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Low Tide

I wrote a tribute to DZ's Gongkapas Times some time ago and managed to put it in line for Misha Omar's next album. However just this morning, the producer cum arranger took it out of the project. My guess is that there must be some dispute going on that I don't know about. It's not like it was rejected, but withdrawn, apa agaknya masalah dia eh? I was thinking of Misha's ethereal vocal prowess when I wrote "Haruskah Terpisah". I am definitely disappointed but then that is the nature of the profession. Even if you think your work might kick an a** or two, or just a few, occupational hazards are inevitable. Maybe I should consider a new job, tutup kedai. Eh eh, buat perangai lagi hari ni...macam attention-seeking pulak eh? I think it is more of an attention-deficit problem. I must learn to focus to do one thing well rather than poking my fingers in way too many pies.

Stress.

Jom tengok apa ada dalam fridge? Courtesy of the SB Diet Success Story.

All the way from San Francisco. Awesome!

Whoopeee! Whopper's Malted Milk Balls

Please ignore the small prints

So if you think my pipi bulat, you blame my twin okay? *wink*

Bay Window Bi*ching

So, have you all recovered from Eid Ul Indigestion that seems to be the commonest bug post-festivities? In all avoirdupois Boteroesque glory, the portly paunch is extra jiggly(Hallo there, my perut sayang...*wave wave*) and hey, I think the chin has doubled too. A quick once over reveals that I might have to go shopping for new pants soon. The weighing scale is dangerously tipping towards unhealthy BMI...Yikes! Okay, you can skip reading this if you're having a bad day, cuz there will be whining aplenty as the paras progress. I have been drumming over and over again about how much I would like to lose weight but not really getting down to the business of doing something about it, instead I keep buttering up the already so bountiful bulge with my makan sakan; gluttony. Not really helping eh?

Reality check, do I feel attractive? Not quite there yet lah, but then bersyukurlah. It's not like I am a waddling dugong with lipatan-lipatan melimpah ruah; overflowing, swelling folds (of fat). Okaylah, there are a few lipatan that needs to be toned up if I go to the extent of letting somebody do a pinch test on me.Some of the folds look inflated because of the accumulation of lipids under the skin. But do I want to give up my makan? It's not like I eat around the clock. But why am I disturbed when somebody notices that my face is round? Or that I always talk about food, which is, all together now, pretty much ALL THE TIME! But why am I panicky when CA lost 10 kilos post-Ramadhan without even thinking about cutting down? My recent trip to the pharmacy also a heart-pain(sic) one , I was bombarded with longwinded explication of the various products that can help me lose weight. Whatever confidence I have about being just right for a 30 year old, and a mom at that, went down the drain. And remarks about how I maintained my tembun-ness despite Aishah being an active and boisterous baby are bordering hurtful.

Some people do have the good heart of telling me, hey, people won't notice your being abnormally and unfashionably horizontally challenged, because you have an interesting personality. Yeah, thanks guys, I know that literally translates, "OYY, WHY YOU STILL FAT?!!"

Si Genit dan Si Cilik

Non-Conformist

I tell you, Aishah really needs to be brainwashed at some point lah! She likes to do the opposite of things. Benda lain excusable la jugak, ni dah kiblat songsang ni, abih tu tangan tarok belakang. Ish, budak-budak sekarang....

High and Low

Pakwe Usop aka Tok Sidang Logo

Pakwe, the Bugis clan patriarch is visibly ecstatic to see all his anak-cucu-cicit home for Raya. It's hard to believe that a few months back he was incapacitated, in the ICU and pretty much in the woods. His appetite is good and he is back to his old jovial chaq-bei-liao self. Alhamdulillah.

Jom nyorok belakang badan orang supaya tak nampak gumuk

Bapak( my father in law) on the other hand, is not in the mood to celebrate. He even refused to put on his kurta. Kesian Bapak. His legs have been giving him a terrible time. Even the doctors could not give a proper diagnosis. My Googling efforts gathered that he is suffering for the side effects of diabetic and hypertensive cocktail. MIL is also not very happy this time around as my SIL is away in Lahore. Lin had wanted to come back but MIL encouraged her to celebrate Eid with her husband this time since Lin came back to Singapore 3 years in a row previously. Little that she knew, the Lahori family do not celebrate Eid, and engage in mournful activities(cannot gripe about it because it is their culture) in memory of Lin's mother in law who succumbed to cancer 3 years ago. So now MIL feels bad for not letting Lin come back. Nangis-nangis budak tu nak balik. Kesian.

Ayah and Mak eating my lauk, while Diana,our pastry chef ngendeng nak masuk gambar.

Recent development on my Mak is also not very encouraging. Sigh. Make du'a we shall. Can't report much because I sedih la...

Mommie, where's my cow?

Aishah kalau balik kampung, she would do an "Ian Wright" and explore every nook and cranny to find Old McDonald's Farm. We found the goats and chickens easily. But the cows were MIA. When we found one, it looked sad.

Apo kono lombu ni? Sodeh ko?

Maybe they are traumatised by the number of their peers expiring in the rendang for Eid, so they went into hiding.

Ubat Gendut

So today is the 2nd day of Eid. At the last minute, we decided to make our way to Melaka yesterday after episodes of indecisiveness. Nak balik ke tak? Makwe( my step grandma) had earlier requested me to bring her some briyani. I was having quite a bit of a jam thinking about the amount of cooking that would take, as briyani MUST be complemented by other similarly tedious to prepare dishes like, dalcha and achar. On other days it would not be that harrowing lah, but for hari raya there are other staple dishes to help MIL prepare. Where got time and energy ma? So sorry lah Makwe, I could only prepare the dalcha and some 20 pieces of fluffy baguettes to distract you from your briyani fantasies. Bless Rasool(our masala supplier) for the idiot proof dalcha masala, I made a huge belanga without having to kill myself. InsyaAllah come Raya Haji, I will make you some briyani. That's what we eat for Eid Ul Adha anyway. Tak lah kelam kabut kan?

Dalcha

MIL, the executive chef, prepared her specialties, Bombay Chicken, Lontong and its condiments(kuah lodeh, sambal sotong and serunding). Missing from the table were ketupat, kuah kacang and rendang. This, my friends, is a big, big neon sign. This really means that MIL is about ready to hang her apron. Die! Die! Die la if next year I have to masak for raya.

Ayam Masak Merah aka Bombay Chicken

Naturally I ta pau-ed the Hari Raya spread for the Melaka folks to bedal. Ayah loves kambing but because of Mak's condition, it's been a while since he indulged in dishes that are essentially recipes to hypertension and cancer. He just said, "Ha? Kambing? Elok la tu!" And proceeded to kendurikan the stuff I brought from Singapore. I am reminded of the days when I used to menggigil when I was serving Ayah his meals. He used to be quite finicky, or perhaps I was such a terrible cook then. Heh.

Clockwise from T-L:

Gulai Ayam Belanda,Rendang Palembang, Rendang Minang & Sambal Bali

In exchange, I was given 4 different types of curries and a few sticks of lemang. Truth be told, I could not bring myself to eat duck, chicken and turkey in one seating. Dah le dalam perut ada kambing. No one's mentioned that Pakwo Akob( our family game hunter) caught anything this year, so I did not get my annual kijang, kancil and rusa feast. I was having a terrible headache almost the whole time I was in Melaka so I was not in the right state to really eat. Dang!

Asam Podeh Ikan Sagai

Turned out, I didn't really eat anything save for Mak's lychee jelly and Diana's cookie until much, much later when I visited Achik, my Ayah's brother. The first words Achik uttered when I arrived was a soulful tune to my head. He had just returned from the sea earlier and that there was a spread of all my favourite things waiting for me at the dinner table.

Sambal Belacan, Ikan Cencaru Bakar & Ulam Jering/Kacang Botol

Ese paling gomar yang nia la. Humang Aihh!

Achik Nuar really knows the way to my gut, eh, heart. Everything tasted just the way arwah Makwe used to cook. None too overpowering, yet refreshingly flavourful. Looks like Achik Aziah has inherited her MIL's skills. Even CA thinks, "Rumah Achik memang boleh makan". Hehe.Sorry, B. Keluarga lain macam2 pantang makan. Heh.

Makan at Achik's is truly worth the balik kampung trip!

Eid Saeed

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI

Mohon dimaafkan
kejelekan and kesilapan

yang terdahulu dan kemudian

yang tersembunyi dan yang kelihatan

Semoga Aidilfitri ini dilimpahi
Barokah

Ucapan Tulus Ikhlas

Anwar Mohamed

Intan Nazrahayu Nasir

Safiyya Aishah Anwar

Four Years and Counting

Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments

Selembut bicara

Sehalus sentuhanmu

Layangan pesonamu

Tak mungkin ku lupa

Jelingan pertama

Nan indah penuh makna

Akan kusahut cintamu itu

Bersama kita menuju bahagia

Takkan lagiku sendiri

Kasih yang berlabuh kini

Terasa keabadian cinta kau beri

Mungkinkah daku bermimpi

Sebahagia begini

Ini bukan (nya) ilus

Oh kasih

Seindah irama

Gemersik suaramu

Mengalun sepiku yang merindu

Tuhan merestui

Bahagia begini

Kasihmu nan suci

Ikan Di Laut Asam Di Darat

Four years ago today, for him her heart entwined with hope for eternal happiness with fairy tale fantasies. Today the both of them keep the partnership industrious and in some kind of order by making conscious efforts to be reasonable and amiable, just so that two people can live together without too much melodrama. While there are inevitable turbulent times for this hot-headed I-must-win-or-else couple , more prevalent is the tenderness and passion that keep them together.

Still early to call them old salts in the sea of marriage, yet one half thinks she falls in love with her better half everyday. The better half maintains that, "Of course I love you, B." and that sweet nothings are just that, nothing. Yet he keeps making her feel like a a hormonal teenager dumbstruck on what has she done right to deserve this man.

One thing for sure, somebody/some people remembered them in his/her/their prayers. Alhamdulillah.

Deep down inside, she thinks "Hey, I sc*ewed up waaaaaaay too many times before and now is my time to hop, skip and jump on the clouds of all things nice."

Moga Aman Selalu. Amin Ya Rahman Ya Rahim.

P.S: Of course I love you too, Ah Bee. Ready for take?

Manggis Came to Town

I am trying to remain as calm as possible as everything that could possibly go wrong with a computer went fantastically wrong with almost all the computerized gizmo and gadgetry that I have in my house. You know I have been trying to resuscitate my studio back to life for nearly a month in vain. It's a bit like CA's futile attempt to get marine fishkeeping right. The moment I thought I was home free, something goes wrong. Sheesh.

I really felt incapacitated without my Thinkpad perpetually stuck between my double-double cheeseburger (read: multi-tiered tummy) and turkey drumsticks (read: supersized thunders). The Asus merajuk on me, and won't give me WiFi reception. The PC has a large poster saying "SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION",my tech support has to sleep too you know. I was not to touch anything. The HP is broken because I had smashed it some time ago. Nevertheless, I had a good 30 minute chat with Kakteh, Ely and Anedra with only 50% battery before the Thinkpad blacked out. *winks*

To soothe the chronic withdrawal symptoms, I had a marathon tango with the mop today. Been a while since I attacked the floor with such virtuoso (angkat bakul sikit). I cleared under the bed and found hair. Lots and lots of hair. If the CSI team were here, imagine the mountains of dead skin cells and dustmites that they might have to bag. Prior to this, thanks to blogging, I have sped up cleaning time by deliberately skipping the dark recesses, dusty nooks and crannies and just mop the common traffic areas. Heh heh. Might as well clean up lah! After all, Raya is just around the corner.

Figured that I should go without wireless(double negation?) for a while until CA manages to rectify the series of hardware problems we are facing. So here I am, hooked directly to the cable connection 1 foot away from the wall griping my misfortune.

Time off from blogging gave me some time to meet real people for a change. Incidently, my former colleague and an old friend was in town. So we arranged to meet at Salero Bundo for Iftar. I was really looking forward to dinner under the stars Melayu-style until we got there only to find the place jam-packed with huge parties of hungry and loud people whose idea of buffet is to stock up on plates and plates of food makan hidang style, rather than piling up everything one one single dish.

It's been nearly 5 years since I last saw Pojee. He's my former colleague, whose office used to be a few doors away from mine. Back then I really liked what I was doing, my office was as good a working place as it was a great living quarters for me. I had everything except the kitchen sink. People in the Faculty of Creative Multimedia Building seldom go home anyway. Come to think of it, we did not get much sleep either.

While my office was like a mini museum of Budaya Benda, Pojee's office was like a psychadelic space centre. I especially remember his lava lamp, his super computers that looked like mini fridges. I remember distinctively something called Octane that could do cools real time animation. And he could really kemas. If you think Adrian Monk is kemas, wait till you check out Pojee's office. There were great many others that worked around graveyard hours like us. Nazura "Fishie" Rahime , his best friend back then, is now Pojee's wife. She just gave birth to a cute little cherub, Ilham Fannani 3 weeks ago. Congratulations!!!

My constant companion those days were Nad, oh she blogs too, and Nana. They were like sisters to me. Everytime I think about Nana, I am reminded of Dome's brownies, yang ada gold leaf tu...Yumm! I will blog about them in another entry.

So Pojee is in town to take that professional certification from from the good people at Apple. He was sweet enough to let me know he was here, it was only natural that we hooked up for makan. He was with a friend, Fikri. Both of them passed with flying colors!!! Woo hoo!

CA and I got to Salero Bundo earlier. They could not make it just in time for Iftar so we picked them up at Zam Zam Murtabak and adjourned to Sofra, a Turkish restaurant down the road.

It was great catching up with old friends. Although I must admit there were some awkward moments here and there because I was feeling a little self-conscious. You know, the bujang Nazrah and the Mak Dara are quite different from each other. It used to be very easy for me to strike up a conversation but last night my brain was mush. But I was thrilled nevertheless to see him again. Brings back memories of Bukit Bintang Nasi Ayam suppers with Nad and Wan.

Tauke Manggis

Aishah played photographer last night. She seemed pretty animated. If her parents weren't so uptight about her behaving at the dinner table, she might have enjoyed the evening even better. She kept insisting that she wanted Auntie Noreez and Kak Rocks. And Aunty Ayu, Aishah wants to play with you. She's been asking for you for days.

Anyways, the evening went by too quickly. Pojee and Fikri had the whole evening lined up for them. Almaklumlah Mafioso Dons datang Singapore.Maybe next time when they come with their families and we could spend time shopping rather than makan sakan saja.So rugi come all the way down here for one week, no time to shop.

Mafia Fikri Corleone

We dropped them off at Borders and it was adios, amigos! Until we meet again. And to Pojee's friend who reads this. HALLO, YOU!!!

P.S. : Pojee is a specialist in video productions and other high end media productions. He's done a few tv ads and music videos(Anuar Zain anyone?). He's done pretty cool upscale wedding videography too. Check them out at Manggis.

Malaysia Mourns

24 December 1940-20 October 2005

Yang Amat Berbahagia Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood, the wife of the Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Abdullah Hj. Ahmad Badawi, the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia has left us at about 7.55 am this morning, after a long and hard battle against the big C. She was 64.

One of the identical twins born to Yang Berbahagia Dato' Mahmood Ambak and Yang Berbahagia Datin Mariam Abdullah, she is survived by two children, Kamaludin and Nori, and 4 grandchildren. She remains in our memories as a great woman who was HUGELY generous and loving. A motherly character who was in touch with her culture and traditional values, she will be greatly missed. May she now rest in peace. Al Fatihah.

Hole in My Pocket

Ramadhan can be a breeze for some while it can be trying for a huge lot of us mere mortals. With the right upbringing and conscience, one would have no complaints about going without food and drink while keeping oneself morally and religiously in check. This communal obligation normally provides a greater motivation for some of us to increase one's level of adherence to religious responsibilities, InsyaAllah, while for some, it is just another regular month getting closer to Allah as we readily should every conscious minute of our lives.

Ramadhan may also be the time when the men, women and children get excited over the forthcoming Eid. Customarily, the ladies would get into a mad, mad shopping binge for all things serba baru, while the children pray hard that they may not be forced to wear scratchy traditional clothes and opt for stretch Levi's over muslin top from The Island Shop, to match the new Rastafarian beeswaxed dreads and the newly pierced tongue post-Phuket trip.*winks at somebody*

It is also a time when the Fathers, Brothers, Fiances, Husbands, Boyfriends, Sugar Daddies et al develop permanent frowns thinking about the impending fate of the soon to be maxed out credit cards, a fast-dwindling savings and mana lagi lobang aku nak korek duit seh... There is the big issue of ang pows or duit raya, packets of money given as celebratory token if not as charitable/filial gifts.

CA and I keep several spreadsheets of how much we would likely spend in RM and SGD for Hari Raya and try not to exceed our budget. This year, for the first time, I am taking care of the Malaysian side of things. Only now I realize how much money has to be set aside for duit raya, for salam berlapik and for general stocking up of kampung goodies like serunding, dodol, lemang, belacan and cencalok. Can't complain because I volunteered, and I have to be ikhlas. Susah juga mencari ikhlas.

I have also realized when one tries to be prudent,(read:frugal), things fall apart. My mini studio has been offline for nearly two weeks because of an inevitable power surge caused by the langsuirs and the penanggals of adapters and cables that were not equipped with a power regulator. I have set aside some money for a new set up. CA got started with a buffed up CPU( u da man, B) but not 24 hours after reviving my studio, the PC gave me a blue screen curse due to some device failure. The VGA card conked out on me. I told you I am no electrician or some tech support personnel. I was chatting with Anedra last night when the power cable of my trusty Thinkpad PUTUS?!!!! I can only conclude one thing, I am jinxed when it comes to anything electronic. Good thing, the cute little EZBuddy still works and I have hijacked the Asus for my blogging pleasure.

Sheesh. Kopak la lagi pas ni..Must forget about floorboards and soundproofing the room. Nak beli pintu pun dua puluh juta kali pikir...Scrap the idea of calling the spring cleaning team to wash my windows and sental my lantai. Overlook the fact that we need fresh paints on the walls. Third year with the same curtains is okay too.

Now I know how CA feels about Hari Raya. Why can't raya be simple and pain-free? Something tells me that this is what I get for not giving enough sedeqah. Duit habis macam air.

Wal-Asr.Innal insaana la fil khusrin.

Bendulful Meme Again

7 things to do before I die:

*Settle all debts and grievances
*Visit Capri again, wakeful and sober.
*Meet Makcik Rose
*Build a mosque in Mak’s name
*Secure trust fund for Aishah
*Bring family to my birthplace Scotland
*Perform Hajj and stay there

7 things I cannot do:

*Bake. I can cook to survive, but not bake. Call 911 if you see me making an attempt.
*Sew with the machine. Sembat, jelujur, tulang belud, InsyaAllah masih boleh.
*Be in two places at the same time and remain filial.
*Keep a straight face when someone is down right rude
*Electrical wiring.Plumbing masih ok. Wayar-wayar, sorry!
*Wear the same pair of specs for more than 6 months
*Forget sordid past

7 things that attract me to CA who happens to be the opposite sex relative to my current state of being:

*Guitar skills
*His height
*Serious humour
*Genuine smile
*The fact that he won’t let me get away with unreasonable behavior
*He takes my bad dreams seriously enough to comfort me
*He feeds me well

7 things I say most often:

*Oh mak engkau!
*Siot ahh!
*Uhuh
*Omaaaaaaaak!
*Ya Rabbi, Ya Tuhan , Ya Kareem ( sebelum mula berleter...)
*Alaaaaaaa...
*Hmm..entahlah. Tapikan...

7 celebrity crushes:

*Will Smith
*Chris Rock
*Arsenio Hall (Eh sampai tiga pak itam ni)
*Ted Danson as Dr Becker
*Slash
*Nuno

7 people I want to do this:

*Nefertiti
*Nadya
*Ely
*Mak Nenek
*Uja (kau dah buat belum?)
*Noreez
*Red

I am reduced to this

Warning : The UN Convention Against Torture signatories could not protect me from the peine forte et dure that Uja is capable of if I didn't write about this. So consider yourselves forewarned that this update contains explicit details about food items. Sorry I had to break my promise.

Baya, my younger sister and I used to share a room back in Subang Jaya. Hence the constant bickering and a tarik rambut relationship between us when we were younger. I used to terrorize her so much so that she has grown up a little traumatized, if I dare say so myself. But we are both much older now, she turned out to be such a sweet lady that if you have any goodness in you even if you are in your baddest, meanest moods, you can't help but be nice to her. She had better not know I said this.

Anyway, one night some 15 years ago, I was woken up by her screams, saying that a cockroach had entered one of her ears. Panicking, I quickly ran to our parents' room and knocked frantically to alert them. I remember Mak asking me if I'd like to come along to the doctor's. I would normally jump at any opportunity to get out of the house in the middle of the night. While the rest of my younger siblings were in deep slumber, under Makcik Rose's guard, the four of us drove into the night, looking for a 24 hr clinic. We found one, so Mak and Baya went inside. Ayah and I were left alone with nothing much to say to each other, so he brought me to a roadside stall where he ordered what soon became my most favourite pre-dawn meal and one of the nicest memories I have of my Ayah. A hot bowl of spicy sup kambing, or mutton soup.

I remember the yellowish broth, fragrant with the smell of some exotic spices, and that almost creamy texture of the soup sliding down my throat like a warm blanket enveloping my easophagus and settling the Symphony No 5 in my stomach like gripe water to a colicky baby , sipped in between dunks of toasted bread, under the stars while the rest of the neighbourhood slept. Soon the little squirt joined us with Mak, explaining that it was not a cockroach that had got stuck in her ear but a large boil. The throbbing made it feel like something was gnawing the insides of her ear. She was somewhat pacified, the good doc must have given her a shot. Mak ordered something other than mutton soup, she's health conscious even then. After cleaning bowlfuls of soup, as I was the designated tong sampah who finished up what others could not, we went home, back to bed happily counting kambing to sleep.

I rekindled with childhood memories of mutton soup, at Upper Boon Keng some 30 minutes from where I live. M.Razack's plays host to large cauldrons of boiling meat, innards and genitalia, also where old goats and mangkuks savour mangkuk after mangkuk of goats' coo coo birds thinking their own coo coo birds would soar to heavens above or at least rise to the occassion for the minimum required time after chewing muddled fat and protein in the soup. It must have done them a lot of good as not very many ladies stand in queue to buy this soup in fear of the gawking, hawking eyes of revitalised coo coo birds at the tables in front of this famous offal galore stall.

So in between running errands all over the city from one end to the other yesterday, I squeezed in a pitstop at Upper Boon Keng to drop off some Kopi Kacip Fatimah for Noreez and to grab a couple of packets of soup for Iftar at the inlaws'. In the span of a few weeks, this is the second time I found my way there. First to meet my long lost friend from MRSM, Mrs Omaq a few days before Ramadhan.And last night sinking my teeth into succulent meat and spicy broth was a welcomed treat for supper after a dinner of dhal lemak and sambal sotong.

So sentimental I got that I gave my Ayah a call. He sounded chirpier than his usual patriarchal, "Apa hal?". He is Bugis after all. That, my friend, was the bawang goreng and daun sup on my bowlful of heaven.

Okay, Uja. You can loosen the strappado. Medieval Inquisition style does not become you. All you needed to do was ask.

Heh. Heh.

My apologies my friends. Mohon ampun Mak Nenek Rupawan...

Of course you know I am kidding about Uja.

What? What? Whaaaaaaat?

I just had to get out of the house yesterday. You know how some people are lucky to clock out at 5 pm and forget about the office. My job, on one hand, requires me to be online almost the whole time of my waking hours, and a major part of my sleeptime. On the other, I have a house to maintain in considerable, livable order while it is being continually messed up while I am actually cleaning up. In other words, my job does not leave me nor can I leave it. All that just so that I have a little dough to put aside for rainy days and shopping days. Ok, ok, it's more for shopping than the rain okay?

So I badly needed a break after a few back to back, back-breaking assignments, while trying to keep my faculties in check what with Aishah interchangably slipping into some kind of toddler nightmarish frenzy one moment and an absolute angel the next.

I decided against a soupy noodle dish called Mee Thye Mak which I thought might soothe my mental fatigue for Iftar and opted for Swensen's to lick the Yummy Raisin (with fake rum) off its cup clean.

Twas still early so the restaurant was not jam-packed yet. It's funny how a lot of mid-scale restaurants for our blue-collared budget here arrange their tables so close to each other that a mere pop of a tiny fart can be audible two tables away from you.

I chose a corner with a high partition that cordones off most part of the restaurant, you know, for little privacy. Apart from a lil din in the atmosphere it was rather cosy until a party of mother and daughter found the table immediately next to us.

I was intent on having a relaxing dinner but my plan fell flat on the floor as Aishah decided to play, let's-toss-the-salad-in-the-air game and whining obnoxiously, endlessly. She gets like that when she is self-conscious. That lady sitting next to our table kept staring at me and Aishah back and forth exchanging comments with her daughter. CA and I were already feeling hot in the head, supressing the urge to snap and throw a sarcastic remark. I even role-played in my head how I was going to poke that lady's nose with my own and then throw her against the glass wall- a scene from a retro Jackie Chan movie. I got so edgy, that the monster in me prompted me to straighten my back, drop my cutlery and stared back at the lady. I think it worked as she lifted the menu book and hid behind it. The whole time after that she cowered down behind the menu while the daughter spied on us on her behalf. Eh, tak reti-reti lagi tu...I stared back at the daughter and later she too hid behind the menu book. In the end, I managed to finish my Salmon Teriyaki without any more drama.

Sheesh, nasib baik I tak tukar jadi Incredible Hulk or Suria Perkasa Hitam. Eh, jadi Space Cop Gaban pun cool eh? Just don't mess with this frazzled, hungry, dog-tired, chocolate-deprived Mom of a toddler. Thank you very much.

Strange Meme

I don't really see the point of the meme, but then I've been tagged.

I am IT.

So just like any of my bendulful impulsive acts, here it is.

For you, Nadya.

The Rules:

1. Go into your archive.

2. Find your 23rd post.

3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).

4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

5. Tag five other people to do the same.

My 23rd post was actually my long pot-pet entry about being nice to each other. Reading it again made me shudder, as I am reminded of the ensuing repercussions of my statements. The drama and the sticky mess that occured thereafter.

Here's my fifth line...

"I have been observing passively like a spineless coward, the ruckus over nitty gritty things almost with voyueristic fascination and had kept my protests very quiet in order to avoid conflicts with other people"

YIPES.

I am tagging :

kakteh

who has just been freed from the shackles of the big D

kak tenah

who needs a little break from her Permanent Head Damage paper

iJun

just because

anuarfariz

who's been waaaaaaay too quiet

foxymophandlemama

because I miss you

Mission Accomplished

I have always wanted to put my name on a book cover. You know, something to show-and-tell my anak cucu, so that one day they can say, hey, that's my Makwo's book. Heh.

Although I must warn you that I am just making baby steps into publishing, so there are definitely teething problems. Like they say, those who can't write, edit. But I am sure a lot of editors out there can and do write. I am just testing the waters. Don't get mad if it is not up to scratch.

I am just happy that a book that consists of real life accounts of nursing mothers is going to be launched this Saturday. This is a book that tells you things like it is, or at least, that's the intention. Nursing a baby isn't always a clip from a Baby Johnson's advertisement. The snags of motherhood can be really a drag and horrific. There are also tips and alternative treatments to common nursing problems.

Most importantly, this book goes to show how people who have not met each other in real life, only via an online forum, a mailing list and email can really do something big together. What makes it even more heartwarming is that this is a book for mothers by mothers. Syabas, to the contributors from Ummiku Sayang and especially Nae, for being there for me during the darkest moments.

And to Kak Teh, for keeping me company during those graveyard hours. I am especially grateful to Allah for salving my guilt of taking time off from Aishah with the birth of this book. I just hope that my intention to share inspiring nursing stories with others in hope that more people would nurse their own babies into toddlerhood justifies all that time I spent working on this at Aishah's expense. Luckily for me, I have an understanding husband who practically lets me do whatever pleases my crazy little head(as long as I let him keep his marine tank and play music. Heheh) and inlaws' who practically let me get my way and spoils me rotten. Alhamdulillah.

Oh, I have so many people to thank but I do not want to risk sounding like an acceptance speech for an imaginary Oscar. So I'll just say this, all of you who have helped me make this happen, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Click this to find out more.

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Sigh....

Am just back from visiting my Mom. She has been feeling a little under the weather. I have not recovered from that pang of guilt I felt when I hugged her before I left Bangi. Something on her face tells me that she did not want me to go back to Singapore yet, sort of longing for me to make what she is feeling at the time go away by some kind of magic.

I am not in the best shape to update properly just yet. You guys take care okay?

Pesanan Dari Penaja

Adeh, lenguh senyum...Dah ke belum?

Mari kita main stare-stare, sapa kelip mata dia kalah eh?

P.S: That's Safa', Aishah's best friend. More ads soon!

Anak Abah

Ma: Aishah, it's time to talk to Allah. C'mon, time to say Allahu Akbar.


Aishah : Okay, Mommie.
Where aaaaaaaare youuuuuu Allah?
Yoo Hooo....Where are you?


Ma: Come here and stand on your sejadah, lah nyot nyot ! C'mon, let's ask Allah to help us make Aishah a clever girl.


Aishah: Allaaaaaah...please , please make me aeroplane, please. Aaaaaamin.

And then she ran off to Abah who was busy tinkering with the fishtank chiller.

Aishah: Abah, look, look Aishah is chee yoooot. (cute)

Abah: Eh, eh anak Abaaaaaaaah.

Apa saja anak abah ni...

Mak Dara Berembun

Gebangite Naz with Gebangite Raudz

Newbie

The Gebang Gang is pleased to introduce its newest addition, Tety G, elder sister to our Ely Greenfield. She managed to tear herself away from her lovely daughters for a night out with us gebang girls, after having prepared a scrumptious lunch for everyone at home. Ely tells me that Tety could use a break, so here we are.

CA was generous enough to take time off tinkering with the fish tank to mind Aishah for me. Like they say, the way to a man's heart is through his tummy. After a huge pancake breakfast and pasta marinara lunch, henceforth the only way, was my way. Heh heh heh!

So happens that Mija, CK's friend came all the way from KL to visit her, CK could not join us for the Tabung Amanah Aidilfitri Mega Warna Concert. So we arranged to meet at Secret Recipe, Plaza Singapura before which I managed to do a supermarket sweep at M&S and Body Shop with Tety. Initially, we had intended to go to Shahi Maharani, but we did not want to miss the buy one free one promotion. Alih-alih, they ran out.Sheesh! I am so disappointed with the restaurant because the ran out of a lot of things. So sorry peeps!

After dinner, we grabbed a cab straight to the Kallang Theatre. It was really a bizzare experience because the cabdriver thought it was funny to say that we were going down with the newly repaired Nicoll Highway as we were ascending the elevated highway. Alhamdulillah we got there in one piece, greeted by other mak dara and anak dara dressed to the nines with no children in tow. Wah, imagine how many babysitters and husbands gnawed their nails at home that night.

We gleefully walked hand in hand, Tety and I, giddy with excitement because this was a rare moment that we mothers get to go out without our girls, malam-malam pulak tu. As we walked towards the entrance, Noreez gestured at someone and called out my name. And there he was, my long lost friend, Nor Kamal Hazami. It was really overwhelming, I almost hyperventilated, to see that friend with whom I shared great many fond memories as struggling student artistes, 18 years old we were then, when we had great big dreams of making it in the music industry but had to get our studies out of the way.

Hazami, my vocal sifu, with whom I spent hours and hours training by roadsides, stairwells, playgrounds and over the phone during holidays before I could get over stage frights and got great big breaks at places I never thought I'd be romancing the microphone. At that time, "gospel choir" style singing was in fact very rare in Malaysia, we managed to do something out of the ordinary. Oh, the good old days. After we both completed our preparatory education, we went separate ways. It was last Sunday when old friends reconciled and connected just like old times. I must thank Allah and Noreez for orchestrating this precious Jejak Kasih moment.

The reunion was not to be brief. We carried ourselves, Noreez, Raudz, Tety and I, well enough to pass off as Hazami's entourage. Like hyperactive groupies, we cheered him on while he went through soundchecks and obediently tagged along all the way into his dressing room. Hazami was indeed still the Hazami I have in my heart. His cheeky sense of humour is ever so heartwarming. He quickly put everyone at ease with his banter. It was amazing to see Raudz's face light up everytime there was a punchline. I was sitting at one corner giggling like an airhead. There was just so much to say, so much to catch up on. It was really unbelievable. I also learnt from Hazami that Safri, the Malaysian answer to Tevin Campbell is also doing very well, singing while managing a hospital. All that singing at the carpark paid off huh?

Hazami, Mak Dara, Adik Dara, Kakak Dara and Mak Dara-Dara

When it was time for Hazami to wow the stage with his vocal prowess, the four of us mak dara and anak dara scurried off to our seats and cheered him on like obnoxiously hysterical groupie, flashing out cellphone LCD just so he could see where we were seated. Later, we learnt that he had to try hard not to break into a guffaw watching us behaving like overzealous fans. The icing on the cake was when he dedicated a song to me. God help me, I hope nobody noticed my presence in the audience, I was behaving oh-so-juicy for paparazzi, it might not look good on Melodi.

Peace to the World!

Like all working artistes, Hazami had to leave as soon as he finished his performance, rushing off for another engagement. We quickly left our seats and and went straight out to see him off. It was really like a secret rendezvous whereby we had to be ushered to the basement foyer away from public scrutiny. We sang our goodbyes in the form of a medley, while Tety hopped into their ride to show them the way out of Singapore. Incidently, prior to the show, they had got lost on their way to Kallang. Raudz wished she lived in Woodlands, just to be in the same car as her current interest, and I am not talking about Hazami.

Just as we saw them off, the three of us, adrenalized by what just happened that night, sat down on the steps in front of the Indoor Stadium under the somewhat starry skies while waiting for CA to come pick us up. We chatted a bit and suddenly it dawned to me the hikmah of all that has happened since the Gebang gang first met. There is a definite bond between us. God meant for me to be gregarious, rambunctious and fun-loving, that is why He sent me Noreez, Raudz and CK. As we excitedly talked about the birth of the KL Gebang Gang and new additions to our small group, it is just empowering to know that my blogger family is growing. Suddenly Singapore is less grey and less sterile for me.

Mak-mak dara like Tety, CK and I really do cherish all the fun-filled moments away from the monotony of our lifestyle with that dash of youthful energy that is so Raudz and Noreez. Thank you peeps!

Soon the Mak Dara are only too happy to be reunited with their own anak-anak dara. My anak dara really thought I had run away from her. After a lil pep talk, my anak dara still thinks her mommie is a star. Oh, what a night!

Back to planet Earth!

Ramadan Mubarak one and all.

Of Kebaya and Kurung

You know, there is still a great number of norms and customs that I observe when I go back to my ancestral home in Melaka, one of which includes making sure that I dress up appropriately when visiting my elders. That would mean a modest baju kurung with headscarves and strictly no pants.

I learned that the Malays have this romance with the kain after having graduated from loincloths and/or whatever the people from the early age wore that is before the discovery of woven fabric. For the women, it was the kemban that was synonymous with the image of a Malay girl living on treehouses as recorded in post-colonial history books. Kemban is actually a Balinese traditional attire before kebaya came about. People from various parts of the archipelago were also big on this strapless, shoulder-baring sensual concept of beauty. In fact before the internet age, before anything electronic came into being, kemban-clad girls were the subject of interest for raging testesterone.

With the influx traders coming from all ends of the world, the Malays began to conceal most of their bodyparts with different fabrics and styles. Islamic traders who spread the word of Islam further encouraged people to cover up. The adaptation from jelabiyya and whatever the far east and west brought upon our shores was localised and soon became part and parcel with adat istiadat. After years of wearing kain batik, pelikat, dewangga or what have you, somebody adapted the style of salwar kameez and made pants out of the sarongs by cutting and sewing the middle part of the sarong creating what we know today as seluar. Of course by this time the Malays have seen the practicality of wearing pants. However it was never questioned why women at that time could not wear pants. These pants are then paired with slip on blouses that probably have Gujerati and Chinese influence. We girls got stuck with the airy and sometime clumsy kain worn with whatever that can kurung and ikat our body.

Baju kurung have many names based on its specific style namely cekak musang, teluk belanga, empat saku, pesak sebelah, gunting jubah, kancing tujuh, and belah bentan. Depending on one's social strata, during the days of our forefathers, the penghulu adat will make sure one observes adat pakai Melayu, which simply means that there is a certain way one should dress according to one's social protocol. In other cultures, dressing up a lady in the past has always been a tad bit tedious. In adat pakai melayu, dressing up a man is taxing nonetheless. Imagine, upon discovering that the seluar, before the invention of thongs and CK briefs, orang kebanyakan were only allowed to put on thin and cottony fabric, so in the hot sun, what's beneath the seluar leaves very little to the imagination. So it was ruled that the baju and seluar has to be worn with a samping. The anak raja, pembesar and orang patut-patut could wear their samping kneelength while the orang kebanyakan must wear theirs labuh. In fact, kita-kita dan awak-awak (people like you and me) were not allowed to dress flamboyantly while the upper class had to observe different ways of wearing the destar, tanjak, keris among other ceremonial gears. There were issues of color, material and susun letak to be considered when dressing up.

Another well known baju is the kebaya. Even the kebaya has an interesting history. Said to have been inspired by the abaya, or long overcoat normally worn by Arab women. The shorter and thinner version was made popular in Singalaga, Bali where the kemban girls were advised to slip on a badju and secure the front opening with pins to avoid the roving eyes of expatriate Dutch officers. Soon it became a way to identify who's who. The upper crust and Dutch officials could wear fine fabrics like silk, rich muslin, velvet and brocade, the Eurasians were only allowed to wear white kebaya trimmed with European lace, while the working class and the poor could only wear cotton. Soon the kebaya was made a national symbol for Indonesia, popularized by Ibu Kartini. So much for covering up, the traditional kebaya is worn form-fitting over somekind of body binding or corset, together with a wraparound figure hugging sarong, major hindrance for movement and breathing. One would think, hey, sensual beauty through restrictive clothing has become a thing of pride. Clothes for menfolks continued to be breathier and lighter and more comfortable(thanks to the Ozzies and other beach culture, Malay men nowadays wear bermuda shorts more often than pulicat).

There are many types of kebaya too date, for example, the kebaya pendek nyonya-style that Kak Endon is actively bringing back to life, and then there is the kebaya labuh, also a Nyonya style, where an anak baju is worn under long loose fitting blouse, with kerongsang and cucuk sanggul. In Indonesia, there are a great variety of kebaya for various occassions. The Sundanese version is the most popular, while the Kebaya Kota Baru is often associated with old peasant village women, The Javanese potongan lurus is appropriate for the more ample bodied. Remember when Megawati Sukarnoputri was sworn in, she wore the tight fitting Sundanese version which was considered a major fashion and istiadat faux pas. Rules, oh , rules....pening!

Nowadays, the possibility of improvising traditional kurung and and kebaya is endless. They have been improvised and metamorphasized to myriads of fashionable extravaganza. Some designs even goes back to zaman tak cukup kain and zaman orang tak pakai baju.

Both kebaya and baju kurung are often associated with propriety and manners. While the former became highly controversial because of its form-fitting nature, the latter is often associated with religious festivities.

Ramadhan is just around the corner, my baju kurungs are ready for Hari Raya.

Leher bertebuk bulan-bulan,

bersulam insang pari,

yang ada tulang belud,

yang itu jari lipan,

disemat kancing sebutir,

buah baju tunggal-tunggalan,

yang ada bulat menelur burung,

bertangkai menudung petai,

serba molek dibawa majlis dipakai santai

potong pesak gantung

paras lutut kelam bayang melintas anjung

kain bersusun ombak mengalun

tertib langkah sopan santun

cantik berseri baju kurung

tatarias adat pakai Melayu

pantas anggun buang yang canggung

Maka berkata orang tua-tua....

Kain Melaka dua hasta

Baju raja ke Inderagiri

Bukannya malu dipandang muka

malu hamba diri sendiri

P.S : Kak Tenah, a peek into my shiok sendiri activities.

One Last Bit

I have typed and retyped yet I cannot make myself write about anything else but my romance with food. What can I do? It is not my intention to be a bad friend and entice you with graphic details of the the junk I stuff my face with, oh my dearly beloved expectant expatriate friends, nor am I trying to be cheeky parading my foodie adventures on this page much to the dismay of friends who are trying to psyche up for Ramadhan. Please be kind enough to let me blog about my recent meetup with friends and then I can breathe easier and try to blog about other things, okay.

Moving on very quickly now.

Last Friday, I made plans to meet Uja at Qi Ji, Century Square for a little tete-a-tete over Chinese snacks. I just had to see her again because the last time we met I did not have the chance to pass the kiriman hugs from all across blogsphere since it was really a wham bam thank you ma'am kinda meetup. This time around, we had only two hours before Uja had to speed off to JB for another makan sakan gig. But it was enough to expand my girth all directions like an aerated balloon. I was a little early so I decided to browse around at Exclusively Hers, the whole floor dedicated to all things girly wurly. So I tried that little black thingy in the size I am so accustomed to wearing ( and I am not going to tell you what size I wear), and found it oh so oversized!!! I had to get it in two size smaller!! Wowee...And I am proud to say, I was not in any GI or diet save for ganti puasa. And by now, you all would know what and how I eat right?? That's a morale boost indeed. Dropping dress sizes, having eaten so much at that. So I rewarded myself with that nice black thingy, and a long beaded necklace to go with it. I leave it to your imagination how I would use that necklace.

While wrestling and detangling the knotted lil black thingy out of my ample anatomy, Uja called to tell me she's reached Qi Ji. Made my purchase and ran down to my favourite place to buy goodies for my inlaws. And there she was, looking ravishingly fresh, not unlike those faces you see stepping out of spas and beauty parlors. Mind you, this lady knows where to go to have a little girly pampering for the price of a regular meal. So rather than that perfunctory so-called professional handshake we just threw our bumpers at each other and locked in a oh-so warm an embrace, I was on the verge of getting sappy not unlike a grandmama. And then just like the last time we met, Uja asked me the question that's a sure fire way into my heart,

"Apa kau nak makan?", what do you want to eat?

So we ordered giant popiah basah, with prawns and extra chilli, soon kueh and chee cheong fun. We had to stop at that before I go overboard and order mee siam, mee rebus, tauhu goreng and what nots. So like a guru besar, Uja told me to cerita-ceriti because she was in the mood to listen. That wasn't very hard. You know how I can bebel kan? And I have grown up to be quite obedient, you know?( Iza Sofia! Stop sniggering this instant!!!)

After we makan until we terbodoh, Uja suggested that we look for some chi-chi coffee and chit chat some more. She made me order low-fat latte, and I halfheartedly obediently said okay. Low fat and Nazrah don't really get along. But then Uja's gebang prowess kept me captivated. While I gulped my low fat latte to the last dregs, oh, I pimped it up with extra syrup, Uja only drank half of hers. Hey this woman on a diet or what? Yes Ayu, I know, I know, we should keep a healthy diet. Quit rolling your eyes already. I brought my besar gedegak camera but sadly, I forgot to load the battery in. So no pictures lah, Uja took some, so maybe I'll post them later.

A latte and potato chips later, it was time to go. So we did a major boink-boink hug session, one from Kakteh, one from Ely, one from Maknenek and one from me before we parted ways. Ha? Empat aje dia tanya? Well, let's just say the whole of Sentraal Station was there in my big embrace.

After that I went to the supermarket to get some groceries, and picked up some more goodies for the peeps at home where a dinner of assam pedas was waiting for me. We were all so stuffed that immediately after isya' it was lights off!!

The next day CA enticed me to follow him to this aquarium at Upper Changi Road to view this 2 foot tank, before which he had wanted me to try out this new Yong Tau Foo joint. It's called La Mian Yong Tau Foo. I must say it's a pimped up place for fish products in somekind of soup. I have pictures but blogspot won't let me upload. Bleargh! And oh, CA bought another fishtank. Please God, save my poor soul! As if 11 children was not enough! You wonder why Aishah has no adik? She has 10 tiny swimming ones...all with the same hippie freestyla temperament!

So anyways, days passed before I could blog again, yet feeling somewhat cautious about writing too much about food. Somewhere in between writing new songs, nursing migraine and PMS, I managed to arrange a reunion with a long time friend Aminah Azira. She had just found my blog recently. I got to know that we got hitched to dashing Singaporeans( kasi kembang sikit cik abang tu) around the same time and that she's been in Singapore about the same number of years I have.

I remember Minah as that cute lil girl with ponytails who really loved cats. There were so many feral cats back then at MRSM Beseri. Imagine, everytime we had a meal 2-3 cats would be waiting inches away from our trays hoping to share our nasi kawah. So some people actually decided to make it a huge project to basmi kucing from our campus. So together with a girl named Farina,who if remember correctly is a daughter of a vet, ganged up to save as many kitties as possible, while another group of kids chugged those poor unsuspecting feline into gunny sacks to be disposed off at the town market. I also remember Friday afternoons in a communal bath, well, it's actually the typical kolah air that 10 people can waddle in. So before the people of Block A washed the kolah as a weekly ritual, they were kind enough to let me bedebush in the pool with them. I was a Desa Ekhwani illegalos.

So we planned to meet after 13 years. The umpan was sup kambing Upper Boon Keng. So happens that CA was taken ill that day, the severe heat was really getting to us poor poor migraine sufferers. But then he had to pop in at the office for a while. So he drove us to Minah's house. When I got there, I got the lift system mixed up but finally found her place. The door was open but nobody was there. Aishah and I gave salaam and yoo hoo-ed but there was no answer. Maybe she was nursing. So I just made myself comfy on the steps outside her house and played pat-a-cake with Aishah, giggling and thinking about all that excitement over a few pieces of pancakes elsewhere in the world.

Aaaaanywaaay, I decided to text Aminah after 15 minutes and she called me back telling me that she's on the way home. Yeay! My soup, my soup!

So we got comfortable as soon as I was invited in. Lovely,lovely home. And lovely, lovely time I had. Gedabak Gedebuk, it was makan time, so I assembled my bruschetta and she had let me use her broiler. While waiting for the cheese to melt, I had a grand time playing with Aaqil who is such a darling. He reminds me of Aishah at that age. An Energizer adrenaline machine indeed. As usual looking at baby boys made me feel all broody again.The kids took a while to warm up but there was not that much drama. Good girl, Aishah. You did not terrorize anybody today. Minah was busy setting the table.

Soon after, I walloped lah all the kambing I could eat. Muahahaha. I am glad Minah liked my bruschetta. I had brought fudge cake too but then I thought I couldn't possibly eat anymore as I have had my fair share of cake for breakfast earlier.

Two hours went by like the speed of light. It was time to go when CA rang me to tell me that he's on the way. Little did I know, he was actually savouring tau huay downstairs from Minah's block. And by the way, Minah, the tau huay is one of the best he's ever tasted. Second to my favourite stall at Serangoon Garden. So it had to be au revoir for now....almost getting sappy again, we promised to meet again. Longer this time. I hope to introduce Minah to my Gebang Gang so we can go out and melantak sama-sama. Like Noreez says, the more the merrier!! Some Beseri friends are coming over soon, I can't wait for that too!

Okay, that's it folks. My last post about food until maybe Hari Raya. Please Allah give me strength and inspiration to write about other things. But then this weekend I am meeting my Gebang Gang again. How la dey?

Intermission

You Are 20% Weird

Not enough to scare other people...But sometimes you scare yourself.

How Weird Are You?

God, how do I start blogging about what I have been up to without writing endlessly about how much food I have consumed over the past few days. I think I would spare the horridly delicious details this time, kesian rakan-rakan di benua lain, kempunan nanti...

Be back blogging later in the afternoon. Thought I should update before people get sick of the gebangite entry below.

Gabbing Gebangites

Aishah, Mak Dia, Y, Raudz,Noreez, Rafthah and CK

Yesterday, I decided to give myself a treat just because. So I figured, wouldn't it be nice to see my lepak gang again. Noreez was on leave, and Raudz conveniently took time off from work to squeeze in a job interview just before joining us. CK and Y welcomed the idea enthusiastically. Rafthah finally managed to tear herself away from her hectic job. Our designated party planner suggested that we meet up at Sweet Secrets(sure or not?).Luckily Noreez arranged to meet me at the interchange, otherwise I might get lost, considering the fact that I am an incurable kancheong wreck when it comes to taking public transportation. My sense of direction is a laugh too. Good thing Aishah enjoyed the bus and MRT rides. We went straight to Secret Recipe. I do remember she had said that we were to meet at Sweet Secrets. Imagine if I were to be left to my own devices, Argentina will hear me cry while I comb the entire 3rd floor looking for a nonexistent delicatessen. CK on the other hand had to walk around blindly looking for Sweet Secrets with a kid in tow. Poor darling. Isn't it very telling how Secret Recipe in Singapore is not yet a household name? Thumbs up for the floor manager, for being very hospitable.

Mini Gebangites

While the Mak-mak Budak and Bakal Mak Budak engaged in serious schmoozing parley, the little ones had a little ngobrol moments of their own. CK brought children's activity books and pencils to amuse the girls while the olders girls share a little tete-a-tete. It is inspiring how composed, calm and collected Y remain despite Aishah terrorizing her. CK is right, I need to be firmer with Aishah. What is a mother to do? Must go and do field study, and watch CK at at home lah laidet.

Dara Pingitan bersama Mak Bonda

Everyone seemed to have a lot to tell, we were jabbering jumping topic to topic effortlessly. Halfway through, I realized Raudz and Rafthah spoke the least. Aiyo, next time must let other people talk, Nazrah. In hindsight, there were stuff that Noreez , CK and Raudz brought up that I need to follow up in an email soon.

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice

I am wondering what is CK's secret to parenting. Y is such a darling at the table. In fact throughout the meetup, she did not give much trouble at all. Unlike my own adrenaline machine, in below picture, who demands her own way of doing things.

Sundae Slayer

I should have know that Aishah was not interested in the sundae, she just wanted the M&Ms. Sheesh. Some sticky moments occured which is normal everytime Aishah is near food. Lucky for me, supermom CK knew what to do when it happens. I maintained my shameless blurrness. So much to learn from CK.

Raudz@ Soo Nar Tee

Soo Nar Tee and her charge

Y seems to be really attached to Raudz, which is wonderful to see.Wonder what Aishah was up to?Doing sticker artwork on the restaurant chair if not hiding under the table.

Gebang goodies from Noreez, Nurul and CK (Thank you)

It is always Christmas when the gebangites meet. But I must insist, not for the lack of grace of course, that the next time we meet, no expensive gifts please.

What's next?

Great World Nasi Padang jadi ka?

My Precious Boys

Some of you know that I spend a lot of time at the inlaws especially on days that I just can't deal with the Bukit Timah of laundry that needs to be folded. What do I do? Pack up an overnite bag and Tampines, here we come. You must also know that CA's parents are superbly enthusiastic when it comes to extrinsically motivating me to eat and eat and eat. Both of them are great cooks and really know how to enjoy food. That's why I absolutely love them. Another reason that keeps me going back mid-week and every weekend is this.

Abang Izz Irfan and Baby Izz Harris with Pak Long

Now, tell me, who is going to let me have their senduk? Or how does it work again? I want to make rotiBOY!!!! Getting broody again, aren't we? Must be the rainy season.