Our Julia Donaldson Crush

We love books.

We love reading them (over and over, cover to cover) to both our children, especially as a precursor to bedtime.

So, it is natural that we occasionally share our author crush with them. It is also natural that we sometimes hunt down new titles to complete a particular series, the way we did with Eric Carle a couple of years ago.

Last summer in York, we fell in love with Julia Donaldson after reading The Gruffalo. We went on to her many other titles rapidly after that first book. We even have the DVD version of The Graffalo and Room On The Broom, because they are just so wonderful! Waterstones and BHS did an amazing job promoting Julia Donaldson, more thorough than MPH, Borders and Kinokuniya in Malaysia ever did.

Despite my breakneck speed at work and home front this week, I managed to purchase sapu some Julia Donaldson books at an intimate book fair organised by The Playschool. It was held at the large hall. Discounted Julia Donaldson for titles no longer stocked at Kinokuniya KLCC brought The Other Half and I immense joy and satisfaction for finding such gems!

Oh, digressing to the large hall at The Playschool: this cheery and bright hall holds many memories for me personally. The Little Girl had achieved so many firsts, if only these mirrored walls and tall windows can talk. Gym on Mondays, Music on Tuesdays, Ballet on Thursdays, parties, dances, feasts of various festivals, celebrations of many foreign countries...and I have enjoyed being 5 minutes ahead of pick up time, stood outside the sliding door to watch her grow before my very eyes so often in the past.

We are so blessed to have Bean join this little tradition of ours and carry the legacy of his elder sister at The Playschool. Syukur alhamdulillah.

Who is/are your favourite author, my lovelies? Please do share your literary list!

Busy Week

Please pardon my excitement- it is The Little Girl's first exam week at The Big School!

She started on Tuesday with English and Spelling; followed by Mathematics and Science yesterday; with Malay as Foreign Language and Ejaan (Malay Spelling) as ending today. 

Honestly, she did not "study" but played a lot throughout the preparation period. I do not think I will be saying this in 10 years' time, so let me enjoy this prep-free exam period *grin* 

When the Examinable Areas were first disclosed, I made a mental note to check with her if she had understood those lessons as taught in class. When we did go through the books during "revision", I asked if she wanted to clarify any confusion/forgotten lessons. She sounded alright and I left it at that, not wanting to create any self-doubt in her. 

She then watched Cars from Disney and The Wolf Children (highly recommended work by Mamoru Hosoda) and played with her toys. Story time at night was Sukukata for only once (because I panicked, she was fine!).

Bean turned 21 months today. Still 16 teeth with no signs of the final 4. Still breastfeeding at noon, bedtime, 2 am and 5 am as his Happylatch Meals. 9 more months to go, in sha Allah. Precious moments every time I cuddle him for a feed as he is now an active toddler. Alhamdulillah.

More updates on The Little Girl: we have reached the end of JMC Primary 1 so Teacher has lined up a "mini concert" this Saturday. 

Songs to sing: Come And Play With Me and Whales' Sneeze. Solfege. Play 2 songs. The Little Girl chose See You Tomorrow and A Cuckoo Clock on the piano. I am not bringing any extra audience to avoid her getting stage fright, but I am sure The Other Half and Bean will get the best seats in the room. 

The last time she was to act in The Bear Hunt at The Playschool, she clammed up and refused to act upon seeing the many new adult faces. I really hope she will be brave enough this time, as the piano faces the wall and not the audience. 

I still have work pending and really should get going to clear the trays before the weekend starts. I have a very dear friend returning to Tokyo with her children this Sunday *sobs* - how fast 24 months flew us by! See my post on this friendship here.

How is your week going so far, my lovelies? Happy holidays to those enjoying the school break. Safe travels, journey mercies and please do share those beautiful memories!

See You Again

One of our close and dear family friends are returning to Tokyo this Sunday. 

I have been, for the want of better emotional expression, sad. 

The Other Half comforted me by saying,"Don't be sad that it is over, be happy that it happened." He knows fully well this friendship is not over, it is just being physically split into 2 capital cities. 

Two years passed us by in a blink.

It had started with a friendly and genuine "Ohaiyo gozaimasu" one November morning in 2013. Distinctively Tokyo accented, very polite and pretty voice from a petite lady.

I turned my head and there she was - a beautiful Japanese lady wearing her baby boy, the handsomest and chubbiest bundle of joy straight out of a Hayao Miyazaki animated film!

Mrs. Yoshizawa thought I were a Japanese lady and was quickly apologetic when I responded with a foreign, inaccurate, clumsy reply of "Ohaiyo. Hi!" 

We exchanged bows that hot and humid morning at The Playschool. It was our year end open day with carnival for our little ones to enjoy.

Her husband had been posted to work in Kuala Lumpur and they had just enrolled An-chan into the same class as The Little Girl. 

We soon discovered that our 2 young ladies were born in the same year and same month, about 2 weeks apart. Our 2 young men were born in the same year about 3 months apart. What a close match!

In Mr. Yoshizawa's apt description of our children, "Same size, same energy level, same age!". He could not have been more precise!

Typical to the nature of Malaysian hospitality, we soon agreed on a play date/tea and an invitation was extended to them to visit us at The Flat as a welcome to Malaysia "party". 

The rest of our 24 months of living within the same community is now a pleasant juxtaposition of swimming lessons for the young ladies, play dates for the children, school run quick hellos and goodbyes, ballet classes, Gymboree classes for the young men and Isetan KLCC chance encounters. Our lives were lived in parallel, almost.

The farewell/birthday party last Sunday was especially extended for us to include a quick dinner at Avenue K. A new Nando's outlet had just opened and our party of 8 had a simple farewell dinner. The young ladies played and ate without their usual drama. The young men gobbled up their platter just like the way they do at The Playschool. It was pleasantly bittersweet. 

By the end of the evening, we had exchanged many sweet memories, laughter, bows and more bows. So many bows everyone else at Nando's thought we were truly Japanese! Photographs soon followed so that we could freeze those parting moments forever.

Dearest Yoshizawas,

Thank you for being such great family friends, Yoshizawas! May our paths cross again someday, in sha Allah! May your family grow and flourish forever more, in love, health, peace and vitality!

With lots of love,

The Hampshire Family 

P/S: God willing, we will come and visit you in Tokyo <3

Gratitude: Sunny Saturday

Today, I am thankful for the sunny and cheerful Saturday morning at the playground. 

The Little Girl got over-confident at the monkey bars and bruised her knees from a bad landing. No, I was not even using my phone at that point of time. The Other Half was busy watching Bean when it happened in a flash. Ouch! We are thankful for the lesson. 

She also scratched her left arm at another careless fall, under my watchful eyes and verbal caution. Double ouch! We are, again, thankful for the lesson.

After some whining, consoling, first aid made of hugs and kisses and sweating it out, we treated ourselves to some fresh waffles.

 

The waffles were so delicious that The Other Half asked why haven't we got ourselves a waffle-maker at home yet. No prize for predicting what is to be this year's Mothers' Day present. Still, I am thankful. In sha Allah, we will have homemade waffles. 

How is your weekend coming along, my lovelies? Please do share your highlight!

Snippets: Dinner

"Mama, that looks like my school lunch. I am NOT going to eat it."

She stood her ground that night and went to bed without "dinner". Instead, she ate bananas, overnight oats and a slice of cheese sandwich, washed down with a cupful of milk. Well, she did say, "Bismillah, I have food!". Definitely one of those moments I feel like squeezing her!

Mission to plan dinner that does not clash with Playschool and The Big School lunches - fail. 

Back to the drawing board!

Malaysian Rate at Shangri-la Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang

It is a fact I love booking for hotel rooms via Agoda. Convenient, options, great discounts, awesome loyalty programme, secure payment, immediate confirmation, no cancellation fee deals, insider deals, you name it I like it!

It is also a fact that every April is our annual visit to Pearl of the Orient/work/leisure/balik kampung trip. We try to stay for as long as possible for the children to enjoy some sand, beach, and fresh air. They just love it there and a whole week can pass just bumming around at the beach and pool.

Put the two together and you will think I will book our annual rooms at our home away from home with Agoda, right?

Yes. True for many years. 

Until...

...I found out last year that as a Malaysian, I have to only pay a (much) lower local rate instead of the "international rate" best deal we have been getting via Agoda!

Oh, well. Live and learn.

This year, I am going to wise up and stretch my RM by calling to book directly. Wish me luck!

An update as of 14 March 2015: Agoda is the lowest offer in town! I redeemed my points, put in all my special requests and got ourselves a great bargain insider deal! Alhamdulillah. Now let's pray I get all my special requests met by hotel!

I love the avoidance of doubt factor with Agoda. The deals are transparent, up front and immediate. No dropped calls, delayed email, or human ineffectiveness. Bless!

(A further update as of 20 March 2015: This year, I have just been quoted RM1200 per night add 10% Service Charge, add 6% GST, add RM3 per visitor to Penang as imposed by the State Government for one Terrace Junior Suite which comes with one king size bed and twin beds including daily breakfast for 2 adults. However, the offer came a little too late so we will keep this option in view for our next visit.)

P/S: Ambition for this trip - spa! It has not been possible for too many years I am about to just wing it. In sha Allah. Spa.

GST In Malaysia

Someone nudged me to say that I have been really quiet in this blog of late.

Here is what I have been up to (other than settling Bean at Playschool or paying zakat and personal income tax or washing the curtains at The Flat):

The Government has not directly educated me as an end consumer much as to the looming GST. 

When I exit the cashier at supermarkets, I do not see where I can pick up leaflets to summarise my taxable, exempted or zero-rated sundry. 

When I went for a hair trim at KLCC, the transaction was not even recorded! It was a cash transaction sans receipt! Never mind about asking for a GST info pamphlet there. PETRONAS is much better because the receipt is already GST format-compliant, bravo!

Consequently, I got anxious. Then I got proactive.

Over the last one week, I took matters into my own device quite literally to go online on the Royal Malaysian Customs Department site and check the categories of goods and services that will hit me directly first come 1 April 2015. It is structured, concise and quite informative if you have the time to "study".

*bleary eye momster mode on*

Thanks to that, I can now plan my purchases and avoid panick stock-pile. Simply because I know which items can wait (zero-rated), which "luxury" big ticket item currently not taxed will cost 6% more, and hope to see services that are currently charged 10% service charge add 5% government tax be reduced to merely an all encompassing GST of 6% (although disappointingly, most will continue with the 10% service charge add 6% GST). Those items on the exempted list, I hope will grow to a longer list and stay exempted for much longer.

*back to mengaji Customs*

Toodles, my lovelies!