We had our hari raya open house last Saturday, 27th October 2007. Exhausting? Yes but satisfied.... The series of events started with the groceries shopping with Azrai the day before ie. Friday. We went to pasar Chow Kit which has everything under the sun. Before we even started, we had to detour to Azrai's office in Glenmarie as he received an important phone call asking for a revised quotation. If you are self employed like us, you'd understand that every call is important to us and we have to get it done. So, our 10am shopping was moved back to 2pm. Good thing both of us know our way around the pasar and had a shopping list ready so we finished our shopping in just half an hour. This is not the normal grocery shopping for a small household. This is to cater for about 100 pax.
We later went to Setiawangsa to fetch Danial's nenek. Went back to Putrajaya and immediately start on the rendang. The reason why we went all the way to pasar Chow Kit is there's a shop that blends all blendable ingredients needed to cook. So, we don't have to peel the onions and all those petty things. Everything went into the big wok and all we need to do is to stir it occasionally. Cooking made easy thanks to pasar Chow Kit.
The stuff for laksa sarawak was prepared the morning of the open house. We managed to go for Abang Chop's and Kak Haz's open house at Presint 11 at noon. They served Mee sup which was yummy. Compliments to the Chef!
Our open house started at 3pm. The first guests were Aunty Fauziah and Azhan. We didn't expect them to come as Aunty Fauziah called Azrai earlier to say that they won't be coming as she has to go for her radiotherapy. Nevertheless, we're glad that they came anyway. I feel bad for Aunty Fauziah because there's nothing I can offer her. She's a good sport though to come for the sake of getting together.
The starting was slow. Family members first and later on, our neighbours came and followed by friends late in the evening. Danial was enjoying himself all the time that he didn't take his afternoon nap until very much later. He slept at 6pm only to wake up at 9pm. Good thing too because that's when the crowd started to come and we really had our hands full. Danial must be tired because he didn't stir at all when people went up to use the room to pray nor when the other kids sat around him watching the cartoon channel.
The last guest left by 10pm. Food was nearly out. Good thing too since we don't have much storage space to keep any left overs. Good thing that this is a once a year thing. The one day preparation for the one day open house left me with days of cleaning up. To date, I still have pots and pans and utensils and so many other things left uncleared. And I'm guilty as it is not starting work yet after over 2 weeks of hari raya holiday....
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
My Parenting Bible
Or should I say my parenting Quran. Nevertheless, the whole point is I'm so blessed now parenting is not a walk in the dark. There's at least a sketchy routemap to guide along the way that comes in the form of BabyCenter.com. Ever since I found this wonderful website, I've been referring to it throughout my pregnancy and even more so after Danial is born. When you're pregnant, it's just understanding the changes to your body, physically and emotionally. It's more trying now that the baby is growing and has a mind of his own and sometimes you just don't understand why they get upset and stuff. It's a great relief where you can just log into the internet and search for the things you're going through and find ways to handle it the best possible way.
When Danial had a bad case of stomach flu. He couldn't keep his food down and vomitted after a few minutes and threw up his formula and even plain water. Azrai was more upset when he sees Danial in that condition. He was dehydrated and weak after all the vomitting. Azrai would just bundle Danial into the car and go to the nearest hospital given the choice and let the doctor attend to him regardless of the time of the day. I was more prepared to wait out the night with Danial and care for him after looking up the symptoms in BabyCenter. I ruled out appendix as Danial is very young and don't take too much solid food so a common stomach flu can be home treated.
So, when Danial had his tantrum of the year at IKEA recently, I looked it up in the website and mailed Azrai the article. I feel it's just a phase Danial has to go through and We as parents and the adults in this equation must know how to handle it.
This week has been tough sending Danial to the daycare center too. After two weeks holiday, he totally refused to go to school and threw temper tantrums every morning of the week. We're reassured by the caregivers that Danial would stop crying and trashing after he meets with his friends so that's no so bad to us.
I've cut and paste the article about tantrums for the benefit of other moms:
Why it happens
A temper tantrum is the emotional equivalent of a summer storm — sudden and sometimes fierce. One minute you and your child are in a restaurant enjoying your dinner, the next minute he's whimpering, whining, and then screaming at the top of his lungs because his straw is bent. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 are especially prone to such episodes.Though you may worry that you're raising a tyrant, take heart — at this age, it's unlikely that your child is throwing a fit to be manipulative. More likely, he's having a meltdown in response to frustration. Claire B. Kopp, professor of applied developmental psychology at California's Claremont Graduate University, attributes much of the problem to uneven language skills. "Toddlers are beginning to understand a lot more of the words they hear, yet their ability to produce language is so limited," she says. When your child can't express how he feels or what he wants, frustration mounts.
What to do
Don't lose your cool. A tantrum is not a pretty sight. In addition to kicking, screaming, or pounding the floor, your toddler's repertoire may include throwing things, hitting, and even holding his breath to the point of turning blue. When your child is swept up in a tantrum, he's unlikely to listen to reason, though he will respond — negatively — to your yelling or threatening. "I found the more I shouted at Brandon to stop, the wilder he would get," says one mother of a 2-year-old. What worked instead, she discovered, was to just sit down and be with him while he raged.Staying with your child during a tantrum is a good idea. Stomping out of the room — alluring as that may be — can make him feel abandoned. The storm of emotion he's going through can be frightening to him, and he'll appreciate knowing you're nearby. Some experts recommend picking up your child and holding him if it's feasible (i.e., he's not flailing too much), saying he'll find your embrace comforting. But others say it's better to ignore the tantrum until your child calms down, rather than rewarding negative behavior. Through trial and error, you'll learn which approach is right for your child.Remember that you're the adult. No matter how long the tantrum continues, don't give in to unreasonable demands or negotiate with your screaming toddler. It's especially tempting in public to cave in as a way of ending the episode. Try not to worry about what others think — anyone who's a parent has been there before. By conceding, you'll only be teaching your child that throwing a fit is a good way to get what he wants, and setting the stage for future behavior problems. Besides, your child is already frightened by being out of control. The last thing he needs is to feel that you're not in control either.If your child's outburst escalates to the point where he's hitting people or pets, throwing things, or screaming nonstop, pick him up and carry him to a safe place, such as his bedroom. Tell him why he's there ("because you hit Aunt Sally"), and let him know that you'll stay with him until his negative behavior stops. If you're in a public place — a common breeding ground for tantrums — be prepared to leave with your child until he calms down."When my daughter was 2, she had an absolute fit at a restaurant because the plain spaghetti she ordered arrived with chopped parsley on it," recalls one mother. "Although I realized why she was upset, I wasn't about to let her disrupt everyone's dinner. I took her outside until she calmed down."Talk it over afterward. When the storm subsides, hold your child close and talk about what happened. Acknowledge his frustration, and help him put his feelings into words, saying something like, "You were very angry because your food wasn't the way you wanted it." Let him see that once he expresses himself in words, he'll get better results. Say with a smile, "I'm sorry I didn't understand you. Now that you're not screaming, I can find out what you want."Try to head off tantrum-inducing situations. Pay attention to what situations push your child's buttons and plan accordingly. If he falls apart when he's hungry, carry snacks with you. If he has trouble making a transition from one activity to the next, give him a gentle heads-up before a change. Alerting him to the fact that you're about to leave the playground or sit down to dinner ("We're going to eat when you and Daddy are done with your story") gives him a chance to adjust instead of react.Your toddler is grappling with independence, so offer him choices whenever possible. No one likes being told what to do all the time. Saying, "Would you like corn or carrots?" rather than "Eat your corn!" will give him a sense of control. Monitor how often you're saying "no." If you find you're rattling it off routinely, you're probably putting unnecessary stress on both of you. Try to ease up and choose your battles. Would it really wreck your schedule to spend an extra five minutes at the playground? And does anybody really care if your tike wears mismatched mittens?Watch for signs of overstress. Although daily tantrums are a perfectly normal part of the mid-toddler years, you do need to keep an eye out for possible problems. Has there been upheaval in the family? An extremely busy or harried period? Tension between Mom and Dad? All of these can provoke tantrums. If after the age of 30 months your child is still having major tantrums every day, talk to your doctor. If your child is younger than 30 months and has three or four tantrums a day and isn't cooperating with any routines, such as getting dressed or picking up toys, you also may want to seek help. Your doctor can make sure your child has no serious physical or psychological problems and suggest ways to deal with the outbursts. Also, talk to your doctor if your child has frightening breath-holding spells when he gets upset. There's some evidence that this behavior is linked to an iron deficiency.
When Danial had a bad case of stomach flu. He couldn't keep his food down and vomitted after a few minutes and threw up his formula and even plain water. Azrai was more upset when he sees Danial in that condition. He was dehydrated and weak after all the vomitting. Azrai would just bundle Danial into the car and go to the nearest hospital given the choice and let the doctor attend to him regardless of the time of the day. I was more prepared to wait out the night with Danial and care for him after looking up the symptoms in BabyCenter. I ruled out appendix as Danial is very young and don't take too much solid food so a common stomach flu can be home treated.
So, when Danial had his tantrum of the year at IKEA recently, I looked it up in the website and mailed Azrai the article. I feel it's just a phase Danial has to go through and We as parents and the adults in this equation must know how to handle it.
This week has been tough sending Danial to the daycare center too. After two weeks holiday, he totally refused to go to school and threw temper tantrums every morning of the week. We're reassured by the caregivers that Danial would stop crying and trashing after he meets with his friends so that's no so bad to us.
I've cut and paste the article about tantrums for the benefit of other moms:
Why it happens
A temper tantrum is the emotional equivalent of a summer storm — sudden and sometimes fierce. One minute you and your child are in a restaurant enjoying your dinner, the next minute he's whimpering, whining, and then screaming at the top of his lungs because his straw is bent. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 are especially prone to such episodes.Though you may worry that you're raising a tyrant, take heart — at this age, it's unlikely that your child is throwing a fit to be manipulative. More likely, he's having a meltdown in response to frustration. Claire B. Kopp, professor of applied developmental psychology at California's Claremont Graduate University, attributes much of the problem to uneven language skills. "Toddlers are beginning to understand a lot more of the words they hear, yet their ability to produce language is so limited," she says. When your child can't express how he feels or what he wants, frustration mounts.
What to do
Don't lose your cool. A tantrum is not a pretty sight. In addition to kicking, screaming, or pounding the floor, your toddler's repertoire may include throwing things, hitting, and even holding his breath to the point of turning blue. When your child is swept up in a tantrum, he's unlikely to listen to reason, though he will respond — negatively — to your yelling or threatening. "I found the more I shouted at Brandon to stop, the wilder he would get," says one mother of a 2-year-old. What worked instead, she discovered, was to just sit down and be with him while he raged.Staying with your child during a tantrum is a good idea. Stomping out of the room — alluring as that may be — can make him feel abandoned. The storm of emotion he's going through can be frightening to him, and he'll appreciate knowing you're nearby. Some experts recommend picking up your child and holding him if it's feasible (i.e., he's not flailing too much), saying he'll find your embrace comforting. But others say it's better to ignore the tantrum until your child calms down, rather than rewarding negative behavior. Through trial and error, you'll learn which approach is right for your child.Remember that you're the adult. No matter how long the tantrum continues, don't give in to unreasonable demands or negotiate with your screaming toddler. It's especially tempting in public to cave in as a way of ending the episode. Try not to worry about what others think — anyone who's a parent has been there before. By conceding, you'll only be teaching your child that throwing a fit is a good way to get what he wants, and setting the stage for future behavior problems. Besides, your child is already frightened by being out of control. The last thing he needs is to feel that you're not in control either.If your child's outburst escalates to the point where he's hitting people or pets, throwing things, or screaming nonstop, pick him up and carry him to a safe place, such as his bedroom. Tell him why he's there ("because you hit Aunt Sally"), and let him know that you'll stay with him until his negative behavior stops. If you're in a public place — a common breeding ground for tantrums — be prepared to leave with your child until he calms down."When my daughter was 2, she had an absolute fit at a restaurant because the plain spaghetti she ordered arrived with chopped parsley on it," recalls one mother. "Although I realized why she was upset, I wasn't about to let her disrupt everyone's dinner. I took her outside until she calmed down."Talk it over afterward. When the storm subsides, hold your child close and talk about what happened. Acknowledge his frustration, and help him put his feelings into words, saying something like, "You were very angry because your food wasn't the way you wanted it." Let him see that once he expresses himself in words, he'll get better results. Say with a smile, "I'm sorry I didn't understand you. Now that you're not screaming, I can find out what you want."Try to head off tantrum-inducing situations. Pay attention to what situations push your child's buttons and plan accordingly. If he falls apart when he's hungry, carry snacks with you. If he has trouble making a transition from one activity to the next, give him a gentle heads-up before a change. Alerting him to the fact that you're about to leave the playground or sit down to dinner ("We're going to eat when you and Daddy are done with your story") gives him a chance to adjust instead of react.Your toddler is grappling with independence, so offer him choices whenever possible. No one likes being told what to do all the time. Saying, "Would you like corn or carrots?" rather than "Eat your corn!" will give him a sense of control. Monitor how often you're saying "no." If you find you're rattling it off routinely, you're probably putting unnecessary stress on both of you. Try to ease up and choose your battles. Would it really wreck your schedule to spend an extra five minutes at the playground? And does anybody really care if your tike wears mismatched mittens?Watch for signs of overstress. Although daily tantrums are a perfectly normal part of the mid-toddler years, you do need to keep an eye out for possible problems. Has there been upheaval in the family? An extremely busy or harried period? Tension between Mom and Dad? All of these can provoke tantrums. If after the age of 30 months your child is still having major tantrums every day, talk to your doctor. If your child is younger than 30 months and has three or four tantrums a day and isn't cooperating with any routines, such as getting dressed or picking up toys, you also may want to seek help. Your doctor can make sure your child has no serious physical or psychological problems and suggest ways to deal with the outbursts. Also, talk to your doctor if your child has frightening breath-holding spells when he gets upset. There's some evidence that this behavior is linked to an iron deficiency.
Happy Birthday Ami!
We celebrated Ami's birthday on Tuesday, 23rd October 2007, a day earlier than his actual birthday as he has other plans on that day. It rained thoughout the day. I was relieved when the sun finally came out from the clouds later late in the afternoon.
Danial's atuk and nenek came early to help with the barbeque. We invited Mak Ot and family. Nenek brought baked macaroni. I made nasi goreng, garlic bread and salad. I bought Ami a cheese birthday cake from Secret Recipe for desert and we also have fruits.
Mak Ot and family came around 8.30pm and the makan-makan starts. Mak Ot brought desert, custard pudding and the all time favorite chocolate cake. The table was full. Good thing Amen and Nor came and help with the food as well.
Happy birthday Ami from all of us. We love you!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
New arrival
Announcing the new arrival of Soosan and Ghaz's twin girls on Saturday, 20th October 2007 (bersamaan 8 Shawal 1428). We were having breakfast at our usual mamak spot with Danial when Azrai got the sms from Ghaz. Both or should I say, all three mother and daughters are doing OK. I think its expected for twins to be born prematurely and to have to spend some time in incubators and ICU so I take it that they're OK.
By the way, it's also our hari raya day after 6 days of puasa enam. The celebration started yesterday when we broke fast at Kelana Jaya Seafood. It's all Maria Tunku Sabri's fault. Both of us was watching Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan teasers on TV and immediately we know what we want to have for dinner. That lady sure knows how to make food looks good.
Back to Soosan and twins. I made a CD of surah-surah for ibu dan anak which consist of Al-fatihah, Yaseen, Maryam and Yusuf for Soosan while Danial took his midday nap. I also have pati ikan haruan for Soosan. It helps with the healing of the surgery. We went to Alamanda to get something for the girls and had late lunch at McDonalds. We're so used to fasting that we hesitated to eat before realising that it's OK to eat.
It was raining cats and dogs as we got to the Sungai Besi Highway and the traffic was pretty bad. I don't know whether it's because of the rain or it's because people are going out for hari raya open houses. Good thing Danial is a good little traveller. He did all his running around in Alamanda and recharges his batteries with pocket naps when he's in the car. Afterall, what can a 2 year old preschooler do in a car after 10 minutes of fidgetting around? I guess it pays to plan my travelling when Danial was younger where we go out as he's about to take his nap, after feeding and changing; all comfortable and nice. The only drawback that we have to go through now is Danial's refusal to sit in the child seat. He'd scream and tries to undo to seatbelt and get out of the seat. It's not easy to ignore him now that his vocabulary has improved tremendously and he'd asked us to let him out. So, we've been bending the rule a bit by letting him sit with me in the front seat. He loves it when I cuddle him as he doze off with his stuffed toy, Koko covering his face.
True to form, as we reached Pantai Medical Centre, Danial woke up all refreshed and set to go. We bumped into Liris and Rizal at the lobby. They were about to leave. Liris' bump looks quite small for a December baby but then again, Liris is petite. If the doctor says she's on track, then, size doesn't matter anyway. And it's a girl. Kesian Danial. He's going to be left out when all the cousins his age starts playing with dolls and cooking set and he doesn't have a sparring partner to do his Ultraman stunts.
We saw new parents, Ghaz and Soosan. Aunty Zizah and Yem was there too. Soosan looks quite comfortable as she has half a tube of epidural to mask the pain. Good luck to her when she's off that. Been there done that. We couldn't see the twins yet as they're in ICU for a few days. Nevermind, we'll see them soon enough.
We left after an hour there. Dzareen and Aunty Norizah came to visit as well. Made a quick stop to IKEA to get something for Karim and Alfa's baby boy. It was on the last leg, Danial got upset when we didn't hand him the camera. He was kicking and screaming. I set him down becaus he didn't want to calm down. He was rolling all over the place and made quite a scene. Now I know why the call it the Terrible Two. Parents be prepared. I had to pick him up against his will and he was trashing all the way. There was a bed near the cashier and I put him down there. He was still crying. Fortunately, there was a nice lady who came and offered Danial some chocolates. He stop almost immediately! It's like the lady found the switch to turn off his tantrums. I was so grateful to her. As Danial calms down and munch his treat, the lady's husband and her two year old came over. She said her son throws temper tantrums as bad as Danial and the way to calm him down is to offer them treats. So, we learned something new today. To always keep some biscuits and chocolate handy in case of temper tantrums.
We went to Karim and Alfa's hari raya open house. Danial was having a field day there. There're some boys running around. He didn't have to get permission to join in the fun, he just join the troop. The cute thing about him is when other kids were having fun, they normally forget to eat. But not my little boy. He'd stop occasionally and take a few strands of spagetti and sets off again. At least I know that he's having fun and a full stomach too.
We also taught Danial our names. He calls Azrai, "Ajai" and me, "Oji". He's quite good at pronouncing his full name too. When asked, he'd say "Aniel" and you have to ask "Aniel apa?" and he'd cheekily reply, "Aniel Ajik". Like in the Bond movies, "My name is Bond, James Bond".
Anyway, to Soosan and Ghaz, congratulations for the arrival of your bundles of joy. Your lives would definitely change from now on. What's more for a first timer, you guys have twins. It's double the joy and double the other stuff as well. We have one, Danial alone and it's a whole lot of things we have to deal with. Just as we thought we had the hang of things, new things would arise and changes the equilibrium. It's a continuous learning process. When Danial was small, I thought it was so tough taking care of him. Breastfeeding, changing diapers, etc. and I don't understand and what more believe when people who came to visit, kept saying enjoy him when he's small and that it's the easiest time to take care of him as he sleeps most of the time. Only now, looking back I can trully appreciate the truth of it all. It's not going to get any easier as they grow older as I initially thought. It gets tougher and tougher. Parenting is no walk in the park. But with God's grace, we'll always rise to the occasion, no matter what they are. I think parenting is more of a hike. There's hills and valleys. Along the way, we have to stop, smell the roses, enjoy the scenery, appreciate the beauty, live in the moment; and when you reach your destination, you know it's worth it. Always...
By the way, it's also our hari raya day after 6 days of puasa enam. The celebration started yesterday when we broke fast at Kelana Jaya Seafood. It's all Maria Tunku Sabri's fault. Both of us was watching Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan teasers on TV and immediately we know what we want to have for dinner. That lady sure knows how to make food looks good.
Back to Soosan and twins. I made a CD of surah-surah for ibu dan anak which consist of Al-fatihah, Yaseen, Maryam and Yusuf for Soosan while Danial took his midday nap. I also have pati ikan haruan for Soosan. It helps with the healing of the surgery. We went to Alamanda to get something for the girls and had late lunch at McDonalds. We're so used to fasting that we hesitated to eat before realising that it's OK to eat.
It was raining cats and dogs as we got to the Sungai Besi Highway and the traffic was pretty bad. I don't know whether it's because of the rain or it's because people are going out for hari raya open houses. Good thing Danial is a good little traveller. He did all his running around in Alamanda and recharges his batteries with pocket naps when he's in the car. Afterall, what can a 2 year old preschooler do in a car after 10 minutes of fidgetting around? I guess it pays to plan my travelling when Danial was younger where we go out as he's about to take his nap, after feeding and changing; all comfortable and nice. The only drawback that we have to go through now is Danial's refusal to sit in the child seat. He'd scream and tries to undo to seatbelt and get out of the seat. It's not easy to ignore him now that his vocabulary has improved tremendously and he'd asked us to let him out. So, we've been bending the rule a bit by letting him sit with me in the front seat. He loves it when I cuddle him as he doze off with his stuffed toy, Koko covering his face.
True to form, as we reached Pantai Medical Centre, Danial woke up all refreshed and set to go. We bumped into Liris and Rizal at the lobby. They were about to leave. Liris' bump looks quite small for a December baby but then again, Liris is petite. If the doctor says she's on track, then, size doesn't matter anyway. And it's a girl. Kesian Danial. He's going to be left out when all the cousins his age starts playing with dolls and cooking set and he doesn't have a sparring partner to do his Ultraman stunts.
We saw new parents, Ghaz and Soosan. Aunty Zizah and Yem was there too. Soosan looks quite comfortable as she has half a tube of epidural to mask the pain. Good luck to her when she's off that. Been there done that. We couldn't see the twins yet as they're in ICU for a few days. Nevermind, we'll see them soon enough.
We left after an hour there. Dzareen and Aunty Norizah came to visit as well. Made a quick stop to IKEA to get something for Karim and Alfa's baby boy. It was on the last leg, Danial got upset when we didn't hand him the camera. He was kicking and screaming. I set him down becaus he didn't want to calm down. He was rolling all over the place and made quite a scene. Now I know why the call it the Terrible Two. Parents be prepared. I had to pick him up against his will and he was trashing all the way. There was a bed near the cashier and I put him down there. He was still crying. Fortunately, there was a nice lady who came and offered Danial some chocolates. He stop almost immediately! It's like the lady found the switch to turn off his tantrums. I was so grateful to her. As Danial calms down and munch his treat, the lady's husband and her two year old came over. She said her son throws temper tantrums as bad as Danial and the way to calm him down is to offer them treats. So, we learned something new today. To always keep some biscuits and chocolate handy in case of temper tantrums.
We went to Karim and Alfa's hari raya open house. Danial was having a field day there. There're some boys running around. He didn't have to get permission to join in the fun, he just join the troop. The cute thing about him is when other kids were having fun, they normally forget to eat. But not my little boy. He'd stop occasionally and take a few strands of spagetti and sets off again. At least I know that he's having fun and a full stomach too.
We also taught Danial our names. He calls Azrai, "Ajai" and me, "Oji". He's quite good at pronouncing his full name too. When asked, he'd say "Aniel" and you have to ask "Aniel apa?" and he'd cheekily reply, "Aniel Ajik". Like in the Bond movies, "My name is Bond, James Bond".
Anyway, to Soosan and Ghaz, congratulations for the arrival of your bundles of joy. Your lives would definitely change from now on. What's more for a first timer, you guys have twins. It's double the joy and double the other stuff as well. We have one, Danial alone and it's a whole lot of things we have to deal with. Just as we thought we had the hang of things, new things would arise and changes the equilibrium. It's a continuous learning process. When Danial was small, I thought it was so tough taking care of him. Breastfeeding, changing diapers, etc. and I don't understand and what more believe when people who came to visit, kept saying enjoy him when he's small and that it's the easiest time to take care of him as he sleeps most of the time. Only now, looking back I can trully appreciate the truth of it all. It's not going to get any easier as they grow older as I initially thought. It gets tougher and tougher. Parenting is no walk in the park. But with God's grace, we'll always rise to the occasion, no matter what they are. I think parenting is more of a hike. There's hills and valleys. Along the way, we have to stop, smell the roses, enjoy the scenery, appreciate the beauty, live in the moment; and when you reach your destination, you know it's worth it. Always...
Monday, October 15, 2007
Hari Raya 2008
Hari Raya falls on Saturday 13th October 2007. We arrived late at kampung and spend the night there so that we can have an early start. Everybody was up by 7am except for Danial. He slept on the way to kampung and when we got to kampung he woke up and stayed up when everybody else have gone to sleep until 2am. Eventually he got up and I got him ready to wear his baju raya. Sepasang dengan Babah, light green baju melayu.
It's a pretty quiet hari raya. We almost made our way back to KL to celebrate raya with my inlaws before the first delegation came. It's Nekcik and family. I have a lot of cousins my son's age and Danial has a lot of uncle and aunties to play with. Though they don't really understand each other, that doesn't stop them from playing with each other. The hyper active ones are Pak Idi's son and daughter. They don't walk but run all over the place. That suits Danial just fine as he likes running around too. Maybe he's going to grow up becoming a marathon runner like his uncle Boy.
Speaking of Uncle Boy. After sembahyang raya, I made a quick call to Boy. He was busy preparing dinner for some friends. I passed the phone to Atuk but the second Atuk heard Boy's voice, he broke down and cried. My heart went to him. He's very sensitive now. I don't know, maybe he feels that his end is near and he's physically fragile. I'm furious with the way Nenek and Mak Su treats Atuk. Like an outcast. Pak Long and Papa treat atuk better than Mak Su when they are his step sons.
Boy spoke to everybody. I feel like knocking those who ask Boy when is he coming back to Malaysia. I'm sorry Boy. They just never learn. There's a million and one things you can talk about or ask instead of that question. I know Boy is tired of it. It's good that he's much wiser and able to handle the question.
Back to our hari raya. We left for KL to celebrate with my inlaws, Danial's paternal grandparents. Kak Rozian and kids brought Nenek Damansara to Seputeh where Datuk is. We had lunch and Danial was gettng good at salam and wishing everybody "Selamat Hari Raya, Mana Duit Raya" with an outstretched hand. He also made sure to give whatever angpow or green packets that he received to either his babah or me. Good boy :-)
Nenek Damansara wasn't feeling to good so instead of beraya with us, we sent her back home to Damansara. We then went to Aunty Norizah's house. Danial was asleep, tired from all the running around in the morning. It started to rain heavily so we lepak there for quite a while until the rain stops. Danial woke up and had a bath and change of clothes before we continue the hari raya.
Last stop was Tok Gombak's house.
It's a pretty quiet hari raya. We almost made our way back to KL to celebrate raya with my inlaws before the first delegation came. It's Nekcik and family. I have a lot of cousins my son's age and Danial has a lot of uncle and aunties to play with. Though they don't really understand each other, that doesn't stop them from playing with each other. The hyper active ones are Pak Idi's son and daughter. They don't walk but run all over the place. That suits Danial just fine as he likes running around too. Maybe he's going to grow up becoming a marathon runner like his uncle Boy.
Speaking of Uncle Boy. After sembahyang raya, I made a quick call to Boy. He was busy preparing dinner for some friends. I passed the phone to Atuk but the second Atuk heard Boy's voice, he broke down and cried. My heart went to him. He's very sensitive now. I don't know, maybe he feels that his end is near and he's physically fragile. I'm furious with the way Nenek and Mak Su treats Atuk. Like an outcast. Pak Long and Papa treat atuk better than Mak Su when they are his step sons.
Boy spoke to everybody. I feel like knocking those who ask Boy when is he coming back to Malaysia. I'm sorry Boy. They just never learn. There's a million and one things you can talk about or ask instead of that question. I know Boy is tired of it. It's good that he's much wiser and able to handle the question.
Back to our hari raya. We left for KL to celebrate with my inlaws, Danial's paternal grandparents. Kak Rozian and kids brought Nenek Damansara to Seputeh where Datuk is. We had lunch and Danial was gettng good at salam and wishing everybody "Selamat Hari Raya, Mana Duit Raya" with an outstretched hand. He also made sure to give whatever angpow or green packets that he received to either his babah or me. Good boy :-)
Nenek Damansara wasn't feeling to good so instead of beraya with us, we sent her back home to Damansara. We then went to Aunty Norizah's house. Danial was asleep, tired from all the running around in the morning. It started to rain heavily so we lepak there for quite a while until the rain stops. Danial woke up and had a bath and change of clothes before we continue the hari raya.
Last stop was Tok Gombak's house.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
First Malaysian in space
We were glued on tv watching Malaysia's first astronout lifting off to the International Space Station from Baikaonur Cosmodrome at exactly 9.21pm (Malaysia time). It was exciting, heart-warming and a proud moment for us to watch history in the making. Danial was a little bit distracting. He couldn't sit still and was all over the place trying to get our attention. When I saw Dr. Sheikh Muzaphar from the camera in the capsule, I imagine how proud I'd be if it was Danial there. I bet his mom is overwhelmed with pride. Ah, the dreams all moms have for their child. To be the best they can ever be. It was like dejavu where I bet a lot of Malaysians, those who didn't go terawih, are glued to their tv set to watch this momentous event. It's like all Americans back in 1969, watching their astronouts land on the moon. To Dr. Sheikh Muzaphar, congratulations! You make us Malaysians proud that we have our own Malaysian in space. Dr. Faiz, your time will come to be in space. Hopefully, you don't have to wait long. In the thick of excitement of watching the space shuttle go into orbit after a successful lift-off, my son, Danial Raziq, launched himself to dreamland. Sweet dreams my son...
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