It's been a long time

Seriously been long... 2 years plus... since I wrote anything here.  Just felt the pull to go in and read my blog and I felt that I should really continue this as it really helped me recall all those times as the girls were growing up. Videos and photos can only tell so much but not the feelings and thoughts that were going on within. Was kind of laughing at some of the things I was writing, things that I had completely forgotten abt Sarah, Tasnym and Daniah.

All these last few months, we had been lamenting on how we were struggling in managing Daniah, only for me to read on how we struggled with Tasnym those years. OK, now Daniah dont seem so bad! Ha ha!  We know she was a very chatty baby, and remains a very chatty 4 years old.

Daniah's main problem is her need to shout at the top of her voice.  There are some babies of the family who are quiet as they get drowned out by their elder siblings.  This baby of mine, makes herself louder to assert herself and ensure that she never gets drowned out!!  Drives home from work is not fun considering how I have to battle traffic and 3 loud voices from the back seat.  Loud singing and boisterous laughter is one thing.  Loud shouts and quarrels is another.  Oooh my eardrums!!

 4 years ago

1 year ago... let me root around for a recent one

Sarah is going to P4. She got a certificate for being in the top 25% of her school for her level, though I would not say the results is fantastic, I know she can do better in Maths.  But for the other subjects, she really has done really well.  Tasnym too has done well in her P1 exams.  She is the best behaved in school which makes us wonder what is it that the teacher has done, where we as parents have seriously failed??!!

No Way!

Wow, its been some time since I wrote. And the girls are really growing up fast. I feel like the days are just whizzing past me and can't even seem to catch hold of where the days have gone. Sometimes I wish that I could just make time stop for a moment to truly enjoy what is going on. Work really does not help with so much to do, time seems to just whizz past even faster.

I took some books on making jewellery from the library a few days back and gaze in envy at the beautiful creations. The interest is there and I know I can make them but I really do not have the time. It is only recently that I manage to restart my love to read... even then its after telling the girls to give me a few minutes either before or after I read to them at bedtime.

Daniah is really growing up so fast... favourite phase now? Oh Man! and No way! all from Dora Baby Gaga, her favourite show... funny thing is she still looks very much like a baby to us... to think that Sarah and Tasnym were big sisters at her age. She still looks too small and too much of a baby to ever be more than the small sister.

But don't undermine her, small she may be but she has a fiery personality... like the saying kecil kecil cili padi! This chilli padi is not afraid to assert her rights and pull her small weight around. Also a true parrot, who absorbs everything Tasnym does and then copy! Both are partners in crime but when they fight... oh man!

Phone Parenting?

I guess as any working parent, I am guilty of phone parenting... when you call your kids from work to check on them, make sure they are doing what you want them to do and even scold! How effective is this really? I mean how much would the child actually do what we asked knowing that we are some distance away and not in the vicinity to catch them not doing what we want...

With Sarah in Primary 1, I am calling to ask her to do some pieces of work, check whether she is ready for school etc etc... and already she has lost 4 different items in school, from her wallet to her colour pencils to her water bottle.... the list goes on! She is so careless!

As it is, I am also having one or the other calling me to complain abt each other! And they even quarrel on the phone, each one shouting at the other over 2 telephones! sigh... Funny thing is that even Daniah is doing this complaining abt some fictional things that Sarah had done to her! Whenever she wants something, she will just say "Sarah take mine!" That one is becoming a complete Tasnym clone!

Primary One!

And its official! My first baby is in Primary 1. What a trooper as she walks up the bus and into the school without worry... except for the mummy shedding a tear by the side!

And off she goes in the bus with us following in the car behind... yeah fine we have joined the realms of kiasu parents.... but better than being accused of being neglectful right?

Off the bus and into the school... I am not the only parent taking photos and videos ok!

And to the canteen with her Primary 2 buddy... I was surprised to see how the canteen was condoned off to parents and the parents having to see their kids from afar... better than completely being barred entry into the school I guess... I can fully understand why too, what with the parents and grandparents hogging tables, the kids won't even have a place to sit!! Sarah could not even be bothered with her parents, preferring to sit and eat, only coming over when we kept asking her too... the Primary 2 buddy was all vigilant, running after Sarah and getting her to go back to their tables quickly!

Gone are the days when our mums used to peep from the classroom windows and were on hand at every recess! My mum was all anxious asking me why I was not staying in school with Sarah... not that Sarah even needed it!

Funny thing was that Tasnym was the one who missed Sarah the most, calling me multiple times to ask when Sarah was coming home! And what a joyous moment it was when both younger sisters went down to pick Sarah from the school bus! ha ha! Hopefully, this would make Tasnym stop fighting with Sarah so much! As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder....

A new year.... 2010

Ok... I have been lazy and have not been blogging but I am just superbly whacked out... And actually... also a bit lazy lah!

Oh my gosh, all this for me??

The look of joy having a full bowl of ice cream placed in front of her- simply priceless!

New year and new beginnings... and Daniah just turned 2... on 27 Dec... we went to the zoo in the morning and to Swensens... the look of delight on her face as the firehouse ice cream was placed in front of her, it was like "Am I dreaming? A whole ice cream for me?"... that was simply priceless!

I don't have new year resolutions... don't see any meaning to it.. why must I wait for a new year to have a resolution?

But I am freaking out over Sarah going into Primary 1 though she is pretty calm and nonchalant about it... Would she know where to go after the bus drops her off? Would the teachers be there to receive her? Would she make friends? Would anyone not be nice? Sigh... and how is she gonna cope with the bag? It is so heavy!

Tasnym has been prepared that she is going to Hanis on her own but I doubt it has truly sunk in... esp when she realises come 4 Jan that Aryan is not gonna be there too as he has been transferred to a child care centre.

And Daniah? I think I will wait for her to be a bit older before I send her to Hanis too...

Dead exhausted

She was so dead exhausted from all the shopping that she fell asleep slumped over the side sofa! The amazing amount of things to buy, this is truly a shopping paradise.... and at such super cheap prices too! I can see where Mini Toons got some of their stuff....

The stuff here are so cheap! And seems like, people are really into bling with shops at MBK sticking on gems unto phone and NDS covers making it bling bling! Some are a bit the ohbiang la but some pretty nice ones. Check out some that we bought! Cool huh?

Sawadeeka!

This is what my home should look like.... either that or I should make sure I always travel in style... no more cheap hotels... yeah like real...

Daniah checking out her new home...

anywayz, the family is in BKK this weekend and staying at the Ascott. This is luxury living!

The girls got so excited to have their own room complete with a bathroom and tv!

It comes complete with a utilities area for washing clothes and kitchenette. The toiletries are all locitanne! And the best thing yet is all this is free... courtesy of hubby's company.... jealous right?

Tutup, tutup

Daniah is so quickly picking up words but it is so funny listening to her, how she mispronounces them and stringing her words into a sentence without the injunctions in between...

Ahnie, Ahbop and Ahto.... members of the last tailong gang? Nope, they are just Barnie, Baby Bop and Tomato, Daniah version! Or Cuca encing... to say that my cousin was urinating... how she knows that, I dunno, just her assumption cos the lady was in the toilet! ha ha!

She has also started labelling any skin exposure as shame shame and a quick order to "tutup, tutup, tutup!" or cover up... hopefully she does not do this in public, well not yet at least...

It does amaze me how quickly pick up the words around them and I think I can safely say that my kids do have an impressive vocab for their age.... for example, Tasnym admonishing Sarah last week "Can you keep quiet! I cannot concentrate!" when trying to do some Maths sums...

Who is that teenager?

Sarah suddenly decide one day that she was going to have her own room and sleep on her own. So we proceeded to convert the study into her room and have her sleep temporarily in the unused baby cot. And she proceeded to chase both her sisters out and start closing the doors to change clothes... but the last straw was when she kept the door closed and remained inside for an inordinate amount of time. "Since when did we have a teenager in the house?" I asked hubby. And the rule now is, you keep the door open! My baby is growing up! And she had no problems what so ever sleeping on her own.... it was only her mummy who was ever so worried and Tasnym as usual, wanting to make sure that she always has excess to the same room.

Talking about growing up, she graduated from K2 last weekend... the musical she acted in was hilarious but ok, at least we can rule out acting for her career! And definitely there were tears in my eyes as I saw her graduate and dance her graduation dance. Seems like I am more sad than she is that she is leaving her friends behind. Soon they will be just a passing memory to her.
Receiving her graduation scroll...

Seems ironic to me that as she was leaving friends behind, I reconnected with mine in a reunion of sorts at the graduation ceremony. Met 3 Secondary school classmates, all with graduating children. We have moved so far in our lives, while for our kids its just the beginning. And meeting them brought back memories of school.

As I went through all this, I could not help but think about some of my friends who have opted to home school their kids. I am not an advocate for homeschooling and am against the idea. Of course, I respect the decision that my friends are making for it is for the best of their own kids. I had asked one friend and she said that it was more for character building and to minimise negative influences. I felt that my daughter's experiences being in school, making friends and going through graduation was building character. True, negative influences may come but that is something that our parenting would have to manage as the time comes. I just felt that it may not be the best for children to be deprived of such experiences. I had negative school experiences but some of the friends I made in school were also some of my best. I regretted the fact that I never graduated from Kindy... yes I was a kindergarten drop-out! But thats another story... I think the teachers of those days can be hauled off for child abuse easily!

Primary 1 Orientation

We went for Sarah's Primary 1 orientation and had not expected that she would be brought away for a readiness test. we arrived a little late and the children were all clustered into their classes and walking towards the classrooms by the time we arrived. My heart stopped when Sarah was led away and Tasnym wailed away as Sarah walked off without even looking back! Oh my, my baby has really grown up! I think dear hubby was feeling the same way as he went off to make sure that she was ok in the classroom though we were told not to go up ... yes first time P1 parents...

And she came back without a single worry talking away about how easy her test was and the only problem she had was with the Malay paper where the Malay teacher had to translate the instructions for her! So malu! All she could complain about was how bored she was in the room, well obviously she would not be having any problems settling in... and my worries about food would be laid to rest as parents are allowed to be with their kids at recess for the first 3 days... the only worry this mother has left is whether she will make friends and good friends too... Seems like I am crying over the loss of her friendship with her best friend, Sabrina while she seems completely ok abt it.... still too young I guess to know the meaning of friendship...

I was just so surprised that day when I met old friends from Primary School, Secondary school and even from work were sending their kids to Primary 1 at Sarah's school, almost a reunion of sorts... Some friendships losta nd some friendships found...

And it was money flying out that day what with paying for the uniforms, socks, shoes, books... thank God the fees is on $5.50 a month. It was really almost like an International school, Koreans, Chinese, Indians, Caucasians, Malays, Japanese.... and I got so excited learning about how the kids were going to learn languages through speech and drama, have computer classes etc... all in Primary1! Makes me kind of wish that I could repeat my Primary 1 all over again.

And now we have got to start convincing Tasnym all over again that she would be in a different school from Sarah next year...

Its going down down down

I have been making a real conscientious effort in watching my calorie intake and its really making a difference.... but I have to admit that any effort at weight loss is precisely that... an EFFORT! There is no miracle cure to losing weight... it takes discipline but there are somethings that you can do to make it easier and make it look like you are not making much of an effort...

One thing I definitely learn is NOT to starve yourself and NOT to skip meals... you wont gain anything from doing that apart from making yourself HUNGRY, tremendously so.... it also does not work to deprive yourself of certain kinds of food... like my cousin found out, it just made her angry and resentful of her hubby who was happily eating away...

You can eat what you want, the key is in moderation... and the way to get to that is to cut it back bit by bit... like I mentioned earlier, there is no miracle cure, if you want a fast way, go join that weight loss program... whats' the name? Biggest loser? And trust me they will work you off your butt... if you do have the time to lose weight gradually and want it to last cos you change the way you eat and know that you have no discipline? Go slow, its easier on your body and easier for you to follow through...

What are my tips?
1) Drink lots of water and green tea... wash away the toxins and jump start our metabolic rate
2) Lessen your portion bit by bit so your body gets used to eating less
3) Increase your activity level... I know some people hates exercise so do other stuff that dun feel like exercise but burns calories just the same such as walking round the mall for 1.5 hours, that will burn close to 200 calories and is the same to walking around the tracks... or you can wak faster than what you usually do, walk up the stairs, walk from one bus stop away but I think the walking around the mall is definitely the easiest for me!
4) Allow yourself that cake or favourite food.... just not everyday and lessen the portion as well...
5) Eat a fruit before your meal so you feel full and would eat less as well

As time goes by, you increase this bit by bit as well.... and soon you find yourself more active and fit... and naturally eating less as well... all leading to weight loss

Try it... might work for you to

Soyee!

It is so interesting to see how a baby develops language... one day they can say nothing, and then one syllable and overnight, that then becomes one word and one sentence...

One day they dunno the word and the next they do...

Just like Daniah...one day she says, more, more, the next she starts saying somemore and then completely stuns us one day when she said, I want some more.....how appropriate for this bottomless baby bird who would never fail to open her mouth wide and go "ah, ah, ah" upon seeing any food trays coming her way!

then out of the blue, she started saying Soyee to everything, whether it was her fault or not....So she would bump into something and then goes "Soyee! Soyee!"

She is also a terror in school, pushing kids out of the way in school... I wonder how that is gonna turn out? Push someone away and then say Soyee? Well she already know how to blame others... just ask her who has drawn on her hands etc.. even when caught red handed with a marker in her hand, she will point to her sisters and say "kakak"!

Hari Raya Blues

Don't you feel that this Raya feels different somehow? And it is not just me saying it ... the feel is just not there... on the first day, I said to my hubby that it appears as if we were the only ones out and dun seem to see any other Malays doing the same... not on the roads, not at the bus stops... some were saying that it is cos of the exams but dun tell me all the Malay families are having kids facing PSLE, or their O or A levels...

Even the taxi drivers are complaining that somehow they did not seem to have many Malay passengers this round... The recession hitting hard?

I dun seem to understand the recent spate of articles in the Malay papers recently criticising the way the Malays celebrate Aidilfitri... some I do agree... like the Malays who dun fast but go over the top when it comes to celebrating... or those who overspend and start overhauling their home each year till they go into debt... but is it so wrong the we visit our relatives and for them to visit us in turn? Isn't it berkat to have people coming over to our home and if we only should visit the elder and dun get visited in return... well I think it becomes very sad...so I only get visited when I grow old and not before?

And what's with the criticism of us wearing baju kurung only during Aidilfitri? Would they rather we dun wear it at all? Isn't it good that at least we do... to keep that culture alive....

Why must it always be a criticism about what the Malays do while the other cultures are praised and placed in high regard for what they practise? What about borrowing some or learning from what that is good and yet keeping our own culture alive minus the negatives? So, I am all for bringing up the spirit of Ramadan... but we do not need to denounce our spirit of visiting in Aidilfitri. There was an article highlighting how in some other cultures, families would invite others to their home for feasting during Ramadan cos this is a way of earning good deeds... but the question I have is do they invite those of the same status as them or do they invite the poor? Cos if they do the latter then good but if they do only the former, then what is so great about that? And we can also invite the poor to our home during Aidilfitri right?

Even the culture of asking forgiveness on the mornings of Aidilfitri is bashed... that is not on practised in Singapore but also Indonesia and Malaysia... that is our culture... what is so wrong with that? Isnt it a good thing as a practise? Of course, I agree that we should not just keep this practise to Aidilfitri to seek forgiveness and it should be a regular thing we do .... but to bash this just because the other cultures dun do it? That I dun get.... Diversity is not a crime...not that I know of anyway...

The things kids say!

Grandpa (Yayi): I want to be a hero, you think I can be a hero?
Sarah: You cannot become a hero, your stomach is too big!!

Tasnym to Daniah as they see the Superstar Virgo
Tasnym: Daniah, Sarah and I went on that ship. You never go because that time you were not born yet because mama and papa not yet get married!

Gosh the scandal! Mama and Papa not yet get married? With two kids already in tow?
: )

Anyway Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf zahir dan batin to all Muslims! And my diet went completely downhill with all the good food we feasted on these past 3 days....my weight has gone up up up!! stay down, stay down!

unfortunately this year, our ketupats did not turn out too well. Half unravelled in the water while the rest were to hard... all cos we put in too much rice... must remember to only put in 1/3 next time! All my backbreaking work to waste...

It was also a very tearjerking Hari Raya as we got the girls to also salaam and ask for forgiveness early that morning... Tasnym started crying even as she saw me cry while Sarah hid behind the sofa!

This year was also a different one for me... for the first time in my life, I did not go to JB on the first day of Hari Raya cos my granny had gone to KL instead. It feels so different and it felt like I did not have her, I actually teared as I spoke to her on the phone... how easily we take things we have for granted... And for the first time ever, I was actually told that I strongly resemble my late paternal grandfather, whom I have never met before as he passed away when my dad was only 3. Interesting huh? Out of all my cousins, I am the only one who has taken on the most Indian features especially with my nose... as my cousins say, the witches' nose!

Its going down!

And to my happy surprise... I now weigh 64.5... for the first time in I dunno how many years... my hubby is jealous though... mwa ha ha....

Well it seems like I am losing weight so much faster now as compared to the months when I was exercising... I have not been exercising much for the past 2 months as had been too busy and fasting... I don't think exercising was the wrong thing to do, it helped to increase the metabolic rate definitely... but in itself was not sufficient to cause a loss... I suspect that the months of exercising however, helped me to lose my weight now... I actually lost 3 kg in the fasting month alone when I actually took months to weigh 1 kg previously... definitely it is a combi of both diet and exercise that really aids weight loss....

This was such a huge difference from last year when I did not lose weight at all during the fasting month... the exercise regime I went thru this year I think set the stage for the weight loss once I started cutting down on the food intake... and cut I did... with half portions even at break fast and not taking too much junk food laden with calories....

The trick now is to ensure that it does not go back up after next week's feasting....

First time first try... part II

First time, first try.... and yes! Sarah is in the swimming class... learning how to tread water and jumping off platforms!! Tasnym? Well yes, she is still in the class... but no way would she jump off the platform or let go of her training board. She was screaming away in terror when the coach tried to take it away from her!!

And a first too for Sarah... she fasted the whole day for about 3 days, though most days has been half days.... fantastic for a first timer... she did all that while tasnym did her version of the fast, not eating but just drinking milk... enough to make her face rounder again!

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...