Do you remember how you celebrated Mother’s Day when you were still a little child?

I remember it clearly.

Mother’s Day celebration has always been a simple affair ever since I was small. I would wake up extra early just to clean the entire house for Mak. I would sweep the floor, mop it till I could see my reflection, wash the dishes, fold the clothes, and clean Mak’s room even. Back then, we did not have a helper, so I knew it was my responsibility to do something that would make Mak happy; and I reckoned keeping the house clean would make her the happiest. Yes, my mum is that easy to please because her life is really all about us. On every Mother’s Day, I would be at my best behaviour, and try my very best to not make her raise her voice. No fights with my siblings, no nothing. Mak was queen for a day, and we were angels for a day. Well, almost a day. So hard to not fight with one another over the simplest thing. LOL.

I miss those good old days when everything was less complicated.

I miss being a little kid.

I miss growing up.

I miss having lesser responsibilities.

I miss being so carefree.

I miss spending time with Mak.

Mother’s Day seems to be so complicating these days, man. There’s always the dilemma of deciding whose mother we’re celebrating first, second, and third. In fact, Tatek and I are already cracking our brains on how we are going to celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow. First, there is ME! LOL. Secondly, Mak. Thirdly, my mother-in-law. Sometimes, I really feel like we need an expert just to arrange a schedule for each mom on the exact same day. How many hours are there in a day again, excluding bedtime?

Actually, as ironic as it may sound, Mother’s Day is all for the children. It is not so much for us mummies.

Kids, they are forever eager to show that they love us and that they can take good care of us.

My girls have been saying things like,

“Mummy, I love you so much. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Mummy, you are the best mummy!”

“Mummy, I will always make you happy. I will never make you cry.”

Just look at my bag. It is filled with cards that my girls have been making for me non-stop for the past few days or so. I am not kidding you or exaggerating but they keep filling my bag with cards and letters every now and then, some of which they did in school!

“Nah Mummy. Happy Mother’s Day!”

It is always so easy to fashion a statement out of construction paper and glue and fill it with lots of hearts and glitter for mummy dearest when you are a kid. I mean, what else can you do to show how much you appreciate your mum? You express it best through your drawings and all. You put your heart and soul into those handmade cards.

However, I was so tempted to tell them,

“Okay, enough already. I have no more space to keep your cards!”

But I cannot possibly be saying that right? I must be appreciative, especially when they are always so happy to give me these handmade gifts. LOL.

As kids get older and subsequently turn into adults like us, it will become harder to express how much we love our mummies because our lives are now filled with something else like never-ending duties and obligations. The once in a week phone call or visit will then be our way of saying “I am here now, and I still remember all that you have done for me.”

What am I saying here?

When we grow up, we need to find a new way to express our love to our mums.

And as mothers, we too need to be able to hear or see what our children are subtly telling us. They will not make it that obvious most of the time due to a little something something huge called EGO. It may no longer be a flimsy or super gluey handmade card but a perfect looking store-bought card instead. So what? They may not say they love us so very much anymore in the card but they will say they appreciate whatever we have done for them instead. So what again?

Knowing that your kids spent those few minutes to buy the card before writing a little something for you is enough to tell you that you still matter in their lives. Or is it not?

Being a mother is a very challenging job, as we all know! What’s new, right? It does not come with any kind of training book. Okay fine, they do sell those guide books which I love to read, but honestly, those books are just for my pure entertainment. I do not read them to learn how to be a better or perfect mum. There is no correct way to be a perfect mum, and we all learn how to parent on the go. Most of the time, we take that leap of faith and we experiment while we are at it. Should we fail, we have no time to give up or cry for days/weeks/months. We have no choice but to pick ourselves up again almost immediately, and just keep trying to to do the best that we can for our children.

Know that while we think that we may not be the best mummy yet for our children, we are always the best in their eyes.

Sure, we do not need a specific day to celebrate our role in society. But doesn’t it feel super good to know that there is a day to celebrate our existence as mummies? After all, it is just a day of recognition and appreciation.

If every day is Mother’s Day, when then can we feel extra special?

When can we really take a break from everything just to spend that time with our children?

It hurts when I get super busy at times to even talk to my girls. 

It hurts when my girl has to grab my face between her hands just so that she can have my full attention.

It hurts when my girl has to try hard to look at me directly into my eyes just to tell me this.

“Mummy, I love you.”

Happy Mother’s Day. <3

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EH WAIT, DID YOU GO TO THE CORRECT BLOG?

Oh yes, this is THE REVEAL.

Don’t worry, you are at the right blog. It’s still me!

And no, not pregnant.

NOT PREGNANT.

NOT PREGNANT.

Say, how are you liking my new blog?

I LOVE IT SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

CONGRATULATE ME QUICK. SEND ME ROSES, CHOCOLATES, OR ANYTHING TIFFANY. 

What if I tell you that the same person was responsible for my new blog layout and the pictures you see here? Who is he or she? How can he/she be this talented?! So unfair, right?

Relax. Don’t get so worked up. 

KEEP CALM & READ ON. 

I was staring at my blog the other night, looking for ideas for a particular blog post. Suddenly it struck me.

“What am I doing daydreaming nightdreaming? I need a new blog layout fast.”

I was in love with my previous blog design for the longest time because of the colour pink, and how it reflected the supposedly soothing nature of my blog. But at the same time, I was itching to tweak my layout and experiment with a different colour scheme for my blog post. A blog design is just like life. You need to keep progressing. You need to be fresh. You cannot be stuck in a rut. Sometimes we get too used to things till they finally become stagnant. -_-

I decided that my blog design should go for a fresh change and colour. What colour?

TIFFANY BLUE LAR OF COURSE!

And so I started planning. Before I could change my blog layout, I had to take new photos. I had to check my husband’s availability. I had to arrange for a studio session. I had to shop for clothes.

But most importantly, I had to find the perfect photographer.

I started checking out different photography companies but a particular photography company caught my attention immediately. For my new blog layout, I was actually looking for something different in terms of the pictures. I did not want to settle for the normal kind of pictures.

I am sorry to say this but I needed something more.

ZEE & MARINA PHOTOGRAPHY fits the bill perfectly! 

Let me now introduce you to Zee & Marina’s photography niche, PORTRAIT IN PANO.

PORTRAIT IN PANO(RAMA) LOOKS LIKE THESE.

“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”

Actually, the photos do not even need a story or explanation to back them up. They speak for themselves, I believe. But at the same time, I think you would be interested to hear the story behind them, right?

Firstly, want to know the mastermind behind Portrait in Pano?

HE IS NONE OTHER THAN FAUZI ANUAR.

Fauzi Anuar specializes in on-location lifestyle portrait, be it indoors or outdoors.

According to Fauzi, Portrait in Pano is a collection of portraits (taken in sequence) to depict a story or timeline.

“It is definitely a pull away from conventional portraits, and shows modernism in current pictorials. It involves the use of image manipulation techniques.”

Let me tell you a bit more about Fauzi Anuar. Let me tell you how awesome he is.

- He is qualified master photographer as awarded by The Master Photographers Association UK.

- He is 2 Star Exhibitor as awarded by The Photographic Society of America

- He won a couple of Honorable Mentions at the 2012 International Photography Awards

- He was awarded a merit at the Master Photographers Association’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee Awards

- He was one of the top 8 finalists in The Big Shot Season 3

And what’s more, Fauzi Anuar is really good at web designing too! Hence, this blog layout for me.

WOW. SO I KILLED 2 BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, DIDN’T I?

Do you want to know how Fauzi Anuar actually started taking an interest in photography? It’s pretty cute actually, the story. When he told me, I was laughing quite hysterically.

So here goes. First things first, Fauzi did not have an interest in photography initially. No passion whatsoever even. So I would like to think that he has his wife to thank for where he is now. Had it not been for her who requested for a DSLR camera (out of so many gifts!) during their wedding anniversary, he would not have taken an interest in the camera till now. Now, you must be thinking that the wife must be a pro to have asked for a DSLR camera, right? I thought so too. Well, here’s the thing; she did not how to use the DSLR initially! Laugh now, it’s so funny! See la, asked for DSLR but don’t know how to use. Truth be told, she just could not be bothered to read the entire instruction manual. Tell me about it, I hate reading instruction manuals too! Like, what are they written in? German?

So like it or not, Fauzi had to learn how to use the DSLR in order to teach his beloved wife. The things you would do for love, right?

And that was how everything started, my friend. From a simple (or not so simple) experiment with the DSLR to his own photography company!

GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE PLEASE. 

You must be curious to know how Isda looks like right?

NAH. PROMOTE HER A BIT SINCE SHE IS SO PRETTY. HELLO ISDA!!

CAN YOU NOW TEACH ME HOW TO USE THE DSLR, ISDA? SHARE & CARE. #LOL

I actually tried to do some research on Portrait in Pano but the search result showed Zee & Marina Photography only. Does that mean that only Fauzi is doing this in Singapore at present? I think so! Correct me if I am wrong, but hey, I am usually right. HAHAHAHAHAH.  I mean, have you seen any other photography companies doing this? Now, imagine having the Portrait in Pano in your living room for all your guests to admire and be in awe. Every guest of yours will be impressed! Forget new curtains, beautify your house with your own Portrait in Pano instead!

And hey, check out the CD case which Fauzi surprised us with! So impressive and outstanding, right? You can have yours personalized like this too! I’ll tell you more later.

I can tell that Fauzi is extremely particular about creating a good first impression, and this can be seen from our first meeting with him to the first studio session to the short time he took to produce the end product. I thought he did not take long to show us the edited pictures, considering the fact that he had a lot to do before we could get our very own PORTRAIT IN PANO. We were so impressed by his passion, efficiency and dedication. What am I saying? I am still impressed by his passion, efficiency, and dedication. Working with Fauzi was such a breeze and sooooooooo easy.

During the studio photo shoot, my girls were initially quite stiff and shy, if I were to be frank with you. And because they were pretty shy, the pictures taken initially did not exactly depict the real bubbly them. Fauzi was really patient and took the effort to get to know them better first. In fact, he was not even rushing to get everything done. He was like sitting down with my girls, playing with them, and kept creating conversations with them. Within minutes, he was already able to differentiate my twins! Big deal okay because until now, my dad is still not able to identify my twins correctly sometimes despite seeing them every single day.

So little kids, you will definitely adore Uncle Fauzi!

And parents, don’t get all worked up trying to get your kids to smile for the camera because Fauzi can handle that part pretty well, I am sure.

Now the pressure’s officially on you, Fauzi. HAHAHA.

Want to know something about Portrait in Pano? Fauzi will be the one telling you to come up with a certain pose. So, you don’t have to crack your brains while figuring out how to go about posing. In the case of our Portrait in Pano, I was asked to pretend to jot down whatever the girls were doing for an upcoming blog post. Tatek had to hold the camera and pretend he was photographing the girls for my blog post. The girls were told to play with toys and Lego; Sharleez was asked to pretend that she was chasing after Myreen. Myreen had to hold on to the toy plane and pretend that she was looking at Sharleez. And Mysha had to pretend that she was playing with a toy car, and observing the antics of Sharleez and Myreen while she was at it.

THESE ARE THE PANO PARTS.

See how every part produces the Portrait in Pano when put together?

TELL ME PORTRAIT IN PANO IS NOTHING BUT AWESOME, QUICK!

Looks easy, doesn’t it? But trust me, it involves a lot of work!

Fauzi has an eye for what matters in a photograph. His post-production skills are exceptional. I think Fauzi really has the right spirit for the job. He did an amazing job of keeping my girls engaged and himself energized. He set us at ease and kept us laughing throughout the studio session. So I reckon the reason why Fauzi gets the best out of his subjects is because he brings his best to the job. That’s really important, I feel. I appreciate his energy and how he can attain the perfect shots without putting so much pressure on us, the kids especially.

And the end product? He managed to bring out the best in every daughter of mine.

Let me tell you something else. Fauzi actually had only three days to work on my blog design. Despite the short period of time he had, he was able to come up with whatever that I had in mind. Gosh. I cannot reiterate enough how super efficient this guy is. And let’s not mention the fact that he is very good at web designing. Wait a minute, I think I already mentioned it earlier. Web designing can be deceptively difficult, and it’s not just a matter of coming up with a beautiful design. Contrary to popular belief, how your blog looks has little to do with the blog design. It’s not about being fancy actually. It’s about having a cohesive blog design. I believe Fauzi has successfully created one for me!

AND JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED WHAT I TYPED EARLIER, LET ME SAY IT AGAIN.

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH MY NEW BLOG DESIGN!

Such a privilege to have had the chance to work with Fauzi Anuar from Zee & Marina Photography.

And guess what, he is now a friend of ours. The kind that I can joke around with without feeling awkward or anything like that, just like the rest of them who I have worked with before.

He is such an easygoing person, really. No airs at all. So I did not put on airs too. LOL. That’s the thing about me. Once you get to know me and once you are in my good books, working with me will be soooooo easy and fun plus stress free!

RIGHT OR NOT FAUZI?!!

So okay, since Hari Raya is just around the corner, why not book a studio session with Fauzi Anuar from Zee & Marina Photography, and have your very own Portrait in Pano?

I HEARD ZEE & MARINA PHOTOGRAPHY HAS A PROMOTION FOR ALL MY BLOG READERS IF YOU WERE SIGN UP NOW!

THE FIRST 30 CUSTOMERS TO SIGN UP FOR PORTRAIT IN PANO PACKAGE WILL RECEIVE THE EPRSONALIZED CD CASE (WORTH $50) WHICH I SHOWED YOU EARLIER.

THE PACKAGE INCLUDES:

1. 1 HOUR OF STUDIO SESSION

2. SOFT COPY (WEB RESOLUTION) OF FINAL IMAGE & INDIVIDUAL IMAGES USED FOR THE PANO.

And beside Portrait in Pano, ZEE & MARINA PHOTOGRAPHY also offers the following services:

• Single/couple/family portrait

• Outdoor photoshoot

• Newborn/baby photography package with 24×16 inch canvas wrap

A family portrait looks something like this! 

Sorry but it’s us again. HAHAHAHA!

AND OH MY GOODNESS! JUST LOOK AT THESE!!

AWWWWWWWWW MAN.

And oh oh oh, if you are looking for someone to design your website or blog, you can approach Fauzi Anuar too! Just don’t choose the colour tiffany, okay?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FAUZI ANUAR FROM ZEE & MARINA PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THIS GORGEOUS BLOG LAYOUT AND FOR ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS YOU TOOK OF US. TRUST ME, YOU WILL BE SEEING MORE OF US.

DETAILS NOW! GO DISTURB FAUZI QUICK! 

FAUZI ANUAR

Mobile: 9656 0662

Email: zee@zeeandmarina.com

Web: www.zeeandmarina.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/zeeandmarina

Photographing A Minute Part Of Reality

“I love photos because the best thing about it is that it never changes even when the person in it does.”

AND FOR KEEPING YOU IN SUSPENSE FOR A FEW DAYS ABOUT THE REVEAL, THE VERY LEAST YOU COULD DO IS TO CLICK LIKE BELOW, YOU KNOW? 

<3

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Sexual abuse.

Dealing with death.

Breakups.

Divorce.

Betrayal.

Did I just mention some very taboo topics? Do you just cringe each time someone mentions any of the above? And why so? Is it because you feel it’s a topic not to be openly discussed? Or have you or someone close to you gone through it?

Is reality really that scary? Not sure about what the future holds for you because it seems so dark?

Time to let go of the past, my loves.

Maimunah Alhabshi , the founder of Project Spirituality, will be sharing her own personal story from A to Z. She will be discussing issues that she has never had the courage to talk about before. To quote what she emailed to me,

“I am planning to be very transparent and share my own experiences from both incidents, and then share the practical solutions and deep wisdom I’ve so far learned from it all. First time I’m trying to do this publicly. Seram jugak sebenarnya. But the urge to help ladies out there who are going through similar experiences triumphs over the seram-ness to publicly share such sensitive topics and issues.”

And for that, I applaud her.

The first workshop that Maimunah will be conducting is called From Broken to Open.

This workshop is especially for women who are:

The second workshop that Maimunah Alhabshi will be conducting is called Removing the Noose of Sexual Abuse.

This workshop caters to women who are prepared to succeed in dealing with traumatic childhood experiences (physical/sexual/verbal/emotional abuse).

Now, Maimunah is someone I truly look up to.

A seeker and an award-winning speaker, Maimunah attended al-Azhar University in Egypt and has travelled to various countries, which include Yemen, the US, and the UK.

TRULY A ROLE MODEL.

I urge you and your girlfriends to register for Maimunah Alhabshi’s Life Reset Series so that you can all benefit a thing or two from them, be inspired, and learn useful life lessons along the way. I am sure Maimunah Alhabshi will not disappoint.

And yup, time to press the reset button and start afresh.

Here are the details!

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The word is out.

My dad and mum have finally agreed to do something more with their culinary skills, and share their culinary delights with all of you! So what better what to kick start everything than with my dad’s LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SHIOK SAMBAL?

It’s really super duper hot and syiok, I tell you. My entire family cannot live without it. Eat everything must have the sambal. If there’s nothing to eat at home, we will actually order KFC chicken, and eat it with hot rice and the sambal of course! Our very own version of Nasi Ayam Penyet. And the best thing is, preparation time is less than five minutes for that.

What sambal, you ask?

No, don’t make me say that word.

No.

Nooooo.

Noooooooooooooooooooooo!

Okay fine, it’s sambal belacan.

SO WHAT? 

Everyone has been teasing me ever since I started promoting LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SYIOK SAMBAL. Among the funny responses I have gotten?

“Wah Diah, now you tauke belacan ah?”

“Eh today never sell sambal belacan?”

“It’s the belacan babe, check her out.”

“You look like someone who sells sambal belacan. Can I order 10 bottles please?”

“How about Diah Sambal Ronggeng?” 

And this one message from the girls’ teacher cracked me up big time, man.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

This belacan business is turning into a big joke. So might as well play along and joke about it too.

AIYAH. WHAT TO DO? JUST MAKE DO WITH WHATEVER PEOPLE WANNA CALL ME LAH. JUST AS LONG AS I DO NOT SMELL LIKE ONE, I AM OKAY WITH IT. :S

But the best joke of the day has got to be this.

Just to be fair, you have to be associated with belacan too. Not just me, okay? Therefore, I saved all your names with belacan at the back. I mean, you ordered belacan right? Your surname is now Belacan, congrats! LOL. Okay okay that’s the easiest way to remember every single one of you, seriously.  

Let me tell you a bit more about LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SHIOK SAMBAL. Firstly, it is not chilli crab sambal. Do not be confused, okay? Lanchillicrab is what everyone affectionately calls my dad in the social media world like Twitter and Instagram. He simply loves crabs, and he can cook the best black pepper crab and chilli crab, you know? So my brother Sofian came up with the nick for him. The rest is history.

Secondly, it is freshly made and cooked by my dad and my mum (they take turns to prepare the sambal) using only the freshest ingredients! What can I say? Anything cooked with love and passion has got to taste as good as LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SHIOK SAMBAL. The sambal can last for a month or more if kept refrigerated. Scoop out only the amount you need each time, heat it up in the microwave for a while, and well, enjoy it!

Thirdly, do you know how hard it was to persuade my dad and mum to start this food business? They were like, “Aiyah, this one cook for my family and children only. No need to sell la.” So now that they are finally selling, rest assured that you will be tasting what we (their beloved children) have been been tasting. Nothing less than that. My parents do not believe in depriving others of good food, or substituting the ingredients with something else just so that they can save on cost or something along those lines. They believe in giving only the best. Come over to my house and they will never fail to fill the entire table with food. Birthday celebrations at home are always best with Mak’s cooking. It just does not feel right if we were to dine out instead.

By the way, Daddy insists on putting the following picture of a crab on the labels for the sambal. I told him to choose a cuter and chubbier crab at least, but he gave me a straight no.

He die die want to put the picture of the following old looking crab.

According to him, “This is my trademark!”

I told Ili and Nurul that the crab looks like it has been hanging around at Sheng Shiong supermarket for the longest period of time because it is so old looking that nobody wants to buy it to cook chilli crab! LOL. Okay, Ili is still in the midst of redesigning the labels for him, and we hope to be able to delude him and get rid of the old crab once and for all.

My siblings and I are really sooooooooo glad that the response for LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SHIOK SAMBAL has been more than overwhelming this far. It’s like the orders keep coming in by the minute, and those who have ordered are already re-ordering and asking for more! So that should mean something, right?

You know, the most rewarding part of working with family is that we get to share our successes. When each family member knows what their role is in the business, it makes it much easier to produce an end project that shines, just like Studiofrost and yes, LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SHIOK SAMBAL. The most awesome thing to run a family business is to be able to spend more time with each other. Being able to successfully mix work and family is very gratifying. The business feels less like work (sometimes it does not even feel like we are working!) and more like living life to the fullest, with an income to boot.

Want to know how it all started? LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SHIOK SAMBAL, I mean. I actually did not even tell my dad or mum anything. Neither did I ask them for their approval. I was having tea one fine afternoon when my helper came to me and passed me a little bowl with my dad’s sambal. She said to me, “Ma’am, makan bakwan goreng itu dengan sambal Bapak. Sedap!” (Read: “Ma’am, do eat the veggie fritters with Bapak’s sambal. Very nice!”) So I did just that.

THAT WAS THE LIGHT BULB MOMENT RIGHT THERE. 

I went to the fridge, took out a bottle of my dad’s sambal, and started to take pictures!

3 minutes later, the picture was up in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

30 minutes later, we already received orders for 40 bottles.

3 days laters, we already received orders for 500 bottles…AND MORE!

ALHAMDULLILAH.

Here are some of the reviews/feedbacks given by the super awesome customers!

What are you waiting for? Go add some spice to your life. If the weather’s not hot enough for you, then you should try LANCHILLICRAB SUPER SHIOK SAMBAL.

It is only $5 per bottle. 

Email me at asketrangle@gmail.com to order a bottle or ten, okay? 

Freshness of the sambal is guaranteed because my parents cook them in batches! You order, they prepare. You don’t order, they don’t prepare.

You can choose to self collect, or have it delivered to you!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT & I REALLY MEAN IT. <3

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Encouraging our children to read is probably the best education we can give them as a parent.

But it can sometimes be an uphill struggle too, so do not worry too much if you are finding it hard to get your kids to enjoy reading, or if your kids are not able to read books on their own as yet.

Here’s the thing, when you enjoy something, there can never be the force factor. Younger children like nothing better than to snuggle up with their parents to share reading time! So just keep reading to them, and without you realizing it, you will find your children reading to you instead in no time!

My girls love reading so much that they can read anything and everything. Their most favourite moment will be when I show them new books for them to read. They always look forward to that part.

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