Category Archives: Parenting, Family and Relationships

KPPN’s Hari Keusahawanan – A commercial exercise

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My son just completed his exams recently. He said Biology was challenging which prompted me to encourage him to read and ask more questions. Even then, despite the multiple subjects he had to learn and engage in, alhamdulilah, he still did well. I am sure the other students scored well in their studies as well. I have no qualms over their intellectual ability as these kids are like super Scrub Daddy sponges. Given the right guidance, they could learn anything. In fact, they have a tight and comprehensive timetable to follow. I like that the kids are made to go for exercise in the evening. At least now Ee enjoys playing handball and football.

An example of their timetable

I just hope that alongside their academic growth, other aspects of their youth could be consolidated as well. Meaning that their emotional intelligence, athletic agility, religious observance and soft skills are equally groomed to form them as an all-rounded individual.

Recently, KPPN organised Hari Keusahawan with an 80s theme. Apart from the banner, the only thing that is relevant to the 1980s era is probably the parents. Everything else had a Gen Z vibe. Or is it Gen Alpha now? Hahaha. Still, it was a commendable effort. I feel that teamwork is something that the kids need to work on. Well, even adults undergo the same struggle. I’m not sure how well they interact with each other in class but knowing tweens, they tend to be defiant for no reason yet competitive at the same time.

My daughter enjoyed buying her jellyballs at the stalls. The food was appropriately priced but the coupons somehow finished earlier than expected. It’s either insufficient or the students/parents have immense purchasing power.

I look forward to other events they have at school. We parted ways with Ee after spending roughly 90 minutes there. We don’t want to be caught up in traffic heading towards Melaka. On a final note, it was astonishing to meet a young gentleman, who read my blog there as well. I hope he excels in his studies too.

Be my guest

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Hosting comes naturally for some people. Someone could give a heads up within 15 minutes and the house is ready to welcome them. I do not have the confidence to do that yet. I need at least a week’s notice.

Anyway, my sister came for a short visit recently. So I called her over for lunch. I prepared nasi lemak with sambal bunga kantan, shepherd’s pie and a mini fruit tower. She brought doughnut brownies over. Her family was planning to check into Amverton Heritage at Ayer Keroh. There’s a waterpark in the resort.

I used bunga kantan from my garden for the sambal. I really liked its tangy taste and basically cooked up a sambal based on what I read from recipes online. I had no time to fry chicken so I prepared some nuggets and hard-boiled eggs as protein for the nasi lemak. I lack the nuts and ikan bilis though.

My fruit tower was made up of baby pineapples and strawberries. I wanted to indulge my nephew and niece with nice fruits. If only I had durian.

As for the shepherd pie, I used minced meat from the brand Saudi, ready-made sauce from Leggo and chopped in some carrots for texture. I think I did the mash on top pretty well this time. Placed it in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees just before my sister came.

This is what my sister brought. A cute doughnut brownie box. The brownie was a bit hard but the sprinkles made it edible.

They only spent about 90 minutes at my place as they had to get going. I did realize that there are certain mannerisms that I need to teach my children when it comes to receiving guests at home.

  • when a visitor comes, regardless if you know them or not, they must come out of their rooms and pay respect. meaning salam. Do not wait for me to scream and beckon them out of their rooms.
  • if these guests have children, they should not stay in their room. Instead, to try and entertain these children, pique their interest and go along with it.

I cannot manage adult behaviour but at least I can teach the kids.

Ramah Tamah

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More than 30 years ago, ramah tamah or open houses during festive seasons were uncommon. They were around but mostly organised by public figures or workplaces. For the rest of us, it is mostly just coming up to the house that we’re planning to go and pay a visit. Rarely there was a formality of giving a call first, announcing the arrival and whatnot. Simply because cell phones were not invented yet and to own landlines is a luxury. Instead, it was a culture where, when a guest shows up at your door, you honour them accordingly and serve them food and drinks with anything you have.

Memuliakan tetamu

That’s the word. The great thing about this is that the visits are personalised. You get to give your full attention to those who make time to see you because they want to. Thus, the house is always at its best. Always polished and clean as you never know when someone is coming to say Hi. The not-so-fun part is that you’d end up receiving guests every single day during a festive occasion. In modern times, it can be a hassle because you’re tied up with other commitments – family and job. Hence, we see more people organizing ‘open Houses’ where they can entertain their friends and family in one session. Convenience trumps it all. You still love the idea of meeting everyone but you need your own peace of mind as well.

Datanglah ke rumah

A phrase that is understated nowadays. People are just not sure anymore if it is a sincere invitation or small talk. I do know I rarely say it to others because I don’t want it to happen. Ha ha. I will be ready to receive unexpected visitors once I clean my porch and fix the bathroom at the end of the aisle. Even then I still look forward to entertaining and hosting – not now, one day. Ironically I’ve got all the props, knicks and knacks to make it happen. It’s the energy that I don’t have.

Attending Ramah Tamah

It is almost compulsory that every organisation holds their own Ramah Tamah. My workplace has one too with a different concept every year. This year we are doing it outdoors and although I was not part of the committee, I was keen to contribute. I bought a huge banner that has a picture of a wooden house to be put up as a decoration. The same banner was recycled by my sister for her Ramah Tamah at school. I thought it looked amazing.

Syawal 2024 – Changing family dynamics

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As a child, I remember celebrating Eid very differently. It was a festive occasion that I looked forward to because I knew there would be plenty of delicacies to eat and of course, the most awaited duit raya. As I got older, especially recently, I realized that the vibrant and energetic aunts and uncles I knew were getting more frail. They have aged. So was I. Their vision is getting worse. Their steps are getting slower as they have a painful back and wobbly knees.

Their kids are part of the Sandwich Generation – myself included. We divide our attention between our parents and our kids. Sadly also to our jobs. Previously, hosting an ‘open house’ was a breeze for the elders because they have their kids to help them. Now that with added responsibilities, with their kids securing a job and raising a family – it is not that easy.

I suppose this is where traditions will begin to change for the family.

Similarly the death of an older family member – that too will change the family dynamics and how a certain occasion will be celebrated. The Sandwiches will gradually take the lead and create their own traditions and way of life depending on how they like it.

I’ve made it a mission to celebrate Eid at Kuching this year. I felt there were many days for us to travel and enjoy the festive season without compromising the kid’s school days. I used my WPUA this time and travelled with Malaysia Airlines. We departed from Melaka as early as 8am and arrived at Salak Tinggi Park and Ride. Then we took the KLIA Transit train to KLIA1.

At Kuching, I booked two rooms at the Serapi Hotel. There will be a separate blog post on that.

Most of our days are spent visiting relatives on both of my Dad and late mom’s side. It was a worthwhile visit. The kids love it too as they get a lot of packet money. They also enjoyed eating the kuih lapis. I mean, what is Raya without Kuih Lapis right?

KPPN – Iftar break

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Just two weeks into his registration, the students of KPPN were allowed to have an Iftar outing with their families. Since Ee’s roommates were living nearby, they were already going home by 9am on the day. Ee had to wait for us till we arrived from Melaka. We told him that we would leave the house just after Asar. We reached there by 6pm and as a safe choice, we had our Iftar at the nearby Pizza Hut. We are to send him back before 930pm but we got him onto campus earlier. He needed time for Maghrib and wanted to join the congregational Isyak/Terawih prayers.

While waiting for us, he visited his friends in other rooms, mainly non-Muslims who were not going out for Iftar. I am glad that there are no reports of bullying and that the Aras 1 students are getting along well with their Aras 2 seniors. I asked him what he had for Sahur and the menu sounded good. Much better than the ones I prepare at home. There were also days when he woke up late and only had cookies and water for Sahur.

They were sitting for an exam the day before the Iftar outing. It is an assessment to determine whether these students will be joining the Pure Science or the Digital Innovator Programme (DIP). Ee is in the DIP programme. To be honest, we have yet to understand what the DIP stream encompasses but it should be an interesting learning curve for both Ee and us as parents. He has already received his textbooks and there is a very early leap into studying Chemistry and Physics at Form 4 & 5 level. There will be lots of group work and presentations in class. Therefore, Mr Husband has bought him a new laptop for his use.

An Aras 2 senior sharing knowledge and experience with the Aras 1 juniors.

Ee seems to demonstrate an interest in being part of the committee members and I am surprised that he volunteered to become the Imam for the Terawih prayers. Each imam gets to lead 2 rakaats. That to me, is a sign that he is happy and can flourish in such an environment.