Well, today is the last day that my internet connection will be active.. so I guess today I'll be trying to catch up with potential lost time.
My tentative itinerary:
Dec 14th : Get all our bags all packed and ready. When the kids come home from school at 3pm, get them showered and changed, pray Asar, then off we go to Bahrain. Check in, have a bit of dinner, then board the plane for Doha. At Doha, get on another plane for KL. I am banking on the kids (and me) to sleep all the way to KL.
Dec 15th : arrive in KLIA around noon. Take a cab to Kelana Jaya to my mom's house to pick up our house keys, then return home. HOME!! I'm sure Taufik will be checking on the plants and all. The kids will probably rummage thru their toy box first. I will be changing my bed sheets. We'll have abite to eat, hm.. where..? I'm thinking maybe nasi ayam hailam if the redemption letter for our house loan has arrived, else, either FAM (mee kari!!) or Sri Pattani (Tomyam!!). Afternoon will be spent cleaning up the house (if it's not already cleaned by my brother in law), and dinner will definitely be Jaya (Char Kuey Teow, Nasi Ayam, Rojak SIngapore, Laksam.. and sirap bandung).
Dec 16th-Dec 17th: settle stuff .. my house loan, my RHB acount, pay all the fees for the condo, go to MSRI to pay my sponsorship for Israa. Eat and eat.. maybe if I get a chance to, meet up with the lunch ladies for Friday lunch. Oh, and shop for food for the gathering.
Dec 18th : cook for the gathering, go to the gathering, eat eat eat. talk talk talk. take pictures. play with kids.
Dec 19th- Dec22nd or so: Spend quality time with my mom. Visit my dad.
Dec 23rd: Drive to Alor Setar, maybe stop by @ my friend's for dinner.
Dec 24th to Jan 2/3rd : In Alor Setar, go to the orchard (work work work), maybe have a family picnic at a waterfall, eat laksa, meehoon sup. Make a trip to Penang, eat mee udang.
Jan 4th - Jan 9th : back in PJ.. settle more stuff if needed. Visit Mokciknab and her brood. Go shopping. Go jalan2. Go makan2. Maybe Ladies Day Out if the ladies are up to it. If we have time, drive to Kemaman? (Eat some more)
Jan 10th: Eid Ul Adha. Go Sembahyang raya in Masjid Al-Hidayah. Visit relatives around KL.
Jan 11th: Shop and pack.
Jan 12th: Fly back to Saudi.
Jan 13th: Do Laundry, clean house, shop for groceries, prepare for school.
Jan 14th: Kids go back to school. Pay internet bill.
Jan 15th: Back on-line, I hope!
But then again, with me, nothing is ever fixed.. aside from my arrival and departure dates, and the Dec 18th do. Things may change. We take detours (which I just love!). All of us are on a holiday, including Taufik, so that means no office appointments! We can do antyhing we want! We are truly truly truly on a vacation, all of us. I am most certainly looking forward to this holiday.
Yesterday I helped to wrap gifts for the school's Santa's Groto. Next week , 'Santa' will be coming to the school to give out gifts to the children from 4 to 8 years old. The way these parent volunteers handle this project.. it was like a CIA operation. Everything was kept a secret. Shopping was done in secret. They covered all the windows in the Groto room so that no kids can peek in. If any students saw toys being carried, they would say they're for a charity. I couldnt even tell my own kids what I was doing in school. When I accidently mentioned it to Ihsan's teacher in the presence of one of the kids, she actually covered the boy's ears.
We painstakingly removed price tags off each toy. Ignorant me suggested that we just used a marker to black out the prices and the mommies cried out in unison "But Santa doesn't buy toys, he makes them!". Err.. okay.. he would barcode them as well, eh..?
They discussed about who to get to be Santa and when. They had to schedule things just right so that none of the students would come in and suddenly realize that Santa is actually their Dad in a suit. So Katie's class need to come when Katie's dad is not santa.
They even wrote an elaborate letter to each class, telling them that Santa would come to visit in a few days, after the visas for the reindeers are cleared by immigration.
I hope I don't offend anyone when I say that I found it funny how they took so much pains in protecting the idea that Santa is real. I mean.. he's not even a real religious element of Christianity, isn't he? Is believing in Santa equivalent to believing in God?
Ah well.. I wasnt there to preach. I was just there to help (and to take a peek at what my boys would be getting)(Ihsan's getting a punching bag, Ilham a remote control car)(kinda cool, huh?).
I brought ANis along and she was unbelievably well behaved and nice to everyone! She would go up to everyone (but me) and ask "Can I help?". She was so sweet, they decided to give her a present when we said our goodbyes. She got hair accesories, in a plastic carry case, which she is carrying everywhere she goes now. I was so proud of her (and relieved that she did not embarass me.. tee hee!).
oh well, I guess that's it for now. While I'm gone, you're welcomed to visit my archives, or check out my links .. there are very interesting people out there!
You know I'll blog whenever I get the chance to.. :)
Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays and have a Happy New Year!
Blog Comments
Posted by:TheCharmedOne
Date: 12/06/05 at 8:38 AM (1M1w ago)
Selamat kembali ke Malaysia.
Posted by:elisataufik
Date: 12/06/05 at 1:35 PM (1M1w ago)
terimakasih MrCharmed..
"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"
Posted by: marinadelrey (View Website)
Date: 12/06/05 at 8:45 AM (1M1w ago)
wow! that is one DETAILED itinerary! i'm gonna have 2 learn how 2 plan like u once i become a mom...have fun back in jolly good ol' malaysia!
Posted by: elisataufik
Date: 12/06/05 at 1:40 PM (1M1w ago)
detailed ke? I thought it was pretty general..
I like to have a plan, so that we don't end up wandering around aimlessly and not achieve anything during our time home.
but the fun thing about having plans is also being able to break them.. tee hee
"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"
Posted by: ondeonde
Date: 12/06/05 at 9:30 AM (1M1w ago)
you can quench and gobbled (excuse for my choice of word) on whatever things you mengidam while in tanah air tercinta!
Posted by: elisataufik
Date: 12/06/05 at 1:44 PM (1M1w ago)
oh I wish I would achieve that ! :)
but most importantly, I also want to meet all the people that I miss, be it family or friends :)
"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"
Posted by:+pizzofmine
Date: 12/06/05 at 10:11 AM (1M1w ago)
The holiday schedule awed me, awed I say!
Posted by:elisataufik
Date: 12/06/05 at 1:47 PM (1M1w ago)
i bet if you told us *your* itinerary, we'd be awed too..
"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"
Posted by:+pizzofmine
Date: 12/06/05 at 2:04 PM (1M1w ago)
well i don't think it will awe anyone if the route is between to the work desk - toilet -work desk -toilet - work desk -toilet and back to the work desk again
Posted by: rotidua (View Website)
Date: 12/06/05 at 10:25 AM (1M1w ago)
eh..tak nak jumpa kiter ke?
Posted by:elisataufik
Date: 12/06/05 at 1:52 PM (1M1w ago)
eh MUSTI lah jumpa...
you're bringing fruits to the gathering kan kan kan?
Mama mesti buat makan2 punya lah.. paling kurang, on Raya Haji..
"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"
Posted by:bertique
Date: 12/06/05 at 10:41 AM (1M1w ago)
have a good flight home ok.
and, pergh! packed giler schedule nyer :D
see you on sunday.
kalau sesat, call saya - hehehe
Posted by:elisataufik
Date: 12/06/05 at 1:55 PM (1M1w ago)
Kalau dia takder tukar jalan ke Putrajaya in the past 6 months, Insya-Allah tak sesat..
apa2 pun, nanti kita calling2..
please follow up on nekbat. Kita nak dia datang!!
"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"
Posted by:nekbat
Date: 12/06/05 at 5:00 PM (1M1w ago)
Oh pressure, pressure
Posted by: hannaidea
Date: 12/06/05 at 3:16 PM (1M1w ago)
Have fun during your holiday. We're going to miss you.
hanna's mum
Posted by: shadesofblue
Date: 12/07/05 at 4:30 AM (1M1w ago)
I can feel the excitement...balik kampung..ooo..balik kampung.
About the Santa thingy...they do take things seriously and go into details huh...read about how some of the other mothers in US prepare their childrens birthday Mak Oiii...mcm2 ada
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