Her Little White Lie

This is something new to me so I blogged about it. Hopping that in future she will understand my thoughts and feelings of her actions last night. We caught our daughter telling her first every big lie. It left me feeling dazed and confused. Bukan apa….tak sangka the extend of it cause she is still so young.

All these while I let it slide when I noticed her truth-stretching her stories or giving us a little fib here and there. Like when she said she brushed her teeth….when I clearly know that she didn’t. That’s normal sometimes. So I let it slide. But last night was a big no-no. The outcome of her little lie makes me feel confuse and hurt. I am now entering a new phase….what am I to do?

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - lying is within the boundaries of normal childhood behavior, especially between the ages of 4 and 10. Younger children lie due to an inability to distinguish between reality and make-believe or to garner attention; older children lie to avoid doing chores, temper embarrassment, protect another child, or protect their privacy.

I don’t know why she did it though…but I guess both Ujang and I really stressed our thoughts about it with her last night. We hoped that she will not repeat it again and learn her lesson. My baby is a good girl. Every mother thinks that of their child. I pray that she’ll be a good person when she grows up and as a mother; I want to raise honest children.

Here are some pointers from BabyCenter on how to deal with your kids when they tell lies….
1. Don’t accuse but coach your comments to encourage confession instead.
2. Be sympathetic in order to make them realize that telling the truth is less painful than telling a lie.
3. Explain why honesty is important.
4. Be positive and not punitive. Positive reinforcement is much more effective than punishment.
5. Reassure her that you love her no matter what.
6. Build trust.
7. Let her know what you expect of her by establishing parameters.

As I send her to school this morning….I told her to be good. But then I realized I need to be good too. I need to step up to be a great mommy and set good examples so that my girls will have a great role model. I am still a long way there…..Ya Allah, please guide me to be the best for my girls.

PS: This mommy would like to thank all the friends in Warung DPA for their advice and support.

Happy 70th Birthday Mama

My mother turns 70 years old today.

Happy Birthday Mama.

No words to describe what you mean to me.

I love you.

Wordless Wednesday : Unit B again....

Just a quick update of my Unit again....photo taken during our workshop last Februari at Premiere Hotel, Klang. Cheers!

Izzue Islam - The Young and The Talented.

Last night I watched ABPBH 2012 for just a moment and then stopped watching it after the first award. Why? The first award is the one I wanted to see most. I have to admit, I sometimes follow the happenings of local artists just like any other person would. Just for fun because the local entertainment industry seems much better now with the arrival of many new talents. One such talent is Izzue Islam. A very young and super talented person….and I reckon all his adoring fans would agree.

Honestly, I have been clueless so far…because I don’t watched TV much. But since they have been turning shows after shows based upon adaptation of my favorite novels….my interests in TV dramas has rekindled. I love how Adam & Hawa turns out…even my girls love the show too. Sadly I didn’t get the change to properly watch Sehangat Asmara although I simply love the story by Aisya Sofea. When 3.5 million people watched Setia Hujung Nyawa an adaptation by Fatin Nabila, I think the people in the industry are getting into something here. They have tapped into a goldmine.

Just imagine when one of my favourite book penned by Zura Asyfar -Sebenarnya Saya Isteri Dia is now airing on TV3 every Friday night at 9pm. Wow, my head is just blown away. When you like a book, its often you would love how the story turns out on TV as well….well, at least for me it is. When I watched the first episode, I got hooked. As Izzue is playing the leading role, I got hooked more. I reckon for those who read the book, would surely love it too. Oh no worries if you have not read the book enjoy the story nonetheless.

Now back to Izzue Islam. Why I believe he is the young and upcoming talent that people should take notice of. Well, my take on this are as below….….
1. For one, he is still young…thus there are so many opportunities awaits for him….He is noticeable not just because of his looks….(I may be old but I do think he is super cute…hihihi), he is multitalented. I am more of his fan in acting though…..
2. His body of work is very impressive despite being a newbie in the industry. He plays a range of characters from Razak a blind friend to Remy Ishak’s character in 29 Februari to an angry musician Tengku Azlan in Cita dan Cinta to the unwilling husband of Tiz Zaqyah Firash Arshad in Sebenarnya Saya Isteri Dia, you would be impressed too. Check out his other roles in Mimpi Cinderella, Duri, Senyuman di Kuala Lumpur, Bunga Merah Punya, Hantu Kapcai and others.

3. He won Pelakon Harapan Lelaki Terbaik in the 25th Festival Filem Malaysia recently for his role in 29 Februari. Impressive.
4. When some actors just look the same old same every single time they act, Izzue is a chameleon actor. He opted for different roles and it is unlikely you will see him look or act the same. Only a character actor would do that. Others would just have the same look – hair, smile, talk and all and it gets kinda boring. But this actor is different. Reminds me of Beto Kusyairy pun ada jugak. Just google or checkout his work to see for yourself.
5. So-so actors are soooo common these days. But talented ones bring such colors to the entertainment industry and I reckon his future will be super bright. InsyaAllah. Can’t wait to see what his future projects would be like….
6. Ooooohhh can I say that someone with a good set of hair makes all the difference. Imagine all the changing styles and looks that Izzue has shown in all his projects. No character looks the same. He changes his style to fit the character all the time. This is way so much better than an actor having the same look all the time. Well, enough said.

Thus, that is the reason why I didn’t watched ABPBH until the end last night. Not a big fan of the show as I only wanted to see if Izzue would win for his category. Though luck was not on his side this time, it’s ok though. A lot of actors are popular but can they leave an impact to viewers, that is the question. But then again, being popular is very subjective because the voting is based on popularity. Winning the award in FFM25 means more because it’s based on your crafts and your work. Don’t you think so?

PS: Only 2 young artists who rank above from the rest in my book – Aizat and Izzue. Such talent should not go to waste…

Mini Vacation in Melaka

It has been years….and when I say years…I mean YEARS…(yes, it is that long….) that my whole family went on a vacation as a group together. The last if I am not mistaken was the time when we went to Port Dickson sometime in 1996-1997 kot… I don’t know the exact year but it was when I was still single and unmarried. Now fast forward to 2013, the whole group went on our first mini vacation again.

My family is a close knit family…there are only 4 of us siblings but with busy schedules and own family commitments, we would often meet for a get together but seldom go on a vacation as a group. This weekend we managed to gather 3 families plus my parents for an overnight trip to Melaka.

We stayed at Hotel Mahkota Melaka at Bandar Hilir. Very near to Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall and Mahkota Parade. Very strategic location, I would say.

This is not my first time stay at the hotel. I am fortunate to be able to organized 2 main events back in 2011 and 2012. One is a workshop for my Unit and the other is a main conference for the Jabatan. Good service and ease of dealing with the hotel staffs makes it an ideal choice for me to choose this hotel again as the location for our mini vacation. An overnight stay away from home is just perfect as an introduction towards a weeklong of school holiday. The kids had a blast…..mcm nak pecah bilik pun ada with the noises that they made.

Our main agenda of going to Melaka was because of the food…so when we arrived we straight away headed to Restoran Lot 35 di Bandar Hilir near Mahkota Parade for its famous asam pedas. The food was delicious….but a bit pricy though. Probably because it is such a touristy place…so the price reflects as such. But then again, with yummy food and good company, whats not to like.

Our dinner was at Medan Ikan Bakar Alai. This is my 2nd time there…and I would opted for the restaurant at the very end…..for its yummy ikan bakar, sotong, udang and other delicious seafood. Finish it off with nasi lemak and watermelon juice…oh lala…simply sedap.

Melaka seems to be a favorite stop over for us if we want to have a vacation away from home...just because of its location, food and the many things that you can do there… I reckon we’ll head there again someday…and it’ll be pretty soon…pretty soon indeed.

Swiss Garden Golf Resort & Spa, Damai Laut, Lumut

The date was 4 November 2012. The event was Persidangan Bahagian Pengurusan Bil. 2. The venue was at Swiss Garden Golf Resort and Spa, Damai Laut Lumut Perak. My thoughts on the overall event - enjoyable.

It was such a chaotic time preparing for this event although my part in it was very minimal. My role during that event was just to take good care of our number one boss. Very important person. Hahaha…..why me? But that is another debate.

   

The journey to Lumut was long and tiring. The 3 days event made me long for my girls….since I hate to be away from them. But in the name of work, I braced the journey through the end. Ohh…I also got to swim that day all in the name of sportsmanship. Yelah…dah memang tak cukup orang nak swim in my team, takkan nak biar teammates lemas kot. Even though the laugh at my backstroke style…who cares. As long as I made it….

  

Overall, the venue was nice. I enjoyed staying there. The room was spacious and very comfortable. Beautiful scenery with lush greens and nice beach….who wouldn’t like. This hotel is a nice alternative for those who do not want the hassle of going to Pangkor Island.

Swiss Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut
Off Pangkor Island Persiaran Swiss Garden Jalan Damai Laut,
Off Jalan Telik Senangin 32200 Lumut Perak.

Sometime after the event, Ujang and I went there again with our girls for a short vacation. I knew the place and I know what the girls would enjoy, so when we were planning for our year end vacation, I decided to take the girls there again. Safe to say that they truly enjoyed it.

 

The location of the hotel is not that far from major shopping malls such as AEON Seri Manjung. There’s also Tesco and Giant nearby. Thus, it is super convenience for families who wants to stay at the hotel but may not want to dine at the hotel. Plus, we also shopped at Lumut town for some goodies to bring home. Double fun!

On our way back, we took the coastal road from Lumut to KL via Kuala Selangor. It was my first time going through that way and it was such a learning experience for us. We saw so many interesting things…of small towns along the way, of paddy fields and various food stalls along the road. Good way to end our perfect holiday…

 Perfect!

An Old Photo Fills With Memories

 

This is a special picture. I seriously forgot that I even have this picture until my dear friend Emiley shared with me this picture while texting on the phone. I nearly freaked out. I miss this photo. It is one of my favourite picture of back in the day when my friends and I would start our day by going to breakfast together and then head to class together and back to the hostel again. Our days were fun back then…..

This is a picture of when I just started to wear hijab. I started wearing hijab late…back in 1993 after a few semesters during my Diploma days. It happened one day when I woke up and decided to wear it. No one encourage or force me to wear it. It just happened suddenly….when the time is right, it was just meant to be.

And now I am a mother of 3 girls and when the time comes, the girls will wear it too. Because wearing hijab is an Islamic requirement and is a command by Allah SWT and Prophet Muhammad SAW. My girls are always in my prayers….and although I am still learning and improving myself as a Muslim, I pray that they will grow up to be a good muslimah. InsyaAllah.