Nik Ayman Haniff ~19th. Birthday

Happy 19th. Birthday..Anakanda...All Our Love & Best Wishes Always...

Eid '2009 Seremban

Iftaar at Sheraton Subang @17/9/2009 @ mama's 47th

Ayman almost 5 years old.

Ayman about 2 years old at Zoo Negara

Ayman around 3mths.....He..he..See the frown....

Two Brothers in Arms....

Now Adzrul & Ayman are in Malaysia. Adzrul has start working at Selayang since Nov'09.. Soon it will be almost a year...he is in his 3rd. rotation as a HO now... Ayman has started at KBU since August..we know that it is new to him plus having to care for himself too...But we believe that he will be able to more than just manage as he discovers new things..insyaállah.... I am lucky for support from family and friends...you know who you are..Thanks!!! I hope both of them will be able to meet up more and support each other. Till next we meet....

Ayman's High School Graduation from Bahrain School.

Monday June 15th was the high school graduation nite for Ayman. It was held in the gulf Hotel Convention Centre..we were there as early as 4:30pm after leaving from Dhahran at about 2:30pm..Luckily KIA's air-cond was running fine thus a smooth cooling journey in the heat of the day outside. Security was high as one of the Crown Prince son is also graduating..This graduation marks the end of attending grade 12 and Ayman has sat for IB as college entrance exam. We will only know the IB results end of 1st week in July '09. This then will chart the route he's to follow for the next 4 years...Just hope that its gonna be the best that it can be for him. Allah swt decision will be made no matter how much we have deal and plans..

He left BISA dorm with goodbyes from some of his mate at about 10:30pm that nite. How time flies..it seems but just a moment ago we send him there. This was a tough year in a way...if not for anybody else..it was for me in facing all the issues with him at school..I wonder if he just want to make a colorful exit..or it happens just because it meant to be as some bumps in our life that we have to get over... Whatever it is my doa's with him always..moga jadi anak yang soleh and berjaya didunia dan akhirat...

Zurich Trip - 2

Just have to write down more of my experiences while in Zurich....short and sweet..next time insyaállah we will go to the Alps etc...but this time without any of the kids we feel it's not justifiable...

• If you couldn't find the gifts shop in town..these are the few at the airport....Downtown Zurich and at the Main Train Station you can find Heimatwerk House of Crafts & Plaza under the main train station..

• Teuscher is a boutique chocolate shoppe..at first I thought it was a flower shop but than.... Another famous choc shoppe is Springli....I misplaced it's photo somewhere..

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  I was very..very impressed whenever wanna cross the road at zebra-crossing..if berdiri tercegat kat tengah or tepi jalan sbb takut tengok kereta laju...kereta2 tu akan berhenti at the zebra-crossing to let you cross walaupun tadi dia laju..sure driver tu dok ingat.. hmm..alien dia orang ni to our country so tak tau undang2...
  
  
• The bus will almost always come to your stop at the said time.... Tak payah nak tunggu awal sikit just in-case dia awal..tak payah nak kejar if terlepas..just wait for the next one. If you know the stops..bus/trams/trains..it is easy to switch transport mode to go where you want....



• I almost always have to remove my jackets and shoes at the "checking"gate sebab trigger the alarm...so make sure..get rid of your clips, brooches, etc... Dont forget to pakai decent last piece of clothing under jacket just incase dia surung bukak and nanti tinggal tanktop je pulak..I also experience this while taking the Eurostar from London to Paris....urghh..takde apa2 pun..myb my body static charge is high..Zayd yang ada pacemaker pun tak bunyi...



• Bawak siap2 charger/adapter...batteries....nak beli mahal juga lah bila dah convert... the 2 pin plug type is small 2 rounds..just like some of the handphone charger...



• I love sitting on the benches all over town and watch people move around....One thing I see.. almost 2/5 people-female having an LV bag..mengancam betuii... is it that cheap here in Zurich..I wonder...mid-size shopping bag dia at the LV boutique on Bahnhofnstrasse cost CHF880....I forgot to check KL or UK price so tak leh kata apa2...



• Almost 1 in 3 cars will be either a BMW or Audi. Mercs are taxi while not many American cars...although I saw same JEEP like mine while walking near the lake.
  

• The shopping anchor like Jemoli, Globus, Manor etc...costs of things on the high side.. probably branded items...shopping complex like Migros, Co-Op is lower price tapi tak murah jugak...but if nak beli chocolates yang normal type..pergi lah to Migros or Co-Op...same type at Jemoli may cost CHF2 more... Can you see the lemon grass, bak choy, chillies etc....?? These can be bought at jemoli's..I'm sure it can be found elsewhere too..only I did not explore enough...We did however find some Malaysian foodstuffs at Co-Op & Migros...
• 




• Almost all shopping centers have an area where they sell colorful prints paper products.. ber-rak2...of serviettes..wrapping paper...table covers...I am crazy about this things too..but limited to purchase....boleh tengok2 and usik2 je..arghh...



• I don't find Royal Albert or Royal Doulton..Vileroy&Boch adalah...Ingat nak cari teapot tapi tak jumpa yg deserve to be bought...Nak cari lace table cloth pun takde...dapat lace hand-kerchief je itupun dah CHF33



• Gift stores...puas berjalan mencari...actually banyak at the Zurich airport itself...in town you can find a few also like Hematwerk, Elderwise & Tourist Center at Main train station.. plus the shopping plaza under the main train station.



• I love going on the trams....sbb punctual and organized...


• Makan2...ada few fast-food like Mc-D, small stalls in Jemoli with Thai, Indian, Japanese food. A Thai stall outside of Globus facing Mc-D, park & Bahnhofnstrasse... Seafood Restaurant at Main Train station...expect to spend between CHF20~CHF50 per person per meal depending where and what you eat...Along the Limattquai and near Central.. there's an Asian food shop also... Otherwise..you can survive on fruits, pretzel, bread, chocs etc....



• Our first food stop was Grut Farm..which was near the hotel and the school...you can get ice-tea...refillable fried chicken wings..rice&vegetables thai style...We got confuse on deciding the male&female toilet..he...he...While crossing the road to get to the restaurant..we met a Malaysian boy who upon passing us..say te salaam..I responded and asked where he was from...says he's Ädi"and dad working for Alpha.. something.. that's abt all I can recall...it was a nice surprise though in the middle of a foreign land..

The hotel where we stayed..convenient and cheaper...

• 
Guess?? Which is male / female toilet..Is it obvious to you...?

Zurich Trip....

Had a lovely time in Zurich..mainly the weather was nice. We planned to go up the Alps with some of the tour but end up canceling coz'the kids were not with us. They were busy practising.. so looks like planning another trip here someday. The transportation was good for goin around... the food that we can take were available...but only $$$$ pretty expensives most things if you converted the value.

Since only the two of us were roaming the town...so the photos will be full with only either one of us..he..he.. My father-in-law called us while we were at the bridge above & he was confuse when he asked where we were. We always have our Maxis hp roaming...

Just Reflecting..How They have Grown....

Well...on this cloudy day in Dhahran...after breakfast at MK of nasi lemak and mee goreng and tea tarik...I was just looking thru the kids photos and realise they have grown up...Amid all the struggles together and each and evryone faced..it was never a waste no matter how dissapointing the results were. It goes to make a person with the experiences they had.. I am proud for each and everyone although there were many exchanges of words...some caning and and many tears...May all is for Allah swt sake for them to grow and be a better person and a good Muslim...

Dhahran School Student Led Conference

Yearly in February...there will be a student led conference in school. Each student will present to their parents and oasis teacher where they are in their time line for the year. They will go thru each core subject..LA,Math,Social Studies & Science and talk about them either in detail or touch-n-go..I know Zayd was very nervous but he got calm about halfway presenting...but I am very proud of them both and Ayman and Adzrul too...because any effort is never wasted..that's what I always told them...but do not easily take things..than again things can be easy... While with Zayd..his teacher Ms. Matza says that he always talk about how he like his mom's cooking.... woo..hoo...Mmg kuat akal bila suruh study selalu mintak makan dulu...masa dalam elementary school lagi lah pulak..kene ada snack breaks bila study...amboi..I kata..banyak break-makan dari study akhir nya...

Hannah presented using Powerpoint...one cool young lady...and she says that she dont like everything...this difficult and that dont make sense etc..etc..pendek kata pada sume ada je yang tak suka....but she really do well in most subjects as compared to last semester.

Mr. Snakenberg..their PE teacher took the photo for us before we went in for the conference.

Trips...

At this time of year, mainly the trip back to Malaysia in July will have to be confirmed. Plus we have a few other trips in the offing too...

Feb. 24th. - Mar 1st.......Zurich, Switzerland.

• This is going to be our first trip here..we have some ideas of going someday but didn't think thats it gonna be this year. Hannah was asking way back last summer that her band teacher ask her if she gets a place for honor band will we let her come. I off-handedly said..Sure..honey... Less did I know that she was aiming to go b'cos it's gonna be in Europe and she wants to see the snow and what nots there... Well..that's how it starts..and zayd got a place too...etc..etc...
• We booked a hotel somewhere between the school and 6km to Zurich...not sure how it's going to be or how we are going to get anywhere esp on concert night...but a bus-station is just in front of the hotel....and Zurich is famous for its good public transport system...
• We shall fly KLM coz' thats what the kids will be going on...to Zurich via Bahrain & Amsterdam....

April 8th...TBD..

• Hannah is going for her PADI certification and diving in the Red Sea..somewhere near Yanbu I believe. Mom has got to go with her as guardian since its not an official Girl Scout trip but a recreation trip....

June 29th. - Aug. 27th..

• My flight back to Malaysia with the kids are confirmed. Pick up the tickets the other day. We are taking Gulf Air this time and since its a direct flight it's gonna take just abt 8hrs to reach so we save a whole lot of hours transiting...
• Not sure where we gonna stay yet coz..its gonna take abt 1 week to put up curtains, basic furniture like beds and a sofa probably and the kitchen...Haven't come up with the budget yet..the quotes I get so far is too much for the current global crisis. i do not want to spend more than I should....hmm..hmm..
• Azlan can only join us from July 30th.

Sept '09 / Feb' 10....TBD for Ayman college trip....either Malaysia, UK, Aus or NZ..depending on his IB grades and the course he's going to take up. But for the time being..we want to see his grades first...

Summaries....

Since my last entries....these are the things that happened. Will talk about them more later...

• Zayd also will be going t Zurich with Hannah...at the moment I do not have any plans to go with them due to other commitments plus it is only a 4 day trip for them.
• I was in Malaysia from 14/11 till 30/11...
• Attended Shaikh Yusuf Estes talk at USJ2 masjid on 24/11..
• Villa Subang Alam is ready after renovation still under inspection for further works..install AC, curtains, kitchen cabinets..bought a washer & dryer first..just in case..
• Adzrul start work at Selayang Hospital on 17/11..got sort of an efficiency quarters...bought some soft furnishing to make it comfortable n cosy...
• I attended a few classes with Norana and met Zahirah my blogger craft friend...learn some stroke works...hope to replicate them soon...
• Was driving in heavy rain ost times in Msia..
• Had to go to Munawarrah a couple of times to get the tudungs..couldn't believe it is usually sold out by afternoon...Grab about 20++ for Dhahranian's.. it was sold out too..only a few left to show...
• Took care of several kiddies & teenagers while their parents perform Hajj...sweet.. especially at chow time when everything goes beautifully...
• Had a BBQ for Hajj party....will post some pics soon...

This week is clean-up time plus trying to generate enough motivation to start my evening walk again and to paint some stuffs..plus make some floral crafts...there's demand but supplier ni still hybernating....

Hannah's News..Zurich here I come..

The day before on Nov.10th...Dhahran School had it's first concert for the year...During the concert it was announce the names of those who qualified for the Honor Band & Choir reps for the school. Hannah has been vying for a spot and way early in Sept'08 she has begun her practices of the music pieces until audition in end-October..she demanded to get extra help by getting tutoring from her music teacher after school..kene bayar...hu..hu..SR100 for half an hour. I tanya juga apa yg teacher tu ajar in the half hour..she said..listen to while she's playing and if a note is not hit than she will have to do it over again..I guess basically..it's hitting the notes and play the pieces fluently..if I can call it that...She was determined to go to Zurich, Switzerland.. partly nak tengok if ada snow..he..he..and I told her it's a beautiful country...So almost daily she practices...at the expense of some other grades dropping a notch..but hey..her effort pays off "She made it to Zurich, Switzerland...." She shall go in Feb '09...with 8 others from school...

But the surprise came later too...Zayd was asked to sit for audition again and next week to play his piece..while Hannah chose the French Horn..Zayd is playing the thrombone...Me..I dont know any bits of it..whether the sound is ok or not..only..that I bear all the noise coming out and I hope my neighbors do too..so far no complaints... back to Zayd...his band teacher talk to Hannah whether Zayd even try out the music pieces and decided to quit and not do audition. Hannah says yes... The teacher knows Zayd temperament... quit first don't try if it gets too hard... we always tell him..try first than quit...he..he... BUT if the teacher asked him directly he will have no choice not to do it...Well..his teacher knows this..and yesterday cornered him to practise and sit for audition.. as there's a place for 1 more thrombone player and he asked Zayd to try it out.. I believe this is a nice gesture bcos ramai lagi yang boleh main jugak... but I did get a comment from him few years back when we talk about Zayd...he is lazy no doubt to practise his pieces.. but he gets them easily when he put in the time to practise..Huh..??!! And according to the teacher..he seems to play with his heart not just doing the notes..Huh..??!!! But whatever it is.. we had to forked out nearly RM6k to buy him the thrombone in KL in 2007 and haul it back to Dhahran.. and all the time we bought the wrong type...not for the bass type with an extra turning but the normal type with straight turns..Urghh...I text his teacher asking..habis camno?? Dia jawab..no problem Mrs. Azlan.. it's okey...so okey lah jadinya... adalah BACH tu tersadai je if Zayd does not play it. Hannah changed from trumpet to French Horn so tak perlu beli since sooo expensive....save sikit....

Come 17th. Nov..He's off to Selayang Hospital

Adzrul phoned from Pangkor this afternoon saying that he has got the offer letter. Yep..he got posted to one of his three choices...he's going to do housemanship at Selayang Hospital.

Moga dipermudahkan segala urusan......

Dr. Adzrul's Off To Induction...Nilai & Pangkor

Today Adzrul's off for his tatabina negara 5 days induction than on 1st. Nov off again to Pangkor for a 2 week further induction into serving for the government. Than probably on the last day he will get his posting. Although he went to Nilai today slightly down for yet again not passing his driving test due to the now "round-about blues"..Insyaállah..he will get thru soon enough.. certain things need patience..eh..he..he...

For the sending off to induction, I believe many families will send their love one there full with pride for what has been accomplished. Same joy we felt here by everyone but I just couldn't make it due to the distance and time frame..I believe deep in his heart he will know just how much I would like to trade things and to proudly send him off..just like when he got his degree on his graduation day..we had to miss it too due to repat to Msia..I would think due to our living conditions plus with what Allah swt has set forth..we can make plans but only HE will make whats best come true...and for those not as we wanted come true..we just have to endure and believe its for the best..Mama doakan..you will be kept safe and healthy and successful in whatever you do...May all obstacles be broken down and you get thru with ease...may your faith be steadfast to HIS way...May you be strong and fair in your dealings and may your wishes come true...

Many words may have not been said but Syukur to Allah swt..we get to taste the fruits of our labor..All your hardwork has been rewarded but there still remain many long and winding road that you have to get true..Stay true to your heart and firm in your believe..May you not be tainted by the colors of this world but emerge strong and clear..You are what you are..we are so proud that our hearts might burst if you were to know..you have made it this far may you make it further..We have no regrets coz' if we do we might not be what we are today..although we wish that we could have done better in certain areas but we are forever grateful...the regrets as we told you are that we are always apart..but if not for sacrifices certain things may not be as it is today..some people maybe lucky to have it all but to some we do have to make choices...May our choices be the right one we take....

Though it pained my heart to just let you go on your own with only your uncle to see you off on this another mark of an important day in your life journey...while others have their family around them..believe me we do wish that we are there...and I hope in spirit we are there with you..May someday we get to all be together again just like the last Eid but while we are not may the pleasures remains in our heart.

All the best ya..Dr. Nik Adzrul...May you be the best that you can be...

Calling for Candidates...& the 10th. day of Eid...

This was taken at RT Eid day yesterday....Adzrul's is going back to Malaysia today...Alas...the togetherness here in Dhahran is on pause till the next available time...He's going back to complete his driving test and maybe plus other things required while waiting to be called for induction...and from then on the application for candidates is kept open..so that the selection process can meet the dateline..ha..ha.. Time flies so fast..the kids are growing...

Bye Adzrul..see you in a bit..take care..stay safe...be the best that you can for the sake of Allah swt..Insyaállah see you in Malaysia in December if all goes well ya..

Hannah having her scuba lessons yesterday..she's all red for being in the sun too long...