Day 2 of Ramadhan

How do you convince a 7 year old autistic child that once a balloon burst, you can't tape it back together with cellophane tape and blow it up again?

And for that matter, how do you tell her that the reason her balloons do not go flying up is because they are not full of helium, but instead they are full of air liur!!!

Somebody help me PLEASE!!!!

Ramadhan Comes A Calling Again

As the first day of Ramadhan passes, one thing struck me as always being true. And that is a big, fat migraine on every first day!! It's there every year without fail. Today the migraine was so bad I can hardly open my eyes. And as soon as I break the fast, I downed 2 tablets of Panadol. Usually I just let it be and let it go off on it's on once food has settled in my tummy. Not today, though But I should be okay tomorrow.... hopefully.

This year I promise myself that I will not be doing any beading, or at the very least to leave it to the minimum. But somehow rather I ended up with lots to do. I was doing up a schedule on Excel and to my horror, I seem to have only two days of free time before raya. How did I ended up with that? And it doesn't help that Nadiah has a week off from school and plus Merdeka day holidays, she has roughly a total of 11 days off. How the heck am I suppose to work on schedule with her at home all the time?

I mean, I love having her at home when I don't have to work. But when I do, it's just impossible. Sigh... I'll just have to work around the clock again this year, I guess.

Well anyway, one day down, 29 more days to go. So to all the Muslims around the world, happy fasting and may you have a blessed Ramadhan Al Mubarak!!

Out And About Alor Star

Everyday after picking up Nadiah from NASOM, I usually take her out for a bite or just driving around Alor Star. It's really good fun especially when she enjoys it so much. Sometimes hubby would join us but most of the time it's just me a Nadiah.

This week we went to Burger Gemilang, to the new KFC/Pizza Hut that had just opened in the old Cathay cinema spot, to Souq Albukhary and Dataran Tanjung Chali.

Burger Gemilang - This is not the Burger Gemilang that's in Medan Kota. But rather the new one which is next to the State Museum and along the river. We like coming here because ,for the most part the burgers are great and also it's a nice quiet outdoor place especially late afternoos and you can just gaze out to the river. Granted, nothing hardly ever passes by but the odd crocodile or so, but it's still nice to look out at the sun setting.

Although the museum is just next door, we've never actually been into it. I went in the old one like ages ago but never in the new one. But there are a few cannon guns at the arch separating the museum from the eatery, which is a good spot for pictures.

Nadiah playing around with baba's phone while waiting for her food

Souq Albukhary - or more commonly know as Giant because of the hypermarket being the anchor at the place. We mostly go to Giant shop for groceries, to Merrybrown to eat and get some DVDs. Very seldom do we go to the bazaar in the next building to Giant because although it's suppose to be somewhat like Pekan Rabu, the 'feel' is just not there. Not to mention that most of the shops are always closed.

Nadiah loves eating at Merrybrown though, because they have the swing set eating corner and she just loves swinging back and forth while having her fries :D




New KFC/Pizza Hut - A couple of days ago, me and Nadiah went to Pizza hut at the new spot, which was the former Cathay cinema. It's a big place with KFC and PH side by side and a playground in the mid front. As usual, Nadiah would have her speghetti bolognese with a glass of iced milo, which she would whoosh down so fact you'd think she hasn't eaten in a week!!

Then she rushed out to sit on the swing set and starts rocking back and forth so high I was afraid the speghetti and milo might make a reappearance.




Dataran Tanjung Chali - After PH, we drove along the river in Tanjung Chali and stopped to take some pictures of Nadiah. It's really quiet here in the evening although the tide was out and so the water level had gone down. But the best thing was that there was no bad river smell which usually accompanies low tide. And it's surprisingly clean too!!

Got some really good pics of Nadiah overlooking the sunset which would be good to scrap.

But I have to say that since the last time we went there, the tower standing at the end of the Dataran has been repainted into this UGLY green and yellow colour. Yes, I know that it's the colour of Kedah but still, it so does not go with the place and is such an eyesore I refuse to take pictures of it!!










Can you see the green and yellow tower at the end there? How ugly is that? And it's not even fully painted. It's as if someone painted it half-way and thought '"Hey.. this looks kinda ugly, why don't we just stop now before we ruin everythig?" Sheesh!!!

Anyway, it's definitely fun going around places once in a while. I know there are more things to see in Alor Star that I could take Nadiah too, but I'm seriously running out of places. Any ideas???

New Look, New Name...

and hopefully new semangat to blog a lot more!!

Welcome to my new blog. Well.. the old contents are basically the same. It's just that I've change the look and the name from Beads n Sequins to Learning To Dance In The Rain. I also changed the URL to match the title. I know the name is kinda long but I like it!!

It's actually from a book which is one of my favourite called ACHERON. The full quote goes like this:

"Life isn't about finding shelter in the storm.
It's about learning to dance in the rain"

Basically it means that you should grab what life brings you with both hands and not running away from your problems. Of which I totally agree.

Anyhow, I hope I'll keep updating the blog regularly from now on and not let it be janji tinggal janji!!

Should I Or Should I Not?

I've been thinking and rethinking and rethinking yet again if I should just end this blog altogether. After all I've hardly ever update anymore and I do have my scrapbooking blog which I do update on a regular basis. Granted, that blog is mostly about my creative work and not really a day to day update of my life.

Ok, so I don't record my day to day activities before this anyway but then again when I think about it, the reason why I started this blog was partly because I wanted to record things that happens in my life. Or rather, things that revolves around Nadiah. So that when I'm old and krepot, I can read about the things that Nadiah used to do, of places that we've gone to and etc etc etc....

Plus, I've had this blog for 3 years now and I sayang to just let it go.

I think I'll just hold on to it for a little while longer and will see in a few months what I decide.

Oh! and another thing.. I feel like I want to change the name of this blog from Beads n Sequins to something else. I mean, honestly.. what does it have to do with beads and sequins anyway? This was suppose to be the name of my beading blog but then I've already given this one the name and I thought I wasn't able to change it and now am stuck with it and I don't like it... Oh! I'm so confused!!!

How does The Facts Of Life sound? Very 80s?? Yeah... like that sitcom with back in the old days.

What about Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolate? Too Forrest Gumpy?? But I love Forrest!!

Ok, le'st see... I'm thinking Life Is About Dancing In The Rain. How does that sound?? Very Zarek!! I loike!!

What is this obsession with LIFE anyway??

Alright.. I think I'll go with Rain... I might as well change the URL too while I'm at it.

You know what? I guess I have decided not to end this blog after all. Maybe when I give it a new name, it's sort or a new start, new breath of life (there I go again with life) to this blog. Maybe that's just what I need!!!

Leave Out All The Rest

I am loving this song at the moment

LEAVE OUT ALL THE REST by Linkin Park

I dreamed I was missing
You were so scared
But no one would listen
Cause no one else cared

After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving
When I'm done here

So if you're asking me
I want you to know

[Chorus]
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest
[End Chorus]

Don't be afraid
I've taken my beating
I've shared what I made

I'm strong on the surface
Not all the way through
I've never been perfect
But neither have you

So if you're asking me
I want you to know

[Chorus]
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest
[End Chorus]

Forgetting
All the hurt inside
You've learned to hide so well

Pretending
Someone else can come and save me from myself
I can't be who you are

[Chorus]
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest

Forgetting
All the hurt inside
You've learned to hide so well

Pretending
Someone else can come and save me from myself
I can't be who you are
I can't be who you are

Laptop and Photos

I got a new lappy!! Yeay!!

This is my first ever laptop which I bought with my own money. Before this I was either sharing hubby's or it's a second hand lappy from someone else. So this is quite an excitement for me.. tee hee!! Bought myself a Compaq Presario CQ40. I don't need anything too fancy. As long I can do my work, surf the net and organize my photos and video files and maybe play a little bit of pc games, then it's enough for me.

So that's the latest news... :D

On another note, I was out with Nadiah today just chillin' by the river near the museum, I decided to take candid photos of her. Also trying out the colour accent mode on my camera. And I have to say that I loike!!








And a couple of photos in normal mode



These were taken a few days ago when she was busy playing around with my hp.







So next on my buying list.... a DSLR camera. Oh definitely a must!! But probably not for another few months though.. :D

Nadiah Turns 7

My baby girl is a big girl now. She turned 7 on the 26th and we had a small dinner thing at home with my parents and Amir and family.

I wanted her to wear something nice even though it was a small event but she insisted on wearing her PJs since it was night time. But then again, Amir also came in his PJs so it turned out to be a pajama party.. :D

This year, instead of getting Naidiah something big and expensive for her birthday, I got her many small presents. I felt that she would appreciate the quantity better than the quality... coz she LOVES opening presents.

CA, see.. I told you it's a bunny. There are no holes on the nose for it to be a piggy!!

Another Reunion in Alor Star

We had another Asmarian gathering the weekend before last. This time it was for those in the north and we had it at The Regency.

The number was small but we all had a great time catching up with each other. Thanks Wina, Ita, Yusni, Ziti, Pinut and Hanisah for making it to the gathering. I hope we can do it again soon.

SAS Gathering and Karaoke Night

Last Friday nite I attended a mini gathering for ex-Asmarian batch 1992. Sumat was the person who organised it all and it was held at Red Box, The Gardens. I flew down to KL on my own.. no hubby, no kiddo was with me. And it was a BLAST!!

There were 16 of us there and not just from my class but from other classes as well and everybody turned up in red and black. The food was good.. I think, because I only eat a little. I was too excited that food didn't hold any interest for me. Not even the dessert. Except maybe those Jaffa Cakes that Wina brought back from UK. Those I ate a lot!!

It was great fun and very loud and we were like teenages again. The best thing was that even those most of us have not seen each other in 17 years, we all just jumped in the conversations like all those years never happened. It's so great. I'm happy to see that the friendship that we've build in school has carried on till now.

By the time it was 2am, those left decided to call it a night (but really only because the karaoke machine thing refuse to let us play anymore songs... if not, we would have happily sang more songs) and left Red Box and took the party over to Bangsar at the mamak's. Even the mamak shooed us out becaus it was already 3am and he wanted to close up. So everyone said their goodbyes and Nana and me send off Kimi back to her place in Shah Alam. Then Nana took me home, waited while I had a quick shower and packed and she sent me to KL Central. My flight was early that morning and with no sleep whatsoever in almost 24 hours, I was just dead to the world the whole flight.

Thanks everyone for a wonderful night and I hope we can make it an even bigger event for our 25th reunion!!

Picture time...

Pleasure and Pain

So I went for my monthly facial treatment session this morning. As usual the treatment involves a 20 minute session of neck and shoulder massage. I tall ya, in all of the 10 years of having facial treatments, the massage is the one thing I absolutely hate. It's just pain and more pain to me. I just can't stand it. No matter how many times I keep telling the girl to go easy, the pain is still there. But I don't cry out like a banshee or anything like that. I'm the 'suffer quietly' kinda girl. Hey, I'm a Leo. Pride can be such a virtue to us Leos... or a bane. Which ever way you want to look at it.

I hear you asking why I don't just tell the girl to stop altogether. I don't know really. I guess I have to admit that the end result is good. I do feel more relaxed. It's just the thought of going through pain for a whole 20 minutes is what makes me suffer through it. But I don't have to like it!!

I know some people loves getting a massage; one of whom is my dear hubby. He often says that the pain you get from the message is good for the body. That's what makes it pleasurable. The more intense you push on a pressure point and the harder you roll out the muscles, the more painful it is and thus the more pleasure you get out of it.

What? Pain is good? I beg to differ. The only pleasure I get from getting a massage is when the pain stops.

But it's weird really because I usually have quite a high tolerance for pain. If I can stand it, I can ignore it. Like now, my neck is aching like the very devil. It's been days now but since the pain is bearable, I've been ignoring it. I could not be bothered to take any painkillers or rub in hot oil or such things. But this morning, the pain was even worse and I could hardly look down to type on the keyboards, let alone looking down to see if I've got my feet in the right pair of shoes. So in the end I succumb and swallowed a pill for the pain. It's better now and I know I'll be back to ignoring it again.

I know what I'm doing is bad. We should always listen to what out body is telling us but I have this odd believe that sometimes your body is just going through spring cleaning and you just have to let it heal itself. Like having a cold. There's nothing much you can do about it but drink lots of water. It would just go away once it run its course.

Well, I hope I'll feel better soon or I'm going to be having a horrible time at out mini reunion this Friday. I so can't wait for the day. Will update on that after the event. Till then....

6th Prime Minister of Malaysia

Congratulations to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for his appointment as the nation's 6th Prime Minister.

May the new leadership breathes a new lease of life into the country.