~ekantona writes...

and this is what they said..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:57:00 +0000

Well, just now, I was about to do something really bizarre with the rough skin under my toes ( ok, gross!).
Seeing that my 3 heroes surrounded me, with Hafiz closing his eyes AND covering them with his finger. (ngeri sangat lah tu konon!). Lutfil and Umar seemed a bit calmer and waited...
"No, don't do that! You are going to die..!" Hafiz said out very loudly. Worried..
"What happened after I die?", I asked.
"Emm..you are going to see the dentist?!", he said, unsure. It was more like a question than a statement :-D
"No, we solat first", Umar added, dengan berhikmah sekali. ( I guessed he meant 'solat jenazah'.)
Lutfil melopong..

PS: I wonder if we follow the sequence, it then becomes: solat jenazah and then see the dentist, next? ;-)

No-butter Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe. Kacang Je! Peanuts!!

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:39:00 +0000

Do you have the chocolate cake recipe that you can always, always make that instant ; the moments your little ones screaming for some good, yummy, chocolaty cake? Last night , Hafiz was a bit gloomy, ( he always have world-problems to solve) and Lutfil was not helping with his babbling that made Hafiz thinks that the world is really a NOT good place to live in . Hafiz wouldn't eat anything and you could see that he was really cross! I was thinking all day yesterday to make the butter-cream cheesecake for today's Halaqah.
Knowing that the moment I pull-out my magic mixer will get the kids excited, I resorted to make THEIR chocolate cake first. I knew THAT would make Hafiz happy. Oh boy! Happy he was. He was delighted.

He was so pleased that he eventually ate all 3 roti jala and kuah kari that everybody had left for him.!! My magic worked.

He finished his roti jala very quickly, and was already besides me in less than 5 minutes after that.
"Do you need help, Mommy?". "Yup, I sure do! Thanks Hafiz for being very helpful". He helped me pouring the oil, sugar into the mixer, throwing the egg shells into the trashcan, and help me holding the sieve for me. We prepared the ingredients in less than 10 minutes or so, and after that is baking time which usually take around one hour @ 160 degC , using MY oven here. We have a bit problems with the oven here. It is never at the temperature as indicated, and I can never get the other knob to turn at the exact baking method I wanted it to be. The cake turn out good. Although it doesn't use butter and other fancy ingredients, it always produce the kind of chocolate cake I like. It doesn't require that powerful arm to rise the egg or sugar and butter, etc. A simple mixing and a light whisk will do. It is the simplest recipe I know for chocolate cake.

Oh, by the way, this recipe was given to me by Zira, a petite lady I knew in Block B, Riyadh. That's before we moved to the current complex. Zira left in February 2008.
Here's the recipe:

Zira's Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe.

Ingredients A : (mix and sieve)

2 Cups flour ( all-purpose)

1 Cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate

1 teaspoon baking powder

Ingredients B (stir to mix)

1 Cup oil ( corn, sunflower,whatever; I use cooking oil)

2 eggs

2 Cup sugar ( I always reduce to 1 1/2 Cups)

1 can of evaporated milk. ( I use full-cream milk, abt 400 - 450ml)

Method:

Ingredients A mixed and sieved in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir Ingredients B so they mix well.

Pour A into B. Stir to mix. No need to use that powerful mixer. The mixture is quite light and can be easily mixed with a big spoon or a hand whisk. Grease a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking tray (or use baking sheet),

My oven needs a lot of monitoring and I need to bake more than 60 minutes for a good 150-160degC . But that's MY oven! Normal oven can be set to 160-170degC fo 60-70 minutes. Or do the normal "inspection". Insert a knife/fork ( eh?!) or tooth-pick , it comes out clean if the cake is ready.

There goes my "kacang je" recipe. Peanuts!!

(If I can do it, YOU can do it!)

Lutfil Oh Lutfil

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:20:00 +0000

In the bus going to school this morning:
Lutfil: But Mommy, I want you to come with me to the school.
Ibunya ni: Yelah, I am going to school with you lah ni..
Lutfil: But I want you to stay.
Ibunya ni: How can I stay with you at school. I am already big (jawapan sempoi je lah kan)
Lutfil: Noo, you are not biggg...you are MEDIUM...( !!?? apa punya jawapan ni..??!!)

hahaha..but of course he managed to make me laugh ..

Visit to the Late Dafullah's house

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:05:00 +0000

This morning, my friends and I went to see the late Dafullah's family. His house is somewhere in Mayo, about 30 minutes drive from the complex. The paved road made it easier to reach the neighbourhood which is also not too far from the main road. His family is staying with his parents, since he lost his job in August 2011. I was told that he was renting a house somewhere for SDG (sudanese pound)150 per month. I wonder how much left he had for his family after the rental paid?!

Just one of the houses in the neighbourhood.

There were other people in the house when we arrived there; his brothers and sisters, and their children.
His wife (Habsah) looked very devastated, and his mother was wailing, and calling out his name a few times.
It was very touching when we saw his small children. They all resemble him very much. His 3 boys are Muhammad (7 yo), Muhanad (5 yo), and Abu Saufi (1.2yo). His wife looked very young, and to think that she has to endure such a difficult life when her husband died, and she has 3 children to support..*sigh*..poor Habsah. His family live next to his parents house. Here, it is so typical for a house without a roof, there's no need for cemented/tiled floor, too. It is very arid here, so the dry climate makes it possible for them to have a roof-less and floor-less house. No or very little rain , and the hot weather; so I guess it suits them well.
But now it is winter, I wonder how they cover themselves and their children from the chill at night? It can get very cold at night, and in the morning, too. I hope the long-sleeved clothes and a few blankets given may warm them a little bit. I also noticed that his parents' house next-door has a proper roof. Perhaps that's where they stay if it rains?!? May Allah has mercy on them.

We were accompanied by Saha, a lady from the Country Office who is a local and was also our translator that morning. Some new informations gained :

1. Dafullah was al-Hafiz, MasyaAllah..
2. He was working on the ground floor, when a cement container hit his shoulder and ripped his chest,
    tearing his heart. He died on the spot.
3. Due to the condition of the body, doctors didn't let his wife to see it.
4. He called his wife in the afternoon, saying that he passed some amount of money through a friend for his
   wife. But he won't be back that afternoon, because the site was far from home. Instead, he will be back
   that night, and he promised to bring his sick wife to the clinic that night when he comes back. He never
   made it, as we all know..
5. When he was working in the complex, he also did other jobs after the working hours in the
    complex.
6. He was supposed to report duty in the complex. The new management finaly called back some of the
    previous workers from the former company. He just had to finish a few more days in the site, before
    coming back to the complex.
7. He was paid SDG20 daily for the work in the construction site. That's about USD7.50 per day :(

We passed her some amount of money collected amongst our community members, and some of us also brought biscuits, cakes, drinks, and gently used clothes for the wife and the children.

Muhammad, Dafullah's eldest son (7yo)

The hostesses and their guests. The guy in jalabiya is Dafullah's father and his mom is the one in black/white stting down, next to the lady in green. All the other ladies sitting on the mat are Dafullah's sisters.

Seen here is Dafullah's brother, Mustapha (looking to his right) and Hameed, a general worker in the complex who is also Dafullah's friend.

The entrance gate to Dafullah's parents house.

Habsah, the late Dafullah's wife.

We had the opportunity to talk to his brother Mustapha, who despite hasn't finished his high school education, speaks very good english. One lady member added, "American slang lagi" :-)
Apparently, he loves reading and reads a lot! He also used to attend seminars and workshop for creative writings, English courses offered by some institution around Khartoum, and he is inspired to be a good writer himself. That also explains why Dafullah's English was also good ,despite him being a general worker. If you remember well, I also mentioned that he speaks a bit of Bahasa Malaysia , too! I guess, if you are a learned person, it really shows. Perhaps, Dafullah himself is someone who likes to learn. There are people who let lessons of their life pass them by and do nothing. There are people like Dafullah and his brother who learn from things happening around them, take every chances to grasp knowledge and let experiences enrich their lives.
I hope his children would be like their Dad and Uncle Mustapha. I hope their wisdoms are passed along in the family. I alsohpe whtever small contribution we made that day would help them in whatever ways possible. I pray that Allah makes it easier for them to live their life and that Allah guides them ( and us) always. May Allah bless us all.

In remembrance of Dafullah...

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:33:00 +0000

This post is especially dedicated to Mr Dafullah, a man I knew for only 3 years , or so.

You see, if you have not known him, or you have never met him, that's it. You'll never meet him, you'll never get to know him. He's dead. He passed away last Thursday (10th Nov 2011). He fell off a building on which he was working on. It was a sad news, indeed.
I just got the news through our warden this morning, saying that Dafullah passed away ,and that the Welfare Committee would go to his house this Sunday. I cried really really hard reading the mesage. Called my DH and cried again. The images of him kept pouring in, and I could still see his smiling and his sense of relief, a great relief whenever he got his payment after he's done doing something for us. I knew he really needed that money, he had a family; a wife and 3 children. I remembered him telling me his wife delivered a baby last year. That baby must be around 1 year old by now. I feel sad for his family. For his wife. To hear that you husband died falling off a building, when he just said good-bye that morning; maybe with a kiss and a warm hug, promising to return that afternoon. I cried again when I tried to imagine how she'd reacted to the shocking news. How heavy and heartbreaking she must have felt when she looked into her childrens' eyes. How did she tell the children?

Dafullah was nobody special. He's just a general worker, a position that nobody really care if it hadn't existed in our residence complex. You would just need him to do all the 'general' thing. You know, helped carry the tables, chairs, help with all the not-so-important stuffs around the complex. His position and the things he did didn't need any special skills or certification. Maybe that's why he lost his job. The company who hired him needed to cut cost, and Dafullah and several others were simply terminated. They didn't need him anymore. I knew about him losing his job after I came back from my summer vacation in July 2011.
I bumped into him, and he said that he's been terminated, meaning he's no longer working in our complex. He told me that he's looking for a job,and that if I ever needed him to do work around the house, I could still call him. I knew that he was desperately needed some money to support his family. I was thinking of what chores around the house that I could offer him to do. Unfortunately, we were quite mobile this time around and I didn't really have time to sort out things. Although DH kept telling me to call Dafullah to help sort the stuffs we have in the store, I didn't manage to call him. I procrastinated. I bumped into him several time in Khartoum though. Once, I was in the van coming back from school at noon, and the driver said that he wanted to stop to say 'Hi' to 2 friends he saw on the street. When the van stopped I saw the 2 guys, and one of them was Dafullah. He was looking for a job. He must have found a job in a construction site somewhere. Yeah, it would be easier to get a job there. They don't need qualification. They just need your gut and your willingness. And Dafullah needed money. Desperately..

You see, Dafullah always gave his brightest smile when he sees you. I also think that's he's brilliant. He could speak a little bit Bahasa Malaysia, and he kept learning new words day by day. That's cool for someone who hadn't had a formal education ,not even in his own language. I remembered asking him to help with our store, rearranging the bottle, cans and what nots, washed carpets. I knew of other madams who asked him to hang the curtains, deliver food to the office, bring in the chairs and tables for the bazaar, etc. He'd do anything you asked him to. Besides money, I used to give him clothes, cutleries, diapers, all the dry food/canned food. Also electrical appliances;-). He accepted them generously. You know, with a wide smile, and a very happy look. The next day, he would tell you that his wife was overjoyed with all the gifts. To know that you are a part of someone's happiness, is a joy, too.

Now, Allahyarham Dafullah, may Allah has mercy on your soul. May Allah rewards you for all the good things you have done for us. Semoga Allah merahmati kamu. Semoga Allah melimpahkan rahmatNya ke atas keluarga kamu,dan melindungi mereka. Semoga Allah melimpahkan belas dan meringankan bebanan yang ditanggung oleh mereka. Amin.

Selamat jalan Dafullah, semoga kita ketemu lagi..

It's been almost 4 years now..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:26:00 +0000

Pejam celik pejam celik, rupa-rupanya dah hampir 4 tahun kami berada di bumi Khartoum, Sudan ni. Kecuali DH yg mula menjejak kaki di sini awal Feb 2007, kami berempat (saya, Umar, Hafiz dan Lutfil), sampai pada 3 Nov 2007. Maknanya 3 Nov 2011ni, genap 4 tahun anak-anak membesar dan menghirup
udara di bumi bertuah ini. Yang tak tahannya tu, ibunya ni yang membesar sekali! Penangan selera yg sangat adventureous dan perangai sekali-mencuba-berkali-jatuh-cinta-nak-order-lagi memang membawak beban ( in kilos!). Haiyaaa...

Masa mula sampai, Umar 4.5 tahun, Hafiz 2.5 tahun dan Lutfil 1.5 tahun. Umar masuk KG1 (or Pre-Reception) di Little Fr1ends. Sekolah swasta ni kepunyaan 2 orang adik beradik perempuan dari keluarga berpengaruh di Khartoum ni. Kalau sebut nama keluarga ni, kiranya mahsyur dan tersohor. Masakan tidak, emak diaorang tu dulu pun dah jadi pengetua kat Un1ty High Int'al School, dulu satu satunya sekolah antarabangsa kat bandar ni. Mesti hebat sesangat kalau tahun 70'an dulu dah jadi pengetua sebuah sekolah antarabangsa kan, kan? betul tak? for a lady pulak tu? Sekali tu, ada pulak poster bekas Puan Pengetua ni terpampang kat dinding sekolah yang anak-anak dia usahakan tu. Masa tu sebelum ada acara perasmian besar-besaran sekolah tu tahun lepas. Dalam gambar tu, emak diaorang ni pakai sari. Namanya pulak Avinash. Agaknya emak diaorang ni asal dari India kot. Patut muka dua beradik tu pun ada campuran sikit, bukanlah muka asli tempatan. Nama pun sorang S0nia, sorang lagi Mona. Bagus jugak Umar masuk sini dulu.Sistem dia lebih kurang macam di Malaysia, jadi faham-faham ajelah kan. Bab-bab membaca , mengira , menulis tu semua mesti dah kena master sebelum masuk Year 1.

Hafiz dengan Lutfil pulak masa tu belum schooling age. Aduhai, jadinya ke mana pun pergi, bawak la 2 handbags ni, mengekor lah ke sana ke mari dengan ibu terchenta ni..;p. Ke halaqah (usrah ke...eleeh..macam la pergi every week pun, ponteng je memanjang..;p), get-together aka coffee mornings ke, shopping ke, school meetings ke, Umar's Parent-Teacher Conference ke, muka Hafiz dan Lutfil pasti ada di mana-mana. Kekadang penat jugak heret diaorang ni. Diaorang pun memang penat sebenarnya asyik kena heret ke sana ke mari. Ye lah, bayangkan lah. Tempat kat sini, bukannya macam Suria KLCC ke boleh lepak kat food court ke kalau penat, boleh pi fast food ke, bukan ada air-conditioned room. Kalau tengah summer yang panas membahang, alamat terbakar le kulit kena panahan mentari. Walaupun pergi souq yang ada shed/roof, masih jugak ku terasa bahangnya... Panas dia lain macam .'Macam' dia lain sikit.Susah mau explain itu macam la.. hehe.
Tapi, apa-apa pun, nasib baik budak 2 orang tu jenis yang dengar kata lah jugak. Bukanlah jenis yang tak makan saman. Setakat merengek nak balik, merengek panas, merengek nak duduk, nak dukung, tu biasala kan. Adat budak lah kan. Ibunya je lah yang kena sabar lebih sikit. Ini tak....( tarik telinga sendiri..:( )
Susah payah itu ku harungi jua, dan lihatlah donia..dengan 2 handbags itu merata jugak ku merayau, banyak jugak souq2 yang diterjah, banyak jugak lah investment yang dah ditabur di bumi Sudan ni. Kiranya Hafiz dan Lutfil bukanlah faktor penghalang kepada kesungguhan saya untuk membantu menyuburkan ekonomi import eksport negara ini pada tahun 2007 dan 2008.

Sekarang ni Umar dah pun in Year 3, Hafiz in Grade 1, Lutfil in KG2. Umar di sekolah antarabangsa komuniti khartoum, Hafiz dan Lutfil di sekolah Amerika Khartoum. Umar chose the school that he's in now, and I chose the school for the other 2 boys. That explains the 2 different schools for my childrens. Not enough explaination? maybe later, in next year's entry. remind me, will you? ;p

Nampaknya sempat jugak kami membesar bersama-sama ( ibu dan 3 anak-anak lelakinya sahaja, tidak termasuk suaminya..) selama 4 tahun. Boleh tahan lama tu.
Bila budak-budak dah besar dan semua dah bersekolah ni ( yeayy!!), ibu dia memanngggg lagi panjangg lah langkahnya. Eh, tapi takdelah panjang mana pun. Saya ni jenis baik jugaklah ! Ahaks! Masuk bakul nampakkk.. heheh. masih ingat rumah , dan banyak jugak melepak di rumah walaupun dah free sikit nak ke mana-mana. Nak ke mana-mana tu, kena tengoklah dulu tempatnya, apa yang nak dibeli, kesesuaian (guano eh eja ..) jadual supaya tak clash dengan aktiviti lain. Sini namanya je duk Sudan, tapi aktiviti kat sini kalah aktiviti masa zaman kerja duk KL dulu. Kalau bukan aktiviti Petronita, aktiviti sekolah. Kalau bukan aktiviti sekolah, aktiviti emak-amak di kompleks ni. Kalau emak-emak di kompleks ni tak buat aktiviti, kita join emak-emak luar kompleks punya aktiviti pulak. Tu lah pasal, takde aktiviti cari aktiviti.. . Kalau tak terasa jugak hambar duduk di sini, jadi kita isi masa yang ada dengan pengisian rohani dan jasmani..huhuhu..;p. Tapi adakah saya perlu berterus etrang dan mengaku bahawa selama ini, mulutlah yang banyak sekali diisi? Dengan kata lain, mulut paling banyak aktiviti..Ke , memang semua dah sedia maklum? isk, isk, sheeshh..weh, dengan makanan lah, apa lagi?? So,why am i complaining about the weight gain again? I am not complaining. Actually, being a woman , I am just WHINING!

Now, where have all the years gone? Why didn't i pen anything about what I have experienced all these 4 years, all the ups and downs, all the excitements, all the growings and all the tumblings, all the moments that I (hopefully) have wisely spent together as a family here? I couldn't answer that one. Really. As much as i wanted that every event that we have gone through as the 'next' entry, I never managed to actually sit down and write that entry. The same thing goes to photography. I was an avid photographer , I even owned an SLR years ago (this was before DSLR where everybody i think has one, if not two). Now that I have my own family, I found myself staring at them, at their faces, and I do stare at my DH , too . I refuse to do this through the viewfinder. I'd rather indulge in that moment, and I don't care about my camera anymore. We have a Nikon D80 and I rarely carry it with me. I know that there are moments that needs to be captured , especially that the boys are growing and we (the parents) are, too (growing old). I will try to make the effort to snap more pictures. I will try to REMEMBER to BRING my camera. Then, I will try to remember to snap some pictures!

If I could tell you one thing about being here with my family, it is this: I absolutely loving it. I love it being here with my darling hubby and with my 3 anak lelaki. I have learned so much, and i am still learning, every moment, every day. I learn how to grow/age,( betul kawan-kawan), how to cook, how to take care of myself and how to take care of my family. I learn what is really really important to me, I learn ( am learning) about what is important to my DH, and what is important to my children. I am still learning. I learn form the young and the old madams here, from the kakaks and the adiks I have met all the years I live in Sudan.

I also learn, that given the opportunities, I, you, we , anybody, could do things that we never thought possible before. Well, at least I have done quite a few things that I have never thought I could do in the past. Having said that, going back, InsyaAllah, I will become someone ..err a little better ( if not much better), who has learned a lillte bit more of herself, of what she wants in her life, of what she wants for her family and and how she wants its done. InsyaAllah..

Kids- What is bullying and signs that you bully..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:55:00 +0000

Just felt like sharing this article. We might think that the facts in the articles are just some kids-stuffs , growing-up-things-that-you-have-to-face, etc. Think again! Just put yourself in those bullied childrens' shoes. Also, try to imagine what IF your children are being bullied and picked on, all the time?! Read on..

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/signs-that-you-bully.aspx
WHAT IS BULLYING?

Signs That You Bully

Okay, time for the truth. Or at least time to consider if you have a confession to make! Take this quiz to find out if you've ever bullied someone. Put a check in the boxes if you've done these things before.

~There's a boy or a girl (or maybe more than one) whom you've repeatedly shoved, or punched or physically pushed around in a mean way just because you felt like it.

~You had someone else hurt someone you don't like.

~You've spread a nasty rumor about someone, in conversation, in a note, or through email or instant messaging.

~You and your friends have regularly kept one or more kids from hanging out or playing with you. Examples: at your lunch table at school, during sports or other activities, or activities that are a part of a club or other kind of group activity.

~You've teased people in a mean way, calling them names, making fun of their appearance, or the way they talk or dress or act.

~You've been part of a group that did any of these things - even if you only wanted to be part of the crowd.

If you checked any of these boxes, you're not alone. All over the country, in all types of neighborhoods and schools, there are all types of young people who bully others. Bullying is serious business. It causes young people a lot of pain, and it can affect their ability to do well in school and their general happiness. But it doesn't have to be that way. By visiting this site - and taking a look at our Webisodes - you can learn about better ways to treat your friends and acquaintances, as well as become part of the solution to this serious problem!

Definition of bullying..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:11:00 +0000

Is bullying a part of growing up? Is it just something your child has to go through, and make
him/her ( i think boys are proned to being bullied than girls, am i right?) believe that she'll come out stronger, braver, more confident, bla,bla, because he/she had passed thist one phase of his/her life? So, while some parents are teaching their children emphaty, being kind and thoughtful to others, sharing ( be it your food, toys or even friends), there are also those who never seem to care enough to instill the values in their children. Don't just brush it off. Think what if your child is being bullied? Think think think...

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/what-is-bullying.aspx

WHAT IS BULLYING?
What Is The Definition of Bullying?
A lot of young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day! Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over.
Punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically
Spreading bad rumors about people
Keeping certain people out of a "group"
Teasing people in a mean way
Getting certain people to "gang up" on others Bullying also can happen online or electronically. Cyberbullying is when children or teens bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include:
Sending mean text, email, or instant messages
Posting nasty pictures or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites
Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone.

Take a look at Webisode 5 to see an example of cyberbullying. There are many ways that young people bully each other, even if they don't realize it at the time. Unfortunately, not everyone takes bullying seriously, including adults.

This is one of the main reasons that the Youth Expert Panel has worked alongside the representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop the Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop Bullying Now! Campaign.

denim skirts for sale

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:27:00 +0000

holidays in malaysia- jjcm

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:29:00 +0000

Woohhooo..we are going home .Balik kampung...

It's not that we haven't balik kampung for years ..saje je nak rasa seronok, though we just came back from kampung on 4th Aug this year. The thrill of balik kampung is always there, no matter whether you balik kampung from Kajang, or from UM ( uni days) or from JB ( in laws).

In fact, I feel the same thrills if we were to balik kampung JB from Kuala Kangsar ( KK- my kampung). I guess it's the travelling that makes me so excited. Betul la kata orang, it's not the destination, but the journey that matters!

We will be in Msia from 27th Nov till 15th Dec. A bit over 2 weeks, and already i can see us rushing to go here and there, meeting relatives, friends, makan-makan, buying stuffs, settling our unfnished businesses, paying bills, etc. This time around , i am so determined to get the keropok lekor on board. Musti, musti..

During our previous trips back to Msia and coming back here, we bought the fish crackers, but never managed to bring it here, because of excess baggage. Keropok lekor were never really our priority because there were always books (mommy's and childrens') , food stuffs, other food stuffs, more food stuffs but not keropok lekor.

So, yes, this time, your time will come keropok lekor! ( Ya Allah, permudahkan lah urusan membawa keropok lekor ke sini. Amin) I am now thinking that once we have keropok lekor in our current house, alangkah indahnya petang hari, makan keropok lekor, cicah sos cap Pah Bedah , minum teh -o panas, mata bertaut, senyum terukir , oh alangkah indahnya sekali lagi). Hee.hehe..

Oh yes, we will be bringing lots of paratha as well. Memandangkan saya tidak pernah berjaya membuat roti canai yang menjadi roti canai, maka keputusan ini telah dicapai. Dan burger, frankfurter, fishballs, meatballs, crabsticks, etc. Bayangkan kalau keadaan memerlukan, dan anda agak liat untuk mengeluarkan duit sebanyak RM15 hanya untuk mendapatkan 6 keping burger patties, bukankah lebih baik membawa bekalan dari Msia, where it is much much cheaper and InsyaAllah, kualiti terjamin, halal dan bersih? We bought quite a lot of those from HPA, or Az-Zain or any muslims products available. It's just my personal options.

Once in Malaysia, we'll be doing lots and lots of makan-makan. I once went to Laksamana Cheng Ho's restaurant, ( ehm not once, twice) but it was closed. This time around we hope to be able to sample their food, dengar macam sedap sangat??! Ye ke?

Anyway, even in Bangi (we live in Kajang-near Bangi), there are lots of reataurants/ food outlets opened recently. It's very much welcomed by us hehe. There are Wong Solo- ayam penyet, Nasi Ulam with their scrumptious nasi kerabu and nasi dagang breakfast spread, Ghazali Nasi Bryani Gam- i love their kambing and ayam masak merah, and a few more kopitiam and what nots. Memang gantung periuk, senduk and kuali.

I shall make a list of where to go, what to get now. Recommendations of outlet makanan sedap very much welcomed.

having fun with playdough..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:44:00 +0000

This is the playdough recipe that is used in Hafiz's preschool. Mr Dave was so nice to share the recipe with the other parents, and we have been making it 3 times, since. Next, i will ask tempe recipe from Mr Dave, dengar kata dia suka sangat makan tempe, he might have his own simple recipe to make them, who knows? ehehe

Playdough recipe
( adik, kakak abang and bibiks, sila ambil kertas dan pensil, atau anda boleh kopipes dan tampal di fridge menggunakan fridge magnet Vladivostok yang anda kirim kawan tempohari :D)

Use proportions of:
1 Cup of flour
1/4 Cup of salt
2 tablespoons of cooking oil add water ( to desired consistency)
~ waaahh..kalau taruh gula dengan sedikit vanilla essense, sudah boleh buat biskut raya nih! :)

Method:
To make regular playdough, just mix up the ingredients then add oil and enough water a bit at a time to see how things are working out.
If you make it a bit sticky, then the kids can add extra flour to play making things. You might want to start with a little water, then build up to the consistency you want.

Some kids like to prepare the playdough themselves, a sticky dough is great so they can add extra flour. Umar loves making shapes, scluptures and doesn't bother to modify the dough. For him, i usually make playdough with just the right consistency so he can start right away..
Oh yeah, we added food colourings and flavourings as well. We have had blue playdough with banana flavour ( what a weird combinations), eggyellow-coloured strawberry-flavoured and apple green colour with vanilla flavour.

From the start to the end ( 'end' means until the dough finally crumbled all over the floor, because it dries up really fast here..), there will be testing assumptions, tasting, tasting and tasting... Oh, did i mention tasting? Here are some photos from our 2nd day of having fun with our playdough.. I hope you have fun making your own playdough too! Try it!

Playdough – sedia untuk diapa-apakan saja…

Umar’s blue colour, banana flavoured dough..

If it were to be a dough-nut- I’d call it Smurf Do-Nuts!

Hafiz- mula mengapa-apakan doh tanah liat itu..
Tenaga dalaman diperlukan untuk membuat prints
sebegitu rupa, ya adik-adik..!!

The boys in action.

my rolling pins......

Umar's Smurfs Do-Nuts?

Umar menggelecek dan menggentel!!

Lutfil, Umar (dan siputnya)

Lutfil seperti biasa, menunggu 'bantuan' sampai..

Lutfil cuba modify antennae siput Umar..jaga-jaga..’praaappp!- bunyi antennae itu dipatah-patahkan..(adegan ini tak dapat disiarkan, takut mengganggu ketenteraman awam..)

Hafiz must have thought making siput out of a playdough is ‘kacang’, and was out to prove that he can do better than Umar!

Hafiz’s siput . The siput I think is a bit nervous, ye lah..kaler pinkish kan…
(Note the reflection of the snail, never thought it would show up that clear..the table top must have been so shiny –clean or maybe oily-shiny? Errkk)

Umar is always into animals/living things. I had thought that he would make a T-Rex, or creatures from the oceans, or a sea-horse. Turned out it was a snail!
The red fish was Lutfil’s. Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell that bad, and the taste is the combination of roses and mango..! care for some tasting?

colour of my life..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:17:00 +0000

Every weekends , i will be reminded of the promises i made to the boys. Tuntut janji tuu..When they asked if they could cut a picture out of an old newspaper, play games on PSP, help me bake cakes, make playdough( they like to make rather than play playdough!), use water colour or the tempura paint, the answer is always
"Wait till Friday/Saturday/weekends" ( 'weekends' is when i don't feel like being specific, so it could be friday, saturdays or the next weekends) :D
Umar will of course, remember what he asked for, and what day i told him he could do it then.

So, early Friday mornings he will bug me to take out the brushes, paints, paper, scissors, glitter glues, all the necessary stuffs neededto produce that magnificent piece of art. As other kids, they love mixing colours and painting their favourite subjects, Umar's the natures and ocean livesand it is cars, planes, horses and cats for Hafiz. Lutfil is not so choosy and he'll just paint anything and ON anything! ishhh...:D
Photos that were taken last Friday...

On top of that, they use the glitters to put that glamour touch to their final work. It's amazing to see them put all their focus and energy on the papers and colours. It amazes me more to see how they perceive their surroundings, by what they put on the paintings. Sometimes, it's from their imaginations, or books they have read, or from places they have been to.
Umar did some paintings on beaches ( siap dengan pokok kelapa membuai-buai) and lots of sketches on ocean-floor creatures-
that's definitely from picture in books he'd seen, or maybe NatGeo Wild or even Nemo! haha

It is the only time when i can have the TV all to myself ( BBC Lifestyles is what i want to watch), because at other time it is either Baby TV, or Disney
Channel or NatGeoWild ( news can only be watched in the mornings). That, or i switch it off altogether, semua orang tak payah tengok.
However being me, memang suka playing with paper and colours; so i will join them and show off my art talents - macamlah ada pun..hahah
DH masa ni is either watching us or doing his work on his computer, takut nak join, karang kena gelak kuat-kuat punya...!! heheh

When it's time to clean up the mess, i will just need to sing a song out from barney's show, 'Clean Up'and Umar, Hafiz and Lutfil will quickly come to the rescue. "Kalau tak mau, next week no more painting for you"- ini janji Ibu yang ingat!!

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:41:00 +0000

Yeeha..

Life has been good.

Alhamdulillah, things are going very well with the kids and oh yes, i have only Lutifl to accompany me during my morning march to morning coffees, arabic class, badminton lessons, cooking class ( last Tuesday's was Kek Gula Hangus, siap tapau lagi). Bunyi macam banyak giler aktiviti kan? Eh, memang banyak pun. Oh ya, tidak terkecuali my dear Playgroup classes every Monday and Thursday..The other 2 boys are at schools from 7.15am to 1.30pm.

Umar is now in Year 1 @K1CS, Khart0um Int'nal Community Scho0l, while Hafiz goes to KAS ( Khart0um Amer1can School). Yup, they do go to different schools. Why? For Hafiz, I wanted him to go where he is going, and Umar wanted to go to his current school- the fact that they offers swimming lessons and horse-back riding contributed a lot to his choosing the school.

Anyway, seeing that they enjoy schools and coming back with stories of friends, teachers, current projects, books they are reading are enough to convinced me that they should be where they are now. The 2 schools look so different in appearance and 'feel', but i am sure they provide just the same best quality education and nurturing them just the way it should be. hehe..emak-emak biasalah, semua mengharapka yang terbaik, anak-anak harta kita wehhh..!!

I take Hafiz to school everyday at 6.45am, with the block van ( ya macam van pekerja kilang di tanahair kita).Now that i have 2 schoolgoing children and DH's workplace doesn't have any cafe ( ok, tipu, bukan takde cafe, but not the type yang dia boleh beli and makan- terlalu local taste, withflava beans and local salads, and he's an expat - eh betullah kan?), so i have to prepare breakfast and meals ( to bring to schools/office) for 3 .

Lihat menu-menu di bawah ini:

Breakfast: Cekodok pisang ( DH), cereal (Umar), Roti with Nutella spread ( hafiz).Lunch box menu: Nasi goreng (DH), cucur pisang (Umar- percayalah, inilah yang umar bawak ke sekolah..habis!!), hafiz- roti sapu nutella( kalau Londobisco roll cake habis, atau kalau yang chocolate flavour habis , dan yang tinggal strawberry aje-which he doesn't fancy! habis tu siapa nak makan yang rasa strawberry tu?!!).

Atau, set yang ini juga: Breakfast: Nasi goreng ( DH), cereal (Umar), susu (Hafiz)- sonang bona!Lunch box: Nasi goreng ( DH), Mee goreng - for both Umar and Hafiz.Umar and Hafiz ni tak reti makan nasi goreng, tapi mee goreng ok. DH plak tak suka mee goreng, nasi goreng dia sukaaaaa!!Kadang-kadang DH bawak nasi putih dengan lauk-pauk, ( fish fillet goreng tepung with some sauce, or daging masak asam pedas with lots of tomato chuncks, fried thin-sliced beef mixed with some long beans, etc.

Harap-harap teman-teman semeja makan DH ku itu tersangatlah impressed dengan my cooking dan mungkin menyuruh wife-wife mereka memasak yang serupa: fish fillet goreng tepung? ikan bilis goreng? sheessh!! ahahah- tak lawak!!Tapi jangan adalah yang menjeling dan mengkomen dalam hati kalau nampak hubby bawak nasi lauk telur mata bersos kicap atau emm..bawak cekodok pisang!! heheh...Pagi-pagi memang sangat gedempun-gedempang kitchen kitorang, sampai kakak rumah bawah tu dah biasa sangat tanya: apa lah yang kelentng kelentang pagi-pagi tu ?:. eh, masaklah kak,western ada, thai ada, menu panas panas!! Kang orang tak tau pulak saya masak untuk seluruh ahli keluarga terchenta! heheh( sekali tengok DH bawak roti sapu coklat je pi ofis, akak ni mesti tau sebab hubby dia seofis ngan DH, maknanya lunch partner jugaklah! Bocor rahsia !!
Tak habis lagi. I take Hafiz to school, DH still at home, and i really , really like it if Lutfil has woken up from sleep by this time. Biasanya i hint to my DH, "hari ni ada arabic class at 9.30am, or morning coffe at 9.30am,or badminton lesson at 8am". I f i am lucky, he'll give Lutfil a bath, and that usually is a BIG relief! Susah gilerr biasanya nak mandikan dia, dengan amuknya, dengan rengeknya, orang lain start badminton pukul 8am, i datang 9am. Patutlah 'stroke' i tak pernah improve!Asyik lambat sampai training ..heheh. Kalau morning coffee tu, asyik mkan dessert je lah, pasal main menu dah habis! Not complaining here..i memng suka target dessert dulu pun..
Tengah makan dessert kat acara minum kopi tu, mata asyik tengok jam, pasal at 11.30am kena naik van lagi ambik Hafiz at school. Bawak Lutfil dan bersama geng Van Sekolah, kami menngharungi panas terik dan bahang, merentasi.... Eleh, Mohammed yang drive pun rileks je , madam-madam ni nak kena bukak mulut and bukak cerita je sepanjang jalan tu. Tapi i pernah jugak tertidur selama 15 minit dalam van tu, penat beb!! Sampai rumah biasanya i goreng mee je ( mee kicap ), atau kalau tanya Hafiz, dia mungkin cakap" Ibu feeds me roti canai for lunch" hahha..buleh dipercayai jugaklah dia haha.Hafiz kalau mintak i buat apa-apa yang dia nak makan, it's either roti, or mee or donuts! Kalau kek coklat, dia makan semua , except yang i buat! Ngapalah anakku ni. Eh, Ibu buat sedap tau! :D

Umar is more on the cheese-pizza-bread-fresh milk-cereals types of food! I think he has sweet-tooth just like me. Tapi i suka pengat, dia suka tak eh?

Oh ya, I have this resolution to finish the current stock of cream cheese. I have been doing this creamcheese buttercake for the past 2 weeks. I have made this 6 times already, and i still have about 400g of creamcheese that could make about 2 butter cakes. Patutlah my pants and khakis yang selama ini elok-elok muat dah tak muat.Okay, lepas ni berkain batik. Tak pun pakai seluar punjabi yang pakai tali je, verryy flexible! haha. On the other hand i managed to gain the 6 kgs that i lost ( and thought that would be forever!!) isk, isk !! Jangan berani congratulate me. Nahas anda nanti! Dari mana agaknya all those kgs/pounds came from? Emm..let me wonder !! Ye lah tu..!!

makan makan, cari makan..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:07:00 +0000

I, kalau cerita pasal makan-makan ni cukup suka. Bukan suka cerita aje, suka makan pun sama.

I am one of the people yang ke mana i go, i'd love to find and taste the local food. Mesti nak tanya"where can i find the local food", bukan yang chef hotel masak, tapi kalau boleh, yang home-made, yang makcik-makcik kat rumah tu masak. Macam makan nasi kerabu, emak Syidah Tumpat masak. Atau pun makan Som Tam beli dari pasar malam sebelah rumah Syidah Tumpat tu jugak..sedaappp! Kalah Kelantan Delight!( la ni KD pun dah takde kat KLCC, dah diganti dengan korean restaurant). Makanan melayu takde tempat di Aras 4 KLCC kot. Kat food court sebelah tu masih ada lagi kot..

Kat sini, mula-mula tu tak pandai jugak nak makan kat mana, nak makan apa. Macam kebingungan sikit la. Lot's of turkish, arabic, egyptian influence kat sini..so the food are quite similar in preparation and also in taste. You get lots of falafel, grilled khaaruf(mcm goats, less smell), pizza-especially in turkish restaurants, mandi rice-mcm plain bryani, steamed lamb, fresh salads, and varieties of dipping sauce. Usually,the menu is very limited, especially those that serve typical arabic food. Alwaha, for example, requires you to choose "bone or no bone and how many kilos?". If you want 'something else', it has to be the grilled chicken (quarter or half). Tak ada lain dah. These are served with Naan,veggie salads and dipping sauces ( sataa-spicy, and hummous-whitish in colour).

K4andahar, also a famous eating place-very traditional, very simple, very kampung-style, very laid-back suroundings, siap sedia single beds in case you want to doze off right after the heavy meal (khaaruf and its fat). Oh, actually K4andahar is a small town, and since the restaurants do not have any names, we just refer to them as "K4ndahar". They serve khaaruf and camel meat. Usually, we either order the dry type or the gravy type. The dry one means that the meat is fry with the fat and salt, and 70% full of fat, if not 99% . On the other hand, the one with gravy means , that the meat is cooked WITH the fat, onions (lots ofa them) and pepper.

The result? HHmm..sedap hingga menjilat jari. Tambah lagi if you have (Fanta Strawberry + fresh milk for drinks..best!! Eh, dah lama tak pi Kandahar lah..Jomm??!!

old home VS new home

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:06:00 +0000

The first picture was of our apartment in Riyadh area, Khartoum. Our house was on the ground floor. There were 9 families in that building, and we had 4 vans ferrying us (schoolchildrens, madams to the souq, childrens to extra-classes, madams to shopping, etc). It was not grand, but it was nice. DOn't be tricked by what you see from the outside. I'd like to think that the inside of our homes were comfortable enough, good enough, and catered to all of our needs.

The second picture, is of course, the new P3tronas Sudan Complx. It houses the office buildings and also the apartments for the staffs and their families. Alaaa..macam kuarters polis la tu..

The inside is a bit modern (note the "bit"), makes you feel like you are in Malaysia.

It has 2 blocks (for the apartments), A & B. Block B was completed first, and we moved in on 26th July 2008. The unit is smaller than our old house, but then, it feels spacious enough for our family. Apart from the book shelves that we brought from Malaysia, everything else was provided.(wardrobes, mattresses, dining table, 2+1 sofas, fridge, plasma TV,etc).

The complex also has a playground (can be seen from our living room), and a field. Things were a bit clumsy at first, but Alhamdulillah, after a few weeks, things havebecome more organized, and we have started calling this new place "our homes"..

i'll have to move

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:34:00 +0000

somehow, i think my blog is no longer stable. thanks to my tunjuk-pandai-belek-belek-ubah-sana-sini-mode, this morning. I have got a few warning message saying that there were some errors, and i have also lost some of the links, posts, photos, ect form my original blog template.

though i have not been a good blogger(did not update regularly, did not even check on my blogs for a few months soemtimes- dah tau no updates, kan!), still it means a lot to me. I have poured some of my heart contents (cheh!), to my SIL, what i felt towards her, my little eforts on putting my appreciation onto words. This blog has also been my 'friend'when i need someone to talk to, the foreign -land where i go to, when i felt lonely, and sad, since my husband was away in Sudan, and i was with the kids in Malaysia. I guess, i kind of abandon it, once i stepped my feet in Sudan, once the loveds ones are all together again. I feel there's no need for me to have it (visited, regularly, or even updated), since i'm no longer lonely, and BTW, i 'feel' busy , too!

But i was wrong; for this blog still means a lot to me, and if not, i wouldn't have cared to change the templates, linked it to my facebook, tell people that i have one, think of what to write for my next post, of what picures will look nice in it,or of whether people would care enough to read it, etc, etc..

I just hoped whatever is left will still be there, no more missing stuffs the next time i visit this blog. ( if the next time i opened my blog, and found it empty, gone, crashed- i will definitely go crazy huuhuhuhu..).

okay, enough of that. I'll pen-off, and I'll come back!

salam

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:59:00 +0000

In the background is the White Nile River. From L-R: Lutfil didukung,
Hafiz, Umar & Asif ( a neighbour's son)

Salam,

Akhirnya...dapat jugak 1 entry dari Khart0um hehe heh
Kita sampai sini on the 1st Nov 2007(Thursday). It wasn't very hot, just suam-suam gitu. The first few days, kitorang pengsan habis. Lutfil tidur dari pukul 3pm sampai 10am esok harinya.
We went to the souq (Souq markazi) , hunting for meat, veggies and fruits 2 days later.
Okay jugak souq diaorang ni. Until now, the veggies i usually buy from the souq are carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, jirjir (sedap buat ulam ni), cabbage, lettuce, french beans, also onions, garlic and birds' eye chillies. kekadang nampak jugak ocra, tapi tak pernah beli lagi, sebab BERBULU sangat..nanti gatal pulak anak tekak ni..Tanya orang yang dah lama kat sini pun, depa tak pernah try..kecik dan berbulu..
Biasa orang sini guna ocra untuk campur dalam masakan dia. Ocra tu grounded, pastu masuk dalam kuah, so dia jadi pekat, jelly-like gravy. Yang nampak pintu on the right is our house (ground floor)

Kitorang sampai airport tu dalam pukul 6.15pm, and there were 3 vans waiting for us. We reached our new home at around 7pm, dah agak gelap. When I got out of the van, I couldn't figure out what the building in front of me was. I thought it was some old building where we would wait for another van ke, bus ke, limousine ke (hehe..). My husband got inside the building first, i followed and immediately i smelt something yang masyam-masyam. I looked around, banyak nya sofa lama yang berhabuk & i pun macam bingung-bingung sikit..
After a few steps, my husband stopped infront of a door, unlocking it and said "Ni lah rumah kita". Oh! Okay..
I remember a friend who has been here for 3 years said that the first time she saw the building, she cried and felt like going back. I would say that the outside may look a bit 'dull', and masyam-masyam, and dusty (in fact, very!!), but in the inside IS my home, our home. At least I have been here for almost 5 months ,and never ever feel like going back. Alhamdulillah, things are great, and I'm adjusting and loving every minute i spend here with my husband and children.

I would encourage whoever has the chance to come here, whether it's a job offer, or to accompany a husband or a wife, do give yourself (and Suedan) a chance, and InsyaAllah, you'll be glad you did.
The masyam-masyam smell? Alaaa..yang tu dah lama biasa lah. Kita counter attack dengan bau belacan, ikan kering, cencaluk apa semua..should be fine ..hehe..

at last..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:10:00 +0000

Salam..

at last, I i'm writing something in my blog! The internet connection is not very good lately, and any changes ai wanted to make a; olour, fonts, etc ..all do not seem to work..huhuhu..

sedihnya..

So, do i like where I am now? YES! Definitely!

From time to time, when I encounter a new friend, the question they usually ask: "So, how do you like it here? Okay duk sini? best tak Khart0um?" I'll give them my biggest smile, and say: "Best, I suka." No regret? NO!

Best apa duduk sini. Banyak lah yg kurangnya, but I always tell myself that I if I want to have all that I 've had backhome, then don't come here. So, instead of complaining and mengeluhkesah pasal kurang tu dan kurang ni, I happily accept them as 'differences'.

Some of the people I have met here, either hate this place, yet stay because the hubby's here, or hate, leave and go back. It's up to you, really. But things are much much better now. What with the new modern complex, yang jadi kebanggaan sepelusuk rakyat kh4rtoum ni, sebab tu sainag dan malam depa duduk lepak depan complex, memuji archictecture bangunan yang tersergam ini..agaknya lah !:D hehe.

Now, more and more families are here, and I do feel like I am in malaysia. Hey, we have monthly bazaar- harga sudan eh, bazaar ramadhan, cooking class- belum adalah lagi madam ajar masak sudanese recipes, biasanya mesti malaysian recipes- a bless jugak pasal DH kan makan malay food! Malay food pun tak pas ada hati nak belajar international food. Eh, roasted chicken pakai rosemary ngan olive oil kira international apa?! heh..

we have Kelas KAFA, kelas Tutuion maths, Bahasa Melayu ( tusyen kan dikira trademark pelajar malaysia). Ada school children yang tak pergi tusyen tak? haa..ni ponteng la ni :P

Apa lagi ye malaysian feel kat sini? Oh ya, 'mangkuk tingkat' servis pun ada kat sini. kalau ada yang datang agak-agak malas nak masak, order je dari madam-madam yang berkenaan. Kiranya kalau makan dengan Mr X yg ada wife kat sini, tapi bawak bekal nasi + ikan goreng aje, memang Mr X tu akan malu gilerr la. mangkuk tingkat ni macam macam ada, masak lemak cili api, masak sambal udng, sup sayur, etc. I pun kalau DH bagi peluang, nak je order mangkuk tingkat untuk seluruh keluarga, lunch and dinner ,7x seminggu. Breakfast no problem, kitorang makan roti canai pun ok hahaha..

So, i rasa kalau ada orang hesitate nak datang sini, buanglah ketepi perasaan cuak itu. Tak payah tapi-tapi lagi, datang je! Trust me and you'll see !

MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:58:00 +0000

Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan Yg ke 50 Tahun everyone!

How was your merdeka day? We ( myself & the 3 boys) had a quiet morning and we had merdeka-related activity in the afternoon ( not for lutfil, though).

I am glad that I registered Umar and his 2 cousins (nadia & nabila) for the Merdeka-themed cake decoration activity@ UkS centre yesterday. We had great fun. At least I did, HAHAH.

I teamed up with Umar and Nabila with Nadia. There were 2 other teams ( Uks owner's ckids, and one of another Uks member and her little girl. Umar was so excited that he got to play with the icing, and knife, and other 'tools' needed to get the job done. Once in a while ( or was it most of the time?0, he would lick his ingers, wrist, and get some more icing from the container. He even ate the moon and the star (fondant), that were supposed to be placed on top of the cake.

Luckily, they have many more extras of those, phew!

We finished quite early, but the decoration was far from fancy. very simple, teramat sangat. No wonder other people finished theirs about 30 minutes later, rupa-rupanya they were creative enough to put up other sorts of lip-lap, lip lap for the decoration. And we had our plain bendera. 'kwang, kwang, kwang...

Releks Umar, this is our first attempt, remember? We'll do better the next time we do this..

UKS Charity Activity 25TH AUG 2008

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 02:09:00 +0000

This is the first time i joined the Ummiku Sayang (UkS) charity group for their mission,
the location was the Kajang Hospital ( so, that explains my participation, dekat dengan rumah lah!). The targeted group was the Pediatric Ward of the said hospital. It was great fun to see such a crowd, but of course those kids turned-up with all the bandages, IV lines, arm sling, etc. At first, they looked a bit uncomfortable, what with the 'costumes' and maybe the fact that they are not well ( we were in the ward, remember?!). The moment they got the gift packs, the printed paper merdeka-themed cap, and of course, the big beautiful cake of the same theme, they started smiling and being bubbly again. I managed to capture a few smiles, not only from our little patients, but from the parents as well ( oh, some with the whole family in tow!).

There was also a story telling session (Read Aloud), by Mdm Nita with her 2 beautiful daughters on stage, giving the children an excitement of 'A Walk in the Jungle' and 'Nasi Lemak Ibu'. Hmm...this RA session made me wonder, when will I do mine? My audience is usually my 3 boys, of whom I can act silly with, or put up some hillarious actions ( diaorg gelak, apaaa..). But infront of other kids? Other kids, and THEIR PARENTS? Oh..no no..NO! I think the first thing those parents would do, is to ban their kids from further watching this 'over-acting auntie', next is to cautious their kids from befriending my 3 musketeers, and ..OK! I KNOW I'M EXAGGERATING! I KNOW, I KNOW!! STOP!! back to what i wanted to write, people.

The UkS children were kind enough to hand out a big Get Well Soon card for our little darlings. I am no stranger to wards, nut gov3rm3nt hospital wards? Taking care of sick kids in the hospital wards like I have seen last Saturday, is something else. When I say , that my children checked-in and checked-out from hospitals, i have already made that sound like spending a few nights and days in a good hotel. In fact Umar thought that if not for the IV lines and the process to insert the IV lines, it was a good hotel, no doubt! What with a dedicated doctors, and kind nurses who always check on you.."fever?, no fever?, here's your lunch!, here's your medicine', ooh..no wonder he thinks of hospital wards so positively!

As much as I want to say to the mothers I met that :" I understand how you feel", or 'I've been through this', or "Anak saya pun baru keluar hospital Isnin lepas", I can't. I just can't.

While I always had a spacious room only for my son and me, with a bathroom, mirror, cupboard/wardrobe, a sofa, a chair, a cable TV , lights here and there, newspaper, air-conditioned room, sometimes request for a baby cot, so that I could sleepmon the bed, or ask for another bed if the need arises, good food for the mother and son, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

The mothers or whoever were taking care of the children in the ward, do not have all this.

I'm not sure of those in first class wards, though? Any such thing as first class wards?

They can't just sleep in private, the children who obviously need lots of rests may not have the proper nap they needed, what with the neighbours crying out loud, they are oblivious to the passers-by, etc,etc,etc. It would have been a good lesson for Umar, too! Plus, it was his 4th birthday on that Saturday, 25th Aug. But I didn't bring him along. Maybe I should, the next time I join this kind of activity.

All in all, i would say that it was a success and I'm glad that I made the effort to be there. Bravos to UkS members who were there, (physically or in spirit), who made great effort to give the children of the Kajang Hospital's Pediatric Ward, a day to remember. Clap, clap, clap..

For more picture of the events, please go to my flickr. Wait, not yet uploaded, soon, InsyaAllah..

Oh yes, Umar was warded again, on the 17th Aug, this time of asthma. He was breathing very heavily started Thursday evening, and I heard a funny sound everytime he exhaled. I brought him to Az-zahrah medical centre, Bangi at 12.00am, and he was giving the gas once and some medication. I plan to bring him to GMC, since they have his records of croup, bronchiolitis, etc, but early Friday morning he had difficulty in breathing, even telling me that "Ibu, Umar penat". He looked vey pale when we were in the car, and looking at my watch , it was 7am on Friday, knowing the traffic, I was just scared that we might not make it on time, since he looked very pale and breathing very slowly, as if he was so tired of taking deep breaths. So, I made my move to Az-Zahrah, about 20 minutes from the house, and he was admitted. We spent 2 nights in the hospital, and since it was near, we took a home leave on Saturday morning to see the 2 little brothers. They were at home with Bibik. My DH was always at the other end of the telephone line, and knowing that i can always call him, however,whenever I wanted to, helped a lot too!

Last Sunday, we had a makan-makan for Umar's birthday. Oh, did I tell you about the Creative Music & Movement class i attended last weeks, with teacher Farra? OOhhoo.. I had a good time. I was the only mother/non-teacher in the class, out of 12 participants. The rests are pricipals/teachers from various kindergarten & enrichment centers. Alamak, berderau darah belajar dengan cikgu-cikgu nih! heheh..

InsyaAllah, will post about them later...

art attack..the beginning

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 03:54:00 +0000

demam-demam pun masih berkarya..

What do you make of a pen and a paper!
This is what Umar made!
I should have taken photos of his other creations, like fish from newspapers, stingrays, eumbrella, all from paper/newspaper.
He was doing his own 'work' when he put this on his head and announced "Tutup kepala, salji turn"
(sorry, obviously, he had never seen snow before..hehe)

it's not wong, but err..

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:56:00 +0000

Hafiz was soo happy that Ayah came back for him

Terlalu suka

Hafiz spent a memorable 5D4N in GMC, Jln Ampang

We were in the car heading towards Bangi, and had my usual chat with Umar.
He likes to look up in the sky, and when he spots an aeroplane, will make a big fuss about it.I think, the fact that our area is quite near to the Sepang KLIA, we always spot aeroplane flying low and that excites him further more.

Being-the-good-and-modern-mom-I-am, I always talk about the real thing, explaining the real situation, would offer some theories (scientific, mine or ancient greek's ;-)) where possible.

Me: "Umar tau tak, kalau helicopter , dia naik terus ke atas, vertically. kalau aeroplane, kan dia naik slowly, at an angle, baru dia naik tnggi ke atas. Landasan dia panjang" (Me thinks: Faham ke Umar ni!?)

Umar: "Ibu, sebab itulah aeroplane tu ada tayar, helicopter tu kan ada kaki, takde tayar!!

Me: ooooooo...

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

Umar knows his ABC just by singing it out loud. I noticed that he recognizes A, O and a few numbers like 0 (hehehe..), 1, 3, 4, and 7, 10. For the rest of the numbers, he decided to just ignore them or trying to change the civilization by giving them other values.

Last night , I was SMS-ing DH, and Umar was lying besides me. He insisted to take a look at what i was typing. Thinking maybe that I should then 'test' his alphabets skills, I pointed out to the 'Exit' menu, and pointed to the letter 'E'.

umar: "B" (hmmmm..)

me: Pointing tu the letter 'x". Apa selepas E ni?

Umar: lepas "E", "F" lah.. (tunjuk terer lah pulak, tak pe Ibu should be v e r y p a t i e n t!!!!)

Me: Pointing to 'x' again. Ni apa?

Umar: Oooh..tu huruf yang untuk tulis salah.. ( get it? that's what he gets when he made a mistake in writing, etc, TANDA PANGKAH X !!)

Me: oh Umar!

why the silence?

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:46:00 +0000

take this: I'm writing from the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, Jalan Ampang!
My last day was on Friday, the 29th June, and the next day, Saturday, I brought Hafiz for his check-up, and he had been having a cough for quite sometime. The doctor asked him to be warded for further blood and urine test.
He was then diagnosed with pneumonia. hmm..poor baby! DH was of course in Sudan, and 2 days later ( Monday), he arrived in KL for his 5 days emergency leave :-)
Hafiz was discharged on Wednesday, 4th July. The bad thing was, all 3 kids ( and the ibu) were not feeling well, down with fever and flu. We took turn to bring Umar and then Lutfil to the pead.
All of them were then on antibiotics and DH then was due for his course in Singapore on Saturday, 7th July.
Umar then suddenly fell sick on Sunday night, and aftre a visit to his regular pead on Monday, 9th July, still had a very high fever, and I think we didn't sleep at all that night ( Sunday and Monday). Tuesday, 10th July, I brought Umar to another pead in GMC, and he was admitted!
So, I spent my days and nights in hospital wards, for the past 2 weeks, well, almost!

I have just paid the telephone bills i was using ( ye lah, menehjut je kena admitted, charger pun tak bwk, so guna telephone bilik hospital lah) , and we'll be going home tonight after Umar got his antibiotics at 6pm.

I have to go, I promised Umar to buy some sweets, and now he's reminding me about it..

Wish us well!

PS: Abang, appointment for Lutfil has been done for tomorrow morning. Pray that he's going to be ok ( err..I mean, hopefully he's not going to be admitted). Not that i don't like the hospital food... ;-)

i'm looking for this book!

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:28:00 +0000

I've been looking for this book. The one I have right now is sooo old, i am looking for the newer version. If nay of u have any info of any of the title below, or if u want to let go yours, please let me know!

This is one of my favourite book, ever!

The New Book of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information by David Wallechinsky

Best Book Of Lists Ever! by Geoff Tibballs

People's Almanac Presents the Twentieth Century: History with the Boring Bits Left Out/Revised and Updated by David Wallechinsky

The Disinformation Book Of Lists by Russ Kick

The People's Almanac Presents The Books of Lists, No. 2 by Irving Wallace

PS: i tried amazon, but they don't ship to malaysia, at least, for this order! sob sob..

thanks..

makan-makan, and where 2 party next bithday

noreply@blogger.com (ekantona) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 06:33:00 +0000

Thanks to the friends here in equeue for being here, today, in conjunction with the makan-makan agenda. I was thinking of giving a treat to the officemates, and the Ghazal Restaurant's Nasi Beryani (Wangsa Melawati branch) comes to mind! We had their nasi bryani at least 4 times now , I think, and from the cakap-cakap, commnets and complaints, I'd say that that's what we should be having for lunch, today.
So, from 10am, the secretary, and the office boy and myself was out of the office, went to Giant Taman Permata for the paper cups and plates, and fruits, not forgetting the cordial.
Then we headed to the restaurant, and picked up the nasi bryani and the accompanying dishes. We also had a cake, Chocolate Indulgence ( tak bagus untuk kesihatan betullah menu hari ni) from SRcp.

I'm not sure how many of you know that Petrosains does have a Birthday Party Package for those who would like to have an educational big-bang party, dinosaur and hands-on science experiments included. Wooo hooo..sounds fun!

According to a friend, the party used to be at a cost of RM700, and it caters for 20 childrens and 5 adults. This package includes 1 cake, kids meals from Burger King, also meals from BK for the adults, a 45-minute tour in Petrosains, and it is arranged in such a way that the group will be able to see each show they have at their Science Station. At the end of the tour, somewhere at Station 2, meals are provided, and the kids will have great time with all the hands-on experiments...ohh...umar will loves this, but errkk..no, the last time we went there, (that was 2 weeks ago, he IS STILL afraid of the friendly-singing-TRex..oh boy!
I think our Petrosains visit will be an entry by itself. It's one of the place sthat I love as an outing for me and the whole family..tak tau lah kenapa..

*I kalau naik that round-oil-shaped ride yang bawak u back to millions year ago era, mesti I terharu, , jantung berdebar-debar dup-dap and I will feel like crying. It is such an emotional experience. It is mainly because of the voice of the narrator (??ye ke), and the background musics, something that really heighten up my spirit. Out of pride? Dunno. Out of fear? naaahh.. mestilah tidak..

Oh ya, that birthday party package is not available during school holiday (as far as I know).
But, it sounds good and if your kids love celebrating their birthdays outside, and they have always had it in McDonald or TGIF, try Petrosains... for a change..

Umar doesn't understand about birthday celebration yet. He knows birthday cake, or the birthday song, but whose is it, where is it, he doesn't care! bertuah I. So far, his birtday had always mean party packs for his friends at the nursery. And no candies..hehe .We only allow raisins, cookies, wafers, cupcakes, pudding, (no sumi jelly, either..bahaya, and I ngeri!), and yogurt drinks. Like Umar always says:" Tak apaa, manis sikit aje.." (yo lah tu!)

Next party pack for Umar's friends is due in August.