Today.. tomorrow

I played truant at work today. The weekend was so short - with the wedding and its preparation on both Sat and Sun. So come Mon i am just out of steam and need to repucerate (is that correct spelling?), catch my breath and just be myself without a care for a while.

But work just cant escape us, can it? I went to sleep thinking about data and came awake to the horror of interfaces being incomplete.. Leaving kekusutan ofis di ofis is so easier said than done.

Ilyas asked me why I am not in the office (on his way out to the movies). Malas was my reply. But the word caught me - I never hear my mum saying malas about going to work all those years ago. And she worked till she was 55 anyway..

Eirfan was surprised to see me at home when he came back from school. He asked why i am not in the office - and I said mama tak sihat hari ni. Better I thought, when I heard my own reply. When the others asked the same question, I said tak sihat...

That is today - it is dusk already.. which means the end of a nice day at home. Tomorrow is a new day, it must be better than today. Have a lot of issues to settle in the office, may Allah help me and make things easy please.

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When Lights Go On

Went for a wedding the other day - it rained just when the happy couple got out of the car on their arrival.. murah rezeki kut la. But the bunga rampai got drenched in the crystal bowl - so did yours truly while attempting to sambut the pengantin and whilst melayan pengantin makan.. After the hustle and bustle of the kenduri died down, we left for Penang at almost 7pm.

On previous trips to the island for so many years, we always visited Padang Kota and have pasembor and rojak sotong and kerang bakar and sotong bakar etc etc by the sea. And played kite at the nearby field at mid-nite - Eirfan was four then I think and he loved it (so did I).

But on our most recent trip we found out the eating place was upgraded. Instead of shady trees and impromptu stalls and tables, proper gerai are bulit there. Gone is the quaint eating place with its own unique character (cool trees and crows and crow droppings nevertheless) and now the place just look like any other gerai (except for the sea of course). So on that last trip I said I dont think I want to visit Padang Kota anymore.

But on this trip we return to Penang because we found a new appeal in the pearl island.. the lights. If you are ever in the island, try taking the ferry to / from there instead the bridge and make the trip at dusk or at night. You'll love seeing the day turns into night as the sun sets and lights are gradually turned on the liners, cruise ships, boats, bridge and on the mainland and island. It is beautiful. It is even more beautiful at dusk compared to night time.

On our last trip the traffic was horrendous - maybe due to the school holidays but it was worth the trip with the ferry ride.

Believe me, you must try the ferry at dusk.

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Not So Blue Monday After All..

I am contented - managed to get home not too late today. Had dinner - at home on a working day for once! - & helped Eirfan with his revision (without losing my patience..)

Also managed to get onto the internet and do this post. Had time for Anuar Zain's Mungkin also, to boot (my newest fave). Which reminds me I never did blog out the oh-so-memorable mother's day dinner with Anuar Zain's performance.. Maybe I will one of these not-so-fine days..

Oops.. the laundry's done - what can I say, I am a very busy working mum..

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Mixed Feelings

I notice my update to the blog is getting less frequent by the day. This evening I am waiting for a friend to share the ride home - left my car at home today.

I am blessed - had managed to take a couple days off this school break to attend my nephew's wedding and on the way managed to stop at mum's.

She looks older by the day especially after the scare of a stroke recently. Cant stand so much, cook or tend to her beloved plants as much these days. & prefers to sit and just rest her weary old bones she said. Sedih la..

But she still has her itik nila and angsa (that makes the loudest noise ever!) and ayam serama and ayam belanda, ayam mutiara, ayam kampung and ayam telur. & she still takes care of her house like she has years more to live. Recently she changed the bidai at the open dining area and planted red palms over the pagar. Never say never - that's mum.

I will miss her.

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My Restless Brain-er

2 days ago my bachelor casually said, oh and by the way have I told you my matrikulasi results are out on the internet today and I found out that I have a 4.0 CGPA? - like getting a result like that is equivalent to taking a stroll in the park or something. I said no yang, you havent but congrats anyway (equally casual). I mean, if someone tells you something like that excitedly, your responses would reciprocate that emotion, right?

Well, that's my son. He hides the emotions under a lot of layers. He's a bit blur on things too. When he was in form 5 he went to school on a state public holiday (come on, he was 17 after all!) He wore glasses ever since he was 7. He owns a t-shirt that says 'restless brain' across his chest. He loves physics and calculus - thinks these are the most easiest and coolest subjects in school (I dont know why). Hates bio, sejarah as these are reading subjects and he needs to memorise things.

He doesnt care about fashion, clothes - yang seadanya is ok with him. He loves manga and animae (? is that correct spelling?) and listens to songs like 'Phantom Of The Opera' - ha-ha.. his abangs go like duh, what are you listening??!

At 14 I told his tuition teacher that he is stubborn (we had our clashes) but Mrs Ng's responses made me look at his stubborness differently - she said he has a very firm stand on things that matters to him and that is a good character of a leader. I said, you think? She said yes. Till today I thank her for letting me see that facet in him.

This break he's keeping his hair long although I threatened to buy him pretty butterfly clips to keep his hair in place.. His hair is alway falling to his face - almost like Violet in The Incredibles. But in a way he looks quite endearing (what else would a soppy mum like me think, right?)

As I am finising this post I am thinking that Masya'Allah, I am blessed in so many ways that I do not notice. Please let me always be thankful and mindful of these blessings..

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An Outrage!

Someone mentioned to me that that lady on the cable tv is a lesbian. I said shhh.. the little ears are listening. His father asked - do you know what that is..? He said yes, if gay tu lelaki dengan lelaki.. kan.. kalau perempuan ...

I protested - enough! please dont continue. But I asked how did you know that? He said, in typical innocence of a child (like there is nothing wrong with what is being discussed) - ustazah cakap.

I dont know if I should be angry or ? I have mixed feelings over the topic. After much debate whether the birds and the bees should be discussed in schools I think I am an orthodox after all where the subject is concerned. I wish the ustazah didnt mention the matter but not mentioning it doesnt make it go away anyway. But I want to protect him as much as I can from all unpleasantness fir a little bit longer..

Where Is The Feeling?

Although I keep telling myself (and the people around me) that hidup bukan untuk kerja, work keeps engulfing me and I get lost in the turmoil of it. I cant remember when was the last time I update this blog (need to check after this) - had not been in the mood seeing things are in such a bad shape in the office..

Had had meetings outside the office the last couple of days and since the meetings ended early I came straight home. BUT after two days of doing that I am now feeling guilty as the other team members work hard to get things crammed and completed into the tight schedule and I am home early (I suppose nothing will ever please us humans).

Wish I had more interesting things to write about - I do actually cme to think of it - but the words would just not flow. Bak kata kawan-kawan ~ feel tu tak ada. Maybe when I'm less preoccupied I could describe things with better words.

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Sunday Blues

This morning I came across a few oldies videos on youtube. The songs sounded exactly like they did what ~ twenty odd years ago. With Journey and Steve Perry and Bobby Brown and even my God, REO Speedwagon.

Makes me feel like crying while listening to those long ago days songs. Not that you want to go back to then or make you not want to move on. But just so sad..

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Semangat Gitu..

I am sitting in front of my laptop this afternoon and thought that ~ it's going to be Fri tomorrow - yippee! - and then it is Sat already.

I think this weekend I will try make some pastries that I had learnt with Kak Pau years ago.. which I never tried at home. That should be nice. And then I should go to pasar tani and get some prawns and try that chili recipe from my Thai recipe book - he-he..

Sun, I might have to cook something for that family meeting at my brother's house. We're going to discuss his son's wedding in June. It's going to be a busy weekend.

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Revisiting Passion (Yet Again)

I love early mornings when I can quietly dream about life.

This morning as I sip coffee and flip through my Chicken Essentials cookbook I thought I should start getting passionate about cooking (all over again). Cant remember when was the last time I did any baking - last raya maybe? Tried a new recipe? - like never in a looong time.

Yeah, I should go revisit the passion to cook - and be like Jaime and maybe Nigella or Kylie. Unfortunately for me this luxury just come and go, here today and gone on the morrow. But while this passion is here, I will ride on it and take full advantage of it while it lasts.

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