Friends for life!

Photo: credit to Jo Jin Yu

Photo courtesy of Jo Jin Yu

 

Life is best celebrated with friends. 

Being away from family and friends back home, newfounds friends here add so much zingss to your everyday life. 

Besides my daily routine: cooking, reading and just enjoy being at home, I embrace these lovely friendship with these ladies. 

Food brings us together and I can vouch that everybody goes home every time with full stomach and a big grin on their faces. 

It doesn't matter what menu, whose home it is, every time we are together,  IS  a good time. 

Alhamdulillah for these lovelies.

The last photo is by Madam AmyBoss. 

Thank you very much my dear friends for capturing the moments of --.. eh, only of the foods?  where's the picture of Us?  😂🤭😅

Rendang Daging it is!

 So we went to Talh@n restaurant in Gul Z@m@n yesterday evening. 

It was my first time to this place, eventhough it is only 7 minutes drives from our apartment building. 

But then, all the other places are only 5-10 minutes drives from our apartment. 

We are in the city after all. 

After dinner, we went to buy a few kilos of meat at Serb3t. 

On Friday, I plan to send over Beef Rendang to the "office guys". 

I'd like to think that I have successfully persuaded the other ladies to masak and send over Nasi Putih, Telur Dadar or Sayur as part of the office's Lunch galore.

One sweet lady said she is going to prepare brownies for them, too. Ah, marvelous!

I am happy  when people enjoy food I prepared.

I may not be the best cook, but I can cook the best I can. 

Besides Rendang, I can't help thinking that I want to make Cinnamon Rolls and or Mexican Bun, too!

How long has it been?

 Coming back here after 12 years? 

It feels like coming home to your childhood home.

 Familiar, yet peculiar. 

My entries were all about my boys -toddlers as they were, 

our conversations through moments we shared. 

Now my home is an empty-nest, and there's this sort of emptiness hanging around. 

Lutfil is now 17yo, Hafiz 18yo and Umar is already a fine young man at the age of 20yo. Alhamdulillah

Of course the parents are no longer young themselves. 😃

Alhamdulillah for all that Allah has bestowed upon us.

We are currently a "LDR " family unit.

Kids are in Malaysia whereas the parents are somewhere

 in a country, in Central Asia.

It is not easy and it is definitely tiring, emotionally I would say. 

So much had happened within this 12 years. 

I have recently lost another brother. 

Yesterday was one year since the passing of my other brother.

Life has not been the same since. 

Their passing somehow took away some parts of me with them.

Each of them played vital role in shaping my character and help defining my values. 

Oh, and I also lost my dear sister- in law whom I regard as my own sister and mentor.

They have gone.

They left  us but their memories didn't.

Memories will always stay where they are, in the heart. 

I am still blessed with my own family unit. 

We are thousands kilometres apart, but trust me, the mother's tazkirah and leteran is as real as if I am beside them. 😅

I make new friends, but still thinking of my friends I have back there in Msia.

I cook a lot more here, often trying out new recipes of bingka labu and soon other kuih, to kill time.

I try to masak-masak lauk and nasi and invite friends over to the house. I love deep conversations, so I only prefer small quorum. 

I do also send over nasi and lauk for the "office guys" so they could have a taste of home. Kesian jugak to those yang lama tak balik, esp yang on single status tu kan .

I continue ngaji with my ustazah, Alhamdulillah.

I hope to add one more skills while I am still here. 

I hope to add more cerita and updates for my readers, as well as memoirs for my kids juga. 

I pen -off dulu.

see you soon! 

and this is what they said..

Well, just now, I was about to do something really bizarre with the rough skin under my toes ( ok, gross!).
Seeing that my 3 heroes surrounded me, with Hafiz closing his eyes AND covering them with his finger. (ngeri sangat lah tu konon!). Lutfil and Umar seemed a bit calmer and waited...
"No, don't do that! You are going to die..!" Hafiz said out very loudly. Worried..
"What happened after I die?", I asked.
"Emm..you are going to see the dentist?!", he said, unsure. It was more like a question than a statement :-D
"No, we solat first", Umar added,  dengan berhikmah sekali. ( I guessed he meant 'solat jenazah'.)
Lutfil melopong..

PS: I wonder if we follow the sequence, it then becomes: solat jenazah and then see the dentist, next? ;-)

No-butter Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe. Kacang Je! Peanuts!!

Do you have the chocolate cake recipe that you can always, always make that instant ; the moments your little ones screaming for some good, yummy, chocolaty cake? Last night , Hafiz was a bit gloomy, ( he always have world-problems to solve) and Lutfil was not helping with his babbling that made Hafiz thinks that the world is really a NOT good place to live in . Hafiz wouldn't eat anything and you could see that he was really cross! I was thinking all day yesterday to make the butter-cream cheesecake for today's Halaqah.
Knowing that the moment I pull-out my magic mixer will get the kids excited, I resorted to make THEIR chocolate cake first. I knew THAT would make Hafiz happy. Oh boy! Happy he was. He was delighted.


He was so pleased that he eventually ate all 3 roti jala and kuah kari that everybody had left for him.!! My magic worked.


He finished his roti jala very quickly, and was already besides me in less than 5 minutes after that.
"Do you need help, Mommy?". "Yup, I sure do! Thanks Hafiz for being very helpful". He helped me pouring the oil, sugar into the mixer, throwing the egg shells into the trashcan,  and help me holding the sieve for me. We prepared the ingredients in less than 10 minutes or so, and after that is baking time which usually take around one hour @ 160 degC , using MY oven here. We have a bit problems with the oven here. It is never at the temperature as indicated, and I can never get the other knob to turn at the exact baking method I wanted it to be. The cake turn out good. Although it doesn't use butter and other fancy ingredients, it always produce the kind of chocolate cake I like. It doesn't require that powerful arm to rise the egg or sugar and butter, etc. A simple mixing and a light whisk will do. It is the simplest recipe I know for chocolate cake.


Oh, by the way, this recipe was given to me by Zira, a petite lady I knew in Block B, Riyadh. That's before we moved to the current complex. Zira left in February 2008.
Here's the recipe:


Zira's Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe.

Ingredients A : (mix and sieve)

2 Cups flour ( all-purpose)

1 Cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate

1 teaspoon baking powder

Ingredients B (stir to mix)

1 Cup oil ( corn, sunflower,whatever; I use cooking oil)

2 eggs

2 Cup sugar ( I always reduce to 1 1/2 Cups)

1 can of evaporated milk. ( I use full-cream milk, abt 400 - 450ml)

Method:

Ingredients A mixed and sieved in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir Ingredients B so they mix well.

Pour A into B. Stir to mix. No need to use that powerful mixer. The mixture is quite light and can be easily mixed with a big spoon or a hand whisk. Grease a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking tray (or use baking sheet),

My oven needs a lot of monitoring and I need to bake more than 60 minutes for a good 150-160degC  . But that's MY oven! Normal oven can be set to 160-170degC fo 60-70 minutes. Or do the normal "inspection". Insert a knife/fork ( eh?!) or tooth-pick , it comes out clean if the cake is ready.

There goes my "kacang je" recipe. Peanuts!!

(If I can do it, YOU can do it!)

Lutfil Oh Lutfil

In the bus going to school this morning:
Lutfil: But Mommy, I want you to come with me to the school.
Ibunya ni: Yelah, I am going to school with you lah ni..
Lutfil: But I want you to stay.
Ibunya ni: How can I stay with you at school. I am already big (jawapan sempoi je lah kan)
Lutfil: Noo, you are not biggg...you are MEDIUM...( !!?? apa punya jawapan ni..??!!)


hahaha..but of course he managed to make me laugh ..

Visit to the Late Dafullah's house

This morning, my friends and I went to see the late Dafullah's family. His house is somewhere in Mayo, about 30 minutes drive from the complex. The paved road made it easier to reach the neighbourhood which is also not too far from the main road. His family is staying with his parents, since he lost his job in August 2011. I was told that he was renting a house somewhere for SDG (sudanese pound)150 per month. I wonder how much left he had for his family after the rental paid?! 

Just one of the houses in the neighbourhood.

There were other people in the house when we arrived there; his brothers and sisters, and their children.
His wife (Habsah) looked very devastated, and his mother was wailing, and calling out his name a few times.
It was very touching when we saw his small children. They all resemble him very much. His 3 boys are Muhammad (7 yo), Muhanad (5 yo), and Abu Saufi (1.2yo).  His wife looked very young, and to think that she has to endure such a difficult life when her husband died, and she has 3 children to support..*sigh*..poor Habsah. His family live next to his parents house. Here, it is so typical for a house without a roof, there's no need for cemented/tiled floor, too. It is very arid here, so the dry climate makes it possible for them to have a roof-less and floor-less house. No or very little rain , and the hot weather; so I guess it suits them well.
But now it is winter, I wonder how they cover themselves and their children from the chill at night? It can get very cold at night, and in the morning, too. I hope the long-sleeved clothes and a few blankets given may warm them a little bit. I also noticed that his parents' house next-door has a proper roof. Perhaps that's where they stay if it rains?!? May Allah has mercy on them.

We were accompanied by Saha, a lady from the Country Office who is a local and was also our translator that morning. Some new informations gained :

1. Dafullah was al-Hafiz, MasyaAllah..
2. He was working on the ground floor, when a cement container hit his shoulder and ripped his chest,
    tearing his heart. He died on the spot.
3. Due to the condition of the body, doctors didn't let his wife to see it.
4. He called his wife in the afternoon, saying that he passed some amount of money through a friend for his
   wife. But he won't be back that afternoon, because the site was far from home. Instead, he will be back  
   that night, and he promised to bring his sick wife to the clinic that night when he comes back. He never   
   made it, as we all know..
5. When he was working in the complex, he also did other jobs after the working hours in the 
    complex.
6. He was supposed to report duty in the complex. The new management finaly called back some of the
    previous workers from the former company. He just had to finish a few more days in the site, before 
    coming back to the complex.
7. He was paid SDG20 daily for the work in the construction site. That's about USD7.50 per day :(

We passed her some amount of money collected amongst our community members, and some of us also brought biscuits, cakes, drinks, and gently used clothes for the wife and the children.

 Muhammad, Dafullah's eldest son (7yo)

 The hostesses and their guests. The guy in jalabiya is Dafullah's father and his mom is the one in black/white stting down, next to the lady in green. All the other ladies sitting on the mat are Dafullah's sisters. 

 Seen here is Dafullah's brother, Mustapha (looking to his right) and Hameed, a general worker in the complex who is also Dafullah's friend.

The entrance gate to Dafullah's parents house.

Habsah, the late Dafullah's wife.

We had the opportunity to talk to his brother Mustapha, who despite hasn't finished his high school education, speaks very good english. One lady member added, "American slang lagi" :-)
Apparently, he loves reading and reads a lot! He also used to attend seminars and workshop for creative writings, English courses offered by some institution around Khartoum, and he is inspired to be a good writer himself. That also explains why Dafullah's English was also good ,despite him being a general worker. If you remember well, I also mentioned that he speaks a bit of Bahasa Malaysia , too! I guess, if you are a learned person, it really shows. Perhaps, Dafullah himself is someone who likes to learn. There are people who let lessons of their life pass them by and do nothing. There are people like Dafullah and his brother who learn from things happening around them, take every chances to grasp knowledge and let experiences enrich their lives.
I hope his children would be like their Dad and Uncle Mustapha. I hope their wisdoms are passed along in the family. I alsohpe whtever small contribution we made that day would help them in whatever ways possible. I pray that Allah makes it easier for them to live their life and that Allah guides them ( and us) always. May Allah bless us all.

In remembrance of Dafullah...

This post is especially dedicated to Mr Dafullah, a man I knew for only 3 years , or so.

You see, if you have not known him, or you have never met him, that's it. You'll never meet him, you'll never get to know him. He's dead. He passed away last Thursday (10th Nov 2011). He fell off a building on which he was working on. It was a sad news, indeed.
I just got the news through our warden this morning, saying that Dafullah passed away ,and that the Welfare Committee would go to his house this Sunday. I cried really really hard reading the mesage. Called my DH and cried again. The images of him kept pouring in, and I could still see his smiling and his sense of relief, a great relief whenever he got his payment after he's done doing something for us. I knew he really needed that money, he had a family; a wife and 3 children. I remembered him telling me his wife delivered a baby last year. That baby must be around 1 year old by now. I feel sad for his family. For his wife. To hear that you husband died falling off a building, when he just said good-bye that morning; maybe with a kiss and a warm hug, promising to return that afternoon. I cried again when I tried to imagine how she'd reacted to the shocking news. How heavy and heartbreaking she must have felt when she looked into her childrens' eyes. How did she tell the children?

Dafullah was nobody special. He's just a general worker, a position that nobody really care if it hadn't existed in our residence complex. You would just need him to do all the 'general' thing. You know, helped carry the tables, chairs, help with all the not-so-important stuffs around the complex. His position and the things he did didn't need any special skills or certification. Maybe that's why he lost his job. The company who hired him needed to cut cost, and Dafullah and several others were simply terminated. They didn't need him anymore. I knew about him losing his job after I came back from my summer vacation in July 2011.
I bumped into him, and he said that he's been terminated, meaning he's no longer working in our complex. He told me that he's looking for a job,and that if I ever needed him to do work around the house, I could still call him. I knew that he was desperately needed some money to support his family. I was thinking of what chores around the house that I could offer him to do. Unfortunately, we were quite mobile this time around  and I didn't really have time to sort out things. Although DH kept telling me to call Dafullah to help sort the stuffs we have in the store, I didn't manage to call him. I procrastinated. I bumped into him several time in Khartoum though. Once, I was in the van coming back from school at noon, and the driver said that he wanted to stop to say 'Hi' to 2 friends he saw on the street. When the van stopped I saw the 2 guys, and one of them was Dafullah. He was looking for a job. He must have found a job in a construction site somewhere. Yeah, it would be easier to get a job there. They don't need qualification. They just need your gut and your willingness. And Dafullah needed money. Desperately..


You see, Dafullah always gave his brightest smile when he sees you. I also think that's he's brilliant. He could speak a little bit Bahasa Malaysia, and he kept learning new words day by day. That's cool for someone who hadn't had a formal education ,not even in his own language. I remembered asking him to help with our store, rearranging the bottle, cans and what nots, washed carpets. I knew of other madams who asked him to hang the curtains, deliver food to the office, bring in the chairs and tables for the bazaar, etc. He'd do anything you asked him to. Besides money, I used to give him clothes, cutleries, diapers, all the dry food/canned food. Also electrical appliances;-). He accepted them generously. You know, with a wide smile, and a very happy look. The next day, he would tell you that his wife was overjoyed with all the gifts. To know that you are a part of someone's happiness, is a joy, too.


Now, Allahyarham Dafullah, may Allah has mercy on your soul. May Allah rewards you for all the good things you have done for us. Semoga Allah merahmati kamu. Semoga Allah melimpahkan rahmatNya ke atas keluarga kamu,dan melindungi mereka. Semoga Allah melimpahkan belas dan meringankan bebanan yang ditanggung oleh mereka. Amin.


Selamat jalan Dafullah, semoga kita ketemu lagi..

It's been almost 4 years now..

Pejam celik pejam celik, rupa-rupanya dah hampir 4 tahun kami berada di bumi Khartoum, Sudan ni. Kecuali DH yg mula menjejak kaki di sini awal Feb 2007, kami berempat (saya, Umar, Hafiz dan Lutfil), sampai pada 3 Nov 2007. Maknanya 3 Nov 2011ni, genap 4 tahun anak-anak membesar dan menghirup
udara di bumi bertuah ini. Yang tak tahannya tu, ibunya ni yang membesar sekali! Penangan selera yg sangat adventureous dan perangai sekali-mencuba-berkali-jatuh-cinta-nak-order-lagi memang membawak beban ( in kilos!). Haiyaaa...

Masa mula sampai, Umar 4.5 tahun, Hafiz 2.5 tahun dan Lutfil 1.5 tahun. Umar masuk KG1 (or Pre-Reception) di Little Fr1ends. Sekolah swasta ni kepunyaan 2 orang adik beradik perempuan dari keluarga berpengaruh di Khartoum ni. Kalau sebut nama keluarga ni, kiranya mahsyur dan tersohor. Masakan tidak, emak diaorang tu dulu pun dah jadi pengetua kat Un1ty High Int'al School, dulu satu satunya sekolah antarabangsa kat bandar ni. Mesti hebat sesangat kalau tahun 70'an dulu dah jadi pengetua sebuah sekolah antarabangsa kan, kan? betul tak? for a lady pulak tu? Sekali tu, ada pulak poster bekas Puan Pengetua ni terpampang kat dinding sekolah yang anak-anak dia usahakan tu. Masa tu sebelum ada acara perasmian besar-besaran sekolah tu tahun lepas. Dalam gambar tu, emak diaorang ni pakai sari. Namanya pulak Avinash. Agaknya emak diaorang ni asal dari India kot. Patut muka dua beradik tu pun ada campuran sikit, bukanlah muka asli tempatan. Nama pun sorang S0nia, sorang lagi Mona. Bagus jugak Umar masuk sini dulu.Sistem dia lebih kurang macam di Malaysia, jadi faham-faham ajelah kan. Bab-bab membaca , mengira , menulis tu semua mesti dah kena master sebelum masuk Year 1.

Hafiz dengan Lutfil pulak masa tu belum schooling age. Aduhai, jadinya ke mana pun pergi, bawak la 2 handbags ni, mengekor lah ke sana ke mari dengan ibu terchenta ni..;p. Ke halaqah (usrah ke...eleeh..macam la pergi every week pun, ponteng je memanjang..;p), get-together aka coffee mornings ke, shopping ke, school meetings ke, Umar's Parent-Teacher Conference ke, muka Hafiz dan Lutfil pasti ada di mana-mana. Kekadang penat jugak heret diaorang ni. Diaorang pun memang penat sebenarnya asyik kena heret ke sana ke mari. Ye lah, bayangkan lah. Tempat kat sini, bukannya macam Suria KLCC ke boleh lepak kat food court ke kalau penat, boleh pi fast food ke, bukan ada air-conditioned room. Kalau tengah summer yang panas membahang, alamat terbakar le kulit kena panahan mentari. Walaupun pergi souq yang ada shed/roof, masih jugak ku terasa bahangnya... Panas dia lain macam .'Macam' dia lain sikit.Susah mau explain itu macam la.. hehe.
Tapi, apa-apa pun, nasib baik budak 2 orang tu jenis yang dengar kata lah jugak. Bukanlah jenis yang tak makan saman. Setakat merengek nak balik, merengek panas, merengek nak duduk, nak dukung, tu biasala kan. Adat budak lah kan. Ibunya je lah yang kena sabar lebih sikit. Ini tak....( tarik telinga sendiri..:(  )
Susah payah itu ku harungi jua, dan lihatlah donia..dengan 2 handbags itu merata jugak ku merayau, banyak jugak souq2 yang diterjah, banyak jugak lah investment yang dah ditabur di bumi Sudan ni. Kiranya Hafiz dan Lutfil bukanlah faktor penghalang kepada kesungguhan saya untuk membantu menyuburkan ekonomi import eksport negara ini pada tahun 2007 dan 2008.

Sekarang ni Umar dah pun in Year 3, Hafiz in Grade 1, Lutfil in KG2. Umar di sekolah antarabangsa komuniti khartoum, Hafiz dan Lutfil di sekolah Amerika Khartoum. Umar chose the school that he's in now, and I chose the school for the other 2 boys. That explains the 2 different schools for my childrens. Not enough explaination? maybe later, in next year's entry. remind me, will you? ;p

Nampaknya sempat jugak kami membesar bersama-sama ( ibu dan 3 anak-anak lelakinya sahaja, tidak termasuk suaminya..) selama 4 tahun. Boleh tahan lama tu.
Bila budak-budak dah besar dan semua dah bersekolah ni ( yeayy!!), ibu dia memanngggg lagi panjangg lah langkahnya. Eh, tapi takdelah panjang mana pun. Saya ni jenis baik jugaklah ! Ahaks! Masuk bakul nampakkk.. heheh. masih ingat rumah , dan banyak jugak melepak di rumah walaupun dah free sikit nak ke mana-mana. Nak ke mana-mana tu, kena tengoklah dulu tempatnya, apa yang nak dibeli, kesesuaian (guano eh eja ..) jadual supaya tak clash dengan aktiviti lain. Sini namanya je duk Sudan, tapi aktiviti kat sini kalah aktiviti masa zaman kerja duk KL dulu. Kalau bukan aktiviti Petronita, aktiviti sekolah. Kalau bukan aktiviti sekolah, aktiviti emak-amak di kompleks ni. Kalau emak-emak di kompleks ni tak buat aktiviti, kita join emak-emak luar kompleks punya aktiviti pulak. Tu lah pasal, takde aktiviti cari aktiviti.. . Kalau tak terasa jugak hambar duduk di sini, jadi kita isi masa yang ada dengan pengisian rohani dan jasmani..huhuhu..;p. Tapi adakah saya perlu berterus etrang dan mengaku bahawa selama ini, mulutlah yang banyak sekali diisi? Dengan kata lain, mulut paling banyak aktiviti..Ke , memang semua dah sedia maklum? isk, isk, sheeshh..weh, dengan makanan lah, apa lagi?? So,why am i complaining about the weight gain again? I am not complaining. Actually, being a woman , I am just WHINING!

Now, where have all the years gone? Why didn't i pen anything about what I have experienced all these 4 years, all the ups and downs, all the excitements, all the growings and all the tumblings, all the moments that I (hopefully) have wisely spent together as a family here? I couldn't answer that one. Really. As much as i wanted that every event that we have gone through as the 'next' entry, I never managed to actually sit down and write that entry. The same thing goes to photography. I was an avid photographer , I even owned an SLR years ago (this was before DSLR where everybody i think has one, if not two). Now that I have my own family, I found myself staring at them, at their faces, and I do stare at my DH , too . I refuse to do this through the viewfinder. I'd rather indulge in that moment, and I don't care about my camera anymore. We have a Nikon D80 and I rarely carry it with me. I know that there are moments that needs to be captured , especially that the boys are growing and we (the parents) are, too (growing old). I will try to make the effort to snap more pictures. I will try to REMEMBER to BRING my camera. Then, I will try to remember to snap some pictures!

If I could tell you one thing about being here with my family, it is this: I absolutely loving it. I love it being here with my darling hubby and with my 3 anak lelaki. I have learned so much, and i am still learning, every moment, every day. I learn how to grow/age,( betul kawan-kawan), how to cook, how to take care of myself and how to take care of my family. I learn what is really really important to me, I learn ( am learning) about what is important to my DH, and what is important to my children. I am still learning. I learn form the young and the old madams here, from the kakaks and the adiks I have met all the years I live in Sudan.

I also learn, that given the opportunities, I, you, we , anybody, could do things that we never thought possible before. Well, at least I have done quite a few things that I have never thought I could do in the past. Having said that, going back, InsyaAllah, I will become someone ..err a little better ( if not much better), who has learned a lillte bit more of herself, of what she wants in her life, of what she wants for her family and and how she wants its done. InsyaAllah..

Kids- What is bullying and signs that you bully..

Just felt like sharing this article. We might think that the facts in the articles are just some kids-stuffs , growing-up-things-that-you-have-to-face, etc. Think again! Just put yourself in those bullied childrens' shoes. Also, try to imagine what IF your children are being bullied and picked on, all the time?! Read on..

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/signs-that-you-bully.aspx
WHAT IS BULLYING?

Signs That You Bully

Okay, time for the truth. Or at least time to consider if you have a confession to make! Take this quiz to find out if you've ever bullied someone. Put a check in the boxes if you've done these things before.

~There's a boy or a girl (or maybe more than one) whom you've repeatedly shoved, or punched or physically pushed around in a mean way just because you felt like it.

~You had someone else hurt someone you don't like.

~You've spread a nasty rumor about someone, in conversation, in a note, or through email or instant messaging.

~You and your friends have regularly kept one or more kids from hanging out or playing with you. Examples: at your lunch table at school, during sports or other activities, or activities that are a part of a club or other kind of group activity.

~You've teased people in a mean way, calling them names, making fun of their appearance, or the way they talk or dress or act.

~You've been part of a group that did any of these things - even if you only wanted to be part of the crowd.

If you checked any of these boxes, you're not alone. All over the country, in all types of neighborhoods and schools, there are all types of young people who bully others. Bullying is serious business. It causes young people a lot of pain, and it can affect their ability to do well in school and their general happiness. But it doesn't have to be that way. By visiting this site - and taking a look at our Webisodes - you can learn about better ways to treat your friends and acquaintances, as well as become part of the solution to this serious problem!

Definition of bullying..

Is bullying a part of growing up? Is it just something your child has to go through, and make
him/her ( i think boys are proned to being bullied than girls, am i right?) believe that she'll come out stronger, braver, more confident, bla,bla, because he/she had passed thist one phase of his/her life? So, while some parents are teaching their children emphaty, being kind and thoughtful to others, sharing ( be it your food, toys or even friends), there are also those who never seem to care enough to instill the values in their children. Don't just brush it off. Think what if your child is being bullied? Think think think...

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/what-is-bullying.aspx

WHAT IS BULLYING?
What Is The Definition of Bullying?
A lot of young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day! Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over.
Punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically
Spreading bad rumors about people
Keeping certain people out of a "group"
Teasing people in a mean way
Getting certain people to "gang up" on others Bullying also can happen online or electronically. Cyberbullying is when children or teens bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include:
Sending mean text, email, or instant messages
Posting nasty pictures or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites
Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone.

Take a look at Webisode 5 to see an example of cyberbullying. There are many ways that young people bully each other, even if they don't realize it at the time. Unfortunately, not everyone takes bullying seriously, including adults.

This is one of the main reasons that the Youth Expert Panel has worked alongside the representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop the Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop Bullying Now! Campaign.

denim skirts for sale

holidays in malaysia- jjcm

Woohhooo..we are going home .Balik kampung...

It's not that we haven't balik kampung for years ..saje je nak rasa seronok, though we just came back from kampung on 4th Aug this year. The thrill of balik kampung is always there, no matter whether you balik kampung from Kajang, or from UM ( uni days) or from JB ( in laws).

In fact, I feel the same thrills if we were to balik kampung JB from Kuala Kangsar ( KK- my kampung). I guess it's the travelling that makes me so excited. Betul la kata orang, it's not the destination, but the journey that matters!

We will be in Msia from 27th Nov till 15th Dec. A bit over 2 weeks, and already i can see us rushing to go here and there, meeting relatives, friends, makan-makan, buying stuffs, settling our unfnished businesses, paying bills, etc. This time around , i am so determined to get the keropok lekor on board. Musti, musti..

During our previous trips back to Msia and coming back here, we bought the fish crackers, but never managed to bring it here, because of excess baggage. Keropok lekor were never really our priority because there were always books (mommy's and childrens') , food stuffs, other food stuffs, more food stuffs but not keropok lekor.

So, yes, this time, your time will come keropok lekor! ( Ya Allah, permudahkan lah urusan membawa keropok lekor ke sini. Amin) I am now thinking that once we have keropok lekor in our current house, alangkah indahnya petang hari, makan keropok lekor, cicah sos cap Pah Bedah , minum teh -o panas, mata bertaut, senyum terukir , oh alangkah indahnya sekali lagi). Hee.hehe..

Oh yes, we will be bringing lots of paratha as well. Memandangkan saya tidak pernah berjaya membuat roti canai yang menjadi roti canai, maka keputusan ini telah dicapai. Dan burger, frankfurter, fishballs, meatballs, crabsticks, etc. Bayangkan kalau keadaan memerlukan, dan anda agak liat untuk mengeluarkan duit sebanyak RM15 hanya untuk mendapatkan 6 keping burger patties, bukankah lebih baik membawa bekalan dari Msia, where it is much much cheaper and InsyaAllah, kualiti terjamin, halal dan bersih? We bought quite a lot of those from HPA, or Az-Zain or any muslims products available. It's just my personal options.

Once in Malaysia, we'll be doing lots and lots of makan-makan. I once went to Laksamana Cheng Ho's restaurant, ( ehm not once, twice) but it was closed. This time around we hope to be able to sample their food, dengar macam sedap sangat??! Ye ke?

Anyway, even in Bangi (we live in Kajang-near Bangi), there are lots of reataurants/ food outlets opened recently. It's very much welcomed by us hehe. There are Wong Solo- ayam penyet, Nasi Ulam with their scrumptious nasi kerabu and nasi dagang breakfast spread, Ghazali Nasi Bryani Gam- i love their kambing and ayam masak merah, and a few more kopitiam and what nots. Memang gantung periuk, senduk and kuali.

I shall make a list of where to go, what to get now. Recommendations of outlet makanan sedap very much welcomed.

having fun with playdough..

This is the playdough recipe that is used in Hafiz's preschool. Mr Dave was so nice to share the recipe with the other parents, and we have been making it 3 times, since. Next, i will ask tempe recipe from Mr Dave, dengar kata dia suka sangat makan tempe, he might have his own simple recipe to make them, who knows? ehehe

Playdough recipe
( adik, kakak abang and bibiks, sila ambil kertas dan pensil, atau anda boleh kopipes dan tampal di fridge menggunakan fridge magnet Vladivostok yang anda kirim kawan tempohari :D)

Use proportions of:
1 Cup of flour
1/4 Cup of salt
2 tablespoons of cooking oil add water ( to desired consistency)
~ waaahh..kalau taruh gula dengan sedikit vanilla essense, sudah boleh buat biskut raya nih! :)

Method:
To make regular playdough, just mix up the ingredients then add oil and enough water a bit at a time to see how things are working out.
If you make it a bit sticky, then the kids can add extra flour to play making things. You might want to start with a little water, then build up to the consistency you want.

Some kids like to prepare the playdough themselves, a sticky dough is great so they can add extra flour. Umar loves making shapes, scluptures and doesn't bother to modify the dough. For him, i usually make playdough with just the right consistency so he can start right away..
Oh yeah, we added food colourings and flavourings as well. We have had blue playdough with banana flavour ( what a weird combinations), eggyellow-coloured strawberry-flavoured and apple green colour with vanilla flavour.

From the start to the end ( 'end' means until the dough finally crumbled all over the floor, because it dries up really fast here..), there will be testing assumptions, tasting, tasting and tasting... Oh, did i mention tasting? Here are some photos from our 2nd day of having fun with our playdough.. I hope you have fun making your own playdough too! Try it!

Playdough – sedia untuk diapa-apakan saja…

Umar’s blue colour, banana flavoured dough..

If it were to be a dough-nut- I’d call it Smurf Do-Nuts!

Hafiz- mula mengapa-apakan doh tanah liat itu..
Tenaga dalaman diperlukan untuk membuat prints
sebegitu rupa, ya adik-adik..!!

The boys in action.

my rolling pins......

Umar's Smurfs Do-Nuts?

Umar menggelecek dan menggentel!!


Lutfil, Umar (dan siputnya)

Lutfil seperti biasa, menunggu 'bantuan' sampai..

Lutfil cuba modify antennae siput Umar..jaga-jaga..’praaappp!- bunyi antennae itu dipatah-patahkan..(adegan ini tak dapat disiarkan, takut mengganggu ketenteraman awam..)

Hafiz must have thought making siput out of a playdough is ‘kacang’, and was out to prove that he can do better than Umar!

Hafiz’s siput . The siput I think is a bit nervous, ye lah..kaler pinkish kan…
(Note the reflection of the snail, never thought it would show up that clear..the table top must have been so shiny –clean or maybe oily-shiny? Errkk)

Umar is always into animals/living things. I had thought that he would make a T-Rex, or creatures from the oceans, or a sea-horse. Turned out it was a snail!
The red fish was Lutfil’s. Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell that bad, and the taste is the combination of roses and mango..! care for some tasting?

colour of my life..

Every weekends , i will be reminded of the promises i made to the boys. Tuntut janji tuu..When they asked if they could cut a picture out of an old newspaper, play games on PSP, help me bake cakes, make playdough( they like to make rather than play playdough!), use water colour or the tempura paint, the answer is always
"Wait till Friday/Saturday/weekends" ( 'weekends' is when i don't feel like being specific, so it could be friday, saturdays or the next weekends) :D
Umar will of course, remember what he asked for, and what day i told him he could do it then.

So, early Friday mornings he will bug me to take out the brushes, paints, paper, scissors, glitter glues, all the necessary stuffs neededto produce that magnificent piece of art. As other kids, they love mixing colours and painting their favourite subjects, Umar's the natures and ocean livesand it is cars, planes, horses and cats for Hafiz. Lutfil is not so choosy and he'll just paint anything and ON anything! ishhh...:D
Photos that were taken last Friday...









On top of that, they use the glitters to put that glamour touch to their final work. It's amazing to see them put all their focus and energy on the papers and colours. It amazes me more to see how they perceive their surroundings, by what they put on the paintings. Sometimes, it's from their imaginations, or books they have read, or from places they have been to.
Umar did some paintings on beaches ( siap dengan pokok kelapa membuai-buai) and lots of sketches on ocean-floor creatures-
that's definitely from picture in books he'd seen, or maybe NatGeo Wild or even Nemo! haha

It is the only time when i can have the TV all to myself ( BBC Lifestyles is what i want to watch), because at other time it is either Baby TV, or Disney
Channel or NatGeoWild ( news can only be watched in the mornings). That, or i switch it off altogether, semua orang tak payah tengok.
However being me, memang suka playing with paper and colours; so i will join them and show off my art talents - macamlah ada pun..hahah
DH masa ni is either watching us or doing his work on his computer, takut nak join, karang kena gelak kuat-kuat punya...!! heheh





When it's time to clean up the mess, i will just need to sing a song out from barney's show, 'Clean Up'and Umar, Hafiz and Lutfil will quickly come to the rescue. "Kalau tak mau, next week no more painting for you"- ini janji Ibu yang ingat!!

Yeeha..


Life has been good.


Alhamdulillah, things are going very well with the kids and oh yes, i have only Lutifl to accompany me during my morning march to morning coffees, arabic class, badminton lessons, cooking class ( last Tuesday's was Kek Gula Hangus, siap tapau lagi). Bunyi macam banyak giler aktiviti kan? Eh, memang banyak pun. Oh ya, tidak terkecuali my dear Playgroup classes every Monday and Thursday..The other 2 boys are at schools from 7.15am to 1.30pm.

Umar is now in Year 1 @K1CS, Khart0um Int'nal Community Scho0l, while Hafiz goes to KAS ( Khart0um Amer1can School). Yup, they do go to different schools. Why? For Hafiz, I wanted him to go where he is going, and Umar wanted to go to his current school- the fact that they offers swimming lessons and horse-back riding contributed a lot to his choosing the school.



Anyway, seeing that they enjoy schools and coming back with stories of friends, teachers, current projects, books they are reading are enough to convinced me that they should be where they are now. The 2 schools look so different in appearance and 'feel', but i am sure they provide just the same best quality education and nurturing them just the way it should be. hehe..emak-emak biasalah, semua mengharapka yang terbaik, anak-anak harta kita wehhh..!!

I take Hafiz to school everyday at 6.45am, with the block van ( ya macam van pekerja kilang di tanahair kita).Now that i have 2 schoolgoing children and DH's workplace doesn't have any cafe ( ok, tipu, bukan takde cafe, but not the type yang dia boleh beli and makan- terlalu local taste, withflava beans and local salads, and he's an expat - eh betullah kan?), so i have to prepare breakfast and meals ( to bring to schools/office) for 3 .

Lihat menu-menu di bawah ini:

Breakfast: Cekodok pisang ( DH), cereal (Umar), Roti with Nutella spread ( hafiz).Lunch box menu: Nasi goreng (DH), cucur pisang (Umar- percayalah, inilah yang umar bawak ke sekolah..habis!!), hafiz- roti sapu nutella( kalau Londobisco roll cake habis, atau kalau yang chocolate flavour habis , dan yang tinggal strawberry aje-which he doesn't fancy! habis tu siapa nak makan yang rasa strawberry tu?!!).

Atau, set yang ini juga: Breakfast: Nasi goreng ( DH), cereal (Umar), susu (Hafiz)- sonang bona!Lunch box: Nasi goreng ( DH), Mee goreng - for both Umar and Hafiz.Umar and Hafiz ni tak reti makan nasi goreng, tapi mee goreng ok. DH plak tak suka mee goreng, nasi goreng dia sukaaaaa!!Kadang-kadang DH bawak nasi putih dengan lauk-pauk, ( fish fillet goreng tepung with some sauce, or daging masak asam pedas with lots of tomato chuncks, fried thin-sliced beef mixed with some long beans, etc.

Harap-harap teman-teman semeja makan DH ku itu tersangatlah impressed dengan my cooking dan mungkin menyuruh wife-wife mereka memasak yang serupa: fish fillet goreng tepung? ikan bilis goreng? sheessh!! ahahah- tak lawak!!Tapi jangan adalah yang menjeling dan mengkomen dalam hati kalau nampak hubby bawak nasi lauk telur mata bersos kicap atau emm..bawak cekodok pisang!! heheh...Pagi-pagi memang sangat gedempun-gedempang kitchen kitorang, sampai kakak rumah bawah tu dah biasa sangat tanya: apa lah yang kelentng kelentang pagi-pagi tu ?:. eh, masaklah kak,western ada, thai ada, menu panas panas!! Kang orang tak tau pulak saya masak untuk seluruh ahli keluarga terchenta! heheh( sekali tengok DH bawak roti sapu coklat je pi ofis, akak ni mesti tau sebab hubby dia seofis ngan DH, maknanya lunch partner jugaklah! Bocor rahsia !!
Tak habis lagi. I take Hafiz to school, DH still at home, and i really , really like it if Lutfil has woken up from sleep by this time. Biasanya i hint to my DH, "hari ni ada arabic class at 9.30am, or morning coffe at 9.30am,or badminton lesson at 8am". I f i am lucky, he'll give Lutfil a bath, and that usually is a BIG relief! Susah gilerr biasanya nak mandikan dia, dengan amuknya, dengan rengeknya, orang lain start badminton pukul 8am, i datang 9am. Patutlah 'stroke' i tak pernah improve!Asyik lambat sampai training ..heheh. Kalau morning coffee tu, asyik mkan dessert je lah, pasal main menu dah habis! Not complaining here..i memng suka target dessert dulu pun..
Tengah makan dessert kat acara minum kopi tu, mata asyik tengok jam, pasal at 11.30am kena naik van lagi ambik Hafiz at school. Bawak Lutfil dan bersama geng Van Sekolah, kami menngharungi panas terik dan bahang, merentasi.... Eleh, Mohammed yang drive pun rileks je , madam-madam ni nak kena bukak mulut and bukak cerita je sepanjang jalan tu. Tapi i pernah jugak tertidur selama 15 minit dalam van tu, penat beb!! Sampai rumah biasanya i goreng mee je ( mee kicap ), atau kalau tanya Hafiz, dia mungkin cakap" Ibu feeds me roti canai for lunch" hahha..buleh dipercayai jugaklah dia haha.Hafiz kalau mintak i buat apa-apa yang dia nak makan, it's either roti, or mee or donuts! Kalau kek coklat, dia makan semua , except yang i buat! Ngapalah anakku ni. Eh, Ibu buat sedap tau! :D

Umar is more on the cheese-pizza-bread-fresh milk-cereals types of food! I think he has sweet-tooth just like me. Tapi i suka pengat, dia suka tak eh?

Oh ya, I have this resolution to finish the current stock of cream cheese. I have been doing this creamcheese buttercake for the past 2 weeks. I have made this 6 times already, and i still have about 400g of creamcheese that could make about 2 butter cakes. Patutlah my pants and khakis yang selama ini elok-elok muat dah tak muat.Okay, lepas ni berkain batik. Tak pun pakai seluar punjabi yang pakai tali je, verryy flexible! haha. On the other hand i managed to gain the 6 kgs that i lost ( and thought that would be forever!!) isk, isk !! Jangan berani congratulate me. Nahas anda nanti! Dari mana agaknya all those kgs/pounds came from? Emm..let me wonder !! Ye lah tu..!!

makan makan, cari makan..

I, kalau cerita pasal makan-makan ni cukup suka. Bukan suka cerita aje, suka makan pun sama.

I am one of the people yang ke mana i go, i'd love to find and taste the local food. Mesti nak tanya"where can i find the local food", bukan yang chef hotel masak, tapi kalau boleh, yang home-made, yang makcik-makcik kat rumah tu masak. Macam makan nasi kerabu, emak Syidah Tumpat masak. Atau pun makan Som Tam beli dari pasar malam sebelah rumah Syidah Tumpat tu jugak..sedaappp! Kalah Kelantan Delight!( la ni KD pun dah takde kat KLCC, dah diganti dengan korean restaurant). Makanan melayu takde tempat di Aras 4 KLCC kot. Kat food court sebelah tu masih ada lagi kot..

Kat sini, mula-mula tu tak pandai jugak nak makan kat mana, nak makan apa. Macam kebingungan sikit la. Lot's of turkish, arabic, egyptian influence kat sini..so the food are quite similar in preparation and also in taste. You get lots of falafel, grilled khaaruf(mcm goats, less smell), pizza-especially in turkish restaurants, mandi rice-mcm plain bryani, steamed lamb, fresh salads, and varieties of dipping sauce. Usually,the menu is very limited, especially those that serve typical arabic food. Alwaha, for example, requires you to choose "bone or no bone and how many kilos?". If you want 'something else', it has to be the grilled chicken (quarter or half). Tak ada lain dah. These are served with Naan,veggie salads and dipping sauces ( sataa-spicy, and hummous-whitish in colour).

K4andahar, also a famous eating place-very traditional, very simple, very kampung-style, very laid-back suroundings, siap sedia single beds in case you want to doze off right after the heavy meal (khaaruf and its fat). Oh, actually K4andahar is a small town, and since the restaurants do not have any names, we just refer to them as "K4ndahar". They serve khaaruf and camel meat. Usually, we either order the dry type or the gravy type. The dry one means that the meat is fry with the fat and salt, and 70% full of fat, if not 99% . On the other hand, the one with gravy means , that the meat is cooked WITH the fat, onions (lots ofa them) and pepper.

The result? HHmm..sedap hingga menjilat jari. Tambah lagi if you have (Fanta Strawberry + fresh milk for drinks..best!! Eh, dah lama tak pi Kandahar lah..Jomm??!!

old home VS new home

The first picture was of our apartment in Riyadh area, Khartoum. Our house was on the ground floor. There were 9 families in that building, and we had 4 vans ferrying us (schoolchildrens, madams to the souq, childrens to extra-classes, madams to shopping, etc). It was not grand, but it was nice. DOn't be tricked by what you see from the outside. I'd like to think that the inside of our homes were comfortable enough, good enough, and catered to all of our needs.

The second picture, is of course, the new P3tronas Sudan Complx. It houses the office buildings and also the apartments for the staffs and their families. Alaaa..macam kuarters polis la tu..

The inside is a bit modern (note the "bit"), makes you feel like you are in Malaysia.

It has 2 blocks (for the apartments), A & B. Block B was completed first, and we moved in on 26th July 2008. The unit is smaller than our old house, but then, it feels spacious enough for our family. Apart from the book shelves that we brought from Malaysia, everything else was provided.(wardrobes, mattresses, dining table, 2+1 sofas, fridge, plasma TV,etc).

The complex also has a playground (can be seen from our living room), and a field. Things were a bit clumsy at first, but Alhamdulillah, after a few weeks, things havebecome more organized, and we have started calling this new place "our homes"..

i'll have to move

somehow, i think my blog is no longer stable. thanks to my tunjuk-pandai-belek-belek-ubah-sana-sini-mode, this morning. I have got a few warning message saying that there were some errors, and i have also lost some of the links, posts, photos, ect form my original blog template.

though i have not been a good blogger(did not update regularly, did not even check on my blogs for a few months soemtimes- dah tau no updates, kan!), still it means a lot to me. I have poured some of my heart contents (cheh!), to my SIL, what i felt towards her, my little eforts on putting my appreciation onto words. This blog has also been my 'friend'when i need someone to talk to, the foreign -land where i go to, when i felt lonely, and sad, since my husband was away in Sudan, and i was with the kids in Malaysia. I guess, i kind of abandon it, once i stepped my feet in Sudan, once the loveds ones are all together again. I feel there's no need for me to have it (visited, regularly, or even updated), since i'm no longer lonely, and BTW, i 'feel' busy , too!

But i was wrong; for this blog still means a lot to me, and if not, i wouldn't have cared to change the templates, linked it to my facebook, tell people that i have one, think of what to write for my next post, of what picures will look nice in it,or of whether people would care enough to read it, etc, etc..

I just hoped whatever is left will still be there, no more missing stuffs the next time i visit this blog. ( if the next time i opened my blog, and found it empty, gone, crashed- i will definitely go crazy huuhuhuhu..).

okay, enough of that. I'll pen-off, and I'll come back!

salam

In the background is the White Nile River. From L-R: Lutfil didukung,
Hafiz, Umar & Asif ( a neighbour's son)

Salam,

Akhirnya...dapat jugak 1 entry dari Khart0um hehe heh
Kita sampai sini on the 1st Nov 2007(Thursday). It wasn't very hot, just suam-suam gitu. The first few days, kitorang pengsan habis. Lutfil tidur dari pukul 3pm sampai 10am esok harinya.
We went to the souq (Souq markazi) , hunting for meat, veggies and fruits 2 days later.
Okay jugak souq diaorang ni. Until now, the veggies i usually buy from the souq are carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, jirjir (sedap buat ulam ni), cabbage, lettuce, french beans, also onions, garlic and birds' eye chillies. kekadang nampak jugak ocra, tapi tak pernah beli lagi, sebab BERBULU sangat..nanti gatal pulak anak tekak ni..Tanya orang yang dah lama kat sini pun, depa tak pernah try..kecik dan berbulu..
Biasa orang sini guna ocra untuk campur dalam masakan dia. Ocra tu grounded, pastu masuk dalam kuah, so dia jadi pekat, jelly-like gravy. Yang nampak pintu on the right is our house (ground floor)

Kitorang sampai airport tu dalam pukul 6.15pm, and there were 3 vans waiting for us. We reached our new home at around 7pm, dah agak gelap. When I got out of the van, I couldn't figure out what the building in front of me was. I thought it was some old building where we would wait for another van ke, bus ke, limousine ke (hehe..). My husband got inside the building first, i followed and immediately i smelt something yang masyam-masyam. I looked around, banyak nya sofa lama yang berhabuk & i pun macam bingung-bingung sikit..
After a few steps, my husband stopped infront of a door, unlocking it and said "Ni lah rumah kita". Oh! Okay..
I remember a friend who has been here for 3 years said that the first time she saw the building, she cried and felt like going back. I would say that the outside may look a bit 'dull', and masyam-masyam, and dusty (in fact, very!!), but in the inside IS my home, our home. At least I have been here for almost 5 months ,and never ever feel like going back. Alhamdulillah, things are great, and I'm adjusting and loving every minute i spend here with my husband and children.

I would encourage whoever has the chance to come here, whether it's a job offer, or to accompany a husband or a wife, do give yourself (and Suedan) a chance, and InsyaAllah, you'll be glad you did.
The masyam-masyam smell? Alaaa..yang tu dah lama biasa lah. Kita counter attack dengan bau belacan, ikan kering, cencaluk apa semua..should be fine ..hehe..