Alahai Hadi... Part 2

This morning, I woke up at 5.30 am. Before I showered, I woke Aliah up and asked her to shower in the other bathroom. Then it was time for Hadi to shower. I woke him up and get dressed. The next thing I knew, I saw a 'naked' boy sleeping...sigh

He must have taken off his pyjamas and continue sleeping. Alahai Hadi... Even Aliah chuckled when she looked at her brother...muahahaha. Yesterday when he got back from school, I asked him whether he was given a warning or not by either the prefects or the teachers? He said, 'Nope, my teacher didn't look down at my feet'...muahahaha.

Amir's a different sort of character altogether. He'll be the last one in the bathroom. I'll have a very difficult time trying to get him in the bathroom. He'll cry, he'll complain of a lot of ailments (his leg hurts, he cannot walk and any other reasons). Then he'll get in the shower and won't come out. He'll just bask in the hot shower and enjoy the hot water. I'll have another difficult time to ask him to get out of the bathroom and get dressed. But once he's dressed, he'll be right as rain...hehehe.

Sometimes, I'll scream and shout in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes, I laugh at them and with them. But, one thing for sure, sometimes, I'll feel tired by 8am...hehehe

Alahai Hadi...

This morning, I woke up really early, around 5 am. So by the time we're ready to move out, it was only 6.15 am. As usual, I asked the kids to check whether they got everything ready (bags, shoes etc). Everyone said okay. Fine.

Since we're really early, we arrived in MPM before 7 am, so I drove them to the nearest 7-11 and bought them snacks and drinks. Okay. Not long after we arrived in MPM, the taxi driver came. Fine. Then, I helped Amir with his bag to the taxi as usual. Aliah was already in the taxi. Fine.

Where's Hadi? Still in my car! So, I went over and asked him, what was wrong? Believe it or not, he forgot his school shoes. He left it at home. At least, his slippers were there...eeeeeee...So, today, he went to school with socks and slippers. I nearly choke him with his tie this morning...eeeeee...sabar jer lah.

Alahai Amir...

This is actually an old story...hehehe. But I went through my collection of photos just now and I remembered how frantic I was on that day.

It happened on the 19th of February, a day before the block A BBQ. I was busy with the preparation of everything and had little time to spare for the kids...sigh. After isya', Amir came to me and said cheerily, 'Mak, I got ball in my ear'. I thought he was joking but had a look anyway.

What I saw made my heart skipped a beat. I saw a yellow thing stucked inside his right ear. I asked him to lie down and tried to get it out with a tweezers but it won't budged. Then I tried using a needle. It worked! Alhamdulillah... I was really grateful to Allah. During the ordeal, I was imagining a lot of scenarios, all bad of course...sigh.

Anyway, when I asked him where did he got the yellow ball, he told me that Hadi picked it up from the playground...sigh. He couldn't answer the question why he put it in his ear in the first place...sigh. Even though I was quite angry, but the blogger in me couldn't pass the opportunity of taking the photo evidence of the incident...hehehe.

His right ear...

The yellow ball...

My instrument...hehehe

Hadi's 6th Birthday!

My boys...

Today's Hadi's 6th Birthday. Yeay! My boy's already 6 years old...Hmm how time flies...sigh

Last night, Hadi was wide awake when my husband got home. Early in the evening, he performed in his school concert so he was still not sleepy. My husband wished him Happy Birthday and suddenly I remembered! Hadi told me, Mak, you forgot my birthday! Oopss! Hehehe, then both of us sang Happy birthday in the middle of the night. The other two were fast asleep. After that he started asking about his cake?!! Aiksss! Hehehe

Today, I was involved in a treasure hunt and when I got back, Hadi was waiting. He was waiting for his cake! So, though I was tired and not feeling well, I baked a chocolate cake. I was happy because he seemed happy with his birthday cake...hehehe. Well, it was not that difficult to satisfy him, just add a little sprinkle of dinosaurs...hehehe

Well, it's not easy living with Hadi. He's stubborn and very set in his ways. He watched too much TV and made a lot of mess when playing but I still consider him a gem. Out of the blue he would come up with gems...hehehe. And he's very attached to me, to my husband's annoyance...hehehe. Whatever it is, he is my son and I love him dearly and unconditionally...Happy Birthday, Sayang!

Below are some pictures of Hadi, but the best one in my heart would still be the one of him at the beach in Trengganu. He doesn't like to be photographed, unlike his siblings. So, there's not many pictures to choose from. Enjoy!

He was happy...

Handsome boy!

He doesn't like to be photographed.

Cheeky...

With his friends...

Alahai Amir...

That day in Faiyoum was perfect for a walkabout. It was quite cool but we were warmed by the sun. The only complaint I had was that it was so sunny and bright. So bright sometimes that we had to squint. Amir took matters in his own hand and found a perfect solution to the problem... Hehehe...

It was so bright...

He found a perfect solution!

Alahai my kids...

When we came back from Giza, I made sure the kids shower and get ready for bed. The TV in our apartment was out of order since day 1, so they were not stuck infront of the TV (thank goodness!). While I showered and prayed, I heard them laughing at the living room.

When I went there, what I saw made me laughed so hard...hehehe. Hadi was having his own light and show...with his toys. Mr.Khaled (Khan Khalili) gave them a set of pyramids each and they got a few toys from the fast food restaurants which they used as the audience.

I guess, the trip had been quite educational so far...hehehe. At first Kak Long was busy playing with her PSP but later she joined the boys. My husband and I were laughing so hard that our stomachs ache...muahahaha. Look at the last picture :)

They were setting up...

Three sets of free pyramids...

The audience...

Hadi was the narrator...

Hadi acted as if moving the lights...

Concentrating...

Better seats for the audience...

Yep, she was the sphinx...complete with a flat nose...muahahaha!

Hadi : Spoiled for choice...

After Asar we went to Giza. This was one of the activities that I promised the kids. I've surfed the net and got interested in the Lights and Sound Show at Giza Pyramids. From the website, I found out that during winter, the English version would start at 6.30 pm. To avoid traffic jam, we went early.

When we arrived there, we found out that on Thursdays, the English version would be at 7.30 pm...sigh. One thing I definitely didn't like was the strong smell of horses and camels and their poops of course...sigh. So, we decided that we'll have dinner after buying the tickets (LE 75 per person).

The kids straightaway spotted a pizza hut...hehehe. One thing I noticed in Egypt was that sometimes, Pizza Hut and KFC would occupy the same building (they're from the same company, right?!!), so it would be easier for customers like us. Kak Long wanted pizza, while Hadi wanted nuggets and Amir wanted his fried chickens...sigh. Just look at the pictures, and the pizza was really delicious...hehehe

Hadi was in a dilemma because he ordered spaghetti but he also wanted nuggets. Luckily we ordered both because the spaghetti was horrendous, it was soft and tasteless...sigh...

Spaghetti or nuggets?!!

Mouth-watering, right?!! Hehehe

Amir's tantrum...the progression

On the 19th of September, we made the call to our close relatives in Malaysia to wish them Selamat Hari Raya. Amir was really happy to be able to speak to his grandmother, his tok. But the problem was, he didn't want to share the phone with his brother and sister. 

When it was Hadi's turn, he ran with the phone around the house...hehehe. And when Hadi was speaking on the phone, he was jumping up and down and finally roll around on the floor. It was really funny actually, but he was inconsolable, he wanted to hog the phone. He finally calmed down when we gave him the phone again to speak to his Cik Su...hehehe. Just look at the progression of his tantrum. Enjoy!

He was really happy...

He was tired of running around with the phone...

When Hadi was on the phone...

He was really angry...

Trouble's the name! Hehehe

Amir, the playboy...

While his siblings were busy having fun in the water, my little boy Amir was busy 'chatting' up a girl! hehehe. There were quite a lot of tourists at the waterworld, mostly from the middle east. At first we were the only family swimming at the Arabian Village. Then came a family of Indian, Hindustani I think. 

Amir was quite taken with the little girl, Isyal. She's a two year old girl. While her father was busy playing slides with her older brother, Amir went close to her and started playing together. It was so cute... Hehehe. Even though both did not understand the other's language, they could still have fun together.

They played until the family was ready to go home. I notice something about Amir since he was young. He loves to play with girls, younger or even older than him. He's such a charmer with that little cute face of his...hehehe. Only if they knew how boisterous he played with his brother...sigh. I think I need to keep this boy under my watchful eyes... hehehe.

He started playing near the girl...

Ecewah...

Cute sangat!

Swimming together...

The girl's about to go home...

Amboi! Anakku?!! Kemain lagi...hehehe

Boys new hair cut!

On Tuesday the 28th morning, I brought the boys to their favourite barber. Well, my favourite actually. The barber's shop was located in Taman Sri Rawang. He was my student in SMK Sri Garing in the late 90's. He used to be in one of those gangs but he was not the 'kurang ajar' type, he was more of the 'follower' type.

When I discovered that he opened his own barber shop in my old residence, I urged my husband to frequent his shop. When Hadi was older, around 3 years old, I started bringing him there too. Now all the men in my life would go to his shop for a hair cut. That's the only support that I could give him...hehehe

As a teacher, it's always easier to teach the bright kids but in my personal opinion, teaching the hooligans would be more rewarding. Even though, they wouldn't grow up to be the 'big shot' lawyers and doctors, they'll be more ready to acknowledge your existence as their teacher. These are the people who would greet me around Rawang by shouting 'teacher!' with a wave of their hand. I'm honoured to be their teacher even though just for a short while.

Sometimes, I do miss teaching...sigh. I miss the students, friends but not the school system. I feel that school teachers are burdened with so many admin. demands. More time are being spent on paper work rather than teaching students. And there's a lot of unnecessary stress put on teachers with so many performance markers. Not only they have to be able to produce better students but better results certainly. Actually the school would focus on the better result part without worrying about what type of human beings we would produce?!!

And don't let me start on the variety of competitions that the school would participate in?!! At the end of the day, I felt the stress of teaching and I left after only 6 years as a teacher...sigh. That's why I salute all those teachers out there. I've been through it and I could only imagine how stressful teaching could be nowadays. Ok, enough of my ramblings! Enjoy the pictures...

Amir, before the cut...

Amir, after...

Hadi, before...

Picture taken by Amir...

Hadi, after...

Cool pictures!

Last night I slept at 2 a.m because I was hooked to this one site, http://www.photofunia.com/ I was so busy playing with the photos, I didn't even realised that it was that late! hehehe. I managed to save a few pictures. Enjoy!

A picture of Amir...

Amir as well...

Aiyo, Aliah's nose so kemek maa...

Aliah again...

Hadi's picture...

Hadi as a cute pirate...

A 'flat' Batman...

I love taking pictures of Amir when he's asleep. He would normally looked very cute! Hehehe... The best time would be when he's really, really tired. Then he'll be 'dead' to the world... and this boy of mine could sleep anywhere and everywhere... Enjoy the pictures...

They slept on a kekabu mattress...

He looked so tired...

With his mouth open... I wish I'll be able to show his kids what he looks like when he's small...hehehe

For my dear husband...

I'm sure my husband is missing his kids, especially the boys... It's too quiet without them, huh?!! Hehehe... So, enjoy a picture and a video clip of them playing a few days ago... Most of the time they're very good to each other...and the other times, they looked like they wanted to kill each other...hehehe

They're playing...

Uploading this video clip's taking so much time... It's more than half an hour already...sigh...

Aliah and Hadi's open day: Part 2

On the 21st of March, we had to go to Aliah and Hadi's school for their open day. The open day is for parents and teachers to discuss the children's progress in school. I was a little bit apprehensive to see Hadi's teachers...hehehe (how come the parent's scared?!!). All because Hadi had such a bad report the last time...

We arrived just in time. We were given only a 15 minutes slot for each child. Hadi's was at 9.00 - 9.15, while Aliah at 9.15 - 9.30 a.m. We were also prohibited from bringing the child in question...hehehe. Anyway, I was so happy because Hadi had such great reviews, words such as 'excellent, good, great' were used. Wow, even the teachers said that he had a complete turnaround from the last time we met them. Now, the teachers would use my name if he misbehave and surprisingly he would listen. Hmmm, Hadi listening?!!! Is that truly my Hadi?!! Anyway, he was exceptional in reading, English and topics.

The teachers were amazed at his ability to recognise a lot of things. They said his general knowledge's excellent. Of course, topics like dinosaurs and animals are his pet subject...hehehe. He even lied to his teacher telling her of his visit to Tokyo of all places. Tokyo?!! We've never been there?!! His teacher said that he loved to play on his own especially with sand. They told me that he would like to 'excavate' the sand pit... No wonder he came back with brown pants everyday. His shoes would be full of sand as well...sigh...We're just worried about his ability to 'socialise' because he liked to play alone, even when he's with friends...sigh...

We didn't bring a camera along so we couldn't take pictures of all their work in class. Anyway, Aliah also got good reports. But the teacher said that she might be finding the tasks quite easy so she's bored sometimes and she had only a few friends that she could talk to because they can speak English, the rest speak arabic. So, all in all we're very happy, alhamdulillah. 

When we came back, they were still in their pyjamas. I acted a little bit saying that they got bad reports...hehehe. I told Hadi that I got to know from the teachers that he liked to play in the sand pit and that made him cry...hehehe. Aliah was a little bit dissappointed that Hadi got a good report (she was expecting a bad report like before...hehehe). So, because they performed in school, we brought them out to eat at Kudu (a fast food joint). Again, Thank you Allah...

They were a bit scared, clinging to each other...hehehe

Glad that it's over...

Hadi's 5th Birthday!

Hadi celebrated his fifth birthday on thursday, the fifth of March. Since there was no school on that day, we decided to celebrate it anyway, at home. We had to asked Haithem the driver to collect the cake on the evening of the fourth at Holiday Villa which is also on the same road as the Presidential Palace.

My husband went to work as usual and alhamdulillah, everything went on as usual. From the complex we could hear shouts of 'Allah hu Akbar' from demonstrators nearby. That was around 10 in the morning. But apart from that, everything's normal. As people said, 'business as usual'... Alhamdulillah. Since then there were demonstrations nearly everyday and we had to restrict our movements in and around Khartoum. Definitely no shopping in the souks! Hehehe...

We only managed to have the cake cutting after isya' because my husband got two meetings in the evening. The cake did not look bad, actually. The kids were excited especially when the candles were lighted. It was a 2kg cake and it was too much for us...well, it was supposed to feed 45 small kids!! Anyway, we distributed the cake among our neighbours (Najwa, Asmaa', Lisna, K.Shidah and K. Hanum's house...) The kids enjoyed the trips that they had to do to sent the cakes...hehehe... Anyway, enjoy the pictures. A birthday celebrated during trying times is still a happy occasion if celebrated among loved ones...sigh...

The cake! Taste not as good as it looks! I really miss secret recipe...hehehe

Hadi was happy...

Amir perked up when he saw the 'fire'!

The brother and sister had to help with the candle blowing!

The cutting of the cake...Hadi's so tall for his age...