Title means "malay warrior" because he vehemently refused to put on any shirt last night, opting instead for his silat belt.
Lol!
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Pendekar Tufeil
Lol!
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The Rest of the 1st Week of School
Tuesday 5th April 2011,
In the spirit of gradually letting him go to school on his own, I let him board the bus himself, didn't sit in his class and he even came home on his own by the school bus. In the meantime, I cleaned at home and managed to watch a couple of episodes of The Amazing Race. But it's IMPOSSIBLE to catch any sleep. Fear of being late sets me back.
He was scheduled to arrive home at 12:05noon but he was about at least 10mins early! Fortunately, I decided NOT to finish watching TAR and get down 15min earlier. hahaha Ayah was already down to ferry us to Arab St to meet Mummy to shop for Eid clothes.
We arrived at the travel agent office about 12.30 and we had to wait like 45minutes to do our Zohr there. :S Thank God for iPhone or Tufeil would have already gone crazy bored. I also felt the clock ticking slowly because T should be napping already!
I knew T would cry if we keep stopping at shops, so I walked to Bugis junction first, while Mum chose the cloth materials. T was asleep in 5. I was sooooooo disappointed that Dough Culture there is closed! BOOHOOHOO.
When I got back to Mum in a shop, T came awake and cried feeling claustrophobic in the small shop. So I had to "walk" him for another 10min. My already lack of mood was totally diminished by His Royal Crankiness.
We also made a mistake of eating while he was sleeping. Firstly, he didnt get to eat with us. Secondly, by the time we wanted to shop at Golden Landmark, he was already awake and making a scene while I was trying to decide which design to go for at KebayaMod. This is my very very FIRST time I'm spending $200 on a single suit for Eid.
Wed 6th April 2011 I was told that the school bus has exceeded its capacity limit of 12 children with another new student. So, Tufeil has been allocated another bus. It was very disappointing to learn that this other bus is an older one WITHOUT, i repeat WITHOUT, TV screens. BOOHOOHOO
Wednesday is also the day to wear PE attire.
I wanted to drop by to see what is this Physical activity all about. But ..........
Thursday, 7th April 2011
I cancelled my half day leave today as I thought that Tufeil has already acclimatised to going to school. Unfortunately, he cried when he was boarding the bus. Prolly for 2 reasons. First he was walking towards the playground with his Atok in tow when he got dragged into the van. Second, there's no TV in it to entice him. I just left him and hoped for the best.
Friday, 8th April 2011
By this time in the morning, I was really dragging my feet. I was beginning to think 5 days a week is a bit too much! While Tufeil has no problem waking up early, he will wail his lungs out come bathtime. It gets to your nerve when you hafta battle bathtime in the early mornings for 5 days straight.
Nonetheless, today is going to be so exciting! It's International Friendship Day. You're supposed to exchange a small gift with your friend and also to don an international costume.
We got this $1 Doraemon colouring and sticker book
As well as a $1 Smiley stamp
Tufeil wear his Shalwar kameez and a vest
Close up
When I came home from work, I realised that I haven't checked his Communication book!
Customised with his name!!
This is what the principal wrote about his first full day without me. "Tufeil is doing well in school. He did not cry when he alighted from the bus. He is friendly and talked to all his friends. He asked them lots of questions eg "what is this?" "What are you doing?" etc. He ate two bowls of cereals today. He enjoys playing and running around with his new friends."
My heart just glowed reading this and savouring every single word.
On subsequent pages, some reminders for the parents. 
This is Tufeil's present from Liyana
Oh! Its a Pooh notepad!
He also received a goodie bag full of snacks. :SEarlier that day, I called the principal to ask if Tufeil can take the other van because he has been crying not wanting to go to board it. After some discussion with the respective drivers, it was found that it's impossible to fit Tufeil in the original driver's route as he goes as far as Canberra to pick up the kids. However, the attendant did report to the principal that he usually cries just for awhile (I'm imagining him being soothed by food!!!) and that he's doing better. Alas, we had to stick with it. I suppose it would create more problems if we keep changing buses.
But the reassuring thing is how Mdm Nor talked to me. The way she related to me about Tufeil's day at school is very descriptive and shows she paid attention to my son. That appeased me quite a lot. She said that on that Wednesday (the new bus) onwards he would cry a bit arriving in school asking for "nak music... nak music..." Barney song. I can totally imagine how he whines! And then soon after, he would be ok and dancing around with everybody else.
Monday 11th April 2011
Unfortunately, Tufeil has the fever and skipped school.
Double-Decker Bus
Saturday, 2nd April 2011 As far as i know, this is Tufeil's first ride on a Double Decker bus. We went out on a whim on a lazy and boring Saturday afternoon after we woke up from nap. The only double decker buses serving Woodlands are 168 (to Tampines/Bedok) and 161 (to Sengkang). Decided I could probably find some fun at Tampines. I smsed Nan to ask what's interesting to do there but she replied that there's nothing esply.
Excited!He looks sooo comot (unkempt) because he sweats easily and the underground bus interchange is super super HOT.
The first thing he exclaimed when we got up the bus was, "Wahhh tingginye!" (Wahh so high!)
He throughly enjoyed the view from a height.And here he kept pointing out "Eh eh double decker bus lagi!" (Another double decker bus!)
The first 20minutes, he was very very keen looking out the window at the jungle, rivers and kites. We've been through this route a thousand times but could never see them properly from a car. The last 5-10minutes, he started getting restless and asked for my phone. Thankfully, the 3G was working smoothly.
In the end, we paid the library a short visit.
Tufeil just love this mascot.I couldn't, for the life of me, decide if this is a cat or a lion.
He was holding a Hang Tuah book.Totally uninspired, we just had McDonalds for dinner at Tampines Mall where one of the managers helped me to carry the tray, find a seat, and take the condiments and straws! This coming from a very busy outlet! I never get the same treatment at Woodlands! They always just look on as i carried the tot in one hand, and a full tray on the other.
I also dropped by Swatch shop to get an elastic watch for myself but I was told that Swatch doesn't produce such design anymore! BOOHOOHOO!!! It's sooo fast and easy to wear. Where else can i find?? Don't want the $10 kind because I ever bought before, it doesnt last 10minutes!
We took the bus home again. This time around, it was already dark, so we just appreciated the lights and just talked to each other imagining what the baby in the opposite seat was babbling about. Also as in the earlier ride, this only lasted for 20minutes before he demanded the iPhone again.
It was a nice day out bonding just the two of us =D
Fish Bake & Orange Cake
Sunday 3rd April 2011. I had about 5hours to myself at home and I got cracking in the kitchen. Thanks to kak Norza for sharing her Tasty Tuna Bake recipe she found in a book.
Tasty Tune bake
from Little Kitchen
1 small red capsicum, seeds and white membrane removed 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 pinches of black pepper
1 x 425 g can of tuna
1½ cup cooked white rice
1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the capsicum and onion into a food processor and blitz it to a paste. Tip the paste into a small bowl. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Carefully scrape the paste into the frying pan. Add the tomato paste and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Add the milk, flour, salt and pepper to the frying pan. Mix well and cook over low heat for a couple of minutes. Add the tuna, breaking up the chunks carefully and mixing it in very well. Spread the cooked rice over the base of the baking dish. Spoon in the tuna mixture and spread it over the rice. Finally, top with the grated cheese. Bake into the oven and cook for 14 minutes, or until the cheese is golden. Remove the baking dish from the oven and divide it into 4 big portions.
They actually ran out of Red Pepper at the Fairprice supermarket near my house so I had to use Green Pepper instead. And then to my horrors, I found that my fresh milk is gone from the fridge! (Not sure if somebody drank it or threw it away cause it may have expired?) So I had to substitute with Soymilk instead! HAHAHAHa Instead of rice, I used COUSCOUS because I have bought one quite some time ago and still haven't used it. Also, instead of Tuna, i steamed the Sutchi fillet I still have in my freezer. 
I totally cheated by using sliced cheddar cheese.
Some people say the sliced ones are not 100% real as it contains fillers? *shrug*
The colour looks soo not inviting to me. I think it would have looked fabulous with RED pepper
Between steaming the fish, seeding, chopping and blending the green pepper and stirring the eventual gravy, not to mention reading and rereading the recipe every so often, I think more than 30 minutes were gone.
But I've gotta tell you, the taste is like something I've never had before! Well that's prolly because I tend to avoid eating chunks of bell peppers. This blended vege is totally divine. You can totally taste the spice without it being too hot. I think the dairies in the recipe muted the hotness for the sake of our youngs' tongues.
Reeling from the euphoria, I decided to bake a Moroccan Orange Cake I discovered from Bermudabuttercup. The recipe link is here
•4 eggs
•1 1/2 cups sugar
•1/2 cup vegetable oil
•2 cups flour
•4 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 cup fresh orange juice
•zest from 1 or 2 oranges
•1 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation: Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C). Grease and flour a tube pan. If using fresh oranges, zest and juice them. With an electric mixer or by hand, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick. Gradually beat in the oil. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt, and then the orange juice. Beat until smooth, and then mix in the zest and vanilla. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 7 to 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
I bought this new tool (the name escapes me) just for the occasion.I bought this one as I thought I wouldn't be using the actual zesting tool a lot.
Took me probably 10minutes to finish this
I didn't bother to buy or find our old juicer. (ditto reason above) So I squeezed by hand.
Totally ancient mixer. Possibly older than me!
The orange zest got stuck.
and the result!At the 20th min mark, I was getting worried because the top looked too brown to me. With another 20minutes to go, I was afraid I might get burnt. So I turned down the temperature just a tad and popped it out about 10minutes earlier. But it failed the cake test because when I stabbed it with a knife, it came out with batter sticking to it. So i popped it back on for another 10minutes like the recipe indicated and hoped for the best.
To my surprise, my mum actually liked it! She said its not too sweet, just nice. One tip she did tell me was to shake the pan around to level the batter so it won't come out like a mountain!
Monthly Developments - 24months
The past month leading up to his 2nd birthday, he showed a few progress.
In speech, he can suddenly read the Doa before eating, all by himself. Just need to cue "Allahumma". We don't usually force him to repeat after us. In fact, I only read Bismillah with him. Probably my mum and sis taught him this one. It was a surprise to all of us. Masya'Allah. After this discovery, I tried to get him to read the doa before journey (Subhanallazi sakkhara lana haza...). He CAN read the whole thing but with some mispronounciations and missing a few syllables.
He's also started questioning my actions. He'd say "Kenapa, Mummy?" when I burst out laughing watching TV, or if i yelled ouch.
His other favourite phrase is, "Cammana?!" (HOW). It's a bit disheartening to see that he kinda gives up after trying for just awhile. But can't blame him too much. He probably picked that up from me. Even till today, I would still let out a big loud grunt making sure my mum is within hearing distance for her to help me do something. LOL
He also picked up another phrase from me. "Tufeil tak nak yang ini. Tufeil tak suka." (I don't want this one. I don't like it.) *with an expression full of dislike* During the trial weaning process i kicked off last month, I told him repeatedly, "Mummy tak suka Tufeil nangis." (I don't like you crying.) and now he throws it back to my face. Oops. Should remind myself to be more POSITIVE!
One day, we were playing Tickle Time on bed. He was sprawled on top of me when I attacked his thighs. He flinched, frowned and said, "Tufeil tengah berak lah." (I'm pooping) It was soooo funny!!
Besides speech, Tufeil has started a very very BAD HABIT of LICKING his hands!!!! He would stick a few fingers in his mouth most of the time. Sometimes he would lick his whole palm and even arms!!! I think this started when I tried to wean him off. :S
So much so that I feel my love for dogs have somewhat had a repercussion because I always feel that I need to "walk" Tufeil first before going to a quiet place that requires a lot of sitting around or in an enclosed place. Also he likes to sit under the table and then I would feed him from there. Yikes!
After coming back from the Syrian trip, he totally refuses to wear leggings in Singapore. Ok I think one of the patterns have small little stars and triangles that may cause the irritation but he shuns ALL the other leggings too. Oh Great. That sure decreases the number of long pants he has for sleepwear. But more recently, he has begun to object to wearing long sleeve shirts too. This leaves me very worried if he gets cold in the middle of the night = i keep waking up to cover the blanket over him. Grrrr
At longggg last, I feel confident about taking him on the escalator on foot (not stroller). I had accidentally tried once and it was a big scare! He was walking and holding my hands when the escalator came to view and we started to step on it. I totally forgot that we've never done this before and found that T was lagging behind I had to jerk his hands up and I stepped down to be nearer to him I almost fell. Then i realise that I had to let him get on it first before I follow suit. Cheh!
Tufeil's Second Day of School
Monday 4th April So today Tufeil donned his school uniform!!!
E eh mcm model pulak dgn tgnnye!
w Songkok (Muslim Cap)Of course the cap didn't last two minutes on his head.
Rode the van with him. The plan was to gradually let go of him before the week's over. So I stayed for about half an hour, went home and cleared his wardrobe (while watching The Amazing Race) and then went back at 11am to "fetch" him. It's actually only about 10min away by bus! So convenient!
Checking hands, feet and mouth for spots.I'm really amazed that he didnt complain one bit about the teacher checking his tongue and taking his temperature and all that. Usually at the doctor's he would scream bloody murder!
I was also beginning to question whether my being there is actually delaying his acclimatisation and hindering the teacher's progress with him. Mainly because I wasn't sure if what I'm telling him is correct / in line with Montessori method. Should I step in when Tufeil is distracted or should I let the teacher do it? Its so confusing when the boundary is not clear. I felt obliged to help cause they seemed to have their hands full. On the other hand, I worry that they might think I dont trust them to do their job or something.
The Hands On Handbook for parents said that Montessori is all about self-independence and choice. HOwever, I DO wonder when are they going to introduce T with the language and mathematics materials. But I suppose it doesn't really matter. I mean I can't expect everything to happen overnight. Besides, I like that he loves the Practical Life and Sensorial games. I believe those are really the stuffs towards independence.
Too bad iPhone's mic didn't capture their voice very well. So the words go something like this:
Hello! How are you 3x? How are you, today?
I'm fine, thank you 3x. I'm fine today.
Ahlan! Kaifa kum (?) 3x? Kaifa kum, al-yaum?
Ana Bikhairn Shukran 3x. Ana bikhair al-yaum.
Hello! Apa khabar 3x? Apa khabar semua?
Saya baik, terima kasih 3x. Saya baik, semua.
*Crouch* One two three. three two one. Hanis Montessori, Number One!*jump*
wahid, ithnani, thalatha. thalatha, ithnani, wahid. Hanis Montessori, raqam Wahid!
satu dua tiga, tiga dua satu. Hanid Montessori nombor satu!
Tufeil was distracted when I went to talk to the teacher and then to the bathroom. I wanted to leave then. Unfortunately, my shoes were at the other side of the room and I had to pass him to get there. So I explained to him that I'm going home for awhile and will be back later. Of course he resisted and asked me to stay. I was at the door when Tufeil cam running towards me wanting to show me something and then he suddenly eyed an interest toy and got diverted instead! Saved by the Toy!
When I reached the school the second time, I heard somebody crying. I rushed inside. Oh it wasn't him. Thank God. But I didn't get the chance to ask the teacher if he cried at all. Next time lah. I was in time for the "Circle Time". Today's circle time is about music & rhythm.
A Dinosaur song. To the tune of 5 Little Ducks or whatever the title is.Tufeil refused to put on the mask so one of the teachers wore for him.
Felt that the teachers were a little bit ill prepared for this oneso it turned out rather dull the first time around. And then that fiesty teacher, the one who told an animated story last friday, spruced things up and we were all happy again.
Now is the Barney "Please and thank you" Song. And then it was time to go home. We didn't ride the bus home last week so this is T's first time. I knew he would get sleepy esply in moving vehicles sitting all buckled up and staring out the window. 
He was asleep pretty soon after we got down the bus.
He was asleep pretty soon after we got down the bus.
Tufeil's First Day of School!!!
Fri, 1st April (2 years old) It's Tufeil's first day of school at Hanis Montessori!! The van picks him up at 8:05am. Woke up at 7:10am and rushed to get ready. Tufeil didn't really eat a proper bfast. Just some chocolate milk and a few bites of cakes and Nutella sandwich.
He hasn't got his uniform yet so homeclothes for him. 
SpiderMan trolley bag from my neighbour.
In the van.
First time Tufeil sat properly and quietly all buckled up.
And why not? Mr Bean is on each row's headrest!
Cool or what the school vans nowadays!
Two sisters sitting behind us.
They were very friendly and "showed" us around like how we can adjust the screen, where to put our shoes and bags.
And the last row were all the boys. I don't know if its coincidental or they are really keeping with the Islamic values.
Theme of the month is Child's Play!
While the kindergarteners sit in their respective rooms, the toddlers play in the centre in an open concept.
We started with checking temperature, mouth, hands and feet.
And then sitting in on that circle on the floor, we sang a few songs and then we proceeded to wash our hands
Totally Tufeil's favourite "chore"
But he has a problem standing still and lining up.
Then, 4 students are chosen to sit on the table, while the rest will sit on the floor with their own "material".
Layout the mats
Tufeil mesmerised by this since the first time he came.
Soon afterwards, the Mudarrisah (Arabic teacher) enticed with to pick a "material" in the Practical Life sectionA video of the teacher showing him how to pour green beans into small cups
She really is the spitting image of my cousin NUR only skinnier.
Next, Tufeil picked up the Wet Pouring material Before he is allowed to play with it, he was shown how to roll the mat and place it in the basket, put on the apron and take a wet mat.
Video of him trying it out.
"pick up lego blocks with tong" Material
Ok Goody! It's tufeil's One to One session.
The teacher was assessing how well Tufeil knows his animals.
I wasn't sure if that was a duck, though. It looked like a swan or goose to me.
We had a break at 9.45am (1hr 15min after checking in). They were given porridge. It's all quite organised that they have planned out their monthly themes, excursions and get this: meal plans thru out the year! I'm so impressed!
I didn't manage to snap any picture during the break as I was busy showing T how to feed himself.
After a host another round of washing hands, it was Tufeil's turn on the floor mat.
He played with animal puzzles and a host of 4 jungle animals on another mat.
They were actually not supposed to share and were supposed to sit quietly on the floor next to their mat. But T was running around, calling Mummy Mummy whenever he finds something amusing. At one point, he was exclaiming "Ya Allah Lion. Ya Allah Giraffe" with hilarity when he stacked them on top each other that the teachers laughed.
They was also another boy who was new too. T came up to him and said without anyone telling him to "Jangan nangis eh?" (Don't Cry ok?)
He was on the floor for so long and so happy doing his own thing that I was beginning to think that I should just start work on Monday. But then I'm still curious as to what else is in store for the rest of the week. My own mum suggested that maybe I shouldn't sit in the whole time but leave early and then let him get on the bus himself but receive him at home. So it would be a gradual transition at the end of the week.
Story Time
I think Fridays are Islamic section so the story time by two different teachers are from the Qur'an and Hadith. The teacher who told the story of Darwish and Daniel the neighbours is very animated. I LIKE!
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