Widuri Laduree

How awesome is this? I wrote about macarons a few weeks back and my awesome Srikandi sister has connections that could make my very own batch of Laduree macarons very very possible! Her brother stays in Switzeland and apparently, this chick has been getting her constant supply thataway! :)

As luck would have it, her brother is back in Malaysia now and brought back some Laduree macarons and the kind-hearted Deyna decided to share some with moi! :) :) :) Thanks to the FOC messaging by Berry, we scheduled a little rendezvous at Mothercare KLCC and I picked the lovelies up last Saturday. Her reminder was for me to have a macaron at the Laduree salon to experience first-hand the magic. Apparently a smart looking waiter with a bow in a suit would be attending to that tiny macaron. Can not wait! :) Bila mau pergi, Inche Azrul? hihihihihihi

*Oh, dan sempat buat demo pakai tudung untuk gym using that Mily and Cole tudung, ya. The pirate variation. I'll try to shoot astep-by-step video of it and post it up for you, ok Deyna? *

Thus, we, the Azrul household, have been Laduree macarons for desserts ever since. hihihihihihihi

Ada chocolate, caramel, pistachio, coconut.... Hmmm Hmmmm Gooood!! :) (Sorry, Maween they are all mine!) You were right, Deyna. As soon as the outer shell hardened and crisped a little it was pure heaven! Just need to finish it alllll up before it becomes too dry. Hmm.. Party macaronnsla nampaknya. hihihihihihihi. I loike!

*suara suara apungan* Diet? Apa dah jadi dengan diet? Ahhh.. Persetankan aja.

So, thank you so much Ardena Aziz. Me love you mucho!! You soooo didn't have to but you did!! Wee-hee!!! Love ya! Love ya! Love ya!

Moral of the story: Masuk STF, please to get awesome friends for life such as Deyna. :)

-dillz blogging out-

Al-Fatihah

Got news that Azura Hani Ahmad a.k.a Zoorek and Norhashimah Wahid a.k.a Sheema both succumbed to their illnesses this morning. They both have passed on. As and when there is info, I shall keep the updates coming on this post.

Al-Fatihah to my two lovely sisters. Ya Allah, grant their loved ones the strength to carry on.

I was totally numb, trying to make sense of things. It was so overwhelming that I had to stop the car and park by the roadside and cry and cry and cry. What a devastating way to start the week. I shall miss them dearly.

*Update on Allahyarhamah Azura Hani Ahmad

8:55am : Jenazah akan dibawa ke rumah aunty dia di: No 48, Jalan 17/4, Petaling Jaya. Kebumi sebelum Zohor.

10:28am : Directions to her aunty's house - if u are coming from the Masjid Bulat Section 14, at the Rothmans roundabout, take the 3pm exit. Take the first second left turn and look out for Jln 17/4 on your right after Pasar Seksyen 17.Go straight on until you get to a cross-junction. No 41 is the first house on your left.

10:55am :(via sms) Azura Hani, akan dikebumikan @ Kota Damansara, Seksyen 9. 2:30 today.

6:00pm : Tahlil arwah will be carried out at her aunty's house (same place) after Isya' for the first night.

9:00pm: Zoorek's mom confirmed that the 2nd night tahlil will be carried out at the surau instead of her aunty's house. The 3rd night will be done in Meor's house - 105B, Menara Jaya, Section 14, PJ (Opposite Milleneum Tower) Tahlil as usual will be after Isya'. She encouraged that we come to the one in Meor's house. :)

2nd June 2010 : Tahlil arwah malam ke 7 akan diadakan di rumah Abang Hak - No. 78, Jalan Lee Woon (Belakang Zoo Negara) The itinerary would start after Maghrib. Aunty reminded to be there a little earlier, takut sesat.

*Update on Allahyarhamah Sheema Wahid

9:05am : Jenazah akan dibawa ke: No 41, Jalan Enggang Timur 1, Taman Keramat. Kebumi estimated around 11am.

10:07am : Jenazah bertolak dari Hospital Klang pukul 11am. Burial will be a little later.

10:25am (fr sms) : Skrg arwah sheema di bilik forensik, after that dimandikan di Masjid Al-Ansar, Jln Enggang 1, Tmn Keramat, all details about arwah ada di nst, utusan n few local newspaper, all press n govt ppl ada di hospital, arwah akan dikebumikan selepas zohor atau tgh hari ni..time x confirm lg

5th June 2010 (fr sms) : Salam, Di jemput utk menghadiri Kenduri tahlil malam ke-7 for arwah Norhashimah Wahid on 060610; tomorrow nite will be held @sheema's mother house @ keramat after isyak. Please forward to other family member and friends as well.. TQ

-dillz blogging out-

Sisters in Cyberspace

It's already 2.30am. I have been tossing in bed while my three kids are already sound asleep. It's nice to be children. Not much to worry about, just what games to play today, eat when you're hungry, go to the loo if you need to do the number one or the number two. Sometimes, maybe worry about homework or exams. Not too often, though.

But this morning, I had someone specific in my mind. Her name is Azura Hani Ahmad or more fondly known as Zoorek back in my high school years. I was made aware Zoorek's illness a few months back. News and updates travelled quickly in this Information Age - mainly on facebook, twitter, blogs and BBM. She was diagnosed with leukimia and had undergone the first round of chemo with such strength.

A few days back, I was informed of a solat hajat for her on twitter. Informant was noneother than @idlan who was physically in the land of the original Fish and Chips. Zoorek's condition is deteriorating.

In facebook today, it was Ryzah's mobile upload that really caught my attention. It was a snapshot of Norzu's column in NST -From KL to Cape Town that was published yesterday.

@idlan with her trademark kerut

The caption of the picture read:

My first thought when I saw this page on NST today was "mak aii, besornya muka Idlan in Nor's column hari ni"..

But I was reduced to silent tears by the time I finished reading the column for it mentioned Zoorek (our schoolmate) who's fighting for her life in UMMC now and Mike (also a schoolmate) who passed away of cancer last year. Just like Nor, I too didn't manage to see Mike before she left us for eternity.. I hope I will be able to make my way to UMMC this week to visit Zoorek.

Good luck Nor for your second leg of adventure and Al-Fatihah to allahyarhamah Mike, Anor, Pet and Noni (our batchmates who have left us).

(Norzu also blogs about her 5month adventure on My Lost Year: From KL to Cape Town ) Read Idlan's post on Zoorek - I think I thank .

Apart from that, facebook is also providing us the platform in the form of status updates from Srikandis who have visited Zoorek. On Friday, for instance:

Zasya Evilblue : latest update on kak zooreq (as of my visit tghari tadi): her bp ok, temp 37.5, wbc 0.7 (still low), urine dah yellow-brownish, lungs are deteroriating coz of infections altho bleeding dah takda (but this is very bad), ventilator and oxygen on 100% (high setting - she's 100% depending on machine since her lungs are weak, n oxygen level kept dropping since last nite). she's not doing good. :( keep praying ya sisters

Marisa Ahmat : Update on Zoorek as per my visit 7pm: her lungs deteriorating, the antibiotics yet to function but ptg td the docs changed her ventilator to a stronger one to help her lungs pump at an optimum level. other than that she's still the same. but today, my heart broke once again becoz the sight of her labored breathing (...due to the new ventilator) was too devastating. :((

It really made me think about how trivial my problems and issues really are. On one hand, we have a strong 33 year old girl whom I have known since she was 13 years old, fighting for her life. On the other, me stressing about exams and my weight and all other things that wouldn't even matter when I permanently leave this world. How about what I'll be leaving my kids? Do I have enough amalan to answer the questions of Mungkar and Nangkir when I am alone, in my dark grave 6 feet down under?

Life really is temporary. Everybody goes. There's no exception to the rule. It's really how you prepare yourself for the afterlife and the balancing between living for today and beyond. But when bombarded with information of someone so young, so close, so real is actually fighting for her life - it just struck a nerve , I guess. Technology also make you feel so close to the scene - with almost real time update on what is really happening.

I really need to make my way to UMMC tomorrow. According to Zasya, Zoorek is in ICU, Level 3 Menara Utama. In the meantime, dearest sisters in cyberspace, please keep Zoorek in your prayers.

-dillz blogging out-

#1b1t

First off, what the heck is #1b1t ?

According to Dr. Idlan, it stands for One Book One Twitter. Idlan is my junior back in my high school, Sekolah Tun Fatimah and she happens to be my reference point for anything nerdy and intellectual. hahaha!

I have been intrigued by her tweets recently about the hashtag #1b1t and was enlightened today through her her post . Any chance to do something good and engaging in cyberspace. I am all ears! :) (Plus to proof that I am not too much of a bimbo! hahah!)

In Idlan's words:

In sum, the project is about getting everyone on Twitter to read one book over 2 months and discussing it, using the #1b1t hashtags to identify content. The book that has been chosen for the project is Neil Gaiman’s American Gods; which is not surprising given Gaiman’s (@neilhimself) popularity among tweeple.

The first thing you need to do is get your hands on a copy of Gaiman's American Gods. Then, follow @1b1t2010 for updates and to add the #1b1t to your tweets for discussion of contents. To ensure that there is some structure to the whole project, also read the discussion reading schedule. In essence, it is an 8week project, starting from May 5th 2010 and by the week of June 23rd, those who are in the project would have already completed the entire book. It's still not too late, people. Here's the schedule!

Week 1 : May 5-11
Caveat, Warning for Travelers
Epigraph
Discuss Chapters 1, 2, & 3

Week 2 : May 12-18
Discuss Chapters 4, 5, 6

Week 3 : May 19-25
Discuss Chapters 7, & 8

Week 4 : May 26-June 1
Discuss Chapters 9, 10, & 11

Week 5 : June 2-8
Discuss Chapters 12, & 13

Week 6 : June 9-15
Discuss Chapters 14, 15, & 16

Week 7 : June 16-22
Discuss Chapters 17, 18, & 19

Week 8 : June 23-30
Discuss Chapter 20 and Postscript

There's another link that you should be aware of, called the One Book, One Twitter: The Lab Notes. Additional notes and the how tos will be posted here. For example how to go about with the hashtags once the discussion is underway. It's a page so that there are rules for us to follow and that everyone have the same understanding.

This is what I picked up from the Lab Notes:

We have established an official system of hashmarks. It goes like this:

#1b1t: General Discussion

#1b1t_1c: Discussion of Chapter 1 (and prologue material)

#1b1t_2c: Discussion of Chapter 2

... and on until we hit Chapter 19.

For all you tweeple out there, come on, let's join in the bandwagon! Happy reading!!

-dillz blogging out-

Anakku Masuk Sekolah Rendah

I must say I kinda underestimated the work needed to enroll my kid into Primary One. The registration was easy enough, really it was the preparation that comes with it. This was after taking into considerations that I have already bought her school uniforms and shoes sometime back in November. (Yes, I am an eager beaver, thank you very much)

Let's lay it out, why don't we?

The books - yes, text books are being provided. (Thank you, Government of Malaysia) But, you still need to buy the exercise books and activity books. We sourced the activity books and stationery from Czip Lee , Telawi Bangsar (I love that shop) but the buku rampaian-s and school badges needed to be purchased at the school book store.

Getting the stuff was one thing - no stocklah, apalah. So I had to frequent the place a few times to check off all the books in the Standard One book list. Add into the equation hours upon hours of waiting and a highly PMS-ed book shop assistant. Adalah bliss. *NOT!*

Once you've secured the book, the next stage was labeling them with 1) name sticker print-out and 2) writing her name and class and wrapping every single book. Wah! Such a production! I remember doing this last for my sisters Ewa, Ema and Kira. (maybe coz I had such beautiful handwriting! hihihihi) But, I remember hating the wrapping part. Thank god for innovation that came in the form of the ready made covers that only needed you to slot and stick! Yeay!

Next were the uniforms. I already got 2 pairs of pinafore and 2 pairs of baju kurung-s for Khadra. However, on the orientation day, we realized that the length of the pinafore was a little longer than we wanted it and made her look like she was wearing a tent. hihihihihihihi.. So, we went to get her 2 more pinafores 2 sizes smaller.

Then, there was the stitching of the school badges. This year, they came up with stich-ons as opposed to the iron-ons. So, I had to search my domestic skills deep within me from my years in STF. Thanks Puan Aminah and Puan Rosnani. Lihatlah hasilnya.

Hihihihihihihihihihihi
Stylo tak? Ala-ala LVlah konon... Abaikan the senget-benget. Yang penting style!!! It took me hours to get the 4 uniforms done. But, sangat puas.. I was smiling a big big smile after. :) (Oh, BTW, she will be getting her nametag soon. So, happy hours once again!)

I got her uniforms ready, her books and her school bag done. Checked the stationary list - pencil case, pencils, eraser, ruler, colour pencils. All set for school now!

The first day went on without a glitch. Yeay! The preps had really paid off. The girl was really happy coz her BFF cum cousin is in the same class. Alhamdulillah, no big dramas. She's also settling in quite well but I'll update her activities later lah.

Eeh, kesian pulak takde post pasal Khaleeq masuk kindy - kang tak puas hati pulak. Maklumlah anak nombor dua, macam saya jugak. Ni ha gambar dia on his first day this year:

Belajar rajin-rajin, ya anak-anak!

-dillz blogging out-

Hard Rock Hotel, Penang : The Azrul Clan Review

Our highlight of the previous school holidays had to be our stay at the newly opened Hard Rock Hotel, Penang. About a month prior, I tried to secure an online booking through the HRH Penang's website coz we heard that the place was fully booked till April 2010. Alhamdulillah, through sheer hard work, determination and perseverance menekan dan menerai staying dates within the week as opposed to the weekends, we were able to reserve a 4 days, 3 nights tenure! Yeay!

Double yeay coz we got the Opening Promotion package where the Seaview Deluxe room was going at RM418++ . To really rock it like a rockstar, we also opted the King's Lounge Access for an additional RM120 nett. Kids and parents alike were super excited to finally go for a holiday. :)

The check-in was on a Sunday and went by rather uneventful-ly. Just that I thought that there were just way too many people there. Like seriously. I had a peek at the swimming pool area and it really felt like I was at a theme park on a holiday weekend.

Anyways, the room was of an OK size. We got ourselves a baby cot as well 'coz the king-sized bed could not accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids (plus 1 toddler) comfortably. The cot was intended for Khaleeda, but Khadra ended up sleeping in it three nights in a row! :) Really nice deco and our room gave a great view of the swimming pool, the beach and the beautiful horizon. I thought they used the space in the shower/loo area pretty cleverly too. It was a little bit cramped but there were sliding mirror doors that separated the bath and the bedroom.

Khadra said: The room is cool and I can see through the door at the toilet.

Memorabilia all over the hotel is expectedlah, of course. So, we didn't miss the chance to pose when we could. *So, typically touristy!* There were many Beatles around - mural tiles, paintings, statues, even the Logo type mega figurines! :) A special mention also for the statue of the late King of Pop sitting prettily at the entrance to the HR Cafe.

Khadra: I like the Micheal Jackson and the three pictures at the bottom the best!

The other item worth mentioning is of course the food! :) hihihihi... For the King's Club access that we paid for, we got to enter the King's Club located at Level 6 for tea, cocktails as well as all-day drinks. The best part was that we also had our breakfast there. No queue-ing up on the buffet spread and we could even order what we wanted! I was very appreciative of this perk as we have 3 very active toddlers that would just drive me craaaaazy in a chaotic condition. *Seriously* The breakfast menu was just heavenly - especially the french toast with caramelized banana and the blueberry pancakes. Khaleeda loved the scrambled organic eggs. Nak mintak nasi lemak ke, mee goreng ke, Milo ais ke, pun boleh! :)

The Pizzeria serves the thin-crusted original oven baked pizza ala Italia. When you are lucky, the chef would boast his tossing skills. The pepperoni toppings adalah besar gabak, 'yo! Sodappp!!! I would also recommend the Carbonara pasta! Creamy and yummy! We also tried the Starz Diner and the Hard Rock Cafe. Makanan adalah besar portionnya and that rib was so damn huge I felt almost like a cannibal. There were also kid's meal sets and you get to bring back the reuseable glass if you upgrade their drinks to milkshake / malt! (we already have 4) :) We did not try the Room Service though, but a Srikandi friend of mine whom I bumped into *Hi Kerol!* had a really bad experience with it that she made an appointment to see the General Manager to complain the next day. As compensation, they were given free ordered in full-meals throughout her stay! :) Best kan? hihihihihi

Khadra said: I like to eat the pizza a lot. And the hotdog. And when I was eating a hotdog, the Uncle at Lil' Rock said;"Hurry up and eat the hotdog before the hotdog eats you." hihihihihihihi

Khaleeq said: I like the pizza but they don't sell roti cay-nai!

There were definitely loads of things to do there. For the kids, there were Lil' Rock, Teens Club, and of course the pool and beachfront for some fun in the sun. For the adults, there was the Rock Spa and some night entertainment in the HRCafe and the lobby. But since we had kids and toddler in tow, no live bands for us! Lain kali lah, agaknya.. hihihihihihi (Alah, bukan luak pun...)

• Lil' Rock
  

The best thing about Lil' Rock for me is the fact that we could check in the two elder kids from as early as 10am till as late as 10pm. Kids of younger ages could use the facilities, tapi tak leh ditinggalkan. (Though the hotel does offer babysitting services upon advanced bookings) Aaaanyways, that gave us some leeway on doing what we wanted for once and those times were used to hunt for a nice Nasi Kandaq place. (which turned out rather disastrously, by the way) They had the whole day planned out for the kids with activities ranging from cupcake decorations, movies, Splash time, etc etc. They also got to play with other kids who were staying at the hotel. Suffice to say Khadra adored the place and Khaleeq was just so-so about it. I guess it does depend a lot on the crowd that checks in on the day.

Khadra said: Lil' Rock is awesome and I like to make new friends like Tania and Adam. I love decorating the cupcakes and putting toppings on it.

Khaleeq said: I like to watch Kungfu Panda.

• Fun In the Sun
  

The main activity throughout our stay there had to be swimming in the awesomeness that was the free-form swimming pool surrounded by white sands. Add to that the giant slides and the water playground that included the incredible carwash. :) Swimming time was once in the morning and once again in the evening. Khadra was going on all the slides (even the highest purple one) coz she is quite the water baby. Khaleeq almost drowned once down the slides coz he didn't know that it was pretty deep at one end. Thank Goodness for the efficient lifeguard on duty. After that incident, he kept close to the sides and only ventured to the deeper end with Ibu or Dad in tow. Khaleeda was practically independent seeing that she is snugly kept buoyant by her two arm floats. She so adored the slides and imitates her Kakak on the styles going down it. Yes, Superman included! :)

We also took some time to enjoy the beachfront. There were loads of activities there, ATV, pony ride, paragliding, jetski, etc but they are run by a 3rd party operator. We just took out our digging tools and tried to play with some sand. Diorang tak nak pun, saya paksa jugak-jugak sebab I already lugged it over how many hundreds of km, kan? But truthfully, I've seen better bitches beaches.

Khadra said: I like the big slide (that is the purple one). I love the carwash! I like making sandcastles but mommy won't let me swim in the sea because there were jellyfish!

Khaleeq said: I like the swimming pool but I don't like the beach. That is so bad!

Khaleeda said: Khaleeda.swim.

• Teens Club
  

Then, there's also the Teen Club. Foosball, Pool, PS3, Wii (I think), PCs for surfing and also bike hire. When we went over, the attendant was playing "What's going on" by 4Non Blondes on his guitar kapok. Yes, he was that cool. We practically hogged the games area and this was where I witnessed my only boy got pi$$ed off with his Dad, shouting, "Die!Die!Die!" while playing Pro Wrestling on the PS3. hahahahahahahahahahaha Soooo funny!

Khadra said: I like to use the computer and watch youtube sometimes. And I like to let Khaleeda watch you tube and I like to play Chowder games.

Khaleeq said: I like the game coz I can beat Dad. But Daddy cheat me!

• Rock Spa
  

The Rock Spa was located in a tiny bungalow by the pool. They offer a variety of services from body massages, menicure /pedicure, facials and foot reflexology. They would be offering these services in a private cabana by the beach in the near future, but while we were there, the cabanas have yet to arrive. There were also services for the little princesses - meni/pedi and chocolate facials. Best kan? Why didn't they have this when I was growing up? :) Anyhoots, I just had to try out the full body Hard Rock massage and it turned out to be quite relaxing. Azrul did the foot reflexology thingy.

Sekianlah laporan daripada keluarga kami.

-dillz blogging out-

And The Winner Is...

The annual Anugerah Juara Lagu had always had a special spot in my heart. I guess, even when the likes of Francesca Peters, Zaiton Sameon and Ramlah Ram dominated the airways; it was truly one of those events that defined the year.

I remember preparing to run (with a band of girls, of course) from our classroom at the end of the preparatory class all the way to our designated Common Room. Lengan baju kurung dah singsing, kain dah tarik baeekkk punya. As soon as that bell rang, off we went. Masa kecik-kecik tu, terima je la kalau kakak-kakak senior dah conquer the centre stage. Bukan untuk dia sorang.. No sir-ree! Untuk mereka dan keluarga mafia mereka. There we were, left standing near the door, at the end of the rooms, some ceruk-ceruk or worse still peering into the Common Room through the Nako glass. Oh those were the days.... What we would have done for a glimpse of the reigning Kings and Queens of those times..

Just for my own reference and peningkatan ilmu pengetahuan in general, the following is the list of past winners of Anugerah Juara Lagu or what was formerly known as Muzik-Muzik: (Oh, I am sounding so much like an auditor right now)

1. Sekadar di Pinggiran - Francesca Peters - 1986
   
2. Menaruh Harapan - Zaiton Sameon - 1987
   
3. Kau Kunci Cintaku di dalam Hatimu - Ramlah Ram - 1988
   
4. Isabella - Search -1989
   
5. Janji Manismu - Aishah - 1990
   
6. Takdir dan Waktu - Mega - 1991
   
7. Pada Syurga di Wajahmu - Nash - 1992
   
8. Teratai Layu di Tasik Madu - Fauziah Latiff - 1993
   
9. Tanya Sama itu Hud-Hud - M.Nasir - 1994
   
10. Cinta Beralih Arah - Aishah - 1995
    
11. Jerat Percintaan - Siti Nurhaliza - 1996
    
12. Ghazal untuk Rabiah - M.Nasir & Jamal Abdillah - 1997
    
13. Cindai - Siti Nurhaliza - 1998
    
14. Andalusia - M.Nasir -1999
    
15. Balqis - Siti Nurhaliza - 2000
    
16. Mimpi Laila - Yassin - 2001
    
17. Keliru - Nurul & Ajai - 2002
    
18. Bunga-bunga Cinta - Misha Omar - 2003
    
19. Relaku Pujuk - Spider -2004
    
20. Gemilang - Jaclyn Victor - 2005
21. Terlalu Istimewa - Adibah Noor -2006
    
22. Itu Kamu - Estranged - 2007
23. Lagu Untukmu - Meet Uncle Hussein - 2008

Looking back through the list, I have realized that I kinda lost interest in the local music scene somewhere between Aishah's Cinta Beralih Arah in 1995 right through Adibah Noor's Terlalu Istimewa in 2006. There were a variety of reasons, of course.

One: I was away from the country for a while. The LIVE show did not broadcast to our lonely boarding school / college thus resulting to having to wait for the VHS copy of the stuff that came much much later and was subject to a relative / friend coming over from Malaysia. (Mana ada youtube and live streaming masa tu)

Two: I was too engrossed in having to study and redeem myself for my past failure that it felt very irrelevant to my life. Apa kes tengok Muzik-Muzik?? Study lagi berfaedah, kan?

Three: I was enjoying my freedom and independence and I had other things to do than watch Juara Lagu. In any case, asyik lagu lemah gemalai and Siti je menang, kan? Boring...

Now that I am older and wiser and mellow-er.. We (my husband and I) watched the said event from start to finish last night. (after the kids have gone to sleep, of course). Suffice to say that I was very impressed. :)

The performances this year were of, dare I say it, world class. Sangat impressive. Previously, only those contending in the Ethnik Kreatif / Irama Malaysia would go all out with their band of dancers filling up the stage, kan? Tidak lagi. They went category-less this year, and I could see that each performer took the extra effort to win the best performance award.

Did you notice the influx of reality series born entertainers? Akademi Fantasia, Mentor, Malaysian Idol, what-have-yous. So, I guess these series are also adding flavour to the local music industries, no?

Only that, I just had had had to comment on Misha Omar's costume, though. What was that monstrosity? So unflattering on her body, lah. She looked more like a dugong than a duyong! :( Dato' Siti, on the other hand was so chic in her tight-pants, boots and tudung. (OK, that somehow did not come out right) But still, stylolah Dato' - macam anime character. :) I loike.

So, anyhoots, for AJL 24, the winners were:

He's the guy who was in Mentor, the reality show by TV3. His mentor was Mas Idayu. (Notice the cheek kissing when he was announced the winner, yo!) One thing I can say about that guy, "Man, you can really reach those high notes, bro!" Truly a rock kapak King in the making. Watch out brother Amy! *He also sang with Meet-Uncle-Hussein-minus-Lan for the finale later*

At the end of the night, the RM10,000 loot for the Best Performance title was won by Aizat with his rendition of Kau dan Aku with a group of school going kids. That chubby lad that mirrored him was especially cute. :)

Oh, the drama that went along with this lad... He was substituted by Shila during the Semi-Finals due to a lung infection *or something* but turned up in all his glory gory for the Finals last night. Donned in a somewhat creepy Micheal Jackson lookalike outfit complete with the initials FT at the collars. Apakah? Adoiiiai!! The song itself was so-so only, I thought. But since the judging was 70% based on previous stages (Preliminary, Quarter and Semi) , I guess that's why he managed to bag the title. With that , he brought home RM12,000 to be split with the composer, Audi Mok. Since he wrote the lyrics himself, he'd be getting two-thirds of the winnings, I guess.

What can I say about this soon to be lawyer? Another singing lawyer in the making, you think? Well, she definitely has all the potentials! The arrangement was heavenly. She started playing on a mini piano that most of us have while we were kids, and add to that an intro of Dan Sebenarnya which echoes on and on before the band kicks in. Aahhh.. sooo sedap!!! She truly is magicallah that kid. :) Good on you, Yuna! So sempoi with her tudung and such a like-able persona. Me likey! Likey! Likey! Tahun depan masuk lagi, ya dik? She brought home RM15,000 that she'd have to split (not necessarily 4-ways) with Paan, Efry and Adil.

The winner for this year is Aizat with Pergi. It's actually the soundtrack for the movie Talentime (which I have yet to watch!) and his rendition last night was truly 1Malaysia. There was an Indian lady doing the intro with some classical Indian adlibs , Aizat singing in both Malay and English as well as a tudung-clad girl playing a classical Chinese instrument. It couldn't get any more majmuk than that! :) They took it as a tribute to the Malaysian legends we have lost throughout the years. I caught a glimpse of Yasmin Ahmad, Sudirman and Mokhtar Dahari in the clip that was running at the background. Aptly, also , the Peter Teo representative dedicated the win to Allahyarhamah Yasmin Ahmad. The loot is bigger here, with RM35,000 to split between Aizat, Peter Teo and Amran Omar.

(Pictures from: here)

So, congratulations winners.. Here's to the local music industry! Can't wait for next years AJL!

-dillz blogging out-

Hampir Hampir Overloaded

We sent off Bibik Parmi last Sunday for her month long holiday at her kampung. A befitting rest , I should add as the Eid celebration is fast approaching and this is the first time she is back after 3 years with us.

Which, in essence, means that all Bibik duties had been handed over to yours truly and hubby. Yeay!!!!

hahahahahaha

Sangat seronok rediscovering housework , et al. I used the washing machine again after, oh I don't know, maybe 4 years. (Last time, if i recalled correctly, was when our then Bibik Lidya was having her month and a half break) So, it has been quite a while and I have developed a little rust , if you know what I mean.. ;)

The hands-ons of raising the kids: from getting them up, bathing them, sorting their baju/buku, poo-poo and Shishu duties for Khaleeda, their makan/minum, get them to sleep. Waaahhhh!!! Such a mouthful and imagine the work that entails too.. So far we have been pretty good here. Plus the fact that some of the elements can be outsourced to my mom's bibik Sani when we are in Puchong and my sisters have been of help too. :)

Keeping the house in order - my aim is not to have the house to be ready for the Friday inspections we used to have back in STF. Cukuplah setakat barang-barang are where they are supposed to be. Jangan berselerak sangat, cukup... Sampah-sarap needs to be periodically ikat-ed and put out in the rubbish storage outside the house unit for collection. Imagine Khaleeda's poo-poo terperangkap in the air circulation of condo - very stenchy, literally. Kalau nak mop living room tu tiap-tiap pagi like Parmi does, tak dapek la cik.. Saya nak pergi opis pulak lepas tu..

So far laundry duties has also been under control. Eventhough I have lowered the standards somewhat. Parmi used to iron every iron-able item : boxers and camisoles, included. Seingat I kat STF dulu, iron cuma baju sekolah and baju prep je. Kalau tak jenuh la dok beratur and hang out kat bilik iron tu. Ish ish ish.. Tak sesuaiiii.. So, I have reduced ironing duties to those essential ones ONLY such as baju kerja Azrul. (Maybe you should take this one, dear.. hihihihi)

Makan-makan? Well, so far we have resorted to tapau-ed items, nasi kawah from Restoran Anis Puteri, Chicken Mandy from al-Rawsha, Pizza from Dominoes for Buka and Sahur. I only masak nasi and yesterdayI goreng sausages for Sahur. So, cooking has been very minimal. Which was a great idea since it translates to minimal dish-washing too.. Hubby has been great in this area too.. :)

So, conclusion-nya. I miss my Bibik Parmi. But, we actually can live without her. A little more effort and organizing around the house is needed though since we have outsourced the tasks totally to her. Banyak kerja dia and I do have a greater sense of appreciation of what she has allowed me to have over the past 3 years. The extra sleep, the time off I needed to pulun my reports or some chilling / ME time. For that, I am thankful and can't wait for 11 October to come.

In the mean time, anybody knows where I can get a French maid costume? Bibik takde ni.. Extra privacy in our household. I loike.. :)

Picture from: here

-dillz blogging out-

Happy Birthday , 2 Boys and 1 Girl!!

I always look forward to end of July coz three of my favourite persons celebrate their birthdays one day after the other. 30th July this year is Khaleeq's 5th, 31st July is Azrul's 32nd and 1st August is Ema's 24th. (Boy, that was a mouthful!)

Khaleeq has been asking day in day out whether it is his birthday today eversince we celebrated Khadra's 6th on the 3rd of June. So, when it was finally his day, he was beyond excited. We promised to have a do at school, just like Khadra's with an added celebration at his Eki's in Puchong. I had more than 2 days to prepare for his party at school, so we decided to give out invites this time round. He was over the moon over it. The theme, of course, HAD to be Ben-10 Alien Force. Party packs were kept to the minimal number since we only distributed them to his classmates. Ben-10 stuff for the boys and Dora stuff for the girls. Party packs and invite was sorted thanks to Ziezi, party planner extraordinaire.

As expected, we also had cuppies at the do, all from Zura Naem of Hey Cupcakes! (Another Srikandi, I might add!) There are other pictures in our DSLR but it is not with me. So kalau ada rezeki , nanti saya update lah gambar yang lain itew..

Anyways, Khaleeq was more interested to open up the oodles of Ben-10 and Transformers action figures that he had wanted for his birthday. (We have a new agreement with the kids now - no more buying of toys. Exclusion adalah ketika birthday sahaja. So, they are now looking forward to November when it's Khaleeda's birthday!)

The big(ger) kids were treated to a karaoke session at Red Box Sunway. Apart from family, the famous SLIMRED-ers, Anyah & fiancee, Af and Farishah joined in. Lagu wajib termasuklah KRU old songs - AWAS (can't tahan with Liyana's famous dance!) , my Katy Perrys, Kira's Lady Gagas and of course rock kapaks and Indo mania. That was a fun night! :)

This year, I promised Azrul a nicer present and he chose to get a driver. (Not the one driving the car kind, but the one used to tee-off on the golf course variety) Entahla elok ke tak, tak tau la makcik.. We took it for a test at the driving range in Kiara. Bak kata orang tua-tua, berdesup perginye.. He bought it first so now I owe him RM1050 selepas diskaun. :) Boleh tak buat-buat lupa nak bayar? hihihihi

Happy birthday guys, you know how much you mean to me! :) Muahss!!

-dillz blogging out-

DZ's Update 2

DZ's Update series: | Red Alert:Prayers needed | DZ's Update | DZ's Update 2 |

You may recall my posting about a dear friend, Dzuliana Md Sakan or DZ, whose family was involved in an unfortunate incident last 4th April 2008. I even published a post on her update the next week.

As we went right along getting on with our lives, DZ has been broadcasting sms-es about how her family has been doing from time to time. I am compelled to share the sms-es here as many of us out there would like to know how are they faring.

Received: 9 April 2009 9:24am
Salam. Khabar terbaru tasha: Dr azian pakar tulang kata kaki tasha so far ok kalau die x bnyk gerak n blh sembuh cepat. Pastu kalau dah ok n blh duduk maybe xperlu duk wad icu lg. Iskandar dah discj semalam.Dzuliana.

Received: 11 April 2009 3:43pm
Salam. Berkat doa dan semangat dari semua, alhamdulillah hari ini saya dah boleh discj. Tasha pula sudah ditukarkan ke wad biasa. terima kasih semua. Hanya Allah yang dpt membalasnya.

Received: 21 April 2009 5:38pm

Aslmkm semua. Kami yang dirumah mcm biasa aja. Tasha dah berlatih naik kerusi roda tapi tak lama. Kaki dia pun boleh bengkok sikit, jd senang sikit nurse nak pakaikan diaper. Dia masih mengerang juga kalau buat dressing, mesti sakit tu. Buat masa ni ingatan dia cuma sampai 3 apr. Masuk 4 apr dia lupa langsung, dia pun tak ingat naik kapal terbang dan kena langgar. In a way, it's a blessing buat masa ni at least dia tak tau that her Cikta has passed away. We all pun berhati2 bila nak ckp dpn dia.

For those of you wanting to visit, Tasha is now in Ward P5, Level 3, Tower Timur, PPUM.

Alhamdulillah, DZ. Things are looking great for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you constantly. Stay strong as your kids would be needing it, dear friend. And Azmarin, great job bro... :)

-dillz blogging out-

DZ's Update

DZ's Update series: | Red Alert:Prayers needed | DZ's Update | DZ's Update 2 |

I am a little overwhelmed by the response and hits that I got due to my previous post. Firstly , for those who were seeking news and reliable sources on the DZ's sister, Ms Dzulita Md Sakan; here's an extract from our HR division regarding her.

"Dengan dukacitanya dimaklumkan bahawa Cik Dzulita M Sakan (30 Tahun), Pengurus Business Support & Admin, Group Performance & Program Management Office (GPPMO), TM Ibu Pejabat telah kembali ke rahmatullah pada hari Sabtu 04-04-2009 kerana terlibat dalam satu kemalangan jalanraya di Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan berhampiran kawasan rehat Sungai Buloh.

Jenazah Allahyarhamah telah selamat dikebumikan di kampung halamannya di Kota Tinggi, Johor. Bagi yang ingin melawat keluarga Allahyarhamah Dzulita, bolehlah mengunjungi mereka di alamat 3374, Jalan Intan 6, Felda Lok Heng Barat, 81900 Kota Tinggi, Johor.

Untuk makluman, kemalangan tersebut turut melibatkan 5 anggota keluarga lain termasuk kakak beliau, Dzuliana M Sakan (bekas anggota TM), 2 orang anak Dzuliana, pembantu rumah dan rakan kepada adik beliau. Mereka semua kini sedang dirawat di Hospital Sungai Buloh dan Hospital Universiti, Kuala Lumpur.

Pemergian Allahyarhamah Dzulita merupakan kehilangan yang amat besar kepada TM khususnya kepada GPPMO. Beliau merupakan seorang warga TM yang sangat cemerlang dan penuh berdedikasi.

Sudilah bersama-sama kita menyedekahkan bacaan Surah Al-Fatihah kepada roh Allahyarhamah dan roh muslimin muslimat yang telah mendahului kita. Semoga didoakan rohnya bersemadi aman di alam barzah yang menanti.

AL-FATIHAH"

A small tahlil was conducted in her office on Monday morning and at the end of it, her VP spoke highly of her, how she has surpassed his expectations with her commitment, organizations skills and support that she has given to her department. How even in the her last days she was exhibiting who she really was - organizing the transport and logistics for her family members from the airport back home. His eyes were filled with tears when he said those words. It really showed how sincere he was and how adored Allahyarhamah was. We were also told that Allahyarhamah was also looking forward to her week long holiday , who would have thought that she would be taking a permanent leave of absence.

***********

We also got a link and pictures to the accident. It was posted by a good samaritan who came across the accident. Pictures courtesy of: burt

You can read more about his encounter here. Am really touched by his words and good samaritans all around. DZ related that she was helped by passersby who tried everything to get them out of the Naza Ria. Iskandar was sent to Hospital Sungai Buloh by a good samaritan. DZ's brother got to PPMU by flagging down a passing car. These acts rarely get any air-time. What we normally hear are stories of lost handphone, lost money , etc etc from the scene. So, bravo to all good samaritans, the unsung heroes.. So glad to see that the culture is still embedded within us..

***********

We went visiting Tasha at PPMU at lunch time yesterday and Alhamdulillah, she has completed the procedure on her legs to fit the brace. She is still in the Peadiatric ICU and it seems that she is into her recovery stage. As of now, she is being sedated to minimize her brain activities and to avoid shock should she realize the trauma she had gone through. Her dad was with her when we visited. Azmarin was looking well despite the commuting and he had spent the night before with his son Iskandar. Be strong, bro.. My heart really goes out to you..

On the evening, we went to visit DZ in Sungai Buloh. She is looking much better, talking incessantly about this and that.. :) She has her right leg nicely bandaged after the successful operation the day before. I really think the visits are really benefitting her.. She seems more upbeat, more positive.. Thing is, she still hasn't been eating that well.. Maybe, I'll have to bring some goodness of Gardenia Butterscotch and tempt her with it. Otherwise, she looks pretty good. Need to remember to bring some trashy magazine when I go see her next as well, to get her mind off things..

Update on their helper: she broke 5 ribs (3 on one side and 2 on the other) and also has possibly slipped her tulang belakang. Still a little traumatized.. I don't really know on the status of DZ's brother's fiance, though..

While with DZ, we were visited by Iskandar who came down with his grandpa to visit his mom. He looks fine now, more upbeat then before and as soon as he saw the toy we brought him, he was ready to bid good-bye to mommy. :) Iskandar is scheduled to meet the neurosurgeon today. (He loves small cars, so, think HotWheels and the lot if you come visit!)

-dillz blogging out-

Red Alert: Prayers Needed..

DZ's Update series: | Red Alert:Prayers needed | DZ's Update | DZ's Update 2 |

An unfortunate accident has just happened to a dear friend of mine and her family. The person in question is Dzuliana Md Sakan, whom we fondly call DZ, my friend from STF, SPM Year 1992. (Block A, band girl)

(Disclaimer: This will be the encounter as I gathered it. The details maybe a little out, though.)

What had happened? DZ and her family lives in Jakarta and touched down around 10am Saturday morning at KLIA. Her sister, Dzulita Md Sakan, insisted to come and fetch their family from the airport. Two cars convoyed from the airport back to their house in Sungai Buloh. Car 1 - Naza Ria, driven by Dzuliati; co-driver : DZ's brother's fiance (The fiance), Second row passengers: Tasha - DZ's 7 year old daughter (right hand side), DZ & her 5 year old son Iskandar (left hand side) and third row passenger: The Bibik. Car 2- X-Trail, driven by DZ's husband ;Azmarin and co driver :DZ's brother.

They were driving along on NKVE and around the Subang Jaya interchange the X-Trail overtook the Naza Ria. Azmarin related that after he reached the Sungai Buloh interchange, he received a call from DZ that the Naza Ria was involved in an accident and he was to hurry back to the accident scene.

Fortunately / Unfortunately; DZ was awake and aware of the whole ordeal. She even saw the 20-tonne lorry coming from the other direction hitting the divider and flying towards their vehicle that was on the left-most lane. The lorry actually flew across 3 lanes of traffic to hit them on the driver's side. At the point of impact, DZ could only hold Iskandar very very close and tight , while fearing for their lives. She related that 3 of the passengers were unconcious, her sister, Dzulita who she suspected died on the scene, The fiance and her daughter Tasha. Good samaritans came over to break the windows as the doors were already jammed. Though hurt in the accident, the boy Iskandar was taken out first, followed by the Bibik and then, DZ. She told us that she remembered to recite the Syahadah by each one of the unconcious ones before she left the car.

By the time the first car arrived at the scene, they were extracting the unconcious ones from the car. The first ambulance carried Dzulita, Tasha and the fiance to PPMU and Azmarin followed suit. Iskandar was taken by a good samaritan to Hospital Sungai Buloh. The second ambulance took DZ and the bibik also to Hospital Sungai Buloh.

We (Mira, her hubby and mom; Lily and Amar) came over to Hospital Sungai Buloh this morning to give DZ some moral support. She broke her right leg and shattered her patela and was scheduled for an operation today. She was not in her best condition as she could still see the image of the lorry flying over to their car and still not over the demise of her sister. Even the morphine could not help her sleep. Iskandar is being treated in the peadiatric ward upstairs whereby he's suspected to have some concussion in his head. It was fortunate that Azmarin's family lives in Sugai Buloh and his sisters have been taking turns keeping Iskandar company. The bibik had some fractures on her ribs. The fiance broke her hand and has been concious since this morning. Tasha is still in ICU due to some clotting in her head and has been induced into a coma. Tasha and the fiance are still in PPMU.

Please say a prayer for DZ and her family; for their speedy recovery, for the strength to go though this trying times, for the resilience and courage for Azmarin to be everywhere at the same time.

To anyone who is in Hospital Sungai Buloh, please take good care of my dear friend DZ at Katil 14, Ward 5D and his son Iskandar at Katil 11, Ward 8C. Doctors in PPMU, please give lovely little Tasha who is in Peadiatrik 1, Tower Timur the extra attention and tender loving care as her mom is not able to be near her during this critical period.

There will be a tahlil conducted in Level 51, Menara TM for Allahyarhamah Dzulita at 8:15am tomorrow morning. Please recite Al-Fatihah for her.

-dillz blogging out-

Srikandi Support

The weekend was a packed one for me as the first Srikandi Exco Meeting took almost the whole of my Saturday. But for Rm85 pax we had the use of the meeting room, break at 11am, scrumptious buffet lunch whilst serenaded by the 4-piece "GOMOS" group from Indonesia and more tea breaks at the Seri Pacific Hotel. (previously known as Pan Pac) I think that was quite worth it, especially when the Madam President was paying! :) Thank you Kak Mariamah, semoga murah rezeki!!! I thought the meeting was quite a fruitful one, we managed to schedule more EXCO meetings throughout the year, brainstormed on our "wish" activities, clarified our portfolios and embarked on a Srikandi Blueprint. Of course, the other big thing happenning this year is the Malam 3 Serangkai commemorating 50 years of STAR, SDAR and STF. I can foresee my social calendar being very full these two years.. So, thanks so much yang, for letting me do this!

On top of that, my kids and I also went to show our support for our lovely fellow Srikandi, Ms Yoga Instructor herself, Ninie. The finale hall was filled with Ninie's supporters clad in red or white with banners and styrofoam alphabets spelling "H.A.T.I.Y.O.G.A", "We HEART Ninie", "We voted for The Yoga Instructor" and lots more. I actually wanted to bring a banner with "Ninie, Marry My Brother" written on it, but I never got down to doing it. Me and my procrastination. Hrrmph!! But, we did bring Elmo since he was the right colour! Khadra even practiced chanting "Ninie! Ninie!" in the car to prepare for the show. 

Fortunately, we had extra pair of hands from Kak Hana, Kak Spena, and Kak Sue Nafry and her friendly crew of four. Thanks so much guys, I dah tak terkejar dah si Khaleeq tu ...

I guess the real shocker of it all is that our lovely Ninie did not win. It was very sad to see hearts crushed and dreams shattered like that. But, I do know that what doesn't kill you, will only make you stronger. Bounce back, Ninie.. Bounce back stronger than ever.. You have it in your heart - the passion, the drive to make it work. So, take your time to grief, feel the resentment and bitterness before you take on the world once more. It'll only make your success that much sweeter!

As we were walking out the hall, my Khadra said, "I like your purple friend, mom." See, even the little one knows...

-dillz blogging out-

She Quoted Me!

Just a little tak larat coz she quoted me in her testimonials.. I am testimonial number 9 after the likes of Kenny Sia, Dina Zaman, Juliana Ibrahim, Ruby Ahmad... Eh, tiba-tiba , ada lak Dilla Zaghlol.. :) (kembang hidung....)

and I quote:

This girl is 25 years of age and is turning her dreams into a reality. I was taken with what she has accomplished in such a short time. The sheer determination and hard work. I am really impressed!" ~ Dilla Zaghlol

Waaaaa... I feel like my opinion matters... heh heh heh

Don't forget to vote Ninie for Nescafe Kickstart! Type NK NINIE and send to 33511 or dial 13721 and press '2' for Ninie from 7 APRIL to 15 APRIL 2007 to see HatiYoga available at more adidas outlets and newstands nationwide.

Jangan lupa, aaaa!!!!

-dillz blogging out-

A New Responsibility

The recent Annual General Meeting for Srikandi last Saturday was a little special than usual coz we also had the launching of DSUS - Dari Srikandi Untuk Srikandi; a compilation of recipes by Srikandis. To make it more special, I also contributed a recipe in it! (ahem!) So murah one.. Just RM25 only. I bought a copy and got it signed by the authors... :) To start off the event, we also had the marhaban seeing that it was also Prophet Muhammad's birthday, that day. Srikandis - all so multi-talented one... heh heh heh After the AGM, we had the normal round of delicious hi-tea sans the Karaoke session. (also because of Maulidur-rasul . Come on lah, AF Concert pun postponed, tau!)

Anywho, this year's AGM also saw me committing to yet another responsibility. I am now one of the two internal auditors in the Srikandi's 2007-2009 exco. Now, ask me how I got elected. Did I hear a distictive how from way behind the room? Well, I was just minding the board where you write the name of the potential candidates (actually replacing Norzu who just left the stage 'coz she too got nominated) when I suddenly heard someone nominating me instead. Hmmmm... Fluke aje tu..

You know, I have always had a soft spot for Srikandi. I spent some of my time volunteering for the Golden Jubilee Celebration in JB last year. Well, a lot of my time, actually.. :) I take part as much as I can in all their sponsored activities - treasure hunt (recall the Afro Goons), watching people play futsal, the AGMs, the annual dinners, buy the merchandise... I am poyo like that. Maybe, just maybe it's because I just treasure my time back in STF so much. I am not saying that they were ALL happy times - there were moments, you know.. But I am glad though - I just want to give back to the alumni as much as I can. Maybe it's time for me to commit...

So, there we have it.. The next meeting will be on 14th April 2007 and we need to come up with a wish list on what we want the society to do for the next couple of years. 

Need to start writing: 

1. Get Anuar Zain for annual dinner... 

2. Get Anuar Zain to officiate treasure hunt... (heh heh heh)

More pix here: Leymah's Fotopages (TQ Leymah for the lovely pix)

-dillz blogging out-

HatiYoga

Just wanted to share this with you guys. This girl is 25 years of age and is turning her dreams into a reality. I just discovered her last night whilst bloghopping, and I was taken with what she has accomplished in such a short time. The sheer determination and hard work. I am really impressed!

(Picture from: http://theyogainstructordiaries.blogspot.com/)

She's one of the 8 finalists of the new season of Nescafe Kickstart which airs today. Her name is Ninie and she wants to publish the first Yoga magazine in Malaysia. It's called HatiYoga. How great is that, to do what you love doing most day in and day out... You can read more about her journey at The Yoga Instructor Diaries and YOGA ; Through My Eyes, Beneath My Breath, Beyond My Soul.

I also found out that she also went to STF and later UNITEN. Had asthma when she was 13 and yoga changed her life. What a feaky coincidence, eh? The STF, UNITEN and asthma part... I guess I'll have to give this yoga thing a try. In the mean time, do buy the magazine when it is out in the stores this March, 1st - it comes wih a free VCD too!

... and don't forget to vote for her in Nescafe Kickstart!

-dillz blogging out-

Weekend Celebration

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Last week was a loooong weekend, at least for me and almost 400 old girls of Sekolah Tun Fatimah. Wait a minute, let me take that back — old girls doesn’t sound quite that flattering, lets just call us lot the ‘Srikandis’. (author’s note: Before I move on, let me just formally thank my hubby for letting me do this and have the weekend for myself. I love you, Azrul.. Muah Muah!!)

My journey started at 10pm on Thursday, driving down to Johor Bahru with SK Leymah, my junior of 3 years. We met up with some more Srikandis (SK (Kak) Lerq, SK (Kak) Hana, SK (Kak) Na and her friend) at the Ayer Keroh R&R - because the Pagoh R&R was too spooky for my liking. Had a cuppa and some of us even had some pau and mi sup. This was where we were introduced to one of the three books scheduled to be launched at our ‘Permasyhuran ‘ Ceremony. It was called ‘Dari Srikandi Untuk Semua’ — a recipe book for women-on-the-go. AND I contributed 2 recipes in it!(author’s note: The recipes are actually my boss’, who happens to be a Srikandi too. So, she really doesn’t mind, right Datin?) The journey went on pretty smoothly and we arrived safely at about 3am in STF. We headed straight to the allocated dormitory, B1-1 for our long overdue beauty nap…

On Friday, we were woken up by the hustle and bustle of STFian busy preparing themselves for Majlis Anugerah Tun Fatimah (author’s note: In my days, we used to call it Majlis Ucapan dan Penyampaian Hadiah - notice the emphasis on UCAPAN! ;)No wonder we had to sit through looooong speeches during those times)They had the bunga manggar girls lining up the road, silat performers welcoming the VIPs , complete with a file in of cadets - both navy and police. (author’s note:Only had navy cadets during my time - but we were definitely looked HOTter with our tucked in shirts and cute little bums!)

So, the VIPs made their speeches and the girls got their prizes, I do believe there was also the mandatory performance of the school choir, gamelan and dances but I didn’t get to see any of that so I dare not comment. I, on the other hand, was busy trying to fit into the small ‘cubicle’ where the shower is - with my toiletries lining on the divider between the two compartments and my towel strategically placed at the meeting point between the divider and the door(without a locking device, mind you) to maintain the viewing rating as ‘U’.

The rest of the day was filled with final preparations for the entire weekend. I was deeply involved with POT (Parade Organizing Team - Leymah, Inaleem, Raihan, Hani(s), Tom, Riza, etc.. : we RULE!!! ) so, there’s that to settle. We scheduled a rehearsal for the parade and I got ticked off by the nonchalant way the girls were getting to the briefing spot. Armed with my hailer, I just gave them a piece of my mind and hopefully instilled in them the importance of being punctual.(author’s note: I was the 1992 Head Girl after all, give me a hailer and I can really go on and on and on and on..) I also told them to have fun — and with that we kicked off the rehearsal. The best part was that Perodua X-Fresh Street Surfers came in time for the rehearsal and after that they gave freebies to the kids, and that was allllll good!

After dinner at Seri Malaysia, the Srikandis had an informal gathering to brief on the going-ons during the weekend. It ended with karaokeing till wee hour in the morning. Some of us headed back to the school and started / finished decorating the cars that were supposed to be in the parade the next morning. (TQ so much SK (Kak) Elyn and gang, most respected SKs from the ‘74 Batch, R2V team, SK (Kak) Sadhana and SK (Kak) Eija and gang for the willingness to participate in the late entries.

This was a reunion gathering for most of the Srikandis. Some batches turned up in the 30s and 20s. That’s considered quite a lot considering: 1. we are girls - lots more commitments (hubby, kids..) 2. the venue is down south in Johor 3. it was an over the weekend thingy.. Anywho, there were 4 of us from the 92 batch - Eddie, Rinawati, Boone and yours truly.. heh heh heh I met loads of my seniors and juniors too. Worthy mention is the 1989 batch — loads of them ; SKs Ernie, Emma, Ina LeBon, etc.. SK (Kak) Nonie Samad was MIA, though..

BTW, did I mention that the doorgift was pretty cool too? We got a traditionally weaved bag filled with good stuff - Arisa, the 50 yrs GJC key chain, Avon brooch, scarf.. (TQ SK (Kak) Wa)

As far as I was concerned, Saturday was THE DAY! The morning started really early for all of us even though we barely had any sleep the night before. The ceremony began with the arrival of the Sultanah of Johor’s entourage which consists of 25 cars driven by Srikandis.Soon after, the parade started with the horses leading the way.

SK (Kak) Sue Nafry, SK (Kak) Sue Daud and SK (Kak) Leelany were riding on the big horseys and there were also 2 ponies. Next came the drumline and then the decorated cars and school houses one after another. We finished off the parade with the X-Fresh Perodua Street Surfers.

That was cool AND fun! What happened next was outside of my viewing span, the Permasyuran took place at Dataran Morni and then the Sultanah visited the exhibition SK Ryzah and SK Davie painstakingly put up in the Bilik Wawasan. Then, the Sultanah had her brunch at the school hall whilst being serenaded by the Cedar Girls’ and STF’s school orchestar (band).

This was where I met Cik Hajjah Azizah and CIkgu Ramlah - My Penolong Pengetua (Akademik) and one of the fiercest wardens. (heh heh heh) Strangely, they don’t look as scary as they used to, just more motherly.. They remembered me well and it reminded me how time really flies. I have been out of school for 14 years and look what had happened to me? I got my degree, got a job, got married, had 2 kids and finished my Masters - that’s quite a lot to say in one breath!

Anyways, the afternoon I spent panicking since I volunteered to enter the Maggi Lambung competition. The 2 girls from X-Fresh, Leena and Sab also joined in. In this particular round, me and Leena had to dance around the counter and ‘lambung’ the Maggi as high as we could. Leena got 5th place overall, (there were approx. 30 participants, I think) but I had the better tasting Maggi Goreng and butt-shaking in the end! heh heh heh

There was also the Nescafe Tarik competition in which Deena and Bell from X-Fresh took part in. They had to dance around according the music and ‘pull’ some Nescafe! See Deena in action<——–

At night, we had the Warisanmu Dinner — more eating, more shows from STFians. I have to say that I really really enjoyed them. - especially the Dikir Barat. I still can’t get over the fact that the choir now moves to the music - complete with body actions, gimmicks and hand gestures.. We never had that in my days!!! I had to cut the night short since my Datin boss - who happens to be a fellow Srikandi - has a private karaoke session with the Royal Patron (She’s her classmate , you see..) So, I got the chance to watch the World Cup match at the lounge with her daughter. We retreated to the Grand Hyatt at about 2am and had a little snack(he he he.. my favourite - snacking, I mean) and dozed off…

Sunday was reserved for the more outdoorsy type of events.(read: Telematch, Tug-of-War) Had to wake up bright and early for this and Datin drove all the way back to school (Thanks, Datin) Nope, it didn’t require much stamina. Yep, it was loads of fun. Nope, I didn’t participate in the Tug-of-War. (merely the cheerleader — notice the high jumps, excellent voice strength ;)) Yep, I got SK Esty Farah to join in the Tug-of-War (didn’t dare refuse the Headgirl, did she?)

In the afternoon, I decided to get the face painting kit out. So, I docked in the Hall and face painted on some. SK (Kak) Spena was the first person before others flocked around. I even managed to paint all the Street Surfers too. (DJ Julia didn’t wanna.. :() Here’s a little look on some of them painted ladies —

Time was short though, I had to pack up, freshen up coz I had to head back to KL with SK Leymah. The journey was uneventful for me coz I slept most of the way.. Leymah - sorry babes, you had to get through the traffic jam while I was busy snoring…

So, that was that.. I had loads of fun.. Thank you to all that made it that much more memorable. Especially the X-Fresh team — they were awesome.. (TQ Ewa, you made it all happen!;) Love you, sissy!)

Can’t wait for the next Back-to-School programme.

Maju, maju, maju, segera maju..

-dillz blogging out-