Abang and Adik

Kids... they were so cute when they started to talk... the 'pelat'ness, the scrunching up the face in search of the right word, the creation of new words when they couldn't find the right one etc. Both of my children are late talkers. They could walk by the time they were 10 months old but the things that came out from their mouths were gibberish.... until when they are about 2 and a half. It is especially harder for my babies because they are December babies.

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Take Adik for instance. She had just turned 3 but next week she is legally 4 and at the age where parents are advised to send them to kindergarden. Abang just.. just turned 6 last week but next week he will be in Darjah Satu, a good 1 year younger from most of his classmates. I couldn't send Adik to school yet.. well because she can't really talk. She can express herself sure, but only family members could understand her and only people that love her found it cute !!

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Anyway, bila dah pandai cakap, both of them wants to catch up with all the years that they have spent frustrated due to incoherent-ness ( please forgive me for my choice of word ) !!

Yesterday she woke up and Babah was not at home.

Adik: Mum... mana Babah Adik ?

Mum : Babah pegi gunting rambut sayang...

Adik : Haa ? Babah pegi gunting lambut ( face all screwed up sebab tak paham )

Mum : Yes... pegi potong rambut...

Adik : Oh.... Mum...... Listen, listen....... ( came to me, forced me to get down to her level and went to my ear to whisper ) Suluh Babah ambik Adik okay.

Mum : Kenapa kena bisik ni ? Why suruh Babah ambik Adik?

Adik : Adiknak potong lambut Mum.. ( still whispering... ) Babah ambik Adik okay...

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So much drama......

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Some time ago, we went to the house of Abang's friend to send birthday present. We couldn't make it to the party at the 11th hour tapi hadiah dah beli. So we stopped by to extend the gift.. Sampai kat rumah orang tu we saw a few expensive cars in their compound. As we oohed and aahed, Abang mentioned that the father of his friend is a doctor.

Abang: Abah tak tahu ke bapak dia doctor...

Abah : Oh okay. Tu lah Abang if you want expensive cars you have to become a doctor...

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So we went to bagi salam and seperti biasa emak bercakap dengan emak and the bapaks had a separate session on their own.

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Dalam kereta....

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Babah : Eeii... Abang.... kenapa Abang kata bapak dia doctor !!

Mummy : Habis keje apa ?

Babah : Sama ngan I ... jual kereta !! Cuma bapak dia manager... !!

Abang : Tapi kan Bah.... only doctors boleh pakai kete mahal kan Bah ?

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Mummy and Babah terkebil kejap sebab caught in our own web of deceit and Babah finally said... bapak dia memang doctor tapi he got 2 jobs, malam - malam jual kete !! Hua hua hua hua !!

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At home when we finally had a private time on our own Babah told me, dia tanya that guy, practise kat mana ? Tergelak besar aku !!

As I mentioned before, I do have the right for that little white lie ( please humour me ) because he is my son and I want to steer him to the right career path ( he wanted to be a race car driver ). But... well.... okay let me say this. My dad used to tell me that if I do not study hard, my work will also be not hard, thus making it insignificant. I will go to work by public transportation and I will have a little umbrella with me to shelter me from rain and sunshine. As oppose to my successful friends that could afford cars and they will drive past me in their big vehicles and as I wait to cross the road to my insignificant position, their cars will pass me by, splashing water on me as they go ( kebetulan ada lopak berair kat situ ). Therefore, better pack some towels before you go to work, he advised....

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Tapi bapak.... I still had to take the public transportation to my quite significant job as an engineer. I actually purchased an umbrella ( Esprit brollies if you must know ) to shield me from rain and sunshine. And I did pack towels just in case I did get splashed by my friends who roared by !

I had only driven to work for a year !! And I have been working for 4 years !! So it doesn't really mean kan walaupun belajar tinggi2, terlepas dari naik public transport.

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Babah is right... I have to stop from making my children crazy..

Holiday Weekend

I hate coming to work today because I had a glorious 3 day weekend lazying around and enjoying my family.

We took the kids to watch Eragon at KLCC. The movie was good but it left me hanging as the story was unfinished ( for a sequel I am sure ). As usual in the car, I asked my children ( sejak-menjak Adik pandai bercakap ni my children le, dulu Abang aje ) what they understood from the movie. First question, what is the name of the rider ? " Eragon ! " answered Abang. What is the name of the dragon ? " Saphira ! " answered Abang again. What is the colour of the dragon ? " Blue ! " answered both of them ( Adik kuat sikit sebab she knew the answer to that one ) and I think I asked apa nama orang jahat tu and Elsa answered " Giraffe ! " Giraffe ? Mana mai Giraffe ? After that all my questions were either answered by Giraffe or Blue.....

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Yesterday, nak dijadikan cerita, my babies accompanied me pi sidai kain kat belakang. They were rolling and shouting about when Abang suddenly shouted " Mummy look !! Dragonfly !! " I turned around to look at where he pointed but I stopped my eyes at Adik. She was crouching while her eyes scanned the sky. "Abang mana dragon Abang ? Mana ? " Ha ha ha !! Was she really expecting the real Saphira flying about our garden ?

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Abang is a real yapper. He could talk for hours and hours about his games, his toys, his day ... anything at all that interest him. Anyway in the car on Sunday, he was talking about Tenken 5 and after like 45 minutes ( I think it was 45 minutes because it was very very long. It could be less as you know time flies when you are having fun and time stood still when you are not... he he ) I asked him to stop talking and rest his voice. My reasoning is that without rest, he might not be able to talk at all later on. I was too tired to say really, a-ha, emmm, that's nice over and over again.

When we got home, the kids were with me when I tackled the ironing. Abang started yapping again but this time on his prowess as a game player.

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Abang: Really Mummy, I am unstockable....

Mummy : What is unstockable Abang?

Abang : It means nobody can beat you. Harith kan biggest kan, Hakeem kan mediest kan ( mediest ? ) and Abang smallest kan ( ooo... paling medium... ) but they cannot beat me... Nobody could stop me..

Mummy : Abang if nobody can stop you the word is unstoppable.... not unstockable...

Abang : Oh okay... blah blah blah.... "

Mummy : Emm.... Really ? Okay...

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When suddenly I heard another little voice that went Emm.... Aaa...... Really ?

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Rupa - rupanya si Adik... Apparently, she too had to layan abangnya bercakap and she had dutifully just answered non-committally to her brother while drawing and colouring. When Abang finished his lengthy explaination, she said " That's nice Abang, " looked at her brother and smiled....

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He he..

A Lecture on a Sunday

I attended a lecture on Sunday. Well, not exactly attended on my free will but was forced to participate. The subject matter ? Why the Gorilla Track is Fun. I had a lengthy lecture from Abang on his new birthday present.

"Mummy, kids kan like birthdays kan because they get new toys. Kids like to play with toys. Kids kan Mummy they like to have fun !" Yes, so you have told me many times Abang.

"Come Mummy, I want to show what is fun with this track," So he showed the different ways the car could travel and all the fun features of the track. It was awesome for him.

He got another track that is yet to open. He pompously informed me “ I will do that on my own Mummy with my helpers."

Really ? You have helpers ? Yes, my cousins will come and pasang the track for me, said he. Right.

"Look Mummy, there are 6 ways to pasang this track and blah blah blah… " Macam lawatan kilang as I just stood there politely listening to his explaination. I looked at his Babah in the next room, willing him and signaling with my eyes for him to help me get out of this torture. He gave me a triumphant smile and continued on watching the telly. Well yeah, I probably deserved it as he asked for my help to pasang the track but I flat down refused. He he….

Umar and Elsa's Birthday Party

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Last Saturday Babah and I hosted Abang and Adik's birthday party at our club, Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club at the bowling alley. I was quite apprehensive at first as I was not sure the children will warm up to bowling and I was quite afraid that the kids will be bored. Past birthday hosting experience was easy because I opened up their playroom, switched on the Play Station and the party goers will be stuck upstairs for hours and only coming down occasionally for sustenance. It leaves us the parents time and freedom to catch up and mingle.

But this time, if the little ones do not feel like participating in the only event, do I have to start entertaining them ? I do not know any magic tricks and my nose are not big and red enough. But luckily, it went well. The children were eager to try and I had to go back and forth to get the right size of bowling shoes for everyone.

Preparation wise, it was so relaxing and rather scary too. Scary because it was too relaxing. We didn’t have to do anything at all even in the morning of the party, except pick up the cakes. Then we went there one and half hour early to ensure that everything is in order and they were !! I didn't have to fuss over anything on rush off to prepare another.

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The only thing to do was wait for the guests to arrive. We waited and waited not knowing what to do and so we played in the arcade. And when it was 2 pm where the 2 lanes were ours, we bowled. Ann and her husband being non-malay ( her husband is Chinese, Ann is not ) arrived first. So we bowled with him. Then around 2.45, when the Malays deemed it is fashionable to arrive ( being a Malay that is what I usually do ), the birthday boy and girl made an appearance with the rest of the family. Friends trickled in slowly afterwards.

Although, a lot of my close friends tak dapat datang like Shazmi ( hot date I presume ) and Anu who is on assignment in Medan.

The cakes were gorgeous by the way. In earnest, I ordered the cakes just because it was aesthetically ( don't mind my spelling if it is wrong ) pleasing. I didn't consider at all if they would be nice to the palate. Surprise, surprise, it was rather tasty although quite dry, I suppose a moist cake couldn't hold the weight of the decorations.

We bowled like mad. The kids were eager to bowl and the parents were frustrated because we had to bowl and help the kids to bowl, so no real game was going on. Some can't even bowl because ada sayap kiri and sayap kanan dok ikut... he he he....

We finally got a real game going. It was fun. I got a strike but when I turned around to gloat, nobody was there to watch my moment of glory except for my brother ( who was mightily unimpressed as he didn’t have an open game at all ) and my mom who was delighted that I was so clever… Oh mum… Sheeshh….

The party was fun. It was marvelous.

I told Babah, maybe we should do a pool party next year and Babah said that requires parental participation in the pool. I said why not ? It would be fun. Instead of a reminder to bring socks, I would remind them to bring their swimsuits.

Yeah, Babah.. what about your friends. I am sure none of them will attend. So there…. Hmmm betul jugak. Even I won’t attend the party !! Malu !!

Pokemon Master

Adik and Abang were arguing. And then I guess Adik dah bengang habis but she doesn't know what to do ( nak bantai abang dia, besar lak daripada dia berkali - kali ganda ), she suddenly yelled,

I choose you Pikachu !! Ewetric shock attack !!

Hua hua hua hua !!!!

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Mummy : Abang this year I will give your birthday presents on your respective birthdays and not during the party okay. Soo.. Adik will get her present this Friday and you will get your present next Thursday.

Abang : Mum are we going to have 2 birthday parties then ?

Mummy : No the party satu saja, this Saturday tapi this Friday is Adik's birthday and next Thursday is yours. So presents I will give on your actual birthdays.

Quiet for awhile.

Abang: Mum ( suara dah bergetar ) can we have the party just once like before sebab Abang punya last. Lambat lagi.

Mummy : Abang... the party satu sahaja but ada dua orang ada dua dates. Adik on the 15th and you on the 21st. Tapi on the 16th is the party for you and Adik....

Abang : So nanti Abang punya bowling party jugak ke ?

Mummy : Abang.... hai.... okaylah. I will organise one party for both you an Adik okay.

Abang : Thank you Mummy. I like that better......

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Eeeiiii..... susahnya nak paham !!

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Abang : Mummy why does that baby cow drink milk from mummy dia punya boobs ?

Mummy : Well that is how it is done. Even human pun macam tu. When you were a baby you drank from my boobs.

Abang : Why is the milk there ?

Mummy : Well when a lady gets pregnant, the boobs will produce milk for the baby and when the baby is born, the milk is all ready.

Abang : Yes, but why at the boobs ?

Mummy : Well that is one of the functions of the boobs. Abang I think we have to stop this conversation because we use the word boobs a lot and I think I have to find a better word for that.... maybe chest....

Abang : But mum, wouldn't it be easier if the baby drinks from a bottle like normal people ?

Mummy : Drinking from your mummy's boobs.. oopps chest is what normal people do Abang although I do agree it is easier using the bottle when nursing babies like you.

Abang : Why Mummy ?

Mummy : Well last time when you were like 5 months old you keep turning your head to look at the telly. I was on your left side but you keep turning your head right to watch the telly. SO at the end, after struggling with you for a month or so, I switched to bottle.

Abang : I am glad Mummy because drinking from your boobs is yucky...

Mummy : Yes, I figured you are going to say something like that. Thank you, son.

Princess Process and Tiger

Adik: Mummy this is my Tiger.

Mummy : Okay. Where did you get that ?

Adik: This is mine Mummy.

Mummy : Are you sure ? Rasanya macam Aida punya je.

Adik: Say hello Mummy ( She waved Tiger about in front of my face )

Mummy : Hello Tiger.

Adik: Tiger is so cute Mummy.

Mummy : Yes I can see that.

Adik: I like you Mummy.

Mummy : Really ? That is nice.

Adik: ( Looked at me in earnest ) I love you so much Little Mummy ( and when she said that, she shook her head slowly, to show sincerety I think ).

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Mummy : I love you to Princess Process...

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Princess Process came about because she didn't like me calling her Hunny Bunny. Abang graciously offerred himself for the title.

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Mummy : So what do you want then Adik ? Darling..... Baling ?

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Adik: Mummy !!

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Mummy : Okay, Sweety Tweety ? Baby Puppy ?

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Abang: I think she wants to be called a Princess Mum..

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Mummy : What rhymes with Princess ? Process ?

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Adik loved it. So... there you go, Princess Process....

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However Abah feels she could also be called Hantu Batu...

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I moved Tiger to her room and when she came out from the bathroom with Abah, she couldn't find Tiger where she last put it.

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Adik : Tiger, where are you ?

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She looked around and then turned to me.

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Adik : Mummy, what have you done ? ( She sported her Pontianak face that Abah and me are very concerned about, face almost down but eyes looked up at us... trust me the effect is scary... ).

Abang the Frenchie

Abang loves the Frogs... and when I mean Frogs, I mean the French. He absolutely loves everything that is French.

Abang : Mummy tahu kan... The people in Paris kan.... they say Wow kan.. Wallah !!

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Mummy : Really ? That is interesting... I have quite an unpleasent experience with the word Wallah in Paris...

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Abang: And kan Mummy, tahu kan... the French people kan... if they see something very nice or something kan... they will say Oo La La...

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Mummy : Really ? Are you sure that is not Spanish or something.... ( Mummy pun tak tahu sangat )

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Abang : No Mum. They say Oo La La...

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We have plans to go to Hong Kong this year but when we broke the news to him, he was unimpressed.

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Abang: Mummy I saw pictures of you and Abah dekat Disneyland Paris.

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Mummy : How many times have I told you it was way before you. I would have taken you there if you were in this world already at that time !!

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Abang: I think I want to go to Disneyland Paris Mummy. I am sure it is much nicer....

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Mummy : I don't know sebab I have never been to Hong Kong Disneyland... So I can't compare

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Abang: I think I want to go to the Paris one Mummy then I can see the Eiffel Tower... Or watch football. They are always playing football you know in Paris....

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Mummy : Banyaknya duit Abah Abang...

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Abang : Mintaklah Atuk...

Banyak cantik ko punya mintak Atuk....

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One day we were talking of dinner plans and DeliFrance was mentioned.

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Mummy : Abang would you like to eat sandwiches... ?

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Abang: Sure ! I want the ones with roti yang keras tu.

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Mummy : It is called a baguette Abang.

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Abang: Hey Mummy. People in Paris eat baguette. I heard Madeline said baguette..

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Mummy : Yup, it is French but I prefer the Italian's ciabatta better..(saja nak mengusik)

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Abang : I like the baguette Mummy because it tastes nice. The people in Paris eat baguettes Mum. Is France in Paris ?

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Mummy Nope the other way around. Paris is in France. That is why DeliFrance is called that. It is a place that sells French food...

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Abang: Paris is so nice kan Mummy...

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Yelah, one day we will go together, okay cherie ?

Weekend with my kids

He he... I had a wonderful weekend with my children ( sans hubby again as he had to work ). First of all, when I returned home last Friday, my children rushed to hug and kiss me, enough to cover the 3 days I was away. Adik, when she hugged me, the first thing I heard was her murmuring, " My little Mummy, " over and over again, her little hands patting me at the back. Then she looked me and asked, " Mummy dah beli kucing ? " Ha ha... it was so funny I am still laughing about it now.

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Then she hugged me again and said, " My little Mummy...., ". Abang heard that and it didn't go down well with him. " Adik, Mummy is not little...., " Adik looked at him and said " Ha ? " " Adik, Mummy is huge !! She is not little, "

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Cess.

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" Thank you, Abang, but I am definitely not huge. I am not fat okay..., " Abang looked at me and said, " Okay who is fat then ? " " You are Abang.. , " And he let out a hearty laugh. He likes it when I say he is fat, for some reason. " Mummy, if I am fat and I am smaller than you, but you are bigger than me but not huge.... so macamana ? "

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I looked at him and offered him chocolates....

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Saturday morning was the usual activity of breakfast, piano lessons, and visiting Tok Mi. I switched on to my all-time favourite song and Abang claimed that it is his favourite song too, that Torn by Natalie Imbruglia. So we played it over and over again, singing loudly and having a great time ( he knows the lyrics, so Abah must have played that song when it was just them and Abah too... ) when I decided to quiz him on his pemahaman ( My mother always remark that most of her children bila tang Pemahaman BM susah nak score sebab memang semulajadi tak paham. Tak paham orang cakap apa. Secara halusnya degillah tuh ) of the song.

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Mummy : Abang what does ' You're a little late..' mean ?

Abang : Oh, dia dah lambat sikit Mummy...

Mummy : What about ' I am already torn... ' ?

Abang : Saya dah besar. I am already big...

Mummy : What ? Where did you get that from ? Torn means koyak lah Abang. So her heart dah koyak lah...

Abang : What ? Torn ? Mummy, I heard tall Mum !! Not torn...

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Mummy burst out laughing again. Aiseh Abang, you are so funny... Then again, he made my life difficult.

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ABang : Why does her heart terkoyak Mummy ?

Mummy : Well it means that she is heartbroken, she is sad. That guy dissapoints her.

Abang : But Mum, dekat CEC kan, teacher Devi cakapkan, kalau our heart is rosak, the heart can stop and so kita mati Mummy. So is she a ghost Mummy ? Sebab her heart is torn, dia dah mati. Is this like lagu Pontianak tu ?

Mummy : No lah. It is just a figure of speech. Torn tu maksudnya.....

Abang : Mummy what is figure of speech ?

Mummy : Abang nak chocolates ?

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Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

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This morning, both of them were awake when I was about to leave home. Demands for hugs and kisses were gladly met when I bent down for a second set of love from my daughter. Do you know what she said to me ?

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"Mummy pegi beli kucing okay ? "

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Ha ha..... my babies.

Mummy pegi Kuching

Mummy : Abang, I am going away on a trip okay ?

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Abang : What does that mean ?

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Mummy : I am going on a plane to somewhere else..

( he was reading when I started this conversation but sat straight immediately when I mentioned aeroplane )

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Abang: Where are you going Mummy ?

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Mummy : Kuching.

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Abang : Kucing ? ( and let out this huge collossal laugh )

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Mummy : It is a real place you know ...

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Abang : Where is it ?

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Mummy : Malaysia jugak...

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Abang : Very far from Shah Alam ? Is it near Subang ?

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Mummy : Abang, Jakarta is nearer to Kuching...

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Abang : That is far Mummy ! Do you have to sleep there ?

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Mummy : Yes, I will go tomorrow and come back on Friday.

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Abang : ( Counting Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday ) You will be sleeping there 4 times Mummy !!

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Mummy : No... 3 times. Friday morning I will be back.

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Abang : Mummy sapa nak tidur dengan Abang.... ( okay malas nak tulis further because it turned into an argument )

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Babah called me every night and on Wednesday night when I asked for Abang, he was already asleep.

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Mummy : Hello my little hunny bunny ...

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Adik: Mummy.... ni Adiklah, not hunny bunny...

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Mummy : He he... okay. Mana abang sayang ?

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Adik : Abang tidur.... Mummy.... Abang kan..... blah, blah, blah.... ( complain time )

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Thursday night,

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Abang : Mummy, why didn't you call me ?

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Mummy : I did ! You were asleep...

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Abang : Mummy you have to call me every day Mummy....

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Mummy : I did but you dah tidur....

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Abang : I am sorry Mummy.... I miss you... ( and burst into tears... )

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Mummy : Waaa.......

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My job had always entailed me to travel a lot, domestic and international. But during my assignment in Geneva, I was plagued with huge yearnings for my family, especially Adik. I suppose I would prefer to take them along like I did when I went to Bangkok, but Babah has his own commitments and Adik did not behave well when we went to Jakarta. Takut nak bawak that little tigress masuk kapal terbang ( my mum laughingly told Babah I was like that when I was small... Mummy, you should really conceal stories like that from him because now it is all my fault. Babah fondly calls it gene jin. Uwekk..... ).