playtime at school

Jane left her camera at school last Thursday and the teachers took a few photos of Al and his friends during school time. That day Al requests for a cake for his teachers and friends (i wrote it in the other blog - malas nak ulang here) ..and since he has been behaving recently, (read: no fuss when it comes to going to school, homework done, doing extra work at home without being prompted) we decided to indulge him ...

the photos were a revelation to us ...it shows us the side of Al that we seldom see ...of him interacting with his classmates ...how happy he was with the other kids ... and what their activities are at school ...

he looks so happy at school ... and to think that we were so apprehensive to let him go to school at the beginning of the year! How we thought that, since he is a shy boy, that it would not be easy for him to mix around with the other kids  ....but, it has turned out very well ...in the next couple of weeks, they will be having a long school break ....and that will mark the end of Al's first year at kindy :-)

accommodation sorted

yeayyyyy finally got my accommodation in NZ sorted. And I have exactly 3 months to go before I uproot myself from home, from my comfort zone, from all things familiar .....so, having my accommodation sorted is a relief - not just to me, but to my family. Mum and dad, in particular, are worried (though they don't say it out loud) about me leaving home again. I guess they are so used to having me round after my last (long) stint abroad the last time ....so, knowing that I have already secure a place is somewhat a relief to them ....as Dad said, despite my age, I am still his little girl - hehehe and being the eldest has its previleges!

I opted to stay at uni accommodation - at least for this first year. It is a bit pricey compared to renting a room or flatting outside of campus. But, I just want something which is convenient for me - a roof over my head, a place that is within walking distance to the office and library, that has all the basic facilities - heating, laundry facilities and internet included in the rent!Saw a map of the area, and apparently my flat will be very near to my office and library ...and library is facing the harbour! So the views will be awesome!!!

on the down side, it is a flat shared by 4-5 people ... sharing with strangers can be tough if you cannot get along. But, am thinking positive ...plus the uni asked us to fill in a preference form - to gauge our compatibility with future flatmates ...so should be ok kot! It is not like I have never been in that situation before ...all my uni days in Newcastle before were spent in uni accommodation ....so, it is going back to similar environment ...goes with the territory I suppose ....

whatever it is, i know I will be missing my bed, my room, my house ......and mom's cooking! but hey, it is my choice to go to NZ, so just have to toughen it out for the next 3-4 years ...

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

 - Henry Ford 

Dresses for lil Umang

got something for Umang ....since my mom is going to KL in 2 weeks time, I decided to get Umang something ...i have not get her anything since she was 1 month old :-) so, last weekend, i took mom and dad to the shop and get something for Umang ...seriously, shopping for baby girl is soooooo fun! so many things to choose from, so many colours, so many patterns and so many accessories ...... but dad put a stop to my unstoppable spending ...said I can only get one dress as Umang is such a fast-growing baby, better to get her a few things first, and get her Christmas gifts nearer to the time ...well, point taken dad!

i bought the sleeveless white dress...and my dad bought that pink short cardigan ....said better not expose Umang's bare back! when I told my sister, she said that she had the right hair band for this dress lol i think she has hairbands in all colours imaginable at the rate she's buying these things online!

then my brother also shows us the dress that she got for Umang during his trip to Singapore recently ...very girly and princess like! We just love to shop for little girls :-)

complete with a matching hat and bracelet!

we have been saying that it is so hard to choose for girls when it come to clothes ...so many choices ..furthermore, Umang is our first neice, so we tend to go overboard buying thins for her ....but for Christmas, we already got a message from her mommy that we should not get her more clothes, instead we were told to get some toys .....i am sure that I will be buying her dresses as well ..i mean, who can resist pretty clothes right?


for my boys, I still dont know what to get them ...I may be going to Toys r Us soon to survey what is available...Alistair is so into his train set now, I might buy him and adik some train sets, and maybe a couple of shirts ...and books ....now that both are attending school, I think books are the best gifts ...to encourage them to read :-) (well, one can only hopes!)

craving mode: pamelo salad

it is one of those cravings ...out of the blue i have this craving for pamelo salad ...i have not had the dish for over a year, but suddenly last night i was salivating at the thought of pamelo salad ..its tartness and the sweetness are oooo so yummy ...the problem is I dont have any pamelo at home! desperate punya pasal, called my cousin at the longhouse and ask them whether the pamelo tree at the cottage had bear fruits or not, or whether it is ripe enough to pluck ...and the answer is yes, there are a few fruits at the orchard, but no, it is not ripe enough for plucking! Punah harapan jap ....

the one I made earlier (years earlier lol)

Fear not, I am so determined to get this elusive fruit ..so, am going to pasar tani this weekend to get it, and pamelo salad will be the dish of the weekend! couldn't wait!

last night we had a sumptuous tapau dinner ....like Fendi said, I went overboard (probably because I was hungry when I ordered the food)...dad called me to ask me to get some takeaway dinner coz mum was not feeling well ....so, i stopped by my favourite seafood restaurant to get some of their yummy dishes ...alang2 menapau, biar tapau yang terbaik! ended up with calamari dish (sotong masak telur masin), baby kailan braised with garlic, braised tofu with all the trimmings, chicken in dried chillies mix, and seacucumber soup ...the soup is my mum's all time favourite, so something hot for her to sip since she didn't want to have any rice last night .... and it was way too much, ended up as leftover which we (my parents and I) had for lunch just now ....as usual, nafsu makan mengatasi segala2nya ....nasib baik tak membazir!

am getting home late tonight as I have to invigilate a mid-term exam (my own paper)..but my SIL already texted saying that she will get some take away meals for us for dinner ...so that mum can rest. And knowing my SIL, am sure tonight's meal will be veggie-less ...as she hates vegetables! macam macam hehehehe

hairband obsession

My sister is very obsessed with hair accessories right now ...not for herself, but for her baby! She was the one who was adament that nobody should get her daughter anything in pink as she hates pink and considered it as too girlish ...i was warned very early on not to get Umang anything pink ...or not to get Umang anything with frills or any girlish accessories ....all the warning did not affect our judgement ...i bought Umang tonnes of pinkish rompers, and clothes ....my brother and SIL also did the same, we just ignore the mother's request (ON PURPOSE!!!) and my dad was the one who said that we should just ignore my sister's request :-)

that is why we were so surprised when my sister started buying hairbands and other hair accessories for dear Umang ...and not just one, or two pieces ...but A LOT! she even texted me to hint that if i were thinking of getting Umang some Christmas present, I may like to get some hair pieces to complement the dress ...shocking! a complete 360 degree change for someone who dislike pink and dislike girly outfit ....

my sister sent me the above photo for hints! LOL so I asked her why the change of heart. her answer is hilarious! She said she is treating Umang like her doll and she just love to doll her up ...hehehe and she said, Umang might not like being dolled up when she grows up, so now is her only chance to make her daughter looks pretty! Hilarious ...but dad said that, having a mother who is a tad tomboyish - dislike skirts, girlish outfit and hates pink - there is a slight chance that Umang may inherit that taste in the future ...

looking back when we grew up, I was always the one in skirts and dresses and proper girly shoes ...my sister was so into denims, shorts and t-shirt ....but people change kan .. and it is great to see Umang being dolled up hehehe i just love going shopping for her ..so many girly clothes to choose from ...christmas shopping this year should be more fun!

Excuses excuses

My nephew is at it again .... he was so cranky this morning, just because he didn't want to wake up to go to school ...said he rather sleep and watch tv than getting up ....some days he is ok, but there are days when you literally have to drag him into the bathroom ...and the bad guy who always have to play this "dirty cop" is non other than myself! His mummy will not do anything as she will be the one who will console him after I forces the 5-year old to brush his teeth, and have his shower ....my parts end after supervising the shower! and mummy will take over ...by then Al will be ok and not sleepy anymore

Now I found a new tactic to get him to up quickly .... i will pretend to call his teacher to say that my nephew is sleeping and doesnt want to get up ....he will automatically get up if he saw me (pretending) looking for my mobile phone ....he knows that I have the teacher's number coz he heard me calling the teacher one day a couple of months ago when he was absent (due to flu at that time) ... now that tactic seems to work ..so, I am planning on using that every if I have to wake him up!


before this, the only tactic that works is by bribing him ..told him that if he gets up early, and get ready by 7.45am, he can play with my iPad whilst having his breakfast ...that works wonderfully for about 3 months ...before that I used to bribe him with cold milo ...promised him that if he goes to school or do his homework, I will take him to the corner shop not far from our place so that he can choose his own milo drink from the fridge ....

but he is such a cheeky boy ....i told him that he did brilliantly in his spelling tasks that I should reward him ...and I told him I will take him out for ice-cream as a treat ...he was jumping up and down saying thank you mama ...love you mama .....over and over again ...am touched! So, I took him out last Saturday to McD (his fav ice-cream is choc sundae) but the cheecky boy said he wanted chicken nuggets, french fries and cold milo as well ...and when he finished all of that, then and only then, he requested for an ice-cream ....clever huh? i promised him dessert but he negotiated for a whole meal inc dessert!

and he is only 5 years old ...pas nie apa dia nak mintak tak tau lah ......

busy mode - PhD preparation

i have been very busy lately that i dont have time to update anything here ...the good news is that, I will be officially on study leave effective 1st Feb next year ...i was supposed to start last September but due to short notice from the sponsor, and a request from my supervisor, I defer my start date to feb ..so, still have another 4 months - give or take - to enjoy life at home ...


the not so good news is that I am swamped with documents ...that need to be signed, initialed etc etc and the dateline given was very short ....i have to sign 2 different agreement with two different sponsors, have to find two guarantors (luckily I roped in my siblings!) but since my sister lives in KL, i have to courier documents to and fro for that purpose ...and my brother is now in Singapore for a conference, and he forgot to give me his IC! and my documents are due this coming friday ...so stressful ....

then the medical check up ...had to do it last week...i have been delaying it for a while ..coz of the haze, I have been coughing non-stop, and i was asked to wait till my cough is better ...and I am one of those person who hates hospital and anything related to a syringe! but, i had to do it, so cekalkan ati jer lah! Went to Kuching Specialist for that .... Done everything within one day ...and was proclaimed as medically fit! so happy ....syukur sangat2 for that :-)

other than that, I have to sign a lease with the University for my accommodation ...the good thing is that i already have a place at a uni hall there ...and my office space has already been sorted by my supervisor as well ...but there are still a few things that i have yet to do; namely (i) renewing my passport; (ii) visa; (iii) tickets; (iv) allowances and other financial related matters; and last but not least (v) shopping! i need a luggage; a new laptop, a new phone, a new camera ...hehehe i really have to distinguish between my wants and my needs!

so, i will still be busy in the next couple of months ...but after waiting since last Feb for this, another 4 months should be more bearable, as the light at the end of the tunnel is much clearer and more welcoming now!

wish me luck, k.