Weekend Chores

Tgh melatih anak dara nan sorg ni buat kerja rumah. Dah boleh harap utk vacuum, sapu rumah, lap meja makan, lipat dan gantung baju sendiri masuk wardrobe dan cuci pinggan (tp still monitor lg yg nih sbb dia sibuk main air). Mandikan adik dan pakaikan baju adik pun dah lepas. Kemas tempat tidur dan cuci bilik air ni kena supervise, kalau tak cakap, tak berapa rajin nak buat. Hmmm...

Lego,Dulu dan Kini

Aku baru perasan yg Lego yg dulu bukanlah yg skrg...Skrg saiz dah kecik2 dan dah ada blueprint utk siapkan projek apa. Tak mcm kita kecik2 dulu, blok2 segi empat tepat tu je la dan ikut pandai imaginasi sendiri la nak bina apa atau mcm mana gaya. Boleh main ulang2... Endless hours of quiet fun.

Skrg bila goal-oriented, dgn mak pak skali terpaksa terbabit sama jd engineer jd arkitek tak bertauliah dan tak bergaji. Terkeruk2 la nak ikut manual dia yg lg payah nak follow daripada manual Ikea tuh. Plak tu, once dh achieve goal tu, dah siap tersergam indah binaannya, bdk2 ni jd malas nak buka semula. Diorg biar je jadi display. Tak main2 dah. Pastu minta set yg lain plak. Ewah... byk korg punya cantik. Ni saja cara Lego nak up kan sales la ni. Kalo dulu dah sudah main buka balik simpan dalam kotak sbb tak sayang sgt sbb buruk pun binaan tu. Nak kata rumah, mmg tak rupa rumah, cuma dlm imaginasi kita je la dah jd ala2 rumah. So no hal cabut dan simpan. Kang lenkali nak main bina la benda lain plak, or repeat balik from memory binaan hari tu. Ni tidak. Dah la Lego dia skang ada mcm2 tema - Superhero la, Frozen la. Nanges nak ikut citarasa budak2 nih.

Pastu bila saiz kecik, byk je part yg hilang. Brp byk yg sudah kena sedut dgn vacuum Mummy? Pastu bila kecik benau, mmg ada je kes terpijak. Tp mcm semut api la jg. Nama je kecik tp sakit wooo... Ni marah ni dgn Lego nih.

Sorry this is a rant. Sebetulnya baru perasan isu nih sbb selama ni beli set Duplo je utk bdk2 nih. Diorg nya taste dah evolve ke something yg lebih 'finer'.... Haih la...

Aku Saja

Tgh layan jem dalam hujan sesambil ajak anak2 menyanyi (utk elak ngantuk). Bagi Aisyah yg control pilihan lagu di phone. Lepas habis satu lagu, Mummy pun request lah...

Mummy: Cari lagu 'Pencuri' by Mark Adams plak, Kakak

Aisyah: Tak nak lah lagu Mummy pilih tu. Nak lagu AKU SAJA

Berderau darah Mummy. Sejak bila pandai ckp 'Aku' dgn org tua ni

Mummy: Apa Aisyah cakap?

Aisyah: Alaaa... lagu AKU SAJA yg Ainan Tasneem nyanyi tu..

Mummy: Ooo... tu lagu 'KAMU SAJA' la Aisyah, bukan 'AKU SAJA'

Pergh.. nyaris kena marah dgn Mummy satu round dah. Nasib baik salah faham cpt dirungkaikan.

The Best Mother-in-Law Ever

It's been a week since Mak left us.

It's been pretty tough. It doesn't matter that we're all in our thirties, fourties. A loss of a mother is the hardest hit. In the span of three years, I've lost both my mom (Umi) and my MIL (Mak). It is very, very sad. Especially since most of my friends around still have both Moms actively around in their lives. Holidays (like right now) are the hardest. Witnessing on FB everyone's happy moments with their complete set of family members without a smidge of envy is a huge challenge. I must remember that Allah loves both of my Moms more and there are reasons why things happen as they do.

In this entry, I'd like to cherish what Mak meant to me. 

My relationship with Mak has been somewhat different from the relationship that I had had with my own Umi. Mak was a more traditional type - she was not the huggy, kissy, touchy, feely type like Umi was. Nor was she the joking poking kind (again, like Umi was, haha). And as a daughter in law, I suppose I was more guarded and behaved more conservatively when she was around - out of respect, as most Malaysian girls are brought up to. But I'm not here to do a direct a comparison of the two mothers. Because Umi was Umi and Mak was Mak.

And Mak was the best MIL for me. 

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She was always laid back and relaxed, and let us younglings figured things out ourselves. 

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She gave us space to know our errors and learn from it. Even if Hubs and I argued, she would not pick sides (ok, sometimes she would side with me, but that's because the wife is almost always right, right?). 

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She was never a meddler (ever) but would give the right advice when solicited. 

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If there was anything she was unhappy with me, I certainly never heard it from anyone else - she would tactfully talk to me about it. 

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She was very forgiving to have a DIL who neither possessed any cooking skills nor do all things kampungs (I'm sorry, but it is the truth especially at the beginning of our married life tee hee).

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She was never a laser-mouth (a label given to those who are sharp tongued), even when most of her siblings were (mostly in a joking manner, but Boy, did I hate those digs dished out at me at weddings or other family functions). 

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She never once pressured us into giving her grandchildren (we had waited whilst I was finishing my Master degree -  not all MIL in Malaysia can practice this openly). 

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She supported our decision to move temporarily to the UK whilst I did my PhD, even if it meant taking her granddaughter away from her for a good four years. 

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She probably didn't have a clue what a PhD was, much less viva voce, but I am very certain that it was her prayers (along with the prayers of others) that got me through it all successfully in the end (and all the other successes in life thus far).

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There's just so many other things that made Mak special and I love her for them all.

I hope that one day I will be as cool as Mak was with my daughter in law (whoever that is written to be). I pray this as I stare at Zayd who is currently playing the dinosaur game on the lappy beside me in his jammers, whilst singing 'Lompat si Katak Lompat', oblivious to the emotions his Mummy is going through.

Semoga Mak aman di sana.

Al-Fatihah

Pemergian Mak

21 November 2016. 5.40 am.

A date which all of us as a family will remember for a very long time. 

My mother-in-law, Siti Haji Ali, passed away on this date, at the said time. She was 68. She is survived by a husband, three daughters, two sons, and eleven granchildren - all of whom loved her very, very much.

Mak, as I had fondly called her, had been a stroke patient survivor. It wasn't stroke that took her life away, but several complications which probably had been caused by renal failures. Mak didn't get to do dialysis, for the risks outweighed the benefits (in her case). It was very sad to see her condition slowly deteriorating, and although we knew the inevitable was imminent, it was still a shock to see her go. I guess this is true for any departure.

Mak took her last breath at Along's house in Kluang. Although I wasn't by her side when she passed, Hubs, Abah (my FIL, her husband), and Along's family were there during her last moments. She was well taken care of throughout her illness, something that I highly admire in Hubs. Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah, I got to see her a day before she passed (I drove to Kluang that weekend), and she was in a conscious state for that one moment (she had drifted in and out of consciousness previously). She looked me right in the eye, and we spoke, kissed and seeked forgiveness for all of our wrongdoings towards one another (she didn't do anything wrong to me really, I was the one who sinned a lot, I suppose). She truly looked like she was getting better that day, which was why Hubs had advised me to drive back home without worry and things will be taken care of. Little did we know that in twelve hours time, Mak would meet her Creator. I've heard stories from others where by sometimes, just before someone passes over, there seems to be a moment of peace and calm, and it looks like things are going uphill (the sick will start gaining his/her appetite again, or talking, or acting cheerful, etc), only to be rapidly rolling downhill soon after. But whatever that has happened has been set by Allah, and we accept it with Redha in our hearts.

Mak was buried at Perkuburan Batu 6 Bakri, Muar right after Solat Zuhur. She was loved by many and memories of her will forever be cherished. Semoga Allah menempatkan Mak di kalangan org2 yang beriman. 

Sayang Mak.

Al-Fatihah.

 

Honest Three

Three is the age where everything spoken is out of pure honesty. Which is a positive trait, until something like this happens...

Last Friday, was picking up Zayd from his minder's. As we walked out of the house, another Mommy came in to pick up her son, and Zayd piped up.

"Itu mak Ali! (bukan nama sebenar)," kata Zayd sambil menunjuk ke arah wanita yg berada di pintu pagar.

"Ye ke? Hai Mak Ali," kataku sambil menyengih mesra.

Zayd turut melambaikan tangan kepada Mak Ali yg berjalan melenggang masuk ke dalam rumah. Aku dan Zayd pun memberi laluan untuk Mak Ali ni masuk. Sebaik sahaja hampir berlaga bahu dengan Mak si Ali ni, boleh Zayd membuka mulut dan berkata...

"Mak Ali ni gemuk."

Omagad. Pucat aku weih.

Honesty is a virtue, but it is also a double-edged sword.

Aku harap Mak Ali adalah kurang terang sket pendengaran. The lady isn't even gemuk to begin with. Adoi la Ahmad Zayd...

Artistic Aisyah

Setiap org ada kelebihan dan kekurangannya. As parents, aku tertanya2 gak apa minat dan bakat budak2 ni, especially  si Aisyah since dia dah 8 tahun ni. Is it music? Is it arts? Is it robotics? Is it some kind of sports? Sewing? Cooking? etc2...

So far, si Kakak Aisyah nampak cam ada bakat seni e.g. drawing and decorating, but it's too soon to tell. Tp mmg dia minat sgt la. Pantang ada masa terluang je, melukis. Kalo spot check dalam beg pun, penuh buku nota extra (bkn buku rampaian sekolah), dgn lukisan2 dia. Kata dia, time2 Mummy lambat amik from school, dia bukak buku dan lukis.

Kalo betul minat dan bakatnya di situ, Mummy doakan moga Aisyah terus passionate dan berjaya dalam bidang ni, Amin...

PS: Pic frame dgn comic strip tu dia buat sendiri sans help.

Aisyah dan Belacan

Kalau smlm kisah Zayd dan Pomade, hari ni ulang tayang sket from FB kisah Aisyah dan Belacan hihi... Saja la bg fair, masing2 dua beradik ni ada air time yg sama dlm blog ni, eceh...

*******

Tgh tolong Aisyah tarik sesuatu..

Aisyah: Mummy, just pull one

Me: I have to pull them all. They stick together

Aisyah: Stick together? Ooo mcm BELACAN?

Me: Kenapa mcm belacan?

Aisyah: Ye la, belacan kan bila satu pergi, yg lg satu lg ikut jg

[Krik krik 3 saat]

Me: Oo u mean BELANGKAS?

Aisyah: Haa.. belangkas. Apa tu belangkas, Mummy?

Oh Your BM!

 

Zayd dan Pomade

Tgk.. tgk... sket punya lama dah tinggal blog. Hari tu ada la azam nak sambung tulis kan, tp dah terjadi habit lama balik, yakni meninggalkan penulisan. Ntah angin kus2 apa mlm ni, terasa nak start tulis balik. Sbb x brp nak menjelma idea tu, maka recycle some material from FB bole la kot ek? I try to keep FB separate than blog (as in I don't link my blog to my FB post and vice versa), so kira audience lain ok la ek. Tp if u happen to know me from both world, then you would have read this entry oresi, tp x pe la, anggap anda insan terpilih kuheh3...

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Suatu ptg dua minggu yg lalu ketika menjemput Zayd dari rumah pengasuh...

Zayd: Mummy, abg nak 'pomed'

Mummy: 'Pomed' tu apa?

Zayd: Minyak

Mummy: Minyak?

Pengasuh terkekek2 kat blkg menerangkan yg 'Pomade' tu semacam minyak atau gel rambut. Anak dia yg remaja duk rapikan rambut Zayd. Patut segak semacam je belah tepi si Zayd ni. Kebetulan plak rambut Zayd kali ni potong pendek je, x cukur abes mcm slalu (biasanya Upin Ipin style haha), so boleh lah stylo pki pomade. Tua lak rasa bila anak yg 3 tahun lg hip dari mak nya... dah la selama ni duk baca label yg tulis pomade tu dengan sebutan 'pomaderr' (gaya klate nk sebut pemadam). Sbb teringat alat gamelan bali masa belajar kt plymouth dulu salah satu tu disebut pemade (pemader) jg

Sejak tu mmg kerap dia duk tanya, nak pomade lah, nk beli kt mana lah, brp harga lah. Aiyoo.. nak dijadikan cerita, terjumpa bekas pelajar yg dtg upm nk ambil jubah konvo hari tu and dia jual pomade ni. So belilah satu. Jadinya inilah hasilnya (rambut sikat tepi Zayd)... silalah beli Leeman Pomade ni ye... saya x jual, tp tolong promote je😁

Asthma and Eczema

Last week Zayd seemed to be wheezing and coughing and finding it hard to sleep through the night. he had also had an allergic attack (to what we never found out) and a small patch on his skin seemed too dry and rough and itchy. This had all seemed too familiar, so we took Zayd to the clinic.

The Doctor confirmed our suspicions. Zayd, like his sister Aisyah, is most likely asthmatic, and thedry patch on his skin is of course, eczema. Although he hasn't been fully diagnosed as asthmatic (in Malaysia they don't diagnose asthma untul the child is 6), Zayd has been prescribed with Salbutamol and Ventolin syrup (no inhaler yet), hydrocortisone and aquous cream for his eczema. When Aisyah was about Zayd's age (3.5 yrs old), she had her own inhalers (one is brown coloured for prevention, and a blue one for when an attack takes place) with the volumatic paediatric chamber and we had to chart her breathing nightly. She couldn't use normal soap and was prescribed with bottles and bottles of the aquous cream (see pic below - from the pharmacy in Mutley, Plymouth). Alhamdulillah as she grows older, it doesn't flare so often and asthma attacks are very rare nowadays. We pray Zayd's case never gets as severe as what Aisyah had been and that it will slowly disappear as he grows older too. In the meantime, we just have to monitor things for him and figure out ways to reduce the attacks.

 

Out to Lunch at Ayer 8

Had a lovely lunch out with friends last Friday. We went to Ayer 8, Putrajaya. Ayer 8 is this really nice shopping area with plenty of restaurants. Since it's by the lake side, the view from any of the restaurant is spectacular, especially if it's on the outdoor deck.

The lake side is a great place to take the kids out in the afternoon. I must really make an effort to take the kids here to play outdoor more often (I keep forgetting how nice it is here). They would most definitely love cycling their little bikes to their hearts' content or just simply running around enjoying the nice view here.

Visiting places near the water makes me miss Plymouth oh so much. Plymouth was a time where the sea was only a 10-minute walk away, and when time seemed to go at a slower pace (life was simpler). In contrast, time in Malaysia seems to tick faster (the rat race is megafierce here), and the stress level much, much higher. I feel for the kids...

Brain Power

Just capturing a nightly routine with Aisyah - Tasmi' session. Tasmi' is where I listen and correct Aisyah on her hafazan (memorization) of the Quran. Her teacher will WhatsApp the parents 2-3 verses which the students have to recite and memorize as a a recap for the day's lesson in school or as a preparation for tomorrow's class. So far, so good. But at 8, Aisyah still needs a lot of guidance. If I don't invite her to sit and start the Tasmi' session, she will gladly 'forget' it, but I will be sure to get a WA from her teacher tomorrow reporting that she has struggled for the following lessons. So best we all keep it a half hour date, every night :D

Aisyah is looking away from me in this pic because she is reciting the verses from memory and insists that she is not cheating (she isn't). It is amazing how fast children learn and remember. Half an hour is enough for memorizing several verses, with the least of effort. They are pure and innocent, that's why. Wish they could stay this way forever ...

Happy 60th, Ayah!

Naturally what comes a day after compulsory retirement in Msia is --- the pensioners' 60th Birthday!!

So to celebrate this occasion, our big family went to have dinner at Johnny's on the 11th August 2016. Growing up, there are only three of us siblings - my two younger brothers and I - so it is really awesome to see how the once small sized family has grown larger - with each of us siblings blessed with a spouse and two children of our own (a total of 6 grandchildren), and also since Ayah married Cik Ni, I instantly have another stepbrother too.

So, here we are... all of us...

After the hearty meal, we all went to Dataran at Putrajaya to enjoy cake. It was quite late, but no birthday would be complete without a cake, so cake we had haha. It was nice being outdoor late in the night, not much cooler than the balmy (it was a very balmy night), but at least it wasn't scorching hot like during the day. The kids really went wild, running around chasing one another, a sign that they were on the loose as they never really got to go out that late at night, to scoff down cake, to boot.

We sang Happy Birthday to Ayah and he then opened up his birthday pressies, consisting of a shirt, a pair of Pelikat pants and a pair of sunglasses. The grandkiddos thought their grand dad looked hilarious wearing all three items in one go!

One for the pic:

NB:

I don't mean to be sappy, but big milestones or celebrations like this one is always leaving me feeling a mixture of emotions. I keep thinking of how things would have been if my late Mom was still with us, you know, like growing old together with my dad and stuff, and that makes me extremely sad. But then I remember that is about making the most of what and who you still have, and that I'm extremely blessed that there's no shortages of happy moments like this one, and I am happy and grateful for that. 

I guess it's true what they say about love - it is always bitter sweet. I'm just praying that there's more of the sweeter bits than the bitter parts ;)