OF HAJJ AND MOTORBIKE......

October 2012 began with me getting one year older (and hopefully wiser...)
We were rejoicing over the fact that finally, my eldest brother ( your Ayah Long), is able to make the long-awaited spiritual journey to the holy land. It was a joy to all of us because it is the very wish of the late Tok Ayah. He used to fret and fret over the fact that Ayah Long is getting on in  years and being showered by so much wealth by Allah yet he still couldnt extricate himself from his busy schedule to  go and fulfill the 5th pillar. Yes, Tok Ayah couldnt witness it with his own eyes, but by Ramadhan, it was almost sure that Ayah Long and Cik Long are going and Tok Ayah was so happy...And he was made happier to see how Ayah Long has been trying to improve himself spiritually as a preparation for the journey.

Out of the blue, Abah  got a call that he was chosen too, and he was to go in less than two weeks time! Even earlier than Ayah Long himself. We were not really surprise though, knowing fully well about Abah's ongoing research project with the pilgrimages. It just that we were not prepared. Okay, it's me who was not prepared. I was supposed to feel thankful that Abah got to do haji again for the fourth time, but being weak as I am, I felt quite the contrary, astaghfirullah...

So, Abah went, and the rain started. Heavy rains as if the monsoon has decided to come earlier. And I was feeling doubly blues. No amount of whatsApp messages,viber calls or tango video calls from Abah could ease it. Yes, I was that mushy...

But, 20th of Oct arrived and brought Abang off the plane early in the morning. And I was cured!! And even the week long rain stopped too. It was shining ever so brightly on the day we made our qurban at Ayah Mat's. Adik was happy that Abang's home as she wouldnt have to walk to the main road to wait for her school bus every morning. Whenever Abah is around, Abah would send her on motor bike, and now Abang is  taking over.( It was just a short distance really) As for Abang, riding motorbike is a newly acquired skill, happened during the last Eid ul fitr holiday. He has been wanting to do that, seeing other younger boys, with  legs so short they cant even touch the ground when they are on the bike,riding around the kampung joyously. He didnt ask because he knows fully well our stand on this kind of things. But then, after seeing how tall and strong he has grown, and we could see he is now capable of handling it, Abah gave him a lesson, with not much success though, as I kept yelping nearby...(bad mama, I know)Then Aqim came and within a few minutes, Abang was confidently riding!

going for Asar...

So, he really looked forward to coming home this time around as he knew he would get plenty of chances to ride. To the mosque five times a day, send Adik to the bus stand, taking out thrash to the dustbin on the main road and go buying this and that for Mama. All these trips are of course done on small paved road away from the main busy road. That's a strict condition put by us that he has to go by. No main road until he got a license. He has to park the bike on one side of the road and walk across to buy something as most of shops are on the other side of the main road . Abang said he felt like a real grown up now!! And kept saying thank you's to Mama for giving him the chance... Thats just like Abang. It was me who should be thankful of you. Abang did a lot when he was home...and at Mak Tok's too. Both Abang and Adik vacuumed and mopped up Mak Tok's floor until it shone. MasyaAllah I was so proud of you two, Alhamdulillah...

It was one  satisfying, fulfilled week  when Abang was home. Managed to cook many of his favourite dishes too...Adik was so happy that Abang,during their evening cruises,  taught her to ride as well, without my knowledge of course, as I would never agree to it!! The highlight of the week was when  Abah told us to catch him on TV al Hijrah as he would be interviewed on a live program. As we dont have satellite tv, we hastily downloaded the 1MalaysiaTV apps and watched him on the tablet...here's Abah.

Thanks Kak Chik Illa for the picture...we forgot to screen capture any of it as all three of us were busy gazing longingly at Abah! When Abah called later, the first question Adik asked Abah was,why didnt they put make up on you!!!

Well, the rain has started again....and I'm signing off.

COME HOME NOW!!!

Friday Evening

I'm writing this sitting in the car waiting for Abah praying the Maghrib prayer at Masjid Muhammadi. Its so serene here, the sight, the sound. We arrived 5 minutes before the azan was called out, and within that few minutes, cars lined up and filled both sides of the road shoulders. Family with children, youngsters, old men and women and all sort of people thronged the majestic building. Really evoke the grateful feeling of being a Kelantanese and  actually living here in me. Not 15 minutes ago I was horrified at the crowd at  KB Mall. Truth is, we very rarely go to the mall on weekends. So, what is normal to others was frowned upon by us. When we were coming out, there was still a long queue of cars waiting to get in and I was horrified that people were still coming in to the mall when Maghrib is so near. Well, there is a small surau in the mall anyway...

I came to realise that it has been a long while since Abah and me got to spend time alone together. In fact, I think  this is the very first time both of you, Abang and Adik, are not with us at night time....Adik went off to join her school program, camping on some beaches, around 3 this afternoon. Soon after, Abah and me decided to go out as Abah needed to find something for his never-ending DIY home and garden projects . And I wanted to find a gadget to transplant the seedlings that I saw on this new-found information -laden gardening blog. Sadly though, I couldnt find it...must try other garden stores soon. I have had enough  frustrating moments trying to transplant without injuring the seedlings...

So, there we were. Walking hand in hand, looking at things and ended up buying a micro fiber carpet for our bedroom. We were sold on the fact that they are super absorbent,stain resistant, do not shed, bla,bla,bla...the salesman claimed that it was made in Belgium but I doubted it. (Upon checking it on the net just now, true enough, I found that they  actually came from Taiwan!!) Then, we  got the tools Abah was looking for. Soon after,we passed the lingerie section and I was attracted to sports bra on sales. After a few minutes looking and discussing them with Abah, it suddenly hit me that Abah might be embarrassed to be there and and apologised to him. Abah was surprised and said no, he's not embarrassed at all, automatically reminding me of how around ten years ago, it was a  normal thing for us to do, browsing all departments together as I could never shop or even walk alone. But Adik, since you arrived and especially after you reached certain age, I think 9 was it, you have become my best shopping companion and I thoroughly enjoy your company that I have forgotten I used to do it with Abah!! You are always my best critic, honest as you are...(though sometimes I wish you are more subtle, like Abang....) 

When you turn 11 and and  we shared the same shoe sizes, you become more enthusiastic. Thank God, by this year your feet has grown even more and my shoes are safe!! Recently though, whenever both of us are wearing black abaya and walking/standing side by side, people have been commenting that we are of the same size. Something like," Eh, dah sama besar Mama ngan Adik"...Adik beams whenever anyone says this as it means she's taller, which is true....and errm, Mama beams too as she thinks (read: perasan) she looks smaller now, which she hopes is true!! And yes, we wear the same S size abayas.

Okay, Abah's here. He's finished the prayer....

Now we are having dinner at Hayaki Kopitiam at Jalan Kebun Sultan as I've been reading good  reviews by some bloggers here. Our verdict,the food's not bad at all.

And now we stopped again for Isya' and here I am again waiting in the car as I am on 'leave'.

Saturday Morning.

We just came back from tosai breakfast..

I thanked Abah upon realising that we were out till late last night so as to avoid from me having to be at home alone if Abah was to go to mosque from Maghrib to Isya' as usual...how thoughtful of him.

I have ran out of things to write.

Adik, please come home soon!!!!!

And, hooray!!! the day after tomorrow, Abang will be home too for Eid al-Adha, InsyaAllah...He'll be home for one week and all of us must brace ourselves for another surge in weight-gaining haha!!

LAMB PILAU

Abah was in a place where halaal lambs are plentiful and quite cheap. His host, one Uncle Prof KJ , kept making lamb soup as it is ( I suspect) about the only cooking method he knows!! After a few days, Abah decided its time to show-off his skill in the kitchen... (as well as wanting to escape eating another meal of lamb soup!!).

So, in one of Abah's frequent calls,skypes and emails,( cant remember which one as he did all these every so often) he asked for the recipe for lamb pilau. So, I wrote down the recipe and emailed it to him.

At the same time, I was pondering on what to write for October entry...and beginning to regret my promising Adik and Abang to post at least one entry per month. I cant go back on my words now.

Suddenly, it struck me! I could just copy/paste  this recipe for my October entry... Hemmh, what a relief! But then, as I have editted last month's entry to include a recipe, this blog will look like a cooking blog with two consecutives entries on recipes...takpe la ya, Abang, Adik...Mama memang takde idea ni!

So, here goes;

LAMB PILAU

Ingredients

Lamb (obviously!)

Onions (thinly sliced; quantity- gram to gram with lamb)

Basmathi rice (get the best u can)

Skinned and chopped ripen tomatoes (use the canned ones or failing to get it, scald the fresh ones in boiling water, the skin will come off quite easily)

Coriander seeds  (lightly crush in lesung batu, does Abg Din has it?)

Black peppercorn (ditto)

A piece of cinnamon bark

A couple of black cardamom (if using the white ones, tambah skit)

Green chillies (cut up)

Ginger (lightly pound)

Cilantro (its daun ketumbar ya laling,lots of them, roughly chop)

Salt and water ( water and rice quantity must be in equal ratio)

Cooking oil

How to go about it:

Heat up the oil, add onions. Let it fried until very brown. Just one degree away from burnt state. (This is important, as it will give the colour to the dish, we dont want a pale pilau,okay)

Add some water. Cover for a minute to sweat out the colour and sweetness from the onions. Add lamb. Put the lid back on until u see the meat has absorbed the brown colour of the onions.Add tomatoes and garlic, cover for 5 min.

Add all dry spices and salt, cover and let it simmer until the lamb is tender. Add ginger, chillies and cilantro, turn off heat and let it be at least for a couple of hours ( this is optional, just to let the meat absorbs the spices etc. U cud just go to nx process)

My style is; roughly one hour before serving, add more water to the pot ( remember to take away the amount u already added). Bring it to boil and add washed and drained basmathi. Cook till the rice is fluffy.

Serve with salad,pappadom and raita.

Good luck and dont burn down KJ's kitchen...hehe. Let me know how it turn out ya!

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

That's about it....

But, rummaging through the pictures file, I found these;

the spiced pappadom that both of you dont really like...always preferring the plain ones.

salad of diced tomatoes,cucumber and shredded iceberg lettuce. Dressed with homemade vinaigrette. (3 parts olive oil to 1 part of malt vinegar,salt and pepper)

When I cook large portion like this, I will finish them off in the oven  ( after most of liquid has evaporated) to avoid burning at the bottom

the raita which you guys loooove. (Just plain yoghurt with mint sauce or chopped cilantro. Salt and sugar to taste.)

Looks like I have a proper entry after all!!( Now, wont you say your Mama IS clever, kids?)

Come to think of it, I wish both of you will master cooking this dish as it has always been the dish that I'll cook for any Da'awah Jamaat that happen to come to our mosque, especially for those from the foreign countries. And they always appreciate it so much and end up  making special do'a for us, Alhamdulillah...and all masturat jamaats that  came to our house were subjected to eating this too... and the session of recipe-taking (after the program end) was always inevitable!

I would like it very much that you two shall continue feeding the jamaats even when Abah and me are not around anymore....

p/s

after all the effort I made to write the email most explicitly, Abah called and said, "payoh weh, tak jadi la buat..". hemmm, why am I not surprise! ( and this is despite the fact that he was always hands-on whenever I cooked a large portion)

A GIFT FROM ABAH....

I'm so glad Abah planted these Kemunting bushes, seeing them bear fruits, and thus, afforded me with another entry. Truth be told, I have ran out of things to write!! But  write I must as I have promised Adik to post at least one entry per month. So Adik, be sure to appreciate this effort ya!! I do it solely for the love I have for you...and Abang of course.

So, these are our Kemuntings  that Abah is so proud of and we are so fond of...we and the birds!! And seems that they always won the race of reaping the ripe fruits. As a matter of fact, we only managed to get our hands on those scrumptious berries  recently despite the fact that they have started fruiting for the past few months. 
After long hot months, the rain came and all kinds of flowers and fruits came out to celebrate the gift from God. Having lots other choices of delectable to select from, those naughty but cute birds at last decided to leave the kemunting alone....baru lah kita dapat rasa!!

Anyway, despair not. We, or errrr.. maybe Abah alone ( for he single-handedly planted that while Mama looked on with sceptical look) gets the sadaqah pahala for all those fruits eaten by the creatures of  Allah.

Kemunting picking was Mama and Abah's favourite pastime in our childhood. We eagerly waited for the season each year and went about it most fervently. Many a time, it resulted in we  being scolded by our concerned parents as time tended to fly away when we were at it. They would be worried sick as dusk approached and we were still at the foothill, gathering those ripe berries.( Being 'hidden by the genie' was the order of those days as compared to being abducted/raped by so many sick people of today.)

As you, Abang and Adik, are so fond of listening to our childhood stories but cant really connect with what we went through as a result of this rapid development that has taken away all those bushes in our respective kampungs, Abah decided to plant this Kemunting....as well as teaching  you how to play all those traditional games that you two enjoy enormously.

Abah got the seedling during one of our weekend getaways in a small resort off Cherating white sandy beach. I didnt know then that Kemunting could grow on sandy soil too. When Abah scooped it up, after asking permission from resort's owner, I was quite sure that it wont be suitable for the soil  around our home . And when it struggled to grow at a snail pace, I 'advised' Abah to give up...but true to his 'healer's personality, Abah persevered....Tending it with love and care (read: put fertilizer etc) with Pakcik Noor's help of course.

All of a sudden, lovely pink flowers started to come out and soon enough, small berries followed suit, profusely so too!!

And following the tradition initiated by Abah, the first juicy fruit from any of the trees in Abah's orchard was always presented to Mama....and MasyaAllah,in this case, it was soooo sweet!!

Mama sheepishly said ' Thankyou...' and Abah beamed with satisfaction!! ( of being able to show the  berries to you two and...also I suspect, of being able to prove that Mama was  wrong!)

Abang and Adik, please take care of the bushes ya!!  InsyaAllah...one day your children will get to see them too.

A MOTHER'S LOVE

A day before Abah left for his postponed work-trip to Makkah/Madinah/Egypt , he brought home a fat envelope addressed to his office. Few days before that, he mentioned it to me, saying that he received a weird letter, but didnt have time to really read it, so I asked him to bring it home so that I could read it for him. I counted, there were 15 pages altogether!!

Reading it, I first laughed my heart out, thinking this is seriously funny. The lady who wrote it must be someone outrageous. But then, I read it again, considered it and I changed my mind.

I know think of her as a desperate mother, writing that letter out of love for her only daughter. A mother who wants the best for her child that she would do everything including writing to a total stranger as long as she could ensure that the love of her life will get the best.
Well, only a mother could do that. That's a mother's love.
A love so great that she risked to be labelled 'crazy' for doing the things she thinks would benefit her child. When I told a couple of close friends about that letter, that's exactly what both of my friends think of her.

The gist of her letter is asking Abah to find a suitor to her 23-year-old daughter!!

Did she ever meet Abah? NO. But she wrote in her letter, she felt like she knew Abah by reading and keeping all newspaper clippings about Abah. Apparently, one of her hobbies is collecting articles on religion matters or religious figures.
( but Abah doesnt fall into any of those categories kan? and then again, bukan selalu sangat pun Abah masuk paper/magazine, less than 20 times I think, unless she already stalked Abah since his penilaian darjah lima where Abah was one of the early students of SK Parang Puting hehehe,we always laught at the name much to Abah's chagrin, who got 5A's and masuk paper).
Reading all those clippings, ( again I wonder as the articles were mostly on Abah's professional opinions and very little on personal life), gave her the idea that Abah is the right person for her to turn to. To assist her in her mission. In her own words, she sees Abah as, " memenuhi piawaian seorang lelaki muslim"... ( sorry, I cant help laughing again as I'm writing this....I even glaced at Abah's forehead expecting to see ada cap SIRIM ke!!)

And to 'help' Abah, she enclosed pictures of herself, her husband ( very succesful-looking man), the said daughter and their big bungalow. And some pictures of them on their trip to the holy lands.

By now, I could actually identify with her. The letter was written out of her fear for her daughter's future. She looks around and sees how the world around her rapidly degenerating. How the morals of people around her crumbling....She sees that her daughter's life is at risk if she just let her choose her own life partner. She doubts all men ever asked for her daughter's hand. (Apparently, there had been some, including a 'datuk' from Penang.) She is sure that only the man who lives a live according to the rules of Allah while having a good career could provide the life she wants for her beloved child. She thus, make it her mission to find that lelaki yang memenuhi piawaian teruna muslim .

I am truly, truly sorry for her. I feel like reaching out to her, but Abah said it is a bad idea. We shouldnt be encouraging her. I wish and pray that Allah will fulfill her hajat, for it is a very noble one. I feel bad for not helping when someone is so desperately asking for it. I think, we should at least call her and let her know we read her letter even if we cannot help.
Adik suggested that I write this in the blog and the lady will read it.
Adik, for your information, less than 10 people reads this blog, okay!

Anyway, Adik and Abang, I would like you to know , THAT is the real job of a mother.
To always think and worry about their children, since the day they were born, to the day they die, if we are still around that is.We worry just about anything.....and we worry so much that those who are not mothers read fathers sometimes think we are a bit off.

Not that we are complaining though.....
That unconditional love you give back is more than make up for it......
The daily confession of "saaaayang Mama!", those hugs and wet kisses constantly showered on me, and the open adoration in your eyes when you look at me, just make up for all the troubles and hardship I have to endure.
Thank you Abang and Adik, for that priceless love.....
And I love you back more than you love me!!

FINALLY.......

He looks as if he is not moved at all. He reads about them in the free newspapers the office provides, scans the reports on the net and watches them on the idiot box...but he keeps his quiet. He doesnt take to the streets to participate in the demos, nor does he attends the seminars and forums taking place around him .

Until one day, he breaks the silence....

He says, "Allah never puts the strength of a battalion of army as a condition for success". 

He tells a story.
One of the day the Lion of Allah entered the holy city, victorious without shedding a single drop of blood ....... in a patched coarse garment, riding a weak horse. Not a glance cast on the lines of beautiful seductive women on their right and left. Those seductress then went back to their leader head hung low in shame. And they said,

"Those army of muslims are not human, they are angels...Their hearts are full of the greatness of their Lord, nothing could possibly tear them away from it. Hence the success.....". 

The enemy came forward surrendering the key of the sacred mosque. The fear of Allah combined with the strict adherence to sunnah were enough to put fear in their enemies heart, rendered them helpless.
 

(a slightly different version I then read in ASHARAH MUBASH-SHARAH authored by Mohammad Iqbal Siddiq... "A very interesting incident in the annals of history occured during the siege of Jerusalem. The Patriach of the town refused to surrender the place to any one else except the Caliph himself. Hadrat 'Umar( Allah be pleased with him) acceded to the request and traveling from Medina, with a single attendant and a dromedary to ride upon turn by turn, he arrived at Jabia without any pomp or ceremony. The interesting part of the episode was that when Hadrat 'Umar reached the gate of the city to meet the deputation led by the Patriarch, the attendant was riding the camel whereas the Caliph was walking before it holding the string in his hand. This scene proved to be so convincing and re assuring to the Patriarch that he immediately flung open the heavy gate and surrendered the town to the Caliph")

And he continues....

"That land is a holy, sacred land. The chosen place. The soil of anbiyaa'. When you are living in a chosen place, you are the chosen ones. You behaves accordingly. You follows the footstep of the anbiyaa' before you. You emulates their ways as far as you could. You live your life as shown by them....dress like them, eat like them, think like them......When you fails to do that, you invites the wrath of your Lord upon you.
You dress like those enemies of yours, in jeans and t-shirts, you eats like them, you speak like them, you live your daily life, thinking , behaving exactly like them. Your so called leaders, fight among themselves. In those calmer days, when the attack on you were not this obvious, the mu'ezzin called out azans and the imams got ready to lead the prayers, but there are more pillars than devotees in that holy mosque. You didnt appreciate it, took it for granted, so now it is being taken away from you. Sadder still, you are being chased away from your own homes as if you dont deserve to be there anymore....."

He prays for you people nights after nights. Way before Dec 26th 2008...........He begs Allah to pardon you. He cried buckets for hidayah. He pleads to the Lord to give understanding, the taufeeq for himself, his family and you and the whole of ummah...Indeed we are not behaving the ways expected from the true slaves of Allah. Most of the times, our minds are clouded by our own intellectual, shadowing us away from the truth.

He sends money regularly to help those innocent kids, been doing that long before this outburst. He doesnt need to boycott the products as he doesnt use them save for a basic, unavoidable few. He never consciously visit any of those fancy high prices franchise outlets. But they sometimes come to him, not at his own expenses. The rizqs are from Him indeed.

I listen, eyes glisten, and I feel enlightened...........

Meanwhile, Abang's favourite game that he plays by himself nowadays is, launching intelligent rockets from Gaza to the other side complete with self-produced sound system.
Adik is changing her ambition yet again to become a scientist so that she can invent that rockets.

AN APPRENTICE

On the day of Aidil Adha 2004, when Abang was 7 years old, it dawned upon him that someday, he has to take over from Abah as Abah has taken over from Tok Ayah Wahab. As the Tukang Sembeleh Lembu Korban that is!!

Since small, he had seen Abah helped slaughtering one or two cows while Tok Ayah did the rest. The backyard of Tok Ayah has always been the preferred site for the occasion by the villagers as a small stream flows through it making the washing up of those bloods and cow shit easier.

In 2004, however, Tok Ayah decided to throw in the towel and handed down his special knife to Abah, saying he couldn't do it anymore.So, Abah ,single handedly, slaughtered all the 7 cows ......

Abang saw it and later came to us and thoughtfully said, "Abang nak kena belajar potong lembu ni, Bila Abah dah tua nanti, for sure Abang yang kena ganti kan?"
 
Both Abah and me were left speechless for a moment!!


From then on, every year, without miss(except for last year when Abah went for hajj, servicing in medical team) Abang would help Abah preparing for the Day. They would bring out the knives, sharpen them, prepare the ropes and few other things related to it. Abah would read again from the book of Fiqh on the rules and regulations of doing qurban . Paying close attention to the sunnah ways of doing it. We also got to hear again to story behind it all and the significance of this sacred rite.

More importantly, we would also be reminded of the importance of sacrificing parts of our property, time and even our own self for the sake of Allah. We learn how if we give wholeheartedly to Allah, He will reward us much better than what we expect, both in this world and in the hereafter. We will read the stories of the august companions of Rasulullah SAW , how they sacrificed their whole life for deen due to which, we are muslims today.


(Abah somehow is less "celebrated" than Tok Ayah. Everything would be prepared for Tok Ayah. The cows already tied, there would be enough people to hold it down, the coconut leaves laid down etc. Tok Ayah just step up, sembeleh, went home. People then give some choicest cut of the meat to him prior to distributing the cow to 7 parts. He just walk away, didn't even have to carry the given meat, people will send it to his house!! Abah , on the other hand, do almost everything himself, before and after slaughtering, and seems to enjoy it....... and Abah's duty sometime covered 3 kampungs, Sabak, Bkt Merbau and Chica itself.)


Two years ago, Abah slaughtered 5 cows in our backyard garden and we had to suffer the smell that lingered on for quite some times. The men dug a big hole to bury all the smelly things but somehow some were left scattered around Abah's salaks ,dokongs, rambutans and banana trees....Okay, yes, they gave nutrition to the trees, but , we'd rather buy the organic fertilizers in big sacks from the jabatan pertanian, thank you.


This year, Abah was again supposed to go for hajj, heading a research team , (a joint program his university is having with the Makkah's Ummul Qurra University) , but somehow, at the very last minute, the plan fell through.

Everybody else, including Mama, had pledged a part of cow to be sacrificed, leaving Abah alone. So, Abah hastily found a cow, ( thanks to Pak Noh, the friendliest local butcher ever) and rounded up 5 friends and relatives to join in. He even arranged for Mama's part at Mak Tok's kampung to be taken up by someone else enabling Mama to join in this lembu.

So, the 7 of us will share the cow and Abah InsyaAllah will slaughter it and you Abang, will have to be on your toes and look closely as an apprentice, hehehe ( how to recite takbir, the cut must be proximal to the larynx, the two arteries severed; just writing about this pun dah make me shiver eeei.....)This one cow wont bring much bad smell I hope and this time I'll make sure the men scrape everything off the ground...




I just want you to know Abang.....
Abah and me are proud that you have that way of thinking, but you really do no have to worry about that. I guess Abah was chosen by Allah not by Tok Ayah. He has three sons, Ayah Mat who had military background, Abah and Ayah Chik Razif, a maulana. Both Ayah Mat and Ayah Chik would be more appropriate choice if it were up to Tok Ayah. Tok Ayah himself is a gentle soul, very well-mannered gentleman and have this serene look about him. Hardly the type you would expect to wrestle with a cow, but Allah chose him. Not everybody can do it, even Pak Noh himself, who slaughters cows on daily basis said he cannot /would not do it. I dont know his reason, you can ask him when you see him at the mosque.....


So Abang, dont worry, if Allah choose you, no one will be able to say," YOU ARE FIRED!!! "( a la the trump guy) to you...hehehe.

AGAIN!!

Abah was in tha paper again yesterday....and his two doting sister-in-laws (ummi and Cik Lah excited bukan main. Mama cool je...They called me at 9 am while I was getting ready to get my haircut at the Spa Cantik.They asked me,"Dah tengok ke gambar M in Berita Minggu?" My answer was,"Dah tengok dia secara 'live' pagi tadi....hehehe..."

PEMBUNUH UTAMA KANAK-KANAK

Abah was in Mingguan Malaysia today and above his was the photo of Datuk Dr.Zulkifli.

We rarely buy newspapers but bought it today after being alerted by Ummi early in the morning about Abah's handsome picture(her words not mine).

Adik and Abang came home from school,Adik took a look at the paper,read the headlines and quickly and loudly said,

"Abah,is it true that you and your friend are the pembunuh utama kanak-kanak?" 

Abah and me was stunned for a minute before we both laughed till it hurt.....Abah was expecting you to be proud of him and were actually waiting for you to say,' "wah...hensem jugak abah ni"...or something along that line....(you said Abah was handsome like a 'pengantin' the last time Abah was in the paper)

Adik,adik....it never occur to us that you would say that.Itu lah,lain kali,jangan cepat sangat nak buka mulut,baca habis2 dulu....Same thing happens in your monthly tests/exams.You always got it wrong because you didnt read the instruction carefully or fully for that matter.You are so bright Adik,please dont let it go to waste because of your carelessness.

Okay,okay...I know you are just a 9 yr old,but still....if I dont remind you again and again,you now what will happen,right Adik?

The article was about pneumococus as a leading cause of pneumonia,meningitis and bacteraemia that kills nearly a million children under five every year worldwide. And the paper was quoting Abah and Dr Zul of course. We were even there with Abah last week when it took place in KL Hilton. Surely you havent forgotten our weekend rendezvous with Abah last week.Abah drove from Ipoh,we hopped on Airasia and then by shuttle bus to KL Sentral all on our own....first time for Mama to handle you kids singlehandedly.Alhamdulillah everything went fine....and the next day,we got to experience a long commuter ride to Rawang which you two enjoyed very much as towards the end of the journey,we had the whole car to ourselves. You have been on commuter and LRT before,in KL and Sydney,but it has been so long that you two become very 'jakun' and excited...hehehe.

Anyway,yesterday was hilarious....