Zara’s Writing – Day 3 Starter Camp At Radiant Retreat

Continues from here. (Typed out as per how Zara wrote it.)

Today, after a wonderful breakfast, we went to an animal farm. On the drive there, I started to feel dizzy and I'm telling you that ride was worse than a roller coaster. When we reached, I thanked God that ride was over.

We saw deers and rabbits at the farm. I wanted to pet a deer but I was afraid the deer might kick me, so I decided to pet a rabbit insted. I saw a cute rabbit and started chasing it around. When it stoped I pated it and fed it a leaf. Surprisingly the rabbit liked it so I gave it more.

When we got back, we had lunch and played more archary. I met a Malay boy there and he teached taught me how to aim even better. We played and chatted for one hour, then I went back to my room. I chatted with my friends and each of us had to tell a joke and a ghost story. Before I (k)new it the transport was here.

(no photos from the camp host Radiant Retreat as most photos taken were of the group playing paintball)

Zara’s Writing – Day 2 Starter Camp At Radiant Retreat

Continues from here. (Typed out as per how Zara wrote it.)

Today, after a delicious breakfast, we went for archary and I always hit the target. After the archary, we studied the fish that we caught. The teacher fliped it around and I started to have goose pimples.

We ate a gourmet lunch. Then we went to a men made forest. It looked more like a pinetree farm.

When we came back, we went fishing, we could dig up worms to fish, but the girls preferd to use bread. Some boys fell into the river and had to dismiss fishing.

For dinner, we BBQed the fish we caught and ate it. In the night we had a safety talk. Before we went to bed we told each other jokes, and they laughed so loudly and they stomped on the floor. And when I went down I heard the thumping of elephants. By the time I went to our room, all my roommates were asleep.

(Here are some photos taken by the camp organiser for Day 2 by Radiant Retreat)




















Continues here.

Zara's Writing - Day 1 Starter Camp At Radiant Retreat

Zara went to her very first camp during the holidays. I asked her to write about the trip in her journal so I know what she did during the whole 3 days there. I typed this out just like how she's written it (even the spelling).

On Tuesday, when we arrived at camp, I was so hungry I had to eat some curry puffs (wich I don't really like to eat.) Then they announced our rooms : the boys had to sleep in the lobby (poor things), and the girls slept in the bunggalo. I was like ok where's the bunggalo? Then I heard a girl say "The bunggalo's up stairs." Then I thought it's no big deal it's just a few steps up. But when we started to go up the stairs, I thought they were taking us to the top of Mount Everest. The moment we reached, I fell on the ground and looked up, there I saw a sofa and a DVD player. I saw a little kitchen with flask of boiling water and our own little fridge. Then I saw a staircase and I started climbing it. When I went to the top, I saw a door. I decided to open the door, and inside I saw a sofa, a huge king sized bed and five mattresses. I saw a glass sliding door and there was a(n) outdoor bath tub, but I didn't use it because I was afraid that a monkey might take a photo of me being naked.

The rest of the day was just lessons about nature. We ate lunch and I had heaps of it. We went river swimming. The moment I stepped into the water I couldn't feel my legs because the water was so cold. Leeches were about to feast on my blood but I just flicked them away like dust.

While we were swimming, the teachers caught a few fishes for studying. When we went back, dinner was on the table, and when I saw the dinner, I started to dribble, then I ate until my stomach was as big as a mountain. We had a karaoke, and when I started to sing, all the people turned to look at me.

Before we went to bed, we got to watch a movie. I watched until I fell asleep on the sofa, and before I (k)new it, it was day.

(Here are some photos taken by the camp organiser, Radiant Retreat)

The Boys' dorm isn't that bad.


Children being briefed and having lessons about nature.


The scrumptious lunch.


The children walking to the stream for a swim.




Cool dip in the stream.


Continues here.

Quick Witted/Sharp Tongue Zaria Again

These days, Zaria is picking up new words/phrases from the TV, her books, and when she wasn't quite sure what something meant, she asked us, which made her learn them and able to apply them very quickly.

While I was trying out 'nice' dresses, and showed the girls.
Zaria said, "You are so sexy, I don't even think you are cut out for it."
o.O"

While her lunch of noodles arrived pipping hot, I asked her, "Do you need help with the noodle?"
Zaria replied, "I'm not a retard, I can eat on my own."
o.O"

While we were out, the hubs wrapped his arm around me.
Being possessive, she doesn't like others touching me, so she stuck out her tongue and said, "Blech! Please don't swap spit now ok?"
o.O"

We went to the new Baskin Robbins nearby.
I asked her, "What if your Cikgu so and so (BM teacher from school) is also there?"
She replied, "Oh... and then Mr So and So (English teacher from school) will be there too. (She thinks her teacher and cikgu are going out.)
She then added, "Ha.. then I'll tell them, don't do that in front of me, don't make me feel like a third wheel."

Seriously, I didn't think I know how to use those words until after I became an adult.

Zaria Missing Her Sister

We sent Zara off to a holiday camp meant for 8yrs and above.
How fast they are growing up. Sigh.
I asked her if she was fine on our drive to the pick up point, and she told me she's a bit scared (scared not being near us) but at the same time excited with what she would be doing, and the people she would be meeting.

It was with mixed feelings I saw her carrying her overnight bag climbing into the car that would transport her to camp. Zaria's face turned gloom when she saw her jiejie closing the car door.

This is the very first occasion where Zara is away from home, without her parents (it's always either the hubs or me will be with the girls; only once we had to leave the girls at their aunt's house because both of us had to travel for work); this is also the first time Zaria won't get to sleep with Zara.

So how are the girls doing?

We called Zara at camp yesterday night.
Me : Are you ok?
Zara : Yes ma. We are having so much fun.
Me : Everything is alright then?
Zara : Yeah.. I'm having so much fun.
(sounding impatient, like she couldn't wait for the conversation to end to get back to whatever she was doing)
Me : Anyway, just wanted to tell you, Zaria missed you.
Zara : Oh... (2 seconds) But ma, I'm having so much fun. The river swim was so fun.. We got leeches all over our hands.
Me : Ewww... but aren't you afraid of leeches? (I had a leech clinging on to me once in Sri Lanka, and the girls were all screaming like they had seen ghost.)
Zara : No, I just flicked them off my hands.
Me : Oh wow. Alright. You have fun then..Bye. Love you.
Zara : Ok ma, love you. (put the phone down real fast).

I told Zaria about our conversation, and Zaria asked, "Huh? She doesn't miss me?"

And this morning, she woke up asking me "What bed did jiejie sleep on?" "What do you think she ate for breakfast?"

Per the usual holiday routine, Zaria did some homework from me, and then did her journal writing in the morning (and painted her nails in between doing these.)


And this was what she wrote and drew in her journal (she always like drawing first, then writing, as though planning out the scene).




My sweet sweet girl, missing her sister badly.