Mohamad dan Ayesha

We went to visit Kamalia and her new baby Mohamad last Sunday. It is always nice to see babies. Their cuteness of course but I love to see innocence.

When we got home, Elsa who was drawing and colouring quietly suddenly said, “I like baby Mohamad, Mummy.”

“Really ?” Said I.

“Yes,” she said. “Mohamad wasulah.”

“Muhamad wasulah ?”

“A-ha. Muhamad wasulah wasalam ….”

He he…

While we ate at Kamalia’s house, Ayesha joined us. What a polite girl, she came to accompany us because her mama was busy nursing her baby brother. While we ate and talked, I was marveling at how much she looks like her papa.

“Ada ramai orang tak yang cakap kat Isha muka Isha macam muka papa ?”

“Tak …” She said, smiling.

“Okay, biar aunty jadi orang yang pertama cakap kat Isha muka Isha sebijik muka papa Isha…”. She just smiled at me. So comel.

But the shocker came in the car. Dan said, “Ayesha tu senyum pun macam Sheik. Gigi-gigi dia habih macam Sheik…”.

Eii ? Bila Dan belek gigi Sheik ?

Imran's birthday party

We were invited to attend a birthday party for Imran Shah yesterday. Imran belongs to Razif, Dan’s good friends since school and of course his mother, Emma. We were in a massive dilemma when the invitation came. Sunday was our 15th anniversary ( 9 of them 15 married ) but Razif is a dear friend to Rashdan and we missed his son’s last birthday, so we decided to honour Imran’s invitation.

It was so much fun for the kids. We arrived late because Elsa was sleeping (so were the parents because Babah had taken to wake up at 4 – 5 am in the morning and Mummy would be awake too since Babah switches on the telly, and therefore both of us were sleep deprived ) and found the party already in full swing. A three-legged race was going on. Umar….. well…. He hates to miss out. When he saw what was going on, he asked Razif, “Can I join in ?” Mummy and Babah winced.

“Umar, they have already started playing… come here !!” Ordered the very distraught mother. “So sorry Umar. We have more indoor games after this, okay ?” Said Razif. So we went inside, and my children were soon making new friends ( kids are amazing. They can make friends easily ). Soon I could make out my son’s voice among the din and he was starting new games and devising them.

“Dan… benda yang I paling takut sekali is if Umar gives suggestions on what games to play. Or even worse, how to make it more interesting….” Said I.

“So I assume you will not be watching ?”

“Please…. Thank you…” I do love my husband.

But who could actually resist ? I feel that only my authorative voice could tame Umar, so my presence is needed. First game was Passing the Parcel and guess who got the first round ? My son of course. He had to sing a song.

“But I don’t know any songs !!” Phew, I was thinking he was going to sing a number by Daughtry of Linkin’ Park. He was asked to sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ instead and all went well.

Then they had Statue Dance but the kids were already well acquainted with the game and so it was hard to eliminate anybody. Umar went out after 4 rounds because his knee was acting up ( “I play too much tennis, that is why” was his excuse and everybody looked at us. “Rashdann…… Myra……..” said Razif one eyebrow up. Kurang asam punya Umar…).

Elsa though was beautiful. She smiled and she danced and her face was bright. She was having the time of her life. I had never seen her looked more beautiful…. She went out after about the 6th round when most of us were already flummoxed on how to end the game. It was then decided to turn it into a dancing contest for the rest of the players. The birthday boy won and the hosts were not being bias at all. He was a wonderful dancer and deserved the first place.

Then came the lucky draw. Razif and Emma prepared prizes for everybody and all are assured of a price but it was fun to see all the excited faces. More fun to watch them trying to wait patiently for their number, really. When Umar got his, Elsa was upset.

“Uncle I haven’t got my presents yet ….” Said she in the cutest voice ever. Her eyes were huge. When the next number came up, she shouted “Me ! Me !” when it is not her number and I tell you confusion breeds noise… Ha ha…. Dan and I were laughing like mad. When number after number came up and her turn to get the delicious looking goodies still failed to materialise, she became rather agitated. Her brows furrowed and her forehead sported a lot of lines. She kept saying “Uncle..saya belum dapat lagi ….”.

When Imran shouted “22 !!” everybody was relieved. He he….

All in all it was a good birthday party. Thank you Razif, Emma and of course Imran. Happy 5th birthday !!

PS : The part starts at 3 and by 3.30 Umar was already frantic. He came to wake us up but I ordered him out because Babah was sleeping soundly at that time. Do you know what he did ? He asked his grandma to send him to the party. His directions ? “The rumah kat seksyen 12 yang ada banyak kereta and ada balloons…..”

My super remote control...

I just downloaded pictures of Titi on her first day of school and it reminded me of our conversation on her first day there. Cik Ta picked her up from school and at 1 o’clock I received a call from my sister. Ita told me that she is in front of my in-law’s house but no one was home. She pressed the bell many times and honked and honked but nobody came to open the gate for them. All the while we were talking, I could hear Elsa demanding to talk to me.

Elsa : Mummy, Cik Ta dah panggil bibik tapi dia tak dengar. Wan is not home Mummy. We cannot open the gate. Mummy boleh tak bukak gate ? Boleh tak tekan ?

Mummy : Tekan ? Tekan apa ?

Elsa : Tekan lah to bukak gate….

Ha ha… she wants me to press the gate’s remote control.

Mummy : Tak sampai lah Titi. I am too far away… tak sampai.

Elsa : Oh ? Tak sampai ? Mummy tak sampai lah Cik Ta.

She went quiet a bit then asked the million dollar question, “ Where is U-um ? ”

Mummy : Ermmm… I don’t know. Dia ikut atuk and wan pergi somewhere…

Elsa : Where is U-um, Mummy ? Mana U-um ?

Adoih…….

Mummy : Nanti U-um balik lah……

Elsa : Mana U-um ? I need to change my clothes. I don’t want to wear this baju….

Mummy : Okay, okay… nanti Mummy call Aunty Wawa. Titi duduk rumah Aunty Wawa kejap kay ? Cik Ta hantar Titi pergi sana, okay ?

Baru happy sikit.

When I got home, she complained to me how her beloved U-um left her to go gallivanting alone. Umar just rolled his eyes.

Hmmmm…………….

Mums and parrots

This very morning, I asked my little girl if she loves me.

Mummy : Elsa sayang Mummy tak ?

Elsa : I love you, Mummy ! I love you and parrots ?

Eii ? Parrots ? Apa ke hal ?

Mummy : Parrots ?

Elsa : Yes.. I love parrots ?

My hands were already on my waist as I looked enquiringly at her. But I think she mistook it as hurt. She came to hug me.

Elsa : But I love you more, Mummy. I really, really love you…

*********************************************************************

Usually whenever my children have their piano lessons, Dan and I would walk around the shopping complex to pass time. One day though, we were late and when I entered the music school, I heard my little girl shouting for me.

Elsa : Mummy !!

When I didn’t answer, she hollered, “Aunty May-wa !!!”. Nama aku le tu, setelah dipelatkan.

Dan and I we didn’t want to start yelling for her in the very confined space, so we just walked quickly to her. But before she could see us, we heard her say, “See teacher ? Now my Mummy is lost !! Mummy !! Mummy !!”. Her voice was full of despair. I couldn’t even describe her elation when she saw us.

Hmmm…………………. I will cherish the moments of being the most important person to my children. But when I ceased to be that… well at least I have the memories that I once were…..

Killer Butterfly

Months ago, I was in my room with my children. Each of us had a book, the telly was off and were reading companionably. Then Elsa looked up and saw a butterfly, hanging peacefully at the wall.

“Look !! Butterfly !!” Said she like she saw a vampire butterfly or something. My children are the most lily-livered children I know (well except for my cousin whose body actually shook whenever he tried to climb the stairs because his house was a 1-storey thing. He he…. He is know a Microbiology or something in that manner Masters Degree holder and is working with/as PTD). Umar jumped a mile and both of them put as much distance as they could from the very docile butterfly.

“Mum ! I’m scared ! Chase it out, Mum. Make it leave.”

“Alah, Umar. Rama-rama aje. It is not going to eat you.”

Elsa trusted me and started to loosen up. She jumped back on the bed. Umar though was jittery. He couldn’t relax, couldn’t concentrate on his book.

“Mummy… you have to chase the butterfly out. Please ….” I so want my peace and quiet so I did his bidding. I opened the nearest window, took Elsa’s fairy wand and poked at it. It flew around for awhile then exited via the window.

“Okay, Um. He’s gone. Kesian dia. He is so harmless. I do not think for a second he could eat you. Haa sekarang he is going to see his mummy and complain about you.”

“No he’s not !” said Umar and I left it at that. After awhile Elsa of course got thirsty and asked for a glass of water. She followed me to the kitchen.

“ Mummy, butterfly tu kan, nanti papa and mummy dia datang ? “

“Maybe…” Said I.

“When the mummy comes, I will talk to her.” She firmly said.

“Oh ? What are you going to say to her ?”

“That is Umar. He made your baby cry. And then mummy dia will marah Umar, like this… Hei you…. You made my baby cry. I am going to get you ( she had her arms on her waist, looking down talking to imaginary Umar at a higher height).”

Tergolak den. Ingat kan dia nak marah orang tu sebab kacau abang dia, rupanya dia serah abang dia kat butterfly tu !

Hmm………

Umar dan adiknya

Elsa pegi zoo hari ni. School trip. The missive from the school mentioned that we have to send our daughter before 8am, armed with bottled water. Okay.

During breakfast Umar asked me a question that never even occurred to me, Elsa’s mother.

“What time is Elsa coming home ? You have to tell Cik Ta to pick Elsa later than selalu…”

“Eh ? A-ah ye… pukul berapa is she coming home ?”

“She is going to KL kan Mummy ? You have to check what time is she coming home.”

Aku yang mak nya pun tak teringat. Alahai Elsa, your are lucky to have Umar.

Yesterday, Elsa buat lawak bodoh yang menganginkan Babahnya. She rubbed her bum and calit kat Babah dia. Angin lah orang tua tu. He ordered Elsa to wash her hands.

Elsa dengan muncung panjang sedepa pi masuk toilet gelap-gelap. When Umar saw the sister in the dark toilet, got up, switched on the light and waited for her. When Elsa came out of the toilet, he hugged her and ruffled her hair.

Hmm…. It looked so suspicious.

“Elsa, who taught you to do that ? Raba pungkok lepas tu lap kat orang ?”

“U-um….”

I looked at him and saw his eyes widened. He jumped up.

“Saya tak buat ! Hari ni bontot saya tak gatal !!” Dan and I struggled to keep our faces straight.

“Habis, adik belajar buat kat mana ni ?”

“Not me !! Saya hari tu kan, bontot saya gatal kan, saya garu kat dalam toilet. Masa tengah mandi. Jadi kan saya terus basuh tangan…”

Warghhh !! I ordered them out of the room so that Dan and I could laugh in peace…

He he…

I want to hear the book now !

My very much-needed slumber was disturbed in the wee hour of this morning. I heard my little girl cried and heard her abang trying his best to soothe her. Babah hollered for them to come into our room. Although I was awake, I did not open my eyes as I know once I did, it would be very hard for me to resume my sleep.

“Apasal, Ti ?”

“Mummy read the book. Titi tak dengar. Umar saja.”

We are at present, reading The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me by Roald Dahl and my children totally love it. I am reading 4 pages a day and I know they are really excited to hear the rest of the story. Roald Dahl is wonderful… I love him too…. So I could understand my daughter’s consternation. I would be very much dismayed too if I miss his book’s reading.

But… I didn’t read the book to Umar. Elsa fell asleep on our bed and when I tucked Umar in, I suggested that we should wait for his sister and Umar graciously agreed. So I sang him a lullaby instead.

“Ti… we did not read the book. Titi tidur so we did not read it..” Said I still with my eyes shut.

“Waa…. You read the book without me !!”

“No…” I assured her. “ We did not… we want to wait for you….”

“Waa…. You did not read the book !! I want to hear the story…” Pulak… tadi marah sebab baca sekarang marah sebab tak baca…. Saja je minah kecik ni.

“Ti… I will read the book tomorrow, okay ? You were sleeping.. I will read the book to you tomorrow, okay ?” Said I as I gave her a tight hug. “Sorry, okay ?”

“I want to hear the book now. Read it now …” Was the very tearful reply. Aiseh… I want to sleep !! Waaa !!!!

“Ti… I will read the story tomorrow, okay ? Please ?”

“I don’t want then … I want now !!” Waa… pandai pulak guna then and now… He he… sempat tu….

“Ti…. Mummy wants to sleep….Tomorrow okay ?”

“Not tomorrow ! Now Mummy. I want to hear the story now !”

My blood finally finished boiling.

“Do you want the naughty chair ? Do you want me to put you on the naughty chair tonight ?”

That did the trick. She went quiet but was still sobbing.

“Elsa I will read the book while you bathe for school tomorrow, okay ?” Said I in a conciliatory tone.

“No… the book will get wet…” Came the muffled reply.

“Mummy, boleh tak awak hantar saya pergi sekolah esok ?”

“Sure…”

“I want you to read in the car…” and with that she succeeded in her quest to get my eyes opened.

And I tossed and turned and tossed some more for the remainder of the wee hours of that morning.

PS: I wonder how crazy she will get when we read ESIO TROT by the lovely Mr Dahl…

Taktik kotor Mummy... Ha ha

Babah was upset with Umar yesterday morning. He must be really, really troubled with it because he came home in a sour mood. He sulked the whole evening and refused dinner.

Umar went to bed brows furrowed because things were unresolved between him and his Babah.

I looked at my two men in despair.

“Dan… go and kiss him good night, Dan…”

“Tomorrow. Let him stew what he had done tonight.” Was the resigned reply.

“Dan… I don’t like people going to sleep angry or worried. It is not nice, Dan..”

“Biar lah dulu ..” Was the reply.

I tried a lot of tactics. He just smiled and kept asking me why I am so worried. I told my husband that I know my son very well and I am sure he can’t sleep. I told him I also know his sleep would be very much disturbed too.

No go.

Finally, aku guna taktik kotor.

“Dan… kat luar nampak macam hujan. Kalau ada kilat sabung-menyabung.. Umar mesti terjaga punya. You know how much the storm upsets him. Buatnya ada black out, I am sure he won’t dare to come here knowing your present mood. Karang teraba – raba dalam gelap… dengan kilat, dengan bunyi hujan, dengan bunyi angin…. Wooooo….. woooo….. wooooo….. Kesian anak kita, Dan. Lepas tu karang….”

Tak habis goreng, Babahnya dah bangun..”Yelah… yelah… Issh… awak ni…”. He he…. Jadi wooo…. Bukan aje budak – budak yang tak tahan, Bapaknya sekali sebak…

I followed him and sure enough although 30 minutes had passed since Umar retired, as soon as Dan switched on the light, I heard Umar’s voice, “Bah.. I am sorry, Bah.” He sat up straight, looking at his Babah intently.

Dan, well… he continued his lecture from the morning. When he motioned for Umar to hug him, Umar was already crying a river. I noticed that Dan’s eyes were wet, too…

Hisshh… cerekarama sungguh depa ni.

Muka

Elsa was quite poorly yesterday. We were up in the middle of the night to nurse her and by dawn it was decided that I will stay home to take care of her. But then I do have some work that I need to do and therefore decided that I will go to the office to fetch my laptop, get more instructions from my boss and just basically tie – up loose ends. I have to take her with me.

Just before we reach the stairs, my daughter gave a little laugh, “He he… muka…” she said. I looked at her enquiringly. “Look behind, Mummy… Look behind…” she said gleefully and when I turned I saw this,

A face on the wall. I recognized the artwork. The style of drawing, the way the artist stroke her pencils gave way her identity.

“Did you do this ?” I asked sternly.

All traces of laughter quickly vanished. She turned to look away. I stood my ground. She remained silent for a while before saying, rather aloofly I might say, “Tak de apa – apa lah” and proceeded to go down the stairs.

Eeiii…. !!

Last night I showed Dan the offending illustration. “Macam boleh kenal je gambar ni. Siapa lagi yang boleh lukis muka macam ni ?” Elsa was summoned to appear with her eraser. The confused look on her face was priceless. Even more invaluable was her expression when she saw where her father was waiting for her.

“Did you do this ?”

She shook her head.

“Elsa…. I hate lying. Nak masuk neraka ke ?”

Again she shook her head.

“Who did this then ?”

“Me….” she said timidly.

“Okay… rub it…” Dan said. She looked horrified.

“I cannot.” When asked why, she just shrugged her shoulders. Dan took the eraser from her and tried his best to rub off the face from the wall. Now there is a faint trace of it left.

Alahai….

Little Miss Busy

The whole of Sunday I was without my daughter. She slept with her cousin and therefore when we woke up at 6 to play tennis at 7, we didn’t wake her up because we didn’t want to wake Aida up too.

When we got back, she was quite upset. She even refused to go to Pasar Tani with us, declaring “ Titi tak nak pegi mana – mana !”. She only agreed to come with us when Dahlya, Jazmyn and Aida wanted to join us.

When we got home, she went straight to play with her cousins. When we got out for lunch, we went without her because she said she had eaten. It was one of the saddest lunch I had, without my naughty Titi. However when we got home she was not there as she was out with her grandparents. I heard her voice when she returned home and I waited for her to come to me. She didn’t. She was downstairs for a while and when she came up she went straight to her room to be with her cousins. I only saw a glimpse of her. How sad.

After awhile I noticed that I only heard Umar and Aida’s voices. Not hers. I asked Umar the whereabouts of her sister and he said she is in the room with him. She finally came to me for a hug but before she got away again I asked her if she could spare some precious minutes with me. I lifted her up, sat her on my lap and we nuzzled each other and marveled at each other’s faces. I laid her small frame on my lap ( she could still fit my crossed legs ) and asked her to stay with me for awhile. I rocked her and sang to her and when I looked at her again, she was fast asleep. My baby.

I went down to play badminton with Umar. After about an hour, she appeared at the door, all upset. “Mum.. I am upset…” she announced. I gathered her in my arms and she was soothed. I watched her on her tricycle with her brother until it was time for Maghrib. I bathed my kids, watched them take their ablutions ( we are not allowed to say air sembahyang anymore. According to Titi, at school it is called ablutions…fine…) and we prayed.

Abah’s turn to cook dinner and he made excellent dollar pancakes with fruits and ice-cream. While Abah prepared dinner I sat with my son helping him to do extra Bahasa Malaysia exercises as his exams are around the corner. Elsa sat with us, quietly studying her new picture dictionary ( dictionary ni dahsyat oii…. It is in English, BM, jawi and Arabic… you would never guess what semi-detached house is in Arabic ). I looked at her from time to time but she was absorbed in her book.

Umar asked during dinner if Wire in The Blood is on. When I said no he asked if Without a Trace is on and when the answer is still in the negative he was in despair. I told him CSI is on tonight and he was happy.

All of us snuggled in bed to watch the telly but Umar as usual nodded of by 9.30. When Abah and Mummy struggled to get Umar to his own bed ( his sheer size made it difficult ) Elsa announced that she wants to watch the telly instead of reading that night ( every night when we bid them good night Elsa would always ask for the light to be on. “I want to read” is what she always says. She would usually fall asleep with her book on her face or on her belly. So lovely ).

“I love you, Mummy…” she said happily, her head on my shoulder as we watched telly together. When I woke up this morning, my shoulder was sore because she was still there. My baby….. don’t ever be too busy for your mother.

This is the story of Naughty Elsa ( Like Naughty Amelia Jane )

I had a date with my darling husband yesterday and therefore we went to work in one car. Dan’s rule when sending his children to school is send them to the furthest that you can. If possible, put them on their teacher’s lap… ha ha.

Anyway yesterday I got out of the car, one hand holding Umar’s chubby ones and the other hand holding Elsa’s small one. We talked and chatted as always and we bid farewell at the assembly point. I kissed him and usually it was Elsa’s turn to hug him and for him to ruffle her hair ( tudung actually as we send Elsa to school next ). Umar did the customary ruffle but Elsa remained quiet. At Umar’s retreating back I said, “ Say bye – bye to Umar, Ti..”. She continued to be still. However when Umar was already at quite a distance, she hollered, “Bye-bye stupid !!”

I went “Oii….!” And my girl went “Ha ha… now semua owang tau Um-um stupid….”. Ya Allah ! Help me… !!

When we returned home last night after a lovely dinner, the kids were still with their ustaz ( or mustazad… Elsa named her giraffe Mustazad. It used to be Emot 2 sebab Umar’s giraffe is called Emot ). When they were done they of course ran to our room. Umar who has an excellent body timer went off to La-La Land soon after.

I was out of the room at that time, ironing Dan’s shirt when Dan went to the kids’ room babbling and nagging while Elsa trailed behind. He suddenly went out of the room and said, “Awak tengok anak awak ni…. !”.

Elsa was smiling sheepishly next to him. “Apa hal pulak…” Was my resigned response. “I tegur dia sebab kacau abang dia tidur. Dok korek telinga orang tu lah apa lah. I cakap ‘Nak jadi apa kau ni Elsa !’ and you know what she said ?”

“What ?”

“Samseng..!” Said he.

I looked at her. She gave me a big grin. “Titi nak jadi apa, Ti?”

“Samseng…. Wa ha ha ha ha !!”

Ya Allah ! Help me … !

Hal Umar

Hal 1

"Mummy when I was about to fall down you catch me because you don’t want me to all down ?" Asked Umar one day after I caught him from stumbling down.

"Eermmm.... Yeah."

"You don’t want me to get hurt ?"

"Ermm.. sure."

"Keeping me safe is very important to you ? Because you love me ?" Was the next merepek question.

Alahai dia ni… tension lah….. I do not know what is in his head as this is one deeply dreamy fella who loves to romanticize everything and anything.

Like the other day when Elsa had wanted to sit with me in the front passenger seat. I refused to allow her to and kept giving excuses. Elsa got whinier with every justification I made. Then Umar said, “ Mummy, Titi wants to sit with you because she loves you so much Mummy. She just really, really loves you… ! “ What can you do after that but relented ?

Rimas le bini ko karang nak oiii…

“ Yang… kenapa you tak masak kat I hari ni ? You don’t love me today ke ? “

Waa…. I can just imagine that….

Hal 2

"Mummy is Shah Alam is the specialist place on earth ?"

"Specialest ?"

"Yes, is Shah Alam the specialest place on earth ?"

"First of all there is no specialest but most special and why makes you think Shah Alam is the most special place one earth ?"

"Because ada Shah Alam 1 and Shah Alam 2. Orang nak ada Shah Alam banyak2." Was the very logical reply. But...

"Ummpphh… kalau macam tu Seremban lagi special sebab ada 3."

Aiseh, silap. Seremban ada 2.. Nilai yang ada 3… he he… silap, silap.

Hal Elsa Lagi

Hal 1

Umar and Elsa was fighting for reasons that I was not privy to. *Mumble* *Mumble* *Mumble* *Upset* *Upset* *Upset* *Whine* *Whine* *Whine*.

Then I heard, “Um tak nak adik ke, Um ?”

“What do you mean by that ?” asked Umar.

“Nanti I go missing like Sharlinie kang..” She threatened.

Umar went quiet for awhile. Then he said,

“Ti, you are not missing. You are right here… If you said that which means you are lying and that is soooo… berdosa…” said the brother.

“Okay… okay. Ha ha ha ha….” Was the reply… Ntah apa-apa ntah… Tapi lepas tu si abang memang dah stopped antogonising adik dia. Menjadik strategy.

Hal 2

My very sensitive tummy was acting up again because I consumed some milk ( really, this is a catch 22 situation for me… Don’t drink milk I risk osteoporosis… Drink milk my IBS goes full blast ).

Anyway, lots of trapped wind therefore my stomach was grumbling and sorry to say, I released the wind via my bottom. I was in the kids’ room sharpening their pencils so I was at the very corner of their room. My kids were on the bed reading their books. When I turned around, Elsa was looking thoughtfully at me. One finger was tapping her lips.

“Mum… I think you sakit perut….” Said she. Then she added, “Or… you are still hungry….”. WA HA HA HA HA !!! She must have heard the on-goings of my tummy for her to make a remark like that.

Kelakarlah Titi ni.

Elsa and her mummy

Mummy…who is this ? Asked Elsa one day. We were in seksyen 2, waiting for Dan to get something ( dah lama gila tak pegi sek2… bring back so many crazy memories of our school days ) and she was reading a dog-eared copy of a Transformers book.

I looked at the picture and saw an Autobot with some blue colouring and said, “Optimus Prime,”. She frowned. She peered closely at the picture and her brows furrowed deeper.

“Mummy, Optimus Prime takde mulut lah Mummy. Ini ada mulut. This is not Optimus Prime… See ? See ? See ?”

“Really ah ?” Was my lazy reply.

“Um… look Um. This is not Optimus kan ? This is somebody else. Mummy said Optimus, Um.

Ya Rabbi. I never felt so stupid…

One day we were settling down in the theater to watch Alvin and The Chipmunks when I noticed there was a huge gap between my husband and I. Pre-kids, we would be snuggling down happily watching the screens but now we were separated by two seat, each filled with a mini me and a mini him.

I exchanged looks with Dan who was had Elsa leaning against his arms and I decided to do some mischief.

“Ti, what are you doing sitting with my boyfriend ?” She looked at me and smiled.

“I want to sit with my boyfriend, Ti..!” Said I again, stomping my feet. Elsa gave me this look that I cannot describe but I will remember forever. Sort of like ‘Alahhh…..’ plus a bit of ‘O-oh..’ and a smidgeon of ‘Dia dah start dahh….’.

Her response was startling. I was expecting “No! This is my boyfriend.” or “You sit where you are, Mummy..” or something in that manner. I was rearing for a fight. But instead I got “Can I sit with your boyfriend for awhile, Mum ?”.

Reverse psychology ke sebab I shut my trap immediately afterwards.

But yesterday was quite hurtful. I don’t know why but I was rather hurt. We both started off the day happy, had sushi (again) happy (Dan warned the kids if sushi is ever mentioned next week, he is going to burn down the shop… he he…. ) but when we got in the car, we were upset with each other.. I have forgotten why.

She said something that I have totally forgotten about and I said something and then she said, “I was not talking to you, Mummy. I was talking to Babah…”. Dan and Umar howled with laughter. Me ? I must had a disbelief look on my face because Dan stopped laughing and ordered her to apologise. She did but there was no sincerity. I went quiet

We were already at Batu Tiga I think when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked behind and she was withdrawing her hand and was about to slinker back behind Dan, right at the car door. I called her. “Why did you do that ?”

“Nothing..” Was the reply.

“Are you trying to be friends with me again ?” I asked.

Dan asked me what was going on and I replied “I think dia nak pujuk I.”

“Elsa….” Said me again. “Are you trying to say sorry ?”

“Yes…” She said, hiding her face behind Dan’s seat, but I can see her smiling shyly.

I motioned for to sit on my lap and she gratefully obliged. She hugged me and buried her face on my chest. “I love you, Mummy…”

He he… sayang pun kat Mummy dia…..

Elsa being bold

Elsa sejak dua menjak ni memang perangai semacam. Actually after her first day of school, she came home with a sassy mouth.

One day Dan got the brunt of her mouth. “Bah, when can I eat the yoghurt Bah ? Nanti ke ?”

“Esok lah Ti…” said Dan, while putting the yoghurt in the fridge.

“Nantilah ?” She persisted.

“Esok lah Ti… We just ate, Ti.” Said Dan again, fully thinking that nanti means that very day, from 5 minutes to 3 hours later in the day.

“Esok tu maksudnya nantilah. It’s the same Bah… !” Said she, looking at her father like he was the stupidest thing on earth. Dan stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

“Samalah nanti and esok,” she murmured under her breath.

Amboi….

My turn was last Saturday. Cik Ta gave my children a pack of Uno. We had a good time playing it but when Elsa did a hat trick in losing, she cried. Then she declared she is in team Babah. O-kay.

We played again and after a losing streak, Umar too cried. I collected the cards without saying a word and put it aside.

Sunday morning as we were preparing for tennis, Umar asked if we could play Uno again.

“No !” Said Mummy. Both son and daughter gave me a stricken look. Mummy’s No was quite hard. Sorry…

“Why am I saying No ? Because people cry when they play Uno. And what is the thing that Mummy hates the most ?”

“Crying..” said my kids timidly.

“That’s right,” said I, triumphantly.

“Oh… bukan sebab mummy kalah dengan Titi and Babah ?” I heard one little baby voice said. I looked at her. She was smiling like a cat. Umar was beaming looking expectantly at me.

What did I do ? I shooed them off for their socks and racquet.

Eeeii…. Geramnya aku.

PS: When I recounted this story to Anu and Shazmi, they were delighted. Ha ! tunggulah turn korang dapat a saucy 5 year old !!

Takde apa-apalah Um !

I was doing my weekend Sudoku, waiting for Maghrib. My kids smelt nice after their bath and was on the floor playing Uno. Suddenly I heard Umar said in an exasperated tone, “Ti, you cannot do your baju like that !” Said he. The pj Elsa was wearing was rather big and sometimes the shoulder will droop down, exposing her shoulders. Abang Elsa pulled the pj shoulders up.

“Why ? Takde apa2 lah.” Said the sister and shrugged the shoulders down again.

“Ish, Ti !!” Said the abang again and righted the baju for a second time.

“Why ?” Asked the sister yet again and once more shrugged down the shoulders. She was annoyed because to her Umar was just being obnoxious and just wanted to rile him up.

He looked upset. He ran his hand through his hair and looked perplexed. Elsa’s shoulder was bare.

“I don’t know lah Ti. I don’t remember. I just know you can’t do it, okay. So don’t !!”

“Takde apa-apa lah Um !” Said the sister, this time a bit hard.

“Elsa, dengar cakap abang. Dia kata jangan, jangan …” said me in a warning tone.

Elsa meekly obeyed.

Since Dan wanted sate for dinner, off we went in our pjs (budak2 le. Mak bapak looked obscene in our pjs.), fully intending to tapau the food. But when we got there the shop was closed. We ho-hummed and drove around, not knowing what to eat as we were really set on sate. When asked the kids of course asked for McDonald’s. Pegilah jugak ( aku memang tension bab bab makan McD nih. Tak sedap oiii…).

We decided to eat there and of course Elsa went out with her too big at the shoulders pj. Umar had a hard time trying to contain his sister’s shoulder under wrap. I finally asked him why he is so worried about Elsa’s bare shoulders.

He sighed. Then he laughed. “ Mumm…,” he started clearly embarrassed. “Elsa is a little girl kan ? All the little boys ( at this point he looked accusingly around the restaurant ) are looking at Titi sexy like that. Cannot ! Tuhan marah…”

He he…. Good boy. Esok-esok Mummy simpan baju tu until Titi dah muat pakai, okay ?

Mummy... Babah tak bagi pegi kelas

“Mummy…*sob* sob* Abah tak bagi Titi pegi Mandarin.”

“Bukanlah. Titi kan tidur. You were asleep so U-um pegi soranglah.”

“I want U-um. Titi tak dapat sama U-um.”

“Tak pelah. Why don’t you just stay at home with Babah ?”

“I want to go to Mandarin. I dah siap homework !! Waaaaaa !!”

Aiseh. Dan called me earlier to tell me Elsa was asleep and therefore Umar went to Mandarin class alone. I warned him that Elsa loves going to classes therefore I think the best recourse is to wake her up. Babahnya said “ No lah. Let her rest. Biarlah. Macam mana nak gerak pun ? Nanti groggy. ” Okay, your call. Whatever it is I was at the office so I won’t be handling it.

Tapi zaman technology canggih ni, aku masih kena handle. Bila telefon berbunyi je aku dengaq anak aku sebak – sebak bercakap and the above-mentioned conversation ensued. Hai… budak ni memang dok seronok pi sekolah after had been denied for 1 year. School is still a novelty and therefore ponteng is not an option. Cikgu dia pun tak boleh ponteng. Berapa kali teacher Dahlia called to arrange a substitute piano lesson dia meraung bila abang dia sorang masuk studio.

The next day she got upset with her Cik Ta for leaving her behind. “Why Cik Ta tak hantar Titi Mandarin ? Why you leave me at home ?”

“Tak… Titi tidur. Babah kata you don’t have to go… !”

“Cik Ta next time you don’t leave me okay ? You take me to my class okay ?”

“Yelah…yelah…”

And semalam jugak she was panicky throughout the day. “Is it time for class yet ?”

“What class ?”

“Mandarin lah…”

“No… today is mengaji. So malam. Mandarin is tomorrow okay ?”

She cocked her head to the side and asked, “ Are you sure Mummy ?”

“Yelah…. Tomorrow is Mandarin..”

“I have to go to class okay ? Don’t leave me okay ?”

“Yelah.. I told Cik Ta already. Kalau ko tidur pun, angkut aje…”

Petang sikit dia tanya lagi…. Waargghhhh !! Tension !!

Malam tu ustaz datang. She was waiting for ustaz in the study room when I called her for her medication. Her face was worried.

“Nanti ustaz datang !!”

“Belum lagi. Makan ubat dulu …”

She looked panicky. “Mum… I don’t want to be late. I don’t want to miss my class..”

“Ishh.. yelah. Sekejap je….”

When all is done, she ran to the room, relieved that her ustaz hadn’t arrive before her.

Missing girl

Another one gone. What is happening to our society ? Where is Sharlinie ? I am dreading the moment when her body is found, very much broken like arwah Nurin. I hope it won’t come to that. I hope maybe today she will found wandering somewhere, trying to find her way home. Please…

I was reading the papers on Saturday and I showed her picture to my children. I explained her situation carefully, making sure my children understand the grave situation this little girl is in.

Elsa kept looking at her picture. She stared and stared and stared. And then the questions and pleadings came barreling in.

“Mummy, can we go and find her ?”

“Mummy, where is she ? Where is she lost ?”

“Why is she lost ?”

“Mummy, dia naughty ke ? Kapa orang jahat ambik dia ?”

“Mummy, what happened to her now ? What about now ?” This question she asked more frequently than the rest.

She took the page with Linie’s picture in it everywhere. She will occasionally show it to other people with an announcement that the little girl is lost with a few bits of infos that she had.

For the umpteenth time when she thrust the paper in front of my eyes, Um has had enough. He really doesn’t like repetition that one.

“Ti can you stop that ? Stop saying that !!”

“Janganlah marah, Um..” Was the reply.

“Yalah… stop saying that. It’s annoying.”

“Um… she is just concerned, okay ? Let her be.” Said I.

This morning I showed her the picture of Nurin from yesterday’s paper. I explained that this was the first girl who went missing. Umar and Elsa asked a lot of questions again. The hows and the whys and the whens and then came the inevitable question, what happened to her ??

“She died, darling. Orang jahat tu killed her.” They went quiet. The stared and stared at her picture for the longest time.

Please, return Linie to her family safe and sound. Please.

The kerfuffle at the breakfast table this morning.

“Mummy I want toast today.” The little girl announced. The brother had started spooning cereal in his mouth.

“Toast takdelah Titi. Dah habis.” Said I.

A pout formed and hands in a neat fold.

“I want toast. I don’t like Foolupus ( Fruit Loops ).”

Pulak.

“Come here Ti. Let me show you. There is no more toast. Dah habis.” And I took her to see for herself the spot where we usually put or bread.

She gasped.

“Mummy, what happened the family of fenchetables here ?” She was horrified. Her finger was pointing at the bread spot.

“Family of what ?” Asked Mummy, all confused.

“Fenchetables.”

“What is that ?”

“Vegetables wa ha ha ha ha…” said the brother.

Eh ? Sayur apa pulak ?

“What vegetables Ti ?”

“All the bread.. There’s so many there yesterday. Now all is lost !!”

“Ermm… Okay you mean the vegetables are all the toasts ?” I just have to ask.

“Yes, there is a family of vegetables there yesterday !! Bah ! Look !! All the vegetables are gone !! Somebody stole them !! All are missing !”

Aiseh… habis kena makanlah. Apasal lak kena curi. Sejak bila roti masuk dalam sayur-sayuran ? Sebab made of wheat ke ? Lepas tu family of vegetables ? Because there were different kind of breads there ??

Kelakar lah Titi ni ... Merepek sungguh.

Stories that I have to remember

I have been storing away memories of what my children did in my head. Can’t do that. My brain failed me a few times before and I just have to write it down. Just so that I could relieve the moments again when prompted ( when I read my blog lah ) and for my children to remember their childhood correctly ( I do not want 2 – 3 bad incidents to colour their whole recollections of being with us. Funny kan ? We always, always remember the bad stuffs…. )

We took Titi to buys shoes. She needed them badly as all she had at that time was an Adidas Marjy Jane, an LA Gear Mary Jane and a pair of slippers. She wanted a pair with flowers and sequins and what nots ( remember her sparkly, sequined and beribboned purple ones ? )

I saw one that I know she would like and showed it to her but the store didn’t have it in her size. She saw a pair of ballerina ones in soft pink which she really liked but again her feet was too small ( Cinderella lah baby Mummy ni ). We chose quite a few but none came in her size. One almost fit her but it was rather bulky and totally engulfed her tiny feet. She was rather keen on that pair actually but Babah didn’t like it so we had to leave empty handed. I didn’t think about it at all, I mean how she feels about not having new shoes until I saw her talking to a friend of mine.

“See ? I have medium feet here ( showed her right foot ). This one is also medium ( showed her left foot ). But Babah cakap – cakap saja. Not nice… big size… beli saja lah kan ?” Waa ha ha ha… pandainya complain. She never said anything to us !

Usually when I bathe my children, I would instruct one to send the dirty clothes to the laundry basket and one to hang the towels to dry. One day, since Umar stripped off last he visited the laundry basket and it is only fair for Elsa to hang the towels after bath. I asked her to do after they were powdered, clothed and had their hair brushed. She sighed, stomped her feet and muttered under her breath, “Why must I do it ?” Cess…. Kurang asam punya budak. Yesterday, when I gave her the sane instruction, she moaned while face buried in the mattress, “ Why must it be me ? ” He he…. Just because darling, just because…

I told Dan ustaz mentioned how clever Elsa is while she was within hearing distance. In fact she was right in front of us. Again when Farhan, a friend of ours who happens to be the contractor for our renovation work commented how clever he finds my little girl is because of her very inquisitive mind, he did so in front of her too, while we were having a drink at Cili Merah.

One day Umar was berating her on her stupidity an dshe just listened with eyebrows furrowed. I was about to tell my son to shut his trap when Elsa herself interjected, “ Umar, remember ustaz said I am a good girl ? Uncle kat kedai mamak tu pun cakap I am a good girl, okay ? I am not stupid. ” He he… comelnya dia…