OMG it's 2017!

It was a cloudy Friday morning, unusually quiet, with only me and my soon-to-be teenage daughter at home. The clouds were grey, and there's no way my hanged laundry is going to be dry soon. I haven't written in this blog for a loooooong time, I know. Though I would have loved to be able to read and write more in my daily routine. But as a SAHM, I am constantly on the move, sending and picking up the kids and doing laundry. Sounds like an excuse? Probably it is. 

When I started writing this post, I meant to write a short fictional story. But then I started reflecting back on last year, 2016, a year which was quite a hectic year for me. It was full of ups and downs (mostly downs), and quite stressful to be honest. But then again, I am a worry wart myself, and probably I should learn to manage my stress better haha. 

My tween daughter had her big exams last year, so the days were filled with extra classes and studying. I was extremely worried about her, but she proved to have worked really hard by September, and I am so proud of her. Her results came out in November, and it was not what we expected. Apparently the whole system decided to change their marking scheme and ended up with the scale being higher than it usually is. To me though, she did very well. But it broke my heart to see her and her friends crying out of frustration. I was also worried about which school she might be accepted to in her secondary year, considering her average result.

She was still however rewarded for her hard work. I didnt want her to feel like a failure and wanted her to know that I am really proud of her and I recognize her hard work. Everything was ok for a while, and then me and my husband went for our umrah trip. It was such an eye opening experience, and I learnt so much from that one trip alone. I pray so much that I would be able to go again in the future. 

Anyway, after we got back, it was back-to-school time again. We were busy buying supplies for the new schooling term, and my daughter's name was assigned to a secondary school nearby. I was crushed, since I had applied for two different schools, both which had better reputations and results from the one she was assigned to. My husband and I went from school to school to the Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah, trying our luck to apply for a different school, but to no avail. So on the first day of school, I sent her with a heavy heart. After about two weeks, I saw that she is settling down, and I was coming into terms that this school might not be so bad after all. But then I got the phone call that made me shed tears of joy! We got into the one school that I wanted!! Yay!! I was and I am so thankful to Allah, for granting my dua, even though I am not what you would call a perfect person. Syukur Alhamdulillah! Deep down inside I did question, why didnt my daughter get 6As, when that was all i prayed for, since forever. But Allah answered my prayers in a different way, granting me the school that I wanted, even without 6As. I am so blessed!

So this is the start of my 2017. I pray and hope that this year will be better for us all then before. I also pray and hope that I will become a much better person, and improve my relationship with Allah everyday of the rest of my life. Amin. 

New House!

Yes, you read it right... we have officially moved to our new house! its has been about a month now.. things are slowly getting into place.. unpacking is a nightmare. Plus we still have not bought enough furniture yet, so there is not enough storage space. But all in all we are so grateful for this house and community. The kids love the outdoor space, and they love being outdoors all the time! We are so blessed and thankful to Allah for this amazing house!

Anywho, it has been many, many centuries since I last wrote. So many things has happened in between. The most recent being the Eid celebration. This year is more meaningful for me because of the new house i guess. And again.. so blessed! But apart from that, there are also many depressing and frustrating news on TV and online. From political corruption in the country, to fatal car accidents on the road, to abused and murdered children. All of these horrible news seem to be making headlines. And its not just in the country, its all over the world. I just read online about 6 children being shot to death by some psycho in Texas. What is this world coming to? 

I always worry about my kids. The country is proving that it wont be as stable as it portrays itself to be. The current leaders are too greedy and are now trying to get as much dough and power as they can for themselves, no matter what the cost to the people. They dont really care much about the country. They scam money out of the people, and use them for their own. They can afford to run off overseas, if anything ever happens to Malaysia. When my kids grow up, what state would the country be in? There is no one leader that seem influential enough to state the obvious and steer Malaysia back to the right path. Which is sad. 

I pray to Allah to bless my kids, and protect them. I am so blessed to be able to stay in this lovely home, with my lovely family. I dont know what the future holds, but I pray it brings my family and I to the straight path. 

Eh, how come this post become sad pulak? hehe... hope it wont be 7 months before I write again. 

cheerio

Happy New Year!

So the once a month post on the blog didnt work out.. haha! Let's make that our new year's resolution ok? So here goes the rantings for January...

My last post was about my breakouts... well guess what? pimples no more!!! what did i do? well.. I think it was my hormones... and remember i wrote that i start taking Omega-3 supplement? Well, when that did not make much difference, I started taking Shaklee's GLA Complex. It contains GLA, Vitamin E and Sunflower Seed oil. Some of it's benefits are as listed below:

Benefits of GLA:

– Helps to balance hormones

– Helps to reduce chances of abnormal cell growth.

– Helps to maintain overall health of nails and hair.

– Helps to reduce chances of PMS

– Helps to reduce menstural cramps

– Helps to regulate menstrual cycle.

– Improves skin complextion

– helps to improve and prepare with:

1) Pre-menstural

2) Menstrual

3) Pre-pregnancy

4) After pregnancy

5) Pre-menopause

6) Menopause

(Source from Google)

And yes! I am a Shaklee distributor and you can order from me! hehe... Anyway, I guess this worked for me, because I haven't had a pimple on my chin for about 2 months! Not even during my menses! Hooray!

My other gripe though... is UV rays. I have started a routine of running. I am aiming to run a Half Marathon (HM) by end of this year. So I have this running plan that is entering my 4th week. So when the kids are off to school, I go out and run. The thing is, by that time, the sun is already up and is really hot. But being as determined as I am (chewah), I plow through, only to have my skin burnt like the back of a 'kuali'. I always apply sunblock. But i still get tanned very easily. And I am worried that the sun will make my skin age faster! NNooooo! But I still need to run :( . Maybe I should run under the shades, but that would make it harder to find a suitable running path. Sigh, need to find more solutions. Like probably migrating to another country with a cooler climate. Or a spot on the earth farthest away from the sun, maybe?

I ran my first run for January last Saturday. It was a spur of the moment kinda thing, since I suddenly saw a post on FB selling 2 women bibs at once, just hours before the race. If it was just one, I wouldnt have gone. Talk about fate! Medal was really cute :). 

I was really tired though because I didnt get enough sleep on Friday, and Saturday morning was really busy with cooking (will talk about it in later post), so to run on Saturday night was really a challenge. However, my pace was better than my training. The distance was supposed to be 9km, though I clocked only 8.83km on my Runtastic.

Hah, so... will I ever run a HM by year end? Please support me! If only I had a personal coach who can push me on my lazy days haha!

Till my next rant, au revoir!

:*

Pimples, Zits, Acne, Breakouts....

So let's try to update this blog at least once a month, shall we?

As usual, I like to number the things that I want to write about, just because I do. (even tho now i realize there is only one thing i wanna talk about!)

1. The biggest thing happening in my life right now is.... acne! It proves that you still can get breakouts at an old  mature age. AArgghhh... its making me stressed.. which is causing more breakouts I guess. My breakouts are mostly on my chin, which supposedly indicates that its hormonal. Hormone changes can apparently be caused by stress. (Btw, you can tell what health concerns you need to address based on where your pimples are on your face.) So, I have been frantically trying every suggestion on the internet (well, almost all). Lemme list down some for you:

• Rice flour face mask - I do this almost everyday, either on the whole of my face or just on the problematic area, just whenever I have time. It is supposed to make your face smoother and lighten the marks. I use it to dry up my acne faster. My face also feels smoother.
• Honey - I put it on my pimples and marks, because I read honey is anti-bacterial, and can dry up the pimples. It also has natural bleaching properties to help lighten the marks caused by my acne.
• Cutting down sugar and starch - My breakouts could also be a result of my poor diet. I cannot be sure of this, but I am cutting down on my sugar intake. This is REALLY HARD since I love baking and desserts and cakes!! :(( How am I going to survive!?? Anyway, this is a good thing, even though you dont have pimples. Right? The thing is.. its very hard to maintain not eating my beloved cupcakes!
• Dalacin T - I used this topical solution before in my younger days, and a friend of mine did recommend to me. But i didnt get around to buying it till last weekend. It seems to be making a lot of improvement in a very short time. When i say improvement, it means that it is healing my pimples quite fast. However, I still have the ugly black marks, or scars from these pimples. Maybe from popping it too much! 
• Hands Off! - No hands on your face!! I know ppl tell u this all the time but sometimes i just wanna get rid of that bump so that its easier to apply makeup. I have been trying more self control these days, and hopefully it ll work!
• Omega 3 - I also have been taking Omega 3 supplements since it can stabilize your hormones, you  know, since my pimples are hormone related. i finished a month supply, yet to restock. Cant really tell on the effect. Maybe need to continue eating.

Overwhelmed yet? I am. But its really making me depressed looking in the mirror. I can cover it up with makeup when I go out, but I have 2 running events this weekend, and for sure my makeup will wipe off with all the sweat! :( I dont wanna meet ppl with my face like this!! Anyone has tips on sweat proof makeup? hehe

Anyway... i hope these pointers can help some of you out there who are battling the same problem as moi :) .. also drink lotsssaaa water and detox too... 

till my next post... au revoir mon ami!

So many things... so little time..

So as I wrote before, I suck at blogging I guess. My last post was in May, and even though I have so many things in my head I wish to be written down, I never got around to it. Let's see what are some of the things that has been going on..

Of course, the suffering of the Palestinians. Though now the bombings have stopped (sort of), knowing the Zionists, it's only a matter of time when they will start breaching the cease fire again. Even if the war did stop, Palestine has so much rebuilding to do. Not to mention their lack of supplies, mainly to cure the injured. The lack of water supply also is a major problem, which leads to diseases and might cause death. These are all physical effects that needs to be addressed. What about the psychological aspects? Over a thousand children in Gaza are orphaned. Little children and babies are traumatized by the bombs and by the chaos caused by these Zionists animals. They lost their limbs, and also their parents. Unimaginable. These are little kids we are talking about. But not all hope is lost. Among these horrific ruins we find love, and kindness, and people helping each other. Not to mention countries like Algeria opening their doors to provide supplies and assistance to the Palestinians. And also our beloved country, sending our convoy with medical and food supplies to help, if not much, the injured and wounded. And as we all know, the Palestinians are strong, and resilient, and Allah will always look after those who pray for help. InsyaAllah, those who perished defending their Palestinian land, will be awarded Jannah, Amin.

 

(picture from Google)

Raya also has passed since I last wrote. It has been a simple cozy raya with family. Ate so much, as usual. Need to watch my calories!

Then there's my runs! My first run after the raya holidays was the Energizer Night Run on August 9, 2014. It was my first 15km run, and I barely did any training, and it was just after puasa and raya! Omg, but I managed to finish! it took me ages to get to the finish line but I did it! Best feeling!

 

Had another run on September 7, which was the TM Fan Run. Did 10km, and my timing was surprisingly a new Personal Best! This came as a surprise considering it was a hectic weekend for me. Whatever it is, felt good.

Though many more things are happening around me, this entry is long enough, hehe. Hope to write some more soon.

So, I was about to start writing when I heard the pitter patter of my baby boy's feet walking down the stairs. Gave him a bottle of milk and decided to note some life events that has been happening since my last post.

1. Trying to keep up with the happenings in the world, I sometimes read the huffingtonpost.com. One of the news that strikes me is about the 200+ abducted Nigerian girls :(. It has been almost a month now, and only Allah knows what is happening to them. We always hear about rape, torture, murder and other atrocities done to women in these broken countries. And to be captive for almost a month, I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through. All they planned on doing that day was go to school and complete their final examinations. Oh how can things turn out to be so wrong :(. Let's pray that Allah protect these girls from the savages, and say thanks to how lucky we are to be protected by Allah from this misfortune.

(picture from Google)

2. I went to a baking class last weekend! I learnt how to make walnut brownies, cream puffs and its filling and also the Victoria Sponge Cake. I also learnt to make butterscotch drizzle for the brownies, and the swiss meringue buttercream for the VSC :). So exciting! The girls in my class are all so nice :) and our teacher, Kak Tina, is also very easy to get along with. Humble and down to earth person, even though her cakes are out of this world! You can check out her IG at @ms_tinaz. It was a 1 day class at her home. We got to bring back our bakes and it was really yummy! A few days after, I tried making my own cream puffs and was so nervous about it I couldnt sleep the night before! But my class paid off and I managed to make delicious cream puffs on my own! I made a box of it for my best friends birthday and she loved it! :) Yay me! Could i possible take orders? hehe.. Yes I can!

3. After making and eating desserts, I need to talk about my running. I have been slacking! So today I managed to drag my lazy bum for a 4km run. Felt good, though I ran kinda slow. My next run is the Cyberjaya Night Marathon. Apparently we will be hosed down by the firefighters somewhere along the way! Can't wait! I'll write a review on it in about 2 weeks after the run. It will be my first night run actually. Yay fun!

(picture obtained from Google)

Life... to be grateful for what we have

I was just thinking about it this morning, when I looked at a friend's picture of her island holiday. Oh how I wish I was at the beach! The clear blue water, sparkling under the sunshine. The calmness the sound of the waves makes you. How you always stare in awe at the vast ocean without being able to say a word. And just enjoy the big, blue ocean for hours and hours. Huge sunglasses, flip flops, a good book, sun block, and just lay back  by the beach enjoying the wonders of nature as Allah created it. Don't even get me started on the amazing sea life, blue fishes never cease to amaze me. What is it with blue fishes? Silver colored fishes or black or white fish doesn't give the same kind of impact to me, but I digress.

I so long for a holiday by the beach. A peaceful one. Alone. Without the kids. I don't mean to sound cruel, but sometimes I think I deserve a holiday alone. I do bring my kids for our family holiday all the time. Just want one for myself. But there's no way my husband would let me go alone. My friends all have their family commitment. So I am left with nobody to go with. Blurgh. 

So as I was wallowing in despair, feeling sorry for my life, pretty sure it is the end of the world, all because of a picture of the sea, I came across this article on Iraq. Even after the Americans left, Iraq's internal turmoil has not ceased. The journalist spoke of teacups clattering as a bomb exploded nearby. A fighter for democracy described Iraq as "going into the abyss". 

Even though the essence of the article written was more on the politics and the reign of its current Prime Minister and the upcoming election, I came to think about the unspoken circumstances of Iraq. The voices of the civilians and helpless children. When the bomb was meant to do harm to each of the fighting sides, who is listening to the screams and cries of hundreds (prob thousands? I need to get my facts right) of innocent civilian casualties? People of Iraq, or those living in conflicting countries cannot live the normal life we live in everyday. We complain of traffic jams, of how tired we are of housework, how our bosses give us hell at work, how someone annoys us by hurting our feelings, how we always have nothing to wear, trivial things it now seems. I'm sure they would be so thankful to wake up in the morning and roam the streets of their own country without fear of being shot by a stray bullet. Little things that we take for granted in our lives. 

Islam also teaches us to never compare ourselves to those who has more than us, but instead look at the less fortunate.

On the authority of Abu Huraira (R.A.A.) who said: The Prophet (PBUH), said: "Look upon one who is below you in status. In this way you will not look down upon the grace of that God bestowed upon you." (Bukhari and Muslim)

I am human, because sometimes I cannot runaway from these trivial complaints I make everyday. Lucky me though, because I do realize that my complaints ARE in fact trivial. I just need to realize it more often. And I hope you all do too.