Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Every sky's a brand new sky,Uncanny once again;
And every kiss, a brand new kiss,
New won, no matter when.
And every love, a brand new love,
New cherished every day;
Though lips and heart may slowly age,
The awe-struck boy will stay.
And I will vow again to love
You each day of my life,
As though each morning were the first
We rose as man and wife.
Just as a meadow washed by rain
Is relit by the dawn,
Just so our love, as we grow old,
Will each day be reborn.
Here's to 9 Wonderful Years & many more to come...
Monday, January 28, 2008
Last week, my sis & I managed to convince our mum to work out in the gym with us. So 3 of the Jailani ladies (sans the youngest one) head down to the nearby for a good 1 - 2 hours of great work out session. For a 66 yr old lady, my mum is quite fit I should say. She's game enough to try out almost all the machines & exercise gadgets that even my sister & I are quite wary of. I suppose her weekly dose of jalan cum exercise with her senior citizen friends does pay off after all. Looking at her, I do wish that I could take after her. Fit & always on the go (but I think my husband will appreciate minus the 'nagging' bit). She is still does major housework like the laundry & ironing & cooking and still manage time in between to cook as our sometimes cooking requests like her famous pudding or even a particular dish that we have been craving of for quite sometime. But of course after the request is made, you have to bear with her while she makes 'noise' about your 'troublesome-ness' requesting this & that, give her a few days and she would always heed your request no matter how busy or how tired she is. Thats my mum. Since the school reopened, my communication with my mum have taken on a more positive note as I get to see more of her & get to talk to her more while the kids are at school - so its a good thing.
So I still get my workouts in the morning, teach in between some mornings & have slowly fit myself into some sort of routine nowadays which I am more than comfortable with. Amira is now happy & cheery to go to school although some mornings you'll get her occasional, "Why I must wake up early & go to school" whine on days where she stayed up late the night before...and I have yet to get my hair trimmed & I swear the longet it grows, the more I'm shedding hairs..tsk.. tsk...
Monday, January 21, 2008
So the first day of 'school' wasn't so bad after all. I slept abt 2 in the morning the night before, preparing for the lesson & making sure that all the materials & references are in order. It felt like my 'first' day of school, I was anxious the whole night, keep waking up every hour as if its my first-time ever to teach. I think the anxiety was heightened by the fact that I get to drive to school after dropping Amirul off - my maiden journey as I call it after the neighbourhood schools & market trips. And after all the butterflies in the stomach, it turned out more than ok. Thank god for the preparations I made the night before as it proved more than helpful with 40 students & me with no asst trainer by my side. Everything was over in 2 hours & before I knew it, I was already driving back, getting ready to make another trip to fetch Amira from school. By 2 in the afternoon, the kids are back home, with lunch in the tummy, even time to spare with rounds of badminton game with Dandi's mum & the kids.
So now I'm looking forward to the days ahead, just imparting my knowledge to eager 13 yr-olds in the morning then back home by noon to spend time with my chummies, bliss I would say...and oh, I've got to get myself a hair-trim,its been waaaaay too long...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Its been almost 2 weeks since the new year, and we are slowly getting the hang of the routine that I thought I would stick to from here on. But clearly He has other plans for me. Amira & Amirul are adjusting well to the morning school routine, with it comes along my duty of the chauffeur-mum as my hubby is not a morning-person you see. After a hiatus of almost 3 yrs of fully-licensed non-driving person, I resumed my post behind the wheel (although for a start it would just have to be the school, the market & the school - for now at least, more coverage soon I hope :)And after 3 mths of enjoying my time as SAHM, I will be back in the workforce, albeit just freelancing, to teach the kids in school once again. It would only be 2-3 hours the most & I'll be home by 2 so I guess it wouldn't be so bad and the extra moolah would certainly be a much needed help for us now. On a brighter note, the teacher in charge of the program is also a distant relative of ours, so my time there should be a breeze. It has been almost 2 years since I took up any teaching assignment & I do kind of miss it in a way, so definitely something to look forward to in the coming months.
For the last 3 weeks, my mornings have been a busy one. With the kids all safely in school, me & my other active-mummies have been keeping ourselves busy & endorphins pumping with visits to the gym, hikes up the mountains of Bt Timah & relaxing time swimming laps and dipping in the jacuzzi. Our 3 hours available til we have to fetch our kids are really made full use of & of course its much more fun doing strenous stuff with 'kakis' that think alike. But come next week, once I start teaching, I have to deal with certain time adjustments as some lessons start much earlier & some days at noon. So suffice to say, I hope to enjoy the best of both worlds Insyaallah.
Since Amirul & Amira are home in noon, we try & bring them out certain afternoons to fully utilise the almost-empty parks & hassle-free non-crowded stroll in the malls.
I still have dates to fulfill (hint*hint* Rina) & appointments to be made with ex-colleagues & graphic assistance for the husband that I have owed him since like forever. I reckon there'll still be adjustments & more adapting of routine in the coming weeks & months & Alhamdulillah, so far, I have absolutely no complaints...
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
It started with the preview drama of what was about to come the night before when I was preparing her school uniform. Her face turned sour & she insisted that school will only start next year for her .I just smiled. The next morning while her brother is all excited about the prospect of going to school she had started sobbing...crying' I want to go to school with Baijan...'. I just smiled. After getting all dressed up, it gets a little more theatrical with long pauses of deep thoughts with intermittent pleading look with cries of 'I'm sleepy & there's no bed in school!' (???!!!) I still smiled. I get the bucket of bin ready in case she goes all 'merlion' & decided to spew out her tummy's contents. So we walked to school in between her sobs without any word from me except from a reassuring hand squeeze & a tight-hug. In school, her daddy took over. The school doa was recited with her arms around the daddy's thighs still sobbing. Then it was time to let go, she trutted along like 'choo-choo-train' with her other sad, pitiful looking friends & headed up for her class. She took her place in a corner & sat while still looking forlorn - at least she stopped sobbing & my heart can finally beat normally again. The door finally closed on us & my girl is finally all on her own now. Was is easier to let go 2nd time round?? i can safely sat that it still feels like the first time all over again...
3 hours later, I saw her strutting down the stairs - with tudung & hair all out of place ;p At least she's cheery & her teacher said that it took her all of 5 minutes to start talking to everyone after the door closed. So Mira survived her first day of school & her ummi did too :)
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Our New Year's eve was spent splendidly, warm & cosy with the likes of mummies we love & friends that the kids adore. Thanks to the hostess with the mostest Annie, for having us & the rest of the noisy bunch for an afternoon & evening of fun chatter & cooking galore. We started our afternoon, by whipping Vietnamese Beef Noodle made from scratch, from the little spices right up to the garnishings. In between, peeled laughters, endless banters & constantly referring to the sometimes-auto-off laptop placed strategically at the kitchen, we managed to cook-up a yummy dish perfect for our late lunch. After all the tear-wrenching meal - thanks to the chilli-Padiss - its dessert galore with sinful Chocolate Cheesecake courtesy of Madame Flour Box herself & all-time favourite donuts all the way from the West :)
While the 11 kids run-amok & turned the playroom & sometimes part of the living room topsy-turvy, the mummies get busy chatting away while indulging in our favourite pastime of munching made more tasteful with the now famous Annie's Banana Tang Shake.
My love goes out the lovely ladies who made another yet again fun meet-up...
Hope u had a good time ushering the New Year coz we Coochies sure did :)