A dream comes true...congratulation sistas

TO MY BELOVED COUSIN SISTA'S...KAK PA..KAK SHAHDEE AND KAK HEIDEE..CONGRATULATIONS ON THE OPENING OF http://www.thecafe-at-lui.blogspot.com/ LAST WEEKEND!



I have heard good ravs about food from your customers...haha...and i think u know who they are :).

Although i haven't tried any of food thats is on thier menu...i have been tasting their food all my life..from their moms fav food...to her daughters food. They are GREAT and yummylicious..i kid you not!...the chicken devine..is divine and a must try!
Im craving for Kak Pa's gulai and telor dadar on a plate of hot rice...yummmmsss

So im looking forward to trying everything on the menu when i come home!!!....:)

Visit the cafe@lui website..here

Soapy season finale

yes..im back to working days..and nites again! arghhhh....so 2 days back i was up til around 1am to finish up some work, i realise i had to call my mama.We havent talk for a week now...coz everytime i reach home..its too late to call home. 1 am was still too early to call..so i decided to watch my newly downloaded G.Anatomy eps 16 and 17 season finale.



I love this series...its makes u laugh...cry..think...its very real.The last esp which was also the season finale made me cry from the beginning to the end...:(...sob..sob..sob and i hate this this the season finale...which means i have to wait weeks to months before the next season comes on..and yes im sure there will be a next season!!..it must not end here.....

my new gadget

i really should be working..but i just had to blog this....my new gadget!!! of course my 1st love will always be my D80...but with this i can take videos and it fits perfectly in my smaller handbags...:).

I tested it outdoor today....its good...but it did take some adjusting from the D80...its soo small that it felt awkward in my hands and using the LCD was also weird..the 1st time i used it, i wanted to put it to my eye...hehehehe silly me..not to mention that my hand was shakin everytime i take pictures..

i guess all things needs some getting use to...but for the price i paid..im lovin it...

Bubbles is Ameoba free...

( my 20 l.e garderners hat )

After days of worrying if she might have the ameoba in her belly....the stool finally confirm that she is free from it alhamdulilah.The diarrhea and vomiting that she was having just normal, maybe it was just a tummy flu...we waited anxiously for 2 days...until we finally got a stool sample from her (coz everytime she poops she in school or the nanny throws her nappy before we could do anyting ). So finally one morning just when we were about to leave the flat, she did the doody...and i quickly looked for my ready jar to store her stool, didnt get much but i hope it was enuff.

We had to wait til 6 for the result..and all day i was worried, coz since she was sick last friday..she had been really weak and its just heartbreaking to see your baby like that.

6 o'clock came..and we called the lab....her stool is clear..no bacteria or parasite...:) called the DR to confirm ..and he said to wait for a few more days and see, it will heal in time.

Apparently this is commmon illness, esp here in Egpyt where the water is not treated well and sanitation is not at its best. After talking to a few frens who had kids,most of their kids have had this at least once. It is treatable..but its along treatment of 10 days, if im not mistaken..and the kids suffers..:(.

Anyone could be in contact with this parasite...we cant control what the outsideenviroment but we can however control what we do in our home..i know most parents knows this already....

Here are some tips to prevent the spread of amoebiasis around the home:
-Wash hands thoroughly with soap and hot running water for at least 10 seconds after using the toilet or changing a baby's diaper, and before handling food.
-Clean bathrooms and toilets often; pay particular attention to toilet seats and taps.
-Avoid sharing towels or face washers.

To help prevent infection:
-Avoid raw vegetables when in endemic areas, as they may have been fertilized using human feces.
-Boil water or treat with iodine tablets.

So its one week since she fell sick...i took her to the victory park for a carboot sale..(which was abit dissapointing..but i did get a gardener's hat coz it was too hot..for 20 l.e and the hot dogs were deliciousmicious...as samira would say it :) ) and she was fine...running and playing...and she has started to ask for food again today...:).

So looks like she is recovering and hopefully she will out of it completely..stool still abit watery.. but her pot pot is looking better...thanks to Drapolene and Bepanthen!..

(bubbles tired after the park)

nappy rash nitemare

this is a nitemare for all mothers...and its an agony for the baby! bubbles had never had any serious nappy rash since she was born...but she has been purging and now she has a sore bum. It quite worrying...coz she has been purging for 2 days now...i had to change her at least 10 times a day..poor baby..and everytime she poop she will tell me.."mummy...akit pot pot" and she will ask me to put some ubat on her pot pot...kesian.

Just last week...a good fren of mine has the same porblem with her newborn son...he had a bad case of nappy rash...it was a pity too look at him...and he was only 2 weeks old. We tried to give him everything..and the last thing that works was Drapolene. We have been using Drapolene since bubbles was small and it suits her...it was recommended by my sista kakpa and since then..i ve been recommending it to everyone else. Another fren of my recommended Bepanthen..i personally have never used it but it worked wonders o her baby girl...so now i have one tube as spare!

There are alot of nappy cream that you can buy from the chemist or pharmacy...E45,sudocream,desitin,metanium...etc..all u need to find is one cream that will work on your baby's bum bum..

I also found some traditional remedy on how to cure nappy rash...one of them is by putting egg whites on the bum and some recommend putting corn flour....whether it will work or not....i have no idea..

I hope bubbles "pot pot get better soon and her tummy heals" :(

in bed all day

i wasted a day of days off in bed yesterday....what a waste of days off!!!.the bug has finally got to me..and it got me hard. I was feeling abit feverish and nauseous and the temperature went soring high!..i couldnt even do anything....was just laying on the couch..occasionally changing bubbles nappy coz she been purging the whole day yesterday, poor bubbles..her "pot pot" is not red..thank god our supply of Drapolene and bepanthen arrive lastnite..so i was less worried.

Since i was sick..i also missed a good fren farewell party lastnite..i could only managed to cook them curry and rice as requested,,ut i could drag myself to go..im sorry ammar and marwa...." I wish you all greatness in the US and hope the baby will bring you joy and happiness for you family ".I wanted to see them off at them off to the airport but i was too weak and drugged to move...

(ammar & marwa )

Im sure we will see them again one day..insyallah.

the good, the bad and some.....

yes, i know i have only started work for a month....but i feel that i need a vacation already!..i have two big agendas happening in July, one after another.

1. bestie elise wedding on 5fth July, in Malaysia..
2. adek graduation in UK onthe 8th July..

So i brave myself to ask my boss if i could take some vacation around these dates...to my suprise, he said "sure...how many days to need?"...i was left standing in front of his room..blinking and blinking..are the words coming out of your mouth are for real?...so he asked "when do u want to go?well..i need to take from 4 july to 16 july, for 2 weeks". Then the faced changed and the bad news popped out!! "im sorry u cant go on the 4th coz i will be on vacation and u will probbaly need to sit in for me....but ill be back on the 7th and u can go then for 2 weeks"...my heartsanked, coz now i know for sure i cant make it for besties wedding..but on the other hand...i will still be able to go for adek's graduation and see my parents.

So lastnite...i was up trying to figure out where to go for this 2 weeks, we will be in Uk for a week and then we have one more week to spare...i was thinking PARIS, my fav city in Europe and since caveman has never been there...i think July will be a perfect time to go...yes it might be a little crowded...but when is Paris never crowded!...time to plan.....woohooo!!!

Since i only have 4 days of vacation to date...u will be seeing me work like a rabbit for the next 2 months!!..

Not purple anymore

As much as i luv purple..my blog color was giving me migrain!!...so i thot if i have pening kepala looking at it..im sure you lots are having the same problem too..

I had to op for a more eye frendly color,I tried almost every single color on the templete and i have settled for this one...GREY...

lets see how this will cook...its my least fav color...but it is soothing to the eye!

New addition

This entree is dedicated to two of my fav peeps...my childhood peeps..who had just given birth to 2 heroes ( i had only found this out today..sorry for the delay..uhuhuhuh)

Woohoo....Im not the only mother any more hahahhaa.Bestie Poe,gave birth to a healthy baby boy a 2 days back and also Khemy had given birth to her 2nd Power Ranger...:)

Baby Eddie was born on Wednesday,14th May 2008..one after after his parents wedding anny..:).


To Poe & Khemy and family..Congratulation on the arrival of the bundle of joy!

Baby Eddie

Power Ranger 2

I haven't spoken to the any of them yet (did call Poe like 1 minute ago..but it guess it was too early) but im sure both babies and mummies are doing great..Poe even put a blog entree one day after she gave birth!!!

Selamat Berpantang ladees....:)

4 days off....

Finally....my back to back came back to cairo safely!!!...:)

and me.....4 dayss off wooohooooo!!!!...whats the plan?? sleep ..sleep...and more sleep...i wish! i do plan to sleep alittle...but i mostly wanna spend time with the family.I feel that i have been neglecting them for the last 3 weeks...being a horrible mummy and wife. So this 4 days...is make up time...:)

something closer to home

yes I'm on a blogging frenzy, i have been trying to sleep since noon but every time i close my eyes, by brains starts thinking and thinking about everything..work esp arghh i hate myself! So i decided why waste my day pretending to sleep, i woke up and start watching the news, which i have not done in a long time...very long time..

the last time i watch the news, it was all about Clinton vs. obama..and after awhile i got bored with their chase, but today..they were more news about Myanmar and Sudan..

4 May,Myanmar was hit by a force of nature..a cyclone. After 8 days being hit by the cyclone Nargis, the death toll has increase miraculously from 350 to 22000 today and another 41000 still missing and yet aid is still very difficult. A few days ago, i was flipping thru the telly while having dinner there was a documentary about what going on in Myanmar now after the cyclone...everyone was suffering and they were placing babies in their coffins...it was too disturbing that i had to change the channel. Those are still surviving are still waiting for help and now suffering from diseases and lack of food!Now the aid are all stranded at the border and unable to come in to the needed, just becoz of the political regime issue.

They need help!!! Please send some aid! who care where the aid comes from..your people are desperate for them....!!!

And in Oklahoma, a Tornado hit them and flatten most of the hit towns. In America, tornado is very common, i remember when i was in Sugarland, Houston. there was tornado warning and all of us had to be kept in a hall away from any windows or doors. So when the it finally hit us...the lights started to flickers and the sound it makes it very scary. We were fortunate that it was just passing thru where we are, there was no really damage...but we were told to go home and stay indoors for the next 24hrs. As we were driving back to the hotel...it had started to rain and flooding...if we were 5 mins late..our car would have definitely float like the rest!..luckily we made it back safely and  this was back in 2003.

Whats the difference???....beats me..i think it depends on where it came from like from the Indian ocean or from  the Atlantic ocean..and also the name of the cyclone or tornado are based from where they come from..

Can we predict a cyclone...apparently you can..cyclone nigris was seen coming as early as 28 April..it was seen like a big storm something similar to when Katrina hit New Orleans, although you can predict it..who are we to stop the force of nature....

more sleepless nites

called the boss this morning to update him...and after doing so..guess what he told me"oh by the way, Hassan got stuck in sudan and he is not coming back to Cairo today "..my jaw just drop and i said...ohh nooo...what happen? apparently the Darfur rebel has attacked the Khartum,Sudan's capital!..thats big news...the rebels has never come that close to the capital..and for them to do so it must be trouble. So...although ill be doing the freaky hours again for a few more days i know how many..i hope Hassan and his family are ok in Khartum.

After hearing the news, i flip on to CNN and yes its true..there are cars on fire and rebels with gun in the capital and everyone has been asked to stay indoors. They are rumours saying that Chad is helping these rebels get close to the capital.The lastest news was that the army has managed to defeat the rebels and some of the curfew has been lifted and Sudan has cut any political ties with Chad.

I , myslef is abit lost with this Dashur issue, yes i know that its civil war and many has been killed and also they are many ppl who are supporting this aid.."Save Darfur" including some famous Hollywood star...George Clooney and the gang!.

here a little history for the Darfur war in Sudan:

Rights in Humanitarian Crises:Genocide in Darfur

Background - Sudan's history of conflict
Sudan, the largest country in Africa was jointly colonized by England and Egypt from 1899 until its independence as a republic in 1955. Since independence, Sudan has been running the longest civil war in the world; 38 years. Sudan has a diverse ethnic and religious makeup. Approximately, 40 percent of the population is Arab and 60 percent are African. Roughly 60 percent are Muslim. There are close to 600 ethnic groups and over 100 spoken languages in the South.
Its constant mode of crisis is characterized by a war dividing the Arab-Muslims to the north where Sudan's vast resources and policy-making are controlled by Khartoum, and the African-Christians and animists to the south who remain excluded from power sharing and ignored by the government. Since 1983, over two million people have died from war-related causes and up to four million have been displaced. While millions have survived, they are subject to hunger and human rights abuses. The Sudanese government has participated in aerial bombings of civilian targets, looting of cattle and grain, destruction of villages, extrajudicial executions, and the abduction of women and children.
Unlike the north-south divide, the crisis in Darfur has taken another dimension. The government backed Janjaweed army is launching attacks on African tribes who themselves are Muslim, killing religious leaders, destroying mosques and desecrating Muslim texts.
Decades of peace negotiations
Since Sudan's independence in 1956, its political landscape has been illustrated by military coup d'états, short-lived ceasefire agreements, and unsuccessful peace negotiations yielding little progress. The first of such negotiations between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) began with the Nigerian peace conferences, referred to as Abuja I and II in 1992, and subsequent efforts by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Desertification (IGADD, now known as IGAD Partners Forum or IPF) which established a Standing Committee on Peace in Sudan in 1994. In July 2001, the Joint Libyan-Egyptian Initiative (JLEI) took shape, then came later efforts by Eritrea, and renewed actions by Nigeria.
The negotiations were characterized by disputes between Khartoum and the SPLM/A. over Khartoum's insistence on the imposition of Shar'ia law or Islamic law and the SPLM/A's determination on the separation of church and state. Negotiations were further marked by the continuous struggle to keep Sudan unified and the SPLM/A's threats of separation of the South and the marginalized territories of the Nuba Mountains and the southern Blue Nile if its objectives were not honored.
In 2001, the United States increased its engagement with Sudan. George W. Bush's peace envoy and newly appointed U.S. Representative to the U.N., Ambassador John Danforth, proposed a series of confidence building measures including a ceasefire in the Nuba mountains, zones and times of tranquility in which humanitarian interventions could be carried out, a commission to study and report on the issue of slavery, and an end to attacks on civilian targets.
In July 2002 both parties reconvened negotiations under the support of IGAD in Machakos, Kenya. The government and the SPLM/A signed the Machakos protocol
in which their common objective was the unity of Sudan. Under this provision, they agreed to discuss the outstanding issues of state and religion, self-determination for the people of south Sudan, power sharing, wealth sharing and human rights. Soon after, talks ceased between both parties until January 2003.
Lasting Peace in Sudan?
The 18-month period between January 2003 and June 2004 has proven to be the most promising at bringing an end to Sudan's civil war. The peace talks held in the Kenyan town of Naivasha, 60 miles west of Nairobi, between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/A have crossed several milestones and succeeded at establishing concrete measures.
To date, six protocols were signed which detail the establishment of a six-year transition period culminating in a referendum on independence in the south. The protocols outline power and wealth sharing arrangements, specify security measures and the merging of rebel and government forces to form a new 24,000 person army force, and reach settlement on the contested areas of Abyei, the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile. The capital city of Khartoum will be governed under Islamic law, but special provisions will be made for non-Muslims.
Although Sudan has made considerable progress at reaching consensus to end a bloody war that has claimed the lives of over two million people, this current peace agreement does not apply to the western region of Sudan. The crisis in Darfur must be immediately addressed in order to avoid yet another outbreak of war and derail all progress made up to date. Thousands of people have already died from violence and brutality, starvation and disease while the world has only offered simple solutions and little action. Justice Africa, A United Kingdom-based think-tank, acknowledges that "it would be a terrible tragedy if peace in the south were to be achieved just as Sudan enters a new and equally vicious war in Darfur."

We should be thankful that we are still able to live in peace...for how long....only time will tell...my mercy goes to especially to the children and women of Darfur...

Video of the week.....Lenny Kravitz: I'll be waiting

Happy Mother's Day

This is a tricky one, there is alot of different dates for this day? funny no....the brits celebrate it in March and the US in May..so i was abit confuse when to Malaysian celebrate it??...the answer from WikiAnswer was..

"In Malaysia, Mother's day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May every year"

which mean its today!!..:) happy mothers day to me...bubbles is too young to know what in the world is mother day..although i know i am her world and she is mine and my mama is mine :D and i missing her alot, i see her frequently and we speak all the time on the phone but yet i still miss her...i miss her touch and her hugs and kisses.Now that i am a mother myself, i realise that nothing can beat a mother's love to her child, its the strongest connection,one can have.

We use to fight alot esp when i was a raging teenager and a single woman hahaha (alot of issues!!) and we still do these days but alot less now.I use to fight back,but as i get older i learn that its better to just listen to her and take it in.There is no use in fighting with your mother ( mine at least )as she will always be right although she might be wrong sometimes :). When i was younger everytime we use to fight or argue..i always say.."mama tak sayang ena"..and she will always reply back "when u have your own anak u will know how much i love you" :(...thinking about all that i realise how foolish i was and how silly those fight were.

Now that we are far part,makes me treasure her even more,i find myself calling for the simplest solution..remedy..recipes..and or just for comfort coz hearing her voice makes me happy.

I dont know if i will be as a patient..as caring and as loving as my mum..but i hope i will be as good as her...coz she is the best in the world to me..MY MAMA..the best mother to me and my adek.

My mum will never read this as she is not a blog reader..she only uses the pc to watch her little cucu dance chemical brother weekly and to see her daughter and son inlaw in Cairo. but im sure she knows how i feel..

Special dedication to all the mothers and mothers to be (miss poe in particular)..Happy Mother's Day! Kisses from a mother to another mother...:)

Mine is purple..

halllu.....gawd i missed bloggin!

its been one week since i wrote anything...its been a hectic week and i hope it will be over tomorrow, yes my partner will be back from his two weeks vacation tomorrow so insyallah we will be back to 12 to 12 shift again..no more this 24/7 S**T.Waking up at 530 every morning and going to bed the earliest at 12am, its crazy i feel like im walking on air for the last one week.

And tonite upon the bosses request, i have to monitor til 6am...and thats is why im writing this...everyone esle is asleep..and i know if i take the my laptop to the room.the screen will be watching me instead!

So ive decided to change my blog..we just the theme and color..i was getting abit bored with the polka dots..i do like em but i just needed a change! and it PURPLE!!!...my fave color. I wanted to darker purple but this is the closes it get to my have aurbegine purple!

DOESN'T EVERYTHING LOOKS NICER IN PURPLE.....tEEheee!

a perfect saturday

i woke this morning, open the laptop..and i see 2 rigs tripping in and one POOH...and smile!!!! :D

Looks like i dont have to go to the office today....ill just stay home and monitor hourly...caveman took bubbles to POP IN today..while i finish up with some work and i went to pick them up later.

We were trying to figure out where to eat....and cant decide on anything so caveman decided that he will cook lunch for us and also back a cake. Ive been looking at recipe for Nigella Choc Fudge cake since last week...but i just didnt have the energy to bake it...since caveman was in the mood for cooking and being rajin...i asked him if he will bake it for me..hahahaha...told him it will a test for before he could be a house husband!!! :)

So i just chilled with bubbles....watch telly and sleep a little, while caveman was slaving in the kicthen. He made us a super steam fish that was delis...yummmm...caveman can cook!! and the cake was really how i had imagine it would be...fudgy and yummy.....he was soo happy and suprised that the cake turn out like a cake! 100 points for caveman..baking skills!!! even i have never made a complicated cake like this...with full topping etc....well impressed.We took 1/2 the cake to a fren's house and it was a HIT.Everyone thot i baked it..ehehhehe...caveman tersengeh jer!!!!

Its nice to have someone cook for you once in awhile...now that i know he can cook...i gonna make him cook for me more often!

Thank you sayang for a great lunch and a yummy cake! Muahssss

Nigella Chocolate Fudge Cake

For the cake:

400g plain flour

250g golden caster sugar

100g light muscovado sugar

50g best quality cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

3 eggs

142ml/small tub sour cream

1 tbsp vanilla extract

175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

125ml corn oil

300ml chilled water

For the fudge icing:

175g dark chocolate

minimum 70% cocoa solids

250g unsalted butter

softened 275g icing sugar

sifted 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

1. Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended.
2. Using a freestanding or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended (you’ll need another large bowl for this if using the hand whisk; the freestanding mixer comes with its own bowl), then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed.
3. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins. And actually, you could easily do this manually; I just like my toys and find the KitchenAid a comforting presence in itself.
4. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.
5. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave – 2-3 minutes on medium should do it – or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.
6. In another bowl, beat the butter until it's soft and creamy (again, I use the KitchenAid here) and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy. I know sieving is a pain, the one job in the kitchen I really hate, but you have to do it or the icing will be unsoothingly lumpy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
7. Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides, too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

Selamat Hari Buruh

Kepada semua buruh buruh seperti saya di serata dunia...Selamat Hari Buruh!...seperti yang die jangka...hari ini saya tidak bercuti...and saya sudah lamer tak bercuti kahkahkah.....sejak 13 April yang lalu....ada kah saya kuli batak??? mungkin...tapi saya rase ada orang lain yang lebih dari saya.....

sementara anak dan suami saya yang tercinta sedang membeli belah di supermarket sambil bersuka ria,saya di pejabat bersengkang mata melihat kerja kawan kawan saya die pelantar! sangat membosan kan..tetapi apa kan daya ini kan kerja dan saya yang memilihnya.

Saya yakin, saya bukan sorang saja yang berkerja hari nie..ramai lagi yang org org didunia ini yang berkerja pada hari buruh ini, ia membuat saya tertanya...aper itu Hari Buruh...ya ia adalah cuti umum bagi kebanyakkan negara, tetapi kenapa nama yang Hari Buruh...???

Apa itu Hari Buruh?

Hari buruh bermula di Australia lebih 100 tahun yang lalu pada masa dulu ramai pekerja yang berkerja 10 hingga 12 jam, jadi persatu persatu perkerja tidak berpuas hari kerana kerja 12 adalah memenatkan. Jadi persatuan ini mencadang kan kepada kerajaan untuk berkerja hanya 8 jam tanpa die tolak gaji.

Dari tu la, sekarang kebanyakan org hanya kerja 8 jam dah kalau perlu kerja lebih dari tu mereka harus die bayar "overtime" dan daritu la jugak wujud nyer 'overtime" di dlm kerja kite.

Walau pun ramai yang menyambung Hari nie pada 1 May, ada jugak negara negara yang menyambutnya di tarikh yang berlainan seperti die Australia, setiap negeri harinye lain.

Kita patut bershukur kepada para para perkerja pada zaman dulu yang mengwujud kan peraturan ini...tanpa perjuang mereka..mungkin kite masih akan berkerja 12 jam dgn bayaran yang tak seberapa!.Terima Kasih...

Selain Hari Buruh...macam macam name die berii untuk menyambut hari nie..tepi apa apa pun. cuti tetap cuti..:)

Kepada buruh buruh sedunia..selamat bercuti...:D

"Anti buruh kanak kanak"