Everybody makes mistakes, Ti !

Ha ha… after berhu-ha hu-ha at my brother’s house (birthday party Alisha), things were tensed in the car on the way home. Itule… Tok Mi selalu pesan, “Jangan dok gelak2 sangat….. Karang nangis.” (In fact Dan likes to say that to me and my siblings a lot. Bila kita org gelak2 lebih sikit je… mula le keluar suara dia bagi warning. Adik2 aku dulu selalu looked at each other and then then tambah gelak double kuat. Lepas tu mula lah “Apalah abang Dan… jealous ke ?” Dan kemudian bertekak le si Rashdan dengan sesiapa antara kami berlapan…).

It was a good party because my brother had to give Umar a towel to wipe himself off his peluh. We had to that to him 3 times. Gila…. So on the journey home, Dan rolled down all 4 windows.

Entah macamana as he rolled them up again, at the same time Elsa pressed the window control down and the window on Elsa’s side became stucked midway. Angin lah orang tua tu. We went in my car pulak tu and everybody knows how notoriously incompetent Proton’s windows are. Bok bek, bok bek, bok bek si Rashdan berleter. Elsa remained quiet, as usual. That Ice-Queen. Umar would have been bowled over with tears but she remained composed.

Luckily we were able to put it to right back when we got home. I entered the house first and went straight up the stairs. My children were behind me.

“Do you feel bad, Ti ?” I heard Umar asked. I turned around and saw him hugging his sister by the shoulders. I looked away. I wanted to give them some privacy… he he…

I suppose Elsa nodded her head because Umar said, “It’s okay, Ti. Everybody makes mistakes. You didn’t mean it, kan ? Everybody makes mistakes. Okay, Ti ?”

And baru tu lah aku dengar anak aku nangis. I switched in the lights in their room and tengok2 both are naked and ready for an 11pm bath… Abang pimpin tangan adik masuk bathroom.

Hmmm……………….

Next week is exam week and we have been revising with Umar after dinner. Last night though was mengaji night and they usually will salam their ustaz at 9.30 pm and you know what time is 9.30 to Umar.

After ustaz Omar left, Umar approached me.

“Mumm…. Little boys kan they have a lot of energy in the morning. Bila dah malam their energy pooped/popped out (it sounds like poop but well… I know enough what he means) by 9.30. 9.31 kan they have to sleep.” Nampak sangat nak ngelat from doing his revisions.

All I said was “Oh, really ?”

His cousins were still around and he went to join his cousins.

“Umar, it’s 9.35. Why aren’t you sleeping yet ? I thought you said you have to sleep by 9.31 ?”

And his answer ? “Sometimes kita ada sikit extra energy, Mummy. So takpe. I don’t have to sleep now….” Oh, pandainya kau.

But, by 9.45 when everybody had left, I found him asleep in his bed, snugly covered in his duvet. Little girls though do not apply to that rule because by 10 am, Elsa was still reading in bed.

Because Mummy has magic hands, Elsa kena pegi sekolah

Last week,

“Mummy… my kaki sakit.” Complained my little girl.

“Ok let me have a look at it.”

“I don’t think I can go to school today. My kaki sakit….”

Hmm… dulu dok bising nak pi sekolah sekarang dah pandai ngelat.

“It’s okay. Let me urut your kaki. If mummy urut mesti baik punya because I’m your mother. I have Magic Hands.”

She looked at me skeptically as I massaged her tiny feet. Dear me… they are really tiny.

“You do have Magic hands, Mum !! I am all better !!” She said in wonderment after a few minutes.

He he….

3 days ago,

“Mumm… can you use your Magic Hands ? My kaki sakit lagi lah….” She complained.

I rolled up my sleeves and massaged her tiny legs.

“Look, Bah. I am all better ! Mummy has Magic Hands !” She announced happily.

But then…

“Tapi kan Bah, teacher cakap hari ni cuti.” Said she.

“Mana ada cuti.” Replied her Babah.

“Ya, Bah !! teacher cakap cuti…..” Her eyes big and reound.

“Cuti apa ?” Challenged her Babah.

“Cuti lah… cuti saja lah….”

Babah looked at her, his lips thinned.

“Takde takde… pegi mandi….”

He he….

Umar ku yang tembam

I was eating keropok sayur last week when Umar entered my room. I offered him the keropok, knowing it is one of his favourites.

“No, thank you. I don’t want it…”

“Are you sure ?”

“Yes…. I’m trying to lose weight so I cannot eat crunchy stuffs…” Mula dah teori merepek dia nih.

Umar has been complaining about his knee lately… well for about 3 months already. Jalan pun terdengkut-dengkut, especially after he’d been sitting for a long period. We took him to see Dr Woodhull and he diagnosed over-weight-ness… he he… The good doctor said his legs couldn’t support his wide girth.

Okay. So we have been watching his food. Him not so but lately he has been quite cautious about what he eats. His tennis coach had been quite good. Incorporating workouts that would him build his muscles in his lessons.

“Okay. I am glad that you are starting to take care of yourself…” said me, putting the keropok away. Well if my son is on a diet, I will support him.

“Yup. I cannot eat crunchy stuffs because they can make me fat. My friend Iddin is very thin mummy… because kan mak dia kan bagi dia makan soft food. Nasi lah… mee lah….”.

“Okay, so you want to take that to school instead of the usual stuffs I give you ?”

“Tak payah. Dia beli kat canteen je…..”

Ha !! That one is a no-no… Mummy tak percaya the level of kebersihan at any canteens. So that is why nowadays Mummy cooks Umar’s bekal malam-malam.

Pengorbanan.

Perkara Umar

One day my children and I saw a little boy in a Superman suit. His costume of course attracted onlookers, my children especially so. They kept staring at him and that boy was proudly showing off his costume. So cute.

“I wonder if he could fly ?” I asked cheekily.

Umar and Elsa stared some more. I saw Umar opened and closed his mouth a few times. He finally succumbed to temptation.

“Can you fly ?” He asked.

The boy looked at him blankly and kept modeling his outfit.

“Maybe you have to ask him in Bahasa Malaysia…” I suggested.

He looked at the boy again.

“Dik, awak boleh terbang ke ?” He he … Dengan mata bulatnya, his face so curious. I know he was thinking of asking for one himself if the boy answered in the affirmative.

The Superman shook his head.

“Tak boleh lah Mummy !!” Said Elsa with a clearly disappointed laugh.

He he…


There was this one time when Elsa had started crawling, my children and I were sitting about on the first floor family room. I remember Elsa was sitting next to me reading a book. Umar who was sitting in front of his sister suddenly leaned over her and looked closely at her face. I just watched him.

He suddenly said, “ Mummy, kenapa muka dia ni macam kambing ha ? ”

Cess !! Tetapi… that is why we sometimes call her kambing…. He he…


Guna, Dan’s good friend went to Australia last month visiting his lovely daughter (seriously, the daughter is gorgeous beyond reason). He came back and brought us lovely family bar Kit Kats and huge Crunch. We were very grateful for the thoughtful gift.

One day I noticed one whole bar of Kit Kat was gone and as I was wondering what happened to it, out came abang and adik from the playroom. One was clutching a red, shiny foil wrapper and one was licking her fingers.

“Did you guys finish off the whole bar ?”

All I got was one attempt to give me a straight face and one a really schooled straight face.

“Both of you habiskan the whole Kit Kat ?”

“It was very yummy, Mummy !!” Said Elsa smiling nervously.

“It was really good, Mummy..”Said Umar.

“I am sure it is good but why must you guys habiskan the whole thing ?”

Both of them grinned but I refused to back down. Bukan apa… saja je carik gaduh.

Suddenly Umar said, “Hey… I thought you said no Nestle’s products allowed ? I thought you said no Nestle’s product at home ?” One fat finger up. His face lit up with glee with the thought of Mummy did a no-no.

I was actually flustered. I closed and opened my mouth a few times, trying to find a reason why the chocolates were in my fridge.

“Eii !! It’s a present lah. If somebody gave you a present you can’t refused it. That is rude. It is more berdosa kecik kan hato orang, you know….” Said I dengan penuh goody-two-shoesnya. He… he….

Oii betul dak ? Takkan lah aku nak kata “Oohh… no thanks. It is against my principals. But, enjoy your chocolates all the same…”. Dah pandai dah anak aku sekarang nak menyelamatkan diri...

Elsa's problems

I think Elsa has a problem with her height.

“I do not want to go to sekolah kebangsaan lah Mummy.” She told me one day as were passing my old SRK Seksyen 6.

“Why ?”

“Because there are so many people there. I just want to stay at Ikhlas because there are only small people there. No big people.”

Alahai kesiannya.

Last week, her Babah put something on our tallboy and she wanted to look at it. She stood on her toes and jumped and jumped but she just couldn’t reach it. When her Babah returned to the room, she complained, “I am to small lah, Bah !!” Her eyebrows furrowed.

Alahai kesiannya. Macamana nak buat tu ?


She also has a problem with her school attire.

“Mummy, I tak nak pakai uniform.”

“School uniform ?”

“Yes…. It is so boring.”

“Why ?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged her tiny shoulders.

“Well, you have to wear them all the same because nanti teacher tak bagi Titi pegi school.”

“Alah…” She tilted her head. She looked worried.

“Apa masalahnya ? What is the problem ?”

“I wear the same baju over and over again… It is not nice…”

Pulak…. Dah pandai dah….


Today, when I want to put on her tudung for her, she said, “ Nanti sajalah Mummy…”

Why ? I asked and she said sheepishly, “ Because I look funny. I don’t want to look funny. Like a Pokemon….

Pokemon yang mana pakai tudung, Ti ?


She also had something to say when I asked her to finish up her food.

“Elsa, finish up your food, kalau tak nanti nasi tu nangis,” I warned Elsa for the umpteenth time. And for the same amount of time she looked indolently at me.

“Mummy, nasi tak de mata lah Mummy.”

“So ?”

“Then nasi cannot cry lah.. Dia tak de mata….” She scrutinized one grain of rice and showed it to me.

“See ? See ? Tak de mata pun….”

Arghhh !!

Mohamad dan Ayesha

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

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

“Really ?” Said I.

“Yes,” she said. “Mohamad wasulah.”

“Muhamad wasulah ?”

“A-ha. Muhamad wasulah wasalam ….”

He he…

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

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

“Tak …” She said, smiling.

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

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

Eii ? Bila Dan belek gigi Sheik ?

Imran's birthday party

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

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

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

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

“So I assume you will not be watching ?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My super remote control...

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

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

Mummy : Tekan ? Tekan apa ?

Elsa : Tekan lah to bukak gate….

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adoih…….

Mummy : Nanti U-um balik lah……

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

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

Baru happy sikit.

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

Hmmmm…………….

Mums and parrots

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

Mummy : Elsa sayang Mummy tak ?

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

Eii ? Parrots ? Apa ke hal ?

Mummy : Parrots ?

Elsa : Yes.. I love parrots ?

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

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

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

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

Elsa : Mummy !!

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

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

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

Killer Butterfly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Maybe…” Said I.

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

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

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

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

Hmm………

Umar dan adiknya

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hmm…. It looked so suspicious.

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

“U-um….”

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

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

“Habis, adik belajar buat kat mana ni ?”

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

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

He he…

I want to hear the book now !

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

“Apasal, Ti ?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My blood finally finished boiling.

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

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

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

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

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

“Sure…”

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

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

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

Taktik kotor Mummy... Ha ha

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

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

I looked at my two men in despair.

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

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

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

“Biar lah dulu ..” Was the reply.

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

No go.

Finally, aku guna taktik kotor.

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

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

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

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

Hisshh… cerekarama sungguh depa ni.

Muka

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

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

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

“Did you do this ?” I asked sternly.

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

Eeiii…. !!

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

“Did you do this ?”

She shook her head.

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

Again she shook her head.

“Who did this then ?”

“Me….” she said timidly.

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

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

Alahai….

Little Miss Busy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What ?”

“Samseng..!” Said he.

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

“Samseng…. Wa ha ha ha ha !!”

Ya Allah ! Help me … !

Hal Umar

Hal 1

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

"Eermmm.... Yeah."

"You don’t want me to get hurt ?"

"Ermm.. sure."

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

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

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

Rimas le bini ko karang nak oiii…

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

Waa…. I can just imagine that….

Hal 2

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

"Specialest ?"

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

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

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

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

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

Hal Elsa Lagi

Hal 1

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

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

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

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

Umar went quiet for awhile. Then he said,

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

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

Hal 2

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

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

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

Kelakarlah Titi ni.

Elsa and her mummy

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

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

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

“Really ah ?” Was my lazy reply.

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

Ya Rabbi. I never felt so stupid…

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

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

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

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

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

Reverse psychology ke sebab I shut my trap immediately afterwards.

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

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

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

“Nothing..” Was the reply.

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

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

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

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

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

He he… sayang pun kat Mummy dia…..

Elsa being bold

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

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

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

“Nantilah ?” She persisted.

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

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

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

Amboi….

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

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

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

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

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

“Crying..” said my kids timidly.

“That’s right,” said I, triumphantly.

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

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

Eeeii…. Geramnya aku.

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

Takde apa-apalah Um !

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elsa meekly obeyed.

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

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

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

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

Mummy... Babah tak bagi pegi kelas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yelah…yelah…”

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

“What class ?”

“Mandarin lah…”

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

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

“Yelah…. Tomorrow is Mandarin..”

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

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

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

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

“Nanti ustaz datang !!”

“Belum lagi. Makan ubat dulu …”

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

“Ishh.. yelah. Sekejap je….”

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

Missing girl

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

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

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

“Mummy, can we go and find her ?”

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

“Why is she lost ?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The kerfuffle at the breakfast table this morning.

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

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

A pout formed and hands in a neat fold.

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

Pulak.

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

She gasped.

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

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

“Fenchetables.”

“What is that ?”

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

Eh ? Sayur apa pulak ?

“What vegetables Ti ?”

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

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

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

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

Kelakar lah Titi ni ... Merepek sungguh.

Stories that I have to remember

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A proud momma

My children can really make me laugh

For some reason last Thursday morning, Adik whipped out her pencil and chanted “Abracadabra ! Make Abang a princess !!” Abang literally howled and chased Adik around. Adik squealed happily and when she couldn’t run any longer yelled “Abracadabra ! Make Abang again !!” Wa ha ha ha… Kelakarlah Adik ni.

-

Or when we first went jogging at the mosque area on Sunday (Abang pegi main tennis, mummy, babah and Adik pegi jogging), Adik tried all the exercising equipment along the jogging path. Next to each equipment is a a short explaination and a picture of the correct way to use it. When we got to the monkey bar, Adik who ran ahead to study the instruction gave a loud sigh. "Susahlah ni Bah. We have to carry the ladder..." Sure enough when we looked at the diagram, the guy swinging on the monkey bar looked like he was carrying the ladder ! Ha ha ha..!!

My children can also make us shed proud tears…

Yesterday Babah and Mummy were still tired from the aftermath of the party (will write about the party at a later date when I download the pictures ). Babah especially so because early Sunday morning he had to go for a futsal tournament. He came back at 1 pm, bathed and we went out for lunch at about 2 pm, came home at about 4 pm and Babah straight away crashed on the bed. Mummy saw the love of her life baring, she also baring… tepuk tepuk Babah and alas, Mummy also went off to slumberland.

I woke up when I heard a loud bang, a bang that I recognized came from the kids’ cupboard. I raised myself from the bed and saw Abang taking out towels from it. He was naked (gloriously chubby) and was glistening wet. I then heard the sounds of the shower and my daughter singing. He vanished from my sight and I heard him say from the bathroom “Okay, Adik. Sudah.” I heard Adik replied okay, and soon I saw Adik swathed in furry toweling and Abang trailing behind. He ordered his sister to stand on the bed for easy toweling work. He then vanished again and I saw him handed her something. Adik sat on the bed and I assumed she was putting on her knickers (I found out this morning it was actually her pull-up disposable diapers that her Wan insists she put on at night).

Both of them opened their wardrobe and then returned back to the bed where they proceeded to put on pyjamas. Abang was ready first and he straightaway entered our room to watch the telly. Adik called him from their room requesting help as she encountered problems to put on her jammies. He asked her to come to him but he didn’t manage to help his sister on the first try. He then yanked the jammies off her head, straighten it properly and then put it on for her. It was successful. Adik gave him a nice smile and said “Thank you, Abang” and he replied with the usual “It’s okay..” and they both watched the telly.

I shook their Babah awake when I realised the children bathed without us telling them to do so. Therefore it was both of us who watched them from our darkened room. When they settled down to watched the telly, Babah looked at me with wet eyes. I smiled at him proudly.

-

Thank you, Abang and Adik for not disturbing Babah and Mummy. Thank you for caring for us. Thank you for being you. Happy Birthday angels….

Call me Adik, my angel

I have been thoroughly entertained this weekend. Mesmerised and enchanted in fact with conversations with my daughter. Sometimes as she talked I would just look at her, watching her facial movements as she let known her feelings and messages, how her eyes would be when she is angry, or sad or when she wanted to bargain for something. I love the way her little mouth moved with every expressions and feelings.

I have forgotten what led her to say this but in the car, she was yapping away when I heard her say “then kan Mummy, you call me Adik, my angel okay ?” Babah and I looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

“What, baby.” But sadly she had already switched to another important topic and ignored my request for an explanation. Apa hal ntah.

We were on our way to A&W to book and pay for the children’s party this Saturday. When we got there, a party was already in full swing and the marketing exec asked us to sit down and have a bit of lunch before she could attend to us. When we saw people trickling out of the party room we started to make our way there. Babah said as soon as Adik saw where we were going, she hid her face on her father’s neck and held close. In the duration we were discussing with the staff, she remained rigid and hidden. She is afraid of the cuddly A&W mascot.

Macamana ni ? The bear will actually be at the party. Her own party !!

"Adik tak boleh takut dengan bear tu… He will be coming to your party..”

“Why ? Can’t he stay at his home ?”

“No…he has to be at your party. What are you scared of ?”

“What size is the bear Mummy ? Big, medium or small ?”

“Medium.”

She was silent.

“Adik.. the bear makan hot dog lah Adik. Dia tak makan orang…What are you scared of ?”

“Oh ? Makan hot dog saja ?”

“Adik… there is a person inside the bear. It is only a costume. Inside the bear is a human, Adik…” said the brother pulak.

Tak tahu kenapa, her next question was “Is there a Japanese inside the bear ?” Even Abang was shocked. I looked at her and said, “ Very unlikely will a Japanese be playing the bear Adik. I would bet it would either be a Malay, Indian or Chinese. Kadazan or Iban is more likely than a Japanese…”

She answered with and “Oh..” and remained quiet. Abang then broke the silence, “ Kalau Adik tak nak bear than there is no party for you. All the presents would be for me…”. She pondered the statement for a bit then said, “ It’s okay I don’t mind. I will sit in my room okay Mummy ?”

I was just staring at her when she said, “ The bear will be downstairs saja kan ?”

When we got home and it was time for their bath, I instructed Abang to put the dirty clothes in the laundry basket. He of course grumbled and complained about the unfairness of it all since his sister did nothing. Before I could say anything, Adik said, “ Abang, this is your room Abang. Abang lah buat kerja.”

Aiik ? So where is her room then ? She answered that she has no room. So then I asked her why is that ? She eloquently answered “Because this is Abang’s room and that is your room, so I can sleep anywhere I want…” He he… anywhere she wants to maksudnya dengan Mummy dia lah….

At the moment Babah’s parents are having the upstair’s entire bathrooms repaired. By late afternoon Babah’s mom asked me to help her mop the floor as it was really dusty from the work. As I was mopping I heard a very high and desperate, “Mummy !! Mummy where are you ?”

I went to the stairs and saw her, my little girl, climbing up the stairs, face all worried. “Kenapa Adik ? What do you want ?” She pouted her lips and said, “Adik nak Mummy…” Oh… since she put it sweetly like that, come on over then, honey.

Her grandma saw her walking up the stairs and forbade her from doing so because of all the dust. She breezily said, “It’s okay Wan. I will be careful. I want my Mummy…” Aaah….. anak ku.. Come to your Mummy then…..

Since it was really a dusty affair, the re-novation work, I decided to change the sheets on our beds too. Adik was nice enough to volunteer her services. We talked as I stripped of the beddings and put on a new one while she neatly folded the soiled pillow cases. She sometimes would sigh about the hard work she was doing and all and what a nice girl she was. She even broke into songs while she was doing her work ( macam Cinderella sungguh ), usually Beautiful Girl by Sean Kingston.

She was singing when she suddenly said to me, “Mummy, jangan bagi Babah main football lagi, okay ?” When I looked at her she was not even looking at me, still folding her pillowcases. Why, I asked and she replied, “Because nanti Babah sakit belakang. Pastu nanti dia get angry. Pastu nanti dia suruh Um stay in his room and then I cannot be with you Mummy…” He he he… rarely the abang is banished to his room alone, usually he got company because the ruckus as a rule is created by abang and adik. What will she say next ?

Adik, my angel…..

Apa Adik buat kat kelas ?

Semalam…. Wa ha ha… nak tergolak den…. He he.

When I came back from work, I attacked the kitchen first. Thaw the meat, cut the vegetables and what nots so that after Maghrib and Isyak, I could get everything on the fire straight away.

After 15 minutes, my children came barreling into the kitchen, mouth busy with news of the day. Each tried to be heard and I was trying my best to filter the news while chopping food. But then, Abang’s reporting caught my ears and I had to raise my voice to be heard above the din.

“What Abang ?”

Abang smiled gleefully. He he….. “Adik nak o-ok kat kelas Mandarin, Mummy.” He announced happily. I looked at the little girl. She frowned while looking at her brother. “Tak pun !”

“ Iye, iye… Adik tipu !” Abang danced, happy that he got the scoop of the day. “Adik, janganlah o-ok kat school. Tunggulah balik rumah, okay ? Sekejap saja.” Said I. My daughter looked trouble.

“ Dia dah o-ok lah Mummy. Dia o-ok kat dentist !”

“Ha ? Iye ke Adik ? Ivy bawak Adik ?” I asked.

“Adik, sapa basuh ? Alahai, alahai…..”. Adik was quiet. She was upset and clearly embarrassed. I was thinking if her bum was properly washed and if I need to isolate the clothes sho wore. Abang though was having a field day. He was hooting and dancing, I had to ask him to be quiet. “Abang, sudah Abang. Adik is very embarrassed about it.” Abang thankfully stopped his shenanigans.

“Adik… lain kali kalau nak o-ok, tunggulah sampai rumah. Sekejap je kan ? Okay ?” I advised. She looked at me but was still quiet. She must be rather shaken by this incident.

“Mum…,” said the bearer of bad news, “ Mandarin class tu lama Mum… It is not sekejap… So mana tahan…” Oh, pandailah pulak. Tadi mengejek…

Abang menjaga adiknya lagi

Bergaduhlah emak dan anak perempuannya pagi ini. A usual took the kids for breakfast. Since Adik never finished her roti canai I told her today I am gonna give her nasi goreng instead of the roti. Membazirkan…. People in war torn countries tak makan, depa ni boleh tak habis makan. A good piece of roti canai wasted every single day ( I sound just like my parents ).

She refused. I insisted. She screamed. Excuse me ? I told her sternly that I do not like people screaming at me. I ordered the roti canai anyway. She didn’t eat. She put her head on her folded arms on the table. Not a drop she drank or a bite she ate.

Kebetulan next to our table ada 2 policemen tengah makan. I pun apa lagi, “ Adik nampak tak polis tu tengah makan ? Satgi Mummy panggei laah polis tu suruh tangkap lah budak ni….”. She didn’t care but her abang jumped. He took a piece of the roti and tried to shove it in his sister’s mouth.

“ Adik, makan Adik…”. She clamped her mouth tight.

“ Biarkan dia, Abang.. ” said I and stared at my daughter. She peeked from the safety of her folded arms. Abang… I really pity him. Sometimes I did not think of what my actions would do to him. I should really take into account his feelings and perangai before I do anything, before I speak.

I instructed him to call over the policemen to our table. He got up but took the plate of roti canai instead. He then went to the roti counter and asked the kakak to bungkus it for his sister.

“ Mummy… I think she will eat when you are not around …” Said he as he sat down.

-
Hmmm…… I still have a lot to learn. My son seemed very learned when he handled his very immature Mummy. In my defence, “ Nak, mak ko ni adik – beradik ramai.. so I am always in battle mode…” He he….

Spoon vs saucer

Had breakfast at Azira this morning before kelas mengaji. A fight ensued due to Abang drinking his the tarik in a saucer. When his tea arrived, he went to get the saucer, asked me to pour it for him. As he pulled it towards him, Adik handed him a spoon.

Adik : Nah spoon, Abang.

Abang : I don’t want it.

Adik : Use the spoon Abang, nanti tak tumpah. See ? See ?

And she demonstrated the usage of spoon for drinking.

Adik : See ? I’m clean….

Abang : Tak nak. Jangan kacau lah….

Adik : Abang… nanti tumpah lah….Mummy marah.

Abang : Tak … ! Don’t disturb me lah Adik. Abang nak makan !!

Abang : Makan lah !! ( Dengan muka berkerut – kerut )

I was not looking at them and was concentrating on my food when I heard her gasped. Sure enough, Abang and Adik were looking at his soiled shirt. Abang looked at me and gave me a sheepish smile.

Abang : Sikit saja ( sengih, sengih )

Adik : Look me Mum. I am clean. Tak de pun tumpah. I am so clever.

Mummy : Ha… tulah Abang. Tadi Adik wanted to be nice to you and you marah – marah. Sekarang Allah nak tunjuk Abang. You had never spilt your drink until today, Abang. Tengok tu.

Abang of course cried.

Adik : It’s okay Mummy, sikit saja… kan ? Sikit saja. Next time Abang guna spoon, okay ?

He he….

Mummy and Babah demam

Adik : Mummy demam ke ?

Mummy : A-ah… Sikit…

Adik : O- oh… Mummy panaslah… Mummy demam…

Mummy : Kesian mummy kan ?

Adik : It’s okay Mummy, I will take care of you. Nanti makan ubat and then you put yang lekat kat kepala tu ok ?

Mummy : Ohh… pandai hang noo…. Bila tang hang demam, punya dok merapu tak mau pakai benda tu… Bila kita demam pandai suruh kita lekat kat kepala….

Adik : Mum… I am not demam Mum…..

Mummy : Yelah….

Adik : Mummy kena take your medicine okay ? Then you sleep and rest okay ? Sebab nanti if you are sick you cannot drive…. I cannot go to my class and your boss marah…..

Mummy : My boss ?

Adik : Yes… Mummy, do you know Babah has a fat boss ?

Mummy : Really ? How do you know that ?

Adik : Mum… all boss are fat Mum….

Mummy : Oh ??

Adik : Yes….

He he… tak nak jadi boss lah….

Turn Babah dia pulak…

Adik : Babah demam ke ?

Babah : Yelah Ti. You will take care of me ?

Adik : Yes Bah, I will take care of you. Don’t worry.

And jumped over his Babah to be at his side.

Adik : Where does it hurt, Bah ?

Babah : Sini and sini and sini and sini.

Adik : Okay ..

And she started blowing everywhere.

Adik : Do you feel better ? Adik dah tiup dah ? Dah blow….

Babah : Belum Adik…

Adik : Okay, I try another trick okay ?

And she started to kiss her Babah everywhere.

Adik : Dah kan ? All better. I am so clever….

Hmm… yelah…

Adik the pesinent

Had breakfast at Azira this morning with my children before sending them to their mengaji class. Abang wolfed down his meehoon soup with gusto and Adik as usual, picked on her food.

“ Okay Mummy, I’m done..” she announced. Her plate was ¾ full.

“ Makan sikit lagi Adik. Next month is your birthday. You cannot be 4 years old and this small, ” said I.

She sighed. “ Mum… makan kat atas berak kat bawah…”. I raised my brows.

“ Makan sikit lagi, Adik…” said I again.

“ Mum… I am the pesinent. I can do whatever I want…”

This is the second time I heard the word pesinent. Since Abang was handily available for translation work, I asked him what it meant.

“ President…” he said simply, mouth full of meehoon.

Amboi, amboi, amboi……

Adik talking

I am very proud of Adik and her talking prowess. Oh, let me gloat, as I am a mother of children who decided to start talking when they neared 3.

Anyway, yesterday we were in Shah Alam Mall and as I was walking hand in hand with my little baby, she slipped. Babah and Mummy of course sniggered while Abang gave out a huge colossal laugh.

“ It is not funny !! ” Said the embarrassed tyke.

Of course Abang exaggerated another laugh and Mummy and Babah laughed out loud.

“ It is not funny at all !! ” She said and giggled herself. What a good sport.

When we got home and put them to bed, Adik snuggled close to her brother.

“ Adik !! Get away from me ! You are squishing me…” Said Abang.

Adik pretended she didn’t hear him and closed her eyes.

“ Mummy, make her sleep in her own bed because I don’t like being squished !! ”

I sighed and gently suggested that she sleeps in her own bed.

She went deeper into the duvet, smiled and me, eyes wide with mischief and said, “ Mum… it is better here. I am so comfortable…. ”. She did look all comfy and snuggly that I haven’t had the heart to make her leave.

Strategy baik punya….

When she was smaller, I couldn’t see the resemblance between brother and sister at all. Lately though I have noticed there are some facial resemblance but it ends at their huge eyes. The similarities are more evident in their mannerisms.

Last Monday Abang and Adik started kelas mengaji at Sekolah Ibnu Majah in Seksyen 8. Adik is of course very excited because even though it is only an hour a day but she is already officially a school-going child ( she is keeping up with her “ Esok Babah work ? Mummy ? Abang ? ” and when it got to her and the answer is now a yes, she would close her eyes and smile happily, cute head nodding….. kesian sungguh budak ni ).

When I came back from work on Monday she came running to me and announced happily, “ Mummy I have a friend !! She talked to me and we played … ! ” I smiled at her and asked what is her friend’s name. She looked at me and said, “ Owang. ” Okay and I asked her what is her ustaz’s name. Again the same look and said, “ Owang. ”

I squinted my eyes at her and asked, “ They have the same name ? ” Again she looked at me, this time a sort of far-away look, like she ceased looking at me anymore eventhough her eyes were trained on me. I know that look so well. I call it Abang’s thinking look. It would come about when I asked him a difficult question and he would be quiet, presumably thinking with that look upon his face, so much like what his sister was doing.

I looked at away. I got all emotional, mourning for the look my son stopped giving me.

Oh, merepeknya aku.

Not only girls who just wanna have fun...

One day, I asked Adik a Million Dollars question, “ Why are you so noisy, Adik ? ” and she answered with “ Because I want to have fun Mummy… ”.

I replied with, “ Oh ? You need to make a lot of noise when you are having fun ? ” and she replied, “ Yes Mum. I like to do fun stuffs.. ”and beamed and continued with her hullabaloo.

Either she concocted the answer on her own or Abang had properly tutored her because the words rang familiar. Last time Abang would always answer the same way when I questioned his needs to be loud/buy loads of toys/extremely rambunctious. Once after he answered the customary, “ I like to have fun, Mum ” and I gave him a look that borders from bewilderment to disbelief, he sighed and explained like he would to a younger person, “ Mum…. Kids like to have fun, Mum. We like to play and play bising – bising. It is what kids do. Or it would be very boring….. We must have fun !”.

-

Hmmmm….. have I totally forgotten my childhood ?

Burung murai, sayang

I love the Raya Petronas advertisement and very much humbled and inspired by it. You know……, “ Burung apa tu bah ? ” being asked over and over again and the patient “ Burung murai, nak ” from the father repeatedly. What a test of love and tolerance and I was determined to be like that so that when Abang became very abrupt and condescending towards me when I am old, I can tell him how patient I was with him without blushing because it is all true, yeah ?

Opportunity arose yesterday when in the car Abang complained that his sister is annoying him. “ Sabarlah, nak. ” Said I, very zen like.

“ Mum… she is annoying me…. ” came the complaint again.

“ Sabarlah, nak ” said me again.

“ Mummy she is blah, blah, blah… ”

“ Sabarlah, nak ”. I smiled sweetly at my husband, trying to show how patient I have become.

“ Mumm….. ”

“ Sabarlah, nak ”. I was on auto mode already.

At that time, Abang has had enough.

“ Stop saying that. I got the point already… ”.

Amboi….!! Belum apa – apa lagi dah tak sabar dengan mak dia. Uiihhhh….. sabarlah tangan ni……

How we spent our Sunday

Pagi – pagi hantar Abang to his tennis lesson. Babah, Mummy and Adik pegi mana lagi but Cili Merah for breakfast ( according to Babah’s mum, they now frequent Cili Merah every morning since Adik refused to have her roti canai anywhere else ).Abang's coach came to us and said that next year he is enrolling Abang in tennis tournaments. He mentioned that to me during raya already but I am still skeptical. Abang was excited, though.

“ Kat mana coach ? ” he asked.

“ Haa ? Kat mana ? ” asked the coach back.

“ Kat US ke ? ” Mak aiihh…. Dia buat dah si Abang ni.

“ Dulu dia nak masuk tournament kat Australia coach…. ” said Mummy malu – malu.

“ Waa ha ha ha ha….!! ” That came from the coach.

“ KL dulu Abang… KL dulu… ” said he, between gulps of laughter.

He he…..

Then Babah got very hulk like when his office called and ordered him to work. So the ones who were left at home had to make other plans. Why don’t we go and buy some food and then holed ourselves up in the room, air-cond blaring on high watching ghost movie ?

Yippee !! Everbody was nervously ecstatic ( we were excited but none of us are really that brave ). Then Adik tertidur. Then Mummy got heavy lidded too. Then Aunty Amelia sms-ed to remind us that we were invited to her house. Since we were not even peckish, Mummy said why don’t we just eat at Aunty Melia’s house ? Abang said okay ( food is not very high on his agenda anyway ).

Then Babah got home. Yeah… pegi rumah Amir !! Adik then enquired about cerita hantu. Babah said after rumah Amir, we can go and get some scary dvds. Went home at 7.30, sembahyang maghrib, watched Blade while waiting for Isyak. After Isyak, Babah still clad in his kain baring sat. Abang baring sebelah Babah and before we know it was off to slumberland. It was 8.30. By 8.45 Mummy realised Babah was snoring. Biar benar depa ni ?

Adik though was restless. She was turning left and right while watching CSI and sedaq – sedaq, si kecik tu pun dah tiduq. Mummy fought valiantly trying to get to the end of CSI. As soon as the credits rolled in she succumbed to her fatigue and slept soundly.

By 6 am, everybody was awake. The first thing Adik said when she mamai-ing opened her eyes, “ Bila nak bayar cd hantu Mummy ? ” Hmm… tonight babe, tonight. If we are not asleep by 7 that is…

Babies are stupid

We were having breakfast at G Hotel ( don’t ever stay there. It is rubbish. RM 400 over for nothing… seriously ) in Penang and I was eating some excellent cheese from the cheese board. I asked Abang to try it and he of course refused, saying that he doesn’t like cheese.

Mum : But you used to like cheese Abang.

Abang : When I was a baby ? Well, I changed my mind.

Mum : Dulu when we were in Belgium, we would take some cheese from the buffet and feed you with it while we tour the city. You loved it… ( said I while waving the cheese in his direction ).

Abang : Mum, babies they do not know anything. They just eat what people give them because they don’t know how to taste. They eat and eat because they do cannot smell.

Mum : Oh ?

Abang : Mum… babies are so stupid. They just eat what people give them...

Uiihhh....

Trying to keep Adik quiet

Semalam, more drama with my kids. Adik buat drama dah lama, though. She will start her conversation innocently enough.

-

Adik : Esok Mummy pegi work ?

Mum : Pegi.

Adik : Babah ?

Mum : Pegi.

Adik : Abang ?

Mum : Pegi.

Adik : Adik ?

Mum : Duduk rumah ye ? (with a groan as this happens every single day so Mummy knows what is gonna happen next)

Adik : Waaa.... Adik nak pegi sekolah ( x 100 ). Adik nak pegi school ( x 100 ).

Mum : Pegi tanya abah ko ...... Dia yang tak bagi....

Adik : Bah !!!

-

This has been going on since start of this year, stopped for awhile, surfaced a few times each proceeding month and repeated with intensity every day since this very month. I don't want to handle this because this is her Babah punya kerja. She cried and cried and cried even promises of sushi was of no help. I finally said, " Adik, you can go to school after your birthday okay ? After your party I will send you to school okay ? But if you cry, there will be no birthday party.... ".

-

She agreed and stopped the hullabaloo. Just to goad her Babah further, I whispered to her, " Tell Babah kalau Babah nak Adik diam pasal school, you have to buy me Mickey Mouse necklace... ". She perked up. " Nolah Mummy. Mummy lah cakap.... ".

-

" Adik lah cakap.... " " Mummy cakap for me okay ? " Then came Babah's voice, " What are you two whispering about ? ".

-

I looked at her and she avoided looking at me. " Adik kata if you want her to be quiet, you have to compensate for her non-schooling year with a Mickey Mouse necklace. " Babah looked at us. Since Adik is Babah's princess, what can he say but " Okay .... ". He he...

-

I looked at Adik and she grinned, her thumb up. I reciprocated. Babah..... he he.

-

Anyway, since we did mention sushi, Adik of course membuat tuntutan. Pegilah kami ke Sushi King. Before masuk kereta, Adik suddenly remembered a new purple dress that her Aunty Su bought her. Dekat pintu kereta ni dok " Bah, I need my purple dress... " " Adik you are wearing a purple dress.... " Countered Babah, patience slowly ebbing from his body...

" Not this one. This one pyjamas... I want my purple dress Bah... ". Sigh.. I sternly ordered her to get in the car and be quiet.

-

Of course she was not quiet and was sobbing uncontrollably. Tensionnya aku. After one fight to another !! When we got to a quite dark place, Babah pulled another trick. " Adik, if you are not quiet, I will leave you here. "

-

When she raised her sobs an octave higher, Babah literally stopped the car and I opened the door. Abangnya pulak started wailing. " No ! No ! She is my only sister !! No ! No ! " Babah and I exchanged smiles. Adik got smart and shut her mouth. Abang sobbed, hugging his precious little sister.

-

Hmmm.... how long do we have to keep this up ?

Bukan I !!

I came home yesterday to see a frowning husband and a missing daughter. My son was his usual happy self. He however showed me his remote control car that looked brand new yesterday morning when I left for work and Adik was playing with it. That evening though, the aerial was broken.

“ Adik did this Mummy, she broke my toy.” informed my son, eyes round, face solemn. “ But the problem is dia tak mengaku !! She lied in front of everybody !! ” He added. Ohh…. That is serious indeed.

“ Where is she ? ” I asked. “ In Wan’s room. She went there when Abah marah dia…. ” Abang answered, tone scandalous. I instructed him to fetch his sister.

As usual since Abah was still in the room, she entered with eyes covered by her hands. She ran to me and gave me a hug.

Mum : Adik broke Abang’s toy ?

Adik : Noo... bukan I.

Mum : Adik…. You know what we feel about lying. Adik rosakkan toy Abang ?

Adik : Bukan. Not me.

Mum : Adik, orang yang tipu masuk neraka remember ? Adik nak masuk neraka ?

Adik : Tak nak. I don’t like here anymore. I want to go to bilik Wan.

Mum : Adik, dalam neraka ada apa ?

Abang : Ada api ( menyampuk pulak budak ni. He was standing next to Adik, looking intently at his sister ) and big, humongous monsters that will eat you.

Mum : Adik nak kena makan api ke ? Tak nak kan ? Okay, say sorry to Abang.

Adik : Sorry Abang… ( She leaned on her brother, looking remorse )

Mum : Sorry for what Adik ? Say sorry because I broke your toy.

Adik : Bukan I ( body instantaneously erect ).

Mum : Adik, remember neraka ? ( at this point the abang was squirming )

Adik : Not me.

Mum : Adik, say sorry to Abang !

Adik : Sorry Abang ( this time she hugged her brother and Abang was holding her tight. She did look sorry so I was very hopeful ).

Mum : Sorry for what Adik ? Come on. You are sorry because you broke his toy.

Adik : ( again she was defiant ) Not me. Bukan ( and shook her head ).

Mum : Adik, nak kena bakar dengan api ke ?

Abang : Adik, it is okay Adik. Abang tak marah pun. It’s okay.

Mum : Go on then, say sorry because you broke his toy.

Adik : Sorry Abang because I broke your toy… waaargghh….!!

Abang : It’s okay Adik. I will still love you even if you break my toys. Many, many toys.

And they hugged. And Adik was smiling again. Ya Allah, please lembutkan lah hati si Adik ni macam abang dia…..

9 days with my kids

I had wonderful 9 days with my children. I was happy to be with them and them.. well they showed me what they really are capable of doing.

Let’s start with Abang. I think I have mentioned that we trained our kids to be able to talk and express themselves. I teach ( well taught now since we are thinking of stopping this particular type of training ) them to be able to do things for themselves, have no fear of voicing out what they need and what is required.

Then one fine day during Raya, we found that we have actually over trained him…Selamatkan lah aku, Ya Allah….

We were at McDonald’s ( save me again, Allah ) and as usual, with the Happy Meal comes a toy that is gender specific. Since I have a pair, I asked for one boy toy which was a dino-robot thing and a girl one which was My Little Pony doll. Adik dislikes toys with flowing hairs and asked for a change. We of course sent Abang to do the deed. He approached the manager, a guy with a protruding belly and looked nowhere near my son’s age.

“ Dik, dik… boleh tak adik saya nak tukar toy ni ? ” It was a horrifying moment for any mothers. I looked at the guy and he was looking down at my son, one hand on the counter top and lips one thin line. Babah clutched my arms.

I think the guy asked what sort of toy Adik wanted because Abang answered, “ Dia nak toy robot jugak. Boleh tak ? ” He bent down and handed it over to Abang. Abang shook his head and said, “ Adik saya tak nak yang ini. Dia nak yang lagi satu…. ” and proceeded to the toys’ display and pointed at the desired toy.

When he came back, he informed us that they do not have any other toys but the same one that he has, so Adik has to be contend with it. Babah and I looked at him as he resumed his eating.

“ Why did you call that guy dik ? ” I asked.

“ I don’t know… ” he shrugged.

“ He is older than you, you know… ”. He looked at me and nodded his head. “ So, you should call him abang.. ”. At this point he looked at me, realizing that this is another lesson of life that we are bestowing on him, also means that he done a whopper yet again.

“ That was quite rude, Abang calling somebody older than you adik…” said I again. At this point, his eyes went bigger and rounder, a sure sign that he is going to cry. I sighed and shoved a calorie laden fry inside my mouth instead.

The next morning, he was hounding us to get him to a pasar mini. “ I want to buy Transformers card ” said he, raya money burning in his pocket. “ Which pasar mini ? ” Seksyen 9, he answered. I racked my brain for a pasar mini at Seksyen 9 and took him to the one at seksyen 8.

Babah went in with him and before Babah could open his mouth, he asked the shopkeeper, “ Pakcik ( he got it right this time ) dekat sini ada jual kad Transformers tak ? ” The pakcik answered in negative form but showed him a Transformers packet that has a toy inside. Hmmm…. Well he had to make a sale, I suppose. My son took it and started to feel the packet, to gauge the toy inside. “ Boleh pecah tak toy ni ? Sebab kalau senang pecah nanti mak saya marah…. ”. Aduih, tensionnya budak ni. You don’t have to rat on your mother you know. The pakcik of course said the toy could survive brimstone and fire. Without asking for his father’s permission, he said he’ll take it and paid for it and left, leaving a bewildered Babah in the shop.

Hmmmm………….

Si Adik pulak lain ceritanya. I took them to their piano class on Saturday the 8th of Raya. I waited on the bench in front of their classes when Adik came out first with her teacher in tow. She took my handphone and showed it to her teacher. The wallpaper of my phone at that time was Babah’s picture, taken by the princess herself.

“ Look at my father teacher…” she said, holding the phone up to her teacher. When she politely looked at the picture of the dashing Babah, Adik added, “ He is so cute !! ”. I went red with embarrassment. I swear the hallway went quiet. I dared not look at her teacher when I grabbed her and pulled her to me. She really couldn’t shut her mouth when she helpfully said, “ My father is just a boy.. ”. Eh ? What does that mean ?

I smiled awkwardly at her teacher because you know, my daughter looked like she was trying to get a replacement for her mummy ! Surely her mother must be horrible if she was promoting her father like that. Aduih…

Abang then emerged from his class. When Adik saw him she said, “ Have you met my brother, teacher ? ” Without waiting for her teacher’s answer she said, “ This is my brother, Abang. ” Her hand gesturing to him lazily, like an old hand at introducing people.

Hmm……… ( again ).

Cerita minggu ini

Last night I slept on my sejadah after Maghrib. I was so tired I decided to baring sekejap and then terus lelap. Babah woke me up at 9 and was quite upset because I missed my Japanese class.

I then decided to go down and cook for our sahur. Abang requested for pasta. Adik decided to follow me to the kitchen. While waiting for the pasta to boil, we sat on the floor for a cuddle. She was on my lap and I was fiddling with her hair and singing. When I finished singing, she said to me, “Mummy, you are a good mother.”

Mummy : Really ? Why ?

Adik : Because you make me things and give me something to eat and you like to hug me.

Mummy : Thank you honey for the appreciation.

Adik : ( Grinned ) You’re welcome Mummy.

Babah then came down to announce that he is going out to buy Abang’s chocolate milk. Adik of course wanted to follow. She held her father’s hand, looked at me as she was about to take a step and said, “Don’t forget the mushrooms Mummy for the basgetti.” He he….. comelnya.


2 weeks ago, Abang again complained why Harith ( Babah’s nephew ) is older and bigger than him. I have tried explaining to him in various ways. That day, I tried a different route.

Mummy : Abang, you must understand that Harith was born first. He was born before you. He was born before Babah and Mummy got married even.

Abang : Oh ? Why didn’t you get married yet ? Because Babah was not ready ?

Babah and Mummy looked at each other. Dah start merepek dah budak ni.

Babah : Merepek lah ko ni Abang.

Abang : Bah, is it because you have another girlfriend Bah ?

Dengan itu Mummy dengan muka yang berkerut dan tangan kat pinggang swiveled around to look at Babah. Babah looked shocked, then scared.

Babah : Apa ko merepek ni Abang ?

Abang : Yelah, usually the fathers tak nak kawin because they are not ready Bah. Because they have another girlfriend Bah.

Aiseh, buku apa yang ko baca, cerita apa yang ko tengok ni Abang ?