Helena's

Alahai lamanya tak menjenguk....

2012-01-28T19:39:00.000+08:00

Dah lama rasanya helena tak menjenguk kat sini. Busy sangat tahun 2011 sebab all my girls ambik big exams - SPM, PM R and UPSR. Syukur Anastassia and Pu3 got straight As.

Tahun 2012 ni banyak yg akan dan telah berubah in my daily life. I guess i will have more time to myself. Mia has finished SPM and asyik dok merengek nak kerja. memang i tak expect dia nak kerja sbb i dulu pun tak pernah kerja while waiting for results. My family pun takda jugak. Syukur we found her a nice job, which would give her all the experiences needed plus would enhance her confidence level. Anastasia is in F4 and still in boarding school and Pu3 pun baru 3 days ago masuk boarding school jugak as a first former. Zaryf is in Std6 this year.

So the house is much much 1000 time more quieter than before sebab sebelum ni rumah bising pun because of Pu3 and Zaryff. Bila they get separated, mati kutu la si adik takda kawan nak sakat. Dia tak berani sangat nak kacau Mia. Mia garang! I call her the evil step sister. HAHA.

I really hope with the extra time i have for myself, i will be able to blog more often. Kita tengokla macamana sbb mukabuku mmg buat i busy jugak hehe..

July - a busy month

2011-07-11T11:35:00.000+08:00

Seems like the month of July is busy for my kids, sebab busy with competitions and activities. Bila kids busy, mommy pun sama-samalah membusykan dirikan. It was definitely tiring rushing here and there to be with them, on top of my normal 'activities' but it was all worth it. Enjoyed myself to the max!

Mia the musician

Anastasia the debater

Pu3 the choral speaker champ

Zaryff the tarik tali champ

Pita daging Kebab Malinja

2011-07-06T20:21:00.001+08:00

I sekarang memang tengah kemaruk makan Pita daging brand Malinja ni... Its so so so so so delicious..... adoi, kalau ikut hati, sekali makan memang nak 2 sekali gus haha. Pita daging yg sedap sangat2..... daging dia lembut sangat and rasa daging dia awesome sesangat.... I selalu beli kat Pasar Malam on Tuesdays and Fridays at my house. Memang pantang i tengok gerai color bright yellow tu...Tapi tadi on the way from sending Pu3 to school (ada performance at hotel), I saw ada lagi satu location whereby ada gerai baru bukak... yeay.... i terus bought 1.... and terus ngap..... huhu.... heavenly babe :P

Hubby and anak2 pun suka bila they all try..... so now if nak beli kena beli utk satu family....hehe

Macam ni la gerai dia... tapi gambar yg ni i ambik kat internet jer..

Makan pita rasanya tak kacau my diet kut.... :P Kan?

My 3 dara pingitan.

2011-06-28T10:47:00.001+08:00

My 3 girls would be sitting for major exams this year - Mia SPM, Anastassia PMR and Pu3 UPSR.. I dah start tension ni... esp knowing that in August would be their Trials (SPM and PMR) and Mia is still busy with her orchestra. This Sunday would be the Finale competition. Then dengar cerita lepas tu ada recording for RTM again.... huhu i hope tak jadik la.... Anastassia pulak will miss 2 weeks of class in July due to her debate. Ada 2 competitions back-to-back. I dah tak boleh tidur malam pikir benda2 ni.... aduhaiiiiii......

Pu3 pun ada Petronas choral speaking competition this Thursday but since dia depan mata I... i tak risau sangat la....

mmmm semoga Allah permudahkan segalanya untuk mereka.... Amin.

Happy Teachers Day!

2011-05-14T20:56:00.001+08:00

Just came back from buying things utk buat hadiah Teachers Day. Nak buat something like the picture above, but smaller version.... ok tak.... hehe this time round ada personal touch kan.... buat gift pack chocolate chip cookies....

Cookies dah buat semalam, so nak buat packaging tomorrow.

I hope the cookies cukup. Sebab i saw makin surut aje cookies dalam balang.... huhu.... yours truly pun sama jugak dok ngambik LOL

Adoi... Fail lagi.....

2011-03-31T08:05:00.000+08:00

Fail lagi sebab biarkan my blog ni bersawang...... ADOI..... today pun tak tau nak tulis apa, so sebab tahap kemalasan yg amat sangat, i write down my feelings in point form ye....

- Pagi tadi kelam kabut nak siap2 pegi LHDN sebab ingatkan today is the last day of submission... huhu.... rupa2nya its on 30 April.... haha.

-still tengah frust coz tak tengok Mia on TV semalam. My mom saw it kata, Mia looks so happy playing her French Horn and the camera actually zoomed on her alone.... RUGI betul huhu..... My mom kata she looks so sweeet sangat2.... lagi la i frust.... haish! Oh My eldest ni took part in a performance in Dataran Merdeka last week, in conjunction with RTM's Anniversary, whereby orchestra from 5 SBPs performed as one as the biggest Orchestra and they planned to make it in the Malaysian Book of Records. They played for Koir Kebangssan and Safinaz Selamat.

- Tengah nak pikir nak buat cake apa2 yg simple for my mom's birthday besok. Not choc cake sbb dulu dah kasik. Or maybe i should prepare a dish sbb she's trying to control her sugar intake? hmmm... nak buat apa yg senang eh? Spagetti? Pasta? Lasagne? Nak kena carik resipi jugak ni.... Apa2 pun i akan redah rumah Zarin dulu... my favourite place for recipes and also the place utk naik kan semangat I if tiba mood malas nak cook or bake.... hehe. Thanks Zarin dear!!!

- Am still nervous with the recent SPM results... nervous memikirkan macamana la Mia nanti this year. She is in Band and most of her time are spent practicing. Classes pun kadang2 kena miss, like last week due to the performance mention above. Anastassia with PMR lagi.... Pu3 with UPSR lagi.... Zaryff yg dok menchallenge my sanity lagi.... sigh....

Eh.. napa my point form ni nampak macam paragraph jugak yer? LOL

- Semalam banyak sangat la pulak makan Nasi Arab yg popular kat my area ni... Tapi mmg yummy la, no wonder people from all over came just to enjoy the food there. Ongeh betul.... huhu... Diet GONE jangan cerita la kan....

Okayla Gotta go.... Nak siap2 gi Midvalley to meet up with customer yg beli bags.... chow peeps.... erm i better put a note on my hp, both Pu3 and Zaryff suruh tapau Auntie Anne pretzels banyak2..... :P

My kiddies

2011-01-24T14:29:00.004+08:00

Mia is now a senior. She in a room now (no longer in a dorm) due to the jawatan she has in college. This year is SPM year. Sigh.... i feel so old la pulak. I am very very worried as she's still active in band, and will continue to be active until, around July I guess. Currently, tengah sibuk practice for a performance with Bunkface. During last hols, got a call from her cikgu Band, asking her whether she's interested to join him buat performance in KL. I left it up to her, hinting to her the 1 month a year tuition that she will need to forgo if she accepts. She declined.

I am very worried on her preparation for SPM. Kalau boleh nak suruh dia keluar band... sigh....

Anastassia is schooling 4 hours away from home. Jauh rasanya. Dulu tak jauh, just 1 1/2 hours aje. Shes the Vice President for Badan Wakil Pelajar (BWP) so basically she holding the no2 position la. President dah tetap mesti boy.... No2 baru girl. She is always busy with her BWP duties, baru-baru ni, they all kena organize orientation week for Form 1 baru.... I told her to take a step back from any competitions this year. Kena concerntrate for PMR. If debate, boleh. Yang lain2 tu @story telling, public speaking, choral speaking, taekwondo..... kena tinggalkan tahun ni.

Pu3 will be sitting for UPSR this year. Syukur alhamdullillah, she's doing okay so far. Since kakak2 in asrama, Pu3 la yg selalu teman i if pergi mana2...... She put on weight due to my constant baking... hehe so dia tak kurus macam dulu lagi..... She looks great and can see that shes blossoming into a young lady. Oh and syukur dia baru Khatam Quran last hols.

Zaryff is in std 5 but i worry about him nak sit for UPSR next year. Although he is in the A class, to me he is not at the level that i want. Alahai boboy ni asyik nak main aje... to me he is still my baby.... much to his annoyance... haha.....

Actually to be honest, I'm not in the mood to write tapi kalau tak tulis, bersawang la lagi kan.... So, sorry la kut tulis lintang pukang...

WELCOME 2011!!

2011-01-18T10:32:00.000+08:00

Its been 2 weeks now that we're into 2011. Mia left for school earlier @ around Christmas coz ada band camp. And we sent Anastassia on 2nd Jan, very early in the morning as its a 4 hour journey. Reached home at night, to a tongkang pecah house.... hehe

This year would be a soon to be stressfull year for me i guess..... Pu3 will be sitting for UPSR, Anastassia for PMR and Mia for SPM!!! adoyai...... AND also yg paling critical so far, my boboy Zaryff would be in std 5.... need to get him to buck up BIG TIME!

In case u're wondering, I havent been baking lately.... coz tengah diet huhu..... hubby started it first, and for the first time since we got married... he lost those inches rather than putting on more! I jealousla kan.... So now i pun dok minum the milk that he drinks.... kgs lost tak banyak sangat, but the inches lost was SUPERB!

So kesianla to kids esp Pu3 sbb i put baking on hold.... but i still masak sedap2 for them la kan. And also for me.... since i kena jaga my food intake....Can eat lots of food, but have to avoid carbo.

I think i would be blogging more often now (sure... sure....) sbb dah boring pulak dgn facebook..... hehe

Have a great day Peeps!!!

OMG.... lamanya tak update blog!!!

2010-11-19T09:07:00.001+08:00

I failed again..... i failed to keep my promise to update this blog of mine regularly.... :(

Am now busy..... busy with nothing actually hehe just day to day activities.... daily things that need to be done....

Now tengah layan my latest craze.... which is cooking and baking! Let me be honest here, was never a good cook.... coz tak minat before this.... tak minat langsung. I baked once in a while.... but now i cook like theres no tomorrow... and i bake every few days......

Few weekends ago, as i again sent homemade food to my eldest kat asrama..... she asked me "What happened to you mama?"

The 2-3 restaurants where i selalu bought food asked "Mana pegi, dah lama tak datang?"

HAHA.... i guess i must have knocked myself on the head while i was sleeping kut.... coz THIS is definitely not ME.... LOL

But I'm loving every second of it :P

Lamanya tak menjenguk....

2010-08-28T23:31:00.003+08:00

Salam Ramadhan pada semua. Dah lama betul Helena tak menjenguk blog ni.... dah berabuk sungguh....

Tak lama lagi nak Raya.... i started my shopping raya today... ingatkan nak beli baju melayu Zaryff, tapi tiba2 entah macamana, stering kereta berpusing sendiri ke Pearl Haya.... haha they are having their 1 day grand sales tadi .... I like! Meriah la membeli tudung tadi... InsyaAllah Merdeka ni will bring the younger kids shopping baju Raya. Then next week layan the kakaks pulak menshopping.

My new anak daras will be back home this Friday.... Yippee.... cant wait for them to come back home.... esp si adik yg jauh sangat sekolahnya tu.... Anastassia tahun ni has a big responsibility. She was selected as the Vice President dalam Badan Wakil Pelajar. Presidentnya of course la pelajar lelaki kan... (tak aci, she said LOL..... yelah dulu sekolah all girls, dah biasa aim no 1 spot) In other words, she's the Assistant Head Prefect la...... (Tahun lepas she was the Treasurer)

Taken earlier this year in uniform, when she was the Treasurer for Badan Wakil Pelajar

Mia pulak just came back from overseas trip.... dia perform kat sana... best betul they all jalan2..... Siap ada high tea dengan Ambassador kat Malaysian Embassy.... She was also selected to be in 1Malaysia Orchestra... This would give her a lot of experience, playing along side other musicians from other SBPs, IPTAs and working adults.

Mia in purple n red, at the Great Wall.

Puteri has blossomed into a young girl.... tapi still manja..... ish budak ni.... kakak dia dulu takla semanja dia at this age. Zaryff pulak still suka menyakat Puteri..... Both of themla yang meriuhkan rumah Helena....

These 2 kept me on my toes day in day out.....

Have yet to bake cookies.... Bila la nak start yer.....

Adoi... its been a long time since I last wrote..... macam kekok la pulak....

Kids, exams, bags, beadings......

2010-05-16T15:30:00.001+08:00

Am now sitting with Zaryff, coaching him with his maths. Ish penat betul nak melayan si hero sorang ni. Pantang i look the other way, cepat ajer hilang nyer. At this moment, as i mengadap laptop ni, dia dok pegi kacau Sabrina sambil nyanyi2 la pulak..... sigh. Bila la nak siap revision maths pun, i tak tau.

Anastassia called me pagi2 subuh tadi....

"Mama, please talk to me! Say anything to motivate me, please..... Kita rasa malas sangat nak belajar for exam.... I'm freaking out la, i dont think I have time to prepare!"

..... so melekapla i kat handphone trying to give her semangat and all...... this call akan selalu sampai pada I everytime dia nak exam....

Mia pulak lain style dia. This is what she told me yesterday when I met her.

"Mia, make sure you ask your friends on Add Maths or Physics if tak paham, okay? I expect you to maintain your results, if not better"

"Ala, Mama. Dont get your hopes too high. Tak sempat nak belajar la, Mama"

"Janganla cakap macam tu..... eh did you just woke up? Rupa macam pasau ajer?"

"Yela, Kita tidur. Ngantuk. Last night I stayed up studying"

Dalam hati..... okayla at least the effort is there walaupun cara she replied tu a bit worrying.

Am a bit busy with my handbag business.....Syukur we have quite a lot of orders and sales is good. I prefer sending the handbag personally to my customers, so last week, asyik lepak kat Midvalley aje la.... hehe..... itula tempat port i sekarang.... lepas jumpa customer, window shopping la.... if terlajak..... terus shopping jer haha

Am also in the midst of doing beadworks again.... dah nak Raya kan..... tengah carik masa nak belajar advance class la.... And I suka sangat jahit crumble.... geram! And the interesting part was, ada pulak yang nak upah i jahit manik, they all terkenan dgn the designs on my baju and on the kids baju..... mula2 memangla i cakap No, i buat utntuk diri I aje.... tapi last2 tak tercakap No.... huhu.... so i buatkan untuk kawan2 yg beriya2 pujuk..... lepas tu rasa best la pulak.... then rasa macam tak cukup ilmu lagi and tula sebabnyer nak belajar lagi ni.....

Alamak... dah 3:30pm.... okay sambung later kay. Need to go to KLIA to pick up bags from a friend yang baru balik dari London..... See ya!

Jom tengok Batik.....

2010-04-28T02:17:00.001+08:00

Its been more than a year since i last worked in an office, am now enjoying myself to the fullest being a stay at home mom. Best betul duduk rumah and dapat manage the kids myself. Though i do miss time gaji and time bonus..... hehe.

Just so that i tak become bored, a few weeks after tak keja tu, I started buat biz Score A, a product that my kids have been using selama ni. Then almost a year later, a friend who is residing in UK ajak pulak buat biz designer handbags www.clicknclutch.blogspot.com

And terbaru, kawan from Trengganu pulak ajak buat biz batik. So check out my new biz ni yer... The name is THE BATIK.... www.thebatiksutera.blogspot.com

Best pulak buat business ni yer...... this is definitely a new passion of mine.... :P

Sayu

2010-04-07T18:39:00.000+08:00

i woke up tadi ok, ceria.... memang lately I've been a bit upbeat sebab banyak things to look forward to. But after picking the kids up from school tadi.... i guess after reading an email..... i tiba2 jadik sayu... sigh. Now cant seem to stop that feeling. The sadness in me tiba2 membuak2....No, it has nothing to do with the contents of the email.... cuma a word or two in it reminded me of something.

Hmmm, I'm the type yang suka keep things to my self. On the outside, Imay look happy and bubbly tapi yela, whatever problems I have semua bottled up in me. Sigh. Am now forcing myself to think of good happy things..... I hope this dam wont burst la....

One of the disadvantages being an only child. You have no one to share things with. There are things that i just could not share with my best friend, tak terbukak mulut ni.....

Sorry la yer.....

2010-03-10T01:35:00.001+08:00

Hi there!

Would like to apologize for the long long silence. Have been busy doing I dont know what..... hehe. Uruskan the kids, day to day chores, and entah apa2 lagi la.... hehe.... oh ya and FBing also kut.... huhu....

Ni just finished watching The Biggest Loser Asia..... and it was a bit shocking to see an unhealthy, haggard and sickly looking David....... and also rasa a bit annoyed to see other contestants yang kena eliminated before this still chubby and round..... except for Hafiz and Gary. Very contrast la with US contestants walaupun ada yang went back as early as week 1, their transformation was very visible.

School hols coming soon.... cant wait for the kakaks to come back. Mia balik Friday but Anastassia balik lambat, maybe Tuesday kut as she's going to Langkawi for her Perwakilan Pelajar trip. In April, she will let go of her post and she decided that she will not run for this year's election. Maybe Form 4 la kut.... So kena ambik balik her white and black baju, return the blazer and keluarkan balik baju sekolah dia yang i hope i know where i put..... huhu

Pu3 is busy with her Choral Speaking, her first competition will be tomorrow. She's also looking forward to her birthday party this weekend. All my 3 girls have had their birthdays this year. Cepatnyer masa berlalu. Mia is now sweet 16, Anastassia is 14 and Pu3 who has in the recent months blossomed into a young lady is now 11. Zaryff pulak semakin montel... and as maknyer pun put on weight, after exams nanti will start jogging with him..... hehe..... boleh caya ker?

Btw, check out our new bags at Click N Clutch kay..... www.clicknclutch.blogspot.com

Until later....

..

MY POLO Boutique

2010-02-06T21:40:00.000+08:00

Syukur MY POLO Boutique started opening their doors to the public last week. Tapi baru soft launching la. Great opportunity to those yang minat baju Polo and definitely a huge opportunity pada siapa yang nak cari extra income. Yup, we are looking for biz partners, people!

My hubby memang pakar dalam bab2 tshirt ni, so this is his passion. Having had experience supplying for SUKMA, governments, etc tapi yang paling i suka bab2 bila dia menang top sales by sports brands. The best that he won was a 14 day tour for 2 (yup, me included) to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Hawaii. Banyak lagi free trips yg hubby dapat dulu eg Thailand, Philipines, etc....

So now he's venturing into a slightly different biz, although in a way it is similar.

Jom tengok gambar.

MY POLO Boutique

Polo TShirt for both men and females

Lots of colors to choose from

You can customize what logo and designs that you desire

Also available are kids sizes, polo dresses for girls and jubah for muslims

Modern Fit design for Men

Mini Cut design for Ladies

Biz partners wanted! Can generate income!

Zaryff in Modern Fit Joyful Red Polo Tshirt vs Pu3 in Mini Cut Sakura Pink Polo Tshirt.

I have yet to update the pickatee2010 blog. Will let you know once that's done. Meanwhile, whoever is interested, please contact 018-3781800 or 012-363 8363.

Cool Polo Tshirts!

2010-01-11T09:08:00.004+08:00

Pada siapa yang minat polo tshirts.... yang ada nombor2 tu ke, etc, ada lots to choose from, banyak colors, banyak designs and logos available. You can customize it, you can personalize it.

You can either buy, or be part of our biz team. Memang lebat income dia.

Yesterday ada one family of 6 order. Dia nak semua color hijau, tapi hijau yg lain2.... cool sangat. Another family of 4 pun order color red different shades. And i pulak tengah tunggu our family punya color theme.... blue.... yeay.

Those interested, check it out at Pick-a-Tee www.pick-a-tee2010.blogspot.com

Do let me know what you think!

2010 started with a bang!

2010-01-09T14:22:00.003+08:00

The first few days of 2010 was tiring..... Mia left for college after Christmas. But her baju, books and things still banyak kat rumah. So i had to make sure everything is washed, ironed, packed. And hantar kat dia the day before school starts.

Once done, terus pulak siapkan barang Anastassia. Memang rasa nak pengsan sebab kali ni i kononnyer rajin and tak hantar baju ke dobi.... Menyesal tak sudah! SUmpah menyesal!

To make things worst, mengelap and bersihkan locker and katil Mia and Anastassia pun i buat....Something yg i takkan kasik they all buat sebab benda tu berabuk and all. Since the kids pun macam i, allergic to dust, i taknak they get sick pulak. Biar mak dia sakit, tapi anak selesa start belajar kat sekolah....

So after both anak dara's dah settle down kat asrama.... and Pu3 and Zaryff pun dah start gi sekolah... dengan dukacita diumumkan yg HElena terus DEMAM..... hehe dah agakpun....

Now feeling a bit better.... malam tadi i upah myself something yg dari dulu nak buat tapi no time..... tengok AVATAR......

Bestnyer AVATAR.... nasib baik i tengok, if not rugi.... though deep inside i terbayang2 Anastassia yg teringin nak tengok tapi tak sempat nak tengok.... so i feel a bit guilty la....

The house jadi kapal karam bila kids balik for hols.... now dah housekeeping Part 1 and PArt 2..... so tinggal part 3 and part 4..... hehe.

Sambil tu nak start baking again..... want to try out Jamie Olivers punya brownie recipe..... or anyone ada baguz punya brownie recipe? Then nak start buat beads..... and banyak lagi la....

By the way, I dah suka pulak ber biz ni..... Saja2 hehe..... Kali ni biz tshirt.... tshirt nombor2 tu..... boleh customize, logo pun banyak to choose from.... a lot of colors to choose from..... and boleh dapat extra income lagi..... Siapa interested let me know kay.....

I baru tempah 6 tshirts for the whole family. Semua color blue.... tapi semua different type of blue..... Lepas ni nak order all green, different types of greens also (hubby nak) and red (Pu3 punya request)

Siapa nak tau more, i boleh story2 lagi.... ada tshirt, ladies fitting tee, jubah... etc.... mcm-mcm.... and yg bestnyer boleh dapat income tu..... :D

SYUKUR ALHAMDULLILLAH...

2009-12-28T11:35:00.004+08:00

Syukur alhamdullillah my eldest girl Mia dapat 8As in the recent PMR. I am so so happy for her..... syukur sangat-sangat....

In her school 5 orang ajer yg tak dapat straight As...... sayang betul. The school also ranked no1 in SBPs.... and had the best ever results ever produced in PMR history among SBPs.

Will write more after school starts. Now still busy menguruskan hal Mia and Anastassia nak balik asrama.....

Let me close today's posting by menjemput you all ke www.clicknclutch.blogspot.com as we are now having our first SALE!!!

Bersawang lagi....

2009-11-26T12:51:00.006+08:00

Helena mintak maafla sangat2 sebab dah lama tak jenguk sini.

I was busy :

- melayan Anastassia's phone calls day in day out during her final exams.

- merisaukan diri dengan Mia

- konon2nyer busy jugak dengan Pu3 and Zaryff

- did lotsa baking..... namely carrot cakes and blueberry cheese cakes....

- melayan kids yg sibuk nak Helena buat western dishes like chicken chop hari2. Ok la kut compared to makan kat luar and SEMUA order chicken chop..... sekali2 okla tapi kalau selalu..... pokai ler....

- melayan balik baca buku2 twilight, new moon, eclipse and breaking dawn. So jiwang2 la jugak Helena kat rumah dengan Edward Cullen.... hehe

- Buat beadings baju, although dah muak dah buat.....

- Trying to accept the fact that i just turned 40.....argghhh

- Busy with my Click N Clutch.....

- Busy dengan hubby's new project..... he needs my help.

- memeningkan kepala dengan laundries anak2 yg balik bercuti from asrama....

- And now pening kepala nak prepare what to do for Raya esok!!!

SO everyone.... Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha!!!

btw.... Click N Clutch just received Gucci bags last night! So check it out at www.clicknclutch.blogspot.com

Salam...... Helena :D

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

2009-10-31T09:35:00.010+08:00

Anyone interested in authentic designers' items sold at much lower costs compared to the original retail price? All brand new, straight from United Kingdom. I have started my new biz - Click N Clutch. Check it out at www.clicknclutch.blogspot.com. Happy viewing!!

More items to come soon!

Need to rush to KL. See ya!

Congratz Anastassia.....

2009-10-27T07:30:00.008+08:00

October has been an interesting week.

The whole family (minus Mia who is sitting for her PMR) went to Bangsar for the Majlis Anugerah Pelajar Cemerlang Berita Harian 2008. Anastassia received a trophy, RM1000 cash, certificate, lots of PMR books, and Berita Harian Gift Bag.

It was a great experience and a learning one as well especially bila dapat berjumpa dgn top SPM scorers.... (best dapat interview they all :D) however Anastassia was frustrated as Nik Nur Madihah, one of the recipients for SPM category was not present as she is already in Jordan.

Anastassia receiving the trophy

Semoga memberi semangat untuk Anastasia untuk cemerlang dalam PMR 2011.

Last week, Pu3 and Zaryf was so excited. Newspapers coverage for Anastassia and the award recipents (which includes Anastassia's interview) included THEM. hehe. And it came out for THREE days! It was funny to see the younger ones dok excited tengok gambar they all keluar... ;D (gambar mak bapak pun keluar 3 hari tu HAHA) Frens kata dah nak boikot beli paper... tak kuasa nak tengok gambar kita orang..... LOL

The trophy

Syukur Alhamdullillah. It made Syawal this year very very memorable.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

I am now in the midst of starting a new biz online - Selling 100% authentic, luxurious, affordable designers items, like handbags (Anya Hindmarch, Tods, Furla, Gucci, LV, etc) shoes - for men and women (Clarks, etc), household items (Marks and Spencers, Ralph Lauren, etc) and banyak lagi.....

Am busy doing the finishing touches....... so again.... WATCH THIS SPACE yeah?

Until next time.....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My new hobby

2009-10-12T08:37:00.009+08:00

I have a new hobby that keeps me awake till the early hours. Let me share some of em here.

did these just before Raya.... sikit lagi tak sempat for use on 1st day Raya...

my favourite baju now.... ;D

in the middle of sewing this. Planning to add a bit more.

Yesterday morning, the whole family went for a jog. Took pictures after that with our new camera. ;D

I am eagerly waiting for tomorrow. Mia's paper will end at 9:40 am. Dia kata lepas tu terus the whole batch will go watch movie.... hehe... i can imagine they all macam kambing terlepas kandang.... And i can also start raya sakan again, a week before PMR i stopped jalan2 Raya, a friend ajak gi tengok wayang to release stress pn i tak pegi(anak PMR mommies stress huhu...) but tak samapai hati la. Knowing that dia belajar and buat revision kat college, kita pulak nak enjoy. Just couldnt do it. So Tuesday pun macamm merdeka for me la..... hehe

Have a great day everyone!

It's Monday again!

2009-10-01T14:02:00.021+08:00

I'm now actually in the adjusting mood. Trying to adjust my sleeping time after all the Raya sakan..... trying to adjust my eating habits after all the ridiculous binging.... trying to adjust my daily schedule so that apart from doing my Score A biz, i also have time to do research for a new biz (I'm so so excited), have time to bake, have time to learn cook few of my fav recipes, have time to jahit beads on my baju kurungs, have time to jog (ni patut first in list but I'm still in denial hehe) and I have time for the kids.

Am in the mood to let pics tell the story this time.

Anastassia has a new craze - photography. Its a normal scenery to see her in college with her camera in hand, keliling college premises clicking away nature's beauty. She also curi2 take pictures during college functions while on her BWP (Badan Wakil Pelajar) duty, as shown above. She would hand over the pics to the photography club (nope she's not a member) and the club would sell em. And nope that is not her camera. Anastassia posing dengan camera cikgu, while hinting to me..... hehe no way dear.... your own brand new linux would do fine for now.

Pu3 posing at the Aquatic pool. It was a hectic day for her, having to be in a Kalam Jamaie (Choral Speaking Bahasa Arab) in the morning and then to the pool for the Sport Ex*el Inter Club Swimming Competition 2009. Her personal timings in both the breast stroke and butterfly improved esp in butterfly.

Zaryff at the same competition. He also improved his timings esp in breast stroke. Poor Zaryff had a stomach ache just before his butterfly race and refused to swim. Mama had to pujuk and pujuk and even the RM50 bribe pun tak jalan. In the end, he relented and i became RM100 poorer. (Another RM50 for Pu3, she said she deserved it for apa ntah i pun tak ingat) (mana boleh adik dapat, kakak tak dapat is actually the issue.)

Zaryff is the Pengawas Perpustakaan in school. Mama had a hard time scrubbing lengan dia yang hitam every day.... boboy ni pergi sekolah belajar ker, or buat construction work ???

Kalam Jamaie.... Pu3 is 2nd from left, front row.

Anastassia, whom I'm missing right now...

You might notice that there are no new pics of Mia. That girl of mine dah lama tak ambik gambar... kononnya busy sangatla nak prepare for PMR..... arrggghhh PMR is this Wednesday. Do pray for my girl yeah......

Until next time.

Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin

2009-09-26T18:06:00.001+08:00

Helena ingin mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya dan Maaf Zahir Batin kepada semua rakan2 blogger yang mengenali Helena. Mintak maaf jika terkasar bahasa atau terlepas kata, dan minta maaf kerana telah lama menyepi.....

To be truthful, I am enjoying myself as a homemaker to the fullest. So banyakla "things" yang i buat, yang selama ni i tak ada masa nak buat. Baking, cooking, jual/buat kuih raya, jahit beads... housewifey thingys yg my friends pun tak sangka I'm into it.... hehe. I am also spending more time in FB, tu yang jarang ke sini. Thousand apologies to all.

Kids are doing fine, syukur alhamdullillah. Another 2 weeks to go and Mia will sit for her PMR. Please pray that she'll do well. Anastassia won a national level award for Pelajar Cemerlang 2008, majlisnyer would be held soon. Pu3 and Zaryff are being mischievious and adorable at the same time, most of the time challenging my patience ;D

I'll try to update regularly, insyaAllah..... See ya.....

I need sleep!!

2009-07-14T12:17:00.011+08:00

Penatnya lately, i slept around 3 hours aje every night..... dah seminggu macam ni and now dalam proses mengqada' tidur..... hehe

1. Anastassia and her friend taking pictures with Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah, Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi who was proud of their capabilities in emceeing in English at the tender age of 13 in the Closing Ceremony of the Debate MRSM SeMalaysia 2009 which was held early July 2009. Dato' even complimented the 2 girls in the news on TV when he was interviewed by reporters.

2. Badan Wakil Pelajar (BWP) bersama pelajar-pelajar MRSM di tempat Anastassia belajar membaca ikrar untuk belajar bersungguh-sungguh, meninggalkan perbuatan-perbuatan tidak baik untuk menggenggam SPM 91A 2010 dan PMR 8A 2011 di dalam Program Gerak Gemilang MRSM.

Alyssa is most right

Anastassia and other students were asked to stand up before upacara membaca ikrar. Anastassia wearing blazer, most right.

3. In the Taekwondo Competition last week, Pu3 got bronze medal. Kesian, she had to fight a bigger girl who holds a Red 2 Belt! (that girl eventually won the gold) Memang Pu3 kena belasah. All of us, including Pu3 tak sanggup tengok the video.... oo poor girl..... Nak jatuh jantung Helena tengok badan kecil itu di tendang sehingga terduduk ke lantai beberapa kali.... But it was a great fight. Sebab apa tau, sebab Pu3 fought her hardest, didnt even once mengundur, she attacked nonstop, she attacked and dia kejar budak tu.... mmg garang Pu3 in court. That girl had to work hard to win. Everyone cheered for Pu3 for her garangness and determination. Tak padan dengan keciknya. She was not so lucky as she was the lightest in a heavier group.

Last year she won gold, tahun ni bronze and first time dia merasa kena belasah macam tu.... alahai..... cayang anak mama..... (after the fight, belanja her makan kat Delifrance.... hehe... she wanted Spagetti AND lasagna)

Pu3 smiling although I know badan dia still sakit-sakit from the fight

I am now looking forward to meet up with old friends, there's gonna be a mini reunion this weekend and I' sure its gonna be a blast! Yeay!

:D

Busy...... again........

2009-07-04T02:28:00.009+08:00

It was definitely a hectic June for me. And a great one too.

1. Mia's school won the Wind Orchestra 2009. It was a first for me and hubby to see them perform. And boy, was I impressed! Mia's school played beautifully, as was other SBP schools as well..... But obviously Mia's school stood out.... hehe. I was hooked the minute i walked into PICC..... The atmosphere there with all the SBP students looking so chic and gorgeous, i wished i was back in school.... hehe... The semangat sekolah that they have..... boleh buat meremang bulu roma....

I cheered for Mia's school and also for sikit2 for MCKK.... *smile* wakil dear papa who is not well back home. The kolek boys looked handsome and smart their white suit.

They played beautifully.....

It was definitely an evening to remember. Can't wait for next year.

2. Pu3 won an art competition organized by an optical shop. She now has a voucher worth RM480 for a complete set of Swatch frame and high quality lense..... save duit mama.... hehe

3. Anastassia again has made me proud. She was chosen to become one of the 2 emcees in the Final English Debate National Level. During the ceremony, Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah complimented her for being able to do a very good emceeing at Form 1, just like the adults, he said, maybe better than some adults. Later when interviewed on TV, Dato' said he just came back Anastassia's college, and was impressed with how well two 13 year olds were in emceeing an official function. He also said that the girls' english are better than some university lecturers! (Over sikit la pulak pujian tu..... hehe)

Anastassia in her Badan Wakil Pelajar attire

Yesterday Anastassia left for a Leadership Camp and will only return to college late Sunday. I'm a bit worried as i know her homework is not done, revision apa lagi.... sigh... i hope she improves in her time management..... she has to.....

4. Pickup up Zaryff's report card this morning. Turun sikit la results dia and his teacher ada kata that she expects Zaryff to be in the top 10. Belas-belas tak main la. She also said something which really makes my day ....... tapi tak leh share la.... hehe

Just look at the time! Gotta go!

Cerita Ceriti

2009-06-18T07:01:00.004+08:00

I would like to cerita my activities during the hols.

Tapi before that, ceta Anastassia dulu yer. She called yesterday saying that she was chosen to be the MC in the official ceremony in a Kebangsaan Level competition. Sayang sangat as I could not attend, as hubby being my driver has business meetings in Sabah at that time.... hmm... So Anastassia.... pronounciation biar betul... and clear okay. Her male MC partner is a Form 4 boy, and of course its an honour for Anastassia to be chosen since dia baru Form 1.... selalunya seniors yg get chosen utk benda2 macam ni kan....

Ok ceta holiday. We did not go anywhere sebab Mia nak PMR and she needs all the rest time yg ada.... kat sekolah schedule packed 24/7.

Pu3 dok sibuk suruh i dok baking..... okla so cuti ni i spend a lot of time in the kitchen la. Mula2 buat cupcakes..... Pu3 punya idea la ni..... she's supposed to be my helper. Tapi in the middle of preparing for the dough, Zaryff kacau Pu3, Pu3 got moody and merajuk somewhere in the house, puas i pujuk tapi tak jalan, tengok2 i ada another young helper, si Zaryff la pulak.... hmmm suka pulak dia tolong i..... okla biar my boy blajar ringan tangan in the kitchen ...hehe

The cupcakes turn out beautifully, for a first timer la.... hehe hubby pun beriya puji.... dia suruh buat lagi sebab nak tolong decorate.... tapi tunggu ler yer....

Then Pu3 suruh i buat chocolate chip cookies pulak. aii budak ni.....ok la jugak, boleh buat extra so that Mia and Anastassia can bring back some to college. i kata ok, dengan syarat, no moody2 and she must be my helper from start to end. And she did.... this time zaryff pulak yg moody coz dia nak tolong, tapi my mom suruh dia ngaji dulu.... sigh.....

So dapat 8 balang cookies..... 1 balang kasi neighbour, 2 balang each for Mia and Anastassia, 3 balang gone the same day kena attack by the kids....

But in the end, Mia brought back 1 balang aje.... Anastassia brought back 1/2 balang, coz ada aje tangan yg gatal ambik stock kakak2 ni, termasuk la si kakak sendiri hehe.... padahal puas Helena sorok tu... hehe.

Actually ramai yg suruh Helena jual choc chips ni sebab sedap.... yup my children actually called it "Famous Amos Mama" ....hehe.... nampaknya i kena buat lagi la daripada they all beli Famous Amos tu... selalunya beli 3 kg..... RM21.... hmm tak berbaloi since my recipe is almost similar to it..... maybe la Raya ni i buat lebih sikit..... nak jual.... maybe, maybe tapi tak sure lagi.....

Lepas tu Mia mintak i buat Italian pasta pulak.... mmm. Went to JJ nak beli cream.... What?? RM22 sekotak? The last time i buat early this year was only RM14.... gile betul la......... Memang the kids enjoyed it, and suruh i buat again the next day sebab ada orang datang rumah, and rezeki the visitors tu la kan.... hehe.....

Pu3 came back yesterday with her exam results. Syukur she got no3 in aliran. Actually i did not expect much because in april/may she was absent from class most of the time sebab demam off and on. Dalam 30 hari, dia datang sekolah dalam 16 hari aje. Then my dad masuk hospital and his condition was a bit disturbing, so i mmg tak pandang langsung the kids punya preparation, i wasnt at home much pun sbb jaga my dad at the hospital. Bila kat rumah pun, takda mood nak ngadap anak exam, yela kepala serabut pikir my dad ... tak kuasa nak layan kids for exam. But i bersyukur, Score A did the job la.... It was no hassle at all suruh kids buat Score A, as the program it self is like fun and games. Takda macam belajar pun to them.

Zaryff's results tak tau lagi but so far so good. So should be okayla. I ingat lagi dulu, for the kids to get good results, Helena yg kena all out sit with them esp Zaryff . Tapi now with Score A, tak payah buat macam tu lagi, and the results pun still very good. I like! hehe..... lagi relax la Helena *grin*

Opss gotta go.... need to do my ironing....

My Anastassia!

2009-06-09T10:07:00.014+08:00

Time is just running out on me..... for the holidays i mean..... it flies so fast..... *sigh*.......

Mia came back home on the last day of school. Mia sorang ajer balik, Anastassia tak balik because she was at Malacca for a Kebangsaan Level Competition ~ She was there to compete in the Ol*mp*ad KAT1 2009 MRSM seMalaysia.

Last Tuesday, went to pick her up. Rupanya closing ceremony tak habis lagi.... I sneaked at the back of the hall, during the speech by Pengarah Bahagian Pendidikan. I tried to scan the hall, kut2 nampak kelibat Anastassia. Suddenly hubby said, hey isnt that Anastassia at the podium kat depan tu? Cant be, i know Anastassia demam during the entire competition and for the outdoor competition, cikgu keluarkan nama dia bec badan dia panas sgt and batuk2 nonstop.....

I punyala tenung that girl..... ada rupa Anastassia, but why the heck is she at the podium tempat MC? I tenung and tenung.... then this girl ambik mineral water and teguk..... and YUP! thats Anastassia alright..... its well known tat if dia minum air mineral, sebijik macam atok dia.... setiap pergerakan dia tu..... hehe....

Anastassia, first time MCing in a Kebangsaan function

Rupanya masa competition at MRSM TGB, the teachers observed the participants..... and dalam banyak2 pelajar tu ..... around 250 students..... Anastassia was chosen by the judges to become the MC (in english) for the official closing ceremony, alongside a boy from MRSM KKB. During their speeches, En Md Rahim Salim, Pengarah Bahagian Pendidikan commended on her good command of english, whilst Dato' Seri Idris Jusoh said that Anastassia reminded him of Wan Zaleha Radzi. Way to go, girl!!!

And to put icing on top.... Anastassia and her team was the champion!!! Everyone was so happy and jumping for joy..... Memang her college sapu bersih hadiah2 tu...... hehe.... i was so happy for them..... and ada dengar comments from teachers from other colleges complimenting the team for conversing in English most of the time during the competition....

Anastassia with the championship trophy

Their college had a great team.... thats for sure.

After the function, I saw Anastassia's collegemates berkumpul and did their cheers. I did not see Anastassia. Puas la cari, rupa2nya she was being whisked away to be introduced to Dato Seri Idris Jusoh. Lama jugak Dato Seri interviewed Anastassia.

All in all, it was a great start to a great holiday..... dont you think so?

:D

Just can't wipe the smile off my face

2009-05-26T21:43:00.003+08:00

Papa is still weak after being discharged from the hospital. Hopefully he gets his strength back soon.

It was a happy week for me. It started with the reunion yg macam jejak kasih.... and I'm happy that my dad can finally put a closure to it. Syukur alhamdullillah. Waiting for the day to come really brought jitters to me...... but in the end it gave me the smile and that smile i bet is going to be there for a while.

Zaryff had his mid terms last week, Pu3 is having hers this week. First time exam tak serentak..... best betul..... i can concerntrate on each child ..... yela tu..... thanks to Score A, the kids did their revision on their own and without having me to nag. Last week, Pu3 attempted the assessment exam and got in the Top100 students list for science ..... and Zaryff punyala jealous, he attacked the questions for 3 hours nonstop sampaila dia pun dapat masuk the Top100. When i checked the next day, i saw that he did almost 500 questions that night!! hehe i tak suruh pun, dia yang buat on his own initiative.... i like it that the questions is made in such a way, kids rasa challenged, just like as if they all main game, nak go to higher levels.... again minimum supervision but results insyaAllah tops.

Yesterday Zaryff naik pangkat in his Taekwondo..... dapat Green Belt. Finally.... hehe.....

Mia called, she sounded happy, which is good considering now tengah exam.....

Anastassia called just now saying that she was chosen for to attend a program (peringkat Kebangsaan) during the school hols. I am so so happy as I know that its not easy to get selected. I hope the preparation for this program would be done after her exams.

Cant wait to see Mia this Friday and Anastassia next week!! Happy Holidays everyone!!!!

Hi................

2009-05-10T15:05:00.003+08:00

Sorry for the long silence. Most of my time was spent to be with my dad who is still in the hospital, uruskan whatever necessary at the house while trying to handle 2 very active kids at home and trying to be a mom via phone to my 2 teenagers.

Helena sekarang ni tengah kerinduan..... I miss Anastassia so so much.... Dia boleh balik for the weekend but I told her tak payah, since she just came back from Penang and Kuala Lipis back to back and i just want her to rest in college. Nak suruh dia slow down in koko esp since dia dah wakil college in Public Speaking and Taekwondo. And now pulak preparing for her debate. She's also off and on chosen to be the MC during school functions.... ....in both BM or English....something which i really like her to be exposed in, besides debating. She now needs to crack her books esp since she missed so many classes already.

When I met her last Friday , she looks so cute and mature in her badan wakil pelajar attire. Nampak independent sangat dia. I'm so happy for her there as she's being exposed to a lot of things there, hilang ralat Helena that she could not be in the same school as Mia, although she was in the Pengetua's quota, although dah tau sapa should be her CS, although dah tau she'll be in Yellow house,.... its just not meant to be. Opps macam telepathy pulak.... she just called..... hehe.... but just a short one.

Have been waiting for Mia to call, bertuah budak tu sunyi sepi aje......

Zaryff attended a Kem Kepimpinan Pengawas last week, Pu3 and her team got 3rd placing for choir, lost to chinese schools as expected, but i was taken aback by how good the choir team was. Much2 better compared to previous years.... Janji ada improvement.... ok la tu....

Life is hectic and challenging at the moment. Yela, risaukan my dad la, what else.... Ingat senang ke jadi the only child..... banyak responsibilities tau..... esp at times like these............. Syukur he's improving and Nasib baik ada The Biggest Loser to calm my nerves..... hilangla tension esp since benda tu aired every day....

Ha? telepathy lagi? Mia just called. hehe.... so chiao....

Still busy..........

2009-04-13T15:28:00.008+08:00

I predict a busy week ahead.

Mia came back last week for a 5 day holiday. Somehow time flies, whatmore with ferrying papa to and fro to the hospital. Tengok-tengok dah kena send her back to college. Sigh........

Papa is still not well. He worries himself over petty things, which would worsen his condition..... I guess it is true when they say that doctors make the worst patient.

I miss Anastassia so much..... I know she's overwhelmed with a lot of things..... I wish I can visit her, at least can give support but with papa like this, I just cant. She just came back from her Public Speaking competition, in which she lost to her Form 3 opponents. Tiba aje college she had to do her Campaigning Speech. Her college buat Pilihanraya untuk pilih prefects for one week.... and Anastassia was only around masa 2 days, Saturday she gave her Speech, and Sunday called me after all the votes came in saying that she got it! Ada 2 aje tempat for Form 1 and she got it! It seems that she was also chosen by her teachers to be in the Disciplinary Board.... but since she got the prefects thingy, so automatic she cant accept la. It might be interesting to see which portfolios she'll be heading. I'm sure its the easy ones coz seniors sure ambik portfolios yg besar2....

Mmm...... kena beli baju baru la ni..... sebab prefects pakai baju color lain....

She's so active in college that I fear for her exams end of the month. Nasib baik her Taekwondo competition up north will be after the exams. Anastassia? Taekwondo? Mia asked. Hehe.... She's in Bowling Club, but I guess because of the color of her belt in Taekwondo, Sir import dia untuk wakil college kut. First time la ni for her.

Pu3 is excited with her coming Choir Competition this Wednesday. I hope they are able to squeeze through the State Levels. Chinese schools memang terror bab choir ni...

Oh..... did i tell you that I'm wearing my new specs now? Hubby chose the design for me. When I reached home, I asked Pu3 and Zaryff.

Me : "Cantik tak mama pakai specs baru?"

Pu3 and Zaryff : "Cantik..... "

Me : "Betul ke?"

Pu3 and Zaryff : "Betul mama.... cantik......"

Me : "Mana lagi cantik, mama pakai contacts ke... pakai specs?"

Pu3 and Zaryff : ~no answer~

Me : "eh cakapla kat mama.... mama nak tau...."

Pu3 and Zaryff : "pakai contacts lenses mama......" they answered very softly.

Sigh..... maknanya I'do better buy some lenses for functions ke, weddings ker..... mmmm......

Just not in the mood

2009-04-05T17:36:00.004+08:00

I'm feeling down at the moment, so I'm just not in the mood.

I accidently poke my eye last week. and therefore had to forgo my contacts and wear my glasses instead. Burukla pulak nampaknya my specs tu. I guess i need to make a new one, esp now that I'm thinking seriously of using the specs 24/7. Takkan sampai tua pakai contacts kut.....

I'm worried of Papa. I hope he'll cheer up and not worry too much.

I'm worried about Anastassia too.... sigh..... she's a worrier like her Atok too..... and like me also, if I may admit.

Pu3 and Zaryff bergaduh is getting to my nerves..... They are getting too much, I just cant stand it. Tak berhenti2 shrieking and shouting, bila kita kasi warning pun, buat donno aje.... sigh..... Jangan tunggu Helena naik hantu sudah!

okla..... i better stop before i naik angin kat sini.... hehe

After the hols

2009-03-27T21:01:00.004+08:00

My 2 girls are back at college. Mia went back a day earlier due to band practice. Anastassia went back on Sunday and was eager to get back to her new found friends. Hmmm.... Anastassia is such an independent.... more than Mia I might say.......

I'm waiting for Mia to call. Tak tau the exact time to come tomorrow for the English Drama. Anastassia called but as usual it was a very2 short call. Just to let me know that she will be representing her college for Public Speaking and had to let go of her spot in Choral Speaking as both competitions will be held on the same day.

Pu3 is enjoying her Choir practice, competition will be in April but dont know at which school. Zaryff pulak happy as he had improved tremondously in his March exam after jatuh during finals exams last year. (Banyaklah upah yg dia mintak tu) Pu3 punya results okay but can be better, positioning in aliran still tak tau lagi. Masa last March exams I was busy with a lot of things, so for the first time I did not prepare Zaryff and Pu3 for their exams. I totally relied on Score A. Minimun supervision with results that put a smile on my face....... I like!

My dad was just discharged from the hospital. Its great to see him being his old self again.... well almost. There's still the decision he needs to make. I love him so much...... he worries too much that its affecting his health...... sigh.....

Its back to routine life now that school reopens. I'm still not used to having just 2 kids at home.... rasa macam I have too much time in my hands..... hehe..... (shhh dont tell hubby that).

Well, what else.... takde idea nak tulis apa.... KJ won, Rafidah lost, Muhyiddin won, my ex classmate won...... have yet to send my washing machine for repair..... gained 3 kg last week and I'm trying to lose it again...... and more......

Things that keep me energized are Heroes, Greys Anatomy, American Idol, American Greatest Dog (I know..... dont ask me why), Desperate Housewives and The Biggest Loser.... to name a few...

test

2009-03-27T20:54:00.000+08:00

test...... cant seem to publish post for the last few days.........

My babies are back!!

2009-03-16T13:57:00.004+08:00

I was really looking forward for March 13, the days my babies tua would be coming home for the holidays...

It was a tiring day as later in the day we had to rush to a cousin's house for Birthday BBQ. The food was superb. I attacked the grilled chicken wings, Mia enjoyed the lamb chops and grilled tiger prawns, Pu3 the meatball spaggetti, Zaryff was into the home made sausages and onion bread and Anastassia? All of the above plus fried rice..... hehe. We tapaued home some left over Big Apple donuts and yeah you guessed it right. Yours truly put on weight although I did not take any rice that night.... Sigh............ mmmm.... but who cares right? haha.........

We're just going to stay at home during the hols. Mia wants to study and just enjoy the time at home, Anastassia wants to prepare for her Public Speaking competition. All the kids have homework, anyway ...... and swimmings lessons.... taekwondo...... Basically we just want to have a quiet week among ourselves.... I can see that the younger kids missed their kakaks a lot.... well I missed them to and what i want to do is just to snuggle up next to them on the sofa.

Mia started reading her books almost immediately after we reached home. Her exam results has improved and I am so happy for her. PMR would be in October and I can see the determination in her eyes to get straight As. She talked a lot about the SPM results which was announced recently... the joys of her seniors who got straight A1s and the tears of frustration of some who missed getting straight As just bec of a B. We discussed about Madihah, the Kelantanese girl whose day to day life brought tears to my eyes. How with having so little to begin with..... she determined to aim so high academically.... and she clutched it! And how the success open doors to her.... and also to her family.....

Anastassia is more responsible now, she seems like a new person in a way. Dia dah berhijrah, syukur alhamdullillah and I need to buy more long sleeve tshirts for her. "Mesti labuh tau mama, tutup punggung....." she reminded me. Ni baru balik from sending her to her friend, Jol*n*'s house to hip hop for a few hours..... hehe.... thats my Anastassia....

I also noticed that Mia and Anastassia are getting closer..... actually it started last dec holidays. The girls were never close dari kecik, due to different personalities..... and also due to jealousy amongst them. So its nice to see them giggle together, wink when they dont think that I'm looking, (maknanya ada secret la tu....) share stories, even share things......

These next few days would be fun......

Conversations with the kids

2009-03-10T07:28:00.003+08:00

Conversations with the kids.

Mia : Mama, bestnya kita camping. I loved it so much! The mountain climbing was fun but tiring la...

Helena : Good for you. But how come you sound different? Flu? Demam?

Mia : Flu la Mama.... and you know what? I sprained my ankle before the camp. Blue black Mama.

Helena : Huh? And you panjat gunung??? You must be joking?!?

Mia : Takla Mama. Because of the exercises and all, my ankle became much better.

Helena : Biar betul.. Ada ke macam tu. How's the ankle now?

Mia : It feels much better now.... Just a bit of swelling je....

Hmmm..... Bukannya boleh percaya Mia ni. Nasib baik her medication still ada. Mia is allergic to several painkillers so memang she has her own medication on standby.

Anastassia : Hi Ma.... Its me.

Helena : Hi Anastassia..... how are you?

Anastassia : I'm okay. Preparing to go to Surau.

Helena : You sound so tired. Are you sure you're ok?

Anastassia : Ok la Mama. Penat la but I'm okay.....

Helena : Are you sure? Risau la Mama dengar.....

Anastassia : I' m ok Mama. Dont worry about me ok? I'm fine.

Helena : Anastassia.... Janji dengan Mama..... Ahad ni, Isnin ni cuti..... Get as much sleep as possible okay.... Tidur banyak2......

Anastassia : Ok Mama...

Alahai...... Anastassia ni.... kalau tak cukup tidur, memangla she becomes weak.... i hope she gets that mcuh needed sleep.... (Hmmm kat rumah selalu Helena leter dia if asyik tidur aje.....)

Pu3 : Mama, must I go and collect Kakak Anastassia's UPSR award on her behalf tomorrow?

Helena : Yes Pu3. We have talked about this kan?

Pu3 : Ala Mama... Kita taknak la.... nanti orang pandang.....

Helena : Eh... buat macam biasa la.... macam awak naik stage selalu tu....

Pu3 : Taknak la Mama..... Mama..... kalau kakak Anastassia takde adik, sapa yang kena ambik kan?

Helena : Mama la kena ambik....

Pu3 : Ha! Mama la ambik.......

Helena : Mama taknakla naik stage.... Tahun ni Mama nak low profile....

Pu3 : Ala Mama..... Mama kan dah kurus..... Mama la naik stage....

Aiiii budak ni..... terkedu jugak nak jawab..... But in the end I managed to coax her to receive the UPSR award on Anastassia's behalf.

Helena : Ha! Kan boleh tu!

Pu3 : Mama! Kita dah dapat anugerah UPSR... Yeay! Kita tak payah abik UPSR nanti!!..... hehe...

It was getting late.... Zaryff was watching TV with me, I was like surfing the channel kat bahagian Info.

Zaryff : Eh Mama. Pergi balik kat channel 107.

Helena : Ada apa?

Zaryff : Ada satu cerita tu..... lama..... Cerita tu... kita nampak kan.... start pukul 1am sampai la 7am.....

I flipped to Ch107 and this is what I saw.

CH107 Transmission Ends 1:00 am - 7:00 am

Zaryff : Mesti cerita tu best kan Mama..... sebab cerita panjang2 selalu best.....

Busy as a Bee!

2009-03-04T07:47:00.003+08:00

This week is so hectic for me. It's so hectic, sampaikan i could not sit down with both Pu3 and Zaryff to prepare for the March exam which is ongoing at the moment. First time ni Helena tak help them prepare.... alahai.... infact i had to bring both of them kehulu kehilir ikut i...... sigh..... buang masa betul. I hope they would do well....

Anastassia is enjoying college life. I can still visualise her that day masa nak mendaftar, tak senang duduk dia dalam kereta..... The house memang dah sunyi. So begini la rasanya jaga anak 2 orang..... much easier to handle.... hehe. Tapi siap la cuti sekolah kan..... mesti riuh when the 2 kakaks balik rumah. Cant wait for 13 march.

Zaryff did well in the swimming competition..... I'm proud of him. Of course tak dapat medal... Those who won are state swimmers..... Maybe in 2 years time?

Last Monday, Pu3 was selected to go to UKM for the Program Permata Pintar Negara. Only the best students of the school was selected to go. The program was launched by Datin Seri Rosmah. Some of her friends was on TV and in the papers..... Pu3 kata she was the smallest (and youngest) there.... so reporters tak nampak dia... hehe. She was so amused that she had to sit for an IQ exam together with the Form 3 SAS boys and SDARians. "Kita buat exam yang sama dengan budak2 SBP, mama!" Pu3 said, amused and proud betul dia.

I cant wait for Friday. Wanna know why? So that the guilt of not preparing the kids for exam goes away..... Apa ni.... dah duduk rumah full time pun tak dapat monitor exams anak? hehe.... tension tau if i pikir macam tu.... And all my things to do pun will be settled by then. So after friday boleh la start spend time with the kids, kemas rumah, jogging, etc.....

Really look forward to it.

Back to the Blogging World... yeay.....

2009-02-20T03:10:00.002+08:00

It has been a while hasnt it?

So many things happened around the same time that I just needed time out. Life is a bit different for me now, but hey I'm not complaining. Infact I'm enjoying it. All the worrying before, mmm.... buang masa aje..... hehe...

I was retrenched in December. It was a big blow to me although I knew that sales demand has been low for quite sometime. For the first time since i finished my studies almost 20 years ago, I am jobless. I felt numb. I felt so small. And I would never ever thought that the feeling would disappear in just 2 days! hehe..... thanks to hubby for the emotional support. I also made the decision that this is it. Early retirement for me.... yeay.... I'm just not in mood to start over at a new place, AND especially knowing that it would be a miracle to get a job 5 minutes away from home and with the same salary that I used to enjoy.

Ah, baik duduk rumah, enjoy melayan the kids... and then kebetulan something came along, and since its related to education, memang i minat sangat2 although I'm not the type who would cari income like this. I'm doing it part time, so adalah jugak extra income. But the most important thing is I love doing it because its education related...

Now ni tengah terasa sangat that having 4 kids ni sebenarnya takla ramai sangat. The house seems a bit bigger, rumah macam sunyi aje. Only me, hubby, Pu3 and Zaryff aje at home. Yeap, Anastassia dapat masuk boarding school. I am so happy for her. Having said that, bab nak masuk asrama ni is a nightmare to me. I am still sore about it, so less said about it the better. Incase you're wondering, its a technical issue.... just because she got more than one offer. Okay nak tutup buku la.... but she is so so lucky to get that school. Fullstop. Taknak cakap pasal benda ni la... for now la..... hehe

Zaryff is now in the midst of competing in the State level Swimming Competition. Since its his first, I do not expect any medal. Pu3 could not compete although she was eligible. Her school malas nak buat pemilihan and just ambik budak-budak tahun lepas. Good la.... macam ni ke Cluster School? Pu3 was very frustrated, kesian dia.

Pu3 ada Art competition this Saturday. She's also busy practicing with her Choir Group. So at least tak terasa sangatla pasal hal swmming tu.

I started on a diet 2 weeks ago. I tak makan nasi..... kalau teringin sangat i jamah sikit la..... So far I gave lost 6 kg..... ok tak? hehe.... so another few kgs to go for my desired weight. I hope i tak fail and gained back the weights i lost. It did happen before tau.... So nak buang nafsu makan i ni jauh2..... hehe

Read that some of you bloggers met up yer..... Jealousnya!!!!!

The Waiting Game Part 2

2008-12-02T08:17:00.003+08:00

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

2008-11-21T08:14:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-11-17T08:51:00.004+08:00

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

2008-11-13T13:49:00.002+08:00

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

2008-11-12T13:59:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-10-24T08:58:00.004+08:00

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!

2008-10-20T09:12:00.003+08:00

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!!!

2008-10-16T08:29:00.005+08:00

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

2008-10-08T15:07:00.004+08:00

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

2008-10-07T08:13:00.000+08:00

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

Selamat Hari Raya!!!

2008-10-06T08:40:00.005+08:00

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 ........

2008-09-29T09:39:00.003+08:00

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

2008-09-24T10:12:00.006+08:00

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

2008-09-22T08:37:00.003+08:00

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.

2008-09-16T15:48:00.004+08:00

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

2008-09-11T09:30:00.003+08:00

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!

2008-09-09T10:48:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-04T09:49:00.005+08:00

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

2008-09-02T13:13:00.005+08:00

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.....

2008-08-25T11:09:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-19T13:25:00.008+08:00

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

2008-08-08T08:32:00.009+08:00

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

2008-08-01T08:29:00.003+08:00

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

2008-07-25T08:59:00.003+08:00

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

2008-07-21T08:32:00.007+08:00

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.....

2008-07-15T08:48:00.006+08:00

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.....

2008-07-07T09:36:00.008+08:00

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!

2008-07-04T08:41:00.008+08:00

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!

2008-06-30T08:32:00.007+08:00

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!

2008-06-23T10:09:00.002+08:00

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

2008-06-18T08:12:00.019+08:00

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.

2008-06-11T08:29:00.002+08:00

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....

2008-06-02T08:29:00.003+08:00

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

2008-05-29T08:30:00.003+08:00

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

2008-05-23T08:33:00.004+08:00

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......

2008-05-20T08:49:00.009+08:00

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

2008-05-16T08:59:00.002+08:00

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.....

2008-05-14T08:38:00.007+08:00

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!"

2008-05-12T08:29:00.005+08:00

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

2008-05-08T08:26:00.002+08:00

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......

No more Mr Nice Guy?

2008-05-05T08:19:00.003+08:00

"No more Mr. Nice Guy." I told the kids.

Frustrated by the findings of Zaryff's incomplete homework and sloppy schoolwork, Puteri and Zaryff's nonstop bickering and Anastassia's "I've yet to finish my school and tuition homework"...... i've decided that enough is enough.

I have realized for sometime now that I should be stricter with the kids. Located the rattan and kept it near me most of the weekend. I dont believe in caning at all, however lets just say that it has been used once on Saturday, and I dont feel guilty about it....

The headaches from Labour Days still persists.

Our neighbour's son got married and the bersanding ceremony was on Sunday. Our house compound became the parking ground for several royalties and their police riders, much to the amusement of Zaryff. Several high profile politicians were also present..... its kind of interesting to see them after the March 8 tsunami.....

I think I had a cendol too many...... hehe.....

Not in the mood entry

2008-04-29T10:32:00.002+08:00

I'm not in the mood today. I'm feeling much better, exzema and gatal2 dah tinggal sikit. No more fever. Tapi entah kenapa tak ada mood. My hormons dah tunggang langgang kut.... hehe

Hubby is now at Zaryff's school. (Last week pun he went to see Zaryff's teacher) Zaryff seems to have problems doing his homework, and since it Agama, we cant help much because tak faham baca tulisan cacing kerawit dia. It seems that Zaryff has joined the "playful" group this year, so tak concerntratela dalam class. "He was not like this last year" the Ustazah told my husband last week.

Semalam pun dia buat hal, so I asked hubby to see the Ustazah again, once and for all. Hubby macam berat nak pergi, but I was adamant. "We have to settle this early in the year, before it becomes a habit" I said. I hope hubby dapat selesaikan today, if not Helenala kena mengadap pulak....

I feel bad dengan Pu3. Anastassia, Pu3 and Zaryff has been giving me headaches last weekend, tapi Pu3 yang kena teruk from me. I feel bad because she was the least yang buat hal. But just because she did not clear up her school books when I tengah naik darah, she had to endure my naik hantu. Mmm.... masa nak tidur, Pu3 came to me as she always did every night "Good night, Mama....... Assalammualaikum, Mama......." and cium tangan. But malam tu, she also gave me a very-very long hug." Guilty sangat Helena. I really felt bad.

Yesterday, I nak manja-manjakan dia. But since a bit hectic with house work, I sort of neglected her la jugak. Balik ni, the first thing I want to do is dukung dia and just hold her in my arms......

Cant wait for petang ni....

Photos - new ones, old ones. Part 2.

2008-04-24T12:26:00.013+08:00

Helena still tak ada mood nak tulis, although ada idea nak tulis tentang what I come across after visiting one the Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP) masa pergi tengok Mia punya Choral Speaking State Level few days ago.

So photos lagi la yer.....

Anastassia during her Khatam Quran last December..... Syukur Alhamdullillah...... Unlike Mia, in which we all siap buat majlis macam orang nak bertunang, Anastassia wanted to do it at rumah Ustazah, amongst her mengaji friends.....

Semasa Majlis Khatam Quran Anastassia.... Alamak, your tudung tak betul la, Pu3..... Mama pulak sibuk nak ambik gambar..... agih-agihkan food pack...... mmmm..... cian my princess...

Dah selesai, Majlis Khatam Quran, Zaryff sempat give his "monster look". Suka sangat dia buat muka macam ni.....

Anastassia with her best friend since std3. Although this friend of hers dah move to Klang, and then migrated to Australia last year, they still keep in touch via e-mail. Her visits back to Malaysia (twice a year) tak sah kalau tak jumpa. Its a must for them which either me or her mom will make it a point for the girls to meet up and have their girly-girly talk..... By the way, she won last year's Public Speaking Kebangsaan Level .... dahsyat tu menang at std 5, selalunya yang menang budak std 6.....

A nice girl, i was a bit heart broken when she moved away as Anastassia was really attached to her (and vice versa).

Mia and Anastassia. Bezanya hanya 2 tahun tapi kakak tu maturenya lebih sangat. Adik pulak lambat mature.... so buat masa ini, both of them tak siring sejalan lagi.... hehe.... tapi dalam pada tu, pandai they all keep secrets between them.... Haha..... kan dah kantoi dah dengan mama dia dah.....

Mia, preparing for nasyid. Ada competition apa entah. However, they won the 1st prize. As usual Mia is one of the solo singers.... Aii Mia, is that lipstick and blusher I see on your face..... haha. Elokla tu, konon tak hingin pakai bedak pagi2.... bila nak perform kan dah kena paksa..... elok sangat la tu...

Mia's collection of teddy bears in college. Ini baru this year punya collection.... presents from her seniors. Tak Helena sangka, masuk sekolah menengah..... she is obsessed with teddy bears..... Ingatkan dah takde budak kecik kat rumah, takdela soft-toy2 macam ni..... aii, macam2 kids nowadays.

Yesterday, Zaryff came home from school and complained to me.

"Mama, my teacher scolded me today" he said, looking at me for sympathy.

"Why, what happened" I asked.

"Zaryff tak lancar Sifir" he said, monyok muka dia.

"Why tak lancar?" I asked, and it came to my mind that I have yet to coach him on his timetable.

"Cikgu marah sebab I did not memorize my 4 time table" Zaryff explained.

"La.... kenapa tak ingatkan mama suruh ajar Zaryff?" I asked, feeling a bit guilty.

"Ala mama, Zaryff kan dah lancar Sifir 1..... cukup la tu...." he said.

"What? Sifir 1? Sifir 1 buat apa? Semua orang memang tau Sifir 1 macamana" I said.

"Eh, mama... Sifir 1 pun susah tau..... tapi Zaryff dah lancar... OKla tu...." Zaryff said, so proud of himself.

Mmmmm..........

Photos - new ones, old ones. Part 1.

2008-04-21T11:57:00.014+08:00

I'm not in the mood to write, so let me share some pictures, some old... some new..... and let the pictures tell its own story.

This was taken some time back. Mia is now a Taekwondo Black Belt, Anastassia a Red Belt. However this is the only picture that I have of all of the kids in their Taekwondo outfit together.

Pu3 doing her split during a demo on Sports Day. She's good at her spilts, so much so that she was even asked by her Master to show her Black Belt seniors on how to do a perfect split during a senior class Taekwondo training! (which she is not in but she was at the centre tunggu her kakaks training)

Pu3 during Sports Day Taekwondo demo. Dia kena pecah papan dengan tangan. Anastassia also had to kick the papan into 2, tapi gambar dia tak ada sebab acara pecah papan ni diadakan secara serentak.

Anastassia, the Sports Captain of Rumah Kuning.

"Shhhh.... dont let Mama know that I'm using the laptop......"

Anastassia updating her Friendster...... I wonder whether she has finished her homework..... mmmm.....

Mia with her best friend, who is a fifth former from her previous school. This Taekwondo champ came to see Mia during the English Drama Competition which was held recently at college.

Anastassia, most left second row, doing one of her solo parts, in the State Level Choral Speaking Competition in which they got 1st.

Anastassia, seated most left, during the Bahas Competition which was held in March. She was the best debator.

Sweet Pu3 and boboy Zaryff during the trip to A Famosa.

Hope you guys enjoy the pictures......

Allergy Attacks

2008-04-16T08:40:00.003+08:00

I have been allergic to prawns since I was 18 years old, and allergic to dust after I delivered Mia. However most of the attacks mostly caused me to have itchiness, sometimes, fever, sometimes flu. Only one occassion that it became so bad, masa tu kat KLCC that i kena masuk oxygen. At that time I was 5 months pregnant with Zaryff.

I always tell my friends, kalau I pergi rumah they all, and I started to sneeze nonstop, maknanya rumah they all berabuk la tu.... hehe

In November last year, we went back to MIL's house tidur overnight. Our room kat rumah MIL memang strictly our roomla, maknanya, no one will stay there if kita orang tak balik. I guess since everyone was busy with the kenduri we were having there, MIL and myself pun tak vacuum the room. The next morning, I woke up with very bad flu and nonstop sneezing, the same goes to Mia (who is also allergic to dust) and Anastassia selsema sikit2. However, the kids selsema sekejap aje, but in my case, without realizing it, I kena allergic attack yang amat teruk.

I had fever the next day and the rashes came. Then eczema, then gegata covering my entire thigh area. And I started scratching until it bled. And yes, I'm still having it now. Dah 5 months. I've had antibiotics, I've had numerous injections, and yes it disappeared, well a bit before it came back again, this time at other areas.

Sigh.

OK, malas nak ceta pasal allergy ni, let me update about the kids.

Anastassia and her team won the Choral Speaking State Level. They will now compete in the Kebangsaan Level which will be held in Trengganu. Hmmm.... I hope it doesnt clash with her UPSR trials.

Mia's school will compete in the Choral Speaking State Level anytime soon. Just found out that one of the school competing will be her "to be school", if dia tak masuk boarding school. And the girls representing choral speaking for that school will be her old choral speaking friends, the same girls she travelled to Kelantan and Perak for the Sekolah Rendah Choral Speaking National Level. Hmmm... tough fight la nanti.

Mia came back for the weekend last week. I remembered jotting down that she has improved attitude-wise in her studies few weeks ago. Ada semangat nak belajar compared to last year. Well, her change was a nice suprise. However, I was caught off guard with the 'new" Mia last Friday. She started to crack her books the minute she reached home. And she barely stopped.

"Banyak sangatke homework?" I asked her.

"Tinggal sikit ni, dah nak habis" Mia said.

Helena just tengok aje perkembangan terbaru ni. She didnt even glance at her laptop! Selalunya she would check her Friendster dulu. The next day I asked her again.

"Tak habis lagi ke homework Mia? Kata semalam sikit aje" I busybody tanya.

"Dah habis dah. Semalam lagi dah habis" Mia said.

"Habis, buat apa lagi tu?" I asked, memang Helena curious.

"Mama, I'm doing my notes. Ni baru chapter 3 tau, I have another 4 chapters tau. Form 1 punya syllabus belum buat revision lagi. Lepas ni nak baca Sejarah pulak, lepas tu Kemahiran Hidup, Science lagi. Geog? Maths latih tubi? Melambak2 chapters nak cover tau. Next year dah PMR, next month mid-term, mama ingat Mia sempat ke nak cover semua? Time cuti ni la Mia nak cuba cover ni" Mia explained in one breathe.

Wow, this is the first time I see her attack her books macam ni. Tapi naik rimas pulak. Ajak tengok TV pun dia decline..... However, Helena harap semangatnya yang berkobar2 itu akan stay sampai bila-bila. (Tapi sebelum balik tu, dia tetap berfriendster dgn kawan2.... hehe) Dan Helena harap, Anastassia dapat tempias semangat kakaknya to prepare for her UPSR. Which is 4 months away.............. Argh..............

Rush here... Rush there....

2008-04-08T08:06:00.003+08:00

Mom celebrated her 60th birthday on April 1st. "Happy Birthday, Mama...." As usual, my dad would creatively make a prank on her. Why creative, hehe sebab every year memang buat joke on her, so Mama dah well preparedla everytime.... hehe.

On the 1st week of April, went to see Mia perform her Choral Speaking peringkat Daerah. It seems that after 6-7 years without any Choral Speaking Competition for Menengah level, finally pihak Jabatan/Kementerian started it again this year. They won 1st prize, but seriously speaking, I really thought that Anastassia's sekolah rendah Choral Speaking team was much better. I hope Mia's teacher will make additions in terms of solo performance and sounds to their script. Barula ada ummph and for them to give a tough fight for peringkat Negeri. Having said that, it was much much better than last year's performance that Dato' Hishamuddin went gaga over.

On Friday, went to Mia's college again. This time for "THE" event of the year - English Drama. Mia jadi Ketua Side Show. She didnt win, but her form menang overall drama for Junior Play. I found the English Drama last year to be more captivating. I was very fascinated by last year's snow scene. However, this year's head judge was a head turner, Zahim AlBakri.

Anastassia is busy practising for her Choral Speaking and Robotic Competition. She was also asked by her teacher to recite a poem after assembly. 2 kali dia miss sebab demam and tak datang sekolah. I thought tak payahla Anastassia recite, lagipun she's still weak from her fever and kerja pun melambak. Rupanya her English teacher insisted. And again she was praised for her gaya and emotion when reciting it. Entah bila dia prepare pun, Helena tak tau, tup2 dok kena puji by teachers.

Semalam, she came back from school, she said she was asked to do Pidato again, kali ni Dato Seri Najib's Cup. Alahai..... tak habis-habis...... tapi sayangla if nak let go kan.... I have to monitor her to ensure tak ganggu her pre-UPSR exams.

Pu3 pulak lain ceritanya.

"Mama, mesti mama marahkan?" Pu3 said as she entered the car. Helena memang jemput the kids on Wednesdays after koko.

"Kenapa pulak ni?" I really get nervous if she starts the conversation like this.

"Mama, tadi cikgu suruh kita audition Pertandingan Cerita Nabi Muhammad S.A.W kat RTM. Nanti masuk RTM1" Pu3 said.

"Mesti mama marahkan" Pu3 said again.

"Kenapa mama nak marah? OK la tu" I said, dalam kepala pikir, apalah dia nak hint ni.

"Ye.... Mama marah..... sebabkan kita cakap cikgu yang kita taknak masuk" Pu3 cakap while looking at me, trying to read my expression.

"La.... kenapa taknak masuk?" I asked.

"Ha, kan betul. Mama marah...."

"Mama tak marah tapi rugila kalau tak masuk. Bukannya senang nak dapat chance macam tu"

"Tapikan mama, manalah kita tau nak buat apa. Lagipun kena hafal tau, mana sempat nak audition hari Ahad." Pu3 explained.

"Ala Pu3, nanti cikgu ajarla. Mama pun boleh tolong...." I said, a bit frustrated.

"Mama marah, Pu3 tau...."

Sigh........... I explained to her that in school she has to grab all the opportunities that come her way. Itula gunanya pergi sekolah. Bukannya untuk belajar semata-mata. I told her apa yang lepas tu, lepas la. But in future, she must be ever willing untuk masuk whatever activities or competitions.

Its not easy being a Mother

2008-04-01T10:10:00.004+08:00

Life has been a bit challenging for me lately.

I am not really into sharing anything that is in the negative here, only happy moments and memorable occasions. However, just to share that there are some issues that Anastassia and I have to work out. I just dont know what to do, sometime I feel like I'm failing her. A family friend, who is also Anastassia's tuition teacher suggested that I bring her to see our family GP. Mmm.... yela kan, should have done that. Maybe ada kaitan with her journey into adulthood.

Few days ago, Pu3's teacher announced that Pu3 got no 1 in class and in aliran. (I got the info much earlier, tapi cikgu baru announce) Dulu Pu3 belum streaming, so dulu tak perasan sangat siapa best student. However since they started streaming tahun ni, nampak betul competition between the girls. Pu3 said 2 of her closest rival cried after hearing the results. (Thank you cikgu, sebab belanja Pu3 for her good results!)

La.... budak2 sekarang ni, benda macam tu pun get upset. They are still in the top 5, so should be okay la kan. Tapi sebenarnya Helena rasalah kan, some of these kids will get a bashing from their parents if tak dapat the desired results. Pada Helena, although I motivate my kids to get the top spot, kalau tak dapat tu, takdela nak marah sangat. Cuma kasi nasihat if ada yg careless. Infact kalau takde careless apa2, I would just say tak ada rezeki....

Semalam, borak2 dengan Pu3,

"Mama, bila Pu3 boleh pakai baju kakak Mia yang kebaya tu?" Pu3 asked.

"Mama rasa end of the year, la..... sekarang belum boleh lagi. Baju tu cantik kan? Kakak Mia pun pakai sekali je" I said.

"Tapikan Mama, Kakak Mia pakai masa std 3, Pu3 kan sekarang std 3, so Pu3 boleh pakai sekarang la" Pu3 explained.

"Kakak Mia dulu gemuk.... awak kurus" selamba I said.

" Eh eh..... Mama.... Tak baik cakap anak Mama macam tu tau????" Pu3 looked at me in shocked with her big specky eyes.

Alamak.... terkantoi Helena.

"Errr.... tak la, dulu2kan Kakak Mia badan dia berisi, sekarang tak lagi" I said terkedu kena tegur anak sendiri.

"Yela Mama, tapi still tak elok cakap macam tu pasal anak sendiri tau" Pu3 lectured me.

"Yela kan. Mama tak perasan tadi" I answer, cepat2 nak tukar topic...... hehe

Its obvious to everyone who know us, siapa yang rupa Helena, semuanya cekiding and kurus. (like me, once upon a time, hehe) and siapa yang rupa hubby, will be the ones with the flesh. Mia was born the lightest, but she was a chubby toddler and is the montel child sampai dia in kindy.

In std 1, she lost 10 kg in 6 months and she maintained her weight sampai sekarang. Infact, whenever she's at home, she will wear her size 14 tshirts which she used to wear when she was 6years old! Can you imagine? Hehe.....

Note to Mia : I hope you tak stumble upon this entry..... hehe.....

More competitions!

2008-03-24T08:30:00.004+08:00

As mentioned in my earlier post, most of my time lately has been attending to Anastassia with her back-to-back competitions.

However, let me first share the kids March exam results.

Mia has improved tremendously in this exam. This year Mia became closer to a studious Perak girl, and this has made my Mia more studious too. And it confirms my beliefs that it is important to have the "right" friends for our children. Moreover she has passed the 'adjusting and blending" in college. She is a different Mia this year, more mature, more focussed to her academic abilities.

"Congratulations Mia, you have more "A"s than before. You have definitely improved" I said, patting her back.

"No Mama, I'm not satisfied. I am still weak in Maths and Sejarah" Mia menggeleng kepala, sulking.

"Tak apala, at least ada improvement. Your target tu tinggi sangat dulu. Now with your results, okayla for you to aim 9As in your next exam." I said.

"mmm..... gerammmmmla, Mama....." Mia mengetap gigi, still tak puas hati.

Anastassia had fever during exam, I was called to pick her at 10 am on the 2nd and 3rd day. I did not expect much from her. However, she managed to get highest in Penulisan...... which is unbelievable. I guess it has something to do with the nonstop coaching she got for her Bahas, Syarahan and Pidato competition... hehe..... As i told the teacher who coached her (BM teacher), Anastassia dapat tuition BM free.....

Puteri........ mmm...... I sort of neglected her during the exams, as I had to concerntrate on Zaryff and Anastassia who was not well. But then.... what can I say, she got no1 and became the best student for std 3 again this time round...... (During exam, memang dia belajar sendiri..... she still continued to study even when I asked her to rest)

Zaryff...... alamak, his results dropped slightly....... I vow to really mengadap dia for his May exam..... *sigh*

Last Wednesday, I accompanied Anastassia and her teacher for her Pidato DiRaja Competition. Wow...... tercengang jugak Mia tengok. Pidato ni terbahagi kepada 2. The first part is the normal pidato which the students prepared earlier. However the 2nd part is the Pidato Spontan. The student kene berdiri atas stage, was given a topic and was given a minute sebelum mereka start berpidato. Memang susah. Anastassia got the topic "Ibubapa memainkan peranan penting dalam memupuk perpaduan kaum di kalangan anak2".

Out of the 12 patricipants, only 3 of them, Anastassia included managed to give a full 3 minute pidato. The rest could only stand up the stage waiting for the bell to ring before saying "Sekian, Terimakasih". Kesian. Yela, berdiri aje atas stage tu terkebil-kebil tak tau nak cakap apa. Tapi its a good exposure for students, and from there memang nampakla Anastassia tak gugup langsung and tak ada masalah bercakap dihadapan orang ramai. And memangla tak sia2 cikgu BM dia preparekan Anastassia on this, masa school holidays hari tu. Must be good in General Knowledge.

It seems dalam Public Speaking pun ada macam ni.

After Pidato, I rushed her to the other part of town for her Choral Speaking Competion. Lega the teachers bila tengok Anastassia sampai. Apa taknya, she is one of the main speakers! hehe. She arrived just in time.

During ther performance, memang nampak dia all out. Her teacher puji dia kat Helena. Later when I told Anastassia that she was superb, she said "Kita menangis masa tu, Mama. I really got into the character". (Anastassia jadi Mak Si Tanggang, who was frustrated with her son yang tak sedar diri)

So now, more rehearsals and practise for the next round........

Mia and Anastassia

2008-03-12T11:42:00.004+08:00

A lot of things happened for the last 3 weeks. Let me just share the ones that concerns my eldest 2.

Mia

Mia turned 14 on February 22. I sent her, a Secret Recipe's Muddy Chocolate cake and a couple of Domino's Double Decker Chicken pepperoni pizza on Sunday for her to share with her dormies and kakaks.

Mia seems to enjoy her 2nd year at college esp since dah ada 1st formers. Hehe. She said she's not into the 1st formers, takdala nak ambik adik angkat or nak garang2..... banyak lagi important things to attend to, she said. On the adik angkat, she said that having 3 adiks at home pun is more than enough! (Haha. Memang Helena tau dia pening melayan kerenah adik2nya)

Mia also seems to be more focused in her studies, syukur. Sejuk rasanya, , I really want my kids to study atas kesedaran sendiri, without having me to nag.

Anastassia

This child of mine is really busy. Dulu masuk Bahas competition, then bowling, and then syarahan. Now cuti sekolah ni everyday pergi sekolah. She has to practice for her Pidato DiRaja competition, Choral Speaking AND Robotic.....

I do pity her as she is the type yang cepat penat. Is it because of her small built? Kakak Mia dulu lagi tiring schedule dia but she can handle it. I started to give her vitamins early this month.

We (the school and I) found out something recently. That Anastassia is really at ease with standing in front of a crowd and talk. Tak de rasa malu, takde rasa tension, takda rasa gemuruh.

And end Feb, as the Ketua Pengawas, she was asked to give a speech during a function, which was attended by the Pengarah Pelajaran Negeri, pegawai2 Jabatan Pelajaran, Guru Besar2 from other schools and other para jemputan. TV3 came, reporters too. (It was shown on TV and was in the papers)

The day before the function, I asked her.

"Anastassia, have you practised the speech that you're going to give tomorrow?" I asked.

"Ermmm" Anastassia responded.

"Anastassia????" I asked again.

"Ala, mama, nak practise apa. Just cakap ajela....." Anastassia said sambil buat muka boring.

"Eh you better practise, ramai VIPs datang tau, TV3, reporters, nanti buat malu aje kalau tergagap2 atas tu."

"I know what I'm doing la mama, dont worry about it" Anastassia said, while sambung buat homework dia.

On the said function, Anastassia was the first to berucap, then the YDP PIBG, Pegawai Jabatan Pelajaran, Pengarah and then Guru Besar.

When her name was called, she walked up the stage confidently, gave her speech confidently, smiling at the VIPs when addressing them, malah siap berpantun lagi. Her voice was clear and loud. She looks like a pro up there. (Bab2 public speaking in bukan senang, kan, esp for a child that age)

Later that day, I asked her.

"Anastassia tak rasa tension ke cakap atas stage to a hall full of people, ada VIP, ada reporters and cameraman?

"Duh?..... nak tension apa?" Anastassia reponded shrugging off her shoulder.

I remember that I always try to get Mia get involved in activities that require her to speak in public. Being a prefect, dia selalu kena bercakap kat mike infront of the school. And nampak okay aje Helena tgk dia bercakap atas stage. (during her primary days)

But Mia doesnt seems to warm up to my suggestion. She did tell me once that although she doent mind public speaking, its not what she likes to do. "Its just not me, mama" But this child of mine understand that it would be important in later years to be good in public speaking. And being Mia (yang selalu dengar nasihat mamanya) she is in the debate club in college.

However, Anastassia seems to embrace public speaking naturally. Helena takde encourage sangat pun. (Not as much as how i pushed Mia) Having a loud voice is another plus for her. I still remember her English teacher said when she was in std 3. "I would always ask Anastasia to read in front of the class. Her voise is so loud, its like she's using a microphone". And seriously speaking, suaranya yang kuat tu memang tak padan dgn her size. Hehe.

And it got me thinking. Each child has their own strengths, own specialities. Each child is different. I knew this before, but I understand it now.

2008-02-21T08:50:00.002+08:00

American Idol started with a bang last night. I have picked out my favourites, cant just resist David Archuleta's charm. This boy is just 17 but wow, the minute he starts crooning, you wouldnt think that he's that young. I'm also looking out for Michael Johns, Danny Noriega and David Hernandez.

Cant wait to hear the girls showing off their talent. I hope I was as lucky as last nite, to be able to spend time infront of the black box. I watched the repeat at 11:30pm, at that time Zaryff was already asleep whilst Anastassia and Puteri were still doing their homework. Poor Puteri, she slept late last night, normally dia tidur before 10pm. Pasal homeworkla, apa lagi..... the school memang kasi loadz of homework. The kids came back at 5pm from school sebab ada Kem Bestari Solat. Itu yang lambat start homework tu.

Syukur, Anastassia seems to have no problem at all with her Head Girl duties. During koko, she was selected as the Pengerusi for both Robotic Club and Bowling Club. Her friends gave her a new nick name - KP for Ketua Pengawas. But Anastassia said that it can also be for Kim Possible..... hehe ye la tu. Now, whenever I fetched her at school, I can hear her friends chanting, "KP...... KP..... Bye KP......" as she walked out the small school gate....

Last night, after fetching Zaryff from Smart Reader, we passed by IPD (Ibupejabat Polis Daerah) whereby Zaryff read out the IPD signage.

"Ibupejabat Polis" Zaryff read.

"Mama, ni office ke, mama?" Zaryff asked me.

"Emm...." I said, malas nak layan, I was too engrossed listening to an old song.

"Ooo... emak-emak ajer yang boleh datang kerja kat sini ye?" Zaryff asked again.

"Huh?" Helena baru nak pay attention kat dia.

"Zaryff tanya, office ni untuk emak- emak aje ke, sebab ini office Ibu pejabat." Zaryff repeated, a bit louder this time.

Haha!! I burst out laughing and kenala explain kat dia what ibu pejabat means. His next question was "What about ibu negeri, mama?"

Mmm.....its going to be a looooonnnnggggg drive home..........

Congratulations Anastassia!

2008-02-11T11:07:00.000+08:00

The 2008 short term target for Anastassia has been met today. She was officially announced as the Ketua Pengawas this morning.

Selepas menyandang tugas dan memangku jawatan Ketua Pengawas since day 1 this year, and after going through a tough one-to-one interview end of January, sememangnya pengumuman pagi tadi merupakan berita paling manis buat Helena.

She doesnt know that I knew. I will meet her around noon at the bowling alley, dia wakil sekolah for bowling today.

Congratulations Anastassia!

Syukur Alhamdullillah.............

I feel good

2008-02-05T09:24:00.000+08:00

January which started like a rollercoaster, ended beautifully.

On the last day of January, Mia was selected to to go to a singing audition, nak select singers to represent the State. Obviously this is organized by Kementerian Pelajaran.... I'm not the sort of person who would let her girl masuk singing competitions yang takde kene mengena with school. And Mia pun, I know that she sings because she was asked to, nothing more than that. That girl of mine is not the type yang perasan nak jadi penyanyi.... hehe.... Thank GOD!

Sports Day was a success. Anastassia played a huge part in making sure that her team got 1st place in 4 x 100. She sprinted like a pro, overtaking other runners, giving her team a big lead. Cikgu rumah sukannya said that Anastassia pandai control rumah dia. Macam komando kata cikgu.... hehe garang jugak House Captain ni....

Yesterday morning I went to see Anastassia and her schoolmates bertanding dalam Perbahasan. She was the 3rd debater. The other two debaters, sememangnya BM scorers, I would assume merupakan harapan cikgu2 dalam pertandingan ini.

And it was really a suprise to see Anastassia debate. She had style, she had confidence and she was "berapi-api" as was said by the Ketua Hakim. Immediately after the debate, the Head Judge and the 2 other judges turned to me and the Guru Pengiring, praising Anastassia and saying that Anastassia sememangnya berbakat. Kecik-kecik cili api kata cikgu. Few other teachers from other schools, including the Pengerusi also came over to Anastassia, patting her back and said that they were very impressed with her. Lama mereka kerumun Anastassia.

I was dumbfounded. You know why? Anastassia is not really comfortable with BM compared to English. And sometime it shows. Dia selalu kena usik, bila she makes silly mistakes when speaking in Bahasa. So it was really an achievement for her, to shine in a competition which is in BM!

She was singled out and praised, by the Head Judge, by the other judges, by teachers from other schools......... how I wish i could freeze the moment, when I see how she glowed under all the attention.

Anastassia kadang2 selalu tak percaya keupayaan dirinya dan ada perasaan rendah diri. Helena harap apa yang terjadi semalam dapat menaikkan self confidencenya.

Last week, during the Didik session that I sent her to, a group of girls from another school came up to her.

"Nama awak Anastassia ke? Dari sekolah SK*** ke?" one of them asked.

"Ya....." jawab Anasstassia.

"Cikgu kat sekolah kita selalu cakap pasal awak tau. Dari tahun lepas." the girl said.

"Oo" Anastassia said, tak tau nak cakap apa.

"Cikgu tu dulu ajar kat sekolah awak, sekarang dia mengajar kat sekolah kita. Dia selalu jadikan awak contoh pada kita orang. Dia suruh kita orang jadi macam awak."

"Dapat jugak kita kenal siapa dia Anastassia. Bye, jumpa lagi" Dia dan kawan2 dia salam Anastassia dan berlalu pergi.

I must have done something very right..... *smile*

When time is scarce

2008-01-31T08:58:00.000+08:00

I was super busy the for the last few weeks.

Arranging new school transportation for the kids, because the previous one nak start berniaga pasar malam. Ha, padanla muka, hantar lagi kat sekolah jauh-jauh.

Mia continued her Taekwondo lessons at the centre, and ferrying her to and back to college in F1 manner is also leaving me out of breathe.... However, Grading will be this weekend.... so lega sikit la nanti.

Anastassia with her tuitions, yang paling tak larat Smart Reader Puteri and Zafry, cant complaint much as I was the one who insisted nak hantar to a good centre, although its far from our house.

I feel sorry for Anastassia, she has so much to do with so little time. Being a senior prefect, banyak tanggungjawab dia. She also insisted to go for her Taekwondo grading, homeworks are a loadful, she's also busy with tomorrow's Sports Day, which she is House Captain, kena training lumba lari, lepas tu kena buat persembahan Taekwondo. Next Monday, masuk debate competition, then she's also in Choral Speaking. Bowling pun next week....... (i plan to suggest to her to drop bowling this year)

Adoi, the first 2 months of the year is always like this.

I also feel sorry for Puteri, she insisted that she wants tuition. (hmmm...) dah dia nak blajar, layan ajela, lagipun tempat tuition tu somewhere belakang rumah. However, kesian jugak sebab dia kena forgo her afternoon naps....... But since she was the one yg eager for tuition, dia memang berkobar2la.

Zaryff pulak, having a great time at school. His teacher is not strict, so lepakla dia. Helena la yg pening kena monitor lebih, I've come across several homeworks not done..... mmm.

Remember I mentioned that I have a short term target for Mia and Anastassia? Well, Anastassia punya still on. But Mia punya, I just had to let it go. Tak logic pun since she's in boarding school. Actually I was hoping that she can join her Taekwondo Team for Japan this May.... but for her to do that, she has to train at the centre for 3 hours every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. And obviously that is not possible. I've accepted the fact that, masuk boarding school means she has to forgo Taekwondo at the centre, esp since even at college pun dia tak pilih Taekwondo as her Kelab Beruniform. (Taekwondo at centre and Taekwondo at college are under different Clubs)

Oh one more....... Puteri dah pakai specs!!!! Arghhh..... And Zaryff will follow suit in a few days time.......... Frust Helena...... huhu.....

Gotta go.....

Looking Forward for 2008

2008-01-07T08:08:00.000+08:00

Finally, we are now in the year 2008. And I'm looking forward for a fantastic year!

The year started with the sending off of Mia back to asrama on 2 Jan. She moved to a new block, hence a new dorm..... a bigger one too.... Its a bit too big for my comfort but hey, I'm used to 3-to-a-room back in my MRSM days..... hehe..... but it looks like she's not complaining... Helped her mengelap her locker and bed..... and letak wrapping paper......

That night, I had a hard time sleeping, after 2 months with my firstborn, its quite hard to let go again..... and i started smsing with other moms yg anak masuk asrama and found out that I'm not the only one feeling sad and empty.....

mmm.... funny, I cant seem to recall what i did on Jan 3rd....

Anastassia, Puteri and Zaryff were excited to start school on Jan 4th. I sent them earlier than usual as Anastassia has prefects duties as early as 7am. Puteri who will now be in std 3 will be having new classmates as they started streaming.

I went to Zaryffs school to pay the school fees. School fees that I have to pay this year :

1 - Anastassia = around RM300
2 - Puteri = around RM90
3 - Zaryff = around RM230 (last yr was around RM350)

Anastassia's fees are high because of the kelas bimbingan fees. Zaryff's is because of his IT classes. This time round, Helena tak bayarpun duit insurance AIA tu.... i wonder I did the right thing...... Mia punya tak tau lagi.....

While paying the girls punya school fees, I made sure I went to see all the std 6 teachers, immaterial whether they teach Anastassia or not. Saja tanya khabar, considering all of them will do latih tubi with the std 6 students few months before UPSR. Some teachers memang dah tau, this year adik Mia will be in std 6, and it seems that Anastassia will be getting the same teachers as Mia 2 years ago.

I also went to see several std 3 teachers.... Puteri's class teacher said that she's looking forward to have Puteri in her class, after having had both Mia and Anastassia few years ago. "Nak tengok, Puteri ni perangai macam Mia or macam Anastassia" she said, smiling sweetly.

Free text books this year such a relief, and it was really a suprise to see Zaryff getting new books. Anastassia of coursela dapat new books because she was the pioneer batch for Maths and Science in English. However, kesian Puteri, the books that she got was quite old and some torn.... so I retrieved Anastassia's old books (same syllabus) from the cabinet and gave it to her. Jenuh jugak nak mencari buku2 lama tu.....

And sejuk hati Helena bila the first two days sekolah tu.... Anastasia came back from school, terus pergi tuition, and once back from tuition terus habiskan homework and buat mapping. I hope she will continue like this sampai bila-bila............ UPSR this year..... Helena harap ada kejayaan untuknya di akhir tahun nanti.....

Spending time with the kids

2007-12-10T14:34:00.000+08:00

Taekwondo

This hols, day in day out its about taekwondo. Mia had to take the advantage of the hols to perfect her grading steps and to keep fit, as she plans to go for her grading next February. Nanti bila balik college, she would have problems going for training, so the most she can do is only to train on her own.

Since the training centre is a bit far from home, alang2 dah hantar Mia, I might as well hantar the 3 kids also, although not as often as Mia. Anastassia for the 1st time went for senior class, risau jugak because she wear specs..... and since senior class is a bit rough..... but suprise, suprise.... boleh tahan jugak budak ni.... not as good as Mia, but taklah lembik.... hehe.....

Puteri loves it so much with the increased trainings, but Zaryff would make a big deal out of it..... tapi yg herannya, bila dah kat centre, enjoy sakan pulak si Zaryff ni..... nasib baik dia kecik lagi, if not mesti dah kena tegur with the Sirs.....

Mia and Puteri waiting for food lepas taekwondo... masing-masing dah lapar.....

This picture is funny..... while Mia, Puteri and Zaryff were posing at the parking area, you can see Anastassia in the background, walking up the stairs nak masuk Condo.....

Chess

On Sundays, both Puteri and Zaryff would go for their chess class..... I have yet to meet up with the person who teaches them, maybe next week boleh la kut. But it seems that Zaryff is good at planning a good strategy, a skill that can be developed further, kira ada special bakatla kut. However, dia still kalah bila lawan Puteri..... hehe. The chinese teacher, who drives 50km weekly to give chess lessons is a master at chess it seems, selalu menang competitions. His passion in chess is visible, yela, he gives free lessons tau!!!

Puteri and Zaryff during the last Raya.

Last August - Zaryff won 1st Prize in the Pakaian Beragam Hari Kemerdekaan Competition

Dah lama ceta ni.... tak apa, kan.....

I got a last minute call from Zaryff's teacher, wanting Zaryff to enter the Pakaian Beragam Competition. "When would that be?" I asked the teacher. "Tomorow la, Puan" the teacher said. ALAMAK!!!!

But as to me, the first thing that came to my mind was, how this experience will build Zaryff's self confidence, I said ok ajela... And at 3:30pm duk panic memikirkan how to dress him up.

Zaryff most right, buat catwalk..... hehe, kelakar tengok abang2 prefects tahun 6 dok ajar before the event....

Sorry la gambar2nya tak elok. Zaryff standing in the centre selepas terima hadiah. The man behind him is the headmaster.

My boboy posing before going to school. Actually dia tengah tension sebab pergi sekolah tak pakai baju sekolah and kasut sekolah.... hehe. Hari tu mama dia bekalkan dia semangat, selain dari bekalkan roti dan air.... hehe....

Anastassia's School Trip to Penang

2007-12-03T13:42:00.000+08:00

Last week was Anastassia's school trip to Penang.

They started their journey early Tuesday morning, and it got me worried as it was drizzling. Yela, naik bas untuk jalan jauh satu hal.... wet and slipepry roads is another thing. The wheather sort of put the kids in a solemn mood, and I didnt take any pictures because semua orang macam boring jer.....

But I was told that they became hyper the minute they boarded the bus..... hehe...

Actually std 5 students were supposed to go to Malacca. But Anastassia was one of the "privileged ten', a teacher said - 10 std 5 students, all prefects were chosen to join the std 6 girls for a 3-day trip to Penang.....

Anastassia is the second from the right, with her fellow classmates.

Anastassia enjoying the sea breeze with her friends.

The girls getting ready to hit the sack at Grand Continental Hotel in Penang.

Last day of school

Anastassia bidding farewell to a std 6 friend. Tengokla baju putih budak tu, habis kena coreng.... hehe

Anastassia together with some of her good buddies.....

"Anastassia....." I called her.

"You called me, Mama?" she asked.

"Have you done your tuition homework?" I asked, entering the study room.

"Ala, mama.... petang nanti la...." Anastassia merengek.

"La.... tak buat lagi ke..... " I sighed. "UPSR tahun depan tau..." I reminded her.

"Petang nanti, kita janji ok........ kita online ni....." Anastassia looking at me with those hopeful eyes of hers.

Mmm..... my Anastassia will always be the Anastassia that she is...... my hope is that she studies hard and give her all for her UPSR next year. I know she can...... its just whether she wants to or not. So far she has improved later in the year. And I have to make sure that she keeps that momentum.

Before penning off, just want to share here how much Anastassia has helped me at home, now that I'm maidless. She knows what to do, what is expected of her. Thanks kerana ringankan sikit beban mama. It means a lot to me to know that I can depend on you.....

Puteri's School Trip

2007-11-22T17:52:00.000+08:00

Puteri had her school trip yesterday. For Pra-sekolah to std 3 students, after taking into account the concerns of parents, the school decided that their trip will be in the city only. (Originally, the trip was supposed to be to Malacca)

Yesterday was the trip for std 1's and std 2's only. The bus left the school compound at about 8:30am and we were supposed to fetch them at 3pm.

The minute we went in the school gate, a loud chanting was heard "Puteri!!!!", "Puteri!!!!", "Puteri!!!!" Apparently, Puteri's friends saw us and was jumping up and down calling her to come over. I can see Puteri blushing from all the attention. (yele, semua budak2 lain and mak2 budak dok toleh tengok Puteri)

They visited the Museum, a yogurt drink factory, among others....

Puteri standing at where she lines up everyday - 2D (2 Delima)

Puteri with her good friend.

Puteri, most left with her classmates.

She was one happy kid that day.................

Bersyukur sangat-sangat.................

2007-11-19T08:34:00.000+08:00

Life has been treating me well lately. Syukur Alhamdulillah..........

Last Wednesday was the Hari Anugerah Cemerlang. Puteri was in the highlight and she was beaming ear to ear. (Mak dia pun sama la tu..... hehe) However, what came next was really a suprise. At the end of the ceremony, as usual, the school will anonounce Pelajar Cemerlang 2007 and other Cemerlang Kategories. Memang this is the highlight of the Ceremony la.....

It was a sweet suprise to know that Anastassia won the Anugerah Koko Cemerlang 2007 ..... I didnt even know that she was in the running!

Al in all, Puteri received 3 story books and 3 vouchers worth RM42. Boleh redeemla kat book store nanti. Anastassia pulak dapat certificate and a 12 inch trophy...... punyala besar trophy tu.... hehe (Mia pun ada dapat the same Anugerah and trophy but Mia got it masa std 6)

On Friday, there was another unexpected suprise. Remember in my last entry that I have a short term target for Anastassia? Well, she got called on Friday and its now 80% comfirmed that she's going to meet that target. Tapi ada lagi 20% to work on..... I hope she'll be able to make it.

UPSR results are already out. I was at the school to hear the annoucement. Results sekolah the girls sama macam last year. Although it is still good, we were a bit disappointed as our target of 105 was not met. Yang kelakarnya, last year when Mia received her results, I tak menangis pun, just air mata tu mengenang ajer. But this year, entah kenapa I cried. Sedih tengok girls yg menangis2 atas kejayaaan mereka... dan sedih tengok those yang hampa dan menangis teresak2 keraba sedih .... As usual the reporters were there too..... click sini, click sana.....

Sekolah Zaryff dropped this year to 48 students yg dapat 5A. I hope the school will do something about it to be ready for my Zaryff to take the exam..... hehe.....

I am so happy!!

2007-11-12T14:36:00.000+08:00

Finally, exam results are out.

As expected Puteri got no 1 in class and in aliran. Her position in school for all 4 exams (March, May, Aug and Oct 2007), maintained at no 3, the same spot as in last yr. (She's quite dissapointed, and does not want to answer my calls) She is also the top malay student for std 2. Helena tau, dia frust because she aims no 1, tapi her Aug marks yg bawak total marks dia turun.

She's gonna get 3 awards this Wednesday, one for class, one for aliran and also best subject - BM. (bab ni pun dia marah sbb dia nak best subject for Science, tapi she got 88+100+100+99 for science, so yg 88 tu yg bawak turun tu)

Anastassia wont be getting any awards as predicted, but I'm very happy because after TURUN MENJUNAM in May, she's improving a lot. (Anastassia's results la yg paling critical among the 4 kids) Esp in the finals, which she got no 12. Tak apa I tell her, tahun depan ada lagi for her to put herself at the top 5 spot, macam dulu2.

Zaryff's result came out last week. Merosot from no 5 to no 9 in class, and aliran from no 8 to no 18. I lectured him for 2 mins (buat syarat), dia nangis (mengada) sbb tak pernah kene lecture, then mintak hadiah sebab science marks dia improved. Haha.

Mia punya response lagi best.

"Mama, you want to hear the good news first or the bad news first?"

mmm.... well.... no comments but siapla during the hols...... hehe

Mia spent the last 2 weeks of schooling singing for Farewells Gatherings (for 5th formers and year end activities) .... siap menang "Best Performance" pulak tu during School Concert last Friday. Tomorrow pulak ada cheerleading competition.

All in all, I'm happy, walaupun ada yg merosot, tapi to tell u the truth, Anastassia's improvements yg make me smile ......

This morning, I woke up with short-term targets for 2008. Takyah share dulu la.... I hope by April 2008, I can share the happy announcements for both Mia and Anastassia..... If they can achieve it, syukur.... if not, takde rezeki..... janji everyone has tried their best, esp me, in supporting them throughout. (ooo in case u're wondering, this is not academic related)

Helena is out! (ikut style Anastassia kat friendster dia.... :D)

The month of November

2007-11-05T08:37:00.000+08:00

November started with the School Concert at the girl's school.

Anastassia acted in an English Drama titled Cinderella Revisited, dia jadi Prince. Pandai jugak budak ni berlakon..... She is also in the Choral Speaking. Unfortunately, Puteri's Choral Speaking in Arabic had been cancelled due to limited time. Frust dia, but then cikgu dia kata masa Anugerah Cemerlang nanti mereka akan perform.....

The concert was a success. Walaupun concert berbayar tapi memang berbaloi la.... everyone had fun. Parents came in droves, with atok and nenek tagging along. On the same day, there was an art demo, whereby 3-4 selected students akan duduk kat bilik Pameran Seni and melukis the whole day. Apa yang dilukis akan dijual and the kids akan dapat hasil jualan tu fully.

Anastassia was chosen to become the artist but due to her involvement with the drama, she only managed to finish one abstrak painting. The painting was later bought by a parent for RM35. Anastassia yg mula2 frust sebab tak dapat join kawan2 dia melukis, merasa a bit excited to receive cash money for a painting that she did. The parent told the teacher that she plans to have it framed.

On Saturday, Anastassia masuk bowling competition..... she has improved a bit but of course tak boleh lawan the pros..... I am now thinking of sending Zaryff and Puteri for basic bowling lessons....

After the bowling tourney, got a call from Sir (Taekwondo) that Puteri can go for grading again this month. What??? 3 gradings in a year is unheard of..... mmm.... is this another Mia in the making..... I asked Sir, tak cepat sangat ke.... esp knowing Sir, who unlike other Sirs, tak suka kasi kids grading cepat2..... Sir kata, Puteri is ready, she's a Super Girl..... (hmm.... macam tu ke...)

On Sunday, as I was packing Zaryff's school bag, I saw a yellow letter addressed to parents. Bertuah betul budak ni, dia simpan aje. Apparently Persatuan Renang Negeri nak buat ujibakat on Saturday - 3 Nov (dah lepas....). Although I have yet to decide whether I would want the kids to join the State Swim training, there's nothing wrong in just participating and see how my kids fare compared to other swimmers right?

After the call I made to comfirm Zaryff and Sabrina's chess class schedule (Zaryff hari2 merengek nak pergi chess class), Helena pikir.... mmm.... boleh ke I handle semua ni???? (Kids boleh handle for sure, esp cuti sekolah ni. )

Hi there!

2007-10-29T11:06:00.000+08:00

Wow...... lamanya dah tak update blog ni.... I didnt even have the chance to wish you all Selamat Hari Raya...... and Maaf Zahir Batin....... Its still not too late eh?

So pada semua rakan bloggers. Helena ucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Maaf Zahir Batin jika ada yang terkasar bahasa dan terlepas kata.....

What shud I write? There are many things to share.... from Raya preparations, the Raya itself, how the kids raya sakan, zafry's pool party on the 4th of raya, kids preparing their exams during puasa and after raya....... the results...... our dear angkasawan who just came back yesterday.....

mmm................

I was very very busy during puasa month, hence the loooooonnnnnngg silence. On top of that, I was trying very hard to prepare the kids for the final exams which was held a week before Raya. Kesiannya pulak tengok they all melepek and tak larat nak baca buku after buka puasa. Bila Helena tengok Anastassia lebih cergas selepas sahur, I changed her belajar time after sahur everyday.

However, the mission for the kids to study didnt go as well as planned. Sob... Sob...

Results are out, cant really say much about Anastassia, total marks improved tapi tak tau her position in aliran yet, itu yg critical tu..... Puteri as usual scored highest in every paper...... Zaryff's marks are not that good, his teacher said that since the papers are tough, budak2 tak dapat score.... mmm entahla... or maybe the teacher is just trying to be nice.... nantila tunggu dia dapat no brapa kali ni.

The current topic for the girls sekarang ni adalah school trip. The girls school menang Anugerah Cemerlang Kebangsaan, syukur...... after 3 years of hard work trying to grab that trophy. Zaryf's school also represented the State but since this is their 1st attempt.... ofcourse la tak menang.....

One of the prizes is the hadiah lawatan murid = RM100K. So semua students from Pra-Sekolah to Tahun 6 dapat pergi lawatan....... everything FOC. The kids are looking forward to it.

Zaryff's school was also in the news several times this month, tapi bec of our angkasawan. Zaryff was frustrated as his picture tak terselit kat gambar dalam paper tu..... hehe.... i told him, next time try to stand near your Guru Besar.....

Zaryff turned 8 on October 16, the 4th day of Hari Raya. We had our Open House on that day at the Villa, and petang tu buat a pool party...... The kids had a blast at the pool. And obviously Zaryff enjoyed himself tremendously.....

This weekend there's gonna be a School Concert at the girls school, Puteri will do her Choral Speaking in Arabic.... Anastasia will be in the Choral Speaking in English and she will also take part in an English Drama whereby Anastassia will be the prince, trying to woo Cinderella.

We had a great Raya. Mia came back from college and all the children enjoyed each other's company to the fullest. Takde gaduh2 pun. Walaupun Raya, Mia tetap berkepit with her school books, yela.... exam immediately after Raya.... what to do....

This year was the 1st Raya yang Helena TAK buat apa2 kuih pun..... hehe the kids complained bec they missed my chocolate chip cookies.... tapi what to do, with maid tak ada, keje melambak. And this is also the Raya which we did our shopping last minute!...... We only managed to buy Raya clothes on Thursday..... the day yang malam tu, orang dah nak tgk anak bulan! hehe..... tak pala..... janji semua sempat beli.....

Sorry if my entry kelam kabut...... kepala still serabut lagi ni.....

Musim Sakit

2007-09-25T08:11:00.000+08:00

Chicken Pox

I did not share much about the demams yang the whole family kena last week.

It was bad. I was on MC for 4 days. In fact sampai sekarang pun I dont feel quite fit, my body still ache and my throat is still sore. After the batuk and demam for a month in May, it was really frustrating to fall sick again, all because of the dust caused by the renovation at the house.

Whilst I was hit hard because I'm allergic to dust, Anastassia had mild fever and didnt go to school for a day, the same goes to Puteri and Zaryff.

As I thought everyone was getting better, last Thursday I got a call from Puteri's teacher asking me to pick Puteri up from school as she was having red spots on her palm. Since there was a HFM (Hand Foot n Mouth) case a month before in school, they werent taking any chances about Puteri's condition.

Went to the family GP who also found red spots kat tapak kaki and in the mouth. Puteri was suspected to have mild HFM as she was not having fever.

On Friday, Zaryff complained of headaches. Tapi Helena buat tak layan bec the week before dia complain the same thing and tak pergi sekolah and spent 24/7 depan tv and main computer games....... So I insisted Zaryff go to school.

As I fetched him at 12 noon, I saw him monyok menunggu kat guard house, rupa2nya he was still having his headache. I asked him to break his fast immediately in the car (guilty sesangat la tu) and prepared lunch for him as we reached home. He slept right after.

That night he showed me red spots kat tapak kaki..... but sebab tak banyak, i didnt bring him to the clinic.

On Saturday, more red spots kat tapak kaki, but since tempat lain clear, still did not go to the clinic.

On Sunday morning, his hands and arms and buttocks penuh dgn red spots, and banyak yg membelon macam nak pecah. His spots are different from Puteri's, tapi yg kat tapak kaki tu sama.

Yesterday, after having blood test, Dr kata its chicken pox. And after discussing with Dr, it looks like Puteri pun maybe bukan mild HFM tapi mild chicken pox. (Tapi heran sbb spots dia kat hands, foot and mouth aje. Red spot dia pun hanya red spot, yang mengelembung macam Zaryff cuma ada 2)

But it made sense la. All my kids ada chicken pox vaccination. So IF kena chicken pox pun, it would be mild. Itu yg buat semua confuse tu.

Mia was exposed so many time dengan kawan dia yg kena chicken pox, pernah tidur sebilik masa they were in Trengganu, kawan2 dia yg sebilik (theres 6 of them) semua menyangkit kena chicken pox, except for Mia.

Mia balik last weekend, I hope dia tak menyangkit and I hope Anastassia pun tak menyangkit...

Mia came back for the weekend

I really looked forward to having Mia back. I missed her so much as I didnt got to visit her since puasa started as kita orang semua demam.

The first thing Mia said bila masuk kereta was :

"Mama, malam ni buka kat hotel tak?"

"Ha? Buka kat Hotel?" We would make it a point to open fast at a hotel at least once every year, and with all the kelam kabut I totally forgot that since Mia is in boarding school, this weekend would be the only time we can do it as a family.

Suddenly my handphone rang.

"Helena, this is Alice from ABC123 Hotel"

"Hey Alice, whats up?"

"Just to let you know that we have vouchers for you and you can collect them on Sept 25"

I was already smiling. Due to my line of work, I would always get vouchers from the hotels that I normally frequented and have business with, most of the time the vouchers will be given during puasa month.

"Thanks Alice, your call ni memang betul la good timing" I laughed.

"Ala Helena, bulan puasa kan.... mesti you want to come over for berbuka kan?"

"Alice, is it possible for me to collect the vouchers....... say ....... tomorrow?"

"Alamak, tak boleh la Helena, our GM belum sign lagi"

"Oh yeke..... because my girl balik from asrama this weekend so I was thinking of using the vouchers either today or tomorrow, but maybe tomorrow la kut....."

"Helena, memang tak sempat...... mmm....."

"Ye ke......"

"How many of you Helena?"

"How many of us?"

"Yes, how many of you yang nak datang berbuka?"

"Mmm.....7 kut...... kenapa"

"Make it like this la Helena, vouchers memang confirm tak sempat, but you tell me when you want to come over, it's my treat"

"You're kidding right.....?" Terperanjat Helena because although I always get free makan, but it was always when I was dining with Alice's boss (Alice is still new, in fact I've never met her), but never with my family.

"No, I'll just put you under my account, you'll be my guests....."

We went on Saturday night, the food was fabulous, the best compared to previous years, the spread was never ending, and..... its free!! hehe............

That reminds me, I plan to give a token of appreciation to Alice sometime today.....