Friday, August 29, 2008

Merdeka!




Tanggal 31
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Merdeka ! Merdeka !
Tetaplah merdeka
Ia pasti menjadi sejarah

Tanggal 31
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Hari yang mulia
Hari bahagia
Sambut dengan jiwa yang merdeka

Mari kita seluruh warga negara
Ramai-ramai menyambut hari merdeka
Merdeka !
Tiga puluh satu bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Hari mulia negaraku merdeka

Thursday, August 28, 2008

A monkey's tale


A long time ago, there used to be a bunch of wild monkeys hanging around in the seemingly quiet neighbourhood. They would roam aimlessly around the area, scavenging for any leftover food. Sometimes, they walk from one rooftop to another and when that happens, I will quickly rush upstairs to close all windows. The children will get overly excited whenever they spot a monkey or two. Although they looked fierce, they were never a nuisance.


After some time, it was normal to bump into these elusive creatures once in a while. We know they came from a nearby jungle. A jungle of palm oil trees that were once stood proudly in this vast land, also was their natural habitat. Little by little, mass deforestation of these trees to make way for development had driven away these beautiful animals into deeper jungle.


The monkeys weren't the only ones who stroll in the neighbourhood. Once, a baby wild boar was seen running on the road. I saw a few men (Indonesians I presume from language spoken) were trying their might to capture the little beast with a rope. It was like watching a tribal hunting game for in the end, the little beast was caught and on my mind at the time, I knew it was going to be their feast or else why would they took the trouble to catch it. As for me, it was the first time seeing a wild boar up close.


Somehow, I kinda missed their presence. Having them around also makes me feel that I was living in a serene kampung atmosphere, an environment that is free from the hustle and bustle of city life. There used to be heavy mist here every morning especially if it rains the night before and it was pretty cold outside.


Pictures below were taken some two years ago on a neighbour's balcony. That was the last time I ever saw them again.



sedang melontar pandangan jauh sambil menjamu selera



hensem tak aku? aku tahu aku hensem sebab tu ko ambik gambar kan...




sedang kopek apa tu bang?



why are you looking so forlorn my simian friend..

*above picture as usual was cilok-ed from google on SU

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Of rambutan and pulasan



Kak Ngah has a delightful sense of humour. She never fails to crack us up with her sharp one liner answer. Funny but logical in a sense.


I bought a few kilos of buah pulasan recently. As usual, when I buy fruits, I would normally peel the skin off and keep them refrigerated in a bowl. They like to eat them cold. Manyak syiokk lah!


As always, during dig in time, we would have light banters anak beranak.


"Sedapnyer rambutan ni kan ibu" (this rambutan is so yummy, ibu), Kak Ngah said.


"Itu bukan rambutan. Itu buah pulasan" (that's not rambutan, that's pulasan), I explained.


"Heh, tipu lah. Ini rambutan lah. Rupa macam rambutan.." (really? they looked like rambutan to me), Kak Ngah not satisfied.


"Betul, itu buah pulasan. Cuba tengok kulit dia. kan tak sama? Buah pulasan kulitnya keras macam ada duri kontot, buah rambutan ada rambut macam janggut ayah tak cukur" (it is pulasan dear. look at the skin. it's rough with shorty thorn and rambutan has hairy skin just like your dad's unshaven beard) , I retorted


"Tapi rasa dia sama jer..." (but it still taste the same), Kak Ngah still not satisfied.

"Lain walaupun rupa hampir sama. Cuba teka macamana buah ni dapat nama dia?" (it tastes different even though they look almost the same. Can you guess how it gets its name?, I asked.


Seriously dude, is there any difference in taste between these two fruits? *that's me thinking out loud*


"Entah tak tahu" (I don't know), shrugged Kak Long who suddenly decides to butt in. Kak Long really enjoys the fruits and couldn't care less of what was going on. She must be thinking, to hell with names.


"Haa, kita tahu kenapa. Sebab nak makan buah pulasan kena pulas kuat-kuat baru nampak isi dia sebab itu kita panggil buah pulasan pastu buah rambutan lak ada rambut sebab itu kita panggil dia buah rambutan. Betul tak ibu?" (i think i know why. you need to twist hard the skin then only you can see the flesh hence its name. as for rambutan, it is named so because of its hairy like appearance. am I right ibu?), Kak Ngah said confidently with a tinge of wickedness in her face.


Bingo!


*Believe me, when the dialogues are translated to english it doesn't sound funny though...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Makan bersuap

Little B's high chair where he used to sit at lunch and dinner time


Salah satu sebab kenapa aku leceh bebenor nak bagi si kecik ni makan ialah sebab dia tak boleh duduk diam barang seminit pun bila disuap makan. Mesti dia nak turun berlari merata-rata tempat main kejar-kejar ngan mak dia. Kenkadang aku heran camna baby omputeh boleh duduk diam-diam kat kerusi pastu boleh suap sendiri?

Memang kita biasa lihat ibu-ibu menyuapkan nasi ke mulut anak samada dengan tangan atau sudu. Aku lebih suka pakai sudu. Orang tua-tua selalu sebut bila suap nasi kat mulut anak dengan tangan, dorang akan lebih sayang kat kita. Patutlah mak mentua aku suka sangat suap nasi ngan tangan kat Kak Long dan Kak Ngah masa depa kecik-kecik dulu. Patutlah depa melompat kegumbiraan bila terdengar aje plan nak pi jenguk opah kat kampung. Tapi sekarang depa semua dah besar, dah boleh suap sendiri.

Sungguhpun menyuapkan nasi ke mulut anak adalah salah satu sikap penyayang seorang ibu terhadap anaknya tapi kalau selalu sangat sampai dah besar gajah pun masih nak merengek kena suap, sorilah! Sekali sekala bolehlah kalau nak bermanja, jangankan si anak, si ayah pun boleh disuap makan kalau nak. Alahai cayang busyuk manja gitu. He he he he...

Pernah tak korang kena suap makan ngan suami masing-masing? Eleh, masa korang kawen dolu-dolu time bersanding tu bukan ke kena suap? Tapi aku tak merasa lah semua itu sebab aku tak bersanding pun ngan husband. Kami sama-sama gadis dan jejaka pemalu.

Awwww!

another reason why you need to spoonfeed your children...

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Ini minggu tarak posting...


Sebab apa?

Sebab aku puasa.

Puasa apa?

Puasa ganti daa. Biasalah. Dah nak dekat puasa ramadhan baru nak tergodek-godek ganti puasa. Eleh, korang pun sama gak kan. Macam lah aku tak tau.

Dah lah, aku tak larat nak ketuk keyboard ni ok. Chow chin chau...