Elsa Rashdan

“Mummy !! Where is your car ?” Asked my daughter one night as she peered outside. “Cik Yin pinjam...” Said I. Hearing that her eyes went wide, brows furrowed.

“So how are you going to work tomorrow ?” Comelnya muka…

“Tok hantar….” With that she went quiet.

The next day as usual I got the kids ready and when I ushered them downstairs for breakfast, started my own toilette. As I was about to put my clothes on, I heard her crying from down below. Babah and Umar had already left the house.

The crying got nearer and nearer and soon I saw my little girl, very much distressed, face wet from tears.

“Laaa…. Awatnya ?” She looked relieved when she saw me and quickly threw herself on me.

“I thought you left me …” She wept. “I cannot see your car…”

“Elsa… I told you right, that Cik Yin borrowed my car… Tok is sending us….” I heard an embarassed laugh came from my lap, where she was sobbing not 1 second ago.

“Ohh… ha ha…. I forgot….” She said, big grin on her face.

Entah apa-apa entah minah ni..

Elsa’s hair is rather long now and what a messy girl she is when her hair is in that state. Two days ago she was moving about, hair all over the face, obscuring me from seeing her exquisite face. As she walked past by, I grabbed her and started pushing the masses and masses of hair away.

When done, I was treated to a big grin that was just waiting for me to see.

“I am gorgeous, Mummy !!” She declared, oh so confidently. I agreed but chose to instead say, ‘Oh really ?”

“Yes….” She said. “But don’t worry, you are gorgeous, too…” Leaving me with my mouth hanging open.

Two weeks ago we went to celebrate baby Muhammad’s birthday. When it was time to cut the cake, she went near to inspect the cake. Kamalia’s mom Aunty Zainab offered her a piece. “No thank you,” She said. “I don’t like this cake. I only like chocolate cake….”

I of course tackled my daughter in the car. “Ti…. Next time if you don’t like anything, please give a better excuse. You can say something like you are not hungry. Saying you don’t like what people had made a lot of trouble to make is quite rude….”

She was quiet but looked thoughtful. Akhirnya ini yang keluar dari mulut anak aku, “It’s okay Mummy. Dia tak marah pun…. So tak de apa-apa…..”

Haarrummmppphh !

Botol ! I saw him !

As usual almost everyday I will leave some work for Umar to do. Usually Bahasa Malaysia because his BM is simply atrocious. He doesn’t like to read in BM so I do not know how else to improve his command in that particular language,

Sometimes I would check his work, sometimes I won’t. It depends. I mean I do not make a point to check every day. I did however about 3 days ago, especially since it is exams time and was hugely disappointed to see that he didn’t finish it.

He did a few pages and left a few blank.

When I asked he flustered. It is normal for him to tell me he couldn’t do it but very suspicious when he was grappling for an excuse.

Disappointment turned into rage. I got so angry and I started yelling at him. He blinked his huge eyes at me but it failed to chasten me. Hey, I am not in the wrong here. Anger spent, I went to cool down in the kitchen. Elsa was colouring and not 5 minutes after I sat, she said, “Mummy… Umar buat kerja lah..”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Botol !” She said, nodding her head vigorously. “I saw him!! Saya nampak dia !!”

“Then, if he did his work, why tak habis ?” I challenged.

She grinned. “Saya tak tahulah…..” she said, smiling so broadly that I calmed down immediately. Her cheery mood was infectious.

Tak yah......

Kelmarin Anna complained about Bubu. Dengan mata berkerutnya, dengan suara sedihnya. Apalah Mummy nak buat apart from saying, “Naughty nya Bubu…. Nanti Mummy pok dia !” with enough vehemence to sound convincing.

“Eh ! Tak yah !!” She said, palm and head wagging. “Nanti Cik Yin marah ….”

He he comel…

“Laa… tapi tadi Ana kata Bubu buat Anna….”

“Jangan….. Bubu Cik Yin punya nanti Cik Yin marah…..” She insisted.

“Okeylah… if that is the case, Mummy nak pok Cik Yin sebab bagi Bubu buat Anna…” Said I.

“Eh ! Tak yah !!” Palm and head wagged again, so very adorable my little Anna.

“Cik Yin Anna punya…… jangan……”

He he he…..

Kelakar lah Anna ni …..

Umar...

I was lying in our darkened room 2 days ago, waiting for my kids to go to sleep before I join my waiting husband to watch the grown-up stuffs on the telly (usually if I managed to not go to dreamland with my babies hand in hand lah).

Our conversation had dwindled, the little people were tossing around waiting for sleep. The silence was marred by Elsa’s coughs though, which came intermittently at first but gained frequency as the night wore on.

I was debating whether to just let it go or start the inevitable war if medicine is mentioned when Umar spoke, “Elsa… please get a drink of water….”

“Ha ?” Was her reply and abang said it again in another language, “Pergi turun bawah minum….”

She was silent but after another cough, she said, “Teman, Um….” Umar sighed but he got up all the same and together they went down.

Mummy waited for them and when she came to, it was Subuh.

“Bangun cepat, kata nak pegi Pasar Tani ?” Said Abah.

The kids scrambled up and at 7.30 off we went to Pasar Tani. In the car, abah told me a story. “Semalam I bagi Elsa makan ubat batuk and they watched the telly with me…. After awhile, Elsa cakap “Umm… jomlah kita tidur sebab esok kita nak pegi pasar tennis”(nama lain bagi pasar tani sebab we can only go after tennis class or when tennis is cancelled…. I think lah…)..”

He he…. Umar sure bengang sebab kena arah left, right and center.

It’s okay… Umar is a good boy….

Playground and kite flying

Umar and Elsa’s 2 weekend on the last day of February was very busy.

Not much happening on Saturday, though. Babah came home late as he had a lunch meeting then for dinner, Mummy expressed desire for any food in Subang Parade because she had a RM 5 voucher from MPH that expired that very day.

Sunday was a novelty. Since ITM’s tennis court aren’t ready yet, the classes had to be cancelled until April. So what do we do, what do we do ?

Mummy instructed Cik Yin to wake up Esya and Anna early. Cik Yin very sceptical as both of them are not early risers but Mummy did not care. Her girls must come with her. At 7.30 am Cik Yin announced that only Esya was raring to go, Anna refused to wake up. Mummy wouldn’t take NO from a 3 year old.

Luckily when she got home (well Tok Mi’s house would always be home), Esya was dressed and Anna baru nak mandi. Quickly bathed her, then off we go to KLCC’s playground !! Yeay !!

Armed with sausage buns (but no drinks !! Yikes !! Lupa.) off we went marching in. The day was beautiful and the kids were excited. We took the long route to the playground from the car park and the babies jumped, ran and skipped all the way, shouting happily.

As the norm when you are given too much choices you just wouldn’t know what to do first so they sampled and checked everything until Mummy and Babah got quite fed up and asked them to play at each set for at least 10 minutes. Can’t blame them really as it rained the night before and most of the slides were wet but luckily there were janitors wiping them dry, but of course they weren’t fast enough for Mummy’s eager children.

Anna takut-takut so Babah had to join in. Don't think he minded... ha ha

We stopped because Ana was thirsty and since Mummy forgot drinks, they quenched their thirst at the very nice water cooler. Umar of course demanded food and therefore Babah took us to A&W. We regret that decision.

First of all, they don’t sell waffles before 11 am. What the … ? Waffles are for breakfast, don’t you know ? Luckily they had pancakes and fortunately Elsa is the nicest girl on earth as she agreed to share with Esya who changed her mind about not eating. Both of them polished off their plate clean. Umar who also ordered pancakes, took a fancy to Mummy’s chicken porridge so Mummy had to share. It was an unfair sharing because Umar ate like 70% of it.

Secondly the service was slooowwww…. Slow to the max. There weren’t many people so Mummy and Babah couldn’t understand their snail pace. It was frustrating. Mummy was eyeing the delicious array of food La Cucuq offered and was tempted to partake their offerings. She succumbed to the cucuq udang’s calling and quaffed them in A&W’s premise.

Before leaving KLCC, Mummy went in search of a pair of blue jeans, required for a gathering next week. Found it and Babah paid for it so yeay !! Ha ha

Abah kena lagi.... Anna nih...

The kids resumed their playing at home where Mummy and Babah gratefully sank their behinds on the very comfy sofa and watched the telly. By 3 pm Anna was asking for her ayah so we sent them home.

Babah stopped for goreng pisang and that was the best decision he ever made as we found kites ! Kites !! Yeay !! We were happy because our last kite might still be inside a drain at the kontinjen polis. As soon as we got home Umar and Elsa started playing with the kites and in the process got the strings tangled. The wind was dismal anyway. Babah then drove us to the park in front of the mosque and the kites flew !! How it flew… it was majestic. Umar and Elsa ran around happily, marveling at their soaring kites.

We wished Anna and Esya were still with us. Babah brought Umar’s football and they played together. Babah asked Umar to take off his shoes. Mummy cautioned Babah that Umar wouldn’t like it very much and was she right. Reminded Mummy of a time when we went to a Jamaican festival in Leicester. It was a nice summer day and we put baby Umar on the grass. He wasn’t happy at it’s ticklish nature and made faces. The same face he made 8 years later in Shah Alam…. Ha ha !!

“It is very tickly lah, Babah…!” He protested, forehead furrowed. Told you, Bah. However since Umar is rather obedient, he did as he was told and soon forgot about the grass and was happy running around with Babah.

Elsa though was happy enough with her kite and had a super-licious time whizzing and zipping around the park with her kite up high.

Lovely.

Hmmm....

I was first made aware of this about a month ago. We were hanging out with Shazmi at KFC sek 13. Umar didn’t want to come but Elsa did.

5 minutes to 11 pm we decided to make a move and I called for Elsa and she promptly abandoned the swings.

“She is very obedient ya ?” Observed Shazmi. “Most kids would whine or ask for more time….” I thought about what he said and found that it is rather true. My children don’t usually put up a fight whenever I asked them to stop from doing something.

Then again 2 weeks after that I went to Kamalia’s house and while Jubei, Ya and myself talked, the kids played upstairs (that is the day I delivered my promised beefy French toasts) and when I hollered for them to come down, they did so immediately.

Sheik and Ya made the same observation Shazmi did. Very obedient children you have, Myra.

Now, was I happy ? Proud ?

This is the reason why Rashdan sighs at my craziness because well… I went crazy obsessing if I am a too strict mom.

Garang ke aku ? Cengei ka ? Why didn’t they make any protest when I cut short their fun ? Selective amnesia, Mummy ?

However…. Whenever I asked them to stop their hour long bath, they always ask for ‘5 more minutes, Mummy’. In fact one of Elsa’s first sentence was that…. So, maybe in order for them to have that extra 5 minutes in the bath, they followed my orders at other times because they didn’t want to push their luck ?

Or they really are thoughtful and obedient…

Ye ke ?

Elsa pun fed up.

I was reading in bed, Elsa was colouring and Umar playing with his cars, one fine day. Suddenly Umar sat up and started talking about an eposide of Avatar that he had seen.

He went on and on and on, describing every little detail and it was getting quiet tedious to hear, even though technically he wasn’t telling it to me. But I could hear it all the same. Anyway, I wasn’t planning to do anything about it but his sister did though.

“Um… my friend already told me that story, Um..” She said and I thought, hmmm…. good excuse. Well done.

Abang ignored her and kept on with his story.

“Um ! I said my friend told me this story already. I know this story !!” She said, harder this time.

Abang didn’t even miss a beat and kept at it like she hadn’t said anything, twice !

“Dah lah, Um. I know the story already…. My friend told me at school !!”

“Takpelah, Ti ! Dengar sajalah. Can’t you just listen to my story ?” Abang finally answered, coupled with a jelingan maut. He paused for a breath then continued on.

Elsa gave an audible and hugely exaggerated sigh and shook her head.

Mummy also shook her head.

Hmmm……

My Imagination

“Mummy… where is U-um ?” Asked my daughter one day. Both of us were upstairs reading and we haven’t seen Umar in a while. I suppose the room was too quiet for us…. He he..

“I don’t know… bawah kot….” I answered, trying to concentrate on my book, the very entertaining A Place Called Here by Cecilia Ahern.

“What is he doing ? Tak dengar apa-apa pun…” She said again.

I sighed.

“Maybe….he is eating ice-cream….” I was trying to get her to look for Umar. I want to read !!!

“Did you see him do it ?” She asked, eyes questioning.

O-oh….

“Errmmm….no… I used my imagination…” Said I, trying to put the blame back to her.

“Ha ha… Like me !!!” She announced happily.

Why did I feel that the table turned on me ?

Hmmm.......

Very funny Elsa

Weeks ago… we were rushing to change to go to Secret Recipe for some impromptu cheese cake. The children curious at the sight of their parents rushing upstairs followed suit.

“Where are we going, Mum ?” Asked Umar.

“Pergi makan cake, nak ?”

Now Babah was only wearing kain pelikat at that time (he had taken off his t-shirt) and Mum in ¾ length pj bottom and a camisole. Now Mummy likes to tease so before Babah puts on a new t-shirt, Mummy quickly grabbed Babah’s hand and gave a cheery “Let’s goo…..”

This is how my children are different.

Umar didn’t bat an eyelid at our state of undress. In his head was only one thing, food. “Makan kat mana Mummy ?”

I didn’t answer as was busy pretending to leave the room. I looked at Elsa’s surprised face. Ha… so there is my source of entertainment. Her mouth was opened in a shock ‘O’, her finger wagged in her attempt to say something. I looked at her expectantly. Babah too.

“But you are naked…” She finally said. “You cannot go out like that…” Surprise turned into dismay.

Babah and Mummy broke into laughter. “You are funny, Mummy….” Said Elsa, not amused.

“Very funny…..” She said. Did I hear a hint of sarcasm there ?

Hmmmm………………

Umar ada audition ?

I came home to a sick child yesterday.

In the morning Umar complained of dizziness but he seemed okay and was not making a fuss, therefore attended school.

But when I got home he complained of dizziness again and his face was flushed. He had a fever. So Mummy placed a cold towel on his forehead, when down to give him the last ubat demam and made him comfortable on her bed.

Enter Titi.

“Ti… I am sick, Ti…” Said the abang.

She glanced at him, then concentrated on the last Ferrero Rocher that I found for her.

“I know….” She said.

“Ti… abang demam… Tak kesian ke ?” I gently tell her.

“He was already sick just now…. I know already…” Eyes rolled.

Hmmm….. ada aje.

Then, “Umar tak mengaji ke ?” She asked.

He he… “So Umar tak pegi sekolah ?”

“Tak lah….” Said I.

“Alah….” Surprise, surprise that came from Umar. “I will miss music week… I have an audition tomorrow !!”

Eh ? For what lah ? “We are singing lagu Michael Jackson….”

Which one ?

“We Are The World…And I so want to sing…..”

Your teacher is lucky you are sick, said the mother of the boy who sings nasally. Very lah sengau nya…. He he…

Umar and Nyang

Last Sunday I took my children, my mom and my grandma to Pasar Tani. It is a treat for my children since they could only go if there is a cancellation of their tennis class.

I didn’t particularly have anything to buy at Pasar Tani. Was just thinking of a leisurely walk with my kids, Umar testing his new Sponge Bob Squarepants brolly, eating copious amount of keropok lekor and ais krim potong.

But then… of course nothing went to plan.

My grandma… Wan to me.. Nyang to my kids…

How can I explain this ?

The moment she stepped foot on the market, she wandered off on her own, not caring where we were or what we were doing. To be fair, she did follow me whenever I directed her, but once we turned our back, she would start walking. We couldn’t stop at any stalls in fear that she would wander off. She didn’t have her mobile phone with her, so we were scared of losing her from our sight.

We were waiting for her to buy ikan masin, and while doing that we were playing with Umar and Elsa’s brollies, looking at other stalls, safe in the thought that she was just behind us. I looked over once and she was still there but when I looked the second time, she was gone. Umar and I panicked and started running like headless chickens when we spotted her buying fruit.

I took the fruit from her and off she went again and boy she was fast (at that point my mom had abandoned us in search for nasi kerabu. “you are not buying anything right ?” My mom asked and whoosh ! off she went, leaving me with her mother and my 2 kids. Aduih….), she wove around the human traffic and we lost sight of her again. Umar caught sight of her ahead and started running. “Nyang ! Nyang !” he cried. His face full a mixture of determination and anxiety. He never looked so mature..

He he….

Things calmed down when she got what she wanted. Then my mom came. Umar was complaining how hot the weather was and about his great-grandma. I tried to soothe him as best as I could, considering he had been a good soldier, looking out for his nyang.

“If you don’t want me to cry, Mum you have to buy something Ben 10…” Huh !

Handed my grandma to my mum and Umar took me to the designated stall. “I know where it is, Mum….” Oh pandai. Punya banyak gerai but you can remember where the Ben 10 stall is… cuba kalau aku suruh…. Ha… mula dah…. He he…

Anyway while both of my kids were looking at the toys (so glad they were cheap. RM 7 for an omnitrix… or something like that ), my mum called to say she is walking to the car already. Okay.

As we walked to the car, I being my usual self couldn’t resist a good prank.

“Um !! Where is Nyang ?”

“Aaaahh….not again…” He wailed and started looking around.

“I think we have lost her for good this time…” Said I.

“Never mind lah… let’s go….” I added and walked on. He looked at me strangely, cocking his head to the side. He was quiet.

“Do you want to leave Nyang here ?” I asked. Sometimes this a dangerous game, what if he said yeah, sure… ?

But luckily he said, “No…” and shook his head vigorously.

“Okay I tell you what… why don’t we go home first. The pasar habis pukul 1, we come back at that time when everybody is gone so it is easier to see her… She would be the first person we see….”

“That sounds like a plan….” He said slowly, unconvinced.

“I don’t think anybody wants to kidnap her. People usually kidnap children….” I reasoned.

“Well… yes….. but…. What about the kidnappers who have nothing to do ? They might want to kidnap nyang….”

Kah ! Kah ! Kah ! Kidnappers who have nothing to do….. he he…

Luckily at that time we were already at the stairs leading up to our car and there sat Nyang and Tok Mi.

“There she is ! That’s Nyang !!” He pointed with excitement and relief.

Nyang gelak sakan when I told her the story. Thank you Umar for caring.

Eeeiiii.... !!

Okay, herein lays the problem.

Dan and I plus Anu met up with Nicholas and his girlfriend Ann 2 weekends ago. We of course had to drag our kids to the meeting since it being a weekend. Nicholas and Ann got there first and then we turned up and were properly introduced to Ann whom we met for the first time.

When we sat down, Ann commented on how friendly and sociable my kids are. I winced. Usually children are shy but your kids actually said hi to me ( I don’t remember if those 2 introduced themselves), she marveled. I winced again. And I told her that it isn’t so nice having kids who are not shy at all. If they start get comfortable with you, I cautioned, they will talk non-stop. Luckily that didn’t happen.

It happened last Saturday though when my friendly and sociable kids nipped next door for a birthday party.

On Sunday the afore-mentioned neighbour called me.

Neighbour : Assalammualaikum. (Laughed nervously) I dengar you ada some problem dengan kucing I ye ?

Me : Ha ?

N : Alahai… mintak maaf lah ye… Apa benda yang dia rosakkan kat rumah you ?

M: Eh tak de apa-apa lah….

N : Jangan macam tu… cakap ngan I….

M : Eh… tak de mende lah… Kucing Cik Rosmi, macamana you nak control…. Tak de apa-apa lah…

N : Jangan macam tu…. Apa yang dia orang buat. I kene ajar dia orang sikit… Yang mana satu ?

M : Err…. Yang ada loceng..

N : Dua-dua ada loceng… (lah… ada dua ke ?) Apa yang dia rosak ? I bayar kat you… sorry lah…

M : Tak pe lah Cik Rosmi… kita ni bercakap pasal kucing, you nak control kucing you macam mana…. Tak de benda pun….

N : Betul ni ? Jangan pasal kucing kita tak bertegur sapa pulak…

M : Eh… takde lah…. Don’t worry. We are talking about cats, En. Rosmi… Please don’t worry.

He finally was satisfied that I was really okay with it and we parted still good neighbours.

Aku of course cari anak-anak aku.

“Okay who complained about the cats to our neighbour ?”

“Titi !!”

I looked at her. She as usual said, “Tak….” I waited for Babah to come home. Babah was duly embarrassed.

“Titi cakap apa ?” Asked Babah and as the norm Umar volunteered to tell the story.

“She said that the cats selalu knocked mummy’s pasu down..”

Ha….. aduih lah…

“Dia cakap dengan siapa ?”

“With Syabil’s mum !”

Waaa !!!! Cik Rosmi is Syabil’s uncle who actually lives in the house.

“Ti…. You cannot say that to people lah Ti… complain about their cats like that… Semalam Syabil’s uncle called me…..” I started my lecture Etiquette 101.. no lah 401… dah banyak level dah aku go through dengan budak-budak ni.

“But I only said it once… Sekali tu je saya cakap….” She said in a small voice.

“Ti… you don’t need to say it 3 times lah Ti…..”

Why lah you go and start a conversation with an adult ? Why that topic ? If you were trying to be a polite and gracious guest or even just wanted to fill an uncomfortable lull in the conversation, you can always talk about the weather… not complain about their cats !!

I have to teach my children to make small talks about the weather.

Ann… you definitely do not want a friendly and sociable child (or 2 !) as they could get you into trouble. I will definitely think twice about releasing them to the public next time.

Lawak Umar and Elsa

A few days ago Dan and I were talking about how much we miss England. We were reminiscing, talking about our lives there when Umar said that he would like to go back.

“A-ah, Mummy…. Saya pun dah lama tak pegi….” Said Elsa.

Both Babah and Mummy looked at her. My daughter is really clever, sensitive to the looks thrown at her because she said, “I know…. I was in your tummy at that time, right ? But I can still feel the cold in your tummy, Mummy …I want to go back….”

Alah anak ku Elsa……..

Itu Elsa. Si Umar punya lawak bodoh pulak happened last Saturday night. We were circling the basement parking of CineLeisure, wanting to buy tickets for Pink Panther 2. We don’t normally park indoors, preferring instead to park at the outdoor parking in front of the cinema. However the parking is no more. They have cordoned off the area to……surprise, surprise build another building… making the place more congested… why lah MPPJ not clever ?

Anyway, we circled and circled when Dan decided to try the first floor. We saw a couple of empty lots and Dan quickly drove to it but when we got there Dan didn’t park and drove ahead.

“Alah… tak boleh kan parking kat situ kan, Bah ? Itu untuk orang duduk saja…..” my son said, very much disappointed.

Dan and I exchanged puzzled looks and when it dawned to us what he meant, we burst out laughing.

“Umar …. That is not for orang duduk… that is for handicapped drivers… Itu gambar orang on a wheelchair….!!”

Wa ha ha ha ha !! Sakit perut !!

The Great Race

On Monday we celebrated Arif’s birthday and since Arif loves cheese cake, Ita bought Cheeze Cake from Secret Recipe for his birthday cake.

It was a lovely cake. Babah took two slices.

Last night while waiting for the kids to finish mengaji, Babah asked, “Awak ingat saya teringin apa sekarang ?”

“Cheese cake Arif tu ?”

And he nodded gratefully.

Ustaz balik aje, we rushed off to Secret Recipe at Seksyen 9. While eating, we discussed tomorrow’s menu (I know…. Terrible isn’t it ?) and agreed on fish and chips for tomorrow’s dinner.

Hence the walk to Shah Alam Mall for ingredients. We entered the compounds of the Mall via the bus/taxi stand. Mummy was holding Umar’s hand and Babah was holding Elsa. Mummy started to walk down, to enter the mall via the side entrance near Pelita but Babah was heading towards the back entrance next to the Thai restaurant. Both Mummy and Babah stopped on their tracks when they realized their journey were not in accord.

“Sini lah !’ They both said unison.

“Sini lagi cepat lah…..” Mummy said.

“No !! Sini !!” Babah said, his head pointing towards his way of choice.

So what do we usually do in this situation ? A race, of course.

“I race you then…” said Babah, saying just what Mummy was thinking.

Umar who was used to this kind of thing (and I know he was hoping for it) started whooping and off he went. Babah went off and Mummy started legging it.

However she didn’t take into account the slope. She had forgotten that from that point to the side entrance the road was in gradient and she started regretting it as she lurched forward.

“Umar ! Brake ! Brake !”

Umar who hates losing turned around without stopping his pace. “Hurry up, Mummy ! We have to win !!” Alamak anak ku …

“Umar ! Be careful ! Brake ! Slowly !” She advised.

Umar slowed down for awhile and Mummy managed to grab his hand but then Umar let the wind took him again and before long he was out of Mummy’s sight. Mummy panicked. She hardly ever let her son out of her sight and kicked into gear. When she rounded the corner at the new photo shop she saw a glimpsed of her son in front of the supermarket. However her relief was much sweeter when she realized her husband and daughter was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly she heard Umar shouted, “Ha ! I win ! I win !” jumping up and down ecstatically long before Babah came into view.

“Eleh…. Korang lari…. We didn’t…” Said he who didn’t want to concede defeat.

Who told you not to do that ? Poodah !!

Ha ha !

PS : We usually raced to go to Yamaha Music School every Saturday. From the escalator, Babah said his way via Memory Lane was faster. Mummy said her way via the children clothes shop is. Mummy won the race every time. But to tell you the truth only because she always got Umar and Babah had to drag (or most of the time dukung) Elsa with him.

PS : We don’t do it anymore as Babah hardly ever had Saturday off. Too bad….

Orang kena simen

I always look for the opportunity to tell my children stories from the Malay folklores. You know, si Tanggang, Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup and so on. But this being a very advanced time, my children usually wants proof and therefore after watching Grey’s Anatomy last Tuesday, opportunity to re-tell the story about si Tanggang appeared and I grabbed it.

The said chance was given by the telly and mind you, who wouldn’t believe the telly, the most integral part of our lives, eh ?

Anyway, after a very satisfying Grey’s Anatomy (that McSteamy is sexier than McDreamy… but never fear I have McRashdan at home.. so okaylah….), the telly showed a preview of next week’s episode. There for all and sundry to see was a boy who was encased in what looked like cement, surrounded by baffled doctors/surgeons.

All three of us (Babah, U-um and myself) looked in shock, trying to decipher what we saw. “Is it cement ?” Was one question. “He fell in a hole of a rock ?” and so on.

“What happened, Mummy ?” Asked the very impatient Umar. “Is that cement ?”

“Yeah, probably….” I answered before I got an epiphany (can I say that ?) and changed my story.

“Ohhh…. I think I know what is going on here… That is batu, not cement. I think he is the American version of Si Tanggang….” At his puzzled look, I explained, “Si Tanggang is the story of this poor boy who went across the sea to find work. He wanted to help his poor parents but after he got rich and married a princess he felt ashamed of his poor parents. He started making up stories about how his parents were actually rich but conveniently dead.

One day though the ship that he and his wife were on stopped at his old village. His parents got to know that their Si Tanggang was on it and decided to row a boat to the ship to meet him. They were very excited. The son that they love and miss so much has returned. The mom made lepat pisang which was Tanggang’s favorite food. The old father rowed the boat but when he got there, Si Tanggang pretended that he didn’t know them. He was so embarrassed because their clothes were torn and dirty.

They called him, “Tanggang. Ni mak dan ayah ni. Mari lah…”. He said, “Siapa kau ? Aku tak kenal kau…” His parents were shocked but then they thought maybe because they haven’t seen each other in a long time Tanggang had forgotten how his parents looked like.

So his mother said, “Ini mak, Tanggang… turun lah… Mak nak peluk Tanggang…..” Tanggang got very angry because his wife had heard what his parents said. So he angrily told them, “Tipu ! Mak bapak aku dah mati….” His parents cried when he said that, especially his mom. They were so broken hearted but it was their son, they have to make an attempt again.

His mom tried to climb the ladder to get on the ship. “Tanggang, ni mak bawak lepat pisang kegemaran kau ni… ambik lah…..” She said, one hand holding the ladder the other hand proffering the goodies to him. But Tanggang had other ideas. He quickly said, ‘Aku mana makan lepat pisang… Aku makan Happy Meal saja !!’ and he kicked his mom before she got onboard. The mom fell back in the boat and his father started rowing back to shore.

Tanggang’s mother got up, crying all the while. She was humiliated, angry and sad. She then said, “Anak derhaka ! Tak mengenang budi !!” At this point she got very pissed off she said what all mothers try not to do. She cursed her son. “Aku sumpah kau jadi batu !!” As soon as she said that, the sky clouded, darkened and began to rumble. Suddenly lightning struck and hit Tanggang.

When the smoke was gone everybody gasped. Tanggang had turned into stone. Allah had heard his mother’s cries and granted her wish.

I stopped for dramatic effect.

“I think that boy was rude to his mother….” I suggested.

“Mom….” Umar quivered. “You told me that story already…..” He looked thoughtful. “But… kenapa kepala dia tak jadi batu ? Si Tanggang tu kan his whole body turned into stone….”

Aiseh.

“Well… that is because Allah wants him to tell the story… as a warning to all other children…. So now he can talk and tell naughty children to listen to their mothers if they don’t want to turn into stone like him……”

He heh…

Cerita Mummy yang meleret-leret

We were in the car last week, on the way to who knows where. I cannot remember our destination but I remember it was night time.

“Mummy… have you seen Emot ?” Asked Umar. Pulak….

“No….”

“I haven’t seen him for 2 days…..” He complained.

Hmmm………….

“Emot is your responsibility lah Umar. How would Mummy know where your toy is..” Babah dah start membebel.

“Tak…. Yesterday kan when I sleep with you malam-malam kan (uninvited, okay.. some nights we would find an extra, or 2 extra sleepers on our bed), I took him with me….”

“Well when I made up the bed this morning I didn’t see him…” I offered.

Babah started his lecture (I’ll spare you guys from the agony).

The next night as I was reading in my bedroom, Umar came and draped himself on the sofa next to me.

“Mummy… have you seen the little rascal, Emot ? I haven’t seen him….” He asked worriedly. Little rascal ? You are so cute lah, Um.

“I don’t know lah sayang….” Said I.

“Um… I have lost Kitty a long time… Tak de apa-apa pun….” Said Elsa importantly. Hang memang Elsa…tak sayang Kitty langsung.

“I still have Bathtub ….” She added.

Umar gave a little whine. He then moved to their mattress and shoved his arm under the pillow, gave a little cry, pulled his arms out and waved Emot up high happily.

“I found him !!” He then rubbed his nose on Emot’s nose (?), big smile on his face.

Umar…

PS : Actually the main thing I want to share is Umar's usage of 'little rascal' but I cannot just tell it without giving a trail why it came up... So in that process meleret-leretlah cerita ku. Sorry !

Your husband, Mummy !!

Babah had always worked Saturdays. This is his 4th job and the 4th job that requires Saturday attendance. Bummer. However by 1 pm he would be home and all is well again. Not last Saturday though. Most of his staffs were away for the CNY hols, so Babah worked extra hours to help his remaining staffs.

At 2, Mummy set the table and called her children for lunch.

“Mana Babah, Mummy ?” Asked Umar when he saw the 3 place settings.

“Babah work, kay ? Balik lambat sikit….”

“Mana Babah saya, Mummy ?” Asked Elsa.

Repeat above answer.

We ate. Less than 5 minutes at the table, Elsa asked me, “Do you miss Babah, Mummy ?” She was looking at her food mournfully.

“Yes….” Said I.

“Me, too…” She said, with a foot long pout.

He heh..

5 minutes after that she asked again, “Do you miss Babah, Mummy ?” I sighed my affirmation. “Me, too...” She repeated, playing with her food.

And as I was clearing the dishes, she asked me again and my answer remained the same. She threw herself on the couch and watched the telly, face not happy.

At about 3, she was playing with Umar outside when she ran inside excitedly. “Mummy, Babah is home ! I saw him ! I saw him !”

I smiled at her.

“Mummy ! Quick, your husband is home… Dia dah balik.”

What ? As I looked at her in wonder, she grabbed my hand and pulled me off the couch. “Quick, Mummy ! Follow me !!” She ordered and ran to the door, dragging me with her.

“There ! I told you. There’s your husband !!” She pointed happily at Babah who was still in the car. When Babah got out of his vehicle, Elsa threw herself on her Babah and gave him a fierce hug.


The same thing happened 2 weeks ago when Dan came home late because of a company dinner he had to attend.

“Mummy, mana Babah ?” She asked. My answer that Babah had to work late didn’t go well with her.

“I think…” She whispered, “Babah pegi makan hotel with his friends…”

Forehead furrowed I asked her how does she know this.

“Oh, I use my imagination. I imagine that he is eating at the hotel….”

I sighed and gave a lecture on imagination bordering to lies….

Hmmm…….

Bah, please don’t work extra hours. It is a trial for your daughter.

We go walking

We had a great Monday walk. Not exactly a weekend walk but a holiday walk all the same. It came about when we passed by the lake in the morning and I commented on the nice scenery and the families having picnics.

“Bah… why don’t we come here this afternoon, Bah…We can go jogging…” Umar suggested.

Babah said, “Why don’t we walk here ? Our house is very near… We could walk from our house…”.

The kids were ecstatic. I who love walks (that I get from my years in England) was very much so.

We started from our house at around 6. The kids were running ahead, anticipating the adventure. We walked slowly, pass by the sekolah agama, found a dead cat. Passed by the row of shops and crossed the road to walk next to Sekolah Seksyen 4. By then we had decided to circle Seksyen 4. Passed by the tasik and Mummy showed her children where she, Aunty Esmalina and Aunty Suhaila main longkang when they were eeemmm….. 14… he heh.

Elsa collected sticks, pretending she was an old person, goofing around. Umar talked and talked and talked. At the unused bus stop in front of the lake found another dead cat. We soldiered on. Passed by the Masjid roundabout and walked alongside seksyen 4.

Walked some more and in from of the small lake next to the courthouse, saw a live cat this time. So yeay !! Showed them Aunty Shazleen’s house where Mummy lepaked most of her last 2 years in high school.

Then crossed the road at the pasar, went in for a shortcut to 7-11. Went inside the Seksyen 6 business area and showed the kids where Mummy and Babah used to have their dates…. He he…. Passed by the shop where Cik Shera used to work and where she met their Mamu and in we go inside 7-11.

Bought drinks and retraced our steps halfway through the business centre and when we were about to cross the bridge, saw an itty bitty black kitten meowing mournfully. He looked so pitiful but Babah refused Mummy’s entreaty to bring him home because Babah is allergic. Babah then saw a box, peered inside and saw the kitten’s dead sibling. 3 dead cats and 2 live ones so far.

As we crossed the bridge, Babah called out to us excitedly and pointed to a beautiful bird in the big drain. “Bangau…” said Babah. Eh ? Bangau ? What is bangau in English ? Stork ke ?
Walked again, passing seksyen 6/1D, 6/1C. 6/1B, the pasar and turned right at the junction. Crossed the road again to walk alongside seksyen 4 and then crossed the road after the roundabout.

Babah pointed to another bird with a long beak. I forgot what he called it. I think he said Kingfisher. Or Raja something… We arrived home at 7.15. Just nice.

When we got home, Umar whipped up his shirt and looked at his belly.

“I’m a bit thinner kan, Mummy ?” He asked proudly.

Okay lah…..

Opportunity missed

“Mum… yesterday kan something happened..” said my daughter on the way to her school this morning.

“Oh yeah ?” Was my very non-committal reply and what a waste ! I wasn’t listening to her until I heard the word air-cond then, “Uhhh…. I think… it is a MYSTERY !!” She shouted, punching the air.

“What is ?” I asked, suddenly very interested.

“I love mysteries, Mum…” She said with a twinkle in her eyes. “ Because I can…..” he heh.. stumped for words. “Solve ?” I helpfully suggested. She looked at me, not convinced it was the right word, however I think for lack of a better choice, she agreed, albeit wearily. “Yes… solve….” She said, tasting the foreign word.

But the most important factor is, what is the mystery ?

“So.. tell me about the mystery again ?”

“What ?”

“The mystery that you want to solve. About the air-cond ? You said Um pasang air-cond is it, then something happened ?” She looked blank.

“Come on, Ti…just now you said something about the air-cond…..” trying to cajole the memory from her. “Emmm….. “ she said. “Semalam Um pasang air-cond….”

“Then ? The mystery ?”

“Itu sajalah… the room got cold because of the air-cond…” She said.

Aiseh. Either I misheard or she has gone totally forgetful, I have missed a good story. This is a good lesson for me. Listen next time, will you Mummy ? Listen…

Titi's friends

“Mummy… Hakim kan……” Is how my baby girl usually starts when I got home from work. Or sometimes, “Tadi kan at school kan Haiqal……..” Or sometimes other boys’ name would come up.

One day after a story involving yet another boy, I asked her, “There are a lot of boys in your class, kan Ti ?”

“Yes…..” She agreed, nodding her head.

Umar who was nearby and was obviously listening to our conversation helpfully said, “Titi has 3 boyfriends, Mummy !”

I looked at my smiling daughter. My raised eyebrows was answered with a smiling, nodding head, confirming her brother’s little tale.

“How come you have 3 ? That is a bit much…” Said Mummy.

“Because semuanya handsome-handsome, Mum….” Was the reply. But it didn’t come from her. Her abang said that.

He he…. How do you know that, Um ?