Kalaulah ada lebih dari satu syarikat pembekal elektrik.............(BM Entry)

Salam,

Rasanya semua dah tahu mulai dari esok 1 Jun 2011, tarif baru untuk bil elekrik akan dikuatkuasakan. Dalam akhbar2 tempatan hari ini, menurut Menteri Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui berkata, penyelarasan yang berkuat kuasa 1 Jun itu dilakukan selari dengan penyemakan semula harga gas untuk sektor elektrik di Semenanjung yang berkuat kuasa pada tarikh sama. Untuk pengguna-pengguna yang menggunakan elektrik kurang dari 300kwj, bil elektrik mereka tidak akan mengalami kenaikan. Kalau nak baca berita penuh, silala ke LAMAN INI


Nak tahu bil anda akan naik atau tak? Jom semak jadual ini:

Nampak gayanya bil kat rumah kami akan mengalami kenaikan sbb ramai yang tinggal kat rumah ni sekarang. Biasanya bil kami dlm RM200 ke atas. Yelah, ada 5 buah bilik tidur dan ada 9 orang dewasa dan 4 kanak2. Nasib baik kami berkongsi untuk membayar bil elektrik kerana kami menumpang di rumah keluarga mertua. Kalau nak berjimat, mmg selama ni dah cuba sedaya upaya untuk berjimat bila guna elektrik. Rasanya penggunaan alat penghawa dingin, peti sejuk dan mesin basuh merupakan mesin2 melibatkan penggunaan elektrik yang banyak. Nampaknya kena basuh baju pakai tangan, tidur dengan kipas jelah lepas ni. Semasa kami tinggal di Hamiton, New Zealand, kami ada banyak pilihan syarikat pembekal elektrik. Lps tu suami saya pula awal2 lg pilih "Flat Pay Rate Bil". Maknanya tiap2 bulan bayar amaun yang sama, bila ada terlebih bayar, baki akan dibawa ke bulan2 lain. Setiap bulan juga ada potongan diskaun. Di bulan terakhir kami di sana, ada banyak juga baki dan kami dapat balik duit baki tu.

Ada sesiapa ada idea2 lain yang lebih bernas untuk menjimatkan elektrik?

Using Life-like Dolls for the substitution of real babies?

Salam,

I want you to see this photo up close and tell me does it look real.

 That doll is what they called life-like doll or "reborn". Some women have these dolls for the substitution of their lost child, child they'll never have or their grandchildren who live far away from them. This is actually not a new phenomenon BUT I just recently found out about this when I read this NEWS from NST.  So, I did some reading from the other sources just to find out more about this issue. Apparently, this has started from 2008! There was even one funny incident happened in Australia when police smashed a car's window to save a baby. Read HERE to find out more.

This is what I think about this:

I pity the grieving mummy or even those who can't have children on their own. BUT I reckon rather than pay thousands of dollars, it's better to adopt unfortunate children. They need somebody who can take care of them and they also need to be loved. What's the use of loving dolls who can't understand the meaning of LOVE?

A new beginning of another journey.

Dear Asul,

I was so happy to be able to send you yesterday to a place where you'll begin another meaningful journey in your life. Hopefully everything is okay and you'll make yourself comfortable. Maybe you had concealed your true feelings when you could see that other students had so many relatives sending them to that Centre For Foundation Studies UIA, BUT you only had me, your brother in-law and your nieces sending you. Well, it doesn't matter so much because you know the fact that all of our family members are in fact feel so proud of you and they have done all they could to appreciate your hard work before. All you have to do now is to concentrate on your study and achieve more success. You know that I'm just few kilometres away from that place and you can always count on me.

Parents Always Try to do the BEST for their Children.

Salam,

It's Saturday and it's also the first day of a-two-week-school-holiday. As usual, we don't really have any special plan for our children. Though few months ago I planned to go back to my hometown (Tumpat, Kelantan), we had to cancel the plan due to our financial constraints. This month, we have had to pay so many things as we just signed up to buy a house in Kota Seriemas, Nilai. For those who have had the experience in buying a house, you know that it's not cheap and in thee beginning there are so many things that you need to pay like paying for the developer's lawyer and the 10% from the total cost of the house. We also had to pay for the mid year miscellaneous fees of our daughters kindergarten. I'm sure the other parents have experienced this kind of financial constraints.

I feel bad that we can't really bring our daughters to visit my hometown or go for a holiday in other places during this school holiday. However, it has made me realize that if we are not BAD PARENTS if we can't afford to bring them out for a holiday. Parents always try to do the BEST for their children no matter what. There are other things that we can still do to entertain them during this school holiday. Since I'm also going to have one week holiday, I'm planning to do these activities with my daughters. So, if you also want some ideas, let's see if any of these activities is suitable for you too.

 FUN ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAY


1. Do some simple cooking or baking together.
    - for example: I love baking muffins, simple cake, making fruit salad, fruit kebab or even any Kuih Melayu like Banana Fritters (Pisang Goreng).

2.  Do some painting using A3 papers and water colour paints.
    - This can be done outdoor or just in the balcony of your house to avoid the further mess. Sometimes our children can paint on old newspapers and then we dry the masterpieces after they have finished painting.

3. Do some spring cleaning together.
   - I love to involve my children in doing the spring cleaning. We can always delegate some easy tasks for them like asking them to choose any of the unwanted and broken toys, clothes and even teach them how to tidy up their room.

4. Use your imagination and also their imagination for unlimited fun play.
   - Old clothes can be used for playing dress-up. Their soft toys can be used for any kinds of ROLE PLAY like they pretend to be a VET, a DOCTOR, a SHOPKEEPER or a TEACHER.

5. Make some picture puzzles together.
   - Cut some pictures, paste them on a cardboard and then cut them into smaller pieces of puzzle. The next thing you know, your children will have a lot of new puzzles.

6. Teach and introduce some traditional games to your children.
  - We have so many traditional games that the new generation nowadays are not aware of. It'll be good to teach some traditional games like CONGKAK,  TENG TENG, BATU SEREMBAN and many more.
Our traditional games can teach our children about agility, precision, thinking skills and even Mathematical skills.

I reckon there are more activities but those are the things that I can think of now. Happy holiday to all school children and to all parents, let's find some valuable to spend with our kids.

Thanks for the kind words and motivation & About "ass kisser" vs "apple polisher"

Salam,

Thanks a lot for the kind words from those who left some comments yesterday and Tuesday. I appreciate  it so much. Right now, I've got clearer picture of what's happening. All I can say is I have to be patient for few months and find about what's the best next step for me. I know that it's not the end of the world and I have the tendency to freak out even before I sit and think about the solution for any problems. Insyallah, I believe there'll be a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

On another note, my students asked me about which is the label for somebody who like to butter up another person who is superior than him. They have heard about "ass kisser" and wonder if they can use it. There was a very intelligent student of mine said "apple polisher" is more polite to be used. YES! the second label is actually more polite because "ass kisser" is used in the teenagers slang.

Wordless Wednesday: Depressed.

Bagus sangatkah Mat Salleh?? (BM Entry)

Salam,

Ini entri meluahkan perasaan. Perasaan tak puas hati dan terancam di tempat kerja. Sekarang, makin ramai cikgu2 Mat Salleh yang diambi bekerja. Kami yang ada ijazah dlm TESL atau ESL ni, makin dipinggirkan hanya kerana kami bukan Mat Salleh. Apa bagus sangatkah Mat Salleh? Kami orang-orang Malaysia ni kebanyakannya fasih berbahasa Inggeris kerana kami pun belajar Bahasa Inggeris sejak kecil. Kami juga ambil ijazah TESL (Teaching English as Second Language) atau ESL (English as Second Language) selama 4 atau 5 tahun di universiti. Hanya kerana mereka berkulit putih dan bercakap dengan "accent" masing-masing, membuatkan mereka lebih baik dari kami? Saya rasa kami ada kelebihan dari kerana kami faham situasi pelajar-pelajar Arab, Iran dan negara2 lain yang mahu belajar Bahasa Inggeris tetapi mereka ada kesulitan dalam memahami tatabahasa dan kecenderungan mereka dalam memikirkan struktur ayat dalam bahasa mereka dan cuba menafsirkan ke Bahasa Inggeris. Kalau Mat Salleh, mana diaorang tahu kepayahan dalam menafsirkan dari satu bahasa ke bahasa yang lain. Kebanyakan mereka hanya tahu Berbahasa Inggeris semata-mata.

Nampak gayanya mulai dari sekarang saya perlu mencari jalan keluar terbaik untuk mula mencari kerja di tempat lain. Doa-doakan yea.

Voltaren makes one man becomes happy?

Salam,

 Voltaren® (diclofenac sodium enteric-coated tablets) : or in a simpler English is a type of pain killer has been identified as the main reason for a mystery man to act abnormally. He is just a normal man with a normal job. He has been suffering with an eye infection on his right eye after a unfortunate incident few months ago. 

This morning, he was given Voltaren to reduce the itchiness on his right eye. The pain killer was quite effective as he did not feel itchy anymore after taking the tablets. Little that he knew, the drug came with harmless side effect. After taking the Voltaren, his mood has been changing to a happy mood. He has become so cheerful. He has had the urged to smile the whole day. He has laughed and giggled to not-so-funny-situations. When he checked out and asked from the expert, they said that there's nothing to be worried.

(Source: My-own-news)

What do you reckon about the news?

Have any of you discovered some side effects after taking a pain killer named "Voltaren"?

 Would you like to know who was the man?

****
****

He is..........

***
****
*****
*****

My hubby. He is just not himself today. 

I don't know if I should be happy or worry that he's not himself today.

 

A peaceful demonstration that I didn't know when I saw .....................

Salam,

I was walking on my way back from work when a number of FRU(Federal Reserved Unit) police officers waited in front of the Australian High Commission building. I was quite puzzled with what was going on but I kept walking until I asked one security guard across the road. He informed me that the police officers were waiting for some protesters. I didn't want to ask more about the protest since I had to go back quickly. I reckoned I could find some information about the protest later. By the time I left, the protest didn't start yet.

When I came back, I started to find some information from the internet. But the internet connection was down. So, I stopped searching first and prepared the dinner.Only after dinner, I started to search for the information. I managed to find two news coverage on this issue. Why don't you read the news and then please share what do you think of this issue?

This was the first news from Arab News:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: About 300 Malaysians have staged a peaceful protest against plans for an Australian-built rare earth refinery amid fears of radioactive pollution.

The plant being built by Australian miner Lynas in eastern Malaysia could curtail China’s monopoly on the global supply of rare earths for making high-tech goods.
Protesters including opposition lawmakers marched Friday from Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin Towers to a street near the Australian High Commission. Some carried banners that read “Go back to Australia” and “Malaysia not a radioactive waste dump site.” Lynas says the plant will have state-of-the art contamination controls. It is meant to refine slightly radioactive ore from Western Australia. The International Atomic Energy Agency is helping Malaysia investigate whether there would be any risks.

 The second news from NST:

Malaysians protest Australian rare earths plant 

The protesters gathered outside the Australian High Commission under a heavy police presence, holding posters that read “Too toxic! Too risky!” and
“We don’t want Lynas” and “Lynas, go back to Australia.”

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 150 people demonstrated today in the Malaysian capital against an Australian rare earths refinery they say will endanger residents and the environment.

The protesters gathered outside the Australian High Commission under a heavy police presence, holding posters that read “Too toxic! Too risky!” and
“We don’t want Lynas” and “Lynas, go back to Australia.”

Lynas is the Australian company that is building a rare earths plant near the town of Kuantan in the eastern state of Pahang.

The Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) was scheduled to begin processing rare earths — used in high-tech products from iPods to missiles — in the third quarter of 2011.
Following public concern that the plant would produce radioactive waste, the government said last month it would not issue a pre-operating licence to Lynas and bar imports of raw materials from Australia to be processed at the facility, pending a review by an independent panel of UN atomic energy experts.

“We, the residents of Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia are extremely concerned over the proposed construction and operation” of the plant, Vincent Jiam, chairman of the Save Malaysia Committee, said in a memorandum sent to the Australian High Commission (embassy).

“We are resolved to continue our struggle to safeguard our air, water and soil from LAMP’s (and others’) deadly wastes.”
The protesters appealed to the embassy to stop the plant or at least take back the radioactive waste they say it will produce.

The protest lasted about an hour with the demonstrators shouting “Stop Lynas” and “Long live the people” opposite the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

Lynas has welcomed the government review, insisting that the plant is safe and represents no hazard to the community. - AFP

Read more: Malaysians protest Australian rare earths plant http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/MalaysiansprotestAustralianrareearthsplant/Article/#ixzz1MuC0TCG9

 

My reaction: I have to agree with the protesters because they have the right to have the fears. This kind of toxic waste plant is too risky and of course Malaysians don't want this unnecessary danger just because we want to curtail China's monopoly in the business of providing supply of rare earths for making high-tech goods.  

Should I consider Phototherapy to cure Hafizah's eczema?

Salam,

2 years ago I shared in one of my entries about Hafizah's skin problem. She's suffering from Eczema or the accurate name for her problem is Atopic Dermatitis. Just now, we brought her to the usual clinic because she's having a fever. Her body temperature is quite high- 39.5 degree Celsius. The doctor asked the normal questions during the consultation. It's only when he saw Hafizah's skin under her neck, at the bends of her elbows and her knees was quite bad, that he suggested "Phototherapy" treatment.

It was the first time for me hearing the suggestion of using Phototherapy to cure eczema. The thing is when I've read some of the websites about the therapy, I'm having a second thought about trying it. WHY? Okay, why don't you read this and tell me what do you think?

Phototherapy:  A Treatment Option for Some Types of Eczema

Phototherapy exposes a patient to ultraviolet (UV) light for a controlled amount of time and may be prescribed to treat moderate to severe:

• Atopic dermatitis
• Contact dermatitis

When prescribed, phototherapy is likely to be part of a total treatment plan.  Typically, a treatment plan includes lifestyle modifications to prevent flare-ups, topical (applied to the skin) treatment, and if needed, stronger therapy, such as medication that is swallowed or injected.

Two types of phototherapy are used to treat eczema:

• UV light therapy
• PUVA (also called chemophototherapy)

UV Light Therapy
This may be used alone or with a topical treatment, such as coal tar.  Ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB) or a combination of UVA and UVB therapy may be used.  During therapy, the patient's body, or just the affected skin, is exposed to the UV light.  Goggles are worn during treatment to protect the eyes.  Patients usually receive treatment in a dermatologist's office.

There are two types of UVB therapy:

• Broadband (3-5 treatments per week)
• Narrowband (2-3 treatments per week)

Broadband - This UVB therapy has been around for more than 80 years, and it is still highly effective. The biggest drawbacks are that the patient must travel between 3 and 5 times per week to a site that offers this therapy and that broadband light does not  effectively treat the scalp and areas where skin folds occur.

Narrowband - This newer form of UVB therapy is called “narrowband” because it emits a narrower band of UVB wavelengths. Narrowband UVB therapy is proving more effective than the traditional broadband therapy. However, it does have the potential to produce severe burning. Like broadband, it is still not known if narrowband UVB therapy poses a long-term risk for development of skin cancer.

PUVA
PUVA combines medication with light therapy and stands for "psoralen" + "UVA".  Psoralen is a prescription medication that makes the skin more sensitive to UVA rays.  Before UVA exposure, the patient swallows, bathes in, or applies psoralen to the skin.  After treatment, patients must wear UVA-blocking sunglasses for 1 or 2 days when exposed to sunlight because psoralen remains in the eyes for a while.

PUVA's effectiveness is limited to carefully selected patients whose condition is likely to respond to this therapy.  PUVA has a number of side effects, which may include nausea, headache, fatigue, burning skin, itching, and irregular skin pigmentation.  A series of treatments is usually needed, and a full course of treatment may take six months.  In several studies, patients have had substantial improvements when PUVA was combined with topical corticosteroids.

Why Phototherapy Works
UV light of certain wavelengths affects the immune system. By carefully exposing patients to these UV wavelengths for specified amounts of time, dermatologists are able to prevent the exaggerated immune response that causes the inflammation.

Benefits
The beneficial effects of phototherapy vary from person to person. Phototherapy can:

• Significantly improve, and even clear, atopic dermatitis. One study conducted in Germany investigated the effects of phototherapy on severe atopic dermatitis. Investigators found more than 80% of the patients with atopic dermatitis who were treated with phototherapy showed significant improvement, and in some cases, complete clearance within three weeks.
   
• Help prevent bacterial infections, which are common in the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis.
   
• Reduce the strength of topical corticosteroids required, and in some cases, eliminate the need for topical corticosteroids.

Risks
While phototherapy can significantly improve a patient's skin and even completely clear atopic dermatitis in some cases, phototherapy does carry these risks:

• UV light is a contributing cause of skin cancer
• UV light has been proven to prematurely age the skin

Dermatologists Carefully Weigh Risks and Benefits
Phototherapy is not appropriate for every patient who has eczema.  It is not recommended for patients whose eczema flares when exposed to sunlight or anyone who develops a sun-induced allergic reaction.  In some patients, phototherapy can worsen eczema.

Dermatologists have the medical training and experience needed to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of phototherapy to determine if this treatment is right for a patient.  In considering whether or not phototherapy is appropriate, dermatologists look at a number of factors, including the patient's age, health, medical history, severity of the condition, and history of previous treatment.

Wordless Wednesday: A miracle baby.

Salam,

Just look at this picture and make your own guesses before you go to the link to find out about the story.

To read the story, go to this LINK

Hari ini Hari Wesak. Hari ini kami kerja. huhu (BM entry)

Salam,

Seronoknya yang lain2 bersantai di rumah hari ni. Kami (bawah satu syarikat ni) kena keluar bekerja hari ni. Syarikat ni tak mengira cuti umum ni. Tambahan pula, kalau kami tak kerja hari ni, kami tak akan sempat menghabiskan sukatan perlajaran untuk bulan ni. Jadinya, kami pujuklah hati sbb kami akan dapat cuti seminggu di hujung bulan ni. Apa motif entri ni? Entah la. Saja buang masa sesiapa yang baca ni. hehe.

Sebenarnya rasa pelik juga pagi ni sbb bila naik LRT macam kosong je. Bila berjalan kaki nak ke ofis, jalan raya lengang dan tak sibuk macam biasa. Sampaikan banyak kedai2 makan di sekitar ofis pun ditutup. Nasib baik saya dah agak benda ini akan berlaku, jadi saya dah bawa bekal dari rumah. Kwn2 yg lain, membebel2 sbb tak dpt beli makanan tengahari. Ada la kedai runcit yg jual nasi lemak bungkus (yg diletakkan dr pg). Itu sajalah yg boleh dibeli hari ni. Anak2 murid pun ramai juga yang buat cuti sendiri. Diaorg tak datangla hari ni. Yang mana yang ada tu memang yg rajin nak belajar.

Suami saya pun cuti dan dia duduk di rumah tolong jagakan anak2. Anak2 pelik bila mak diaorg ni kena pergi kerja hari ni. Terpaksala bagitahu yg bos mak diaorg tak bagi cuti. 

Okay, itu aje nak membebel pasal hari cuti yang kami tak cuti ni. Peringatan: Esok dah tak cuti ye, jadi kena pergi kerja balik :P

Received a nice text message from the ex-boss.

Salam,

Right now, it was already late but I still can't sleep because I have to mark my students mid-term writing papers. I'm half-way through and I guess taking a break is not a bad idea since I don't want my judgment to be clouded with my fatigue.

I just want to share one interesting text message from my ex-boss wishing me "Happy Teacher's Day". She was a perfectionist boss but I still appreciate her as she taught me a lot of things in teaching. Here is her message that had made my day. :

A teacher takes a hand..................
Opens a mind..............................
And touched a heart.
You are one such teacher for the students and me. Thanks for being there! Happy Teacher's Day!

I wish I can express the same gratitude to all my ex-teachers and lecturers. Without them, I won't be who I am now. They've touched my heart and showed me how to succeed. Thank you is just not enough. May Allah bless them and their family. Happy Teacher's Day to all of the other teachers out there too. 

Bowling & BATA.

Salam,

This entry was supposed to be published on Friday the 13th (sounds scary? hehe). Due to the technical problems in blogspot and yesterday I was so lazy to upload the photos, I can only share the update today.

On Friday afternoon, ELS centers around KL & Selangor had a friendly Bowling Match in Cosmo Bowling Arena in Mid Valley. The match was organized as part of students activity. Teachers are encouraged to go and support the students. There were only a handful of teachers from KLCC center that went to the venue to support the students who were competing in the match. I was one of the teachers since my students had asked me to go and support them.

The match started at 3.00 p.m. and about 3/4 of the place was conquered by ELS. They started off with a round of trials before the actual match began. I was chatting with some other teachers when they warmed up. Only after the first game began, I went to check on the teams that represented KLCC center. There were only 3 teams. One of the teams comprised of my previous student and three current students. The team was a good combination of three countries; Iran, Saudi and Malaysia. In the first game, they didn't score really high marks and none got strike. Only during the second game, some of them scored strike few times. I was really a cheerleader as I was just clapped and gave them some motivation. I guess my present was enough for them. I didn't even stayed until the end because by 4.30, I left the venue. I told my students that I had to pick up my daughters before 6 and getting a Komuter from Mid Valley would take some time. So, we snapped a photo before I left. 

Some of the photos taken during the bowling match.

Before I left Mid Valley, I quickly went to BATA Sales which was just next door. I was told by my colleagues about the sale. That's why I went to check out. I didn't really have time to choose shoes or sandals. At the end, I just grab a pair of sandals that only cost about  RM10. (I forgot to take a picture of my new sandals). I saw a lot of parents came with their kids to buy school shoes and also other kinds of shoes. I didn't want to buy any for my daughters. My kids feet grow too fast that we need to buy new pairs of shoes after few months. This announcement about BATA Sales might be too late for those who read this BUT if you can go there before 10 p.m. tonight, who knows you might still grab some nice pairs of shoes. *wink *wink.

Littlle interruptions for blogspot service.

Salam,

I'm sure most blogspot users had experienced the interruptions since yesterday. Even this morning, I was still unable to log in this blog. I want to share what happened yesterday but maybe I have to put off that entry first since I need to upload some photos. Due to the interruptions, I lost one day to type up some entry to enter more giveaways and contests. I guess tomorrow is the best day to make up for it. What about you guys? Did you notice about the interruptions?

My Blackberry is Not Working!

Salam,

Today I just want to share a hilarious joke from BBC. So, today's entry is more on Wordless Thursday. hehe. Just watch this You Tube video and laugh at the jokes. Have fun.................

Blacked-out!

Salam,

I want to just do the Wordless Wednesday BUT I can't resist myself from sharing of what happened this morning at work. It was sort of terrible day at work but at the same time it was also a bless in disguise for me. Why? What happened? Okay.........................sit back and please enjoy the short story that I want to share.

Blacked Out!

This morning, I went to my workplace as usual at the normal time. There were so many people on LRT like the other day. I arrived in my workplace by 8 a.m. I didn't realize what had happened upstairs until I noticed that it was quite dark at the staircases. I kept climbing on the stairs until I reached the faculty room on the second floor. When I went inside the faculty room, the other teachers were sitting and chatting in the dark. I asked them what was happening and they said there was a power failure since 7 a.m. for the entire building. At that moment, we could hear and see some TNB technicians were doing their best to restore back the electricity.

So, I joined my colleagues to chat and enjoy our breakfast since we couldn't teach or use any of the classrooms. Our boss, Erik said we had to wait until 9.30 before he could call it a day. While waiting for the power to come back, we did a lot of things like singing, dancing, chatting about some issues and even eating a huge breakfast in the dark. Most of us sat near the windows to get some glimpse of lights from outside. By 9.00, we became restless and felt so hot. We were sweating profusely when the electricity didn't come back by 9.30.

Our boss, Erik then came with the good news and also the bad news. The good news was the classes had to be canceled. The bad news was we must replace the classes on Saturday (21st May). Some of us went to meet our students to explain the situation and promised them to make up an extra class if they need one.

Next, I called my hubby to tell him what had happened.  He asked me to go to UPM since we had to settle some agreements with a lawyer from the bank regarding our housing loan. I took the LRT and then switched to Komuter and taxi to reach UPM. At 11.30, I arrived in UPM and stayed in my hubby's room until the lawyer came with so many copies of Property Purchase Agreement that we had to sign. That's why I said the blacked-out was a bless in disguise for me. If it was not because of the blacked-out, I wouldn't be able to go and settle our unfinished business.

Has any of you experienced something bad but it turned out to be a bless in disguise?

P/S: No photos were taken as it was really a pitch black "black-out". hehe

Baby & Mom Expo in Mid Valley on 8th May 2011 and a special reunion.

Salam,

Yesterday we spent the about 5 hours in Mid Valley, Megamall. Our main intention was to meet up with some of our good friends in Hamilton, NZ. One of my friends, Hanna (the pregnant lady in the photo) has been staying in Malaysia since Dec. because her husband is now in UK doing his data collection. So, she came with her daughter and son. Another friend, K. Ija came with her husband. They left their kids at home since they don't want to bring their children at the busy mall especially on Sunday.

Our appointment was at 12 o'clock but we went so early because we knew that it would be very hard to find a parking space on Sunday. When we arrived at 10.20, there were already a lot of cars there. We didn't realize what was happening until we went up and saw the Baby & Mom Expo! hehe. So, the expo was actually the place where we hang out before we went down to meet our friends. We just visited some booths and checked out some interesting offers. I met Anie from Comel Lote Collection. I said hi and also bought a nice hat from her. She gave two free tiny bear key chains for my daughters. After that, we checked some interesting booths like booths that were promoting educational toys and books for children. We were even stopped by one of the salesman at the Grolier booth for 15 minutes when he asked us to listen to his explanations with no obligations on buying his products. we listened  to his explanation but we has to decline the sounds-too-good offers since we were just checking out and browsing for information. When it was 11.45 p.m., we left the expo and headed down.

Some photos at the expo

Things that we received for free and also some that we bought.

With Anie

We saw Hanna and her children by 12.15. We chatted and took some pictures before we decided to have lunch together at a cafe named Little Penang. My other friend and her husband didn't arrive yet during that time. She asked us to have lunch first. We chose some food like Assam Laksa, Prawn Noodle, Chicken and Rice set and Fried Rice. The kids were too excited to really sit and eat. They were more busy warming up with each other and by the time we finished eating, they were already running around the table. After we left the cafe, K.Ija and her husband Dr. Sazali arrived. They were so excited to see us because it has almost a year since we last saw each other. They suggested to go somewhere for a coffee. So, we walked and searched for a nice place to have coffee. We talked about so many things as there were so many stories to be exchanged. It was just a nice long chat of old friends. 1 hour later, we parted and bid farewell and promised to get together again in the future. 

P/S: I know it's already Tuesday. I just didn't have time to write about my Mothers Day weekend. So, what about yours?

Silence Mode at home.

Salam,

Early in the morning, both my of daughters followed their grandpa to attend the Open Day in KPJ, Nilai. Their grandma and auntie were already there. As Saturday normally is a shopping day for us, my hubby and I didn't go to KPJ to accompany our daughters. Instead we had a nice shopping date in Hypermarket Giant, KJ. It has been a long time since we can go out without our daughters on the tow. So, it was a nice change for us.

However now (it's 3 p.m. by the time I'm typing this entry), I'm feeling so weird and the silence mode is apparent in the house now. Usually, we can hear the noise from our daughters either playing, singing, shouting or bickering with each other. You can say that I've starter to miss my daughters even only after 6 hours. Have any of you had the same feeling?

Has Mother's Day become an over commercialised day?

Salam,

Have you ever realized that every year during Mother's Day, there'll be a lot of promotions going on. Many shopping malls, shops, online shops and others will give interesting offers, free gifts or special discounts. All of that is done by using the Mother's Day celebration as the pulling factor. I don't really anything against the practice BUT I just don't agree when some of them purposely use the celebration to charge more or they are selling the over-priced products and get away with it. After all, the ministry doesn't have enough man power to check everything. 

So, what do you as a mom (if you are a mom) expect from your kids on Mother's Day? Or if you aren't a mom yet, what have you plan or what have you bought for your beloved mom? As for me, I've never expected anything from my daughters. Normally they'll make a card in their school and they'll give the card to me. The best gift I would like to have is just their sincere love. Since this year is the third year  for me for not be able to wish "Happy Mother's Day" to my late mum, I just can wish my mum-in-law and pray for my late mum. Only Allah knows how I miss her and there's always an empty space in my heart where it used to be the place for my late mum.

What do you reckon about this issue? Do you think that some people have taken advantages on Mother's Day just to sell their products?

Apa salah belacan? (BM entry)

Salam,

Ini entri tangkap muat sbb sebenarnya dah mengantuk sgt ni. Sepatutnya dah lena diulit mimpi dah ni. Cuma nak juga berkongsi hal ni. Saya ni suka budu (memelah doh ore Kelate) dan juga sambal belacan. Masalahnya sekarang, saya tak tahu kenapa hidung dan kulit jadi semakin sensitif bila makan 2 benda yang sedap tu. Kalau budu bolehla tahan lagi. Kalau belacan, alamatnya satu hari bersin dan hidung berair. Ada tak orang2 lain yang pernah mengalami keadaan yang sama? Kenapa ye dulu2 saya boleh tahan dan tak mengalami  apa2 alahan bila makan belacan tapi sekarang tak tahan sbb hidung terasa gatal sangat2 dan kulit pun jadi gatal. (tapi tak de gatal ye lain ye :P ) Ada tak pakar2 yang boleh berkongsi pendapat anda kat sini? Mana Doktor Sirna (a.k.a Fadilah) ni?

Just won something nice from ParentThots for my e-mail about "How to encourage our children to read".

Salam,

I published this entry post in the beginning of April. Today, I got a message in the shout out box from Munira who told me that I won the prize. Now, let me take you back to the previous post and then I'm also going to share the e-mail that I sent to Parent Thots.
________________________________________________________________________________

Want to Win Disney School Skills workbooks?

Salam,

I came across this interesting announcement in FB on ParentThots page. It's a good opportunity to parents with young kids to try their luck. What you have to do is just send and e-mail to parenthots@thestar.com.my. What should you write in your e-mail? Well, they just want to know how do we teach our young kids how to read.
The best (most creative, inspiring, unique) email per month wins 1 set of Disney School Skills workbooks, thanks to Scholastic.

This promotion goes on from April 1 (no, this isn't an April Fool's joke) right up till Sept 30 as we have 6 sets of workbooks to give away.

Each set of workbooks is valued at RM159.20.

For more info, please click HERE

P/S: I've just sent my e-mail to them. What about you? What are you waiting for? 
 _______________________________________________________________________________
Click HERE if you want to see the announcement. But now I want to share what I wrote in my e-mail.

Make it conducive for kids to read

My husband and I both love reading. That's why encouraging our children is not a huge task for us at all since we both want to be the best role models to our children aged six and four. Basically, we have done everything we could to make sure that our children will see the habit of reading as something enjoyable.

So here are some of the methods that we've tried so far:

1- Bring our children to the nearest library every week.
We used to live in Hamilton, New Zealand, for 3 1/2 years. There are some local libraries available there for everybody. So, every week without fail, we would bring our children to Hillcrest Library to borrow some books, CDs and puzzles. They really love to spend their time there. Right now, we make sure that we will buy some books every month so we can have our own mini library soon!

2- Spend about 30 minutes per day to teach them phonemes.
The best way to teach is to make sure that it's going to be an interesting approach like using starfall.com as a tool or any kind of teaching tools. I used flashcards with my eldest daughter but with my second daughter, I have to let her choose what she likes to do as she has a shorter attention span compared to her sister.

3- Play “I spy with my little eyes" whenever we go out.
It's a must for us to play this game because it can also help me to redirect their attention while waiting in the car before we reach our destination. As both of them have recognised letters and even phonemes, I always ask them to spot some words or letters around them.

4- Prepare a nice corner or even a conducive room for our kids to learn.
Kids love to see something colourful and exciting. So, we have dedicated a special corner with a special bookcase, table and chairs for them to sit and read their favaourite books. They can use the place any time they like and they have regarded it as their special place to have fun!

5- Story time every night.
This is a must even when we are so tired and busy. At least we will spend about 10 minutes to tell a simple story or choose a page from their favourite story book. Sometimes we even create our own story when we want our imagination to run wild!

6- Make a book as MUST for their birthday present.
Every time other people ask what to buy for our kids' birthdays, we prefer that they buy more books rather than toys. Our kids love them too and they never get tired or bored with books compared to toys. They will only get excited about new toys for few weeks and then they will completely forget about the toys.

Well, those are among the things we have practised and done to instil the love in reading. Now, our job is easier as our kids never feel the pressure for them to learn how to read.


Alhamdulillah for this and it's actually a first time for me winning a contest that requires a creative input. My daughters are going to like the presents so much as they always love to have new workbooks.

Is there anything that sounds funny here? Please read and share your thoughts.

Salam,

I've noticed this signboard in Sg. Klah Hot Spring Park. I just can't help but to notice some mistakes in the sentence structures on the board. Today, I want to test all of you who are reading this post. If any of you can give the best answer on how to rectify the mistakes, somebody will get something from me.


So, what are you waiting for? Read the sentences on this notice board and leave your comment in the comment box. You leave as many answers as you like.

Good luck!

A Hotspring Retreat: Sg Klah Hotspring Recreational Park

Salam,

Early in the morning right after breakfast, we set up our journey to Sg. Klah Hotspring in Sungkai, Perak. The main intention for my hubby is to check out the place for his future project that he is planning to get a grant. For my daughters and I, we just want to have some fun and have a nice retreat by going back to nature.

Here were the things we saw when we arrived:

Here's the important information about this place:

Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park
36000 Sungkai
Perak
Malaysia
Operating hours: 8am – 10pm daily
Entrance Fees: RM10 for adults, RM8 for children (2-11 years)

The first thing that we had to do was to purchase the tickets from the main entrance. By the time we arrived, there were already a lot of people waiting in lines to purchase the their tickets. We were given these things (see the things on Fathini's and my wrists):

Once we were inside, we stop somewhere to pose a family photo before changing our clothes. Luckily I remembered to bring the tripod. If not, we would have had to ask somebody to help us. 

After we had changed our clothes, we went on to explore the park. On the way, we saw some interesting hot pools. Some people were sitting on the edge and dipped their feet inside. We also saw a therapeutic path beside one of the hot pools, a pool where people can boil eggs and other hot small hot pools. We were not interested to boil any eggs even when we could buy some eggs there. My hubby was busy taking photos of the hot pools and checking the temperatures as well. (for his study) 

Then, we proceeded to the cold pool as Fathini and Hafizah couldn't wait to dip their feet into water. When we arrived at one of the cold pool, our daughters were so excited. My hubby and I took turn in taking care of our daughters in the pool. When I went in the pool with Fathini & Hafizah, my hubby became the guard as there was no one else who could take care of our things. Hafizah was so brave that she asked her papa to accompany her to slide down from the big slide. Fathini was okay when I asked her to join me at the slide but halfway through, she changed her mind and she screamed on top of her lung when I coaxed her to try. We had to go down from the small and steep stairs when she changed her mind! huhu. We stayed there until Fathini and Hafizah had started to feel cold and hungry. We didn't bring any food with us since we've planned to continue our journey to my aunt's house in Ipoh. We could see that other families brought their own food since it was allowed and there's no cafe or restaurant in the park. All that we could find was snacks.

Before we left, we decided to try dipping our feet in one of the hot pools. Fathini tried to dip her feet for few seconds but we didn't allow Hafizah because we were afraid that she couldn't stand the heat. I could feel the burning sensation even after dipping my feet for 2 seconds. My hubby was able to dip his feet longer and he even posed for the camera. 

So, it was fun and relaxing to be able to enjoy the scenery and the retreat there. Next time (if there's next time), I reckon bringing your own food and bring more family members are the best thing we can do there. There's a place if you are interested to stay, Felda Residence offers good accommodation if you are willing to pay about RM600 per night. Well, it was definitely not in our list since that's too much for us.