First time, first try

Ramadan is here again and to all Muslim reeaders, May you have a blessed Ramadan! this year is a little special as it is Sarah's first attempt to fast... half day albeit lasting to about 12 and today at 1 as I try to stretch it a bit at a time... it took much to persuade her... she was not convinced that Tasnym was not of age to start... I somehow suspect that she would last more than just half a day if Tasnym did not keep on insisting to eat and drink in front of Sarah... and she would do so saying at the same time that she was not fasting and thats why she could eat... truly deserving the dagger looks thrown by Sarah!

Funny thing was how I had to practically lift Sarah out of bed for sahur and guide her with her eyes closed to the kitchen.... I think not too far away from many adults too huh? And the demands for doughnuts and nuggets be it for sahur or buka... the demands is not befitting someone who is only fasting for half a day... ok lah for support sake...

Well it was a first day for Tasnym too yesterday... a first for her to attend her swimming class... Sarah though was still not convinced and remained adamantly stubborn against partaking in any classed, thank you very much! Although I did detect a hint of envy and the feeling of being left out, fear was a much bigger emotion to overcome... last night tho out of the blue she agreed to join the class but its still early days yet to see whether she will remain true to her word next Sat..

Putting on her flippers...
Tasnym was obviously enjoying her class as she chatted away with the coach, who was not exactly paying much of his ears on her!

Face of fear as she makes her first swim out..

Expose it not

What does it look like to you? I was shocked when I saw Sarah sculpting this one night and realised that she was making a girl holding the bowl... the blob next to it is Tasnym's work... looks like a head of sorts... sometimes this girl amazes me... I really should be placing her in some art class... she has been bugging me for it... we just did not feel that the one by Crestar was meeting her needs... if you have any recommendations let me know....

Looks like some nostalgic picture from the past right? This was actually taken in Singapore, in Sembawang ... the girls were having a fun time doing what every kampung kid has done ... trekking through the lalang and weeds in search of treasure... interestingly it was the grandfathers calling out against this... the same people who did this when they were young...

NO wonder I cannot lose weight... just as the scales show a definite dip downwards during the week, it goes up again in the weekends... what with all the family functions we attended just these past 2 days alone... yes, I did cut down on the amount taken but the sheer amount of good food alone was sigh... just too tempting... and you dun get such good food often, so never mind just eat... after all fasting month is just a week away.... hey I am sure you go through such indulgences too! And I think somehow everyone had that same notion in mind as they tucked in and organised such feasts... quick, quick the fasting month is coming! eat, eat! That would explain having to attend 3 such functions the last 2 days alone...

Finally, finally I managed to convince Tasnym to join a swimming class at my good friend's condo... after she watched how the other kids got to wear body floats and flippers and decided hey, she was game! Sarah, however, was a tough nut to crack and remained adamant... good thing though, the daddy managed to convince her to release her deadly grip on him and float while wearing her life vest...

Interestingly there was an article in yesterday's papers about women in France fighting against the government who was trying to initiate a ban against women wearing a burqini in the swimming pools.. a burqini? I never knew that was the name for it...its basically the surfer suits that Muslim women have taken to wearing in the pools complete with head gear... the reason for the ban? cos they are trying to stop women from having to cover themselves head to toe while swimming... I read that and was going HUH? Isn't that a perogative right for women to decide for themselves what they want to wear... Hey if they are not stopping people from baring all at the nudists beaches, why are they stopping people from covering all? Or is that just a voyeuristic way to ensure that they get to see bare skin? I mean there are no safety reasons to prevent Muslim women from wearing the surfer suits...if you can wear it for surfing and diving... why not the pool?

And funny thing was that I experienced the same at my friend's private pool at the condo... residents apparently complained about my choice of wear... the security, however, defended my suit as it was appropriate swimming gear... it is afterall accepted at public swimming pools here... but cos I was wearing a sports beanie over my hair, I was hauled out of the pool... what was wrong with wearing a sports beanie? It was clean... same like any suits as it clung tightly to my head, same as any swimming cap, made of similar material... and it does not pose any safety issues ... well as my friends told me... the residents at the condo just loves to complain... well as technically they own the pool, I guess they have the right but please do it within reasonable grounds...

Pre-obese

Yup that was what the health check report revealed ... that I am at pre-obesity... having 10 more kilos to go before I am safe from risks of heart problems.... 10 kilos.... the magic no to my pre-wedding weight...

How I envy my friends who remain super yummy slim after each birth... even worse those who can tell me that they don't even have to do anything to lose the weight, that it just goes away naturally! And here I am struggling to lose every single kilo, as it see saws up and down...

Enjoying her ice cream... she does not need to worry about her weight, remaining ever petite despite eating so much!



Sigh... another year has come and gone and another birthday... this just strengthens my resolve to lose that weight! Yup ts my birthday today and apart from losing weight, I have also made another resolution but I think that one I will keep to myself and not share heh heh... sounds mysterious? but well it is something very personal.

I am grateful for all that God has given me and this birthday brings along with it new challenges, a new job, more responsibilities... and new reflections that somehow makes me question life and my place in this world.

Talentime

No neither my girls nor I just joined the Talentime... not the Singapore Idol either tho I seriously wonder about all the talk that the next Idol would be a non Malay.... Its a singing contest, what has race got to do with it? I do know though that when it came to the finial results between the 2 pairs - Taufik vs uh... whats his name? and Hady vs Jonathan (?)... race had everything to do with it... tho no media would ever highlight it... for fear of sparking serious recriminations... but the thing is that no Malay would vote for the Chinese singer though the non Malays may vote for either one... by virtue of that alone... the number game would shift in favour of the Malay singer....

Anyway... I am actually referring to the movie by Yasmin Ahmad... which I just finished watching... where race is featured strongly as an issue... I have become a fan and am greatly saddened that we have lost a great talent... I loved it how she weaved issues in a non-preaching way... when a girl said "dia masuk Islam bukan masuk Melayu" when an arrogant Datin questioned why their Chinese helper did not change her name despite her conversion... or when she depicted the Datin as being so righteous and holier-than-thou over the helper whom she had thought was a non-Muslim and yet does not pray... nails straight to the root!

I want to catch her other movies but seem to have difficulty finding them in Malaysia... until I read the websites and realised that basically her movies were not accepted by the Malaysian authorities who had wanted to ban her movies or censored chunks of it... Only people who have things to hide would have fears of such insecurities that the truth will be exposed... If you know where I can get Muallaf and Sepet, do tell me...