Party On February 6, 2010

4th February 2010. Red & Black. Holiday Villa Doha. Great fun & laughter.

Hosted by Hubby & co, our close friends were treated to an 8-course chinese cuisine. Dim sum & cold platter, roast chicken, butter shrimp, sweet sour fish, mushroom veggie, fried rice, crabmeat soup and longan with jelly. Super yummylicious!

The ladies came in red & black glitz. Guys in funky red & black. There was even a dedicated paparazzi so that the guests can all enjoy the evening without having to drag their D90s along. While having our dinner, a mini slide show was presented. Beautiful pics of the recent Cik Kiah ladies trip to Dubai, followed by pics of the Arbaie hubbies selling food at the ’pasar malam’ in the absence of their wives. After dinner, some games for the kids were conducted to keep them happy. This was followed by another three games for the adults – Guys vs Girls. The first game – ‘Main Beratur2′ and the second game ‘Main Bukak2′. Nothing x-rated like the names suggest, saje buat gempaq. 1-1 for each men and ladies team. The final game was the peak of the party in which teams acted out scenes from P.Ramlee movies with miming. The Girls team, which obviously came with preparation, props and all, won! To quote our juri jemputan, kaum ibu tak malu berlakon! Best Actor or rather Actress went to Ima aka Sudin. Memang kelass lakonan nya, kecik2 cili padi antuperut sorang ni..hahaha

The party was so much fun, masing2 posing maut in their outfits and nothing beats a good laughter. You gurlz memang rock!  

Gurlz Juz Wanna Have Fun January 31, 2010

Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF)! The most awaited tanzilat kabir of the region. Me and my girl friends decided to hit the city over a one and a half day trip to Dubai. Girls (or should I say ladies – perasan..) only, no men allowed. 10 of us in total including my mum, and also 2 lil babies. Happening!

We flew from Doha to Dubai on Thursday evening on the new so-called budget airline Flydubai. Not unlike Air Asia – baggage, seats, food & drinks are all extra add-ons that need to be purchased. A short 45-minutes flight. As we landed in Dubai, we headed straight to our hotel to check-in. Apart from the screw-up from the online booking, the hotel apartment was rather good. Clean and decent. Strategically located too. After some quick refreshing, we dashed to Mall of Emirates and shopped till midnite. Not quite in full gear yet but still some ‘damage’ was there.

The next day, our agenda was photo shoot of Burj Arab and the newly completed tallest building in the world, Burj Dubai, now known as Burj Khalifa. Posing maut masing2. Then of course, shopping shopping and shopping. Most of the day was spent at Dubai Mall. Sampai nak tercabut kaki jalan back and forth, round and round the endless rows of shops. Tabik spring to my mum who actually managed to walk till almost 6pm after which she gave up and asked to be sent back to the hotel. Oleh kerana sayangkan masa, I continued to shop for a couple more hours. Finally, to end the day we had dinner at Planet Hollywood, comparing notes on what we purchased and basically chit chatting for hours. Since our flight home was at 7.30am the next day, I managed to catch about two hours of sleep. Shopping punya penangan.

Nak kata shopping gile2 tu tak lah. But it was definitely a nice change to go shopping with a bunch of ladies. Sekali sekala bole la. As much as my feet hurt, I actually had a lot of fun! Let’s do this again next year y’all! 

New Year, New Decade January 7, 2010

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010! I guess it isn’t too late to wish everyone a very happy new year.

2009 ended with a bam boom bang as we were invited to a very happening party at a friend’s house. It’s been ages since I last dolled up for a party so yeah, was it fun or was it fun? I simply love themed parties as I get to dress up in clothes which I don’t normally wear. My old company was famous for this. There was always a theme for its annual dinner and I never failed to comply. Once Hubby and me won the ‘best dressed couple’ – we came as cowboy & cowgirl. I was frequently nominated in the best dress category as well for several other years. Until today, the company still maintains this themed dinner concept.

The party that I attended last week was fabulous and the company was equally fantastic. It sure brings a lot of memories of my zaman kegemilangan, when ‘partayy’ was my middle name. I’ve had my share of fun and those gila2 days are now safely buried in my past. Nowadays, I merely jump up and down swaying to the tune in the privacy of my own room. Skill lama masih ada skit2 ok..

New year’s eve in Malaysia is typically celebrated with fireworks and those must-have concerts. I was never interested in these things, setakat tengok kat TV and often I will be in bed snoring by the time those kutu2 at Dataran Merdeka and KLCC do their countdown. The only time I ever saw the fireworks show was during the millenium eve – even then I was actually literally dragged by my lil sis. The traffic was horrific as we got stuck bumper-to-bumper till the wee hours of morning. 

I don’t believe in new year resolutions and have never had any. So well, here goes another year…

Back In Action January 1, 2010

Confinement days are over. Yezza! Not that there was anyone keeping a close watch over me during that period but hey, tradition must be maintained, right? During my previous deliveries, of course my mum did the cooking. She wasn’t too strict about it, so long as the food isn’t spicy, gatal or sejuk. As for me, I like to be more rational, taking a balanced view between modern medical practice and petua orang tua. No seafood at all as I delivered through the ‘window’. Fruits are ok, as they help me do my big business. Veggies are a bit of a problem here coz there ain’t much choice so I had to make do with whatever’s available. Chicken and meat are ok too. Fish was eaten on daily basis but only certain types of course. All dishes were cooked with a dash of ginger or pepper. Khalass…

The most agonizing part about confinement for me isn’t the food but not being able to go out. So yup, I hereby declare that I cheated.. I was out and about after 3 weeks. Initially it was just dropping by Mothercare just arond the corner to get some woman necessities which I would rather not let my hubby get for me. Then, on my 26th day langkah semakin panjang; I went out for a makan2 invitation at a friend’s house. But nope, I did not touch the spicy food. The following week, a trip to the embassy for baby’s passport – this shouldn’t count, the same goes with trips to the hospital as they were mandatory. After crossing the 30 day mark I got more adventurous, hitting the shopping malls – the winter sale was everywhere it was so damn irresistible. Finally on the last day of confinement, I actually went to a picnic! So there you go, I wasn’t that confined after all.

I managed to complete my 3-day post natal massage on my 4th week. The masseur isn’t a bidan and the massage was more like spa-style but using minyak urut and combined with a ginger wrap. She also bathed the baby and gave him a baby massage. Not bad given the lack of choice here but for a whopping 4-figure charge.

I have started driving upon completion of confinement but the gym is still a big no-no according to the doctor. 12 weeks was what she said. So how the hell am I suppose to shed this baby fat other than starve myself? 5kg more to go, helppp!! Talking about starving, it is funny how I never really craved for anything special during pregnancy but suddenly felt like eating so many things that I wasn’t allowed to during confinement!

Two more weeks before I go back to work. Oh tidakk!! I actually totally stayed away from office work during the first month and only started checking my e-mails during the 5th week onwards. Apart from the occasional peek at the e-mails through my Blackberry that is. And unless someone from the office buzzed me for something super duper urgent. Oh shucks, there goes my appraisal for 2009. And what about those unfinished KPIs? I’d rather not think about it now…

Announcing the arrival of Baby Ziyad November 28, 2009

After 9 months of ups and downs, the latest member of the family finally arrived on 17th November 2009. Baby Ziyad Muhafiz Anuar was born at 9.45 am weighing 3.04 kg, delivered via cesarean section.

The complication :

My pregnancy complication – placenta previa – was first discovered when I visited my home based gynae during my holiday in Malaysia. The consecutive check-ups and ultrasounds done on my 7th months onwards also showed that the condition remained unchanged. At about 35 weeks, the gynae here finally decided that I would have to undergo elective cesarean section immediately upon reaching full term.

The preparation :

I checked in to Al Ahli Hospital the night before the scheduled operation. As a private hospital here in Doha, I was welcomed as if I was checking into a five star hotel. A private room with a private bathroom equipped with all the toiletries just like a hotel, complete with  visit from the guest relation officer, free flow of coffee, tea, water and juices throughout the stay, and nurses with excellent services at my beck and call.

The nurse prepared me for the big day with CTG tests and routine vital tests. I was poked and pricked left and right – setting up the IV, antibiotic skin test and etc. And there goes my first night at the hospital and already I was sleepless with anxiety and fear of what’s coming up the next day.

The operation :

I was wheeled into the operation theatre at about 8.30am. I was actually scheduled as the first patient to be operated that morning but somehow there was an emergency case which needed to be attended urgently and so I had to wait at the recovery corner for over an hour for my turn to come. All this while lying flat on the bed alone, with mounting fear.

Finally, about an hour later, I was pushed into the operation theatre. The environment itself was enough to make me shiver. The anethetist came to start her job – administering the epidural for the spinal block in which I will be ‘half awake’. This was one of the pain points - I’ve had epidural for all three of my previous delivery and could remember clearly how painful this process was! The anethetist first injected a local anesthesia to numb the back area and then proceeded to inject the epidural in. The pressure of the medicine going into my back was just as bad as I had expected it to be. Given a choice, I would have preferred a general anethesia but my doctor was against it due to the added risks.

Soon after that I could feel the doctor rubbing my belly, some pulling and tugging sensations, and like a miracle, my baby was delivered within the first 5-10 minutes! Ohh the joy of seeing the baby safely out of my body brought tears to my eyes. The doctor continued her activities down there and the half an hour operation seemed like hours while I waited for everything to be over.

The recovery :

I was wheeled back to my room where Hubby was waiting – it is the hospital policy that husbands are not allowed in the operation room. My lower half remained numb for a couple more hours and I was weak as no food or drinks were allowed since the previous night to avoid nausea. As the numbness disappear, the throbbing pain begun. I couldn’t even hold my baby just yet. 

Right next day, the doctor removed the dressing from my wound, as well as all the tubes from my body.  With  this, I had no choice but to get up from bed, start walking and start going to  the bathroom. These activities took a major effort but I finally did them. In fact, I think I did much better this time around as compared to my first cesarean almost 11 years ago…

Home sweet home :

Now, home at last, with my little bundle of joy. The first night at home was somewhat challenging, having to manage the twitching pain from the wound, managing breastfeeding  and handling the baby all at once. Now after a week at home, baby and Mummy have more or less established our routine. Baby Ziyad is not cranky and so far so good. Big sis and big bro are excited and always eager to help Mummy with the baby’s needs.

Syukur Alhamdulillah ke atas kurniaan Allah ini…

 

Myisha is 7 October 23, 2009

Myisha turned 7 on 14th October 2009. In all my pregnancy exhaustion and breathlessness, we still managed to host a pool party for her. No cooking at all for me, all food were ordered. We invited more guests this year as our compound has grown in the number of Malaysians to about 15 families. This, plus of course the regular vogue but kecoh gang who have all came back to Doha. Agenda was simple - eat, swim, eat, swim. The weather was perfect, not too hot. The night temperature these days has dropped to the low 20s and soon winter will be here.

Myisha, the second child of the  family, is a very responsible kid. Though she projects a shy and quiet image to those who don’t know her well, the fact is she is the total opposite. She is very independent, responsible, brave and smart. She loves outdoor activities – she learned to ride a bicycle when she was merely 3, swim without floats by the age of 5+ and comfortably roller blades around the whole compound at 6. I hope and pray that she will grow up to be a fine young lady dan anak yang soleh. We love you Myisha!

September Babies September 29, 2009

September is almost coming to an end. The month in which both Hubby and me celebrate our birthdays. This year my birthday was a day after we arrived in Doha from KL, it fell in Ramadhan just like last year. I had an early celebration with my family in Klang the night we left. My mum cooked nasi briyani and its lauk pauk for iftar, my elder sis cooked lasagna and my younger sis brought a birthday cake. It was a cozy family affair though followed by kesedihan of our leaving back to Doha. I even got  prezzies from all of them. On my ‘real’ birthday, we took the kids out for dinner as they were so looking forward to it (again).

10 days after my birthday it was Hubby’s turn. My plan was to invite a couple of close friends out for dinner but birthday boy had other plans in mind. So his birthday was finally spent by the beach though we couldn’t even see the beach as it was in the night! We actually went crabbing and since we left the house after maghrib, we couldn’t see nothing as the ladies and kids only lepak at the campsite. We had BBQ while waiting for the men to bring back the hasil tangkapan. I brought a birthday cake from Opera though initial plan was to get an ice cream cake, camna lah nak tahan since the crabbing place itself pun dah 45 mins from home. The guys managed to get some good catch, ada lah at least 80 ekor or more ketam. As usual we BBQ the fresh crabs on the spot and took the rest home.

As with birthdays generally, kids lah yang paling seronok sekali. Just a day before that we attended our good friend’s son’s birthday party. Other September babes include my cousin TL and a couple of other good friends – Voguemom, my famous producer cum scriptwriter buddy, my other glam politician fren, my ex college roomie, ramai lagi lah, you know who you are. Here’s to all of us – semoga dipanjangkan umur, dimurahkan rezeki and all our wishes come true!

Satu Hari Di Hari Raya September 26, 2009

Our third consecutive year berhari raya di perantauan, the second one in Qatar. Sad to say, not much excitement. As hari raya comes earlier in the year, more and more people extend their summer holidays back home. Unlike last year which I think was very meriah, this year it was pretty quiet all around. Amongst our close friends, only a bunch of us stayed in Doha while the rest joli sakan kat kampung.

We started the celebration on the eve of Eid with takbir raya organized by Colosseum Compound cawangan Malaysia. About ten families turned up and fortunately the suasana taklah sayu sangat. Teringat kembali takbir raya while we were in Oman. On the morning of Eid, we went for solat raya at Embassy. Ramai muka2 baru tahun ni, and the place was jam packed as usual. The typical Embassy organized function, very ala kadar, again unlike last year whereby the food was plentiful and every raya dish you could think of semua ada. Maybe coz Dato’ not in town this year. But hey, no complaints (or rather, tak larat nak complain dahh…).

After Embassy, we invited our close friends and neighbours to our place. I stayed up till 2.30 am the nite before cooking rendang daging, kuah kacang and soto. No ‘real’ open house lah this year, this preggy mummy can’t afford to cook and entertain no more. So alang2 masak for ourselves, just increase the portion a lil bit and invite friends over terus. Meriah jugak akhirnya.. In the evening, we went for one more open house and called it a day.

The next few days, we went for more raya invites, taklah banyak, tapi ada lah at least one each day. A relaxing week it was for all of us. Makan tidur makan tidur. Now, one day before school and work starts, we just got to know that the Ministry of Education had announced an extended school holiday for another week. Aahh how I wish that applies to work too! Dream on…

 

The trip back home September 18, 2009

It’s been a while since my last entry (apart from the kad raya below). I’ve been away on a fabulous 4 weeks holiday in Malaysia tanah tumpahnya darahku. After more than 18 months in Doha, it was definitely a much awaited vacation. The saddest part of course, is not  being able to celebrate Aidilfitri with loved ones back home. Our original raya plane tickets had to be brought forward a month due to foreseen difficulties of yours truly going on a flight beyond 28 weeks pf pregnancy. Of course other friends have done it at even 33 weeks pregnancy, but at this maternal age, I’m not one who would take that risk. As it is, pregnancy at late 30’s is far different from the 20’s. I get tired all the time, not mentioning the backaches and sleepless nites.

Anyway, our agenda of makan, makan and makan was somewhat restricted during Ramadhan. We chose to stay at my parents’ house thru out the 4 weeks since our abandoned house was not exactly in living condition with leaking pipes and everything. Administrative matters were also a priority, from banking to car selling to property hunting. These are the things which we can never totally rely on family or friends to handle while we are away. Not that it’s a trust issue, but the urgency and priority are sometimes simply not there. Apart from the admin stuff, shopping was also very ala kadar this time around. I wasn’t in the usual mood to shop for personal things as they seem less important during pregnancy, so it was more of the kids and hubby that shopped mainly. I didn’t manage to meet many old friends either, well actually, not many of them knew I was in town. Malas nak announce. So it was mainly centred around immediate family, cousins and very close friends. Quality time indeed. 

It was great to just sit back and enjoy the lush green landscapes of Malaysia especially the rain! Although Ikhwan wanted to ‘go home’ after two days there, the kids ended up having a great time exploring new things which they had totally forgotten. Myisha loved the nature – from chasing the grasshoppers, discovering garden snails and helping her granny water the plants. My Blackberry being barred after two weeks there was a blessing in disguise as the next two weeks were spent leisurely. It was sheer pleasure to not have to think about work and checking e-mails all the time.

Back in Doha, kids have immediately started the new academic year after missing about 10 days of school. Ikhwan goes to Year 1, Myisha Year 2 and Dina Year 6. And poor Mummy has to get back to work. Thank God it’s only a week of work before another 9-day Eid break. What a relief! Weather in Doha is still hot and somewhat humid this time of the year but somehow we don’t sweat like we did in Malaysia. I am so looking forward to the winter months. After one whole month of eating Mum’s home cooked food, I now have to hit the kitchen again. Argghh, reality bites! No more nasi kandar, kue teow goreng kerang, paru goreng berlada and traditional kuih muih to point my finger to. .

Salam Aidilfitri Dari Perantauan September 17, 2009