Here comes the long school break...

The break is back but last Saturday was another tight day. HB was home so I didn't really have to do the driving ;-) Not that we had to drive far... Only in the neighbourhood.

In the morning we attended Yasmin & Wardah 's Hari Anugerah Cemerlang at school. As I mentioned before the girls did well in the exams & today was their day. Wardah was rewarded for 2nd in class ( failed in her many attempts to beat DFP. you may read here). Yasmin, even though 4th in class & 5th in Year 4 was acknowledged for her participation in a Eureka competition, representing the district. Academically, she is best in Kemahiran Hidup. That is something I'm very proud of. I never touched on the subject for it is an elective. Hence, it was totally her own effort. Come to think of it I really can't tell what did she really learn in KH this year. Shame on me...!

Now, here are some photos to share.

Notice how my 2 girls react to a cam in front of them... Wardah is really me unlike Yasmin who definitely carries too much of her dad's gene. Hahaha!

Yasmin with her friends. I knew exactly what she was thinking of... "Go play with your toy somewhere else mama!" Hehehe...

Wardah & DFP. They are good friends. Check out what were in her hands & what was in Wardah's... ;-)

Yasmin & Wardah with their trophies & certificates

Later in the evening, we attended Balqis's kindie concert. She looked forward to perform & was asking non-stop for the time. She knew, she had to be in her kindergarten by 545pm.

We left home right after Maghrib. The show was scheduled to start at half past 7. 10 minutes before it began we arrived but the seats were mostly taken. The rain didn't stop others to come way earlier than us. We didn't sit together. Sri with Nadeen, the girls with their friends & I with HB.

If you have been following my blog you might remember Balqis's kindie outdoor concert last year. You may read here. It is no difference this year. Same old stage, same old deco... hehehe.

Balqis has improved a lot in stage this year. Her eye contacts with the audience were excellent. She was smiling all the way. Enjoy the video :-)

That was really entertaining right? Balqis was the one far back on the left. Next she performed a Malay number. It took me quite some time to find her...

Found her! She really was enjoying herself... Great job Balqis!! :-)

Was still smiling off stage ;-)



Singing the National Anthem..



Now a shot with her classmate, Arif. I kidded saying something like the peace sign was blocking Balqis. Might as well put the hand on Balqis's shoulder.


He did exactly that! Hahaha...


Balqis with all the girls, including a neighbour's daughters who tagged along to watch Balqis on stage.

The following day it was Yasmin's & Wardah's turn again. Their Drama Class Year End Production. Since it took me way too long to upload the videos, hope these photos are ample for your viewing...

Wardah in action as an islander. She has need to improve her voice projection but the confidence she showed was marvellous. Bravo!

A group photo with their teacher, Aunty Jamie.


Yasmin was a pirate. Her solo script was quite long to memorise but she managed.

A fighting scene

A group photo with her fellow pirates & sailors

And today is Balqis's 5th birthday. Happy birthday darling. We love you. Will update about it tomorrow...

Busy, Busy Weekend

HB is home & I'm all smiling ;-) He is tanned & lost some weights. But what I really loved was his unshaved new look. Like Hugh Jackson in Australia.. Hahaha! Too bad our weather doesn't agree to him, so he's back to his usual look.

He arrived in KL before noon but due to my hectic schedule on Saturday mornings, I could only start off to fetch him after half past noon. The plan was to meet halfway at the ERL station in Putrajaya. At the tol after BBP, he rang me up & requested to be fetched at the airport instead. Why? All his bags including his comrades' were all left in BKK (Bangkok)... sigh. You see they failed to catch a connecting flight to KL the day before from Kathmandu. Put up the night in BKK which explains why the bags were stranded there.

Anyhow I reached the airport just in time. All paper works were done & he was ready to meet his girls at Gate 1. The look he wore was rare. True that he is always away. So, we kind of used to the situation. But being separated for more than 3 weeks... that sure is something foreign to us. I was glad I brought along all the girls to welcome their dad.

At home lunch was served. I made chicken rice as HB requested. Prepared it before I left that morning. Err.. sorry no pic but you can always go to my food blog for recipe ;-)

The girls as I mentioned in the previous post made something for their father. Here it is...

A joined effort by all the girls. Including Nadeen :-)

Later that night HB received a phone call from one of his comrades in this Nepal excursion. The bags had all been sent to his place in Putrajaya. We decided to get the bags since my PILs would be coming over the day after & HB had gotten some souvenirs for his parents.

We took my car. HB drove. Still in the neighbourhood, at a straight street HB was trying to over take a motorbike which was on the left side of the road. Midway overtaking, the bike out of a sudden turned right without any signal & hit my side. It was a loud bang. My first experience really. Good that I had myself buckled & most importantly, none of the girls was with us.

I was not hurt alhamdulillah... Neither was HB. I was in shock yes but what lingered in my mind was the motorcyclist. Nervously I turned & saw him limping. That was a relief...!

Passersby came & helped. My door was jammed. Left front light was broken & left front bumper too. Left front tyre punctured & the rim dented. We were grateful the incoming car was further away...

We made the police report right away. But I doubt the motorcyclist did. His bike was not insured, no road tax & above all no license! It was a long night. Came home at 3am. Still I had to wake up early to prepare lunch. Playing hostess to my PILs. Plus a friend was coming over to have a look at my tudungs.

Sorry that I have no pictures at all of the accident, including my car. So many things in my mind. But... I do have a few pictures to share. HB's shots from his recent excursion to the Himalaya. Enjoy them :-)

The food they had no choice but to consume, Dhalbhaat - rice with dhal ;-)

Enroute to Pokhara from Kahtmandu

In the van from Pokhara to Nayapul

Crystal clear water

Bumped into this group from Malaysia. All ladies in their 50s... They did 4D3N Poon Hill trek. Amazing!

The ladies made it & the guys took a farewell pic with them before continuing to the ABC (Annapurna Base Camp)

The journey to ABC continued. Remember the bag? ;-)

Chilling out with a Spanish couple at Chulle

View from one of the many teahouses along the trail.

Enroute to MBC (Machhapuchhre Base Camp)

Met face to face with the real Sherpas

On the way to ABC

At last reached ABC safely. HB was amongst the firsts . This photo would be perfect if I were to be next to him.Hahahaha!

A memorabilia made by HB.

It was freezing cold. The brook was frozen..

All of them together with guide Santos at ABC. Mission accomplished!

The climb down

He's Coming Home!

Yes, you read it right. My baby is coming home. Either tonight or tomorrow morning. It depends whether they manage to get the connecting flight to KUL frm BKK (Bangkok) on time.

They completed the trek smoothly alhamdulillah... In fact they cut it short to 8 days instead of 10 days. But they were stuck in Pokhara for a day due to a roadblock caused by the Nepal's Maoist rebels. (that sure made panic!) Anyhow, HB assured me that tourists are usually left undisturbed. Still...

They reached KTM (Kathmandu) the day after safely & once in KTM, HB has been calling us a lot. He is undoubtfully homesick. Even admitted that this trip made him long for all his girls at home terribly.

We chatted through YM & the moment he saw his girls on webcam, I could feel the love all the way from Nepal. The way he wrote... The questions he asked... Too bad he had no cam nor speaker by his side.

Wardah however, grabbed the opportunity & asked her father of their school holiday plans. You see HB once made a promise that he would only entertain another trip for this year if only both the girls obtain 1st place. Wardah was 1st in the August Test but HB clearly puts it that it has to be the final exam results.

Results are out but none is 1st in their class. Yasmin is 4th & Wardah 2nd. Noticed her father vulnerability Wardah typed in one of her chats with HB.

"Can we go to Hong Kong papa?"

What do you think was the reply from KTM?All the way from home... Missing his girls... Yes, it was a yes. You should look at their dance of happiness! ;-D

The girls have prepared something for HB. I will update on that. For the time being, I've got to make sure that the house is in order & prepare something for HB's late supper if he can make it on time.

ps- He could not make it on time for the connecting flight. Should reach KUL by noon tomorrow. We are sooo looking forward. It will be a tight schedule for me tomorrow. With piano, ballet & drama class, I've got to plan something wise tomorrow. At the mean time, I need my good night sleep :-)

From Kathmandu With Love

This morning after sending off the elder girls for their mengaji lessons, I as usual stopped at a mini market to grab some fresh vegetables. Opposite the road I saw HB's regular nasi lemak stall & I, as if hypnotized bought one. I'm no fan of nasi lemak really, unlike HB who loves it with ayam masak merah & telur mata kerbau. Seriously, I really had to force myself with the nasi lemak. I rather had toast :-)

Yes, I miss him. It has been 3 days since I last heard of him. They have started the trekking to Annapurna Base Camp. No contacts ever since. He called the day before he left & warned me that he might not be able to contact me for 10 days. Yikes... I hate the feeling for not knowing. The best I can do is pray for his safety & insyaAllah he will pour me with all his experiences once he's back to civilization.

Later in the afternoon we received a postcard. A greeting from Nepal. HB obviously posted that before he left for Pokhara. The girls were really thrilled. It slipped my mind that HB promised to send the girls a postcard but he remembered. It shows that he misses us too ;-)

Balqis can now read simple words. She is now at 4B in the Ladybird Keyword Series. Keeps repeating the first 2 lines from the postcard. "Hello to my Amirahs. Papa is in Kath... Apa mama? Kathhh...man..du.." Asked me to help her read over & over again... Later in the evening I found a piece of small paper pasted on the wall of the study written - I love you papa. Ohwww... I assume she was replying to her dad's postcard which almost put me in tears.

Yasmin & Wardah are most of the time occupied with FB games now that the exams are over. Oh did I tell you Wardah won the first place for a story telling competition in school? She was so proud of it (always wanted to be like Kak Yasmin) & I know deep inside she can't wait to tell HB.

Nadeen is getting cheekier day by day. She's picking up words slowly from her sisters. When asked about papa... she would simply answer "Byyee...". :-)

Me? To avoid thinking of him most of the time, I surrender myself to sewing. It really can put my mind off him. Last week I uploaded a few photos in my FB album. Received a very good response from my FB friends & have been sewing tudung & tudung & more tudungs. Hence I have to postpone the construction of my blogshop for a while.

To my readers who are interested to get tudungs from me but not my FB friends, post me your email add & I get back to you :-) Now that I have a mannequin & products... what I really want now is the cloth label for my tudungs. Anyone here has any contacts to share?

I shall update on HB next week. Have a good weekend :-)

Off He Goes Again

HB is away. Yes perhaps it is like a norm to me & the girls but not exactly this time...

He used to operate a 10days trip but that was a long, long time ago. I'm too comfortable with his flight patterns nowadays. Not too long & not too often home either :-)

This time, he is away for leisure. Off to another excursion. Not 5 nor 7 like before but for 20 solid days! Where to? The Disneyland to backpackers - Nepal. No..!! He's no Hillary to climb the Everest. Merely venturing the famous trek - Annapurna Trail.

Some photos of the Annapurna Trail I uploaded from the Net)

The trail should take him 12 days but he had to be there earlier for some ground preparations. His flight to Bangkok was at the wee hours this morning. From there he would take a direct flight to Kathmandu - the capital of Nepal. Nope. I didn't send him off to the airport. He drove himself & would drop the car key in his box. A friend not other than David no2 (Remember my moonlighting episode? You may read here), should drive home with my car.

HB has long been wanting to go to Nepal. Way before I conceived Nadeen 2,3 years back. I didn't really give my consent at first but I come to realise how sensible he is with this hiking thing. He won't force himself beyond his limit. No risk taker.

HB & the gang at Rinjani

We will miss him terribly & reading his FB status last night made me almost in tears. Have a safe journey baby. All my doas to you. Enjoy yourself & don't worry about the girls. I will get them entertained. Missing you... May I'm bestowed with the strength. Love you.

Almost there...

Last Thursday was not really my day. Drove all the way to Nilai Tiga to get some stuffs but the place we headed to do not operate on Thursdays...! One thing about me, when I have set my mind to something... I will find ways to get it done. You can say determined yes, but a little speck of stubbornness as well ;-)

My hindrance is normally HB. With his consent, things should be fine but without, I usually get paid immediately. It's like when you are in Mecca. But me ? Di mana bumi dipijak... which really means anywhere!

There was one incident a couple of months back. HB asked me to follow him somewhere. I can't recall where to exactly but I kind of refused in a nice way. My reason, I was occupied with beading. He did not make a fuss over it so I took it that my refusal was accepted. To HB yes but not to the Almighty... After he left I continued sewing my beads but I accidentally pulled out the thread from the needle. I hardly have problems inserting the thread into the needle hole (alhamdulillah.... for my good sight) however, my many attempts failed that day. Deep in my heart I apologised to Him for refusing HB's request. In a flash, the thread went into the hole with ease. So, do you get the whole picture?

Now, where was I...? Oh OK, Nilai Tiga. FYI, I went there with HB so the shop was closed has got nothing related to the story above. Merely tak ada rezeki....

Today, I got his consent to go to a branch in Klang. We didn't know... Obviously Klang should be a better option than Nilai. I got to know of this place in Nilai from a fellow blogger. Tx eenaz. So, I was in Klang this afternoon & purchased the thing I wanted.

Now everyone say hello to my pretty mannequin... Hehehe!

A close up.

Yasmin & Wardah knew I was getting it. Frankly, they got the goosebumps. Memang penakut dua-dua ni... Hence , I chose the most decent looking mannequin head. Don't mind the extra cash as long as my girls won't get nightmares.

After school they entered the front door nervously. Knew what awaited them... but both agreed it was not horrible looking at all. Even Nadeen was excited for having a bigger Barbie.... Nooo!!

Why the mannequin head? Well... Didn't I mention about my online shop before? The mannequin head will be my mute model ;-) I have made a few tudungs for a collection to the shop but without a suitable model, the tudungs were sold without a snap from my cam (Sigh...).

Here are my mannequin in yours truly's selfmade tudungs...

A scallop tudung made for a friend. Printed Korean jersey & plain Korean jersey for awning.

Another order by a friend. A kiddie scallop tudung from a medium quality jersey. Cotton silk for awning.

Now, this is fresh... Made it this morning whilst monitoring the girls with Math.

A hajjabba. M size. Plain Korean jersey with 100% cotton for awning. Status? Available. Selling at RM40.

Now I have the products & the model. Am almost there... Watch out for a URL to my shop :-) Have a good weekend.

Growing Up Too Fast

It was only yesterday that I uploaded a photo of Yasmin & I in facebook. We seldom have a picture together. Her sisters who are not a camera shy like her would normally manipulate each situation :-)

The picture. A few commented on her height. Will beat me in no time ;-)

We went jogging yesterday. Being alone next to her I realised that she has turned to this pretty girl. No longer that chubby baby who once won a prize in a Baby Contest.

Yasmin is far different compared to Wardah & Balqis. She won't make a fuss if her shoes colour does match her attire. In fact, there were a few incidents when we went out in a proper attire but what she had on her feet was a pair of horrible looking old slippers!

Last night when she was getting ready for bed, Wardah was shouting out for me. My Yasmin has gotten her first menses. I knew it was coming based from the changes of her body. But at 10? She grows up rather too fast... I still have not gotten enough of her. My first baby!

I got mine when I turned 11 & how funny it was using the sanitary pads then. Hey! I'm not that old. Did not use the loops version! Only that the sizes were all the same. During heavy days had them on double & the walk was not a pretty sight. Hahaha!

Yasmin dear, we have discussed the birds & the bees. The book I bought is merely for reference. Anything else you wish to know I am here with all ears. Please do take your solat seriously now .Love you girl (((((hugs))))