One morning at National Science Centre...

Last Saturday, we went to Pusat Sains Negara. The trip was actually organised by Jane, Aliah and Hadi's tuition teacher. She organised the trip for her kindergarten kids and also opened the invitation to her tuition kids. When they heard about the trip, my kids were so excited. They could go by bus but I volunteered to drive them myself. Actually, I was afraid that we would overslept and ruin the day for the others...hehehe

We woke up early on the day and left Tasik Puteri by 8.30 am. I already promised Ema (my neighbour) to bring Danish back home because she's going out to the market to buy stuff for her kenduri the next day. We had a leisurely breakfast at Sg. Buloh. Aliah was worried that I wouldn't know the way, while I was quite confident because I've been to BTP (Bah. Teknologi Pendidikan), many times before. BTP was right next to Pusat Sains.

We arrived and paid the tickets before 10 am. Only school going children (primary and secondary) and adults had to pay tickets. The bus was nowhere to be seen and we waited at the lobby and took pictures.

The kids, near the entrance...

Amazing looking fishes...

Subhanallah...

Then around 10.30 am, they arrived. At the entrance to the main exhibition hall, there was a short tunnel (aquarium filled with fish) and some jungle setting. I had a tough time persuading Hadi to enter as he was terrified of being in a closed space. Everytime we go to an aquarium. he would scream...sigh. The guide tried to give him a 'fossil' as an incentive but he still refused to go. I had to drag him to enter through the aquarium and the 'jungle'...sigh. I left Kak Long with Jane and the group because she wanted to be with her friends.

The kids were listening to the guide...

I only had to handle the two boys. But boy, it was tough! I purposely dress them in similar outfits so that I'll be able to recognise them easily in a crowd, but those two were slick like an eel...sigh. If I keep my eye on one, the other would disappear and vise versa. I could only wonder at how those kindergarten teachers handled their students. I salute those teachers who were brave enough to bring their kids to Pusat Sains. If I'm not mistaken, there were about 20 buses of school kids on that day alone!

The boys enjoyed the exhibition. They loved the fact that they could touch and play with those items...hehehe. They liked the robotic display especially. I showed them the effects of magic mirrors and they had fun! They even tried the transformers masks on! I had to pay rm1 for a try which lasts only seconds! Only enough for me to take a couple of pictures...sigh...

Amir said he was 'big'!

They've been circling the area a few times before I relented...hehehe

Boys will always be boys!

The kids in line, they were very well behaved...

By 11.30, we already covered most areas. The level upstairs was more suited to bigger kids so we had a drink at the cafe. Around 12 pm, the kids started to get bored and tired so we decided to go to the next destination which was MacDonald at Damansara Damai for lunch and also a birthday celebration for those born in July. On the way out, we saw fish feeding time. 

I wish I have better camera...sigh...

Aliah wanted to travel on the bus and I followed behind. After eating lunch, I brought Danish and the kids home...

Just got back...

I'm really tired. Just got back from Malacca...hehehe. Will write about it later, insyaallah. Though the journey was tiring but I was happy I find the time to do it. I think the kids enjoyed their trip to Malacca as well...hehehe

I'm not feeling very well. Maybe because my immune system's working overtime with all the activities and trips that I did for the past three months. Soon, I'll be going back to Khartoum, to a whole lot of new responsibilities...sigh... 

I think my body's screaming for 'rest' so, I'd better do just that...rest. Bloghopping could be considered as 'resting' as well, right?!! Hehehe... Au revoir!

A day for meeting friends : Part 2

The 'date' was supposed to be at 5 pm but Shidah called around noon to have it brought forward to 4 pm, which was fine by me. I arrived in KLCC around 3.15 pm and when I called Nora, she was still in the LRT. I decided to window shop of course...hehehe... and bought a training bra for Aliah. Isetan had a 70% sale and it cost me only rm9. Yeay!

Around 4 pm I went up to Chilli's and I saw Anne and Shidah already at the entrance. We were given a table to sit 4 people and we started ordering drinks. Soon Nora joined us. We had fun chatting and laughing at every topic under the sun...hehehe. June joined us quite late, around 6 probably. We sat at the booth for more than 3 hours with countless refills and also a 'break to the ladies' and 'solat break'...hehehe

There we were, 5 makciks making havoc in Chilli's. I didn't realise how long we were there because I was having fun. These were the girls who shared my life in the 86-90 era... I'm really bad at remembering things during those years but you can count on your friends to really 'remind' you of all the stupidest things back in those days...hehehe. Enough said!

I always remembered myself as being the 'prim and proper' girl during my school days. However my friends had different opinions on this theory. Hehehe. I think, we hardly changed, we're the same Shidah, June, Nora, Anne and Ina as in those days. In fact, Anne's kind-hearted countenance had a man chatting her up at the LRT station on that very same day. And she could actually talked to the man who claimed that he's a manager of a bank but was lost in KL?!! 

Only Anne would have the 'time' for such strangers. I think June and me would just walk away, end of story.  We had to caution her not to do the same again (not talking to strangers on her travels)...hehehe. And here we're talking to a manager/engineer of a multinational company who travels all around the south-east region regularly and already have four kids under her belt!! Hehehe

June reminded me that we used to be partners during assembly...hehehe. And Anne, June and me used to be a librarian in those days and things we did?!! Biarlah rahsia...hehehe. All of us were classmates since form one except for Shidah who joined us when she was in Form four. June was not only my classmate but also my dormmate... She's now a lawyer. Lawyer or loyar buruk I don't know?!! hehehe

Around maghrib we finally go our separate ways. June's sending Anne to Puduraya as she's making her way back to Johor. Shidah went back to hospital as her daughter's still warded in Tawakkal. Nora's going back by LRT and I drove home to the kids in a traffic jam that befits a Friday night! sigh... You could also read Nora's account of the 'date' in her blog.

Wish you well, my friends. Till we meet again...

Shidah and Nora (with a pink tudung made by As)...

June, Anne and me...

We were in a sombre mood...

Countless refills...

The friday night crawl...

A day for meeting friends : Part 1

On Friday, I was supposed to meet my Seri Puteri friends in KLCC around 5 pm. So, I already asked Kak Normah and Abg Sham to look after the kids for me after Jumaat prayers. In the morning I brought them along to Damansara Uptown for some business with Tabung Haji. Just for a treat, I went to Giants Kota Damansara to have lunch with the little ones.

They wanted to eat at Kenny Roger's Roasters...hehehe. After lunch, I was about to go to J.Co when I got a call from fiza (MPM friend). When I told her that I was in Giants Kota Damansara, she said that she was upstairs! Hehehe. I dragged the kids upstairs and to my delight, I saw Fiza, Lisa and Sha...Cam jejak kasih la kejap...hehehe.

We had fun chatting and gossiping, of course. After taking some pictures, we went on our separate ways (they were on their lunch break so we didn't have a lot of time). I went to buy some doughnuts in J.co and later dropped by at the pet store to the delight of the kids. They've been bugging me about having pets of their own but I'm afraid for their safety (not the kids, but the animals!). Hehehe... Then I dropped them off at Kak Normah's house around 2.30 pm.

Sha, Lisa, Fiza and me...

At the pet store...

Amir's looking at a kitten...

A day with Zana...

The Easiyo hamper...

From Bagus...

On Thursday I promised Zana that I was going to teach her how to make tiramisu. But first I had to go and buy all the ingredients and some stuff to bring back to Khartoum. I picked up Zana and off we went to Bagus in Melawati. I bought a lot of muffin mixes and several packets of self-raising flour. I really love going into those baking shops, it's heavenly...hehehe. Even though I only bought 'short-cut' mixes but I do love baking.

After that we went to Vitacare because I was interested to buy Easy-yo yoghurt maker. It's on sale at the moment (Buy 1 get 1 free, so for the price of rm99, you'll get two yoghurt makers). Actually my kids didn't particularly like yoghurt like 'calciyum' and the likes but I want them to start liking it...hehehe. So, the solution would be home-made yoghurt.

I was told that it was so easy to make yoghurt on our own. Just put the mix and boiling water into the container and leave it. The next morning, it's ready to be kept in the fridge and it'll be ready to be eaten, full of friendly bacteria, good for our stomach. They have a lot of flavors like banana, cherry, berry, mango, vanilla, toffee, caramel etc. One container will make 1 litre of yoghurt! A lot of cheap and safe yoghurt. Eh! bila pulak aku jadik promoter Easy-Yo nih?!! Hehehe.

At Vitacare, I parked at Vitacare's special parking because Zana's husband's the pharmacist there...hehehe. But when we wanted to get out, there was a car blocking our way. We had to wait for about 15 - 20 minutes for the culprit to move his car. The man was actually eating in the KFC nearby! How inconsiderate! And later he nearly rammed his car into ours in his bid to get into that vacant spot. Little did he know that 'the pharmacist' was waiting for him to do just that! Hehehe, lantaklah ko labu!

The car owned by an inconsiderate driver!

From Vitacare, we went to buy rempah2 for nasi minyak and the likes. Only after lunch and Zohor, we started to make the tiramisu. Instead of using mascorpone cheese, I just used philly cream cheese which was way cheaper. A tub of mascorpone's about rm30 while a tub of cream cheese would be about rm7 only. I showed Zana the steps which I learned from Syikeen while we were in Sudan (Thanks Syikeen!). She was excited with the result. I let Zana do most of the work because I firmly believed to be able to learn, you must do! Hehehe

Our friend, As came when we were about to finish. Bringing along Aliah's baju kurung. Really beautiful! FYI, As used to be one of the specialist doctors in Selayang Hospital which now chose to devote her time to Allah and her husband. Aliah's her first 'customer'...hehehe. Thank you, As.

Alhamdulillah, we managed to make enough tiramisu for Zana, As and me. The worst part was the drive back to Rawang. At first, I asked Aliah to hold the tiramisu but after awhile she got sleepy and I had to drive with a tiramisu on my lap! Hehehe. 

In the beginning...

The whipped cream and cream cheese...

A view from the side...

A view from the top...

A trip to jalan TAR...

On Wednesday, I brought the kids to jalan TAR to find the dresses for the dances in Sudan. I parked the car at SOGO and rushed the kids to Globe silk store. It used to be the 'in' KL shopping complex of the 80's. Sadly now, it looked a bit run down and quite 'empty' especially in the children department...sigh. There were not many choices, really. I was advised to go to Semua House instead.

I dragged them to Kamdar first but was told that they do not stock ready made dresses for children. I was directed to the other Kamdar. Alhamdulillah, they had quite a selection in that Kamdar. I bought 6 pieces of baju kurung moden which cost about 39.90 each. I also bought the boys batik shirt for less than rm8 each and Aliah's punjabi suit for about rm24...hehehe

By then, the kids were cranky with Hadi demanding a drink. Instead of going straight to SOGO, I dropped by at Nagoya and bought materials to make tudung and also some cotton materials for baju kurung. The kids were really tired so we rushed to SOGO to have something to drink. I tell you, it's definitely not easy 'shopping' at jalan TAR with three kids under the age of ten in tow!

I went straight to Auntie Anne's pretzel kiosk where I bought pretzels and a lemonade for Hadi to quench his thirst. It was the right move because after that I could hardly hear a squeak from him! Alhamdulillah! After that, I drove home and immediately sent Aliah for tuition...

Kesian Amir, he was 'flat'!

He was so tired...

Tuesday activities : Kak Siti's house...

From Zana's house, I went to Kak Siti's house in Selayang. I arrived around 3 pm and the kids were all sleeping, especially Amir... Just look at him and his 'map'...hehehe

Sleeping soundly...

Kak Husna and two of her daughters, Kak Jas and Syikeen and her parents were already at the house. Kak Siti served us penang laksa and mee bandung and various other delicacies. The kids were happy playing with toys belonging to K.Siti's grandchildren.

Soon, Kak Halina came with Nurul and we chatted and teased each other...hehehe. I had a nice time. I found out that K.Jas also bought something from RNR2U...hehehe. Ila and her baby came a bit later and her baby was so cute. She's planning to go back to Sudan sometime after Raya. I left around 4.30 pm. Thank you, Kak Siti and Tn. Hj Zak for the hospitality and the gifts as well. Lain kali jemput lagi, yea?!! hehehe...

Makan Ckn, jangan tak makan...

Senyum tersipu2 Kak Husna...hehehe

Choc. Indulgence...yummy!

Kak Siti and me...

Hj Zak caught me teasing Kak Husna...hehehe

Ila and her made-in-Sudan baby...hehehe

Tuesday activities : Kak Halina's house...

On Tuesday, I went to Kak Halina's house in Lembah Keramat. It was raining so the journey was a little bit slow but I managed to arrive before 12 pm. I had to go there to collect all the vases from Sudan. Actually Kak Halina offered to bring back some 'plain pasu Sudan' in her kontena, so I just gave her some money and I didn't even see the pasu before they were shipped out of Sudan...Hehehe. I just wanted to give it away as souvenirs for neighbours and friends, anyway. 

The first thing I noticed in her house was the show cabinet! Hehehe... full with crystals vases and ceramic plated that she collected while in Sudan. She travelled to other countries in the Middle East as well. They were beautiful. Not that I would do the same because I'm not into all these things...hehehe. I just admired her 'taste'.

Filled up with 'treasures'...

A close-up... not only from Middle East but also from Europe...hehehe

When I came, Kak Zila's niece was also there to get her pasu. Kak Halina's house was still in a mess, it was still full of boxes and more boxes. She was in Sudan for 5 years so she collected a lot of things. Vases, carpets, cutleries etc. The best thing is she's not 'kedekut ilmu'... she would share the information of how, where and when to get the best bargains...hehehe. Not that I'm that crazy about all the display items or what my husband called 'dust gatherer/dust collector'...hehehe

Kesian Aiman, makan kat dapur...

I like her kitchen...

Boxes everywhere...

She already made a renovation in her house. Aliah said her house was 'cool' because she had a huge bedroom and an attic...hehehe. I also like her master bedroom, complete with a walk-in closet! Fuh, best! I also like the fact that she made a wall to wall book rack at the staircase...saving space and utilising the space beautifully.

Part of the master bedroom...

The kids also like her fish pond at the porch. Really beautiful complete with a 'waterfall'?!! I don't know what it's called. I also like her family pictures. Really beautiful...hehehe. Complete with a 'make-over' picture! Hehehe...

Hadi...

The 'waterfall'?!!

Amir joined in...

Cantik maaaa... Hehehe

After that I went to Zana's house for lunch. I already 'ordered' her to cook lunch for us...hehehe as her house's not far from Kak Halina's. I had nasi tomato there and later As came with one of Aliah's baju kurung. As and Zana are my high-school mates...hehehe. I asked As to make two baju kurung for Aliah, a talent she inherited from her mother. And it was beautiful...hehehe

Aliah testing her baju...

She needs a hair-cut...sigh...

Tiara Beach Resort : Day 2

The next morning, we came down around 9.30 am. I came prepared with camera this time...hehehe. I asked Aliah to bring Amir on the slide, which she did to amir's anger! He was furious with his kak long for forcing him on the slide...hehehe. We played until 11 am and prepared to check out at 12pm.

 

Aliah on the slide...

The kids were playing...hehehe

Aliah with Amir...

The water's very shallow...

Amir's saying 'cheese!'

Sexy butt... half white/half burnt! Hehehe

The victim of a picture-crazy mother! Hehehe

From PD, I persuaded mamud to drive to Nilai 3 because I wanted to find kids baju kurung for Petronita dances but was disappointed when I couldn't find any. The place was full of materials and other things for weddings. I was a bit melancholic when I started thinking about my late brother, Ayang. If he's still alive, I would also be busy buying things for his wedding...sigh...

Anyway, after a futile search, I gave up and we drove on. This is where the adventure begins. From Nilai 3, instead of turning right, we turned left! And 20 minutes later, we discovered that we're in the Majlis Perbandaran Kajang area?!! We saw a the green highway signboard and followed it. It led us to LEKAS highway?!! LEKAS brought us to Kajang Silk?!! 

We paid so many tolls...hehehe. Finally I could direct Mamud to use the Cheras highway and later drove through MidValley and used the Kerinchi Link to enter PLUS through Damansara toll. By then, we were famished! We stopped for brunch at Sg. Buloh and arrived in Tasik Puteri around 4 pm...sigh... What an adventure!

Husbands are given seats to relax! Good idea!

Among the signboards... Batang benar? Ada batang palsu ke? Hehehe

LEKAS??!! Not that 'fast'! Hehehe