Bali Trip - 5th and 6th Day

Hi y'all. I'd better get the posting on our Bali Trip over and done with. The new Academic Year will start next week, and I would be pretty busy for the next 2-3 weeks, at least.

Anyway, the 5th day in Bali started off with Ayah and moi going for a morning walk around the hotel area. It had been quite some time since we last had a quiet alone time just the two of us, walking hand in hand, enjoying the fresh air and each other's company. We must have been the only people up at that hour as we could not see anybody else, except for the hotel staff that morning. So, that was nice :)

We went back to the villa after about an hour, hoping to get the kids up and join us for a splash in the pool. But, we had a tough time waking the girls up as apparently they stayed up until very late watching DVDs with the other girls the night before. No problem in waking their brother though, as Hilman being Hilman, he just loves the plunge pool. So, Ayah spent some time with his son dipping in the cold spring water that morning.

We managed to get everybody ready and have breakfast by 10:00a.m, and we then took the shuttle bus to Ubud Village for some shopping. Suffice to say, by the time we took the shuttle bus back to the hotel at 3:00p.m., everybody was exhausted. Nasib baik Ayah and I had booked a massage session at the spa for that afternoon, so from 4-5 p.m., we had a blissful time 'di-uli' by the Balinese masseurs with some Balinese music playing in the background for just over an hour. Best giler...

And while we were having the Balinese massage, Hilman was having his own foot massage session, which must have been so relaxing for him that by the time we were done, he was snoring away like nobody's business! Hehehe! As Hasya was having her final practice for the performance that night, we booked a massage session for her and Hanna for the next morning.

Ayah and I went straight back to the room after our massage as we had to get ready for the special dinner and performance by the students of DiDance at the hotel. They were to perform the Rejang Dewa and Legong Dances which Cok Ratih had taught them over the last couple of days. Everybody was excited and also nervous at the same time. Hilman especially - because he only had about one hour of lesson with Cok Ratih, and he was supposed to dance alone. The girls on the other hand had about 6 hours of lessons and practice, and they were not that pressured as they would be performing as a group.

All the dancers started to get ready with the make-up, hairdo, and the attires from 6:30p.m, and they only managed to get everybody ready at 9:15p.m. By that time everybody was already hungry, and all that waiting had made the little dancers a little anxious, I must say.

And when the time came for them to perform, they did REALLY well indeed, considering that they only had 6 hours of lessons over the 2 days. And Hilman amazed everyone present as he was SO, SO, SPORTING, and went on to perform his Tarian Baris with Cok Ratih's guidance, even though he was not sure of the steps at all! I had tears watching him perform, not because of anything but because I was so, so proud of him for giving his best that night even though he was rather sceptical that he could do it initially. Throughout the day, before the performance, he kept on asking/telling me, "What if I don't know what to do?". And I kept telling him, "It's okay. You just follow Cok Ratih and just have fun!". And I think he had fun alright that night :)

At the end of the show, all the students were presented with special certificates from Cok Ratih for attending the workshop and also for the public performance. The Dance Performance was the highlight of our Bali trip, and I think everybody had fun learning the new dances. And I think all the girls became so much closer over the 6 days of our Bali trip.

The next morning, Ayah gave a treat to his daughters by letting them go for a massage at the spa before breakfast. Even though Hanna had been to the spa with me before on previous vacations, it was Hasya's first experience, and I think she was a bit ticklish at first, but later found it pretty relaxing indeed. I think she was still feeling sleepy at the end of the session, and wanted more! :)

We checked out of Furama at 10:00a.m. as some of us in the group were flying back to KL on the 1:50p.m flight (which unfortunately was delayed until 11:30p.m that night!). After dropping them at the airport, the rest of us proceeded to Kuta, as we were flying on the 7:20p.m. flight later that day. Dida, who was extending her stay in Bali until the 20th June, was checking in into a hotel in Kuta for the rest of her stay, and we decided to tumpang our luggage at her hotel room while waiting for our evening flight.

We had about 5 hours to kill before our bus was to take us to the airport, and what better way to spend the time than shopping in Kuta! Hehehe! We also managed to jalan-jalan along Kuta Beach, and Hanna had a field day oogling over the Mat Salleh hunks there!

We managed to get changed and freshen up at Dida's room before leaving for the airport. Syukur alhamdulillah, everything was smooth (even though I rasa our luggage to dah nak macam terburai coz' sendat habis! Hahaha!)

The flight was on time, and we reached KLIA at 10:05p.m. No problems at all at the immigration and customs points (Syukur alhamdulillah! :)). Everybody was so tired (and I think was feeling sad because our Bali trip had ended) that nobody said a word throughout our journey home to SD...

We had a truly wonderful time in Bali, and insya Allah we'll return to the island again soon!

Here are some pics taken over the last two days of our stay there.

Enjoy!!!

And oh ya... I also got a belated birthday present from Ayah which he bought at Ngurah Rai Airport, in the form of this -








THANK YOU SO MUCH, DEAR!!! I LUUUUUUURRRRRVVVVEEE IT!!

MMMMUUUUUAAAAAAHHHHSSS!!!

:)

Bali Trip - Day 3 & Day 4

I have been meaning to post an update/continuation to our Bali trip postings, specifically on our 3rd and 4th days there, since the weekend, but, alas, I only managed to upload the pics to Slide.com today. Again I shall let the slides do the talking, while I just give a brief summary of what we did in those two days.

Did I mention in my last posting that the food at Diwangkara was nothing to shout about? Well, because of that, the kids decided not to have their breakfast at the hotel restaurant on the third morning, and instead they had their breakfast at the Villa. Seperti biasa, we normally bring our stocks of Maggi Cup Noodles of pelbagai perisa, packet drinks, kaya/tuna/ikan bilis buns, and a range of 3-in-1 drink sachets on our trips, and this time was no exception. So, while I had my breakfast eating the lumpy congee and condiments, and I-dunno-what noodles at the restaurant, the kids had Maggi Cups, some buns and Milo, which I'm sure was much tastier than what I had!

Straight after breakfast, we made our way to Cok Ratih's Puri again for the second day workshop, whereby this time the girls were taught the Tarian Legong, while Hilman continued with his Tarian Baris. After the lesson, we were brought around for a tour of Cok Ratih's Puri. Sorry - no pictures of the inside of the house. Didn't think it was proper to click away and take pics of the inside of somebody's house, kan? Hehehe! But, it was indeed a VERY nice house.

We were then whisked away to Warung Made at Jalan Seminyak for our lunch, which served a variety of Fusion Food. And Yeay!!! Within half an hour of us reaching the restaurant, Ayah, whose flight from KL arrived at 12:30pm, joined us there! Happy, happy, happy! Now we have somebody to take over the role of the family photographer...Hehehe! And of course, I was happy because I was missing him so, so much already. It's just not the same if he's not there with us on vacations like this. Rasa macam the "semangat" was not there. You know what I mean?

After lunch, we were given a couple of hours to shop along Jalan Seminyak, and we managed to get very nice blouses and dresses and also accessories for the girls (including me - the big girl ;)) Hilman, who was already contented with his PS2 Games CDs which we bought on our second day in Kuta, didn't ask for anything at all, but, by the second hour, he was already feeling restless and bored watching his Mommy and sisters choosing stuffs at the shops. So, he was really happy when we decided to go back to the bus at 4:30p.m, and made our way back to Diwangkara.

Back at the hotel, Ayah and the kids managed to spend about an hour at the Swimming Pool before they had to come back to the room to get ready for the programme lined for that night. Dinner was to be at Cok Ratih's Puri, whereby she had gathered her students to perform a few Balinese dances, accompanied by her own Gamelan group. The girls and Hilman managed to watch how exactly Tarian Rejang Dewa, Legong and Baris were performed that night to have some rough ideas as to how they were supposed to dance the dances when it was their turn to perform nanti. Dinner was held in Cok Ratih's garden, where the entertainment continued throughout the evening.

Back at the hotel, we invited everyone over for a lepak session at our Villa as it was our last night in Sanur, before we proceeded to Ubud. With our Villa being the biggest, with a huge living and dining area to fit everybody in the group, it was only natural and proper to have everybody over for a Midnight snack. What with our supply of Milo 3-in-1, and crisps, and cookies - all specially flown from KL, it was like a Midnight Feast for us, much to the delight of the kids :) I think everybody slept after 1:00a.m that night!

The next morning while yours truly was busy with last minute packings of our stuff, Ayah brought the kids to enjoy the beach after breakfast. We checked out of the hotel at 10:30a.m., and made our way to Ubud.

The journey to Furama Villa and Spa Resort, Ubud, took us nearly 6 hours, as we made a few stops along the way. We visited the Batik Centre, the Silver Craft Shop, and stopped at Padi Prada for lunch. The Crispy Duck at Padi Prada was simply heavenly... And, oh course, we also spent nearly 2 hours shopping at the Ubud Art and Craft Village before going to the hotel. Please don't ask how much the damage was, okay? Hehehe!

We arrived at the Resort just after 4:00p.m and were served with Balinese Tea with some local kuehs and snacks before we were shown our rooms. The kids were delighted with the Villa which was so much nicer than our Villa in Diwangkara, Sanur. The villa housed two rooms, and had it's own dining terrace, massage hut, and not forgetting - it's own plunge pool. And the Master Bathroom was of a semi-open concept, and was REALLY huge - bigger than our room in Diwangkara! It gave me the creeps every time I needed to go to the loo in the middle of the night while at Furama. The fact that the resort is surrounded by padi-fields didn't help much, either...

The kids managed to take a dip in the pool (fully-clothed, mind you!) before getting ready for dinner. This time, we were brought to Bebek Bengil (which literally means "Dirty Duck"), and we were given the choice of having another round of Crispy Duck, OR Crispy Chicken. All the kids opted for the Chicken, except for Hanna. While Ayah and I decided to take the Duck again. It's just that, we were so sure that we would never ever eat ducks back home in Malaysia. So, apa lagi...seize the opportunity lah, kan? And the Crispy Duck at Bebek Bengil was REALLY yummy, too, okay?

We reached our hotel at about 10:00p.m, and Hanna and Hasya invited a few of the other girls over to watch DVDs at their room. I think it was about 1:00a.m., when they finished watching the movie, and yours truly, together with Hanna and Hasya had to accompany the girls back to their respective rooms coz' Ayah dah lama sampai Dreamland masa tu. Bagi chance lah kan - cuti sekolah...and we were in Bali, kan?! But, seram jugak coz' it was REALLY quiet, and REALLY dark outside the hotel fence tu. (What do you expect - the resort is right smack in the middle of a padi-field!)

The kids went to bed just after 1:00a.m., while I found it really hard to sleep after that. It had been a long time since I last experienced a night so quiet, with only the sound of crickets continuously serenading the night...with the full moon shining bright, with the clouds weaving in and out in between...The feeling I had that night was indescribable.

I didn't know when exactly I finally dozed off, but, by 5:00p.m, I was already up - awaken by the sound of the roosters cockadoodle-do-ing away in the distance...It was so serene, and so calming.

If only the kids were up then - I'm sure they'd love the sound the roosters were making.

But, alas... they preferred their sleep more. This I know because I had a difficult time waking them up on that 5th day in Bali :)

To be continued...

Here are some pics.

Enjoy! :)

Bali Trip - Day 1 & Day 2 :)

Salams, and hello to all! :)

I'm baaaacccckkk!!!

My apologies for the 2-week hiatus. As most of you would have known already, we were in Bali from Saturday 6th June, and only came back last Thursday. Sampai KL I was down with a really bad sore throat and demam tak demam, while Ayah was down with very high fever and a tummy bug. Syukur Alhamdulillah, the kids were fine. Nasib baik jugak we didn't have any fever on the day we came back. If not, ada chance kena quarantined at KLIA on suspicion of us having the H1N1 virus!

For the next couple of days after coming back, yours truly had been catching up on the much-needed sleep and rest and was walking around like a zombie for most of the time. Pantang nampak bantal, mesti tido tak ingat dunia :) And we had a water crisis after Sya*as did some maintenance work in our housing area - our water tank ran dry, and our master bedroom floor was damp, and water was seeping through the floor right through our living room wall. Something to do with a leakage in either our, or our next door neighbour's aircond drain-pipe...So, we had to put up at my MIL's place for 2 nights. Sigh...

Anyway, I will let the pictures do the talking on our Bali trip. For this posting, I will only share on what we did over the first two days we were there. And my next posting will be dedicated to what we did with the rest of our stay in The Land of the Barongs, insya Allah :)

Our Bali trip was organized by Dida of DiDance Cultural House where Hasya and Hilman have been going for traditional dance classes for the last 2 years. The trip was meant to be a fun/study trip for Dida's students whereby they would be taught basic Balinese Dance by the Primadona of Balinese Dance herself - Cok Ratih. The dance workshop was scheduled to be held over three days, leaving us with only 2 days to do the touristy stuff.

There were 11 junior students altogether (with Hilman being the only boy), 3 adult students/parents, 7 parents, 1 sibling (Hanna) and Dida, altogether totalling to 23 of us in the group.

6th June 2009 - We left the house at 7:00a.m, reaching KLIA just before 8:00a.m., only to be informed that our 9:50a.m flight to Bali was delayed by more than an hour. But we were okay about it as it meant we could spend an extra hour with Ayah who had to stay on in KL due to his work commitments that weekend.

The 2 hours 40 minute flight to Bali was smooth, and we landed at Ngurah Rai Airport at 1:45p.m. (there's no time difference between KL and Bali), but the immigration people really took their time to clear everybody through! The last person in our group only got through the system at 3:15p.m!

Once outside the arrival hall, we were greeted by Nyoman – our tour guide, and were driven straight to Diwangkara Holiday Villa, in Sanur. The kids and I were placed in a villa which housed 3 rooms – one for us, one for Ai*i and her daughter Ri*qa*, and one room was reserved for Ayah when he was to join us on Monday. It has its own plunge pool, lounge, dining hall and a kitchenette. I would highly recommend this place if any of you are planning for a family getaway in Bali. But, be warned - the food served at the hotel restaurant was nothing to shout about. The hotel has its own private beach which we didn't really have time to enjoy, unfortunately :(

We had our packed lunch upon arrival at the hotel, and the kids later went for a dip in the plunge pool, before we went for dinner at the hotel's Legenda Restaurant. After dinner, we were then taken for a night drive around Kuta and Jalan Seminyak – the most happening night spots in Bali, and only got back to the hotel just before midnight. I think all of us fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

7th June 2009 - the next morning, after breakfast, we headed off to Cok Ratih’s sanggar at her Puri (palace) for the first session of the kids’ Balinese Dance Workshop. Cok Ratih is considered as the Primadona on the island when it comes to Balinese dances, and she’s a Royalty. Her Puri was really amazing. Needless to say, the ladies in the group were in awe admiring the wood carvings around the place. Truly exquisite, I tell you… nothing like what we have here in Malaysia. Her Puri is divided into several quarters – the main family residence, the dance/practice hall, the main performance hall, their praying hall/temple, and the servant quarters at the back of the complex – all in true Balinese architecture.

The girls were taught "The Rejang Dewa Dance", while Hilman was taught the "Tarian Baris" - also known as "The Warrior Dance". The students spent a good 3 hours learning their steps and familiarizing themselves with the music and rhythm that morning, and the session ended at 12:30p.m.

After the workshop, we then proceeded to Restaurant Natrabu for our lunch. Apparently they serve the best Masakan Minang in Bali, and after tasting the lauk-pauk segala, I dare say, I would agree with that. And I'm sure Hilman would agree, too...because he finished 3 pinggan nasi that afternoon! Hehehe!

After lunch, we were dropped at Kuta Square/Discovery Esplanade for a bit of shopping, while some in the group opted to go to the nearby WaterBom (something like our Sunway Lagoon). No prize for guessing which option we (or rather, I) opted for. Hehehe! We were there until about 6:30p.m, after which we went straight to Restaurant Ketupat for dinner. We were made to understand that it's one of Mick Jagger's favourite restaurants in Bali, and it's very popular among foreign celebrities. The restaurant serves authentic Masakan Bugis, and has a very nice ambience. A must try for those who plan to go to Bali nanti.

We went straight back to the hotel right after dinner and the kids spent about an hour dipping in Teacher Dida's plunge pool, before calling it a day.

Another long day awaited them the next day...as they were supposed to polish their Rejang Dewa Dance before Cok Ratih started them on another dance - "The Legong Dance".

And the kids and I were especially excited because Ayah would be arriving from KL and joining us the next day!

YEAY!!!

Here are some pics of the happenings on the first two days of our stay in Bali.

Enjoy! ;)

5-Day Wrap-up...

Have been busy, busy, busy!

What with the school hols and all, and the kids are at home 24/7, and them asking me, "Are you going to work today, Mommy?" (like a dozen times a day - and that's just in the morning!), I feel like there aren't enough hours in a day this term break.

I've already stocked up the fridge, freezer and pantry to last the first week of the school holidays last Friday, but, I think the stock for milk and fish is already running low!

A lot has been happening, and I've been meaning to blog about this and that, but other commitments seemed to have a strong hold on me in the last few days.

So, now that I have the chance to write, I'd better do it immediately.

I guess I'd better do this chronologically.

Thursday, 28th May 2009

(i) Report Card Day for Hasya and Hilman.

Ayah couldn't make it for Hasya's report as he had a few patients scheduled for his clinic that morning, so, yours truly had to go alone. There weren't many parents when I reached there at 10:30a.m., and there weren't many pupils either as they were given the options of staying home or, going to school, and then following their parents home after the meeting with the class teachers. I guess most pupils opted for the former.

There were quite a number of prefects present though, and I guess they didn't have any choice but to attend school as they were given specific duties to help the teachers for that day.

Surprisingly, "Schoolaholic" Hasya opted to stay at home, and I could sense why. She knew she didn't do as well as the previous years, and she didn't know how to react if her report card were to be handed to her by her teacher personally that day. And frankly speaking, I didn't know how to react, too, when I was handed her report card.

Hasya got 5th place in her class, Syukur alhamdulillah. But, for someone who usually got 1st or 2nd place all this while, 5th place was quite a spirit damper - not just for Hasya, but also for her Mommy. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't upset, nor was I disappointed. I was sad more than anything because I knew she could have done better, and I guess I was partly to be blamed.

I admit that I had not spent as much time with the kids this time revising for their exams, as I did previously. And I had not been that strict with them when it comes to watching TV/DVDs, playing PS2 and reading story books. Hasya seemed to be ONLY doing just that two weeks prior to the exams. My bad. I thought she was ever ready for any exams thrown at her.

Hasya was using the excuse that all her classmates who had beaten her in the exam go for tuitions, and thus, they were more prepared and more advanced than her in all the subjects. Hmmmm, we'll see if that reason would still be valid for the next exams, okay, Hasya?

Because starting after the hols, we're engaging Hanna's former tuition teacher, Mrs Ya*un*ha to be Hasya's home tutor pulak. One thing we realized, the fees now is quite a bomb compared to Hanna's time 2 years ago! Well, for Hasya's sake, insya Allah it'll be worthed every single sen, insya Allah.

Anyway, for Hilman's report, I had to go again in the afternoon, and this time Ayah was there, too.

Hilman was jaga-ing a Std 2 Class when we arrived. There was no queue at his class and Ayah and I managed to see his teacher the second we reached there.

And as expected, Hilman got 1st place in his class. Syukur alhamdulillah. Yang kelakarnya, everytime he saw his friends along the corridor when we were going home, he would ask them their placings in class, and when they told him their placings, he would tell them, "I got 1st place", Hehehe! Those who know Hilman would know that he wasn't bragging or anything like that. To him, it was just an act of sharing information :)

(Come to think of it, Hilman watched as much TV as his Kak Ngah did, if not more, and in fact played PS2 MORE than her...So, how do you explain him getting #1, and Hasya #5?! Hmmmmmm....?)

Anyway, as a lesson, Hasya is not allowed to watch TV/DVD or play PS2 indefinitely. So, for the past few nights Hilman has been dilligently supplying her with all the details of the 10:00pm Naruto show.

And last night, as I was going to the Family Hall on the way to the Master Bedroom, I saw Hasya sitting on the sofa, facing the wall, with her back to the TV. Naruto was on. And I asked her -

Me : Hasya what are you doing staring at the wall?!

Hasya : I'm listening to Naruto, Mommy...

Me : What do you mean?! Hey! You're not supposed to watch TV, okay?!

Hasya : I'm not watching, Mommy. I'm just listening! You said I could not watch TV. I'm not watching, okay Mommy...you didn't say I could not listen to the TV...

I tak tau nak marah or nak tergelak, and I just walked into the room. Ayah who was lying on the bed, heard what Hasya said, and he was trying hard not to laugh. I locked the door behind me, and both of us just burst out laughing!

Hasya...Hasya... Sigh... :)

(ii) Kantoi

Anyway, that evening, Hasya and Hilman were supposed to have mengaji at 8:30pm at their Wan's place, and as usual, right after school all the kids were deposited at my MIL's house.

It was at 8:00p.m, when I received a phone-call from their Ustadz who apologized and told me that he was not able to make it to teach that evening as he had to attend to some "hal mustahak".

In a way, I was quite relieved because I was supposed to go and get the cards and gifts for the kids' teachers for Friday's Teacher's Day Celebration while they were having their mengaji that night. So, immediately upon being informed that the class had been cancelled, I asked the kids to pack their stuff and change their clothes, and off we went to One-U to get the cards and gifts together. Saved me the headaches of choosing everything for them.

Anyway, we reached One-U at 8:45pm, and we were making our way to Me*or* La*e at the Lower Ground Floor when we bumped into......Guess who?!!










Their Ustadz Mengaji!!!


He was outside a gift shop with his daughters and wife. His daughters were obviously looking for cards and gifts for their teachers, too!

Awkward, I tell you. Really awkward... Hehehe!

So as not to make him feel embarrassed, I gave salam to him, and said,

"Ustadz pun kena cari barang untuk Hari Guru, ya? Samalah Kak Shana. Budak-budak ni, selagi tak beli kad dengan hadiah untuk cikgu-cikgu dioghang, selagi tu tak senang duduk! Nak kena beli MALAM NI jugak! Esok tak boleh! Nasib baik juga Ustadz batal kelas malam ni, dapat jugak bawak budak-budak ni untuk pilih sendiri, etc.!


Ustadz pun tersipu-sipu malu. Kesian pulak kat dia. But, I hope he knows that I truly didn't mind him cancelling the class that night.

I'm also a parent of demanding kids. I understand ;)

Anyway, we managed to get 4 cards and 3 gifts each for the three kids to give to their teachers.

Nak harap their Mommy buat cupcakes for their teachers (like a lot of my supermoms blogger friends out there! Bravo!)? Errrrr...tahun depan pun tak leh janji, okay? Hehehe!


Saturday, 30th May 2009

Besides my normal supir duties - sending and fetching kids to/from Chess, Guitar, and Swimming Lesson, that night Ayah and I sent Hanna and her friend Mira to Bukit Jalil for the Relay for Life event.

We decided to while the time away by going to Endah Parade. We were there at 9:20pm and decided to leave the place shortly after that.

How do I say this? Errrr...that was the first and the last time we would go there. That place was so....errrr...so-NOT-my-cuppa-tea laah!

So, while waiting for midnite - the time we told Hanna and Mira we would fetch them, we decided to go to my Sis Lala's place in Keramat, only to find that the whole family had gone to have dinner at my BIL's Kak Ngah's place in Hillview. So, my BIL invited us to join them at his Kak Ngah's house. All the usual suspects were there. (They are actually our second set of Majlis Tertinggi - the family version, who meet nearly every Saturday Night for PotLuck thingies at my Sis Lala's place in Keramat).

We left Hillview just before midnite and went straight to Bukit Jalil to fetch the girls, reaching home just before 1:00a.m.


Sunday, 31st May 2009

Supir duty again!

Morning - Sent and fetched Hasya and Hilman to and from their Dance Class.

Afternoon - Sent Hasya and Hilman to Royale Bintang Hotel (The Curve) for a birthday party, while Ayah sent Hanna to Kg Tunku for her Taekwondo training. She's competing in the MSSD Sports Meet later this month, insya Allah.

Evening - I fetched Hanna from taekwondo training, while Ayah fetched Hasya and Hilman from Royale Bintang...(Hehehe! Saja tukar angin :))

After Maghrib, we left for One-U to watch the 9:30pm show of "Night at the Museum II".

I tell you, it has been quite some time since I last had such a good laugh at the movies! Highly recommended. Memang a great stress-buster that movie!


Monday, 1st June 2009

My Abah and Mommy are staying with us the whole of this week, as it is my turn to bring Abah for his radiotherapy treatment at GH.

Abah has been going to GH on a daily basis for the last 3 weeks for his radiotherapy treatment (except for weekends and Public Holidays) and all this while, my Sis Lala has been bringing him to the hospital. It has been quite a convenient arrangement as her place in Keramat is so much nearer to GH, and as Lala is a SAHM, her daily schedule is rather flexible. Abah and Mommy had been staying over at Lala's place, and she has been attending to all Abah's and Mommy's needs for the last three weeks. God bless her! :)

However, we have to make another arrangement for this week as Lala and her family have gone to Bandung/Jakarta (they left this afternoon) for a family getaway.

As it is already the Semester Break for the Uni, my schedule is also quite flexible now, and after seeking permission from my HoD, I've been allowed to take time off in the morning so that I could bring Abah to the hospital for his treatment, and only go to the office after lunch.

As I'm writing this, Abah has another 4 radiotherapy sessions to go to, before he starts on a couple of brachytherapy treatment sessions, insya Allah.

Abah is responding very well to the treatment, in fact, he's doing MUCH, MUCH better than he did when he had to go through the same treatment when he was dignosed with his first NPC in 1995. Syukur alhamdulillah.

His face does not have any burnt marks, and he has not lost the ability to taste food as he did in 1995. In fact, it gives me great pleasure to see him eat A LOT everytime I cook for him and the family :) My Mommy said he has been eating a lot more than he normally would when he was at home since he stayed at Lala's and now, at our place. I'm really glad :)

He spends most of his time on the sajaddah, berwirid and berzikir after solat, and other times in front of the TV, changing the channels every minute or so :) So, the kids have been warned by moi to NOT kacau Jaddi in the living room when he's watching TV (or most of the times, the TV watching him! Hehehe!) Anyway, as Hasya is OFF TV now, there's no risk of Hilman and Hasya fighting over which channels to watch on the upstairs' TV.

Next week, my brother Eddie will be bringing Abah for his final radiotherapy session on Monday, and thereafter for his brachytherapy as we pulak will be away for 6 days.

Where are we heading to?

Remember my posting on our planned Bali trip dulu? Yup! It's next week, and we're leaving this Saturday. Ayah will be away in Cambodia this Thursday and coming back on Friday, and he'll be sending us to the airport. Ayah will only be joining us in Bali on Monday, insya Allah.

So, in case some of you were wondering why laaaaarrr this posting is SUPER-LONG, this explains this longer-than-usual posting - I'm trying to make up for my possible non-blogging week the whole of next week. Takut ada yang rindu kat I pulak nanti...Heheheh :)

We are so looking forward to the trip, but I am so not looking forward to the packing, y'all. But, what to do? Can't rely on the kids to do it, can I? Nanti ada pulak yang tak cukup benda-benda kecik nak pakai kat Bali pulak nanti... ;)

See you all the later part of next week, okay?

Cheers!

(Land of The Barong!!! Here we come!!!!!!)