A-TON of love ♥

I met another childhood friend of mine, Aton for lunch today. Aton is a mother of 5. One of her boys is diagnosed with autism. She quit her job to take care of her autism kid. I really admire her strength... cause I know it's not easy to bring up kids... especially those with special needs. I told her that she is such an Ibu Mithali. But she laughingly denied and said "Iyo lah tu.. den ni macam omak tiri ado lah... garang!" Haha! :D

Anyway, it's not easy to meet Aton. She's like forever busy... which is understood as bringing up kids (especially her autism kid) is a full time job. So when she called to ask me out for lunch... I quickly agreed :) Was so excited to meet her again! :)

What I did not know was... she had an appointment with a psychiatrist at Gleneagle Hospital before our lunch appointment. I was like " Why in the world do you need to meet a psychiatrist?" She admitted to me that she is kinda depress with her life. She got irritated with almost everything and got angry so easily. She kinda hate herself for that... awww Aton.... I am so sorry :(

Aton dear, I understand what you've been through. It's true that mothers of children with autism are, in fact, more prone to depression than mothers of typically developing children. I know it's not easy to bring up a child, let alone an autism one! You've been doing a good job for years!!! Please be strong darling... I know it's difficult... but all your friends and family are always here to support you!!

I feel so bad after listening to her :( I feel her. I feel her anger. I feel the irritation she is feeling... and I feel even worst for not being able to do anything to help... :(

I pray to Allah that you'll be strong my dear friend.... remember that we all ♥ you.... *muah!*

Taekwando on Sunday morning

Izzaty sat for taekwando grading test today, and I was there to witness it :) As for Izzat, I guess he was not ready for the next level (I wonder when he will be, hmm..!).

3 green belt students in action for their grading test. Izzaty on most right.

Izzaty on most right - nice kick girl! :)

Izzaty and Yaya in the grading test

I kinda enjoy seeing these boys beraksi :) Faris and Hafizudin - well done boys!

Result time! Sir Nordin pulak in action, and the kids berdebar2 menunggu result.. :)

Alhamdulillah, naik lagi satu calit for Izzaty. Can't wait to see Izzat pulak in action in his grading test in March! :)

2011 : a sneak peek

I can't believe 2010 is coming to the end! How time flies! So many things happened this year. 2010 is definitely an eventful year! Am not sure if I am looking forward to 2011. I can foresee lots of challenges ahead... huhu!

2011 will be a very challenging year for us. Izzaty will be sitting for UPSR and PSRA next year. Izzat will be in Year 4 which I predict would be quite tough for a playful boy like him. As for me, there would be a big change in the work structure. In fact, the whole IT dept would be restructured! A bunch of us would be involved in the Core Banking replacement project. I am not sure where I would be... but I guess where ever I'd be, there would still be challenges ahead :P I hate changes... but I guess, as life goes on, we have no choice but adapt to it - it could not be avoided *sigh!*.

There is another HUGE changes in our life expected in 2011 but I can't share it here yet. I pray to Allah that all these changes would be the best for my family... and I wish 2011 would be a very beautiful and meaningful year - Ameen.

Bonding with cousins

I only have 2 kids. But usually, during school holidays... I have more kids at home! :) My nieces and nephews just love to stay over! :)

I remember when I was small, I used to lepak at my Maklong's house in Desa Jaya, Kepong :) Ye lah.... coming from a kampung... going to KL at least once a year was quite something that I really looked forward to every year :) I had a blast playing with my cousins - As and Kak Aya :) We are about the same age you see.... so memang seronok gilerrr lah bila dapat jumpa kan! Riuh rendah kalau dah berkumpul! :D

Anyway, now the traditions continue with my kids. And this time around, it's my house yang jadi pusat berkumpul, esp during school holidays! :) It was a full house last weekend! :) There were Aishah and Aiman (my younger sister, Dik Ma's kids who 'checked-in' on Friday noon), Ilhan and Alea (hubby's sister, Kak Eina's kids who 'checked-in' on Saturday afternoon) and Danial (my eldest sis' youngest son who checked-in on Sunday eve). My sister, Ruby and her kids, Amirul and Nadia also 'checked-in' on Saturday morning. Sangat2 meriah last weekend! :) And they sure had fun! =) Did everything together - sharing their childhood together... just like their parents did during their childhood years :)

KUMON time :) Other than Aishah and Aiman.. the rest are all KUMON students.

Yang ni paling nak gelak.... ada ka solat pakai seluar pendek! Sib baik tutup lutut!!! Lagi kelakar Tok Imam pun 2 X 5! :D Danial as tok imam. Makmum from right - Ilhan, Aiman and Izzat.
Ohhhh... ignore katil yang lintang pukang tu... al maklum laa... tempat berkubang budak2 :D

Danial and Alea playing monopoly. Tiap kali main monopoly... ada je yang tak puas hati! :D Biasa la kan... kids! :P We ended up simpan je monopoly tu malam tadi... so that tak de yang nangis! :D

Tidur ramai2 - the beauty of sleepover.. :)

Ruby and kids went home on Sunday eve. Daniel had to go home on Monday eve as he had to attend Kumon class - but told his mom "Hari Khamis nanti hantar Danial sini balik ya, mama!" Lol! Aiman went home on Monday noon - but Aishah insisted to stay - cried her heart out 'I don't want to go home!!" Adoi aii... tak pek nak nolong doh! :D

So today (till this weekend), tinggallah Ilhan, Alea and Aisyah yang masih belum check-out :)

Izzaty's 1st flute lesson

It began when I brought Izzaty to OGA day last May. We watched the TKC wind orchestra team performed on that day and Izzaty fell in love with with the music! :) You see.... it runs in the family :) I played organ when I was small (stopped at grade 8!) and later played saxophone for the ITM Kesatria band. My sister, Na played flute for STF band. My one and only brother learned to play keyboard on his own and later played keyboard during his MCKK years. My other sis, Ruby, like me played the organ and later learned to play piano during her MRSM years. So you see.... it's in the blood =) I did plan to send Izzaty for a music class (may be piano) when she was smaller... but somehow the plan was never materialized.

But after the OGA day, we talked about sending Izzaty to learn one woodwind instrument :) I thought flute would be nice as I love the sound of flute :) Izzaty has been bugging me for months now! Tak sabar dia nak learn playing a music instrument! Searched the internet for a suitable flute class and teachers... and decided to email one girl - Dima :)

Alhamdulillah. Dima apparently is a legal student who is also pursuing her passion in music. She is in the final stage of getting a Diploma in Music specializing in flute.... way to go girl! She plays for the Selangor and KL Orchestra and some other orchestra teams. She has been doing private lessons on flute for the past few years.. and alhamdulillah, Izzaty is her latest and youngest student :)

Last Saturday was her first lesson. Dima came to our house (thanks god, dia tak sesat finding our house! hehe!) for the 1st lesson. Since we don't have a flute yet... she brought 2 flutes - one was hers (cost about RM25K - believe it or not? OMG, I did not expect a flute would cost that much! But well, she's a professional! So of course she uses only the best brand!) and another one is a secondhand flute that is for sale that belong to her friend. Izzaty used the 2nd hand flute during her class. I might consider buying the 2nd hand flute... it is an intermediate level flute which cost about RM3K. Or I might consider buying a brand new beginner flute which cost about the same price. Hmm.... decision... decision...

Getting familiar with the flute. Ada gaya tak? hehe...

Alhamdulillah, after the 1st lesson, Dima said Izzaty is a natural. She picked up quite fast! Thanks god! This is quite an expensive investment... so I really hope it's worth it! ;)

Ahh... lepas ni mama kena korek tabung lah nampaknya to buy a new flute for her little girl... huhu! :P

Impiana

Yesterday, Ain Maisarah's latest books that I ordered for Izzaty were delivered to our house :)

Impiana 3 and Impiana 4 books

Izzaty sangat teruja! But her mama pun tumpang teruja nak baca! hahaha! :D The books are about a bunch of young adults who would do anything to make their dreams come true! Then, there's Syarikat Impiana yang berjanji untuk menrealisasikan mimpi2 pelanggannya dlm masa 3 bulan - dengan apa cara sekali pun! And they really meant it! Dalam 3 bulan mmg tercapai lah cita2 diorang tu... tapi macam2 berlaku! *tak leh citer lebih2... you all kena baca sendiri... hehee!*

I have read the 1st, 2nd and the manuscript edition of the 3rd book. Can't wait to read the finale of this Impiana series!! :) Opsss... ni sudah mengalahkan anak kan? hehee... :D

Collection of Impiana books that we have.

High Tea with fellow x-UMKCians

Kak Nor and Abang Nan was the first Malay couple that I met when I stepped my feet on Kansas City, USA! Ahhh... ada kenangan disebalik pertemuan pertama kami! :D But no need to tell in this blog lah... hahaha! Malu makcik! Anyway, dah lama tak jumpa my favorite seniors ni. Infact, we lost contact for quite a while... until, again thanks to FB, we are now connected - well, at least Kak Nor is in FB - not Abang Nan :D

When I put my FB status that I would be moving to Menara Maybank, Kak Nor replied saying "wah, senang la nak jumpa nanti". And I quickly replied "Eh?? kak nor keja maybank ke? tingkat berapa?" No reply from her :(

Then one day when I was already in Menara, I got another message from Kak Nor "Was that you in kebaya coklat yesterday?" Ehh????? How did she know???? I searched our staff directory for Kak Nor's name... tak jumpa pulak! Pelik sangat masa tu! Then baru teringat... may be Abang Nan yang kerja sini!! I should have known better!! And yeap... after searching the staff directory, I quickly discovered that Abang Nan is actually one of the new heads in Maybank Investment :) Ish, ish, ish.... senyap je Abang Nan nih! And I finally met him one fine day... masa naik lif nak ke surau :D Abang Nan still look the same - tak de aging sign pun - masih macam dolu2 :)

For months, Kak Nor and Kak Nashe (another fav senior of mine during zaman2 KC dulu!!) tried to make appointment nak makan sama2... tapi asyik tak jadi aje. Al maklum lah... masing2 busy!

Last weekend, it finally happened! :) High Tea for x-UMKCians!! :) Not many turned up - but still, we had a great time!! Dah lama tak pergi high-tea... kenyang sampai malam... haha!

The ladies - Yours truly, Marina, Kak Nor and Kak Nashe

The gentlemen - Abang Taje (Kak Nashe's hubby), Abang Nan (Kak Nor's hubby), Abang Hassan and Zuhaimin. Funny - I did not recognize Abang Hassan and Min when I first arrived! huhu!

Those attended the high-tea : the 8 of us and family :)

Day 8 : Sergiev-Possad and Moscow's Old Arbat

Today, hubby cum our travel adviser decided to see Trinity of Monastery of Sergius in the town of Sergiev-Possad, which is about 75kms from Moscow. We walked to a Metro station... sambil mencuci mata melihat keindahan bandar Moscow. Then later took a train from Yaroslavsky Train Station to the small town. The 1 1/2 hour train ride was quite an experience - macam2 ragam orang dalam train tu :) Salesmen/ladies pun jual macam2 - quite interesting to see ;)

In front of Bolshoy Theatre - home to one of the oldest, and probably the most famous, ballet companies in the world.

In the train to Serviev-Possad. Macam train kelas 3 KTM kot?? hahaha! For 1 1/2 hour ride boleh tahan laa...

Our arrival at Serviev-Possad. That was our train! :)

From the train station, we walked 10mins through town to reach the monastery.

The monastery seen from far - quite a nice view, eh?
Kena menapak for about 5 mins from here to reach the monastery.


Zoomed from far. The blue and gold domes were quite clear to be seen from far.

What is so special about the monastery at this small town? Well, this is the notes I got from reading books and surfing the net :
Trinity Monastery of St Segius is one of Russia's most important religious centers and places of pilgrimage. Founded by Sergius of Radonezh in 1345, it gained a reputation as the source of Russian military and spiritual strength after his blessing was believed to have inspired victory in one of Russian history's most crucial battles, against the Mongol Tatars at Kulikovo Pole in 1380. For centuries, Russian czars and commoners trekked here in pilgrimage, traveling in gilded carriages or on foot for days or weeks, many fasting throughout the journey. The site was so charged with history that even Stalin couldn't bring himself to raze it.

Hmm.... if we, the moslems, performed hajj in the holy town of Mecca, they, Russian Christian Orthodox believed that this is their holy town for pilgrimage. Agak suspen jugak nak masuk kawasan ni... maklum lah kita ni Muslim kan.... definitely not one of their believers.... but they actually welcome visitors - regardless of their religion, to their holy land - okay la tuh :)

In front of the monastery

The tower of the main entrance.


Entering the monastery - nice surrounding... tapi agak suspense sebab ye laa... kita orang Islam kan... masuk lak area ni... huhu!


Exploring the monastery ground. We had to pay for 'photographing permit' in order to take picture in this area. Tak ingat dah how much kena bayo... But still, inside the cathedral, no photographic allowed.


The bell tower


Cathedral of Assumption - the monastery's main cathedral.


Cathedral of Assumption in a different angle - behind hubby and Izzaty you can see a priest (dressed in all black robe) walking by.


In front of the Cathedral of the Assumption, there's Chapel Over the Wall and open rotunda.


Chapel Over the Well - built in 17th century to mark the site of a holy spring.

The monastery area is quite big. But I did not dare to explore many places... huhu. Anyway, I did not feel odd in this area cause all female are supposed to cover their head when entering this monastery. Izzaty and I dah bertudung kan? So no problem :) But I do feel uncomfortable entering their church... so in the end, we decided to exit :)

Outside the monastery area, ada macam makcik2 tua jual souvenirs in at a very cheap price! :) Izzaty, Izzat and I wanted to go to the toilet (tak sanggup nak gi toilet dalam monestary tu.. huhu!) One of the ladies selling souvenirs here showed us the nearest toilet. Anyway, there was this very old lady who was cleaning the toilet. She was so nice... the sales lady told us that we have to pay R150 (if I'm not mistaken) to enter the toilet. But the old lady keep saying "Nait!" which means "No". And she was really nice to us! *walau pun tak paham sepatah haram apa dia cakap masa tu! hik hik!* This town people are so nice!!! I must say that :)


Among the things we bought at that place - Matyoshka Dolls :) They were so cute that I could not resist them! ;D They were sold at a very reasonable price too :)


There's like a bazaar area for tourist to shop for souvenirs..


The small town of Serviev-Possad.


Sementara tunggu train... kami lepak di Mc D ni.


Masa kat Mc D tu... tiba2 snow turun... NICE!!! :) This is the railway station when we were leaving the town - the ground was white with snow :) Another snow experience for the kids :D

When we reached Moscow, we went straight to Old Arbat Road - made an appointment with Zamri's (my youngest bro-in-law) friend, Farhan who is a final year medic student here in Moscow. Met him at Arbat's Mc Donald and later he showed us around the Old Arbat Road :)

Farhan said this is the statue of Pushkin - Russia's most famous poet and his beautiful wife, Natalya Goncharova. Pushkin was killed by another man who fell in love with his beautiful wife.


In Moscow's Hard Rock Cafe. Hubby handed over his camera to Farhan who actually is quite good in taking pictures! :)


Since I had not buy anything for myself yet... I decided to buy this HRC black shirt :)


HRC Moscow - we've been here!! =D


Lots of souvenir shops along the Old Arbat Road.


Bought a bunch of these for my sisters, brother and in-laws - From Moscow with LOVE ♥ ♥ ♥


Bought this one too. Sale gitu kan :)


Below are some t-shirts (which I did not buy) sold at the souvenir shops that I found sooooo amusing :D

Funny stuff eh? :D

Later, we had dinner at a Japanese Restaurant. Farhan said shushi here is superb!!! Well, I am not really a Japanese food lover.... so I chose to eat tomyam.. hik hik! Not bad lah taste dia... dah lapar tu.... habis jugak lah kitorang bedal! :D

Hubby and the macho boy - Farhan Yeoh! :)


Izzaty and hubby love shushi! Me? Not really a fan.. but boleh la telan :D

Later, on our way to our rented apartment, we dropped by at Red Square again. Nak ambil gambar kat sana malam pulak!!! Kebetulan, Farhan is quite good in photography, so dia tolong ambilkan gambar kami :)

I love this pic! Thanks Farhan - you really know how to take nice pics! :D


Izzaty, Hubby and myself in front of the GUM. Masa ni Izzat dah keletihan and got very grumpy! Refused to take picture sebab sejuk sangat! :P


Another excellent night pic! Setelah dipujuk... Izzat agreed to join us in this pic :)


Back at our rented apartment - hubby and Farhan :)


Farhan suka senyum :) Such a charming handsome boy! Bakal doktor lagi ;)


Farhan's trademark smile again - with yours truly :)

It was our last night in Moscow. Thanks Farhan kerana sudi temankan kami bersiar2 di kota Moscow :) Our prayers for you - may you success with flying colours in your final year... and semoga tercapai cita2 nak jadi pakar bedah yang terbaik di dunia! :D You go boy!! :D

Early the next day, we left Moscow to go back to Malaysia (via Qatar again, tapi kali ni tak keluar pun dari airport). Home sweet home at last.... but Russia will always be on my mind... ♥