Legoland Here We Come (again)

Have you been to Legoland Malaysia? Isn't it just A.W.E.S.O.M.E? It is just so awesome that we decided that each member of our family had to get an Annual Pass into Legoland, valid one whole year from 13th November 2012. 

(P/S: Please note the poses for the girls in the family. Hewhewhew)

We got quite a good deal on it, actually. Bought sometime in September last year when they had a joint promotion with Maybank Mastercard Credit Cards. Each adult annual pass was going at a price of only RM190 per pax. A quick check onto Legoland website just now, the price is now RM325 for Adults (12-59years) and RM225 for Kids (3-11years) and Seniors (60years above). The price is now effective from 15 December 2012 onwards. For daily passes, it's going at RM140 for Adults and RM110 for Kids and Seniors.

Truth be told, I think you'd need more than a day to explore the whole park. The park is divided into The Beginning, LEGO Technic, LEGO Kingdoms, Imagination, LEGO City, Land of Adventure and Miniland. Each one of them have activities for kids and kids-at-heart to enjoy. When we were there, there was a LOT of people around. So the main strategy for you to consider is when to come to Legoland. I know of some people (whom shall not be named. Ahem. Ahem. read: Not us, but may or may not be related to us) who'd come on a weekday, a school day at that, to avoid the queue and have the park all to themselves. Bliss. Weekends and public holidays are of course peak times for the park. There was even one incident when a friend and his family were refused entry due to the park reaching the maximum number of clintele they could cater at any one time. They had to wait in line for some time before allowed entry eventhough they already had an annual pass. Gasp! I do understand the logic behind it though, it's for everyone to have an enjoyable experience while in the park, so yeah, do take that into considerations when deciding when to come. Our strategy now (since we already have an annual pass) is to come later in the evening, when the crowd has died down a little. Please also check what time the park closes as it varies between 6pm (weekdays) or 8pm (weekends, public holidays) daily. Also the park closes on most Wednesdays. When in doubt, check the park's website.

Okay, now what did we find most interesting??? For the roller-coaster and adrenaline junkies, these are definitely the must tries. The queue is always long but oh so worth it. 

PROJECT X at LEGO Technics. Simply awesome!!!! To date (after 4 visits to Legoland), Khadra and Khaleeda have already been on it 9 times. Yes, you read that right. Khaleeda only just made the height requirement of 110cm but she needed to ride with an adult on it. Khaleeq has been on Project X 3 times. He does't fancy rollercoasters all that much.

The best is when we got to view the picture they snapped at the first steep incline down the tracks. We already know where the camera is located, I look forward to the poses the girls would make each time they ride. hewhewhew. You could even get the copy to bring home and you are allowed to download the softcopy within a month of the ride date. The pictures are quite steeply priced though - I mean, it is expected lah. About RM30 for the small size and RM50 for the bigger picture. sometimes they'd have promotions - buy the big picture and get the small picture for free or something. I think for the past 4 visits to Legoland, we have about enough to last us a lifetime now. ;)

Other rides worth a mention at LEGO Technic are the Aquaracer (you'll get a little bit splashed here) and the Technic Twister (almost no queing time, it's the sort of twisting cup ride, the more you turn the central wheel, the more you will spin). There is also the water feature between Project X and the Aquaracer. My kids enjoyed getting wet. So remember to bring a change of clothes if your kids are keen too. There is also a human dryer that cost RM5 per pop if you fancy some drying action. We have also decided that it is actually best to wear their swimwear underneath the park clothes. They dry faster and your kids won't catch a cold from running around in wet clothes all day. (This idea came after our fourth visit to the park. D-uh!)

At LEGO Kingdoms, check out The Dragon. Not as scary as Project X, but almost as thrilling. If you are not keen, then try The Dragon Apprentice first, to condition yourself. Suffice to say that The Dragon was also a current favourite for Khadra and Khaleeda. ;P

We also found the line for Royal Joust and Merlin's Challenge shorter than most. Good variety to slip in after a long queue. If kids are too tired to que, just let them lose at one of the many playgrounds in the park - The Forestmen's Hideout. 

At The Land of Adventure, we absolutely adored the Dino Island. It's a wet ride, with minimum height requirement of 120cm, so Khaleeda had to sit this one out. First the whole log went up the conveyor to the tippy top of the castle before we plunge down into the waters. So cool, so fun, so scary! hahahahahahaha That was truly enjoyable!

Kids enjoyed the Beetle Bounce very much - very short que. There's also the Lost Kingdom, where we get to go in a cart, shooting at targets as the vehicle moves about. Also, there's a kids' ball playground called the Pharaoh's Revenge.

In LEGO City, we first went on to the Driving school for the elder Khas, while Khaleeda went to the Junior Driving School. Then we got their licences done. Absolutely no function what so ever, just as a momento for the kids.

The family had the most fun at the Rescue Academy. If you are coming with other families, an inter family battle would be fun here!!! The line for the LEGO City Airport was rather decent too.

Other than that, there's also the LEGO City Stage where they have scheduled performances / shows through out the day and a playground for the kids called The Shipyard.  Even after 4 visits, we have yet to try the LEGOLAND Express nor The Boating School. hewhewhew

In IMAGINATION, the have-to-sees are LEGO Studios 4D for some 4D movie screening and the Observations Tower - a short scenic overview of the theme park. Fully air-conditioned, you get to appreciate the ride as it slowly ascends the monopole and spins for a 360 degree view of the park. The Kids Power Tower was also fun, but needed a little more muscle power on our side. There's also a junior playground for kids 5 years and under called the DUPLO Playtown and there's a mini train that goes around the track. We have yet tried the Build & Test area for kids to build their own LEGO creation and test them. 

The Miniland is basically a LEGO wonderland showcasing grand architectures in Malaysia, as well as other countries. This provides for a lot of photo opportunities.

Basically, go have a see for yourself what the fuss is all about. We are trying to slot maybe another 3-4 trips there in 2013 to make the annual pass worthwhile. One trip per quarter? That soulds about right for my planning.

-dillz blogging out-

Thou-Shalt-Not-iGadget on weekdays

Almost ending the second week of the new schooling term now. We have just started on a new rule for the household on Wednesday night. 

Thou-Shalt-Not-iGadget on a weekday. 

That means no iPads, no iPods and no iPhones. Kids are expected to use their time to concentrate more on school tasks - homework, preparing the bag/book and uniform for school, doing their revision, finish their Eye Level homework etc.  If they happen to have free time, then they can utilize this time for leisurely reading, cooking, making arts and crafts, outdoor activities such as biking, running, swimming or play with their physical toys - e.g. pretend play, Baby Alive, Play Doh, Lego etc. Absolutely no gadgets allowed.  

The ruling starts on Sunday night from 8pm and ends at Friday at 1pm. So on Wednesday night at around

OK kan?

 

I just wanted the kids to try to concentrate more on their schooling and realize that the holidays are over. With the gadgets around they tend to be very anti-social, jompletely engrossed in their own world. Tak berapa nak dengan cakap because they are concentrating on whatever it was on the YouTube channel, Instagram-ing or what have yous. As a result, homework pun tak buat, baju tak siapkan, buku tak prepare for the next day's timetable, buat kerja lain pun distracted - termasuklah nak pakai baju, makan dan sebagainya. Impact would include leaving for school much later than I'd like to in the morning and menyebabkan darah Ibunya naik sampai ke kepala. Stress pagi-pagi noks. Adoiiii. And so we implemented the rule and that same Wednwsday night I collected all gadgets and kept it in my room.

Come Thursday afternoon, look what I saw on my Instagram news?

My little Khaleeda was liking my photos on Instagram. Adik main iPod kah? Kantoiii!!!! I immediately called home and asked her why she was playing with her iPod. She was surprised that I knew. Ya lah, she's at home and I was at work. How could I have possibly known. Terkejut sat member. She told me her reason was because "Atuk was watching tv" so she didn't know what else to do with her free time. Kakak Abang pun belum balik from various activities. This she is bored. Alololololo.

Here's hoping that the rule works and would improve their weekday to be more productive and focused. I'm still looking to fine tune it. May have to add not watching Plex as well. Very distracting, that. I have yet to decide on the games too - PS3, XBOX and the likes. May even want to reward them some Gadget time if they are doing well on a limited time basis. Will see as the day progresses lah.

-dillz blogging out-

Khaleeda says ...

Happy Nuzul Quran!

-dillz blogging out-

Meet Our Mini Snow White!

Hong Kong Vacation series | Day 1 | Day 2 | Late Night Mini Adventure| Meet Our Mini Snow White|

We are already back from our short vacation in Hong Kong and boy am I glad that we ended it all in Disneyland. Kids were on high and great positive vibes were all around. :)

One of the activities that we signed up for at the hotel was the "My Little Princess" program - a makeover session for your little princess into Cinderella, Aurora, Tinker Bell, Giselle or Snow White. Seeing that we will be checking out of the hotel at 11am on Saturday, 6th June 2011, I had already booked a slot for Khaleeda on Saturday 9am right from our check-in day. Booking and reservations can be done via the phone or at the souvenir shop in the hotel lobby.

When the day came, we marched to King Triton room at Level 3 (i.e. Ground floor).

There were three packages - Value (HKD 350), Deluxe (HKD630) and Premium (HKD830) Khaleeda chose to be Snow White which is a Premium package, but she gets to keep the costume, tiara, wand and wig at the end of the day and given one free photo (8" x 10") to bring home. Here she is trying out the costume for size in the changing room. :)

Make over in progress - Face, Eyes, Lips, Hair and even a wig and tiara! During this time, the sales assistant will offer you the accessories (wand and glove and trendy bag) for another HKD190 and princess shoes for HKD200. Since Khaleeda already got a wand included with the package, we said no to the additional accessories but she really liked the silver shoes, so we got a pair for her.

Next was the photoshoot. The photographer had an assistant who helped coach the child to do different princess poses. Put your wand up, hold your skirt, play with the curtains, face on hand, princess pose, etc. Wah! So professional... Looks like they'll have quite a collection of good pictures to choose from. It'll be difficult to just choose one, (or so) I thought.

I was trying to get some of the shots myself with our oun trusted camera. But it was rather difficult with the assistant being so close to her and I didn't get any of the tight shots.

True enough, they did offer another package for photography. A complete photo album of 10 additional photos and single use instant camera and Disney princess pouch for an additional of HKD1,600 (or so). Adoiii... Tapi, memang gegar iman la bila tengok the shots. So beautiful.... So professional... Can't believe it's my daughter. So, yeah. We succumbed to it and got them too.

But I truly believe the experience was well worth it la. Just to make all that investment lebih worth it, we took many more pictures of Khaleeda in her costume around the hotel. Nampak macam tengah nak pergi ball, kan? She put those coaching to good use. She knows a few princessy pose already. hihihihihihi

She also kept it on all the way back to Malaysia. Yes, the plane ride included.

She was lapping up the attention too. Many strangers stopped to take pictures of her, say Hi to her and pointing at her. "Princess, Princess" , "Hi Snow White" and there she was, replying to her subjects "Hi!!!!" siap dengan wave lagi. :) After touching down on Malaysian soil, we dropped by my parents' place coz she wanted to show off to her Tok Ki and Nenek. After about 10 hours in that dress and complete makeup, baru bukak. Barulah worth it...

That's all for now. Will get back to my Hong Kong travel-logue in the next entries. Tarra!

-dillz blogging out-

Planning for the term holidays

The schedule for the PKSR1 Exams are already out. Which means the end of term is near. Which also means the kids will be out for a 2-week break starting this 28th May 2011.

Plans have been made. We just finalized the air tickets some 2 weeks back together with the main agenda -- Hong Kong Disneyland!!!!

Picture from: here

We have a 5day , 4 night itinerary in which the first 2days and 2 nights will be exploring Hong Kong and the remaining 3days and 2 nights spent in Hong Kong Disneyland itself. best of all, our stay coincides with Khadra's 8th birthday. So, she will be celebrating her birthday there, Disneyland-style. Complete with decorated room in Mickey & Minnie theme and a special Disney character appearance during dinner with photo op. OMG! Dream come true?

However, the plan is still hazy on the Hong Kong part, but I've told Khadra to research on things she'd like to do there. Apparently, there's Madam Tussaud's there and they have a Justin Bieber wax figure. Definitely worthy of a visit, don't you think? hihihihihi..

Yeah, so any ideas on what to do in Hong Kong is very much welcomed. Plus, where to stay, ah? Somewhere nice for a family of 5, near to the things that we would probably like to see and do before we head on over to Disneyland.

For now, the elder kids would have to revise and prepare for their exams first. Khaleeda, on the other hand, has already made her selections on what she'd like to wear while roaming around Disneyland.

Uuuuu... I can't wait! (eeh.. Ibu dia yang berlebih)

-dillz blogging out-

Ahlan Wa Sahlan Ya Ramadhan 1431

Ramadhan is here once again. Alhamdulillah.. :)

For the first terawikh, the Azrul clan (minus Miss Khadra) was at Masjid Wilayah. Penuhnya ya amaaaaattt, we literally parked in the middle of the road. Anyhow, Khaleeq went with his dad. Menurut kata report, he was OK. Just that he was reading "Subhana rabbiyal azimi wa bihamdih" really loudly for rukuk AND sujud. hihihihihi. Khaleeda came with me to the muslimat section. Boleh tahan behave jugak, the little makcik. She keeps herself busy whilst waiting for rukuk by looking around and walking around me. Whenever there were major movements, such as rukuk and sujud, she would follow suit. (Just that bila sujud, dia terlentang. hihihihihi. Will have to remember to correct her position later.)

From their track records, Khadra started fasting last year and managed to complete the whole month without fail. Khaleeq on the other hand, completed a commendable 29 days - itu pun sebab he didn't quite understand the concept the first day and was too tempted by the sizzles of fried chicken for lunch! Khaleeda has yet to start. Bagi chan lah itu makcik, she is only 2.5 years old after all. ;)

Of course, we had a little incentive scheme in place that was really really working last year - a DS Lite each, up front. :) At that point in time, a big reward was vital coz that was their first time fasting ever.

This year, we have not yet cemented any agreements with the two Khas. Just a little reminder here and there on how the fasting month is coming and one is not allowed to eat and drink from dusk to dawn. I thought Khadra did a good job explaining it clearly to Khaleeq.
Khadra: "It's when you can't have breakfast and lunch, Khaleeq"
Khaleeq: "You mean, I can only eat at night time?"
Hmm... Boleh la tu...

Anyways, to keep them motivated, our First Sahur was a little extravagant. Mandy rice from al-Rawsha, Jalan Damai for Inche @azrulx , me and Bibik Parmi AND KFC for the kids. (Though, Khaleeda had her mashed potato and original drum stick before she headed to bed that night) I thought we overdid it that time. Probably 2 mandy rice packs would have suffice. Waking up K1 and K2 was alright. The real challenge was really after they came back from school the next day.

At 12:30pm I got a call from Saufi and Khaleeq was crying and wailing on the other end.
"I am hungry mom! I am so thirsty. I am so sad coz I am hungry."
Hmm.. Macam mana nak buat ni?
Had to go into rescue mode right away. I told Saufi to pick me up from office and the coaxing, pujuking, pep talking, usap-mengusaping began. I was just cuddling him on our way home and he really looked beaten at that time. Keluarlah segala cerita kesian kat orang susah, at least you get to eat at night, you have done it before, you are a strong boy segala. Wah!! Tak jalan juga. Masih menangis. Still wailing his heart out.

In times like this, I had to bring out a toy that he really wanted from our secret stash. (Nasib baik dah prepare earlier) I took out Decepticon Lockdown and he immediately changed his demeanor. Tetiba jadi energetic, jumping up and down.
"Is that surprise for me? I love it!"
I told him that this toy could could be his if he fulfill his fast that day. Nampak semangat semacam je. Tetiba, OK pulak. Things were finally looking up! :)

The toy did help him feel distracted for a while. Alhamdulillah, he completed the fasting yesterday, but not without more complains. One thing for sure, I really needed to keep on reassuring him time and time again. He needs to do other stuff so that he gets distracted and not focus on the hunger and thirst. Come on, boy.. You can do this. I foresee these 3 days to be a little tough. Transition time. After he gets through this few days, Insya Allah.. He could do it on his own for the coming days. On top of that, ada pulak distraction from Lil Miss Deyda. Boleh minah tu minum air sejuk depan abang dia, siap panggil nama Khaleeq lagi. Ish.Ish.Ish.

Second day - same story. Sahur was OK. The drama really started after school was over. Extra challenge today coz Khaleeq had his gym session today and not allowed to drink. So, as expected, the call came sometime around 12:40pm, he was asking for permission to drink coz he was thirsty. I asked Saufi to pick me up so that I could talk some sense into the boy on our ride home. Rupa-rupanya budak bertuah tu already took a bite off a biscuit he found in his bag. Bukan banyak pun, just one tiny bite.
His justification:
"It's not my fault, mom. My belly button is controlling me."
Adoiaiii, Khaleeq.

Nak gelak pun ada.
Anyhoots, I took away Lockdown for the day. Told him he could get it back once he fulfills a day of fasting. And the next 7 consecutive fasting days, he can get another toy.
He kept apologizing and saying that he'll try to do better tomorrow.
Takpe lah , Khaleeq. Esok kita try lagi..

Khadra on the other hand is not complaining walaupun nampak penat dan letih. Good job, Kakak! Onto day TWO! :)

-dillz blogging out-

Khaleeda's First Day at School

Khaleeda, my 2 years and 7 months old girl has been asking us since forever to let her go to school. We have been meaning to send her to Early Years Playgroup since March this year, but they were not admitting new kids into the Nursery class at that time. *had to let the triplets cool down and ease into school first. :)* So, when I called Aunty Zai a few weeks back, I was estatic that she agreed for us to have a look see around the school for Khaleeda and Eva. (Zachy and Emelia's firstborn) Just to see whether the kids like it there and whether they are ready for school.

Early Years Playgroup and us go way back. Khadra started her early development days there in August 2005. She just turned 2 years and 2 months. When she went in she could hardly speak. Prolly only had 5 words in her vocabulary. Among others are: Abibu (for Ibu), Amimok (for selimut / blankie), Shishu (for Susu) and.. Maybe that's it. hihihihihi But, at the end of the year, in her December concert, we were just amazed on how she had blossomed. Truly, truly amazing. :) Then, there was Khadra's 2006 concert where they had the musical-inspired theme. Me, Inche Azrul and Kira worked hard on the backdrop screens! Hmm.. those were fun times!

Khaleeq joined in January 2007 , when he was 2 years and 5 months. Similarly, he couldn't speak when he first joined. But, when he left 2 years later, he was speaking in an American slang. hihihihihihi *must have picked it up from the telly, tho* In 2007, we had two stars performing in the year-end concert. This year it was the Children of the World. Khadra left for Beaconhouse the year she turned 5, so in 2008, Khaleeq was the only one performing at the year-end concert. (Whoa! I din't blog about that year's concert. Must have been REALLY busy or lazy!)

So, anywaaaays... (Panjangnya mukaddimah)

Lil Miss Khaleeda and Lil Miss Eva went for a look-see the other day and ended up really liking the place. *Am so glad* They joined the class right after breakfast and stayed on for the storytelling, playtime and music time. It really helped that Eva, her new BFF, was around. But she kept calling me to be near her. Must have been a little overwhelmed with all the new faces, I think.

She quickly warmed up during playtime though. Especially when they discovered the water tank. The two little ladies must have scooped the pink water onto the water mill like a million times. Don't they ever get bored? I wonder. Khaleeda also enjoyed music time very much. It really helped that Miss Maria's songs were familiar to her - especially Row, Row Your Boat where she got to partner the dashing Mika (One-third of the triplets) and also Heads, Shoulder, Knees and Toes. hihihihi *Thank you, Barney!*

So, we decided that Khaleeda would definitely join Early years Playgroup and after the approval from Tok Mummy, yesterday was the first day of school for Lil Miss Deyda! :) I just accompanied her for awhile before I left her to enjoy her day. *Exit timed nicely as she went for the water tank*

Picking her up at 1pm was an entourage consisting of me, Khadra and Khaleeq. She was smiling from ear to ear when she saw the sight of me. Screaming "IBU! " from the top of the stairs she looked so excited and happy. Khadra and Khaleeq were smiling too, probably proud of their baby sister. Khaleeq siap declared to the two teachers that he used to attend the school before too. Good to hear that Miss Rina and Miss Tini reported that she didn't even cry that first day. Only asked for me once in a while. Yeay, Deyda!!!

Looks like a good beginning for Lil Miss Khaleeda. Now, I just have to think of her day-to-day clothes to school. They are allowed to wear normal clothes, the uniform is just an apron. :) My little makcik is a diva, suka melawa. Ikut aunty-aunty dia lah tu. (Not me, definitely)

-dillz blogging out-

I Miss My Munchkin(s)

I really miss my little Deyda. Yes, we live in the same house but I hardly see her on weekdays. By the time I leave the house in the mornings, she is still in La La Land. Sleeping and occasionally snoring. :) By the time I get home at night, she is already preparing to sleep or already asleep. The only time that I really get to gomol her is on the weekends.

Such a drama queen, this one. Just like her sister, I guess. :) She is cheeky and mischievous and so loving. Always putting up a smile and ever willing to shower me with her bear hugs and sloppy kisses. Anak bongsu agaknya.. :)

Since it's a public holiday tomorrow, we decided to take the kids out for a special treat to the movies tonight. Shrek 3 Forever After it is. :)

Picture from: here

This is my other munchkin that I miss.


My sister, Kira who is in Alexandria, Egypt right now, studying Medicine. Year 1 out of so many. *updated* In the above picture she was a measly 3 year old, giving me a visit in ole Cobham Hall during my A-Level years - she actually sent me this picture with the subject "found a nice pic of us that wld have been perfect for your blog entry" haha! (looking at the two - Deyda and Kira, they have a lot of similarities, don't they? Yeay Deeds! You're gonna grow up pretty like your Achu)

For the rest of her, sorry Ki, saya cilok gambar awak.

Beautiful and talented. But, I really miss the time that we spend together. The karaoke-ing, the eating and especially the goofy things that we do. Case in point, see below:

Adik, bila mau balik? Kanda sudah rindu, wooo!!! ( Anak bongsu, kot)

Er, boleh ke pergi Egypt je, Inche Azrul?

-dillz blogging out-

Gratitude Log - Healthy Kids

It's Monday. It's BLERGH day.

I refuse to be bitchy today. Instead, I choose to be grateful. If there is one thing that I am grateful for today, I am grateful for the health of my three children - Khadra, Khaleeq and Khaleeda. Even more so for Khaleeda as I was reminded of her fever episode in Pantai Medical Centre early this month.

Khaleeda had a bout of fever and coughs and runny nose - the whole works. The fever was controllable, but there were a few things that concerned me.
1) She did not take her meds well. We had to force it into her , so every medication time was hell time.
2) She did not have a very good appetite, not really eating and was getting kinda dehydrated.
3) She was lethargic, not her usual jumpy self.

So, I made the executive decision to get her referred and ward her. She was to be poked with the IV needle to administer some much needed liquid into her body. It was not a pretty sight , obviously because Khaleeda is a true Srikandi. She was kicking and wailing her arms around. Ibu mana yang tahan tengok anak dia meronta-ronta macam tu? Of course, it kills me inside, but it had to be done. We wrapped her around a blanket and the doctor poked - nasib baik once je dah enough. The next three days, we were warded. And the drama ensued - each and every time it was medication time. She was so traumatized and afraid of the nurses and doctor, that every single person who was wearing blue would make her cringe and hop onto Ibu. Yes, even the Amahs and makcik sapu included. Kesian Khaleeda. So, YES. I am grateful for their health and I am grateful for the benefits that comes with this job that I have. Her medicals are all paid for, Syukur Alhamdulillah..

Have a good Monday, y'all!

-dillz blogging out-

Drama Pagi-Pagi

Two sisters on the floor. Both crying.

The little one wants to go to school.
Lil One: "Can I school? Can I school lah?"

The big one does not want to go to school.
Big One: "I don't wanna go to school. Sakit perut.."

Aiyaa.. Yang nak pergi tak payah pergi. Yang kena pergi, tak nak pergi..
Habih camno?

-dillz blogging out-

The Power of Fury

Of late, my Khaleeq has been complaining and whining about why I haven't bought his Power Rangers Jungle Fury (PRJF) Jungle Master Megazord already.

OK, let's back track just a little bit. I just have a few questions here.

1) Since whenlah pulak Power Rangers came into the picture? I thought my boy was into Ben-10 and Transformers?
Apparently, not any more. Thank you what ever TV channel that has been feeding my boy with this new obsession. *NOT!*

2) What is a Jungle Master Megazord anyways?
Got this from wikia: As the Power Rangers train and learn to control their powers, they rise to the next level of Jungle Master Megazord in which their three new Animal Spirit (don't ask me, I don't know either) combined. Jungle Master Megazord is the combination of three animal spirits- Gorilla, Antelope and Penguin.

This is how he looks like.

(Picture from: here, here)

Right and it costs RM399.00 at Toys R' Us, thank you very much.

So, what do we do when faced with a situation as such? We make plans and this is ours:

*It's always a family plan, don't you know?*

Khadra will keep her daily RM2 recess money I give her in her K1 coin box. Eventhough Khaleeq does not have a canteen to spend it in, he still gets RM2 to be stuffed into K2 coin box. Khaleeda does not go to school, so we'll just match whatever the other two siblings can raise. When there is enough notes and coins in K2, Khaleeq will get his Jungle Master Megazord.

Sikit-sikit lama-lama jadi bukit, kan?

Sepuluh sen, Dua puluh sen, Tiga puluh sen... Bila nak Tiga Ratus Sembilan Puluh Sembilan Ringgit ni?

On second thoughts, maybe Azrul should just borong if and when he goes to China then. After all those Power Ranger stuff are BanDai products and are manufactured in China. Anybody out there going to China soon?

-dillz blogging out-

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-

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-

The Kids' 2009 Halloween

Yes I am lagging. That's what you get when you have a thousand and one thing to do and never enough time to do it. Since I am in my "mari" mode anyways, thought I'd post this basi story anyways.. :)

Remember all that preparation and mock rehearsal on the Halloween costumes sometime back? Well, turned out that it did not go to waste as the kids' school decided to have a Halloween Assembly one Friday. Yeay!! I decided to buy Khaleeq another skeleton outfit from Kampung Club - so no discounts there. hihihihi.. Anyways, they were up in the early morning to put on their costume, with their accessories in tow. Yup, Khadra actually brought her broom to school. (Kami keluarga poyo, thank you)

Comel tak that Micheal Jackson in Khaleeq's class? Apparently he had another mask of Osama Ben Laden too but decided to come as the late MJ anyways. Big head on a small body- too cute, right?

The shots at their assembly. The kids were so sporting in allsorts of costumes. There were pirates and witches and Autobots and princesses. Made me kinda wish I was as little as these lucky lot! :)

The next day was the Halloween costume competition at Bangsar Village. The two elder kids wore what they wore on Friday (haha - Recycle baju. More value for money, maa) and Khaleeda get to parade her outfit also. She absolutely refused the pumpkin outfit! So, she came as a Princess Bee instead. I had time to run up to Toys 'R us to add the antennea and butterfly wings. Bee + Butterfly = Nasiblah, insects jugak,kan. hihihihihihi But, she absolutely loved it. (Budak ni tau lak baju lawa dengan baju tak lawa.... ish ish ish) Their cousins were there too: Naqib as the Grim Reaper, Teyta as Jazzy Witch and Neyna as the Vampire Princess.

After the competition (in which neither of us won the top three placing), there were 'Trick or Treat'-ing around the shopping complex. Any shops that displayed a large candy by their entrance participated in the event. So, naturally, our kids were running around the complex 'Trick or Treat'-ing and the bounty were quite interesting too. We got loads of miniature Mars, Snickers, Milky Ways, obscene amount of candies and some vouchers too. Oh, Khaleeq opted out of the running around the complex agenda and had a haircut instead.

I say that the investment on the costumes was Berbaloi. In fact, Berbaloi-baloi. ;)

-dillz blogging out-

Long Overdue

This post is long overdued.
Latest reason for not appearing in the blogosphere:

Iya, puteri kecilku gering. Maka dengan itu, completelah tiga-tiga warded for 2009. Hope there won't be any repeat performances. *fingers crossed*

Been in Pantai Medical Centre since Sunday and as the good Dr puts it; we need to wait till her stool hardens. Up till then, I shall be sleeping over at the hospital.

I am sure it would be gross and just plain wrong to bore you with the visual / description of what went wrong with Khaleeda's bowel movements. Just suffice to say that Shit is really determining my life at this moment.

Hihihihihi

Just a simple note to say that I may be lingering a while. ;)

Oh, BTW, other half has been sucked into the dark side too.. he's on a roll - 2 posts today alone! *Really* Check him out when you have the time!

-dillz blogging out-

Hi-5 Surprise LIVE - The Review

It was a tiring trip for sure.. In fact I was still half-hearted when we started the journey. First off, the kids, minus Khaleeda and Neyna, were all fasting. And to top it off, I knew that it would be a really looong drive home, taking into account the long-holiday balik kampung rush. With all that at the back of my mind, we headed to Kota Keriangan in Ziezi's Wish anyways.

How to get to Arena of Stars? Just a friendly note here coz we were also driving around the top of the hill to get the best parking for a car filled with kids. We did not exactly wanted to walk a long way since they were fasting and all.. The Arena of Stars is within the same vicinity as the Genting Theme Park. So , find your Parking spot at the space marked for Theme Resort Hotel. Once you get to the lobby, the Arena of Stars will be staring right in front of your face. (i.e. adjacent entrance to the Theme park)

The kids were all psyched up, all armed with their hoodie to brace the chill. Going around and around the "mountain" Khaleeda vomitted a few , but she was OK thereafter and took a nap all the way up. We were there pretty early. Thankfully, the ride up was a breeze and it took us no time at all to get there.

Once we got in, the first stop was , of course, the merchandise store. Fallen victim, as usual, I bought some momentos from the show. (Kasi chan la, ticket masuk dah free, kan?) Jup-jup stuffed toy, Hi-5 fairy wings with skirt that Khaleeda wore immediately, Hi-5 cape and hair band which Khadra wore, 2 swimming bags and 2 of those character stuff that you could wave around. Puas hati.

The audience turn-out was really bad, though. Like tak sampai 200 pun in that massive space.. Oh well, better for us coz we got to move to a better spot once the show started. The highlight was definitely towards the end of it when they opened the gates to the VIP space and we all rushed to the front of the stage. Khaleeda and the rest had a ball dancing to her favourite song, "Monster Dance" and I caught the encore song on video. :)

At the end, I lifted Khaleeda up so that she gets to Hi-5 the casts in person and one of the girls even kissed her on the cheek.

My verdict? All the trouble was really berbaloi in my books. :)

-dillz blogging out-

To Hi5 or Not to Hi5

Have you heard of Hi5, the 5 team sensation who dances and sings while wearing quirky and fun costumes? They have their own tv show airing on Nick Jr. and happens to be Khaleeda's favourite. She loves them so much that when you count, 1,2,3,4 ; she'd continue with Hi5! She even memorizes some of their steps, I kid you not.

So, imagine our surprise when I found out that:

Picture from :here

AND to top the icing to the cake:

Complimentary tickets for each student in Beaconhouse Bangsar to watch Hi5 Surprise! show LIVE in Genting Highlands. No brainer, right? We should just get in the car and climb straight up to the hilltop.

Aah.. Do not jump your horses too soon , my friend for herein lies the challenge:

• The show is for TODAY, 31st August 2009, at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands ; and get this - showtime is at 4pm
  

What's the big deal?

1. Khadra and Khaleeq and me are fasting AND the show is at 4pm- hence, timing untuk berbuka puasa sangatlah sucks!
   
2. Logistics up and down the hill - imagine having to drive up AND down the hill PLUS today is the end of a long weekend. Just let your imaginations run wild with the potential traffic jam from the masses coming back from their kampungs. And we are talking about Karak highway here..
   

Khadra and Khaleeda really really wants to go. *Really* Khaleeq is non-chalant about it, he said it was for Babies and Girls.. So, he's quite okay with staying home (and finishing up his homework with dad) Have been going back and forth with this since the past 3 days. Kejap nak pergi, kejap tak nak pergi.. Kejap nak pergi, kejap tak nak pergi..

Decisions need to be firmed up and ASAP. I so wanna get them there but so malas to deal with all the other implications. Ikut hati, baik dok rumah je buat kerja or rest (a.k.a. tido). But, at the back of my mind, I have this mental pictue of Khaleeda dancing to the tunes and how so darn happy she'd be when she sees them LIVE. Aaahhhh.. Nak tidur lah kejap. I'll most likely just carpool with Ziezi and we'll just redah je lah.. We'll see..

-dillz blogging out-

Let's Keep It Clean

There was a health-talk by Lifebuoy at the kids' school last Saturday. One which we had signed up for a week prior and for which we had to skip 2 birthday invites. (Sorry Rita and Azni)

Some of the highlights of the events were:

• Story-telling with En Durian: It had a simple theme. Adventurous Kids gets themselves dirty, adventurous kid gets sick. Adventurous kids need to be clean and practice good personal hygiene. Adventurous kids get to be adventurous and healthy! The storyteller was the bubbly, expressive and energetic En Durian, who took his time and turned it into something fun for the kids. Here's a little snippet of En Durian in action:
  
• Hygiene talk and Quiz: After the story was done, En Durian explained the expected hygienic activities that the kids were supposed to maintain. How many times they should bathe with Lifebuoy shower gels. :) When to wash your hands, and how to wash them with Lifebuoy hand wash. The kids had to imitate a series of step-by step instructions and once again En Durian made it fun. Even Khaleeda joined in! :) There was also a simple quiz at the end of it.
  
• Hand-washing demo: The kids took turns, one-by-one, to step on the stool and have a go at the mobile wash basin. En Durian was there again to guide them. So sweetlah En Durian ni. And so patient. :) Here's Khadra giving it a go.
  
• Colouring competition & Facepainting: Next was the colouring competition and to complement the activity, me and Kira facepainted the kids too. :) No pictures, sorry. I was too busy "working".
  

I did think it was a great and fun way for the kids (and their parents) to learn about personal hygiene. Even I didn't know the exact techniques to wash my hand, know what I mean? All this while, I have just been winging it. Mana ada buat claw and gosok-gosok on the palms, segala. hihihihihihi Why lah zaman dulu takde pun orang nak ajar kita cuci tangan? Kids these days are so lucky, they have everything handed out to them, eh?

Anyhoots, with the influenza scare about town, it could not have come at a more appropriate time. Thank you , Lifebuoy! Thank you, Beaconhouse Bangsar! I sure learnt some great lessons!

-dillz blogging out-

Growing - The Making Of

Khaleeda takes after Khadra in terms of her love for performing, her music sense, rhythm and dancing. She will be 2 in November and she loves posing for pictures and recording her "performances". Often times, she would request to have a look at the recording / picture shot every after "take".

She has a number of "performances" in her repertoire now. She loves imitating the moves off her favourite shows like Barney and Hi-5. She could, if she wanted to, perform to "Growing", "If All The Raindrops", "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "One, Two Buckle My Shoe". I was trying to capture her performing to "Growing" just the other day..

Take 1:

First try to get her to perform the song. Tak habis satu verse pun, main talent telah menyuarakan rasa tidak puas hatinya...

Take 2:

Musnah harapan bonda. Start-start pun dah takde angin nak perform. hihihihihi

Take 3:

When it started it looked like she would go all the way... Sampai nak hujung first verse, member dah buat tak pahammmm je. hihihihi

Wah!! Susah juga ya nak manage small talents ni. Mummy pun dah tak larat nak tunggu. Lain kali je lah nak, ya?? :)~~

Applique Tee-ing

We received the t-shirts from applique tee shoppe yesterday and I did not waste much time asking the kids to pose them. They were , as always, ever willing to try on new clothes. :)

Group shot:

Individual gedik shots: (siap tidur atas katil, tu..)

They have also earned a post each on applique tee shoppe's official blog here: Khadra, Khaleeq and Khaleeda. :)

Thank you once again, Amy. The kids are mighty pleased! Khaleeda couldn't stop shouting, "Dora!" everytime she she proudly points to her t-shirt. You have a fully satisfied customer in me and we'll be back for seconds! ;)

-dillz blogging out-