ST DAVID'S HIGH SCHOOL CARNIVAL 2011

The State Champions performing for the Chief Minister

CM walking around the Carnival, impressed by the turnout!

Shaking hands with parents and students

Taking time with the futsal players



Our school field on the day of the Carnival

Thanks to ICI Paint for donating free paint to re-paint all our school buildings. We are proud to be the 1st school in Malaysia to be the recepient of ICI's special CSR program called Tunas Harapan. Thanks to the Chief Minister of Melaka for spending time with us at the Carnival.

Thanks to the team of parents, teachers and students who have given their all to ensure the success of this event! It was so much fun!

Special thanks to the most dedicated team of parents: Josephine, Puteh, Azian, Fazy, Wan, Alice, Eleanor, Jaishree, Pat, Mike, Kemmy, Jagan, Sonia, Christine & Joyce. You are all so inspiring and fantastic! It's a pleasure to lead a team of volunteers who are so committed to do so much although they have nothing at all to gain except for the satisfaction of having helped change the lives of others. Thanks to Qabil & Kerry for organizing the futsal tournament and being around to help with everything.

I am indeed Proud to be in St david's High School (^_^)

Postscript: Body aching all over BUT feeling extremely HAPPY!!

STATE CHAMPIONS 2011

CONGRATULATIONS to the Choral Speaking Team of St David's High School for becoming State Champions -  our 7th year in a row!!! THANKS A MILLION to the most Wonderful Coach in the World, Madam Anna Yap for her Fabulous Script - "DO HARD THINGS" - and for her passion! We love you Anna! The Team could not have done it without you!!

The Team sacrificed their 2 weeks holidays to train for the competition, and for that, we SALUTE all of you. You have brought Honour to our School, THANK YOU to each of you!

On a personal note, I am SO PROUD of Adlan and Hakim for being in the Team and winning the Competition for the School. You both did really well! Mama loves you loads (^_^)

Scrumptious Scones

Scones are so simple to make! Preparation time is less than 15 minutes & baking time is about 20-30 minutes depending on your oven. I make them quite often and after a while, you don't even need to look at the recipe!

Here's what you need:-

3 cups of Self Raising Flour
4 tbsp of castor sugar
110g of butter (softened)
180ml of Fresh Milk
40g of sultanas/raisins

Method:-

1. Turn oven on at 190c
2. Mix flour, sugar & butter to breadcrumbs texture
3. Add sultanas/raisins
4. Add milk to become dough
5. Roll out & cut using round cutter
6. Dust top with milk
7. Bake in oven for 20 minutes (or until slightly brown)

Best eaten warm, with butter & jam or clotted cream.

Your kids (and other half!) will LOVE them! Have fun trying (^_^)

SCHOOL CARNIVAL 2011

The St David's High School Carnival is coming back with a BANG! Come join us on SATURDAY 25TH JUNE 2011 for a FUN-Filled Family Time!! This year, apart from 70 Food Stalls organized by the teachers & students and the oh-so-scary Ghost House, we'll also be having Paintball, Wall Climb, Trampoline, Flying Fox, Abseiling, Pony Rides & many, many more!

After 2 years of roaring success, the St David's High School Carnival has become an event to look forward to in Malacca! All proceeds from the event will go to our School Building Fund to upgrade the infrastructure of the School. Our main priority this year is to renovate and re-furnish our 4 Science Labs which have not been refurbished since 1960! Needless to say, the tables and benches are all termite infested & desperately need changing!!

Please do come and have a wonderful time with your family at the Carnival, all for a good cause (^_^)

Istanbul

May started with a bang for me with a trip to Istanbul to attend the Global Summit of Women! What an experience to be amongst so many inspiring women who are successful in their own respective fields! The delegates from Malaysia led by our First Lady of Malaysia were organized by SMECorp. Thanks so much to Kak Normah for taking me to Istanbul!!

Perfect weather with clear blue skies!

The Global Summit of Women was conceived as the nexus at which all sectors - public, private & non-profit - would come together under the common vision of dramatically expanding women's economic opportunities globally through exchanges of working solutions and creative strategies forged by women leaders in all parts of the world. I was so proud to be a Malaysian as our leaders both in the public and private sectors were great speakers who shined! Our very own Women's Minister, Datuk Shahrizat was easily the best speaker of the whole Summit!

With Kak Normah: the ambience at a centuries old cistern was mystical

Wonderful friends we met: Yati, Joanne & Alice

The Haunting Swirling Dervishes

Hagia Sofya is a must see in Istanbul

The Beautiful Blue Mosque

The Grand Bazaar's tempting wares!

Istanbul, being right at the border between Europe and Asia, is a land of contrasts. They are neither European nor Asian - exactly somewhere in between. This fusion of cultures is reflected in everything in Istanbul, their architecture, their food, their traditions.. even their approach to religion. We were lucky to be there in Spring with the sun shining brightly and the cool wind blowing. Flowers - tulips, tulips, tulips, of every colour imaginable - were everywhere! Istanbul is hauntingly beautiful.

For me, it was a such an eye-opener! Meeting all those wonderful ladies from Malaysia in such diverse fields was electric! A shock to my system! I realize that there is a huge world out there outside of Melaka & perhaps, it's time to spread my wings and fly!!! (^_^)

1st Quarter of 2011

Whatever happened to the first quarter of the year? Suddenly it's April 2011!! To say the cliched "Time Flies" is truly an understatement!

Well, looking back on the last 3 months, so much has happened this year. On a personal note, it's been quite hectic for me & AZ- was in Paris in January and performed our Umrah the second half of February. The whole of March was a chaos of back to back meetings and assisting clients with Contract negotiations - some ended well whilst others didn't. Met some good people, and some not so good people. Juggling deadlines & appointments.

The past week has been quite an emotional one for the family. Apak was hospitalized and a biopsy was recommended. Mak was in US with Kak Long at that time and we had to make some difficult desicions which turned out to be blessings from Allah. Alhamdulillah we received the result of Apak's biopsy yesterday and he is clear of cancer. Syukur, syukur Alhamdulillah.

Japan was hit by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake, then a destructive tsunami which unfortunately resulted in further chaos in a nuclear plant in Fukushima. I have been closely following this catastrophic events and can only pray that Allah will give them mercy. After watching news reports & documentaries on CNN and BBC News, reading newspapers & magazines, looking at extremely sad pictures and finally speaking to Azam who just came back from Japan after 10 days of mission with MERCY, I can only conclude that there are no other race on earth like the Japanese. Their resilience, true grit and strength is commendable. Despite the chaos and trauma, they face their day to day life in perfect order and stability. Azam said that what he saw in Japan is Islam and everything that is taught in Islam although the Japanese are not Muslims.

I wonder how Malaysians would react if a disaster ever hit our country. Nauzubillah.. Ya Allah, jauhkanlah negaraku ini dari berlakunya gempa bumi, tsunami dan malapetaka alam yang membinasakan..

Looking forward to the next 3 quarters of 2011 in anticipation.. (^_^)

Happy Anniversary to Apak & Mak

Wishing Apak and Mak a very Happy Anniversary.. After 49 years, they still hold hands while sitting next to each other whilst having a conversation with me, Eda & Win that evening. It brought a tear in my eye being in the presence of so much love... To Apak & Mak: Thank you so much for everything that you have taught me, for all your sacrifices, for your unconditional love and understanding. I am who I am today primarily because of you, and for that I'm eternally grateful.. I love you so much, Apak & Mak.. Happy Anniversary!!