What's news??!!

There is good news and bad news.

Bad news is I have not lost weight since I delivered Farah. I am 5kg away from my pre-preggie weight and my tummy is still big. All that suckling does not help much to contract my uterus.
Another bad news is I cant fit into some clothes. I cant fit into that jeans that I had since I was 18 and I was just wearing that before I got pregnant last year. Now, it got stuck around my hips. I cant pull it up. I love that jeans and I am determined to lose weight to fit into that.
My waist is 28. Oh lord have mercy on me. I was a 24 and now I am 28. No wonder I cant fit into that jeans.

Good news is I am now a 36C. Had always been a 32A+ (+ because I could fit into 32B if I stuff some tissues) and achieving 36C is a great feat mind ya. I know, I know, what you are thinking. I am a 36C coz I am breastfeeding right? But who cares, this milk does my chest more good than bad. And it has made one man very, very happy. So, I am one happy mama.

By the way, Jin, I found the measuring tape last night and Elaine, I set the timer.

Wanna Know What I think About You??

Can you imagine the kind of questions these two jokers asked me?

How long (in inches) is it actually?

What was the longest sex you had with hubby? I want hours and minutes. LOL

Suddenly I am dyslexic and cant seem to get my answers right.

Anyway, since I have taken the baton from both of them, I am continuing the race.




Leave me a comment and I will answer these for you, look back in the comments section for your answers...

1. I'll respond with a random thought I have about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or so we think).
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your blog

"Mommy, what is....

....Fuck You!"

My eyes popped out when I Naseer asked me that. OMG! Where did he hear that from?
I know that I should not scold or reprimand him because he does not know what he was saying. So I said, "Where did you hear that from?"

"From Scooby Doo."

"Scooby Doo? No, you must have heard wrongly."

"No, I heard correctly. The lady reporter said that."

"Is it? I thought she said Rock You."

"Rock You? She said rock you? It sounded like Fuck You."

"Yeah, just like how you thought "thinking" was "sinking" in Bananas in pyjamas."

"But mom, she was very clear, the bananas were not. She really said Fuck You."

"No, she said Rock You."

"Ok, what does rock you mean?"

"Huh? Ehrmm....it's like... when you love someone...and you want to show the love...err..err..., no, like when I love Farah. I rock her to sleep. Yeah, it's like rocking someone, a baby to sleep."

"Then you are wrong because she was not rocking anyone or any baby to sleep. She was angry when she said Fuck You. If you dont know what the word means, you just tell me you dont know. I can always ask Daddy when he comes home."

"Ok. Ask Daddy then."

As he walked out the bedrrom door, my dad walked past and he stopped my dad and asked. "Habib, what is Fuck You?"

My dad shouted, "WHAT??!! AISHAH!!!!! YOUR SON JUST SCOLDED ME!!!!!"

I almost faint and die.

Is there no other timing?

Each time I eat, my kids wanna shit.

When I am having my breakfast, Zaza will pull my sleeves and tell me she needs to poo-poo. When I take my lunch, Feroz will shout his lungs out, "I wanna shit!"
And when I am having my tea with biscuits while surfing the net, Naseer will walk behind past me and shit in the master bedroom toilet with the door open. It does'nt help that the computer is placed directly besides the toilet and the seat is in front of the toilet door. So, my tea-break is always filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee plus a wafting "scent" of Naseer's output.

Strangely, I got used to it and could even stop eating halfway to wash them and then continue with my food right after that. Disgusting right? But then again, isnt that the job of a mother. To clean your kids backside. You cant really control the time they wanna shit right. And so what, they are your kids and they dont actually come out from a "cleaner" part of you, like your ears or your mouth. So, no big deal about having to wash their bums and then consume your food. Of course, I wash my hands before that.

However, my dinner is spared. I can still take dinner without stopping halfway to wipe buttocks. But, wait a minute, I forgot I have 4 kids.

Now, I dont know if Farah is going to spare me. I hope she does. At least I still got some time to enjoy my dinner.

Project Postcard - Email me your address.

All overseas friends, if you want to win a trip to Singapore plus a holiday dream package for 2 and some other stuff, email me your address.
You can read all about this at the Singapore Tourism Board site here. I have a whole stack of postcards to mail out.
My email address is aalkaff@gmail.com. Come on, no harm trying your luck. :)

Not again!

My nephew got into trouble again in school. He got caned for fighting in class. I am so worried, if he gets into trouble again, he will be suspended and if after suspension, there is one more offence, he will be kicked out of school. And this is only his first year.
I really dont know what to do. I dont know what he wants and why he did it. He claimed that one boy was making fun of another boy and that boy got so angry that he started hitting the boy. It became so bad till the teacher could not control the fight and the boy was so badly beaten. That was when my nephew claimed he stepped in and helped the other boy, getting into the scuffle himself.
I was mad. I have told him again and again not to resort to violnce to settle a dispute. In this case, he should have ran out of class and got help from teachers in the other class instead of breaking the fight himself. He told me he was so sorry and that he regretted doing that. I dont know if he was lying or telling the truth. I dont know what to believe anymore. He was caught lying a few times and it is hard to swallow his story now. I know that I have to speak to the principal or the discipline master to get to the root of the problem. That may not be ideal coz they were not there when the fight broke out. The Science teacher and the other classmates witnessed the scene. Maybe I should speak to them.
I have to go to his school to find out the truth.
I feel like there is something that is wrong with my nephew. Like he is trying to send a message but what, I am not getting it. He knows the school's regulation, so why get himself into trouble.
It is so hard to reach to him. He does not like to study and has not been following the time-table I set up for him since school started this term. With the baby and all, I have also laxed in disciplining him. I know he hates me more than anybody in this house. Coz I am so strict and a no-nonsense aunt. But if I were to just give in to him, then what will be of him. I dislike the company he keeps in his old school thus I got him out of that school and into this school. I dont know what will happen if he gets kicked out.
Again, I wish I have a magic wand and can just put things right.
I hope he understands. I hope he will change for the better.
I really feel like I have failed as his guardian.

As promised!!

They called that cake 'Sea Of Love'. It's a no #3, not that clear right?


The birthday girl and her cake. She chose the cake and picked out the outfit to wear.


My 4 kids. Check Farah out. She was not very happy about being photographed.


Zaza sharing her presents with her siblings, my nephew Yahya and my niece, Gamar.


That's my Zaza. The handbag and blue shoes were gifts from my mom. It's so coincidental the colour matches the cake and her outfit.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAHRA!!

Today is my darling Zaza's 3rd birthday. We are having a small cut a cake session once she wakes up from her afternoon nap and I bought some spring chickens for all.
Will take photos and scanned them once I have developed them, I promise.
Remember to wish her a Happy Birthday everyone!! :)

Yesterday, I accompanied my dad to Ministry of National Development to attend a course on e-clips. The AVA is going online for their license application and my dad no longer had to travel all the way to submit the application and get his goods approved to be exported out. That would save him about $40 in taxi fare to and fro coz once they have approved the application online, all we had to do is print it out to be submitted to the Saudi Embassy.

My poor dad was so scared of attending the course coz he is an illiterate when it comes to the computer language, so he begged me to accompany him. I went with him. Good thing I did, my dad was yawning throughout the session and he was nodding away. On top of that, he really had no idea what the guy was talking about. For me, I was busy taking notes, though I know what my father does for a living, I hardly help him with it unless there is an urgent order and he is out of town or hospitalised, that's when I step in to help. So far, I have only done it twice only and I remember feeling so stressed and scared that I may make mistakes. It's no joke having to meet suppliers, shipping co officers, checking the goods, make arrangement with AVA people to come down for inspection etc. I did it twice and I was so tired after that I told my dad that I dont want to help him in the future. I am never good with business dealings and though I can help in the customer service aspects (his clients and suppliers prefer speaking to me than him) I have never helped him close a deal.

Anyway, my dad introduced me to an Indian man, who looks very much like a prata-seller, moustache, balding, simple short sleeve shirt with old pants at the entrance of the auditorium and I thought that guy was one of the worker in AVA that takes the trash out. I was shocked when I found out that he is the big boss of AVA and he is a doctor. A plant doctor to be exact, do they have a name for that? He led the presentation and you can see that he is a very knowledgeable man. I was impressed by him. Never ever judge a book by its cover.

Anyway, the course ended within 1 1/2 hour and my yawning dad was ever so grateful that I attended the course with him. When we left, my dad was a much happier man knowing that there is one aspect of his job that he can pass to me and that is submitting the licensing app online. He usually takes 1/2 an hour or so to fill up the form, he claimed.

Well, glad to be of assistance dad but please, the next time you are bored, do not turn to the lady sitting next to you and chat her up. Not especially when you can see her busy scribbling notes and looking so nervous at the same time. Poor girl!

Today and Yesterday

We were at the hospital the whole morning and got back only at 4.45pm. Feroz had his IQ test and he fared average. The psychologist felt that he needs to improve in his gross motor skills and attention span. There is a suspicion that he may be dyslexic but she cannot confirm that because Feroz can read. This Friday, we have to bring him for occupational therapy so that they can probe further and see where his weakness lies.

The spouse and I agreed to bring him just to please the psychologist. Dont misunderstand me. We are not in denial. We know what Feroz is like. He is a teaser. It was quite comical to see him going through the whole 2 hours of IQ test. He was mimicking the psychologist, the way she spoke, and she did not even realise it. There was once she asked him where does milk come from and he said from mummy's breast. LOL!! The spouse shook his head and I was giggling.

My Feroz, my special kid that not many people understand.

Anyway, yesterday, the spouse brought the boys out to watch Charlie and The Chocolate Factory while Zaza and I spent some time together shopping for her birthday gift and her birthday cake. It was fun going out with girls, so different as opposed to spending time outside with the boys. She chose her birthday gift, a pink coloured piano and her birthday cake is a blue colour no 3 called Sea Of Love. She chose it because Tori from Power Rangers like to wear blue outfit.

We are going to have a small celebration this Sunday. Just us and she had chosen her blue skort and top to wear for the occasion. She said it is to match her cake. This girl got style, unlike me. She always wanna wear nice clothes even when she is home and I think I look like her maid more than her mom. So vain!

Anyway, I will post some pics of the cake and the birthday girl this Sunday. Hopefully, if I remember.

My poor Feroz!

Today, the boys had to go to school in red and white because Singapore will be celebrating our national day tomorrow. The school organised a little magic show for the kids at the nearby community club and they had to pay $5 each to attend the show. I know that the boys would love to watch such shows and since it was nearby, I thought why not let them attend.

So far, I have not let them attend any of the excursions organised by the school because I know that Feroz will be running wild and the teacher definitely cannot handle him. So, this is the first time that the boys will be attending something organised by the school.

In the morning, when my mom's helper sent them to school, the teacher in charge refused to let Feroz come along. She said that Feroz likes to run and it was going to be difficult for her to handle him. He refused to let Feroz enter the class. Feroz got upset and was about to cry but I know that Feroz is not the sort to cry in public so he held back his tears. My mom's helper insisted that the teacher bring Feroz along. She just told the teacher in charge to call me and to settle it with me.

Of course she did not call!! Why the hell did she take the $5 I paid for Feroz to attend the show when she already knew that she did not want him to come along. Anyway, that is not the point. The point is who the fuck is she to decide whether or not my boy should attend the show. I was very upset!!

My mom's helper followed them all the way to the community club and left for home. When my mom's helper told me what happened, I was so furious that I had wanted to change and go down to the school to file a formal complaint. The spouse was mad too and he got changed and left for the community club. He is on leave today and for the next 3 days, yippee!! When he got to the community club, he could not find the boys. All parents were not allowed in and the whole place was packed. The spouse could not locate the boys and he was getting frustrated. Then many things went through my mind. Could the teacher have left them in school? I started calling the school but the was no answer. The spouse sent me sms again and again telling me he still could not find them. I was so worried.

Then, finally, at 11.20am, the spouse caught sight of the boys as the teachers released them. He was angry. The boys were released out of the community club without any teacher's supervision. They stood outside looking around for one of us to fetch them. Before they ventured further, the spouse managed to find them in time.

I am not very happy about the way the boys' form teacher handled the kids today. I am also not happy with their assumption that all parents would have already been outside the community club waiting to fetch their kids. I know that I have to raise my concern with the principal. I know my boys are not easy to handle but that does not mean that you can be irresponsible. When I signed the papers that my boys would attend the show, I think the least you could do as a teacher is to be responsible and assure that the kids' safety is the first priority.

When the boys were home, I asked Feroz what happened and he told me that his form teacher refused to let him follow. He then promised her that he would behave and not run around. He told me, "I behave Mummy, I really did. I did not run around or disturb other children. I promised Miss Lee to behave if not she wanted to send me home."

My heart broke when I heard that. I know for sure that this Thursday, the first thing that I must do is to go to their school and speak to the principal.

Tell me that I am not being unreasonable, am I?

There is Still Love

There was a little drama at my house this morning. Dad received a call from his clients late last night and he invited them over for breakfast. My mom was hopping mad. She has agreed to cook lunch for a religious gathering at my aunt's place tomorrow and she has to go marketing today. Preparing breakfast will eat into her marketing time and she was mad because my dad did not consult her first.

So, this morning, I have an angry woman in the kitchen banging away as she prepared breakfast and an equally angry man who snapped at everyone in the home.

Mom prepared 3 different dishes for breakfast. She cooked fried rice, kacang pool (mashed kidney beans drizzled with onions, green chillis, purified butter and sunny side up egg eaten together with french loaf) and paratha (Indian pan-cake). As she cooked and nagged away, my dad suddenly had chest pains....

I was breastfeeding Farah in the hall and dad came out of the room clutching his chest. He looked pale. He told me his chest hurt and he could not find his gtn. I went to his room, put Farah on the bed and started looking for his medication. In the meantime, he sat on the bed and breathed heavily. I knew that he was in tremendous pain. We searched everywhere but we could not find his medication. I know that the gtn was very important and it helped to ease his chest pain. I was getting desperate and he could not understand where his medicine disappeared to.
I took everything out of his cupboard leaving the stack of files in it. I could not find his medicine.

I started calling the clinics near our place and they insisted that my dad go down to be seen by the dr. My dad was so stubborn and he refused, I think maybe because he knew the extent of the pain and that it would go away if he took the gtn.
I called 2 clinics, both refused to sell the medication over the counter despite having my dad's record as a heart patient. Both these clinics had dispensed the gtn to him before. My dad then asked me to call his current dr in the polyclinic.
I begged the nurse to let me speak to him and when she finally put him through, I begged him to prescribe gtn for us to buy so that I could just rush down and collect the medicine without my dad coming along. The dr refused. He insisted that I sent my dad to the hospital.

I told my dad and asked him to rest while I called the clinic I used to moonlight in. The dr finally agreed to let me buy the medicine over the counter but unfortunately, they ran out of stock. ARRRRGGHHH!!!!! I was desperate. I told my dad, "Ask God to help you find the medicine. You cant remember where you put it. Pray to God and ask him to show you some sign!" My dad nodded, closed his eyes for a moment or 2 and then with a weak voice he said, "Lift the files, it's under the files." True enough! When I lifted the files, the medication was there. I quickly gave him a tablet to place under his tongue and watched as the color returned to his face and he opened his eyes and smiled at me. I smiled back. I was glad that nothing happened to my dad.

All this while, my mom was still cooking and was not aware of what was happening in the room. When I told her, she just ignored me.

I know she was still angry with my dad. But I feel that there is a place for anger and there is time to just put the anger aside.

I went to the hall and 5 minutes later, I saw my mom walked into the bedroom and closed the door. Then I stood at the door and eavesdropped. Heard her saying, "Why did you keep quiet? You should have told me you were in pain."

Ahhhh...I smiled, so there is still love.

Dying to be Apart

Last night, I watched a documentary titled "Dying to be apart". It was about the conjoined twins from Iran, Ladan and Laleh, who came to Singapore in 2003, hoping to embark on a new life together, or rather separately. They were twins joined on the head.

The documentary featured their life as conjoined twins, why they wanted to be apart from each other and how much faith they had on the surgeons that were in charge of their operation. It also captured their fear as much as their excitement over doing things without having another person there with them.

Dr Keith Goh, the main surgeon who headed the operation was also interviewed. He was calm during the interview but his face was sad, I should say, it was more tired than sad. You see, the operation failed. Both Ladan and Laleh did not survive the operation. When Dr Goh was asked why did he agree to perform the operation despite knowing that the risk was very high, he said, "We do not choose our patients. Our patients choose us."

How true that statement is. How many of us actually go to a surgeon or a doctor because we heard that they were really good and have done wonders? How many of us actually look up to a doctor and think of him as a God? A statement made by Dr Keith Goh set me thinking, "Before they were wheeled into the operation, they looked at me and Ben (Dr Ben Carson) and said, "we are your children, take care of us"."
At this juncture, most of us feel helpless and full of hope even if we were very sick when we are given a chance to be treated by a top surgeon/doctor. We sometimes failed to weigh the risk and also failed to see that our chances of surviving is close to zero.

"When Ladan died during the operation, the atmosphere in the operating theatre changed. Some of us were crying...." (at this point of time, I believed the team has lost their fighting spirit ".....and 90minutes later, Laleh, the stronger twin, died due to loss of blood. I felt numb for the first 24hours after the operation. And I cried when I was with my wife."
"The twins have touched many hearts. Even if they have not met them."

When we went to see Professor John Wong regarding my sister's condition, I asked him,"Prof, what is her chances of pulling this through?" He said, "At this point of time, I can only make her feel as comfortable as she can."
He could have turned us away because he knew that my sister would die. But he did not, the only human thing he did was to give us hope. I should have realised that but I did not. I just wondered why my sister never had to pay for her consultations at all. Now I knew, it's because when we turned to him for help, he could not turn us away. He knew how severe her condition is but he could not tell her straight at her face and said that she would die. Just like Dr Keith Goh, who could not tell the twins that they would not survive the operation when they turned to him and Dr Ben Carson with so much faith and hope. Instead, they hang on and performed the operation hoping that a miracle would happen but sadly, it did not.

By the way, last Saturday was my sister's eight years' death anniversary.