Of Regrets and Reprisals...

Sigh.....I am stupidity incarnate..... I am a woman who gives in to wills and emotions and ends up with her foot in her mouth. In my arrogance, I failed to consider the feelings of others, in my rashness I failed to realise that I may be wrong. In my conceit, I have hurt people who are the closest to me. This is the folly of letting the heart speak before the mind. This is the result of the separation of emotion and intellect.

I fear I have gone a bit too far in dealing with a delicate matter which could have been handled differently. Had I taken a step back and calmed myself down or talked myself down I would not be in this predicament. Yesterday I was all for shaking up the world, highlighting faults and weaknesses of others. I was strong, the voice to be reckoned with, the authority of everything, pointing fingers at those offenders. Listen to me for I have you wrapped around my fingers; I am and I be.

Today, the wind has gone out of my sails, the sea is calm and when I look back at the aftermath of the storm, I shudder at the damage I have caused. It is too late to apologise, too late to undo the hurt, too late to sew up the wounds. I will now sit and await the reprisals of my actions. I may have made enemies of people I love most. And one in the making. I might not make it out of this quandary I created for myself. Such is the pomposity of this woman.....

Not going to make excuses that what I did was for the best. Perhaps to a certain extent. I initiated it and was fueled when one party acquised to my rantings. But when I was challenged by the other party, it was like a time bomb exploding. What I had kept to myself came out full force. Words spewing out like lava; molten hot. Gleefully I engaged myself in a portentous dialogue. After all, who is she to question me: the expert of life; second to none. There I go again, on my pedestal preaching to all; I am the sage, the guru, the pundit.

STOP! Lest I write myself into having more grandiose ideas about rights and wrongs, I will sit and ponder and prepare for Nemesis. For having been visited by her sister Eris last night, Nemesis will follow soon after.

Goodbye for now, I will make my way to that internal recesses to reflect upon my actions....

Goodbye Tuti.....

When MIL was around, I was pampered. I thought that was the definition of pamperedness. But I overlooked the fact that I have been pampered for longer than that. I forgot about Tuti....the trusty maid who's been with us for 4 years. Now she's gone. Gone home for good. Well, not that I didn't want her to stay on. And not that she didn't want to stay on. Too many complications led us to part ways.

Izza n Tuti

Anyway, our lives have been enriched by the other's presence. I'd like to think that she learnt a lot from me especially about marriage and being a mother. And that she has taught Ilham to be 70% independent is something I will be eternally grateful. When previously Ilham could not manage himself in his toilet, he is able to now. When Ilham could not speak properly, she taught him to say his do'a before eating and sleeping. She also made him recite the ummul kitab until he memorised it.

Life was taken for granted. I would come home and that need for caffeine was fulfilled in a jiffy by just saying,"Tuti, nak Nescafe". When ilham throws a tantrum and I am too tired to attend to him,"Tuti, adik nak apa ni? Tolong layan dia kejap." And soon after, there will be peace and quiet.

Well, Tuti finally left last Sunday and we are now between maids. Because it is at year end and Izza has completed her PMR, there is no urgency for a maid yet. We are looking.... we can't not have a maid because of Ilham. Now, there is nobody to ask my Nescafe from. Izza looks at me funny if I ask her for a cuppa. Imran will say, "nanti kejap ma, masa commercial nanti" if I ask him for a glass of water. But to be absolutely fair, these two children of mine have been a tremendous help in managing the house and Ilham while I'm at work. Except that Izza n SIL washed the carpet on Monday - horror!!!! But everything's fine for the moment. Until the laundry pile is higher than me, the dust bunnies rule the house or another outfit gets ruined.... (I ruined one last night - iron was too hot). And Baba, the dear sweetheart has to send his clothes to the cleaners.....(for fear that I'll ruin them) until then we'll be alright without a maid.

Ah... P/S will be going to Carrefour after work, to buy a new rice cooker, a new stove and finally a vacumn cleaner.... go figure

OH ME, OH MY.....

This week started out just fine. I took Monday off just to have a girls' day out with Izza and SIL. We had fun. Well, separately; we dropped Izza off at Borders and went off to explore. Bought me the third handbag in a 4 days (Baba....pls don't read this!!) and some other non necessecities. Best part of course was when we got hungry. Grilled fish in assam sauce and rice and then we scooted to Sushi King, and for dessert: crispy apam balik with chocolate and peanut butter spread. YUM......

Tuesday was quite interesting, I was invited to attend the launch of "Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan" at DBKL. The choir sang beautifully. A far contrast from MARA's choir group. (hehehehe). They sang and danced and then the VVIPs stumbled in their speeches. The lighting was such that these 'warga emas' could not read their speeches because their multifocals couldn't focus. hahahahahaha....... That was good fodder for a joke. We were giggling in our seats. Then the host ushered the minister to the side of the stage to get down, luckily they stopped in time because the steps were way off to the other side...HAHAHAHAHA.... gosh, I have tears in my eyes thinking back. That afternoon, Izza sprained her ankle......

Wednesday dawned sunny and clear. Did some work at the office. I do need to earn some of my keep don't I? Anyway, it was an ordinary day till Imran came home from school. I thought something was up when he didn't smile that adorable smile of his. Then I noticed his bloody nose and fat lip!!!! OMG...what happened? I screamed. He put his head on my shoulder and started sobbing. My poor, poor angel.... (Izza, do not puke!). Apparently, he tried to break up a fight between his best friend and another boy and got punched by accident. At that point the two boys were stunned and profusely apologised to Imran. Well, that was his story. Now, Imran has a history of fabricating facts whenever he thinks it will get him out of trouble. So Izza took on the role of the Inquisitor, but I have to say, I appreciated her gentleness in treating Imran last night. Imran stuck to his story throughout the night. In the end we believed him. But Baba's reaction was another story; it ranged from going to meet the teacher, to making a police report, to going to the clinic (after I mms imran's pic) and then to blaming Imran for being friends with the likes of those boys.

I only had this to say to Imran: "Now you see why you shouldn't cry wolf. People won't believe you even if you are telling the truth. I know you're hurting but isn't it more hurting when we doubt your story?", and to that he replied," Yes, Mum. I'm hurt that nobody believed me at first. And I don't ever want to be in a fight if this is how painful it is. I won't lie anymore." AWWWwwwwwww..... Yeah me, the sucker Mum. Till the next time, Imran.

ILHAM KHALID

Ilham - better known as Adik. Is 11 years old this year. This was taken on 11/10/09 a day after his actual bday. A week after Hari Raya he had gone back to KB with MIL and SIL. He got all excited flying on MAS. SIL kept quoting to him 'Adik, kita naik MAS'...hahaha...he answered, 'Malaysia Airlines' to her consternation. You see, Adik has ADHD with limited vocabulary. To this day he is only able to string 2 -3 word sentences at a time. However, he can be very observant and sharp; when he wants to be. So he was in KB for about two weeks. At first he was soooo happy to be the centre of attention of MIL, SIL and a great aunt. Everyday he gets to eat his favourite dishes (except Maggi and such), literally spoon fed and hand fed. Bathed and groomed, attended to and all the trappings of a spoiled brat. But after a week or so, he started to whine for Baba... OF ALL PEOPLE.....why not Mummy??????????

Many a nights I sit wondering...WHY??????

He would cry out for Baba....that was a sign, time with grandma is about to come to an end. So we got tickets for Air Asia and he got excited all over again. Adik has this affinity with vehicles. Any kind, as long as he can ride in it. A 14 hour journey is heaven for him. An 8 hour journey by bus is not enough. Once, when he got down from the bus from KL to KB, he whined to get back on the bus and continue the journey to where, he doesn't care. So we try to let him experience as many rides as he can. There are still a few he has not tried : boats, trains, cable cars, motorbikes. Insyallah, we will find ways for him to.

My heart weeps for his condition but sings at God's mercy for bestowing me this child that brings such joy in my life. Oh yes, we fight a lot.... he is a very, very demanding person. Not just for my attention, for material things too. Food especially. But never a day goes by that I do not smile at his latest antics and discoveries. Much of what we take for granted go beyond his understanding. A 'No' for any request is not final for him. In fact a 'No' is not an acceptable answer until he gets a 'Yes'. He will keep asking, over and over ....

'Mummy, pizza?' 'No, adik, no pizza.'

'Mummmmmyyyyyy, Pizzaaaaaaaa?' 'No',

'MUMMMMMYYYYY, PIZZAAAAAAA' 'No, adik!'

'wuaaaaaaaaaaa......mummyyyyyyyyyyy, pizzzzzzzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!'

'(sigh)...ok adik, jom pizza'

that is a normal conversation with him. Not, 'Hi mummy, how was your day at work?' I'd jump to the rooftop in shock and joy, if one day, that's the greeting from him when I come home from work. Until then, 'Mummy, KFC?'

Ramadhan..

Gosh, it's been awhile. There are several postings still in it's draft mode. I promised the kids that I'll dedicate a posting each but have yet to get around to doing them. What can I say about them other than them being a joy to have and to hold? Don't worry kids, I'll get there.

It's been more than a week of Ramadhan. This is the best Ramadhan ever.... my MIL decided to stay throughout the month and celebrate Eid with us. Yahoo.... no bought food for Iftar!!! Yup, she forbade me from buying any goodies for berbuka coz she'll do the cooking. But everytime she comes, my grocery bill triples. I told hubby baby, you want to eat good, you pay good. hahahaha... Well, he was complaining how come we keep running out of onions, rice, cooking oil, vegies so quickly? Duh.... put two and two together la.

So there goes my diet dreams for this month. In all our marriage years, we hardly ever wake up for sahur; this year, I'v only missed one day. How not to wake up when MIL bangs the door real hard at 4.45 am. And I mean real hard!! She makes us eat rice for sahur! Nanti lapar.... sigh.... the joys of being pampered. I have not cooked for three weeks. Not that I cooked all the time, but I don't have to help her at all. She does not like me in the kitchen when she is cooking. So I stay out of her way. You'll find me permanently attached to the TV most of the time nowadays. Blisss....

The Eldest

I said to my other half, since i had dedicated a post for him, my next three posts will be of the children. So Iwill begin with the eldest - Izza Khaleeda. My princess. The one and only rose among the thorns. She is a joy to be had.

I had started to write this post some time ago.

Today, 21st October 2009....

Izza has finally completed her PMR exams. Good for her. She actually studied hard. Studying has always been a concept I can never get. I was never a good student. That's why I am pleasantly surprised that Izza is actually a studious person. Phew.... that's one thing I am glad she did not get from me. Throughout her studying period she was treated like a princess. All the more with the endorsement of her father. Yes Izza, no Izza, of course you can sit there the whole day with your books while we run around you at your service Izza. Yup, that was exactly how it was for awhile.

But it was certainly worth it. Based on my friends checking her answers, they said she did pretty well. We hope she'll get more than 4As. So, now that PMR is over, you'd think her princess reign is over. It was over, for awhile till yesterday. My darling, adorable but clumsy daughter sprained her ankle while crossing the road!!!! Innalillah.... It was lucky that there was no speeding car in the picture. Her ankle was all swollen. Coincidentally it happened about the time I left the office. SIL called me and I picked them up and we went straight to the clinic. Now, she has to keep off that foot. The princess is back......

Other than that, I have to admit, Izza is a gem of a daughter. Er....most times. Always willing to give a hand. But kids will be kids. Sometimes I forget that and expect her to behave and act like a grown up. Well, it doesn't help when she towers over me and looks so much more mature than her age. That, she gets from her father. The height and physical maturity. No wonder she's Baba's girl. He's always telling me that Izza has isuues with me and has confided in him. But at the end of the day, we resolve our issues and carry on to being mummy and daughter amicably. Ok Izza?

WHAT A DAY

Phew... it's only 4.00pm and I am soooooo tired. My day started out with a nutritious breakfast; courtesy of health concious mom-in-law. No nasi lemak, roti canai but whole meal bread with fresh milk steeped with dates, raisins kept in the fridge overnight. That's a good recipe for Ramadhan if anyone is interested. Better still if almonds, red dates and figs are added.

Anyway, after that we cleaned out the cats lair while MIL (mom-in-law) swept the kitchen. It's hard work not having the maid even for three days. At 11.00am took a shower and sent Imran to One U for his outing with his buddies. We gave permission reluctantly, with the H1N1 and of all days he wants to go out, today is his aunt's graduation day. Izza and I sent him right to McD, the rendezvous. Met with his friends and reminded them to behave.

Then i received a message from his aunt to pick her up in front of TV3 at 12.00pm to go to her convo. Incidentally she is also a finalist for the Gadis Melayu Season 2.

Comel kan??? So, Izza and I decided to have a second breakfast while waiting. Gosh, did we stuff ourselves at JJ's food court. Next brunch destination with baba. By the time she arrived it was 12.30 and it took us sometime to get out of One World Hotel parking lot.....I forgot where I put the car...hehehe.... As soon as she got into the car,"K Han, tolong hantar Nini ke UM dulu. Nanti biar Mak and Abang Yong gi later."

Ok sis, anything for you today. So we went home for her to get ready. MIL refused to go before she performs her Zohor prayers. Baba was not home yet. He and MIL will be the guests of SIL in the Graduation Hall. When SIL (sis-in-law) was ready, Izza and I sent her to UM. Luckily the jam was on the opposite lane. People leaving the morning session of the Convo. Dropped her right in front of the Dewan Chanselor. As we were leaving we saw a sign for an alternative route to Damansara. We took that and missed all the jam going out of the UM main exit.

On the way home, Baba called and I told him that I will send him and MIL later to attend the convo. Parking would be a nightmare. When we arrived home, he had arrived and was playing with his new toy - NOKIA N75 - courtesy of his boss-for achieving company target. After another 30 minutes, Izza and I were on the road again with another set of passengers. Baba and MIL sat at the back. Throughout all this, Izza was studying for her PMR Trials next week. It was that or adding details to SIL's flyers for getting votes. On the way home we stopped at the bookstore to add on a few workbooks for her.

Now, we have to shower and get ready to pick them up for a celebration dinner. It'll just be five of us. Imran is sitting this one out. Phew.........

Mummy and Bah

It was 9.00 am. I was in an MRSM in the East coast waiting to observe a teacher teaching when my phone rang. It was my Mummy. The conversation goes like this:
Mummy: Are you still in KB?

Me: Yes, what can I do for you?

Mummy: Can you get a pice of batik material to make a shirt for Bah?

Me: Why didn't you ask me yesterday? I'm leaving early tomorrow and I'll going to Mak's (my Mom-in-law) for the rest of the evening. By the time I get to the hotel dah malam.

Mummy: In that case please ask Mak to go get it. I need you to get it before you get home.

Me: Why this urgent? Nak beli kain ke nak beli baju nye?

Mummy: Actually, your Bah wants me to give him a present. Around RM200-RM300.

Me: Huh?

Mummy: So, boleh ke tak?

Me: I'll see what I can do......

To make the story short, yeah, I got it. Nice piece.

I reached home on Wednesday afternoon. Around 3.30pm Bah arrived at my house to pick up Tuti and Ilham to go to Banting and house-sit till Sunday. Mummy cannot stand leaving the house empty if they go away. So my maid will have to be in their house the duration they are away. And my son cannot be left on his own. So both have to go. Their maid has taken an extended leave (go figure). They are both going to Lumut for a convention (yup, busy people they are). So I gave Bah the batik. And the conversation goes like this:

Me: Bah, here.... Mummy asked me to get this for you. She is giving you a present.

Bah: Humph.... thank you. How much is this?

Me: Mana boleh cakap, present kan?

Bah: Do you know that I had to ask Mummy to give me this present?

Me: (hah? apa hal pulak ni? Lain macam je bunyi) What's the story?

Bah: At first I hinted to your mother - Mummy, over the years I have given you so many things, everything, I have given you a plot of land that costs RM1.8 million, I have let you collect all the rent from all the houses and apartments, on top of that I give you money to spend every month. But you have never given me anything. You know what your mother answered?

Me: Er..... what?

Bah: Of course she said thank you. But that's it. So after a few days I hinted again; this year i gave you 65 red roses for your 65th birthday. But you didn't give me anything for my birthday. GIVE ME a present la...... then only she got the hint. That was Tuesday morning. Tu yg dia immediately call you.

Me: Oh.... you mean she didn't give you anything for your birthday? We gave you something didn't we?

Bah: Ya.... her birthday, I kena belanja makan, my birthday pun I kena belanja makan...ingat tak?

Me: er... ya....Kesiannya Bah

Izza: (She was there the whole time)....eh..eh...kesiannya Tok Bah.... Teruknye Tok Mi....

(She's his favourite grandchild by the way and Imran is Mummy's, Ilham is everybody's)

Me: Well, I am not surprised. that's Mummy for you. Kalau nak apa-apa she does not take hints. Kena cakap terus depan-depan.

Bah:...hahahaha.... I have lived with her 45 years, tapi she never got the hint.

OMG..... kesiannya Bah. Actually we all always feel sorry for him. My mom is the dominant half of the partnership. He always refers to her to make decisions. But theirs is a tongue in cheek relationship. There's a lot of give and take - him give, she take. That's why she has become quite spoilt over the years. OMG....Please, please don't read this Mummy and Bah.

Many a major decisions have to go through the 'Queen'. And any decisions involving monetary issues will have to go through a vetting process, PMI, etc. Not to mention binding contractual agreements of payments - on paper!! She has millions (literally) in the banks and yet, her favourite phrase is, "Eh...I have no money la..." Ask your father/grandfather. And Bah's answer is always, "Nanti saya bincang dengan Mummy/Tok Mi awak.." and the cycle continues. Sigh....

Imran and Tok Mi (Egypt Trip)Imran and Izza Izza and Tok Bah

But since my brother's passing, Mummy has mellowed down a lot. But old habits die hard. Last year, she and Bah took Izza and Imran to Egypt for 10 days and this year they plan to take the kids to Turkey. What about me??? My best friend came up with the perfect answer," they've given up on you. Tu la....rebellious sangat" Too true my friend, too true. But I am not abandoning my filial duties. Don't worry.

MARA

So many things have happened since I talked about my significant other. Let's see, I went to the east coast and observed teachers teaching - OMG, do they need to be motivated. No wonder :

Mara kaji semula prestasi MRSM merosot
PEKAN 6 Ogos – Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) akan melakukan kajian semula terhadap peranannya berikutan kemerosotan prestasi pelajar-pelajar di Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) di seluruh negara.
Timbalan Menteri Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah, Datuk Hasan Malek berkata, kajian semula itu akan memberi fokus sama ada agensi itu perlu memberi tumpuan kepada pendidikan atau perniagaan.
“Mara perlu mencari kekuatan berikutan pencapaian pelajar-pelajar di MRSM pada masa kini yang semakin merosot berbanding sebelum ini.
“Oleh itu kita akan melakukan kajian semula bagi menentukan fokus sebenar Mara pada masa depan,’’ katanya.
Beliau berucap sempena lawatan kerjanya di Pusat Tenun Diraja Pahang dan Pusat Ternakan Ikan Sangkar di sini hari ini.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0807&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_25.htm

Well, my work is cut out for the next few months. I hope this piece of news will 'open' somebody's Mr Magoo eyes that he has surely done irreparable damages to the system with his hare-brained schemes and ill prepared plans.

SIGNIFICANT OTHER

I think it's about time I introduce my other half. After all, in the last few posts I've referred to him with wry humour as to his antics. Sorry darling, I just could not resist. A tribute it would not be because he is as normal as a regular joe, as I am as normal as regular jane. But for one who has put up with me all these years; he deserves a standing ovation. Even at times when my parents threw up their hands in despair at my latest pomposity, he is always there in the background, ready to calm me down or take me down a peg or two.

In the early years, of course, we would be at each other's throats constantly. During those times, murder was never far from our minds (as if!). It is really true what they say, give your marriage 5 years to build a foundation and another 3 to make it a real home. It's been 17 years and I can't remember the last time we had a real argument. Maybe because we each know how the other will react to our latest mischief that we alter the outcome in order to customise the reaction? Perhaps. But isn't this another example of being sensitive to the other's needs? Oh ya, maybe that's why when he asks about my monthly expenditure the answer is usually,"I spent a lot on grocery, the kids' school needs, McD, Pizza all for the children..." instead of "I bought new shoes, handbags, etc...." Hey, both answers are correct but he did not need to know both right? Opps... darling if you read this- I don't know what possessed me to write these things. No, my handbag is soooo old, can you get me a new one??? ;)

Sigh.... susah lah pulak. Nak puji ke nak ...? Doesn't matter, I am that confident in him that he will read this and laugh his head off. Kan darling, kan?? He knows this is his quirky and weird wife. It's taken him all these years to finally understand me, albeit his receding hairline and greying hair while my hair is still black and I actually look his age (by our friends' claim). Incidentally he is 8 years younger. Yup, he is a baby.... but my baby...and i love you to bits.

PAMPERED FELINES

Remember those kittens? 3 little orphans they are. But at the rate they are being treated, they are better off than having a mother. Well, for one thing, Baba is forever on my case asking whether the kittens have been fed, their litter cleared, their cage cleaned and so on and so on... But it's been fun taking care of them. Everytime I come out of the kitchen with a kitty bottle, they get all excited and climb all over me or whoever's feeding them. They fight dirty too, scratching and hissing at each other to get to the bottle. In the end we got another kitty bottle. Then we weaned them, :( , I missed them cuddling up to me during feeding times. Now Baba is all excited to get them the best kitten food in the market. At RM30 per 400gms!!!! And a brush to keep their fur sleek and tangle free. Macam pure breed - padahal mixed breed je.

Kesian juga Izza n Imran, clean the cage, clear the litter box, (Oh not forgetting Tuti), masak bubur nasi - oh ya, 2 weeks ago one of the kittens (Rock - short for Rottweiler - ask Izza why) had diarrhea..... ohhhhh baba panicked; "Izza! Get on the Internet and search for how to care for kittens with diarrhea, bahaya tau, boleh mati kalau tak jaga, kena pergi vet ni...bla bla bla..." Izza found that giving them rice porridge with chicken helps to ease their stomachs and control their fecal state. So baba ordered mummy to make the porridge for the kittens. Luckily it worked. So they got fed rice porridge for two weeks. And don't forget to clean the bowls after every feeding. Baba's orders. Now, if you are wondering what Baba actually did during the hiatus caring for the kittens? I wonder myself...hahahahaha

ISA

Oh dear, what is this country coming to? I know many, many people want ISA to be abolished but surely there are other ways to make the intention known. I think the idea that if we come out in droves and threaten the peace is not the way. This act itself is the reason ISA was put in place!! Take that lone man who walked all the way to the istana and managed to hand in a 38 page meorandum to support ISA; don't you think he had the better idea? He even had time for a bowl of refreshment before the reporters got wind of his presence. Compare that to the thousands who seemingly are against ISA, causing shops and businesses to close down, causing me not to be able to go to my friend's daughter's wedding, causing thousands of people to be locked out of KL. My heart went out to my friend, who had the bad luck of planning his daughter's wedding on that day. Of all places to hold the reception, it was very,very near the march area. I think he must have thought that he'd better hold the wedding in a place easily accessible to family and kin; but it turned out to be the worst possible place to be in. Sigh....Kesian dia. Have yet to talk to him

New Furniture

Yesterday I took leave. To prepare the house for our new furniture. Finally nampak berisi sikit le rumah. Kalau tak minimalist. Mummy and Bah came over with Tina (their maid) and brought durian, rambutan and bananas. They had gone back to kampung. The trip which caused me to invent so many excuses so as not to go. But it didn't stop me from gorging down the rambutans and durians they brought. Long story why I don't want to balik kampung.
But the bright side of yesterday was the furniture. Took us several months of savings to finally get them. A friend said, it's like you are just starting out in life. All these years (13) staying with my parents and 1 year at my cousin's fully furnished house did not need us to buy our own furniture. The ones we bought at my parents has to stay there, kalau tak nanti balik nak tido mana??
The happiest was of course, my darling hubby, who could not get enough of his new recliner. Sampai lambat gi meeting mlm tadi.....

Harry Potter & THBP

Finally it's here; so the family decided we have to go and watch it. Never mind that we did not watch the most talked about movie - Transformers 2, but HP is NOT to be missed. It's a family tradition since we have watched all the HP movies together.

A new twist to the tradition, this time we will bring Ilham - the third. He has ADHD and has difficulty sitting still for more than 5 minutes. He also does not like being in the dark and will get anxiety attacks at the end of movies/programmes when the screen goes blank and the credits roll up. He will scream, put his fingers in his ears and run to the kitchen and bangs the door shut.

So it was a difficult decision to make. Why do we want to bring him? He absolutely loves Harry Potter!! He watches all the movies on DVD over and over and over.

Anyway, Baba says he will be fully responsible for Adik (Ilham). If he screams or fusses in the cinema hall, baba will take him out and keep him occupied till we come out. So the big day came... there were 8 of us. When we entered the hall he panicked and put his fingers in his ears. Baba hugged him and calmed him by chanting, "Adik, nanti ada Harry Potter" all the way to our seats. He calmed down a little to explore the new surroundings and sensations. Most of the time however, his fingers were in his ears and his head was way down in his seat.

It wasn't until he heard HP's theme song did he take his fingers out and settle down somewhat. Then he almost shouted,"Harry Potter!!" (with a pronounced P- imagine saliva spewingout) ;) Now comes another tricky part, keeping him in his seat. Everytime there's an intense scene like a fight- he jumps and says"OHHHH" or when they are clapping on the screen, he claps and calls out to each and everyone of us to clap with him.

Then he got bored, so Baba went out to get popcorn, he took my shawl and laid down on the floor, "Tido" until Baba got back. I feel sorry for the people in front and behind us. But all in all it was a good outing. That was a week ago, and till yesterday, Adik kept on and on about,"Mummy, Harry Potter, jom?"

Adik, Harry Potter dah letih berlakon, dia nak tido.......

Dead of winter

In the 80's when thousands of Malaysians were sent overseas to study, I was one of the lucky ones. In those days it doesn't take much to qualify..... I got a grade 2 in my SPM but I managed to secure a scholarship to do TESL. Yang itu yang senang..Since English ku POWER!!! And at the time short of English teachers.
Anyway just remembered about an experience during the dead of winter. The thing is, I was sent to Univ of Minnesota. The location of the state of Mn is called the midwest. And we have 6 months of snow, and 6 months of almost snow. Summer still needs a jacket. 6 feet of snow in November is normal. So this one time during Xmas hols me roomies and I decided to have a video marathon since the weather forecast predicted a blizzard. We rented dozens of videos, camped in front of the TV and watched, cooked, ate, watched, cooked, ate until there was nothing to watch and eat. The last things in the fridge were veggies. We boiled and ate them like mangga and colek but with chili n tomato sauce. By the time we opened our front door, after much pushing because the snow had piled up over the two days (oh ya... two whole days of videos), we emerged dazed and disoriented....macam orang baru keluar dari gua bertapa
hehehe.. oh well, you had to be there to get it. :)

Wow, a busy week... Last night the family went to check out a new guitar for Izza. The niece broke her old guitar's neck and had kept quiet about it. When Izza found out she cried. So daddy has to pacify a 15 year old and reprimand a 3 year old. Anyway, it's about time she gets a new guitar. So, melayang around 2k for her new guitar. The best part was when we were serenaded by Mr Wong, the owner of Guitar Collection who waxed lyrical about every piece he owned by playing the most beautiful sounds on them....He played flamenco, spanish, pop, malay, english and made the guitar sound like a japanese instrument.
Oh, Monday morning, I did not come to work because my alarm did not go off. Why? because I did not charge my phone because I left my charger in Hotel Rasa Sayang JB. So, I woke up at 7.15 and wondered why the room was bright. Oh, it's 7.15!! Oh, hm... too late to go to work....yawn...might as well make the most of it. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz. The next thing I knew - 'sayang, wake up, something's happening downstairs, I think one of the cat is dead!' What? Who? I ran downstairs to see Tuti the maid staring at a dead cat's body. Oh no, it's Ocean, the kittens' mother. Poor, poor thing. Her eyes were open and there were tyre tracks on her body.. (shiver). Now what'll happen to her 3 kittens who're not even a month old?
It took me two trips to the pet shop to get info on how to care for the kittens and hubby to search the internet. Do you know that kittens need to be burped too? Yikes...I don't need another baby to care for. So the official maks angkat are Izza and Tuti. Hahaha...

I am a little shaken... a blogger whose writings I have been following on and off has just passed away. He's called the Ancient Mariner. Apt title since he was a sea captain. I like his writings in that he is witty and quirky at the same time.

Al-Fatihah, may he rest in peace....

P/S: I intended to write about my eventful weekend and Monday - Harry Potter, my malfunctioned alarm, my poor, poor dead cat ( I now have 3 orphaned kittens), my ADHD son etc. That'll have to wait.

Thanks for the comments, making me more motivated to write...

Recently I had the unfortunate luck to be the receiving end of the boss' wrath. The best part was I was set up. By whom, you might ask. Well, here's the story..
I happen to find out that a colleague is to be transferred to a place at the other end of her hometown. Being single, it is like a process of natural selection to be rid of her to make way for the new and stronger. But in my opinion, why transfer someone who is in her prime, still dedicated and committed to her profession and replace her with a junior who is, in my opinion, worthless and with an attitude to boot!
So, being the senior officer, I thought of going to put in a good word for the colleague who is now (I heard) crying her eyes out. After a short and animated discussion with another senior officer (too many of those in this organisation), I was referred to the BIG BOSS - literally.
Ok... not too happy with that development. And then I got news that this colleague decided to ask for a month's extension and not appeal after all. Fine, that's good that she acquiesced to the needs of the organisation.
Next day, that senior officer told me that if I want to plead my case, come on down; the boss is in. Er... I said, that's ok, she decided to go after all. Oh...you have to see him if you want to luahkan perasaan... nanti senang you. Tak apalah... I rasa tak nak jumpa boss. Eh... datang, boss ada ni. So what was I to do?
I got into his inner sanctum with his trusted accomplice (the said senior officer) and before I could finish my sentence he started cursing me.... "keputusan untuk pindahkan sapa-sapa adalah hak aku sebagai pengarah! Engko sapa nak masuk campur? kerja engko jaga content, bukan jaga c***u! Engko pun aku boleh pindahkan kalau aku tak suka engko!!" "KPI engko tu engko jaga, ini bukan scope engko. Dah, end of story!! Jangan tanya-tanya lagi" etc...etc...
My answers were,"Thank you for that clarification and yes saya tahu saya boleh dipindahkan." Thank you and I walked out....
Begitulah kawan-kawan. Pada sesiapa yang mengenali my bos, benda ni tak heran...
Have a good weekend. HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M BACK

It's been ages. I have kept myself busy over the months with many things - useful or otherwise. Been keeping in touch in cyberspace through FB. More interactive and totally forgrot about this space I booked for my ramblings. It's the same with my other journals.... long periods of silence and then Hi, I'm Back - for awhile. Seriously, I had thought this space has gone up in auction or whatever it is they do to abandoned blogs. But surprise, surprise, it's still here waiting for me to update my life on blogosphere.

Since nobody reads my blog, I can pretty much say what I want to say.

I first started my blog last year with a Father's Day posting. Tsk, tsk, I forgot to wish Dad Happy Father's Day again this year. I really should have an alarm set up for things like that. But I never forget their birthdays. I think that's more important. It's also been a year and three months my brother passed on. Life's been good. And BAD...