Welcoming 2012

Melabuhkan tirai 2011 dengan trip KL-Kuantan-Kuala Terengganu-Temerloh-KL. Kebetulan, balik semula ke KL on last day of 2011.

InsyaAllah, tahun 2012, kami genap 38 tahun. Kalau ikutkan, cuma dua tahun saja penentu cita-cita menunaikan haji sebelum usia 40. Apapun, andai belum ditakdirkan menjadi tetamu Allah musim haji, mudah-mudahan ada rezeki menunaikan umrah terlebih dulu.

Kakak akan genap 11 tahun in August. That would make me officially a mother of a teenager. Moga dipermudahkan melalui usia belasan tahun - usia mencari identiti. Usia di mana dunia kanak-kanaknya beranjak pergi. Usia di mana dia akan sedar bahawa dunia ini amat luas! Usia di mana dia akan tahu Umminya bukanlah sehebat yang dia sangkakan.

Iman pula bakal menginjak usia 8 tahun in November. Alhamdulillah, walaupun permulaan perjalanan hidupnya agak sukar, dia sekarang semakin bijak! Harapan kami momentum itu kekal. With improvements of course. Dah dipesan awal-awal, tahun 2012, abang sudah Tahun 2. Dah tak boleh menangis cari Ummi di sekolah. Dah tak boleh banyak main-main macam Tahun 1 dulu.

Adam, anak yang petah, banyak akal (dan auta!). Saya masih belum memutuskan untuk menghantarnya ke tadika atau tidak pada 2012. Saya berat untuk menghantar. Bukan harapkan sangat dia boleh membaca seusia 4 tahun. Bagi saya, usia 4 tahun ialah playschool. But if he can, alhamdulillah, itu bonus. Adam pula akan menyambut hari lahir ke-4 pada bulan Mei 2012.

Azam saya? Secara spiritualnya, mahu lebih komited dengan tuntutan agama. Yang lewat dicepatkan, yang singkat dilabuhkan, yang lebih tak berpatutan itu dikurangkan. Dan insyaAllah ingin lebih menyumbang kepada masyarakat.

Moga 365 hari yang mendatang lebih bermakna kepada kita semua. Moga 365 hari itu sentiasa diberkati Allah.

Color Coding Books

When Iman started Year 1 earlier this year, he had difficulties accomodating to the new routines. So had I. Maybe I was even worse off than Iman!

One of the things was, books. He had BM, BI, Science, Math, Bahasa Arab, Agama, Pendidikan Kesihatan, among others. Most subject came with 2 books - Text & Activity. And also buku tulis and rampaian. And he couldn't tell which is which and couldn't 'find' the books in his bag. And mistakenly 'exchanged' with his classmates.

Sound fimiliar eh?

I devised my own way then. I labelled each subject with stickers - different color for different subject. And all books with same color need to be together in the bag as they belong as a family. Like us. We stay together. No one in the family gets left behind or stay with other family.

Well, let's just say, in the beginning we had so much of a family problems :D Members of families jumbled up with other members of other families. As long as they were in the same 'kampung' (I mean, school bag), it was still okay as we could still locate and re-group.

Later, we had problems with family member escaping mysteriously into another kampung! And some other books, which were not his, were inside his bag instead. Luckily I knew who that boy was and his mother.

Next day we met to exchange. His mom also color coded his son's books, exactly like I did! Sticker of same color and same shape for same subject! She must've thought that it was supposed to be done that way. I explained to her and we both laughed.

Nevertheless, after few weeks in school, Iman finally got the hang of it. How to arrange his books. Red will always stay with red. Green will always stay with green. In his bag, the books were arranged according to timetable. First subject at the front-most. After first subject ended, put the books behind all other books.

After he recognized and could differentiate between one teacher to another, I mentioned any random name and asked him what subject did he/she teach and which group of books should be brought out during that period. He tought that was a game and cooperated very well hi hi.

Solved his problem. For me, less headache.

Dressed Me Down Days

When I first started working wayyy back in 1997 (has it been THAT long? really?), we had 6 working days in a week. Years later we worked every alternate Saturday in a month. Then it was just 5 working days in a week. Fewer days but longer office hours. I heart that. Because 6 working days means 12 traffic jams, 5 working days is 10 traffic jams. Here in KL, traffic jams can be very-very mean.

Last few years the company introduced Casual Friday. Dressed Down Friday or whatever the name is. Apparently we take it overboard, the mood spills to Monday and Tuesday. And Wednesday. Thursday is no exception :D

I rarely see people is suits these days. If there is, those are consultants. Or people of higher rank going for meetings with the company's VVIPs.

80% to 90% of the time I am usually in baju kurung. When I am not, I no longer wear those pin-stripe shirts, crisp pants or my long formal skirt.

Example of me today.

Mustard cotton tunic(eh siap ada bulu bulu kain tak trim tu ha.. hihi) that was bought online ('online-shopping' is my middle name currently). Very light brown cotton pants that was bought during one of those bazaar days in Menara T*. Pair of Everbest flats courtesy of Tebby. And very-very colorful and rugged looking cotton-leather-suede Fossil Isla, also courtesy of Tebby.

Life's good!

One World, One Utama

We have foreseen that it was going to be busy year-end for Tebby (he always is anyway but at least we got to see him everyday) and nowhere much we could bring the kids for school holidays. At least until almost the end of it when we go balik kampung in Tgg.

Decided that a breakaway right after 2011 school-term ended. In OU! Ha ha.. something is better than nothing.

One World it was then. It never occured to me there is actually a hotel adjoined with OU. Sometime after I made the booking, we passed by OU en-route to IKEA. Wahhh.. not a pleasant looking hotel from outside. But the kids were super-excited. Who wouldn't? Kids love pool. At least mine do.

Afternoon to you too. Always tukang book who gets the greetings :P Room was good. Room service was even better. My only complaint would be on the air-cond. Uncomfortably cold. Dah switch off pun still sejuk. I slept in bathrobes, under layers of selimut.

A pool is like a bonus, a slide is an additional GCEO Merit or GLT award! (org T* tau lah apa maksud ni kan)

Adam bugged us for days (or was it weeks?) for new swim suits. And yet he never get into the pool at all. He cedok air from the pool and mandi macam dalam bilik air kat rumah. Nampak tak pokok-pokok seberang pool tu? Adam watered them with loads of loves and cares.



Iman. Way to go young man. Almost can swim already. About a year back, he wouldn't even masuk air sampai lutut pun.

Kakak.. Ratu Kolam. Kalau boleh dari rumah lagi nak pakai swim suit dah..

Room - Best except the air-cond.
Food (buffet breakfast) - I love!!! Spread banyak and sedap. I don't think I'd mind sitting for hours.
Pool - Best. The kids love it.
Plus point - Adjoined to OU. Amat senang nak pegi makan.

Recommended for weekend getaway, I'd say.

Hammam Bangsar

Went there 09122011. Courtesy of Tebby. Thanks Yang.

Took My Favourite Concubine package (with a litle twist and a bit cheaper btw). I got someone to bathe me, scrub my dead skin cells off, washed my hair and finally a malay-style massage (the after effect of massage adalah sangat best, as if all knotted veins and muscles let loose).

I was smelling like roses for days after that.

Website here www.hammambaths.com