August 2016: A Gatsby-themed Afternoon Tea Bridal Shower and My Sister’s Wedding

August was an incredibly busy month. With the various themed parties I’ve been planning since April for everyone’s birthday and what not, it’s just been a hectic but incredibly fun 2016. I went about planning yet another thematic event for my sister’s bridal shower – I decided to host a Gatsby-themed afternoon tea shower for her.

I was initially going for that whole glitzy, glittery, gold and black ensemble complete with feathers etc. Then decided against it, since it is after all an afternoon tea. So I went ahead with a simple and elegant, flowery, completely British-style afternoon tea, that’s just like that seen when Gatsby himself has his afternoon tea parties.

That was one fun evening. I chased all the men out of the house so we could be free, uninhibited ladies, ever ready to succumb to our imagination and inner interests. We had lots of yummy food that I ordered from Delicious and Simply D and a lovely lychee pavlova from EatCakeToday. 

In the lead up to the event, I cracked my head trying to think of games everyone would be sporting enough to participate in and I think I got it right with my 2 games of dressing the bride in foam paper (thankfully Zach has plenty of these lying around, and it actually makes a gorgeous dress) and also Broken Telephone, though my version was more subdued with everyone writing a line in a story with reference to only the line that was written before theirs. I was so hoping for a hilarious result, but it actually turned out to be quite a decent story of a chocolate loving couple. Muahahaha.

Next was the wedding. I had initially planned to take 2 days off in the lead up to the wedding but alas, that was not meant to be, as on the very eve of the wedding, I had my company’s Board meeting to which I must be present to table my paper, hence, I only managed to get half day off. Had again ordered one of the hantaran cakes from my lovely staff which turned out to be so awesome and lovely! The whole evening thereafter was spent quite busily receiving our relatives from Singapore and we had a small and intimate family dinner and kenduri doa selamat that night followed by a short pep-talk on the wedding event agenda by Mum.

I was in a frenzied state in the morning getting Imran to wake up and dress up and of course he chose that very day to decide not to be particularly cooperative in dressing up in his baju melayu. LOL! Somehow, miraculously, I got it done and went to Mum and Dad’s to pick up Nanny and my Aunty’s Nanny to bring over to Tropicana Golf Club for the nikah event. The moments after were just a blur as I was so busy organizing everything against every detail and every angle. Luckily, Nanny took care of Imran whilst I was just running around everywhere dealing with everyone from photographers to the groom’s family. I barely had time to think, much less eat. Alhamdulilah the nikah event went flawlessly (well if I were to be really honest, there were a few funny flaws like my nervous dad nikah-ing anak-anakku rather than just anakku). Muahahaha….

After that, I had to coordinate the rehearsal and it was only after rehearsing 10 times especially with the flower kids that I got to go home! I wished I had time to rest and sleep, but there was of course Imran to reckon with and I needed to write my speech!!! LOL! Yes, I was incredibly organized hahaha…but can’t blame me coz I really had tons on my plate that week.

After all that, we went ahead to the wedding venue, again at Tropicana Golf Club. Alhamdulilah everything went smoothly. Dinner was good (except the nasi tambah was white and not the briyani rice and I don’t know why), speech went smoothly without any hitches and everything was just perfect. And I was exhausted and drained!! But happy that all is well….Alhamdulilah.

My speech text:

It feels like it was just yesterday when I stood here and delivered my own wedding speech. And here we are today, celebrating the second and last wedding in my family, 7 years later.

Assalamualaikum and good evening ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of my family, I would like to welcome you all today and thank you for gracing us with your presence on this very special day as we celebrate the marriage of my little sister, N & A. It is good to see so many friends and family here, some of whom have travelled many miles to be here today. For those of you who don’t know who I am, I am L, N’s one and only sibling.

I once read a quote that “a sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life” and that is what N has been to me. Growing up, people have always commented on how much N and I look alike. The assumption was that we must have also been alike. That, however is a far cry from reality. We are in many ways different, as different as night and day even, yet, in some small ways, we are alike. We are sisters after all and in truth, we only have each other as it has and will always be, just the two of us as siblings.

I was extremely lucky to have a sister growing up. Some people say that sisters always fight, and are overly competitive. Well, that did happen sometimes but for the most part, N and I always got along. What I remember is having a friend growing up. Someone who was always there to play with me and enjoy laughing fits with at the dinner table.

 Over the years, N has become someone that I could count on for just about anything. She is always there to celebrate the good times with me, but will also lend a shoulder to cry on when I encounter the bad. We share many secrets, N and I. That’s the definition of a true friend, and the fact that she is my sister means that no matter what she can’t get rid of me. Fortunately or unfortunately.

What I’ve always admired about N is that she is a woman who knows her own mind. She has always been more daring, more forward and more adventurous. My sister has never been afraid to be an individual, but today, she begins a new life as part of a “we”.

Today is, of course, a celebration, not just of the love that has united N and A in marriage, but also of the families that have created, moulded and influenced the lives of these two special people. My family and I would like to extend a very warm welcome to A’s family and I’m sure I speak for my whole family when I say how happy we are to formally welcome A into our family. Today, I am not losing my sister but gaining a brother.

Many have helped my family in preparing for today’s event, so to all who have helped, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without your help and effort, this event would not have been possible. I’m also sure that I speak for my sister to especially thank my mother, who has tirelessly planned this event down to the very last detail and without whom such a fantastic event would not have been what it is.

It is customary on these occasions to offer the happy couple some worldly advice on marriage, and I’ll do my best as N begins her journey in the land of the married today. Insha-Allah, N and A’s marriage will emulate that of our parents who will be celebrating their 37^th wedding anniversary in about 2 weeks time. 

N & A, separately, you are two special, remarkable people, but together you are complete. As you sit side by side through this roller coaster of life, remember to scream from the peaks, hold hands through the dips, laugh through the loops and enjoy every twist and turn. The ride is much better when you share it together.

Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married. So, congratulations N & A! I wish you fun and excitement for today, hopes and dreams for tomorrow and love, happiness and may your marriage last far longer than forever till Jannah. Insha-Allah. Here’s to you both from this day forward.

Thank you. 

Imran Turns Two

My darling Imran…on this day on 28/7…

Can’t believe two years has flown by since the day I first laid my eyes on you and carried you in my arms. You’re growing up so fast, my boy, awe-ing us every single day with new words to add to your vocabulary. You interchange between calling us Mama and Papa to Mummy and Daddy occasionally as that’s what you learned through your nursery rhymes. You can now count from 1-20 (although you forget some numbers in between at times) and can recite the alphabets from A-Z complete with the phonics related to each alphabet (on occasion, you forget some but that’s okay) J You know your shapes, colours and have such a strong love for animals, knowing more animal names than we could think of including the sound that they make. You dramatize every nursery rhyme and cartoon you watch, you little entertainer. You love to create and build bricks, blocks and tiles and love to topple them over too. You also enjoy arranging things around the house and these activities can occupy you for minutes (yes, minutes!). You name everything around you as you see them and it’s incredibly enlightening seeing and hearing you name and recognize and verbalize everything you see. It brightens our hearts to see you play every day and seeing just how happy you are. We have made countless memories together in these two years and here’s to many, many more of these awesome moments and memories for us all. Never a dull moment with you, darling.

We celebrated your 2^nd birthday Old McDonald style as Mama and Papa tried hard to recreate that farm feel at home for your birthday party. We were so thrilled to see how excited you were when you saw all the familiar animals and farm scenes surrounding you. Everyone was so happy to see just how happy you were with all your toys, and, of course, those who gave you animals for your present were elated when you kept on playing with their presents. Wishing you a very special and happy birthday my darling and insha-Allah there’ll be many many more to come.

Mid Year Check on Goals

Okay, so at the beginning of the year I had set myself these goals:-

1. Read 30 books this year;
2. Exercise at least once a week;
3. Declutter at least on a semi-annual basis; and
4. Start the 52 week money challenge and adopt better financial habits.

Since we've past 30th June, I thought it rather timely to check where I'm at. Needless to say, I'm nowhere near some of these goals...hahaha....

1. I've only read 5 books to date. In my defense, they're extremely THICK books, but I'll try to amp up on my reading in the second half of the year to at least meet my goals halfway.

2. I started doing once-a-week pilates classes at Pilatique combined with a few sessions of Youtube home workouts in a week, then I stopped over Ramadhan. Guess I better start kick-starting this to regain my energy levels and become a healthier, fitter me.

3. I threw away some old and never-worn stuff, so think I'm doing okay with goal #3.

4. Hmm...I didn't exactly save per the 52 week money challenge, but I did save a few hundreds here and there on a monthly basis, so I guess I'm okay here too, but I can certainly do better. My new financial goal is actually to start clearing off my credit card debt one at a time. So hopefully, that can be done by end of the year.

Everyone Always Looks So Nice and Stylish

As we're travelling to Jakarta whilst we're strolling around KLIA2 with tot in tow, my sis who came along with us mentioned how nice and stylish everyone else always looks at the airport, whilst we're always travelling so casually and have an incredibly relaxed fashion sense. Pre-baby days, I may have been able to pull off travelling slightly in style, but post-baby? Haha....seriously not gonna happen. Having an active toddler like Imran means I gotta dress in comfort and be able to sprint into action at any time since he's forever toddling off somewhere and doing something which will potentially set my heart racing. Further, since I donned the hijab, I have so much more things to pack and packing for a toddler ain't light either, so despite staying up nights to plan various stylish outfits to don for every event or trip, I normally almost always settle with comfortable sneakers, a pair of comfy pants or jeans and a comfy top. Yes, I'm such a mummy. 

Family Trip to Jakarta

Post Eid, we travelled to Jakarta for a 3D2N trip with our little toddler. Ambitious, I know. Anyway, since its just a short flight, we figured whaddaheck. Imran was happy enough to go out. But started screaming his lungs out when we were in the cab waiting for his Papa to come in, Once the cab moved, he was fine again. 

At the airport, he was fine up till the last checkpoint at the boarding gate when he started screaming again as he didn't want to go any further beyond that point. Somehow, miraculously, we got him in the plane. Then he slept for the first leg of the journey.

Halfway through, he woke up and then started to whine endlessly due to cabin pressure. Luckily and syukur alhamdulilah, it was just soft whining and he was trying hard to utilize his own coping mechanisms to soothe himself.

We had to line up for a bit for the cab, which we then took to our hotel, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, which is centrally located and neighbours to Grand Indonesia and Plaza Indonesia. The ride was uneventful as Jakarta was uncharacteristically jam-free, given its Eid and city-folks have travelled back to celebrate Eid with their families.

We checked into our beautiful room, which Imran certainly appreciated and he went straight to the tub and requested to bathe. Once he's all showered and fresh, we brought him to Grand Indonesia for lunch and for an outing. Unlike in Malaysia though, he doesn't seem to have an appreciation for the malls in Jakarta, hence for that day and over the whole entire trip, he wanted to stay in the room, hence, I was also stuck in the room. I thank heavens that I had booked a luxe hotel at which we can happily relax in 5 star style.

Each time we attempted taking him out to the malls, he'd scream his lungs out and Zach and I would end up in a brawl with each other as we're trying to calm him down and calm our stress points down as well. So on the second day, we gave up trying and I had ordered room service instead for lunch for myself and Imran whilst Zach tours around the shops.

Imran was awake the whole entire flight back to KL. Luckily he was a contented toddler, having been fed tons of milk to calm his nerves and reduce air pressure on his ears.

So that was our Jakarta trip. I didn't venture out much but must admit that despite being stuck in the room the whole entire time, it actually turned out to be quite the relaxing break for me, spent well with my son. Though there were some challenges and stress points to the point that made Zach swear off travelling until Imran understands public decorum and is able to cope better, think that's just part and parcel of travelling with a toddler. So, here's to, hopefully, a bigger and better trip with Imran next time round. One lesson learnt is to keep trips extremely relaxing and not be ambitious for city tours and ventures as it really would not come to fruition with a little tot in tow.

2016 Ramadhan and Aidilfitri

We spent the whole Ramadhan at my parents’ house simply because it’s more convenient to do so. We don’t have a maid, hence the whole preparing for sahur, and Zach away at the mosque from maghrib all the way to after terawih prayers is just too much for us to handle on our own. Lame excuse, but that’s us. Bahahahaha. It’s also way more awesome and lively to be buka puasa with many people rather than just us three. The major and perhaps main reason is we need lots and lots of help to manage Imran. Bahahahahhaa.

At the start of Ramadhan, I had all kinds of ambitious dreams and goals. I wanted to pray on time, terawih daily without fail, recite the quran daily, teach Imran about Islam or at least alif, ba, ta…bahahaha, wear baju kurung for the whole month. Some I manage to achive, some…..sigh…here goes another round of lame excuses….I was just too drained on some nights and could barely open my eyes after isyak that I missed out on terawih and sometimes the quran recital. I was bummed that I didn’t manage to achieve my Ramadhan yet again. Feel somewhat like a lesser Muslim. But, there were some good things as well, I had alhamdulilah managed to teach Imran bits and pieces of the jawi and in his own way, he is azan-ing every night when he hears the maghrib azan. So, at this point, I can only continue striving towards the achievement of my goals and hopefully, someday, one day, I can achieve all those goals. InshaAllah.

My sis, Nanny and I managed to bake loads of cookies and cakes this year, and I guess that also made us closer. Well that and the whole bunking in together for the full Ramadhan as Imran wants to sleep with Nanny and me. Hence, since Zach pretty much lives at the mosque during Ramadhan, we’re living the sisterhood dream. Bahahahahaha.

My raya was as usual, eventful. House after house, visiting my in-laws’ and their whole entire family network from 11 am to 10 pm. Wahhhh…..so dead tired by the end of day. Second day was slightly more subdued but still eventful with streams of family and friends visiting from noon to about 5 pm.

Then we pack…..for Jakarta………Jakarta, here we come!!!

Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin from myself, Zach and Imran. Muahz.

Bye Bye Pacifier

I've dreaded the pacifier. Mum however insisted on stuffing one into Imran's mouth to stop the tears and for his comfort. I was just too weak to resist. He's almost 2 now and thankfully, with tons of effort, we're almost successful at getting him to put his pacifier or as he lovingly calls it "P" to rest.

In truth, I don't really think he needs it anymore. He's been gagging on 'em and when he does actually stuff one in, he actually bites them to tatters. We've started throwing off his pacifiers one at a time (yes, he has many) and now he's only left with one which he completely hates and will not put in his mouth anyway. Yay! Success!

The cold turkey method actually worked out in the end, coz now he's no longer reminded of his beloved "P" and though I'm very surprised, Imran has actually handled the transition way better than I thought he would. He hasn't even been asking for his "P". Not that much anyway. ;)