"Oh When The Relatives Comes Marching In..."

        Ever wonder why sometimes we dread when relatives come to visit? It's not that we're reluctant or unfriendly; it's just that sometimes certain family tend to always make us feel uncomfortable and unease at their never-ending questionnaires. 

                For instance, in my own family; having a mixed-rojak family, I tend to not really looking forward for their visits. Not because I am too proud for my own good but it's just that I can't stand a very low-level mentality. I feel sorry that I have such relatives but they are the only connecting dots of my mom's side and I was forced to just keep smiling and tolerate them. Well, enough is enough. Patience is a virtue, no doubt but I think it's about time these family members taste a bit of their own medicine!

                Relatives all around the world seem to be in a some sort of a secret-mission or brotherhood. They seem to be asking the same kind of questions and the same kind of comments. I know that there is a saying that 'Great Minds Think Alike' by Edward de Bono; but somehow I don't think those questions posed actually come from a set of great thinkers. No way. 

                So in no particular order, here are some of the 'all-time favourites questions' that relatives tend to ask when they come visiting:-

1. "So when will you get married?" (me thinks this is a very often spoken phrase that someone needs to pattern this so that it won't be uttered so often anymore without them paying some sort of royalty money)

2. "So you are not getting married soon?" (please refer to the above. different sound and different tone but the same underlying meaning nevertheless. or perhaps they just like to ask twice)

3. "So you're still working as the same job before?" (like hell, yeah. I told you so many times what I did before for a living. maybe next time I should answer that I am now a high-class escort for the Datuk's and Tan Sri's. that'll make 'em stop asking.)

4. "You are still fat as before." (so? y'all still as stupid as before too!)

5. "Why are you buying a house? You're not getting married." (hum. since when did the rule of buying a house only applies to the so-called married folks? which planet are you living? Apes????? as far as I'm concerned, I'm living in M'sia and I can buy a house without having to get a spouse first!)

6. "What are you gonna do with all that property? You're not married. You don't have children. Who will you give it to when you die? Charity??? (duh! that does it. you are seriously testing my patience meter people. well, I made a will to whom I will give all my property to. and your children are not included. so please don't get your hopes high. don't even dream on it 'coz I'm not giving them to you. Who gives a shit about Islamic law on property when they are always being twisted by some greedy Muslims' relatives????)

7. "How come you don't want to visit us?" (for the very obvious reason dear relatives. you suck and yet you don't know it. I will never come to your house.)

8. "Do you remember us?" (yes, no, maybe. is it important for me to remember you? let my mom do all the remembering thingy. I really don't want to give that space on my brain for you suckers.)

9. "We want to use the toilet." (notice that this is not a question? more of a demand. yes we know of the amount of visiting that you made and the food and drinks that came along with it but why is it only our toilets that you want to use? you don't seem to go to the other family members' toilet when you're at their houses? it is only when you arrived at ours that you have stomach issue. next time i'll charge you rm2.00 for every use so you can deduct that from your children's duit raya."

10. "So, when you get married; don't forget to invite us." (are you kidding me? i plan to elope to Bali and have a beach wedding there so therefore you aren't invited at all. anyway, you're not invited to my new house either.)

RUDE ? Yes, I am. Then again, anyone who can spend two hours with them without having the slight feeling of annoyance or murderous intent deserved a standing ovation. 

 

Long Time No See!

    Second day of Syawal 2010 and Alhamdulillah, finally I got to meet Amie Y, all hailed from the land of the hornbill; a good friend since UM days. Gosh, seriously it has been ages since I last saw her back in 1999 when we both graduated from UM where my family and hers met and sat together in one table for a meal. After that, everyone went separate ways. Life goes on as usual and then we lost contact since I too was posted to Sabah and the rest is a history of winding roads and out of sight, out of mind for a while.

            Thank God she found my house phone number in her old phone book (the days of no hand phone, sms or FB-ing)...and she made that one call to me. The rest is history. We got in touch once again and apparently she is married to someone from Kampar! Isn't that a miracle or a mere coincidence??? I think NOT! God is great as He made us cross each other's paths again no matter how long the time frame took us but in the end we meet again on the second day of Raya! 

            We had a long chat over her mom-in-laws 'rendang ayam pencen'. Oh how time flies but we're still the same. Amie's still the old chatterbox, 'kelam-kabut' person whom we all adore.

            And now she has one daughter whom at close proximity is her exact replica in terms of personality. Very much an independent lil' gal. Her husband is also a nice fella. Looking a bit like that Raihan lead singer a bit…ha ha from my myopic point of view, me thinks.

            We went to her sis-in-law's place as well since her husband invited us where again we feasted on a hot and spicy 'dragon's breath' bee hoon soup….'sambal kicap' included; seeing that red 'kuah' already made me realized this is no-kidding soup, man. It looks so red and mean. It surely will taste as fiery as it looks. And I was right.

          Therefore I minimize the 'sambal kicap'. My sisters were a bit unlucky since they took two heap spoonfuls of the 'sambal kicap' not aware of the red-zone soup…and they were all watery eyes and runny nose after a few spoons of the bee hoon….and me being a thick-faced person actually asked to 'tapau' the 'rendang tok' that her sis-in-law made. Hey, she didn't mind and gave us a full 'tupperware' of it. The cheeks. Me like.

            We chatted for some time and lingered on like nobody's business. Hey, after 10 years, and after all that online conversation nothing can beat like a face-to-face dialogue session. She was in a hurry since they had to go to Ipoh and Semenyih later on but we made a promise to see each other's again now that we already know her husband's kampong.

            The first day of Raya was all gloomy and rain but the second day, although a piercing hot weather was a better one. I'm actually quite happy today coz to me Raya is all about enforcing good relations between people that we know. Not the one who come like once every two or three years. As I see it, distance is not a problem. Eventually, the path will lead us back to where it started from.

   

Eve of Syawal 2010

        I received an unexpected phone call from a long time friend whom I haven't met in ages, Amie from Sarawak. She is now back in Kampar at her husband's kampong and she wished to see me tomorrow on Raya day. I'm so happy that she is nearby (well, not exactly near 'bout one hour actually since hers in more towards the Tronoh Mines area), but the thought of meeting her already made me looking forward for the Raya celebration. Now I have ONE more reason to celebrate Syawal.

                She wanted to see everyone at home since when we were students back in the UM days, she frequently spent her time here with our family. The last time I saw her was during graduation back in 1999. How long has it been? Too long, me thinks.

                Okay, so what do I want to do on Raya day? Many things actually; but FIRST and foremost is to have a taste at my mom's Nasi Minyak with Ayam Masak Merah. I have not been touching rice since ages when I started dieting. I did not miss rice, but my mom's specialty is NO way to be ignored!

                Next, I wanna take pictures. Loads and loads of pictures. No need studio fix for me. The house front yard is sufficient for me. And of course with Amie when I go visiting. Others would be thrilled to see us together and that is exactly the point.

                What else? The food in moderation - checked. Visiting friends or receiving friends. Perhaps Juliana & her family would also come visiting.  Duit raya for their children, definitely and also for Amie's daughter.

                I guess so far, that's all. Went to Air Kuning to give away cakes to the office staffs and Kak Nor gave a jar of a home-made rempeyek Jawa style in return.  Not a bad day at all.

                So here's to wishing a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2010 again, and have a great holiday to everyone no matter where you are. 

What I Did Last Weekend

let's see, i now have NINE followers. who knew???

i started this blog just to voice out my opinion and observations over certain matters; and now i have nine followers. thanks all and welcome to my thoughts and mind, narcissistic i may be sometimes but that's me.  

             okay, let me HIGHLIGHT on some of the things that i did last weekend. since it was the school hols 

(these are some of the perks of being a school teacher. school holidays that is so irreplaceable. no other jobs can top the amount of school holidays. that's why i'll never quit no matter how good other job offers may sound.)

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And Here They Are In Some Sort Of Particular Order:-

1. i went to KL last Friday after school session ended and drove in the middle of a hot, blazing afternoon. yes, and didn't even stop for a toilet break. (didn't need one since i was fasting and the amount of water that i consumed since sahur had long evaporated)

2. i went to KL to see friends over some reunion cum buka puasa event; since a friend just got back from Japan and i haven't seen her since. plus when will i have the chance for a group gathering? Ramadhan and iftar seems like the best time to meet up till the wee hours of the morning. yes, with my baju kurung and all. again at Vivo, the Curve. found out that one friend is in a relationship and marriage is coming right up. good for her. 

3. i was complimented on the new DOWNSIZE me. so very happy. 

4. for the first time since 5 months and a half, i had teh ais. two glasses but couldn't actually finished the second glass. 

5. met two friends unexpectedly; gosh, sometimes you just have to thank your lucky stars. and made a buka puasa date with one of them. fruitful outings.

6. got up real late and didn't sahur at all the next day coz i was feeling full from the previous meal. it's ok, i'm a survivor.

7. went out again, this time to Amcorp Mall to get some stuff. saw Roslan Shah the kinda 'gay'-ish performer there. not a fan, though. but i bought two eau-de-parfum from france there; two for only rm69.90. my sister will be so bloody envious on this.

8. went for buka puasa at Bangsar where i had such a hot tom yam bee hoon. so hot it made me teary-eyed. i can't believe i actually cried over a food. 

9. sent S for balik kampung in duta. i won't see her til next year i guess since she'll be back in Japan to finish her PhD.

10. went to the Curve with L to try and shop for a new jeans but alas, disappointed. the Curve is a great hangout place but a bad shopping hunting ground. except for the flea market. 

11. buka puasa with H and L and had a good conversation all the way. the food wasn't bad too. will come again next time.

12. went to MidValley alone the next day. so i skipped about wanting to return on monday. what's another day in KL??? now it's ME time. off to Bobbi Brown for that great buys. lovely assistant by the name of Cherry made a simple make-over for me. wanted to buy the foundation only. ended up with other items as well, the blush and cleansing oil....the face vitamin and sunblock were so good. and she gave me free samples too since i haven't the budget to buy those face vitamins sunblock yet...and the samples are quite generous too..two small jars that were overwhelmed with those products. bought the cleansing oil too. liked the texture and effects. got a free tube casing for travelling and a make-up bag....and a free gift from MidValley for spending. 

13. decided to go to Body Shop to look out for a foundation brush since i figured Bobbi B's must be  exorbitant in price. Ended up with three items including a big size White Musk Oil Perfume which i so, so adore since ages ago, a soap and a cellulite massager. (this to me is a good thing to have too, to aid me in my body toning as well)...i got 15% off of each items and automatically enable me to become a member for life and getting some vouchers too...all for rm150.80. another happy purchase for me.

14. next stop is dorothy perkins. been a long time since i walked in there. i'm having high hopes. if i can't find my jeans there then i have to go somewhere else. 

15. finally, oh finally! found that jeans!!! an offer for rm73 on an indigo bootcut! wahoooo! and it fits too. hell i'm a happier person now. owh, couldn't resist the two blouses on sale too so i bought them too. one in dusty pink and another in a deep purple. hey, i need those. before i altered the others i need some clothes on my back too. 

16. last stop, the supermarket for some grocery shopping since i promised the girls that i'm gonna cook for buka puasa for them. and got all those stuff and head home to cook.

17. cooked tom yam with mushroom and chinese cabbage, salmon & mackerel fish curry using Brahim's brand...no santan. healthier option. grilled six chicken wings and marinated lamb. they will be happy once they return. 

18. finished cooking earlier than schedule. must start late the next time. A bought a home grown papaya and i also bought seedless watermelon. fruits for me and a tuna melt sandwich for buka puasa since i don't take rice these days.

19. boy those girls can EAT!!! dunno whether i'm a good cook but they each ate two plates of rice and everything else on the table. A loves the salmon fish curry so much. glad they love it. made me happy to feed them.

20. made tuna melt sandwich for supper for them. they like it too....so pampered by me.

21. and went home the next day. sayonara KL, it was fun but my cats missed me. 'til next time.

22. went on the scale and i lost 1 more kg. it must have been all those walking. 

"SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI 2010. 

EAT WITH CAUTION OR SUFFER THE ACTION"