Ramadan_Day 26

I'm definitely in raya mood already! I will start my raya holiday tomorrow until the next Friday (11 days!) And of course when you're in raya mood, you can't do your work, can you? I've settled some of my work which need immediate attention. Seems smooth sailing except the IT survey that i need to do immediately after raya....Ahh! Don't want to talk about. Don't want to spoil my raya mood. I promise i will be dedicated to work once i come back from the holiday. The 1 month raya celebration will give me some time for me to finish the task. I like it when i work while others are enjoying themselves. No pressure on me to do unnecessary matters thus i'll be able to finish the task which is important to me....
After kitchen cabinets, my next project will be the porch!..... It's good timing for me to do some survey on the internet and magazines since i can't really focus on my work. It will be a 2010 project and still contemplating on the budget, whether to do just minor (less than RM5k) or major (less than RM15k). Apart from budget, the garden theme is also a dilemma. I like Bali and Tropical themes but i also like flowers which directly related to English theme. I like greens and i also like flowers. So why not i combine both....easier said than done, though. I want the theme to be obvious although it's a hybrid but i don't want my garden to look like 'rojak' either.
I will dedicate a post for my garden dilemma later. Till after Raya holiday, wishing me "Selamat Hari Raya 1430 Hijrah!"....music**dam dam dum, bunyi mercun**music

Raya 2009 preparation

Raya fever has struck everyone! Raya songs are already on the radio, offices are being decorated, annual leave application has been submitted for approval, new money for ang pau received and to be sorted out. At home, kuih raya already started production, baju raya already collected, houses are being cleaned & decorated with new furniture (not me though!)

I don't know why I'm kinda looking forward to this year's hari raya. Possibly i feel a bit settled and have lost my UK raya attitude. Celebration was simple back then since majority are not Muslims. I cooked raya dishes and dressed up nicely in baju kurung. Went for open houses (quite a few) and that was it really. Simple preparation and the feeling of celebration was only for a day or two.
When i came back in 2004, i felt raya celebration in M'sia was costly. Imagine the money you have to provide compared to when i was in the UK. New clothes, ang pau, travelling and kuih raya orders. I didn't buy clothes specifically for raya in the last few years. I just wore new clothes not worn at either houses (Batu Pahat/Perlis). I only bought kuihs as gifts for parents & in laws. I didn't buy for my house as i didn't forsee anyone would come for a raya visit. I didn't see the need to decorate my house. I was still in my 'UK raya attitude'.....

But now, i bought cloths to be sewn as early as April 2009 for the whole family. I bought ingredients to make homemade kuih raya. I want to decorate my house (but have not done so due to budget constraint). I do want people to visit my house (on 2nd thoughts, actually i'm kinda reluctant since we don't have proper sofa sets for guests to sit yet!) .... so where is this excitement coming from? Is this good or bad?

I figure i have lost the 'UK raya attitude' and have anticpate raya like any other Malaysian in Malaysia. It's good to have these two experiences... makes you think and analyse. But raya is definitely more significant when you have kids. More enjoyable since i have a reason to dress them up... :0
What i bought for the girls. Bracelets and Japanese cotton for baju kurung. The theme came from my baju thus green and orange. The boys (Kasyif & hubby) will wear green and my kurung consolidates both colours.

My 1st attempt at making kuih raya. This is Almond London in the making.

Ramadhan Day 18

We are already 18 days through Ramadhan. Doesn't feel like 18 days though. Maybe because the work days so far were shorter than 5 due to Merdeka Day and Nuzul Quran which fell on Mondays. And next week is a 3 working day for me as i will start my 'balik kampung' journey on Thursday. 1 more weekend and the next weekend is already Hari Raya...Time really flies.... One of the signs of hari kiamat???
Alhamdulillah, i manage to do terawih prayers this year. Initially I wanted to berjemaah at the surau but on the 1st night the surau was so full. Rather that gruntling as i pray, i decided to pray at home. I feel this is better as a start.
Some people don't appreciate people doing terawih at home as if the effort is of little significance.... Yes, i admit a lot can be gained in terms of pahala if we do it at the surau. But rather that giving advice, they seems more like passing judgement...'tidak merebut peluang' is the most common remark.... I think this people have not embraced that only Allah SWT knows everthing and what's best for every human being He created. Have they ever try to understand why some people behave and act certain ways?

The religion doesn't burden its followers but encourage us to constantly change and improve for the better. As the phrase goes 'begin the end in mind', I have a vision to be an excellent Muslim one day. Excellence in terms of ibadah, thinking process and lifestyle. And i am making small steps towards that since this is what i can afford to do at the moment....

Selamat menjalankan ibadah berpuasa.....

My kitchen_COMPLETED 99%

Alhamdulillah, no more major works for the kitchen. It's fully functional now and my 1st bake was roasted chicken on Wednesday 19 Aug 2009. 99% completed because there still touch ups need to be done (don't know when) e.g. paintworks, fan point and finishing touches.
I gather since this is not a total makeover, the overall look of the before and after pics are rather similar except new cabinets and appliances. However, the pics can't convey the streamlined & organised feel that were absent before the renovation. Verdict.... I've got what i've always wanted! I really appreciate the kitchen now.... Still looking at it with amazement (hopefully for long time). Still worry whether any of the new stuffs would break or not functioning or calar etc...

The before and after pics:

The preparation area where hobs and sink are situated.

The storage area i.e drinks station and pantry.

The washing area is the best makeover and the best buys. Bigger sink with functional tap. The reason i bought 1 bowl (large) sink rather than 2 sinks (normal) is because i want to wash my kuali without spilling around the sink area.

Initially i wanted to get just a normal curved tap because usually this type of tap is >RM500. But the shop has a cheaper version (not European made) and i paid RM280 for it! The sink is also reasonable (not European made), Tora brand. Never heard of it but i took the risk because the total purchase costs about RM600 over. Compare that to buying a European brand, the tap alone would costs more than these two buys!

The cooking area is easier to clean now. No more greasy feel behind the cabinet. It's now a 3 burner stove with hood on top. I still keep the old stove in my store, for future use.

Now, lets see the new features:

SOLID SURFACE. The installer moulded the wrong colour at first (boring speckled white). This is my actual choice, speckled black. There was another black, but the dots were bigger which i think looks like KFC. I'm very pleased with this one.

OVEN. For baking and grilling which i couldn't do before . Can be used for steaming as well. The microwave on top is an old one, bought in the UK. I've been wanting to have a raised oven since i first saw it in the UK. I think ovens are better placed this way so we can see our food browning to perfection. Actually, the more important reason is we don't have to bend over thus protect our back....heh...

CLEVER STORAGE.
Big drawers for pots/plates, hidden waste bin. Tall pantry for dry and canned food and

small pull out drawer for ladles, spatula etc .

My little boy is eager to peek and touch everytime i open these. The knives are not placed in the pull out drawer supposedly so please don't gasp when looking at that picture. The drawers and shelves have drawer stoppers so they don't bang when you close them. Just give a little push and it will closes itself. I likeeeeee!.......

Lastly but not least, the area which need to be improved:

I want to clear this space so i need to think of storage to store the bottles and rice cooker.

And to do paint touch up on the eubiq.

Alhamdulillah dengan rezeki yang Allah limpahkan.....

Selamat berpuasa

"Sahaja aku berpuasa sebulan dalam bulan Ramadan yang diwajibkan ke atas ku pada tahun ini kerana Allah Taala...."
Semoga Ramadan tahun ini lebih barakah dan bermakna dari tahun sebelumnya..... Semoga Ramadan tahun ini dipenuhi dengan aktiviti yang lebih utama dari hal-hal dunia.... Ya Allah! Perkenankanlah....

Time really flies

Kitchen cabinet...done!.... Just in time before the fasting month. Alhamdulillah....1 minor job is to add a point for ceiling fan ( addition, not included in the original budget & plan).....
Muslims will start fasting either on Friday or Saturday this year. I really want to go for Terawih prayer this year since i have a bibik now to look after my children. It was one of the reasons why i wanted a maid in the 1st place.
And i need to renew the maid's permit this week.... I remembered thinking 2 year contract is a long period. But now i feel it's not....and i may have to start to worry whether she wants to renew her contract or not.
And Kasyif has grown to cheeky, clingy, unstoppable little rascal with 4 teeth and 2 coming.... Tomorrow is his 10 month check up at Klinik Kesihatan Bangi.
Work seems endless when i start to put my mind on it.... I remember doing a year plan for 2009 activity. And now it's already August and i feel like i have not done anything based on the plan!
Just realised i'm already 34 and i have 6 years more before i turn 40. What can i achieve in 6 years? What i want to achieve in 6 years?
Monetary wise - able to have RM50,000 savings
Parenting wise - my children able to read the Quran tilawah style
Family wise - able to give another 2 births (1 plus 1 twins) age 35 and 37????
6 years is not long so i need to be serious about this!
Health wise - stay 60kg until 40
Career wise - i dunno &*((&$%?? start a business or remain makan gaji???
OK, i should stop....i will get up set thinking about these....
Irdina has successfully went through the schooling ordeal including overcame her fear, stopped her bottle nibbling habit and started mengaji. Other than being fussy over food, i'm quite pleased with her achievement.
Jasmin is still unpredictable....sometimes she's pleasant, sometimes she still want things her way.

And so many other things that have changed.... within the span of 8 months.... Time really flies... And i want to appreciate every single second by doing good things and not taking time for granted....sbb MASA ITU EMAS and DEMI MASA! SESUNGGUHNYA MANUSIA ITU DI DALAM KERUGIAN....

Kitchen_Lesson learnt

My kitchen is nearly done. The final task is the ducting planned to be fitted this weekend. The solid surface was installed on Tuesday, and touch up job done on Wednesday. The solid surface enlightened me, the touch up was not a touch up at all!....My fault... i made the appointment at 3pm instead in the morning. They finished at 11.30pm!...These guys are just doing part time jobs to install stuff, not from a proper company. My fault for appointing them but hey! I decided not to take on a company to satisfy my own curiosity, whether you can save when you do everything on your own. The overall costs of is about the same but the little little details will make the difference e.g drawer stopper, drawers instead of shelves etc....Still to find out and compare with other kitchen projects.

I don't feel like appreciating the kitchen yet thus no pics have been taken. One thing for sure, i can finally breathe now that the kitchen is near completion. Whether it's nice or not, it's subjective. I'm satisfied that i finally have an IKEA kitchen (despite low scores from people on its durability) and the kitchen looks like mine....not like a showroom kitchen.
And the store shelves were done yesterday and i could finally unpack my kitchen stuff which have been in the box for nearly 6 years. And i offered my maid an electric kettle which has never been used before because i don't think i'll be using it...An act of appreciation? Maybe.....

Lesson learnt?....A lot!.....If there is another kitchen project? I might still do it my way but maybe appoint a company to do the installation & reworks, not going to individuals. How to make the kitchen worth the investment? By cooking a lot, use the oven a lot! Heh....Insyaallah....