Wednesday, April 6, 2011

29 Polo Air 13/57

This is where we started living on our own since Feb 2004.


We were staying with Mak & Ayah @ Kg Melayu Subang for 5 years after marriage. I bought it end of 2001 (Nov). Prior to that, I had been eyeing the empty land behind Shah Alam stadium, sandwiched between 2 group of residential areas already matured. "Bila la TTDI nak develop this area?" I used to say. Then when I got to know about the launch (at TTDI Jaya's office at Sec 13), I was determined to go. I was only 2 years with Esso (my previous employer) at that time earning as little as 5800, and already having one son (our dearest Danial) and another property at Langat Utama, Sepang (apartment) (bought in 1997 during my first year with Baharuddin Ali & Co with borrowed deposit from Mak, which investment turned out to be a bad one, albeit location being near to KLIA).

Hubby and I were at TTDI office as early as 8:30am and there were already a big crowd. We got our turn at almost mid-day! I wanted to purchase one of the few corner lots still left, but Hubby being cautious and everything, we ended up with an intermediate lot bearing address "No. 29 Jalan Polo Air 13/57".

It took TTDI 2 full years for the construction, and finally we got handover in Nov 2003. By Dec 2003, the house next door (Abang Din, Kak Zah & their daughter) was already occupied, but perhaps the only one occupied in the row. But owners / tenants quickly occupied the rests. We wanted to do small renovation..Papa wanted a pargola and a garden (if it was me, I would have just cemented the whole porch and garden area). One fine day, a petite malay young man stopped in front of our house on his kapcai and asked "Abang nak buat renovation bang..?". If it were me, I would not have entertained him as he looked barely 20, what experience would he have? I would want an experienced chinese contractor to do my my dream house..not just any inexperience young lad who sounded like he's from the eact coast! But Papa somehow trusted and like him, and invited him to come over for quotation. He then came with his sister to Mak's house. I did not have faith in him, but just went along with Papa. To cut the long story short, this young lad (named "Wan") is our favourite contractor until today... he's like a brother to Papa. And I watched with scepticism and he and his dad worked on his first task.. the pergola.


 Not bad.. not bad at all for an inexperienced malay contractor.

There are a lot of memories # 29. Aviya was born in June 2004. Abang Danial went to Vital Years and Children Playhouse. Dede went to Vital Years with Teacher Shikin & Teacher Maria fecthing her from the house starting from the age of 2.5 years bcoz Dede cld not wait to go to school). Abang Danial started going to Dzul Iman (row belakang rumah ) in 2005, then started schooling at SKS 13 in 2007, naik bas Uncle Raymond yg always penuh sesak macam sardine. Whilst living here, we had gone on holidays to Bali with NekDah, TukAbah & Acubob (2005), Kuching with Par & Family (2006), Jakarta and Bandung with Mak, Ayah & family (2007), Terengganu with Par & Family again (2008).  Bibik Rukiyah (then changed name Widia) was living with us for 6 years until she ran away back to Medan in May 2009. Then Arwah TukAbah meninggal in Nov 2008, and NekDah came and live with us several months while waiting for a new Bibik to arrive. She (Bibik Umi) came in Nov 2009 but she was the worst perangai among all our bibiks!..

Mak & Ayah, Ateh & Busu continue to be our most loyal guests all the time, came and visit us every week if not more often. Alhamdulillah... this is why I picked a house near Mak & Ayah.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Principal Award_Excellent Dede!

I must say it was indeed a pleasant surprise when Dede conveyed the news when I called home on tue (15/3). Macam tak percaya sbb Dede is so manja @ home, but deep down my heart I was praying to God that it was true. Then when I arrived home that evening, it was indeed true! The Congratulations letter is real!.. I know Dede has been praying hard , and working hard for it. I always overhead her pray "Ya Allah, dapatlah ku Principal Award...Aminnnn".

The next morning, wed (16/3) was one the happiest day in Dede's life. Ma pun proud juga.. Mr Spaan asked Dede "Are you Mom & Dad here today"? yes, Dede said. Then Mr Spaan said "Mom, are you proud of Dina's achievement"? "yes, indeed, very proud", I said (while holding a viewcam)..


My proud and cheerful maripoca... well done Dede!


Unfortunately, Papa was not there to share the joy with us.. we missed you pa!





Monday, March 7, 2011

Sports day

Dina's writing
On Monday 6th March 2011 there was sports day at school. Everyone is excited accept me because ...i left my pe kit at school.So i had to wear my normal uniform luckily i found my PE kit at school. Mom helped me to change into my PE kit, then Mom had to go to work. huhu...

Then, suddenly Mom came back ! tapi masa tu we had finished all the events. We were resting while waiting for parents' events.


This is me and my best friends, Maneeze (from Pakistan) & Shahd (from Egypt).


This is me, dah penat.. sbb it was very hot. Look at my face, dah berkilat! The kids at the back are all my friends...

Mama did not wait for Abang's sports event because Mama had to work. Abang's events started later at 11:30am until 1:30pm. Dede's one was earlier i.e 8:30am - 10:30am. But Mama dah amik Abang's photo in the morning before going to school.


 Abang was very good at sports, he won Long Jump & Sprinting .


Viya's sports day was two days after. Viya insisted Ma must come and watch her take part in the sports day. Ma pun asked permission from office to come in late that day.


Viya and her best friend, Anthea (fr Jakarta / Spain) 

Book Day


Ini Yaya dgn Dede nak pegi Book Day. Ma nak bwk kitorg sbb kitorg nak tapi Abang tak mau. Ada Book Day parade at school. we have to dress as a character of our favorite book. Yaya be Jessie in Toy Story. Dede be Hannah Montana. Abang (not in pic) jadi Jacob (in Twilight). Best sgt kat situ.. 





Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Around The World In 80 Minutes - GWPS


Viya's concert - Wed March2, 2011 at 6pm.

The story starts in GWPS where 4 children have forgotten to do their geography homework. The mean Mr Grumpy sets them the impossible task of collecting information from 8 countries around the world in 24 hours. A genie appears to save the day.. The children head off on the amazing adventures around the world in 80 minutes!


There were Jaiho India, Kungfu Fighter China, Australia, Mexico, Scotland, Monalisa France, Russia and Waka2 Eh Eh Africa!

Viya's performance was the last, so it was quite a wait for her turn..



Viya's class (1C) combined with 2C did the fantastic performance of Waka2 Eh Eh.. It was the last show for the night, but was also the highlight. They got a standing ovation and a loud cheer! Everyone enjoyed the music and the dancing. Awesome!



Saturday, February 26, 2011

Taj Mahal, Agra

On saturday Feb26, I was determined to go to Agra. The journey took me 4 1/2 hours. Left Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi around 8:30am and arrived in Agra at 1pm. Just me, and the driver from DTA Travel (Company's travel agent). Passed through kampung, small towns, ladang gandum, etc. Jumpa all sorts of transportation on the road.. keta kuda, keta lembu, keta keldai, motor kapcai, beskal, lori buruk, bas yg mcm sardine, tuk tuk pun byk.. tuk tuk ni kapasiti dia 3 org je, tapi.. depa sumbat sampai 9 orang! tengok la tu, separuh badan kat luaq.




My driver pun sampai muntah kat tepi jalan nak menyampaikan ke Agra.. org bandar (Delhi) la katakan, tak biasa kot.. Makcik jugak yang steady..

Anyway, before sampai Taj Mahal, the first stop was Akbar's (atuk Shah Jehan) tomb, at Sikandra (suburb of Agra). Gate dia lebih kurang Taj Mahal gak..  Nak masuk kena bayar Rs. 150 (around USD4). The tomb building is a four-tiered pyramid, surmounted by a marble pavilion containing the false tomb. The true tomb, as in other mausoleums, is in the basement.The buildings are constructed mainly from a deep red sandstone, enriched with features in white marble. Zaman dulu2 punya architecture, but nice. The decoration is full with ayat2 suci Al-Quran... And here I was introduced to may local Agra tour guide, a young good looking man in his 20's, an MBA student with high ambition.. quite interesting he had a lot of passion in explaining the history to me. His name is Rahul... hahaha, mcm hero bollywood.


Then, we continued the journey to Taj Mahal..

My driver had to park his car abt 1km away from Taj. That's the rule here. To reduce pollution, so they say. But I think it is a creative tourism, to allow more locals to earn a living. Ni I naik beca beskal...


The entrance fee for foreigners is Rs 750 (abt USD20) whereas for locals, Rs20 (tak sampai RM2 inggit) jer! ... Security check is very thorough.
Taj Mahal is situated in Agra, in the Uttar Pradesh State. It was built from pure white marble by a Muslim Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 C.E.) in the memory of his dear wife and queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra, India. Taj Mahal means Crown Palace is a Mausoleum that houses the grave of Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later. Shah Jahan's real name was Shahab-ud-din.

Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. Construction started in 1631 and completed in 1653 at a cost of 32 Million Rupees at that time. Many renowned Muslim craftsmen worked on many specialized tasks. This is one the few places that made you proud being a Muslim.. Imagine zaman dulu2 dah ada ummat yg boleh buat magnificent building like this..!



Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each. Kalau tengok betul2, actually the minarets are not straight, each is slanting towards the outside, away from the main building. Zmn dulu lagi architect Islam tu dah bijak, kalau ada gempa bumi, then the minarets will not fall inside and hit / damage the mausoleum main building. Pandai kan!...

The entire mausoleum (inside as well as outside) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems. The main archways ada banyak passages from the Holy Qur’an and also a lot of work of flowery pattern, give a captivating charm to its beauty. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.

Tapi nak masuk ke mausoleum tu, ya Allah berkilo2 meter queue that day.. this is the proof!




The mausoleum is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque (to the left), a guest house (to the right), and several other palatial buildings. The Taj is at the farthest end of this complex, with the river Jamuna behind it. When I was there, it was about sunset. The best time to see Taj is during sunrise & sunset... beautiful. You've got to come and see for yourself before you can appreciate the beauty of it.


Ni tomb olok2 Mumtaz & Shah Jehan (yg betul punya at the basement). Mumtaz punye betul2 at the center. So Shah Jehan nye kat kiri sikit (as Taj Mahal was built by him for his wife, not for him). Tapi his daughter yg alihkan dia ke situ.

And this picture was taken from the mausoleum building, with the main gate at the background.. There were too many people that day... the 16 gardens (8 on each side of the 53 fountains) pun tak nampak sgt, nampak orang jer...


The next day, it was time to bid farewell to India... and as per Papa's request, another pic from Mat Misai (but this time from the super expensive Taj Palace Hotel (more than USD400 / night.! nasib baik company pays... )



Sunday, February 20, 2011

Tinggal Kenangan...ANIQ

20 Feb 2011.... ANIQ  meninggalkan kami semua ketika berusia 7 tahun... Caused of death : Infection due to ruptured appendicitis. Teringat semasa hari raya yang lalu.. kemana2 Aniq akan ikut kami. Warna baju raya pun sama.... Angah doakan ANIQ masuk syurga (amin...). We will miss you.... 





Saturday, February 5, 2011

Al Ain Aerobatic Show 2011

On Sat, Feb 5, we went to one of the world's largest and most prestigious aerobatic shows held in the Oasis City of Al Ain - Abu Dhabi's heritage heartland under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Journey started at 9:30am from home and we reached there by 11am.



There was competition among the teams... and some were daring like these Scandinavian team called "Sky Cat". Look closely, you could see one girl "on" (not in) the plane.


Ni helicopter named "OTTO".. it is cute and funny

This Saudi squad is one of my favs.. They flew so close to each other (If I remember correctly a team of 8) like this.. 



And also there was a "Meet The Captain" session..



We stayed there until 6pm. Tired, but a different experience for Danial, Dede & DekYa .. ma da biasa tengok dulu2 masa LIMA (Langkawi)..


 





Picnic @ Safa Park


Ni Yaya writing. Dina tengah bawak yaya dengan seth .dina bawak kita orang jalan jalan dalam safa park.Dina borrowed bicycle from Safa Park (60AED /hour). Seth duduk atas Yaya sebab dia pun nak naik, so Yaya kena pangku dia.   

Mama with friends during the picnic (kak zaharah, elisa, ruby etc)

 

Friday, February 4, 2011

Logos Hope

Logos Hope is a nine-deck biggest floating library on a GBA ship. GBA is an international charity based in Germany. Logos Hope came to Port Rashid Dubai from 21 Jan - 5 Feb, 2011. It is reported that 40 million visitors from 160 countries have so far boarded the Logos Hope. The captain is Captain Dirk Colenbrander from the Netherlands. He has a crew of around 400 of more than 45 nationalities and no one receives a salary on board the Logos Hope.

Their mission, per the Captain :  "I don't want to live just for myself and live a happy life while others in the world have bigger needs. I try to make a difference and bring hope to people."



Built in 1973, Logos Hope offers a stock of half-a-million books to choose from for all age groups, spread over an area 610 square meters.

And we had the opportunity to be on board (when it came to Dubai) and we feel we did our part in contributing to the good course the Charity Ship is bringing to the world...


Excited to be on board a ship, and even more excited with the books it carries... and they're selling cheap too. We boughts loads...


And had fun writing email thanking the Captain, and being one too...


We had good time on board. Dede even got herself an ice cream (from Logos hope's cafe).

Bon Voyage Logos Hope, see you again sometime!..


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

CONGRATULATIONS 3DHS!


What a good start to 2011!

Alhamdulillah.. Dekya made a very good start of the Winter Term by winning another Congratulations certificate in just the 1st week of school term. This time, Dekya's best friend Kieran Bell dapat Principal's Award. Quote from Dekya's Certificate : "CONGRATULATIONS Dira Shahreen for consistently producing work of a very high standard and being very caring towards her friends".. well done Dekya!.

"This is me with my congratulations. I am proud of myself! I've got 2 congratulations..." said Dekya.

Then the next surprise for Mama & Papa... Abang too got Congratulations Certificate. Abang had been envying Dekya since last term, and has been working hard himself to obtain one. Finally, at the second week of the school term, Abang got what he earned. Quote from Abang's Certificate : "CONGRATULATIONS Danial Kamal Shahreen! Danial is a very well mannered pupil, he always works very hard in class and helps his fellow students. He has worked extra hard in maths using different strategies to help him solve problems. Danial is always well behaved and its great to have him in Y5A".. Well done Abang!.

I love getting congratulations award. ... said Abang (a.k.a Danial 10).

Dede too had been eyeing the award. Mama asked Dede to work harder and pray to Allah. Finally, it came as a surprise too. Dede got her Congratulations award the same week as Abang, what a coincidence. And alhamdulillah.. Quote from Dede's Certificate : "CONGRATULATIONS Dina Shahreen for being a super role model in the class, thank you! ".. well done Dede!