hello HELLLLOOOO!!!

Salam semua (if there's anybody reading this lahh). Pheww this blog has been VERY dus-tehh! Honestly, I am not actually sure on what took up my time until I have abandoned this lil journal of mine. Sibuk sangat-sangat ke?

Well, yes..actually I have been busy. This little business of mine, designing and assembling gift baskets from my home (just in case you guys forgot what I do for a living..ye lahh dah lama sangat takde entry so takde la sesiapa yang melawat :P), has alhamdulillah been busy all year round. If festive seasons, lagilah. Ramadhan and Raya was a round-the-clock-work and a almost-sleepless month. After Raya, some of our corporate clients have 'open house', sometimes more than one occasion so there I am with my team, trying to provide unique doorgifts for their guests. In between, our muffin & brownie gifts are still a hit..and there are weddings where I feel so humbled that brides and grooms chose me to do up their wedding hantaran. Oh and once, a new corporate client ordered 330 small gift baskets from us as doorgifts..ALHAMDULILLAH.

In view of my 'busy-ness', I initially decided not to take in any orders for Christmas this year. I thought I wanted to take some time off, spend more time with my family (my maid is going back for good and eventhough one of my staff will help out with chores and stuff, I figured being a SAHM would be some sort of a breather), have more time to do research for CNY 2011 gifts...then suddenly one day ta daaaa...Jusco called and they are interested to have my gift baskets in their stores for Christmas and Chinese New Year!

As they were the one who approached me, I thought that I should at least try to accommodate their request. So I did up a few creations. Sent them over for their photo agency to do shooting. One thing led to another and this morning, 40% of the estimated quantity that they require (about 66 baskets) have been delivered to their hamper distribution center. These will then be distributed to selected Jusco outlets outside of Klang Valley, probably by next week. Alhamdulillah. Hope the sales are good! SO...tak lama lagi kena jugak I letak gambar Christmas gift baskets kat website :P

Talking about sales, as an online shop owner, I think good, clear, creatively-taken photos of products that we are selling is very, VERY important. I have received many positive feedback saying how they appreciate my effort in making sure the photos of my gift baskets turn out nice. Memang la tu penting, kan? Kalau letak gambar kabur, tak terang, goyang-goyang *a big no-no*, nanti sesiapa yang tengok website kita ke blog kita ke mesti fikir kita ni ala kadar je, takde nak usaha lebih sikit untuk elokkan gambar2 tu.

Gambar cantik tu satu hal, lagi satu (equally important)...is to make sure that the actual product that we sell must not be too different from the photos that we publish on our online shop. Oleh kerana kita terlalu fokus nakkan gambar kat website cantik, we ignore how it turns out in real life. Tak boleh la kan. So this, I try to do. Of course products to be published on our online shop tend to look a lil different..contohnya gift baskets, masa ambik gambar I kena pastikan sekurang-kurangnya nampak la separuh (if not all) dari barang-barang yang I letakkan dalam bakul tu. So ada yang kena tinggikan sikit and so on..but to me, the ACTUAL gift basket should not be too far off from the published pic.

Jom tengok gambar-gambar hamper yang we all buat untuk Jusco ni sebagai contoh. The 66 baskets done this morning, waiting for the delivery guy..

"Deck The Halls", "Holly & Ivy" and "Silent Night". The photos on the left are the ones taken for my online shop (nampak lain sikit kan..takde plastic wrapping, ada deco terkeluar/tergolek sebelah bakul he hee) and the ones on the right are the actual ones yang masuk lori pagi tadi :P

So macamana, tak la 'lari' sangat dari 'gambar promo' kan..? I hope so lahhh :)

Bukan apa, recently I ada terbaca komen yang sungguh tak membina dari salah seorang pembaca blog tuanpunya Nilam Boutique. The owner was showing the creative side of herself in the photos (she sells exclusively designed scarves), pastu dapat negative comment pulak. Ye lah, walaupun jual tudung, tak semestinya kita terikat dengan ambik gambar tudung yg dipakai patung..atau pakai tudung pastu ambik gambar depan dan tepi je kan? Apa-apa pun, as online shop owners I know we all take effort in making our products look good on the net. But don't forget to also deliver good-looking good-quality ACTUAL products :)

Okay I will be taking the rest of the day off, guys and gals! Harap-harap blog ni tak berhabuk lagi lahh ha haahhaa...Selamat Menyambut Aidil Adha everyone!!

Blog + Facebook + Twitter

2010-03-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Where have I been..?? Why have I been neglecting this blog for two weeks now..??
Kesian blog ni, berhabuk sikit. Come I do a little bit of cleaning. Not spring-cleaning but just wiping off dust here and there :).

Last weekend, I came across an article in the newspapers about blogging being a "chore" to bloggers now. It used to be fun, like there's always ALWAYS something to blog about, always some photos to share with readers. Ada yang dua kali update blog dalam sehari pun kan!

Then Facebook came...and it created a wave! I've never joined Friendster, MySpace or whatever social networking sites available out there (I don't even know what they're called) but I've had friends who joined the 'older' ones and they said Facebook is the best. It's just so different, they say. So after invitations from 3 friends, I finally caved and joined Facebook.

In the beginning it was kind of intimidating. You see other friends or ex-colleagues who have joined Facebook for like months and months before you and just have interesting stuff to update as their status..and they have at least 100 friends! Gosh how la to get to that number? My Indonesian friend (who I was close to when we were at Indiana State University), has nearly 400 friends! Waduhhh!
*now I have 352 friends but unfortunately, I tak dapat nak correspond dengan semua! And of course I have Facebook for AZ Gift Baskets too*

After a while, I got the hang of it. I started to post photos and whenever I'm not too busy with my baskets, I can update my status a few times a day! Senang je, benda simple2 cukup lah :). And mobile upload of pictures through my BlackBerry is so easy peasy!! *I never figured it out when I was using my E71*

So now you know..this is one of the reason that this blog sometimes "collect dust" :P

Then came Twitter! After an inactive one month of using it..my account got hit with spam (or phishing or whatever you call it..I sungguh tak pasti & tak reti nak bezakan benda2 ni hehheh). So after an unsuccessful attempt (on both Twitter's and my side) to restore my account, I decided to just leave it. Until my webmaster (AZ Gift Baskets' webmaster) suggested that I start tweeting under AZ Gift Baskets' name. Oh, okay!

So..another reason that this blog is sometimes neglected by the owner...!

It's true what the newspaper article said, Facebook and Twitter both provide platforms for people to still connect..with just short and simple status updates that are "non-commital" at all. One-liners are just fine :)
*Okay just so you know, I didn't read the entire article because there were certain kiddos screaming and yanking at each other but I think that was the message lahh. Hang on let me just google the article..*

Okay, got the article - the title was "Blogging - so Yesterday". One blogger said that after a while, blogging wasn't something that he enjoys doing after work anymore. It has become a chore instead of a hobby. And many others find it difficult to maintain their blogs after a while.

Sometimes I do have that feeling, too. I'd like readers to enjoy the topic that I write about..so kadang2 makan masa jugak lah nak kumpul gambar & tulis dengan ayat2 yang sesuai (sungguh skema pulak kadang2 he hee) so I won't offend people and stuff like that. But that's me..and I don't think that everyone is like this :P

Tapi I still nak maintain blog ni..and I still like to share with others about what I think, what I find interesting, the simple things I do everyday...but sometimes, due to work and family..yes, there are times when I simply cannot find the "mood" (and time) to blog.

Anyone in the same boat as I am..?

What to Cook...? Pasta Again..?

2010-03-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Writers have writer's block - "the words wouldn't come!"
Painters, photographers, web designers and other artists have creative block.
So at times, I'm sure mothers have cooking block!

Or maybe it's just me..plain bored to always have to cook. But I don't even cook EVERY single day..! When I'm not busy, I'll cook 4 ot 5 days (max.!) in a week. If I'm busy like during Ramadhan and Chinese New Year season..nampaknya membeli je ler. Memang kadang2 rasa bosan..but if I don't cook often enough, I'll feel guilty..of not doing enough wifey or mommy duties. Dah pulaak..!

I seldom look through food or cooking blogs to get ideas..and being just a "daily cook" (and I don't really bake, kecuali kalau guna premix boleh leh sikit-sikit), I don't have many cookbooks. What I find useful, however, are the simple recipes available in The Malaysian Women's Weekly. Since I started buying this magazine nearly 10 years ago, I never fail to admire all the simple yet delicious & pretty looking dishes that they feature. Patutlah Jamie Oliver heran + marah bila orang susah nak make time untuk masak..and tak belajar pun basics of cooking!

We're talking about people, with families..who have NEVER cooked in their life. Yes they may have other priorities in life and food is just a drive or phone call away..but how many times have we seen a shiny-sleek kitchen complete with top notch equipments (some that I have never seen before) but the owner never actually used the kitchen..? Ni selalu I nampak kat TV, kalau tengah flip-flip channel pastu keluar show tunjuk tengok rumah celebrity Hollywood lah :)

Not that I'm so terrer in cooking lah..noooo..tapi untuk family makan hari-hari (or sometimes selang sehari hehheh), boleh lah. I think my style of cooking is more "modern", I'm not very good in traditional dishes / lauk kampung macam yang guna belimbing muda lah, pisang (but I love the masak lemak pisang muda!)..nangka masak lemak pun I tak pernah masak..tapi makan, suka! Tapi kalau sambal belacan, cencalok, budu, ulam..yes I try to make the available sometimes.

Or probably I don't go to the *wet* market to do shopping for ingredients. I usually go to Giant or Tesco, both are so near to my home. Once in a blue moon, I will drop by the weekly Pasar Tani, also close to my home. Best jugak tinggal sini, so many things are within easy reach. Even my parents are so near. Hehheh...

So, when "cooking block" comes, I usually end up doing pasta dishes.

"Chunky Spaghetti Sauce". I used Veat Chicken Style Chunks instead of the usual minced beef or chicken. Added chopped celery and quartered (canned) button mushrooms too. Veat has an acquired taste..so my anak-anak left theirs for The Mama to finish. Used angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti, kids like this more because it's somewhat softer and easier to chew, maybe! When out of parmesan cheese, I slice up cheddar cheese, put it on top of the dish and pop the dish into the microwave for a few seconds for the cheese to melt a bit :)

Sometimes, when I'm feeling a bit adventurous *dan RAJIN*, I'll do up several dishes..

I used Jasma Pasta Sauce for the pizza base and for the spaghetti, so pasta sauce not done from scratch. Pizza senang je, just a smear of pasta sauce on the base, some sliced tomatoes, and a generous amount of mozzarella cheese (for that "pulling effect") and parmesan cheese (I love this cheese despite the slightly stinky smell hehheh.). Coleslaw is just chopped cabbage, julienned carrots, a bit of large onion (sliced very thinly)..and coleslaw sauce in a bottle - I don't remember what brand I used. Spaghetti sauce used minced beef..this time I mixed the angel hair with the sauce & sprinkled a bit of cheese just before serving.

Pasta dishes are easy because there's no need to use the mortar & pestle to pound ingredients (mungkin kena guna blender lah) and the ingredients are not that many anyway. What I normally use to make my pasta sauce are:
- 1large onion, several shallots, 3 pcs garlic (blended..lagi banyak sos nak buat, lagi lebih la ni)
- 2 large cans of tomato puree, 1 small can of tomate paste
- dried oregano (usually McCormick's), basil, salt, a bit of white pepper and black pepper (serbuk) too

For pasta dishes that do not use tomato-based sauce, I use some chicken stock (serbuk pati ayam campur dengan air suam sikit will do)..then add on other ingredients like fresh button mushrooms, slices of beef and some vege..

"Wholewheat Penne with Beef and Mushroom"

Pernah tak tengok iklan2 San Remo pasta kat magazine..yang they all tulis something like Mamak-style Fettuccine..lebih kurang macam tu lah...? They're trying to say that pasta i.e. spaghetti, fettuccine, macaroni are not only restricted to western or Italian-dishes only. Sesuai jugak guna bahan tumisan 'tempatan'..like what I did a few days ago:

"Fettuccine Goreng" with minced beef, celery & carrots. The Papa wasn't home for dinner, so *phew* one-dish dinner it is :)

What kind of pasta dish do you like to make?

Amsyar ..."Inspired" :)

2010-03-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

Amsyar likes to draw. He doesn't like colouring that much but drawing, yes. When he was smaller, *whenever we remembered* we will bring paper or notebooks for him to draw whatever whenever he feels like it. Pernah sekali tu, we were at my MIL's house and he kept asking for paper, tak boleh duduk diam...until I pun tak tahu nak cari kat mana, nasib baik ada kedai kat depan rumah MIL!

Nowadays, once in a while he'll ask me to scan and post his drawings in my blog (sometimes dia tak suruh pun, but because I was proud with his work..I yang nak scan & letak sini hehheh). Before this I've shown his drawings here (family tree) and here, where he drew our family car.

So just now, this is what he did and showed me:

It's his friend's name. Boleh baca tak..? So I said "nice!!!"..and he decided to do up another one:

Boleh baca kan..? I asked him, "where did you learn to do this..?". Dulu-dulu, he used to say, "My brain taught me how to do this." *not in a rude manner, just a straight-to-the-point & very lurus answer from a kid :)

He said at school yesterday, his friend (the one who's name he drew out first) did something like this so he thought that he wanted to do a different and better one. So I think these are not too bad for a 9 year old..

Okay lah tu Amsyar..inspired, and try to do it better. That's what Mama try to do too, in my line of work :D.

"Treat Bedtime Like an Important Appointment"

2010-03-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

I don't normally read stuff in the Health section of The New Sunday Times..too many medical jargons and terms and serious stuff for a simple person for me to understand :P
However I was pulled to read this one article in yesterday's issue..it was a 2-page coverage entitled Why Sleep is the new SEX. Okaaay....

The article mentioned about how two ladies invited readers (one of them has a blog) and friends to join in the Sleep Challenge 2010 - a pledge to get a good night's sleep every night for a month.
I am so going to fail this challenge if I join. Since I got my first child, I have been putting sleep in the bottom, bottom part of my priority list. Since 9 years ago! Why? Siapa yang tak suka tidur.? I envy people who can take afternoon naps or go to bed at 10pm every night. But me, I choose to get as many things done when everyone is in slumberland..resulting in me never (or very rarely) going to sleep on the same day that I wake up.

Zuleyka in dreamland..she was 11mo in this photo..

Sleep deprivation can be a cause as well as a symptom of unhappiness. Also causing the inability to concentrate, impaired decision-making and lack of motivation.
True, kalau dah tak cukup tidur & rupa & rasa macam zombie, memanglah cepat melenting. Bila dah mamai sebab letih, memanglah tak boleh nak concentrate kat apa yang kita buat..

The article goes on about sleep as a feminist issue..and at the same time questioning if this is really a women's problem..? It also mentioned that sleep issues really get extreme when you have kids..like, how can working mothers prioritize sleep without compromising their performance at work and in the home?
Betul! Bila makin ramai anak, makin banyak yang dibuat..and eventhough I have a live-in helper, I cannot rely on her to do everything! I need to chip in too, after all this is my home and my children..and I pun bukannya tai-tai yang mampu untuk goyang kaki :P

One of the ladies also claimed that she have lost some weight without trying - as if she slept it off!
A VERY good reason for me to try and get more sleep!

Perhaps because food cravings alter dramatically depending on how tired you are.
Hmmmm..ada betulnya ni..I recall the many, many times that I yearn for another cup of coffee or some junk food or chocolates to munch on while I was doing some bookkeeping or researching late at night or in the wee hours of the morning.

As well as a regular bedtime, the women suggest investing in some proper pyjamas, make going to bed feel like an occasion, wear something that is impossible to confuse with something you might wear to the gym!
Ehem ehem..so ladies, whenever you find yourself reaching for that old, comfy t-shirt yang leher dia pun macam dah longgar-longgar sikit..STOP! Add some pizazz to you night-time wardrobe..add a few nice satin nighties..nightdress or babydoll dresses will do :). There are a lot of affordable ones out there, online or in kedai. Tak payah la over sangat-sangat sampai nanti husband pulak terkejut hehheh..just be yourself and get the ones that suits you best :)

I just came across this blog of a lady who sells lingerie online..dia kata:
"Biasa-biasakanlah pakai uniform sebelum masuk tidur/bilik". She said we doll ourselves up when we go to work, when meeting friends..but kat rumah sendiri, alahai..! I'm not saying that we should wear nice nighties all the time, heck, kalau The Hubby balik & see me memasak pakai baju tido satin pun mesti dia ingat there's something wrong with me ha haaaa...! Sekali sekala lah. And for those who co-sleep with their kiddies - where there's a will, there's always a way :)

The article also mentioned that lack of sleep is the exact opposite of an aphrodisiac.

Ooops melencong dah ni so berbalik ke the IMPORTANCE of sleep.

Napping boosts learning power! So let's do the siesta..! Macam kat Spain (and Italy too, I think), people don't really work right after lunch. They go back home and..sleep! Petang baru bangun & pegi ofis & sambung keja sampai lewat sikit lah. I'm not sure how this contribute to the economic improvement of their country but according to the article, young adults who slept for 90 minutes after lunch raised their learning power, their memory apparently primed to absorb new facts..which actually means that sleep can restore the ability to learn.

So boleh la I suruh Izzo take a short nap after lunch..? And most probably with The Mama joining in..?

All this while I figured that I'm actually "productive" i.e. finishing work/whatever while starving on sleep. I generally know that this is not good..but how else am I going to get stuff done if not cutting down on sleep..? And when can I finally get some peace and quiet and catch up on some shows on TV if it's not 1.00am when nobody is clinging on me or asking me this and that..?

BUT we mommies still have to take care of ourselves.

SO, after this *sort of like a delayed/belated new year's resolution* I am going to set a bedtime for myself. I don't know how this will work out, don't know how this is going to affect my mostly one-woman-show business..tapi belum cuba, belum tahu :)

zzzZZZZZzzzzzzz...

Easy Peasy Contest...yes, REALLY!

2010-02-25T05:26:00.000-08:00

Well not "free" as in not-lifting-a-finger and still get it, but check out Guess What Nunu Put In Her Ear Contest and guess what that small black dot that Raggedy Anne a.k.a Nunu's Mama, discovered after Nunu *I think* told her mom that she stuck something in her ear (please correct me if I'm wrong, Anne! I ada terbaca kat your FB hari tu tapi I ter-forgot macamana that black dot thingy masuk telinga Nunu..!).

Clues
- Organic i.e. not plastic or metal
- From a plant that has fluffy parts
Both of the above are also stated in Raggedy Anne's blog.

How to Enter
- Just write your answer in the comment box! Senang jo. Teka je banyak-banyak kali..takde tarikh tutup lagi ni, selagi hadiah2 masih ada :)

Prize
Notebook skin of your choice (tapi kena ikut corak-corak yang available kat dia lah) worth RM25 is yours! It comes with a front cover, 2 pieces of wrist covers AND a keyboard cover. Okey kan? :)
Click here to see some of it designs.

Why I rajin-rajin promote ini simple-senang contest..? Because I have won a prize..!! Thank you, Anne! You can guess as many times as you want so I only got it right on my third guess. Rajin-rajin la baca reply yang tuanpunya blog tulis kat pembaca-pembaca yang bagi jawapan salah..hehheee..

She still has a few more laptop skins to give away, so siapa cepat dia dapat :D

The Things Women Do in the Name of BEAUTY

2010-02-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

Before I start, please don't worry, this entry won't contain any pictures or gory descriptions of any nip/tuck/suction/injection job that some women go through. Jangan risau, sebab penulis blog ni pun ala-ala mabuk darah. I'm the type who will never ever look whenever the nurse takes my blood sample. That's why God made me a woman..because if I were a man, (macam lagu Beyonce pulak "if I were a booyyyyy"), I would probably have to witness the birth of my child..and I think I will just pass out way before the baby comes out..!

Ooopps dah tersasul jauh dah ni!

We all know that beauty is skin-deep. Kalau cantik pun tapi perangai tak elok, tak berapa cantik pun "pekej" nya...tapi takde salahnya kalau kita pun berusaha untuk mencantikkan luaran kita dan pada masa yang sama berusaha dengan lebih untuk mencantikkan dalaman kita juga.

*this entry is not to promote or to sell anything..totally for sharing..sharing is caring :) *

We've all heard the term "food replacements" and how these can make us lose weight *healthily*. Dulu2 I tak tahu pun apa ni, now I sort of know lah, *sort of*. All the nutrients that we normally get from one meal are lumped together in this milkshake-like concoction. The two that I know are Herbalife...

....and USANA Nutrimeal

(eh ni actually tersalah gambar, Fibergy pulak..)

You're supposed to feel full after consuming this. Feeling full = no feeling to eat other food. So cuba bandingkan kuantiti sepinggan nasi + ikan/ayam + sayur dengan segelas besar shake/meal replacement ni. Of course the latter is less in quantity (not quality) so logically yes people will lose weight if they keep replacing normal meals with these.

Itu belum termasuk apa supplements / vitamins lagi tu.

Okeh, pernah dengar galvanic spa? It's a compact hand-held device which uses negative & positive currents to clean the pores of our skin thus flushing toxins out. The set, in a small bag, looks like:

This is how it's used on the face:

It has several different metal conductor-heads for hair & body, too. Also different gels for the face, different creams for body and hair, too. Mr. Google says Nicole Kidman must use this before making any red-carpet appearances. And a picture from google image showed the before and after pics of a certain Hollywood celebrity who have been using this for a few years:

Another interesting before and after pic:

I tak berapa pandai nak explain macamana current2 tu berfungsi sampai boleh menganjalkan kulit, mengurangkan kedut, menaikkan muka (errr tak berapa faham pun ye jugak he hee) so kalau nak maklumat lanjut sila dapatkan dari Mr. Google :D

One more, do you remember the body-shaping-suits? These have FIR rays (far infrared rays) that helps in improving our blood flow, increase our metabolism..and also helps to shape, tighten and uplift whichever parts that needs shaping, tightening and lifting :P

As a woman, I feel that most women are so drawn to these things. I don't think they are drawn to try these because they feel insecure of their looks, afraid how age will take a toll on them later on..*well, maybe ada lah sikit* but more importantly we want to look good and make the effort to look good. Oh and let's not forget about exercising..I think all of us have friends who loves to hit the gym, run, go to yoga or pilates classes..or dance-workout classes like zumba..

However I must say that the above takes willpower and discipline to do - drink shakes instead of having a hearty delicious nasi lemak with ayam masak merah / sambal sotong, use galvanic spa once a week (even though it takes only 15 minutes per session) OR go to facials at least once a month, wear girdle with corset or waist-nipper nearly everyday, working out about 3 times a week...

I'm a woman and I'm no exception. I DO get drawn to do these stuff, too!

Can anyone guess which of the above that I have / use / do..? :D

*just added*
My next entry will be short continuation of this..just to let you guys know whether you guessed right or wrong..and why I have / use / do them..so teruskan lah teka2 :)

All pics are from Google Images .

Do I Want My Kids to be Good in Sports?

2010-02-16T08:51:00.001-08:00

This is a long post with many pictures, so make sure your kids are fed, kain baju dah dijemur & rumah dah dikemas :D

YES! Undeniably. Why?

Because I have 3 boys and usually boys are more active than girls and normally they are expected to be good in at least one sport or game. *peer pressure?*
Because their Atuk i.e my father is a former army general so it's kind of expected for his grandchildren to be active and sweating it out.
Because their Mama i.e. me, was active in sports during her zaman kegemilangan school days hehheh..ya betul. I was always competing in 100m dash, 4x100m, high jump and volleyball. I also represented my school and at certain events, wakil daerah pun ya jugak. As I said, "zaman kegemilangan". :P

So now that The Boyz are growing up, me & The Papa need to get them interested in sports. Nasib baik The Papa pun agak-agak aktif jugak lah. He's not a gym-person, not a runner (high-impact, sakit sendi!) but more of mountain-biking and lately, motor-crossing. So since a few years ago, he will get Amsyar & Izzo to cycle with him..mostly on-the-road but they do cover quite a distance. Untuk budak-budak, kalau 7km - 10km tu kira okay sangatlah tu, kan? I don't think I can cycle that far *semput*.

So in order to get the boyz to "select" which basic sport they would probably like, we registered them in Trikidz in December last year. It's like a Little Triathlon lah. Macam Iron Man tu, where you start the race with swimming, then cycling and lastly running. Siap ada bodymarking, just like the real Iron Man race:

Izzo didn't pay attention during the briefing so he was a bit dazed when he got out of the swimming pool after the 25m swim (with board, he's not a strong swimmer yet)..apalagi I lah yang "C'mon Izzo!! This way this way!! Laju lagiii!! CepaaaAAATTT!!" and ran beside him, with camera, bag and all, to the transition area for him to gear up for the 800m cycling.

"Aiseyman this is a RACE, Izzo! Not the place to take own sweet time to put on shoes & helmet!" I'm such a drill sergeant hehheh..but luckily Izzo cycled fast and ada lah potong beberapa orang. So after that, off he goes for the 180m run:

While Izzo was cycling, I heard the shot that signaled the start of Amsyar's category..50m swimming. That's why I couldn't get good pictures of Izzo cycling and running..because I was running back to the swimming pool getting ready to guide Amsyar (who is rabun so glasses dia kat transition/bike area). The pic of him at the swimming pool here was from the day before, the clinic day:

Amsyar pun LAGI bersantai masa kat transition area! Sampai coach kena datang tengok apa lah lambat sangat si dia ni nak pakai kasut segala..? So terpaksalah I buat tak tahu je & datang kat dia (he was the last few ones there!) & tolong dia..before he put on his helmet I remember him saying, "Mama, glasses..". Huhh? *too busy pushing down helmet on his head*. "Mama, GLASSES!". Owhh! Nasib baik ada kat bakul merah dia. He had to cycle 1.6km (thank God he cycles faster than he swims) and run 500m.

So, after the ordeal, they sort of concluded that they still liked cycling the best. Swimming is second best while running..err neither of them are too hot on that. Amsyar kata masa lari, dia ada berhenti kejap..sebab macam sakit dada..! Probably I would feel like that too, if they were to organize a Tri-Mom :P. I was so, so proud that they participated and completed the race. Walaupun tak dapat top 5.

Recently Amsyar played basketball during pendidikan jasmani in school. He said he likes it. Soccer - not really..because he rarely gets the ball..kesian dia :)

Now, for Armand. Looking at his aggressive and rough nature, would it be too much if I'd like to involve him in rugby later on..? He has this t-shirt with the no. 8 on it and my BIL said judging from his character, he'll be good as The Number Eight in a rugby team.

Number Eight: Rounding out the forward pack, this man has no need for a name; rather one refers to him only by number. Sharing many of the versatile and athletic traits of the flankers, he is clearly the most valuable man on the rugby pitch. He may be seen running over opposing forwards, rucking for the otherwise helpless backs, or making booming hits in the open field. He has the speed to run around the defense, but would rather run over them if presented with the option. Although he is not as groomed as those in the back line, the number eight is one of the most handsome players on the squad.
Source: Rugby Positions Explained

Memang ada lah ciri-ciri tu kat Armand hehheh..some say that Armand is hyperactive. I don't think he is but I do agree that he is over-active. I really don't know how to get him to be still for even 5 minutes. When he was smaller, I'd always wear him in a ring sling or mei tai when we go out. Boleh la control dia sikit! Sekarang dah besar & berat, susah. He's always up to something..sometimes "Parkour" here and there..even in Zuleyka's cot!

Tapi brutal macamana pun, he's still my crybaby..! Petang tadi The Papa was checking his scrambler and brought each of The Boyz for a quick spin around the block..of course The Number Eight wailed when he wasn't the first to go. But the "most handsome player on the squad" was a happy bunny when his turn came:

Izzo's turn..he's such a clown :D

Okay, how about Zuleyka? I think we need to get her to WALK first before thinking about what sport she might be interested in..! I'm still not too worried about her not taking steps on her own yet. Her legs are strong, she'll jump and jump in her cot..I think she's still scared of taking the first step. Takpe, mesti ada hikmah di sebaliknya. Kalau lah dia dah berlari sekarang, imagine me, out with Armand & Zuleyka..of course Armand will outrun me..with Zuleyka running the opposite direction..how? *pengsan*

The Many Things That We Wish To Do

2010-01-30T07:22:00.000-08:00

I wish I could write in my blog more frequently.

I wish I could try write shorter entries without turning it into a loong one eventhough nearly every time I would say, "okay I'll just write a short entry this time..".

I wish I can start doing work every time I turn on the laptop in the morning without checking Facebook, Twitter and emails first.

I wish I can do that because oh how I wish that my in-tray is not as unkempt as it is now *sambil menjeling ke in-tray*.

I wish I could cook for my family every single day, busy or not.

I wish I could be more "un-perfectionist" especially when it comes to work by my maid *work that is taught and she is trained to do tapi asik lupa lupa aje pun kita tension jugak kan*.

I wish I could control my sweet tooth and it's cravings better.

I wish I can jog further than 4km so I can be slimmer faster :P

I wish I can go out, alone of just with The Hubby, for a few hours without feeling guilty that I'm leaving the kids behind at home *for all I know they might be enjoying their freedom :D*

I wish I can buy my mom a new car.

I wish I can have a bigger home so that I'll have a bigger working space for AZ Gift Baskets.
*owh berangan berangan*

I wish I have a blemish-free complexion, every time, every day..24/7.

I wish that Armand is not very stubborn as he is now *sigh*.

I wish can enjoy motherhood all the time *yes, sometimes I am so overwhelmed hu hu*

I wish I could be a supermom who can handle kids, household and lil biz at the same time, without any help of any sort.

Just added - I wish I can start playing drums again..the drum set at our home has been overly neglected..

Yeahhhh..it's festive season again so I'll be a bit busy till 14 Feb 2010 :). I guess I won't be able to post anything interesting till then..so many things I want to blog about. I guess I need to sort out my priorities he hee...

p.s. During breaks, I like to bloghop..though sometimes tak sempat tinggalkan apa2 komen :)

When He Sleeps...

2010-01-20T00:42:00.000-08:00

...it's the ONLY time when he's not in some sort of movement..and that's when the house is so PEACEFUL :P. Yes, Armand. My no. 3 who will be 3 years old on the 8th next month. He was supposed to be tucked in at about 2pm or 2.30pm just now but he just refused to budge from in front of the TV..forcing him up just made the house so un-peaceful so I just let him be. He eventually dozed off and when I carried him to the bed, I found myself lying next to him for a few minutes..just staring at him while thinking, "Armand, you're such a cute boy...tapi kenapalah lasak sangaaat? And janganlah naughty sangat.."

I was like that for a few minutes, while breaking my own rule of don't-leave-the-door-open-while-aircond-is-on.. (tak tutup masa angkat Armand pegi kat katil).

Then I went downstairs to see what Zuleyka was doing. She had her nenen about 30 minutes before and I heard her "talking" to my maid while my maid was doing the dishes..

Terjelir lidah pulak si Kaka ni. Takpelah. She still doesn't want to really walk yet so sometimes she sits down on the Fisher Price Stride-to-Ride Walker while moving forward in a careful manner and speed. She still refuses to practice walking using this so it's "Flintstone's car position" for now. Well, at least she's faster now than before! Masa mula-mula dia pandai gerak naik ni dulu, I asked Izzo to sit against the wall at one end of the living room while Amsyar at the other end. Then I asked Zuleyka to go to Izzo first..si Izzo cakap, " Cepat Kaka..cepattt! Sini, sini..cepat, serang, Kaka..SERAAANNGGGG!!!"

Zuleyka then puts on her wide smile and slowly but steadily moved towards Izzo, accompanied by the squeaking "kriukk..kriuuukk.." sound of the walker..while the brothers burst into laughter..! This is her wide smile, with Abang Amsyar, pic taken probably two months ago..

Then I snapped a picture of Izzo, trying to draw something while watching TV at the same time..

Yesterday Izzo asked to bring money to school. One ringgit for Solivite and another ringgit for makan. He really knows how to use money in school..and he's only in Year 1. When Amsyar was his age, I don't remember him asking for money that early...he just ate whatever I made him. So yesterday, when I waited for Izzo at the gate of his school wondering where he was because I saw his classmates and not him..suddenly he was next to me and said, "kita makan duluuuu!" showing me an ice-cream that he just bought. He saw me (I don't know how I missed him) but apparently he saw the ice-cream man too so he went to buy the ice-cream first before coming to me...

In the car he told me he just ate 2 spoonfuls of noodles during the 10am break when the bell rang (it must have been a long line at the canteen) and there was no Solivite yesterday so that's why he had one ringgit extra and used that to buy ice-cream. Kesian dia tak cukup makan & minum waktu rehat..I told him, "Dah! Tak payah bawak duit lagi kat sekolah..bawak bekal je..nanti lambat beratur lahh macam-macam..". Usually, I allow them to bring money to school once a week.

Oh, it's past 5.30pm already? Soon will have to go pick up Amsyar. Haiih....malas dah nak masak ni (I usually get this feeling after cooking for 3 days in a row..I don't know how some mommies can cook every single DAY). The day before yesterday, I started to cook dinner early and by 6pm everything was ready. Then The Hubby called to say that he won't be having dinner at home. Laaa. So I said, "okay..those lauk will be your breakfast tomorrow ye?".

Simple je sebenarnya. Ni lah yang selalu orang kata "ala I masak main campak campak je"..
1) Udang digoreng & ditumis dengan minced bawang kecik, garlic, halia, tomato, ketchup, sos tiram & kicap manis.
2) Veat Chicken-Style (first time beli..okay jugak lah) cooked with blended onion and garlic, cili boh, minced tomato, 3/4 of a Tomyam cube, one bunga kantan (torch ginger?), a little bit of water..(this originally has a bit of gravy, not seen in the pic)
3) Broccoli & canned button mushrooms sauteed with shallots, garlic, salt and black pepper.

I keep unfinished lauk in the fridge..so some of the leftovers were used for last night's dinner as well! Wahahaaaa sangat berjimat cermat kahkahkah! I made the kids Nasi Goreng Udang & the adults had Nasi Goreng Bunga Kantan.

SO, malam ni nak BELI je makanan :P

What Would You Do If Someone...

2010-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

...comes up to you in a paid parking lot and said,

"Hello Miss, do you understand English? I'm from Singapore and this is my wife..someone stole my wallet yesterday..I donno lah maybe pickpocket or something so can you please help me with some money so I can pay for my fare back to Singapore?"

This happened about an hour ago. I was walking back from the basket shop to my car parked at a paid parking lot..right after I put Armand in the backseat, this Chinese man came up to me (quite close) with a woman behind him and said that. Both were casually dressed. He tried to show me an Umbro plastic bag while saying, "You can see here I just bought some shoes just before my wallet got stolen. I will pay you back via bank transfer as soon as I reach Singapore."

I just mumbled something while quickly heading to the driver's seat (to keep his attention to me..and not to my 3-year old in backseat..I wanted to get into the car quickly and not be face-to-face with this guy!) and when I saw he wouldn't go away, I said, "Hang on let me switch on the air-cond for my son first.". I got in and locked the door from inside (my standard practice), switched on the engine and air-cond and rolled down the window just a teeny bit while saying, "I'm sorry sir I don't usually carry a lot of cash with me..I can't possibly pay for 2 fares to Singapore." Which is true, I usually pay the basket shop using my company cheque or business-designated credit card.

The man tried to handover what looked like 2 passports to me (I didn't take them!), "If you don't believe me miss, you can see our passports. See that I always come here, about once a few weeks for cuti." I told him again that I'm sorry and I only had RM10 with me. Which is quite true! And I told him to make a police report (the police station was just next to the car park) but he told he had and they couldn't do much.

I started to reverse the car and he said, "Well maybe you can help me with ten ringgit or something, at least for makan..I haven't eaten since yesterday..see my lips?" I had a ten ringgit note with me which I needed to use to pay the parking fee! I told him, "Sir, I'm sooo sorry sir..I think you can go to the police and I'm sure they can help you with that sir..I'm sure they can.." And I reversed and drove away.

There are so many things happening now, on a daily basis, that people who genuinely lose their wallet seem dodgy too! If someone did steal that man's wallet, I'm truly sorry to appear as someone mean i.e wouldn't help another human being who's in a difficult situation. I had my reasons..I thought it was better to be SAFE than sorry just now. I had Armand with me! What if he really was a bad person and if I didn't get in the car quickly enough, he could have threaten me with a hidden weapon and drive off with my car..with my son in it?! Something like this happened in my neighbourhood a few years ago..we also read about things like this in the newspapers...so I just can't strike off that it wouldn't happen to me.

More reasons that made me act like that:

- Just before I turned 4 years old, someone snatched my gold necklace. A woman. I remembered it like it was a dream. A bad dream.

- When I was 10 (or 11) years old, I remembered my mother came home with a panic look on her face...obviously she has been crying. Apparently she just sold some Amway products, stopped somewhere to buy some goreng pisang for us and was crossing the road to get back to the car. Someone on a scrambler snatched her handbag. She had nearly RM500 cash in her bag at that time, along with my sister's birth certificate in it. The money was a lot to her..all her hard work of promoting the products..

- My BIL's colleague at one time had an appointment with someone...and somehow that someone used my BIL's colleague's phone to confirm something about the deal. That guy started to stand up, talked and talked on the phone while pacing further and further away from the table (we sometimes do that, walking and pacing while talking on the phone, right?)..he walked further away until he was nowhere to be seen. The handphone that he "borrowed" couldn't be contacted after that.

I'm not going to mention in detail when some of my "friends" who borrowed money from me..or those who asked me to help them with this and that (financially)..all of which I was left empty-handed. Kita nak tolong orang, tapi orang buat macam tu pulak kat kita. Of course every weekend (or weekdays) they'll be some orphans going door to door or approach us while we're eating trying to collect funds for their rundown school or hostel, or some adults collecting funds to rebuild a surau in their hometown, or occasionally some Afghans trying to help children in their country...

I do give them some money..niat ikhlas & taknak tanya banyak-banyak..tapi bila dah lepas sejam sedekahkah duit pastu ada pulak yang datang lagi..I mula la sessi interrogation sikit. Sampai kadang-kadang tu they all pun tak tahu apa nak jawab. Some are the same age as Amsyar, lugging bags of religious CDs, saying that their Ustaz will be picking them up later. I bagi duit pun sebab kesian kan budak-budak tu..I hope the reasons they gave are genuine...and the "ustaz" better take care of them properly!

So, back to the man in the parking place..what would you have done..?

..and The WINNERS Are....

2010-01-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

The results of the contest! *jeng jeng jeng*

First, let me list down the contestants:
1. Lovely Mommy
2. Sherry
3. AlohaMolly
4. Sanaa Elias
5. Linda
6. Anin
7. Hui Wearn
8. Nurul Aziyana
9. Hanz
10. IdaFamily
11. Me_Lina
12. ApasH
13. MamaLyna
14. Hanim Taha
15. Em's Family
16. Sueella
17. Nurul + Nordin
18. Nadnye
19. Farah

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to join this contest :)

Now.."lucky draw" time...Amsyar wrote the numbers on paper, we crumpled it up and put everything in an empty cookie tin. During this process, I didn't know which number was who because the list was in my SOHO and we did this lucky draw in my bedroom:

First Prize Winner
Congratulations Lovely Mommy! Rezeki you! After all the challenges lately..alhamdulillah! So you have won:

A blog makeover by Jiji worth RM100 which includes;
- 1 Header
- 1 Template
- 1 Blog Badge
- 2 Blog Pins 125x125
- 2 months ad in Triple Colour Life (worth RM50..this is courtesy of Jiji herself!).
- You need to contact her direct for this yaaa..macam biasa la sebut nak warna apa, suka theme apa etc :)
- Please give Jiji at least 2 weeks to complete the makeover..sebab ehem ehem bisnes dia pun makin rancak sekarang, alhamdulillah.

Second Prize Winner
*No. 7! Izzo was kind of sleepy when I asked him to do this...however he exaggerated a bit here..*

Congratulations Hui Wearn!! You have just won:
A photoshoot package worth RM50 by Deep Blue Lense. Package details:
- 1 to 2 hours
- 100 to 150 shots (+ 50 edited pictures, in CD)
- photoshoot location around Putrajaya or Shah Alam
- Please contact Mama Emma of Deep Blue Lense directly to set a date :)

I love to have someone take photos of me with my family..unfortunately I'm the one who usually end up behind the lense so lately there are very, very few photos of me. Enjoy this, Hui Wearn :)

I'd like to have an extra prize..saje2 je. Last minit nya decision *surprise surprise*.

Third *Surprise* Prize Winner
*Armand refused to come into the bedroom as he was watching cartoon..so he asked me to come to the TV area. Dia tengah leka sangat tengok TV, sempat lah dia buat satu cabutan, tapi dia malas pegang..*

Tahniah Sherry! Anda telah memenangi hadiah "kejutan":
A blog header by Jiji bernilai RM50. Sila contact contact dia ya untuk beri apa-apa specs dsb ya..and please give her some time to complete this..sebab kena "beratur" lah ye tunggu turn :)

Congratulations again to all the winners! To the ones who did not win, please try again next time..though I don't know when I'll be holding a contest again lahh..

It's been a fun first-time-contest for me. Thank you for reading my blog..hope everyone keeps reading this diary of a Mama with a Small-Office-Home-Office :)

A Little Update on My 'Lil Business

2010-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

Even though I've been in the gift basket business for slightly over 5 years now, I still learn new things on a daily basis, get confused over things I thought I already knew and get stressed over the same things that I have gone through many times before. To me, I don't see myself as an expert in what I'm doing (oh there are many more better ones out there..!). I do try to experiment new things and try to make it "my style" - I think my definition of "style" is something that I'm comfortable with. Simple things. It doesn't to have to be elaborate or expensive..as long as it looks good to me :)

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo Da Vinci

This past week I've been busy with doing up quotations, figuring out what to put in my Chinese New Year gift baskets (this can be a headache he hee) while sticking to my motto "if it looks good, it HAS to TASTE good" and also gearing up the mood and waking up that creative bone in my body for the photo-taking session. Done by none other then me. Me, Myself and I. Small business lah, so selalunya one-woman-show ler. :D

So yesterday was the longest photo-taking session for AZ Gift Baskets so far. Macamana boleh berpanjangan sangat I pun kurang pasti..I think I started at about 8.30am (sun just came out, it was a bit shady before)..and ended at about 6.15pm! Itupun sebab dah mula hujan (gelap!) & kena jemput Amsyar dari sekolah..kalau tak mau sambung lagi tu. I think I have 3 more gift baskets to shoot, today insyaAllah. These are what I've done so far. Simple..but serves the purpose i.e. looks presentable (masuk "gift basket" & sendiri kahkah!) & filled with tasty stuff i.e not too complicated so people are not afraid to them try out :)

The "chosen" assistant for yesterday was..Amsyar a.k.a Photographer's Assistant. Tu pun dia kejap je dah dah ngadu, "adeh Mama tangan Abang dah lenguh ni..aduhhh..". Takpelah sekali sekala tolong Mama, bukan semua gambar pun kena pegang payung..sometimes the sun is too bright for the baskets. Medium-sized house = medium-sized space, so must make adjustments here and there:

A few days ago while I was doing up the costing for each basket (13 of them this year..not including the customized ones that clients asked for!), Izzo was quietly sitting in my SOHO, obviously trying to do something because occasionally he'll ask, "Mama, can I borrow your scissors?" or "Mama boleh tak Izzo mintak riben..". I was too engrossed with the excel worksheet on my laptop screen that I just handed him what he wanted (with a bit of delay sometimes, ye lah, engrossed with work he hee). About 10 minutes after that, he said, "Tadaaaa...Mama cantik tak gift basket Izzo buat?":

I posted this on AZ Gift Baskets' Facebook page and a friend commented, "Di mana tumpahnya kuah kalau tak ke nasi.". :D

My dedicated webmaster a.k.a internet marketing advisor, Ilyas, has kindly uploaded the Wanita Hari Ini segment that feature AZ Gift Baskets..kurang clear sikit because we're still waiting for the CD from TV3:
(hmm somehow the video is not appearing..lemme check back on that..ini kes I tak reti link meng-link lah ni)

I remembered a few months ago, when seeing others (also doing gift baskets/hampers) appearing in newspapers, magazines, TV and promoting their products and company..I said to my husband that there are many people doing what I'm doing now, many of them are offering nice stuff too..but IF I do get any offer to appear in these, I do hope that I'll be featured because I'm a WAHM, not so much of a gift basket maker..there's too many of those now! But of course I'd like to have a certain "trademark" that people can recognize and say, "eh I think this is AZ Gift Baskets punya lah!".

I'd like people to know that working-from-home is REAL WORK, this is not a hobby that I'm doing just to fill up my time..and believe me, with four kids in tow and a very busy husband..there's little left of "time"!. This is my source of income and with that I need to do this the best that I can. InsyaAllah.

Oh my look at the time. Need to go to the basket shop and get stuff! Quotations and more samples due for prospective clients to view tomorrow.

Have a good day everyone...!! :)

The Malaysian Women's Weekly & Wanita Hari Ini edited with pics

2010-01-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

If someone told me to buy just one magazine every month, what magazine would I buy? I'd choose The Malaysian Women's Weekly. Why? It has everything...fashion, trends, family, household, food, health..all-in-one. And it's just RM5.60. I've been reading it since it first launched, in year 2000 (I think). This is the only magazine that I can read from page to page. Other magazines, I usually quickly flip through the page whithout really looking/reading because it's filled with ads or too-good-looking skinny women in too-trendy clothes. A bit depressing :(

Before Ramadhan, I tried to email to The Weekly but the emai bounced. A few weeks passed by and one day (September issue) I saw MimpiMurni appeared in it so I was like *WOW* because I've bought some of her stuff (love them!). THEN i saw another online gift shop owner who was also featured in the same issue. So that got my brain to tick tock tick tock. I emailed MimpiMurni, congratulated her and she being the kindhearted lady she already is went on to email The Weekly and *waalaaaa* The Weekly emailed me back, saying they liked my stuff and they (quoting from their email) "are always on the look out for enterprising women who are able to juggle their multiple roles as mummy, wife and entrepreneurs all at the same time!"

So I created a Limited Edition range of gift baskets. Berilhamkan & berinspirasi kan dari apa findings yang dilihat internet. Tak kisah lah kalau orang beli ke tak, asalkan I suka & I tak tiru orang punya idea bulat-bulat then it should be fine with me :). I feel it's okay to be "inspired" by other people's work, for example, I'm a big fan of Martha Stewart and I'm constantly inspired by her simple yet classy creations (of anything..cara dia lipat fitted bedsheet pun buat I jadi *waaaahhhhh*) but I do not and will not copy her stuff bulat-bulat. I do NOT want to be a copycat! Habis I kena dengan Martha Stewart nye team nanti tau...! Lagipun I ada style tersendiri jugak..yang I nak "ketengahkan" jugak :)

Anyway, I told The Weekly that I'll do em up, email all the pictures to them and let them pick and choose..and I'll only include them in my online shop AFTER it's featured in the magazine. As they work 3 months in advance, I was kind of surprised to see the first gift to appear in the January 2010 issue:

Actually there's a jar of mustard missing here. Masa kecoh ambik gambar tu, belum beli lagi :P. It's already in my online shop but I haven't typed in the description yet. Sibuk dengan tugasan Mommy Duties tadi :P. Biasalah, macam mak-mak lain jugak..

This was my write-up to The Weekly describing the "origins" of the gift:
“Dina and I knew each other when we were studying for our diploma nearly 20 years ago. After graduating, most of us went our separate ways to pursue our degree and a number of us lost contact with each other. Thanks to Facebook, we met again! We got talking about what we’re doing now and while mentioning that I want to come up with a gift basket with a cooking theme, Dina quickly threw in some ideas. After putting more thought and research into this, I decided to include this in my Limited Edition Gifts.”

Amilita Zaini, Owner, AZ Gift Baskets

I'm fine with them using pictures of my stuff..rasa bangga sebenarnya..this is my favourite magazine that I've been buying nearly every month for 9 years..and they are actually interested in my creations! Alhamdulillah :). Let's see which gift picture will be in the February issue *woot woot*

Then last week, I got an email from a TV3 reporter, the same one who called me up in 2007 to ask me to if they could feature me in Nona TV3 (she was doing online research and stumbled upon me..thanks to Mr. Google!). She is with Wanita Hari Ini now and this month they are featuring work-at-home-moms...and she wanted to include my story...teruslah I kata WOKEH and as I am not required to appear on live TV (gabra ler), the recording at my home yesterday went along fine. Alhamdulillah. (siap Armand terguling-guling tantrum just before they started shooting..well guys, that's how a work-at-home-mom's daily life is like ha haa).

Me with Zuleyka, after the crew left:

So kawan-kawan sekelian sila-sila lah menonton rancangan Wanita Hari Ini pada hari Khamis 7 Disember 2010..sekarang dah mula pukul 11.30am tau..bukan 12 tengahari macam dulu. Mungkin dia akan selitkan jugak cerita I dalam Nona dua tahun lepas...masa tu I ngandungkan Zuleyka (3 bulan) tapi kurus sikit masa tu (sebab tengah takde maid *arghhhhh* pastu Armand pulak baru umur 11 bulan *huaaaaaa*), so sekarang ni mungkin ada beza sikit lah. Sekarang sedikit chubby whubby.

Tapi I tak kisah :P

So this morning I went to the market and got some stuff for a flower basket to give to the reporter. The first time I did a similar design was in early December, as a gift for the VIP guest at Izzo's kindie concert:

I named this creation Summer Is Here..

Want a FREE Blog Makeover?

2009-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

This entry is on Sticky Mode and will be on top of this blog until 15 Jan 2010. Please scroll down to read my recent posts :)
Ok CONTEST CLOSED! A total of 19 participants! Stay tuned for the winners later today :D

This is my 100th entry since I started blogging in November 2008..! And by now I think most if not all readers know that I have never organized any form of contest. Well, there was one mini-giveaway..itu je lah :P
I don't know, this year-end feels kind of "festive" to me...so read on as I'll soon reveal how you can win a FREE Blog Makeover OR a 1-2 hours photoshoot!

A little bit on why I started blogging and why I like it..

What made me start this blog..?
I started blogging in November 2008. I had a few cloth diapers that Zuleyka has grown out of and I wanted to sell them off..so I started a blog. A few months before that, i joined Diapers Asia Forum and was amazed at how more than half of the members have their own blogs! "How do they find the idea and the time to write?" I used to ask myself. I didn't have the guts to start one yet..till I had those diapers I wanted to sell. So selling preloved diapers was my first blog entry.

What I love about blogging..
That we can actually write whatever we want to write (if people don't like what they read, it's fine as long as the owner/write of the blog loves it). I was thinking of a theme for mine, so I thought to concentrate on how life is like being a WAHM with a SOHO while still resuming the *more* important role of a wife and a mom to four little ones. Search punya search, I settled with A SOHO Mama's Diary.

What I learned from blogging..
LOTS! Antara kebaikan-kebaikan ber-blogging yang I dapat:

1. I made lots of FRIENDS! Eventhough mostly "online" or virtual friends..the important thing is that these friends stay in touch with me..have a lot of things in common with me, understand me..and even give moral support to me when I needed it most!..

2. The fantastic thing about this is that I have never met most of them in person, let along talk to them on the phone..! We connect through reading each other's blogs, emails, Facebook, Twitter. SO many good people out there :)..and so many knowledgable mommies *yayy untuk kaum wanita hehheh*

3. I get more knowledge and information about anything that concerns me or my business i.e. cloth diapering, babywearing, being green, homeschooling..if it wasn't for the internet and my online friends, I would never have cloth-diapered my kids and used cloth pads myself. And this is crucial for a "green mama" like me!

4. I fell in love with breastfeeding again. With my boys, due to work and cetek ilmu dulu-dulu, paling lama I bagi susu badan sampai they all umur 8 bulan. Lepas tu I malas. And I thought that formula milk is the best-est milk in the world for children. Wrong! Alhamdulillah I am still breastfeeding Zuleyka and she is about 18 months old now :)

5. I am more grateful and bersyukur with all the rezeki that Allah s.w.t has given me and my family. Dan lebih bersyukur kerana Allah nampak usaha-usaha I dan alhamdulillah memberi ganjaran di atas usaha-usaha tersebut. Sometimes I read other people's experience and I wonder, "will I be that strong if something like that happens to me?".

Mungkin ada lagi kot, cuma sekarang otak tengah beku sikit. Maybe I need a coffee break..*again*

So now, the contest! The terms & conditions of entering are:

1) A Malaysian residing in Malaysia (kalau menang photo shoot tapi tinggal kat Australia ke, susah pulak kan he hee)
2) My adik-beradik and ipar-duai tidak dibenarkan menyertai contest ini :P
3) Have own blog (remember..the other prize is a blog makeover..?)
4) Follower of A SOHO Mama's Diary (so click on FOLLOW now!)
5) Fan of AZ Gift Baskets Facebook page (easy - just click on Become A Fan on that page) OR Follower of AZ Gift Baskets on Twitter (lagi senang ni - click je Follow)*either or lah ni, sebab ada yang takde akaun Twitter*
7) One entry per person, please :)

Done all of the above? Good! Now the following step. How to get those prizes? You just have to:

1) Copy and paste this contest badge on to your blog, along with a short entry on why do you read this blog of mine . Short entry only :)

2) Then hop over to www.azgiftbaskets.com.my, have a quick glance through and in your entry, tell us which gift category or which particular gift/gift baskets that you like most.
3) Lastly please leave a comment here to say that you've done your entry..so I can jot down that YOU are in the running for this :)

Easy peasy so far, right? Don't forget to link this contest entry into your blog so other people can join in, too!

This contest will start now 28 Dec 2009 and will end 12noon, 15 Jan 2010. Method of selecting the 2 winners:
1) Let my kids do cabutan pemenang! I'm sure they'll have fun doing this.
2) Two draws..meaning one for blog header prize & another person will win photoshoot prize :)

Prizes are:
1) I love simple but pleasant blog layouts..and I love my new layout! So, I'm "sharing the love" and giving away a FREE Blog Makeover by Jiji as the first prize. Worth RM100 and includes;
- 1 Header
- 1 Template
- 1 Blog Badge
- 2 Blog Pins 125x125
- 2 months ad in Triple Colour Life (worth RM50..this is courtesy of Jiji herself!)

2) I still have not fully explored my 37th birthday present from The Hubby, a Canon EOS1000D but I admire those, especially mommies (and daddies) who can really capture awesome moments with their cameras. So, the second prize is a photoshoot package worth RM50 by Deep Blue Lense. Package details:
- 1 to 2 hours
- 100 to 150 shots (+ 50 edited pictures, in CD)
- photoshoot location around Putrajaya or Shah Alam

Ok guys and gals..I hope you like the prizes and hope that this is not too complicated for you all..have fun while you're at it...and will see later!

*feeling good*

What I Did to Relax Lately..

2009-12-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Since Ramadhan, with the preparation of gift basket creations plus the anticipation of busy, busy times ahead..made my face breakout! I had bad skin throughout my schooling years and was "still in the woods" even when I started working (till now, I am still sensitive if people point out that I have a pimple or two..or more..!). It got better just before I got married..but well you know we women have those times when we do have breakouts, and I'm (of course) no exception. So I had a facial last weekend. I was so tired from doing wedding hantaran sets and fresh flower arrangements for Izzo's kindie concert that I dozed off about 3 minutes after the beautician started to work on me..

One of the wedding hantaran set that I worked on. Purple Blooms..

The next day, I was off to Izzo's concert at INSPEN Hall, Bangi...

The theme was Micheal Jackson, and Izzo's class performed to the song Black or White. He was good! Ada "over" sikit lah..but that's okay, kids are supposed to be like that :). The Papa just came back from Jakarta the night before and shot off to Melaka early morning for a golf tournament..so he missed Izzo's concert. Sayangnya dia tak tengok, I thoroughly ENJOYED it! I was swaying and tapping my feet to all the songs :)

Here's Izzo, graduating from Little Tots. Look at his toothless grin ha haa..his front incisors were really really shaky so 2 days before the concert/graduation, Dr. Mak Ngah (my sister) pulled one out and the next day I pulled another one.

I was supposed to get together with former college-mates the day before, we "Twilight Mommies" wanted to watch NEW MOON. Aihhhh had something on so couldn't join them. Tapi sebab tak tahan nak tengok jugak, I went ahead right after The Papa came back from his golf Sunday evening (I prefer to have The Papa at home with the kids when I go out berpoya-poya alone or with friends..!).

Source: Images from Google

During Twilight, I was *undeniably* on Team EDWARD. Tall, *well, a little pale maybe but that's okay* and handsome. A mysterious man who can make you kelam kabut once he locks his eyes on you. Romantic. But in New Moon..ermmm I just might move-over to Team Jacob! Not just talking about his six-packs here..but a warm, hot-blooded werewolf seems appealing too HA HAA HAAAA...

I was expecting to see more of Edward's new car, the Volvo XC60...but no action from the car, unlike from the C30 in Twilight that he sped in to save Bella from being the victim of some drunkards. Yes, I'm on Team Volvo :D

But some of the scenes gave me a migraine. The part where Bella just curled up on the ground in the woods right after Edward left her..and when she was in depression, sulking and doing nothing but sitting and staring out of her bedroom window. The cameraman went around and around and around her and me being the motion-sickness type started to feel nauseous and yes, I had a very bad migraine after the movie...but I was still glad that I went to watch it and wouldn't mind seeing it again with some friends (The Hubby will never agree to watch this). After all, I'm a Twilight Mommy :D

So yea, I think the facial, fun at Izzo's concert and New Moon "loosened me up" a bit. I had a mini shoulder massage after the facial and the beautician said I had knotted muscles..!

Oh, some of the small things that I got in the mail a few weeks ago...little things that could melt away the stress, too..

Natural, handmade Soapy soaps from Tiny Tapir . I have been using these soaps since last year and now over-the-counter soaps (their fragrance especially) are just too strong for me..

And I ordered a customized rubber stamp for my business..isn't this cool or what? Painstakingly carved from eraser. Intricate workmanship...MangosteenSkin is a truly gifted lady. I love it :)

Oh It's One Of Those Days Again....

2009-12-01T04:32:00.000-08:00

My energy level seemed to stoop to a record low lately. Since these past few years, actually. Dah tak tahan stay-up lama-lama (buat kerja atau tengok TV atau berblogging), tak tahan nak berjalan-jalan (sebab ada je askar-askar kecik yang nak mengikut!), malas nak jumpa-jumpa orang (I used to love kopi-kopi with friends!), malas nak exercise (urrgghhh...)..dan macam-macam lagi.

During fasting month, I lost 2kg..and now I've "successfully" gained back the 2kg. I used to be able to lose more due to the workload during Ramadhan, but now that doesn't seem to be the case.

When I participated in the Putrajaya Nite Run a few months back, I thought that I have picked up my momentum of working out and exercising again. However, after Hari Raya..I only went jogging THREE TIMES! Urggghhh..pemalas..

I still look at food labels and try to congak-congak the calories (mengikut kata Kevin Zahri masa personal consultation hari tu, my calorie intake should be 333kcal per meal @ 5 meals a day) but now I still curi-curi "melebihkan" calorie. Hisshh.

I was flipping channels last night and watched David Letterman's show for a while..Shakira performed in the show..! Looking at her bod, I immediately felt like going for a 10km run *ermm yea rightt like I can run THAT far*. Did I? Of course not. Dah tengah malam masa tu ha haa..! When I woke up this morning, I had to go to the basket shop early so there goes semangat membara (ye ke?) nak ber-exercise. To console myself, I told me that "alah badan Shakira tu bukanlah kurus KURUS naw..her frame is like me..errrr but she's A LOT more toned lahh..".

When I came back from the basket shop this afternoon, I had a darn migraine again. It's the third one in 7 days! After lunch and while the kids played while watching TV in my bedroom..I dozed off..for an hour! Napping during the day is such a rare luxury to me. If it's planned (tengah takde kerja sangat, memang nak tidokan budak-budak..nothing good on TV) then it's more than fine..tido 3 jam pun best! Tapi kalau ter-tertido ni yang rasa macam "membazir waktu" pulak. Some things will steer off my "busy" schedule and I don't quite like that.

I woke up, bits of migraine still there..aihhh..remembering there are still some stuff that I have to get from nearby shops, I dragged myself out of bed and asked Amsyar to accompany me to go out. I had to text my old schoolmate..a few of kawan-kawan sekolah jumpa petang tadi..that I couldn't join. When I was 16, I had a senior at school who had frequent migraines. I once asked her how does it feel like..when she was having a migraine..? When she described it, I thought "Uhh..that bad..? Couldn't be..!". Okay, so now I know. To be exact, I started to know during my college days. Yes, it's exactly how she described it.

Just before cooking dinner, I told The Hubby (he came back early today) that what I really need is a PERSONAL TRAINER. I feel that my motivation to keep fit is now..non-existant? Oh yea I wrote on Facebook yesterday that I can blame it on breastfeeding...that makes me feel hungry all the time! But rasa malas nak exercise..? Nak blame apa pulak..? Aisey..

I consumed some Tanamera Detox tea (only 2kcal per sachet!) before cooking dinner but that just doesn't measure up to the satisfaction of downing a mug of good, hot coffee. I try to take healthier coffee now, mainly the HR Spirulina Coffee with an extra sachet of goat's milk added to it. Ahhh seddappp. Oleh kerana sedap, minum pun lebih kerap..so I'm not sure if that's still healthy.

We're supposed to eat and drink in moderation. But why is that so hard for me to do so sometimes..or MOST of the times?

I know that procrastination should be avoided at all times...but why do I keep reaching for those last few pieces of pineapple tarts (sometimes I get them for my gift basket samples) and keep saying to myself "alaaa habiskan je, esok bila dah takde takyah la makan lagi"...?

I know that we should all maintain a healthy lifestyle..but why do I still sneak unhealthy stuff into my diet while avoiding healthy food and activities..? Yes there's a good gym about 15 minutes drive from my house but I'm just so lazy to check it out. Maybe I'm not a gym-person..? No, I'm just lazy to go there.

Maybe I feel all bloated and heavy because it's the time of the month now.

I remember reading Kevin Zahri's book..he mentioned that even he couldn't resist the temptation of good food during festive seasons, like Hari Raya. What he did was he "allows" himself to most of the good food for probably a month..while gaining a few kilograms in the process. After that he hits the gym and continue to watch his food intake to shed the excess weight. Aihhh I wish I have the same strength and willpower!

Since I had kids, the ONLY time that I lost weight "effortlessly" was when I was maid-less. I once lost 3kg without me even noticing, and dropped a jean size! I still want to lose a bit more weight..but I don't want to be maid-less..not with four young kids and a little business to run mostly by myself. PENGSAN!

*sob*

Red & Green & White Gift Baskets

2009-11-20T07:43:00.001-08:00

What have I been up to lately? Cracking my head over gift basket creations for friends and clients who celebrate Christmas. I have a few confirmed orders *alhamdulillah* and some more on the way *insyaAllah*.

I must explore the features of my Canon EOS1000D more! It's been raining everyday so taking pictures in the garden (as usual) was nearly impossible. Besides, the green background of plants just doesn't click with the Christmas-sy theme..so I dug up my old white crochet shawl for the background..

Next job - wedding hantaran!!

Kids!! Can you do Mama a favour, please??

2009-11-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

I'm the eldest of four siblings. All girls. Dulu-dulu jarang ada live-in helper, kalau ada pun I didn't think we could afford one. We had one but just for a short while..macam-macam problem. So we had to do chores ourselves. I remember hanging out the clothes when I was 9. At nine years old, I had 2 younger sisters and taking care of them was sometimes part of my "chores" too. When I was 11, another sister came along..when I looked back at old photos, so many of them showed me either carrying my sister no. 3 (Effie) or sister no. 4 (Awanis). I was a very garang big sister! I'm sure they loathed me at that time. Macam kakak tiri, my mom kata! Now, jadi mak yang garang pulak. *HAHH!*

Next year, MY eldest child Amsyar will be 9 years old. Since Zuleyka came along last year, Amsyar really took on the role as a helpful, gentle, patient eldest brother. He now can help Izzo with his kindy homework/revision, can look after/play with Armand or Zuleyka (although he really prefers playing with Zuleyka rather than Armand) and can help with a bit of chores like heating up Armand's milk in the microwave, getting some plain water for me (he'll use a tray!) whenever I'm stuck infront of the computer and breastfeeding Zuleyka at the same time. He can also help teach Izzo with alif-ba-taa..this video was taken in December last year *my voice is actually not as deep as heard here!*. Amsyar was trying to "control macho" while Izzo was being his usual Mr. Joker self:

...or help me with gardening:

..while "cak-cak" with Zuleyka in between..

Zuleyka still can't walk! She can stand in her cot (while holding on to the ledge)and bounce until I feel dizzy watching her. She's brave enough to stand on my bed but she's still hesitant to stand on hard floor, let alone take steps. One day during a tah-tih session, I said to her "Kaka, kan best jalan ni kan..esok Kaka start jalan okeh..?" And she shook her head! So she had to sit on a stool during the gardening session. Macam princess. The inset shows when she was 5 months old..

Usually, Izzo and Armand will choose the TV over gardening but once they see it's kinda happening to be playing with dirt outside, they'll join in. This time they found a few small worms and of course Armand will "yahhhhh!!" and squish em, usually leaving Izzo speechless and Amsyar shaking his head.

This is just a once-in-a-while activity for the kids. I'm trying to teach them to do a bit of this and that, nothing heavy. Washing own plate after a meal is not taught yet but bringing own plate to the kitchen, yes. As well as getting own drink and whatever else that they know where it's located at instead of calling the maid "Kak Niaaaaaa tolong ambikkan air..!". Whenever I hear this I usually holler back, "Go downstairs and take it YOURSELF!".

Yesterday when I came back from grocery shopping, I was in a hurry to perform solat Maghrib so I asked Amsyar and Izzo to help me prepare ingredients for a pasta sauce while the maid was waiting for the angel hair pasta to turn al dente. They like to help in the kitchen..or maybe they like the idea that sometimes adults need kids' help too:

Izzo is in such a "doughnut phase" now. He wants to eat them nearly every day! So he helps my maid make them..

I really want my kids to practice recycling and reusing. Recently I bought a kitchen composter from www.biosense.com.my. On the first day, I noticed that my kitchen trash was reduced by half! I still have to wait for the result this Friday..let's see if I can collect the compost "juice" by then. I taught Amsyar how to discard the kitchen waste into the compost bin (more on this in a different post kayy :)

I think so far The Boyz are enjoying helping me out with stuff around the house. Why? Because..
...they will quickly act/get something if I ask them to do so.
...Izzo will always ask "Mama, can I help?" when he sees me in the kitchen cooking something. If I say no and ask him to do something else instead because I'm in a hurry, he'll quietly sneak back into the kitchen and watch me.
...Amsyar can now explain to our maid on how to discard the kitchen waste into the compost bin and what we can use the compost for.
...Armand also wants to help with whatever his brothers are doing but he can't (or more specifically, I don't allow him too) because he's still too small for those tasks.
...Amsyar made his bed a few times, when he was in the mood (I really should ask him to do this every day!). He even made my bed once.
...Izzo always asks our maid if he could help with the mopping (when she's mopping) or with the vacuuming. When he was 4 years old, he was OBSESSED with vacuum cleaners, until my sister bought him a battery-operated toy vacuum from Australia (which he tried to stuff into his small schoolbag on the first day of kindergarten). When I was in between maids, I let him vacuum his room :D

I hope you boys, Zuleyka too, will still be helpful when you grow older (Papa and Mama will be old by then!). You boys must be able to help around your own house whenever you get married and have your own children. Don't forget to help others, too. Selalu-selalulah ringankan tangan..insyaAllah there will always be help for you whenever you need it most one day. Love, MAMA.

I DREAM of This and That

2009-11-03T00:35:00.001-08:00

I met up with two friends yesterday. We were ITM-mates (Sham was my roomie and Dina was in the same class/course). We wandered through OU and The Curve..just walking without purpose and goal (as Sham puts it)..she was right, going somewhere like that without a particular mission to achieve something was...quite refreshing. We just enjoyed each other's company, we walked, talked, laughed and ate.

However, us being women, *most of the times* we never fail to purchase something (right, ladies...??). Sham, a part-time scrapbooking-mommy, got herself "lost" in a few scrapbooking shops. Dina "terjebak" beli kasut & baju...dan oleh kerana mereka tidak berpuashati sebab I takde apa-apa yang nak dibeli, I ikut terjebak dan beli satu kemeja putih.

Oh and I bought some magazines...HOME DECO magazines. These magazines never fail to make my mind drift away, daydreaming about this and that..about things like "if only my home is like this, I would never get out of the house!":

Source: Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publications Fall 2009 : Before & After

How I would love to have a lepak-lepak-bersantai room like this..hmm but I don't think The Hubby knows how to appreciate the rich colours. Maybe my "den", maybe..?:

Source : http://nestdecorating.typepad.com/nest_decorating_designs/our_house/

Having spent most of my growing up years in army camps mostly by the sea with tall, old trees everywhere, I've always had a nice view from my bedroom (those days lah) and I really yearn for a bedroom with a very GREEN view like this..

Source : Australian Home Beautiful, January 2009

..and for my kitchen, even if I can't get a pantry like the one in Chef at Home, something like this will do..so I will always be in the mood to whip something fantastic-ly delicious for the family *really??*

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications, Fall/Winter 2009 - Storage

..and finally, my dream small-office-home-office..! I really just need one computer but the rest of the space can be my "creative space", if I suddenly feel like coming up with a certain sample of something..or for the kids to do homework or revisions under the watchful eye of The Mama a.k.a the drill sergeant.

Cleverly-hidden storage areas..

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications, Fall/Winter 2009 - Storage

"Uwaaaarghhhh!!! Waaaaaa...!!! Mamaaaa Aman tanak pakai diaper!! Mamaaa shukup la wat keja tu..!!""
Translation, in Bahasa : *sambil menjerit-jerit dalam tangisan* "Mama!! Armand tak nak pakai diaper! Mama cukup lah buat kerja tuuuu!"
Translation, in English : *while crying his lungs out* "Mama!! I DON'T want to wear my diaper! Mama ENOUGH with the work already!"

*Thud*. That's the sound of me "falling out" of my dream.

Reality BITES. Hey, this is a title of a movie! I know a song that goes with this, too. "Back to life...back to reality..back to life..back to reality.." by Soul II Soul, I'm sure Sham and Dina remember this song :)

Kids are Kids - How Their Photos Make Me Smile..

2009-10-23T02:13:00.000-07:00

..and help me stay SANE!

With all the sad, sad news regarding brutality done to babies and kids (all over the world) that we've been hearing since (for as long as I can remember), I don't know what else we can do to keep them safe. They're kids! They're supposed to be a bit crazy, running around here and there, crying and wailing with no reason, making such a mess even when we teach them not too..but that's no excuse to smash them or throw them on the floor..!

Yes, my kids make drive me up the wall too sometimes *most of the times, actually*. Yes, I do scold them, smack them (shoulder and below only) and raise my voice at them but I leave "the scene" as quickly as I could..and always sit down with them, most of the time cuddle them afterwards and tell them why I was angry at them. I think this makes the mother-children bond stronger and I hope this will continue even when they're grown-up.

Whenever I've cooled down, sometimes I look back at the kids' photos..their happy-faced photos..masing-masing dengan "antics" masing-masing..and automatically that puts a smile on my face..

Brotherly Love - we spent a night at Gambang Resort City on our way back from raya in Terengganu:

What happens if you let a 2 1/2 year old drive that animal-toy-car-thingy? This:

Munching on Big Apple Donuts at Mesra Mall, Kerteh (before our Gambang stop). If they want to have loads of doughnuts instead of a proper lunch, so be it! Just NOT EVERY DAY:

This is what Amsyar drew recently. It was a Bahasa Arab class assignment - family tree. I think this is so cute! Even The Papa told him "Papa didn't know how to draw like this when Papa was your age..!" The last picture on the family tree is him. Doesn't it look like him..? :D

"Izzo! Mama nak ambik gambar ni..!" And automatically he'll strike this pose. He's still the hugger and kisser among The Boyz! No wonder he was once call the kindergarten's heart throb..!:

This was what Izzo drew yesterday..he just learned this in school. "Matahari memberi cahaya ke bulan, sebab itulah bulan bagi cahaya kat bumi malam-malam! Mama, bulan ada banyak-banyak ke ada satu je?" I answer, "Ermm..bulan ada satu je." Izzo continues, "Tapi Mama, kan ada anak bulan..jadi ada MAK BULAN lah kan?"

The Papa brought Izzo and Armand to an airshow recently..I thought it was cute of them to take cover from the noisy jet planes..by hiding under the umbrella!

Can't wait to get enrolled in school, Armand? (taken a few months ago):

Nak sangat pakai baju sekolah Amsyar, nahh!!

"Auntie Veron...! Ooooo Auntie Veron...!" (no, the fence is not that high):

"I wuv yu Kaka-Momo..!" Translates to "I love you Zuleyka!". Zuleyka is starting to know that she has 3 brothers who "protects" her..you guys take care of each other whenever and wherever okaaaayyyy..

Occasionally, she'll get a "flying kick sesat" whenever her brothers bergusti:

Photos of kids never fail to put a smile on our faces :)
Oh not forgetting me :P...this was taken on an unplanned short-offroad-trip (as you can see from my makeup-less face and "home-uniform" dressing). I thought we were just taking a short spin round the neighbourhood while waiting for the pest control guys to finish up at our house. The Papa bawak masuk ntah mana pulak..we were stuck once, luckily it wasn't rainy season or else we would be REALLY stuck!

My 1979 Sesame Street Cookbook!

2009-10-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

My mother found this book when she was doing spring-cleaning at her house a few years ago. Amsyar liked this book since he first laid eyes on it, about 2 years ago, when he was six. I was seven when I got it.

It was a gift from my 1st Grade teacher when I was in the U.S. My father was sent to the Military College in Quantico, Virginia for a year and I went to school at Burrows Elementary School..just a few hundred metres from our apartment. My class teacher was Mrs. Thompson and this was her parting gift when we were about to come home to Malaysia..

It's filled with Sesame Street characters and their recipes..easy-peasy things that's eye-catching so naturally Amsyar took a liking to this book! Here's the first recipe that he asked me to do a few months ago:

Since it was so simple, I had him help me and this was the outcome..but he didn't eat a lot of it..most of it ended up in The Mama's tummy instead. Sedap!:

A few days ago he asked my to make Sweet Kisses:

So I asked him to help me beat the egg whites:

But didn't really turn out like it's supposed to-lah. So I pun takde lah ambik gambar ha ha..I think Izzo was too vigorous during folding in the chocolate chips into the egg white mixture. The mixture turned liquid-ey dikerjakan dek Izzo..! Takpe, yang pentingnya kita nak dia merasa buat buat semua ni. Kalau buat cekodok pisang, budak-budak ni tolong lenyek pisang, letak tepung dsb. These are the small details that I'd like them to remember (and cherish) when they're all grown up.

Talking about food..I haven't been cooking for quite some time now. I don't really know how to cook during puasa (not confident of cooking without tasting the end result..!) plus with me busy with gift baskets during Ramadhan, I just don't cook during puasa month.

So now I'm trying to get the "momentum" going on again. I ni kalau dah lamaaaaa tak masak, jadi sangat malas. In a way, I miss cooking for the family..but at the same time, sometimes I'm so LAZY! Which reminds me, when I was busy during Ramadhan, Amsyar found this small cookbook somewhere so he kept asking me to do these 2 *simple* recipes...I kept putting it off and telling him that I'll do it whenever I'm finished with my work. Huh sampai sekarang pun I belum buat lagi..? Kesian Amsyar :(...must find that little cookbook again!

I'm not a great cook and can only handle simple daily meals for my family..I do tear out recipes from old magazines and stuff..tapi tak semua pun yang sempat buat..! *ish ish*

Fish Curry with Stir-fried French Beans

Cendawan Tiram Goreng Tepun & Telur Masak Sambal

Chicken Cincalok

Creamy Pasta with Garlic Bread

All-Time-Fave Chicken Rice

Maggi Goreng, too...sometimes lah..

Pan-seared Salmon & Broccoli Potato

These are just to keep record of some of the things that I make for my family..or maybe this is just to make me feel good / menyedapkan hati / reassuring myself that I still TRY to do mommy duties although things around here gets pretty crazy sometimes..! TRY to. Apa-apa pun mesti cuba dulu, kan?

Raya Holidays Almost Over

2009-09-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

We just got home from Terengganu. Home Sweet Home :)

We spent the first and second day of Hari Raya here in Kajang. I'm so glad to be able to perform solat Aidil Fitri at a surau near our house..then off we went to my parents' about 5 minutes away for a delicious Raya breakfast. Then went to Kg. Sg. Machang, Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan (30 minutes from our house) to spend the rest of the day at my grandma's.

We were supposed to spend the first Hari Raya this year in The Hubby's kampung in Terengganu..but The Hubby saw me up to my nose with AZ Gift Baskets' last order that he decided for us to spend Raya here first instead. How sweet of him. Ye lah, baju melayu anak pun I beli last minute..!

I'll post some Raya pics in my next entry..meanwhile, an important lesson learned during my busy month "swimming" in Ramadhan and Syawal gifts this year:

Be stronger in declining orders (if need be) after the supposedly "last order date". I like to help people, if a potential client seems to rely on me to deliver and order, I rope in all the help I can get to complete that order. Alhamdulillah, I successfully finished and delivered all orders..except for the last order (the one I accepted after my closing date) which was completed in just the nick of time (but not to the client's expectation) which also alas came with a few delivery gliches. *sigh*

However, on the bright side, I am thankful to God that I was able to employ people who are from the less fortunate household, who were really relying on the "hamper-making" job for their duit raya. Pic below shows my very garang supervisor *and friend*, Linda, showing one of my staff the right way to tie a good ribbon:

I am also thankful that I was able to perform solat Terawih more than last year.

I'm thankful that I was still able to breastfeed my 15-month old Zuleyka, eventhough sometimes when I'm extremely busy I had to ask my maid to feed her formula milk. But not always.

I'm thankful for having such a supportive and understanding husband who did not even squeak whenever he sees our home full of boxes and baskets (I didn't get to use a different premise like last year)..however I do make a point of getting the home in order just before he reaches home for buka puasa.

I am so thankful that orders increase every year since I started AZ Gift Baskets 5 years ago. Picture here shows some of the boxes with gifts ready to be shipped via PosLaju. I think we sent about 500 units of gifts via PosLaju this year, big medium and small. Kesian the PosLaju guys who came 2 nights in a row to pickup our stuff..they were at our place for nearly 2 hours as we were still packing while they were loading..!

Alhamdulillah, this year we managed to do up 1,120 units of Ramadhan gifts and 1,465 units of Syawal gift baskets/boxes/hampers. Though it may not be as smooth as we hope to be (of course complete with blood, sweat and tears *kahkahkah*)..but by believing that every cloud has a silver lining and nothing comes free in this world..alhamdulillah, we managed to pull through :)

But next year, we're spending the first Raya in Terengganu..! *insyaAllah*

Ramadhan = Busy Month

2009-08-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

And this is why I haven't had the chance to update this blog for 2 weeks now! Alhamdulillah, orders for Ramadhan gifts are very encouraging..mainly small and medium gift boxes filled with kurma, dodol cubes, dried apricots, chocolate-coated kurma..

Now requests for quotations and samples for Hari Raya gifts are starting to come in..even had some orders too. Alhamdulillah..

I've updated in AZ Gift Baskets facebook page some time ago that if you see someone carrying the following baskets in some office building, that's probably me lugging some samples to potential clients:

I've selected comment moderation for this entry. You'll see why later. I hope it works..? First time buat mah.

When I get an order, sometimes Amsyar will help me arranging stuff here and there (sometimes with a very TIRED face..ye lah, puasa kan). But the artistic streak in him will still show in whatever he does. Bila mintak dia susun kotak, dia susun lah ikut gaya dia..

I'm so blessed to have 2 committed girls helping me out during the day..these 2 young girls (one of them is a single mother who will bring her 16mo daughter here everyday) will take 2 buses to reach my place. The journey takes more than an hour and that's not including waiting time for the buses. Everyday I will pick them up at the bus-stop about 2km away from my house, as I don't want them to wait any longer for another bus that comes into my housing area.

At night, a friend of mine comes to help. I knew her about 5 years ago when she was working at a retail kiosk in Alamanda. She has been helping me out every Hari Raya and Chinese New Year for 4 years now. Once, we were both 5 mths pregnant, working hard on the gift baskets! She works during the day so at about 10pm nearly every night, she'll come with her four children, including twin girls the same age as Armand. She has a temp maid now so doesn't trust leaving the kids with the maid as we work as late as 3am..and her husband is always outstation. It's a normal sight to see her lug her sleeping kids into the car in the wee hours of the night.

Such strong and comitted women I have working for me. Alhamdulillah. I don't know if I'm that strong if I'm in their shoes.

Here are some of the small gifts for Ramadhan and Hari Raya that we worked on and have been delivered:

For delivery, if it's a one-stop location and everything can fit into our family car..yes I sometimes do the delivery! Here are Amsyar & Izzo helping The Papa load some boxes after sahur..while The Mama went to get the snooze that she rarely gets nowadays zzzzzzz....zzzzz...

Before Ramadhan approached, I prayed to God that if I have more orders than last year, alhamdulillah..as I'd like to employ more ladies to help me out..ladies that really need some extra money, so they can have a more comfortable and meaningful Hari Raya celebration. And because I'd like to "take it easy" too. I don't mind parting with some profit as long as I can do more solat terawih, spend more time with my family and not have too much sleep-deprivation. Well, the sleep part and time with kids are still not there yet :) but I'm grateful that I've been given the chance to perform terawih more often than before. Kalau tak sempat ke masjid, kat rumah pun jadi lah :)

As promised in the earlier entry, I have some stuff to give out..the 5th and 10th commentor for this entry will each receive a small giftbox of Kurma Mariami and coin pouch:

No Anonymous comments, please :)
I'll take comments from readers who also have their own blogs..but close relatives i.e. adik-beradik, ipar-duai don't count hee hee..sorry :P
Harap bersabar jika the lil gifts lewat sikit dihantar..tapi tetap akan dihantar, insyaAllah :)

My New "TOYS"!

2009-08-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, not actually toys. It's a ribbon organizer! AND a Dymo LetraTag..! I've blogged about this before
here and a nice reader highlighted that there are actually ribbon organizers sold here in Malaysia..the online shop that she referred to is not really far from my home and I can even go there physically if I want to *me did not do enough research*. Then Sham, my ex-roomie in college who loves scrapbooking asked me to check out Papier at The Curve ...so this was what I bought about two weeks ago..

And this is how my "Ribbon Station" looks like now:

Saya sangat sukaaaah! Actually I've added a few cake tins on the left, filled with MORE ribbons. I need to get other *cheaper* ribbon organizers..the one that I got from Papier is really nice and of very good quality..but expensive..! That's why I just got two units :P

And this is the Dymo tag-maker that I got yesterday:

I was my father's "personal gift shopper" yesterday so the trip to Alamanda Putrajaya along with The Boyz and my sisters (and BIL and baby nephew) involved a lot of walking here and there, in and out of shops..and also chasing after Armand, trying to stop him from breaking something. So I forgot to get batteries for the Dymo LetraTag..and I failed to noticed that the adaptor is an "optional accessory".

Tak beli bateri + takde power cable = Tak boleh nak test-test Dymo & tepuk dahi sendiri.

Ah well, esok masih ada, insyaAllah :)

Lastly, Armand also has a "toy". No lah, not new, it's just The Papa's iPhone (sometimes he alternates with his BlackBerry so that's when The Boyz berebut-rebut..mcm "scrum" masa main rugby pulak). And of course we know who will successfully get it in the end:

Sempena bulan Ramadhan, ingatkan nak buat simple giveaways. Alaa, hadiah kecik-kecik je..bila kemas-kemas SOHO, I found that I actually have quite a few of these small (but useful lah) items that I either bought as samples or were balance from previous orders (memang selalunya beli lebih sikit, takut client mintak extra at the last minute). Daripada simpan je, konon nak guna kemudian (..tapi bila..?), baik I bagi je lah. Here's a sneak peak:

These are only part of them. Don't worry, I'll keep it simple :)

He is 41 Years Old!

2009-08-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just to share some pictures..actually this entry was a bit different when first posted this morning..but there was a request to edit this :P

The Hubby's present was actually bought the day before. He picked it out himself, with me as the paymaster of course. Eventhough he already fiddled with it, he still asked me to wrap it so The Boyz can have some excitement the next morning "helping" him open the present:

Armand was the first to get up. He knows it's his Papa's birthday but he thinks that the present is for him too:

In the meantime, Izzo thinks that birthdays are holidays. He wasn't that happy to know that he still has to go to kindie that morning. What with Amsyar still in bed..:

Ahhhh...Armand berjaya bukak hadiah Papa..it's a GPS! Of course, it was the birthday boy's idea..as The Mama here have no clue on what to get him *that happens after a decade of knowing each other*. Nak tempah suit, dah cukup dah setakat ni katanya. Nak tempah work pants or shirts..baru jugak The Hubby tempah hari tu. SO, since his Garmin-meant-for-outdoor GPS fell during his mountain-bike ride in Kuantan, he decided he needs another one..this time it's an ALTINA. We tried it on straight after that..yup..cool! It's a hit with the birthday boy!:

When he was at work that day, a delivery guy sent a cake at our home. It was from one of The Hubby's staff. The cake was crazy-licious..!! The known chocoholics at our home are Armand and myself. Yang lain-lain, biasa je lah..they like chocolates but don't really frisk the fridge to find out if there are any little pieces of chocolates lying around in there..but this is the first time that ALL of us agreed on chocolate! *Tq Raja Izah & Asia Xpress team*

We had the cake after birthday boy came back from work. They were trying to agree on blowing of candles..it seems everytime The Hubby & Asmyar & Izzo drew in their breath..Armand drew out his i.e. prematurely blew out the candles..lil party pooper he is :P

Happy Birthday...!Semoga dipanjangkan umur dan dimurahkan rezeki. Eventhough this birthday present is not as canggih as what you got me..but more importantly it's useful to you..and you love it, right?

Picnic at Green Lung in City Center

2009-08-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Green Lung. I knew about this term when working with a property developer in Melaka about 14 years ago (wow, seems so ancient!). My former boss was a U.S-trained architect and emphasized how important it is to have some green areas / green pockets / green lungs within the township we working at.

Like Central Park, New York. That's a green lung, right?

This is actually about the picnic that we went to at Doodlebug and Tiny Tapir HQ at 9 Lorong Damai 9, KL. Both are different teams running different things but share the same premise. It's at one of those old bungalow areas..that explains the huge lawn, big trees but look up in the sky..and you can see Petronas Twin Towers!

Armand headed straight to the sand pit when we arrived..

If you'd like to find out more about both Doodlebug and Tiny Tapir you can visit Doodlebug's Diary and www.tinytapir.com I buy a lot from Tiny Tapir, they have really cool environmentally-friendly stuff :)

Ok, back to the Picnic@The Bungalow. Since it was open to everyone, I figured why not just take a break from work and bring the whole family over for some fun. We brought leftovers from breakfast and a mat..there were some food sold there so yup we just had to pay for food, drinks and whatever you decide to buy from the various tables selling lots of stuff there..from cloth diapers to baby ring slings to handmade jewelry handmade jewelry! Oh, and cloth pads modern cloth pads for mommies, too!

This was the lawn or "picnic area". Very nice! Hanz and hubby and Hanafi (Hambali stayed home, he wasn't well..teething time!) had lunch together with us.

My maid with my kids..makan dulu baru pegi main!

The Papa getting some BBQ Chicken and salad. He finished up Amsyar's fried rice too. And Izzo's nasi lemak. *burp*

I had fun not having to watch over Armand too much!

I think Armand is fantasizing that he's in a cool pool on a warm day.

Trampoline time!!! On our next visit here, I'll be in my workout gear and join the kids..!

"Abang - Adik" time :)

Izzo was too happy..! Mama tak kisah la nak baring kat rumput ke kat mana ke..janji balik rumah nanti mesti mandi bersih-bersihhh!

The Papa dozing off while Armand had a diaper change and enjoying his milk. Dura, one of the Doodlebug partners said he looked like "Ramon the Exotic Dancer" in that cheetah-print Starbunz diaper!

He was called Tarzan, too. Ye lahh, running around shirtless, no pants, no shoes..luckily there were no vines hanging from the trees there..!

They might be doing this on a regular basis, maybe once in 3 months. So keep a lookout on this, guys and gals! Both Doodlebug and Tiny Tapir are on Facebook, just search for them and join their group or page for updates.

After uploading these photos on Facebook, I just realized, there were no pictures of ME!

Come to The Picnic@Bungalow TODAY 9.8.09

2009-08-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone, been REALLY busy and did not get the chance to read everyone's blogs..and didnt even get the chance to tell everyone about Picnic @ The Bungalow TODAY 9 August 2009 .!! There's supposed to be loads of activities and talks there..kalau taknak join mana2 talk tu pun takpe, there'll be food sold there so just chill out with your family..!

We're going there now..! Sesiapa yg sempat baca ni..it's still not too late to go..see you there..!

p.s. sorry morry because I didn't tell this earlier :(

Kids' Drawings and The Mama's Work

2009-07-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Izzo didn't go to kindergarten yesterday. He was throwing up the night before, complaining of headaches..so definitely a no-no for school. So yesterday he spent the day resting, watching TV, kicking-butt with Armand and also drawing. This was what one of his drawings yesterday..a yellow Transformers something-Chevrolet-something..Bumble Bee lah ehh..?

And Amsyar drew our family car..

He has a knack for "attention to details". I looked at the second row seats, the middle seat there is a toddler seat with adjustable headrest..and he drew it exactly right.

Meanwhile, I'm still busy but alhamdulillah AZ Gift Baskets' Ramadhan gifts have been up in the website since last week. You can click here or on the pink banner on the right column of this blog that Mama Emma from My Blog Saloon designed for me :) or just view the pictures here:

Last week, a company that does catering (mainly English-style pastries, bakeries, cakes) and which also owns a lifestyle restaurant in Great Eastern Mall ordered 70 empty baskets from me. They catered to a picnic-style event for their client so I also included a checkered flannel cloth to the baskets which were doorgifts for the guests..sorry no pics but yesterday I did up some samples for their Ramadhan/Hari Raya baskets..

Before that, I got an order from a nice lady who wanted to surprise her husband with a basket of flowers, brownies and Micheal Jackson CDs. She sent me the CDs for me to include in the basket..which I named Red Velvet because of the exotic-coral-like-looking Bunga Balung Ayam which I included in the flower posy.

Thanks for the order, Liz!

..and another baby basket which I named Hot Pink and Red Mini Baby Basket for a hot lil baby girl..!

Thanks for the order, Dee-d!

Besides the Hari Raya gift baskets *which I'm struggling to find time to design*, I want to do another 2 new designs of baby gift baskets..what are the contents..?? Jeng jeng jeng...nantikan yerrr.. :P

My NITE RUN Scrapbook! edited a lil

2009-07-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Look thru this digital scrapbook on my 5km Nite Run last night :)
I'm not a runner..in school I walked and not run "merentas desa". I felt the 400m race was a big no-no. I just ran 100m. Nowadays, I'd rather stick to exercise machines if I need a workout..or work with some light weights..but I dont do this often enough. I saw other friends who do run..so I decided to give it a shot. This also "forced" me to jog at least twice a week prior to the Nite Run...so that my body won't be in shock.

During the run last night, I didn't stop to walk..although my body was begging me to LOL! I talked to myself a lot "come on Millie just a little bit more" or "there's the Palace of Justice, just a few hundred meters away till the finish line". And listening to music through the iPhone was a good way to "enjoy" the run, too. It's a mind game, you know. These are the songs that I listened to during the run:

Crazy in Love - Beyonce
Boom Boom Pow, Hey Mama & My Humps - Black Eyed Peas
Mercy - Duffy
September, Boogie Wonderland - Earth Wind & Fire
Deeper Underground & Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai (I love this group! I wanted to download my favourite-est song Space Cowboy tapi tak jumpa yg free..?)
Sweet Child of Mine - Guns N Roses
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
Green Light - John Legend featuring Andre 3000
Hey Ya - Outkast (used to be Amsyar's fave song when he was around 3 years old!)
Rock With Ya - Micheal Jackson
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
Don't Stop the Music, Umbrella - Rihanna
Live your Life - T.I featuring Rihanna

Petang tu I dah takde idea nak download lagu apa lagi so I stopped and took a nap from 5pm to 6pm. Jarang-jarang dapat nap, tapi ni perlu..rest sikit lahh..

What I learned from this - yes, it has been proved more than once..if you really want to do something and you put your heart to it..insyaAllah you will be able to do it :)

Of Being Nocturnal and Cute Vampires

2009-07-12T02:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't had enough sleep since Armand was born. Well, it was a different story with Amsyar and Izzo before that. Now Armand sleeps through most nights (he occasionally walks to our room in the middle of the night, but no more milk) but Zuleyka still wakes up once. And I'm always busy (sometimes with I don't know what) in my SOHO. Now, I'm very busy preparing stuff for Ramadhan and Syawal. Eventhough stuff are not finalized yet, I still get orders for other baskets and requests for Ramadhan gift quotations are starting to come in. Penat, but alhamdulillah..

My friend from ITM-days ordered this for her mom's birthday. Lilies, chocolates & Auntie Johara's yummy pineapple jam tarts. Thanks for the order, Ita :)

I've watched Twilight oh I don't remember how many times. At night, when Zuleyka suddenly wakes up for nenen (and The Boyz are all asleep but not really bedtime yet for me and hubby), I'll watch Twilight..and when The Hubby walks in, he'll surely ask, "berapa kali Baby tengok cerita ni..?".

Then I answered...

"I tengok cerita ni berkali-kali sebab I just wanted to be reminded of the good 'ol days..when a man and a woman first knew each other..the excitement of talking non-stop & trying to know everything about each other..the lovey-dovey 'I'll do anything to make you safe again' feeling..I just miss that feeling.."

So The Hubby nodded and muttered;
"Yeah..".

I couldn't believe that he was agreeing to what I was saying..? Maybe he missed those days too..when there were just both of us..doing whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted without thinking about anything or anybody else..oh my husband is soo understanding..

Apparently not.

After the "yeahhh.." he quickly added;
"Okay...that..who? Edward erghh whatever..has he ever told a joke..??"

I thought he did, once or so, so I said;
"Pernah! Ada, ada..!"

The Hubby backfired;
"Huh? Mana ada..? All the time he has muka tension and goes like 'Aargghh talk to me, distract me so I won't turn back and kill those guys!!"

Wahh..ingat jugak dia line ni..? Well, close enough. I already started to laugh then.

He continued;
"Pastu kejap kejap bawak orang lari naik gunung..kalau Baby ni jadi girlfren dia, mesti Baby boring! Ye lah..kejap kejap bawak panjat pokok..!"

I laughed out loud then.

I finally surrendered..and said;
"Haiii potong stim je lah Papa ni..!"

The Hubby had a last minute dinner function tonight. Told me right after I finished cooking pasta carbonara for tonight's dinner. Gambar kureng cun lah, Izzo fiddled with my camera today..

The garlic bread..

Sometime ago I made pizza & pasta using a locally-made pasta sauce & pizza base. Sedap jugak!

I got the sauce & pizza base from MIHAS in May, I'm still not sure where to get more of these..

Inilah jadinya kalau rasa macam banyak sangat nak update tapi tak tahu macamana..from gift baskets to vampires to dinner! I still want to share lots of updates with everybody but now is such a busy BUSY time for me. So mintak maaf ya kalau tak sempat baca blog semua orang..dan kalau tak sempat update blog ni jugak :)

Like this morning, I really wanted to concentrate on work but the freezer was nearly empty and we've been buying food over the weekend due to my busy-ness *and laziness* to cook. Then I thought, "I'm a businesswoman BUT I'm a mother first.." so off I went to Tesco with Amsyar and Armand. Kalau tak, memang BOLEH JE I melekaaaat kat depan laptop & dok dalam small office ni! Priorities, priorities!

SOLD My Proton Persona is for SALE

2009-07-11T00:28:00.000-07:00

It's SOLD :)

This is a STICKY ENTRY which will be on top of my blog until 16th July 2009.

Mula-mula tak jadi even though Hanz & Farah dah ajar but after reading a comment on Farah's blog by elissmie , I think I got it right. Thanks!

Just scroll down this blog for my other entries, including the recent ones :)

I'm selling my Proton Persona 2007 1.6 (A) High-line. I love this car, it's quite easy for me to zip around the neighbourhood, in and out of Kajang and go to KL with it. But The Hubby bought a family car and at the same time he'd like to keep his old car. So my car is the one up for sale.

Click the Read More button below to view more pictures of the Persona.

Rear view:

Interior, front:

Backseat:

CD Player:

Audio controls on steering wheel:

Low mileage!

Apart from the above, the High-Line series also features:
- Dual Airbags (front)
- Alarm
- Anti Rust
- ABS (anti-lock braking system)
- EBD (electronic force distribution brakes)
- Central locking
- Fog lights
- Remote boot release
- Reverse parking sensor
- Alloy wheels

We bought it in October 2007 at RM65,000 (on the road) and now it's valuated at RM43,500. This is still negotiable, of course :)

If anyone is interested..atau kenal sesiapa yang mungkin berminat..sila-sila lah hubungi kami di sini yerrr. Thanks!

Nothing Much To Do..?

2009-07-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, some still think that work-at-home-moms or stay-at-home-moms "have it easy". *?*

Me? A LOT of things to do..for example, my Ramadhan and Hari Raya creations yang belum settle settle lagi *arghhhh*...!!! I told my husband, this is the time of the year (well, Chinese New Year pun lebih kurang macam ni jugak lah). Except this time I need to get a loan for the festive season's capital..my "fund manager" has used some of his funds elsewhere so I cannot kecek all from him anymore haa haa..(bagus tau, interest free, no fixed payback time :D).

Anyway, in the midst of finalizing the contents, costing & creations of the Ramadhan & Hari Raya gifts, I still receive orders for birthday gift baskets, flower creations etc..so bila buat quotation tu, buat lah produk baru sekali :)

I like the Chinese-takeout style box:

Bubbly Door Gift :

Muffin and Brownie Tin :

Muffin Flower Basket :

Busy, busy times. For those wondering how I "produce" my gift baskets, here's an overview:

1) Find theme i.e. Hari Raya / Chinese New Year / Flowers / gift baskets for all year round.

2) Research, research, RESEARCH! I do a lot of online research, looking at overseas & local online shops selling hampers and flowers. I take inspiration and try to create my own style. I don't simply copycat because it's just not right..I take inspiration from looking at my surroundings too..

3) Find nice baskets! Design of basket depends on theme and also it's contents.

4) Sit down and figure out what you want to fill in the baskets.

5) Do up the costing. Ohhhh you wouldn't want to look at my spreadsheets..I have macam-macam spreadsheets..someone helping me once took a look at my "elaborate" costing and said she doesn't think she wants to be involved in this business!

6) When the numbers are okay, go buy the stuff to fill in the baskets.

7) Take pictures of baskets..enticing pictures to put into catalogue or website. Who's the photographer? Me!

8) Publish the picture in website. For festive seasons, I do up a catalogue (simple one using PowerPoint) eventhough I update everything in my website too. Double-work, but customers love catalogues.

Now, the marketing part is about done. Time to handle the orders (sales)..

9) Everytime I get an inquiry, I'll send out a quotation. Sometimes ding-dong here and there, sometimes not.

11) When the customer agrees on the quotation, I send out an invoice. When payment is received, I proceed to buy stuff for the gift baskets and do em up. (for corporate orders, payment is received maybe more than a month after the job is done and delivered..which is quite normal).

12) Print out delivery order and go deliver the baskets.

I mostly do the above myself during off peak season..but for festive seasons...ooo I CANNOT do ALL of that alone! Must upah others to be runner, workers and do delivery. Some people (some in the same business too) say that I should do these myself, baru lah untung banyak...? Kan ke small, home-based business kan..? Tapi kalau dah sakit2 badan, anak tak ter-tengok, suami tak terlayan..tak best lah. No amount of money can take care of that! For ad-hoc workers, I employ single mothers or ladies honestly looking (needing) for extra cash. I feel good helping them to get some "duit raya" too.

The above is not including driving Izzo to and from school while hauling Armand and sometimes Zuleyka along (Amsyar goes by van), making sure there's food for everyone (tak kira lah masak ke beli ke), making sure kids' homework are done, interfering in their squabbles, breastfeeding Zuleyka, keeping check that the house is liveable i.e. not like tongkang pecah when The Papa comes home from work...and because I mengada-ngada sign up for that 5km run end of this month then I must find time to exercise and do regular jogging..*pengsan*

At these busy times, I pray to Allah s.w.t to give me all the strength, courage and patience..and I always remember what Tun Mahathir once said - You must DO what you love and LOVE what you do. I chose this path, no one forced me. So must do it-lah :)

Weekly Blogger, Kids, Kevin Zahri..

2009-07-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the dates of my previous postings and noticed that on average, (especially recently), I post an entry per week. I think I used to post more in the beginning of my blogging days, due to over-excitement to "fill-up" my blog. Tapi kadang-kadang banyak kerja (anak-anak, rumah & home-biz) yang buatkan blog tak ter-update seminggu lebih :(

But that's fine with me. After all, we should set our priorities. Rasa bersalah lah bila duduk depan laptop tapi Armand tarik-tarik mintak attention. Tak betul lah tu kan :P

Armand just loves The Papa's scrambler (he bought this secondhand, I guess to "upgrade" his weekend hobby..from mountain bike to motorcross..). I just found out that Armand can climb on and get off from the bike himself. Alahai takut terjatuh la.

..and some more recent photos of Three Boyz and One Girl...

The brothers trying to get Zuleyka's attention. I think they are secretly competing for the "Zuleyka's Fave Brother" title :)

When The Boyz wake up in the morning, they'll either look for The Papa or Zuleyka first..no looking for The Mama. I guess they just think that I'm at home all the time. Here's Amsyar and Zuleyka, dua-dua belum mandi lagi:

This was taken yesterday, about 6.30pm. The Papa plonked Zuleyka at the back of the family car so I called The Boyz too for a Kodak Moment. We just came back from a birthday celebration of the kids' second cousin, behind our house. Weekends, especially petang-petang macam ni...are usually the time for we neighbours to chat and catch up while the kids ride their bikes around the block:

This photo is not recent, it was taken a few months ago when The Papa first bought the tent. They, The Papa and The Boyz spent a few weekends sleeping in the front lawn. Of course I asked him to bring along a stand fan, electric ubat nyamuk..padahal kat garden tu je haa. They even brought a laptop (the Boyz were crazy with Need for Speed at that time)! One night it even rained..heavily!! Konon-konon macam camping betul la tu:

A few weeks ago I registered for Shape and Men's Health Night Run '09. Just the Fun Run and no-prize category of 5km. Being someone who only participated in 100m and 4x100m relay in school, this is a quite a distance for me. This morning my right leg ached a bit after my 4km run + 1km briskwalk yesterday. I told my husband, "Ye laa, I have never ran that long (i.e. did not stop) and that far IN MY LIFE". Hubby went, "Haaahhh??". "Betul! Paling jauh sblm ni, 2.5km (I think..). Itu requirement masa exam untuk sesiapa yang ambik ko-kurikulum sukan masa kat ITM dulu.". Tak percaya some more.

Since giving birth to Zuleyka, I only started exercising a bit about 2 months ago. Mula-mula dulu malas, so cuba lah Herbalife, GCL coffee etc..tapi takde shortcut lah. Exercise kena buat jugak. Last week, I made an appointment to see Kevin Zahri . I was googling around for the nearest gym to my house..then found him instead. I can't believe I've never heard of him before! And I even told him that *me feel so jakunz and katak bawah tempurung*

So I had a personal consultation with him on Wednesday. Having him directly explain to me about daily calorie intake, how much, what and when I should be eating, the difference between running for performance and losing weight...baru lah I faham. All these years of flipping through magazines, the internet but still struggling to understand (well, maybe i understood a bit while reading it but forgot about it the very next day)! The consultation came with a free copy of his book which has guidelines on our diet, training & exercising, supplements and food calorie guide.

By the way, before I went for the appointment, I emailed The Hubby these links. He texted me, "Wah wah apasal Kevin Zahri ni hensem sangat ni?". Kahkahkah!

All in all, this week was busy but fruitful *alhamdulillah*. Two companies requested for some samples of VIP doorgifts and VIP Ramadhan gifts. So not a lot of cooking done this week (I have many meal photos that I want to share..). I have another muffin gift basket delivery tomorrow *yaayyy because every time I ask my friend to make the muffins, I'll get a few extras for my kids..and myself!*. These are the pictures of the recent orders I received:

A good friend, Islah and her husband ordered these..thanks for the order, dear!

Head to Toe Herb Spa Bag ordered by Linda of MAMPU, for her boss. Thanks!!

Oh, hampir lupa!! I went to Pullman Putrajaya with two good friends of mine (ITM-mates) last weekend for lunch and just to chill out. The place is so cool and looks much better than pictures on their website. Very suitable for a family weekend trip (or weekday trip..). Check it out..! *sorry no pics, didn't bring my camera..but some pics are in my photos on Facebook*