London 20 years after ...

It took us some 20 years to come back.

I left London in 1999 after completing my degree years there, wishing to come back sooner or later.  The opportunity only came recently, when I had a few meetings to attend in London and Dublin.

We flew with Qatar Airways this time, arriving Heathrow at 8.30 pm, 28th June 2017 after some one hour plus transit at Doha.  By the time we reached the rented apartment, it was almost 11 pm.  The kids had their bath, prayer and slept.  Fajr prayer time would be around 2.45 am.

Butter Cake for Abah

Well, I 'm not so much into this baking thing.  But I have a daughter, and I am responsible to make sure that she grows up like a daughter :)

So ladies bake.  And we baked the simplest cake on earth.  We added some novelty i.e. calories to it by having a layer of chocolates in the middle.  Speccy design by Achik.

Lopsided specs :)

Everybody Goes to School

Crazy.  Four posts in 2014.  Three in 2015 and two in 2016.  What a waste of blog space :)

2017 certainly marks a new beginning.  Achik, my youngest little one, starts school.  Now the house is empty and in complete silence as early as 7 a.m.  Oh my.  How I miss those times when they were small and running about the house around the clock.

I know this time will come.  And there will be time when they have all grown up and perhaps leaving the house.  I shouldn't feel sad.  My mum has gone through the cycle.  So will I.  But I do have this feeling of emptiness.  Something that had gone, and will never come back.

Wish you all the best, Along, Angah & Achik.  I love you so much.

Apples of my eyes

Cameron Highlands 13 years after

It was almost the end of the school holiday and we hadn't visited anywhere yet.  Mainly it was because Along was not around until 22nd of December 2013, attending a tahfiz camp, and Angah also had school holiday programme that ended on the 20th of December 2013.  During the last weekend of the school holiday, when everybody was eventually home, we decided to go somewhere and that somewhere was ...  Cameron Highlands!

The last time I went to Cameron Highlands was 13 years ago!  No joking.  And that was on official visit to one of the hydroelectric power generation stations there arranged by the company.  I could hardly remember anything from that trip.  I was a bachelor then.  And now, I am back 13 years after with three kids.  And a husband, he he he ...

It was 28th December 2013.  We departed from home around 8 a.m. and reached Brinchang through Simpang Pulai route around noon.  It was still foggy and cold when we stopped by at Kea Farm.  We checked in at Equatorial Hotel (that is now known as Copthorne Hotel) after lunch.  The kids really enjoyed being engulfed in the mist most of the time and having vapour coming out from their mouth when they talked.  This was their very first time there.

During the 2-day trip, we managed to visit the Rose Valley, Lavender Garden, Uncle Sam Nursery, Big Red Strawberry Farm and BOH Tea Plantation and Tea House at Habu, Ringlet.  Hopefully I will have the time to share the stories later.  Just look at how long it took for me to update this on the blog "(

It's white rose

I think the bud is taking a longer time than usual to open. As if it knows that we are eagerly waiting to see who would be the winner of the guessing game. I was beginning to wonder if it will ever bloom at all. There was no sign of thrips attack though. Hopefully it is just the gene.

Finally ...

A peach rose

Here we are. Not fully bloom yet, but already revealing its colour. It's light peach. It may turn white when it blooms. So, the winner is ... Along!  Clap, clap, clap. 

Presenting the first bloom in our little garden ...

From bud to bloom

posted from Bloggeroid

Being bossy

During our usual ride to the nursery today ...

Little boss huh?

Well, I know it is an MPV.  But do you really have to be on the very last row to show me your point?

Guessing the colour of roses

I bought a small rose plant that day.  It was amongst the three pots of roses left in the nursery.  The soil was dry and I think it was going to be on the to-be-disposed list.  I managed to get it for the price of RM 7.  A bit expensive and not worth it maybe, but hey, this is not Sungai Buloh okay.

Fresh from the nursery

There was not a single bloom when we bought it.  After a week, it has started to have buds and shoots.  So we played a guessing game yesterday.  Along guessed that the colour of the roses is going to be white.  Angah said that is will be red roses.  And Achik said it is going to be pink.  We'll see ...  Hopefully we will be able to see the result in a couple of days.  I am kept in suspense too!

After a week

After the long 'eid break

It's the first day of school after a long 'eid break.  Here is my to do list this morning ...

Ironing everybody's uniform/clothes
Ironing Achik's raya clothes.  She will be having a raya celebration at her nursery today.
Preparing super duper simple breakfast for Along and Angah
Packing 6 pieces of raya cookies for Angah - He requested 6 pieces and he did count them when I gave them to him!  Unbelievable.
Packing Achik's bag, including a new milk bottle and a bottle of paracetamol.  She had slight fever last night but she was fine this morning.  Just in case.
Putting Along's and Angah's shirts and slippers into the car - for change later after school.
Hang the washed clothes to dry.
Watering while checking the flower plants.
...

Mr. boss, please don't ask me much if I can't be in the office by 8 am :-)

Salam Aidilfitri 1434H

Salam 'eidul fitri.  Maaf zahir & batin.  It was the fourth 'eid for Achik and the fourth that we celebrated as a family of five.  It is expected that next 'eid will be the same :)  We were in purple this year.

'Eid this year was a bit sombre though with what is currently happening in Egypt and Syria.  It is difficult to enjoy the moment, knowing the hardship that our beloved brothers and sisters are facing over there.  Some have even met their martyrdom.  May Allah bless them.  Eternal bliss is indeed for them.  Our prayers are with them.  The truth will surely supersede the evil and wickedness.  It is just that Allah hasn't decreed it to happen yet.  Maybe we haven't done enough.  We have to strive harder.  To work in unison, to disregard the national and international boundaries introduced and created by our enemies.

It's the haze (again)

Sigh.  Year after year, it is the same problem that we have to face during this time of the year.  Is there any other solution to this?  Putting our health at risk is one thing.  Unexpected closure of schools is another.  For families like us, who have no helper to rely on, impromptu action and plan are needed when such announcement is made.  Luckily, I only have a one hour lecture today.  I can still perform my duty while taking care of Along and Angah.  Leaving them unattended for one hour is still acceptable.  But I have 5 hours of lectures to deliver tomorrow!  What if the school is still close tomorrow?  I can't possible leave them alone for 5 hours.  I hope the university is also close tomorrow.  Sigh.

Accompanying children in ward

Alhamdulillah, Achik was discharged from the hospital yesterday at 6.04 pm.  Hospital stay this time was a lot more bearable due to the short duration, the home leave and the collection of 'accessories' that we took along with us :-)

Cooking utensils ...

Cars ...

Books ...

Colour pencils ...

Bed time story book ...

I let Achik have them all at one time.  For longer hospital stay, you may want to consider not showing all of the toys at once.  Show one at a time and change when the child gets bored with the one she is currently playing with.  We also received a goodies bag filled with activity book, pen, pencil, stickers, pillow and stress cow - it's like a stress ball, but it's a cow.

Her next appointment with Dr. Khairul is on the 1st March.  I have to make sure that she recuperate well and is fit enough on that day so that she will get a clean bill of health for the umrah trip.  This will be her medication schedule for the next two days which adds up to the existing schedule that we have already had.

6.00 am	rhinathiol (cold), zyrtec (flu)
8.00 am	flyxotide (inhale)
10.00 am	antibiotics, ventolin (inhale)
2.00 pm	rhinathiol, zyrtec
4.00 pm	ventolin
8.00 pm	flyxotide
10.00 pm	antibiotics, rhinathiol, zyrtec, ventolin, singulair (diluted)
4.00 am	ventolin

Achik and pneumonia

It has been one and a half year since Achik was last admitted to the hospital.  She is back this time for the same reason.  She started coughing last Wednesday and didn't sleep well that night.  She was breathing fast.  We took her to a nearby clinic on Thursday night and the result was not good. We were given a referral letter, which meant that Achik needed to see a paediatrician.   I took her to see Dr. Khairul on  Friday and it came as no surprise when he told me that Achik had to be admitted.

Where we are this time

Because the rooms were fully booked and occupied that Friday, we only managed to 'check in' on Saturday, after Maghrib prayer.  Prior to that, we had to commute to the hospital every four hours for her nebulisation and Oxygen reading.

The timetable of a family without a maid

	Ummi	Abah	Along & Angah	Achik
6.00am	Wake up, wash clothes, iron clothes, solat	Wake up, bathe, solat (at the surau)	Sleep	(Please) sleep
6.45am	Prepare breakfast (or still ironing the clothes)	Prepare breakfast (if ummi doesn't)	Wake up, bathe, pray, have breakfast	(Please) sleep
7.15am	Bathe, preparing kids for school	Getting ready for work	Getting ready for school	(Please) sleep
7.30am	Hang clothes	Leaving the house	Leaving the house	(Please) sleep
7.45am	Getting ready for work	On the way to school	On the way to school	(Please) wake up
8.00am	Leaving the house	On the way to office	(Supposedly) At school	Leaving the house
8.30am	At office	At office	At school	At nursery
4.00pm	Pickup Along & Angah from school, take them to office	At office	At 'office'	At nursery
5.30pm	Leaving the office	At office	Leaving the 'office'	At nursery
6.00pm	Pick up Achik, drive home	On the way home	On the way home	On the way home, singing, yelling and sometimes crying
6.15pm	Arrive home, solat, preparing for dinner	At office?  On the way home?	Bathe, solat, freestyle	Bathe, freestyle
7.00pm	Preparing for dinner, solat Maghrib	Arrive home, do whatever with Achik as long as she does not disturb ummi in the kitchen, solat Maghrib	Solat Maghrib, hafazan	Freestyle
8.00pm	Serve dinner, have dinner	Have dinner, then pray Isya' (at the surau)	Have dinner, then pray Isya' (at the surau)	Have dinner then ask people to pray Isya'
9.00pm	Help Along and Angah with exercises/attending to Achik	Help Along and Angah with exercises/attending to Achik	Homework & exercises	Freestyle, making mess, watch 30 minutes with Ust. Don :-) ...
10.00pm	Doing some housechores	Rest with Achik	Freestyle	Freestyle
10.30	Putting Along & Angah or Achik to sleep	Putting Along & Angah or Achik to sleep	Sleep	(Please) Sleep

How's that?  It is not of course as rigid as a duty roster, but this is how our everyday is like most of the time :-)

School holiday dilemma

For a working mother without a helper, end-of-the-year school holiday always poses a challenge, that is, how to keep the school age children engaged.  For this, I am very thankful to Mak Nah, the owner of Taska Al Humairaa for organising loads of activities for elder children whose siblings attend daycare at the nursery.  Angah is enjoying every bit of it, which is a great relieve to me.  As for Along, the first week was really holiday.  He just stayed at home with my mum.  Thank you very much wan.  Second week, he attended a robotics workshop, an introduction to robot for children.  He enjoyed it.  Starting this week, he is attending Littlescientist workshop for three weeks.  Till then, I will have to figure out what they will do for the remaining weeks of this school holiday.

Organic soya drink for Achik

Achik is approaching 22 months old.  Although I am still expressing milk with a lot of struggle to combat laziness, I have slowly started introducing her to other milks in preparation for weaning.  After successful introduction to fresh milk (seriously, she finished all the 3 oz on the very first day I introduced it), I am going to try organic soya drink on her.  The brand is Melilea.  Well, this is the only brand that I know.  Hope that it will work just as successful as fresh milk.

Melilea organic soya drink

The recommended serving is 1 scoop for 1 oz of water.  But I am going to go for half first.  So it is going to be 1 and a half scoops for 3 oz of water.  Hmm ...  Anyone has extra scoop?

About living things

We had a discussion about living things and non living things on the way back from office that day.  It started when Along asked me whether his baby crystal balls are a kind of plant or animal.

Me: Probably it's a plant.  Does it grow?
Along: Yes.
Me: Does it multiply?
Along: Yes.
Me: Then I think it most likely is a plant.
Along: Does plant multiply?
Me: Of course.  All living things multiply.  Membiak.  Beranak.
Along: (Jokingly) Then abah is a non living thing then.  Because abah does not multiply.  He does not give birth.

He he he ...  What a conclusion.

Pizzas DIY

We made our own pizzas last night.  Truly home made pizzas.  The recipe was taken as is from myresipi.com.  Angah made a joke while the dough was being covered under a damp cloth.  "Syyhh.  Jangan bising.  Yis tengah tidur.  Nanti dia tak nak bangun."  Ha ha ha ...  I am sure his teacher told him so because they have cooking lesson every Friday at the kindergarten and they made doughnut once before.  Maybe he didn't even realise that it was a joke.  What a pity.

The most exciting part was the create-your-own-topping.  The one below was my 'artwork'.  I did not manage to snap Along's and Angah's designs as the pizzas quickly went into their mouths once ready :)  Well, can't blame them as we had late dinner last night due to the DIY pizzas.

Fourth pizza waiting turn to be put in the oven

Satisfied 'customers' and makers

One woman show

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life where I have to do the house chores, handle the kids and everything single handedly.  Abah has started a new job venture far far away in a northern state, about 3 and a half undisturbed at a speed that can kill driving hours away from home.  It is not easy, especially when it comes to doing things that all this while fall under his job specification like getting the kids out of bed, bathing them and serving them breakfast, taking the garbage plastic out into the trash box and the list goes on.  I have lost my other pair of hands, and will have to make use of whoever's pair of hands that I can get, especially Along's hands :)  Angah, while putting on his clothes this morning said, "Abah dah pergi Penang kan?  Kesian ummi kena jaga diorang semua."  The pronoun was not quite correct but acceptable :)  Thank you for your concern.