August Birthday

15 years ago, at this hour I was just got my new title ‘Mak’. My first child was born at 2.34 am on 26 August 1994. At this hour also I was still sleeping soundly after a few hours in labour.

I got married in November 1993 and about one month after that I was confirmed pregnant. I can still remember that on that particular day, I went to the company’s panel clinic to ask the doctor on how to not to get pregnant so soon. The lady doctor- on- duty advice me on the how to. But she also asked me to do the urine test at the same time. So that she can plan something for me. Fortunately, when the urine test result was out, it was positive and I was 4 weeks pregnant. I was quite surprised because I didn’t expect to get pregnant so soon. But as a Muslim I take it as rezeki. It was an easy pregnancy. No morning sickness, no nausea, no vomiting and I was very healthy. But my appetite was really good. I had 2 roti canai for breakfast everyday. Memang berselera.

At that time we were residing in USJ Subang in a 2-room flat. My sister, Adik was also staying with me as she was completing her Degree in I*M. My husband was working with a plantation company and always outstation and I was working in a haulier company in Jalan Klang Lama. When hubby was not around I will take bus to work. That was our life…as we were just gotten married and we have to start everything from scratch. Buying our own gas cooker, cutleries, household items etc. Our salary were just enough to cover the expenses till the next salary…no savings. It was quite hard but we survived.

The regular check-ups were done at S*MC under the company’s expense. Sometimes we had to wait for about 2 hours plus when Dr S**i had patients in labour.
Buying items for the baby was a funny experience… At first I had no idea on how to plan for the purchase. I had to ask from friends and relatives. Takut nak beli… if terlebih or terkurang. The confusing part is there were various views from the older and younger generation. Fening… In the end we just bought a few pairs of the baju and seluar, booties and mittens… but Alhamdulillah we got a lot more as gifts from family and friends.

When I was 8-month pregnant I went for a job interview at C**com Academy. My senior at work asked me not to go as she told me that that company won’t take me as I was pregnant. They wouldn’t want to wait till I delivered. But I just go and tried my luck. At that time that particular Academy was just set up and they need an HR people. After about one hour interview, they accepted me but I told them I can only join after my confinement period is over. That was the child’s rezeki…I got a new job waiting for me and a better offer.

On 25 August I went for my regular check-ups with hubby. That was on Thursday. So many people queuing. Kena tunggu for about 2 hours. So we went downstairs for drinks. When the doctor checked there were some blood stains. She asked me to get myself admitted in the afternoon. So we went home, prepare things to bring to the hospital. Informed my sister at home and in kampung. Hubby called my parents-in-law. At that time we do not have the handphones like today, so we only relied on house phone.

At about 2.30 pm we went to the hospital. Admitted to the ward. At about 4.30 pm, I can feel the mild contraction. I told the nurse and she did the necessary and wheeled me to the labour room. The nurse called the doctor i.e. Dr H*ris as Dr S**i was on vacation. By 9.30 pm I could feel the contraction was like every 15 minutes and dah dilated about 7 cm. At 11.00 pm, I was fully dilated and ready to push…push….push…tak boleh keluar…. Dr H*ris came and asked me to push….”Come on push….I can see the head”. Push lagi tapi tak boleh keluar gak. So Dr H*aris used the vacuumed. After trying to vacuum for 7 times, nothing came out. So he decided to perfrom emergency cesaerian….Duh….tension…Signed the form and off we go to the OT… I was on full GA and all I can remember, I was wheeled to the ward….haven’t seen the baby. When I was half awake, I asked hubby whether the baby is OK….my first question was cukup sifat or not….Alhamdulillah…semua OK. Her weight was 3.52 kg and 51 cm long.

We named the baby Noor ‘Atikah Hanani….. When she was a baby she was very easy to care. Very chubby, very fair, berketu-ketul. Easy-going and tak takut orang… Well-loved by everybody in the family.

1 year old


1-year old 'Atikah with Ayah

7-year old 'Atikah & 'Arfah

A few weeks before turning 15

Now as a teenage, we hope her will do her best as a student, as a servant of Allah, as a child and a Malaysian. Semoga menjadi anak yang solehah dunia dan akhirat. Refrain yourself from mingling with people with bad influence, focus on your study first…. Other things come later.

Happy Birthday ‘Atikah…. We love unconditionally....

What We Did Last Weekend?

Semalam (17 Ogos 2009) adalah Hari UlangTahun Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia (HUT RI) yang ke 64. Satu negara bercuti selama 3 hari. Banyak acara sambutan kemerdekaan diadakan sama ada di peringkat kampung, daerah, negeri dan kebangsaan.

Hari Sabtu kami tak ke mana cuma duduk di rumah…bersantai. Anak-anak berendam di kolam renang sebab hari teramatlah panas. Dah lebih sebulan hujan tak turun. Malamnya kami jalan ke Jakarta Pusat. Ronda-ronda sambil melihat macam mana persediaan sambutan hari merdeka di sini. Kami ke Jalan MH Tamrin dan terus melintas berdekatan Monas dan Istana Presiden. Bendera, pentas dan hiasan lainnya ada yang dah siap dipasang dan ada masih dalam persediaan. Kami singgah di Sarinah dan makan malam di ‘food court’ di situ. Selesai makan ronda-ronda di Sarinah Departmental Store. Banyak barang ‘on sale’ sebab sekarang tengah ‘the Great Jakarta Sale’. Tak beli apa-apa cuma ‘window shopping’.

Hari Ahad ke pasar beli ikan, daging dan sayur-sayuran. Pembantu rumah mintak libur jadi diliburkanlah. Lepas Zohor kami ke Senayan City dan makan tengahari di Pepper Lunch. Makanan yang dihidang dalam ‘hot plate’ seperti di ‘Stone Grill’. Dah makan ronda-ronda lagi. Anak-anak ke Time Zone main ‘video games’ dan segala macam mainan lainnya. Dah penat ronda-ronda kami ke Kawasan Kota Tua Jakarta.

Suasana hari kemerdekaan Indonesia di Jakarta

Kota Tua Jakarta

Di Kota Tua Jakarta lagi...

Kawasan ini adalah merupakan kawasan bangunan lama semasa zaman pemerintahan Belanda. Banyak bangunan yang telah dipulihara. Antara tinggalan Belanda adalah pejabat pos yang masih terdapat kotak surat lama, Pejabat Gabenor, gereja dan lain-lainnya. Tempat ini telah dijadikan seperti dataran. Di tengahnya ruang kosong di mana pengunjung boleh berekreasi. Ada tempat untuk menyewa basikal trend lama sama ada untuk bergambar atau untuk ditunggang. Memandangkan esoknya adalah hari kemerdekaan RI, pengunjung agak ramai…ada orang jual ubat, bersiar-bersiar, makan-makan….

Semalam rancangannya nak ke Tanah Abang mencari tudung….kami pergi naik teksi sebab takut jalan sesak kerana ada acara sambutan kemerdekaan dan banyak jalan yang ditutup. Masuk aje ke kawasan Jakarta Pusat, jalan tersangatla lengang….jadi lega sikit mesti boleh sampai ke Tanah Abang sekejap aje…. Sampai je ke sana, tengok-tengok satu bangunan tu ditutup. Hari libur…semua peniaga di situ cuti. Penat je pegi…jadi kami pun ke ITC Kuningan….Sampai je di ITC pun rupanya ditutup… Nasib baik ada Carrefour di situ. Jadi bolehlah beli hadiah untuk majlis harijadi kawan Adlina…dah beli barang kami pun balik. So tak dapatlah nak shopping.....lain kali la...

HAPDETS

The above should be read as UPDATES…lama sekali nggak update blog ni..been quite busy ngan entah apa-apa…malas nak on computer…in point form la ye:

1. CUTI SEKOLAH

Cuti sekolah anak-anak were from 20 June till 21 July 2009. That was the end of their Term 2. We did not plan to go tempat yang jauh-jauh sebab cuti dah save untuk balik ke Malaysia for Raya. Start cuti sekolah was 20 June and it was Arfah’s birthday…so buat kek and celebrated her birthday at home..potong kek je tak de ambus-ambus lilin. 1st weekend tu we went to Taman Wisata Mekarsari at Jalan Cileungsi – Bogor. It was about 45 minutes drive from Jakarta. Tempat ni adalah taman pertanian yang dipenuhi dengan pokok buah-buahan…Macam-macam ada. Antara buah-buahan yang tak pernah kami jumpa ialah buah kecapi, jari Buddha, sawo durian(kita sebut ciku), . We took the in-house tour package which costs us Rp50,000 per person. Semua yang ambik tour package akan naik tram-like vehicle. The tour took us to kebun buah-buahan ni…Mula-mula kami melawat kebun honey dew. Ada yang warna hijau and kuning. Ada yang bulat, ada yang 4 segi. Then ke kebun buah salak..kat sini kami melawat ke kebunnya and dapat satu pek buah salah setiap orang.


Lepas tu kami ke kebun belimbing…kebun belimbing ni agak luas. Cuaca agak panas so taklah masuk ke kebun tu. Lepak je lah kat tempat-tempat duduk yang disediakan. Kat sini pun dapat buah belimbing…Tour ni mengambil masa lebih kurang 1 jam. Dah habis melawat kebun-kebun tu kami di bawa ke tepi tasik yang ada gerai makanan, mainan outdoor i.e. flying fox, play ground dan lain-lain. Then kami pun beratur untuk naik tram balik to the station yang mula-mula tadi. Then Hariz & Adlina pun nak main mainan yang ada kat situ…Layan jelah.


2. WEEKEND GETAWAY

Pilihanraya (Pemilu 2009) was held on 8 July 2009. Since it was a public holiday we took the opportunity to spend the day at Bumbu Desa, Jalanraya Sukabumi – Bogor. About 1 hour hour drive from Jakarta. We reached the place around 11.00 am. There were 7 families altogether. Sampai terus lunch then aktiviti memancing. The kids were excited sebab dapat experience memancing. Tapi nasib tak berapa baik hari tu tak ramai yang dapat ikan. We also celebrated birthday party for 5-year old Irfan (Azian’s son). After cake cutting, ada games for the kids. We stayed there until Maghrib. Balik terus mandi and masak instant noodle sebab tak la lapar sangat but need something to eat.


3. MAK & FIDAH'S VISIT

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit us on 11 July...They came her on Saturday. Touched down at Bandara Soekarno Hatta at about 11.00 am. Fetched them and head for lunch at Boplo Gado-gado at Jakarta Pusat. After makan we all balik ke rumah and lepak till petang. Petang ke ITC Fatmawati which is very near to our house. Ronda-ronda and beli barang sikit we all balik. After Maghrib we went to Rozee's house in Pondok Indah. Rozee is also from Banting and hubby's & Fidah's mengaji friend. Never met her in KL or Banting but met her here instead. I got to know when I attended one of the Pengajian sessions organised by Malaysian ladies here. Since then we are friends...The dinner was sate and yummy pasta goreng...makan-makan and borak-borak, we left her house at about 10.30 pm.

The next we brought Mak and Fidah for a shopping spree at Tanah Abang. Spent the whole day there and ITC Kuningan. Had dinner at Restoran Sederhana Nasi Padang @ Jalan Fatmawati. Reached home at 9.30 pm.

On Monday we went to Bandung as Fidah need to find some other things for the families. We went to Rumah Mode, Heritage factory outlets and Jalan Cibaduyut where hubby bought a pair of leather shoes at a very reasonable price. On the way back we stop by at Bekasi for dinner. Had Sundanese food in which the fried chicken is so sedap...

The next day we went to Tanah Abang as Fidah need to find some more things for the nephews and nieces...On Wednesday we headed for Bandara after lunch as their flight was at 2.50 pm. It was a short visit where they plan to come again just for sightseeing...




4. A FRIEND’S VISIT

My friend for 22 years Iza came with her family on 23 July. We were first know each other on our first day at II*M Matriculation Centre way back in 1987. Since then we were good friends eventhough she took up Law and me BBA. After graduated in 1992, we shared room in our rented house in Kg Baru with another 5 of our good friends (quorum). She married her campus sweetheart Z**i and settled down in Subang Jaya and working in U*M.

She came for a shopping spree…Tak taulah apa dia nak shopping lagi. She was also in Jakarta from 2005 – 2007 following her husband on job transfer. Manage to meet up with her when Yaya suggested that we spent that particular weekend at Bumbu Desa again. This time only 4 families were able to join the trip. Those were Iza, Yaya, Zizie and me. We left Jakarta around 11.00 am and only reached Bumbu Desa at about 1.00 pm. There were a bad traffic jammed from the about 6 kilometres before the slip road into Bumbu Desa…aduss tension, tension. Sampai je terus makan and fortunately Yaya has ordered the food while we stuck in the jam. Kalau tak sure kebuluran nak menunggu food sampai.


After makan, apa lagi aktiviti memancing la…We were lucky this time…banyak dapat ikan. In total we got 10 kgs of ikan emas. We divide the catch into 3 and brought them back. In between, the children enjoyed their flying fox acitivity. Hariz pun tak lepas peluang this time after watching Aqil (Zizie’s son) succeeded in his flying fox attempt. Naik sampai 2 kali…Dia suka betul. Adlina apa lagi….The emak-emak bersembang la….lama tak jumpa…
Iza flew back last Wednesday after spending 2 weeks here and has gone as far as Jogjakarta.