Ajaran songsang...so to speak :)

I've never made cupcakes ever in my whole life. Never. Ever.

Errr, MAYBE once during SRT lesson during my secondary school lah, kot? But, I seriously can't recall making them. So, maybe memang never ever, kot? (Hmmmm...It's so damn obvious that I was never paying attention during SRT classes, huh? Hehehe...)

And I had never ever had the urge, or even any intention of making cupcakes. Baking and me - we just don't gel that well. So, I never knew what actually goes in a cupcake mix. But, I do love looking at those lovely pics of cuppies, cakes, and the likes - posted in blogs and also on FB by all my kitchen diva friends. It is just amazing to see how creative and how patient they are to have been able to come up with all those works of art! And looking at their masterpieces, lagilah rasa macam tak payahlah I even try making them. You know what I mean?

But, today - the IMPULSIVE me did another impulsive thing.

I had planned to just make some Spaghetti Bolognaise for dinner tonight. I was just going through my kitchen larder to see if I had everything that I might need for the dish when I realized that we had run out of canned button mushrooms (I normally put these AND also some aubergines in the sauce to make a wholesome campak-campak all-in-one meal for the family).

Anyway, as I had already mentioned to Hilman this morning that I was making Spaghetti Bolognaise for tonight, I decided to ask Zaidi to divert to Grand Union - the local mini (or more like 'midi') market before heading back home after work. And it was JUST to get the canned button mushroom. And I promised the kids, "Yes, I only have ONE item to buy, while you guys can go and choose one DVD each upstairs".

But like all women out there who get rambang mata when they shop, my mata also got rambang....(Pretty bad, huh? Kat mini/midi markat also can tak hengat dunia...)


Just as I was reaching out to get the canned mushrooms, my eyes lingered alsewhere and kapaaawww!!! There they were - all the baking ingredients arranged so neatly and nicely on the opposite shelves.

And I just didn't know what got over me, and suddenly I had this brilliant (NOT! More like "CRAZY"!) idea of making cupcakes with the kids this weekend! And I started taking some of the items which I THINK I MIGHT need to make cuppies, off the shelves.

And my shopping basket which started off with just a can of button mushrooms, ended up with -

2 packets of Anchor Butter
1 box of Blue Key Superfine-Superwhite Flour
1 packet of Tepung Gandum Cap Wau (I also bought this, just in case that THAT was the only flour I need and not that fancy Blue Key stuff)
1 box of Van Houten Pure Soluble Cocoa (you can never go wrong with Van Houten, right? I grew up WATCHING my Mom used it in most of her baking anyway!)
1 box of Silver Bird Chocolate Chips
1 box of Bunga Raya brand White Chocolate Chips
1 bar of Van Houten Baking Chocolate
1 small can of Royal Baking Powder
1 small container of that colourful thingies you just sprinkle on biscuits and cuppies tu? (God... I don't even know what people call it!) Oh...I just went down to check. They're called "colour strands" :)
2 packets of castor sugar
1 packet of icing sugar
1 packet of soft brown sugar
1 dozen eggs
1 packet of those paper cupcake mould
1 cupcake aluminium tray

I think the kids got pretty excited jugak with the idea. But, I could see it clearly on Hanna's face when I told her my weekend plan. Her face just screamed out "Biar betul mak aku ni..." HAHAHAHA!

Anyway, with all the stuff kept in the boot, and as Zaidi started driving us home, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't have a mixer at home! I mean, I THINK I might still have the hand mixer which I used 14 years ago to mash up the potatoes and carrots to feed Hanna when she first started on solids. But, for the life of me, I really didn't have any idea where exactly I've stored that damn thing.

And it also dawned on me there and then that I also didn't have a proper oven at home to BAKE the cuppies. Crazy tak? I mean I do have my Microwave Oven which I normally use to defrost and reheat stuff, and also to cook my Honeyed Chicken Casserole, but, I'm not sure if the microwave actually has a specific mode/function for baking cookies! (Or do I just use the Convection Oven + Grill function to bake the cuppies? And before anyone asks - Nope, I don't know where the manual for the Microwave is. Someone, please help!!!)

And it also dawned on me that I didn't even know how to START making the cuppies. Aiyaiyai!!!

Ajaran songsang betul.

Normal people would normally find the recipes first, and then would make sure they have the oven AND the mixer at home first before getting the ingredients and attempting to bake, right? NOT the other way round?

I guess I'm NOT normal then.

Anyway, small matter. So, the first thing that I did when we reached home was to google up "Cupcakes Recipes" and of course, the one that caught my eyes were "EASY Cupcakes" - which, after reading the recipes, didn't seem "EASY" to make at all! Well, at least for my standard lah, kan?

And God!!! I learnt something new today, too. I didn't know that "Baking Powder" was NOT the same as "Baking Soda"! Did you guys know this?!

And for crying out loud, what exactly IS "Shortening", people???!!

I was just reading the recipes, and had not even started baking any cuppies, and I was already having palpitations. So, after 10 minutes, I started googling up recipes for Brownies instead.

Brownies seem easier and simpler to make. But, then again - with me doing the baking, anything can happen...(OR CAN'T happen).

Anyway, one thing for sure - IF I actually go ahead with this baking plan of mine this weekend, please do not expect any pictures of our experiment, okay?

I takut nanti ada yang put off langsung from eating cupcakes untuk selama-lamanya ;)

Wish me luck, y'all!! ;)

AN UPDATE - After reading a comment from my friend Azlina on Facebook advising me to follow the recipe to a 'T' and use the exact measurements given, AND that even if I didn't have a mixer, I could still do it using my hand, I've since, come to realize that I also don't have any measuring cups, spoons or kitchen scales at home. OR a proper mixing bowl for that matter...Hahaha!

Of sleeping (or lack of it) and cooking (breakfast, that is)...

Salams and Hi! :)

I'm just taking a break from going through my students' dissertations. My head is starting to pound, and the fact that I'm finding it more and more difficult to read small prints nowadays is not really helping. Must make a point to get bifocal glasses soon. THAT, and the fact that I get so sleepy easily, too! Signs of old age.

But, I guess that, i.e. being sleepy, is not really caused by old age (I'm in denial. I know. So, shoot me). I know for a fact that THAT is definitely due to lack of sleep. I've been getting only between 5-6 hours of sleep for most nights for the last 3 months or so. This may be quite normal for some. However, for my standard, that's way too short a time for my beauty sleep.

I used to get between 7-8 hours of sleep (when I had a maid once upon a time) simply because I didn't have to do the ironing and tidying and clearing up the kitchen after dinner (and sometimes supper). And I only woke up around 6:45a.m every morning when Ayah and the kids would leave for work/school because Bibik Dar would take care of breakfast and their bekal, etc. Heck, sometimes I would be sleeping throughout and didn't even get to say my "Bye-byes" and "Muah-muahs" to them before they left. I know...Bad Wifey...Bad Mommy... :(

I don't really mind sleeping late. It's the waking up early which I have issues with. Well, at least I HAD issues with it initially. I've gotten used to it, and I've realized that it's not too bad once your body and half-awake brain get used to it.

The thing is, I would set my alarm at 5:45a.m every morning. BUT, somehow or rather, I would wake up even before the alarm goes off, and normally when I open my eyes in the morning, it would be 5:30a.m or earlier. How annoying is that?!

And I also have another issue. Every morning, I would be screaming to myself (in my heart, that is)- "What are you cooking for breakfast, woman?!!" And it doesn't help when the FIRST thing Hilman asks when he comes down every morning is, "Mommy what are you cooking for today's breakfast?"

You see, Hilman never fails to take his breakfast. He would just eat whatever it is that I serve on the table. No questions asked. No complaints. As long as there's food. He's a happy camper :)

Hanna and Hasya, on the other hand, rarely take their breakfast. They will only do so if the food I prepare berkenan di hati, and depending on their moods. Normally, their usual excuse would be, "Still kenyang from last night's dinner la, Mommy..." (??!!)

As for Ayah, he never fails to take his breakfast, too, but, he doesn't really take much sometimes because, every morning he would have a B&B session(*) with his friend, Dr. So*ha*dy at TMC.

But, when I prepare breakfast, I would prepare for everyone, including for Zaidi - the driver. So, you can imagine the amount of food I have to finish when the girls decide that they don't want to eat. (But, sometimes I would get them to bring the food as bekal).

Anyway, here are some of the items on the breakfast menu that I normally prepare - depending on how rajin or how malas I am in the morning. And you guys will definitely know which ones fall under which category for sure by looking at the list.

Nasi Goreng
Mee Hoon Goreng
Kuey Teow Goreng
Maggi Goreng
Cereals with Cold Milk
Half-boiled Eggs with Bread/Toasts
Dim Sums and/or Pau (instant punyer, okay? Just steam them up ;))
French Toasts
Campbell/Heinz Soups with Bread
Tuna Kepit :)
Egg Kepit :)
Omellette
Nuggets with Sunny Side Up
Boiled Sausages with Scrambled Eggs
Burgers
Hotdogs

And oh ya, this morning, for the first time, I made Kuey Teow Soup :)

Usually, I would finish cooking/preparing breakfast by 6:15a.m, and Hilman would be the first one to come down to eat, and by 6:45a.m everybody would have finished eating (if they eat, that is!) and left for shool/work.

And of course, how much work is involved for me in washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen after that very much depends on what I cook for breakfast lah, kan? Sometimes, I have to wash a few periuk belanga and kuali segala and kitchen utensils, on top of the pinggan-mangkuk, etc. Letih weh...

Truth be told, I've run out of ideas as to what else I can prepare in the morning. Please, please, please... I need more ideas for my breakfast menu, please. The easier it is to make, the better. The less utensils used EVEN BETTER! Hehehe! :)

What do YOU guys prepare/have for breakfast at home normally, ya? All suggestions are welcome, and very much appreciated ;)

Thanks, y'all ;)

And I only wished that I was one who could take afternoon naps easily, so that I could make up for all those hours of sleep lost, especially on long Friday afternoon lunch-breaks like today. But, alas, when it comes to this, my body and my brain don't seem to be able to work out a new routine which includes afternoon naps for me to follow and get used to :(

Sigh. Nasib badan...(dan otak...) :(

One month summary :)

Phew. ONE posting for last month. ONE. That's a record for me who used to blog quite prolifically :)

Blame it on the age. Blame it on my maidless status. Blame it on the weather. Blame it on my angin malas. Blame it on writer's block. And, oh yes - you can blame it on Facebook, too, as I find it lighter and easier to layan than my Blog :)

But, no - I'm not abandoning my Blog. It's too precious and too special to just be set aside. So many of my memories are in here, and of course - I've made so many wonderful friends through this blog of mine. So, have no fear. This blog is here to stay :)

This is for you, Amy ;)

Anyway, so many things have happened since my last posting.

I've made a major decision with regard to something which I had been working on in the last 6 years. I have not been happy, in fact - so many times I had been so depressed working on it. And I have not made good progress in the last 2 years due to so many things happening in my life. Ayah has been a gem and has supported me on my decision to just move on with life, and move on with so many things which I was not able to do in the last 6 years. Never did he ask me if I was sure of my decision. All he said was, "I want you to be happy... The kids and I need you to be happy...". And YES, I am so much happier now. Feels like a 2-tonne rock which I have been carrying with me in the last couple of years has been lifted off my shoulders. I am so blessed to have Ayah and the kids beside me. Nothing else matters. Syukur alhamdulillah.

I'm settling well with being maidless. It has been more than 3 months now. I've worked on a workable routine - if I'm able to do it, I'll work on it. If not, I'll pejam mata and work on it when I'm next able to do it :) Laundry kat dalam bilik belakang tu, toksah cakap lah... :) Selalu sangat pejam mata. Hahaha!

And, oh ya - we've got a new driver by the name of Zaidi. So far so good. He was working with my BIL before this sebenarnya, but my BIL felt that he no longer needed a driver. He prefers his wife to ferry their kids around, and he doesn't trust anybody to drive their cars. Senang cakap - he just doesn't trust ANYBODY with his kids and his cars. He was given the driver by my MIL's company, and I guess he felt obliged to take Zaidi in the first place. In the end, Zaidi was doing all sorts of filing work at his office.

So, when my MIL realized that he was not really using the driver as he should, my MIL suggested for Zaidi to be transferred to us. And the rest - is history :)

Zaidi ni pun, first impression working with us was not really good. But, we gave him the benefit of the doubt. He was supposed to report for work on 22 February, but that morning he called to inform that his motor rosak, and petang baru okay. Kalau ikutkan hati, mau jer suruh dia naik cab datang kerja, kan? But, sabar ajer lah... At least he called.

And last Saturday, he was supposed to come at 8:30a.m, and we got an SMS from him at 7:15a.m, saying that he could not come to work because he had to send his mother to the hospital. So, again - sabar ajer lah... At least he called. We gave him the benefit of the doubt. Again.

Hmmmm...I don't know how far and how long I can appease myself with this reason... Because I'm sure one of these days, I akan hilang sabar jugak, EVEN if he calls! But, for now - we beggars can't be choosers... But, overall - he's a much better employee than Sabarudin.

Oh ya... We finally traded in our old faithful Naza 2 weeks ago. The kids, especially Hilman, were sad to let it go. Kalau boleh, they want us to keep all our cars. Hilman said that when he grows up and have enough money, he will buy our Naza back :) And I thought that was so sweet of him. Anyway, we've got ourselves a Toyota Alphard in place of the Naza. And we're also thinking of trading in my ole Kembara as well, and membuatkan Hilman lagi sedih! He said, "Why Mommy?! We have so many memories in your Kembara..."( And yes, he wants to buy back the Kembara, too, when he has the money :))

At the school-front, the kids are doing well. They're having their March tests this week. And with all first tests of the year before this, Ayah and I have not really pushed them and/or sat down with them to go through their subjects. We normally just want to gauge their natural raw academic capabilities for every new academic year. Once the first results of the year are out, then only we strategize for each kid.

If their results are so-so, at least we can always tell them to look back at the results and set a target for them to always improve on the marks by studying. The problem is when they get really good results and they become complacent because tak study pun boleh score maaa! Anyway, we'll just have to wait and see.

Hanna's sitting for her PMR this year, and she's attending tuitions at two different tuition centres. One for her Maths, Science and Sejarah, and another for her BM. I hope they'll help her. She has always been a good student, but, I hope attending the tuitions and getting a better understanding of the subjects concerned will boost her self-confidence in her own capabilities more. She received the Sijil Kecemerlangan for her Form 2 academic performance early this year. The Sijil is given to all students who obtained more than 14 A's for their Mid-Year and Final Year Exams put together.

Hanna's also doing well in her co-curriculae activities. She's representing her school in Merentas Desa at the MSSD. She's also in the school Football and Handball Teams, and also on stand-by for their Netball Team (she played last year when the Form 3 players were busy preparing for their PMR).

She's also in the school Taekwon-do Team. She has been a Red-Black belter since she was 11, and had always been told that she could only sit for her Black-Belt exam when she turns 15 (which is in November this year). But she has just been informed by her coach who had assessed her during training, etc., that she can go straight to Black Belt without going through her grading exercise. Syukur Alhamdulillah :)

She's now busy practising for her Sports Day - she'll be representing Blue House in Shot-putt, Long Jump and also 1500m.

As with their Kak Long, Hasya and Hilman are also representing Green House in their Sports Day. Hasya's in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m, Long Jump, and Shot-putt. While Hilman's in the Long Jump (I know, right?! I pun terkejut when he said he's in Long Jump!! My chubby baby! Hehehe!). He's also in the Shot-putt and Tarik Tali events. But according to him, during Latihan Rumah Sukan, when the boys practise tarik tali against the girls of Green House, the boys tak pernah menang. Hehehe! His excuse - there are more girls in Green House, compared to boys :) Me? I say - "Girl Power!!!" ;)

All three kids have been practising really hard now, and all three kids are now quite sun-burnt. And Hilman has lost his title of being "The fairest of them all" to ME! So, ME being the fairest now - you can imagine just how tanned the kids are! :)

Okay, I've over-extended my lunch break. Got to go now. Have to get back to work. Hope this posting has covered all that I've missed writing on in the last one month :)

Take care, y'all.

* And Dilla - I'll work on the tag SOON, okay? ;)

Back to square one...

Remember Sabarudin Tukang Bawak Kereta which I wrote about here?

Well, it's Sabarudin no more.

To cut a long story short -

He worked for us for 20 days during which we observed the following -

(1) His driving was okay. Well, if you consider him nearly hitting a car coming out of the junction near our house as okay, and also if you consider him making a dent on Ayah's car by knocking on my MIL's automatic gate as okay, then he must be okay lah kan? You got my drift?

Apart from those two incidents, he would either be driving too slowly, or too fast at times. I find myself pressing on the invisible accelerator and brake pads every now and then, and that was stressing me out a bit, I tell you.

And he rarely used the indicator lights when he was changing lanes or when he was making turns despite being reminded by us many, many times. And that was also stressing me out

(2) He has to be reminded EVERY TIME to wash and clean the cars. We specifically told him during the interview that we expect him to take care of the cars and he should wash them as and when necessary (read "dirty") and we expected him to clean both inside AND out.

But, what happened was, everytime any of the the cars needed washing, WE had to ask him to wash them (bukannya suruh wash all 3 cars serentak pun!) He could have washed them ikut turn every other day, etc. And sometimes if he washed the outside of the cars, he would forget to clean the inside. You got my drift?

Berat tulanglah sikit. No initiatives at all. Padahal while waiting for the times to ferry Ayah and the kids tu, punya lah banyak masa terluang and he would just sit and read his newspapers (tak tau lah khatam berapa kali sehari!) or he would just doze off on the chair.

(3) He had problems answering our calls and replying our SMSs. One time, he was supposed to fetch Hasya and Hilman from school at 1:00p.m. but, by 1:30p.m he was still not there. Hasya called us to ask where the driver was, and neither Ayah nor I knew his whereabouts then. It was on the Saturday when the kids had replacement school and there were not many kids around at the waiting area that time. I must have tried calling him more than 20 times, while Ayah tried calling him more than that. I was at One Utama and didn't have my car then (as Din had dropped me there at 12:30p.m before going to the school to fetch the kids). If not, I would have just gone and fetched them myself.

By 1:45p.m when Hasya called and said the driver was still not there, Ayah who was still at the hospital then, decided to go and fetch the kids himself. Just then Din called saying that he was stuck in a jam earlier and that he only arrived at the school at 1:45p.m! He didn't answer our calls because he didn't realize we were calling him as his phone was on silent mode (?!). So, Ayah gave him a piece of his mind - why couldn't he just SMS or call us to say that he was going to be late fetching the kids? What if the kids were the only two pupils waiting at the school, and what if anything happened to them?! Nauzubillah... He could have at least informed us his whereabouts, especially when he was 45 minutes late fetching the kids, right? What's the point of giving him his monthly telephone allowance if we can't contact him, and vise versa?

(4) He was just not a responsible employee. And that was the last straw for us. It was Thursday last week, and Ayah decided that I should use the driver instead as Ayah would be at his TMC clinic and he was not going anywhere that day. As I was to have a class a 10:00a.m. that morning, I SMSd Din at 6:45a.m. asking him to come at 9:00a.m. instead of his usual 11:00a.m. clock-in time. And he did not reply my SMS.

I waited until 7:30a.m and tried calling him just to confirm if he had received my earlier SMS, and he didn't answer the phone. I tried calling again a few times after that. Still no answer. So, when he didn't turn up at 9:00a.m. I decided that I should just drive to work myself. Ayah then asked me to just wait until 9:30a.m. And waited I did. But, I couldn't wait any longer as I had a class to go to at 10:00a.m.

I left the house at 9:35a.m and reached the Tutorial Room just before 10:00a.m. (Thank God!) And at 11:00a.m, in between classes I checked my phone to see if Din had replied. Still nothing from him. No SMSes or missed calls from him. Nada. Zilch.

It was only when I checked my phone again after class at 12:00p.m that I got an SMS from him, sent at 11:35a.m, stating that he couldn't SMS or call earlier as he had to send his 2 kids to the hospital that morning as they had food poisoning, and he was taking emergency leave.

I say, come on lah... From 6:45a.m until 11:35a.m - that's nearly FIVE hours, don't tell me he couldn't just call either Ayah or myself to inform that he couldn't come to work, right? It wouldn't have taken more than 2 minutes for him to dial the phone and speak to us.

Ayah was really mad and called Din and gave him a piece of his mind (or make it - A FEW PIECES of his mind kot...because after that Din just stopped coming to work...)

And that was it. He didn't even SMS or call to say that he was quitting.

Even when I SMSd him that night to ask about his kids - whether they were okay or not, he didn't reply my SMS.

So, back to square one for us.

No Bibik. No Driver.

And my typical routine for the day now would be -

5:45a.m : Wake up and prepare breakfast for Ayah and the kids.

6:40a.m : Ayah and the kids would leave the house and go to school/work, and I would dump the laundry into the washing machine. Solat.

7:00a.m : Tidy up the kitchen, sweep the floor, and if larat, I would mop the floor, too.

8:00a.m : Get ready for work.

8:30a.m : Leave the house for office, and on the way, I would drop the washed laundry at my MIL's place to be dried.

9:00a.m or 9:30a.m : I'll be at the office already.

1:00p.m : If I don't have any classes, I would fetch Hasya and Hilman and send them to my MIL's place. If I have tutorials or lectures, then my MIL's driver would have to fetch them instead,

Between 1:00p.m to 6:30p.m, as the kids' schedules are different everyday, I would either fetch Hanna from school, send her back to my MIL's, or to the tuition centre, or send the kids to piano, or something along that line.

I would then collect the dried clean and crisp laundry from my MIL's place, after which I would drive everybody back to Sri Damansara, reaching home the earliest at 7:00p.m, latest at 8:30p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Hasya and Hilman have mengaji class at my MIL's place, we would go back to SD after 9:30p.m. But, if Ayah can fetch them and bring them home, I would go back to SD with Hanna first and normally the two of us would just have dinner outside on the way home.

If I feel like cooking dinner, I would cook.

If I don't feel like it, we would just eat out or order takeaway.

Ayah would normally finish work after 9:30p.m, and he would join us for dinner (at home or outside), or he would just grab something at the hospital.

After dinner, of course - I'd be doing the dishes and also clearing and tidying up the kitchen. If I yell at the kids, then they would be helping me out with this. If not, then I would be slogging in the kitchen alone.

After that (normally dah nearly 11:00p.m.), kalau rajin, I would do the ironing. Kalau tak rajin, then I would do some Facebook-ing :)

I only iron baju rumah and casuals now. All school uniforms and Ayah's work shirts are sent to the Laundrette on Friday evening to be washed and ironed, and collected on Sunday afternoon. That alone easily takes away nearly 3 hours of ironing time off my workload :) Of course this would mean that we would have to spend a bit more on the laundry bills. But, as it is, that would be part of the money which we were supposed to pay gaji Bibik, right? So, we're cool with that.

And THAT, my friends, are the reasons why this blog has been pretty quiet nowadays.

Many times I had opened my Blogspot account with plans to update this blog of mine, and many times I would just fall asleep in front of the lappie...until the alarm went off again at 5:45a.m the next morning for me to wake up and get breakfast ready. And the cycle continues everyday.

That's just how my life is at the moment. Back to square one, but, I'm more settled and organized now, syukur alhamdulillah.

Tired and spent - yes. But still hanging in there :)

BENGANG...

BIG TIME.

I am in no mood to write about what I'm about to write, but, I feel that I need to write about it.

I had vented out my frustration and anger on my FB, and I had comments, advice and support from friends which had made me feel somewhat better. Thank you so much, guys!

To all who are yet in the know, it's confirmed - Bibik Dar is NOT coming back.

And she didn't even have the courtesy to call or SMS herself to tell me.

I was the one who SMSd to her husband last night to ask her flight date back to Malaysia, and he got back to me saying that Dar could not come back because she didn't have any money left to buy her flight ticket. All her money had been used up to repair the house.

I then SMSd again saying that that should not be a problem as I could send her the money.

He came back and said that that was not the only reason. Dar has decided not to come back because she said there was too much work to be done at our house and she never got any rests in the last 2 years!

That really pissed me off!

Why the hell did she ask us to renew her permit and endorse her passport for the fiscal exemption thingy in the first place if she was not happy working with us in the first place?! To think that Ayah had to run around to get everything done a few days before she went back that day. Grrrrr....

She could have told us this before she went back so that we could have arranged for her replacement two months ago and not have to be maidless in the last 1 1/2 months while waiting for her to come back!

Luckily, when she wanted to kirim her salary back to Indonesia 2 weeks before her flight back, Ayah had asked me to keep the RM950 which we had used to renew her permit just in case she decided to do just this. I told her that she could send that amount back when she comes back nanti.

I called the agent this morning and he said that he suspects that Dar MAY have come back using the permit and all, and now might be working with someone else. Apparently he ada dengar-dengar from his other maids that there have been some of her friends who had ajar and ajak her to do this. NOW he tells me?!

I don't understand what exactly it is that she wants from us.

We treated her well. We bought her stuffs and things (shoes, clothes, handbags, you name it, etc.) We even bought stuffs for her kids! We tanggung everything - makan, minum, toiletries - even facial creams and cleansers, etc, and all other necessities. Heck, her shampoo was more expensive than mine! We brought her along with us when we went out for movies and when we ate out. She ate what we ate - at home and outside. In fact, I did most of the cooking and all at home. So basically I cooked for her! We let her watch her Astro Indon Channel as and when she pleased. We gave her RM20 IDD card everytime as and when she wanted to call home. We bought her baju raya, and gave her duit raya every time. We paid her extras whenever we had functions at home which required her to work extra hours. Every night she would sleep earlier than we did. We let her cuti at the agent's place whenever she requested to go there.

What? She wants us to send her for a 4D3N holiday at Pangkor Laut every month?!

I SMSd her husband to tell him that we would be cancelling her permit and lodged a police report as this is considered as Kes Pembantu Lari, and the implication of this would be that Dar would not be able to enter Malaysia again after this (assuming that she may still be in Indon now. If she's already here - I guess there's nothing much we could do). At least they would be aware of the implications, and should thank me for informing them.

But NO. He came back with an SMS saying that if this makes me 'PUAS' then I can go ahead with it, and he had the cheek to ask me not to 'ganggu' them again and not SMS them again, and that THAT would be their last SMS to me (?!) Apakah?!!!

I just had to reply saying that it was not a question of 'PUAS' or not. I am cancelling her permit and lodging a police report and all for the simple reason that if I didn't do that, I wouldn't be able to apply for a new maid la, BAGHAL... Just because their hati busuk, they think that hati we all pun busuk like theirs?!

I AM REALLY PISSED OFF...

I feel so betrayed. I REALLY thought that Dar would be different from the other helpers. My bad.

Hanna who saw how upset I was last night had this to say -

"Mommy, it's okay... We had coped well in the last couple of months without her. It's okay, insya Allah we'll be fine..."

Thank you, darling. That had tenangkan hati Mommy somewhat...

I am now seriously considering just getting a part-time weekend helper to help with cleaning the house and the ironing. An FB friend asked me to hold on to this - "Kalau larat, buat. Kalau tak larat, pejam ajer mata. After all it's our house..." And I think I'm going to do just that.

But, Ayah is not keen on the idea and wants us to apply for a new maid.

See la how it goes...

Frankly speaking, I've had just about enough of them ungrateful, tak mengenang untung lot....

It takes some getting used to...

It's 10:08a.m now.

Ayah had just left for the hospital 15 minutes ago and should be back by 10:45a.m to send the kids to their dance class.

Breakfast was simple - leftover Nasi Goreng from yesterday, and for Hilman, leftover pizza from Nachos Nachos which we tapau-ed last night. He didn't quite like it, so I had to add new toppings of sausages and more cheese to it. And the pinggan is licin already :) And Hilman said 'Thank you' to me three times for making the pizza taste better :)

It'll be a Sunday at home for us today, but not a relaxing one, I'm afraid. Ayah has to finish his article for MM by 6:00p.m today, and as for me, I plan to clear the porch of some boxes which had been there for the last one year and REALLY make time to send them to the intended recipients either later today or tomorrow morning. Apart from that, of course - the clothes need ironing, too. Anyway, I'm just going to iron Ayah's work shirts enough for 2 weeks, and of course the kids' school uniforms - all 15 pairs of them...again. First thing to do - to find them shirts and uniforms in that pile in Dar's room :(

And I forgot to remind the kids to wash their school shoes yesterday, so they're doing it now. Hope the sun shines the whole day today so that the shoes will be dry in time for school tomorrow...(Hmmmm...macam lyrics lagu lah pulak ;))

Sabarudin reported for duty on Friday, and I took the day off to show him the routes to the kids' schools/centres, and also to Ayah's hospital, etc. Also got him to bring Hilman and myself to Tesco that afternoon. It did make a huge difference not having to go round and round finding a parking space myself. It saved so much time, and of course energy because I had him to push the trolley to the car at the end of it ;) I didn't have him following me around while I was doing my grocery shopping, of course. That would be really awkward for me (and for him, too, I guess?). So, I just asked him to wait for me at the entrance near Pizza Hut.

So, Friday was his day with me and the kids.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was his day with Ayah and the kids.

He arrived at 7:15a.m as Ayah needed to be in Co*um*ia As*a by 8:00a.m. Hanna also had to be in school by 8:00a.m as she had Handball practice until 10:00a.m. Hanna was sent first, then Ayah. At 10:00a.m he fetched Hanna, sent her to my MIL's house so that she could get ready for her guitar class. At 10:45a.m, they left my MIL's house to fetch Ayah, sent Ayah to TMC, and then sent Hanna to OU for her 12:00p.m guitar class. As for me, I only had to send Hasya and Hilman to their Chess Class in Taman Tun at 11:30a.m and then came home straight. Hanna was fetched by Sabarudin at 1:00p.m, thereafter he fetched Hasya and Hilman and then off he went to TMC to fetch Ayah. They all arrived home together at 2:15p.m.

When I asked Ayah what did he think of Sabarudin, he told me that the whole time they were together in the car, Ayah had to keep on reminding him to use the indicator lights when changing lanes or making a turn. And according to him, they nearly hit a car as they were going out at the junction near our house! Hmmmmm...risau jugak, kan? But, I hope in time he'll know what we expect out of him. He needs to get used to our style of driving if he's driving us around, right?

Anyway, he's on a 3-month probation. If we feel he's careless and bukan pemandu berhemah, I guess we'll have to find another driver then.

I felt so much more relaxed, and I found that there were so much more things done at home with this arrangement. One of the things is that, now, I don't have to bring the semi-dry washing in everytime I want to go out sending/fetching the kids (fearing that it might rain while I'm out) and the laundry gets done earlier and easier. And the kitchen sink is clear and empty all the time because now I DO have time to wash the dishes straight away after our meals, and not have to wait until I'm done with the ferrying around job.

But, I think Ayah feels a bit awkward having a driver because he's so used to driving himself everywhere as and when he pleases whenever he's called to any of the hospitals, and now he has to wait for Sabarudin everytime he needs to go somewhere. Ayah may feel that it's so much easier and so much faster if he drives himself all the time. But, I guess it takes some getting used to.

As for me, I told Ayah that the driver is primarily for him. If Sabarudin can send and fetch the kids in between, it'll a bonus. If he can't, I can always ferry the kids. After all, their schools/centres, my office and my MIL's house are all quite near to each other. The only days which I may not be able to do so would be on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have full teaching schedules.

And the difference between Ayah and I is that I tak sampai hati nak bagi Sabarudin kerja more than his hours, while Ayah said I should not feel like that because we're paying him for his OT. Furthermore, he had been out of work for the last 2 months, and he probably doesn't mind working over-time anyway. And Ayah said, he should expect to work over-time as that is what's expected of a personal driver anyway. I guess Ayah has a point there. I guess on this issue, it's me who has to get used to the idea of asking Sabarudin to kerja lebih masa.

I guess we see things differently - we men and women. To me, I think he would want to spend more time with his family. But, to Ayah, he thinks he probably wants to earn more money to support his family. It's kind of reflecting how both of us view our own careers and lives, I guess. But, I'm still in a dilemma when it comes to ask Sabarudin to do OT. How la like this?

I guess in time I will know what Sabarudin wants from his job, and insya Allah we then can somewhat balance that with what we want him to do for us to make our lives easier.

And our lives will be even easier if Dar is around nanti. Talking of whom - she has yet to call... :(

Chicken Soup for the Young Love's Soul... :)

I went back to my MIL's for a short while over lunch yesterday as I had the kids' stuffs (which they had asked me to drop at their Wan's on the way to work) in the car. I totally forgot about it until about 1:50p.m.

As the bags contained their change of clothes and also their stuff for their piano class later in the evening (read as "unfinished piano homework"), I had no choice but to send them then. Hasya and Hilman finished school at 1:00p.m, while Hanna at 2:00p.m.

Upon reaching my MIL's at around 2:10p.m, I saw that Hasya and Hilman had just finished having their lunch, but I didn't see any lauk-pauk served on the dining table. So I asked them what exactly they had to eat, and they told me that they had asked my SIL's maid to make them Campbell's Chicken Soup which they had with some bread.

Hilman who was excited to see me home started telling me about school, etc,. When he's excited, sometimes he can't construct his sentences properly and it could be quite difficult trying to understand what he's trying to say. And it doesn't help when I myself do not make myself clear. And yesterday was one of those days -

Me : How was school today, Hilman? What did you do for Hari Maju Diri? Did you have fun? Hilman dah makan?

(My fault for asking him too many questions at one go!)

Hilman : Dah makan. I had Chicken soup with bread and I put a lot of pepper in it. School was good! We had to be in groups and we had to write about what we like. And Mommy, I wrote letters about the girl I like and then I put the letters 'HS' on it, too!

(Excuse him, please. That's his English when he's excited ;) Hehehe!)

Me : (And I was like...???!) You did?! What did you write in the letter?!

(I was quite surprised to know that he was bold enough to share with his friends about the girl he likes in school because at home his sisters would be teasing him about it 24/7 and he would vehemently deny liking the girl! So, I thought - "Waaaahhhh! My son so bold already, and so confident about this girl!"

Hilman : Huh?! What letter?

Me : You said you wrote a letter to ****** ****? Did she know it was from you?

(And I thought that was so cute and sweet!)

Hilman : Nooooo!!! I didn't write a letter to ****** ****!

Me : Then, what letter were you talking about, Hilman?

Hilman : NO! I didn't write her a letter. I used the pepper to write the letters of her name and my name (he meant their initials!) on my Chicken Soup la, Mommy!!! I didn't write any letter to her!!!

Me : Ooooooo...okay ;)

And I thought THAT was even cuter and sweeter! :)

That's my Hilman...Hehehe!

(And I must say that he has excellent tastes in girls. That ****** **** is damn cute, I tell you!)

;)

Sabarudin Tukang Bawak Kereta...

We interviewed Sabarudin last Thursday, and we're quite happy with him.

We offered him the job on Monday, and insya Allah he'll start work this Friday. I'll be taking leave on Friday to show him the routes to send the kids to all their segala mak nenek's schools/classes.

He's younger than us by 2 years. And when he told us his age, this was what Ayah said to him -

Ayah : 39 tahun?! Oh, ye ke?! Saya ingatkan tua dari kitoghang!

(I know, I know...Ayah can never be in PR. HAHAHAHA!)

And when we asked him if he smoked, he said, "Ya, tapi tengah cuba nak berenti... Kalau dulu 2-3 kotak sehari. Sekarang 1 kotak dua hari".

To which Ayah said -

Ayah : Tak payah "cuba" berenti. Berenti ajer terus... Kalau nak "cuba" berenti, memang susah. Sebab kalau cuba, you'll always have the excuse of 'having tried' tapi tak berjaya...


(Yup, that's Ayah for you. Straight to the point. But, he's got a good point there :))

And we heard from my MIL last night, her driver (who's a friend of Sabarudin) told her that Sabarudin has not touched the ciggies since Monday, and has been chewing gums instead :). So, that's a good sign. Hopefully, he'll succeed in kicking the habit, insya Allah.

The arrangement is still kelam kabut because Dar is still not back yet. So, our base will still be at my MIL's for the time being.

Ayah will be driving the kids to school in the morning and he'll go straight to work after that.

Sabarudin will only start work at 11:00a.m, and will go straight to Ayah's hospital and wait there if he needs to send Ayah to the other hospitals if he's being called.

From 1:00p.m to 7:00p.m, he'll be attending to the kids pulak - their tuitions, their extra activities in school, their piano lessons, etc. And of course, he'll be ferrying Ayah, too, in between. At the end of the day, he will send Ayah's car back to Ayah at the hospital, (his motorbike will also be there anyway) as there's no telling what time Ayah's going home on some days. At least Ayah will have his car to drive home himself.

On some days, Sabarudin will have to work until 8:00 - 8:30p.m, and we'll pay him OT. But, the fact that he'll start work at 11:00a.m compensates for this, I guess.

On Saturdays, he'll be working from 8:00a.m until 1:00p.m as that's when Ayah will have to run here and there the most in the morning. The kids also have their chess (Hasya and Hilman) and guitar (Hanna) classes on Saturday mornings. So, insya Allah there'll be less running around for me nanti. But, either Ayah or I will still have to send the kids for their swimming class at 4:00p.m every Saturday. Still, it's not too bad compared to what we have to do now without a driver :)

Sabarudin will be driving Ayah's Honda, instead of the Naza as we don't want all three cars to be out on one day. Mana lagi nak bayar minyak, nak bayar toll segala for all 3 cars, kan? Botak lah kepala if like that.

I will still be driving my Kembara myself. I told Ayah I don't want to use the driver, because on days when his last duty is to send the kids to my MIL's place (when they have mengaji, etc), if he's driving the Naza, that means he would be leaving the car there (at least when Dar is still not back yet, and there's no one at home in SD) and I for one is NOT going to drive the Naza back to SD with the kids after their mengaji! So, it's best if he drives the Honda, and send it to Ayah at the hospital at the end of the day, and I will have my Kembara with me all the time, and can drive back to SD after their mengaji. Furthermore, whenever Ayah needs to use Sabarudin when he's supposed to send/fetch the kids, I can always take over the job instead, insya Allah.

For those who didn't know - I have NEVER driven any other cars except for my Kembara. I refuse to drive the Naza or the Honda. The ONLY time I had been behind the Naza's wheel was when I had to reverse it as it was behind my car, and I needed to go off somewhere in a hurry, and Ayah was in the shower then and could not reverse it for me! That was the first and the last time I drove that huge machine. And I'm not going to start driving it now especially when we'll have Sabarudin to do the driving now. He's supposed to menyenangkan hidup I, not putting more stress on me! Hehehe! (Ya, membawa kereta Naza adalah sangat stressful for me, okay?)

Once Dar is back, things will not be that complicated, insya Allah. At least we have a fixed station in SD, BUT, of course duit toll will be sangat dahsyat because all their schools, extra classes etc., are held on the other side of the toll...

Well you win some, you lose some, kan? :)

Wish us luck! Hopefully things will work out well for us, insya Allah.

I hope Sabarudin will treat the kids like his own, and I hope he'll do his job well - amanah, jujur and ikhlas.

I wish him all the best in his new job, especially part nak melayan anak-anak I bercakap dalam kereta nanti, terutamanya melayan soalan-soalan maut dari Hilman Syauqi...Hehehe!

One thing about having a driver is that I will not have as much time as before to spend with the kids in the car. But, I hope to have more quality time with them at home, now that our lives are much settled, and now that I will be doing less screaming at the kids as I will not be as tired and exhausted as before at the end of a long day.

And I hope Sabarudin will enjoy his time with them like I do.

Welcome to the family, Pakcik Din :)

Leaving our comfort zone...?

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...?

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?)