Risau

hehe.. macam2 Fatin risau.. risaukan keadaan ekonomi.. ekonomi Malaysia, (Singapore pun agak recession gak..) yg more importantly our financial.. huhu.. bgn tido sbb belum solat Isya', tertido masa nak tidokan Hariz.. hai si Hariz sekarang.. dah makin cerdik.. kadang2 nak tido bukan nak susu jer.. nak Mama dodoi2.. henjut2.. kalu pakai buai senang la sikit nak henjut jer.. nih lenguh tgn.. huhu.. then kekadang siap nak Mama main gurau2, gomo, dodoi2 blk or gurau2 sblm tido laa dgn dia smpi bila pk balik Fatin pun tak sure sape tido dulu.. hahaha.. sbb cam bila ingat blk rase b4 tido nyusu sambil duduk then Fatin tertido kot kepenatan.. but bila sedar blk dah dua2 tertido.. huhu.. yg paling risau bila kepenatan nih takut terlepas dan jatuh jer.. Farzana n Farizah penah dah jatuh katil sbb nyusu duduk tertido dan Fatin kepenatan tak tersedar.. anak jatuh from pangkuan.. huhu.. anyway.. macam2 yg Fatin risau.. camne nak handle anak.. kalu bole nak educate mentally n emotionally.. then, nak jimat duit Ayah nih.. nak itu nak ini.. hehe.. financial crisis hits us too.. tp ok la lagi kot.. maybe sbb kami dgn 3 anak.. Farzana pula tadi.. dok kejut nak tido dgn Mama.. Fatin ingatkan dia tak tido2 till 3am.. dia kene ulcer lagi.. since kami pindah tinggalkan Beijing for good.. Farzana nih asyik kene ulcer mulut jer.. first time perasana masa kat Malaysia.. sian dia.. kecik2 dah kene ulcer mulut.. panas ker? stress ker? tak cukup zat ker? macam2 main dlm fikiran Fatin.. tp lepas spray ubat ulcer dan dan gosok2 kepala dia.. dia tido.. bgn tgk.. oh baru kol 1am++.. hmmm.. tiap2 anak ade ujian nya.. hehe.. nih baru 3.. camne la org ramai anak.. camne la Mama Fatin dulu.. huhu.. baru ade 3 jer dah tak larat rase nak tambah lagi.. hehe.. plus risaukan financial nya juga.. makin ramai anak.. expenses makin besar.. huhu.. hehe.. luah perasaan lak mlm nih..

GST

actually Maghrib tadi kot.. Fatin sempat intai Berita Harian ker Utusan online and baca kerajaan akan perkenalkan GST next year.. Fatin agak terkejut sbb Fatin tak fikir langsung Malaysia sesuai dikenakan GST sbb keadaan rakyat sekarang adalah sudah sgt sukar utk mereka yg susah.. (sorry la.. Fatin bukan pandai berbahasa nih) kenaikan harga minyak sebelum nih dah buat byk harga brg naik.. dan dah membebankan rakyat.. hmmm.. plus kemudahan2 pengangkutan awam sebagai contohnya Malaysia masih sgt ketinggalan berbanding negara2 lain yg amal GST (although bukan semua la kalu nak compare) but pendek kata.. ntah laa.. sian rase pada rakyat yg susah.. ini cuma la pandangan personal Fatin.. dah la b4 tak ingat bila Fatin ade terbaca yuran tambahan sekolah akan diperkenalkan.. hmmm.. siannya org ade anak2 kecil n ramai lak tuh..

GST tidak bebankan rakyat

Oleh ARSHAD KHAN
pengarang@utusan.com.my

Najib Tun Razak berbual dengan Mustafa Mansur pada majlis Makan Malam Persekutuan Pekilang-Pekilang Malaysia di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR 3 Dis. – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, kerajaan akan memastikan cukai barangan dan perkhidmatan (GST) yang dirancang untuk diperkenalkan tahun hadapan tidak akan membebankan rakyat terutama kumpulan berpendapatan rendah.

Menurut Perdana Menteri, barangan keperluan asas yang banyak digunakan rakyat akan dikecualikan daripada GST.

“Untuk meneruskan (pengenalan GST) kita akan lakukannya dengan struktur yang teratur dan lembut di mana cukai akan diperkenalkan secara semula jadi sejajar dengan tahap perkhidmatan dan cukai jualan agar ia (GST) tidak menjadi satu beban tambahan,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada Majlis Makan Malam ke-41 Persekutuan Pekilang-Pekilang Malaysia (FMM) di sini malam ini.

Hadir sama Presiden FMM, Datuk Mustafa Mansur.

Sebelum ini, FMM dilaporkan bimbang dengan cadangan pelaksanaan GST yang disifatkan tidak sesuai untuk Malaysia dan patut ditunda bagi jangka masa yang tidak pasti.

Melalui satu kenyataan, FMM menyebut Hong Kong telah menilai dan menghentikan keputusannya untuk melaksanakan GST walaupun nisbah dagangannya berbanding Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) adalah 404 peratus dan 98 peratus daripada perniagaannya tertumpu kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana.

Kenyataan itu menjelaskan, ahli perniagaan Australia juga telah menggesa kerajaan mereka mengurangkan GST daripada 10 peratus kepada lima peratus bagi merangsang pertumbuhan ekonomi.

Najib menjelaskan bahawa pengenalan GST di negara ini adalah satu bentuk keperluan jangka panjang memandangkan pergantungan negara kepada sektor petroleum sebagai penyumbang utama pendapatan perlu diganti dari sekarang.

Jelas beliau, seperti yang diketahui umum, pengeluaran petroleum negara tidak akan kekal selama-lamanya.

“Untuk memastikan negara terus bergerak, kita merancang untuk memperkenalkan GST yang akan membantu mengatasi sebarang kehilangan pendapatan cukai akibat pengurangan simpanan minyak kita,” jelasnya.

Kata beliau, pengenalan GST bukan semata-mata untuk mengenakan cukai ke atas barangan dan perkhidmatan tetapi bagi mempelbagaikan punca pendapatan agar negara tidak hanya bergantung kepada satu sektor untuk ia bergerak pada masa hadapan.

Dalam pada itu, Perdana Menteri juga malam ini mendedahkan bahawa Malaysia akan memperkenalkan model ekonomi baru dalam beberapa minggu akan datang.

“Model ekonomi ini bukan sahaja akan membentuk kembali aktiviti dan perancangan ekonomi kita, tetapi juga masyarakat kita.

“Bagi membantu pengenalan ini, kita telah menubuhkan satu pasukan pakar ekonomi tempatan dan antarabangsa di bawah Majlis Penasihat Ekonomi Kebangsaan,” katanya.

Jelas beliau, pengenalan model ekonomi baru adalah tepat pada masanya kerana walaupun ekonomi Malaysia memperlihatkan tanda positif, namun ia belum keluar dari ‘kegelapan’ sepenuhnya.

Kata Najib, pengenalan model ekonomi baru juga sejajar dengan matlamat kerajaan untuk meningkatkan kedudukan negara dari ekonomi pendapatan sederhana kepada negara dengan ekonomi berpendapatan tinggi.

Beliau juga melahirkan keyakinan keluaran negara kasar akan turut memperlihatkan peningkatan yang kukuh pada tahun hadapan.

from Berita Harian
GST lebih produktif, berkesan kukuh ekonomi negara

IU berhubung hasrat kerajaan mahu memperkenalkan cukai barangan dan perkhidmatan (GST) bukan perkara baru. Ia sudah ditimbulkan sejak era pentadbiran Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hingga Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan kini, Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Dua minggu lalu, Perdana Menteri yang yang juga Menteri Kewangan mengumumkan, rang undang-undang GST akan dibentangkan di Parlimen tidak lama lagi. Minggu lalu pula, Menteri Kewangan Kedua, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah berkata, regim GST bagi menggantikan Cukai Jualan dan Perkhidmatan (SST) dijangka dapat menjana pendapatan sebanyak RM1 bilion kepada kerajaan apabila diperkenalkan dalam tempoh 18 bulan selepas Mac depan. Sebenarnya, GST ialah cukai terhadap semua barangan dan perkhidmatan yang digunakan pengguna. Oleh sebab asasnya yang lebih luas berbanding SST, ia juga dikenali sebagai cukai kepenggunaan. Fakta bahawa GST kini diguna pakai oleh 143 buah negara di dunia menunjukkan ia adalah antara sistem percukaian pilihan kerana berkesan serta produktif. Maka apabila ada pihak cuba menjadikan cadangan pelaksanaan GST sebagai modal politik, ia sesuatu yang amat menghairankan kerana sebenarnya memang tiada alasan untuk mereka berbuat demikian. Ini kerana, matlamat utama pelaksanaan GST ialah membantu mengukuhkan ekonomi negara dan mengatasi sebarang kemungkinan kejatuhan perolehan cukai yang dipengaruhi penurunan rizab minyak.

Tidak dinafikan, cukai - dalam bentuk atau nama apa pun, pasti menyusahkan orang ramai yang terpaksa membayarnya. Bagaimanapun, kita yakin kerajaan amat prihatin dengan perkara itu dan akan memastikan pelaksanaannya tidak menjejaskan kesejahteraan rakyat. Seperti dijelaskan Najib, GST bukan bertujuan mengenakan cukai terhadap barangan keperluan atau perkhidmatan asas. Mengambil kira ia sudah dicadangkan sejak sekian lama, GST itu tentunya akan dirangka dengan kaedah berkesan dan tidak menyusahkan golongan pembayar cukai. Paling penting, kerajaan dijangka memperkenalkan langkah memastikan GST yang dilaksanakan dapat dikawal ketat bagi memastikan ia tidak dimanipulasi golongan peniaga untuk menipu. Jika pelaksanaannya dapat dilakukan dengan sempurna, GST sebenarnya boleh memberi pelbagai manfaat kepada negara dalam jangka panjang. Selain memastikan sistem ekonomi yang lebih berdaya saing dan cekap, hasil cukai yang dipungut menerusi GST juga boleh disalurkan untuk pelbagai tujuan pembangunan yang menyumbang kepada kesejahteraan rakyat. Oleh yang demikian, adalah jelas bahawa tiada alasan untuk pelaksanaan GST dipolitikkan. Perbuatan segelintir pihak tidak bertanggung jawab yang cuba menangguk di air keruh itu sekadar mendedahkan tembelang mereka yang sebenarnya cetek akal dan cuba mensabotaj apa jua usaha memantapkan lagi kedudukan ekonomi negara.

p/s: click pada tajuk utk pergi ke laman BH dan Utusan itu..

I'm a juggler

I am an ordinary juggler.. I have to juggle these magic "routine"balls:
1. be the best Muslimah
2. be the best wife
3. be the best daughter and daughter in law? got to learn a lot about this.. alwasy make my Mama cry.. sorry Mama.. love u so much..
4. be the best mother if possible an idol for my children (which I always feel like I almost fail-not that I want to be an idol.. but by being one, they'll look up to me n take good thing from me)
5. breastfeed my dear baby Hariz as least till he's 2! as well as cook n feed nutritious baby food for him
6. cook and feed nutritious food to my sweet, lovable and active daughters
7. cook nutritious and food that he likes to eat for my husband
8. make sure house always tidy up or presentable unless when our children on them
9. vacuum and mop the floor
10. clean the toilets
11. wash clothes, iron and fold cleaned clothes
12. educate my children (Iqra', alphabets, math n etc) oh, there are so many things to teach them.. and there are 3 of them!
13. be the best assistant to my husband.. ie help to save my husband's money (wink), help him with what ever he needs me to do..
14. learn how to manage everything
15. learn how to cook.. jeles tgk org lain pandai masak macam2.. (macam magic je tgk org pandai masak.. whilst I have to study and slowly try n try to get right sometimes..)

and my magic balls can increase from time to time.. keep on juggling Fatin!

Today's morning activities

Sebenarnya, Fatin kurang rase selesa nak update sgt cerita kami di blog sbb sekarang kami tinggal di public flat.. so, I have to consider about our children safety.. dulu dok condo leh la sesuka ahti nak update citer kan.. ade guards.. n tunjuk or beritahu kat mana tinggal.. plus Singapore pun dekat je.. though kami bukan ade ape sgt pun.. and Singapore org kata selamat je kan.. but still.. better safe than sorry kan..

Anyway, pagi nih Fatin bawa anak2 turun main playground after breakfast.. breakfast pun tak kemas lagi masa tuh sbb takut Hariz dah ngantuk sgt n nak tido.. its been days since we went out.. previous one was last Sunday.. dgn baju2 tido budak2 turun.. hehe.. sneang blk nanti mandikan bersihlah dorang.. kalu dah mandi nanti blk kotor blk.. huhuhu.. lepas main kat playground.. Fatin saje bawa anak2 g 'garden' kat tingkat 6 lak.. ade playground juga.. abis la about half an hour bawa budak2 keluar.. biasa tak sempat nak bawa anak2 kuar main pagi2 sbb either lepas breakfast n kemas Fatin start masak utk lunch or nak vakum or kemas rumah or Hariz dah napping or dah nak di nursed so takkan nak nyusu kat luar kan.. huwaa.. lama dah lantai rumah nih tak bermop.. kerja cam tak berhenti jer.. huhuhu.. nak buat camne.. Hariz still breastfeeding.. then ade Farzana n Farizah yg sedang membesar dan rajin mengexplore dan membuat sepah.. n masak memasak juga kerja2 bersih perlu dibuat.. termasuk la laundry n etc.. semua buat sprg.. huwaaaa.. ponat! hehe.. (lepas sikit.. huhu)

so saje Fatin nak share gmbr2 yg sempat snap pagi td.. b4 ade je amik gmbr but malas nak cari mana gmbr2 nyer.. nanti ade masa nak update citer Merlion.. ala yg patung yg jadi 'mercu tanda' Singapore tuh.. first time kami g Sabtu lepas kot..

budak2 skang tgh tgk cartoon kat TV.. ok la.. nak kene panaskan lauk semlm utk lunch dorang.. huhu.. (mmg dah plan nak mkn yg semlm nyer je today..)

p/s:- gmbr nanti la upload.. tak dan dah nih.. huhuhu..
4/12 : tried to do it today..internet is slow kot.. cant sit here long.. got things to do.. will try again..

Selamat Hari Raya Eidul Adha

hansem tak Hariz pakai baju Melayu yg Mak Tok jahit.. kakak2 pakai baju kurung Cik Dilah beli..

Malangnya Fatin lupa nak bawa baju Melayu Abg n baku raya Fatin.. pakai baju yg ade bawa ke Beijing jer dulu..

on the way back to our flat.. ingat nak amik gmbr depan masjid.. but too crowded..

Selamat Hari Raya Eidul Adha.. Maaf Zahir & Batin..

hah.. at last.. dpt pun Fatin update cerita kami.. huhu.. kami beraya di Singapura.. Fatin sedih la juga rase.. huhu.. actually Fatin tak tahu pun raya jatuh hari Jumaat.. I was too busy with unpacking n settling down.. ade juga Fatin sibuk tanya Abg raya bila.. but my question was bape hb.. tp Abg pun tak sure plus Abg tak sure cuti ke tak.. but then masa tuh Abg ade kata.. nak balik ke.. kalu nak blk kene beli tiket sekarang n balik sat je.. n rumah mase tuh masih cam tunggang langgang.. Fatin tak leh nak pk pasal nak blk.. Fatin masa tuh cuma kemas n settle down je.. so Fatin kata Fatin tak leh nak pk pun nak blk lagi sekarang nih.. so every weekdays bz dgn daily routine, kemas2 n every weekend g beli/cari barang n etc.. it was very2 tiring! bila dah ok sikit.. ingat last weekend boleh la berjalan or berehat.. tp Hariz lak sakit.. hari Sabtu pagi dia bgn dah berair hidung.. then belum ape2 dah naik panas badan.. huhu.. Isnin baru no more fever but still running nose.. huwaaa.. cubaan sungguh.. kami cuma kuar Khamis mlm kot n beli grocerries kat Fair Price nearby our place sbb lauk habis.. mlm mase tuh lepas dinner.. sbb Fatin susah nak g sorg dgn 3 anak so terpaksa tunggu Abg blk keje.. maybe Hariz was infected by someone that time.. sian dia.. then Farzana pun cam ade stuck nose sikit.. but Farizah alhamdulillah sihat2 saja.. now Hariz masih selsema sikit n ade kahak.. sian dia.. jaga anak sakit nih penat juga.. n sian kat dia juga.. nampak Hariz nak tido but takleh tido.. ade masa terpaksa pegang dia so dia dpt bernafas.. hmm..

anyway.. semlm pagi2 Fatin g market nearby.. sbb Fatin survey tmpt nak jahit utk langsir.. (survey je lebih but tak jahit2 pun.. huhu.. dah la jenuh mase g survey tuh g berangkut 3 askar kecil pagi till tgh hari) Fatin nampak ade stalls jual masakan halal.. ade Nasi Ayam stalls.. goreng2 ala carte stall n satay.. ade la dlm 3-4 kot halal/Muslim stalls.. huhu.. best2.. then kat makcik Nasi Ayam Penyet tuh kata.. kat belakang tuh ade stall anak beranak jual ayam daging halal.. but tak pernah la Fatin sempat nak g beli till semlm.. b4 nih kami cuma beli ayam (ade ayam halal) dan ikan kat Fair Price.. Abg sampai mengeluh la juga asyik makan ayam n ikan.. ayam la yg byk katanya sbb lain2 cam mahal kan.. so pagi semlm g cari beli.. alhamdulillah.. tahu la dah nak beli ayam n daging halal kat market nearby tuh lepas nih.. tak jauh pun dr flat kami.. dlm 10 mins jalan je kot.. dekat kan.. hehe.. harga? ok la kot.. label2 dia.. daging goreng (means daging utk goreng.. huhu..) - 10sgd pe kg, daging kari, daging sedap buat kari bak kata makcik tuh 9sgd per kg n etc.. (Fatin beli dua nih jer sikit2).. ayam pula dlm 6sgd seekor.. tak besar sgt kot.. but ok la.. rase nya harga cam ok kan.. tawar2 hasil belian was 20sgd.. then g Fair Price beli grocerries lain sikit.. rush blk sbb Abg nak g keje n kami berpuasa semlm.. Fatin nak letak entry fwd Abah Fatin hantar suh kami puasa semlm but sgt2 tak sempat.. so utk berbuka smelm Fatin masak ayam masak merah n kari daging.. dgn plan hari nih tgh hari leh buat nasi tomato n mkn lauk semlm.. tp semlm makan nasi putih jer.. pagi tadi kami cuma makan simple bihun soto.. dlm kol 7.46am kot g masjid nearby.. jalan kaki je sbb dekat.. kol 8am masuk masjid, org nak start dah.. kelam kabut alhamdulillah semua ok n anak2 pun ok.. cuma Fatin kene solat raya sambil dukung Hariz sbb Hariz terkejut kot.. huhu.. but then slowly settle down n main2 dgn beg Mama.. before blk masa salam2 ade makcik hulur 2dollar utk setiap anak2.. huhu rezeki dorang.. rase nak buka acc bank dorang lak kat sini but bape min utk buka acc kat Spore eh? kalu acc dewasa setahu Fatin min is 500sgd n kalu baki dlm acc kurang 500sgd kene bayar seomthing like that ker.. (kalu ikut citer Abg..) Fatin tak ade acc lagi so tak tahu sgt.. anyway.. ape yg Fatin meleret2 nih.. hahahha.. taip ikut suka hati.. so, so far.. ok la.. byk lagi need to be settle.. nih duit rental utk bulan depan pun belum bayar.. td dah ingat kan.. esok la kot kene ajak g buat.. kalu tak nanti dah start bz blk lupa.. bahaya tau kalu lebih 7 hari nanti leh kene bayar interest lak.. Singapore.. no play2.. huhuhu.. ok laa.. to all, kami ingat mengucapkan.. Selamat Hari Raya Eidul Fitri.. Maaf Zahir & Batin..

Society Dictation

below is written by my dear friend whom also my x-classmate back during studies in MRSM Taiping..

from http://babyripp.vox.com/library/post/society-dictation.html

I can't say this enough... step into others' shoes only if they fit.. in other words. Stop living other ppls' lives. Don't judge what you think other ppl is doing with their lives unless you are in the middle of it. The think that is concerning most to me is of course, parenting choices.

If I were asked about breastfeeding and my thoughts on it is that it's the one most difficult thing I had to do in my daughters' first 2 years of life. I would say that it wasn't so much of the soreness, or moments with low supply, mostly it's just emotionally draining.. and the constant constant breastfeeding sessions and next comes the empathy nod from the one who asked the question, 'oooh...' or maybe it's more like, "aaaah..."

When I try to remember more, it's almost like opening pandora's box.. it all started to emerge. The uncertainties.. the STABBING EXCRUCIATING PAIN I had the first month at the spinal site, the problems with latching.. the whispers saying 'OMG your dotter is sooo going to gantung with you like forever', the things I read on the web that are so clashing with my own personal experience which gave me the highest level of doubts and insecurities, not having anyone to turn to, being so sick of breastfeeding that I literally almost threw up.. that lump I had in my throat when I just had to tell OH that I'm so sick of breastfeeding.. trying to be careful with my choice of words so that he doesn't think I'm saying that it's Afya that's making me sick and that it's the constant breastfeeding instead, and not to mention the buckets of tears poured (mine probably trumped Afya's).. now.. after reading that you may think you understand what I went through.. heck you probably went through it too, but what I wrote is still only the gist of it. To actually be able to understand, you not only need to be there to witness it all.. you need to be me.. the one who actually experienced it. Just from this one paragraph that I've written, it's just not enough to paint the picture. Even if you've had experienced similar problems, my baby is an individual. I am an individual. If something u did worked for you, no way, that the same thing would definitely work for me too. So.. are we still in the same boat now.. have I lost you along the way..?

Having mentioned the few things that I just couldn't mention before, (I dunno for what reason but most probably just wanting to avoid being judged by ppl who easily make their own conclusion simply by making their own deduction, Like.. captain obvious goes, ooo why didn't u do this and this and I'll be like concentrating hard trying to remember why I didn't try the obvious.. ooo maybe COZ IT DIDN'T WORK after the gazilionth time?!) I still stand by breastfeeding. I will do it again and again (planned to have 3). Breastfeeding is the best.. and that's a fact. What I can't stand though is that we are starting to become too extreme with it that instead of gentle persuasions, educating and presenting the benefits, we are starting to look down upon mothers that choose to do it differently. I'm drawing a line. We are not doing just if by promoting breastfeeding, we are also stepping on other ppls head.

Breastfeeding is not wajib. Probably the hukum is very very close to wajib but in the exact sentence in the Quran it is stated that mothers (and fathers) are given the choice to do otherwise if necessary (in the modern context, to give formula milk to their babies) as long as the father bears the expenses (or something like it -- the father bears the expenses part). Islam is just great and it's obvious. Allah knows that breastfeeding is not a simple thing to do less it would have been wajib. Mothers are still given a choice. It's not like covering the aurah. It is wajib.. nowhere in the quran says you have a choice to expose your aurah in front of a non-mahram (unless in darurat). Covering the aurat --- is just too easy (doing it in style probably tricky hehe). So my argument is very simple... mothers (and fathers) are given the choice. Parenting can never be easy. Maybe you can argue that breastfeeding is so much easier than giving bottle and that it is true to you but who are you to say that breastfeeding is an easier option for another mother too? I probably dun have to start on breastfeeding and having to deal with your older children's needs too.

So with all these very difficult parenting choices that we have to make (yes which probably also includes whether or not to send our children to kumon LOL) I think as long as the parents are doing what THEY think is best and that it is an informed decision -- that they know the pros and cons of the choices they made.. following the quran and sunnah, that they are well read, and they had to choose to give their babies the bottle (FM) with whatever excuse or excuses they came up with to tell you, it is THEIR choice to make and we actually dun even have the right to ask for their reasons and excuses to have chosen a different style or parenting path.. and they just shouldn't even be bothered to give one or ten. It's their life.. their children, they are doing the best that they see fit for their family. So who are you again...? The 2nd mother? We can however try to understand what other parents are going through and show some support and share knowledge and share our parenting experiences. Give a hand if they need help or simply guide them to someone who can help. There's no where in Quran saying we can mock or taunt them.

In the end, don't make the same mistake that our parents and our parents' parents did.. don't let the society dictates what is right or wrong, and pressure parents into making choices that's not right for them. Instead of reaping benefits, more problems arises and leaving everyone downright miserable, affecting their state of mind, health and faith in the end. This was one of the reasons that at one time formula milk was deemed better than breastmilk and that we forgot to breastfeed our own babies.

Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to myself not to get too sucked in with any parenting fad and forgetting that other mommies have feelings too, some are not as fortunate as others, and that although we are great at being superwomen, none of us is Superwomen. Come on.. support each other.. being a mommy is challenging enough.. being sneered by another mother will only make it difficult.

Oh please please please don't smoke with your child is sitting on your lap.. it's just not right.

Bawang Merah Bawang Putih..

nih fwd yg Fatin terima from a friend.. takut hilang sbb rase cam menarik n worth trying.. Fatin serabut byk mende sbnrnyer berkenaan pindah nih.. ntah laa.. belum ape2 Fatin dah rase Singapore sgt tak best.. awal2 dtg Singapore pun nak kene cheat ngan taxi driver.. ntah laa.. ingatkan Singapore nih civilize sikit.. cam lebih kurang Beijing je.. maybe a bit lebih civilize.. cuma Beijing brg tak mahal.. shopping best.. hehe.. here.. hmmm.. mostly mahal.. ntah laa.. ok la.. I should go through tenancy agreement.. y do I have to do everything? (everything ker Fatin?)

Food for thought; there's no harm trying.....

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu.

Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work.

(And no, she is not in the onion business.)

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.

Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:

Weldon, thanks for the reminder.

I don't know about the farmers story...but, I do know that I contacted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill...I came across an article that said
to cut both ends off an onion put one end on a fork and then place the forked end into an empty jar...placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs...sure enough it happened just like that...the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.