My Nadeen In Action

I used to have a monthly milestone for Nadeen in her first year. Remember? It's been like ages since I last updated about my youngest princess.

She is 19 months now, the apple of our family's eyes. As HB put it, she wears this inviting look that makes her very, very irresistible to others. I can't agree more. Every minute, every second with her is always a Geraaaam moment.

A big fan of foods. She goes & offers herself to take a bite of the food in your hands by saying "Nyum! Nyum!". If she enjoys it, a "Daaap..." will come out. Very cheeky!

Her favourite shows are still Barney & Elmo. Can sit down for hours watching the same thing over & over again. Yes, quite often these 2 characters play the nanny for us at home ;-)

I captured a video of her a couple of days back. The video turned out great however, you need to do some adjustments before watching. You see, I used HB's camera to record. Little did I know there was a rotation function. Now the video deleted from the cam & the one saved in my NB is horizontal. If you are watching the video from your NB, kindly rotate your NB 90 degrees clockwise but if you are viewing from a desk top screen please tilt your head to the left ;-)

Did you hear what she said? She replied "Too.." which was supposed to be "I love you too" & "Kaakem" was a "Welcome" to my "Thank You" :-)

Here is another one.

I never taught her to unlock my phone. She was attracted to the wriggly arrow & self-taught herself...

Notice the blouse Nadeen was wearing? I made that. Rather too short I know. I made this blouse & bloomers for a friend's baby & I just fell in love with it. Used the leftover material to make Nadeen's blouse as well which should explain the length.

As for now my project is to complete 5 identical patterns of baju kurung for Syawal. Almost done with Nadeen's & Balqis's, 3 more to go. This is my first time. Not only as the family seamstress for raya but also agreeing to purchase the same exact design of 15m for the 5 of us to wear. I know, it has been long been a trend during raya but I never quite agree to the idea before. Hope the girls won't get too excited about us forming a boria & plan for the same thing next year... :-D

3 mics & 6 friends were all it takes...

I can't really recall when was the last time I allow my singing be heard. Singing & me are like day & night. My cup of tea? Not at all... At any karaoke session I would merely be a tentative listener or an audience, the supportive one :-)

There are exceptions however... ;-) If the day & night once in awhile have to give way to the eclipse, the singing & me need to once in a blue moon make way to my not so melodious voice! With a wonderful company as a booster, this voice could sure go farrrrr.... hehehe!

Attended a get together last weekend. My intention there was more for the company & the foods of course. To sing was the last in my list. I was kind of expecting for the others to entertain me with their singing whilst I catch up with each other & play the photographer ;-)

Only 6 turned up. None with a spouse nor kids. We have known each other for ages & there was really nothing under the sun that could make me feel embarrassed with this crowd. My unmelodic talent could do no harm...

My usual remark, "Well... I'm not singing." didn't really work with them. Not that they were pushy but they made the room so comfortable & relaxed that your hand became magnetised to the mic.

I sang... Opened up my jaw, articulated the words on the screen accordingly to the tune & enjoying every moment of it! Mind you, the tune not necessarily needed to be in rhythm & that was the beauty in it. Hahaha! Loved it! It was indeed a therapy....

So from today onwards, whenever I decide to join for a round or two of this sing-along escapade, I will rephrase my regular statement to - "Give me the mic, I'm singing!" Woohoo... how 'bout that? ;-D

Here are some of the photos. Thanks to a dear friend for her consent allowing me to share a few taken frm her FB. And to you-know-who-you-were, I had an incredible time. We got to do this more often!!

Now, that was the getting used to the feel of holding a mic session... hehehe!

Still the same session... the warming up ;-D

These girls were superb!

This one was mem pimpin'.... (not only in FB, you are in my blog too now... lupakan lah hasrat nak berpolitik...) Hahaha!

Standing up now & di pimpin' by a pe pimpin'... :-)

The standing allowed us to express more of the hidden feelings.

Tu dia... lontaran suara!!


To regenarate & rejuvenate, a great company was all it takes....


& let's not forget the foods as well ;-)

Back to Hectic Saturdays

My weekends used to be pretty hectic. Then their Mental Arithmetic Class was on a Saturday morning, 1030 - 1230. We would reach home half an hour after the class ended & that if we opted not to lunch out. At 1530, off for their 2 hours swimming lessons in Sunway. The next day, we would be at Pyramid Ice for their ice skating practice as early as 0930 or sometimes even at 0900.

Seriously, come to think of it.... how did I manage? Especially when my helper was away & HB at work. Balqis then was about Nadeen's age. A supermom, I was!!

The two girls have long completed the swimming lessons & both are no longer active in ice skating. They did not continue with their ice skating classes ever since Nadeen was born. After all I was, still am & will always be the family chauffeur & with a baby in the picture, my hands were full.

HB did take them to the ice rink once in awhile without me esp during my confinement with Nadeen. It was then when he noticed that both his elder girls were not really serious in such dear hobby he invested. They were most of the times off the rink, rather than in the rink. When they met their friends, the rink was more a play arena to them rather than their practice arena.

On top of that, their school work has gotten tougher & extra time is needed to revise & to complete their homework from school. The costly payment is also another issue. We have other commitments to zero in to. It is a different story if they really take the sport seriously...

Wardah then in action.

Yasmin, doing a crossover.

With their coach during a competition.

Every parent definitely wants the best for their children. Being fair to each one is another effort to show their love. Balqis, at 4 is ready to be exposed to skating. But to a girl that age what they have in mind is to wear pretty things & be graceful. A girl that age is also easily influenced & I used exactly that advantage to make things convenient for me... (bad mama! bad mama!).

I asked her one day whether she would want to learn skating. She looked excited & straight away answered yes.... but suddenly she gave a worried look. Her concern was falling on the cold rink. I took this chance to introduce her to another source of gracefulness ;-)

"Balqis, would you like to go for a ballet class instead?"

"Ballet? Aqis will be like a ballerina? Like 12 Dancing Princesses? Yes!!.."

And so that was how Balqis ended up in a Ballet class. Yes, I would send her to learn ice skating one day but only time will tell whether she will get active like her sisters once did.

Balqis, 3rd from left during a trial class. She made friends with others in no time.

In her new costume.

With her friends (the boy was a brother to one her friends)

Now, a pose....

I don't know where she learned that posture from. This was taken before her maiden class! :-D

The ballet studio also offers music lessons and... Yasmin & Wardah have added another weekly class - a piano lesson. I just hope they are serious in this one. Yasmin had been wanting to enroll for a piano lesson. Wardah on the other hand, wanted to opt for violin but I consulted their music teacher & she admitted that violin would be more challenging than piano. Again... I played my role there (bad mama! bad mama! ;-D) Convinced her to get familiarised in music through a piano first. Not only that the instrument is simpler, it is also ready to be shipped from my PILs' place. Hehehe... An old Kawai, still in a good condition.

Yasmin during her first lesson.

From now on, my Saturdays start as early as 0830. Yasmin's class begin at 9am & Wardah at 930am. Balqis's ballet originally was at 1030 but starting from next week it will begin 45 minutes later (sigh....). Anyway, I try to make full use of the time there with them without the internet & my sewing machine (am still addicted!). As for last week, Balqis read pages of her Peter & Jane book 3b together with Bacalah Anakku 3. Her sisters got busy with their mental arithmetic homework.

Busy at work whilst Wardah was having class. Balqis was colouring, a reward after having completed her reading. (Yasmin was in the school uniform as it was a school day last Saturday. Straight to school after that).

Their piano books are rather too big for their bags. Hence, I decided to give in to my addiction & made them a piano bag....

The piano bag

Open the cover & there you go a Trebel Clef & a pouch.

The musical notes sewed on the pouch... Hahaha! Not a good effort really.

The inside. No compartments as the pouch should accommodate their pencils, eraser & handphone.

The back with Yasmin's name embroidered.

The bag was much an annoyance to Wardah. She questioned her sister's name there when they are sharing the bag. My mistake... Well, my first project on bags was for her. A bag to put her Al-Quran for mengaji.

The bag

Quite simple but sewing the letters was quite tricky.

The inside

I also made this sling bag for a good friend's daughter on her birthday.

My first attempt with a zipper bag. Not that neat... though.

Embroidered her name too...

The inside with my label sewn ;-)

Mid-Term Break Escapade - Day 2

Day 2, Melaka. That morning all of us except for Sri headed down to the lobby for our breakfast. After last night feast, the thought of an "eat all you can" breakfast spread gave a headache to her. She is not much of an eater. It is quite normal that she gets a scolding from me for not eating. I just can't tolerate with her same old excuse, "Kasihan teringat kan anak cucu di kampung.... Saya makan sedap-sedap....". Hmmmph!

The plan was to check out after breakfast but after Balqis's stunt with a drinking glass in the room, we stayed longer until the regular check out time. My Balqis independently poured a glass of juice for herself. Finished off her drink but accidentally dropped the glass on the floor. I rushed, screaming for her not to move. Good that I reacted faster than her. HB carried her away from the broken glasses & Alhamdulillah, she did not hurt at all.

Obviously the management will ridiculously charge us handsomely for the glass. After breakfast, instead of checking out, we went to the mall next to the hotel & bought a drinking glass. Come to think of it, it was way cheaper paying the management the glass since we shopped for shoes instead, merely because an outlet was on sale! Hah!

The girls in our apartment unit. Notice a glass was missing on the kitchen top?

Nope! Yasmin did not manage to capture her sis. Nadeen has always been too fast for her... ;-D

Balqis, striking a pose at the lobby.

I like....! An attraction at the lobby.

Our first destination was the Menara Taming Sari. I really was not looking forward to experience a scenery from a high altitude with HB. He will surely boast on the better view he normally gets from his office. Huh!

This new attraction recently celebrated its first anniversary. Obviously this was not the menara...

Here you go the Menara Taming Sari, standing proud at 110m height. A revolving, viewing tower which was inspired by the Chief Minister himself.

Up & up we went... HB behaved. I forgot that there was no commercial airport in Melaka, so it sort of amazed him too ;-)

Excited faces, especially the mom. Hehehe...

Some of the shots HB took of Melaka from the Taming Sari.

The Eye On Malaysia. We had our share in KL. You may read here.

The hotel we were staying.

The Samudra Museum.

Remember the plane ?

The Melaka River which we cruised on the night before.

The ruins of St. Paul Church

Nadeen wanted another round!

It was extremely hot that day. I was looking forward to get inside the car when HB called out for me saying something about Yasmin wanted to look around at a Reptile Show. Reptile Show!? I tried to convince her, when we were in Melaka better that we explore the many things we couldn't find in other places. Did I manage? No...! She knew she had her dad to back her up & off they explored some slimey reptiles. I chose to wait in the car & nursed Nadeen.

It was still early. HB searched for other attractions in Melaka from his phone & we landed here!

It would be a good exposure to the girls. Not only about Hang Tuah but also in witnessing a real well. It was a maiden visit for HB & I too. We had no idea of what to expect.

The place really was not bad at all. Even though the only attraction was simply a well, it offered ample facilities for tourists like us. The girls even bought their souvenirs there. I was sure the price wouldn't be so much difference compared to the ones in the city. At least, it helped the villagers whom I was sure depended a lot on tourism.

The girls & HB reading the history shared about Hang Tuah. For the one who was not fully literate, playing with a cat would do... ;-)

The well & someone seemed amazed there...

The clear water & the granite mesmerised me. Pretty sight..

With the help of the pail, we enjoyed so much the coolness of its water. Totally refreshing!

A local house which attracted my attention

If that house captured my attention, HB had something else in mind after we left the village. He saw the spot on the way to the well & made a U-turn, parked the car by the roadside, got out of the car & straight headed to this stall.

Durians & more durians!

Mangosteen too.

My favourite

His favourite

Balqis - not much of a hantu durian. She eats because others eat.

Wardah - a better durian lover compared to Balqis.

Yasmin - the hantu durian of the family. I never liked durian before. It was during carrying Yasmin in my womb, I started to enjoy this king of fruit very much.

Of course, no junior could compete with her senior. HB in action ;-D

We bought the mangosteen as well but no durians in the car! At last HB navigated the car towards Ayer Keroh to go to the reason why were in Melaka in the first place. So that Yasmin could have a better picture of the local houses in Malaysia (as mentioned in Day 1, she was taking part in a Eureka Competition representing the district).

Before that, another stop... to experience another means of transportation.

The bullock cart

Us in the cart. It stinked alright but a pose is a must ;-)

Finally, we reached this place. The last time I was here was like a decade ago.

Now, let's have a quick tour. Sad to say that the condition of this place was pretty bad. It was during a school holiday but we were the only family around. Could it be the timing was wrong? It was only when we were almost completed that we found another group.

There was an apology note from the management at the ticket counter with regards to the poor condition of some of the houses. After 12 years (as stated in the notice), the place was in the process of a face lifting.

Inside the first house

Nadeen found a toy... which I'm sure none of her sisters knew what it was.

Rumah Perlis

Rumah Kedah

Rumah Pulau Pinang

Rumah Perak

Rumah Selangor

I would probably be wearing those if HB were to propose me a century ago...

Found this old school

Rumah Negeri Sembilan

An attic in the Negari Sembilan House

Rumah Melaka

The significant staircase

Wardah, trying out the traditional way to grate a coconut. I had to explain on the first place why do people grate coconuts. The only coconut milk they are familiar with in their mom's kitchen is the ones come in cartons ;-D

Rumah Johor - it was closed to public

Rumah Pahang

Rumah Terengganu

Rumah Kelantan

Rumah Sabah

Amazed with the bamboo flooring.

Rumah Sarawak

The Mini Asean howeve, looked stranded. Quite eerie too. If not for HB & Sri around, I might as well skip it. In the silence, suddenly we heard a roar of a tiger (or lion, not sure...). The zoo was just next door.

The first Asean village we reached was Thailand. We simply passed through. Didn't allow the girls to explore as we were skeptical over the safety of its structure. The only 2 with vibrant energy to continue the walk were HB & Nadeen. I, especially felt like turning back.

Somebody was being patriotic. Wanted this shot to show off to her relatives back home :-)

Frankly, I did feel weary even when we were in little Malaysia. Probably the impact of such hot temperature & the durian I had earlier. Kept it to myself & continued drinking lots of water as we went on.

It somehow explains why I have no photos of tiny Asean to share. But seriously, the management has gotten to take more initiative to maintain this tourism attraction.

Opted this short cut. My girls are used to such adventure & they were wriggling the bridge which was much to my annoyance.

We headed home. During dinner at the R&R, I started to feel cold. Slept all the way home & as expected I was down with a fever that night. The girls on the other hand, had a wonderful time & that was what matter.

Why do you suppose I lost to a 2 days getaway in Melaka but survived a 10 days holiday in NZ.? Ya... Ya... Go ahead & "Boleh blaaah!" me! Hahaha! Enjoy your weekend.

My Needle Creations

My Melaka trip day 2 needs to give way to this entry. I would recommend that you take a peep at my previous post here first (if you missed it of course) before proceeding.

Yes, I am into sewing these days. Something really remarkable don't you think? Anyhow, my passion in needlework has gone up to another level. It has come close to an addiction! Seriously!

In a day, I sometimes feel incomplete if I don't get something done with my Brother. It has been truly "at my side"...

Not only that, it has somehow become a remedy to my FB addiction too. Come to think of it.... what difference does it make when you fall to a new addiction from another? Sigh...

In the previous post, I mentioned that my only exposure to a sewing machine was when I made a baju kurung kedah for my mom. Well my best friend, a silent reader here called to inform that I presented one to her too. Now, that makes it 2. Other than that my knowledge in this field is almost zero!

On the same day I bought those 2 machines, I stopped by at a mall to get a few pieces of cheap cloth & a book.

The book

The book was not much of a help. However, the confidence my girls had on me & actually requested the designs they wanted made me find another alternative to fulfill their wishes.

Yasmin's choice

Wardah's

Balqis's

The instructions which made me staring rather than comprehending!

I am a mom but I am also a daughter. Called up my mom to play teacher. She was more than happy to assist & was also excited with the 2 machines. My dad agreed to stay late on a Wednesday (my parents come to my place on every Wednesday after their regular exercise at a clubhouse in Cyberjaya).

She made me see clearer & understood better in the art of sewing. Still, she is no professional tailor. She could not help me to comprehend the drawings in the book I bought.

We somehow managed to complete the top of Wardah's baju kurung. Thank you ma & abah too for waiting. Love you! They left for home at midnight. I did not manage to convince abah to put up the night at my place. He wanted his own bed... I understand quite well :-)

I completed the bottom of Wardah's baju kurung on my own. There was a problem but I managed to tackle it ;-) After all I had a magnificent teacher... Now this was my first project with my Brother. Wardah's baju kurung. The material was given long ago by my MIL. A satin cotton which she bought in Mecca.

The baju kurung

Notice the matching scrunchie?

I opted one of the many patterns from my Brother...

... & the sleeve.

So? Did I pass? Hehehe... Next, I decided to make a long skirt for Yasmin using the same material. Here is the result ;-)

I have to admit that I made a few alterations to her skirt. Not because it didn't fit, but I was kind of struggling with the frills. Furthermore, the first ribbon colour I chose did not suit her. With the new colour, I am quite satisfied with the end product. Oh yes, I made a headband for her too.

My second visit to a bigger bookstore after owning my Brother was an accomplishment. I found a book entitled "Sewing for Dummies" but decided to get this one instead... & my decision was perfect!

The thick book

To answer to the thought in your minds... No, I haven't completed reading. It is like a textbook to me. Nobody reads textbooks from page to page. Errr... do you??

The author is very good & precise too. I have learned a lot from her book. Hence, upon discovering a book with the same author, I without hesitate bought it. As expected, it gave me a clearer picture. I sure recommend this book if any of you decide to make children clothing.

Based from Balqis's choice of dress, I decided to try making my first dress. The material I chose was very cheap. At RM3.80 per metre, a failure wouldn't regret me.

The only turn off was the colour. It was rather too pinkish to me but not to Balqis. She totally adores her mom's handiwork.

Balqis with the dress I made

The belt was a recycle from a leftover material I found in the closet. Those flowers, I bought at 50sen each. Well, I need to get suitable colours of ribbons next time around & make my own. Right?

I also sewed this net cloth to add a wide flair to her skirt. She feels like a princess. Even though I only spent less than RM 15 altogether ;-D

I made a dress for Nadeen too using the same material I used for Wardah & Yasmin. Not only that... I also ventured my first experience with smocking!

Nadeen with the dress

The smocking which I am not so proud of...

The attires made for the elder girls which they put on for the first time in Melaka were pretty simple to make. The cloth was ready with stretched material at the waist. Seam one end to another & you get yourself a skirt. I made lining for the skirt though as it is a bit transparent.

I did not cut Yasmin's skirt to suit her height. Instead, I handsewed the extra length at the bottom. In Wardah's case, I sewed the bottom hem with the machine but added straps on top. I chose to sew 4 simple straps & to be worn with a knot on each shoulder.

The dress

The lining to the skirt

I bought the cloth at a textile store in Carre*our WMaju. Very cheap too . RM5 per metre!!

Now check this out... I have decided on a label name. MNC which originally meant My Needle Creations but Yasmin came up with a better one - Mama's Needle Creations. ;-D

Sewed this at the side of their lower garments. They sometimes complain of the label at the back of their neck.

A label on a pair of pants I made for HB. We declared the pants as a Father's Day gift. Hehehe!

Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there & especially to my beloved abah & bapak. Love you both & I am indeed grateful being your daughter.

Here's my mom on her 62nd birthday recently.

Now that's HB with the gift Balqis made at the kindie.

Time to hit the sack. More sewing tomorrow... Woohoo!!

Mid-Term Break Escapade - Day 1

We just got back from a holiday. A very short escapade which normally landed us in Port Dickson. This time around however, we chose to be a little bit further... to the land of the 5 legendary warriors & of course the tanah tumpah darah to our very own Ms. Hart :-)

One of the many reasons why I suggested Melaka to HB was because of my Yasmin. She has been selected to represent her school for a House Modeling Competition and I thought that exposing her to the many examples of our local traditional houses would give her a clearer picture.

On top of that I am very much taken aback with her BM2 result. As I mentioned before, Yasmin is a good writer. Her love for books is her advantage. Even though her writing in English is better than BM, the way she plots a story is very creative for her age despite the language. Of course her limited BM vocabs & the confusing prefixes/suffixes (imbuhan) can be the culprit in pulling down her marks.

As some of my readers are pretty well aware, BM2 requires students to write essays. There were 3 options given & I had clearly spelled it out to her not to choose letter writing, especially formal letter writing.

In her mid-term exam recently, Option 1 was to write her holiday experience during the previous school break, second was to write a report of an interview & lastly, a formal letter writing. I was so sure that she would choose the 1st option. There are so many things to write about New Zealand. Well... her mom managed in a daily basis of 10 & for her to share hers in a page or two would definitely be a walk in the park.

I was so wrong! She didn't go for the report in Option 2 & neither did she opt for Option 1. Instead... she chose to write the letter!

I really was not sure on how to react when asked for her reason choosing Option 3 not Option 1.

"We were in NZ on school days. Not during the school break. We didn't even go anywhere last school break!" Huh? I of course gave her a piece of my mind afterward.

OK. Back to Melaka. It was really a last minute plan. No initial plans to take them anywhere except around Klang Valley. I was merely trying & luck was on my side. Managed to make a reservation at a regular accommodation I used to frequent in Melaka. The girls couldn't be more excited.

They had a sleepover at a friend's place the night before we left for Melaka. Fetched them up & off we started the journey. Here are the girls in the car with their shades on...

Nadeen has got one too ;-D

The traffic was smooth. My elder girls thought that we were going to the resort with the water theme park & safari. When we didn't take the exit, they were quite disappointed but not to the younger two. A hotel with swimming pool passes their criteria. Hehehe...

Approaching the city, you better decide where you're going...

As for us, we had a loyal friend ;-)

Oooops! We missed this one...

First stop was not other than the A Famosa... (sorry not the resort girls... we do that some other time. OK?)

What a hospitality... Thank you ! Thank you!

The A Famosa exactly like I remembered.

I never noticed geologically, the materials that made up the fortress before... A pretty sight, don't you think?

The climb up to the St. Paul's Church.

The girls were so at ease doing it.

HB with Nadeen & her stroller. Another work out for your October trip I assume? ;-D

Half way the climb, this man welcomed us with his harmonica.

Souvenirs sold on the hilltop.

The only one with a smiling face after the climb & eager to explore...

Looking around the St. Paul's Church.

A pose with a couple of old tombstones (the girls didn't know that... hehehe!)

The church from outside

We saw our hotel from the hilltop.

The climb down... well was not bad after all.

HB decided to check out a museum at Stadthuys. It was our first time despite the few times I had been to this city. What can I say.. It was totally worth it.

Somebody was reading... Now that's a good start! ;-D

We were welcomed by this statue which I believe was Parameswara, the founder of Melaka.

The Portuguese Era

The Dutch Era

The British Era

Not to forget the short Japanese Era before we were ruled again by the Queen.

Striking a pose with the currency used then

A close up of the currency

Melaka in the 15th century.

Weapons used then

Pictorial process in cleaning the keris.

That's not a ball dear...

The girls were amused with Nadeen. She was very much attracted to the mirror or perhaps to herself. Hehehe...

A Dutch Ship

A Malay Wedding

A Chitty Wedding

The Chinese Peranakan chamber

A Traditional Bridal Bed which none of my girls wanted for their wedding.. hahaha!

Hmmm... I should make this for my next project... ;-D

The Melting Pots of Melaka in their traditional costumes.

The kopitiam

Used books stall

Activities at the paddy field

Kelong to catch fish, normally at a river mouth.

Parameswara - artist's impression

The 5 legendary warriors - artist's impression again

Tun Teja - yes another artist's impression

How the story started...

The Melaka tree from which Melaka got its name.

The fruit

HB sure is a fan of a museum... Most of the times he was left far behind. Unlike us speeding to complete the tour. Hehehe!

As we reached the final step of the steep staircase towards the Red Square at Stadthuys, the girls saw a few decorative trishaws & pleaded to hop in. RM10 for one round.

At first HB was reluctant to join us. He was concerned of his super extra weight the driver had to endure.

All of us at the Stadthuys. This historical structure which means town hall in Dutch was built in 1650 as the Governor office.

The clock tower

The walk back to our car. Time to check in the hotel & rest....

We found this train & airplane which used to be at the KL Museum. Right?

We checked in the hotel & had the pool view. The rest I looked forward to, needed a raincheck as I couldn't really tolerate the repetitive enquiry of "Can we go for a swim now....???"

The girls at the wading pool.

The big pool.

Chilling after a swimming race.

The other pool was a full house. We only allowed the elder girls there for only a short time.

After the swim, came dinner time. We were all getting ready to go for an ikan bakar place. The first one showered & changed was making herself busy too. I saw her reaching for a tissue box in my room. Knowing Nadeen, she is not the type to put any small objects in her mouth except for food of course. She was wiping the side table with a piece of tissue paper (that for being too attached to the helper... sigh). I was in the other room combing Balqis's hair when I saw Nadeen in between the 2 rooms, laying a piece of tissue paper on the floor and... started to pray!

This one is not too clear. Was in a rush...

A better shot. Isn't she something? Awww...

All this while the only Ikan Bakar place I used to frequent was in Umbai. The last time HB was there during his Ledang excursion, the place is no longer like it used to be. Wanted to try the one in Duyong. In the trishaw earlier, I asked the driver for the directions. Instead he guided us to a better place near Telok Mas.

Frankly, upon reaching the place, I had doubts over it. There were no other customers but us. HB however, went to have a look & he gave in to the fresh seafood offered. As 3 of our troop members were dozing in the car, HB made the order for us.

We had Barramundi (siakap) in sweet sour sauce. Notice the black sauce? Simply superb to accompany our grill fish.

This calamari was the girls' favourite. I have to agree with them.

Your Melaka trip is incomplete without this Masak Asam Pedas. HB chose fresh water catfish to go with it. It was really an out of the world experience!

My favourite that night... Kupang (moule) Masak Berapi.

They were rather too spicy for the girls, hence HB ordered the ones in sweet sour sauce.

Here is the girls' rating for the foods there...

With these pictures, need I say more? ;-)

The girls were even amazed with my helper. That night they witnessed Sri eating a lot. She even requested for additional rice on her plate. Something she had never done after more than 2 years with us...

So if you are in Melaka don't hesitate to give this restaurant a shot. It was simply worth it! Ooopsss.... Almost forgotten!! you MUST also try the tomyam!! I realised only the locals were there. Not popular yet to outsiders, therefore it was very affordable.

The direction is pretty simple. Head towards Muar or Umbai & be alert of the Henry Gurney School on your right. Take the small lane, just the right of the school entrance gate (the gate is approximately 150 meters from the main road) which will lead you to this place in Telok Mas. You can't help to miss the junction. We did but made a U-turn for it.

The initial plan was to head straight to the hotel. I had earlier told Sri to change both Balqis & Nadeen into their pyjamas. HB anyhow stopped somewhere near the city since the girls were fascinated with the trishaws at night. They made such a pretty sight with the decorative lighting. Sorry though, no pictures to share...

The time showed close to 11pm. The city was still alive! Balqis & Wardah requested to get in the river boat cruise. RM10 for adult & half price for kids. We went for it...

The eager faces to board the boat.

One happy family, an hour before midnight cruising the Melaka River.

It was a good thing that we took the cruise at night. We escaped the soaring temperatures during the day & the glittering lights around us was an awe. I remembered the river used to be filthy & you wouldn't want to get near the water. The Municipal has indeed done a great job in promoting tourism to this historical city. Kudos!

Our advantage cruising at night. If only I brought along a better camera...

New attractions in town. No, that was not the Eye On Malaysia.

The boat stopped for us to view this show.

Kampung Morten was really amazing. Too bad most of the photos of the village were blurry. The Municipal together with the villagers work together to maintain its authenticity.

Yasmin & Wardah in the boat. Guess what? The skirt on Yasmin & the dress on Wardah are amongst my recent needle works... Will blog more about it soon.

* to be continued

302/8

After like almost 11 years I was reunited with my housemates back in the college years. Rather an unexpected... Though didn't manage to pull all 6 of us together, the short meet was remarkable.

Now, we were supposed to meet up on the 9th. Agreed. I had blocked that particular date & was looking forward in meeting the other girls.

The venue chosen was PanPac KLIA. Nani, residing & lecturing in KK would be putting up a night at the airport hotel before flying off home. Lynn, teaching in PP should be in Subang during the school hols. Yati, Sara & I shouldn't have a problem as we are in Klang Valley. Fina, a determined Prudent*al agent is up north in Penang. Anyhow, a miscomunication in my part & Yati's failed to inform Fina earlier. With such a short notice, she could not make it this time... Sorry again :-(

Who would have thought after all these years, with a different status & carrying the extra weight we are still the same in character. And according to Nadeen's icon, that's what make us special... Yup, Barney! "You are special. You're the only one, you're the only one like you!"

Yati & Lynn drove separately to KLIA. The time given by Yati was at 11am & at 11am, I had not yet met Sara at our meeting place. She was late, fashionably late. Well, she had her little one & a child in tow... If not for us pleading for her to go (you really enjoyed that right Sara?), I bet she wouldn't make it.

Once I had Sara with me, Lynn called disguising as a bank manager & failed big time. Hahaha! In a serious tone however, she informed that Nani had not checked in... Her line was not connected & we assumed, her flight was delayed. Another thing... we didn't know from where did she depart! Great...!

Instead, we agreed to have lunch at Alamanda. It was a wonderful meet even though we were down to 3. The 6 of us sort of grew up together. We knew each other's relationship, name it, family? love? So it was like reading the next chapter of each other's life.

As we were chatting non-stop & obviously the loudest there... Yati's phone rang & it was Nani!! She just landed & thought that the next day was the 9th. The same old Nani!! Hahaha...

Lunch at BK

How could we refuse to reschedule & meet her today? Sara, couldn't make it this time. Her little one was uncomfortable & had been crying. Still we did try to coax her but the mom in her was stronger. She opted to stay home with her baby.

I was the last to meet them. HB was around & had to send him off to the airport for a daily flight. It was good to really meet you,Nani. She just returned from her umrah to the Holy City, Mecca with her son & a helper.

It was a bonus on our sight that Nani had an issue remembering dates. If not for her, we wouldn't have the chance to meet twice in two days in a row! ;-D

The plan next year is on girls. Will do the planning. Venue is still open for suggestions. I've got my green light! Guess HB knows that I will be in good hands...

At KLIA

Nani in the hotel buggy. Thanks for the gifts babey. I really love the tudung!!

Till we meet again next time girls! For the time being, do think of a suitable place for the trip. :-D