Umar and Titi

Last week, Umar was coughing and was feeling under the weather. When Dan’s mom went to him to prepare for ugama school, Titi was sitting next to her brother who was lying down in bed. When she saw her Wan, she said “ Umar demam Wan,” . Dan’s mom checked his temperature and eventhough he was not hot agreed that he looked unwell.

“ Yelah, tak payah sekolah lah, “ said she.

A few moments after that someone rang the bell and Elsa quickly got up. She ran to the stairs and yelled “ Bibik !! Umar deman. Umar tak pi school !! Okay ? “ thinking it was Umar's ride to sekolah ugama and ran back to her brother. Dan’s mom said she sat with her brother the whole day and were very good to each other. He he…

I have noticed that Titi is quite concern about her brother. Once Umar bumped his hand on the car and said “ Ouch ! “ Titi on hearing that went to her brother and asked “ Umar sakit ke ? Where Umar ? “ And when Umar showed it to her, she looked at it, nodded her head and said, “ Okay, “. I have seen it happened a few times. Only I just wonder, what was she looking for actually ? I mean was she expecting blood ? If there were any, what would she do ?

Dan’s mom said that she couldn’t scold any of them. If she ever dares to, the other one won’t speak to her too. She said, both of them would give her the evil look whole day.

Well, brother/sisterhood is what happened, I suppose.

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Umar and Titi loves to sing. One of our favourite past times is cranking up the radio and have a good sing-along. Titi is a creature of habit and loves to sing to the same selection of songs everytime. Torn, being my favourite song would be the first order of the day and the second and the third before she even concede belching to other songs.

One day, they were in the car with their uncle Kamal and his kids when the radio played Torn. Abang Kamal was amazed that Umar and Elsa knew the song and sang happily. Abang Kamal said, " I tanya dia orang how come you guys know this song and Umar said this is my mummy's favourite song, "

I sadly replied, " Not anymore Abang Kamal. They killed the song for me. Dengar suara Natalie Imbruglia nanyi lagu lain pun I nak termuntah, ".

So now, I am trying to introduce new songs to them. I succeeded making them like Beyonce's Irreplaceable and 1 day as we were " To the left, to the left, everything you owned in the box to the left.... " when we get to the chorus, Umar for some reason raised his voice an octave higher and for the first time ever, I heard him sing instead of " You must not know bout me... You must not know bout me...." he sang " You must not bother me.... You must not bother me..... " Ha ha ha.....

Now whenever he whines, I will sing the song he so eleoquently sang " You must not bother me..... "

Buli Lagi

Who is this Azwan ? Yesterday Umar told us, his horrified parents, that Azwan pulled his hair. Umar was, for some reason, on all fours on the floor, when Azwan crept behind him and pulled his hair.

“What did you do ?” Enquired his Babah.

“I called him crazy,” he replied, paused for dramatic effect and continued, “and he didn’t even care !! He didn’t care that I called him crazy.”

“Your teacher tak nampak ke ?”

“Nope,”

“You didn’t tell her ??”

“Nope,”

What to do ? Should we ignore it and take it as childish pranks and behaviour ? Could the matter get worse ? His teacher is quite unresponsive, from my point of view. I have spoken to her on a few occasions and she sort of like… well … unresponsive. Like she doesn’t want to hear from parents.

Dan said he is going to see her tomorrow. I so want to see this Azwan. Nampaknya, there will be one parent tercangak-cangak mengintai esok. Hmmm………..

Cerita Elsa

Yesterday Umar went fishing with his Atuk so Babah and Mummy took Elsa to The Times book sale in PJ. Sampai - sampai memang Mummy hilang dari pandangan pi cari buku so Babah had to take Elsa. She chose a book and then she saw rows and rows of CDs. Babah memang malas nak beli CD but just to humour her, allowed her to look at them.

She of course made a selection. Babah kata, Elsa you can only have 1 item. You have to choose between your book or your CD. Elsa looked at him and said " It's okay Babah. I can have 2, ". No, Babah said, you can only have 1. So choose." She looked at her father, and said very firmly, " It's okay. Titi can take 2," and quickly left. He he.....

We went to fill up on petrol last night. Since we have only 1 Mesra Card and so many cars to be won, we had to fill petrol together... Anyway, Titi followed her mammy. Babah went to pay, fill petrol in his car and while it is doing that, ran to mammy's car and filled hers. It was raining heavily and when everything is done, we started our slow journey back home. Halfway, mammy realised that the car is quiet and she couldn't see her precious baby. " Titi !! " No answer. Mammy dah panic gila sebab hujan lebat gila and takut nak toleh belakang. " Titi !! " Suddenly she heard a forceful " What Mum ? What did you do that for ? Titi here lah !! " Eh eh, marah pulak si kecik ni. Orang dok risau kat dia.

Abang is really lembut Titi. Obedient. Now since dia dah tinggi, malam-malam it is his duty to switch off the lights and lock the bedroom door. He did this without any complains. He knows and understands his ailments ( tendency to batuk which could lead to lelah - dah lama dah tak lelah tapi takut so we always take precautionary steps ) and pandai berpantang. Dia boleh kemas bilik and knows that mummy and babah tak suka bilik bersepah. Tapi Titi yang perempuan susah suruh kutip toys. Semuanya tak boleh, I don't know and I cannot. Abang jugak yang selalu susun kasut dia whenever we returned home ( to Titi's credit sometimes dia nak jugak susun. Dulu, well she was sweet... She will susun her kasut dalam kasut babah or mummy dia. Bila nak pegi keje selalu kena keluarkan kasut Titi from our shoes. Tapi sekarang apa kena entah ).

Maybe I have forgotten and blinded by what I don't know, tapi rasa - rasanya Umar tak bagi problem macam ni. I have always remembered him being obedient. Of course adalah benda yang dia buat that is naughty but most of the time rasanya baik aje.... Ye ke ? Kesian kat abang sebab selalu kena mengalah.

Yang kelakarnya, these 3 dragons kalah dengan kambing kecik nih.... Macam mana ? Hmm.....

Buli

Umar : Mum just now kan kat sekolah pagi somebody was rude to me.

Mum : Rude macam mana ?

Umar : I saw ada air tumpah so I told teacher about it. Azwan rudely told me ' Teacher dah tahulah ! '

Mum : What did you do then ?

Umar : I just went back to my place. I just told the teacher that is all.

Mum : What is his name ?

Umar : Azwan. Dia kecik je Mum but a very rude boy. Masa nak balik kan ustazah suruh beratur kan and then he queue behind me and then he pushed me and I fell down.

Mum : What ? What did you then ?

Umar : Umar just bangun and jalan terus.

Mum : Did you tell the teacher about it ?

Umar : (hesitated) Yes I did.

Mum : What did the teacher say ?

Umar : Nothing.

Mum : You want me to talk to your teacher for you ?

Umar : (looked embarrassed) No mum. I can handle it. Should have I said something to him ?

Mum : Well you could have told him there is no need for him to speak in that tone. But you should never push him back. All you can do is tell your teacher about it quickly.

When I told Dan about it, Dan was very upset and grilled Umar again. Dan advised not to go near that boy if not necessary.

I am worried because Umar usually will cry if he feels he is wronged. That is all. He doesn't hit ( except his sister ) and doesn't get angry, just withdrew and cry. Can he take care of himself ? I asked him if this Azwan fellow is rude to his other mates and he said no. Just to him.

With the rampant bullying cases reported lately, I do not feel good. I know they are 7, but there is no minimum age is there to be a bully ? You can become one as young as 1 if you so wish to. What can I do ? Put him in a self-defense class ? Nanti dia yang jadi bully nya, bukan di buli. And sometimes when you thought you could defend yourself, that is most dangereous as you underestimate your foe.

I hope I am over-reacting as I usually do. Hmmm...........

Mengintai Umar

Today I decided to resume my activity of observing my baby in his classroom. The windows were unfortunately closed but as expected, one window pane was missing. However the gaping hole ws at the lowest rung, so I had to crouch to look at my son.

As I straightened myself up, one by one the windows flew and I caught Umar's teacher smiling at me. Busted !! Oh... malunya....

Thank you Puan Zalidah. You made spying more comfortable for me.

Anyway, she drew a big face on the board and asked her students to go in front and lead the class to spell and pronunce the different parts of the face. She asked for volunteers and my son was one of the eager hand wavers. Bangganya emak yang dok tercangak kat luar ni.

She chose my son (maybe because I was outside) and Umar went to the front. Cutenya dia.... He spelt and he made the sound and the class followed. Then he had to hand the very big ruler ( I remember those very well. It was brandished in front of me many times ) to the next volunteer and saw me. He was unsure and he had to move left and right to make sure it was really his mammy while mammy tried to hide behind the very thin galah panjang pole. He returned to his seat still trying to get a clearer view of me. When he sat down he was sure as who else has a shocking pink baju kurung ( he he .. kotnya lah... nak menyedapkan cerita ).

He smiled the sweetest smile (in my book at least) and mouthed " I am okay... " Somehow, I was embarrassed. Malu lagi. I waved and he nodded, still smiling and looking happy.

My baby. My baby.

Yesterday, I came home to Dan's misty eyes, leafing through his album. From his birth on a cold winter morning, to his first tooth, his first this and first that.... Dulu I used to be angry at my dad for his reluctance to let us go, to allow us to grow up. His favourite sentence to us was " (Insert any of our names) toksah besar lah. Jadi baby sampai bila - bila okay ? " or " Tak payah lah pi/ambik lesen kereta/masuk asrama/do this/do that ( delete where apppropriate ) sebab (insert name again) kan baby ayah. Nanti ayah ngeh ( nangis ).... "

But now....Hmmm....

Mum.. Umar dah Darjah Satu lah...

My in-law's neighbour has 2 pet rabbits. 1 white and 1 brown. They are pleasant surprises when we get home because they always managed to escape and when we get home, they would always be around the vicinity.. sort of like a welcome home committee. Dan and I adore them.

Anyway lately, both of us noticed that the white one is without a partner. We haven't seen the brown one for days. 2 nights ago, I made a remark on it to my family.

Umar : Oh the brown one is dead Mum. He was not careful when crossing the road and got hit by car. He was in an accident Mummy.

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Mummy : Really ? How do you know ? You saw it ?

Umar : No... I just know.

Mummy : How would you know if you didn't see it. Somebody told you ?

Umar : Mum... Umar dah darjah satu lah... I just know...

Mummy : What, being in darjah satu can make you see things without happening in front of you ? You can see the future ?

Umar : No lah Mum... Darjah satu is for big kids. Big kids are clever lah Mum.... Tak tahu ke ?

-

Hmm..... malas nak layan....

**

My kids and I, we have this game we call What Is.. where we describe animals or cars or whatever took our fancy and the rest of the players to guess what it is.

Umar : What animal have tail and sharp teeth ?

Mummy : You have to give me more than that Umar. There are plenty of animals that fit that description. Cats, dogs, tiger...

Umar : Okay. It is green....

Mummy : Crocodiles ?

Umar : No... it has a long neck and stomps...

Mummy : Eii... ? Giraffes have long necks and I am sure they stomp but green ?

Umar : Mummy tak tahu ke ? Dinosaur lah... !!

Abah : Wah ha ha.... You are stupid Ala....

Mummy : ( Oh... sakitnya hati ku ) Umar what animal has a big nose, has black spots on his face ? Oh... and it is always grumly ( grumpy ).

Umar : I know... Abah ( Ha ha ha ) !!! But mum Abah is not an animal...

Mummy : Umar, human are also categorised as animals, it is just that we have more developed brains..

Umar : ( Looked at me with a disbelief face ) Really ? Okay... Emm.. what REAL animal has.... blah blah blah...

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He didn't believe me. He had to use the word REAL in his next description...

**

Last weekend, we spent a night in KL. We put up at the Crown Plaza and walked to KLCC to catch a movie an basically just chilling out. On the way back to the hotel from KLCC, Dan needed to go to his office but it started to drizzle. So I took Umar back to the hotel and Dan took Elsa to his office.

When we get to the room, Umar went straight to the window and looked out at Jalan Sultan Ismail.

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Umar : Mum, will they be safe ?

Mummy : Of course they will. It is very near Umar.

After 5 minutes, he sat on a chair facing the window.

Umar : They are late Mum.

Mummy : Sabar lah sekejap lagi sampai.

Umar : Why don't we go look for them Mum ?

Mummy : No... we are staying right here. Why Umar ? Are you worried ?

Umar : Yes.....

Mummy : Umar sayang Abah and Titi ke ?

Umar : ( Mata dah berair ) Yes Mum..... Eventhough Abah can really be grumly sometimes....

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He he he.......

Is Dan grumly ? Well... I won't say that he is grumly but I suppose with all my antics, Dan would look grumly next to me. He is more stern true, however with a Mother like me... well, Dan has to.

How can I describe my parenting ? Okay, take this as an example, Elsa loves make-up. I have caught her many times preening at the mirror with slashes of blue and silver and what nots on her face.

One day, Dan's mom caught her with red lipstick smeared on her face and clothes. She returned to me a totally ruined Chanel lipstick. I just looked at Elsa, sighed and sat down with her.

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Mummy : What have you done ?

Elsa : Nothing.

Mummy : You think that is pretty ?

Elsa : Ha.. cantik pun....

Mummy : My lisptick dah rosak... So now macamana Mummy nak pakai lipstick ? Tak cantik dah Mummy ...

Elsa : ( Sebek ) Sorry Mum...

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I took her upstairs, washed her face and changed her clothes. I didn't know that Dan's mom was watching us ( it is a huge house, dark with shadows lurking everywhere... hmm.... could be a start of a good horror story... ). Dan's elder sister spoke to me about it last week...

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Wawa : Mak kata Elsa hancurkan lipstick you ye ?

Me : Hmm... habis Wa.... Dah buang pun..

Wawa : Mak kata sabar betul you tak marah anak....

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Hmm.... That is why I suppose, Dan has to be grumly....

I do get angry but I just don't see the point of screaming. I do shout but it takes a lot for me to really raise my voice. Hmmm.......

Umar dah masuk Darjah Satu

I was on holiday the whole of last week because my little son, my darling baby, my.. oh dah besarnya anak ku Umar, masuk darjah satu.

My baby. My baby.

Tapi sapa yang nangis bila tengok dia berjalan masuk kelas ? Abahnya...

Sapa yang cannot let go and biar anak diam - diam dalam kelas ? Abahnya...

In fact, from my observation, most of the abahs yang berlari nak intercept anak kat kelas after assembly.

Me ? I like to intai and tengok my son in his own surroundings that I am not invited to, and just see him. Tengok dia buat apa, tengok perangai dia macam mana...

His seat mengadap cermin. So for 3 days, I mengendap and tengok dia. He is so cute, with his tie and his shirt tight in the middle to house his protruding belly. Gemuknya anak aku....

He is, I am rather proud to say, very polite. He listened to his friends before replying and nodded politely when they talked. He waited for his friends when they queued to buy food, not embarrased to hold his bekal. The only thing lacking is he danced while they sang 'NegaraKu". Ooh... I really have to check if he is still singing his "Dedaraku' version.

I quite enjoy sending him to school, waiting for him during his recess and picking him up from school that I asked my hubby if we could afford to live with just 1 income. "No......" he answered rather forcefully.

I told my sister about it and she laughed. It is something new she said so it's a novelty. If you have to do it for a long length of time, you will go bored. You will want to work and be an engineer.... Well probably, but can't I just give it a try ?

Umar mesti suka kalau ada Mummy dia tunggu selalu.... Lepas sekolah pagi prepare sekolah agama. Mummy mandikan pagi and tengahari, Mummy peluk pagi and tenaghari. Lepas tu boleh jalan - jalan.... Mummy boleh tolong buat homework. Sounds nice... right ?

Can I be a teacher you think ? Maybe I should offer to teach Maths and Science in English.. because I am not quite confident with the teacher's profiency in English there....

Dare I take the step ? Will I be bored to tears being a teacher ?

He he.... I have an interesting report to submit.... Maybe not....

Am I being selfish ? So many questions...

However would my kids really like me hovering all the time ?

Take Titi for instance. She woke up this morning and demanded for her new Pokemon colouring book. I helped her to colour. I want to teach her to colour nicely and get the details right. Pikachu has never been blue. I tried to steer her to the right method when she looked at me and said, " Mummy pegi work already okay ? Bye Mum... " Okay, I know when I am not wanted !!

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...

.

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

.

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 ?

.

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 !!

.

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....

.

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...

-

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

-

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....

-

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 !!!!

-

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

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......

-

Eeeiiii..... susahnya nak paham !!

-

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

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 ).

-

Mummy : I love you to Princess Process...

-

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

-

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

-

Adik: Mummy !!

-

Mummy : Okay, Sweety Tweety ? Baby Puppy ?

-

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

-

Mummy : What rhymes with Princess ? Process ?

-

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

-

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

-

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.

-

Adik : Tiger, where are you ?

-

She looked around and then turned to me.

-

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 !!

-

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

-

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...

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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 !!

-

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

-

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

-

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....

-

Mummy : Banyaknya duit Abah Abang...

-

Abang : Mintaklah Atuk...

Banyak cantik ko punya mintak Atuk....

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

Mummy : It is called a baguette Abang.

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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...

-

Abang: Paris is so nice kan Mummy...

-

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.

-

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, "

-

Cess.

-

" 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 ? "

-

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

-

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.

-

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...

-

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

-

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 ?

-

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

-

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 ?

-

"Mummy pegi beli kucing okay ? "

-

Ha ha..... my babies.

Mummy pegi Kuching

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

-

Abang : What does that mean ?

-

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 )

-

Abang: Where are you going Mummy ?

-

Mummy : Kuching.

-

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

-

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

-

Abang : Where is it ?

-

Mummy : Malaysia jugak...

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

Mummy : Hello my little hunny bunny ...

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

Thursday night,

-

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

-

Mummy : I did ! You were asleep...

-

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

-

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

-

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

-

Mummy : Waaa.......

-

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..... ).

Adik does love Abang

We had always thought that Adik is made of much sterner stuffs. So stern that she doesn't mind if Abang kena tangkap polis... hehe...

We always like to threaten her that we will send Abang to live with somebody else when she instigated fights with him. She usually would say okay, liking the idea. Unlike Abang who would back off if we warn him that we we will send Adik to a different place if he doesn't stop.

Our relatives always say, Abang dia aje sayang dia. Dia tak sayang pun Abang.

Well, 3 days ago, we had dinner with my mom. It was still early but Abang fell asleep at the restaurant as soon as we ordered. He rested his head on his arms and tahu-tahu, dah lelap.

We just let him be sebab the kids always have their dinner around 6 and he only ordered drinks anyway. When it was time to go home, I said let's go to Adik. She looked at me and said, " Mummy Abang sleep, ".
-
I said it is okay. Just let him sleep there. She repeated that Abang is asleep and I was quite shocked as she would usually say okay, lets go. For once Adik had this anxious look on her face. She then went to her brother and shook him. " Abang, mummy nak balik. Wake up Abang, ". Abang didn't even flinch. She shook him again and peered beneath the folded arms.

I told her why don't we go and pay for the food first ? She followed me to the register and when we returned to the table she again remarked that " Abang titul Mummy, ". Again I said biarlah dia titul, kita tinggal dia kat sini.

She shook him again, her voice this time quite desperate. I shook Abang too and he opened his eyes a bit. " Abang hurry up," she said and Abang closed his again. It took both Tok Mi and I to pimpin Abang to the car. When we were in the car, Adik said Yey !!

He he....

Weekend with my kids

I had a good weekend, eventhough hubby had to work Sunday. Took the kids swimming Saturday and Sunday I took the kids to 1Utama to catch Happy Feet.

-

It was a fun movie. I seriously recommend it to everyone, even the singles. It was filled with music, lovely music, that my children couldn't keep all the grooves inside and had to stand up to dance. The first one to loose it was Adik. She suddenly sprang from her seat and got jiggy with it. Abang looked longingly at his sister but maintained his cool. Halfway, at the point where I felt I wanted to groove, Abang followed the music and danced. It was awesome. And sad too. The movie that is.

-

Anyway, we arrived for the movies early and surprisingly the ticket collector/koyak-er allowed us in. I foolishly panicked when I saw the theather empty. Yelah lagi half an hour. Everybody else is waiting downstairs.

-

Anyway, we took to studying the posters to fill our time. Then we came to the poster for Colic, a cerita hantu from Thailand. Earlier, below, near the refreshment stand, he he... this story is funny. Okay dekat refreshment stand tu they have a prop for this Colic movie. Memang masa tengah beratur beli tiket, we keep on hearing a baby cry. Then, when we wanted to queue up to buy popcorn, some people were gathered around something that seemed to be the source of the baby cries sound. We went to menyibuk and rupa - rupanya a prop for the movie. There was a baby basket and inside a very sickeningly dark baby with white eyes and the sound of baby's cries. Okay.

-

Then, as I was queueing up to buy popcorn, I noticed Abang went to see the prop again. I saw him peered inside the basket and then the baby started to wail. OMG ! My son jumped and ran to me. His face registered real terror and fear and his hug was tight. Several people laughed ( including his momma ) but one lady exclaimed, " Oh kesiannya dia... ".

-

Anyway, back to our poster scrutinisation as I mentioned earlier, we saw the poster for Colic. It featured a healthy coloured baby with normal coloured eyes but on his tummy was an imprint of an adult's hand. Then we saw a poster for an upcoming Malay movie. Abang read it out loud , " Zombie Kampung Pisang. Akan Datang. "He he...... he is going to start...

-

As we were lounging around in front of the theater, he asked me the meaning of Akan Datang. I said It's Coming. Then he asked when is it coming ? I said I dunno. Soon I suppose. Mum, he said again, is he coming to get me ? What ? I looked at him and the returned look from him was filled with horror.

No he is not Abang I replied, the truth dawning on me. I don't like zombies, he declared. They eat people. I don't want to die. Then he said again, I don't want to see ghosts because they will try to eat me. Right.

-

Before I can explain, he asked again, where is Kampung Pisang, mum ? Is it near ? Oh man..... I am glad we will be watching a feel good movie.

-

Anyway, on the way home, Adik was asleep at the back seat, and he was next to me when he suddenly assked to me;

Abang : Mummy, how did the setan masuk dalam perut baby tuh ?

-

Mummy : Cerita colic tuh ? Sebab tak baca Bismillah lah... That is why bila nak makan kena baca Bismillah. Kalau tak baca nanti setan will get inside your tummy with your food.

-

Abang : Bismillah is strong sebab dia come from Allah ?

-

Mummy : Yes. Allah will protect you if you read Bismillah. That is why I ask you to read Bismillah sebelum makan and sebelum tidur. So that Allah will give you extra protection.

-

Abang : Tapi baby tu tak tahu baca Bismillah Mummy, macam Adik. Adik punya Bismillah is funny...

-

Mummy : Kalau baby orang yang bagi dia makan and orang yang tidurkan dia kena tolong bacakan Bismillah. Like when you were a baby, Babah and I will read the Bismillah for you to protect you. So Adik pun Babah and Mummy read the Bismillah for her.

-

Abang : What about when you were a baby ? Who did that for you ?

-

Mummy : Tok Mi and Tok Yah lah.

-

Abang : Oh, because they are your father and mother ? That is before you ada Babah and me and Adik ?

-

Mummy : That is right honey.

-

He became quiet for awhile. Then he turned his head to look at his sleeping sister. He suddenly got up and went to to back seat. I heard him whisper the Bismillah. Then he came back in front.

-

Abang : Adik is safe now Mummy. I baca Bismillah for her. She will be okay.

-

I looked at my son, a proud mother and all misty eyed. Then he made things difficult for me;

-

Abang : Mummy if Allah is stronger than setan, why can't he kill setan terus ?

-

Aaa....... Camno nak jawab nih ? My son is a believer of you-better-kill-it-before-it-kills-you philosophy. Like this very morning, I showed him a picture of a tiger that has been cut into 4 pieces. I expressed regret and sadness for the big cat. He looked at me and said,

-

Abang : But mum, tigers makan orang. So now he cannot eat people anymore. People are safe.

-

Mummy : Sure, but wouldn't it be sad if you cannot see tigers anymore, say in the zoo ?

-

Abang : In the zoo I will go and see the nice animals Mummy, like cows and goats and giraffes....

-

Okaylah. I will explain to you better when you are older. This is something that I have to ponder about to give an impact on you.

-

Believe you me, my answer to him didn't make me proud of myself at all... Hmmm......

The Goldilocks

I came home to hear Abang's important news.

Abang : Teacher chose me to tell a story tomorrow, Mummy.

Mummy : Really ? That is nice. What story are you reciting ?

Abang : Goldilocks !!

Mummy : You are not going to tell them my version of Goldilocks, right honey ?

Abang : I am going to tell them about Goldilocks who went to the forest and found the 3 bears' house...... blah, blah, blah....

So he practised in front of us and I noticed that he kept saying The Goldilocks.

Mummy : Sayang, you don't have to put 'the' in front of her name...

Babah : Goldilocks is her name lah Abang. She is not a WWF wrestler....

He was okay, I suppose, with the right facial expression and all... Mrs Devi once commented how well Abang turned out to be. Ha ? I said... " Really ah, Teacher ? " Yes, yes, she said. He will always raise up his hand to answer questions. Other students will all be scared when I ask questions, but not Abang lah. He is never afraid to speak in public. Once he went in front of the class and told the whole class how a butterfly came to be... ( She also said that Abang left her mouth hanging open when she first encountered him, until another student told her it is okay teacher, Abang is like that - I dare not ask her why ).

Ye ke ? Sounds like he has no regard for authority aje. However he is very afraid of the police ( My mum said that is very wrong as if he is in trouble he will not seek police's help at all. Point taken mum. Will try to establish the right feeling for authority ). He he.... Once right, we went to have dinner at Secret Recepi at Sek 9. In the car I noticed that Adik has taken with her 1 sugar packet. I took that as an opportunity to teach my brood about stealing.

Mummy : Adik, adik ambik apa tu dari kedai ?

Adik : * Entah apa ntah dia cakap sebab cakap tak terang kan lagi masa tuh... tapi ada perkataan shugar in between... *

Abang : Adik ambik sugar Mummy.

Mummy : Oh my god Adik ! Did you steal that from the shop ?
( at this Babah start to menjeling kat Mummy. I just ignored it )

Abang jumped at that remark and scooted nearer to his sister.

Adik : Haaa... ( answered in the affirmative )

Mummy : Oh man. I am sure org kedai tu is calling the cops right now. What are we going to do ? The cops will be chasing us !!

Abang : Mana Mummy ? Mana ? ( while looking behind )

Mummy : Babah, please drive laju sikit. The police are coming to catch Adik and throw her into jail.

Babah : I am not driving fast sebab nanti accident. The police can come and get us if they must.
(eee.... langsung tak mo bagi co-operation)
-
Abang : Babah no ! Nanti they tangkap Adikand put her in jail. ( Getting more hysterical ) Babah hurry up. Adik is just a small kid..

Mummy : No, Babah cannot drive fast nanti Babah pulak masuk jail. ( More frantic ) What are we going to do ? Has the police come yet ? Are they near ?

Abang : Adik, where is it ? Where is the sugar ? Babah, we turn back Babah and bagi balik sugar ni kat kedai tuh. Hurry up Babah..
( Babah gave a more severe jeling to Mummy and sadly I have to end this.. )

Mummy : No, no it's okay. I will call the police and tell them it is a mistake and hopefully they will understand.

Abang : Mummy call them now Mummy. Adik, what have you done ? ( Sobbing and hugging his precious little sister. Sister by the way was wide eyed and maybe comprehended something has gone wrong but couldn't quite catch the reason why ).

Mummy : ( Called the police ). Okay, they said it's fine provided I return the sugar to them tomorrow.

Abang : Okay Mummy.... Titi you are safe now. Please don't do it again okay sebab nanti police put you in jail... Okay Adik ?

Adik : Haa.... Okay Abang.

Next morning, Abang woke up and went to the dresser straight away. He came to me and gave me the ( now forgotten ) sugar to me.

Abang : This is the sugar Mummy. Please send this back to the kedai okay ?

Mummy : ( Quite stunned actually ). Okay sayang.

Abang : You must remember this Mummy. ( 1 fat finger up ) Please remember okay Mummy ?

Babah : Why do you want to make the kids crazy like you ?

Mummy : You don't approve ?

Babah : It is quite entertaining actually....

I deliberately orchestrated us to have dinner at Secret Recepi quite soon after. Abang seemed forgotten of that episode but I was not dissapointed. As we were about to leave, he checked his sister's hands and pockets, making sure that she is free of jail-time-inducing sugar packets.

I have done my job..... I think.
-

Mummy has a bad back

Mummy : Mummy sakit belakang lah Abang.

Abang : Yeah, I know. Is it because you dah tua Mum ?

Mummy : You are very clever, my son. Very clever...

-

A few hours after that..

-

Adik : Mummy please kokong Adik.

-

Mummy : Adik, Mummy sakit belakang kan ? You know that, right ?

-

A few minutes after that

-

Adik : Abang help me Abang..... Adik sakit bakang... Please bawak Adik punya toy ni ( hand on back, body bent forward a bit... )

My children are comics.

My back hurts and it is limiting my activities. I miss carrying Adik actually, as she usually would rest her head on my shoulder and chatter. If I am lucky, she would murmur her affection for me and reward me with pats on my back or a squeeze or two.

-

I also can't believe that I am missing the act of cleaning up my children. From the very beginning it has been a team effort by Babah and me. Eventhough we have a maid, when we are around, the children are our responsibility. Abang had never been prepared for school by other people except us. I miss kissing him in the light of dawn, all cool from his bath, smelling of soap. I miss their chatter while they brush their teeth, and singing " OO... o-ok..., " when on the john, waiting for you - know - what to come out.

-

Who knew, after 4 days, I am itching to clean my children when Babah and I always fought to do the easiest chore, that is fetching the towels and choosing their clothes. I always get annoyed if my pants, or worse my top, got wet, especially if they were spraying water around.

-

Soon, Abang would be able to wash his bottom and bathe on his own. I want to savour every minute of my sons dependancy on me, as day by day, he is closer to not needing me anymore. Tonight sayang, Mummy mandikan Abang and Adik, okay ? Sayang Mummy.....

-

Abang's exam results

Since Wednesay Abang waited for me to come home. Pukul 7 dia dah terpacak kat pintu, anticipating my return. On Wednesday, as soon as he saw my car he opened the front door and jumped up and down.

-

Abang : Mummy! I am so clever Mummy. I know everything.

-

Mummy : Really ?

-

Abang : Ha.... ( he said proudly as he looked up at me, hand encircled my waist ). Abang got 100 for English...

-

Mummy : Ye ke sayang ?

-

On Thursday;

-

Abang : Mummy, I got 100 again Mum !

-

Mummy : Really ? What subject pulak ni ?

-

Abang : Maths Mum....

-

Mummy : Really ?

-

Abang : Yes, I am so clever....

-

Friday,

-

Mummy : So, did you get 100 for your Bahasa exam ?

-

Abang : Yes Mummy. Aren't I clever ?

-

Mummy : Good one, sweetheart....

-

Tapi, kat belakang with Abah..

-

Mummy : Ye ke Bah ?

-

Abah : Entah...

-

Other people whom were told of his success ( by himself le ) questioned us too...

-

Other people : Ye ke ?

-

Mummy & Abah : Entah....

-

Saturday, Charity event at CEC ( it was a huge collosal fun by the way ) I couldn't find Mrs Devi anywhere. Monday, Mrs Devi was right smack in front of me, opening the door to my car, to let Abang out.

-

Mummy : Mrs Devi ! The person I have been looking for...

( Abang at that moment was already out of the car and was near the gate. I saw him glanced worriedly at us ).

-

Mummy : How did Abang do in his exams ?

-

Mrs Devi : Very well lah, ma'am. He got 100 on all his subjects... But he did especially well this time because I did not have to guide him at all. He read all the instructions on his own. He will do very well in his Darjah Satu I think....

( this is the same teacher who told me that Abang could be the next prime minister because of his ability to talk in public... secara halusnya, Abang memang tak tau malu.... waaaaaa.... )

-

Okay, Abang.... you have to stop acting guilty all the time.... You are really giving the people around you the wrong message. Like when I asked you if you were playing game, why did you hesitate when you were actually revising your maths ? Why did you glanced back worriedly when you saw me talking to your teacher ?

-

I think I can probe and discuss deeper into this.... cuma I have to go out for lunch..... Lapaq !!

-

Hai Abang

Abang. My son. Hmmm.......

-

It turned out, my dear friends, Abang did actually studied Maths when I called him last week. I went home and demanded proof and there it was, 2 pages done. I asked him why did he do Maths, and he said he was bored. And because he wants to be a doctor.

-

He he Abang and his desire to be a doctor. Once I asked him why does he want to be a doctor ? " Because I can help people when they are sick Mummy. Help Abah and Tok Yah and Tok Mi and other people to make them better, " all were my words and then he added some of his own, " I can also help you Mummy to take out the baby from your tummy when you are pregnant, " Ha ?

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Abah let out the loudest Ha ?

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Later, abah told me that he will not acknowledge any baby that I carry as his when we are above 50 years old... !!! Dasar lelaki tak bertanggungjawab.

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Why does Abang want to be a doctor ? Because he believes only doctors drive Ferraris and my baby Abang loves fast cars. I sort of encouraged him to be a doctor by dangling something that he truly loves ( the said very expensive cars ) in front of it. "You want a Maserati ? Only doctors could afford it..." ( I have a license for that sort of fib by being his Mummy ).

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One day he came to my office and there was a Ferrari in the parking lot. His oohs and aahs were priceless. He touched it lovingly, demanded to be lifted up so that he could see the interior, checked the tyres and basically fell in love all over again. He was looking underneath the car ( for what I do not know ) when I heard his muffled " Is your boss a doctor Mummy ? " I looked at Babah and breathed a sigh of relief, " He actually is honey. Dr Shafiq Abdullah. " Just don't tell my baby that he is an Economics PHd holder.........

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Some time ago, I was driving him and his sister somewhere when he thoughtfully told me," Mum, you really need to do something with your car. You already have a kepak (spoiler), but you need side skirting and front something, plus you need this whacammalit to make the car goes faster, blah, blah, blah... " Right. Babah you have to stop him from reading Top Gear. I don't want him to be ashamed of his mother for driving an ordinary Gen2 whose only attractive feature is its kepak.

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Babah once berrated me for wishing and praying for Abang to talk ( he could only talk when he is about 2 and a half ) as my doa sebagai ibu made him a real yapper. But occasionally ( please note the occasionally ) I do enjoy my children's gabfest.

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Yesterday he asked for some sweets but since he just had teh tarik, I didn't allow it. He begged and begged and I told him, " You want to see me jadi pontianak tak ? " "No," he said, a little too quickly ( ha ha ) but then he looked at me and said , " Mom, you cannot be a pontianak." " Why is that ? " I asked and he said, " Because you are a natural woman..., " Hmm ?

Umar buat Maths betul ke ?

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Today I called up my son.

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Mummy : What are you doing sayang ?

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Abang : Stuffs.

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Mummy : What stuffs ?

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Abang : Entahlah.

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Mummy : Are you playing game ?

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Abang : (Hesitated) No..

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Mummy : Are you lying to me ?

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Abang : No Mummy I'm not.

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Mummy : Abang......

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Abang : I played Aida's gameboy for awhile only...

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Mummy : Okay. But why did you lie to me at the first place ? You know I can always tell if you are lying. Allah knows Abang...

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Abang : Mummy... I promise you I am not lying. I never lie to you Mum...

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Mummy : Then just now you said you played Aida's gameboy...

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Abang : That was yesterday. Not today...

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Mummy : Then what were you doing just now ?

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Abang : I was doing Maths Mum

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Mummy : Maths ? MATHS ? (Silent for awhile) Who is teaching you ?

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Abang : Nobody. I am using the book you bayar dekat IKEA...

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Mummy : Ye ke Abang ?

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Abang : Yes Mummy. I promise I never lie to you... I am doing big numbers addition with small numbers...

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Okay.... I really have to see this.

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Why am I being so anal about Abang's game playing ? Because Yaya's husband Hood is addicted to games. Playstation, computer games, you name it he likes it. He could play until 5 am in the morning, sleep awhile and then off to work. So you could imagine how good he is, considering the hours he clocked in front of the game sets. Even Babah susah nak kalah kan si Hood...

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I just found out that my son, my 6 years old Abang, has beaten Hood, a succesful 32 year old banker - game addict, many times. Not just the fighting ones but football games too... How long has my son been practising if dia boleh kalah kan Hood ni ?

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And I tell you Hood is not happy with Abang. Dia banyak merepek merapan about him losing to a 6 year old many times. Atuk when he heard that gave a piece of advise to Abang, " Lain kali bagilah Uncle Hood menang sekali...., " and what was Abang's answer ? " Dah bagi dah uncle Hood menang.., "

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Hood jangan marah......

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Hari Raya

My angels celebrated raya obliviously I think. Adik of course couldn't understand raya but the meaning of raya and the keseronokan raya is lost on my eldest son too. When I asked what is raya Abang said " It's a celebration Mummy, " and when I asked what is Deepavali he answered the same thing. Raya to my children are the many cousins ( my children are not fans of food ) and the prospects of endless playing.

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What they understand is the little green packets. Abang will dutifully give me everything that he got. But not my little Adik. She has a nice little red bag bedecked with flowers and sequinnes. The bag houses a cute purple purse and purple sunglasses. Everytime she received one, she will inspect the contents. Those with red and dark blue notes she will let it be in their original package. But those smaller blue denomination and green ones she will extract them and put them in her purple purse. Oh how she guards the red bank. Until today I don't even know how much she has in there. She plays, eats and sleeps with it.

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I have told her that Adik ni lagi teruk dari Nyang. My Nyang was like that. She guards her handbag like nobody's business. But, she will leave them hidden under her bed when she is at home !! Bukannya bawak merata - rata macam si Adik ni....

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Si Abang pulak masa salam raya dengan Tok Mi dia diam aje. So Tok Mi said, " Abang diam aje ke ? Tak nak mintak maaf dengan Tok ke ? " Abang looked perplexed, looked up at Tok Mi and said, " What did I do now ? " Ha ha ha

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Selamat Hari Raya.

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Princess Adik's new shoes

One day, Princess Adik went out with her grandparents and female cousins to get new shoes for Hari Raya. They went for a good 2 hours when I heard the excited chatters of the shoppers. Soon enough, Adik came running to the room but my eyes did not see her at all. My eyes were drawn to the shoes she was wearing.

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Bling - bling, was all that came to my head. It was a glittery creation. The shoes are black decorated with purple glitter. There was a huge glittery sequinned bow at the front to complete the look. It was beyond awful.

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I gasped and gawped at the shoes as she pirouetted and bowed and danced in it, beaming with pride. Oh dear, with what will the shoes go ? Babah;s mom came to announce that the shoes were chosen by the HRH herself. Whaaat ?

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That very night, we had a buka puasa engagement to fulfil and it was so hard to match the shoes with anything. It gave such a loud statement that everything else seemed insignificant. Furthermore, HRH doesn't have many purply, mauve-ish, magenta-ish, maroonish or lavenderish clothes. We settled for a white and purple checked dress from Osh Kosh B'gosh. She looked all right.

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The next day, I was arranging my tudungs when I heard her calling out in a sing-songy voice " Shoes.... Shoes Adik.... " which was repeated over and over again. I went to her room and saw her looking underneath the bed, cute tooshie up. Then I supposed she figured out the shoes are actually Malaysian when she called out ," Kasut Adik..... where are you ? " When she saw me, she complained " Mummy, please help me. I cannot find my shoes anywhere..., " head tilted to the side, hand gestured both palms up to signal her failure to find the prized shoes, eyes wide.

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Since I dislike them with a passion, I said, " I don't know Adik. They are not mine. They are yours. Sapa suruh letak rata - rata ?" And my little princess clasped her hands together and pleaded, " Mummy help me okay... Mummy good girl kan ? " How can I resist ?

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She really have me wrapped around her match-stick length fingers. Babah agreed heartily with that statement but he soon proved that he is also a sucker when it comes to Princess Adik.

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At midnight she was coughing and had a blocked nose. Babah said, " Why don't you makan ubat ? " Which she flatly refused ( I mean, why give her an option ? ). Then Babah start membebel and swiped some Vicks on her nose. That produced quite a tantrum from HRH and declarations of Babah's naughtiness and vows of tak nak kawan Babah. Afterwards she slowly drifted to sleep when a sniffle brought Babah's irritation to surface again. " Eii.. degil betul si kecik ni. "

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And suddenly, a small head shot up and proclaimed " Adik tak degil lah. Adik good girl... " Babah's terkejut beruk face was priceless especially since she went right back to sleep after the very important announcement. However, Babah had a big grin on his face afterwards ( which he tried to hide from Mummy ) and Princess Adik slept the whole night with her beautiful head cradled on Babah's arm. Uwekkk Babah !! Before that Babah sempat lagi cakap kat Mummy ," Tulah. Anak awak...." Eh eh orang ni.....

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She did the cutest thing yesterday. We were at Tok Mi's house dok buat kuih raya when she came down the stairs crying. " Mummy, Abang gigit adik..., " " Ha ? Adik mana ? " I asked. Cik Yin and Cik Ann pun berhenti buat kerja. We thought Abang gigit Yana which is very unlike Abang who is rather loving and tender towards babies. " Ni..., " she said, sebik - sebik pointing to her face.... Ha ha ha.... hai Adik....

The colouring competition

Remember my last entry on Abang requesting RM 15 to enter a colouring competition ? Well, last Saturday, as usual I took my baby to his piano class at Shah Alam mall. As soon as we left the class, we heard a booming voice on a microphone announcing the prize giving ceremony for a CEC competition. Umar picked that up and ran to the barriers to watch the going ons on the ground floor. Sure enough, he recognised his principal and a few teachers.

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"Mummy, is that the colouring competition ? " " Yes, " I replied cautiously. "Hmm.. Abang tak nak enter kan ? "

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" That's right, " I said while unsuccesfully tried to tug him away.

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" Abang tak nak enter because.... because why Mummy ? "

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He he.... tergelak jugak sekejap. " Because you have your piano lessons, that's why. " He nodded his head in agreement. Fuh... lega... but I was not spared after all because after a while he said, " But I thought you said because they use hot candles to colour ? " ( it was a batik colouring competition and knowing that my son could well be the future Health and Safety Engineer extrodinaire, I played that point agressively ). " Well, yes that too..., " I replied. " But mom, I do not see any hot candles anywhere ... !"

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O-oh !

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"Who wants ice-cream ?" was all I could think of and Titi went "Me ! Me !"

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So it was all forgotten. My reputation was safe. Lesson learned ? Try not to fib to your children...

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Ha ha