OCD?

Hubby sent me these pictures just over two hours ago. Notice something?

Notice that he has placed the cards into a perfect semi circle... and that all of the cards are facing towards him?

Yes, Ian has this extreme fixation with organizing things. Be it grouping balls into the same colour, lining up his trains in a longgggg neat straight line, or even stacking his Lego in a specific way (that God forbid, no one accidentally crashes into as he will then be hell bent on getting it stacked in the exact same way). Is this OCD?

I once read that kids with traits of obsessive compulsion may have a learning problem in the future. But then I read this article at BabyCenter which placed me at ease right away. I guess these are pros and cons of having internet at your finger tips - Mr Google tends to always give you the worse prognosis!

 It's just cognitive advance. Phewww!

I miss my curly hair baby!

Raya 2016 - Part 4!

So this is Part 4 (and my final post) of Syawal. In keeping up with the theme of cramming everything and everyone that weekend, we invited people over to our house that Sunday!

In the morning we had my in-laws and their extended families. We decided to do a repeat of the Breakfast Aidilfitri we did last year (you can read about it here). I wanted to keep it simple and mess-free; so since Nasi Lemak Turbo is a good friend of mine, I pre-ordered 15 packets of nasi lemak, with ayam goreng berempah and their famous sambal sotong. Hubby then supplemented those with roti canai and nasi dagang, while I made some homemade buttermilk pancake batter so guests could make their own pancakes on our electric griddle.

The spread in our dry kitchen that day.

Scrumptious nasi lemak and nasi dagang wrapped in banana leaf.

Seri muka and talam durian. Roti canai presented on banana leaves that came from our garden! Buttermilk pancake batter in the background.

My handsome cook. (Bagi chan lah puji sikit... rindu time time offshore nie.) *giggles*

Check out our latest pets at home. Three tortoises that have grown so much since they arrived at our home barely six months ago.

We had quite an intimate breakfast that morning. My in-laws even invited my sister-in-law's wedding planner over so that we could finalize the details for the wedding. (October is going to be a crazy month for me!) After breakfast, we even had time for a photo shoot in the garden.

So apparently there is this new trend in town, where instead of taking still photos or videos, you do a still video instead. Therefore one has to stay still all the time, suspended in motion, while the videographer walks all around the scene making it seem like a 360deg atmosphere shot. Easier said than done, really! Hubby cracked jokes (which made our noses flare up in giggle suppression), wind blew our clothes around, and a darn butterfly even flew into the shot! *chuckles*

See how happy I was holding a broom?

Still photo with my sister-in-laws. Wearing a recycled baju raya from The Calice.

Hindustan style at our front lawn.

After they left, we had my ID contractor and his family over for tea. Remember that future renovation that I mentioned in a previous post? Well, should be happening soon, insyaAllah. (Oil price, we need you to stand strong!)

Later that night, we had Aiden's ex-kindergarten mates over for dinner. The Real Kids mummy-hood is still as zealous as ever, despite our kids being in different schools this year. One of them is heading for greener pastures overseas, so we thought it would be a good idea to have everyone together for one last time before they left. We did this potluck style, so all I had to do was make the food that they brought look pretty in my glassware. (Oh, I did buy satay though!)

See how I made takeaway pizza look so good? *giggles* Satay Kajang from the R&R at Elmina.

Yummy mee sup with meatballs! My maid said it tasted like bakso. Put a generous dash of sambal kicap... yum!

Selfies in the kitchen.

Waiting for one more to arrive, and missing two more! I was wearing a modern kurung from Deir.

It was amazing to see how the kids easily bonded with each other despite being apart in different schools for over half a year. It was so seamless, they literally jumped into conversation the minute they met. Takde malu malu shy shy. 

Kids were running everywhere, upstairs... downstairs. Meanwhile, the 'responsible' parents *chuckles* were too busy enjoying themselves eating and chit chatting. Since it was raining outside, we couldn't open the patio up to make more space, so in the end everyone kinda crowded around the dining table. I think it was at this point that both Hubby and I realized that we needed a bigger dining hall!

We couldn't squeeze 5 couples in! Check out my 'instant' daughter, so cute with a bow in a hair *smiles*

And another photo with Hubby, kain pelekat and all.

The ladies. Wish Erma and Nely were with us!

Our antics - posing for photos and then vetting through them. Memang tak ingat anak.

Anak pun tak ingat kat mak bapak. Love this photo of Ian balancing precariously while peering curiously at the iPad.

Candid pose while the kids were busy watching TV.

Mommies and daughters.

So many paparazzi!

And that marked the end of Syawal, well for me at least. Bring on Zulkaedah already! 

Raya 2016 - Part 3!

We've been getting warnings of deteriorating weather offshore, hence we've been idling for a few days. Which of course, gives me some spare time to blog.

But before I start blogging on my offshore adventures, I simply must recap Part 3 (and later Part 4) of my Eid, which also marked the end of my Syawal onshore. Since I was given the bonus of an extra weekend home, I cramped as many open houses as possible on Saturday (Part 3, this post), while I had guests over all day long on Sunday (Part 4).

On Saturday, we had 5 invites to attend, and incidentally each and every one of it was in the Shah Alam area. It made commute very easy, and we didn't even have time to feel hungry. Everyone certainly fed us well that day.

Kicked off with breakfast at our insurance and unit trust agent's house. Good spread of freshly made roti bom, kuey teow and nasi lemak bungkus. Kenyang! But we still had to make space for 4 other houses!

My three boys matching in green.

After that, we headed to a small get together at Dayang's house. Of all the things she served us, the ikan bilis goreng became the main attraction of the day. Once we started snacking on those, we simply couldn't stop! Next, we all went to Yay's house in Denai Alam. I was already full by then, and I wasn't able to put anymore Raya themed food in my tummy, so I had yummy lasagna instead. Bajrangi Bhaijaan was on TV (have you watched that movie? I thought it was quite good) and as soon as the show ended we said our goodbyes and hastily left for the next house.

Of course, we managed to squeeze in a group photo together.

Missing another two!

From there, we headed to my in-laws place as they were having a small get together for family. They made laksa sarawak but frankly, I barely touched anything as I was already feeling so bloated with all the food I had consumed since morning. After that, we rushed home to get ready for the SPK neighborhood open house where I was in charge of the dessert table. Unfortunately it poured cats and dogs that night. So there I was all dressed up in my beautiful baju raya, only to then pair it with Crocs. Stylo eh?

Love the flowers from the caterers. Definitely drew the attention away from those two balang tutup merah. *giggles*

Due to the rain, everyone had to cramp underneath the tents. The vendors (apam balik, char kuey teow, coconut shake) were also shielding from the rain under their small umbrellas. Seats were limited, the ground was muddy, but the food was good! Despite the rain we still managed to pose for decent pictures.

Wearing Matase Sutera.

Lovely neighbours.

Kudos to the Cahaya SPK Welfare Committee for making it happen.

Okay, stay tuned for Part 4!

Finally Offshore!

Hey everyone!

Just a quick one to say that I am finally offshore! I left for Kota Kinabalu last Friday night, did an overnight at the Hyatt Regency (was upgraded to a suite too - I'll save that for a separate post!) and then took a chopper the very next morning offshore.

First chopper out that morning! Various coloured coveralls represented various companies that will work together to make it happen.

My home for the next two weeks!

If you are my Instagram follower, you would know how much I struggled with packing, and keeping to the (ridiculous) 11kg weight limit on the helicopter. I meticulously weighed everything and found out that my empty bag was 3kg, my safety boots were 2kg, my coveralls and hard hat were 1kg, my toiletries were 1kg... which left me with a grand total of 4kg for everything else! A bit tough for a two week trip!

Anyway, I apologize in advance if you do not see any updates here. Internet is intermittent offshore. Weather has been kind so far, but we are getting a severe weather warning in the coming days; hence internet may not be reliable.

Doakan for a successful project completion for the future of the energy industry in Malaysia, and that I will return home safely to my family. Thanks in advance. ;)

Signing off, 110km off the coast of Sabah.
Liz

A Future Renovation?

Ever since we moved into our house 5 years ago, we have not embarked on any renovations to our humble home. Sure, we've done minor modifications; new furniture, new tiles, new flooring, new coat of paint, and the most recent - wainscoting. But we've always been living within the same square feet of space.

Call it the five year itch, but Hubby and I are both itching to embark on a revamp to the house. After hosting so many breakfast get-togethers, dinner parties, pot luck rendezvous and such, we've come to realize that our dining hall is a tad too cozy. I love hosting people in our house, so this renovation is quite necessary for me. Hubby on the other hand, has always wanted to make space for a family hall, making the current living hall a bit more formal for receiving guests. So hopefully with this additional space, we may be able to make room (pun intended) for his dreams too.

Anyway, I'm going to keep the details of our renovations hush hush for now. But what I do know is… it's going to be such an existing phase!!! *jiggles and dances in delight* I've done my research on much of what we want, and I really do not want to bore you with all the minute details. But what I do want to highlight is our choice of tiles.

A good tile is just like a fashionable outfit for women. Not only does it have to look stylish, it also needs to be able to withstand the test of time. I’ve had my share of renovation woes – chipped tiles, subpar finishes, or even patterns that become out of date faster than your wallet can afford new ones. Recognize that your choice of tiles are an investment, not a cost; so never compromise on quality and durable tiles which can still be picked up at great prices.

Niro Granite is all that and more. Niro Granite tiles are Swiss quality tiles that have been around the market for more than 30 years. The quality of porcelain tiles is at par with the best European brands, and can be used for wall and floor coverings for both interior and exterior applications. You have to check out their latest series of tiles, namely the I’Pietra, Stockholm and Step series. Inspired by stone, marble and cement design elements, they can make a bland room look so chic and classy. I never knew dressing up a room could be so easy!

This is my favourite for our dining room, the I’Pietra series. Inspired by nature, it mimics the distinct patterns and colour of natural stones. It will go beautifully with my marble dining table! Also available in other ravishing natural shades of white, beige and grey.

This is from the Stockholm series. Inspired by the semblance of raw concrete, these beige tiles are so sleek and modern. This is one color that will surely match any contemporary to modern home! Also available in natural shades of white and grey.

This is from the Step series. Designed exclusively for exterior applications, these dusky tiles mimic the look of natural limestones, evoking a sense of masculinity to the great outdoors. This one is definitely Hubby’s favourite!

Niro Granite tiles can be purchased through their e-commerce website http://www.nirogranite.com.my. But if you’re my type… the type that needs to touch and feel the tiles for yourself to be able to inspire plans for your dream home, then join me at Niro Granite’s booth in in Archidex (International Architecture, Interior Design and Building Exhibition Malaysia) 2016 at Hall 4, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 20th-23rd July 2016, 10am-7pm.

See you there!

Raya 2016 - Part 2!

So this is a continuation of my Raya Part 1 blogpost. We left my Dad's house in Ipoh way past midnight and arrived in KL close to 3am Raya kedua. Since I was still maid-less, I had to unload the car, unpack and I even had time to do laundry! Hubby was exhausted from the drive home so I didn't ask for his assistance. By the time we both crawled into bed, it was way past 4am. What time we all woke up the next morning tak payah tanya lah!

Honestly, being on standby for work during Hari Raya is no fun. I should really thank my lucky stars that my offshore mobilization was postponed so much that I was able to spend the whole Ramadhan and the first week of Eid at home. But I was never really off work, if you get what I mean? I was still checking and replying to emails while I was in Teluk Intan and the first thing I did the morning we arrived home was to turn on my laptop and had my daily morning call! Whatsapp messages tak payah cakap la, berduyun duyun message masuk with work related queries. So the kids spent a good bulk of their second day of Raya lazing around while I was in front of my laptop.

In the evening, we went to visit my Aunt in Titiwangsa and later went to One Utama to get a new iron for myself. After three weeks of ironing, I've finally given up on our iron. So for the first time in a longgggg time, I splurged on a good steam iron. Initially I wanted those canggih steam irons; you know the ones with a separate water tank that costs four digits? Well Hubby successfully talked me out of it, saying that my maid will be the main user of the iron and I won't be able to control how she uses it. Kalau rosak tak ke membazir. But anyhow, I'm happy with the iron that I chose. Finally, I can smile at the thought of ironing clothes!

The next day, we attended a relative's open house in SS16, PJ. Every year without fail, they would organize an open house during the first week of Raya. And every year we would enjoy ourselves immensely. Not just because of the company... but the food! For instance this year, they had various stalls for kambing, sushi, kueyteow, apam balik, satay, Sankaya ice-cream and a coffee bistro complete with barista. We ate so much salmon that day, we felt sorry for the guests who arrived after us! *chuckles*

My Maatin Shakir kurung was sooooo comfy, even outdoors!

Cousins first, BBGSians second!

Cousins for life.

My boys in matching shirts! Ian was asking for me to dukung him.

Apart from catching up with my cousins, I met Intan Ladyana - who was my schoolmate back in BBGS. I also saw Raline from afar, an Indonesian model who is quite famous apparently. (I was shocked when my cousin told me to check out her Instagram - she has 3.2 million followers wei! Yeah, and I'm just 3.19999 million followers away from reaching her stardom *giggles*) I was also hoping to catch a glimpse of Uqasha Senrose (apparently she's dating one of my cousin) but I left before she arrived.

After that, we again went to One Utama. Best okay pegi One Utama during Raya holidays - senang carik parking and lengang! Main objective was for Aiden to spend his duit Raya. For the first time ever, he demanded to spend part of his duit Raya on something. (He initially wanted to buy another tortoise, and then a frog (!!!) but thankfully I managed to steer him towards toys.) He spent a good full hour in ToysRUs choosing something for himself. It was a toss up between a Lego set and a telescope. The latter won but as we were preparing to pay at the cashier, we saw a BB8 on display on the counter top. To cut a long story short, the BB8 came home with us.

This toy nearly wiped out Aiden's entire duit raya loot.

Comel gila ok the BB8. Using a provided remote control, you can control the movement of the head and the body separately. But the best part is, if you don't play with it, it will make robotic noises and turn it's head in an effort to engage with you. Such a good buy!

Monday came by quickly after that. I was notified that I was slated for an offshore chopper on Wednesday, hence the Cahaya SPK gang decided on an impromptu dinner before I left, potluck style of course. No one wanted to cook anything complicated, so one neighbour bought pizza while another made meehoon tomyam. Good thing I had all those rendang, lontong, lemang and such from my stepmother, so adelah suasana raya jugak. 

Look at that pizza tower!

Dah takde maid buatlah cara takde maid - we used disposable plates, cutlery and cups. Paper cups were labelled to prevent wastage too!

The SPK gang, missing one!

Well typical offshore style, my offshore chopper was postponed till Thursday. And on Thursday some urgent technical issue came up hence I had to manage the issues onshore so the chopper was postponed to the following Tuesday (today), and then again to this coming Friday. Anyway, it meant that I had an extra weekend onshore... hence wait for Part 3 of my Raya adventures!

Till then, hope you're having a good Syawal!

Selamat Hari Raya 2016!

A week too late... but better late than never, right?

So how did you guys celebrate your Eid Fitri this year? For us, it was more of a touch and go celebration. We could not stay in one kampung for too long due to my impending offshore trip. (Offshore mobilization was originally slated for a week before Raya before it was gradually delayed to a few days after Raya to a week after a Raya, and still counting!) Hence with the uncertainty, we decided to minimize our time at kampung, so that we could be back in KL early for me to pack and standby just in case I get a last minute notice to mob offshore.

Of course before we left KL, we made a trip to visit my Mum's kubur. Aiden understands death quite well, since we've been going to the kubur since he was a toddler. Ian on the other hand is still learning.

Ian was contented with just zooming his red car on the marble top.

We then spent the last two days of Ramadhan at Hubby's grandmother's house in Teluk Intan. Unfortunately for Aiden, all his cousins were not around throughout our entire stay there. So he only had Ian to bully play with. Next year, okay Aiden? As usual, what buka puasa is complete without the famous Teluk Intan sirap bandung tarik and mee rebus Mastan Ghani!

Wearing my Duckscarves in Blooming Rose Pink.

Our very extravagant final Iftar.

This year, Ian is old enough to play with fireworks (under supervision of course!) and his personal favourite is the pop pop. He can finish a whole box of pop pop in under 20 minutes!

Playing with sparklers.

I didn't really masuk dapur much this year, mainly because I spent most of the time on the road accompanying Hubby to the wet market to get so many last minute things for the rendang and such. First day of Raya was relatively stress free, especially since we decided to only head to dad's house in Ipoh on the second day of Raya. So for the first time ever, I was able to join my in-laws to beraya around Teluk Intan!

This year is special too, because it marks Aiden's first year berpuasa penuh. So proud of my boy! Mummy pun dulu puasa penuh masa darjah dua rasanya. Hubby and I were both amazed at how he managed to pull it off. He certainly received a big fat sampul duit raya from us that morning.

Aiden excited to receive his first duit raya from his Datuk and Wan. Ian wanted the same too!

This year, Aiden finally understands the value of money. Hence dia bersungguh-sungguh cium tangan semua orang for duit raya in return!

Obviously Ian followed his brother's antics, hence he enthusiastically went around to salam everyone in exchange for duit raya too!

The cheeky two boys wanted to salam their Daddy at the same time!

Playing tug of war for the duit raya with Daddy.

Family photo.

The Teluk Intan family!

If you remember, I blogged about how I finally got my dream pastel pink outfit for Eid in this post. Unfortunately, I forgot to find a matching tudung and it took me two trips to the Duck bazaar at Bangsar Village to finally realize they didn't have anything to match either. Nasib baik I found one that would match among my rows and rows of shawls that I have hanging at the back of my bedroom door. On the positive side, I loveeeeeee my outfit! I tried a new tailor upon a friend's recommendation. This tailor can design and sew - the fit is good, the design is interesting and the price is reasonable.

Subtle chiffon waves to conceal the extra indulgence for the day.

Real men wear pink, Hubby!

Even the flowers matched outfit!

Getting a decent family photo was absolutely disastrous. Aiden refused to pose outside in the hot sun - I have the pictures to prove it! And because he was so bothered and flustered out in the sun, he got cranky and refused to strike a post in the shade either - I've got photos to prove that as well! In the end I allowed him to cool off and then slightly later we took our family photos in a controlled setting i.e. just us at the porch with a camera on timer.

Finally, one usable photo, albeit a toothless grin.

As mentioned earlier, we followed my in-laws to beraya. And we found a house that was perfect for photo opportunities! Such an interesting traditional wooden kampung house on stilts, with timber decor elements. While the rest were busy enjoying the served laksa inside, we were busy posing for photos outside!

Posing at the front door.

Posing at the window too!

The crowd inside the house.

The next day, we headed to Ipoh. My big brother flew home from San Francisco for Raya and he was at my fourth stepmother house so we headed there first. We had a good meal of lemang, rendang pedas and mee rebus. (The mee rebus was to die for!) My stepmother also packed us a full spread of lauk such as kurma kambing, kari ayam, lontong to bring home. I'm drooling as I'm typing this! *chuckles*

I wore a songket inspired modern kurung by Maatin Shakir.

Next stop, visit my Dad at stepmother number three's house! (Are you losing track of the numbers yet?) *giggles* Hubby had a good chat with him (I was busy chasing after the kids)... he even managed to show my Dad some cool time-lapse videos of the project I am currently working on and will be boarding offshore. If you want to see what I am up to in my career nowadays, head over to this link and check out the videos.

Behind us were graduation photos of my Dad *handsome eh?* and a family photo that was taken back when my Mum was still around. See if you can spot me!

My three boys matching in green!

My father was hosting an open house at his place that night, but due to said work commitments, we decided to head home directly after spending quality time with my Dad, just so that I could pack and be on standby for my offshore mob. After a change of clothes and solat Maghrib, we started driving towards the highway. We made a pit stop at a petrol station for some drinks for the kids, but unfortunately the fridge at the station wasn't working so Hubby made another stop at the next station. Nak dijadikan cerita, my cousin who just started working as a doctor in the Ipoh hospital called and said that he was at the said open house! I felt so sorry for him (because he came all the way for me and did not know anyone else there), so we actually turned back and decided to head to my Dad's house. Really, if he literally called just two minutes later, we would have already been on the highway with no possibly of making a u-turn.

Which explains why my kids were in pajamas and I was wearing a very attractive *sarcasm*  Zara striped top amongst a sea of baju raya.

My Dad got super excited when I turned up. Why? Because it was the first time in many many years that all of his children were under the same roof at the same time. I would not normally post these type of photos (I mean, good God, look at me back then!), but here's a photo comparison of when we were all last together and now. See if you can match the faces. Good luck!

Hope you all had a good Hari Raya too! Selamat Hari Raya and I wish you a blessed year ahead. Take care!