A Tad Bit Trippy on Tippy Toes

I really do not know how I managed to doze off last night while Che Anwar was ngeow ngeowing the guitar, rehearsing for today's gig at Planet Paradigm. I wish that someday he will play at a public place and not a pub.

At least if his concerts are held at a park, I can sit in between the trees and not look awkward amongst black leather, spikes, mohawks and metal studs. Perhaps if I am curious enough to check out headbanging chicks worshipping Che Anwar's feet, I'd come in dressed up in a Grim Reaper suit, Goth make up, and a 30cm crescent sickle, sharp enough to chop off their heads in a swing.

I am in the music business, I should understand how it is.

Sometimes I feel like Jerry Hall or Yasmin Le Bon even(perasan). Most times I feel like Mrs Osborne.

It can be really hard sometimes.

Wonder how Marlia Musa is coping?

Selamat Pulang

Dalam redup matamu
terpancar kasih syahdu
dalam gerak langkahmu
bertongkat semangat jitu

Tanpa perlu berkait seteru
gaya lembut hiasan budimu
pergilah kamu ubati rindu
pada kekasih setia menunggu

10 November 1935- 23 June 2005
Anugerah Wira Angkasa (19--)
Raja Melewar (1998) Layar Lara (1997) Kabus Tengahari (1980s) Hapuslah Air Matamu (1976) Neraca (19--) Sayang Si Buta (1965)

On the news today.

Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rajiun.

Aishah Behind the Camera

Neni, Abah and Tok

At a tender age of 2++ Aishah is pretty camera-savvy eh?

Aishah Behind the Camera

Ma's Eyes

She sneaked a shot of my tired smudgy eyes when I was not looking. I think we're on to something here. Aishah's the one who took a photo of Nef and I the other day. I think I will pool all of her snapshots and feature it somewhere. Just imagine the kind of shots she'll be taking when she's 10. Please excuse this overly optimistic mom.

Tinkle tinkle widdle tarr.... 

SIL, MIL and Aishah 

Miss Braveheart 

Road Trip Revisited

En Route to Kelantan

After having spent 3 days at Mak's, catching up with things and jitterbuggin' with the berus dawai on the kitchen floor in between, Che Anwar arrived on Saturday with the inlaws' to pick Aishah and I up. Hence began our annual road trip to the East Coast. We took the Gua Musang route which was not as scary as we had expected save for a few close shaves with giant trailers and lorries. The roads were good and the scenery breathtaking. Aishah was having the most fun moving from seat to seat on our borrowed Grandis while the grown-up ohh-aahhed over flourescent green sawah padi and oh-so-many cows and buffaloes, all whilst munching Sour Cream Chips and soda pops.

A short stopover at Medan Selera Gua Musang got us some soupy noodles which were delicious but the servings could have been more generous lah. 3-4 suap dah abih dah. We found a public toilet which looked abandoned and in disrepair. It had a large sign that says "SILA BUKA KASUT ANDA SEBELUM MASUK KE DALAM TANDAS".

How strange. MIL had a look inside and ran out.

We U-turned back to the Shell station which had considerably clean toilet, running water and all. Stocked up on our titbits and knick knacks and off we went.

Reached Kota Bharu at 7.30 pm.

Too tired to drive out to Berek 12, we settled for room service which was not bad. Sedap in fact. We retired early to gear up for the marathon shopping spree the next day.

Dari Kacamatanya

Super Driver

According to him, his Renault has better handling than the Grandis. I am grateful to Abang Mus for letting us guna-pakai his roomy SUV otherwise where would we sumbat our well-endowed selves in between shopping bags eh? I must say Che Anwar's driving is good lah in a sense, we all came back in one piece. It's when he is contemplating curves and overtaking big lorries that sent my tummy triple-somersaulting. And the kind of drivers you see these days. Tak berani nak tidur. Baca-baca terus. In MIL's words, "3 kali lagi kita hampir nahas kan? Nasib baik Allah jaga"

Senjakala

Shimmering Sunset

Lalu ropol awan gemawan pun berundur
seluas-luas upaya pandangan tidak terukur
bersembunyi dengan pantas
ada rezeki nampak jua sekilas
gemilangnya sulaman emas
makin malap direnung
leka bila duduk
termenung

Dihitung pohon pohon sambil lalu
perjalananku memburu rindu
tiba-tiba tersentuh hatiku
terdetik di sudut yang jauh
jika dibiarkan saja senja berlalu
keberkatan umur boleh gugur
akibat taksub
dalam bertafakur

Wal-Asr...

To Market To Market

Rambutans

Keesokan harinya, the insatiable and critical kiasu factor in all of us found a less than satisfactory breakfast spread at the buffet table. So there goes New Pakupakis* reputation. Of we went to town and looked for the old pasar. Asked a policeman, and he directed us to BBK. Bazaar Buluh Kubu ( Read: Bazaar Bakar Kocek). We went there on a different mood than the years before because Nefertiti had told me that the most expensive embroidered tudung should not cost me anymore than RM35.

Wah, all of them were tagged RM45 or higher. Last year the USP was bawal nombor 1 and sulam goyang. This time it's sulam berlapis and the distinction between bawal korea and bawal jepun. Bah! Everywhere we went, people knew we were Singaporeans, no matter how I insisted that I am a fellow Malaysian. When I attempted Kelate-speak, everything came out with a Utara twang. Hancoq! It was mush more difficult to haggle the prices this time around. How to bring down a RM75 tudung to RM25?

Susah macamana pun, I managed 8 tudung bawal, 3 cottony Donatellos and one slip-on scarf. A walk down the shop houses got me a couple of baju kurung fabric. Went around the wet market geared with just "Hok ni bapo ghiaa?" and got myself some gula nira, assam gelugor and them juicy rambutans.

Oh how I love the rambutans. I can eat a whole guni of them all by myself. Hands down.

Acah je, I bought just 1 kilo for duo ghiaa. Ok what?

Yummy Yati

Lunch at Yati Ayam Percik

After a few hours of shopping it was then time to eat lunch. As reviewed in many travelogues, this place is popular among tourists. Well, it had an aircond room and very few houseflies. Okay lah in my books. We ordered ayam percik, daging bakar, nasi kerabu,, sup tulang and a couple of gulai. Like all the Singaporeans I know, they like their food piping hot. I was too hungry to notice. Don't interview my people if you want a review of this place. Hahah!

I personally think that it's generally okay la..Tapi tak lah super duper delish. Nef tells me that there is this makcik who makes fantastic ayam percik. *Drools* I'll come back for that.

Solok Lada

Shopping No Good

Can I get this is size XXXS please?

Aishah did not really enjoy going to kedai after kedai and no beach. Each time we alighted from the car to yet another shopping place, she would throw a tantrum. Abah had to deal with that since it was Ma's time to shop. Saaaaaaaayang Abah.

Later that night, I had an ice cream date with Nefertiti. Come be do'oh mek nef ni weehhh! Too bad I was already leaving for Kuantan the next day. Maybe next time we'd go shopping with a local and get the best bargains. One more year to practise on my Klate-speak.

She managed to get some splashing time in Trengganu during one of our pitstops. Some pool time in Kuantan did a lot of good to tire this adrenaline machine out.

What? No Traffic? 

Serene Suasana 

Delicious Do'oh 

Road Block 

Rocky Beach 

Mendung Di Rantau Abang 

Bonding

Going Fishing

As if the roadtrip was not tiring enough, Che Anwar insisted that we maximise his leave by doing something fun. I was already aching all over tapi kuturutkan jua...

I'm glad we went to Bedok Jetty. It's the kind of place, you'd say, "I don't mind jogging these tracks everyday with all these trees and the cool breeze from the sea."

But what am I doing today?

Blogging...

Talk is real cheap.

Hasilnya...

Kecik Tet Tamban

Feline Yoga

Back from a vacation yet I'm feeling even more tired than before

Feeling Numb

Assalamualaikum wbt Mak Cik ,Kak Cik, Pak Cik, Bang Cik, Adik-adik dan anak-anak sekalian. Macamlah ramai bebenor orang baca blog I ni. Heheh.

I just got back from a shopping and binge-ing frenzy. I really do not know where to begin. Nanti lah, when I got the energy to go and cari my card reader, I will picture-blog about my trip.

Meanwhile, what should I celoteh today eh? I am not really feeling the afterglow of a holiday because of a huge pang of guilt that I am feeling right now. So sorry this entry is less than chirpy. I must thank all of you who have contributed nice pantuns in my comment box.

I was going through my emails. The 55th on the list in my Inbox is one that gave me what felt like a mini cardiac arrest.

Re: Pakwe

A'kum wrt....How r u...

Mayb u dah dpt mssge about
Pakwe masuk hospital Southern M*****...ulcer..**** kt uia..tkdpt gi arini...makwe kate..pakwe br tido ard 11pagi td..mlm tadi pkwe meragam habis dicabutnya tiub2,... pray for his speedy recovery...

Hospital tgkt 10 bilek 10-**

Petang karang **** balik bangi
We'll keep in tch...

Luv,
****

Not only was it a difficult email to read, I am so upset that news like this was conveyed via email in this age of cellular text messaging. I could have just made a detour on my way down south and pop over to see him should I have been informed earlier by phone.

I gave my grandfather a call. He is to be discharged later today. Called Mak, and she told me that Pakwe has kidney problems too. He's already talking about borrowed time et cetera. An aunt's biopsy confirmed cervical cancer and the other terminal. Every phonecall home, would always bring news like this. What in the world is the matter with our lifestyle that a visit to the doctor results in a death sentence. It is time like this that I wish I were more mobile and closer to home. But what can I possibly do to change things?