Khaleef & Kahfi @ International Day (Happy 42nd National Day, UAE!)

on 2nd december, UAE celebrated its 42nd national day. so the boys’ school continued the merriment along when they had an international day parade last 5th december with everyone, including the teachers coming to school wearing traditional costumes of their country or in UAE abaya and kandoora.

it was one colorful, fantastically festive day!

 

khaleef with his classmates from egypt, sri lanka, the philippines, romania, india and many more; right before the parade. (for ‘malay college kuala kangsar’ boys, if you think khaleef’s sampin looks familiar, it’s because it IS the mckk school sampin – the very original one worn by his father while in school.)

 

the girl in hijab is norissa; the only other malaysian in khaleef’s class. in the fourth picture was after the parade, and they were sitting at the field under the morning sun; but it was nice coz the weather was quite cooling!

 

meanwhile, kahfi was still malu-malu with his classmates. my cheeky 2nd boy seemed so reserved and shy as I enthusiastically asked him to pose with his charming classmate marco from argentina. I didn’t know then that kahfi and marco are really good friends in school. inseparable!

 

my adorable kahfi during the international day parade. his buddies were just SO cute!

 

there were just so many wonderful, interesting costumes. the lovely beauties parading in the colors of UAE flags : red, green, white and black. there’s a few unique ones from egypt, complete with headgears. bling-blings from the indian costumes, frilly dresses and smart-looking sheiks. adorable.

 

one of the best highlights of that day was also the fact that their maklong and cousins were there too witnessing the whole parade! how lucky of them to be in dubai to experience that! after the parade, we found ‘free henna’ station at the reception area, and of course couldn’t miss it! even my niece nuna joined in, and had a cute butterfly ‘painted’ on her hand.

 

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I wish my kids had gone to a school full of malaysians just like mak and bapak did, but I also wouldn’t trade their experience at an international school for the world. I hope this would enrich their perception and understanding of the world, build tolerance and acceptance to not just different race and religion, but different countries and customs too.

it’s not just 1malaysia here; it’s 1world.

My Sons, in 3 Words : Mak’s Point of View

in conjuction with mother’s day in malaysia on 16th may, I take this chance to describe my THREE sons in THREE words or phrases, from my observation as their mother. I love that they all have strong personality and vibrant character, just like their bapak.

the year is 2013. khaleef is 7+, kahfi is 4+ and kazim is 3. I hope one day you boys (or your potential girlfriends! haha) will read this and it will put a smile on your face as you think about YOUR own kids and how similar, or different they are from you!

in the meantime, happy mother’s day to the rest of you beautiful people!

 

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3 words to describe my boys :

khaleef

sensitive – he puts up this cool front – football and taekwando and all, but he’s a real softie at heart. he cries when his other brothers get scolded by mak or bapak. he cries when po gets kicked by the bad guys in ‘kungfu panda’. he cries when he found out that his bestfriend zain is moving to another school. he’s just a sensitive kid, man.

it’s ok to cry, son. being a man does not mean holding back emotions just to appear strong and macho. remember that your tears is not a sign of weakness – it’s a sign that you are alive. embrace your sensitivity!

responsible – (with pre-instructions and reminders), he can totally take care of his brothers independently. he can prepare breakfast for them in the morning – toasted bread with nutella or cereal with fresh milk. he can bathe them. he can clothe them. he has fun with them. he tells them about dinosaurs, and show them dubai on the map. he’s the true big brother anyone would be glad to have.

I am totally proud of this trait that you have. you’re becoming the young man that I can absolutely depend on. keep it up!

leader – the dynamics in the car is different and more mild whenever khaleef is not around. this is because he’s the sunshine that gives out rays of fun! he creates games for them to play, and they follow his lead during any playtime. sometimes it gets out of hand (someone ends up crying or bump of the head), and he turns out to be the culprit – but at the end of the day, it wouldn’t be a fun creative game play if it wasn’t for his ideas.

it’s clear that you have leadership quality, khaleef. use it well.

 

kahfi

realist – he keeps it real and I love this most about him. whenever I’m angry at him, or just finished scolding him, he doesn’t sulk too long, he doesn’t waste time crying all day (unlike big bro khaleef who would sulk in his room or hide under the bed for hours after being scolded) – he can walk right up to me demanding WHY I was angry, WHY was I being so hard on him, REASONS with me, DEBATES with me, and THEN he apologizes. if he accepts my explanation. if not, he would ask me to say sorry instead (in cases where he’s wrongly accused!)

I see a lawyer in the making.

mommy’s boy – he’s the most manja. being the middle child, he either lose the attention to the smarter big brother, or to the adorable little brother. so he totally seeks attention with his 1001 questions and endless stories. he snuggles up to mak all the time and ALWAYS say ‘I love you, mak’ every day without fail. I have to remind myself to reply, ‘I love you too,’ no matter how annoying he’s been – because I know I will regret the day he stops saying those three little words, just because I didn’t say it back.

oh, whenever he’s in trouble or just been scolded, he always manage to snuggle up to me and say, “mak, can you sayang me?” owh, who could resist THAT? you’re gonna be one heckuva player – but be a responsible player, ok!

good PR – this is warm and welcoming, but at the same time dangerous as well – he enjoys chatting up to strangers. from mothers with babies at the checkout counter, to the labourers we pass by while in the car. he asks questions or at least say hi. just look at his smile. nuff said.

this is a commendable trait, my son – to be able to smile at everyone no matter who they are, and where they’re from – well-dressed ladies to uncles with scruffy hair and worn-out shoes – but alas, we live in a world where kids are taught ‘stranger danger’. don’t speak to strangers. be wary of strangers. continue your warmth and friendliness, but tread carefully!

ok now I see a politician!

 

kazim

fearless – he’s one manly boy. he punches, he pushes, he gets it done with little crying, unlike older bro kahfi who cries easily! he’s demanding too – what he wants, he wants and he wants it now – and he gets in there to get it! while bapak’s rotan will scare his older brothers, it will do little to scare him. pinch him? smack his bum bum? he will get back on his feet and go up his business as usual. this is one tough cookie!

I hope in time, you will learn to control that fierceness in you and channel it well!

independent – he is 3 years old, and he can carry the big ribena bottle, his bottle, and the heavy plastic jug full of water all the way from the kitchen to my room, just so I could make the ribena drink for him without troubling me. while kahfi will ask me for water, kazim would just go through the diaper bag to look for water bottle when he’s thirsty, and then open it himself to have a drink. tak payah menyusahkan mak!

I can that see that you’re the one I don’t have to worry about when you go off to boarding school!

creative – while his older brothers prefer to follow the instructions while playing lego, kazim could just take pieces of lego and turn it into a weird masterpiece of his creation. full concentration, he would pick out the tiny lego pieces with his tiny fingers and fix them up into a spaceship. or a barge. or a train. he would take the ‘dinosaurs’ and line them up in the circle around ‘batman’. other kids his age start off drawing circles – kazim draws abstract lines.

creativity. is the first step to problem-solving. never lose it!

 

* * *

 

khaleef, kahfi, kazim

 

..no matter what THREE words mak use to describe all of you, you boys have ONE thing in common – that I LOVE YOU no matter what. remember that! mwah!

what are the THREE words that YOU can use to describe YOUR children?

Khaleef’s International Friends (Happy 41st National Day, UAE!)

as usual, when 2nd december is near, khaleef’s school will hold an ‘international day’ together with a parade in conjunction with UAE’s 41st national day. students will come to school wearing their national clothes.

khaleef proudly wore a maroon baju melayu complete with songkok and samping to school. even I was so proud seeing a baju melayu worn amongst other national dresses. all his classmates looked so adorable wearing glittery costumes, beautiful dresses and smart-looking outfit.

 

this is my khaleef with his best buddy zayn who is also in the same bus as he is. I love this picture. I love how the boys instantly put their arms around each other the moment I asked them to pose for the camera. cute!

 

another good friend of khaleef, kynan – now THAT is a hug! cheek to cheek!

 

completely in love with this shot and the adorable kids. the way they put their arms around each other – innocence, friendship, pure happiness. a malaysian dude, an indian, a filipino, a pakistani and two egyptians : it did not matter where they were from or that they speak english in different accents – they have fun together, laugh together (get scolded by the teacher together!) and that’s what’s important!

 

there is only one other malaysian in khaleef’s class. this is norissa and she’s a spunky one! it’s so cute that they’re wearing similar color tone. love it!

 

kekecohan!

 

love these pictures too! believe me it was difficult to take picture of khaleef in class by himself or with only one classmate, because the other kids would start to surround him and wanted to be in the shot too. too cute! romanian, pakistani, iranian, sri lankan and egyptian – many more!

in the top picture, the kids are showing thumbs-up while saying BAGUS! let me tell you the story behind it!

 

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before the kids went off to the field for the international day parade, parents hang out in the classrooms to do a presentation about anything from their home country – it could be a song, picture or they could talk about their country’s flag or the national dress.

I wanted to show them how to play ‘batu seremban’ but the parents that went before me all just stood there talking about their country. just talking, so their presentations were short. they told the kids about their country’s flag. about the languages they speak. so I didn’t want to be so ‘over’ hahaha. so I quickly changed my presentation! buat simple-simple je lah!

I taught them a couple of words from the malay language especially ‘bagus’ with a thumbs up. ‘bagus’ means ‘good’ in malay. the kids enjoyed doing the thumbs up as they shout ‘bagus’; I just quickly cut the class into half – team khaleef and team norissa (both kids are from malaysia) and had a contest to see which team can shout ‘bagus’ the loudest.

short and simple, but I can see that the kids were responding well and enjoying the shouting and gesturing!

this short activity really made me miss my old job SO MUCH. yes, I used to work around kids – teaching, lesson planning, preparing reading materials – a lot of tense situation (that makes me want to rip my eyes out, haha) but definitely a lot more enjoyable moments that make me laugh, as well as endearing moments to treasure.

 

* * *

 

after terrorising the class, parents head on to the field for the international day parade. there were also cultural shows being held in the middle of the field like the emirati girls dancing, african drums and many more!

the weather was wonderful – at 9am, the sun was out but it was cool all around. winter was already here in dubai!

I was seriously smiling and grinning the whole time watching the little ‘country representatives’ strutting down the field in their national costumes. they were SO adorable. I truly enjoyed the sight of different cultural identity in their clothes. amazing!

can’t help taking a lot of photos of these little ‘diplomats’, while waiting for khaleef’s class to pass by.

 

 

the final two pictures above were two malaysian kids I spotted. one was this cute little girl in red baju kurung. another one that caught my eyes was this enthusiastic boy in white baju melayu, raising his flag ever so proudly up in the air. super cute!

 

…and then it was khaleef’s class. note the boy in the baju melayu at the background? noisy, ceria, enthusiastic, joyful, exuberant. they were shouting UAE! UAE! at the top of their voice.

 

left! right! left! right!

 

with fellow malaysian, norissa. malaysia boleh!

Lantern Festival Potluck Picnic @ Al-Barsha Park, Dubai

last weekend I joined a huge festive bunch of chinese malaysian in dubai at al-barsha park for their annual potluck picnic in conjuction with the ‘lantern festival’ or ‘mid-autumn festival’. the weather was perfect, yummy spread on the picnic table, there was full moon in the sky that night, mooncakes were passed around and kids excited holding their lit-up lanterns. truly a meriah mid-autumn festival’.

it’s known in malaysia as ‘mid-autumn festival’, but it’s also called ‘mooncake festival’, and sometimes it’s just referred to as the ‘chinese lantern festival’. what I know is – mooncake and lanterns are involved!

thanks szue fei as main hostess for organizing such a fun event – it’s not often I get to mingle with the awesome malaysian chinese community in dubai!

 

from left : fauziah, her hubby fairoz, herbert, me & ms hostess szue fei (old friends, new friends – yang penting kita malaysian!)

 

my boys at the entrance

 

the lantern festival potluck picnic was held at al-barsha park, which is a smaller park compared to

• dubai creek park, – joined a birthday picnic party hosted by ruby and elisa
• al-safa park or
• zabeel park – the kids wore the malayan tiger jersey and play ball

however, there was no entrance fee! (we need to pay like 5dhs to enter some parks). it has got a really nice walkway to jog with the word START at the beginning, as well as a nice sandy spot of playground and the kids totally loved it!

 

the crowd : really the turnout was bigger. some were already making home on the picnic mats, while the kiddos are sweating it out at the playground which was right next to this picnic spot so it’s easy for parents to keep an eye. (picture from szue fei’s facebook)

 

food glorious food. I brought my popiah daging. simple je hihi. fauziah brought 4-5 boxes of pizza and I tapau like a lot at the end of the day. save on dinner! haha thanks dear…(picture from szue fei’s facebook)

 

night comes with the full moon, and the lanterns were lit-up and hung. so pretty. the kids were crowding the aunties with the lanterns! (picture from szue fei’s facebook)

 

fauziah, szue fei & me (that’s the sandy playground where the kids play like crazee while the moms and dads eat and chat)

 

masyarakat majmuk malaysia di dubai! from left : bro segar, herbert, fairoz, ooi (who came straight from work – so semangat!) and my mr. khairul

 

everybody to the playground for group-photo! happy mid-autumn festival! ok I was somewhere in the middle at the back (spot pink tudung!) with the teens because I was THAT short. haha. it was really cute seeing the kids holding their lanterns. (picture from szue fei’s facebook)

 

glad to be part of the festivity! thanks szue fei and gang for including us in your merriment. can’t believe you’re leaving for melbourne. good luck, have fun and please keep in touch ya!

Dubai Street Festival 2012 @ Dubai Marina Mall

today is the LAST day of dubai marina street festival, after 10 days of excitement! this awesome event ran from 22nd march to the 31st, held at dubai marina mall. it features LIVE street performances from international acts of UK, US, australia, spain and many more – some juggle, some play weird musical instruments, some do dangerously daring acrobatics, some sing, and most are really funny – but all mesmerized the crowds with their talents.

 

 

we live pretty close by so we went so often to catch ALL the performers – which differs each day. there are probably 6-8 acts per day starting from 4 to 10, and we just watch anything we can.

these are street performances so, naturally, all shows are done outdoors in this fine weather that dubai is having (though changing from cool winter to warm summer). they’re all FREE for all so the crowd gathers around the foyer that looks out to the marina at the dubai marina mall to catch the shows.

 

the kids sits on the floor to enjoy the show!

 

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…and these are some of the many acts that we managed to go see :

 

this is sam wills from new zealand. he did some juggling and lots of silly tricks. his show is never boring because he's funny and always try to get the *passive* dubai crowd to cheer louder! seriously you can see his effort to get the crowd to participate, with his jokes and wide grin. kasi support lah sikit weh!

 

this is dennis dove from new york. he plays drums using pails, pots and pans and he's REALLY good. but so kesian his show is always the last one of the night, on a week day, so he plays to a small crowd since most have gone back. however, he was still so very enthusiastic, and a positive entertainer. i guess being a STREET performer, he should get use to being rejected on the streets, and having passive crowds. so he knows how to get the crowd going, even a small one.

really, he plays one mean drum. pails and all!

 

this dude calls his act 'hang in balance' - he plays the 'new' musical instrument called the 'hang' shaped like a UFO, with nothing but air inside the instrument. "only 100 of these are made.. bla bla" making it sound like it’s so special, but the sound is exactly like our traditional malay musical instrument 'gamelan' - and they call this NEW. sheesh.

 

however, dude did sound good. but i’m just saying that this instrument HAD been around for very long now…haha. well, my boys (in matching blues) had fun – just kicked back and relax enjoying the street show with one blonde chick and a cute brunette haha.

 

this is 'reuben dot dot' from melbourne - half chinese, half polish. he's fun to watch! heart-stopping acrobatics on a pole! and he’s funny too – spewing clever one-liners to ease the tension, especially when some kids go running around while he’s about to do a dangerous stunt.

he straight away said, “i’m really going to kill you kids, if you let them run around like that” – meaning, they might really be killed should his stunt go wrong while they’re let loose. so be safe, and keep your kids safe while enjoying the show!

 

'reuben dot dot' from melbourne - half chinese, half polish. comel!

 

this is my favorite act, the one that i’ve been wanting to see ever since i saw the list and description of each performer – lili la scala from UK! she sings vintage songs with funny lyrics. her voice is incredible, reaching new heights! love her, especially her gorgeous retro style too! i mean, look at her cute dress!

 

the beautiful lili la scala with my awe-struck son hihi. love her outfit! and she’s so comel!

 

this is mr. khairul's favorite! haha. nigel blackstorm from the states. magic + heavy metal = HEAVY MAGIC! silly, funny, n mental! he tries to be all ganas and heavy-metal-y but he sounds so funny! "ladies, control yourselves!" he picks random strangers from the audience n claims you to be his long-lost band-members! his magic tricks are not THAT impressive, but his quirky personality made him very fun to watch.

 

these life-size 'soft people' knitted puppets are all over dubai marina mall! it was so funny when khaleef had fun spotting them as we were walking around the mall! they are also part of the ‘street performers’!

 

where are they from?

 

the ‘soft people’ puppets from UK are these soft sculptures from the highly acclaimed exhibition ’off the hook’ by rita mcgurn. whether in the glasgow subway, the paris metro, or an open air market, the work begins with people who catch the artist’s attention and are then transposed in colour and texture to ‘soft people’. wow.

creepy, actually! life-sized dolls that look eeriely weird – no thanks of having that in my living room!

 

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we’ve had so much fun these past week watching the street performances at dubai marina mall.

one thing we noticed is that eventhough there are many expats in dubai, which means the crowd is INTERNATIONAL, watching INTERNATIONAL acts – the crowd is not SO lively, unless they’re encouraged by the performer – “clap louder!” or “you guys better cheer when i do this!” or “you can do better than that!”

because we’re in the middle east? but i thought dubai is more liberal…seriously, most of the time, it’s mr. khairul who kept cheering and shouting and clapping loudly in support of the performers!

oh well, we’re hoping to catch more shows next year when they come back for another run. till then!