So my birthday came and went...life goes on like any other birthdays.

I have 5 more weeks before migrating to another office. YES...I got the sales job, but not at my office, at another office in the same company that is just 8 minutes drive away. One big advantage of working with my boss, I know the managers in this office.

It was hard earned...this sales job. I was interviewed...or should I say intterogated for 2 hours? And then another simulated insurance sales over the phone followed by an hour of phone interview right after. In short, if you do not know insurance, do not even hope to be considered. My contender at that time was a Sales and Marketing Associate, a person who markets the company's products everyday and me? An underwriter who knows the features of the product inside out with strong (ahemm) qualities. I gave them 200% during the interview. I hate interviews, they depress me, especially when I want the job REALLY BAD. After a span of 3 weeks of such interviews and they needed half a week to decide, I was given the job! Happy...happy giler! I knew I earned it (although the fact is that, I know the managers real well too but I know I was not givent any slack in this selection).

My boss was at first happy for me, but not happy when they wanted me to start with the new office in 2 weeks. No way...the boss says. Firstly, he had to find another person to manage my office, I would need to train this person...boss needs to take back his tasks (he's super spoilt) and redelegate to the new managers and he thinks...I repeats, thinks that I should be ready to go. We both promise that we would remain good friends forever (we went though a lot of office crap together.

One thing for sure...if not cos of my boss...I would not be who I am now. He had created a monster ...eh no...a strong person out of me. Ambitious and directive and not take nonsense from anyone and best of all, to go for what I think I deserve. I never fail to tell everyone at work that my boss is such a good friend to me (though some say that I am his pet, oh well).

Back to the new office, 8 minutes drive away from home, on the way to work, I could drop kakak Mas at school and on my way home, pick the munchkin up from the sitters house. Perfect? I could go home for lunch too!

Happy birthday to me…
Happy birthday to me…

I knew that my co workers will get a cake for me, but did not expect them to get cupcakes! I love cupcakes, they're so pretty that I had to take a picture before I devour one.

35…that’s how old I am today. I feel old…but then age is just a number, which can be untrue as when I touched 30, my knees tend to squeak, BADLY!

When I was 34, I only had 2 kids and was an underwriter. Within a year, I had another beautiful child, got promoted and then another good paying job in 30 days! MasyaAllah, Alhamdulillah…rezeki Allah.




Hopefully when I reach 36, I would have been an achiever in my insurance sales career. Oh and I will move office too…the office will be about 8 minutes drive away from home!

Who says that we can't raya like back home?

It was wonderful and fantabulous. Our first visit was to Sharun's house. Delicious food and mostly, we were very glad to have met up with Sharun and family again. How fast her 4 kids have grown! Thank you so much for having us at your house Sharun and Ridhwan!

Next was at kak Jah's house. Kak Jah is known as the 'mother' to the younger generation in the Bay Area dan kawasan yang sewaktu dengannya. She caters malay food and invites us to her house many time a year. It was our family's loss for not having visited her as often as we actually should.

I met more malay Singapore friends. And I think I found a couple of friends who live in the Peninsula that migth become my partners in crime *winks*.

As for mak, she has made quick acquaintances with Kak Jah, who is begging for her to visit her again when she comes back to SF and Kak Ann, who is doing the same thing.

Alhamdulillah, it was a nice day for us yesterday...now we have 2 more days to be with mak.

Its been...

quiet and peaceful. We're reaching the final week of Ramadhan but it has been that way, since the 1st day of Ramadhan...thats what mak says.

No Geylang, no shopping to buy new carpet, clothes, shoes, bags except having to make kueh tart and some cookies and cook a big meal for raya and for our raya visitation on that first day.

Naturally, Eid is not a national holiday here. Luckily, it falls on a Saturday which means that we could visit our malay friends after Eid prayers in the morning.

I thought mak would be homesick thinking about home during this time...but she had proved me wrong. She says that she feels peaceful...that she does not have to think of having to go to the market during the raya rush, and think of stuff to do for Raya. But she surely is excited to meet up with Sharun's and Kak Jah's family on the 1st day of raya as she had bought 6 empty tubs to pack the cookies that she will be baking.

It surely has been nice experiencing Ramadhan with mak...someone who is as peaceful as this miracle month of Ramadhan.

I thought I could resist from listening to Raya songs. I played the songs for mak. She suddenly sprang up from the sofa and directed me to hang the curtains in our rooms. Such Raya songs can turn a docile mak to a directive one...regardless of wherever she could be. (I peeked into the living room...mak is eating Doritos with a remote control in her hand...shes 10% americanized!).

First tune of lagu Raya...I cried. I think of home. I think of my sister, bapak, my nieces and my precious son. During this time if I was there, we would be roaming Geylang, me being so fascinated by the people spending their precious money.

My son, I miss my son the most during this time. This time last year, I was very pregnant and was a total wreck when I heard Raya songs. I always wonder how he celebrated Raya without his family. We all think of him here.

To all Muslim friends out there...Eid Mubarak!!! Maaf Zahir Batin...

Introducing the husband's Asian 60's pop music Website on myspace.com. Let me tell you what is so different about this website. This is how a westerner (like the husband) values our Asian 60's music in his perspective...videos and MP3 songs included.

Yes, I am one of the guilty (but I don’t feel guilty) ones who take the music history for granted. I do not care for such music. In fact, I am so ignorant about it that the husband knows more about our past music industry than a born Malay Singaporean like me.

This website covers the Asian 60's music in a broader form…which means it does not just cover Singapore Malay music but also the Chinese and music from Indonesia and Japan.

The husband has over 3.5k of friends on his myspace account and it is growing. It is his love and passion for music on my side of the world (hes a talking music encyclopedia) and this website is built out of love. If you're into Pop Yeh Yeh or Japanese GS music…click on here .

In the meantime...here are the girls!!!