Shukri is my youngest son. He will turn 6 years old soon this coming Feb and pretty much looks forward to have his birthday party. Now that I have some time off from work, it's my duty to be the daily school chauffeur to my 5 schooling kids. Yep I love getting stuck in daily traffic jam during school rush hour along MRR2 and Jalan Jelatek. But the opportunity to spend more time with all my kids during this part of their life is precious to me and one that I will cherished forever. I hope it is the same for my kids too. But often it's the 10-15 mins drive back home, everyone would be so excited and clamouring among themselves to tell me of their day in school. I love that time! Sounds of their 4 voices on top of each other is musical heaven to my ears.
So my daily drive routine will be to send Afifah, Aliyah and Wajdi first to their school and them making U-turn to send Shukri to his school. Sometime if Kakak requires a ride, I will proceed to send her next after Shukri.
By mid day it will be time to pick Shukri from his preschool and I look forward to his cute cherubic cheeky face after missing him the whole day (hey I am not used to have the house that quite).
So last Monday, I picked him up as usual and we always have conversation about our days i.e. bare in mind conversation with your 5 year old tend to be one sided aka Mum's side. Our conversation topic in the car are sometime random. That day it went like this:
Shukri: Ibu, I know how to say hello in Chinese! (Excitedly)
Ibu: Oh yeah... that's good Shukri (I am genuinely excited for him too). What is it then?
Shukri: It's KONNICHIWA (With confidence!)
Ibu: Errrr Shukri, that's actually Japanese
Shukri: Oh really, the writing looks like Chinese to me (He said in a non plussed manner & went back to playing)
Ibu:.Errr hmmm.............................(flabbergasted!!)
You should know that Shukri has started reading few English and BM books in his school. Back in Gabon, he speaks a little French with Irene, our menagerie. Also he started learning Arabic letters since July last year. When did he found the time to learn Mandarin (which is only taught when your in Primary 1 at his school, Shukri is not in primary one yet), I haven't figured it out yet. Shukri, Shukri you're so funny!!
I signed him up for taekwondo and swimming co-curriculum in his school. He wanted to also do gymnastics; I hesitated not sure of why he would be so interested in that. His dad said Shukri probably wanted to check out the beautiful girls during the gymnastic class hahahahaha. Oh my Shukri!
Till next time, insya-Allah.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Best Intentions
Yesterday I went with Hasanah to KL Convention Centre to check out the Star Education fair. There were plenty of booths on display from various learning institution and there were also talks from representatives from various learning discipline.
We arrived in the late afternoon after parting with Hubby who is off to Bangalore for 4 days; leaving me to handle four schooling children by my own hmmmm. Anyway Hasanah and I sat through the talks on Exploring Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy professions. The medicine talk was quite good and informative about preparations to be made to make it to the limited and highly coveted Medical course. While the Dentistry Professor from IMU was definitely not sugar coating her talk . It was a contrast to the lecturer who gave the same talk during IMU open day last week. That lady that give that talk came across as more caring and living up to the first and foremost reason why one would choose to pursue healthcare profession i.e. "Desire to serve other people and help make their lives better"
I am attending these talks, open days and searching up on scholarship and loans facilities available to try to help make some plans for Hasanah. At 15 years old, She doesn't really know what she would like to do yet. Her ambitions ranges from working with National Geographic to film animal movies, being a vet (eventhough she is asthmatic and extremely allergic to cats fur).
This is a contrast to myself because back then at 15 years old, I have already decided that I will try to be a doctor. Coming from a family who is not well off, I had already known then that education is my way out of the life difficulty that I was born into. I was also passionate about working with people especially children and old people, by being a doctor I would be able to help all these people. Seeing my old grandparents always being sick and getting mediocre medical care also burns my ambition. In addition, I wanted to contribute to increasing the numbers of Iban doctors in Sarawak. I had also imagined myself working with Doctors Without Borders- an organisation of Doctors that help to treat patients regardless of nationalities, countries. That would be just heaven!
But me doing a doctor was not meant to be. I didn't meet the requirement on grades for Biology and Add Maths SPM subjects. Later thanks to Allah, I was offered an full scholarship to study overseas but it was not for doing medicine. Coming from a poor family who had no means whatsoever to finance my university education, I realised my circumstances and accepted the good offer; thus did let go of my childhood dream. I was already independent during my secondary school years. At 17 years old, I learnt the lessons to arrange for my own further education and passport applications and went for my medical checks for myself.
I knew then that I want to improve myself and to live a better life in the future for myself. So despite the difficulties in my early life, alhamdulillah I did have the opportunity to go overseas, completed my degree education, met a wonderful boy who now is my dearest husband, make other lifelong friends and later provided financial support to my parents. I have come to terms with what I am capable of, I am willing to work towards achieving my dreams. If that was then interpreted as stubbornness to my parents just be cause of my go-getter attitude, I have learnt to accept their indifferences and try to not let it matter.
Digressing too far from my original intention of Hasanah's next major steps, it would be no secret here of my desire and hope that she would be interested in either medicine and dentistry. Especially dentistry because that can her the work-life balance that she needs and she can also help with the society. I can imagine the future Mercy Malaysia mission with doctors and dentist giving their services to victims wherever they are needed.
However that would be imposing my dream upon her dream. I know enough to, in my heart, to let her to be free to dream her own dream so that she does not live a life of regrets and what ifs and lookback. As her mum, I will continuously pray and continuously support her in whatever she finally chooses (let's hope that it will be dentistry...hehehe still hoping here as you can see). May Allah help to grant you all your wishes and hope Hasanah.
Ultimately, no normal parents ever wish for anything bad for their children, we all have the best intention for them in our hearts. What we can do better from our previous parents generation, is to share our intentions with them and show more of our love and support to our children. For we live our life today is so that their tomorrow will be much much better.
Till next time, insya Allah.
We arrived in the late afternoon after parting with Hubby who is off to Bangalore for 4 days; leaving me to handle four schooling children by my own hmmmm. Anyway Hasanah and I sat through the talks on Exploring Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy professions. The medicine talk was quite good and informative about preparations to be made to make it to the limited and highly coveted Medical course. While the Dentistry Professor from IMU was definitely not sugar coating her talk . It was a contrast to the lecturer who gave the same talk during IMU open day last week. That lady that give that talk came across as more caring and living up to the first and foremost reason why one would choose to pursue healthcare profession i.e. "Desire to serve other people and help make their lives better"
I am attending these talks, open days and searching up on scholarship and loans facilities available to try to help make some plans for Hasanah. At 15 years old, She doesn't really know what she would like to do yet. Her ambitions ranges from working with National Geographic to film animal movies, being a vet (eventhough she is asthmatic and extremely allergic to cats fur).
This is a contrast to myself because back then at 15 years old, I have already decided that I will try to be a doctor. Coming from a family who is not well off, I had already known then that education is my way out of the life difficulty that I was born into. I was also passionate about working with people especially children and old people, by being a doctor I would be able to help all these people. Seeing my old grandparents always being sick and getting mediocre medical care also burns my ambition. In addition, I wanted to contribute to increasing the numbers of Iban doctors in Sarawak. I had also imagined myself working with Doctors Without Borders- an organisation of Doctors that help to treat patients regardless of nationalities, countries. That would be just heaven!
But me doing a doctor was not meant to be. I didn't meet the requirement on grades for Biology and Add Maths SPM subjects. Later thanks to Allah, I was offered an full scholarship to study overseas but it was not for doing medicine. Coming from a poor family who had no means whatsoever to finance my university education, I realised my circumstances and accepted the good offer; thus did let go of my childhood dream. I was already independent during my secondary school years. At 17 years old, I learnt the lessons to arrange for my own further education and passport applications and went for my medical checks for myself.
I knew then that I want to improve myself and to live a better life in the future for myself. So despite the difficulties in my early life, alhamdulillah I did have the opportunity to go overseas, completed my degree education, met a wonderful boy who now is my dearest husband, make other lifelong friends and later provided financial support to my parents. I have come to terms with what I am capable of, I am willing to work towards achieving my dreams. If that was then interpreted as stubbornness to my parents just be cause of my go-getter attitude, I have learnt to accept their indifferences and try to not let it matter.
Digressing too far from my original intention of Hasanah's next major steps, it would be no secret here of my desire and hope that she would be interested in either medicine and dentistry. Especially dentistry because that can her the work-life balance that she needs and she can also help with the society. I can imagine the future Mercy Malaysia mission with doctors and dentist giving their services to victims wherever they are needed.
However that would be imposing my dream upon her dream. I know enough to, in my heart, to let her to be free to dream her own dream so that she does not live a life of regrets and what ifs and lookback. As her mum, I will continuously pray and continuously support her in whatever she finally chooses (let's hope that it will be dentistry...hehehe still hoping here as you can see). May Allah help to grant you all your wishes and hope Hasanah.
Ultimately, no normal parents ever wish for anything bad for their children, we all have the best intention for them in our hearts. What we can do better from our previous parents generation, is to share our intentions with them and show more of our love and support to our children. For we live our life today is so that their tomorrow will be much much better.
Till next time, insya Allah.
Year 2015 in View
Normally we tend to start a new year with Resolutions and this is what I will attempt to do here to capture and hopefully look back at this year end, insya-Allah.
For myself, my hopes and planning for year 2015 would be:
1. To be a good and loving mother for my 3 daughters and 2 sons - to yell less, to understand more, to laugh and be with them at any important event which they require my presents
2. To be a good and loving wife to my husband - to reduce my temper, to communicate and increase tolerance. Thanks Dearest for loving me unconditionally all these 16 years without ever giving up that one day I will change for the better.
3. To be a better daughter to my mum - to call, visit and bring her over more often. This would be my challenge as I am not close to mum since small. We always had our differences in thoughts and views and I still feel today that sometimes my mum do not truly see me for the woman I have become. Then again it could be just my imagination as we are often more critical of ourselves than others really are.
4. To start my own business - this is my biggest challenge and worry this year as I would like to make a start towards financial independence. I do love what I do; after 16 years in my profession I have grown to love my job and the work I do. However in the long run, with the children growing up and requiring more of my attention and attendance, my work will not enable me to spend as much time as I want with them. So I have to think of a change; indeed a change is a scary thing and even more scarier for a girl like me who likes to have control over every single thing.
Update to this list:
5. To learn to manage my stress better aka to yell less to my beloved children even if they do test the limit sometimes. Target is to limit to 1 yell incident per month (take a deep breath on this pledge)
So I will start with this 4 resolutions first and see whether I can meet my own expectation by year end. Wish me luck and pray for me too.
Important milestones this year too for us as family:
1. Hasanah will be taking her iGCSE this year in May/Jun. I pray that she will be healthy and do well in her exams. I will try to support her as much as I can.
2. Aliyah will be taking her JLSA and UPSR exams this year. Good luck my baby girl! You can do it and I will pray for your success.
3. Husband and I have made appeal to request for places to perform our Hajj this year. We have registered for Hajj pilgrimage since year 2002 and have missed few window of opportunities since then. I pray with Allah's Rahim and Rahman that may we have the chance to go for Hajj this year. Please pray for us too. My heart yearns to go to Mekah and see the Kaabah in person again; truly a magical peaceful feeling. It's is as if the sky above the Kaabah can see directly to the heavens, subhanallah.
Here to 2015 resolution. May Allah grant us the knowledge and patience to succeed. Ameen.
Till next time, insya-Allah
For myself, my hopes and planning for year 2015 would be:
1. To be a good and loving mother for my 3 daughters and 2 sons - to yell less, to understand more, to laugh and be with them at any important event which they require my presents
2. To be a good and loving wife to my husband - to reduce my temper, to communicate and increase tolerance. Thanks Dearest for loving me unconditionally all these 16 years without ever giving up that one day I will change for the better.
3. To be a better daughter to my mum - to call, visit and bring her over more often. This would be my challenge as I am not close to mum since small. We always had our differences in thoughts and views and I still feel today that sometimes my mum do not truly see me for the woman I have become. Then again it could be just my imagination as we are often more critical of ourselves than others really are.
4. To start my own business - this is my biggest challenge and worry this year as I would like to make a start towards financial independence. I do love what I do; after 16 years in my profession I have grown to love my job and the work I do. However in the long run, with the children growing up and requiring more of my attention and attendance, my work will not enable me to spend as much time as I want with them. So I have to think of a change; indeed a change is a scary thing and even more scarier for a girl like me who likes to have control over every single thing.
Update to this list:
5. To learn to manage my stress better aka to yell less to my beloved children even if they do test the limit sometimes. Target is to limit to 1 yell incident per month (take a deep breath on this pledge)
So I will start with this 4 resolutions first and see whether I can meet my own expectation by year end. Wish me luck and pray for me too.
Important milestones this year too for us as family:
1. Hasanah will be taking her iGCSE this year in May/Jun. I pray that she will be healthy and do well in her exams. I will try to support her as much as I can.
2. Aliyah will be taking her JLSA and UPSR exams this year. Good luck my baby girl! You can do it and I will pray for your success.
3. Husband and I have made appeal to request for places to perform our Hajj this year. We have registered for Hajj pilgrimage since year 2002 and have missed few window of opportunities since then. I pray with Allah's Rahim and Rahman that may we have the chance to go for Hajj this year. Please pray for us too. My heart yearns to go to Mekah and see the Kaabah in person again; truly a magical peaceful feeling. It's is as if the sky above the Kaabah can see directly to the heavens, subhanallah.
Here to 2015 resolution. May Allah grant us the knowledge and patience to succeed. Ameen.
Till next time, insya-Allah
Run for a new beginnining
Last Saturday on the 17th we had a school cross country run for the girls at FRIM Kepong Botanical Garden. It was fro Primary 4 up to Sec 5 Classes. So Wajdi is spared this time round - next year handsome boy! Parents are invited to run with their children; mostly for moral support I guessed. The purpose of the run is for the school to start the new academic year with a healthy activity aka running which is not the norm for Malaysians. We'll gladly do a makan-makan (community eating) session any time of the year!
Since I already ran last year for Hasanah's 6.2 km near UIA area; I signed up mostly caused I felt challenged when Hasanah said last year most of the Indonesian students mum signed up and one even won the race. Needless to say the "kiasuism" spirit is very much still in me, I prefer to term it as positive competition hehehe. I signed up for that run without much exercise prior to that except for running around the apartment compound and swimming on Tuesday; to end up with a massive headache next day Wednesday and run the actual road run itself on Thursday. Hasanah was so sceptical about me running that she made subtle hints (more than subtle I think) for me to cancel my run intention. I think she had this vision that I'd be carried away in a ambulance during the run :)
But no worry, happy to report that I did finished the run in good health; no ambulance drama and even managed to come up on the 4th place in the parents/mum category; although I couldn't be sure whether there were only 4 mums running that day (?) I am sure it looked like 10-15 mums at that starting line or at least that is what I imagined.
Now sorry for the throwback to Hasanah's road run, returning to Afifah's and Aliyah's cross country run at Kepong Botanical Garden. Aliyah and myself was doing the 4km run for primary girls category (thanks to Allah that the school thought that we mum would be more suitable for this category) while Afifah ran the 5km for lower secondary girls. The run was done in the botanical garden around the lake; it was a nice area to run with tall trees, green grass and surrounding a nice lake. I was too worried about having enough energy to finish the race so didn't really had time to enjoy the surrounding then.
I finished the run in 25mins and managed to finish in the top 10 places ( I think as the school only counted up to first 5 runners; what a pity as I am sure we mums would have wanted to know where we stood). Aliyah finished on the 9th place and Afifah on the 3rd place for their respective categories. Good job girls.. we will do better next year insya-Allah now that we know what to expect for this place. That is if the school decides to do the run at the same place next year.
So that's our running story to start this year. As much as I HATE DETEST running, I do know that it's probably the easiest exercise for me to do apart from swimming. I hate going to gyms even more.
Thus this year, we would probably end up doing more of these types of runs especially aiming for those that involves the whole family like the Tropicana Golf Run we did last year. That was fun and a nice way to explore KL surrounding areas. The girls we would probably sign up for more competitive running to enrich their learning especially Hasanah as she loves to run.
So let's run whole heartedly ahead to new adventures!
Till next time, insya-Allah
Since I already ran last year for Hasanah's 6.2 km near UIA area; I signed up mostly caused I felt challenged when Hasanah said last year most of the Indonesian students mum signed up and one even won the race. Needless to say the "kiasuism" spirit is very much still in me, I prefer to term it as positive competition hehehe. I signed up for that run without much exercise prior to that except for running around the apartment compound and swimming on Tuesday; to end up with a massive headache next day Wednesday and run the actual road run itself on Thursday. Hasanah was so sceptical about me running that she made subtle hints (more than subtle I think) for me to cancel my run intention. I think she had this vision that I'd be carried away in a ambulance during the run :)
But no worry, happy to report that I did finished the run in good health; no ambulance drama and even managed to come up on the 4th place in the parents/mum category; although I couldn't be sure whether there were only 4 mums running that day (?) I am sure it looked like 10-15 mums at that starting line or at least that is what I imagined.
Now sorry for the throwback to Hasanah's road run, returning to Afifah's and Aliyah's cross country run at Kepong Botanical Garden. Aliyah and myself was doing the 4km run for primary girls category (thanks to Allah that the school thought that we mum would be more suitable for this category) while Afifah ran the 5km for lower secondary girls. The run was done in the botanical garden around the lake; it was a nice area to run with tall trees, green grass and surrounding a nice lake. I was too worried about having enough energy to finish the race so didn't really had time to enjoy the surrounding then.
I finished the run in 25mins and managed to finish in the top 10 places ( I think as the school only counted up to first 5 runners; what a pity as I am sure we mums would have wanted to know where we stood). Aliyah finished on the 9th place and Afifah on the 3rd place for their respective categories. Good job girls.. we will do better next year insya-Allah now that we know what to expect for this place. That is if the school decides to do the run at the same place next year.
So that's our running story to start this year. As much as I HATE DETEST running, I do know that it's probably the easiest exercise for me to do apart from swimming. I hate going to gyms even more.
Thus this year, we would probably end up doing more of these types of runs especially aiming for those that involves the whole family like the Tropicana Golf Run we did last year. That was fun and a nice way to explore KL surrounding areas. The girls we would probably sign up for more competitive running to enrich their learning especially Hasanah as she loves to run.
So let's run whole heartedly ahead to new adventures!
Till next time, insya-Allah
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
LONG HIATUS
This is truly truly a long break from this blog of mine. Obviously I am not the writer I thought I was. I have not been writing as regularly as I had planned. What I wanted this blog to be was to share my thoughts with those who matters so that in time & future they may know me a bit better. So I guess it's truly for my children that I want to write for here.
Many things have changed since my last post. We are now back in Malaysia & the family is reunited here with my eldest daughter. We are staying in a cozy apartment aka smallest dwelling for us yet in the heart of KL.
Yenzi Camp in Gabon now is a fond memory for our family. The friends & lessons we gained from there I will be forever grateful to Allah for allowing us to live there for the past 4 years. I cannot believe today when I say I miss Gabonππ. Things has obviously changed since my previous thought on life there. In due time I will reminisce about the happenings there; obviously a lot has past since.
Now I shall capture today the most important event. Unfortunately it is not a happy one though to begin this year. Last week I lost another important person in my life; my dearest Aki (grandpa) passed away on Tuesday 6th January. He fell really sick the week before as he was diagnosed to have some TB infection in his lungs. He was already about 78 years old so I was already aware of his impending mortality. However I did not plan to lose my Aki when we had just been back to Malaysia for 7 months. One of the reason we came back was to enable to spend more time with families back home.
I don't want this to be a sad post so I want to remember my grandpa as the way he lived.
- He came from Miri
- I don't know how many siblings he has exactly, I've met a least 3 of them from Miri.
- He has a very fair complexion; I know he was a handsome chap during his youth. Wished I inherited that fair complexion from him.
- Aki doesn't say much, he was the quite one while Ini grandma is the opposite π
- Humble & lead a simple life; he refused lands offered to him when he worked a land surveyor back in those long long time ago before Miri became the city it is now.
- Works hard like all longhouse men I know from my childhood. I always remember him with his faithful companion dog, Jugam, going to the kebun to work.
Till next time, insya Allah
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