Addiction.....

I'm currently addicted to this :



I've known about the series years ago, when it first showed in Astro...tapi tak tgk, i think its becoz we didn't subscribe the movie channel masa tu..or i rather watch something else masa tu..

anyway, this time around, came as an accident. Fitri loves war movies, esp. the second world war...it was in the middle of the nite, dahlia dah tidur and i had to fold the laundry...

seperti biasa, fitri will temankan i do my chores and while doing that, he was watching this. suka tak suka, i kena tgk....and terus tertawan ok? tak kisahlah i dah missed beberapa episode pun..

(since i malas nak menaip pepanjang tgh-tgh malam ni, i got this from Wikipedia) : Band of Brothers is a 2001 ten-part television World War II miniseries based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose.

The narrative centers on the experiences of E Company ("Easy Company") of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, from Easy's basic training at Toccoa, Georgia, through the American airborne landings in Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of Bastogne and on to the end of the war[1].

since that day, i would tgk whenever its repeated over the idiot box until one day, i basically racun fitri to buy the box set..heheheh.

gila tak gila, i even surf the net to find out about the real E company (where the series is based on)...! hehehe....

i seriously think this is one of the best series i've watched. and yes, they d have good looking guys (i could imagine fitri's rolling his eyes when he reads that part..) but thats beside the point.

the series connects you to the characters. it showed how the war effected these ppl, and others around..it showed how the war was...(of course dalam ni semua special effects, i think the real war lagi teruk la kan)

fitri has been patiently educating me about the military e.g ranks, the grouping and the strategy...of course, some of it i still tak berapa nak paham...



anyway, this series actually mengubah my minat towards war movies. i really dig it.

of course, kalau locally made movie i akan tgk bukit kepong...yg u je pun yg i ingat. sarjan hassan tak tgk sampai habis....hmmm...maybe i shoud buka semula my old buku sejarah to read about our own war...

jees & apin (i know u guys are waiting for me to say this), my fave character is doc. eugene roe. cute ooo! :-P oh, leut. spiers pun ensem gak (dia yg berlakon jadi bapa siapa ntah dalam gossip girls)

My wishlist for no reason....

Currently these things have been playing in my mind...

i would like to think it as something i really-really want, tho tak tau should i buy it now or just wait later-later....anyway, just in case i tak terlupa suatu hari kelak :-




Item : Hotmama pouch

Justification : Since Dahlia is getting bigger and suka sangat kena dukung whenever I'm around (and when anyone else nak dukung dia, dia takmo lepas i), i'm contemplating of getting this for myself.

We do have the mothercare's baby carrier yang letak baby kat depan tu, but this pouch is to carry bila nak jalan-jalan around the house.

Lagipun its more comfy for me to dukung hip supported berbanding support tengah. (abit tak betul, but bila pakai the baby carrier, sakit bahulah, i think becoz dia takde the pelvic support, weights should be bourne at the pelvic and not the shoulder..)

And i kinda of like the fabric this lady ada, esp the blue version of the picture....tho, its is a bit pricey....maybe i should get a cheaper version kat mom's care je...same kaedah pun, just material dia samalah dgn orang lain..hehe.

Or, i could just get it from Tiny Tapir, baru terperasan dia ada diskaun for he littlepods pouch. its now only RM45! (gambar below, and yes, i want the green version..hehe)






Item : Medela Swing Breastpump

Justification : I think i need a new breastpump....sebabnya i think the one i currently pakai tidak mengoptimumkan pemerahan...well either that and mmg my milk supply low...but then, i've always wanted this model, sebabnya dia nampak portable and lebih kecik berbanding the big bag i have to carry to the ofc everyday...i do wonder how good it is, sebab mmg banyaklah positive reviews over the net...

selain kos yang mahal (it is almost rm800 sebelum diskaun), is due to the fact, dahlia now almost 10 months old and dah mixed feed. is it too late for me to buy this? or should i just wait for the next one? *jeng jeng jeng*....

hahah...nolah, belum lagi....if ada, i'll definitely let you know..whateveris it, hopefully dapat lepas dahlia celebrate her 1+ birtday...

a friend said she tested a medela pump dulu (i tak tanya which model) and said its good...i do wonder if their office now allows testing....hmmm....but then again, back to my predicament - should i wait?




Item : Somethin' Urby : How tall are you?

Justification : Since we'll be moving to our own place soon...(how soon tu tak taulah but we'll be hopefully get our keys tak lama lagi), i was thinking of decorating dahlia's room with this...

i think its cute and i have to admit a few other stickers yg cantik ada lagi kat that site...hmmm...but it is pricey. ntahlah.




Item : Safety 1st : Secure Top Bed Rail

Justification : Dahlia LOVES playing on our bed. its her little playground, her little world where the pillows and our bodies become her obstacle course/or a world filled with adventures. she would roll, panjat, tumble here and there...at times, she moved so fast, u barely sempat tarik her tiny legs...i want this bed rail so that dia tak tumble ke bawah...

apart from that, kalau i terlena while feeding her, and she decides to roll, taklah jatuh kan? at least ada la sikit protection daripada takde langsung..

** All these hanya dalam pemikiran pada masa ini, tetapi i for sure kena beli babygate soon.....since dahlia dah sangat terer merangkak laju...oh, and also her front facing baby chair....that one definitely keperluan dan bukan kemahuan..hehe..

Food, book and such

I've been making babyfood every 3-4 days...usually its chickenstocked bubur with veges and ikan bilis which Dahlia absolutely love it...

if i'm a bit rajin, i would be cooking 2 types of food for her - one for lunch and the other, dinner...i try to bring variety to her food. if i only make bubur, either she'll have it for both meals or one meal bubur and the other farley's with banana or pet*it gem's babyfood (dalam jar)....



at times, i ikut buku recipe above....i suka gila her food! not only its yummy for dahlia, but i love it as well..hehehe....of course for dahlia takdelah the usual salt, pepper, seasonings...but then, if makan as it is for us pun sedap ok?

apart from carrot, banana puree so far i only tried a few recipe which include sweet potato and broccoli, butternut squash, cinderella's pumpkin, sweet potato with spinach and peas (dahlia tak gemar sangat this one, i think she doesn't like peas), chicken with sweet potato and apple, easy on-pot chicken and pasta with butternut squash, tomato and cheese.

some of the food pun i tak pernah makan ok? hehehe...tu yang buat best when i cook for her.... :-)

of course, i also use the chicken stock recipe in this book for most of the food i made...except that ada lah some ingredients yg tak i masukkan sebab takde di rumah or susah nak cari...

this book is really a good book esp when u baru nak start bagi food for the lil' one...it has the info on the importance of nutrition for the baby, what should be avoided and whatnots....i love it sebab dia bahagikan the recipes according to the baby's age...

i will try to post a few recipes in this blog sikit-sikit and i will start with the chicken stock :-). please take note that i tak lah ikut 100% from the book and tend to masukkan more air and masak lama sikit so pekat, tak buang any sediment lemak if ada.

Chicken stock
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Carcass from a roast chicken or about 2 pounds chicken bones, chopped into pieces (i just beli from the kedai, masukkan dalam stockpot terus sekor)
3 large carrots, peeled
1 parsnip (tak pernah letak pun)
2 onions
1 stalk celery, trimmed
small bunch of parsley (i just use dried ones)
sprig of tyme (again, dried ones)
1 bay leaf (dried lagi)
4 black peppercorns (tak pernah letak)
8 cups boiling water

Put the carcass into a large, heavy bottomed saucepan.
Roughly chop all the veges and add to the pan together with the
herbs and peppercorns.
Pour in water, bring to boil and then remove all the surface sediment with a slotted spoon.
Half cover the pan and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until liquid is reduced by half (in my case, sampai ayam hancur)
Allow to cool. (I strain terus at this stage and terus masukkan dalam plastic bag, about 1 to 2 cups each bag and masukkan terus dalam freezer)
Then leave in the fridge overnite.
Remove any congeaqled fat from the top in the morning.
Strain to make stock.

Kindly take note, do read carefully on what kind of food is suitable for your baby as bila u baru intro food, kenalah the basic food dulu sebelum buat bebenda yg lebih complex and jgn lupa on food to avoid and whatnot....

lepas ni i share the chickestocked bubur recipe pula ya? :-) OR any recipes you would like to share with me?

Bfeeding and such

"Dapat berapa?" asked a lady while i was pumping milk in the surau.

"Dapat 2-3 oz jer," i answered with a weak smile....

"Oh, i dapat 5 oz je..sikit kan?" answered the lady...

*smack in the face for me kejap*...aiyoh! i only got 2 oz+ for my precious after like an hour of pumping and she dapat 5 oz in 10 mins...and yet dia kata sikit?

since when does pumping milk became a race on who gets the most?

personally i think breastfeeding is the most wonderful thing you could give to your child if you are able...tho, i have to admit, since 3rd april 2009 dahlia has been mixed fed.....

i would like to think that dahlia is receiving the best of both worlds..rather than cussing myself and thinking that i'm a failure for not able to exclusively bfeed my baby...

i wasn't producing as much milk as i hoped due to time and work constrains...and stress...*sigh*

some might think it as an alasan for me tak dapat susu banyak, but then, try stting in my position and feel for yourself lah...isk.

but doesn't mean i'm not dissapointed when tgk susu sikit or when i was too busy to pump.... :-(

i remembered an online conversation i had with a friend long time ago...when i first introduced formula to dahlia...

"bagi susu formula doesn't mean you are a bad mother....dahlia will still be a smart and healthy baby ok!" said my friend who her name matches with my lil' miss - bee...(something like that la sebab the conversation dah lama dah kan??)...

that short conversation with bee and an sms sent by hubby did help me a lot...it made me feel better....thank you!~

oh, dahlia now pandai kalau nak nenen...she would call me 'mama' (other times tak pun) and sebut 'nenenenenen' or when she's crawling and i tgh dok baring, she would terus pergi ke situ...

i'm so proud of my lil' bunga... :-)

for those yang exclusively bfeeding, keep up the good work...
for those yang dah mixed, well we tried kan?
for those yg dah totally formula, not bfeeding doesnt mean you are a bad mother....everyone has their options...

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to all,

i'm so sorry for not updating for such the longest time....sibuk teramat sangat...more updates soon!

babyfood

i wanted to write more but i'm so exhausted...just got back from penang...our first family trip... :-)

anyway, as requested by iezma and nana, here is the add for wholesomebabyfood.

yes, dahlia sudah makan...actually terawal sikit...3 1/2 months dah makan and i tell you, she is such an eager baby....comot takyah cakap la kan... :-)

will (hopefully update soon)..take care peeps!

100 days and counting.....

On dahlia's 100 days birthday, she did this!!!! (this picture was taken on her 5th and final attempt on that day)...another baby milestone..

sayangnya both fitri and i missed this...in fact, she did this just a couple of hours after we left for work :-( but i am glad my parents were there to witness it..papa siap called i to tell me the good news...

"Dahlia, mama and abah is very proud of you!"

so far dahlia masih belum managed to free her right arm...selalu bila turn mesti terkepit bawah her body and she would be struggling and then cry out of frustration sebab takle keluarkan...

its soo cute to see how determined she is to keluarkan her arm...tu yg dia marah, bila try-try tak dapat... :-P

she's also adjusting hor to angkat kepala when meniarap...so far, alhamdulilah her neck dah kuat and dia teramat suka dalam sitting position (kita kena support her) and standing position...

and now dah pandai protest kalau takmo duduk dalam car seat...she would straighten her body and slide down the seat sebelum u can strap her in...and even if you do, dia still nak turun bawah juga....

apart frm that, she's now into sucking her fingers, her mitens (kalau pakai), her toys, her car seat strap, her bibs...anything around her :-P oh, and she likes to play with her air liur too.. :-P



alhamdullilah dahlia is growing beautifully, tho her arwah pediatrician did mentioned that dahlia is slightly underweight. normal 3 month year old baby is 5kg, dahlia is only 4.6kg...

note : dahlia's paed, Dr. Haliza Mohd. Shafie died just a coupleof days after we met her in a hiking accident in Ulu Ampang. She went training with pediatric surgeon and also one of the founders of mercy malaysia, arwah Dr. Amin Tai..alfatihah to both excellent Drs...such a huge loss...

i'm not really worried as she is a happy, kenyang and healthy baby...setakat ni dahlia baru sekali minum baby formula sebab due to my working hours, she had too...

i am sad that i tak dapat nak bagi dia exclusively bmikl but then, it is hard when i'm in this line of work...but i shall not give up and try to bfeed her as long as i could, sungguhpun terpaksa minum formula at times...

on a different note, thank you everyone for the birthday wish and also gifts, makcik bee, thank you for the books! i'm itching to read them!! next time datang lagi ya, so dahlia tak takut dengan u...heehe...

abi, thank you for the lovely suprise!!! the roses made my day! semua kat office pun wish ayang..and i so love the shoes~!!

ma, eventho u don't read my blog, but thank you for the shoes~~!!

(tahun ni i dapat 2 pair of crocs - santa cruz frpm fitri and pink malindi from mama)

a big suprise

Got it from KOS*MO! today.

I've always admired Allahyarham and was shocked by the news semalam.... :-(

to tell you the truth, i don't take pictures dengan sesiapa yang i interview kecuali him. seriously. and that picture sepatutnya utk tatapan personal sahaja...tapi photographer masuk dalam system, and now satu Malaya (yg baca kosmo! je-la) tgk sekarang ni...adus! malu ok?

al-fatihah to arwah Datuk Ibrahim Hussein.


RENCANA UTAMA

Makna hidup Ib

Oleh ZAMRI RAMBLI dan JOHA*NNA A. SOB*REY
Zamri.rambli@kosmo.com.my

Lebih lima dekad menghambakan dirinya dalam bidang seni, Datuk Ibrahim Hussein adalah ikon terbilang.

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'HIDUP tiada makna kecuali anda mempunyai jawapan kenapa anda menangis, kenapa anda ketawa.'

Demikian antara petikan ungkapan penuh bermakna yang tertera bersebelahan biografi pelukis agung negara, Datuk Ibrahim Hussein di laman web Muzium dan Yayasan Seni Ibrahim Hussein yang ditubuhkan atas usaha payah jerihnya pada tahun 2000.

Semalam dunia seni halus negara bisu seketika. Karya-karya anak kelahiran Yan, Kedah ini juga kaku. Semuanya tergamam menerima perkhabaran duka pemergian Ibrahim atau lebih sinonim dengan gelaran Ib awal pagi semalam.

Masih gagah pada usia 72 tahun, namun penyakit jantung yang dihidapinya tanpa diketahui ramai orang, menjemput nafas terakhir Allahyarham di Hospital Pantai Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Allahyarham meninggalkan seorang balu, Datin Sim Hussein dan anak perempuan, Alia Ibrahim.

Allahyarham juga merupakan adik kepada Sasterawan Negara, Datuk Abdullah Hussein dan Tan Sri Ismail Hussein yang merupakan Ketua Satu Gabungan Persatuan Penulis Nasional Malaysia (GAPENA).

Kehebatan pelukis tersohor ini adalah satu legasi yang tiada tolok bandingannya. Dia adalah anak kampung yang hidup dalam kesusahan dan kepayahan. Dia juga bukanlah anak yang pintar dalam bidang akademik.

Namun, cita-cita, kesungguhan dan bakat semula jadinya akhirnya membolehkan lukisan anak kampung itu menghiasi dinding istana-istana raja dan rumah-rumah perdana menteri Malaysia.

RAJA MUDA PERAK Raja Nazrin Shah antara yang hadir memberi penghormatan terakhir untuk Allahyarham Ibrahim.

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Gahnya karya-karya lukisan Ib yang menyorot perspektif dan nafas baru dalam seni tampak bukan sahaja dikagumi peminat dalam negara bahkan menarik minat pencinta seni lukisan dunia.

Lantaran itu, bukanlah menghairankan catatan diari pameran yang pernah diadakan Ib merentas pelbagai negara. Sekadar menyebut beberapa pameran antarabangsa yang meletakkan Ib sebagai pelukis dalam kelas tersendiri, beliau pernah mengadakan pameran hasil karyanya secara solo di Galeri John Wibley,

IBRAHIM bersama isterinya, Sim Hussein.

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London pada tahun 1962, Gallerie Internationale New York, Amerika Syarikat (1965), Newsweek Gallery, New York, Amerika Syarikat (1968), Dhait Abdullah Al Salam Galley, Kuwait (1977), Daruma Art Centre Copenhagen, Denmark dan Galerie Bortier, Brussels, Belgium (1983).

WARTAWAN Kosmo!, Johanna yang pernah menemubual Ibrahim pada tahun 2006.

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Namun, karya agung Allahyarham tidak lain dan tidak bukan adalah penubuhan Muzium dan Yayasan Seni Ibrahim Hussein atau IHMCF. Beliau menumpahkan seluruh jiwa raganya dalam merealisasikan muzium yang terletak di kawasan seluas 16,000 kaki persegi di kawasan Hutan Gunung Mat Chincang dan berhadapan kehijauan air Laut Andaman di Pantai Pasir Tengkorak, Pulau Langkawi, Kedah itu.

HASIL karya Ibrahim dipamerkan di New York, Kuwait dan Denmark.

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Pernah ditemu bual wartawan Kosmo! pada tahun 2006, Allahyarham mengakui IHMCF lahir daripada manifestasi seluruh kehidupannya.

"Untuk memulakan cerita bagaimana idea penubuhan yayasan ini bermula, biarlah saya ceritakan sedikit sebanyak berkenaan kehidupan masa lampau, bagaimana ia telah memberi kesan mendalam dan membentuk diri saya sekarang.

"Saya berasal daripada sebuah keluarga yang susah dan kehidupan kami sekeluarga ketika itu sememangnya amat sukar," kata anak kelima daripada enam beradik itu sewaktu diwawancara wartawan Kosmo! Joha*nna A. Sob*rey.

FIGURA yang dikagumi dalam bidang seni halus kerana kehebatan hasil karya lukisannya.

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Cerita Allahyarham, ketika berusia awal 20-an, beliau hanya mahu diberi kebebasan melukis dan meluahkan perasaan dengan cara tersendiri tanpa sebarang harapan daripada sesiapa.

Namun, pelbagai tekanan termasuk masalah kewangan sentiasa membayangi diri beliau dan memaksanya mencari jalan untuk menampung kehidupannya.

"Contohnya, ketika di Sekolah Seni Byam Shaw, London, saya merupakan satu-satunya penuntut dari Asia. Ia adalah waktu yang sememangnya sukar dan penuh dengan kesunyian.

"Suatu ketika dahulu, saya pernah melakukan pelbagai kerja seperti penghantar surat untuk hidup. Ia satu pengalaman tidak akan saya lupakan sampai bila-bila.

"Kemudian, selepas mengecap pelbagai kejayaan daripada jatuh bangun pada usia muda, pada satu hari ketika sedang berenang di kolam renang rumah sambil memikirkan sejarah hidup dan pelbagai halangan serta kesukaran yang pernah dihadapi, timbul ilham untuk mewujudkan IHMCF," cerita Allahyarham. Selepas lapan tahun menumpahkan segala usaha dan berhabisan RM10 juta pada tahun 2000, IHMCF dilancarkan oleh bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Mahathir Mohamad.

Dalam kesedihan kehilangan sebutir permata berharga dalam bidang seni halus, yang pasti, Ib telah menjalani hidup yang sangat bermakna. Allahyarham pergi dengan mengetahui jawapan kepada setiap tangisan dan ketawanya.