A tale of two neighbours

"Heee...tak kuasa aku nak jaga ko lagi" tiba-tiba kedengaran satu suara yg amat kukenali sedang berkumandang di belakang dapur rumah ku.

"Mana nak jaga anak orang lain yg berderet2 tuh, nak jaga korang lagi...aku tak sanggup dah, suruhlah mak ko hantaq kat tempat lain, aku tak larat nak jaga lagi, menyampah betul aku" geram betul suara tu berbunyi.

"Apahal kak wan? macam marah je..." aku bersuara sambil terkejut ialah orang mengamuk pagi sakan kut ada apa ke.

"Ni hah...kak wan dah tak sanggup dah. kak wan nak tolak bebudak nih kat orang lain. nyusahkan orang je. maknye pun satu, tau beranak je tapi jaga anak tak reti. orang lain pun beranak gak tapi anak tak serupa comot macam ni. pagi-pagi lagi dah comot, busuk pulak tu, tak reti ke mak depa sarongkan pampers ka apa ka...kecik-kecik camni mana lah depa reti nak bagitau nak pi kencing berak ka.." amuk si kak wan, jiranku yg kerjayanya mengasuh anak orang.

"Sabor ajelah kak wan. nak buat camner, dah maknye tak reti bahasa punya orang. kenkadang heran betul lah depa ni yek, datang sini naik kereta menjalar, baju sikit lah punye smart, nak kata tak berduit, nampak cam berduit...entah lah saya pun tak tahu nak cakap apa.." sampuk aku sambil menggeleng-gelengkan kepala yang tak pening.

"Hissh...kak wan tengah geram sangat nih. dahlah maknye selalu ngelat nak bayar duit..boring betul lah kak wan camni.." sambung kak wan dalam loghat kedahnya yang pekat macam kuah sate hj samuri.

"Hah!...apasal tak bayor duit pulak. apa punye orang cam nih...tau hantor anak tapi tak tau nak bayor duit. apasal kak wan tak mintak je...camni punye orang pon ada gak ke? suruh dia jaga anak dia sendiri lah. anak sapa nih kak wan?" aku pulak yang tumpang geram sekaki bila dengar keluh kesah kak wan. Nampak sangat kak wan ni selalu kena buli.

"Anak kucing..." balas kak wan dengan muka selamba. Adeh!

14 going on 40

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday; the BIG four zero! Nothing fancy or special. The husband just bought a BIG cake with four BIG candles and a slight nudge to remind yours truly that she wasn't getting any younger...sheesh! Thanks a lot dear for that kind words of encouragement. Just the thing I need to go thru this new phase in life. Boo hoo!

They say life begins at forty. What a load of crap! I say death begins at forty for this is the time when we are reminded to check our health every 6 months or so, eat more greens and avoid fat laden foods, exercise more, sleep less, less sex (say what?)....yadda yadda yadda. For muslims this is also the next phase where we should think and do more of the akhirat than duniawi stuff. There's even a malay proverb that appropriately described it - rumah kata pergi kubur kata mari.

Whatever it is, I should be grateful for I am still blessed with a good health (for now), a responsible and caring (in his own way) husband, wonderful 3 kids, what else could I ask more right? And then the husband gave a wink at me and said sheepishly, one more kid?" I gave him the look. Say what? Obviously he hasn't heard what the doctor said that getting pregnant in the forties might not be a good idea what with all the complications and what not.

And I wonder how Sheila Majid did it so smoothly. Pregnant in her early forties and she looked so radiant and glamorous some more.

Some women have all the luck. Sigh!

A little girl lost

Latest update (21st Sept):-

Malaysians yesterday were informed of the latest findings on the body that was found in a bag last monday was that of Nurin Jazlin, the 8 yr old girl who went missing last month after DNA testing was conducted on the body. My heart bleeds when I heard the news for I was hoping that she would return safely to her parents but that was not to be. It is fated that she left this world in a tragic way. May the perpetrator(s) who did this inhuman act to her be caught alive and be punished severely by the law.

Until he is caught no child is safe!

Al-fatihah kepada adik Nurin semoga roh beliau ditempatkan di kalangan orang orang mukmin. Semoga keluarga Nurin menerima berita ini dengan penuh redha dan tabah menghadapi dugaan yg sangat berat dan pahit ini. Amin!

The dissappearance of adik Nurin_Jazlin reportedly missing since August 20 has entered its fourth week this week and still there is no sign or clue as to where she is now. As if that is not enough eight year old Nurin is also stricken with kidney ailment and high blood pressure. And she's on daily medication.

Nurin was last seen going to the night market nearby her home. Why oh why do I think that her parents are to be blamed for this? Letting an eight year old child walking alone to a night market is not exactly a responsible thing to do even if she had been there many times and familiar with the surroundings. But lets not dwell on this matter further. What is done is done. I'm sure her parents have suffered enough for taking granted on her safety.

I dread to think of Nurin's fate at this moment. Here I am sitting on my cosy chair writing this entry about her while my son is watching toy story in the living room safe and sound and yet at the same time somewhere there is this frightened little girl whose life is in grave danger. Suddenly I feel sick to my stomach. I pray hard that whoever is holding her right now would take great care of her well being while she's in 'captive'. And I also pray that the person who took her would have a change of heart and return her safely to her family.

While we're on the subject its very important for us parents to monitor our kids no matter where they are and who they are with. I have seen countless times kids probably in their pre-teens at the night market near my place went alone unaccompanied by their parents or guardians. I often shake my head in disbelief. Don't their parents ever read the newspapers or watch the news with stories of missing children? We like to believe that it will never happen to us. So we let our children wander in the streets thinking that they will come home just in time for dinner. And what happens if they never return home that day?

Let the story of Nurin Jazlin be serve as a reminder to all parents out there (me included) and learn something valuable from it. And let us all hope for the best that Nurin will return safely to her loved ones very soon. There's nothing more joyous than seeing a family reunited with their lost ones especially little ones.

We could all use a happy ending story here.

Cerita puasa di bulan Ramadhan

Its that time of the year again when muslims all over the world celebrates the holy month of Ramadhan. I would like to take this opportunity to wish my blogger muslim friends a Selamat Berpuasa and Berbuka Puasa. May you all gain lots of pahala during this holy month.

Last year my eldest daughter had almost completed her puasa. She had only kantol'd twice, first on the second day of fasting when she complained of tiredness and second when she accidentally terbuka puasa before azan time. Not bad for an 8 year old who had decided to puasa full month that year.

I remember when I was about her age, I had kantol'd my puasa many times. When extreme thirst and fatigue crept in, I would sneak into the toilet (at home or school) in the pretext of gargling my mouth or washing my face when in fact I was stealing a few gulps.

I felt so freshened after a few gulps but afterwards, I felt so bad and ashamed of myself that I dare not look into my mother's eyes when she asked me if I was fasting. I was afraid that she would be angry and dissappointed so I just murmured a quick yes and dashed somewhere quickly hoping that she will not ask more questions.

I did the same thing to my daughter what my mother did to me. I interrogated her.

Whenever she came home from school everyday without fail I would ask her if she was fasting that day and she would curtly replied with a weak yes and ignored my concerned look. I wasn't satisfied with her answer and so I asked her again this time in a more polite and understanding manner.

"Kak Long, it's okay to tell the truth. I am not going to scold you if you break your fasting."

"I am fasting today lah ibuuuu..." she gave me that long weary look.

"oh ok, baguslah anak ibu nih...first time puasa penuh and you managed to tahan until azan." I was really proud of her dogged determination.

"That's good tapi kalau rasa tak tahan it's ok to break your fast...just tell me and I won't be mad...orait?"

Wait a minute there! Did I just encourage or discourage her with the puasa thing?

I guess I was just reminiscing my childhood days when I was about her age fasting for the first time. In that instant how I wish I could turn back the clock and tell my mum the truth without feeling scared.

I know she would understand.

Positive thinking

My first thought when I wake up in the morning: still alive and kicking.

My last thought when I'm getting ready for bed: tomorrow is going to be a different day from today.

What's your first and last thought of the day?

Another tag won't hurt

Perhaps I need a soft boost to jumpstart my blogging mojo after post merdeka holidays. Been kinda lazy lately to update my blog and what better way to start it by being tagged! I've been tagged by MrsD - thanks D for that wake up call. Just the thing I need.

5 things in my bag.

Well actually I've done this piece sometime ago. You guys can refer here but since it requires only 5 items so I'm gonna list down 5 important things only.

handphone

house keys

a wallet

a pen

baby cloth wipes

5 things in my wallet

some cash/coins

discount cards

old/new receipts

stamps

myKAD/driving licence

5 favorite things in my bedroom

my queen size bed

my lingeries

my fragrant bantal busyuk

my 14 inch tv

of course the guy who sleeps next to me

5 things I like to do

watch great movies

reading

housekeeping

lazing around after a hard day's work

shopping

5 things I am doing now (the way I interpret it)

doing this tag

doing this tag

doing this tag

doing this tag

doing this tag

5 people I want to tag

atrco

cik_ketumbar

cityglam

iza

bunga

Except atrco, the rest are all girls. Let see if they're man enough to do this tag.

p/s: sorry to dissappoint you D, there's nothing kinky in there... *wink*