Kembara Hati Mawar Safiya

Oh dear, oh dear! The air outside is looking a bit… yucky again. It is hazy! Do you know what haze is? My little boy, Ujang, had a funny idea! He said, "Mama, I know why there is haze! It is because of the traffic jam ('jem'), right?" Hehehe. So cute! He thought all the cars stuck together made the smoky air. Well, not quite, little one! But his idea made me think. We really need to know WHAT this yucky haze is and HOW to keep our family safe and healthy when it visits us. Here in Putrajaya, Malaysia! What IS This Hazy Stuff Anyway? Imagine the air is like a big, invisible soup. Haze happens when lots and lots of tiny, tiny dust bits and yucky smoke get mixed into the air soup. Where does it come from? Sometimes people burn big fires outside (open burning). Oops! That makes smoke. Big factories sometimes puff out smoke too. Puff puff! And yes, Ujang was a little bit right! Cars and motorcycles make smoke too. Vroom vroom... cough cough! All this tiny dust and smoke...

Hello my awesome friends! Guess what? Kak Mawar is dreaming of an adventure! There is a super big, super fun party happening next year. Next year, maybe February! It is called the Pattaya Bike Week ! Where is it? It is in a sunny, happy place called Pattaya , in Thailand! It is a giant party just for motorcycles! Vroom Vroom! Bikers come from everywhere – Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, maybe even from faraway lands!  They bring their cool bikes, shiny bikes, big bikes, small bikes! They show off their amazing machines. There will be loud music (Rock and roll!), yummy Thai food (maybe spicy!), dancing, and lots and lots of happy biker friends together. It sounds like so much fun! So, Kak Mawar really, really wants to go! For the fun, the bikes, the adventure! But... there is one big puzzle I need to solve first. How do I get there?  Should I fly like a bird? Drive like in a cozy car? Or ride my own big monster bike all the way? Hmm... let's think about it together! Option 1: F...

Isn't it amazing how everyone learns things in their own special way? Like different flowers in a beautiful garden! Some flowers shoot up super fast towards the sun.  Some flowers like to take their time, growing slowly and steadily. Some love bright sunshine, while others prefer the cool shade. Are they all beautiful? Yes, of course! Well, children are just like those flowers! Especially when they start learning tricky things, like reading letters and writing words. Sometimes, trying to learn the ABCs and how words work can feel like trying to untangle a big, messy knot of wool! It can be confusing and a little bit frustrating. There is a special word for when learning letters and words feels extra, extra tricky for someone. The word is Dyslexia (say it like this: dis-LEX-ee-uh).  It might sound like a big, serious, grown-up word, but really, it is just a gentle way to say that someone's amazing brain learns about letters and words in a different way. It is not a wrong way...