Our Langkawi Trip...

Salams, and Hi, y'all.

I know...I know... our Langkawi trip tales are rather lemau already, but, I was so busy last week, and only managed to upload the pics to my Slide account today.

I'll let the pics do the talking, huh?

But, briefly -

Second day - the weather was glorious, and we spent the day enjoying the hotel pool and beach, and later we went island-hopping to Dayang Bunting, Beras Basah, and Singa Besar (the last island - we didn't go on land, but we fed the eagles from our boat). We had fun at the beach, and also at the Dayang Bunting Lake. Hilman said that was his favourite part of the holiday :). Went back to the hotel around 5p.m., and Ayah was kind enough to let Hanna and I have a mother-daughter bonding time at the Aroamas Spa, while he whiled away the time playing ping-pong with Hilman and Hasya.

Only 18+ are allowed actually, but we told them that Hanna was 16 (tipu sunat!), and they let her in :). We went for the steam room, sauna, Balinese massage, Mandi Lulur and ended the session with the Mandi Bunga. All that in 2 1/2 hours. Bliss...(but, this surely burnt a hole in Ayah's pocket! But, sekali-sekala okay kan, Ayah?!) Thank you, Ayah... Mommy and Hanna REALLY enjoyed our bonding time at the spa...

Kesian Hasya... She was upset that she could not join us at the spa. Not even for a hair treatment session! She said it was not fair because when we were at Kuantan Swiss Ga*den, she was allowed to have the hair treatment with her Kak Long. Anyway, to make up for it, I had some bonding time with her at the room later - teaching her the right way to makan kuachi. Hahaha!

Third day - we had very fine weather, too. We spent it at the KILIM Geo Park (went to two caves, a fish farm, eagle feeding, etc - all along the mangrove coast). We then went to the Wildlife Park, where the kids played with some very cute and some not very cute birds and mammals and reptiles. Ostriches - NOT cute at all. So garang and lahap I tell you!!! We then proceeded to the Durian Perangin Waterfalls where all the girls decided to just watch Ayah and Hilman had fun in the VERY cold water. After about 20 minutes, both of them decided to call it a day. Dah menggigil-gigil...

We then went to the Oriental Village for some light shopping, and the kids had some fun time playing with some pythons... (Eeeeewwwww...Urggghhhhh...AAAArrrgggghhhh!!) They definitely didn't get their courage and bravery handling those slimy, scaly, slithering thingies from Ayah and I. That's for sure! Meremang bulu roma I...

Fourth day - it started to rain from 4a.m in the morning up until the time we reached the airport at 7p.m to catch our flight back to KL! But, no worries there because most of the time was spent indoors anyway, ESPECIALLY at the Haji Ismail Group Duty Free Shops in Kuah. I need not elaborate on this, lah kan? Suffice to say, we again burnt a BIG hole in Ayah's pocket with my Herb Country Corningware shopping spree!

It's okay, Ayah...nanti I tampal balik the holes, okay? :)

We reached KLIA at 10:30p.m, and only reached SD about midnight.

Everybody had great fun in Langkawi, and we're planning to go again next year. We'll probably do something different next time. The snorkelling trip to Pulau Payar will be high on the agenda next year, insya Allah :)

Enjoy the pics!

Greetings from....

Salams, and Greetings from Pulau Corningware!!! (Ooops! I meant to say "Langkawi" ;))

First and foremost, thank you for all the birthday wishes for Hanna, and please accept my apologies for not counter-commenting, as I had asked the tuanpunya badan to do so personally. As I'm typing this, there are still a few which she had not counter-commented, and she asked me to let you all know that she would do it soon :)

I meant to post an entry on Hanna's birthday dinner with her friends first, but, alas, the pics are all in my notebook which I have not brought here with me. And of course - a posting on the kids' new gadgets, too ;). Yup, everybody is extremely happy with their new "toys". Will blog about these once I'm back in KL, okay, y'all?

Anyway, arrived here yesterday at 3:05p.m, and after getting our rented car at the airport, we checked in at the hotel. Hmmmm...I think our firstborn was not that happy with the hotel when she saw the reception area, etc. Well, if she was comparing Sh*ra*on Langkawi with Ho*da* Vi*la, memang la like cannot be happy one! Hehehe! One is 5 Star...this one is 5 Moon (borrowing Ayah's terminology on hotel ratings. Hahaha!)

The last time we were here last year, we stayed at Sh*ra*on for 2 nights and then at Be*ja*a for another two. The Sh*ra*on stay was fully sponsored as Ayah was having a meeting there. Nak tanggung sendiri...Aiyooo...bayar instalments boleh tak? Hehehe! We wanted to stay there again, but, because they're five of us (and Hanna is already 13, and considered an adult), we were told that we had to book 2 rooms. Errrr, thank you, but no thank you! Kalau satu room tu, okay lagi lah kot...

Ayah surfed the net and the ONLY hotel which could accept our reservation online for 1 room for 3 Adults and 2 Kids was Ho*ida* Vi*la. All other hotels required us to book 2 rooms. Okaylah...it's not The Ritz, but, it's nice (ish). Hehehe! I think we've got the best room - the last room, right beside the swimming pool and facing the sea. As Ayah puts it - we don't have to wear any slippers when we want to go to the beach. It's grass - sand - sea, right outside our door :).

It has the main bedroom which has 2 Super Single beds and a Sofa bed which can sleep 2, which has an attached bathroom. It also has the living area which has another sofa bed which can sleep another one, which has an attached washroom to it. It has two TVs, and one DVD player (even though the kids have brought their own). All in all, I think 7 people could sleep comfortably here. Hmmmm, next time when dah tambah anak lagi 2, we can book this place again. Hahahaa!

It was just an easy evening for us yesterday. Ayah brought the kids to the swimming pool around 6p.m and they then went to the beach to watch the sunset. Ayah said it was pretty breath-taking. Why wasn't I there witnessing this breath-takingly beautiful sunset with them? Well, while the kids and Ayah were doing all that, I was snoring away in the room - qadha' tido... Bliss! Hehehe! I only had about 3 hours of sleep the night before, packing EVERYBODY'S stuffs to bring to Langkawi. I had been pretty busy up to the day before and didn't have time to start packing earlier. Started packing at 11p.m, and only went to sleep at 5:30a.m!

We had dinner at Maya Seafood which is just about twenty metres from the Hotel main entrance. Unfortunately (or fortunately?!) we will not be indulging ourselves too much in seafood this time around, as Hilman has developed an allergy. He has developed some rashes above his upper-lips. According to the doctor, it's quite common amongst asthmatic kids. A kind of eczema thingy. Kesian Hilman coz' he's the one yang REALLY into seafood. So, to be fair on him and so as not to tempt him, everybody agreed to order a non-seafood dish each last night.

Anyway, we don't have any specific plans just yet, but, we're definitely doing stuff which we didn't manage to do the last time we were here. I was just reading Myheartbleeds's entry on her Langkawi trip with her girls, and we're definitely going island hopping, maybe tomorrow. The KLIM Geopark package seems interesting, too. And as the kids really enjoyed themselves at Telaga Tujuh Waterfall dulu, that would be in our itinerary, too. We're giving the Cable Car, and Mahsuri Museum a miss this time. The Pulau Payar thingy takes the whole day, and we decided to give it a miss, too. Insya Allah, ada rezqi next time.

But, errrr...somehow the "Corningware Package" which will probably take the whole day, too, IS in the itinerary, buleh?! Hehehehe...

Signing off now! Will post the pics when Hanna has transferred them into this notebook.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Happy Birthday...

13 years ago, on a cold winter morning, when Newcastle upon Tyne had its first snow of the year, the sweetest, and pinkest baby was born at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. She had the blackest of hair, and lips as red as rubies.

I remember the night before, my sister Lala and I had planned to go for a meal of Fish and chips the next day. But, of course it didn't materialize as I had to start my pantang the next day when that sweet little bundle of joy decided to arrive early by 12 days :)

I remember having the first contractions at 4:00a.m in the morning, and waking Ayah up to tell him that it was time. Ayah being Ayah, he was pretty calm about everything :)

I remember how Ayah had to scrape the ice off the windshield for nearly 20 minutes before we could start the journey to the hospital.

I remember the drive to the hospital going through the icy road at 4:30a.m in the morning. The drive which normally would have taken 20 minutes took us nearly an hour.

I remember the pain so vividly, and how her heartbeat would drop everytime I had my contractions, and I remember how worried and anxious Ayah and I were to see the doctors rushing in and out of the labour room.

And I remember the last push when she finally wailed out to the whole wide world...

I remember Ayah performing the qamat, and the look on his face was priceless as he held his first child in that delivery room.

I remember holding her for the first time, counting her little fingers and toes, and smelling her baby smell, and I shed tears of joy.

I remember having to undergo the pantang under my sister's supervision, which ended up not much as a pantang :)

I remember Ayah and I were tiptoeing all the time, fearing that we would wake the baby up.

I remember going up and down the stairs on the cold winter nights trying to untrap the wind in her tummy.

I remember everything oh so clearly...

Yes, I remember 13 years ago today, we had our first-born - Hanna Suhaila :)

If I had to go through the whole experience again, I would not change a thing, and I would willingly go through all the pains again, and have her again...and again...

To my Darling Hanna,

Happy 13th Birthday. Semoga dipanjangkan umur, dan menjadi anak yang solehah, dan berbudi pekerti tinggi. Semoga dilimpahi berkat dan rahmat. And Mommy and Ayah pray that you'll be the most wonderful daughter and showered with love and success throughout your life. Amin.

Ayah and Mommy love you very, very much.

Remember that.

Rumour has it...

Hmmmm, since the kids only finished their exams on 7th November, the school year ended with us not knowing their official final exam results! Apparently, Hanna will get her official results online towards the end of November, while Hasya and Hilman will only get their Report Books when they register for the next academic year!

1, 2, 3 - AAAARRRGGGGHHH!!! Tergamak their schools do this to their pupils?!! (Or rather - to their KIASU parents?!!

But, dengan pengiraan yang telah dibuat sendiri dengan membandingkan markah-markah anak-anak kami dengan markah-markah anak-anak mak bapak kiasu yang lain, yang mana anak-anak mereka merupakan our kids "competitions" in class, kira tolak campur bahagi beberapa kali (errr...more than 20 kali actually, especially dalam kes-kes yang agak musykil dan was-was, serta tak puas hati. Hehehe!), rumor has it that -

Hanna will get 2nd place behind Fa*hana a.k.a "The-girl-who-can-never-be-beaten....ever" (according to Hanna lah). Believe it or not, in almost ALL of the subjects, Fa*hana beat Hanna by 1 mark! But, syukur alhamdulillah, her marks are VERY impressive indeed. And she has climbed up 4 places. She was 6th in the Mid-Year Exam. And it goes without saying - that MOMMY AND AYAH ARE SO VERY PROUD OF YOU, HANNA!!!

Ini "rumor has it" laaa... :)

Hasya also (amost definitely) telah melepaskan her takhta to Im*an (yup...the boy whose marks were our main concerns in my last posting. Hehehe!). Imran beat her by 2 marks. The final paper that they got, which was Science - Hasya got second highest in class. Even though she beat Im*an by 6 marks in Science, his overall total was 446/500, while Hasya's overall was 444/500 (not a good number, huh? Hehehe!) So, from #1, she is now in #2. She has worked really hard for the exams, and she either got 1st or 2nd highest in all the subjects! And it goes without saying that MOMMY AND AYAH ARE SO VERY PROUD OF YOU, HASYA!!!

Ini "rumor has it" laaa... :)

And Hilman has retained his #1 position! Hip Hip Hooray!!! He got highest for two of the subjects (Science and English), 2nd highest for Maths, and 3rd highest for BM. I think compared to his friends, Hilman is quite consistent, in the sense that he's always up there in the top 3. That's why, syukur alhamdulillah, the #1 spot is his. His friends who got highest or high marks in some of the subjects, did not do that okay in their other subjects, and that had pulled them down. So now, Ayah and I are debating whether Hilman has followed him ("Science" brain?) or me ("Social Science" brain?). He seems to be good in both fields. Hmmmmm? Science brain or Social science brain, it goes without saying that MOMMY AND AYAH ARE SO VERY PROUD OF YOU, HILMAN!!!

Ini "rumour has it" laaa.... :)

(Can only be verified in 1-2 months time maaaa...)

AND rumour has it that their Ayah is planning to reward them with COOL stuff for their achievements over the school holidays ni. YAHOOO!!! But, Ayah is in a dilemma - should he wait for the official results to come out before he goes out and get those cool stuff? But, that will be so late maaahhh!!! We're hoping to add some excitement to their cuti sekolah with those cool gadgets ;) Hmmmm, to play safe, tunggu next year, kot? ;)

Errrr, Hanna, Hasya and Hilman - part Ayah wanting to buy the cool stuffs for you all ni pun, kira "rumour has it" aje, tau?... :)

Hahahaha...

* Hanna, jangan tension, okay? ;)*

Sleepless, Panic and Proud in SD...

It has been a crazy 24 hours for me, and I need a break. Badly. So, here I am - blogging.

I had two articles to submit this week. One today, and another one on Wednesday. Both articles are actually based on my Powerpoint presentations - one which I had done 4 months ago, and another one just two weeks ago.

It was supposed to be an easy peasy thingy, as I only needed to expand on my Powerpoint slides, right? Well, hell no. I had been putting all these on hold (in other words - I HAD PROCRASTINATED), that I had in fact forgotten where I had kept record of all of the references which I used for my Powerpoint slides especially the one I presented four months ago! To write an academic article without giving due credits to your sources would be an unforgivable, biggest sin, I tell you... So, I had no choice but to dig all my sources up again...

So, I was up all night last night, expanding my slides into comprehendable sentences, to form reasonably decent paragraphs, to come up with an article of 6,000 words in length. With all my sources (books, articles, case summaries, etc.) spread all over the bed, I was typing, while flicking through the materials, and checking some online sources, etc., all at the same time.

With the whole bed being conquered by my good self and all those papers scattered all over it, Ayah had to sleep on the mattress on the floor last night. Kesian... But, it's actually good for your back, dear. You have slipped discs, remember? (Hehehe!)

Ayah had sent all three kids to Mak's house last night actually, due to several factors -

(i) Ayah was leaving for Tokyo (again) this morning on the 9:00a.m flight and he had to leave for KLIA by 6:15a.m. This would have meant that he would not be able to send Hanna to school, which in turn would have meant that yours truly would have to do just that, driving all the way from SD to Sr* Am*n at 6:45a.m, and then coming back to SD again.

(ii) But, as yours truly had been bogged down with work since yesterday and it didn't look like yours truly would be able to finish it even if she didn't sleep for two nights, we decided that it would be easier if the kids stayed in PJ. Adek would be able to send Hanna to school in the morning, while Za*a (Mak's driver) would be able to send and fetch Hasya and Hilman to and from school today.

(iii) And I need total ME time to produce a good piece of writing under 12 hours.

So, the kids were all deposited with Mak last night.

I was doing my work until about 3:00a.m when I must have fallen asleep, only to wake up at 5:20a.m. when the alarm clock went off. I somehow noticed that Ayah had woken up, but, I just could not open my eyes, and went straight back to sleep, only to be woken up again, this time by Ayah, at 6:15a.m when he was about to leave for KLIA. The airport limo was already waiting outside. Kiss-kiss, muah-muahs and off he went (with yours truly still curled up under the duvet...)

At 7:45a.m. I woke up to the sound of a car alarm from a neighbour's house, and continued working on my article. Ayah called twice from KLIA before boarding the plane - just to make sure that I was indeed doing my work, and not sleeping as he knew that I had to finish the article by today. Thanks, dear :)

By 8:30a.m, I knew that it was impossible to concentrate on writing my article, so I called my HoD, asking his permission to work from home today as I found it such a hassle to pack and unpack all the materials and continue with my writing if I were to go to the office this morning.

And I had been working from 7:45a.m straight, only to have a few minutes breaks here and there to have my brunch (of sup foochuk and kaki ayam), and dinner (of Maggi Laksa!), and to freshen up and perform my solat.

And it was at 6:25p.m when I realized that I had not informed Mak's driver that he was supposed to fetch Hasya and Hilman from school! And the kids finish school at 6:20p.m. every Monday! We've always had this understanding that on Mondays, he would send them to school, and I would fetch them and go straight back to SD. Somehow, I totally forgot to tell him that I would not be able to fetch the kids today and that he was supposed to fetch them instead! Yikes!!!

Panic giler... I straight away called him only to find out that he was already on his way home! My mind was muddled up, and I started to panic. I didn't want to trouble my MIL by asking her to go through the peak-time traffic to fetch the kids! But, if I were to set off from SD then, I would only reach the school at 7:15p.m earliest! That would be way too late, and I didn't want the kids to wait that long - just the two of them there. I tried calling Adek to ask if she could fetch the kids, but she was in the bathroom! That would probably take a long time, and I started to panic big time!

Syukur Alhamdulillah, I managed to get hold of Na*ir*h (Mama of Hasya's bestfriend, Al*a) on the phone, and syukur alhamdulillah she had yet to fetch Al*a from school lagi at that time and she didn't mind fetching Hasya and Hilman and send them to Mak's house. Legaaaa... Thanks, Na*i. I owe you BIG TIME!

Boleh I terlupa about my kids in the midst of my work yang bertimbun ni?! Ish, ish, ish... Tak pernah dibuatnya! Nasib baik jugak I realized at 6:25p.m. Mak would not have suspected anything if the kids tak sampai her house this evening because she would have thought that I had gone to the office today and I would have fetched them and brought them straight to SD from school like I normally would do on Mondays! I cringe to think of what might have happened if I totally forgot about the kids tadi. This had never happened to me before.

Anyway, the kids called me up when they reached their Wan's house to update their Mommy on their Final Exam results, which I then SMSd to Ayah (who insisted that I update him everyday!)

This was the SMS that I sent to him at 11:27p.m -

MIN (i.e. Hasya) Eng 93 highst, Pemahamn 86, highst 95 (x im*an), Penulisn 91, highst 92 (x im*an), Maths 96 (im*an 97.5), Agama 90, Seni A. Boils down to Sci now.

MAN (i.e. Hilman) Sci 100, Eng 93 (both hghst), Maths 97 (2nd. Highst 99.5), BM 89 (highst 96), Agama 88, Seni A.

Hope both gd enuf 4 #1!

To those who have been analyzing the text message, you all had probably come to these conclusions -

(i) Both Ayah and Mommy are ultimate Kiasu parents

(ii) Im*an is Hasya's competition in class (everybody else's markah are so not important, EXCEPT for Im*an's)

(iii) Both Ayah and Mommy memang tak akan tido malam - menunggu Hasya's Science paper results, and also Hasya's and Hilman's position in class...

With or without their positions in class, Syukur Alhamdulillah, both Hasya and Hilman have done really well. And so has their Kak Long Hanna who so far has got highest and/or Top 3 for all her subjects.

AYAH AND I ARE VERY,VERY PROUD OF YOU GUYS :)

And I'm also proud of myself, by the way, because at 10:50p.m. just now, I managed to e-mail my finished article to my colleague finally. Yippeeee!!! And surpise, surprise - instead of 6000 words, I managed to torak to more than 8000 words altogether ;)

I'm so gonna give myself a treat this weekend...and of course, my kids, too! Hehehe!

But, in the meantime, another piece of article beckons me... nak kena submit this Wednesday...Sigh...

Post-exam, pre-holiday ramblings, and Mr. Prefect Elected...

Hasya and Hilman had just finished their Final Exams today, and it's so nice to see the two of them fooling around again after a rigourous week of studying and revising. Even though Hasya always bosses Hilman around, they really get on very well with each other. And I just love to hear them joke and laugh together. Both of them have very infectious laughters, especially Hilman.

The two of them were supposed to return all their Buku Pinjaman tomorrow. However, without me knowing, Hilman had returned ALL his books to his class teacher just now. I had wanted to check his books before returning them - just to make sure that they still look like books after being in Hilman's possession for nearly a year. But, I guess there's no need for that now. Or maybe, I should just go and see his teacher tomorrow? If the books that he returned today look like belacan, it's only right that we should replace them with new ones so that the recipients for next year would not be turned off reading just by looking at them!

As expected, Hasya's books are just immaculate. Too immaculate in fact - macam tak pernah dibaca! Hehehe...But, I know that she did read them. She's the type who would not open her books fully when she reads them, just so that she would not crease the spine. That's Hasya for you. Tahan tu - dok 'mengintai' the pages everytime she reads her books. She has set all her buku pinjaman aside just now, and insisted on tying them up with a string before returning them to the school tomorrow. Mana lah nak cari tali rafia malam ni? But, Hasya being Hasya, she needs the string TONIGHT. Like NOW. Sigh...

Besides the textbooks business, there are also a few forms which we need to fill in and return to their class teachers by tomorrow. One is the Borang Naik Darjah, and the other one is Borang Tempahan Baju Pengawas for Hilman.

Yup - my dear boy is going to be a prefect next year.

We could not believe it at first when he came back a couple of weeks ago telling us the news.

It was like -

Hilman : Mommy, I'm going to be a prefect next year, Mommy.

Me : Awwwhhh...Congratulations, Hilman! But, are you sure? Or are you just being nominated ajer?

Hilman : Errr...I dunno..(typical of him! Hehehe!)

Me : Can you find out for sure, please?

Hasya : Mommy, for Std. Three prefects, they don't have to go for the interview lah, Mommy. Usually, if the teachers nominate the students, they terus jadi pengawas.

Me : Hmmm...are you sure?

Hasya : Ya lah, Mommy. But, I can't believe Hilman can jadi pengawas, lah Mommy.

Mommy : Why not?

Hasya : He's like a baby and not garang at all!

(Hasya is a prefect, and a VERY garang one at that! Hehehe!)

Hilman : Kak Ngah, I'm not a baby!!!

Hasya : Well, sometimes you act like one!

Hilman : KAK NGAH!!!

Hanna : Hilman, do you know what you're supposed to do as a pengawas?

Hilman : I jaga kelas lah. If the pupils are noisy, I marah and write their names lah.

Hanna : Aiyooo...Cannot imagine Hilman marah la, Mommy!!

Hasya : Ya la...like baby only!

Hilman : KAK NGAH!!!

Me : Okay, okay...that's enough. Hilman, what did your teacher tell you?

Hilman : That I jadi pengawas la next year.

Me : I'm so proud of you, Hilman. Hmmmmm, how do you feel about the whole thing? How did you feel when your teacher told you?

Hilman : I had tears in my eyes, Mommy...

Me : Hah?! Tears??!! Why, Hilman?!

Hilman : Tears of joy, Mommy...

(And Hanna and Hasya just burst out laughing! Trust the sisters to do that...)

And when he told his Ayah the news later that night, Ayah's first reaction was -

Ayah : Hah??!! Are you sure, Hilman? (while looking at me, trying to get confirmation, before, hugging Hilman and continuing -) Congrats, Hilman! I'm so proud of you!

Hilman : (Dengan selambanya) I know. (Hehehe!)

Anyway, so tomorrow, the tailor will be going to the school to get the measurements for the uniforms, and Hilman needs to pay RM171/= which covers 1 long-sleeve blue shirt, 2 short-sleeved blue shirt, 2 vests and 1 T-Shirt Pengawas. Itu tak masuk lagi his school trousers (he needs at least 3 pairs!) and kasut hitam (2 pairs). And he doesn't need to order/get the Pengawas tie, as Hasya has two. She doesn't need them for next year. She'll be in Std. 4 - most junior in the morning session, so, she won't be a prefect anymore. And I think I still have Hanna's primary school prefect ties lying somewhere in the house.

My only worry now is - by the end of the school holidays, takut Hilman dah outgrew the prefect uniforms to be measured esok ni... At the rate he's going (with his frequent friendly visits to the fridge, and all) ada chance tak muat nanti...

Hilman, even though your Kak Long and Kak Ngah have been teasing you, WE (Mommy, Ayah AND your sisters) are very confident that you'll be a very good prefect, okay? Just that, maybe it's not a good idea to write down EVERYBODY's name in your little black book, for even the slightest rule-bending and rule-breaking, okay? :)

You can do it, Hilman.

YES, YOU CAN :)

Bahasa Malaysia 101...

I was with Hasya and Hilman preparing them for their Final Exams while Hanna was doing her Maths exercises, and Ayah was busy preparing their Maths and Science mock papers at the dining table last night.

I had come up with Hasya's and Hilman's Bahasa Malaysia mock papers, and was just looking through their exercise books to check on anything that I might have missed, when I overheard the conversations below -

Conversation 1

Hasya : Kak Long, what is "mandi yang tidak bersih"?

Hanna : Hasya, you should know this lah!

Hasya : Is it "mandi gajah"?

Hanna : HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Hasya : Kak Long!!!! I know it has something to do with a big animal!!! Is it "mandi badak" then?!

Hanna lagi lah tergolek tergelak...


Conversation 2

Hasya : Kak Long, what is "batu api"?!

Hanna : Hmmmmm, how do I explain, huh?

Just then, Hilman butted in excitedly -

Hilman : I know, I know! It's like when Kak Long has big thighs, and she doesn't like her thighs, and I am "batu api" and I asked Kak Ngah to call her "Thunder thighs! Thunder thighs!!! I am "batu api" lah!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

All of us tergelak bagai nak rak after that!


Conversation 3

Hilman : When do I use "Beta", "Patik", "Tuanku" and "Baginda", Mommy?

Me : Well, if you are a King, or Queen or a Sultan or Putera Raja, or Tuan Puteri, you would adress yourself as "Beta". But, if you're a commoner or orang biasa, when you speak to the King, you address yourself as "Patik", and you would address the King as "Tuanku" when you speak to him. And you use "Baginda" when you're talking ABOUT the King, Putera Raja and all.

Hilman : HUH???!!!

I started giving examples to him and I had to explain to him at least 6 times, and towards the end I was fuming and so exasperated with him....I memang tak sabar when I teach the kids, and he got a couple of smacks and flicks to his ear, too, in the process. I know...I know...I'm such a mean mom-teacher :(

And suddenly, Hasya said -

Hasya : Why do they have to make our lives so difficult?! Do we HAVE to use those kata ganti nama for the royal family?! It would be easier for us kids if we just use the normal kata ganti nama, you know?!

(Sorry, Hasya... no such thing as "easy" for your exams, okay?)

Anyway, at least last night I knew that Hasya was very weak when it comes to her Simpulan Bahasa, while Hilman - his kata ganti nama (besides the royal terms, he was also having difficulty differentiating between "Kita" and "Kami"!

I hope I've done enough to help them improve in their understanding of Bahasa Malaysia.

I guess I'll only know for sure when the results come out...

And tonight, I'm coming up with their English mock papers pulak...