Something in My Mind..

Cant sleep, no matter how I toss and turn in bed, trying to count sheep and watching tv, hearing the kids snoring in their sleep, but still wide awake. Something in my head, thinking about it over and over again. Cant blank it out no matter how hard I try. Maybe tried too hard, thats why I am here typing my blog post while others are asleep....

Yesterday, I slept at 1am coz (gulp!) I played the Xbox...no surprise here, I do it sometimes, not really a gamer girl, juz do it when I am totally bored..tried the Xbox live and downloaded some demo games for Shadiq (more for me!) and Herman... I let Shadiq try out the games today, he love it and played nearly 3 hours straight until I had to scream at him to stop. I got dizzy after playing for an hour so I sure dont know how he can do it without stopping....anyway he only get to play the Xbox when Herman is around which is like maybe once or twice a month kind of thing. I am like so laazzyyy to plug the thing in and I can like get so easily addicted to playing games and stuffs so try not to do it....but I lucked out this time coz Shadiq knew I can do it so....he will whine and groan about it, usually I use the excuse of not knowing how to play so cant use that excuse now.

Still dont feel sleepy though my eyes feel kind of heavy...but something still stuck there at the back of my mind....

Photos Galore

Okay finally I got the time to upload the photos..school hols starting from now, just for two weeks then I got to get back to school for the last two weeks of the hols...'sigh' better than nothing, rite? Anyway rumours are going round that from next year onwards, we are only getting 18days leave. So enjoy it while it last.

Oh the pics are like a half-year accumulation so maybe there will be a bit of this and that...like puzzle pieces you know...shows how lazy I can be.

Shadiq and Siddiq - part 1

Something wrong with my memory card, cant upload the photos...anyway will try again soon..when I have the time...
To recap whats up the last few weeks:

1) We celebrated big bro's birthday on the 7th of November 2009 (Saturday). Didnt do much except for the normal cake-cutting, sing-a-long birthday song and makan-makan. Big bro was so shy..he didnt really like being in the spotlight and lil bro suddenly got all jealous and make a lot of fuss. He didnt like the idea of big bro sitting on ibu's lap. He got toy trucks and a toy gun as birthday presents. I got for him unifix cubes. Herman got for him an F1 race car (two weeks later).

2) Our toilet went through 3-days of renovation coz of ceiling and pipe leaks. Got to stay over at my mum's and Shadiq kept saying that the toilet got "pacah". His spoken malay is really bad, so pelat...and there are times when I cant understand what he is trying to tell me in Malay...He is so much better when he speaks in English. I try so hard not to laugh when he speak to me in Malay coz he will get all embarrased and angry. Let me give you an example :
"Ibu toilet pacah. Takda water and toilet so dirty. How abang nak kancing?" (read this as you read melayu baku)

3) The lil bro is into the walking and shouting mode. He will walk around the house and if you leave the gate open, he will walk right out to anywhere and everywhere. He shouts a lot too especially when big bro irritates him. Big bro love to tease the small one and laugh whenever the small one shouts at him. I find it all so annoying coz lil bro can really shout and cry to bring the house down. Nowadays he is so much fiercer like throwing toys or beat his big bro whenever he got annoyed. End up in a fighting match. They can be such little angels when we bring them out coz they sure know how to behave outside but in their own domain, they really rule over everyone with their shoutings, climbing over chairs, jumping on beds and fighting. And the lil bro is so clingy to me, I cant even go to the toilet sometimes without him sitting outside crying for me...

I guess that's about it..oh, Herman is already serving his six-months training with SPF and he sure is hard on it. Starting to lose his paunch and proudly showing off his muscles to me...Got to go now, lil bro is being his annoying self again, being all-clingy to me.

Rights of a Wife

Somebody sent me this via my e-mail with this message:-
We all think Romeo & Juliet is the greatest love story we've ever heard. But why? They tried to marry without their parents permission and ended up committing suicide. We should not look at their example as OUR example. Our example is the single most perfect person in history. Our beloved Prophet(peace be upon him) and the way he loved Khadija(ra) is the example we should be proud of and look up to. Watch this absolutely amazing and emotional video and it will bring a tear to your eye. This is the greatest love story ever.

Dedicated to all the ibus, mamas, mummies, emaks and wifeys out there...
Note to hubbies : Bring your wife out after watching this, hahaha!

The Zoo Trip, Health and Ghosts!

Okay I have been like soooo buuuuzzzzyyyy to update and by the time I sit in front of the computer, I am like so wiped out at the end of the day.

Okay where should I start? Last Sunday we went to the zoo. Kesian si abang Shadiq, merengek nak tengok the 'birds' 'elephants' 'tigers' and 'dinosaurs' (the dinosaur not so sure...) so bila sampai je kat zoo, he was like jumping and running everywhere. We rented the trolley so that we could put both bros in it. Abang was so damn excited and adik juz look like "whatz-all-the-fuss-about" kind of face. He pointed and called out to all the animals, describing their features and the sounds they make, though I not so sure elephants should be 'mooo'...I pointed out the animals to adik as well but he juz look at me, look at the animals and just yawn, sigh... Adik slept after just half an hour but big bro lasted through nearly the entire trip, finishing at kidzworld where he swam and played with the water. After that, we went cruisin' around the rented car that my father-in-law drive.

Me, I was like so busy with National day parades, dinners and school concert preparation so feel like so zombified (whatever that means!)....Herman is so into health these days, taking great care of his diet and going for daily exercises (cycling mostly)...wanted to get rid of his paunch and double chin, intending to lose more weight and keep his fitness up.

Then recently I had this funny and maybe eerie story in school. This kid got a scolding from me coz she did not want to do her schoolwork and lied that she had a tummy ache. I believed her initially and told her to rest. But she played around and disturbed her other classmates who are doing their work. So she got a good scolding from me. She cried to her mummy and told her mummy that she didnt want to go to school. She told her mummy that she didnt like me coz I scold her. Her mummy said okay and told me about it. I told her why and her mum agreed that she had always been quite lazy and always gave excuses not to do her work. The next few days, she still cried to school and this time she told her mummy that she saw ghosts in school.
Wow! Her mummy was on red alert and believe or not, her mother actually placed sweets around the school to so called appease the spirits. My principal got a shock of her life to see all the sweets around the centre.
And she did this for nearly a week until my principal had to talk to her about it coz the other kids actually picked up the sweets after she left and we had to remove them....She agreed but then the next day, we saw her praying outside the centre! With joss sticks and burning hell money, it was really eerie to see her like that... In fact, the girl whenever she came to school, juz cried for a few minutes and stopped after that, playing happily and doing her work. So if you ask me it is just excuses and children sure know where to 'strike' their parent's weakest point. Their family is like very involved in this spiritual matters so they actually believed this kind of story. I had like nearly 100 children in school and they range from two and a half years to six years so dont tell me out of so many only one child can see it...not that I dont believe in ghosts, but I can differentiate an excuse and a truth from a child.
Then today, her mother gave us roti prata to eat which me and my principal is very suspicious of...You never know what they will do right so we didnt eat it but gave it away to somebody else...People sure are weird and even crazy!

H1N1 and more...

Due to the recent H1N1 crisis, I spent the last 3 days in school scrubbing, cleaning and disinfecting everything from toys right down on my hands and knees on the floor scrubbing my heart out...don't believe me? Come to my centre, you can smell the dettol in the air, remind me of being in a hospital. And my principal is considering whether we should scrub the playground area and I go like OH NO! Get the Town Council guys to do that.

Been calling the parents, asking them for their travel history for the last seven days. You have probably received calls from the teachers about it. Irony is that I have been calling parents regarding this and then I got a call from Shadiq's teacher about it...hahaha! My principal told me that any kids who have been overseas or even over to Malaysia have to self-quarantine themselves for seven days before they can return to school.

I am seriously considering whether to keep Shadiq at home for the first week when school reopen. Just to be on the safe side....well anyway, regardless of the H1N1, I am going Wild Wild Wet this Saturday....

(Oh, I have some photos to upload but I am like soooo laaazzzzyyyy and soooo tiiirrreeed)

Shadiq PTC

Last Saturday was Shadiq's PTC....kind of embarrassing coz we were like half an hour early, I thought it started at 9am. So we waited at the lobby area while the teachers were preparing. We were also the very FIRST ones there, 'gulp' kiasu parents!

Anyway, Teacher Zai was very pleasant and pretty so that could account Shadiq AND Herman fascination for her, hrmph! Shadiq is a VERY active boy, able to socialize well (thank God!), doesnt disturb or hit out at any of his friends, does his work and clean up his toys afterwards. Though he was very rough and tough in the beginning but he mellowed down towards the second term. Became more responsible but sadly cant and wouldnt speak Malay, doesnt seem to understand too cause when the teacher talks to him in Malay, he will respond back in English or repeat what the teacher said to him...okay, we are guilty for speaking in English to him ALL the time. Learnt Jawi and able to recite a few doas but wouldnt recite to us though. Very good with numbers but sucks with letters (oh!oh!).

So after that we decided that Herman would talk to him in English and I would talk to him in Malay. Seems very odd and funny though, in fact Shadiq laughed when I talked to him in Malay. Cant seem that bad right?

Shiddiq is really into the climbing and walking mode. Yesterday he took quite a few tumbles and bumps, I am like so tempted to get him a helmet. Oh well, nowadays I just need to hold on to him with just one hand and he would walk around the house holding onto my hand. But his only fault is that he like to jump at the same time, so just imagine him jumping and trying to walk at the same time. So thats where the knocks and bumps came from. 'Sigh'...the holidays has just started...

The Holidays! And Shadiq...And Shiddiq...

Finally, after 5 months of slogging and running breathlessly, endlessly, changing diapers (yup, some of my nursery kids still on it) finally, oh finally a chance to take a seat back and say "Aaaaaahhhhhhhh......."
Seriously though, I still need to come back to school for the June holiday programme, gonna bring Shadiq along since I sign him up (hee!hee!), then its gonna be two weeks of a very long good rest, well....I still need to come back for a few days for courses, workshops and meetings but, still I dont have to do any paperwork, lesson plans (well, putting it off till the last minute) and no kids till then (except for mine!).

Going on a cruise on the 12th to the 14th, a cruise to nowhere...sounds exotic but the ship is probably be going round and round the waters till we get sick (hahaha!) Kind of like a honeymoon but with kids around so probably no romantic walks or moonlight dinner thingy...more like running around and 'quick-finish-ur-food!' kind of thing...'sigh' the quirks of being parents, still wouldnt trade them for anything. Oh well, still it is a much-needed kind of break from our hustle and bustle way of life...can pretend to be 'datin' on the cruise ship (yeah right!)

And last week, Shadiq went for his first outing to the zoo (without us!sob!sob!) We packed his bag, fill it with his waterbottle, raincoat, snacks, cap and labeled everything with his full name, address and contact number. Got carried away coz we were like so nervous and so wooorriiieeed...I couldnt sleep right and I kept thinking about how he might got lost at the zoo or got trapped in the enclosures or something....well anyway, everything went fine, he enjoyed himself, related all the things that he had done and seen at the zoo (in his quack-quacky speech) so I guess all the worrying was for nothing. Even brought home some souveniers, like a box of art thingys from KFC and a wet raincoat plus wet socks tied up in a plastic bag.

Next is his PTC on the 6th of June. Kind of looking forward to it. It will be a nice change to hear about another teacher talking about my son...regardless of course the good or bad (gulp!I hope most of it good!) Well, the teacher did complained to me one time that Shadiq was way too rough when playing with his friends. So I had to talked to him and after much talk (or more like threats and warnings), he kind of tone down a bit and didnt hear from the teacher after that...so I guess he must be okay then at school (I hope!)...

Oh, Shiddiq got two new teeth. Poor guy had fever that lasted for three days and pop! Two new teeth that bites fiercely on anybody who holds him...drool like crazy too! Still creeping and crawling around the house, love to hide under the chairs and tables, sit up on his own and also include climbing on chairs as a bonus exercise...no wonder my mum look so wiped out...Guess its a matter of time before he is able to walk. Shadiq walk when he was ten months old. By June he is ten months old so not so sure...

Kampong Life

Memories getting kind of hazy, cant seem to remember much of the kampong life since our visits are during the long school holidays, weekends and public holidays. Let me try to refresh my memory a bit.

I can remember the times when Tuk used to bring us to the beach. A group of us kidz holding hands to cross the expressway to the beach and back. Tuk was really super, he really know how to handle us rowdy kidz....
Then he will bring us somewhere (cant remember where) to pick flowers and we will make chains or place it on our hair, pretending to be little princesses or something.
Hari Raya, main bunga api...Om is the king of firecrackers, he will be the first one to bring out the things and play with it.

But I remember best is the swing that was hung onto a big tree. We kidz liked to swing back and forth, taking turns to climb onto the big tyre until a whole group of us was on that tyre. Amazingly it didnt like crash or anything...really strong, can easily support like 5 to 6 of us on it. Bila Maghrib je, all the mummies will scream at us to come in or the 'momok' will come to catch us. Kelam kabut kita lari, we always say the last person 'momok' ambik! Hahaha! I remember crying coz I was the last one!

Well, there was a time when we got into fighting with each other. (Budak kan biasalah, friends one minute and enemies the next...) I was sulking at a corner with Ros who said not to mind them. Then I said, deserve them right if they fall off the swing. And believe it or not, one of them slipped and all of them fall off the swing! I laughed my heart out then and said padan muka tak nak share dengan aku! Then I played with the sand with Ros happily...then they called us back to play on the swing so became friends again!

I really miss those times, life was so much simpler and we were like so content. Not like now...always rushing, always stressing, 'sigh'.....

A Great Great Great News!

Yesterday, we had a wonderful and great surprise from SPF. After 4 trials, interviews and medical check-ups, months, weeks, days of waiting and finally......Herman got in!

I was like jumping up and down in the classroom when I got the sms. The kidz laughed and called me crazy but I just dont care. On the 18th of May he will have to attend the bond-signing at HTA and he will go to camp for 6 months on the 20th May.

Syukur Alhamdulillah, we were so grateful and sooooo happppyyyyy!!!! So goodbye to SMRT and welcome SPF!!!!

Batam and More (Part 2 - Pics)

Here are some pics of our batam trip. Got it from my sis-in-law who sent the photos via e-mail. Ours I have not got the time to download so enjoy!

Batam and More (Part 1)

Okay, where should I start? Been so busy lately, what with schoolwork, housework and dont-know-whatever-work...bummer, well anyway I guess I should start with our trip to Batam.
I guess I owe it all to Bibik for her blog on the visit to Batam especially about SHOPPING, so we started to talk about it and discuss it with a few people, compare prices and before we know it, we booked ferry tickets, hotel, whooppeee!!!
We went during the Labour Day holidays, with my sister-in-law family, Herman parents and my brother-in-law family. My parents dont want to follow, coz the kids came over to stay. The pics will be uploaded later though...laziness starting to kick in.

Then for Mother's Day, I got a beautiful ring from Herman. It was like so sweet, a white gold ring with topaz stones...thanks and I really love it plus you alot darling.

We also brought his parents to Sentosa. Again my parents dont want to follow, they rather go to Singapore Expo or is it Marina Barrage with the kidz, 'sigh'. Those pics however will be downloaded on another day coz I am like so wiped out. Actually forcing myself to type. Hurt my right wrist, dont know how-when-or-why but it hurts when I use it too long. Before anybody suggest anything lewd, it doesnt have to do with any 'night activities'....probably hurt it due to work.

Soccer

Hi Everyone! Ajan just told me the other day about a soccer match that we are gonna have. These are the details:

Date : 26th April 2009 (Sunday)

Venue : Beatty Secondary School (near Braddell)

Time : 3pm to 5 pm

Versus : Zainal Abidin's soccer group (or as Ajan sms me, anak buah Zainal Abidin)

So we hope that everyone could make it on that day. If you are able or unable to attend on that day, please tag us...

The Day We Shop and Shop and Shop.....

Last blog, I mentioned about our shopping spree so I decided to snap a few photos of our shopping thingys and here they are!

There are other things such as clothes, shoes and toys. We even bought a new bed coz the old mattress hinges and creaks so we got a silent night mattress and bedframe. Those on the pics are the ones we had been eyeing for a very long time.....sigh, we are so content and we couldn't ask for more. So darling, can I have the third baby now?

The Summary of Events

So much had passed that I dont even know where to start....from the time Ajan got engaged to when my mom-in-law moved back in with us again till now...wow sooo many things to talk about.

First of all, our house just got a little wee bit more smaller coz of the chairs and table so poor Big Bro's toys got to be pushed around the house. Herman landed with some small fortune so we get to shop around a few things. Got a new stroller for Little Bro coz Big Bro spoiled TWO strollers. Herman went to Audiohouse whereby we traded our old camcorder with a new Canon camcorder. I got some 'bling-blings', pretty much against my wishes, coz I asked for the Finepix digicam, Herman said NO. Big Bro got a bicycle, much to his delight.

Futsal was great, though my bandaged foot ached after that. Last time was so impromptu and I never intend to join in the game coz of the 'corny' foot. But kaki gatal, dah lama tak main bola sooo.....It had been so long since I played soccer, used to with my bros and friends at school. I got to start exercising, feel so heavy and so worn-out after the game...But semangatnya pasal, I bought a soccer shirt for the next futsal...salute to all the futsal girls on that day, you rock and we still manage to show the guys we are as good as them! We got great teamwork and got skills.

Next on my list is to finish this damn 2 page field report that I have not done yet. I have not even started it yet..

Countdown - 1st March 2009

Yesterday I had been slogging the whole day, starting with block visit with the MP and committee (sigh...minuses of working with PCF) which started in the morning till afternoon. Then as soon as I reached home, I started to 'overhaul' my house for the upcoming tunang event. Thanks to my parents and bros for looking after the kids and helping me clean as well.
So the living room will be where the main thingy will be going on, one bedroom is transformed to a child care room and another bedroom is for praying, sleeping or whatever you want to do inside. The back room is storage and kitchen will be where the buffet will be.

So everybody please dont forget the address. It will be done at our house
BLOCK 4 JALAN BATU #02-137 SINGAPORE 431004. You can call us at 64051342 (after 6pm) or our mobile 93887607 / 98752494. See you on the 1st of March (Sunday).

Mentoring For Sucess

Just reading the title, you probably guess what's its about. Went for the course during the last three days from Tuesday to Thursday. Kind of relaxing coz that meant that I didnt go to class, had the course at Grange Road MOE Teacher's Network or something...

They invited award receipients from year 2007-2008 for the course and at first I was very intimidated by all the 'stars' since I was alone, so very alone...but amazingly, I managed to make friends with nearly everybody there even got to befriend the lecturers. Dr Christina Chen and Siew Hong, lecturers with AECES were very helpful and I was like so amazed at how fast we broke the ice in the class.

Throughout the whole of 3 days, we joked, discussed, share personal thoughts and experiences plus we share ideas about work too. Got to know a few 'big-shots' like principals, admins of other kindergarten centres and we exchanged e-mails and contact numbers to set up a networking kind of thing.

We were trained to be mentors to teachers and they are 'grooming' us to be mentors for new poly/degree graduates, work and study attachment. After the course however, we had to do our own practicum at work, selecting a mentee and then preparing a report to hand in by April...and this is the scary part. Had chosen who my mentee would be but unfortunately, I dont think she is very cooperative and keen about it... very awkward to begin with but on the positive side, I take it as a challenge and God knows how I like to take risks (no matter how stupid it seems at times)....

Majlis Pertunangan Azhar

Ingin dimaklumkan bahawa majlis pertunangan Mohd Azhar Bin Abdul Rashid akan berlangsung pada 1hb March 2009 (Ahad). Harap hadir pada sebelah pagi kerana rombongan pertunangan akan berangkat selepas zuhur. Kami akan menyediakan bus untuk 40 orang. Majlis pertunangan akan diadakan di Blk 4 Jalan Batu #02-137 .

Kami akan berangkat ke Blk 5 Holland Close #07-53.
Tunangnya Nurhudha Bte Kassim.
Kami akan mengadakan jamuan dan jemputan terbuka untuk semua ahli keluarga Haji Mohd Salleh.

Bagi pihak keluarga Pak Atit, kami sekeluarga berterima kasih atas kehadiran semua.

The Accident

Firstly we talk about the futsal..yesterday was great, yeah! Kallang Wanderers won the game and though poor hubby was limping due to his knee. If you want to know how he got it, this is the story.
It happened when I was six months pregnant with Shadiq and Herman came back home from work, decided to go jogging...Partly the reason is because he wants to get back his fitness and another reason is our bedroom was turned upside down, me guilty of doing my diploma assignment. One hour later, a man came knocking on our door. He told me that Herman got into an accident and I was shocked speechless. The man even told me not to faint and he would bring me down. I quickly got dressed, grabbed my purse and hp, went down to the BP station.
There I saw my darling, lying down on a pool of blood dripping from his knee. Apparently there was this big MPV who rammed him against a lorry so he got wedged in between...I was so shocked and when I saw him lying down not moving, the worst thoughts came creeping into my mind. But he opened his eyes and told me "Sorry sayang, I got an accident." I waited for the ambulance to arrive and called my parents to tell them about the accident.
So to cut the story short, a few hours later, I spend the entire night in the hospital and the next morning, when my parents arrived, they forced me to go home. When I reached home, I spend the entire day crying my heart out. God knows how scared and lonely I felt back then....so whenever I looked at Herman, I thank GOD that my darling hubby is still with me...

Anyway enough of that, I just finished doing a self write-up "What are your aspirations as an early childhood educator and how does getting a scholarship helps to achieve your goals?" Spend nearly thirty minutes writing a 250-words summary, hope its enough....I am not going to pin my hopes into it because if I set my hopes up too high I might never get it and end up being disappointed...

More Pics

The Day My HP Drop Into the Drain

The day my handphone dropped into the drain
Was the day baby Shiddiq had fever and was in pain
I took the day off as the fever was too high
Both boys so happy even when daddy said his byes

While I was waiting for the school bus to come
Took photos of big bro, posing in his school uniform
When I showed him the photos my fingers slipped
I gasped in horror as my handphone flipped

Big bro all wide-eyes with shock
Lil bro giggled and mock
While I ran down the drain
To take my handphone out in vain

My handphone dirty dripping goop and mud
Anger in my heart as I shook it hard
Big bro board the bus while I wave my goodbyes
Lil bro chuckled happily at my demise

A few days later, to my surprise
My handphone flickered and was still alive!
After cleaning and drying it out
It proved to be hardy all about!

Many Faces of Baby Shiddiq

The last three days, lil bro has been terrorising my mum, refusing to eat, drink milk or sleep until I fetch him from work. My guess its because of the 4 days stay at home (CNY) so probably got angry when he was left behind when I went to work.
Lil bro proved to be much more fierce and very temperamental compared to big bro who is mostly (nowadays actually) annoying and noisy at times. Lil bro is what you called kaki tangan dalam perut, very cili padi.

He may not look like much but he certainly know how to throw his weight around the house! Big bro is just heavy but very softie and can be quite reasonable when you talk to him nicely....just enjoy arguing with his daddy (I, however, enjoy watching both of them arguing with each other, its hilarious!)

Holidays Walk-about

Where should I start? Hmmm....okay last Saturday, we brought the kids to Vivocity. Shadiq got this weird fascination for anything that moves on land, sea and air. So we thought it would be fun for him to watch the boats and ships. Wow! We saw Superstar Virgo and Superstar Libra...some of the smaller boats were at the side of the pier so Shadiq got a close encounter. Until it started to rain and we picked Shadiq up, crying and screaming..

Then yesterday, after CNY visiting our Ah-Ma at Kallang Bahru, we went to Changi Airport for the aeroplanes. It must have been Shadiq lucky day coz there are like dozens of them there, some landing and some flying...he must have had a rush watching the planes coz he ran around excitedly, shouting incoherent words and laughing out loud.

Oh and we got to see the eclipse of the sun last Monday...kind of scary....

Anyway here are the pics :

Our Culture or Not?

Today is the first day of the CNY and already the noise level at our area is super-stereo high. Firstly due to the CNY songs that they are playing (the entire neighbourhood sounds like Chinatown) and secondly the CNY lion dance troupe are going round the blocks drumming their way around the houses.

Nothing against these, very racial harmony we are but something bugs me whenever I see these lion dance troupes. Ever notice how many Malays there are in playing in that? With their dyed hair, tattoos and some of them drumming those big drums or being one of the 'lions', just kind of struck a deep chord in my mind. Do you know that the drums are made from pig skin and in order to be part of the lion dance troupe, you are also entwined with another part of their secret society world? Do they even feel a twinge a guilt or doubt when they go house to house, doing whatever they are doing, being part of some kind of ritual which they know is wrong....
It is very depressing to see them this way, I mean the kind of upbringing they must have and the fact that some of them are even proud of being part of this.
I am the kind of person that got irritated when I see another fellow Malay who should be upholding their own traditional and cultural roots but rather embarked on some other cultures that is totally not theirs. There is nothing wrong in learning about other people's cultures but I feel that you should first uphold your own culture, embark into it before exploring others....Just like in the news recently about this Malay girl who could play the dont-know-what Chinese instrument. Nothing personal about this, just that why cant she learn about ghazal, I mean there are lots of instruments out there that form a part of our culture....

Had a few friends who told me that nowadays it is very hard to see or get our own people performing our cultural arts..I mean I went to a certain orchestra performance before and I have to admit, its like hearing a thousand chickens squealing for mercy....I just cant tune my ears to that kind of music yet, went home with a helluva splitting headache...my appreciation is more for rentak zapin, dondang sayang, etc...I learn a variety of dances and there is still nothing quite as elegant or exquisite as our own Malay dance....Indian dance is far too complicated, Chinese dance dont make sense and ballet, you just need to know how to jump on your toes thats all...but Malay dance, lenggang-lenggoknya, keayuan nya dan memahami cerita sebalik karya tarian...aaaahhhhh......

I am not biased but I am very defensive and very protective of my own cultural arts. I was bred into it, spend nearly half my life with it and when I retire from it (due to increasing pressure from hubby and two kids), it was with regret that I have not fulfilled more.....

Up, Up and Away!!!

Got a very good offer from my admin...apparently MOE is giving out sponsorships to selected pre-school centres for their staff to take their degree, Bachelor in Early Childhood Education. Our centre is among the chosen and my admin nominated me and another colleague to go for it. I was like soooooo happpppyyyyyy!!!!!
Been my dream, my hope, my highest aspiration and now it is like so within my reach. But like all sponsorships, you have to go through some interviews and whatever-nots to get it. My admin told me that I stand a good chance in getting it since I already have a very good record with MOE coz of the award I got.
It is a three and a half years study plus another 3 years bond with the centre. All the modules are fully paid, teaching resources are paid also and it will be held at NIE.....need to get a laptop though, probably be getting it soon....the course is starting in July this year so there goes my holiday....but I am sure darn looking forward for this!

My Mum-in-Law 68th Birthday

My Mmum-in-law turned 68 last week and so she was given a surprise birthday party organised by Herman. It was a very nice surprise for her and she was especially touched to know that we took time off from work and other stuffs just to celebrate her birthday....aaahhh these old folks are really sentimental but I bet when we are old like them, even the tiniest bitty things will be very big deals! Each of them pot-lucked a few things such as food, drinks, cake and other whatever-nots so it was kind of fun and truly memorable too...

Shadiq at School

Here is Shadiq enjoying his day in school. Some of the pics were taken during his first day in school (orientation) and the others were doing an open house that they had during one of the weekends...from what I heard from Shadiq he enjoyed school alot...my mum told me that at exactly ten o'clock, he will strip himself, carries his school bag and wore his shoes, stand at the gate stark naked to go out or 'go school' in his own words...well, I am really glad he seems to be adjusting well to school life, didnt wear pampers to school and started to call himself 'abang' and insist we all do the same, how my big boy grow!

Zoo Pics

Some zoo pics that we took last year December....went with my parents, yani, elya, emma, ajan and huda...fun and funny....hope to do it again soon!

The First Post of 2009

I have been putting off updating because of my sooo-tight schedule and plus Herman have been hogging the computer to play his PC games. I threaten to delete his games and he threaten to buy a laptop for himself only....and after much 'threats' I pouted, frowned and gave up the computer to him, hrumph! I can never 'out-argue' him.

Well anyway, this year just promise to be a very fruitful and hopefully a happy one..Partly because I am placed in-charge of the new Nursery curriculum guide in our centre (doesnt come with a better salary package though, sigh)so lots of challenges and happenings. I have to go a mentoring course by the MOE because of the award I won last year, had a good laugh about that....imagine me MENTORING teachers, hahaha! I cant even mentor the children properly...Herman will probably get his transfer soon, hopefully to the circle line, rumours are going around that he's gonna get the transfer (yippeee!!), my youngest bro is getting engaged (sob!sob!) and Shadiq my darling firstborn is in school, nursery at Jamiyah Kindergarten (waaaahhh!!) Plus my second-born turned 5mths this Jan, too lazy to flip his butt and just content with us carrying him plus he is easily startled. I mean like anything can scare him, from the lift door opening to somebody sneezing or coughing...not like he cry or anything but just pouts or shook his body hard...
Went for my jab today, planned to have another baby probably by three to five years time....

Holidays are all planned nicely for this year too...I plan to take my pending one month maternity leave probably in March and then in June.... plans include going on cruise (Star Virgo), a round trip around Malaysia and probably somewhere over the rainbows (surprise! surprise!) but all this is just under construction yet, nothing confirmed or booked...

Herman will be going for his reservist this 19th Jan until Wednesday 21st Jan.

Will post in some pics that we took when we went to the zoo, Herman's mom birthday, Shadiq in school and other whatever-nots.....the clothes are waiting for me to be folded.