I Love Majakir...

As vice president of the teachers' union in my school (i was forced to take it on but popular demand/vote.. urgh!), I had the opportunity to present a card signed by all of us to my principal, Tn. Hj. Abdul Aziz last Tuesday after our curriculum meeting. I read out two interesting passages which I will include here:

"Guru umpama mentari yang memberi sinar ke seluruh alam, tanpa cahaya mentari, sang rembulan pun akan hilang seri."

("Teachers are like the sun which lights up the entire world, without sunshine, even the moon will loose its glow.")

and

"Teachers are the heartbeat and pulse of the nation, without us, the country would be lifeless. Thank you for being a great teacher!"

Happy teachers' day y'all!

(to view report go to my school's website.. it's very canggih ya! : http://www.smk-majakir.net/modules/news/

Well teachers' day has official come and gone but the celebration is ongoing. National level is usually on 16th May, but schools normally drag it out a bit longer.. our school level official do is sometime in June so there will be more stories to come later.

Anyway, what did our dearest Najib (prime minister) give us? some wishy-washy talk of monetary incentives if any school manages to beat 300 other schools in ranking (like that's gonna happen anytime soon!!?!?!) and shovels! yup, you heard right, no pay rise, no extra allowances, just cangkuls/shovels for a national level gotong-royong (clean-up) day to celebrate every ounce of sweat we have poured out as decidated teachers in exchange for an equal ounce of sweat as national gardeners! hah!

still... it was quite fun as you can tell from the pics below. To all my fellow Majakirians and all teachers of the nation on our combined destiny to shape the younger generation towards excellence, fantastic job n keep up the good work! *pats ya on the back*

An artsy shot of me, spent more time posing then actually gardening! hehe.. *responsibility avoidance in full action*

I did snip some Okra (ladies fingers).. lol.......... History was made that day, I actually saw and touched an okra plant! did u know they okras grow upwards? who would hv thought eh!

The moment i stooped down to do some weeding, a thorn drew first blood!!! hence i was jumping up n down screaming "I'm injured.. help me.. i can't do it any more!!!" (*another classic example of duty diversion.. lol*

My good friend Aina n I.. we were contemplating the meaning of life and why this galaxy exists and how we came to be in the same solar system... yeah right! LOL.. more like thinking what to have for lunch after all the hard work! hehehehehe

My fondant project..:)

Here's what i've been up to lately.. cupcakes with fondant frosting..mmmmmm they went down a treat! ;-) What shall i make next?

FB works.. ;-)

My signature peaches and creamcheese cake. RM60 medium, RM80 large.
Carrot walnut cake with cream cheese topping... RM60
Double choc chip choc fudge... went down a treat! RM2.00 to RM2.50 per piece or neg. ;-)


As you guys have mostly noticed, i've been uploading pics of the gastronomic creations i make from time to time on fb.. ;-) suffice to say i enjoy baking n spreading the joy around. Last december (amidst crazy packing n moving house) i thought it would be fun baking for the christmas season so i put up my two signature cakes, peaches and cream cheesecake and carrot walnut cake with cream cheese topping on fb and the orders started coming in like crazy. lol.. it was mostly hard work, creating and then delivering to town which is abt an hrs drive with traffic, but the satisfaction of people eating and loving my cakes was priceless.

Anyway, recently i've been making cuppies or better known as cupcakes.. and hv taken them to school and teachers have literally fought over them. lol.. tickles me to know that they want it that bad. hahahahha.. so far i've done double choc chip choc fudge cuppies and the ones the other day was real vanilla choc chip choc fudge cuppies. ;-) tomorrow's attempt will be orange zest choc chip with cream cheese topping cuppies.. will tell u how that one turns out.

Right, so what is the point of all this self-praise (is no praise, or so the saying goes)... well.. a friend has been following my (occasional) progress on fb and has since contacted me to supply her new delicatessen in a posh area of KK in the near future when it opens its doors for business. My question is, should i jump head into this sideline business? Or will it kill my love for baking. Making cakes cos i have to can't be as fun as making cakes for pleasure right? But it will bring in delicious dosh... of which we all can do with more, not less! haha.. so what say you guys? jump in or pass up? *scratches head*

:)

any orders for kaamatan and mid year hols? hehehehe.. ;-)

Lanner LOL

my happy child.. ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmayhDfGGUI

More birthday pics. ;-)

Lanner had his big bash in where else but the resort (Langkah Syabas, martin's ex-employers). Love the place especially since they've added a new wing for private functions. So now my precious is a big boy already... he still crawls as if he's running, isn't interested in walking but does like hanging on to the furniture to see the world. Bet the whole party this just went over his head but he'll look back and know that we love him sooooooo much we threw him a simple but nice party just like we did for Besra. ;-) Thanks everyone for making the effort to come and celebrate with us.. ;-) can't believe that a year has passed so quickly.

Ordered this cake from Strawberry bakery which is super famous for its super delicious moist choc cake. Went down a treat cos lots of people had seconds. ;-) must learn to make this cake, it's one skill that is still eluding me. hehe..
this pic is blurry cos it's actually a clip from the video clip. hehe.. ;-) if u watch the video below you'll notice that lanner keeps looking at his dad... instead of his cake! and i had to 'focus' his head on the cake at the end. lol.. hehe.. dont worry, i didnt hurt him. and guess who screamed out something about wanting to eat chocolate!? who else but princess Besra! hehe..
This was taken at home. Josephine, bless her, bought this rocking horse for lanner.. u can tell he is amused and bemused by it.. there were other gifts including a non-halal (non-kosher) piggy book and a tractor to name a few. Thanks ya'all! But mostly, thanks to those who gave the traditional Chinese ang pows (red packets filled with mulah!) hehe..
Perry, a senior in my college and now a very competent colleague in the education field took some really super shots. With a bit of editing on my part (getting rid of fat arms n such, lol) the pics are featured here and they are pretty spectacular!
I gave out lil goodie bags and besides the customary chocs, jellies, sweets and crackers, I like to add notebooks and pens.. hehe.. so nice to see the girls just stretch out on the floor and draw together.. this is Besra (now 3 1/2) and cousin Alicia (4 years). how sweet... sweaty.. but sweet nonetheless.
I so love this pic... esp how the pig and Lanner both seem to have flawless skin! hehe..
My boy, chewing hard on Perry's lens cap. such a thinker.. i wonder what he's really thinking about?
After a long day, Perry manages to catch him yawning. Natural. Beautiful.
And last but not least, this one is definitely a keeper. Daddy n son shot. ;-) awwwwwwww

Lanner's first birthday party.. ;-)

My boy turns 1 today!

Lanner ate tons of his choc chip fudge cake... just the cake bits, not the choc.. guess who stuffed herself with the leftover choc!? no guesswork needed eh! hehe


SO HERE'S THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT ALL...

How amazing is it that this time last year I had been hospitalised twice and was to the point of no return in terms of having every kind of symptom and suffering listed in the pregnancy books.. hehe.. 24 hr puking (my best friend was mr loo, and no he wasn't chinese!), piles (oh gawd no!!!), all kinds of pain or numbness or bloatedness or all of the aforementioned! definitely not a walk in the park! yet today i look into his lil brown eyes and see them shining, acknowledging his mommy, and that killer smile of his and i think that indeed all the pain and sufferings were damn well worth it...

if i have achieved nothing else of significance in this lifetime but to be a mother to two beautiful children, then my life has not been a waste. i love them dearly and i hope they will achieve their destiny one day, whatever it may be. most of all, i wish them happiness and contentment. ;-)

as for me... i've been up to entirely too much! hehe... won the district level debates again this year.. hahahahahahah my girls were fantabulous! also this year i've been upgraded to technical advisor for the entire district, lol, dunno if that is something to be proud of or not, extra work for no extra money.. but the 15 seconds of glamour makes up for it! hehe..

also been lecturing here and there.. at UITM for the third time (i'm really glad they keep calling me back, must be doing something right!) and various other secondary schools. plus every saturday I have the adult learners' class which is super fun, but long hours. i'm not really complaining, cos i really love the attention and the fact that i'm contributing to their quest for knowledge.. haha how corny!

let's see... lanner is 11 plus kgs now, has had two bottom teeth for the past 3 months now with no signs of the others popping out anytime soon... he can crawl like a demon, and pull to stand well, cruising using the furniture or any available person to hang on to, and has a penchant for screeching like a 'velociraptor' (martin's nickname for him, how fatherly!) my boy still grins and laughes and there is no better sound in this world than that. sighs.. love the lil buggeroony!

as for besra, gosh she's grown up big, and real talkative now. last week during american idol she declared that she loves the brown haired guy (tim urban) and that when she is big she will marry him. what the f*%&!!!!!!! she's only 3 for goodness sake! this week she raced to the tv when he came on the screen, screamed "My prince!" and subsequently climbed the glass top table to kiss the tv screen. holy smokes! what's a momma to do-a?

martin is away tuna fishing right now.. wont be back till sun night. guess i'll be fishmonger's wife again, not looking forward to that but do miss the old bugger. lol... luckily i have another young man around to sleep with every night.. haha. seriously though, the website is starting to pay dividends and we've had good news from his sister in UK re the house, so fingers crossed that life will be much much easier soon.

must train myself to blog less but more often.. haha.. bloody facebook takes up all my time these days esp my addiction to scrabble. hahahhaa.. no worries, bingoes are the highlight of my life in addition to my two angels and the archangel martin. LOL.



These are my MUET form 6 students carrying out a newspapers in education activity. ;-) haha.. it was a fun lesson esp since the winners won my ten bucks! hehe.. amazing what a bit of dosh stirs up!
here's my baked cheesecake with a hint of lime. mmmmmm... was for a friend's birthday.
this is 1 of 2 apple pies i made for the school staff's potluck... there were no leftovers, haha.. as if there would be! not!
Lanner with his super killer smile! i love u i love u i love u!!!!!!!!!!!!!
chicky babe besra with her choc chip vanilla fudge cupcake... can u tell she loves choc? haha
martin got this book for me which came with the silicone moulds which can withstand up to 300 degrees celcius.. amazing or what!?!?!
tadaaaaaaaaaaaa! with colourful heart shaped sprinkles as well!

made meat-free lasagna.. some to eat and others to freeze... for his highness of course, when i'm not available in the kitchen to slave for him..


and fisherman's pie with fish, mushrooms, onions in a white sauce topped with mashed potatoes... yummers!
my glorious debate team! congrats for being champs! weeeeeeeeee!
me after guest lecturing at the local Mara University
a hall-full of students completely engrossed in what i had to say.. love the feeling! hehe.

here fishy fishy fishy...

Yup.. martin has been fishing again. and this time, he brought in a lovely 10 kg wahoo... pity his wife though.. she didnt get married to him to become a fish hacker! yikes, u shoulda seen the balcony after i made the fish into serving size slices... plus the worst bit, when i sliced open the stomach.. out plopped two of the ugliest most gross stomach parasites ever.. black n blobby and still writhing. yuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkksssssss!!!! i cant believe i married a fisherman!
this is martin with his mate paul.. paul got a 6kg one.. and no, i dont know if its guts was the home of more parasites. urgh! martin also brought home 50+ reef fish, so u can imagine how full our freezer is right now. hehe.. i'm thinkin fish for breakfast, lunch, dinner n supper.. ;-) lol

anyway, tot i'd also blog abt when beatrice and rick were here.. they stayed over at our place and had a nice time.. kids loved them, we love them, they love us, what could go wrong eh! hehe.. love u guys!

rick n bea... awwww...
my son's got huge hands! hehehehe... hope he grows up into a tall, fair, handsome stud!

bea used to do my hair.. now she's in charge of her goddaughter's gorgeous tresses!

i love this pic... except for the choc milk patch on besra's top! hehehe lanner's almost 11 months and he looks huge in this pic.. either that or i've shrunk! hahahah i prefer the latter!

here's us having a swimyswim at Nexus Karambunai where bea n rick were staying for a week. was really nice cos there was a canopy overhead to keep the heat away, and the kids (big n small) had a blast playing with the waterguns besra got for her birthday last year.. haha..

this is a really pathetic lookin donald duck.. but i suppose the kids would like this pic included for posterity one fine day when they look back at this blog. it was jane's 8th bithday and they rented the whole playyard at 1Borneo hypermall.. how posh is that?!


and last week has been a crazy one.. but very satisfying. here's my badminton team which i took to the district level and we won 2nd place. i love badminton.. haha.. and the kids were super.

now that it's our 1 week mid semester break.. gosh i can breathe easier. i am guest lecturing at a university this tues.. but hey, i love doin it! other than that, the week will be a restful one.

anyway, there's been so much happening but words dont do them justice. suffice to say that i'm happy, my family members are safe n healthy, my house is paradise and life is beautiful. ;-) beat that!

Chinese New Year Eve Reunion Dinner 2010... some pics.. ;-)

The Koh Clan... from left to right: alicia nicole, martin, besra ai-ying, joanne, alex and dylan koh jun, lanner hon-yang, me, my dad jimmy, mom belinda, aunty grace, scott and michelle, jordan james in the AIG shirt and bro steeve and his wife joeanne in front. ;-) 'twas a nice reunion.
The Wiles... ;-)
Loving cousins... both cutting the mandarin orange butter cake which i made for the reunion dinner at my mom's...
whatcha lookin at!? wanna fight?! hehehe... dylan and lanner.. they r only 2 days apart n will perhaps become the best of friends one day... ;-)
my lil tiger ... purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs more than growwwwwwwwwwllls

Enter the year of the tiger!! 2010

the months that were...

my strapping lad!
marji the nanny n besra... u can see my living room in the background..
lanner in his prison gear.. hehe
besra the rock chick in front of her playhouse which i brought all the way from kl.. remember ashley!? hehe its pretty cool and well worth the money!
Besra posing in my room... my dressing table n lanner's crib... ooo n i'm so in love with my own curtains! hahaha very houseproud at the moment!

Heya... i know this is a long time coming but i've been really annoyed with blogspot cos every time i tried to upload pics it would end up as error... surprisingly i'm doin it now and its being as obedient as a kitten... hmmm... let's see if it publishes!

So how is life, everyone? my fellow bloggers hv remained quite constant, from fely to doria and everyone in between. sorry i've been so slack in reading and commenting on blogs. i wonder what got over me! hehe.. anyway, i'm back and as you can see, with tons of pics!

Jan: let's see.. the month was a bit crazy cos i went from not working for almost 2 months to 7am to 4 or 5pm every day cos school reopened and there were meetings after meetings. yikes... but i have to admit, being in a school that appreciates what i do is a godsend. hehe...

also jan was a whole month to prep the house for our chinese new year open house celebration in addition to our house warming party. i catered food but made all the desserts... haha next time i'll know to make double the cakes cos they went down pretty fast with the happy lot that day. was a great feeling to actually be in this house and able to entertain properly...

talkin about entertainin, i've had a number of gourmet dinner parties.. hehe some up to 4 courses! so if u want to be wined n dined, hehe .. make a date with us and we'll show you the royal treatment. the guest room awaits anyone n everyone who makes the long trek to our house in the jungles of papar! it is a bit of a drive to the novice, but old hands like us take it in our stride...

in feb, we threw the cny n house warming party which was a super success.. thanks all for making the journey, hope it was up to expectations!

hv been working like crazy like i mentioned earlier... last week alone i had a course in beaufort (1hr drive away) on tues, a meeting in a school which is hosting the district level english language debates (i've been appointed technical advisor for the entire district.. ahem.. hehe.. i'm actually rather pleased n proud of this!) on wednesday.. and on thurs i gave a 6 hr course to 50 plus students in KK Highschool on MUET Strategies... very very satisfying and rewarding week..

as for the kids, both babies r growing big n fast! i mean, where the heck does the time go... besra is stringing sentences together that are so impressive (esp to and english teacher) as she's only three and can say things like 'daddy let's look at the bug with the magnifying glass' or 'there r too many complications' and i was clipping her nails and she called them her 'claw-ses' as in the plural of a claw is claw-ses. haha... she has claws? my lil kitten!

lanner is a super stud.. such a loving, handsome and happy child. he's almost 11kg now that he's almost 11 months. ;-) pretty good with anyone manhandling him but the moment he sees me he goes frantic and tries to literally jump or fly out of the other person's arms to get to me.. awwwww... how endearing that he knows who his mom is. ;-) adorabubble! he's crawling very well now and pulling to stand and can cruise along the furniture. so developmentally, he's doin fine, like any other child his age. thank goodness there doesnt seem to be any ill effects from the jaundice and blood transfusion he had to go through when he was a week old. i love my lil tiger!

as for martin, he has his hands full doin stuff for the house everyday... and runs besra to school and back every weekday... we also have resident swallows and swifts he looks after and the neighbours dogs just gave birth to two lots of puppies so now he's daddy to about 5 lil pups. we will probably need to rehome them in abt 2 months... so anyone out there lookin for local pups.. pls take em!

right, i think i've rambled on a bit too much... i've had another two set of pics come up as 'error' and unloadable... so i think i'll just publish these pics first n go to bed. will try again with others later. hugs all round! xxxxxxxxxxxx