And So the End is Near...

Uh huh. The end is near... the end of the school holidays, that is. So what were the highlights of this school holiday?

1) Managed a successful Dunearnite
2) Went for a short but enjoyable trip to malacca
3) Braved through a bout of my kids illnesses
4) Found out some way Weird stuff about some people
5) Bought a few stuff which I really liked
6) Spend loads of time with my family
7) Lost some weight (not enough though)
8) Wrote an effing, difficult SOW (or at least part of it)
9) Baked a cake, cooked a meal
10) Cleaned and organized my and his wardrobe

What do I look forward to for next year?
1) To be an efficient subject head, form teacher, Eng and Lir teacher, ELDS teacher (basically to be better in my job)
2) Spending quality time with family & friends
3) To be a better person and to adopt a positive attitude in all that I do. Setbacks won't set me back.

Yup, no new year resolutions. Just a vow to be the best that I can be and hopefully enrich my life and the lives of the people around me. I've come to realize that life is pretty short so I need to make the best of it. I'll try not to let the small, negative things bother me. Instead, I will celebrate all the positive things, small as they may be.

Ok so that's it. I'm spending New Year's Eve and New Year Day with my favorite people, my family. Nope, no countdown... just a little prayer to God to thank him for giving me another year.

Ciao.

A Good Trip...

And so we're back. It was an enjoyable trip. Ayra thoroughly enjoyed herself except for the oh so many terrible mozzie bites that she got. The weather wasn't too bad, the company was good, the hotel room was roomy and Ayra had all her little cousins to play with. Amongst others, Ayra went kite flying, played with little chicks and rode a bike ridden by her underaged cousin!

We then left the "kampong" for the day to check into our hotel room. We were pleasantly surprised by its size and wondered why we never stayed here before.

After Ayra had her well deserved nap, we went to the nearby "Mahkota Parade" to do what else? Eat (there goes my diet!) and shop! Then, while Abah returned to Wak Midah's house to hang out (he brought Ayra along), Ibu had her well deserved rest in the hotel room. Ibu called home and Nenek said Fuddin was doing fine and not missing us a bit! Haha.

Anyway, we had to get up really early the next morning as it was Hari Raya Haji. They went for prayers and after that, it was time to sacrifice the cow. I had to explain to Ayra that the cow isn't sad because he's going to be with "Allah". She didn't want to look though (neither did I) so I sent Abah to take a video of the whole procedure. Here are some pics I manage to take though.

After that was done, we brought all the kids back to the hotel for a swim. Ayra was having so much fun that she braved the cold as it was drizzling slightly. After that, I brought the kids up to hang out at the club where we helped ourselves to the free drinks and snacks while Abah had his short nap.

Then, more food (I know) and shopping! "Mango" was having a sale and I nearly went crazy but ended up only buying a pair of pants there. Shucks.

The next morning we had our buffet at the hotel. The food wasn't exactly great but it was all right. Soon it was time to leave and before that, we managed to squeeze in some last minute shopping.

So that's it. I was pretty beat but it was a good break nonetheless. Gosh. Only one more week or so till school reopens. How time flies.

Life's tough... but then, so am I.

I'm bored. No pictures to post, hubby's on night shift, the kids are asleep, I'm hungry, too lazy to do work... so I'm going to sit here and write nonsensical, random stuff.

So it's going to be a new year. My resolutions for the new year? NONE. I'll just live my life as best as I can. I've broken so many of this year's new year resolutions that I'm not going to even bother anymore.

Life's complicated, isn't it? One minute you think you've got it figured out and then something happens and it totally throws you off guard. Uh huh... I'm feeling like that right now. Not thinking too straight nowadays...hehe, maybe it's the lack of food. Seriously though, my mind is a mess right now. I'm not telling why though (duh!). For those who actually care about me though, don't worry guys... I'll be fine. I'll work everything out in this little brain of mine. I always do.

Do you know that the Japanese are the most active bloggers in the world? They blog even more than the Americans! I read that in the papers today. Weird huh?

I can't sleep. How? I don't even have marking to make me sleepy. HAHA. Serious, it always works. Once I start marking, I feel sleepy.

Bored.

Ok, that's it. Till the next random post.

I can't have your haircut, Victoria....Darn!

Here's the latest update on my quest to have Victoria's haircut. It ain't gonna happen. Yup, my hairdresser says my hair is sadly, flat and is not bouncy enough to carry off the look. So the long hair stays. Still, I've made some progress on the weight.

It ain't much but it's progress nonetheless.

Anyway, since I can't look like Victoria, I decided to style my son's hair like Beckham this morning. Hehe. Isn't he adorable?

Also, I became a soccer wife! Watched hubby playing soccer.

Yup, I'm lame but it's my life so I'll do what I want with it, yah?

Darn, school's reopening. Hello 5N1 Eng, 5N2 Eng, 3E Lit, 3N Lit and 2E2 Lit. You guys will get an overdose of me next year.

Going for our short trip to Malacca on Wednesday. Looking forward to it. Lots of photos, I promise.

Before I end off, here's another pic of the very sexy, very stylish, very rich, extremely posh Vic. Sigh...

Pierced Ears!

Yup, Ayra got her ears pierced! No drama, no tears, no complaints - she hardly flinched! I'm really proud of my little girl. All thanks to little Cheryl who had her ears pierced earlier which inspired Ayra. Yay Nat, our little girls can now wear earrings!

Victoria... I want your haircut!

My obsession with Victoria Beckham continues. I jokingly asked hubby whether I should cut my hair like hers and he said "Why not?" lah! I mean, he hates her so I wasn't expecting this reply... and now, I'm really contemplating doing it. Will I have the guts? Stay tuned.

Here's my (other) darling taking her written driving licence in the U.S. She's so hilarious. Enjoy.

I'm a Weirdo Werewolf...

Did many of those personality quizzes. Apparently, if I'm a monster, I'll be a werewolf. Scaaaary....

You Are a Werewolf

You're unpredictable, moody, and downright freaky. You seem sweet and harmless, until you snap. Then you're a total monster. Very few people can predict if you're going to be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. But for you, all your transformations seem perfectly natural. Your greatest power: Your ability to tap into nature Your greatest weakness: Lack of self control You play well with: Vampires

What Kind of Monster Are You?

Here's another one.

You Are 52% Weirdo

You're definitely quite strange, but you can act like a normal person when you have to.(But just because you can act normally, it certainly doesn't mean you want to!)You have normal aspects to your personality... but you usually don't choose to emphasize them.

Are You A Weirdo?

Syauqi the Model

Here's my nephew Shauqi on his 1st modelling assignment. My brother said he was a little scared so that accounts for the fingers in the mouth. I think they managed to get some good shots though.

Syauqi the Model

Here's my nephew Syauqi on his 1st modelling assignment. My brother said he was a little scared so that accounts for the fingers in the mouth. I think they managed to get some good shots though.

Gonna send Ayra to Limbang for yet another MacDonald's party at 4pm. Managed to convince my dad to accompany her though. I don't feel like socialising today. Fuddin's been really sick and I'm really tired. I've been home for almost a week. I need to be liberated!

So I Can't Bake...

Yup, I can't bake to save my life. After the succesful lunch I cooked, I decided to be ambitious and bake a cake . Urrgh! Bad move. I mean, the taste of the cake is fine but it was all crumbly and stuff. I can't even decorate it properly.






I am such a failure in these womanly ways. I can't bake, sew... what else can't I do? I can however clean, look after the kids, serve my husband's meals, teach 40 students at one go....hehehe. I'm not that bad after all huh? So I'll be frank with myself here. Face reality. I'll never bake again. My baking days are over. Haha.

I Cooked Lunch!

It's An's day off. After sending Ayra off to school, we brought Fuddin to Jurong Point. He wasnt very co-operative as he had the flu so we decided to cut short out trip. Before going off, we decided to drop by the NTUC and bought some groceries to cook for our lunch. My mom and dad had gone to visit poor Yusuf in the hospital so it was just us and the kids.

Fuddin went promptly to bed once we reached home so we started cooking. It wasn't really elaborate or anything but it was fun!

Not too bad eh? In case you're wondering, the champange like bottle is actually grape juice. The drinks in the champange glasses are sunquick orange (for him) and herbal slimming tea (for me). Yes, I haven't forgotten about my diet but I do have to eat you know.

After the kids wake up from their nap, we're bringing them to the playground at the nearby park and then we'll visit Ayra's beloved "kakaks" at my sis in law's house. I like days like these. Sigh... a month away to school reopening. I will make the best of what's left.

Ayra is Growing Up

It's not very clear but it'll do. Ayra's on the top row, second from the left. I don't know why her bangs are so long here. Anyway, these are Ayra's classmates and teachers. They'll be in the same K1 class next year too. We've already bought her a new schoolbag and stationeries. She keeps reminding me that unlike N2 children, K1 children have to bring their own pencils and colour pencils. Haha. Yes, my little girl is growing up.

This is a video of Ayra reading part of "Three Little Pigs". She's improved on her reading although I can't say she's a totally independent reader now. Still, I'm not too worried as I'm sure she'll catch up by next year.



She's also paying more attention to her looks now. Can you beat that? She now smiles coyly for the camera everytime she has her photo taken. She's also putting on accessories like her necklace and her hair band everytime she goes out (even to the playground!). Then the other day, while we were in the car waiting for Abah to finish his Friday prayers at the mosque, I fell asleep (Actually she forced me to close my eyes and rest since I said I was tired. Little did I know she had something up her sleeves). WhenI woke up, she had my compact powder all over her face and a trace of lipstick on her lips! She was going through my make up bag la! Hmm, what's next? Should I be alarmed? Or should I dismiss it as a phase? Whatever it is, it's a bit scary. I'm going to watch her like a hawk.

An Outdoor Weekend

We brought the kids out over the weekend. We went to West Coast Park and brought them to some playgrounds. It's not that we're cheap (although sometimes we are). It's just that the shopping malls are so crowded during weekends and we just didn't feel like braving the crowd. So we hung around parks instead. Ayra loves it and Fuddin is warming up to the idea. He was so hungry after running around that he was practically stuffing his face with his beloved Macdonalds fries! Poor boy!

I wonder what we'll do this coming weekend. An is off Tuesday, Wednesday and this weekend. I'll think about it. Whatever it is, I hope the kids will have fun.

i feel FAT!

It's official. I'm FAT. So desperately NOT eating from now onwards.

Hubby thinks I'm crazy. He's not female. What does he know? A female, whether 13 or 131, can never be too thin. I mean, look at Victoria Beckham. I'm not being anorexic here... just being realistic. I think I can lose what I need to lose by Dec 31st 2007. So if you notice me not eating, just pretend you didn't notice. If you notice me eating (like a lot), slap me Pleeeease!

Really, it's not vanity (or at least that's what I tell myself to make me feel better). It's self control. It starts now. Will update on this 31st Dec.

To the Zoo!

Yup, from the photographs above, you can guess that we were at the zoo.

It was Abah's day off so we decided to give Ayra a break from school and bring the kids to the zoo. This would be Ayra's 4th visit and Fuddin's 2nd. We were there by 0930 hours. The weather wasn't scorching hot but there was hardly any wind! We tried to rent a stroller for Fuddin but he hasn't been on one for over a year and thus refused to sit in it! We got a refund and proceeded to explore.

We saw a lot of animals (duh!) and here are some snapshots.

Besides looking at the animals, we also watched the animal show which featured the sea cows, penguins and seals. We also dropped by the Childrens' Playland where Fuddin had a rolling good time on the swings.

By noon, the weather didn't look too good and we had felt little droplets of rain falling down from the dark sky. We then took the tram ride back to the entrance and made our way home. The kids and us (especially poor Fuddin) were dead beat after all that walking!

Yesterday, my family came over. Mom had cooked up a feast (corn rice and the works!). Everybody ate too much and mom was pretty pleased.

Then me, dad, Ayra, Syakir and Syafiq went to Jurong Point to get a new handphone for Syakir. I had promised him a handphone if he did well for his PSLE. He chose a Sony Ericson W660i. Here's Syakir looking mighty happy with his new toy.

Okay, that's it. Ayra's being relly difficult and refusing to take her nap so I've got to go and be the strict mummy.

Scrapbooking!

Hmm, I didn't do this. Nat did. She's really good and experimental at things like these. She's also kind enough to do this one up for me. Thanks Dear. It looks quite good, doesn't it?

There's no business like showbusiness...

Here's a clip of my animated little girl doing what she loves... dancing, singing and playing the imaginary guitar. She only does this in front of those she's very close to so you guys are in for a treat. Here's presenting Nuuuuuur Ayra!!!!!!!!!

Hey you...

In spite of everything,
you have always been
and will always be
my friend,
my love,
my husband.

Happy 8th Anniversary.

Poems From Within

Where, When and How

Where did it go?
The sense of one
Feeling of togetherness
Of mutuality, symbiosis
Thinking each others thoughts
A consciousness shared
Breathing in unison
A single beating heart
Speaking in a single voice

When did it happen?
At what point?
Did we separate?
Torn apart
Split like an atom
Dissected like conjoined twins
To Breath alone
Stop sharing one heart
Speak for ourselves

How can it be?
When I look at him with love
A stranger looks back
Independent and solo
Individual and free
Thinking on a different plain
Breathing different air
Heart pulsing with a different beat
Speaking a foreign tongue


Loneliness

Loneliness is darkness
A never ending night.
Even though the black won’t go away,
You’ll never fall asleep.
Because loneliness sparks a fear
And unlike other nightmares
Awakening will not vanish it;
For the darkness is too strong
To allow any rest.
It makes memories into ghosts
And dreams into spirits.
Too vague to remember
Too important to forget.

Personality Test

I did a personality test online and this are the results. Can't say it's totally accurate but it's not totally inaccurate either.

You Are An ENFP

The Inspirer You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends. You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority and rules. Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives. You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller! In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart. You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. And you do break a lot of hearts. At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do. You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist. How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

What's Your Personality Type?

Hmmm, really?

Dunearnite 2007 is Over! Phew!

Yup, it's over. I'm officially reverting back to my slacker self. Miss that part of me sia. I still have a lot of "real" work to do still but who cares? I'll get it done when I'm good and ready yah?

So how was it? It was all right. Friday's show was "smokey" nite instead coz the smoke machines we rented gave out too much smoke! Can you beat that? The poor kids were gasping on stage. Haha. We nipped that problem in the butt on Saturday though.

I felt it was a good show on Saturday or at least that's what I thought. The kids performed the best they could and whoever thinks otherwise can go F*** a spider coz I saw the amount of effort they put in. But best of all, they had fun. Hell, I had fun. So that's it. Till next year.

I've got some pics here but they're mostly blur and unfocused. Sorry guys. Will take some from the official photographer and post it here once he uploads the photos yah?

To everyone involved in Dunearnite 2007, thanks for everything. It's been one hell of a ride but it was worth it.






This video is courtesy of my dear Danyya. This was just 2 hours before the performance when I had to give my final briefing. PS: Note the worried face.