I want an iPHONE

I think all mothers deserve an iPhone the moment they give birth. Yeah, you heard me right. I don't need three iPhones, but I could do with one. Imagine the doctor / nurse / midwife / husband saying: "Here's your baby ma'am / dear... and... here is your iPHONE - what casing would you like to go with that? Blue? That would really bring out the colour of the umblical cord. Nice choice ma'am / dear." Would that not make birth all that more exhilirating?

As a mother, you are already giving up half your life. And don't get me wrong, it is worth every bit of the sacrifice but an iPhone would make just that bit of a difference. Of course other mothers would beg to differ, and rather have an extra arm and hand with every baby who comes along. That makes sense too - which hand would actually hold the iPhone if there is already a baby in the way?

But no, I like my two arms, two hands, eight fingers and two thumbs very much, praise to Allah - an iPhone would suffice. It would look alot more prettier too (a pink or an orange one) rather than an extra arm. At least I wouldn't need to tailor-fit clothes, I would just remember to invest in more combat trousers - the ones with the extra pockets all over the place. Slip it in a pocket, and it's gone.

Really. And I wouldn't need one with each child - I would just need one. Well, until that child grows up and claims ownership over it, since it matched his or her umblical cord. Then, I would need another one but only one at a time.

And why not? I could actually multi-task without too much distraction, and which mother is alien to multitasking. (That is a reminder to self, never to multitask while trying to prepare half-boiled eggs). But that actually drives my point home. If I had an iPhone, it would have ensured those eggs were boiled to the right half rather than have them plonk into the pink bowl I was garnishing for my kid.

I could read an e-book, learn a new sura, play some relaxing Tchaikovsky, call someone, check in on facebook, I could GOOGLE in silence, without someone asking me for Dora Games or Blue's Clues - and I could actually do that without moving too much, thus keeping the bub well within sight. It would make life easier in other ways too. Like our Singapore trip I have been babbling about? Look what I had to make as a wholesome guide - it has a schedule, a budgeting plan, an MRT map, all the details of our destinations and I have even colour coded everything.

Gee, if I had an iPhone, it would do all of that for me. Cutting and gluing all those pieces of paper together was really strenuous as compared to a tap-tap-tap of a multi-tasking phone. If I had one, I wouldn't be lugging a piece of folded artblock around the island, folding it and folding it through until it rips in the middle. Not to mention, now I have to manually calculate my expenses, which is going to drill holes in the piece of paper as well as our budget. Sigh, I hear the tap-tap-tap tapping further away into the distance.

Yes, you're telling me an iPhone is expensive and that is why I just WANT one, and I'm not going to actually buy one. But if someone wants to give me one - you can just let me know. Preferably I will not have to have another baby before I can actually acquire one of those pretty life-savers. Who am I kidding? If I get one for myself, I'll need another two for my monsters. Yeah, balk all you want, but they are really tech-savvy and would do far better in meddling with that gadget than me. So that is why, they really ought to come with an iPHONE each, right after birth.

The Waiting Place... Just for Waiting

I have been reading "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" with the kids and I always grimace at the thought of The Waiting Place. Dr Seuss sure has a way of scaring you right out of your pants. I am not talking about his depiction of loneliness or the Hakken-Kraks' howls. Dude, that's plenty scary. No, The Waiting Place tops my list as far as my fears are concerned.

How often are we caught waiting. Waiting for something to happen without doing anything to make it happen. I'm sure everyone has had spacey moments like this.

Some call it playing it by ear; others call it The Sabbatical. Ha ha. Kidding.

Sure, take a sabbatical if you're sure you're still doing something. Who wouldn't? I would. I was talking about a waiting sabbatical.

I mean, if you're sitting there idle, then you might as well have no dreams at all. No ambitions, no zeal for self-actualisation. Just sit there, watch the paint dry, watch the dust settle.... and enjoy the moment? No-sir-ree... not for me. It's not to say I have never been there before. I have. And now I know what it's called. The Waiting Place.

A lecturer in Uni used to say, "he who has lived the same two days is surely a loser." Well, that's comforting. It may have been from a Hadith and I'm not surprised if it is. And well, my classmates and I just rolled our eyes at each other, trying to look like we were experiencing and enjoying the great challenges of life sitting in that class of Business Decision Making. To think we sometimes balk at days that are challenging? That's not for me anymore. Don't get caught in The Waiting Place.

And as if you don't need any more convincing, I leave you with the wise words of Dr Seuss.

"... for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the show to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyong is just waiting."

"Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance,

Everyone is just waiting."

A Tariq Ramadan Interview

by Zakiah Koya, not me.

Zakiah asked me to read her work, and like her biggest fan, I did. Good job, Zak.

Malaysia has been through a lot lately. And if you guys don't want to listen to each other, go ahead an listen to an "outsider," which in irony, is also a way of saying: listen to the viewpoints of others. It's getting the lame the way we are fighting. So lame that it's reaching the point of raising red flags.

Here is Zakiah's full interview with Tariq Ramadan. This is a blurb on what he has to say about interfaith dialogues, and how - contrary to popular belief - is not detrimental to the religion.

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We have a perfect religion, yes, but we are not perfect. Dealing with other religions means that we are challenging the very meaning of ours. When we have a dialogue, sometimes when we meet Jews, Christians, Buddhists, agnostics or atheists, the way they are helps you to better your religion as they may make you see something which you have neglected to see.

For example, when I was in South America, the priests there were talking of love. So, I learnt to also talk of the spiritual dimension of love in Islam and its importance in life. So the experience of others is helping you to have other viewpoints of your religion.

When we talk about values, when we speak about dignity and solidarity and when we talk about racism, dialogue can be very important because at the end of the day when dealing with Christians and Buddhists – why do they have to listen to me? – because together we want to change the world for the better. We want to make our world a better place.

Car Seats

DH picked up two car seats for the toddlers from Klang two days ago. Their existing ones were either falling apart or too small. The small one is going to the baby who does not sleep during the day nor the night, as he hates his infant carrier. I guess the ceiling is a little less than exhilirating, especially on long trips.

And because we are planning a little bit of a vacation soon, it was wise to snag the good offer I found on Mudah. I can't find the direct link anymore but here is the company's site. They don't deliver. You have to pick up your purchases directly from their factory. And it's quite rotten that there are no prices on their site. For that, you have to search through Mudah.

DH said the deals at the factory itself were pretty good. Our car seats were RM180 each. That sort of plays to our budget. And with an extra RM20 membership fee, you can get up to 45% discount on other factory-priced products at their place. It's worth it, especially if you want to get your children bicycles.

That's a thought for the kids. They have shown interests in riding bikes. So, maybe another visit this year will follow.

Less Furniture, More Floor

I have good news for my couch. It is going to a new home, where it is appreciated and not called "too bulky," scribbled on, and used as a castle fort (I'm talking about the cushions). Yes, our home is getting too cramped we need get rid of our 3+2+1 sofa set. Luckily PASS does collect old furniture.

If you're in the same situation as me, call them. Electrical goods are also accepted. Time to make space. We want to see more of the floor.

On the Sweeter Side

It has been 11 days since the price of sugar went up by 20 sen per kilo. Since then, our own sugar inventory has run dry. This is not so much because of the price increase but because of circulating rumours that the sugar fairies in the neighbourhood have stashed away the remaining sachets of the local culinary staple ingredient. Our children have been drinking sugarless Milo, and it has not seemed to bother them. Besides that, we never use sugar our own beverages and meagre kitchen-prepared meals. So to say that sugar is sorely missed in our home, is really untrue.

But of course the chain reaction of a price hike never goes unwarranted and it will be more than just sugar that we will be giving up. Unscrupulous service providers use an increase of raw ingredients to their advantages - jacking up prices of their own products or services, with so-called justification. Soon there will be an increase in electricity bills when the cost centre in the service provider, called "the pantry" starts eating away at employee bonuses. Who know? Nothing is impossible in this country.

On the sweeter side of things, some companies may face this sugarless debacle with a lot less flavour. Secret Recipe may or may not be one of them, depending on consumer reaction. Their cakes are going up by RM5 today. That is first hand information, people, and that is alot of Ringgit Malaysia, especially for us.

Luckily we do not run in the same league with confectionary lovers, but cheese cakes - especially Secret Recipe cheese cakes - are the added luxury on the very rare splurge and during festive seasons. And with festive seasons coming to an end this February (gong xi, gong xi), our (my) affair with rich, feel-good cheese cakes shall come to end. I feel their cakes are pricey as they are and an increase just adds the "ridiculous" lable to their price.

It depends on how many others are with me in this loyalty-league towards desserts. Imagine what Secret Recipe has possibly done to several other industries, if the majority of their consumers are just like me. Weight watchers, weighing scales, those fancy weight-loss programmes that allegedly stem from New York or London or France, plus size fasion outlets, may have their ledgers falling into the red. Good for waistline watchers, who, after perhaps a few weeks of no-cheese-cake-night-terrors, will be waking up to looser clothes. But bad for those in the business of enhancing insecurities in the female image industry.

If consumers want to champion rights to affordable desserts and go on that ever coveted cheese-cake strike, The Biggest Loser Asia's business lifespan may even end at Season 1. In the long run, let's look at the brighter side of things, (and you will be taking advice from a cynic). Every person's self-image may take a turn for the positive and mirrors will be all that less criticising. So feast your eyes on your new self, and continue to feast your eyes on this blogpost, which should have pictures of those Secret Recipe delights - especially if you will be giving them up. Hopefully it will be worth more than RM5.

Creative Destruction

This is how I normally start working on a new idea. I have that corporate journal that becomes my pen's playground. I'm fairly organised when I start working on new ideas or structures and it's good that I have a place to write my ideas down.

But every once in a while, I really am exhausted after the kids hit the sack. I always wonder where they get so much energy to do their own work. So I thought that I might as well try out their tiny shoes.

Taaa daaa.... so much fun. I understand why they are so much more creative than I am. I'll be visiting their art table a lot more often now.

I realise I will be a lot less crabby if I learn to enjoy their things rather than just pick up after them.

Move over kids, Mama's taking over your art block!

I Always Wondered

When there is news of death or an impending death, a baby is born. I know it's not a coincidence because the world population is growing but I always feel like when someone leaves, a newborn comes into this world.

The Green Eyed Middle Monster

Quite some time ago Umm Z gave me her lowdown on handling multiple children. I was having difficulty with a temperamental four year old, so Umm Z unveiled her wise wisdom through her comprehension of The Five Love Languages. If you have gone to the site, just know that it works for children too.

We seemed to be able to tame the bigger monster, eventhough on some days I feel she speaks all FIVE languages of love. She's the lime-light hoarder, the one who needs attention and praise, the little dictator, is always asking for new toys and books and loves squishing her way into hugs, especially when SHE needs them. But we did notice ONE Love Language.

Now the Middle Monster, who has always been the quiet, a little bit of a loner, mysterious thinking dude, is acting up. He's even biting. And he's such a little stranger that it's quite hard to decipher what his Love Language is. It started when the baby who does not want to sleep during the day, nor the night, started crawling, sitting and standing all at once. Now HE gets Yusuff's portion of attention without even talking yet.

Poor Middle Monster. It's hard enough being a little shorter than Tasneem and having to speak in ALL CAPS to drown out her constant banter and get his point across. I've tried spending more time with him - like sitting him down in a snuggle and reading a book, but he just wanders off to scribble on a wall or build a castle. Positive affirmations don't really make him tick. He would just rush off, embarrassed, and scribble on a wall or build a castle. Services? "I WANT TO DO IT MYSELF." Next... Gifts? Oh no no... mostly because I don't want anyone's Love Language to be Gifts. Touch? Maybe, but still not as touchy-feely as his sister.

Sigh, my easy little coconut head is a real tough cookie to crack. I recently told him that if he ever feels upset, he could always come to me for a hug. I was wondering if he felt I was holding the baby who does not sleep during the day, nor the night, a little too much. Maybe he felt that as a big brother he had to deal with his troubles on his own. DH insists it's the sensitive child syndrome, and we just need to concentrate a little more on him.

Little coconut head was my easiest baby. Squished between a temperamental toddler and a baby who does not sleep during the day, nor the night, his night wakings were simple, his meals were always happy and he never ever cried for the sake of crying. But now, he's biting.

I thought that he was a little jealous of the attention DH and I were giving the baby who does not sleep during the day, nor the night, as Yusuff was the youngest for two whole years and nearly three months, but tonight I noticed something else too.

He is jealous of the attention the Idriss, (the baby who does not sleep during the day, nor the night), gets from Tasneem. That was an interesting observation as I was trying to solat Maghrib without DH around. I asked Tasneem to quickly involve Yusuff in her usual game of "jump up and down until you fall on your head," so both of them jumped up and down until they fell on their heads to distract the baby who does not sleep during the day, nor the night, while I prayed. Yusuff seemed a lot less fretful afterwards. His coconut head plays to his advantage in these type of circumstances.

Both monsters of them seemed to wind down a lot quicker when it was time to settle down for the night. But the baby who does not sleep during the day nor the night, as usual, refused to pipe down even in pitch darkness. He was rolling around, getting his little mits into our eyes and tugging on ears. He was climbing all over Tasneem and pulling her hair.

Finally it was the Middle Monster called foul. "Put Idriss in your room, Mama. He's too noisy and we want to sleep." His ALL CAPS were really drowsy, so I asked him twice if he could fall asleep without me. He said he could. And I knew he could, because he had Tasneem all to himself once again. I guess I never noticed that not only would my easy coconut head become the Middle Monster of the family but he would also lose his bigger sister's attention by half.

It was only the two of them for so long, that he probably realised he LOVED her being around him without the baby who does not sleep during the day, nor the night. For the first time too, the Middle Monster fell asleep without me or DH by his side. He just needed his sister - what language of love could that possibly be?

I Still have the Evening to Go...

I think I have accepted that outings are far more complicated now that I have three tag-a-longs, but I have never overcome how much I took it for granted - the ease of life before I had kids. It changes the perspective of lazy evenings.

Well, alhamdulillah, there is nothing like a Meatball Marinara Sandwich by SUBWAY to kick-off an early night that is going to end with an article submission inshaallah.

Fatigued, but still ok - otherwise I would have probably lavished over it while watching a feel-good movie, which wasn't what Slumdog Millionnaire was, by the way. Even if the Producer said it was a "feel-good movie," it wasn't for me. I closed my eyes on countless times when watching it the first time around and I will do the same if I came back for seconds. That would be especially true if I was enjoying a Meatball Marinara Sandwich by SUBWAY.

Nevermind, I loved the movie anyway, except for the Jamal-Latika love story, which was its essence I'm sure. That part was boring.

Back to work now.

More or Less Effective

The troops had a field day today. Once in a while we bring the kids out, as in - not grocery shopping or necessary outings -for fun, so they can run around in new places. You don't need much to please a bunch of toddlers and alhamdulillah it went well.

I can't say we're not exhausted though. Sunway Pyramid is quite far away from where we are and after the millionth time of being asked "Where is the pyramid?," after the likes of "Why are we in a parking lot and not a pyramid," "Where is the baby camel like in Wonderpets," and "So, where is the oasis," I'm pretty happy to be back, alhamdulillah. That was after the "I don't want to go home,"s and "I want to play some more"s.

I could say we're pretty effective in planning our outings but there's room for improvement. And I'm sure it pays to improve, having to deal with the "Where is pyramid, Mama, where, where, where?" over and over again.

Umm R from Ummi Homeschools Me recommended The Seven Habits of Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. She told me to read it, absorb it and practice it. I'm going to listen to her because I love her blog and admire at how organised and calm she always is mashaallah. It certainly sounds like a treasury for WAHMs.

Luckily I have a copy of that book in my haphazard library. But before all the reading and absorbing, I have to find it first, vacuum the dust off of it and try to read it while the monsters scale the walls and scribble on the floor.

Hmmm... I'm sure it will be worth the read. Especially if I do become more effective.

I Loath My Neighbour

Not just any one of them, there is this particular one who irks me like crazy. Initially we thought she was a single mother with her unmarried daughter who was pregnant. Everytime we walked past her house, we would hear her yelling: "You're a LOSER! You're a wh*re! You are good for nothing! Your baby is just going to turn out just like you."

We thought she was yelling into the phone at first and then it occurred to DH and I that there was a teenager in the house. Subhanallah - what kind of mother speaks to her child like that?

Then one day the girl - and another girl - went out to the stores, looking very conspicuous - and PREGNANT! I put two and two together and decided, yep, the woman's hiding her unborn illegitimate grandchild from the public... but I still could not accept the way she spoke to her daughter.

Then one day, one of our neighbours let us in on the scoop. He had noticed more than just the one girl and her friend - there were five or six pregnant teenagers in that house, and all were expecting.

It was a safe-house for pregnant, troubled teens. But as he inquired further, the so-called supervisor, who was always full of profanities, told him to mind his own business. Mind his own business? With all that yelling? She moved in over a year ago, and every single day, every neighbour in earshot range has had to deal with her excrutiating profanities, right after Fajr, all the way into the evenings.

If this was a safe-house she should have informed the neighbours. We could have helped. Counselling, coaching, training, financial help... our neighbourhood is a GOOD place to live. Everyone gets along with everyone else. We go on holidays together. We exchange salaams everytime we meet. Our children run in and out of each others' homes, borrowing toys and returning them three months later. We look out for our neighbours' kids all the time. We have monthly gatherings that involve food, glorious food.

What gives her the right to move her butt in here and contaminate the serenity of our home? I have nothing against the safe-house. Mashaallah what a task to take on and so many blessings to boot. But I seriously doubt this lady has a license to establish and run this home. If I were the authorities, I would not grant her a license - and speaking of authorities, there has not been an audit even once.

I only fear for the girls who stay there and their unborn children who are going to transition from traumatic pregnancies to potentially damaging lives. Whatever those teenagers have done to have gotten pregnant at such a young age is in the past, and screaming obscenities and ruining whatever they have left of their dignity is not going to help them. I'm not surprised if they pick themselves up after their births and fall pregnant all over again.

I have seen parents drop off their daughters there. I wonder if they know what goes on after they do. Worst still, I've seen unkempt looking men, visiting in their modified cars, hanging around and smoking with the girls. A father of one of the unborn babies, perhaps? One man was confronted by my concerned neighbour, and again, he was told to mind his own business, while his small children rode up and down the street on their bikes. What type of safe-house is this?

I have since alerted the press to investigate. I have lodged a report with the welfare department and have even called Teledera (the hotline for abuse). Nothing. No response. When I spoke to the operater from Teledera, he said they would take 4 to 6 weeks to respond to my report. That was during Ramadhan! About a year ago, a police van pulled up in front of the safe house. Crime Scene Investigation was printed on its side. The cops dawdled around and then left, leaving half of the street watching in silence.

I don't know what else to do. When the neighbours talked about asking them to leave, I said I was afraid for the teenagers and their babies - and they needed REAL help, from a REAL safe house, with proper attendees, teachers, counsellors, etc. But after my phonecalls have garnered no results at all, I think that I would like them to leave too.

Yesterday, DH ran over to the shops to grab something for dinner and he saw two of the pregnant teens strolling around enjoying ice-cream - that was before they sauntered into one of the shophouses for cigarettes. Astarghfirullah - how will they ever recover from the path they are already on? Especially with a sociopath care-taker? Who else should I call? What else can I do? I don't enjoy loathing a neighbour and I certainly don't enjoy having them live on my street.

WAHM Resources from eHomemakers

I just received eHomemakers' first newsletter. In the spirit of sharing, here are some pointers for those who work at home.

1. There is this networking site called RUUMZ. It's a Malaysian networking site but if you're not in Malaysia, it may not hurt to join. Check it out anyway.

2. eHomemakers is inviting 20 home businesses (start-ups) to make use of Distributed Work Management Application (DWMA) application to connect efficiently to suppliers and large networks of buyers. Single moms and anyone with disadvantaged situations will be given priority. Free use of application for one year, paying bulk rate for SMS only. Free training and basic mentoring for business plan implementation and priority to participate in all eH activities including marketing activities will be given. Contact project_manager@ehomemakers.net or call Zen:012-9448163

In the event this interests you, sign up for eHomemakers too. There are plenty of networks there that may be of interest.

Out of Loop but not out of Vigilance

I haven't been reading the news lately. Neither have I read any prominent blogs. I just can't stand the political innuendos. I'm off politics and out of loop. Politics gets me too riled up and eventhough other writers have told me I write best when I'm provoked, I don't think I can stomach my sarcastic self much longer. Do I have to be sarcastic to write? Maybe.

Isn't writing a route to self-discovery? Well, I knew I've always been sarcastic and cynical and though it fuels my writing in general and works best for politics, it does not always bring out the best in me. But I won't give up sarcasm and even if I did want to, it wouldn't happen since I'm still watching House M.D. and there hasn't been THAT much character depelopment even after he was released from psych ward. *Sigh*... sarcasm lives on!

I did read however on the court ruling, allowing the use of the name Allah by other religions, in this case it was a Church. (Again, if that news is STALE, then it's my fault). How do I feel about this?

Neither a politician nor a scholar, I believe these types of disputes are what hold back the country in developing into a progressive and open minded nation. Even more so, the segregation of the races and religions that spark this type of controversy, enhance the segregation, causing even more disharmony and encouraging prejudice between the racial lines. Not to mention that the different communities of different faiths are also held back in their own respective development. Honestly, that's just plain pathetic.

Instead of carrying out the laudable tenets that each faith champions, which more or less cover tolerance and kindness, they are bickering about the use of the name Allah and who it rightfully belongs to. This is just one of the sad examples of how they bicker about the differences between faiths, rather than celebrate the similarities between the belief systems.

In my humble opinion, Allah is the Arabic word for God. Granted, it is not the direct translation, because "Allah" can't be made plural (unlike "gods") and neither can the name imply a gender (unlike "god" vs "goddess"). It also can't be written with a small A, unlike the small g in god. There is one Allah and none unlike.

At the same time though, Allah is used by Christian Arabs in the Christian Bible. So to say that "Allah" belongs solely to Muslims is inaccurate. However, note that the Christian Arabic Bible is written in Arabic, and not in Malay or English or any other language. So why would a Malaysian Church insist they want to use the name Allah as God in one of their publications that is not written in Arabic?

In the wider scope of things, the use of the name Allah by other faiths in Malaysia could be seen as poaching, i.e., poaching Muslims by falsely representing a Christian publication as an Islamic one.

I remember reading a comic strip that was written by a Christian in Malay and if unsupervised, a child reading the strip could easily believe the message it was conveying, and of course the message in the strip was: Prophet Jesus (may Allah be pleased with him) was indeed the son of Allah Ta'ala.

To understand why this would happen, one has to be reminded of the poor lines of segregation this country has. Malays are Muslims, Chinese are Buddhists, Indians are Hindus, etc... and a small portion of Chinese and Indians are Christians. This is the general case. So a Malay publication would inevitably be a Muslim publication. This comic strip was written in Malay and it certainly looked intended for the Malay readership, more specifically, a Malay child, who - by default -would be Muslim.

The same would surface if a Muslim saw the word "Allah" in an article / journal / book. They would automatically assume it's an Islamic piece and without vigilance, could be grossly misinformed with respect to its contents.

So now that this particular Church has been granted the right to substitute God or Tuhan with "Allah," Muslims just have to be a little more vigilant when reading different publications. And there is never harm in being a little more vigilant in anything we do.

I just wonder how it will work out though. Allah, like I mentioned is only one, and grammatically in Arabic, it can not be made plural - so how does this work with the concept of trinity? I have never read the Arabic Bible so I would now know. But it would certainly be interesting to find out.

Keeping that Corporate Journal

Every year I commemorate the New Year by briefing through free corporate diaries. Then I fill in the front page particulars, use it until March diligently, and then scribble some of my to-do lists here and there and then discard it in the middle of the year. Before I know it the year has ended so quickly and the memories of my work and homeschooling endeavours are left unrecorded in a journal that has become artwork of a toddler.

Every year, every year, every year. So here I am, at the beginning of 2010, with three corporate journals. My favourite is Alvin the Chipmunks, a free gift I received while hoarding donuts at Big Apple. I love it. It's cute and funky and will definitely keep my interest.

The problem is I know it will also attract the interest of two other little persons in this house. And as much as I know it will be ripped up if I give it to either one of them, I also know it will not last long when one of them catches a glimpse of its colouful exterior and interior. I guess I will make it a point to visit Big Apple and hoard another 24 donuts or so for another journal so both toddlers receive one each.

In the mean time, I'll continue using the boring, grown-up one by a real-estate company and make another resolution to maintain it until the end of this year. I hope the year doesn't go by so quickly.

Old Blogger, New Blogger?

I used to blog a few years back. Then my blog grew stale and I hid it. But now blogging again, feels like the same old experience. Is it just me or has blogger nothing all that new to offer old comebacks like me?

The templates are the same. At least, I think they are the same.

Perhaps there are newer ones lurking around in the blogsphere and I just don't know and can't be bothered to check it out. That is one of my problems that eventually led me to terminate (did I say, hide?) my last blog.

I just get overwhelmed by trying to get my blog to look nice. And by nice, I mean, I'm obsessed with detail. I kept meddling with the layout and the fonts and all those fancy colours. I kept trying to widen this and that and add columns and so on so forth. It doesn't matter now. I will keep telling myself I don't have time to do all that and just to concentrate on blogging.

We'll see how it works out this time. Though I can't say I'm not disappointed that there were no new templates within the blogger portfolio on it's own.

Finally, a Friendlier-looking Price

I have been getting a little fed-up with being a work from home mother (yep, one of those notorious WAHMs) and not having an office. I can see those WAHMs wagging their fingers at me. After all, that is one of the cardinal rules of WAHMing. Get a place of your own. A corner, even a nook. A SOHO where the kids can't rummage through your stuff and delete your emails.

Unfortunately for me, my office has now turned into a laundry room, thanks to the new baby and well my computer has been taken over by the toddlers. They know how to access the internet, navigate their ways into their favourite websites and argue on who gets to play first. Not only don't I have an office, I don't even have a workstation. I've been WAHMed.

So I'm eyeing this. It's finally something that's in my price-range, and I'm thinking "installments" of course. No way am I forking out a lump-sum. Not yet anyway. I have plans for those monsters' homeschool this year, since NickJr is getting a little too easy for Tasneem. So, Dell, here I come, (inshaallah).

This time around, ground rules are that this notebook is Mama's and no one is allowed to touch it. Not even in the cases of emergencies, and trust me there are plenty of emergencies when it comes to a sensitive four year old. We'll see how that works out.