sambung cerita semalam: babyhood

assalamualaikum!

yesterday's post sebenarnya tak siap sepenuhnya.
got too sleepy, tapi lawan mata punya pasal, cite pun brief je.


the reason why i made that video, was because i wanted to show people that having a baby isn't as easy as it looks.

and why do i care anyway kan?
sebab, i've read several comments, not just on my instagram, but on others as well, like the famous Opi and her mom Atita Haris, or Medina and her mom Irine Nadia, or the cute Hana and her mom Yana from Cala Qisya, and many more - that people just wanna have babies. coz they're cute.

i cannot deny that babies are cute.
they are!
they're tiny lil' human with tiny everything!!
how adorable is that!?!?

one ngap and gone is the hand.
coz the hand is so tiny!

tiutttttnyaaaaa!

but reality is, babies are hard work!
they require loads of attention and energy. i hardly had more than 2hours of sleep in the first few months.
and "Me Time"? what, what is that??

hahaha!
pampering myself isn't in my to-do list anymore since i had Nadrah.
not that i'm blaming her. it's my choice. and i choose to pamper myself differently than before. like taking a long nap, and leave nadrah with her grandma or great-grandma. TEEHEEE! =p

so anyway, back to babies-

having a child is a HUGE responsibility.
we're moulding them every second (coz apparently babies like to sponge things they see, hear and stuff. ummi dah pressure!!) and if we want them to be successful in this life and the Hereafter, then it's a lot of monitoring to do, isn't it?
i'm not saying i'm doing it well.
even i check out my instagram while playing with nadrah.
guilty as charged! booooo!

i just don't want people to think that the whole point of having a baby is just to "share" them to the whole world and that's it.
it's really more than that.

anak itu amanah.

we have to protect them, nurture them, change their diapers, feed them, teach them how to crawl, how to chew, how to do their businesses in the potty, how to walk, teach them how to talk, how to identify things, etc.

ingat baby keluar je dah terus pandai kencing dalam toilet bowl?
ingat baby keluar terus pandai jaga diri and then kita boleh gi tengok wayang?


you know, now i came into a conclusion:
your parents are good parents, because you are potty trained. let's thank them for that! and be grateful that you can do your businesses in a toilet, not in diapers.
alhamdulillah!


kihkihkih!

so, moral of the story is, sabar.

you'll have your time. but make sure when your time has come, be prepared.

my advise is have your family close to you as possible.
they're the best help ever.
if you don't have that option, then perhaps have a really good friend or hire a maid whom you can trust your baby with.

because sometimes, you need to poo on your own.
=p


here's the video in case.
of what?
i dunno. saje.
bahaha!

ps: i think topic baby kat my blog ni dah macam banyak ek.
perhaps you can suggest what topic i should blog about next. since i'm 24-7 with nadrah, that's why i'm more inclined towards sharing about her. tapi kalau selalu bosan gak kan. heheee..

cubaan baru

assalamualaikum warga dunia!

earthlings and catlings,
i can't sing.

one of the rarest things i did the other day was karaoke-ing. with, le hubbeyh.

it was so random!
we just wanted to go out and buy burger ramly, tapi tersasar and went karok instead. gahaha!

it was much more fun too! sebab it was with my husband kan, bukan ngan orang lain so i memang tak hold back la =p

i tried to sing nicely, but.. hahaha! thinking about how i sounded pun buat i rasa nak tergelak. yes, i laugh at myself a lot! pihihii =p

we sang alicia keys nya song while laughing at the lyrics, and also adele's set fire to the rain!
and we did rapping songs a lot sebab it's easier for our throats.
challenging though, but it was fun =)

after all that karaoke-ing session, i still don't like karaoke.
tapi boleh la sekali sekala demi menghiburkan suami =)
i love making him laugh. ihik!

so anyway, another story to add on this beautiful friday,
not much of a story, but just news? i guess?

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..




awkward maria is always awkward.

i'm trying to get myself back into this youtube thing. to be honest, i dah tak se-excited dulu. i have ideas, but with the laptop thing, and now with the new comp nak biasakan with the new editting software, and the time and blablablaaa..
i just don't know how to restart again.

and i sorta don't know if i should even restart.

let's just be frank here, everyone (including me) find there are so many other vloggers yang doing so much better at delivering good messages.
which led me to feel "why should i then?"

but just when i decided to retire from making videos, more people kept asking me about it. i have people interviewing me about it even when i told them that i don't make videos anymore.
and yang paling pelik to me, is how many adults (parents-aged) i've met told me that they want me to keep on making videos.

serious wa kata sama wa, wa sangat peliks. sebab wa tak rasa wa layak.
asked hubs about it and he said i'm probably not feeling secured about myself.
ye la kot =p

so here it is.

all i wanna do is spread goodness, share goodness, and be goodness. haha!
i told myself that if i wanna see the good in the world, i have to be good.

and here i am =)

me, trying to fight back all my insecurities and i'm determined to win!
all dengan izin Allah =)

and my silly lil' video.
and me, being myself, as myself as i can get when im in front of a camera =p

love myself,
me.

*eh jap. i buat post ni to myself ke about myself?
hahaha!

pape la.

peace.

*let me know if you have any suggestions! will take them into consideration =)

Cover shmover Feature shmeature

assalamualaikum!

it's a new monthh! assalamualaikum bulan november! *lambai lambai kat jam*

ok a lot of people kept asking me bila nak kahwin and ada yang meminta saya mengajak mereka, maka saya mengajak la secara terbuka...

untuk baca majalah NUR November '12 issue!

double wedding uolls!

sila jemput membaca wedding impian iolls and fatin suhana's!! hehehe!

handsome hingga ke syurga

eh eh, dambakan kasih sayang hingga ke syurga, in sha Allah =)

tu diaaaa! si giant sebelah si petite!!

anyway, magazine nur ni bukan just about me and fatin, but it's a whole episode of nasihat and useful tips!

ni memang the best la!

25 pintu pahala & penghapus dosa!

we all wanna be in Jannah later, so this is a good guidance la =)

in sha Allah, in sha Allah

another useful tip =')

so barangsiapa yang nak kawen, you want ideas for your wedding and tips on how to build a masjid together, i recommend this magazine =) 

BANYAK GILA TIPS TIPS DIA WEH! iolls suka =D

 another thing to look forward to in this amazing month of November,

Entri Jameela!

Di Astro Oasis, 4th November, 7.30pm!

watch the promo here!!

kalau kot kot la uolls nak tengok iolls bebel bebel pasal... oh my gosh. i forgot what it was about.

ok. iolls pun kena tengok la sebab iolls tak ingat iolls bebel pasal apa.

seriously otak. why you do this to me?

oh well.

anyways, yeah.

i don't know if i'm deserving, because i feel like there're so many unspoken heroes more worthy than me, and all this maybe, just maybe a test for me.

for what it's worth, i hope all the magazines or shows i've been featured in ada lah benefit dia. for both me and orang yang baca/tengok.

=)

jazakallah/jazakillah khair everyone!

for your tremendous support =')

OH YA!!!

video sudah diupdate, alhamdulillah. mungkin less bersemangat than before tapi i think you can understand why la kan. =)

hope this one is beneficial as well.

salam =D

Hijab tutorial!!

assalamualaikum!!!

kalau tak jawab dosa, kalau jawab, uolls sayang iolls! iolls terharu.

hahaha!

for a quite some time, i've been getting requests for another hijab tutorial.
most requested for labuh style, which honestly, i felt like "why? kacang gila kot. you just panjangkan the depan part la"
until one of my friends actually asked me herself:
"maria, ni style apa lak you pakai?"

"ha? style biasa i je la. nape? nampak lain?"

"ha ah. sebab labuh kot. camane you pakai ek?"

zasssssssssssss

that's when i realised that ok fine, maybe i should make a tutorial. i pun buat survey kat facebook and the responses are overwhelming.

so i did it!

TADAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

hope your 12minutes stay at the video was beneficial =B

thank you for watching! oh btw, i threw out my first hijab tutorial. auratku tak ditutup ngan elok.. iolls malu..

ok now!! allow me to repeat my advice in the video about why we should cover the chest area.
nowadays it's not safe anymore. we've read on the news about how girls are getting kidnapped, murdered, raped here and there. it's a scary world i tell ya!!

so we need to protect ourselves. of course we need to have gadgets or some martial art skills and whatnot, but on appearance pun we have to take care.
don't wear clothes that will "mengundang" leering looks from men.

if one thing i'm sure of, it's men's weakness for women. it's already stated in the Quran!!

Surah Ali Imran (3:14)
Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return.

so.. why cari pasal? we can look good of course, we can be fashionable or sporty or whatever, but we should know to what extend.
our assets (both front and back, top to bottom) can make men get lustful. the more we jiggle them in their faces, the more likely they want to 'attack' you.

don't go looking for trouble!

maybe it's because i'll be getting married, so i have this thinking that only my husband can see my precious gems, from the root of my hair to my pinky toes. haha! what a way to call them =p
anyway, i want only my husband to see my perfection and flaws. i find it insulting if other people sees them..
i want to be exclusive to only ONE! bertuah husband i nanti. ecewaahh!! =p

in sha Allah, Allah SWT will protect us if we put our trust in Him and put on efforts to protect ourselves too.

i have so much more to write about but i think this is long enough!!!!
ok uolls!!

Ramadhan Mubarak!!
and please forgive me for all my wrongdoings. to err is human, but still. i need to ask for forgiveness. tak cukup ilmu kan. still trying to improve. in sha Allah.. heeee.. =B

salam!

ps: can you imagine me being a bag designer? will share the story soon!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

less motip, please?

assalamualaikum!

wassap homie?

when i'm home with my family, i'm always like in a different world. i'll be distracted almost everytime. and it's not because i'm always on the phone ke apa, but i just like to khayal.
thinking about things i want to do, places i want to go, even thinking about ideas to make videos. haha!
i've mentioned many times too that i want to make videos, it's just that it's kinda hard when my days and hours are mostly wrapped around things that are more important. so making videos is not on top of my priority list. plus, recording myself, editing them myself, lari sana, lari sini, penat wo..

eh lari cite lak.
ahak!

so anyway, my mom always got angry with me coz i haven't been doing well on tasks she wants me to do (and they're small tasks lak tu!), and i thought, "I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE LIKE THIS!"
kan kan kannn?!
thus i made this video. AHAK!
in hopes that i (and sape2 la ada masalah macam ni) can get more focused at small stuff as well as the big stuff.
know what i'm sayin' homie?




less "MOTIP?!?!", more "OHHHH YEAHHH!"

motto of the day. hahahaha!

oh btw, if you're wondering where to get the blazer i vas vearing, get it from EDZ coz they're awesome liddat.
haha!

peace out yaw. imma be less motips.

ps: pendek gila video, but i hope it's good enough. *nebes*

Maria Elena | Peliks | Shortnap | Greek Helen

Assalamualaikum,

my name is Maria Elena. today, i shall be talking about myself because.. i don't know. i just feel like it.
MAHAABAHAHAA! gelak terabur please. AMARAN! ini post panjang gila. kalau anda ada awesome, anda baca sampai habis. hahaha! =p kidding!

first things first.

"maria, apahat lu pakai itu nama peliks untuk lu punyat bloggerisme?" tanya beberapa orang. 

peliks just came to me when i created this blog (2008, ehem) sebab masa tu 'mariaelena', 'mariaelenaisawesome', 'mariasharapova', 'marsupilami', 'batumarmar' dan sewaktu dengannya dah taken. sedih bangat itu masa, maka i thought, apa satu word yang paling senang mau diingat, senang nak recognise and unique?
OUGGHHH! BEBEH! tapi tu pun taken.
so i thought.... peliks la ini macam. dengan selambanya i typed it out, tengok tengok available! wahhh! manyak how liau!! so that's how my peliks got it's name. brahammaaahahaha! gelak terabur again please.

second things second.

"mariah carey, vhy iz your vizeo chanel (yes, i'm talking about the brand) iz shortnap?"

shortnap was easyyyyy. i ni the kind of person who can take naps easily anytime, anywhere. i can sleep standing up, sitting, in awkward positions, and i sleep comfortably. terror kan? not scary, but hebat. jahaujaahaaa! gelak terabur again lahai.
so masa i nak create my youtube account, again all the names i wanted to use all taken, so i thought...stress la ini macam. i vant to take a short nap la.
OUGHHH!!!! SHORTNAPITIS!!
but that sounded very odd. so i pendekkan to shortnap. myeheuheuhiaaaaauuuuuu! gelak gelak terabur tutup mulut please.

third things third.

"maria, ko nye pesbuk page pahal name maria elena is greek helen?"

ahhh~ itu a bit the long story wannn.
masa tu (2008, and i was 21years old) i tengah kemaruk tengok anime and i masa tu tengah adore gila Belldandy. kenal tak beliau? barangsiapa yang kenal, meh high five sket sebab kita goddess wannabe. hahahahha!!
belldandy is a character in an anime called Oh My Goddess! so yeah.. i wanted to be like her: cantik, lemah lembut, penyabar, and kuat. and so i googled for some greek-ish character i can use for myself and i found Helen, daughter of Zeus. so bajet-ing goddess macam Belldandy punya pasal, i pun guna lah Maria Elena is Greek Helen. coz i bajet-isme. know what i'm sayin' dawg?
namun, hakikatnya i memang takde sifat macam greek goddesses. kasar, gangsta, flying-kickable, and so much more. mostly, i am only human. =')
but oh well, a girl can hope and change is permitted. mana tau one day i'll be in the best form i can be? insyAllah~ =D

fourth things fourth.
i am Maria Elena, the only girl among siblings of 4 and my brothers have implanted in me to be as gangsta as i could for safety reasons. one time, masa taekwondo dulu, Sir pernah buat adegan rogol, and since then i memang PHOBIAAAAAA dengan being too soft. takut men would take advantage of that and i'd be too helpless to defend myself. scary isn't it? and my bros helped me to be gangsta-ish by bullying me and fist-fighting with me as if i was one of them. =\
i am currently working as an engineer di kilang sebelah sana. malas nak pingpongpingpong (normally people would say pumpangpumpang kan? tapi that sounds like kompang to me. haha!) pasal kerja saya sebab nanti nampak macam boasting lak. a lot of people have been asking:
1. engineer apa?
2. kat mana?
3. senang ke?
4. best ke?
5. belajar utp camane? senang ke?
6. kena result camane nak masuk utp?

please see below for the answers:
1. process engineer
2. kat kilang
3. biasa je. keje pape pun ada time senang, ada time tak senang. kalau nak berjaya, kena lah tabah face kesusahan.
4. biasa je. keje pape pun ada best and tak best. kalau nak berjaya, kena lah tabah face it all.
5. belajar utp sama je macam belajar mana mana. cuma it's environment is very conducive and it's terletak kat tempat yang tak senang nak get entertainments. which is good in a way =)
6. i pun not sure sekarang camane. i got my scholarship masa kat matrix on 2nd semester. so i tak gi educamp. after matrix straight masuk utp. sorry... tak dapat nak tolong.. please google it yourself k? jangan malas.

a lot of people have been pressing me about videos too, and to that saya jawab "saya keje dek. kalau saya takde keje, memang saya buat la. kot. sebab kalau ada free time, saya nak belajar masak sebenarnya." means to say, making videos is not my main priority. blogging, to me tak susah sebab i just typeeee je. videos kena edit edit and sebab i sorang je feature in my own videos, it takes double the time to shoot. sadderisme. sometimes i just wish someone can just do all those editting and holding camera stuff for me. myeheeehebeeleheee! gelak terabur keluar hingus please.

i love my family and i try to spend time with them whenever i can. my mom and i sangat close and some weekends, we'll try to go out and do something. mother daughter bonding la =) my family lak memang suka chill ramai ramai. that's why i am close with my cousins, aunt and uncles and grandmothers. love them long timeee! when it comes to friends lak, i ni memang tak reti nak keep in touch through social networking ni. i prefer jumpa lepak. sebab online lepaking is not real enough for me. =p but i do keep my close friends in mind and heart. i may not contact them always, but i always think about them. sweet kan? hahaa! =p

on life matters, i have my principles and disciplines which i stick to. and i definitely realise now that i have no problem admitting my weaknesses to the public. partly because i know i'm not the only going through......life. =) i love traveling (sampai i kena take up part time jobs to support this love of mine) because i get to see Allah SWT's amazing creations and how i always find similarities in some things. i started wearing the hijab after i got back from my first ever eurotrip with my friends! hehe! =)
i saw His Mightiness and i saw His fairness. i fell in love with other countries, but my love for my country and religion deepens and i'm grateful for the experiences.
sometimes we need to compare ourselves with those who have lesser so that we truly appreciate what we have. syukur.. =)

on public attention, fame, popularity, whatever you wanna call it, i honestly don't want to care about it. i do appreciate the many supports and all of you who have been encouraging me, sharing with me, teguring me and being really really cool with me!

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!! 

but i'm still a pemalu and muka sombong kalau jumpa orang tak kenal. =p

pasal all this modelling and stuff, i admit that i still do it. but only for fun and as a side income. told you i want to travel =p i do try not to go overboard with it. i'd rather be a good role model than a model. know what i mean? haha! i'll try my best la k adik adik =)

from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for supporting me all this while! 

my friends, my family, my readers, my viewers, may Allah swt bless you =)
kalau ada salah silap, buat you terasa ke tercirit ke, buat you rasa nak menampar muka haku ni, buat you termuntah hijau ada sayur sikit ke, sorry sangat sangat..

kalau ada you terserempak ngan i, pastu you thought "eh, maria shmaria ke tu?" pastu bila nak tegur takut sebab muka i macam gangsta, sorry ek.. muka i memang macam tu sebab kata dah.. my bros dah cukup train i baek punya. hahahaa! just tegur je. =)

peace =)

ps: this was a lunch hour post. so excuse my grammatical errors and loss for words moments. and extremely sorry for much poyoness here. just wanna clear things up.

pps: for your information, Asfirdaus Asri (tunang saya) is not a Dato' and not a son of a Dato'. i saje je bagi dia that nickname sebab dulu, dia selalu ada this laugh when talking to his customers (dia buat business dong) which was, to me, very Dato'-ish. kalau korang tengok malay drama yang ada character dato' yang gatal ngan dia punya secretary pastu dia gelak "ehek ehek ehek" konon macam macho la kan, that was the laugh. but now dia dah tak buat dah. hahaha! but still he's a dato' to me. =p <---another thing i have to clear up. so excusez moi ah!