This Is My Life

Results Day

2012-01-20T08:39:00.002+08:00

My last post was on Yasmin's achievements in the year 2011. This one is like a continuation to the entry.

When she was announced as the Best Student of her school, the UPSR result had not yet come out. Knowing that the following day was the big day put more pressures on her & her mom especially...

You know, during the Hari Anugerah, I didn't shed a tear at all. I was happy, I was proud but it didn't get through my inner emotions deeply. The morning when her result came out as I was getting ready to send them to school it hit me... I found out that Wardah performed a solat hajat on behalf of her sister who was menstruating. A hajat for a straight As result. Such sisterly bond put this mom in tears...

I was nervous... dead nervous. Parents were allowed to go to school at 11am to get the result. HB was off that day so it was quite comforting to go through that day with him next to me. I remembered having breakfast with him & discussing Yasmin. Told him that I could accept her result no matter what because I saw her efforts. But I was not ready at all to see her frustration. Just couldn't bear to see it what more to face it...

At the peak of our chat, I received a phone call. My niece who serves for KPM. She sounded chirpy that Thursday morning & her exact words were "Ada good news...". Shared the news with HB & my parents. I then knew exactly how they felt when I did well in exams. Still HB warned me not to get too excited just yet.

As we were walking to the car, I remembered a mistake I made 12 years ago. A young wife who refused to listen to her husband. I did not immediately consult an ob/gyn right after I did my pregnancy test at home. I waited until the whole 1st trimester was over only did I set an appointment! I missed the folic acid prescription & HB was quite annoyed with me. Opening the car door I asked HB.. "So am I forgiven over the folic acid episode?" ;-)

It was still too early to go to her school. HB suggested that we get Yasmin the gift we promised her. Now tell me who was getting too excited... ;-P

We reached her school exactly at 11am. By that time the school was already crowded with anxious parents. The year 6 pupils assembled in the hall. I saw a few sobbing... We were practically late!

I was only mid way towards the hall when the teacher started to announce the names of the 5As students. First was Amirah Fatini... The girl walked up to the stage crying. Almost reaching the hall Amirah Yasmin was called out! I reached the front hall just in time. She was making her way to the stage when she found me. Made a detour to hug me first & off to the stage to receive her result slip.

Being there to witness her happiness with her friends put me to tears. Alhamdulillah all of her good friends scored straight As.

Tears of joy...

A few of her good friends. All 5As scorer.. Well done girls!

Showing off their slips

HB & I had a small talk with the headmaster & a few other parents. Yasmin excused herself. Later I found out that she was searching for her sister Wardah. Wardah knew that Yasmin was looking for her hid behind her friends. Yasmin being Yasmin.. wanted to leave after scanning the area & found no sight of Wardah. She was never good at this hide & seek game ;-)

Sensing that her sister was not playing along Wardah made herself visible & called out for her sis. Both embraced & the younger one congratulated the elder.. the elder thanking the younger for performing her solat hajat . I have to thank Wardah's classmate who captured such precious moment of my 2 girls.

Priceless...

Congratulations Yasmin. Remember that this is only the starting of your battle to succeed. It's not over yet my dear. More await..... But with your continuous efforts & doas insyaAllah it will make easy for you.

Wardah, it's your year this year. You've seen how Kak Yasmin was, preparing for her UPSR & you saw the scenario during results day. The key is multiple efforts & endless doas my dear... InsyaAllah.

My Yasmin Throughout The Year 2011

2012-01-17T12:52:00.001+08:00

No doubt the year 2011 is a memorable year for my Yasmin. Unfortunately, the single entry I posted of her was on her birthday. To think of the many achievements she had accomplished last year... I truly have lost the passion in blogging! Now I am attempting to sum up all in an entry...

Early last year, she took part in a story telling competition representing her school. The story that she decided to choose was really the one that I used to tell when I tried to enter the very competition when I was in school. One thing about Yasmin... she has always been amazed with my school years. It was nothing much really. It must be because I am such a great storyteller or she is simply inspired by me! ;-)

She chose Interfering Ina by Enid Blyton. We adapted the story together & she had a great teacher training her at school. I of course became her no1 critic.

Yasmin ready for the competition

My girl in action...

She won 1st runner up in Sepang District

Her school also took part in ITEX 2011. It's an acronym for Invention Innovation & Technology Exhibition. The school invented a portable energy system that uses the fan which impressed the judges. They won silver for for best invention in primary level & gold for best invention from Hong Kong Invention Association. Way to go girl! Credits should go to the teachers especially... They worked extra hard for this achievement.

The booth

My girl at the booth

With her comrades, Sanjay & Raimi

The team with their beloved teacher Najmi

Yasmin busy explaining to guests about the invention

The awards they won

During the prize giving ceremony

Somewhere in October she took part for a camp in Bagan Lalang hosted by the Sepang District. Almost all schools in the district participated. She came home after the camp as usual with all the stories of this & that but kept the most important one secret until the following day. After school I fetched her as usual but she wore this smile on her face. Took out a trophy from her school bag & presented it to me... "Surprise!". She was selected as the best female camper in the camp. That is Yasmin to you! ;-)

Receiving the trophy during the camp.

Hari Anugerah 2011 was the most memorable for the whole family. Wardah who failed to get straight As in her final exam was very frustrated of not getting any award since it was her final year in the school. Well, we are moving to a new house but that should be elaborated in another post ;-) She was hoping to be around on that particular Hari Anugerah.

Allah heard her prayers.. She didn't get any placing in the first three of her class but she is best in Math & English. A bonus!

Wardah receiving her plaque & certificates

Yasmin was first in her class & all of year 6 classes. It had been quite a while you know. She had always been first from year 1 to year 3 but once in level 2 (that is year 4, 5 & 6), she was no longer first. Her killer subject that is BM had always pulled down her marks. Announced as first in her class meant a lot to her. Her exact 2 words were... "At last!" ;-)

Besides 1st in class, she was also best in Science

I remembered Wardah coming home from school after prize giving ceremony rehearsal. She was alone because the last few days before school ended last year, Yasmin stayed back to spend more time with her friends. Wardah guessed that Yasmin was shortlisted to be the best student of the school. I was thrilled! But had to control the emotion...

True enough. Yasmin announced the news to us once she got home. I couldn't be happier. The question was which title did she belong to?

Three best students will be selected as either Tokoh Bestari, Tokoh Kesatria or Tokoh Nurani. I knew Yasmin wouldn't get Bestari for there was this classmate of hers who usually the 1st in her class. So left with Kesatria & Nurani. I was not so sure of Kesatria then but I knew Nurani was for obedience & properness. I really preferred Yasmin to get the former title. Getting the Nurani to me was like too baik..

She was last to be called out & all title was already announced & she was left with Tokoh Kesatria that is for a student who is active in Co-curriculum. Yipppee! I like that!

That's a rare look.... A proud mom indeed! Waiting to be called on stage

A picture with the Headmaster & PIBG President

Next I knew was the announcement of the best of the 3. All parents seemed not to know. Great actors indeed! Including moi!!

Parents with their children waiting for Tokoh Bitara to called out.

Notice the picture? Well, I had to wear the smile as to neutralise my feelings of so wanting Yasmin to win the title ;-) Hey! Don't mothers always want the best for their kids.. ? ;-P

And.... she WON!!!!

Once her name was announced Yasmin moved towards me & her mom...? Well, let this photo tell it all ;-)

Overwhelmed with pride... hehehe!

The Tokoh Bitara of the year 2011

My girl the Best Student ...

A pose with everyone else

Congrats Yasmin. I was glad that HB was around to share the moment. You've done us proud as always.... Love you girl! Muaaahhh!!!

Missing Wardah...

2011-10-23T23:54:00.002+08:00

It has been more than a week since my last post. OK... I almost let the urge of updating this blog drift away. But I will not let that happen... Not this time.

Amongst the things I love about blogging is the friends you make. It feels so good to have Oldstock & Kak Sherry to drop by. It has been way too long. Dikny, I know in person & FB helps us to reconnect often.

I havent told you that Wardah is away. She's in Kelantan now, Bachok to be exact. Came home last week with the news & I well, was not so keen of the idea. Her school & another secondary school were selected from Selangor to participate in a Robotic Workshop, National Level. My concern was not merely because it was too far away but more to the traveling.. Kelantan is obviously hundred kms away & the transportation provided was definitely a coach or a bus. The long hours of travel without even one of her parents worried me.

The following day, she brought along the letter & it was clearly written, Bachok, Kelantan. The first thing that came out from her mouth after handing me the letter was... "Can't I take a flight...?". It crossed my mind earlier you see but since HB is in the airline, I didn't feel comfortable prompting the idea. Hence, the dilemma..

Later in the afternoon however, I received a phone call from one of the mothers whose son was also offered for the same workshop. She suggested for the kids to travel by plane & was asking for my opinion. Of course I agreed. Since she knows all of the kids' parents, she volunteered to make the phone calls. In the meantime, I was surfing for air fares. Both MH & AK. Obviously I was hoping that they get MH which is an advantage for us ;-) but of course I won't veto the situation. The price difference was like half 1k. Well, it was still a lot hence, the choice of anyone can fly...

The next day, the mother called that she had purchased those tickets but the differ between 2 airlines was very little instead after all the you know.. hidden charges. Oh well! I took it positively instead... At least Wardah can experience the other airline ;-) (even I have not..)

Here's Wardah with her friends, teacher & the other parents at LCCT.

Parting from my baby was kind of tough but it was not for her though!

They reached KBR 10 minutes before schedule. Way to go AK! Her teacher is a Kelantanese. Since it was a Friday ( a public holiday there), a relative fetched all of them at the airport & brought the kids to the family house. They had lunch there. In the car while we were on the way to LCCT, I told Wardah about Kelantan cuisine. Wardah is adventurous with food so I told her to try the many local foods Kelantan has to offer.

After lunch, they headed to Bachok. She was in the car when I gave her a call. Asked whether she had taken her lunch & all. At that point she kind of whispered. "Sedap mama....". I went, "Ye ke... What did you eat?" & she replied "Budu!". Hahaha! Well I expected her to try, Nasi Kukus, Ayam Percik but seriously budu was the last I had in mind!

She's still there in Bachok. Having a good time I assume based from the calls she made. At first her concern was the lodging. This girl of mine is very particular about cleanliness. She even wanted to bring her own pillow which HB objected. Settled only with a pillow case though...

The first thing she mentioned once she reached the school in Bachok was about her room. Sounded happy & satisfied ;-) 6 persons sharing a room with 6 single beds (no double decker..) & an attached bathroom is a bonus!

Can't wait for Tuesday... Most of all am looking forward to hearing Wardah's experience of Kelantan. Tomorrow in the itinerary is sightseeing. On Tuesday night she will fly back home... They are free from morning until departure time & her teacher has made plans to take the kids to visit his kampung. That is a golden opportunity... HB & I planned to fly off to KBR tomorrow since it is his off day & fly back with Wardah. We changed our mind knowing that a visit to a kampung side will bring her good.

I can see that Yasmin misses her sister. She denies it but a mother knows.. It was the same when Yasmin was away for a 3 days camp last few weeks. Wardah looked lost but refused to admit missing her sister ;-) Take care Wardah. We love you!

Im here somewhere...

2011-10-11T23:58:00.001+08:00

Oh dear! I have totally abandoned this blog. Really... I think the passion in writing is no longer in me. I won't blame FB for this. It's not it. It's just me who finds it more convenient to reach my friends via FB. But again this homepage was created not because I wanted to socialise... It was here because I wanted to cherish the memories I have with my family, my girls especially.

The last I updated was on Yasmin's birthday. That was in March! Wow... to think of the many things that she has achieved this year... I wrote none! Sorry

Yasmin. I've been very busy with my little business. Well you may want to have a peep here .

She has just finished her UPSR & is having a jolly time of post-exam... She's most of the time in front of the computer, FB specifically & that girl now has a new blog - Fearless Girl. She had What a Life! before but decided to change that I think because the blog sounds like mine.. ;-) The blog - My Whole Wide World has long been forgotten which she said it was her kiddie blog. Wow...! It sure is tough being a teenage nowadays!

Yasmin's latest pic

Wardah is as tall as Yasmin now. Well, we still do share shoes just that recently Wardah has outgrown most of hers. She wears a size 6 now unlike Yasmin & I who are still at 5. Yasmin as a senior in her school now is quite popular amongst friends & teachers. Wardah on the other hand, doesn't mind a bit of her sister getting all the attention because as she put it ..." Kakak siapa.. kalau bukan kakak Wardah..." ;-)

Wardah has always been entertaining us with her ambitious intellection & ideas. The only girl of mine who wants to be an Agung (a royalty) so that she will be invited to Prince Harry's wedding... The other day she was helping stirring the bolognaise I prepared. She was enjoying it at first but later I heard it loud & clear that she would invent a machine to make cooking process easier.. A stirring machine!!

Here's Wardah

Balqis is coping well in year 1. She has slowly built up her self-confidence & no longer the timid girl on the block. Thanks to her 2 elder sisters for the encouragement. She has always wanted to be like her 2 sisters :-)

Our Balqis

Nadeen enjoys school a lot. She is at ease making friends & even has her eyes on a boy in her class! Mention the word "Adam' & she will respond with a shy smile ;-) She is also very witty... The little boss in the family whom everyone adores.

Cunning little Nadeen

I shall make an appoint to update more. I happened to read the older posts. How vivid had I made our life journal... & I wouldn't want it to stop. So check it out people!! Jabishah is back in track ;-)

12

2011-03-09T00:13:00.000+08:00

9th of March. The date that made me a mom. Yes! How time flies.... You know, it does give me a lump in my throat when I see her standing as tall as me now. Where had the little bubbly girl in curls gone? She's 12 today!

Alhamdulillah, she turns out to be an amazing young lady. Doing good in school & as Wardah once put it... "Who doesn't know Kak Yasmin? I love to walk next to her just to get in the limelight". Hahaha! Wardah loves the attention not Yasmin. But it is Yasmin who is the popular one in school. Does she ever bother about it? Never!

Early this year, I wanted to get her a new school bag but she hesitated. She insisted to use her old bag which she claimed was still in a good condition. Bought her a new purse from Girls, she thanked me alright but was worried of the price. It was not even a designer's purse! Seriously... when we go shopping I admire something than only look at the price but Yasmin checks the price first than only admire... Oh yes! I have gotten the gentle scolding from her about a few things I bought. The only things she doesn't bother to check on the price are books... She has 0way too many of them & if only Wardah reads like her! (I haven't stopped hoping Wardah... ;-))

For her birthday, we wanted to take her out for dinner. But she has her tuition class tomorrow until 9pm. Told her that we will fetch her & go out to get something for supper. Guess what her response was "Can't we just have a take away..?". That's my Yasmin. Love you darling... Happy 12th Birthday!!

Nadeen - A Big Girl!

2011-01-11T22:58:00.000+08:00

My blog readers wouldn't need introduction to Nadeen. I used to update her milestone religiously every single month as early as the day she was born (you may want to read here). She is our youngest girl of 4. Very cheeky & never fails to look irresistible to us.... what more to others. Geraaaammm.....!

Remember the first time I introduced her to solid food? (I posted it h ere ). How about her first steps? (I published the video here). It feels just like yesterday... Really ! How time flies.... and guess what? Nadeen is now in kindergarten!!

She is in a 4-year-old class. Turned 3 last December & by year she should be 4 years old this year. Normally I send all my girls to a playschool (3 years old class). Not Nadeen though. Her being a year end baby is one thing & my busy schedule ferrying the elder girls is another.

All this while, she merely tags along sending her sisters to school. Now she has one of her own... Of course she was very excited about school. Yes 'was'.. Hehehe! Don't worry. She's OK. It's just that she is not extremely excited about it anymore... Why?

You see, I have visited the kindie thrice during the school holidays. First was to check on the kindie, second was to make the booking & third was to collect her school uniform. In all 3 visits Nadeen was with me. Why exactly she is less excited about going to school? Well, check out her response after her first day of school last Wednesday... "Mama! Ramainya orang...!". I can't believe it that she wanted the kindie all to herself!! Hahaha!

A pose at home... All excited about school ;-)

Upon reaching her kindie, she reminded me not to stay around. None of us was allowed in... She listed them down like "Papa tak boleh, Mama tak boleh, Kakak Min tak boleh, Kakak Wardah tak boleh, Kakak Balqis tak boleh...". So I did as instructed & passed her to her teacher the moment we reached the kindie.

Still I managed to make her pose for me. Notice the look? Konon malu-malu ;-)

Off she went with her teacher.... Not even a glance at mama! :-(

Check that out... Her own space! I like... ;-)

Temperature check. I'm glad they opt for a forehead infrared thermometer.

With her new friends. No, I didn't snap this photo. Her principal was kind enough to steal a shot ;-)

If it were not for HB, I would have stayed around longer & observe her from outside. But, HB being HB dragged me (not literally of course!) to the car & we had breakfast together instead! Our friends happened to join us & a short breakfast took a longer time. We reached the kindie just before it ended.

Nadeen was no where to be seen. I saw the children started to queue up & there I was trying my best to search for my little girl. It was then when I heard loud & clear from inside, "Amirah Nadeen... Come over here & line up!". Woohhooo! A scolding on her first day of school? :-)

She appeared with the lower half of her body exposed! What exactly did you do in class Nadeen?? ;-)

Kakak Balqis insisted to fetch her too right after mengaji...

Once she saw me, requested to be carried ;-)

The following day was quite a challenge for me to get her into her uniform. She just refused to put it on. HB tried but failed as well. Out of ideas, I ignored her & continued getting ready. Guess what in the end made her change her mind? Well, it was not exactly how it worked... More like a bribe that is...

My compact powder!

She saw me with it & begged to try it on. I made a deal with her to put on her uniform first. She agreed. After she was done , I told her she looked very pretty & her friends at school would love to have a look at her. And that was how I managed to make her go to her kindie on the second day.

I was worried of the other days... Not a drama, a day! Pleeeeaaseee...! The truth, I knew how it should work. Was just denying it. From experience, if I were to get them ready for kindie, that's when the drama begins. They go so manja & making excuses not to go. It won't happen if my maid wake them up & get them ready. No choice. I had to give in. So everyday when I send off the elder girls to school, my maid will wake up Balqis & Nadeen. By the time I reach home, both have showered & already at the dining room having their breakfast.

It has been almost a week for Nadeen. So far so good... I still address her baby though obviously she is now a big girl!

How was your 1st day of school?

2011-01-04T10:39:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year to all my readers. As always, every new year begins with a celebration. Not merely the fireworks & all but a birthday. My Wardah is a new year child & every strike of midnight on new years follows with a birthday wish. In fact, yearly she will remind us that the whole world celebrates her birthday! Yeah right ... Wardah! ;-D

Wardah with her new look, at a friend's BBQ do on new year eve

I have 3 school going children this year. Last year I was so looking forward to do the chauffering for 2011. No more double sessions for me... Yes! As far as I knew, Year 6, Year5 & Year 1 have always been in the morning session. Less worry about Balqis is Year 1 too. She has 2 elder sisters around to sort of babysit her at school. What more when they are both school prefects! ;-) (Yes, Yasmin was renominated again as a prefect this year after declining the offer last year)

My happiness didn't last for long. I got to know during Balqis's Year 1 orientation, the Year ones will be in the afternoon session together with Year twos & Year threes. Duh!! It was a dejavu really...! It happened once in 2009 I think when both of my girls were supposed to be in the afternoon session but one was to be in the morning... You know what I had in mind? I wished to migrate so that I wld be done with this double sessions thing!

Oh well... I just have to get used to it. Pretty tiring I can't lie. I will update on my daily chauffering schedule one of these days.

In the morning the elder girls were ready in record time. Looked forward to meeting their friends. I sort of pulled their legs when I sent them off that morning. Wanted to pull over & check on their new classrooms.. The response I got from both were ,"Noooo! Go home mama!". Hah! ;-D Anyway, I had to go back & get Balqis for her mengaji class.

After mengaji which was at 10am, Balqis was already so anxious to change to her school uniform. She was very energetic & there was no sign of nervousness at all. Being in a new school is one thing... To be dressed head to toe in new attires is another ;-)

At last it was time to go to school. We were kind of late. There was a traffic on the way to school. Balqis in the car didn't look herself. She was rather nervous but the feeling of excitement showed as well ;-)

Balqis, even though late didn't mind at all to pose in front of her new school

First day was rather disorganised. But I wouldn't blame the school. Worried or rather excited parents sort of put a halt to the smoothness of the programme. To me that was normal. I have nothing to complain...

The wait to get to her class..

Balqis is in 1 Omega. She found her class at ease. I could have just left her but the number of the other parents around disturbed me. I knew Balqis is independent enough but it might hit her if she saw other parents stayed around for their children but hers did not.

Another thing that could have affected me was perhaps that I am a 'nostalgia phobic' ;-) You see, I was there for Yasmin & Wardah when they were in Year 1 & not being there for Balqis seemed like a sin. Really!

Good that the school allows us parents to be around for only 3 days. My routine will be sending her off & staying around for a while. Take the elder girls back home & after sending Wardah for mengaji, I will drop off to see Balqis during her recess time. That I think is sufficient. Only the last day or perhaps today, I try to vanish for a while. See how it goes ;-)

The elder girls with their friend

I was on time to greet her for recess :-)

Recess!

She got home quite late yesterday. I was there inside the school. The plan was only to be around by the gate but upon seeing other parents entering the school compound, I did as well. When I saw Balqis as she was dismissed, the expression she wore was kind of worried. When I approached, her dimple welcomed me. She said she was worried that I forgot to fetch her... :-)

In the car when we asked about her day in school, her answer was... "Lamanya sekolah!". Hahahaha! I guess afternoon session doesn't agree to her just yet ;-)

Tamil Nadu, India - Day 6

2010-12-26T23:43:00.000+08:00

Our flight home was at night. The final day in India was simply for leisure. After breakfast we took an ato to Spencer Plaza. The ride on the ato was sure an experience & the honking was non-stop.

We reached Spencer Plaza. HB wanted to check out the antiques as recommended by Wan. He was attracted to the ones displayed at Wan's when we had dinner the night before.

The Plaza reminded me of Campbell Complex & Kotaraya in KL. I'm not sure whether we really explored the whole mall because we kept seeing the same shops over & over again. Hence the search for the antique shop was easy. We found 2 shops but the price they offered was pretty steep. I was happy enough that he refused to get any. Antiques & me really can't get along ;-)

We had lunch instead. The girls found a pizza parlor & begged to dine there. Even I enjoyed my lunch. The pizza tasted better. The bread especially. Well, perhaps we had started getting bored with Briyani & curry ;-)

Waiting for our pizza

After lunch, we headed to another shopping mall merely to kill time. The mall was a walking distance to our hotel. No intention to shop really...

Balqis striking a pose

A shot by Yasmin while waiting for HB who was in the toilet. Nadeen was already asleep.

We girls found a ladies' department sharing the same level with the children's department. HB volunteered to play nanny to Nadeen ;-) & I ended up buying something. Hehehe....

After an early dinner we walked to the hotel. HB did the final packing & I got the younger girls ready.

Us in our room before check out

We rented a taxi to the airport. I wouldn't say the journey to the airport was a smooth one for us. Of all the days we were in India, it was on the final night that we had to endure the consequence of an accident. No! We were not involved in the accident but the traffic due to the accident disturbed the smoothness of our journey. Initially, it was a good start for us but due to the bad traffic the driver diverted to another road which took us a longer time to reach our destination. What more with Nadeen chose to throw tantrum at that very moment.

We manged to get to the airport despite the chaos but that was not all... Our flight was delayed! Yasmin started to get feverish. I had the medicine for her yes. But at that time what I wanted most was to be home.

Waiting , waiting & waiting...

At last it was time to board the plane. Alhamdulillah... we reached home safely. Everyone dozed off all the way to KL ;-)

It was indeed an unforgettable experience meeting the relatives in India. Their hospitality marvels us until today. In fact, I do wonder whether I could be as warm as they were if it is their turn to come & visit. To Uncle & Auntie thank you very much for everything. We will pay you a visit again insyAllah in the near future.

The End

ps- Notice the hastiness of this post? Well, I have to complete this tonight because tomorrow I will be in India again. This time to Delhi with HB, minus the girls. Will share my travel pretty soon :-)

Tamil Nadu, India - Day 5

2010-12-23T23:17:00.001+08:00

Some may have thought that I have ended my travel log on Tamil Nadu, India trip. Well not yet. Hehehe.. I don't know why it's just out of the blue I start to enjoy blogging again. This is the 4th post for this month! That I tell you is indeed an improvement.. ;-)

At Day 4, I left readers at our parting with Uncle & Auntie at the hotel we stayed in Chennai. You may read here.

On day 5, we had breakfast at the hotel. Just the 6 of us. Down with 7. The plan after breakfast was to explore Chennai but it crossed my mind.. where exactly should we start? HB had the answer for that. He had contacted the MAS area manager in Chennai informing him of our arrival. So that very morning, the first place we visited was MAS town office ;-)

At the hotel

That morning a minister was having a meeting at the hotel. We saw men in uniform outside of the hotel. Very familiar uniform! The 'Inspector Sahab' uniform in Hindi & Tamil movies! The opportunity was grabbed to pose with them ;-)

We looked rigid, I know...

Mr Wan, the area manager was kind enough to brief us of places to visit around Chennai. He even called a car rental company to send us an MPV with a driver to take us around town. How sweet of him. Not only that he went down with us to meet the driver & told him of the places to take us. The final destination he instructed was his house, for dinner :-)

Mr. Wan with HB & that one in green was no secretary ;-)

It was an office girls... not a playground!

Mr. Wan with us at his office..

Our first stop of the day was at Rathna Store. OK. We shopped just enough for the family ;-) Well, 6 of us altogether so we didn't do that bad really :-) Too bad I forgot to snap on things we bought but I sure love the different sizes of woks. Hehehe...

Posing a contented smile ;-)

It was only our first stop of the day but we had past our regular lunch time. Not a good start... Told the driver to take us to a halal restaurant & again we came face to face with Pelita. Nobody complained though :-)

Lunch

Our transport for the day

Next the plan was to go to Gundy Children Park & Snake Park but it was closed on Tuesdays. Guess what day was it that day? Yes, Tuesday... If you have been following my travel log, you would remember a few of such incidents ;-) Oh well... We went to the park next door instead. It was open.

A memorial park

This tree looked kind of eerie

The architecture attracted our attention. Not to the girls though :-) Still they didn't hesitate to pose in that hot day.

Notice Balqis at far left. She chose to pose under the shed ;-)

After the photo shoots at the park we had no idea to go. It was still early for Marina Beach. HB told the driver to take us to see the buildings in Chennai. First stop was Anna University ;-)

College of Engineering

Was I glad to have a driver to take us around...

Despite the reckless driving accidents are seldom

Us in our rideThe Police HQ

Next we visited was the High Court. The others were already asleep by this time except for Balqis who had no choice but to play model for papa ;-)

.... and more photos around the bustling city of Chennai

Yes, only Balqis was still available for modeling ;-) Others were still in dreamland...

Didn't get the chance to try this one :-(

The Railway Station

Atos everywhere...

Wanna catch a movie? ;-)

The time showed a few minutes past 4pm. We still had a couple of hours to kill before sunset. Next stop was supposed to be Marina Beach but it was still too hot. I anyhow gave a brilliant idea. Hehehe! We had another round of....

Hehehe...

Goofing whist waiting for their parents ;-)

Even found themselves a prince!

How about this one papa? ;-)

OK. I got a little carried away... still we managed to get to the beach by sunset. BUT! The walk to the water was like forever. It was close to a half km walk & mind you it was paddling on the beach sand. It took us a longer time.

Sunset... No sight of the water yet!

People who visit Chennai will make an appoint to visit the Marina Beach, hence the crowd. It is one of the longest beach in the country. The distance from north down to south is 13km.

Finally we made it to the water. It was getting darker. This was a shot with flash.

A family portrait (without flash)

A penny for their thoughts... :-)

We later were driven to our final destination - Wan's residence. It was a great dinner for famished us ;-) Thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Wan for their warm hospitality.

With Wan's family in Chennai

*to be continued

She's home!

2010-12-17T22:59:00.003+08:00

Yes! Wardah is home. She's like a chatterbox talking non-stop of her stay. I expected she would feel down for leaving her friends. Not at all... ;-)

She looked tired. For the past 3 weeks, her wake call was at 5.30am! We'll see what time will she wake up tomorrow. I bet earlier than me!

I survived the 3 weeks without one of my girls around. I can't lie. The first week was hard. It made it worse when it was difficult for her as well. The second week was smooth for us both & the third week felt like she was merely at school ;-)

To dear mothers out there, it is hard to let go I know. Like it or not you have to do it. If it's the best for our children then be it. Don't pamper them & most importantly don't let yourself get carried away longing for them. I had to keep reminding myself that I needed to be around for my other 3 girls as well. It wouldn't give a good impression to them if I only concentrate on one.

I heard that there were 3 campers who gave in & went home. Well Wardah... you did it darling! If I were to bring you home when you were wailing for it on the first night, things would be very different. I will have to take a difficult longer time to accept the fact that letting go is a process of growing up & you my girl will not understand the meaning of being independent.

We miss you Wardah!

2010-12-09T09:55:00.002+08:00

OK here's an update of my Wardah who is now away from us. Well, not that far yes. Still... Being apart from each other is very foreign to this family. An exception though with their dad ;-)

You may want to read here on why she is away & here on how we tried to adjust with this new situation.

Visits are allowed on Sundays. As clearly written in the offer letter, campers are permitted to go out with their parents but they are prohibited to go outside of Bangi except for Kajang. Now, the curfew is at 7pm & we are allowed to take our child starting from 8am. If I get my Math right, that is exactly 11 hrs. How & where do you spend such long time around Bangi & Kajang?

A little bird told me that rules are meant to be broken... Naughty, naughty bird! Shoo! Shoo!

I looked forward for last Sunday. The original plan was to be there by 9am. She anyhow called the night before saying that I could fetch her as early as 8 am. Still, she didn't sound sure herself. I took my sweet time driving & reached her hostel a quarter past eight. Not too early & neither too late.

I found her in front of the foyer. Was about to press the keypads to her phone when the glimpse of me put her to a halt. Smiling all the way & her friends forgotten, she ran to me. My girl looked grown up & she said I looked thinner! Me? Thinner? Hahaha! Well, that was definitely an illusion of a pair of disunited mother & daughter.

Reunited!

I was ushered to a room. There I met the other parents. We had to present our IC & signed on a piece of paper for safety purposes. I could also see the other campers at the foyer playing table tennis & chatting away. Those according to Wardah were the campers who were staying in for the day due to geographical purposes. Good thing she is in UKM! Bangi is less than half an hour drive from home.

In the car, Wardah was talking non-stop of her stay & her new experiences. I knew she was happy. It made me feel a lot better. I think when the time comes to part with the other campers, she will have a difficult time. Everybody seems to be good to her.

At home (geographically 30km away from Bangi ;-)) we had breakfast together. The girls enjoyed Wardah's story about this & that but what they liked most were the gifts Wardah got for them at Petrosains, KLCC. (Campers go for educational trips on Fridays. Last week was Petrosains, this week is Aquaria & next will be Planetarium).

HB was working that morning. Both father & daughter had a very limited time together. If most of my enquiries were more on her stay & her whereabouts, HB's focused on the activities & experiments she did in the lab. You see Wardah was selected for the Scientists group. So most of her activities involve experiments & observations. It was very interesting listening to them discussing science. My least favourite subject ;-) Yasmin, on the other hand joined in with enthusiasm. But there were a few things that she was familiar with based from her readings. I don't understand these girls... it was barely an hour meeting each other but Yasmin had to tease her sister about a few of her failed experiments. Sisters!

After bidding farewell to HB, the 2 disappeared. I was busy in the kitchen preparing lunch & when I went upstairs I saw both Yasmin & Wardah in their room laughing & chatting away with a NB each in front of them. That was how Wardah spent most of her time at home that Sunday ;-)

After Asar prayer we went to Alamanda to get a few things for Wardah. Had a very early dinner & off to Bangi. We left Putrajaya at approximately 25 mins to curfew time. Wardah was relaxed about it. She was not worried for being late at all! Reached her hostel 3 mins before 7pm. We were not late after all.

I helped Wardah with her things to her room. Once settled I told her that I had to get back home to catch Maghrib prayer. She started to look down. I hugged & kissed her. That did it! She started to sob & within seconds tears came rolling down her cheeks. Oh no! I hated to leave her like that...

After awhile she got better. I drove off & prayed softly that she would eventually feel better. This was exactly what HB warned me. A visit might bring trouble.

As I was reaching home, she called & was crying out loud through the phone receiver. It broke my heart... Yes. But I know Wardah just too well. Perhaps all my readers here come to know her by now. She is a drama queen at times & I forced myself to believe she was again in one of her acts. I comforted her of course. It didn't worry me much because from what I gathered after all the stories she showered me with, she was happy there. It was only at that point of saying goodbye which she is never good at.

Somewhere at 9pm she rang me up again. In a gaily voice she said, "Wardah dah OK. Love you Mama!". See... didn't I say so ;-)

I have made plans for this coming Sunday. It's HB's off day & we are watching Rapunzel!

3 & 6

2010-12-02T21:10:00.005+08:00

I notice how seldom I update on Nadeen here. I used to do that at least on monthly basis. Especially when she was a baby. Well I blame my easier access to FB instead ;-)

Today is her 3rd birthday. My baby is a big girl now... She used to address herself as "baby" but now & then prefers "princess". Occasionally, "Nadeen". It is Balqis who keeps babying her. She doesn't address Nadeen nothing other than baby. After all, she is her baby sister :-)

Nadeen is starting school next year. I'm sure she is ready for it. She gets bored being stuck at home whenever all her sisters are in school. So next year she will fly her wing away from mama's cocoon. Awww... I'm feeling melancholy already!

I don't worry much about her coping though. She has enough orientation at home. It seems that they frequently role play "teacher & students" nowadays. Even Wardah used to join in. No! Not Yasmin... If I happen to see her in a role, I am 100% sure it is by force ;-) And it never lasts for long. It is either she quits or is fired by her sisters. Hahaha! She rather browses the net or read her books.

Nadeen's words articulation is marvelous for her age. OK, I may be bias there... She has problem with the sound "k" meeting the sound "ch". Like "Catching" becomes "Checking". OK that doesn't really sound hilarious I know. How about "Kacau" becomes "Cakau? "Kucing" is "Cuking" (told her to stick with cat) & "Kencing is "Cengking" (good that now she prefers shishi). I found it weird when she could pronounce "Kicap" at ease. Later I noticed she said it as "Ticap" not "Kicap". So I corrected her to "Kicap" & guess what came out? Oh yes! "Cikap"... (Hahaha! Stay with "Ticap" Nadeen). I'm sure she will pass that stage pretty soon.

Since Balqis's birthday was just last Wednesday, both girls had a birthday do together. It was held at home this time. Let's the photos do the narrating... :-)

On Balqis's birthday. We lunched out & had this cake for dessert :-)

For the party, Balqis requested a Castle Cake & Nadeen simply agreed. Guess I passed the test because later I was called the Cake Boss! Bye Buddy... Hello Ja... ;-)

The simple deco

Muffins!

My parents with one of the birthday girls

I normally come out with one or two games when I host the girls' birthday party. This time around I decided to try with Pinata! It was fun! Though it was quite tough for the children to get their candies ;-)

Nadeen was the first to hit the nothing fancy Pinata...

Wardah's 1st attempt

Many others did but it was kind of too solid for them ;-)

HB had to make a tear & it helped a lot!

The final hit from Balqis and....

everyone rushed on the ground for their snack ;-)

These 2 brothers sure had a great time! :-)

Next came the cake... The princesses with their miniature castle.

All eyes on the cake...

Oooppss..! Wrong candle Nadeen!

Nadeen is 3, Balqis is 6, their mom is 36 & their grandma is 63!

Balqis asked, "Mama, nak potong dekat mana?" :-)

The almost ruined castle ;-)

Later in the evening, another Pinata came out...

Nadeen in action...

Unwrapping their presents...

Today Nadeen got her ears pierced! Check that pose... ;-) She cried a bit but it was merely out of shock. After checking her reflection in the mirror she switched to her princess mode :-)

Happy birthday Balqis! Happy birthday Nadeen! Muah! Muah! We love you loads!!

Have Fun Wardah!

2010-11-29T22:58:00.001+08:00

I published a post on Wardah last October about a camp she was selected in & today is the first day of the camp. Well technically it was the second day... We were late. Some students had already registered yesterday or even on Saturday itself. The course started today & my Wardah sort of missed half a day.

I was at first disappointed with the misunderstanding. We were amongst the very few parents who registered late that morning. When I noticed the other children were already in their respective classes & Wardah had just gotten there, I felt this slight guilt for not reading the offered letter comprehensively. Only then I remembered the "Early Registration" & "Late Registration" stated in the letter which I ignored & didn't feel the need to inquire. My fault...

Once after we registered, she was given her room key. I was quite familiar with the hostel. Used to be a resident there 15 years ago :-) Her room was cosy. Sharing with another student but she registered yesterday. Only her belongings welcomed us.

In her new room

After I unpacked her stuff & instructed her of a few trivial things, we left for her class. She was in MSA 2. A Science class & most of her time will be in a Biology Lab.

The lab. She was nervous which is so obvious.

We parted wearing a smile. No tears. Frankly, I wasn't worried of her tears. Mine that I was more concern of. I lost when packing for her. Defeated again when I put her to bed last night. Today, I was one cool mom! Tearless ;-) Perhaps it was what she said to me. I was sobbing & hugging her the night before but she comforted me with a smile... & said,

"Seminggu je mama. Will see you again on Sunday."

Yes. Students are allowed to have visitors on Sundays. The curfew is at 7pm. I have made plans of course ;-)

Seeing her so calm like that made me feel way better. It seems that she has grown up overnight. Seriously... she didn't drop a single tear! Well, just not yet!

Received her call this evening. The minute I heard her voice, I knew something was wrong. Tried to ignore it & instead I asked her of her day. She said she made new friends, the instructors were good to her but it was all tiring. At this point her voice started cracking & she broke down...

"Mama, Wardah nak balik... Penat mama..."

At the other end of the line I was doing my best to control my voice. Today was only a half day activity for her & what about a full day activity of the following days? Can she handle it? Of course I have to be positive for her. Gave her encouragements. Told her how proud we were of her. It calmed her a bit. When she told me that even her room mate was crying too, it made me feel better. I guess it is a phase of adjusting.

HB agreed. This is part of the process of her being independent. I had always been there for her. Guess this time I have to trust others. I know it's best for her. Still, I look forward to her response tomorrow. If it is still negative, I will make the call.

Both HB & I knew this was coming once we found out from one of the staff that the children need to walk to the Faculty from the hostel & from the Faculty back to the hostel . Walking, especially in a hot day is not what Wardah does best.

InsyaAllah, tomorrow will be a better day... Will update. We miss you home darling. Have fun there.

Balqis Here & There

2010-11-22T09:25:00.000+08:00

My Balqis will turn 6 in 2 days time & last Saturday was her Induction Day of her new journey to primary school. Yes, she will be in Year 1 next year. How time flies!

Frankly, it was a hectic day last weekend. Very tiring indeed! HB was away. It was a one woman show for me.... :-)

My girls have piano lessons every Saturday. The centre allows replacement classes but the week before, all 3 did not attend class since the elder girls had Brownies Day Camp at school. Skipping class that week as well will make it almost impossible for more replacement classes. I had no choice but to send Yasmin & Wardah for piano that day as well.

So, the plan. Her elder sisters will join Balqis in school that morning & once I get Balqis settled with her teacher I need to send off both Yasmin & Wardah for piano & rush back to school. Pheww!

Can you spot Balqis? This was during the assembly of the new pupils before they were led to their respective classrooms to sit for a placement test.

She was in 1B. I was merely a day late for Year 1 certification & it pushed Balqis to a B class. But after the tests, the classes will be reshuffled.

Notice Balqis was the only one in navy blue & was wearing a pair of black sports shoes? Well, it was clearly written that students needed to wear white T-shirts or may purchase the school T-shirts at the bookstore. But I remembered Wardah bought a school T-shirt with one size smaller (it was way in 2007) ;-). It was still in a good condition & I purposely saved it for Balqis :-)

We parents were not allowed to go upstairs & be with our children. Which I think was a brilliant rule because if such regulation was not implemented, I would be the first mom ascending the stairs together with my child! :-)

Parents were to see the class teacher & produce the documents needed as mentioned in the offered letter. I don't know about you but I am this kind of mom who loves to fill up the forms, the files given & even writing the names on the exercise books! It's a pleasure doing it. Hahaha... Oh dear! I need a life!!

I stopped with Yasmin & Wardah because they were embarrassed to have my handwriting jotting on their names. Looked forward to fill up the forms for Balqis but Wardah offered her handwriting. I wanted to decline but I didn't. It was good to know that she was all excited about her sister's big day just as I was. So it was Wardah's neat writing that filled up Balqis's particulars.

The day I presented the documents... it was incomplete. Grr!! Still it was not really a big deal since I had Wardah with me & she could complete them for me. But she was using a blue ink pen & I had two pens in my handbag but both were in black. Hah! Bookshop was closed. Erggh.. how ugly Balqis's file was with blue & black writings. Still the teacher didn't accept her file because it was photoless! Really I don't blame the teacher. Neither Wardah... It was my fault. How could I missed that? Remembered having her photo somewhere at home. A recent one. The one we took for India visa application.

I drove home with Yasmin & Wardah & found those photos in record time. The time was already 9am. Piano would start in an hour time. Made that 20 minutes drive to the centre & rushed back to get Balqis for I knew, 10am would be recess time.

I had a close friend sending her son for Induction Day at the same school. Balqis is OK with her. I could just wait until the elder girls completed their one hour piano lesson & get Balqis afterward. But the thought of her having her first recess at the school canteen without her own parent disturbed me. Don't get it wrong... It's not that I don't trust you Fiza but how would Balqis feel when she saw other kids with their moms but she was with another person's mom.

Made it just in time for her. Found her searching for me & once she saw me, a happy smile welcomed me. Told me she made new friends. 3 of them! As I was ushering her to an empty table, she asked me..

"Mama, bunga N,G,A, kan? Bukan N,Y,A,?"(Oh you might want to read here about her spelling)

Answered yes & she said the test was too easy. Hahaha! Well, I guess it was a piece of cake to all kids. The teachers highlighted that the main purpose of the test was to search for students who have difficulties with reading & counting. Not to stream the children.

Recess time. She brought from home some sausages.

After the half an hour break, the children had a tour of the school with their respective teachers & parents had a session with the headmaster. I joined for merely an hour & decided to get Yasmin & Wardah. On my way back to the school, Fiza called to inform that she had Balqis with her & the event was over. I was only 5 minutes late to get her & she was still wearing the same smile when I left her.

You must have in mind that I worry too much about her. Well, it was not it. That day was another milestone of Balqis & I sure didn't want to miss that. I managed wonderfully. Alhamdulillah..

At 3pm, I had to send Wardah to school. Her Ustazah was treating her & friends & the meeting point was the school entrance. Another round of chauffering! Good to know that the Ustazah would send her home, instead of me fetching her at school.

By 5pm, somebody was way too excited to bathe. Balqis had to be at her kindergarten before 545pm to get ready for her big night - the Annual Concert. Applied a light make up & she was ready for the show ;-)

A pose on the empty stage.

I went home after that. It was made understood from Balqis's Memo Book that parents were not needed in the kindi compound before the event. Or else, I'd love to play the photographer! Hehehe...

The show started at 7.30pm. We were there quarter past seven, hoping to get good seats but as expected others were already there ahead of us. We settled down somewhere in the middle but were separated. As long as we had the good view of the stage, it was good enough.

First was the Graduation ceremony. It was short & sweet. No long speeches. No unnecessary protocol. I was of course vanished from my seat & ready in front for the moment.

You see, I wanted to make things as vivid as possible especially for HB. He missed Balqis's 3 important events that day. Induction Day, Graduation Day & Annual Concert. I of course had informed her of her dad's duty but her response was merely..

"Mama kan ada..."

Hehehe... So there I was with a cam & a handycam. I had no tripod & the task seemed impossible. Had no other choice but to delegate the job to Wardah (Yasmin refused. She had never liked photography. Both in front & behind the cam.) Wardah could handle the dslr yes, but for night shots, even I still have problems. What more when the flash battery was getting weak! Hence the decision of Wardah handling the handycam.

My concern was her not able to handle the handycam for a long time. But she had a friend whom she discussed to pass the handycam whenever her arm got tired (which explains the 'earthquake' in the video ;-)).

With Mr Robert

With a friend. Look at the shadow! My shots were not too good that night!

The Grizzly Class 2010

They started singing "Congratulations & Celebration..." but Balqis was no where to be seen. I of course found my way to get to her ;-)

Even called out for her ;-)

The Graduate

Balqis was really responding to my lens but was pushed inside by her teacher. Hmm..

Graduation Video

Next was the performance. The younger classes performed first. Mostly were dancing to the music tunes but Grizzly Class presented a short play. It was very entertaining.

It was during the Japanese Era. How savage the soldiers were. But of course the only cruelty portrayed was when they attacked & fired the villagers with guns. There was a part when one of the soldiers carried one of the girls away from the others. It concerned me. How far was the children's understanding of the play?

Balqis as one of the villagers

The Japs

I had a talk with Balqis. Kind of pretended that I didn't know much of the play & all. She went something about the Japanese used to love being violent. They attacked villagers & killed them. (At this point I started to worry..) But she continued. That was a long time ago. Now, they have become good people. Every time we see a Japanese, they will bow to you & say.. something which she forgot. Hehehe! According to her it was the principal who elaborated on that. I wanted to find out about the girl who was kidnapped. She said it was a mother. The Japs did not like mother & father to be together. They liked to separate them. OK. I let that be. Wondered whether that came from her own understanding or from the teachers' elaboration :-)

Anyhow, I did not agree to this part. You see the 3 boys in baju melayu? They were Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat & Hang Kasturi. Helllllooo..! Be more realistic teachers. Get your history right please...

Overall it was a good show. Way to go children!

Balqis anyhow had another performance. Imitating the Wonder Girls... The truth, I was hoping they had put more efforts for a longer plot on the play instead. The dancing was rather too long & with the same steps over & over again ... it shouldn't come from a 6-years-old class.

Balqis in action, second from left

A close up

In the end of the show there were a few shufflers dancing together with the girls. Audience enjoyed that beat. After the WG show there was another performance of those shufflers plus 2 of the WG who were now called Sexy Girls. Come on!! Teachers you can do a lot better than that! It was too much. Well at least for me... I didn't like it. Especially the ending when the shufflers & the 2 girls sort of crawling from the centre of the stage to the front. And it was how the show ended with all children lying flat on the chest. Sad to say, the applause was softer.

The Shufflers with the WG. Sorry no photo of the Shufflers with SG

It was then followed with the Grand Finale. The children were again introduced class by class together with their class teachers. They all sang "Standing In The Eyes Of The World" & by this time both cam & handycam were with me.

Wardah (in pony tail, off stage) was right in front of Balqis.

I realised that Wardah managed to control the video cam but the angle from where she shot did not capture Balqis too well. I decided to have Yasmin with me. Her height was an advantage. I got her the angle & she would record.

During the Grand Finale, I couldn't really capture Balqis. She was right in the middle. I tried to sneak in front, the side but there was no Balqis. I found Yasmin busy with the new task given to her. Didn't want to disturb her so I simply enjoyed the show without snapping any photos.

Yasmin not by choice, with the handycam to capture the Grand Finale performance

After that, I got busy again. The children were led to their classes before allowed to go home. My lens was searching for Balqis & found her.

Parents were not allowed to get them from stage due to safety purposes. The Principal would hand the kids personally to parents. Hence, the long wait :-)

Finally, Balqis was out. During the show, Nadeen watched tentatively with my maid & according to her they got a good view. She shared that at the point when Balqis was dancing to Nobody But U tune, Nadeen wanted to get on stage. She had always been around when Balqis practised at home & sort of memorised the steps. Good that my maid was able to control the situation :-)

Balqis with her no 1 fan :-)

Admiring her sister's costume which she wore the very next day after it was washed ;-)

Balqis with her sisters

We went home after that. In the car the elder girls were discussing the show & to my surprise SG was the topic. Hahaha! I thought it was due to my age that disapproved of such performance. My young girls too? In fact 2 of my neighbours' children tagged along for the concert & they too were on my side. Well, OK... I think I will have a talk with the Principal. I hope she would take it positively.

Balqis was well educated in this kindi. She started reading at 5. Anyhow, most of the good teachers have left. I think I change my mind to sending Nadeen to this kindergarten. There is a new franchised kindergarten in my area. I might put that in consideration.

All in all, this year's annual concert was not as good as before. You may want to read here to view Balqis's show when she was 4 and here when she was 5. Enjoy the video...

Balqis at the back row, 2nd from left

When the Shufflers made an entree

The play

Remember the video Yasmin recorded? Well... I got her the angle & pressed the record button & when she got the handycam she repressed the same button. And yes.. it was back on stand by mode! Hahaha... Didn't blame Yasmin at all. It was a good thing that she wanted to help though it was never her passion.

Congratulations Balqis! You have completed the 1st stage. Next will be the Primary School. You will enjoy yourself. Trust me. Love you darling... Muahh!!

Her Graduation Photo

Tamil Nadu, India - Day 4

2010-11-13T00:15:00.002+08:00

No! Don't scroll down yet. You have not missed a post. I made a mistake with the days sequence (didn't realise I used parts instead of days at my day 3...). Edited the title to the other posts & here we are at day .

We slept like a log. It was a refreshing morning but for our troop of 6 to be on time for breakfast with everyone else was like a miracle ;-) 6 persons taking turns using 1 bathroom is time consuming indeed! Though the elder girls opted for their grandparents' bathroom, we were still late... OK! OK! Woke up late. Our fault... Hehehe!

Had breakfast. How excited the girls were to have koko krunch, sausages & toast that morning. Even I enjoyed my continental breakfast.

Us having breakfast

Well... I can spot Kak Yasmin, Kak Wardah & Hadi in this picture. So this must be your hand Balqis!! Too big to be Nadeen's...

An attempt to swallow all the rock sugar on the tray!

Cousin Riaz (Aunt Mumtaz's & Uncle Ibrahim's son) dropped by the hotel right after we were done with breakfast. He was working in Chennai & took the day off to spend sometime with us.

The itinerary of the day was not other than shopping!! Woohoo.. I like! Uncle was taking us to a textile shop. I was trying my best to cover my excitement but I guess this shot by Balqis gave it away... :-D

Yes, Balqis had shown interests to use the bulky cam! The problem was... once Balqis had gotten hold of something, her little sis would want the same. Glad that Nadeen agreed to have the point & shoot instead...

These shots were taken when Yasmin had the possession of the dslr. I didn't even realised when she snapped these.

Yasmin's shot..

Since Yasmin is in the picture, who made this shot? It was Uncle! Good Job... :-)

We boarded the same mini bus to take all of us shopping. Everyone was really in a good mood. I managed to capture these on our way to the shops.

Our destination was at.....

I love this place! It housed varieties in one roof. Almost all the things I planned to get I got them here. Air-conditioned, prices were fixed (no ridiculous prices for us tourists) & guaranteed for qualities...

These security guards offered for their photos to be snapped ;-)

I managed to get cotton material... Isn't the best cotton come from India? So the theme next raya will be cotton, shades of orange & Porthys mari ;-) HB loves his Kurta. Yes, that one is in cotton as well. Even the Saree I fell in love with was in cotton silk!

I had in mind to get the girls some ready made blouses & long skirts for Yasmin. But dear Balqis had already set her mind of what to get. Obviously she had been admiring the attires her cousins put on & once she saw the one she loved, she didn't want to look at others. I am still not sure of what it's called.... Churidar is it? A long blouse worn in long pants. But it is really the shawl that captured her heart. She put it on & it looked great on her. Really! ;-)

When HB saw Balqis in the Indian attire, he told his other girls to choose one too. It surprised me that even Yasmin (who kind of picky of what she wears) didn't hesitate & started looking for the one she liked.

At the fitting room, we were the only customers there who were guarded with a personal security. Hahaha! It was either she was scared of us shop lifting or she was entertained by me handling those girls. In the end, apart from the blouses & skirts they chose we ended up with all the girls with a Churidar (right?). Nadeen, I got her a 2 pieces of blouse & skirt, heavy with beadings. It was her choice & she too looked good in her choice.

They came out from the fitting rooms wearing their new unpaid Indian clothing with their own clothes stuffed in the shopping bags ;-) Well... that should explain the security concerns. Once, I was done with the girls, I passed them to their grandparents & I continued what I had too ;-)

At this point, there were only the men babysitting the young ones. The ladies were still at it ;-) Look at Yasmin & her new attire. Great choice!

Nadeen, modeling hers :-)

My MIL had retired from her shopping & Balqis there was looking annoyed but I was still at it ;-)

At last with a heavy heart I had to bid farewell to Porthys. I could see my SIL was having trouble parting too :-) She was leaving for KUL that night but I still had another 2 days to spend in Chennai. But HB made it clear that it was the only day we were shopping... The day after would be sight seeing :-(

We stopped for lunch. It didn't thrill me much when the ride put a halt to this restaurant... Whenever I travel, I prefer to taste the local food.

A pose with Auntie Parween

My love affair with auntie continued ;-)

It was lunch time & the place was really a hit! Section closed girls...

Managed to get a table, 4 to be exact... & we had a feast. Little did I know how I missed home. After 5 days in India, nasi kandar really made my day!

... sirap limau too!

Tata entertaining his young grandchildren

HB with cousin Riaz

A family portrait

On the way back we stopped at a few small shops for souvenirs. Uncle was always around to guide us so our price was for the locals ;-) Everyone retired to their rooms to pack since they were catching the flight home & Uncle with Auntie were leaving for Thanjavur once they sent off the others to the airport.

I had a peaceful time re-admiring the stuff I bought because the girls were at Tata's room. Decided to join them & I found them snapping pictures using the point & shoot. They were loads but too bad we lost it on our way to the airport the day after...

When it was time, we all gathered at the lobby & here are the photos shot...

It was time for them to leave. We sent them to the mini bus. Auntie Parween was no longer talking at this point. It was hard for her to say goodbye & it was not easier for me.

Just look at her in this picture. I dropped a tear seeing her so devastating like that. When she asked "You, remember me?", it hit me. How will I forget you Auntie dear... You had been way too wonderful to us!

This was uncle playing translator again :-) See Nadeen aiming the cam at her Tata?

Once they left Nadeen was in a bad mood. She was tired... I tried to have a shot of all of them together in their Indian attire before they changed but Nadeen wanted to be the one taking photos, not the one posing..

Anyhow, I tried my luck again when we were in the room...

Hmmm... was crying for something which I can's recall

Managed to get her in the mood but Wardah & Balqis were distracted!

At last! Though Nadeen lost her posing charm :-)

*to be continued

A Gift

2010-11-11T22:55:00.000+08:00

Today marks my parents' wedding anniversary. Their 37th year together. 37! I still have a looong way to go... :-)

We had an earlier celebration last weekend. Had dinner together with my other siblings at Wadi Hadramawt in Ampang. Great place. Scrumptious food. Wonderful company. What else can you ask for?

As for the two of them, they did lunch together. For no particular reason, their lunch date on a special occasion together (which also include birthdays) will always be the Secret Recipe Restaurant at Alpha Angle. They will order the usual... In fact, they get to know this staff there who is very familiar with their orders. I'm not sure of the drinks but their main course will be a Japanese Soba & a Lamb Stew which they will share together :-) But something funny happened today. The usual staff was no longer working there & they had to go through the menu. Assisted by their reading glasses, they somehow had a problem with the Irish Lamb Stew they were familiar with. It has been so long the Lamb Stew is now Lamb Shank ma... ;-)

Before lunch they were somewhere at Jln TAR. Well... you see, my dad sometimes has to go do his errands in town & whenever it is at JTAR or even somewhere near JTAR, my mom can't be happier ;-) But today they did not go separate ways like always. My dad was with my mom searching for something in particular.

Remember my post on A Start? Well, my parents are aware of my schedule every Wednesday afternoon & they looked so please when they found out that I have now started attending the class privately. Yes, twice a week... just me & the ustazah. Alhamdulillah...

It was only a couple of weeks back that I mentioned to mom that I was getting a new Al-Quran. The one I am using does not highlight on the tajwid & my ustazah has recommended one for me to buy. Upon hearing that, my mom announced that she & my dad would get one for me. Apparently, they have already the intention to get one for all 3 of us.

They day at SR, Alpha Angle did not stop there. They called me up to inform that they were coming over to give me the gift. It touched me.... It is indeed a very meaningful gift.

This copy indicates the tajwid through specific colours with page by page translation.

Thank you abah. Thank you ma. Happy Anniversary!! You know... it is really me who should get you something :-)

Tamil Nadu, India - Day 3

2010-11-06T15:51:00.004+08:00

It was our last morning in Thanjavur. Due to our late night chat & playing Kajol (parading in Sarees which I felt like being Kajol, my old time fav Hindi character ;-)), we (my SIL, Sajitha & I) didn't get enough sleep at all! Hahaha.... Served us right! But once awoke & switched to Mommy Mode... Sleepy Mode was forgotten.

Our luggage was half way done. We needed to get all the girls ready first then only we could pack up everything. I was the last to leave Sajitha's room & its condition looked satisfactory to me :-) Right Sajitha? ;-)

Everyone was ready by the time I reached downstairs. Found dear Sajitha in the dining room but the look she was wearing that morning was unlike last night. We were to part at Uncle's house. She had baby Ameera to tend to & the long journey back to Chennai would not be suitable for both mother & daughter.

I hated to see her like that. It was definitely not a farewell yet my dear! We had to pose for the camera first... :-) And that was what we did. At least that cheered her up a bit..

All of us with Uncle's family

My girls & HB with uncle's family

So Sajitha dear... you now have an instant brother & sister ;-)

With her sis, sis in law & nieces

We promised to have breakfast at Auntie Aysha's but did you think Auntie Parveen would allow us leave her house with empty stomachs? Never! Had a very light breakfast instead. Our favourite... Vadey!

A pose of our henna project the night before

At last it was finally time to go. My heart felt heavy but I managed to hold the tears & so did she... We were granted the chance to bid farewell which was an evidence that we had the opportunity to meet & get really acquainted.

Goodbye my dear. Remember that we are just a click away ;-)

Nadeen Kutty (as addressed by Sajitha) sure was perplexed that morning seeing us like that...

A pose in front of Uncle's

The journey to Papanasam was rather quiet. Perhaps it was still too early or everyone was thinking of how difficult it would be to bid farewell to the others at Aunt Aysha's.

Once we reached her house what awaited was as promised... breakfast. We had idly, tosai, kurma, vadey & desserts.

Our breakfast spread (Oh yes... Sprite for breakfast! That sure made my girls' day! ;-))

One thing unique about Auntie Aysha's house was the staircase. In fact once home,whenever mentioned of the big houses in India, the question followed would be " Ada tangga macam cerita Hindustan tak?";-) Of course we didn't miss the chance to pose at the staircase. Though they did not descend from the middle, hers was dramatic enough for us :-)

The children

The ladies

The men

Though how much we tried to drag the time, we had no choice but to go. The journey to Chennai was way too long to postpone any longer.

My calm self-control was moved upon seeing my FIL hugging her elder sister, Auntie Aysha. Of all his sisters I noticed that Auntie Aysha was so fond of her new found brother. Parting was very difficult.

Well at least my SIL was happy posing chin to chin with Shameem who looked pretty much like her.

Off to the mini bus

Till we meet again...Thank you for such incredible hospitality. It was completely amazing!

In the ride, everyone continued talking about this cousin, this auntie, this uncle. Even the younger ones started to understand the importance of a family unit. Not long after that everyone was quiet. I took the chance to enjoy the scenery but with Nadeen on my lap & HB was busy reading some manuals he brought from home, a camera was out of the story :-)

Not long after that, made our first stop. Neither the petrol kiosk nor the public toilet but to a wedding reception! Can you believe that? After the food, the warm welcome, the comfortable lodging, we got to experience a local wedding ;-)

It was a double wedding of Aunt Parveen's nephews

The reception was held in a big hall. Yes, we were informed of the wedding in the agenda but only after we reached India. Hence, all my clothing was not really proper for weddings. I chose the most suitable one in the luggage & ended up with a long red blouse but I had to give in to a pair of jeans. Confidently, I thought the colour I chose would suit the occasion perfectly. Hey! It was after all a wedding...

At the entrance we were given roses each & rock sugar. I guessed it was a symbol to welcome guests. I think.. Of all the many questions I inquired, I missed on that one... Oh well!

This was the point when I asked for 2 roses instead of one... Hehehe! (One for Balqis & the other for Nadeen). The elder girls managed themselves.

The big hall was upstairs & as we were ascending the staircase, we saw in amazement how the crowd was. My concern was the girls. Hence, babysitting was delegated. I didn't have enough hands to handle all 4!

From far I saw a group of men on a stage in the hall. My assumption was a pelamin (a nicely decorated platform for the brides & their grooms to sit on).

By then we were separated from HB & the other men but we decided to get a closer look. We sure made quite an entrance... We looked foreign to them with our looks & attire especially.

Most of them were in white!

Red was so out of the season! ;-)

As approaching the stage, I knew my assumption was wrong. What they had on stage was the akad nikah ijab & kabul ceremony & it was witnessed by the whole members of the hall. After all this was the most significant of a Muslim wedding...

The 2 grooms

The certified document

We were invited on stage. With all the men I at first found it awkward but... why not? And so we did but of course were watching merely from a corner. I found a glimpse of someone so familiar amongst the photographers & true enough HB was one of them aiming on his Canon.

Auntie Parveen ushered us to a room. Once the door was opened & saw the crowd inside, I wanted to decline. But knowing that a bride was waiting inside I guided myself in. I didn't hv the point & shoot in my handbag. Both cams were with HB! Grrr.. But with her demure composition seated on a bed, head docilely bowed, I wondered would I be permitted to snap her on cam? We checked on the other bride & she was no different than the other one. Shy, pretty but nervous.

I hate to admit this but the best part I experienced at the wedding was during meal time... ;-) But really! It was quite an experience. After seeing the brides we were ushered downstairs & were reunited with the men at a table served with mutton briyani & fried chicken. No plates needed. The table was covered with a long piece of paper & on top was a banana leaf. Once we were done eating, the paper together with the leaf was folded & dumped into a bin. A new set of paper & leaf was replaced. How convenient!

Us with our delicious meal :-)

Uncle with Auntie

Uncle with his SIL & niece

After thanking the host, we continued our long journey to Chennai. I must thank the hearty lunch we had because it put almost all of us in dreamland. The mini bus was totally quiet except for the engine sound & the non-stoppable honking :-)

On the way up to Chennai

I can't remember where or when but on our way we had a stop at a rest area along the highway. It felt good to stand up & walk after the long hours ride.

They were not difficult to travel with. Thumb's up girls... & you too Hadi :-)

There was even a neat playground

The adults enjoyed their tea alright. Chai to be exact... Tea with milk. Still could't compete my mom's teh tarik ;-)

The proper way to have your chai...

Continued the journey. By then it was not only the children asking their Tata "Are we there yet?". Even us kept pestering Uncle ;-)

After the playground episode the kids were energized. I was seated next to HB behind the driver. HB was either napping or reading or napping ;-) So it was not much of fun activities in front but it was totally different at the back. It was like a zoo! Hahaha... My SIL & her hubby had a great time entertaining the kids & vise versa.

Even Nadeen preferred her uncle & auntie to her parents ;-)

Finally we reached Chennai but Chennai itself was a big city & for us to get to our exact destination sounded almost impossible with the heavy traffics. My FIL in law suggested us to have dinner first & Uncle brought us to this vegetarian restaurant.

Uncle Ibrahim & Aunt Mumtaz who were traveling with us from Papanasam had to leave. They were meeting their son & declined to join us for dinner.

Us, clowning whilst waiting for food

Notice the jug on the table? We didn't take that even though it was in the house. As directed by Uncle of course. It surprised me. I was aware of the water condition in India & vaccinated my girls with typhoid vaccine. But the fact that Uncle as a local refused to consume the water surprised me. He, together with us opted for mineral water the whole time we were in Chennai.

Nadeen helped herself for 2 purees, the same amount I consumed!

After our light dinner we braved the traffic jam to the hotel that Uncle made reservation. Once in our respective shells, we freshened up & hit the sack...

*to be continued

Tamil Nadu, India - Day 2

2010-10-18T14:20:00.011+08:00

I woke up early that morning & found my girls all still asleep next to me. Traveling with 4 children, I need to be extra organised. What more when I am that type of mother who is particular with what the children put on. Hence you can imagine how I was the day before we traveled. At least an hour was spent to select the clothing to wear. Packing as always was done by HB. So, there was I on our second day at uncle's, arranging the 4 attires to be worn by my girls. It's quite a tricky job because with 3 luggage bags, I kind of forgot which was where ;-)

By the time I was done, the girls were awake or more likely awaken by auntie... She came in to check on us. With her deep Indian accent, she tried her best to converse in English which was very foreign to her tongue. "You, comfortable?". It was of course followed with head movements :-) Oh! How I miss her!

Getting shower was another challenge. There were 6 of us. Hence none in the family dared to wait for their turn to use the attached bathroom in the room we slept in! Normally, I'd bathe Nadeen with Balqis & later her sisters or HB would assist with them while I showered. Next would be either Yasmin or Wardah & lastly HB. Doesn't that sound like forever to wait until all of us are done ? ;-)

As I was getting ready, I heard my MIL calling out for me. Since we tried our skill in making Vadey the day before, she was wondering whether I wanted to have a look at their way of making Paratha or Roti Canai to us.

This is one of auntie's helpers, beating the dough to make Paratha

Ready to be cooked

Yasmin with her Paratha

After breakfast we got ourselves ready for the reunion in Papanasam. The journey was merely an hour drive but we would only retire back late at night. Knowing it would be a long day, I had packed ample extra clothing with towels for my girls. Definitely the most important thing in the list was a camera!

In front of Uncle's house

Uncle's beautiful house

Balqis & Nadeen with our ride

Ready for the journey

Ato in India but I'm more familiar with Tut Tut

A very old temple in Thanjavur.

I've been told that many Hindu worshipers all around the world come here including from Malaysia. That explains why AK flies to a nearer airport to Thanjavur, Tiruchirappali International Airport. Merely an hour drive! We definitely opt for this airport the next time we pay Uncle a visit BUT... I doubt HB would opt for AK though ;-)

This used to be a palace but unfortunately they converted it to government offices

I've seen a lot of motorcyclists in Tamil Nadu but didn't even see one with a helmet! Well, there were just a handful of them in Chennai....

Even though how reckless they can be on the roads, accidents seldom happen. That was according to the locals which in fact I believe since we didn't witness any. Could the non-stop honking style of driving help us Malaysians to pull down the accident rates?

A Petrol Kiosk

I saw a number of this advertisement but have no clue of what it was about...

But this one I could comprehend ;-)

If I'm not mistaken we took the 12 o'clock

A bullock cart

I'm sure these were for sale, he couldn't possibly bought all that!

Paddy field

A normal scenery by the river bank

I got so excited upon seeing these cars when we were at the airport :-)

A man at a laundry shop

This was shot when we were in the van. I so wanted to get hold of those... but be patient & wait for my post on Chennai ;-)

A local school

A mosque

Such an exquisite tree

We were almost there at our destination for the long awaited reunion

Here you are ... Auntie Aysha's & Uncle Hamid's place in Papanasam

It was this house that witnessed a unification of one big family. For those who might have missed my post on how it all started you may read here. After months of waiting, my FIL was finally reunited with his half sisters. Frankly, I was kind of nervous. For him that is... All this while he has always been telling me his stories & I never fail to listen tentatively. Hence, I sort of understand on how he might have felt. Imagine seeing your flesh & blood whom you never knew you had. Not only 1 or 2 but 4 (including Uncle Guthoose).

The moment our van driver pulled the hand brake, I was almost sure that it was going to be a beginning to something beautiful. At a glimpse I saw only a couple of men at the verandah but as I was minding the girls, the crowd outside tripled or not more. The warmth shining away from their faces vanished away my anxiety.

My FIL hugging his sister, Auntie Mumtaz.

Just look at the embrace he received from his BIL, Uncle Ibrahim!

With all 3 of his new found BILs, frm left Uncle Anwar, Uncle Ibrahim & Uncle Hamid

HB with his dad, BIL & uncles in laws

We were invited inside the house. What awaited us were the daughters & daughters in laws with their children. All came out from the kitchen & the rooms to meet us. True that language was a barrier but it sure didn't stop us from getting to know each other.

HB with his sister & a few of their cousins

Here, Uncle Guthoose was translating from English to Tamil & vice versa

My FIL with his new found siblings

He dropped a few tears... I saw. It touched me. I've seen those tears before. It was in Klang when he was telling me about his childhood & the hardship. The moment he started recalling of his mother, tears came rolling down his cheeks. He has been the man of the family at a very young age. Responsibilities were endless. Though how smart & brilliant he is, poverty defeated his dream to further his studies. Without a degree he couldn't give his mother luxury. That was the reason for those tears that day.

Not in Papanasam though. It was not those tears of sadness. He was overwhelmed with joy I could tell. I still remember him boldly telling one of his sisters, "I'm your brother, Idris..." with pride.

Auntie Aysha

Auntie Mumtaz

Auntie Rabiah

Now here's my Yasmin with Uncle & her twin! That's cousin Yasmin (Auntie Rabiah's daughter). They share the same name & I do believe they have a few similarities in features as well. Don't you think?

Their first language was Tamil. The very few Tamil words that I know are Ane, Thamby, Macha. How possibly could I communicate with them! Good that amongst them were a few who were well versed in English. Uncle was one & Sajitha, his daughter. Hence these two did not even have the chance to go to the toilet! We needed them with us in the living area. Hahaha! And yes, another translator was Uncle Hamid (Auntie Aysha's husband). He used to work in Malaysia & his Malay was marvelous!

Here is Sajitha Maryam, our translator

From these photos it looked that we had too much of things to say but the truth, it wouldn't be possible without both Uncle & Sajitha.

Whilst we were busy catching up the young ones got themselves busy. Thanks to Yasmin for babysitting little Nadeen the explorer.

I was freshening up upstairs when I saw everyone was looking at a couple of photos. Knowing me... I just hate to be left out, hence, I rushed myself downstairs. HB presented me with this photo which made me had a shock of my life!

What I had in my hand was a man who resembled the love of my life. I knew at once it was the photo of Arwah Atuk.

Arwah Atuk Abdul Rahman

Two brothers sharing stories of their old man

Not long after that Uncle ushered us to our ride. Anyhow what attracted my attention outside was this...

Our lunch ;-) A cook was employed for this task.

At first I was not sure of our destination but the minute our driver put the bus to a halt & I saw a glimpse of a mosque, I knew that we were visiting Arwah Atuk's grave. Again my thought went to my FIL. Try putting yourselves in his shoes... It had been more than 3 decades after his father's passing & it was only then he had the opportunity to pay his grave a visit.

When I found him, he was surprisingly calm. Greeted the Imam of the mosque & together we herded to the cemetery which was situated just behind the mosque.

Approaching the cemetery

The Imam led the recitation of Yassin

It was quite difficult for us to get to the exact grave as there were no visible tombs. From far Uncle pointed that Arwah Atuk's grave was next to the wall on the left.

Our attempt to get closer failed as we were scared that we might step on other old graves. This was the closest we got.

Nadeen was too young to understand but she didn't hesitate to follow what others were doing.

As we were leaving I saw the stiffness on my FIL's shoulders. His loyal hankie was again in his hand to wipe those watery eyes.

Making our move to the van with the mosque in the background

Nadeen with her Tata (grandpa in Tamil)

Our next stop was an old house or should I say a mansion. It was this house that Arwah Atuk used to live with his parents & it was also this house that led to a sad story which I choose to keep it confidential.

We moved on. On the way we came across these school girls. Look at their school uniform. What attracted my attention was their identical hairdo which was part of the uniform :-)

The van slowed down upon reaching a house. The house that Uncle grew up in. Smaller but it was cozy enough for the family.

The house and its interior.

Us in front of the memorable house.

We headed back to Auntie Aysha's place after that. What awaited us was this scrumptious thing... Lunch!!

Mutton Briyani with fried chicken

Check out the amount of rice in that tray! I opted to share with Nadeen but our small stomachs failed to finish it up. It was way too much for us but... I helped myself for extra mutton though;-)

Did I tell you that on that day itself my FIL received more than 5 calls from overseas? Yes, his nephews working abroad gave him a call to say hello. They not only talked to him but passed the phones around to the others as well. Even to me, a relative by marriage. How sweet was that? I began to fall in love more with this new family :-)

My FIL in one of his many phone calls he received that day.

After lunch we chilled out outside on the verandah. We were getting more comfortable with each other. Language was not an excuse to get more acquainted after all.

I was enjoying everyone's company when Auntie Mumtaz came out with a tray full of betel & its condiments. I watched too much of TLC & was scared that I would be forced to eating something I hate as not to hurt the hosts' feelings. Hence, I hurriedly excused myself inside ;-)

Auntie Mumtaz apparently did not make us chew those Betel... :-)

Since we were already in Papanasam & both Auntie Mumtaz & Auntie Rabiah lived very nearby to each other, we decided to go to their houses as well. First stop was Auntie Rabiah's

Uncle Anwar is Auntie Rabiah's husband

Made ourselves at home ;-)

We even toured the kitchen... & found these grinders.

Antique grinder for chillies.

Modern grinder for flour & dhal.

Instead, my girls were invited to the bedroom or did you invite yourselves, girls?...

But the roof top, I know they definitely invited themselves! They were so fascinated with the flat rooftops.

In front of Auntie Rabiah's & Uncle Anwar's (far right) house

Next we went by foot to Auntie Mumtaz's.

These 2 have become good friends.

I simply loved their cozy house. Very cooling!

Which explained Nadeen's nap ;-)

Again, I found my other girls with their cousins in the room!

I honestly thought after the 2 visits, we would return to Auntie Aysha's. Instead, we were brought to this new house. Beautiful, especially the scenery from its flat rooftop. It belonged to cousin Zahirah Bannu (Aunty Mumtaz's daughter).

This was her with her son, Shoib. Her husband was in Doha (I think...). I had already gotten mixed up with who is who & this who is where business doubled the confusion! ;-)

Her house was not fully completed yet but her welcome was more than complete.

This lady really amazed me. She was with us during lunch. In fact it was her serving the rice & making sure we did not run out of water or even chicken. I saw her leaving by bus when we had a chat at the verandah. I was wondering of her hastiness. Little did I know that she was to play host to us later in the evening.

We were served with plenty of Indian delicacies. The sandwiches in the middle were a hit though ;-)

In front of her house...

It was already dark. I was very sure it was the final house. Hence I led my legs to the van. Was already seated when Wardah called upon me. Obviously there was one more visit to the house opposite of Zahirah's. I obeyed despite of my weariness :-)

However, the moment we stepped inside the house, the girls got excited. Including their mom really... There, in the middle of the living room was this big swing! Waiting for us to ride on...

With the many of us taking turns swinging, I tell you it sure had passed the QC ;-)

As I was entertaining the children & myself (hehehe...), Sajitha called out for me. She led us to a room with this pretty girl inside. I was told that she was not allowed to go outside to meet the others. I was rather perplexed upon hearing such statement. According to Sajitha, a girl after getting her menses until the day she weds, is not allowed to go outside of the house accept for educational purposes. Which means the girl can only go out to school & after school off she comes home.

That's me interrogating Sajitha for more information outside the room. In yellow was the grandma & next to Sajitha was the girl's mom

I then found out that Sajitha herself was restricted at home before her marriage. And that was not all... The first time she saw her husband was only on their wedding day itself! It was a match make & everyone in the family still obliges to arranged marriages. That was news to me... and it was definitely news to her when informed that HB & I married out of love :-)

OK after bidding farewell, we climbed up the bus. It was really tiring but we still couldn't call it a day. Once back at Aunty Aysha's I straight away got busy bathing Balqis & Nadeen. I was about to instruct their elder sisters to do so when Sajitha asked us to go downstairs. Since I haven't prayed, I allowed Yasmin & Wardah to go downstairs first. What awaited me in a room next to the living area was a celebration...

It looked to me like Malam Berinai ;-) My SIL mentioned of her intention to apply the henna when we had our afternoon chat earlier. Who would have thought that they took the trouble just to make us happy.

Yasmin chose to apply it to her feet instead of her hands. Henna is not allowed at school

Wardah too. That was Fajila, practising her skill whilst her mom, Shameem looked on.

With all the noise we made, baby Ameera (Sajitha's daughter) slept undisturbed on her granny's (Uncle's wife, Auntie Parveen's) lap.

Sajitha did mine

Good job!

Balqis's turn. That was Zahirah doing it for her. After playing host at her place she got into the same van & followed to Auntie Aysha's with us.

My Nadeen wouldn't want to be left out definitely. Sajitha volunteered to do it for Nadeen. Of course she used such opportunity to cuddle her ;-) (Nadeen was not so fond of her Auntie then... )

She requested to have both hands drawn. How demanding!

Thank you Auntie. Muuahhh!

We had a late dinner due to the henna session. After dinner we took a family photo together.

All of us reunited!

On the way home I dozed off. Felt that the journey back to Thanjavur was rather too short. By the time we finished freshening up it was almost midnight. Still we (my SIL, Sajitha & I) insisted to carry on with our plans ;-)

Remember I mentioned that my SIL requested to try the henna painting? Well, I sort of requested for something else... I once asked Auntie Parveen about Saree. It amazed me how she could wear it at ease & at the same time breezed through doing house chores. Since it was our final night in Thanjavur, we decided to be little girls again & modeled on a couple of Sajitha's sarees.

It was indeed fun! Everyone was sounded asleep & there we were parading in our sarees like Bollywood superstars. Hahahh! But it was awkward that I had to do it in silence! ;-) Yes, photos were shot but I prefer to keep it private :-)

*to be continued

One of My Proud Moments

2010-10-06T10:50:00.011+08:00

Yes, I know that I am due for my next travel journal post... but I just have to make way to this one first.

Early this year Wardah took an online test at home. I didn't interrupt her at all. She did everything all by herself. A couple of months back, her name was up for another test. She with 2 other students from her school were to sit for another online test. But this time it was conducted at a school near Puchong area. There were invigilators & the test was to be completed within a time period given. She came out of the lab earlier than others which was not to the liking of her dad ;-) Her prompt answer was... "Senang daripada test dulu!". That's my Wardah ;-)

Yesterday, she came home wearing a smile & a big envelope in a hand. My dear Wardah has been selected for the programme - Permata Pintar. It is basically a twin programme to Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University. It caters the special needs to students with high academic abilities. Locally the university responsible for such programme is UKM. Youy may read here.

Wardah has qualified as an alumnus for the Permata Pintar Programme. She will attend a 3 weeks holiday camp from 29 Nov to 17 Dec end of this year. Err... not at JHU but UKM ;-) That is a long period to be separated from my 9-year-old girl! We are allowed to visit her only on Sundays... How impossible it sounds I definitely have to let go...

With this piece of news, my parenting once more is challenged. It's Yasmin. She has always been the prominent one in the family & when she is not selected for this programme both, HB & I are worried. We both tried our best not to overdo it with Wardah's achievement. When they met, Yasmin did congratulate her sis. It looked genuine to me. Still I decided to have a talk with her.

As I expected, she was keeping something inside. She refused to admit but I know my Yasmin just too well. Hence, she started pouring it out to me.

I knew exactly how she felt. I was the eldest & pretty much like Yasmin was always a top scorer or amongst the top scorers. But many things didn't really get my ways. The chance to go to a boarding school in form 1 is one example. I knew I got her attention & slowly I could see her face softened. She understood.

Later right before dinner, Wardah came whining up to me saying that Kakak Yasmin accused her for getting a boyfriend at the camp. Seeing Yasmin teasing her sister like that & Wardah responded as she would always do, I knew I had passed that stage in parenting :-)

Tamil Nadu, India - The Journey & Day 1

2010-09-28T17:46:00.002+08:00

Home sweet home... Alhamdulillah everything went off smoothly. Yasmin was a bit feverish on the last day but we were prepared with medicine.

We reached Madras International Airport at 2230 local time. The immigration did not give us any trouble at all & in fact they were pretty friendly. Well, perhaps we were lucky. The one attended to us was an elderly man & seeing my young girls he kind of softened.

It was an old airport. A new one should be ready in 2 years time. The walk to the exit was way too long for us. Perhaps the lack of sleep in the flight contributed to the situation. Once outside I was surprised to see the many people waiting. Softly in my heart I was wondering what if we could not find our dear Uncle Guthoose.

As I was minding the younger girls, I saw my father in law (FIL) who was leading the troop put a halt & gave someone a hug. Yes indeed, we found Uncle Guthoose & his wife, Aunty Parveen. It was such a warm welcome & deep inside I knew it was a beginning to something beautiful.

They ushered us to the side of the road. Uncle instructed us to wait by the roadside as he went to get the Tempo Van he had rented for our comfortable stay in India. Whilst waiting Aunty took out something from her handbag & presented a Kit Kat & a Cadbury bar to each of her grandchildren. What a lovely sight to see her distributing the goodies ... Sleepy eyes suddenly were widely awake :-)

The Tempo Van was not bad at all. At a glace it reminded me to the Britz we rented when we were in NZ. Remember? The motor home? It was white & huge enough for our party of 11. As I climbed in I knew it would be a comfortable ride. It was equipped with 14 seats.

From Chennai we had to travel to Uncle's place in Thanjavur which is 342km away but due to the road condition it took us a 7 hrs ride. This was the most challenging part of this trip. However, come to think of it was really not bad compared to my other previous experiences traveling. We were most of the time sleeping in the mini bus or trying our best to sleep. The younger ones had no issues at all. They slept for almost the entire journey. Nadeen especially. HB & I took turn carrying her.

We arrived in Thanjavur safely the next morning. Nadeen woke up the moment I stepped inside Uncle's beautiful house. It was not a good sign because my tired body longed for a bed but Nadeen was wide awake & active!

We freshened up. The room was air-conditioned & the hot water in the bathroom completed our coziness. As we climbed down the staircase such scrumptious aroma welcomed us. Breakfast was served. Aunty, though how tired she must have been went to the trouble instructing her 3 helps with our first meal in India.

Brothers - my FIL & Uncle Guthoose

I think breakfast was meant for a king! We had varieties of Indian foods. From Vade, Puree, Thosai, Idly to the sauces like chutney, dhall curry & potato marsala. All in one meal!! We had started to fall in love with this country... After breakfast we had a chat in the living area. But slowly one by one retired & surrendered ourselves in dreamland.

I was dreaming of Vade when an earsplitting noise woke me up. Nadeen was next to me playing with an alarm clock! I remembered telling Wardah to monitor Nadeen while I napped. Perhaps she got bored & sneaked out. The condition of the room was not actually a pretty sight. Nadeen was still new to the house so she wouldn't go further away from me. But I found our luggage ransacked & baby powder sprinkled on the floor & bed!

Wardah rushed in upon hearing the alarm clock. Gave some excuses that Nadeen was out of control. Didn't blame her because Yasmin was trusted with a more interesting task that was to take care of Balqis. They were on the flat rooftop playing.

The alarm clock incident caused me a mild headache. Searched for the PCM I brought along from home & headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. One help was busy cooking. Another was asking whether I had dirty clothes to wash. Uncle & Aunty were no where to be seen. They were napping as well I assumed. Found Sajitha, Uncle's only daughter with her baby Ameera. We chatted & she was really bubbly telling me about my newly discovered relatives.

Sajitha Maryam & baby Ameera

After Friday prayers we had lunch together. You wouldn't believe what lunch was... Mutton Briyani with freshly squeezed orange juice! Not forgetting fried chicken. I was too scared to think of dinner!

Our Lunch

Balqis helping herself to her favourite -fried chicken

In the evening we visited Aunty's relatives who stay in the neighbourhood. Even though we are merely related by marriage, their hospitality was marvelous. We had the chance of meeting Aunty Parveen's mother. I think she is close to 90 years old. She didn't understand English & we knew nothing of Tamil but her ways & gestures hugging & kissing us were tremendously affectionate. It touched me deeply!

We had a tour of the town Thanjavur afterward. It was a quick one. Didn't even step down from the mini bus. (Sorry no photos. My point & shoot is missing... It's either somewhere in this house or it still in vacation right across the Bay of Bengal)

What awaited us at Uncle's was dinner... Aunty promised to keep it simple but her fish curry was nothing ordinary. Homemade spices, that was the trick ;-)

I was the first to retire that night. Nadeen had no choice but to join me. The next day would be the reunion of my FIL with his 3 step sisters. A big day...

*to be continued

A Reunion

2010-09-16T10:35:00.006+08:00

I have just finished packing. A chore which I wish someone could complete it for me. But thinking of the many things that might be left out, I might as well do it myself. Yes, we are going off again. This time it's to Incredible India.

This trip is a holiday cum a reunion & what better timing than this month of Syawal. The elder girls at the beginning were not so keen to go. The thought of having to skip school for a week isn't that appealing to them. Anyhow, I recently realised that the only days they are cutting class are this Friday & the following Monday. Thanks to the extra raya break & the UPSR.

Not many are aware or even crossed their mind that HB has Indian blood flowing in his body. His late paternal grandfather originated from India. It has always been HB's dream to take his father to India & visit his late grandfather's grave. But he didn't know where to start. Early this year his intention was made easy by dear Uncle Guthoose.

It was the day when my PILs' place in Klang received a surprised guest all the way from India. It was my FIL's half brother whom he didn't know he had. OK, let me guide you to memory lane. I have always been a good & tentative listener to my FIL & here I am putting them into words.

Uncle Ghuthoose is the one in blue with his wife next to him. My PILs are far behind, standing.

Arwah atuk (my late grandfather) came from a wealthy family in India. He was married to a local there but she died at a young age. They had a son but arwah atuk was devastated with grief & left India for Malaya. He was a good man. An honest merchant. His fluency in English helped the locals to communicate with the English who then were ruling the country. Due to his kindness, he was offered to marry a local girl, arwah nenek (my late grandmother).

They were granted with 3 children. A girl, the eldest & 2 younger boys. My FIL is the elder son. At the same time when arwah atuk & nenek were living happily, arwah atuk's mother in India was hunting for him. She sent a search party to Malaya & they found him. Arwah atuk wanted to take his wife along but her family in Malaya rejected. So off arwah atuk went alone.

In India, his mother was overwhelmed to see him but he didn't know her other intention. He was to marry another local girl in India as to secure the family wealthiness. It was a forced marriage which even Uncle Guthoose admitted it (my FIL was happy to know this new piece of news). Arwah atuk had always been an honourable person & when it came to his mother he had nothing but to give in. From that day arwah atuk had to cross the Bay of Bengal often to visit both his family in Malaya & India.

Being the eldest son in the family my FIL had to sacrifice a lot. He was most of the time the head of the family since arwah atuk's nature of work as a merchant required him to travel. It was when arwah atuk passed away that life became more difficult for his little family in Malaya. My FIL had to do all kinds of work even at his young age to support the family. They were poor to the bone.

I have always lent my ears whenever he starts telling me about his past years. From there I gather why it is only now he has agreed to meet his step siblings in India. Uncle Guthoose somehow has opened his heart to accept them.

I still remember the day when my MIL gave us a call. She would normally talk to me & ask about my girls. But on that particular day, she asked straight away for HB. Once they were done talking, HB made this announcement.

"Let's go to Klang. We have guests. Family from India!"

Even I was nervous with this small reunion. My concern was my FIL. How would he take it...?

The moment our car was parked at the front yard, I saw a glimpse at the door. My girls rushed in to get their grandparents but it was this man with my FIL's resemblance who greeted them. He put on this cordial smile & the spark of happiness showed in his eyes was genuine. My girls shook his hand & kissed it as we normally respect the elders here. His response was the light pinch on the tip of my girls' nose. Pretty much like the Hindi movie I used to watch! ;-) Once I saw my FIL's face, I knew it was a great sign.

Tonight, InsyaAllah we will again be meeting Uncle Guthoose & through him, we will meet the rest of the clan in India. To think of the heat & the 7 hours drive from the airport to Thanjavur (the town Uncle Ghuthoose resides) gives goosebumps. My prayer for our safe & easy journey. Amin... So India, here we come!

Salam Aidilfitri

2010-09-13T17:31:00.009+08:00

It's raya again...! Why do I feel that it was only recently we celebrated Aidilfitri? Where has my raya spirit gone too? Guess it went off as my wrinkles start to look more prominent!

Alhamdulillah... I had managed fulfilling my responsibilities as a Muslim in this month of Ramadhan. Wardah fasted for the whole month & Balqis did pretty well with 10 days. For a first timer, she really impressed us.

Today is the 4th of Syawal & HB has started working. As expected, he was on duty on Aidilfitri. Was away on raya eve but he returned home on the very next morning. Obviously, he was awake the whole night! HB anyhow, was on time for morning prayer. He drove straight to the mosque & was the only one without a baju melayu ;-) and later hit the sack after we seeked for forgiveness.

This year we left for Rembau a little bit later than usual. Originally the plan was to drive to Rembau on the 2nd day of Syawal but the elder girls rejected the idea with pouting mouths. HB changed his mind & agreed to satisfy his girls (his wife too of course!). Hence, we drove off to Rembau sometime after 3pm.

I'm playing hostess in a few hours time. Need to check on the food again. So let the photos do the talking of our Aidilfitri this year.

The girls with their cousin

The girls with their mom

The girls' mom & dad

The girls with their dad ( courtesy from jabishah's collection except for the sampin ;-))

Raya portrait this year ( I really don't know what made Nadeen annoyed ;-))

The girls with their paternal family

The girls with wan nyang in Rembau

The house has a new look. It goes green this year...

Wan Nyang at her favourite spot

To my readers, Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Maaf Zahir Batin.

Fasting

2010-08-16T23:27:00.006+08:00

Salam Ramadhan everyone. I have been very busy for the past few weeks. Yes with my little business. Alhamdulillah... it is promising. Thank you to my dear friends for your supports. For my new readers, you might want to hop here & have a peek ;-)

This Ramadhan we have the sight of HB daily at the dining table during iftar & sahur. Something foreign in this household & we definitely enjoy it every minute. Yasmin & Wardah have no problems with fasting & waking up for sahur. One thing which hasn't changed is the menu they request for iftar. Both can't seem to agree with the same menu except for Roti John! However, this year I not only have to entertain to 2 girls but 3. Yes, my darling Balqis has started fasting this year.

Balqis will turn 6 this November & frankly, I didn't really expect to start training her yet. But having 2 fasting elder sisters, she decided to join us. It is very easy waking her up for sahur. She can really eat at the wee hour in the morning. Her first & second day, she managed until 1pm. Her sisters somehow encouraged her for declaring that as a day fasting ;-)

Last Saturday, she refused to eat at 1pm & at 3pm I asked her again whether she wanted to eat anything. Again she refused. After that I was the one who kept on briefing her on how many hours more to iftar. Balqis? She didn't even ask a single question on how long more to iftar. (Errr... perhaps she didn't have the chance coz I kept on providing her with the info ;-))

I made chicken curry that day. Nothing special to Balqis's taste buds. I really didn't expect for her to complete fasting. HB suggested to take her to the Ramadhan Bazaar & let her choose the food she wanted to eat. She agreed. But a 5-year-old girl is not very familiar with the foods at RB. Unlike their sisters who are both crazy over Roti John. (Seriously... what's so special of Roti John??) In the end, we ordered pizza. Balqis's favourite.

I don't know about your children but mine do not consume rice during iftar. They need to take something that is not rice first. Later at 9pm only they have their proper meal of rice, vegetables & any source of protein I cook (chicken normally wins over other things!)

On Sunday, my PIL & SIL's family came over for iftar. And Balqis made it until Maghrib. Good that my MIL brought Roti Jala & Kaya Durian. I just concentrated on the foods to complement the rice.

Today, she fasted again. With school & mengaji, I think it is a challenge for a 5-year-old girl. What more with the hot weather. Anyhow, she refused lunch. I thought she would be tired once she got home from mengaji. Yes, she did look less energetic but wanted to continue with fasting. Her request for iftar was Macaroni & Cheese.

As I was instructing my help to prepare the ingredients to cook, she informed that we ran out of cheese. How could I not fulfill Balqis's request. Obviously, I can't get Mac & Cheese at the RB. So off I went to the supermarkets at my area. All 3 I went to do not sell the cheese I normally use so no choice but to use sliced cheddar cheese.

As I was about to cook, noticed that we ran out of butter too... Hiyyaa!! So margarine, off you go in the pan. Made a smaller portion because I insist that they have a proper meal at 9pm. Guess what? Balqis complimented on my Mac & Cheese. The best she ever tasted, said she. Awww.....

For tomorrow, HB & I agreed not to let Balqis fast. She is still small & it is never compulsory for a child that young to fast. We have trained her & obviously fasting is just a walk in the park to her. We will let her fast on weekends. As for now Balqis dear... you concentrate on fasting half day & let your sisters do the calculation of how many days you really achieve this year. Remember Kak Yasmin & Kak Wardah... half plus half is a day ;-)

A Start

2010-07-21T23:12:00.000+08:00

I have been wanting to do this. It is either courage or time that always puts a halt to my intention. The truth it is more of the former. I was scared.

I was at a neighbour's place. Got to know a few new faces. You see, HB once highlighted how I don't mix around in the neighbourhood. Only selected ones.

He hits the bull's eye. I can't really blend in when I have to do the "kak ni" thing & "kak tu" thing. Don't get me wrong... I am just uncomfortable when I have to be extra demure & proper. Not able to show off my prominent vocalized laugh & speak with extra pitch ;-)

The kakak-kakak I met were really nice. Oh yes! I was proper!! Only smiling... not laughing hysterically. I even noticed this one kakak who seemed to adore my modesty. Hehehe! (Errr... Shahid Shueb if you happen to read this I know exactly what crosses your mind at this very instant - Hypocrite!) I was blending in OK...!

Perhaps I passed their requirements or probably they were totally sincere... (of course I go for the latter!) I was invited to join them for their weekly class every Wednesday. It was a Tajwid class.

For my non-Muslim friends, Tajwid means elocution. When you read the Holy Qur'an it should be recited in a proper pronunciation & speed. It is required for every Muslim to know how to read the Qur'an but not many are able to recite in proper manner.

Yes, I can read but my recitation is far from good. I hardly have a former class in tajwid. My dad taught me to read the Qur'an but at that very young age I didn't really take the simple tajwid seriously. I learned tajwid in primary school but whenever the Ustaz asked me , I had an A student in tajwid next to me who provided all the correct answers (we were seated at the end of the row).

I have long wanting to enroll such class. The only place I knew available was at my girls' mengaji centre. What deterred me was that the Ustazs. Yes, only Ustazs available not Ustazahs. I prefer a female ;-)

Hence, the offer was really inviting. What more when I found out that the Ustazah was someone I knew. Another neighbour whom I address as Makcik... but I've known her for quite some time so being proper with her is nothing alien ;-)

I told HB yesterday morning before he left for work. He encouraged me to go. The only excuse I had for not going was fasting. Yes, I fasted yesterday. 3pm would be too hot for me besides the mosque won't be air-conditioned. Obviously, something with tail & red horns were trying to tempt me!

Right after my parents (they dropped by for lunch) sent off Yasmin & Balqis for mengaji, I went up to my room & got ready. Everything was so smooth for me. The baju kurung I planned to wear was hung nicely & I had a matching tudung ready. No matter how many times I misplaced my favourite brooch, it was there staring back at me on the dressing table. Even my lightest shade of lipstick I managed to search in a blink of eye!

So off I went to the mosque. There was nobody! I was a couple of minutes early though. Decided to give the kakak who invited me a call & she confirmed the time & place. As I was entering the premise, a group of ladies emerged. They threw a smile & greeted me with salam.

I really felt at home even though it was my first time. Love Makcik's (or should I address her Ustazah now..?) approach. I expected we would be learning the theory of tajwid instead, she pointed out the tajwid as we recited. I am so looking forward for the next lesson next Wednesday.

PS - this post was written last week but I didn't have the chance to edit & publish. Class today was interesting as I got to hear other senior students recited. They were good & hopefully insyaAllah, I will be as good as them or not better. Slowly but surely :-)

HB is 36

2010-07-16T23:07:00.000+08:00

It's July the 16th, HB's birthday. He turns 36 today. The plan was to have an early morning date with the birthday boy. Made a booking for us to play badminton together instead he was called up for duty. Hah! Hated it when my plan needed a reschedule. But with him away, it would be easier to plan for a small party of our own.

I don't know about you but whenever there is an occasion to be celebrated, I always make a fuss over things merely to make the girls excited. I doubt at 36 HB wants a special occasion. He has had enough. (Errr... baby if you read this, I still want my gifts on my birthdays ;-))

There is this new bakery shop at my place. I thought of giving it a try. The truth, I kinda bored with SR cakes. At first my intention going to the bakery shop was to get cooking chocolate & decorate a cake myself (well... was checking my luck). Of course, it was not sold.

Today, I paid the shop a visit again. This time with Wardah & Balqis. Managed to sneak from Nadeen for definitely if she knew about the cake, she would want to have the feast right away ;-) Once I entered, I straight headed to the sponge cakes with butter icing. HB loves sponge cakes. To remind him of his childhood I opted for butter icing. If only they had the same deco with ground nuts decorated at the edge. Remember those days?

What I saw in front of me were the very same cakes I saw 2 days back.

I spontaneously said " Alaaa.. ini kek hari tu kan?"

The salesperson without guilt replied , "Kek yang baru, deco saja sama..."

I started to get annoyed. One thing which doesn't age in me is my memory!

I accused her of lying, "Jangan nak tipu saya!"

She still holding the same irritating look answered, "Dah 2, 3 hari tapi masih boleh makan..."

I began to be bitchy, "Soalan senang aja... Kek ni baru atau lama. Susah ke nak jawap?"

She wore a different look now which made me felt guilty. That's my weakness... Duh! But she gave me the answer I wanted.

"Lama"

I knew the cake was edible but I hated it when she lied. Still I purchased as agreed by Wardah & Balqis.

HB came home somewhere around 3pm. Only Nadeen was home. As he was about to retire Balqis came home from mengaji. As if like a ritual, she headed straight to search for us. I already told the girls to act that we have forgotten HB's birthday. So Balqis was playing her role. Now here's their conversation. How Balqis was trying her best to cover up & HB was taking advantage of her vulnerability.

HB : Balqis tak wish papa pun lagi.

Balqis : Wish? Wish apa?

HB : Oooo... tak ingat birthday papa ye?

Balqis : Hari ni birthday papa? (with a look which I wanted to burst out)

Now Balqis was already on the bed with HB.

HB : Balqiiisss.... Mana kek papa?

Balqis : Tak beli kek pun... ( right in front of her dad, she gave this cheeky wink at me)

HB : Cakaplah dekat mana Balqis hide the cake.

Balqis : Mmmmm... dekat fridge bawah (leaped to whisper at me that she tricked papa coz the cake was in the fridge upstairs)

HB : Betul lah ada kek. Balqis tipu ye... Kan papa ajar tak boleh tipu. Nanti masuk api neraka.

Balqis : OKlah. OKlah. Dekat fridge atas.

HB : What shape is the cake?

Balqis : Round

HB : What colour?

Balqis : Orange

HB : Bila Balqis keluar beli?

Balqis : Mmmm... Wednesday

HB : Tipu lagi ke?

Balqis : Yelah. Yelah. Today!

HB : Beli dekat JJ ke SR?

At this point she came to whisper at me. She didn't know the name of the new bakery show.

Balqis : Mama, apa nama kedai tu. Balqis tak bagitau papa...

Hahahaha. How cute... She tried her best to keep the secret though.

We had a small celebration after Wardah came home from school in the evening. There was another drama though. Nadeen claimed the cake was hers. While we were singing to HB at the verse "Happy birthday to papa...", she shouted "Nadeen! No papa!" So we had to sing the song & added "Nadeen" instead of "Papa".

Went out for dinner & on our way in the car, I asked the girls where they wanted to eat. Yasmin asked her dad to choose since it was his birthday. An instant answer we got was from Nadeen..

"Birthday Nadeen! Bukan birthday papa!"

Panic

2010-07-11T18:24:00.002+08:00

Nadeen is now 2 & a half years old. It feels just like yesterday I last posted on her milestone. She was the only one of my 4 girls whom I have the chance to update her monthly progress online from the day she was born until she started walking.

Nadeen

Last fortnight I took Nadeen for her vaccination. As warned by her paed, the jab would cause a fever. Since I have enough PCM syrup at home & it was not her first immunization, I took it lightly.

At home, I straight gave her the required dose needed. She loves the flavour of this one particular PCM syrup. I simply need to pass the syringe to her & she would inject it into her mouth willingly.

The next day she woke up happy. I guessed the PCM worked & I stopped the next dosage. At 30 months she is smart for her age. Having 3 elder sisters is definitely an advantage. Would a toddler that age hum to Demi Lovato songs? :-) She is even picky with what she wears now. Prefers dresses to anything... but not any dress suits her. It must have a wide flare so that she can twirl ;-) In her language, the dress which she can lalalaaaaa.... The apple of our eyes indeed!

That night as I was putting her to bed I felt her body temperature differed. A bit warmer than usual. My mistake for ignoring... At 2am, I woke up & checked on my baby. Yes, she had a temperature! I woke her up (at the wee hour I forgot about the suppository safely confined in the fridge) & gave her the syrup. She didn't complain, in fact continued sleeping.

In the morning, her temperature was back to normal. But I continued with medication since she was not as active as before. She slept again somewhere at 9am & while sleeping her temperature rose. I toweled her & she started to cry. I wanted to give another dosage but it was less than 4 hours from her last. Monitored her as she went back to sleep.

It was a hot day that day & Nadeen's temperature was going up & down & up again. Her 4 hourly dosage I never missed.In the afternoon, I sneaked to send Yasmin & Balqis for mengaji. It didn't work. Nadeen even with a high temperature could sense it. She cried out for me.

I didn't have the heart to leave her. I thought it was OK to bring her along since the car was air-conditioned. After all the drive was less than 10minutes... It could have been the most foolish thing I did. Why didn't I just tell the elder girls to skip mengaji that day?

Back from sending the elder girls, Nadeen was still with a high temperature. I continued toweling her. She cried out when I toweled her neck but the moment the damp towel reached her armpit, her eyes opened abruptly , pupils looked dilated & both were facing upwards.

It was a fit! Her body cramped. I got panic. I hugged her but it was like hugging a log. She didn't respond to me. I started to shiver. Called out for my helper. She took Nadeen & rushed her to the bathroom. I was helpless!

Good thing Wari (my helper) was sensible. I heard water splashing, I saw & heard she calling out Nadeen's name but I was only watching! Couldn't compute to what was happening! As if like I was having muscle spasm as well. Suddenly, I heard Wari no longer calling out for Nadeen. I heard her loud & clear.. "Ibu!! Panggil bapak!!"

I rushed upstairs. I totally forgot about HB. He was asleep. Just got home that morning after an all night long flight to Hydrebad. Guessed I conveyed the message right because HB stormed out of the bedroom. The moment he took Nadeen, her mouth was foaming.

I couldn't bear looking at my baby like that. In shivers, I grabbed the car key & started the engine. HB passed Nadeen to me & was shirtless entering the car . Wari, our hero that day appeared with HB's T-shirt in her hand.

In the car, Nadeen was conscious. She was calling out "Mamaaa.." but her eyes were still looking up. I prayed silently but was surprised that I didn't even drop a tear. The shivers had not gone though.

We decided to take her to a nearby clinic first. I was glad that the usual doctor whom we normally consult was on duty. I rushed in & requested to see the doctor immediately. The doctor was calm & managed to convince me that things were under control. She advised us to monitor Nadeen for another 24hours & if another fit occurred straight away bring her to the hospital.

I expected that night her fever would rise again. I was wrong. She slept all night long & every 4 hours I inserted a suppository through her rectum. The next day she was not eating. As expected, I found mouth ulcers near her throat. Took her to see the doctor again & this time she was prescribed with antibiotic besides the oral aid to sooth her ulcers. Two days after that, she was back at her normal appetite and continued twirling & spinning in her favourite dress.

It was my first. None of my other girls ever experienced such attack before. I am ashamed for being panic. As her mom I should have been in control but Alhamdulillah Nadeen is well. Love you Nadeen!

Missing Papa..

2010-06-16T21:20:00.006+08:00

I shared about HB's constant availability at home in my last post. Here's a contradiction to what I commented.

HB operated a daily flight to TPE yesterday. Daily OK...! So I was not exaggerating of him being home often ;-) It takes approximately 5 hrs to reach TPE. To & fro should take up to more or less 10hrs. 2 sets of tech crew operate this pattern. Each pair either fly to or fly out. A legal duty period is within 12 hours which starts from the reporting time. This pattern has only a 10 minutes buffer.

The flight was delayed due to strong headwind. Furthemore it was overbooked. Since HB operated to TPE, he was flying back as a passenger. By stepping down in TPE, he was ironically doing his company a favour. Last night I was hubbyless... ;-)

OK. I am a frank person & I won't lie. Yes!! I enjoyed it. The bed to myself... No green background on TV... Watched Desperate Housewives at ease... & I thought the girls felt the same. The elder girls perhaps but not to both Balqis & Nadeen. No surprise... They are both very manja with papa.

Nadeen went to sleep asking about papa & woke up searching for papa. Balqis? She loves to write nowadays. Has completed her Bacalah Anakku series. She has this written for papa ...

Now let me do the honour to elaborate. To Papa, From Balqis... that one is clearly understood. Welcome Home, Papa I Love you... that too is easily comprehended. Can you see our house there? Now how about the drawing next to it? According to her, that's the hotel in TPE (She's been there. You may want to read here, here, here and here). The stickman in front of the hotel is obviously papa ;-) How sweet... I was wrong with my assumption. They both sure love having papa home ;-)

Us

2010-06-09T01:45:00.003+08:00

I have plenty of stories to blog but when everything rushes out to be put into words, there is a massive traffic there in my head. Ever experienced that?

Now this is my attempt polishing on my menglipur lara skill. I shall start with....HB. My frequent readers I'm sure is aware of HB's job patterns. Ever since early this year things have changed a bit. Nooo...! He's with the same company, the same department the only thing that differs is his time.

Nowadays, he is always home. Always means we see him every single day. He sometimes goes to work very early in the morning & will be home by 5pm. At times he goes off somewhere after dinner & comes home right after my daily morning menyupir chore. Most of the time he is home but we can't make plans for he might be called for duty.

The truth, it is kind of difficult for me & also the girls to adjust. We are too used & comfortable with his irregular existence at home ;-) Having him over a week with us is funny.

I am not so domesticated when it comes to house chores. I don't fancy cleaning up. Mopping, sweeping, vacuuming.. what more scrubbing toilets! Unlike HB who is very rajiiinnn. He likes things to be in order & spotless.

My trick then was to chill whenever he was away & make sure the household is presentable during his return. No! Don't get me wrong... My house is nothing like a ship wreck. Those who have been here should know. At a glance things are tidy. I always make sure the living room especially is nicely arranged. The living area is the first you see once entering the main door. I of course depend on such room to welcome my fatigue husband after days away from home.

Remember Monica Geller of Friends? Well, I'm pretty much like her. House organised but I have this habit of dumping things that are an eyesore into cabinets & drawers ;-) Since HB has the extra time at home, he now discovers his wife's imperfectness ;-)

Have I changed over the months? No, I haven't. I have been living with such pattern for too long & it has become my comfort zone. True, I have a helper at home but she is a fast learner to my making things disappear habit. (Sighh...)

How I wish HB gets busy again... Heard that he would by the end of the year. To maintain the house in order is merely a small issue. My concern here is our relationship. I just don't know how others do it but with HB home almost all the time limits our daily conversation. I know there are couples who work at the same place & see each other daily. How do they survive? Having HB around 24/7 & going through the days together... we are sometimes lost of words. No more topics to discuss. Hahaha! Seriously... and I better not forget to make an appointment with my OB/GYN by December. My IUD will due ;-)

Now at this very moment, I'm blogging & he is next to me playing his favourite game in my handphone. We even played Jenga together this afternoon... Hahaha!

Give It Back To Me!!

2010-05-28T00:14:00.003+08:00

Notice my posts recently? What I meant by recently was early this month & early last month ;-) My... I'm getting slow in this. I've lost the passion in writing! See... it stops there. Not like it used to be.

When I read my previous posts before, I sort of wonder... "Did I really write all that? How did I manage?" Oh well... Hope it comes back home again.

And signing off now... Contemplating though. Should I or should I not publish this lousy post? Oh well... Here we go!