Living with Sarah

The charm bracelet I ordered on the day Aliyah got her UPSR results came on Tuesday. Very cute. Only get to give it to Aliyah on Wednesday night. She has been staying with her Mak Long since Sunday.  Alhamdulillah, with her well taken care of, both of us could focus on the shop. On Wednesday, we finally finished painting work - epoxy painting for the floor. The experience was horrible. The smell and fumes of the paint can really get into your head. I had headache the whole day especially since I worked on the edges with a brush. So, the contact to the paint was closer. By 4pm, I couldn't take it anymore. Had to let Hubby finish off the work while I had to sit in the car for some fresh air. Not so fresh la but since it was raining, there was no where else to sit.  Now that the bulk of the work is completed, next will be bringing in the display cabinets, installing wire netting, installing the air-cond and bringing in stock which before that needs to be ordered, then record...

Finally, semua walls dah siap cat. Including the walls at the entrance. Hari ni plan lari sikit. Our contractor yang patut pasang air-cond was not well. So, tangguh esok. Which means, we have to wait another day till the installation is finished before we can clean up the floor for the epoxy paint. Selagi ada benda-benda lain yang melibatkan any drilling atau yang sewaktu dengannya, we cannot start work on the floor. I really hope we can finish up everything by tomorrow or latest Thursday. Lepas tu dah boleh start putting stocks in. And then we can open shop. It doesn't matter if there are minor stuff unfinished, as long as we can start opening the shop. Rasa dah tak larat jadi buruh kasar nih! Tadaaa... dah siap! Entrance kena cat sikit sebab original paint was quite bad. Tapi buat macam "pintu gerbang" saja sebab ceiling agak tinggi tak sampai nak cat. I think the effect looks quite nice la kan... The whole shop is still full of fine dust. Dah banyak kali sapu pun...

Alhamdulillah... selesai my SIL's wedding. Lepas ni no more weddings! Semua yang patut kahwin, dah pun kahwin :). Kenduri kahwin memang sangat memenatkan. For both of us, it's double penat because we have been working on the shop. Even on Thursday, the day before balik Melaka pun we worked like crazy. Malam tu buat vanilla cake pulak untuk trifle untuk meja pengantin. Esoknya, pagi-pagi morning dah start buat trifle. Masukkan dalam small plastic containers bentuk love. Then glue ribbon and flowers. Ish, terlupa pulak nak ambik gambar... But looked very very nice :) Kat Melaka pulak, after helping out with all that needed to be helped (macam-macam lah, termasuklah menjadi bidan terjun membuat hantaran dengan Angah Mas sebab belah lelaki tetiba je bagitau nak tambah lagi 2 dulang hantaran - last minute suka-suka hati kan?), I went upstairs with a very bad migraine. By then dah 11pm. Then, anak-anak sedara yang kecik-kecik datang - "Mak Longgg, mak long dah tido keee......

What a productive day. And such a tiring day. Bangun pagi je dah rasa macam tak sempat nak buat semua benda yang kena buat hari ni. Mula-mula lepas breakfast, Hubby pegi jumpa our very first client - cikgu sekolah menengah yang tengah organise kayuhan this Saturday. Increase budget (yeay!). After that, dropped Hubby at the shop for him to start on painting work while I went to the office to finish other tasks. Dah settle a few things, pegi pulak my parents' place untuk petik rambutan. Sebenarnya, I ni dah dekat 5 tahun tak makan rambutan. Sejak ada allergy yang menyebabkan batuk yang sangat teruk once kena (like now), dah tak makan rambutan lagi. Tapi, oleh sebab hari-hari my father call (3 days in a row), I pun pergi lah. Ok gak, boleh bawak balik Melaka. Setelah kaki dan tangan kena hisap dengan nyamuk yang bermaharajalela, dan setelah memetik 9 ikat rambutan, dropped Aliyah and Linda to office and joined Hubby mengecat kedai. Alhamdulillah, by 6.30pm tinggal nak touch up sikit...

I selalu doa lepas solat - "semoga Allah anugerahkan rezeki dari punca yang tidak disangka-sangka...". Ada satu opportunity dari punca yang tidak disangka. Actually, not totally tak disangka lah. Just that timing tidak disangka. Salah timing pun iya juga. Our contact yang bagi project for Hubby to do that stint in Kota Damansara last year offered him another opportunity. Hubby had to decline and the offer was passed to me. It's a consultation work for an IT project in Bukit Jalil for at least one year. Very tempting. However, there were too many things to consider - transport (we are down to one car), Aliyah, the grant that was still pending, Aliyah, the new venture we are currently undergoing, Aliyah... Linda finally got hold of the officer handling our grant and was told that the grant will (finally) be disbursed earliest next week. We have been waiting for ages for it. Aliyah dah nak masuk sekolah menengah dah ni! The idea was first put forward when she was in Year...

Last Monday was literally a manic Monday. Early morning we registered Aliyah at her new school. Since anak gadis ku tak bawak balik surat penempatan when she was supposed to and put it instead in her personal folder at school, we didn't get to read thoroughly what was needed. So, first pit stop was her primary school to collect the folder - with all her certificates, etc. Then, to the new school. Apparently she was supposed to wear school uniform. Good thing the clerk at the school was not so fussy. Kena keluar kejap pegi photocopy some documents pulak and then come back. But very fast and easy registration. Come 31 Dec, we need to attend the official registration. After that off to JPN to make Aliyah's IC. Yup, tak buat lagi. Almost a month already! And salah timing as the place was packed with people. We had more than 100 in queue in front of us! Since dah pergi, hadap je lah. Mula-mula kena pegi update birth certificate (that took us more than 1 hour), lepas tu ambik nombo...

Aliyah throughout her 6 years of primary school... Sigh, she has grown up. Super fast! First day of school, Year 1, 4 Jan 2008. This was taken at sekolah agama which we eventually didn't enroll her. Isn't she cute?  This is Aliyah in 2009 - Year 2. She was still at SK Bangi. She moved to SK Seri Putra in April, if I'm not mistaken.  Last weeks of school Year 3, 2010.  Merentas desa in 2011 (Year 4). Masa ni Hubby ikut dia lari bagi semangat. She actually finished top 20 (again, if I'm not mistaken). Masuk marching Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah masa Year 4, 2011.  2012 Hari Anugerah Cemerlang. She got first in class (Year 5).  First day of school Year 6, 2013. With Ain Maisarah her favourite author who came to her school this year.

Yesterday was the last time Aliyah walked out of the school gate as a student. As per my writing, I am so very emotional this week. Apparently, I am not alone (which proves that I am not insane). Hubby's ex-boss Hizwani shared the same sentiment. And it's his 4th child. And he shed some tears during the school's graduation ceremony. I am forever grateful to Aliyah's teachers - since her short stint at SK Bangi and then SK Seri Putra the year after. My prayer - semoga mereka mendapat ganjaran sebesar-besar ganjaran dari Allah swt. Amin...  That last steps through the gates...  Making faces... Rambut kena simbah tepung. Must be boys! Right after, lunch at her favourite place - Subway. Suka buat mata bulat besar macam tu!

I posted this on my GBS group today... #‎ UPSR‬  Semlm di FB semua kisah yg dpt 5A dpt ucapan tahniah. Hari ni saya nak kongsi cerita. Anak saya Aliyah keluar dari dewan dgn results di tangan. Muka kelat menahan perasaan. Dia tunjuk kertas - 3A2B. Saya peluk & cium - "Alhamdulillah, that is very good!". Dia terperanjat. Dia kecewa tak dpt 4A yg dia target. Saya rasa dia sgt kecewa sbb tak dpt 4A utk ibubapanya bukan utk diri sendiri. I told her - "Yeay, dpt result sama mcm Mommy dulu!". Lps tu baru muka mula ceria.  Saya sedih sebenarnya sbb anak2 kita jadi stress mcm tu. Apa pun yg anak2 kita dpt ialah yg terbaik yang Allah swt bagi. Saya akan terperanjat kalau Aliyah dpt  5A sbb saya tahu usaha & keupayaan dia. Saya bgtau dia - "Mommy selalu doa Aliyah dpt results yg terbaik, dan itu lah yg terbaik utk Aliyah Allah bagi". Lps tu baru dia reflect balik dan rasa puas hati dgn results dia. Dia kata - "OK kan Mommy? Dulu Aliyah selalu dpt 2A...

Finally, it's results day. Both of us went to the school at 10.30am. By then, the hall was already full with parents and kids. At the front, tables were arranged with all Year 6 class teachers seated. Everybody was waiting. The results were still at the school office. Despite being skeptical, Hubby sent SMS to get Aliyah results. I think the reply never came. The MOE's SAPS portal? Down. Why bother to offer online services when you can't cope with the traffic? If you can't cope, it's actually OK but you have to be honest. Just make an announcement saying the services will be offline from what time till what time (during the peak hours - I guess from 10am-1pm) due to the server's incapability of handling very high traffic. Then resume service. By then, people should have gotten the results already. I don't know. To me honesty is much more honourable than making people use your services and not getting any results.  Anyway, back to the hall. The headmaster ...

I realised something this morning... As I was sitting at the school hall this morning waiting for the ceremony to start, I looked around at the other parents. Most looked like they have taken time off from work, or leave. I know it's actually not easy for working parents to take time off or apply leave to attend such event. Some even come alone. Perhaps the other half couldn't make it. And I recall the years since Aliyah started school in 2006 (kindie at 5 years old), a year after I resigned from my previous company. Alhamdulillah, I can gladly say that I managed to attend all important school events throughout the years. I never miss any report card day. I attended all sports day that Aliyah participated, I sent her off to school trips, camps and classes, and fetched her right after. Yup, almost all events that needed a parent to attend - I attended. Except PIBG meetings. Because I just think it's a waste of time. Really. On the day my little girl graduated from prim...

We were at Aliyah's school today for her graduation ceremony. We were there yesterday because we had to come collect Aliyah's phone which got confiscated. And we will be there tomorrow to collect her UPSR results. Talking about spending time at her school these last few days of school term! Actually, duduk dalam dewan saja dah buat hati I ni sebak. My daughter is completing her primary school. She'll be in secondary school next year! Cepatnya besar... Sigh... And while waiting for the event to start, they played slideshows of photos of the Year 6 kids - from the day they pledged that they will strive to get good results early in the year, the photos of their journey towards it (the seminars, camps, classes, etc), their activities, and many more. Siap background lagu pun menghibakan hati... Sedih tau... We stayed till after Aliyah received her scroll and the performance during the first break - BM choral reading (entah apa berirama I dah tak ingat). Quite good actually. ...

Hari ini ialah Hari Kerahan Tenaga Sedunia. Hubby and I - we both did hard labour - painting the shop. Achievement tu... We started late because we had to attend Aliyah's graduation ceremony in the morning. After she received her scroll, take pictures, we both went for breakfast and then a short meeting with Hubby's friend to discuss signage for the shop. By the time we went back to school, the ceremony had just ended. We didn't miss much lah. A few pit stops - paid the grill guy and ordered glass display cabinets. Lepas tu terus ke kedai. We only stopped for lunch at 4.30pm. Itu pun after the Thai restaurant owner came for a visit. Then, the air-cond shop next door yang sama-sama sedang renovation work visited pulak... Alhamdulillah, so far our neighbours are OK. Semoga boleh sama-sama berniaga dalam harmoni. The work ended at 6.15pm. Kelam-kabut sebab Aliyah ada graduation dinner pulak. By the time we locked the shutters, both of us smell like Bangla lepas balik ker...

Weekend yang agak memenatkan. On Saturday, we played host to Melaka clan who gathered to discuss matters on my SIL Mija's wedding. Dari pagi dah start kerja - pegi beli lauk and stuff to cook. Buat potluck. As tuan rumah, I cooked nasi minyak suka hati, siakap sweet sour dan acar/jelatah. Mengemas rumah saja dah 2-3 jam. By the time Angah Mas sampai, baru nak goreng ikan. Alhamdulillah this time around timing semua OK. The table was full of yummy food - satay Kajang, asam pedas tulang, kari ayam, talam keladi... Memang 2-3 round lah mengusung pinggan.  So, kerja dah dibahagi-bahagi. It's about 2 more weeks to go. Sekejapnya rasa...  The next day pergi wedding Zurai, anak Kak Mah yang babysit Aliyah masa kecik. Semua surprised Aliyah dah besar. Actually - dah tinggi! Then, spent time with my parents. Sempat mengintai kebun I yang dah lama tak jenguk tu. Wahh... cempedak, pulasan, mata kucing, pisang, semua tengah meriah... Bagitau my father yang apparently dah lama tak m...

Today pasang boxed grill kat belakang. Alhamdulillah, barulah rasa selamat sikit. Dan paling penting, pekerja-pekerja restoren belakang tu tak boleh lagi melepak betul-betul belakang pintu. Siap letak meja kerusi buat kerja kupas bawang, jemur ikan kering bagai. Dah berapa kali we all datang siap cuci kedai diaorang buat tak reti je. Some people... Next - kena tunggu siap glass wall and partition (yang masih belum habis plaster dan cat). After that, we can clean up all the mess (again!) and start paint works. Plan to do ourselves. Insyaallah boleh...

Terbaca kat FB sekolah Aliyah results UPSR will come out next week. Terus kecut perut Mommy Aliyah... Sedang cuba buat mental therapy pada diri sendiri - it's just an exam... the first of the many that are to come... Whatever Aliyah's results may be, dia seorang anak yang sangat baik dan rajin. Dia dah buat sehabis baik yang dia mampu buat. Parents dia pun dah usaha sebaik-baik yang mereka mampu. Dan cikgu-cikgu dia pun semestinya dah buat sebaik-baik yang boleh. Semuanya di tangan Allah swt. Abahnya dulu dapat 5A. Sangat bagus sampai boleh masuk MCKK. Mommy Aliyah not as good - dapat 3A2B. Alhamdulillah sebab ikut Atoknya pindah Sabak Bernam, dapat masuk Yayasan Selangor dan bersekolah di sekolah yang bagus ie SM (P) Sri Aman, PJ (which actually would be the school she would've attended if she continued staying in PJ anyway!). Aliyah pulak? She will pave her own course. And whatever the road she will take, she will surely have both of us supporting her all the way... 3...

Hari ni turn Hubby pulak mengulang ke kedai. I rehat sikit OK. Pagi-pagi Sam Cermin punya orang-orang datang plaster board of that little office. Baik-baik orangnya mintak sekali tolong plaster filler kan lubang kat dinding peninggalan developer. Lampu pun dah habis pasang. Cat pun dah beli tadi. So, buruh kasarnya will be both of us. Should be fun painting the walls :). Buat sendiri lah kan mana yang boleh... Ya Allah, mudahkanlah urusan kami. Semoga berjaya bukak kedai very very soon...

Progress on the shop is actually quite slow. The first month - nothing much done due to the passing of my MIL and also the staying low due to financing issues. We didn't really approach anybody. At one point, I guess the way out was no where to be seen. But come Hari Arafah - at the time when it is said that prayers are answered around 5pm-8pm - I prayed and prayed that assistance will be given to us. My thought was - perhaps there is a way for us to get funding via bank loan or something. Less than a week later, Hubby's friend of a friend called him up and offered to partner. And the rest is history. We have now formed a partnership, started a company and now renovation of the shop has started. I believe this is the help given to us by Allah. And I pray that we can work together in harmony. We really hope we can open shop latest by end of the month.  The partition for office. Lights and fans have been installed. The entrance to the restrooms will be covered with a door. ...

Yesterday we conducted a "bukak kedai" - got my father to come over, baca Yassin, solat sama-sama and doa selamat sikit. Alhamdulillah, dia kata everything looks OK. Timing pun ngam-ngam katanya. Garam pun cukup-cukup. Siap baca Yassin, doa, did the tabur garam thingy, siram air Yassin, terus Maghrib. What he didn't know was I was driving around like crazy - from kedai patah balik rumah ambik screwdriver, packed telekung, sejadah, etc, bawak sekali Aliyah. Then, at 6pm (janji nak fetch at 6pm!), baru selesai Asar, gi tapaukan my mother food sikit, kena singgah office pulak sebab suddenly Aliyah said she was not sure she switched off the air-cond or not, so kena naik office and memang air-cond was still on! Haiyoo... I am so so angry when it comes to stuff like this. So, panjang lebar lah marah pada Aliyah yang I feel very irresponsible sebab dah pesan and dah reconfirm. Alhamdulillah I teringat nak tanya sekali lagi whether she really is sure the air-cond is switched of...