Tabung Oren, Hijau Dan 50sen

I was scrolling my instagram timeline 2 days back and was inspired by a posting by @phatdivamom She was sharing the fact that she has just started saving RM5 notes.She intended to use the saved up money to travel. So I thought to myself, "What a brilliant idea" So, our family had started saving up RM20 notes, RM5 notes as well as 50sen coins. 

The rules are simple. Everytime you chance upon the denomination of choice, set it aside and keep them. By then end of the year, count it up and use it for whatever you desire - a simple family dinner or outing, to a full-blown vacation, presents for each member of the family, etc.

Why RM20 and RM5 did you ask? I hardly get them. As change, I mean. If I had opted for RM50, that would automatically rule out cash withdrawals from ATM. hihihihi. Not saving RM1 either, because that is the denomination used for the kids' school allowance. 

Started to collect 50sen as well as I wanted the kids to be part of this as well. A friend of mine was just relating her own experience on saving 50sen coin - she got about RM573 at the end of the year. Pretty impressive, right? 

So, yeah. We are hopeful. Wanted to start this good habit of saving and hopefully nurture my kids to do the same. Why don't you jump on the bandwagon too?

-dillz blogging out-

My Junior Masterchefs

The two Khas entered a Scottigami competition at their school early this month. In simple terms, the kids had to fold Scott kitchen towel into an object. Thus, the name Scott + Origami = Scottigami. Khadra wanted to make lillies and Khaleeq wanted to make frogs. So, we googled how to fold them and spent some good time making them. Thanks to the abundance of accessories (pipe cleaners, flower cutout, feathers and googly eyes) to decorate the kitchen towels from our trusted Doodle drawer, we were able to come up with the following.

Tadaa.....

Boleh tahan, la... Seni tu ada...

Best part was, the Top 30 most creative entries stand a chance to participate in a junior cooking workshop with a celebrity chef and they were both selected. Wey-hey!!! So, mommy dengan penuh bersemangat ambil cuti hari tersebut to accompany my little chef Khaleeq and @azrulx was Khadra's partner-in-crime. (@azrulx cooking? Of course, I HAD to see this. hihihihihi)

Anak-anak, ibu-ibu, bapa-bapa - all excited for the workshop to start. Ampun, ada pulak gambar kaki ibu-ibu. Motif???

Inside the hall. Getting ready to cook. Aprons ON.. Let's go!

First menu: tortilla wrap. There wasn't actual or proper cooking per se - no pots nor pans needed - more like chopping, mixing, squeezing, whisking and assembling. I let Khaleeq do most of the steps, with guidance, of course. Especially while chopping stuff. Adoi, seriau acik... Tak sempat nak menjeling meja sebelah to see how the father-daughter duo was doing. OK lah tu. Cik mek Khadra tu boleh diharap. We successfully completed the wrap and both kids completely devoured their fruits of labour. Sedap juga.. Mommy dapatlah merasa beberapa bites.

Next up was smoothies making. Can't believe how simple the steps were. The chef encouraged the kids to try a few different combinations. Personally, I liked the banana-oreo the best. And I have also concluded that peanut butter does not go well into a smoothie. Period!

Session ended with group photos and interviews. Kids were happy. Parents were happy. Mana taknya, kenyang perut, suka hati lah...

I am actually very grateful that we got this opportunity to participate in this kind of workshop with the kids. It showed them that cooking is really not that hard to do and every single one can actually whip something up in the kitchen. In fact, we already bought a smoothie blender last weekend. Made a few batches of smoothies with the kids' help. (I added a few scoops of Bulla vanilla ice-cream into the recipe though. hahahaha) They are very interested and I hope to get the kids more involved in the future too. Sebelum ni pun, ada la jugak tolong sikit-sikit, especially when baking cookies and brownies. Part goreng-menggoreng, potong-memotong ni, I tak berani nak let them in yet. Maybe I should get them a safer knife macam dalam Junior Masterchef tu. Mana nak beli, ek?

-dillz blogging out-

apebarang?

apebarang? Apa barang? Ha... tu dia.. Kalau tak tahu, sila tanya..

apebarang has now become one of my favourite online art shop selling cutesy art pieces. They have paintings on canvases as well as coasters. If you remember Stoodle from way back when, the artist who doodles based on facebook status(es). I've even written about them here, here and here. Tu lah dia.. si mimi @stoodlerist. She's the one who came up with all the genius designs.

LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.

During their opening launch recently, I bought 3 pieces from their I<3 series:
I <3 Books, I <3 Coffee and I <3 Monsters.

It's art on a 10cm x 10cm canvas. When it came to our doorsteps, we immediately that we need MORE, MORE, MORE. I was thinking along the lines of making a 3x3 matrix and framing it for our library.

Mimi advised us to go the commissioned way - we custom ordered 6 other designs, yakni:
I <3 Chili's, I <3 Cooking, I <3 travel, I <3 Golf, I <3 Apple and I <3 Roti & Egg. The actual object / wording commissioned was upon consultation with the other members of the family. A few days later, it arrived at our doorsteps. :)

Lihat hasilnya. Tarra!!!
Cantik kan?

So, anyhoots... Yang nak cerita ni is because apebarang arthunt is back. mimi had just uploaded her latest pieces, AND.. up till 11 November 2011, shipping is free!

It started yesterday at 3pm, and believe it or not, I actually missed it too. Baru ternampak dalam timeline tadi masa tengah training. So after I got my bargains below, I cepat-cepat la bagitahu uols. :)

Jangan jeles... ;)

-dillz blogging out-

It's Back! It's Toffee Nut Time!

Ketahuilah sekalian manusia. Inilah air yang kutunggu - tunggu sepanjang tahun.

Toffee Nut latte is back!

Woot!

I was pleasantly surprised today actually coz we were lepaking at Starbucks yesterday while waiting for the kids to finish at Kizsport BV2. Takde pun ura-ura this Christmasy beverage would be available in a very near future. Today, tup, tup, ada pulak. :)

Along with the Christmas promotion, of courselah juga the anticipated "race" (dengan sapa saya racing tu tetap menjadi tandatanya) to accumulate the stipulated number of stamps to get the complimentary Starbucks organizer, kan? Soal whether diary tersebut digunakan atau tidak throughout the year, tidaklah menjadi persoalan. (My 2011 one was probably used up till February only) Yang penting, HARUS dapatkannya terlebih dahulu.

This year is no different. However, you'd have to do it in a slightly different manner. You gotta:

1. Purchase the Starbucks Card
2. Buy 15 handcrafted beverages
3. Redeem your 2012 diary

OK, apakebendanya Starbucks Card?

It's a kinda pre-paid card for Starbucks which actually holds some amount of cash. Like a cashcard la. So, from now on, I pay for my drinks with the Starbucks Card. Why should I bother, did I hear you say? Sebabnya mudah. You will get a complimentary grande handcrafted beverage with every purchase of any 10 handcrafted beverage OR any tumbler OR any whole cake. Dan macam-macam lagilah benefitnya. On top of that, there's an ongoing promotion for a free card caddy if you top up RM100 into the card.

Being a sucker that I am for all cards in this world and any chance to get stuff for free- haruslah acik membelinya. Ya, dengan card caddynya sekali. Sekian terima kasih.

Saya sudahi dengan ucapan, "Selamat berlumba" bagi other suckers out there just like me.

-dillz blogging out-

The Photobook Craze

Hey there peeps! Seems like I am on a roll right now. Memanglah banyak nak cerita, am just finally putting it down. Like finally, right?

This morning, I wanted to share this other craze that I have been working on a lot, a lot, a lot! I started fiddling with Photobook quite a while back. When I thought I had to finish 5 books in 2 weeks, quite frankly. That was sometime in March 2011. Turned out I didn't have to and the expiry was really a year away. Duhh!!!

But it did force me to start using the downloaded application and make our very first Photobook. I made two albums circa April 2011 - one on our family photoshoot back in 2006 and the other one was our first stay in Hard Rock Hotel, Penang. I call these two my First Generation photobooks. :) Once we ordered the albums, it really only took about 4 days for the books to arrive. Of course, Khaleeda was the most excited. (Siapa lagi, ya tak? )

For me, when ordering the Imagewrap books (the one I was working on are called Imagewrap Medium Landscape books) , the cover is important as it gives the reader the first impression. Does it attract your audience or doesn't it? Then, the layout and flow of the whole book. How do you want to organize your pictures. Next is the first and last page. How do you start and end your story telling?

Gen 1: Photoshoot 2006

Cover: Three selected pictures on a black background. with a caption "Azlul Clan Photoshoot 2006". Simple and classic. The back is a picture of Khadra and Khaleeq walking hand-in-hand. Agak comel.
Flow: I divided the book into two. First half is the indoor family photoshoot we had commemorating our graduation from MBA. The other half is the outdoor photoshoot by the poolside.
Layout: I used patterned backgrounds to give it a more scrapbook-y feel. Frames. Lots of frames. When I have a certain picture that I wanted to highlight, I let it take the whole page.
First and last pages: A picture of me and Azrul on the first page and a nice picture of Khadra during the outdoor shoot for the last page.

Gen 1: Hard Rock Hotel 2009

Cover: Full picture of HRH on the front cover. For the back cover, I put on a cool Elvis quotation I got at the lobby entrance that says "Welcome back my friends, the show that never ends". I also included a picture of the three kids playing sandcastle by the beach.
Flow: It started with pictures of our roadtrip - the drive all the way up to Penang. Then the hotel ambiance, the awesome pizzas at the pizzeria, Lil Rock, kids having fun in the pool - basically all thhe stuff we could do there.
Layout: For this album, I stuck to just plain white background with black frames. Had a few captions here and there. I still highlighted a few pictures that I really liked - those ones take a whole page. We also had the view of the sea from our room. Two beautiful views captured at different times of the day next to each other. <3 <3 <3 I also liked a spread I made on the food we got from breakfast at the King's Club. I even added the breakfast menu there. :)
First and last pages: First page says "December.2009 roadtrip! Roadtrip!" Last page is a picture of the kids sleeping in their car seats on our way home with a caption "'till next time!"

Come early October 2011, two more vouchers were due. I got a real deal from Groupon Malaysia, something like RM54 for an RM256 worth of Photobook. Sangat berbaloi-baloi. The only thing is the expiry comes around a few months after. OK la, just have to organize your time a little better and get it done in time. That's all. Anyhoots, for this Generation 2 albums I have upgraded a little of my skills and decided to finish up the Melbourne trip and start on the Hong Kong Disneyland album. It has some obvious improvements from Gen 1, I think. So I really do recommend that you only work on a few (one or two) Photobook(s) at a time as your designing skills will improve over time. :)

Gen 2: Melbourne 2004

Cover: I chose the best two pictures that depicted the trip and made it as cover. The compulsory pose by the Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles.
Flow: Very much like the earlier HRH album, it's a story of our short stay there. As the page progresses, it showcased the things we saw and did.
Layout: This time I used plain black background with white frames and text. I started experimenting on opacity, whereby the pictures become slightly blurry and transparent. It makes other pictures layered in front of it pop out more if they are in full colour.
First and last pages: A made a little narration as the first page. A little summary of what the album is about. Last page was a picture of my mom and all her grandchildren in Melbourne at the time, Khadra, Nelysa and Naqib.

Gen 2 : Hong Kong Disneyland 2011

Cover: Picture of the whole family in front of a Mickey Mouse statue. Back cover is a smaller picture of me and the kids walking out of the theme park with a visible "Thank you for coming" on the arch.
Flow: Divided the album into two halves. First part is on our activities and pictures from Hong Kong Disneyland while the other half was on the hotel.
Layout: More opacity techniques applied. I experimented with different patterned backgrounds, frames with captions and scrapbook items sprinkled sparringly throughout the album. I played around a lot on the layout - trying to squeeze in as many pictures i possibly could in one page. :)
First and last pages: It's like a Table of Contents (ToC) kinda thing, 3 pictures of us at hong Kong Disneyland and 3 pictures of us at the HK Disneyland Hotel. I especially liked the last page as I simply dumped layers upon layers of pictures in different orientation. Looks like a snapshot of many photographs of the holiday being spread on the floor. Very nice.

I'm currently working on my Gen 3 photobook. Will share the resources, my inspirations etc when I'm done, ok?

-dillz blogging out-

My (con)Current Project (among others)

I have been pretty tied up with all sorts of things lately. This particular project happens to have a deadline, though. Sometime back (prolly 3-4 months back) Ziezi came across a great deal from photobookMalaysia - so I happily joined the bandwagon and bought 5 vouchers for Medium Landscape Imagewrap Hardcover books. hihihihihihi.

Ampun tuanku! 5 photobook to be finished in about 2weeks. Maka, teruslah hamba mengdownload the Photobook Designer software and mess about with it. Firstly, I needed pictures. Scouring my laptop and Azrul's MacBook, we managed to get pictures of la famiglia from as early as 2004. Prior to that dah takde in digital format. I decided that I could start off with our trip to Melbourne then. If my memory serves me right, I was 7months pregnant with Khaleeq and Khadra was just a little 10 months old tot. She had such a straight bop - the days before she acquired her curls.

Here's the sneak peak. Very the raw, I know. This is only the draft. The actual one I decide to check in could very well be very very different. hihihihihi

I hope it turns out well. This is my first attempt, so am not putting too high a hope. Nanti dah dapat hasilnya wa update lagi, orait?

-dillz blogging out-

Mencari Inspirasi Nak Kerja

I really should be on holiday already. But since I am not, I thought I'd spice up the day today and come to work in abaya, smokey eyes complete with stilettos. Apa lah sangat, right. Prolly, for some of you, that is your standard uniform to work. But it is kind of a big deal for me. I am more the clean-your- face, tone and mosturize kind of girl. Slap on the sunscreen and I am ready for work. Maybe a swish of black liquid eyeliner and gloss when I am in the mood. That's the extent of make-upness.

The other thing was, I had no idea how to make this smokey eyes look. A quick reference to Mr Google landed me a picture clear enough on how it should look like.

Picture from : here

So, berbekalkan my multiple coloured pallette that I have had since my wedding (yes, it has been that long), I just gave it a shot. Since the pallette memang dah lama gila, I DO NOT even own any proper brush for the challenge. I just made do with my four fingers on my right hand, each finger dedicated for one colour :black, dark brown, brown and white. (Tu la, banyak gila kaler, okies.)

And the result?

Tadda!!!!!

Boleh la kan? Hahahahahaha
Bangga siut!!!!

This will be my reference for my other baju rayas:

Pictures from: here , here , here and here

Have a good day, y'all. No matter if you are on leave or still stuck in the office like me. :)

-dillz blogging out-

Look What the Cat Brought In

Cashed in my nuffnang earnings a month back after about one-year joining the web-advert community. When I got home from work last Friday, this baby was waiting for me. :)

Seronoknya. Alhamdulillah. :)

The next envelope was this letter from the Cawangan Trafik.


Ala.... Nasib baik ada duit nuffnang.

*doing the myeg dance till fade*

-dillz blogging out-

Fish! I Screwed Up!

I was in my car, at the office car park when I finally realized that I totally forgot about my kids' mengaji class tonight. Reached my phone - battery's dead. Fished the other phone out of the handbag - dead also. By this time, I was already 45 minutes late.

Picture from: here

Knowing how the kids dispersed after mengaji classes, they were all gone in the first 5 minutes. Suddenly my own experience waiting for my dad in the dark with my 2 other sisters flashed quickly before my eyes.

**
I think I was 8 years old or so. I was attending primary school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Petaling, Petaling Jaya with two of my sisters at that time. The three of us ; Ziezi, me and Illa ; were waiting for our ride home as per usual.

We waited and waited and waited and nobody came for us. The day was getting darker (we went to the evening session) and slowly turned into night. We were the only three beings left outside the school compound, hugging each other tight (Probably crying too). Then, a car approached and there was our dad asking us to get into the car.

A stream of complaints came from the three princesses - "Mengapa lambat?" "There's no one else here" "We were the last ones, Encik"

Sekali kena tengking, daa.... hahahahahahaha

It turned out that our then 4 year old brother drove the Isuzu Pajero down the hill and ended up in the ditch. (He didn't actually, drive, he just released the handbrakes and the car slid down the hill) So, itulah sebabnya lambat, dan of course he had other things in his head at that time, with the balik kampung plan screwed up and all..

**
Anyways, pointnya adalah, I know how it felt to be the last one waiting for your parent to arrive. Been there and done that. It's a lonely feeling and one gets pretty restless. And cranky and teary-eyed. So.....

Panic.Panic.Panic. Aduh! Lagilah pressure!

Luckily, I spotted the Blackberry car charger in the car. Plugged it in and immediately called Ustazah Yati. She said she tried to call but it didn't go through. I apologized profusely and told her I was on my way. The journey to Kota Damansara was a smooth one, I was there in about 15 minutes. I must have driven at 120km/h where I could.

Anyways, as I arrived, her house had the gate and the front door closed. No lights in the foyer. Dark and a little scary. Called Ustazah to tell her I was already there. Her sleepy voice greeted me and said, "OK". Turned off the engine and ran to her house to quickly hug my two sweethearts. More bouts of apologies ensued. Luckily, both kids were smiling widely. Ustazah shared with me another great news - Khadra has gone to Iqra' 5. Yeay!,Khadra! Gave them a quick kiss and a last kopek apology to the Ustazah. We made our way to the car.

Talking, talking, talking in the car. We made it home safely. All is well once more. :)

Moral of the story: Lain kali ingat la nak ambik anak , weh!

-dillz blogging out-

Three Days into the Mid-term Holidays and still NO Plans for Vacation

Pictures from: here, here and here

Kesianlah pulak kat anakanda - anakandaku bertiga. Cuti dah cuti. Tapi tak ke mana pun. Bukannya tak nak bawa ke mana-mana. But time is kinda tight. Before I knew it, it's already Wednesday of Week 1. My husband is away for a business trip till the weekend. Add to that Khadra's commitments on her full week practice schedule for her Action Song and Rhythmic Gymnastics next week. So, that basically means these kids are not going anywhere far - not in this school holiday, anyways.

Just to let them have a little bit of holidaying spirit, the kids have been shipped out to my mom's place in Puchong since Saturday. Just them kids. I also posted Bibik Parmi at Pondok Azlul for a helping hand. Me and the hubs have been sleeping in our own home. The kids are kinda enjoying it coz ZZ and her kids are also staying in Pondok Azlul. (Maid gone balik kampung) So, they have the company of their first cousins there - Naqib, Teyta, Neyna, ChenChen and also Shoshoff. It's like camping over - but indoors. Everyone is happy.

But it's not all play there over in Nenek's house. I have assigned Khadra and Khaleeq daily school / homework and exercises to be completed. I would drop in at my mom's for 2-3 hours to go through their work every two to three days.

Kesian punya pasal, I am taking a day of leave this Friday to take them prolly to Sunway Lagoon ke hapa ke. Jangan tak, ya dak? Ews, JOM!

-dillz blogging out-

Just Enjoy the Show!

Performance on Teachers' Day by SKBD's Fabulous Moms.

I'd rather not tell where I am coz I did forget the steps a little. hihihihihi...
Bantai je lah Labu.. Yang penting kita happy!

First the pictures, then the show. Enjoy! :) (or not!)


Video is uploading on youtube. Be a lil patient, okies. :) (I'll embed as soon as it's done) Updated!

-dillz blogging out-

I Miss My Munchkin(s)

I really miss my little Deyda. Yes, we live in the same house but I hardly see her on weekdays. By the time I leave the house in the mornings, she is still in La La Land. Sleeping and occasionally snoring. :) By the time I get home at night, she is already preparing to sleep or already asleep. The only time that I really get to gomol her is on the weekends.

Such a drama queen, this one. Just like her sister, I guess. :) She is cheeky and mischievous and so loving. Always putting up a smile and ever willing to shower me with her bear hugs and sloppy kisses. Anak bongsu agaknya.. :)

Since it's a public holiday tomorrow, we decided to take the kids out for a special treat to the movies tonight. Shrek 3 Forever After it is. :)

Picture from: here

This is my other munchkin that I miss.


My sister, Kira who is in Alexandria, Egypt right now, studying Medicine. Year 1 out of so many. *updated* In the above picture she was a measly 3 year old, giving me a visit in ole Cobham Hall during my A-Level years - she actually sent me this picture with the subject "found a nice pic of us that wld have been perfect for your blog entry" haha! (looking at the two - Deyda and Kira, they have a lot of similarities, don't they? Yeay Deeds! You're gonna grow up pretty like your Achu)

For the rest of her, sorry Ki, saya cilok gambar awak.

Beautiful and talented. But, I really miss the time that we spend together. The karaoke-ing, the eating and especially the goofy things that we do. Case in point, see below:

Adik, bila mau balik? Kanda sudah rindu, wooo!!! ( Anak bongsu, kot)

Er, boleh ke pergi Egypt je, Inche Azrul?

-dillz blogging out-

The Quest for the Perfect Tudung Gym

Semenjak-duamenjak ber-eksesais ni, I have been scouring high and low for a suitable headgear for my gym sessions. In the olden days, (referring to my high school years throughout my university days) we would normally wear the tudung bawal, ikat belakang. Then, the time finally came when the tudung bawal is no longer in fashion. I moved on to tudung Donatella - alah, yang patterned and very nipis and light tu. And that too went out of fashion. (which basically means I don't have them anymore) I have also experimented with some bandanas, which served the purpose but kinda made me look a little Rempit. Wearing the Syrian to gym just makes me really uncomfortable , especially when I start to sweat. So, needless to say, the quest for the perfect tudung gym goes on.

Then, I came across this magnificent product. It's the multifunctional headgear by Mily & Cole that comes with instructions on the varied ways to wear them on the very distinctive monkey board. This particular kiosk that I went to is located at the Lower Ground Floor of Bangsar Village I. Opposite the F.O.S. There's a lot of patterns to choose from and they priced one headgear at RM29.90. But, if you get 3, they go at RM69.90. Apa lagi? I picked up 6 pieces on my first visit. hihihihihihi

1. Mily & Cole Instruction Board. Please see overleaf.
2. Hasil tangkapan hari itu.
3. The pirate look.
4. The cap

Macam menarik kan? The actual headgear is just a long piece of fabric that has been sewed on one end. It looks like a sleeve. However, you can do all sorts of styles with it. Pirate lah, cap lah, apa lah.. Just follow the instructions on how to wear them. It comes in many colours, patterns and textures. I chose those without holes and were lightweight - senang nak jaga (as opposed to the wooly ones)

Now, let's see how it fares on the ground.

In the gym locker room on one very early morning.

OK, apa....

From my first hand experience, it was very snug and stays on the head very well. Takde la nak tercabut cabut ke apa. So far, I am very happy with it. Nanti boleh tambah collection. hihihihihihi

-dillz blogging out-

Preparing for the Show!

Told you about our upcoming Teachers' Day performance earlier . So, we finally met up for dance practice last Sunday. About 10 parents showed up for the choreography. We will be performing Dancing Queen from the Mamma Mia musical and the Wonder Girls' hit - Nobody But You! :) Two full hours flew by while you were having fun!

The other fun thing was preparing for the show - searching for the costume and the accessories. We went scouring Pavillion and Sungai Wang for the perfect short can-can skirt to be worn over our black tights. ZZ of course was entrusted to find masks and wigs for the show. Excited nya... hihihi

Here's a little sneak peek of MY wig:

Me in my Dark Purple wig

So natural, kan????

-dillz blogging out-

I am the Foursquare Mayor of Marmalade Cafe, BV II (for now)

Just caught the foursquare bug a fortnight ago and here's my stats this morning.

After 15 nights out, adalah dimaklumkan Dilla Z. dah maju... Not bad, eh??? :) hihihihihi Woot! Woot!

So what the heck is foursquare? To me, it is an interactive explorer game that I enjoy on my Berry. Yes, you would need some kind of smartphone, I think - either Berry or iPhone, just pick your poison. What you would need to do is download the foursquare (or 4sq) application on your phone, register a username and you could check-in straight away.

Check-in? Check-in? What's that? You check-in(to) a place when you are in the vacinity. (Can not lie one, the phone got GPS maaa) For every check-in, you will be given points. Higher points if it is the first time you checked into that location. If you can't find the location, then you could even add the venue on 4sq. (and get some extra points while at it) Points are not thaaat exciting.

The thing is, is you check-in enough times at the specific location, you might even be crowned as the Mayor of that venue. At some locations, look out for the "special deal". A Mayor could even be eligible for special discounts, you know. I was told by @inaleem, true story this, that one Kopitiam in Bangi gives out free ommellette for its 4sq Mayor. Exciting stuff that! I am proud to be the (current) 4sq Mayor of 5 venues :

• Marmalade Cafe
  
• Carrefour Market @ The Sphere
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Damansara
• Level 9 S, Menara TM
  
• Pondok Azlul
  

The other thing that I am interested at is in collecting badges. It makes me feel like a pengakap trying to collect as many as possible. hihihihihihihi. Here are some of mine.

The full list of known badges could be obtained via TonyFelice's list or from IwasAround.

What fun is a game without having friends to play them with, right? Connecting your friends couldn't be any simpler. You could connect your 4sq account to your twitter and/or facebook accounts and the contacts will be linked automatically. Just add the ones you wish. There are also options for you to send your location / achievements to the said twitter / facebook accounts. In a way, it is also like the friend-finder application. However, there are some cool privacy settings too. Uncheck the "Tell my friends" box, and your location will be kept a secret. They could only see "Dilla Z. @ [off the grid] Checked in, but hiding their whereabouts". This is especially useful if you don't want stalkers to know where you are at any precise moment.

Just to get up to speed with what this foursquare thingy is all about, please read this 4sq review

In the mean time, lemme explore and work on those School badge - need to check-in after 3am on a school night, SuperMayor badge - must have mayorship of 10 places at a time, GymRat - 10 checkins into a gym in a month and Jobs-three checkins into an Apple store. ;)

-dillz blogging out-

So I Think I Can Dance?

My elder sister, @ziezizag BBM-ed me this morning, the verbatim conversation is as follows:

@ziezizag: Dilz
@dillazag: Yes
@ziezizag: Nak join parent dance grp for teachers day?
@dillazag: Ha?? Aku bukan reti menari wei. Hahahaha
@ziezizag: Nak tak
@dillazag: Tak pe lah
@ziezizag: Asal gedik n ingat step
@dillazag: Thank you for the offer
@ziezizag: Bila lagi. I ngan fiza dah confirm
@dillazag: U and fiza mmg la sessuai!
@ziezizag: Nora aili karen lin. Jom la
@dillazag: Can't commit
@ziezizag:Kd will be so proud of u (Editor's note: Ayat killer ni. Mana boleh masuk nama anak guwe wei. Meruntun lah hati ibu)
@dillazag: As is I hv too much on my plate. How many u guys need?
@ziezizag: 12
@dillazag: Mak aih
@ziezizag: They know we working. So I guess shd b ok. 2 class with becky (Editor's note: Becky of Soul Krazy in Showdown2010. She rocks.) Pastu w fiza. Hahahaha
@dillazag: Tanya la melur
@ziezizag: 2 jun 10am. Practise 2 sundays. with becky. Free. Cepat confirm seat
@dillazag: OK la
@ziezizag: Yeay

Mati la guwe.

Picture from : here

-dillz blogging out-

#1b1t

First off, what the heck is #1b1t ?

According to Dr. Idlan, it stands for One Book One Twitter. Idlan is my junior back in my high school, Sekolah Tun Fatimah and she happens to be my reference point for anything nerdy and intellectual. hahaha!

I have been intrigued by her tweets recently about the hashtag #1b1t and was enlightened today through her her post . Any chance to do something good and engaging in cyberspace. I am all ears! :) (Plus to proof that I am not too much of a bimbo! hahah!)

In Idlan's words:

In sum, the project is about getting everyone on Twitter to read one book over 2 months and discussing it, using the #1b1t hashtags to identify content. The book that has been chosen for the project is Neil Gaiman’s American Gods; which is not surprising given Gaiman’s (@neilhimself) popularity among tweeple.

The first thing you need to do is get your hands on a copy of Gaiman's American Gods. Then, follow @1b1t2010 for updates and to add the #1b1t to your tweets for discussion of contents. To ensure that there is some structure to the whole project, also read the discussion reading schedule. In essence, it is an 8week project, starting from May 5th 2010 and by the week of June 23rd, those who are in the project would have already completed the entire book. It's still not too late, people. Here's the schedule!

Week 1 : May 5-11
Caveat, Warning for Travelers
Epigraph
Discuss Chapters 1, 2, & 3

Week 2 : May 12-18
Discuss Chapters 4, 5, 6

Week 3 : May 19-25
Discuss Chapters 7, & 8

Week 4 : May 26-June 1
Discuss Chapters 9, 10, & 11

Week 5 : June 2-8
Discuss Chapters 12, & 13

Week 6 : June 9-15
Discuss Chapters 14, 15, & 16

Week 7 : June 16-22
Discuss Chapters 17, 18, & 19

Week 8 : June 23-30
Discuss Chapter 20 and Postscript

There's another link that you should be aware of, called the One Book, One Twitter: The Lab Notes. Additional notes and the how tos will be posted here. For example how to go about with the hashtags once the discussion is underway. It's a page so that there are rules for us to follow and that everyone have the same understanding.

This is what I picked up from the Lab Notes:

We have established an official system of hashmarks. It goes like this:

#1b1t: General Discussion

#1b1t_1c: Discussion of Chapter 1 (and prologue material)

#1b1t_2c: Discussion of Chapter 2

... and on until we hit Chapter 19.

For all you tweeple out there, come on, let's join in the bandwagon! Happy reading!!

-dillz blogging out-

I'm Serious This Time (I Hope)

People who see me on a regular basis could sometimes (Duh!) tell that I have gained weight. Some would even politely enquire if I was pregnant. On better days, when I successfully camouflage my outfit, I could look slim, even. haha!

I have just announced to the whole world, (OK not quite the whole world. *I'll rephrase that*) all 45 (45 adalah bilangan follower saya. So sweet. Thanks, y'all!) of you that my current weight is 66kg in this previous post in response to Kak Shana's Minus-4 Mission - to lose 4kg by 30th June 2010. And Yes, 66kg is a far cry from where I really wanna be right now. Considering that I maintained a healthy 55kg throughout my university days right up to maybe the year 2008. Even at full-term of my three pregnancies, the heaviest I have ever been was 64kg. So, at 66kg currently and not even pregnant - well, that speaks volume, literally! Add to that the problems I have been having with my asthma lately - shortness of breath, sometimes the coughing got so bad that it translated to a bad fever, even and then there's the once-in-a-blue-moon headaches. So, yeah, I have been mulling about this, "I should really do something about my health / weight" for quite some time now.

I really think the culprit to the state I am now, have been :
1. no execise what so ever for the past 3 years
2. lowered metabolism rate after I stopped breastfeeding Khaleeda
3. unhealthy meals

So, to start off my journey from gemukness to hotness. I have made that first commitment - I signed up at a gym yesterday. Yes, congratulations, ME! :) It is a sign that I am trying to take this seriously, but I know it is a challenge in itself. I know so, simply because I have been down this road before, and true to my Queen of HHTA (Hangat-Hangat Tahi Ayam) title, I failed. Miserably. I signed up on a 3year tenure and out of that time, I probably went to the gym about 8 or 9 times. (All inclusive) So, in my opinion, it is gonna work this time due to these reasons:
1. Do it coz YOU wanna do it.
I want it really bad this time. The motivation and drive are in me. I want to lose the weight and I want to be healthier. (Last time, saya kiasu nak ikut jugak laki pergi gym, padahal bukan nak pergi sangat pun)
2. Choose a gym location that blends well with your current life. Maybe close to your office or close to your home.
The place I chose to go is close by. Bangsar Village II is where my life is. It's close to my home and office. I get all my other ME treatments there - facials, massages, mani/pedi, hair salon. I can almost call it as my third home. (I shall be the 4sq Mayor of BVII, just you wait!) So, this goes well with the plan. Previously, I signed up at a gym near my husband's office and I came up with all sorts of excuses not to go. Jauh la, penat la.. :)~~
3. Commit specific time for gym and try to stick by it.
I am planning to go at least 3 times a week. It would be a combination of before work and after work, depending on my work commitments.
4. Make it part of your life. Fitness is a lifestyle.
Seeing that the gym has Kids Dance and Yoga on Saturdays, I will be having some quality mommy-kiddo time with Khadra and Khaleeq (if he's up for it). They can dance/yoga and I do my workout! That seals one weekend workout for me. Weh-hey!!
5. Get help from a Physical Trainer (PT)
To help me start off in the right directions. I have decided that I shall be engaging in the services of a PT. She could coach me on the right way of doing things to help me achieve my objectives. At least she could really hassle me if I am going off track.
6. Get friends to work out with you.
Some of my friends are interested to join me in this journey. Weh-hey!! If you don't have friends with you, then make some at the gym! :)

Let's just hope that by the end of this all, Dilla Zaghlol = ONE HOT MOMMA!

Fuhhh!!!! hahahahahahaha

Picture from: here

-dillz blogging out-

Tea-ing in Style at Harrod's KLCC

Did y'all know that one could actually have some food at the very cozy cafe in Harrod's KLCC? Me neither, until I saw some tweets/fb statuses about the famous Harrod's afternoon tea set. It just so happens that me and a couple of girlfriends from way back when have been meeting up for food. The modus operandi has always been that one person would pay for the eat-out, and we have been taking turns. Not much different from a structured "kutu" scheme that our moms and aunts used to indulge in. The other unspoken rule is that the place chosen has always been a little on the up-scale side, bordering gourmet, if you will. *Cheh cheh cheh - cultured lah konon*

So, aaaaanyways.... It was my turn to host and I chose to have tea in style at Harrod's with my girls. Before that, I did a little research on the place and found this very useful review on masak-masak blog. She wrote it in May 2009, so adalah terlambat sikitla kami yang baru nak pergi menerai ni kan? (Oh, she took great pictures too)

Vitals: Lot No 137, First Floor, Suria KLCC - it's opposite California Pizza Kitchen, next to Godiva.
T(+603-2166 6000)

I got word that the afternoon tea is only served up till 6pm. Also, it was also worth noting that the cafe is very intimate and there are not very many seats available. So, it really seemed like a good idea to call in for them to reserve us a place as well as keep a few sets of afternoon tea for us working mommies. (Rushing through mad #kltraffic after work, well.. we were bound to reach KLCC after 6pm, right?)

1. Entrance to Harrod's KLCC. There's the display of bags, coin boxes, pastries etc. Walk in and head to the left for your ultimate tes-ing experience.
2. My Old Grey (eh, ye ke? ke Jasmine, eh?) - everyone got the stylo little teapot with strainer and such
3. Butter - salted and also the sun dried tomato variety.
4. Mira showing off her scone. Mine had jam and clotted cheese on it.
5. The whole set - 3 types of sandwiches, fruit tartlets, some choc bites and 2 pieces of scones. (each)

Each Harrod's Afternoon Tea set is priced at RM60. We took a set each, which in retrospect I think is a little membazir. For a party of four, I really think two sets and two additional orders of pot of tea(at RM20 each) would be more than sufficient.

Let me just tell you, the experience is awesome. Syok jugak borak-borak over tea ni. So English. So wannabe. hihihihihihi. The ambience is just so perfect for chit -chats, really. Seems that the clientele do not leave. Chit-chat.Chit-chat. Sip tea. Chit-chat. Chit-chat. More tea, anyone? One lump or two? (Ke kitorang je camtu?) hihihihihihihihi We were truly enjoying ourselves tremendously, living the lifelah, kata orang. That was until we saw what the table next to us was having.... We decided that we just had to order dinner right there and then. :)

Here's what we ordered:

1. My soup of the day - pumpkin soup. Comel that little cream dollop in the middle, kan?
2.Lobster Thermidor for the craving mommy, Mira.
3. Salted Beef Sandwich
4. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding

Lemme get the prices out first and foremost:

• Soup of the Day RM20
• Lobster Thermidor RM100
• Salted Beef Sandwich RM38
• Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding RM50

Everything was shared amongst us. So we had the order in the middle and the waiter set up empty plates for everyone. There were four of us ladies and we only ordered 3 entrees. Which was more than enough, I thought. OK, side note here; the lobster - so not the place to have one. It wasn't fresh live lobster to begin with. But since we had a craving pregnant woman amongst us, we ordered it anyhow. Fortunately, the food were generally good tasting. I especially liked the Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Sedaaaapppp!!! Mixed reviews on the Salted Beef Sandwich. I liked it (but not screaming like, kinda like); but Shan thought it was just OK.

BTW, the mineral water? Ty Nant Sparkling /Still is priced at RM15 per bottle. I really liked the place. Nice corner of the Earth to lose yourself with your companion / girlfriend to sit and talk and talk and talk. One should really try it. I, for one would highly recommend it! :)

-dillz blogging out-

Adoi Mak Sakitnya!

My back shoulder muscles are killing me! Literally.

It was so bad today that I was sobbing whilst driving. Sakit siutss!!!

I went to see the panel doctor and she prescribed me some Ubat Tampal Koyok , muscle pills and pain killers.

She also recommended that I went for a massage.

Pictures from: here and here

I is happy(er). Benz, I am coming again soon! ;)

-dillz blogging out-