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....

Letting go

I asked my husband about my watch after i did my Maghrib prayer yesterday. I gave it to him when i wanted to do my Asar prayer at Sunway Lagoon. We take turns to pray so I've always given him either my watch or my handbag because i fear i might forget or the stuff might get stolen if i bring them along in the praying room.

He answered he couldn't remember where he put it. "Oh! No!" i said to myself. "It's probably in the bag" was what i said to him.... Trying to calm myself down and not letting him to feel guilty.... The conversation ended there....

This morning, i finished getting dressed but couldn't complete the last ritual because of the missing watch. I carefully scout around in the bag i assumed my husband had put my watch in but it was empty.... What should i say to myself now?

I have to learn to let go...i have to learn to let go....

The watch was a b'day gift from my husband in 2001 so it has been with me for 8 years. What's the big deal about the watch (apart from watch is one thing that i can't live without):

1. 1st b'day gift as husband and wife

2. it's a Tissot thus my 1st expensive watch

3. the design is simple (so like my husband) but i feel it fits me so well

4. the thought that my husband managed to find a watch that i myself didn't expect i could love it so much

5. I feel my life's not complete when not wearing it. I thought having a clock on my handphone is enough to tell the time but it just don't feel the same.

So it is not just a watch to me. Although it's not expensive (compared to Tag Heuer), it was priceless to me... The memories of 8 years is within the watch and it has made me feel difficult to let it go....

My husband said he will go back to Sunway Lagoon to look for it.

I don't want to put high hopes... But i want my watch back!!!!....

Now i have the opportunity to buy a new watch which can be more expensive....But tears rolled down my eyes...

The only thought that soothed me is "luckily i only lost a watch. What if it was my car? Or my kids?"......

I have to learn to let go.... Learn to let go things dearest to you since those are only material stuff that you're not going to bring along with you at Akhirat later.....

Farewell dearest watch... Thank you for being there whenever i needed you. Thank you for the memories we've shared....Rest in peace wherever you are.... (Wow! i'm really attached to the watch!)

How to deal with tantrum?

My 2nd daughter is sweet and funny.... She knows how to act silly to make people laugh. She's obedient and at the stage where she likes to dress up for role play. But of course, kids don't behave well all the time. She's a bit manja though, 'asyik nak dukung' although she's nearly 5. And this morning was one of those not so cheerful days....

Between us, i'm the one with the strict approach (loud and naik tangan) and my hubby is the soft approach type. Thus of course, the kids prefer their dad than me in time of behavioural crisis. They won't answer me whenever i raise my voice but run to their dad instead.

So this morning, Jasmin threw a tantrum by not wanting to get up and go to school. She cried on top of her lungs and spitting as if she wanted to throw up. My husband assumed she behaved that way due to lack of sleep. Being me, i think she just want to be difficult (so parents will succumb to their demands). She has been doing that too often now and i should not tolerate that behaviour. My husband tried to calm her down and obviously it didn't work and he left her at her room alone. She didn't stop and we just ignored her until her crying subsided. After about 20 min, she slowed down on crying and said "mama jahat, mama jahat". I could understand that because i raised my voice and i was the one who closed the door behind her when my husband left her in her room.

I tried to think of a way how to tell her that her behaviour is not acceptable. The dilemma is whether she can understand what i'm trying to say. In the end when her father managed to console her, i made truce with my daughter by saying 'i'm sorry' because i hit her on the back when she was spitting. We shook hands and i explained to her that her tantrum early in the morning is not acceptable. I said that she should say what she wants rather than screaming and crying and i said 'i know you're a good daughter' and hugged her.

From her looks, i think she still disagree with me. I think she is still angry at me because i mentioned her behaviour was not acceptable. We'll see how it goes.... I have to think how to teach her self control and introduce some dicipline and rules in the house.

Jasmin, I love you.....you're my flesh and blood and i want to raise you the right way so you can be at your best.......Ya Allah! Berikan aku petunjukMu....

Friday blues

Went swimming with colleagues during lunch time. We went to Presint 11 which is nearer than Presint 16. No one was there, just us!....I guess because the community centre is rather new and not that close to the central Putrajaya. The pool is bigger with green mosaic (but looks blue in the pic). The set up is fantastic, you'll feel as if you are at a luxury resort or spa.

The best part was we were the only ones there. 6 of us, swimming (struggling to swim) like nobody's business. Really had fun and hope the place will stay discreet for a long time. We've been doing this activity for 4 weeks now but previous pool was at Presint 16. I hope it will be a regular activity. At least 1 recreational activity a week, as a start for a better and healthier lifestyle.

I'm planning to be excused before 5.30pm because the tiling people promised to meet me at my house for site visit and quotation (and he just called, he's already in front of my house!).

And we are going to Batu Pahat tonight..... my grandfather is not very well. He's rather weak but refuses to stay with his children. He lives alone and on Tuesday, he slipped and fainted in his house. Luckily a good neighbour noticed and suspected something was wrong when the house was not lit although it was already Maghrib. Now he's staying at my parents' house to be looked after by my parents. I hope to be able to take care of my parents when they are old and weak. Ya Allah! Berikan aku kekuatan and kesabaran untuk menjaga mereka bila mereka tua nanti.... Sesungguhnya aku mahu menjadi anak yang amat kasih kepada kedua orang tuanya...Amin...