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-

My Junior Masterchefs

The two Khas entered a Scottigami competition at their school early this month. In simple terms, the kids had to fold Scott kitchen towel into an object. Thus, the name Scott + Origami = Scottigami. Khadra wanted to make lillies and Khaleeq wanted to make frogs. So, we googled how to fold them and spent some good time making them. Thanks to the abundance of accessories (pipe cleaners, flower cutout, feathers and googly eyes) to decorate the kitchen towels from our trusted Doodle drawer, we were able to come up with the following.

Tadaa.....

Boleh tahan, la... Seni tu ada...

Best part was, the Top 30 most creative entries stand a chance to participate in a junior cooking workshop with a celebrity chef and they were both selected. Wey-hey!!! So, mommy dengan penuh bersemangat ambil cuti hari tersebut to accompany my little chef Khaleeq and @azrulx was Khadra's partner-in-crime. (@azrulx cooking? Of course, I HAD to see this. hihihihihi)

Anak-anak, ibu-ibu, bapa-bapa - all excited for the workshop to start. Ampun, ada pulak gambar kaki ibu-ibu. Motif???

Inside the hall. Getting ready to cook. Aprons ON.. Let's go!

First menu: tortilla wrap. There wasn't actual or proper cooking per se - no pots nor pans needed - more like chopping, mixing, squeezing, whisking and assembling. I let Khaleeq do most of the steps, with guidance, of course. Especially while chopping stuff. Adoi, seriau acik... Tak sempat nak menjeling meja sebelah to see how the father-daughter duo was doing. OK lah tu. Cik mek Khadra tu boleh diharap. We successfully completed the wrap and both kids completely devoured their fruits of labour. Sedap juga.. Mommy dapatlah merasa beberapa bites.

Next up was smoothies making. Can't believe how simple the steps were. The chef encouraged the kids to try a few different combinations. Personally, I liked the banana-oreo the best. And I have also concluded that peanut butter does not go well into a smoothie. Period!

Session ended with group photos and interviews. Kids were happy. Parents were happy. Mana taknya, kenyang perut, suka hati lah...

I am actually very grateful that we got this opportunity to participate in this kind of workshop with the kids. It showed them that cooking is really not that hard to do and every single one can actually whip something up in the kitchen. In fact, we already bought a smoothie blender last weekend. Made a few batches of smoothies with the kids' help. (I added a few scoops of Bulla vanilla ice-cream into the recipe though. hahahaha) They are very interested and I hope to get the kids more involved in the future too. Sebelum ni pun, ada la jugak tolong sikit-sikit, especially when baking cookies and brownies. Part goreng-menggoreng, potong-memotong ni, I tak berani nak let them in yet. Maybe I should get them a safer knife macam dalam Junior Masterchef tu. Mana nak beli, ek?

-dillz blogging out-

Late Night Mini Adventure

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

Ladies Market.

Khadra and I had set this as our destination of the night. Right after we left the younger Khas in their pajamas with their daddy at the hotel, that is. :)I was told that the operating hours were until 11.30pm so when we headed out of the hotel at 10.45pm (walking, mind you) we would had just enough time for some girly shopping of oh you know, the usuals - tops, dresses, pants, vest etc. Wee-hee!

The receptionist told us to head "Thataway" down Nathan Road.

"Very near. Only 5 to 10 minutes walk", she said.

Adventure pun bermula. Just me and my firstborn child. Let's go.

Walk, walk. Turn right at Portland Road into Nathan Road.

Turn left and walk, walk, walk somemore.

Walk, walk, walk...

We started the walk very near to Yau Ma Tei MTR, down Nathan Road. Then, we passed Mong Kok MTR. That sounded about right. Dah dekat lah ni. :)

Walk, walk, walk.

Walk, walk, walk somemore.

Walk, walk, walk...

Then, another MTR station appeared. The Prince Edward MTR stop. Hmm... Ada sedikit musykil di situ.

Walk, walk, walk.

Walk, walk, walk...

We walked right to the end of the road, coming up to a cross-junction. By now, it was already 20 minutes of walking and I felt like I have just lost my legs. And it doesn't look anywhere near the Ladies Market. Ayyoo... :( (Sila refer to Leg 1 of the journey in the map below)

So, decided to be smart and turned back to Prince Edward MTR to take us back to Yau Ma Tei MTR. That turned out to be a good decision. At the end of Leg 2 of the adventure, we noted a map distinctly showing where Ladies Market were. Sebenarnya, dekat aje from the hotel, okeh! Just take the second turn to the right and then you could see the buzz already! Ayyoyo.. Awatla tak tengok map, makcik oi!!!! Gungho bebenor... Leg 3 of the journey, barulah kami tiba di destinasi. :)

It reminded me of Petaling Street, really. With hawkers setting up their booth in the alley. There were a variety of stuff on sale. Tops, shirts, pants, dresses, socks, jade, watches, etc. I was only interested to get some outfits for Khadra and/or me. We checked out a stall which tried to sell us almost everything on display at "Cheap! Cheap!' price. Tapi, rasanya macam kena ketuk je... Memula tu memang dia bukak price mahal. I started to haggle, macam nak dapaaat je.

Pastu, dia tambah lagi :

"Take this one nice."
"This one also nice."
"This dress look very nice on you."
"All , 6 pieces, HKDXXX"

Aku macam kena pukau, ambik je semua. Dah habih bayar, kira-kira macam, "Wei! Kena ketuk la! " Doink!

We were walking back to the hotel, when I noticed a shop (like a proper shop) in one of the alleys. Macam menarik je baju-baju dia. And best of all, the price was sooo blardy much cheaper. And very very nice too! So, demi economies of scale, I had to buy a few pieces to lower the average, right? And we did! Khadra had a fabulous time choosing, as well. Here are some of our catch!

Tu je lah cerita nya. Macam ya-ya je suruh tunggu. hihihihihihihihi

Next on the Hong Kong Travel-log would be our days in Disneyland. :)

-dillz blogging out-

Bismillah...

Image from: here

K1 and K2 will be having their PKSR1 exams starting today. Four days of exams.

Today : Bahasa Melayu and Agama
Tomorrow: Math and Science
Wednesday: English and Music
Thursday: Arab and Pendidikan Seni

Khadra is no stranger to exams, but this is officially Khaleeq's first. We are not stressing over it though. Buat je lah apa yang terdaya. Best part is, after this whole thing is over, we have our vacation to look forward to. Woot!

Khaleeq was telling me the other day, "Mom, this exam thing is killing me. "
Drama King.
Exam pun belum lagi.
I'm thinking this could be due to the imposed conditions I have put in place during exam week - no TV, no iPad, no DS Lite. Only toys and story books allowed for break time. I have also stocked up the fridge and pantry with loads of sugary stuff - packs of Milo, Vitagen, Calci-yum, Oreos, Pringles, Twisties, Cheezels, etc. Just to get a lot of brain activities going.

Preparation pun biasa-biasa je. Normally, we would go through the optional activity books for Khadra. But, most of the topics have been covered during Formative 1 and 2 exams anyhow. So, this time around, she's doing some past year papers. For Khaleeq, since there has never been any exams for him ever, (Standard One takde Formative exams) I thought, well.. belasah je lah Khaleeq. He has done some BM revision in his Bahasa Melayu extra classes that he's been going to for the past few months anyways. Agama and Arab pun ada jugak sikit-sikit revision at the Ustazah that he goes to mengaji to. We have also started to prepare the stuff he needs for his Seni exam. He's making a collage, so loads of menggentel-ing of crepe paper involved. This time around, biar dia tau je what exams are all about. And that he will not die from it. *Sheesh*

After going through the normal pep talk, "Do your best", "Answer all the questions", "Check your answers", "Jangan tidur"... we recited the doa penerang hati together in the car this morning.

There's nothing else to say now, just ..

image from : here

Tawakkaltu 'alAllah.. :)

All the best kiddos!

-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-

Busy as a super honey bee

Anak dara saya will turn 8 (eight) this 3rd of June. She is so big already. So matured, so independent. Tak lama lagi nak dapat menantu la kami. huhuhuhu

This picture of Khadra was taken during the 2011 New Year Party in KLGCC. What did I tell you? Dah besar kan, anak dara saya?

Anyways, just wanted to share. Her schedule sekarang ni mengalahkan ibu dia. She's busier than me. Like no joke, okeh. Besides her normal schooling time, she has mengaji 3 times a week for one and half hours every session. Her year-long extra curricular commitments are rhythmic gymnastics on Mondays and Thursdays and drama on Tuesdays. On weekends, she has piano on Saturday afternoons and swimming class on Sunday mornings.

She is also in the school team for action song. They have just been crowned the Zon Bangsar champs a few weeks back and are now intensively training for the State level competition that happens to tomorrow - Thursday, 19th May 2011. So, that training somehow overlaps with her existing schedule, which forces her to drop drama for a term and continue in the next to be able to perform in the year-end production.

As for rhythmic gymnastics, she has to replace one of the sessions on Friday nights at a venue in Ampang, from 8-10pm. Seriously. Nasib baik lepas habis action song competition ni, baru start grading untuk rhythmic gymnastics. So, second week of the school holidays will be intensive training for the group routine pulak.

On top of it all, she's also part of the team representing the school for Disney Channel's My School Rocks. Yang ni untuk suka-suka je because of the sheer love for performing and the chance to be on TV (maybe) and the winner gets to go to Hong Kong Disneyland. So, have to slot in some training time for that new routine pulak. Which basically means weekends.

On the out-of school activities pulak, she is part of the Tree Theatre Group - a non-profit organization for kids that promotes environmental issues and the performing arts. Pretty awesome stuff. They go tree planting and performing mini shows for environmental causes and there is in fact an entourage going to the International World Children's Festival in Washington, USA this June. Sadly, we won't be joining the group this time around. Kalau tak, sure dia bertambah busy with practices for the performance during the weekends.

So, basically for these few months at least, she'll be in school after school every weekday and most weekends. Adoi, penat aku pikir schedule dia. Itupun she didn't enrol in cheerleading. Kalau tak, pengsanlah ibu dengan anaknya sekali. :(

Kadang-kadang, kesian jugak tengok dia. She comes home tired and sometimes I catch her crying due to exhaustion. Tapi, bila cakap dengan dia, we didn't force her to do all this. She was the one who wanted to pursue it all. She said she doesn't want to give it up. Perserverelah Khadra. Sikit je lagi.

We just have to take it one thing at a time. For now, let's just focus on the action song state level competition tomorrow. Gosh, it's tomorrow, y'all! Ibu dia yang nervous lebih. I have already taken leave for it. Have to. Our day will start very, very early tomorrow. Need to be made up and be at school by 6am. I'm thinking of stopping by for hotcake breakfast at McDonald's with my daughter tomorrow. She'd like that.

All the best, darling. I know you'll do great. No matter the outcome, just have fun and dance & sing your heart out. I'll be there by the stage, cheering you on! Love ya, Kakak Khadra!

-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-

Action Song Goes to Singapore

I know it's been a while. Sorry, sorry... before I forget, here's the piece on Khadra's adventure to the City of Lion. :)

***

The action song team would be performing their 1Rhythm, 1 Malaysia routine in a few primary schools in Singapore in conjunction with the Racial Harmony week over there. It was Khadra's first time on a sleep-over school trip anywhere, so obviously Ibu had to follow her 3-day adventure. :)

We started bright and early at the school compound. Ticking checklists and making sure everyone that was supposed to be there was there and everything that was supposed to be onboard the bus had been brought there. There were a few daddies who stayed on to see their precious princess(es) off. Maklumlah, kanak-kanak Tahap Satu, ya tuan-tuan dan puan-puan. :) Nasi lemak breakfast filled our tummies and after a few photo shots, we were ready to leave Kuala Lumpur.

Seronok juga naik bas ramai-ramai ni. I really thought the girls enjoyed themselves. Of course, we were aptly prepared: snacks, drinks, books, mp3 players and Zoobies onboard!

Our temporary abode was the Fernloft Little India Hostel. It was a budget backpacker hostel going like SD16 per head per night which suited well into our budget. :) Eventhough it was a budget hostel, the reception area was air-conditioned with 3 PCs offering free use of internet. There was an elevator and every room was air-conditioned. The toilets/shower room were really clean with hot water supply. Best thing was, we got the whole 2nd floor to ourselves - a 20-bedded dorm, a 5-bedded room and a 6-bedded room. So, it was really convenient for us to get the girls ready in the mornings. Most were double-decker beds anyway and the girls had a fun time trying out the bunk bed and having a sleepover of sorts with 10 of their friends. :) Lights off was at 10.30, but the moms were up late chit-chatting still.

The other plus point was we were within walking distance to Mustaffa. Suffice to say that night we were spending a lot of time at the neighbourhood malls! :) (I got me 2 Charles and Keith shoes that were going at 70% off! hihihi)

The next day, we got the girls ready for their first school visit at Teluk Kurau Primary School. OK. I was so impressed with this school! Period. The principal is such a sweetheart. Just take a look at the school's operating principles. Don't you just love "Catch them doing right" ? Catch them, when they do the right things - such emphasis on positive reinforcements! :) I loike!

The infrastructure is to die for. They have a Heritage Gallery that showcased their history and their famous alumnus. We also found out that Allahyarham Tun Hussein Onn went to the school while he was young, so we got Raina, Tun's great grandchild, to pose with an exhibit that was his - his Report card. So sweet, kan? I especially LOVE the library. So conducive for reading. They had walls of Jungle Book murals and even a pillar disguised as a tree. There was a space that was wood laminated for chilling area, complete with throw cushions and a stage for story-telling. Just heaven! :) I noticed that their stairs are wider too, with the multiplication table painted on the steps. The quadrangle where kids play during their recess was huge, with 4 hopscotch rings, a garden at the sides and and a rock-climbing wall to boot! *seriously*

After their performance, we made a quick stop at the Merlion in Marina Bay. Photo opp!!! Imagine 18 kids all dressed up in their 1Malaysia costume appearing at a tourist spot. The other Japanese and Korean tourists were busy snapping their pictures instead. It was so darn hot, I tell you. We just took a few pictures in front of the Merlion and quickly dashed back to the bus.

Changed their clothes in the bus and we were set for an educational session - next stop: Science Centre. They had fun goofing around while learning a principle or two. Truthfully speaking though, I think the mommies had a bit more fun than the kids. Especially when we invaded the souvenir shop. hihihihihi

We then went to the Snow City which was in the same compound as the Science Centre. Getting the right getup was a challenge - the jacket, the pants, the boots and the gloves. No cameras were allowed in the snow area, so we had to rely on the professional photographers there. In any case, the kids were having so much fun taboganning down the snow slope! One by one or in groups of fours! It was really fun! A dozen times later, they were about to call it quits , but not before some photo taking in the snow. After, we had some hot chocolate and hot bowl of noodle. Yumms. Just the right combo after freezing in the snow.

In the night time, we took the opportunity to visit the Night Safari. We just made it to the last "Creatures of the Night" show where the nocturnal animals took centre stage. After the tram ride around the Safari, it was time to call it a night. Sleepy time before visiting two more schools on the next day..

First up was Nan Chiau Primary School. The key take away from this school was how they incorporated ICT into their daily activities. It was really wonderful seeing that Primary 1 and 2 kids are utilizing the iPod Touch for some creative learning. :) The elder kids use the Android as well as notebooks for school work. I was also particularly impressed with their Lab of the Future. 3 screens that is able to project different items and the dynamics of the detachable desks and chair which is able to be arranged into different class layout. (They also have bean bags in there. *serious*)

Last school we visited was Rulang Primary School. The staff were waiting for us to show the different instruments from the three major ethnicity of Singapore. They had the teachers stationed at every booth, waiting to explain and let the children experience the classical instruments themselves. How very, very sweet. :) They kids made their final performance and was treated to lunch later.

All in all, I really think it was a very good exposure for the children (and adults alike). There is so much positive takeaways from the trip. I am so glad we had the opportunity to be part of it. :)

-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-

Ala-ala Supermodel

Just to share another one of Khadra's advertisement in the media. :) Alhamdulillah.

She's part of the kids turned professionals - signifying our futurelah in the new Maybank Islamic product, WAQF. Currently running as the highlighted product on maybank2u (sila refer inset) and a one page advert in The Edge, today. :)

p/s: Yang lagi 3 orang tu pun kazen-mazen dia jugak. Habis Zaghlol cucus tapau! :)

-dillz blogging out-

She's Up! She's Up!

Presenting my little angel on a billboard along the NKVE.

As captured by @azrulx by the side of the road. :)

The billboard is in-between the Damansara and Subang tol plaza, on both sides. (i.e Northbound and Southbound) If you see her, do holler!!! hihihihihihi

We were so darn excited last night when we got news from my sister @ewazag on the BBM;

OheMmgLee!! Nak nangis pls!!! Guess what??? Pls lalu NKVE coz Khadra's already Up Up on the billboard yo! So proud of her & darn happy sampai nak nangis!! Couldn't capture her coz I was too happy! Weeee~

Me and Inche Azrul actually just got off the plane from Jakarta and we were dying to see it! Maka, haruslah detour on our way home, siap lalu NKVE bagai. Our trusted Saufi parked by the roadside and Inche Azrul went down to capture her daughter on her first billboard. Proud, proud moment. :) (Ya, kami jakun sikit sebab memang taklah tiap-tiap hari anak kau masuk billboard, kan? )

We were extra excited coz this has been a long time coming. I think we went for the shoot some 3 months ago. Here's a little snippet of her "behind the scenes".

Amazing, kan? From the few stems of sunflowers in her hand suddenly transformed into a field of sunflowers on the billboard. It was definitely an awesome experience for her and me both as we got to experience the actual work that went into a production such as this one.

Kaki jangan bukak sangat.
Tunduk sikit lagi.
Look up.
Smile.
Look at mommy.
Okay, good job...
One more time.

She must have done the pose a million times. It was so darn technical. But everytime she would just smile even when I knew that deep down she was truly exhausted. So, yes, I have a greater appreciation on the hard work models do now. Looking pretty is not so easy after all. :)

-dillz blogging out-

Fish! I Screwed Up!

I was in my car, at the office car park when I finally realized that I totally forgot about my kids' mengaji class tonight. Reached my phone - battery's dead. Fished the other phone out of the handbag - dead also. By this time, I was already 45 minutes late.

Picture from: here

Knowing how the kids dispersed after mengaji classes, they were all gone in the first 5 minutes. Suddenly my own experience waiting for my dad in the dark with my 2 other sisters flashed quickly before my eyes.

**
I think I was 8 years old or so. I was attending primary school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Petaling, Petaling Jaya with two of my sisters at that time. The three of us ; Ziezi, me and Illa ; were waiting for our ride home as per usual.

We waited and waited and waited and nobody came for us. The day was getting darker (we went to the evening session) and slowly turned into night. We were the only three beings left outside the school compound, hugging each other tight (Probably crying too). Then, a car approached and there was our dad asking us to get into the car.

A stream of complaints came from the three princesses - "Mengapa lambat?" "There's no one else here" "We were the last ones, Encik"

Sekali kena tengking, daa.... hahahahahahaha

It turned out that our then 4 year old brother drove the Isuzu Pajero down the hill and ended up in the ditch. (He didn't actually, drive, he just released the handbrakes and the car slid down the hill) So, itulah sebabnya lambat, dan of course he had other things in his head at that time, with the balik kampung plan screwed up and all..

**
Anyways, pointnya adalah, I know how it felt to be the last one waiting for your parent to arrive. Been there and done that. It's a lonely feeling and one gets pretty restless. And cranky and teary-eyed. So.....

Panic.Panic.Panic. Aduh! Lagilah pressure!

Luckily, I spotted the Blackberry car charger in the car. Plugged it in and immediately called Ustazah Yati. She said she tried to call but it didn't go through. I apologized profusely and told her I was on my way. The journey to Kota Damansara was a smooth one, I was there in about 15 minutes. I must have driven at 120km/h where I could.

Anyways, as I arrived, her house had the gate and the front door closed. No lights in the foyer. Dark and a little scary. Called Ustazah to tell her I was already there. Her sleepy voice greeted me and said, "OK". Turned off the engine and ran to her house to quickly hug my two sweethearts. More bouts of apologies ensued. Luckily, both kids were smiling widely. Ustazah shared with me another great news - Khadra has gone to Iqra' 5. Yeay!,Khadra! Gave them a quick kiss and a last kopek apology to the Ustazah. We made our way to the car.

Talking, talking, talking in the car. We made it home safely. All is well once more. :)

Moral of the story: Lain kali ingat la nak ambik anak , weh!

-dillz blogging out-

Results Are (almost) Out!

Khadra just finished her Formatif 2 Exams (fancy name for what used to be our Ujian Bulanan, but done every two months) last week and some of the results are already in.

This was her very first exam ever. She has been revising for it by doing the practice questions on her elective activity books for English, Maths and Science. Ibu assigns her specific pages in the book and finds it done by the end of the day. Sometimes, when she gets stuck on a question, she would get irritated with it and would not move on. So, I told her to mark the questions that she was unsure of answering with a question mark. Sometimes , I get a big question mark in pencil that fills the whole page at the end of the day. hihihihihi Maknanya tak pahamlah macam mana nak jawab tu. Then, Ibu would mark the work and leave little notes of encouragements and stars and smiley faces (wherever applicable) This went on for a full week prior to the exam.

**start of digression

Disclaimer : I didn't even dare go NEAR Bahasa Melayu. I wanted to just gauge where she really is on her own accord. Standard of Bahasa Melayu is high these days, even for Primary One.

Sample of questions that baffled me in her Bahasa Melayu activity book:

Q1:

Picture form : here

A.Sang Rimba
B. Sang Lamri
C. Sang Bedal

Q2:

Picture from : here

Kereta ______ itu kepunyaan abang Asraf.
A.Persona
B.Saga
C. Waja

Q3: ____ ialah suami Puan Norliza.
A. Encik Rahman
B. Cik Rina
C. Puan Asmah

Advanced,kan? You are expected not just to know vocabulary, but general knowledge is tested as well. Case in point:
Q1: If you've never read any kisah dongeng or fables, how would you know that a singa could be called as Sang Rimba? BTW, what is a Sang Lamri anyways.
Q2: The question on the car thing. I mean , unless your dad /relatives/people you know drives one, would a child be able to tell the difference between a Persona and Waja and Saga? I memang buta kereta - so I don't know the difference. Dah tu, kalau dapat gambar googled as per above , OK lah jugak. Ni dalam activity book tu, it's just a lame sketch that vaguely resembles a car. Boleh?
Q3: The name thing is also a general knowledge kinda question. I mean, you need to actually know what kind of names are generally feminine and what are masculine. In turn, the title of someone would also indicate whether it is a male or a female and either married or otherwise.

*** end of digression

So, on the night of the exam, I made sure that she had a good sleep and rested well. No more revisions. Chill aje lah. On the first morning of the exam, we went through some do's and don'ts of a typical exam. Don't chit chat. Not to look at anyone around you. Don't sleep during the exam. I told her to try to answer the questions, just skip if you don't know the answer and come back to it later. Once done, check your answers - once, twice, thrice. Then, if you have more time, start colouring the pictures in the exam paper. (Tak nak kasi tidur lah ni) Don't leave any sections blank - even if you are not sure of the answer, at least attempt to answer.

Last sekali, before masuk sekolah, we would recite the doa that my mom taught me for penerang hati. Allahumma Bariklana (*Sheesh , itu doa makanlah, Ketua Pengawas!) Allahummaftah and Rabbishrahli. Tawakkal je lah, wahai anakanda...

When I got hold of some of the exam papers, I was pleasantly surprised that her writing was neat and she had coloured objects on the exam papers - with boarders and blending, no less! :) Aanyways, here's how she has done (so far) :
Pemahaman - 94%
Penulisan - 88%
Bahasa Inggeris - 95%
Mathematics - 100%
Science - 94%
Bahasa Arab - 91.5%
Agama Islam - 93.5%
(The rest I don't really know. Once I know, I updatelah *updated*)

BM was OKlah - she:
Mixed up between:
a) rumah teres and rumah panjang
b) Lembu tinggal di dalam hutan and Harimau tinggal di dalam kandang
c) Kakak mandi pokok bunga setiap waktu petang and Azman gemar menyiram di kolam

Boleh tahan jugak exam skills dia. There was a question on body parts and she really did not know what the knee is called in Malay. However, she knew her rambut, mata, leher, jari, kaki, tangan, bibir, gigi, hidung and rambut. By the process of elimination she got lutut right! Yeay!
The other subjects I wasn't too worriedlah. Some silly mistakes here and there. Looks good to me and I am proud of what she has achieved. But apparently, the results are not THAAT goodlah. Some kids are getting 100% in all subjects (by some, I am generalizing here and may include pupils from other Primary One classes in her school) Maybe we need to look into the option of tuition for her Malay. Don't knowlah. Would have to see how this unfolds.

One hurdle done. Yet, her PKSR1 (ala-ala midterm examlah zaman kita dulu) will be on the 24th of May 2010. That's in another 2 weeks time, y'all! Stress betul ya, jadi anak-anak zaman Millenium ni.. Kesian..

footnote: Sila kesian kat ibu dia sekali

-dillz blogging out-

Happy Ibu's Day!

I am a mom of three. The first is a girl, Khadra (7 yo in June 2010); the second one is a boy, Khaleeq (6 yo in July 2010) and my baby girl is Khaleeda (3 yo in November 2010). So, every 2nd Sunday in the month of May I am entitled to celebrate Mother's Day with other mothers in Malaysia and probably Asia. (coz apparently people from other parts of the world celebrate them on different days ;) )

I am in no way a perfect mom. Never claimed that I am a supermom. Simply coz I am not. Just a woman trying her very best in raising three kids and balancing her career, family and social life. Sometimes there are good days for this Ibu and sometimes there are bad, ugly ones. After a disagreement / fight with my kids, I sometimes get little notes such as below slipped under the door of my bedroom. It simply affirms that I am just human after all.

First paper reads: Dear Ibu, I don't like you. I'm so sorry. Love, K1 Picture of a broken heart with "Broken" written on it.
Second paper reads: I'm sure you don't like me too. Put a (Tick) if you like me or an (X) if you don't like me.

To which I answered as:
(Tick) and I love you too. Love, Ibu.

After she read that, she gave me a hug and smiled the biggest smile. It saddens me, that she would think I would love her any less since we had a disagreement. Khadra, do know that you would always be my first born daughter and I would love you unconditionally till the day that I die. Yes, she has a lot of jiwa, my Khadra (takes after her Achu, I think)

But being a mommy brought me a share of many happy memories too. The little DIY gifts and art pieces, the achievements be it little or big, the running around and round the bean bag, the completion of a milestone, the great big bear hugs, the incessant kisses, the private family performances and the checking up on you to make sure that you are OK. Those are the images that I hold onto so dearly to give me the strength and perseverance to go on - to keep doing what I am doing coz it is a sign that I have been doing something right too. I wrote about some of it in my Mom's day 2009 post last year and another one in the Mom's Day 2007 - she said that I was the best mother in the world, then! hihihihihi.

Here's someone who's been doing it right. My very own Ibu - she has 7 kids, an illustrious career and loved by all. (Am still wondering how she managed that!)

She is my source of reference and I do adore her so very much. Now that I have my very own kids, I appreciate her even more. I understand where the nags are coming from, all from a beautiful heart filled with love. I remember one time I was so overwhelmed with mommy duties that I wrote an entry for my mom. She was in London at the time, visiting my sister Ema and she actually commented on the post. hihihihihihi. There was this other time when i was ranting about what I sometimes want from life, she wrote almost an entire paragraph in the comments section that went like this:

datuk azizah said... Syabas i am so glad ibu2 muda sekarang dah pandai menyesuaikan diri sebagai ibu. do only whatever u are capable of, don't stress yourself semata2 only on perkara duniawi ini, ingatlah give the kids whatever yg menjadi your tanggungjawab as orang ISLAM semoga mendapat kejayaan di dunia dan akhirat. Give the best to your husband and children. But...remember anak2 dan harta hanya merupakan perhiasan dunia,yang akan ditinggalkan apabila kita kembali menemui ALLAH, yang kita bawa adalah bekalan ASA {amanah saham akhirat) bukannya ASB. Oleh itu jangan lupa isilah tabung ASA anda sekarang juga selagi masih hidup dengan melakukan amalan soleh kerana mati tak mengenal umur, lebih2 lagi dunia sekarang yang penuh stress ini. tak menjadi kesalahan kita mencari harta dunia asalkan halal dan tidak menyeksa diri sendiri dengan melampau. Jangan jadi orang yang cari harta dunia sampai tak sempat beramal ibadat kejalan Allah, tiba2 sakit , mati, orang lain yang enjoy. ASA kosong ,dirinya diseksa terpekik melolong, tak ada siapa dapat menolong! fikir2kanlah. sekadar ingatan ikhlas seorang ibu.

Ya, Ibu saya IT savvy - she has a facebook account and she sometimes reads my blog (and leave comments too). I love you so very much, Ibu. She is just the best!

So, to all mommies out there - in good times and in bad times , have a very Happy Mother's Day, y' all! :)

-dillz blogging out-