Exam and school holiday again...

For the past 2 weeks I've been busy again preparing for my kids' exam which has started today. Exam week comes, kepala pun pening....mana taknyer...my dear "Little Miss Play All the Time" ...sapa lagi if not Sofea. Dia buat hal lagi la..U know, study is not in her kamus. "Play" is really her middle name...main, main, main... nothing else...she doesn't have to eat. Play only and she'll survive...a typical 2nd child syndrome she is....ketegak, keras kepala, kuat mengamuk....entahlah seriously I don't know what to do with her.....

Kalau ader darah tinggi la...dah lama I masuk hospital...ish...budak bertuah!!!

There was one day she asked me to send her to the club as her friends were waiting for her at the pool, so I told her,
"Once U finished your Maths exercise, U may go"
(I gave her a few pages of latihan to do earlier)
Then she said,
"Ok Mama"

Know what? right after she said Ok, she continued playing with Adib. As if nothing was said earlier...

Okay, lets forget about d exam...

Yeah!!!School holiday is back! Eh eh.. sapa yang sekolah nih? Mama ke anak2? Why am I excited? well I have many reasons to be excited..

Firstly, I get to plan our school holiday programs for the family & kids.
As usual for the family, its either we go back Penang (in-law's) or checking in into hotel of my choice...err..or should I say the kids' choice...And for this impending school holiday...there's a very likely chance that we get to do both ...clap..clap..clap..

I don't mind going back to Penang though...plenty of activities for the kids ie beach, beach & beach ha..ha..ha.. and not forgetting window shopping at Gurney Plaza ..I really meant 'window' ok and looking for pirated Dvds...oppss!!

As for the hotel, our 'all time favourite' Avillion PD got the highest votes. So we'll be off to PD on Friday 17th August ( nih mesti case dah tak sabar nak bercuti) right after d Friday pray. We'll be back home on Monday 20th, then followed by a kenduri at my Mom's on Wed then maybe on Fri balik Penang...

In between PD & Penang, I tot of taking d kids to the State Library...pity the kids, ever since tak kerja nih, stocking books means we have to wait for the Time or MPH warehouse sale ajer...which happen once or twice a year...our stocking means buying up to berpuluh-puluh buku....so I really can't afford to do it so often anymore....Now everything must get Abah's permission...as stocking means spending over 1/2 a grand $$$$ or so...Seriously, this is another thing that I never regretted doing besides shopping for good quality shoes...

Secondly, I can forget about the my kids' homeworks, exams or anything that's remind me of school...my chauffeuring work, tuition (ponteng sekejap) and cooking. I can just sit back and enjoy hotel foods and outside foods as well...Fyi, cooking can turn into war between me n d kids. All 3 are very d fussy and hard to please!

Thirdly, I get to spend time with Abah....our very d busy Abah...away from his work n golfing...yeah....boleh relax!!!

Hujan lagi.....

Looks like this month of July has become a wet month joining the likes of Nov & Dec. In a way, I prefer to call it 'bulan rahmat', why? My electricity bill will go down tremendously coz less usage of air-cond. Know what? Eversince I quit from my job, I have this tendency to switch on the air-cond 24/7. Sampai Abah complained that electricity bill has gone up eversince I stayed at home. What does he expects? I was used to live in cold climate through out my working life. Be it in the office, my car, or the clients' offices.... they were all air-conditioned..duh!!!

Things that happened during rainy season...

1. When its cold, I tend to be lazy and eat more too...just weighed myself just now.....guess what? I've gained 2 kilos. Mana tak nyer...sejukkan...so best ajer watch TV when d kids were not around..so less sweat...currently I'm glued to my new found channel Astro 77....so good ....me likey!!!

2. My garden is greener than it was before...sedap mata memandang... bunga2 pun berkembang...eh eh ader pokok bunga ke?

3. Malas nak pegi gym....lagi la menyumbang kepada masalah berat badan....

4. The kids look forward for their mandi hujan session....only if its raining in the afternoon with no thunder or lightning. Don't say I'm a bad mom who lets her kids berhujan.....no I'm not...but sekali-sekala I'll let them have fun in the rain just like I used to do when I was at their ages..know what, my ipar once told me that rain water is good but not during the 1st 20 mins of its pouring...its very acidic...but anytime after that....its good for the body.. contrary to popular belief that we will get demam if we mandi hujan ( yes actually, if u mandi hujan right after it started...but if u wait atleast after 20 mins...u'll be okay...trust me)

5. Baju bertimbun kat dalam bilik Bibik....antara kering dan tak kering...well this is the worst part of all...later I will hear Izzat screaming for his favourite track pants or socks yang either tak berbasuh or tak cukup kering...ha ha ha

Anyway, aper2 pun I still prefer hujan dari panas...

I'm back.......

Well ...I'm back blogging after almost 1 month menyepikan diri....(ceh,ceh,ceh..macamlah dah blogging bertahun-tahun...)Know what? My laptop got infected with virus ....

Actually between end June till last weekend, I was pretty busy with d kids , our 2nd trip to KK, flu & fever and many more...paling menyumbang kepada kemalasan is the fact that my laptop got infected by virus!!! Boring giler...have to use desktop in Izzat's room... I'm stuck in one place!!! so... not me...With my laptop, I can surf anywhere in d house...especially in the comfort of my own room. Well till d present moment, I still can't use my laptop for surfing... wireless....boring!!

In Izzat's room now, with Sofea & Adib in d background playing tah aper2...malas nak sound...U know Sofea....."Little Miss Play All the Time"

Anyway..end June I went to pick my kids' report cards for their Mid-year Exam from their respective teachers. Boring jugak waiting in the queue....but it was worth it! Izzat's improved a lot compared to the last 2 small Ujian ...He got No.12 in class and also in Tahun 5 overall (he's in the A class)....tak ramai...ada about 200++ pupils...considered ok.

As for Sofea, she got No.2 in class and overall No.23 out of 240++ Tahun 2 pupils...ok la....but till now, I'm still frustrated with the fact that she's not in the A class....(gara2 the stupid mistake she made in final exam last year).

Entahlah....lepas habis Mid-year exam nih till now, my kids and me included...cam letih sangat nak study cam dulu...or else, everyday around 3-5pm, I will sit with my kids & do revision. Maybe jugak because we don't have time anymore due to the fact that Sofea has since started her Kafa in her school and maybe Izzat has joined tuition classes...I don't know...tapi I rasa cam complacent sikit...Next ujian will be on 31st Jul then Final Exam kalau tak silap early Oct....errr....demam lagi lah I lepas nih...better prepare them now...

Then on 6th Jul till 9th Jul, we made our 2nd trip to Kota Kinabalu...semenjak ada Air Asia nih....gi jalan2 jauh cam naik bas ajer.....betul tak???? kalau tak KK tuh cam ...punyerlah jauh... entah bila2 lah boleh sampai....Tapi with Air Asia....anybody can fly....memang betul...this has been our 2nd trip already and this time included my beloved Mak and tak ketinggalan my Bibik. Why I like KK? the cheap seafood, beautiful islands and Philipino market...that's why.

Balik from KK, I pulak kena virus ... bad flu/fever till this very day...suara pun almost pecah...with lots of yellowish phlegm...but thank God, all my kids are ok.

Starting this Fri till weekend, I will be missing both of my heroes, Abah has been out of country since Mon 16th and Izzat will be going to "Perkhemahan Intergrasi Unit BerUniform" starting tomorrow Fri 20th till Sun. Tinggallah Sofea, Adib, Bibik n me. Looks like I'm gonna be Ratu Air Mata soon. I can't stand being separated from any of my kids. That's explained why they never had sleepover at any of their cousins' house... no way!!! Abah dah biasa la...but my little baby Izzat....uwaaaa....

I dun wanna grow up....

Remember when we were young, when met by older people, be it relatives, teachers or strangers and more often than not, our own parents? This question ...kind of pop out of their mouth..."dah besar nak jadi apa?" naturally...remember???

Well, my kids ...obviously had experienced the same magic question....

When Izzat was young..probably about 7-8 years old, I remember very well of his ambition..a surgeon that is....why he chose that profession?...well...he came to me at one particular day asking....

"Mama, Abah kerja aper?"
"Abah is a Quantity Surveyor"
"Apa tu Mama?"
So I explained in lengthy about then job...well based on my understanding la...
"Mana kerja yang lebih banyak duit Mama?"

So I told him a few professions where the income is more luxurious...compared to what Abah is currently doing, such as surgeon, gynaecologist etc. Basically I merely mentioned all medical related professions....well based on my knowledge, most of the "pakar" in private hospitals earn paling basic pun a 6-figures annually. So dan-dan on that moment onwards his ambition was to be a surgeon..thanks to me & my lengthy explanations.

I could still remember....there was one day..he came back from school looking sour in the face....telling me that his teacher had written in his BM book on karangan about "Diri Saya". The teacher had slashed on the word "sergen" written as his ambition and replaced it with "Sarjan Polis". He told me " Cikgu ni tak paham la Mama..Izzat nak jadi surgeon bukannya Sarjan Polis".

Then when I went to look at the karangan....ha..ha..ha..aku ketawa bagai nak pengsan...sampai keluar air mata...rupa2nyer, the teacher was merely correcting his spelling for sergen (surgeon) mistaking it for sarjan...siap tambah polis lagi....kah..kah..kah... ialah...kan BM class....mana ader perkataan sergen dlm kamus...eja pun tak betul...that was the joke of the year!!!!!It never failed to make everyone laughs everytime I told my friends about it....

Well that was 3-4 years ago...now, his ambition has changed several times. Sekejap nak jadi Historian la....(after reading "Alexander the Great") and then ...Archaeologist..(after reading "The Ancient Egypt" and other books yg sewaktu dgn nya) Lately nih...asyik nak jadi Scientist lah .....nak jadi Inventor la... tah apa-apa lagi....whatever lah Izzat....most importantly belajar rajin2 dulu ok...

Sofea,in the other hand.....wanna be a nurse...a nurse!!!Can u believe it?...Well not that I don't like the profession... It just that ....why not ambitious enough ???..why not Doctor? afterall, 90% of the children wanna be a Doctor when they grow up...tak caya ?? tanya lah mana2 budak pun...mesti bagi jawapan skema...."dah besar nak jadi Doktor"

I ask her "Apasal nak jadi nurse?"
" Gavin (her classmate in kindie) wants to be Doctor, Sofea nak tolong jaga orang sakit, bagi makan ubat, lepas tu ikut Gavin jumpa orang sakit kat bilik dia. Nanti Sofea kena bawak injection dan ubat, Mama"

I was like "Ohhhhh" sigh....

After sometimes I found out that she was rehearsing for a school play for the annual concert...phew!!!! selamat...Well she did drags the ambition for a little later....then when she finally entered Std 1 till now....sticking to be a Doctor...

At least she does sticks to it....unlike Izzat....nak jadi apa entah lepas nih....God knows...

Adib pulak......entah mana cartoon ke, movie ke, he'd watched...when prompted with that question??? Know what he's answer????

"I DUN WANNA GROW UP" muahahahah....

So relax....

Gosh!!!...since the school hol till yesterday my kids did nothing but relax sakan!!!!!!Our relax means I did not sit with them after school to monitor them doing their h/work and exercise books. And they in return spent most of their free time watching Astro, play games & surfing ....apart from their other paid activities such as Kafa, Ngaji, Piano, Mental Aritm, swim & tuitions for Izzat.

Reason being....I'm still tired to start anything with regards to their study...I haven't got the plan yet on what topics or subjects that I want them to do. I am still very very tired from the d travels and activities during the 2 weeks school hol. Furthermore, my kids haven't started their lessons yet as they were busy preparing for the Sports Day which was held last Fri 15 June. So I pun join sekaki le relax....which I needed very much...

Sofea insisted that she didn't want to go school from Tues last week till the Sports Day. Reason being...tak belajar and most of the teachers were busy with the event. The fact that she did not take part in the event adds to her boringness. Some of her friends yg tak involved , tak datang lansung for almost a week. I don't understand the school system nowadays...I tot they have groups events where everyone is involved. Ni...some of the students were not taking part at all (that.. included Sofea)...funny....during my school time dulu, we always looking forward for our Sports Day. Everyone was involved either in group or individual...

In my opinion, whether the pupils terror lari or not, they should be included so barulah meriah then takder lah murid2 yang ponteng... sigh...

Izzat recently asked me whether I can bring him for horse riding (hr) lesson that I promised him long ago. I used to plan to take them for hr lessons in Bkt Kiara Eq, when I was still working as it it near my offc. Nih dah jadi fulltime h/wife n live in far end of S.Alam...camner nak pergi??? Any suggestion tak where I can find hr lesson nearby S.Alam's area?? something affordable ( dah tak keje nih...)so I can bring him over the weekends when Abah is busy golfing.

Adib's asthma attacks has become more frequent lately. With weather so unpredictable ...sekejap hujan...sekejap panas....makin menjadi le...Nih for few days, asyik hujan malam aje...lagi la memangkinkan ...Can wait to start him the swimming lessons in the hope to reduce d attack. My first 2 (Izzat & Sofea) seldom get cough or phlegm. Credits to the swimming lessons that they had had since the age of 5. I guess it really helped. Adib will turn 5 only in Oct means I can only start his lessons start Jan 08. That's the condition set by the club's instructor...whatever la...

Life so hectic.......

We finally decided to balik kampong (Abah's side in Penang) after a couple of thoughts. It wasn't bad after all. Yes my kids had to skip some of the classes ...nah...what the heck!! The journey was smooth. I cooked & packed a few bungkus of Nasi Lemak for our breakfast at one of the R&R. Nak harap R&R punyer ...tak selera lah ....

I brought one of my nephews(Daniel) with us. Daniel is my bro's son, a regular during school hols. Anyway, in Penang, we went to Bukit Bendera (I've been married to a Penangite for the past 15 years and we've never been there ha..ha..ha) We went to the beach for the kids to main ombak, watch Shrek3 and shop le....Hectic tak boleh nak kata....

I don't know why, but lately nih I tend to get tired easily. Maybe my age is cathing up??? don't know...maybe partly...Nak kata tak ambil supplement ...ada ambil...I go to gym at least 3-4 times a week. Afterall I'm just 36 yrs old, tak lah tua sangat...Heran la....tired aje badan nih...dah lah siang takleh tidur as I tend to get severe headache if I sleep during daytime.

Then on the way back, went straight to fetch Mak n a niece for a few days stay at my house. Then later my sis n family with 3 kids came over for a few days too. Memang tak sempat nak rest after the Penang journey. Hectic sangat. Bila dah reramai tuh rumah pun cam kapal karam. Nasib baik my sis took over breakfast, so I just prepare lunch, tea n dinner (a simple one aje).

After they left, my sis on late Thurs n Mak on late Friday, then only I get to kemas the house. Only the children's rooms n the family room aje yg sepah, what do U expect? there were 7 children n all berebut nak main computer games la, x-box la, nak watch Dvds....fenin kepala Bibik I....What to do, my house memang dah biasa jadi camping site for my nieces & nephews during school hols. I think sebab I nih tak kesah sangat....memang suka layan budak2...my kids pun happy coz ada ramai kawan.

Tapi penatnyer sampai hari nih...dah bukak sekolah pulak tuh...dah penat lain pulak...start jadi chauffeur my kids balik la..Agaknyer bilalah boleh relax erk??? Dulu masa kerja penat lain...ingat dah jadi housewife boleh relax sikit....tak juga...makin penat ada la...ok...I got to pen down now....need to rest...n bloghop pulak....cheers!!!

School Holiday has started

Umph...school holiday has started , where should we go?

1st option would be..stay at home, do some gardening, try new recipes, read novels (I still got 2 more, nicely wrapped in plastic-untouched), go watch movies with the kids (Shrek 3 & Pirates of the Carribean)and window shopping. Part yang last tuh I can just forget it ...no money...must wait for Abah to belanja ...nasib orang tak kerja...

2nd option would be..going back to Abah's hometown in Penang. But have to wait till Tuesday, then only can decide coz Abah has 2 meetings to attend on Mon & Tues. If I go back this Wed, still have to come back by Mon coz got kenduri kahwin on Tues next week.

Anyway...Izzat has tuition every Mon, Wed & Sat...so kalau balik kampung ....ponteng le all tuition classes. Sofea has Mental Arithmetic every Sat and swimming every Sun...kalau balik kampung..ponteng la....and every Wed...both Izzat & Sofea got piano class...if balik kampung...must inform Cikgu to cancel class...

So, banyak rugi if balik kampung....but its school holiday U know!! how can we not go anywhere? Pity the kids. They deserve a vacation after finishing their Mid-year exam..flying colours or not, results not out yet la..

However, I have another family vacation planned for this July to Kota Kinabalu...I booked the tickets since early this year if I'm not mistaken...well..its Air Asia U know...if u wanna cheap tickets, U have to make booking months in advance! So, I can just tell the kids that our vacation is planned this July and not during this school holiday...I hope they'll understand..(I'll use this excuse if Abah decided not to balik kampung..ha..ha..ha..) But I'll still bring them somewhere near ...maybe we'll go Aquaria...my kids been asking about it. If only they have another Book Fair. Then I can borong and make them occupied for 2 weeks. Kejam ke? And if we didn't go anywhere pun, the kids can still have fun at the swimming pool at the club everyday, if they larat la..

Whatever we decided to do for the next 2 weeks, first & foremost...must visit my beloved Mak ...dah lama tak visit since the kids preparing for their exam. Manusia yang paling aku sayang besides my kids & Abah. She is loved by everyone around her. Be it my siblings, my kids, nieces & nephews and even my ipar duai and neighbours (she used to stay with me for 5 years). Nantilah, one day I will dedicate a special posting just about Mak...I bet it'll be lengthy..

My daughter Sofea has been nagging for her flippers...now that she's in the advance class, her swimming instructor had asked her to get it since 2-3 weeks ago. Until now, I haven't get for her (bila dah tak kerja nih, malas betul nak merayau...I was once Ratu Rayau during my working time...maybe I had enough of window shoppings sampai jelak nak gi shopping complex). Last weekend went to Subang Parade, but they didn't have her size. Tot of looking in One U..kat sana kan ader Speedo boutique...sian Sofea, dat day she borrowed Izzat's sampai ader blisters all over her kaki coz the size is too big, too much of movement/geseran between the empty space and her foot... sampai jalan terjengket2. Next week must go out for flippers hunting trip...

Btw, Izzat was nominated for Head Prefect post for next year, he and one more Std 5 student...cepatnyer nominate?? belum habis 1/2 year lagi. Anyway, pakcik tuh dah berangan that he's gonna get it since he has been in the 1st class since Std 2. So I took this opportunity to brainwash him by telling him dat he has to buck up in order to win the post. Better improve your result coz to be a Head Prefect, ones has to be an all As student. Its the criteria set by the Kementerian... Aku agak aje, tapi betul ke?

Like I've mentioned in my earlier posting, sometimes he gets B for BM especially and English too (occasionally). His results for both subject if dapat B pun will be in the range of 75 to 79...but still B la..So I hope, in the next 2 exams, he will excel...knowing dat getting all As will brighthen his chance to win d post...InsyaAllah.