Repository of Rants

Coping

Sunday, March 2, 2008 .. 6 commented .. Link

Losing someone you loved or closed to is a painful experience. We all have to go through it and when the time comes, nothing can escape death. There's no other way to go around it.

It's the business of telling the others about someone's death or dying that's puzzling. You call someone informing another someone is dying, that death is imminent. You don't know when exactly because.... nobody knows. So you tell them to stay put until further news.

What is 'further news'?
Usually, when it is too late.

When someone closed to us is dying, what are we expected to do? where are we supposed to be?
We recite Yaasin and doa, from far. We want to be there. Next to her, together with the rest of the family. But even if we can, it'll be too late.
So we grieve. We want to mourn for our loss.

The Believer should receive death, as he receives other calamity that may befall him with patience and dignity.

"To Allah we belong and to Him do we return"

I googled 'coping with death in Islam'. This site gives me comfort. Here's an excerpt:

It is not wrong to grieve. People who believe in God grieve for all sorts of things, including the callous and hardhearted attitudes some people have towards one another, and at the mess that human rebellion against God has made of His world. People with sympathetic hearts feel human misery deeply; some work to exhaustion to heal the sick and reach out to the needy. To see someone we love suffering makes us unutterably sad, and God knows that. He gave us the feelings in the first place.

But believers should not grieve in the same way as those who have no hope—for God promised His people comfort and strength right into the valley of the shadow of death, and beyond.

[Ibrahim said: ‘0 Lord! Show me how you give life to the dead.’ He said: ‘Do you not believe?’ He said: ‘Yes, but to satisfy my own understanding, (tell me).’ Allah said: ‘Take four birds and tame them to return to you; put one of them on each of four separate hills, then call to them. They will come flying to you with speed.’](Al-Baqarah 2:260)

When Allah calls us, we will surely ‘come flying’ to Him. Our earthly life is the separation on the hills; when we die, we will be called back to our real home, with Allah.

[So do not lose heart, and do not fall into despair; for you must gain mastery if you are true in faith] (Al `Imran 3:139)

.....

Al Fatehah

Sunday, March 2, 2008 .. 9 commented .. Link

Bila menziarah orang yang sakit, patutke kita minta maaf pada yang sakit?

I didn’t. Regrettably so. I pecked her on the cheek but that was about it.
She has been a mother to all of us. Even to Mak after Nek left.
I could’ve been there before she drew her last breath. But these stitches held me back.
Next to Nek, she is now.

Allahyarhamah Amnah bt Hamzah kembali ke rahmatullah pada 24 Safar 1429. Al Fatehah.

Bedsore

Friday, February 29, 2008 .. 7 commented .. Link

Taken from here.

-Restless Rotidua-

Swamped

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 .. 28 commented .. Link

So here I am confined at home for the next 4 more weeks. You think staying at home means I have so much free time huh? Wrong!

I have to check my mails, check whose move on Scrabble (currently Zeta’s) and read blog updates in between. I must watch the Ellen Degeneres show then catch Martha Stewart at 10am. AXN is showing re-run of last night’s programs. Sometimes watching Chef Ramsay screamed at his apprentice are therapeutic. I shall not miss Oprah at lunch. Once Naim is home from school I shall let him hog the tv. Either Ben10 or Fosters Home… I make sure I spend time watching with him. Quality time. Oh I entertain office gossips too. You know.. just to ensure I remember that I am still employed.

After dzuhur when it’s hot, the best thing to do is catch up on reading. I’m currently at page 164 of Soul Music. Can I say I’m hooked? There are few more in the Discworld series that I haven’t laid my hands on. DEATH is extremely cute. Oh! And there’s FIVE Harry Potters lined up on the bookshelf. Hehehe.

So please excuse me. I have a hectic schedule ahead.

"The cyst is a blessing"

Friday, February 22, 2008 .. 27 commented .. Link

That was what the Doctor said. I couldn’t agree more.

Allah has answered our prayers. And yours. I got a double line after the Terengganu trip (Firhad bought Anmum immediately. Nevermind it was for breastfeeding mum it’s the thought that counts. Heh) but the beginning of what could’ve been was a challenging one hence we kept the news to ourselves. On our first visit to Obygyn, an open MC was given. I was told to rest at home.

Evening of February 15th, after a frantic call Firhad returned home and took me to the hospital. “Where’s the bleeding, Ibu?”, “Is the baby still stuck?” the kids inquired. Oh we told them, of course. They were ecstatic. Both wanted a baby brother.

At the hospital I expected the worst. The next day after another positive pregnancy test I was hopeful. It’s still there in me, somewhere. Invisible to the scanners. The Doctor decided to do a blood test to check the beta HCG level. Throughout my 5d/5n stay in the hospital, the thing I miss most is Google. So many jargons and questions needed answers.

When the blood result came out, the doctor decided to perform surgery. The fallopian tube could burst anytime. Erk we don’t want that to happen now, do we? “So are you gonna take it out and place it where it supposed to be?’. “No! I’m so sorry. We have to let go of that" The Doctor scribbled a big X on the circle that represent the egg. "It's you we need to save".

Click to know more about Ectopic Pregnancy and here.

I was prepared for surgery on Sunday morning, 17th February. The anaesthetist was friendly but not enough to wipe out the horror story I watched in Discovery. Did you watch it? Pasal ubat bius tak jalan. Patient tak bley alert the doctors sebab dah paralysed but the nerve is still effective. Erk. The anaesthetist asked if I have any allergy. Yes, I’m allergic to death, I said. Lawak buduh tak?

After about 2.5 hours in the OT I came out groggy. I wanna see!. Firhad held 2 bottles and explained what they are, I guess. I was too weng to grasp what he was mumbling about but I did notice he mentioned ‘cyst’.

Turned out while the doctor was at it, she found a small cyst on the right ovary. *Snip snip*. The left tube where the egg is can’t be rescued. *Chop chop*. What started as a small incision on the bikini line has become a c-sect long cut. *Nip, tummy tuck?* I wish!

7 years ago on this date I gave birth to my first baby, Najwa. On this very date, I experienced a loss.

I adore pain killers but what I hate most is the aftermath. Oh I wanted to ask mama about the maid (did I ask?) but the eyes were oh so heavy. Fight it and I would feel nauseas. What was the joke again? Oh nak gelak jugak tapi bila cakap je rasa isi perut tendang. Sempat ke Firhad carik bekas neh.

I’m not very happy with kencingdalamstraw bit. The first time I came across one was when Kak Lisa delivered Ihsan. Alamak besarnya paip!! The nurses think we were trying to be funny when Firhad bungkus the urine bag with madamking’s plastick bag. I insist! Tak suka orang tengok kaler shing saya. Terima kasih kerana tidak melihat dan tidak membeliakkan mata.

I puked twice on the first night. Sekarang dah rasa macam mana org lepas caesarean adoi siksanya! Nak bergerak takut, nak batuk sakit what more nak jeluak muntah.

The next day I asked Firhad if he has any memory of kena baling dengan buku. Nope, he said. Good, because I actually did that to him and I’m sorry. I wanted to muntah but he dozed off unconscious on the chair. The book is the only thing that's light and within reach. Heh, such a darling of him this time. He never stayed overnight with me in the hospital you know! Even during the previous 2 deliveries. Yay for Firhad! Clap clap Mexican wave!

Come Tuesday, 2 days after the surgery I felt much better. I could move around albeit slowly. I strolled down alone to Watson on the ground floor. I guess women in socks taking small steps are a common sight. The Watson cashier asked “Akak baru dapat baby ke Kak?”

Err… nope. No baby, I replied.

That’s when reality sips in. It hurts. A long sharp pang struck through my small heart. I wept all the way up into my room. For the first time in my life I felt empty.

…
...
...

Don’t feel sorry for us. This is meant to be. Kuasa Allah kita diberi peluang, doa kita terjawab. Kita syukur. Kita redha ini ketentuanNya. Ada hikmah disebalik semua kejadian. Moga kita lebih sabar dan lebih beriman. Moga kita di beri petunjuk...

Insya Allah.

Path Finder

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 .. 6 commented .. Link

Life is about choices. The choice you make will determine which path your future will take. Some paths will turn out rosy and have you skipping down the yellow brick road, while others will take you down complicated twists and turns, with probably an ambiguous cat with a tendency to grin maniacally or even a tea party thrown in.

Imagine a man.

As far as a man is concerned, he is like any typical man. A house to call a home, beautiful wife, kids that thinks that he’s a hero. As far as life goes, he’s arrived at so many crossroads that his indicator lights have gone, aha, blinkers.

And like any typical man, he would plot and plod along without a map. Willy-nilly he would go this way and that way. Often he would meet the Cheshire Cat; others would take him to the Mad Hatter’s party. Once or twice the road would take him down the yellow brick road.

Now he is on one of those yellow brick road. Or so he hopes. The one thing that people do not realize about a brick road is that it is often bumpier than say, a road that is paved with good-intentions. He would like to get off the brick road, but of course, would want to steer away from the road that would bring him to a very very sunny place. He would like to get on a highway of some sorts, but he’s not keen on fast tracking himself to his ultimate destination. Speed kills, and he is kind of attached to his life at the moment.

Tired of letting Fate roll the dice for him, he decided to do the unthinkable; he stopped and asks for directions.

In front of him are three paths, which will ultimately spawn into millions of multi-universe. Old Man Time, in his huge gas-guzzling SUV, looms large in his rearview mirror, so he is forced to make a decision as to which universe should he make tangible.

The first path will create a universe of security. He could be financially secured, earning him enough to cover his domestic bills, buy his beautiful wife some sexy clothes that barely qualifies as clothes due to its inability to cover much, which would probably lead to another hero worshipper. But the path is riddled with meetings, constant phone calls, ridiculously long hours placating people, resulting in spending most of his time doing something other than well, creating another disciple for example. Not to mention the stress of talking to people who never fail to get intoxicated every night, resulting of endless hours of listening to their yapping.

The second path creates a universe of fulfillment. In this universe, he could be free to do what he wants. He’ll be traveling with like-minded people, who are fun to be around with as well. He’ll have less stress to deal with and he would not need to spend so much time away from his beautiful wife and his minions. Granted, he won’t have such a heavy wallet and some juggling would be needed to entertain the crowds consisting of men with thick briefcases and thin watches, but he thinks he’ll be happier. The fact that he’ll be on a road that will require some participation in an ass-kissing competition doesn’t bother him much, being one who is not inclined to kiss any derriere soon, or anytime anyway.

The third path is being built at the moment, he would need to walk in order to take it, but it will create an unknown universe. A new universe. This as yet nameless universe will take him away. Away from his beautiful wife and his groupie. All two of them (the groupie, not his wife). This universe sings of promises that he should buy another wallet, or probably two. This universe is so full of promises that if it burps, it smells of roses. He is wary of this universe, having believing these types of promises before and finding out that it is not really his type. These promises are the type that needs a good looking. Preferably from a safe distance.

Imagine a man.

He has a road map covering half of his windscreen. He’s leaning out the window and asking you “Excuse me, could you please point me in the right direction, please?”

Stone Cold

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 .. 16 commented .. Link

When you hear a good news, achievement made - congratulate the person, be it verbally or sms or a simple pat on the back. Depending on the person and/or situation, a nudge of “Weh bila nak belanja?” pun okay.

Sebaliknya kalau ada berita buruk depending on who the person is to you, call the person directly, express sympathy and offer your doa. I’m bad at this so usually I texted them (especially male colleagues). I’ve sent “Banyaklah saving lepas ni, dah tak boleh beli rokok” and “Sakit pinggang lagi ke? Jual je la superbike tuh”. I don’t want to sound melancholic la kan. Tak macho babe! Besides if I’m not well, a little cheering up could do me wonders.

Sometimes a bit more information is required. Nak jugak verify taulah mulut orang bercerita. Thus, you ask further. Clarification won’t kill besides you can learn from the incidents.

Ohh ..tu pasal kena jaga cholesterol level.
Ohh…must find out about Women Health Clinic.
Ohh..doktor boleh rectify blocked vein. Tak yah la diet sangat!
Ohh.. must remember to check engine oil.

But of course, you do not want to appear nosy. If the other party sounds reluctant...back off! Tak caya tanya Che Chomeyll.

Some people when you’re around them you can feel their warmth, you feel like you can talk to them, make friend with… or connect with. Even virtually.

In terms of friendship, some friends are good listeners while some are dominants. Most friends care and interested about the others. Today I come to know a STONE COLD. Let’s call this someone SC.

SC and I are close.
The only sms reply I got was a simple ‘Ok’. On chat, SC didn’t even ask me anything. Not that I plead sympathy or best wishes ke hapa… but SC somehow revealed that he/she is not a ‘friend’ type. Titles and ranks aside… humanity speaks. SC doesn’t care.

Takde lah terasa tapi don’t you think that’s odd? This is NOT the first time tau. Kesian pun ada jugak sebab rasanya ni Friendship 101. Personally, I think SC’s quality won’t bring him/her far. I’m not suggesting that caring will make you on top but it sure keeps your friends close.

My response to sms like this "Saya MC hari ni. Period pain" would be "Noted. Take care" instead of the famous 2 letters O and K. Although what I really meant was '^#$@$#% Jangan nak urinate la?! Klinik tu memang murah MC!'. Heh.

9 minutes before office hour starts, my breakfast partner texted me;
“U ok ke?”
“Why?”
“Call u takde”.

Padahal office kat block lain tuh. She can be grumpy at times and believe me kengkadang sampai panas telinga tak larat dengar cerita dia. But you know what…she’s a friend.

Being at the other end, I am receptive to inquiries. Whether I want to entertain them well that’s my prerogative. I don’t take them as penyibuk or snooping around. We are a curious lot. Ikhlas ke tidak niat diorang, that’s between them and Allah. For me, I take it as a compliment. That Azlina matters! Syiok apa knowing that people care, kehadiranku (atau ketiadaanku) dirasai. Heh.

It's funny how..

Monday, February 11, 2008 .. 14 commented .. Link

.. incidents around you suddenly revolve about things that are currently close to your heart.

For example; you want to buy a car*

Instead of the usual ‘Hello’ you were greeted with ‘Have you checked out car A? Awesome heh?’.
Or while having lunch somebody gave you a car brochure.
Or you were approached by your boss asking “Isn’t it time you change your car?”

Heh. As if “Car Wanted” is written on your forehead.

ps*: No, we're not buying anything of that sort now.
pps: I'm watching the Grammy. How come Tina Turner looks yummy-er than Beyonce?

Picky eaters

Monday, February 11, 2008 .. 58 commented .. Link

When Najwa was very very small, she fed through bottle. Her foods were blended rice with veggies, chicken or fish. Solid? nope. More of liquified solid. Reason being, she had some kind of spoons-phobia. Oh what a terrible time that was. The hassle of preparing her meal, the time spent waiting for her to finish her food and oh.. the best way is to feed her on our lap while on mak’s swing. Sampai tertidur la Hjh Anita berbuai tunggu cucu habis makan. Najwa loves the bottle so we resorted to that until she was about 3 years old.

She went through phases of "Kakak nak kuah kari" everyday then spicy kuah lemak, sambal telur and now her latest craze – tomyam. She only enjoys the soup or gravy tho (kuah sahaja). No fish or chicken or prawn. Once in a blue moon she asks for fried egg but that’s about it. But I must say she is more adventurous now. She tries what we’re having which she usually abhor after the first taste but hey, at least she tries!

When I was carrying Naim, I prayed hard for my 2nd child to eat ‘normally’. Alhamdulillah. Naim was one of those 'sumbat sudu-licin'. When he was introduced to solid rice, that was when he started to act up. Rice with plain soup and keropok as ulam. Sometimes with twisties or cheezel.. whatever he chose as long as he eats.

He refuses to eat at even a sight of small green leaves. Nampak bawang sehelai pun tak boleh. He likes karipap but only its edges. He wants mexico bun so that he can peel the top layer. He's excited about McDonalds but he only eats the bun. At one time he was okay with pasta.

I do not have the patience to lure him to eat other than his usuals especially when we eat out. Ya Allah! It's frustrating! Most of the time I just follow. Look for restaurants than can serve plain soup with plain rice. Or roti canai.

Firhad does not agree (which I'm so thankful of). He entices the kids to look at menus and choose other meals. Works on Najwa (well, no one's keeping the score) but not on Naim. Sometimes he agrees to order something else. But when the food arrives, he would squirm and do the non-stop head shake. Dia tergaru-garu bila suruh rasa makanan, puppy eyed with red nose. When he finally taste a tiny weeny bits, dia jeluak, bley?

I've read about picky eaters and possible solutions. Believe me, I've tried everything in the book. Well probably not all since the situation has not really improved eh? The paed said, as long as they're healthy and active we have nothing to worry about. Hmm. Naim is on Pediasure now.

Care to share your story or advise?

8 years together

Wednesday, February 6, 2008 .. 20 commented .. Link

*edited: Firhad insists the last pic to be included. Taken by him.

Too

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 .. 8 commented .. Link

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Bad Ad

Monday, January 28, 2008 .. 25 commented .. Link

Have you seen the Kay-Eff-Sea advertisement, the one where the mother with no guilt brought back dinner for the family?

Don’t you think it’s quite disturbing?

The mother was obviously been working late. It was pitch black outside so I’m assuming paling awal pun 8.30pm when she left the office.

“Mommy will be home soon!”

She had to first buy the groceries. Baru nak cari sayur, tomato and stuff. Masa weekend tak pergi ker? Tak de planning ker? Another phone call from home.

“I’ll cook your favourite” she annoyingly sweet-talk the children.

Imagine by now the children are anxious to have dinner served in front of them.

So there, shopping ..how long will that take? Bertuah la half an hour. If she’s normal, she’ll check out the good bargain counter, flips through the issues and checks the chicken price, for future reference. By the time she reached the long queuing counter it was already 9pm, best case scenario. That was when she saw Kay-Eff-Sea. *light bulb moment* You don’t get your order immediately at Kay-Eff-Sea, okay.

Finally, what time she reached home? Katalah rumah dekat dengan office. Say 9.30pm she’s home where immediately the kids grab the Kay-Eff-Sea, finger lickin’ good huh.

So… are you telling me, a mother neglected her 2 children at home without dinner until 930pm? Who’s the genius behind this ad? Don’t they have a working wife or a working girlfriend to look up to? Did their mother ever leave them starving at home for long? Poor thing.

Clearly an abuse to a family. Bad mother! I’m not touching Kay-Eff-Sea no more. Huh.

Living like an Otai

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 .. 9 commented .. Link

Since the start of 2008, I would like to announce that I have yet completed the 5-days working in a week. If only I wasn’t sick last week, I would have worked in full 5-days. Next week we have Federal Territory Day and the following week Chinese New Year. Woa.. have I ever felt more underutilised and overpaid than this? Naaay!

This week, when everyone’s given cuti for one day, I got two. Good rest, good life. I’m so gonna drag my feet to work tomorrow. You know, if ever I decided to be a SAHM, I want Tini to still be around. Heh.

Living like an Otai, I tell ya. Berat lah segala jisim kat badan nih.

I love the business of picking up the kids from school. Probably because it's not everyday that I can pick them, to see their face lit up with a big grin when they see me is exhilarating.

Once Najwa ran and hugged me screaming "Ibu! you're not sick anymore?". That doesn't sound right, tho. Sometimes she introduced me to her friends "Ni mak aku" which I would immediately interrupt "Kakak, please don't say 'aku'".

And on the way home you get to hear all sorts of stories. About hantu in the girls toilet. About somebody's grandma who lives with hantu. About a girl who claimed she saw a hantu before.

No matter how many times you tell them, such is not exist, the stories keep propped up and as usual it will fascinate the kids more. Hmmpph.

But I don't get to hear anything from Naim. He usually shrug off any questions pertaining to school. What did you learn today? Dunno. What did you do today? Tak tau lah. Ada homework? Nope.

Usually after KAFA, Najwa lies flat in front of the tv. Muka layu jer. Letih. Naim on the other hand has too much free time. He refused to go ngaji after SR. Berat sungguh itu budak.

I have so much plan for the kids but too little time and patience to boot. Ah well....

11 names

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 .. 9 commented .. Link

Can you name 11 people you can think of right off the top of your head?

1. Naturally, Olab, because she’s the reason I do this tag.
2. Najwa, on the way home from KAFA just now she said “Ibu, can you not wear tudung when you pick me up from school? Because I can’t recognize you”. Bley?
3. Faqihah. She asked me to come over her house to see her 3 new kittens and I politely said “I don’t like cats”. She was disappointed. Hehe keletah betul akak sorang tu.
4. Pak Ngah. Didn’t catch his glimpse when I dropped the siblings just now. He is better already, I hope.
5. Ms Perky. She called to provide updates of her love life (or the lack of it)
6. P0k Chik. Been hearing a lot about him lately.
7. Syafai, who seriously need to exercise courteous when writing mass email especially business related.
8. Aliya. Because I received a package from her! Yay! Thank you!
9. My brother, Mir. Hmm.. actually he never escapes me these past few days. Gotta watch your diet, bro.
10. Fang Li. Argghhh.. sorry! I’m on leave and I really should email you the Plan.
11. Firhad, err… it does seems odd if I don’t ‘think’ of him.

How did you meet 10?
Business appointment.

What would you do if you had never met 6?
Nothing. I never met him anyway.

What would you do if 6 and 2 dated?
Huh? Nak mampus?!

Have you ever seen 4 cry?
Pak Ngah cried? Nope never. He laughed when I asked how he fell and received 7 stitches on (or in? or at?) his left ear.

Do you think 1 is cute?
Very! Hik hik hik

Tell me something about number 11
He’s hawt!

How do you know 8?
Blogworld. Hehehe. 3 cheers to efx2!

Would you ever go on a date with number 5?
Sokmo! Ahahhaha more than a date pun ada. *raises eyebrow*

What's 7's favourite colour?
I’m guessing pastel colours.

What would you do if 6 confessed he liked you?
Huh? Nak kena bunuh dengan no 5?!

Fact about 9.
9 is my 28 year old brother who is currently in Brunei. He was on medical leave last week because of high blood pressure :( Muda lagi. Isk isk… oh and his girlfriend looks like him...spooky!

Who is 4 going out with?
Mak Ngah ler. Keh keh keh

Who is number 5 to you?
A close friend who has a colourful experience in life.

Would you ever live with 11?
Yes. Yes. Yes!

Is 2 single?
Better be.

Where does 7 live?
Don’t know.

What do you think about number 3?
Faqihah is one smart, well behaved and keletah daughter of Jumanji. She said “I’m just a normal girl”. Heh makes me wonder whoever said she’s not.

What do you like about number 10?
Err.. patient and forgiving? Heheh wait ahhh.

Favourite memory with 2?
Arr..urr..hmm…heh… ee banyak lah! Most recently, she woke up in the middle of the night mumbling “Ibu.. when the Doctor removed the cast, I forgot to scratch my feet”. Heh ngigau. Sian dia. She still unconsciously remember the pain and the itch.

Mobile Tag

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 .. 6 commented .. Link

1. What color is your phone?
Black and silver. By the way, this is me Nina replying to the questions.

2. Who's the first person who comes up under the letter M?
MacAsia. Not really a person tho.

3. Who was the last person you called?
My biras (brother-in-law) in Jakarta. But the call didn't get through. Does that count?

4. Who was your last missed call from?
Ms Perky

5. Who's the 2nd person who comes up under D?
Dat0' Boss

6. Who's speed dial 2?
I don't do speed dials.

7. Who's the 3rd person who comes up under Z?
Z@hid Feeza. He's a PR for his wife who produced a singing album. Do you know her? I don't. Sorry!

8. Who was your last received call?
My biras (refer to no. 3). Managed to speak to him.

9. Who's speed dial number 4?
Like I said, I don't do speed dials.

10. What is your background?
The phone's background you mean? Part of Naim's face. Heh.

11. How many text messages do u have?
Inbox - 54.

12. Who's in ur speed dial ?
Oi! tak pandai buat soalan la.

13. What's the 5th message say in your inbox?
'OK. Tq. U want to transfer masuk akaun?'

14. Who's the 1st person who comes up under B?
B Affin.
Err you see, I grouped my contacts by category, if any. B refers to Bank. E for my officemates, P for Parents of Najwa's classmates.

15. Who was your last text message from?
Officemate. 'Kat bawah' she said. It was 5 mins to lunch.

16. Name every person you have text messages from:
Huh?

17. Have you seen the 101 Chuck Norris facts?
Nope. But this is what i found in google. Does Chuck Norris himself aware of the jokes? Heh.

18. Who's the 9th person on your missed calls?
Ustazah. I called her to inquire about Kelas Agama for the kids. Remember my entry about sekolah agama? This Ustazah quoted RM350 per household (max 3 pax) for 8 hours a month. *gulp*

19. What does the 3rd message in your Outbox say?
My sentbox you mean? "You are required to attend XXX workshop tomorrow at Sherat0n Subang. Please refer details in your email".

20. Who is the first name in your Phonebook?
Aa-love. ;)

I'm not tagging anyone. You can do this tag, if you wish.

No more, please

Monday, January 14, 2008 .. 12 commented .. Link

We are signing Najwa up for kick-smash-punch-strike class. Not because of school requirement or curriculum or for competition sake or peer pressure. But because I am a f r a i d.

What kind of environment are we providing our children to live in? We don't feel safe anymore. Astaghfirullahulazim.

Let's pray for Shar|inie to be found. Let's hope that her parents find comfort. :(

Those with information on Shar|inie’s whereabouts could contact
her father at 016-258 3450 / 016-270 9096 or police at 03-7966 2222
or Rakan Cop at 03-2115 9999.

Where were you?

Friday, January 11, 2008 .. 4 commented .. Link

On the dance floor. All sweaty. And youthful. Singing your heart out before it ends.

"But it won't be the same without you, baby"

Originally performed by Four Tops. Taken from iqbalms.

.....
The sun ain’t gonna shine if you'’re not with me
I'’ll live without the love you have to give me
I’'ll make it through the night
I’'m gonna be alright

But baby, baby
The stars ain’'t gonna dance across the heavens
The moon is gonna hide away forever
I know I’'ll make it through
But it won’t be the same without you, baby
Without you, baby
......

Back to school (and work)

Monday, January 7, 2008 .. 31 commented .. Link

Najwa's school orientation was done on 28th of December 2007. We were given a pink folder much to Najwa’s delight, with number 31 pasted on it. The colour represents the class. Najwa is in 1 Musytari. She said another teacher, not Pn Sarimah her class teacher, pronounced it as ‘Mu-si-tari’.

Orientation day. Afifah reminds me of Aliya, for obvious reasons. hehehe.

Najwa sits besides Raja Afifah who has Sharifah Sara next to her. They are facing 3 boys namely Aqil and Naufal. She doesn’t know the other one yet. By the 2nd day of school, the 3 girls are buddies. She asked me if Afifah is a real ‘Raja’.

I collected her textbooks. Yay tak payah beli! And filled up lots of forms. I made Najwa memorize her IC number. Because we are nothing but numbers, I reasoned.

In the pink folder, there is a green card with lots of boxes in 2 rows. ‘Rekod Pergigian Kanak-Kanak’. Ohh *shudders* never thought I would see that again.

I spent what seems like forever wrapping the textbooks. The instant ones were defects. I can’t fit the books in them. But those for buku tulis are perfect! Zaman kita takde pulak camni ek?

Najwa’s first official school day was on the 3rd of January 2008. During orientation we were told the school starts at 740am. We were 5 mins late. The traffic was BAD. The HM was already halfway through his speech. Turns out the school actually starts at 730am. Hmmpft.

The night before.

Now we have to reschedule pukul berapa nak keluar rumah, nak kejut anak, sendiri nak bangun bersiap pergi kerja. Macam banyak kurang waktu tidur ni. Isk. But who am I to complain, baru anak sorang pergi sekolah betul. Jumanji tuh…2 sekolah betul, 2 tadika. Adeh!

We don’t have issues with the school fees like some schools, if you must know. Heh. In total we paid less than RM70 for fees and PIBG. I heard another school charged RM5 as Yuran Keceriaan. ‘Keceriaan’? What the heck is that?

It was Naim’s first day in Sm@rt Reader too. Firhad was with him until the school ends at 1030am. He ensures Naim gets on his van and waited for him at home. It was 1215pm when the van finally arrives. Lamanya macam balik Melaka! Naim certainly didn’t enjoy the ride.

Firhad groused about a teacher who speaks poor English. When I called the school later, the owner profusely apologised and said that that teacher teaches Mandarin and she is among the better ones, English speaking wise. Adeh! Bayar mahal tuh!

On the second day, Naim refused to put on the SR tshirt. He wanna know why he can’t wear like Kakak. Because Kakak is 7 and she is going to sekolah kebangsaan, I said. Why can’t I be 7, Ibu? Retorted Naim. Camna nak jawab tuh?

'Have a break'. Eyes fixed on tv while waiting for her pick-ups.

Sekolah Agama starts at 230pm. I could imagine Najwa rushing for lunch and get ready for the 2pm van. There are days when the sekolah kebangsaan ends at 130pm. Alamak sempat ker. Isk isk kesian dia.

What I wanna know is, does the performance in sekolah agama have any effects or impact on her future sekolah menengah/asrama application? Ada extra point ke? Not that I’m having second thoughts of sending her to sekolah agama, No! not at all. But I’m weighing our options here. If there is other sources of similar education that’s more convenient like home tutor, why not kan. Could be costly but Naim (and Ibu and Abah) gets to learn at the same time.

All in all, I must thank my cousin, Jumanji (Read about her share of stories sending her twins to school here) for entertaining lots of queries from me be it relevant or not. Hehehe. Her kids especially Faqihah has been such a darl to Najwa. Oh and her family too including Pak Ngah who are in rosters list to fetch the kids from school.

Tough road ahead for all of us but we’ll get there, I’m sure.

Pointers

Monday, December 17, 2007 .. 20 commented .. Link

I must put this up before I forget.

1. Najwa got her ears pierced on 25th of November 2007. Nangis la jugak.

2. Najwa's graduation is over. Oh I should've posted her pictures here. She looks like a big girl.

3. I think Naim is looking chubbier now...and taller.

4. The kids love Little Khalifah. Did I tell you? they attended one of the school holiday programs; Story Telling and Arts & Craft. Stories about the prophets and all.

5. I'm coping err well without Tini, I suppose. hehehe.

6. Naim eats well nowadays. Could be the Pediasure (adeh mahal!) or the honey that my mom been feeding the kids. Probably combination of both.

7. To my surprise, the kids are not craving for PS2.

8. Got Najwa her school uniforms and 2 pairs of shoes. When I tried the pinafore on her, she blushed. So cute!

9. I'm keeping the receipts (of item 8 above). hehehe. In fact, will file them together with the maternity/delivery bills.

10. "It was horrible" to describe a gift is too cruel, even if the gift really is horrible.

11. I'm teaching Najwa how to use money. Is RM1 too much for a Year 1? Of course I hope she'll eat whatever there is in her lunch box later but while waiting for the pick ups she might feel hungry/thirsty, no?

12. This is Najwa's reply to Naim's grouses "Oh Naim, just furr-ged abut-it" dengan penuh slang. Ha ha cute.

Eh banyak kali la pulak cakap anak cute. Don't care. They're mine and they're cute.

;)

Pantun buat Tini

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 .. 27 commented .. Link

Hujan gerimis sepanjang hari
Ampaian semalam tak kering lagi
Spender dan tuala tersidai di kerusi
Baju minggu lepas pun tak gosok lagi

Daun kering berselerak di laman
Puzzle pieces terlambak di hamparan
Najwa dan Naim dijadikan suruhan
Mengemop lantai guna kain basahan.

Hanger tunggang terbalik dalam baldi
Basuh pinggan alahai berkedut jari
Bowl bekas maggi kari sungguh oily
Jadi khazanah di dalam sinki

Nak masak kari, santan takde
Nak masak sambal kena ada lada
Habis idea nak goreng apa
Alamat makan kat kedai je ler

Belakang pintu penuh sawang
Kak Nina merintih kena potong bawang
Air masak takde sape yang tuang
Sampah kat dapur Firhadlah tukang buang

Baju kotor bertimbun membusut
Berus rambut penuh rambut kusut
Tergelempang segala stokin dan kasut
Adeh! Tengok je pun kepala dah seghabut.

Biji mata terbuntang bulat
Lelah mengangkat beras nan berat
Sekarang baru terasa ralat
Alahai bibik, ko takde I’m very the penat!

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