Hit by a train?!!

On the 22nd of October, Faridah Hashim and her two boys were involved in an accident. Her husband set out to Malaysia on the same day and left her to accompany the kids to their concert in KAS in the evening. On their way there, she was busy talking to the kids as they were excited to be involved in the school parade on that fateful night.

She told us that she kind of heard a wisel/horn of some kind but didn't take any notice of it. Until she felt that the van was pushed from behind. She actually thought that another car or van had smashed into her van. The impact of the crash left the door unable to be opened and she had to crawl out from the front door. Only then, she realised that they were actually on a railtrack and they were just hit by a train?!! What do you think? Incredible, isn't it? To be hit by a train and not even aware of the fact...hehehe...

The driver was unaware that he stopped the van right smack on a section of the railroad and didn't realised that a train was coming towards them. I think the train driver saw them from afar and applied his brake from far away because if not, they would certainly die...sigh. Alhamdulillah, nothing worse happened. Actually they stopped there because of the traffic jam but maybe it was fate, the van driver didn't realised it was a rail track.I know that they were very lucky to be unharmed but when I heard her story the first time, I just couldn't stop giggling... hehehe.

I told Kak Jas and Kak Maria about the incident a few days later and we went to visit Faridah on the 25th of October. She was understandably still a bit shaken but I managed to lighten up the atmosphere by lightly teasing her...hehehe. I mean, being hit by a train, ok?!! Not many people could say they have the same experience?!! Only in Sudan...

The best part was the fact that the investigators kept on asking her whether she was alert when she was in the van. Tell me, seriously, if I were to get on the van, I wouldn't be alert of my surrounding. It's not as if I'm driving the van, ok?!! Can you imagine yourself, get on the van and started looking to your left, right, infront and maybe behind you... at all times. Simply crazy! I guess the incident happened for a reason. One of them was to show clearly that some of the drivers provided by the management was clearly not to be trusted and not an expert in the roads of Khartoum to say the least! 

After the incident, Faridah insisted on going to KAS for the programme. Afterwards, she was kept waiting because the driver which was supposed to pick her up was nowhere to be seen. After asking the helpdesk, it was found out that the driver went to KICS and kept saying, 'madame ma fi'... of course ler madame ma fi (not there) because he went to the wrong school...sigh... sabar je la...

The driver who finally picked her up (maybe aware that they were traumatised) picked that night to drive slowly...so slow that they became the last van to arrive at the complex! Hehehe, kesian kat Faridah but see why I found it very hilarious to say the least. It was definitely not her night...hehehe. Mujur la she's okay.

Fadidah telling us of her ordeal...

Kak Maria...

Hj. Rozlan...

Faridah and her two heroes...

Shopping in Omdurman...

On the 25th of October, a group of us went to Omdurman. Kak Jas and me shopped for stuff for the Birthday Bash on the 30th, while the others followed us for the sake of shopping. I already have some things in mind for the presents. So, I straightaway bought the presents and loaded them in the van...hehehe

I was very impressed with Ismet, the van driver who recited al-quran while waiting for 'madames'...hehehe. The ladies went berserk in the souk...actually, Nor went berserk in the souk! She wanted to buy literally everything. Adoi! Gave me a headache actually, but lantak la, it's her money. 

We ended up filling up the van with a lot of stuff...hehehe. I even had to hold one of the water container on my lap! Anyway, I was glad when we finally reached the complex...hehehe. Enjoy the pictures...

On the way to Omdurman...

Kak Zila sempat posing ngan khoruf...hehehe

We're waiting for the others to come back...

Anak Nor...

Very cute baby!

Good boy!

The back was full of stuff!

Unloading our stuff...

Posing, jangan tak posing...

Some of the stuff we bought...

Aliah and her organ...

One of the new subjects Aliah had to learn in Year 3's music. Once a week the students need to learn how to handle their musical instrument of choice. Aliah chose to play the organ. We kept on persuading her to choose a violin or even a recorder because it was easier to find... but she was adamant, she wanted to play the organ...sigh (Actually we also wanted her to find something that would not drive us up the wall...hehehe). She kept on badgering us with her request...sigh

So, we went around Khartoum to find an organ. We found a Yamaha organ but it was quite big and heavy. So, we asked my husband's brother, Angah to buy one in Malaysia. He bought it and sent it to Saiful (our next door neighbour) who was in KL. So, on the 24th of October, Saiful came back to Khartoum.

But there was a little bit of a problem encountered at the airport. Saiful had to pay quite a large amount of tax for it. At first, the customs asked for USD 300 and finally agreed on USD100. Luckily Saiful found someone to exchange currency with...sigh. So he arrived at the complex around 7.30 pm. Kak Long was unaware that we bought the organ for her, it was supposed to be a surprise.

Saiful was telling us about the problem at the airport...

My husband bringing it in...

Aliah was busy doing her homework when we brought it in. At first she just ignored us while we put it on her bed. Later she realised there was something going on and was happy to see what it was. The boys were busy wanting to play with the organ...hehehe

Concentrating on her homework...

She was doing her math homework...

She was still unaware...

Finally, dawned on her...

My husband setting it up...

Happy ler tu...

My husband cam nak marah la tu...

Amir, enter-frame...

So happy!

Suka sangat la tu...

Hehehe...

It's a bit bulky...

Thank you, Ayah Ngah...

With the tax that we had to pay, it was about the same if we've bought the organ in Khartoum. But the organ in Khartoum was heavier and without a bag. Though, the organ that we finally bought was also bulky, it was not that heavy. So, every Thursday, I'll be the one lugging the 'thing' around...sigh. 

Lantak la, at least Kak Long's happy to finally have her own instrument. The other two boys were also allowed to play with it, sometimes...hehehe

Silat practice...

On Thursday, the 22nd of October, I was approached by Kak Zainon PCO to help with the performance for Edufair on the 31st of October. See I told you, these PCO people really love to do their job in the last minute. I'm sure they knew about any project weeks if not months from the date itself, but they evidently think that Petronita's the worker of magic... and we'll always come up with whatever they need...sigh

Within a day, I managed to get hold of Kak Liza to train the kids for zapin and Ustaz Yaacob to train the silat boys... Not enough with those two, Kak Zainon also asked for kompang...sigh. Sometimes I couldn't believe the audacity of some people. So, I told her if you need my help, you need to pay for the instructors and also the participants. At first she was quite reluctant but I finally managed to convince her.

Can you imagine, they asked for our help but was reluctant to pay?!! I didn't ask anything for myself, just for the kids who had to practice everyday. They agreed to pay sdg 1 per day. Sdg 1, ok?!! Just enough for 1 drink a day...sigh. That's one of the things I don't like working for PCO, they 'pressed for your sweat and blood' and unwilling to pay for it.

Anyway, Kak Liza supervised the zapin kids while I supervise the silat practices. Sometimes even using my own money to buy them drinks. Pity the kids, practicing under the hot sun. Enjoy these pictures (taken one the second day of practice).

Having fun...

Yaacob showing them the moves...

Dedicated...

Practicing...

Concentrating...

Kuda2 mesti kemas...

They looked very serious...

My 5 pendekar...hehehe

An update on Hadi...

On the 24th of April, we went to Little Friends to meet Amir's teachers. At home, Hadi asked us to look at his blue hippo. When we arrived in Little Friends, it was still early so we straightaway went upstairs to see Amir's teachers. He was there for only two weeks, so there was nothing major and we had the feedback that he's been a good boy and adapting well to school...hehehe, Alhamdulillah.

After that we saw Miss Mona and she asked us to go to Hadi's class in Reception. I always dreaded going to see Hadi's teachers...hehehe. It felt like I was back in school and being judged...hehehe. Although there was nothing to worry about actually because we've had the worst parent-teacher meet last year...hehehe

As expected, he's doing well in his subjects, math, english, topics etc. His only handicap was arabic where he refused to learn...sigh...here we go again...hehehe. The other thing that we worry about was his anti-social behaviour. It seemed that his classmates liked to play with him but he preferred his own company best...in class or in the playground...sigh. 

We were told by the teachers that some kids actually helped him collect feathers and such like with the hope that they could play with him. But what would he do? He would accept their offering and said thank you but I don't want to play with you...sigh. Maybe the other kids would like to join his many 'invisible' adventures...hehehe. Other than that, he was praised on his general knowledge, about animals especially. Probably that's the benefit of him watching Nat Geo Wild everyday...hehehe

Then, we had a look around at his work. I was a bit embarrassed when I saw his free-drawing project. They were given a piece of paper to draw anything they like. What did Hadi draw? Hehehe... it was a swirls of red. 

When we got home, as usual we sat the boys down and gave them the reports from school. When I asked Hadi what was his free-drawing supposed to be? He said, "It's a map"...hehehe. I should have known he would say something like that. At least, it's not 'invisible'...hehehe

The kids' project...

Hadi's blue hippo...

His 'map'?!!

Colouring's definitely not his strong point...

His alphabets...

Both boys...

My Hadi...

My handsome boy!

Alhamdulillah...

Alhamdulillah, last night the performance was a success.

Yesterday, we did the rehearsal in MPH from 4 to 6. Although the kids were ready on time but the sound system did not. At first we rehearsed without music. The silat boys were very good but the zapin group was a bit shaky. While waiting for the sound system to be set up, the silat boys vanished. I know, I know, boys will always be boys...sigh

With music, the zapin kids were better. When I tried to ask the silat boys to perform, they came minus one member, Afiq. It seemed that Afiq hurt himself when playing (later I found out that he even broke his glasses!). When there was only the three of them on stage, they made a lot of mistakes. Fikri said his counting was affected because Afiq was not there...sigh.

By 5.30 pm, I asked them to rest. While I was there in the hall, I saw Kader was there also some times, but there was no greeting whatsoever from his part. Nevermind... I'm not the kind that 'simpan dalam' kind of person. Once I got angry and let it out, I'll be really calm and not bothered anymore...hehehe. That's how I keep my sanity and my bubbliness...muahahaha

Anyway, after maghrib, we went to bg5 for the make-up session. Nina came armed with lots of make-up. Kak Zila and Ina Wahab helped with the make-up and hair. Me? Tak boleh harap coz I don't normally put on make-up on myself, let alone on others...hehehe

Around 8.30 pm, we went to the MPH. The Sudanese group was on first. Then it was the silat. I was a bit nervous because they didn't practiced properly in the afternoon but I shouldn't have worried unnecessarily. They performed beautifully. Perfect! Standing at the sidelines, I felt so proud of them. Before the show, I asked them to act as the lions (brave and strong) and they did just that. Very serious and warrior-like...giving justice to the art form.

After that, the zapin kids came on... They were very colourful and though it was not perfect but the audience seemed to enjoy their performance. After that, we went to the cafe and had dinner of nasi ayam. Alhamdulillah... I'm so proud of the effort shown by my team (Kak Liza, Nina, Ina Wahab and even Kak Zila helped). Thank you, everyone!

Now, I'm just waiting for Kader to say thank you. Just a phone call or an email, saying thank you. But you know what, I don't think he will...hehehe. Being a very optimistic person, I'll let the line of communication open...hehehe (But En Kader, the next time you'll need my help with any event at the PCO, you'll have to come begging! Muahahaha!)

Puas Hati Tahap Gaban!

Just now I had a very interesting phone call...muahahaha

Let me backtrack a little bit...setting the scene kind of thing...

Last night, I got a call from Kak Jas telling me that Kader PCO wanted the kids to perform silat and zapin for a formal dinner in MPH tomorrow night. Tomorrow night, okay?!! Okay, granted that we already have the dancers for zapin and also teenage boys for silat. But I was not well and Kak Liza's also not well. Uji's at the site and Nina's staying out of the compound...sigh

So, today I arranged for Zai to help supervise the practice session because I was still not well enough. But, by 5 pm, I heard that they're still struggling with the practice, I dragged myself out of bed and I went downstairs. First, I checked out the silat boys... as expected, they're fooling around. I had to insist that they showed me their moves and they're nearly ready. They just needed a little bit of practice, insyaallah.

After that I went to the hall, where Ina wahab and Zai were supervising the zapin kids. Being kids, even though they've learnt their steps a few weeks ago, everybody sort of forgotten them...sigh. Hopefully, they'll be okay tomorrow night.

The 'interesting' thing was, I got to know that actually the PCO just wanted the zapin for tomorrow night and not silat...huh?!! I thought they wanted me to prepare both. But on hindsight, I didn't get any notification from PCO actually. Not a peep! Not a phone call, not even an email! I prepared the kids through information from a third party...

Wait a minute! This is not right! They should have at least give me a call?!! That should have been standard procedure! Even though 2 days notice is a kind of a bullshit dateline but at least have the courtesy to call me. I do live in the same compound as PCO... and calling me would be free, at no cost at all...

Hmmm. Before I gave Kader a call, I asked for advice from Kak Siti who used to be Petronita Miri's chairlady. She advised me to give Kader a call... as a courtesy call. Ok. I did just that.

When he answered, I introduced myself and suddenly he rushed in saying that, "oh, puan mazlina, the chairman was very impressed....bla..bla... " and when he thought I was not connected and kept on saying hello, hello... I answered him, " I'm listening... so, what do you want? Straight to the point, right? He was a bit flustered and asked me whether Rahmat gave me a call and I said flatly, 'No'. When he started to put the blame on another person, I came out and give him and earfull... I told him that I need to know from him personally and I don't like to be passed around.

When I asked him again, what exactly did he want, he said he wanted the zapin dance. This is where I was really pissed off, I told him straight that last night he said he wanted zapin and silat and I did just that... even in my condition, I went and supervise the performance and yet now you said you want only one?!! What exactly do you want?!! He then said, then if silat is also ready, he would like silat too... I asked him again, actually what did he want?!!

He then became quite angry and said that if it's too much trouble, we'd better cancel everything...hehehe. pucuk dicita ulam mendatang la... I told him, okay, I agree to cancel everything but what did he really want? He said he wanted Petronita to help PCO... Ok, I told him, of course Petronita's willing to help but please let me know! 

To that he said, he's a busy man...bla...bla...he's been at the friendship hall the whole day...bla...bla... I told him, I know you're a very busy man but a phone call won't cost you anything. Finally he said that so, is tomorrow done? I said, done! But next time let me know! Then I hung up... Puas hati tahap gaban, I tell you...

So, I'm rambling... but the main point was he didn't request for my help personally (only through a third party) and I wasn't sure what he wanted. Next time, if I'm not given a formal notice of at least 7 working days, I'm not going to entertain the PCO's request. They can perform themselves for all I care or maybe Kader could show some sort of silat...(pulut or otherwise...muahaha!)

Tomorrow, I hope the kids would perform their best and I would be there... even if I have to crawl...I wouldn't want to miss the expression on Kader's face....muahahaha