Thursday, August 27, 2009

:(

I had to rush mum to the emergency ward yesterday because her blood pressure shot up very, very high. From the blood test, they found out that mum has diabetes too. She was released from the hospital yesterday evening, but we had to do a follow up check this morning, and again tomorrow... Thankfully, the new medication they introduced seems to be working. I hope it will help mum manage her BP from now on. Prayers for mum.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Magic lanterns for writing by moonlight

On a recent trip to Ikea, I found wonderful tealight-sized scented candles (Tindra). There was cinnamon, apple, vanilla... and maybe one or two more fragrances, but I got the vanilla. It smelt the best to me. I was about to purchase some tealight holders, when I decided to put them back. I thought I had a better, and most importantly, "free" solution for it.

See, I've been saving up my used jam and feta cheese jars and reserving them for a higher purpose. I knew they would make great tealight holders, and I was right! Check out the lovely way the glow above. These are my magic lanterns... each night, I light two vanilla-scented candles and set them on my desk. They gift me with a sense of calm and fill me with delight, as I write by moonlight...

Clear skies...

On my way to work yesterday morning, I noticed that the sun was out and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful blue and the clouds were fluffy and a brilliant white... like they've been through the wash or something. This is such a blessing because we've had months and months of haze, and we've been choking on toxic fumes. I was so depressed when the haze was around, but now I'm feeling happier. The snapshot above is a view from my living room window at around 6.10 pm today.

Stress buster @ Venusbuzz.com

Stress... everyone has it. Even my 5-year old, I think. I wrote a brief article on how to bust that stress, and I think I've got to go home and practice what I preach - pronto!

You are what you eat @ Venusbuzz.com

It's the fasting month, and I have to admit that I think about food a lot during this time of year (more than usual I mean). What to eat at "buka puasa" (break fast)... what to cook... etc.


On that note, I'd like to go off on a tangent and ask you, "Why did the pollotarian cross the road?" To get to KFC... perhaps? Well, okay that was lame.. but do read my article on people's (mostly self-imposed) dietary restrictions to find out what I'm rambling about :)

Monday, August 24, 2009

A Decade of Dedication @ Essenze magazine

Check out my latest article in Essenze magazine (Vol 15-09). I wrote something to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.

Essenze magazine Vol 15-09

Friday, August 21, 2009

Recommend the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion to your library

I recommended the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion to a head librarian today, and while perusing the Berg website for details to forward to said librarian, I realised that they've listed the titles of essays in each volume.

And.... I can see my essay title in Volume 4: South Asia and Southeast Asian Contents! It's becoming a reality!

Click here to visit the Berg Fashion Library page.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Friday, August 7, 2009

No more jealousy @ Venusbuzz.com

The strong bond I have with my son today, wasn't instantaneous. He was closer to his father and grandmother in the early years of his life, and it wasn't easy for me to feel second best to everyone else. I am after all, his mother. I felt that I should've been the one he was closest to. I wanted to share my experience with other mums, because someone out there might think that they're being "bad mums" or that something is wrong with them. If you happen to be feeling this way, hang in there, it will soon pass.

Mind your language @ Venusbuzz.com

In a recent parenting article for Venusbuzz, I talk about how preschool children seem to have better English than primary school children in Malaysia. I thought I was the only one who felt this way, until I read that the Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister had noticed it too. My son's preschool teachers have also revealed that most parents complain that their children seem to lose their English skills when they go to primary level. Why does this happen? What can we do about it?

Monday, August 3, 2009

Mom bloggers planet

I received a message today from Mom Bloggers Planet saying, "Your blog has been approved for free listing in the BlogDirectory". I must say that I found it quite difficult to sign up and submit my blog to their directory, but I worked it out somehow!

Check it out, they feature cute illustrations by talented mum Emila Yusof :)

Welcome 2019: Time to Grow

Happy New Year everyone! I'm so so excited for 2019 and everything that it'll bring. I'm starting the year with gratefulness for...