Anak-anak ku lagi

Elsa had had enough after 2 days of scratching her body

“Nyamuk ni suka gigit saya lah, Mummy. He thinks I am food… selalu gigit-gigit saya…” Said Elsa one day. “Wow !! They think you are McDonald’s ?” I teased. She solemnly nodded her head, lips in a pout and replied, “Ha… dia ingat saya burger macam Babah yang ada sayur tu….” He he…. Big Mac….

I was telling them a story before bedtime when she made the complaint. Umar had his head on my shoulder while he listened (and interrupted with his questions and his own versions…weii… susah betul nak bercerita…) and Elsa was busy scratching here and there. Now Umar’s head is huge. So huge in fact that his songkok is bigger than his Babah’s. No kidding. Therefore my shoulder was rightly sore when he drifted to sleep.

I climbed back to my bed and while waiting for sleep to claim me I had to hear Elsa thrashing on her bed until Dan called her.

“What, Bah ? What do you want ?”

“Eleh… buat tanya pulak… mari jelah sini….”

She ran with the speed of light to us and jumped on the bed.

“What do you want me to do, Bah ?” She asked innocently. Apa ke hal nya budak ni ? Pura-pura tak tahu pulak. I grabbed her tiny waist and deposited her next to me, her head neatly landed on my shoulder.

Not a good idea as my shoulder was still burning from Umar’s weight.

‘Ei… kecik… Why are you using my shoulder lah ? Babah invited you here, so you use his shoulder lah…” Said I, trying to be tactful… he he.

“But I want you , Mummy…” She snuggled closer.

Wah… My shoulder doesn’t want anybody.

“But Ti, Babah has strong shoulders. It is very nice and firm…. Very strong…” Said I.

She immediately changed shoulders. “Yes lah Bah… your shoulder is nicer….” She said and Babah gave me a swift kick under the covers….

He he…. Siapa yang tak dapat tidur malam tu sebab kena tidur dengan Elsa yang lasak ? Not me !! Ha ha…..

The next morning as usual after my toilette, I started the process of waking up my children. Even though it is the school holidays, I do not allow my babies to wake up late. I hold dear my parents’ “Early bird gets the worm” adage.

Again as usual, I started with Umat first. Punya lah malas, he rolled to the floor, his back on the tiles as he backstroked out of my room, using his legs and him arms in back-stroking action to propel him, eyes tightly shut all the while. I looked at him in wonder, because I have seen my siblings did that (and I am sure I have done that before) and thinking Dan couldn’t see this because he will blame my keturunan again.

I wasn’t even near my daughter (because I was busy looking at Umar with a feeling of deja-vu) when I heard she said, “Mummy… don’t disturb me okay. I am still sleepy okay because semalam saya tidur lambat… Okay ? So don’t disturb me and try to wake me up….”

And then terus sengap. Aku tak tahu mana nak tengok. Nak cover up Umar sebelum Babah dia nampak and start tut-tuting again ke or check on my daughter if she really was the one who spoke.

Hmmm……..

Elsa tak sayang abang ke ?

Few weeks ago, my sister Ita called me while I was working. It was Tuesday, a Mandarin class day and boy she had a story to tell me.

“Kau tahu aku pegi ambik budak-budak kan… bila aku sampai Umar kat luar rumah tengah nangis and Elsa kat pintu marah-marah….” Said Ita.

“Elsa halau Umar keluar rumah !!” She added.

I don’t know why the phrase terperanjat beruk was coined, but what Ita said was so unexpected I am sure terperanjat beruk was what I felt when I heard that.

Ita said she stumbled upon U-um storming out of the house, crying. When Ita asked him, he said Elsa asked him to leave so he is leaving.

“Emotional gila U-um, La. Dia terus nak keluar rumah. Yang dia pergi dengar cakap Elsa kenapa ?”

Although I laughed, Ita didn’t. She was thinking more in the line of if she didn’t come when she did, where would Umar be ?

When I got home, I rounded my children.

“What happened ?”

Nobody said anything. When I asked Umar why he attempted to leave, he said because Elsa asked him to.

“Elsa… where do you expect Umar to go ? This is his house too. Umar nak pergi mana ? Kalau Umar hilang macam Sharlinie karang macamana ?”

Both of them were quiet. When I tried to prod the reason of the fight, they were incommunicado.

“Please don’t do that ever again Elsa. And Umar pun, stay put. Where did you think you were going to go ?”

I left it at that because there is nothing much that I can say, right ?

Wrong.

A few days after that, abang and adik were having a hushed fight. You know, bickering with furious whispers. I couldn't make out what they were fighting about of course, but then as I was surreptiously watching them, I saw Elsa hand on her hips, nudging her head to the door. Was that another eviction order ?

I had plenty to say after that !!

ELsa bila demam

Elsa bila demam equals fights and cryings. Why ? Because she hates taking her medicines. “Sikit saja, Mummy !! Wa ! Wa !” Or “I do want that colour !! I want yang pink tuh !!” Well.. you get the picture.

Elsa tergolong dalam golongan yang kena marah bila demam. People especially children who are unwell usually get sympathy and extra tender loving care, but Elsa actually got more anger thrown at her while she is sick.

During her recent sickness, she was plagued with high fever. It was worrying. We bathed her constantly and kept her on skimpy, airy and light clothes. We also had to keep cajoling her to take her medication. After awhile cajoling turned to threats. Haii….

The thing was she pretended not to be sick. I suspected she was sick a day before she got any fever. Her voice was screechy and she was listless. “Are you sick, Elsa ?” Asked I. She laughed. “No !! I am not sick !!” She said and ran away.

The next morning I greeted her with a “Panas tak badan ?” and she replied with an angry “Don’t ask me that question !”

By the second day after a night of fighting to get the medicine to her throat, I instinctively reached for her forehead as soon as I opened my eyes. However the little minx caught my hand before I could touch her.

“Don’t touch me there !!” And quickly scrambled up. I was too shocked for words because I thought she was asleep.

“Okay Mummy ? You cannot touch me at all okay Mummy ? You don’t touch me here, here, here… okay Mummy ?” She instructed after successfully putting herself at a safe distance from me.

Tak payah pegang dahi, Elsa… your hands pun cukup panas. Malas to cause her more distress, I shrugged my shoulders and prepared for Subuh, knowing fully well that she will take her medicines no matter what.

When I got out from the bathroom, I saw her lying on my bed and my son who was buttoning his school uniform was by her side, talking urgently to her.

“Ti !! You must makan ubat, okay Ti !!”

“Tak nak…. Tak sedap… I am not sick…..”

“Ti … you have to makan ubat. Kalau tak nanti Titi mati… Titi nak mati ke ?” Asked my son.

“No, Um… I am not sick !!” She insisted.

Umar started to get desperate and when he next spoke, his voice was laced with desperation and tears.

“Ti…. I don’t want you to die… Please makan ubat…… Please, Ti !!” The abang pleaded.

Kesian aku nengok abang si Elsa ni. However Elsa was not moved at all and was still adamant that she was healthy. Umar gave up and went down for his breakfast weeping silently.

I remember Dan’s sister recounted me a story of Elsa who had some ailment while she was around at her mom’s house. She managed to persuade Elsa to drink her medicine however when she swallowed, it triggered a coughing fit.

Umar was at his sister’s side in an instant.

“Aunty Wawa … did you give my sister racun ?” Asked he in a scandalous tone while helping his sister up and took her away from Aunty Wawa…

He he… …

My nieces

I miss my nieces. Since Umar and Elsa go home after school, I hardly ever see my 2 girls. So 2 nights ago I ajak Babah to bawak Esya and Ana keluar dinner. Ana is always game, she is very rajin that one, but Esya is a different matter. She loves to stay home and usually malas nak keluar. Nak tengok tv lah, nak tidur lah, nanti ayah cari lah…. Ada aje alasan dia. Mummy vows that she will do something to get Esya out of her laziness.

So imagine my surprise when Babah honked the car, both of them came running out of the house.

“Esya ikut ke ? Esya ikut Mummy ke ?” Asked the very excited Mummy.

“Mummy ! Mummy !” Cried Ana happily. Tapi Esya went,

“Is that Abang U-um ?? Abang U-um ! Abang U-um !!” She yelled while frantically looking for her shoes.

“Esya ikut Mummy ke ?” Asked me, still could not quite believe it.

“Abang U-um ! Abang U-um ! I saw abang U-um tadi !! Is that abang U-um ?” She ignored my questions and kept on with her abang U-um.

“Sapa Abang U-um tu, Sya ? Umar ke ?” Asked me in a frown. Abang U-um ? I know Umar liked to use his title whenever it suited him but I never heard anybody calls him that on a permanent basis.

“Ha ! Abang U-um !! Abang U-um !! There he is ! I saw him kat sekolah tadi, Mummy !! Abang U-um ambik hadiah. Is that really Abang U-um !!” She was all-euphoric, yelling and jumping at the same time.

I looked at her questioningly then Kak Idah, my mom’s maid came out.

“Dia rindu tu, Jang ! Kan dah lama tak datang…” Lepas tu Kak Idah pulak menjerit-jerit, “Umar !! Titi !!” and ran to the car, arms waving and trying to get hugs and kisses from my children. Kelakar gilo eeii dia orang ni. Rindu bebenor.

In the car I asked Esya why she called Umar abang U-um. Marlin helpfully answered, “Haii…. Umar kan paksa dia orang panggil dia abang Umar… Dia kan boss….” Umar grinned sheepishly at his parents who just shook their heads. Gila kuasa budak ni.

“Tadi at school saya nampak abang Umar ambik hadiah, Mummy !” Said Esya excitedly.

“Really, baby ?” Said Mummy, stroking her face fondly. “You did not point your finger and say, “Hey !! That’s my cousin !!” out loud ke ?” He he… cheekily planting havoc-inducing ideas to my progeny.

“No !! I did not but I did jumpa dia when dia jalan..” Said Esya.

“A-ah, Mummy. She called me when she was beratur tu pergi class….” Said Umar and then I couldn’t say anything anymore because Esya was busy talking and laughing with Umar. Rindu sangat gamaknya tu.

We had a lovely dinner where Ana refused the orange juice we ordered for her but instead wanted Babah’s ‘ayer gash….’.

When we got to my mom’s house after dinner, Ana looked stricken and worried. She refused to get out of the car.

“Titi sayang Ana…” Said Ana, face unhappy, stabbing her cute finger to her chest repeatedly.

O-oh..

Ana memang sayang Titi. When my kids were with my mom, every late afternoon when I came to pick my children Ana would be distressed because I came to take Titi away. Her trick is usually, “Ana nak tidur, Titi tidur Ana…” and off Ana would go to her room, tugging Titi along and they will baring and Ana would pat her bum as a signal for Titi to do that to her. So Titi pun pok-pok lah Ana’s tooshie, sambil nyanyi-nyanyi. Of course since it was 7 pm, who in the right mind could fall asleep ?

If I tried to tell her that Titi has to go home, Mummy is tired, Mummy nak sembahyang blah, blah, blah.. she would start wailing. Worse if she crossed her arms, lips in a pout and announced importantly “Ana ajuk ni…”

“Titi sayang Ana !!” Said Ana again, face so sad.

“Titi kiss Ana okay ? Titi sayang Ana…” Said kakak Titi pulak.

“Nanti Titi datang rumah Tok, okay ?” Pandai Titi pujuk.


“Titi sayang Ana….” She said again. Sedih hati Mummy tengok tapi Umar dah nak lelap (boys and their 9.30 pm bed time theory). But I cannot see Ana like that. I was about to say, “Okaylah,jom masuk sekejap…” Ana climbed down the car, waved at Titi and run shrieking happily into the house. Cepat betul berubah mood budak ni. Belum ada PMS lagi tuh… he he….

Umar and his mouth

On Sunday we went to Elsa’s concert at Dewan Jubli Perak. It was really, really long from 8 am to 1 pm. The concert could have been good I suppose if it had been better organized. Seriously I had more fun at Umar’s CEC’s concert.

Anyway we were late and went there without breakfast. They did supply one doughnut and 1 karipap per family (please concentrate on the per family part… well actually that is quite good because CEC never thought about the condition of our bellies…. ) but being parents, GOOD parents, we let Umar ate it all, our healthily sized (read fat) boy.

Anyway all the waiting was a revelation. Why ? Because I found out that Umar has a very sassy mouth.

At 9 am Umar had started complaining about his hunger and the failure of the organisers to start the concert made him more anxious. Predictably the concert started late and it started with speeches. The speech given by Adun Bandar Anggerik, a Yaacob Saperi was good though as his was the one I listened to from start to finish.

Then the emcee (there were two, funny enough. One was speaking in English and the other did Arabic translations. Dan and I looked around in vain, trying to locate any Arabs among the guests but we couldn’t find any. There were a few mat sallehs, but no Arabs… so that part was a bit intriguing) announced that they will be closing the drapes because they are going to assemble all the students for the hafazan.

Umar of course was not concentrating but when they closed the drapes he was on alert. “Apa payah tutup curtain tu. Beratur, jalan duduk…” said the all-knowing me.. he heh…

“I think maybe somebody is going naked….” Was Umar’s reply…. Orang keliling was clearly not paying attention either and a few looked at him. Mummy and Babah punya segan tok sah cerita lah and Mummy pun marah lah Umar… he he…

Anyway while waiting for the children to be organized, the emcee and his nasyid friends sang a few songs for us. Hmmmm…. not that I want to be critical but practice, practice and practice okay ?

The concert was seriously very boring and I blame the teachers. They lack imagination and the drive to produce something nice and entertaining. Maybe I am being over critical, I don’t know but as I mentioned earlier, I attended CEC’s concerts for 3 years and theirs were good. Luckily the show was performed by children and their antics was what that saved us from boredom. The kids were cheeky, energetic and funny and oh so adorable. There were a few shy ones too which I found really endearing. Some forgot the routine, which made us laugh, and one boy was really cute. He had forgotten his lines and his teacher had to give him the script. He then recited it beautifully, tapi malu-malu of course.

Apa anak aku kata ? “Luckily he can read kan Mummy ?”

Udah… apa ke halnya Umar ? Mummy gave him the severest of jelings that he went quiet.

There were a few other stuffs he said that wasn’t nice but the most severe one was when they again closed the drapes to arrange the stage for the graduation ceremony. And again the nasyid boys went on stage. The emcee said, “Please allow us to entertain you again..” or something in that manner and my son… waaahh !! My boy said, “Not in a million years …” Masa tu aku dah tak tau nak buat apa dah and just hid behind the papers.

As I mentioned earlier we woke up late. What with nak sembahyang Subuhnya, then preparing the kids, then doing our own toilette plus having to go buy local fruits because the school asked for local fruits donations. To make matters worse, Dan is a punctual being and therefore had this unnecessary need to be there by 8 because the programme stated parents' arrival was to be at that time. So who had time for breakfast ? Defensive ni.... he he

When they closed the drapes again which was around 12, we thought we could get Elsa since she was not graduating.The task fell on Dan and Umar who went backstage to get her. However apparently all students will be getting something so we were asked to wait. So we waited and waited and waited when I noticed my son was missing. I looked around but couldn’t find him. I located Dan who sat at the furthest back, and was informed that Umar was backstage again, trying to get his sister.

Aisehman… My face flamed with embarrassment because I have seen him being insistent. They are not pretty for the mother’s eyes. 2 minutes later, he emerged triumphant from backstage with his sister in hand. “What did you say to the teacher, Umar ?” Asked me as we raced to Kelana Jaya for a much needed nasi padang.

“That I’m hungry and my sister is hungry because we did not have breakfast…” Ceh… cannot jaga your mother’s air muka ka ?

Anak ku Elsa …

Last Friday Dan and I went to Subang Parade to get new tennis shoes from Al-Ikhsan for me. Umar deicided not to come so we went a-trois. Kebetulan it was Halloween and therefore some places were suitably decorated.

“Look, Mummy !! Pumpkin tu ada mata…. Macam Halloween…” Exclaimed my daughter.

“It is Halloween, little girl….” I confirmed.

“Really ?” She said with a skeptical look on her face.

We walked some more and saw a few more Halloween decorations.

“Is it really Halloween, Mum ?” She asked, brows furrowed.

“Iye…..” Yelah… apa lagi nak jawab kan ? However her face still looked disturbed.

I wasn’t that hungry and Dan couldn’t find anything appetizing in Subang Parade, so we went to Khalifah Sek 3 for tosai.

Dan and I were chatting when suddenly Elsa interrupted. “Is it really Halloween today, Mummy ?”

Aiseh… awatnya budaknya ni ?

“Yes it is….” Said I and before I could ask why she added darkly, “Then why isn’t everybody wearing a costume ?”

Mummy and Babah burst out laughing. While I’m writing this, my mind keeps going to her face when she said it, disbelieving with a hint of anger…. He he….

Permintaan Ana

All of us went to my cousin Nasha’s wedding. Umar, Elsa, Esya and Anna included, of course. It was a lovely wedding (hot, but still lovely) at Tasik Titiwangsa and the kiddies were having a blast playing and eating free ice-cream, which Mak Unggai thoughtfully hired the whole truck for the occasion. Yumm…

The children were having fun, running about and looking at the lake when suddenly Esya screamed in delight. “Look ! Look everybody ! Horses !!” Sure enough, when we looked there were two horses walking about, mounted by DBKL officials. The kids were excited, Anna especially who kept begging us to get her nearer to the magnificent creatures.

Anna rode with us on the way home, and as usual sat on my lap. We were chatting happily, talking about this and that. There was a lull on the conversation and we were just content looking at the scenery (I remember this so well. We were at the traffic light, underneath the NPE bridge, wanting to turn right to Pantai Dalam) when Anna broke the silence.

“Abah…. Anna nak osh….” Said she. She was not looking at Abah though when she said that.

“Aaa ? Osh ? Apa tu ?” Asked the Abah pulak.

Mummy was already laughing.

“Dia nak horse !! He he…. Anna nak horse ke ?” I asked.

She looked at me with that beautiful face and those lovely eyes that melted me. “Ha… Anna nak osh…” She confirmed, face all serious. My kids were noisy with excitement.

“Anna nak horse ke ?” Asked Umar who loves Anna dearly.

“Yey ! Anna nak horse !! Bah, I want one, too !!” Announced Titi bouncing happily.

Kesian Tok Mi pening kepala kat belakang… but she was laughing, too.

“Pandai Anna ye… Benda mahal-mahal mintak kat Abah, ye…..” Said me, teasing her. “Okay…. Anna kalau nak horse, kena mintak kat Abah betul-betul. Come on… look at Abah and say ‘Anna nak horse Abah… please…..’…..”

She turned around, looked at Dan, grinning away, head tilting to the side. Pandai sungguh….Sadly though shyness took over and she abandoned the act. She leaned on me and hugged me from the side.

“Anna nak osh…..” She whispered.

And aku being aku dok memikir macam mana aku nak bagi Anna kuda….. Macam mana yek ?

Macam - macam hal....

My eldest brother approached me last week with the best opening statement ever, “Umar tak reti basuh o-ok sendiri ye ?” Udah…. My heart sank and sank deeper.

“Memang lah tak reti !!” I replied, rather shrilly I might add. Due to fear I think as my head was already mentally ticking where I need to mop with extra vigor with superfluous amount of soap. “Ijat ngan Mail sampai darjah 3 aku masih basuh pungkok dia orang !!”. I jat and Mail… take note, do not be rude to me. You owe the state of your bums to me and Ita.

“Habis kalau tak de orang kat rumah, siapa yang basuh ?” He asked again. “He is never in a situation where there are no adults to wash him, Pek….” I answered. “Kenapa ni ?” I asked, getting hysterical.

He shook his head, his face grim. Abang aku memang suka buat macam tu. Cakap tak nak habis, buat orang panic. “Pernah tak Titi yang basuh dia ?” I am sure my eyes grew round and round and round at that.

“HA ????” Was all I could muster. The idea was too monstrous, too preposterous my mind couldn’t even conjure up the image.

I collected my kids without much delay. As soon as I locked the car door, I pounced on them.

“Who washed your bum today, Um ?” I asked.

“Bibik lah…” He answered lazily.

“Pernah tak Titi basuh o-ok U-um ?” With that he sat up straight. Elsa who was sitting at the back moved to the center of the car. I stole a look at Umar and his face was….. well… I don’t know how to describe it but I just don’t like how he looked at Elsa.

“Tak ! Mana ada !”

“Betul ke ni, Um ? Titi ?” I pressed.

“Betul lah. Mana ada Titi basuh o-ok Umar !!” Answered Titi.

“Tapi Mamu Pek cakap …” Said I and both of them snorted. My mom reported that day both of them bergaduh satu hari dengan Mamu Peknya. Abang aku kuat mengusik… dia memang suka buat orang nangis. Dia memang rajin main dengan anak-anak and games with him will be full of laughter but usually it will end up with somebody (or everybody) in tears.

“Mamu Pek naughty hari ni !!” Said my son with some anger. “Dia main baling-baling rambutan… kena kat muka !!” Umar memang geli dengan rambutan. When I brought Umar and Dan to my first overseas assignment in Bangkok, we stayed at a luxurious hotel along Sukhumvit Road. Umar was forever attacking the room phone (he was 2) and therefore to stop him, we positioned a few complimentary rambutans on the phone.

“A-ah kan Um !!” Elsa agreed.

So… are they saying my brother saja je nak kenakan dia orang ? But why the funny look he gave Elsa when I first brought up the subject ?

“Are you telling me the truth ????” I asked again.

“Mum… smell my hand Mummy..” Said Elsa extending her hand to me. “It smells nice… it doesn’t smell bad…”

Kelakar sungguh si Elsa.

“Yelah… I don’t mean just now. Yesterday maybe… two days ago ? Three days ?”

“Mana ada lah, Mummy !!” Said now the clearly frustrated Umar. “Okay, okay… like this. Ti, do you know how to wash your own o-ok ?” Said he, looking at his sister expectantly.

“No… I don’t know….” She answered, shaking her head.

“See Mum ? If she doesn’t know how to wash her own o-ok… how can she wash mine ?”

He really got me at that. So I shut my trap.

PS : After that he kept on complaining about my brother. To calm him down I said, “Mamu kan main-main saja….”.

“But it’s rambutan ! I hate rambutan !! Anyway he is so rough…”

“Umar… what kinds of uncles do you like ? An uncle that ignores you or an uncle that actually took time to play with you ?”

He became quiet.

“When you are all grown up nanti, you are able to tell your children about your very playful uncle. Nanti Umar cakap pasal Mamu Pek who once threw rambutan at you !!”

He then laughed.

“So nanti when I grow up I have my own BUDAK…., I will tell them about my past ?” He said, grinning inanely at me.

Budak ? Merepeknya ko anak ku…

Light colours

I do laundry like my mom. Well… I do not know any other way because I was trained by her kan ? I do however make improvements. My mom only has one basket and everyday she would sort out the pile; light, dark and white.

Me though, I have 3 baskets lined up, one for each category so that everyday after work either me or Dan can just hitch the whichever basket that was full to our waists and start the washing process. Usually Dan and I have to make judgment calls between light and dark but I never thought that my children would have to do the same too. Well… because I never trained them to do so just yet. Must be their Babah.

Anyway, I was preparing for Maghrib when I heard this conversation;

Umar : What do you think, Ti ? Is this dark or soft ?

Elsa : Hmmmm… I don’t know lah, Um. It’s pink….

Umar : But it is very bright kan, Um. Maybe dark….

Elsa : Okay lah, Um.

I looked and saw my kids, gloriously naked, both looking back and forth between the 3 baskets and the bright pink trousers. Finally after much deliberation and discussion between them, Umar tossed the offending garment in the dark coloured basket.

He he…

PS : Aku pun dalam dilemma pile mana bright pink track bottom tu belongs to.

Hmm… actually their conversation answered my questions on Elsa’s usage of the word light.

We were in Perak for Raya and since my grandma was with us during Ramadhan we couldn’t stay in her house because it was locked up for the whole month. So we stayed at my Uncle Mat’s house instead.

Uncle Mat and Aunty Aisyah lives in a lovely 2 storey bungalow near the Ipoh Airport. I love the area because it is very cold and windy, especially in the morning. His house was huge with loads of rooms and were each given rooms for our use. Uncle Mat assigned his daughter Syakira’s room to us.

Elsa gasped in delight when I opened the door to Syakira’s room. The room was really cosy, I have to admit with white carpeting, white bed, pink floral curtains and the icing on the cake, bright pink walls.

“I want my room just like this, Bah !!” She announced. Since she kept commenting on how lovely the room was, Babah had to ask, “Do you really want me to make your room just like this ?” Her answer ? “Yes, please …” He he… comel.

Anyway, tired of hearing her praises and pleadings to do her room just like it, I said to her, “Ti, your room pun pink, kan ?” And she shot back, “But it’s too light !! I can’t really see it !!”

Terkejut giler Mummy dengar penggunaan too light tuh… I was thinking mana lah dia belajaq rupa-rupanya from her experience sorting out her laundry… he he.

Actually her room is extremely light purple because I thought pink would be too tacky… but Uncle Mat pulled it off…. Hmm…..

My little Elsa

Last Saturday I had the privilege of having Esya with me. The 3 of them played and rowed and played some more and of course rowed again.

I was in my room folding the clothes and the kiddies were outside, busy with the Play Station. Suddenly…

Umar : Tak boleh Esya. Itu abang Umar punya toy….. (Umar ni memang… kalau nak tunjuk authority mula lah flashing title).

Esya : Mumble Mumble Whine Whine

Umar : Cannot. Esya banyak ambik toy abang Umar. You can play it here but you cannot take it home…

Esya : Alah…. Mumble Mumble

Elsa : Kenapa ni ? What’s wrong ?

Umar : Esya nak ambik toy abang Umar nak bawak balik ! (In a condescending tone. Aku ni duduk kat situ dengor aje anak aku berlagak …)

Elsa : Esya… that is Umar’s toy. Dia nak main. Esya selalu ambik toy Umar bawak balik…

Esya : Whine Whine Whine

Elsa : Umar !! Share lah !! Why cannot you share ?

He he….. pulak….

Selepas itu….

As usual before bed Mummy and Babah would talk while drifting to sleep. We had a long day and everybody was tired. My eyes were closed while I listened to Dan. Suddenly…

Elsa : Mummy, Babah. Please do not talk after midnight okay ? I am tired, I want to sleep.

Babah : Eh budak ni. Tidurlah….

Elsa : You be quiet, Bah. You are too noisy. I want to sleep.

Mummy : Okaylah, okaylah. Dah tidur !

Elsa : (under her breath) I cannot sleep like this…. Bebel Bebel Bebel….

Lepas tu..

Elsa : Um ! Talk Talk Talk Talk

Umar : Elsa ! Umar nak tidur lah. Can you please be quiet ?

Elsa : I cannot sleep, Um !! Talk Talk Talk

Kurang asam punya budak kecik…


Selepas itu…

Elsa loves to follow Mummy around. Mummy mandi, ada orang teman kan. Mummy on the john pun, ada je budak perempuan yang tercegat depan pintu dok membebel pasal Dina lah (she doesn’t like this one), Soleha (she sits next to her), Sophia (Dina had been trying to make Elsa sit next to Sophia. For some reason Dina wants Soleha to sit alone… Hmm….) and the one that she mentions all the time….Hakim (loves to usik her, kacau dia and it seems that they spent most of their school time talking to each other. Again, hmmm……).

She especially loves it when I garden. If I water the plant, she would totter behind. If I complain, she would agree and tolong bebel sekali. Her acara favourite ? Digging.

“Are we digging today, Mummy ? Are we ?”

Kalau jawapannya yes, melompat lah dia and terus cari spade.

Satu hari as I was digging, I stumbled upon a worm. Apalagi menjerit lah aku. I was sitting on the patio and Elsa was on a stone tile that we use to make a pathway, in front of me. I jumped and screamed for my husband. Elsa joined in the hoopla.

Dan took his sweet time to inspect the screaming because I think he expected as much. When Dan scooped up the poor thing, Elsa was still standing on the tile. She looked so cute screaming with her eyes squeezed shut. Dan had to scoop her up and put her at a safe place where she and Mummy took time to collect themselves.

Then we resumed our gardening activities. She as usual talked happily while Mummy half listened when suddenly I heard,

Elsa : You don’t be scared okay. If the worm comes, you don’t worry okay. I am here. I will take care of you.

I looked at her and she was in profile, looking at me, nodding her head while her hands busy digging for whatever.

Elsa : Okay, Mummy ? Okay ? You don’t be scared, okay ?

Mummy : Okay.

Babah who was sitting near us, snorted.

Babah : Ti ! Worm !!

And melompat lah protector aku tadi, menjerit macam orang gila.

Hmm……

Very funny, Titi...

Last week we had our buka puasa at TGI in Subang Parade. We were totally at lost of what to eat, ho-hummed the whole day when Mummy suggested TGI, for lack of a better choice… well Babah did suggest Sushi King but Mummy was unsure of how well it will go with an empty stomach.

Anyway, while we ate, Aunty Wawa called to say that she has some bananas from her own trees for us. We swung by her house on the way home. While Dan put the bananas in our trunk, aunty Wawa asked Titi where she had her buka but my daughter just grinned. Not wanting to appear rude, Mummy helpfully answered, “TGI…”. To her surprised, Titi was aghast at her answer.

“Tak ! Kita tak makan TGI !!” She said, face in a frown.

Mummy’s frown matches hers, very much puzzled.

“Eh ? Tadi kita kan makan TGI ?”

“Taaakk ! Kita tak makan TGI !” She insisted. It was mind boggling. So much so Mummy searched her brain trying to remember where she actually had her dinner an hour ago. Was her Parmesan Chicken a dream ? She remembered complaining to Babah the food was room temperature.

“Habis tu kita pegi makan mana tadi ?” Asked Mummy.

Without missing a beat, she answered in all earnestness, “Kedai mamak !!” Mummy’s frown deepened as she had never been so perplexed in her whole entire life.

“Kedai mamak ? Hang gila apa, Ti !! Tadi kan kita pegi makan TGI ?” Man, Titi had Mummy so confused she was wondering if she had imagined sending her baju for alteration at Subang Parade just now.

Luckily, Babah entered the car and off we go.

“Ti, what’s wrong ? Kenapa Titi cakap kat Aunty Wawa kita pegi makan kedai mamak ?”

“Takde apa-apalah…” Said she, shrugging her delicate shoulders and sat down. I heard Umar gave a little laugh.

What is going on ? Are they secretly trying to make Mummy crazy ?

Hmmm……

Perangai puasa Umar and Elsa

Today is the 22nd day of puasa and I am proud to say that my darling son belum sehari pun ponteng puasa. Hopefully he won’t start after this entry is published he he….

Anyway, I never thought that it would be so easy to teach him to puasa considering how much he likes to eat. “Mum…. I can’t help it. I have a big appetite…” is his reason every time I try to discuss his weight.

So… good boy. Keep it up.

Elsa considering that she doesn’t eat that much takes a lot of effort to puasa. Everyday when I get home she would announce that she is starting to puasa and by the time buka, she would be panting and pleading hunger. Itu baru sejam.

So Elsa… next year you start pukul 5 ptg pulak, kay….. and by darjah satu puasa penuh macam abang.

Ana nih...

Yesterday Dan and I arrived home before Umar did. While I was changing my bed sheets, Umar came back and I heard Yana downstairs. Tak sempat turun Bibik came up with Yana in tow. I looked outside and Cik Ta was just backing out of the driveway.

Seram gak sebab Yana ni bukannya nak ngan orang sangat. Yang dia sayang Cik Ta je. Orang lain sekejap okay, sekejap tak nak kawan. Like when we took her and her sister out shopping for shoes. Dengar je I was to take them to buy shoes, nampak aku je terus terkam. She slept in the car on the way home and when she woke up, Dan lalu depan pun dia marah. Itu lah Yana. Kacang lupakan kulit kata Dan yang keluarkan duit beli baju and kasut raya… he he…

Aku tengok dia tersengih-sengih kat aku, I thought .. “Hmmm okay kot…..”. I love having her and her sister around because I really do love them….

Anyway, fed her, played with her took pictures, posing sana posing sini and baru nak buka suddenly, “Cik Ta ane ?” Sudah. Dan and I looked at each other.

“Cik Ta o-ok lah Ana…” Said me.

“Cik Ta ANE ?” She said. Muka comel sungguh.

“O-ok lahh… “ Said me. Dan had started rummaging the cabinet looking for something that would interest her.

“Tak… Cik Ta tak o-okkk !!” She answered, going round and round the kitchen.

“Lah… Ana kata nak pegi Teko (Tesco) kan ?” She stopped and looked interested.

“Ha…. Tapi Cik Ta ane ?”

“Ana nak beli apa ?” Said me trying to distract her and mentally strangling Cik Ta.

“Bubbles ! Yeay !!” She said, jumping up and down. Just before buka, Bibik successfully found something that she likes, and plopped her in front of the telly with Elsa.

Took her upstairs after that and while Dan and I prayed, she jumped up and down the bed with Elsa, pretending to be bunnies. Yang tensionnya when she is in a bedroom, the door must be closed. Instructions of “Tutup intu (pintu) Bah/Mummy/Umar/Titi” were given out frequently. Raja sungguh !!

Went to Tesco and in the car she listed out her needs, “Ana nak bubbles and ebit…” Dan looked at me. “Ape kebendanya pulak tu ?” Aku pun tak tahu.

Then she sang “Ana nak ebit. Ana nak beli ebit..” over and over again.

Finally it hit me. “Ohh… rabbit kot Dan….” Their rabbits died 2 weeks after it became Ana’s and Esya’s, which is quite a good record really when you compared to two small turtles that died after two days belonging to Umar and Elsa.

Suddenly she whipped out a book and showed it to us. “Ni !! Ebit ni ! Ebit ni ! Okay Bah ?” She said, fat finger pointing at picture of a rabbit. Babah and Mummy sengih aje, picturing the trouble brewing ahead. But Ana is a good girl, really.… senang pujuk….

Sampai-sampai Teko I showed her a book with a picture of a rabbit in front of it. She grabbed it and declared “Ini Ana punya, okay ?” Yelah, Na. Suka hati. Elsa also took a book but Umar couldn’t find anything that he likes. However he was insistent that he should buy something also as adik-adik dapat barang. Baru nak nasihat, he said “Mummy how would you feel if other people have something and you don’t ?” I chose to ignore him especially since he found some toy cars that took his fancy. You have so many of those Umar, tak payahlah…

Anyway, in the car I gave Ana the jelly cups she requested. Elsa asked for one. “Tak leh. Ni Ana nya…” Which is normal for Ana. She will give in eventually but you have to work hard for it.

“Give me some lah…. Kan banyak tuh…. ?” I am very proud of Elsa the way she treats Yana. Although she is the baby of the house and Dan’s parents’ youngest grandchild, she is very patient with Yana. Untuk a little girl yang tak ada adik, dia memang pandai mengalah.

“Ana nangis kang, Titi …” Warned Ana. Tergelak Babah and Mummy kat depan.

After that Yana wanted to sit on my lap. She then took our gate remote and said “Ana nak umah Mummy….” Dan and I looked at each other. Baru sat dah menggagau cari Cik Ta, whole night ?

“Ana nak ukak gate. Umar bukak Umar tutup aje. Ana ulak…” She said, her face in a frown.

“Ana tak nak ayah ke ?” I asked, trying to dissuade her. I would love for her to stay with me, in fact tinggal terus pun tak pe, but I know she would be looking for her father and my mother nanti.

“Ayah ? Oohh….. ayah…” Her face lit up, thinking about her father.

Dan and I sengih lega but…. “Ayah esok…” She added, giving us a lovely smile.

Aduih !!

When we got to my mom’s house, we saw her father and sister outside. Esya was holding Ana’s pampers and pyjamas. Apparently they were about to fetch her. My brother wagged his finger at her.

“Naughty girl…. Pegi tak cakap ayah !!”

“Ana nak ido umah Mummy !!” She announced. Ayah held his daughter tight.

“Nanti okay ? Weekend ni kita tidur rumah Mummy, kay ?”

“Ana nak umah Mummy !!” she said as we drove off.

Sayang Ana… tonight we try okay ? Bawak Kakak sekali.

Yana yang sangat naughty...

Yana ni memang tau. Two days ago we sent my mom to the clinic. Demam, biasalah kan. Anyway, when we got to the house Mum had some cucur udang batter for me and therefore went inside to get it. My nieces heard my arrival and Esya came down to greet me.

“Give Mummy a hug Esya…” requested me and she happily obliged. I hugged her and hugged her and commented on her nice smell. “Esya dah mandi dah !!” Said she triumphantly. Trust me it is no mean feat to get that girl to mandi before 9 pm. “Cik Ta mandikan and letak bedak… Wangikan, Mummy ?” She said. My eyes followed her upstairs when I saw Yana at the top of the stairs.

“Marilah bawah. Give Mummy a kiss, Na !” She ignored me but her eyes never left me. I waved goodbye and was about to get to the door when she said, “Mummy apa ?” Went back to the stairs and with Umar hot on my heels, hoping for a chance to go upstairs.

“Come down and give Mummy a kiss, boleh ?” She nodded and puckered her lips nicely. She even made the kissing-puckering sound. I raced up the stairs and was halfway when I noticed she had run away.

“Ko ni memanglah, Na ! Dahlah Mummy nak balik. Bye !!” I dragged Umar to the door when again I heard a “Mummy apa ?” Still hoping for a good smacker, I went back to the stairs and again requested for a kiss. She again nodded and puckered and I fell hook, line and sinker for it again. Halfway up the stairs, my Mum said, “Dia dah lari lagi, La !” And sure enough, she wasn’t there waiting for me.

“Dah lah, Na !! Mummy nak balik…” Said I and I could hear her laughing. Memang le Ana ni… Nanti Mummy ajuk kang….Umar got into the car laughingly, commenting how so cute and naughty Ana is. When I entered the car, he was already telling his Babah and adik the story of how Ana had cleverly duped his mother.

Hmmm……

Anak-anak ku yang kuat merepek…

Thursday was our 9th wedding anniversary. Babah took us all out for buka puasa at the Royale Bintang at The Curve. The food was rather good and at RM 60 is okay compared to other places.

Don’t know why but Elsa dok asyik nak termuntah while we were enjoying our food and had to take her to the ladies 3 times. When she came back to our table after her last visit, all tired from the trips, she muttered in her ice-cream bowl, “What the heck is going on here ?”

Aii ? Apa ini ? Babah and Mummy looked sternly at her.

“What ?” She asked, eyes huge, so much like her abang.

“That is not a nice thing to say, Ti. Where do you learn all these stuffs, eh ?”

“Mostly from tv, Mum…” Answered the brother before I sempat nak membebel lagi. I looked at him, stuck out my tongue and continued eating. Ada saja jawapannya, walaupun he is not the recipient of the bebelans.

Then after sahur, Umar asked me to go back to the bedroom with him. Biasalah selepas hari Khamis je Umar yang super penakut tambah penakut sebab tengok cerita ‘Kekasih Ku Seru’ (which he says as ‘Kekasih Kan Seru’).

Mummy pun naik le atas teman anak yang I am sure lagi 2 tahun will be taller than Mummy. Sekarang pun kasut dah sama saiz. I have lost some precious stuffs during the move and instead of lying on the bed next to him, I was going about the room, trying to figure out if I had secreted it and forgot about it or worse if someone had stolen it.

“What are you doing, Mum ?” Asked my son as I raba-ing my closet.

“Nothing…. Just going crazy…” I decided I had enough and plopped beside him. I tossed and turned.

“Why can’t you sleep, Mum ?” Asked my son, hugging his precious Emot and Floppy Head.

“I don’t know. I just can’t.”

“I can’t sleep, too….” Said he. He looked just like when he was a baby at that exact moment.

“Why ?”

“Well… I have so many things in my head. Fear, thoughts, emotions… and happiness…” He closed his eyes and opened them again, showing me his huge innocent eyes.

I stared at him.

“Ngko le orang yang paling merepek dalam dunia ni, Umar…” I told him with a laugh.

“Who ?”

“You !!”

And he laughed.

“Takde lah, Mummy…” and snuggled closer to me. Soon he was asleep. My baby.

Ana Ayang Kakak !!

As a rule when I drive the car with my kids at the back, there will be fights. Now when I have 2 extra girls, fights are a sure thing.

“Ana ayang Kakak !!” Ana announced kelmarin. Elsa who loves being a kakak was in despair. But she soldiered on, knowing that Yana is still a baby and likes to bestow and withdraw favours at a whim. By the way Kakak means Esya. She is basically saying that she only loves her sister.

Elsa took her Kitty and offered it to Yana, to fish for her love of course. “Ana nak Kitty tak ?”

“Ana ayang Kakak !!” Said Ana defiantly, arms crossed.

“Yelah, tapi Ana nak tak Kitty ?”

“Ana ayang Kakak !!”

“Okay, tapi Ana nak Kitty tak ?”

Suddenly, “Ti, jangan masuk campur Ti. Every time you say that she will say the same thing. It is better if you just be quiet…” Kata abangnya Elsa pulak.

“I just want to give her the Kitty !!” Protested Elsa.

“Ana ayang Kakak !!” That girl has that on record, I tell you.

“See ? See ? I told you….” Said Umar.

“Nobody wants to be my friend…” Complained Elsa, already in merajuk mode (bibir terjuih, crossed arms).

Umar hugged his sister’s shoulders. “It’s okay Ti. I told you kan that I will be your friend. Best friends forever, okay Ti ?” Said he, smiling indulgently at his sister. Aduih lah merepeknya budak ni... what a girl.

Elsa grinned at her brother. As I was laughing, I heard another adamant “Ana ayang Kakak !!”

Okay lah, Ana……..

(Tapi 5 minutes after that she suddenly said “Ana ayang Titi, kay ?” They were hugging cheek to cheek and Ana said again “Ana aaaa…yang Titi…” And Titi pun was very much contented… Budak – budak…)

No wonder Umar marah

Some mornings Umar would wake up complaining about Elsa “ She talked and talked and talked, Mummy. Kacau saja orang tidur… I cannot sleep !! ” Elsa would wear her guilty look and Mummy and Babah would laugh about it, thinking how cute of Elsa malam-malam ajak abang borak.

But things ceased to be cute on Saturday. We moved house and since we are still unsure of the security of that area, we had the kids sleeping with us.

Lights out and Elsa and started talking. “Ti !! Can you please be quiet ? I want to sleep …” Mummy and Babah smiled delightedly in the dark, thinking how privileged we were to finally live the experience.

Elsa ignored him and kept on talking. About Hakim who is her classmate and what she did with Esya that day and what nots. “ Ti !! Umar nak tidurlah !! ” Pleaded Umar again.

“But I cannot sleep !! I cannot sleep, Um !” Came the reply and the chatter went on.

Ntah apa-apa benda yang dia cerita but she talked and talked and talked until finally, “Ti ! Diam Ti ! Abah nak tidur …”

The room was silent. 5 minutes after that we heard her thrashing about on her mattress. Pulak.

Finally Dan invited her to sleep on the bed with us. She still can’t sleep and was thrashing about. Sekejap ke kiri sekejap ke kanan. Endless sighs and moans escaped her lips. We didn’t sleep either.

Teruk sungguh. Patut le kadang-kadang Umar susah bangun pagi.

Time Machine

“Mummy….” Said Umar 2 weeks ago. I was already on the sejadah, and was about to say my Bismillah. Umar though had done his Maghrib duty, had asked for forgiveness and good results in his exam from Allah SWT ( to save his behind, of course ) and was still on the mat. He was looking at the telly when he called me.

“If we have a time machine, we can go back to the day Cik Shera died…” My heart almost stopped. “We can stop her before she gets to the bus stop Mummy and ask her to brake….” He said. “No… ! Better still if we ask her to wear seat belt, kan Mummy ?” He added.

“Well…. yeah…..” was all I could muster.

Of course I cried while I prayed.

When I was done, I found him reading the Muqaddam. “I miss Cik Shera !!” he suudenly announced and bawled his eyes out. And he howled and wailed and weeped. I was really baffled by his sudden grief but I joined him anyway. There was I with my little man, hugging each other, having a good cry.

“I wish I am a scientist … I can build the time machine now…. “ He sobbed. I didn’t say anything because I wish I had studied harder during my Engineering degree, become a super engineer and was building the damn machine right now !!

Ampun, Ya Allah.

Mami ! Ngok ! Ngok !

“Mami ! Mami ! Look ! Ngok ! Ngok !” Called my darling Yana. I was lying on my mom’s very comfy bed, watching the telly when Yana burst into the room, brandishing a purple Push Pop at my face.

“Ha ? Apa dia ?” Said I. Yana is so gorgeous (like I have always maintained, she looks like me – well I do look like my brother when we were babies, soo…... Anyway, only my Tok Cik, which is her Tok Nek, Yana and myself who like to put our hands behind our backs when we stand or walk, so she is just like me…. He he ) that whenever she calls me I will not miss the opportunity to look at her exquisite face.

“Okay… Mami ngok, kay…” Said she, preparing me for the wonders of the Push Pop. She took off the lid, and slowly pushes the candy out by pushing its retractable bottom.

“Haa… !!!!” She announced proudly, face beaming as she waved the now visible candy.

“Waa…. Pandainya Ana ni……” Ha ha……

She sucked the candy triumphantly then offered it to me.

“Mami nak ?”

“Nak…” Said I. I was leaning for a taste, tongue out when she yanked it away.

“Tak boleh !!” She announced and ran from the room.

Kureng punya budak…. He he…

Because Umar was born in England

“Mummm….. my friends at school said I am a Christian…” Said Umar on Saturday.

“Eii ? Why ?”

“They said because I was born in London… Saya dah kejar dia orang dah…” Said he sadly.

He he….

“Alah, Umar…. They are children and they do not know any better. You explain lah to them even though you were born in England you are still a Muslim. Umar sembahyang, mengaji, puasa… kan ?”

He nodded sadly.

“Takpelah Umar. Let them be…. Just ignore them. Don’t fight with them okay, just walk away….” Said I again.

“Mumm…. My friend Hazim kan cakap if people make me sad, don’t listen to them and to go to your happy place….”

Laa… ingat Umar je yang merepek…. But that was very good advice Hazim. I thank Hazim and his mother for their wisdom.

“That was a very nice thing to say, Umar. You have a good friend there, okay ?” Said I. “By the way… where is your happy place ??”

He smiled. “A very dangerous Hot Wheels track….” He perked up and was soon lost in his Hot Wheels tracks.

Thank you again Hazim and Mummy. Appreciate it.