‘Aaqil’s New Chapter

Posted on June 30, 2021 by kau5ar

Khamis lepas 24 Jun adalah hari terakhir ‘Aaqil di Year 4, alhamdulillah. Start sekolah 1 Jun hari tu tapi asik tangguh nak blog about it hehe. Sampai habis term dah pun.

Kisah nak register sekolah ni panjang. Encik suami yang buat dari register online sampai lah ke beli uniform etc. Alhamdulillah dipermudahkan. Untuk kemasukan ke sekolah NCBIS ni, salah satu requirement adalah cikgu sekolah lama kena fill up an evaluation form in order to proceed wit application. And mind you this is between schools and we were not in the loop so that the previous school will give unbiased assessment.

Settle application, bayar utk assessment then – ‘Aaqil has to make an essay without any guidance and help. Few days later, online assessment soalan berbentuk IQ, english, maths. Hah masa ni kena on video sekali sebab nak make sure takde bantuan dari luar hehe. So kitorg tinggalkan ‘Aaqil sorang2 dalam bilik sampailah settle.

Alhamdulillah in less than a week rasanya dpt offer. Phew. Pastu tak habis lagi. Kena buat registration payment dulu barulah boleh dpt date admission. 1 June lah tarikh hari pertama ‘Aaqil bersekolah di New Cairo British International School, NCBIS. Jarak dalam 15min dari rumah kami.

Alhamdulillah ‘Aaqil sangat mudah sesuaikan diri. Berkat banyak kali pindah sekolah dan bertukar tempat agaknya. Kat Al Amin dulu pun tukar kelas tiap tahun. Siapa sangka kan pengalaman lepas utk bg dia bersedia utk kat Cairo ni.

Kalau nak diikutkan serba serbi lain kat sekolah baru ni. Dari cikgu, subjek, silibus, sistem, kawan2, cuaca, bahasa….sebab tu rasa kagum ‘Aaqil takde masalah malah sangat positif. Mungkin sebab dah lama sangat tak dapat attend sekolah fizikal.

Paling ketara silibus Maths yang sangat advance. In Year 4 they already learned about angles, surface area, symmetry etc. English pulak ada pecah kpd guided reading, spelling & writing. Ada jugak kelas Music, Drama, PE, Science. Utk 3rd language ‘Aaqil ambil Arabic sebab sebelum ni kat Msia pun dah belajar Arab.

Lainnya sekolah ni tak pakai buku teks. So tiap hari tanya ‘Aaqil hari ni belajar apa lol. Bagitau dia kalau tak faham apape tanya teacher. Kalau segan, tulis pastu bwk balik tanya kat kami. Tapi so far semuanya ok. Cikgu pun kata dia ok.

Hari terakhir ambil ‘Aaqil kat sekolah sempat jumpa his class lead, Mr Trevor. Kira guru kelas la. He gave positive feedbacks on ‘Aaqil and told me not to worry about Year 5 as ‘Aaqil is on the right track. Coz i did asked him for syllabus summary of Year 4 since ‘Aaqil already missed 2 terms huhu. We also received a 2 page summary on ‘Aaqil’s performance for each subjects. Overall he did great and no issue on any subjects alhamdulillah.

Dear ‘Aaqil, if youre reading this do know that we are proud of you and no matter how big and amazing youll become, we will always have your back. Thank you for being the amazing person that you are ❤️♥️

‘Arfaan & Reading

Posted on June 16, 2021 by kau5ar

Alhamdulillah ‘Arfaan my 4 year old dah habis complete siri Bacalah Anakmu hingga buku ke-8 semalam! MasyaAllah Tabarakallah yg mengizinkan semua ini…

Sekadar rekod, ‘Arfaan mula belajar membaca di KSCC Presint 15. Mula dgn Bacalah Anakku 1. Teknik yg digunakan adalah phonic iaitu bunyi setiap huruf tu yg ditekankan spt a beh ceh deh eh feh… once dah dpt tangkap fonic ni, inshaallah lepas tu senang nak belajar. Thats what i observed from ‘Arfaan. Hikmah jadi stay at home mom di musim covid ni dapat merasa first hand teaching my kindy boy yg selalunya tugas cikgu tadika. Barulah tau karenah anak kecil ni belajar kan. Kadang2 mode hulk tu keluar ya🥲

Masa bulan Mac yang lepas (tiba di Cairo) ‘Arfaan dah di buku 4 rasanya. Kemudian baca setiap hari tanpa gagal – motivasi dia ofcos la reward tgk tv. So sebelum tgk tv kena baca Bacalah Anakku & Iqra’ – itu house rules. Maksudnya tak mustahil anak kecik ni boleh membaca dalam masa 6bulan kan. Konsisten penting supaya momentum tu ada.

apparently he loves the flashcard concept. sukarela susun2 dan belajar lepas terjumpa dalam almari #mogaistiqamah

Lepas ni kita santai2 baca English words pulak. Kebetulan terbeli flashcards LadyBird ni di Shoppee bulan Okt last year. Boleh isi masa sementara nak tunggu masuk skool bulan 8 nanti. Goodluck ‘Arfaan!

Belly Crawling

Posted on June 13, 2021 by kau5ar

Thats my princess ‘Atiyyah has been busy doing since more than a week ago. And of late she is more of an explorer rather just to catch her toys or stuff. She will be everywhere the minute you put her on the floor. Alhamdulillah for this milestone.

This is our 3 rd child but only now we noticed the importance of tummy time because before this we only ‘have’ the babies during night time and weekends (working parents 😌). So we took for granted the needs to not ‘tie’ them. Instead we have to let them explore in order to strengthen their limbs arms and legs. We learned in the hard way as we realised that she was a bit behind than her brothers in terms of milestone. Now i only put her on rocker when I need to go to the toilet or when sometimes to get her sleep longer.

Grow stronger and healthier sayang ❤️🌹

Good Fuego Time

Posted on June 12, 2021 by kau5ar

Yesterday we had an awesome sushi fix at one of the urban-est mall in Cairo 😂 O1 Mall. Twas an impromptu selection as usual, every Thurs nite we just want to try out new dine place – hehe.

This place called Fuègo Grill and Sushi. Some pics of last nite. Kenyang sampai tersandar. As usual bwk balik la leftovers ada pasta dan sushis tak habis hehe

Price wise a bit on high side. Approx 20LE/pc. But mana2 pun sushi mmg camtu la harga kan. Even sushi kat Japan pun lebih kurang gitu. Tapi sushi kat sini saiz besarrrrr. Like double the size of Sushi King’s. So berbaloi la ek.

Medium rare beef steak with sides. Nyums

Oh ada soups jugak. Ala2 tomyam seafood. Sedappp. Dalam tu ada fresh prawns and squids. Must repeat! Apparently miso soup pulak unavailable.

I’ll rate 4/5 stars for the food service and ambiance. Kurang satu star utk harga 😆

Lemon Mint

Posted on May 29, 2021 by kau5ar

Mulanya en suami la suka order drink ni kat resto sini. Almost mana2 kedai makan ada menu lemon mint ni tinggal lagi rasa je ada sedap ada terlebih masam ada pahit sikit

Masa singgah Zaafarana rest house aka RnR otw ke Hurghada aritu ada satu coffee shop ni kami order lemon mint. Nampak la dia buat camne. So basically dia letak lemon/lime (xsure sbb kaler hijau n besar sikit dari saiz lime biasa) 3 biji tak potong langsung, pastu susu and (i think) mint syrup. Also ice. Pastu blend hancur. Tapis. Oh mmg lemon tu sekali ngan kulit smua dia blend.

Lepastu otw back kami singgah satu kedai makan seafood ni. Sebelum balik tu dia hidang se jug air lemon mint perghhhh sedap gila terus ok ni mmg paling tersedap penah minum

Few days back google la resipi lemon mint. Oh baru sis tau yang drink ni origin dari Egypt ya.

So the other day sempena hari last puasa 6 sis try la buat sendiri. Pakai lime, mint leaves dan gula. Not bad la cuma rasanya kena kurangkan lime (from 4 to 3 je) atau tambah gula. I think can use this formula to make one cup of lemon/lime mint : 3 lime, half genggam mint leaves, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup iced water. Blend till fine. Tapis.

Left : from Fifth Street, Right : homemade 🥳

Will try again using lemon 🍋. To get the correct ratio of sour minty and sweetness. Hehe

Next time youre in Egypt make sure you look for their original lemon mint and give it a try. So refreshing!! ❤️

Laksa Cairo

Posted on May 27, 2021 by kau5ar

Minggu lepas hangat kat medsoc laksa battle antara negeri. Sape paling ori. Sape paling kayangan. Laksa mana paling perintis. Ikan mana paling mendifinisikan laksa. Haha

Kita yang pemerhati ni terbayang la nak makan laksa. Yang mampu nak buat ikut kapasiti bahan2 mmg laksa sarawak dan laksa kedah je la. Laksa johor tapenah attempt pun. Mebi nnt kalo teringin sangat kena la try buat sendiri hehh

Resipi letak sini sebagai rujukan in future sebab rasa sedap sengotiiii sape lagi nak puji kan lol

Bihun 400g – celur
Sepaket pes Hj Manan 200g
2 liter air
Isi ayam 200g
Udang 500g
Santan 200ml
Telur, daun ketumbar, taugeh, limau nipis/kasturi
Sambal (cili kering+bwg besar blend)’

Cara buat kuah : Rebus isi ayam dan keluarkan. Dalam air yg sama, masukkan pes laksa. Udang kita kupas kulit tinggalkan ekor je. Kepala dan kulit udang tadi rebus atau rendam dlm air panas kemudian blend dan tapis. Air tapisan campurkan dalam kuah yg ada pes laksa tadi. Masukkan juga santan. Garam to taste.

Sambal : Tumis cili blend bsama bwg dlm 3tbsp gitu. Masak dlm sejam. Tambah air few times sampai terbit minyak. Ulang2. Masukkan air asam jawa. Garam gula. Masak sebati siapp

Garnishing : Isi udang di goreng dalam minyak yg sedikit jgn bergenang sangat. Angkat. Guna minyak yg sama utk buat sambal atas ni. Telur buat dadar nipis, gulung dan hiris mcm swiss roll. Taugeh celur. Hirisan daun ketumbar. Isi ayam dicarik macam bua soto.

Cara buat kuah : Rebus blended 2bj bwg besar, 5bj cili api, 1tbsp ikan bilis, 4kpg asam gelugur dan 1tbsp cili blend dlm 1 liter air. Biar sampai masak. Blend 400g isi ikan sardin sampai hancoq. Masukkan dalam air rebusan tadi. Masukkan 2 bunga kantan, 2 tangkai daun kesum. Garam gula. Biar renih at least 2jam bg mesra.

Laksa sepaket rendam at least semalaman pastu rebus kejap. Tos kan.

Garnishing : salad, timun, limau nipis, daun pudina, telur rebus, cili api, bawang besar.

Hehe puas makan laksa bila masak sendiri. Sedap tak sedap tak penting sebab ni je la option yg ada takde gerai restoran jual laksa2 ni sendiri masak sendiri makan konsepnya heh

Bahan2 alhamdulillah cukup so far. Maybe bulan2 mendatang masak ikut bahan apa adanya la. Ikan sardin tu pun kami pakai yg dlm tin punya ada jual kat sini. Ok la not bad takyah nak buang tulang semua tinggal blend ja ehehe

Nota : resepi2 diatas setelah diolah sis selepas beberapa kali try and error. rasanya ini yg terbaik ratio sukatan semua. ikut tekak sis and family ❤️

Eid Mubarak 1442H

Posted on May 15, 2021 by kau5ar

Salam Aidilfitri

Maaf Zahir dan Batin dari kami di Cairo, Egypt. Moga Allah terima amalan kita di bulan Ramadhan 😌

Sedikit nota sekadar memori utk masa hadapan,

* kapal kontena yang bawa barang kami masih stuck kat kastam jadi rumah mmg sungguh seadanya utk raya

* table runner, tray dan raga utk balang kuih semua hasil recycle Ramadhan gifts yg sememangnya cantik dan sayang kalau tak digunakan

* sebagai penyeri kami beli la jugak fresh flowers sbg centerpiece meja makan. Kat sebelah carrefour CFC mall ada kedai bunga. Harga bunga dan vase cuma 140LE! Yang kelakar tu vase tu dia amik yg display siap basuh lagi sebelum jual kat kami adoi

makan raya sambil video call family di Malaysia

* brought 3 pieces of new kurungs from Malaysia but all got no matching tudungs. Got my tudung raya at small kiosk at cfc not bad

* search high and low for lampu lip lap but takde jual.last minit sangat

* first time masak lemang sendiri guna resipi papercup tu. the taste not bad! boleh repeat sebab ‘aaqil pun suka betul

* tahun kedua raya bersolat Aidilfitri di rumah, husben jadi imam aka khatib. syukur alhamdulillah

* malam raya sunyi sepi neighbourhood tak macam kat malaysia bersahut2 takbir dan mercun. kami kena pasang lagu raya nak memecah kesunyian 🥲

Alhamdulillah ala kulli hal. Moga barang shipping kami selamat sampai ke rumah dalam keadaan baik dan cukup. Selamat Hari Raya semua!

Ramadhan di Cairo

Posted on April 14, 2021 by kau5ar

Alhamdulillah selesai sudah Ramadhan hari pertama disini. Tak byk beza pun dgn di Malaysia kecuali takleh la nak order kat Grab sesuka hati bila teringin itu ini 😅

Tahun lepas Ramadhan terakhir di rumah kami Madumas. Masa tu pk ooo tahun depan kita puasa kat rumah baru (sebab dah plan nak pindah Putrajaya). Tak sangka ya perancangan Allah bulan Ramadhan tahun ni kami jauh beribu batu dari Malaysia. Nikmat manakah yg kamu dustakan ☺️ Tak dinafikan rindu betol dgn keluarga di tanah air time2 gini tapi pasti terselindung hikmah disebalik semua ini kan

Kami pernah ber Ramadhan di Ashgabat 2013. Sahur jam 2pg tak silap. Buka jam 8.30pm. Isya terawih jam 10.30pm!! Haha. So kat sini pulak puasa jam 4am til 6.30pm. Pastu 8.30pm dah siap terawikh. Kira better la. Lama sikit je puasa dari kat Malaysia. Sebab time ni masih spring belum betul2 summer lagi. So siang masih ‘normal’…

Ramadhan kareem buat semua. Moga Ramadhan ini yang terbaik buat semua… ❤️

Nasi tomato juadah hari pertama berbuka puasa alhamdulillah ❤️

‘Atiyyah Unwell

Posted on April 12, 2021 by kau5ar

…for the first time. Nope not fever. It was something else which we never experienced with the two boys.

It all started after I cooked lunch the other day. Last Wed to be exact. She was crying for more than 15mins at living hall (as usual) while I was at the kitchen and I quickly went to get her. Brought her to our room to calm her down (read : bfeed), thats when she vomited. A.LOT.

I’ve experienced this with ‘Aaqil before so I thought well she will be okay coz ‘Aaqil was okay when he vomited milk about her age jugak.

Asked ‘Aaqil to help me with the vomit ie took the nearest blanket whilst I changed myself and put ‘Atiyyah to shower as we both covered with vomit.

She was okay during shower and nothing to be alarmed of. All fresh, I brought her to the hall back and try to bfeed her again and she vomited for the 2nd time. Clueless.

So I tried bfeed her while laying on bed (much calmer I thought) and she finally asleep alhamdulillah. She woke up 2x during sleep and as usual I bfeed her to put her to sleep again. After half an hour she woke up and I carried her up from bed thats when she vomited for the 3rd time and it was A LOT! So I thought okay maybe she coz she didnt burped just now.

The aftermath of this 3rd vomit was really worrying. She became so weak she didnt responded to her brothers she didnt even look into my eyes. Tembus je. Ok masa ni sis dah panik. Terus tukar cakap melayu ni tskk

Called my husband ask him to come back coz I dont feel good about her. Masa tu pk nak call my mom la supaya ‘Atiyyah respon sikit. So vid call my mom. Mak agah ‘Atiyyah tapi dia bolayan je. Mata dia dah kuyu dan dia seakan2 nak lelap. Huhu panik masa ni. My mom and adik2 pun tolong panggil nama ‘Atiyyah supaya dia tak terus lesu dan lembik.

Btw dia takde temp pun. Dedar pun tak. Muntah sahaja. She had Farleys biscuit je that morning and the rest was my milk. So i was quite puzzled.

Cut stoey short, my husband said he’s otw back. Then Suhaib my brother hes a doctor vid called me. He knew from my family back home that ‘Atiyyah was unwell. So he said ‘Atiyyah looks normal. Tapi masa tgh borak2 tu ‘Atiyyah nye mata naik ke atas mcm tgh drowsy n kepala dia lembik. I shouted her name nak makesure she didnt sleep. Masa tu zikir je. My bro said tlg bwk dia pegi emergency. That was the first time sepanjang being a mom for the past 9yrs sbb tak pernah terjadi sebelum ni. Sambil dodoi n zikir tu, Suhaib still online but I couldnt focus anymore. Husband home (finally) and I passed her to him. I said we have to get ready and straight to emergency.

In less than 20mins we were already at Queens Royal Hosp New Cairo- husband’s colleague recommended this hosp specialized on mom child. ‘Aaqil and ‘Arfaan stayed in the car with our driver Moustafa (bless him).

After checking, doc said she’s not dehydrated yet. She might caught with stomach flu ie gastritis due to exposure to weather. We thought might be coZ the day before we were outdoor from morning til noon at the immigration office.

So the doc gave her an injection called Zofran and asked us to wait an hour before bfeed her again. Doc also prescribed her with these 2 meds which we have to get ourselves from pharmacy (same practice as in Turkey – circa 2013).

Alhamdulillah she was a lot better that night. She can bfeed without vomit after feeding. Can burp and fart like normal. That shows her system is working fine. Just that the Gastreg syrup caused her stool became a bit watery. After we discontinued the syrup (4x), everything back to normal. I also stopped her solid food til today just to ‘reset’ her stomach.

May Allah keep my kids safe and away from sickness. Memang memori pahit yg taknak lagi diulang ya Allah. My worst nightmare became true – having to bring my child to the hospital here during covid, but alhamdulillah it wasnt that bad. At least we know. Hope that was the first and last amiiiin…

Tentang Visa

Posted on April 7, 2021 by kau5ar

Dari jam 8pg disini. Jam 1.30pm baru settle. Imagine dgn bwk baby, cuaca makin panas, orang ramai, takde proper food since morning, the struggle was real ya🥲🥲 ‘Atiyyah siap tido bangun tido bangun ehehe

Alhamdulillah settle la jugak. Lepas kena false hope hari sebelumnya sebab depa tak terima submission, so tadi kira percubaan kali ke-2.

We went there with another Malaysian family, abg Fauzi & kak Ammal. So adalah teman budak2 ni bermain. Lama sangat menunggu siap beli toys kat mall sebelah😆

Lama tunggu ye dik….mujur pakai sleeveless kt dalam ekekke

Balik tu semua dah kelaparan, sekali kereta kami rosak pulak. Berhenti tepi jalan, tggu kereta ganti dtg pick up. Tup2 dah tak sempat nak pi makan kt CFC mall sbb nak kejar Zohor so tapau je drivethru at burger kiosk nearby our house. Lunch dah almost 4pm. Kira tu sekali la dgn breakfast. Haha

Hoping for better experience la next time around wuwuuw. By that time ‘Atiyyah dah ‘dapat kaki’ tak agak2 hmmm

come what may…

Category Archives: Cairo Memories