The BFFs lives on (for now)

For as long as she can remember, Khadra has always had Teyta and vice versa. They are cousins, you see and they were born in the same year, 2003. Teyta being my elder sister's daughter.

Enter Harissa in the year 2007. Point of contact? Beaconhouse Bangsar, class Irises 1. The three of them loves to sing, to dance, talk-non-stop, looking pretty, putting on makeup, manicures and the like.

It is no wonder that the three of them got on well together and their friendship has been elevated to BFF status. They do most everything together and are always there for each other. Take December 2009 for example, here's a list of things/events that they have attended / gone to together.

• Sleepover for the Graduates

As part of their graduation (after kindy, je) , the mommies (well, mostly Ziezi and Fiza) arranged for a sleepover party at PNB Derby Park for the three princesses. The agenda was really shallow; basically just fun, fun, fun. There were singing, dancing, makeup sessions, menicure and nail arts, more make up sessions, makan-makan, performance time, swimming and more makan-makan. Needless to say the girls enjoyed theselves tremendously.

Here's their take on "Party in the USA" by who else but their idol si Miley Cyrus.

• HSM: Summer Celebrations

The HSM crew was in town, so we made an outing for the girls of the house to KLCC for the show. (This time, even Khaleeda and Neyna was invited) The three came in their high school best and to add on to the excitement, Ziezi (as usual) even brought the pom-poms and the feather boa.

• Princess & The Frog Party

Teyta celebrated her advanced birthday at the movies, so the kids were invited for a Princess and the Frog party. They came in their princessy costumes to watch the movie.

Their BFF run would have ended when they enter the next stage of their life but it seems that it has been given an extension of time. The three of them will be attending their Primary One in SKBD together next year! Hah! :)

Here's to BFFs that last forever.. (Well, at least for another 6 years)

-dillz blogging out-

Oh Ibu...

When I was younger, I have always thought that my kids would call me Ibu. Not mom, not mommy, not emak, not ummi. Just ibu - plain, simple and old skool. :) The reason? Nothing complicated. It's because I grew up calling my own mother, Ibu. All my life. So, the logic goes; person who gave birth to you = Ibu. Simple, right?

Then, I had a daughter. Khadra is her name. I think she started calling me Ibu at first. Azrul was Ayah. Then, some time I could not really pin point, it all changed. I was sometimes mom, mommy and even mama. She probably got it from school or the TV. Not that I really cared, as in to betulkan or whatever. I was just happy to see her speak at that point. Azrul's Ayah had evolved into Dad or Daddy. Personally, I think he secretly liked it. hihihihihihi

Anyhoots, we hit the point of no return when Khaleeq started talking. Naturally, he adopted the same nomenclature as his sister. Khaleeda, pun apa lagi. Ikut sajalah.. I think to these two, the word Ibu is actually alien to them.

So, imaginelah pabila tiba ketikanya I decided to revert back to Ibu. This was probably sometime last week. hihihihi The reason? No reason, really. I wanted to be more old skool. Kalau kita tak guna perkataan melayu ni, sapa lagi nak guna kan? *Alasan* But, really, I like the ring to it. Kinda make me reminisce of my time growing up. In this day and age, so many people yang guna Mom, Mamma, Mommy, etc. Tak salah rasanya I go back to Ibu. It kinda have a nice ring to it. :)

• Khadra was estatic coz she was the only one who remembered that I was once used to be called Ibu. *Tunjuk terrer la, standard, kakak..* When she remembers to, she'd happily call me Ibu.
  
• Khaleeq went,"Ibu, where's Mom? Who's Mom?" Adoiaii.. terconfuse sekejap di situ. Kinda funny when he says it - Iii.. Booo... Ada twang mat salleh di situ. :)~~
  
• Khaleeda would say over and over again, "No Mommy. I....BU! " Good girl, Deyda.
  

So susahla. Sometimes I also forget. hihihihi.. So far they are trying, and I am trying. Kalau Karam Singh Walia, mesti dah keluar perumpamaan "sikit-sikit , lama-lama jadi bukit". If I keep at it, Insya Allah, they'd turn around and remember to call me Ibu. So, it's a matter of perseverance aje. :)

(picture from : here)

Before I leave, have a look at the lyrics for "Untukmu Ibu" - made popular by the band Exists some time long long ago. I think Mamat still sang for the band then. Anyhoots, here goes:

Oh! Ibu
Kau disiram bayu pagi
Kehilangan terasa kini
Dan kesepian

Dan aku
Bagai purnama gerhana
Di ibarat lautan kering
Tiada tempat ku layarkan

Hasratku ini
Masih belum sempat
Kubuktikannya kepadamu
Ibu tersayang
Kucurahkan rasa hati

Ku tatapi potret mu berulang kali
Kurenungkan kalimah yang diberi

Tuhan Yang Esa
Ampuni dosa ibu
Tempatkan mereka
Di antara kekasih kekasihMu

Oh! Ibu
Kau kasih sejati
Kutaburkan doa
Untukmu ibu

Ampunilah dosaku
Sejak ku dilahirkan
Hingga akhir hayatmu

Saat ini
Kuteruskan hidup
Tanpa bersamamu ibu

Ibu...

Kan syahdu, tu.. Especially at the part dia jerit, "Ibu..." It won't get the same effect with Mama or Mummy or Ummi or Emak, right?

So, that's the quest, lah. Wish me luck!

-dillz blogging out-

Zoobies in (and out of) the house

Boleh tak saya share this awesome product dengan korang?
Was ist das? (Banyak sangat baca The Book Thief ni, dah speaking German la pullok)

(pictures of product and logo from : here)

I first learnt about the product from toughcookie's blog sometime back - she was writing about lil JJ's new Hada the Hippo. I thought, Wah, so cool.. A 3-in-1 plush toy, pillow AND blanket? She bought it from Tiny Tapir, an online store that sells many other trendy and sustainable cool stuff. To know more about them Zoobies - read the writeup from Tiny Tapir's blog (this was posted on Sept8,2008 and the price has now increased somewhat)

So, anyways, imagine my delight when they opened up a kiosk at Bangsar Village's Christmas promotion. I was zapping up them Zoobies (and some other products) like nobody's business. hihihi.. Ini adalah kes Mak yang over excited.

Hasil tangkapan kami:

The two kids got themselves a Zoobie pet each - typical Khadra going for the pink hippo (nasib baik bukan one that goes Oink!) and Khaleeq went for the cute and adorable (yet still macho) Lencho the Lion. I chose a Baby Zoobie for Khaleeda , Baby Tama the Tortoise. The Baby Zoobies are a little smaller in size and they open up to a much smaller blanket. Really suitable for newborns as the big blankies might suffocate them. They also have a little comfort triangle corner that could double up as a comforting blankie.

We bring them to our trips - in the car and on the plane. I remember lugging the three animals onto our flight balik kampung accompanied by stare(s) from hubby. Lepas dia tengok bebudak tu snuggle and comfy in the plane barulah the nasty stare(s) disappeared. hihihihihi.. Them Zoobies proved to be useful on our long drive up/down to/from Penang as well as during sleeptime at night! See, semua ternganga tidur - So syiok maaa!! I think it would also be great for movie outings.

Anyhoots, just to say that we are happy with our purchases. :) Sharing is caring, right?

-dillz blogging out-

Iqra' : Aj-Juzu' Wahid

Iqra' development series | 1:Aj-Juzu' Wahid | 2: Aj-Juzu' Thani| 3: Aj-Juzu' Thalith|

We finally found a place to send the kids for mengaji thanks to Lina's recommendations to Ziezi . I have been looking for a place to send / someone to come over to teach Khadra and Khaleeq Iqra' since forever. Ada aje masalah problemnya. So, I really really appreciated this. Thank you, thank you, thank you , ladies!

(Pic from: here)

Through Ziezi's negotiation skills, we managed to secure a special timing with the Ustazah for a 2-hour session on Sundays. 10am-12pm. There are 6 kids for this session- 2 of ours, 2 of Ziezi's and 2 of Liza's. So, the coming Sundays from hereonwards, that's where I will be - somewhere in the area surrounding Ustazah Yati's abode. (Need to remember that I have to explore rumah Ustazah dan kawasan-kawasan sewaktu dengannya ni)

After the first meet, I am pretty satisfied with her. Ustazah Yati is a graduate student from UIA and is in the middle of writing up her doctorate in comparative religion. She speaks good English and her Malay sounds a little like Arabic. (She speaks like Anwar Ibrahim, if you know what I mean) :) As we found out then, she was not ONLY gonna teach Iqra' but will be teaching the kids Tajwid, some Arabic, Jawi, ayat-ayat solat , etc. So, basically = Yeay!!! :)

Then I got to thinking. (which is never a good thing)
2 hours in a week for mengaji and all the rest thrown in would not be sufficient, right?
We also found out that she has her normal classes running from 7-8pm and 8-9pm on Mondays through Thursdays.
So, the most natural thing is that we should just attend those classes too, right?

Now herein lies the challenge.

Ustazah Yati's place is in Kota Damansara.

Yes, think about the traffic from Bangsar to Kota Damansara on a weekday after office hours. It will not be pretty, I tell you.. :(

So, here's my commitment to my two kids:

Ibu will try to send the two of you to these 4 classes. Ibu akan cuba. I know that I have not been the type that would even set my foot home from work before Maghrib. But, hey we have to try, won't we? This January will be MY probation month.

If this does not work, kiddos, we'll have to make do with Plan B. That means only 2 classes on weekdays and the 2hours on Sunday. It sounds more manageable to me.

I love you guys loads and I promise to try my level best. Muah muah!

-dillz blogging out-

6 in a month

Can't believe I have only posted 6 entries in December. I have 7 more drafts entries, so really, I have a lot to tell ya, but not much time to finish them. Nothing new, right? hihihihihi

Just that work has been crazy busy of late and we are slogging to catch the 24th December deadline. It'll be pretty sane next week so I'll drop in more frequently, I hope. Let's get the entries to at least a double digit before the year ends.

For a sampler, here's what I have in my drafts:

• Sleepover for the Graduate & HSM: Summer Celebrations
• Hard Rock Hotel, Penang : The Azrul Clan Review
• Makan @ Marmalade
• Zoobies in (and out of) the house
  
• My facials and I

There's more stuff that has been keeping me anticipating too.. Nantilah, I cerita.. hihihi

-dillz blogging out-

Buku Baru

Salam Maal Hijrah untuk semua.

I ended the year with the "Doa Akhir Tahun" recited by the resident TM ustaz. Just to be sure, I read it once more after my Asar prayers.

Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, tuhan yang memelihara dan mentadbir sekalian
alam. Selawat dan salam ke atas junjungan kami Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. serta
ahli keluarga baginda dan para sahabatnya.

Ya Allah, sesungguhnya pada tahun ini aku telah melakukan laranganMu tetapi
aku masih belum bertaubat sedangkan Engkau tidak reda dan melupai perkara
itu. Engkau telah menangguhkan azabMu yang telah ditetapkan kepadaku.
Engkau telah memerintahkan supaya aku bertaubat dari keslahan itu.

Sesungguhnya pada hari ini aku memohon keampunan dariMu, ampunilah aku
dan apa yang telah aku lakukan pada tahun ini yang Engkau redai dan Engkau
janjikan pahala maka aku memohonnya daripada Engkau. Ya Allah, ya Karim,
ya Zaljalali wal ikram.

Selawat dan salam ke atas junjungan kami Nabi Muhammad S.A.W serta ahli
keluarga baginda dan para sahabatnya.. Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, tuhan
yang memelihara dan mentadbir sekalian alam...

Amin... Amin... Amin...

Then, after Maghrib, I started the year with the "Doa Awal Tahun"

Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, tuhan yang memelihara dan mentadbir sekalian alam.
Selawat dan salam ke atas junjungan kami Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. serta ahli keluarga
baginda dan para sahabatnya.

Ya Alllah, Engkaulah yang kekal abadi untuk selama-lamanya. Demi kelebihanMu yang
Maha Agung dan kemurahanMu yang melimpah, sesungguhnya pada tahun ini aku
memohon kepadaMu perlindungan daripada syaitan yang direjam, dari sekalian
kuncunya, tenteranya dan penolongnya. Aku juga memohon perlindungandari nafsu
amarah yang sentiasa mendorong ke arah kejahatan dan melalaikan dengan perkara
yang tidak berfaedah daripada mendekatkan diriku kepadaMu.

Selawat dan salam ke atas junjungan kami Nabi Muhammad. Segala puji hanya bagi
Allah, tuhan yang memelihara dan mentadbir sekalian alam...

Amin... Amin... Amin...

Amin, Ya Rabbal Alamin..
Here's to keeping to my resolutions this new year and a squeky clean new book. :)

Speaking about new books, here's a new stack waiting for me in the new year. :)


That'll keep me busy, me thinks. :D

-dillz blogging out-

Beanbag Kraayzee!

Got the chance to bring home Adeeb's mastercraft of a BeanBag (BB) for a couple of nights. I have been falling asleep on it these past few nights. (BB dok depan TV) It was that comfy. :)

The kids had a trial tonight. They seem to enjoy it. Khaleeq LOVES it! They jumped on it. They slept on it. They turned it into a pirate ship. Now, Khadra wants one. Khaleeq wants one. Khaleeda wants one. Adakah nak kena beli 3? Adoyaiii.. Bangkrap mummy kamu.. hihihihi

In the meantime, we all order satu dulu, ya Deeb. Nak space it out, boleh catch 2nd gen, 3rd gen bagai.. :)

Korang tak nak order?

-dillz blogging out-

And the magic number is..

Yeay! We finally did it. :)

Remember the drive for One of the Man(s)?
We've reached a number, boys and girls.
1640.

That could get them a font-load and then some, eh?

Siap di audit oleh En Haris tu. Tak sesia dulu kerja kat TMPoint kau, Haris.. :)

Have fun with it Man and Emy!

-dillz blogging out-

Working hard for my holiday

Already booked an island getaway for nucleus family starting Sunday, 14th December 2009. Everything is sorted and I even got my annual leave approved and all.
Thing is, I have three pending reports to be published by the 24th. Damn.

So, am burning the midnight oil.
Shipped the kids off to my mom's and we have the house to ourselves.
Kinda need to focus.
Feels like it is MBA all over again.
Pulling all-nighters day in and day out.
Kinda cool, eh?
hihihihi

Praying for perseverance and persistence to pull this off.
Amin..

So, excuse me while I go off untuk mencari sesuap nasi...

(Picture searched from Google: here)

-dillz blogging out-

Lunching with the GCEO

What a pleasant surprise.
The exclusive lunch talk invitation with the GCEO included a certificate presentation - plaque (and cash?) allin. Thing is i completed my Masters way back in 2006. Ingatkan memang dah tak dapat dah. So, this was unexpected and pleasant indeed.
I'll update later. Nak dengar welcoming speech sat. :)

*Updated*
No cash this time around, but I was in the news smiling away.. Wu-hu!
-dillz blogging out-

Lionel Ritchie Malaysia

This originally came from my second cousin, he had a paper clipping dated yonks ago. It's basically about Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah's safe return from a heart operation overseas. (We didn't have IJN back then!)

What makes it so special is that the gentleman reciting the doa was my grandfather. Now, take special note of that young man standing beside him. Doesn't he remind you of Lionel Ritchie?

What? Tak kenal Lionel Ritchie? He is famous for evergreens such as Hello! and All Night Long.

(Picture from: here)

Anyways, soalan cepumas pagi ini:
What is so special about that Lionel Ritchie Malaysia?
Answer:
It is none other than my very own dad!
hihihihihihihihi

So comel with the rambut kerinting-kerinting and a looong moustache!

-dillz blogging out-

One of the Man(s) has gotten married!

A brief shout out to my colleague who was mentioned prior in my Wali: Cari Jodoh post.

Congratulations Man!! Semoga berbahagia ke anak cucu!!! Semoga berbahagia hingga ke akhir hayat!!!

Picture credit: Adeeb! :) Thanks, hunny!

While he is now off for a week with his new bride, honeymooning to an undisclosed location, we are working hard to get the newly weds one of these babies!

A Fully Automatic Washing Machine for their new home!

Question now, is: Would it be this one?
This ultra chic Samsung one?

But, this one would definitely save you some time, bro!

Pictures from: here, here and here

hihihihihi..
Don't worry lah, we'll give you the money, you buy what you wantlah, huh???

-dillz blogging out-

Mau Potong!

I am sick of my old hair.

Tradition-wise, I would torture treat myself to a hair makeover once in a year - that is during my birthday week. I'd colour them, style them, treat them to my liking and the process would repeat every year. Ni lah lebih kurang rupa rambut sekarang.

(Cheh perasan JLo!)

Thing is, the uncoloured roots are now about 6 inches long and the coloured part are brittle, weak and limp. Pecah-pecah some more.. Lagipun, Raya Haji pun dah nak dekat. (Ecece Alasan..) *ehem* I just think it's time for a change.

And change has to be drastic. I have to look very different! Ultimately I want my natural colour to fill up my head once again. I think my hair and scalp have had enough of them colours. So, the way to go is short. How short? Now, that's the real question.

Inilah pilihannya..

Picture from : here, here here and here

Will I come home as Rihanna, Katie Holmes or Nicole Ritchie?
TUNGGUUUUuuuuuuuu...
(I suspect not even one of them!)

p/s: B, S.U.R.P.R.I.S.E! hihihihihihi

-dillz blogging out-

Reading Regime for Khaleeq

Remember the stack of books I loaned from the school to aid in Khaleeq's reading? Thank God that we loaned them as we were told that a complete set would burn RM300 plus in our pocket. *Phew*

Picture from: here

Well, there are 18 books in three difficulty levels. Jenuhla weh... A quick run through of the GINN Reading 360 System.

Level 2

These books have big fonts with around 1-7 words to a sentence. Very easy-going for the eyes and great start for beginner-readers. The plan is to get Khaleeq to finish all 6 books by next weekend, 29th November 2009. It should not be too difficult as he has already read 2 of them before. It's more of a challenge to me to dedicate enough time to coax and teach him. (Oh, my temper! Yes, it gets REALLY challenging) But, I have decided to dedicate at least an hour a day for him for this cause. I have also promised him that he will be able to buy a new Tom and Jerry Series VCD if he accomplish this task. (Cheap prezzie, I know. hihihihi) We'll see how well this goes and the milestone has been set. The titles for this level are:

1. Liz and Digger
2. Can we help?
3. I can hide
4. Can you?
5. Come for a ride
6 Ben and the duck

Level 3

The going gets tougher here. There are multiple sentences in a page and the font has become somewhat smaller. But, the characters are still familiar - Digger the dog, Liz and Ben, Mom and Dad. :) So, it helps the kid a lot. they also introduce a lot of new words (and animals) here. By now his vocabulary (more like familiar words) would have grown somewhat and by the end of it he would be able to intelligently guess unfamiliar words. I hope. *fingers crossed* Taking into account that we only have till end of December to complete ALL levels, I have decided to attempt level 3 in the first 2 weeks of December. 14 days for 6 books. The end date falls nicely before we go off to a family vacation in *an undisclosed location* hihihihihi.. Lepas penat kerja, perlu ada habuannya, kan? I hope he keeps his motivation and drive up till this point. :) The titles in this level are:

1. Don't run away!
2. Digger at school
3. A duck is a duck
4. Horses
5. Picnic for Tortoise
6. Lost and found

Level 4

Aahh.. Here's where it really tests whether he has been memorizing or he his really able to read by himself. The words are even smaller now. With about two paragraphs in a page and we have about 3 weeks to tackle it. My take to this level is more like we'll see how far we can go,lah. If by then he is really able to read, it would not be a problem to Khaleeq already. He'd breeze though it. I'll just keep the expectations realistic though. Kesian kat dia. In any case, the bounty is menarik! We promised him the Megatron Animated figure yang besar tu. Kasi chan la sama itu budak.. :)
Oh btw, the titles in this level are:

1. At the zoo
2. Helicopters
3. Animal tales
4. What a surprise!
5. Animal friends
6. Once upon a time

Which reminds me , need to get a nice stack of readables to perkasakan Khadra's Bahasa Melayu too. Hmmm.. Where to get, ah?

-dillz blogging out-

Welcome to the Club!

We are in! We are in!
In where, you ask?
Why, Kelab Golf Negara Subang, of course! :)

Pictures from: here

*Grin*Grin*Grin*

Good thing about the club is that there are plenty of outlets serving food. And they are not at all pricey. I already got my SPOUSE membership card semalam. So, bolehlah entertain kawan-kawan kat sini nanti.. I sign, Azrul bayar.. hihihihihi (Perasan tai-tai)

Nak kena fmiliarize with what we can do there, for me and for the familylah pullok, other than golf for Azrul, that is.. Among the facilities offered:

• Sporting Facilities - They have a gym (complete with gym instructors at designated times hahahaha NO MORE EXCUSES, FATSO!), Aerobics, Yoga, some dance classes, squash, table tennis, swimming, tennis, tai chi and tae-kwan-do.

• Recreational Facilities - Library (would be the perfect place for me to study my CIA, loh!) , Fruit Machine (ini apa?), snooker and card room.
  
• Other Facilities - Pro shop, hair salon, car wash, convenience shop and foot reflexology centre. (Wah! I loike!)
  

Looks like we would be hanging out there often now. It's good that they have proper classes / coaching for swimming, tennis etc. Could enrol the kids in it while I check out the foot reflexology centre! hihihihi I remember when I was yee-high (pointing to my waist) , us, adik-beradik , would hang out at Lake Club attending swimming lessons, going to library and all that. I guess it has now come to a full circle. Now, my kids are able to do that pulak. :)

-dillz blogging out-

PTM is here again

It's PTM time at Beaconhouse Bangsar again! :) For the uninitiated, PTM stands for Parent Teacher Meeting. Butterflies have been fluttering in mommy's tummy since last night. Takuttttt nak jumpa cikgu.

First up was Khadra. I have to say the meeting was pretty smooth sailing. To put it in a nutshell, Teacher Amy thought that she was ready to transition into the big school. Primary One, next year, in SK Bukit Damansara. She was so sweet to say that Khadra is one of her "creme" in the class. Her Head of School's remarks were also very encouraging:

Khadra is an all rounder students with lots of potential in her academics. With this attitude and personality, she will be able to excel in her primary years and beyond. Keep up the fantastic work.

Sangat uplifting dan sangat bangga menjadi mommy Khadra. :) Good job, girl. I hope you'd keep this up all the way through your studies.

This year is Khadra's graduating year. So, after the one-on-one interview, we were given the graduation certificate and picture. She looks so matured and pretty n this picture. Note the purple band on her right wrist. That's her signature for these past few months. Sometimes one hairband, sometimes multiple. Apa punya pesen dok pakai getah kat tangan ni pun, I tak tau.. Hopefully, this would be the first of many many more! (graduations, not hair bands on the wrist!)

Next on the agenda: Khaleeq. The major cause of those darn butterflies, I would say. Takut okay nak jumpa Teacher Rita. hihihihihi..
All in all, Teacher Rita assured us that Khaleeq has no problems what-so-ever in the social / interaction / participation / gym / music / art side. He's excellent in those department.s :) On the academic side - the writing, the reading, the Maths ; still can be improved. hihihihihi..

So, we are thinking of spending a little more time with him during the school holidays, brushing up on his reading and writing especially. Teacher Helena, the Head of School, was gracious enough to let us borrow the Gin Reading System for Levels 2 through 4. (banyak woo.. every level ada 6 books) We'll see how he does in that. All this while Khaleeq has only read 2 books with Level 2 difficulty. A tough challenge for him, but we'll be supporting him in that! (sambil bercuti, sambil baca buku lah nampaknya..) Actually, he did the two books very well. His classmate, Adam told his mom (who happens to be my friend, Elly) that Khaleeq is the best reader in his class. So, sweet lah Adam.. :) hihihihihi I think the real issue here is that we are setting too low an expectation out of him. We need to raise the bar a little and let's see him swim!

In terms of writing, what else can be done? It just takes a whole lot of practice, practice, practice. I know he has improved tremendously. Earlier this year, he was even writing his alphabets all funky. At least sekarang, when he wants to, he could write beautifully. :) But it takes him sooooooooo long to finish them. Azrul is thinking of enrolling him into something more physical (like tennis or football) for the discipline, obedience and focus. Maybe it's a good idea. In the mean time, I just have to MAKE more one-on-one time with him for school stuff. We'll see how this evolveslah, ok?

So, all in all it was two great meets. It's good to see that the pre-school system allows us time for quality feedback session. I mean, it has to be two-ways, of course. Otherwise how would you know whether your children are on the right track or not. I mean , your children would have different needs. What would work on one may not necessarily work on the other. So, it's a constant learning preocess for the parents too... So, yeah, we have an action plan for the holidays already. Wish us luck. (Nanti ni, mak dia yang malas. hihihihi) Insya Allah, all will turn out OK. :)

-dillz blogging out-

Happy 40th Birthday Sekolah Sri Petaling!

The official Sri Petaling Alumni organized a reunion dinner in conjuction with our alma mater's 40th anniversary. (I just found out that the school opened its gates on the 6th of January, 40 years ago. It's on my birthdate, Woot!) The dinner was held at Dewan Perdana Felda in Jalan Maktab and not wanting to be left out, I signed up with the lovely Nadia. (Thanks, darling! Kalau ikut malas aku ni, sure tak dapat pergi punya!)

The do was filled up with so many ex-SSPians, dating to the very first batch who left Primary School in 1969. (Serious) There were many notable figures too - Dato' Mukhriz Mahathir was there, Sofea Jane, Johan Nawawi and his wife Nora, Gary Thanesan (DJ tu), Sham Mix FM, Norman KRU (dia pun SSP jugak ke? Musykil lah pulak) - just to name a few.

Anyways, 5 out of the 7 Azluls made it. (sans Kira who is now doing her medic in Egypt and Boy who was working that night). We were seated according to our respective batches. Nampak macam Batch 79, 80 and 81 yang control game - ramai giller. There were also teachers, administrators and ex-PTAs.

1987 table (Standard 6 ni wei!) was filled up by Nadia Hanim Tajuddin, saya- Azlul Adilah Zaghlol, Syazrina Sabri, Suhaila Hanim, Johan Ariff and his lovely bride, Azali, Salman, Azrin and Arif (pemain import).

Kejap-kejap, picture time:

1. 5 Azluls -Ewa, me, Ziezi, Illa and Ema 2. Penghuni meja 1987 3. Lovely ladies of Batch 1997 4. Ladies of batch 1987 (note: tetamu tak diundang, tak masuk, ya) 5. Badge sekolah :)

1. A shot of the teachers on stage 2. Nad and Syaz with Arif 3. Ema and Tara, he came straight from Indonesia, yo! 4. 5 Azluls with Nora! :) 5. 5Azluls with Mr Ong -garang woo cikgu ni, siap baling buku dulu..

So, it was massive and it was grand.
Prizes were handed out for the winners of inter-batch games, comprising of Badminton, Football, Bowling and Handball. Turned out that Batch 1987 was the champion for the inaugral Badminton competition! Yeay!Since some of the actual players did not come to the dinner, our tablemates very willingly made up for it! Dapat medal and challenge trophy, you! :)

There were performances by the ex-students too. Mostly played some instruments/in a band and ther were loads of singing. There was this one audience participation thingy where the selected audiences had to dance a little on stage and ended with one person collapsed due to some heart problem. The MC had to announce for a specific heart medication and thankfully someone bought it over. I was made to understand that the attending cardiologist back stage was none other than Kak Shana's hubby. Thankfully, it turned out well in the end. Cayalah Doctor! :) (Power tak primary school kitorang? hihihihihihi)

We were also quite lucky in the sense that 2 out of the 5 tickets Nadia bought were called up for Lucky Draw prizes. One was in the shape of a hamper , won by Syaz (but I picked them up from the stage- Syaz malu!). The other was a digital camera. Unfortunately when it was announced, Amy(Johan's wife) had already left and I didn't keep their tickets. Dang! Takpelah takde rezeki..

Apparently, the dinner would be an annual event from this point on. If it materializes, need to do some lobbying and get more of my batch to come. We could easily get 4-5 tables. Barulah gamat!

Kudos to the organizing committee for successfully gathering 780 odd people from SSP on the night. BTW, takde ke prize for the most siblings in the school? hihihihi.. Sure kitorang can be in contention. :) Plus, kalau ending tu nyanyi lagu sekolah, sure lagi best, kan?

Sekolah Sri Petaling
Satukan berbagai bangsa..

(School badge from here . Other pictures were either mine or cilok-ed from Ema's facebook.)

-dillz blogging out-

Paramore !! Paramore!!

Ever heard of the band Paramore? I first heard of them when Ki was singing to their tunes in one of our karaoke sessions earlier. Wah, sedap jugak lagu diorang ni. A lot of Whoa!s but definitely singable and fast. I loike!

The group is fronted by the multi-talented Hayley Williams (she's only 21) and the rest of the band is made of Josh Farro, Zac Farro and Jeremy Davis. Don't they look like a younger version of No Doubt? Check out their Wiki page here.

Picture from: here

So, anyways, in our latest karaoke excursion (last Saturday night/Sunday morning) , my interests were relighted by Azura. Dalam senyap-senyap tu, minat Paramore rupanya. :) Saya pun asyik nyanyi lagu Katy Perry je.. Kena lah tambah repertoire.. :) (Alasan..)

Since these songs were part of the Red Box songs collection, terpaksalah akak membeli CD Paramore bertajuk : Riot! untuk practice lagu-lagu berikut:

Picture from: here

THAT'S WHAT YOU GET
No Sir, Well I don't wanna be the blame
Not anymore
It's your turn so take a seat
We're settling the final score
And why do we like to hurt so much?!
I can't decide
You have made it harder just to go on
And why? All the possibilities
Well I was wrong

Chorus:
That's what you get when you let your heart win
Whoa!
That's what you get when you let your heart win
Whoa...
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of it's beating
And that's what you get when you let your heart win
Whoa...

I wonder how am I supposed to feel when you're not here
Cause I burned every bridge I ever built when you were here
I still try
Holding on to silly things, I never learn
Oh Why?! All the possibilities
I'm sure you've heard

Chorus

Pain make your way to me (to me)
and I'll always be just so inviting
If I ever start to think straight
This heart will start a riot! in me
Let's start..

Why do we like to hurt so much?
Oh! Why do we like to hurt so much?

That's what you get when you let your heart win
Whoa!
That's what you get when you let your heart win
Whoa..
Now I can't trust myself with anything but this
And that's what you get when you let your heart wins
Whoa..

(Picture from: here)

MISERY BUSINESS

V1
I'm in the business of misery, Let's take it from the top
She's got a body like an hourglass, It's ticking like a clock
It's a matter of time before we all run out
When I thought he was mine, She caught him by the mouth

It waited eight long months, She finally set him free
I told him I couldn't lie, he was the only one for me
Two weeks and we'd caught in fire
She's got it out for me but I wear the biggest smile :)

Whoa..
I never meant to brag
But I got him where I want him now
Whoa..
It was never my intention to brag
Steal it all away from you now
but God does it feel so good
cause I got him where I want him (right) now
And if you could then you know you would
cause God it just feels so...
it just feels so good

V2
Second chances they don't ever matter people never change
Once a whore you're nothing more I'm sorry that'll never change
and about forgiveness we're both supposed to have exchanged
I'm sorry hunny but I passed it up now look this way
There's a million other girls who do it just like you
looking as innocent as possible to get to who they want and what
they like it's "easy if you do it right"
Well I refuse , I refuse, I REFUSE!

Chorus

Bridge
It just feels so good
I watched his wildest dreams come true, not one of them involving you
Just watch my wildest dreams come true, not one of them involving

Whoa..
I never meant to brag
Chorus

Best! Best! Can't wait till the next melalak session.

-dillz blogging out-

Doomsday in 2012

I forgot that 2012 was showing last week. It didn't even register in my overworked brain until my other half mentioned a possible Gold Class treat for it. (Seeing that it was about 2 hours and 45 minutes long) Ya, kami kiasu.. nak Gold Class mestilah berbaloi dari segi mutu cerita dan how long the movie is! Seems like this particular movie fits the bill to the tee... :)

(picture from: here)

Lemme tell you that it was worth it!!! Serious!!!

All this while, I have always been let down by apocalypse / dooms day type movies coz we never actually get to see the destruction/ chaos after. In 2012, however, every single bumi kena telan tanah, tsu-Mawi (OK, sorry, bad joke) , rapturing and burning buildings were shown its all its glory gory. CGI was unbelievably amazing! There is also a few subplots of human stories in it which made it even more watchable.

Kesimpulannya, saya suka and if you get the chance, GO SEE!

-dillz blogging out-

For starters, you can stop calling me 'sir'

I was just reading a little from The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown when I came across something that left me in stitches. Thing is, I could totally relate to it.

Let me just extract this portion from pg 66 and you can have a read:

Langdon clutched the police chief's phone and felt a rising frustration as the OS director pressed him. "I'm sorry, sir," Langdon said tersely, "but I can't read your mind. What do you want from me?"
"What do I want from you?" The OS director's grating voice crackled through langdon's phone, scraping and hollow, like that of a dying man with strep throat.
As the man spoke, Langdon felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and his eyes were drawn down... directly into the face of a tiny japanese woman. She had a fierce expression, a mottled complexion, thinning hair, tobacco-stained teeth, and an unsettling white scar that sliced horizontally across her neck. The woman's gnarled hand held a cell phone to her ear, and when her lips moved, Langdon heard the familiar raspy voice through his cell phone.
"What do I want from you, Professor?" She calmly closed her phone and glared at him. "For starters, you can stop calling me 'sir'"

Now what has this got to do with me, you might wonder?

I just recently sent a work related e-mail to this certain someone. Knowing that in the corporate mail, our full name would come out as the Sender. So, keluarlah; "From: Azlul Adilah Zaghlol" di dalam e-mail tersebut.

Just to be safe, though, I would normally sign-off all my e-mails in this manner:
Salam,
Dilla
Sweet, kan?

Not long after, I received the reply:
Dear Encik Azlul,
....

Saya faham, nama Azlul itu adalah agak berbaur unisex. My brother and ALL my 5 sisters have Azlul in front of their names. Lainlah kalau Azrul. Azrul itu, nama seorang lelaki. Suami saya pun bernama Azrul.

So, Encik Azlul? ENCIK Azlul, did you say???

Tolonglah. Do me a favour and check my second name. Adilah tu nama lelaki ke perempuan? Takde guna lah saya meng-sign off dengan nama manjaku itewww!

Awak, saya penatlah nak bagitau orang saya ni seorang perempuan!!!!

-dillz blogging out-

Eeee.. Marahnya!!

Sangat marah bila saya sampai sepuluh minit sebelum pukul 8 (Work starts at 8:30) and am denied entry into the parking hell that is Level -2 in Menara TM.
Nak suruh saya sampai pukul berapa? 6:30 pagi baru ada tempatkah?
Adusss.....

Maka dengan itu, terpaksalah saya parkir di tepi sungai (a.k.a. Riverside) sambil menghadapi risiko untuk di saman oleh abang/kakak DBKL. Tensi, sungguh tensi...


Maafkan saya kerana marah-marah di pagi Jumaat.
Now, I have to go make my blood go downstairs - Mana lagi kalau tak pergi makan?

'Till I am much calmer..

-dillz blogging out-

Go watch The Time Traveler's Wife!

Though I was 50 pages shy from completing the novel when I watched the movie, let me go
ahead and give you the review aaaannnyways.. ;)

(Picture from: here)

Was it choppy? Definitely not.
Was the screenplay how it was written in the book? Similar, but not exactly identical. I believe the differences were necessities in order to keep the movie length viewable.
Did I cry? Yes, I did. Not buckets though. Just wimpy tears.
Was it good? NO. It was GREAT!

I was really anticipating this movie 'coz I have heard raving reviews about the book. So, I decided to buy the book and read it for myself. At first it was kinda confusing. Once I figured out how to read it (Waa.. Da Vincci Code, kah?) it was kinda hard to put down. Anyhoots, on the day we were due to watch the movie, I had about 200plus more pages to finish. I tried and tried to, but I didn't manage it by viewing time. So, how Henry actually died was still a surprise when I entered the cinema.

Having Eric Bana as Henry was also a pull factor for me. (Kindly recall his hot bod in 300 Troy) So comel to see the old him saying 'I do' at the altar and the dashing young him again dancing with Clare at the wedding reception. :) I was giving hints to Azrul as the movie progressed but in actual truth it was not really necessary 'coz as soon as your mind starts to question or wonder about something, the answer will come right up in the next scene. :) That Rachel McAdams is also so gorgeous as Clare, kan? I also liked the fact that they tried to keep the plot simple. I mean it is really confusing enough to be travelling back and forth through time without having to showcase every single character in the book. Imagine how complicated it would be if the complexity of Clare's family, Henry's estranged dad and his friendly neighbour/caregiver Kimmy, the fondness that Gomez has for Clare were entwined into the plot. Adalah sangat confuse, okay..

Sudahlah merepeknya... In conclusion, I would rate the movie as a definite must see. Go catch it while it's still showing at the cinemas.

Now, on the silver screen front:
1. I just need to make my way to This Is It. Bila habis showing, ek?
2. I really hope I win the movie preview from nuffnang for New Moon! AAAAminnn..

-dillz blogging out-

Waste Of Time? Says Who?

I always find that the more I blog, the more productive is my day. Of course, when I say "the more I blog", I do mean moderately more. (Ya la, kot ya pun banyak blog, berpada-pada lah jugak... Ye dak? )

It's just that I have a lot of things on my plate -

• Work-wise, I have pending report(s) nak kena buat, fieldwork pun nak kena buat. Other expectations like training, web learning, peer feedbacks -- all coming with their own deadlines.
  
• On the personal front, hubby, Khadra, Khaleeq, Khaleeda, family, relatives, Bibik, friends and of course self.
  
• Add on to that our latest acquisition in the form of the condo next door - nak pikir pasal SNP, laywer, loan, tebuk tembok, house flow and layout, interior design, furniture and fittings, current state of mess the house we are living in...

Memang la banyak benda nak buat, banyak benda nak pikir. For me the key to this is to JUST DO IT. Sounds sangat cliche, tapi, betullah orang Nike tu cakap. I need to be active, doing things - not just think about doing it, and add more serabut to my head. In fact for the past few days, I have been very very productive. Lots of tasks have been checked off my to-do list. Another key is to break it down to manageable, bite size portions, with its own deadlines. Add to that loads of breaks, to refocus and increase the productivity even more! :)

So, in conclusion, I need to find my own means to let off steam. Kata kena break, kan? hihihihihihi Among my favourites are;

1. Going for my beauty and relaxation rituals : massage, facial, meni/pedi, threading and waxing hair off selected areas of my face/body (ni tak relaxing, more like menyakitkan but needs to be done. hihihihi)
   
2. Reading books : I always felt like I do not have the time to read anything other than work or exam related stuff. But, for 2009 I have completed quite an exhaustive list of books. Among others include The Time Traveler's Wife, the Twilight series (yes, all 4 of them), The Little Prince, the Alchemist, etc etc.. Currently, I am reading The Lost Symbol. :) (Look at my Book Bar on the right hand side) Not bad, right?
   
3. Singing: Karaoke is my fave! We used to go out a lot more while Ki was around. Now, it's limited to the quarterly outings with my office buddies.
   
4. Vacations: Beach ones, city ones, overseas.. I love staying in a good hotel and exploring new places. Very therapeutic to me. :)
5. Retail theraphy: Shopping? hihihihihi.. I'd be mad not to LOVE it! New handbag, new clothes, new shoes, new lingerie... Even shopping for the kids counts! :)
   
6. Watching movies / plays : We would normally watch the movie of interest the week they are being shown. Saje.. Thrill.. :) Recently, we have also been frequenting Istana Budaya to watch the local productions. Case in point - CUCI the Musical! Wowza!
   
7. Blogging : Ya, saya berhasrat menjadi seorang blogger tegar. Seriously though, I find writing relaxing and it's perfect for the in-between focus! Moreover, it's FREE.
   

In other words, please let me be. I am more productive this way. Who says we need to work 24/7 without a care in this world? One needs to balance work and life. Karang malam, saya stay uplah buat report, okay? Janganlah dengki if I seem to have more fun than you! Hish!

Then, maybe it's just applicable to me, maybe it's not. What about you?

-dillz blogging out-

My Baby Girl Turned TWO!

My baby girl, Khaleeda turned TWO last Saturday.

Felt like it was just yesterday when I announced that I was pregnant with her and everyone was chipping in ideas for her name , my pregnancy stories , a sneak preview of her 3-d scan and finally documenting her grand entrance into the world on 7 November 2007. :)

Sigh. How time flies.

My dearest Khaleeda, my oh my have you grown..

I think her speech development is way more advanced than her elder siblings. She is able to hold a comprehensible dialogue, now. The funny ways she refers to the everyday items- Ice.Co.Wa for Iced Cold Water *Serious*, Khalit vs Khaleeq, Bibit vs Bibik..

Her dancing and singing? Forget about it. She ADORES Miley Cyrus and Zee Avi. She can sing to the tunes of Poppy, and the OST of Hannah Montana: The Movie. She is the ultimate Drama Queen. She recites scripts of her favourite Dora, Barney and Hi-5 DVDs.

I am super proud of her fondness to perform the Solat. Always there by my side when I am performing mine. Such a penyebok. :)

Best of all, she literally jumps up for joy, welcoming us into our home when we come tired everyday. That never fails to lift up my spirits EVERY time. Her incessant hugging and kissing - she really is a beautiful , lovable child inside and out.

You know what they always say.. Time zooms by when you are having fun. :)

After her siblings' concert in Shah Alam, we decided to bring the whole audience (those related saja, ya) for a little makan-makan at Chili's, Bangsar Shopping Centre. After all, it is their favourite makan spot AND Kids Eat Free with every Adult entree' AND the birthday girl would get a brownie ice cream dessert Free-Of-Charge. It'd just be absurd to pick any other venue, right? :)

We went home after the long siesta and changed to go to Zera's Safari party back in Shah Alam. We figured since we are not doing a big do for her this year, might as well let her have some fun at other people's party, right?

Thing was, we arrived late at the party. So, the clown had already wrapped up his stuff and the face painting had also stopped. It didn't deter the kids from having fun, though.

Khaleeda made new friends over at Zera's. Khadra was happily busy making her Sand Arts. Khaleeq? Well, he was blowing bubbles and running and slipping and got a bump on his head along with some bloody nose. Aish la anak jantan sorang ni..

All in all, it was a really tiring Saturday and they all slept like a log that night.

Here's a picture of Khaleeda on her born day.
Doesn't that make you feel like wanting to have another baby? hihihihihi

-dillz blogging out-

Beaconhouse's Got Talent Live! 2009

The main thing the elder two were practicing for has finally arrived. We loaded the car bright and early and headed for Dewan MBSA in Shah Alam. Khadra and Khaleeq were having their annual concert. On top of that, Khadra was also part of the graduating class from Beaconhouse Bangsar. The morning session was a combination event for 4 schools; Subang Jaya, Jalan Gasing, Klang and of course, Bangsar. The afternoon session would be for Seri Petaling and Puchong. Personally, I thought there were too many kids there and could not understand for the life of me why Klang was not put in the afternoon session since their show was completely separate from the three other schools anyways. Just seems like a load balancing act gone awry. Aaaannnyways...

We dropped the two off with their teachers and off we went to catch a good seat. As the family (each child was allocated 4 guests only) of a graduate, we were given preferential treatment and got to seat somewhere nearer to the front. Apparently, we were NOT kiasu enough. By the time we got there, there were only separate seats available at the front. hihihihihi.. Kalah dalam pertandingan kiasu di situ..

The graduation ceremony was first. So, Khadra walked proudly to get her scroll. :)

As I remembered it, Khadra was in a few things - there was the Choral Speaking. It was about 1 Malaysia makan-makan and I have to say that they did pretty darn well. Just rasa a little tak puas coz it ended way too quickly. So semangatlah they all and the actions were pretty good too.. :) Here's a little snippet of it.

Other than that, she was also in the recorder performance. Then, there was the Swinging Bone dance which was really really good. Too bad there were too many people on the stage and we could barely make out her head in the crowd. Again, I am blaming the load balancing exercise! Wish they would have a chance to showcase it again some other time - you know, all that hard work.. So kesian (It is times like this that I miss the personalized attention at Early Years Playgroup. *sigh*)

Then, it was finally Khaleeq's turn - he was knocking on some instrument in the Kabemama performance. So funny, lah. His headband was falling off from his head , but he just tak kisah only!

And guess what? Khadra was the one at the side singing out load on the microphone. Eh, budak ni lagi.. hihihihihi

Later, we took more pictures. Lovely Ameema and Pez came bearing flowers for the two graduates; Khadra and Teyta. Even their BFF, Harissa got a small bouquet too. Thank you, Ameema, we love you lots. We got shooed off the Hall coz they had to prepare for the afternoon session.

The celebration then continued on 'coz Khaleeda turned TWO on the same day. :) More, in my next post, 'aight?

-dillz blogging out-

Howling at the New Moon

OMG! OMG! OMG! Nuffnang's having a Premiere Screening of New Moon and they are giving away movie tickets to 30(Plus 1) lucky Gliterrati bloggers one day BEFORE its release. How cool is that? I want! I want! I want!

(picture from: nuffnang)

There's just two easy steps to this contest;
Step 1:Write a blog post titled ‘Howling at the New Moon’ and share what do you like about the Twilight Saga
Step 2:Send in an email to newmoon@nuffnang.com with your full name and blog permalink.

Since I blogged about getting the Twilight bug last year, I have upgraded my loyalty status and bought the rest of the collection. Got Books 1 and 2 on 24th December 2008 and Books 3 & 4 on 17th January 2009. (Akak siap order, you alls.. ) In no time at all, I devoured the whole Twilight series and let me tell you that it was Y.U.M.M.Y!

So, let's get down to business. What do I like about the Twilight Saga? Let me give you the A through Z of it.
A : Action-packed - filled with adrenaline rush moments.
B : Beautiful beautiful vampires - both male and female.
C : The clumsy, klutzy yet brilliant Bella.
D : The drama of it all..
E : Edward Cullen *drools*
F : Friendship that developed between two sworn enemies
G : How Bella's father tries so darn hard to be a great dad.
H : Hot bod Jacob. Need I say more?
I : Isle Esme, the perfect honeymoon destination for Edward and Bella.
J : Bella jumping over the cliff in New Moon.
K : Bella's 2 Knights in Shining Armour, Edward and Jacob, always saving her in distress.
L : I Love (with a capital L) happy endings!
M : It allows a makcik like me enjoy a high school love story. :) (albeit a vampire one)
N : Edward and Bella's long awaited nuptial.
O : Ordinary girl meets handsome boy. Ordinary girl weds handsome boy. What NOT to love?
P : It taught me how to be really really patient (waiting for Bella to turn into a vampire)
Q : Richness in culture and history of the Quileute tribe
R : Renesmee, Bella and Edward's miracle daughter
S : Shocking twists and turns in the plot
T : The battle of vampire talents
U : Unbelievably easy to read. It was nearly impossible to put the book down!
V : The Volturi , the royal family of vampires. And they live in Italy (Like my favourite country!)
W : The warewolves - the brotherhood, the knowing even without seeing, the "nakedness" while transitioning. hihihihihi
X : X-tra points for casting Dakotta Fanning as Jane! Me likey!
Y : The vampire's eternal youth
Z : Perfect reading companion before I doze off to Zzzzz..

P/S:
Dear nuffnang,
Please.... Please...
Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!
:)

-dillz blogging out-