Ha?!? Nak Raya Lagi???!!!...

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Papa (*who is supposedly my SIGNIFICANT other half when dealing with 'leceh' matters, kalau tak leceh, he is insignificant in my decision making process, he, he, he....,*) has declared that we will be celebrating the Aidil Adha in KL this year!

Yes!!! I don't have to worry about leaving my furry children at the boarding house if we are to balik kampong..
Yes!!! I want to savour 'the look' from my mother..(this requires another HUGE blog altogether, with gory template and a handle that shouts: "whatever it is that you daughters are trying to do for me will NEVER be good enough, understand??" Fortunately the blog will not be published until I have the chance to read and hopefully benefit from ATENAH's impending book on 'Fragile relationship between mothers and daughters'....)

What was it that I was writing about? Oh, ya, the Aidil Adha. Papa's decision not to travel is because the Hari Raya will be on a Tuesday. Besides, Dilla will be sitting for her semester exam the day after H/Raya. But the real reason is because we want to welcome our nieces and nephews to spend the Raya with us. Their parents are in Makkah performing the pilgrimage and we automatically take it upon ourselves to ensure that the children have a decent Hari Raya celebration. While we were performing our Haj 3 years ago, my children were looked after by their parents, who by the way happens to be my elder sister who is married to papa's elder brother, get it??, get it??....

Papa has also invited his brother-in-law's family to be with us.
'Hang tak payah nak siap2 food, mai makan kat rumah kami!'
My sister-in-law (who is papa's sister) passed away 2 years ago, leaving a hubby to fend for 4 children. I know he is struggling to cope with his new role as a single parent, may Allah bestow him with extra strength.

So Selamat Menyambut Aidil Adha. When we were in Minna, Aidil Adha was celebrated after the culmination of melontar jumrah, the Tahlul and getting out of the Ihram. The feeling of joy and jubilation was so overwhelming that we forgot about the lemang, ketupat and rendang back home in Malaysia....... Semoga kita mendapat Haji yang Mabrur, insyaAllah....

HAPPY NEW YEAR

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A very happy new year to everyone.
My mission for the new year will be finding PEACE with myself......I've been grumbling over a certain issue which has been bugging my innerself for the past 49 years and it has to stop some time next year!!. Otherwise after half a century, it will be more difficult to forgive and forget, or getting rid of the guilt afterwards...
Wish me luck.

Tasya's Coming Home

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Welcome back, Tasya.

My daughter will be home next week after over a year in London pursuing her education at the Masters level. I hope she has achieved what she worked so hard for and I am happy that I have fulfilled my responsibility as a parent to ensure that she received the support that she needed, financially and emotionally.

Your homecoming is of course the start of another chapter in your young life, dear. However, do put into good use the enriched experience after living abroad, struggling through it all, being alone, independent and in the cold............

My Doa is always for the best in whatever you undertake. Bagai gagak pulang ke Benua, Selamat kembali ke tanahair, Tasy!...
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Parenting Champions

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The whole nation is overwhelmed by Nicol Ann David for her success in being the world no.1 in the game of squash. I share the David's pride in getting the best congratulatory wishes from the country's no.1 who is none other than our Prime Minister.

For Nicol to be where she is now has involved a lot of sacrifices both from her and her family. Not only in monetary form but her parents had to take a big decision about her going pro in the game in which Nicol is passionate about. She obtained a sparkling academic results in her SPM, being tutored by her mother as she didn't have much time to study in the proper school.

Parenting is such a tedious job which require skill , my own mum didn't warn me about it. We have to be able to make lots and lots of decisions, keeping our fingers crossed hoping that they are the right ones.

After 25 years of parenting, I'm still struggling with my efforts trying to raise champions in my own household.

Last night, as I was pouring over spreadsheets of data, charts and graphs, reviewing my investment portfolio for the new year, an sms came from Dilla:

..'Ma, dilla takde underwear tuk nak pakai sampai saturday, boleh tak kalau dila balik rumah jumaat petang, pastu gi balik campus saturday? OR should I drive to Alamanda beli? OR basuh the used ones?'...

Aduuihh..that's a very difficult decision to make...let me see how to steer my daughter into a champion...

...'Gi beli!'...was my answer to her sms.

and her reply:

...'ha,ha,ha...YES lah!!Mama memang paham dila!!! Basuh was certainly not an option!!!'.....

Sigh.....I don't think I have the potential of getting a glowing tribute from Pak Lah, congratulating me on my parenting acument any time soon......
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Getting the Getz

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I am getting Dilla the Hyundai Getz as her graduation present. It's also the New Year and her next year's Birthday present as well. Cheap, ha, Dill??!!...a 3-in-1. However I can be real cheap by adding : for sitting and passing your MACPA part 2 exam next year, too!!!! But most important, for being a good daughter who understands me during my good and bad times...thanks, Dil!

Actually Dilla has been driving her sister's car for a year. Now that her sister is coming back from overseas, she needs to finally drive her own car.

Dilla: mama, may I have a car in an unpredictable colour? Something which is soooo not me,..for a change?!?..

Mama: Yeah, sure Dilla, it will be in lilac blue, unpredictable indeed, and if we want something else, we will have to wait for the next shipment to arrive.

Here Dil, take a look at the foto first, the keys will be yours by next week.

**I know you have been stalking my blog**
~~~Daa.....

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The ENTOMOLOGIST mama

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The weather is so gloomy in good ole Malaya. It rains and it rains and it rains......It definitely has affected my mood and I miss the bright sunny evenings when we would sit at the garden, sipping tea, eating cookies and admiring the waterfall flowing into the koi pond.

Imran: Ma, look, there's a beautiful dragonfly, perching at the beak of your flamingo.

Mama: Do you know that dragonflies live only for a day? They don't even own a mouth as there is no neccessity to eat.

Imran: Really??? Why do they need to exist then, since it's only for a day.

Mama: That one day is just enough for them to reproduce. They are at the lower rung of the food chain, and the dragonflies are food to other creatures like the birds. At the same time they also aid in the process of pollination.

Imran: Wow..How do you know about all these things, mama??

Papa: Mesti lah, kan mama an anthropologist?

Mama: Papa! anthropologist tu orang yang gali tanah kat Lembah Bujang untuk nak cari periok2 lama tu lah!! mama ni ENTOMOLOGIST!!!

Papa: OOohh..sori...OK, lain kali papa ingat..semut..ant...so you are an e-n-t-o-m-o-l-o-g-i-s-t......

Imran: What do you learn in order to be an entomologist,mama?

Mama: I specialise in the Insect Kingdom!

Imran: What has that got to do with you managing a Travel Agency?

Mama: Eh, banyak songeh pulak budak ni! At least my company has a healthy balance sheet, my staff get their annual bonus and 10% pay increase next year! There was this person who studied history, was entrusted to manage an airline, has caused the company to go near bankrupt! As a result, papa and his colleague are getting a 30% pay cut!!...

Eh, apa ni mama merepek! The weather has obviously affected my line of thoughts as well.....
I still can't find the answer to Imran's last question.

Mrs. Radha, the saviour

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Ikram did so badly in his final exam this year. As expected, he failed his Add.Maths paper again!...and in 3 other subjects!!!!

mama: Ikram, if this is the set of results you are going to get in your actual SPM, how are you going to further your studies? NO amount of money can get you a place in College without you obtaining the minimum qualifying criteria!

Ikram: ZZzzzz......(pretending to be fast asleep after only 2 mins.in the car.)

That night I couldn't help crying due to my severe frustration with Ikram. No! I'm not going to collect his report card and humiliate myself thoroughly infront of his class teacher!!

Dilla, the ever concern Dilla, did some immediate research and networking. She told me that her friend's sister is being tutored by a FIERCE add.Maths teacher and she can now expect an 'A' confidently in her SPM. BUT the catch word is, she has a blazing voice that can be heard from 3 blocks away if she finds out that you do not do the homeworks she gave you to do! I got hold of the phone and keyed in the number instantly.

Mrs. Radha, the teacher, sounded like she is so familiar with the trauma of an agonized mother. She asked the right questions like: 'how bad is your son?????'..instead of, 'Could this be hereditary, from the father's side of the family??????'.....

Mrs.Radha: OK, get him in my intensive class for the next 7 days starting tomorrow and let me assess him from there!

Wow!!Is this for real???

mama: Can you assist his Maths subject, too?

Mrs. Radha: Give me the chance to see his Add Maths capability first, that guy can go mad if I do both now!

mama: It's OK for him to go mad, instead of ME!!!

Ikram protested and screamed that he has no say in his life.'This is school holidays, for God's sake!'

mama: You have been holidaying the entire year, Ikram!!

Ikram stormed into his room, got hold of his Add Maths text book and started glancing at the formulas and the equations......My nightmare has slowly turned into a wonderful dream.

So it was the beginning of a gruelling initiation period for Ikram, 4hours a day for 7days.......Everyday he came back smelling like the incense from Mrs.Radha's home due to the long hours he spent there.

Mrs.Radha later called and told me that Ikram is so clever, he could do ALL the topics without much coaching.

Both his papa and me are perplexed how is it that suddenly he has become so clever? Papa's hypothesis is that possibly Ikram was in a trance due to the incense burnt at Mrs. Radha's house. If that is proven to be a theory, Papa is willing to buy the whole box and burn it under Ikram's table when he sits for his SPM exam next year!

Mrs.Radha: The only reason that he failed his tests is because he lacks practice!

mama: for the entire year I've been telling you, Ikram, for you to excell in Add Maths, you need to practice!!! No compromise! Kenapa bila Mrs.Radha cakap baru Ikram nak ikut?

Ikram: Sebab mama baik, Ikram tak takut!!.......

Well, since he is so frightened of Mrs.Radha, I've enrolled Ikram for the full time tuition starting this friday until his SPM exam next year..

How about that, Ikram??, do you choose to be a 'hero from zero' or 'macho tapi hancor'????.....

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The Aftermath of 'Together gather'

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The STF74 gathering was a huge success. Betul!!! Not because I was the host, but the warmth and the spirit of friendship that hovered throughout the occassion. It was a peculiar feeling, where status and credentials were cast aside and ALL of us were transformed into giggly remove class girls of 1969!!

Eventhough all of us were educated the same way, in the same environment, the outcome is surprisingly quite varied. In the group, there is a Toh Puan, a Datin, and lots and lots of 'Professors Dr.' so much so that if you throw a currypuff, it would most likely hit someone with that title!

On the other hand, 2 friends who came all the way from the East Coast have dedicated themselves deep into religion. However, still a sport because they do not mind when I went like: Nik, nak tengok muka engkau! When I slide the purdah covering the face, she flashed me a very wide sweet smile,still the same Nik I remember as the school debater of 1973!

The kembar tak siam, Ajam and Mah are still the same cheeky girls, I caught them gossipping about someone's asset at one corner of the house!!!Minon who was lost, arrived sweaty and puffing, bearing 4 BIG containers of very delicious savoury. I'm sorry Minon if I've hurt your feelings in the past, but I still remember how Mrs. Anandan hit you on the head with a sendok and called you 'grumpy pot!!'(you were our class monitor that year!) It was a scandal when later we listed down all the abuses we got from her during the Home Science class and submitted the complaint to the Headmistress. The experience must be very traumatic to most of us and I'm pretty sure that is the contributing factor to our failure to excell in cooking until NOW.I wonder where that 'tight-black-bra-wearing' lady is now, God bless her!

The topics of conversation were of course around family matters, children, place of work etc, I didn't quite get into much discussion as I was busy being a host, making sure there was enough food, drinks and plates for everyone. But I did hear the word 'menopause' being discussed over and over again by various caucus!! Come on people, talk about 'financial instruments' for once, please!!!!!

Rosni from Dubai felt bad about not being able to participate and sent her love through the SMS, and Cik Pah will certainly have enough memories to bring back to Angola, until the next gathering.

Saed the coordinator did a splendid job in getting everyone together and I saw her giving the direction until the very last. Itu lah, orang dah e-mailkan location map, nak bukak e-mail pun tak reti!!!!hei...makcik, makcik!!.....

Anyway, we are supposed to keep our calendar open for July next year, as STF will be celebrating it's 50th anniversary which coincides with our 50th birthdays! (must we be reminded????). Maton asked us:'eh, betul ke aku ni dah nak 50tahun??'..Reality check, Prof, reality check........

Thanks everyone, kalau ada yang terkurang, tersilap, terlepas kata, minta maaf banyak2, Okey?!?....

STF74 H/Raya together gather

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My friends who left school together after SC/MCE in 1974 decided to have a get together bersempena H/Raya. For most, this is the first 'meet again' session after 31 years!!! I have the opportunity to meet some of them earlier and my, have they changed!(in terms of sizes and definitely personalities).

This group represents the success story of the Dasar Ekonomi Baru. We started schooling in 1963 and sat for the special exam to enter residential school in 1968. We were the anak petani, nelayan, polis, askar, cikgu kampong etc from all over Malaysia, very poor malay girls but had the brain and the drive to lead a better life in the future.

Looking back, we were not unlike the lost generation of the Maoris.(Hey, I watched the documentary in National Geographic Channel!) We didn't realise it then, but,I suppose it was for our own good. In the residential school,we were given place to live (read:Dormitory, all lights out at 10pm), food to eat (chicken only on Friday), timetable for studies, class, sports, activities, the timing of which were as precise as the clockwork. Punishments were aplenty (5sen for every malay word spoken! keji lah korang prefects!!!!scholarship kitorang only RM20.00 per month tau!!nak beli pad lagi!) and nobody cared about our shock of being displaced, our feelings and misery ( because we were poor, we were not supposed to be anymore miserable than we already were!), whether we were sad or missing our family in the kampongs. The utmost importance was academic excellence. Period. Teruk lah headmistress masa tu, macam emak tiri dalam film bawang putih bawang merah, err, no, macam Nyonya mansor dalam film Ibu Mertuaku!. Matron pun nak tumpang sekaki tunjuk lagak! Padahal tugas dia untuk jaga makanan and laundry ajer, ni nak sebok jaga kutu orang sama, check kain dalam pakai ke tidak bagai....pervert aper?

After SC/MCE (the current version of SPM), most of us were sent abroad to get professional qualifications. I suppose this was the turning point for some of us, the only opportunity, for once, to think for ourselves as to what to do with our own lives.

The list of attendees to the 'together gather'is very impressive. Amongst us will be heads of local University faculties (award winner osso got! - eh,how come I sound like Wong Ah Beng???), Professors, Doctors, Pharmacist, Lawyers, Architect, Accountants, Teachers, Engineers, Actuarist, Researchers, Government Administrators and businesswomen. At least 3 of them are working grandmothers!!!Ooohh...tidak!!!!Oh ya, forgot to mention, one lady is coming back all the way from Angola to join the carnival. She is working as an expatriate for the Exxon-mobil there and I heard she is bringing back diamonds as H/Raya gifts for all of us!. I told you that we are an impressive group, Malaysia boleh!!

I've offered my house to be the gathering place this Sunday. Hope it has enough space to accomodate 45 professionals who have not met for 31 years.....Welcome Srikandis....

Peace to the world!!!

Imran (13yrs.) and Ikram (16yrs), celebrating the Aidilfitri with their 98yrs old great-grand-mother whilst showing the PEACE sign.
4 Generations gap? What generations gap?? Caya lah Nek Tok!!!!

Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri

Minal aidil Wal faizin...

H/Raya itinerary:
2/11: Pulang berhari Raya di Kuala Pilah.
4/11: Balik ke Kuala Lumpur
5/11: BerRaya dengan mother-in-law di Cheras.
7/11: Back to work
12/11: Papa ke Cairo
19/11: Papa balik dari Cairo
20/11: Hosting H/Raya together gather for stf74 group at Mutiara
26/11: Open house for Rajawali Staff and MAS Flight Safety Crew.

Have a nice Syawal celebrations, everybody!!!

Come, see a shark!!

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Ikram said that his school is organizing an end of year trip to the aquaria. The transportation, the entrance fee and lunch cost RM48.00.

mama: why would you want to waste money just to see an aquaria? You've been to the Sea World in Hong Kong, San Diego and Gold Coast!
Ikram: It's OK, I'll pay for it. Last week masa tak ada duit kecik, mama ada pinjam my RM30.00. So, if you pay me back with interests, I can use it to pay for the trip.

Papa: If you want to look at some fish, just step into the garden, go see mama's pond. It's full of Koi.
Ikram: But she doesn't have a shark!
mama: well, I DO have a loan shark right here in my room!!!...
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In Search of IRMA

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We spent the whole weekend searching for Irma. Dilla prepared a pamphlet about our missing cat, and we went around the entire neighbourhood asking if anyone has seen Irma. We asked the Bibiks, the supirs, the ma'am ..whoever. I even snooped at the neighbour's swimming pool, just incase my cat is floating in there! I left brochures at the restaurants, in the event Irma stops by there for food. Dilla's friend puts up Irma's foto at a cat's forum in the internet.

I drove to Irma's vet and notify him. Incase Irma is injured and some good samaritan brings her to see him for treatment. He is all bitter, suggesting one of my neighbours must have stolen Irma. His theory based on his experience: Irma is too heavy for long walks, she is too friendly to run away from strangers, she is so plump and fluffy that anybody would want to have her. By the end of his long list, I was already in tears...lots of tears....

Papa said he'll get me another pedigree cat. I refused, I don't want to be in the same predicament, ever again.
If someone has indeed taken Irma away, I hope that she will be taken care of, in a much better way than I did.
Imran said, at least Irma was very happy when she was with us! Ohhhh, No!!!! How do I stop these tears?????
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IRMA, pulang lah!!

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I'm having a lump in my throat and a knot at the pit of my stomach!! Irma has been missing from home and this is the 3rd morning that she has not had her breakfast before I leave for work. Mana Irma ni!!! Suddenly the house is so quiet. I have been scouring the entire neighbourhood for the past 2 evenings since she's been gone. Imran said if I can see her, means she can find her way home. Is she lost?? Irma has never ventured anywhere further than the garden and the neighbour's fence. Is she stuck at the underground drain? She's too huge for the drain and besides I've been looking at all the covered drains around the house. Has she been following the 'Pakcik Tom' yang selalu datang mengurat dia? Cannot be as Irma has been spayed and I saw the Pakcik yesterday at my backyard and I offered him food.
Takut kalau2 Irma kena langgar kereta! Every brown item I saw by the roadside is frightening me. Macamane kalau Irma diambil orang? But, Irma eats boiled mackerel about 5 times a day. She can't even have it whole, kena buangkan kepala and tulang, otherwise she will choke! and she needs her 'sweetheart' biscuits in-between her meals, and RO water at her bistro! and she loves her grooming session everynight.......

Balik lah Irma, I miss you!!!..I have not smiled since you've been gone!
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My TY Beanies Colleczion

I have been collecting TY beanies since 1999. Initially, I bought every TY in the list but later when my display cabinet was about to burst, I focus on the bears only. I wonder if there is anybody in Malaysia who has the same hobby as mine??

In the US, the TY collectors are really passionate about the beanies. Ada satu cerita in the newspapers I once read, a couple going thru divorce went to court to split their beanies collection. These beanies are really costly especially the retired ones. Ty produces only a few pieces of a certain character,each tagged with a name,a birthday and a set of poem, and if you miss buying them when they are still available, you have to buy them from other collectors.You can gather a lot of information from their official website at http://www.ty.com.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day cataloging and arranging my beanies.There are hundres of them, by the time I'm finished, I was completely 'pancit'....
Papa said, this Hari Raya open house, he is going to ask his office staff to each guess how many are there TY in my cupboards. Siapa dapat beri jawapan yang betul nanti dapat hadiah!!!!....

Duit Belanja

I dropped Imran infront of his school today. Before he got down from the car, he asked: 'duit belanja??'

mama: Imran nak buat apa duit belanja? kan puasa?
Imran: Sebagai ganjaran Imran pergi sekolah, baru lah bersemangat sikit!
mama: Apa ganjaran mama hantar Imran pergi sekolah hari2?
Imran: You get a learned son!
......(*wow! my son actually used the word 'learned', instead of 'clever','obedient' or the usual 'hensem!!!'*)......

mama: Bulan puasa tak ada duit belanja, kita kena menghayati bulan puasa, salah satu cara kita cuba rasa macamane orang miskin hidup seharian, tak ada makan, minum and tak ada duit belanja.....

Nasib baik Imran dah takde masa nak argue, terus turun dari kereta. I could almost hear him say: 'Nanti raya, kita cuba menghayati macamne kehidupan orang kaya pulak???'...

RAMADZAN

Selamat menyambut kedatangan Ramadzan Al-Mubarak. Semoga kita semua mendapat keberkatan dibulan yang mulia ini.
To my daughter Tasya, selamat berpuasa yet again di perantauan, tetapkan iman, kuatkan semangat demi menuju kejayaan.

Dinner at Uptown

Last Friday papa came back from attending one week Flight Safety seminar in Singapore. Perhaps he thought that I might have fed his children poorly while he was away, so he drove us all to Uptown Damansara for dinner.

Actually we were not that hungry but glutton me ordered kerang rebus, sotong kangkung and rojak buah (all free cholesterol but not cholesterol free!!). Dilla had koayteow goreng , Imran ordered stake and both papa and Ikram decided on good old nasi goreng.
As we were about to dig on the food, an old man, wearing kopiah, the age of my late father before he passed away, appeared out of nowhere.

Pakcik: Assalamualaikum tuan, puan..
mama: Waalaikumsalam pakcik!
Pakcik:Puan, pakcik nak minta sedekah RM2, pakcik lapar nak makan nasi lemak.
Papa: Pakcik nak makan apa, pakcik order nanti saya bayarkan..
Pakcik: .....reluctant...
papa tak pasal2 nak create a scene dengan pakcik ni pulak dah!!!
mama: ...(Take out RM**), nah pakcik, saya sedekah kerana Allah....
Pakcik: Terima kasih, puan.
The pakcik disappeared.

Papa told me there is a syndicate in the area carried out by a group of people who take advantage of our generousity. They make use of starved looking children and scruffy old man to solicit money and the mastermind is just somewhere around the corner observing all the activities. For all you know, you are the 10th person being fleeced tonight.

mama: The poor pakcik most probably would prefer to spend his time with his family, or in a surau waiting for Isyak, rather than begging money for food. Biarlah papa. Kalau dia nak tipu mama, it's between him and God. and sedekah mama is between me and my God!..
Wallahuwa'lam.

How Old Can You Grow?

On my last birthday, papa asked me what's in my wishlist. I've long forgone my desire for BIG diamond rings (the clamour for rocks fades with age, I suppose!). So, my wish was for me to live happy and healthy and I will be most grateful if God grants me another 20 years on planet earth. By then, all the kids will be having their own families and probably would not need my guidance anymore.

papa: You must be joking!!
mama: What?? Why?? (I was near tears thinking that papa did not have the confidence that I will be celebrating my next birtday).....

papa: You will live till at least 98 years old, just like your grandmother!!
mama: (.....sigh....relief!!!)

My grandmother lives thru all the past episodes of the Japanese occupation (all the gory stories), The British governing Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, Malayan Union and the Proclamation of Merdeka. (Please pardon my historical illustrations, hey, I'm supposed to be a zoologist, you know!).
My grandfather passed away in 1965 when she was..(let me calculate...)58 years old. She has been a widow for the past 40 years! ...40 lonely years....and still counting.....
In my kampong in Kuala Pilah, almost 3/4 of its population are widows. The women tend to outlive the men. Besides my own mother, there is Wan Omok Jorah, Wan Acik Siti, Mak Long Esah, Mak Long Inun, Wan Ngah Jenab, Mak Ngah Sorah, Mak Embong Sumah,Kak Itam, Kak Embong Jauhari....they all live around my mother's house and they are all widows. There was a theory that Negeri Sembilan women are a power to reckon with due to the adat perpatih which they practise, that's probably one of the contributing factors that drives their husbands early to graves!..Ooops, Datuk Seri Rais Yatim doesn't know about this blog, does he?

In fact, my kampong should get the title 'Kampong Janda Baik!'

Back to papa's suggestion, if I am to live as long as my grandmother, I'll have another (a quick back of the envelope calculation, roughly roughly lah!) 49 years to haggle and hassle in this dog eat dog world. And if I follow my grandma's path, papa will be with me for another 9 years?!?

mama: ..Eeeiii, kalau papa takde, mama pun tak nak idup lah!!!
papa:...?!!?(surprise,blurr,confuse,suspicious)....ini mesti case malas nak pergi pasar ni!!....

A BOY CALLED JOHNY

My son Imran goes to SMTTDI, a public school, very much out of his own choice. It was a deal I striked with him even before he sat for his UPSR. He was begging me not to enroll him at the private school where his brother Ikram goes to, as none of his present friends will be going there to further their secondary education. Friends, obviously, are very important to him.
I told him that he may continue his studies at SMTTDI provided he scored 5As in his UPSR, anything less, he'll be Ikram's schoolmate! He miraculously obtained 5As and I have to keep my promise.

Imran told me that his school has a mixture of students from various economic status. There are the rich from elite Taman Tun Dr. Ismail and the surrounding housing estates, the middle class from Kg. Sg. Penchala, there are also students from rumah Yayasan Anak Yatim, and from the orang asli settlement of Kg. Bukit Lanjan. He tells me a lot of stories regarding his school chumps each time I drive him to and from school.

Imran said, in another class, there is a boy whose name is Johny Bin Ali. At Form one, and after 6 years of primary education, he still cannot read or write. He has no idea which school the boy went to before, because Johny doesn't even speak, except amongst a few orang asli boys who are a little bit better than him. Johny wears a dirty shirt (looks like it has never been washed), a pair of trousers which is full of murals and the teacher said he sleeps all the time in class. The other day, someone must have donated a pair of new school shoes to him. During recess, he shook Imran's leg, pointed to Imran's shoes and to his as well. Imran asked:oh, nak ikat tali kasut? Johny nodded. Imran taught him how to tie the shoelace on one shoe and asked him to try do it for himself on the other.

Johny doesn't get punished for not wearing the school tie, obtains free food from the abang who sells burger and hotdog at the canteen. And, whenever he meets Imran during recess, he indicates his forefinger asking for RM1 to buy drink.

mama:Imran, dahlah, toksah cerita pasal Johny lagi, mama sedih lah! Nah mama bagi extra pocket money for you to donate to Johny.......

Imagine, 10 years from now, what and where will Johny be????.....

The Apprentice

"You can fly higher than an eagle, I'll be the wind beneath your wings...."

Left to right:
The future Telecommunication Engineer, a Doctor, a Property Developer and an Accountant.

But when they were smaller, they said they aspired to be(in the same order):
an Askar, The Pencari Madu Lebah, a Driver kereta Bomba and a Kindergarten teacher.
I was quietly gasping over the potential of my ROI (Return On Investment)......

My travels around the world

I used to tell the gang, in the event that I unintentionally finished up all my wealth in my lifetime and left you all nothing, I can still be at peace as I've given the opportunity for you to get the best form of education, and the travels that we have done together to open up your minds.....

I could have done more travels if not for the fact that I don't enjoy them if the kids are not around to share the experience. So, any plan will start with the choosing of dates when everybody could spare the time. Of course, in the course of his duty, papa has seen 3/4 of the earth's crust, but often I could not follow due to my chauffer job during school days. I could assign the office driver to send or pick the boys up but most times I have to suffer even more listening to many complaints:
'This Uncle Mat is always late!!!,
'Why can't uncle Mat park nearer to the gate? I have to walk soooo far,
'Does uncle Mat know how many times I have to tawaf around the school before he sees me??? (this episode prompts me to call Mat on the phone all the way from Makkah,while doing my pilgrimage!!).
A tear jerker used to come from Ikram: mama, are you too busy today to even pick me up from school????
That's it folks, that's the beginning of my fulltime career as a professional schoolcar driver.

So, these are the places that we managed to see so far:-

1994: Medan, Brastagi, Indonesia.
1995: Tokyo, Japan.
1996: Los Angeles, California.
: Jakarta, Bandung, Indonesia.
1997: Tour of Europe covering UK, Belgium,Holland,Germany,Switzerland and France.
1998: Hawaii, USA.
1999: Hong Kong, ROC.
2000: New York,
: Orlando, Florida
2001: Beijing, China.
2002: Umrah,
: Gold Coast, Australia.
2003: Haj.
: Umrah.
2005: London, UK.

And we do enjoy our numerous trips to Singapore for Christmas shopping..

Oooopss,... errrr,... we've not been to Kelantan yet!!!!!

SPM Candidate, 2006

My elder son, Ikram, walked into my room and asked everybody to be quiet as he has an important meeting with mama. He brought a long list with him and told me that he has to decide on the subjects to take for his SPM next year.

SPM??? I broke into cold sweat., not so soon....I mean Ikram just sat for his PMR last year. I have not recovered from the stress yet. We are talking about a dude who questioned my obsessions with the mandatory A's that he has to show me in his exam slip.

Ikram: well mama, if you know I'm good, then I'm good, even if I get 8Bs in my PMR.
mama: kepala hotak hang!!!!

One day while fetching him from a tae-kwon-do class, he suggested that he doesn't have to sit for all his science subjects, it's easier if he concentrates and become a tae-kwon-do instructor instead!
mama: kalau hang nak jadi kaki pukui, might as well I send you to a Tamil school from the beginning! tak payah habiskan duit pergi Sri Bestari!!!
Ikram: mama, can't you take it with humour?
mama: no humour when 2 issues are involved, 1) your education 2)my money!

Now Ikram told me that he can sign up for a total of 104 subjects for his SPM next year.
mama: so, you want to take 103 subjects?
Ikram: what subject do you want me to drop, then?
mama: I don't know, may be Bahasa Tamil??
Ikram: Oh, no! mama, I'm so looking forward to ace that subject!!!!

He must have gotten his gene from somewhere...sounds familiar...

After a lenghty EGM, I agreed to Ikram sitting for 12 subjects. Besides the normal science package, he is signing up for additional papers for ESL, Tassaur Islam and prinsip Akaun. While filling up the form to be submitted together with the fees, he shot a last question:

'Are you sure you don't want me to sign up for "penjagaan muka dan rambut", or "membaikpulih basikal"?????

mama:....Ikram!!!!!!!!##%%$$^&*!! Jaga muka hang dulu, pi shave!!!You are beginning to look like Shih Huang Ti!!!!
Ikram: Who is this dude, Shih Huang Ti??
mama: He's my great, great, great grandfather!!!!

My blood pressure must have registered 180:90, long before the exam season starts.....

BEST OF LUCK, TASYA!!

I called Tasya on her hand phone and she told me that she is doing a very last minute revision for a thesis presentation which will take place within the next hour.

Good Luck, darling! Papa and mama sentiasa berdoa untuk kejayaan Tasya!

I've been found out!

Late yesterday evening, I received an sms from Tasya:

'Ma! Ya Allah, mama pun ada blog?? Terkejut Asya, ha, ha, ha..Papa tau ke ni??.. '

and my prompt reply was:

'Papa tak boleh tau ke? It's not like as if I'm having an affair, is it? Tasya first to read my blog! No, I'm not gay!...'

Bila agaknya Dillot akan discover my blog?!#%^&*?? .......


No worries, mate! we'll just treat it as pages from a diary. and as what Bridget Jones said at the end of the movie: 'Diaries are, as you know, full of crap!!!'..........

Da Katz

I am totally, wholly, completely smitten by my cats. I love them and in my house, my 7 cats are treated like my very own children.

It all started in May 2003, when we just reached home from Imran's school. (I was and still am his money-machine chauffer). Imran spotted this pathetic looking creature, a white little thing with a kink tail at our rubbish bin. Someone must have thrown a poor kitten right infront of our house. Imran scooped him up, took him in, washed and fed him and begged me to take care of the poor fella. Within an hour we found ourselves at a pet's store, shopping for kitten's things like a litter box, a cage, some toys and of course his food and milk. We called him 'Putih' due to his coat colour, but later on, as per customary in my household, he is reffered to as Puts, putsy-mutsy etc.....

This guy got an idea that he is an only child, cos, he is the only one in the house with a tail(albeit a kinked one)! He got spoiled rotten, fancies only boiled fish and Kentucky fried chicken! He eats everybody up, and everybody in the house including the maid has at least one scar on either the arm or the leg! He also sprayed me with his urine while I'm still alive and standing. One sunday morning, he jumped straight on top of papa, still sleeping on the bed, and watered him down completely from the top of his comforter.......
We figured out that puts must be lonely and needed a friend.Imran and I decided to buy a girlfriend for him. That's how we ended up carting Irma home one evening in December 2003... and as nature has it, I am the proud grandma of 3 kiddos whom Tasya and I personally assisted to be delivered on 2ndJuly 2004. Imran called them Priyanka (because of her southern Indian look), Bella and Fur.

As the house is already too crowded by now, they have all been spayed. Alas, last May we picked up another 2 strays when we were in Kuala Pilah visiting my mother. The kittens were so sick, covered with fungus, having bad diarrhoea and nearly blind. we put them in a box and brought them back with us. The family vet did a good job on them and they got a second lease of life. Now they are the adopted children of puts and Irma, we call them ChiHuaHua and Tuxedo.
Papa said no more cats please, cos, each time he bought fish at tesco, someone will surely comment if he is cooking laksa. He wouldn't want to be buying an amount where someone will suspect that he is a pasar malam vendor any time soon.

Irma is the one closest to me. She waits for me to arrive home, everyday. The moment my car is parked, somehow, she will appear from somewhere. She will then be at my feet and will even wait up infront of the bathroom. Papa designates her as my PA/Aide-de-camp/official autobiographer/executive contributor towards my sneezing bouts........

One day while driving Imran to school I declared: 'nanti bila mama dah tua and has no more use of my money, I want to convert my land in Kuang to be a stray cats' sanctuary, where they can roam around freely at the gardens. They will have their very own caretakers and inhouse vet, all cats are welcomed.'
Imran: when you are about to have no use of your money, kindly notify me first, okey!!!.......

IRMA!!!!........

Malam Nisfu Shaaban

I was explaining over lunch to the gang that tonight is 'malam nisfu shaaban'. Imran asked what's that? well, it's the time of the year where all your good and bad deeds which has been recorded throughout the year be sent up to heaven, and your new record book for this year will be started immediately after the maghrib prayers. You certainly want the first recording be something fantastic like reading the surah Yassin, rather than which team wins in the match between Manchester United vs. Liverpool tonight!

Imran: Really? When does this start? this year?
Mama: Holy cow, Imran! This exercise had been on since the days of the prophet!!!!!......

Tasya, buah hati pengarang jantung?!?

Yesterday, my daughter tasya sent an sms:'mama, are you free, can you call me?'..She is currently in UK studying for her Masters in Engineering at a very prestigious College. We are soooo proud of her! I graduated from a local university when she was 25 days old, and determined that she is going to achieve better things in life as compared to mine!

Back to the call, I, as usual, instantly dialled her number.

mama: Tasy, what's up?
Tasy: mama, what are you doing? what time is it?
mama: It's 3.30pm, I've just woken up from my afternoon slumber. Ponteng from office, Papa baru habis 3days conference, dia take a break,so, mama nak break jugak! How's your thesis?
Tasy: Oh, OK, dah siap, alhamdulillah....next week dah nak hantar, I'll be staying until December, dah tak sabar nak balik m'sia. mama, ma ingat tak kawan tasy yang nama A*** tu? alah yang mama kata cantik macam TV3 newsreader tu? Dia dah nak kawin!!!!! Pastu the thing is, mama, dengar betul2 no interruption: emak dia nak meminang tasy untuk abang dia, okey!!!! abang dia very succesful exec, drive BMW, very single but 30 years old! emak dia kenan sangat kat tasy, nak tunggu tasy habis belajar!
mama: eeii, what makes mama kenan kat anak dia? Tak nak lah tasy, dah 30 years old belum kawin2, ntah2 dia gay tak??
Tasy: MAMA!!!! I was thinking of the same thing, macamane mama boleh terfikir macam tu?
mama: mama baca banyak blog budak2 melayu M'sia sekarang, ramai yang gay!
Tasy: Ya Rabbi!!! sejak bila mama baca blog???? ha, ha,ha........

There you are. Reading other peoples' blog can be so useful...

Create a blog!!!

I have been tinkering with an idea of having my own blog. Have been reading others' thoughts thru their blogs for a while now, at first, I was just trying to fill up my time by being a 'kaypoh', later thru some blogs I took a peak at how students overseas try to cope with their lives so that I have more knowledge on how to counsel my daughter who is in UK and having problems every now and then. Some bloggers say that blogging is therapeutic, some treat it as a space to be themselves under anonymousity. Today, I found myself creating one for myself. Let's see where I'll get to be from here............