Get yourself a panini maker.

The previous weekend we had a blast at A famosa, Melaka. During Matta Fair Sep10, I rented a 4 bedroom banglo, fits 12ppl, with a private pool for a FREAKING RM310 for 3days 2 nights. DAMN CHEAP RIGHT!!!!!!!

So I gathered my parents, grandparents and my aunt's family with her 4 boys(it wouldn't be a blast without them) to join us. I also bought 10 tics at RM50 for 3 parks and that was also cheap considering the original price is double that.

Anyway.. going back to the topic of the post, the banglo didn't allow us to cook. So there was no stove or bbq pit. Bummer.

But I did bend the rules and brought my panini maker so that at least we could make some breakfast or supper. With that many boys they eat like nobody's business and we had to bring some food because their eating time is like all over the place.

Seriously, go get yourself one. You think its only for making paninis.. but its not. I used it to cook my sausages, eggs and sandwiches. Sure you can get an induction cooker, but than you have to bring your pots and pans with you right. But with the panini maker all you need is 1 thing to make your english breakfast.. your panini maker.

I bought mine in Perth at Target. I tried looking for one in Malaysia but never had any luck. I haven't checked Harvey Norman's though. But seriously..I sooo recommend it. Mine only cost me around AUD 45. That's roughly less than RM150.

Month of weddings

Since december is a month of weddings (yelah..cuti sekolah kan) Here's a poem dedicated to all the newly wed couples. Personally it describes my exact reason why I chose to marry Asa. Especially the 2nd para. hehehe

Why Marriage? Mari Nichols-Haining

Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body...

Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won't hold them against me,
Who loves me when I'm unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me...

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold...

Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship...

Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements...

Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole...

Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me, I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage...

Random..

I don't mind going out of my way for someone who would do the same for me, but I do mind for someone who won't.

I'm just saying.

Alimkids playgroup

Since April 2010, I've been sending Azalia to a weekly class with Alimkids playgroup. I stumbled across the playgroup when I was googling for weekend play sessions because I thought its time Azalia learn socialise. Then I found ummikusayang website and it lead me to its branch in TTDI. It was a home based playgroup ( but will soon move to Kota Damansara) and the session lasts an hour.

At first Azalia was a bit hesitant which is understandable because it's her first 'schooling' experience.. but I could see she's starting to take interest as she participated in the arts and crafts session and enjoyed it and started interacting with teacher Fatin. So I immediately enrolled her and till this day she looks forward to going to teacher Fatin's class every Saturday.

What I like about the program is it teaches them the basics like alphabets, numbers, colours and animals.. but these are taught using the khalifah concept where they incorporate Islam in the basics. Azalia easily grasp the concept of Islam through the songs she learned and I never imagined that at 3 my daughter would already know her 5 pillars of Islam and started asking questions to understand them further.

And it is not only Azalia who learn things in the playgroup. I also learned a few stuff by observing the teacher's interactions with her. I was able to learn ways of teaching my own daughter. I was also made aware of a lot of suitable learning products to make learning fun for her which is a bonus in my opinion.

The new modules are going at RM200 and each module has 8 classes.Seriously I think this is cheaper than other playgroups that I've surveyed. Most are going for more than RM180 per month and that's 4-5 classes only(I'm comparing with PJ area here so kalau ada murah dkt area lain tatau ye). They have several branches around KL in Selangor. The program is suitable for kids from 2-4 year old and I highly recommend them. Since it's a playgroup.. mothers sit with their kids in these sessions. You can visit their website for further info.