A Wonderful Surprise

It's personalized! Really sweet of you.

Thanks so much sayang..

I love it (^_^)

My journey through the Blogworld

It has just been over a year since I first started my blog. Looking back, I wrote my first posting on 4th March 2008. It seems like so long ago! I had posted exactly 100 postings since then & this is my 101st. Wow. How time flies.

At the start, I certainly had some reservations about  putting my thoughts into digital form for the world to read and criticize; I was so afraid of being judged. But as days turn to months, I realized that the blog is actually one of the best ways to keep a record of the events that happen in my life. I begin to understand that the blog is for me first, and then for others.

Danaukaseh is my life journal. It documents special occasions, and not-so-special occasions; Some fears and anxieties that I choose to share; Some triumphs and tribulations; Thoughts about people whom I care about; Lessons learned; Proud & Happy moments; Some concerns as a wife, a mother, a sister and a friend. It allows me to document my feelings in digital archives, as a reminder to me and a story for my children when they grow up. 

And I feel lucky that I have family & friends who have given me a lot of encouragement and support through danaukaseh. Giving motivation when I'm down; Sharing happy events and proud moments; Offering thoughtful advice - all through comments made in danaukaseh. Thank you, to all of you for making the time to visit, and for sharing your thoughts. I made some new acquaintances and renewed lost friendships through my blog. For that, I'm truly grateful.

I have learned so much in the past one year in my journey through the Blogworld. About me, about people and about the virtual community. I will share more about this one day.

Happy 1 Year, Danaukaseh (^_^)

Exhilaration

It is difficult to describe the feeling of winning a case, especially after having worked so hard for it and having gone through a really tough time being grilled by 3 judges in the Court of Appeal, and after much argument with the opposing counsel. 

When the judgment was delivered, I could literally feel my heart expanding, and eyes watering. It's a mixed feeling of being excited and thankful; happy and proud; a feeling of having learned a precious lesson; it seems surreal somehow. Humbling. Exhilarating. 

Syukur Alhamdulillah.

And now I just feel drained, but in a good way :)

Hong Kong Disneyland

Hello Hong Kong Disneyland!! 

The residents of Danau Kaseh had so much fun in Hong Kong Disneyland last week! What a great way to de-stress after so much pressure at work!! Good family FUN! We went at the right time as the weather was perfect: sunny and cool springtime! School holidays in Hong Kong hasn't started yet, so the Park was not congested. We didn't have to queue up for almost all the rides & shows! Perfect timing!

Here's a short summary of our favourites at Disneyland:

Of all the rides, the Space Mountain roller-coaster was the most exciting! The whole ride was in pitch darkness, full of surprising drops, twists & turns. Fortunately there wasn't any loop-da-loop! Images from space like planets, novas & comets flashed by as you go past them in a fast, thrilling ride! We were so proud of Anas as he went on his first ever roller-coaster ride without crying at all! Adlan actually went on the ride 3 times (crazy!) & Adlina went on it twice! 

It's A Small World, the world famous boat ride was charming. Lots of effort must have been put into all the colourful & beautiful miniature houses, famous landmarks, figurines, dolls & animals from around the world. It was such a relaxing ride after Space Mountain! Adlan, Adlina & Anas went on the spinning teacup after that, but the rest of us gave it a miss. I felt dizzy just looking at them spinning!

Spinning Teacups - not for mama!

Adlina loved the Autopia as she got to "drive" her own car! I didn't enjoy it too much as Anas drove the car I shared with him and the ride was extremely bumpy. His steering was totally out! Thank God he has 10 more years before he can get his "L" licence :) 

Adlina driving her little car :)

Another interesting ride was the Jungle River Adventure. We had to ride through crocodiles, wild animals, head-hunters, piranhas & even a fiery volcano! Don't worry, none of them bite ;) Tarzan's Treehouse was on an island right in the jungle & we climbed up the Treehouse (which was high!). Right at the top, Anas said that he needed to pee immediately (Yikes!!). Thanks to Adlan's empty mineral water bottle, Anas became the first ever person to pee at the top of Tarzan's Treehouse :) I hope no one saw him!

Tarzan's Treehouse - no toilets at the top :)

My personal Favourites are the Live Shows: The Golden Mickeys & Festival of the Lion King. They were superb! The Golden Mickeys was like an Award show which showcased some of Disney's best loved characters like Mulan, Tarzan, Ariel, Woody & Jessie and Beauty & the Beast. The actors were fantastic singing familiar Disney tunes which we sang along. We went for the show twice & still enjoyed it tremendously the 2nd time!

The set of the Lion King was so colourful &  impressive!

Festival of the Lion King was set in a circular theatre, more like an arena. The singers were brilliant & the set impressive! Giant elephant and giraffe figures were wheeled in together with Simba the lion. There were flame throwers breathing fire and acrobats suspended from the ceiling! It was such an amazing experience.  True Disney magic!

Adlina meets Jessie

The highlight of Disneyland was the Fireworks set in the background of the castle at 7.30pm prior to closing. I heard about the fireworks before, but it was far better than what I expected. As aptly put by Adlan: the Fireworks were Beyond Awesome. Hakim was at a lost for words when I asked him what he thought of it! The Fireworks were launched in synch with Disney's music and the timing and positioning were all perfectly choreographed. I've always loved fireworks but the one we saw at Disneyland was without a doubt, the BEST one ever! It was Beyond Awesome!

Sleeping Beauty's castle at night was truly breathtaking

Time flies so fast when you're having so much fun. Two days in Disneyland went by too quickly. We checked out of Hollywood Disneyland Hotel and left for Kowloon with a heavy heart on Saturday. 

The grounds around Hollywood Disneyland Hotel 

was beautiful & perfectly manicured

Goodbye Hong Kong Disneyland! Thank you so much for such a magical experience. So many warm, fuzzy moments & happy memories... (^_^)

Time-Out

Going for the desperately needed break finally! Can't wait to spend some time with AZ & the kids.. Will write more about this when we come back next week.

Have a good week everyone! Catch up later :)

Stress

It's really stressful being a lawyer. Early on in my practice, I had consciously told myself that I must have the ability to attach to my work in the office, and then detach from it once I step out of the office. I have been able to do this quite well, especially when I was practicing civil litigation. Attach to my work at the office and in Court, then totally forget about it once I go home. Once at home, I'm just a wife and a mother.

Unfortunately, doing corporate work (especially for extremely demanding clients) is totally different and the pressure can be so tremendous that I can't help myself but bring the stress home sometimes, and AZ and the kids have to bear with unlikeable me. I just hate myself when I get hyper-sensitive and impatient. This is not me. And I don't like this me.

The past 2 weeks have been madness. Everything is top urgent. All agreements need to be executed immediately. Clashes in contract negotiations. Last minute changes in terms. I have pushed myself so hard that it's becoming unbearable. I know I have not been myself at home. I get angry with things too easily. I get too sensitive with little things. I'm so sorry to everyone at Danau Kaseh..

I'm so tired.. I just want to go home, curl up in my bed & forget the world. Can I please do that just for one day?