We usually spent our Christmas holidays at home so that we could stay fresh on Boxing Day morning. Every year we would rush to the malls on Boxing Day to get our hands on something that we had aimed for. Last year, we headed to Onehunga & Slyvia Park in Auckland on Boxing Day. I noticed that only Asians would flock these malls and tried to get goods at a bargain. Well, I told hubby that I was over shopping (ye la tu!), and I thought that we should spend the Christmas weekends at a beach house. It was rather difficult to find a beach house if you plan on a short stay. Most owners would ask that you stay for a minimum of three nights. Well, we don’t have much money or time to spend holidaying. We thought two nights would be feasible, and a “OK” for us on a budget holiday. I had difficulty looking for one suitable house. The prices of the house rents shot up during these peak seasons where everyone else in NZ was also planning on their holidays. Some owners would ask for horrendous other requests like paying a bond or cleaning fee, and bla bla bla bla bla. Alhamdulilah, we got one, which was not only reasonable but the owner was kind to our needs…

Some of us in the group left early that 24th Dec, but because hubby was still at work, we left quite late. But hubby decided we left that very day, so that he could plan his fishing outing with the guys the next day. Travelling to Coromandel late at night was a scary experience. The road was winding. It was very dark, and the only open shops/stalls/cafes were the bars. Plus, the tide was quite high and the waves from the high tide splashed on our car. It was actually quite nerve wrecking and I got sick with all these minus factors travelling in the dark.

Our rented beach house

At the beach…Look at how happy they were

They were even happier…..

The happiest of all….my hubby

Pohukutawa in bloom

Our holiday started on Xmas morning. Hubby said “today is going to be a family event…Let’s all head to the beach. While you swim, we’ll try and get some good catch for dinner tonight.” I wanted to have a dip in the clear, blue water…but the water was really cold despite the blaring sun. So I decided to just laze around and watched the kids and the guys fishing. There wasn’t any luck for them, of course…so the guys decided to change course. “OK, you stay put, while we try our luck to get a catch by the wharf”. Off, they left us….but that that was alright, of course. The kids were having a great time, and me…people watching & lazing around had a good time by myself. By 12 noon, we decided to drive home. But the guys…we didn’t have a hunch where they were! But they came back with some good catch. And before magrib, they guys went out again for another catch…..

The catch that night The guys’ catch

Menu makan malam: Nasi putih with Ikan goreng cicah ayaq asam

Masak lomak cili api for dinner

Our 2nd morning was spent at home. Sembang tak berenti2, we only started our activity at around 11. The spot where the guys went fishing the night before was really awesome. Thanks to Nani who reckoned we took a trip there for its beauty!

The gushing water The guys trying their luck on the 2nd day
Everyone was all set to go
What a beauty! A view from the rocks

The group checked out of the house at 330pm, and we took a route home via Whitianga.

The guys posing in the house
while we decided to pose at the entrance of the house we rented that weekend

Nani suggested we took a ferry at Whitianga. I wasn’t excited about the idea as my kids are too big for this. But I followed along as we were doing this as a group, the least you could do is to support the group. While Nani, Fariza & Noorwan took the ferry ride from Whitianga to Ferry’s Landing, my family together with Fid and Aliyah spent our time watching them and others. It was a very relaxing thing to do.

Nani & the others taking a board on the ferry

We were walking back to our vehicles when we spotted many people by the beach, looking like they were doing something. I pointed out to Nani & Fariza…’Eh, diorg buat apa?” “Jom tengok!” But my kids, out of their laziness for an activity said..”that’s going to be a far walk…Jauh tu ibu…!” That statement made me think twice…”I’m just too lazy to walk….” Then Fid said, “Jom, jom pi..” and so I went along…and watched them…”Jom kutip!” I hesitated for a while…”Errrrr…I tak suka la activity mcm ni…nanti basah…” “Jom, jom…best ni, banyak ni pipis…wow banyaknya….” And I tried putting my hands in the water, digging under the sand…and I got one…and I started digging again…got two, got more and more and more…wow…this was fun!

The shellfish we collected

We ended our holiday at Fid’s & Noorwan’s place. It was a great idea to cook this shell fish and eat them while they were really fresh. Kesian, Noorwan. He was really tired and getting ready to work the next day but had to comply with my hubby’s request. But having dinner from what the seahunters had caught that day was great!!! Thanks to everyone who made this holiday trip a memorable one!!!!

Sedap…fresh shellfish…

Somewhere in Aug, my son, Nasri aka Along aka Eli insisted that he wanted to attend his school’s prom night. And I asked him “any cost incurred?” He replied, “$75 for the entrance and $100 for the suit rental” Terbeliak bijik mata sekejap…”Ask ayah what he said about that…”, and dad said “Tak payah la pergi…bukan budaya kita pun…!” “But it’s my last year at school!”…Pening ibu ayah…

I spoke to my close friend, Frances about this…and she said…”oh…let him go, he’s 17. Let him do what he pleased! When my children attended their proms, they were even wilder!”
“But, it’s alright with you being kiwis, I dont know whether this is ok…”
“Oh..let him go, let him go…he’s a good boy…I’ve met him…”

So, in the end, the answer was a big YES from Ayah & Ibu….Nasri was overjoyed…We didnt even know whom he was going to ask out for the prom night…We left all the details to him. He went for a fitting at Dorsett suit rental and landed a suit for $100 for a night. Mahal giler!!!

Going for prom nights is really dear in New Zealand. You have to pay up for the rental of the suit & the boy needs to get a corsage too…(Nasib budak ni pandai saving sikit buat corasage utk date dia…)I dissuaded him from renting a suit but he said…”tunggu…nanti ibu tengok along hensem…” Okay, la…whatever as long as it’s not my money he’s using…Sometimes you might have to rent a limo to transport the couple to the ballroom. we didnt rent any! In his case, Rasyid was kind enough to be the couple’s chauffeur; that night. No limo, just my old Ruby.
And if your daughter is going to the prom, getting a dress is really expensive here. Then, there’s the hairdo and the make-up which you have to pay for if your daughter decides to go to a stylist. Here are some pics of Nasri’s prom night, some from my collection, and some from his FB.

The boys making corsages that morning

My once upon a time cute lil’boyand even cuter…

who has turned into a charming young man who plays music at school

Nasri Zuhaily on his prom night with his date
My boy…
& his friends from school

Ini la rupa besday prezen Nazmi yang dah berkarah tu…..

Nazmi Zuhairy, our middle child turned 15 on July 10th. It so happened that we were going to spend our weekend skiing at Mt Ruapeheu, so we thot that it’s quite flash if we had a double celebration; a holiday cum a bday celebration for my boy….

Early this year, he asked for an early birtday present…a pair of soccer boots, so we bought him something that he really wanted…a pair of Nike soccer boots somewhere in Feb 2010. He had an electric guitar as his bday gift last year…so i thought this present was nothing compared to the one we gave him last year.

Here are some pics of Nazmi’s birthday celebration at our rented holiday home in Turangi, Waikato. Thank you, son…for you have brought joy into our lives!!!

Nazmi Zuhairy, my boy who turned 15 in July 2010Look at Angah’s fans…or maybe the cake’s fans…

Angah tiup lilin…malu betul dia, sbb kali ni sambut besday dgn mak2 & bapak2 budak
& kami pun gelak tgk gelagat Anga….
Nazmi meng’amin’kan doa utk dia….semoga dia menjadi anak yang soleh…
Now, what are these guys looking at?? Don’t tell me they’re eyeing the cake too??
The kids were so impressed that we brought the bday cake all the way from Hamilton
Credits to all chefs who contributed to the ad-hoc party for Anga’s big day
Nazmi’s birthday cake….all the way from the cheesecake shop…

Zul left very early (@4.30)this morning with the fishing gang and took off to Coromandel where they rented a boat for a fishing game. He was really excited about this trip, so layankan aje la….
I’m excited too…at least I can be left alone and do my own thing. For one, I could get up late, and two I could do some writing in peace…..

I’m not a fishing person. I hate the smell of the bait and getting my hands all sweaty and salty. I remembered accompanying him for a fishing trip to Raglan, but what I could do was just reading the articles I had with me and staring at empty space, thinking about “why in the first place have I agreed to come with him?” But my son, Nazmi is a daddy’s boy. Like dad, he enjoys fishing and has the skill to capture some good sized fish.

Thank God, Zul did not come home empty handed today! He had some good size fish for our dinner tomorrow and the week after…..

Yeay….the catch! the catch!

Zul’s chilly bin to store his catch for the day…

Zul, cleaning his fishing rod right after reaching home…

Simple birthday lunch menu: birthday cake, butter cake, banana muffins, sushi, chips & iced buns.

Nazura and her guests…I told her “make it small and invite only close friends…” (sebenarnya mak nye yg tak larat sbb tengah stress jumpa spvr)

The 6 out of 10 birthday cake….susah nak focus bikin cake kalau otak tak bole focus….

This is a picture of Ain with her brothers…taken in 2006 @ Langkawi Cable Car.
Ain posted a beautiful smile at Tasik Cini Resort, 2006.

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Ain & cousin Iqa at our family home, in 2008.

Ain & mummy having dinner at KipMart JB, 2007.

Ain, Anga & my ex-fellow Azira who’s now teaching at UiTM Perlis during one of UTM convocation.

Ain during one of our Mt. Ruapehu visits…

Nazura Zunnurain, our one and only daughter is turning 12 tomorrow. We
thought of having a small celebration with the family tomorrow, but she insisted
to have her friends over for lunch.

I thought of buying a birthday cake for her, or baking her that special
Justin Bieber cake, so I made a short visit to BJ cake decor and was stunned to find out that edible image of JB would cost me NZD20!! My oh my cross out that JB cake on my list, hanim….Frances was kind enough to lend me her untouched book she got on cake decorating..but no way I am going to use that book!! So, I guess making my own cake for her would be more special! (financially…hahahaha) So there came my chocolate cake with the chocolate ganache topped with strawberries. I am not really a great cook, but considering the result of the cake, I gave myself a 6 out of 10…(all smiles).

The party went out well, and the girls left at 8 last night…okay la tu…Pukul 8 pun masih terang benderang!!!

In this post I have posted some pics of her..

See how much she has grown over time?? She used to be so tiny but 3 years in NZ somehow (I’m blaming this on me & my cooking of course…) made her grow…

I pray that Nazura Zunnurain will grow up to be a beautiful young lady, inside and out…Ayah & Ibu love you…

My son Nasri had been struggling these few days. First, he was attempting to complete his scholarship NCEA Level 3 paper for Graphics Design and ICT. NCEA Level 3 is equivalent to the A levels in the British system…

Just a simple party

Ain turned 10, on the 29th Nov 2007. We had a small party for her & invited the neighbours’ kids. I made her a chocolate cake (which I thought as very tedious indeed…).

Ain and her best buddies….

It was a sports day at Knighton Normal School, and I thought that I would just drop by Ain’s school to give her some moral support…
These are Ain’s friends from Knighton Normal School; Nadhirah & the rest of the gang..