of eid and a birthday do

My girl turned 13.

On 8th August.

Yeah, it took me that long to update on that.
Be assured Kakak, we love you loads and Happy 13th Birthday!

How time flies. I remember when she was small, with hair so thick, straight and black, eyes so wide and smile so cunning. And now she stands as tall as I am (I am short btw) and she is as curious as a cat can be, on topics I do not have answers for. Russian history, famous female fighters from ancient time, and she claims she can read a cat's emotion just by looking at the tail.

She invited some close friends the following Saturday and I baked Kek Nanas cuppies version with buttercream on top. Buttercream was a tad bit too sweet and not so nicely piped. We invited some friends in the neighborhood and my SIL for makan-makan raya as well. Just a small do with simple everyday menu.

Cleared the other-wise berserabut coffee table. Bought bekas kuih raya with wooden lid from Metrojaya and I arranged them in a metal tray bought dirt-cheap at KK Home Deco during one of my trips to PDM Ampang Hilir years ago.

Some chocolates in a glass vase. The vase is one of three, a wedding present I got from my housemates in Vista Angkasa. And grapes in a salad bowl. Pagi tu sempat pegi nursery kejap cari pokok bunga. Too bad the next day semut dah berkerumun and I had to transfer it outside.  

Nasi Goreng (first to finish, we topped up with fried bihun), fried chicken wings, Kek Gula Hangus and sambal kicap.

Made Spaghetti Bolognese as well. I also did Jelly Custard but not in picture. Last guests left at 10:30 pm. Tired? Yes. Happy? Indeed.

Anyway.

Salam Aidil Fitri! Maaf Zahir Batin.
Yeah, I know, that late.

of achievements & jelly-custard recipe

Ramadhan 2014 - Day 16. Dah lebih separuh bulan puasa. Alhamdulillah. Mari doakan saudara mara kita di Gaza yang sedang diuji hebat. Dan kesemua saudara mara kita yang ditimpa kesulitan tak kira di mana pun mereka. Yang mampu bersedekah wang ringgit, sedekahlah. Paling tidak, berdoalah.

Hari Isnin minggu lepas, Kakak terima watikah perlantikan sebagai Pengawas Pusat Sumber sekolah. Finally! Berbulan-bulan lamanya acara sepatutnya diadakan, baru Isnin lepas betul-betul terjadi. Waktu dia tamat sekolah kebangsaan, kami galakkan dia to be an active student. Waktu sekolah kebangsaan, she was an intovert, quiet student. When she told us she was appling for Pengawas PSS, ofkos lah kami sangat galakkan. And maklumkan dia that jawatan comes with responsibility and that she should not take lightly on the roles she's entrusted with.

On the same day, Iman told he nama dia kena panggil naik stage masa perhimpunan. Ahhh sudahh.... ingatkan kena denda ke apa. Rupanya dia dapat badge, Murid Mithali. Congrats Abang.

Exactly Ramadhan 10 years ago way back in 2004, I was heavily pregnant with him. On 20th Ramadhan, I gave birth to him. Never expected Allah to select us to raise a special child. It was (and still is) not sugar-and-spice-and-everything's-nice kinda thing. It was an emotional ups and downs. It was a winding road. Nevertheless, alhamdulillah, banyak belajar tentang banyak perkara. And I know more about myself. Susah nak explain, it's like mencari diri sendiri.

Of late, he's been all curious and asks lots of questions about lots of things. If he's not satisfied with our answers, he googles them up the net. Everytime there's Hari Akademik, the same comments on him being unable to concentrate, fidgeting and whatnots. And the latest, his class teacher commented that he does not act his age. He's 10 but he's 7. Imagine him back in 2011, starting year 1 at 7 years old but inside him is like a 4 years old. Must be pretty scary to be (almost) alone without us fimiliar faces in a big school.

Anyway, I am happy with his curiosity. Go explore. Go widen your world boy. I will always hold your hands until you let mine go.

Di bawah ni, saya kongsikan resepi Jelly Custard. Similar with puding trifle, cuma bahagian bawahnya tak swiss roll, instead buat custard. First time makan this combination (jelly+custard) kat rumah Elin waktu visit dia and her baby. Sejuk-sejuk... sedappp.

Bahan-bahan
1. 1 tin susu sejat cair
2. 1 tin air (sukat guna tin susu yang sama)
3. 3 sudu besar tepung custard
4. 3 sudu besar gula
5. 2 kotak jelly serbuk (saya guna Nona)
6. 1 tin buah pic dalam tin (saya guna sliced peach) - ambil buah saja

- Masukkan susu sejat, 1/2 tin air dan gula dalam periuk. Masak atas api sederhana hingga mendidih perlahan dan gula hancur.
- Campurkan 1/2 tin air dengan tepung kastad.
- Alih periuk berisi campuran susu dari api sebentar. Tuang campuran tepung kastad ke dalam campuran susu sambil mengacau.
- Kembalikan periuk ke atas dapur, teruskan memasak hingga agak likat. Hati-hati jangan sampai campuran berketul. Sentiasa kacau. Personally, saya lebih suka gunakan whisk.
- Tuang dalam acuan dan biarkan sejuk.

- Masak jelly serbuk seperti arahan pada kotak.
- Susun buah pic atas campuran kastad yang telah sejuk.
- Tuang jelly yang masih panas secara perlahan-lahan ke atas custard. Pastikan susunan buah pic tidak huru hara :)
- Biarkan sejuk sedikit, kemudian masukkan ke dalam fridge.

* Saya tambah sedikit cream corn dalam adunan kastad. Tapi anak-anak lagi suka plain, with no corn.

** Boleh juga di makan dengan whipped cream (gemok gemok!)

Selamat mencuba dan selamat meneruskan Ramadhan dengan lebih khusyuk lagi..

 

 

 

 

dear Kakak..

 

This, explains result UPSR Kakak and how she, and we feel about it.

I understand to the eyes of a 12yo, this is a big thing, especially when the teachers targeted her to get straight A’s. While she was trying to cope with emotion of not getting what she wanted, I was trying hard myself – to cope seeing her so sad and broken. A senior at work once told me, when children are babies, we are physically exhausted. When they grow up, we are emotionally challenged.

I actually knew her result before she did. I text-ed the sms-system provided. And alhamdulillah, when the reply came, I was calm and composed. I have prayed for the best things for her and insyaAllah this, is the best for her. Of course I wanted her to get what she wanted – 5A’s. Nonetheless, I have taught myself to accept and embrace my children strengths and weaknesses alike. 

Dear Kakak, 

In life, you have to learn how to win but you must know how to accept defeat. Your life journey is way ahead of you from where you are now. There will be many wins and defeats, laughter and cries, happiness and sadness, successes and failures. I want you to embrace your life to the fullest. Sometimes we need to lose so we know the meaning of winning. Sometimes after we cry we appreciate more of the things that make us laugh. At times we will be happier after undergoing sadness. Sometimes we fail many times before we can have a taste the sweetness of success. Sometimes we fall, we hurt but most importantly we must get up and stand again. Those are life lessons what will teach you many things. You will be a strong person. You will be able to get your principles right and stick to those. And you will be able to always stand for your rights. And my utmost hope and prayer is that, for you to be able to stand on your own two feet when we’re gone. 

Dear Kakak, 

My friends convey their congratulations to you. They say do not worry too much about grades at this point. They say value life as a whole, not solely on what is written on the result slip. They say, not getting what you wanted in not the end of everything. Everything ends when you stop striving for the better. They say you have others talents and you must never forget that. 

I totally agree. 

Those are exactly my thoughts as well. 

post UPSR 2013

Kakak with close friends on last day of UPSR

It's been awhile huh? In between my last entry and now, there were moving office, Raya do office-version, UPSR and a short getaway to One World.

Let me bore you with UPSR.

I am a first time mom with child sitting for UPSR. I didn't know I was able to be ever so worried! While the calon slept peacefully in her room, I woke up at 3:00 am tossing and turning not being able to sleep! No wonder I got offended at a friend's remark 'ala, rileks la.. UPSR je pun'. Fine. Your eldest is attending kindy right? And your youngest is still in diaper if I am not mistaken. Yeah sure everyone is entitled to his/her opinion but to convey such remark the night before UPSR, it was so uncalled for. 

I told Kakak to do (and pray) her best. That was her first big exam (she reminded me that I told her the same thing when she sat for her UPKK last year :P) Nevertheless, I made it known to her, she still has a very long road ahead of her. A good start doesn't always guarantee a good ending. And a bad start doesn't always mean a bad ending too. Most importantly to always try to be better. Once we stop doing that, that's when failure comes in. Perhaps that was a tad too serious for a 12 year old but I told her exactly that anyway. And to always remember whatever result she gets, that would be the best that Allah Bestows upon her. Something I need to keep on reminding myself at the back of my mind as well :D

And apparently she has something to tell and remind us too. Her decision and point of view. Whatever result she gets, she's staying home and will be schooling at the nearest secondary school. She feels that would be the best for her.

Having been sent to a fully boarding school when I was 12, I totally agree with her. I feel that would be the best for us.

eid 2013 ii - a very hearty strawberry birthday!

Hearty Strawberry Cheese cake for the birthday girl. that was the best deco that I could do he he. 

Coincidently, 1st Eid 2013 that fell on 8th August was also Kakak's 12 birthday. In anticipation of that, I baked a Strawberry Cheesecake for her birthday and brought that right up from KL to Tgg.. siap transit kat Temerloh lagi :D

It feels like just yesterday when I first held her in my arms, looking those chubby cheeks and abundant of hair! And just few days back, she was cutting her cake on her 12th birthday! How time flies.

the boys in their traditional attire

apples of my eyes! seated L-R - Iman, Kakak, Adam. 9, 12 and 5yo respectively. 

It was a rather 'quiet' Eid in Tebby's kampung. Unlike previous years, almost non-stop flow of relatives, friends and children came. I wonder if death of our elders makes us grow apart?

 

our spelling bee

Came back from work yesterday to a happy face proudly showing off her trophy.
She said Omar won the first place coz she misspelled one word.

To her it's a winning trophy she can put on display :)

To us it's an effort of her getting out from the comfort of cocoon. She's shy and timid. A total different person from the then bubbly, friendly, talkative baby toddler that she was. When she told us she was registering herself for the contest, we absolutely supported her to go ahead. 

And she won.
You go girl!
We still have spaces for more trophies..

report card day SK BTHO 2

credit: www.onlygags.com

:D

Ours (Kakak and Iman that is) was last Tuesday. Sorang pagi sorang petang. Adam pun nak nyelit sama mintak hantar jemput dia to fro Genius Aulad. So we took a day leave.

Alhamdulillah both are coping, educationally. Kakak dapat no 2 dalam kelas and will be in second class (now she's in third). I have some reservations about shuffling classes just months before the big exam. Her class teacher ensured us this is for the students' benefits. I sincerely hope the focus will not be on just 5A-potentials. Anak-anak kelas belakang pun harap dilupa jangan. Kakak needs to buck up her Science and Math. Like me, she is struggling with Math but as she progresses we can see the improvement. While I, still struggling he he. No wonder I always overspent. Tapi, kebolehan bersosial si Kakak ni kurang sikit. She's very shy. Kawan dia pun jenis pendiam macam dia. If she needs to ask, she will ask tapi dia pegi depan tanya cikgu personally.

Tapi kat rumah kuat pulak suara Kakak ye?

As for Iman, days prior to Tuesday he kept on reminding us to be at the school on time. Reason being, lepas jumpa cikgu, dia boleh ikut balik :D He's coping as well, educationally. Cikgu cakap his score is between 80%-90%. It came as a surprise to us.. sebab kalau buat homework dia punyalah liat pastu main bubuh je sebab nak cepat siap. For a child like him, I won't compare him too much with his peers. Most importantly he has shown improvements from what and who he was months ago to him, now.

But I have one big concern. He hasn't got many friends in school. He has few friends he often spends break-time with. Some even share his food and sometimes went overboard pow-ing his pocket money. He still has few autistic traits we still have to deal with, among which the tendency not to socialize.

Oh ya, he proudly announced last few weeks he can now pronounce words with 'R' correctly. Sebelum ni dia tak boleh sebut 'R' betul-betul. 

Tuesday went by more tiring and hectic that our normal working days. Perhaps because on those days we are so cooped up in the office sitting on our comfy chair and hardly move around except to the loo and to the water dispenser! Kids were happy being sent and fetch to and fro. We brought Kakak to Jusco nearby and Tebby paid for 2 tees (which I picked) for Kakak. We sent and fetch Adam to and fro Genius Aulad.. much to his delight and insisted that we should do it more often :P We brought the boys to Carrefour to pass time before fetching Kakak from sekolah Agama.

Tiring but indeed a good day to us all :D

tea tree for jerry-woes

I am officially dealing with teenager hormonal woes - Numero uno - jerry-woes! We only have one teenager at home so take your lucky guess.

Small zits near her nose and her forehead. They come and go and after a while on Cetaphil as cleanser and a light dot of my obat jerawat (it says not to be used by under 12 but she'll be 12 this August so I guess a light dot wouldn't make much difference on the 3-4 months age gap :P), I decided to take one step further...

So here.. things specifically for her jerry-woes - Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash and Tree Tree Oil from The Body Shop.

And, in my usual fussy-mother mode, I make sure she wash her hands before washing her face and that she apply the oil before bed every night.

2 days later she made an announcement - It works Ummi. Jerawat Kakak dah kecut.
So, it works! Now I should use hers instead :D

And ooohh, please use separate tower to lap your face please!

Told y'all, I am fussy like that..

painted :: she draws!

Almost there! Our house. I don't think it'll be 100% done comes middle Dec but I appreciate of we can move in back by then, albeit 80% or 90% done. Hot shower please! Been coming back home late these days and the weather is not cooperative where natural lighting is concerned. Hence no better photo. And please excuse this one, was taken this morning before we left for work. Still gelap. Exterior is painted antique bronze (Jotun's).

Living hall and dining area (original). We previously painted it chiffon. Tebby opted for Jotun's olive this time around. I normally go for dark colored furniture. Not sure it my pick will fit in this scheme. We'll see la how. I don't want to weight down the whole tone.

Extended area. Low, awkward beams.I am not a fan of this dome thingy but let's not chop off anyone's head, shall we. This is to give way for ceiling fan. Square shaped down-lights.

Anyway, sharing some of drawings done by Tebby and Kakak during their father-daughter bonding time over dinner the other day. Puss in Boots done by Tebby. Kitty by Kakak. I love how she draws 'fur' along the edge and the details on Kitty's boots.

Tebby's. Loads of superheroes and stuff. The boys love anything of this sort. When Tebby's not around and the boys are in in one of their superheroes mood, I'm done! Kenapa tak macam abah lukis? Bukan macam ni la Ummi.

Kakak's Howling Wolf on a Small Hill. Cute eh? With a pluffy tail and all.

Kakak's Dancing Kitty in Black Boots. It is not 100% done yet. When she's done with UPSR next year, we are seriously thinking on enrolling her in art classes.

Anyway, I went to TM's helipad this morning. It's on 60th floor. Alhamdulillah th weather was good and kind enough. It was a little hot but loads of fun. Shall upload some proof later :D

fever!

The heat is on!
Exam fever that is !

Ummi dah start kelas intensive home tuition :D So far we're doing good. Err..  Iman already requested Tebby to replace me as their coach :P Iman needs to sit for this exam to ascertain which class he will be in next year. The rest of the year, no exams. Just tests, course-works, homework-based assignments etc. Problem with Iman is, unlike Kakak, his attention distracts easily. He needs more breaks in between. And barely after 15 minutes he started goofing around. Much to my irritation. Especially when I checked, he has more wrongs than rights. 

Tu la, main-main lagi, kan dah banyak salah. Buat correction!

I saw him head-down, I thought he gigih mengira (it was Math that time). When I stood close to him to check the progress, I saw his book dripping wet. Ha.. kuasa air mata! He was calculating while sobbing :P Dah maknya berdiri dekat-dekat tu, terus melalak sambil peluk maknya dengan gaya penuh keinsafan (sempat blame Kakak dia, he said Kakak provoked him to goof around)

image - google images

As for my girl, boy how time really flies! Seems like yesterday that I gave birth to a baby girl with hair so thick and today (and for the next 3 more days), she sits for her first big exam, UPKK (Ujian Penilaian Kelas KAFA). Earlier today we picked her up from school, hantar to taska to change and then brought her for lunch before sending her off for the exam. I strike a deal with my boss to take an hour extra of lunch time just to ensure Kakak sempat pegi exam (her usual transportation fetches her at 2.15pm, exam starts at 2.00pm) Over lunch, I was lecturing her to start with bismillah, baca doa and whatnots, don't panic and eventually, just tembak kalau dah sampai last minute pun tak boleh jawab. She looked at me and asked 'Do you know what species of cats that don't have fur?' Adoilah...But I know, one is Spinx, right?

Anyway, she'll be sitting for exams 2 weeks straight (with few days between UPKK and final exam sekolah kebangsaan). Her sekolah kebangsaan's result is yoyo-ing. But I have warned her to be more serious and to put more effort next year. Err... I was not sure to whom the message was conveyed most. She or me hihi.

image - google images

Next year Kakak will sit for UPSR. I need to buy this book I guess ha ha. And when Kakak sits for her PMR in 2016 (if that exam still exists), Iman sits for his UPSR (if the exam still exists) in the same year. 2016 - more de-stress books for me hihi.. Yang, I'll buy the books myself, you pwetty please belanja me pegi spa okeh.

little archeologists

Three of them to be exact! :D

Kakak bought this crystal mining kit last weekend. The boys tumpang as well (much to her irritation actually) :D The kit is actually man-made mine with 3 crystals embedded in some kind of plaster. No worries, hammer included.

16:46 - Started mining. Head archeologist hammering with her two assistants looking and waiting for their turns. At the back of the kit, it said it may take few hours to finish. Not wanting them to get impatient, I told them the fact that real archeologist at times takes days or months or even years in doing their work.

16:55 - First sight of two crystals. After 9 minutes. Not bad at all. The plaster is quite hard I was tempted to rummage through Tebby's toolbox for bigger hammer to expedite the whole process. Kakak reminded me to be patience and told me that real archeologist at times take days, or even months yada yada yada..

Only after the first sight of two crystals, Iman was given the chance to hammer. Ketuk Bang, jangan tak ketuk :P

16:56 - Adam's turn pulak.

17:13 - Not so much progress since the last 20 minutes huh?

17:28 - Finally! The first crystal! Brown. The kids were super excited :D

17:39 - Second crystal. Color similar to rose quartz. This is the biggest one of the three.

17:50 - Head archeologist is still working on extracting the second crystal. Degil that one, I tell you hihi. Adam looks on.

17:56 - 3rd crystal! At that time we were not sure if it was brown or black or purple.

17:59 - The 3rd and final crystal. Purple.

Washed with warm water with little soap and they gleam afterwards. Much to Kakak's delight :D I need to find way to attach these to necklace.

I am glad they had good time doing that. As for me it was like waiting for birth :D Checking every 5-10 minutes to see to the progress and got excited everytime they managed to dig a piece out.

Just now she reminded me that she still has crystal growing kit, still in box. It's been years actually since she bought that. Okay okay, Ummi got the hint.