Ouchhhhh, that hurts!

“Darling you are no longer a swivel chair…..Go easy on yourself!”
LiL was right. I would not have injured my back if I did not twist so sharply to take the briefcase from the back seat of our car. I should have been more aware of my own physical limitation now…..I am no longer the supple and flexible thirty something….Long gone are the days when I could wiggle my hips and throw my left foot, then the right one to the tunes of the cha cha….or go down low doing my a-go-go twist, and the occassional limbo rock….Now, I am a body with visible wear and tear…..At best, I am an antique which is prized and displayed for people to see and make silly or funny remarks on…..
For example, if I were an old antique organ the musical instruments, I can imagine them saying to each other “Look! That is an interesting looking organ….possibly one which has done one too many cha cha….and one twist to long”.

Tonight, I enjoyed an hour of oil massage. When it was time for me to return the favour – she simply said, “Not tonight lah.....” .
Hehehehe…..I only wanted to be nice….! What la you.......*Grinning sheepishly, pulled over my blanket and pretended to sleep. When she dozed off....i got up to update this entry and had the last say for the night...Maaaaooowwwww!!*

The First Day at School......

First Day at school
Amirul is 14, Haziq 13 and Luqman 7. All of their academic years, they have been in International school - in Singapore, Jeddah and now Dubai. As a result, besides academic achievements, they have also developed social skills - to adapt and adjust in new environments and meet and get along with friends from ethnic and cultural diversities. Yet, they are truely Malaysian in their values.....Today was their first day in Dubai school.


Today was a significant day for all three – Amirul, Haziq and Luqman. It was their first day at new schools in Dubai.
They have left behind their best friends, favourite teachers and their comfort zones to start a new adventure in Dubai, making new friends, re-building relationships with new teachers, and jumping right into new zones.
Even the school uniforms are different. Unlike their Jeddah school, here they can see girls in skirts! There are also more Westerners then they have ever had in their Jeddah classrooms, and perhaps one of the significant difference is to have their mom driving them to and from school. At last, LiL can drive again after four years of living in a kingdom which barred women from being behind wheels.

This morning all of us woke up early, and left the residential serviced apartment by 6.30am. I wanted to make sure we have ample time just in case traffic was bad or in case I lost my way like we did last Friday when we went for a trial drive. This time however, I have the aid of Satellite Navigation which is provided by my newly acquired N95. We tested it yesterday – and I realized that even the GPS has some confusion when it comes to a multi-exits intersection. When I relied on its advice solely, I ended up on the motorway to Al-Ain instead of making a turn into the neighbourhood community. In that sense, we learnt the limitation of the GPS, and can be more careful at major intersections.

This morning, luck was on our side. The traffic was smooth and the GPS was helpful. We were amongst the first to arrive, and benefited from it by getting a parking space right infront of the gate. We left both Amirul and Haziq at their schools after introducing them to their respective form teachers. They seemed confident, although a bit intimidated by the large population of westerners and all of them being strangers as well. In the car, LiL releaveld that she too was anxious when she asked, "Do you think they will be alright? I hope they can make friends quickly".

We then proceeded to Luqman’s school. Due to over crowding of primary students, we could not get Luqman into the same school as his elder siblings. This meant even after we have moved into the new house in the neighbourhood of the school attended by his brothers, Luqman has to travel every morning for about half an hour. As a motivation we involved him in the decision to choose the school he wanted. After looking at four, he chose one which is also the closest and with an available seat. At least it was available...until this morning!

“Sorry sir, we have to tell you we can’t offer Luqman a place. The class is full”.
These were the words from the registrar when we arrived. We went there to start his first day, and instead were told he did not have a place. Lil was shocked. I was speechless! But for only three seconds. *now I can laugh about it...*. No…..I did not shout at anyone! Neither did I left grudgingly. I paused, counted to twenty, *and I did pray to God and praise the Prophet - pbuh *.......before I spoke, calmly and confidently.
“Ma’am, look….Luqman is going to start his school here today. There is no other option and there is not going to be one. Now, I need your help. And if I need to speak to anyone else – please let me know, because I am not leaving this school without a place for Luqman”.

We waited in her office. She went out and came in again, then out again and in again. Busy! Obviously. We just stood there by the wall without saying a word. Each time she came in I held eye contact with her and smiled.
Then after nearly half-an-hour of 'now I see her, now I don't' , she caved in with the most polite of tone and the sweetest of smile, “Can you pay for his fees now?”
I took out my check book and wrote a check within seconds. Phewww.... And Alhamdullillah......And thank you...sorry I forgot to ask for your name, Ma'am!

We had early dinner today, everyone was tired. Amirul reported “All ok, friendly people”, Haziq reported, “We didn’t do anything today…but ok lah” and Luqman shared the story with his brothers of how he lost his place and got it back again within half-an-hour, “I got my choice school – but only after Ayah begged for it”.
Hehehehe…..that was how he saw it. That I begged for his admission into the school.
I wanted to correct him that I did not beg but I was *whatever*.......... Gosh, I could not find a better word. So what the heck! If that was how he saw it, so be it.......at least he appreciated the effort and he was a happy young man.

Hold your tummy in!

What started as Amirul trying out his school pants which were tailored in Malaysia led to more horrifying discoveries. The pants were cut to measurements taken on his first week of holiday. Despite him exhaling hard and holding his tummy in, the pants could not be hooked. We, LiL and I had a bit of exchanges in opinions. LiL said, Amirul has put on weight. I maintained that can't be the case - the tailor must have done it wrongly. Amirul himself was feeling pretty bad, and simply said he does not mind wearing any cheap pants if we can buy him one which fits.

The ugly prosperous truths after the holiday in Malaysia were confirmed yesterday after I bought a weighing scale. Indeed he has put on weight. Two months of delicious offerings and being spoilt for choice with great spread of menu while on holiday in Malaysia has had its effect.
When no one was looking, I stepped on the scale myself. I could not believe my eyes. Or rather I did not want to believe what I saw. I kicked off my house sandals, took off my jeans and stepped on it again. Not much less...and still 8 kg more than my eighty-something-kg normal weight which I was trying to reduce before the holiday.

Prompted by the panic in Amirul's case, Haziq reluctantly tried his pants on. The result - very much the same. His was also too tight.

Last night, we went to Carrefour to shop for blue long pants for them. This morning, LiL had to modify, for in order to find one which fit the waist, we had to buy pants which are too long in length. LiL asked for sewing kit from the hotel, and did some emergency tailoring work.

This morning, all three of us - Amirul, Haziq and I - spent an hour in the gym. Huh, I was panting and were totally spent, and the tread-mills indicated less than 300 calories were burnt!
I felt so guilty now about the T-Bone steak I had for dinner last night....!

Resolution from all three of us - Go easy on food until we lose back what we gained in Malaysia. Can't wait for Ramadhan to arrive.....

LiL has not used the scale yet, not in front of us anyway. I have this naggling feeling that she may also tip it the wrong way...hehehehehe.
Luqman in my view, is the only one not affected. Children his age are active, and they eat to keep them from not feeling hungry. Some of us adults eat to socialize, to try this and that, to indulge, and to satisfy our cravings which seem to be running riot .....