I'm Engaged :)

Salaam people!

Ramadhan 2009 has taught me a lot of important lessons in life. It is the first time in my life I ever learned anything at all during the holy month. It is in this blessed month that I found my favourite Ayaat (verse) from the Holy Quran. It is from Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayaat 286 (Al-Quran, 2:286). The Ayaat gives me inner strength. Check it out.

Allah SWT works in mysterious ways.

On September 8th, my friends and I once again visited the Autism Centre in Klang. I had a lovely chat with Matthew, a charming Chinese boy, and a talented artist.

See how cute he is (Matthew is acting shy):




Matthew is special. He has an incredible talent in drawing! His drawings are not simple matchstick figures. Matthew's drawings are 3 dimensional (most kids his age are only able to make 2D sketches). His work is also highly detailed, which shows just how intelligent he is. Matthew also speaks Malay quite fluently, unlike most autistic kids at the centre who prefer to communicate in English.

Azri is also very adorable. I wish I have a picture of him in a face mask! He looked so cute in one!

My group mates and I planned a 'mini sports event' for the kids, but as usual, WE were the ones who ended up getting more excited, not the kids! I got flour all over my shirt and scarf! It was quite fun actually.

We sat for our first standardised test just before raya break. Math slaughtered me, but economics was worse! Surprisingly, Chemistry was fairly simple, except that I am a bit worried about significant figures. Biology wasn't too bad either. I am expecting a 'C' grade for Math. Any better than that would be a miracle!

I am engaged to the IB Diploma Programme. Life will never be the same again!

Assalamualaikum.

May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be with you all. Eid Mubarak!

moving!

Salam...

At home, I find it really hard to discipline myself. My productivity level is low (I've still quite a lot of work to be done! college reopens on Monday!!!!). The lure of the WORLD WIDE WEB is just too difficult to resist. Talk about practising self-restrain...

Tomorrow (today, i mean), the three of us will move into our new home. It's only 5 minutes away from our present home, just to let you know =)

Right now, i am kinda looking forward to returning to college, but at the same time, i dread some parts of it.

After six weeks or so, the true face of IB has finally unveiled itself to hundreds of its students in KMB. We have been bombarded with assignments, deprived of our precious sleep, robbed of our freedom! What a starkly different environment compared to the seven month-long break we had after SPM!!!!! As for myself, I have trouble in breaking one very bad habit - PROCRASTINATING!!!!!!!

I am yet to edit my biology lab report. Mek stopped responding abruptly last week, just as i was about to copy the document into my pendrive. Credits to abg aik for helping me out in fixing Mek's condition =)

My classmates are wonderful, Alhamdulillah. Below, i have entailed a brief description of each classmate (from my 'keen' observation for the past five weeks).

Zoyan: quiet in class, sweet and affectionate
Anis: baik, pendiam
Ain: ninja boy-lookalike, sastera freak, bubbly, joy of M09G
Zack: able to voice out good opinions, nice posture, wears scarf in a fashion similar to that of every other TKCian
Wani: sweet urban girl, hardworking
Syudie aka agent pleakley: great partner for group discussion, (my twin? quite a number of people have mistaken us for one another), loves simplicity in life, hardworking girl, disciplined, fave words: ngeng, belasah, and bunuh!
T-een: one day, she will make a doting mother and a loving wife, tough character
Rofi: love her smile!
Me: always slow to catch up on anything in class...ESPECIALLY TOK!!!
Iman: cute Sabahan
Farah: serious at times, petite girl, speech rather unclear at times (it might be my poor hearing)
Menaka: very verbal, outspoken
Wahida: quiet in class

Zafran: life revolves around a game called DOTA, gets along well with kids, lanky
Ikhwan: has the silliest laugh ever, intelligent, quick-thinking, skinny build
Nik: ckp byk, hehe
Faiz: doesn't talk much in class
Nabil: always asks questions in class
Hatim: jitra!
Elle (hafiz): funny at times
Azli: every mother's dream son, anak soleh
Aiman: constantly chewing gum
Acap kori: cooperative, another joy of M09G
Ah Tong: green brainer (refer to Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument), very hardworking

I joined the Ultimate Frisbee Club. The game is not that bad. I wish I have stronger wrists, though. Sometimes, I envy the guys who are able to throw their discs soooo beautifully! But then, practise pun malas, mcm mana nak pandai..

Some seniors have been really kind towards me. They invited me to iftar (breaking of fast) at the surau, let me copy sample lab reports, taught me how to play Frisbee, and sooo much more. I feel welcomed and appreciated by their treatment of me. Seronok rasanya, especially when you don't have an elder sister, like me.

Teachers here are nice, too.

English: Ms Nabila
Killer Math: Cikgu Norhidawati
Bahasa: Cikgu Raja (she is gonna kill me, for i haven't reviewed a single thing for the upcoming test)
Agama Islam: Ustaz Yazid
Warisan: Cikgu Rokiah Daroo @ Cikgu Rock
CO-Q: Cikgu Fizee! (you should have seen him float in mid air, once when he was trying catch a Frisbee disc! he is so skinny and so lightweight!)
Bio: Cikgu Asima
Chem: Puan Punia
Theory of Knowledge: stylo Ms Fazlinda

My external CAS (creativity, action, and service. one of the components which make up the core of the IB diploma) venue is the Klang Autism Centre. I have learned a thing or two about autism. We came up with a list of proposed activities for the kids, but later on, after our first visit, came the realisation that they are not that easy to conduct. Syudie and Wani had to dance in front of the kids during the sing-along session. How i wish i had recorded a video of it!

I would love to blog more about our visit to the centre, but my mitochondria are running low on ATP.

So long, folks.

Buhbye blog.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

piggy flu alert!

Salam!

rumour has it that one student had been tested positive for h1n1. three others are suspected of having contracted the disease. two doctors delivered a talk yesterday on ways to curb the spread of h1n1. PIGGY FLU!!! the day before, there was a temperature screening. mine was 36.1 degree Celsius, same as syud's (ngeng!). i got free face masks (two), one for myself, the other for mak cik cleaner kat blok E. the boys from my class (M09G) called me a 'ninja' because of the face mask. i thought i looked like a surgeon. hoho..i suppose it was the appropriate action to take, as quite a number of people were coughing, sneezing, and walking around with runny noses.

btw, the doctors taught us how to wash our hands properly. we were told that each of our hands is divided into 5 regions (to be washed in the following order) - the palms, the fingers, the areas in between our fingers, the nails, and the back of our hands. they also advised us to practise 'social distancing' (keeping a distance of at least 1 metre away from individuals suspected of having h1n1), as well as 'coughing etiquette' (using our sleeves instead of our hands to cover our mouths while sneezing or coughing). both doctors studied in Harvard Med School!

the authorities ordered kmb to be closed down for a week. sigh.

got a truckload of work to be done.

where art thou now?

salam!

i wonder where on earth did those pictures go? my blog is pictureless! pot cannot view pictures of mek and bong!

anyway, some update:

i wished abah a happy fathers' day, and guess what?

he treated his daughter to a scrumptious dinner at some ikan bakar restaurant (location not revealed due to security reasons :-P)

i think the food could have been better. the overall design of the restaurant was quite good (they had a swaying, hanging bridge which provided me with some form of amusement while waiting for the food to arrive)

in two days' time ill be a college student!

lemme tell you what my grub box (aka essential lifeline) contains:

1. date rolls (made with medina dates!)
2. fig rolls
3. instant mashed potatoe (10 sachets, should last me an entire month...MAYBE LESS THAN THAT, BWAHAHA)
4. quaker oat chocolate drink powder mix
5. six tiny cartons of low fat milk (marigold)
6. sunmaid raisins (individual boxes)
7. jacobs weetameal biscuits
8. oyster mushroom chips black pepper flavour (actually, they're gone already, on the same day they were bought from Giant hypermarket. umi and i feasted upon them!)

love my adorable new shoes! they're made of rubber, black in colour!). pasar malam for RM 10.00........

got a new watch. old one died yesterday, not so peacefully =)
he kept blinking on and off, only able to display the same time (12.00 am)
according to pakcik kedai jam, the cause of death of my watch was the spoiled circuit board.
my new watch is pink with white straps!

also bought a flask which doubles as a mug. RM 21.00

a couple of minutes ago, i had some cold, shredded chicken with naan bread.

nite~

salam!!

Meet Mek (and Bong) (Part 2)

Salam!

I am typing this on Mek. She has a new friend, Bong (Bongkok, my gorgeous wireless Microsoft mouse.

Ugly names for such beautiful masterpieces.

Meet Mek (Part 1)

Assalamualaikum,


Meet Mek, my first ever laptop. She is a really gorgeous MacBook (mac = mek)! So sleek, so canggih, and indeed, so COSTLY!! she's a gift from my parents (hadiah SPM). This was what Abah had to say:

"Adik, guard it as you will guard your LIFE"

"Jangan bawak gi kolej"

More pictures of Mek will be uploaded soon, insyaAllah.

Btw, just came back from penang! Sempat makan pau yik mun and laksa kuala kangsar . Satu hari trip je..

Adios amigos!

Me the Babysitter

Assalamualaikum!

I've been gone for a couple of days. Became babysitter to my cuzzins, Aya and Ayeh. Must admit that I learned a great deal while staying at Su Num's. A few days of babysitting had changed my views on motherhood. IT AIN'T EASY!!!!! the role of a mother, working or non-working, is NEVER TO BE UNDERESTIMATED!!! a mother's job is tough, esp when she has little toddlers to look after. toddlers - they are actually little monsters in disguise, pretending to look cute and cuddly! they wet the bed at night, so the very next morning you have to change their urine-soaked diapers..then, you have to force them to open their extremely tiny mouths wide enough so that you can brush their baby teeth. note: flavoured toothpaste is highly preferred over the plain, ordinary type. brush with caution, for kid's gums may be hurt. have a stool ready beforehand, because small children need to stand on it to reach for the tap. next, prepare their breakfast JUST THE WAY THEY LIKE IT.

one important thing every babysitter must bear in mind: KIDS DON'T LIKE TO SHARE THEIR TOYS. no matter how you persuade them to share, they won't listen.

when it comes to babysitting, you cannot adopt a PERFECTIONIST attitude! unless you want to get stressed out, DON'T!! if the kids decide to scatter a whole collection of CDs, let them do as they wish. they will simply turn on a deaf ear if you order them to tidy up. just watch out for any sort of danger. you can always clear the mess later on while the kids are having their afternoon nap.

situation: babysitter is in the kitchen, washing dishes. suddenly...

baby 1: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! kakak, sini cepat! ayeh nak cucuk aya dgn pen doraemon!

baby 2: mana ada!

get it? that's how dangerous things can turn out to be.

Feeding toddlers is one of the greatest challenges in babysitting. Whenever i had to hand feed my cuzzins, i sort of became their slave. they were the real masters. if they decided to dance to their favourite tune in the middle of feeding time (ayeh's kindergarten graduation/ concert day video was constantly played on tv), i was compelled to submit to their wish. there was no way of forcing them to sit down properly. NO WAY AT ALL.

i did the laundry and bathed the kids as well. aah, bath time!

me: ayeh, kakak shampookan rambut eh?

ayeh: ok! eh, cop! buatkan rambut pacak pacak tau!

me: ok..

******

me: ayeh, sabun sikit. (scrubbing motion)

ayeh: eeeee!! geli!! hihihi, geli la!!





the next ultimate test of patience is BEDTIME. apart from telling a story about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, i had to sing to Ara a couple of lullabies. but i loved it when she did this: she gripped my arm gently, and whispered softly, "tangan..hihi" (smiling, eyes twinkling). Ara charmed me with her adorable looks.




when i was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, i could hear Ara calling me in a high-pitched tone:

"KAK DIBAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Today, i picked up Ayeh from school (only a stone's throw away from Su Num's home). One interesting thing i noticed: kids are colour-blind. which is why i am of the opinion that the idea of race-based schools (sjkc/sjkt) is stupid and DISASTROUS. one indian girl named Preesya (i do not know if that is the correct spelling of her name) approached me, had a friendly chat with me, and even offered Ara (i was holding her in my arms) a seat! and the chinese boys were really nice, too. warm and talkative. they had a malay friend by the name Maisarah. she was nice too.

An hour or two before lunch, i had to make each of my cuzzins a bottle of 'koko'. it's a Pediasure milk formula.

Kids get hungry very quickly. Lepas makan nasi, makan koko krunch. lepas tu makan pisang. petang, naik basikal sampai nak dekat maghrib. they never get tired!

after maghrib, the fight between brother and sister continued. remember, A HOME FULL OF KIDS IS NOT THE PLACE TO DISPLAY A PERFECTIONIST ATTITUDE!! Let them squabble over trivial matters, don't stress yourself out. regard it as entertainment.

seriously, to all mothers out there, YOU are everyday heroes! tabik spring kpd ibu2, esp yg beranak ramai, mcm Su Num and Mok Teh. if you are a stay-at-home-mom, and you happen to be reading this blog post, hooray for you! i salute your dedication, the most valuable sacrifice any woman can ever make!

now read the following (adapted from Huda Khattab, The Muslim Woman's Handbook):

The question of staying at home vs. going out and about is not a new one. it occupied the minds of the first Muslim women too. A group of them once sent Asma bint Zayd to the Prophet (SAAS) to find out his answer to the problem. She told him: "I am a representative of a group of Muslim women who are supporting me. All of them hold the same opinion as I hold: Allah has sent you to teach both men and women. We all believed in you and followed you. But the state of us women is this: we are tied to our homes; we are the centre of gratification of men's desires and bearers of their children. Men have been given preference in participation in Friday prayers, funerals, and Jihad. When they go on Jihad, we look after their wealth and property, and nourish their children. O Allah's Messenger! Do we share in their reward and compensation (thawab)?"
The Prophet (SAAS) turned towards his companions and asked: "Have you ever heard a woman asking about her Deen better than this woman?" They said, "By Allah, we have not!".
Therefore, the Prophet (SAAS), addresing Asma, said: "Go and inform those women that their good treatment of their husbands and seeking their satisfaction and supporting them for the sake of unity and solidarity (in the family), is the equivalent of all the men's services you have just mentioned".

Heading to Melaka tomorrow. Abg Yayai (kak Aishah's eldest brother) is getting hitched soon.

Salaam.