Saya memang notice yang Mariessa ni has a thing for shoes, particularly high heels and wedges. Boleh kata tiap2 pagi sebelum saya pergi kerja, mesti dia mintak nak try dulu wedges saya. Minggu lepas pun, masa saya bawak dia pergi ke kedai kasut, niat saya nak belikan dia sandals baru. Masalahnya, bila dah tengok macam2 jenis kasut, jeling kat sandals pun dia xnak. Saya tak berkenan masalahnya tengok budak2 pakai kasut2 yang bertumit ni. Kalau ikutkan saya, biar pakai sneakers or sandals je. Senang kan, diorang mana la reti berjalan.. Berlariiiiiii aje kerjanya kan?

 

Anyway, saya ni jenis yang tak reti nak ada kasut banyak2. Kalau dah sedap pakai, gi mana2 pun pakai kasut yang sama. Bila dah nazak kasut tu baru la kelam kabut cari yang baru. Baru2 ni wedges kesayangan saya dah jatuh nazak.. Makanya terpaksa la saya cari kasut baru. Cari2 wedges, takde pulak yang berkenan.. Last2 beli aje court shoes. Tapi tak berapa sedap pulak. Alang2 ada discount, ternampak pulak sepasang flats putih yang cantik. Beli pulak flats (my first ever flats). Flats putih tu ada bling2 sikit kat strap dia.. Sukaaaaa la Mariessa nak menerai!

 

Kebetulan hari ni, masa saya jalan2 kat Wangsa Walk (nak beli paper shredder kat Popular sebenarnya, untuk buat kerja saya yang 'non-value added' tu kan (still bitter, obviously), terrrr masuk lah satu kedai kasut kat situ. Ada pulak satu wedges yang berkenan di kaki. Maka saya pun beli lah terus kasut tu, terus pakai pun! :D. Retail therapy at its best!

 

Saya balik ke rumah lambat hari ni, sebab pegi mengeteh dulu dengan kakak saya, sambil saya mengadu domba pasal kekechiwaan dan kelukaan hati yang tak terperinya di tempat kerja. Pukul 8 baru sampai kat rumah.

 

Baru aje saya nak turun dari kereta, sebelah kaki baru keluar.. dah dengar suara tegas Mariessa memanggil saya. Saya ingatkan dia nak "sound" saya sebab saya balik lambat.. tapi rupanya...

 

Mariessa: Mama! Kenapa Mama beli kasut baru lagi? Asyik beli kasut baru je Mama skrg ni. Beli baru, lepas tu tak pakai, lepas tu beli baru lagi. Kenapa Mama?

 

Tajam tak tajam mata dia bila tengok kasut! Esok pagi confirm dia nak try wedges baru saya tu.
Mariessa12

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I’m feeling down. Upset. Broken-hearted. List all the negative emotions one can have, chances are.. I feel them. It’s only natural, one doesn’t go through life happily bouncing all the time, kan?

 

What’s different this time is that, I don’t see a way up. Not here, not from below this wheel I’m currently crushed under. And that’s plain sad. After 7 and a half years I thought the wheel on which I ride up and down and up again and again would never let me down. Not this bad. But it did. It just did. It doesn’t really matter, how long I’ve been here. It does’t matter how I’ve worked my arse off taking up new challenges and make every single one of them work (at least I thought I did, obviously). At the end of the day, it comes down to pleasing some people that matter. “Unfortunately”, pleasing people is something I am clearly not good at.

 

So, this is it – the third day of my realization that I shouldn’t stay on. Hopefully the day will come sooner than later for me to hop off… and move on. Allah knows best. Of that I’m sure.

O Allah! Make the beginning of this day good, the middle prosperous, and the end successful. I ask You to grant me the good of this world and of the Hereafter, O Most Merciful of all Who show us mercy!

O Allah! Give my soul piety and my conscience purity. You are the Master of my soul and the Guardian of my conscience.

O Allah! I ask You for a resolute mind and firmness in following the guidance. I ask You to make me thankful for Your favour, to be good service to You, and to grant me a sound heart and a truthful tongue. I ask You to grant me what You know to be good and to give me refuge from what is evil, and to forgive me – and You are the Knower of the Unseen.

O Allah! Inspire me with good conduct and save me from the evil of my selfishness. O Allah! I ask You to guide me to the doing of good deeds and abstaining from bad deeds and love those who are humble, and to forgive me and show mercy to me. And if You wish a trail for Your servants, take me to You before falling into it.

 

O Allah! I ask You for Your love and the love of those who love You, and for the love of every action which will bring me closer to Your love.

Allah! I ask You the best of the request for the best in my supplication, for the best success and the best reward. Strengthen me, make heavier my balance of good, confirm my faith, elevate my rank, accept my worship, and forgive my mistakes, and I ask You for good beginnings, good endings, the totality of goodness, from the first to the last, from within and from without, and I ask of You the highest ranks in the Garden.

O Allah! Grant us the best of outcomes in all our affairs, and save us from disgrace in this world and from punishment in the Hereafter.


O Allah! Grant us such fear of You as will come between us and acts of disobedience to You; such obedience to You as will bring us to Your Garden; and such certainty that the calamities of this world will be made easy for us by You. Let us enjoy our hearing, our sight and our faculties as long as You grant us life, and let it be the last to be taken away from us. Avenge us from those who have wronged us and help us against our enemies. Let no calamity be fall our religion; let not worldly affairs be our greatest care or all about which we know; and Let not those who have no fear of You and who do not show mercy toward us rule over us.

extracted from http://www.ramadaan.co.za/d_oh_Allah_i_ask_of_you.html

 

green

Was talking to Afiq over breakfast this morning.

 

Afiq: Mama, cuba Mama teka Abang dengan Kakak berebut apa?

Mama: Hmmm.. Abang dengan Kakak tu semua benda nak berebut kan. Banyak sangat Mama nak teka.

Afiq: Ala… Mama cuba lah teka.. Try aje.

Mama: Ok…. Hmmm.. toys?

Afiq: Bukan… Lagi?

Mama: Books?

Afiq: No…. Lagi?

Mama: Basikal?

Afiq: Tak.. Abang kan dah ada basikal baru.. Kakak tak pandai naik basikal baru Abang.. Mana boleh berebut basikal.

Mama: Betul jugak… Hmm.. Mama tak tau lah Abang berebut apa dengan Kakak.

Afiq: Ok… biar Abang bagitau.. Mula2 start dengan ‘b’

Mama: ‘b’?? Ala… Abang bagitau je la kat Mama…

Afiq: Baiklah… Baby boy!

Mama: Haaa? Baby boy pun nak berebut? Kalau ada baby boy, bukan sapa2 punya.. kita semua punya sama2 la ok? Jangan berebut2…

Afiq: Tapi, Abang yang doakan kita dapat baby boy. Kakak ada doa ke supaya Allah bagi kita baby boy?

Mariessa (dari depan TV tengah minum susu): Ada lah!!!!! Kakak doa lepas kita solat malam tadi! Betul!!!!

Mama: Kita sama2 lah doa, ok? Nanti, kalau Allah bagi baby boy kat kita, kita semua sayang dia sama2 ok?

Afiq: Ok…. Mama! Abang nak tanya Mama sesuatu..

Mama: Sesuatu? Ok.. apa dia…

Afiq: Kalau gajah terbang nampak apa?

Mama: Gajah?

Afiq: Ha-ah.. Gajah… Elephant tu…

Mama: Gajah mana boleh terbang??

Afiq: Ye lah! Habis, kalau gajah terbang nampak apa??

Mariessa (Still nyusu): Pelik!!!!!

Afiq: Betul!! Gajah terbang nampak peliklah Mama! Hahahaha (muka sangat bangga)

Mama: (cannot stop laughing)

Afiq: Upin Ipin yang cakap macam tu.. Gajah terbang nampak apa?? PELIK!!!!

 

AfiqMariessaCloseUp Afiq took this shot himself. ;)

and THAT is the first ever teka teki from Afiq. :)

Maher Zain - Freedom ( Official Lyric )


Gathered here with my family
My neighbours and my friends
Standing firm together against oppression holding hands
It doesn't matter where you're from
Or if you're young, old, woman or man
We're here for the same reason; we want to take back our land


Oh God thank you
For giving us the strength to hold on
And now we're here together


Calling you for freedom, freedom
We know you can hear our call ooh
We're calling for freedom, fighting for freedom
We know you won’t let us fall oh
We know you're here with us

No more being prisoners in our homes
No more being afraid to talk
Our dream is just to be free, just to be free
Now when we've taken our first step
Towards a life of complete freedom
We can see our dream getting closer and closer, we're almost there

Oh God thank you
For giving us the strength to hold on
And now we're here together

Calling you for freedom, freedom
We know you can hear our call ooh
We're calling for freedom, fighting for freedom
We know you won’t let us fall oh

I can feel the pride in the air
And it makes me strong to see everyone
Standing together holding hands in unity
Shouting out load demanding their right for freedom
This is it and we're not backing off
Oh God we know you hear our call

And we're calling you for freedom, freedom
We know you can hear our call ooh
We're calling for freedom, fighting for freedom
We know you won’t let us fall oh

And we're calling you for freedom, freedom
We know you can hear our call ooh
We're calling for freedom, fighting for freedom
We know you won’t let us fall oh


We know you're here with us

What are friends for? (Lepas tu tak tau apa dah…) Haha.. Enjoy the show!

 

I am often absent-minded, sometimes clumsy but rarely careless. But today…

 

Flashback kejap.

Semalam….

I needed to ‘PosLaju’ something to 2 friends and ‘PosExpress’ something else to another friend. So yesterday, after a quick lunch at the office cafe, I rushed to the post office in Carrefour Wangsa Maju and:

 

1. waited 30 minutes for my turn, only to be told at the counter that to purchase the Pos Express envelopes I didn’t need to take a number.

2. realized that to send those things via PosLaju, I need to wrap them up first!

 

Terpaksa la bawak balik everything dulu and come back the next day.

 

Today…..

 

So at lunch time today, I went again. Thought it was my lucky day since the PO was practically empty unlike the day before. Before reaching the counter, saw the PosExpress box first, so I quickly put in the PosExpress Envelope, and then proceeded to the counter for PosLaju process.

 

Happy that everything took less than 10 minutes, I went to have my lunch. Ordered chicken rice, was about to sms the friend who I ‘PosExpress’ed to, when I realized…

 

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO………………..

 

I.had.put.the.PosExpress.envelope.into.that.PosExpress.Box.WITHOUT.writing.

ANYTHING.on.it!

 

Tak tau la nak describe apa perasaan saya masa tu. Could literally feel muka jadi pucat!

So, I quickly gobbled the chicken rice in fact tak sempat nak habis pun, makan separuh je.. dah takde selera.. And rannnnnnnnnnn to the post office. (Ok, I lied.. I didn’t run lah… I walked very very very quickly je.. nanti orang heran pulak tengok perempuan pakai baju kurung lari lintang pukang).

 

Went to the PO counter, told encik kaunter what the situation was. Encik kaunter kata, “Puan kena tunggu posmen datang la puan.” When I asked pukul berapa agak2 posmen datang (Kat kotak tu ada tulis: Kutipan terakhir pukul 2 petang), Encik Kaunter kata..”hmmm selalunya dia datang pukul 2 lebih dekat2 pukul 3”

 

Alamakkkkkkkk…

 

What else could I do, kan? Smsed my boss telling him that I was in a ‘situation’ at the post office and that I would be back as soon as my problem is resolved.

 

So I waited. It was 1.45pm. Masuk kedai BATA tepi PO tu dulu.. (Best jugak selection kasut2 kat kedai Bata tu). Tapi hati tak senang kan, nak shopping pun tak boleh. Kejap2 jeling PO.

 

So, berdiri je lah saya kat luar kedai BATA tu.. eyeing the yellow Box while hoping that every guy with a bag who passes by was the postman. (Tak tau la kenapa saya bayangkan dia bawak bag).

2.30pm…. no postman.

 

2.35pm

 

2.40pm

 

2.45pm… penantian itu satu penyeksaan. Seriously!

 

2.55pm

 

3.00pm.. Aiyoyo..

 

3.05pm…. By this time I was on the verge of tears dah. Tension dengan diri sendiri. It’s the worst feeling ever, having done something sooooooooo silly

(and have no one else to put the blame on).

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

3.35pm.. I saw a man, in red baju pushing a trolley. Huiii.. berdebar2 dah masa ni! It was INDEED Mr Postman! Yeeeehaaarrrrrrr (Serious, rasa nak je belanja dia ice cream masa tu!)

 

So I approached him and told him I had put an envelope into that yellow box without writing the address. He looked at me and asked “ohhhh.., lupa nak tulis alamat kat belakang tu ke?”

“Errrrr.. tak… kat depan pun tak tulis!”

 

Terbeliak mata dia tengok saya. He must be thinking..”apa ke poyo perempuan ni?” Tapi lepas tu dia cepat2 la cover muka terkejut dia.. and said.. “ok, ok.. kita cari envelope tu… besar ke kecik?”

 

Cari punya cari… jumpa laaaaaaa satu envelope yang tak tertulis apa2 tu.. :P

 

Makanya… harap2 selamat la PosExpress yang “dijamin sampai esok’ tu sampai ke pangkuan kawan saya..

 

Aba… kalau dalam pakej tu bukan barang Aba… errrrr…… tak tau la nak cakap apa!  Sob Sob..

thinks it high time for that much needed holiday. *hint! hint!*

Mariessa’s birthday comes exactly one week after Shahril’s and Afiq’s birthday comes 2 weeks after Mariessa’s.. so understandably, Afiq has been very anxious waiting for his birthday to come. He got upset too a few times, not understanding whyyyyyy his birthday comes so late after Ayah’s and Kakak’s.

 

Afiq: Mama… KENAPAAAAAAAAAA Mama lahirkan Abang dulu masa sixteen?? (referring to 16th of April). Lambat sangatttt lah Mama, nak tunggu sixteen!

 

When Little Caliphs threw a birthday party for April babies short 3 days before the 16th, he even refused to acknowledge that he was included as one of those celebrated ones, saying “Birthday Abang sixteen… Hari ni belum sixteen lagi. Abang belum six lagi, Abang masih five!” (Yes, he said MASIH). :D

 

So 16th finally came. Berseri2 bangun pagi tu. We didn’t plan anything for the day, so in the morning I asked him what does he want for his birthday.

 

“Abang nak………………. Hmmmm…. Abang nak adik boy lah Mama”.

 

Aiyak. Why lah dalam banyak2 benda.. he’s asking for something I cannot buy at the store? :). But I thought that was very sweet of him. It took me a while to find the right answer to that.. but I finally told him we’ll keep on praying.

 

Afiq1Afiq at 1. Of them three, he was the most difficult for us to train on the car seat.

Once (about this age), frustrated that we ignored his crying, he took his shoes off and threw them to the front!

I always had to bring spare baju as when he stopped crying je, he would definitely throw up on me. Every single time!

Afiq2

Garang little boy.

 Afiq3

During his 3rd birthday party.

Afiq4

4 year old Afiq and 2 year old Mariessa.

Afiq5

Last year, right after his Myringotomy & Grommet op just a few days after he turned 5, in his baju ‘hensem’.

 

afiqnewbicycle

Ayah surprised him with a new bicycle on his birthday, this year.

 

(He got upset yesterday after falling a few times, still trying to get use to the bigger bicycle.. I told him with practice, he’ll get better. He answered, “Baiklahhhh… Abang akan terus mencuba!”)

 

Happy 6th Birthday, Sayang Mama. Semoga membesar jadi anak yang Soleh… yang boleh membimbing adik2, InsyaAllah. We love you soooooooooooooooo much!

 

In the car

Afiq: Kakak.. Empat campur dua, jadi berapa?

Mariessa: Tiga!!

Afiq: Bukan! Salah la Kakak. OK, kita cuba lagi sekali. Two plus four becomes?

Mariessa: Three!!

Afiq: Nooo... Salah lagi! Ok ok.. Abang tanya lagi sekali. Hmmmm... Satu campur dua jadi.....??

Mariessa: Tiga!!

Afiq: Yey! Betul! Pandai Kakak!

Mariessa: Haaaa.. Kan Kakak dah kata, Kakak dah pandai!!

--
So guys, when you cannot get the answer right, you get the QUESTION right instead. OK? ;)
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.

Di atas permintaan ramai.. (kalau lebih satu.. kira plural.. ramai lah tu kan?), ni saya ceritakan sikit proses2 macam mana terjadinya roti (di rumah saya). :P:P

 

Ok.. sebelum tu… ni lah resepi yang selalu saya guna (sausage bun ke.. sambal bun ke.. sardine bun ke.. saya guna resepi yg sama):

 

BUN MANIS
Disalin dari Blogspot Mat Gebu <- sgt famous ini blog. Kalau puasa, jangan tengok blog ni.. BAHAYA! :P

Bahan-Bahannya :
400 g tepung roti (high-protein flour)
100 g tepung kek (mat guna tepung Hong Kong – saya pun ikut Mat juga.. :P )
100 g gula halus
5 g garam halus
20 g susu tepung (kadang2 cilok je sikit susu anak2.. heheh.. tapi most of the time guna susu tepung yang kedai jual khas untuk roti2 ni)
1/4 camca teh bread improver
1 biji telur gred B, dipukul sedikit
11 g yis segera
40 g shortening (lemak sayur)
250 g air
Inti kegemaran secukupnya
Cara membuatnya :
Satukan semua bahan diatas kecuali inti dan lemak sayur. Gaul rata hingga menjadi doh. Tambah lemak sayur dan terus menguli hingga adunan menjadi lembut, anjal dan elastik, kalau guna mesin uli 10 - 15 minit dan 20 minit kalau gunakan tangan. Alih ke dalam bekas yang besar, tutup permukaan bekasnya dengan plastic cling, dan biar doh naik 2 x ganda, kurang lebih 45 minit.
KAEDAH LAIN :- Masukkan semua bahan2 diatas kecuali inti ke dalam breadmaker, pilih setting untuk doh, tekan "on" dan biar hingga siap.
Keluarkan doh, tumbuk untuk buang udara dan uli sekejap. Timbang 60 g untuk setiap bahagian (menghasilkan lebih kurang 12). Isi inti kegemaran pada setiap bahagian, bulat2kan dan susun dalam loyang yang telah disapu mentega. Buat hingga siap dan rehatkan hingga naik kurang lebih 30 - 45 minit.
Sapu permukaan roti dengan bancuhan telur dan susu dan bakar dalam oven yang telah dipanaskan pada suhu 200C selama 20 minit atau mengikut keadaan oven masing2.
Mat tak sapu telur, cuma lepas masak, mat sapu permukaan roti dengan mentega dan mat bakar roti pada suhu 180C selama 20 minit...

 

Saya guna ‘kaedah lain' tu bila buat roti.. sebabnya… tangan saya ni tak kuat.. Betul, tak tipu. Nak perah nyior pun sampai lenguh2.. ni kan pulak nak menguli! Suatu masa dahulu, pernah jugak saya cuba menguli.. aduh… penat! lepas tu.. roti tu.. kalau baling kat dinding, dinding pun retak! Kechiwa tau, patah hati!

So, after years of membelek2 harga (padahal harga tu sikit pun tak berubah).. and much persuasion..(ehem!) dengan ayat2 memujuk ‘best ooo makan roti homemade.. besttt nanti rumah bau roti… etc…”, makanya pada suatu hari yang bersejarah beberapa tahun yang lalu.. tiba2 Shahril offer nak belikan breadmaker! Yey! I lap you lah laling!

KenwoodBM Ni lah rupa BM saya. This is Kenwood.. errr apa ntah nama model dia. Kenwood 250 kot

When Shahril bought me this, it was RM499 kalau tak silap. I think the price is about the same now.

 

Dough1

Mula2 Puan sekelian.. masukkan je bahan ikut resepi tu dalam BM.. pastu tekan sampai function no 8 (untuk menguli je, tak bakar sekali) dan tekan GO! Tips yang saya pernah baca kat mana ntah dulu… masukkan barang2 basah dulu (air ngan telur).. pastu tepung.. pastu segala benda2 lain.. and seelok2nya jgn campur adukkan semua benda. Eh, mcm mana nak explain ni eh? Mcm ni.. Hmmm.. lepas taruk tepung tu.. nak letak pulak gula, garam.. yis. apa semua tu kan… saya tak lah dump semua benda campak2 je. Gula saya letak kat one corner.. garam kat another corner.. yis pun lain corner, gitu. Ada rational dia, tapi saya tak ingat la.. something about nanti yis tu tak betul2 ‘naik’ kalau kena garam ke gula ntah. Entah betul entah tidak.. tapi saya buat je la camtu. :P

Dough2

The dough in motion.. ni selepas 15 minutes or so.. rasanya. The whole process termasuk dia  nak kembang apa semua in the BM takes sejam setengah je pun. Sementara tu boleh sambung tengok TV.. no hal!

Dough3

Ni lah rupanya selepas sejam setengah! Bangga oooo bila tengok dia naik mcm ni. Tak tau la kenapa bangga, tapi saya selalu rasa macam tu! Heheh

 

Lepas dia dah naik camni.. ambik dough tu.. tumbuk2 sikit.. pastu ambik sikit (dalam 30-40g utk sausage size normal.. or 10g untuk cocktail sausages mcm yg saya guna kat bawah ni).. lilit2 kat sausage (yang dah dicelur).. pastu biar lagi dalam 30 minit untuk dia mengembang lagi.

 

Sausagebundough

Lilit orang tak pro mmg mcm ni.. kejap pusing kot kanan.. kejap pusing kot kiri. :P

Sausagebuninoven

Lepas 30 minit.. masukkan lah mereka2 ke dalam oven…

Sausagebundone1

Tat taraaaaaaa!!! Harum semerbak rumah masa ni!

 

Kalau nak buat donat pun sama jugak prosesnya… resepi dia lain la tapinya… Alang2 saya kasik resepi ni kan.. ni saya kasik resepi donat sekali:

 

DONUT
Sumber: Sifu Suria
Bahan A:
3 cawan tepung
3 tbsp tepung susu

3 tbsp shortening
3 tbsp gula pasir halus

Bahan B:
200 ml air suam*
2 tsp instant yeast* -

20 ml air - sbg tambahan jika perlu
Cara menyediakannya:
Bancuh bahan B*, masukkan ke dalam bahan A. Masukkan air tambahan. Uli 5 minit, terus terap atau buat bulat-bulat, letak cheddar cheese di tengah-tengahnya. (utk 1 cawan tepung, saya dapat 8 donut & saya guna sliced cheddar cheese; 1 keping bahagikan pada 4 @ 6 @ 8 bahagian - ikut sukalah ye..).
Perap (selama lebih kurang ½ jam) then boleh goreng dengan api sederhana.

 

Cara2 saya buat pun sama macam roti tadi.. masukkan everything dalam BM, and let the magic happens! ;)

Donutdough1Lepas dah siap dalam BM tu… buat la bentuk donat gini (ada acuan dia.. ).. ni mini donat ni… besar sikit daripada duit syiling 50 sen je. Senang kalau yg kecik2 gini.. sekali ngap je!

Donutdough2 

Kasik dia kembang jugak dalam stengah jam lepas kita bentukkan dia tu… See, this one kembang already?

 

Pastu goreng….. and bubuh la gula ke.. glaze ke.. glaze2, saya tak pass lagi lah.. Nanti saya buat experiment lagi ok?

Donutdone

Ni lah hasilnya.. :) Kalau yang kecik2 gini… dengan resepi tadi tu.. dapat dalam 100 lebih mini donat. :) Saya buat ni sebab Mariessa nak bawak ke Little Caliphs.. Ada 60 students rasanya.. so dapat la merasa sorang satu gamaknya.. Ye la.. orang kat rumah takkan nak makan sorang satu je kan? :P

 

Begitulah ye Puan2.. kelas masakan (errr.. kalau cooking class – kelas masakan.. kalau baking class? kelas bakaran? :P) kita pada hari ini ye? Sehingga berjumpa lagi di lain waktu… Selamat mencuba!!

So yesterday was the trial class for the aikido lesson at Little Caliphs. I was (as usual) excited for the kids.

 

Came home excitedly to know how it went. Reached home at 7.30 pm and tengok2 Afiq dah tertido kat depan TV. Dari the night before memang dah mula batuk2 pun Afiq ni, and tambah pulak dengan Aikido class agaknya.. penat. So I asked Mariessa.

Mama: Kakak.. hari ni kat sekolah ada belajar Aikido tak?

Mariessa: Adaaaaaaaaaaaa….

Mama: Ramai tak kawan2 kakak belajar Aikido sama2?

Mariessa: Tak pun.. Kakak dengan kawan kakak.. semua ada 3 je Mama! (sambil tunjuk 4 jari..:P)

Mama: Eh? Kenapa tak ramai?

Mariessa: Orang lain semuaaaaaaaaaa tak nak!

Mama: Laaaa.. ye ke? Best tak Aikido tu? Dia ajar macam mana?

Mariessa: Entah la Mama. Kakak dah lupa!

 

Dah agak dah.. :P

 

Afiq woke up at about 9, so I asked him then.

Mama: Abang, best tak class Aikido today?

Abang: Besttt!! Sangat hebat lah Mama, orang yang ajar tu!

Mama: Oh ye? Yang ajar tu laki ke perempuan?

Afiq: Ada lelaki, lelaki, perempuan.

Mama: Ohhhh… Ramai tak kawan2 yang belajar Aikido?

Afiq: Ramai!

Mama: Abang suka tak belajar Aikido?

Afiq: Sukaaaaa.. nanti Abang pun boleh jadi hebat!

 

Then he showed some movements he learnt. :)

 Din7 (92)

This morning, Mariessa was shocked to see I was getting ready for work.

Mariessa: Eh! Mama nak pegi mana ni?

Mama: Mama nak pergi kerja, lah!

Mariessa: Hari ni kan cuti?

Mama: Mana ada! Hari ni Friday kan. Friday sekolah. Esok, Saturday baru lah cuti!

Mariessa: Tapiiiiiiii.. Kakak tak nak pegi sekolah!!!

 

Sejak masuk LC, ni lah pertama kali dia tiba2 tak nak pegi sekolah. Heran la jugak. But the kids are all not feeling too well pun sebenarnya. Afiq dah batuk2 and mula selsema sikit.. Adreena sah start demam pulak semalam (she’s teething), so I guess Mariessa’s catching the bug jugak lah ni. Told Shahril to try pujuk2 jugak Mariessa tu since I don’t want her to get the idea that she can just skip school whenever she wants to, kan?

At 8.30 Shahril called to tell that Mariessa refused jugak2 to go to school. Beriya2 menangis. So last2, Ayah hantar Afiq sorang je la pegi sekolah hari ni. I called home to check:

Mama: Kakak… Kenapa Kakak tak pegi sekolah ni?

Mariessa: Sebab… Kakak nak duduk kat rumah!

Mama: Cuba Kakak cakap betul2 dengan Mama.. kenapaaaaaa Kakak tak nak pegi sekolah.

Mariessa: Ye lah… Kakak tak nak pegi sekolah, sebab Kakak nak duduk kat rumah lah!

Mama: MARIESSA!

Mariessa: Ok ok.. Kakak tak nak pegi sekolahhhhhhhhhhhhh… sebaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab…. Kakak tak nak buat tu!

Mama: Buat apa?

Mariessa: Yang semalam tu.. yang ada orang ajar tu!

Mama: Aikido??

Mariessa: Haaaaa… Aikido tu.. Kakak tak nak! Kakak takut!

 Din7 (48)

So.. tu lah rupanya kenapa dia tak nak pegi sekolah hari ni. Ish2. Looks like I have to enroll Afiq first and see if Mariessa changes her mind along the way nanti.

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I wanted to blog about this while I was in Melaka… but niat terbantut sebab hotel tu tipu! :P In the website, terang2 tulis Free Wi-Fi for all rooms.. Tapi when I called the receptionist to ask about it, she said it’s only available at the Lobby. Huh! And no remote for the TV in the room? Booooo!!! Troublesome ok, getting out of bed just to change the channel! :P

 

So anyway.. we went to Pusat Sains Negara on Saturday morning. Adreena was left at home with Bibik as I don’t think it’s going to be much fun for her. When we got to PSN, it was only 9.30 a.m (it opens at 9), parking was still ample but there were already a few buses of school children there. Tickets were sold for RM10 for adults.. and RM5 for kids above 4. But we bought the family package ticket: 2 adults + 2 kids = RM25. Jimat la RM5. :)

 

We went straight into one of the halls and saw this:

DinosAliveBlue

My favourite colour & my  little angels. ;)

Then.. masuk dalam lagi… and saw this pulak:

DinosAliveLobby

Masa ni 2 beradik tu dah mula nervous dah, I could tell! Mariessa kat sini pun dah pucat!

 

DinosAliveAfiqAyah

Afiq ok lagi masa ni.. Mariessa refused to go anywhere near the dinosaurs dah!!

 

Then we went into the Dinos Alive Exhibition Hall. I can understand why it’s a little scary for the kids lah. It was dark.. dengan bunyi2 from dinosaurs tu.. and seeing that they ‘move’ too…  I guess it’s a little overwhelming. It was really good, just a little scary.

 

DinosAliveAyahMariessa See how Mariessa berpaut kat Ayah tu? Hahaha..

 

Once we were out of the exhibition halls tu, terus OK je diorang. Kalau tak, pucat2 muka masing2. Muahaha.

 

DinosAliveAyahMariessa2

I think they had the most fun here.

 

DinosAliveAstronauts My astronauts! ;)

 

DinosAliveTransformers

My transformers! (Nampak sgt yang paling hujung tu la paling excited) :P

 

 

DinosAlive3

 

Din7 (87)

Ni muka lega… sebab dah nak keluar. :D

Din7 (89)

See how big that fish is? It’s just as big as that guy!!

 

Din7 (99)

One before we head home. It was fun!

As soon as we got out from that place, Mariessa asked..”Mama… boleh tak kita pegi tengok elephant pulak?” :O

The exhibition is only until the 31st of May, in case any of you are interested to go. I’d advice going early though (it opens at 9). By the time we left the place sometime around noon, it was really, really crowded!

Upon seeing both of Afiq's sippy cups in the bedroom:

Mama: Afiq! Kenapa ada sampai 2 botol Abang kat sini? Ni mesti tak bawak turun botol Abang pagi tadi ni!

Afiq: Alamak!! Abang terlupa lah Mama!

Mama: Ok.. Now go and take the bottles downstairs, please.

Afiq: Ok, Mama.

Mariessa: Haaa.. Tu lah Abang! Kakak pagi tadi dah caaaakap dah kat Abang, bawak botol sendiri turun bawah, tapi Abang tu tak nak dengar cakap Kakak! Pagi2 bila bangun tidoooooo.. Kena lah bawak botol turun! Abang tu kan dah six! Dah besar, kan! Tak dengar lagi cakap Kakak, kan Mama dah marah!


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I am always amazed at how formal Afiq speaks in bahasa.

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The night before we went to the National Science Centre, I told Afiq that we were going to see the dinosaurs.

Afiq: Dinosaurs, Mama? Hmmm.. Dinosaurs tu besar2 kan Mama? Tapi Abang akan PASTIKAN (dengan tangan 2-2 genggam and pushed forward) Abang berani esok!

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I was asking him some questions on mathematics.. Like 3 plus 5 becomes...? Or tiga ratus campur lima ratus..? He hesitated at one question,

Afiq: Abang kurang pasti lah Mama.. Biar Abang fikir dulu!

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He came to me while I was still baking sausage buns, wanting to salam me and give me a goodnight kiss. After the kiss:

Afiq: Mama, Mama tak habis lagi buat roti? Mama TERLALU banyak bekerja lah Mama!

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 AfiqbeforeHaircutAfiqAfterHaircut

 

 

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I'm on my way back from Melaka to Kajang after spending one night there. I have to admit that although I missed Shahril and the kids terribly, I am also thankful to be given some 'me' time too.

Before I left home yesterday morning, I told Afiq and Mariessa that I won't be back for one night.

Afiq: Aaaaapaaaa?? (His bahasa is soooo formal, it's endearing!)

Mariessa: Ok.. Tapi nanti boleh tak Mama belikan Kakak hadiah?

Chis! :p I said no, of course! :p

Anyway, for some reason I'm very indecisive today. I first stopped at R&R Ayer Keroh, thinking I should solat and get something to eat and after that terus aje drive sampai Kajang. I did stop, solat Zuhur, saw nothing interesting to have for lunch and decided to check R&R Seremban later. Sempat beli belacan tho kat R&R Ayer Keroh tu, and some tempe-chips (have never come across this) and errr.. another kind of chips made of tapioca (opak opak?)..

Sampai kat R&R Seremban, too crowded lah pulak.. So now I'm finally having my lunch at Hentian Nilai. :)

Oh anyway.. The initial reason why I'm blogging from this place is this:

I just saw a Malay man, I'm guessing he's about 50 years of age, parked his white Honda Stream, came out from his car.. Went to the other side of the car, opened the door for (I'm assuming it's) his wife (she looks to be around his age), took her hand and they walked hand in hand to the kedai2 makan.

All together now...

Awwwwwwwwwwwww.....

Ok.. Time to hit the road again! Have a big 'sausage bun' project to do tonight!
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Mariessa just came out from the toilet and asked me to 'betulkan seluar dia yg terbalik' before she can put it on again.

Mama (mode: membebel) : Kakak, kan dah banyak kali Mama ajar Kakak mcm mana nak betulkan seluar Kakak. Kakak kan dah four... Kena la pandai betulkan seluar sendiri, betul tak? Bila Kakak nak pandai betulkan seluar ni?

Mariessa: Jumaat!

 

P1040147


* Tak jadi Mama nak marah *


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InsyaAllah Afiq & Mariessa will be joining the Aikido classes held at Little Caliphs starting next week. I am super excited on their behalf. Thought I’d share this information here. :)

 

AikidoKidsColor

 

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Aikido-a-Good-Martial-Art-For-Kids?&id=3152430

Adults may practice Aikido for stress reduction, relaxation, self-defense, its many cardio vascular benefits, or a host of other reasons. But these are concepts that most children don't even think about or care about. So why is Aikido a good idea for kids? What can it contribute to their lives and yours? (assuming you're a parent)

Below are 10 of the reasons to give Aikido a try if your son or daughter has shown any interest in physical activity and specifically, martial arts training or if your child has exhibited signs of Attention Deficit Disorder or ADHD.

1) Aikido is a "non-aggressive" martial art. What does this mean? Basically that the main principles of Aikido don't encourage self defense at all costs. Generally speaking, Aikido classes aren't taught with a mindset of kicking and punching your way out of conflict. In essence, you don't really start a fight with Aikido - but you can certainly finish one. Aikido doesn't encourage kids to emulate the Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles punching and kicking their friends, siblings, dogs, and cats. Aikido technique starts when someone else "breaks the rules", i.e. attacks. More importantly, Aikido teaches kids that fighting is a last resort for dealing with conflicts.

2) Aikido emphasizes remaining calm, relaxed balanced. Of course, kids can't, and shouldn't, be calm all the time. But Aikido teaches them that they have a choice. If they need to sit still at school or concentrate on homework or focus during sports, Aikido teaches them the fundamentals of "going within" and gives them tools to help when being calm is necessary. This is entirely different from keeping their emotions bottled up. On the contrary, Aikido calmness feels good and, in fact, the study of Aikido is the study of communication.

3) Aikido teaches kids "practical" self-defense. I put quotation marks around "practical" to indicate that practical for a child is completely different from practical for an adult. Striking arts like Karate and Tae Kwon Do, although very good for health and well being, give children one primary tool for dealing with conflict: aggression. If your child only knows how to kick and punch their way out of a conflict they will have a lot of difficulty dealing with the more prevalent "attacks" life deals out: stress, bullying, verbal abuse, and disappointment. You see, if the real attacks in life don't look like or behave anything the attacker in dojo or dojang, your child will not have the proper tools to identify and then most effectively deal with the situation.

4) Aikido gives kids a positive world view. It teaches that in order to create something worthwhile you have to have goals, a clear picture of the intended outcome and then practice, practice, practice. Aikido teaches the law of reciprocity or, what goes around comes around. If you start trouble, you've lost. But if your mind is correct, calm, and positive, you can make something good out of whatever life hands you. In fact, Aikido training for kids teaches that its each persons responsibility to actively look for ways to make something good out of every situation.

5) Aikido teaches to enjoy every experience in life. Children have it difficult enough with increased homework, peer pressure, demanding standards and increased dangers all around. A serious approach to life doesn't always feel good and it usually doesn't yield the best possible results. Aikido works best when you relax and feel light and having an outlet for your child to "let go" and be a kid while learning valuable life skills can be a tremendous character building experience.

6) Aikido helps kids in, and at, school. By training in Aikido kids develop a calm, clear, and balanced mind. As a result, they absorb knowledge easier and can think and focus with greater clarity. Aikido emphasizes developing the full human potential and since children spend the bulk of their formative years in school, it is one of the most important places for this potential to be realized.

7) Aikido for kids helps with sports. Aikido classes focus on the very things almost every sport requires: stamina, sport specific strength and skill, relaxation, focused mind, proper breathing, centering, and being able to visualize the outcome. Unfortunately, most youth sports only emphasize the narrow sport aspect of whatever game is being played. While most youth athletics encourage having fun and team work, very few amateur coaches (typically dads and moms) have the proper educational training to teach children the other, more important, fundamentals mentioned above. Almost all of the parents of the youth that train weekly at the Aikido Grand Rapids/ Toyoda Center facility remark at some point of the amazing transformations that occur over time in their sons and daughters that they directly attribute to the Aikido for kids program.

8. Aikido is for everyone. Aikido does not require specific athletic talent or skill. In fact, athletic prowess can sometimes be a hindrance to understanding and executing Aikido techniques. The key to making progress in Aikido is simply relaxing, effortlessly moving, helping others and cultivating positive mind. Is there a better message for children?

9) Aikido works for people of all shapes and sizes. Since Aikido does not rely on size, strength, speed, weight, or reach, it can be effectively applied by children on adults. In fact, it can be quite surprising how much power your children can muster when throwing adults! Some of the most effective and powerful Aikido practitioners have been the slightest of individuals. Aikido utilizes an understanding of basic universal principles and emphasizes non-contention of force. Aikido teaches that there will always be somebody bigger, faster and stronger and not every "attack" will come in the form of a bad person. Aikido for kids gives them a large tool box of skills to draw on in a variety of situations for the rest of their lives

10) Aikido class for kids is good physical activity!  Plain and simple, we tire them out! Children that have ADD and ADHD show surprising results when they leave an Aikido class tired.

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Mariessa is confused on the usage of 'drive' & 'reverse'. For example sometimes when she calls, she'll ask.. "Mama tengah reverse ke ni?" Padahal she wanted to know if I was driving.

So today while waiting in the car for Ayah, she asked,

Mariessa: Mama, kenapa bukan Mama yang reverse?
Afiq: Bukan reverse la Kakak. Drive lah!
Mariessa: Betul la Kakak kata, reverse!
Afiq: Reverse tu kalau nak pegi belakang je la. Kalau drive, kita pegi ke depan!

Ayah came in, and reversed the car a little to go out of the parking space

Mariessa: Haaaa.. Kan Kakak dah kata.. Reverse la ni!!

-----------------------

Right before the 'reverse' conversation...

Seeing Ayah coming towards the car,

Afiq: Haaa.. Tu ayah datang.

Mariessa: Ayyyah Alas solaaaah.. Ayyyaah alas solahhhhh...

------------------------

Recalling the characters in Mickey Mouse show:

Mariessa: Ada Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Craaaazyyy..

Afiq: Bukan crazy la Kakak! Daisy lah nama dia!!



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On 1st April 4 years ago, I was feeling anxious. It was a day before my due date and in the morning I noticed a little spotting. It was Sunday and one month earlier, we had just moved into our new home. A few hours and a trip to the hospital later, I was still pregnant and found myself strolling in Jusco Cheras Selatan, looking for Laksam. :D.

 

Mariessa was (finally) born exactly on the due date: 2nd April 2007, at about 4.45pm weighing at 3.10kg.

Didn’t know 4 years can fly so quickly as it did.

 

Enjoy the pics! :)

 

 

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Happy 4th Birthday, Sayang Mama..

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We love you oh so much!

 

Apr11