Handling Holland.. (and now aidan too!)

I have had the chance to participate in Dow’s corporate contribution last weekend. I came after lunch after picking up packed lunches from mak ngah’s/mama for the volunteers.

Weather was good, sun was out, it was extremely hot and hardy was soaking wet. he then introduced me to his co wokers and friends and all seemed so pleasant. k.aida brought her son along, and so did ahmad. everyone was wearing a dow polo shirt.

I saw boxes and boxes of safety boots, those hard hats, gloves, first aid kit… tonnes of miniral water, 100 plus.. very well organized. president of dow’s corporate contribution must be really efficient!! ;)) we had lunch and his mak ngah’s nasi beriyani was a hit! he made sure everyone was ok and had everything in front of them before he actually sit down himself. Dow then presented the huge mock cheque to Habitat for humanity and off we were.. back to work (for some) and start work (for one)!

I saw the walls taking place and decided to work with the longer one. it was up to my chest level. i lay my first brick after observing them how. "ahh.. not bad", and so i thought. "i can do this, no problem". probably after my tenth or brick or so, my left arm started feeling all lenguh! tangan pon dah tak larat lagi nak angkat! so i rested, after probably, twenty mins!! hahahahah!! at that time he was busy mixing the cement. he saw me ‘underneath pokok kelapak’ and told me to stay there. at that time i wanted to laugh remembering marsha AF for her song pokok kelapak. and yes, i will wait for you! heheh

I continued and everyone was really into it. we had kim and andrew (2 matsallehs) working really really hard (apart from mr. president). every brick they lay they made sure they were strong and straight. ahmad came back from prayers and came up to me and said, "it must be hot, i have an extra cap, you can wear this". i thanked him. being the only non-dow adult there, i felt touched and welcomed.

We finished around four-ish and the home owner prepared goreng pisang (banyakkk sangat!) and makcik made more air sirap and orange for us. we took a group photo before we left the site.

In the car i was thinking, how hard it is to build a house, to be a construction worker. we wont know and appreciate them until we try it ourselves. i was there for only 3 hours, imagine them workers working 8 hours a day under the hot sun carrying heavy bags of cement and bricks!

My parents build our current house from scratch. altho mum and dad were not involved in laying the bricks etc, (the hard labour was left to the eight great indonesian workers), they were involved with all the other things. doing the architecture and layout to handling more than 30 sub contractors. dad did the plan himself and we submitted it to the architect for approval. why i said great is because they were really good people. alhamdulillah, we didnt have any problems with them. they finished the house way ahead of time and we were satisfied with the finishing. they managed to khatam quran in every room. it has been eight years and until today, we are still in contact. imaam shafie, budiyono and powanto still call us and sleep at our house when they’re in malaysia. my parents never treated them differently. they eat with us. they sleep in our guest room. i appreciate them more now. very very much. what they do require much strength and skill. they’re very strong people. we’re so fortunate to have them build our house.

My parents thought me never ever to treat people differently regardless what they do for a living. they’re just they same as us. earning a living, regardless where they come from, regardless what sort of work they do. they are God’s creatures too.

I remember there was this one time, budiyono came to our house with his seven other indonesian friends. he came down from probably batu pahat or somewhere and they wanted a place to stay before heading off back batam. they had to be at the jetty early the next morning and had no place to stay. mak and ayah welcomed them, bought them food and let them use our house. we knew only budiyono. the rest are strangers. mak gave them pillows and matresses. and told them they can sleep anywhere downstairs. after buying them dinner, mak and ayah left for their dinner with their friends, leaving all them them in the house. just them. kak ana wasnt at home, balik kampung. i would never ever leave them in the house. never. who knows all your things might be taken away when you get back?? i was all angry, more of worried for mak and ayah’s safety. they only told me about this a day after the workers left. i almost couldnt believe what i heard. dad said, "ayah tawakal, insyaallah, tak ada apa apa and alhamdulillah tak ada apa apa" (leave it all up to God). i kept stressing my point, there’s a limit!!! angry and worried and geraaammm! mak then said, "dek, orang datang sini cari rezeki halal, the least that we can do before they go back is provide them with a roof above their heads. kita tolong orang susah, nanti bila kita susah, orang lain tolong kita insyaallah." at that time we did not have enough money ourselves so i guess thats why my parents did that. i dont know about you people, but i was certainly shocked. i couldnt argue. alhamdulillah, nothing happened. this was certainly a lesson.

Anyway, back to dow’s corporate contribution.. i’m so proud of him for being the person that he is. he was definitely the most hardworking one, he did everything from carrying bricks to laying them, mixing the cement to making sure everyone’s ok. the sincerity shows. and like i’ve always said, the most important thing when you do something is your niat. i’m so so grateful and thankful i’ve met such person.

Both me and hardy drove up to penang a couple of weeks ago for our beloved baby sister lenny’s engagement. we arrived at bertam slightly after lunch. "lenny pi buat inai" said one of her aunts. so we waited and asked whether we could help out with anything. shortly after that, daddy entered the house, followed by lenny’s ever so responsible, efficient ‘PA’, nadia and then lenny.salam daddy and hugged lenny first. riuh rendah and as i was hugging her.’ then i noticed someone looked extremely familiar was standing right behind her. and she was staring and smiling at me. "my god.. sapa la budak ni…macam kenal, but it cant be!!!!" and while we were hugging (kami hug biasanya lamaaa gilaaaa) the girl called out my name. ya Allahai…. syireennn!! i would never expect to see her there at all. i remembered feeling all blury (must have looked blurry too!) and then i asked how is this possible?! the story is, both lenny and syireen went to school together back in penang! lahhaaaaiiii… such a small world!!! really is! syireen and me? well, our parents are good friends (her dad and my mum both worked in maybank) and i went to hilltop, jb with her brother! ish.. ish.. ishhhh…

Lenny looked thinner than the last time i saw her (a couple of weeks prior her engagement). she was glowing all over. kalau penang tu blackout, lenny diri tengah tengah pon terang the whole of penang agaknya! she brought me upstairs to see her room. she did the flowers all herself, and i’m so proud of her! we sat down on her green bedspread and we both looked at each other. lenny then said "tak sangka eh kak zaza". i smiled and at that moment, i’ve never been so happier for her.

The last couple of years for me and lenny were ups and downs. but we were there for each other. and it made it all awesome. we had spend so sooo much time together. at that time, my life was just lenny, and lenny’s life was just me. we had such fun times, we did everything together. the moment she told me she wanted to leave and go to UK, honestly, i nearly fainted! and i remembered she said, its all because of me, lama sangat kat jb, tak balik kl!! i cried coz everyone who knows lenny will know that she is such great company to be with. one would feel empty without her. but i cant be selfish. this is her future. so i’ve put all my feelings and fears aside. this is a choice she has made and i have to support her and be happy for her. after giving her all the pros and cons and know her true intentions in going there, i now know that she has a dream to fullfill! am very proud of her. she has an ambition and knows what she wants. she got accepted to do her Bar. some would die to be in her shoes. i am now trully happy.

Everything happens for a reason. i kept saying that to everybody. and the most important thing is your real, REAL intention. Alhamdulillah, things are good on both our sides lenny has never been happier (not even with me eating kerabu, or eating deep fried ice cream). i can tell. she looked stunning with her pastel green traditional kebaya. she called for me to suap gula (a penang adat), and i feel honoured.

That day, i had the pleasure of spending more time with "lenny’s PA/planner/advisor" nadia. :)) i think she is the most beautiful 17 year old girl i’ve ever met. this girl is really something. she has the most beautiful heart. such innocence and extremely kind. very very hard to find such girl with grace. hormat semua orang. ‘kak zaza and uncle hardy’ are so blessed to have known nadia and her amazing family. (she calls me kak and hardy uncle! cool huh? hardy’s still fighting for his title abang) hahahah. on our way to her beautiful mansion to freshen up and get ready she asked hardy "uncle hardy nak minum apa?" and that night before we left she offered to make us coffee so that we wont be sleepy. the tone of her voice was just full of sincerity. its all upbringing. her parents are so warm and wonderful people, letting us strangers use their house. they made us feel at home. that moment has left me speechless.

Lenny, thank you so much for a wonderful time. there’s nothing else in this world i want for you than to see you happy for you trully deserve it. thanks so much for having us on your special day. i’m glad everything went well, all of us had fun, sue giggling away, syireen pon grinning, johan a.k.a dave pon all smilling, me and hardy enjoyed each and everyone’s company (especially 5 yr old ernie and nadia). i have got to say that farra was so so caring. she made sure everything went well, everybody’s served. helped tok move around. and ryan.. he has made everyone’s night that night, especially mine! i wish i have one just like him!! how i wish my zazess zirwan and ida jay was there…

We said our goodbyes and headed back to kl that same night. arrived at 4am. thank you everyone so much for i had a really good time meeting all of you again.

Once again lenny, i love you so so much. so sooo happy for you. congratulations and may everything turn out good for the both of you, with all our love. hope to visit you guys soon. (or maybe you and iqbal can visit us at the stadiums ke, insyaAllah) hehehehe :)) (you know what i mean kan lenny?)

I’m counting the days… exactly a month to go!!!! :))))))))))))

* Congratulations Kharis and Yanty!! So sweet…

* Lenny and Iqbal, Congratulations!!!3 more days, we’re coming!

Caution: This might not make sense at all for some! I wont bother reading if i were you..

I managed to address an issue which was long overdue. it got dragged on for way too long. neither parties wanted this, i can assure you. its a rather sensitive issue, and we have been dealing with it for way wayyyy too long. Alhamdulillah, after sleepless nights, one fine morning, i opened up to them, again. my second attempt. everytime we talk about it i get all pening (headache). it really drains you out. i tried to word it in the best possible way not to cause hurt on either parties. i tried to understand each and everyone’s words and put myself in their shoes. sometimes, you gotta be  diplomatic. sometimes you gotta be blunt, tell them as it is (mak agrees with this). sometimes, its a matter of pride. and i understand everyone in this matter. believe me! mak’s side, dad’s side, kakak’s side.

When you’re away for too long, i suppose there will be certain areas which you will lack in understanding. i’m fortunate to be close to my parents to understand them more, i’m fortunate to be close to them to help those who needs to understand them. a good friend of mine once told me "za, you cant do everything." in this matter, i’ve always believed i can! to which he said "you can only feed her the ball but she has to score the goal". i’m ever so thankful to this friend of mine (who has a perfect swing plane), cause he was right!

Feeding them or her the ball was not an easy task! it was becoming my problem! I had to think and rationalise almost everything. well, at least i try to. but somehow i managed.

After a 3 hour session, and the latest another 2 solid hour session, after a few disagreements, after a few emotional cry-outs, after a very touching scene and an exchange of words, after a few moments of silence, a few compromising, not to mention pujuk-ing etc etc it was a YES! we had the green light. much to my surprise, he said that it was ok all these while since adik has told him of her intention suggestion. i was begining to feel that this is a green light for all the not-so-right reasons. again, i stress my point, for it has got to be the right reasons why he’s agreeing to it. i then thought to myself, maybe he just doesnt want to say it. one has got to understand the male gender, a sensitive male, who is a dad, who has such a huge amount of love for his daughter, who was hurt, who has gone through a lot the past 8 years dealing with this issue. it was the unspoken words. it was in his eyes. it was by his actions and response to this matter that i have got to understand him. i then came to a conclusion…. and it was for the right reasons. some people took 8 years to open up, some dont even want to take that step, i’m really thankful to God that this has finally come to an end and we shall now look forward to the future and good beginings!!!

It’s executing now. another daunting task and period to go through. but i’m all so looking forward to it. this is all good news. alhamdulillah, syukur. i’m so pleased and happy with the outcome!! it’s gonna be really busy from now on!!!!! :))

It was at angsana that he, me and mak sat down for almost a couple of hours that friday afternoon. no secrets. tonnes of sharing. and the words he utter, was simply beautiful. in my heart i was saying ‘how did i ever come across such a man’. i am, really, the luckiest girl in the whole universe, without a doubt. and mak agrees with me too

It has been a LONG time indeed since my last post. havent had the time to write or even log on to friendster.

I was in jb for a week. it was aeron’s wedding. the preparation went well, in fact it went really well. i was all excited for her, in fact, i was counting the days! everything went well, alhamdulillah. she looked stunning during nikah, she wore a beautiful piece and she was glowing! chai looked really clean (not that he’s not) but its just the look on his face. he waived at me, acknowledging me from across the room. i was all smiles on that day. alhamdulillah, hantaran all looked good i was pleased everything managed to stay on the dulang (thanks babe for reminding me to bring the double sided tape!) the amount of time and preparation a.ruby had spend for this wedding… gosh! i salute her. she has such patience in handling everything that came.

The reception at home was so relaxed. it was so meriah!! me, mak, a few aunties ‘toll-ed’ by the door before chai could sit on the pelamin next to aeron. i got two packets!! yeyheyy!!! its a johor thing, where the groom had to pay ‘toll‘ (money) before he can actually see the bride. (to those who intends to marry a johor girl, get ready money eh, in raya packets! i’d suggest green and red is a good colour!) hahahah!!! food was REALLLLLLLLYYYY good! went back slightly early. mum and dad stayed on. hardy finished his utm visit, picked me up and i had my second round of cream puff! we sat there together with k.zue and pie right till maghrib! we were the last to leave.

The big night was at hyatt. me and mak got there early for breakfast with D.A and family that saturday morning. right after that was the rehearsals. i didnt have time to straigten my hair and do my make up as planned coz me, mak and auntie jee was at the hall till almost 7.15 pm!! we rushed back home to get ready. arrived at the hotel again at 8. thank God our house was just 5 mins away! again, she and chai was glowing! hats off to arif (the bride’s ever so responsible obliging helpful brother), seriously, he’s a gem!!! i wish i have a brother just like him. havent met raline since fara and naqib’s engagement, riuh sikit.. really really wished i had more time to sit down and talk to her. i promise i’ll call this time k?! he arrived slightly late after merenjis, to which he had to sit next to dr.vellu, a seat away from me (we were seperated by my ever so charming cousin najaa whom have grown into a beautiful lady, i must say!!) i quietly observe. i felt at ease, that he could carry out a conversation with almost everyone! later he got up and told me he wanted to go over to TB’s and TL’s table which was just across ours. the fact that i didnt have to teach him or tell him to do anything, it blows me away. saw him in between my grandparents talking and the old couple was laughing and smiling away, makes my day!!

The next day, before me and hardy left for kl, we had to pick up a few stuff from aeron’s. i was sad. it all came to an end. the 3 day wedding affair. it was just so much fun planning and executing! on the other hand, i’m extremely happy, relieved. chai’s a good guy. he’s a gentleman. aeron has got herself a catch! chai’s one lucky bugger too! heheh! this girl fills up the room by just her presence. and her family, i cant describe how generous they are. simply amazing people. you guys make the best couple! chai said some beautiful words to me right before we left, it was just so full of sincerity. i cried. mak’s turn. again, he said something to mak to which mak ponnnn nangis in the car!!!

Congratulations the two of you. I love you both. It was a lovely wedding, and we really enjoyed ourselves! Wishing you all the happiness in the world and happy honeymooning!! And i hope she will join sabreena soon too!

During my one week stay back home, i have really missed him. days werent so complete. calls helped, well, a bit at least. its just so different. but we had to make do. i’ve been rather worried, my mind was rather occupied with things and issues, but he stayed calmed. he handled me surprisingly well. he understood me more than ever! i miss khaizul too and of course, my new best friend, JENGGA! thanks so much for everything, for standing right next to me through out! love you loads!