Family

Dumb Ways to Spend Money on Your Kids

We love our kids. We love them above all. We spend our hard-earned money on them so they get equal opportunity like other kids do. But we don’t have spend our bling bling money over them, like there’s no tomorrow.

Some of us may disagree with me. “Yeah, why not. If we love them, we should give everything they want. If they want expensive toys, let them have it. We spend on our kids anyway, not on our next door kids.”

What if our spending habit takes its toll on our financial stability? 

Spending on expensive, branded items is against my policy. I, as a dad of two kids, didn’t argue that we should give them all especially toys. But so far, I manage to divert from buying expensive toys from Toy R’ S.

Well, not all toys. Sometimes, I feel a sympathy over them when they make cute little frown lips and watery-eye-is-about-to-spill tears.

 It’s a battle I should say. If I lose, I buy item expensive thing at branded outlets like Mickey or Toy R us. If I win, we travel 20 kilometers from our home to shopping second hand toys at Amcorp Mall.

As our kids grow older, they may get influenced by yummy advertising shown all over the internet, TV, or radio. They started to choose brand over quality. So they can show off to their group of friends. And we, parent — as always — go for the cheap ones.

But when two interests collide with each other. There will be one side that’s always lose. In order, to save our money from getting drained, and to teach them how to separate them from becoming brand/fashion victim, we must find solution.

Teach them how to choose. The notion of “going for alternative, cheaper brand” must always in their mind.

GoBankingRate suggested that:

How to say ‘no’: For young kids, a fun way to demonstrate that cheaper brands and name brands are often similar is a blind taste test. Ask kids to identify which is the brand name and which is the generic. Even if they’re correct in identifying the products, they’ll notice how similar they are.

There’s another way how to teach them: To be a role model to them. We should not buy our item base on fashion, but base on quality. I know it’s hard to let go of an LV handbag and buy Bonia handbag instead. But for our children sake. We should do that.

5 Dumb Ways to Spend Money on Your Kids [Bankrate via GoBankingRates]

photo by: Digital Sextant

Dad’s Power And How He Can Beat The Price Of A Chicken

Photo: The Star

1. First of all, the price of a chicken isn’t going to decrease at all. In fact, . The Star Newspaper reported that May inflation rate is up to 1.7% compared to last year. This is a bad news for dad, especially a young dad like me, who struggles with limited money against his kids expense, loans, utilities, and all. Another percent of inflation is another headache to bear. The good news is, the inflation rate over the last five years is in consistent move but we don’t how long it will last.

We should be worried because average salary increase has shown the downward trend from 94 – 2007. There’s no way we can beat the economy with the salary. What we can do is, we can beat them with our expenses and demands. When both of them — especially our demands — are decreasing in the market. The market will go down its price.

2. Understand the basic micro economy. Micro economy is a study of how to we manage our unlimited want with limited resources. Also, micro economy studies demands and supplies curves in a market. You see, if there’s a demand in a market, there will be a supply. If the demand is increasing, the line will be shifting, forcing the price to go upward along the line of supply. There’s a video to make you understand.

Same as if happened the demand becomes decreasing, the price will follow downward, produce the surplus in the market. Let’s take an example of selling price of chicken. Hypothetically, 1 kilogram of a chicken is RM6.50. If no one demand a chicken in a certain period of time, the seller will surely lower the price as they afraid their chickens will be rotted. Surplus.

Read More…

Life Is A Learning Curve

Photo: TonyHall

 Life is a learning curve to what some people always say. It’s true in many ways.

Life is the greatest teacher. The older you are, the more experience you get.

But, if you don’t take lessons from tragic incidents or memorial events in your life, unfortunately, you missed the opportunity, to learn something valuable.

Our world seems to accept that our knowledge is measured by a piece of paper.

If you’re a degree holder, people look you in an entirely different way.

Now hear me this: It’s just formality and academical. Just because you have completed doing degree or master’s degree, doesn’t mean you know everything. It’s just a beginning. Lessons in life take a long, long time to learn — well, a lifetime.

Let’s say that you have good self-initiatives to improve yourself, you will go to public speaking class, foreign language class, writing class, singing class, and even go to surau or mosque to hear some motivational, religious speech.

You always trying to improve the area of weaknesses.

Introduction to lifelong learning. According to Wikipedia – Lifelong Learning or LLL, is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime.

LLL is divided into two:

  • Formal: training, counseling, tutoring, mentorship, apprenticeship
  • Informal: experience and situation.

Benefits of lifelong learning

1. Protect your head. My head and your head and every father’s head are the most valuable asset. They become more valuable than others when you give fuel to them, by doing something that can also lower your risk of getting Alzheimer — like reading books, playing instrument, analyzing problems, doing research, brain teaser games and etc.

Here some other things keep your head protected: Regular exercise, Healthy diet, Mental stimulation, Quality sleep, Stress management, An active social life [via HelpGuide]

2. Your intelligence is superior to others. Jogging is a fitness exercise for your physical body. Lifelong learning is a fitness exercise for your intelligence. While others keep decreasing because they are too lazy, yours is increasing handsomely because you schedule ‘your jogging for brain’ activity accordingly.

3. Earn more money. If a father keeps improving himself, some people will get impressed by it. Eventually, the father have no problem to bring more money to his family because [1] his writing is doing well and landed a freelance job, [2] a foreign language class he’s attending finally gets him paid as a part-time translator job, and [3] his public speaking training gets him invitations to give inspirational speeches in many events.

4. Increase your confidence. LLL increases your confidence. Now a father can overcome the stress of continuous crying of his baby because he knows a solution to that matters. His balance between work and life is becoming more stable, because his confidence musters like the way it should.

5. Self-satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment.  A father feels his life full with colors of happiness, because he realizes how much satisfying when doing something that can benefit to himself and his family.

From daddy’s POV. 

In my opinions, a father should have LLL plan in his mind, at least. Job as a father — like other paid job — needs to be sharpened to keep the competency level at its best. Reading is a good thing to know something you’re don’t know. You have a curious feeling inside of you that wants to come out. You read about sleeping pattern just to know whether your son has been sleeping well as recommended. You even take extra mile, unconventional way by watching YouTube videos to get ideas for useful activities, and indirectly improve your son’s motoring skill, intelligence, and learning ability.

Taking advice from the older ones prevent you from the same thing happened happen your life. As you know, not all the advices are usable or appropriate. May be the advices are against your family policy and constitution. Make your decision only for what’s good for your family.

Conclusion: Learning is a continuing process. A father must be knowledgeable. A father must know about almost everything. It’s a bullet vest when your son fires questions like a machine gun.

Lesson is not some kind of numbers and figures that you’ve been rewarded after three years of struggling to get a decent degree in a university.

If you’re getting comfort by knowing that you’re superior to anyone else around you just because you have the scroll of education, then you haven’t been learning anything.

Some good articles about lifelong learning

Desa Water Park trip worth RM94.50

Entrance Fee : RM 24 (Adult) / RM17 (Child)
Total Paid : RM65

Foods : RM 14.50 (3 Nasik Lemak + 2 Fishballs)

Tube Rental : RM 15

 

[1] The theme park not as big as Sunway Lagoon but it worth for money that you paid for. At least you can spend up to 5-6 hours there

[2] The foods :  Expensive, not variety, tasteless

[3] The theme park is located next to Indah Water sewage plant – smelly

[4] The theme park tile flooring is quite harmful. I found needle and the gap between mosaic quite big. Amirul scratched his elbow

Photo taken under water using Olympus

[5] Attractions :

Shock Wave – Mr Hubby enjoy this the most. He can lay on the float sambil silang kaki menikmati shockwave. Geram je tengok tau.

Where is Mr Hubby???

  • Super Tube – Ride and scream and feel the excitement completely by myself. Mr Hubby took care of Amirul & Widad
  • Suft Shark – Similar to  Super Tube but kid version. Main ngn Amirul and Widad. Nice
  • Action River – Buat satu round with single tube. Ok la. But i prefer the one at Sunway Lagoon. Beside the river there were trees, so that rase damai jer, windy, shady,
  • Water Factory – Amirul and Widad play area

Photos :

Mummy complete with goggle,Adik complete with life jacket and noodle. Safety 1st. :D

Abang main pistol air.

Daddy

Widad – tak takut air, boleh floating skit2,

Puss in Boots Movie Date with Kids

image

As widad is cat die hard fan,we had rewards her to watch puss in boots last Sunday

Overall,the movie:

(1) just nice.actually im quite dissapointed as im hoping for something that not only good entertainment for kids but adults as well.i am expecting something like kung fu panda 2.erhmm

(2) not much laughing part but the story line is good

(3) me and widad were sleeping when the goose come to the town looking for her child.tgh2 climax bleh lak tersleep.huhuh

(4) however,amirul enjoy the movie eventho his sister was sleeping soundly in the cinema.uhukss

(5) rating :2/5 – this is my opinion, dont feel offended with my view.

Congrat Acu Mimi

2A’s 2B’s 1C for UPSR

With her condition(she is OKU),she had done her best and i’ m proud of u sister.may bright future always be with you.amin

My Mom Teaches About Life #2: Obstacles

This is the series of My Mom Teaches Me About Life

Photo: littleFIRE

A CURRENT OBSTACLE ENDS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW, MORE CHALLENGING ONE

UPSR challenge.
1. “Do you want to be first in the family without straight As in UPSR, huh. Do you want to be the first?” This was the first challenge I ever face. My soul was cursed with fear. Fear that I could be the one who broke the family records.

2. That was the moment I ever wished I wasn’t born in education-oriented family. No matter how hard I try to deny, I have to live by fact that my father is a professor who loves books so much as he only see how many ‘A’ that I can bring to home from school.

3. The result of my UPSR (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah) trial was so bad: I got 4Bs (that was real bad for my family). And this had brought disgrace to my family education records. My two elder sisters and my one and only brother, they got great result which is straight As in UPSR.

4. And that made me sad. That year was my moment to continue my elders’ records. I had to drag the heavy burden behind my back and only god knew how much I hate myself.

5. Because my of trial result, I had to — with the deepest guilty in my heart — felt the spray of the water that came out of my mother’s mouth, talking about an uneducated person who led their live miserably with no money, and couldn’t even take care of himself. It went on for 2 hours.

6. Before I went to sleep, I was staring at the ceiling and I wonder how selfish this family was. They only care about grade and all.

7. If I got even one B in my result, I packed my bag and runaway. Well, that was my first thought. But really, I had been thinking through for while and I guess — that runaway thing — was not in my constitution. I decided to face my fear.

IT WAS STRESSFUL.
8. UPSR was like a big, giant stone that I had to hammer it to piece for me to continue my journey of life. Only god knows how hard to I try to pursuing all As. I was trying so hard that if I continue to use the same effort to all challenges for the next 20 years, I could be so intelligent like a rocket scientist.

9. The thing was, I forced myself to set my study-hard effort into motion in pursuing straight As. Like chasing a butterfly, I caught them all. I was flooded with congratulations from all friend and family. My life was full with colors and sunshine. I remember I was smiling a lot as I received an award, as one of the best achievers, on the school stage in front my fellow family, friends and teachers.

10. Just as I proud with my UPSR crap and all, and I believe the magnitude of that happiness wasn’t worn-out until I reached Form 3 — I faced another, more challenging obstacle in my education life : PMR (Penilaian Menengah Rendah)

PMR Challenge onwards.
11. The funny thing was, my effort in chasing all ‘A’s in PMR, was not as much as I put when I was facing UPSR. When I looked back, things that I should do were: I should sit properly, take deep breath, and focus to what I have to achieve — all ‘A’s, to make family proud, my father especially.

I FAILED TO IMPRESS EVERYONE
12. I got 6As, 2Bs, 1D. And I was about to get kicked out from the school, then my father saved me.

13. My father was a Yang Dipertua PIBG, president of the parent-teacher organization. From 1996 to 1998, he carried his responsibility like he had golds in his hand. Because of his intelligent moves and decisions, all parents were in favors for him to continue his excellence in carrying his duty.

14. But you have to have a kid in that school. So if I being kicked out of the school, my father had to let go of his position.

15. The requirement for a student to continue his/her study was, you had to have at least C grade in Arabic Language. I got D. And of course, because of that, I had to find another school.

16. Since the parents and the teachers loved my father a lot, they made an exception for my batch only.

17. I caught my breath for a while, and felt relieve. I, as well as my friends who were below the requirement, continue studying in that school. I promised to myself to study hard, just like I did with UPSR.

18. But I failed to follow my promise.

19. I played more and studied less. I thought I was big enough to decide what’s best for my life. And I was not feeling guilty about that. I was out of focus. Getting excellent result wasn’t my goal anymore.

20. My SPM result was bad. I wanted to eat the result paper.

21. I despised myself to see my friends waving goodbye at airports because they had the opportunity to further study abroad: Japan. Germany. UK. US. You name it.

22. Right now, when I think back to the years that I had been taking for granted, my hands are shaking with full of regrets. My heart is beating so fast to realize that I can’t return back in time and fix the things that had become a history.

BECOMING A FATHER AND ITS CHALLENGES
17. I have a lot of worries in my mind. They’re playing tricks inside of me, keep on telling me that I can’t a good father and even a good husband. I try not to listen to the endless whispers that discourage me for being a better man.

18. When I look at my son, I foresee that he will be just like me: rebel, arrogant, and careless. Let others worry about his future and not feeling guilty about ruining his own life.

19. Some peoole said your kids will follow your tracks. If you do bad things when you’re young, then they will do bad things too.

20. And that what I’m afraid of.

21. I always don’t care about hurting someone’s feeling until now. I hurt my teacher’s feeling who depends on my result for their performance, my father who presume a higher expectation from me, my friends, and the education itself.

CONCLUSION.
22. What I should do back then? If I got the DeLorean car and back to where it began, I should tell my oneself that:

  • You have to focus.
  • Don’t be fooling around.
  • Study instead of bullying your junior.
  • Respect your teacher. No matter how hard you study, you can’t score without teacher’s approval.
  • Love your family. Don’t be a rebellion like a stupid teenager
  • Do what your father and mother told you.

My Mom Teaches Me About Life #1: Eat Like Poor People

 

Photo: blentley

1. My mom is a supreme cop, Judge Dredd, Robocop, or whatever fancy names you want to label. But my mom is nothing like it. No one can ever be leveled with her. She IS much more than that. She’s a panther of the jungle who always taking control of a situation and turns it into something you can’t possibly imagine when you’re kid. If, me and other siblings, had done something wrong, then we knew what kind of ‘reward’ we would get.

2. Yes. What followed after that, was a supersonic voice, and drilling pinches, and endless lecture about how grateful I was, compared to other kids who lived in Somalia.

3. My mom is a unique woman. And I love her. She used to believe (and she is now) that good people were made of steel. The more strictness you are, the more powerful you would become. And yes, it was totally proven – everyone in the family leads a happy life and have a decent job. I remember that my mom taught me about life when I was little:

EAT LIKE POOR PEOPLE
4. I’m so crazy in love with hot chili-based foods and dishes. Those foods make my head itchy and I can feel the sweat on my back every time I look at them. It seems like I have a superpower: the hotter the food is, the itchier the skin of my head will be.

5. Then the memory of me and my mom that I can’t forget, no matter how hard I try,  the first time I got smacked by my mother because of the chilli Boh.

6. I can’t fight the feeling of irresistible temptation when I see red color in food — I drank chili boh she had been prepared that morning. I got smacked like a thunder in the sky.

7. And I also remembered how my mom told me that we have to be prepared ourselves with less ordinary food if we broke that consequently led to extreme poverty life and we had to eat a lovely cat or lizard in order to survive.

8. So, at least once a week she prepared the most lowest level kind of food like rice with fried fish, and black soy ketchup.

9. Usually we, as siblings, were served with at least more than two dishes.

10. If a few pieces of rice was dropped off of the plate, make sure you pick it up. And the table had to be cleaned without sign of food. If not, the punishment shall be your coat.

11. There must be no sign of rice on the table. Those rice have to be what they suppose to be: on plate. I had to eat my dinner in careful manner, not to drop a single grain of rice if my mother noticed that I ignored it, I would get pinched on my thigh.

12. It’s hard to be a mom. Especially when she had no assistant to wash plates, bowl, and she had to deal with her children who have no table manner like Vikings. Well, of course, aside from we get a burning sensation of pinching on our thighs because of our behavior, we also have to wash our own dishes.

NO LUXURY FOOD UNTIL YOU APPRECIATE OF HOW GRATEFUL YOU ARE
13. She seldom cook for us any luxury food to teach us that we have to be grateful and live a life less ordinary.

14. Don’t let our food becomes a waste because there are millions of poor people who need food and, everyday they die because of food deprivation.

PREPARE FOR THE RAINY DAYS.
Why my mom cooked and served like we have only RM3 left in our pocket? She did that because she wanted me to be prepared for the worst, and not to complain about it.

Balik Raya di Kelantan

2 unfortunate and unexpected things happened before we went back to my hometown to celebrate Hari Raya. [1] Mr Hubby’s car was stolen 2 weeks before raya. [2] Father-in-law’s car was broke down on the day we supposed to go back.

[1] Mr Hubby’s car was stolen 2 weeks before raya. Leaving Kelisa Biru yg banyak berjasa since 2005. Kelisa Biru that have a lot of sentimental value to me. :D
[2] On the Sunday morning after sahur around 7am, Abah (Father-in-law) check Kia Spectra to ensure that his car is ready and safe to travel back and forth to Kelantan, unfortunately broke down just 300m form the house. 300m distance that save us from mishap in the middle of KL-KB trip. Alhamdulillah Mr Hubby thought of postponing the journey was right after seen the blinking signal. Then, Jln Tar and Sogo is where I heading to, healing my broken heart. huhuh
[3] Thanks to Mama for letting us lend her car and thanks to Kia Rio for good job. We reached Kelantan and back to KL again in safe and sound condition

Sweep, vacuum and do the laundry before leave the house

cuci..cuci..cuci

The journey was smooth and the traffic is moving even though there were cars queuing on the road. Widad and Amirul well behave in car for 1st half and started shouting and quarreling for 2nd half.

Good boy and girl in the car

We were greeted with homemade and the best mama Nasi Kerabu for iftar. Makan sampai perut sendat and left no space for dessert.

Menu for raya are Nasi Dagang with gulai ayam kampung and itik, roti jala, satay and kuah kacang together with nasi himpit. Again makan sampai perut penuh. Its for future energy before start visiting the relatives.

Start with family photo with Amirul not in the mood

Amirul nampak mata jer

In the making

Bersalaman dan giving duit raya to nieces and nephew

Visiting pusara Abah

 This is my 1st time visiting pusara Abah after the day he passed away

Bacaan yasin for arwah Abah semoga Abah ditempatkan di kalangan orang yang beriman. Amin

Visiting Relatives

Day 2 – Visiting relatives on Abah side

Day 3 – Visiting relatives on Ma side

Day 4 – Visiting Friends

Full of visiting the immediate family on both Abah & Ma side. We started from 10am to 10pm, 12 hours on the road and tummy full with variety of foods. Not much photo, I’m buzy with Widad and Amirul. Widad yang tersangat ligat and lasak and tak leh dok diam, while Amirul yang sangat pemalu nak berkepit ngn Mummy ajer.

A must Raya menu everyhouse that I visited : tapai beras. Tapai beras sedap dimakan bler time sejuk2. Besides of that, ada nasi dagang,nasi himpit kuah kacang, laksam pun ada, nasi bukhari,

NOTE : more photos coming in

7d6n 2011 Aidilfitri @ Kelantan

I spend 1week in Kelantan. Its really nice when you can spend the whole week with your family. huhuh. (next year kita raya rumah Jahid dulu yea :D ) Although this year is the 1st year Raya without Abah, we still feel the joy of togetherness though deep inside we miss Abah. Not much photos were taken during Hari Raya because we too enjoy the foods and relatives until forget to snap the photo.

Family Photo

Visiting pusara Abah

Amirul excited meeting with real rooster

Quack.. Quack.. Mummy Itik la..

Visiting relatives

Cousin’s wedding

NOTE: more raya story after this. :D

BJW 7703 in Memory

 13 Apr 2008

Mr Hubby’s car was stolen on 18 Aug 11 at UKM commuter station.

Kenapa perlu amik time I nak balik raya. Kenapa perlu mengurangkan mood hari raya I. Kenapa amik kereta BLM I yg tak basuh dah almost 4 mths. tak suka :C

One gone, left another car. Doakan Estima will be ours in 3 years time (time tue Kelisa biru dah abs bayar)

 

Heartbreak at Annur


20110807-093228.jpg

Last week, I had a heartbreak. My daughter broke my heart. Not like she didn’t love me back, or frowning when I expected her to smile back at me. She broke my heart in a way of not being strong enough to be a healthy girl.

It all started when I received a call from my wife, telling me Widad had been warded due to problems with her lungs. And this was what happened after that : I saw my heart, like a fragile mirror, free falling in the air and about to fall into pieces — million of pieces. I was just standing there, waiting for that burning motion to be completed.

I reminded myself: It’s just a light complication in her lung and the doctor just followed the procedures.

There’s nothing death about it.

My bright morning turned into black and white.

How am I going to do work if I can’t stop thinking about her?

My wife told me that she’d be alright, the world’s still here, and there’s nothing to worry about. The doctor needed to examine thoroughly because my daughter failed to respond with the antibiotic given, prior to the day before that.

To tell you the truth, I’m not a strong person when it comes to deal with emotions. That event didn’t weigh any magnitude to bring my daughter to fatality phase or endanger her life completely. I should feel relax because she would be alright after all. But the thing was, I failed to do that.

Outside, my face was showing no sad emotion whatsoever. I even fooled myself with the brightest smile when co-workers passing by.

But I was trembling inside.

I didn’t know what I was feeling then. But I knew things around me seemed like slowly vaporizing, pixelating into darkness. My eyes were half shut like nothing to see. Really, there’s nothing to see if someone I love was bedridden.

If there’s a powerful drug that could turn endless crying into everlasting smile, in a merely second, I swore to god I would buy it. I didn’t care if I had sell my kidney. Because every second Widad crying in agony, it sent a coding error to my world. If it went beyond reparable level, all I could see was numbers and figures, just like the Matrix.

I grabbed my bag, ignored everyone else, and rushed to the front door. My legs kept shaking while waiting for elevator to open. Thank god I wasn’t trip over when I was walking into the elevator — I was thinking hard about my daughter I forgot to control my steps. I pushed G button so hard I just don’t care if it went broke or not. Then, I pushed my way forward to KL Sentral Komuter station.

It took 45 minutes to arrive at my destination. Along that way, I was recollecting my moment with Widad, her smile, her childish acting, her cute new-learner legs that sometimes you lose confidence in her to walking straight on her own, and her curly hair that reminded me of how much she resembled me. She is mine and always be mine.

I was Feeling deprived and sadness when I entered into the elevator. It took me and 5 other persons up to level 3. I walked out of the elevator to find my daughter’s ward.

****

[Lily One Ward, Widad Saffiyah]

I was standing in front of it for a few seconds and reached a door knob with my right hand.

A bright light, came from the slight of the open door, blinded my eyes right before I saw my wife and my daughter. I put a smile on my face. My wife immediately noticed that I was wearing weird, stone look as if a mindset of emotions was drained out of me. I responded that I needed to see our daughter and then everything would be OK.

My daughter smiled at me. Like a Walt Disney cartoon, enchanted flowers manifested around her in a magical way.

Family Gathering- Iftar & Sahur bersama – Indahnya Ramadhan

1st week of Ramadhan went smoothly and on last Saturday, we have family gathering, iftar & sahur at Mr Hubby’s parent’s house. Besides iftar, we also celebrating Mama & Abah’s  birthday which is on August 4 and August 8. A total of 34 attendees make iftar a huge celebration for us. Shouting from nieces and nephews running here and there, chatting voices from adults, and chaos between maids in the kitchen preparing the foods. Everybody was busy, everybody was happy to see each other gathering in such a bliss ceremony.

Watching tv to kill the time

Beraktiviti bersama Eyang

Varieties of foods like chicken and lamb grill black pepper source, fried  bihun and bolognese spaghetti, pudding, mini donuts, cakes, and drinks are among the foods that waiting to be eaten by us.. Not only for Iesya, Munir, Iqbal and Sarah who was fasting, we the adults also anticipating the azan. Cannot tahan the smell on the grill foods. Mencabar iman bagi penggemar kambing bakar.huhuh. Allahuakbar..Allahuakbar.. everybody invaded the foods. Not only for nieces and nephews who was fasting, the little one those who was not fasting also busy asking for foods from their moms.

Alhamdulillah, everybody enjoy the foods

After finished Maghrib prayer, we continue with the Mama & Abah’s birthday celebration. Abah is 63 this year, is still strong and healthy. Always to the gym to maintain his health. Mama is stepping 56 years ols, but still pretty and healthy. We get a study chair for Abah and bread maker for Mama. Hope Abah will continues writing and mama will give us a call for testing her new recipes using bread maker. :D

Happy Birthday Mama & Abah

Its the beauty of ramadhan for uniting us as a family and to appreciate the month of Ramadhan by performing Solat berjemaah

We going back to Kelantan to celebrate Aidilfitri

Insya Allah, this year I will celebrate Aidilfitri at my home town, Kelantan. 2 consecutive years in Bangi during Aidilfitri left my heart crying missing the family at Kelantan.  After Abah passed away, I had made revision/amendment to our Balik Raya agreement. huhuh. Macam apa jekan, ada revision bagai..

The original agreement is : Sekiranya tahun ini adalah giliran berhari raya bersama keluarga suami, maka kami akan pulang ke Kelantan untuk berbuka puasa at least 3 hari bersama keluarga saya dan kami tidak akan pulang berhari raya di Kelantan

The new agreement is : Sekiranya tahun ini adalah giliran berhari raya bersama keluarga suami, maka, hari raya ke-2/3, kami akan pulang ke Kelantan.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is important to avoid any any misunderstanding or miscommunication in the future. Although we do not have documented agreement, but we have official aggrement. Just do what I did.. Take your hand phone and go to video mode, take the video of you and your hubby agree on that revision/amendment.eg : “Jahid since Abah dah xder, everytime raya, huda nak blk raya kt Kelantan tau. if tahun ni umh Jahid, raya ke-2/3 blk Kelantan ek”wait until he say “YES” and stop the video..  :D

 NOTE: Its just 4th Ramadhan, believe it or not, I already pack our baju raya.

Parenting That Can Change The World

When I was a kid. I have much thoughts of how am I going to be a king and change the world. From where I stand right now, that thoughts were like plain papers that flew to the open sea before they dropped in various ways and vanished into water. I’m just an ordinary officer, who works for a government agency.
And the world isn’t going to change, at all.
Michelle has opened my mind, that through parenting, you can actually change the world. I know that I can’t see the ripple effect, in a short run. But, may be I can the different when my kids are grown up, and see how their lives much more better than I am.
Michelle wrote:

Some critics say that these kind of parenting choices will cripple a child when it comes time to make their way in the big, bad world.  And it is true that the more different you are from everyone else, the more skills and confidence you will need to successfully work and live alongside everyone else in a culture that doesn’t share your values

My choices and decisions will determine the future of my generations, echoes through my bloodline. Simple mistakes of choices and decisions would disrupt the nurturing-your-kids business. Yes, there are many options, styles, and methods can be adopted to nurturing our kids, but all of our efforts will be summed up to a simple question: will your children be a successful person?

[Parenting To Change The World Via TheParentVortex]

Win Disney School Workbooks via 18 Ways to Encourage Your Children to Read

Below post had win Disney School Skills workbooks organized by Parenthots . Read our 18 ways to encourage your children to read article and read here what been published in Parenthots website. Yippie!!! Another new book collection for Amirul and Widad.

Photo: ooh_food

If average per person in Malaysia reads only 2 books in a year, you should be worried. We have low statistic for reading, low enough to make our people rethinking about living in a high performance culture.

But, if you want to do something different, here’s what can you can do: teach and nurture your children love to read.

1. Turn reading into habits

Involve your children with activities that require book or reading materials. Practice everyday, make sure it becomes part of their life.

2. Be extremely excited when there’s a book fair

Tell them news about book event, like bookfair that’s happening every year, somewhere in April. And don’t get too excited when you received SMS about J Card Day announcement, that prove no evidence on improving your children reading level.

3. Cut off Astro subscription

I will guarantee, no one will ever do this. But I would place my bet, if you cut off your Astro subscription or any other services, that turn you and your family into a lazy potato couch, then it will improve your children behavior.

One morning, I had tried not to turn on the TV for my children. Guess what? At first, they yelled at me (of course, they got pinched, what to expect? I am a strict father who doesn’t go soft with his children), then they started to play their own toys. They even reach out from cabinet — a book.

Everything changed after that. They don’t even bother to turn on the TV when they are in the living room. They weren’t attached to the buzz of the TV anymore. Freedom.  They have their toys, book, and they have each other.

I’m not a regular TV watcher for four years now.

4. Go to Zoo with animal book

The first visit to Zoo Negara with my son, I bought book about wildlife animals. So when we meet Orang Utan, Rhinosaurus, or giraffe, or even elephant, I would simply match them with animals in the book.

What came after was, the enthusiasm of constantly showing me, in the book, the animals that he had seen. In our house, he will keep the book on his side. He keep bragging about how big the elephant was, compared with inside the book.

5. Buy ipod, buy interactive book apps only

Another method to encourage them to read is to bring technology closer to them. Gadget like iPod is a good example. Xxx is the website focus on education with iPod. It gave a lot of recommendation and advice on how to fuel up your children education using efficient device like iPod and iPhone.

6. Turn off TV on prime time.

Turn off TV around 8 pm and let you and the books accompany your children. Give attention to them at least 30-60 minutes to teach them to read. Let’s forget about news and everything. The world isn’t going to end if you don’t the news.

7. Buy iPad, buy book-interactive apps

There are lot of book-interactive apps for children. Most of the awesome apps are as cheap as USD 0.99 — it’s about, rounded figures of RM 3.50.

Some say, if we embrace the technology, we have advantage over other competitors (well, consider other set of families are your competitors). This is the attacking device that should catapult the children education miles away.

Visit the iPad education apps review : IEAR.org

Bonus link: Amazingly Educational iPad Apps for Kids

8. Eat Book, Sleep Book, Drink Book

Change the rules of your family: bring book everywhere you go, from every corner of the house to every places of interest you visit. Turn the reading habit into everyday routines, like eat book, sleep book, drink book.

9. Book, book, book

Buy books, or something that indirectly contribute into reading a book. For a start, try buy books just for collection. Then buy book rack, then another large book rack. Then buy not only the book rack, buy something that can bring more books into the house. Then you realize your house is surrounded by books. From that you can grow interest of reading books among your children — with the help of book-friendly environment.

10. Birthday gift is a book

I can imagine how large the curve of my children’ frown would be if I buy them only books for their birthdays. Ok, every year, I will buy two special gifts: one is the book for compulsory gift, and another one is the not-a-book gift.

The reason I buy a book for their birthday every year because I want them to love books, and I want them to have books on their special day.

11. Buy them cheap book, at least one, when buy groceries

When they follow you to a market like Tesco or Carrefour, you should spend one book for them. Then ask them to read in front of you. Don’t concern too much about the groceries, there’s an important habit you need to seed inside your children mind.

12. Book is the new toy

Whenever you buy a new toy, you should prefer books over remote control car or Play-Doh . I know that your kids’ life will be like mine: books are the only things that my parent considered. If a toy can’t be a tool for building my cleverness, then my father would not buy it. Ever.

13. You, yourself, should read everyday to build positive subconscious inside of you

If the parent don’t even have an atom of interest of reading, then don’t blame your children who hate reading so much, and prefer playing Angry Bird to fill the time.

Remember the phrase “bapak borek anak rintik”. My opinion is that, you should increase your reading frequency that can build the habit from inside .

And your children will follow.

14. Read with/to your children

This point is very common. I have seen in many websites that your can set up routine, where you read to and with your children, 30 minute before you going to sleep. Nevertheless, this is one of the important steps to encourage the reading habit.

15. Write A Book

Tired of stories that doesn’t follow your own interest. My suggestion is to draw and write your own story, make your own children heroes, and have fun with them while you guy making progress to complete the book.

16. Ask them to read signboard or billboard

While travelling the long and winding road, ask your children every signboard or billboard. Reward them. Reward them again, if they write journal about what they have observed during the trip.

17. Put an inception that reading is like just like breathing.

Always inject with the ideas that only people who loves reading can be successful. Say to them, reading books is just as important as breathing the air. Reading can light up our future, a path to glorious victory.

18. Go to library, instead of Sunway Pyramid.

Why not make a regular visit to library, rather than go to shopping mall. Yes, there are lot of book store that offers reading experience such as MPH, Kinokuniya, dan Popular. Our national library offers an expansion of books to read for hours. Plus, the people behavior around you makes you feel you need to improve your reading routine.

Conclusion

It is our efforts to build our next generation who appreciate reading and know how important it is to build a knowledgeable society. May be my suggestions above will encourage our children to read.

Let’s hope that our government campaign be materialized with our efforts.

If average per person in Malaysia read x pages in a year, you should be worried. We have low statistic for reading, low enough to make our people — Malaysian citizen — doesn’t care about living in high performance culture,

And there’s nothing we can do about it. But, if you want to something different, here’s what can you can do: teach and nurture your children love to read.

1. Turn reading into Habits.

Involve your children with activities that require book or reading materials. Practice everyday, make sure it becomes part of their life.

2. Be extremely excited when there’s book fair , instead of J Card day.

Tell them news about book event, like bookfair that’s happening every year, somewhere in April. And don’t get too excited when you received SMS about J Card Day announcement, that prove no evidence on improving your children reading level.

3. Cut off Astro subscription

I will guarantee, no one will ever do this. But I would place my bet, if you cut off your Astro subscription, or any other services that turn you and your family into a lazy potato couch, it will improve your children behavior.

One morning, I had tried not to turn on the TV for my children. Guess what? At first, they yelled at me (of course, they got pinched, what to expect? I am a fierce father who doesn’t go soft with his children), then they started to play their own toys. They even reach out from closet (almari), a book.

Every changed after that. They don’t even bother to turn on the TV when they are in the living room. They have their toys, book, and they have each other.

I’m not a regular TV watcher for four years now.

4. Go to Zoo with animal book

The first visit to Zoo Negara, I bought book about wildlife animals. So when they meet Orang Utan, Rhinosaurus, or giraffe, or even elephant, I would simply match them with animals in the book.

What came after was the enthusiasm of constantly showing me, in the book, the animals that they have visited. In our house, they will keep their book beside them. They keep bragging about how big the elephant was, compared with inside the book.

5. Go to aquaria with marine life book

6. Buy ipod, buy interactive book apps only

Another method to encourage them to read is to bring technology closer to them. Gadget like iPod is a good example. Xxx is the website focus on education with iPod. It gave a lot of recommendation and advice on how to fuel up your children education using efficient device like iPod and iPhone.

7. Turn off TV on prime time.

Turn off TV around 8 pm and books accompany hour children. Give attention to them at least 30-60 minutes to teach them to read. Let’s forget about news and everything. The world isn’t going to end if you don’t the news.

8. Buy iPad, buy book-interactive apps

There are lot of book-interactive apps for children. Most of the awesome apps are as cheap as USD 0.99 — it’s about, rounded figures of RM 3.50.

Some say, if the embrace the technology, we have advantage over other competitors (well, consider other set of families are your competitors). This is the device that should catapult the children education miles away.

Visit the iPad education apps review :

9. Eat Book, Sleep Book, Drink Book

Change the rules of your family that you have to bring book everywhere you go, from every corner of the house to every places of interest you visit. Turn the reading into everyday routines, like eat book, sleep book, drink book.

10. Book, book, book

Buy books, or something that indirectly contribute into reading a book. For a start, try buy books just for collection. Then buy book rack, then another large book rack. Then buy not only the book rack, buy something that can bring more books into the house. Then you realize your house is surrounded by books. From that you can grow interest of reading books among your children.

11. Birthday gift is a book

I can imagine how large the curve of my children’ frown would be if I buy them only books for their birthday. Ok, every year, I will buy two special gifts: one is book for compulsory gift, and another one is not-a-book gift. The reason I buy a book for their birthday every year because I want them to love books, and I want them to have on their special day.

12. Buy them cheap book, at least one, when buy groceries

When they follow you to a market like Tesco or Carrefour, you should spend, at least, one book for them. Then ask them to read in front of you. Don’t concern too much about the groceries, there’s an important habit you need to seed inside your children mind.

13. Book is the new toy

Whenever you buy a new toy, you should prefer books to your children. I know that your kids will be like me, when I was kid; boring and predictable

14. You, yourself, should read everyday to build positive subconscious inside of you

If the parent don’t even an atom of interest of reading, then don’t blame your children who hate reading so much, and prefer playing Angry Bird to fill the time.

Remember the word “bapak borek anak rintik”. My opinion is that, you should increase your reading frequency and build the habit from inside .

And your children will follow.

15. Read with/to your children

This point is very common. I have seen in many websites that your can set up routine where you read to and with your children, 30 minute before you going to sleep. Nevertheless, this is one of the important steps to encourage the reading habit.

16. Write A Book

Tired of stories that doesn’t follow your own interest. My suggestion is to draw and write your own story, make your own children heroes

17. Ask them to read signboard or billboard

While travelling the long and winding road, ask your children every signboard or billboard. Reward them. Reward them again, if they write journal about what they have observed during the trip.

18. Buy them into a notion of, the importance of reading is like just like breathing.

Always inject with the ideas that only people who loves reading can be successful. Say to them reading books is just as important as breathing the air. Reading can light up our future, a path to glorious victory.

19. Go to library, instead of Sunway Pyramid.

Why not make a regular visit to library, rather than go to shopping mall. Yes, there are lot of book store that offers reading experience such as MPH, Kinokuniya, dan Popular. But our national library [link] offers an expansion of books to read for hours. Plus, the people behavior around you makes you feel you need to improve your reading routine.

Conclusion

It is our efforts to build our next generation who appreciate reading and know how important it is to build a knowledgeable society. May be my suggestions above will encourage our children to read.

Let’s hope that our government campaign be materialized with our efforts

The Guilty Feeling Of Parents

Natalie Bahm wrote:

I think it’s impossible to be a parent and not feel guilty every now and then. Being a parent is hard and it takes SO MUCH TIME and ENERGY. It’s physically impossible to accomplish everything I need/want to do everyday in 16 waking hours. I often feel overwhelmed.

Yes.. I feel the same way. Parenting needed to be constantly ready for your children when they need something. For my 3-yo son, he needs me because he wants my presence so he could show something he is good at or he wants me to watch him playing choo choo train.

As for my 1-year old baby girl, I have to look after her to avoid her from touching electrical plug, fragile items, and sharp-edged furniture. Both of us working and sometimes we have no time to ourselves.

The easiest solution is to hire a maid, and she will take over your relief. Your fatique will be gone and so with the bittersweet of being a father.

[Writing, Parenting, and GUILT via NatalieBahm]

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