Dream kitchen or dream on???

Today is the last day of June 09. I'm fasting today (pose ganti, 1 down 4 to go).... I've been busy planning for my kitchen in June. Lucky to have a supportive husband... driving me to Puchong to survey kitchen appliances last Saturday. And went to Ikea the next day.... I managed to go to 3 shops: Paramax, Living Depot and Seloka Sukma. I read their adverts in the Star saying they are having promotions.... Whoever has done kitchen remodelling would know the complexity of the task. Too many brands thus too many choices that sometimes you don't know which one to choose! Then, i narrowed down to Fagor and Tuscani. The Japan mades are above my budget.

Initially, i wanted a curved hood with good extraction power >800 m3/hr.I saw a niceTuscani set (with oven and hob) at Living Depot but the price is way above my budget ( i really like it).... Fagor's curved set is only 800 m3/hr extraction power thus cheaper.

Forget about curved hood, so now i choose the common inverted T type. Paramax has Fagor CPT-90XT set at RM3,699 but Ikea has the cheapest (Ikea only has Fagor) from RM3,969 reduced to RM2,999! Same specs only different designs e.g stainless steel hob vs tempered glass and the look of the hood... My priority is the hood which must be more than 800m3/hr extraction power so both Paramax and Ikea are 1000 m3/hr extraction power, the only difference is the design. For hob and oven, basic functions will do.....but that was before i mind about the overall look.

If i want to make savings on my budget, i could have chosen buying from Ikea but the hood is not pleasing to my eyes. Usually the hood is 70mm thick but Ikea's is 30mm (the thickness of that black strip in the above pic). Looks ok in pictures but i remembered saying "Kenapa nampak mcm pelik?"..... OK, since i've made that remarks, looks like i prefer the set from Paramax. But if I buy from Ikea, i will get RM300 rebate. Comparing the figures:

Paramax - RM3,699 + RM200 installation = RM3,899 with my choice of stainless steel hob and free 8 feet aluminium hose and cap

Ikea - RM2,999 + RM380 installation +RM120 aluminium hose -RM300 rebate = RM3,199

So my savings is RM700... quite a lot isn't it.....

Like i said, that was before i mind about the overall look. Because hood will become a feature in the kitchen so am i willing to compromise look over savings? That's the dilemma i'm having today... I was supposed to place a deposit with Paramax today but i didn't....I hate it when i can't make a decision. Splurge or save? (Not really splurge because it still within budget :-)....

If i decide to buy from Paramax, it's due to the following:

*Thicker hood panel (Ikea's look cheap)

*I can choose stainless steel hob (glass hob is too common)

*Puchong is nearer, better for after sale service (don't know whether Ikea will entertain me since i'm quite far)

*Free 8 feet aluminium duct hose (Ikea just give 4 feet plastic hose)

*Lower installation price (Ikea charges RM80 to put hood on the wall, ducting may be around RM300)

If i decide to buy from Ikea, it is because:

*I managed to find appliances at a bargained price

*I get RM300 rebate and I can use it to buy Ikea PS workstation priced at RM229

You see.... I still can't decide!!!!.......

Redang was fun...and breathtaking!!!

Just came back from family trip. Went to Redang Island 5th-8th June 2009. It's in my nature to do a lot of survey before doing anything because i want everything to be near perfect, as planned. Thus i like to plan, doing plans, survey, compare etc and that takes time. You can't afford to be spontaneous for this trip as you would end up not maximising the limited time you have to do what you're supposed to and waste the money you paid for the trip. I volunteered to arrange for the trip like i did for Tioman Island. I did regret at first for volunteering because it was time consuming. However, when seeing those happy faces i took back my regret. This was not like a normal family gathering because they spent a lot for this trip, thus expect a lot from the trip. Alhamdulillah the trip went well although there were hick ups here and there. Terengganu is really worth a visit and better to spend at least 3 days. There so much to see and do, and eat in Terengganu.

Redang itself was breathtaking. All my pics turned out really well, like pictures you seen in mags taken with DSLR camera!.... and the water has different tone of blue from Tioman's.... I'm glad to experience both spectacular islands with my families.

And you really forget about work/problems when you are at these beautiful islands. And still feel the excitement whenever you look back at your pics......

Now, back to work and back to planning. My next plan is my dream kitchen!.... I'm really indecisive about the cabinets, appliances, budgets.....HELP!!!!!

Health & Sickness

My youngest was hospitalized last Tuesday due to bronchiolitis with minor ear infection. When he was unwell at first, i thought it was normal for babies to catch cough and runny nose. I believe in letting his body to generate own immune system thus I was not that worried at first.

Then we decided to see a doctor since our friend was pushing us to go because she thought it might be possible symptom of asthma as her first child had a similar sickness (it was on the 3rd day Kasyif was sick). Still, i didn't worry much... I was still not that convinced until the dr who attended my baby at a clinic referred him to KPJ Kajang! Kasyif was hospitalised for 2 days and was discharged by Wednesday 20th May.

Moral of the story....yes, it's good that i don't want to rely on medicine to heal but for babies, i just need to be more careful. I was glad to take on my friend's advice, thus the experience of attending a sick child. If i was too proud to bring Kasyif to the doctor, Kasyif's sickness could be severe.


While at the hospital, I've been thanking Allah SWT for the health He has given the whole family. Kasyif case is considered minor, i don't know whether i can handle what other unfortunate families have to go through. Semoga Allah memberi mereka kekuatan, sesungguhnya ujian Allah itu adalah untuk mengingatkan kita akan kebesaranNya.....


I'm grateful that Kasyif made a quick recovery.

Friends vs Acquaintance

I've gained my momentum back. I was quite demotivated last few weeks. Maybe because now i'm anticipating our family trip to Redang Island this coming June.
For 34 years of living, i have made quite a journey and met people from different walks of life. But mostly i don't keep in touch with. Imagine if i did, i could have a good network.... I can say i don't have lots of friends that i can hang out with at the moment. My friends are as many as the fingers on my hands (or maybe less)....I'm the type who don't keep an address book where i can use to contact people once in a while. I did wrote people addresses/phone but i don't know where the book is now. It's not that i am a loner. I was just so hooked up on everything else that i forgot to keep in touch...Now after so many years, suddenly i feel i need to make the effort to start meeting old friends again. Why? Because i was thinking would anyone come to my funeral when i die? How many people do i know that close enough and would pay the last respect? It scares me because i know the answer.

Anyway, 2 contrasting incidents happened to me. One, i was given a pat on the back by an old friend while i was doing my 'pasar' shopping. She is my ex secondary schoolmate and i was very delighted. I truthfully said i can't remember her name but surely i remembered her face (i was surprised she could remember mine)...i wasn't that close to her back then but i really respect her for coming up to me to say hi. I gave her my phone number (i didn't bring my handphone to record her number....duh)...She lives nearby so i will make an effort to invite her over to my house (unfortunately she still hasn't sms me her number until now)...

Two, i brought the kids to UKM swimming pool last Sunday. I wanted to see whether it's true that babies can swim. No! i didn't just throw my 7 mth old baby in the swimming pool....Kasyif was afraid at first but later he enjoyed being in the water. He was kicking and flapping his arms but he can't swim yet. I could tell he can float if i let him go but i don't dare to do it just yet. Not until he knows how to deal with the clorine getting into his mouth/nose....sorry, got side tracked.

There was someone in the same swimming pool who used to be a friend. She was busy swimming that maybe she didn't recognise me. (Hmmm...there weren't a lot of people actually)..I said 'used to be' because i don't know who am I to her. Back then, we rarely talked about personal matters but we mixed and said hi. We even went to a holiday together but still i don't feel she treats me as a friend. More like 'i'm a friend to you since our husbands are friends'. That day verified a bit about my assumption. We both pretended didn't see each other....i used to have this attitude 'if you don't come up to me, why should i?'....but i've changed now (a bit)....i will make the effort to greet her if she doesn't (i think she goes to UKM every weekend, and i've just started swimming after childbirth).... I just hope she will not think that i'm just bugging her weekend activity.....

So whether they are friends or acquaintance, old or forgotten....you should make the effort to refresh the relationship. Because they have added another colour in your life and made your lifestory from nothing to a bit interesting.......Maybe just a tiny little bit but isn't that better than not having any? I've also made an effort to call a friend and plan to meet up this Friday...I was quite proud of myself for doing that....It is not so me (the bad me) but i did it....I did it to improve myself and show her that i appreciate her as a friend.....

After a hard day work

I had the time to browse and read people's blog... Found a friend's blog and reading it gave me a wake up call. Back to what is my purpose....how do i see myself in 10 years time? Because my friend is currently in New Zealand starting her PhD. killing two birds with one stone...Advancing her career ladder (once finishes her PhD) and having a good time overseas. I wish i could be ambitious like her.
And also found a cousin's blog interesting with pics...stories she has written about this and that....places she has been.....wow! I wish i could be creative like her....
After a while, i felt so down. I felt like i am a loser.....i have nothing about myself that i can be proud of..... Maybe that's why i keep wishing i could be like someone else.
Then, i found what my cousin wrote about 'the grass is always greener on the other side'. And about the saying in Koran "to lower your gaze from looking at forbidden things or else your heart will turn black, with envy, jealousy, desire, dissatisfaction, greed and the worst of all is, it makes you wanting more than you rightly deserves"....isn't that so true....

I was dissatisfied with myself and jealous of what other people have.....Not good, not good.....I should be happy for them and thankful for what i have and someday i might have something that i will be proud of if i asked and with Allah's willing.
Be thankful, be thankful....And for that reason, this is one of the things that i treasure most and i'm so thankful to Allah for what He has laid for me so far....I believe more good are laid in front of me if i keep on striving with effort and doa.....

Having you is the greatest thing (apart from your dad :-)...) Please Allah! Give me strength to raise my kids along your path.....

Nurture

Excited! Can't wait for the weekend as we are going to PD! Can't wait to see what my youngest can do in the water. He's only 7 mths...this will be his first holiday trip....

Whenever i post something here, its when i remembered about things that i have been thinking about but has done nothing about it. E.g just now i read an article from ISMA (Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia) about the student that took 20 subjects for SPM 2008 and scored. She's a fisherman's daughter living in Kelantan.
The article emphasise that parents play a big part in childrens' success. It's not about giving them the facilities, it's about nurturing....how you nurture affects the children's ability to excel....

The question for myself: How do you picture your children when they grow up?
I want to picture my children growing up as excellent Muslims with good personal traits and strong religion background.

But i'm not the religious type so can i achieve that? Insyaallah if i pray to Allah SWT and I have to start doing good myself.

I want to have the time to read the Mathurat and the Quran as a start. I want to provide at least 10 mins to do so. This small steps will help me to nurture myself and start nurturing my kids the Islamic way.....

Purpose

Last night, i stayed up to catch up on Heroes season 3. Managed to watch 3 episodes (2 more to go) and decided to sleep at 3.20am. But i just couldn't get my brain to shut down and that was when i got some ideas about this blog....Now the blog has a purpose that is to remind me things.... :-)