2012 Year in Review: Part 4 - Summer in Malaysia (Danny's Party)!

iii) Danny's 10th Birthday Party!

Kalau korg perasan la, yes, our family love party so much! But not that wild party laaa... We appreciate family-oriented kind of party where all of our relatives and friends can gather and have fun catching up with each other. If we can't afford to throw a party, our family would never miss celebrating important events (like birthdays, final exam results or even mid terms sometimes, homecoming, etc) even with just as simple as having dinner at mamak or something like that.

Happy 10th Birthday My Lil Love <3

May 20th 2012 was Danny's 10 years old birthday. So like last year, xde org lain la yg in charge utk organized party ni sume. Aku jgk. But since I mmg bosan gler cuti sem, I was more than happy to take care of it. I cari photographer and MCs, book hall, tempah cake, cari goodies, deliver cards to the kids, perah otak nk reka game and bt event tu interesting and etc. (Now I think that abah should pay me gaji for doing thisss hurmmm... maybe the next bday party). Thanks byk2 kt Pak Cik Mie yg sudi drive me around bandar. Could never accomplish all this w/o you. Unlike last year, my Mom and my sweet cuzen were helping me out with all this things. But this year, Sheena was in Bandung studying Medicine and my Mom? She just simply told me that she had trained me to do all these last year. And I was like, "Oh really?? In 3 days??". But I managed to do it anyway. 

Okay, now yg jaga front desk pn I jgk.

Thanks EE, Syaza and Fatimah for helping me out that night. Love u girls! 

Danny and friends- Music Chair

I have no idea that all -boys -school students could be so uncontrollable and smart at the same time. 

Abe Pacaq as the MC . Like last year, you've done such a good job in taming all those kids. 

Danny nyanyi lgu Awan Nano and lagu Rossa 

My family + my cousin (in pink)

Lucky Draw - LMFAO looking at Danny's expression

My lil' bro had grown up to be cuter (like her sis), smart (of course like me :p)  and well-disciplined (oh yeah, ikut sape lg LOL). But really he kinda remind me of myself when I was his age (how I wish I am like what I used to be back then). Super-ambitious minus part suka merajuk. Xpernah lagi jumpa org yg lg kuat merajuk dri budak ni. He can literally merajuk dri pagi smpai malam over small things. Kdg2 tu geram jugak but I guess sbb dye anak bongsu, ktorg yg lain ni pn terpksa la melayan jgk (sape x sayang adik oiii). 

Recap: Danny's 9th Birthday Party

Some tips on how to organize a kids' birthday party : 

1. Choose appropriate menu for kids. Make sure not to spicy. Many kids love chicken wings and nuggets, sausages that kind of food.
2. Book a spacious place so that the kids can run and roll on the floor all the want. Forget formality. This is kids event. We want them to have fun.
3. Put a lot of toys and candies/chocolates in their goodie bags. I put glasses, party hat, action figures, some Angry Birds erasers, lollipops. And yeah, they love the small thing that when u pull the string, it will pop out some confetties.
4. For games, make sure to include Musical Chair, Poison box (a box with rolled papers with some instructions asking them to do silly things), acara berebut gula2 (i love watching them running and rolling on the floor collecting candies), lucky draw and singing contest. As for the present, I always give them coloring set or stationary set. The first place winner get the biggest set.
5. Lastly, enjoy yourself as much as the kids do. It was so much fun watching them eat and play. It makes you realize that by making others happy, you will be happy too :)

P/S: many thanks to those who helped - EE, Syaza, Fatima, Adli, Zarif and many others :))

2012 Year in Review: Part 4 - Summer in Malaysia!

Wlaupn balik Malaysia sebulan jer, I personally think that I've done a lot of stuff..  maybe sbb kt rumah x dpt nk online, so I made full use of my time than the usual thing that I slalu bt kt vandy – on internet like most of the time. Of course bila dah balik Malaysia, mestila pulun makan mcm2 - nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, bubur pulut hitam, kari kepala ikan etc. Mostly masakan Malaysia laa… X pandang pn western food tu smua sbb like seriously, I was craving for Malaysian like crazy and especially masakan ayam, daging adn ikan (kt Vandy ssh nk enjoy masakn yg based on daging and ayam sbb x halal – and I x katuk).

i) Mother's Day Celebration 

I smpai KB awal Mei, then few days after that was Mother's Day. So Abah decided to have family dinner (the whole family reunited!) together with some of our family friends. Kebetulan dkat Renaissance Hotel ada bt Mother's Day Celebration event, so my dad thought that it would be a perfect place. On 9th May, ktorg satu kluarga pegi la buffet dinner kt situ. They have few special activities during that night like Cake Deco for Mom and Mom-Daughter/Son Look Alike Contest thing, and also best dress of the night (for mom only.. fine :/ )

The cake that I decorated with very limited stuff. Gosh baru tau susah nak tulis guna piping bag! 

Happy Mother's Day MAMA! 

Mi famili. *Mama nape asyik nak tdo je =.="

Little black dress for that night. Minimum details for our simple celebration. 

 As expected, we did not win any of the contest. Yelah I got no talent in decorating cake whatsoever. And I also look more like my dad than my mom (anak Abah! Habit suka tido pn mcm Abah). But my mom bestfriend won the best dress contest. Next time don't wear merah yer mama. Red dress too mainstream nowadays.

However, thanks Mama for being such a wonderful mother to us. Wlaupn mama garang masa Erin kecik dulu and Abah was my bestfriend at that time, I know that you did that for our own benefits and I thank you for that now :)). Now, you both are my bestfriends Abah and Mama!

ii) My 20th Birthday Surprise Party! 

I was not expecting for any kind of celebration for my birthday sbb personally I don't really mind ad party ke x. Normally my parents would just take me out for dinner at my fav place but last year, my dad had an event at Ibu Pejabat Polis Jeli on that very night. So, as a change, my dad invited me to accompany him to the event with my mom. And I ape lg, on jer. I got nothing to do at home anyway (no Internet, hence nothing). It was like a family-oriented event and I would have a chance to meet new families and friends. Plus, ada banyak food!!

After few days, some of friends bt plan nk g picnic kt Jeram Linang. Lebih kurg 2 hours drive from home. I freaking love nature especially waterfall (sbb area tu sejuk n mendamaikan ~). Seingat I, my last visit masa I was 10. So, it has been 10 years I x pergi Jeram Linang. And to my surprise, nothing much yg berubah kt sini. The nature still terjaga and the water pn jernih jer. I was so freaking happy. X sempat makan nasi bungkus (bwk bekal), dah pergi terjun main air.

Pikku nikku time!!

Layan Karipap Terapung

Dah penat main air, panjat2 bukit tgk2 ad birthday cake with my name written on it! Sumpah terkejut sbb first of all, that day wasn't my birthday and second, mmg xde tanda2 pn yg dorg ni ad plan something, Patut laaa dorg x turun. Ak jer sorg2 layan air terjun dgn Effy. It was fun and of cos la I terharu of them being so thoughtful. The food was good, the friends were awesome, the place was perfect. What else could I ask for? 

Thank you korg love u muah3! 

Love the cake!! 

Good one Adli 

I freaking miss my childhood

2012 Year in Review: Part 3 - ASB 2K12 Jungle Gym, Kansas City, Missouri

Last spring, I joined this one volunteering service organized by a group of Vanderbilt students. It is called Alternative Spring Break (ASB) and it is kinda big thing jugak laa kt Vanderbilt ni. Sape2 yg nk join kena apply dlu (yes, I'm talking about a lot of questions and also interview). I wasn’t short listed masa first2 dye announced sape yg lepas the application tu sume, but then, about one week before the group nk gerak ke site masing2, Alhamdulillah Allah swt kasi I rezeki, I dpt email from the upper management that I  got a chance to join ASB kat Kansas City! I was so excited and hell yeah, tanpa ragu2, I accept the offer and paid $325 if I’m not mistaken. Walaupn duit kering lepas byr for the program, but it worth every penny. It’s a life changing experience. 

So these are my ASB members - from left (back row): Patrick Hodges, Gabby Nichols, Kellie Kuzmuk, Catherine Kim, Laura Kaufman, Winsor Yang, Megan Twomey. Then from left (front row): Tariq Simpkins, Hannah Kennedy, Kristin Barth, Mengting Ren and me! They are all undergrad students (age 18 - 21).

It was 10 hours drive from Nashville , TN to Kansas City, Missouri. Basically ap yg ktorg bt at this site is to help the kindergarten and primary school students learning in class. Ad dua tempat ktorg bt service. From 8 am to 12 pm ktorg volunteer kt kindergarten. Then from 1pm to 5pm ktorg bt service kt Niles: Home for Children.

This kindergarten is a bit special sbb budak2 yg kt sini pn agak special. Dorg smua came from keluarga yg miskin and with abusive parents. Most of the kids are morally damaged but they area very nice. So sad bila tgk dorg mmbesar dlm keadaan cmtu. Bila dah keluarga mcm tu, anak2 kecil tu sendiri sedikit sebanyak terpengaruh dgn habits parents dorg. Bila dorg main dgn kawan2 dorg, bad words that were not worth repeating dah jadi bnda biasa kluar dari mulut dorg. Dorg ni agak out of control and bt I pening kepala jadinya. Ada satu masa, a bunch of kids ni berebut colored chalks smpai ad sorg budak ni tikam kawan dye dgn scissors. Masa tu gak jantung I berhenti rs cam xleh brnafas and everything turned slow-mo for a while (u know something bad happen when things turn slow-mo). Dgn segala kuasa veto yg I ada, I cepat2 rampas gunting tu and marah bebudak tu sume (cuak kot. xnak tgk org kena tikam dpn mata sendiri +.+).

Walaupun dorg ni a bit ganas, after few days kat situ, dorg smua become sgt welcoming and tiap2 pagi mesti tunggu I dtg class dorg n smua berebut2 nk duduk atas riba I :'). Kids. They just want to be loved and given attention. I harap dorg has good future and grow up in better environment.

Playground time!

With my fav kid - Camille (in pink sweater). Everday dia akan mintak my lipbalm and muncung2 mulut lepas pkai. How I wish that I can meet her again :')

Kat Niles: Home for Children ni a bit different than the kindergarten. Students kat Niles ni umur dorg from 8 - 17 tahun. Dorg ni agak special jgk. They have learning disabilities so tempat ni dibina utk bantu dorg yg ad potential ni utk study. Dorg boleh membaca and mengira cam students2 lain but a bit slow. Some of them still  mastering basic calculus  at 17. Overall, dorg from better family than the ones kt kindergarten. Still under poverty line but not abusive.

Every lunch time, menu wajib setiap ASB members are chips and peanut butter/jelly sandwiches. Everyday makan ni smpai I naik muak. For dinner lak, ktorg ad turn masak. During my time, Megan and I masak Nasi Goreng and Grilled Fish Fillet.

Customized sandwiches *mengada pulakk

Preparing dinner with Kellie. She is super awesome. Majoring in Psychologist. Vandy Runner. Smart. Polite. And yes, tall and pretty like supermodel. Just perfect. *akak dye 4.0 student kt Harvard Uni. Baka genius. Grrr.
After dinner, ktorg akan ad reflection time. Every group members akan gtau dorg punya hi and low of the day, observations, things need to be improved, reminder and etc. Then, later that night, masa untuk Life Maps. Masa ni setiap org akan bercerita pasal life dorg sejak lahir smpai sekarang (highlights jela. nk cite smua x dapek laa). Life Maps ni confidential so all I can say is that every people have different histories and it is so interesting to know the ups and downs yg dorg lalui utk smpai ke tpt dorg berada skrg ni.  

As for tempat tinggal, ktorg stay kat satu church ni for a few days before church tu terbakar =.= . Ad sorg mamat homeless ni mengamuk org xkasi dye duit then dye balik puntung rokok dye kt area church ni. I don't think dia berniat nk bakar tpt tu tp terbakar la plok. Nasib baik la barang2 ktorg selamat. Tmpat yg terbakar tu pn sikit jer. Area dapur. Ktorg then terpaksa pindah stay kt satu Christian school ni. Tempat ni better sbb ad tempat mandi. Sebelum ni ktorg kena g gym untuk tumpang shower dorg. And hey, ktorg tdo dlm sleeping bag. best rs cam ulat bulu dalam kepompong hihi. 

They called these Warm Fuzzies. Everyday setiap org kena letak dlm paper bag tu a note saying good things about each individual. Bila dah tamat ASB baru smua bleh amik and baca. Sronok gak laa layan org puji lepas penat2 balik bt service. LOL

Tempat shower ktorg. Al kisah nya kt tempat ni pn pernah terbakar at one time ktorg pegi. Siap ad 2 fire truck dtg. Smua org evacuate tmpat tu except for Tariq yg syok mandi while others duk risau kan dia. *ktorg pn pelik kenapa asyik nk terbakar je smua bnda hurmmmm

Life Maps session. Every session ended with either group hug or cinnamon roll hug. *miss this moment the most

We spent about a week in Kansas City. Sempat gak la melawat City of Fountain ni tapi malangnya smua fountain xde air sbb masa tu cuaca sejuk. And this place famous dgn dye punya BBQ but I xdapat laa nak makan. Layan ikan jela sambil tgk dorg smua menikmati isi2 lemak2 daging BBQ. Grrrr. Sabar2.

BBQ  

City of Fountain tp xde air :/

This pic won the first prize for ASB 2K12 Picture Contest! *see if u can spot ASB in this pic

Public Library

Bottomline: From ASB, byk sgt bnda baru yg I belajar. I observed cara pengurusan masa dorg mmg mantap gler. And time handle unexpected situation ( mcm kes terbakar kat church), dorg mmg sgt pantas and cekap arrange next action that needed to be done. I ad gak blajar game2 yg dorg slalu main cam catch phrase, Ninja, and Apple for Apples (my fav).

Religion-wise, sgt mengejutkan bila 2/3 ckp yg dorg agnostic. Agnostic means tengah2 or still looking for agama untuk dianuti. Walaupn dorg smua lahir dari keturunan yg ada agama like Christian and etc tp dorg cam ragu2 and rs cam xlogical. I hope one day diorg diberikan hidayah utk terima Islam.

Last night before ASB ended, ktorg ad bt satu "ritual" yg agak menarik. Setiap org duk dalam bulatan in a dark room yg hanya diterangi lampu lilin. Then, one at a time ad dua org akan bgun ikut turn masing2. Dua org ni kena tap bahu sape2 yg dorg sesuai dgn description yg dibacakn leader. Antara "tap" yg anda dapat are "inspiring person", "someone that you would like to be" and sewaktu dgn nya. Terharu gak laaa hurrrrrr.

A very life-changing person. It is true that this one week volunteering service won't do much to change the world but it did change me. Thanks ASB. Definitely will join this again. Maybe Senior Year punya spring InsyaAllah. * I brought home 2 souvenirs - Chanel blusher given by sorg makcik kt church and a soft toy given by one of the Niles kid <3 (and also Niles certificate!)

2012 Year in Review: Part 2 - Asian New Year Festival 2012!

It was Spring 2012 semester which means the Asian New Year Festival (ANYF) time! I joined the Malaysian act, the Asmaradana- Zapin Fusion along with other 15 Malaysians students here. Co-choreographing and practicing with everybody were so much fun. The routine was improvised from a bunch of Asmaradana dance videos uploaded on Youtube mixed with our own steps. The song was wonderful thanks to Amin who perfectly mashed up the Asmaradana song by Tiara Jacquelina and  Zapin song. We received so many compliments from the audiences who were thrilled by our unique Malay music, dance and tradition and also the costume! Love love love! Definitely doing it again (for Spring 2013, I'm going to do Korean Fan Dance yeay!)

Check out the video created by Amin here. Enjoy!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U-iD2ehcic

The ending of our act. Sorry Achid. Sani totally blocked you =.="

Muka serius. Asmaradana nak bersilat. 

Achid - my dance partner

From left (girls): Adilah, Yasmin, Bella, Dillot, Sani, Wani, Wani, Aireen,Aliya. Missing Amirah Bazil.
From left (guys): Azmi, Fahmi, Azizi Meon, Izzat, Achid, Amin. 

Special thanks to those who contributed - the dancers, the audience, ticket buyers and etc.

Photos credited to Abel and Amirah Bazil.