Stock Inventory Check!

Aku baru perasan awal minggu ni yg stok EBM aku tggal x sampai dua baris dlm peti. That's 7 botol 5 oz x 2 baris = 14 botol ajo! Alamak. Camne leh x sedar nih? Ish.. ish... silap sendiri gak, sbb sejak dari last week, aku on and off pumping sesuka hati. Lps bercuti2 di Cornwall, aku byk hari x gi opis, sbb nak bawak Aisyah gi health visitor la, wat party bday dia la, cuti kemas rumah la, haha. Dan aku ni plak kalo dah berkepit ngan Aisyah, i.e. kluar jalan atau duduk rumah ngan dia, konfem x pump sbb rela bg direct je time2 rasa cam dah penuh tu. Skang mmg payah dah nak double pump, sbb Aisyah rimas and distracted.

Lebih memburukkan keadaan, it was that time of the month, plus aku sdkt sibuk nak cuba menjayakan this task yg perlu dibuat before next week, jd hasil yg aku dpt kurg berbanding biasa. Cuak weh... Aku skeptikal bab2 hormon efek pengeluaran, coz aku ala2 percaya it's all in the head.

Tp betul la kot. Bbrp hari lps skali pump dpt in total 4 oz je (per session). Hari ni Alhamdulillah, dah balik ke asalnya (6-7 oz per session). Ke sbb aku dah berjaya men'tackle' dua tasks dlm list keja maka hati sedikit gumbira? Ntah la... Apa pon syukur...

Saja buh update psl pumping sket hari ni. Utk mengingatkan diri sendiri jg, jgn skip2 pumping, buruk padahnya. Hehe.. si Aisyah tu minum dlm 7-10 oz sehari. Byk jg tuh. Especially dah besar n tgh2 summer ni kan, kering tekak dia kot, kesian sgt. Mmg weekend pon kena pump jg, kalo x, mmg cpt la habis stok. Hari tu ada member bgtau, aku blessed kerana susu melimpah ruah. Hehe.. dah setahun dah umur anak, mana la melimpah ruah nya. Cuma Alhamdulillah, cukup lg setakat ni. Aku rasa susu tu std amount je Allah bagi kat semua pompuan, but kena usaha utk preserve quantity nya. Mmg it's not easy, but that's the way it is.

Slmt terus mengepam to those yg mengepam!

Aisyah Pandai Ajak Gi Park

Hubs ada minat baru skrg, yakni ...



Bermain Golf.

Ye, aku pon terperanjat, sbb dulu2 x pernah plak dia menzahirkan minat yg sebegitu rupa semasa kat Msia. Masa ayah aku sibuk bermain golf x pernah plak Hubs tunjuk interest. Tup2 kat Plymouth plak dia develop minat tu. Mungkin sbb dia dah tua hehe... Ala, kata dia, pegang batang golf ni teringat zaman kegemilangan dia main hoki masa sekolah menengah and universiti. Org dah naik sheikh la tu ... Tp sebenarnya, kat UK ni, sapa2 pon bole main golf. X perlu ada imej ekslusif mcm kat Msia, so less intimidating la kot.

Sbg isteri yg memahami, aku support la minat dia tu. Dah la sket je peluang dia nak bersosial kan, day in day out, jaga Aisyah, so of course la time dia minta pass baton kejap sbb ada geng sekepala ajak main, aku mengalah la kan (cheh cheh..).

Ok yg sbnarnya aku dan Aisyah pon duduk la tggu kat taman permainan kanak2 kat luar golf course 9 lubang itu. X tahu la plak selama ni yg di Plymouth ni ada golf course. Harga GBP 3.50 per head skali main. Mujur la 9-hole shj, kalo 18, pengsan la aku menunggu kat luar.

Pengsan tu bkn apa, tp penat mengejarkan cik Aisyah. Walaupon dia masih lom pandai berjalan tanpa sokongan, tp jgn main2, dia dah x mahu duk dlm stroller, malahan dia yg tolak stroller. Maka ke hulu ke hilir la aku ngikut haluan dia, di bawah mentari plak tu. Suka sgt dia! X tahu penat nih... Biar la kulit dah hangus dah pon. Ngan ibu2 skali ikut jd 'tanned'. Kalo jd golden brown x pe gak, ni jd mcm mocha terlebih kopi :P

Lps seketika, aku bentang tikar, ajak dia mkn roti dgn crisps dekat bawah pokok. Dia punya excited sampai nak bg BF pon x mahu, walhal x dpt sejak aku left for school pg td. Toleh sana, toleh sini. Elok sudah je piknik tu, dia cpt2 tarik tgn aku, tunjuk kat stroller lg. Oh, x puas main tolak stroller lg rupanya. Maka ikut la keinginan dia tu. Kira exercize bole x?

And then aku ajak Aisyah naik buai, naik slides, naik ntah apa2 alat lg dlm playground tu. Dia paling suka panjat tangga nak ke slides tu la. X give-up2. Lps naik, turun, naik, turun. Aku yg risau sbb budak2 besar pon ramai kat situ, tp Aisyah mcm x heran. Dia ala2 feeling yg dia sebaya gitu hehe.

Selepas dekat 90 minit, maka bersurai la permainan golf kaum adam itu td. Aku time tu dah capek, tp ada budak tu siap meraung2 x nak balik, konon x puas main. Hai la, mana budak2 dpt energy ni yeh? Makan cam sket, tp energizer bunny sungguh.

Energizer ke, Duracell ke, tau2 naik kereta dah tertido ada org tu. Hihi... Comel sungguh... Sampai angkat ke dlm umah pon x sedar. Penat sgt la tu!

Ikut kata Hubs, Aisyah skang, asal ptg aje, mula la amik kasut dia suruh Hubs pakai kan. Dah pandai ajak keluar gi park!

Masak ooo masak

Entry ni ditulis pada hari minggu yg lps semasa tgh geram. X pe, post kan jg utk ingatan kpd diri sendiri tentang cabaran kehidupan di perantauan.

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Eii rasa cam nak balik Msia la. Aku pon dah terkena penyakit yg melanda Che fadh. Hilang keinginan memasak dan kering idea dah nak cuba anything kreatif di dapur. Kalo Che Fadh pon bole kena, aku yg mmg sedia kala malas dari Msia ni lg la teruk penangannya. Apatah lg di tgh2 bulan, sambil menunggu elaun, lg x bersmgt tgk kan kabinet n peti kosong x cukup bahan tu. Hmmm....

Ntah kenapa la rasa camni. Tgh boikot ni, sampai tahap Hubs yg masak kat dapur skang sbb aku dah ckp siang2 x nak masak hari ni. Letih tau. Hari keja, balik school masak. Hari cuti, dari celik mata (bfast) sampai ke sebelum pejam mata (dinner), pun kena masak. Hari2 yg nak jenjalan kluar seharian pon, lg byk kena masak nak bawak bekal la, potluck la. Kalo habis penat pon, beli luar, tu pon doner kebab aje la yg halal, tp mkn kat dalam rumah jg. Hiiiii!!!!!!! *geram2 tarik rambut*

Sgt la teringat2 n rindu kat suasana makan luar kat Msia. Byk sgt tempat2 sampai x tahu nak pilih mkn mana, mkn apa. X payah mahal pon. Janji sekali sekala dpt merasa air tgn org lain. Masa2 ni teringat la MidValley, Alamanda, Mc Donald, KFC, pasar mlm, pasar ramadhan... Senang, masuk kereta, zooom terus pegi. Sini, hmm... byg kereta pon x de (x beli kereta). How I miss those times.... huhu...

Pastu sat ni sibuk diskas ngan Hubs, patutnya kita duduk kat area Notts sana, tempat ramai bapa2 jd househusband, so Hubs dpt motivasi memasak daily (sbb I heard kat Notts ramai wife yg blaja, n the guys siap bole swap2 resepi sesama sendiri). Bkn mcm di ulu Plymouth ni. Aku sorg je mother melayu yg blajar (that I know of). Pastu kena tempelak ngan Hubs plak, kata dia, kalo dah duduk Notts kang, ckp tiap2 mggu ada aktiviti, org hari mggu nak berehat, dah nak kena masak jamu org plak. Ye x ye jgk.....

Siap ada conflict of interest tuh, pada persepsi aku, hari weekdays hari2 balik kerja terkejar2 dah masak, so weekend masak ala kadar atau x yah masak, ok la kan? Pada Hubs plak, hari weekdays, hari2 mkn masakan cincai, hari minggu masak yg fancy2 sket la, ye x? Camne nak settle tuh?

Tu psl kalo Che Fadh dtg aku dah jd cam sesi terapi ngan dia. It's good to have another mother share tips n advice tau. Otherwise mmg rasa lonely banget. Sure, ada je kawan2 lain, but you know, time kdg2 not permitting aku utk join stuff that they do. X pe la, redha, redha, jd ibu kena byk redha, bak kata Che Fadh. Kata2 itu je jd pegangan dan penguat smgt, but time2 x kuat smgt tu, mula la pikir mcm2. Mcm yg tercoret di sini *sigh*

Oh well... you cant have everything kan in this world. Tu je la luahan rasa aku. Nk gi tolong Hubs kt dapur. Dah sejuk dah hati ni sket. Tp tu la dia, aku nk kena belajar menangani cbran blaja seorg ibu di perantauan.. Patut la Che Fadh ckp bole kena depression duk kat sini. Sangat! Mujur la dtg musim winter, makin lama makin summer, kalo dtg musim summer, makin lama makin winter, lg cpt aku stressed, depressed, suppressed, compressed and mcm2 pressed lg... Doakn aku survive n maintain my sanity! Taaa...!

P/S: Aku dah ok. Lps chatting ngan my parents di Msia, pastu Hubs ajak gi park petangnya utk prektis Aisyah berjalan, hati ini sudah sejuk. Ntah apa2 ntah. Ni mesti direct result of hormones, ala... org pompuan mesti paham ;)

Aisyah's 1st Birthday!!!

Aisyah turned on 17th June 2009. So on that very day (Wednesday), we had a little do for her. It was actually planned in conjuction with a BBQ event that was supposed to take place at the Hoe, arranged by the Komuniti Melayu Plymouth, but alas, it had rained all day since morning. Hujan rahmat la agaknya Aisyah ye? So, later we changed the venue to our own house, and hujan pon hujan la, ahli pengibas BBQ tetap bersmgt membkr sate di tangga depan rumah (rumah kami flat aje, tp masih bisa kok!), walaupon terpaksa berpayung....

Aku rasa terharu yg my baby dah masuk setahun... Hai... cpt nya masa berlalu. Rasa cam dia baru je 7, 8 bulan. X sangka dah setahun. Hardly a baby dah, dah jd toddler, almost.

Di kesempatan ni nak ucapkan terima kasih kpd semua ahli komuniti Plymouth yg dpt hadir mahupun tidak. Yg bersusah payah bawak potluck, yg berbondong2 bawak hadiah, yg smgt waja memerap, menyucuk dan membakar sate, yg sporting main games spt Lucky Draw dan 'Teka Berat Aisyah'. Maaf la kalo ada apa2 yg terkurang (byk yg kurg) dan jg kalo ada yg terlebih (ter take over majlis BBQ si Zafi ke, sorry ye?)... Hopefully next year bole buat lg baik, dan hadiah utk games lebih best ke (sorry hadiah selekeh je, last minute weh...hehhe). Heck, x yah tunggu next year, sapa punya bday next? Aqil kah? Ukyle kah? eh.. x yah budak kecik, org tua pon bole buat bday apa... Zafi, bday kamu kah? July is it? Hehehehehe... kita buat lg yeyeye....

Ok la... silakan tgk gmbr2 nya .... Aisyah agak monyok on that day, sbb terkezut ramai org, plus dia dah termiss nap dia tu sbnarnya, tu yg ngantuks kot. But percaya la, dia sgt suka kan toys dia tu. Sengih2 lps org balik. Cheh.. cheh... pandai anak ibu cover, suruh x nmpk gelojoh dgn hadiah org kasi.... org balik baru nak main... hehehe... pandai ni....

Birthday Girl - baju hadiah Aunty Mazni

Food!

Pembakar2 sate yg tegar di dalam hujan gerimis

Sesi Pembukaan Majlis

Acara Meniup Lilin - Riang ria abis kanak2 teruja tgk kek hehehe...

Acara Memotong Kek

Muka Uncle Zafi yg excited menang grand prize utk game 'Teka Berat Aisyah' - only off by a 130 grams - caya lah!

Muka Aisyah yg excited dpt toys!

Aqil yg dah pandai berjalan took a walk(er) down the memory lane, re-living zaman remaja beliau dlm walker...


Adults yg uber-excited mengalahkan bebudak, sampai muka bercahaya skali kena flash!


Pabila hari ptg sket... tu dia, geng uncle2 wat party sendiri... belasah main PS3 daaa.... x pe, janji hepi! Pemenang ni x de hadiah naaa....

Happy Father's Day - Daddy's Dearest Contest

It is 2.22 a.m. and the house is quiet, so I finally could write something with a clear head. This is something that I have been meaning to write for quite some time now, and with Father's Day approaching around the corner, and my online friend Isabelle is holding a Father's Day Blog Entry contest, I guess this is as best time as any. The contest is to show appreciation to all fathers. I'm not really putting high hopes about winning, seeing the responses and entries from others, but whether this piece wins the prize or not, I would've written it anyway even if I wasn't entering. What's important is that it is an honest piece of writing from me to Aisyah's Dad. But since the contest is on, I might as well try right? Who knows if we're lucky enough to bag something.. hehe.. So here goes...

Let me just clear the contest details first:

How to participate?

Just follow the steps below and the prizes could be yours!

1. Add Isabelle...frankly in your blogroll@bloglist and become my follower. (DONE)

2. Write a short entry in your blog about this contest (it could be in Bahasa Melayu or English - up to you) and put up the Daddy's Dearest banner. (DONE)

3. Upload a creative/dramatic photo of the father with son/daughter and explain why do you think your picture is unique. (DONE)

4. Include a link back to this blog and this contest in the entry (DONE)

This blog - http://thesnowwybear.blogspot.com/
This contest - http://thesnowwybear.blogspot.com/2009/06/daddys-dearest-contest.html

5. Tell me about your entry by leaving a comment here with the link to the entry (DONE)

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Aisyah & Ayah

This photo was snapped when we went on a trip as a family to a small fishing village, a few days before Aisyah turned one year old, which coincidentally, is two days before Father's Day. I was performing my Solat at the time, somewhere behind some bushes, and Hubs (my Husband) was taking care of Aisyah by reading her favorite book to her. It was taken with a friend's camera who thought the moment was priceless.

Thers's nothing out-of-the-ordinary or outrageously unique about this picture, but I'd thought that this pic captures well about Hubs' sacrifices and what a great dad he is to Aisyah. I mean, how many husbands are willing or crazy enough to put their careers on hold just so that their wives can make their dreams come true? How many are there out there who can hold their heads up high and proudly explain to others that they are 'full-time house-husbands', whenever asked about their current occupation?

How many Dads know their daughters best, even more so than the mothers, sometimes (hard to admit, but yes, sometimes it does feel that way, what can I expect as Hubs is spending 24/7 looking after Aisyah, as opposed to moi, which is, erm, embarrassingly less than that on a week day). How many Dads can expertly change a diaper without cringing, bathe their baby effortlessly, and doll their baby up real pretty in less than twenty minutes on average? How many Dads know how to handle frozen EBM with such care, and heat the breast milk until just at the right temperature to be served to their darling precious whilst the Mommy is out studying hard? Just writing this makes me want to go and kiss him on the forehead and whisper 'Thank You for everything' - he is currently asleep on the couch with the TV on. Typical, but I love him this much more :P

So, on Father's Day, I would like to dedicate this entry to Hubs, send him a big, fat, Happy Father's Day wish, and thank God for giving me the best husband a wife could ever have wished for. I'm not good with words, and I am never a serious person to begin with, so saying this out aloud to him is hard for me, but I hope he knows how much I am deeply touched about he's done for the family, and pray that all good things come his way.

Oh, and I'm sure if Aisyah can already speak she'll say, 'My Ayah is the bestest Daddy in the whole, wide, world. I LOVE YOU AYAH!'

Even if I don't win this contest, it's okay. I've bagged the best daddy for Aisyah, and that's what's more important :)

Yes, we love you, Ayah! Happy Father's Day!

Every morning I wake up and see,
The most handsome man lying next to me.

He's the one I cherish and love,
A blessing sent from Heaven above.

I will love him as a faithful wife should,
And do everything for him I could.

I would let him know everyday,
That I love him more than words can say.

For the baby that we have together,
And the love for God in each other.

It will keep our love for each other strong,
And the Lord will guide us away from all wrong.


I would also like to take this opprtunity to wish 'Happy Father's Day' to my Dad. I never told him this personally, but I want him to know that he has always been my inspiration in life. I am inspired by him even more so now, especially when the going gets tough with this PhD. But I will always remind myself that if my own Dad could do it at age forty with three adolescent teenagers (with attitudes) in tow, living on allowances so ridiculously small during those days and 1001 other challenges, why not me? Hopefully this 'like-father-like-daughter' thing is true!

Happy Father's Day to All you fathers out there too!

Happy 1st First Birthday, Aisyah!

Ibu & Ayah are so blessed to have you. We love you soooo much.

We celebrate your birthday,
As you turn one today,
A gift from up above,
So full of love.

God has specially made you to the very tip of your nose,
As precious as a flower, as tender as a rose.
Fulfilled and blessed our lives we have and all because of you,
As sweet as honey, as pure as dew.

We stand in awe as we see grow up,
So full of determination, never know when to give up,
You bring us joy and pure delight,
You made us happy, day and night.

Our hearts you keep warm even in the freezing snow,
And our love are with you wherever you may go,
You are the joyful moments through our sorrow,
You are our hope and promise of our tomorrow.

'Cause you are our pride, our unconditional love we give,
'Cause you are our joy, our undivided bond we cherish,
'Cause you are our sunshine, our embrace is your shield through the rain,
'Cause you are our little girl, our hugs and kissed will take away your pain.

We asked God for a flower and He gave us a bouquet
We asked God for a minute and He gave us a day
We prayed to God for true love and He gave us that too
We prayed to God for a baby and He gave us you.

May God bless you dear Aisyah
especially on this day
that marks your birth,
for all the special ways you bring
a bit of heaven into our world.

May God bless you, Today, Tomorrow and Always
in Peace, in Health, in Happiness and in Love.

Ibu & Ayah

Trip Around Cornwall

Hari Jumaat lps Che Fadh sekeluarga dtg melawat dari Bristol. Esoknya, hari Sabtu tu, kitaorg bercadang2 nak pusing2 Cornwall. First stop, Lands End. Seawal 9 pg lg dah cabut, sbb byk tempat nak melawat nih. Lands End ni kiranya penghujung UK la. The most westernly point.

Bole tahan penat nak sampai sini. X la jauh mana sgt, around 2-hours la drive, but sedikit mabuk2 sbb jln kecik. Aku je kot yg x tahan, Che Fadh kat blkg (sewa 7-seater) tu bole baca buku Sophie Kinsella steady je kat blkg tu. Hehe.. Apa pon, mmg worth it perjalanan tersebut, sbb Subhanallah, view dia amat la breath taking. Alhamdulillah, cuaca pon elok je, x terik sgt. Tp balik umah tgk2 hangus jg. Dgn Aisyah2 skali tanned gitu. X sedar rupanya!

Selepas gi Lands End, gi plak Lizard Point, which is the most Southerly point in the UK. Masa gi tu air laut tgh nak pasang, excited Aisyah first time nak kena ombak. Bersungguh2 dia nak berjalan ke gigi air dan even tunjuk2 ke laut. Kalo kat Msia sure dah bg mandi dah air laut, tp kat sini, hmm... sejuk lg air nya even kalo dah summer pon. Plus merata2 anjing, x konfiden la aku... huhu...










Tempat paling last pegi hari tu adalah a small fishing village di Looe. Jalan ke sana, pergh, kecik gile. Kalo la x kerana menggunakan SatNav, mungkin x akan jumpa dah tempat tu. Tp view dia cantik, and penuh ngan yacht. Mmg perkampungan sungguh. By the time sampai rumah dah dekat2 pkl 9 malam.




Esoknya, start balik agenda jalan2 dlm pkl 11.30 pg. Hari ni gi dekat2 aje, round area Plymouth aje, which means pusing2 the Hoe, the Barbican, Smeaton Towers, etc. Tp kan, sekerap mana pon aku gi the Hoe ni kan, aku x pernah2 jemu dgn pemandangan dia, and pada aku, the view just gets more and more spectacular, especially dah summer ni kan. Sungguh! Masa gi hari Ahad tu, air laut dia biru giler, pastu sbb cuaca sgt elok, bersepah la yacht2 di laut tu, dgn ada satu mcm fun fare nya kat situ, bouncy castles semua ada, gerai2 jual makanan dan brg2, so manusia pon ramai yg amat melepak kat situ.




Dah penat melepak, kitaorg berpicnic and solat Zohor kat UoP plak. Sempat la diorg meninjau2 kawasan Universiti hehe. Dah selesai semua tu, hajat di hati nak ke Mount Edgecumb naik ferry, tp dah too late, dah lps pkl 3 ptg diorg dah x wat trip ke sana. Huhu, x pe la... tu makna nya korg kena dtg lg tu Che Fadh... ;) But still nekad nak naik ferry tu, maka nya naik la ferry ke Mount Batten (dulu pernah gi ngan Azri - entry ini). Tp dulu naik bus kan. Sebenarnya lg cpt naik ferry, and lg murah. Kat Mount Batten jln2 sket, pastu climb up the public footpath utk tgk satu fort kat atas tu (Sir William Batten (sekitar 1600s) nyer fort - Plymouth ni tepi pantai, so mmg port pangkalan / observation point la utk perang zaman dulu2. Actually skang pon masih lg kawasan military).





Dalam pkl 7 ptg kitaorg balik umah. Che Fadh insisted gak nak balik mlm tu, so lps makan mlm diorg berlepas la dlm pkl 10 pm mcm tu, n tiba di Bristol dlm pkl 12 mlm dgn selamatnya, Alhamdulillah...

Dlm byk2 gmbr yg di snapped semasa weekend outing kitaorg ni, aku paling suka gmbr2 ni, sbb bila tgk baru la terasa dah besar dah anak aku, dah pandai nak berlari sambil dipimpin, pandai naik buai, pandai tunjuk2 bila nak kan sesuatu, and lately aku perasan kaki dia bila naik stroller dah terlebih ke bawah, dulu masa baru2 beli stroller tu kaki nya duduk dlm seat lg, sbb lom panjang. Pastu semenjak dua menjak ni, dah pandai sebut 'Mem mey' kalo nak susu. Ntah sapa yg ngajo, sbb aku slalu bahasakan benda tu as susu, as in 'Aisyah nak susu x?'. Hairan, tp kagum gak dia dah bole cipta vocab dia sendiri. Aisyah, Aisyah, dah nak masuk setahun dah kamu ye? How fast time flies!





PS: Gambar2 ni campur from camera Hubs and Abg Adee husband Ina. The ones yg ada tarikh salah tu from ours le... hehe... anyway, thanks to Abg Adee for sharing and ni nak bg credit gmbr nih :)