Can You Handle My Truth?

A New Beginning

2011-05-09T21:51:00.003+08:00

This is like nearly half a year gone by but so many things had happened since then... good memories, sad ones...it kind of make me wonder what other things are in store for us.
The arrival of a new baby brings us joy and happiness...the start of Herman job as a police officer, me having to run a centre (without the pay -.- sigh), the passing of our beloved grandfather, moving to a new house, Shadiq P1 registration plus the anxiety of him going thru P1 and now having a maid....

I believe things happen for a reason whether good or bad, happy or sad...that is life. How we face it also defines us, our character and how strong you are deep within. Do we crumble and cry under GOd's test or do we find a way out, a solution, braving it out?
Its all a matter of faith in Allah, not to question why we have to face all this but to accept it and brave through it.

Yes I do wonder why and sometimes I do question myself why...but I will realise that it is not up to me to question God's will. It is up to me to decide what I should do and to accept my fate. Coz I realise that the more I question and berate myself, the more lost and unhappy I became. Accepting does not mean defeat, accepting means the willingnes to change and look for better solutions...

Me being all melancholy and have been going through a lot of soul-searching...trying to find a deeper meaning to life and what it is all about...trying to search deep within my soul for a better understanding of what I am and what I want to be in life to myself but also most importantly to and for my family. May Allah guide me through this, Amin...

A new life...

2011-01-12T21:05:00.002+08:00

2day is a bz day 4 me...took urgent leave to send my mom to see doctor 4 her monthly check-up n @ the same time she is sick...after that together with her we had our lunch @ swensen...came home arnd 1+...rest played pc game 4 a while...when my wife came home...we went 2 giant to shop 4 household....had dinner @ siam kitchen...later went to guardian...she bought 'the kit'...when we reach home...the test is positive...and she laugh bcoz of what she facing n feeling 4 past few days...n also thats why my appetite is increasing...so happy with isuntil cant stop smiling from just now...juz hope ALLAH will give us a healthy baby...but i really hope 4 a gal...

Majlis Kenduri Doa Selamat

2010-10-28T20:15:00.002+08:00

Just to inform everyone that my mother-in-law, Sallehah Bt Mat Shukor, will held a Majlis Kenduri Doa Selamat as she will be going for her haj pilgrimage early November. Here are the details:

Venue: Blk 496F Tampines Ave 9
Level 4, house next to lift area
Time: 430pm onwards
Date: 6th November 2010 (Saturday)

All family members, aunties, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters and relatives are invited for this kenduri.

Kenduri Kesyukuran dan Doa Selamat

2010-07-12T21:20:00.004+08:00

Kepada saudara-mara, abang, kakak, makcik, pakcik, adik-beradik semua,
Harap maklum jika tiada apa halangan pada 31hb Julai 2010 (Sabtu), kami sekeluarga akan mengadakan majlis kenduri kesyukuran dan doa selamat. Untuk mengucap syukur kepada Illahi kerana Herman mendapat pekerjaan sebagai seorang pegawai polis.

kami berharap kepada semua untuk menyatakan jika anda dapat hadir untuk majlis ini. Bukan apa, nak take attendance je...pasal catering nak confirm berapa untuk datang pada hari tersebut...kalau tak leh datang takpe, tak jadi marah atau hentak-hentak kepala kat dinding. Tulus ikhlas kami menjemput semua so tak datang, its okay for us.

Latest by next wk 19th Julai (Isnin) to confirm your attendance.

Thank you, terima kasih dan adios!

(Harap maklum. Tarikh majlis kenduri kesyukuran dibrought-forwardkan pada 24hb Julai 2010 Sabtu. Masa 5petang hingga 9mlm di blk 4 Jalan Batu #02-137. Boleh hubungi kami pada talian 93887607 (odah) or 98752494 (herman) untuk keterangan lanjut...kalau nak tag kat facebook or blog pun ok jugak...)

Calling To all......

2010-06-25T19:12:00.004+08:00

This is the 1 st time I'm blogging...after soooo many yr of having it as you guys normally know that odah is the 1 that spend time here....well from the pic you ppl should know what i'm going talk about....yup...cycling...

Its been my hobby since I met odah....she the 1 to be blame who make me crazy about it....well now I own 4 bikes and 1 coming soon...most of it is collection as they are not available in Singapore....hahaha crazy rite...spent thousands of dollars on it....

Actually I have a crazy IDEA...its to form a family cycling group among us HMS....well if ade connection yg lain nak join why not...the more the merrier....dont care what bike you own or you can rent a bike at east coast for a day or a night during our riding tour as its a two wheeler with pedals....after our bz life this 1 one the best way to release stress and a gd work out to burn thousand of tone of fats in you...this is also a family bonding session....we can organise to ride once a week or twice a week or worst to worst once a month....

So are you ppl daring enough to take dis challenge??? depend on all of you...tag and inform me if u game for it...

What is it to YOU?

2010-06-16T22:27:00.005+08:00

its kind of sad but some people I guess are just born that way or worse they are being brought up that way....we experienced hardship from time to time, its God way of making sure we stay tough and rough. But sometimes something happen very bad and we got to make the right decision..coz a wrong decision can break others while a right decision can probably save your family...but what happens when a dream gets over you?

Everyone has dreams that they wanna fulfill...but sometimes reality sets in and you realise that its more to life than just dreams. To me my family is always placed first, whatever actions I took, the consequences can hit them hard. But some people just dont realise that...its really sad coz its just plain to see that they aint got enough sense and heart in them. You dont need people to tell you that your family is suffering because of you. You dont need years down the road to bear the shame and regret knowing that all the while you have been wrong and YOU are the cause of your family downfall. You dont need all that but unfortunately some people do travel down that road and until they hit smack into a dead-end, they will travel it blindly in the name of SACRIFICE....

its not sacrifice when you hurt the ones you love. Its not sacrifice when you hang your head down in regret later. Its not sacrifice when you know your family in hardship but you dont care. Its not sacrifice when you put yourself first before your family. Its sad and its cruel but life can be hard and unfortunately they never listen until its too late....to me its SELFISHness at its peak and its selfishness that drives people headlong towards disaster and its selfishness that will only bring shame to them...

How do you save these people? These people do not want to be saved, they listen to their friends more (some friends just wanna kill you) but never to their heart and never to their family. These people even when they hit rockbottom will never admit defeat but blame others for their wrongs. They dont care what others say about them, its just mere wind to their ears. I have no respect for these people, only disgust cause after all that is said and done, in the end its their family who suffer the most.....

Sleepless Night

2010-06-12T02:17:00.002+08:00

tried to sleep but cant...kept tossing and turning in bed...regardless of the noize Siddiq makes when he sleeps.....

im so troubled by thoughts...why? Cause I hate taking risks. Risks that I know will hit me hard someday and risks that can bring jeopardy. Especially if the risk taken is not of my choosing. It only implicates me and the consequences are very dire...

unfortunately people dont realise that. They do it in the name of good and helping others. But at the risk of jeopardising ur own is something not so heroic...if it backfires, it will only bring disastrous results....

how to sleep when the mind wanders about all this? people dont understand, they say I think too much, worry too much. this is not about me....this is about taking a risk that implicates me without my choosing and I dont like that at all.

Is It Just Me?

2010-06-11T17:47:00.003+08:00

I realised that there are people out there who are completely hopeless. When I say 'hopeless', I meant a lot of things. Here are the list:
1) hopeless in life
2) hopelessness in themselves
3) hopelessness of others for themselves
A string of incidents in my life taught me alot of things. Not to rely on others and not everything in life will be given to you in a golden platter. Life is hard and life is tough, yes, but how you brave through life, tells people who you are.

If you are the type to wait on others symphaties and have everything handed to you on a silver platter, make your problems disappear without doing anything, you are hopeless in life and on yourself. God does not give you hardship without a reason. Its there to help you learn your mistakes, find yourself and see where you stand. Are you going to cry yourself in a corner and pray you will die when a problem hits you hard? Or are you going to say "Hey I can survive this. I can do this" and walk out as a survivor with your head up? Which one are you?

But to rely on others when the other party is as hopeless as you are, that is even worse. Its like driving to a dead end, you cant go anywhere else. I seen people like that and its kind of sad. The other person just pull you down deeper towards the edge than getting you out of it. In the end, both of them just drag each other down.

I had enough of all these people coz it turns out not only are they hopeless and helpless but also great hypocrites. I guess it probably to hide their 'hopelesness and helplessnes'. They talk of others, pretending to be good and pitiful but underneath it all, lies a very hideous snake, just waiting to bite your head off at the slightest mistake.

I probably sound too preachy but really, just need to let off steam. Coz I am surrounded by these people and I am getting sick of them. So IS IT JUST ME?

Facebook

2010-05-26T19:12:00.002+08:00

Hi for anyone or everyone who might be interested in taking a peek at my facebook, its under the username sarazoddiq. However, cant guarantee how long it last anyway...or how long I can keep on checking and updating..I havent even upload any pics yet, so just for fun and keeping in contact with others, guess I try it out.
Enjoy! haha!

Weekend Get-Together

2010-05-03T15:50:00.004+08:00

Last weekend, spent a few days at Horizon Hills and Nusa Idaman. Enjoyed myself even the kids had splashing good fun. Enjoyed the barbeque, gossips and endless, mindless jokes made at the expense of others (especially at my bro Ais)! Enjoyed the food, enjoyed the ambience but most of all I enjoyed being in the company of the people I called family. Been a long time since we got this get-together and Herman expressed his regrets not being able to join in due to work commitments.
Once back home, I got body aches and headache, probably will be taking mc if not, will struggle on to work till I cant work no more, haahaha! Well, anyway was checking my e-mail when I came across this weird video clip, a remake of Lady Gaga's Telephone.

Telephone Remake @ Yahoo! Video

This is what happens when you have a bunch of guys stuck out somewhere together. They either go gay or go weird. In this case, I think both happened at once! Enjoy (parental discretion is advised!)

Holiday Blues

2010-03-16T19:01:00.003+08:00

Yay, the holidays are here but here I am slogging myself to courses and workshops. My holidays are fully booked till tis Saturday, waaaa!!!

The first three days from Monday to Wednesday, it's for a MSD training programme. It is so damn gruelling. The first day we had to do running, jumping, leaping and all sorts of physical exercise that your kid will enjoy and you will whine about. Today seems a bit more relazed but still grueling. Learning about different techniques of throwing. For those of you who dont know or never realise, there are many ways of throwing an object. The trick is getting your three to six year old to master the techniques....seriously though, the lecturer told us later on that guys are much more superior in all kind of sports due to their natural physique...but in one particular sport, women and men are very much equal. Know what it is?
Anyway, came home everyday with aching back and legs. Tomorrow we gonna learn about catching techniques and other various manipulative skills. It is kind of fun and kind of gives me the exercise that my body yearns for...

The other days till Saturday, my workshop will be at Singapore Poly...an international conference regarding early childhood education...there goes my holidays, all burnt up. And I just got to know even my June holidays gonna get burnt up. The first week of June is for the MSD training program (continuation) and the second and third week will probably be the Integrated curriculum training. 'sigh'....

Herman just got his driving license and this Saturday, he is drive us around. Rent a car and he seems excited and I am worried for very obvious reasons.

Yesterday Memories

2010-03-08T17:49:00.005+08:00

Last Saturday, Shadiq brought over the HMS book and ask us the whats and whos in the book. This started us on the path of memories....

We went through Shadiq's baby pics and how I still remember holding him in my arms, small and cuddly, cooing and bubbling with laughter, tears and smelling of milk and all sorts of baby-smell...now he is the big bro, looking so mature and though the babyish streak is still there, we still adore him as our firstborn baby...he is the darling of the family.
Lil bro is the sweetheart of the family. Going thru his baby pics, we remember most how 'soft' his cries are and how fragile and tender he looked. Apparently he 'shed' off his babyish streak faster than big bro was and he is also much more louder in terms of crying and shouting.

Then we started to go thru the wedding pics...aaahhh how time flies, its already 5 years into our marriage and there is still this long road ahead of us...Herman just turned 31 and he looked so much more older then...we talked about our first date and how we meet, the friends we have and the things we went through together.

Then I pulled out my pics and it got me even more remorseful...how I missed those days, going for practice, making new friends who shared the same interest and passion as me, performing on stage (glory days at Victoria)....now I still got offers and invites to perform but its a big NO from Herman. How I spent so much time at practice that Herman practically declared to everybody his fiancee doesnt need him anymore. Those days are my most memorable and it was really an exciting moment for me..its like something that you wanted so much and never wanted to let go.
My biggest regret was not being able to dance for this show (cant quite remember now) coz I got married and was pregnant with Shadiq then. But I nearly cried when I watched the performance later...even now any performances would set me thinking back of those times. Well, we have our moments right and this is mine.

'sigh' but no point crying for the yesterdays. What is important is now, what I have now and what we are building for the kids....we have our memories, our regrets but that is all in the past and what matters most is the present and what we dont know is the future...

What are your OPTIONS?

2010-02-17T19:30:00.003+08:00

Our agent got sick last weekend so postponed to a later date till he got well. Flu and fever season is in so everybody gotten sick nowadays. Anyway, both of us were discussing and we thought about the kidz, who is gonna take care of them and whatever we need to thought of. The plus and minus points of the options we have. So I list a few here.

1) Get a maid. Financially it will be a bit tight with the levy and salary. However there will be somebody to help you with the household things and cooking. Bad is you can never be sure if you will got a good one....sometimes I see things in my centre what some of the maids are doing behind their employer's back and it aint nice at all...

2) Get a car. Herman could drive us to my mum house here if we were staying at Tampines and drive us back if he isnt working. But financially it will be a bit tight so if we are looking for a car, must be cost efficient and easy to maintain.

3) Change job. That is more applicable to me. Somebody ever said to me that I could work in a childcare and look after the kidz at the same time in the childcare centre. More pay and the children are safe with me all the time. Bad thing is there wont be any more school holidays or term breaks, only rely on public holidays and your annual 14-21 days leave. And I love my current work place so 50-50....

4) Get a house nearby my mum or within the same area. Easy and convenient. But it is an 80percent NO cause its expensive and even the agent advised us against it....Unless either one of my neighbour decides to sell their house then we can have another unit...which I very much doubt they wanted to sell...

So here are my options. I am still weighing them at the back of my mind...but until we move and only then can we make the final decision so until then, just looking out at the options....

Location, location,. location!

2010-02-05T18:23:00.004+08:00

Been busy the last few days, surverying flats and comparing prices..I cant believe the cost of flats here. Latest we ask about a 5-room flat here costs around $545k! Kalau mati hidup balik pun masih belum habis bayar!

Reason we are looking around for a new house is currently we are using bank loan. U know how banks and interest rates are so switching to hdb loan. The two boys are getting rowdier and their things are piling up especially since big bro started schooling. So they needed a room and my in-laws are staying with us so we are looking for a 4room flat. 5-room if we can afford it coz the 6 bicycles needed space too, cant leave them outside the house. Each bike costs us around $2k-$3k each so not going to take the risk. Menangis air mata darah kalau hilang beb! Even with so many bicycles, Herman is contemplating of getting another one, crazy! Well, at least I know where his money goes!

Cant afford to get a place here, potong kepala punya harga even though its convenient and we are so much in love with the environment here. We know our neighbours well and even the shopkeepers here are friendly. I dont have to be afraid if the kids run off on their own. Big bro will stop by at the sinseh shop where there is a bench to sit. Small bro will stop by the bicycle shop where he will go around surveying the bicycles there. They dont mind them and even love playing with them.... from the mamak shop who sell briyani to the double storey hawker centre, everybody knows my kids. We know who to go to if you want to go urut, or if you want to berubat pun ada orangnya....everything is within distance, good schools and even my own workplace is a block away.

I wonder if my new neighbourhood will be like that...its so hard to get this kind of kampung atmosphere anymore, 'sigh'. I will really miss this place.
Anyway, we are definitely going to go for Tampines or Pasir Ris area. Probably be getting a car to drive the boys here to my mum's place...The agent will be coming over tomorrow to discuss over the financial matters and whatever thingy but by next month, everything will start to roll in and Insya-Allah by June, we be moving in to our new house.

Shadiq and Writing

2010-02-01T20:28:00.003+08:00

Been making a point for Shadiq to do his writing for spelling and ejaan every nite for an hour...the most will be like 2 hours if he is VERY cooperative (or more like in the mood).

He have a lot of excuses when he is writing. Some are like having tummy ache, a sudden itch, frequent peeing, yawnings, drooping eyes and any chance he get to disturb the small bro...Small bro is smart enuf not to disturb the big bro (partly becoz he got caned for disturbing) but still manage to get big bro attention by shouting or playing nearby. Big bro is happy for any kind of distraction...

I made sure that he finished writing at least three to five words at a time, not only improving his alphabet recognition and writing skills, but at least teach him a bit of responsibility to finish his work. I do gave him rewards for every finished work like playing his favourite XBox 360 Ben10 game, watching his favourite cartoons or bringing him out.

Got to go now...big bro is writing and small bro is like trying so hard to get big bro's attention...Siddiq really looks up to his big bro Shadiq and he is also scared of him...proven to cry when Shadiq scold him.

The River Cruise

2010-01-24T17:04:00.003+08:00

Yesterday we brought the kidz to the River Cruise. Macam jakun! We were like taking photos, queueing when its not the time yet, behaving like tourists. Herman commented that I could pass off as one, hrumph! Regardless, Shadiq and Siddiq couldn't contain their excitement as we waited for the boat to arrive.

I was like scrambling around looking for a plastic bag just in case one of the kidz vomit....anyway the boat just of course cruise around the Singapore River, under bridges till the Esplanade. There Shadiq gets to meet his 'Giant Waterfall' as he call it or what we are more familiar of as the Merlion, haha!
Oh well, I remember a few years back, one of my K2 student wrote about the Merlion. We were like writing a few short sentences about our favourite places that we liked to go. His sentences run like this : 'I like to see the Merlion. Merlion spits water into the river.' Hahahaha! I did not mark it wrong but the next sentence crack me up: 'I like to spit water too.'

Anyway back to the river cruise. Guess who started to feel nauseous and dizzy? Not the kidz or the daddy but ME! I broke into cold sweat and my stomach started churning throughout the 30mins journey. It got so bad that when we were like out of the boat, I was like so 'mabuk laut' that I had to cover my mouth, worrying that I might hurl my stomach contents at any poor unsuspecting tourists eating nearby. Siddiq was also a bit dizzy I guess. He started to walk around in circles and had that dazed look in his eyes....but we didnt vomit...We survived with sweets.

Anyway I will download the pics later...just bought a couple of terrapins and Shadiq called them Upin and Ipin! Got to clean the tank and bathe the kidz now so toodle-doo!

What's Up?

2010-01-18T17:47:00.003+08:00

Been very tired lately..after the school hols, its been a roller-coaster ride since, wow! I am so hoping for my pay increment, the last time I had a pay increment was four years ago so praying hard it might be better this time....sometimes they can be very tight with the money thingy...even when it comes to bonuses....but at least I am grateful that I have enough to eat, a roof over my head and clothes to wear, extras are a blessing and we must always be happy with what we have. Whatever extras are for our children and our own families to share with.

Shadiq been doing a lot of writing..with in between frequent toilet breaks, aching bones, yawnings and doodling with constant 'help' from the small bro. But at least he finished a few pages and his handwriting 'improved'. Don't ask him to spell though, he memorised it today and forgets about it in five minutes time...'sigh', but still make it a point to try though...hope I am not setting a bad example to anyone, I hate using force to teach as it will only put them off studying and learning anything. The more you scold and force, the more stubborn they become and will only retaliate by not doing anything.

Siddiq is into home renovation. He will take out anything within his reach and placed them somewhere else within his own convenience. So sometimes things got misplaced or hidden beneath cupboards, pails and even in the insides of shoes. Like there was once Herman wore his shoe and he shouted out in pain. Coz a toy was in it and he placed his unsuspecting foot into it. So if anybody need any home improvement, please apply here. But I will not be responsible for any damages or lost properties that will happen, hahaha!

Siddiq is also learning his spelling and unlike his brother, he is able to spell satu, dua and tiga.....but then he is just mouthing the words or more like singing it. Poor big bro had to write and spell and memorise.....but sometimes he can just be so plain lazy!

Characteristics of a Muslim Husband

2010-01-11T23:07:00.003+08:00

A good friend of mine sent me this a few weeks back via e-mail but I only manage to read it today. Enjoy!

No one ever thinks about the characteristics of a Muslim husband. It is always what a wife should do for the husband...and the list never ends; home management, tutoring, ferrying the kids, caring, cooking, cleaning, washing, working, you name it, she is doing it. so what about the brothers?
Our beloved Prophet SAW was not like this. So,why the men of this ummah? It is quite interesting. so I thought I'd share it with you !!! What a Muslim husband should be like...
>
1. Dress up for your wife, look clean and smell good. When was the last time you went shopping for designer pyjamas? Just like the husband wants his wife to look nice for him, she also wants her husband to dress up for her too. Remember that the Prophet (PBUH) would always start with Miswak when returning home and always loved the sweetest smells.
>
2. Use the best names for your wife. Call your wife by the most beloved names to her, and avoid using names that hurt their feelings.
>
3. Don't treat her like a fly. We never think about a fly in our daily lives until it 'bugs' us. Similarly, a wife will do well all day - which brings no attention from the husband - until she does something to 'bug' him.. Don't treat her like this; recognize all the good that she does and focus on that.
>
4. If you see wrong from your wife, try being silent and do not comment!
This is one of the ways the Prophet (PBUH) used when he would see something inappropriate from his wives (R.A). It's a technique that few Muslim men have mastered.
>
5. Smile at your wife whenever you see her and embrace her often. Smiling is Sadaqah and your wife is not exempt from the Muslim Ummah. Imagine life with her constantly seeing you smiling.Remember also those Ahadith when the Prophet (PBUH) would kiss his wife before leaving for Salaah, even when he was fasting.
>
6. Thank her for all that she does for you. Then thank her again! Take for example a dinner at your house. She makes the food, cleans the home, and a dozen other tasks to prepare. And sometimes the only acknowledgment she receives is that there needed to be more salt in the soup. Don't let that be; thank her!
>
7. Ask her to write down the last ten things you did for her that made her happy. Then go and do them again. It may be hard to recognize what gives your wife pleasure. You don't have to play a guessing game, ask her and work on repeating those times in your life.
>
8. Don't belittle her desires. Comfort her. Sometimes the men may look down upon the requests of their wives. The Prophet (PBUH) set the example for us in an incident when Safiyyah (R.A) was crying because, as she said, he had put her on a slow camel. He wiped her tears, comforted her, and brought her the camel.
>
9. Be humorous and play games with your wife. Look at how the Prophet (PBUH) would race with his wife Aisha (R.A) in the desert. When was the last time we did something like that?

10. Always remember the words of Allah's Messenger (PBUH): 'The best of you are those who treat their families the best. And I am the best amongst you to my family.' Try to be the best!
>
In conclusion: Never forget to make Doa to Allah - ta'ala to make your marriage successful. And Allah ta'ala knows best!

The New Year

2010-01-06T18:50:00.004+08:00

Everything seems to be getting back on track...im back to work, 'playing' thru the hours with the kids at school, kept reviewing the lesson plans and 'entertaining' the newbie parents at school.

Shadiq in K1 now and already I'm panicking...he got English and Malay spelling next week, juz got the list today. Its five words per day, each word around 3 to 5 letters. And already I am stressing myself whether I should push him to pass everything or let everything slide as per normal, letting him progress at his own pace...Herman flipped over the spelling list, saying its too early and whatever complains....I bought a few exercise books, made him write and spell the words until he groans in frustration....then it got me thinking, "Why am I so kanciong? Let him try and if he doesnt get it, its okay. He will get there someday." I close the books and told him to play....'sigh' Baru K1 I already kanciong like what and me being a preschool teacher should know better, what a role model. Just gonna make him write and spell a few words at a time, he will get there someday.

Siddiq is really into exploring. Exploring includes opening cupboards and throwing out its contents, digging out the pots and pans in the kitchen, anything within his reach will have its contents spilled out or put in his mouth.

Something in My Mind..

2009-12-17T23:25:00.006+08:00

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

2009-12-07T14:07:00.004+08:00

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

2009-11-16T18:59:00.003+08:00

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

2009-10-23T11:57:00.005+08:00

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!

2009-08-20T16:32:00.001+08:00

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...

2009-06-24T18:27:00.003+08:00

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

2009-06-09T15:11:00.003+08:00

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...

2009-05-31T17:36:00.006+08:00

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

2009-05-19T20:26:00.004+08:00

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!

2009-05-16T09:09:00.003+08:00

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)

2009-05-14T21:06:00.002+08:00

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)

2009-05-14T20:29:00.004+08:00

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

2009-04-12T07:01:00.003+08:00

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.....

2009-04-04T20:05:00.004+08:00

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

2009-03-27T23:04:00.003+08:00

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

2009-02-23T18:20:00.003+08:00

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

2009-02-13T19:58:00.007+08:00

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

2009-02-10T19:28:00.005+08:00

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

2009-02-09T20:21:00.006+08:00

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

2009-02-06T19:46:00.003+08:00

The Day My HP Drop Into the Drain

2009-02-06T19:04:00.004+08:00

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

2009-01-30T19:22:00.005+08:00

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

2009-01-28T20:12:00.006+08:00

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?

2009-01-26T12:27:00.005+08:00

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!!!

2009-01-22T17:57:00.005+08:00

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

2009-01-18T18:11:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-18T18:04:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-18T17:58:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-17T15:06:00.002+08:00

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.

Getting veeeeeerrrrrryyyyy sleepy...zzzzzzzzz

2008-12-26T01:23:00.005+08:00

FInally I have finished everything that supposed to be done and I can hand-in everything early to be checked and approved......already my eyes are getting very heavy and very tired, passed out a few times in front of the computer, trying to catch a few zzzs....feel a little bit dizzy probably because I have been on a 12 hour computer marathon, for sure I will be snoring my head off at work later...

Time to shut down the computer and enjoy 6 hours of sleep before I go to work with my babies....

Burning the Mid-Nite Oil.....

2008-12-25T23:29:00.004+08:00

Its going towards mid-nite and I am still in front of the computer typing this post..why you ask? Because from around 12pm till now, I have been doing my school 'homework' - preparing Semester 1 worksheets and activity sheets for the Nursery and K2 classes that I am in charge of plus K2 lesson plans for term 1 so looks like I am going to be 'camping out' in the living room.....

Why I am torturing myself? Because all this got to be handed in by next Monday and I only got to know about this just last Monday so only one week to prepare...plus there is the HMS family day so left me with no other option but to forego my sleep to finish everything by tonight!

Herman told me to consider going to the MOE career talk this coming January...telling me to weigh my options of switching career to becoming a primary school teacher...but with the workload that I am having at the preschool level, I doubt very much primary school level will be lesser, probably even heavier...so no thanks for now though the salary is very much tempting to me but no, no, no and NO.

Shop Till You Drop!

2008-12-21T19:54:00.007+08:00

What happen when you check your account in the morning expecting ur normal paycheck but suddenly you got a whopping 4-digit numbers flashing at you from the atm machine?
Then after paying certain bills, your hubby gave you the green light to shop, shop and shop! And that is exactly what I did today!

I did not shop anything extravagant but just bought things that I have been drooling at but just never got enough to buy...like a few shirts, cosmetics, toys for both boys, new wallet for hubby (plus briefs, muahhahahaha!)..being the Christmas season so most shops are having sale like you never believe with prices slashed until nearly 70%, it feel so hard to stop your hand from reaching into your wallet.

Like what I said to Herman, I only feel rich twice, mid-year and year-end...the rest of the year I feel very poor, hahaha! But it really feel gooooodd.

We went to the zoo last Saturday but I havent got time to download the pics.. will do so on another day. Tomorrow I got to go back to school for meetings and to prepare for next year, so lots of things to pack and clean-up.

Republik

2008-12-11T17:20:00.006+08:00

This is one of Herman's favourite indonesian band, Republik...I however love the lead singer's cool hairdo, told Herman to style it that way...well one day he did and came home with very bad rashes on the forhead, cause of the sweat pooling on the hair, hahaha! Anyway this is one of his favourite songs (Hanya Untukmu) which Herman said is dedicated to his ever-charming wife and his two lovely sons....about how much he loved us dearly and truly...and how he was sometimes being misunderstood and thinking about the ups and downs in his life..in which he would get all-emotional, poor baby....

Another of his fav is also from Republik - Sudah Cukup...lets say this is about a certain 'thingy' that happened when we were dating and he said that it certainly reflect what he was going thru during that time....just hear the lyrics and you would understand what he meant then.

Baby Blues in Cartoons

2008-12-10T14:08:00.011+08:00

I love the comic strip Baby Blues..its the type that you can really,really relate to real life scenarios. Especially to see the poor mummy being bombarded constantly by the daddy and her three kids, its hilarious and very funny...Enjoy!
(Note: just click on the image if you want to see better definition of the pics)

I bet everybody who have children can really relate this one big-time! One person gets sick, the whole house will get it sooner or later!

This one happen when Herman was looking for the cable remote...kept scolding Shadiq for throwing it around the house and nagging non-stop...he found it later on the computer table where he placed it while reading the blog....

I used to have strangers who came up to the pram and made funny noises or do silly faces...sometimes unintentionally these people scared my babies.

I guess this one I can really relate to whenever I saw another bump or bruise on Shadiq..nowadays he called himself either Batman or Cicakman and go around the house brandishing his plastic knife, jumping up and down the furnitures.

Dedicated to all the mothers out there.......

Woe to Me But.....

2008-12-06T15:21:00.021+08:00

I cant believe it! Just got news of how much we are getting for our bonus and after deduction of household bills, IOUs, groceries plus other things that should and must be paid, we are left with.....NOTHING! Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

So being the 12th most expensive country sure sucks....usually we spend like $200++ for our monthly grocery but ever since we have baby Siddiq everything like doubled and what used to be a $35 tin of milk boom up to a $45 tin...'sigh' glad that he's breastfeeding so its not so bad but big bro is a big-time, all-time milk fanatic... I could like buy a couple of cows with the load of formulaes that I bought each month for him. Seriously, even the baby bonus cash gift that we are getting isnt enough for all this plus we put aside a portion of it for the CDA.
Now I am sooooo woooorrrrieeed....its already like nearly four months and that time of the month have not been appearing.....I asked Herman what happen if I got like 'pregnant' again, he look at me all weird and said "Dont even talk to me about this."

Thought about migrating....but naaahhh, I will start crying everyday for mummy (Herman too!)....thought about changing to a better-paid job but kind of like dreading it cause I am like so stable and so like this place......thought of working from home like using the internet for additional income but looking at the two kids, the only time I have is when they are both sleeping......hmmmmm buy 4D. Toto? Haraaammmmm plus it is never a sure-win thing, end up losing more than you win..... all I can do which I think is the best is just hope that someday, anywhere, a bag of money fall on me...which will be kind of bad cause if its heavy will probably kill me or left me in coma....

I guess the bottom line is as long as you have food and drink fo fill the stomach, clothes on your body and a place to come home after a hard days work and see your children's happy smiling face as they greet you, kind of take us away from the harsh reality of life to the happy, wonderful family that we have...something that even money cant buy and is worth more than anything in the world.

HMS Family Day

2008-12-04T16:15:00.005+08:00

For the HMS family day, Herman have prepared some games for you and it is strictly for adults only so if we have missed out your names or you do not want to participate in the games due to any reason please tag to Herman so that he can make the necessary adjustments.
Kids will have games planned for them by Kakak Atiq and Kakak Wani.
He has also assigned an assistant, Herman (Yan) so the two Hermans will be your referees and Ayah will be the third video referee.
So here are the groups (each group will be asigned a Captain):

1) Ayangz/Skazeisk : Yan(C), Zeiti, Iskandar
2) Taman Bahasa : Hakim(C), Atiqah, Faiz
3) PakAtid.com : Azhar(C), Bapak Odah, Wani,
4) Ylo/Waklong : Om(C), Fuad, Kak Aiza
5) Syurgawijr : Abg Jaafar(C), Khairul, Atiq
6) Sweetdarling : Busu, Uncle(C), Farhana

Some of you have been mixed around (saja je!) and if I missed out anybody its because of injuries, old age dan yang dah tak larat untuk main game ni.... tapi kalau nak join jugak, boleh lah daftarkan diri kat Herman but we are not responsible for any injuries, mabuk-mabuk, pening lalat, dengue, heatstroke, sunburn atau apa-apa je yang terjadi masa main game ni....bawaklah ubat-ubat yang sepatutnya sendiri, kitorang supply plaster mickey-mouse, minyak gamat dengan vicks je....nak drapolene pun ada.... kalau terseliuh ke, salah urat ke, booking lah Busu atau kalau lagi chronic minta tolong kat nurse kita Kak Aiza.

(PS>UNTUK YANG MENGANDUNG TU LUPAKAN SAJA LAH NIATMU ITU....REQUEST MENANGIS AIR MATA DARAH PUN TAK BOLEH JOIN...KALAU KEMPUNAN SANGAT, JOIN GAME BUDAK-BUDAK)

The games are as follows:-
1) Animal Sandcastle
build 1 animal each from each category- land/sea/air using materials provided)
2) Scavenger Hunt
3) Water Bomb Dog and Bone (Last Man Standing)
4) Water Bomb Captain Ball
5) Telematch @ Obstacle Course
6) Beach Soccer
7) Guess My Name
8) Ayah's Game : using ur mouth to fill up the pail with sea water
9) Do you Know the Lyrics?
10) Miss HMS 2008 (only males to dress up!)

Points will be collected for each game whichever group wins will get a point so the group with most points wins. Not all the games will be played in that day depending on the time and weather..if you do have any suggestions about the games here or nak complain ke atau dah takda keja lain keboringan pun boleh tag Herman.

Our Family Day

2008-12-02T18:57:00.003+08:00

On the 24th of Nov (Saturday), we went to Jurong Bird Park. The last time I went there was around 5 years ago for a school outing and Herman never went there at all (gasp!) so we thought it would be a good idea to bring the kids there along with my in-laws. Rented a car which his father drove, had our breakfast at McDonalds and reached there around afternoon.
The place is quite small, took us around an hour to complete the whole place. Herman got to visit some long-lost cousins (a bunch of bright-coloured parrots!) who talked to him as he passed by. He even started a conversation with those birds (crazy!!!) and was very pleased to hear them answering him!
When it rained, we took the monorail...however it was quite disappointing to see so many renovation works going on and some of the places were closed to public...
Big bro walked, ran and jumped all over the place while lil bro slept thru until we are in the monorail. It was a very good family outing...next comes the ZOO!

And also I happen to see this car that kind of like resembles the batmobile which was parked outside the school. A Lumborgini (hope I spell it correctly) model and I wonder what kind of crazy, nutty driver that drives this kind of car in Singapore. Waste of money, not to mention how the speed limit in Singapore is never above 90 plus the number of traffic lights and ERP gantry you got to pass thru.

FEVER !!!!!!

2008-11-28T18:30:00.004+08:00

It all started with my darling hubby 2 weeks ago who complained of body aches and a slight migraine. I told him that probably he had been working too hard (poor baby worked during the holidays and weekends) and needed a good rest. But it turn out to be a very high fever. Started shivering, whining, crying and groaning for 3 days until the fourth day he woke up feeling fine and fresh.
Too bad, ME who took care of him got the fever from HIM. But unlike that big baby, I still managed to clean the house, took care of my two darlings and do whatever things that I can manage to do. I guess mummies are always the one on the go no matter what the situation she is in despite the body aches, headaches and slight nausea I was having then. Just popped in any medication to keep on going just like the energizer bunny.
After 2 days of 'fever', I got fine the 3rd day but my poor firstborn got it...and just like the daddy, he started shivering, whining, crying and groaning for 3 days straight...today he is still taking the medication but at least he have enough energy to turn the house upside-down as before. When he was sick, he just station himself at one corner of the house watching tv....did not even want to move anywhere even to the toilet so got to make him wear pampers. If not, he would pee everywhere.
Now I am still very worried for the teeny one...so far he is quite alright....

Berita Hari Ini

2008-11-20T17:07:00.005+08:00

The day of the award ceremony, I woke up around 5am and get ready. It was held at Presbyterian High School (Ang Mo Kio) and so need to get out early. Apparently had to attend the rehearsal first so got to be there an extra half an hour early. So that made me started grumbling about the hassle....Herman was very kind to accompany me by taking the train (said he could not stand the noise of me begging him to go).
Once I reached there along with others, we were ushered into the hall and was shown the allocated seats. We were told to stand in line while taking the awards, where to stand when they announce our names (we have to stand aside while they show slides of us), where to go out and back to our seats. I started to get real nervous....Did not even take my breakfast, scared have to go toilet at the last minute so hold back my thirst and hunger. Anyway got into talking to the others and most of them agreed on how daunting the initial interviews are, how they blunder thru the questions (and I thought I was the only one!)...very nice people even got to exchanging phone numbers and taking pictures.
There was a lady who got the distinction award but was at Japan for a conference and two ladies who got the merit award. I was with three others who received the finalist award.
After the award ceremony, there was a seminar by MOE about the new changes next year (sigh...again...) when suddenly this MOE officer approached me to come out for an interview. I started to get really nervous (again!) and more so when I got to know its from the press. The man who conducted the interview though reassured me it will be very brief and light. After the interview, I went back to the hall for another picture taking and congratulating the others for their awards as well as saying my goodbyes since I had to rush off to Bedok PCF HQ for my course.
Along the way, got another call from Warna deejay Sheikh for another interview... wow....I was like so overwhelmed, so not used to all this attention. So I rattle on through another interview and when it was all over, had a bad headache.

So here is my thank you speech:
I like to first and foremost extend my heartfelt thanks to my darling hubby for all the support and encouragement that he have given me. Despite the nagging and scolding that I get from him, I know that deep inside he is very proud of my achievements. I would also like to thank to everyone out there; my uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, colleagues and all of you who are reading my blog, for all the support that I have received throughout the years... and also a special big thanks to my wonderful Batman and Robin as well as my terrible K1 kids, who helped me to see life through a very different and magical perspective, for giving me wondrous and memorable experiences...THANK YOU! TERIMA KASIH! SHIE SHIE! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Shadiq Birthday + Back-at-Work Blues

2008-11-12T18:40:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday we have a small birthday party for Shadiq. We invited only our siblings and mak minah plus Herman prepared the food. I was called back to work for half a day coz of the graduation concert yesterday (they put me in-charge of the games for the funfare....always kena).
Got balloons, party hats and Herman's sister brought jellies and cake. We ate, gossip, played games and Shadiq's room was turned upside down with toys and kids. At the end of the day, when everyone gone home and after all the mess was cleaned, we tucked the dynamic duos to bed.....after all the toil, sweat and not to say, depleting financial resources, it was all worth it.
To see our son laugh and play, taking delight playing with his cousins, receiving presents, being the centre of everyone's attention....and it started me thinking about the days when I was pregnant with him, from birth till now...how they grew up so fast...will put in some pics once its ready

Well, started working and after three days at work, my back-knees-feet ache and my brain aint functioning properly yet...still got to screw in a few bolts to get it on track as per normal-the result of 4 months stay at home. But really glad to be back on work especially among the kids that I just love and adore, got a few hugs and kisses from them....
Got to know the result for the award, I didnt win it though....but will have to attend the ceremony on the 19th, will be presented with a certificate and other things such as sponsorship for courses since I got shortlisted among the top 4. I was also being mentioned in the MP speech during our graduation concert last Sunday for this...had a few parents came up to me to congratulate, very paiseh cause I am not used to this kind of attention, its kind of overwhelming too...if anybody is wondering why I am typing this in short sentences cause I am tired and very worn out from work...got a lot of catching up to do and paperwork are piling up plus was involved in another major school project for next year, everytime I always kena all this, so very damn tired.

Finally....

2008-11-05T16:19:00.003+08:00

Yesterday I gripe and growl about Shadiq not having a school and everything. Well today Herman got a call from Jamiyah Kindergarten regarding his registration. Apparently its a case of misunderstanding....they thought that we know he has already been given a place in the school and had already made all the payments necessary during the registration. After much explaination from Herman, they apologised for the misunderstanding and told him that we can come down next week to make the necessary payments.

Easy right? Just want to know okay ke tak okay. Penat kan hantar e-mail, telfon berkali-kali, just to confirm tempat. Kalau tak tanya, sekali kita datang untuk first day of school, dia cakap takde tempat, paiseh seh...Yang menghairankan macam mana diorang boleh assume kita dah bayar? Mestilah ada receipt or something to confirm the payment kan? Kalau kita dah bayar, takdalah kanciong macam ni....
Hai Shadiq, belum skolah dah kecoh gini...kalau dah sekolah macam mana gaknya.

Kenapa Macam Ni?! Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!

2008-11-04T17:09:00.004+08:00

Its been raining cats, dogs, elephants and kangaroos today...poor baby kept waking up every time there's thunder.

Anyway I want to gripe about something that has been bothering me for the past few days. Its about Shadiq going to school next year. Apparently the school that we chose for him (Jamiyah Kindergarten) have not called us or sent us any confirmation letter. When we went down for the registration last July, the staff told us that there is still vacancy and we filled up the forms. We were then told to wait for their confirmation letter which will be given out in October. Well, now its already November and I have started to worry. Not a call, not a letter or even an e-mail to tell us anything...so I tried to call them up. Said that they are too busy and will get back to me later. Few days later nothing. So I send them an e-mail, still no response. I called again, said will call back again but still nothing. Frustrated, Herman sent them another e-mail and again nothing.

This is like so unproffesional and how does this reflect on their management? To me it reflects poorly and if this is the case, how can I ever trust them to take care of my child? Not being a difficult parent but all I want to know is whether my son will be accepted for their nursery class next year? If there is no vacancy, the best thing they could do is call and inform us so that we can get another place for him. Now its already so late for us to get another school for him except for my centre. Or another scenario could be that they misplace or lost the forms we given them thus did not know anything. Well, they could then call me back since I did called them repeatedly or answer our e-mails. But still nothing from them. Me, being a preschool teacher, understand their busy schedule and I am not demanding anything big or impossible from them. Just a short confirmation - yes or no - my son is given a place in their school. Is that really so hard to do?
Ni lah orang melayu kita macam mana nak maju. Everything take for granted. Bila orang complain, cakap being difficult lah, tak sabarlah, sedangkan kesalahan sendiri tak nak mengaku. Macam mana tak marah and bengang and pening and....aaaaarrrggghhh...

So today I finally decided to put Shadiq into my centre. Save me all the hassle and troubles that I have to go through. What we wanted was for Shadiq to have basic islamic foundation thus we enrol him at Jamiyah but after all this, I rather send him to weekend islamic classes. In fact, I decided that if there is no response from their side whatsoever by this two weeks...I will not wait any longer and just let him be at my centre, period. Biar Shadiq belajar cakap mandarin, hahaha!
Penat je tunggu, macam buah tak jatuh, puas hati beli buah kat supermarket....

New Paper Big Walk 2008

2008-11-02T16:51:00.008+08:00

Today we went for the New Paper Big Walk. We woke up around 6am, got ready by 630am, bring the kids over to my parent's house and took the bus to Suntec City. There were 20,000 people, lots of families, some weird ones dressing up as Spiderman, walking rubbish bins and dont't-know-whats. Together with another friend, we started out by 730am at Suntec and we reached the end of the walk at the new Marina Barrage by 11.16am. After hassling through the queue for the goodie bags and for the free shuttle bus service to Suntec, we reach home around 1230pm. Fetch the kids and all of us slept till nearly 430pm.

Here are the pics that capture the moments of the big walk.

29 years and counting....

2008-11-02T16:24:00.006+08:00

Last Monday, Herman brought the whole family out to Marina Square. We went to Kiddy Palace and got pants for Big Bro while Little Bro got a few new toys (kesian, most of his toys are hand-me-downs). Then unexpectedly Herman started to talk about getting a birthday gift for me....did not really believe him...until we passed by Crocs. He went in and told me to choose. Not taking it seriously, I thought we were just window shopping. When I said this or that is nice, he told me okay take it. Thats when I thought 'oh no, this is real'. After much persuasion from Herman with Shadiq constant grumbling and rolling on the floor, I chose this pink/red croc without looking at the price tag, thinking that it will be around the $50s range. But 'gulp' when we went to pay, it was more than that. Needless to say, I should display the croc in our glass cabinet for display than wearing it.

Then last Friday, me and Herman went out without the kids for my birthday. Felt kind of guilty for leaving the kids behind...anyway, we went to Orchard Rd Swensen for the birthday dinner...saw a few weirdos dressing up as vampires, ghouls or whatever, most likely heading to parties of that sort... At Swenson, we enjoyed the food, enjoyed watching a cute surprise birthday celebration of this young teenage couple and most of all enjoy each other's company. After the dinner, we walked around Orchard Rd, I bought a few t-shirts and a pair of jeans. Then we headed home.

Well, it was kind of a nice celebration this year.....and so I like to thank my darling, dearest hubby for these wonderful gifts and moments...terharu sungguh... despite being 29years old and all but I am so glad and thankful that at least I have my better half to grow old together...

Another year older...

2008-10-31T10:54:00.005+08:00

My date of birth was 31-10-1979, a Halloween plus Scorpio gal and today is the day when I am 29 years old. Being born in that time of year, contrary to what people say or assume, I hate gross and scary movies, hate to be scared and not only scream opera-style (high enuf to break a few glasses) in a cinema but would not sleep for a few days after sitting through a horror movie.
I am another year older, no longer single but married with 2 cheeky boys and a loving but temperamental husband. Been thinking of my past memories from my childhood days to when I started working till now....so much had passed and so many I went through... its like watching through a glass window looking out at the world as they pass you by..something like Alice Through the Looking Glass kind of thing. okay, I am in a very melodramatic and sentimental mood today so what I did (which made me more nostalgic) was to compile a few pictures of the past and present.

Why ME?

2008-10-29T09:36:00.004+08:00

I know that I should be staying at home during my maternity leave but then its just me...I find myself going back to work for meetings, doing sideworks, preparing things for the upcoming graduation concert and other whatever-nots. It is during this particular time when I was busy painting a poster for the upcoming funfair next week, when I suddenly had this thought.
Why am I doing all these things?
There are other teachers that can do this but why ME?
There is even a teacher who have a diploma in dont-know-what design but still it ends up being ME?
Shouldn't I be caring more for my children than other people's children?
Am I being too soft? Too much a workaholic? Too scared to say NO?
So why ME again?
Herman said that I am being foolish for giving in when they ask me to do all these and selfish for not thinking of the children, rather spending time at work than home. Am I really like that?
Oh well...despite all these soul-searching thoughts, I got right back on painting, got to get it ready by this week and there's still 3 more to be done....'sigh'

UNGU!!!!!

2008-10-23T16:20:00.006+08:00

I love the indonesian band Ungu, from their songs to their lead singer Pasha...I am so crazy about him (apart from my own hubby!) and just adore the way he sings the songs. He's married anyway with 2 kidz and most of the band members are married too except for the cute guitarist Onci. My all time favourites are Tercipta Untukku and Kekasih Gelapku. Got no story behind all these songs, just love the lyrics....so when I heard that they are gonna have a concert in Singapore, I go like gooo-gooo gaaa-gaaa all over and beg Herman if we can go. Too bad, due to certain unforseen circumstances, we can't and the worst part is they are having the concert on my birthday....
So here is the video for all of you to enjoy (or more like for me!)....

Ungu are a rock band formed in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1996 with Makki as the only remaining original member. The group comprises vocalist/guitarist Pasha, guitarist Enda & Onci, bassist Makki, keyboardist Gatz and drummer Rowman.

Interviews and Judges

2008-10-15T12:52:00.004+08:00

Last I said that I was nominated for the Excellent Teacher award conducted by MOE-AEYCES and last week my principal called me. She told me that I got into the finals and out of so many entries, I was among the top four! Even then I was disinterested and yesterday I had to come down to school to set-up the corners and class. In my head was the thought "Which stupid fool chose me for this?" I was given a briefing by my principal about the interview and observation in class done by the judges and there will be a video recording during the whole procedure. That made me a bit more nervous.

Today was the day...despite all the talk about being calm and not caring but still it made me damn nervous. There were 3 judges, 3 observers and 2 cameraman plus my admin. Nine people looking at ME...and the questions that they asked during the interview made me feel as if I was in Channel NewsAsia. Literally sweating through the interview. Here are some of the questions that they asked me:

1) What do you think of our current kindergarten curriculum? Do you think there is any improvement from before and now?

2) What is your aspiration for the kindergarten centres in Singapore? (I was going to blurt out 'higher pay and better bonus for the teachers', kept my tongue though because of those MOE people..)

3) What is your biggest constribution to your centre? (This one I stared for a while and said "I dont know" much to their amusement. Then I started to rattle on about some other school project that was done donkey years before but I took part in)

4) What improvements can you see of the kindergarten curriculum before, now and in the future?

5) What can you see about today's parents and how do they contribute to your centre? How do you make them involve in your activities? (In my head I said 'through pleading, begging and an increase in my handphone bill'...)

Well, at least these are what I can remember, most of it is a blur to me....God knows how relief I was when it was all finished. At least they said that among the others they visited, my set-up was very impressive. (Tak taulah if this is a way to encourage me or what.) My principal said that if I ever got the award, I can stand to win cash gift, sponsorships for courses, an overseas exchange program, etc...
Yeah right, the way I rattle on during the interviews with blank looks and stupid even ridiculous answers, it will be a wonder if I ever win it. Its good enough some stupid fool get me into the top four, it will be an even dumber fool who let me win. At least, I can get some sleep now.....takut sampai tak leh tidur!

Hari Raya Pics

2008-10-07T11:48:00.007+08:00

Thanks to Bapak Udi for giving us these photos, thank you and terima kasih....
Anyway this year, kitorang tak jalan-jalan sangat, pasal masih dalam hari. Itu pun bila keluar beraya, lupa nak ambik gambar. Excited dapat keluar..maklum lah emak dengan anak kena 'tahan' nearly 3 bulan 'berkurung' dalam rumah. Sesekali dapat jalan, macam monyet terlepas....ayah pun naik tension.

Pak Atid and family....tak tercapai hajatku untuk ambik gambar my family...Shadiq and Siddiq tak leh duduk diam untuk posing.

Ooohhh....ayah seluk duit raya eh...

Kesian Maman Ais...jalan raya tidur...zzzzzzzzz....

Eh? Mana Shadiq? Shadiq!!!

Selamat Hari Raya!

2008-10-02T16:40:00.003+08:00

Tinggi sungguh terbang Rajawali,
Bintang di langit yang dicari,
Manusia di pagi Raya juga mencari,
Ampun maaf menyusun sepuluh jari
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI!!!!

What Do Babies Dream About?

2008-09-26T16:46:00.003+08:00

I have often wondered whenever my dynamic duos sleep what thoughts went across their mind...do they dream of angels in the sky, rainbows and presents, playtimes with no mummies nagging at them....Shadiq talks, laugh, cry with lots of actions such as kicking, punching, etc in his sleep so we kind of get a rough idea what his dreams can be like. Little bro Siddiq makes soft cooing sounds in his sleep, with funny facial expressions and even crying.
Yesterday in the evening, both of us saw something quite funny.

His hand was not held up by anything, no special effects gimmick..it just happen, his hand was up for nearly half an hour before he puts it down then it was up again. When we try to put the hand down, he refused to budge so we just let it be.

To Stay or Not To Stay?

2008-09-23T14:59:00.005+08:00

Years ago, I have been thinking about being a stay-at-home mummy. I have talked, thought and complained to everyone about it, even wished that I dont need to slog at work, tolerated all that crap everyday just to stay at home with the kids...
Well, I seem to got my wish when I was ordered to be on bed-rest last July and right now its September which means that I have been staying at home for nearly 2 months. I have to admit that its a boring and though very fulfilling job, it is very routine. Yes, I finally got to spend quality time with the kids and able to attend to all of my husband's and children's needs, finally all the housework are done in a day and all those nitty-gritty stuff that I meant to do is finally all done. But somehow, after all that is said and done, I always find an excuse to go out each day like taking a walk or even going back to school to visit the kids.
Maybe I am not just used to staying at home yet....Sometimes I find myself wishing back at work and being piled with tons of worksheets to be marked and covered with art pieces....weird huh? Maybe its just me, I just need something out of home for a few hours each day by myself...some sort of private time and personal space. Back at home using the toilet is the only personal time I have (though Shadiq intrudes into it at times). And besides my own family, I do feel the need to interact with other people like my colleagues and friends.
So do I really want to be a stay-at-home mummy? Maybe its just not the right time yet. The best I can do is to just work for half-a-day which is like for four hours. At least I have my own money to spend. Herman let me do that next year once he is posted to the circle line. Until the time I decided to quit the workforce.....besides we already plan to have baby number 3 in three to five years time so need to save money for that!

More Pics of Siddiq

2008-09-22T16:55:00.006+08:00

Upon request I have posted more pics of Siddiq. Before I have only 1 reason (Shadiq) to take picture, now I have 2 reasons (Shadiq and Siddiq). By the way, I find it so confusing after a while to call the dynamic duos. Try saying their names a couple of times real fast and lidah sampai tersentel! Shadiq, Siddiq, Shadiq, Siddiq, Shadiq, Siddiq.........

My Dynamic Duos

2008-09-22T16:26:00.007+08:00

Last Saturday, I got to go for a check-up at Doc Aziz and we brought along the dynamic duos -Shadiq and Siddiq along. Shadiq caught the eye of a 2yr old girl who have long wavy hair, big eyes with thick eyelashes. They walked (even ran) around the clinic holding hands with her, playing and exchanging coins with her. Little bro slept thru, only waking up for his milk and burping. We manage to take pictures with Doc Aziz and little bro. Big bro was just too shy.

Then we went to Parkway Parade to buy our household groceries at Giant. After that, we bought shoes for both our mothers and little bro. Later we went and took pictures of the F1 Ferrari race car. Wow! It was soooo cool! Big bro cried coz he wanted to sit in the car.

The next day Sunday, we went to Bazaar Geylang with my parents, Ais and Ajan, plus all the kids cause Ais wanted to buy their hari raya clothes. We went round and round the bazaar until they found the right clothes. This year they are going to wear silver and Munira's family going to wear brown. We will salvage last few year's clothes which are still too new so will be wearing blue this year.
We bought chapal and songkok for Sadiq and Herman, and an additional kain samping and new blue baju for Shadiq. It was chaos to make him try on every item. Little bro was very good that day despite the heat and sweat. He slept most of the time but open his eyes when we stopped at any shop. Probably curious of the noise around him...
Once we reached home, we manage to make big bro wear the whole suit and....ta dah!

Fun Toddler Activities

2008-09-18T15:29:00.004+08:00

Was surfing the net trying to find some fun activities for big bro Shadiq and found some few interesting ones. Most of them use recycle materials and are easy to make, fun to play with your young ones (or even those young at heart!). I have been running out of ideas besides making dough, painting and origamis, to occupy big bro's playtime not just playing with his toys. So I was looking for those that are fast and easy. Here is my top 5 favourites that I wanna try :

1)Alphabet Bugs - draw or print out alphabet bugs. Tape the alphabet bugs all over your body and clothes. Ask your toddler to peel out each letter off. As he takes them off you, he can stick them onto a wall or poster board. Then you can put them all in order at the end and sing the alphabet song. For variation, hide the letters for them to find or you can change the letters to numbers instead.

2)Holes Game - take a big piece of vanguard paper and cut some holes in it, big enough for your hand or head to go through. Use stuffed animals or plastic balls to toss through one side.

3)Balancing Act - place a plastic cup upside down on the floor and put a plastic plate on top so it balances. Let him put the magnetic letters on top of the plate to see how many he can put on before it falls down. You can count the letters with him or say out the letter.

4)Bowling - Set up plastic bottles like bowling pins. Have toddlers use a lightweight plastic ball to roll down from a short distance to knock down the bottles.

5)Animals on a Log - Precut animal pictures that lives on trees or may sit on the branches. Let your toddler colour the pictures and stick onto long branches. Tie string to both ends of the branch to hang. You can sing Five little Monkeys. For variation, you can use small plastic toy animals/bugs.

Shadiq and Siddiq

2008-09-15T18:15:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, little bro Siddiq got to go to KKH cause of his jaundice. I was so scared that he will be warded like his big bro that I cried at home while waiting for Herman to rush back. Well to make the story short, upon arrival at KKH, we did the registration and waited for our turn to see the doc. When his name was called, the doctor told us to place him on the bed. After the physical check, he told us that he is going to take some blood for testing. Looking at me, he told me to wait outside if I dont want to see through the blood-letting thingy. I smiled and said that I am okay but its the daddy that should probably be waiting outside. Herman bravely announced that he will be okay. However, just went the doc inserted the needle to the vein, he slowly walked out of the room. Yeah right, my macho man....anyway, little bro was quite cool throughout the entire procedure. He didnt cry, more like shouting out in anger and even after, he frowned and pouted for quite a while.

We asked the doc a few old wives' tale about jaundice and the conversation we had with the doc was quite funny. Let me put it this way:-

1) Bring out the baby under the sun can help to clear the jaundice - the doctor reply: it will only give your child a very bad sunburn if you are not careful and it does not help to clear the jaundice.

2) Drinking lots of plain water so that baby will 'pee' out the jaundice - the doctor reply: it will just make your child pee thats all.

Big bro Shadiq is all-time very helpful in taking care of his little bro. Help me to throw the pampers, patting him to sleep, occasionally play with his little bro (though very rough such as one time he threw a ball to his little bro) and soothe him when he cries. But jealousy is still there...sometimes he will get into very nasty temper tantrums, behaving like a baby such as insisting on being carried or throwing his things around when he couldnt get his way, even got into shouting or exchanging punches with his dad when he got scolded...

But it is so cute when they sleep together. I always made it a point to ensure that both of them sleep together in the afternoon so both bros knew that by 1130am, little bro will start to ask for milk and sleep after that. Big bro will hang around his room for a while then at about 12pm, he will ask for milk and sleep too. Then when both of them are asleep which can take about 3 to 4 hours, I can do whatever I want by then. Usually I sleep together with them for an hour or so before I do any housework. Then when both of them are up, Shadiq will play with his toys and Siddiq will stare endlessly at the world outside. I will be in between to ensure Shadiq dont start to throw toys around or play 'rough' with Siddiq. Then later in the evening, I bathe little bro first and then big bro. I usually bathe when Herman gets home. By then, his food is prepared to break his fast and along with Shadiq's dinner. After watching tv and playing with the boys for a while, at 830pm it is lights out for the bros to sleep.

That is my day to day story but I love every minute of it and wont trade it for anything in the world! Wonder what it would be like when I get back to work soon....

I Love My Kidz!

2008-09-10T15:14:00.003+08:00

For my teacher's day gift, my admin got for me a book - Chicken Soup for the Mother of the Preschooler. It was very thoughtful of her and I love to read through the book. (remind me to kiss her when I get back to school. hahaha!) In this book, I came across a poem by Bonnie Compton Hanson that I think most of you can really relate to. I really recommend this book for those sentimental people out there (or if you are just looking around for a book to read).

Bedtime Miracle

I expected three small angels.
Instead I got three kids,
All flesh-and-blood, three wiggleworms
Too quick to blow their lids.

I asked for little cherubs,
All sweet and pure and wise.
Instead there's mischief, giggles and tears-
Each day some new surprise!

But at night when it is bedtime
And I kiss each shining face,
I find-oh blessed miracle!-
Three little angels in their place!

And finally, some more pics of my 'little angels' at their best (and at their worst!)

Pantun Hari Raya Pak Atid

2008-09-10T14:41:00.003+08:00

A few days ago, I received some hari raya pantun via sms from my dad. It was quite funny to read so I thought to share it with everyone.

Ular arokonda pakai seluar
Bila dia membelet pokok seluar untuk begaya
Bulan hadapan bulan raya akan keluar
Sambil begembira baju raya dan kueh raya

Ular sendok oooi telan gajah
Udah di telan ooooi 10 tahun tak makan lah
Hari lebaran tiba lah sudah
Bemaaf lah kita kalau ada besalah

Needless to say, it took me some time at first to really read through the whole sms. I editted a few words here and there for easy reading in this blog. I guess some of you had received the sms so you know what I mean....

Finally....Baby Siddiq!

2008-09-03T11:10:00.005+08:00

After 36 weeks and 2 days of waiting for our baby, finally he is here! Our thanks to all our family, relatives and friends who gave us their greetings, congrats and support.
Last Saturday when we went to the clinic around 10am, the doctor did the scanning and ask if we are prepared to have the baby early. After doing the VA, he said that considering the weight of the baby is above 3kg and cervix is soft, there is a good chance of inducing. We decided then to do it. The doc placed the pitocin in the cervix and told us to wait for a few hours for the medication to take effect. We decided to go to the engagement ceremony at woodlands. We reached Woodlands Point at around 1230pm and decided to walk around while waiting for the my dad. But half an hour later, the contractions started to kick in. Not so painful at first but grew more and more intense. Around 145pm later, we called my dad that we are going to rush to the hospital. So from then on reaching Eastshore at around 215pm, the process of labour started until finally at 613pm, baby Siddiq sees the world for the first time much to the delight of the people around us especially our gynae Doctor Aziz who looked very tired by then. (I was his 3rd patient and he had number 4 in labour at the next ward.) Well, to make the story short, he was circumcised and we were discharged on Monday afternoon.

Here are the details and pics of baby Siddiq -

Baby Blues (part 7)

2008-08-26T18:30:00.002+08:00

Its true what they said that the last few weeks of your pregnancy is usually the longest....the waiting, the false alarms, the constant urge to the toilet, etc, everything that seems to indicate anything but true labour...oh well, into the 36th weeks now.
Kind of happy though especially about the new baby bonus plan being backdated to the 17th of August. Except that the maternity leave thingy is subjected to your employers' approval. Doesnt matter anyway, I spent nearly 1.5 months at home because of the bed rest by the doc and now I am starting on my maternity leave. Been finding myself thinking about work, partly due to boredom and partly because of the kids at school. Sometimes Herman call me selfish, foolish and even a workaholic....but I am just not the type who can stay at a desk job and be happy with it. I need to move around and be constantly hands-on at work.
Thats why I just cant wait for the baby...maybe thats why the baby taking so long cause of my pressuring him...should take things slowly and not think so much about it...right now been having a lot of signs thats telling me the day is near, well, this Saturday will be going for my check-up. See what the doc say...anyway the EDD is around the 14th of September last check up...so still got two more weeks till then....

National Day Rally Speech 2008

2008-08-19T09:22:00.005+08:00

Everyone had probably seen our PM Lee Hsien Loong speech last night. A few things caught my eye (or ears actually!) especially about the baby bonus thingy. Hurray for the fact that the leave will be extended from 12 weeks to 16 weeks and hurray for other incentives that are provided such as one week unpaid leave for infant care. But my concern is when will all this be effective? I mean he did mentioned that another minister Wong Kan Seng will probably make the official announcement and the details by this week. Then I can e-mail my admin and take the extra 4 weeks.
So far here is what I know and more interested in :
Growth dividends : 50% more in second payout in October. Means be getting between $75 to $150 extra. (can plan holiday!)
Maternity Leave : Extended to Four months (16 weeks)
Infant care leave : Oone week unpaid leave a year until the child turns two
Child care leave : Extended to 6 days per year for child younger than 7
Baby bonus : Bigger cash grant for new mums (then how about me? considered as 'old mum' is it?)
If you ask me, yeah I want more kids, probably a whole soccer team but practically and realistically, everything is so expensive. Its a long-term commitment, lots of financial planning from the time you got pregnant all the way to the kids adulthood. So for now, just two is okay for us. Maybe number three when both kids are in primary school (just to see if I can get a baby girl).
Probably the reason why I'm working in kindergarten is being surrounded by kids. Its like your own (even though they are other people's) but still they are yours for that 4 hours. Can play games, toys, sing and dance with them and watch how fast (or slow) they learn and grow. How you want to strangle them at times but hug and kiss them too, love kids but just having two of my own is good enough for me...

Baby Blues (part 6)

2008-08-18T09:01:00.000+08:00

Went to the doctor last Saturday. So many people, we arrived at the clinic around 9am and only get to see him around 2pm. Got to see a lot of preggies and two of them got sent off to the hospital to be induced (probably past their due date). That gave me cold feet. He rushed off around 12pm to ESH and came back around 1+pm.
Did the scanning and Alhamdulillah, baby is okay, so told me to stop taking the nifedipine. Except for my bp is on the high side. Currently the scan shows that the baby weighs around 2.89kg and is around 35wks+, not engaged yet. Confirmed with him regarding the baby's circumcision. Got to see the doc again in 2 weeks time (30th Aug). Got to do a vaginal examination to check how far dillated I am next appointment. So far tummy getting a wee bit tighter and bigger so feel a wee bit heavier. Looks like baby is going to hit 3kg like his big bro. Shadiq weighs at birth 3.145kg. Takpelah, as long as the baby is healthy and fine...so two more weeks till the next appointment.
Anyway, today is also Faiz's 24th birthday...Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!

Shadiq Pics

2008-08-14T19:02:00.000+08:00

Here are some more photos of Shadiq. Playing with blocks and playing with Emma (one of those 'good' days when they are not fighting with each other).

Baby Blues (part 5)

2008-08-14T13:11:00.000+08:00

I am so bored...bored of sitting at home not doing anything, bored of waiting for baby to 'pop' out and I am just so very bored!
Well, I took Kak Ai's advice and do the 1000 pcs jigsaw puzzle. Halfway through, got irritated coz Shadiq and Emma want to help and they kept throwing some of the pieces around. Then tried to do some housework to take my mind off things for a while..that worked for a few hours then when all is over, back to square 1...bored! Then made a routine of going for slow, short walks around the neighbourhood. Seems fun to cuci mata for a while but with Shadiq following me, the walks turn into running or playing ball sometimes....and its only for an hour...so still got a few other hours left. Dont want to watch TV anymore so got to listening to the radio, playing games on the internet and reading books.
But until now, I am still so bored and restless...there are nearly 24 hours in a day and around 12 hours are reserved for sleeping but the other 12 hours are the time when I really need to be occupied....running out of ideas what to do so I really do hope that this Saturday check-up with the doctor, he decided to induce the labour....getting heavy, what with all the aches and pains plus the boredom...
Anyway just got a call from my admin, want to nominate me for the Excellent Teacher award organised by MOE-AEYCES. Apa yang bagus sangat, I really dont know...Herman always said that I know how to suck up to the boss. Must be that good until got nominated, hahaha! Just that when it comes down to work, I am the type who just do what's been told or assigned sometimes overdoing things and always a sucker for helping people even though I dont want to. Orang tanya "Siti can help me?" and automatically without thinking I say "Okay no problem." Kesian orang mintak tolong so yang ni pun tolong lah. Then go home and complain to Herman about it. Kena marah by boss also, I say gasak korang lah, asalkan gaji masuk sudah. Well, I got to write a one-page essay about myself...kind of weird, promoting yourself macam nak election MP pulak. Not the type who is going to jump down for an award so wont really care if I dont get it.

Baby Blues (part 4)

2008-08-10T19:18:00.000+08:00

Last few days was funny and scary. It all started last Thursday morning when I started to have very bad backache. Can't move around regardless how I tried to change my position, tried sitting or lying down, walk around, bathe, tried everything but the ache just won't go away. So I thought "Okay, maybe been so tense lately...should try to relax and calm myself down." So think of happy thoughts, watch tv and for a while it worked, the pain slowly subsides. Then during late afternoon, the pain came back with full force, accompanied by very bad abdominal pain and I thought "Must have ate something wrong. Mak nya sambal tumis sardine power!" So drank lots of water and lie down on the bed. But the pain just got more intense...and in my mind I wasnt thinking about the fact that maybe I was going into labour because there was no contractions at all.
When Herman got back, told him about the pain and all. He tried to massage my back, rubbed oil and did everything to make me comfortable. By then I started to get a feeling of very intense contractions, aching all over and cold sweats. And I said to Herman "I think we should go hospital now." So we called my mum who rushed over to look after Shadiq who is crying.
When we reached the hospital, I was straight away placed in the labour ward where the nurse checked for my contractions. Apparently the contractions stopped when we reached the hospital but the other pain still stay with me. After an hour, they told me that I can go home and rest, probably due to a bad indigestion. So we went home. Couldnt sleep the whole night though, what with the bad aches and the vomitting that started later. Next morning Friday we see the GP (doctor Aziz was on holiday). Told me I had gastric flu and gave me some medicine to eat. Felt okay the whole day so I blamed the aches for the wind in my stomach.
But the next day Saturday, the pain came back this time I had shortness of breath and I thought "Not AGAIN." My back felt like it was being snapped into two, my tummy felt like it was being poked all over with needles, the lower region like being ripped apart...and every breath that I took is accompanied with pain....Tried to last the pain out, take panadol and the medication that the doc gave me, bathing (which kind of help a bit), put 'koyok' on the back and my mum rubbed my back and chest for breathing. Tried taking shorter breaths to ease the pain. Nothing works though. My mum panic when I started to turn very pale and break out in cold sweat. Called a few people for advise and they all told her the same thing "Go hospital now." I wanted to wait out to see if it will go away like the last time. Waited for a while more then decided to go (again).
Reached there, sent to labour ward (again) but this time my contractions was coming in every 10 minutes plus its already open by 1cm. Could hear the nurses talking to each other whether to admit me for labour or not. They were worried that doctor aziz is not here to deliver and it will be preemie. Finally after talking to the doctor, the head nurse decided that I should wait for Doctor Aziz and continue taking the current medication. So sent home again and felt very tired and drained by then. Still aching all over like before though not as intense.
Poor Herman was so disappointed, he was really like hoping that he get to see the baby but too bad...got to wait. Got a few jokes and laughs out of this though. Mak Long said that when the baby is here, should smack his butts hard for being so cheeky while my mum said that the baby just cannot decide when to come out.
Now still having the back aches, abdominal pains, lower region pains and sometimes heartburns..plus intense contractions at times but this time I tell myself and the baby to wait for a few more days. Won't go to the hospital again unless I am bleeding, my waterbag burst or my own gynae tell me to go. Other than that, tahan je lah...

House Make-Over?

2008-08-06T13:12:00.000+08:00

Herman must be in the nesting mood right now. That is the only explaination I can get for him suddenly wanting to paint the whole house...kept sms-ing me the hows, whys and whens he is going to do it...I mean if you want to paint, just paint, why keep telling me, right? Now he is thinking about the time involved, counting our finances, the colours to use and most importantly when he is going to do it. Also deciding if he wants to hire painters to do it which would be more proffesional but a bit more expensive. To which I reply....you take nearly three weeks to clean the toilet (with me constantly nagging at the background telling him to wash and I doing it finally) and now you want to paint the whole house? But at the same time, I encourage his energy and imagination...at least he is 'thinking' about it, even though he is not into the 'doing' it mode yet.

Shadiq is now very much happy with his own playroom, stuffed with his toys, books and whatever-nots. But of course, mummy got to pick up and clean. Most of the time, I made Shadiq clean up his toys. So when he got into his lazy mode, just show him the cane and the room will be clean (well for a while at least, then its messy again). His fever subsided today after we changed his medication and after three days of self-confinement in his room, he pushed his box of toys to the living room to play. But turning into an actor by the way he over-react when he hurt himself or being scolded, probably wants attention.

Been at home for nearly three weeks and bored than ever...so its either I make-over Shadiq's room by rearranging his stuffs or putting up pictures, posters, whatevers...Been so restless that it made me sleepless during night time too....stopped watching tv cause there is nothing interesting on even with cable, I hate dramas or soap operas except for CSIs and the History Channel other than that its all crap to me....so I read my books. I have an entire shelf full of books which I love to read over and over again, mostly classics such as Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle and the list goes on. Until I finished reading all the books, I will occupy myself with them or I go into labour, whichever comes first. Still got five more weeks to go till 10th September...counting the days.....

Shadiq - Baby Blues Part 4

2008-08-05T10:57:00.000+08:00

Kesian Shadiq...today is the third day that he is down with fever, flu and cough. Gave him the medication and even 'koyok' to bring down the temp, still vomiting though mostly phlegm. He got even more clingy than ever, not wanting me to be out of his sight unless if he is sleeping...whines and cry more than ever...as what my mom said, the closer I am to giving birth, the more baby he behaves to me.

Kind of sad though, did not even want Herman to sleep with us, pushes him away if he gets too close to either of us. He used to be jealous but now even more so...poor Herman, end up he sleep alone in Shadiq's room, macam orang bujang he said. Partly because of the air-con which he say is too cold (both me and Shadiq still perspire despite the cold).

There are times when he gets on the nerves. I want to go toilet also he wants to follow...or how he clings onto my clothes when I walk away....all he wants me to do is just sit or play with him. Thank God, my parents help me during these times by bringing him out or playing with him..if not, I would just have lose my cool and whack him (guilty of being too hot-tempered). Even Emma seems to pick a fight with me during these last few weeks into labour...'sigh'.....
Shadiq is sleeping right now because of the medication and the fact that he just vomitted out his food, so I will take this opportunity now to read a book and sleep before he wakes up. Cause when he wakes up, he made sure that everybody wakes up...

Baby Blues (part 3)

2008-08-01T18:11:00.001+08:00

(1st scan is the stomach - 2nd scan is the thigh bone)

Went for my check-up yesterday. So far the baby is quite okay, on the fat side....while measuring the head and the thigh bone, baby should be around 32 to 33 weeks but when doc measures the stomach, baby is 35 weeks! Total weight of the baby is estimated around 2.1kg and my sugar is a bit on the high side so got to watch my diet. This is what happen when you spend 2 weeks doing nothing except to eat and sleep....all that junk food I've been stuffing myself lately....so the estimated time of deliver should be around the 10th of September but the doc said that judging from the baby's position and weight, baby should probably be ready to be out by the 36th weeks. I was given another 2 weeks of hospitalisation leave again and more medication for the contractions as well as to prevent any infections. Anyway the doc will be on holiday to New Zealand for the next 2 weeks so its really a good idea for me to hold on as long as I could till he came back.

I have been reading too many horror stories on the internet about incompetent doctors and I really not ready to trust on another doctor if I go on labour. Praying very hard that I will go on labour only after my doctor comes back....in the mean time, I am preparing Shadiq about the baby. Can see that when I try to ask him about the baby and put his hand on my stomach, he totally ignore me or refuse to say anything. But there are times when he puts his head against my tummy and he will go "Ibu, baby here. Adik here." but these are very rare moments...I wonder how he will react when he really get to see his baby brother...so far he only gets to see x-ray images and thats the only image he have of the baby...wow, 2 boys in the house, actually 3 including Herman and I am the only girl...wonder what is that going to be like? Probably a George-in-the-Jungle episode...

Baby Blues (part 2)

2008-07-28T18:41:00.000+08:00

The boredom has finally caught up to me....I am not the type of person who liked to be confined. I watched TV until to the point of flipping thru the channels every ten minutes and walked around the house like a zombie. I cleaned my maternity bag every day (dont know for what) and even got to the point of sorting through Shadiq's toys. But today is the day where I slept through the entire day from afternoon till the evening till I got migraine coz tried to keep on sleeping....I cant do any housework, cant do any walks outside nor can I do any activities that require me to sit down too long (gave me abdominal cramps and water leakage)....oh well, at least I am not confined in the hospital. My colleague called me earlier and told me how she was confined in the hospital. It was even worse where there are absolutely no movement at all, want to pee also got to use a bedpan, yucks! But then she was there for a few days then went into labour.

I really hope the next check-up this Thursday will give me at least good news. I really dont want another pro-longed labour....with the medication, it seems even more painful than without the medication and its really tiring just counting your days (or in my case, counting the minutes and hours)... and from the things that I have gone through the past few days, I got the feeling that this baby doesnt want to wait too. Hope the baby's weight have jumped to 2kg or more by that time, then he dont have to stay too long in the hospital like his brother. Shadiq was born at 34 weeks weighing at 3145grams and did not need to stay any longer in the hospital except for the jaundice.

Herman wants the baby to wait at least till the date hits 8th or 9th august. Then we can get freebies for delivering a national day baby....Typical Singaporean....anyway he said government suck in so much of our money so must try to get something back from them...if Herman had turned out to be a politician, he would probably be on the opposition side and we are probably under exile or risk being sued till we get nothing left. He have not even hang out the flag yet...

Baby Blues...

2008-07-27T10:13:00.000+08:00

I just have to note this down on my blog as a significant detail of my second pregnancy. What happened was last Friday was the starting point of a lot of pain and frustrations. It started with a slight migraine and nausea....shrugged it off as maybe part of the medication side-effects. Then my lower back started to ache. Lie down and sleep for most of the day. Then my stomach start to ache as well as the lower part....no matter which way I turn, walk or sit, the pain seems to be everywhere. In my head, I started to think "Oh no! Don't tell me its time now." Kept praying very hard and talking to the baby not to come out now.

During the night, I break out in cold sweats and despite the medication that supposed to stop the contractions, I can feel the baby pushing down. Kept groaning in pain and praying hard not to let the baby out yet. Shadiq sleep on regardless of my pain so did Herman who was snoring his heart out. When I couldnt take it any longer, I throw a pillow at Herman. He woke up with a start and ask me what's wrong. Imagine that, here I am in pain with both my legs up on the pillows for support and he asked me what's wrong. When I told him, he yawned and said "Okay, just sleep and the pain will go away in the morning." Turned to the side and continue snoring!

'Sigh'....I bear the pain as long as I could then I throw another pillow at Herman again. He woke up, ask me what's wrong again and why I wasnt sleeping yet. To tell you the truth, I was tempted to throw something a bit more heavier than just a pillow. Told me the same thing again that the pain will go away if I sleep. When I insisted that I cant sleep, he told me not to worry and just dont think about the pain. Yeah right...dont think about the pain when I am in pain...actually I was also tempted to just rush out of the door with my maternity bag into the cab and to the hospital.

But I was worried about the baby and so I just kept on praying while Herman was snoring and somehow I just blacked out. Woke up later in the night, shirt covered in sweat and my shorts wet...Had a slight migraine and nausea....couldnt sleep after that....woke up feeling grumpy and angry, grumpy because of the migraine, angry because I am still sleepy and tired. When I told Herman about the whole night incident, he just said, "Oh, I didnt know that."

If you want to know, that is what happened to me when I was in the labour ward. He was also snoring his heart out while Shadiq was pushing his head out. Apparently they had a very comfortable sofa bed and he got tired of standing by my side, so he wanted to sit down for a while. He turned on the TV which happened to be showing a repeat telecast of a soccer match. He watched that until he fall asleep. The nurse came in and commented how loud he was snoring. He woke up when I threw a pillow at him. he changed the channel and said "Hey, Kuch, Kuch Hota Hai." on which I retorted "Kuch Kuch Hotak You! Baby dah nak keluar!" He grinned and said "tak leh tunggu jap ke. The movie just started. Cerita best!" on which I retorted "Why dont you go home and watch?! Im busy here!"

Husbands......I have a feeling that the next trip to the labour ward, it will be the same like the last time. I will be busy pushing and Herman will be busy snoring.

Camera, Ready, Action! (Part 2)

2008-07-26T14:07:00.000+08:00

And here are some of the pics that I have of the kids in my class. I kind of miss these kids....I have been with most of them from nursery to now so I kind of attached with them....

Camera, Ready, Action! (Part 1)

2008-07-26T12:49:00.001+08:00

Feeling bored because of the 'confinement' that I have to go through so I took the opportunity now that my 'boss' (Herman) is not here to supervise me, I take the liberty of updating our blog and adding in some pictures that are locked away in my handphone.
Most of them are about Shadiq (seeing that he is the only child right now) when I realised that I never have a family picture of me with Herman and Shadiq. It is usually either of us with him...must make it a point that the next picture I will be updating will be a family picture together with the baby. Right now, I just have to make do with just Shadiq doing whatever it is he like to do....from home to the airport to the science centre and back to home....

Maternity Blues....

2008-07-23T11:20:00.000+08:00

Got to spend at home for two weeks (hospitalisation leave) on the bed, lying down, got orders from the doctor not to do anything except to rest and only move when I need to go to the toilet. Other than that, I am under strict orders not to move about. The story goes is when I was around 29 weeks pregnant, I started to have strong contractions and recently last Friday when I was 30 weeks pregnant, marking my student's books, I started to feel a wet sensation in between my legs followed by a very strong contraction. That jolted me out of the classroom with haste to the toilet, thinking that I hold back too long and needed to go immediately. But it wasn't pee-pee but was actually a signal that the baby was on the way....

I calmed myself down, went back to the classroom, bring the children over to the playroom and relax myself at the library area where there is a soft mat to sit down. I read some books to the children and sensing that the contractions stopped, I called Herman to tell him what had happened. He panicked and told me to take the rest of the day off...but being the workaholic, I said later after my pre-nursery class in the afternoon....ended up working the whole day, contractions or not.

The next day, we went to the doctor and up till then, I was prepared to spend the rest of the day in the hospital onwards, mentally preparing what to do and what to tell Herman to bring, plus reliving my past visit to the maternity ward. However Doctor Aziz was quite surprised to hear about the early contractions and that he would not want me to have a premature birth right about now as the baby would have to spend more time at the ICU ward...so needless to say, I was immediately given medication to stop the contractions, given 2 weeks of hospitalisation leave (asking me to opt for hospital or home, I said home, no way am I going to lie down at the hospital feeling helpless) with strict orders to lie down in bed doing nothing.

Kind of fun though at first, being served breakfast, lunch and dinner on bed, watch TV the whole day and just need to call for Herman if I need anything. But the next day, I started to get real bored, even have a slight migraine, being enclosed in a room without moving about. Occasionally I still do feel a bit of water leaking followed by a slight pain but if I dont move around, I dont feel it. My next appointment is on the 31st of July which is to determine if I really do need to go to the hospital or if I need to extend my mc and lie down at home or what I dont know....Poor Shadiq cant get near me for fear he might do a stunt on me or accidentally hit the stomach area cause a mere push on the stomach can cause some bits of water to come out and I have to make sure that not too much water came out or it might be an emergency trip to the hospital soon.....

Oh well....the sacrifices you have to go through for your baby....as long as the baby is healthy and fine, any discomfort or pain is nothing for this mummy.....

Our House.....Finally!

2008-07-10T20:44:00.000+08:00

Finally, after a year of sharing our house with 7 other people, we finally got the house to ourselves. They moved out last Thursday so we spend the weekend cleaning and dusting the house, shifting furnitures, breaking our backs but it was all worth it! We can finally laze around the living room, roll from one end of the house to the other end, while Shadiq throws his toys all around the house...kind of like a house-warming family party.

We have not gotten around to prepare Shadiq room yet...his bed and cupboard will only be coming in this Saturday. Besides he enjoy playing in the living room and he sleep with us at night....that is we have to start making him sleep in his own room. Worse to worse when the baby is here, Shadiq and his daddy can sleep together while I sleep with the baby at night....

But until then.....our house, the roof over our heads, our humble abode, finally is OURS once more!

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-15T18:15:00.001+08:00

Happy father's day to everyone who is out there!!!
We didn't do anything special today coz Herman got jemputan kompang, I got Open House at my centre and Shadiq went wif Tok Botak and Nek Minah to jemputan also.
But during the week, I managed to prepare a 'surprise' powerpoint presentation for my hubby...he didn't expect anything at all, did not even remember about Father's Day plus I did not mention anything about it....
Yesterday, he had to work late so once he reached home, he was in an emotional state. Kesian, he had this flashback of his life lah konon while listening to a song...so I take this opportunity to let him relax first then when he least expected it, I played the thingy for him.
Wow...I didn't know that the thing would give such a strong impact to him, he cried from the end to the finish. Damn, I should have taken photos while he is like that. Well, anyway he hug me and Shadiq (Shadiq during this time was singing to the song, completely oblivious that his father was crying like a baby)and said that it is the best present ever...
In other words, it just goes to show that we as wife and mother to our children, we do care about what you fathers and husband have done for the family. We appreciate and are very grateful for all the hard work and sacrifices that you have made for the family. We loved you and will always be there for you despite all the turmoils and troubles we faced in life, through the good and bad.
So cheers to all the father out there:
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

11 days and counting......

2008-06-11T17:47:00.000+08:00

Wow..time flies so fast especially when you are having your holidays..for me holiday is at home with Shadiq. Well, at least for the past few weeks we kind of develop a routine. Here is the schedule as follows:
6am - 7am : Shadiq wake up and play with his toys for awhile. Ayah go to work.
7am - 930am : I wake up and prepare breakfast while he watch Nick Jr.
930am - 10am : Our bath
10am - 12pm : Breakfast then continue watching Nick Jr.
12pm - 3pm : Shadiq afternoon nap while I clean the house and do some school work.
3pm - 5pm : Shadiq wake up, went for afternoon walk (play ball or cycling)
Stop for a short visit to Nenek Minah house.
5pm - 530pm : Bath again.
530pm - 730pm: Eat our dinner. Shadiq do homework (drawing, tracing or colouring).
After homework, watch tv.
730pm - 10pm : Ayah return from work and have his dinner.
Shadiq play fighting with his ayah
Ayah complain to ibu he is tired but ibu said "Too bad."
10pm onwards: Shadiq and ibu sleep for the night.
Ayah said "Thank God!" and watch UEFA on cable until nearly 3am.

So that is how me and Shadiq spend the holidays at home. Of course, it is all subject to changes. Like if Tok Botak and Nenek Minah wants to bring him out or ibu suddenly got VERY BORED at home, then we go to my centre. There he gets to play with the toys while I prepare my lesson plans and activity cards for the coming term. Or I get REALLY, REALLY BORED, then we walk around the neighbourhood for a good one hour. If that still made me DAMN BORED, then we take the bus and go somewhere.
But right now, I am still in the REALLY, REALLY BORED phase. Shadiq can be quite a handful and he just cant stop running anywhere, everywhere. So to go somewhere with him, need me to be in the DAMN BORED phase whereby I got energy and patience to spare.
Anyway, being at home nearly everyday kind of made me a bit lazy. Kind of tired just thinking about going back to work. Given a choice I would not even think about going back working, but well, money makes the world go round. With the second baby on the way, I have to do a lot of thinking if I were take that kind of step.

Holiday Blues..

2008-06-05T19:51:00.000+08:00

Waaahhhhh!!!!! Everyone I know of is going on a holiday trip except me!!! They will all be over the seas by this week or next while I have to sit at home and nurse my big stomach...waaahhhh!!!!!

Shadiq kept taking out his passport and bag, telling me to go for 'walk-walk'...I feel so sad and bored.......waaaahhhhh!!!!! Herman said NO! and I said NO! too for any holiday because by then I will be six months due. Too heavy to move and too tired to do anything vigorous....waaaahhhhh!!!

Anyway, Herman said that if everything turns out well and fine, we will have our holiday this December, once the baby is three months old. Probably he will plan for the family to go Genting or Malacca. I say ANYTHING as long as we get our holiday. What to do, baby comes first anyway. But waaahhh....to hear of people going and planning for their holidays is really so sad.....waaaaahhhhh!!!!!

My Wisdom Tooth! Aaaarggghhh!!!!!

2008-06-05T18:28:00.000+08:00

Juz went I recovered from HFMD last week, my wisdom tooth starts acting up...the constant pain kept me up from last Saturday till last Monday. I couldn't take it anymore and decided to visit the dentist. It was so painful, that you can feel the pain from your gums to your ear and then to your head. The kind of pain that kept you up all night, your gums all swollen and you can hardly eat without wincing in pain.
I hate to see the dentist coz of a very, very bad experience that I had during my primary school days. That time I was in Primary 3 and had a hole on one of the back teeth. The dentist was so rough with me while she was doing the cleaning...the way she dig and scrub the tooth reminds me of when my mum cleans the scales of the fishes, rough and hard. That was a very frightful, hellish nightmare that I went through, crying throughout the whole process and when she pull the tooth out, OH MY GOD! The way she pull, you thought she was trying to pull out my head as well.
Well, in this case, it was one of those emergencies, when you really need to go and see one. Herman recommends his dentist to me, said he is really good, gentle and the whole procedure is painless. His clinic was at Raffles Link called the Dental Pearl. I was doubtful at first but since he went to the same dentist to pull out his wisdom tooth so I guess I give it a try. He was good enough to accompany me (partly because he know that I will chicken out at the last minute). When I reach the clinic, I really feel like peeing on the spot. If not for the immense pain and the sleepless nights plus a very hungry stomach coz I cant eat properly, I would have never step into this place.
After filling out my particulars, I was told that I had to wait for an hour since the dentist was in surgery. Hearing the word 'SURGERY', really made me shake inside. I guess the nurse must have notice my pale face cause she told me to walk around for a while and she will call me when its my turn. The first thing I do when I got out of the clinic is to find a toilet. Then we walked around Marina Square for a while, Herman wanted to get a new sandal cause the old one is quite worn out. Along the way, I had a very bad headache because of the toothache. During this time, the nurse gave me a call and told me that it will be my turn soon. That we will have to be there in 10 minutes time. I got quite jitterish and scared again. Kept asking Herman a lot of questions about the procedure, the dentist and whether he can accompany me during the whole thing. Herman ignored me the whole way (that was quite rude) but just told me not to worry.
When we reach the clinic, we were told to wait for a few minutes while the dentist was talking to his patient. Apparently this guy got to have his wisdom tooth taken out as well but he needed surgery. This involves cutting up the gums to take out the tooth then stitching the gums back again. Sounds gruesome to me...
When it was my turn, I asked Herman again whether he can follow me. He gave me a weird and funny look and said, "GO IN." I did with the nurse accompanying me and telling me to relax. Probably notice how worried I looked. Well, anyway, once I sat down on the chair, the dentist came in and asked me how things was. He seems quite friendly and as Herman said, was quite helpful and gentle. After a few minutes of prodding around my tooth (which was quite painful), he told me that my left wisdom tooth had a hold in it and that it is a very big hole. He also informed that because of my pregnancy, he would not extract the tooth out as that will need surgery. He can only 'patch' up the hole with fillings. After going into details of the procedure and what he is going to do with the tooth and everything,he told me to relax, to put up my hand during the process if I cannot take in the pain. He did told me that he will not be using any anesthetics to ease the pain due to my pregnancy. A sudden flashback of my primary school dentist came back to my mind and I was prepared for a lot of stinging and crying again.
But it turns out that he was very good and proffessional about the whole thing. He was very thorough (that can be heard from all the drilling and digging going around the tooth), very gentle (felt pain but it was quite mild) and very professional (kept telling me what he is going to do next). The nurse was also very kind and friendly, kept telling me to relax and tell me to put up my hand if there is any pain. But I bear it through and come out of it in one piece (or with all my teeth in my mouth). He told me that there will still be some pain after the procedure and that it will take a few days to get over it. However, he was not able to tell me if patching up the wisdom tooth will be temporary or permanent.
The bill later was quite a bomb though the whole thing was kind of worth it. Just cleaning and polishing the whole teeth, consultation plus the 'patching' up brings the amount to $107. Wow! Herman and I did some calculation if I ever needed to do any surgery to my tooth, the amount will come out to at least a thousand. Since the surgery is able to claim from medisave, we still need to come out 400-500 upfront to the clinic first.
Right now, is the second day from my visit to the dentist. I had no more pain from the tooth but the gums are swollen around it. The nurse had warned me earlier of all this discomfort but that it will probably go away in a few more days. The only thing I take is panadol for the pain but the thing that I hate most is when I have to eat. I can only chew from the right side but even then, I had to chew slowly and a little at a time because of the pain. So most of the time, I tried to take soups and cereals. That I dont mind so much but Shadiq apparently could not quite understand why he can't touch ibu's face or pull ibu's ears anymore. He is getting quite rough and there are times when he will suddenly pull both your ears or just grab your cheeks. That will be the time when I will shout in pain and he will run for cover under the bedsheets. Because of the swollen gums, the pain will be a bit more intense especially when he grabs my cheeks. That will set me shouting and screaming bloody murder real loud while he runs around the room to hide and get away from the crazy monster.
I am praying real hard that this will be my last toothache......

Shadiq and Mummy with HFMD

2008-05-19T14:34:00.000+08:00

Haven't been updating the blog for a while..partly because I am down with HFMD. No fever but just blisters on my hands and feet. This is the third time I got it and still it itch horribly not to say that it is painful as well. Shadiq is getting better though, no more blisters and ulcers but the rashes and blisters around his butt and groin area still drying.

Went to Doctor Aziz for check-up when I discovered the red spots on my hands last Saturday. The baby is doing fine and since I got no fever, I am only given medication to ease the itchiness and pain. But it sure made me sleep alot...even drooling in my sleep because of the ulcers in my mouth... yes,I am drooling like a baby.
Herman got a wonderful time spring-cleaning the house (again!) amd we spent more money on dettol and disinfectant spray. I made it a point to clean the toilet after I or Shadiq use it everytime, put my plate, cups and toothbrush separately, plus airing the blankets and pillows everyday.
Still feeling drowsy from the medication.....

Shadiq with HFMD (Part 3)

2008-05-12T19:39:00.000+08:00

Took half day today just to look after Shadiq. I got HFMD a few years earlier so I kind of know how itchy and irritating it can be when you got it. Anyway, he found some of my paints and started playing with it. He got all messy and dirty but I don't have the heart to scold him. He look so cute and engrossed with all the paint on him (partly because he was under 'confinement').

But at least he's getting better. The red spots on his hands and feet are starting to disappear so are the ulcers in his mouth. Still drooling though...probably can fill up a 1-litre bottle with his drools (maybe I should and give it to somebody I really hate).He got rashes and blisters around the butt and groin area but that started to dry too. Hopefully, he will be better by this week but there is still the window period of one more week till he fully recover.

Shadiq with HFMD (Part 2)

2008-05-11T12:28:00.000+08:00

Poor Shadiq, had to be confined to his room the whole day and already he started to get bored. After going through a bunch of VCDs, DVDs (we placed them within his reach so he can pick and choose, he knows how to use the DVD player), he started to throw the toys around and fiddling with mummy and daddy's stuff. Our room started to look like a tornado just went through it. I decided to run down to my centre to fetch a few of my stationaries that he can play and use.
Got a few paints, colour papers, sticky sticks and scissors. I let him play with the scissors first. These are not your normal metal scissors but the plastic scissors that won't cut through flesh and hair, only paper. Got this as one of the Teacher's Day gift.
Here are some pics of what he did during his 'confinement':
Shadiq and his toys...all around the room...

Using the scissors to cut the colour papers.

Finally, he got bored and started to cut his hair..Then he invite his ayah to have a haircut...Anyone else wanna have a haircut, please apply here.