homemade blues

I'm really exhausted after searching and reading webpage after webpage of schools for D. There's just so much information to sift through. I know D is only starting Standard 1/Primary 1 next year, but as those who know me would know, I will research until I am fully satisfied on what options I have for D. So I have to do this now. G and I have to be prepared with the budget and all the necessary documents. And I don't want to rush on making decisions which would affect D's future...

Hmm, then this makes this Resolution 5: Find a school for D. Status: Ongoing. Very slowly. Timeline: June. At least that gives me 6 months to complete this...

So what school am I looking for? One with English as the medium preferably, so that limits my choices to private schools (insya-Allah we can afford it), and one which is a proper school - not shoplots nor bungalow lots please - with proper school facilities... And one which has basic teachings of Islam - I don't really want D to be a zealot, nor do I want him to turn into a barbaric pagan. Preferably also one which is located near where we are staying - I don't really fancy sending him somewhere all the way in KL. Worst case scenario, we have to move to wherever he's going... [Shudder]

And of lesser priority, I would like if his class can be smaller in number - not 50 children - so that D can get enough attention from the teacher. I would also prefer if the school do not only stress on academics, but also other skills like language, sports or arts. I would also very much prefer schools that have passionate and dedicated teachers (maybe like cilibo before his promotion?) so that D can appreciate going to school.

Ah, what am I saying? Is there such a school? I may have to settle for whatever I can get at the most competitive cost, and all parents want the best for their children, no?

I went to one school today - APIIT Smart School in Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang. Link is: http://smartschool.apiit.edu.my/

Well, firstly, the school is somewhat way further than I originally thought, as I drove slowly along the narrow winding road. The guards were quite professional, they asked me whether I had an appointment, and gave me a visitor's pass plus a slip to be signed by who I'm meeting with, and then gestured somewhat non-directionally towards the main entrance when I asked where I can find this person I'm supposed to meet. Huh? moment no.1...

I managed to find the office, then saw the woman I was supposed to meet (I looked at her name tag), but she then answered the phone as I was walking in (huh? moment no.2), so I kinda hung around for several seconds until another lady came up to me asking me whether I wanted to see somebody. I was then very nicely showed a table where I can sit and wait.

The whole session lasted only for half an hour, and I got most of the info I need. The disappointing things were that the rep I met didn't even offer to show me around the school (I suppose this can only be done during open days), nor was she very enthusiastic on selling me what the school has to offer (huh? moment no.3... maybe it's already past 2pm and she's dying to go home). I did ask to be informed when the next open day was, so G and I can have a look at the facilities and make an informed decision.

After reaching home, I went straight to the net. Some schools that I'm interested to check out:

1. Integrated School Shah Alam. Link is: http://www.issa-primary.com/
2. QIDS Integrated School. Link is: http://www.qids.org.my/ but the site is not accessible. Dunno what's wrong. May have to physically check out the school, but school is in Damansara Utama? Not sure whether only kindy or have primary school...
3. Sekolah Sri KDU. Link is: http://www.srikdu.edu.my/ but the school is in Kota Damansara? Highly unlikely but just a possibility.
4. ADNI Islamic School. Link is: http://www.adni.edu.my/ but the site is also not accesible. And the school is in Ampang? Aiyoo. May have to scratch this one out.
5. Sekolah Seri Cahaya. Link is: http://www.sericahaya.edu.my/ but looks very Chinese. Not sure whether workable or not...

Ada lagi la a few schools, but I'm tired already. It's now almost 7pm!!!

Lo and behold, it's already past the middle of January. Now we have 11 and a half months (thereabouts) left to do whatever we have set ourselves to accomplish this year. How fast time flies... Let's see - what did I accomplish since my last blog entry? Status checks on 2009 resolutions: ...

Resolution 1: go to the gym and work out for at least an hour (cardio, upper body, lower body and abs) every weekday. Status: ongoing, so far, so good - only missed one day (last Thur) last week.

Resolution 2: check and update all bill/receipt/documents filing. Status: completed. Woo-hoo!

Resolution 3: shred and/or recycle all obsolete documents/papers on the bookshelves. Status: not even started. Malassss!

Resolution 4: attend courses for self-upgrade. Status: got timetable for one, must check the other before confirming which course to go to. Timeline: end Jan. Priority!

Resolution 5: eh, rasanya ada 4 resolutions je... hehe.

I feel much better today - so does G and the boys. By Friday, Ibu and Papa should be here already, for the CNY break. And on Saturday, I'll be off to PD for one night - hen party with da sisters! Woo-hoo! Can't wait to get together with Along, Angah, Ayang and Baby (pity Ijut (a.k.a. Achik) can't make it. Sigh.)... It's been a long time (and overdue!) since we could gather around (just us girls) and just catch up. Plenty of stories to share, and plenty of girl-talk to go around. Best-nya! Just like old times when in the "U".

We used to be so close - all 6 of us. Haha. Sape tak kenal geng Aznita kat KK6 dulu? After matriculation, we went our separate ways, got married, had kids, and now, after so long (~15 years), we finally can get together (well, most of us) and just chill... Look out for my entry after Sunday! Can't wait!

Ok - back to reality - tomorrow I have that appointment with D's potential school. Kinda nervous about that. But G is right, we have to look at other prospects available for our children. Kalau mampu and ada peluang, apa salahnya... Then have to make another appointment for the other potential school - looks like Wed's afternoon plan. Friday ada lunch date (God-willing) with SW. Wonder how that girl's holding up since I left. Alaa, sure ok punya. I'm expendable... Hehe.

Oh yes, have to also plan to meet Adek one of these days. January is full for her... Feb looks more feasible... And Sali. And Shidah. Along pulak tentative timing for her "majlis" in April... A's appointments and operation timing... Fuiyoo... Cuti ni, makin busy pulak!!! But I'm happy!

I'm not feeling well. Since yesterday. I blame G for this. He's got sore throat and a cold, and now I've been infected. The whole family (plus the maid) is starting to come down with flu. My sinus cavities are filling up as we speak. Grr. Last night I took a muscle relaxant pill (coz I ache all over!) and something for my "wind" headache, and this morning, I could barely keep myself awake to send D to school. I got home in one piece, and slept throughout the morning. Now am feeling slightly better.

Needless to say, I didn't go to the gym. Double grr. But I wasn't planning to go anyway. I wanted to take Wan Umi to Serdang for her checkup, but she text-ed me this morning saying there's no need for me to do so. Thank goodness, coz at the rate I'm moving about, kang kita plak yang masuk hospital... Still, I'm a bit woozy and feeling extremely lethargic. Rasa nak tido je... Triple grr.

What else am I supposed to do tapi belum buat? Take passport-sized pictures. Start shredding old documents. That's the priority at the moment. Ooh, and follow up with G about H meeting Dato' this morning about the academy plan. Just waiting for the GO signal...

Sigh. I still feel weak. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak! I'll update the blog when I'm more lucid. Heheh.

Finally, I got to the gym today. Sengal2 jugak la badan ni. Just goes to show how long I haven't been fully utilising my membership. Anyhoo, I will strive to achieve one of my several 2009 resolutions. Yeah!

Today I also went to see my mother in law, who is reportedly sick, but when I got to her house, she was doing okay, so no emergency there. In the afternoon, we met the other MARA dude, and while he was the exact opposite of the earlier dude we met, the final outcome is very promising. Now, it's to do the dirty work, and finalize all plans prior to execution.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about the earlier meeting, and discussing next actions. Sigh. So much to do. It's like not being on leave! But I'm happy that I get to do what I want to do when I want to, so I am enjoying myself.

Glad that at least some things are off to a good start early this year...

Finally, this morning we met with the MARA dude. Maaannn, this is IT! This is the beginning of change. I can't say much since the project(s) are still in the development stage, but if all goes well, I may be on permanent leave y'all... :) We now know what the next actions are, and things are starting to fall into place. Interesting times ahead...

I have to say I'm really impressed with G's drive. I tell ya, if it wasn't for him, all will still be just TALK. No action. That's why I love the man. But being the sceptical idealist that I am, I just warned him that countless people have taken advantage of him, and he has, on numerous occasions, complained to me how many favours have been conveniently forgotten... And I have, on the same numerous occasions, told him that if I ever meet these people face-to-face, I will have plenty to say.

But that's just how G is - his Chinese zodiac sign is the Dog, btw - loyal, affectionate, cannot resist any call for help... He's always helping. Which, at times, has got him into trouble. Which irritates me like **** sometimes, because I already told him so. Grrr. That's the Ox in me. However, sigh, that's the other reason why I love him.

Then later in the morning, we re-arranged the furniture in the family TV area and dining area. CNY coming mah... (It's Year of the Ox, btw...) Need to re-energize the chi. Our bedroom is next. I also managed to tackle the mess on the computer table, and I found D's missing attendance book for the golf class! Woo-hoo! And for dinner, I made chicken curry, and ikan cencaru sumbat, and stir-fried bak choy with oyster sauce.

Truly a day of accomplishments. I'm quite pleased. Which is quite a rare thing, I must say. I have very high expectations of myself... :)

p.s. I'd like to thank ADEK for her comment on my earlier entry. I've read through the recommended site and also added the site to my favourites list. Thanks!

Since now it's technically Friday, so... yesterday (Thursday) morning, we went for A's review. Lo and behold, it's not a specialist clinic day (which are only on Tuesdays and Fridays), which made me wonder why I was not told this last year when we were given the appointment date?!?

Anyway, I don't really want to delve into details, but suffice to say, we had secured 2 appointments to meet 2 separate specialists and also secured a tentative date for the 1st operation. Which both G and I will decide on once we meet these 2 specialists. It is frustrating, because this is a major thing for us, and we just want it over with (!!) so that A can focus on just being a kid, and growing up. Having said that, we want to be sure that A will be in good hands, and if that means another month or two of waiting, then so be it. Sigh.

On another topic, I was checking emails a while ago, and my inbox was filled with boycott US products proposals and save Palestine chain emails. Don't get me wrong, I'm as disgusted with what is happening on the Gaza strip as the next rational humane person, but when people start listing Nestle, and Nestle brands (Nescafe, Maggi, Milo, etc.) as those to be boycott-ed also, well... I'm sorry to say that I don't agree with that. Firstly, Nestle is a Swiss company, with a subsidiary in US, as well as Malaysia, and other countries. And secondly, products that are manufactured in Malaysia, are made for Malaysians (and also exported), and contribute to the Malaysian economy. There are people - Malaysians - that make a living working in or in partnership with this company. When you start to boycott the products, it affects those people.

I can understand boycotting those products "Made in USA". But the rest? A Malay proverb just came to mind - Kalau marahkan nyamuk, jangan kelambu dibakar. Sometimes we can get so caught up with the bigger picture, we forget to see the details.

So, what I intend to do is to contribute to the NSTP Fund for Gaza, and pray. Pray for the salvation for those who are suffering. Pray that the fallen innocents are in a better place. Pray to give thanks that we here have our children safe in our homes...

I didn't achieve all what I wanted to do today, but we did go to the dentist!

I'm so proud of D. He showed the dentist his wobbly baby tooth, and in less than 2 minutes, the tooth was out. There were some tense moments, of course, namely when the dentist swabbed some strawberry-flavored numbing gel (which was not D's favorite flavor) on his gums, and he nearly wanted to get out of the chair.

But all was well, and as a reward, we went to Sunway Pyramid for dinner and D finally got what he has asked for since last week - checkers. Mind you, he asked me and G for checkers every time he opened his mouth. Every day for 2 weeks. He's only not talking about checkers when he's asleep. Yup, he wore us down. I tell ya, he's relentless when it comes to things that he wants.

Sigh. A hasn't even started talking properly yet. I can't imagine when it's his turn asking for checkers...

It was more like filing... So many receipts and bills and statements that I just chucked to one side for the past year or so... Today, I managed to sort those in the bedroom. Tomorrow, will tackle those on that computer table outside. I still have some shredding to do (for those documents with sensitive info) but will get to that later. And I still have to segregate G's stuff from mine!

The drama today was - there was no electricity. From 6.30am to ~2pm. Funny moments include D waking up at 6.30am and asking me,"Why did you turn off the fan?"; and D asking me why the repairman had not finished fixing the "broken lights" when we got home from school; and finally D asking me why have I not "go to work yet".

While sorting, I managed to catch a movie I recorded on Astro - Joan of Arc. Well, suffice to say I pressed the fast-forward button most of the time. Not riveting enough. One down - many more to go...

And I didn't go to the gym today. Tsk, tsk.

Oh, I forgot. I wanted to write about Saturday night's dinner...

Tony Roma's @ Sunway Pyramid
We got there precisely at 8.30pm. They even called to check on us. Hehe. N and S were somewhere in Sunway Pyramid earlier, with N's son, and she gave us good directions how to get to Tony Roma's (at the skating rink area, one level above KFC).

After the usual hello-s and air-kisses, we delved straight into ordering - we were famished! - and G got to try the World Famous Ribs (and a full rack at that), which was slightly too dry to our liking, but were tender and literally melted off the rib bones otherwise. I tried the Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic (I think), N took the 1/4 BBQ Chicken, and S took the Lamb Chop. I could see that N's BBQ Chicken and mine were also on the dry side, but not so sure about the lamb.

We also had Tony's Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken, which came with a Yee-Sang-like dressing (and with the crackers, too), which N and I thought was a clever twist, but was somewhat a disappointment because the grilled chicken portion that came with it was rather small. N ordered a Baked Potato Soup which never came, so we cancelled the order. The other starter N ordered was the Potato Skins, which was rather nice.

The service was not too bad, the waiter was good enough to check that we all got what we ordered, and also was kind enough to point out that the fresh vegetables (the sides) only meant broccoli (they're out of the snake green beans). Huh? Bottomless beverages are the usual suspects (soft drinks and ice lemon tea) and we didn't order dessert because for one, we were relatively full, and secondly, it was only 10pm, and they were already calling for the last order. Hmmm.

Verdict: pricey, and didn't meet expectations. Better and bigger portions in Friday's or Chilli's. I'm quite surprised because I remember having a good impression when I first went with Liz to the Pavillion outlet. I can't remember now what we had then, but the standards should be the same, no? Err, now I'm reminded of the sub-standard fare of Secret Recipe @ Wisma Thrifty. Shouldn't be so forgiving.

Anyhoo, I was checking other reviews online and it seems that others already have the same "doesn't meet expectations" view. So much for World Famous. Oh well, at least they're pork-free and using Halal chicken and meat.

Moving on. Next one, please...

Well, I have to say t'wasn't so bad. D had replacement classes (computer and golf) to go to, so we were occupied most of the day. Tomorrow's Saturday, so the normal routine applies. We'll see how the first week, then the first month goes... Maybe I'll go bonkers by the 2nd week... who knows?

Next Thursday, we'll be going for the first of many (as I foresee it) of A's doctor's appointments. Sure hope they have good news for me. As in the exact date of the surgery. So that I can make plans. All other plans depend on A's surgery (or surgeries). Sigh. I hate waiting.

I had planned to take up a certificate course in translating. Yeah. Those who know me know that I have a flair for languages. I've always been interested to do translating work, and also subtitling. Y'know, those subtitles you see on TV... Someone's gotta do it, right? And sometimes those subtitles are so waaayyy out of context. I think I can do a slightly better job. Hehe. And I thought that this could be a potential avenue for me to work from home. Yeah, in case I plan to permanently be on sabbatical leave. Or in case I get the boot. You never know. But, this is just me and my backup plans lah.

So what did I do yesterday and today? Yesterday, as planned, we went to Wan Umi's house for lunch and ended up staying until ~5pm. Needless to say, G and I never made it to the gym. Today G went to work (half day je, he played golf in the afternoon), and I took the boys around. Came home at about a quarter to 4pm. I made myself go on the stepper which recently saw the light of day after months in storage. I only lasted 100 reps (which took about 10 minutes). My right knee hurts like ****!! Tomorrow, I promise to try and better today's measly attempt. Hey, at least I tried.

Tomorrow night G and I are going to dinner with N and S. So another restaurant review! I'm so pleased that my monthly dates with G and other adults are happening. I'm not sure how it'll work out when A goes for the surgery. We'll see.

The boys are going for a sleepover in their cousin's house. M had been asking D to go to his house since yesterday (when we met at Wan Umi's house). Kesian pulak. D didn't want to go at first, but finally relented. Anyhoo, they should be well entertained. And G and I will have the house to ourselves until Sunday noon. G and I also promised ourselves we'll get our a$$es to the gym on Sunday morning before we pick the boys up. We must!

Before I end this posting, 2 things to note. D told me yesterday he didn't want to grow up. He wants to be a small boy forever. I have yet to devise a kid-friendly way of asking why he feels he should remain a small boy. I have to figure something out.

2ndly, lately A has been alarmingly clingy. I have no idea why. Basically, he cries (ey, complete with wailing, and heaving shoulders, and tears and snot, ok?) whenever I move out of his sight. Why aa? Some people say he's got the sense that he's going to be hospitalized soon. Some people say he's clingy because... jeng3x... I'm expecting. Erk?! Never thought of that. We have been quite careful, G and I. I mean, we're not planning for another one. He's going to be 40 soon, and me 36 this year. There are quite a number of risks. Hmm.

I don't want to speculate. We'll just get the test kit and get it done with. Check this space for updates. [Update: the result is negative. Repeat, negative. Order has been restored. :)]

1st day of 2009. Hmm... What is the plan today? Lunch at Wan Umi's house, then off to Subang Parade. Both G and I decided that we will start going to the gym again today. The boys should be entertained in the playroom for an hour or so.

Tomorrow - D has computer class in the morning, then followed by golf in the afternoon - both replacement classes. Then Saturday it's the usual routine. (I have to get a time slot for another computer class replacement.) Sunday we'll hang out at home. Then next Monday D starts school. Where I'll be starting my new job - driver. :)

It's kind of weird to think that tomorrow I don't have to get ready for work. I'm mentally prepared for this, but until you go through it, there's no telling how the whole new lifestyle affects you. I've been working for the past 10 and a half years. Getting up every morning Mon-Fri and immerse myself in another totally different world. A world of KPIs and results and problems and decisions. Where others' needs are usually put before my own. Where my opinion and guidance are sought and affects business decisions...

WHOA! [Mental brakes.] Whaaaat am I doing? Not even the first day not at work and I'm reminiscing? Soooo weird.

Anyhoo, I'm keeping myself occupied. There are some courses that I'd like to take - to enhance my "latent" talent and skills... :) That's of course besides the fact that I'm making myself fully available to my boys... I'm quite looking forward to it. With some apprehension though.

Resolutions? Plenty. One of it is to try and blog every day, or every other day, at least. So that I can look back at this chapter of my life, and its lessons. This is going to be an interesting year.

If it's not, doggoneit! I'll MAKE it interesting! ;P

Happy New Year! And may Allah bless us and guide us in whatever we choose to do.