Pulang kan ....

It's not as easy as ABC. Yet, it's simply "D" !

I first came across her blog from one of the links not so long ago. It has been one of my favourite sites that I hopped to ever since.

What I like about her entries is that they are mostly written in retrospect as post-reflection of her inner thoughts and feelings, self evaluation & assessment of whatever happenings worth sharing. It could be a self pat on the back for a great job done in cleaning up the kitchen, or the joy of baking, cooking & spending time with family & friends , or simply the weather. The unavoidable things in daily routines that some pacts in the blogosphere seem ever too ready to dismiss as insignificant and trivial.

It is the way she writes - in obvious simplicity and honesty with the least bit worry to impress others - that ironically impressed me. I adore "D" for what and how she has portrayed herself through her postings. Being a working mother myself, her constant reminder to herself to stay true to oneself of what really matters in life regardless of other worldly competing demands has steadily become yet another source of dosages of inspiration to me.

It was during the recent Ramadhan that I found out about "D"s shocking revelation of her beloved hubby, affectionately known on the page of her posting as "Mr D", being diagnosed as suffering from cancer. That was no easy test for "D" as a wife and a mother - especially being far away from homeland and family. As the malay saying goes, berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul. Yet "D" being "D" that I admired silently, remained strong-willed and determined to face the days ahead with tireless effort to help relieve "Mr D"s suffering, simmered with much hopes and prayers for what's best Allah may destine it to be.

It is with deep regret and sadness that I learned that "Mr D" passed away today, barely one day after his 38th birthday. Innalillah .....

I pray that Allah grants his blessing onto Allahyarham.
I pray that "D" will remain strong for herself and her children.

Learning from "D" in pausing to reflect - I remind myself that everything in this world is temporary and not ours definitely for infinity. Love and savour who and what we have while we can. For the time will come when they have to return to the rightful owner.

The same goes for our very own self - don't delay what we should do today or continue to neglect what we should have done long ago for we never know if we'll live long enough to see the sunrise tomorrow. We too shall return one day.

Al-Fatihah ......

Between Dreams & Reality

Salam Ramadhan ....

Lama sungguh tak berblog - memang betul lah like Simah commented - bersawang! What a wonderful hang out place this would be for spiderman!!!!

I really should be writing about Hafiz's attempt at fasting separuh hari this Ramadhan - but for someone whose writing is not a natural flair - that entry would probably take another six weeks to complete - by then dah Raya dah pun. Hampeh!

But hey! Guess what? I found a draft that I forgot to publish ( age is catching up.... ). So this shall be a quickie - cut & paste only. This entry below was written circa ...er.. when?100 BC? Sure felt like it! But hehehh...no lah, first week of August, when I was happily authorised to be off work for about 2 weeks. So remember - this should be read in past tense. But the challenge at the end of the entry has no expiry date. So give it a go, will ya?

********************************************************************************

BETWEEN DREAMS & REALITY

I've been off work since Monday this week... oh what a bliss! Though this is not by personal choice that I have to take the week off, the doctor's endorsement that I am not fit to work is somehow working just fine for me. For a change this time I did not itch to log on to office server to check those emails and have not even bothered to check the blackberry either. Those can wait. There are others who deputize me so let them shine and grow.

GOOD FOR ME!

I don't multitask between work and blogging during working hours for obvious reason - I AM THE LAW at the office, HAHAH ... so must show exemplary conduct la kan? And actually, memang tak sempat pun. Needless to say with one week off, here I am surfing the net, reading online news, catching up on all those outdated emails from my alumni group and blog hopping from one to another. I even switched my yahoo messenger status to "online" today. And voila! ping Aby, a girlfriend from prep days.

It must have been years since I last saw Aby, I think it was during open house at my place 5 years ago at least? Pheww... how time flies! So pot pet pot pet la online sekejap with Aby but since she was at work and I belom mandi pagi ( walhal matahari dah tegak atas kapla), I had to excuse myself la. Nanti mengaco productivity member at workplace, no good la ek? We bid farewell with all the muahhhhsss and exchange of each others' blog address. I have been reading all her entries since then. I mean, since I siap mandi tengahari tadi.

The one Aby wrote about dreams got me thinking to write this entry. Hey.... after all, I've got all the time to laze in front of the screen this week, don't I ?

I don't always recall what I dreamt about. Mostly about me couldn't find where I parked my car or me looking feverishly for a toilet at the mall. I can never fathom what the first one means. The second one quite obviously, would be followed by me dashing to the loo upon waking up.

This morning though, I woke up with a weird dream stuck vividly in my blurry morning vision. I dreamt that I discovered - after a slip of the tounge by my sister - that the 'cute 7 year old god daughter' (there is none in reality) of our family back in JB - was actually a daughter of my darling Ayah - but with another woman!?!#$%*@?!

HOW WEIRD WAS THAT?!!

So to those who have (or don't have) a hidden talent in dreams intepretation and want to have a try at unravelling my subconscious thoughts that have translated into this weird dream, hey.... be my guest! This is an open ended, no right or wrong answer and a non judgmental opportunity for you to sharpen your dreams intepreting skills - ala-ala amateur psychoanalyst made in Msia gitu .... Sila lah!

p/s Don't slouch laa....

The underweight warrior

Kejohananan Taekwondo 50 Tahun Merdeka
Zon Bangsar

Thought of updating on Idin's taekwondo tourney this morning but he has beaten me to that.

Come! Let's see what he's got in store - a refreshing perspective from a fin-feather-weight (that must be very light indeed .... unlike his Ibu!!! ) 11 year old's point of view. Here's the link: What Luck! Entry not moderated, pls excuse any punctuation or spelling error. He welcomes any comment and suggestion in his comment box.

To Abang Idin, Congratulations son! Whatever placing you got, you always make me beam with pride with your true fighting and sporting spirit. I find it especially encouraging that you are determined to forge ahead still regardless of you having to miss our regular Saturday family outings in order to attend the practice sessions, that you are not the least bit worried despite being the only one in super duper underweight category amongst your team members and last but not least, that you - being the only surviving malay student in your taekwondo class - continue to focus on improving your techniques and progressing to the next level without succumbing to feeling inferior of being the minority whatsoever.

Pesan ibu untuk Abang Idin - breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. While you continue to focus on the union of mental and physical discipline to master the skills and techniques, remember this - the body can only achieve what the mind can conceive. It's all in the mind! TAPI jangan lupa pohon doa kepadaNya.

Pesanan umum ibu (1): kalau hendak melentur buluh .....

Pesanan umum ibu (2): reminder - sit up straight, don't slouch!


Wassalam
Ibu

To Whom It May Concern

Amongst Abang Idin's current favourite songs is No More Sorrow by Linkin Park.

Trash? Too loud? Who thinks the rock music young people listen to are trash & loud? Read the lines below. I mean, read between the lines. Then think again! The message is very loud indeed! If only we listen ....

No More Sorrow
By Linkin Park, album Minutes to Midnight

Are you lost
In your lies
Do you tell yourself I don't realise

Your crusade a disguise
Replaced freedom with fear
You trade money for lives
I'm aware of what you've done

chorus:
NO ....
No more sorrow
I've paid for your mistakes
Your time is borrowed
Your time has come to be replaced

I see pain
I see need
I see liars and thieves abused power with greed
I had hope
I believed
But I'm beginning to think
That I've been deceived
You will pay for what you've done

Thieves and hyprocrites

NO
No more sorrow
I've paid for your mistakes
Your time is borrowed
Your time has come to be replaced

Thieves and hypocrities

NO
No more sorrow
I've paid for your mistakes
Your time is borrowed
Your time has come to be replaced
Your time has come to be erased ....

Pesan ibu (1) :
Siapa makan cili dia yang terasa pedas

Pesan ibu (2) :
Tepuk dada tanya selera

Pesan ibu(3) :
For the young ones; Sit up straight, don't slouch, not good for your posture.
For the wise ones; Sit up straight, don't slouch, not good for the brittled back bone.
For those 'in office'; Put your seat in an upright position, fasten your seatbelt ... we (you?) are landing shortly.

Wassalam
Ibu
- not so young, not so old.
- in an upright position, cautious of the stormy weather

And they say Mother Is The Best Teacher...

This is Ameer.

He is 3, turning 4 this coming November. He's already in Kindy.
His ambition? To become a GHOBOT.
This was before he saw Transformers.
Now he wants to become BUMBLE BEE.
A ghobot still.....

***********************

Since I have a bit of spare time this week ( a bit?!!), I thought I'll go over one of Hafiz's Kumon entry level worksheet with Ameer.

The instruction on the worksheet was simple:
"Listen to the sentences and then say the words".

So Ibu had to read the sentences, for Ameer to listen and for Ameer to say the words after Ibu.




Ibu : It is a cow
Ameer : It is a cow

Ibu: It is a horse
Ameer: It is a horse

Ibu: Cow
Ameer: Cow

Ibu: Horse
Ameer: Horse


Ah! That was easy. Let's move on.



The instruction on the next page was even simpler :
"Let's say the words"

Hmmm.... That sounds easy. So easy that I thought I might as well stretch it a bit. Let's recite the alphabet too !


Ibu: Ameer repeat the alphabet after Ibu ok?
Ameer: Ok

Ibu: C-O-W
Ameer: C-O-W

Ibu: Bunyi dia?
Ameer: MOOOOOOOOO ......

Hahaha..... I didn't expect that at all. Who dare say he was wrong?

I guess I should've followed the instructions strictly instead of trying to leap frog the proven and tested Kumon method.

We managed a few more pages after that (following instructions very closely) and then I digressed again but this time it was Ameer's turn to stretch it a bit on me.


Ibu: S-O-A-P
Ameer: S-O-A-P

Ibu: Soap
Ameer: Soap!

Ameer: Ibu, kenapa soap dia takde bubble?
Ibu: Err.... Dia belum gosok dengan air
Ameer: Ohhhh .....

Ameer: Ibu, kenapa dia tak pakai soap yang dalam bottle?
Ibu: Err..... Dia tak sempat beli
Ameer: Ohhhh .....

Ameer: Kenapa dia tak sempat beli?
Ibu: Err... Sebab dia lambat, kedai dah tutup.
Ameer: Ohhh....

Ameer: Kenapa dia tak beli kat Tesco? Ibu, jom kita pegi Tesco!

Lerrr... ke situ pulak peginya!

Moving on to the next item on the page:

Ibu: I'll read the alphabet, Ameer follow ok?
Ameer: Ok

Ibu: T-O-W-E-L
Ameer: T-O-W-E-L

Ibu: Bunyi dia? ( oh ! I did it again ... )
Ameer: Towel tak de bunyi la ibu!?! (while looking at me quizicaly)

Hehehe. Who's teaching who?

The Kumon attempt continues......


Wassalam,
Ibu

In search of SALHI

Assalamualaikum & salam sejahtera,

Have you ever lost a handphone? A wallet? An identity card?
How about a kitten?
How did you feel about the loss?

I just want to share with you how tears welled up in my eyes early this morning after reading the recent twist posted by Pi Bani, about the desperation of a sister looking for his lost brother - which you must read! Perhaps, you might have read about this in the newspaper before.

MISSING

SALHI KHAESSA AHMAD
Age 26
Height 175 cm, Weight 70 kg
Mentally ill ( schizoprenic)
Missing since Friday 13th July 2007

SALHI, the missing person above, may look like a typical young and healthy malay guy. The painful truth is that SALHI is suffering from a mental illness called schizophrenia. SALHI has been missing since July 13th and a police report has been lodged by his family since then.

If you care to read Dr Najmiah's email from Pi Bani's posting, you would appreciate that SALHI, who went to koleq (MCKK), was a bright student (scored 8As in PMR, and later A1 for Physics & Add Maths in SPM), a genius of the family, a family clown and very much loved (still is) by his family.

How is Salhi linked to Pi Bani?
Salhi is the brother of Dr Najmiah, who is a friend of Pi Bani's.

How is Pi Bani linked to Ibu?
I don't know Kak Pi personally (yet) other than being acquainted through the blogosphere.
I do know her brother though; TA Bani, who happened to be my former boss . Oh gosh! Which means, I have been to Kak Pi's mom's house in Kg Kepayang many years ago when my colleague & I 'tumpang' kereta boss in one of our regional hospital visits. TA Bani coincidentally hailed from MCKK too.

Now, now.... all that who knows who from where and when should not matter right? Technically.

Yet missing from the who-knows-who links above, is a cable strong enough to push this case up the hierarchy of priority like the one that made it possible to find the pieces of a foreigner's body blown up by a bomb in the not-so-far-away forest within days of a missing person report lodged.

Regardless of who knows who and how (un)important this case is to the image of the mesra-rakyat-wannabes, to Dr Najmiah and her family, SALHI is more than just a police case.

SALHI who was described by Dr Najmiah as the best little brother anyone could ever wish for, is indeed suffering from Schizoprenia - which while not harmful to others, is a serious and challenging mental illness that typically interferes with the person's ability to think clearly, to distinguish fantasy from reality, to manage and control emotions, make simple decisions and relate to others. SALHI has been without his medication for at least 2 weeks now. Given the mental condition suffered by SALHI and with only RM3.50 in his pocket when he left home that July Friday 13th, the worries, the fear, the frustration and the apprehensiveness clouding SALHI's family is more than fully justified.

As a pyschology minor, I've learned that to all families of missing person, the absence of their loved ones translates for them as a living nightmare every second of the day, every day of the week, and every week of the month. When someone goes missing, the effect it can have on their family or loved ones can be devastating; they can be left feeling angry, depressed, bewildered and often with a sense of guilt and bereavement. It is an extremely emotional time in their lives, a time when they themselves are very vulnerable.

As an ibu, a sheer imagination of my son missing even if he's playing hide and seek sends shivers down my spine.

As an anak polis pencen, I've picked up some hints from Bapak that there is no greater asset in the search for missing persons than the consistent distribution of information through every available means and the power of observations by the public.

As a blogger, I thought it would be a worthy cause indeed to help spread the word by posting information on the internet (blogs, emails, egroups, etc) through and through, in search of the missing SALHI. Any effort you can make to distribute this information is appreciated, not just by myself and Kak Pi Bani, but more importantly to SALHI's loved ones; Dr Najmiah and her family.

Anyone who has seen SALHI, please contact his father, En. Ahmad at 09-786 6040, 017-970 3227 or 012-296 2642.

If I may call upon all of us citizens of blogosphere who happen to be visiting this page, let us all pray and make doa that the past weeks that have taunted Dr Najmiah and her family longing for the lost brother SALHI, would not be prolonged to month(s) and year(s) of unresolved grieving.

Ya Allah, sesungguhnya Engkaulah yang memasukkan waktu malam ke dalam waktu siang, dan Engkau jualah yang memasukkan waktu siang ke dalam waktu malam. Ya Allah, Engkau maha berkuasa, maha pemurah lagi maha mengasihani. Engkau memahami segala isi hati. Permudahkanlah ujian yang mendatang ke atas Salhi dan keluarga beliau, semuga mereka dapat bertemu kembali dalam jangka waktu yang terdekat ini, dalam keadaan sihat dan selamat dari apa jua malapetaka dan bencana hendaknya. Amin, Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.

To all bloggers who share the empathy I am feeling for Dr Najmiah and her family who are facing the harsh realities of the word "missing person", and would join me in saying a prayer and in cascading this information, God bless you all.

Missing Person

music by Michael W. Smith and Wayne Kirkpatrick

Another question in me
One for the powers that be
It's got me thrown
And so I put on my poker face
And try to figure it out
This undeniable doubt
A common occurrence
Feeling so out of placeGuarded and cynical now
Can't help but wondering how
My heart evolved into
A rock beating inside of me
So I reel
Such a stoic ordeal
Where's that feeling that I don't feelChorus:
There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace, he disappeared into the void and
I've been searchin' for that missing personUnder a lavender moon
So many thoughts consume me
Who dimmed that glowing light
That once burned so bright in me
Is this a radical phase
A problematical age
That keeps me running
From all that I used to beIs there a way to return
Is there a way to unlearn
That carnal knowledge
That's chipping away at my soul
I've been gone too longWill I ever find my way homeHe used to want to try to walk the straight and narrow
He had a fire and he could feel it in the marrow
It's been a long time and I haven't seen him lately but
I've been searchin' for that missing person.

Wassalam,
Ibu

WHAT I'VE DONE?

I'm not about to write on the latest hit from Linkin Park "What I've Done" ( Abang Idin... if that's what you think!)

But really... oh! I hit that new template button and my good old right side bar is gone in a blink!

Gatai sangat tangan ... hah, rasakan. Sigh....

Tapi kan, perhaps this "technical mishap" is a blessing in disguise - now with new links, photos, advert, etc, etc ... a small fraction of "penghijrahan" as suggested by kawan Ayah who's also an Ayah.

Whaddaya think?

Istanbul Chronicle: Chapter 2 - Moving across continents

"SELOW LIKE SENAIL ", I had warned Simah on my attempt at blogging & posting of pictures from the Istanbul trip.

Of course, my self fulfilling prophecy turns out right (again!). In fact, I'm slower than snail! But hey! Better late than never. So here are some introductory accounts of Ayah & Ibu in Istanbul, tracking a fellow blogging sorority mommy, Simah, about 4 weeks ago. Or has it been longer than that? Gawddd ... I lost track of time.

The hotel that we stayed at was on the Europe side of Istanbul. And Simah's place was on the Asia side of the city. That means if I could make it to Simah's place, I would have travelled to two continents by road in an hour's time by choice. That was one heck of a motivation.

As it turned out, I had quite a bad cough that week and came Friday, my cough had not shown much sign of recovery, so I wasn't sure if we should spend the weekend at Simah's place. I told Simah about my cold and my fear of spreading it to her family but she said not to worry about it. I'm thankful she helped cast that doubt away.

Alas!The goody bag shall be delivered! 'Mawi' pun ikut sama.

Simah sms me the directions to her place. In summary: Go to the jetty, take the ferry, then take a taxi, then show the address to the cabbie. The directions were in Turkish and I'm guessing it said: straight, belok kiri, belok kanan, after traffic light terus, terus, terus, then second traffic light belok kanan...... hehehe. Pretty easy ... But getting across Istanbul from the Europe part to the Asia part, kena naik ferry? Oooohhh.....That got me worried. Silap haribulan buleh sampai ke Penang!

Ayah was more concerned about the luggage. Which was a valid concern indeed as we had by then ended up with an additional one big heavy bag (a story which deserved another entry on its own altogether). And with my cough, he reckoned that I was not going to be much of a helping hand. He asked me to ask Simah what floor she was on, kena naik tangga or naik lift? hahaha.... Today boleh gelak la, but that time he looked damn serious! So, nak tak nak I had to call Simah and asked, and she just laughed away .... " Ada lift la Akak ! Don't worry !", she said reassuringly. Cehhh! Bikin malu jer. Nampak sangat la we all ni tak fit kan? Naik tangga pun tak larat.

We were to reach her place by 8.00 pm to be safe. Ayah did not want to take any chances and so we took a cab there. Ayah gave the cab driver the address & direction and "Yes... yes, easy to find", he said. We believed him.

As soon as we boarded the cab, we both looked away from each each other. Bukan 'bergaduh'. Rather, entertaining our own thoughts, absorbing the views of the scenic routes, the people, the buildings and catching glimpses of Istanbul way of life from inside the yellow cab. As the views were the only part of the cab ride that would be free of charge regardless of the kilometre reading, might as well take full advantage of it. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy ......















From the hilltop overlooking the lush greeneries and the bhosporus sea.

Standing tall as a distinctive skyline and as a defining statement that historic Istanbul is indeed keeping pace with one-upmanship of modern towers is Istanbul Ritz Carlton Hotel.

No...... that was not where we stayed. If only!

The Train, The Tram

Both using electricity, but notice there was no barrier to the lanes nor were there any danger sign posted.

For the 2 weeks I was there, there was no news whatsoever of people being ran over or electricuted by the electric trams or trains. Hmmm.......

Left: The Attartuq Monument located at the roundabout of Taksim Square.

The exposure that it gets for being located right smacked in the middle of a popular shopping area is undeniable. Even if the significance of the Attartuq empire maybe oblivious to many, at least it can be safely assumed that the old and the young, locals and visitors alike have indeed seen the monument from afar and with many even came within close contact .

The recent catchy advertisement on Radio ERA insinuating that many of us especially amongst young Malaysians do not even know the whereabouts of our Tugu Negara, let alone having it touched - pierced painfully to my heart.
Sigh ....


Now on a lighter side ....

Take a closer look at the photo above, especially the surrounding buildings.

Zooming in at the building on the right of the Attartuq monument, I give you ....

Istanbul's own version of : "Damsel in Distress" -->

Hehehe....

As with many sleek cab drivers, showing off his skills manouvering the city's cobbled back streets for short cuts to avoid the traffic congestion, save time and meter reading for the best interest of the customers was a must to the one we hired!

So we thought.
















Right: Fishing on the bridge seemed to be a popular afternoon theme - weekdays or weekends alike. Bagus jugak eh? Tak lah membazir duit asyik menyopping ajer.

Is there a river in Selangor that I can throw my hook, line & sinker?

Looming in the background was a mosque.

A close up of the majestic mosque as we got nearer.

The typical curtains dressing many metropolitan city with dwellers battling for space in high rise apartments seemed unavoidable for Istanbul with its city population reaching up to millions of people.

Once we crossed the toll plaza over the Asia part of Istanbul, the cabbie started to show signs that he was lost! He made a few phone calls and kept referring to the address given. He stopped at a gas station and a few other shops to ask for directions. Finally I said let me call my friend so that she could give the direction - and as if that was an evil mantra, like a knee jerk reaction the cab driver replied that it was not necessary. The address suddenly seemed to come back on his radar screen. Hmmm..... he might have taken us for a ride after all! I still called Simah and handed the phone to the driver. I think he insisted he knew how to get there.

And indeed, in less than 3 minutes, we got there!

Just as we were about to take out our luggage from the boot, I heard,

" AKAK !!! TINGKAT 4 !"

Hahh! Sah suara Melayu..... tidak syak lagi !

I looked up & saw Simah waving her hand with a warm & welcoming smile greeting from her window up above, ala-ala Rapunzel calling from her tower.

That was the start of a beautiful and memorable weekend spent with darling Simah & her wonderful family.















Above, left: Simah's two beautiful children, sweet & witty Hatice and handsome & shy Baddin, cuddling a cute little kitten at Beyazid market area.

Above, right: The two newly acquainted Dins together, Simah's Sabahaddin and Ibu's Sabarudin.

And the icing of the cake .....

At least 8 years together and still going on strongly, lovey dovey.
A truly exemplary "cinta dua benua" !

A lot more to spill ... but as with even the most healthiest nutritious drink, the doctor's advice is to always take it in moderation. I don't want to spoil your appetite with too much too soon.

So, until my next picture blogging ( entah bila la tu ..... ), blog-roll ergonomically. Take care of your back - sit upright and don't slouch! ( That's the ibu part of me definitely ...)

Cheers all ! Wassalam.

Istanbul Chronicle: Chapter 1 - Half globe trotting

Looking back to just yesterday, I remember how I had cold sweat all over me. Our flight was 5 hours away, I hadn't finished completely my review of the "thing" that needed my review. I hadn't finished packing our clothes. My cold did not seem to get any better. And the nurse called the person who came in later than me to see the doctor first ... Urghh!!! By the time I collected the cold medicine & antibiotic, it was already 12 noon.

We ran across to Bintang to get Vit C supplies for the kids, and to exchange some money. No direct exchange to that currency and so we opted for Euro & USD. We rushed home, and I sort of just stuffed my clothes & Ayah's into our luggage. Then I continued with my last minute attempt to review the last few worksheets - unbelievable!

And then my phone rang. The plane did not land in KL last night they said - technical problem. WHAT???

But they re-arranged alternative flight for us, the first 2 options offered I rejected outright because I would have to travel separately from Ayah. Finally they offered us SIA but the flight would only take off at 9.45 pm, transit at S'pore, with stopover in Dubai.

I only heard 9.45 pm departure and both travelling together. And I said OK lah....

What a blessing! I finished off the review which was necessary to ensure our 5000+ staff would be able to smile this month end. I managed to replicate the email & send it by about 4.30 pm. Phewww.... Flight delayed? But expected arrival a few good hours earlier? Ada hikmah disebalik setiap kejadian.

Ayah packed his "gadgets" - travelling parents these days must be prepared with the equipment to stay in touch with the children. So cable check, earphone check, speaker check, web-camera check - except that he was not sure if Abang Idin knew how to log on to YM with webcam. And so a last minute 1-2-1 tuition took place, with Idin meng-iya kan saja apa Ayah dia kata.

I looked at all our luggage. One small luggage for office wear, one medium size luggage for our casual wear, 1 notebook bag each, and 1 very special luggage for her. This special luggage was full of Msian goodies such as Maggie, ikan bilis, jelly powder, brahim ready-to-cook, sup punjut adabi and asam Moh Far Kor to name a few.

Boy have I been away from home once or twice for what seemed like eternity! And indeed the items in her wish list were indeed some of the simple pleasures of Msian "cuisine" that I missed very much those days. So I made sure all the items in the wish list were grabbed from the hypermarket shelves for that dear someone. I also grabbed lots & lots of jeruk mangga until one of the floor managers who walked past whom I knew quite well asked me if I were 'craving'. Well ... at least I thought it must be the asam that made him think that I was pregnant and not my ugly bulging buncit tummy. Craving pun craving laaa....it was in her wish list and I want to see her smile. The dear someone who is another blogging mom that I only came to know in recent moons by a sheer coincidence really, when I checked out her site, thinking that it belonged to my sis-in-law. Funny how our blogosphering friendship blossomed eversince - common ground of course being mothers of children.

I looked at the bag again and I wondered if Allah would really grant me a chance to meet up with her & her lovely family. The goodies were ready. Actually - I also threw in one non-edible into that bag - tampal koyok cap tiger. HAHAHA ... dunno why!

Ayah saw me daydreaming and gave me the time-check eye brow. And whooosshhhh I hurried to get ready.

That was yesterday.

This morning finally, we touched down on Istanbul - the only city on earth with a foot on two continents which stand proudly at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. "A city which a sheer mention of its name awakes people's fantasies of civilisations and religions, old and new, historic and modern" - this I read and copied from the hotel room brochure about this beautiful city.

Ahhh.... The weather is so nice out there. But Ayah is snoring. So here I am blogging from the hotel room, overlooking the Bhosphorus Straits.

Istanbul
Just you wait
In between work & leisure
We'll roam your streets & straits ...

To my dear blogging sis if you are reading this, hope we would finally meet soon. "Mawi" dah tak sabar nak jumpa you.

To Abang Idin, please do your best in your term exam this week. I'm sorry I'm not around to help you with your studies - but that would also mean you can study in peace, without me nagging behind your back.

Wassalam .....

A Mother's Love - by Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother's love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.

~Helen Steiner Rice~

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY !

Lessons from IJOK

Hey! That place is not that far away from Rawang!

As usual, Ibu often write in retrospect... looking at things in hindsight.

And if there's one good lesson that's easy like counting 1-2-3 for ordinary citizen and hoi polloi like Ibu to grasp from the Ijok's by election, is that such "by-election" is a sure quickie to get your neighbourhood downtown's main street pot holes covered up with shiny tarmac overnight without the hassle of calling up the 'no one seem to be answering' icy cold hotline, without the need for writing complaint letters which you'd better make sure you make copies in case your follow up query is expectedly greeted with 'boleh fax kan sekali lagi ke Puan?' and without having to climb up and down the ladder of the local townhall to actually re-send the same letter and make sure that the 'oh-we-citizen-are-so-scared-of-you officers' to actually physically acknowledge receipt of the letter in person - and that if the 'person-in-charge' to ackowledge receipt is not outstation, or on leave or out for morning coffee ( but it's almost noon already?!!).

(breathe in....breathe out... breathe in ...breathe out).

Think - if this is the big election - the budget would have been too stretching. Too many pot holes to be covered within the same short span of time. But this was not. This was only a by-election. And Ijok had it all to herself this time.

Ijok - I'm not even sure if that name is mentioned for announcement of breakfasting time during Ramadhan, like some other names I learned from such announcement - Marudu & Kota Samarahan to name a few.

But hey!! A by-election it was, and so all focus gathered on one small constituency. Ijok suddenly gained the nation's attention; being under the lense of a magnifying glass to the power of ad infinity.

I imagine, some of Ijok's concerns that could have turned into quick wins recently could be:
1. Visibility - banners, posters, buntings up? check!
2. Key leaders 'turun padang' to personally chit chat & shake hands with the rakyat? check!
3. Electricity connection for remaining houses without? check!
4. Houses still without T.O.L? Give them now, now, I mean after they agree to cross the right box? check!
5. Trading licences for the side walk warungs approved? check!
6. Meet the 'oh-do-i-really-have-to-meet' rakyat ceramah sessions? check!
7. Kitty bag - just in case some families with children ran out of milk powders and don't have much left to survive till month end ? check!

Ahhh.... after all the above were not mere fishing of votes. Those were noble acts of the rulers for their humble citizens. So dig in Ijok people! Dig in deep, if I were you!

What was this again? A by-election? And how can I have one taking place in my town?

Google, google, google ..... Opppss!! Vacancies arising from reasons of death, resignation or disqualification of my town incumbent MP or State Assembly(wo)men?

Alamak... Though I wish something real quick should be done to the pot holes at my downtown mainstreet, the non existing public library and the malfunctioning traffic lights, I don't want to be so cruel to be wishing for such reasons cited above to be happening. It was bad enough that YB had to be hospitalised after he accidentally caught on fire when officiating Abang Idin's school's sports day... sigh.... kesian YB!

But more importantly ... I personally won't be satisfied with just some quick wins. But how many feel the same? Or those quick wins are good enough for the majority still?

Sigh .....

Letting him go ...

He's been bugging me for a week or so ...
- when can he have his own space
- how to show his own profile
- how to link to his favourite sites
- how to upload photos

And so today I helped Abang Idin to 'put up' his own place. With him having his own 'space', I could finally correct the mistaken identity. But as I changed back my profile, I felt a sudden tinge of sadness. I could remember the same undescribable feeling when sending him to Primary One, five years ago. He was small size for his age ( he still is!! ) and seeing him disappear into the crowd of the other Primary Ones almost choked me. Tears welled up in my eyes. Ayah just smiled and assured me he was going to be fine.

Yet, I couldn't help but feel emotional about it:
- Like letting him go off on his bicycle without the training wheels for the first time.
- Like encouraging him to pay for his own goods at the cashier tills.
- Like watching him joke around with his friends at school about things only boys of the same age understood.

It's like deja vu - only a different scenario this time - the same feeling overwhelmed me all over again as I helped him choose the template and colours for his text, columns & banners for his very own brand new blog.

Another history in my chapter as a mother unfolded today - managing the emotional challenges of modern day parenting - fronting your little one pleading for independence for cyber space.

Safe for his spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes here & there, I trust Abang Idin, who is no longer 'my little one', will be a responsible blogger.

Welcome Son, into the world of blogging ( but still under my guidance, no? yesss..... ) Since you are still under the official age for blogging, thus your ramblings remain under my nose for the time being. Nevertheless, I hereby grant your site temporary certificate of fitness ....

Enjoy the masterpiece under continuous construction :
Idin's World: The M.U. Supporter

Love,
Ibu

Mistaken Identity

Thought of updating the blog tonite. And voila!! What a surprise... i seemed to have changed name to Idin! And I love football! The TaekwanDo bit was close though.... but hey.... hahahah.... tergelak sorang2 la ibu jadinya.

Alahai anak teruna ibu .... si abang Idin ni... dah start blogging dah !! He must have logged on to my blog (it's on auto sign-in on this notebook), and created a new blog of his own - but not realising it appeared in my blog!!! I remember now, he called me in the afternoon at the office and told me about his blog and I promised to read it when I got home ( tak sempat nak memblog la at work) . And I forgot all about it. Log on tonite and only to be pleasantly surprise with my new profile! Hahaha ....

If you click on my profile kat sebelah kanan ni, you will not miss his newly created blog, smacked in between my two blogs.

I'll leave it there for a while for your reading pleasure. Won't be that difficult to guess what he is into.

And have a go at this Pop Quiz after reading Idin's World:
1. What happened in my room on Friday the 13th, 2007, at 3.43 pm?
2. What's the score in the last match, Man U vs AS Roma?
3. Who scored the goal at 91st minute during Liverpool vs Man U?
4. My Story So Far is whose story actually?
5. What is the past tense of 'fight' ?
6. What is a 'hat-trick' ?
7. Which Club was Rooney initiated into when he was just 6 mths old?

Oh well... can't say I didn't learn anything from an 11 year old's blog !

I will not charge any space rent for the time being Abang Idin, ya? Nanti free-free ibu transfer kan into your own blog. I promise I won't correct any spelling or grammatical error ( though it's very tempting).

Okay lah, gotta go.... before I get a red-card from Ayah.... Good nite all!

Wassalam,
Ibu

No longer just a boy, but not yet a man ....

Abang Idin turned 11 yesterday !!!

Happy Birthday ..... May Allah bless you my son.

More stories to come.... with or without your consent Abang Idin :)

Love,
Ibu

Ibu in hibernation

Thank you to all who dropped by .... appreciate it very much. Tak sempat nak reply comments. Will do so as soon as I can... bila la tu?

Not procrastinating. Rather, prioritising.

Will be back.

Wassalam,
Ibu

Pengajaran, imbasan, panduan & wawasan

Peribadi Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary

SEKADAR MOTIVASI....
(aknowledgement: Thank you Kmar [all the way from Barcelona] for sharing this in our alma mater egroup)

Petikan kata-kata
Y. Bhg Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary

L/belakang Syed Mokhtar
- Umur - 53 tahun
- Pendidikan - SPM
- Mula berniaga - 19 tahun (jual beli lembu dan kerbau)
- Kekayaan -RM1,425 juta
- Ke 7 terkaya di Malaysia
- Ke 32 terkaya di Asia Tenggara (Forbes)
- Antara syarikat miliknya - MMC, Pelabuhan Tg. Pelepas, BERNAS, Gardenia, DRB-HICOM dan Bank Muammalat
- Kereta - Proton Perdana
- Sumbangan sosial -Yayasan Al-Bukhary,institusi pengajian untuk 3,000 pelajar, Muzium Kesenian Islam, Kompleks Al-Bukhary, menaja kelas tuisyen untuk pelajar Melayu, pengindahan Masjid Negara, sumbangan RM1 juta untuk Tabung Tsunami dan menaja setiap tahun penghantaran rakyat Malaysia yang tak mampu untuk tunaikan haji.

- Bagaimana sumbangan sosialnya bermula - Bilamana ibunya menyuruh memberikan sebahagian elaun ( RM750.00) pertamanya sebagai pengarah syarikat beras kepada jiran yang susah. Sebahagian lagi (RM750.00) ibunya simpan. Selain itu, ibunya juga menyuruh beliau menghantar lampu kerosen ke surau-surau untuk menerangi kegiatan sepanjang malam bulan Ramadhan. Dari situ bermulalah pembentukan peribadi dan pemikiran Syed Mokhtar yang kita kenali hari ini.

1. Ada sebab kenapa saya bekerja seperti tiada hari esok. Agenda sosial dan kerja-kerja kemasyarkatan itulah antara sebabnya. Saya mahu meninggalkan warisan untuk anak bangsa yang kekal berpanjangan

2. (berkenaan know who) Bangsa lain tak mengapa tapi orang Melayu kena berdamping dengan orang politik sedikit-sedikit. Tapi masalahnya kita tidak mahu melalui kesusahan; banyak yang mahu senang dengan mendampingi orang politik semata-mata.

3. Tiada apa-apa rahsia. Saya ini hamba Allah biasa, budak dangau macam saudara semua juga. Tuhan jadikan manusia ini sama sahaja. Proses kematangan saya yang membezakannya. Saya percaya sesiapa pun boleh menjadi apa sahaja asalkan mereka berusaha dengan tekun. Tetapi tentulah ia memakan masa. Tiada jalan singkat.

4. Saya mengenali kekuatan dan kelemahan saya. Apa yang tidak mampu buat saya akan minta orang lain tengok-tengokkan. Saya melalui jalan yang susah tapi itulah jalan yang kekal.

5. Kita perlu menggunakan kepakaran mereka (bangsa Cina) kerana mereka jauh lebih maju dan mahir daripada kita. Apa yang kita kurang faham kita berkongsi dengan tujuan untuk belajar dengan mereka. Apabila sudah faham baru kita boleh menjaga kepentingan kita.

6. Saya sedih melihat sistem sekolah pondok di Kedah. Saya ada cita-cita mahu memodenkan sekolah pondok. Kita kena maju.

7. Saya terlibat dalam perniagaan ini kerana saya tiada pilihan lain.

8. Untuk memajukan perniagaan, memang kena banyak sabar dan kuat berusaha.

9. Tidak ada jalan singkat. Saya belajar tentang perniagaan ini sejak kecil lagi dan saya juga biasa kena tipu.

10. Saya pun suka kemewahan. Saya pun suka tengok dunia, ke Tokyo , New York dan London . Saya pun suka pakai baju elok. Tapi kita hendak bermewah setakat mana, hendak pakai baju banyak mana, hendak tidur dalam berapa rumah satu malam, hendak makan pun sampai larat mana ?

11. Dalam hidup ini kita sebenarnya tidak ada status; ada masa di atas, ada masa di bawah.

12. Ketika Allah memberika kemewahan, kita kena turun ke bawah, tengok mana-mana yang boleh dibantu. Allah beri rezeki melalui kita untuk kita tolong orang lain. Rezeki itu bila-bila masa dia boleh ambil balik. Jika ada orang korporat Melayu yang tidak mahu turun ke bawah mungkin kerana bayangan duit itu lebih kuat daripada yang lain.

13. Korporat Cina turun ke bawah membantu. Orang Cina ada pelbagai persatuan. Kita tidak ada; kalau ada pun berpecah. Orang Melayu kita tidak mahu bekerjasama kerana perasaan dengki menguasai diri. Sudahlah tak mahu berusaha, apabila orang lain berusaha mereka marah

14. Rezeki yang ada itu sebenarnya untuk orang lain. Memang dari segi hukum pun begitu. Kita kena keluar zakat dan fitrah. Tetapi zakat fitrah banyak mana sangat. Islam agama yang adil; ia minta sedikit saja. Oleh itu, kalau ada duit yang lebih ia seharusnya dibelanjakan dengan baik.

15. Saya tak kisah kalau saya tak buat semua ini. Saya boleh tak buat apa-apa dan balik ke Alor Star. Tetapi saya rasa hidup ini sia-sia. Orang Kedah kata kalau mati nanti mata tidak tutup rapat kerana tanggungjawab depan mata kita tidak buat. Orang lain ambil kekayaan kita, ambil hak kita dan pergunakan kita, kita masih tidak buat apa-apa !

16. Saya ada emotional attachment kepada agama, bangsa dan ummah. Saya bukan individualistik. Diri saya tidak penting. Pangkat dan gelaran ini kepada saya tidak mustahak .

17. Saya sedih media tonjolkan saya begini. Saya malu kerana orang Cina kaya beratus-ratus kali ganda daripada saya. Tapi saya tahu orang Melayu kalau hendak berjaya kena kerja kuat tidak kira siang malam. Kita ada kekuatan yang tuhan beri melebihi daripada bangsa lain. Tetapi untuk maju kita perlu berusaha.

18. Saya asal daripada tidak ada apa-apa. Apa yang saya tidak tahu saya belajar, minta tolong daripada orang. Saya tidak malu. Saya bukannya mencuri. Saya usaha sendiri. Sikap pemalas dan pemalu ini yang orang Melayu kena atasi. Kita kena berani kerana benar. Apabila kita dapat keuntungan dan rezeki lebih, bolehlah kita menolong orang.

19. Kaya itu bukanlah kepada diri sendiri. Kaya itu adalah kepada kumpulan perniagaan ini, kepada bangsa dan kepada orang ramai. Saya hanya memegangnya untuk sementara sahaja.

20. Saya tiada keinginan untuk menyimpan kekayaan ini untuk anak dan isteri. Duit ini tidak akan kekal. Saya percaya hanya perkara yang baik yang kita lakukakan akan kekal. Bukan duit yang akan melindungi saya nanti tapi apa yang saya lakukan sekarang.

21. Saya perlu terus mencari peluang dan perniagaan lain supaya kita terus dapat bantu orang lain mengembangkan diri masing-masing. Saya bukan buat semua ini untuk diri saya semata-mata.

22. Ada juga yang saya usaha tapi tak dapat dan orang tak tahu. Apa yang saya dapat itu yang jadi masalah kononnya Syed Mokhtar sapu semua. Bangsa lain memegang pelbagai kepentingan dalam ekonomi, siapa pun tak kata apa. Ini masalah orang Melayu. Di kampung orang Melayu berpecah kerana politik, di bandar berpecah kerana ini (wang).

23. Saya percaya kalau rezeki itu Allah beri kepada saya ia bukan untuk saya tetapi untuk orang ramai juga. Orang tidak tahu banyak syarikat yang saya ada ini gagal dan tidak maju kepada saya tetapi orang tidak tahu.

24. Banyak orang percaya bahawa dia mesti ada RM10 juta atau RM20 juta dalam tangan baru hidup boleh selamat. Ini yang menyebabkan mereka hanyut daripada menolong orang lain. Mereka lebih takutkan diri sendiri. Mereka lupa bahawa kekayaan tidak boleh membantu selama-lamanya.

25. Orang kata saya takda duit tapi banyak hutang. Orang berniaga mana yang tak berhutang. Tapi mesti tahu bagaimana hendak meminjam dan membayarnya semula. Ada cara boleh kita buat. Tapi sebelum berhutang RM100 juta mesti sudah fikir bagaimana hendak membayarnya balik. Mesti ada tanggungjawab. Banyak orang mahu senang tapi tidak ramai yang mahu bertanggungjawab.

26. (perasaan setiap kali mendapat rezeki) . Saya ini kata orang Kedah, lebai kodok bukan lebai pondok. Tapi saya tahu hal-hal asas. Kalau mahu saya minta terus dari tuhan. Tuhan beri manusia akal dan fikiran. Kalau hendak pakai baju dan seluar biarlah padan dengan badan.

27. Kesenangan yang saya perolehi ini datang dengan tanggungjawab (bila pinjam bayar balik dan buat amal jariah). Kalau hendak dibandingkan dengan bangsa lain, perniagaan saya ini tidak ada apa. Tetapi walaupun sedikit tetapi yang sedikit itu ada berkatnya.

28. Saya suka kalau nikmat sedikit yang saya dapat itu orang lain boleh berkongsi sama.

29. Saya kadang-kadang kecewa dan sedih melihat anak orang alim yang sesetengahnya lupa diri setelah mendapat kekayaan. Saya pun sama seperti orang lain suka hendak ke luar negara tetapi kita tidak boleh lupa kubur kita dan asal usul kita. Di kampung kita mungkin ada jiran-jiran yang perlukan bantuan .

30. ......kalau tidak mungkin saya sudah ke Haatyai dan jadi nakal. Saya manusia yang banyak buat kesilapan. Tetapi saya insaf, beristighfar dan jalan lagi. Sejak awal saya ada kesedaran mahu mengekalkan hak kita sebagai orang Melayu.

31. Saya kata kepada diri sendiri kalau kerana itu saya terpaksa bersusah sedikit pun tidak mengapa.

32. Kekayaan ini tuhan beri kepada saya untuk saya menolong orang lain pula. Saya percaya kepada keberkatan rezeki. Hari ini kita tolong orang, esok lusa orang akan tolong kita pula dengan cara yang lain.

33. Kalaupun tidak sanggup tunggu 34 tahun seperti saya berilah sedikit masa untuk faham selok belok perniagaan, Insya Allah boleh maju.

34. Kita jangan cepat putus asa. Putus asa boleh tapi kena cepat-cepat kuatkan semula semangat untuk bangkit balik. Jangan jadikan agama hanya satu tempat untuk kita bergantung apabila kita susah. Tanggungjawab ibadah adalah tugas seharian.

35. Lifestyle ? Saya tidak ada lifestyle yang kena masuk kelab sana dan sini. Tapi tak semestinya saya tidak boleh turun ke kelab. Orang Melayu kalau hendak ke depan mesti ada cara hidup yang fleksibel, boleh naik dan turun.

36. Lifestyle ini sebenarnya satu penyakit. Saya biasa pakai Mercedes tapi sekarang saya pakai Proton Perdana untuk sokong kereta nasional. Kereta itu pun cukup untuk bawa saya ke mana-mana.

37. Tiada sebab kenapa orang Melayu tidak boleh maju. Ini saya berani perang dengan sesiapa pun. Orang Melayu boleh maju . Kalau saudara jadi wartawan saudara kena tanam semangat suatu hari nanti mahu ambil alih akhbar ini. Tidak ada sebab kenapa ia tidak boleh berlaku.

38. Kejayaan dan kelemahan orang Melayu bukan disebabkan oleh bangsa kita dan agama kita. Ia berkait dengan sikap dan cara kita berfikir. Gigih, tekun dan tidak mudah putus asa merupakan kunci kejayaan kita. Tapi perkara ini kurang wujud dalam cara orang Melayu berfikir.

39. Tuhan memberi peluang kepada siapa saja yang bekerja kuat. Apa yang ada pada saya ini hanya usaha. Kalau anak dangau macam saya boleh, tidak ada sebab orang lain terutama mereka yang dari pekan tidak boleh.

40. Kita tidak usahlah selalu mengulang-ulang perkara yang boleh memberikan kesan psikologi negatif kepada orang Melayu (kereta dan rumah besar). Kita kena kurangkan bercakap tentang kereta besar dan rumah besar . Sesiapa pun mahu pakai kereta mewah tapi bukan itu matlamatnya.

41. Orang Melayu sebenarnya kena membantu diri sendiri, kena bekerja keras dan fokus.

42. Sikap merendah diri perlu sentiasa ada dalam diri seseorang walau setinggi mana pun kejayaan dicapai.

43. Apa yang saya buat ini (kerja-kerja sosial) semuanya bermula daripada didikan orang tua saya sendiri.

44. Saya sendiri berhutang sambil berniaga dan buat sumbangan amal jariah. Saya tak mahu tunggu hutang habis baru hendak buat semua ini. Saya takut kalau hutang habis saya pun mati dan apa pun tak sempat saya buat.

45. Saya biasa saja. Hidup saya tidak berubah, dari dulu beginilah. Saya terima apa saja nikmat yang diberikan oleh Allah. Tidak ada segelas air, ada setengah gelas pun saya bersyukur.

46. Kalau kerana sedikit bantuan itu mereka lulus peperiksaan dan hidup mereka menjadi lebih baik, saya sudah gembira. Saya tidak boleh buat banyak. Alhamdulillah, lebih baik buat sedikit daripada tidak buat langsung.

47. Saya tiada minat untuk beli kapal layar atau kapal terbang. Saya fikir kalau saya beli sesuatu biarlah orang ramai boleh pakai. Saya suka kalau saya beli sesuatu yang mahal, biarlah orang ramai boleh pakai.

48. Saya gembira dapat membantu. Saya mahu orang lain merasai (kesenangan) apa yang saya pernah rasa. Saya tahu bagaimana perasaanya. Saya kata kepada diri saya, apa yang saya dapat saya mesti beri orang lain merasainya sama. Jangan beri kurang, lebih tak mengapa. Itu yang membuat hati saya seronok.

49. Saya rasa saya ingin menyumbang lebih daripada ini. Saya kata kepada kawan-kawan ini baru warm-up saja; kita belum berjalan lagi.

50. Saya rasa kita terlalu banyak ketinggalan.


Kepada anak-anak ibu;

" Harta benda dan anak pinak itu ialah perhiasan di dunia; dan amal-amal soleh yang kekal faedahnya itu lebih baik pada sisi Tuhanmu sebagai pahala balasan, dan lebih baik sebagai asas yang memberi harapan"

(Surah Al-Kahfi: Ayat 46)

Cuti musim hujan

During musim tengkujuh recently (Dec 06), we went holidaying to a place where no one in their right mind would go - TIOMAN.

Oh well.... so we were left-minded that time.


No snorkelling, no sun-bathing, no island hopping - laut bergelora & hujan memanjang.

But we had fun, just being with & around each other.

Tangkap butterflies, kejar monitor lizard, kena kejar dengan monitor lizard, watching (not riding) donkeys, layan kucing & berkenalan dengan monyet pulau tioman .....

Since we are not going anywhere this school hols, here are some photos to help us reminisce the not so distant past.





Mat-mat Rempit Junior ....
raiding wave.











"Meowwwww.....
Am I too sexy for your camera? "

"Hello kitty... come here kitty...
Let me check your nose."

"Yours is not as much as mine!"

Ummphhhh.....Ameer enjoying his 'nikmat dunia'!

And boys being boys, they just knew how to have fun!

Terlajak perahu boleh ditarik

I never thought that I would be commenting about politics here in "Cerita Ibu". This was, still is, intended to be read by my children(eventually , when they know how to read, or when they have switched to other web-based interests other than just on-line games).

But I remember I was barely 12 when I first joined the class 'debating' society - defending and opposing all kind of motions to help sharpen 'thinking on my feet'. Which means, Abang Idin ... for you it is just around the corner. Besides, you have already been voted as the class best speaker recently. So I think it's about time that I sprinkle this blog with some serious issues for you to read and ponder.

I learned from the blogs of Kak Teh, NS and then MM, that one Minister was recently reported by Sin Chew Jit Poh ( 09/03/07) to have said that "bloggers are liars" and "they use all sort of ways to cheat others" and "bloggers like to spread rumours" and "they don't like national unity".

It was also reported that from what the minister knew, "out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women" and "bloggers like to spread rumours" and "they don't like national unity" (sighhhh.... this only goes to show how much he really knew). He was also reported to have asked people not to believe bloggers and gamble away Malaysia’s future because 50 years of Merdeka (Independence) takes a lot to achieve it. “We have to show to the people our positive attitude. If the world learns from us, there will peace and no civil war".

Is such hasty & sweeping generalisation from Pak Menteri an exemplary show of our nation's positive attitude ? Short circuit thinking maybe, but positive attitude? A far cry.

As I commented in one of those blogs, kepada bapak-bapak di atas sana, jangan sampai kerana pulut santan binasa. Ingat panas sentiasa sampai ke petang ke? Kalau ringan sangat mulut nak quote statistics on women blogging, cuba lah study our nation's latest demographics. Nanti esok kalau hujan renyai2 turun ditengahari, baru la sibuk nak memancing women bloggers punya undi?

The future voters are conceived, brought to this world, raised, nurtured and easily influenced by the "hands that rock the cradle". Don't put us down and take us for granted - employed or unemployed alike, as we still do sing to our children to sleep, since even before they were born - and if the picture you paint of us is nothing but petty, those songs we whisper to them (your future voters), ain't gonna be lullaby-baby no more.

Remember wahai Pak Menteri, behind every great man, there is a great woman. Behind every great nation, there are great women that help sustain the powers-that-be.

Ingat sebelum terlambat.

To my boys .... I don't know what the future holds. I will ask Ayah to backup all my entries externally, just in case one day in the future, we wake up only to be rudely greeted by a message on the pop up screen which says; "Opppssss! Citizen of blogosphere, sorry... talian anda tidak dapat diteruskan lagi, for the sake of national unity".

Wassalam

The morning I cried to work

I was dressing up to work when he crept up behind me, clutching his 'poo-bee' (nickname for his bantal busuk).

"Ibu nak pergi kerja ke?", he asked. Mata kuyu, terkebil-kebil trying to avoid the lights.

"Ya sayang. Paginya Hafiz dah bangun?" I answered and asked and knelt down and hugged and kissed him.

"Bila ibu cuti?". He kissed me back.

"Cuti? Kenapa?", while running my fingers through his hair.

Still clutching tightly his poo-bee, he laid his head on my shoulder.
"Hafiz nak ibu".

"Oh, ok... esok dah Friday, then dah Saturday. Kita boleh pegi jalan2 sama dgn Ayah sekali, dgn Abang Idin & Ameer ok."

"OK. Tapi Hafiz nak ibu".

"Ya lah, ni ibu ada ni".

"Hmm... Hafiz nak ibu. Nak tengok TV dengan ibu".

"Oh.. Nanti ibu balik kerja, kita tengok TV sama-sama eh?"

"Hmmm... tapi ibu balik nanti, Hafiz dah tidur. Hafiz nak ibu".

I was lost for words. I felt the lump in my throat. I hugged him tightly.

Ibu bisik kat telinga dia, "Sorry Hafiz. Ibu banyak kerja kat ofis. Nanti kita tengok TV sama-sama ok?"

I looked at my watch. 6.45 am. Running out of time and had to hit the road.

I had a quick breakfast with Hafiz that morning. In front of the kitchen TV. Just a sip or two of my usual Tesco Coffee and a bite or two of Bibi's french toast. Hafiz minum susu - dalam botol.

"OK Hafiz, Ibu kena pergi kerja la. Nanti lepas mandi, Hafiz pegi sekolah tau?"

"OK. Nanti Hafiz lukis gambar untuk ibu".

"That's my boy! " I kissed him again, both left & right cheeks. Hafiz reached out for my hand, salam & cium tangan ibu.

And off I went to work.

That morning I drove to work with tears.
Lots and lots of tears.

Weird factors about Ibu, at last!!

People have long moved on to new entries and I still haven't answered the tag challenge from D.

Sorry D dearie, Ibu sibuk sangat lately. Nevertheless, at long last today I finally find some time & muster some strengths to put together a list of weird things about me to be read by those who know me but most who don't ... which is not quite a good way to introduce myself to others, is it? But what the heck, since I am a good sport anyway - hahaha...perasan la, since tak de orang nak puji. So, put on your seat in upright position & fasten your seat belt. Here we go....

RULES: People who are tagged should write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged' in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Weird things? Hmmm... ok. I think there are a lot of weird things about me for sure. But taking into consideration that this blog is dedicated to my children who at the time of blogging this are all underaged and not eligible to vote yet, I have to be cautious to "publish" in here only those things that do not require strict Parental Guidance when being read. So for all my kind blogosphere friends who visit this blog, bear in mind, these are the mildest of Ibu's weird factors :) Those who know me personally, shhhhh.....

Weird factor No 1:
I only know how to drive a car (which has to be auto). I know nothing else about cars. And not interested to find out or learn either. There were some weird episodes of Ibu with cars. Drove with the handbrake still on (from Jln Klang Lama right till I reached home at RAWANG !!!), re-fuelled brand new car (1 week old) with .....DIESEL! Drove at night without lights on until HALF WAY through the journey (uishh... macam Paris Hilton la pulak). Drove off from petrol station without putting back the fuel tank cap securely. There was also one time I drove half way home from airport with the wing mirror safely 'tucked' inside (Ayah parked the car, siap 'simpan' itu wing mirror. Then he flew off. I had to drive home. Didn't know which button laaa....). And as you can imagine by now, of course I don't know how to handle flat tyre (other than call AAM or call Ayah), re-fill water or minyak hitam, switch off the alarm, bla...bla...bla.... The bright side of this? Opportunities for Ayah to still show his male supremacy over me.

Weird factor No 2:
Still on car - but this time my 'parking' skills. Only know how to do L parking and has to be front loaded. And preferably with no cars on either side or only one. No side parking, no reverse parking, no tight spot parking. Doesn't matter if I have to walk far, but hey... i'm grateful I can still walk. Anyway, it's the least form of exercise that I can manage these days. Hehehe.... rationalising.

Hai... bila la nak dapat 'driver' ni eh?

Weird factor No 3:
I only cook beef twice a year, Raya Puasa & Raya Haji. This is perhaps linked to Ayah's weird factor who doesn't like to eat beef (nanti terselit celah gigi katanya....). But I am myself convinced that that link is secondary. The primary reason of cooking beef only twice a year is .... sebab Ibu ni memang kurrreeennng la bab masak-memasak ni. Kurreeeng pandai, kurrrreeenng waktu and most obviously, kurreeeng kerajinan.

Weird factor No 4:
I love to 'collect' contest forms, with or without slogans, with or without proof of purchase. Dutch Lady, Kit Kat, Nescafe, Drypers, J&J, Star Crossword Puzzle, Friskies, KFC, McD, Shell ..... you name it. When I do my weekly groceries for example, I would always watch out for these forms at the product aisles. And if not available at the aisles, I would be oh-so-rajin to drop by the customer service counter to find out if there's any contest form of whatever products, and collect whole bunch if there are. What do I do with forms? Oh well... some I did send out - as in taking part in the contests. Siap bagi standing instruction kat Bibi tau, itu Dutch Lady logo & Drypers barcode mesti kena gunting & bagi simpan. Hehehe.... But some are simply left on the microwave oven for Bibi to dispose after few weeks or so, if she saw them left untouched. Have I won anything? Adalah a few hampers from Friskies, some paper photo frames from Drypers (duhhh!!), a free 4 days/3 nights stay at Berjaya Tioman Island Resort - which we couldn't take advantage off because I was pregnant that time & was confined to limited travelling. That's about all really. Haven't received the key to that BMW or 2 1/2 bungalow at 1 Utama yet, or that 1 million worth of insurance coverage even. But I still do collect those forms.

WEIRD you all say? Ha... wait la, wait. One fine day I will win that Route 66 vacation from the 'percutian dengan pemanduan terhebat di dunia' contest. Oh yes, if you want to follow, you can try to squeeze yourself into my luggage, I don't mind.

Weird factor No 5:
I collect pencils. Not pens. But pencils. Not any kind of pencils. But the ones from hotels. Which means, if I attend business meetings at hotels, i'll definitely bring back 2 or 3 pencils. At the end of each meeting, I will without any hesitation pick up my pencil, and a few others from nearby tables and simply stash them in my handbag without shame or fear. What do I do with them? Nothing. I don't write using pencils at work. I hardly sketch & draw these days. So I don't know why. I remember once when I was packing to go for an out of town business meeting & I asked Abang Idin if he wanted any souvenir from where I was travelling to, he answered with a sombre face, "anything will do as long as it is not the hotel pencil". Oucch!! But my collection is depleting fast these days, no thanks to my boys who simply take them away without prior permission. Each time I asked where are your own pencils? Gone. Kawan pinjam tak pulang. So if you open my boys' pencil cases, you will see a few pencils with cartoon characters and a few with hotel name imprints.

Weird factor No 6:
I can't seem to finish my perfume. I love perfume and have a few different ones. But I use very little of it each time. A tiny bit of spray or splash on my wrist & behind my earlobe and that's it. Cam mana nak habih? I still have half a bottle of Chloe Narcisse (from Lancome ke ni? ntah la, lupa dah) that Ayah gave for hantaran kahwin umpteenth years ago. Does perfume have expiry date? AYAH .... if you are curi2 reading this blog (why don't you want to admit that you do love to read my blog, Ayah??), this particular weird thing about Ibu does not absolve you in anyway whatsoever of the due consideration and eventual action to buy me a bottle of nice perfume for my next birthday, comprende honey?

So there you go. The minimum required 6.

Now I have to tag another 6 bloggers? Rasa macam main childhood game zaman dulu-dulu pulak, it's called 'ram-ram-rit' - lari lari, kejar-kejar, cuit somebody, orang yg kena cuit tu pulak kejar orang lain. That I can do. But I don't know that many bloggers, and most of the ones that I know & frequently visit their blogs have all been tagged. Therefore, the lucky ones remaining whom I hereby gladly tag are :

Ryzah - my junior at school
OSH - fellow blogger
Ninuk Noviati Sachlin - bukan artis indon ya... wink!
Syikin (yg pandai & rajin memasak)" - whose blog I often visit dgn harapan I will pandai masak just by reading the recipes
Shana , my one & only 'ahli majlis tertinggi' who has now joined the blogging moms club

and last but not least

My darling Ayah... who has never updated his blog since he created it.

To my boys, i hope despite all the weird things about me, you all will still love me. At least because I can still manage to drive you all to McD, can anyam ketupat to be eaten with with beef rendang twice a year, have pencils on standby in case you lost all yours and smell nice most of the time so you all still prefer to snuggle next to me instead of next to ayah :)

Will people still read my blog after knowing this weird things about me? Hopefully la ek? Itu pun if I manage to update the entries.

Wassalam ...