One of the many reasons why I love my job is the fact that my hours are as flexible as how I want them to be. True that lecture times are set by the University, but, I am free to determine when I want to have my tutorials.
My teaching timetable this Semester, is the same as it has always been for the last few years. Again, I have loaded my Tuesdays and Thursdays, and kept the other days of the week free for my research, reading and writing.
I would send Hilman and the maid to my MIL's before I go to the office every morning, and my MIL's driver would send Hilman to, and fetch his sisters from school every afternoon, and the girls would stay at their Wan's house until I fetch them and the maid in the evening. My MIL's house had always been our depository centre ever since we came back from the UK in 1997 simply because it is right smack in the middle of the route between our SD house, our workplace and the kids' schools.
I have always had my lectures and tutorials on Tuesdays and Thursday for as long as I could remember. And alang-alang those two days are packed, I had also arranged for the kids to have their mengaji class at my MIL's on Tuesday and Thursday nights. This had been the arrangement for the last 4 years.
So, every Tuesday and Thursday, I would finish my class at either 5:00 or 6:00p.m, after which I would fetch Hilman from school, go back to my MIL's place which is just 10 minutes away from my office/the kids' school. Hanna and Hasya would already be there since after school. Ustadz would come at 8:30p.m, and their mengaji class would end at 9:30p.m. We would normally leave for SD around 9:45p.m, and would reach home by 10:00p.m - just in time for the kids to catch Naruto on Astro Channel 616.
This arrangement had meant that after a packed day at work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I wouldn't have to worry about preparing/cooking dinner, as we would be having dinner at my MIL's, and dinner would normally be cooked by my MIL's maid, except on a few occassions when yours truly would help out. Good strategy, huh? ;)
Nevertheless, even though I had been quite free on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays all this while, I still had to leave the office at 6:00p.m. as I had to wait for Hilman to finish school and fetch him, and then fetch the girls and the maid from my MIL's, THEN only we would go back to SD. More often than not, we would reach home just after 7:00p.m and I would straight away cook dinner for the family (except on Wednesdays when the kids have their piano lessons from 6:30p.m until 7:45p.m. after which we would have dinner outside).
As I said, their Wan's place has always been our stop-centre, ever since we came back to Malaysia in 1997. In fact, when we first bought our SD home way back in 1999, we rarely stayed in SD, preferring to stay in PJ simply because it was just so convenient to do that. And when the kids started schooling, it seemed to be the most sensible thing to do - depositing the kids there until the time came for me to fetch them after work and go back home to SD.
However, this year is a bit different as I now don't have to wait until 6:00p.m before I leave the office because Hilman now goes to school in the morning. Meaning, theoretically, for THREE days of the week, i.e. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, when I don't have any lectures or tutorials, I can actually fetch the kids from their Wan's house earlier, so that we can reach SD by 5p.m, or even 4:30p.m, I guess. And I was really looking forward to the change to the routine, when finally we all can reach home earlier than we normally would, and this would mean, for the first time in years, the kids would be able to spend more time together at home in SD, instead of in PJ on weekdays.
However, with Hanna sitting for her PMR this year, we decided to register her for extra tuitions, and it's just our luck that her tuitions are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30p.m to 6:30p.m. in PJ. This means that realistically, the ONLY day that we will be able to go back home early now will be on Fridays.
There goes my plan of spending more time in SD with the kids this year :(
The only way to go around this is to come out of our comfort zone which we have been in for the last 13 years (at least!) and change our after-school deposit centre to our SD home instead of their Wan's place in PJ.
A perfect arrangement would be for Dar (when?!if?! she comes back) to stay at home in SD, instead of me sending her to PJ every morning, so that she would have more time attending to our SD home, and more time for her to prepare the meals (or rather, for me to start TRUSTING her to use the stove while I'm not at home!).
We should also have to consider getting our own driver instead of relying on my MIL's driver to fetch the kids from school everyday. At least I won't feel guilty if I'm asking our own driver to drive the extra miles to send the kids back to SD every afternoon. We do give him a certain amount of allowances every month for helping out with the kids, but, of course, at the end of the day, he is still not OUR driver, kan?
And I feel Ayah desperately needs a driver to drive him around, too, especially now that his "kais pagi, makan pagi" activities are done in 4 different hospitals (which are NOT close to each other!) I can see that all the driving around has taken its toll on him... Not just that he's SO exhausted every night when he comes back from work, his back-pain is becoming...well, a VERY REAL pain in the ****, and it's becoming more painful for him by the day.
We SERIOUSLY need to change our routines, especially in cuting down on transit times in PJ, and also the travelling/driving/sending/fetching/ etc., times so that everybody will be more relaxed at home AND at work.
The questions are -
Are we prepared to come out of our comfort zone which we have been in for the last 13 years?
Are we prepared to change our daily routines which so far have been quite convenient to us?
Are we prepared to bersusah-susah sedikit and not rely on my MIL's maid and driver anymore?
Are we prepared to start a new routine so that we can enjoy our own home more, now that the kids are bigger?
Hmmmmm...?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
The last couple of weeks, and Back-2-School....
Salams, Seasons Greetings, and a Happy New Year to all :)
I've been neglecting this blog of mine for more than 2 weeks. No specific reason really - except maybe, because of my Bibikless status at the moment. It didn't help at all that the new Semester just opened on 28th December.
Insya Allah, I will counter-comment on all the comments left on my last posting on my Laundry Woes soon, ya? Please accept my apologies for not responding earlier :)
Anyway, the last 2 weeks had been pretty hectic -
I had taken a week off from work to instead slave away at home.
But, nevertheless, I had managed to meet up with my MT friends a couple of times for karaoke/birthday do, and a Pot Luck Hi-Tea/Dinner/Supper/Sahur. It was great to have been able to see them despite everybody's busy schedule.
We, as a family had also managed to squeeze in 3 movies - Avatar (3D!), Alvin & The Chipmunks 2, and Sherlock Holmes in the last couple of weeks.
And, not forgetting - I had the chance to join the Makcik Bloggers' gathering at Dave's Deli One-Utama on New Year's Eve. It was really good to see some of my dear Makcik Blogger friends again - Kak Ezza, Zai, Ibu, Kay, Yani and of course to finally meet Naz, Kak Teh, Datin Mamasita, Kak Puteri, Eja, NanaDJ, Hanz, SohoMama and Shahieda. You all can read all about it here :)
The last 2 weeks had, in a way, been a bonding time with the kids as they have been great at helping out at home, especially in taking care of our pet hamsters - Benji and Button, and pet terrapins - Seth and Jasper. Siap gotong-royong 3 beradik bersihkan the cage, etc :)
Hanna finally got a 1-to-1 lesson on how to operate the washing machine, and how to sidai baju properly :). She has been doing the sweeping and the mopping every now and then, and she has also been great with helping out with the dishes. Hasya has been helping to tidy up the living room especially (which seems to need tidying up every 2 hours or so! How?!), and setting the table for our meals. Hilman pulak has chipped in by doing the vacuuming around the house.
God Bless all of them :)
But, of course, the last two weeks have not seen all my laundry woes dissapear. They are still very much there. And they are now collectively known as "Mount Kinabalu". Soon, they are going to graduate to "Mount Kilimanjaro". Hopefully Dar will come back before they transform into "Mount Everest"... Hehehe!
AND, of course, the last two weeks have also seen me busy getting everything and everybody ready for school.
I finally decided that every one of the kids should have 5 pairs of school uniforms, so that I won't have to worry mid-week if tak sempat nak basuh or gosok. Whatever old uniforms they can still use, they'll use, and I just added a few new pairs each so that they'll have enough to last them from Monday to Friday. Heck, I've also made sure everybody has enough undies to last for 3 weeks in the (unlikely) event (of course!), tak sempat nak basuh. HAHAHAHA!
As for school shoes, I thought it would be quite ridiculous to get them 5 pairs each, so I settled for 2 pairs each. (That reminds me - I have yet to teach them to wash their own school shoes!)
As of 11:15p.m just now, ALL 15 pairs of uniforms had been ironed and hung in the kids' closets, all books had been wrapped and put in the respective school bags, and all stationeries had been put in their pencil cases.
And as of 11:30p.m just now, all three kids had gone to bed (and I hope are already asleep as I'm typing this!)
All three had their hair cut yesterday. Although I must say that I couldn't really see much difference in Hanna's and Hasya's hair before and after the visit to the salon! Apparently, Hanna needs to have another haircut in March when she'll have more hair for the stylist to work on (?!) And Hasya only had her fringe trimmed. Mind you, these two girls were the ones who had been bugging me to bring them to the salon for a haircut for the last month or so! And yet, when their hair was cut, it was not really cut. You know what I mean? Seriously, I don't really know what I was paying the stylist for.
Hasya's and Hilman's schoolbags are already sitting nicely on the rug besides the front door. Their school shoes are also arranged nicely near the door, siap stuffed with their school socks ;)
We've given all three kids enough school allowance to last them for 6 weeks, insya Allah. Ayah and I have been doing the same thing for the last couple of years - we would give the kids their allowances in advance, and it is up to them to make sure that they spend the money wisely so that it'll last until the last designated day that it should finish. If they decide to spend more than they should on one day, then, they will have to spend less on some of the other days. Failing which, they will be without any allowances until the next top-up day.
Hilman is especially happy that this year he'll be getting RM3 everyday instead of RM2 - same as his Kak Ngah. He said, now he can buy extra Keropok Lekor kat sekolah... Sigh... Sungguh tidak adventurous anak bujang I sorang ni...
As for Hanna, it's RM5/= per day as her school normally ends earliest at 2:30p.m, and it can also be extended until 6:00p.m. Frankly speaking, we don't really know how much is actually okay for the kids to bring to school. We know some of their friends who are given between RM5-RM10 everyday (and I'm talking about Primary school-goers here!)
Anyway, I'm SO excited for the kids!
Hanna will be taking her PMR year this year. And my do'a that she'll do very well in her exams. Ayah and I have decided that her outings with her friends will be VERY limited this year (if there is any at all, that is). And she's only allowed to go on-line and use her HP during weekends.
Hasya is a prefect this year, and she looks so grown-up in her new uniform :) She has shot up tremedously over the school holidays, and I wouldn't be surprised if she'll be taller than me by the end of the year.
Hilman pulak is in morning school for the first time. He kept on asking me not to forget to wake him up tomorrow. His sisters have warned him NOT to wake up late and cause them to be late for school. Mommy pun suspense jugak ni! Anyway, tadi Hilman siap pesan, "Mommy, I want hotdogs, and scrambled eggs for breakfast tomorrow, please..." Hmmmm, let's just hope Mommy can wake up early esok. If not, Cereals and cold milk ajer lah nampak gayanya, darling... :)
So, the kids and their Mommy are all geared up.
JUST BRING IT ON, SCHOOL!!!
(But, please have mercy and take it easy on me... at least until Dar comes back, ya?)
I've been neglecting this blog of mine for more than 2 weeks. No specific reason really - except maybe, because of my Bibikless status at the moment. It didn't help at all that the new Semester just opened on 28th December.
Insya Allah, I will counter-comment on all the comments left on my last posting on my Laundry Woes soon, ya? Please accept my apologies for not responding earlier :)
Anyway, the last 2 weeks had been pretty hectic -
I had taken a week off from work to instead slave away at home.
But, nevertheless, I had managed to meet up with my MT friends a couple of times for karaoke/birthday do, and a Pot Luck Hi-Tea/Dinner/Supper/Sahur. It was great to have been able to see them despite everybody's busy schedule.
We, as a family had also managed to squeeze in 3 movies - Avatar (3D!), Alvin & The Chipmunks 2, and Sherlock Holmes in the last couple of weeks.
And, not forgetting - I had the chance to join the Makcik Bloggers' gathering at Dave's Deli One-Utama on New Year's Eve. It was really good to see some of my dear Makcik Blogger friends again - Kak Ezza, Zai, Ibu, Kay, Yani and of course to finally meet Naz, Kak Teh, Datin Mamasita, Kak Puteri, Eja, NanaDJ, Hanz, SohoMama and Shahieda. You all can read all about it here :)
The last 2 weeks had, in a way, been a bonding time with the kids as they have been great at helping out at home, especially in taking care of our pet hamsters - Benji and Button, and pet terrapins - Seth and Jasper. Siap gotong-royong 3 beradik bersihkan the cage, etc :)
Hanna finally got a 1-to-1 lesson on how to operate the washing machine, and how to sidai baju properly :). She has been doing the sweeping and the mopping every now and then, and she has also been great with helping out with the dishes. Hasya has been helping to tidy up the living room especially (which seems to need tidying up every 2 hours or so! How?!), and setting the table for our meals. Hilman pulak has chipped in by doing the vacuuming around the house.
God Bless all of them :)
But, of course, the last two weeks have not seen all my laundry woes dissapear. They are still very much there. And they are now collectively known as "Mount Kinabalu". Soon, they are going to graduate to "Mount Kilimanjaro". Hopefully Dar will come back before they transform into "Mount Everest"... Hehehe!
AND, of course, the last two weeks have also seen me busy getting everything and everybody ready for school.
I finally decided that every one of the kids should have 5 pairs of school uniforms, so that I won't have to worry mid-week if tak sempat nak basuh or gosok. Whatever old uniforms they can still use, they'll use, and I just added a few new pairs each so that they'll have enough to last them from Monday to Friday. Heck, I've also made sure everybody has enough undies to last for 3 weeks in the (unlikely) event (of course!), tak sempat nak basuh. HAHAHAHA!
As for school shoes, I thought it would be quite ridiculous to get them 5 pairs each, so I settled for 2 pairs each. (That reminds me - I have yet to teach them to wash their own school shoes!)
As of 11:15p.m just now, ALL 15 pairs of uniforms had been ironed and hung in the kids' closets, all books had been wrapped and put in the respective school bags, and all stationeries had been put in their pencil cases.
And as of 11:30p.m just now, all three kids had gone to bed (and I hope are already asleep as I'm typing this!)
All three had their hair cut yesterday. Although I must say that I couldn't really see much difference in Hanna's and Hasya's hair before and after the visit to the salon! Apparently, Hanna needs to have another haircut in March when she'll have more hair for the stylist to work on (?!) And Hasya only had her fringe trimmed. Mind you, these two girls were the ones who had been bugging me to bring them to the salon for a haircut for the last month or so! And yet, when their hair was cut, it was not really cut. You know what I mean? Seriously, I don't really know what I was paying the stylist for.
Hasya's and Hilman's schoolbags are already sitting nicely on the rug besides the front door. Their school shoes are also arranged nicely near the door, siap stuffed with their school socks ;)
We've given all three kids enough school allowance to last them for 6 weeks, insya Allah. Ayah and I have been doing the same thing for the last couple of years - we would give the kids their allowances in advance, and it is up to them to make sure that they spend the money wisely so that it'll last until the last designated day that it should finish. If they decide to spend more than they should on one day, then, they will have to spend less on some of the other days. Failing which, they will be without any allowances until the next top-up day.
Hilman is especially happy that this year he'll be getting RM3 everyday instead of RM2 - same as his Kak Ngah. He said, now he can buy extra Keropok Lekor kat sekolah... Sigh... Sungguh tidak adventurous anak bujang I sorang ni...
As for Hanna, it's RM5/= per day as her school normally ends earliest at 2:30p.m, and it can also be extended until 6:00p.m. Frankly speaking, we don't really know how much is actually okay for the kids to bring to school. We know some of their friends who are given between RM5-RM10 everyday (and I'm talking about Primary school-goers here!)
Anyway, I'm SO excited for the kids!
Hanna will be taking her PMR year this year. And my do'a that she'll do very well in her exams. Ayah and I have decided that her outings with her friends will be VERY limited this year (if there is any at all, that is). And she's only allowed to go on-line and use her HP during weekends.
Hasya is a prefect this year, and she looks so grown-up in her new uniform :) She has shot up tremedously over the school holidays, and I wouldn't be surprised if she'll be taller than me by the end of the year.
Hilman pulak is in morning school for the first time. He kept on asking me not to forget to wake him up tomorrow. His sisters have warned him NOT to wake up late and cause them to be late for school. Mommy pun suspense jugak ni! Anyway, tadi Hilman siap pesan, "Mommy, I want hotdogs, and scrambled eggs for breakfast tomorrow, please..." Hmmmm, let's just hope Mommy can wake up early esok. If not, Cereals and cold milk ajer lah nampak gayanya, darling... :)
So, the kids and their Mommy are all geared up.
JUST BRING IT ON, SCHOOL!!!
(But, please have mercy and take it easy on me... at least until Dar comes back, ya?)
Friday, December 18, 2009
Laundry woes...
Bibik Dar went back to Indonesia on 29/11/09.
Two days after that I was involved in that accident.
And the whole family had put up at my MIL's place since. I was just too traumatized to drive, and staying with my MIL meant that I could tumpang rides with her driver or my BIL's driver to work and back, and also to ferry the kids for their classes, etc.
Staying at my MIL's also meant that I didn't have to worry about our laundry - my MAIN concern during Dar's absence actually! My MIL's and SIL's maids have been helping out with that. But, of course, being calculative as they are, they have not really done a proper job at that. Ironing pun macam half-past six ajer. Memang tak boleh challenge Dar's ironing. But, I AM thankful that all the clothes are folded at the end of the day.
Anyway, I've started driving again 4 days ago, albeit ONLY during daytime, and only to work and back to my MIL's, and once to send and fetch Hanna to and from her futsal session in Section 19 PJ. So, I'm still limiting my driving within my comfort zone.
Insya Allah we'll be going back home this morning, and I'm so looking forward to that. And I know the kids are excited to go home and sleep in their own rooms again, and have 24/7 access to the internet :) At their Wan's house, the wi-fi is only switched on at certain times, and Hasya finds it difficult to harvest her Farmville stuffs sometimes. Hehehe!
But, of course - 2 weeks accumulation of dusts in the house, and dried leaves on the front porch await us.
I'll be on leave until 27/12/09. That should give me ample time to get the house spick and span again, insya Allah (but, I think there'll be a lot of nagging and "blood-goes-upstairs" session with the kids in between).
The new Semester starts on 28/12/09, and we have yet to decide whether we'd be staying at my MILs' from that date until Dar comes back. I think Ayah prefers it if we were to stay in SD. He finds it easier to work on his articles and presentations when he's at home.
But, once schools re-open on 4/1/10, and if we were to stay in SD, that would mean I would have to attend to their schooling needs, etc, especially in getting their uniforms washed and ironed, and ready for school every morning. Over the years, the kids have been getting 3 pairs of uniforms each. This meant that by Wednesday, the Monday's and Tuesdays's pairs would be recycled for Thursday and Friday.
And of course, not forgetting Ayah's work shirts, too! At the moment I think he has enough to last him more than 2 weeks without any recycling needed. Meaning that in the worst case scenario, I would only have to iron his work shirts sekali gus every 2 weeks.
One way out of this is to get the kids 5 pairs of uniforms each, so that I only need to iron all of them sekali gus ajer over the weekend, Or maybe 10 pairs terus? So that I only need to do the ironing once every two weeks together with Ayah's shirts? Hahaha!
But, of course, another way is to stay at my MIL's and get the maids there to attend to the laundry/ironing and I terimalah seadanya their half-past six kerja.
OR, we stay in SD, I dump all the laundry in the washing machine every morning, send the washed clothes to my MIL's place on the way to work, and collect the folded and ironed clothes from there on the way back to SD? And I terimalah seadanya their half-past six kerja... again.
OR, I send all their school uniforms and Ayah's shirts to the laundry to be washed and ironed every Friday, so that by Sunday I can just collect them. Extra costs - but, a lot less woes.
Hmmm, the way I'm writing this - macam it's a threat to national security ajer kan?!
But believe me, laundry woes can be worse than that.
And only maidless working moms would understand ;)
Two days after that I was involved in that accident.
And the whole family had put up at my MIL's place since. I was just too traumatized to drive, and staying with my MIL meant that I could tumpang rides with her driver or my BIL's driver to work and back, and also to ferry the kids for their classes, etc.
Staying at my MIL's also meant that I didn't have to worry about our laundry - my MAIN concern during Dar's absence actually! My MIL's and SIL's maids have been helping out with that. But, of course, being calculative as they are, they have not really done a proper job at that. Ironing pun macam half-past six ajer. Memang tak boleh challenge Dar's ironing. But, I AM thankful that all the clothes are folded at the end of the day.
Anyway, I've started driving again 4 days ago, albeit ONLY during daytime, and only to work and back to my MIL's, and once to send and fetch Hanna to and from her futsal session in Section 19 PJ. So, I'm still limiting my driving within my comfort zone.
Insya Allah we'll be going back home this morning, and I'm so looking forward to that. And I know the kids are excited to go home and sleep in their own rooms again, and have 24/7 access to the internet :) At their Wan's house, the wi-fi is only switched on at certain times, and Hasya finds it difficult to harvest her Farmville stuffs sometimes. Hehehe!
But, of course - 2 weeks accumulation of dusts in the house, and dried leaves on the front porch await us.
I'll be on leave until 27/12/09. That should give me ample time to get the house spick and span again, insya Allah (but, I think there'll be a lot of nagging and "blood-goes-upstairs" session with the kids in between).
The new Semester starts on 28/12/09, and we have yet to decide whether we'd be staying at my MILs' from that date until Dar comes back. I think Ayah prefers it if we were to stay in SD. He finds it easier to work on his articles and presentations when he's at home.
But, once schools re-open on 4/1/10, and if we were to stay in SD, that would mean I would have to attend to their schooling needs, etc, especially in getting their uniforms washed and ironed, and ready for school every morning. Over the years, the kids have been getting 3 pairs of uniforms each. This meant that by Wednesday, the Monday's and Tuesdays's pairs would be recycled for Thursday and Friday.
And of course, not forgetting Ayah's work shirts, too! At the moment I think he has enough to last him more than 2 weeks without any recycling needed. Meaning that in the worst case scenario, I would only have to iron his work shirts sekali gus every 2 weeks.
One way out of this is to get the kids 5 pairs of uniforms each, so that I only need to iron all of them sekali gus ajer over the weekend, Or maybe 10 pairs terus? So that I only need to do the ironing once every two weeks together with Ayah's shirts? Hahaha!
But, of course, another way is to stay at my MIL's and get the maids there to attend to the laundry/ironing and I terimalah seadanya their half-past six kerja.
OR, we stay in SD, I dump all the laundry in the washing machine every morning, send the washed clothes to my MIL's place on the way to work, and collect the folded and ironed clothes from there on the way back to SD? And I terimalah seadanya their half-past six kerja... again.
OR, I send all their school uniforms and Ayah's shirts to the laundry to be washed and ironed every Friday, so that by Sunday I can just collect them. Extra costs - but, a lot less woes.
Hmmm, the way I'm writing this - macam it's a threat to national security ajer kan?!
But believe me, laundry woes can be worse than that.
And only maidless working moms would understand ;)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Naik bukit, turun bukit...
It's 1:14a.m, Sunday 13th December 2009 - and the kids and I are still awake in our room at Aw*na Hotel, Genting.
Ayah, meanwhile is down in KL. He turun bukit a few hours ago as he was attending MC*BA's Dinner at Is*ana Hotel, and I asked him not to naik bukit balik tonight, but instead sleep at home. I just didn't want him to drive up back here alone. Not when he's not that familiar with the roads and all. Anyway, he has decided to sleep at the Hospital instead as he has some work to finish there. He knows that if he were to go back home, he would be sleeping instead :) Anyway, he should be back here again first thing tomorrow morning, insya Allah.
We checked in at the hotel on Thursday afternoon. Ayah has a Cardio meeting/conference and it will only end at 1:00p.m today. Nasib baik they only have half-day sessions in the morning ajer, so for the last two afternoons, we've been going on the rides at Genting Theme Park. Syukur alhamdulillah the weather has been really nice.
The kids have really enjoyed themselves especially Hasya and Hilman because this time around they could go on most of the rides. The last time we were here they were not tall enough for some of the thrill-rides. In fact, on the second day they actually went on some of the rides again. Me, I only went on 5 rides - itupun I had my eyes closed during most of them. Hehehe! I memang penakut...(tapi teringin jugak nak naik!)
Insya Allah we will be going back to KL tomorrow afternoon. IF Ayah larat, after checking out we will be going up again and lepak-lepak at First World Plaza, etc. If Ayah tak larat, we'll probably lepak kat OU jer. See la how it goes nanti.
Anyway, here are some jokes from Ayah sempena our Genting trip ni -
JOKE 1
Just as we were approaching Aw*na Hotel and as the kids saw the signboard, they shouted -
Kids : Ayah! AW*NA!!!
To which ayah answered - "You wanna what?!"
Me : Errrr...?
JOKE 2
As we were driving up, we decided to open the car windows and breathe in the cool fresh air.
And just as the cool air came through into the car, Ayah said -
"Hmmmmmm...The Late Lim Goh Tong was SOOOOO rich he actually installed AIRCOND through the whole of Genting Highlands!"
To which the girls responded, "Ya Allah... Ayah, punya ler lame your joke..."
Me : (SETUJU....)
HAHAHAHA!
P/S : And Ayah, if you're reading this tonight (instead of doing your work!), I just want to say "I Miss You..." :(
Ayah, meanwhile is down in KL. He turun bukit a few hours ago as he was attending MC*BA's Dinner at Is*ana Hotel, and I asked him not to naik bukit balik tonight, but instead sleep at home. I just didn't want him to drive up back here alone. Not when he's not that familiar with the roads and all. Anyway, he has decided to sleep at the Hospital instead as he has some work to finish there. He knows that if he were to go back home, he would be sleeping instead :) Anyway, he should be back here again first thing tomorrow morning, insya Allah.
We checked in at the hotel on Thursday afternoon. Ayah has a Cardio meeting/conference and it will only end at 1:00p.m today. Nasib baik they only have half-day sessions in the morning ajer, so for the last two afternoons, we've been going on the rides at Genting Theme Park. Syukur alhamdulillah the weather has been really nice.
The kids have really enjoyed themselves especially Hasya and Hilman because this time around they could go on most of the rides. The last time we were here they were not tall enough for some of the thrill-rides. In fact, on the second day they actually went on some of the rides again. Me, I only went on 5 rides - itupun I had my eyes closed during most of them. Hehehe! I memang penakut...(tapi teringin jugak nak naik!)
Insya Allah we will be going back to KL tomorrow afternoon. IF Ayah larat, after checking out we will be going up again and lepak-lepak at First World Plaza, etc. If Ayah tak larat, we'll probably lepak kat OU jer. See la how it goes nanti.
Anyway, here are some jokes from Ayah sempena our Genting trip ni -
JOKE 1
Just as we were approaching Aw*na Hotel and as the kids saw the signboard, they shouted -
Kids : Ayah! AW*NA!!!
To which ayah answered - "You wanna what?!"
Me : Errrr...?
JOKE 2
As we were driving up, we decided to open the car windows and breathe in the cool fresh air.
And just as the cool air came through into the car, Ayah said -
"Hmmmmmm...The Late Lim Goh Tong was SOOOOO rich he actually installed AIRCOND through the whole of Genting Highlands!"
To which the girls responded, "Ya Allah... Ayah, punya ler lame your joke..."
Me : (SETUJU....)
HAHAHAHA!
P/S : And Ayah, if you're reading this tonight (instead of doing your work!), I just want to say "I Miss You..." :(
Saturday, December 5, 2009
7:35p.m, 1st December 2009...
It was last Tuesday evening. 1st December 2009.
Hanna was attending her school's Kem Tahan Lasak Programme in UM, while Hasya and Hilman were at their Wan's house in PJ, as they were supposed to have their Mengaji class there that evening.
I was supposed to join Ayah and his staff for Dinner at The Cu*ve, so, after work I drove back to SD as I didn't have any proper attire for the dinner kept at my MIL's. The plan was for me to leave the house after Maghrib and drive to Tr*pi*cana Medical Centre, leave my car there and Ayah and I would be going to The Cu*ve in his car.
Just before Maghrib, I received a call from Ustadz saying that he was not well, hence the Mengaji class had to be cancelled. I got ready right after solat. As I got into the car a few minutes later, fearing that I might forget later, I decided to call my MIL to inform her that the kids' Kelas Mengaji had been cancelled, and for her to tell the kids. I must have tried calling her for about 5 minutes before she finally answered - she was praying before that.
After making the call, I looked at the clock. It was 7:18p.m. I started driving to Kota Damannara using the Sungei Buloh back route/jalan lama. It was raining quite heavily, and I was driving slowly - with my wipers on continuous medium swiping mode.
By 7:35p.m, I was on Persiaran Surian with McD and Pi*za Hut on my left side, and Ayah's hospital was just about 1.5km away. I was on a 4-lane road heading towards SPK Sunway Damansara/Mutiara Damansara, etc., and was approaching the T-junction going to Uptown Kota Damansara/Selangor Science Park. The two right-most lanes are dedicated lanes for those going right to Uptown Kota Damansara and they were on red-light then, while the 3rd and 4th lanes were on green-light, and I was on the 3rd lane.
This is my tempat lalu-lalang as my parents are staying in KD, and Ayah's hospital is also there, and I am very familiar and comfortable with the area and roads and all. But, what happened after that had left me badly shaken even until now. I don't think I'll be able to drive through that stretch of road again without thinking of what happened there that night.
Right at the traffic light, as I was passing through the green-light (which apparently is on green 24/7), out of nowhere, a motorcyclist came from the Uptown direction from my right, crossing straight in front of me heading towards the flats on my left. Mind you, it's a T-junction, and there was no road opening to my left.
He gave me a shock of my life, and there was no way I could have avoided hitting him. I barely managed to press on the brakes and I knocked him straight on his left side. He literally crashed on my windscreen and fell to the right side of my car, onto the road.
I was just so numbed, but I managed to manouvre my car slowly to the left and park it there. I got out of the car, fearing the worst. It was a middle-aged man, probably in his early 50's and he was lying on the road, groaning. And bleeding really badly. His left foot was seriously injured - it must have been crushed between my kangaroo bar and his bike on impact.
The first thing I did was to call Ayah. Believe it or not, I actually forgot how to use my phone right at that moment. I was trembling non-stop, in the middle of the road, in the pouring rain. I forgot that I had Ayah's number on my speed dial, and I was trying to remember how to change my display to the "keypad" mode! Even when I had the keypad on, I actually forgot Ayah's number! It was only after nearly a minute that I remembered to call Ayah through speed dialing!
Right after calling Ayah, I tried calling 999 for the ambulance. Again, I just could not change my phone function to "keypad" mode, and I was struggling for about a minute before I got through, and gave the operator my details and the location of the accident.
By then, there was already a crowd gathering around the old man, and some of them started shouting at me, asking me to bring him to the hospital in my car and not wait for the ambulance. One of them even shouted out, "You bawak dia dalam you punya kereta la! You ada kereta. Mau tunggu ambulan jugak ka? You mau tunggu dia mati ka??!"
Imagine how I was feeling at that moment.
I was not in a state to drive as I was still terribly shaken. I was trembling like a leaf. By the look of his injuries, I don't think anybody in the right mind would want to move the poor guy. And I don't think my Kembara would be able to accomodate him, not with the injuries he had sustained.
I had never been so scared in my life.
A few men then took me to the side and asked me to stay calm and stay with them, while we waited for the ambulance to come. The other crowd was getting impatient and kept asking me if I had called the ambulance. I had in fact called the ambulance twice, and a few of the passers-by had also called for it a few times.
I felt such a relief when I saw Ayah arriving in his car with one of his nurses and and also a staff from TMC. Ayah asked me if I was okay before attending to the old man. He was conscious throughout the ordeal, but I dare not go near him, and I was advised by some of the men around me not to do so.
What I couldn't believe was the fact that the 999 people actually called me THREE times after that to ask me again where exactly the scene of the accident was. THREE times. That was excluding the time when I first made the call to them and explained to them clearly where we were.
The police came nearly half an hour after that, about 8:10p.m, and the ambulance came around 8:15p.m. They must have been stuck in the traffic jam caused by the rain. All throughout the waiting time, I was praying for the old man to be alright. It felt like the longest half an hour of my life...
What was perplexing was the fact that I could actually look at the injuries, and the blood without feeling faint at all throughout the half an hour he was lying on the road. I am one who normally can't even stand the sight of a single drop of blood, and could faint just by looking at blood. Heck, I can't even visit anyone sick without feeling faint. That's just me. But, that night, syukur alhamdulillah, I was okay. It was until the man was taken into the ambulance to be brought to the hospital, that I started to feel dizzy.
After the ambulance left, Ayah asked his staff to drive his car back to the hospital, while Ayah drove my car to the Balai Polis Traffic in Kota Damansara. We made the Police Report and later was brought back to the scene in a police car where I gave the police my account of what happened.
Later I was told that those residing at the flats normally would take a short-cut from the Industrial Park straight to the flat, as they didn't want to make a U-turn further down the road. There was even a makeshift bridge crossing the drain going to the residential area at that spot.
By the time we were done at the Station, it was already about 9:45p.m. Ayah drove us to his hospital in my car. He had to review a few patients, and I waited for him in his office. And while waiting, I decided to call the hospital which the motorcylist had been sent to. Unfortunately, they could not reveal any information via the phone, and had asked me to go and see him myself if I wanted to know his condition.
I told the nurse who answered my call that I was the one who had hit him, and I just wanted to know if he was alright. If he was alive. And she said, "Yes, he's alive". I then asked her if his injuries were serious, and she said, "We can't tell you that. But, biasa lah accident macam ni..." So, I don't really know how he is exactly up until now.
I wanted to go and visit him the next day, but, I was advised not to, as the family might still be riding high on emotions. Even though it was entirely his fault, we can never know how they might react knowing that I was the one who knocked him down. But everyday, I pray for him to be well.
Anyway, that night, we left my car at Ayah's hospital and we had dinner at one of the gerais in SD before going back home. We decided that I would be in no state to drive for a few days, and my car would be sent to the workshop anyway. So, I would be immobile, and the best thing was to put up at my MIL's place. Ayah was to fly to Bangkok on Friday, too, and it was best for everybody to be in PJ.
So, we packed all our clothes and necessities to last us for at least a week stay in PJ, and by the time we reached my MIL's it was already 12:30a.m.
It just so happened that my BIL and his family are away in Perth until 15th December and his driver (Za*di) was at my MIL's disposal until then. And as she herself already has her own driver, Za*di has been heaven-sent as he has been the one driving me and the kids around in the last few days.
My car is already out of the workshop, but, it's only 98% back to normal. There are a few dents here and there which they could not repair, and my kangaroo bar is not really its old self anymore. I have yet to drive my car again since the accident. Masih terbayang-bayang how I hit him and how he crashed on my windscreen and all. And most of all, masih terbayang-bayang his injuries...
Even though I know that it was not my fault, I still feel so guilty for causing him such injuries...
I kept on thinking of all the "what-ifs", and "if it wasn't for, etc.,"... which could have made the accident avoidable.
If only I hadn't made the phonecalls to my MIL before leaving the house, and reaching that spot 5 minutes earlier, the accident might have not happened.
If only I had used the LDP way, instead of the Sungei Buloh way, the accident might not have happened.
If only I had brought my attire for the dinner to my MIL's house earlier on, and not having to go back to SD first, the accident might not have happened.
And it goes on and on and on...
But, I also believe that semuanya dah tersurat , and that whatever differences that might have happened that night, I would still be there right at THAT moment and be involved in that accident.
Setiap yang terjadi ada hikmahnya. Even though I may not see it now, insya Allah I will in the future.
But, whatever that has happened, I bersyukur to Allah SWT - HE has kept me safe in HIS Hands that night...Syukur alhamdulillah.
And I pray for the man's full recovery, insya Allah.
Hanna was attending her school's Kem Tahan Lasak Programme in UM, while Hasya and Hilman were at their Wan's house in PJ, as they were supposed to have their Mengaji class there that evening.
I was supposed to join Ayah and his staff for Dinner at The Cu*ve, so, after work I drove back to SD as I didn't have any proper attire for the dinner kept at my MIL's. The plan was for me to leave the house after Maghrib and drive to Tr*pi*cana Medical Centre, leave my car there and Ayah and I would be going to The Cu*ve in his car.
Just before Maghrib, I received a call from Ustadz saying that he was not well, hence the Mengaji class had to be cancelled. I got ready right after solat. As I got into the car a few minutes later, fearing that I might forget later, I decided to call my MIL to inform her that the kids' Kelas Mengaji had been cancelled, and for her to tell the kids. I must have tried calling her for about 5 minutes before she finally answered - she was praying before that.
After making the call, I looked at the clock. It was 7:18p.m. I started driving to Kota Damannara using the Sungei Buloh back route/jalan lama. It was raining quite heavily, and I was driving slowly - with my wipers on continuous medium swiping mode.
By 7:35p.m, I was on Persiaran Surian with McD and Pi*za Hut on my left side, and Ayah's hospital was just about 1.5km away. I was on a 4-lane road heading towards SPK Sunway Damansara/Mutiara Damansara, etc., and was approaching the T-junction going to Uptown Kota Damansara/Selangor Science Park. The two right-most lanes are dedicated lanes for those going right to Uptown Kota Damansara and they were on red-light then, while the 3rd and 4th lanes were on green-light, and I was on the 3rd lane.
This is my tempat lalu-lalang as my parents are staying in KD, and Ayah's hospital is also there, and I am very familiar and comfortable with the area and roads and all. But, what happened after that had left me badly shaken even until now. I don't think I'll be able to drive through that stretch of road again without thinking of what happened there that night.
Right at the traffic light, as I was passing through the green-light (which apparently is on green 24/7), out of nowhere, a motorcyclist came from the Uptown direction from my right, crossing straight in front of me heading towards the flats on my left. Mind you, it's a T-junction, and there was no road opening to my left.
He gave me a shock of my life, and there was no way I could have avoided hitting him. I barely managed to press on the brakes and I knocked him straight on his left side. He literally crashed on my windscreen and fell to the right side of my car, onto the road.
I was just so numbed, but I managed to manouvre my car slowly to the left and park it there. I got out of the car, fearing the worst. It was a middle-aged man, probably in his early 50's and he was lying on the road, groaning. And bleeding really badly. His left foot was seriously injured - it must have been crushed between my kangaroo bar and his bike on impact.
The first thing I did was to call Ayah. Believe it or not, I actually forgot how to use my phone right at that moment. I was trembling non-stop, in the middle of the road, in the pouring rain. I forgot that I had Ayah's number on my speed dial, and I was trying to remember how to change my display to the "keypad" mode! Even when I had the keypad on, I actually forgot Ayah's number! It was only after nearly a minute that I remembered to call Ayah through speed dialing!
Right after calling Ayah, I tried calling 999 for the ambulance. Again, I just could not change my phone function to "keypad" mode, and I was struggling for about a minute before I got through, and gave the operator my details and the location of the accident.
By then, there was already a crowd gathering around the old man, and some of them started shouting at me, asking me to bring him to the hospital in my car and not wait for the ambulance. One of them even shouted out, "You bawak dia dalam you punya kereta la! You ada kereta. Mau tunggu ambulan jugak ka? You mau tunggu dia mati ka??!"
Imagine how I was feeling at that moment.
I was not in a state to drive as I was still terribly shaken. I was trembling like a leaf. By the look of his injuries, I don't think anybody in the right mind would want to move the poor guy. And I don't think my Kembara would be able to accomodate him, not with the injuries he had sustained.
I had never been so scared in my life.
A few men then took me to the side and asked me to stay calm and stay with them, while we waited for the ambulance to come. The other crowd was getting impatient and kept asking me if I had called the ambulance. I had in fact called the ambulance twice, and a few of the passers-by had also called for it a few times.
I felt such a relief when I saw Ayah arriving in his car with one of his nurses and and also a staff from TMC. Ayah asked me if I was okay before attending to the old man. He was conscious throughout the ordeal, but I dare not go near him, and I was advised by some of the men around me not to do so.
What I couldn't believe was the fact that the 999 people actually called me THREE times after that to ask me again where exactly the scene of the accident was. THREE times. That was excluding the time when I first made the call to them and explained to them clearly where we were.
The police came nearly half an hour after that, about 8:10p.m, and the ambulance came around 8:15p.m. They must have been stuck in the traffic jam caused by the rain. All throughout the waiting time, I was praying for the old man to be alright. It felt like the longest half an hour of my life...
What was perplexing was the fact that I could actually look at the injuries, and the blood without feeling faint at all throughout the half an hour he was lying on the road. I am one who normally can't even stand the sight of a single drop of blood, and could faint just by looking at blood. Heck, I can't even visit anyone sick without feeling faint. That's just me. But, that night, syukur alhamdulillah, I was okay. It was until the man was taken into the ambulance to be brought to the hospital, that I started to feel dizzy.
After the ambulance left, Ayah asked his staff to drive his car back to the hospital, while Ayah drove my car to the Balai Polis Traffic in Kota Damansara. We made the Police Report and later was brought back to the scene in a police car where I gave the police my account of what happened.
Later I was told that those residing at the flats normally would take a short-cut from the Industrial Park straight to the flat, as they didn't want to make a U-turn further down the road. There was even a makeshift bridge crossing the drain going to the residential area at that spot.
By the time we were done at the Station, it was already about 9:45p.m. Ayah drove us to his hospital in my car. He had to review a few patients, and I waited for him in his office. And while waiting, I decided to call the hospital which the motorcylist had been sent to. Unfortunately, they could not reveal any information via the phone, and had asked me to go and see him myself if I wanted to know his condition.
I told the nurse who answered my call that I was the one who had hit him, and I just wanted to know if he was alright. If he was alive. And she said, "Yes, he's alive". I then asked her if his injuries were serious, and she said, "We can't tell you that. But, biasa lah accident macam ni..." So, I don't really know how he is exactly up until now.
I wanted to go and visit him the next day, but, I was advised not to, as the family might still be riding high on emotions. Even though it was entirely his fault, we can never know how they might react knowing that I was the one who knocked him down. But everyday, I pray for him to be well.
Anyway, that night, we left my car at Ayah's hospital and we had dinner at one of the gerais in SD before going back home. We decided that I would be in no state to drive for a few days, and my car would be sent to the workshop anyway. So, I would be immobile, and the best thing was to put up at my MIL's place. Ayah was to fly to Bangkok on Friday, too, and it was best for everybody to be in PJ.
So, we packed all our clothes and necessities to last us for at least a week stay in PJ, and by the time we reached my MIL's it was already 12:30a.m.
It just so happened that my BIL and his family are away in Perth until 15th December and his driver (Za*di) was at my MIL's disposal until then. And as she herself already has her own driver, Za*di has been heaven-sent as he has been the one driving me and the kids around in the last few days.
My car is already out of the workshop, but, it's only 98% back to normal. There are a few dents here and there which they could not repair, and my kangaroo bar is not really its old self anymore. I have yet to drive my car again since the accident. Masih terbayang-bayang how I hit him and how he crashed on my windscreen and all. And most of all, masih terbayang-bayang his injuries...
Even though I know that it was not my fault, I still feel so guilty for causing him such injuries...
I kept on thinking of all the "what-ifs", and "if it wasn't for, etc.,"... which could have made the accident avoidable.
If only I hadn't made the phonecalls to my MIL before leaving the house, and reaching that spot 5 minutes earlier, the accident might have not happened.
If only I had used the LDP way, instead of the Sungei Buloh way, the accident might not have happened.
If only I had brought my attire for the dinner to my MIL's house earlier on, and not having to go back to SD first, the accident might not have happened.
And it goes on and on and on...
But, I also believe that semuanya dah tersurat , and that whatever differences that might have happened that night, I would still be there right at THAT moment and be involved in that accident.
Setiap yang terjadi ada hikmahnya. Even though I may not see it now, insya Allah I will in the future.
But, whatever that has happened, I bersyukur to Allah SWT - HE has kept me safe in HIS Hands that night...Syukur alhamdulillah.
And I pray for the man's full recovery, insya Allah.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Life without you...
At 9:30p.m last night, I sent this SMS -
"Asslmkum. Ini Ibu Shana. Mau bertanya samada Dar sudah selamat sampai ke rumah? Pesawatnya tiba di Yogyakarta pukul 8:30 pagi tadi. Terima kasih"
2 minutes after that, came the reply -
"Wlaikmsalam. Alhamdulillah. Sudah selamat sampai. Maaf baru bagi kabar"
And I sent a reply -
"Syukur alhamdulillah. Sampaikan salam kepada keluarga di kampung. Hilman minta beritau Dar dia baru beli 2 ekor anak kura-kura!"
Those SMSs were sent to Bibik Dar's husband.
YES - Dar has gone back home for a 2-month break. And I really hope she IS coming back to Malaysia and work with us again. We've heard of stories of maids who were supposed to come back after their holidays who never came back, and this was after their majikan had paid for all the charges/fees for permit renewal and all.
So, to play safe, when she asked us to transfer all her gaji home 2 weeks ago, we told her that we would keep the amount already spent for her permit renewal, and she could send it home AFTER she comes back in January nanti. And she was okay with that.
So, we take that to mean that she IS coming back.
But, at the same time, we're not keeping our hopes too high because the cash my MIL and my Mom gave her, and all the stuff we bought for her and her daughters to bring home with her could easily be about the same amount we're keeping, if not more. So, she MIGHT feel that she could just forego her gaji that we're still keeping.
When I asked Ayah if he thought Dar was coming back or not, he said "50-50", especially when we checked her room, and saw that she had brought ALL her things with her, save for the clothes she wore the night before and the towel she used yesterday morning.
But, for now we want to bersangka baik... and insya Allah she will come back especially when we have promised her a significant increase in her pay for the next two years.
She told me that she would come back once the work to repair her house (especially the roof) is done, and that should only take about a month. And even though she is supposed to go home for 2 months, she said she would come back by Mid-January. I can only make do'a that she will come back, no matter when exactly, insya Allah.
And YES, we've bought two terrapins last night, and the kids (or rather the girls) have decided to name them Jasper and Seth. Apparently they're a couple of characters from the "Twilight" saga (?!). My 14-year old Hanna seems to think that "Seth" is such a sexy name (??!!). That worries me - giving a sexy name to a terrapin?! Hehehe... And she also said that when she gets married and have kids nanti, all her sons will have "Seth" as their first names. Hmmmmm...Sexy names for her sons...and it started with naming her terrapin "Seth", too?! Aiyoooo, Hanna...
So, the terrapins are additions to our existing pets. We already have a couple of Syrian hamsters at home - Benji and Button, and I just hope the kids will be responsible pet-owners and take really good care of them. Dar had been the one who cleaned their cage, bathed them and changed their water and food all this while, and for the next couple of months, the kids will have to be responsible for them. At least the pets will keep them occupied over the school holiday, I hope.
(A good sign this morning when Hilman woke up, and the first thing he asked me was, "Mommy, when do I feed the terrapins, Mommy?" :))
I made sure that they sit and see and help Dar to clean the hamsters' cage on Saturday night so that they know how to do it and not expect ME to clean it for them every time. I have so many other things to do without adding "cleaning hamsters' cage" to my already long list of things to do over the next couple of months.
And, oh ya - I've already cooked 6 chicken/beef/fish dishes yesterday and have frozen them in small containers for convenience. So now we have frozen Assam Pedas Tenggiri, Lemak Chili Padi Tenggiri, Daging Kicap, Daging Masak Merah, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Ayam Masak Lemak Putih in our freezer. Not forgetting the big pot of Sup Tulang/Daging Qorban on the stove :) If we were to eat at home on alternate days, those should last us for about 2 weeks, insya Allah. I only need to teach Hanna how to cook the rice now. (Yup! She never masak nasi before this - all throughout her 14-years of life...)
As for the laundry, I've made enquiries at the nearest Laundrette, and nampak gayanya I'll be a regular there. They charge 2kg per kilo, and for ironing, it's RM1.20 per piece. I would probably wash and dry everything at home, and just send the necessary clothes for ironing. But, then again - what with it raining everyday, I would probably dump everything there every 2-3 days or so and let them take care of everything. I've also bought a small pail and detergent for each kid to put in their bathrooms for them to wash whatever necessary themselves.
Hanna is now in-charge of sweeping the floor every day so that it'll be easier for me to do the mopping later on. We're so used to Dar mopping the house every day, and we have to make sure that we stick to that. Failing which, maybe we would just do it every other day (or maybe once in 3 days...or once a week ke...? See la how it goes :))
Dar had also blended all the onions, garlic, ginger, dried chillies and had put them in their usual containers in the fridge, just in case I need to use them. That should last me for about a week, that is - IF I were to cook everyday, but, I'm not, am I?;)) Anyway, IF I run out of them, I need not worry as Pasar Taman Tun has this gerai which provides all things under the sun blended. They also have pre-mix pastes for rendang, asam pedas, Nyonya/Kapitan curry, and the lot. I loike :) I've also bought some Maggi pre-mix paste last week. Just in case. Anyway, Pizza Hut, Dominoes and McDonalds are just a phonecall away, kan? :)
Anyway, it's Day 2 without Dar, and so far, so good. The kids helped me clear the kitchen and wash the dishes last night (but this morning I had to re-wash a few of them!) Hopefully they'll get better in time, insya Allah.
All we need now is luck. Loads and loads of luck.
"Asslmkum. Ini Ibu Shana. Mau bertanya samada Dar sudah selamat sampai ke rumah? Pesawatnya tiba di Yogyakarta pukul 8:30 pagi tadi. Terima kasih"
2 minutes after that, came the reply -
"Wlaikmsalam. Alhamdulillah. Sudah selamat sampai. Maaf baru bagi kabar"
And I sent a reply -
"Syukur alhamdulillah. Sampaikan salam kepada keluarga di kampung. Hilman minta beritau Dar dia baru beli 2 ekor anak kura-kura!"
Those SMSs were sent to Bibik Dar's husband.
YES - Dar has gone back home for a 2-month break. And I really hope she IS coming back to Malaysia and work with us again. We've heard of stories of maids who were supposed to come back after their holidays who never came back, and this was after their majikan had paid for all the charges/fees for permit renewal and all.
So, to play safe, when she asked us to transfer all her gaji home 2 weeks ago, we told her that we would keep the amount already spent for her permit renewal, and she could send it home AFTER she comes back in January nanti. And she was okay with that.
So, we take that to mean that she IS coming back.
But, at the same time, we're not keeping our hopes too high because the cash my MIL and my Mom gave her, and all the stuff we bought for her and her daughters to bring home with her could easily be about the same amount we're keeping, if not more. So, she MIGHT feel that she could just forego her gaji that we're still keeping.
When I asked Ayah if he thought Dar was coming back or not, he said "50-50", especially when we checked her room, and saw that she had brought ALL her things with her, save for the clothes she wore the night before and the towel she used yesterday morning.
But, for now we want to bersangka baik... and insya Allah she will come back especially when we have promised her a significant increase in her pay for the next two years.
She told me that she would come back once the work to repair her house (especially the roof) is done, and that should only take about a month. And even though she is supposed to go home for 2 months, she said she would come back by Mid-January. I can only make do'a that she will come back, no matter when exactly, insya Allah.
And YES, we've bought two terrapins last night, and the kids (or rather the girls) have decided to name them Jasper and Seth. Apparently they're a couple of characters from the "Twilight" saga (?!). My 14-year old Hanna seems to think that "Seth" is such a sexy name (??!!). That worries me - giving a sexy name to a terrapin?! Hehehe... And she also said that when she gets married and have kids nanti, all her sons will have "Seth" as their first names. Hmmmmm...Sexy names for her sons...and it started with naming her terrapin "Seth", too?! Aiyoooo, Hanna...
So, the terrapins are additions to our existing pets. We already have a couple of Syrian hamsters at home - Benji and Button, and I just hope the kids will be responsible pet-owners and take really good care of them. Dar had been the one who cleaned their cage, bathed them and changed their water and food all this while, and for the next couple of months, the kids will have to be responsible for them. At least the pets will keep them occupied over the school holiday, I hope.
(A good sign this morning when Hilman woke up, and the first thing he asked me was, "Mommy, when do I feed the terrapins, Mommy?" :))
I made sure that they sit and see and help Dar to clean the hamsters' cage on Saturday night so that they know how to do it and not expect ME to clean it for them every time. I have so many other things to do without adding "cleaning hamsters' cage" to my already long list of things to do over the next couple of months.
And, oh ya - I've already cooked 6 chicken/beef/fish dishes yesterday and have frozen them in small containers for convenience. So now we have frozen Assam Pedas Tenggiri, Lemak Chili Padi Tenggiri, Daging Kicap, Daging Masak Merah, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Ayam Masak Lemak Putih in our freezer. Not forgetting the big pot of Sup Tulang/Daging Qorban on the stove :) If we were to eat at home on alternate days, those should last us for about 2 weeks, insya Allah. I only need to teach Hanna how to cook the rice now. (Yup! She never masak nasi before this - all throughout her 14-years of life...)
As for the laundry, I've made enquiries at the nearest Laundrette, and nampak gayanya I'll be a regular there. They charge 2kg per kilo, and for ironing, it's RM1.20 per piece. I would probably wash and dry everything at home, and just send the necessary clothes for ironing. But, then again - what with it raining everyday, I would probably dump everything there every 2-3 days or so and let them take care of everything. I've also bought a small pail and detergent for each kid to put in their bathrooms for them to wash whatever necessary themselves.
Hanna is now in-charge of sweeping the floor every day so that it'll be easier for me to do the mopping later on. We're so used to Dar mopping the house every day, and we have to make sure that we stick to that. Failing which, maybe we would just do it every other day (or maybe once in 3 days...or once a week ke...? See la how it goes :))
Dar had also blended all the onions, garlic, ginger, dried chillies and had put them in their usual containers in the fridge, just in case I need to use them. That should last me for about a week, that is - IF I were to cook everyday, but, I'm not, am I?;)) Anyway, IF I run out of them, I need not worry as Pasar Taman Tun has this gerai which provides all things under the sun blended. They also have pre-mix pastes for rendang, asam pedas, Nyonya/Kapitan curry, and the lot. I loike :) I've also bought some Maggi pre-mix paste last week. Just in case. Anyway, Pizza Hut, Dominoes and McDonalds are just a phonecall away, kan? :)
Anyway, it's Day 2 without Dar, and so far, so good. The kids helped me clear the kitchen and wash the dishes last night (but this morning I had to re-wash a few of them!) Hopefully they'll get better in time, insya Allah.
All we need now is luck. Loads and loads of luck.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
This and that, and everything in between...
"Hmmmmm....I can't remember when was the last weekend I was NOT busy..."
Ayah suddenly said to me last night while organizing his notebook before he started working on his presentation. He has to prepare 3 powerpoint presentations for a couple of seminars today it seems. Truth be told, I've lost track of how many talks he has to give nowadays.
I went quiet. Or rather, I let out a small "Hmmmm..." before I made my way to the kitchen. In my heart, I was saying, "I hope you also realized that that means it has been that many weekends that we had not had a real family time..."
For the last 4-5 weekends, Ayah had been pretty busy with stuff. If it was not this, it would be that. Vise versa. You know what I mean? He had been busy preparing for talks held nearly every weekend at different venues and function/seminars. At the same time, he had been bogged down with deadlines to meet for his weekly article with MM. And he also had to go to Kuching for a few days last week to attend a Course, after which, when he came back, he was tied down with his Primary School Alumni Dinner on Sunday. All that ON TOP of his usual clinical/hospital routines which always see him coming home way after 10:00p.m every night.
He has been working/attending seminars/giving talks/attending courses over the last few Saturdays AND Sundays, and so, I had been attending to the kids' weekend routines/schedule. At least I had the kids with me almost all the time. That's a good thing, I guess. But, sometimes I do need him at home with me, just to talk. One to one. Without any distractions. Definitely NOT while he's busy working on his notebook. Sometimes I feel that he always could MAKE time for other stuff, but not for us... (Don't mind me. Tengah melayan perasaan...)
Anyway, just thought I'd get THAT out of my system.
Now, on to other things, shall we? :)
We went to Hilman and Hasya's Hari Anugerah Kecemerlangan last Tuesday. I stayed on until the end, while Ayah had to leave right after both kids had received their awards. Hasya received an award for getting No. 2 in her class, while Hilman received two awards - one for getting No. 3 in class, and another one for getting 5A's :) Syukur alhamdulillah.
Their school starts streaming the pupils when they are in Standard 4, and insya Allah both of them will be placed in one of the top classes. That means fiercer competition for Hilman, while Hasya will probably have to face another set of children of kiasu parents... Hehehe! Oh ya, Hasya has been selected to become a prefect next year. More responsibilities for her, and I hope that will mean she'll learn how to manage her time better.
On Tuesday night, we had a small birthday do for Hanna's 14th Birthday. Her Aunty Adek cooked Roast Chicken a la Jamie Oliver, Some Yummy Baked Potatoes, and Tagliatelle with Meatballs and Cream Sauce. It was just among Ayah's side of the family. I can't believe my Hanna is already 14...And next year she'll be sitting for her PMR! Yikes!
That Tuesday, too, Hilman started to develop some rash on his hands, feet/legs, and ulcers in his mouth. The first thing that came to my mind was Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. But a visit to the doctor told us that it was not. He is not within the usual age group to get HFM, and the rashes on his hands and feet were not on his palms or soles, but rather, around his wrists, elbows and ankles, and on his groins and bu*t, and a few here and there on his body - which are atypical of HFM. He didn't have any fever, and the rashes were more like chicken-pox blisters. We were told that it was from the same family - chicken-pox, cold sores and shingles, and as contagious. We suspect that he may have contracted it at a birthday party he attended at Ki*s Zo*e on Sunday.
So, Hilman had to be quarantined. Poor baby :( He has been in his room for the last 3 days - well equipped with his PS2 and DVD Player. But, I think he misses his ASTRO. Ayah said he could only be de-quarantined tomorrow. Until then, he's only allowed to leave his room when he needs to go to the loo and take his shower. I have been applying Zovirax cream on his blisters over the last few days, and they look like they're healing. Thank God. I was quite worried that they would leave scars because Hilman is so puteh melepak!
I had bought him De*to* anti-bacterial shower gel, and De*to* anti-bacterial spray for him to spray all surfaces he touches in the bathroom/toilet. And I've also asked Dar to soak all his clothes and towels in De*to* solution before washing them in the washing machine. Of course - separately from the rest of the washing. Tomorrow will be his beddings pulak. You can never be too sure, kan? Hehehe! (Teruknya Mommy dia ni...Anyway, I have to make sure his kakaks don't get it, too, right?)
I think Hasya misses his brother. Every now and then she would pass his room and shout out, "HI, HILMAN!!!" before going up to her room or downstairs to the Study or Living Room. To which Hilman would reply back, "HI, KAK NGAH!!" from behind the door. Sedih lah pulak I tengok :( Tak per...soon he'll be okay to play with his Kak Ngah, insya Allah.
The thing about the rashes - Hilman had to miss his Class Party on Thursday, and I knew he was quite sad because he was really looking forward to it. Siap dah suruh and ingatkan his Makcik Dar to goreng Ayamas Hot & Spicy Chicken for the party since last week! Kesian dia... He also had to withdraw from a swimming competition which he was supposed to enter today. He had registered for the 25m freestyle event. I had to withdraw Hasya from the competition, too, when it just so happened that it's that time when she cannot go into the pool. She was supposed to race in the 25m freestyle and breast-stroke events. It is a pity because it would have been their first experience competing in a race. It's just not meant to be. Tak per lah...insya Allah next year.
And yes, of course - the school holidays are finally here...and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
For one, Bibik Dar will be going back to Indonesia for a 2-month holiday and her flight is on 29th November - next Sunday, and I have yet to find a temporary maid. I have stocked up my pantry with all sorts of instant meals/mixtures, just in case I would not have the time to prepare all the nitty gritty ingredients to cook a proper meal. Thank God for Maggi mixtures for Kicap Berempah, Tandoori, Ayam Madu, Asam Pedas and the likes. Having said that, I have also bought all the bawangs, halia, and chilli kering for Dar to blend and keep in the fridge for my convenience during her absence. Should all of the above finish mid-way through Dar's holiday, I will have to resort to the Nyonya in Pasar Taman Tun who prepares all blended stuffs under the sun, including all ready-made pastes. Just add Ayam/Daging/Ikan saja (and santan if necessary :)).
Either that, or Nasi Kandar Se*ap will be very rich at the end of the two months...
The pantry is also full to the brim with all kinds of snacks and light food for the kids, and all sorts of 3-in-1 stuffs. You'll find canned and packet (powdered) soups, all sorts of canned tuna, pre-mix pasta sauces, UHT Milk, Cordials, crisps, etc. You just name it, you'll probaly find it in our pantry :) The fridge is also packed with all kinds of sausages, nuggets, drummets, and ice creams. Not forgetting the full list of protein sources. Cuti sekolah ni memang grocery bill and utility bills melambung tinggi... Kids asyik bukak fridge, and search for food. And they would switch on the airconds and laptops 24/7. Same old same old...
I'm thinking of having my Mommy to stay with us and be with the kids while I'm at work over the holidays - not to take care of them, but, just to be with them. Hanna is old enough to be given the task of re-heating the meals and setting/clearing the tables and washing the dishes with Hasya (but, I will have to brace myself for a few reports of broken glasses and dishes here and there, I guess). And I might just send the kids to my Sis Lala for a few sleepovers here and there over the holidays.
We have not planned to go anywhere this time as Ayah will not be able to get away from work, and me myself will be cracking my head with a few deadlines. Anyway, we already had that Bali trip in June. That should fulfill our overseas holiday ration for the year :) We might just follow Ayah who's attending a conference some time in December for a few days, insya Allah. Just to get away from KL sekejap. Cuti-cuti Malaysia :)
I just hope Ayah will not be that busy over the next few weekends during the school holidays ni. Kesian the kids...and their Mommy, too, for that matter :(
Will update you guys on that :)
In the meantime, to all mothers out there - GOOD LUCK FOR THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, Y'ALL :)
* Click below for some photos from last week :)
Facebook | Your Photos - Last Week Before School Holidays 2009
Ayah suddenly said to me last night while organizing his notebook before he started working on his presentation. He has to prepare 3 powerpoint presentations for a couple of seminars today it seems. Truth be told, I've lost track of how many talks he has to give nowadays.
I went quiet. Or rather, I let out a small "Hmmmm..." before I made my way to the kitchen. In my heart, I was saying, "I hope you also realized that that means it has been that many weekends that we had not had a real family time..."
For the last 4-5 weekends, Ayah had been pretty busy with stuff. If it was not this, it would be that. Vise versa. You know what I mean? He had been busy preparing for talks held nearly every weekend at different venues and function/seminars. At the same time, he had been bogged down with deadlines to meet for his weekly article with MM. And he also had to go to Kuching for a few days last week to attend a Course, after which, when he came back, he was tied down with his Primary School Alumni Dinner on Sunday. All that ON TOP of his usual clinical/hospital routines which always see him coming home way after 10:00p.m every night.
He has been working/attending seminars/giving talks/attending courses over the last few Saturdays AND Sundays, and so, I had been attending to the kids' weekend routines/schedule. At least I had the kids with me almost all the time. That's a good thing, I guess. But, sometimes I do need him at home with me, just to talk. One to one. Without any distractions. Definitely NOT while he's busy working on his notebook. Sometimes I feel that he always could MAKE time for other stuff, but not for us... (Don't mind me. Tengah melayan perasaan...)
Anyway, just thought I'd get THAT out of my system.
Now, on to other things, shall we? :)
We went to Hilman and Hasya's Hari Anugerah Kecemerlangan last Tuesday. I stayed on until the end, while Ayah had to leave right after both kids had received their awards. Hasya received an award for getting No. 2 in her class, while Hilman received two awards - one for getting No. 3 in class, and another one for getting 5A's :) Syukur alhamdulillah.
Their school starts streaming the pupils when they are in Standard 4, and insya Allah both of them will be placed in one of the top classes. That means fiercer competition for Hilman, while Hasya will probably have to face another set of children of kiasu parents... Hehehe! Oh ya, Hasya has been selected to become a prefect next year. More responsibilities for her, and I hope that will mean she'll learn how to manage her time better.
On Tuesday night, we had a small birthday do for Hanna's 14th Birthday. Her Aunty Adek cooked Roast Chicken a la Jamie Oliver, Some Yummy Baked Potatoes, and Tagliatelle with Meatballs and Cream Sauce. It was just among Ayah's side of the family. I can't believe my Hanna is already 14...And next year she'll be sitting for her PMR! Yikes!
That Tuesday, too, Hilman started to develop some rash on his hands, feet/legs, and ulcers in his mouth. The first thing that came to my mind was Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. But a visit to the doctor told us that it was not. He is not within the usual age group to get HFM, and the rashes on his hands and feet were not on his palms or soles, but rather, around his wrists, elbows and ankles, and on his groins and bu*t, and a few here and there on his body - which are atypical of HFM. He didn't have any fever, and the rashes were more like chicken-pox blisters. We were told that it was from the same family - chicken-pox, cold sores and shingles, and as contagious. We suspect that he may have contracted it at a birthday party he attended at Ki*s Zo*e on Sunday.
So, Hilman had to be quarantined. Poor baby :( He has been in his room for the last 3 days - well equipped with his PS2 and DVD Player. But, I think he misses his ASTRO. Ayah said he could only be de-quarantined tomorrow. Until then, he's only allowed to leave his room when he needs to go to the loo and take his shower. I have been applying Zovirax cream on his blisters over the last few days, and they look like they're healing. Thank God. I was quite worried that they would leave scars because Hilman is so puteh melepak!
I had bought him De*to* anti-bacterial shower gel, and De*to* anti-bacterial spray for him to spray all surfaces he touches in the bathroom/toilet. And I've also asked Dar to soak all his clothes and towels in De*to* solution before washing them in the washing machine. Of course - separately from the rest of the washing. Tomorrow will be his beddings pulak. You can never be too sure, kan? Hehehe! (Teruknya Mommy dia ni...Anyway, I have to make sure his kakaks don't get it, too, right?)
I think Hasya misses his brother. Every now and then she would pass his room and shout out, "HI, HILMAN!!!" before going up to her room or downstairs to the Study or Living Room. To which Hilman would reply back, "HI, KAK NGAH!!" from behind the door. Sedih lah pulak I tengok :( Tak per...soon he'll be okay to play with his Kak Ngah, insya Allah.
The thing about the rashes - Hilman had to miss his Class Party on Thursday, and I knew he was quite sad because he was really looking forward to it. Siap dah suruh and ingatkan his Makcik Dar to goreng Ayamas Hot & Spicy Chicken for the party since last week! Kesian dia... He also had to withdraw from a swimming competition which he was supposed to enter today. He had registered for the 25m freestyle event. I had to withdraw Hasya from the competition, too, when it just so happened that it's that time when she cannot go into the pool. She was supposed to race in the 25m freestyle and breast-stroke events. It is a pity because it would have been their first experience competing in a race. It's just not meant to be. Tak per lah...insya Allah next year.
And yes, of course - the school holidays are finally here...and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
For one, Bibik Dar will be going back to Indonesia for a 2-month holiday and her flight is on 29th November - next Sunday, and I have yet to find a temporary maid. I have stocked up my pantry with all sorts of instant meals/mixtures, just in case I would not have the time to prepare all the nitty gritty ingredients to cook a proper meal. Thank God for Maggi mixtures for Kicap Berempah, Tandoori, Ayam Madu, Asam Pedas and the likes. Having said that, I have also bought all the bawangs, halia, and chilli kering for Dar to blend and keep in the fridge for my convenience during her absence. Should all of the above finish mid-way through Dar's holiday, I will have to resort to the Nyonya in Pasar Taman Tun who prepares all blended stuffs under the sun, including all ready-made pastes. Just add Ayam/Daging/Ikan saja (and santan if necessary :)).
Either that, or Nasi Kandar Se*ap will be very rich at the end of the two months...
The pantry is also full to the brim with all kinds of snacks and light food for the kids, and all sorts of 3-in-1 stuffs. You'll find canned and packet (powdered) soups, all sorts of canned tuna, pre-mix pasta sauces, UHT Milk, Cordials, crisps, etc. You just name it, you'll probaly find it in our pantry :) The fridge is also packed with all kinds of sausages, nuggets, drummets, and ice creams. Not forgetting the full list of protein sources. Cuti sekolah ni memang grocery bill and utility bills melambung tinggi... Kids asyik bukak fridge, and search for food. And they would switch on the airconds and laptops 24/7. Same old same old...
I'm thinking of having my Mommy to stay with us and be with the kids while I'm at work over the holidays - not to take care of them, but, just to be with them. Hanna is old enough to be given the task of re-heating the meals and setting/clearing the tables and washing the dishes with Hasya (but, I will have to brace myself for a few reports of broken glasses and dishes here and there, I guess). And I might just send the kids to my Sis Lala for a few sleepovers here and there over the holidays.
We have not planned to go anywhere this time as Ayah will not be able to get away from work, and me myself will be cracking my head with a few deadlines. Anyway, we already had that Bali trip in June. That should fulfill our overseas holiday ration for the year :) We might just follow Ayah who's attending a conference some time in December for a few days, insya Allah. Just to get away from KL sekejap. Cuti-cuti Malaysia :)
I just hope Ayah will not be that busy over the next few weekends during the school holidays ni. Kesian the kids...and their Mommy, too, for that matter :(
Will update you guys on that :)
In the meantime, to all mothers out there - GOOD LUCK FOR THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, Y'ALL :)
* Click below for some photos from last week :)
Facebook | Your Photos - Last Week Before School Holidays 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Happy 14th Birthday, Kak Long Hanna :)
14 years ago today, we welcomed our firstborn - Hanna Suhaila binti Haizal, into this world...
I remember that day very clearly even until today. We had the first snow in Newcastle upon Tyne for that year in that early hours of 17th November 1995, and the grounds were already covered with snow by the time I had my first contractions at 4:15a.m in the morning that day.
Being extra-cautious and extra-anxious first-time parents-to-be, Ayah and I had prepared ourselves for that moment and had rehearsed the drill over and over again (in our heads, that is) on what to do and how to do them, especially should the contractions start during ungodly hours (as it was in fact fated to be!). But of course, nothing could have prepared us for the real thing. For one, we didn't expect it to snow (and quite heavily, too!) on the day I went into labour!
It must have been just before 4:00a.m when I had to go to the loo to ease myself when I noticed a show and I immediately woke Ayah up. The EDD was 19th November 1995, and we were hoping and praying that the baby would stick to the EDD (Hehehe...wishful thinking, right? But no - she decided to come out 2 days early!) Barely 15 minutes after that, the contractions started.
I immediately asked Ayah to get the hospital bag and call the hospital to expect us within the next 15 minutes. But as fate had it, the icy and snowy weather which started a few hours earlier had led to the windscreen of our car to be covered with ice, and the roads with snow that morning.
While anxiously monitoring the intervals between the contractions, I tried very hard not to panic while watching and waiting for Ayah who had to spend nearly 15 minutes scraping the hardened frost off the windshield of the car. Ayah being Ayah, he was pretty calm throughout the time, and I have to admit that THAT in a way had helped me to remain calm as well.
Once the ice came off, we started our drive to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI). The journey to the hospital from our place in Forest Hall which normally would have taken us only 10 minutes, had taken us about 40 minutes due to the snow-covered roads. Syukur alhamdulillah, the baby was quite comfortable and quite contented to stay put in my tummy throughout the journey which seemed to be like the longest journey of my life ever.
We reached the hospital just after 5:00a.m and I was immediately wheeled to the Labour Room where I was given a change of clothes in the form of a hospital robe, and the nurses started to take some readings and monitor my progress, and I was prepared for the actual delivery.
I remember so vividly when the waterbag broke while I was sitting on the sofa. I've read about it, and I've heard about it from others. But experiencing it myself was another thing. I was drenched from the waist down and my whole body suddenly felt very light. The nurses took this cue to give me a change of robe, and immediately after that sent me straight to the Delivery Room.
The contractions became more regular and more painful within the next hour, and as it was happening too fast, they were not able to give me the epidural fearing that it would take full effect at the wrong time and might cause complications during delivery. And throughout the whole time, I was only relying on Enthonox to relieve the pain.
As the intervals between the contractions became shorter and shorter, the labour room became more crowded with nurses and doctors as the medical team realized that the baby's heartbeat was going down to abnormal level everytime I was having the contractions. At one time, there were 5 doctors attending to me and the baby in my tummy, and in my enthonox-induced dazed situation I was praying hard in my heart for everything to be okay.
Concerned with the possibility of complications while delivering the baby, the doctors had asked our consent to extract some blood from the baby's crown for some tests to determine the actual cause of distress, and to eliminate other possible factors so as to prepare them for any unexpected labour room crisis. Ayah gave them the green-light and they did whatever needed to be done. I couldn't quite comprehend what really happened within the next 1 hour or so after that, but, what I remembered was when I was told that there was nothing really wrong with the baby. It was just that she was too lazy to work her way out of her mommy's tummy, it seems :)
Ayah was beside me throughout the whole time, and everytime the contractions became unbearable, I would squeeze his hands like there was no tomorrow... In retrospect, he probably was in more pain than I was then, I think. Poor thing...
And at 7:10a.m on 17th November 1995, I safely delivered Hanna Suhaila, weighing at 3.54kg. She came out with thick, black spiky hair, and lips like rubies. And the wail that she gave out when the world welcomed her was the sweetest music to my ears...
I remember holding her immediately after that, and putting her on my chest and she suddenly stopped crying, and I looked at Ayah. He was smiling at me and squeezing my hands. And while kissing my forehead, he whispered to me -
"Our baby..."
And my eyes just welled up and I started crying - out of the undescribable joy and love I felt at that moment.
And Hanna, no matter what happens, no matter how old you are, and no matter where you are, you will always be our baby, my dearest...
And please know it in your heart that Ayah and I love you so very much, and we will do anything for you.
Mommy do'akan your life be filled with love and happiness and people who truly care about you. You have brought so much joy not just to Mommy and Ayah, but also to so many people - friends and family, with your special ways, and your kind heart. Semoga Hanna menjadi anak yang solehah, berbudi pekerti dan mempunyai akhlak yang mulia, dan berjaya dalam kehidupan, insya Allah...
Again, please remember that you'll always be our baby, and if you ever need us, we'll be there...
Happy 14th Birthday, sayang...
I remember that day very clearly even until today. We had the first snow in Newcastle upon Tyne for that year in that early hours of 17th November 1995, and the grounds were already covered with snow by the time I had my first contractions at 4:15a.m in the morning that day.
Being extra-cautious and extra-anxious first-time parents-to-be, Ayah and I had prepared ourselves for that moment and had rehearsed the drill over and over again (in our heads, that is) on what to do and how to do them, especially should the contractions start during ungodly hours (as it was in fact fated to be!). But of course, nothing could have prepared us for the real thing. For one, we didn't expect it to snow (and quite heavily, too!) on the day I went into labour!
It must have been just before 4:00a.m when I had to go to the loo to ease myself when I noticed a show and I immediately woke Ayah up. The EDD was 19th November 1995, and we were hoping and praying that the baby would stick to the EDD (Hehehe...wishful thinking, right? But no - she decided to come out 2 days early!) Barely 15 minutes after that, the contractions started.
I immediately asked Ayah to get the hospital bag and call the hospital to expect us within the next 15 minutes. But as fate had it, the icy and snowy weather which started a few hours earlier had led to the windscreen of our car to be covered with ice, and the roads with snow that morning.
While anxiously monitoring the intervals between the contractions, I tried very hard not to panic while watching and waiting for Ayah who had to spend nearly 15 minutes scraping the hardened frost off the windshield of the car. Ayah being Ayah, he was pretty calm throughout the time, and I have to admit that THAT in a way had helped me to remain calm as well.
Once the ice came off, we started our drive to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI). The journey to the hospital from our place in Forest Hall which normally would have taken us only 10 minutes, had taken us about 40 minutes due to the snow-covered roads. Syukur alhamdulillah, the baby was quite comfortable and quite contented to stay put in my tummy throughout the journey which seemed to be like the longest journey of my life ever.
We reached the hospital just after 5:00a.m and I was immediately wheeled to the Labour Room where I was given a change of clothes in the form of a hospital robe, and the nurses started to take some readings and monitor my progress, and I was prepared for the actual delivery.
I remember so vividly when the waterbag broke while I was sitting on the sofa. I've read about it, and I've heard about it from others. But experiencing it myself was another thing. I was drenched from the waist down and my whole body suddenly felt very light. The nurses took this cue to give me a change of robe, and immediately after that sent me straight to the Delivery Room.
The contractions became more regular and more painful within the next hour, and as it was happening too fast, they were not able to give me the epidural fearing that it would take full effect at the wrong time and might cause complications during delivery. And throughout the whole time, I was only relying on Enthonox to relieve the pain.
As the intervals between the contractions became shorter and shorter, the labour room became more crowded with nurses and doctors as the medical team realized that the baby's heartbeat was going down to abnormal level everytime I was having the contractions. At one time, there were 5 doctors attending to me and the baby in my tummy, and in my enthonox-induced dazed situation I was praying hard in my heart for everything to be okay.
Concerned with the possibility of complications while delivering the baby, the doctors had asked our consent to extract some blood from the baby's crown for some tests to determine the actual cause of distress, and to eliminate other possible factors so as to prepare them for any unexpected labour room crisis. Ayah gave them the green-light and they did whatever needed to be done. I couldn't quite comprehend what really happened within the next 1 hour or so after that, but, what I remembered was when I was told that there was nothing really wrong with the baby. It was just that she was too lazy to work her way out of her mommy's tummy, it seems :)
Ayah was beside me throughout the whole time, and everytime the contractions became unbearable, I would squeeze his hands like there was no tomorrow... In retrospect, he probably was in more pain than I was then, I think. Poor thing...
And at 7:10a.m on 17th November 1995, I safely delivered Hanna Suhaila, weighing at 3.54kg. She came out with thick, black spiky hair, and lips like rubies. And the wail that she gave out when the world welcomed her was the sweetest music to my ears...
I remember holding her immediately after that, and putting her on my chest and she suddenly stopped crying, and I looked at Ayah. He was smiling at me and squeezing my hands. And while kissing my forehead, he whispered to me -
"Our baby..."
And my eyes just welled up and I started crying - out of the undescribable joy and love I felt at that moment.
And Hanna, no matter what happens, no matter how old you are, and no matter where you are, you will always be our baby, my dearest...
And please know it in your heart that Ayah and I love you so very much, and we will do anything for you.
Mommy do'akan your life be filled with love and happiness and people who truly care about you. You have brought so much joy not just to Mommy and Ayah, but also to so many people - friends and family, with your special ways, and your kind heart. Semoga Hanna menjadi anak yang solehah, berbudi pekerti dan mempunyai akhlak yang mulia, dan berjaya dalam kehidupan, insya Allah...
Again, please remember that you'll always be our baby, and if you ever need us, we'll be there...
Happy 14th Birthday, sayang...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
And the results are in!!!
It’s that time of the year again – exam results time.
Ayah and I already knew Hasya’s and Hilman’s results last week, but, we only knew Hanna’s today when I attended Sr* Am*n’s Open Day this morning to collect her report. Ayah couldn’t make it as he is now in Kuching and will only be back on Saturday night. But, I have been giving him ‘Live Feed’ of the results and everything else religiously :)
The Verdicts –
Hanna has improved (depending on how you look at her results).
Hasya has also improved (also depending on how you look at her results).
Hilman pulak, merosot (whatever way you look at his results).
Hanna :
For her Form 1 Mid-Year exam last year, she got #17 in her class and #40 in the whole Form, and for her Finals, she got #3 in her class and #7 in the whole Form. There was a vast improvement in her performance last year. Last year’s results were, by the way, based on the traditional percentage-based ranking.
However, Sr* Am*n has changed their policy this year and now rank their students based on their CGPAs. Meaning, even if you score 8 very high A’s and you get 1 high B, you still will be placed lower than your friends who get 9 straight A’s, even though their overall total marks and percentage may be less than you. The more A's you get, the higher your CGPAs, the higher your ranking will be.
So, based on the new CGPA system, for her Mid-Year this year , Hanna got #17 in her class, and #36 in the whole Form 2 (with 6As and 3Bs) and for her Finals (which I just got to know today), Hanna got #10 in class and #18 the whole Form (with 8As and 1B). I guess for a school like Sr* Am*n, that’s not bad a position to get at all :)
Apparently, according to Hanna, if the ranking were to be based on total percentage, she could have gotten a better position. Well, Hanna. It is NOT. So you’d better make sure you aim for all A’s next time, okay? You will just have to work harder for Sejarah, and at the same time maintain your A’s for all the other subjects.
So, if we were to look at her position in Class and Form now, and compare them with her last year’s FINAL exam – she dah merosot. But, if we were to compare between her Mid-Year and Finals this year, she has improved. A lot. :)
Her current CGPA is 3.79, which will be brought forward to next year. There is still room for improvement, and I make do’a that she’ll do better every time, insya Allah.
It’s your PMR year next year, girl... You’d better work hard(er) and smart(er), okay? (Goshhhh!! Baru macam semalam I blogged about her UPSR results! How time flies...)
Hasya :
Here’s the tricky one. If we were to look at Hasya’s Mid-Year and Final Exam rankings since she was in Standard 1, they were #1 and #1 (Std 1), #2 and #1 (Std 2), and #1 and #2 (Std 3). However, for her Mid-Year this year, she slipped to #5! Anyway, syukur Alhamdulillah, for her Finals this year, Hasya got #2.
Yes, she has improved when it comes to her position in class this year, i.e. naik 3 mata anak tangga, BUT, she didn’t get all As for her subjects. For the main UPSR subjects, Hasya got 4As and 1B (No prize for guessing what subject she got B in...YUP! Pemahaman... :( But, she has improved in terms of her total percentage. So, I’m okay about it (but, I’m not sure about her Ayah, though!).
Hasya has been banned by her Ayah from using her laptop and/or going on the internet since we got to know that she got a ‘B’ for her Pemahaman. And that means, she has not been FB-ing for the last 2 weeks. And I think all her plants and animals in Farmville have wilted away, died and gone to heaven. And all the food in her Restaurant City dah basi and berkulat and dah jadi tapai kot?! :)
She kept on asking when the ban will be lifted without telling me in so many words that it’s her Farmville and Restaurant City which she’s so worried about. But, I’m her mother. I know. :)
I just want to prolong her agony at least until Tuesday next week, coz’ that will be the school’s Hari Anugerah Kecemerlangan when she’ll get to go on stage and receive her prize. Unlike the previous years when Hasya would also get prizes for getting highest for 1 or 2 subjects (normally English), this year, she’s only going on stage for getting #2 in her class.
Hilman :
Now, Hilman ni pun tricky jugak ni.
If we were to look at his performance since Standard 1 – his positions in class had been #12 and #5 (Std 1) – meaning he improved a lot that year! He maintained and got #1 and #1 (Std 2), and for his Mid-Year this year, he got #1, too. However, for his Finals this year, he has slipped dua mata anak tangga to #3! And for that, his Ayah has banned him from playing his PS2 and PSP indefinitely. His total percentage has also gone down :(
And unlike the previous years when he would also receive prizes for getting highest for Science, this year he’s only going on stage to receive his prize for getting #3 in class. Just like Hasya, there will be no prize for best in subjects this year...
But, but, but...To make up for it, he will be getting another prize called the “Hadiah Kecemerlangan” which has just been introduced by the school, for getting all As for his exam! Yeay!!! :) But, then again, he got all As for his last exam anyway, so, no "improvement" as such in that department lah this time, kan? Only 5 pupils from his Class got all As apparently. I’m not sure about the rest of the Standard 3 classes. So, insya Allah, Hilman will be placed in the best class next year.
Anyway, I have to admit - this time punyer exam, both Ayah and I were pretty tied up with work and stuff, and neither of us had the time and the chance to come up with our normal mock papers for Hilman and Hasya. In fact, for Hasya we basically left it to her tuition teachers to go over her subjects. And as for Hilman, I only had time to go through his workbooks the nights before his papers :( (Maybe...JUST maybe, the mock papers could have made the difference?!)
Anyway, Mommy just want to say that I am so proud of all three of you!!! Keep up the good work, and Mommy hope to see a lot more improvement for next year, okay? MMMUUUAAAHHHSSS AND (((((HUGS)))))!!!
So, next Tuesday will see both Ayah and I attending SK Sr* Pe*al*in*’s Hari Anugerah Kecemerlangan to cheer Hasya and Hilman on when they walk up the stage to receive their prize(s). That is - IF Ayah tak mogok and doesn’t want to go because his kids didn’t get #1... Hehehe!
If that’s the case, I’ll be there... still :)
And a big shoutout to Hanna's friends who read my blog:
HELLO KARYNA, NADIAH, SERI SARAH, AQILA, ANGELA AND PIK LENG! :)
Ayah and I already knew Hasya’s and Hilman’s results last week, but, we only knew Hanna’s today when I attended Sr* Am*n’s Open Day this morning to collect her report. Ayah couldn’t make it as he is now in Kuching and will only be back on Saturday night. But, I have been giving him ‘Live Feed’ of the results and everything else religiously :)
The Verdicts –
Hanna has improved (depending on how you look at her results).
Hasya has also improved (also depending on how you look at her results).
Hilman pulak, merosot (whatever way you look at his results).
Hanna :
For her Form 1 Mid-Year exam last year, she got #17 in her class and #40 in the whole Form, and for her Finals, she got #3 in her class and #7 in the whole Form. There was a vast improvement in her performance last year. Last year’s results were, by the way, based on the traditional percentage-based ranking.
However, Sr* Am*n has changed their policy this year and now rank their students based on their CGPAs. Meaning, even if you score 8 very high A’s and you get 1 high B, you still will be placed lower than your friends who get 9 straight A’s, even though their overall total marks and percentage may be less than you. The more A's you get, the higher your CGPAs, the higher your ranking will be.
So, based on the new CGPA system, for her Mid-Year this year , Hanna got #17 in her class, and #36 in the whole Form 2 (with 6As and 3Bs) and for her Finals (which I just got to know today), Hanna got #10 in class and #18 the whole Form (with 8As and 1B). I guess for a school like Sr* Am*n, that’s not bad a position to get at all :)
Apparently, according to Hanna, if the ranking were to be based on total percentage, she could have gotten a better position. Well, Hanna. It is NOT. So you’d better make sure you aim for all A’s next time, okay? You will just have to work harder for Sejarah, and at the same time maintain your A’s for all the other subjects.
So, if we were to look at her position in Class and Form now, and compare them with her last year’s FINAL exam – she dah merosot. But, if we were to compare between her Mid-Year and Finals this year, she has improved. A lot. :)
Her current CGPA is 3.79, which will be brought forward to next year. There is still room for improvement, and I make do’a that she’ll do better every time, insya Allah.
It’s your PMR year next year, girl... You’d better work hard(er) and smart(er), okay? (Goshhhh!! Baru macam semalam I blogged about her UPSR results! How time flies...)
Hasya :
Here’s the tricky one. If we were to look at Hasya’s Mid-Year and Final Exam rankings since she was in Standard 1, they were #1 and #1 (Std 1), #2 and #1 (Std 2), and #1 and #2 (Std 3). However, for her Mid-Year this year, she slipped to #5! Anyway, syukur Alhamdulillah, for her Finals this year, Hasya got #2.
Yes, she has improved when it comes to her position in class this year, i.e. naik 3 mata anak tangga, BUT, she didn’t get all As for her subjects. For the main UPSR subjects, Hasya got 4As and 1B (No prize for guessing what subject she got B in...YUP! Pemahaman... :( But, she has improved in terms of her total percentage. So, I’m okay about it (but, I’m not sure about her Ayah, though!).
Hasya has been banned by her Ayah from using her laptop and/or going on the internet since we got to know that she got a ‘B’ for her Pemahaman. And that means, she has not been FB-ing for the last 2 weeks. And I think all her plants and animals in Farmville have wilted away, died and gone to heaven. And all the food in her Restaurant City dah basi and berkulat and dah jadi tapai kot?! :)
She kept on asking when the ban will be lifted without telling me in so many words that it’s her Farmville and Restaurant City which she’s so worried about. But, I’m her mother. I know. :)
I just want to prolong her agony at least until Tuesday next week, coz’ that will be the school’s Hari Anugerah Kecemerlangan when she’ll get to go on stage and receive her prize. Unlike the previous years when Hasya would also get prizes for getting highest for 1 or 2 subjects (normally English), this year, she’s only going on stage for getting #2 in her class.
Hilman :
Now, Hilman ni pun tricky jugak ni.
If we were to look at his performance since Standard 1 – his positions in class had been #12 and #5 (Std 1) – meaning he improved a lot that year! He maintained and got #1 and #1 (Std 2), and for his Mid-Year this year, he got #1, too. However, for his Finals this year, he has slipped dua mata anak tangga to #3! And for that, his Ayah has banned him from playing his PS2 and PSP indefinitely. His total percentage has also gone down :(
And unlike the previous years when he would also receive prizes for getting highest for Science, this year he’s only going on stage to receive his prize for getting #3 in class. Just like Hasya, there will be no prize for best in subjects this year...
But, but, but...To make up for it, he will be getting another prize called the “Hadiah Kecemerlangan” which has just been introduced by the school, for getting all As for his exam! Yeay!!! :) But, then again, he got all As for his last exam anyway, so, no "improvement" as such in that department lah this time, kan? Only 5 pupils from his Class got all As apparently. I’m not sure about the rest of the Standard 3 classes. So, insya Allah, Hilman will be placed in the best class next year.
Anyway, I have to admit - this time punyer exam, both Ayah and I were pretty tied up with work and stuff, and neither of us had the time and the chance to come up with our normal mock papers for Hilman and Hasya. In fact, for Hasya we basically left it to her tuition teachers to go over her subjects. And as for Hilman, I only had time to go through his workbooks the nights before his papers :( (Maybe...JUST maybe, the mock papers could have made the difference?!)
Anyway, Mommy just want to say that I am so proud of all three of you!!! Keep up the good work, and Mommy hope to see a lot more improvement for next year, okay? MMMUUUAAAHHHSSS AND (((((HUGS)))))!!!
So, next Tuesday will see both Ayah and I attending SK Sr* Pe*al*in*’s Hari Anugerah Kecemerlangan to cheer Hasya and Hilman on when they walk up the stage to receive their prize(s). That is - IF Ayah tak mogok and doesn’t want to go because his kids didn’t get #1... Hehehe!
If that’s the case, I’ll be there... still :)
And a big shoutout to Hanna's friends who read my blog:
HELLO KARYNA, NADIAH, SERI SARAH, AQILA, ANGELA AND PIK LENG! :)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Nice car. Shame about the driver :)
We were on our way to an open house last Saturday, and were driving along the LDP when I saw a yellow Lotus cruising from behind us, and for about 15 seconds we were side by side, moving through the traffic.
I turned to look at the driver, and jokingly said out loud -
"Hmmmmm...Nice car. Shame about the driver".
All eyes automatically turned to look at the driver, and Hilman had this to say -
"Mommy, rich people are usually fat, right, Mommy?"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Okay, mana orang-orang kaya kat luar sana nak tolong jawab??!! Silakan :D
I turned to look at the driver, and jokingly said out loud -
"Hmmmmm...Nice car. Shame about the driver".
All eyes automatically turned to look at the driver, and Hilman had this to say -
"Mommy, rich people are usually fat, right, Mommy?"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Okay, mana orang-orang kaya kat luar sana nak tolong jawab??!! Silakan :D
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