I'm 42 years old this year. Syukur alhamdulillah.
I know some who didn't make it past 40.
And I also know some who have lived nearly twice the years I've been on this earth. My Abah is one of them. He turned 81 in March this year. Syukur Alhamdulillah. Having survived two episodes of cancer in his life, and on medication for hypertension for the last 10 years now, he looks good for a man his age. A bit frail, but still good, considering.
And my Mommy will be 71 come November this year, insya Allah. She's a diabetic, she has hypertension, she had a stroke a few years back and she also had triple angioplasty done on her. But, syukur alhamdulillah, she's doing okay.
I have passed the 40-year mark. And I don't know if I will ever pass the 70-year mark, let alone the 80-year mark.
But, I hope I can fill whatever time I have left on this earth, even if I don't meet the ripe age of 80, with things that will make my kids miss me.
It may sound selfish - wanting the kids to miss me when I'm gone. But, I mean this in a positive way.
I don't want my kids to mourn and grieve their Mommy forever. Of course not.
I just want them to remember me. I want them to remember how I look, how I smell, how I touch and hold their hands, how I hug and kiss them. How I stroke their heads, how I touch their cheeks, how I laugh with them. How I smile, how I talk, how I walk.
I want them to remember that I am always with them - physically, and if not - that they are always very much on my mind. Constantly - throughout my waking hours. And that sometimes I do dream of them when I sleep.
And for this to happen, I will need to spend as much time as possible with them as I don't know when I will breathe my last breath.
It's quite hard given the fact that I have to go to work, and they have to go to school (and also to the 1001 classes they have in between school and bedtime). And of course, they need their breathing space. I, too, need my breathing space.
It is hard, but it is not impossible.
It is impossible ONLY if you don't try. At all.
I know that I've been pretty hard to please and rather grumpy when I'm at home - having to attend to the house chores after a stressful day at work and all. And I also have to attend to so many other things/chores which are not home, or work-related, too.
Many a times, at night when the kids have all gone to sleep, I would just look at them and have this unexplainable sense of guilt and regret for yelling at them earlier in the day for what later seems to be such a simple and harmless act, and I realize that it was just the "pressure-cooker" in me doing the yelling...
I know some parents spend so much time at the office, and as if that is not enough, they would bring work home with them. And when they're at home, they are oblivious to what's happening around them - what the kids are doing, what the kids are (trying) to tell them. And some even snap at their kids for disturbing them. Some are always on the phone - talking or SMSing either with people from the office, or with their clients, or with friends. Some just come home and sleep, and go to work the next day. And the cycle goes on and on.
Of course we would expect our spouse and kids to understand just how hard we have to work for the family, and that we do need to rest and sleep when we're at home.
But, we also must not forget that our spouse and kids ALSO expect us to understand that they also want to spend time with us.
It is as easy as that.
The problem is, we tend to take our husbands or wives or kids for granted. We expect them to be there everyday waiting for us day in, day out. No matter what.
But, just because they never complain openly, that does not necessarily mean that they're fine with us not spending time with them.
I'm not saying that we should cut ourselves off from our friends, or that we should not get the rest and sleep that we badly need. But, what I'm trying to understand here is that IF we can MAKE time to attend to our bosses, to our clients, or to chat or SMS, or do whatever friends do with/between friends, why is it so hard for us to MAKE OR FIND TIME - however little, with whatever little time we have, for the family? Just THERE WITH the family. And I mean BE THERE TOTALLY, and not with our minds wandering elsewhere.
I DO TRY my best NOT to be that kind of a parent. I fail miserably sometimes, but, I do try my best to be there with the family, for the family.
Some may think that the time spent with the kids is just that - time with the kids.
But, I believe time spent bringing them to the doctors when they're sick, time spent bringing them to the shops to get the stuff for school, getting ice-creams on that hot and clammy day, sending and fetching them to and from their classes, bringing them to the barber/salon for a haircut, cleaning the hamsters' cage, listening to their favourite songs together, going shopping with them, getting to know what they like, what they don't like, performing solat with them and/or bringing them to the mosque to perform the solat, cooking for them and having a proper meal at the dinner table together, and through out all these, having meaningful conversations with them.
THOSE are the things that our children will remember us by.
NOT those fat cheques we bring home at the end of the month after slogging 18 hours a day, 7 days a week at work.
Well, the kids MAY appreciate the fact that we can afford to buy them stuffs and such. But, at the end of the day, they are just that. Things. And like all material things, these will never last.
If you can spare 18 hours a day at work, what is 12-18 hours over the weekend for your family? 6 to 9 exclusive hours per day of QUALITY time for just 2 days WITH and FOR the kids.
Just think about it. Why are you working so hard? Who are you doing it for?
Just be very careful - for one day you might end up long gone, and also long forgotten by your kids just because they don't have anything of you to remember by - those special moments you spend with them.
What they might have may just be images of you working, and working, and working...and you blowing your top with them because they are in between you, and your work.
Are these the images you want your kids to remember you by?
I hope not.
And with Ramadhan just around the corner, I hope we can all take advantage of the Holy month to start making more efforts at home to become better parents to our kids.
I hope to spend more time at home as a family and beribadah as a family, insya Allah...
I pray that Allah SWT will guide me so as not to take my loved ones for granted.
And I hope when I'm long gone, they will miss me...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Coming Soon - Mutmainah dari Jawa Tengah...
"Ok..I want 2 do dis 4 u dear..Duit bole cari, but I want u 2 relax n chill out wen u come home. Kalau x tu habislah anak2 kena marah..+ bapak they all sekali! Haha :)"
Hehehe....
(Okay, okay... Granted. I can be so like a singa betina when I'm dead tired after a round of Bibik duties at home - and especially after a stressful day at the office).
Anyway, THAT was the SMS I got from Ayah last night after various SMSes between him, myself and Pn No*iz*n from a maid agency in SD. Even though we were quite shocked when we got to know the amount of dosh we have to part with to get a maid, we finally decided to just go ahead with it. Apparently, the amount quoted to us is the standard fee that one needs to pay for an Indonesian maid nowadays. In fact there are some agencies which charge between RM1k to RM1.5k more than that!
Really.
Really mencekedaghah more like it.
We've chosen one candidate by the name of Mutmainah, a 33 year old Mom of 3, from Jawa Tengah. She has worked in Malaysia before - there are pros and cons to that, like there are pros and cons to chosing EVERY single maid candidate out there irrespective of what are written in their biodata. So, pejam mata ajer lah. Pengemis tidak boleh menjadi pemilih... Bukankah begitu?
I was given the impression that this girl was already here and she could start straight away, and I was already planning to fold and iron at least HALF of my laundry yang dok menggunung in the back room, and also clean and tidy up the house a bit, coz' takut nanti Bibik pengsan bila sampai our house... Later I was told that it would take 2 months before all documents would be in order, etc. So, tolak campur kali bahagi, the new Bibik will only be here after Raya.
Well, I've been without a proper maid for 8 months now, what's another 2 months, kan? (I don't consider my last maid as a "proper" maid - for obvious reasons!)
Furthermore, this would also mean that I don't have to rush to iron and fold all those undone laundry, and there is also no need for me to break my back to do all that tidying up, too. At least for now ;)
So, insya Allah, we will not live like Kaum Badwi lagi nanti come end of September.
Having said that, this would mean that I can only REALLY chill out and relax at home in another 2 months time.
And in turn, this would also mean that Ayah and the kids would have to bear with this stressed out singa betina at home for another 2 months lagi...
;)
Hehehe....
(Okay, okay... Granted. I can be so like a singa betina when I'm dead tired after a round of Bibik duties at home - and especially after a stressful day at the office).
Anyway, THAT was the SMS I got from Ayah last night after various SMSes between him, myself and Pn No*iz*n from a maid agency in SD. Even though we were quite shocked when we got to know the amount of dosh we have to part with to get a maid, we finally decided to just go ahead with it. Apparently, the amount quoted to us is the standard fee that one needs to pay for an Indonesian maid nowadays. In fact there are some agencies which charge between RM1k to RM1.5k more than that!
Really.
Really mencekedaghah more like it.
We've chosen one candidate by the name of Mutmainah, a 33 year old Mom of 3, from Jawa Tengah. She has worked in Malaysia before - there are pros and cons to that, like there are pros and cons to chosing EVERY single maid candidate out there irrespective of what are written in their biodata. So, pejam mata ajer lah. Pengemis tidak boleh menjadi pemilih... Bukankah begitu?
I was given the impression that this girl was already here and she could start straight away, and I was already planning to fold and iron at least HALF of my laundry yang dok menggunung in the back room, and also clean and tidy up the house a bit, coz' takut nanti Bibik pengsan bila sampai our house... Later I was told that it would take 2 months before all documents would be in order, etc. So, tolak campur kali bahagi, the new Bibik will only be here after Raya.
Well, I've been without a proper maid for 8 months now, what's another 2 months, kan? (I don't consider my last maid as a "proper" maid - for obvious reasons!)
Furthermore, this would also mean that I don't have to rush to iron and fold all those undone laundry, and there is also no need for me to break my back to do all that tidying up, too. At least for now ;)
So, insya Allah, we will not live like Kaum Badwi lagi nanti come end of September.
Having said that, this would mean that I can only REALLY chill out and relax at home in another 2 months time.
And in turn, this would also mean that Ayah and the kids would have to bear with this stressed out singa betina at home for another 2 months lagi...
;)
Friday, July 9, 2010
Towkay tongkang pecah...
We are living like nomads. Again.
Back in 1998 until 2003, that was how we lived. We stayed with Mak - my MIL, in PJ, as it was more convenient for us given the circumstances then. Our SD house was just our weekend home.
We had two sets of everything. One set in PJ, another set in SD. Toiletries, Clothes (different categories - homewear, sleepwear, "jalan" wear, baju kerja, towels, beddings), shoes, socks, baldi, etc. You name it. Two sets of everything. And we're talking about stuff for FIVE people, okay?! And sometimes I would end-up wearing a baju in PJ, only to realize that the matching tudung(s) were in SD. The same goes with my shoes. Major crisis, weh...
Then we decided that someone had to cut the umbilical cord, and we started to slowly settle in our own house :) The kids were getting bigger and needed the space, and Ayah and I needed our own room (Hehehe!;)) And I also needed my own kitchen :)
We still kept two sets of some of the things in PJ though, but just what the kids might need while waiting for me to fetch them after work. Furthermore they still had their tuitions and a couple of nights mengaji in PJ. But, we got used to the arrangement.
And then Mak moved to her new house early last month.
And we now have THREE sets of everything in three different houses.
As Mak has yet to move fully out of her PJ home, the house is still very much the centre of the kids' Universe. It is still the more convenient stop/transit point for the kids compared to her new house, as it's near their school, tuition centres, music class. And, they still have their mengaji there as it's more convenient for the Ustadz. And of course - it's just 7 minutes away from my office (on a jam-free day).
Mak still goes back to the old house every day to shift the barang-barang bit by bit to the new place, and I'm doing the same thing.
Some of the stuff - I have shifted to the the new place. Some - back to SD.
And our old room in PJ is already like tongkang pecah.
The same with our house in SD. Sememang sedia maklum macam tongkang pecah since my maidless status. And now - with all the stuff shifted back there, dah jadi macam tiga tongkang pecah. And it doesn't help that now we spend most of our time at Mak's new house, and I just couldn't find the time to really tidy-up/clean-up our SD house!
And our room in the new house is also like tongkang pecah as I keep bringing stuff there from PJ, and I couldn't/can't seem to find the time to unpack and kemas them properly.
So, just imagine. Living in three tongkangs. All pecah...
But, we do find it relatively more convenient for us staying at Mak's new place especially when it's so much nearer to Ayah's hospital. He doesn't have to drive that far at the end of a hectic day at work to get home, and he doesn't have to drive that far in case he gets called to the hospital in the middle of the night.
Not to mention, our SD house pun sejak dua menjak macam merajuk (macam tau we're moving out to our BJ house). Air-cond bocor, plumbing leaking, some of the lightings buat hal, etc. So much so, that we feel it to be so much more comfortable staying at Mak's place. And of course - there's Mak's AV Room, which makes our World Cup experience more gempaq the last month or so :) Hehehee!
Every 2-3 days we would go back to SD so that the kids can get whatever stuff they need for school/lessons for the next 2-3 days. And also to feed Benji and Button (the hamsters) and Jasper (the terrapin). And I would normally try to do as much ironing and tidying up as I can in the short span of time we're there.
And now, I shudder to think of how it would be when we finally decide to move in to our BJ house nanti.
EMPAT tongkang pecah?!
O.M.G.
Back in 1998 until 2003, that was how we lived. We stayed with Mak - my MIL, in PJ, as it was more convenient for us given the circumstances then. Our SD house was just our weekend home.
We had two sets of everything. One set in PJ, another set in SD. Toiletries, Clothes (different categories - homewear, sleepwear, "jalan" wear, baju kerja, towels, beddings), shoes, socks, baldi, etc. You name it. Two sets of everything. And we're talking about stuff for FIVE people, okay?! And sometimes I would end-up wearing a baju in PJ, only to realize that the matching tudung(s) were in SD. The same goes with my shoes. Major crisis, weh...
Then we decided that someone had to cut the umbilical cord, and we started to slowly settle in our own house :) The kids were getting bigger and needed the space, and Ayah and I needed our own room (Hehehe!;)) And I also needed my own kitchen :)
We still kept two sets of some of the things in PJ though, but just what the kids might need while waiting for me to fetch them after work. Furthermore they still had their tuitions and a couple of nights mengaji in PJ. But, we got used to the arrangement.
And then Mak moved to her new house early last month.
And we now have THREE sets of everything in three different houses.
As Mak has yet to move fully out of her PJ home, the house is still very much the centre of the kids' Universe. It is still the more convenient stop/transit point for the kids compared to her new house, as it's near their school, tuition centres, music class. And, they still have their mengaji there as it's more convenient for the Ustadz. And of course - it's just 7 minutes away from my office (on a jam-free day).
Mak still goes back to the old house every day to shift the barang-barang bit by bit to the new place, and I'm doing the same thing.
Some of the stuff - I have shifted to the the new place. Some - back to SD.
And our old room in PJ is already like tongkang pecah.
The same with our house in SD. Sememang sedia maklum macam tongkang pecah since my maidless status. And now - with all the stuff shifted back there, dah jadi macam tiga tongkang pecah. And it doesn't help that now we spend most of our time at Mak's new house, and I just couldn't find the time to really tidy-up/clean-up our SD house!
And our room in the new house is also like tongkang pecah as I keep bringing stuff there from PJ, and I couldn't/can't seem to find the time to unpack and kemas them properly.
So, just imagine. Living in three tongkangs. All pecah...
But, we do find it relatively more convenient for us staying at Mak's new place especially when it's so much nearer to Ayah's hospital. He doesn't have to drive that far at the end of a hectic day at work to get home, and he doesn't have to drive that far in case he gets called to the hospital in the middle of the night.
Not to mention, our SD house pun sejak dua menjak macam merajuk (macam tau we're moving out to our BJ house). Air-cond bocor, plumbing leaking, some of the lightings buat hal, etc. So much so, that we feel it to be so much more comfortable staying at Mak's place. And of course - there's Mak's AV Room, which makes our World Cup experience more gempaq the last month or so :) Hehehee!
Every 2-3 days we would go back to SD so that the kids can get whatever stuff they need for school/lessons for the next 2-3 days. And also to feed Benji and Button (the hamsters) and Jasper (the terrapin). And I would normally try to do as much ironing and tidying up as I can in the short span of time we're there.
And now, I shudder to think of how it would be when we finally decide to move in to our BJ house nanti.
EMPAT tongkang pecah?!
O.M.G.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Minus 2, and okay with it :)
Salams, and 'Hi' y'all!
Remember on 20th April 2010 - I set a target for myself here?
Well, even though I have not managed to shed 4kgs by 30 June (today) as I had set out to do, I am still pleased to report that I have managed to get rid of 2kgs, and I am happy :)
Considering that I had to forget about spending 2-3 times a week at the gym, or going on the treadmill and cross/trainer daily at home after Anis the Bibik decided to quit, I think I have done rather well. 2kg loss - that's more than I had ever lost in the last 3 years. The most dramatic weightloss was 4kg over 3 months back in 2006. So, syukur alhamdulillah for the current feat :)
I will continue with whatever I have managed to do in the last 3 months in terms of trying to lose weight, and hopefully, I will meet the 'Minus-4' target eventually, insya Allah.
It's Minus-2 target now - by Merdeka Day :)
Come. Join me (again) ;)
Another 2kgs. That's definitely achievable!
Remember on 20th April 2010 - I set a target for myself here?
Well, even though I have not managed to shed 4kgs by 30 June (today) as I had set out to do, I am still pleased to report that I have managed to get rid of 2kgs, and I am happy :)
Considering that I had to forget about spending 2-3 times a week at the gym, or going on the treadmill and cross/trainer daily at home after Anis the Bibik decided to quit, I think I have done rather well. 2kg loss - that's more than I had ever lost in the last 3 years. The most dramatic weightloss was 4kg over 3 months back in 2006. So, syukur alhamdulillah for the current feat :)
I will continue with whatever I have managed to do in the last 3 months in terms of trying to lose weight, and hopefully, I will meet the 'Minus-4' target eventually, insya Allah.
It's Minus-2 target now - by Merdeka Day :)
Come. Join me (again) ;)
Another 2kgs. That's definitely achievable!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan, and Down Memory Lane...
The last time we went for a family holiday was in November last year (I think?) Even then, I wouldn't really call it a "holiday" as such, as it was only a 3D2N break in Genting, and we were there to tag Ayah who had a meeting there. We only spent time as a family when Ayah had fulfilled whatever obligations he had during the meeting. Even then, the second night we were there, Ayah had to turun bukit as he had a prior commitment in KL, and he only re-joined us the next morning. Like most of our "tag-along" breaks, all accommodation and meals at the hotel were taken care by Ayah's sponsors. So, we only had to foot the bills for all the fun stuff at the Theme Park :)
The school holidays which had just passed was no different, as yet again we went for another tag-along break with Ayah. This time to Penang. Ayah was one of four speakers at a Cardio Meeting held at Ho*id*y Inn, Batu Feringghi, and he was given a couple of duties for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, and again, all expenses for our stay at the hotel were sponsored by the organizers.
(Hehehe...So, by now you all have surely got it - we only go for a holiday when we don't have to pay for it! Hahaha! Cheap-skate, huh? ;))
Anyway, we decided to start our trip up to Penang on Friday morning and break our journey in Taiping - spending the night at my Brother Jame's place before continuing our drive to Batu Feringghi on Saturday morning.
It was somewhat a different experience this time around as we brought along Zaidy to drive us, and as we were in no rush, we managed to take a few "Jalan-jalan Cari Makan" (JJCM)and "Down Memory Lane" (DML) breaks along the way. It was a leisurely drive, and Ayah managed to get some sleep during the journey (which was just as well as he only had a 2 1/2 hours sleep the night before - NOT because he was watching a World Cup match, but rather because he had to attend to an emergency until 5:30 in the morning).
Suffice to say, the trip brought a lot of memories, and not to mention a few kilos back! Dang...Whatever kilos I had managed to shed in the last couple of months, I gained back half of them over the four days break :(
Anyway, just to summarize our JJCM and DML trip, the first stop we made on our way to Taiping on Friday, was at the Sg. Buloh R&R for our breakfast (where I had a bowl of Meehoon Soto - calorie counter started its duty then). The next stop was at the Tapah R&R to buy some fruits as buah tangan for my brother and family - the normal Jambu Air, Jambu Batu and Mangoes with the Serbuk Asam Boi and Kuah Rojak. We then proceeded to Kuala Kangsar as Ayah wanted to bring and show the kids his alma mater. We spent a good 45 minutes just walking around the school compound and taking pictures, after which we had lunch at the Sungei Perak Resort (where I had a plate of Char Kuey Teow pulak. "Kachiiiinnnggg!!" screamed the calorie counter!) The next stop was the Masjid Ubudiah Bukit Chandan, and I must say that we were very impressed with how the exterior of the Masjid was being maintained. It was simply beautiful.
We left Kuala Kangsar at around 3:45p.m, and ended up taking the jalan lama up north instead of the North-South Highway when Zaidy missed a turn - which was in fact a blessing in disguise as we ended up in Bukit Gantang. And of course, when you're in Bukit Gantang, it would be a sin NOT to indulge yourselves in their famous durian, right? And that was what we did. We just stopped by a durian stall along the jalan lama, and had the most delicious durians beramai-ramai. I think I probably had 7-8 pieces of durians at one sitting (calorie counter on over-drive!) I swear I could have taken in more durians, but the plateful of Char Kuey Teow which I just had barely 2 hours before that just didn't leave much space for me to do that! :( Silap strategy wehhh...
We reached Taiping Town just after 5:00p.m, and went around the beautiful Lake Gardens, and I decided to show the kids my primary school - Treacher Methodist Girls School. Tak mau kalah... Ayah dah tunjuk sekolah dia, Mommy pun kena tunjuk sekolah Mommy...Hehehe! I have to say that we were REALLY impressed with how clean the whole school was. Kudos to the teachers and pupils of TMGS! One thing I realized - the things that seemed huge around the school when I was schooling there seemed so much smaller last weekend. So many things have changed, but having said that, I was still overwhelmed with the familiarities and memories the visit to the school had brought back to me.
We later brought the kids to visit my Uncle Yang who was staying at my Arwah grandparents' house in Kamunting, and yet again, memories of how I had spent my days at my Atok and Atah's house when I was a child flooded in. I remembered playing hide and seek around the kampung, and I remembered how my siblings and cousins used to hide in our Atok's neighbours' houses. We were free to roam the kampung, and we were welcome to hide in all the houses there, tak kira mana ceruk rumah. We were known as "Cucu Tuan Haji Ismail" - the Tok Mudin Moden :)
After Kamunting, we made our way to Assam Kumbang to show the kids the two houses I lived in before I left for boarding school in JB. The house in Rodger Place (government quarters) where I spent the first 5 years of my life is still there and I must say is quite well-maintained, compared to the house in Jalan Sekolah Arab which we rented from 1974 to 1982. I could feel a heavy tug on my heart when I saw how the latter was pretty much abandoned and rundown, and I suddenly realized that my eyes were welling up with tears looking at the house which was once known among the orang kampung as the "Rumah Putih Jalan Sekolah Arab". It was not the only house which was abandoned there. A number of other houses which my childhood friends used to live in and which I used to frequent were also in similar conditions, if not worse. It was just so sad.
I left Assam Kumbang with a heavy heart, and we made our way to the Taiping Railway Station where my Brother Jame was to meet us. He and his family had just moved to a new house and I was not familiar with the new area. Jame met us outside the Railway Station - another place which brought a lot of memories back to me as that was where I used to bid farewell to my Mommy and Abah and shed buckets of tears everytime I had to go back to JB on the Keretapi Mel at the end of every school holiday in the 80's. I must say, the Railway Station didn't seem to have changed that much, even after 25 years since my last train ride from there. It was as if time stood still there.
We had a late tea of Satay Basree and Popiah Basah Cashier Market at Jame's place. It was sweet of Jame to remember my favourite - Satay Perut and Limpa/Paru, and I dare not reveal how many sticks of that sinful stuff ended in my tummy that day!! (calorie counter kerja kuat!) As if that was not enough, we had a late dinner and yours truly had Rice with Daging Merah and Telur Bungkus that night. Tak hengat dunia...
Breakfast the next morning was the customary Nasi Lemak and Roti Chanai (and I just couldn't be bothered with my diet dah at this point. Hehehe!) We only left Taiping at 11:00a.m.
The journey to Penang took us slightly more than 2 hours, as we were not that familiar with the roads. We checked-in at the hotel just after 1:00p.m and were given two rooms - the girls got one room all to themselves, while our Boy Chiman had to settle with sharing a room with his Ayah and Mommy :) We had lunch just before 2:00p.m and yours truly had a plate of Mee Goreng Mamak (the damage has been done anyway, kan? Might as well...LOL!).
The time after lunch was spent making myself busy unpacking stuff and making the rooms homely while waiting for Ayah to come back from his meeting. But, by 4:15p.m when there was no sign of Ayah coming back to the room, the kids and I decided to go down to the beach first. The kids went horse-riding before starting their sandcastle-building project, which later transformed into a dam-building effort, but which ended up as deep hole-digging venture between Hasya and Hilman and a few new friends they made on the beach.
Ayah managed to get away from his meeting and joined us at 5:30p.m. and what better way to welcome him to the beach than by getting him to watch Hanna go para-sailing! (I tell you...I know for certain that she definitely does not follow her Mommy. I would have peed in my pants even before I were to take off with the parachute!) So, that was fun. For Hanna. But, not for her Mommy who literally stopped breathing a few times watching her daughter floating/gliding so high up in the air! Lomah lutut den...
We had a poolside BBQ and Buffet Dinner at the hotel (which meant I basically walloped whatever I fancied at the buffet station) after which we decided to go for supper at Hard Rock Cafe. Malang nasib kami, as we didn't make any reservations, we couldn't get in. That place was filled to the brim. (A note to self - next trip to Penang, have to make sure I make reservations first). We made up for the disappointment by shopping sakan at the Hard Rock Shop, and later jalan-jalan at the night gerai along the main road leading to the hotel.
Sunday morning - after a breakfast of Teochew Porridge, Fried Meehoon, Scrambled Eggs and sausages (some in big and some in small portions...Hehehe!), the girls accompanied Hilman who wanted to go for a swim in the pool while their Mommy started to pack everybody's stuff back in the room. A good 2 hours were spent at the pool before the kids came up to have their shower and help me with the final packing.
By 12:30p.m everything was ready, and while waiting for Ayah to come back from his meeting, the kids and I had a few rounds of table tennis (which I'm sure did not help much in burning the newly-gained calories in me...) Ayah finally joined us for a couple of games at about 1:00p.m before we proceeded to have lunch at the Terrace Cafe. No need to tell lah what I had for lunch...too sinful :) Suffice to say there was Lamb Korma somewhere in it ;)
We checked out at 2:00p.m and started our journey back to KL. Again - a slow drive down as we were not in a rush. We made two stops on the way. The first stop was at Kuala Sepetang, just outside Taiping - for the famous Mee Udang Mak Jah just before 5:00p.m. I had the Mee Udang Special (with loads of udang and 2-3 Udang Besar thrown in) and we all agreed that the prawns were the freshest we've ever tasted. I have to say that the taste of the Mee Udang was not really out of this world, but, the fresh big prawns were definitely worthed the detour to Kuala Sepetang :)
We left Gerai Mak Jah just before 6:00p.m and continued our journey back to KL, making one last stop in Tapah to get some fruits and petais for my Mommy and MIL.
We reached my MIL's house just after 9:00p.m, syukur alhamdulillah...
Kesian the kids - had to go to school the next day, but, luckily they had prepared all their uniforms and schoolbags for Monday before we left for Penang, and I think they went to sleep as soon as their heads touched the pillow that night.
And with all the mix and match of food going through my esophogus over the four days, you would have thought that I would end up with a tummy upset, right?
Syukur alhamdulillah - nope.
But, the next day, I got this text from Zaidy -
"Salam, puan. Hari ini saya MC boleh? Sakit perut".
So, there goes my leave for Monday as I had to be on supir duty the whole day. His perut is not as durable as my perut it seems :)
Hmmmm...Maybe that's God's way of helping me to shed the excess kilos I gained over the weekend, kan? ;)
* Click here for some photos ;)
The school holidays which had just passed was no different, as yet again we went for another tag-along break with Ayah. This time to Penang. Ayah was one of four speakers at a Cardio Meeting held at Ho*id*y Inn, Batu Feringghi, and he was given a couple of duties for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, and again, all expenses for our stay at the hotel were sponsored by the organizers.
(Hehehe...So, by now you all have surely got it - we only go for a holiday when we don't have to pay for it! Hahaha! Cheap-skate, huh? ;))
Anyway, we decided to start our trip up to Penang on Friday morning and break our journey in Taiping - spending the night at my Brother Jame's place before continuing our drive to Batu Feringghi on Saturday morning.
It was somewhat a different experience this time around as we brought along Zaidy to drive us, and as we were in no rush, we managed to take a few "Jalan-jalan Cari Makan" (JJCM)and "Down Memory Lane" (DML) breaks along the way. It was a leisurely drive, and Ayah managed to get some sleep during the journey (which was just as well as he only had a 2 1/2 hours sleep the night before - NOT because he was watching a World Cup match, but rather because he had to attend to an emergency until 5:30 in the morning).
Suffice to say, the trip brought a lot of memories, and not to mention a few kilos back! Dang...Whatever kilos I had managed to shed in the last couple of months, I gained back half of them over the four days break :(
Anyway, just to summarize our JJCM and DML trip, the first stop we made on our way to Taiping on Friday, was at the Sg. Buloh R&R for our breakfast (where I had a bowl of Meehoon Soto - calorie counter started its duty then). The next stop was at the Tapah R&R to buy some fruits as buah tangan for my brother and family - the normal Jambu Air, Jambu Batu and Mangoes with the Serbuk Asam Boi and Kuah Rojak. We then proceeded to Kuala Kangsar as Ayah wanted to bring and show the kids his alma mater. We spent a good 45 minutes just walking around the school compound and taking pictures, after which we had lunch at the Sungei Perak Resort (where I had a plate of Char Kuey Teow pulak. "Kachiiiinnnggg!!" screamed the calorie counter!) The next stop was the Masjid Ubudiah Bukit Chandan, and I must say that we were very impressed with how the exterior of the Masjid was being maintained. It was simply beautiful.
We left Kuala Kangsar at around 3:45p.m, and ended up taking the jalan lama up north instead of the North-South Highway when Zaidy missed a turn - which was in fact a blessing in disguise as we ended up in Bukit Gantang. And of course, when you're in Bukit Gantang, it would be a sin NOT to indulge yourselves in their famous durian, right? And that was what we did. We just stopped by a durian stall along the jalan lama, and had the most delicious durians beramai-ramai. I think I probably had 7-8 pieces of durians at one sitting (calorie counter on over-drive!) I swear I could have taken in more durians, but the plateful of Char Kuey Teow which I just had barely 2 hours before that just didn't leave much space for me to do that! :( Silap strategy wehhh...
We reached Taiping Town just after 5:00p.m, and went around the beautiful Lake Gardens, and I decided to show the kids my primary school - Treacher Methodist Girls School. Tak mau kalah... Ayah dah tunjuk sekolah dia, Mommy pun kena tunjuk sekolah Mommy...Hehehe! I have to say that we were REALLY impressed with how clean the whole school was. Kudos to the teachers and pupils of TMGS! One thing I realized - the things that seemed huge around the school when I was schooling there seemed so much smaller last weekend. So many things have changed, but having said that, I was still overwhelmed with the familiarities and memories the visit to the school had brought back to me.
We later brought the kids to visit my Uncle Yang who was staying at my Arwah grandparents' house in Kamunting, and yet again, memories of how I had spent my days at my Atok and Atah's house when I was a child flooded in. I remembered playing hide and seek around the kampung, and I remembered how my siblings and cousins used to hide in our Atok's neighbours' houses. We were free to roam the kampung, and we were welcome to hide in all the houses there, tak kira mana ceruk rumah. We were known as "Cucu Tuan Haji Ismail" - the Tok Mudin Moden :)
After Kamunting, we made our way to Assam Kumbang to show the kids the two houses I lived in before I left for boarding school in JB. The house in Rodger Place (government quarters) where I spent the first 5 years of my life is still there and I must say is quite well-maintained, compared to the house in Jalan Sekolah Arab which we rented from 1974 to 1982. I could feel a heavy tug on my heart when I saw how the latter was pretty much abandoned and rundown, and I suddenly realized that my eyes were welling up with tears looking at the house which was once known among the orang kampung as the "Rumah Putih Jalan Sekolah Arab". It was not the only house which was abandoned there. A number of other houses which my childhood friends used to live in and which I used to frequent were also in similar conditions, if not worse. It was just so sad.
I left Assam Kumbang with a heavy heart, and we made our way to the Taiping Railway Station where my Brother Jame was to meet us. He and his family had just moved to a new house and I was not familiar with the new area. Jame met us outside the Railway Station - another place which brought a lot of memories back to me as that was where I used to bid farewell to my Mommy and Abah and shed buckets of tears everytime I had to go back to JB on the Keretapi Mel at the end of every school holiday in the 80's. I must say, the Railway Station didn't seem to have changed that much, even after 25 years since my last train ride from there. It was as if time stood still there.
We had a late tea of Satay Basree and Popiah Basah Cashier Market at Jame's place. It was sweet of Jame to remember my favourite - Satay Perut and Limpa/Paru, and I dare not reveal how many sticks of that sinful stuff ended in my tummy that day!! (calorie counter kerja kuat!) As if that was not enough, we had a late dinner and yours truly had Rice with Daging Merah and Telur Bungkus that night. Tak hengat dunia...
Breakfast the next morning was the customary Nasi Lemak and Roti Chanai (and I just couldn't be bothered with my diet dah at this point. Hehehe!) We only left Taiping at 11:00a.m.
The journey to Penang took us slightly more than 2 hours, as we were not that familiar with the roads. We checked-in at the hotel just after 1:00p.m and were given two rooms - the girls got one room all to themselves, while our Boy Chiman had to settle with sharing a room with his Ayah and Mommy :) We had lunch just before 2:00p.m and yours truly had a plate of Mee Goreng Mamak (the damage has been done anyway, kan? Might as well...LOL!).
The time after lunch was spent making myself busy unpacking stuff and making the rooms homely while waiting for Ayah to come back from his meeting. But, by 4:15p.m when there was no sign of Ayah coming back to the room, the kids and I decided to go down to the beach first. The kids went horse-riding before starting their sandcastle-building project, which later transformed into a dam-building effort, but which ended up as deep hole-digging venture between Hasya and Hilman and a few new friends they made on the beach.
Ayah managed to get away from his meeting and joined us at 5:30p.m. and what better way to welcome him to the beach than by getting him to watch Hanna go para-sailing! (I tell you...I know for certain that she definitely does not follow her Mommy. I would have peed in my pants even before I were to take off with the parachute!) So, that was fun. For Hanna. But, not for her Mommy who literally stopped breathing a few times watching her daughter floating/gliding so high up in the air! Lomah lutut den...
We had a poolside BBQ and Buffet Dinner at the hotel (which meant I basically walloped whatever I fancied at the buffet station) after which we decided to go for supper at Hard Rock Cafe. Malang nasib kami, as we didn't make any reservations, we couldn't get in. That place was filled to the brim. (A note to self - next trip to Penang, have to make sure I make reservations first). We made up for the disappointment by shopping sakan at the Hard Rock Shop, and later jalan-jalan at the night gerai along the main road leading to the hotel.
Sunday morning - after a breakfast of Teochew Porridge, Fried Meehoon, Scrambled Eggs and sausages (some in big and some in small portions...Hehehe!), the girls accompanied Hilman who wanted to go for a swim in the pool while their Mommy started to pack everybody's stuff back in the room. A good 2 hours were spent at the pool before the kids came up to have their shower and help me with the final packing.
By 12:30p.m everything was ready, and while waiting for Ayah to come back from his meeting, the kids and I had a few rounds of table tennis (which I'm sure did not help much in burning the newly-gained calories in me...) Ayah finally joined us for a couple of games at about 1:00p.m before we proceeded to have lunch at the Terrace Cafe. No need to tell lah what I had for lunch...too sinful :) Suffice to say there was Lamb Korma somewhere in it ;)
We checked out at 2:00p.m and started our journey back to KL. Again - a slow drive down as we were not in a rush. We made two stops on the way. The first stop was at Kuala Sepetang, just outside Taiping - for the famous Mee Udang Mak Jah just before 5:00p.m. I had the Mee Udang Special (with loads of udang and 2-3 Udang Besar thrown in) and we all agreed that the prawns were the freshest we've ever tasted. I have to say that the taste of the Mee Udang was not really out of this world, but, the fresh big prawns were definitely worthed the detour to Kuala Sepetang :)
We left Gerai Mak Jah just before 6:00p.m and continued our journey back to KL, making one last stop in Tapah to get some fruits and petais for my Mommy and MIL.
We reached my MIL's house just after 9:00p.m, syukur alhamdulillah...
Kesian the kids - had to go to school the next day, but, luckily they had prepared all their uniforms and schoolbags for Monday before we left for Penang, and I think they went to sleep as soon as their heads touched the pillow that night.
And with all the mix and match of food going through my esophogus over the four days, you would have thought that I would end up with a tummy upset, right?
Syukur alhamdulillah - nope.
But, the next day, I got this text from Zaidy -
"Salam, puan. Hari ini saya MC boleh? Sakit perut".
So, there goes my leave for Monday as I had to be on supir duty the whole day. His perut is not as durable as my perut it seems :)
Hmmmm...Maybe that's God's way of helping me to shed the excess kilos I gained over the weekend, kan? ;)
* Click here for some photos ;)
Friday, June 11, 2010
Something new and something old for the holidays :)
It's Friday today. Exactly one week of the school holidays has come and gone, and it doesn't really feel like a holiday. Well, for me at least.
The past one week has kept me busy with work at the office and organizing and managing stuff relating to Ayah's practice/business (filing this and filing that, paying this and paying that, etc.) But, most of all, I've been busy shifting things and stuff to my MIL's new house.
Yes, after more than 6 years, her house is finally ready, syukur alhamdulillah...
She had planned to hold a Khenduri Do'a Selamat, Tahlil and Majlis Kesyukuran sempena her moving to the new place on her 70th Birthday on Sunday, 6th June 2010, starting with Solat Maghrib, followed by Tahlil, Solat Isya' and Dinner. So, the few days leading to that date, everybody was busy cleaning the house, moving stuff and making the rooms in the new house homely for the Khenduri.
The night before the Khenduri, the five of us - Ayah, the kids and I decided to "test" sleeping at the house. We were the first 5 people to do so as my MIL is quite a conservative when it comes to all these, whereby she only wanted to start sleeping there after the Khenduri Do'a Selamat disempurnakan. Syukur alhamdulillah, everybody slept soundly and peacefully that night. Even though it was a strange feeling waking up at the new place the next morning with just the five of us in the house, I could see that the kids were all excited about their Wan's new abode.
The Khenduri went well, albeit an initial hitch when there was a blackout while we were performing Solat Maghrib. Thanks to a friend - Ir Jo* of TNB who was one of our guests that night, we managed to get back the supply just before 8:00p.m.
It was a bit chaotic later on when the caterer only provided us with 3 (VERY SLOW!) waiters/waitress to attend to nearly 200 guests (when my MIL had requested for at least 8!), So, most of orang rumah had to also turun padang to speed everything up. Very stressful indeed, especially for my MIL, but, syukur alhamdulillah, the whole thing went okay.
The last guests left just before midnight, and after we cleaned up the house, and had our food, we finally went to bed close to 2:00a.m - the first night Ayah's family slept together under one roof in the new house (except for Along and his family who had to be in Perth). It was, I'm sure a very meaningful night for my MIL...
We have been sleeping there ever since the Khenduri, with me only going back to Sri D'sara every other day to wash the clothes in the morning before going to the office, as the washing machine from the old house was only sent to the new house yesterday. I also need to replenish the hamsters' and terrapin's food and water every other day. And of course, while I'm in Sri D'sara, I also take the opportunity to pack some of our stuff from Sri D'sara and send to the new house.
Those who knew our living arrangement before this would know that we had two sets of nearly all of our daily necessities - one set in our own house in Sri D'sara, and another set in Mak's house in PJ. This was because the PJ house was basically the kids' transit point after school, whereby they would be there until I fetched them to bring home to Sri D'sara after work everyday.
The PJ house is still there, and still being used by my MIL. So, a set of our daily necessities and clothes are still there. My MIL still goes back there everyday to hold meetings with her staff from the office, and I think she will continue with this arrangement indefinitely. The kids still have their Mengaji Class there, and as the house is nearer to all their tuition/piano/chess classes compared to the new place, it is still very much our transit point at the moment. So, basically, when we say "Wan's house" to the kids, we now have to specify WHICH house we're actually referring to :)
So, my job for the past one week has been to build up another set of all our daily necessities at the new house - Baju "Rumah", Baju "Jalan", Baju Tidur, Baju "Kecik", Beddings, Towels, Toiletries, decors, soft furnishings, etc. And doing just that has kept me pretty busy outside of my working hours in the last 5 days or so.
As if having two sets of necessities before this wasn't stressful enough, I now have to make sure that all three sets are complete everytime we plan to stay at either one of the houses! Hehehe...
The kids don't seem to mind not going anywhere this school holidays, as I think they find discovering all nooks and corners around their Wan's new house is an adventure in itself. Many times I just couldn't find where they were in the house exactly - Hilman and Hasya, especially!
We had not made any plans to go anywhere this holiday as Hanna's having her PMR this year, and she has tuitions nearly every other day the whole of the cuti. But, we pity the kids, so, Ayah and I decided that we should tag along with him for his meeting in Penang next week. And insya Allah, we'll break our journey in Taiping - my hometown. Yeay!! :)
I'm really looking forward to that trip as the last time we were back in Taiping with the kids was probably 8 years ago! Hanna was 6, Hasya was 3 and Hilman was only 2 years old then, and I don't think they remember much of that trip, especially the two younger ones.
My second brother - Jame and his family are still in Taiping, as are a number of my uncles, aunties and cousins. As my Abah and Mommy are staying in KL now, we rarely go back to Taiping nowadays, as everytime there's a long holiday, my Brother Jame would come down to KL instead.
I plan to bring and show the kids the house and the kampung where I grew up in - where I lived with their Jaddi and Jaddati before going to boarding school, to their arwah Moyang's house (which is now occupied by an uncle) and to my old primary school which is located within the beautiful Taiping Lake Gardens area. And insya Allah, if time permits, we'll probably go on the Night Safari at the Zoo :)
This school holidays might not be an extravagant one for the kids, but, in a way, I hope that this will be one of the most special ones for them, insya Allah. On one hand, they're going through the new experience of staying at their paternal grandma's new house... and on the other hand, they'll also be tracing and discovering the old treasures and memories (mine, that is! :)) at their maternal grandma's kampung...
Nothing can be cooler than that, I think ;)
The past one week has kept me busy with work at the office and organizing and managing stuff relating to Ayah's practice/business (filing this and filing that, paying this and paying that, etc.) But, most of all, I've been busy shifting things and stuff to my MIL's new house.
Yes, after more than 6 years, her house is finally ready, syukur alhamdulillah...
She had planned to hold a Khenduri Do'a Selamat, Tahlil and Majlis Kesyukuran sempena her moving to the new place on her 70th Birthday on Sunday, 6th June 2010, starting with Solat Maghrib, followed by Tahlil, Solat Isya' and Dinner. So, the few days leading to that date, everybody was busy cleaning the house, moving stuff and making the rooms in the new house homely for the Khenduri.
The night before the Khenduri, the five of us - Ayah, the kids and I decided to "test" sleeping at the house. We were the first 5 people to do so as my MIL is quite a conservative when it comes to all these, whereby she only wanted to start sleeping there after the Khenduri Do'a Selamat disempurnakan. Syukur alhamdulillah, everybody slept soundly and peacefully that night. Even though it was a strange feeling waking up at the new place the next morning with just the five of us in the house, I could see that the kids were all excited about their Wan's new abode.
The Khenduri went well, albeit an initial hitch when there was a blackout while we were performing Solat Maghrib. Thanks to a friend - Ir Jo* of TNB who was one of our guests that night, we managed to get back the supply just before 8:00p.m.
It was a bit chaotic later on when the caterer only provided us with 3 (VERY SLOW!) waiters/waitress to attend to nearly 200 guests (when my MIL had requested for at least 8!), So, most of orang rumah had to also turun padang to speed everything up. Very stressful indeed, especially for my MIL, but, syukur alhamdulillah, the whole thing went okay.
The last guests left just before midnight, and after we cleaned up the house, and had our food, we finally went to bed close to 2:00a.m - the first night Ayah's family slept together under one roof in the new house (except for Along and his family who had to be in Perth). It was, I'm sure a very meaningful night for my MIL...
We have been sleeping there ever since the Khenduri, with me only going back to Sri D'sara every other day to wash the clothes in the morning before going to the office, as the washing machine from the old house was only sent to the new house yesterday. I also need to replenish the hamsters' and terrapin's food and water every other day. And of course, while I'm in Sri D'sara, I also take the opportunity to pack some of our stuff from Sri D'sara and send to the new house.
Those who knew our living arrangement before this would know that we had two sets of nearly all of our daily necessities - one set in our own house in Sri D'sara, and another set in Mak's house in PJ. This was because the PJ house was basically the kids' transit point after school, whereby they would be there until I fetched them to bring home to Sri D'sara after work everyday.
The PJ house is still there, and still being used by my MIL. So, a set of our daily necessities and clothes are still there. My MIL still goes back there everyday to hold meetings with her staff from the office, and I think she will continue with this arrangement indefinitely. The kids still have their Mengaji Class there, and as the house is nearer to all their tuition/piano/chess classes compared to the new place, it is still very much our transit point at the moment. So, basically, when we say "Wan's house" to the kids, we now have to specify WHICH house we're actually referring to :)
So, my job for the past one week has been to build up another set of all our daily necessities at the new house - Baju "Rumah", Baju "Jalan", Baju Tidur, Baju "Kecik", Beddings, Towels, Toiletries, decors, soft furnishings, etc. And doing just that has kept me pretty busy outside of my working hours in the last 5 days or so.
As if having two sets of necessities before this wasn't stressful enough, I now have to make sure that all three sets are complete everytime we plan to stay at either one of the houses! Hehehe...
The kids don't seem to mind not going anywhere this school holidays, as I think they find discovering all nooks and corners around their Wan's new house is an adventure in itself. Many times I just couldn't find where they were in the house exactly - Hilman and Hasya, especially!
We had not made any plans to go anywhere this holiday as Hanna's having her PMR this year, and she has tuitions nearly every other day the whole of the cuti. But, we pity the kids, so, Ayah and I decided that we should tag along with him for his meeting in Penang next week. And insya Allah, we'll break our journey in Taiping - my hometown. Yeay!! :)
I'm really looking forward to that trip as the last time we were back in Taiping with the kids was probably 8 years ago! Hanna was 6, Hasya was 3 and Hilman was only 2 years old then, and I don't think they remember much of that trip, especially the two younger ones.
My second brother - Jame and his family are still in Taiping, as are a number of my uncles, aunties and cousins. As my Abah and Mommy are staying in KL now, we rarely go back to Taiping nowadays, as everytime there's a long holiday, my Brother Jame would come down to KL instead.
I plan to bring and show the kids the house and the kampung where I grew up in - where I lived with their Jaddi and Jaddati before going to boarding school, to their arwah Moyang's house (which is now occupied by an uncle) and to my old primary school which is located within the beautiful Taiping Lake Gardens area. And insya Allah, if time permits, we'll probably go on the Night Safari at the Zoo :)
This school holidays might not be an extravagant one for the kids, but, in a way, I hope that this will be one of the most special ones for them, insya Allah. On one hand, they're going through the new experience of staying at their paternal grandma's new house... and on the other hand, they'll also be tracing and discovering the old treasures and memories (mine, that is! :)) at their maternal grandma's kampung...
Nothing can be cooler than that, I think ;)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Letting go...
Today is Wesak Day. The first day of a three-day weekend.
Unlike the normal weekends, the house is pretty quiet today. Ayah is at work and will only probably be back around 4:00pm. No surprise there, huh?And Hanna is busy doing her revision for her Mid-Year. Or at least I HOPE she is revising in her room now. She has yet to come down today, not even to have her breakfast. I normally would just leave her to study in her own time and on her own terms, and with her own style of studying. It has worked well thus far, and she has been doing quite well in school. Hopefully she'll be fine, insya Allah.
As for the other two munchkins who have been the ones who would be making the noise and memeriahkan the house during weekends (and weekdays, too, for that matter) - Hasya and Hilman, they are away on a school camping trip in Sungkai, and will only be back tomorrow evening. It's for the school's Unit Beruniform. They've been having the programme for years now, and Hasya was supposed to go last year, but, I didn't let her.
We never had problems with Hanna going on overnight school trips before this, even when she was in Primary School. I guess because we knew that she was quite independent, and the fact that the first few trips that she went on, they were all made compulsory, and we could not say "No". So, after a few times, it was easier to let her go.
This time around I had decided to let Hasya and Hilman go on the overnight school trip even though it was not compulsory for them to go. I was quite reluctant initially, but, Ayah said we should just let them go. And after their pleads and "Pretty-pleases", I gave in and decided to let them join their friends on the trip - NOT without feeling anxious about it the whole time (and still feeling it now actually!). One of the reasons why I finally gave in was the fact that both of them will be there and can (should?) keep an eye on each other.
And the preparation for their first camping trip was quite an experience for me, too. The things that they needed to bring, included, inter alia -
Sleeping Bags
Selimut (on top of the sleeping bags?)
Insect Repellants
Baju and Seluar Sukan yang mencukupi (And how many pairs should that be?)
Cawan atau Gelas Plastik (and both insisted that they needed to bring BOTH?!)
Kasut yang sesuai untuk bersukan (Okay - does that mean ON TOP of their school shoes which they normally wear with their Pengakap and Tunas Puteri uniforms anyway?)
Torchlights
Etc.
And because BOTH of them were going, whatever in the list that they didn't have, we had to go buy those stuff. TWO of each. So, TWO Sleeping Bags, and I went to get TWO types of Insect Repellants for EACH of them, TWO new pairs of Baju and Seluar Sukan each (on top of their existing ones), and new trainers for them as their old ones dah tak muat. I also got them a travelling toiletries set each.
And of course, I also added my own wajib items for them to bring along with them -
Panadol tablets for kids
Minyak Cap Kapak
Kool Fever Patches
Mopiko
Two pairs of normal clothings (even though it was not stated on the list)
And not forgetting some food supplies which included some Gardenia Butter Scotch Bread, Chipsmore Cookies, Tiger Biscuits, Some Pringles, and some Zip Chocolates for each of them. (Yup! This Mommy is worried they all tak cukup makan kat Camp nanti, especially anak bujang I yang memang kuat makan tu...Hehehe!)
The process of packing had started a few days before that. And Hasya insisted that the teachers had told them that they were not allowed to bring the normal handluggage type (with the rollers, etc.). So, everything was packed in duffel bags. One for Hasya, and one for Hilman. Two BIG duffel bags at that, too, as I didn't want them to bring too many bags with them. Even their sleeping bags could fit in them.
The arrangement was for me to send their camping bags to school on Thursday afternoon, when they would also hand their school bags for that day to bring home with me.
Came Thursday morning, after they had left for school, I made one last list check. Satisfied that they had everything they needed in the bags, I started to zip the bags up, and as with other things which could have only happened to me, the zippers to Hasya's bag just ripped open!!
It shouldn't be a major problem because we did have other bags which I could have transferred all her stuff to. But, I kept on hearing her voice insisting that they were not allowed to bring the normal roller bags.
So, this Mommy had to wait until 10:00a.m for the neighbourhood Midi Market to open. Went there, and they only had roller bags. Rushed to Te*co, and they only had roller bags. Rushed to OU. Oh yes - they do have duffel-like bags, BUT at over RM500/= each?!
Luckily one of them had some promotions going on, but, I had to walk a bit to an open area in one section of OU, and spent about 10 minutes searching for a good one at a relatively cheaper price. Found one which looked solid, selling at RM100 (after 50% discount). Aiyyyooo! Still quite expensive just to bring to a kid camping trip, I thought. But, I had no time to look for cheaper ones, and just pejam mata and paid for it.
Nasib baik lah Zaidy was driving me around, so, on the way to their school I managed to transfer all of Hasya's stuff to the new bag and we reached the school just before the bell rang. I was asked to send the bags up to the Hall while waiting for the kids.
The bell rang at 1:00p.m, and while waiting for Registration for the Camping Trip to start at 1:30p.m, the kids and I had lunch at the canteen. After lunch, I had to follow them up to the hall as I had to show Hasya her new bag and asked her to REALLY look at it and familiarize herself with it. Takut nanti dia tak kenal her own bag pulak lah kan?
And I was so worried if they (Hilman especially!) could not find any of the things that I've packed in their bags, and kept on telling them, "IF you cannot find any of the things, PLEASE check ALL the pockets, okay? They should be in one of them, okay?" I think I must have said that to them at least TEN times? THAT, on top of my pesan to brush their teeth and go to the toilet before they go to bed!
After registration and a briefing by the teachers, Hasya and Hilman salam-ed, hugged and kissed me and we bade farewell. They boarded the buses and I could see how excited they were. Hilman kept on looking at me, smiling and waving, while at the same time talking to his friends non-stop! But, I could see from his face that he was feeling a bit sad to go without me. While Hasya being Hasya, even if she was feeling sad, she was not showing it at all...
I had to leave before they bertolak as I had something on at the office at 3:15p.m. And as Zaidy drove me off, and as I glanced back at the bus they both were on, I felt a huge lump in my throat, and I was fighting back tears which had already welled up in my eyes...
And I said to myself... "Oh God. Ni baru camping trip nak gi Sungkai! How la nanti when they are really leaving home for good...?
Oh tidaaaaakkk...
...SOBS... :(
Unlike the normal weekends, the house is pretty quiet today. Ayah is at work and will only probably be back around 4:00pm. No surprise there, huh?And Hanna is busy doing her revision for her Mid-Year. Or at least I HOPE she is revising in her room now. She has yet to come down today, not even to have her breakfast. I normally would just leave her to study in her own time and on her own terms, and with her own style of studying. It has worked well thus far, and she has been doing quite well in school. Hopefully she'll be fine, insya Allah.
As for the other two munchkins who have been the ones who would be making the noise and memeriahkan the house during weekends (and weekdays, too, for that matter) - Hasya and Hilman, they are away on a school camping trip in Sungkai, and will only be back tomorrow evening. It's for the school's Unit Beruniform. They've been having the programme for years now, and Hasya was supposed to go last year, but, I didn't let her.
We never had problems with Hanna going on overnight school trips before this, even when she was in Primary School. I guess because we knew that she was quite independent, and the fact that the first few trips that she went on, they were all made compulsory, and we could not say "No". So, after a few times, it was easier to let her go.
This time around I had decided to let Hasya and Hilman go on the overnight school trip even though it was not compulsory for them to go. I was quite reluctant initially, but, Ayah said we should just let them go. And after their pleads and "Pretty-pleases", I gave in and decided to let them join their friends on the trip - NOT without feeling anxious about it the whole time (and still feeling it now actually!). One of the reasons why I finally gave in was the fact that both of them will be there and can (should?) keep an eye on each other.
And the preparation for their first camping trip was quite an experience for me, too. The things that they needed to bring, included, inter alia -
Sleeping Bags
Selimut (on top of the sleeping bags?)
Insect Repellants
Baju and Seluar Sukan yang mencukupi (And how many pairs should that be?)
Cawan atau Gelas Plastik (and both insisted that they needed to bring BOTH?!)
Kasut yang sesuai untuk bersukan (Okay - does that mean ON TOP of their school shoes which they normally wear with their Pengakap and Tunas Puteri uniforms anyway?)
Torchlights
Etc.
And because BOTH of them were going, whatever in the list that they didn't have, we had to go buy those stuff. TWO of each. So, TWO Sleeping Bags, and I went to get TWO types of Insect Repellants for EACH of them, TWO new pairs of Baju and Seluar Sukan each (on top of their existing ones), and new trainers for them as their old ones dah tak muat. I also got them a travelling toiletries set each.
And of course, I also added my own wajib items for them to bring along with them -
Panadol tablets for kids
Minyak Cap Kapak
Kool Fever Patches
Mopiko
Two pairs of normal clothings (even though it was not stated on the list)
And not forgetting some food supplies which included some Gardenia Butter Scotch Bread, Chipsmore Cookies, Tiger Biscuits, Some Pringles, and some Zip Chocolates for each of them. (Yup! This Mommy is worried they all tak cukup makan kat Camp nanti, especially anak bujang I yang memang kuat makan tu...Hehehe!)
The process of packing had started a few days before that. And Hasya insisted that the teachers had told them that they were not allowed to bring the normal handluggage type (with the rollers, etc.). So, everything was packed in duffel bags. One for Hasya, and one for Hilman. Two BIG duffel bags at that, too, as I didn't want them to bring too many bags with them. Even their sleeping bags could fit in them.
The arrangement was for me to send their camping bags to school on Thursday afternoon, when they would also hand their school bags for that day to bring home with me.
Came Thursday morning, after they had left for school, I made one last list check. Satisfied that they had everything they needed in the bags, I started to zip the bags up, and as with other things which could have only happened to me, the zippers to Hasya's bag just ripped open!!
It shouldn't be a major problem because we did have other bags which I could have transferred all her stuff to. But, I kept on hearing her voice insisting that they were not allowed to bring the normal roller bags.
So, this Mommy had to wait until 10:00a.m for the neighbourhood Midi Market to open. Went there, and they only had roller bags. Rushed to Te*co, and they only had roller bags. Rushed to OU. Oh yes - they do have duffel-like bags, BUT at over RM500/= each?!
Luckily one of them had some promotions going on, but, I had to walk a bit to an open area in one section of OU, and spent about 10 minutes searching for a good one at a relatively cheaper price. Found one which looked solid, selling at RM100 (after 50% discount). Aiyyyooo! Still quite expensive just to bring to a kid camping trip, I thought. But, I had no time to look for cheaper ones, and just pejam mata and paid for it.
Nasib baik lah Zaidy was driving me around, so, on the way to their school I managed to transfer all of Hasya's stuff to the new bag and we reached the school just before the bell rang. I was asked to send the bags up to the Hall while waiting for the kids.
The bell rang at 1:00p.m, and while waiting for Registration for the Camping Trip to start at 1:30p.m, the kids and I had lunch at the canteen. After lunch, I had to follow them up to the hall as I had to show Hasya her new bag and asked her to REALLY look at it and familiarize herself with it. Takut nanti dia tak kenal her own bag pulak lah kan?
And I was so worried if they (Hilman especially!) could not find any of the things that I've packed in their bags, and kept on telling them, "IF you cannot find any of the things, PLEASE check ALL the pockets, okay? They should be in one of them, okay?" I think I must have said that to them at least TEN times? THAT, on top of my pesan to brush their teeth and go to the toilet before they go to bed!
After registration and a briefing by the teachers, Hasya and Hilman salam-ed, hugged and kissed me and we bade farewell. They boarded the buses and I could see how excited they were. Hilman kept on looking at me, smiling and waving, while at the same time talking to his friends non-stop! But, I could see from his face that he was feeling a bit sad to go without me. While Hasya being Hasya, even if she was feeling sad, she was not showing it at all...
I had to leave before they bertolak as I had something on at the office at 3:15p.m. And as Zaidy drove me off, and as I glanced back at the bus they both were on, I felt a huge lump in my throat, and I was fighting back tears which had already welled up in my eyes...
And I said to myself... "Oh God. Ni baru camping trip nak gi Sungkai! How la nanti when they are really leaving home for good...?
Oh tidaaaaakkk...
...SOBS... :(
Saturday, May 22, 2010
How we spend our time together in the car... :)
One of the things that is common to maidless moms like me is that we could not leave the kids at home whenever we need to run errands outside, for me - especially at night when Zaidy, our driver, has gone home.
For instance, last Tuesday night - I had to send Hanna to her guitar class at OU, and I had to bring both Hasya and Hilman with us even though the class was just going to be for half an hour. And mind you, Hilman was having a slight fever and I would have preferred him to just stay at home and rest, but, NOPE - I still felt safer to angkut all of them sekali with me.
And last night, when I had to fetch Ayah back from the hospital - again, had to angkut everybody with me. Much to the dismay of Hilman and Hasya who were watching the final episode of MONK! And you could see how frustrated they were when we reached home at 10:00p.m and Monk had just ended, and they didn't know how the mystery was solved. Sorry, kids! :(
I even contemplated to bring them with me when I wanted to send the washloads to the laundrette last night, but decided against it as the place is just 3-4 minutes away from the house. So, I made sure I got back home within 12 minutes!
But, one thing I like about all this is that I get to spend more time with them in the car. Something that I've missed since Zaidy started working with us. And I like it even better when every now and then Ayah would also use the driver and not drive to work, and I would have to fetch him from the hospital when he's done. Like last night. The conversations in the car can be quite interesting and amusing when all of us are together :)
For instance -
Ayah : So*ha*dy (his doctor friend at work) has been promoting this game to me to be uploaded to my phone, It's called "Mo*ste*s and Pl*nts. But, you have to pay for it laaa...(FYI, Ayah and I only upload FREE stuff ajer so far :))
Me : What does it do? I mean, how do you play it?
Ayah : Apparently it's quite clever and interesting - the monsters will attack you, and you have to defend yourself by planting trees/plants around your house, and the trees will have all the ammunitions, like seeds and all for you to shoot the monsters with.
Me : And what do the monsters do?
Ayah : Oh they have several ways of penetrating into your defence - they can use polevaults, and....
And just at this point, Hanna butted in.
Hanna : Oh God, Ayah...Don't tell me that these are the things you and Uncle So*ha*dy talk about when you see each other at the hospital, please...(eyes rolling...)
LOL!!!
Another conversation -
We were using the jalan belakang Sungei Buloh to go back from TMC to Sri Damansara last night, when Hilman saw the sign to go to Kuala Selangor, and he started asking -
Hilman : Mommy what other "Kualas" are there in Malaysia?
Hasya : There's Kuala Lumpur.
Me : Kuala Lipis, Kuala Kedah...
Hasya : Oh yes, Ayah's school - MC*K, in Kuala Kangsar.
There was about a 10 seconds silence, when suddenly, out of nowhere -
Ayah : Kuala Bear...
And the kids just started laughing uncontrollably!
I know...I know...it was quite a LAME joke ("What do you expect from Ayah?" - the kids would say) but, the kids laughter was just contagious and all of us just started laughing! :)
Another one -
Hanna was just sharing with us some of the lame jokes she and her friends had come up with at school using their fingers and thumbs.
Hanna : If this is a "spear" (and she held up her index finger), what is this? (And she started moving the finger vigorusly to the left and right)
Us : Hmmmm...Dunno?
Hanna : SHAKEspear...
LOL!!!
Hanna : Okay, okay...If this is a "lighter" (and she held up her right thumb), what is this? (And she started bringing the thumb up above her head).
Us : Dunno? (Obviously we just didn't want to think too much knowing how lame the answer was going to be!)
Hanna : HIGHlighter... :)
Hehehehe! :)
And she continued -
Hanna : Oh ya! Oh ya! Another one! Another one!
Us : Okay... (?)
Hanna : If these are your thumbs (And she held both thumbs up), what is this? (And she started moving her thumbs up and down alternately)
Me : ThumbDRIVE!!!
Hanna : LOL!!! Yup!!
And then Ayah exclaimed excitedly -
Ayah : Okay, okay! I have one! I have one!
Kids : Oh no!!...(eyes rolling...) (LOL!)
Ayah : If this is Hanna (and he put his index finger in front of us - and at this point the kids had started giggling already!), what is this?(And he slowly raised the finger up above his head)
Hanna : Oh Ayah...puhleeeaaazzz?!
None of us could give any answers!
Ayah : Give up? Give up?!
Kids : WHAT is that, Ayah?!!
Ayah - giving his victorious look as nobody could figure it out, then came out with this -
Ayah : Hanna SO HIGH LAAA.... *
Us : AYAH!!! THAT IS SO LAME!!!!
But, we ended up laughing bagai nak rak anyway. NOT so much because we thought the joke was funny, but, more because of how lame the joke was!
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
Aaaahhh...I love spending time with the family in the car... :)
* For those who didn't know - Hanna's full name is Hanna SUHAILA ;)
For instance, last Tuesday night - I had to send Hanna to her guitar class at OU, and I had to bring both Hasya and Hilman with us even though the class was just going to be for half an hour. And mind you, Hilman was having a slight fever and I would have preferred him to just stay at home and rest, but, NOPE - I still felt safer to angkut all of them sekali with me.
And last night, when I had to fetch Ayah back from the hospital - again, had to angkut everybody with me. Much to the dismay of Hilman and Hasya who were watching the final episode of MONK! And you could see how frustrated they were when we reached home at 10:00p.m and Monk had just ended, and they didn't know how the mystery was solved. Sorry, kids! :(
I even contemplated to bring them with me when I wanted to send the washloads to the laundrette last night, but decided against it as the place is just 3-4 minutes away from the house. So, I made sure I got back home within 12 minutes!
But, one thing I like about all this is that I get to spend more time with them in the car. Something that I've missed since Zaidy started working with us. And I like it even better when every now and then Ayah would also use the driver and not drive to work, and I would have to fetch him from the hospital when he's done. Like last night. The conversations in the car can be quite interesting and amusing when all of us are together :)
For instance -
Ayah : So*ha*dy (his doctor friend at work) has been promoting this game to me to be uploaded to my phone, It's called "Mo*ste*s and Pl*nts. But, you have to pay for it laaa...(FYI, Ayah and I only upload FREE stuff ajer so far :))
Me : What does it do? I mean, how do you play it?
Ayah : Apparently it's quite clever and interesting - the monsters will attack you, and you have to defend yourself by planting trees/plants around your house, and the trees will have all the ammunitions, like seeds and all for you to shoot the monsters with.
Me : And what do the monsters do?
Ayah : Oh they have several ways of penetrating into your defence - they can use polevaults, and....
And just at this point, Hanna butted in.
Hanna : Oh God, Ayah...Don't tell me that these are the things you and Uncle So*ha*dy talk about when you see each other at the hospital, please...(eyes rolling...)
LOL!!!
Another conversation -
We were using the jalan belakang Sungei Buloh to go back from TMC to Sri Damansara last night, when Hilman saw the sign to go to Kuala Selangor, and he started asking -
Hilman : Mommy what other "Kualas" are there in Malaysia?
Hasya : There's Kuala Lumpur.
Me : Kuala Lipis, Kuala Kedah...
Hasya : Oh yes, Ayah's school - MC*K, in Kuala Kangsar.
There was about a 10 seconds silence, when suddenly, out of nowhere -
Ayah : Kuala Bear...
And the kids just started laughing uncontrollably!
I know...I know...it was quite a LAME joke ("What do you expect from Ayah?" - the kids would say) but, the kids laughter was just contagious and all of us just started laughing! :)
Another one -
Hanna was just sharing with us some of the lame jokes she and her friends had come up with at school using their fingers and thumbs.
Hanna : If this is a "spear" (and she held up her index finger), what is this? (And she started moving the finger vigorusly to the left and right)
Us : Hmmmm...Dunno?
Hanna : SHAKEspear...
LOL!!!
Hanna : Okay, okay...If this is a "lighter" (and she held up her right thumb), what is this? (And she started bringing the thumb up above her head).
Us : Dunno? (Obviously we just didn't want to think too much knowing how lame the answer was going to be!)
Hanna : HIGHlighter... :)
Hehehehe! :)
And she continued -
Hanna : Oh ya! Oh ya! Another one! Another one!
Us : Okay... (?)
Hanna : If these are your thumbs (And she held both thumbs up), what is this? (And she started moving her thumbs up and down alternately)
Me : ThumbDRIVE!!!
Hanna : LOL!!! Yup!!
And then Ayah exclaimed excitedly -
Ayah : Okay, okay! I have one! I have one!
Kids : Oh no!!...(eyes rolling...) (LOL!)
Ayah : If this is Hanna (and he put his index finger in front of us - and at this point the kids had started giggling already!), what is this?(And he slowly raised the finger up above his head)
Hanna : Oh Ayah...puhleeeaaazzz?!
None of us could give any answers!
Ayah : Give up? Give up?!
Kids : WHAT is that, Ayah?!!
Ayah - giving his victorious look as nobody could figure it out, then came out with this -
Ayah : Hanna SO HIGH LAAA.... *
Us : AYAH!!! THAT IS SO LAME!!!!
But, we ended up laughing bagai nak rak anyway. NOT so much because we thought the joke was funny, but, more because of how lame the joke was!
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
Aaaahhh...I love spending time with the family in the car... :)
* For those who didn't know - Hanna's full name is Hanna SUHAILA ;)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Kids trivia :)
I was having tea at Ayah's niece's birthday do at Sa*ja*a KL with Hasya and Hilman this afternoon when both of them started to ask each other some trivias to test each other's general knowledge while at the same time throwing in a few riddles to each other.
Two of the questions, and answers which really cracked me up were these two :)
# 1
Hilman : Kak Ngah. What's the difference between painkillers and killer pain?
Hasya : Pain killers kill pain. Killer pain kills you!
HAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one, Hasya ;)
# 2
Hilman : Which planet is hotter, Kak Ngah? Venus or Mercury?
Hasya : I don't know. Mercury?
Hilman : No, Kak Ngah! Venus. Because Venus is Luuurrveee (with full expression)... and Luuurrve is HOT!
And I looked at Hilman and he looked at me, and both of us looked at Hasya, and the three of us just burst out laughing!
??!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
(Hmmmmmm...Should I be worried about the second trivia? I wonder...) :)
Two of the questions, and answers which really cracked me up were these two :)
# 1
Hilman : Kak Ngah. What's the difference between painkillers and killer pain?
Hasya : Pain killers kill pain. Killer pain kills you!
HAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one, Hasya ;)
# 2
Hilman : Which planet is hotter, Kak Ngah? Venus or Mercury?
Hasya : I don't know. Mercury?
Hilman : No, Kak Ngah! Venus. Because Venus is Luuurrveee (with full expression)... and Luuurrve is HOT!
And I looked at Hilman and he looked at me, and both of us looked at Hasya, and the three of us just burst out laughing!
??!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
(Hmmmmmm...Should I be worried about the second trivia? I wonder...) :)
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Good riddance...
Her name was Anis.
She was the replacement maid whom we got after four months of me being maidless in Sri Damansara. There was no contract between us. The deal was - we had to pay the introducer some RMxxx, and we pay Anis RMxxx every month. No strings attached.
Apparently she had been working on this modus operandi since 1997. She could go anytime she wanted, and we could terminate her service anytime we wanted.
We got her on 13 March 2010, and within a day of working with us, I got to know the A to Z of all her previous employers. Why she didn't like or liked working with them, why she left the job(s), etc.
The first two days, I found her to be too talkative, and as if she was laying down HER terms with me indirectly.
Example 1 - she told me that she once worked with a Chinese family who lived in a BIG house, but her job was easy because rumah "tu tak bersepah". And I felt that she was hinting at me that my house WAS bersepah! And I remember cursing underneath my breath - "Of courselah rumah aku bersepah, mangkuk! I had been maidless for nearly 4 months then. What do you expect?! It is YOUR job to unsepah my house, woman!!!
Example 2 - she told me that she once worked whereby she had to take care of an elderly couple, and she hated it.
Example 3 - she told me that she once worked with a family but, she didn't like the mother-in-law whom she said always "interfered" in her job. My take on this was that the MIL was not happy with the way the job was done by the maid around the house and was merely telling her on how to do things right. And she didn't like that. Indirectly telling me NOT to tell her what to do.
Example 4 - she told me that she once worked with a certain "Tan Sri", and the Tan Sri was really nice, but, she didn't like the Puan Sri because the Puan Sri was really fussy. Hinting to me that I should not be fussy like the Puan Sri (?!)
And the list goes on and on. You got my drift?
And on the second day, after telling me all her working experiences, while at the same time subtly "laying down all her terms" etc., she suddenly became very quiet and non-responsive! It was just so damn hard to get her to react or respond to any of our requests, etc.
She never uttered a word whenever I asked her or give her instructions on what to do and how to do things around the house.
Example - "Anis, bawang ini nanti, kamu tolong potong dadu, okay?"
And she would continue doing whatever she was doing (washing dishes, etc) without acknowledging what I had said to her. And I would then repeat myself again until I was sure that she actually heard me, and she then responded, "Iya, iya, kakak! Saya dengar tadi!" Sounding annoyed with me!
Many a times when my kids asked her for help, she would raise her voice and asked them to do the things themselves!
Example - Hilman would ask her where his baju sukan and seluar sukan were (as the maid would be the one who either washed/ironed/folded and kept them), and she would just tell him at the top of her voice, "Carilah sendiri dalam bilik!" And Hilman would come to me and tell me that he had tried looking for them at the normal places but he could not find them anywhere. And we then found his baju sukan and seluar sukan kept in his baju tidur drawers.
She would also tengking my kids if they put the cushions on the carpet while watching TV in the living room! What the...??!! My kids couldn't even lepak and enjoy watching TV at home! She even pushed Hasya's head once! Pantang nenek moyang I!!
And the third day she was with us, our ASTRO decoder ranap. We came back one evening and found the channel set/fixed at the "Pay Per View" Menu and we could not access any of the regular channels! The decoder ranap. The remote control also ranap!
And since she came, my microwave has also rosak and whatever mode we now use, it can never go beyond 59 seconds. So, if I need to cook something for 10 minutes, I would have to wait in front of the microwave and re-start it everytime it hits 59 seconds. So, that means 9 times of re-starting the damn thing over 10 minutes!
And I once found the blender LEAKING while she was using it!
I know some would say that I should understand that some of the maids had never used all the elctrical appliances, etc., and that is why we have to be patient with them while they learn how to use them.
But, this Anis surely could not use the same excuse as she had been working in Malaysia for the last 15 years!
And lagi satu pantang nenek moyang I - she suka sangat buang makanan!
Many a times I found rice and leftover lauk in the bin. And once I caught her pouring the Chicken Korma which I just cooked a couple of hours before that, into the sink. Mind you, there were still 4-5 chicken pieces left, with some potatoes and carrots in it! And when I asked her why she was throwing the korma which was still good, she said "Saya tak suka lauk ini!"
WTF?! I didn't cook the dish for you, you *&%$#!!*!! Even if you didn't like it, my family could still eat it, you *%^$#@!*!!!
Menggelegak hati I!! But, me being me - I just tegur with a slightly raised voice.
I guess, tu yang dia naik kepala tu!
She slept at 9:30p.m or latest - at 10:00p.m, irrespective of whether Ayah dah balik from work or not, or whether Ayah has had his dinner or not! So, Ayah being Ayah, he would normally come back after 10:00p.m, and I would set the table and prepare his dinner and later tidied up the kitchen, etc. A few times Ayah had asked me to just leave everything for the maid to do in the morning when she woke up. Sometimes I would do that. But, sometimes, if I larat, I would just clean everything up myself. Malas nak tengok sink with dirty dishes. But, if I was not up to it - I would just leave everything as it was. And the next morning you could see the maid tarik muka when she saw the dirty dishes.
She woke up at 5:30a.m every morning - the same time as me. And if you do your maths right, that would be EIGHT hours of sleep every night, whereas yours truly only got an average of 4 1/2 or 5 hours of sleep! Siapa yang boss sebenarnya, kan?
The only thing she did when she woke up would be to set the breakfast table, and dump the washing into the washing machine, while I do the cooking. She would then sweep and mop the floor while waiting for the washing cycle to finish, after which she would hang everything in the backyard.
I would leave for work around 9:00a.m, and most of the times the kids and I would only come home after 7:00p.m. That would be TEN hours of being left alone. TEN long hours alone at home while I was at work.
Apart from folding and ironing the clothes, you tell me what else would she be doing in that TEN hours...
She really got it easy working with us.
I also found her very rude and she had no respect for us.
But, I kept my patience as I fikir and bersyukur that at least she was helping me out around the house, and more importantly, she was doing the damn laundry for me - the whole package of washing, drying, folding and ironing for me! So, I tutup sebelah mata aje to some of the things which would have driven me up against the wall in a different circumstances.
It's true what they say - beggars can't be choosers...
Many a times I felt like firing her and sending her back to her SIL's place in Kg Sungai Kayu Ara (which is just sepelaung from our house!), but, selalu tak sampai hati coz' I pitied her as I knew that she needed the job and money. (And of course, I needed her to do my laundry, too ;)Hehehe!)
The kids didn't like her. They called her "The Wicked Witch" as she had this really shrieking high-pitched voice. Ayah didn't like her, too, simply because he felt that I was doing things around the house more than the maid did! But, he kept quiet as he knew that whatever it was, at least I had some help around the house.
The arrangement was for the maid to have cuti once in one or two months, so, I was not surprised when she suddenly told me last Friday that she wanted to go back to her SIL's place on Saturday, and that I could then fetch her on Sunday night. She TOLD me to send her at 1:00p.m on Saturday.
Came Saturday, Ayah and I and the kids took our time in the afternoon as we wanted to wait for Edisi 7 on NTV7 which was airing an interview I did on some current issues. We were just waiting in front of the telly when the maid suddenly came down the stairs and halfway down she just asked me "Kakak! Bila mau hantar saya balik?!"
Tak ke kurang ajar?! Why couldn't she come down and ask nicely instead of literally shouting at me from the staircase?!
Ayah masa tu dah meluap-luap dah, and if I hadn't been there, mau dah kena penampar Minah tu there and then!
We sengaja took our time after that because we were so bengang with the maid, and we only left the house at 2:15p.m after solat Zohor.
On the way, I asked her how much money she wanted for belanja. I offered to give her only RM400 and she insisted that I gave her her full gaji. Ayah was reluctant as he was afraid that the maid would run away and not come back.
But, for me, I'd rather pay her whatever wages she had earned, and if she decided to not come back, at least I didn't owe her anything. So, I gave her her one month pay (FYI, we had already given her half a month pay at the end of March, i.e exactly 2 weeks after she started working with us as she claimed that she needed to give the money to her brother who had to go back to Indonesia to berubat kena buatan orang, etc. Ladida dida... They can really come up with most amazing tales, kan?) But, well...
Anyway, we dropped her off at Kg Sg Kayu Ara on Saturday afternoon.
And on Sunday afternoon, I got this SMS from her -
"Assalamualikum! Kak saya anis, saya tak mau kerja lagi dg kakak. Saya tak dikasi sama kakak ipar...saya mau kerja restron"
And I tell you, I had never felt so relieved hearing the news that my maid was not coming back as I had felt then!
And when I told the kids the news, all of them gave a BIG "YEAYYYYYY!!!! Makcik Anis is not coming back ever!!! YEAAAAYYYY!!!"
The kids REALLY, REALLY, REALLY didn't like her. And mind you, our kids are not those type who are that particular about maids before this.
It feels so peaceful around the house now.
Bersepah a bit. But, VERY peaceful :)
GOOD RIDDANCE, I tell you :)
She was the replacement maid whom we got after four months of me being maidless in Sri Damansara. There was no contract between us. The deal was - we had to pay the introducer some RMxxx, and we pay Anis RMxxx every month. No strings attached.
Apparently she had been working on this modus operandi since 1997. She could go anytime she wanted, and we could terminate her service anytime we wanted.
We got her on 13 March 2010, and within a day of working with us, I got to know the A to Z of all her previous employers. Why she didn't like or liked working with them, why she left the job(s), etc.
The first two days, I found her to be too talkative, and as if she was laying down HER terms with me indirectly.
Example 1 - she told me that she once worked with a Chinese family who lived in a BIG house, but her job was easy because rumah "tu tak bersepah". And I felt that she was hinting at me that my house WAS bersepah! And I remember cursing underneath my breath - "Of courselah rumah aku bersepah, mangkuk! I had been maidless for nearly 4 months then. What do you expect?! It is YOUR job to unsepah my house, woman!!!
Example 2 - she told me that she once worked whereby she had to take care of an elderly couple, and she hated it.
Example 3 - she told me that she once worked with a family but, she didn't like the mother-in-law whom she said always "interfered" in her job. My take on this was that the MIL was not happy with the way the job was done by the maid around the house and was merely telling her on how to do things right. And she didn't like that. Indirectly telling me NOT to tell her what to do.
Example 4 - she told me that she once worked with a certain "Tan Sri", and the Tan Sri was really nice, but, she didn't like the Puan Sri because the Puan Sri was really fussy. Hinting to me that I should not be fussy like the Puan Sri (?!)
And the list goes on and on. You got my drift?
And on the second day, after telling me all her working experiences, while at the same time subtly "laying down all her terms" etc., she suddenly became very quiet and non-responsive! It was just so damn hard to get her to react or respond to any of our requests, etc.
She never uttered a word whenever I asked her or give her instructions on what to do and how to do things around the house.
Example - "Anis, bawang ini nanti, kamu tolong potong dadu, okay?"
And she would continue doing whatever she was doing (washing dishes, etc) without acknowledging what I had said to her. And I would then repeat myself again until I was sure that she actually heard me, and she then responded, "Iya, iya, kakak! Saya dengar tadi!" Sounding annoyed with me!
Many a times when my kids asked her for help, she would raise her voice and asked them to do the things themselves!
Example - Hilman would ask her where his baju sukan and seluar sukan were (as the maid would be the one who either washed/ironed/folded and kept them), and she would just tell him at the top of her voice, "Carilah sendiri dalam bilik!" And Hilman would come to me and tell me that he had tried looking for them at the normal places but he could not find them anywhere. And we then found his baju sukan and seluar sukan kept in his baju tidur drawers.
She would also tengking my kids if they put the cushions on the carpet while watching TV in the living room! What the...??!! My kids couldn't even lepak and enjoy watching TV at home! She even pushed Hasya's head once! Pantang nenek moyang I!!
And the third day she was with us, our ASTRO decoder ranap. We came back one evening and found the channel set/fixed at the "Pay Per View" Menu and we could not access any of the regular channels! The decoder ranap. The remote control also ranap!
And since she came, my microwave has also rosak and whatever mode we now use, it can never go beyond 59 seconds. So, if I need to cook something for 10 minutes, I would have to wait in front of the microwave and re-start it everytime it hits 59 seconds. So, that means 9 times of re-starting the damn thing over 10 minutes!
And I once found the blender LEAKING while she was using it!
I know some would say that I should understand that some of the maids had never used all the elctrical appliances, etc., and that is why we have to be patient with them while they learn how to use them.
But, this Anis surely could not use the same excuse as she had been working in Malaysia for the last 15 years!
And lagi satu pantang nenek moyang I - she suka sangat buang makanan!
Many a times I found rice and leftover lauk in the bin. And once I caught her pouring the Chicken Korma which I just cooked a couple of hours before that, into the sink. Mind you, there were still 4-5 chicken pieces left, with some potatoes and carrots in it! And when I asked her why she was throwing the korma which was still good, she said "Saya tak suka lauk ini!"
WTF?! I didn't cook the dish for you, you *&%$#!!*!! Even if you didn't like it, my family could still eat it, you *%^$#@!*!!!
Menggelegak hati I!! But, me being me - I just tegur with a slightly raised voice.
I guess, tu yang dia naik kepala tu!
She slept at 9:30p.m or latest - at 10:00p.m, irrespective of whether Ayah dah balik from work or not, or whether Ayah has had his dinner or not! So, Ayah being Ayah, he would normally come back after 10:00p.m, and I would set the table and prepare his dinner and later tidied up the kitchen, etc. A few times Ayah had asked me to just leave everything for the maid to do in the morning when she woke up. Sometimes I would do that. But, sometimes, if I larat, I would just clean everything up myself. Malas nak tengok sink with dirty dishes. But, if I was not up to it - I would just leave everything as it was. And the next morning you could see the maid tarik muka when she saw the dirty dishes.
She woke up at 5:30a.m every morning - the same time as me. And if you do your maths right, that would be EIGHT hours of sleep every night, whereas yours truly only got an average of 4 1/2 or 5 hours of sleep! Siapa yang boss sebenarnya, kan?
The only thing she did when she woke up would be to set the breakfast table, and dump the washing into the washing machine, while I do the cooking. She would then sweep and mop the floor while waiting for the washing cycle to finish, after which she would hang everything in the backyard.
I would leave for work around 9:00a.m, and most of the times the kids and I would only come home after 7:00p.m. That would be TEN hours of being left alone. TEN long hours alone at home while I was at work.
Apart from folding and ironing the clothes, you tell me what else would she be doing in that TEN hours...
She really got it easy working with us.
I also found her very rude and she had no respect for us.
But, I kept my patience as I fikir and bersyukur that at least she was helping me out around the house, and more importantly, she was doing the damn laundry for me - the whole package of washing, drying, folding and ironing for me! So, I tutup sebelah mata aje to some of the things which would have driven me up against the wall in a different circumstances.
It's true what they say - beggars can't be choosers...
Many a times I felt like firing her and sending her back to her SIL's place in Kg Sungai Kayu Ara (which is just sepelaung from our house!), but, selalu tak sampai hati coz' I pitied her as I knew that she needed the job and money. (And of course, I needed her to do my laundry, too ;)Hehehe!)
The kids didn't like her. They called her "The Wicked Witch" as she had this really shrieking high-pitched voice. Ayah didn't like her, too, simply because he felt that I was doing things around the house more than the maid did! But, he kept quiet as he knew that whatever it was, at least I had some help around the house.
The arrangement was for the maid to have cuti once in one or two months, so, I was not surprised when she suddenly told me last Friday that she wanted to go back to her SIL's place on Saturday, and that I could then fetch her on Sunday night. She TOLD me to send her at 1:00p.m on Saturday.
Came Saturday, Ayah and I and the kids took our time in the afternoon as we wanted to wait for Edisi 7 on NTV7 which was airing an interview I did on some current issues. We were just waiting in front of the telly when the maid suddenly came down the stairs and halfway down she just asked me "Kakak! Bila mau hantar saya balik?!"
Tak ke kurang ajar?! Why couldn't she come down and ask nicely instead of literally shouting at me from the staircase?!
Ayah masa tu dah meluap-luap dah, and if I hadn't been there, mau dah kena penampar Minah tu there and then!
We sengaja took our time after that because we were so bengang with the maid, and we only left the house at 2:15p.m after solat Zohor.
On the way, I asked her how much money she wanted for belanja. I offered to give her only RM400 and she insisted that I gave her her full gaji. Ayah was reluctant as he was afraid that the maid would run away and not come back.
But, for me, I'd rather pay her whatever wages she had earned, and if she decided to not come back, at least I didn't owe her anything. So, I gave her her one month pay (FYI, we had already given her half a month pay at the end of March, i.e exactly 2 weeks after she started working with us as she claimed that she needed to give the money to her brother who had to go back to Indonesia to berubat kena buatan orang, etc. Ladida dida... They can really come up with most amazing tales, kan?) But, well...
Anyway, we dropped her off at Kg Sg Kayu Ara on Saturday afternoon.
And on Sunday afternoon, I got this SMS from her -
"Assalamualikum! Kak saya anis, saya tak mau kerja lagi dg kakak. Saya tak dikasi sama kakak ipar...saya mau kerja restron"
And I tell you, I had never felt so relieved hearing the news that my maid was not coming back as I had felt then!
And when I told the kids the news, all of them gave a BIG "YEAYYYYYY!!!! Makcik Anis is not coming back ever!!! YEAAAAYYYY!!!"
The kids REALLY, REALLY, REALLY didn't like her. And mind you, our kids are not those type who are that particular about maids before this.
It feels so peaceful around the house now.
Bersepah a bit. But, VERY peaceful :)
GOOD RIDDANCE, I tell you :)
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