The Waiting Game Part 2

I'm a nervous wreck! Sometime this week or next week, we would be bound to know which school Anastassia would go to next year.


Most of you would wonder why I make a big deal out of it. To tell you the truth, the reason for me encouraging the kids to be active in their koko and to excel in their studies are all because of this. So that they go to a good secondary school. Obviously getting in a normal sekolah harian doesnt mean the end of the world, its just that this is the target I set for my children since their first day of schooling ..... try to get into a boarding school..... a good one if possible.


However I lot of things happened during the waiting game.


1. I turned 39 on November 24..... hey I actually remember my actual age!! haha. Itupun pakai calculator nak kira hehe...... Seriously... I stopped counting at 30......

2. On my birthday, I got 2 nice suprises..... one was that Anastassia masuk paper...... it was a nice suprise considering that although reporters did come to the school on the days UPSR results were out, we found out that they received instruction to publicize luar bandar schools that had good results. And sekolah the kids tak masuk category.....

Gambar kecik..... tapi okayla..... suka sakan la si Anastassia....


3. On my birthday also, I got a call informing me that Anastassia has been nominated for the State's Pelajar Cemerlang Kokurikulum. Mmm..... memang terperanjat..... and it will be a tough fight but to be nominated is such a big thing for us already. Results would be in Jan- Feb time frame I guess.


4. Zaryff makin montel! Alahai..... Kakak Mia said that his face looks like a balloon now. I must do something la.....


5. Anastassia won a consolation prize for an Art competition...... Pu3 did not win but the goodies bag was great so budak yang tak menang pun akan rasa dia menang ..... hehe. Yang kelakarnya, the girl yang menang sat next to Anastassia during the competition.... and dok copy Anastassia's ideas...... tapi her shading is fantastic.... itu yang boleh menang tu..... Lagipun judges dia are the typical chinese judges whereby ada certain type of coloring yang they go for. Compared to my children in which cikgu seni mereka lebih tekankan cara menghidupkan lukisan..... so buat artline and all is a no-no....

So now tengah cari the right time nak use that hotel vouchers..... hehe


Hey, sorry you guys, I havent been hop-blogging for a while...... Hope to start again soon.... miss reading you all punya stories and going-ons.....

The Waiting Game

Anastassia came back from KYS, confessed to me in the car "Mama, the school is just superb!" I forced her to share what happened the entire 4 days of interview and she did though not all, much to my annoyance but it's good to know that she carried herself well and it was evident that she enjoyed herself tremondously. That day, I also saw a mature Anastassia. A confident child who is just waiting to conquer the world. I saw a glimpse of that during the registration day too.


Results would be out mid December, I told her. Now its the waiting game.


First it will be interesting to know whether she would get an offer. They only want 20 girls and 40 boys. If she didnt, well..... tak da rezeki, the experience was good for her, a once a lifetime experience I would say..... (bila lagi budak sekolah dapat interview intensive macam tu kan)


However, if ada rezeki, although its gonna be a bit tough..... it would be interesting to know if the offer would be with full scholarship, half scholarship or with no scholarship.


Mid December will be a month of nerves. SBP results will also be out around the same time. Would Anastassia get an offer? Susah jugak sebab she's from sekolah bandar.... or should I say from a cluster school.....


Next week I plan to drop off her MRSM application to MARA. Or to the ANSARA office to be exact since I'm a member. I was informed by the ANSARA officer that last year 60 of the 120 Ansara applications got in. However, from previous experience, to me benda ni varies..... ada one year tu, it seems 5 orang aje dapat..... And again, it would also be difficult since Mara mmg go for pelajar luar bandar kan......


So the waiting game is on. Meantime, let me hold tight to her Surat Tawaran from Convent Secondary, which is just next to her primary school........

Anastassia, hey miss you much!

I came to school late that Thursday morning. Selalu UPSR annoucement kat dewan before 10:30am. So I was a bit panicky bila I was still on the road at 10am.




I was chatting with my friends outside the hall when the GB drove into school at 10:40am. Eh.... ingatkan GB dah dalam office.... rupanya baru balik from Jabatan. The moms yang nampak GB semua kecoh.... apa taknya.... GB was grinning ear to ear........




At 11am (lebih kurang la, I lost track of time) parents dipanggil masuk dewan. Dewan riuh with parents and the students, waiting in anticipation.




Then several teachers came in..... they were also grinning..... Lagi riuhla dewan...... Anastassia came to me, i hugged her, cayang Anastassia .....




After GB dan cikgu2 semua masuk, Guru Penyelaras Tahun 6, was given the honour untuk buat pengumuman. Nampak sangat dia happy..... the feeling was infectious. First the percentage. She said the school dah buat satu sejarah! The hall roared! Naik almost 10%!And every one cheered when she announced that a total of 113 students got 5As!


She passed the mike to the GB, who broke down during her short speech. Then to the class teacher of 6A to annouce the results. (Annoucement ikut class). This would always be the time I pat myself on the back for choosing the names for my girls which starts with the alphabet A. Hehe...




Yes, in less than 10 seconds, Anastassia's name was called to receive her slip. I felt numb, just concerntrating on zooming my handcam towards Anastassia. My friends cheered and pat my back..... i just sat there like a zombie. After a minute or two, baru Helena bangun, went to the side of the hall to search for Anastassia.......




The look on her face...... says it all..... all the sacrifices.... all the nagging that she got from me..... was all worth it....

Anastassia masa kat Trengganu.

Last Saturday, the whole family sent Anastassia for a 4 day interview, untuk masuk a private boarding school. Anastassia was really looking forward to it, although she could not prepare much due to her chicken pox.



As she registered herself in the air conditioned dining hall (parents tak boleh ikut) again i had the warm feeling. She looked confident, and nampak that she looks forward to the 4 days 3 nights stay. It also made me realize how grown up she is..... and she's no longer my little girl obsessed with ants...... hehe



She'll be back only tomorrow. And I have to admit....... I missed her....... my dear Anastassia...

Syukur Alhamdullilah

Syukur Anastassia got 5As. Her school is celebrating at the moment because there was a significant improvement. A total of 113 girls got 5As. And yes their school is the best in the state.

I'm rushing at the moment, so gotta go now.

Snippets

1. Anastassia got chicken pox. But mild and sekejap ajer coz dah ada injection chicken pox masa dia kecik. No fever pun. Kecoh jugak sikit bila cikgu tgk dia datang sekolah. Tapi doctor dah confirm that dah kering so tak contagious lagi. Nasib baik kena saturday and sunday......


2. Anastassia won consolation prize for a state level art competition last week.


3. Anastassia and Pu3 ponteng from an art competition today, now tengah ongoing sebab mak dia dah malas. Tapi sayang la sebab its kebangsaan level.


4. For the first time this yr the school buat Jamuan Perpisahan for the standard 6 students. Anastassia gave the opening speech and buat Bhangra and Hip Hop performance. Helena ternganga tengok dia menari esp yg hip hop tu. Entah bila dia belajar buat robotic moves and terngeliat sana sini. Foot work dia pun dasyat. Practice 2 hari aje tu. I was really impressed! Her solo act was superb! (I whispered to my friend, teringat zaman dulu2...... hehe..... she really reminded me of my school days) (and I guess I have to admit that the challenges that I have with her.... well, dia sebijik macam Helena dulu..... the challenges tu la.... hehe.... shhhhhh)


5. Just came back from the school's Anugerah Cemerlang. Both Anastassia and Pu3 dapat. Anastassia received several additional anugerahs - Anugerah Nilam Jauhari Emas, Anugerah HEM, Anugerah Murid Cemerlang Persatuan & Kelab and Penghargaan Ketua Pengawas. However, the top anugerah - Anugerah Kualiti, dia tak menang. Her chinese hip hop friend beat her to it. Dia frust jugak sikit..... but okayla......


6. Tomorrow results UPSR keluar. Dengar cerita, results keseluruhan jatuh. Maths jatuh. I'm hoping for the best for Anastassia.... The rumours is that..... opss..... besokla beritahu.....


OKla... roger and out. takda mood la nak tulis...

I finished my puasa enam! yeay!

Finally, I finished my puasa enam...... hubby insist nak masakkan rendang ayam for my buka puasa..... (nak dapat berkat pahala masakkan utk orang berpuasa katanya) even though i told him that i teringin nak makan daging masak merah and nak beli kat luar ajer.


The jeans i wore today rasa macam longgar ajer..... *big grin*


Pu3 kena chicken pox yesterday. Though its mild sebab dia dah ada chicken pox infection. Nasib baik next week cuti panjang so she wont miss school banyak sangat.


I have yet to start jogging. Sebab have yet to buy that sports shoe. Coz have yet to go to Jusco. Lagipun asyik hujan ajer..... (haha.... am i trying to get out of doing my exercising?)


Mia jadi host to a Korean exchange student in school so she wont be coming back for the Deepavali holidays.


Sebenarnya takda mood nak tulis ni..... tu sbb macam point form aje... Pagi2 dah kena lecture dgn my dad, coz i was late 10 minutes in sending Pu3 to him this morning. Arghh..... Yes papa.... I must discipline my self more...... I know you want to service your car, sorry because of me, you are late in sending the car.....

Life can be so relaxing!

Last Thursday was the last day of final exams. Well Anastassia ada Pendidikan Seni on Friday.... but tak ambik potla...... walaupun dia complain tak sempat practice lukis....


That Thursday was the day I've waited for so long. Yup UPSR dah sebulan habis, but Helena tak boleh merdeka sangat masa tu..... maybe merdeka 70% ajer because nak mengadap Pu3 and Zaryff for their finals exam. Dah la Zaryff merosot last Aug as i concerntrated more on Anastassia for her UPSR trials. So my mission is to make sure that their results improve this time round.


So last Thursday memang merdeka 100%! YEAY..... hehe..... although it wont be for long hehe.....



Having said that it does make a big difference with Anastassia finishing her UPSR.....



Hari Khamis tu I was in a confused state. I guess that worrying about the children's (esp Anastassia's) studies nonstop for quite some time made me forget how it felt to be worry-free.... hehe. And also macam rasa lain sebab no need to leter they all suruh buat homework lagi.... hehe....



On Friday... i woke up feeling so free.... light as a feather..... rasa tenang setenang-tenangnya.... with no worries..... and wow.... its been such a while to feel so relaxed and not having anything to worry about..... The feeling was so fantastic.....



So its me-time now..... its fun time as i told Pu3 and Zaryff, more so since their results that they got for the final exams so far shows improvement......


Pu3's request - nak bake cake sendiri with my supervision (dah schedule tomorrow), nak main UNO with mama, nak ikut mama pergi baking class..... (the list continues...)


Zaryff's request - nak main chess with mama sampai dia menang (hehe should i just let him win once?), nak pergi spend time in the IT room kat state library...... (the list continues....)


Anastassia? She's in Trengganu right now for the choral speaking national level..... and her next plan is for a girls outing with her besties...... No problem girl..... just name the day and time and I'll send you there....



Me? I'm just happy with the kids..... plan to buy a new sports shoe so that I can start jogging again (my favourite sports shoe dah hilang 1 kasut..... ni mesti kerja anjing liar ni) And hmmm..... maybe go to the spa kut...... tengok la nanti..... facial....... movies....... and just lepaking i guess......

Happy Birthday Zaryff!!!

Today is Zaryff's Birthday. Since he is crazy with Ben 10, I made a Ben 10 card for him.

Since today is also the last day of final exams..... i decided to bring the kids makan at a hotel in town.... hehe.... dulu lepas UPSR, Helena tak dapat Merdeka betul2..... TODAY baru dapat merdeka betul2..... hehe. So I'm giving myself a treat la kononnya and 2-1 la with Zaryff's birthday....

But I reminded him..... makan kat hotel on your birthday ni.... sebab timing dia kena..... jangan pulak expect every year makan hotel during birthdays.... hehe... pengsan Helena..... and also to make the others understand and tak kecik hati.....

He already received a birthday gift from Anastassia, who bought a Ben 10 watch for him during a recent school excursion to Putrajaya recently....

Happy Birthday sayang..... remember to be a good muslim, study hard when I ask you to and..... jangan makan banyak sangat yer.... you've been putting on weight lately.....

Anastassia's Graduation Day 2008

Just came back from Anastassia's Graduation Day.

Her name as the Head Girl for 2008 was also engraved on the board. Tapi sayang, ejaannya salah. Nama Head Girl last year pun ejaannya salah. Ish..........

To me this year budak2 standard 6 kurang meriah compared from the previous years. No hari Usahawan this year. And no school magazine this year. After years of having their own school magazine, tengok2 tahun ni tak ada school magazine. Such a disappointment! Tak ada kenangan tahun akhir di sekolah rendah.

Entahlah...... patutnya dah jadi cluster school, the school improves for the better, not the other way round......

Testing

something wrong somewhere...... testing.....

Selamat Hari Raya!!!

Selamat Hari Raya........ Maaf Zahir Batin......... dari Helena sekeluarga.






Syukur, my dad was disharged from the hospital on Monday, 2 days before Raya. He was active and terus bawak kereta, an indication that he feels better. Syukur Alhamdullillah.....



We had a great Raya. Kids had fun. It would be better if final exams takde, lagi best (mak) budak2 raya. Hehe. Mia started to crack her books on the night of 2nd Raya. Her own initiative tu. She declined to jalan2 Raya after the 3rd Raya and lepak with my parents terima tetamu kat rumah. Sambil tu boleh belajar katanya.




I made Pu3 and forced Zaryff to do some studying on 3rd Raya. Alang2 dah bangun pagi2 buta (dah terconfuse la sbb bangun sahur after one month) ..... hehe... yela dari mengadap TV and PSP.... Belajar 2 jam.... then 11am start jalan Raya sampai malam..... okay tak? okayla tu.....



Raya kali ni, hubby helped a lot in the kitchen. Especially bila guests datang after 10pm, and Helena dah tak larat nak ke dapur. Hubby la beriya-iya masak mee goreng la, mee bandung la..... hehe.... okay la kan.... Helena ke dapur masa siang, hubby masa malam..... Yang best tu siap kemas dapur tu lepas guests balik.......


On Sunday, pergi shopping lagi. Mia nak balik college, so bought her stuffs for school, tshirts, trackbottoms, revision books and munchies....... lotsa them. Anastassia pulak, i belikan baju, pants, sports shoes, CDs for her trip to Trengganu next week...... we were so into buying sampaikan lupa nak lunch..... haha.... in the end, tapau Nasi Ayam Ayamas aje..... and Anastassia as usual macam orang tak pernah jumpa nasik, terus makan in the car.


Sent Mia to college dalam hujan lebat.... sigh.... Mia..... I'm gonna miss you again girl.....



And as predicted, last night Pu3 told me that she just realized that she has 2 homeworks that she forgot she had...... mmm.... tidur lambat la jadinya....

Oh Dear........ I'm still not done with my Raya shopping ........

Last weekend in between visits to the hospital, we did some shopping..... last night siap tiba rumah at 11pm! Hehe..... The best thing was, shopping tak done lagi..... today will go to tailor to alter the sleeves to Pu3's baju kurung, buy Zaryff's baju melayu (hah! iyer..... tak beli lagi...hehe....), his songkok and send him to the barber to get his hair cut.



Also still need to buy a pair of jeans each for Mia and Anastassia...... entah macamana semalam kat Midvalley semuanya tak berkenan..... also nak beli table cloth so that I can put at top of the shoe cabinet that hubby bought. I HATE shoe cabinets, unless its from IKEA la, but hubby said the ones in IKEA is too small..... sigh.... dia malas nak gi sana la tu sebenarnya...... bukannya Helena tak tau..... so I'm gonna get myself a nice runner to cover it. Semalam kat Parkson berkenan satu, tapi opppss..... so pricey pulak for shoe cabinet..... hehe. Hari ni nak cari kat Jusco la pulak.



Bought Anastassia her after-UPSR gift..... yela.... kesian tengok dia berhempas pulas buat homework sekolah...... homework melambak nak mampus...... tersengguk2 kat meja..... so like I said to her...... i nampakla usaha tu.... usaha tu yang penting..... she wanted a discman, but i talked her into buying an MP3 instead..... hehe.... she chose a red colored Sony. Aik.... jeles pulak Mia..... hello you already have one, dear.... and yours is even more expensive tau. (Good for me harga benda2 ni dah turun..... hehe)



Last night Buka Puasa at the food court. Kali ni I made sure that we parked ourselves there as early as 5:30pm...... hehe. Rupanya dah ramai pun kat situ. The younger two wanted Fetuccini Alfredo, Mia ~ Spagetti and Anastassia, being the only anak melayu in the family chose Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam..... hehe. I had my favourite Chicken Teppayaki whilst hubby ambik Seafood Spagetti.



Malam ni kena makan nasik la..... sebab Saturday night makan Pizza Hut. Dah lama pulak the kids tak makan nasik. (Sahur is always noodles)


After buka, melepak kat Kinokuniya...... bought a Geronimo Stilton book for Pu3, none for Zaryff as a punishment for his not-so-good results in August (kalau nak baca, pinjam buku kakak Pu3, I said), and 4 books for Mia including the two Chicken Soup books that my Mom asked me to buy for Mia. Anastassia looked upset as we walked out the store. She could not find any book that she likes! Duh...... punya la lama we all tunggu, at last just before hubby buntangkan mata, I dragged her out of the store. Nasib baik ada MP3 baru tu..... terubat la sikit frust dia tu. Haish..... tak paham la the kids, kedai punya besar boleh tak jumpa buku....... Shopping Store punya besar tak jumpa jeans/pants that they like...... sigh........


Hey, thats it for now I guess..... Gotta run.......

Papa, I love you very much

Papa, I have not been telling this to you lately, but i love you so so much.


My dad is a unique person. I grew up knowing that he loves me very much and would do anything for me.


I knew he wanted a son. Nevertheless I instantly became the apple of his eye. Especially since i look more like him, though there's a hint of mama's feature's in me.... me, the girl he called Manja.


I grew up playing with toys meant for boys, my favourites are small cars and trucks, guns and swords. Even at the age of 12, I chose a battery operated control car as a birthday gift.


Papa is a perfectionist. He is a very serious person, but can be a hillarious joker when he wants to. He is a walking encylopedia, and a walking dictionary too. He is a workaholic and a very responsible husband and father. The day my mom married him, was the day she learnt that my dad would care for her 100%, he would love her 110% and would never let anything worry her, be it his devotion, financially or anything. Seriously, he is the type of husband you would wish for your daughters. Ohhh .... and he is such a romantic....


Papa came from a small kampung, but was lucky as his dad, my grandfather understood the importance of education. I guess being the oldest son in his family, my grandfather had to sacrifice for his family. However, his youngest brother, I guess by that time they could afford it, managed to further his studies and became one of Malaysia's KSN. The number 1 non-political post in the government I would say.


Papa's eldest brother excelled academically, he furthered his studies and was one of Tun Razak's right hand man. It was really a loss when he passed away young, a loss to the family, also to the nation. Papa's 2nd brother was a budak koleq, who later became a dentist in the early 1960s. He too died young like his brother.


My dad left for MCKK when he was just 9 years old. I guess his life as budak koleq influenced a lot of his personality. Dah duduk sana for around 10 years kan..... he left after STPM, though I think they call it by a different name at that time.


Papa eats with fork and spoon. Most of the time, if possible. If you tell him to meet you at 9am, make sure you'll be there way before 9am. Because he would surely be there 15 minutes before. And he would give you a really long lecture if you were even a second late. He hates couldnt care less attitudes.


Kalau tengok cabinet baju dia, memang malu rasanya. He would take care of it on his own. Straight aje baju yang berlipat. Semua ada colour coding. Whites dengan whites, coloured shirts dengan coloured shirts. Stokins one place, hanky tersusun rapi. Hey even his towel and tersidai kat towel rack tu, it would be put in the middle, properly hung. Kalau nak ukur tepi kiri towel and tepi kanan towel to the edges, i can bet cm-nya sama. His handbag, his briefcase, his toiletries, his comb..... if you just push it sikit aje.... for sure dia akan tau. hehe.


I was brought up, newspapers mesti on the coffee table. The folded side of the paper mesti away from the dinding. Siapa lepas baca paper, must put it back immediately dekat situ. Pages of the papers, kalau ada dah tersenget, betulkan balik before putting it back to its place.


Workwise, he is very dedicated to his job. He is a man of principle and he walks the talk. He is the first medical doctor in Malaysia to specialize in that field of his. He worked closely with WHO and CDC Atlanta even before I started school. In fact, if not for his first chest pain, we would have left for Geneva and supposedly stay there for the next 5 yrs minimum right after my Penilaian Darjah 5.


Papa is strict, he wouldnt think twice telling a Menteri Besar that he works for the rakyat, not for the politicians, when he asked my dad to let go of a land planned for a hospital and clinics. During a meeting on Rasuah, he directly told the whole room, lets start from US, to declare on the Quran that we did not take even a single cent of Government money for personal use. Much to the dismay of others in the room........ hehe. One Tan Sri pernah kata that its hard to work with my father. Sebab my dad lurus sangat, tak boleh bengkang bengkok. He is too honest. Yup, no hanky panky is allowed if papa's in the group.


Sigh... papa, I thought this wont be a long entry, and I havent even started on how you took care of me. How you shower me with your love. Despite me being rebelious, despite me being a spoilt brat.


You are my idol. And you are Mia's, Anastassia's, Pu3's and Zaryff's idol too. Dah besar nanti mesti jadi macam Atuk, I would say. In fact, ramai I know yang cakap macam tu kat their children. Be like my dad.


I love you so much papa, you have been there for me everytime, and even beyond. And I know how much you love the kids too.... each and every one of them. And how they are a part of your life. Every single minute of the day.


Maybe I will share more later, maybe i wont..... depending on how I feel after this. Its just that I'm feeling a bit sentimental today..... after kissing papa's soft cheeks at the hospital. Yes he's at the hospital now, nothing heart related though. I hope everything will turn out well. Get well soon Papa......


P/S Papa..... Just wondering....... How come you let the kids do things that you never let me do when i was a child...... ? mmm..... hehe.....

This Ramadhan

Few things caught my attention during this Ramadhan.

1. Last year Pu3 yang steady puasa, Zaryff terkial2...... This year, Pu3 as usual need her beauty sleep right after school..... tapi Zaryff cergas sangat2...... most of the time Helena tengok lasak as hari2 biasa, macam orang tak puasa.


2. Zaryff started to have a habit. He would take long long showers after school. How long you asked? The longest was 1 hour 45 minutes..... itupun after i start marah2...... Average would be 1 hour 30 mins...... (Terpikir jugak if budak ni minum air masa mandi..... but dah buat spot check. Its just that he likes splashing the cold water on his body....hehe)


3. This Ramadhan, Anastassia started her first experience tak boleh puasa penuh. I told her "Kira berapa hari tak puasa. Nanti kena ganti" Anastassia looked at me, puzzled "Eh! Kena ganti ke mama?"

Mmmm boleh tak tau ke? I guess being the mommy, salah Helena la ni....... mmm kena check apa lagi yang Helena tak beritahu dia pasal adulthood ni.


4. This Ramadhan, after UPSR, I realized that Anastassia dah tersedap kena excused from housechores. Hello girl....... takkan dah lupa kut.......


5. This Ramadhan was when I fully realized that my 2 eldest girls have become teenagers. If you know what i mean..... sigh..... Kena be extra alert la ni.........



Selamat Berbuka Puasa nanti.......

I need to be strong. For Anastassia's sake.

Please Dear God, please let me be strong. Let Anastassia be strong. Di bulan puasa, sebelum UPSR, Anastassia di duga lagi sekali.

Ya Allah.... di kala kami mahu sujud padamu untuk menunaikan Solat Hajat, di kala kami mahu membaca surah Yasin memohon keberkatan menjelang UPSR, dugaan itu datang lagi.... Ya Allah Ya Tuhan ku, sesungguhnya makbulkan la doa kami, terutama doa anak ku ini, doa insan kecil, doa insan teraniaya.

Syukur, after a week, finally i made my decision. And now.... Helena tenang. Anastassia tenang. Hubby supported all the way.

Dan Syukur, Anastassia sat her UPSR papers dengan perasaan tenang.

And Syukur again for today, GOD gave me hope, terimakasih pada mereka. You know who you are.

I know Anastassia and I need to be strong these next few days.

Ya Allah Ya Tuhanku, kau berilah balasan yang setimpal pada mereka, yang melakukan fitnah dan umpatan, melakukan pembohongan terang-terangan di bulan Ramadhan yang mulia ini. Dan bukakanlah pintu hati nya, to act upon the truth, bila membuat keputusan nanti.

Ya Allah Ya Tuhanku..... just give me a little more strength. For a little while more.

Amin.

UPSR snippets

Its now 9:32am - 11 Sept, 2008.

Anastassia should be finishing her Science paper now.

1. Suprisingly, Maths paper yesterday was quite tough. Much tougher compared to 2 years ago, when Mia sat for her UPSR. I thought the papers would be easier if not lebih kurang the same.

2. Thank GOD yesterday's paper finished at 9:10am. The minute we arrived home at around 10:30am, Anastassia start guling2 kesakitan. I gave her painkiller (dah siap medicine just in case) tapi tak jalan. I gave her ponstan.... pun tak jalan.

As my dad was not feeling well and could not examine Anastassia, I sent her to our GP. Hmmm.... urine infection.... sigh.....

3. Now as I'm writing this, I hope i wont get any call from the school. She looks fine this morning. Helena harap she wont experience any more stomach pain sampai 1pm...... insyaAllah.....

BEST OF LUCK TO ALL UPSR 2008 CANDIDATES!

Its 10:49am. Paper Pemahaman dah lepas. Now Penulisan. Then Maths Paper 2.

Anastassia is now sitting for her UPSR paper. Helena doakan agar anak kedua Helena ini dapat menjawab soalan peperiksaan dengan tenang.

I'm a bit worried as she said she sits near to 2 fans. Takut dia sejuk. Anak Helena sorang ni memang tak tahan sejuk. Helena doakan cuaca panas dan tak hujan langsung these 3 days. Helena nak dia selesa jawab soalan.

I've been on leave since yesterday. Nak kasi support. I also informed my carpool pals that I would be sending the kids to school these 3 days. Today hubby tak dapat hantar as he has to travel outstation. So Helena hantar sorang. InsyaAllah esok and Khamis, both Helena and hubby will send the kids to school. Tunggu kat sekolah sampai the exam start at 8:10am.

Good Luck Anastassia..... Good Luck juga pada anak2 rakan2 blogger yang juga menduduki UPSR tahun ini. Semoga mereka beroleh kejayaan. Usaha dan penat lelah selama 6 tahun hampir ke penghujungnya sebelum membuka lembaran baru di sekolah menengah.

Anastassia..... Do your best, okay dear........ I'm always here for you......

Housekeeping

Yesterday, did a bit of housekeeping at the kids cabinets. Rearranged the books and throw the unwanted stuffs.

Anastassia has been drawing comic books for some time. I think she started at Std3. During mengemas2 semalam, I found in her cabinet, an uncompleted copy. Agaknya dia taknak lagi because normally she would keep her "valuable" stuffs somewhere else. She drew this early last year kut.... rasa2nya la....

I remember time ni la she told me that bila besar she wants to be an artist. And I remember sitting beside her and slow talked to her....... hehe

Actually, there's a lot of things on my mind..... tapi takda mood la nak write it down...... next time I guess.....

Do They Hear You When You Cry

I just finished this book a week ago. Quite interesting.





Its a true story of a young Muslim girl, Fauziya Kassindja, who fled her African homeland to escape female genital mutilation and forced polygamy.

Bila Helena baca kisah Fauziya, rasa sebak pun ada, rasa kagum pun ada...... and in a way, Helena boleh agak macamana life gadis-gadis African Muslim di Africa, still heavily binded with tradition.

SELAMAT MENYAMBUT BULAN RAMADHAN AL-MUBARAK PADA SEMUA.

I'm in a daze.....

After hearing the news last Saturday, rasa macam takda mood la sangat..... I'm in a daze right now...... I just hope that the situation get corrected ASAP. I need my zest back, I need my motivation back...... in order to give support to Anastassia to prepare for her UPSR exams....

Dont wanna think about it..... dont wanna talk about it....... nak ceta benda lain la.......

The hols was so-so..... told the kids that we wont jalan2 although I would be on leave as I need to be with Anastassia..... Zaryff and Pu3 was okay with it, since they were already busy with the computer and PSP and story books. Mia was a bit frustrated as I said that for us to go catch a movie is a no-no. She had loads of homework and had to practice her french horn, so she didnt go out with her friends either. (aiii dah remaja pun nak tengok movie dgn mama?? hehe)

I managed to get Anastassia to do some revision..... not much la but boleh la..... She had tonnes of homework..... and since she has classes on Thursdays and Fridays..... I just let her finish her school work. Yang melambak2 tu..... yang menimbun2 tu..... no joke la.... Tuition lagi plus tuition homework..... So my revision with her tak banyak la....

I told her that this Sunday would be her last latih tubi.... lepas tu I want her to relax sikit.... hehe..... tenangkan fikiran...... tenangkan minda........ bulan Ramadhan pun dah start kan.... i hope her school would lessen the homework given.......

Mia (front, second from left) with her friends during a school function just before the hols.... oh! to be exact..... just before their August exams......

Stressed with a capital S

Last week was a stressful week. Lots of things to do, with so little time available.


Anastassia had her trials UPSR. Pu3 and Zaryff pun ada Aug exams. I was busy preparing the documents untuk borang Anastassia to enter one very good school in Malacca. (macam senang je nak buat tapi sebenarnya pening!) At work, had to prepare loads of stuff as our customers from Thailand are coming over..... and I had to do a lots of things in advance as I plan to take a long leave this hols.... nak mengadap Anastassia...


Sigh.....


Last Saturday we were in Bangsar, another Kebangsaan Level Art Competition. Quite interesting, especially because anak Chef Wan was there to demonstrate healthy cooking.... hehe...

Anak Chef Wan..... cute and so charming.... tapi tak la seceloteh like his dad.....



Anastassia in black and Pu3 in light purple getting ready for the colouring contest to begin.


Hehe..... tengokla tu, Helena ni kedekut ke... pemalas ke...... takda pun belikan mereka a proper colouring table. Anastassia is using our old GRACO chair for kids and Pu3 buat kat lantai aje..... Dari dulu nak beli art table kat Tesco.... tapi tak pergi2 lagi.....hehe


Art competition kali ni, the kids can only use colour pensils..... Pu3 memang kurang reti sikit pakai colour pencils..... Pakai colour pencils ni sebenarnya penat..... very tiring compared to pakai crayons.


Anastassia got 4th placing (saguhati). Pu3 tak ada rezeki kali ni...... (puas la kena pujuk.... alahai....)



Pu3 colored too light...... next time kena tekan lagi okay Pu3......

Anastassia got RM50 for saguhati..... okayla tu..... hehe. Sijil yang penting tu...... (tapi kan Helena prefer paintings yang guna crayons rather than color pencils..... Crayon lagi naik and hidup gambarnya nanti)

Tapikan.... the weekend was extra sweet after knowing from Anastassia's tuition teacher that she got A for her UPSR trials - Pemahaman..... YEAY!!! (cikgu kat sekolah belum kasi papers lagi) YEAY again...... HURRAY!!!!!!!!

Award from abahnajwa..... thank you to the whole family......

Received this award from abahnajwa dikala Helena pening2 lalat and in the midst of nak demam sebab banyak sangat kerja..... thankyou abahnajwa.... although Helena lambat cakap terimakasih, please let it be known that it came at the perfect time.... at the time when I felt helpless and terkapai2...... hehe..... thanks abahnajwa..... first time dapat award ni......

Art Competition

Pu3 entered a National Level Art Competition last week. It was a bit frustrating because boleh pakai oil pastel sahaja, no color pencils allowed. Padahal color pencils yang boleh buat outline and shading untuk naik kan gambar after pakai oil pastel. Oil pastel flourecent pun tak boleh pakai....


Time pun hanya sejam... normally 1 1/2 hours baru cukup. So Pu3 kena buat cepat2 and with the limited tools yang boleh pakai, the outcome was not to her satisfaction. After submitting her painting, dia dok mengadu kat Helena, dia kata tak cantik.... lepas tu sebab nak cepat, ada parts yang tercomot sikit.... pastu complain lagi .... rupanya throughout dia mewarna, perut dia sakit...... dia suruh Helena tolong gosokkan perut dia.... alahai....


Helena pujuk dia.... Wan and Atok pun pujuk dia..... nampakla dia tak puas hati.


So it was a sweet suprise when it was announced that Pu3 won FIRST PRIZE..... yeay...... syukur alhamdullillah..... in a Kebangsaan Level some more..... and tough fight with chinese students yang memang well known good in their ability in art.



More than 100 students took part. Pu3 is sitted 6th at the 2nd row (from top).




To Pu3, this is not her standard.... hehe.... tapi janji menang kan.... hehe.... sebab budak2 lain pun problem jugak bila tak dapat pakai pencil colors.





Pu3 dapat bag sekolah, books and stationeries. Elok sangat sebab dah 2 weeks Pu3 pestered me for a new school bag..... hehe




Ini pulak painting yang Pu3 menang 2nd place for State Level (ingat tak yang painting Anastasia yang hilang and tak menang tu? Its the same competition.... tapi masa buat entry dulu Helena tak ada gambar)
Rugi pulak i dont have pictures of Anastassia's current paintings. Kalau tak boleh share sini.... Last year punya adala.... nantila Helena cari....

What's going on with me at the moment

I dont know what to write about... so I'll just share what I'm feeling and thinking right now.


1. Went to my tailor yesterday, was told that she does not accept any more tempahan..... but since I'm a regular customer, she'll accomodate..... This is a yearly affair actually, me coming to her at the last minute..... hehe..... So, if sempat, I'll shop sekejap masa lunch break today..... today break 2 hours...... if tak sempat, I'll do it tomorrow.

Opssy..... just realized, Mia wouldnt be able to choose her own material.... mmm..... tak apala..... I hope I can get one which is to her liking....

I proposed to hubby that this year's theme to be turqoise or blue.... depending on the designs kat kedai nanti..... hubby approved.... yeay.... takyah argue color..... hehe


2. Anastassia will be sitting for her ICAS exam next week..... (Its an Australian Assessment Exam)...... have yet to print out past years questions. Pu3 was also selected to sit for this exam..... tapi si kecik ni dok simpan the fee and form in the bag. Bila dah tarikh tutup baru dia teringat..... bertuah betul..... so takdapatla dia sit for this exam....


3. This weekend is Grading Day for Pu3 and Zaryff. Pu3 will go for the Blue Belt.... Zaryff for the Yellow 2 belt... Need to find the time masukkan tali jerut in Zaryffs Taekwondo pants. He took it out because tali tu terpanjang sebelah.... aiyah..... now seluar tu longgar and menggelebeh..... nampak pulak spender dia...... hehe, Dulu Helena buat donno, nak teach him a lesson (malas pun ada) hehe... tapi nak grading ni... kenela betulkan balik..... Nanti tak selesa pulak dia buat grading tu.....


4. hmmmm...... hehe.... dum dee dum dee dum...... mmmm..... okayla... okayla..... I plan to visit Mia this Saturday...... hehe..... Nak kasi duit laundry, nak kasi kasut yang i dah hantar cobbler, (baru pakai 1 week dah kene hantar cobbler..... heishh......) nak kasi semangat pasal coming exam..... okayla kan....... hehe.....


5. I would like to thank Cikgu Jimi..... for the percubaan paper and most of all for giving MORE than what i expected..... Cikgu, I shared the paper with Panitia BM and she will share with the rest of the standard 6 girls..... i hope its okay with you.... The CD is fantastic!! The book is such a GREAT book! Terima kasih banyak2 cikgu, kebaikkan cikgu Jimi, yang Helena hanya kenal in the blogworld ni..... memang tak terbalas..... thanks again..... (opps kebaikan.... satu k or 2 k? hehe.... in case you're wondering, i got A1 in my SPM BM paper.......hehe)


so okayla for now.... have a good weekend you all!

Visiting Mia

There are changes to my visiting schedules with Mia now.


Mmmm its a bit embarassing but, I would like to admit here that ever since Mia entered boarding school last year, I never failed to visit her EVERY WEEKEND. (hehe....) Padahal I'm the type who thinks that when kids masuk boarding school, we should leave them be, jangan visit selalu sangat. Let them be independent. This was what my parents did when I was in MRSM, they visited once or twice a month.....and yeah it worked out pretty well with me.


It all started with me helping Mia with her laundry masa dia baru masuk Form 1. So every week kena datang ambik laundry, right. When I stopped doing that just before fasting month last year, patutnya tak payah datang every week dah.... but I guess dah jadi habit pun satu, Mia suruh datang bawak food pun satu..... hehe


So 2 weeks ago, I made a decision. and for the first time.... I did not visit her. It was quite an accomplishment for me tau.... hehe.


I do not plan to visit her again this week, tapi mmmm..... i wonder whether her pocket money is enough.....

Things that happened last week

CORRECTION : Pu3 demanded me to correct my previous entry on the Spell it Right Junior Competition. She spelt the word " mistreat" with a double "s"..... and not as what I wrote earlier.
____________________________________________________________


Lots of things happened last week. Some good, some bad. But mostly good.


A friend betrayed me last week. Hmmm.... i got several "I told you so's..." from my other friends. Do not want to dwell on this. Dah terjadi tu dahlah.....


I made a big decision last week. Well, to me its big. I have stopped Pu3 and Zaryff from Smart Reader. It was quite hard to reach to this decision as I have been sending the kids since 2002. Dah 6 tahun! Mia and Anastassia finished Level 10 and both of them benefited tremondously from this program. Especially Mia. Pu3 is now at Level 8 whilst Zaryff is at Level 6.


Memang sayang to stop them, but kesianla actually the timing of the classes tak kena with Pu3's schedule. So dia nampak penat. Kesian Helena tengok. Nampak penat sangat, i know she likes the classes but timing tu yang tak kena..... Apart then that, the class is like at the other side of town, because Helena mmg akan hantar to the best place (to me), although there is one very close near home.


After the decision was made, I felt as if a huge burden were lifted of my shoulder. Phew..... Yes, let me admit here that sending both kids for Smart Reader to a location quite far from the house, is very-very tiring. Very rushing, and kerja-kerja lain memang tergendala on the days ada SR. Its very time consuming...... For example, on Wednesdays, both Pu3 and Zaryff have classes, at different times. Lepas tu, money wise, I need RM20 just to send them to and fro. RM20, if I used the smaller car that is. Kalau pakai the big car, it'll be RM30. But to me, when education is concerned, duit tu not an issuela sangat......


Now, that we are free from Smart Reader classes.... I feel that there's more time for me, kids have a more relaxed schedule..... and hey..... there's more family time together too......


Pu3 who was upset at first, is now okay with the idea. I told her that she can just continue where she stopped anytime she want....... Zaryff pulak jerit "YIPPEE" was grinning ear to ear..... hehe. But i told them..... I will photostate theirs sisters SR books and they will have to do the exercises with me..... so at least dapatla sikit additional knowledge tu......


Oh Ya...... Papa's durian tree started berbuah this year.... Yeay!!!!! Sebenarnya ada satu pokok aje....... tanam kat hujung pagar....... I remembered that he planted this tree masa Mia in Kindy. Mia was asking about durians and I guess Atuk planted one just for Mia and Anastassia (and other future cucus - Pu3 and Zaryff, yet to be born).


And last week the first durian fell, and now yang dah gugur ada la dalam 15........ and nampak around 80 more kat pokok tu...... Papa now ada kerja baru petang2...... driving from one neighbour's house to the other...... kasi durian..... hehe....


I guess my dieting have to wait again..... hehe.

Sweet Sweet Pu3.....

Pu3 was in the papers recently. She got 3rd place in the NST-RHB Junior Spell it Right. She was frustrated as she aimed for the top spot to get the laptop..... so had to console her.....



The day after the competition, she woke up early, sebab nak tengok papers. (She was interviewed by the reporter right after the competition) And she was upset to see that her picture tak ada, despite posing here and there for the photographers.... alahai..... Helena pujuk..... dah ada cerita pasal dia dalam paper tu.... kira okayla..... But she was happy bila a week later, bila out of the blue, keluar pulak gambar dia..... hehe

Pu3 mispelled the word 'mistreat'. She spelled it with a double 's'. Helena mengaku kat dia, that Helena ada terpikir nak go through with her the words yang ada 'dis' and 'mis' supaya dia tak confuse..... tapi since I was busy with entah apa2.... i forgot about it....

So in the end, she blamed me for getting 3rd.... hehe.... okayla..... blame mama la.... i dont mind.... hehe..... I'm very proud of you dear, you made my day just standing up that stage...... immaterial menang ke tidak.....

Pu3 was calm but mommy was a bundle of nerves...... hehehe

Pu3 receiving the RM500 mock cheque......

Zaryff was supposed to enter the competition too, but puas Helena pujuk, dia taknak..... yang geramnya, masa tengok the competition, dia boleh kata.... ala mama..... kalau Zaryff masuk, pun Zaryff boleh jawab..... taklah susah sangat...... la..... rupanya he thought it was as difficult as the Tahap 2 punya Spell It Right which we went to see last month...... sigh........

Anastassia.....Anastassia.....

In the midst of preparing Pu3 for her Taekwondo hari tu, Anastassia came to me and said.....


"Mama, I was chosen to represent the school for Story Telling this Monday" she whispered.



"WHAAAAT?????"




"I didnt go for the audition, Mama..... really I didnt..." Anastassia said with a low voice.



"Then how come you were chosen? I thought your teachers and I agreed to one thing last week...... that will be no more competitions for you! Until UPSR!"



"Mama, betul Mama, I didnt go for the audition. So while the other girls auditioned I was doing my homework. Then someone came asking for me and said that the teachers asked for me. I went and was told that they want me to audition. I auditioned and I was picked." she explained.



"Sigh...... Anastassia....... let me call your teacher...... awak tarik diri ok...."



"Please Mama..... all this time its only BM competitions..... I want to try out competitions in English" Anastassia pleaded.



"No...... Anastassia..... You've went all the way to Hong Kong for your English Drama..... nak experience apa lagi..... you HAVE experienced it" I said, my suara dah naik.



"Please Mama..... please....... I promise I wont spend much time preparing" Anastassia pujuk I lagi.....



In the end I gave in..... dengan satu syarat.....



"You can only spend one hour ONLY preparing for this" I said with my no nonsence voice. Rasa nak sakit dada pun ada ni.....



Anastassia smiled, then grinned..... then skipped to her room..... siap nyanyi-nyanyi lagi...... sigh....



Sigh...... yup, the preparation was a brief one, i guess memorizing the story in English is easier for her compared to if it were in BM...... Dulu her Bahas, Pidato and Syarahan took quite a long time to memorize.....



Below are pictures for the ASEAN STORY TELLING COMPETITION...... organized by Kementerian Penerangan. It was shown on TV and it was also in the papers.

Anastassia..... she mesmerized the audiance with a a story entitled The Rabbit with the Mak Toom Tree, a story originated from Thailand.



Anastassia with her glass trophy and RM200 win. She got 3rd placing.



Anastassia actually aimed for the top spot. Seriously, she could as she did everything perfectly. Overall she was the best among the participants. However, she was a bit too fast in telling her story, it did not reach the minimum 7 minute time alocated. So minus point on the timing. Her English teacher also said that Anastassia slang may have contributed to some points deduction also.

Anastassia.... Anastassia......

Arghhh.... its already July!

Just got a call from Pu3's Master yesterday. He said that Pu3 was selected to compete in the selections to go for the Taekwondo Remaja Kebangsaan in Penang!

Alahai.... pening.... pening.....

Obviously this is a great opportunity for Pu3..... Mia dapat pergi Kebangsaan dulu pun masa dia dah std 5. But I have to take into account Anastassia's preparation for UPSR.

Peperiksaan Percubaan UPSR 2 akan diadakan mid July. Clashes with Anastassia's Choral Speaking in Trengganu. So arrangements has been made to allow Anastassia and her friends yang involved to take the exam the day after the Trengganu trip..... Sigh..... from experience, I know they will reach their school around 11 pm.... mesti penat..... next day nak ambik exam pulak tu...... sigh..... timing tak kena betul.....

The Taekwondo competition in Penang would be in August. Memang to me, August is strictly for Anastassia. UPSR trials will be in August. Penting sangat tu..... and i cant let Pu3 go with the State Team macam tu aje.... this is Taekwondo..... a sport known for injuries...... bukannya badminton..... I need to be there to oversee her fights....

Entahla..... hubby volunteered to accompany her..... mmm.... maybe i need to learn to let him handle the kids ..... but all the way to Penang??..... sigh...... Tapi what ever it is, provided if she get selected la kan......

OK la tukar cerita.....

Mia did something new last week. She acted in a Sejarah Drama! First time Helena tengok dia berlakon and well.... biasala being a mom.... rasa emotional pulak Helena ni... see her doing new things..... doing things out of her comfort zone.

She was Hang Jebat and in the scene ada 2 benda klakar yang tak disangka happened. First, masa nak bersilat.... her samping menyelorot jatuh...... Helena tak perasan but the whole dewan laughed..... Nasib baik Mia tak panik and just kuiskan the samping at the side angrily..... making the audience clapped for her unscripted move.....

Then, masa dia died in Hang Tuah's lap...... masa nak tukar scene, Hang Tuah had to drag Mia ke tepi..... tapi Hang Tuah tak tertarik.... hehe.... puas dia nak drag Mia, Mia tak bergerak langsung..... the whole dewan laughed again coz.... kelakar la tgk Hang Tuah beriya2 nak tarik Mia..... and Mia cant help coz she supposed to be dead, right? Hehe..... Yang buat lagi kelakar..... pengawal2 lain yang mati next to Mia, semuanya senang ajer di tarik off stage..... hehe....

Mia as Hang Jebat. Mia's voice lain betul masa berlakon ni..... yela dia kena garaukan suara. Boleh tahan jugak dia berlakon.....

Hang Tuah's confrontation scene with Hang Jebat. This was before the bersilat scene, sebelum samping dia jatuh...... hehe



They lost tapi to me.... it was the best play I've ever seen.........





Last Tuesday, Mia and a bunchful of other actors got rewarded. They went to see the Broadway Teater - The Beauty and The Beast at Istana Budaya.

Mia got 2nd for the Lalulintas Shell Competition.

Pu3 won a GOLD Medal!

Pu3 entered her first taekwondo competition last Saturday. Her weight is in the Fin weight category in this State Level competition.


I was a bit worried as Pu3 is kind of skinny and has a small bone structure. Mia has always been sturdy and has a tough built. So masa Mia dulu takla risau sangat padahal she started much earlier. Anastassia memang Helena tak kasi although dia nak..... first, due to her built which is like Pu3, secondly I know her interest pun bukannya kat taekwondo sangat pun.... so baik tak payah......






Pu3 during the fight in the Finals. She's on the left, wearing the white headgear.



Pu3 had 2 matches. The first one was stopped halfway through as it was a one-sided match. Her opponent was hit at the head several times by Pu3. Budak tu pendek..... so senangla for Pu3 nak kick her head. The Finals was a great match to watch, dua2 same height..... with Pu3's friends cheering up for her. Pu3 won the match with quite a big margin.



It was a sweet moment to see Pu3 won the Finals. However what made me amused was the way Pu3 fought. She showed a different side of her the minute she stepped into the court. She really showed determination and she was agressive. She kicked her opponent nonstop, left and right sampai her opponent asyik kena undur.... and sikit lagi nak terkeluar court. This happened several times. Although I can see that she was tired during halftime, tapi dia force herself to finish the match with her nonstop kicking.



Bila pikir2.... now i realize that this is Pu3's personality. In her own quite way, she is very determined when doing something.... she does the same in her studies.... if tak faham apa2 topic, memang nampak dia akan geram dgn diri dia..... and akan make sure dia faham.... If Helena nak tolong ajar, dia kasi Helena ajar sikit ajer, she said she needs to figure it out on her own..... and selalu time ni.... mmg nampak dia agressive......


Puteri posing at home. Her pictures masa masa ambil medal kat podium tak jadi.... bateri camera kaput.... wrong timing betul......



One mom approached me. Her 2 sons and daughter memang terror..... they compete sampai international level. Kakak ni kata, Anastassia has talent, Anastassia reminded her of her daughter masa mula2 masuk dulu..... Garang in the court. Her daughter (now 15) who just came back from a competition in Korea last month..... KO-ed her opponent in the Finals last Saturday. Dia suruh I beli protective gear for Pu3, and for Pu3 to actively compete in future..... (Mia punya protective gear is a bit too big)



Mmm..... nampaknya Helena kena get involved in Taekwondo lagi ni..... teringat lagi zaman Mia.... 3 times a week training...... jauh pulak training centre tu.......



Nampaknya now its Pu3's turn..... and she's really looking forward to it......

Hairan bin Ajaib!

Last Saturday, Anastassia and Pu3 masuk pertandingan melukis dan mewarna anjuran Puteri Islam Negeri. They won in the Daerah competition the week before.

As it was a Saturday, Helena pun sama melepak kat situ. Tengok2 and to give support.

During the competition, sememangnya Anastassia and her friend menjadi tumpuan. (and Pu3) Hasil lukisan mereka memang menonjol compared to the other students. Helena tengok yang pakai crayon adalah dalam 5-6 orang...... (of coursela yang pakai crayon akan lebih cantik dan ada potensi boleh menang).

I am not the type of parent who think anak dia pandai and terror. If anak i buat tak elok, I will admit it. But last Saturday, after tengok lukisan2 orang lain..... deep inside I know Anastassia can get no1. If tak pun, no2..... sebab kawan dia pun buat cantik jugak......

Again, during the entire competition, Anastassia and Puteri sememangnya stole the show. The girls were surrounded by other teachers and the teachers dok puji-puji and interview they all..... sekolah mana..... siapa guru seni...... dah berapa lama belajar mewarna..... Infact.... ada beberapa suara kata..... INI BUKAN LEVEL SEKOLAH RENDAH...... INI LEVEL SEKOLAH MENENGAH NI..... Few teachers siap ambil gambar...... bila nak hantar lukisan pun.... siap disuruh ambil gambar bersama lukisannya.....

Bila keputusan diumumkan...... I was dumbfounded when Anastassia did not win the top 3 spot. And mulut Helena bertambah ternganga bila TUJUH SAGUHATI pun takdapat?????

Sememangnya majlis tersebut nampakla kucar kacir perjalanannya...... salah nama dipanggil.... hadiah tak ada.... etc. I checked with the AJK Pertandingan Mewarna..... dia kata the box full of lukisan missing...... so tak dapatla explain and see back lukisan Anastassia and her friend.... why both of them tak menang....

Sigh ... malas la nak gaduh2 dgn teachers and mostly Ustazah ni..... but logically la..... Anastassia and her friend jadi tumpuan sepanjang pertandingan.... the oohhhs and the ahhhs..... tapi????? siapa yang menang? I dont see at all orang mengerumi and admiring lukisan the kids yang menang? (Sorry la..... but its true...)

Having said that, Pu3 menang no2 and her win sort of menyejukkan hati Helena. This is her 3rd win for peringkat negeri but for the first time la dapat no2. Dia dapat duit and sijil. Now waiting to know whether dia dapat proceed ke peringkat kebangsaan atau tidak.... (No 1 automatic pergi)

(To me Anastassia dah ada nama di sekolah..... now masa utk naikkan nama Pu3 pulak)

Another reason yang Helena taknak argue lebih2 with the judging committee is that..... if Anastassia menang.... satu hal la pulak kena gi Kebangsaan.... with UPSR around the corner.... obviouslt a no-no.....

But.... it frustrating to see the 2 girls yang terpinga-pinga bila nama tak disebut langsung sebagai salah satu pemenang. Padahal Mewarna peringkat kebangsaan pun boleh menang, compete wit chinese girls yang well known pandai mewarna....

Mmm.... rintihan hati Helena pagi2 isnin ni.... hehe

A night to remember

Few days ago Anastassia attended the State's Perhimpunan Hari Guru 2008 at one of the hotels. The function was mainly to give awards to deserving teachers including the Tokoh Guru Peringkat Negeri.

Sometime in February, Kementerian Pelajaran announced that as previous years, there will be an essay writing competition for students and teachers, in either BM or English. This year's title is"Terima Kasih, Cikgu"

Anastassia's BM teacher asked her to enter for the BM category, but Anastassia, who knows that her English writing is much better than her BM, decided to submit the English version.

In May this year, her classmate was announced to be the winner for Kebangsaan Level. She received her prize during the Hari Guru Kebangsaan function in Melaka.

And last week, the school received a letter saying that 5 students from their school (including the Kebangsaan winner of course) won the State Level in the English Category for Primary School. Anastassia's name was in that list.

Anastassia, most left at the hotel lobby waiting for her teacher who also won the essay competition (teacher's category)



During dinner. Most right is the student who won 1st place Kebangsaan Level. In the background, I would assume would be Mia's seniors who won an award in a science related competition in the US.

Anastassia most left with her ex-Guru Besar Cemerlang, her teacher and fellow classmates who won. The secondary girl is an ex-student who won the secondary category.

Anastassia posing after the ceremony at the hotel's entrance. Gambar her receiving the plaque and certificate on stage is in her friend's camera.

The inscription on the plaque.

Before leaving the hotel, me and hubby chatted up with several YBs while waiting for the Menteri Besar. They personally congratulated Anastassia, especially for being the only Malay who won the English Essay Writing in both Primary and Secondary category.

It was definitely a night to remember.

The holidays flew by..... could not understand how the days could just pass by at the blink of an eye like that.

Mia spent the holidays with her books. I failed to get Anastassia do her preparation for UPSR. Malas la nak comment, although Mia complained to me several times a day pasal adik dia yang still in dreamworld. I heared her giving a sisterly advice and and siap lecture kat Anastassia, then told me that her adik buat derk aje....

Puteri and Zaryff main sakan, board games, monopoly, PSP and watch videos. So basically cuti kali ni memang tak buat apa2.... except for shopping at Kunikuniya and the girls raided the GIRLS shop kat KLCC. Last week, we went to see Narnia..... it was very good movie.... Helena yang tak sedar diri ni went gaga over Prince Peter.... HAHA..... ada iras-iras boyish face Prince William tu yang tak tahan tu..... hehe.

The kids receive their mid term results. Puteri cried although I puas pujuk dia and said that not getting no1 tu is not the end of the world. I guess dia sedih considering that for the 1st time in her life dia tak dapat no1 in class.

Helena dah standby nak lecture Zaryff..... mmg menunggu ajer sebab he really played around and tak serius masa nak prepare exam..... But.... suprise suprise..... he got no4 (selama ni the best dia dapat pun no5.....) Heran jugak sebab dulu dapat semua 90 over..... numbering taklah macamni. Tapi exam midterm ni ada 2 subject dapat 80plus..... boleh pulak no4. I guess the paper is difficult this time round kut.....

Anastassia.... mmmm.... oklah her midterm marks..... but her maths yang buat i sakit jantung.... sigh... kena ngadap dia la pulak. But for her Percubaan UPSR which is right after midterm...... quite good.... 1st time dapat 94 for science... itupun dia tertinggal satu soalan... Maths dia pun better at 90.

Oh Ya.... Anastassia won the State Level Hari Guru Essay Competition..... kena gi ambik prizes kat hotel (siap dinner tu) next week. I guess either MB or Pengarah Pelajaran yg kasi hadiah kut.....

I still remember when she wanted to enter dulu, Helena macam angin sikit la..... Yela, dahla dia busy with competitions back to back...... class banyak kena tinggal, ada hati nak write essay... Especially bila pikir Mia who can REALLY write pun tak ambik pot nak enter masa sek rendah dulu (although I and her English teacher suruh sebab she writes beautifully) padahal she has all the time in the world compared to Anastassia....

Mmm.... nasib baik my nak "naik angin" tu i simpan dalam hati ajer.... hehe

Rambling away....

Sometimes I had to remind myself that Wan is no longer around. Rasa macam mimpi aje.....

Masa hari pengkebumian macam ni, terasa sangat pentingnya anak lelaki. And during times like this, I would wish that there is another boy in the family. Kesian pulak Zaryff sorang2 with the big responsibility ahead. I've started to explain to him, that he has to take care of his sisters, although right now dia macam confuse, takkan dia yang kecik tu kena jaga kakak2 dia nanti.

Most of my cousins are boys. I'm the eldest, the second being 28 yrs old - 10 years younger than me. The rest are much-much younger, the youngest is Adam, who is 4. Actually my cousins lebih kurang baya Mia..... we are of a different generation la kiranya. I'm close to my aunts and uncles.... I grew up visiting them kat MRSM, waiting them to come back from ITM hols, sending them to the airport to further studies, listening to their cerita cinta, held their hands on their first day for that first job and jumped into the car that they bought with their first salary. I was like a younger sister to them..... and a spoilt brat most of the time..... hehe....

Last week also reminded me that I am alone in this world..... being an only child sometimes really do make me feel so alone. No one to really share secrets with, no one to really share my fears and my dreams with. To share with good friends lain..... to share with own siblings lain. Thats why I told the kids, they are lucky to have each other. And they have to keep their relationship strong..... jangan gaduh2.... but look out for one another..... sampai besar......

I'm definitely rambling here, arent I? Hehe.....

Al Fatihah to my dearest grandmother

My beloved Wan passed away last Friday morning, as I was about to submit my previous entry. I was typing away and was greeting a colleague when my hp rang. When I saw the word "Papa" on my hp screen, I knew. (My mom is like my dad's PA, bab calling-calling, my mom yang selalu buat)



"Lena, Wan just passed away" my dad said softly.



I grew up in this world 38 yrs ago, knowing only my maternal grandparents and my maternal great grandparents, from both sides. Both paternal grandparents passed away much earlier.



As my mom was the eldest, I was their first grandchild. And I was their only grandchild for 10 years. I was very close to both Arwah Atok and Arwah Wan, because mom was very close to them, and since dad had to travel frequently, we always stayed at their house. Infact, they were the one who accompanied my mom to the hospital when I decided to come out a week early. My dad was in Perak for a meeting at that time.


Arwah atok left us when I was 11. And Wan regularly came to stay with us. She would not leave her house for good, but loves to jalan2 and stay with us for several weeks. Our last jalan2 was to The Regency PD when Mia was several months old. Wan was beautiful with her favourite batik baju kurung when we took pictures.



I stayed with Wan for 3 years, that was before I got married. Just the 2 of us. We were a twosome, pergi mana-mana together. I would bring her to see her old friends. This was when I became really close to Wan. We would talk for hours... mmm.... we also had our one and only fight there..... sigh.....



After I got wedding, I became closer to her. The close relationship remains although at this time I was staying in Ampang. She was excited waiting for the birth of her first cicit. She immediately packed her bags to stay at Mama's after hearing news that I've delivered.



Arwah Wan started to get joint pains a year later. Its arthritis. It was just a nuisance for a few years. Sakit2 kat jari aje. Then sakit kaki. However after 5 years, she started to use the tongkat. She cant hold her cup properly now, as her fingers dah membengkok. I can still hear her saying that she doesnt want to use a wheelchair, asking Mama to just keep it away in the storage room. But i guess a year later, she just cant say no anymore.



Wan became bedridden 2 years ago. I made sure that I came to visit as often as possible. Although she was bedridden, she was very alert and sihat. Its just her sendi-sendi and tulang yang sakit.

She started to get weak last year. Dah mula lupa-lupa.

Wan passed away with most of her children next to her bedside. Papa was the one who confirmed her death. No pulse. No reading masa check high blood.

Wan has left us for good. Al Fatihah.

What would always linger in my mind :

1) My intentions to visit her this school holidays..... rupa2nya dah terlambat.

2) How she would look forward for my chocolate chip cookies.


Al Fatihah. To my Wan who is very dear to my heart. Who will always be a dear nenek to my children.

Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atasnya. Amin.

One of the worst days for me

Yesterday was really a challenge. Bertimpa2 cabaran yang diterima. Pagi ni, belum apa2 lagi... dah ada masalah. And its only 8:35 am. Oh Dear.... hope things would get better as the day passes by....

Okla.... dont wanna think about it. Just happy thoughts permitted here......

Yesterday, went to see Anastassia do her Pidato Dato Seri Najib which was held at Zaryff's school. As the day before, was the percubaan UPSR for the entire state..... it can be seen that all the std 6 participants fumbled their way through.... So those who did well were mostly std 5 students.... Apa taknya, the night before baru nak start practice.......

I hinted to the organizer that they should be a bit sensitive to the dates that they picked. Tapi sebenarnya tak menang pun ok gak.... hehe. To have Anastassia travel to Trengganu for her Choral Speaking in July is bad enough..... kalau menang, the finals will be in August. Tak kuasa nak let her go anywhere before UPSR.... Duduk rumah diam-diam.... crack the books!! hehe

Anastassia did well, esp kat face expression and intonasi.... however ada tergagap here and there due to lack of preparation. She was frustrated sebab every time practise, dia 100% lancar....

Anastassia with her friends during the competition in the library at Zaryff's school. Mmm.... macam tak banyak buku aje....

What should I write today......

Should I write about the 6 seconds tremor I experienced last night? - (from the Sumatera earth quake)

Should I write about the 3 days cuti which was not planned well? - (for Anastassia's preparation for the percubaan UPSR , that is)

Should I write about how I spent my time ironing and at the same time enjoying my tv programs and also my nonstop junkfood binge?

Or should I write about how sad I was on the latest news on Tun Dr. M........

Maybe I'll just share some pictures, what do you say?

Mia during the International Day at her school. The kids enjoyed themselves especially with the variety of food available.

Mia masa dapat junior black belt.....

Some of the members from the kid's Taekwondo Club who turned out for the yearly photo session. (Mia halus aje nampaknya kat 3rd row, Pu3 and Zaryff entah mana, Helena pun tak tau.....) Anastassia tak ada sebab pergi wedding with my parents. She just cant say no to nasi minyak.... hehe.............

Mia most left, second row, with other Black Belts and Junior Black Belts..... tak dapat ambik full picture..... nanti gambar jadi kecik.....

Today, infact at this very minute... Anastassia is sitting for her percubaan UPSR. Sekarang ni paper BM..... Semoga Anastassia menjawab dengan tenang dan Mama doakan agar Anastassia mendapat keputusan yang memberangsangkan.....

Selamat Hari Guru

Last night I slept at 2am helping the kids selesaikan buat cards.... Actually they've done it much earlier.... just for me to do some finishing touches and envelopes, in which Anastassia yang selalu buat, but this time round I said that I'll do it so that she can do her revision for today's paper. (Exam yang dia tak buat sebab pergi Seminar Head Prefects tu... kena ganti today)



This year I seem to come across several bad apples in the teaching profession..... sigh... Dulu pun ada but I close one eye la..... they are also humans right..... Tapi.... yela.... this year yang i tak berkenan tu, kira to me tak patutla sangat-sangat...... frustla kan because they are supposed to be the kids punya role model.



Tak apa la...... apa nak buat.....





Having said that, I truly appreciate the teachers............. Jasa mereka memang tak dapat dibalas.... A special thank you to Cikgu S, yang sangat-sangat ambil berat kat my children.... walaupun tahun ni she's not in any of my children's classes, she still shows that she cares. She called me last week at 9am on a school day.... beritahu something, in which I told her, I'm aware of it and i have been bugging my child to do something about it.... Tapi my child ni tak percaya cakap mama dia. Nasib baik Cikgu S tegur, and dapatla anak Helena do something about it before ditegur guru-guru lain.



I also appreciate another teacher, Cikgu P who saw that my child had to stay back in class during recess and tak sempat pergi makan. She asked another student to get bread and air kotak so that anak Helena boleh makan sambil buat kerja dalam kelas. (Anak Helena masa tu darjah 1.... apa dia tau)



I also appreciate her for taking the trouble to search for my child bila dia kena tinggal van and at that time it was raining cats and dogs..... and dengan angin macam nak puting beliung.....



I also appreciate Cik S, Cik S is reserved and known for her no-nonsense attitude. However, she showed me the caring side of her during an unfortunate incident, and we became close after that. I look up to her and I dont think I would ever find anyone as dedicated as her.....

And also a bouquet of appreciation to quite a number of other teachers who have touched my children's and my heart in the course of doing the one thing that they love - Teaching.

To all the teachers out there..... to bloggers who are teachers.... ikhlas dari Helena :

THANK YOU!

And Happy Teachers Day......

Tengah risau ni.....

Update : 2:02pm - May 14.

Anastassia just came back from the Head Prefects Seminar and she said that there's a huge possibility that she's going to a Leadership Seminar in Malacca for 3 days!!!!

________________________________________________

I’m a bit worried with Anastassia’s preparation for the UPSR. I have yet to see her really sit down and study. There is just not enough time for her to do so. Dengan homeworknya, dengan tuitionnya.... She has stopped her Piano lessons and Taekwondo trainings for the time being.... but still.....

Today, she could not sit for her mid term exam as she has to attend a Seminar for Head Prefects which was organized by the Jabatan Pendidikan. All the Head Prefects in the State berkumpul pagi ni. So exam kena ambik hari lain. The same goes for the Percubaan UPSR next week ….. it clashes with Pidato. Exam kena ambik hari lain jugak.

Robotic Competition lagi…. Then in June ke Trengganu pulak for the Choral Speaking Kebangsaan Level….. alahai….. UPSR starts early September pulak tu.

Am I doing the right thing in allowing her to participate in so many competitions? Masa Mia dulu, she was like this in her std 5, but not std 6. The opposite with Anastassia. But I couldn’t just ask her to let the opportunity pass by just like that right? When Mia was in Primary, I was anxious for her to get picked for at least one (individual) competition, eg Bahas, Syarahan, Pidato, etc and bukannya senang to get picked. Ini Anastassia got picked for every (individual) competition available for this year….. lain pulak ceritanya…

Oh ya, last week she won 3rd prize in a State Level Art Competition….. She received a hamper and cash…… time ni pun dia kena skip class…..

Yesterday, one of the Arts teachers called her, asking her to stay back for a few days to help out buat mural, lukis and paint the walls at one of the block at school….. hmmm…. Bila la budak ni nak belajar. I’m sure this would take a few hours a day, and ni bukan kerja sehari dua ni.…… Anastassia of course la suka, maybe during school hols boleh kut…..

I'm not complaining..... but bersyukur for her..... bukannya senang diberi kepercayaan lepas satu, satu untuk wakil sekolah...... cuma as a mom.... Helena risau la kan..... dari day one anak2 menjejak kaki ke sekolah, I would say.... Be outstanding..... grab all the opportunities that come your way.... tapi ini pengalaman pertama la all the opportunities drop at her feet macam ni.... tapi salah timing la pulak sebab exam year kan.

Aaiiii… risaunya pulak……

Note : Helena aja yang risau ni, but not Anastassia.... in fact last night she grumbled that she was not chosen to attend a 3 day camp recently just because she was not in class when the teacher dok pilih nama.

To Mommies out there ~ "Happy Mother's Day!"

Mother's Day this year is somewhat special to me.



I'm not really into celebrating it that much, because its always very near to exam week every single year. The same goes for this year. The kids would be sitting for their midterm exams today.



Since the kids were small, I would always encourage them to make their own cards, should they want to get one for someone. The last card we bought from Memory Lane was a million years ago. As they grow older, their cards became more creative and unbelievably beautiful. The personal touch was evident. Although once in a while they would make card using the computer, they would still prefer the tradiotional way of using plain fancy card and colour pens. (Even the envelopes are self made!)



So giving me a card for Mother's Day would be done discreetly. I would sort of discourage them to make me one because making one would take hours.... esp Anastassia who really does it in detail.... it could take her 4 whole hours! Obviously a no-no when exams are approaching.

Mia ada Outing Harian last Saturday. On the way back sending her back to college, she asked me whether I could come over again the next day (Sunday), teman dia do her studying (her exam started last Monday sampai this Friday). I said I want to but I cant as I have to monitor adik2 dia at home baca buku. She said OK, no problem.

But I was guilty as hell. Its bad enough that she's staying away from home, masa exam pun I tak boleh accompany her. I really feel bad sebab I admit, I try to accomodate my kids needs or requests if possible, walaupun kadang2 hubby kata i ni ikut sangat. To me, kalau the kids sebut ajer.... walaupun lepas tu dia kata tak kisah, i rasa obliged to do something...... sigh....

As I temankan dia to the staircase towards her dorm, Mia stressed that its okay, she understands that I have to be with Anastassia and Zaryff (and Pu3). I still feel bad though. She sent her things to her dorm, then came back to me for her munchies.... as I gave it to her, suddenly she held out to me a self made black Mother's Day Card. I didnt expect it sebab dalam kepala masih dok guilty pikir whether maybe I can try to come to college masa petang Ahad. Upon seeing the card and Mia saying "Happy Mother's Day, Mama" I can feel the tears starting nak bertakung kat mata ni.

As I dont want her to see me cry, I quickly peluk dia and said "Thank you Mia, I love you....." Mia hugged me back and said softly, "I love you too, Mama". I quickly left and the walk to the car was blurred by my tears. I dont know why I feel so sad. Maybe having Mia away at home has a deeper effect on me more than I want to admit. Or it it because I feel like I'm not doing enough for her during her exam kali ni.

I sat in the car and read the card's contents. Big mistake. Lagi mencurah-curah air mata keluar. I couldnt care less if the girls who were playing basketball kat tepi tu and the group of girls dok jogging kat padang saw me crying or not. Tengah merebeh gila Helena masa tu.....

Sigh.... I miss my first born dearly......


At home, Anastassia slid her card next to my pillow as I was about to sleep at night. I only saw it the next morning. I kissed her, had a mother-daughter talk and hugged her some more. I'm becoming to realize that I see a lot of me in her lately......

Pu3 gave her card to me on Sunday afternoon.

"Mama, Pu3 punya card tak cantik...... Hadiah mama pu3 letak dalam kotak, lepas tu pecah..." Pu3 said sadly.

"Takpa, its the thought that counts, okay." Helena pujuk dia.

"Membazir aje RM2 mama..." Pu3 said, macam nak menangis.

"It's okay Pu3, come sit on my lap" Helena dukung dia and I told her how much I love her.

We talked, I kissed her, played with her hair, kissed her again, when Zaryff came running by....

"Zaryff, kasi la mama card Zaryff" Pu3 called out.

Zaryff stopped and said "Mama, I love you.... tapi card Zaryff tak siap..." he kissed me, the way I like it...... and ran off again with his imaginary car......

I really love my kids so much, no word can discribe the feelings that I have for them.....


Note : Good Luck to all my children for the mid year exam..... Baca Doa, check 3 kali.... jangan careless....

Zaryff, please jangan tulis macam cacing kerawit!!!

Reaching for the Stars

This week the kids talked nonstop about Sheikh Muszafar. Ada orang jual barang-barang Sheikh Muszafar, like tshirts, badges, posters, etc kat sekolah the kids.

Zaryff and Pu3 bought a Sheikh Muszafar badge, and they have been wearing em everywhere. Anastassia brought back the "Reaching for the Stars" book.

Last night, while accompanying the kids buat homework, I read the book. 10 minutes of reading dah buat air mata bertakung. Then the tears dropped and just kept on dropping. How Opik and Arwiz kept Ajil's accident from their parents and Abang in Russia. How Umi broke down in anguish. Semakin lebat bila baca the father's message to Ajil, their beloved son who passed away without regaining consiousness.

Last year, when I first heard of Sheikh Muszafar and saw his picture in the papers, the first thing that came to me was "Wow, this guy is a hunk!". I sort of stared at his picture and said again "Handsomenya...." Puteri who was seated to me said to "eee.... mama ni gatal la!". Aiii budak ni ...... banyak pulak komen dia.....

Then as he was in Russia at the ISS, I found out something interesting. That once upon a time, few years back, when my Doctor was away, Sheikh Muszafar was the one who examined me. Now I remember, how I said to myself.... alamak boringnya dapat Dr muda..... alamak..... handsomenya mamat ni.... hehe....

Then got a call from a friend, who told me about Ajil's accident. Apparently my friend was the one Ajil met up with at the restaurant when he fell and hit his head. I learnt more about the family from this friend.

Reaching for the Stars is an inspirational book. It is also obvious how close knit the family is, how close the 5 brothers were. Ajil adored his brother Amus, he looked up to him big time. And Ajil shared in the book the type of person Amus really is - very determined, ambitious and very driven.

Sheikh Muszafar is really one of a kind......