To CBN Class of 88.....

It's funny how time flies 
How we thought we had forgotten
And yet - surprisingly - we still remember
How to have loads of "teenage-style" fun
Not withstanding the new dimensions(?)
The new commitments
The new lifestyles

What bonds us are the memories
(Of hiding Sweet Dream books behind blackboards)
(And checking out guys from the school next door)
(and running uphill at LAke GArdens)
(of girl guide orientations and gatherings)

How we forget the clashes 
and the differences we had
How we undeniably matured and grew
How we no longer wear( or fit) the same uniforms
And how we stood by each other when the "teacher" made us duckwalk for making too much noise....

thanks for the walk down memory lane girls...

This is not about school friends
This is about a sisterhood

(ehem...will call you to make bunga telur and usher for my daughtersssss weddings.....)

Maryam Iriesya the number 4

Ezfiera Zuleikha pictures......

Ezfiera Zuleikha

Maryam and her earrings

Maryam had her ears peirced..this is her comment on her earring experience.

To English or Not To English Part 2

salam all,

Our kids should be flexible enough to adapt to whatever changes there are in their education - because in the real world, nothing is certain and we should be adaptable to change - whether favourable to us or not.

hmmm.. i think in my area ie TTDI - even if the teachers were not as good (my kids come home with stories of correcting teachers' grammer and all), the tuition culture is very in...so i suppose they get back-up from the tuition classes. My kids who don't go for tuition are seen as a minority if not a novelty.

Back to my observations....my kids are all quite proficient in English but one of them still has problem with Maths. It is not a language problem then. Proficiency in language does not equals excelling in subjects taught in English. And i think it would be vice versa.

When we did A Level's i found that some kids who could hardly speak English or were not as proficient were still the ones scoring straight A's....hmmm...they managed to adapt to the English environment and the English referance books - and here we can't say anything about lowering standards as these are marked overseas.

MAybe there is some truth in the reasoning that most terminology would require major translations...and maybe the subjects taught now are more advanced then when we were in school.

I once worked as a copywriter and i can tell you - nak demam kalau nak translate English to BM if it came to technical writing. Takkan semua benda nak "inverted commas" or italics.....

Yes - learning Maths & Science in English will not make you more proficient in the language. My kids learn all the other subjects in BM, but BM still tak dapat nak score. MAybe BM should also be made more interesting to make kids enjoy the classes.....

The PR kids i know go for tuition with the older kids. They have a fantastic support group. When the M&S in English was first implemented i actually offered to do tuition for them, but it turned out they have senior kids who help out and teach them in their own area.

BUt with the right attitude and support from everyone, i am sure there would be a positive outcome out of this. Yang kena tengok negative aja kenapa? Adalah sebab polisi dibuat....and i think we can collectively work to making it feasible and i think the govt should take steps to improve the quality of teachers.

I am sure you faced this in school..siapa yang cakap Orang Putih tu "action" or tak sedar diri........padahal si polan tu memang nak improve their English.How to improve if got attitude like that?

As it is, i agree with Dr M....why take to the streets to demonstrate? It may make things more complicated.........and once NAtional Security and such becomes an issue, then politics and media steps in.

If parents decide AF is their solution to making millions...or getting rezeki dapat kahwin rich man, then it is their personal choice...MAsuklah all the virtual reality game shows....boleh famous....tapi yang pasal entertainment jelah...sebab kalau yang intellectual kena study....=P

Whatever, i still think we have to look at this objectively...i still think it should be left as a choice for the parents and students....

(and i write in English because on the WWW not only Malaysians are reading our postings........)

ina ali
Who is not being very coherent today.....

To English Or Not TO English Part 1

Salam,

Of course if you ask my daughters,, they will definitely say ENGLISH...coz they have learnt M&S in English all through their schooling life. Fiqa ( born 1996) was the pioneer batch in this new system.

I did have some discussions with my staff who are PR Indonesians - who have kids in this current system....their parents speak no English at all.
(though we have some really hysterical Mind Your LAnguage English classes in case they need to help in the shop)

Anyways, their kids go to SRK Damansara Utama or SRK Damansara Jaya or the likes coz most of them are in Kayu Ara....and surprisingly, with Chinese classmates some of them can still emerge in the top 10 students in the class. I suppose they are the ones who can grasp the knowledge and the language skill...even though i hardly hear them speaking English.

Same goes to when we were studying abroad - some students could not even speak English but their academic English were par excellence and they get first class honours. And do you notice how the Post Grad's kids who go to indy and school there all talk like MAt Salleh.....even though when they started school they knew tad of English. Kids learn faster if the environment is encouraging.

Then again..those PR kids are in urban schools and yes - probably the teachers are more fluent in English or are not even Malay for that matter.....and the fact that they mix with the non-Malays does make them have a boost to speak and comprehend the language.

MAybe one solution is to have two streams - Malay medium and English medium - as in the old days (masa my mom & dad) - some schools are Malay medium and some schools are English medium. Or if it is a big school, they can have Englsih medium classes and Malay medium classes ( as in schools with 10 classes). It would be another headache to class the kids..but at least you have the choice of what you want to learn.The question papers come in 2 languages anyway.....

But for me - Malay or English is not the problem - if there is consistency then we would achieve a focused generation - not a whole lot of guinea pigs or laboratory white mice. If you are lucky the experiments may result in super beings..but if not you get confused freaks who lean towards world domination (i have been watching too much Kim Possible and Totally Spies).

To sum up - yes we can keep the English teaching ( English does not make you un-nationalistic or lupa daratan or lupa agama dan bangsa...) IF we can sort out the Education system to accommodate the urban/rural divide, brush up the teachers ( kena tukar mind set....) OR we can give the students and their parents a choice.

BTW I think my non-English speaking staff would want their kids to continue the English system coz it gives the kids exposure they would not have otherwise...cakap Boyan & JAwa jelah......

But demonstrating in the streets on this matter? what is Malaysia coming to??? That is another heated topic again........ha!ha!ha!

Wallahualam...may Allah guide us in this matter......

For Fiera? ( or for hot gucci mama?)

OH NO! I found more that i want........no budget!no budget!

3 day special @ Munawwarah - don't miss it !

You can get details from www.munawwarahdesign.blogspot.com

i got it.....

ehem.....

Zuleikha dah BOTAK!!!!

This little girl lost her hair....loads of hair......now she is really BABY BOTAK....

My latest drool.......

What more can i say.....it is another mega drool.....

Announcing the arrival.....

And my baby finally arrived...5 days late - considering it's my 5th child - i've been waiting since week 38...but baby stayed put....

On 26 February 2009 at 2256 hours ( after having labour pains for almost 24 hours and spending 15 hours in hospital....) little (?) Ezfiera Zuleikha Mukhriz Mudaris was born at 3.71kg(yikes!) - normal delivery (ouch!).



Alhamdulillah,Ina and the baby are well...dah 13 days and Ina is still sane.....

What does Ezfiera mean?

Aiyo....i wanted the name Zafiera..but everyone was making fun of me as it is a car's name. It means Successful.....

Maryam was calling my tummy Minah.....so we thought maybe Amina wud be a nice classic name.But Amina what.....

All my kids wanted the "fira" name....so we permutated the Zafira to become Ezfiera......

So that is how the name Ezfiera came about....

Zuleikha - my mom is studying Surah Yusof now...and my hubby also came home with a list of names which included Zulaika....so kira okaylah.....

For those counting budget....
I delivered at SDMC (SJMC) - under Dato' DR Siti. Admitted on 26th Feb 8am..delivered Normal delivery at 10.56 pm ( only pain killer jab at 4pm and gas after 8pm).
Took the Violet Suite (coz i have so many kids and wanted a bigger room for them to visit - and kononnya nak pamper diri as this is the last baby...) and stayed till Sunday (3 days)....all in all about 5k (tak sampai 6k).
Not sure if this is normal Dr Siti rates...or if it is long time patient (dah 13 years with her...).

Confinement package

Lulur-Mandi Rempah-Urut-Tunku 2 batu- Bengkung for 14 days from Nona Roguy ( datang rumah ).

Minum Akar Herbanika Nona Roguy, makan Phyto Natal Nona Roguy and Pil Haruan Leesa Formula

Kudos therapist Kak Siah & special thanks to Sharifah Nadia from Nona Roguy Treatment Centre in Taman Tun.
Thanks kak mona for your ConfineMum package....looking forward to use the tungku after my 14 days urut is over....

Bengkung - alternate usage between the Nona Roguy one and the Leesa Formula one.....

Intermediate (when tak pakai bengkung and the stuff the therapist uses on me) - Ginger Cream Leesa Formula and Cream Batnun(courtesy of Dato' Sarimah) to be applied on my tum-tum at night.

At the moment am at pre-preggy weight but not sure whether will go up or down coz baby Zuleikha always hungry ( and ummi tak larat nak makan banyak....)

Tired of eating rice (thanks to my hubby for cooking)....now shifting to Western diet (takpe ke?)


Hmmm....can't wait to get back to work....

Nak tengok gambar baby..i'll post some in my blog - inaali.blogspot.com (if the internet tak terhegeh-hegeh) or my Face Book http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30012&id=651174000&l=6454b

ina ali

And baby makes 5.......

Boy oh boy....i have no boys.....

And 5 girls....

Alhamdulillah.....

More later......

Morning bebels on economy, business and consumer practice....

It is rather scary watching the downward spiral in today's economic situation...and i think we have to be extremely careful about the decisions we make in the name of being prudent.

I studied a wee bit of economics way back during my A-Level days - and the impact of learning micro & macro economics does intrigue me...how one collective decision by a group of consumers can actually result in a huge domino effect which can bring down not only one business or company, but whole countries.

How the panic which results from a recession can make matters worse......resulting in inflation and depression. And a worse economic downturn that we may never get out of.

My hubby actually majored in Economics. and my mummy is a veteren business woman who has gone through a whole lot of experiences in riding recessions, family economic crisis and of course Munawwarah's 20 years experience in being in the market......and we are forever discussing how the turn of world events will effect our lives, our country and as business owners - our own businesses.

Tawakal plays a major role in facing economic downturn.....but if collectively - as consumers, if we do not make the right decisions - we may regret it for the rest of our lives.....Usaha and educated decisions make a whole lot of difference to our lives.....

Riding the waves of a recession requires careful planning. Spending is good for fighting the downturn....keeping money in the bank by the lorry loads is not.

But spend wisely on Local businesses so that somehow the money still goes around in our economy.

That is why the govt gives us the option of less epf contributions so that if you need the extra cash, you can use the money you have ( i am sure u understand that) - ie to increase liquidity.

Oh dear..what have i done..it is 245 in the mrning and i started yakking about economics...macam terror sangat..,,,,

And I second Lily (Ummikusayang) & Yati(alamak tak tahu nama bakery dia....)'s observation about how "small business orang Melayu" is always downplayed next to business "established" - especially in the area of discounts and consumer ethics. I think we as Muslims have some responsibility as not to aniaya orang and that our policies and prices are honest reflections of our products and the effort we put in. MPH does not have to explain "no discounts"..but we have to go through lengthy explanations about how we have to meet costs etc.......Panjang cerita bab ni...but i shall refrain as i said it is 3am..and i need to do some accounts work (alang2 tak boleh tidur......).

Believe me - i am speaking from a position as a consumer (who loves shopping....), a mother to 4 growing kids who need food, education and a stimulating lifestyle, a business woman in marketing ( who needs to strategize so that the business does not suffer), an employer ( with more then 20 persons employed under our company) and as a Muslim, Malaysian citizen who would hate to see the country, the race and the religion fall because of emotional and irrational panic sentiments.........not as someone who is just watching the economic plight of everyone around me..........


bebel pukl 3 pagi

ina ali.

Too tired ( tak larat...)

Well...it's the final countdown.....

Anyone who has been in my shoes would understand completely how i feel.

Everyone saying "Belum lagi?' "Not yet?"

Yup...I am still round and around.........

Back to throwing up at night...

Back to not knowing what to eat....

So....if i don't update my blog, do understand.....i have 2 - 3 weeks left ( or in maternity terms - ANYTIME! coz i am already 37 weeks...baby is already term.....)

Nope - i still have not got my maid.....my baby preparations are 60% ok......my house renovations just started today......

My work at the shop has moved to the training and organising phase "what to do when ina is not around......"

Work is timed according to when i have the energy........

And does it really matter if the name i have chosen is a name of a car? Would it matter in 10 years time?


Oh well......

And i fell in love...

It's ridiculous..but i suppose that is what love is all about....i have splurged so early in the year. A trend for the rest of the year? Or my only purchase for the year?????

But then again, there's always requests for

a) my delivery (or should i get a bling-bling?but i never am a bling2 jewellery person)
b) my birthday
b) my wedding anniversary
c) hari Raya
d) Mother's Day

or if all these celebrations are not your cuppa tea...maybe anyday is a good day to celebrate.......

Target of request :-
a) hubby dearie....
b) single brother ( sape surh tak kahwin lagi...bila ada anak-bini i tak kacaulah....kut...)
c) mother ( he!he!he! i don't need to get her to buy for me - she buy for herself and then i BORROW!!!!!)
d) hubby dearie ( bila lagi.....)

I suppose when you work 24-7 and have all these kids and staff and customers to cater for around you - you would understand the need to release some pent up tension.......


Oh boy....cukuplah LV keluarkan barang baru....

New school year.....

And the story goes....

Syafiqa is in Form One. Afternoon session. Though the school is in front of my house (yes i listened to the whole assembly this morning...), Fiqa goes to the shop with me...so she goes to school at 12noon with the pakcik who sends MAryam back from KAFA.

Yup...Maryam (3 in April) is in school....complete with orange uniform, Barbie schoolbag and Strwaberry shortcake water tumbler. Woops..lets not forget her sparkling white shoes.......She goes from 9am - 12 pm...complete with one meal which from experience will be the most unforgetable session in school....

Aisha (Standard 3) and Ameera (Standard 5) go to school at 7.15am and return to the shop at 1.30pm. Ameera runs up the stairs at the shop, has lunch, solat zohor and goes to KAFA ( 2.30 - 4pm). Aisha has her lunch and takes a nap till 3.15pm. Aisha leaves for KAFA at 4pm - 6.30pm.

Then Syafiqa comes home at 6.30pm and goes to KAFA for agama tinggi 3 times a week (8pm-9.30pm).

Hmmm........

This story has not been complicated by any ko-kurikulum, Mandarin classes in school or JQAF yet........simple direct logistics.

We await the rest of the school year.....