Heuristic Play For Babies and Toddlers.

Salam to all. This is the first time ever I'm going to share something that I've seen in Peachgrove playcentre which is suitable for babies and toddlers. I've gained so much by observing babies and toddlers playing on their own and we had been using this "Heuristic Play" approach in enriching babies and toddlers experiences in playing.


 Before I tell more aboout Heuristic Play, do you know what is a toy that's attach to babies, never leave their side, can calm them and also provide so much fun? Can you guess? ..........
If you say.....................their hands, then you are absolutely right. Thus, based on that, Elinor Goldschmeid came out with the concept of Heuristic Play about 30 years ago. "Heuristic" comes from the Greek word Eurisko. Eurisko means to discover opportunities, to use skills learnt at an early age or to discover or understand. 


Are you still confuse about this play concept? All right, don't worry because here's some simple explanation from parent-forum.org site:
 
Heuristic play is a planned activity which offers children the opportunity to explore various items using and developing their senses; touch, smell, hearing, sight and taste.

The children explore a wide variety of objects which include natural objects eg. fir cones, shells, pebbles; objects made of natural materials e.g. wooden pegs, wooden nail brush, wood off-cuts; metal objects eg. keys, chains, jar tops.

You can find lots of interesting objects for children to explore in your home. Look in your cupboards and drawers. You might find pots & pans, string, sink plugs, scented candles, soaps, sponges, beads, etc.
Treasure Baskets
Treasure baskets are designed for babies who are less mobile, mainly under the age of 1 year. It is a very similar activity to Heuristic Play. The only difference is the quantity and type of objects set out for the activity. When providing the activity for babies, a basket is used to encourage them to reach in and take out the item they want to investigate. Fewer items are provided because if there is too much choice, they may feel overwhelmed and not be able to concentrate on exploring individual items


A photo of a treasure backet-taken from google.


Now, to help you more, I also found some videos on you.tube.com. I reckon this might help you to understand more:

Based on my experiences playing with other babies and toddlers (and also Hafizah) at the playcentre, this kind of play would be beneficial to babies and toddlers. Even a big girl like Fathini sometimes finds the treasure baskets as something that can amuse her! LOL....But seriously, if you start collecting some stuffs like stainless bowls, wooden spoons, palstic rollers, knitted toys, small bean bags and so much more. (click here if you want to get more ideas for the treasure baskets) 


All you need to start this kind of adventure for your baby is a basket and couple of items from your kitchen cupboards and drawers. Some reminders about the treasure basket:

• make sure the items don't have any sharp edges, no items made from pvc and heavy metals.
• give a warm soapy water wash before and after the play.
• always check for any broken items.
• add more items from time to time.

Give this a try and I'm sure you and your baby will have great bonding time together. HAVE FUN!

Mengajar mengaji cara klasik (BM Entry)

Assalamualaikum semua. selalu tak bg salam, lps ni sy akan mulakan entri dgn salam sbb lg elokkan Saya nak bercerita tentang bab mengajar mengaji cara klasik. Kenapa cara klasik? Sebabnya saya tak menggunakan Iqra' seperti yg selalu digunakan skrg. Saya mengajar anak2 saya menggunakan Muqaddam biasa.


Bila teringat masa zaman kecil2 dulu, saya dan adik2 saya belajar mengaji dari Arwah Ustaz Adam. Arwah akan dtg berbasikal ke rumah kami untuk mengajar kami mengaji. Mmg masa tu Ustaz Adam popular di kwsn tempat tinggal kami. (Kubang Kerian, Kelantan) Arwah ma dan abah kami membayar Ustaz Adam setiap awal bulan. Bila hjg minggu, kami biasanya akan pulang ke kampung Jal Besar, Tumpat, Kelantan. Balik kampung, kami kena belajar mengaji dari arwah moyang kami yg mmg terkenal dgn kegarangannya. Kalau dgn Ustaz Adam, dia mengajar kami dgn lembut. Tapi dgn moyang kami yg kami panggil "Mok Esoh", huiii takut sgt sbb dia mengajar pakai rotan di tgn kanannya. Silap sikit je, dush! dush!.


Ok, berbalik kepada soal anak2 dara saya. Sebenarnya saya telah mula mengajar Fathini semasa umurnya 3 thn 5bln. Awal ke? Bukan apa, waktu tu saya fikir lebih elok mulakan awal2 sbb lidah masih lembut dan senang nak diajar. Saya tak selalu sgt mengajar Hafizah sbb dia baru berusia 2 thn 7 bln. Cuma kdg2 dia berminat nak mengaji juga bila tengok kakak dah mengaji. Jadi saya ajarkan Alif, Ba, Ta. Alhamdulillah, bolehla dia sebut sikit2.


Skrg ni Fathini dah boleh membaca surah Al-Fatihah dgn lancar. Cuma masalahnya, Fathini belum betul2 mengenal semua huruf. Dia lebih suka menghafal surah2. Setakat ni, alhandulillah dia dah sampai ke surah Al-Humazah. Saya tak ada niat untuk berbangga2 dgn anak2 dara saya.  Cuma saya nak tahu mmg kalau kita ajar mengaji menggunakan Iqra' lebih baik dr cara klasik ke? Kami hanya ada Muqaddam sbb itu yg dijual di masjid di Hamilton ni. Lgpun insyallah apabila kami pulang ke Msia nanti, kami akan belikan Iqra' untuk Fathini dan juga Hafizah? Adakah saya terlalu memaksa anak2 dlm bab2 ini? Saya nak minta tolong yg baca entri ni, kalau sudi, bg pandangan anda tentang hal ini.

Should we condemn elderly mothers?

A photo of Carmela Bousada with her daughter-taken from google picture

Last night, I watched a BBC documentary about elderly mothers around the world that had sparked so much debates. It's been aired on TV One TVNZ through the program called "Close Up".

At first I didn't pay much attention as I was also watching my daughters played with their blocks and they wanted my attention too. However, when I paid a close attention, I felt so interested to know more about this issue.

It's not a new issue as we've heard few cases od elderly mothers (first time mothers) who are way past their menopouse gave birth. I gathered this information from abcnews.com:

In 2004 New Yorker Aleta St. James became the oldest American woman to give birth when she had twins. She was nearly 57. A year later, a 66 year-old Romanian woman became the world's oldest mom. Then, in 2006, Carmela Bousada of Spain, who was nearly 67, took the title.

And last year, Omkari Panwar from India stole her crown. Desperate for a male heir, she underwent IVF at age 70. She got her wish when she gave birth to twins, one of them a boy.

(source: here)

In the BBC documentary last night, they interviewed the late Maria De Carmen (she passed away in July 2009) who had her twin sons at the age of 67, Rajo Devi from India who had her daughter at the age of 70 and a british woman who wanted to have a baby at the age of 72 (I forgot her name-sorry).

Maria De Carmen had to take care of her elderly mother who lived until the age of 101, when she was younger. That's why she waited too long to have a family on her own. Rajo Devi and her elderly husband had waited so long to have their own child and they are lucky because they have a large supported extended family.  They claimed that their family members wouldn't mind to take care of their daughter if anything happen to them. But for the 72-year-old British woman, her desire was denied in one of Fertility Clinic in Britain. Apprently she wanted to go abroad to fulfill her dream to become a mother.


Rajo Devi with her daughter (from BBC news)

From what I've gathered from various sources; internet, documentary on tv, articles from magazines and newspapers, many people condemned these elderly mothers. They said these mothers are selfish to have children at a very old age. The mothers are unlikely to be able to see their children grow up or not even through the children's teenage years.

Personally I sympathize with those elderly moms who long to be moms even it was too late. I also agree when other people argued about the children's future. Why are elderly mothers disgust us but not the elderly fathers? Is it because there's a gender biased AGAIN in this issue? Many people admire those elderly fathers who are still be able to provide their sperms. huh! What about those who had to take care of their elderly parent before they can even start their own family like Maria De Carmen and Susan Tollefsen (had her daughter Freya at the age of 57).

I consider myself lucky to be able to start my own family by the age of 26. That's why I don't condemn these elderly mothers. Though it's good if they consider who would take care of their children once they pass away.

Now, I don't want to keep rambling about this as part of my intention is to seek other people's opinion about this issue. So, WHAT SAY YOU?

Come and help 1superkids.com to GROW, GROW, GROW

Can you see the 1 Superkids badge on the side bar? Do you know what does the badge represent?
Are you interested to know more?


Well, then it's actually a cool site for parents, parents-to-be or even for the extended family members. 
Why is it so cool? Here is why.....

• 1SuperKids is established for parents, aunties, uncles, etc. as a sharing platfrom to share and learn about other experiences, not only in parenting, but also everyday tits and bits as parents and parents to be.
• 1SuperKids is collaborating with Conteng-Conteng, where Conteng-Conteng is an online gallery where our children could submit and sell their artworks.
• 1SuperKids needs your entries and we’ll publish in 1SuperKids accordingly. The best articles of the month will receive tokens from 1SuperKids.
• 1SuperKids has dedicated columnists whom are very well versed in their field.

 If you would like to gain a lot of benefits from this cool site, come and help 1superkids.com to GROW, GROW and GROW.The admin has launched a campaign called "Help-Me-To-Grow".
And this is the badge:

(again this badge is also on the sidebar)


So, what are you waiting for? Sign-up today as 1superkids.com member and enjoy the benefits. From my point of view, 1superkids.com is like the soil itself. We as the members would be the trees. Trees need sun (the 1superkids columnists), water (the articles from the columnists) and most importantly, the fertilizers (the contributions from the members as we can submit our article too-cool right?). 


Are you convinced now or you are still not sure? Don't worry, it's so simple because you just visit the site 1superkids.com and take a look around before you make up your mind to sign up. Once, you are happy, satisfied and convinced,  just sign up by clicking at the sign up word under the header.

Blogging as a form of escapism?

Many bloggers choose to blog to earn some income, share their life experiences, share their wisdoms, promote good things like breasfeeding and positive parenting skills, share gossips in the entertainment industry and some may just want to join the blogging world.


I started off my journey in this blogging world in May 2009. It was my younger sister's idea and she (Nurhayati a.k.a Yatie Chomeyl in the blog world) was the one who encourage me to set up a blog. I admit I was struggling to write up the entries especially during the first few months.


My initial reasons for blogging were to cure my boredom by being stucked at home (yup, some SAHM might disagree with me but that's how I felt), to escape from the mundane routine as a SAHM, to brush-up my writing skills after 2-years-break and learn new things in the blogging world.


Right, I need to go back to the title. I personally think that blogging can be a form of escapism too.
What is escapism and why?


Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life.
It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to try to help relieve persisting feelingsdepression or general sadness. of
 (source: Wikipedia)


Now why do I think it's an escapism? Well, I use my blog to express my thoughts, experiences, knowledge and the ups and downs in life without ever worried about other people's judgments. When I blog hopping to other people's blogs, I've discovered sources of amusement and entertainment not to forget some blogs which really offer information and new knowledge.


Some might argue that escapism sound so negative. BUT.....if you really know to use your escapism wisely and channel it towards the positive outcomes, you'll gain lot of benefits. I definitely believe that I've gained a lot since May last year.


What have I learnt? Hmmmm..................Let's see:

• there are a lot of SAHM out there who also blog.
• new knowledge and information about various topics.
• information about blogging.
• how other people cope with the adversities in life.
• new experiences in other countries.
• how to write casually compared to the technical writing. (I used to drill my ex-students in how to write a good essays and I guess it's affecting my style of writing in my blog.huhu)
• 
  
• of course about earning some income from blogging is something new to me though at the moment I chose not to earn yet. Maybe when I go back for good to Malaysia I might want to consider about this. 

 Now, what do you think? If you don't mind, I would like to know what other people think about this.

A Nice Surprise!

It seems that my spur-at-the-moment plan has infected my hubby when he came from the lab on Saturday 23rd Jan. 2010 and announced that we were going to a beach on Sunday morning. What a nice surprise because I thought he would be busy working in the lab even during weekend as usual. So, that night, I prepared some food for us like pasta bake and fried fish cakes. sebenarnya fish cakes tu goreng je yg dah siap.hehe


We chose to go to Anzac Bay which is about 122km from our house. We knew about this place from our Msian friends who had been there. From their photos (they posted on FB), we knew the place is a secluded beach with breathtaking sceneries. We left our house @ 8.30 a.m.  It was about 1 hour 40 minutes drive (plus abt 5 mins at a petrol station).We passed Morrinsville, Waitoa, Waihou, Te Aroha, Waitoki, Paeroa and Waihi.

Once we were there, the first thing that we did was deciding where to have a picnic. We spotted a perfect place down. Just before we headed to the beach, we took couple of photos. mat saleh yg ada kat situ tengok je bila kami sibuk bergambar. hehe

 After a few photos, we headed down to the beach. We had to be careful when we walked on the beach as there were so many broken shells. Most of the time, we put on our jandals. Only when we wanted to wade in the water, we took them off. The weather was fine when we arrived but there was gentle breezes from time to time. Fathini and Hafizah were quite excited to see the beach as it was the first time for us for this summer. We had a lot of freedom to do what we wanted too as there were not so many people at that beach on that day. But somehow, some eyes were fixed on me as I wade into the water with my daughters. Why? Obviously I was the only one with full clothes on and with my headscarf. mestilah diaorg jakun jugak tengok 

Fathini and Hafizah didn't spend too long in the water. They were cold after about 20 minutes. (masa summer pun air laut kat sini sejuk. kalau tak pakai wet suit, tak boleh nak berenang dlm laut). They then warmed up their bodies by eating chips. They didn't really eat my pasta bake and the fish cakes. They just gobbled up the whole packet of chips. While they were eating, my hubby and I took some more photos and also one sort-of-romantic photo of us. haha. My hubby decided to pose for the camera too when he sat on a big rock. jrg2 dia nak posing tau.hihihi We joined them at the mat when we started to feel hungry too. (sekali lg mat saleh2 tengok kami sbb bawa bekal beria.nasib baik ada lg 3 famili je kat situ masa tu)

 

                                          (Sort-of-romantic photo.hehe)

After we were there about 1 1/2 hours, we could see it was getting cloudy and definitely the rain was coming. Hmmm the fun was almost over and we had to pack our things. Before we left, we could see a stingray upclose as it was swimming so close to the beach. Later, we found a dead jellyfish. (nasib baik dah mati, kalau tak kot2 kami kena sengat pulak.huhu) We thought we could stay longer at the beach and enjoyed the scenes. No luck! Plus Fathini and Hafizah had started to shiver as they needed to change their swimsuits (or kiwis call them togs). My hubby had the last chance to be in the water while I brought my girls to the toilet to get change. We thought there's a shower in the toilet but there was none. I had to just change them into dry clothes and then waited for my hubby to get change after that. While waiting, we (my daughters and I) were tempted to buy ice creams as we could see an ice cream truck there. We could see other people were enjoying their ice creams. BUT.....my hubby said no because Fathini and Hafizah were still shivering and having runny noses too. mak diaorg yg frust lebih2 tau walaupun kat rumah ada satu tub ice cream lg.

We left the place by noon and we had taken a lot of photos to remind us about this nice surprise. I would like to share some more nice scenery photos. Feast your eyes and enjoy the photos.

What do you think of this building?

Look closely at the picture above. What do you think? What kind of building do you think it is?Take a few moments to guess..........


Right. Now, would you believe me if I tell you that the building is The New Supreme Court Complex in Wellington, New Zealand? Yup, that's the new building which was officially opened on 18th January 2010 (just few days ago) by HRH Prince William.

From my humble view, I would say it's an  interesting design but......(I'm not going to tell the rest here). sebenarnya nak cakap design tu buruk giler tapi kan tak pasal2 kena saman. huhu I'm not the only one who think that the building is kind of weird(nak tulis huduh sebenarnya.hehe). Even John Key, NZ Prime Minister said something too.

"Breathtaking inside," he says.
The outside?
"No, the inside."
What about the outside?
"Well, art is in the eye of the beholder," says Mr Key. "Look, it's okay, but I prefer the inside. (www.3news.co.nz)

Yes, the inside of this building is better but I can't find any photos in GOOGLE to paste them here. huhu. I saw the inside of this building from TV3 news (oh ye kat sini pun ada TV1, TV2 and TV3) when it was officialy opened by Prince William. When I googled about the news, they published more photos of Prince William than the building itself! nampak sgt org2 media kat sini pun mcm tak sanggup nak tengok bangunan ni. hihi


Opppss, I think I better paste some explanation about the design here to make us understand more why did the architects; Warren and Mahoney came out with the design.

The rich cultural history of New Zealand and its natural beauty were the inspiration for the new Supreme Court building, which was designed by architects Warren and Mahoney.
At the centre of the building is the courtroom. It is designed to be visible from the street, symbolising the idea of transparent and open justice. Its exterior is made from copper and the interior features panels of silver beech, which together form a diamond pattern that was inspired by the kauri cone.

A bronze screen envelops the exterior of the new building. The forms were inspired by the intertwining of rata and pohutukawa trees. Red cut glass is set behind the bronze, representing the berries and flowers of both trees.

(www.justice.govt.nz)

Now we've understand what's the inspirations behind the design. This is a building that used about $80.7 million and it's going to stay for another 100 years. Kiwis can have their say about the building but it's not going to change the fact that it is their New Supreme Court. I guess this is what happen with the modern art design compared to the classical design. Hmmmmm...........

Sweet As...Good as gold....

(Source: http://www.clothesline.co.nz/menstees/Slang.htm  )


 The first few months I converse with the kiwis here, I was somehow clueless of certain words that they used. As I don't want to misunderstood what they had said, I asked them to tell me the real meaning. sebenarnya malu juga nak tanya tapi kalau silap faham lg haru kan. The Kiwi slang and colloquialism is unique as it comprises of Te Reo Maori (Maori Language) and also Kiwi English. 


I just want to highlight some of the words and phrases I hear almost every day whenever I intereact with kiwis. I would also give some examples of conversations using the words. Not all the conversations really took place bcs I can't really recall my own conversations. Pardon me if I have to create some examples. yelah otak saya bukannya "superb" sgt nak ingat semua. hehe

• Sweet as....

 it means "awesome" or "cool". 
Eg-

Me: Look at this painting that my daughter did.
Tania: Sweet as. She's quite good.

• Good as gold.....
  

 it means a good job or not a problem.
Eg-
Me: Is it okay if I pay you tomorrow?
Sarah: Good as gold, mate, good as gold.

•  Text...

it means to send a message via mobile phone.
Eg-
Me: We should meet during school holiday. I'll text you when I'm free.
Cindy: Sure. 

• Cuppa...
  

it means a cup of tea, coffee or milo.
Eg-
Michelle: Help yourself at the kitchen if you want a cuppa.
Me: Okay I will. (though the first time I heard this I didn't know the meaning)
       dlm hati: gapo namolah nyo royak pulok

•    Togs....

it means swimsuit, bathing costumes.
Eg-
Annette: Don't forget to bring your kids togs tomorrow.
Me: Why? Is it going to be a "Water Day" tomorrow?
Annette: Yup, love.

• Good on ya, mate....

it means congratulations or well done.
Eg-
Child: Mum, I can climb on the slide!
 Mommy: Good on ya, mate.


I guess that's all that I share for the time being.takut kan ada yg broing plak baca entri ni Their slang and colloquialism has some similarities with Aussies. I've always been fascinated with languages; that's why I took TESL for my degree. Every time I have the chance to converse with kiwis, I would somehow learn new slang words. kdg2 tu payah sgt nak faham sbb diaorg pun ada accent diaorg Kiwis also have their accent which make me struggle a bit to understand what they are saying. Don't be surprise please if I tell you that I have to ask my kiwi friends to repeat what they say and vice versa. They sometimes struggle to understand what I was saying. huhu. nak buat mcmmana kita pun kdg2 terguna kita punya Manglish.




 

Takziah buat Kak Mazura sekeluarga. (BM entry)

Hr ni kami semua di Hammy (nama manja Hamilton) ni mendapat berita berkenaan pemergiaan ayahanda Kak Mazura; Dr. Anuar Nor Arai. Kak Mazura adalah salah seorang dari kami yg sedang melanjutkan pelajarannya (PHD) di Waikato University. Berita tentang pemergiaan arwah ada disiarkan di Utusan Malaysia hari ini 21 Januari 2010. 

Dr. Anuar Nor Arai meninggal dunia

SHAH ALAM 20 Jan. - Dr. Anuar Nor Arai (gambar) yang pernah mencipta sejarah dalam bidang perfileman tanah air kerana mengarah filem dengan durasi terpanjang selama lima jam berjudul Johnny Bikin Filem, meninggal dunia di Pusat Perubatan Selangor di sini hari ini.

Allahyarham yang berusia 66 tahun menghadapi komplikasi paru-paru.

Beliau menghembuskan nafas terakhir pada pukul 5.25 petang di sisi isterinya, Zahrah Ibrahim serta tiga anaknya iaitu Mazura, 39, Zuraira, 37, dan Ifa Mutiara, 36.

Menurut Zuraira, selain aktif menulis skrip dan mengarah filem sejak tahun 1980-an, Allahyarham atau nama sebenarnya Anuar Mohd. Nor @ Arai juga merupakan Timbalan Rektor di Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara).

Katanya, bapanya juga adalah pensyarah dan Dekan Fakulti Filem di Aswara.

''Johnny Bikin Filem merupakan filem arahannya pada penghujung tahun 1980-an yang masih belum ditayangkan sehingga kini," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia ketika dihubungi hari ini.

Difahamkan Johnny Bikin Filem dihasilkan dengan durasi lima jam sebagai bahan rujukan akademi terutamanya untuk para pelajar jurusan perfileman tempatan dan ia juga telah disunting menjadi sekitar 90 minit untuk tayangan umum yang belum ditentukan tarikhnya lagi.

Tambah Zuraira, Allahyarham yang juga terkenal sebagai pengkritik filem dan meninggalkan sembilan cucu akan disembahyangkan di Masjid Ubudiah Seksyen 19 pada pukul 11 pagi esok sebelum jenazahnya dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Seksyen 21 di sini.

Inilah antara cabaran yg berat buat sesiapa yg berada jauh beribu batu dari keluarga tersayang. Saya juga pernah mengalami keadaan yg sama apabila arwah ibu saya meninggal dunia pada 24 Jun 2008. Kami sekeluarga hanya mampu pulang seminggu slps itu. 


Kami hanya mampu turut berdoa semoga arwah di letakkan di kalangan orang-orang yg beriman. Al-Fatihah. Malam ini sepatutnya hanya kaum lelaki yg akan berkumpul di rumah K.Mazura untuk kenduri tahlil tetapi saya juga akan menghadirinya kerana ingin berjumpa sendiri dgn K.Mazura. Oh ye saya juga bercadang nak membawa sedikit mknan utk dijamu slps bacaan Yaasin. (kami agak rapat juga sbb rumah kami boelh dikatakan agak dekat).
 

Detox Diet is just another diet scam!

Have you ever wonder how did Hollywood celebrities can lose weight so quickly? Did they really lose weight through balance diet and exercises? Celebrities like Beyonce, Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow and Oprah (famoous with her YO-YO dieting) have tried this kind of fad diet to lose weight so quickly.hehe mcm nak jual brg pulak ayat2 permulaan ni You must have heard about so many types of diet that people have created to attract other people's insecurities when it comes to their weight. Diets like Atkins diet, 100- Mile diet, Buddhist diet, Crash diet and many more where there's a list from A-Z in WIKIPEDIA.

Now.....DETOX DIET. I personally believe that this is just another scam/fad diet. Why? First you need to understand about this diet.


What is detox diet?

Detox, short for detoxification, is the body's natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. Toxins (anything that can potentially harm body tissue) are transformed chemically to less harmful compounds and excreted via stools or urine. ( the source: FROM HERE)


 What do you do in this diet?
 This is just one example of this diet: You just consume the liquid or designated products that they sell with this diet like in Lemon Detox Diet; you need to to ONLY drink squeezed lemons, Madal Bar Natural Tree Syrup and Cayenne Pepper for 7 to 10 days.You also must drink a litre of sea salt water every morning, a detox tea in the evenings, and fresh orange juice and peppermint tea if necessary. (the source: FROM HERE) 
boleh bayangkan hr2 minum je.isk3x


So in short, you replace your food with the products that they sell and they promise that you can lose weight in no time. mmg mengarut sgt2 kan



What really happen to your body? It just make your metabolic rate to drop, cut down your muscle mass and the scariest thing is you might gain more weight once you stop using this diet.


Still not convince? Let's see this video from youtube.com:


You can just google up more information about this kind of diet if you are still not convinced. My intention is just to highlight and share what I've been reading and hopefully more people know about this. There are actually thousands of people in US, Australia and New Zealand who had tried this diet and they really thought this is a good diet. Some really believe and stand by their opinions about this diet.


I'm not a dietitian nor a nutritionist. Hence I might not be the best person to advice you on this. But, I have this urge in my mind that I think I should share some info. that I've gathered with you. The best diet is just going back to basic and do a lot of exercises! It always work because all you need is to motivate yourself to get up and DO IT!

Summer Picnic with WUMA's members @ Innes Common(an almost expired entry)

Last Sunday (17 Jan. 2010) we had a wonderful time at Innes Common, Hamilton Lake, Hamilton. It was Summer Picnic with WUMA's members. Actually it was also the first event for this year that has been organized by WUMA (Waikato University Malaysian Association). They organized the event to give the opportunity for the old members to re-register as members and get the new members to register as members. Somehow I reckon it has become a picnic cum family day.


The event started at 10 a.m. When we arrived, there were only the committee members who were just setting up the venue. Thus it made us the early birds. but sadly no prize for the early birds-gurau je By 10.30 a.m. more Malaysians arrived and they started off the event with the BBQ agenda. MAKAN!/ Brunch Time! What's on the menu: BBQ chickens, lambs, mussels, mash potato, coleslaw, rhubarb cupcakes, lollies, fruits, honey cornflakes, roti canai and tuna sandwiches.

The committee members had planned several games for adults and kids. They started off with games for kids. (masa ni Tini n Fizah masih seronok main kat playground tak jauh dr situ. kenala panggil diaorg bila game start). I'm not sure what kind of games they played in the beginning as I had to get my princesses to join the other kids. Fizah took part in the game where only kids under 3 yrs old were allowed to participate. They had to pick up as many sweets as possible. Fizah was a bit clueless of what to do when there were so many people shouting "Pick it up, Fizah". (kelakar sgt masa ni sbb Fizah tengok je gula2 tu. ) After a lot couching and I actually asked her to bend and get the sweets, she finally pick up two sweets! yelah sweets yg lain budak2 lain dah ambik.haha

         

The first event for women was playing football in the designated area marked by the red plastic ropes. (tali raffia). It's kind of difficult because players have to stay and kick the ball in the square where they were standing. They were 5 players for each team. So, we had Team A and Team B. I was one of the Team B's players. sebenarnya mmg saya yg tergedik2 menvolunteerkan diri. ehehe It was funny to see how we played as we were the pension mothers who had no or zero knowledge in playing football and opps three teenegers who never play football too. (main sepak sesuka hati jer)Team B scored 4 goals defeating Team A with only 1 goal difference. Yeay! It was my team! The prizes; two bottles of soda drinks and a pack of cookies. (bukan kisah sgt pasal hadiah tapi seronok main dgn kwn2).

                          
When the men played the football, it was totally a different story. Well, most of them somehow have the experiences in playing football. They didn't looked uncomfortable or funny. Plus some of them play every Sunday with the other Malaysians men too! They were divided into two teams as well; Team A and Team B. But I was not sure which team my hubby joined and which team won because I was busy taking photos, making a video and looking after my daughters at the same time.

The next games were for the kids. First the kids under 7 participated in the race of carrying a balloon in pairs. (susah juga sbb kena pusing blkg, pegang tgn kwn dan lari bawa belon tu). Only two pairs managed to race to the finish line. The rests were either had misfortunate incidence of balloon popping or their partners refused to take part. Even for the older kids (7 yrs and above), only three pairs managed to cross the finish line. Some kids who didn't finish the race were asking for the prizes and the organizer had to somehow gave in. (mcm2la budak2 ni.hehe)
                   
                                                                                                                                                                    

 

Just when I thought the games was over, the organizer announced that there were two more events for the day! alamak, masa tu Fizah dah tertidur sbb dah penat dan masa tu dah agak panas-pkl 1 tghr.

They asked all of the women to participate in popping balloon game. We had to blow our balloon and tied it to the ankle with a rubber band. Then, we had to go and step into other people balloon where the last woman standing with balloon won the game. I was not so good at playing the game and I was out within few seconds. Watching the other contestants was so much fun when they were quick and witty. At last, the last two women standing won the games. penganjur dah tak larat tunggu diaorg nak pecahkan belon sbb asyik main kejar2 je.hihihi The last game for the day involve the family members. Each family had to stand on newspaper. Each round, the newspaper had to be folded and they had to cleverly figured out how to balance on the folded newspaper. This was the funniest game for the day as we witnessed so many funny balancing acts.

By 2.30 p.m., we all exhausted and we took the last group photo and tidied up the place. Since this might be the last activity of WUMA we could join, we certainly feel happy as we had sweet memories and it was really a blast! Thanks WUMA!