Tuesday's Fire

I was in the room channel surfing when I heard the loud roar of the fire siren.
I took a day off yesterday as all the kids were not feeling well.
I told Alli to go outside and wait for the fire truck to pass by the house.
But it never passed by.
Then I heard a commotion outside.
I rushed out and was told that the fire was at the Tabung Haji's hotel.
I rushed out to the garage and sure enough I saw smokes billowing out from one of the room located at the top of the building.
I noticed something weird about the smokes before rushing inside to get my camera.








Surprisingly no untoward incident happened.
The incident ended before it even started.
No human casualty.
No property damage.
Except for the wasted adrenalin rush of the firemen.
Except for the embarrasing predicement of a good samaritan.

I mean how on earth would he or she knows...
I mean put yourself in her or his shoes...
Can you tell...
Can you honestly tell...
That is not the smoke from...
...a fire...
That is the smoke from...
...the fogging...

Like a baby...

Alli was just 7 months old when hubby was transferred to Sandakan. That was one of the darkest period in our lives.

On mum's advice I kept one of hubby's t-shirt unwashed. According to her, the preserved smell of the unwashed clothing would be handy should baby Alli yearns for his daddy. I did just that, let Alli smelled his daddy's t-shirt whenever he gave the abnormal cries, the non-stop crying that you would know instinctly over time as a result for that yearning.

I still remember that advice.
I still do it today.
Not only for Alli's sake.
For my sake as well.

Just like a baby, I would smell hubby's t-shirt.
I would inhale his smell.
I would inhale the residue of his sweat.
I would inhale the residue of his perfume.
As deeply as my lungs would permit.
To feel his presence.
So that I would not forget.
So that I would remember.
Sounds pathetic, isn't it.
But it serves its purpose well for me.

Hubby could not take leave on this school holidays.
Hubby could only take a week off after the school holidays.
That is fine with me, as long as he stays longer with us.
Beggars can't be choosers, they said.

I hope next week will go off in a swift.
I hope next week will go off in a blink.
I hope next week will go off in a jiffy.

Coz I am running...
I am running out of smell...

Blogging limbo...

It was a couple of weeks ago, on a Thursday to be precise...at the office...

Anies : How come you ndak memblog suda ni...
Self : Ntah lah kenapa ni...
Anies : Apa you buat malam...
Self : Tinguk TV...buka laptop...tinguk laptop...nothing seems to come out...

Nothing seems to come out...
Yet there are many things to blog about...
Still nothing seems to come out...

The choo-choo train of thoughts...
The river flow of thoughts...
Just stopped choo-chooing...
Just stopped flowing...

Everything is everywhere...
Everything is nowhere...
Everywhere is somewhere...

...keserabutan tahap melampau...

Alas...
Everything...
Everywhere...
Nowhere...
Somewhere...

This shall pass...

Gothic Lolita

That's what they called it.
That's what they called this type of clothings.
Well, whatever its name is, I have it.
Let me re-phrase that.
I have bought it.
Now Adek have it.

When we first found the Street at 1Borneo, the girls went bonkers. When we browsed in the shop, they became hysterical with excitement. Hilang ingatan terus!

Adek : Mummy, mummy....
Self : (silently checking the price tags)
Kakak : Mummy, mummy...
Self : (silently urut2 dada)
Alli : Mummyyyyyy, my feet hurts...
Self : Ok, lets go girls (joy killer)...
Adek & Kakak : Ehhhhhhh...(totally disappointed yet still excited)
Self : Mau buat apa juga tu...kamu mau pakai pigi mana...
Adek & Kakak : Make believe saja ba mum...main2 di rumah...

After a while...



Self : Adek, mummy suda kasi you hadiahfor your 5A?
Adek : (grinning ear to ear)...not yet, not yet...
Self : Ok, let me think about it...

Kakak : Mum, kalo my PMR good, can I have one juga ka?
Self : Ok, let me think about it (standard and safe respond)...


The 2nd time we went to the Street was when hubby came down for Kakak's birthday. He was busy escorting Alli to the Toy City shop next door. I was busy with the girls.

I got this respond from hubby...

Self : Whei...kopak oh...
Hubby : Kenapa mau beli gitu mahal...(when I told him the price)...
Self : Ndak apa la, we belum lagi kasi hadiah 5A dia...(I got a nod of agreement)...


I got this respond from the ladies at the office...



Self : I beli suda baju tu...
Ladies : Hah! Mahal tu Tun...
Self : Ndak apa la...hadiah UPSR dia...


The costume costs me RM399.90. A whooping RM399.90 excluding the stockings. That stripy stockings alone is RM25.90. Kemahalan yang terlampau to say the least.


But still I bought it for Adek.
Why? One might asked.


I remembered one incident soon after we got her UPSR's result.
They were busy on the computers while myself and Alli watched TV.
Hubby came in with the phone bill. A RM300++ phone bill. I was speechless.
When Adek admitted to me that might be her calls, I was not even surprised. I always received calls for her. She quickly followed hubby to the other room.


When she came back, she continued playing with the computers, like nothing happen. Heran.
When I asked hubby about it, he asked me to just let it go. Not to pursue the matter anymore.
How can I argue with his justification...
Except for the extra classes at school, we have NEVER sent Adek for any tuition for hubby does not allow it.
Focus in class and do your revision, that's what hubby always told the kids.
And the calls she made for that one-time-high-phone-bill were cross-referencing with friends.


So here they are ladies...









By the way...
Did I mention this to you...
That I will bring the real thing tomorrow...
Just to show...
How super crazy this mother is...


So, please...
after this...
pester me no more...
harrass me no more...
let me be in peace...

My strength...

I need my strength desperately...

I am now lost in my bewilderment...

I am now lost in my helplessness...

Tonight I will have my strength...

Even for a short spell...

Even for a brief time...

...content...

...for now...

Water World Theme Park

When I thought hubby could not take leave during the last school’s holiday, I promised myself to bring the kids for a surprise visit to the Water World Theme Park at Bukit Padang. A surprise visit caused even being a KK town folks, we have never been to the place before.

A few days before the school holidays, hubby told me that his leaves were approved and that he would be taking us to a camp out at Tambunan. I thought then we would scrap the visit again but surprisingly hubby told me to proceed with the idea. We would have to do it on the last day of the holiday though, the day after the camping trip.

Then Adek fell ill during the camping trip. She was still feeling weak on our trip back home and there is a high possibility of abandoning the visit to the Water World. Kakak was very disappointed with the impending cancellation and openly demonstrated her unhappiness. We were supposed to have an early start but after a while Adek told us that she was feeling a little bit better and urged us to go ahead

On the advice of Momoi, I did not prepare any food for the visit as she told me that food was not allowed in. They had their bags checked the last time they went there. So, I only bring a small bottle of water. When we arrived, our bags were not checked and surprise, surprise, the food would only be served at around 11.00am if memory served me right. Gosh, we thought we would have our breakfast there.

So, while waiting for the food, I started snapping around when….

Man : Hello, hello…
Self : (turning around)…
Man : Ndak boleh tangkap gambar…
Self : Huh! Ndak boleh tangkap gambar...(repeating like a parrot)...
Man : Ya, ndak boleh...

I walked away confused and angry and tried very hard to remember if I missed on the non-camera signage. I told hubby of my frustration and we relaxed for a while just looking out for the kids.

After a while I started snapping around again. I was focusing on one of the kids when from the corner of my eyes I saw the same man coming over to where I was. Man, I was totally pissed off and was I ever ready to do a confrontation with this man.

Man : Hello, jangan tangkap yang kosong ah…
Self : Huh!
Man : Jangan tangkap yang kosong...(pointing to the slides)
Self : Oh, saya mau tangkap gambar budak-budak saya saja…
Man : Ok, jangan tangkap yang kosong...
Self : Kenapa ah...
Man : Ada orang tangkap gambar kosong, lepas tu bikin brochure...susah kami...
Self : Ok, jangan susa la...saya pun ndak mau buang masa tangkap yang kosong ni...
Man : Ok..bagus kamu pigi sana...senang mau gambar (pointing to where a couple of ”lifeguards” station themselves)Self : (walked with the man)…thank you (when I reached the place)...
Man : Ok…dia mau tangkap gambar budak-budak dia tu (telling his guys)…

...hubby giving out the do's and the dont's...

...checking out the facility...

...it's been a long time since they enjoyed a water slide...

...stunt went wrong...

...no worry...the sistas are on hand...

...my favourite...all my children holding out for each other...

(more pics will be uploaded at ZY's Images)...

At around 12noon, I signaled the kids to come out from the pool as we wanted to treat them to lunch at Gayang. I knew they were disappointed but what they did not know is that hubby has told me that he would be taking them for a return visit in the future. I purposely did not tell disclose that information or otherwise I will be forever harassed for when the next visit will be.

We only spent about 2 hours there but then again time is just not on our side. Hubby would have to go back to Labuan the next day.

The entrance fee of RM15 per pax is a tad expensive…
Compared to the joy the kids were having…
A pittance…

Not easy...

“Kau ok la Ton, anak-anak kau sudah besar” is a phrase that would often be thrown at me whenever the topic of kids came up. A popular topic among our small community at the office.

The ladies really do not know what they are going to be into eventually. Well, let me tell you these ladies. Bigger means literally just what it meant. Bigger.

A bigger set of predicament.
A bigger set of requirement.
A bigger set of…..well, everything.

When they were small, you’re the Queen that controls everything.
You cooked one dish, everybody would happily eat it. No question asked.
Now you have to prepare three different type of cooking for one dish.
“Udang masak kicap” for mum “udang rebus kunyit” for dad and “udang goreng” for the girls. Oh, and don’t forget, a none udang dish for Alli.
Or sometimes you would get this response, ini saja ka mum?

When they were small, you cloth them identically. Cute la konon, sedondon.
Now one would choose the feminine-in-thing type of clothing.
The other one would choose sporty type of clothing.
Sometimes you would choose something and received, not my type mum? Duh!
Or something like, macam orang tua ja.

When they were small, you would choose the school’s stationeries for them looking ever carefully over the price tags.
Now they happily choose them to their heart’s desires.
Now they happily just chunked them into the basket mummy dearest carry.
Not bothering to look at the price sticker.
No bother at all.
Mummy dearest will take the tab.

Sometimes I would put my foot down.
Sometimes I would just let it slide away.
Sometimes I would hesitantly compromise.

You would win some…
You would lose some…

So ladies…
I do beg to differ…