Mighty Irfan

Nadiah is sitting on her stroller



But who is pushing her???

Oh.. it's a superbaby... it's Mighty Irfan....

Play And Swim

Took Nadiah and Irfan to the park today. Oh I forgot to tell that we are babysitting Irfan for 2 weeks because his nursery is closed for two weeks for Christmas. We are most happy to have him here. He seems to be enjoying himself chasing after the cats :D.

Anyway, park time was only for a few minutes because I cannot handle one kid whose wanting to walk everywhere himself now that he has started to walk, while the other kid running around and trying to take her shoes off so she could walk on the sand that's crawling with red ants. Uh-uh I SO cannot handle it on my own. Shukri had gone to the barber which was nearby so left me alone with the kids in the car. I thought I could handle both in the park. But decided to bundle them all up back in the car to wait.

Then after lunch we went to SP because Nadiah wanted to swim at the club. G was with us but we left him at Bro#1's house so he could "play" with Daniel. At the chalet, we met up with Amir who was all dressed for swimming. So I quickly get Nadiah changed into her swim suit and off we went. The kids had a great time in the pool and keep splashing me and Shukri. And we of coursed counter attacked. But they were already wet so there really was no point in it. But oh sooo much fun!!

After the swim, Shukri went out with Amir and his dad, and on the way picked up G and Daniel to go and get some dinner. It was fun having everybody gathered up like that while watching The Fugitive on the telly.

We all left around 9 pm. Sent Daniel back home and headed back to Alor Star right after.
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By the way, this is my 100th post. So happy 100th Post Anniversary to Beads n Sequins blog!!

Christmas Day

Christmas morning.... seems like any other morning. Nadiah got up early today. Most of the family had gone to Langkawi for dad's family gathering. We couldn't go because it will be a difficult thing to get Nadiah on the boat. Maybe when she's older, we could go if they have another gathering.

Since Shukri had gone to help out his dad at the shop, I took Nadiah out shopping. Well, not really shopping, but to exchange some of her clothes that I had bought because the size was wrong. Since it's Christmas time, they had a lot of christmasy decorations on sale and Nadiah especially liked the colourful garlands hanging on the rack. I found her buried in them and wrapping them around her neck. What fun she had :D. I just had to take these photos of her. Didn't much care if people were looking.. LOL!!

In the evening, all three of us went out for a drive. First we stopped at Gemilang Burger stall in Medan Kota. If you like those stall-made burgers, I would have to say that Gemilang makes THE best burger in all of Alor Star. And they are fast too!! Then we drove over to Tanjung Chalie to eat them burgers. It's a beautiful place along Sungai Kedah. Very tranquil, especially with the sun setting over the river. I've never actually stopped and parked at the tanjung. Most times we just drive past it without even giving it a second glance. They have now made a dataran or square and a tower where you can sit and just relax, looking out to the river.

This school holiday is turning out to be quite an exploration. We are taking the time to stop and really "see" what is in our hometown. One of these days we must go to the Padi Exhibition Center we've been hearing so much about. Dad has been bugging us to go for quite some time now.

Hari Raya Aldiladha

December 20th, 2007

Raya haji this year did not feel like raya. Very quite and not much fuss around it. We didn't even make any cookies, not even my very quick, very simple chocolate cake. The men were not even dressed in their baju melayu, except for the prayers, and they got changed immediately after. Shukri and my dad went to see the korban after the prayers and only got back around 2pm. And only then that we went to my in-laws. And by that time all the other in-laws had come and gone, so we didn't get to meet them.

After a few hours, were were back at home and some relatives came and went. So that was about it for this year's raya korban. But we did get G to take a quick photo of the three of us.



So SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILADHA to all the Muslims... err.. a belated one, that is.

Kuala Kedah Marina Habour

December 14th, 2007

I've been neglecting this blog again. Been meaning to post this one since we went there which was on the 14th December. We went for a drive one evening and decided to take Nadiah to look at the sea. So went up to the Kuala Kedah Marina Habour which is about 30 minutes drive from home. The castle-like building is the central point of attraction, I think, to those who come by this place. There is also the Old Fort (or Kota Lama) which is in ruin nearby, but this 'castle' is still the main attraction. Why, you ask me? This is why..



Does it not look like it came out of an English scenery? Somewhat Normanic or some sort like that. It just doesn't go with the surrounding area, which I might say is very, very kampung.

It's bad enough that this castle was build here, now take a look at this:



Don't you think that zinc roofing really top it all off?? I agree that the castle is beautiful, design-wise. I have no complains there. I just don't think that it should be BUILT there. So sayang. Such a beautiful building ruined by all that roofing. Maybe it's under construction or something and the roofs are just temporary. I hope they are.

Anyway, we went further along to stop at the beach and probably have Nadiah wet her feet in the water (although she refused to go any further from the car) and found that the beach has become a dumpster. There were rubbish everywhere.. I mean, literally everywhere. People over here are so lacking in civic mindedness (<-not sure if this word actually exist). They don't care about the beauty or cleanliness of the landscape. They don't care about having to enjoy the time and not have to step on rotten food. I just don't understand why they can't just throw rubbish in the bin. I mean honestly, how simple can that be??? Okay, enough of my ranting and raving. All in all, the trip was educational for Nadiah because she got to see boats, or rather tongkang. Plus there were a lot of real-life cows and goats to feast her eyes on.




That's as fas as Nadiah would go...


See all that rubbish??

Old Friends and New Friends

The power of internet sometimes still has the powers to amaze me. This couple of months, I've been introduce to Facebook. A netwoking program that has taken me everywhere, meeting up with old friends. Some of which I have not seen or spoken to in more than 20 years. Amazing!!

I've always like having friends and making friends. I think friends are the most treasured thing that you can find. And I am blessed by having a handful of really trusted and TRUE friends. If you've never tried or have never heard of Facebook before, go here and try searching for some friends of yours. Chances are, you'll find them there.

On the other hand, I've also made some new friends over the internet. Friends that share the same interest as I do: scrapbooking, beading and books. A year ago, I have never been into a forum or a blog and had no interest at all to try them. Then one day, I just thought why not? So I tried and a year later, here I am richer by a number of more friends that I did before.

Two days ago, I met up with two of my forum buddies, Nad and Michelle and had a great time just talking about scrapbooking... for 2 hours... non-stop!! Thanks, Mich for inviting and hope to see you guys again soon!

Then they were the friends I've made, but have never met... too many to count right this moment. But know that you are all appreciated and treasured. Hope to meet face to face one of these days...

Another Zoo Trip

*Please go here to see an Exploding Zoo Box that I've created.

We just got back from KL last night. This time we made sure that the trip to Zoo Negara was definitely on. No more cancellations. We have been planning to go for months and months but each time there was always something better to do... namely shopping... hahaa!!

So we finally did go this time. As this KL trip includes G and Daniel, we brought them along too. Two days before the actual day, me and Shukri has been feeding Nadiah with zoo ideas. We keep mentioning the word zoo or spelling out Z-O-O for her and calling out animal names. She got excited about it all that she was literally jumping up and down early that morning.

So the day came and I had the map in hand and practically memorised the road as we didn't want to get lost. It took us about 1 and a half hours from Bangsar to the zoo. The traffic was terrible that it actually took up more than an hour just to get from the front of the apartment to Jalan Duta. Luckily Nadiah did not make any fuss but was rather enjoying the sights of so many cars. After that it was smooth sailing.

I am too lazy to write up on every single animals that we saw, so just enjoy the pics

It's About Time I Blog Again

Gosh! I'm a bad, bad blogger. I update a day or two, then I'm MIA for a month. Sheesh!!

It's the school holidays now and I hardly have time for myself. Been cracking my head with what to do day after day to keep Nadiah occupied. She misses her school. I know coz everytime we pass the junction to her school, she would say "skool, skool". Poor girl. I wish the school would open even for just a few days. Even the thrill of having cats at home has almost gone. The only thing that she still does is getting the cats out of their kitty house and stuffed (I mean literaly stuffed!!)the cats into a smaller cage. Then the little madam would do her stuff - ride her bike, ride the scooter, go on the swings and running around having fun. Basically just ignoring the cats. But don't even think of letting the cats out because Nadiah has some magic eyes and she knows when the cats have escaped. I feel sorry for the cats. No freedom at all *sigh*.

Yesterday we all went out for a drive and Nadiah saw a kite flying high up in the sky. And so she cried out "kite" and pointing to it and baba straight away turned the car in the direction of the people selling kites. He thought of getting Nadiah the pretty butterfly shaped one but she wanted the stripey rainbow coloured one. Since it was a little windy, we decided to go to the stadium vacinity and have a go at the kite. Nadiah had a blast. And so did Baba. There was not that much wind and the kite only managed to go up a little over 15 feet high. But that didn't matter to Nadiah coz it was really flying!!

"I Can Only Imagine"

Recently a scrapbooking buddy of mine who has a brain injured child posted a link of an article about a father's love for his special child. It was such an inspiring read.

Here is the whole article (or you can read it from the link at: :http://www.teamhoyt.com/history.shtml)

Racing Towards Inclusion by David Tereshchuck
Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America.

It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can't walk or talk.

For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick.

At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development.

"It’s been a story of exclusion ever since he was born," Dick told me. "When he was eight months old the doctors told us we should just put him away — he’d be a vegetable all his life, that sort of thing. Well those doctors are not alive any more, but I would like them to be able to see Rick now."

The couple brought their son home determined to raise him as "normally" as possible. Within five years, Rick had two younger brothers, and the Hoyts were convinced Rick was just as intelligent as his siblings. Dick remembers the struggle to get the local school authorities to agree: "Because he couldn’t talk they thought he wouldn’t be able to understand, but that wasn’t true." The dedicated parents taught Rick the alphabet. "We always wanted Rick included in everything," Dick said. "That’s why we wanted to get him into public school."

A group of Tufts University engineers came to the rescue, once they had seen some clear, empirical evidence of Rick’s comprehension skills. "They told him a joke," said Dick. "Rick just cracked up. They knew then that he could communicate!" The engineers went on to build — using $5,000 the family managed to raise in 1972 - an interactive computer that would allow Rick to write out his thoughts using the slight head-movements that he could manage. Rick came to call it "my communicator." A cursor would move across a screen filled with rows of letters, and when the cursor highlighted a letter that Rick wanted, he would click a switch with the side of his head.

When the computer was originally brought home, Rick surprised his family with his first "spoken" words. They had expected perhaps "Hi, Mom" or "Hi, Dad." But on the screen Rick wrote "Go Bruins." The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season, and his family realized he had been following the hockey games along with everyone else. "So we learned then that Rick loved sports," said Dick.

In 1975, Rick was finally admitted into a public school. Two years later, he told his father he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick, far from being a long-distance runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They finished next to last, but they felt they had achieved a triumph. That night, Dick remembers, "Rick told us he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing."

Rick’s realization turned into a whole new set of horizons that opened up for him and his family, as "Team Hoyt" began to compete in more and more events. Rick reflected on the transformation process for me, using his now-familiar but ever-painstaking technique of picking out letters of the alphabet:

" What I mean when I say I feel like I am not handicapped when competing is that I am just like the other athletes, and I think most of the athletes feel the same way. In the beginning nobody would come up to me. However, after a few races some athletes came around and they began to talk to me. During the early days one runner, Pete Wisnewski had a bet with me at every race on who would beat who. The loser had to hang the winner’s number in his bedroom until the next race. Now many athletes will come up to me before the race or triathlon to wish me luck."

It is hard to imagine now the resistance which the Hoyts encountered early on, but attitudes did begin to change when they entered the Boston Marathon in 1981, and finished in the top quarter of the field. Dick recalls the earlier, less tolerant days with more sadness than anger:

"Nobody wanted Rick in a road race. Everybody looked at us, nobody talked to us, nobody wanted to have anything to do with us. But you can’t really blame them - people often are not educated, and they’d never seen anyone like us. As time went on, though, they could see he was a person — he has a great sense of humor, for instance. That made a big difference."

After 4 years of marathons, Team Hoyt attempted their first triathlon — and for this Dick had to learn to swim. "I sank like a stone at first" Dick recalled with a laugh "and I hadn’t been on a bike since I was six years old."

With a newly-built bike (adapted to carry Rick in front) and a boat tied to Dick’s waist as he swam, the Hoyts came in second-to-last in the competition held on Father’s Day 1985.

"We chuckle to think about that as my Father’s Day present from Rick, " said Dick.

They have been competing ever since, at home and increasingly abroad. Generally they manage to improve their finishing times. "Rick is the one who inspires and motivates me, the way he just loves sports and competing," Dick said.

And the business of inspiring evidently works as a two-way street. Rick typed out this testimony:

"Dad is one of my role models. Once he sets out to do something, Dad sticks to it whatever it is, until it is done. For example once we decided to really get into triathlons, dad worked out, up to five hours a day, five times a week, even when he was working."

The Hoyts’ mutual inspiration for each other seems to embrace others too — many spectators and fellow-competitors have adopted Team Hoyt as a powerful example of determination. "It’s been funny," said Dick "Some people have turned out, some in good shape, some really out of shape, and they say ‘we want to thank you, because we’re here because of you’."

Rick too has taken full note of their effect on fellow-competitors while racing:

"Whenever we are passed (usually on the bike) the athlete will say "Go for it!" or "Rick, help your Dad!" When we pass people (usually on the run) they’ll say "Go Team Hoyt!" or "If not for you, we would not be out here doing this."

Most of all, perhaps, the Hoyts can see an impact from their efforts in the area of the handicapped, and on public attitudes toward the physically and mentally challenged.

"That’s the big thing," said Dick. "People just need to be educated. Rick is helping many other families coping with disabilities in their struggle to be included."

That is not to say that all obstacles are now overcome for the Hoyts. Dick is "still bothered," he says, by people who are discomforted because Rick cannot fully control his tongue while eating. "In restaurants - and it’s only older people mostly - they’ll see Rick’s food being pushed out of his mouth and they’ll leave, or change their table. But I have to say that kind of intolerance is gradually being defeated."

Rick’s own accomplishments, quite apart from the duo’s continuing athletic success, have included his moving on from high school to Boston University, where he graduated in 1993 with a degree in special education. That was followed a few weeks later by another entry in the Boston Marathon. As he fondly pictured it: "On the day of the marathon from Hopkinton to Boston people all over the course were wishing me luck, and they had signs up which read `congratulations on your graduation!’"

Rick now works at Boston College’s computer laboratory helping to develop a system codenamed "Eagle Eyes," through which mechanical aids (like for instance a powered wheelchair) could be controlled by a paralyzed person’s eye-movements, when linked-up to a computer.

Together the Hoyts don’t only compete athletically; they also go on motivational speaking tours, spreading the Hoyt brand of inspiration to all kinds of audiences, sporting and non-sporting, across the country.

Rick himself is confident that his visibility — and his father’s dedication — perform a forceful, valuable purpose in a world that is too often divisive and exclusionary. He typed a simple parting thought:

"The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life."

David Tereshchuk is a documentary television producer. He currently works for the United Nations.

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And now watch this video




By the time I finished watching this video, I had goosebumps and tears were streaming down my face. I felt that what we have to deal with Nadiah's mild autism is nothing compared to Rick Hoyt's. If they can do it, we most certainly can do it too.

-I CAN ONLY IMAGINE-

Good Luck

Today is the start of SPM. All the best to G. Hope you'll do well. Hope you are prepared, and even if you are not.. well... too late to do anything else!!!

I made a card for him and all of us wrote something in it. My favourite is the advice that Amir wrote for him, which reads : "Good luck, jangan loklaq". Well said, Amir!!

So G....

GOOD LUCK
ALL THE BEST
BONNE CHANCE
GAMBATE KUDASAI
GUID LUCK
and all those good wishes....

More on cats..

We just came back from KL yesterday. Nadiah didn't even miss her cats. Hmmm.... this probably means that she is over her cat-crazy phase. This also means mama and baba are stuck with taking care of the cats. Darn it!!

As soon as we arrived back, my mom brought Orange to Nadiah, and she promptly took the cat back to it's kitty house. Under lock and key. Poor cats.. no freedom at all.

We left the cats for 3 days and they stink to high heaven. Sheesh!! This morning we gave each a bath and a blow-dry and they are smelling nice (as nice as a cat could smell, that is!!) and fluffy again.

The Magnificent Four

Nadiah had fun yesterday playing with her cousins. Everybody had a bike each so they were racing around the house to Nadiah's "On your marks, get set.. GO!"

It's good to see her having fun with the others. I see my dad watching from the porch, happy and proud to see his cucus enjoying themselves. I wish Irfan could have been here. We could put him in the stroller and he could join in the race too.

I caught this on video:

Oh BTW, yesterday was Irfan's first birthday. Too bad we all couldldn't be with him to celebrate. Maybe we'll have a little party over the school holidays and take a trip to the zoo or something. That would be so much FUN!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IRFAN..
Hope you had a blast at the aquarium looking at the fish... :D

Cats

We now have 2 cats living with us. It all started with Nadiah going ga-ga over the cats at the pet shop a few weeks ago. Everyday we would stop for 15 mins or so at the pet shop so Nadiah can have fun poking, pulling furs and feeling the texture of the cats' ears. Then one day, 2 kittens suddenly appeared at our house. Nobody seemed to have any claims on them so Nadiah declared them hers. As I am allergic to cats, I stood as far away as I could just taking pictures of Nadiah. Shukri had to do most of the work like bathing the cats, feeding and the best job EVER... scooping up cats' poop from the sand dish (thank God for my allergies!!)







Anyway, in order to make sure the kittens are clean and well fed, Shukri made a kitty house. He took two days build it from scratch and I must say that it was a job well done!! Hats off to Baba!!









Although there are two kittens, Nadiah only like playing with the orange one, which she aptly named Orange. The other kitten which is grey had different names almost everyday before we finally settled on ChitChat. I pity Orange because she's stuck in the kitty house most of the time and whenever we let her out to run around, Nadiah would scoop her up and take her for a walk everywhere she went. I fear Orange would suffer from laziness eventually. Sometimes she would take Orange on her bike, but refusing to let the poor cat sit in the basket but would hold the cat in one hand. As seen in this video:



Then she would take Orange up on the swings with her. But Orange would just curl quietly in her arms making absolutely no fuss (probably dizzy from all that rocking!!).