Work Station Tag

A long over due tag...I think I probably have a few more somewhere that I should be doing but I couldn't find the details/links to them. Have never been a fan of tags but you know..it's one of those things you have to do now and again when you're a blogger....and the last time I checked, I was supposed to be one...he he he.

The pic below is the tag - and I've included the rules as well (as you should do if you're doing this tag). As you can see, I have purposely not used the flash to take this pic...for fear that you might see the thick layer of dust covering my monitor, that is...(due to neglect after the piano arrived..;))

As much as I am curious to see the place where my fellow bloggers out there pour their hearts out on their little laptop/pc...I will refrain from tagging anyone...feel free to show off your work stations by doing this tag if you wanna....


| @LiYaNNuaR | azza |suzi | aniza | halwafy

Rules:

* snap work station anda
* then... taruk link blog anda kat bawah gambar work station anda...
* iaitu bersebelahan dengan link-link blog yang ada..
* tengok contoh yang dibuat nih...
* begitulah seterusnya sampai bila-bila, ok...
* sekiranya tag ini berkembang... pasti akan ada banyak link-link di bawahnya...
* kalau tak... terencat la dia... ha ha ha...lastly...
* tolong pass tag ini pada tujuh (7) blogger lain...pass la pada siapa-siapa..

A Tag - 8 Random Facts About Me

After a long break in receiving tags (perhaps because I've not done most of the tags forwarded to me?? Sorry guys..) I received one from Flowerin and D.

Without more yakking, here goes.
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1. I'm asthmatic.

2. I'm a worrier.

3. I'm pretty artistic - have some talent in drawing and painting.

4. I'm very particular about my facial skin.

5. I'm not very particular about brands.

6. I have lots of shoes, some are more expensive than others but mostly, they're cheap. However, I have only 1 handbag and it's normally expensive and of good quality - I will use it as long as I can - sampai koyak, basically.

7. I sometimes sleep with 1 knee to my chest - proven by a pic taken by Mr S while I was sleeping. Looks damn weird, I tell you.

8. I love jewellery. Gold, silver, gems, beads - whatever. I love them all.

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Done! That was easy! Anyone want to do this one? Feel free to to do it if you feel like it. Am not tagging anyone.

Right. This tagging business over and done with (for now), I'm off to the kitchen to do something that you all know I like doing - cooking!

A Noble Tag

I have been tagged by Rd with a tag started by Mr Idham who was the man who started this charity tag. The aim is to collect money to buy a bus for an orphanage called the Darul Izzah Orphanage in Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia. For every person who completed this meme by the end of July, Mr Idham will contribute RM127 on your behalf to the Darul Izzah Orphange, Bangi.

What more can I say. It is a wonderful thing indeed and to Mr Idham, I pray that Allah bless you and your family and that you will be able to complete this noble mission.

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The rule is - If you are tagged, you need to write an entry related to the meme. At the end of your entry you just need to tag as many person as you like. You will then leave a comment in their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Please leave a message on Mr Idham's blog so that he can keep count.

Then please copy and paste this rule somewhere in your entry and complete at least 17 out of the following 27 sentences.

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1. A person is only as good as what he or she practices, not what he or she preaches.

2. Friendship is always a two way effort and responsibility.

3. To love is to ignore certain annoying things.

4. Money makes me feel secure.

5. I miss sitting on the passenger seat of my car while Mr S drives in the night on the KL-Seremban highway!

6. My way of saying I care is by enquiring after friends and family and cooking for them.

7. I try to spread love and happiness by (again!) cooking sweet desserts and cakes for people.

8. Pick the flowers when err...they are in bloom??

9. To love someone is to accept them completely as they are and to always be there when needed.

10. Beauty is a smile that comes from the heart.

11. When I was thirteen, what I remember the most was my experiences in a boarding school.

12. When I was twenty one, I remember experiencing something that I had wish was only a dream and I wanted to wake up from it! (Nothing too nasty, I assure you!)

13. I am most happy when I have my most loved ones in my arms.

14. Nothing makes me happier than when Mr S, the boys and myself are all on the bed together, joking around!

15. If I can change one thing, I will change the paradigm of the self defeated and narrow minded.

16. If smiles were money then I doubt I would be a rich woman...too bad, huh?

17. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could magically jump into the book we're reading and act the parts of the hero or heroine in the stories!

18. If you want to be more successful in your business then you have to smile more and be more friendly! {Apparently...just received an email about this..:)}

19. Money is not everything but it would certainly make me a lot happier at this moment!

20. The most touching moments I have experienced is while watching a movie about the love of mother and child.

21. I smile when I see my son after his day at school.

22. When I am happy, I am energetic and hyper active!

23. If only I don’t have to cook and clean then I could spend more quality time for myself and my loved ones.

24. The best thing I did yesterday was sleep for a long, long time...because I am not feeling well you see...

25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title,”Quick and Easy 'To Die For' Desserts“

26. One thing I must do before I die is to go for my hajj.

27. Doing this meme, I feel like I have strained my brain a bit..so now I need to rest..:)

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I would like to tag my sister, Ayu to pass on this noble intention.

What's In A Name..

(Names have been removed)


Another tag forwarded to me - this one is quite a nice one and frankly, a very do-able one!!

Scroll down please!
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The Tag Details:

• PROPOSITION : What is the meaning of your kid'(s) name(s)?

• REQUIREMENTS : Write about what or how or why you gave the name(s) to your kid(s).

• QUANTITY: 5 people
  

• TAG MODE: Firstly you leave their blog and post link and add to the list below and secondly you let the blogger you want to tag know that he/she has been tagged by commenting in his/her blog or etc

The Tagged Ones so far;

msau the meaning of SQ and Kiki

shopping mum the meaning of Justin and Isabelle

Judy Chow Terry

Shannon Rachel

Samm Gordon and Malcolm

Sasha lil J

Mott 2 Monkeys

Fatty Poh's Fatty Boy

Kd NAMI & MIMI

D Abg Z Abg H Princess & Litle D

DadofFour Siti Khadijah, Muhammad Yusof, Siti Kauthar, Muhammad Ibraheem, Muhammad Umar
AND
Halwafy Big H & Little H

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In deciding the names of our children, Mr S and I have always discussed the options together, and of course, this means that I come up with all the suggestions whereas Mr S vetoes them.

There are some 'rules' that we try to set for ourselves when we name our children - all to which errr..moi have insisted on, of course, as Mr S is not really fussed as long as the names have good associations and meanings.

The rules are;

1. Must start with the name of our prophet Muhammad SAW
2. The names must have some Islamic historical significance, not just a 'good meaning'.

So..

1. The name chosen for my eldest was chosen very early in my pregnancy and we referred to him by his name even before he was born, as soon as we knew that he was going to be a 'he'. This name was suggested by myself and I was quite adamant because I have always liked this name because of the many nice and good people that I know with this name i.e. my grand uncle who loved me and my siblings to bits and was always kind to us, a kind and funny father of a good friend and also the religious advisor for the Istana Negara, brother of Datuk Harun Din. You can probably guess the name already, huh? Yes, it is H****.

So basically, I chose this name because of the people that we know or know of who has this name, not for its meaning.

But it has a good meaning too - it simply means 'good' although it also has another meaning, which is 'handsome'. In this regard, I prefer to also think that the name is a tribute to my mother in law, whose name is the female version (if you like) of this name, which is Hasnah, meaning good and beautiful - and indeed her name fits her perfectly! I hope and pray that my son's name will be considered 'perfect' for him as well in the future!

For the uninitiated, this name is also the name of the Prophet's grandson, from the union of the Prophet's daughter, Fatimah and Ali - the very same Ali who became the last of the four main caliphs after the Prophet's passing.

2. For our second son, the name was chosen because I greatly admire this person who lived in the times of the Prophet. He was the uncle of the prophet, although he was younger than Him and he was also a fierce warrior, so much so that the Prophet dubbed him 'Asadullah' or the 'Lion of God'. Yes, we named our second son Muhammad H*****, in honour of Saidina H***** Abdul Muthallib.

The word actually, does not have a proper meaning. It is really an old Arab name although many books associate this name with 'lion', no doubt due to the moniker bestowed to Saidina H***** by the Prophet. But again, I was determined to have this name for my son and so yet again, we named our son after a great person, not for the meaning of the name.

But it does not end here, I'm afraid!

There is a third name (LOL) for each of my sons! And that name is really how I came about my own blogger name. So you can easily guess the name, of course, just take away the 'H' from my blogger name...

Yes, it is A*****, with an 'i' not a 'y'. This third name basically means 'the trusted one' and this name was chosen by Mr S as he feels very strongly about this particular trait, and I guess, I agreed to it because I just fell in love with the sound of it!

Thank you DadofFour for forwarding this tag to me. For this tag, I would like to pass it on to only three other people, that is:

1. Dillz
2. Nik Farizah
3. Jujuqtpie

You can choose not to do the tag, of course. But I would loove to know about how and why people name their kids their chosen names so please do kindly satisfy my curiosity!

Another Tag...

Blogger Nik Farizah has tagged me, in retaliation for the time I tagged her (no use denying it!)..

So here goes..

1) How often do you shower?
Back in Malaysia, twice a day. Over here it depends on the seasons...he he he..

2) How often do you make up your bed?
Every morning, just before my youngest and I jump back onto it to play dominoes or to do his 'lessons'...

3) How often do you wash your car?
I don't. A car washer does that for us and even that, not frequent enough. Ours is an old Honda Civic which should probably be scrapped soon due to the MOT requirements - unfortunate, because the engine still works brilliantly.

4) How often do you sweep/mop the floors?
Sweep: probably twice a week. Mop: Whenever I feel my floor needs it.

5) How often do you shower your pets?
Not applicable. No pets what so ever - except perhaps a 'Wonderpet' - my youngest loves that show and loves to sing the song.."Lily, Tuck and Ming Ming too..." he he he.

6) How often do you see the dentist?
Back in Malaysia, I used to go every six months without fail to do some scaling..but over here....

7) How often do you buy perfume?
I opened the bottle cap of my current perfume, a half full bottle of 'Romance' by Ralph Lauren (I only have one bottle of the 'more expensive' range at a time, the Body Shop ones don't really count - or do they?) and found that there is green stuff under there...yikes! No..I don't buy perfumes - Mr S usually does that for me and only when the previous bottle is finished. He does the same for himself. I like to stick to a certain scent but really, I hardly put on any perfume at all.

8) How often do you go for manicure & pedicure?
Have only been to a manicure and pedicure once in my life...

9) How often do you go to a spa?
Never ever...not really my kinda thang..

10) How often do you go shopping?
Shopping for groceries - once a week, or sometimes not even that because we order online. I buy a lot of stuff online; ebay, Amazon and other specialty sites. Other than that - not very often.

11) How often do you travel out of your country?
Out of the UK? Well, I did go to Barcelona 2 years ago, just before the children and I joined Mr S here..but no..not since then. We're here on a mission. Therefore, need to concentrate!

12) How often do you have sex?
Blardy hell...ini pun mau tanya ka??!!


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And with that, I would like to tag..

NOBODY.

The buck stops here...:)

Tag Tag Tag

Sigh.

I am soooooo not into this tagging thing!

But since I have been tagged by both flowerin and Dilla and I am really a good sport (I am!), I will honour this tag as I will any other tags that is slapped upon me in the future, God help me. But it's supposed to be for fun, right?

Saying that, thank you ladies, for having thought of tagging me.

Here goes.
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Layer One: On the Outside
Name: Halwafy. Not my real name obviously. Have been called several other nick names and the one that stuck (Until now! Some girls from school still call me this, believe or not!) during school was Snabby.
Birthdate: 8th of January, 1976.
Current status: I am happily married with 2 little boys.
Eye color: Dark brown
Hair Color: Black, although not really, really black - if you know what I mean. Oh yes, with a few stray greys.
Righty or Lefty: Righty

Layer Two: On the Inside
My heritage: Minangkabau. Not too distant actually, my paternal grandfather rowed a boat across the Straits of Malacca. Maternal grandparents hail from Jasin, Melaka. But their ancestors actually hail from Negeri Sembilan and had a 'suku' - which is a Minang thing. So I am really a Minang from both sides of the family.
My fears: Something bad happening to my family. I am a worrier!
My Weaknesses: Not ambitious - what to do? But support and encourage Mr S to be!
My perfect pizza: Dominoes - can't remember which one. Been ages since I had them!

Layer Three: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
My thoughts first thing when I wake up: Alamak, ada subuh lagi tak?
My bedtime: I sleep late. Almost never earlier than midnight.
My most missed memory: I had a wonderful time in Morrisson's Academy, Crieff, Scotland, doing my Scottish Highers. The best time I ever had!

Layer Four: My picks
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
Mc Donald's or Burger King: Mc Donald's - never understood why people liked the latter.
Single or Group Dates: Single - then again, never tried the group ones.
Adidas or Nike: Nike
Tea or Nestea: Tea - I am a tea addict. I drink it a few times a day, very hot, with 1 sugar and 2.5 coffee creamer.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Cappucino or Coffee: Err..Latte?

Layer Five: Do I
Smoke: Never and don't want to. Can't stand the smell!
Curse: Don't like to but yes, sometimes I do, unfortunately. e.g. Bloody hell or damn!
Take a shower: Of course!
Have a crush: Yes. Jake Gyllenhaal is just so comel....
Think I've Been In love: Yes. Mr S won my heart a few years ago and still owns it!
Go to school: Not at the moment, no.
Want to get married: Done.
Believe in myself: No, not really but taram saja..
Think I'm a health freak: No but would like to be one, at least more health conscious but am procrastinating.

Layer Six: In the past month
Drank alcohol: Nope.
Gone to the mall: Ada la, although God knows the London ones are nowhere as good as the ones in KL imo!
Been on stage: Err..nope. Don't really like to 'show off' myself.
Eaten Sushi: Not in a long time but I used to eat this very frequently when I was back home.
Dyed your hair: Nope. But used to bleach brown streaks after straightening. Can do this myself!

Layer Seven: Have I ever
Played a stripping game: Nope! It's cold ma...
Changed who I am to fit in: No, not really. Don't know how to and don't really care to.

Layer Eight: Age
I am hoping to be married: Done at 24 years old.

Layer Nine: What was I doing
1 min ago: Watched final episode of O.C. Resumed completing this tag in between the commercial breaks.
1 hour ago: Clear up my room. Fold clothes. Munch on an apple. You choose.
4.5 hours ago: Played with the boys.
1 month ago: Nothing worth mentioning, I think.
1 year ago: Probably cleaning up this house after just moving in.

Layer Ten: Finish The Sentence
I love: my 'boys' to bits. Can't get enough of them sometimes!
I feel: wonderful when people love my cooking.
I hate: the word 'hate'. It is a strong word and when I think about it, I don't really hate. I just get extremely annoyed or irritated. I try not to hate.
I hide: my annoyance most of the time because I hate confrontations.
I need: to go upstairs and get Mr S to come downstairs with me and go to the kitchen for some supper! I'm hungry!

Layer Eleven: Tag 5 people
Okay, people. This one is easy! Buat jo lah..
Ayu --> Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!
Nik Farizah --> Mintak tolong ye :) Jangan nyesal baca blog nih!;)
Afif --> Here's one back at ya! ;)
Along --> Can ah??
Mrs Acey --> Lepas exam buat ye? :)

Take Me Down To The Paradise City...

I was tagged by Dad of Four to do this and believe it or not, to me this is not a simple tag.

This is because I am really a person who loves to travel for pleasure but have not had the chance to do so but for a handful of European countries that I had the opportunity to visit (France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland) during my university years and also the most recent one, about two years ago, Spain. (I also went to Mekah and Medan but that was ages ago..).

A host of places keep appearing in my head after I realised that I was tagged. Places like..

New York: Because I would love to go to the capitalist's centre where you can get anything you want if you have the dough to back you up.

China: The beautiful, beautiful scenery that you can get in that country!

'Middle Earth': Hey, don't you want to go where Aragon fought all those Orcs and where Frodo and Samwise had all that adventure?

Australia: Well, all the politicians in Malaysia seem to find the place a good place to go, so maybe I should also give it a try?

And then there's Egypt, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Italy, Turkey etc. etc. etc.

And the list goes on and on..

So which one should I blog about for this tag?

*** Place your 2 -3 paragraph of where you want to go here***

I have always had this not so secret dream to sail my own boat (although I know NOTHING at all about sailing, at the moment!) and after thinking about it for some time, I think I would love to sail this dream boat or luxurious yatch (if you like) of mine to ALASKA.

If you don't know where Alaska is, it is here, circled in red:

It is the 49th state of the United States of America and it borders Canada and otherwise is surrounded by the ocean. Tourists normally go there via cruises or planes.

I would love to visit the many National Parks in Alaska to experience for myself the many, many things Alaska has to offer in terms of wildlife and its natural phenomenons. Hey, who wouldn't want to see the whales leaping from the cold waters? The Northern Lights at night? And the glaciers? After all, Geography was a favourite subject of mine at school and I did get a 'Best Student' cert for it at one time too. So who can blame me for wanting to go and see all these glacial valleys and the geological features that I learnt and memorized from those books? I would love to see for myself the arêtes and nunataks and crevasses and cirques and morraines and all the other terms that I once memorized for my exams from just looking at the drawings in the old textbooks.

Come to think of it, why on earth did we learn all that stuff? But I honestly, really, truly did love every moment of learning about them glaciers.

I would also love to see the Tundra wildlife with my own eyes; the bears, sea lions, seals, wolves, the birds and foxes that can easily be spotted in their untouched natural habitat in these Alaskan parks.

And take lots and lots of pictures, of course. And then comeback and blog all about my trip...

(Sigh.. with so much longing that I am almost already there..)

He he. I truly, truly love nature, I do.

Saying that, I truly loathe the idea of going 'back to basics'. As in, I cannot in all honesty detach myself from 'civilisation' - from a clean toilet, hot water and hot food without wanting to actually hurt someone. Thus, sailing in 'my yatch' or instead, going to Alaska in a luxury cruise would be the perfect thing for me.

Mr S has already called me crazy because my dream holiday includes extreme temperatures and he hates cruises anyway because he just hates the idea of being 'idle' for such a long time on a boat... So I guess I would have to take someone else with me on this trip of mine...

Mr S suggested that I bring the kids and leave him to his sports channel...sabor je lah..

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**Start Copy**

Proposition : Where do you want to go Next, OUTSIDE OF YOUR COUNTRY, for tourism, work, study, whatever.

Requirements: Find some info about the place, itenary etc, pics if possible so you get MORE Traffic coming in, and maybe some people can find somewhere to go to. Excludes your NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR, i.e. Singapore, Malaysia,Brunei, a country that borders yours.You must register for MyBloglog so we can blogwalk ah…..get it?

Quantity : FIVE PEOPLE.

Tag Mode : Chain Link. 15 of them.
You leave 15 people and their DEEP LINK of their Blog Name and TAGGED POST and hit out for five more. So it will look like

Adam who really wants to go on a spiritual journey

Doris who wants to go to the the Carribean Islands,

Azrin going Down Under

MaRLinda in Disneyland Paris

Athira Baby and her Balamory Antics

Msau to Japan

Dad Of Four would love to go to Provence

**Add in the blog you get the tags from and tagged post.**

I am going to TAG these PEOPLE who always go walk about :

Ayu

Hazyr

Lenwë Aldaríon

Blueberry

And err..YOU...that's right..YOU...

Tag ni I TAK PAKSA tau..taknak buat takpe...just something you can do when you don't have any other things to blog about..

FIVE reasons

Another tag, unexpectedly slapped on my back by blogger cp1. This will undoubtedly be quite boring because there's nothing funny or amusing at all about the reasons why I blog..

1. Initially, I have to admit, it was just for the thrill of getting my writings 'published'. I should think anyone who thinks that he /she can 'write' would have this dream of being a published writer and blogging has provided this 'exposure' of sorts to the dreamer in me. And I still get excited when people comment on my entries - Wow! People actually read the stuff that I write!

Exhilarating!

2. I hate it when people don't want to share recipes - they just vaguely answer your questions and you 'get it' - they don't want to share. I'm the type who is thick skinned and will ask for recipes and tips about food from anyone whose cooking I have tasted and loved. That's just me. And in return, ask me whatever you like about my food - I will always try to help, if I can. So I blog to share my recipes to the world - albeit they are amateurish and none too perfect at all. But hey, who cares?

3. I live far away from my family, so blogging is the perfect way to update them, especially about the children and about what has been happening to me. There are pictures and stories and thoughts and experiences..hey, blogging is really a cool way to update your friends about everything and anything about you. And especially because I'm so far away, it's really, really nice when my friends and family have blogs too. I cannot stress how comforting it is for me to read my sister's blog and my friends' blogs - because I do miss everyone at home so very much and miss spending time with everyone! Blogging is a way for me to keep in touch.

4. Blogging can also be therapeutic. Sometimes I have thoughts of this and that or I feel angered, amused, annoyed, happy or broody about things and being alone mostly here, I don't have anyone to talk to or to discuss with - most of the time I only have the screen in front of me, and the keyboard in front of it to vent out my thoughts and feelings...

5. Lastly, to show off. Hey, although not all of my cooking turned our well, the ones that do should really go on display. He he he.

No lah, not really.

Cooking all those cakes and dishes that I have made is an achievement for me. I blog them to log them and to share them with my friends, family and the rest of the world. Hey, they've got a big server at blogger.com so why not upload all those pictures that you would never want to forget? So yes, blogging is also like a memory box for me, to put in all the stuff that I want to remember later, be it how my cooking turned out or my children's antics preserved in digital form, with some notes and stories written along with them, as reminders for me.
Truly, blogging is a real gem for me and I treasure this home of mine in cyberspace.

That's it. With this, I tag new blogger BUNNY to tell me the reasons why she is starting a blog. Don't be cross now...