ERRR...THE UPDATES??

So, here I am again,filling in,  for Mama just couldnt bring herself to string a few sentences to oblige her daughter's plead to update this pitiful blog of hers.

I am not so well myself, to tell the truth. I think age is finally catching up with me.   I got this dizzy spell quite regularly now, and it only happens post meals. When they, Mama and Adik , first saw me wobbled , has difficulty in righting myself and finally, fall over, they screamed and  then, cried. Typical! They grabbed me, called me baby and hugged me  so tight as if I was going to die there and then!!

After witnessing a few more episodes of my losing balances, though they are still very concern ,  they quit  screaming, but they continue making lots and lots of fuss over it . Really, I cant understand these two. They call me fatty, lazy bum,sleepyhead and all sorts of degrading names ( none of which describes me ), but at a sight of me being well...just dizzy, they totally lost it!

Mama of course, googled away my condition and came up with the diagnosis of Feline Geriatric Vestibular Syndrome. Mouthful huh?( I especially detest the word geriatric, I'm not that old okay!) At least, its better than being labelled epileptic as she first presumed!

Well, I tried to tell her that I am okay and I dont have other symptoms that cats with that awful syndrome have, but to no avail. Not until she read and read and read and observed and observed and observed . At   one point, she deduced that I eat too fast and scolded me, reminded me of eating ethic of an aristocat. Indeed, I only have these dizzy spell after having meals, never at other times. So, that rules out epilepsy, as well as that mouthful diagnosis! Adik is worse, she thought I am outrightly obese, my head is not in proportion with my body anymore, thus causing me to topple over during mealtimes sometimes!

Well, I'm lost for words to tell them that I just have vertigo like what Abah used to have. And it is far better than what  Abah had as I dont vomit and it lasts only less than a minute. Plus, I could run as fast as usual right after. So, I just let them worry and the result is, I got more pampering!!

Nowadays, I enjoy extra tender loving care and more frequent treats of my favourite cans  of  sardines and salmons. Hmmm...didnt I always tell you that there's a silver lining in every cloud?

Anywaysss...enough about me ( though I know all of you wants more and more of me,right? And oh, for those of you who wonders, rest assured that I still look as good and fluffy and cute as before).


As for Abang and Adik, they are well and doing fine with their respective studies. Abang is still in syahadah class and hoping to graduate by the end of this year. Adik is preparing for her PT3 which will take place soon...and she grumbles a lot about being made guinea pigs.
They went for umrah for the second time in late February as a long overdue promised gift for Abang for having successfully committed 30 juzuks of the holy Quran to memory. The journey was postponed before because of our late Moktok being sick. It was  a joyous and meaningful occasion for them both as they now understand deeper  of the spiritual sides of the journey compared to their first umrah. Abang got to fulfill his dream of reciting the whole of the Quran in front of the Kaabah while Adik said doing tahajjud infront of the Kaabah was priceless!!

Back from the holy lands, Abah, Mama and Adik went on to visit Cik Tie at her new abode in Patayya where they had wonderful holiday with Cik Lah's family. 
I cant be bothered to find their numerous photos there...

And I'm getting tired writing this...so I guess I'll just stop here.

Till then,so long....and  gear up for Ramadhan all of you,you hear me??



p/s I am never good at giving titles to anything,so...


 

MISERABLE MARCH...

Just when I thought I can retire peacefully,she has to come into our life. And made my life,in particular, oh so miserable.

It was Adik who 'discovered' her and begged and begged Mama and Abah to allow her to bring that tramp home.
I disliked her on the first sight.
And it progressed to disgust and now I simply hate her!!
Nowadays I live my life in seclusion. In Mama's room to be exact. I will only go out when I couldnt smell her rotten odour  around. Well, too bad if Abah, Mama, Adik( and now its school holidays, Abang is around too) have to do extra job of making sure she is out of the house before I could be persuaded to eat.
I cant even linger in the kitchen for a second more than my mealtimes as I cant stand her pathetic voice outside the backdoor.
I am so disgusted I cant write any more...so, guys, thats all from me for now.

signing off.
Dr.M.Grey

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Oh, Grey,the ultimate snobbish cat!!!
I was hoping she would write a proper entry for this month as I am having a major brain drain due to the heat. Well, me and heat never agree. Year in, year out, you will hear about how bad the hot season affects me as Grey  has kindly written here and here. She is in  a rotten mood this year,thus not so kind!
Well, it is sooo hot now. I have been quite useless for the last two days. Cooped up in my cold dark room with minimum movement. And this morning, Maktok has to come visiting me, along with C.Nini and C.Jah and their families, after listening to exaggerated report by Abah.  And as usual, I would miraculously get well whenever my sisters are around!! Much to Abah's delight of course as he was leaving for another trip to KK this evening.
Poor Abang for having to come home for holidays in a very hot season where Mama stay away from the kitchen as much as possible. We did go for a short break in a jungle to escape the heat. Setiu Agro Resort to be exact, where all of us enjoyed  jungle trekking, canoeing,fishing and cycling in the cooler air. Here's some pics for the record;

It was made even more enjoyable as we teamed up with Mak's family where Adik became inseparable with Kak Iybah and Abang with Aqim....and the resort itself was surprisingly quite void of other holiday makers thus leaving us monopolise the canoes,pedal boats and the floating gondola. Abang got to be Imaam at the surau and recite his daily portion of the Quran on that said gondola after fajar prayer. Blissful indeed!

Insyaa Allah I'll try to make Grey writes again on her enmity with Cheeky in the coming month...
Till then, let us pray harder for rain....

THE END OF 2012...

Another year gone...and we all were struck with how swift the time flies. We could still vividly remember how the three of us having breakfast at the famous White House kopitiam before sending Adik off to her first day at secondary school. And now, Adik is preparing her stuff for her second year already, which will begin the day after tomorrow.  As for Abang,  2013 will see him starting the  Syahadah class InsyaaAllah.

2012 has been an eventful year for us. Good and bad things happened as part and parcel of life with tears and laughter accompanying.
Most unforgettable of course is the passing of your beloved grandfather.We all are still pining for him. Maktok's health has been deteriorating since.

K.Long Syida's nikah's that took place in our home is one of joyous moments in 2012. C.Lah and Ay.Pa have just acquired a new business opportunity that required them to relocate and they have to travel to and fro their home and the new place every so often.. Thus the decision to shift the ceremony to our place. It was beautiful and I got to be the person in charge of everything as my sister was too busy with her new business venture. It was tiring, but I got the experience of being of mother of the bride hehe...

My youngest sibling, your Ayah Su also got hitched this year...an event that the late Tok Ayah would very much like to see.

All these and some others are all without Abang's presence. The strict rules of his madrasah is one of the sacrifices Abang ungrudgingly endures, Masyaa Allah. May Allah rewards him bountifully and may his dream to be a hafidz and  an 'aliim will soon  be realized.

In this month of December, life has been hectic for us. Abah got home from hajj at the end of  November and the very next day we drove to Penang to see Abang. We discovered a new picnic place( Pantai Malindo) that was void of people! So, Abang and Adik got the chance to be the kids on the beach they used to be, albeit fully covered as opposed to in shorts and t-shirts as of the time past. Alhamdulillah...

Abah worked for a few days, then, we took off for our extended holidays. First off, in KL where we got the chance to visit the ailing Nenek Nafisah, Abah's auntie. Then we visit our friends from Glasgow days that left us reminiscing for sometimes.
(In KK later, we met another couple who not only asked us for dinner, but lent us their car so that we could go to Kundasang! Thanks Dr Wahi N Rosie....)
 Adik enjoyed listening to our tales...a few other places, then , to the main event, the reception of Kak Syida's.... Came home for two days, then we were off to Trengganu for one night, came home only to fly off the next day to Kota Kinabalu for 5 days. 

We have been trying our best to stick to healthy eating the whole year through, but, during holidays, all things go haywire.....not to mention the lacks of exercise session!!

But, InsyaaAllah, I am determined to ensure that things get back on track comes first day of 2013. Wish me luck!!

These shall be our staples from now on,beware ya Abah n Adik hehehe...(plus the brown wild rice n seaweeds we got fm Sabah)

May Allah guides us all in the forthcoming year....include us in the group of people who constantly make effort on our imaan and keep improving our 'amaals. Amin.

OUCH!! (part 2)

Just as everybody in this household is taking it for granted that I am all fit and healthy all year long, and they were all happily packing away to go for a short break, I decided to pull a quick one. Its a given anyway. I deserve extra attention once a year. And to get that, I must fell sick...(and err... I kind of promised myself to do this anyway)

I perched on the study table and stared and stared...halooo,look at me!!!! but they were so busy zipping and unzipping the bag again and again and didnt notice my staring at them with a crooked smile until the very last minute.

And Adik shrieked!!! Huh,at last I got your attention!.....Yes, my lower canine tooth was falling out okay...it was juuust hanging on and kind of pointing out to one side already, causing the crooked smile as I couldnt close my mouth properly by then. And Mama shrieked even louder when she saw it. They fussed and fussed about me and I loved every minute of it!! 

The BIG questions were, was I in pain? Should they go ahead and try to pull it out? Was any of them brave enough to do that?

No answer to any of those...

They wanted to consult Abah  who had  flown a day earlier to do some work, but decided against it as it was very late already. Abah must have gone to sleep. Mama then went online in search of advice and instructed Adik to look for signs of:

• Red, irritated appearance of the gums
• Bad breath
• Rotten appearance of teeth  

Alhamdulillah, none of it....From the net, Mama deduced that if a cat has teeth that are falling out, it can either be a completely normal process or one indicating that an underlying health condition exists.

They decided to deal with it tomorrow, kissed me goodnight and allowed me to sleep with them. YES!!!

I slept soundly but I know Mama didnt, because she had learned so much from the net just then and she was feeling guilty!!! The vet did check my teeth when we go for our yearly booster but he never said a thing about brushing teeth and Mama, ignorance in many things as she is, never seen anyone brushes cats' teeth in her life!!

Morning came and it was very chaotic. They had to catch their flight around noon but I was the priority here!! Matter was made worse when Abang called early in the morning asking Mama could she please send him a towel! He said he has been borrowing a friend's towel for the last few days...Mama was beyond shock!! ( biasa la mama kan, drama queen sokmo!) How could he leave towels behind? Personal hygiene ranks very high in Mama's list, so she didnt take it very well when Abang said to just bring the towel when they come to visit .(Abang said that after Mama exploded)

Well, in my opinion, Abang shouldnt be blamed. It was frantic the day he left. On the first day of  Eid-al-Adha we slaughtered 2 cows on our backyard , shared mostly with Abah and Mama's siblings. So, you can imagine the full house with cousins ( an occasion very much enjoyed by Abang and Adik of course) and the works that followed after. Abang helped out a lot. Yes, it was a yearly affair and Abang is quite adept at it by now but still, his room was a mess as it was used for male cousins to lepak, change and pray. He had tried to gather all his things but still...And his flight back to Penang was very early the next morning. 

So, Mama became very stressful and snapped at Adik at every single mistake she made...kesian adik. 

The vet was closed and so were the courier companies as it was the birthday of our beloved Sultan. Many calls were made and to cut the long story short, a back-door transaction(shhhh!) was finally made with a courier agent. A visit to the famous pet shop of Kubang Kerian and a chat with the ever friendly and knowledgeable owner saw Mama heaving a relief sigh . He calmly assured Mama that it is an entirely normal aging process.

Just before noon, I was  left with the neighbour who is as crazy about me as my own family with loads of premium wet food together with a  what-to-do/ watch-out  list.

They barely had time to catch the flight...and off the went to KUCHING, of all the places!!

I am very satisfied to know that they didnt really enjoy their time there as there were too many reminders of me...heheheh. Mama even updated her fb status with: In Kuching and missing our kucing!!

none of them is as cute as me tho...

Ok folks,I need my beauty sleep now...so long!!

Dr. M. Grey

THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE.

We just got back from India after spending more than a week there, in Belgaum, Karnataka to be exact. And it turned out to be an experience of a lifetime for Adik...and a pleasant surprise for me.


I went  expecting the worse...Truth is, I have been to these parts of the world before and eerr...its not quite  my kind of things I would say. I was in fact, quite reluctant to go ...and, Adik, naturally sided with me. ( hehe...I am always a big influence to my kids, good or bad). Abah had to resort to some persuasive methods to make us agreed to go .
And then, Adik said, if we were going, she wanted the Indian train experience....and I dreaded it more!!  I read and read and read on Indian train over the net...And since I have had a preconceived idea about it, my mind played tricks on me and I saw only bad things!!!


So....
We touched down at Bengaluru airport and Adik was excited to find a man holding a board saying, ''Welcome Dr S and family....'' haha!! The airport was as good as ours and when we stepped out, the temperature was a nice 23C.I was like, 'oookay... this is nice'. Then, we hopped on the waiting car and listened to Abah chatting amicably with Mr Tajee. We wondered at how Abah could possibly understood him...Yes, he was speaking English , but we could only decipher less than 30 percent of what he was saying!!


A few minutes into the journey, as we were nearing the Bangalore town proper, we, or rather, I, had the scare of my life!! Needless to say, the rest of the journey was spent with closed eyes and constant prayer!! Driving on Indian roads are certainly not for the frail-hearted!! And oh, sounding horn IS a way of life here and a horn sound  could mean lots of things here...

you are a rude driver if you dont honk.....

We were taken to dinner at a hotel en route to the guesthouse, which turned out to be a newly and tastefully decorated serviced apartment and we were the first  to use it...As for the dinner, it  was awesome.

post-meal,they always give a bowl of warm water with a piece of lime for hand-washing n some spices combination for breath freshener

fancy pan cone wrapped in edible silver paper

 Adik got fascinated with a pan(sireh) stall in front of the hotel. It was amazing to see everybody including young and hip-looking youngsters just stopped, took a pan, popped it into their mouth and chewed away.

 The two 'servants' in the guesthouse wouldnt even let me put my drinking glass in the sink! By this time, I have started to like it here....And adik said,"Mama, its not bad at all..." in an accusing tone!

high-quality linen with low-low price!!

The next morning, we were taken to Commercial Street where I have to pinch myself to realise that I havent die and go to cotton's heaven!! Not to mention saree's....

Adik choosing materials for her salwar kameez

Evening came and off we went to the ''dreaded'' train station....but lo and behold! It was so clean that people actually sit in the open arena in small groups having a picnic while waiting for their trains. And no offensive smell whatsoever. The train was on time and we soon settled into our AC sleeper carriage. Again I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was so comfortable...Thick fluffy blankets, pillows and crisp white linen were handed in brown packets,freshly laundered. The journey from Bangalore to Belgaum where the university we were heading to located, took 12 hours. Adik said she felt like sleeping in a buai and was lullabied to sleep immediately and drawing the curtain, I soon followed suit. Abah woke us up for Fajr prayer and again I was so relieved to see that the  latrine was actually clean with no foul smell emitting at all. I had actually restrained myself earlier to avoid visiting it. All in all, I would say, Indian train beat ours.


Concerned friends have reminded us not to eat from street vendors and the likes, but we are a bunch of happy people by the time morning came and the sellers came aboard crying "garam chai, idlii,vada,pakora....!!" 

a standard breakfast fare of 1 idlii + 1 vada

 the bowls holding pakoras n sambar made from dried leaves...

We threw caution to the wind and enjoyed our breakfast while feasting our eyes on the views of  the ever changing landscapes.We especially love those fields full of purplish blooms of sugarcane plants.


Around 9 in the morning we reached Belgaum and after disposing our things at the dean's residence, we were chauffeured  to another round of shopping spree. Everything was cheap, cheap, cheap....We even made a suit of a salwar kameez each and the tailor charged us less than RM10 for one suit!!


The next day, Abah started working and as the good Prof left for Malaysia during the night,  we have the house to ourselves. Waited upon by not one but three servants!!(they actually made us uncomfortable with their self-imposed inferior behaviour). Read here.  Adik and Mama took looong walk every morning to burn out those calories from all those lovely foods we consumed. 
 Abah walked to the office too despite having the driver. The campus is nice, with lots of old shady trees and very clean.

 We also walked to the alleys of small shops and bought veges sold at the roadsides.It was like in the old 60s Malay movies. They still use the old scales to weigh stuff.

And of course we did not miss the chance to experience the auto riding.
 

Adik enjoyed the ride, not me though..its too dusty n scary!!

Everyone in the university was very nice to us. The honourable director himself came to see us and took the trouble to make sure our stay was thoroughly enjoyable.He insisted that we took  a guided tour to the historical Goa. 

Inside Goan Museum

@ the Goan beach with Dr Reshma

The two tourist guides were none other than the lovely Dr Vidhya and Dr Reshma. I gained lots of knowledge talking to them.And they spoiled Adik with attention and gifts!!

We are glad we went....Alhamdulillah. We asked from Allah and He made everything easy and nice for us. We were spared from bad experience others have had.

If there is any regret at all, it is due to the fact that Abang couldnt be with us. But never mind Abang, InsyaAllah, you will be travelling the world as a dai'é of Allah very soon.

In his quest to be fair to both of you, all the expenses spent on Adik for any holidays, Abah would put the same amount in Abang's account.
So, at the moment, Adik maybe richer in experience than you Abang....but you are richer in RM!!

THE SEOUL STORY

So, we sent Abang to the madrassah on the 1st of Nov and braced the loooong journey home in almost complete silence. Adik fell asleep almost instantly and stayed that way( switched herself off) until we stopped for prayers and thereafter continued sleeping. I sobbed silently. Abah had only one hand on the steering wheel as he hold mine with the other.....


We reached home and Grey kept trying to get into the car, looking for one missing member of this family.....

We then found Adik sat stone-faced in front of the opened wardrobe in Abang's room, looking at Abang's clothing. And I joined her. We then hugged each other and cried openly.....and loudly! Abah came in and tried to say something funny ( as usual) but stopped midway and walked away...

Adik was so down for the next few days that it worried us....


Then, the journey to Seoul came on the 14th of Nov and it saw Adik smiling again...what a relief!! Thanks to the fact that Kak Bibah was joining us in this trip. Kak Bib, along with many other nieces of Abah and Mama, are absolute addicts of Korean dramas. But she got lucky as her mum decided to reward her dilligence by paying for the airline ticket....needless to say, she was in cloud nine leaving Kak Aminah, Kak Basyirah, Kak Syida, Kak Maryam, Kak Syifaa and Kak Tim green with envy!! (these are all korean wannabes!)
Seoul was approaching winter, so it was -2 C when we arrived. It went lower in the evening and Adik prayed that it went lower still so that she could see some snow....As it was, she just had to be satisfied with some frost on the treetops in the morning.

Adik and Kak Bibah ( very knowledgeable with all things korean) enjoyed Seoul very much. Personally, I dont really fancy it. For one thing, everything is much more expensive than in our own country and we do have all that they offer over there. Anyway, Abang and Grey were not forgotten, Adik kept trying to buy knick-knacks for them...

Here are some pictures of Adik and Kak Habibah in Seoul....( Mama and Abah are not photo-friendly!)




Waiting for trains that comes in every 3 minutes ( Yet the Korean still running towards them as if it is thelast train of the day....they really value every second of their time...No, I dont wish to have to rush everywhere like that))Kak Nana( in blue) is Cik Jae's daughter who is studying engineering in Seoul. Without her we would be loss. She was such a great help....and her friends too. And all of them speak Korean fluently.






@ Namsan Tower where lots and lots of lovey-dovey couples 'locked' their love using all kinds of padloocks. Hic!




At the Bear Museum

We went up the tower, which is quite similar to our KLCC, in the evening and saw Seoul bathing in lights. 

At the famous market with Kak Alin (in red) and Kak Farah (in black). ( Adik and Kak Bibah were smitten with Kak Farah whom we first mistook as Korean as she looks, dresses and acts like one) We went to Dongdaemun and a few other markets as well...cant remember the names.


Nana brought us to this humble Korean eatery frequents by Malay students. I LIKE!! A dish of three types fish (barbecued outside the shop in using special coal) served with four tpes of kimchii and a bowl of rice and vegetable soup for each. Cost the four of us 18000 Won . And that's the cheapest food here.... On the day we arrived, Ayah Long's and Ayah Mat's friend, one Col. Aziz who is a Defence Attache serving at  Malaysian Embassy came to pick us at the hotel and brought us to a seriously luxurious Korean lunch. But all of us was so hungry that we forgot the camera!! It was at a gourmet restaurant where we experienced all those exotic Korean dish. I shuddered when I glanced at the bill....it was paid by the good Colonel of course. Thanks Abang Aziz....


The only mosque in Seoul...and we stayed in Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon  which is a walking distance to it. Alhamdulillah, Abah got to say all his five prayers in jamaat. We saw a group of local preparing to go out in 'khuruj' when Abah brought us to visit the mosque. It was awesome. We were told that Malaysian students brought the work of tabligh to Seoul and spread it around....



p/s thanks to one miss fadzila for lending the winter clothings...all have been dry-cleaned, dun worry ya! and i only bought you a humble brooch...huhuhu,told u , everything else is not worth buying!!

HOME SWEET HOME

Surabaya from our 18th floor hotel room

 

There's no place like home,honestly!!
It"s soooooo GOOD to be home!! 
That's what all four of us agreed upon. Even after staying in not one but two five star hotels in a span of five days with all the comforts and luxury, the smell and sight of this home is more pleasing to us . 
Mama fell down straight away on much missed bed, Abah went to check up on his beloved orchard while Abang and Adik fussed over Grey and her litters. How we miss all of these......Grey was so excited to see us and cannot wait to get into the house after having to stay away for 6 days.

Our trip to Surabaya was good, Alhamdulillah. Even the delay of the flight home was good. We missed our flight to KB due to it but we got to go to Mak's house because of it. See, if anything befalls us and we accept it with redha and say Alhamdulillah 'ala kullihal...good things are bound to happen despite the misfortune.

Mak Su Pah and family were there as well and in the morning Cik Ni came to breakfast with her troops. Not forgetting Kak Aishah...it was like raya at Mak's house. Its good that we could meet Mak and family as they are not going to balik kampung for coming school holidays, not even for Abang Long Anas's wedding.

Abang and Adik are a few shades darker, no thanks to hours of enjoying splashes in swimming pools. The pool at Shangri La was more enjoyable than the one at Marriott, with its water slides and deeper pool. Even Mama got to swim as well as we practically had the pool to ourselves despite school holidays in Indonesia. (lalala...mama got to try out her burqini...very practical and so sopan one!! definitely recommended!! ) 

Adik, being a museum addict, were so happy that a visit to one of so many museums were included in the itinerary and Abang made everyone wondered how he could finished FIVE helpings of Nasi Padang! It was our ' one million meals'....(million rupiah that is....for 30 of us)

You missed 3 schooldays....must catch up on homeworks.

I hope all these trips and travels overseas since you were 3 and 5 will benefit you, broaden your horizon. I hope it made you see how vast the universe that Allah has created when we come across different faces, different languages but yet when you (esp. Abang) go to the mosques you see people come together to pray to the same God. I also hope you could appreciate the life that Allah has granted us, be thankful all the times. 

Most importantly, I hope you do observe the routine that Abah has set every time we were to start a journey. Abah will print out the prayer time of the place we are going, checking out the nearest mosque to the hotel we are staying, making sure every one has a change of clean clothing in the hand-carried bag for prayers in case the one on us are soiled. It should make you realise how important our daily prayers are. To know the exact prayer time is so very important . Unlike our home where we can just rely on azan from every corner of our kampung, in a non muslim country you will have no idea of the prayer time if you come unprepared. It gets more complicated in 4 seasons country esp during winter and summer .......

Anyway, congratulation to both of you for not missing any solat in our recent journey, not even the 4 am fajar solat. Abang even went to the mosque a few times.

You see, by traveling, we get to practise our knowledge and get rewarded by Allah in doing so. I know just how much you two enjoy doing the jamak/qasar...... you learnt from Abah how to look for the kiblat direction on the compass and you got to pray on the plane on our way back from Mecca last time, remember? Not forgetting the masnun do'as that we get to recite on many occasions......

All in all, I hope it will deeply instilled in you the importance of guarding our solat, doing it on time,( in a congregation for men) and not just doing it....

BUT, as for now, I dont think I want to go anywhere faraway from home anytime soon...... I loooove being home!!( But Abah still has to go to Bangkok next week.....)