SOMEONE FROM THE PAST

My husband is away on 4 days business trip up north. While my mum is in KL for her next IJN visit. And I am left all alone in Kuantan .. Smirk!

Since my husband is away I have more free time and I decided to go out for dinner with couple of friends while discussing the future of our Taska Darul Najah (a joint venture business between me and 2 male friends).

I was not at my best outfit for the dinner and of all the people in this whole wide world, I bumped into my old romantically-involved-someone-from-the-past no: 4. I met him somewhere in 1997 and he was then a fine-looking, drop dead alluring divorcee. He is still handsome but of course the older version of good looking.

Anyway, my dress was something that I am not proud off. I was wearing a normal obsolete plain brownish blouse with dark brown pants and a black colored ‘tudung mak indon’. And not even a single make-up or powder on my face (not even lipstick). And I hate the way I dress up. I should put more effort next time.

So there he was, standing right there. He looked surprised to see me (as if he saw a ghost) and I feel like hiding underneath the table. I knew the other guy in his group. Apparently this guy Sham is a family friend. To steer clear of explanations and questions, I declared to Sham that I used to go out with ‘A’, donkey years ago.

They sat at the table behind me, so I had the change to talk to ‘A’. The last time I met him was 6 years ago. We talked and talked and talked until the food arrived. From salesman he is now a Branch Manager for P****N.

We swap over phone number and said our goodbyes. And how do I feel, I don’t feel anything. He is just another guy from the past. Both of us are happy now but I hate the way I look that night. I used to be a fashion wannabes but instead I choose to look like a maid. Aaarrgghhhh!!!!

When I got home I told my husband about me meeting my old sugar pie. As usual he asked me 1001 questions. How I got to know him, where we met, how we met, how come I never told him about ‘A’? And he only stopped when I explained to him every little microscopic detail about ‘A’ and my epigrammatic relationship with him.

And yesterday morning, I received a text message from my husband. He is not the type of person who will call or sent text messages. He is a very cushy person, not romantic but full with sense of humor. I am lucky if he hold my hands in public. But yesterday, out of the blue, I received this from him. It says ‘Gud Morning Luve’

Three simple words, it is more than enough for me to go on smiling ear to ear the whole day(oh he has got feeling after all)

UYA, I CELEBRATE YOU ON YOUR BIRTHDAY

She’s a wife, she’s mother,
She’s a daughter, she’s a sister
She’s a goddess, she’s a friend

Today, we commemorate the birth of a very special friend; fall on a very special day, the Valentine’s Day.

We grew up together, many years ago in a small town called Kuantan. I knew her since I was in secondary school. We became close friends over the years. I usually hang up at her house. She came from a well to do family so she always has nice dolly with her. She would come to my house with her toys and we will be playing all day long.

In our teens, we became closer. The six of us, there’s me, Uya, Tamara, Umi, Fardia and Anum. I remember one fine day, we skipped class and we went to Teluk Chempedak. Tamara was the only one with car and valid driving license so she drove all of us there. I remembered we bought few cans of ‘Jolly Shandy’ and a pack of Salem 14. It was one of the best parties we ever had.

Uya used to go out with this one particular guy. We called him Gorgon (Gorgon is now a well known artist) and both of them will normally hang out together. I still remember we went cruising around the town with his red hot chili pepper Volkswagen.

We used to creep out at night during our SPM years. I still remember our night spot, one of the elite club in Coral Beach Resort (the most well-known night spot). Uya will normally sneak out through her parents big wide windows, and return home in the wee hour. We had so much fun growing up together and did many things together. We went our separate ways after we finished our SPM but we do keep in touch.

Later in our 20s, after Ayu, my ex housemate decided to move out because she wanted to settle down, I offered Uya the vacant room. There’s me, Uya, Anum, and our new housemate Calvin. It was one of the exclusive condo next to PWTC. I remembered the night when she had a fight with her bf Oz. And as a result, they broke off the specific night. Uya was so heart broken. That night, to let her relieve her sadness, we went to Planet Hollywood. There’s Calvin our bodyguard cum paymaster, Uya, Anum and myself. And as a result of our ‘outing’ nobody turn to work the next day.

But she is one tough lady; she was on her feet again within a week. And those were the times when we will go out and partying all night. We will sit at the sidewalk in front of Planet Hollywood because we ‘couldn’t’ find our ways to the car or just too ‘tired’ to walk. Smoking our special brewed ‘wild plants’ in our handmade plastic ‘pot’ (oh yes, we are not an angel, we are no goody two shoes)

We rent a place together for couple of years until Uya fall in love all over again and she decided that it is time for her to proceed to the 2nd stage, the I do stage. She got married and I continued with my night outings. Uya will join me and the rest of the clan once in a blue moon and she raised her white flag when she found out that she was pregnant with Luqman.

Now, Uya is still happily married to Syah and blessed with 2 sons, Luqman and Adam. We still keep in touch and after I moved back to Kuantan; we only see each other during Hari Raya. She still remains as my confidante.

To Uya my long childhood best friend and still remain as one of my closest comrade, Happy Birthday. May you have a ‘blast of’ birthday party. May God bless you with good health, more fortune and lead you and your family. My prayers and thoughts will always be with you.

CAKAP-CAKAP PILIHANRAYA

Semalam di dalam akhbar ada Pak Lah menyebut sapa kata Parlimen akan dibubarkan hari ini? Tup, tup masa tengok Buletin 1.30 tadi sambil makan kuey teow tomyam di warung Alif, di umumkan bahawa Parlimen telah pun dibubarkan.

Semalam kata tak ada, hari ini kata dibubarkan. Ini semua adalah cakap-cakap, bisik-bisik orang politik. Patutlah semenjak 2,3 minggu kebelakangan ini surat khabar, tv sibuk dengan demam pilihanraya. Sana sini sibuk orang dah start berkempen. Kempen pun berkempen jugak, rumah mak mertua ku yang hangus terbakar dijilat api minggu lepas jangan buat-buat lupa, buatlah yang baru. Kalau orang lain boleh demand, kami pun nak jugak demand. Lagipun sebelah suami adik beradik ramai, campur isteri masing-masing dah ada dekat 20 undi. Itu belum campur anak-anak buah suami yang dah cukup umur untuk mengundi. Alah allocation untuk election kan banyak, tak akan lah nak sapu sorang-sorang. Kongsi lah sama-sama. Sikit sama-sama kita rasa. Bukan banyak pun sebijik rumah dengan furniture aje yang kami nak. Tak tercuit pun duit yang berjuta-juta tu. Tapi janganlah pulak sekarang bijak menabur janji lepas habis kira kertas undi, janji tinggal janji,

Dan bila Parlimen di bubarkan maka tidak berkerajaan lah Malaysia ni. Eerrmm kalau aku lah diberi peluang memilih negeri mana yang hendak dijajah, sudah tentu aku pilih Sarawak, ialah hasil pribumi masih banyak, balak pun tidak habis ditebang lagi. Dapat perintah Sarawak (jadik yang DiPertua pun dah kira ok) boleh lah aku buat pagar batu keliling kampung, lampu lip lap sepanjang jalan. Kalau tak Sarawak, Sabah pun kira boleh lah. Ialah asyik orang yang sama sahaja yang sapu, bagilah peluang pada orang lain pulak.

Bila sebut-sebut pasal penamaan calon pulak, apalah nasib agaknya kepada bekas TPM kita? Kalau dikira-kira, congak campur tolak dan bahagi, bulan depan sudah dikira sebagai bulan pembebasan. Maknanya dah boleh masuk bertanding semula. Tapi ialah keputusan tarikh pembubaran parlimen bukan kuasa bekas TPM dan juga kuasa kita. Itu kuasa Pak Lah, mereka dan keluarga mereka.

Dan banyaklah duit yang akan habis sepanjang masa berkempen ni. Duit sapalah agaknya tu? Adakah duit anda, anda, anda, atau anda semua? Hanya Allah dan mereka-mereka ini sahaja yang tahu. Yang pastinya harap-harap selepas pilihanraya ini, jika di beri mandat kepada sesiapa yang berhak, TOLONGLAH KURANGKAN HARGA MINYAK & BAHAN-BAHAN MENTAH. JANJI PADA AKU TURUN HARGA MINYAK KE RM1.20 AKU JANJI AKU PANGKAH KORANG. Kami yang bukan bekerja dengan Kerajaan nie tak dapat salary revised sampai 35%. Hari nie company macam tahu tahu aje nak pilihanraya, kami dapat lah surat salary revised, eeerrmm naiknya tak sampai pun 8%, tapi alhamdullilah Allah bagi sedikit ruang pada aku untuk bernafas dengan lebih selesa dengan sedikit kenaikan gaji ini. Eh company nie pun berkempen jugak ke? Dan agak-agaknya lah siapa yang bermurah hati memberi sumbangan untuk pilihanraya bagi parti cap bulan dan cap roket mahupun cap separuh bulan.

Kadang-kadang terfikir juga, kita memang memerlukan kemajuan, perubahan tapi adakah perubahan itu akan memajukan kita lagi atau membuat kita jauh ketinggalan kebelakang. Adakah kemajuan yang kita capai setakat 5 tahun ini cukup untuk kita menilainya. Perlukah di sambung semula kontraknya atau kita beri sahaja peluang kepada yang berani bersuara tapi tidak pernah diberi peluang yang sama?

Pilihanraya kali ini akan terasa sepinya. Jika 4 tahun dulu seawal pagi lagi aku dapat dengar suara abah riuh rendah mengejutkan aku untuk pergi mengundi. Katanya kalau pergi lambat, nanti ramai orang, panas, beratur panjang. Arwah Abah setiap kali pilihanraya akan keluar awal pagi dan dia juga adalah antara pengundi yang paling awal akan sampai ke tempat pengundian. Itulah disiplin yang diterapkan kepada aku semenjak aku layak mengundi 10 tahun yang lalu. Dan apabila aku tanya kepada abah siapa yang dipangkahnya, dengan cepat dia mengatakan,

“Hish, mana boleh beritahu, UNDI ITU RAHSIA”

Dalam hati aku terfikir rahsia sangat ke sampai dengan anak sendiri pun tak boleh beritahu. Dan setiap kali lepas aku mengundi arwah abah akan tanya,

“Kak Terompah, kamu pangkah parti mana?’

Dan inilah jawapan saya “Kak Terompah pangkah parti ………….dot dot dot”. Mana boleh kasitahu undi kan rahsia. Tapi aku tahu arwah pangkah parti mana. Dari riak muka, tutur kata aku dah tahu.

Dan pilihanraya kali ini adalah kali ke-3 aku akan turun mengundi. Tahun nie agak-agaknya sapa yang aku nak pangkah? Tapi sapa pulak yang bertanding? Jika muka-muka lama yang bertanding…eeerrmm susah juga membuat keputusan sebab dua-dua pun aku kenal, sorang panggil emak aku makcik sorang lagi panggil mak aku Emak (hish, bukan adik beradik aku masuk bertanding tapi anak angkat mak aku). Sukar juga untuk memilih, yang biru kah atau yang hijau kah? Yang timbang menimbang atau yang terang menerangi malam….

Tapi untuk kali ini aku memang tidak akan baca surat khabar atau mendengar berita. Aku berjanji pada diri sendiri pada pilihanraya kali ini, setiap ceramah politik yang ada, baik kerajaan atau pembangkang aku dan suami akan pergi. Kami mahu dengar, tengok dan buat pertimbangan sendiri. Aku tidak memerlukan surat khabar atau tv untuk mendengar apa yang patut aku dengar, janji yang ditaburkan, kenyataan yang cuba diputar belitkan atau tohmahan yang dilemparkan. Biar kall ini telinga aku jadi naik pekak dengar jerit pekik calon pun tak apa. Biar aku kena menapak jauh pun aku sanggup. Aku mahukan keadilan dan kesaksamaan. Dan itulah yang sebaik-baiknya.

Jadi buat bakal-bakal pengundi nun jauh di luar sana. Cubit peha kanan, mestilah peha kanan itu yang terasa sakitnya jangan nak tipu kata peha kiri pun sakit. Bidaah semua tu (hish, tak akan peha aku pulak). Bijaklah dalam membuat undian anda. Yang pasti undi itu bukan lagi rahsia.

Pesanan dari seorang Ulama kepada kakak aku bila diajukan soalan, siapakah yang kita patut pilih, calon Melayu, calon India atau calon Cina. Jawab Ulama itu tadi, “Pilihlah mereka yang kurang memberi dan mendatangkan kemudaratan kepada Islam, itulah yang sebaiknya” .

Tepuk dada tanyalah selera. Selamat Mengundi.

FINALLY

My youngest sister M has safely delivered her 4 months old baby. She’s doing fine and now resting at home. I was told that it’s a boy and not a girl as stated in my previous write up. She will have to go for at least 40 days confinement. Its heart breaking news but she will cope. My mum said the baby is so small, it has got small little fingers, toes, eyes, ears and of course a very small birdie. She buried her baby in the garden at the back of her house.

On the other hand, I will like to announce the launching of Xtreme Team’s new blog at www.xtremeteam-pti.blogspot.com Do drop by and give a bit of your moral support to our team (I am one of the committee member, still). If you are interested to know more about our future activities, please do not hesitate to contact Shaz or Tiger or you can visit the website. Lend a helping hand by spreading the news to all of your blog readers. The least you could do and for your sweet gestures, we thank you from the bottom of our heart.

I am finally, finally decided to terminate the contract of our cook. He has not shown any improvement and the sales has dropped drastically for the last 4 months. He always late to work and he have the habit of conducting his club meetings during his 5 hours of working. And the good news is, I have found his replacement and I will not be an easygoing boss anymore. It’s over, period.

Even though last week was a very rough week for me, today I have received a letter of a new salary scales, the Management has decided to revise our salary and paid our January’s arrears this month. I thanked God for the extra money and the bonus that I have received. I now have extra cash to work around with.

The Government has decided to resolve the parliament and our next general election is just around the corner. All political parties are now busy preparing for the coming election. Posters are up in most of the places even before the announcement was made. Some of the parties has prepared beforehand and some still struggling. My request list to all political parties:

1. Built a new home for my mother in law + new furniture’s + fittings.
2. Reduce the prices of petrol up to RM1.20
3. Reduce the prices of sugar, flour, cooking oil, eggs, rice, condensed milk, chicken meat, dairy products, etc, etc
4. Reduce the toll prices or no toll at all
5. More dividend for our KWSP fund
6. Stop corruption, no more under table money
7. Give more space to the opponent. Let them have it, the freedom of speech.
8. No more unnecessary payment for school children. I have none but my poor brother has got 6.
9. A better road signage. We have a really POOR SIGNAGE SYSTEM
10. No more handbag snatchers, rapist, molester
11. Get MAS to reduce the flight ticket
12. Free or cheaper private hospital charges
13. Get our government hospitals to improved the quality of their services
14. Get rid of Mr Sam** V****
15. Get rid of the ever perasan Kh**ry Jam****din
16. Get Datin Sri Ro***h to put less make up on her face and get a new haircut.

My! I am not able to list all but if YOU, YOU, YES I AM TALKING TO YOU.
YOU WANT MY VOTE? THIS IS (the above) THE PRICE THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO SWALLOW.

FIRE! FIRE! GO AWAY ...........

CATASTROPHE PART 3 - OUR GUARDIAN ANGEL

While I was in Penang my youngest sister M called me up. She sounds so happy announcing,

“Kak Terompah, it’s a girl. I saw it with my own eyes, she turned her face to me and spread her legs and it’s a girl”

I can still remember her happy voice in my head. She kept on telling me that the baby had her face turn to the screen and look at her. She was so confident that it will be a girl this time. In fact she was praying for a girl. She had 3 boys and 2 girls previously.

But, that was a week ago, yesterday she has to hear different news.

Few days prior to the incident she told me that she went to see the doctor because she was bleeding. She was 4 months pregnant and the baby has already formed. That is when the doctor did the scan and confirmed that the baby is ok and not to worry. She was told to rest.

But she is one energetic lady. I don’t think she rest as advised by the doctor. She came back to Kuantan for CNY holidays and at the same time carrying her 4 years old son which I think by now should weight around 20kg.

Since the bleeding didn’t stop, we took her to Kuantan Specialist. The doctor did a scan and it is confirmed that there is no more heartbeat. The pitter patter of little feet did not survived to see the face of her beautiful mummy. I know how she felt as I myself have experiencing the same thing, the same loneliness, and sadness of losing a baby.

Today, she will undergo a normal delivery. She is still waiting for the labour pain to come. She was advised not to go for D&C procedures since the baby has formed and was told to go for a normal labour. She will have to deliver the baby but yet not able to see her growing, not able to hold her, to hug her and to kiss her little feet.

My word of comfort to my sister as I kept on repeating saying it to myself 21/2 years ago. She is our guardian angel and she will surely be there waiting for us. She is after all in the care of her Creator. She is now in God's Heaven.

CATASTROPHE PART 2 - WITHIN SECOND

4 January 2008 5.45 pm, On the Bed – Kuantan

It was a very tiring day for me. After the funeral, we got back home; I took a quick shower and off to bed. I only slept for 3 hours the night before.

A felt someone next to me, shook my shoulder lightly, called my name, whispering to my ears.

“Yang, mum’s house is on fire”

I was half awake, I wanted to sleep, please go away, do not disturb me. I need my sleep. I opened my eyes; saw my husband sitting next to me. Repeating the same word, mum’s house is on fire.

Then it come to my senses, WHAT? Mum’s house is on fire? Why he looked so relaxed and calm. Which house? Who’s mum? His face changed. Oh my god, oh no! It’s my mother in law’s house in Butterworth. Oh God! What happen to her, to them? I said a silent prayers hoping that they are safe. My mother in law is old, she couldn’t walk fast, did she managed to run for safety, how about the kids?

I jumped out of bed, hold my husband hands and told him to calm down. He looked like he was about to cry. I asked him whether his mum managed to run for safety, he nod, I asked him whether the kids are at home during the incident he shook his head. Ok fine, meaning that everyone’s safe. And when I asked him about the house, he turn his face away and said everything’s gone. They didn’t manage to take anything out from the house. They only managed to take his mum to safety.

The house was built years before my husband was born. But they moved to the house 32 years ago, after my mother in law gave birth to my husband. It is where all their 10 children grew up and a place they called HOME. And now all was left was just ashes, dust, debris, and old memories.

My husband called his brother and managed to speak to his mum. She was crying when she speak to my husband. It was devastated for both of them, for all of us. She said she lost everything, she couldn’t take anything out, and she only managed to safe few hundreds and her tasbih. She was in her telekung when they took her out of the house. She was about to perform her Asar prayer when the incident happen.

We decided to go back to Butterworth that instant. Since my mum will be left all alone we decided to send her to Ampang. She herself is not well and I don’t want to leave her alone.

It was another tiring journey. With both of us didn’t get enough rest, my husband drove all the way up north. We stopped by at R&R Tapah because he was so tired of driving and I was too sleepy to drive. Both of us fall asleep and he woke up at 6.30 to perform Subuh prayer. From there we continue our journey. I was wide awake when we reached Taiping and decided to take over the wheel.
We reached his house at 10 am. Everyone was there, all except for his estranged brother (another long story). We parked our car outside and walk to the house. It was a heartbreaking scene. The whole house was destroyed during the fire. The fire started from a neighbor’s house which later spread to my mother in law’s house. The cause of the fire was due to an old electrical wiring.

It was a double story old traditional kampung house. They used timber on the top and they extended the lower floor with bricks. With wide carving windows, the old green plastic panel that was so famous in the early 60’s, the carving wood panel which resemble the old Malay Palace. The house was so beautifully done. Not a single nail was used when they build the house. Even though the house was not big, but it was special in its very own way.

His mum cried when she saw me. I hug her and try to calm her. We are thankful to God that everyone is safe. The next 4 days was very tiring day for all of us. The boys work non stop to clear all the flotsam and jetsam from the remaining of the house. The Municipal council came to clear all the debris.

Help came in all sorts of forms and from all political parties (eh pilihanraya kan dah dekat). We received dozens of rice, sugar, milk. Bundles of brand new and recycle clothes and of course some cash to get them started back on their two feet again.

I managed to save some really, really old photos of his late father, his late brother and some of their family members. To me personally, photos are really precious because it is a reminder of the old generations and as a memento of the deceased. I managed to save photos of my husband during his growing up years. There’s one photo that I really like, with him and his brothers. I could see his blonde hair and big wide smile. He was about 5 when they took the picture.

After 4 tiring days, it is time for us to go back to Kuantan. We don’t want to get caught in the traffic.

It was a teary goodbye. There’s no more HOME and only God knows how long will it take for them to rebuild the new home. Within seconds they are homeless.

CATASTROPHE PART 1 - THE PASSING OF AKI

Last Sunday, 3rd of February 2008 was a day that they will remember for the rest of their lives. The passing of a beloved husband, a wonderful father and a great grandfather. He was due to celebrate his 67th birthday today, February 11th.

He was my sister’s father in law. He was ill and bedridden for the last 21/2 years. And God has decided to end his 21/2 years misery. At 7.30 pm while everyone is busy to get ready for Maghrib prayers he succumbed to death. I was watching the TV when I received the frantic phone call from my sister.

It was just the night before that we performed a Solat Hajat & recite yassin for him. He was well and smiling from ear to ear. I remembered holding and stroking his hands. But he looked different, he refused to eat and drink only milk. He kept on staring at the walls and shook his head. Since he felt sick, at least once a week I will find time to visit him. Each time when I visit him, I will sit next to him and talk to him. I have lost my father about 21/2 years ago and each time when I see him, it will remind me of my own dad. How I spent the last moment of my dad’s life sitting next to him.

When I reached the house, he has already gone. He looked peaceful and as if he is sleeping. I was asked by my sister to fetch her son who is studying at the boarding school. I have to break the terrible news to him. My nephew cried when I told him about the passing of Aki.

It was such a long night. They decided to bury him the next day. I decided to spend the night there to help them out preparing for the funeral. It was a very tiring night. We slept for few hours and take turns reading the Quran.

Aki or Pakcik Nan was buried on Monday. I bid my farewell to him and may his soul rest in peace, Insyaallah. Al Fatihah.

32 YEARS AGO

On the night of February 1st, 1976 exactly 32 years ago, a young mother was struggling between life and death, while the anxious and eager husband waited outside the room, sweating, praying hoping that his beloved wife will survive the pain and will not give up easily. After all, this was not her first time.

At 9.30 pm, praised to God, they welcomed their 10th child into this world. A fine-looking, debonair little prince with piercing grey eyes, blonde hair and he was named My Husband.

Over the years, he has grown up and became what he is today. He is no longer unwaged, but still rounder than he used to be.

Today, he is celebrating his 32nd birthday. He is happier now compared to 21/2 years ago when he was jobless. More matured than before and I know he still much in love with me since the day we met 4 years ago.

Happy Birthday to the man who never failed to amuse me with his funny stories, his unpredictable characters and moods, his wacky ideas, and how he can change a murky room into a dazzling room filled with colorful balloons, confetti and animal puppets.

To you my LOVE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.