“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let each new year find you a better man” - Benjamin Franklin

Two days left until 2010?! Wow. Cliché as it may sounds, masa memang mencemburui kita. Have you been able to tick off all your 2009 resolutions? To read more? To lose weight? To be a better daughter? To pray diligently? To reach out to friends and family? To stop smoking? To amend broken relationships? To spend less and save more? To forgive and forget?

New year resolution is not really my thing. As writer Anaïs Nin aptly put it, “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” Yes, I believe in striving each and everyday to be a better person and most importantly, a better servant to the Almighty. Easy said than done, I must say. Seringkali saja teralpa dalam kesibukan hidup dan rutin harian, alpa untuk cuba menjadi diri yang lebih baik. So yeah, I guess new year is always an excellent time to start afresh. Hence, let’s! And here’s wishing you an awesome 2010!

HAVE A HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY 2010!

Q: What is the most common pregnancy craving?
A: For men to be the ones who get pregnant.

What Not To Say To A Pregnant Woman, according to Greg N. of AskMen.com. I think they’re hilarious! Take note, para husbands.

(1) "How come you're so much fatter than the other chicks in Lamaze?"
(2) "What's the big deal? If you can handle 'me' going in, surely you can handle a baby coming out."
(3) "Hey, when you're finished puking in there, get me a beer, will ya?"
(4) "Yo, fatass! You're blocking the TV!"
(5) "Looking at her, you'd never guess that Pamela Anderson had a baby!"
(6) "I sure hope your thighs aren't gonna stay that flabby forever!"
(7) "Fred passed a stone the size of a pea. Boy, that's gotta hurt."
(8) "Got milk?"
(9) "Maybe we should name the baby after my secretary, Tawney."


Kah kah kah. Well, at the rate I am going, I think I am going to be really huge at the end of my pregnancy. I don’t really mind sebenarnya, because I think pregnant women are sexy! Ngeh ngeh. Tapi setiap kali mahu pergi monthly check up, akan merasa berdebar that my gynae would lecture me on my weight gain. Ngeee. Thank God semalam tak kena lecture; maybe I am gaining the proper weight after all.

Dan ya, kedengarannya amat memeritkan to lose pregnancy weight. Tapi tak apalah, belum masanyalah untuk fikirkan itu semua. Terlalu awal, Marliza! Pedulikanlah! Heheh. My aim now is to eat well so that the little one will get the proper nutrition yang diperlukan. And while I’m at that, it doesn’t hurt to have a little sinful fun. Sorry lah, couldn’t help it, I looooove foods. Hehe.

I must say that being moody and restless is undoubtedly part and parcel of being pregnant. Being pregnant and having to work your ass off as a litigation lawyer is pretty much tiring. The physical exhaustion of having to turun naik Mahkamah. The unnecessary stress from bosses and clients. Dengan paper works yang tak pernah surut. Adoilah letih tau!

But yeah, I love love love being pregnant! So I promise myself that in spite of everything, I won’t complaint much. No complaint, Marliza, no complaint, for I am too blessed to be stress :)

A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside. When a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone.

The lack of updates. The Orange Juice cravings. All the complaints about being tired and sleepy. And hungry. The apparent chubbiness. The hints here and there. Yes, the family knows. Most friends know. Some think they know. Some made wild guesses. And I guess the time has come for me to spill.

Yes, I am indeed pregnant :) Thank you, Allah! Isn’t He the Greatest?


I am currently in my second trimester. 5 months. Or to be exact, 20 weeks going on 21. Yes, I know as evidenced by the picture above, I am already showing. It’s genetic I guess. Atau mungkin sebab memang berlemak tebal to begin with. Ngeh. Or maybe it’s because I have already been pregnant before, albeit unsuccessfully (Alhamdulillah I got through the emotionally painful phase but that’s another story. This is supposed to be a happy entry lah!) Ngeee. Tembam pun tembamlah, asalkan sihat, kan?

Braving the first trimester was an ordeal. Physically, segalanya dipermudahkan alhamdulillah. Ya, tentulah ada nauseous now and then, but that’s just about it. No weird cravings. No vomiting. No excessive tiredness. No peculiar mood swings. Bukanlah to say that my first 3 months were easy breezy, because I had some bad days, but I guess it was mild compared to some friends’ experiences. I thank Allah for that.

But emotionally, it was heart wrenching, to say the least. I was paranoid 24/7! With my history, who can blame me, kan? But yes, I am still scared and paranoid at times, but I believe in positive thinking and the power of doa, mudah-mudahan everything will be fine this time around, insyaAllah.

And currently, alhamdulillah, everything seems to be going okay. We’re super excited! Hehehe. Belum tahu the gender of our little one, kalau ada rezeki maybe on my next visit this Monday. Tapi tak kisahlah, as long as the little one and I are healthy, we’re happy enough. Aaaawh our little one :)

Oh I can already feel the little one moving inside me, walaupun belum begitu gagah. The sensation is just as they describe it; popcorn popping, goldfish swimming around, butterflies fluttering. Cuteness.

I am sure you know about my best friend, who recently spilled the bean to the world. Hehe. Ayin is carrying a girl and is 3 weeks ahead of me. It is such a great feeling to be sharing the highs and lows of pregnancy with your best friend. A bonus to what is an already amazing experience.

So yeah, I am indeed blessed with a baby bump, the pregnancy has been great so far and I am healthy and contented. The actress Carrie Fisher aptly sums up how I feel at this particular moment: “Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be.” Sungguh benar :)

Pray for me and my little one, will you?

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

I think I have to write something just for the sake of… I don’t know.

I think magicians are sexy. Either that, or they are really good actors. Go watch Criss Angel’s street magic performances and you’d agree with me.

(On the same note), I think Criss Angel has a rather interesting first name. Criss, with no H and spelled with double S. Cool is what it is.

I think some people exist to test your patience. You know, like roaches.

I think Perodua Alza is just a slightly longer version of Myvi. Come on, Perodua, janganlah malas sangat. You’re better than that.

I think rude drivers should be prosecuted. On the ground of possible endangerment of other drivers’ emotional health.

I think Hari-Hari store’s tagline, “Cantik di Hari, Mudah di Hati” is the worst business slogan to ever exist. Like, what the?! Whoever came up with the slogan should keluar dari persembunyian and explain to the public what the heck he/she was trying to say.

I think copycat bloggers should be ashamed of themselves. If you have no ideas on how to make your blog interesting, just be plain boring. That’s better than stealing other people’s ideas. And if you have nothing interesting to write about, then don’t lah. Peliknya. Haish.

(On the same note), I think people can be so weird sometimes.

I think people should stop talking about Tiger Wood’s sex scandals. I mean, what do you expect from someone like him? Someone super rich and mega famous. Normalcy? Come on lah.

I think most people deserve to be given the benefits of the doubt.

I think Raising the Bar is one of the best legal drama ever created and I hate TNT for canceling the show after the second season.

(On the same note), I think the character Jerry Kellerman (played by Saved by the Bell Mark-Paul Gosselar) is awesome. If only I can be half as good as an attorney and half as passionate as he is with his work. Such an inspiration.

I think smart phones are smart. 24/7 access to the Internet. PC-like specifications. QWERTY keyboards. One-touch response. Bijaklah! Whoever invented the smart phones deserve an award.

(On the same note), I think QWERTY keyboard is good in the sense that unless you’re a gifted driver, you couldn’t possible text while you’re driving.

I think Twitter is making a lazy blogger out of me. Either that, or the other possible reason. Ehem. But yeah, micro-blogging is easy-peasy and fun.

(On the same note), I think I am going to spill the bean soon. Ngeh.

I think Jeffrey Archer is an epitome of an optimist; the kinds of people who make do of the worst situation and turn them into something positive. I mean, he did come up with the book I am currently reading, Cat O’Nine Tales when he was in the prison. And made millions out of it, I believe. Smart.

I think the jingle for the Belilah Barangan Tempatan campaign is annoyingly infectious. You know, “Wah cunnya, memang cun, barangan Malaysia.” Who can resist singing along to that? Or is it just me?

I think I hate my job today. Hate is such a strong word though. Not liking my job. That’s more like it. Bosan bosan bosan. Sigh.

I think I need a blue-sky holiday. Somewhere with beaches and/or shopping malls would be nice. Somebody just please take me.

“If you carry your childhood with you,
you never become older. “ - Tom Stoppard

Hampir setiap pagi sekarang, bila turun lif, mesti saing dengan kanak-kanak riang dalam pakaian renang dalam perjalanan bersuka ria ke pool. Sampai bawah mereka terus campak towels dan lompat ke dalam air dengan bahagia dan carefree. How good it is to have no care in the world.

Selalu saya kata pada Suami, “Tengoklah budak-budak tu, belum tahu nasib diorang. Banyak lagi exams nak kena lalui.” Kah kah. Ya, saya orang dewasa yang mendengki kegembiraan kanak-kanak di musim cuti sekolah.

Seronok betullah zaman cuti sekolah dulu-dulu. Saya tak tahu apa aktiviti budak-budak zaman sekarang sebab saya tak ada adik kecil juga belum punya anak, tapi saya pasti, cuti sekolah di zaman manapun, hatta zaman pre-history sekalipun, pasti menggembirakan. No school! Woohoo!

Aktiviti kegemaran zaman cuti sekolah dulu ialah bercuti dengan sepupu-sepupu. Selalunya parents kami akan bergabung usaha bawa kami bercuti di pantai mana-mana. Balik dari bercuti malu nak pergi sekolah sebab hitam legam kulit mengelupas sebab berjemur mandi laut. Ya, kecil-kecil lagi sudah pandai ada rasa vain malu bila kulit jadi hitam mengelupas.

Masa Darjah 6 selepas UPSR, ada lawatan pergi Langkawi. Rasa seronok sangat dapat melancong dengan kawan-kawan. Melancong dalam school uniform pun seronok sangat rasanya. Naik bas ramai-ramai, bayar makanan sendiri, jalan-jalan sana sini tanpa ibu bapa (tapi ada gurulah, bosan) - rasa konon-konon macam adult. Seronok sangat dapat berlagak jadi adult. Sekarang dah jadi adult, dengki dengan kanak-kanak pula. Kah kah.

Cuti sekolah mesti ada family day sana sini. Family day office bapa saya selalunya di PD lah. Kemudian ada sukaneka. Kemudian saya mahu masuk semua pertandingan. Saya bukankah kanak-kanak gila kuasa?

Ada satu gambar saya dalam bikini merah (belum baligh, maka ambil kesempatan sexy sesuka hati) dan menangis sebab kalah pertandingan tiup tepung. Kononnya kalah sebab ada budak gemuk langgar lalu jatuh. Mengadalah saya ini, kalah pertandingan tiup tepung pun mahu menangis.

Gambar ketika Family Day firma saya tahun lepas. Gambar atas ialah saya yang tak menangis apabila terkeluar dari pertandingan rebut kerusi. Gambar bawah ialah saya embracing my inner child (never gone, never will).

Wajiblah balik kampung kan? Kesian Tok Wan, Maktok, Atuk, Opah rindu nak tengok cucu menakal depan mata. Kadang-kadang malas balik kampung sebab rindu katil empuk dan penghawa dingin di rumah. Mengada. Kemudian Ibu akan kata, “Nanti anak-anak Yanti tak nak balik jumpa ibubapak nanti, Yanti sedih tak?” Akan terus jadi takut dengar ayat keramat itu. Lalu akur dan ikut balik kampung and always ended up having great times.

Kemudian ada kem cuti sekolah ala-ala summer camp. Saya without fail akan hadiri program seperti ini. Saya memang kanak-kanak yang gemar beraktiviti. Cuba ajak saya jadi fasilitator sekarang, cubalah kalau nak kena tempelak. Haha. Membesar menjadi pemalas. Si pemalas yang berjiwa positif, boleh? Anyways, antara banyak-banyak, kem paling saya sukai ialah kem bersama Dato Hassan Ali. Memang meninggalkan kesan positif. Tapi saya sedih tak dapat anugerah Peserta Perempuan Terbaik walaupun telah dinominasi. Fasilitator kata sebab saya tak cukup banyak hafal doa. Kah kah sedih kononnya. Kanak-kanak gila kuasalah katakan.

Kem paling saya tak suka ialah Kem Minda Anak-Anak Polis. Balik dari kem itu saya merayu tak mahu pergi lagi. Sebab cultural shock. Kem itu gabungkan anak-anak polis dari sekolah rendah hingga sekolah menengah. Saya budak baik. Tiba-tiba jumpa kakak-kakak yang kena tangkap khalwat, kakak merokok, kakak yang suruh saya dengar lagu Sweet Child of Mine di walkman dia sambil ajar saya menari ikut gaya dia menari dengan boyfriend dia – ish takut! Memang cultural shock.

Juga menarik ialah rancangan Alam Ria Cuti Sekolah di TV3. Dulu-dulu belum ada ASTRO, jadi tak adalah Nickelodeon yang 24 jam ada show menarik untuk kanak-kanak. Lalu bila ada Alam Ria itu, memang seronoklah.

Cerita kegemaran semua anak gadis mestilah The Girl From Tomorrow; yang kemudiannya menyebabkan semua anak gadis menggedik mahu pakai cekak. Satu scene yang paling saya ingat ialah Alana masuk dalam satu bilik kecil dan dibersihkan dengan laser beam. I remember thinking, “How convenient.” (Tak pastilah fikir dalam English atau Malay. Mungkin dalam Malay sebab unlike kanak-kanak beruntung zaman sekarang, saya produk pembelajaran dalam Bahasa Melayu. Ngeh)

Masa yang lepas memang sudah lepas, tapi jangan sampai kita terlupa anak kecil dalam diri kita yang sering kali meronta untuk keluar berjimba.

“I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” - Rita Rudner

“Lately, the only thing I am passionate about is you,” said Tom to Lynette in Desperate Housewives. Ya, saya tonton lagi episod tersebut buat kali ketiga mungkin semalam. Whilst the statement kedengaran manis menggoda jiwa, I think that that is awfully unhealthy. Let me explain why.

I regard marriage as a sharing of goals, aspirations, dreams and lives of two individuals. Kita semua ada ciri-ciri individual kita sendiri and I think that maintaining your individuality is extremely important.

I mean, for a marriage to really work, I think you have got to give some time and space to yourself. And your partner needs his/hers as well. Sure, I really, really enjoy my husband’s company dan hobi utama saya adalah bersembang and do stuffs with him.

But I do need masa untuk diri sendiri; to read, to spend time with my friends, to watch my favourite shows, you know, the time to do what I like, things that makes me, me. And I understand his needs for that as well.

Dan perlulah ada personality dan ‘hidup’ masing-masing. Untuk bahagia, bukannya perlu turn into your significant other. Untuk bahagia, I rasalah, kita perlu embrace individuality kita, appreciate individuality dia and share and compromise in between. So he likes action movie and I’m into lovey-dovey kind; the right thing to do is to compromise. New Moon this week and Ninja Assassin will be next (I don’t mind anyway, have you seen the new and improved Rain? Wow) Ngeh. You know the drill lah.

Kalau kita hidup mati jiwa raga hanya untuk pasangan kita, bukankah kita akan jadi individu membosankan dan dependant tak tentu pasal macam parasit? Menempel setiap masa. Tak ada personaliti tersendiri. Mahu perhatian 24 jam. Merimaskanlah. I know I’d be rimas.

At the end of the day, I believe that you should never ever give up your individuality and all the little things that makes you special, sebab apart from the fact that you should always be true to who you are, sebenarnya who you are itulah yang buat dia jatuh cinta in the first place. Bukankah?

He’s cool, calm and perfectly collected.
And I’m cemerkap, bubbly and neurotic. Ngeh ngeh.

Pierre William Trudel in his article, ‘Marriage - Are You the Individual You Want to Be?’ wrote that after being married for 38 years, what he is most proud of is how he and his wife were both able to maintain their individuality and this is how they do it:

(1) Respect your need for time and space alone;
(2) Maintain goals that belong to you alone. Keep your interest alive, they are part of the reason the two of you are together;
(3) Share responsibilities. This do not mean to delegate but to share. There is no reason to have a boss at home when you have one at work;
(4) Decide most things together and listen to all your points of view. Really listen. Remember when you loved to hear the other talk when you first met? Never let go of those feelings.

Jadi, marilah kita menjadi passionate terhadap pasangan kita dan yang paling utama, terhadap diri kita sendiri! And while we're at that, let’s remember to always, always be true to who we are.