School Hunting 15 Jan 2015 8:07 AM (10 years ago)

So harini mama pegi melawat another Special School. First impression I think its better than the previous, but....... Mama masih belum berpuas hati. Still not the right one I think.

Entah la.. Serabut jugak rasanya nih. Nak kena finalised by end of February. Tu deadline for application. Dapat tak dapat tak sure lagi. Mama rasa mana2 special school pun sama je kot. It will never be right. Maybe Z blom ready for big school?? (Or mama yg blom ready).

Another option is to extend pre school for another year. Mmg selalunya umo 5 tahun dh kena masuk sekolah, but kalau ikut Dept of Education, 6 tahun is mac. So boleh je kalau Z nak stay preschool lagi setahun. Cumaaa.. He will not get SNA anymore. Sebab dia dh dpt 2 tahun dah. Problem tu kalau takde helper.

So kalau nak extend, another option is Special PreSchool. Kalau under SMH special ps nih utk yg medical needs jer. z tak layak pulak. Mama kena carik sendiri. Dah google tadi, mmg tak banyak choice. Besok la mama call sekolah2 tu tanya camne.

Worst come to worst, mmg SMH la sekolah Z next year. Lepas visit another school tadi, walaupun that school is better, mama mcm dh boleh terima sikit SMH tu. It will be an easier transition for Z. Sebab dah biasa sekolah tu. Plus will be under similar team and Mairead n cikgu Yvonne ada utk tengok2 kan Z in the beginning. Cuma the junior class tu jer la yg merisaukan mama. Sigh..

2015 12 Jan 2015 5:12 AM (10 years ago)

Lamanyaaa tak menjenguk sini. Malas berlemak2 dah ni.. tatau nak tulis apa, dah terlalu banyak tertinggal..
Quick update:

1. Winter, alhamdulillah Z sihat2 saje sepanjang winter nih. Antibody dia sangat kuat walaupun kadang2 mama skip supplement Z, tapi Z still in good health. Mama plak yang demam teruk sejak 2 weeks ago. Risau jugak takut berjangkit, tapi Z memang KUAT! Papa yang berjangkit since past 2-3 days. Harapnya Z akan remain strong.

2. Cuti Xmas from 23 Dec. Z masuk sekolah 5 Jan, mama baru masuk keje harini (MC last week). Cuti ni pegi Belfast jer. Tak pernah lagi melawat Titanic Gallery yg baru bukak tu. So stay there 3d2n. Pastu mama pegi London jumpa kawan mama masa Boxing Day. Itu jer lah activity cuti. Balik pada Belfast tu mama demam tak bangun2, tu pasal la tak kemana2.

3. School hunting
Mama masih mencari sekolah yang terbaik untuk Z. Sebelum xmas haritu dah pegi melawat sekolah yang asalnya merupakan first choice mama. Memang dah aim nak ke sekolah tu, tapi.... bila mama p visit, rasa macam tak sesuai pulak. Senior classes are great, tapi untuk junior start agak merunsingkan mama. Rasa macam a bit set back from where he is at the moment. Tanya parents yang lain, diorang kata memang kena expect macam tu kalau nak hantar ke special school. Sebab mostly akan hantar ke Mainstream for junior. Bila dah besar skit baru diorang pindahkan ke special school. as a result, not much attention paid on junior classes in special school.

Masalahnya mama memang nak hantar Z ke special school. Main reason is anxiety. Z memang tak boleh focus in big group. kelas Z sekarang ada 7-9 kids jer at one time. September lepas dah masukkan Z ke pre-school class. Ada dalam 18-20 kids. the worst 2 weeks experience. Dia memang phobia habis. Last2 mama mintak dia turun kelas. Barulah ok.
Nanti kalau masuk Mainstream School, walaupun ada SNA, you have to expect at least 25-28 students in class. Memang tak boleh la mama rasa. Kalau masuk Special School dalam 6-8 kids jer.

Khamis ni mama nak p visit another Special School. Kalau sekolah ni better, nak kena pindah la pulak. Sebab sekolah ni area Dublin South. Kat sini sekolah kena tengok area. Padehal address rumah skrg walaupun Dublin North, tapi jaraknya tak sampai 10 meter pun dari sungai (border north/south dublin). So kalau nak apply sekolah ni, kami kena pindah ke seberang sungai :D. Tak kisah la, asalkan dapat sekolah terbaik. Yang mama risaukan cuma 1, kalau sekolah ni pun tak sesuai, nak kena carik sekolah lain pulak.. adoiii.. mama nih tak reti sangat bab2 birokrasi nih. Ini pun cikgu Mairead yg tolong. padehal sekolah ni bukan under their service. Tapi dia kenal cikgu besar. so dia tolong set appointment. Kalau tak berkenan jugak, mama kena la carik sendiri.. :(

worst possible, mama terpaksa jugak hantar Z ke sekolah SMH yang first tu kot. Cikgu Mairead bagitau dia akan cuba apply untuk Z terus masuk kelas senior. Tapi selalunya kena jugak spend few months with junior. Hmm.. kesian Z. Kelas tu ok, cikgu2 and SNA pun ok.. cuma mama risau sebab budak2 dalam kelas tu semua kategory severe that need medical help. Nanti Z takde kawan. We have work so hard to improve his social skills, takut nanti dia pick up the bad habits and his autism traits will be worst. itu yang mama risaukan. kelas senior2 ok sebab bebudak lain semua dah pandai bergaul. entahla...

Semoga dipermudahkan pencarian sekolah Z nih..

itu jer kot update terkini.

PreSchool 2 Sep 2014 7:49 AM (10 years ago)

This week Z officially started pre-school. Mama happy sebab dah naik kelas, but at the same time hati mama risau. Sebab mama tak suka cikgu kelas preschool tu. The good thing is we still got cikgu Yvonne for another year. It will be 5 mornings per week, so Z boleh belajar dengan sempurna. Its a good based and experience for him before he starting real school next year..

But.. cikgu Yvonne cuma akan ada waktu pagi. So for Monday & Tuesday afternoon Zach akan di'jaga' oleh cikgu Emma. Honestly mama meluat sangat dekat cikgu Emma. Bukan saja mama, Yvonne pun menyampah dengan Emma. She used to be his cikgu when he was in previous toddler room. Then bila Z move to Toddler Zambia, baru dapat cikgu Nikita and at the same time, Emma move to PreSchool class. So now we meet again -___-

Hari rabu Z cuma sekolah half day. Mama akan pegi ambik dia around 1 O'Clock. Time tu bebudak kelas Z semua tengah nap, so Z akan berada dalam kelas PreSchool for a while until mama sampai. Mostly bebudak yang tak tido memang diorang akan letak kat kelas ni la. its lunch hour, so cikgu2 akan bergilir2 untuk jaga class nih between 12.30 - 1.30. Last 3 weeks mama pegi ambik, cikgu Emma yang jaga dengan cikgu Gloria. Semua budak kat garden luar. It was very windy and quite cold. Dari luar mama nampak Z dekat spot biasa dia, tepi pagar tengok orang n kereta lalu lalang. Jaket tak pakai, hingus meleleh dah nak masuk mulut dah. Kaki dan tangan sejuk beku. Sebak mama tengok. Cikgu Emma plak dok sembang dengan cikgu Gloria, kekek2 ketawa. Cikgu Gloria tengah dukung baby, dia cikgu kelas baby room, ada 2 other babies dalam stroller. Cikgu Emma? GRrrrrrr! Geram betul mama. Bila nampak mama, terus la dia tegur buat2 ramah dia tu.. ikut mood jugak, kadang2 dia peramah (yang memang dapat dirasai ketidak ikhlasan), kadang2 pms memang dia masam jer..
Anyway, balik tu Z demam selsema. Great! Memang menyumpah ler mama dengan cikgu Emma tu.

Now this week Z dah start kelas baru. Semalam masa mama hantar diorang kat garden. so Z is enjoying it la. Acara bebas. Harini masa mama hantar, diorang kat activity street. Mama nak kena isi borang2 untuk sekolah Z, so mama duduk je la kat hujung sambil2 tengok apa Z buat. Classmate yang lain tengah main painting. Z plak cikgu Emma pegi ambik sebakul pots and pans biar je Z main sorang2 (cikgu Emma kat sebelah la). Cikgu Emma kata Z suka main pots and pans. Really??? Last year memang ler Z suka main pinggan mangkuk. Now not anymore! Z now loves blocks, puzzles etc. Z macam terpinga2, ape aku nk buat dengan pinggan mangkuk nih? Dah merengek2 dia nak ikut mama. Sebak hati mama tengok.

Tadi Mairead (Home Teacher) call. Dia cakap Yvonne akan start on Thursday. Alhamdulillah.. lega mama dengar. Mama citer la Z dah masuk kelas PreSchool. Mairead pun selalu jugak melawat Z kat sekolah, so she knows cikgu Emma well. Dia pun tak puas hati. Dia cakap hopefully Emma akan ditukar ke kelas lain soon.. but I doubt it. PreSchool is the 'highest' class anyway. Cikgu Emma tu Supervisor, memang situ jer la dia akan menetap.. sigh... semoga semuanya dipermudahkan..

Sekian luahan rasa tak puas hati mama.

Z IS FOUR! 11 Aug 2014 3:54 AM (10 years ago)

Happy Birthday Zach!
Alhamdulillah.. Dah 4 tahun anak mama.. Syukur sangat sebab Z sihat, happy and developing well :)

Nanti lah mama update more about Z's birthday and milestone.. :)

Tumpang 26 Jul 2014 5:53 AM (10 years ago)

Amaran: entry luah perasaan. Tak payah baca pun takpe.

Mama tengah bengkek dgn somebody nih. Geram terpaksa diluahkan di sini.

Sejak ada Z, mama kalau boleh memang merahsiakan drpd certain 'kawan2' kalau nak balik Msia. Why? Bab tumpang barang. Simple je sebabnya, tapi tension mmg boleh meleret2.

Ada sesetengah kawan mama nih, jenis tak berkira. Memang bagus la sifat diorang tu. Tapi yang menjadi masalah tu bila bab menyusahkan orang pun diorang tak berkira. Kalau stakat nak tumpang kirim mende kecik2 tu takde masalah la.. Mama tak kisah pun. Yang mama kisahkan ni bab menumpang barang yg kalau boleh satu beg luggage 28" tu pun depa nk kirim.

Kes ni balik haritu kawan mama mintak tolong paskan barang kat family dia. Mama pun ok je la. Baju untuk anak sedara katanya. Ingatkan 4-5 helai je. Skali separuh beg! Baju2 lama anak dia skali dia kirimkan. Seriously? Kalau ikutkan banyak je baju2 lama Z yg mama nak bawak balik bagi sepupu2. Tapi sbb ingatkan berat n nyusahkan je nk bawak, mama simpan je la dlm stor nun. Ini senang2 je kena bawakkan utk org. Nasib baik lah tak kena excess luggage kat epot tu. Fine, tak pe la.. Mama dh ckp kat dia ok la sbb nak balik msia takde la penuh barang, nak balik kesini nanti tu kompem la banyak yg mama nk bawak kan..

Skali bila balik nak pass kan kat family dia tu, family dia siap kirimkan kuih raya. Bukan sebekas dua yer.. Satu bag yg kalau sumbat dlm big luggage tu mmg makan space more than separuh la. Seriously??? Mama dh cakap kat family dia, ish tak muat nih beg saya.. diorang insist jugak suruh ambik n try sumbat. Kesian katanya ngidam.. Kalau tak muat nanti bagitau, diorang dtg ambik balik.. Tak kan la pulak kan.. So ambik je la.. Mama bawak jugak la, tapi separuh je drpd kuih muih tu.. Itupun.. Masa kat klia mlm tu kami kena punggah semula luggage n beli kotak baru. Sebab dh excess. Dengan kelam kabut nk check in lagi. Gate dh nk tutup baru habis check in. Berkejar2 ke gate pulak. Nak belikan coklat utk opismate pun tak sempat.

And thats exactly why we limit our luggage. Mama memang slalu bawak 2 beg besar jer kalau balik. Nak beli barang stok makanan sendiri pun pikir 4-5 kali sbb takut tak muat. Pastu org lain senang2 nk 'tumpang'. Muat memang la muat, berat?? Pastu MENYUSAHKAN tahu tak? Kite nih sebolehnya tak nak tergesa2 di airport. Nanti stress Z mesti tak selesa. Dengan anxiety dia lagi. So yes we try our best utk minimise airport stress.

Balik haritu gak ada kawan mama pesan barang dari sini. Bukan sikit2, pesan macam dia pulak yg dtg shopping kat sini (dia mmg duduk sini dulu). Semua bende dia nk suruh bawak balik, dari ke henbag murah ke henbag mahal (total 6 bijik yer!), baju seluar n paling tak tahan stokin 5 set. Masa ambik order tu (mama cuma tolong belikan jer bukan ambik profit or such yer), mcm ok je. Turn out mmg banyak giler! Mmg la dia kawan baik mama, tapi bila dh sampai kena buat 1 luggage extra utk dia tu, melampau la jugak kot.. But at least balik KE msia mama tak kisah sgt la sbb slalu memang tak banyak barang..

Tak faham betul org macam gini. Bukannya diorang tak tahu payahnya nk travel jauh2 ni. Pastu bleh pulak cakap, alaa susah sekejap je.. Ooii stress sampai harini tau tak!

Ini pun mama dh rahsiakan kepulangan. Especially to those 2-3 org. Yang tu kalau tahu, memang confirm memesan jer la kerja nya. Again, mama tak kisah stakat pesan bende penting ubat ke.. Ic ka.. Cream muka anak ka..Or kawan2 msia nk pesan barang dari sini stakat henbeg sebiji dua tu mama mmg tak kisah la.. Tapi kalau yg jenis pesan berbakul2 nih adoiii sakit jiwa jadinya..

Dulu 2-3 tahun lepas balik dari msia ke sini, kawan mama nih nak tumpang. Tumpang as in nak balik skali sebab husband dia tak dpt balik. Ada anak 2. Ok mama tak kisah la.. Papa pun ada, boleh tolong2 tengokkan diaorang. Tapi yg mama tension tu, ada pulak lagi sorang ' kawan' kitorang nih tumpang barang dgn dia. Tumpang 2 kotak yer! Orang tu dah la travel 'alone' dgn anak2. Ko boleh plak suruh dia bawak barang ko??? Barang berniaga pulak tu. Memang la kami boleh tolong uruskan masa check in. Tapi punya la kelam kabut dengan anak2 dia lagi, dengan over luggage lagi. Pastu dia dah stress, anak2 (both boys aged 1-3) dah melalak2.. Habis bad mood bebudak tu dlm flight. Bukan sejam dua flight journey.. Total dekat 20 jam tau! Kesian sangat tengok. Pastu papa pun stress, Z pun stress end up semua org stress. Mmg papa dh warning dekat mama lepas nih jgn lagi balik dengan kawan mama tu.. Sigh.. Mama yg tersepit..

Tapi tu lah..tak faham betul mama dengan sikap org macam nih!! As far as I remember, sejak 12 tahun mama kat sini, tak pernah lagi mama buat org macam tu. Paling2 pun stakat pesan IC or driving license je kot.. Kalau dah rasa banyak sgt barang yg nak tu, apa kata bayar je la kat pos tu haa.. Jangan le kedekut sangat sampai nyusahkan orang.. Grrrr!!!

Mode: buat kuih raya

(Tgh geram sebab org lain yg dapat kuih raya lagi banyak drpd kuih raya yg mama bawak utk diri sendiri.. Now mama kena sinsing lengan buat kuih raya utk makan sendiri.. Kalau lah mama beli je haritu kan senang.. Tak payah susah2 nak buat dah.. Hai nasib badan.. Huhuhu)

Tooth Fairy 15 Jul 2014 1:25 PM (10 years ago)

Kejadian di rumah atok kedah minggu lepas.. Z terjatuh 2 kali and he broke his teeth! Kali pertama jatuh pukul 6 pagi, berdarah sikit bibir nya.. Nangis la kejap.. Lepas tu pukul 9 pagi jatuh lagi, di tempat yang sama! Memula jatuh sebab dia panjat tak lepas.

Kali kedua jatuh sebab dia turun kepala dulu.. Kali ni berdarah teruk, melalak pun teruk. Bila dah habis melalak baru mama perasan macam ada retakan kat gigi dia. Seharian dia tak mau makan sebab sakit bibir.

Besoknya dah back to normal. Gigi retak tetap retak, tapi dia macam tak rasa apa2 pun. Makan pun dah kembali normal. So kami ingatkan ok la.. Gigi tu mungkin retak sikit je kot, tak sampai ke gusi agaknya..

4 hari kemudian, retakan semakin ketara. Air liur pun menjejeh2 aje dan Z semakin kerap sucking his fingers. Memang nampak dia semakin tak selesa. Nak bawak jumpa dentist dah tak sempat, sebab kami akan bertolak balik ke dublin malam tu (sabtu).

Masa dalam flight Z cuma tidur jer.. Makan minum tak nak. Mama nampak gigi dan gusi dah menghitam. Memang teruk. Kesian dia.. Mama kasi paracetamol je utk kurangkan sakit.

Sampai dublin ahad tgh hari. Kawan2 fb ireland suruh mama call Crumlin Hospital, banyak kali jugak call tak angkat. Sedih mama tengok gigi Z.. Hari isnin pagi mama call GP, fully booked pulak, so petang isnin baru jumpa GP. Dia suggest pegi Trinity Dental Hospital instead. Cepat sikit katanya berbanding Crumlin.

Selasa (exactly 1 week lepas kejadian), barulah berjumpa dentist. Memula jumpa dentist biasa, pastu dia panggil consultant paed utk assess sebab kes Z special skit. Lepas dah x-ray, nampak gigi Z dah retak bukan tgh tu aje, kat bahagian dalam gusi pun dah retak (melintang). Sebab tu la memula dia tak sakit, tapi bila dia start isap jari, retakan tu bertambah teruk. Tu pasal bertambah sakit. Memang kena cabut la.

Consultant cakap kalau ikutkan better buat under general anaestetic sebab Z ada anxiety (punya la dia melalak, gegar satu hospital) tapi diorang x de facility tu kat hospital ni. Kena bawak g Crumlin jugak. Tapi kalau nak buat local anaesthetic dia cakap dia boleh buatkan cepat2, and that way could reduce his stress. Papa cakap buat je la local. Cepat skit. Nak tunggu Crumlin tu mau 2-3 hari pulak.

So, kat situ jugak la consultant tu buatkan.. Balut Z dengan selimut, then 2-3 org dentist lain tolong pegang. Melalak tu tak usah cakap la.. Cabut yg bahagian luar tu cepat je, nak korek yang bahagian dalam tu mmg ngilu jugak la mama tengok. Panjang root dia. Terkejut tengok. Dentist tu dah siap bungkuskan gigi tu, tapi ntah macam mana mama tertinggal pulak.. Aiseh.. Rugi btol, kalau tak bleh buat kenangan hehehe..

Anyway, itulah kisah pertama kali ke dentist. Dah tak de gigi depan anak mama.. Huhuhu.. Tak pe la.. Benda dah nak jadi kan..

Lamanya tak jenguk... 16 Jun 2014 9:30 AM (10 years ago)

Jangan kan update, jenguk blog sendiri pun tak pernah. Tak pasti apa yang menyumbang kepada kesibukan. Yang nyata Isnin - Rabu memang busy lintang pukang sikit kehidupan. Tapi sejak akhir minggu lepas mama dah boleh bernafas sikit di ofis nih. Sebab tu boleh jenguk blog :).

Khamis pagi appointment Speech Therapy, tapi bukan tiap2 minggu, 2-3 kali jer sebulan. Kalau takde appointment, mama akan bawak Z bersiar di taman. Sekarang musim panas, sangat best bersiar2 sambil menguatkan physical Z. Jumaat jer la selalunya mama akan spend time di rumah. Z pulak kalau tak keluar, masyaAllah cranky tuhan saja yang tahu.. 24-hrs kena entertain dia. So memang tak de masa nak ber blogging nih. Buku2 bacaan pun banyak lagi yang terbengkalai.. project2 di rumah pun banyak dalam angan2 jer..

Anyway mama pun tatau nak update apa hari.. saje nak jenguk blog aje.. kepala mama sedikit weng, maybe sebab pakai spek lain kot.. spek yang mama selalu pakai dah patah. Jadi blur tak ingat langsung apa activiti last 2 months..

Harini punya kesah jer yang mama ingat. Cikgu Yvonne bagitau Z tak nak minum or makan langsung kat sekolah harini. Dah masuk minggu ke 2 sebenarnya. Minggu lepas Z tak nak minum. Memang susah betul nak bagi dia minum. Macam2 cara dah mama cuba. sehari mungkin 2-3 oz jer yang berjaya masuk perut. Tapi sekurangnya dia masih makan macam biasa, so he got his fluid from food instead.

Start semalam dia dah tak nak makan pulak....! Mama paksa and ikut dia merata rumah nak bagi makan. End up habis jugak. But that took about an hour kot nak habis. Ingatkan saja jer nak cari pasal di rumah, rupanya di sekolah pun dia buat perangai yang sama harini. Mana ada cikgu nak layan. So tengah hari tadi dia tidur tanpa makan or minum. Petang cikgu cakap asik menangis. Lapar la tu. Cikgu bagi makan pisang - Habis. But that was it. Cikgu try bagi makan/minum lagi afterward dah tak nak. Sehari makan pisang sebijik jer?

Pening mama fikirkan apa nak buat ni. Risau he will get sick soon. Berat dah turun. Dulu 13.3kg, weekend haritu jadi 12.8kg jer.. Dah tak nak makan pulak ni, mesti lagi surut. Runsing mama jadinya.. Kenapa??? Sakit mulut? sakit gigi? sakit tekak? sakit perut? Who knows.. bukan Z boleh bagitau.. doctor pun takkan boleh detect lagi sebab dia masih jer active. Bukan sakit or demam.

Sigh.. (buka blog harini hanyalah untuk melepaskan perasaan sebenarnya..)

Pre-Verbal Seminar 27 Apr 2014 1:13 AM (11 years ago)

Lamanya x update.. Mama dh ada few draft dlm phone, tapi for some reason kalau ada gambar or video tak boleh nak post pulak.. Nak save online pun x boleh.. Pelik betul la.. Nak buka computer malas gilaaaa..!

Anyway semalam mama pegi seminar Communication for Pre-verbal. Ada 2 session, pagi from CATTS speech theraphy and second part from IBCSR - ABA Theraphy for DS. Actually main reason mama join sebab ABA ni la.. Nak tau lebih lanjut how ABA could help Z. But turn out their talk is more nak menjual product. CATTS pun menjual jugak, but they give very details information on how their method could help n dalam masa yg sama x lokek sharing their knowledge. ABA pulak is a well known approach in Autism world, and recently there also study yang they could help with DS too. Tapi penyampaian diorang tak kena kot.

Anyhoo thats not what I want to blog about, thats more.. I am very surprise to see cikgu Z Yvonne there!! Terharu giler mama. Sampai2 jer terus nampak dia. Dia cakap memang dia datang untuk get some information untuk bantu Z. Seminar ni anjuran private and berbayar, and she choose to pay and come just for Z!! Sangat proactive! (Nasib baik mama pun datang, kalau tak buat malu jer.. Hihihi). Macam mama, dia pun datang nak tahu details pasal ABA tu, but end up keciwa. Masa parents lain bertanya soalan re their childs behaviour, dia yang tolong jawabkan sebab dah bengang dengan geng2 ICBSR tu hehehe..

Kebetulan jugak mak budak yang dia jaga before Z (nama Jacob) pun datang. So masa lunch tu kitorang borak2. Mak Jacob (Deirdre) cakap both of us are soo lucky to have Yvonne. Masa Jacob masuk preschool dulu pun dia belum boleh jalan or cakap, bila dapat Yvonne la things started to improve. Cerita Jacob memang sangat familiar with Z. Jacob now dah 6+ n masuk senior infant dah. He is very witty according to his mom. Pot pet pot pet je.. Mak dia cakap masa masuk sekolah (junior infant) baru dia start bercakap. And she also highly recommend CATTS. Sejak dgn diorang la Jacob mula bercakap. Actually mama memang dh register dengan CATTS 2 weeks ago. Tengah tunggu first appointment jer nih, and I can not wait :D.

Berbalik pada Yvonne, yer I can not thanks her enough. Dia memang bersungguh2 nak tolong Z. Dia cakap dia faham only mama n papa jer yang concern about Z kat sini and she wants me to know that we also have her. She will try to get as much help as she could for Z. (T___T)

March 2014 2 Apr 2014 7:27 AM (11 years ago)

Mama nih nama je keje part time, tapi setiap hari ada jee appointment or things to do sampai x sempat nak update blog :p

Lagipun setiap pagi Rabu which supposed to be my 'me time' tu telah digunakan untuk ke office :(.. Yer office.. Apa nak buat, banyak lagi keje walaupun dah hand over.. N the replacement pun still baru, nak tak nak mama jugak la yg kena buat.. Hopefully next week mama dh tak perlu lagi pegi office hari rabu..

Anyway, 21st March is World Down Syndrome Day. Ada coffee morning n viking tour organised by DS Dublin. Tapi kami x join pun. Mama x rasa mama bleh handle Z sorang2 naik turun boat since papa keje that day.. Mama n Z cuma keluar bersiar2 jer. Masa lalu dekat Mothercare tu, macam biasa la ada orang yg akan approach bagi voucher untuk photoshoot. Selalunya mama x layan pun, tapi haritu mama rasa macam nak buat photoshoot pulak sempena WDS day tu kan.. So go ahead je la.. Z dah la tengah mengantuk n cranky. Hentam je lah.. Tatau ler camner rupanya.. Esok baru gambar siap.. :)

23 March tu pulak birthday mama. Tak keluar pun, sebab nk celebrate di London nanti. Tapi ptg tu papa buat surprise jugak :)

Papa keluar dgn Z nk pegi kedai ayam katanya.. Masa papa balik tu mama mandi, lepas mandi tengok2 dah ada kek bunga n kad atas meja.. Hehe thank you papa n Z :). Hadiah tahun ni, trip ke London. Mama rindu London :)

26-29 March tu ke London, nanti lah mama buat post lain..

Oh terlupa pulak, 20 March tu appointment dengan paed, dr Murnaghan. Review thyroid, tsh level masih tinggi 6+ (others normal). Frust jugak mama sebab mama dh bagi Z supplement to help his thyroid, tapi still x turun2 tsh nya. Mama rasa sebab susu soya lah.. But takde choice lain dh untuk formula milk. Goat milk ada la, but since Z allergy to cow's milk, highly likely dia x boleh tolerate goat's milk juga.. Unless we go to non formula milk macam almond ke.. Tapi x de extra added nutrien la.. Mama nk call dietitian la..

Berat Z dah naik! 13.3kg now :) dalam masa 6 bulan naik dekat 3 kilo. Sebelum nih setahun naik 1 kg jer hehe.. Dr Murnaghan very happy with his health condition now, so next appointment tahun depan jer. But we still will so thyroid test every 6 months.

Obsess dgn pintu (-___-)

He is still considered risky for autism though.. So kena buat follow up lagi dgn phsychologist... Hmm...

31 march pulak appointment dgn ENT. finally we managed to finish the test. And he failed :(. Dia boleh dengar, but has to be very loud. The Tympanometry test showed he has fluid in middle ear. So, thats must be it since his ABR test normal. Highly likely kena pasang grommet. Next appointment dgn ENT surgeon end of May. Lambat lagi..

Tu je la kot update for March :)

First week + PT 7 Mar 2014 5:18 AM (11 years ago)

Minggu pertama with new arrangement. Takde buat apa pun this week, relax2 jer dulu..

Rabu pagi Z sekolah, so thats the only 'me time' untuk mama :). Lepas hantar Z n borak2 sekejap dgn Yvonne, mama pegi town n have breakfast all by myself. Lepas breakfast mama pegi shopping beli 2-3 pasang baju untuk mama n Z pakai di rumah. Pagi2 orang tak ramai. Slow n steady no rush. Pukul 12 mama dh sampai sekolah Z semula. Balik rumah Z terus tido (dah lunch kat sekolah), mama masak lunch cum dinner. Selesai masak, Z pun bangun.

Khamis pagi keluar breakfast lepak2 gossip2 dgn anti yat n anti la. Bawak Z n Misha of course. Anti yat still on maternity leave. Anti la plak tengah tunggu hari je tu. Due Sabtu lepas, tapi still x de sign. Sabtu ni kalau x de jugak doctor nk induce. Tak sabar nk jumpa baby baru :)

Khamis petang appointment physio therapy (PT). Eimer datang rumah nk tgk camner perkembangan Z. Last dia jumpa bulan lepas kat sekolah. Masa tu Z still jalan 4-5 langkah baru. Now mmg dah bleh jalan jauh la.. Cuma dia masih x pandai nk bangun sendiri kalau takde tempat nk berpaut. Eimer cakap its ok, he is progressing well - step by step as per schedule.

Mama suruh check tapak kaki Z. Sejak dh boleh berjalan ni mama nampak kaki Z macam flat sikit. She agrees n will refer us to Orthotics. Tapi dia rasa condition Z tu because stage where Z is at the moment jer. Sbb bila Z x berdiri or tgh menjinjat, tapak kaki Z still have a nice curve. Mama keluarkan jugak kasut2 Z suruh dia check ok ke tak. Dia kata all his shoes are fine n should help the flat feet. Yang penting kasut tu mesti have comfortable sole, flexible n have good support for his ankle. Ok la, mama ingat nk kena p beli kasut special ke apa.

Satu je la yg Eimer concern, his upper body, hands n shoulders masih tak kuat. Sebab tu dia masih wobbly bila berjalan. So kena buat exercise untuk kuatkan tangan Z. Mmg Z ada problem with his hands pun.. Sampai skrg still x leh nk pegang botol or suap sendiri. Pegang mainan kejap2 tu boleh la. Thinking of getting private OT, tapi current OT Sinead cakap tak de different pun kalau p private OT sbb kita dh buat everything dh pun utk help him. Just the matter of time. Hmm.. Ok la, as long as there's progress dah ok dah :).

Harini Jumaat, pagi lepak2 basuh baju lipat baju je kat rumah. Ptg baru bawak Z keluar ke town. Pegi round shopping complex jer la.. Naik turun lift. Tak sabar nk tunggu panas sikit, bleh la jalan2 di taman or tepi2 sungai :) tadi mama belikan toys ni utk Z. Kebetulan forum dublin pun tgh memperkatakan pasal building hands strength. And diorang suggest mende ni utk kuatkan tangan. Apa lagi, segera la mama pun. Tapi knowing Z, ntah brp bulan lagi la baru dia berminat utk main.. Tak kisah la, yg penting kita cuba ye tak ;)

Its Fridayyy!!! 4 Mar 2014 3:05 AM (11 years ago)

Mama punya Friday la.. ;)

The feeling is so great. Esok dah off until next Monday. How wonderful!! Kerja pun dah semakin ringan.. Pressure pun dah berkurang, kesihatan pun bertambah baik..

Alhamdulillah.. Syukur ya Allah..

Rumah pun dah berbunga :))

MC n School's Update 25 Feb 2014 4:39 AM (11 years ago)

Last week at work and Im at home sick :( . Risau betul sebab banyak bende lagi x settle, apa nak buat.. When everything is under pressure, mmg senang nak jatuh sakit pun. Dari last week mmg mama dah demam2, tapi gagahkan diri jugak. Over the weekend mama dh start wheezing, memula ingatkan allergy sbb mama did some cleaning sabtu tu. Makan anti histamine, x berkesan pun.. sampai la malam Ahad when it got worst. Tercungap2, x leh tido. Isnin jumpa doctor, dapat mc 3 hari. Mama ingatkan nk ambik sehari jer, but doctor cakap infection agak teruk, kena berehat banyak.. Hmm end up mama cuma dapat reply work emails from home je laa.. Nasib baik la si Michael tu dh di ajar sikit2 pasal kerja mama haritu. Any urgent matter, mama guide jer dia via email.

2-3 hari ni Z pun asik marah mama. Mama nak layan main dgn Z pun x boleh sbb memang semput tercungap2. Lepak tengok tv dgn Z jer. Tu pun Z still ngamuk, sbb selalu mama akan nyanyi sama2, ni nak nyanyi pun x boleh. Siap dia tampar2 mulut mama suruh nyanyi huhu.. Mmg cranky habis la Z 2-3 harini.. Kadang2 mama buarkan je Z mengamuk.. Dah tak terlayan.. Huhu Sorry la sayang, mama mmg x larat sangat..

Alhamdulillah harini rasa ok sikit. Still wheezing n shortness of breath. But dah boleh bercakap :). Tadi pegi hantar Z sekolah, mama lepak2 sekejap dengan cikgu Yvonne. Mgu lepas cuti mid term, so Yvonne cuti. Smlm plak mama just hantar Z then blah jer. So harini baru boleh catch up.

Z has improves tremendously lately. Alhamdulillah syukur sangat tengok perkembangan dia. Semenjak boleh jalan sikit2 nih, he has more confident to mix with other kids. He could join in with them, and they also accepting him more as their friends. Mama sampai jer tadi, terus kawan2 dia datang sambut sambil jerit2 Z is here Z is here. And what more surprise is he wont mind when they come close to him or even hugging him. Dulu bebudak tu dtg je dekat, terus dia melalak. Yer la, bayangkan dia duduk on floor level, budak2 lain suma dh berlari sekeliling dia. Mesti la dia takut, kang mesti ada jer yg terlanggar dia.. Now he must feels that he is part of the group, they are standing at the same level :)

Yvonne cakap cikgu baru Judith, tu bagus orangnya. Ciara pun ok ja.. Cikgu Emma yg pindah ke kelas lain. And for once dia cakap dia syok betul bila si Emma tu pindah. First impression pun dia tahu emma tu have no interest at all with Z or even other kids. Hehe so bukan mama sorang ler yg berperasaan begitu. Honestly mmg menyampah tiap kali pandang muka dia. I dont believe anything that comes out of her mouth. Tatau ler camne bleh jadi supervisor..

Anyway, we also excited for Zs next move to other toddler class. Kelas tu toddler besar sikit berbanding kelas sekarang. And paling best cikgu Tammy n cikgu Niki kat situ. Mama x berapa kenal sangat dengan cikgu Niki, dia mmg dh lama kat situ, baru akhir2 ni ja dia show interest on Z. Maybe sbb Z bakal masuk kelas dia kot. But cikgu Tammy.. Wow! Ive been waiting for this move since Z's first started the school. Masa mula2 masuk dulu, Z kan kaki melalak.. Like the whole day punya melalak.. And cikgu Tammy la yg selalu pujuk Z. Kalau mama hantar pagi2 dulu tu, mmg cikgu Tammy yg akan sambut Z. Walaupun dia bukan cikgu kelas Z, tapi nampak sangat she has personal interest on Z. Z pun sukaaa sangat dgn cikgu Tammy. Hopefully Z will enjoy n flourish more in his new class :)

1 More week :) 21 Feb 2014 2:38 AM (11 years ago)

Very excited, at the same time I was slump with works!

Dah confirm mama akan kerja Monday & Tuesday. And I have been brief on my 'new task' which will start on the 3rd March. Dalam masa yang sama I have to hand over my current portfolios (3/4 of them) to the new person. Actually he is not new, he has been working here on contract basis for nearly 6 months now. His contract is due to end this month, so they just extend it for another year. Lucky you Michael :). Its a relief for me as well. Sekurang2nya dah confirm ada orang yg take over my job. I thought it will take another months before they hire a new staff :)

But since I am handing over part of my portfolios, I need to clear up all outstanding issues. Banyak gilos yang still outstanding, dah la ada few deadlines kena kejar jugak nih sigh.. sejak 4-5 harini kesihatan pun dah merudum.. tension kerja and tension memikirkan perihal Z.

Macam2 happen to him at school. Dengan sup ayam nya lah.. then the next day, Z was pushed to the wall by one of his friend.. Malam tu Z muntah! Gabra betul mama, dah la papa oncall. Tapi mama rasa muntahnya tu lebih kepada issue blockage, bukan issue terhantuk tu. Nasib baik sekali jer muntahnya.. Tapi memang nampak la 'sakit' masa nak muntah tu.. Z berak jer every 2-3 days, tapi mama perasan lately 'hasilnya' tu tak sebanyak mana. That's makes me very worry.

Report

Pastu semalam pun Z muntah masa lunch kat sekolah. Kebetulan ptg ada appointment dengan surgeon, mama ambik half day. The good thing is, kali ni Z tak melalak masa jumpa Mr Samy :). Z sibuk mengexplore bilik doctor. Lagipun sekejap jer jumpa. Mama bagitau la pasal Z muntah2.. dia tekan2 perut Z, dia cakap ok jer.. maybe sebab constipation je kot.. dia pesan kalau muntah semakin teruk bawak ke hospital semula. Alhamdulillah balik drpd hospital tu Z dah berak yang banyak and dia x muntah pun semalam.. so memang sebab constipation la kot..

Dedua tangan kene cucuk

Lepas jumpa Mr Samy tu mama bawak Z pegi buat blood test pulak. Last buat 6 months ago. Selalu takde la Z melalak beriya2 pun, but semalam dia punya meronta2 n meraung, sampai tercabut line tu. Dah kena cucuk tangan sebelah lagi.. Ada lagi sorang patient dalam lab tu, besar dah umo 8-9 thn camtu kot. Dia punya meraung, siap maki hamun lagi.. Mama rasa sebab tu la Z pun tumpang sekaki.. heheh..

Anyway, looking forward to the weekend. Then 1 more week, then we can spend more time together darling!

Chicken Soup 19 Feb 2014 5:02 AM (11 years ago)

http://www.amazingsouprecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/chicken-cartoon.gif

Image googled

Semalam buat pertama kali Z makan chicken soup disekolah - ayam katok!!! Arrgghh tension x habis lagi mama nih ;(

Masa mama pegi jemput Z ptg semalam, mama perasan Z pakai baju n seluar spare. Cikgu cakap Z muntah lepas tea time, and then afternoon snack pun Z muntah. So mama tanya, what did he had for his tea? Dengan selamba cikgu cakap ' oh he had chicken soup, we just want to try something new for him today. Its good for him to taste different type of foods. But he didnt like it'. Mama macam blur2 lagi time tu, sebab risaukan Z muntah2 (mama selalu phobia bila Z muntah sebab it could be early sign of blockage SBO). Mama tanya la is there big lump in his soup? cikgu kata tak, they pureed the soup. Ok fine.. terus mama siap2kan Z and keluar kelas.. Masa tu baru terperasan... WHAT? CHICKEN Soup???? DAMN!!

Terus mama pegi bilik manager and asked her to investigate. Dia call cikgu Z utk confirmation, cikgu cakap YES, its CHICKEN soup. Oh my words.. Dia cakap dia akan investigate how it happen and will let me know.

So pagi tadi jumpa manager, dia explained. Katanya chef cuti semalam, and replacement tu 'tak perasan' bab halal. Cikgu kelas pun baru lagi kan.. dia memang ambik jer apa chef bagi, sebab chef yg patut tahu all childrens diet.. Manager cakap Z only took few spoons before he throw up. She promise it would never happen again. Nasib baik la jugak Z muntahkan..

Sigh.. bab halal haram ni memang mencabar betul especially when you are in non muslim country.. Mama boleh bertahan lagi bila diorang buat sambil lewa jer dengan Z.. sabar.. tapi bila bab makan nih, adoii.. jadi darah daging kot.. huhuhuhu..

Sekolah Z memang ada chef (professional) yang sediakan makanan untuk diorang. Lunch and tea time la yang dia akan masak2. breakfast n snacks makan cereal n buah2 jer.. Lunch mama memang masak n buatkan bekal untuk Z. Chef cuma perlu panaskan jer.. Untuk tea time tu mama dah pesan setakat vegetarian soup tu boleh la bagi Z. Tapi on other menu, just give him yogurt or puding (soya). Snacks takpe la memang buah2 jer.. (And we still pay bloody same fees as other kids).

Pastu untuk setiap meals, diorang akan guna personal mat untuk each kids so tak mixed up. Ramai jer dalam kelas Z yg ada special dietary requirement. No dairy ke.. no gluten ke.. certain2 allergy like egg ke.. or macam Pooja, no meat. Kalau takde special requirement, placemat kaler biru. Z punya macam kat bawah ni. And they still gave him chicken soup??? AAAA tension!

2 Weeks Notice 14 Feb 2014 7:22 AM (11 years ago)

2 months notice actually, but only 2 more weeks to go.. Yippiee!!!

Carer's Leave application masih terumbang ambing, banyak betul procedures! Since mama dah bagi notice to start my leave from 1st March, early this week boss mama suruh mama isi form unpaid leave dulu. So whatever happen, I will still be on leave from 1st March! Sama je la unpaid leave or carer leave tu.. dedua mama x dapat gaji..

About the 2 days positions plak, it is confirmed as well. Cuma bos mama kata dah dekat hari nanti baru diskas pasal pembahagian kerja. Ye la tu. Tahu sangat, kompem mama masih kena handle all the work at least for few more months. Tak pe lah, yang penting mama boleh spend more time with Z :)

Mama juga baru je dapat call dari Manager sekolah Z. Dia pun dah approved 2.5 days per week untuk Z. Murah la sikit daripada nak kena bayar 3 days per week mcm original plan tu. Sekolah dia x terima half day actually, itu pasal la mama pening sikit. Cikgu Yvonne kan keje 2.5 days, so mama pikir kena bayor 3 days la.. ok la tu, sep €100 sebulan utk separuh hari tu.. heheheh..

Alhamdulillah, things turn out as plan.. At least mama keje 2 days tu boleh jugak cover sekolah Z n perbelanjaan mama. And kalau application for Carer's Benefit tu lulus, lagi lah untung.. HR cakap mama patut dapat la sebab dah lama pun keje and pay tax kat Ireland ni kan.. Ni la masanya nak claim balik.. hihihi.. InsyaAllah kalau dapat benefit tu, akan digunakan sebaiknya untuk therapy Z.. Amin..

HAPPY WEEKEND ALL :D

Kad kasih sayang drpd Z ;)

Iphone oh iphone 10 Feb 2014 2:30 PM (11 years ago)

Henpon papa hilang! Baru pakai x sampai sebulan. Sabo je la.. Last year about the same time (march 17) henpon mama kena cilok. Now papa pulak..

Semalam keluar ronda2 sekitar The Point, dekat jer, saja nak bawak Z naik kete memalam. Masa nak keluar tu, papa suruh mama pegang purse, kunci n henpon dia. Mama komplen la berat sebab mama pun x bawak handbag pun.. nak pegi dekat2 jer kan.. so papa ambik balik phone dia and left his keys n wallet with me.

pung pang pung pang dalam 30-45 minit sampai la rumah kembali. Sekali dia tanya, mana henpon? eh, tadikan papa dah pegang.. haah, seb baik dia ingat memang dia ambik pun phone tu sebelum keluar.. (phew, kalau mama yg hilangkan, kompem la mama kena ganti heheheh).

So mama pun call ler phone papa bertalu2. takde orang angkat. Papa turun g carik dalam kete and parking area. pun tak jumpa. Mama try call lagi, pastu dapat sms dari no papa 'cant take your call, will call you later'. Pastu terus orang tu off henpon papa. Generik reply je tu. Tepon mama dulu pun dapat reply camtu, pastu terus pencopek off tepon. Sama jer modus operandi dia. Hampeh. Mama call lagi dan lagi, terus dah tak bunyi. Suruh papa call O2 and block the phone je la jawabnya.. Kang tak pasal2 kena bayar bill beratus2..

Rasanya papa tertinggal atas bumbung kete (sebab dia mmg suka letak purse/phone atas bumbung while putting Z to his carseat), pastu mesti jatuh dah kat luar gate apartment. Kalau area parking, mesti sempat diselamatkan lagi. Tak pun dia letak atas riba, jatuh masa singgah kedai ke..

Sekian kisah Iphone 5C papa. Nak beli baru, kena bayar full price la, sebab contract baru lagi kan.. Rasa mahal sgt lah, selalu beli murah jer.. So now papa back to his old iphone 4. Dulu kan rosak, harini bawak g kedai, dah boleh pakai pun. Tapi slow la compare to iphone 5 kan.. Rugi duit mama jer belikan tepon baru untuk papa haritu. Takde rezeki namanya.. Kesian papa huhuhu..

ENT, Hospitals & Anxiety 7 Feb 2014 2:55 AM (11 years ago)

Z had ENT appointment on Monday. For once, I thought his anxiety level has improve for the last 3-4 months, but I was so wrong...

Last ENT appointment (Sept/Oct last year) wasnt that bad actually. He did cry a bit when the doctor examine him, but that was it. Takde lah sampai meraung2. Tapi kali ni, he was crying as soon as we enter the consultant room! And the consultant room happen to be the same room as Mr Samy (Surgeon)' room. Sebelum nih jumpa doctor (registrar) on a different room, probably thats why he was ok..

Memang tiap kali jumpa Mr Samy Z akan melalak mcm nampak antu.. Mr Samy is a very nice surgeon actually, dia pun heran kenapa Z asik melalak tiap kali jumpa dia. Mama bagitau la sebab Z ada anxiety expecially bila jumpa strangers, walaupun pelik jugak sebab dia mcm ok jer kalau jumpa doctor lain. But it makes me realised 1 thing now, Z is still having trauma from his surgery last year! It does makes senses now. Patutla dia asyik melalak tiap kali pegi out patient dept sebab kat situ la dia slalu jumpa Mr Samy. And he remembered Mr Samy, Mr Samy is not a stranger to him, but probably somebody that make him 'suffer'.

Aaahh poor Z. Bila di ingat kembali saat Z before surgery last year, memang mama rasa nak peluk Z ketat2. Not the actual surgery yg Z takut. He was knocked out during the surgery, so he wont remember. But the day before that (and of course the whole 3 weeks hospital stay in general), when they want to find out about the blockage. He was wide awake at that time. They rushed him to emergency recess room, then poke him all over the place to empty his tummy. He was screaming so loud at that time. Mama plak hanya mampu berdiri di hujung bilik sambil melalak. After that he was rushed back and forth to the x ray room with camera IN his tummy, with coloured liquid IN his tummy and segala macam test lagilah ---- while he's wide awake! Honestly, mama pun trauma bila kenangkan the situation, apetah lagi Z.. Masih terngiang2 di telinga mama Z menjerit2 'awayyyy!! awayyyyy!! gwayyy!!' yes, he cant speak, but that's exactly his word at that time. actually for the whole 3 weeks stay in the hospital. Tiap kali dia nampak nurse or doctor datang jer, mesti dia jerit 'gwayyy!!'.

Day 5 Post SBO Operation

Memula mama heran jugak, apa yang Z jeritkan. Asik ulang mende yang sama jer, and its a new words, very different to his regular babbling. Bila Mairead (Home Teacher) datang the next day, dia yg bagitau mama OMG, I think he say 'Go Away!' . We never heard the words again since he's out of the hospital. So he really meant what he said.. Mairead informed Maeve (Psychologist) about that, and she thinks Z must has traumatic experience when he was in NICU, that's where the anxiety comes actually. Pelik juga, takkan la umo 2-3 hari dah boleh ingat (he was in NICU for 16 days), apparently it could come subconciously according to Maeve..

Day 2 of life - Post DA Operation

Back to ENT appointment, this time for his hearing. Dah 2 kali pegi buat hearing test in clinic North George's St (not hospital), but wasnt successful because Z wont cooperate or in other word, Z was crying! So they refer us to hospital, with the hope that ENT team here could perform the test. Which is not. But at least this time they could do pressure test, and it was confirmed that he had fluid behind his ears. The Consultant still want to have the hearing test result before he could decide putting a grommet. So we have to reschedule the test in 6 weeks time.

Z during ABR test in Gleneagles, Msia summer 2012

Next time the test will be performed in a separate building, so hopefully Z tak akan phobia sangat. Mama plan nak lalu ikut jalan belakang, then straight to the test room. According to ENT, kalau tak berjaya jugak next time, she will dicuss few other option that we can do for the tes involving GA kot.. Tengok ler camner.. hearing could impact his speech and also his balancing skill! Walaupun his ABR (auditory brain response) test is ok, but the blockage/fluid could impact his hearing. Mama tahu Z boleh je dengar most of the time, but we just dont know at what level. Mama nak rule out all other problem first before we go to autism route.

Rambling Petang Jumaat - Sekolah 31 Jan 2014 7:48 AM (11 years ago)

So, September next year Z is due to start his formal education as a Junior Infant. Ni macam ala2 pre-school kat Msia la kot. Tapi kat sini formal preschool masih dekat nursery/montessori @ age of 3 or 4 (depending on their DOB). Junior / Senior Infant plak kat sekolah rendah from age 4/5 for 2 years. Pastu baru masuk derjah satu.

for the last 2-3 weeks nih, fikiran mama sedikit kusut bila teringatkan bab sekolah Z ni.. The question is, will he go to normal school (kita panggil mainstream), or will he go to Special School.

Sejak dari Z baby, mama selalu berperasaan bahawa mainstream school is the best. Z will learn and mix around with typical kids which hopefully will motivate him to go further and also socialising well. Selalunya special kids yang pergi ke mainstream school akan dapat SNA (Special Needs Assistance) macam yang Z dapat sekarang la i.e. cikgu Yvonne. Then diorang juga akan dapat Resource Hours - ni mama tak berapa faham sangat apa, yang mama tahu, diorang akan dapat time off untuk physio or speech therapy, then diorang jugak akan dapat certain hour where they can spend one-to-one dengan cikgu on their problematic subject. For the rest of the time, diorang akan belajar sama dengan budak2 lain. Boleh refer kepada citer GLEE where there's one actress with DS on it. So that's basically how a special kids in a mainstream school.

2-3 minggu lepas, Mairead (Home Teacher) suruh mama pikir and decide where to send Z too, because we should start looking for school now. Mama bagitau la mama punya preference. Dia cakap, memang la kalau mengikut pembacaan, mainstream is a better option, but at the same time dia suruh mama fikirkan masak2 based on Z's best interest. Dia cakap ok jer Z nak pergi mainstream tu, tapi when it comes to SNA and Resource Hour, its not something that you definitely will get in this glooming economic condition in Ireland. Plus she said Special School is not all bad. Dia kata the best special school in ireland is the St Michael House Special school HQ in Ballymun, then another one in Raheny (SMH punya jugak). Most Special School kat sini memang pakai mainstream syllibus pun. Pastu all teachers have experience in special needs plus kat kelas pun memang ada teacher's aide. and for severe case, memang akan tetap di allocate SNA. Sekolah memang ada siap clinic, PT, SLT, OT lengkap. Dia cakap ramai parents yang want to TRY their child in mainstream school, but at the end have to send them to Special School jugak when thing dont go accordingly.

Actually that was my original plan. Nak hantar Z pegi sekolah biasa, then bila dah besar sikit, baru hantar special school. Mama paling risaukan BULLY. yes, that's my main concern actually. Umo 8 tahun kebawah tu InsyaAllah takde lagi kot kes2 buli nih..

Setelah difikir2, now mama rasa macam nak hantar Z ke special school pulak. Most primary school adalah Roman Catholic School (90%). Ada a few jer yang multidenomination. Semua kawan2 melayu mama memang hantar ke Roman school tu la. They only teach religion during subject religion je, and its not mandatory, so kita boleh choose other subject. Tapi diorang mengamalkan ajaran Catholic la.. macam nyanyian, baca doa makan semua tu, sekolah pun selalunya dalam kawasan gereja. Kawan2 mama dah bagitau anak diorang supaya diam jer time nyanyi or baca doa tu. Senang kot nak bagitau bebudak typical 5 tahun, tapi nak bagitau kat Z camno? Nak suruh Z angkat tangan baca doa pun tak lepas lagi.. huhuhu.. (Z boleh angkat tangan baca doa masa umo 1-2 tahun, then puff* they gone now re: autism)

Another thing that bother me is the SNA and resource hour. Based on discussion in DS Ireland forum, memang you have to fight for it. Kalau dapat pun maybe half SNA and 2 hours RH perweek. Ni pun siap kena naik turun pejabat menteri punya kes nih. Kita ni dah la pendatang asing, rasanya tipis sikit la kot nak dapat keutamaan tu.. Once you have been to National School, you are not under St Michael's anymore. Stakat pegi appointment doctor and theraphy tu jer la. But they are not looking after other area, kena deal sendiri with HSE. Macam sekarang Mairead, Yvonne semua under SMH. We have fond a good relationship with them and I dont think we could survive without them.

Pastu kalau masuk Special School, I think Z and me could meet more real friends since we share so much in common. Kawan2 forum mama cakap, selalunya special kids in mainstream dont have that much friends. kalau ada pun among special students jer. tu pun tak ramai, selalu satu kelas tu 1-2 org jer special students sebab each school ada limit how many special students they can have. Masa kelas bawah2 tu, memang ler bebudak tak kisah, kawan tanpa mengenal darjat. But once they understand the differences, susah sikit la kot.. Budak2.. But if Z goes to Special School, everybody is the same. Tak ramai pun satu kelas dalm 10-15 orang jer Mairead cakap. All parents get involved a lot too.. so bukan saje kawan Z, mama pun dapat kawan jugak..

Lagipun Z sangat pasif. He hates loud noise, he hates children running around (ok, we should expect special kids with ADHD in Special School anyway) I think he could benefit more in Special School because of that.

Lepastu sekolah pulak. Kalau pegi mainstream, mama nak hantar Z ke sekolah Caroline. Kita pindah duduk sekampung dengan anti meri n rini. Tapi mama tatau macam mana persediaan sekolah tu terhadap special needs. I am sure they must have some special kids there, cuma adakah diorang ada all the facility. Kalau pegi sekolah khas ni, memang sah2 ler semua facility di cipta khas for special kids. Sekolah dekat Raheny tu siap ada heated swimming pool lagi. Ballymun x de. And then we talking about area we going to live. Sword tu ok sebab dekat rumah kawan2 rapat mama. Apa2 pun senang. Area pun dah familiar. But according to anti Meri, even Caroline yang mix mat saleh tu pun selalu kena ejek oleh budak2 kat taman sebab muka sedikit asian. Bayangkan Z yang memang pure Malay pastu special plak. Sigh.. Area Ballymun tu macam safe sikit, its a 'mature' area. Rumah mahal2 la tapinya.. Area Raheny tu mama mmg tak tau langsung. Tau ler kat mana, cuma tak pernah pegi area situ.

Tapi itu la.. deep down, I am still hoping somehow Z will be in mainstream school. Mama rasa kalau mama hantar Z ke Special School tu macam mama dah give up jer. Rasa bersalah because ideally he should get better opportunity in Mainstream. But then... I have to be realistic too..
ntah la.. tunggu la 4-5 bulan lagi mama betul2 buat research pasal nih..

Kete 'baru' papa 27 Jan 2014 3:30 PM (11 years ago)

Setelah lebih 10 thn di Ireland, we finally have a car :D

Renault Scenic - auto

Sebelum nih nk p memana jauh sikit mesti naik teksi jer. Kalau nak p lagi jauh, either tumpang org or sewa jer. Sewa kereta for weekend 50-70€ je pun.. Living in city centre nih, mmg x perlu kemana2 sgt.. Everything is here within walking distance. Tak pun naik tram yang berhenti betul2 depan rumah. Opis mama pun 15 mins dari rumah. Sekolah Z mmg depan rumah. Spital papa jauh la, tapi dia commute dgn bas x sampai sejam pun journey. Bas stop depan rumah, then turun pun depan spital. Public transport is very reliable here. Lagipun apartment2 kat city centre nih x come with parking (sbb diorang sub let to office2 surrounding), satu hal plak nk bayo parking.. And they are freaking expensive!

Tapi haritu kan bincang2 nk pindah duduk jauh sikit dari city, so we think its time for us to get a car. Beli kete murah2 cukup la, bukan nk pakai selalu (kat sini kete memang murah pun, especially second hand cars).. Mama suruh papa beli kete kecik sudah, bleh mama tumpang bawak (mama dari dulu takut bwk kete panjang hehe) masa kat msia mama bawak kancil jer, sold it before I came here. So dah lebih 10 thn mama x betul2 drive, skali skala tu ada la, but im not confident especially on Irish road.

Skali dia bawak balik kete nih. Sabo jer la.. Takpe la, nama pun family car. Papa kata senang nak pindah, tak perlu hire moving van. Hmm.. Walaupun x besar mana, mama rasa mama tetap x berani drive kot. Tapi kalau dh betul2 pindah luar nanti, terpaksa la jugak mama memberanikan diri agaknya.. huhu

Z tengah test drive

PEMPES 23 Jan 2014 3:30 PM (11 years ago)

Buy one free one :D

Z is 3 yrs and 5 months now and mama tak rasa he will be diaperless any time soon. Dia baru belajar menapak few steps at one time, rasanya 4-5 bulan jugak kot before he could walk confidently. Selagi tak bleh jalan, mcm mana nak potty train kan.. tu satu bab la, communication lagi. So far nak bagitau dia lapar pun tak lepas lagi, camno nak bagitau bila nak guna toilet.. so mama target, paling kurang setahun setengah lagi kot ber diaper nih.. Hopefully he will be diaperless when he starting school end of next year.. InsyaAllah, be positive :)

Btw, kat sini kalau umo dah 3 tahun and with medical condition, you are entitled for diapers grant from govt. tapi bukan dapat duit, diorang bagi pampes. Kena p collect kat hospital kot. Dah kalau namanya bagi free, pempes nya pun ala kadar jer la.. ada kawan forum mama pernah tunjuk, even the cheapest diaper kat tesco pun lagi baguih quality nya.. For now, mama rasa x perlu la apply kalau dah cenggitu rupanya.. but for parent yang ada anak yg dah besar, and still need diapers, diorang kata berbaloi la. Kalau nak kena beli sendiri sampai anak umo belasan tahun, parah jugak kan..

Kat sini tak banyak sangat choices of brand. Kalau dekat main supermarket tu, memang ada brand pampers jer, kadang2 ada la huggies, tapi mama dh jarang nampak. Pastu brand kedai tu la, tesco ke, spar ke, dunnes ke. Kalau kedai2 murah mcm aldi or lidl tu, ada la jugak brand lain from germany. Dulu mama pernah jugak alternate beli Huggies (kalau pampers x de sale la). murah sikit dari pampers, tapi keras semacam jer. But now huggies cuma ada yg jenis pull up jer. So stick to pampers. Alhamdulillah, selalu jer ada offer Pampers nih. every 1-2 month mesti ada, walaupun x semua jenis on sale, at least dia akan buat jugak offer certain size or type. So kita angkut ler banyak2 bila ada offer tu :D.

Dekat sekolah, cikgu slalu tukar pempes 2 jam sekali (kalau tak poopo). So dalam sehari tu 5 pempes jugak diorang guna kat sekolah tu (kat rumah 5 keping tu bleh tahan 24 hrs dah).. masalahnya tatau ler betul ke tak diorang tukar every 2 hrs tu kan.. pastu plak, walaupun mama kasik brand Pampers (diapers skali bagi satu pack, bukan bekal hari2), banyak occasion yang Z balik rumah pakai pempes jenama lain (yg jauh lebih murah). Tension jugak mama. So, now untuk sekolah mama beli Pampers Simply Dry jer. Murah skit (tapi quality x ler seteruk pampes ntah hape2 yg kadang2 diorang pakaikan tu..). Lagipun cikgu kan rajin tukar pempes.. *juling mata*..

http://media252.pampers.co.uk/en_GB/images/pc/hb/products/simplydry_prdupt_prdt_tour.png

So as a result, skali hangkut, memang berjenis2 jugak ler jadinya :D

Pampers Baby-Dry untuk tido malam n keluar

Pampers Active Fit untuk daily use

Pampers Simply Dry untuk sekolah

And Huggies Pull ups pun mama ada spare, ni mama pakaikan kalau Z tengah lasak x mo baring (pakaikan time dia berdiri) or pakaikan sekejap2 sebelum Z mandi or sebelum tukar pampers lain before nk keluar tu.

Sekian saja kisah pampes. ntah hape2, pampes pun nk citer heheheh.. actually mama tgh fe feeling good ni lepas dapat beli pempes buy one free one tu. Rasa macam champion plak bila dapat save a lot of money.. HAHAHHAH. quite sometime jugak tesco last buat sale buy one free one or 50% off. lately diorang suka buat offer buy 2 at certain reduced price jer (which normally will work about 25-33 percent off). So I am very happy with this deal :D

http://images.clipartof.com/small/1048767-Cartoon-Super-Mom-Flying-Poster-Art-Print.jpg

Image googled

Cikgu baru lagi 21 Jan 2014 5:10 AM (11 years ago)

OMG tatau ler berapa kali dah cikgu kelas Z bertukar (cikgu kelas, bukan cikgu khas)

Mama lupa pulak apa nama cikgu baru Z, but first impression I think I could trust her. This is the first time in 6/7 months that I feel ok with his teacher. Tu pun cikgu tu cakap dia maybe temporary jer kat kelas Z sebab cikgu kelas Z (Ciara) tgh holiday. Cikgu baru ni transferred from other branch and she used to teach pre-school class. Kalau cikgu preschool normally they already have degree in child edu. That’s why she looks very professional perhaps.

Bukan mcm cikgu2 kelas Z sekarang. Ciara tu ntah la, mama pun x kenal sangat dia. Tetiba jer tgk dia dah ada dalam kelas Z. Ganti Cikgu Kathy ke apa ntah yg dulu nih. cikgu tu dah berhenti lama, then cuma cikgu Emma sensorang jer jadi main cikgu kelas Z, while being helped by other teachers (rotation). As a result kelas Z sejak 2-3 bulan lepas mmg porak peranda. Cikgu Ciara tu pun baru sebulan jer keje rasanya.. Cikgu Ciara ni la yang mama kasik warning last week sebab tak pujuk Z menangis tu.

Sorang lagi cikgu kelas Z nama Emma. Hmm.. what can I say about cikgu Emma.. Dia tu School’s supervisor. Honestly, dari awal lagi mama menyampah dengan dia. Nampak sangat fake. Papa pun dah pernah Nampak kepalsuan dia. Bukan lah dia marah2 Z or what (at least not to my knowledge), tapi dia jenis yg peramah mulut manis depan parents jer, belakang parents siap jeling2. How can u trust a person like that? Pastu kalau pegi amik Z tu, Nampak jer kita, terus la dia main2 bergurau senda dengan Z. Padehal dari jauh mama dok intai, Z main sorang jer sebelum tu, tak dihiraukan pun.. Ni bukan sekali dua. Memang banyak kali sangat dah. Dengan parents lain pun dia buat. Semalam masa mama dok borak dengan cikgu Yvonne, cikgu Emma lalu. Z dari jauh dah sengih2 sambil flapping his hands happily while looking at cikgu emma tu. Z will do that when he is excited to see the person. Tapi cikgu emma buat tatau jer.. senyum balik pun tak, terus blah mcm Z non existed. Ni kali ke dua mama nampak, but first for Yvonne. Yvonne siap panggil si Emma tu lagi, buat she just left. Mmg Nampak muka Yvonne pun berubah. So rude! Macam ler bisi sangat, padehal dia nak keluar breakfast jer.

Yvonne cakap dia nak pindahkan Z ke kelas lain. Toddler 2^nd stage. Dia cakap bebudak kelas tu besar n matang sikit. And their teacher are better. Dia pun tak suka kelas sekarang nih. Dah apply, hopefully Z will start in March. For the moment kena la bertahan dulu.. Harap2 cikgu baru nih stay lama sikit la kat kelas Z.

Pastu mama bagitau Yvonne yg mama akan keje part time jer lepas nih, so boleh la focus kepada Z’s therapy. Mama harap sangat Z will get 5 days support when he start preschool in Sept. And I hope it will still be Yvonne. Then dia senyum and say, don’t tell Mairead I told you this.. I think Z already being approved for 5 days support in September and highly likely it will be me! Whaaat! YEAY!!! Kalau lah betul, memang mama bersyukur sangat2.. and then she continue, I really want to work with Z. So I have make the proposal to Mairead (Home Teacher / manager for pre schooler in SMH), and they kind of agree with me :) awww.. thank you so much Yvonne. Mama baru jer planning, dia dah 1 step ahead of me. Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah for sending these nice people to me and Z..

* pssst ni rahsia. Better write in Malay. Z kan dah dapat separuh minggu cikgu khas, so sepatutnya dia hanya layak untuk dapat separuh minggu jugak next year. Geran daripada kerajaan adalah 5 hari seminggu cikgu khas untuk setahun, ataupun boleh buat separuh2 selama dua tahun.

Sekarang Z dapat 3 hari (pagi) dengan Yvonne, and dia juga dapat 2 petang with Siobhan (maksudnya dia dah gunakan kesemua geran pun), and tahun depan (Sept 14) Z akan dapat lagi 5 hari! Daripada forum yang mama ikuti, memang takde lagi budak lain di Ireland nih yang dapat kelebihan macam Z!

isn’t that amazing??? And they are still people yang bising2 suruh kitorang balik msia dengan alasan akan lebih mudah urusan kami sekeluarga. Macam ler diorang ada anak special. And macam ler diorang akan tolong. Tanya khabar pun tidak, cakap jer lebih. Yes we are struggling, but for the moment I think this is the best decision for Z. Lepas nih tak tau macam mana lagi, and I don’t say that we will spend the rest of our life here. No. Just not now..

Weekend Lepas (lepas) 20 Jan 2014 4:00 AM (11 years ago)

Last weekend (11/12 Jan) was a bit stressful for mama pasal bab2 cuti / kerja tu.. Although I tried to keep calm as if everything in control, the reality is very daunting. Macam2 yang mama risau, memang sampai naik jerawat 2-3 bijik la! Lepas dah confirm tak nak keje tu, mama ajak papa g shopping untuk release tension. Nak belanja sebelum gaji terakhir kononnya (ada lg 2 bulan pun sebelum last gaji, tapi kononnya dah tak nak spent lagi la lepas tu..)

Spot pertama, henpon papa. Papa dah guna his phone (iphone4) 3 tahun dah. Memang lembab habis, tension mama tengok. So I got him a new phone. Hadiah birthday in advance. Memula nak ambik iphone 5s, takde stock. Iphone 5c pun jadik ler.. (phew save duit mama). We got blue phone. Walaupun mama suka jer colour biru tu, mama sebenarnya rasa phone nih amat tak sesuai dengan papa. I think its so childish. Tapi papa tak kisah, dia kata asal boleh guna dah ler. He dont care about the look. Mama ajak pegi kedai lain pun dia tanak. Sabo jer la. Mama end up beli casing hitam untuk 'cover' phone dia. hehehe.. We use bill pay and eligible for upgrade, so x banyak sangat pun mama kena bayo..

Tinggal kotak jer..

Then pegi carik hadiah untuk Z pulak. Lepas Xmas haritu mama nampak train ni kat few toy shops. Teragak2 nk beli ke tak. Z dah ada 2 train set dah pun. But he doesnt really PLAY with it. Dia suka tengok jer train tu bergerak (remember he is only about 16 months old developmentally). But this new to market set is more for his age I think sebab its interactive, ada button2 bleh tekan. Tapi bila mama pegi balik ke kedai toys haritu, dah out of stock. Popular items katanya.. Ler.. End up mama order je from amazon that weekend. Tu pun out of stock jugak, 3-4 hari baru dispatched. So blom sampai lagi, sabar yer Z. Harini sampai la kot..

Thomas from Fisher Price

Pastu pegi Kildare Village. Naik bas. MasyaAllah suka (peghak) betul Z naik bas. Dah la lama kena beratur sebab ramai orang. Dia punya melintuk liuk nak masuk dalam bas tu! Pastu orang yang beratur depan pun semua dia tolak2. Hahaha.. lawak ler Z ooii.. Bila dah masuk dlm bas pun, mulut bising jer tengok luar. But after 15 mins, terus tido.. Balik pun sama la.. Excited jer lebih hehe

Z dan Bas

Z dan papa yang kebosanan tunggu mama soping

Anyway mama nk carik beg kaler biru. Yes. Biru. Tatau ler kenapa tetiba teringin nk pakai beg biru. Ada jer beg biru kotak2 tu, tapi mama jarang pakai sebab mcm besar sikit, tak sesuai untuk pakai harian.. lagipun mama nih bukan rajin sangat nk jaga beg. Semua lunyai, sebab tu mama malas nak pakai yang mahal2.. btw lepas pusing 1-2 round, ada 3 choice yg mama bekenan, and I end up choosing this one. Paling murah. Nak sep duit katanya.. But its not really blue. Teal/turquoise actually. Takpe I really like it.. Bleh la pakai hari2 nanti.. (rasanya kalau mama tahu mama akan bekerja, mesti mama dah beli yang lain.. hihihi)

Beg baru mama

Oh actually I NOW need a new ‘office’ bag jugak. Beg opis mama dah kemek2 x cantik. Haritu mmg tak carik sebab ingat nk cuti for 2 years kan.. Now dah tak menjadik nih, ‘terpaksa’ la p carik new one.. :). Nanti2 la kita p carik lagi yer..

Btw mama takde lah hantu designer bags pun and I don’t mind wearing any brands, as long as I think its look good on me, serve it purpose and affordable.. cukup ler.. BUT I dont wear fake/imitation beg. Kalau x de duit, mama beli jer beg yang kurang berjenama. Mudah, tak perlu la nk pretentious.. Thats just my own opinion.. Peace yo!

Dilema berterusan.. 15 Jan 2014 2:35 AM (11 years ago)

http://www.violetlim.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/16fa5838b5680496_workingmom.jpg

Image Googled

After I made up my mind last week (of not doing part time), this morning my boss comes up with a better offer. Aiseymen…! Dilema jadinya. I really love doing what I am doing now, but I love Z more. And that’s the reason why I ask for the 15 hr work before. But when my boss told me that I have to work on different area (diff job, diff team, different boss), it totally put me off. So after a lot of thinking (sampai keluar jerawat 3 ketul!!), I told him NO, and I just want to be a SAHM for the 2 years.

But today, after discussing with other managers and also HR, my boss told me that I could work 15hr perweek on my current position - because they just approved budget for a new staff and (half) me! He said he wont give up on me, they still want to use my experience/expertise even only for 15 hrs per week. Wow! Macam mana nih. And even better, I could work half day (4 half day per week) if I want to which is good in term of my work distribution. The best part is, Z could be in creche/playschool in the morning and Yvonne will be there 3 morning, so only Thursday morning jer Z will be alone in creche. Tgh hari mama balik keje boleh ambik Z. I got extra income, and I don’t have to worry finding a new crèche (walaupun I don’t like their service, but it was better than sending Z to new crèche I suppose (due to his anxiety)..) or even a new home (we are planning to move a bit further from town, because its cheaper).

So how?? I have until Friday to give the answer..

Z will be in school in the morning at least until June (July-Aug cuti sekolah) then Sept he will start preschool. That will be every morning. Apa mama nak buat di rumah tiap2 pagi kalau tak kerja? Although I have plan to do a lot of thing with Z (setting up Z’s homework, blab la bla), but I think after a few month, I might get fed up. Otak berkarat! Or maybe I can be like those goddess mom/wife (in my dream)..

Hmmm… but.. July/Aug is school holiday. Cikgu Yvonne pun cuti. So Z will still be in crèche ‘alone’ in the morning if I work. I hate to think that he was there alone. Sigh.. macam mana nih.. And I actually already planted in my mind that I dont have to go to work for the next 2 years. And I kinda like the idea of being a full time housewife and spending a lot of time with Z.

But.. macam rugi jer kalau mama tolak. With those extra money, mama can buy a lot of therapy/learning aids for Z. Semalam mama dok survey2 specialneeds items, mama macam risau jugak sebenarnya thinking that we couldn’t afford those in next 2 years.. Memang ler papa could afford us, but nak spend more tu tak boleh la. Basic private therapy n supplements tu insyaAllah boleh cover.. tapi nak spend extra for all those equipments & gadget agak payah kot.. Stem cell lagi..

But again, after I make some calculation, money wise yes there’s some extra money left, but not that much considering we still have to pay for creche. Is it enough to justify with the time that I lost? Memang le kerja pagi jer, but then balik keje of course penat. Nak kemas2.. nak masak2 lagi.. so how much time left for Z? We might have the best equipment, tapi kalau tak digunakan dengan persistence.. no result. Tu belum masuk bab stress kerja lagi. Pastu cuti pun kurang (keje half time, cuti pun tinggal half jer la) Kalau Z punya appointment pagi, dah kena ambik cuti. Nak balik Msia lagi.. Nak pegi holiday lagi. N paling risau kalau Z unwell, pastu cuti dah habis. Camno?

Or maybe if I work 2 full day per week could work out better? I’ll have 3 extra full day with Z no? Z will still be alone in creche 2 afternoon per week, but I think having 3 days in a row is worth much more than having 4 afternoon + 1 full day? What happen when Z start pre-school in September then? Z will have to go to school 5 mornings, will giraffe accept if we oly send him 2 full days + 3 half days? Kena find out lah. if not, maybe we should move him to other school then..

This is not just about me. This is about what I could provide the best for Z. Win some, lose some.. Arggghh.. nanti balik discuss dgn papa dan menteri2 pasola semula la..

Afternoon Update: Bumped to my previous manager on her way out just now, she told me she heard the news from my manager, and she is delighted with my decision and will support it all the way.. :).

Thank you D. I knew it was you!

When my manager said he approves the 15hr work after discussion with 'other managers', I get it straight away that it must be my previous boss yang approved it. Eventhough D is not my manager anymore, her position is still higher than my current manager (she is the vice CFO and one of the most important person in our institution). She also thinks it is better if I accept the 15 hr offer. She has a special needs son as well, and for her, work is the only thing that make her feels insane. Otherwise everything is just about her son. She hopes the new arrangement will work well for me n Z.

Before we finish our conversation, D give a pat on my back and say, 'next time if you have problem, you know you can always come to me directly ;)'. It does make me in tears actually. The truth is, only people in similar path with you could really understand your situation. I really admire her. Hopefully I can be as succesfull as her one day :) I am not a kiss ass type of staff, and I just want to do it the right way, thats why I didnt go through her. Plus I do have options, I know my entitlements, so whatever the decision is I am okay with it.. :) But this time, maybe the decision is a YES to the 15hr work..

Its amazing how people perception could change. My relationship with D didnt start well AT ALL in the beginning. Will story about that in future. But it does teach me that people could change. Our perception on people always being deceived until we know them personally.. Thank you Allah for this opportunity..

(Well I also know that it might be hell working on 2 days per week, sure ada aje yang tak puas hati with this arrangement. keje 3 hari seminggu dulu pun macam nak pecah kepala. But it is what it is.. If it doesnt break you, it suppose to make you stronger right?)

Spain I: Granada (AlHambra) 12 Jan 2014 4:30 PM (11 years ago)

*Late Entry (22-26 Nov 2013) - Citer 2 bulan lepas baru nak masuk blog. Mama update Granada dulu, nanti bila sempat mama update Malaga pulak ;)

Btw mama dah lama kepingin nak ke AlHambra, akhirnya tercapai jugak impian itu :)

Z di depan La Alhambra entrance

Booked flights and hotels 3 weeks earlier, yang lain2 tak sempat pun mama nak buat research n planning. Selalu kalau pegi travel tu, mesti mama dah siap2 kan semua itinerary, this time memang busy teramat. Hentam jer la.. Lagipun x plan nk jalan banyak tempat, just nak relax n most important is the Alhambra itself.

Flight from Dublin pukul 11.30am (Friday), keluar rumah around 9.30am, planning baik punya, supaya tak rushing di aiport. Sekali beg excess! Mama beli utk check in 15kg jer, tapi bawak 21.5kg (next entry on what we packed up for our travel). dah satu hal kena punggah kat situ. Cabin luggage bawak 1 jer sebab konon2 dah cukup ler kot. padehal boleh bawak 3. So memang tak muat di situ, end up we have to pay 100€ extra. Damn you Ryanair! Next time kena beli yang 20kg la.. (mama beli extra beg on our way back, so terselamat di situ)

There's no direct flight from Dublin to Granada, so we had to stop in Malaga. Ambik bus ke Malaga city, then another bus to Granada. Seharian perjalanan jugak la.. But it was worth it! Pukul 6 baru sampai Granada, so stay n explore the hotel jer la.. Z was fine during the journey. Naik flight pun relax jer.. Mama risau jugak sebab last naik flight was Nov last year. Takut dia panic ke apa. But Alhamdulillah, Z dah besar.. He really enjoyed the journey. Nak duduk sendiri and he was fine with the seatbelt (either in the flights, taxis or buses), tak perlu diriba mcm dulu dah :)

Alhambra Palace Hotel

Di Granada we stayed at Alhambra Palace Hotel. Mahal sikit, but really worth it. Only few meters from the Alhambra Complex. Mama pun tak sure whether it used to be part of the AlHambra or not. But all the decorations are very similar. Peninggalan sejarah Islam di Andalusia :). Sangat membanggakan.. (dalam masa yang sama, sedih jugak sebab Andalusia dah jatuh ke tangan Christian kan..)

Bilik biasa2 jer, maybe sebab mama ambik standard room jer kot (tak mampu nk ambik suite kat sini..). But all the decorations surrounding are amazing. Oh bilik air in our room pun sangat cantik sebenarnya.. And I do fancy their restaurant a lot!

The Hotel's restaurant

Sabtu tu memang diperuntukan khas untuk visit Alhambra. Tu pun dah rugi paginya, sebab mama boleh terlupa bawak credit card!! Mama dah book ticket online, tapi kena collect dekat Alhambra using the same credit card. Nak tak nak, kena la beratur beli semula. punya la lama beratur, dekat 2 jam kot. Haish rugi betul.. Nasib baik ler tiketnya tak mahal sangat.. Dapat tiket dah dekat tengah hari dah, so we went back to hotel, makan2 dulu. Pukul 2 baru masuk Alhambra.

Ahad pagi sempat la ambik bas hop on hop off, buat quick sightseeing aroung Granada City. Then check out, terus ke Malaga pulak (next entry). Some of the photos taken in La Alhambra. These photos doesnt really do justice. Mama upload sikit jer and malas nk crop betul2. In real life, MasyaAllah.. There's no word could describe how beautiful this place are..

Sedih ;( 10 Jan 2014 4:00 AM (11 years ago)

Sedihnya hati mama.. mgu ni cikgu Yvonne cuti, jadi Z extra cranky sikit pagi2. Tadi masa hantar, Z tak nak masuk kelas, sampai mama kena seret. Memula macam biasa la, cikgu ambik, but Z dah cebek2.. mama cepat2 keluar. Then mama pegi simpan stroller kat garden, pastu terdetik nak intai Z semula. So mama masuk balik, and intai from tingkap. Nampak Z tengah melalak tengah2 kelas, cikgu 2 orang pegi balik-pegi balik tengah kemas kelas tak hiraukan dia pun. Kawannya yg dalam gambar tu jer tengah pujuk (sambil tepuk2 kepala Z, which actually make things worst). Lama jugak mama tercegat kat situ, dengan harapan Z nampak mama. Tapi Z mengadap ke arah cikgu2 (sambil mintak perhatian la tu kot). Geram sangat, mama ketuk tingkap kelas tu kuat2, terkejut cikgu2 tu Nampak mama, terus tersegih2 n angkat Z. Mama pandang jer muka dia sambil tunjuk jari penunjuk (means be careful!!). Then mama blah. Huh, GERAM!! Sabar Z, ptg nanti ada cikgu baru datang kan.. walaupun cikgu baru tu tak sebaik Yvonne, sekurang2nya dia akan look after Z sorang jer.. mama pun x sempat berkenalan dgn cikgu baru lagi.

Hari Selasa, this is only seconds before he burst into tears..

Actually mama dah lama perasan kes2 biarkan budak menagis nih. Especially kelas Z la. Ada lagi 2 org classmate Z pun kaki melalak. Everyday mama pegi (mama hantar Z lambat, pukul 9.30 baru hantar, bebudak lain mostly pukul 8 dah sampai), mesti salah sorang akan nangis, and memang cikgu diorang biarkan jer. Sampai berhingus2 bebudak tu, ntah dah berapa lama menangis pun ntah la. Kesian mama tengok, kadang2 mama pujuk jugak, tapi x boleh la lama2 sebab mama pun kena pegi keje. Terdetik jugak nak bagitau mak diorang, tapi mama pun x kenal sangat diorang, ntah2 memang diorang jenis yg kat rumah pun suka melalak ke kan.. But memang mama sakit hati tengok cikgu2 tu buat tak kisah jer.. kalau diorang tgh buat kerja tu lain la, ni kadang2 dok berborak jer sesama diorang (kalau kat garden especially), pastu 2-3 budak tengah melalak sambil panggil mommy2.. adoiii.. n today it happen to my own son. Ya Allah.. Memang lah tak de kes penderaan, but this is Emotional Abuse! Nak mengadu dekat manager? I think she is more than aware of this situation pun. Tetiap hari berlaku, and she is in the same building, x kan tak pernah nampak. I should go to HSE website and find out how to make the complaint.

Ya Allah.. terima kasih kerana tunjuk kejadian ni depan mata mama. For the last 2-3 days mama masih lagi was2 sama ada nak kerja part time (15hr) or just off terus. And now I am confident. Untuk Z, yes mama akan ambik whole 2 yrs break. Lagi 6-7 minggu jer yer Z. sabar lah yer.. Hopefully next week Yvonne is back, so every day akan ada sorang cikgu khas tolong tengok2 kan Z.

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