Teenagers nowadays

Anak Helena yang sulung dah remaja dah. For 2 years Helena dah start menangani perasaan remaja sorang ni dan cuba analyse perubahan hormonnya. And boy.... I'm still struggling, tak paham nak handle emotional roller coaster dia when it happens. Tapi nasib baik it doesnt happen that often.

When I look around me, I see teenagers sekarang ni bebas betul. Especially pergaulan antara lelaki dan perempuan. Budak Form 1 pergi dating tu perkara biasala. Ala, kawan Mia dah start dating masa std 4. Itupun nasib baik Mia goes to an all girl primary school, so jarangla dapat jumpa boys. And nasib baik la buat Mia is not the boy-crazy type. She has a lot of admirers from other schools yang dia jumpa masa competitions, but she just shrugged them off.

Helena awal2 dah set beritahu my kids how I feel about this. But I know I cannot be rigid. Budak2 sekarang ni cepat memberontak, apa yang ditegah, itulah yang dia nak buat. So nak beritahu rules and regulations ni pun mesti berlapik, mesti kata that we are always there for them, nak nasihat ke, nak girl talk ke....

Buat masa ni Helena sikit2 instill the values yang I want in them. Nasib baik Mia is in an all girls SBP, so I'm still buying time la.

These are the questions that are in my head :
(some I know the answers, some I dont)

1. Will I let Mia go dating in her secondary years?
NO

2. Will I let Mia bertulis2 surat dengan budak lelaki in her secondary years?
mmmm..... havent decided. I wrote tonnes of letters in my schooling years, but Mia....... mmm
Boleh menjurus kepada cinta monyet yang kronik..... bahaya jugak....

3. How will I feel on the first day Mia goes out on a date? (after SPM nih)
ishhh tak sanggup la.... knowing budak2 zaman sekarang ni very the kuning.


I have more question lagi, tapi tak sanggup tak pikir lagi.....

Seriously, pada parents yang anak2 dia dah pergi dating, tak kisahla 15 tahun ke, 18 tahun ke, dont you worry about whether the boy (date) buat benda2 tak senonoh kat anak you? Ke... I ni kolot?

But before you say I ni kolot, let me tell you la, I was not a goody2 girl. I had my shares of the adventures, some of which, I'm not proud off.

Am I too protective? Ke.... I merapu bukan2 at 2am nih?

Am I a weirdo?

Ahni tagged me. So now I'm gonna share with you some of the weird things that I do.

RULES: People who are tagged should write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged' in their comments and tell them to read your blog....

1. My childrens' armpits

I geram tengok their armpits. I would tickle them, gosok and even kiss them!. Hehe. Obviously only the younger ones will let me do this. Sometimes while watching tv, I will just park my hand there. My target are always Zaryff's chubby armpits and Puteri's sexy armpits..... hehe

2. Nails

I hate long nails. If my nails terlambat aje i potong for sure I will shiver. Yes, long nails make me shiver although masa tu hot wheather.

3. BO

I will only have the need once a week. Ramai my friends tak percaya that I do my big business once a week, but i told them, i pernah buat record 2 weeks. Hehe. masa tu naik pening kepala i.

4. I hate toilets

No 3 and no 4 are not related.

I hate toilets, ALL toilets. Tak kisahla toilet tu bersih ke tak. If tak bersih even worst la kan.

5. Children

I'm very particular in how my children do in school, both academic-wise and koko-wise and the jawatan that they get. I get tensed up 2 weeks before exams (nak prepare them) and a week after exam (for the results)

My expectation of them is very high. I told them that they have to understand EVERY syllibus that they've learnt. With this in mind, they are able to constantly be good in their studies. I told them that they have to get no 1 in class, once streaming is done they need to get top 10 and get anugerah cemerlang every year.

Bila studies ok, and a pep talk here and there on leadership skills, koko and jawatan will just fall on their laps.

Some of my friends say that I ni over dalam bab2 anak2, but then I've come across parents yang even worst then me.... hehe... so I ni ok lagi le.....

6. When I eat rice....

When I eat rice, i tak suka letak kuah. I like the taste of the rice itself. I remember when I first got married. I was eyeing the sotong berlada, took 2 spoonful of the sotong and letak baik2 dekat tepi nasi, and just as i was about to eat, my inlaw kata "kesiannya takda kuah" and terus letak kuah kari kat tengah2 nasi tu!

Terus i hilang selera! Dahla she put the kuah on my white rice, the kuah has to be kuah kari. I TAK SUKA LAUK KARI!!!!! alahai......

ok. for you to decide whether I'm a weirdo or not.

I wont be tagging anyone as I'm still new to blogging, hence the only bloggers that I know now have all been tagged.

After the holidays

Blogging daily has started to be a ritual for me. Dulu2, if I'm glued at the computer, the kids tau yang mama dia main Zuma. But now, mama dah ada interest lain. Hehe.

Anastassia and Puteri started school on Wednesday. Zaryff will only start school next week. (that lucky boy!) He's at home merelaxkan badan, makan ice cream and tengok TV ..... no wonder, when I kissed him this morning, I rasa he is getting chubbier.

Things are looking great for Anastassia in school. She was selected to be in the Choral Speaking Team. Some of her friends who did not get in cried, and Anastassia felt bad for them. Choral Speaking had become THE team to join, ever since their school constantly masuk peringkat Kebangsaan for the last 5 years. Ramai students yang audition. (Mia played the lead role in the school's choral speaking last year)

Yesterday - 22 February was Mia's birthday. She turned 13 precisely at 1:13pm. It was the first time a child of mine is having her birthday away from home. I bought her a Converse bag, whilst Anastassia bought a book mark and 2 magnet signages (for Mia's locker in her dorm). On the way sending Puteri for her Piano class, I stopped by at the college to drop off the presents.

I waited for Mia to call. But there was no call. I dont know whether I should be sad or maybe I'm just being overly sensitive.

Me : Aii... Bila la kakak Mia nak call ni. Dah pukul 8pm ni.

Puteri : A'ahkan mama, penat aje kita hantar hadiah....

Zaryff : Kakak Mia dah tak sayang kita lagi kut.....

(I'm trying to be positive...)

Me : Kakak banyak kerja tu. Kan dia kata dia ada deadline. Pastu birthday dia ni, mesti dia banyak kena panggil dgn seniors dia....

But I still feel sad......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIA.....

CNY Holidays - Part 2

Friday was a hectic day for me. I was the judge for the girls punya Sports Day, so basically I burnt myself after having to be in the field from 8am to 12 noon. On a positive note, I dapat tengok my kids lari depan mata I, if duduk kat khemah for parents, boleh tengok dari jauh aje....

Anastassia and Puteri both got the Silver Medal in the events..... okla tu.... takde gaduh2 siapa paling terror among them....hehe

Reached home at 1pm. And left the house again at 2:15pm to pick Mia up from college.

The minute Mia masuk kereta, she made an annoucement. "Mama, I plan to do my homework tonight, homework banyak gila...."

That night balik kampung hubby (kesian Mia tak dapat concerntrate buat homework. but she did manage to curi masa here and there) and on Sunday 8am balik rumah balik as hubby kena catch a flight to Sabah. Mia spent the rest of the cuti with her homework. Mmm... tak kasi chan betul la sekolah dia ni.....

Let me share with you the changes in Mia that I can see :

1. More responsible - Mia sememangnya very responsible and independent in her school work. Dari darjah 1 lagi. Tapi she defenitely became more "kaki buku" after masuk asrama. I guess that's one of the advantages bergaul dgn pelajar2 cemerlang kat SBP. Mia pun dah pandai uruskan diri sendiri, takde merengek suruh I gosok tudung dia and takpayah tunggu I leter2 lagi suruh buat chores)

2. High Taste - alamak.... anak dara ni makin lama makin high taste la. I know her school is known for it's "high and mighty" students..... and to see Mia slowly being drawn in that circle is really burning my pockets! Mmm.... slow talk dgn dia so she doesnt get too carried away. Tapi sekali sekala anak balik, kena layanla jugakkan.... hehe tapi kena kali 4 orang tu yang tak sanggup tuh..... (adik2 pun nak la jugak kan....) (tapi bab high taste ni, my hubby pun guilty ni.... dok ngajar anak yg bukan2) (mak dia jugak yang kedekut ... hehe)

3. Prim and Proper - Mia has improved tremondously in this area. Yela, kat sekolah dia kena belajar fine dining and eating etiquette. Dulu2 makan mee goreng pun pakai tangan... now orang lain makan nasi pakai tangan, dia makan nasik dengan fork and spoon. Ha... boleh joinla dgn atok dia pakai fork and spoon memanjang.... hehe

4. Slimmer - Mia lost 4 kg. She now looks slimmer. Mmm.... I plan to watch her like a hawk.... anak dara ni dah banyak peminat ni.....


Mia balik college on Tuesday. Tak puas lagi nak ngopek dengan dia.... macamana nak ngopek.... asyik buat homework aje.... sob... sob.....

Well, my mission in cracking the books with Anastassia, Puteri and Zaryff failed miserably..... mmm... apa nak buat.... mak pun lepak sakan..... hehe

CNY Holidays

Bestnya nak cuti panjang. Maybe I can catch up with my sleep.

Tomorrow is Sports Day. Anastassia and Puteri will be running. They will also take part in the Taekwondo Demo. Zaryff punya Hari Sukan dah selesai. He won a medal. (tapi dia tak tau dia dapat nombor brapa.... I had to check his medal to inform him that he got 2nd place)

After berpanas kat padang, at about noon, plan to terus eat out, then drive to Mia's college to pick her up. Tak sabar nak spend time dengan dia.

Holidays ni I kena bukak buku2 Anastassia, Puteri and Zaryff. Nak buat questions in order to prepare them for the March exam. Cuti, cuti jugak..... tapi kena make sure jugak preparation untuk exam ni.

I told Puteri that she needs to be in the Top 3 again this year. OK mama..... senang aje dia kata .... Anastassia pulak needs to give her best, so her target is No1 la..... especially now that she's eyeing for the Head Girl position for next year. This girl of mine is really aiming high. But as I told her, do your best aje. Kalau ada rezeki, tak kemana.

Zafyff? Alamak... tak dapat nak predict capability dia. Kakak2 dia pulak dok sakat, "Eh Zaryff..... Kakak Mia, kakak Anastassia, Kakak Puteri semua dapat no1 masa std one..... so Zaryff pun mesti dapat no 1 tau..... " Terkebil2 Zaryff pandang his sisters.....

Oh ya. Called Ansara tadi. Just to check brapa orang anak ahli ansara dapat tawaran mrsm. (tahun lepas semua dapat - around 80 plus kut) I was told, out of 104 ansara applications, 19 got SBP (including Mia la tu), so tinggal la 85. And my jaw almost dropped when I heard that out of 85, cuma 5 pelajar diberi tawaran!! 5???? I mean, that is 5%, compared to 100% last year!

Mmmm......

Typical Malaysian Drivers!

This week is my turn to carpool the kids to school. I was about to get out of the parking in front of Zaryff's school, when I saw a chinese guy dgn selambanya park kereta in the middle of the road, keluar dari kereta dia and bukak boot kereta, ambik bag anak dia and pimpin anak dia across the road to the school gate. And the best thing was that dia park kat the wrong side of the road! (am i making sense? i'm confusing you right?)

Well, my point is that Malaysian Drivers can be so rude to the maximum. Tak senonoh betul.

Teringat few years ago, I saw this car behind me bawak kereta swaying to the left and right. I nampak orang tua tu pakai ketayap, so masa nak tiba kat one junction, I kasi dia go through la. (sebenarnya I tak confident dia bwk kete, takut terlanggar belakang I ...) And bestnya, dia overtake I and showed me his MIDDLE finger!. I was like terperanjat beruk. (moral of the story : orang pakai ketayap ni pun otak kotor)

I really do not know his problem. I was minding my own business. I wasnt driving too slow. (me? slow?) And for once I wasnt speeding. I was actually behaving on the road. (To tell you the truth, I ni bawak laju. Well, used to. Tapi I'm a good driver tau... kalau pernah nampak pompuan bawak kete celok2.... it might be me la.... hehe... tapi itu time dulu2 la)

The accident end 2005 really shook me up. It was DEFINITELY not my fault. I was driving carefully at the highway, very carefully infact sebab my parents were in the car. Then I saw in my mirror, ada bus and treller dok racing behind me.... To make things short, the volvo infront of me braked, I braked (we were not going fast, the volvo and me) but the treller did not... and WHAM!! bantai kereta i.....

My boot kereta was gone, and you can imagine how terriffied my mom and my 4 kids yang duduk belakang tu. To tell you the truth, nasib baik I drove the Perdana, and not the Satria, if not... tak payah cakapla kan.... Satria mana ada boot....

So after that incident, I became very safety conscious. Seat belt tak pernah tak pakai. Bawak kereta pun sopan santun aje.....

Tapi ramai lagi on the road yang kurang ajar betul! Kita ni selalu lupa. The minute kita duduk behind the wheel tu, kita sebenarnya play with death.

Too much to handle

It was really a tiring weekend.

As usual, the kids were packed with activities. Anastassia has a prefect's gotong royong dan later attend the de Tour Langkawi ceremony. What makes it unbearable was the stupid traffic jam! A mere 10 mins trip to sent Zaryff to his Smart Reader class took 1 1/2 HOURS!!! (de Tour Langkawi ni betul2 menyusahkan orang!)

To tell you the truth, I wonder whether orang lain pun macam I. My weekends mmg pack dgn kids activities. Itu tak campur lagi with the kids homework and assignments. Sometimes I wonder how other families can be so relaxed, balik kampung etc..... Have they finished their homeworks? Have they done their school revision? Don't they have tuitions?

Is it them or is it me?

Mmmmm I think it's me.... sigh......

Anastassia

Anastassia is my no2 girl who just turned 11 last month.

The instant I saw her when she was born, I said to myself "Baby ni rupa papa!" Yes, my second girl really really looks like my dad. As she grew older, we realized that she is really the younger version of my dad!

Anastassia has my dad's look, my dad's IQ and intelligence (YES!! sebab mak dia tak dapat inherit benda ni hehe), my dad's personality as a perfectionist and sighhh..... my dad's bad traits which is suka tensionkan benda2 remeh.

This girl of mine is very much into arts, she drew a chicken when she was 3 years old!. Even her mom cant do that now at the age of..... (eh, how old am I? mmmm..... lupala tapi thirty something la.... hehe)

She breezed through std 1 as the best student, getting 4 awards for doing extremely good in her exams. The same goes for when she was in std 2. (tapi dari 4 awards turun dapat 2 awards aje) (hehe nak dapat 1 award pun SUSAH gile)

Her teacher said that she has a photographic mind. Maknanya apa she learn in class semua stick kat kepala dia. Sampai bila2. No wonder I seldom see her read her books but still manage to score 100% in most subjects. I actually had to counsel Mia, who was upset that the sister get good marks without having to do anything. Mia is also a good student. But boleh nampak la kenapa dia good student. She's hardworking and selalu baca buku. Alhamdullillah Mia took the challenge positively and worked even harder, and her results once or twice equals her sister.

Well back to Anastassia, she seems to feel inferior and like to compare her abilities with her elder sister. (although I dont compare my children) Mia is an all rounder. She represent the school and State in every activity there is. She's very2 well like by her teacher, seniors and juniors.

Anastassia pulak feels that she's not as active in school activities. She doesnt have a "smiling face", hence dia nampak sombong and moody. Although she represents Malaysia in Story Telling in std 3, she said she is still a nobody in the sports area. I sent her for Swimming and Taekwondo classes, but then its obvious that dia takda bakat in that area, unlike Mia. I guess its because of her small built.

She begged me to let her learn how to bowl. Pikir punya pikir, I said ok. And that was August last year. After months of bowling poorly, at last, smalam punya competition she did well. Banyak kali strike. Syukur alhamdullillah.

I was a bit worried when she played poorly sebelum2 ni. She knows she's not good but I still kasi encouragement kata dia baru belajar (Yang tensionnya, bila Mia join main first time, terus terror....)

So I'm happy for her that it goes her way finally. I can still see the twinkle in her eyes smalam everytime dia bowl.

Today dia kena audition for Choral Speaking. I hope she gets it.