Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Karangan

Ahmad has always had an entertaining ways of telling stories. Simple but funny though he never meant it to be funny in the first place. The children had just finished their March Exam...just got the papers back. Ahmad, in the first place do not want me to see his BM-Penulisan paper...afraid that I would be mad at him for getting just a B for it.

ok, so , I managed to get the papers - on pretext so that I know where he goes wrong....Read this:
Question: Tulis sebuah Karangan bertajuk "Aku Sebuah Basikal" - this was his chosen question among 3 choices....
So, here's the karangan:
Aku sebuah basikal yang dilahirkan di Kilang Shah Alam. Setelah dilahirkan, aku dipamerkan.
Aku dibeli oleh seorang budak sekolah rendah dengan harga RM50. Dia menaiki aku ke sekolah setiap hari.
Aku dinaiki oleh dia untuk bersiar-siar ke tempat2 berdekatan dengan rumahnya. Kemudian, dia membawa aku berjalan-jalan ke bandar.
Selepas beberapa bulan, dia pergi bercuti bersama-sama keluarganya. Malangnya aku tidak dapat pergi bersama keluarganya.
Selepas dia balik daripada bercuti dia menaiki aku sekali lagi. Aku dinaiki untuk pergi bersiar-siar dengannya di sekeliling kawasan rumah dia.
Beginilah akhirnya cerita hidup aku. Cerita aku habis begini sahaja.

Well? What do you think? I laughed till I bend down. The teacher comment at the end of the story "apa akhirnya?" and gave him 20 out of 30 points.
I guess because I laughed, he took the paper away from me and wouldn't let me read the third question that he answered - for fear that I would laughed again. When I tried to cajole into giving in, he started to cry. Alamak...why la my big boy is such a cry baby? Do I need to put him into some psychological consultation to cure him of his crying habit ?-- he would cry for such small things, like, when its difficult to take out his shoes or when his bag is so heavy or when he is in a rush to watch his show on tv and the pants wouldn't give in for release from his body and there were many other instance (sendat sikit nak buka:). Apa nak buat yek?

ps: yacut - kalau baca cerita ni, jangan ketawakan Ahmad depan dia- nanti dia mengamuk and nangis pulak kat umi...merajuk tak habis

Sunday, March 29, 2009

TV or Book Influence?

Alif has been counting down his birthday for the past few weeks. The understanding on birthday concept must have spurred from the birthdays celebration at his Taska. However, he wanted to have "mummy" and "daddy" (that's what he called us whenever his mood to speak in English comes in - Umi now becomes mummy) around for his birthday celebration so , it must be done at home:-)

This morning, Azlin asked him what he wants for his birthday. And he answered, "I want a dog!"
I laughed out loud. Alif who is scared to hold a cat due to an incidence of being scratched (he called it - "cat garu Alif") now wants a dog for his birthday! I wonder where this one comes from? Hmm...cannot be Thomas or Handy Manny, it could be the Clifford cartoon on TV or book that we read to him. I must say, need to be more careful with story selection or maybe this is good time to explain to him about the dog thing...

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Driver's Frustration

Don't you feel like having a feature that can immediately convert your car into high speed with impact protection bull dozer when you're in these situations?

1) When there is one small car who parked almost in the middle of the 2 parking lots. And worst's still, that's the only lot available, forcing some people to park illegally on the side and making the lane becomes smaller and congested and you really really had to drive slow and mindful of both sides to pass through?
Felt like having those conversion feature and slide in beside that car that allow me to push that car to its right place

2) Cars parked on one side of the road, reducing a 2-ways lane into a one-way street. And suddenly, there's a car coming towards you and there's no way for either of you to move forward except one has to give in and reverse all the way to almost where you're starting off. Grr...!
ok - with those feature, I can just bulldoze the parked car to...ehemm...to wherever I like.

3) Cars who blocked the intersection that in the end, nobody can move. Especially at small intersection or small turn. Some people just do not know how to give in or wait for a short while to create an opening for cars who wanted to make a turn or cross when the car in front of them cannot moved. If they hadn't blocked that opening, at least, somebody get to move instead of everyone get stucked. Not that the car who wanted to turn (tu) or cross will cut their queue pun!
This one - I have to be at the one who wants to turn - with the conversion, I can make a sandwich out of the cars who block the intersection.

I am consciously trying to remember and not be the car whom somebody want to bulldozed into.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

It Just Dawned on Me...my kids!

My kids! I just realized how big they are now. That will also translate to ..me supposedly will have to be busy for the next following years, starting from this year. Why? Thanks to the current education system, I will have one national exam after the other, for the next few years...

Well, to begin with, in this year, 2009 - Anis who is 12 will sitting UPSR&PSRA;
Then 2010, Aina will in Form 3 and will take PMR;
By the time Aina is done, Ahmad will turn 12 in 2011 and will need to sit for UPSR&PSRA (I dont think they plan to abolish the exam just yet in 2011), oh! Alif will start Standard 1 in this year as well;
Then, 2012, Aina and Anis - both of them will need to sit SPM and PMR while at the same time, early of the year, we'll get busy getting new school for Ahmad;
Alhamdulillah, we'll get a breather in 2013 before going back to exam year again in 2014 with Anis taking SPM and at the same time Ahmad will take his PMR....

ahhh...alhamdulillah Alif is 5 years apart with Ahmad...ideally, having children 2 years apart, is a good spacer - for having children only la... But on the other hand, when they're all grown up and schooling, this is what we're going to have to go through - blessing in disguise, in a way. It'll keep both mummy and daddy busy, if they choose to. I don't know if I am going to be fussy when the children is going to take PMR. But for UPSR -- alaa...I think that is not really a big deal, dont force or pressure them too much, let them learn their lessons on their own. Not a good approach huh? At least it gotten DH angry with the results that Aina got for her UPSR last time - not really because of the results, but the attitute that she shows and how me, as a mother do not spend enough time to make sure that she did what she was supposed to do. But in the end, Alhamdulillah, things still turn out ok for her... as I said to him, mesti ada hikmah why Allah did not give Aina 5As -- if she had gotten the 5As and Mumtaz in PSRA, she might not ended up in IQKL and if she had gotten into JAIS school, she will not be doing the Huffaz program...ya da ya da ya da.. Things turn out as Allah had plan it to be :-)

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Getting to Know Jalan Sultan Ismail during Traffic-Mare

~6pm : Reached Bukit Bintang traffic light and cross to get on Sultan Ismail

6:20pm : Still in the middle of the cross road and slowly inching to position my car on properly on Sultan Ismail

6:46pm: Just managed to cross Jalan Raja Chulan. I think at least 3 monorails had pass by overhead.
6:54pm: Underneath the monorail station. I've gotten 2 cars trying to sneak in front on me from the left. Let them in and they move all the way to the far right lane and slowly dissappear from my sight.

7:04pm: Finally passed Crowne Plaza monorail station and only realized that it's not a 4-lane road. I was actually in the middle of lane 2 & 3. Far left was actually self-made car park from some inconsiderate convenient people.

7:13pm: Hooray! I've moved about 400 meters in 10 minutes. Some achievement!
7:33pm: My pedometer still read 51.4 as it did at 7:13pm. I sure hit on accelerator but the meter didn't show like the car moved. Man! Less than 100m in 20 minutes.
7:44pm: Finally, 51.5 - moved another 100m after another 10 mins. Now l learnt that KFC has their own Wisma KFC on Jalan Sultan Ismail. A building as tall as Shangri-La.
7:49pm: Now, I get to move another 100m. There's Restoran Jepun Munakata and Restoran Seoul OK selling Korean BBQ opposite Wisma KFC (which is still ahead of me).

8:00pm: I finally reached the intersection to Petronas Twin Tower, infront of me was Shangri-La. I think its Jalan P.Ramlee. It was packed jam, no way I can cross the street without being inside the yellow box at the next green. Cars coming into that side of the road from all over - left, right, front and u-turn cars.

8:13pm: I had moved almost 1km now. Situations gotten slightly better. I saw traffic police now. Just realize that I didn't turn on the headlight - well the road was all lighted and it was still daylight just now, wasn't it? I had reached Sheraton by now and still queuing at traffic light.

8:18pm: Finally reached Maju Junction Mall intersection

8:30pm: Since it was a long queue to go into Jln Kuching heading to Jln Duta, I choose to go through Jalan Parlimen and now gotten stuck at the roundabout - is it Dato' Onn Roundabout? I dont know if I should go back through Damansara or Jalan Duta at this point...but I dont trust the traffic anymore even if it is clear - it may be bad just before I know it.

I finally hit Jln Duta tol at 8:52pm and reached home at 9:15pm. What a long drive. Nasib baik Allah gave me the excuse from solat - otherwise, don't know how to manage solat on the road.

A Long Detour to get to Shah Alam

It was drizzling, left over from an earlier heavy rain. I finished the training and group discussion at about 5:30pm and hit the road some 10 -15 minutes later. About 1/2 km into Jalan Tun Razak (TAR) from Jalan Pinang, the traffic was at stand still, non-moving. Several cars started to make a U-turn. I weighed my decision - to follow suit or stay on. After about 15 minutes, didn't look like it would get any better and it would still be a long crawl once I hit Jalan TAR heading towards Jln Duta. So, I decided to make a turn near Prince Court with my phone GPS turned on as guide in case I made wrong turn. I found my alternative route and head towards Jalan Sultan Ismail. I thot this'll be a shorter and faster route with less play on brake and accelerator since it's gonna be just waiting at traffic light and go.

Well, I was wrong. It was clear traffic from Jalan Pinang to Conlay to Bukit Bintang. But upon reaching the traffic light at the Bukit Bintang - Sultan Ismail intersection, the TRAFFIC-MARE begun! The traffic light, I think had turned greed at least 3 times on my side and I was still slightly three quarter at the cross junction - not really out of Bukit Bintang and not really in Sultan Ismail either. The situation didn't get any better even with cars behind started hitting on the hon - as it it'll the car to move!

I sure had a lot of things accomplished in the car in my bid to go home using my alternative route.

1) Luckily, I was equipped with entertainment ready - got to read few stories on Lydia Teh's Honk if You're Malaysian. Ironically, the chapters that I got to read talked about Malaysia driver!
2) Bored with reading and always have to look up just in case I get to move forward, I started to look around - what are the other drivers doing in a time like this? One guy was nose picking ..gross! and in another car, the lady kind of slump close to the driver, getting cuddly even when there's another passenger behind them. And there's smokers who just continue to smoke. Motorcycle snaking their way through the cars..
3) With the OST from Boys Before Flowers playing on the CD player, I took out the note pad from hotel and started to clock my movement.....

Well, one thing I learn for sure -- don't change route in a bad traffic day. It won't make much different anywhere as long as you're still in KL. It might be worse on the alternative route. I reached home at 9:15pm. Sure beat the 3-hrs stuck on Federal Highway due to rain that I experience once upon a time, years years ago.