Lagu Raya : A Nostalgic Piece

What is hari raya without a nostalgic lagu raya..

The best lagu raya is the one that could make you want to cry and call home or pack your things right away..

Of all the songs that has been composed, only few songs that are evergreen.

Each song create a different mood, some shows the joy and happiness while some make our heart melt..

Saloma - Selamat Hari Raya : a must-played-song that could make everyone smile

P.Ramlee - Suara Takbir & Dendang Perantau : So nostalgic and classic

Fazidah Joned - Selamat Hari Raya : Raya will not be complete with this song

Aishah - Pulanglah : Touching especially for those who are apart with family and loves one, when were in Skudai, whenever someone played this song, everybody will stop drawing and look at each other with face that tells they wanna go home.. :-(

Anua & Elina - Suasana Hari Raya : Anuar Zain was so cute at that time,and Elina have a great voice..



..But the best hari raya must be the one when we were a kid, still living with our parents, when we received duit raya and jalan keliling kampung kutip duit raya ramai-ramai. Nothing to think off, just enjoy the day...makan ketupat, kutip duit, makan kuih, kutip duit lagi....

..And now raya means a lot of preparation and headache and not plus heartache!!

EID MUBARAK TO ALL...FROM US IN PUTRAJAYA (Sue, Haffis, Sufiya, Hadif)

Balik Kampung

Dari Jauh Kupohon Maaf

Dalam dingin subuh hatiku terusik
Kenang nasib diri di rantauan
Bergema takbir raya menitis air mata
Terbayang suasana permai desa

Rindu hati ini inginku kembali
Pada ayah bonda dan saudara
Tetapi aku harus mencari rezeki
Membela nasib kita bersama


Hanya ku sampaikan doa dan kiriman tulus ikhlas
Dari jauh kupohonkan ampun maaf
Jangan sedih pagi ini tak dapat kita bersama
Meraikan aidil fitri yang mulia

Restu ayah bonda kuharap selalu
Hingga aku pulang kepadamu



Restu ayah bonda kuharap selalu
Demi anakmu yang kini jauh

Nyanyian : Allahyarham Sudirman Haji Arshad

..................
Tengah syok-syok layan lagu ni, kononya nak dapatkan 'feel' balik kampung..TUP TUP..!! Ada berita terkini :-

I thought of packing up tonight for balik kampung, especially for the kids since their's will be the main priority...BUT...En Haffis told me that we will only be leaving on Monday!!!..Monday is just two days away from Eid...that means we will be rushing and we won't have enough time before the celebration..

Balik kampung is a tradition that we still look forward every year, it is a time share the joy especially for the kids.

That means I can't enjoy Sudirman's 'Balik Kampung' song just yet..!!

Kad Ucapan Hari Raya

I just received four Kad Ucapan Raya for this year, one from an old friend..thanx Syuhada for the thought and three from official client. I think as time passed by, the thrill of sending and receiving card raya is slowly slipping away from me..




When I was in secondary school, getting a kad raya (greeting crad) was a BIG thing, especially when you are in all girls school. We will always compared who got the most and who got the prettiest and fancy card. Back in late 80's raya card were our most reliable mode of communicating and expressing tools. We girls loves card with flowers and beautiful places or landmark.Some were from original photo and some copied from original watercolour painting...but I remember seeing a card with cute little kitten with glossy pink background.

Cards with raya theme like ketupat, mercun, mosque and even local flowers are the things to remember, the tone and hue are different from contemporary cards.

Hari raya card for teachers were a must-do at those time, and the best thing is when the teachers replied our card,..it was a time to show off to friends that we are ehmm..'not average'.

I remember back then when I sit on wooden staircase of my Mak's house waiting for the postman every Saturday morning....

Then came kad raya with funny characters and funny wishes with pantun. This kind of card are suitable to be delivered to friends ONLY...looking at those cards are just like reading kartun Ujang...The sentimental value of Hari Raya are less compared to traditional one.

Sometimes we made our one card using manila card, draw on it and paste with ribbon or anything fancy..

And now emails and MMS and also animated virtual greeting card are the easiest way of wishing Selamat Hari Raya but I still treasured the old school way..

Whatever the way is,..it should come from the heart...

p/s I open one card and the sender is YMM Tengku-something-...terkejut juga, bila masa ada peminat VVIP ni :-)..but then I noticed it is an official greeting card from a company..hehe....jangan marah aarr..

Sad news from Hospital Putrajaya :2

I was browsing my old post and noticed there is one new comment from annonymous reader..pity her, losing a child, she gave birth just three days after me at Hospital Putrajaya..
to Zue, I might be stranger but I know how you feel, please be strong, whatever happen is against our control..Insyallah there'll another one.

this is Zue's comment:

hi sue,

aper khabar anak awak skarang? dan aper result laporan awak? saya pun baru melahirkan anak saya kat hospital putrajaya pada 2 july 08.(kelahiran anak saya tak cukup bulan cuma 36 minggu sahaja). 2 ari lepas operation, hospital benarkan saya dan baby keluar hospital. doktor mengesahkan anak saya normal dan sihat, tetapi pada 5 july pukul 9pm anak saya telah disahkan meninggal. pihak hospital mengesahkan yg anak saya mengidap demam kuning, tetapi dlm kad laporan baby, dia takder demam kuning.
saya suspect baby saya meninggal bukan sebab demam kuning tetapi disebabkan tidak dapat bernafas dgn normal.(badan baby kebiruan) ada kemungkinan baby sukar untuk bernafas sbb baby sgt kecik (2.1 kg)(lahir tak cukup bulan). semasa di hospital doktor dan nurse bg treatment yg sama mcm baby normal.
pada pendapat saya, semua hospital di malaysia harus ada standard process and procedure yg sama untuk semua pesakit dan baby. saya rasa, hospital putrajaya takder standard process and procedure yg betul sbb tu banyak kes dilaporkan
di hospital putrajaya.

zue...

4:03 PM

Jawatan kosong

Went for site inspection this morning at one of the abandoned project. So far the new contractor are moving slowly with their work. But this poster has caught my eyes..





Pencuri Kabel Dikehendaki :-)

Being a Mom

Its all baby stories this whole month... :-)

Being a mother is not just an easy task, it does not come naturally as some people thought, it need basic understanding of human being, behaviour, knowledge on handling small,cute but demanding little creature as well as technical aspect of breastfeeding.

Giving the best to our child does not only in the form of love, attention or money and stuff but also waking up at nite to feed them and numerous pumping session at home and office.

Usual accessories are not only handbag and handphone but cooler bag and pump.



Freezer now has became a milk storage compartment, all weekly stock like chicken, beef and others has been reduced to give space for these daily supply.



A-must-read website and daily supply

Mothers are superman..they are multi tasking, they hold many post, they are easily touch and fragile but don't mess with them..even a smooth jelly could be to tough to bite..

A pair of heart

A friend asked about my new baby, when he knew that I have a pair now, he excitedly congratulate me coz he said it's not that easy to have a pair. He have four daughter and only one son, some people have too many boys and some too many girls like myself, I have another five sisters...and no boy in our family :-)

Every child is a precious gift from Him, whether a boy or a girl, how many, how beautiful or big and small are not important as long as they are healthy. And yess never ask about the colour / skin tone, we should accept what God have decided..and bare in mind that Adam's descendent comes in various colour, therefore no need to be surprised when you don't get what you wish for. And to you-know-who-you-are, life is like this my dear, full of colour. Every colour is a unique substance that create an ambience.




Don't you think that variation is unique and interesting ? just like Angelina Jolie and Pitt's Zahara...



Mohamed Hadif

EBM Stock

This is nothing to do with stock market or shares, it is a stock for my Hadif. Some gave a big tumb up..and some will give a stare (male staff). They didn't know what is inside that red plastic bag that I carry everyday to our office pantry. Some thought that I go for 'makan-makan'...well I think there's no need to explain to everbody about my routine trip to that pantry.

I hope that this journey will be a smooth one until next 22 months, it's not easy as I thought before but as they said 'when there's a will, there's a way'

p/s : Sufiya loves to play BIG SISTER now..loves to hold and kiss his lil bro.

Home sweet home

Somebody asked me just now about Interior Design of his new bungalow, about how much will it coast, about the concept, wether to have Zen and minimalist with sraight line and simple decoration or go for modern and contemporary..well it depends on many factors and of coz money is always the main concern. In designing a house and interior there is always no boundary or limit, we could come out with up to date design, sleek and smooth furnishing or opt for English style, or some prefer Eastern influence especially Balinese. A house or home is a habitable space, therefore there is a sentimental value about it. Sense of belonging are stronger therefore it is always hard for husband and wife in this case to come out with solution in decorating their house.

It is a contemporary house- boxy with no pitch roof, 3 storey bungalow. They both have different taste and background, one like asam pedas and the partner hate it so much as the other one love it...

I told him to choose one that will please everybody, that compromise everybody's taste and need or dream. His son who came back from US has clearly made a choice - minimalist, but the queen of the house have something else in their mind. The boss who s going to sign the cheque have different and too many ideas as well.

A house is a space for people to live in, therefore the design should suit the owner's lifestyle and background.

Adapting to new life

Today is my fourth day at the office and third day at nursery for the kids, Hadif kinda adaptable with his new environment, he don't mind being all by himself on a matress compared when he's at home. He drink well and sleep well..

Abah's little princess still can't accept the fact that she have to be separated from us every morning, the moment we drive thru Parcel E complex, she started crying..poor little girl...

My life change dramatically not right after Hadif came,but when we are finally came back to Putrajaya, just the four of us, living and struggling and adjusting to new life without any help. It was a headache for me (I have to admit this), the first few days were horrible, I can't think properly of what thing need to be done first.
I take it slowly, step by step until it come naturally...

I'm thankful becoz during Ramadhan we don't have to rush home like before from USJ to Putrajaya, everything are going smoothly as planned, send the kids to nursery, 3 times pumping session at the office, act like a kitchen Diva during lunch break, surfing the internet and blog hop, search info on breastfeeding, feed the baby, change diapers (many times), change their cloth (few times), back in the kitchen again at nite...man !!!!...I could only lie down after midnite..I'm not complaining here, just making a list of things to do..

I haven't started any reading and revision for my BIG exam next year..I need a wake up call..!! few months to go..

Salam

Salam Kemerdekaan yang ke-51

Tanahair yang merdeka

Tetapi jiwa masih dijajah

Yang tua merasa duka

Yang muda lupa sejarah...


Satu keping emas dikutip

Ganjarannya satu juta

Setitis peluh perajurit

Tiada ganti dengan harta


--------------------------------------------


Ramadhan datang lagi...

Rumah itu kembali ceria

Menerima tetamu untuk sepurnama


Salam Ramadhan untuk semua dari kami di Putrajaya

Flashback

We could wish or dream and plan to grab everyhting, to taste all those sweet things and experience new adventure but life is not as simple as that. It's just like Forest Gump said' its like a box of chocolate'...or a packet of Nips, you don't know which colour will you pop into your mouth.

There were few things that I missed or 'tak ada rezeki'...

First---the BBQ at Rawang with Simah and family, and she's now back in Istanbul.. :-)

Second--the Sultan's parade and 'lumba perahu' in Alor Setar, it was a big event for the state and for me personally who have been a spectator of those event since I was a kid, the 'lumba perahu' or what we Kedahan called 'lumba perau' is a must-watch, but I was still in 'berpantang' period, but managed to catch a glimpse and hear the sound of pedals from my house.

Anyway, with His Blessing we managed to held a small ceremony for Hadif
Majlis Bagi Nama in Tg Tokong



Even though there were no internet and good books in Alor Setar, I fully utilised time spent there by getting these information, some history and myth and whatever related to 'the place' which will be documented in my other blog


And..ehemmm...did you notice that black thingy above my notepad..yes, that is my new toy that I was talking about before..gadget is just not for boys..

Make way for Hadif...

Introducing two 'dark-tall-and-handsome-man' in my life :-)

Many things could happen in one day...and when it has been 58 days, the stories has piled up..god things to share and bitter one to swallow, but life must go on no matter what.

The arrival of Mohamed Hadif on the 30th June was an unexpected event in our life, we were rushing to settled many things before my 'holiday' and on that particular day, we headed to our usual place for our dose of curry and then to a bank and finally to the hospital just to check my condition since it was already four days overdue..surprisingly he choosed to come out on that day and were almost ready to see a whole new strange world..and at 7.15pm with less drama and with the presence of his father, Mohamed Hadif were born..Alhamdulillah it was a smooth journey as I wished for, God has gave me strength and courage.

So,..lets see, last year we were three and now plus another one boy :-) The more the merrier and our living area is not just a space to entertain guest but now a playground with full of love and joy...

little man

alhamdulillah everything went smoothly and on the 30th june 08 at 7.14pm with the presence of his father, MOHAMED HADIF was born, a healthy 3.26kg and 51cm length..

Blooming

A new journey will start today or tomorrow

A whole new life awaiting

Hope it will be a smooth journey

Farewell

People come and go...they left footsteps and memories...

Just had a Farewell Lunch for our Boss who's leaving for HQ bext week..the new on just drop by today, but we didn't know that he's our new boss.. :-)

The Boss, having lunch at living area, sitting on Harvey Norman set.. (someone is eyeing and dreaming of buying an LCD Tv... :-)

Feature wall with big mirror could make a space wider just like this one

Fruits served on high clear glass panel

Main course were prepared by our immediate boss's brother, cooking and entertaining are this family's specialty.

It was a great lunch in a warm and cosy ambience, there are so many things especially the art and craft displayed in this house, most of them are souvernirs from his oversea trip..

Making a Place : Vernacular House

I did not attend the BBQ gathering due to health problem, both me and my daughter, but at least for the first time I managed to talk to the guest of honour - our blogger friend Simah, she sounds bubbly,jovial, friendly and warm...Insyallah one day, we'll meet...


******************************



There was a briefing from the consultant and contractor yesterday before CPC Inspection, they were quiet prepared this time around and for the first time I met the architect, whom I adore since I was studying..she look a bit different...my pre conceived idea..she's not that tall as I expected and seen in a magazine...



But this entry is not all about her, but more on the architecture : Vernacular.

Vernacular architecture is more towards local context, our design should respond and derived from our surrounding, that means we need to think of the weather, the culture, the material and soul of that particular place before we start designing. Most of traditional houses in Malaysia built during pre-war and pre-Merdeka are truly Vernacular architecture with all this attributes. One could feel that the house are suitable for our climate and responding to our culture with raised floor, ample natural ventilation and lighting, proper roof overhang and suitable local material which is aesthetically pleasing and practical.

Yesterday's briefing was a bit a misconception of the idea of Vernacular, they claimed that they design is Vernacular but with double frontage and garden concept. They placed a kitchen just next to the entrance which is totally not acceptable in our local culture. And when we chanllenged them, the finally admitted that it is only the facade that is Vernacular.....

..'Fusion architecture...? too many element, wrong time and wrong place

To me, it can't just be the make up or the external outlook, it need to be the essence and soul of the house. we design a space for people to live in, there is a sentimental value in any house, therefore when we claimed that it is Vernacular, the house should reflect the whole idea and concept of the word Vernaculus (Latin).

Sometimes we tend to adopt other people's culture which looks beautiful and nice in a glossy magazine but we should realised that those are what meant to be at that particular place, in that kind of environment and responding to their climate.

It is not easy to design a house, it is not just about sketching and designing but there are so much value and input that need to be thrown into in order to achieved an ideal design..it is way different what TV drama and movies always potray, an architect with safety helmet and a roll of drawing in their hand....typical...

Countdown

Its just around the corner, 13 days to go..if base on EDD - 26th June 2008, might be early or over due just like Sufiya..but I wish that it happen on weekdays, next week ...oooh how ideal..but only God knows....

At 38 weeks and second pregnancy, its so much different from the first one, the excitement and preparation are not the same anymore, time flies very fast...the first day of seeing two lines on test kit until today are just like a few months gap.....been busy with work and little girl at home plus other activities, I don't have much time thinking or worrying about this pregnancy....but of coz the love and attention is not less..never...any child is a Gift from Him...a precious one..

Tomorrow is a big day for our friend from Istanbul..a BBQ gathering for her...hope I could join them and meeting her lovely family for the first time.....

So, baby could you wait after the BBQ...? I don't want your birth place to be written down as Hospital Rawang... hehehe



UPDATE:

Just received a news that our boss will be transfered to other Department effective this coming 16th June 08, 'hope a new one will be more pro-active, energetic and whatever a boss should be.....in one year service, this will be my third boss....!! hmmm

Toys: Nokia N82

It was like love at first sight, the moment I saw her on tv, I knew that I'm gonna have i.....It was like a child staring at a chocolate advertisement, tantalised and wish that she could have a bite...that was how I felt....that tv commercial on Nokia N82 made a big impact....but I'm no gadget person..therefore that dream just dissappeared and resurfaced last week...

I won't mentioned about the whole spec...but one thing that grab my attention is it's camera...I don't have to rely on digital camera all the time...I need to snap photo most of the time, anywhere....

We went to The Mines and found out that the price range are almost the same and affordable, except for one thing...there are so many version, some claimed taht those are made from China, some from Singapore and even Arab Saudi...hmmm....I'm scared that we spent money on something fake.....

Whatever it is that small thing will be my next baby after this baby inside my come out in maybe next two weeks or earlier....

This would be a gift for myself after so much hardwork......

Men and Love

Georgetown, Penang....3th June 2008..hot and sunny afternoon....

An old Chinese man in white shirt and dark blue short pant was pushing his cart, selling ripe yellow banana somewhere along the road around historical town of Georgetown. His feature and gesture shows that he's been selling around that area for quite sometime ...yet he is still committed with his work, maybe he is still surviving and struggling among all these rapid development but I am sure he have seen enough and experience the good old days of Penang compared to most of us...His tired face and the old push cart made our heart melt, people like him,who still have the strength and courage to work under hot sun and dusty road....

Sometimes the best story of one place could not be found at any gigantic and monumental museum but simply from these street people who knows better...some men are truely committed to their work and some to their love one...



Alor Setar, Kedah...late afternoon...

The same couple riding a bicycle on that thin premix road not far from Taman Abdul Aziz, riding the same old black bicycle as usual, nobody knows where they are heading too, but one thing for sure they are always together..and that day, the wife looks fragile with a pain relief sticker on her forehead..people always wonder where they go, what they do...and one thing that really made people touch about this couple is no matter where they are go, the husband never leave his wife...she's always on that rear seat accompanying her husband....

This one special old Chinese couple is a testament of true love, money could not buy anything..their love is beyond our imagination..I believe it is not merely love, but commitment to each other that made them unseparable...people here always talk about them, and wonder what will happen if one of them have to go forever....it must be really hard...........

Young and modern couple could not compete with their affection and strong bonding..we might look and perceived love from different perspective..but their's is something rare and precious....

Ohhh...I feel like I need a hug now.......


' There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread'.....Mother Teresa


Have a nice weekend everyone...and don't forget to show your love one how much you care for them before its too late.....