Daylight Saving Time

As of 1.59 am this morning, the time were changed back to 1 am instead of 2am. As a result, we are 14 hours behind Singapore instead of 13. Therefore, iftar is at 5.06pm instead of 6.06pm. In a way, we gained an hour more sleep but for those working during that night shift, they had to work an extra hour instead. As far as I understand, the time is actually reverted back to Standard Time, in other words, Daylight Saving Time ends. Daylight Saving Time will begin again in April next year.

I am wondering, if it's just bcos they wanted to save electricity, why don't they just change the timer for the road lights etc to be on instead of changing time itself? Surprisingly, it's a worldwide phenomenon except in countries near the Equator ....hmmmm

Raya Mistletoe

My very own "ketupat on the mistletoe". Looks messy rather than decorative, though. Perhaps I just don't have that decorative-touch. Or this mistletoe needs more ketupat. We'll see in the coming days whether I have the mood or the touch to recreate this "Raya Mistletoe".

Can I leak...

...about the Apprentice? For those of you in Singapore who does not want to know, don't read.

In one boardroom sitting, Trump fired all 4 apprentices. They did really badly for that Sporting Goods store, not only they did not make any sales but the sales dropped by over 30%.

Dedicated to family and friends

We appeared on Manja Nov 2005 issue page 56 with this family snapshot and a letter from Alabama to wish family and friends a Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin. We hope that you guys like it!!! Enjoy!!!

The Stork delivered

Yup, Rusini has another baby girl since last Friday. Welcome to Aya Reina Rosen.

Baby Boom!

Another baby has landed...Durrah Aqilah, baby girl of proud parents, Muj and Razali. No pics yet. Rusini should also have given birth. Will deliver the news ...akan datang.

It's 10 degrees outside

... esp in the wee hours and early evening. We are getting freezing cold. Afzal has put on three layers of clothing to school.

This is the Year of Births!

The Singapore government will be one happy parent. There are just so many new births this year. Seri, Omel and now Haslina's newest bundle, baby Nurin Amirah. I know one Singaporean who gave birth in the States and another, who happens to be Rusini, who will be giving birth by end of this week. And of course, Muj's baby is also on the way...

Pretty productive year for these ladies. As for me, I must tell the Singapore government that it's not that I don't want to have a second one but it just ain't happening. Like the Malay saying, 'belum rezeki.'

October is the Month of Horrors

With Halloween around the corner, the networks are busy promoting and airing horror flicks...I just saw the trailers for some scary stuff...I can't even remember which channel and what is showing except for Sixth Sense.

With over 70 free to air channels, it is just so hard to keep track of what's showing, when, what time and on which channel. I'm still so clueless and can never find the programme that I want to watch. Maybe I'm just plain lazy to even bother to watch the tv. At least I know Ch 28 and 29 is Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon respectively but asked me which cartoons air on which station, then I don't really remember.

I'm trying to watch Supernatural, but have missed two episodes. I missed the first epi of Desperate Housewives, then there's supposed to be the latest season of Gilmore Girls which I don't even know when, what time and where is it showing. Really, I'm just not tune in...

Which desperate housewife are you?

I was just thinking to myself that whatever quiz that you take, it should reflect you, and it should not matter at which point in life you are UNLESS the change that you are going through makes you a really different person.

You see, I took this desperate housewife quiz twice before when I was still working as a research associate like just last May, and twice I was a different housewife. I was a Bree and an Edie. As I was joking to Sue, maybe I was a "Stepford-wife-wannabe with a sexy siren screaming inside waiting to get out". Now, after being a SAHM for over 4 months, I'm a Susan, "the rather neurotic mother of one" and somehow I tend to think it does reflect me now. Being at home most of the time, all the time, here makes me really neurotic, and why I say this is also because I retook the online IQ test, and guess what, my IQ score has dropped by a whopping 4 points.

I think it's because I am using less of my grey matter. I am in an environment that is less adrenalin pumping as before but not necessarily less stressful. The stress is of a different nature now. I don't feel stupid but I feel 'lack of a better use'. Frankly speaking, I don't make a good housewife in the housewifely sense...my kuah lodeh sucks, and I can train my eyes to see beyond the dirt that's accumulating at the corners of my house. Hubby has totally, and I mean totally leave all household duties to me. Maybe he helped a bit, just by folding the laundry. Even teaching Afzal has been my duty ... and I mean not only the English but the Malay and the doa ...where is hubby in this part? Other than that, I know despite being a SAHM, I think I can do more - stretch my imagination, stretch my creativity, my mind, my cerebral cortex but there isn't seem to be an outlet for all these except this blog and the other blog and this laptop that I could furiously typed. And that's about it. What an inane existence! Not for long, I hope. So maybe I have a bit of each of the housewives' desperations...HELP!

BTW, Desperate Housewives second season is now showing on ABC at 8 CT, Sundays.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I was inspired by the tv show 'Intimate portraits of Ann Curry'.

Ann Curry is a news anchor and personality at NBC, and her sister, Jean was diagnosed with breast cancer. This made Ann, who initially would never believe in using her tv power to go all out in researching about breast cancer. Introducing herself as Ann Curry but doing it for personal reasons in her research, she was able to find out about the best medicine and options for her sister Jean. Because of her fame, Ann Curry is able to promote the awareness and the fight against breast cancer. Of half Japanese origin, she is very much an all-American girl. Her rise to be a cutting edge news correspondence and anchor is truly an inspiring one.

You can find her name in Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Curry

Sam's Surf City in Pensacola, Fl

We were here the weekend just before Ramadan, and it was a swell time for all of us...Afzal and Ayah on the inflatable....

Really Chilly

Yesterday, for the first time, we turned on the heater instead of the aircon. It was really cold outside that we had to put on a sweater.

Today was sunny but there was a nice breeze...

Lame Excuse

This morning, as my little Barnacle-inspired kid is combing his hair preparing to go to school, I told him he did not split the sides properly. So I recombed his hair neatly and guessed what he said,"This is kinda lame." "What do you mean by that?" as this mom, who was NOT surprised by what he said but kinda taken aback by what he actually meant when he used that expression. The things going through my mind was "Mom, what I did was fine, it's kinda lame that you recombed it the same way!" OR "Mom, you are so banal (insipid, lacking in taste, style)."

When I asked him what he meant, the usual "It means boring!"

Such a lame excuse coming from my kindergartner, and there is no excuse for any child to think that what the mom does for him is always boring...yes it was a neat hairdo, but it is definitely appropriate for a child his age and for school. Have I become so momsy ...but momsy is good isn't it?

First Fast

Alhamdullillah, it was a great first fast today in a foreign land. I woke up at 3.30 am because Tahir had to leave for work at 4.30am. I warmed up the leftover chicken rice, and we just had a little bit of rice and chicken. There were still leftover chicken. After Tahir left, I couldn't sleep so I surfed the net until it was time for Subuh. I still couldn't sleep so I was on the laptop until it was time to wake Afzal up for school ...well, in fact he woke up himself just like five minutes before 6 am wet from his pee, and I got him to hit the showers. After Afzal left for school, I just lazed around the house figuring out what mess I should get in order today. Let the mess be! Felt like sleeping but it was sleep interrupted. Got a long distance phonecall. Surfed the net, did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, do some other stuffs and prepare the stuffs to cook for break fast. I finally decided to make porridge, not bubur asyura but just my own variation of my mom's porridge recipe. I added a little bit of mince meat and prawns so that it felt like as if we're having bubur masjid for buka just like back in Singapore. Also, made beef steak too... those beef, potato and cabbage in chilli and tomato sauce best eaten with french loaf. We didn't have french loaf but after the porridge, I only manage a slice of bread with the beef steak. Both meals turned out quite nice despite the fact that I was not able to taste it. So nikmat!

Afzal gets a Certificate of Achievement

Though it is only on plain white copy paper, it certainly made his day knowing that he is the only one in class who received this.

WESTLAWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT

This award is hereby presented to

Afzal Muhammad

TIGERRIFIC STUDENT OF THE MONTH

For displaying excellent character traits, outstanding behavior,

leadership abilities and working welll with peers.

October 3, 2005

Ramadan begins tomorrow

Following the Islamic Society of Mobile, we are fasting tomorrow, 4th October 2005. Therefore, we will be sahur-ing later. Subuh or Fajr as it is called here is at 5.28 am and Break Fast or Maghrib is at 6.34 pm. Happy fasting to all...Selamat Berpuasa!

Afzal's DIBELS score

Posted at

http://afzalmom.multiply.com/journal/item/5

Afzal took these shots!

Good framing and composition! Of course this is not his first time handling the videocam but this time, he got his shots well-framed!