U-um and Titi

My children…

Last night we went to book Dan’s new car. We decided not to get the car that will only be delivered to us in August and purchase one that we will actually get next month. We took our little ‘uns with us to show them the car.

Umar and Elsa were excited. Dan opened the passenger door of the showroom car and invited them to enter. Elsa went in after Umar and soon as she stood in the middle of the back seat, she exclaimed “ Much better…. “ and nodded her head in satisfaction. “ This is better than Abah’s old car ? “ I asked and she said, “ Of course Mummy….. “. Hmm….

Dan who is always very concerned about what his children think of him asked for Umar’s approval. “ Am I loser now ? “ and Umar replied “ No Bah… you are great now… “ Kesian Abah. I told Umar that I have always found his Abah a great person. And this little boy of mine said, “ Sure mom… he’s your boyfriend, “ like it is so yucky to have a boyfriend.

After booking the car, we went straight for dinner. We were driving in silence when suddenly Umar gave a loud piercing scream. Titi for some reason had bitten him. I quickly tried to ease the pain while Dan interrogated the would-be piranha. All questions were met by stony silence.

I then tried to approach her. “ Sapa gigit Umar ? “

Titi : Tak de sapa – sapa

That response is very common from her.

Mummy : Titi…. Umar is crying… sapa gigit dia ?

Titi : Umar tak nanis pun…

Budak ni ingat kita orang pekak ke ? How can she try to camouflage the situation ?

Mummy : Titi… do not lie to me. If you decide to lie I will leave you here…..

At that time we were in Glenmarie. You know how Glenmarie is at night……. But the one who panicked was the victim. The accused remained defiant.

Umar : Titi, please tell Mummy you bite Umar. Nanti Mummy will leave you here…

Titi : No… I don’t know anything….

Eee…. Kerasnya…..

Umar : Come on Ti, just tell her you gigit and everything will be okay……
Mummy : Well Titi ? Sapa gigit Umar ?

Titi : Titi mummy…. I gigit Umar….

Terus gelak – gelak……. Umar was happy too and laughed.

Mummy : Why did you gigit Umar ?

Titi : I don’t know.

Umar : Dia boring – boring gigit Umar … he he… she is so cute…

Pulak… baru tadi melalak sekarang dah cute ? Then they started to wrestle each other and were soon best friends again….

Mummy : Err…. Nak sambung marah ke Dan ?

Dan : Dah lah…. Nanti you slow talk dengan dia…

Aku jugak…..

Art Studio

More drama today for me. Last night Umar asked for my permission to bring his Art Studio ( alah…. Colouring set yang ada colours of different forms, pencil, magic, water , crayon and yang lagi satu macam crayon tu ). I was a bit skeptical about him being able to fit in his bag but he said it would be of no problem. “ I will move it this way and that way Mum, “. I did not give a reply.

This morning he handed me the now 30 colour pencils. When I asked why he said he is going to bring his Art Studio to school, remember ? I told him that I do not think it is a good idea as the Studio is still in tact and I am sure once he takes it to school, one or even two would be missing.

Besides, Babah added, what will Titi use to write and draw ? She usually lugs it around the house, just in case she has a sudden inspiration for yet another masterpiece. Our statements of course provoked another glassy eyes moment. He understandably became less cheerful. He ate breakfast in silence and just shrugged his shoulders when I asked him what does he want for his bekal.

When I held his hand and took him to the school compound, I saw him tried to open his mouth a few times, but changed his mind. As we were about to pass the gate, he finally had the courage to talk or had finally constructed his thoughts and words correctly. He asked if the Studio belongs to Titi only. I denied it and told him it belongs to both of them. It is meant to be used at home and not in school.

At that, the liquid that made his eyes glassy became a river on his cheeks. Aiyooo… Umar. “ Are you not embarrassed that all your friends can see you cry ? “ It got louder. I tried to soothe him as best as I could but he was just really sad. My heart really went out to him but there is nothing that I can do. We are already in school. When the waterworks finally receded, he took my tudung ( he was hugging me anyway, so my tudung was the nearest to him ) and wiped his tears. He even used the ones near my shoulder area that I had to bent down to allow easy access.

“ Dah Mum…, “ he said. He kissed my hand and offered his face for the customary kiss. He gave me a quivery smile. My son… he is always very brave, always trying to show that he is okay after a fight or tears or whatever.

In the car, I rubbed the tear stained tudung to my face and feel wretched. Even now, I am still savouring the bit where my son was woefully pouring his feelings out.

Umar and his colours

Dan called me a tyrant… Stationery tyrant, that is….. because I could get worked up if Umar came home with 1 pencil short. If he loses his eraser again, I think Dan has to hire a psychiatrist to help me get through it. I don’t know why I am like that, but I just am ( trust me, I have learned some crucial breathing exercise to calm me down. It is harder for a non-screamer like me ).

Umar has gone through 2 boxes of 12 short colour pencils this year. When I gave him the second set, I warned him that under no circumstances would I tolerate the disappearance of even 1 colour. Therefore my first encounter with the said set ( mind you, I did not make it a point to check everyday only when I help him with his homework and have a full view of his stationery ), I was astonished to find there were 13 colours instead of the customary 12. He he…

Then of course, the inevitable ( Dan said inevitable, I said it could be prevented ) happened. He lost the whole box. Aiseh. When I asked what happened, his eyes grew bigger and started to get glassy ( berkaca kata org Melayu sebab dah nak teriak dah ). He looked so much like a wounded puppy that I just sighed and hand him his home colouring set.

Now you have to understand how much Umar loves colours. He so loves rainbow. He said his house would be rainbow coloured with blues and greens and oranges and reds and purples. His car colouring book is filled with rainbow coloured cars. His dream Porsche is in canary yellow. Therefore what can his mother do but buy a majestic 36 colour pencils collection as his home colouring set. He is is very proud of it. However it could be only used at home as home is the only place where mummy could guard it like there is no tomorrow. But when the second box of colours were found missing late at night, mummy had to hand over the brand spanking box of 36 colours for school.

Umar’s eyes went wide when he saw me slipped it into his bag. I had him promised that he will take good care of it. Many, many times. Saturday came and time to do his music theory homework. It was just his luck that his homework required some colouring done. I asked him to fetch his colours. He gulped. And was very slow to retrieve it. It took him a long time to return with the said colours. From his demeanour, I was not shocked to see 6 were missing. I did not lecture but I did pass a sentence, no PS2 for 2 more months ( he is currently under 5 months ban – don’t ask me for what as I couldn’t remember. 2 weeks ago his Babah was playing Ultimate Alliance and found it difficult to fight Mephisto. Umar shouted out instructions but Babah still couldn’t do it – at one point Umar ran to his room in frustration at Babah’s failure to kill Mephisto. We were watching the telly together afterwards when Dan said “ Umar….. macam mana ha nak kalahkan Mephisto ni ? “ and Umar replied while looking at me from the corner of is eyes, “ I could help you Babah but I am banned from playing until May…… “ Memang nak kena budak ni… Bagi jugak tapi for that 1 day only to help Babah advance to the next stage ).

That night, I complained to his Babah and Dan said “ Laa… yang dia tunjuk kat you tu buat apa ? I told him not to…. “ Dan went quiet when he saw my horrified face. “ You guys planned to keep this from me ? You are teaching your son it’s okay to fight the authorities !! “

“ Ala, kids are like that. They lose things. I was going to buy a new set to replace it tapi tak sempat rupanya, “ Dan said calmly. This guy is really missing the point, thought I. “ How do you profess to explain the new, still unbattered box to me ? “

“ By doing homework with him every night until the box look old, that is how… “

Menyesal jugak. If I didn’t make a big deal out of it, memang dah sah – sah terlepas homework duty… he he….

Umar's loose tooth

Umar’s loose tooth is really bothering him and us. Yesterday when he couldn’t enjoy his cookies, he bravely told me that he is having it removed that very day. How, I asked and he said he is going to ask his Babah to do it for him. But, he cautioned, not before dinner. After dinner will suit him very fine.

Babah prepared dinner because he came home early and therefore we know what to expect for dinner; soup and baguettes. Sure enough when he hollered for us to come and get it, there were 2 huge bowls of soup, 2 freshly baked crusty baguettes, a bowl of corn and some chicken toasts.

After dinner as we were cleaning up the table, he asked his Babah to take the tooth out for him. Babah looked at his son in horror and said in no circumstance is he ever going to do that. I suggested tying up his tooth with a thread, tie the other end to a doorknob and then push the door hard and wallah !! The tooth will go with the door. It will be a quite painless tooth extrication affair. I know... I had it done when I was little. My Mami Ela helped me. No big deal.

Umar looked skeptical but was gamed to try. You not scared, I asked because his readiness scared me off my plans for some reason. Yup, he said because he doesn’t want to swallow another tooth. “ It is yucky Mom. My tooth sitting in my tummy, “. I ho hummed after that and the plan was forgotten. Ee… takut pulak.

Anyway, to take his mind off the subject, I asked him about Azwan, if he is still bothering my baby. Umar had a delighted look on his face and said, “ Mum, he decided to be friends with me now. He is not rude to me anymore ! “ Really, I asked. Is it because you have stopped talking ? No, he replied, I talk just as much….

Hmmm……… have you guys seen the Volvo ad on the telly ? Where this guy fetched his daughter from somewhere and deposited her at the back seat, and the daughter all the while talked ? You remember he had to politely wait with the door opened, to wait until his little girl finished talking but she never did ? Well, that happened to us a lot. What did not happen a lot is where the father gave a little smile of amusement listening to his baby’s incessant chatter. We do smile sometimes but then I would say 60% of the time we would escape to our own little head, trying to get some rest.

We do not want to ask/order him to shut up because a lot of people warned us not to do that. It would stunted his brain growth, said one. He must be allowed to say his mind or later on he wouldn’t be able to articulate his thoughts at all, said another. Okay, okay. We are listening to all these advice. Okay, we are letting him talk….. But if he ever become a politician, I will put all the blame on my advisors !!

What is on Umar's shoulder ?

We went to our old house yesterday to get the mail. Dan brought the wrong keys and had to climb the fence to have access to the mailbox. As I was laughing and pointing at him, Abang Hassan from next door came to talk to us.

I like our old neighbourhood. The neighbours are friendly and their kids are good influence to my children. We chatted for awhile before Kak Yam, abang Hassan’s wife joined us.

Our kids go to the same school so we meet quite often. Kak Yam told me that Umar is such a busy boy. I was surprised with the remark and asked what she meant by it. Kak Yam said whenever she saw Umar, he would look like he is in deep thoughts. Sometimes, his forehead will be creased, Kak Yam said that depicts deeper thoughts.

“ You have a smart boy there… “ She said. I asked because his forehead is creased all the time ? Yes she said, because he is always thinking. He looked like he has all the problems in the world on his shoulder. That is good ?

At that, Dan smiled. “ Like mother, like son, “ he said. Hmm….

Into my Memory Box

Yesterday was a totally Italian affair for us. Lunch at Italiannies eating marvelous pastas in carbonara and pomodoro sauces. We had warm rosemary bread and fried calamari. At night we had pizza. And at night to Mummy and Babah had diarrhea for some reason.

Anyway, we went to Italiannies at the Curve and I love the Curve’s weekend bazaar. As we trawled the many stalls, we came about a toy’s stall. Hee…… ada aja. Titi saw the many pink bags and wanted one. I steered her view to the cheaper options of stickers and playing cards.

Umar saw Pokemon’s playing cards and grabbed one. It was only RM3 which I find quite cheap. Elsa was already holding a Disney Princess sticker book. I tried to entice her to take a stack of Pokemon playing cards too but she refused. Okay.

In the car, abang was happy reading and scrutinizing his cards and Elsa was flipping her book. Then I saw her tossed her book away. O-oh. “ Mummy, Titi nak card, “ she said, “ Tadi I kata I nak card, not stickers, “ Amboi, pandainya dia nak belit !!

Babah swung around to look at her. She saw Babah’s face and quickly looked away. Then she pushed on her ‘Repeat’ button. “ Please Titi nak card, “ over and over again. When we reminded her that she was the one who wanted the stickers, she blithely ignored it.

When we got home, everybody was in a sour mood. I tried to escape by running upstairs and talking incoherently. I was hiding in the bathroom feigning stomachache when I actually was just reading a book, I heard Dan hollered my name. I flushed, washed my hand a bit and found Umar and Babah at the computer. Babah had scanned and printed a copy of the cards. I was needed to cut them into shape.

Titi held them for about an hour. Then they ceased to interest her anymore. I pick them up one by one and put them in my miscellaneous box. My memory box. I will give this to her when she complains about her kids…..

Aiman pulak

Conversation I had with Umar this morning as I walked him to school.

Umar : Mummy, Aiman kan kat sekolah agama kan is very naughty lah Mummy.

Mummy : Naughty macam mana ?

Umar : He likes to ejek me, calling me names. He said I have bad teeth and I have a girlfriend.

Mummy : Do you have a girlfriend ?

Umar : ( Sighed and rolled his eyes ) No Mum. Dia saja - saja cakap macam tu. I want to tumbuk dia Mum.

Mummy : What ? No ! Never do that. Umar dah tumbuk dia ke ?

Umar : No tapi dia tumbuk Umar.

Mummy : What ? What did your Ustazah do ?

Umar : She was not in class yet at that time. Aiman duduk belakang sekali.

Mummy : And then what happened ?

Umar : I asked Tariq to help me and Tariq pushed Aiman away.

Is there something wrong with my son ? Why does he rub people the wrong way ? Azwan in morning school and Aiman in agama school. I told Dan probably because he talks too much and orang pun naik boring. Dan said because they are jealous of his good looks. I think he is darn handsome because he is my son but I don't think other people share my view.

I just wonder if he started it....

I will call the Ustazah.

Umar’s Predicament

Monday night, we had dinner with Dan’s parents at a restaurant in Shah Alam. My baby Umar was drinking plain water when he made a strangled sound. I looked at him and saw the clear water was tainted with blood. Umar opened his mouth and I saw his tongue was marred with more blood and there was a gap where his loose tooth used to be. Immediately I asked, “ Where is your tooth ? “ He couldn’t articulate a response as he tasted blood and a bit panicky. Dan and I rushed him to the sink and as he spitted and sputtered, there was no sign of the offending molar.

He had swallowed it with his water.

Being a real squeamish person, he was of course feeling quite nauseated with the idea of the tooth in his tummy. Being also told by many many people of his good looks, was very concerned about how he looked.

“ I am not smiling, “ he announced. “ I look funny… “. His Atuk laughed.

He was so upset he slept halfway through the meal. I suppose he thought he wouldn’t have to think of the incident in his head if he slept.

Elsa was having a field day. She kept asking us to show our teeth to check their presence. When satisfied that every tooth was accounted for, she will nod her head and said,” Goooddd……., “ When she came to Umar, she will just shook her head…. He he…

“ I want the tooth Mum…., “ He said, lips jutting out. Kata orang Penang “ dah chom dah….. “ When I asked what for, he said he wanted the money tooth fairy owes him. No tooth, no money. Hai…. Malas dah nak explain about tooth fairy. If he understood the reality of Santa Claus, why is it so hard to comprehend about tooth fairy ? I suspect because of the presence of cold, hard cash.

However, he was worried and I was worried. Worried about the presence of the molar in his tummy. I cooked up a thousand scenarios in my head and he was all queasy about it, both of slept fitfully that night.

Tell me, should I be worried ?

Weekends with my kids 3 ( ye ke ? )

On Saturday I withdrew some money from the ATM to pay for Umar’s piano lessons. As usual, 1 wants to slot in the card, the other wants the grab the money and then fought for the receipt.

The notes came out in fifties and Umar said he wanted one. I asked him what he wanted it for and he said just for keeps. I gave him RM1 instead and mula le muncung. Boleh gantung baju !!

Yesterday we went to KLCC sebab Tok Mi needed new shoes. When Dan’s mom heard we were going, she gave RM100 to Umar. “ Beli lah barang. Nak makan ke.. “ pesan Umar’s Wan. Umar menyengih gila and told me under no circumstances are we using the money to buy food. “ I want to buy something that is going to make me happy Mummy, “ said he. “ Oh really ? “ I replied, “ What will make you happy ? “ “ Something special that is exciting, “.

I suggested using the money for lunch at Chillies ( his favourite restaurant ) and he said he is still full and do not require anymore sustenance. Sombong betul. Anyway I told him that yesterday rugi aje dia muncung sebab tak dapat duit RM50 as today he was given RM100. Do you know what my son said ?

“ But Mom, I really want 4 Million, “

“ What do you want 4 Million for, “ asked his horrified Mummy.

“ I want to buy thousands of toys. Imagine how happy I would be !! “ Kebahagiaan di ukur dengan jumlah mainan.

Anyway, after he trawled Isetan for hours looking for the ultimate excitement that promises happiness, he declared he was hungry and needed Chillies after all. Sebab Tok Mi nya ada sekali tak boleh le menyekeh. Bawak jugak lah.

As usual we had to wait for a table. To pass time, we had a quick look at the TGV and discussed future possible movies. Spiderman came top of the list. After eating, we walked out of the restaurant and I was holding Elsa’s hand. She suddenly said to me, “ Tengok wayang ke ? “ I said wayang ? “ Ha… tengok Spiderman kan Mom ? “ Udah. “ No lah Titi, Spiderman belum siap lagi, “ I said. “ Tu.. ? “ She said pointing at the poster.

“ Oh gambar je dah siap. Wayangnya belum siap…. “ She looked at me, forehead creased. “ Okay, “ she finally said and sighed. “ Tapi nanti tengok tau… “ and Tok Mi laughed. “ Nati kita ajak Mamu Jat pegi okay ? “ “ Haa…… “ she said happily.

Hai…….

My Darling Titi

Waahhh….. sejuk hati emak yang ini pagi ni.

Elsa selalu boring sebab abang dia lepas sekolah pagi pegi sekolah agama pulak. So when Aida came home from her kindergarten, Elsa is usually whisked to Aida’s house to play. So it was our duty to pick her up after work at Bukit Jelutong. Dan was the first one to lose it. He told his mom to not let Elsa go there anymore as Bukit Jelutong is really far away, plus the traffic and the many traffic lights, it could be murderous to somebody who just extricated himself from KL jam. It was really an added misery.

If it was my turn to fetch her, I will have to use the NKVE until Bukit Jelutong. I flipped when I was told to pick her up while driving on the Federal Highway. I especially did not want to pass the stadium/Giant area as there was Singapore vs Malaysia match scheduled that day.

The traffic was horrendous. To add salt to the wound, it was my mengaji night. When I got to Aida’s house, Yaya ( Dan’s sister ) opened the door. She informed me Elsa was having her dinner. I told Yaya to please not allow Elsa to come anymore as it is quite far for us and I do not want to burden her. She laughed and said it is because Elsa usually throws a tantrum if she is not allowed to. Elsa kan….

She was eating when I approached her. I told her very sternly that she is not to visit anymore. She has to wait for her abang to come home. Menyesal jugak because I hardly ever get upset and raise my voice. But I did that day and you know, dia terus tak jadi makan. When she was offered more food, she shook her head to decline. She quietly climbed down the chair and took my hand.

This morning, Dan’s mom called me up. She said that she is going to KL and wants to send Elsa to Yaya’s house . I said okay and was wondering where the conversation is going to when she asked me to talk to Elsa and tell her it is okay to go. Apparently from yesterday they have been wanting to take her there but she refused. She said “ Mummy tak bagi ”.

I laughed and agreed to talk to her. I assured her that it is okay to go. Elsa passed the phone to her Wan and Dan’s mom told me she totally refused to go. “ Untung kau… Patuh betul anak kau “.

Ye ke ? Terima kasih…..

Teaching Umar

My father had always taught us to be independent. Not so independent that you do not anybody else, just enough to try things on your own first and beg for help when necessary.... he he. He had this ask the police task that he developed. He will stop in front of a policeman or police station and forced us to ask for directions. It doesn't matter if we already knew the way but we have to stand up to our fears.

So of course, any sort of torture that I had as a kid, I do not want my own little goats ( kid kan... anak kambing dak ? he he ) to miss. As it turned out my opportunity came last week. Saturdays Umar has piano lessons and being me, he usually did his homework 1 hour before class. When we opened his theory book though, something looked amiss but we couldn’t figured it out yet. As we leafed through the pages, we saw all the book’s stickers were pasted all over the volume, at all the wrong places. We both looked at Titi as we were sure she was the perpetrator. Tak mengaku tu…

Anyway, I had to make Umar share the blame, as it is his book and therefore his responsibility. I told him that I will buy him a new book but he has to do all the explaining to his teacher. He looked terrified but I told him Mummy couldn’t bail him out all the time. There are things that he just has to handle on his own.

Discreetly, I called his piano teacher up. She is a sweet lady, very soft spoken and I am sure she will not kick up a fuss. I requested her to do just so. She was very, very doubtful, but I pleaded for her understanding that I have to teach my son about responsibility and that things are not rosy all the time. He has to accept his mistakes and take it like a man ( or woman or boy or girl whatever ). Throughout his journey in life, 60% of the people he meet could be nasty.

So we went there, I bought the book and since we were early, he did the 3 pages that he was supposed to do. As I watched him, I was trying to imagine the words he will use, as seriously, I couldn’t articulate any explaining in my head with his very little collection of vocabs.

Anyway, as we were waiting, Deva a chatty 8 year old with huge vocabs came along and sat near him and as usual started to prattle on.

Deva : Umar I am going on a holiday to Bali. Do you want to come with me ?

Umar : Where is that ?

Deva : In Indonesia.

Umar : I have been to Jakarta. What is there in Bali ?

Deva : There is a nice swimming pool there Umar. Do you want to come ?

Umar : Is it like the pool in my club ?

Deva : Where is your club ?

Umar : Bukit Kiara.

Deva : Where is that ? Is it near my house in Bukit Jelutong ?

Umar : No.. It is further than that ….

Further ? He used the word further ? I was impressed as I am sure at that age I would have used farer instead of further.

Anyway, then the teacher opened her class door to let a student out and to get Umar in. I didn’t think that he will say it right there and then, but as soon as he saw her, he got up and handed her the new book.

Umar : Teacher, this is my new theory book.

Teacher ( segan – segan lah sebab I was there. Bukannya senang berlakon ) : What happened to your book ?

Umar : My baby sister ( looked at Elsa who in turn looked guilty) messed up my book and I can’t use it anymore.

Teacher : What is wrong with the book ?

Umar : She kan… took out all the stickers and she ……. ( mencari perkataan untuk lekat until I mentioned the word pasted, then glued ) glued the stickers all over the book.

Teacher : Why did you leave the book where she can take it ?

Umar : I didn’t !! I put it on my mother’s bookshelf and she went and took it.

The teacher at this point looked lost and I knew I could only take it this far. So I assured the teacher it would not happen again and that I will pick Umar up in 30 minutes time.

All in all, I applauded Umar for his bravery and for his choice of word. Messed up…. Good one. I was further ( note the word further ) impressed with his vocab when in the car on the way home, he asked me if the song we were listening to was jazz. I said no, it was just a pop song with a little bit of saxophone used. I told him not all songs with saxophone or clarinet is jazz.

He then said, “ Mum, rock and roll kan… they use the element of rock… “ Element ? I looked at him, rather impressed when he again put my head back to reality where he is actually 6 and very much a baby. He said, “ But I couldn’t hear the rocks. How do they play the rocks ? “

Hmmm…. Guna batu rupanya rock and roll…… nasib baik dia tak kata the rock is rolled down the hill to make a sound….

Kawin

Yesterday we went to stock up our larder at Tesco. As usual, both of them wanted to ride inside the cart. As usual when Dan and I left them in the cart for a quick grab of grocery, they started their acting.

" ( mock wailing ) Please don't leave me !! Mummy !! Babah !! Please don't leave us !! Wa......! " As usual some people will stop to look and stare, thinking they are for real.... Hmm....

When we got home as Dan and I were putting our shopping away, Umar told me to hurry up. He wanted to watch me play Sonic. I told him to go up into his room first and I will be with him shortly.

After a few minutes, I noticed that he was still in the kitchen, waiting patiently for me.

Mummy : Umar pergilah naik atas dulu.

Umar : It's okay Mum. I will wait for you.

Mummy : Tak pe lah. It is better if you go up first and prepare for bed or something.

Umar : No mummy. I want to wait for you.

Mummy : Why ?

Umar : I like you Mummy, that is why.

Mummy : ( smiled ) That is a very nice thing to say Umar. Thank you. But I have to do other stuffs first and it might take awhile.

Umar : It's okay. I will just watch you Mum. I just want to be with you. Is that okay ?

Dan looked at me as my eyes went misty. I hugged him.

Mummy : You will make a fine husband one day, sweety. I am sure of it...

Later that night, as we were waiting for sleep to come, he said,

Umar : Harith kan dah darjah 5 kan Mum. So lepas ni dia kawin kan...

Abah yang tengah pakai baju berhenti untuk tengok dia.

Mummy : What ?

Umar : Lepas habis semua darjah - darjah kan, kawin lah !! Harith dah darjah 5 so lepas ni kawin. Umar lambat lagi sebab baru darjah satu...

Mummy : Ermm.... lepas darjah - darjah semua is big school like Mamu Jat. Tapi lepas tu is doctor's school if you are lucky.

Umar : Lepas tu baru kawin ?

Mummy : Ermm... well I don't mind if you want to kawin while in doctor's school, but not before.....

Umar : Okay.... ( and blushed )

Mummy : Do you have a girlfriend Umar ? ( my sisters memang tak bagi langsung I tanya that question because he will usually cry, but I just can't help but to satisfy my curiousity ).

Umar : Mummy !!!

He he...

We watched the telly some more and he suddenly informed me in a very authoritative voice that mummy penguins will vomit food into their babies mouth to feed them. No suckling of breasts for milk for the penguins. I asked him how does he know this.

His reply ? " Mummy !! Darjah satu kan .. ? "

Wow.. the answer to everything nowadays...

Anyway, Titi on hearing that, said " Mummy, I want blah blah blah builceemm..... "

Mummy : You want brylcream ?

Abah : Nak buat apa Ti ?

Titi : Ha... builceemmmm nak tengok...

Mummy : Brylcream ? For your hair ?

Titi : Ha ? No hair Mum.... Buiceeemmm....

Mummy : Cakap betul - betul Ti ...

Titi : (Sighed) Happy Feet Mum.... ada builceemmm......

Mummy and Abah : Oh penguin........

Titi : Ha.... pengceemmmmm

Hai.....

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.

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

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.

-

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...

-

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.

-

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....

-

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.

-

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...

-

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...

-

Wawa : Mak kata Elsa hancurkan lipstick you ye ?

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

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

-

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.

.

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 !!

.

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...

.

So much drama......

.

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....

.

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.

.

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.....

-

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 ?

-

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

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.

-

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

-

-

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.

-

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..

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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 !!

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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..... ).