Spot the difference!!

Spot the difference between these pics..





Newly married....














A year later...













Newly married...













A year later...










We are certainly chubbier!! and certainly we remains as a happy couple, alhamdulillah:)

May Allah bless us with more happiness to come.. Aminn..

My new hobby: Baking!!

Salam..

Hi everyone.. I'm back again.. Have been quite some time since my last post.. Looks like we are taking turns in writing in this blog.. (hey,husband & wife must help each other anyway, right?;) )
Last week, I baked carrot cake.. If you have read the last post,my husband have make an entry about all the hassle of making an edible cake! Only in my third trial that the cake turned out fine.. not perfect yet,just fine..

My first ever baking experience was last year.. I tried to make a chiffon pandan cake.. It's taste great,but it just 'penyek'.. hehehe.. I guess baking a chiffon cake needs the special tray with the hole in the middle.. After the traumatic experience,I didn't bake anything afterwards until last week..

Although my 2nd trial was a failure as well,but I guess the support of my husband makes me want to bake again.. He bought me a silicon baking tray which was perfect for baking the 'bain marie'-style.. Thank you Abang!! It was a great baking tray,it's soft but it is strong,it's non-stick and it's very easy to take the cake out of the tray.. It's fabulous!! So,now I have a total of 3 baking trays (all of them have different features for baking different type of cakes)..


Last night,I baked for the 4th time - Marble chocolate cheese cake.. Special thanks to MamaFami & Hanieliza for their generosity of sharing so many recipes.. I love to surf their fotopages.. The recipe of this cake was taken from Hanieliza's fotopage.. Thanks again.. So,this is the final outcome of my experiment..





It is lovely!! Yeay.. Yummyyy..

This morning,we invited 2 of our 'single married' friends for breakfast.. I cooked 'nasi lemak' which is one of my most favourite dishes.. (I have hundreds of favourite dishes.. I like everything that is delicious.. hehe).. And of course the cake is served as the dessert.. After breakfast,off they went to play football,leaving me alone at home.. *sigh*

I better stop writing now.. have lots to do before weekend is over.. will write again soon!!

P/s: My special thanks to my dear husband who helped me a lot with the baking.. (who went to buy me the new baking tray,who bought all the ingredients all over again after my experiment turned into a total failure, who patiently helped me grating the carrot & entertained all my 'CKD' and didn't laugh when the cake flooded..) Love u so much!!

Flooded Cake and Baby Sister..

Salam..

And I'm back again..

It seemed that I managed to reduce the interval of two-week silent period to just about one week.. Maybe that's because there are some stories to share.. Or maybe just simply I'm trying to make the most out of this 'blogger' identity..

Anyway, let's get started.. Nothing much have happened since the last entry, but still something to share.. Of course, I won't be writing anything about the shocking news we had received earlier during the week.. I think my dear wife did that bit already..

Flooded Cake
Saturday.. We didn't do anything much.. Just relaxing after a week's work.. And then my wife decided that she wanted to bake a cake.. Not just any cake, a carrot cake.. So, off we went to the Crescent Shopping Centre to buy the ingredients.. Eggs, carrots, butter, cheese, baking pan, etc etc etc.. Unfortunately, the pan was not exactly suitable for bain marie-style of baking.. So we had a little 'McGuyver' moment and wrapped the whole pan with some tin foil to make an 'anti-flood' pan.. Of course, I was never a good baker, so I wasn't to keen to be much involved.. But I had to grate the carrot.. So after all the ingredients were ready, in they went into the pan.. And then into the oven..

After the designated 60 minutes, the cake came out FLOODED! Our anti-flood mechanism failed miserably! So the bake was a total disaster and waste.. Indeed, my wife was not a happy camper..

But, determination and persistence prevailed.. Bought more ingredients, bought a new baking pan! And I bought another one today.. The one I bought was a 23cm super-durable silicon baking pan.. And off she went with the ingredients again.. Again into the oven at 160 degrees Celcius.. Another 60 minutes with the timer set..

And, the result was this!

This looks simple, but believe me, this is much harder to bake that it seems at the end.. I wouldn't even compare it to the flooded one!
(I was not allowed to take the picture of the flooded cake)

I congratulate my wife for the success! I also had a biro-written poster with 'Sayang No 1' as a moral support! And it paid off handsomely..

Baby Sister
Sunday, we went to Tralee.. Our friend Hilma gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last week.. And now Hadif has a sister.. Many of our friends have babies, but maybe this family is a bit special to us..

When I started work in Limerick, my wife hadn't a job as a surgical intern.. So she was staying at home.. And Hilma and Hanif were both working, so they needed someone to look after the then nine-month-old Hadif.. So we agreed that my wife would look after Hadif before Hilma's mother would arrive from Malaysia.. The chubby boy wasn't even crawling at that stage.. And my wife looked after him for about 2 weeks.. There could be a small chance that Hadif started crawling while under my wife's care..

Now, Hadif is a year old and has a cute little baby sister, Hadia.. It's so adorable that Hadif likes to hold his sister.. Of course, Hilma and Hanif both has to keep a close eye on the boy as he could easily be a little bit too caring for the sister..

Hadif holding Hadia..

Well, those were the two stories I wanted to share.. A weekend filled with an extraordinary experience of flooded cake and a soothing sight of a newborn..

To my dear wife, I hope more cakes are to come.. A flooded cake or charcoal crust are no measure of how determined you were to get it right the next time.. It all comes in a package called 'experience'.. The more you bake, the more you learn, whether it's a perfect cake or not.. I eat them anyway..

To Hilma and Hanif, I'm happy for you guys.. And to Hadif, I'm sure you'll be a good big brother for Hadia.. I know she will be loved by you..

Shocking news..

Salam..

Today i got a shocking news about adik Ashraf (son of abg amin & k.shaz).. He died this morning in his sleep.. When my husband first told me, i was so shocked that I refused to believe it.. then i got a message from k.adib,confirming the news.. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiuun..

I've known him since he was a little boy.. I can still picture him playing around with his brothers.. it has been quite a while since i met him.. I pray may Allah give the strength to abg amin & k shaz.. they're wonderful people.. and for arwah,al-Fatihah.. I'm sure he will be very happy in Jannah,the place where he belongs..

As for myself,this tragedy is a reminder for me.. death is approaching us as days gone by.. Sometimes I wonder,when will it be,how will it be.. where will it be.. I just pray may it ends as husnul khatimah.. I've never lose a close family or friend.. and i wonder how will i cope if that happens..

Farewell and Good Luck, Dear Sis..

Salam..

Terrible.. Terrible!

Having a blog and then a silent spell of a fortnight?! Terrible!

Enough said, here I'm back again.. This might be a short entry, but nonetheless.. And maybe a few more happenings to share since the last entry..

As noted as the title of this entry, YES, Erin has left Eire for good.. She flew home from Cork Airport yesterday.. Unfortunately, it was a Friday, so the weren't many sending her off.. Maybe that would be better - less 'rain and shower' possibly..

Lucky for me and my wife, we both managed to get a half-day despite being a busy day - usually Fridays would be busy, to have the patients all managed for the 2-day break of weekend.. We left Limerick around 12.45 and, alhamdulillah, traffic was smooth flowing all the way.. We arrived at the airport but Erin hadn't arrived yet.. She was on her way - of course her place was only about 10 minutes drive from the airport..

We waited at Subway, had a quick tuna sandwich and seafood salad sandwich, and then Erin arrived.. Gya and Adni were there sending her off.. And of course Hannah too, Gya's daughter.. Erin checked in and the heavy 25-kilo baggage went through with no problem.. But she still had a fully-loaded laptop bag and a hand luggage with her..

Hugs and shakes and kisses - but no tears! All being well, she went in around 3.25pm and was still waiting at the gate at 3.45pm.. Of course, her flight was supposed to be flying at 3.45pm! It was kind of a quick send-off..

* * *

Erin was in Limerick last weekend.. She was already on holidays after not working since start of July.. But still some to do with her pension, salary and banks - of which I will have to settle them after this..

Initially, we planned to have maybe a picnic in Lehinch or Kilkee or Ballybunion, but weather didn't permit.. So we ended up shopping in Limerick - of course, 'we' meaning my wife and Erin! Some handbags, dresses and possibly shoes (I lost track of the items!).. That Saturday night, we went out and had dinner in Papadom..

Erin and Ina (my wife)


Erin eating with a grin

Sunday, further shopping and again weather was 'autumn-y'.. Nasty! So I decided to send her back to Cork rather than her taking a bus with all her massive 2-day shopping luggage.. And to Cork we went.. Dinner at Istanbul and then we sent her to Glenarden.. After that we drove back home to Limerick..

* * *

*Sigh* Erin leaving Eire meant that there'd be less reason for me to visit Cork.. Of course, with our hectic schedule and all, it wasn't really a regular plan to visit her.. But still it would be very nice to have a sister nearby.. Somehow I feel a loss that Erin's not here near me anymore.. *Sigh again* Insya-Allah, this will be for the better.. Erin will now be close to mom and Zuli and Qwan, and she could look after them too.. In fact, given her wedding is now somewhat-planned for next year, it'd better for her to be at home and get the things sorted out bit by bit..

All in all, I know I will miss her here.. A six-year stretch of studying and working had then come to a definite end - for now.. May Allah ease your way back home and may you have a fresh new chapter of your life in the long-awaiting home.. We will miss you here! Slan Go Foill!

Good Bye, June.. Hello, July..

Salam..

And here I am again.. After two-entry silent spell, I'm back with a small note to share..

*Sigh*
June is leaving as July will come.. For many, this may not make any comprehensible sense.. In fact, putting it in the middle of the year, with sun of summer marking the holiday season has begun, what is there to complain about?

Indeed, it would be to the doctors working in this very country who would understand my statement.. Shall I share? Will do so.. June would be the mark of an end of a year's session and July is tagged as the new season.. Fresh baby-face graduates will be sent to their designated hospitals for their first placement as interns.. Same goes for SHOs and registrars, but more so merely as a change in place (and, likely too, pace) of work.. To make it short and understandable, it'll be a whole new team all together.. Only the consultants will stay in the hospital..

New registrar, new SHO's, new interns.. New faces, new team, new friends, new experience..

But still it doesn't explain the gloomy statement of mine above..

Another sigh..

Let me share my little experience.. July 2006 marked my debut as a healthcare professional in this country, and even more, as a mark of ambition well-achieved.. Yet, little do people know that pride had to be yanked aside to learn despite holding the ever-dreamed of MB BCh BaO! The learning curve was a steep one.. The hands-on was the difficult part as well as the application of 'what we know' to 'what we'll do now'.. Putting in a small drip for a sick patient was very hard indeed, with sweat pouring and heart pounding, to prick a frail unwell man with the tiny needle.. But it has to be done.. And I learn by doing and learn by doing it again and again.. Experience makes a big difference - the more you do, the more you learn!

After a few tries, it didn't feel so hard after all..

The team you're with does make a different.. A nurturing working environment is what helps.. I was blessed with a nice one.. I thank Pat, Brendan, Paul and Tamam for making my first 3 months an easy learning experience for me.. The nurses in the ENT ward were great too.. Sharon and Anne-Marie (CNM's - 'ward sisters') made it easy in the ward.. In fact, it was all smooth flowing with the Respiratory and Endocrinology teams.. Thanks to the reg's and SHOs (Mikey P, Rory, Chris, Shah, Edel, Nina, Babiker, David, John).. Wow, that all flew so fast! And at the end of one year as an intern, I hardly realized, not until then, that how much I had learned about medicine, about being a doctor, about being a team member, about LIFE..

Of course, there were ups and downs.. But it's not the ever-intention to reminisce on the lows, and as I clearly mentioned in my first entry - this is not a HATE-page..

Long story put short, my first SHO appointment was in January this year.. Again, new job, new team, new place, and new intern.. A subordinate? That was new too! Roisin was great.. Pleasant girl to work with, very hardworking.. And then Aidan.. Another great chap.. Soft-spoken and very professional.. Both very intelligent.. Having the two as my first two interns was one memorable experience.. Taught me how to delegate work between me and the interns, taught me how to be in command and look after my subordinate.. I think I did quite okay.. However, I feel I've failed miserably as a teacher to my subordinate.. Sorry, guys.. *sob, sob, sob* But, hey.. Good memories are there to cheer me up.. The 'Jumper' would probably be the best! Hehe.. Ask Aidan or Tom..

Anyway, I wish the best of luck to Roisin and Aidan, who are going to Australia and New Zealand respectively.. May you guys have a good time and learn much more..

One common ‘ritual’ among doctors here is the dinner.. End of June would be the general period for dinners to happen.. Almost every team would have their own dinner scheduled.. Also quite common that the dinners do not include the consultants.. Reason? Who knows.. Maybe the formality would be different when the boss is around, maybe the gossip to tell and share would be somewhat ‘not appropriate’ to tell.. Or maybe it’s just because the team may never be together again as each will walk different paths, and this dinner will commemorate a year of joy and pain endured together as one unit..

The Palliative Care team dinner was held at Copper ‘n’ Spice Indian restaurant.. Quite a posh one, I may say.. Food was great! It was more a farewell and good luck dinner for all of us.. Faith is now in Australia – such a lovely and helpful lady.. Jay will be going to Galway – we will miss his wonderful sense of humour.. Roisin will be going to psychiatry as part of her GP training – I wish you the best for your wedding! And Faisal will be going back to the Regional for more fun and actions with Dr Peirce.. As for me and Haji, we’ll be staying and we will be welcoming the new clan coming in July.. (Unfortunately, Haji accidentally deleted the dinner pics – tough luck..)

And then the Fraser-Meaney-Skelly dinner.. Venue : Meal Mazza, Castletroy.. In attendance : The bosses! Still a great dinner.. Lots of fun and laughter.. (Still waiting for the pics from Masood) That may well be the last time I’ll see Aidan and Roisin, my two first interns, before the fly southbound..

Alas.. It is hard to say good bye and farewell.. But, as mentioned, new friends await, new challenges will come and new experiences are meant to be learned.. Can we say this farewell is a downer? I don’t think so..

Auld Lang Syne.. Old long since.. Whether we sing the lyrics or hum to the music, it does not matter.. We reminisce the time spent together, the laughter shared and the tears we cried together.. We part this day for another journey and we pray someday our paths will cross again, and we’ll sit in the sun, with a cup of tea in our hands and we share the stories again.. And remember the days..

Indeed, June is coming to an end and July is approaching fast.. We say goodbye and thank you to all, and we say welcome to the new crew.. We will get along together and we will be good friends.. And the cycle continues..

As the Irish would say (and so was the name of our farewell reception in Milford), Slán Go Foill..

Bye bye weekend..

Salam..

Hi everyone.. I'm back again.. phewww.. what a weekend.. summary of our weekend:

Saturday
Abang went to work until 2 pm..
I cooked 'bihun goreng' (not very tasty.. huhu.. i'm losing my cooking reflexes!!)..
I tidied up the 2nd bedroom but in the end we didn't move..;)
I fall asleep in the couch while waiting for my husband to come back..
We had our lunch while watching TV..
Abang fall asleep in front of TV..
I continued my spree cleaning..
We had maggi for dinner while watching the match..

Sunday..
Abang went to work and came back around 11.30..
I called my mum for nearly an hour and then finished up my cleaning (huh, cleaning on my own really took me more time.. glad I've managed to throw out unused & old things)
We went out for window shopping and then abang got a phone call to admit a patient..
I ended up in his workplace while he was working..
We went to the halal shop afterwards (bought some chicken,salami and lamb ribs.. hmm,need to find a recipe.. never cook lamb ribs before..)
On our way home,we went to halal restaurant (hehe.. I don't feel like cooking today)
We watched 'One Missed Call' while having our lunch/dinner (not a very good story.. well, expected ending for a ghost story anyway..)
And now we are watching the match between Spain & Italy..

I went to my husband's hospital/hospice for the 2nd time today.. It was a lovely place.. Very neat & nice environment too.. Met a few nurses & one of them even brought juices for me & my husband..

Shhh.. the busy doctor is working..;)

Hmm.. I'm actually sleepy... zzzz... will update again sometime.. working day tomorrow.. *sigh*...

P/s: thank you very much abang for ironing my clothes.. love you!! hehe..