Officially a Teenager - Happy 11th Birthday Kakak!

I am officially a mother of a teenager today! How time flies, before I knew it, my firstborn turns 11 today. It feels like yesterday that I stuffed myself like there was no tomorrow when I was pregnant with her.. Seriously, who would have thought I could eat a loaf of bread eaten with 7 boiled eggs at one go? Or a plate of mee, a roti canai, 3 kuih and milo? Just for a session of breakfast?

She was born a healthy 3.45kg at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital at 2.20pm.

This year, rainbow cake it is for her.This year is the second year that her birthday falls during Ramadhan. Since we went back balik kampung last weekend, why not celebrate with Atok &Wan kan. We had an early celebration. Early by 3 days. And as early as wee hours time sahur. Sahur-sahur nyanyi lagi Happy Birthday okay. :D :D

To Kakak, Happy 11th Birthday. We love you loads.

Hari Akademik 2012 SK BTHO 2

First time dapat snap gambar anak-anak in school uniforms. Iman dengan Adam tak pakai kasut sebab kasut tinggal kat taska. Thank you Hari Akademik 2012! Hari makpak pegi ambik report card anak-anak and discuss perkembangan pembelajaran anak-anak dengan guru kelas. Tahun lepas kena datang 2 kali, Kakak sekolah sesi pagi makanya kena datang ambik report card belah pagi. Iman pulak sekolah sesi petang, kena datang lagi sekali belah petang. Siap sampai bercuti kami dibuatnya. Tahun lepas, after ambik report card, makpak balik, anak-anak kena stay put sampai habis sesi persekolahan seperti biasa.

This year, Kakak masih sesi pagi, Iman sesi petang. Alhamdulillah sekolah buat Hari Akademik belah pagi for both sessions. Me and Tebby just mintak time-off from boss masing-masing. Jimat cuti :D Oleh itu, dapatlah snap gambar semua anak in school uniform sebelum pegi sekolah to 'face the truth' hihi.

Sampai sekolah around 8.00 a.m and THIS is what greeted us at the canteen. Car boot sales you ols! Bukan calang-calang barang yer, durian some more! Semerbak harum! Kot ya pun, agak-agak lah. Ni sekolah la. Apa nak kata, Malaysia Boleh! Had simple breakfast. Agak hambar tapi syukur ada jugak rezeki untuk alas perut.

Memula pegi kelas Kakak dulu. Class divided kepada 2 bahagian. Sebelah cater for sesi pagi. Sebelah lagi for sesi petang. Seen above Kakak dengan classmate dia. Sementara tunggu giliran.

She landed at 5th place this time around. Got highest mark in her class for English. If she can maintain the momentum, insyaAllah she'll be in better class next year. But to me that's not about it la sangat pun. In better class, in less better class pun, cikgu-cikgu tetap kena bagi same amount of input kan. On a personal note, Tahniah Kakak for the tremendous improvement. Last year she was at nombor berbelas-belas.

I noticed, the more I let her do her own things, the harder she'll work her school thingy. She loves art. We let her choose what she wants and does as she wants (musti tak exceed bajet and musti under close supervision supaya tak lupa kerja-kerja sekolah jugerr..)

Lepas tu pegi kelas Iman pulak. Yang ni lebih debaran sikit hihi. For KSSR, sekolah ni tak buat exam per se. They are rated based on homework, course work, simple routine tests etc. He lands at Band 3. KSSR ni ratingnya dari Band 1 sampai Band 6. Buat masa ni they are tested sampai Band 3 saja. A glimpse to result orang lain, nampak macam semua kat Band 3 jugak. Takpe, at least Iman at par :D Some other schools do have exams for KSSR students. Iman and his batch is pioneer la KSSR ni. Sampaikan dah sekolah 2 bulan pun text books lom sampai. Come to think of it, kalau bebetul dah kaji silibus and plan dengan teliti, why the delay? Anyway, Cikgu Awie kata Iman ni budaknya lurus (?? ye ke?? macam tak percaya je :D), always asks kalau tak faham. Diberi kerja dalam kelas, dia mesti buat and he has good handwriting. I once commented tulisan Iman cam cakar ayam. Cikgu komen kata cantik. I can't imagine what the cikgu has to go through reading tulisan students!! 

 

Kesian kan sekolah my kids. Lantai berlubang-lubang. Masa Iman Tahun 1, lagi teruk kelas dia. Sampaikan 1/4 of the class memang tak boleh letak meja. Berlubang-lubang!

After dah pick up and signed all necessary documents, sent back the kids to taska then off to work. Macam-macam rupa makpak. Muka stress. Muka happy. Tak kurang jugak yang tegang tangan menjijit buntil durian ha ha.

Anyway,

Anak-anak sekelian. Sekolah ni just part and parcel of kehidupan every each of you will have to go through. The bigger one awaits regardless time, day or at any age you are. School of life. Never-ending lessons. It will test more that what the school does. As a mother I can only prepare you for that so you can depend on yourselves to get through it all. Supaya anak-anak boleh berdiri atas kaki sendiri. Supaya anak-anak mampu menyuarakan pendapat dan rasa hati selama tak bertentang dengan ajaran agama. Supaya anak-anak menjadi orang yang baik-baik dunia dan akhirat terutamanya. Semoga kalian menjadi orang yang dihormati dan lebih penting lagi, menghormati orang lain...

Brightheart & Stripey

Selamat Hari Jadi ke-10

birthday cake

birthday girl

Hari ni birthday Kakak ke-10. Big One-Owh! Big girl she is now. I now have to prepare myself for the next phase, teens!

We had small celebration last Saturday tho her birthday is today. Al-maklum lah working days ni tak boleh jamin balik rumah cepat kan. On Saturday, we had ample time. Beli cake from Secret Recipe, apa nama tah, tak ingat. The one that has stawberry layer between slices of cakes.

Iman dah order cakes for himself and keeps on asking if November is still along way to go (his birthday is in November) while Adam pulak kept on singing Happy Birthday to You for 2 days kat Kakak dia.

Happy Birthday Kakak. May you have blessed life ahead.

Al Kisah Spek... Pet Pet, Bawang dan Ikan Bilis..

Hari ni Kak Mon kulu kilir. Translate dari bahasa Pahang ialah 'ke hulu ke hilir'. Kata orang Terengganu pulak 'gi mari gi mari' atau 'mmusing ketang'. Biasanya pun memanglah kulu kilir, gi mari gi mari atau mmusing ketang tapi hari ni extra sikit. Sampai 2 kali menjengah Carrefour. Pagi-pagi tu Bibik inform diapers Adam tinggal 3 keping lagi. Adoi. Kenapalah tak cakap masa ada belen lagi 10 keping? Terpaksa lah tergedik-gedik pegi membeli. Adam pulak pagi tu sembelit sampai nangis-nangis nak keluarkan poop dia tapi tak berjaya. Mengukuhkan lagi lawatan ke Carrefour sebab nak beli prune juice. Dan oh ya, London Swiss Roll budak 2 beradik tu dah sapu licin. Kena top-up. Dan tambahannya lagik, nak membeli spek Adam. Lepas hantar Iman kat sekolah, gedebuk gedebak membeli, bukan takat Pet Pet, Heinz Prune Juice dengan London Swiss Roll aje dalam troli.. kepek, chips, air 100Plus, roti, drummet etc. Typical huh? Benda dalam list tapi tak beli ialah spek Adam. Benda penting tu.

You ols taukan my elder two tu kena pakai spek kan (baca sini dan sini juga) Speknya siap dah lama tapi sebab sebok ntah apa-apa, Rabu baru ni baru ambik kat HUKM JRMA. Mana boleh 2 orang pakai spek, sorang lagi tidak kan? Bagi mengelakkan perang saudara, makanya spek yang 2 orang tu belum lagik dipakai. Tak boleh pakai selagi Adam takde spek. Meh Kak Mon tayang sikit spek budak dua orang tu. Kos semua-semuanya RM620 untuk 2 spek ni.

Ni spek Kakak. Purple. Kat kaki (ke tangkai? ke tangan?) ada floral prints. Sesuailah untuk gegirl macam dia.

Mata kanan - distance Sph pl, Cyl -4.00, Axis 170, V/A 6/12.

Mata kiri - distance Sph pl, Cyl -4.50, Axis 175, V/A 6/12.

Apa nih?? Kak Mon pun tatau jugek. Yang cyl tu merujuk kepada astig rasanya. Lagi satu, takde rabun. Expert, sila clarify.

Kat bawah ni pulak spek Iman. Dah Kakak pepel, dia pun nak pepel jugak. Metrosexual sungguh spek ini kan :D

Mata kanan - Sph +1.25, Cyl -3.00, Axis 180, V/A 6/9

Mata kiri - Sph +1.75, Cyl -3.00, Axis 180, VA 6/9

Oh ya, berbalik kepada cerita asal, petang tadi waktu nak siapkan bahan-bahan Nasi Goreng Lobster (sila ambik perhatian, ni isi lobster kering je, bukan fresh lobster lengkap dengan kaki, ekor, cengkerang tu semua okay), rupanya bawang kecik dah takde. Jengah fridge, bawang kisar pun dah sikit. Daaaaaahhh kena buat misi beli bawang pulak. Dikuatkan lagi dengan nak membeli spek Adam. Sebelum ambik Iman kat sekolah tadi, pegi lagi sekali ke Carrefour. Lama-lama sok boleh jadi duta Carrefour kalau gini. Belilah 3 jenis bawang tu, bawang merah, bawang besar, bawang putih. Tengok spek budak-budak, gi** mahal! RM20++. Letak balik. Beli bawang je. Turun bawah, tengok ada kedai sepit-sepit rambut tu jual spek mainan. Angkat satu, RM5.00 je. Kaler mestilah pepel jugakkan. Kang tercetus perang saudara, susah.

Ni spek Adam. Rawk!! Belasah je lah. Buat syarat.

Takde gambar spek dengan tuan punya spek. Semua orang dah tidur time sesi fotografi spek ni dibuat.

Dah sebok cerita pasal bawang, ni lah bawang-bawang yang Kak Mon beli tadi. Pathetic sungguh ha ha.

Spek settle, bawang settle. Baru teringat ikan bilis baru habis semalam.. isk...

Iqra'.. Bacalah..

Alhamdulillah. Syukur. Our niat tertunggak akhirnya terlaksana jua. Finally Kakak and Iman are sent for kelas mengaji. Kakak attends kelas KAFA, one of the subject is Iqra' so we are a bit relief. Iman pulak kami tak hantar kelas KAFA atas beberapa sebab musabab. Ada satu cawangan CIC di sini ada kelas mengaji every Saturday tapi Saturday pulak Kakak ada tuition kat sekolah and Iman ada kelas kat Ampang Hilir (tough being kids these days huh?) So cari punya cari, jumpa this Tadika/Taska Nor Rehan yang ada kelas mengaji lepas Maghrib every night from Monday to Friday. Fee is RM40 per month per child. That makes RM80 per month. The taska in within our housing phase means tak perlu keluar ke jalan besar untuk ke sana. Since we're sending Iman, might as well we sent Kakak jugak kan.

I told the kids memula Ummi hantar tapi nanti dah tau cemana, boleh jalan sendiri. First day try jalan kaki. Mak aih.. jauh jugak rupanya. In the end, on the way balik, En Tebby kena dukung Muhammad Iman bertuah tu. Second day Ummi hantar naik kereta. Iman kata, kalau naik kereta dekat sikit :D Nampaknya until they get their own bicyles and can ride around safely, I will have to hantar them everyday. Bukan apa, now that I am still on leave bolehlah kan. Nanti dah keje faham-faham ajelah pukul berapa baru sampai rumah. Besides mengaji, the kids need to finish off their homework as well.

Iman is especially excited. Nak nak pulak lepas he got his own buku Iqra' and his own kopiah. Plus, dia dah kenal alif ba ta, lagilah dia suka. As if to test his newly acquired knowledge. Kakak pulak, tho dah 3 tahun attend KAFA, she still reads Iqra'. Belum baca Al-Quran. InsyaAllah. I am not complaining. Every kid has his/her own pace. Now we're trying to push he a bit faster.

kakak and Iman, on their first day nak pegi mengaji

Adam insyaAllah tahun depan boleh start. kena stop pakai diapers yer kalau nak ngaji...

I remember my own experience mengaji. Masa tu zaman-zaman Juz Amma. Similar with Iqra' sekarang tapi pendekatannya berbeza. Mula-mula kena kenal alif sampai ya. Pastu alif atas a, alif bawah i, alif depan u. Dah terer tu baru masuk baris dua pulak. An In Un.. and so on. Cikgu mengaji was arwah Wan Chu (al-fatihah). She was soft but firm. She was my close relative jugaklah. Dia tak mintak apa-apa bayaran pun. I think it was normal during those days back in kampung-kampung. Cukup membalas jasa dengan sekilo dua gula, setin dua susu atau biskut barang sepeket dua. I am not complaining about the fee nowadays because we all faham ajelah dulu dengan sekarang tak sama. Plus that was way back so many years ago in a remote kampung and now we're talking about Kuala Lumpur.

Back to my mengaji days, I cycled to get to her house. Cucu-cucu dia pulak ramai yang around my age so we had fun after mengaji session. The bonus nya pulak, rumah dia dekat sangat dengan tali air. So you can guess what we did lepas mengaji lah kan. Sometimes I slept over at her house. I miss those times. Tapi apa hal dah tua-tua nak main kat tali air kan. Anyway, back to my arwah Wan Chu ni, she's a very thankful person. Kalau kita bawak apa-apa buah tangan, she just couldn't stop thanking. She'd recite doa mohon murahkan rezeki and all. Soft but loud enough for us to hear. Sweet kan.

Back to Kakak and Iman, harap-harap semuanya berjalan lancar. InsyaAllah.

Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah..

My boys have things in common. Dah nama pun adik beradik kan, apa lah Kak Mon ni kan. They both cling to me. I am one proud mom when they quarrel over who should sit beside me during lunch. Other than that, they both looveeee to help around in the kitchen while I cook or while I prepare to cook.

This is Iman He'd do as told. Mintak tolong potong, dia potong. Mintak tolong basuh, dia basuh. Mintak tolong kacau, dia kacau. Kalau mintak tolong keluar jangan sebok kat dapur, dia tak layan.

Yang ini pulak Mat Kacau :D Pembantu yang amat tegar. He does as he's told and also does things he's told not to do and things I don't even mention for him to do. Pusing kejap aje, dia tambah garam. Pusing kejap aje, dia bubuh gula. Pusing kejap aje, dia masukkan air. Kreatip yer budak ni. Sampai ada resepi 'Nasi Goreng Garam'. So, those are my boys. Both me and Tebby suka masak (suka masak tak semestinya sedap okay :D), maybe ni kuah dah tumpah la kat 2 pinggan nasi ni. Mana Kakak while these two staging their commotion kat dapur??

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Hurmph... Obviously ni kuah dari Ummi ni. Kecik-kecik dulu jejak dapur nak makan jer. But she's helpful when in comes to dishing out the meals, prepares great teh-o and does her red lemonade to perfection.

Jumaat Kelam Kelibut

-gambar hiasan aje- credit to duniasepi.blogspot.com

Jumaat baru ni merupakan hari kelam kelibut. Nak gugur jantung rasanya. Darah rasa cam habis semua turun kat kaki pun ada. Gara-gara si Kakak tertinggal van.

Petang Jumaat lepas, macam petang-petang Jumaat sebelum ni, Kak Mon akan keluar jam 5.30pm. Iman habis sekolah jam 6.00pm. Jarak rumah ke sekolah dekat aje tapi sebab takmo parking jauh-jauh, makanya keluar awal. Si Kakak, walaupun Kak Mon tak keje sekarang ni, dia tetap naik van pegi balik sekolah kebangsaan dengan sekolah agama. Kadang-kadang aje Kak Mon hantar jemput dia.

Berbalik kepada peristiwa tu, elok aje parking tepi jalan, henfon berbunyi. Ada nombor Makcik Sabariah (driver van). Katanya Kakak takde dalam van. Waktu tu dia dah jalan dah. Beg Kakak ada dalam van tapi Kakak takde. Berderau rasanya. Pastu Makcik Sabariah kata dia dah round semula cari kat sekolah agama, kawan-kawan Kakak dan carik kat kedai-kedai (sekolah tu occupy lot kedai) tapi tak jumpa. Dahhh... luruh jantung rasanya.

Terus pesan dekat Mokja (adik ipar yang rumahnya sederet dengan rumah Kak Mon) mintak ambikkan Iman. Kak Mon terus drive menuju ke sekolah. Dalam hati Allah aje tahu apa rasa masa tu. Desperate. Hopeless. In mere seconds rasa kaki tangan dah sejuk dah. Tup-tup nampak Kakak dengan kawan dia berjalan kat seberang jalan nun. Nampak aje dia, I broke into tears.

Rupanya lepas dia letak beg dalam van, dia keluar balik untuk beli air. Keluar dari kedai van dah takde. Nasib baik dia dengan kawan dia. Buatnya dia sorang-sorang. Or anak sapa sapa aje for that matter. Dia jalan kaki ke sekolah Iman sebab she knew time tu I may be there untuk pick up Iman. That was why Makcik Sabariah tak jumpa dia when she turned back and searched. Nak kata jauh tu taklah tapi as a protective mom (I can be such a mother hen okay), plus a paranoid one as well, macam-macam terlintas kat fikiran ni. Zaman-zaman sekarang ni bukan boleh buat main-main soal keselamatan anak-anak. Alhamdulillah waktu tu belum jam 6.00pm plus cuaca baik. Dan Kak Mon pulak masih belum bekerja so I could search for her there and then. Kalau dari Bangsar nak balik Cheras.. dah berapa lama tu? Time orang balik keje pulak. Nauzubillah.

I have my own 'safety procedure' tapi hari tu, Kakak macam 'stunt'. Agaknya dia panik bila tengok van dah takde.

1. Hafal phone number Ummi, Abah dan driver van by heart. Ni memang dia ingat.

2. Kalau tertinggal van, masuk ke pejabat sekolah dan pinjam telefon. Telefon Ummi, Abah atau driver van. Stay put. Jangan merayau tempat lain. 3. Kalau pejabat sekolah dah tutup, pegi ke kedai-kedai yang Kakak dah biasa beli barang. Mintak pinjam telefon orang kedai untuk call Ummi, Abah atau driver van. JANGAN mintak pinjam dari orang Kakak tak kenal.

4. Pesan pada maid (kalau ada maid) atau pengasuh kat taska (kalau transit), kalau anak-anak lewat aje balik, terus call. Jangan tunggu 20-30 minit baru nak call. Especially kalau yang naik bas. Almaklumlah kalau bas ni populasi penumpangnya ramai. Mungkin driver bas tak cam muka setiap sorang.

Sepanjang masa dari Kak Mon nampak dia berjalan kat tepi jalan tu sampailah kat rumah, dia senyap aje. Mungkin dia terkedu. Mungkin terkejut. Mungkin panik tak habis lagi. Takpelah Kakak, jadikanlah ni pengajaran. Lepas tu Kak Mon ambik Iman (selesai kejadian tu, Iman masih belum habis sekolah). Masuk kereta, berjaya lepas kesesakan, tengok-tengok bag lukisan Iman tertinggal kat sekolah. Dahhh.. masuk semula sekolah cari bag. Pastu jalan lagik, tengok-tengok botol air pulak tercicir. Haihh. Mulalah rasa nak bukak ceramah sesi kedua pulak. Tengok muka anak-anak kat seat belakang, kesian pulak. Kakak senyap terkedu, Iman pulak merah padam kepanasan dengan haus. Terus berenti kat Petronas beli air sebotol sorang. Botol air yang tercicir tu tak pegi ambik pun. Takpelah, botol tu pun dah buruk.

Kak Mon ada cerita kat atas yang Kakak senyap sunyi sampai lah tiba kat rumah kan. Sampai aje kat rumah, terus berambat pegi padang like takde apa-apa terjadi jap tadi :P Kak Mon pulak, malam tu terus pegi dinner kat luar. Tensi. Stress. Makan dengan En Tebby nasi berhidang kat Q-Thai. Nasi, Dancing Fish, Dry Butter Prawn, Prawn Omelette, Tomyam Seafood, Kangkung Belacan. Licin. Hambik. RM100++ makan berdua.

Oh ya, Iman pun dah dapat botol air baru.

Dan Kakak kena dengar ceramah kedua dari Abahnya pulak...

Check Mata @HUKM JRMA

Lemme just pen this down before I futher forget.

You see, we've just became the patrons of HUKM. Loyal ones too! It began with Iman few months back. So far he has 4 files in HUKM Cheras, 1 for consultation with Child Psychiatrist, 1 for Jabatan Oftalmology and another 2 for his therapy sessions (Occupational and Speech). Last month he opened another file in Jabatan Optometri HUKM in Jalan Raja Muda Aziz (pasni ai letak JRMA okay, panjang amat nak tulis) (near Kg Baru). And earlier today Kakak followed suit. If I were to compile their files in various clinics in various states, I may have to do it in volumes!

Anyway.

Today we went to HUKM JRMA, second time for Iman and first for Kakak.

The first time we went there, it was 24th February 2011. Just Iman. Due to his conditions, we have to have him thoroughly checked. Ears and audio checked. And we were advised to check his eyes and vision as well. Furthermore, he's been complaining he can't see what's written on the whiteboard at school. The initial step was bringing him to Jabatan Oftalmology HUKM Cheras. Then we were referred to Jabatan Optometri HUKM JRMA. In Kakak's case, we just book an appointment right awat at HUKM JRMA.

Before I stori mori about today, let me just recap what happened the first time we were there, 24th February 2011. It was our first time there and I was (still am!!) not fimiliar the way around that area, Tebby took a day leave. We were a little lost and I gave them a call. Rupanya the gate was just a few metres away. You all tau le around KL ni, silap ambik simpang aje can cause you tersangkut jem berjam-jam lamanya. Tebby dropped me dekat entrance and he went to park the car. Oh ya, please bring your smallest car possible because likewise HUKM Cheras, this HUKM punya parking lot juga adalah kena rebut-rebut.

We spent almost 3 hours there! Tapi still not conclusive. We knew Iman kena pakai spek tapi tak dapat concluded necessary readings. Mula-mula tu dia okay. Pastu dah lama-lama (eh, tak lama mana pun he he) he got distracted and started experimenting with the alat-alat inside the room. He adjusted the chair himself, up and down, up and down. When lenses were put, he took them away and shoved them in any way he fancied inside that spek gajah tu (spek yang guna untuk check mata tu la). He occasionally complaint about how boring the visuals used were. He asked where the cafe was and if the food was good. Amazing, isn't he? For someone who just started talking at 5 yo! He sure is a chatterbox nowadays.

They did a thorough checking. I've been wearing specs for the past 15-17 years and have been checking my eyes in banyak kedai specs but some of the instruments used when they checked Iman, I haven't seen them. And those really added the excitement for Iman. Oh btw, since Iman is just 7, they put an eyedrop in his eyes. Something to do with his eyes's muscle. Padan le depa tanya tanya tahap kesihatan and the related history in details. Especially asthma and heart problem. Lepas letak ubat tu, the next day Iman ada simptom-simptom asthma attack. Dr in Klinik Kita confirmed that those could be the side-effects ubat tu. Ever wonder why kedai-kedai specs biasanya takmo ambik cases budak-budak? Well, this could be one of the reasons and risks they don't want to take.

Since Iman's checking was not conclusive, we have another appointment scheduled. Which, on that day, he was still experiencing coughing, runny nose and a bit of fever. Last-last kensel and I booked today, 14th March sebab kebetulan cuti sekolah, boleh bawak Kakak sekali.

So, now we continue dengan cerita hari ni pulak ye.

Hari ni En Suami tak boleh cuti. Eh, cuti sekolah pun gigih lagi nak bermeeting bagai? Kenot complaint maa. For the past 8-9 months, dia sorang-sorang je gigih menyara hidup kami 5 beranak. Siap dengan Bibik lagi tu. Tima kasih Yang. Lagipun dah memang cuti panjang nak uruskan anak-anak, ambikkkkkk.. uruskan le sepuas-puasnya he he.

Eh side track. Back to cerita hari ni. Hari ni a little after 7 dah bergerak dari rumah. Dah syak dah jalan akan agak selesa sebab cuti sekolah. Kalo idak, haruslah jam 6.45 dah kluar mengadap jem kan. Sampai tol batu 9 best giler. Boleh drive 90km/j. I took MRR2, pon selesa. Takde masa kereta berenti statik. Pastu ambik Jalan Ampang. Ni kenalah ada statik pasal ada traffic light kan. Pastu belok kanan menghala ke Bulatan Pahang. Jalan terus sampai jumpa traffic light memula, masuk kiri. Tempat yang dituju adalah pagar kedua. Masuk dan silalah berinteraksi dengan Pak Guard kat situ and pastu cariklah tempat parking kereta. Ai bawak si kecik aje, senang nak park. Eh, macam le reti bawak keta besar ha ha.

Sampai tu jam 8.15am. Walopun traffic agak clear, sejam jugaklah nak sampai sana. Bayangkan makcik dengan spek tebal bawak ViVa sambil tercangak-cangak cuba nak ingat simpang kat mana. Bayangkan makcik yang drive dengan keadaan tak relax sebab hampir-hampir macam nak peluk stereng aje ha ha. Anyway, masih buleh park keta dengan selesa. Masih ada dalam 10 empty lots so boleh lah ngengada nak park masuk buntut dulu. Pastu bawak anak-anak pi makan kat cafe dulu. Food, okaylah. Tak banyak pilihan tapi yang anak-anak suka makan ada, so on je lah kan. Tengah mengadap tu, Iman tetiba muntah atas meja. Alamak. Kenalah ai mencuci meja kat cafe pulak. Sebab sebok bersihkan meja, dah terlewat for appointment. Patutnya jam 8.30. Ni jam 8.40 masih gigih mengelap meja. Teruslah dapat reminder call. Bagus jugak depa ni kan. A day before appointment pun depa hantar SMS reminder.

Hari ni cam havoc sikit pasal both Kakak dengan Iman nak check mata and I couldn't be at two places at the same time kan. Memula ensure Kakak dah comfortable and I have given all the details they wanted. This time a big NO-NO to eye drop. Kakak pun ada history asthma and I don't want her to get the attack again. Then kena attend to Iman.g at This time yang check dia orang lain, fomfuan. Iman ni pulak, kalau fomfuan dia memang cooperate lebih sikit :D. Dalam a little more than an hour dan conclude his reading. Right eye 1.25, left 1.75. Astig both eyes 3.00, which is high. Astig ni in layman term, we call it 'silau'. From my pemahaman tadi, it is due to keadaan lengkungan mata yang tak sama. Supposedly lengkungan mata (tak ingat bahagian mana) melintang sama dengan lengkungan mata secara menegak. Bila astig tinggi, difference between the two is high. Bila tengok something, they don't see it as one whole thing. Maybe nampak atas aje or bawah aje, or kanan aje or kiri aje. Hence the term 'silau'. Bayangkan kita tengok TV pastu ada silau matahari, kan tak nampak sebahagian TV tu kan. Anyway, Opto kata mungkin masa kecik budak-budak suka gosok-gosok mata secara keterlaluan, tu yang shape mata jadi gitu. Or budak kuat nangis, sapu-sapu air mata kuat-kuat or yang allergik debu, mata gatal.

As for Kakak pulak, I owe her big time. I am so sorry Kakak. The Opto said our eyes stop growing at the age of 8 (approximately) so at 10 (Kakak is 10 this year), her eyes will give minimal respond to whatever stimulants (specs, eye therapy). Macam Iman, he's 7 so there's still time. She has first complaints tak nampak when she's 8 or 9 camtu. All I did was mintak cikgu letakkan dia kat depan. Then I went to kedai specs untuk check mata dia, semua refused and mintak pegi ke hospital, which I have been procrastinating, until today. Yes, I do feel bad about it. And now there's nothing much we can do about it. But whatever left that can be done, will be done. That Ummi janji to Kakak.

Ai forgot to ask for the latest reading tadi. But initially I was informed hers were 4.00+ for both right and left eyes and he astig is even more higher than Iman! Itu 4.00 is my reading at 35yo! While waiting untuk buat specs, we now have to do therapy (Ummi lepas ni boleh ambik kursus jadi therapist) for her eyes. Cover one eye, use the other to do activities like reading, writing, drawing, coloring for an hour. Then alternate with the other eye, also for an hour. Do just a cycle a day.

Since tadi both Kakak dengan Iman were there, and both have high astig, they cross-checked my kids' files and concluded that Adam should also undergo eye/vision checking when he's older but no more than 5yo.

Since tadi En Suami a.k.a En Banker was not with us, makanya specs tak buat lagi. Khamis ni we'll go again untuk buat specs pulak. Welcome to the club kids! Now Abah has 2 more persons to nag.. letak spek elok2, jangan main sental je lense tu, jangan tido pakai spek. Ha, sapa tido pakai spek? Maknya lerr.

I'd like to share some points about this whole 'mata-xperience'..

1) Don't hesitate to bring your child if diorang komplen tak nampak, pastu kalau balik sekolah asik pening kepala for no reasons. No harm to just check. At HUKM JRMA, untuk check, adalah free aje okay. Remember that our eyes grow sampai umur kita 8 tahun ajer (ni I quote opto okay)

2) Be mindful that in HUKM JRMA, checking akan dibuat oleh student med kita. Ada supervisor diorang nevertheless. Like Kakak's case tadi, since rabun dia agak teruk, supervisor took over. And be mindful HUKM is a government hospital. Bagi yang rasa-rasa jatuh standard or rasa-rasa tak tasty langsung government hospital ni, silalah ke hospital swasta okay.

3) Contrary to the popular belief, the waiting time is so short. In fact masa I called up the first time, I was told to come the very next day.

4) The checking will be a thorough one so it takes time. Do bring toys, snacks, water to occupy your kids. And for you, bawak le buku cerita and for the net-savvy, selamat ber-fb while waiting.

5) To ensure kesihatan mata, do eats loads of vege and fruits. Take vitamin A if you must but through diet lagi bagus. Practise eye-hygiene i.e. tengok TV dengan jarak yang betul, baca buku with enough light, don't tenyeh2 mata.

I don't know if we can get cheaper frames/lenses there in HUKM JRMA (ada kedai specs siap kat dalam tu) since budak2 ni tak buat specs lagik. Nanti come Thursday, we'll know. Even so, I plan to also have my eyes checked there.

So peeps, take care of your eyes okay.

March Oredi??

Wahhhh.. dah masuk March ye kawan-kawan. Another 4 more months to go before ai masuk keje balik. Yep, ai masuk keje semula. Segala proposal VSS dan resign telah ditolak buat sementara waktu ni atas beberapa sebab musabab. Thing is, kerja semula, maybe for 1 or 2 years and see how it goes. One step at a time, lepas tu fikir apa nak buat. Nak jadi SAHM terus, or terus bekerja dengan T* atau cari keje dekat-dekat dengan rumah.

March ni bulan appointment. Iman ada 4 appointments.
2/3 - check mata kat HUKM dekat-dekat HKL
3/3 - speech therapy
23/3 - occupational therapy
30/3 - check mata kat HUKM Cheras

Maybe cuti sekolah nanti nak slot in check mata Kakak jugak kat HUKM. Few suggested we go here or we go there but for now we stick to HUKM. Jimat kos babe. Checking FOC ajer. Nak buat cermin mata tak sure berapa kosnya lagi sebab belum sudah-sudah check mata si Iman. He gets restless easily. Tak dan nak check betul-betul, dia nak turun dari kosi la, lapar la, nak kenc*** la etc. He even asked for gambar lain to look kalau dia rasa gambar-gambar yang ada for the test tu membosankan dia.

And sebelum cuti sekolah, anak-anak yang berdua tu, si Kakak dengan Iman ada exam Fasa 1. 8-11 March 2011. Berdebar Ummi tau. Iman first time exam. Kadang-kadang dia tau jawapan tapi sebab dia cepat bosan, dia buat sikit, the rest dia tinggalkan (contohnya kerja sekolah or kerja rumah). Whatmore nak transfer jawapan a,b,c to kertas yang kena hitamkan tu.

Si Kakak pulak dah peringkat kedua sekolah rendah. Dah Tahun 4. More subjects, more things to remember, to practise etc. Yang buat ai risau (among all) is penulisan in both BM and BI. Tahun lepas she did quite well sampai boleh lompat 2 kelas ke depan. When she's in better class, more competition kan. Apapun I hope both will do their best.

We have decided cuti sekolah ni tak kemana-mana. Abahnya sibuk. Maybe just go anywhere within KL je. Bird Park ke, Pusat Sains ke, Butterfly Farm ke, Kuala Gandah Elephant Santuary ke.. Cam Adam tu memang kena bawak dia keluar to vent out. Of late, that boy is a ball of energy. When we are out, rasanya I need to use that harness thingy lah. He's everwhere! Btw, cuti pun seminggu aje. That leaves me thinking and planning on activities. Else, they'll irritate me 24-7 he he!

Of Tidying Up & Kids Art

I've been busy for the past week. Biasalah no helper, more chores to do kan. Projek going on (almost finish anyway) ialah mengemas the kids' toys. Kakak decided not to keep many things, which in a way is a blessing because the boys' toys sahaja dah ada 3 tong. There's a tong of baby toys which are of no use anymore but too cute to be given away. But, it is better to give away and put a smile on some babies' faces than to keep them collecting dusts dalam stor kan. Hurmp.. Why do I have to be so kedekut?

Here's one of the categories (owhh.. ku sungguh pathetic, toys anak2 pun ada sorting system), toy cars. These are what I decided to keep. Half is going for donation. Ni pun rasanya dah banyak sangat hilang ntah ke mana.

Btw, my SIL was here for some of the medical courses. She came to my house semalam and brought the eldest 2 to Jusco Bukit Mahkota Cheras. Balik tu both has their hands on their back with wide proud smile on each face. Ingatkan belikan Ummi hadiah ke apa.. rupanya they went to an art session (unplanned, coincidently ada session running) and had fun trying their hands on some canggih play-dough and these are the result..

*drumroll*
LADYBUG by Kakak.

Btw, kaler sebenar bodynya ialah biru. Memfoto dengan HTC tak berapa canggih beserta dengan lampu mentol kuning adalah tidak digalakkan.

*drumroll*
CROCODILE by Iman.
I was doubting if he did this himself until Kakak said 'I saw with my own eyes Ummi. Iman buat sendiri'.

Nampaknya lepas ni kelas play-doh Ummi (read here) mungkin tutup terus lah, now that they know there's a more canggih option.. nearby some more!

Salam Maal Hijrah

Alhamdulillah.

Tahun baru.

Masih panjang umur meneruskan dan menguruskan kehidupan di muka bumi ini. Salam Maal Hijrah kepada semua yang beragama Islam.

Hari ini banyak perkara baru. Mencemaskan tetapi berakhir dengan penuh kelegaan.

Saya sendiri menjalani TSAHM full fledge sebagai suri rumah tanpa helper. InsyaAllah. Penat sedikit tapi hati puas. Lantai bersapu dan bermop. Kain siap berlipat. Mainan anak-anak bersusun (ada lagi 3 beg besar nak kena sort, never thought we had THAT much!). Kain baju yang sepatutnya bergosok, dah pun digosok. Anak-anak pun alhamdulillah tak makan megi aje! Anak-anak order makanan itu ini. Iman nak donut, pau inti kelapa, apple pie. Kakak nak agar-agar kaler coklat. Agar-agar done. Inti apple pie done. Lain-lain tu, sabar ye anak-anak. InsyaAllah Ummi buat.

Iman pulak, dah baik dari chicken pox (ingat entry saya di sini?). Makanya bermulalah tuition cuti sekolah untuk dia. Jam 9.00 pagi saya pasang semula car seat Adam dalam kereta kecik tu. Berangkutlah ke pusat tuition empat beranak. Mula-mula inform kehadiran (dah register minggu lepas), lepas tu temankan dia ke kelas. Adam pun sibuk sama bawak beg and duduk kat meja. Orang keluarkan pensil, dia keluarkan ultraman! Waktu kelas nak mula, nasib baik Adam nak keluar tapi Iman dah mula berkerut-kerut nak nangis. Nasib baik tak lama kendian, cousin dia datang (I live berselang beberapa rumah dengan my SIL), terus ceria, babai suruh balik. So off we went, Ummi dengan Adam balik rumah.

Part yang mencemaskan ialah, hari ni first day Iman naik van. Walaupun dekat, risau amat. Bimbang dia tak naik van. Bimbang dia main turun je kat mana-mana. I entrusted Iman to his sister, Kakak. Kakak kena ambik Iman from his class, then make sure naik van sama-sama. I had faith in Kakak but still, I paced to and fro at our living area from 11.30am (the time class ends) right up to the moment they showed up at front gate around 20 minutes later. Okaylah tu, brisk walk dalam rumah! Alhamdulillah. Selamat sampai anak-anak. Tanya Iman how was school? Dia kata tak best. How's the van? BEST! Oh well.

Anyway, ingat my complaint here? I saw the person in-charge and conveyed my concern. Accepted with open heart and promised to look into the matter. I was not trying to be-little anyone. I think when there's something wrong, why should we ignore it kan.

Thanks to frens who left comment on Bibik thingy, in FB and those text messages. Really appreciate your concerns and thots. *hugs*

My England Is Broken Too

Me and Tebby decided to send Kakak and Iman for a school holiday tuition at a nearby center. For Kakak it's gonna be Math, Science, BI and BM. For Iman, the 3M (membaca, menulis, mengira).

Today is Kakak's first day. Iman is supposed to come along but since he's down with chicken pox, Kakak went alone. Naik van. As usual, this pathethic mom stalked to ensure she's safely in her class. Then I went to the office, paid for the fee and was offered an english enrichment tuition (cam tulah lebih kurang namanya) (for Kakak) but I declined. Don't want to push her too much.

When she got back and showed what she has learned, I almost fainted when I saw these sentences

---> the tree are growth well

---> the tree are die

You know these are wrong right? I asked. A ah tapi cikgu suruh tulis gitu.

Thank God it's Science. The facts are right but those are so grammatically, glaringly wrong. Should that be BI, I'd go there and then and claim my money back.

I am not bragging of my command of english whatsover. Mine is broken too. I don't use bombastic english words. I come from a non-english speaking background and use pantai timur malay at home. So, please don't get me wrong. But, if I paid xxx much of money, then I expect to get back xxx worth in return.

Now, who should really enroll in that english enrichment tuition thingy? Hurmp...

Octopus Ampang Point

After sending off Iman to Ampang Hilir, Kakak and I went to Octopus, @Ampang Point. Sushi time. Too bad tak banyak choice left. Maybe sebab it was after lunch and nearing teatime kot. I had to order for the ones with orangy fish roe on top (which usually rolling away in abundant on the conveyor). That's Kakak's favourite. She had 2 servings while I had 2 for myself. She had strawberry ice blended while I had hot green tea.

We both had good time.

Kids & Swimming Pool

Now that the school holidays has just started, the kids has been pestering us to go somewhere. Particularly yang ada swimming pool. But we can't just yet. En Tebby tak bercuti until end of December. Coincidently, a promotional pamphlet from Toys R Us arrived in our mailbox. The kids studied from page to page and later on pestered us on a infalatible swimming pool. The one with the slide on the side somemore.

Tapi pegi Toys R Us MV, yang depa nak tu dah habis. Iman choosed another type. The bonus is, yang dia pilih tu is a cheaper one he he.

That Toys R Us pamphlet pun dah selamat dibuang he he.

Lepas solat Asar, proses mengepam pool dimulakan oleh Kak Mon and dihabiskan oleh En Tebby. Letih woo nak kasi penuh angin sampai wall jadi rigid. Lepas tu baru proses bubuh air pulak. Kalau gini sampai habis cuti sekolah, habis le melambung-lambung bil air nanti nih.

Jom jengah aktiviti depa.

the boys could hardly wait. ummi, pasang pool. ummi, masukkan angin. haihhh.. tunggu dulu. ummi nak bubuh sunscreen kat muka ni ha jap.


owh Iman, you need to cut down ur carbo intake dear. perut dah berlipat-lipat.

Adam. pose kening berkerut. Frens, ni cam muka abah ke muka ummi?

Kakak practising breathing underwater

Syukur. Kakak No 3.

We went to Majlis Ihtifal & Khatam Al-Quran held by KAFA Al-Waani, sekolah agama which Kakak is attending. Alhamdulillah, syukur Ya Allah, she got 3rd place in her class. (For her sekolah kebangsaan, she got 4th. Prizes are given to 1st-3rd place only).

The event was held in Sekolah Agama Menengah, Jalan Hulu Langat. I thought the event would take up 2 1/2 hours the most but we ended up going back way after 5.00 pm. Blame it on the long speeches delivered. Me think, this is an Ihtifal then just have your speeches short and sweet. Just congratulate the students and give some moral encouragement. Me think, it was like attending some kind of briefing. They held lotsa persembahan as well. But those persembahan were wayyyy entertaining than those long speeches.

When she went up the stage, I felt a lump in my throat. This is the girl whom her teacher bluntly told me 'dia slow' way back in 2008. So mommies, never lose hope on your child. Never lose faith. As Maher Zain renders 'InsyaAllah, InsyaAllah. InsyaAllah we'll find the way'.

proud parents attending


just arrived. meant to just photo her alone. but Iman will never miss menempel. and kikkor too.

waiting in line

that's my girl

Hot Chocolate Anyone?

My eldest, she has just finished her final exam for sekolah agama last week and will be sitting for sekolah kebangsaan's next week. For sekolah kebangsaan, In this Hulu Langat area, exams are held simultaneously, with standard questions.

She's quite goon in English alhamdulillah. Science, insyaAllah. Bahasa so-so. Math? Ini subject yang paling getir.. chewah! For the last few days, I've been giving her Math exercise, monitoring her and all. As of today, I am tensed and so she is. I am tensed as to why she can't understand me and she, on the other hand, is stressed as I can't make her understand. She is so me actually. Math and me just don't rhyme beautifully.

After giving some tips and some questions to ensure her understanding, alhamdulillah, she got them all right. Lega. She lega, I lega.

And this is my latest reward system - hot chocolate drink!

She's all smiles when I handed her a mugful of steaming hot chocolate drink. How comforting eh?

Tapi ada jugak yang tumpang sekaki... si Iman pun request satu mug untuk dia. No, Ummi cannot share, ini Iman punya aje. Okaylah Iman. I am sorry I can't give as much attention to you at the moment, nanti bila Kakak dah habis exam, I'll get back to you. You might not even like it he he.

BBQ Party II 2010

In celebration of Kakak's birthday, we did a BBQ last Saturday 7th August. Just the 5 of us and Bibik and Acik, my SIL who happened to be around.

Around noon we did all the marinating and at a little past 6, hidupkan api. After solat Maghrib dah berbara and ready for grilling. We did 5 types i.e. 1 type of prawn, 1 type of squid, 1 type of chicken wing anf 2 types of beef.

Here goes some photos..

uik.. bak sini pengepit arang tuhhh


the boys


orang paling sebok dari mula sampai sudah

kakak dan iman

western beef

oriental beef


squid


prawn

Read about our first BBQ here.