Cardiff and Shoes, not a rhyme.

One morning at Nada’s school few days before I left for Britain :

“How’s your shoes, Nada? Come, sit on the bench and let me check if they’re still good fit to your beautiful feet.” said Aunty Jeanne (the school principal) while she kneeled down and started pressing front of Nada’s shoes with her finger.

“Awww…. Your feet are getting bigger, leaving just tiny space at front. Strong big girl, you are!”

* I was standing right next to them*

“Mom… it’s time to find new pair of shoes ya…..”

I felt like I had been boxed by Muhammad Ali straight to my face. It sure hit me well, like, really I need someone to tell me my daughter’s shoes are tight?

I had meant to buy Nada new shoes knowing the one she’s been using for P.E class during school is getting smaller. I’m a procrastinator!

Until Aunty Jeanne told me so, never I felt that I’m such a slow-mow.

However, things have to be taken on a bright side. Wouldn’t it good that we have someone like Aunty Jeanne? Like I say, she’s meticulous. Children are her interest. Children are her priority. It’s just natural for her to do what she did, been doing and I believe will continue to do.

“Oh ya… it’s true Aunty Jeanne. Ah, I must find time for some shopping!” I reacted, trying to blame on ‘time’ which definitely will never be a good excuse.



 Shoes and slippers being washed for storage. No longer fit her feet.

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Aida and I hailed a bus from London during our Britain trip to meet our friend, Sawiyah whom has been residing Cardiff, Wales for 18 years. She was our wonderful host for 3 days that she had perfectly planned a tour for us despite her tight, I really mean tight life schedule.

The day we reached Cardiff, she just returned home from Essex for work with groceries supply done for our through out stay. Efficient!

Two days after we bid farewell to her, she’ll also be flying back to Malaysia, to her hometown in Besut for a surprise visit to her mom, then back to KL for a 4 days motivational program, off to Vietnam after for a girl trip consisting her mom, two sisters, three nieces. She then will fly back to Cardiff for 3 days stay and off to Sates for 3 weeks.

That’s just her lifestyle. I do not know how she adapts to time zones and jetlag!

It is so fortunate for us to be able to slot into her pocket time in Cardiff, as she told us, though she own a home in Cardiff, her actual time spent in Cardiff is only about 2% a year. Other than that, all over the globe.

In her BMW X3, we were driven around Wales covering bit here and there for visits and shopping whilst being awed with her spirit in embracing her life in all the humbleness that she has. I’m so proud of her, I’m sure Aida is proud too.

Aida's feet.

 

 

Sawiyah and I - traditional Welsh Village, Llandaff

 



 

The scenic Welsh Life Museum, St Fagan. We had picnic too, all prepared by Sawiyah without Aida and I realizing it. 

Penarth Marina for the rich

Cardiff Bay

 

Cardiff City

Sawiyah is living single and when I asked about having a family of her own, she has nothing to hide. She admitted how she longed for an other half and child of her own, but she makes a stand that if now she’s travelling only in Business or First Class, she will not make herself travel in Economy just because of love…. that her partner couldn’t afford. It wouldn’t work. Period.

I get her clearly and I salute her. BOLD.

Time and again, despite her clear vision of wanting to be Rich and Happy she repeatedly preach Aida and I that : 

“whatever we have now, we actually own nothing ....... it’s not ours” MasyaAllah, humbleness.

Sawiyah's Western Home.

View from her backyard

Yummy curry mee for farewell dinner prepared by Sawiyah. Here is me and friend from TKC, Adibah. She too has been living Cardiff for 20 years. A doctor operating her own practice.

 

One of the places that we toured, Sawiyah brought us to Bridgend Designer Outlet.

Sawiyah told us to go ahead with our shopping while she waited for us. For two hours Aida & I roamed the shops, Sawiyah was on her 4 phones - working! Once we were done, she handed to us :  "You all must be hungry, here I bought you guys donuts. Let's sit and eat!" - Allah s.w.t bless my friend. 

A-hah! Here, I found my worth-it buy. I like buys like this. A pair of Reebok shoes at a further reduction price for my energetic bunny. Reduction from 20 to 14 to 9pounds.

It could be clearance from last year Spring, but who cares, I don’t. My bunny sure doesn’t.

Suits her 40 pence Britain socks, huh?

 To school today.

Back home, not to my knowing, Harris too did some shoes shopping for the tiny feet. A pair of pink shoes for her P.E class. Hehehehehe, somebody also felt slap by Aunty Jeanne’s gentle reminder, I guess.

 

 and new slippers too.

 

Note : Most photos in this entry are credit of Sawiyah and Aida.

What has gone wrong?

My friends and I spent some time at A&W for ice-cream after visiting our alma mater , the activity we used to do during our weekend outings back then.

We talked on a lot of things and of course, matters on our children are priorities.
A friend brought up a subject which I agreed with her and so keen to improve on my parenting skill.

She told me making reference to her very own off-springs : “Mario, I find that they are very smart with their words. They perform well in school, their vocabulary and their knowledge are way advanced than what I myself had when I was their age… but I find that they are actually “empty”. Example, I asked them to wash their own school shoes, given the brush, soap and they just had to ask me : How to wash ?” 

“How can they not able to figure themselves of a simple task in washing a pair of shoes ?….”

For a mother to confess such situation, I totally appreciate it. I know her kids, getting on stage for educational awards is like ‘kacang putih’ for them.

As we always want to see our children as ‘smart’, statements like this would make us grounded and realized : Yup, it could be true…….. and what should we do?

“Which part of our parenting skill has gone wrong?...”

“Haven’t we given them enough exposure to be a self-starter?..”

“Haven’t we created enough critical thinking, problem solving situation to our kids..?”

"Haven't we venture enough to instill the importance of creativity in our kids..?" 

It is indeed challenging, more over with our education system of seeing nos of A’s is so much important than nurturing diversity and EQ, I am so afraid I would be trapped in the same scenario.

In bringing up Nada, it is actually one of the things that I am afraid most…
That she grew up being an individual that is lack of common sense.. lack of EQ. For some reason, these two can’t be found in a typical school classrooms.

I am still lost in search of ways to overcome this lingering questions which has already nested in me for sometime.  

... at Taman Tasik Seremban.

Isn't that Mommy made apple box-pleat skirt yummy? One for sure, I know my example to her in handmades making has got into her habit in one way or another. She's now so keen with my sewing machine.

This used to be my playground

Every year on the first of May, my alma mater would conduct a reunion for the former students we call it,  the Old Girls Day. It is organized by Tunku Kurshiah College Old Girls Association, abbrev. TKCOGA. Many would trail back to Bukit Merbah for a get together no matter in what batch you were.

Ms Dew insisted to write her name..

I have never join any TKCOGA events but decided to do so this year for few reasons.

After school in 1992, I did went back there twice. First was to collect SPM results and the necessary certificates, second was after I got married and staying in Seremban. It was just a brief drive through with only Harris on one Saturday morning.

The recent visit was indeed a bittersweet come back. It would be the final year Tunku Kurshiah College to reside Bukit Merbah before the commencement of 2013 education term in Nilai – the new ground for TKC.

There’s so much memory I had in TKC, it’s definitely a favourite playground after the best ‘playground’ I had underneath my Pale Green Home. A lot had changed, but the same passion could still be felt.

We didn't have those exercise equipments back then.

Plastic plate now, no longer the metal tray for dines

My room in '92, now has grille for safety reason.

 Quotes everywhere.. desk, notice board. Still being practiced. I only to realize that these two that attracted me to snap photo came from one same person after gotten home. She's sure doing well.

It was joyful to meet up old girl friends that many of them I haven’t seen for more than 20 years. We’ve long made a conclusion and agreed that TKC was the place that we found the best of friendship. What can you expect of five solid years growing up together during the tender years of our age, sharing tears and laughter…, Quarrel and Hugs! We’ll have Good Friends! that most probably think alike.

There is something about TKC that we kinda have the intuition when we meet a KURSHIAN though our path had never crossed in the home ground.

Almost everyone had such encounter of after talking to one, we could guess that she’s a TKCian, and we’re right. Somehow….. I also don’t know how.

A gorgeous friend of mine.... her physics looks like she never left school. *I'm depressed*

 With our Biology teacher whom just retired and was surprised with a full sponsored vacation to Turkey by TKCOGA.

As much as I savour the joy with my friends, the best part to me was still being able to share the happiness of going back to school with my very own favourite girl – Nada. Showing her what has been part of me, what has made me that actually never leave me.

Managed to mend her dress strap & button. It's red covered button replacing tiny flowers 

Though, I couldn’t say I manage to impart to her my appreciation of my years in TKC, I’m already grateful that by end of our tour that day.. she told me : “Mommy, I like your school. It is big and clean....”

Diaper bag and Make-up kit

Dinosour vs mankind on Mount Fuji

I meant to blog about this for many weeks, however only now it happen. Better late than never, eh?

My friend from school, Sabine who is now raising her family somewhere in Oz requested me to make her daughter a make-up kit and a diaper bag for herself on commission.

Gosh! It was a big request. I’d never make a make up kit or a diaper bag before.

So, with basic of my own on-the-go sewing kit organizer, I whip up the make-up kit. I'm so cincai.. i don't even have proper full make up set to compliment the kit for photo sake !... It has three slots zippered pockets at lower part for small items.

wrap around ribbon tie.

As for the diaper bag, I made reference to this tutorial, this blog and my self figured comforter bag that I made sometime back.

Results turned out to be like this :

FRONT Rear zippered pocket

Side pockets......one with elastic grip, one with velcro closure. I told Sabine she may want to replace the measuring tape with a stethoscope since she is a doctor.

tiny pocket on the strap for small items.. thumb drive, mp3, earphone... stuffs like that.

inside bag..

This diaper bag was the second item in my handmade list that I made following step by step tutorial after the booties. Oh! Frankly, I'm not comfortable to follow tutorials. It kinda make me nervous if I miss a step or do not understand the steps.

I didn’t exactly follow the measurement given in the tutorial because my friend has two babies of about to be 1yo and 2yo, hence I figured she needed bigger bag than the given measurement to put diapers and stuffs of use by double!

I also added the stroller hang referring to Aida’s blog and changed one outer side pocket to elastic grip rather than Velcro closure provided in the tutorial.

It took me one weekend to finish up the bag, with all the interval breaks… the like entertaining the princess cum ultraman, house chores, eating out and brought-home office works (blerggh)!

All in all, I gave myself 3 marks out of 10 with reasons :

1. 5 marks out of 10 is given to the person who came out with the tutorial and the blog that I made reference to for I was be able to sew this bag. So I was only left with 5 marks.
2. 2 marks out of 5 due to me was minus upon my mistake in putting the magnetic snap, that I had to re-do.

Simple arithmetic, 10-5-2 equals 3 marks which were valued for me.

On another note, I gave myself full 10 marks for making Sabine happy. She was very satisfied with her bag and asked me to make two more make-up kit because her daughter’s grooming stuff couldn’t fit into one. (booo to me... a 9 year old has more make-up than me !)

Both make up kit and diaper bag were sent to Sabine through a school friend, Aida whom is also living Oz that came back for Aidilfitri holidays.

Aida and me. I almost terjun longkang looking at this mother of two still slim figure!

Sabine paid me some RM 400 (about.. can't remember the exact figure already la) for both… Good? That covers our two weekend visits to The Butcher Steak House. Okay what…..

I have another request from school friend for the bag which I had been procrastinating. She wants to use it for her frequent travels. So I’ve figured it would be something to have :

1. Zippered pocket in the inside for passport, wallet & hand phone

2. Padded slot for I-pad or compact laptop

3. Elastic grip pocket at side for water bottle

4. Small pockets at outside with Velcro closure for card tickets like Octopus card, whatever necessary according to that particular country.

5. Slots for pens

6. The strap should be long enough that she could have it cross her shoulder.

How I want to make for her, but my time is so limited.

Arghhhhh… I love to create things………