Work That Bah-dey!

You.

Yes, YOU.

Get up offa that chair.

Hands on your hips, legs slightly apart, bend you knees and squat.

One, two, three, four....up and down and up and down, nine, ten and up and down...

Stay down! Breathe, two, three, four, five , six, seven, eight. And up, down, up and down!

Burn the l*rd a**, baby, BURRRRRRRN!

I was going through my old collection of old school hip hop and stumbled upon an old favourite. My homie (Peah, Era, Yaya, Mei-mei, Nita et al), y'all know what I'm talking about. I am psyching meself up to get ma bah-dey back into shape after years of letting go. No, scrap that. Amma try to add some cardio and resistance training just so I can still indulge in sinful gluttony without the guilt trip. I guess the best workout song would be the ones that's able to get your groove on. I am pretty sure Ayu's generation would not have heard of some of these old school gems, but trust me, they don't make it like they used to. Old school is sssssssssss....sizzling, dawg! Let's give some luuuurve to ma braddah from anotha maddah, Montell Jordan!

Ayu Was Here: UPDATED!

Maybe it's the flu I am having, or it could possibly be that my short term memory has gone all askew. It seems like just now Ayu's sunny face brightened up my bluesy Monday when she showed up at the frontdoor, the house really feels empty without her infectious guffaw, the guest room looked especially dull without Ayu's eclectic sense(of decorum). The house is quieter without her calling my name when something exciting came up over the net. Oh, a little grasshopper told me that the best way to entertain a Penangite is to feed and take that person shopping. And knowing how the internet is akin to a life support system to this brainiac(in a good way), I surrendered my loyal laptop for her recreational use. So all that plan to fingerpaint, visit art galleries, museums and stuff was just a plan, lah.

So, that afternoon, she came and we sat down over Angus O'Neil Rootbeer and chatted. Aishah took some time to warm up. She practically ordered everybody to follow her to the study, and showed off how internet-savvy she is. Sapa la ajar anakku jadi eksi borak ni?

We went down to the playground to let Aishah mingle with the neighbourhood kids. Before long, CA came home, to pick us up to grab a lil din dins. We had planned to take Ayu to this Indonesian Sate place at Jalan Gelenggang, Thomson, sekali tutup. That's ok, takde rezeki. So we headed to Adam Road, to let Ayu sample the Nasi Lemak. Alas, the whole food square was closed too. Hmm, maybe Ayu was jinxed. And then it struck me, tis the season when Hungry Ghosts roam the land. So devotees were busy making offerings. Many makan holes closed early.

So we had no choice but to go to the touristy satay place at Lau Pa Sat. Ayu will post the pictures of the food we ate. One thing I can confirm though, people of the southmost regions of the peninsula, can NOT cook Paadprik. Good thing the chicken wings and Mee Pok were superb as usual. I would not say the same about the satay from Gerai No 8. It used to be fantastic, but the regular pakcik and makcik were not the ones operating the stall. What a shame.

Next we drove to Woodlands to meet Ely's parents and to pick up the goodies Ely sent me. I called Ely's kampung several times for directions, I really thought I spoke to Ely's mom, so there I was, calling Tety, Ely's sister (hallo Tety!!!) "cik" in total wonder how young Ely's mom sounded, and how exactly like Ely! We got there with the biggest tub of ice cream I could find at the store, and greeted by Ely's Bapak, Cik Ghani, Tety and two nieces. We were quickly ushered to the oh-so-cosy living room where a spread of goodies were already waiting. There were Pisang Goreng Amerika(well they were Ely's bananas from SF) and roti boyan, complete with sambal tumis. Aishah had fallen asleep right after dinner so Anwar minded her in the car. Rugi besar tak naik...Ely's mom was away at mengaji class, she must have missed her geng gebang after a month away. Cik Ghani and Ely interchangably gave me the recipe of roti boyan, and a nifty trick to make em round pastries with instant prata too. We chatted like recently reunited relatives, if I had forgotten I was married and had my husband and child waiting downstairs, I would have stayed overnite dengan penuh tak malunya dan tak sedar dirinya. I had a great time gomoy-ing Tety's girls and kissed cute lil Gegirl(the cat) before I had to leave, not without reaffirming with Cik Ghani that we were henceforth sedara (which only means I can come and makan-makan again right, Tety?). Tety and I shared a giant hug before I left. Tak dapat peluk Ely, peluk Tety pun okay, to which Cik Ghani said, bau sama. Muahaha.

We skipped downstairs with goodie bags in our hands, like two lil girls trick-or-treatin', even CA had an animated look on his face when he saw the bagfuls of See's Candies. If anybody had a digicam then you would be able to see how giddy we were. The drive home was bizzarely blase.

We started late the next day, as we chatted a little past midnite under the covers. A lil like what I would do with my own sisters when they come over. Ayu had one of the laptops with her, so she must have slept much later. I woke up feeling a little woozy and heavy, and the phone rang, Ely called reprimanding, well sorta, us for being in communicado after getting our candies. Well,that's how you keep us kids quiet right? Ely had only 6 minutes, so we chatted like 2 MRTs running concurrently, on parallel tracks, racing our I love yous and thank yous.

Ayu woke up shortly after, and I made a simple breakfast of teh tarik and chee cheong fun with sauteed chicken bits and shitake mushroom.

After that we both had our laptops on, she was supposed to book her ticket home, while multitasking of course-she's been internet deprived for days, and I checked emails. And then off to the mall nearest to my house to buy the inlaws' some butterfly kueh and curry puffs before we headed towards Tampines. Not before we gobbled some Old Chang Kee goodies ourselves, washed down with Jolli Bean Soybean Milk.

When we got there, MIL nagged me for being late. Muahahaha, notty notty me. First thing first, I opened the gold box of truffles to be kenduri-ed with the people I love. One bite and I was quickly taken to another realm which felt like having multiple org***s on a roller coaster ride.

We were at Tampines because I needed MIL to mind Aishah while Ayu and I go out gallivanting. Well, actually, to go and get Ayu her ticket home and to meet Rabi'ah for dinner. I thought we were going to manage to slip out without being forcefed by darling MIL. No such luck. And how beautiful was her kari ikan, sambal belacan, ikan selar goreng, kerisi goreng and fried baby bokchoy. Ayu will post pics. Drooool. Sungguh tak menyesal.

We then proceeded to Tampines Mall on foot, guilt conscious. Sesampainya di sana, we ooh aah's over the latest fashion-not for me though, but for our slim fashionista, lah. Too bad we were in a hurry. Ayu scored a nice sequinned clutch. I sniggered devilishly. Ely is right, I am a bad influence when it comes to shopping and eating. Off towards the interchange we went. We saw Rabi'ah from a distance and I panicked, I did not get her anything. The nearest shop was Swensen's so quickly I thought, one nice choclit coated ice cream cone would do it, lah. But then I remembered, Rabi'ah was fasting. Luckily there were nice tins of mooncakes on display so I got her the Vegetarian Lotus one. Dinner was at a Middle Eastern place called "Samar". We got seats that looked like the inside of a harem, with cushions, lanterns and carpets. The faint smell of sandalwood matches the dizzying splendour of little lights coming out of those swaying lanterns. We had flatbreads, baba ghannouj, tabouli, lamb shank, roast chicken, lamb racks between us. The drinks were equally exotic, Kamaradeen, Karkadeh and Lime granita.

Well, I am a picky foodie after all, I would say the ambience was superb but the food, let's just say, I won't go there again lah. The experience in the company of the two wonderful girls made up for the shortcomings, I also liked the idea of being able to lunjur kaki after wrestling to cut a strangely liat lamb shank which was supposed to be slow cooked. Oh please don't let me start a long restaurant review.

Balik-balik, we lepak-ed in Ayu's room before I gave up cause my old age overcame the better of me. I am pretty sure Ayu spend several hours on the net before she too succumbed to the calling of Lala-land.

The next day, we breakfasted on Kueh Teow Tom Yam and Tau Sar Pau, and chatted with each other after. Check this out, we were seating next to each other in my tv room, exchanging messages over YM. Kak Tenah and Ely soon joined us. So, aren't we confirmed internet addicts?

I had to start the last meal I was planning to sumbat Ayu before she left. So our lunch at teatime(breakfast was at lunch,kantoi la, Ayu and I share the same biological clock) was chicken roasted with apples and grapes, lemony eggplant salad, wild mushroom soup, fruity saffron rice, Ajwain flatbreads and mint dip, washed down with San Benadetto with bubbles. We were too full to wash the dishes, I simply closed the door of my kitchen, had a couple of Godivas with Ayu, chatted a wee bit while watching my anak-anak ikan.

And then it was time for Ayu to go and meet a friend, last minute before she took off. We dropped her off at Raffles City, I held back tears as I told myself that this is not going to be the last time I see her. She had promised to take Aishah on a spaceship to see the moon one day after all. Until we meet again, my dear Ayu, arrivederci!

Kiss From A Rose

I don't remember exactly when she came into our lives. I remember Ayah buying a single bed, a chest of drawers, a full length mirror, a fan, a transistor radio, a small side table and a clothes hanger for that little downstairs room in our little terrace house back then. After a quick salam and perfunctory introductions, it was bedtime for me, rejoicing the fact that I didn't have to do as much housework now that we got someone to do it for us.

I woke up the next day and found a huge spread of kampung breakfast, so different from our usual bread and cereal blearghhs. And the house was operating like a factory with so much activity, whirring of the washing machine, that lovely scratchy, brushing sound of someone washing the bathroom and the permeating ambrosial smell of detergents. And oooh, even before I knew how to mop the floor properly back then, the terrazzo felt and smelt so clean, I could eat off of it. Let's not get too excited, I thought. Let's go figure that woman out before I jump to conclusions.

Turned out, this tall, fair-skinned, "curvilicious" lady is quite a character. Her husband had left her, MIA, in communicado and she had to work to support her 4 boys. She was accustomed to a comfortable life before her stroke of misfortune, fate has it that she had a role to play in our lives. She was meant to be that nurturing mother and father to all the five of us, while Mak and Ayah bend their backs to keep us alive.

I would like to share with you the things I remember about her, Puan Halus binte Jais, otherwise known as Makcik Rose, of Kampung Olak Lempit, Hulu Langat. Not far from Teluk Panglima Garang.

She usually finished all the main chores around 11 o'clock and that's when she would lay down and rest while listening to "No 5, Persiaran Satu" on the radio, I forget the title of that family radio drama. By 2 o'clock she would fold the laundry, and that's when we'd have our regular chats. There were stories about her colorful life as a Tukang Jual Obat's wife, touring throughout the country, following her notoriously philandering husband. Of days when she was poker-buddies with a certain P.Ramlee and Saloma. Of fresh fish on her doorstep when there was a big flood in Kuala Sungai Muda, Kedah. Of Tiger shows in Thailand. Of Lorong Haji Taib days, where her husband sold obat, while she looked out a certain Rumah Tumpangan and somebody thought she was offering business. She was heavily pregnant then, but the guy could not see that fact from downstairs. It was amazing how cheap it was back then, she was offered RM10 for a lil sum'in sum'in. She got scared and shut her windows and never to open them unless her husband was around.

I also remember her thundering voice calling my name from downstairs, to jemur baju in her standard French.

'Hoi, apa kau buat kat atas tu hah? Kau ingat aku ni kuli ke ha?
M*ng***k**g, mengg****l b**i ****nt** je kau ye? Turun, jemur kain!!"

I remember getting a good lecture (read:scolding) about masak lemak, when I did not stir it properly, it curdled. She also taught me many many more Malay dishes and inculcated this passion for food and the kitchen.

I remember being chased around the dining table with a broomstick for menjawab cakap orang tua. I also remember getting into trouble with my parents because I could not hide anything from Makcik Rose, the spy. She always found my cinta monyet love notes no matter how meticulously I hid my stash, she would be the one who would yell at the boys who called the house and kantoi me for all my mischief. I used to call her a "busybody", and apparently she checked the meaning of that word, and I got a mighty good one after that.

But she had never stopped me from being a kid. She let me play soccer with the boys, although Ayah has another opinion about that. She let me have my Barbie bashing parties, I wasn't very girly then. There were seriously dismembered casualties. Luckily they were rubber. She would be the one frantically knocking on Ayah's bedroom door when I was getting a good spanking. She would be the one who would watch and listen to me play the piano( when I am upset, I'd hammer my teenage angst away on the piano). She would be the one psyching me up, rationalizing for me, and never failed to remind me how much she loved me and my adik-adik.

She even brought us back to her kampung many, many times. I remember the rickety buses we took to get there, the rows after rows of pineapples, and kelapa sawit. I remember her big wooden house, with so many people in it, atok to cucu. I remember picking and eating biji kundang skins and all, fresh mangoes in santan and nasi ambang. Most importantly, I remember a wonderful family. I remember teaching her nieces songs from the city. They especially liked "Manic Monday" by The Bangles. And the boys hiding under the stilted dangau in the pineapple farm trying to sneak a peek under our skirts. They got into serious trouble after that.

I remember how Ayah and Mak helped her claim taklik and her hot, hot romance with this lawyer from Biro Bantuan Guaman. I remember her sweet voice singing Pop Yeh Yeh tunes. I remember the way she danced to Hindi songs, I remember the evening strolls. Oh, I remember a lot of things about my Makcik Rose, her sweet smell, her crisp kain batik, I remember the smoothness of her fingers when she suap-ed me my ultimate favourite, nasi kicap and ikan goreng. I remember her coiffured hair and her immaculate sense of style. I remember a very elegant lady who is not supposed to be a domestic helper.

She called me a few months before I got engaged. She told me that she's been sickly. Working in a kayu factory did not help. We had a tearful conversation. I learnt that she reconciled with her tukang jual obat husband, and he passed on shortly after. I learnt that all her boys have jobs now. And that she has grown very very old and tired. She had left me a number to keep in touch, but the last time I called, the number was no longer in service.

Makcik Rose, I have you to thank for the things I know today, and I will keep praying that life would be easier for you before your time is up. You have touched our lives in the magnitude that it is humanly impossible to return your generosity and kindness. From the bottom of my heart, thank you and I love you so much, wherever you are.

This entry is inspired by Dede's story at Anedra's

Ambitious Astronaut

CLICK HERE