Ouch.

Just now I went grocery shopping with my niece. In the hypermarket, she was busy helping me find everything I had in my list.

At one time, she wanted to hold my arm to get my attention. But immediately pulled her hand back.

-Ouch! That hurts! Ada rasa macam cucuk-cucuk.
-Owhh. Itu elektrik statik Aina. Kalau Aina pegang troli ni pun Aina boleh rasa cucuk-cucuk tu.
-Eeeee tak nak peganglah! Nanti sakit macam masa pegang lengan Mak Long tadi.

I was about to explain to her about static electricity when she shouted her bright idea out loud for everyone to hear (anyone within a radius of 10 metres would get the message loud and clear):

-Aaaaaahhh! Saya tau kenapa sakit tadi bila nak pegang lengan Mak Long. Ini mesti sebab bulu Mak Long tajam!

I swear to God I heard people snickering all around me.

The world is round

-Mak Long, what do you think we can find on the other side of the world?
-Another country.
-Are you sure? Because it sure seems so far. How can we know?
-Maybe we should ask someone then.
-Yes. We should ask a scientist. An earth scientist. Mana nak cari earth scientist Mak Long?
-At the Pusat Sains Negara?
-Oh goody. We can call them up!
-Aina why don't we just buy a globe and see what they have on the other side of this planet?
-Oh. Boleh ye Mak Long?
-Boleh.
-Jadi tak payah cari earth scientist?
-Nope.
-Sebab susah nak cari ke Mak Long?
-Yes.
-Owh. Ok. Then maybe we can find earth scientists on the other side of the world. *snicker*

Advice from the young at heart

The other day I was chatting with my niece in the car on the way to Pusat Sains Negara (during one of our girl-bonding trips). We talked about everyday life and TV and movies and boys.

She asked me:
-Mak Long do you have a boyfriend?

I answered with another question:
-Why do you ask?

She replied:
-Oh, just asking. Tapi kan Mak Long, kita kena berhati-hati. Kadang-kadang orang lelaki ni nak berkawan dengan kita bukan sebab dia betul-betul ikhlas dengan kita. Kadang-kadang dia nak kawan dengan kita sebab dia nak main-mainkan kita. Susah tau Mak Long nak cari lelaki yang baik hati ni.

What? This kind of advice coming from an 8 year old?

So I asked her:
-Aina has someone been talking to you about this at school?

-Tak de lah. Tengok drama dengan Atuk. Cinta Elysa.

And Mak Long had to google it to know more because Mak Long is the biggest kayu besar when it comes to drama bersiri tempatan. Mahupun sinetron.

Detox

For the past three weeks I have been experiencing major acne break-outs and this has led to enduring tasteless jokes like "Ini jerawat gatal nak kawin ni" or "Meh aku tolong ubatkan" which in turn has stressed me up even more, resulting in more acne.

Then it dawned upon me that well, maybe a two-week detox programme might not be a bad idea after all since some skin problems are sometimes symptomatic of bad indigestion or over build-up of toxins in your body. Clean colons, clean organs, clean skin, clean well-being. So I tried googling to find out more and discovered some pretty interesting facts about detoxifying your body. Like, for example, a good detox not only cleanses the colon and removes toxins and chemicals from the vital organs, it also helps eliminate candida yeast naturally, balances the ph in your body AND re-introduce good flora back into your intestinal track. AHAH! I bet you didn't know that part, did you? Been feeling bloated and constipated lately? It's those damn evil flora in your tummy. Berjimba mereka beramai-ramai.

And I also googled to find out what I should avoid eating while on this regime. Here is the list of what to exclude from your detox diet:

Dairy Products and Eggs

Eggs and all dairy products are avoided, including:

• milk
• cheese
• cottage cheese
• sour cream
• yogurt and kefir
• butter
• ice cream and frozen yogurt

Wheat

Wheat and products containing wheat, such as pasta and bread.

Sweeteners

• refined sugar
• any white sugar
• any brown sugar
• high-fructose corn syrup
• evaporated cane juice
• artificial sweeteners

Gluten

All gluten-containing grains, including wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, kamut, couscous, bran, and farina

Soy

• tofu
• soy milk
• soy yogurt
• soy sauce
• soy protein powder
• tempeh

Coffee and Caffeinated Beverages

• Coffee
• Tea
• Soft drinks

Animal Products

• beef
• pork
• veal
• sausages and hot dogs
• deli meats and cold cuts
• shellfish

Condiments

• ketchup
• relish
• soy sauce
• teriyaki sauce
• non-dairy creamers
• barbeque or steak sauce
• salad dressings not made with allowed ingredients
• mayonnaise
• spreads not made with the allowed ingredients
• similar condiments

Other Foods to Avoid

• yeast
• alcohol
• food additives and preservatives
• high-fat foods
• corn
• shortening
• margarine
• canned coconut milk

So, in short, for two weeks, I shall be surviving on breathing air and togok air suam. To my close friends and family, do sms or check in on me from time to time. I'm sure you'd find me easily, hanging on to some piece of furniture like a wasteful gelatinous sea creature, waiting patiently to be detoxified and be rid of all the warts and scars.

N/B: This woeful self-pitying episode starts next week lah of course. Minggu ni kena binge dulu.

Barred from exam

A few minutes ago I got an sms from an unknown number so I straight away assumed that it was sent by one of my students. It read: ''Good evening madam. Betul ke saya kena bar dari exam? Tolong la madam saya tak boleh fail lagi. Saya ada masalah keluarga. Sem ni saya kena tumpang moto member. Tu yang selalu tak datang. Tolong la madam. Boleh tak unbar saya?''

So I replied by asking this person which class he or she was from. ''Saya dari kelas mass com madam.''

I then told him/her that she got the wrong madam. From the wrong university.

He/She replied, ''Oh. Sori madam. Btw madam ada tak nombor tipon madam yg ajar mass com tu?''

Memang patut pun kena bar budak ni. Blur pada tahap kemolaran yang paling maksimum.

Multitasking

Just now I sms-ed a person, Mr N, to tell him about an advertisement for a house that he put up for rent here in Bangi that I was interested in. He replied saying that he wants to set an appointment for me and his wife to see the house tomorrow afternoon. I agreed. Then I typed out another sms to another friend asking about where she stayed during her trip to Paris, as another friend of mine was looking for a decent place to stay for his trip there soon. And at the same time I had students coming in to see me for their slide presentations. And my boss called to ask about a training proposal. Semua di waktu yang sama. Multitasking was never my forte but nevertheless things straightened out.

Or so I thought.

Because five minutes later, I received another sms from Mr N, asking me,
"You ni nak tengok rumah sewa ke nak ajak I pergi Paris?"

Sigh.

Cerita orang jahat

A few days ago I was watching a crime show with my niece on the telly. Ini jenis cerita yang ada bunuh-bunuh dan kejar-mengejar naik kereta. Not a good show to watch with a kid actually but we were zapping when we saw this scene in which the murderer tried to kill the victim in his cab. My niece was so engrossed watching the babak separa seram.

-Eeeee Mak Long takutnya! Orang jahat tu pemandu teksi ye? Dia nak bunuh perempuan tu?
-Yup looks like it.
-This is so scary Mak Long!
-Relax Aina it's just a TV show. Ini semua make-believe.

My niece got a little confused so I tried to explain to her.

-Ini kan semuanya lakonan. Apa nak takut. Ada cameraman, ada director...
-Oh...dalam teksi tu ada cameraman sekali?
-Yup! To shoot the scene!
-OWH. He's so lucky then! He didn't get killed by the orang jahat!

Then it was Mak Long's turn to get confused.

Cashier

Yesterday I went to do the groceries at a hypermarket in Kota Damansara. While at the cashier waiting to pay, I saw the boy two lanes away trying to call the cashier at mine. But the young girl was too busy scanning and packing the things to notice.

-Kak Zu! Kak Zu!, he called out.

So I said to her, "Cik Zu, cashier tu panggil awak."

She looked at me with big round eyes, stopped working for a while and then asked me, "Macamana akak boleh tau nama saya? Ini mesti sebab akak dah selalu datang sini kan? Wah bagus la akak cepat ingat nama orang."

I just smiled. It's a great feeling when people think you know everything when actually in reality you know crap. The feeling lasted just for a while, but it felt good nonetheless. :-)))

Backhanded compliments

A backhanded compliment, also known as a left handed compliment is an insult that is disguised as a compliment. It takes a fairly good amount of wit, sarcasm and disdain to give a really good one.

It is what might at first sound like a compliment but could or should really be taken as an insult when considered in its entirety. Sometimes a backhanded compliment may be completely inadvertent, especially when given to you by an innocent 8 year old girl.

-Mak Long, at first I wanted to grow up to be a teacher like you. You know everything. But then now I think I want to be a doctor. And help Tok Ayah who is not well. And get lots of money.
-Oh okay that's good.
-But for a teacher, you sure can buy things for the family. (backhanded compliment #1)
-Well I try my best Aina. We must always remember our family and help them whenever we can.
-Yeah I know. That's why I want to become a doctor. But you need to be clever and hard-working to be a doctor.

Then she looked at me for a while.

-But you know what Mak Long? Don't worry. You sure are smart for a teacher. (backhanded compliment of the year)

That was by far the best one I've received so far this year. Short, sweet and aims directly at your jugular veins. :-)

The big Q

Just now at the canteen I greeted some fellow colleagues who were having their meal. We chatted amicably and somehow the topic of marriage cropped up. And one of them looked at me and asked me the Q: "Tie bila ko nak kawin Tie? Umur dah semakin meningkat."

And I braced myself for the onslaught of cheap jokes to come.

"Alaa Tie, kalo ko tak kisah, aku pun ada..."
"Ko jangan memilih sangat...ko kena ingat...umur ko tu dah berapa..."
"Nanti expired nanti..."
"Alaaa tak kisah la pendek pun bila baring tu sama je..."

Sigh. Do I have to go through this over and over again?

When the father of Imam Shafi'i (ra) was asked about how he brought up his son to be such an exceptionally gifted man, superior in knowledge and critical thinking, his answer was plain and simple. He looked for the right woman to be the mother of their child.

Oleh yang demikian tuan-tuan dan puan-puan sekiranya saya menggunakan teori penaakulan mantik, bolehkah saya katakan yang saya juga ingin mencari seorang lelaki yang sesuai untuk menjadi bapa kepada anak saya sekiranya diizinkan Tuhan untuk kami mendapat rezeki anak. And not just simply grab one blindfold?

I know it's a long shot, I know it would be a miracle and I know my eggs are drying up fast. But I'm still hoping for that to happen.

Apologies

Last Saturday I had the opportunity of attending a majlis ilmu in which one of the panel members was a young ustaz from KUIS and who is also a penceramah on TV Al-Hijrah. He spoke eloquently, with great knowledge on the subject matter, reciting verses from the Holy Quran effortlessly (being a Hafiz) and uses current and up-to-date analogies that are relevant and that the young people can relate to. Interspersed with a good sense of humor and done with great delivery of speech plus having a good command of both Bahasa Melayu and English, suffice to say I am now officially in love with Ustaz Don Daniyal. Plus he is a hottie. What a guy. He is an inspiration to the youth of today.

Well anyway he mentioned that "tidak masuk syurga sesiapa yang sengaja memotong tali persaudaraan samada keluarga mahupun sahabat dan hendaklah sentiasa memaafi kerana sikap memaafkan itu sesuatu yang dituntut dan ia menzahirkan kekuatan karektor seseorang muslim." Oleh yang demikian I would like to apologize to the person I dissed in my previous blog posting. Peace love and no war. I will try to refrain myself from saying anything untoward about anybody in the future (I am biting the insides of my cheeks so hard as I am typing this I think it's bleeding now).

So to this particular person I am so sorry. 0-0 ek. Teringat pulak saya pada Ustazah Maskurah cikgu Pengetahuan Agama Islam saya semasa saya bersekolah di sebuah sekolah menengah berasrama penuh di Kampung Kongo dulu. Dia pernah mengajar kami sebuah hadis yang membawa maksud "Janganlah kamu benci-membenci dan janganlah kamu dengki-mendengki dan janganlah kamu khianat-mengkhianati..."I am forever in debt with her for imparting her wisdom to us and to help me score an A for this subject during SPM. Garang wo ustazah ni sebelum dia masuk kelas kami semua menggelabah baca balik dan ulangkaji. Sekarang kata-katanya terngiang-ngiang di telinga saya. Orang Jawa kata "ringing in my ears". Orang Jawa la kata macam tu. Orang Melayu kata macam lain.

Ok last kopek a thousand apologies and sorry for the nasty words.

But if you mess with me again I will still kick your big fat butt.

Heheheh. And apologize later. :-)))

Have a nice day everyone! :-)))

Dr Aina

Last Sunday, my niece and I, we chilled together in the bedroom. Well actually I was just lying around doing absolutely nothing while she played "the one and most important doctor in the hospital who had to do everything from checking in the patient to analyzing blood test results to wheeling the patient into the operating theatre because the nurse aka Mak Long was busy playing games on her iPhone".

She grumbled about that the whole time but kept on play acting anyway not only because she just loves playing doctor and she wants to be one when she grows up and also because "I'm just too talkative to sit still".

That day she had three patients: a snake, a crocodile and a bear. Her three fluffy toys were lined up waiting for their turn to see the doctor. She attended to the snake first and diagnosed him with having a bad back pain. He had to go for back massages. The crocodile had a toothache and was prescribed some "tooth medicine" (Dr Aina says it's very effective). Then she went to the last patient she had that day.

-Oh good day Mr Bear what can I do for you? Oh really? You're not feeling well? Here let me check you with my stethoscope...Ohhh no! You're not sick! You just have ketiak masam!

So in a nutshell, Dr Aina will not entertain patients with BO issues.

Just a little annoyed today

Today I am feeling more than a little annoyed actually (contrary to what the title of this blog posting indicates) with this person I know. But I guess I will just have to be patient and let this anger thingy pass me by because hey, this person doesn't give a crap anyway. Do you people realize how men can simply ignore you when you are in merajuk mode and just hope that it will just subside and then act as if nothing happened? Siap boleh buat-buat lawak lagi.

Well anyway I wish I had super duper powers that can transform people into objects. Then I would just go to this person's FB page, look at the profile picture and just stare and focus my super duper powers on it, so that in real life, wherever that person may be on the planet at that point of time, he would be transformed into any object desired. Like a roll-on deodorant, for example. Yang dijual di sebuah pasar mini yang terletak di sebuah lokasi di mana populasi pekerja asing berbangsa Bangla/Myanmar/Nepal amatlah tinggi dan kebarangkalian deodoran ini akan dibeli oleh salah seorang dari pekerja asing yang tidak mandi pagi adalah 99.7%.

And each time the deodorant is used up, hey presto it magically refills itself and it ends up on the shelves of the same pasar mini, only to be snapped up by another person yang tak suka mandi pagi. And this vicious cycle continues, until this person says sorry dan pujuk saya.

Groundhog Day, with a karmic twist.

Perkataan baru

Last week I spent five days gallivanting around the streets of Jakarta Barat, known as the Mangga Besar area. No shopping whatsoever. Just visiting musuems and taking pictures of the Dutch colonial buildings in Kota Tua. Believe it or not. Tidak berbelanja di mana-mana supermall yang tumbuh melata di seluruh kotaraya tersebut. It's like saying "I went to KFC but only had some Mirinda oren."

And language was also a tricky issue. Once, in a restaurant, I ordered a dish and when it came, the waitress asked, "Apa Ibu mau sendok juga?". I simply nodded while imagining the humiliation of shoving food down my throat with a big senduk but a few minutes later she came with a spoon. Owh. So I learned a new word.

The next day I had lunch at another restaurant. This time I decided to practise the new vocabulary. I asked the waiter near the counter. "Bisa berikan saya sendok satu?" (very awkward bahasa Indon I know tapi dah excited punya pasal tak kisah la).

The boy looked at me and smiled. Then he said "Akak nak sudu eh. Jap nanti saya tanyakan sekali. Saya pun nak order air ni."

Aisey. Pelancong Malaysia da. Tapi rupanya tidak ubah seperti rupa seorang lelaki Jawa tempatan. Pendek, berkulit sawo matang dan berhidung pesek. Akak keliru!

Baked seafood

Last night my niece came up to me and offered a plate of baked seafood. She had arranged some fridge magnets on a small square board and pretended that they were real seafood. There was a starfish, a fish, a duck, a whale and a few others.

-Here. Come on Mak Long. Have one. Nobody in my land wants to eat my baked seafood.
-Oh dear. Really? What's your land called?
-Aina Land.
-And who are in your land?
-Just my old toys. They don't want my baked seafood because they prefer nasi goreng kampung.
-OK. But I'm allergic to seafood. I don't want any rashes breaking out on my face and body if I eat them.
-Oh no problem Mak Long. Here have a bug.

And she handed me a fridge magnet in the shape of a moth. Ada pulak tu.

So last night I had a baked bug for dinner. Tapi kecik sangat. Tak kenyang. So I still had to go downstairs later for some maggi tom yam with my family.

Perangkap

Yesterday I had a chat with one of my students. He told me a joke he heard from a friend. He liked it so much that he told almost everybody in class, me included.

-Madame when he story me I so funny. My eye water drop cannot stop.
-Owh. Eye water tu apa?
-Laaa madame. Ayaq mata la.
-Owh. Jadi kalau mata air nak panggil apa dalam bahasa Inggeris?
-Heheheh. Panggil marka. Ok bye madame!

As he was leaving I heard him telling his friend, "Hang tengok la madame cuba nak perangkap aku. Ingat aku tak tau ka?"

Anatomy 101 (pre-school edition)

Just now I made a short visit to the bank and bumped into a friend and her chatty son .One thing that I have come to realize is that this boy has somehow developped his linguistic skills far beyond his tender age. "Motormouth" doesn't even begin to describe him. My chatterbox niece pales in comparison.

And when you're in a bank waiting for your turn, the last thing you want is to have a kid bugging you with questions all the time. And loudly.

But he's super cute and adorable and he sat smack right next to me so what little hope I had for some peace and quiet was dashed anyway. Might as well yak with him.

So we chatted while his mommy played on her iPhone (grrr...) and he then told me that he wanted to grow up to be a big boy. Because he likes to play askar-askar. But sometimes he doesn't mind playing masak-masak as well.

-So when I play masak-masak kan auntie, I pretend to be a girl.
-Oh I see. So what's the difference between a girl and a boy?

He looked at me with a look that says "Don't tell me you don't know the answer to that question? Nak kata muda kalau masuk larian terbuka wanita dah kategori veteran dah."

-Girls are smaller than boys. And boys *pandang ke kiri dan ke kanan* ada birdy. Girls *whispers* ada flower.
-Ahhh. But you know sweetie, I'm taller than most boys I know.
-Yeahhh! I know! Auntie ada dua-dua. Birdy ada flower pun ada!

So you see ladies and gentlemen, in a split second my existence has been reduced to that of a hermaphroditic Gastropod.

And I left the bank 10 minutes later, leaving behind a trail of thick viscous slime.

My mud quota for this year

This was how I looked like when I came out of Gua Kelawar last Sunday. Covered from head to toe with mud.

Mud, mud and more mud.

When we were inside, we made a few rest breaks, during which we could have our light lunch if we wanted to. I did. But how? The whole body was covered in mud.

So, I took off my gloves, reached into my dry pack for a bun and bottled water. Then washed my grimy hands a bit. Then came the problem. Nowhere to wipe my hands. So I took off my helmet, wiped my hands on my headscarf, and started munching on my ikan bilis bun.

It's pitch dark anyway, so who cares?

Two days of walking, climbing, crawling and frolicking in guano and mud. In two caves.

Mud, mud and more mud.

But if it's to get a load of this majestic sight, isn't it all worth the bat poo? And who would've thought you can find this gem in Chemor. The town famous for tapioca a long time ago (my secondary school geography text book told me that).

Gua Kanthan pic courtesy of Steven ECLim.

Flag flash cards

The other day I played a flag flash card game with my students. I'd show them a card with a flag and they'd give me the name of the country in English. Then I'd write the name in French on the board.

The students were really focusing hard because I told them the record for least mistakes was held by a 12 year old boy I have tuition class with. Only one mistake out of the 54 cards. So everybody discussed and made sure they got the right answer before giving me the "jawapan muktamad".

They were doing good until I showed them this particular card. One of them suddenly put up his hands and said to the rest, "Alaaah! Alaaah! Belanda!". The others looked at him quizzically since the Dutch flag was already guessed earlier on.

-Weh kan dah tunjuk dah tadi bendera Belanda?
-Tu ha...Belanda! Belanda!
-Apahal ko ni?
-Alahai... ayam Belanda!!!

I was showing them the flag of Turkey.

Vitamin F

A Friend shared this article with me and I want to share it with you.

Why do I have a variety of friends who are all different in character ?
Some of them can be considered marginal even ?
How do I get on with them all ?
I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part of me...
With one of them I am a polite, good girl.
I joke with another friend.
I sit down and talk about serious matters with one of them.
With another I giggle at every silly thing.
I have my tea with one
And dance with another.
I listen to one friend's problems and give her advice
Then I listen to another advising me.

They are all like pieces of a jigsaw,
When completed they form a treasure box.
A treasure of friends!
They are my friends who understand me better than myself,
who support me through good days and bad days.
They are like colourful anti-depressants that I take on different days.


Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health.
Dr. Oz calls them Vitamins F (from Friends) and counts the benefits of friends to our well being.

Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression
and terminal strokes. If you take Vitamin F constantly you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your tense moments it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%.


I am so happy that I have a stock of Vitamins F!

In summary we should value our friends and keep in touch with them.
We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together, not forgetting
to open our mouths big to swallow the floating vitamins F !!!!

Momoi saya sakit

That is my cat Momoi sitting on some music sheets as he knows that will be a sure way of getting my attention.

Last Saturday he fell ill. He just slept all day and refused to eat. My mom took him to the vet's and he was diagnosed with suffering from jaundice. For quite some time, it seems, since the symptoms appear much later. Kesian Momoi. Gusi dan matanya kuning. Dia muntah-muntah dan tidak lalu makan. Doktor terpaksa membuat pemeriksaan darah.

Today the vet's assistant called to inform that we can take him home. But he has to be on medication for seven days by the end of which we will bring him back to the clinic for check-up. The blood test results also came in. His liver is not damaged, BUT he has fatty liver and high cholesterol. I am now sketching out the design for my mini cat gym, complete with a cat treadmill and tiny cat dumb bells. Tak sangka kucing pun boleh ada masalah kolesterol tinggi.

And when I get the vet's bill for consultation and boarding and blood test and all the pills, my blood also will go upstairs.

Tapi yang penting Momoi saya kembali sihat! :-)

I say A but actually I mean A.1.1

When I was a kid my mom said I was a very shy girl. It was hard for me to tell directly to my parents what I wanted. For example, I'd ask my dad, "Papa, hari Ahad zoo bukak tak?" to hint that I wanted to visit Zoo Negara. Or rub my tummy and say "Yati lapar la." whenever we passed by A&W Taman Jaya. Zaman tu that was the only fast food restaurant around. Kalau bapak saya ajak makan di sana saya tak pikir panjang terus cari baju raya tahun lepas dan pakai. Event besar! Mesti mahu pakai baju cantik!

Anyway this morning in class we had a little game. The class was divided into two groups and we had a good time. Dan biasalah kan semasa permainan dijalankan, ahli dari kedua-dua kumpulan saling menyakat dan melancarkan perang saraf.

One team was leading by a point. The taunts got louder. Then one kid said to another, "Ala engkau tu kentut dalam air." Madame tersenyap sebentar kerana tidak begitu memahami apakah yang cuba diperkatakan oleh pelajar tersebut.

The student explained: "Ustaz saya cakap kan Madame, kalau kita kentut dalam air puasa kita batal. Dia tu (pointing tu his friend) suka kentut dalam air."

Oleh itu kejadian kentut dalam air juga boleh digunakan untuk memberitahu yang seseorang itu tidak berpuasa. I learned something new today.

Iftar with the Rukaiyah kids

These two mischievous looking boys are part of the Rukaiyah Orphanage I had the pleasure of spending some time with during iftar last weekend. And while I was taking this photo, I could almost hear them thinking out loud. And true enough, when I told them that everyone in my family was tall, they cried out, "Alaaa Achik macamana Achik tau kitaorang nak tanya soalan tu?"

They told me they were brothers. I asked them about another boy Haikal that I met last year during an outing with them. They told me that his parents came back for him. His parents, previously separated, got back together and decided to take back their child and live as a family again.

And to be honest, that was one of the best news that I've heard in a long time. We could do more with these heartwarming stories. It just cheers up any dowdy day.

Then one of the two boys in the photo above came up to me later to admit that they were not really brothers. Just friends. "Tapi saya lagi hensem tau Achik." Katanya. With a cheeky smile. :-))

What language do you speak?

This morning I had a class on countries and nationalities. And the languages that people speak. So after doing a dialog with the students it was time to do some oral with them. I asked them if they spoke a certain language and they would have to answer affirmatively or otherwise.

So I started with a student who volunteered. I asked him:
-Vous parlez français? (Do you speak French?)

He answered:
-Non, je parle malais. (No, I speak Malay.)

Then I moved on to the next student who seemed to be looking at his table. I asked him:
-Vous parlez italien? (Do you speak Italian?)

Dia angguk-angguk. Macam paham. Tapi dia tak jawab.
His friend nudged him. "Oi. Madame tanya la. Vous parlez italien tak?"
He looked up suddenly and replied, "Huh? Oui...oui...tali...tali..."

Ceh. Dia tidur rupanya.

Di kedai alatulis

Semalam saya ke kedai alatulis untuk membeli sedikit, er, peralatan untuk menulis dan mengajar. Saya terus ke rak menjual kertas dan di tempat mesin fotokopi saya lihat ada dua pakcik sedang berborak sementara menunggu dokumen mereka difotokopi. Salah seorang daripada mereka merasa gembira dan bangga dengan anaknya yang akan meneruskan pelajarannya di luar negara, didalam bidang IT.

-Anak aku ni ha. Dapat sambung belajar dekat universiti kat luar negeri. Insyaallah tahun depan.
-Oh iye ke. Baguslah. Kat mana tu?
-Universiti tu dekat-dekat dengan Alaska.
-Ohhh. Tak jauh la. Senang la engkau.
-Eh. Apa pulak tak jauh? Mau dua hari baru sampai.
-Mana....empat jam je kalau naik bas.
-Anak aku tu dapat masuk univerisiti dekat-dekat dengan Alaska tu. Kat Amerika.
-Ohhh. Aku dengar Alor Setar.

Saya masih lagi tergelak seorang diri semasa sedang berjalan keluar menuju ke kerta saya setalah selesai membayar. :-)))

Nose

Yesterday I went to the pet food shop to buy the cat biscuits that my cats so can't live without. While I was choosing and debating with myself about the choice of flavour, an old lady came into the shop and came to where I was and we ended up talking which brand suits our cats best. At some point she looked at me and remarked about my height.

Then she told me that I have a nose that would bring ''ong'' to my future husband. I found this amusing as the Malays always say that if the wife is taller than the husband barulah murah rezeki. Sebab kalau bini tinggi dia boleh sorokkan duit atas almari dan suami tak sampai nak ambik. But this was the first time that someone told me about my nose that would eventually bring luck to whoever chose to spend his life with me.

Then I asked her what kind of man would suit me best then, to which she answered, ''Aiyaaaa semua orang suruh lu cari hati baik...tapi aaa gua cakap sama lu aaaa miss....dia olang mau cari hati baik itu dia olang punya pasal...lu cari yang banyak lui yang boleh tengok lu punya hati baik...sama boleh tengok lu punya hidung banyak ong.''

Errr. Okay. So people...I have a nose that brings great fortune. To others. :-)))

Introducing a friend in French

This morning I had class with a group of students who were learning French for the first time. So as an ice-breaking session, I had them prepare a few sentences to introduce another friend to everyone.

I gave an example:
-Il s'appelle Roy. Il aime le football.

Some of them asked:
-What is the meaning of aime Madame?

I answered:
-Aime means "love". So my example means "His name is Roy. He loves football."
-Ooooohh.
-Le tu kena ada ke Madame?
-Yes. Le means "the" in English.
-Ohh. OK.

Then one of them volunteered to start the activity.
-I want to try madame.
-OK good.

He pointed to a classmate: Il s'appelle Azrul. Il aime lemang.

TnG card

This morning I stopped by a petrol station to buy a new TnG card and top up some amount as well. At the cashier, I took out my purse to pay the boy at the counter. He gave me my card and my receipt.

As I went out the door, I took out my car keys. So I had my keys, my purse, my TnG card and my receipt in my hands.

While walking towards my car I passed by a thrash can. I wanted to throw away the receipt. Instead I threw away my TnG card. I looked around. There were two guys at the petrol pump who saw me asking for help. The one driving the Merc buat tak tahu. The one in the Hybrid car came out to help me.

And I also called the pump attendant to help me retrieve the card. The trash can had a swinging cover on top and I needed someone to take it off. So they obligingly did so and I thanked them, telling them that I had actually wanted to throw away the receipt but entah bagaimana threw the card into the trash can instead. Pakcik pump attendant tu hanya tersenyum semasa memasang semula penutup tong sampah tersebut. The Hybrid guy said it was normal to slip up sometimes.

Then I proceeded to throw away the receipt. But this time, instead, I threw my car keys (pulak) into the trash can.

So Mr Hybrid came out of the car (again) and helped take out my car keys (this time). Mr Merc hanya memerhati. Pakcik pump attendant buat-buat cuci cermin kereta pelanggan yang lain.

Then he told me to put my purse and card and keys into my handbag. Then he asked me to throw away the receipt. I smiled and thanked him (profusely). He grinned and geleng-geleng kepala.

Then it became clearer in my head. So I took out my car keys and went straight to my car. And drove to work.

Hybrid guys. Look for Hybrid guys. They're willing to get their hands dirty to help a woozy mademoiselle in distress.

Grocery shopping

Yesterday I did my groceries and after all the shopping I pushed my cart straight to the carpark and not look left and right to avoid the temptation of buying things that would be of no use whatsoever. Especially if there's a RM5 shop lurking around somewhere.

I reached my car and pressed the remote alarm button. Nothing. I tried again. Nada. Saya ketuk-ketuk lagi. Namun masih tidak berjaya. Saya garu dagu.

By this time the security guard who does his rounds on his bicycle arrived and asked me if everything was okay. I informed him of my predicament.

-Hmmm. Akka sudah salah kereta ka?
-Eh betul ni kereta saya. WUM.
-Akkaaa...ini kereta W-Yu-Yen. Tadda Yem.
-Oh. Saya sudah salah kereta la.
-Tadda apa nanti saya cari kereta Akka.

And he rode off and came back later with the exact location of my car. We went there together and he even helped me unload my groceries into the car boot.

-Terima kasih adik. Nasib baik adik ada. Boleh tolong akak.
-Sama-samaaaa. Sikit sajaaa. Sini pun worang selalu lupa mana parking kereta.

Ya la adik. Tapi ini Akka lain punya worang. Yen sama Yem pun tadda baca.

Groups

A group of frogs is called an army.
A group of rhinos is called a crash.
A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
A group of whales is called a pod.
A group of geese is called a gaggle.
A group of ravens is called a murder.
A group of officers is called a mess.
A group of larks is called an exaltation.
A group of owls is called a parliament.
A group of doves is called a salvation.

Sambil isi minyak kereta lap cermin sekali

Last night on the way home after dinner I stopped at the petrol station to fill up. Dan sementara menunggu minyak dituang penuh, saya mengambil kesempatan untuk mencuci cermin kereta saya yang penuh berhabuk itu. I used the windscreen cleaner blade thingy, busy sliding that thing horizontally across the windshield when I heard the young man whose car was at the petrol pump beside mine call out to me.

-Akak! Pinjam stool kejap.

a) I was blocked from his view from the waist down by my car.
b) He was having difficulty cleaning the windscreen of his car because it was a big SUV and he was a little...ehem...vertically challenged.

Hmmm. Apa nak jawab ni?
-OK. Datang la sini ambik dik.

So he came over and started some small talk while on the way to my car.
-Itu la kan kak susah kalau bawak kete besar-besar ni bila nak cuci kena guna tangga la stool la...eh?? Laaa akak tinggi! Tak aci la.

Saya hanya mampu tersenyum lebar. Lama saya tersenyum padanya. Nak tahan gelak pun ada.

-Eleh eksyen la tu.

Ye dik. Akak ni tinggi. 5'11''. Pakai pulak kasut tumit tinggi 3". Rasanya dah sama tinggi dengan Stone Cold Steve Austin dah tu. :-)

Short semester exam

A couple of days ago I invigilated an exam session and while going around the hall checking their attendance, I noticed that one of the students had not one but two calculators on the table. So out of curiosity I asked him why.

-Kalau satu kalkulator habis bateri saya ada yang lagi satu ni Madame.
-Oh. Tapi kalau dua-dua pun habis bateri?
-Ohhh jangan takut Madame. Saya dah pikir dah.

And he took out some spare batteries from his pocket.

Lord Baden Powell always said "Be Prepared". And I bet this student was a Boy Scout when he was a kid.

Melepas

I just got to know that my training at the Naval Base in Lumut got cancelled. Kaciwa! My fantasy of seeing a class full of men in white uniform habis punah. Down the drain. Yes we chicks dig men in uniform. I'm sure all of us do. Cuma ada yang tak nak cakap je. Setakat senyum sorang-sorang bila tengok NCIS atau JAG.

Another reason why I think the Malaysian Navy is uber cool:


Their elite Paskal squad team members wear hot pink berets. Yes. Pink. Mereka lelaki yang mempunyai keyakinan diri yang cukup kental. Gagah berani tidak takut mati and yet so in touch with their feminine side.

So now that the Navy men are no longer in the picture, I would need to find a substitute. Apakah badan beruniform lain yang rasa-rasanya OK dan setanding dengan kesegakan abang-abang TLDM? TUDM? Tentera Darat (tapi baju depa warna hijau celoreng macam tak hensem je?)?

Ataupun PBSM? Uniform putih juga kan?

Dan ahli silat? Cukup gagah perkasa tak? :-)

Tagline

Yesterday I was hanging out with my niece in my parents' bedroom when she said that she had a little show for me. So she took the bolster and put it in the middle of the bed. And then took the radio remote control, pretended it was a giant match, struck it against her thigh, and then looked at me.

-Mak Long cover your ears. I'm going to light this cannon. There's going to be a loud explosion!

So we both covered our ears as she lit the cannon (reben pengikat sarung bantal peluk berfungsi sebagai sumbu) and there was a loud BOOM! Mak Long pun terpaksa menyumbangkan suara untuk bunyi letupan tersebut) and she threw a small ball to the floor.

I had to laugh because she was really in her element and beriya berlakon.

-Did you like it Mak Long?
-Yeah. I think it was a fun show :-)

Then she came up with her ciplak tagline: "Cannonball. Delighting you always."

And it was Mak Long's turn to fall off the bed in astonishment.

Kejadian di Santai Suri

A couple of days ago I went to Santai Suri to meet up with my BFFs. When I reached the spa, one of them was out for errands. So I hoohaa-ed with those who were at the reception area for a bit.

A few minutes later my friend arrived. She was surprised to see me dan kami pun berpeluk-cium to say hello. Al-maklumlah dah lama tak berjumpa. She excused herself to the back for a while and I continued chatting with the rest.

Then I looked back at the counter and saw her standing there. Wah, dah makin slim si Rina ni, kataku di dalam hati. Nampaknya segala usaha mengikuti kelas body combat amat membuahkan hasil.

So I crept slowly from behind and surprised her by holding her by the waist and saying, "Oi Mek dah kurus la ko! Caya la!"

She turned slowly to me and said slowly, "Siapa yg kurus kak?"

Alamak. Bukan Rina. Tetapi salah seorang dari pelanggan urut yang mahu membayar di kaunter.

Memang saya mati kutu masa tu. Saya dah habis auta dah tak tahu macamana nak cover line lagi dah.

So I just smiled sheepishly. For once, I was stumped for words.

Orang utan

Last night I uploaded a photo of a person wearing a pink orang utan tshirt on my facebook wall. I thought it was a cute and adorable t-shirt. Pink pulak tu. Jadi kemolaran comelnya bertambah tiga kali ganda.

Before going to bed I zapped the Astro channels and noticed that almost all the programs were about murder and fantasy horror. So I switched off the telly and went to bed.

Then in my sleep I dreamed that I was attacked by a big hairy monster resembling a giant orang utan. And it was pink. Kinda like Sully in Monster Inc. Seekor orang utan berbulu pink. Chasing after me with hatred in his eyes and vengeance in his heart.

Suddenly it didn't seem so cute anymore.

Perbualan tatkala sedang makan chicken popcorn

This morning during breakfast I chatted a bit with my 8-year-old niece. She talked about her school and her plans for the weekend. Then she looked at me and told me proudly that she can speak two languages very fluently: Malay and English.

-But I want to be like you Mak Long! You can speak three languages!

I looked at her and geleng-geleng kepala.

-No? Not three? How many languages do you speak then Mak Long?
-Six.
-Wow? Six? What languages?
-Well, Malay, English, French, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Inggeris and Bahasa Perancis.
-Oooohhhh...

Then as she was eating her chicken popcorn I heard her muttering under her breath, "Nanti Aina pun nak jadi macam Mak Long lah."

I asked her:

-Nak jadi macam Mak Long boleh cakap enam bahasa ke Na?
-Tak. Nak jadi macam Mak Long suka loyar buruk.

Breakfast

This morning I stopped by a petrol station beside the used-to-be Mint Hotel to buy some breakfast. But they ran out of hot coffee and the cashier told me that I could get some at McDonalds next door.

"Terus boleh masuk ikut pintu belakang kakak takde keluar-keluar." (read: the two buildings were adjoining to each other)

So I went there and ordered my breakfast and coffee to go. When I got everything I asked the adik at the counter where to get the sugar sachets.

"Ohhh gula boleh beli kat sebelah kak.", while pointing towards the petrol station convenience store.

Then the supervisor came and elbowed him from behind and told him, "Layan customer elok-elok la."

Then the boy looked at me and said, "Heheheh...ala madame saje je nak ngenakan madame. Tu ha tepi counter ni nanti saya ambikkan ekk."

Cis. Budak MFI rupanya. Tapi siapa ye? Hmmm.

New words

My 8 year old niece likes to talk. She is the motormouth in the family. She can just yak and yak and yak. She is in love with the sound of her voice. She will talk, yell, sing and act out little stories and mini dramas either alone or with the help of her little toy friends. And when she 's in her own fantasy world, she will cook up all sorts of funny words that she sometimes uses on me.

Like for example:
When she's playing Flick Fishing on my iPhone, she would say, "Don't worry Mak Long, I will try and get you a nice badoody fish!"

I am guessing a badoody fish is a big deep sea fish that she can catch while playing Flick Fishing that can give me lots of money and score me many points and make me rich fast.

So since her Mak Long selalu bercita-cita nak kahwin lelaki kaya, can she say that she wants to marry a badoody guy?

Here's another one:
Sometimes she would talk about her future big girl plans.
"Mak Long when I grow up I want to be a teacher like you. You know everything. You're so ultrananic!"

Hmmm...I can't really put my finger on the meaning of this new word. Ultrananic? What? Highly intelligent? Smart Alec? Loyar buruk?

Or Super Nenek?

Cerita sms.

This morning I sms-ed a friend.

-Assalamualaikum.

My friend replied:
-Siapa ni ek?

I sms-ed again:
-Weh tak kena ke? Aku la Yati.

-Owh. Aku ingat mamat Jepun mana tadi.

Then I checked again the first sms that I sent him. Instead of "Assalamualaikum", it came out "Addams Yamamoto".

Damn this spelling auto-correction. Sometimes it just gives you more hassle. :-)

Blur

A few days ago I went to Alamanda to do some errands. So many things to do, so little time, on an empty stomach. And it didn't help matters that the chicken rice shop I went to for my meal served everything with a super extra dose of MSG. Terus sakit kepala.

Well anyway after my early dinner I went straight to the nearest ATM to withdraw money. I was queuing behind a young man who seemed to have trouble with his card. He was an average sized young man, quite muscular, with neatly combed black hair. Bila tengok dia rasa sejuk hati. Pakai baju pun tuck in.

And I honestly didn't know why but out of the haziness of my MSG induced headache I walked behind him, peered over his head (aku kan tinggi) and just stared at the ATM screen.

And I think he could feel someone breathing down his neck and looked back.

"Oh mak engkau tinggi nya ya Allah terkejut aku bila masa akak diri kat belakang saya akak oiiii....!!"

Alamak. Dari jauh macam lelaki GQ tapi bila terkejut melatah pulak. Dan bersuara popon.

Sampel

Yesterday I went to do some grocery shopping at a hypermarket in Kelana Jaya. While I was at the check-out counter busy loading my things into the trolley, I noticed a group of youngsters waiting around me, each holding either a product sample or vouchers. And true enough the moment I had paid the cashier and was walking slowly towards the escalator, the three of them crowded around me with something to offer.

-Kak, ambik je kak sampel ni, free je, takyah bayor.
-Akak ni tinggi macam model la...akak ambik je voucher ni...
-Akak tak nak tau ke ini sampel apa?

Then I stopped and looked at them.

One of the young men looked back at me and made a remark.

-Alamak. Akak ni dah buat muka Ada Aku Kesah la.
-Takpe la kak. Kitaorang gi cari akak lain.

And I went back home.

Birthday lunch with my besties

This is the pink VW on top of the birthday cake that my besties gave me when we went for lunch yesterday. So from today onwards I will look at this picture in the morning when I wake up and at night before going to bed and wish real hard that this cute little pink car will be a reality. And if I focus even more, hey I might even get those full red bee stung lips and one additional cup size.

But whatever it is, thanks a lot girls for the fab time. It was super awesomeness! Muah!

Kereta Baru

This morning as I was walking to my office I saw one of the lady cleaners and bade her a very good morning.

-Good Morning auntie!
-Good Moorrrninnggg!! Wo cikgu sudah ada kereta baru ka?
-Takde la Auntie saya pinjam kereta mak saya.
-Wo. Apa pasal cikgu? Sindri punya kereta mana pigi?
-Rosak teruk la auntie. Kena hempap pokok depan rumah. Saya sudah hantar workshop kasi repair.
-Aiyoyoyo...saya baaanyak kesian sama cikgu. Itu kereta dulu nombor 3777 kan?
-Kenapa auntie mau tau?
-Nanti saya angkat nombor ekor.
-Ohh. Kalau menang auntie mau buat apa?
-Macam-macam boleh buat. Takpa cikgu punya pasal, kalau saya menang, saya tanam balik itu pokok baru. Kasi ganti yang sudah tumbang.

Huarghhhhhh!!!! Tak nak kawan!!

Baking show on TV

Last night I arrived home late after one hour of combat martial arts followed by a light dinner with girlfriends. After taking a nice cool shower I switched on the telly to wind down a bit, sambil memakan aiskrim Magnum Classic yang sungguh lazat.

There was this interesting cooking programme on Astro. The chef was showing how to bake a meringue. Or Bomb Alaska. I think. I was trying to jot down the ingredients and at the same time watch her do all the baking steps and try to hold on to my ice-cream.

And at the part where the chef said, "Now please be careful here when you bla bla bla..." and I was heavily concentrating to not miss any crucial part (with my ice-cream stick in mid-air) my big orange cat dengan sungguh selambanya berjalan di hadapan skrin televisyen, berhenti di tengah-tengah, mengiau beberapa ketika, dan meneruskan perjalanan untuk pergi baring betul-betul di sebelah kanan televisyen.

And thus ended my interrupted baking lesson.

Perbualan di muka pintu bilik peperiksaan

-Why are you out so early? This paper ends in one hour's time. You have one hour more to go.
-Alah madame, susah sangat la, kalau duduk lama-lama pun bukannya dapat idea baru pun.
-Oh. OK.
-Jom la madame saya belanja madame teh tarik.
-Orait. Tapi tunggu la saya jaga exam ni sampai 2.30pm. Awak yang keluar awal.
-Oh ye tak ye jugak.
-Yep.
-Alamak lamanya lagi. Saya balik dulu la madame. Panas.
-Pulak.

Industrial training presentation #1

This morning I had an industrial training presentation to attend. The student came in, set up the computer, showed his slides and started his presentation.

-Good morning. My name is bla bla bla and today I will present. First I will talk about the company then I will talk about the project.

All the lecturers nodded.

-First the company. Bla bla bla...

The lecturers nodded.

-So my conclusion is bla bla bla.

The lecturers looked at each other. Did we miss something out here? Were we abducted by aliens before he started talking about his project and were beamed back into the room in time to hear his conclusions? Did I suddenly fall asleep?

-May I ask you where are your slides for your industrial training project?
-Oh madame, hilang la madame. Masa edit malam tadi terdelete.
-Okayyy...what about your industrial training report? Maybe you can show us something and explain from there.
-Tak bawak la madame. (read: tak siap lagi)
-All rightey....what about pictures? Can you show us some of the pictures you took of the machines and explain to us what you did?
-Gambar dalam laptop madame. Tapi kat rumah.

Kalau ada pertandingan "Rebutlah Peluang Untuk Mendapat Markah Gagal Di dalam Industrial Training Presentation", this boy would've won hands down. Blind-folded. Strapped in a straight jacket. Dan mendapat undian SMS tertinggi dari para penonton.

Word game

Last weekend my niece asked me to play a word game with her. So I said okay and proposed the "make a sentence from any two given words".

-Okay Mak Long let's play.
-Okay let's see. I will give you two words and you make a sentence using the two words.
-Okay. And you too okay Mak Long? But me first.
-Hmmm. What about remote control and giraffe? Come on Aina, you go first.

(In my mind, I had already thought of my sentence: "The giraffe swallowed the remote control.")

-Well...Aina and Atuk are watching television. Then Atuk feels bored because she doesn't like the cartoon channel. So she takes the remote control and changes the channel. Then they watch National Discovery. Atuk looks at the animals and says to Aina,"Let's go to the zoo Aina." So they go to the zoo. But the drive is very long. At the zoo, they see a lot of animals. But Atuk likes the giraffe the most.

Then my niece looked at me and said:
-The end. See? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. That was fun Mak Long! Now let's hear your sentence!
-Errr...oh hey Aina I think I hear Atuk calling you downstairs.

Dan Mak Long pun tukar topik.

Generation gap analysis #1

A few days ago I bumped into a friend and his current mata ayer, hanging on to him for dear life. OK maybe that was not a very neutral description. But please let me try to explain. My friend is 45. She is 23. MLC at the most viral stage.

Well anyway due to the misfortune of this accidental encounter I had to sit down and have coffee with them. And update current events in each other's personal lives. I wanted to tell him to just read my FB status for more info but bit my tongue in time. He wasn't on my list of friends.

Miss Mega Block Busters (seriously, they're huge) was quiet for some time and observed. Sometimes she smiled at me.

Then we started talking about old school rock groups and I mentioned about a mutual friend who just bought a vintage Iron Maiden t-shirt.

To which Miss MBB finally menyampuk and said, "Akak Yati, yang kat channel AFC tu bukan Iron Maid la. Iron Chef. Orang Jepun tu."

Lantas aku hot disebabkan beberapa perkara:
a) Dia panggil aku Akak.
b) Dia menyamakan Iron Maiden dengan Iron Chef.
c) Kenapa dia boleh keliru akan hal ini?
i) She mistook Iron Maiden for Iron Maid.
ii) She thought I was actually referring to the Iron Chef when she thought I said Iron Maid.
iii) She has never heard of Iron Maiden. Her dad might have.

Tapi yang lagi best adalah bila dia terus senyum kepada kawan saya yang sedang dilamun asmara MLC seraya berkata, "Ayang nasib baik baby ada Astro kan?"

I have said this before but I will say this again. For a person like her, if she wants to have a higher IQ, she'd have to stand on a chair.

Dan kalau Iron Chef tu mat rock, kemungkinan besar dia layan Loudness.

Perbualan mengenai negeri

Earlier this week I was at a friend's place and overheard their two daughters' conversation. -Cucuk mata dia! -Tak baik la buat macam tu. Nanti mati masuk melaka. Kalau mati masuk Melaka, bila lapar kita boleh makan Curry Devil. Kalau mengantuk nak tidur kita boleh pergi Bukit Katil. Kemudian di malam minggu pergi jumpa mata air di Padang Temu. Tapi hati-hati. Kalau jalan-jalan pegang tangan di Zoo Melaka tu pandang kiri-kanan. Takut ada Gajah Berang. :-))

Minggu peperiksaan di sekolah

Berpuluh-puluh tahun yang lalu semasa saya bersekolah di Kg Konggo, waktu yang paling digeruni adalah pada waktu peperiksaan. Waktu nombor dua paling digeruni adalah masa terjaga malam untuk buang air kecil. Seram nak berjalan ke tandas di hujung koridor. Jangan main-main hantu kat Kampung Konggo ada banyak buat efek bunyi. Kadang-kadang dia buat bunyi seret selipar, kadang-kadang dia buat bunyi seret rantai besi. Kadang-kadang dia buat bunyi kuda (itu hantu sekolah menengah teknik kat sebelah pagar sekolah kami).

Masa tu konsep toyol masih lagi belum dipraktikkan secara berleluasa, atau saya je yang mungkin terlalu poyo.

Semasa minggu peperiksaan juga, semua pasangan-pasangan romantika de amora yang cinta mereka diduga dan menghampiri keruntuhan akan "put on hold" segala rancangan yang akan membawa kepada tragedi "kasih tak sampai ke penghujung". Alasan yang diberi? "Abang tak boleh la kalau kita break sekarang ni. Nanti takleh konsentret."

Hampeh.

Saya masih ingat lagi ada satu ketika semasa sedang menduduki peperiksaan akhir penggal, kawan saya yang duduk di sebelah saya cuba memanggil saya. Cikgu yang menjaga pulak cikgu yang paling garang. Hati saya berbelah bahagi. Kalau tak layan nanti dia merajuk taknak belanja saya nasi daging kicap lagi. Tapi kalau saya tolong dia dan kena tangkap, menjawab saya nanti.

-Psssttt. Yati! (nada berbisik walapun ada tanda seru)
-Psssttt...
-Apa?
-Ko ada tak?
-Gila ko. Kantoi nanti tak pasal.

-Syyyhhh!!!! Nurhayati!

Errkk. Cikgu sudah bagi amaran pertama.

Beberapa minit kemudian.

-Psstt..
-Apehal ko ni? (Naik juling mata saya. Mata kanan pandang kawan saya. Mata kiri tengok-tengokkan cikgu yang menjaga peperiksaan.)
-Ko ada tak?
-Ader aperrr......
-Minyak cap kapak.

Saya terlupa. Kawan saya yang duduk sebelah saya ni suka hidu minyak cap kapak. Itu mungkin satu alternatif yang lebih sihat dari menghidu gam dan tidak menyalahi undang-undang.

Pengajaran dari cerita ini?
Jangan buruk sangka.

SMS

This morning I received an sms from one of my students that read "Bonjour madame sekarang ada jual2 souvenir ni utk lecturer. Madame nak tak todibear?"

As I was trying to type out my reply to him I got another sms.

"Sori madame tadebear."

Kecik hati madame. Dari todi langsung takde :-)))

Kucing main telefon

A few days ago one of my cats got hold of my hand phone, played with it, and plonked himself right on top of it, his fat tummy covering it and went to sleep. He didn't even budge when the phone rang and vibrated as I tried calling my number. Malah dia cuba menggigit jari saya tatkala percubaan menyeluk tangan ke bawah perutnya dilakukan dalam misi menyelamat telefon bimbit saya.

As a result of Hitam's playfulness, quite a number of my friends called me up to ask why I called them several times. And I had to repeat the same story over and over again.

This morning, as I was getting prepared for work, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number. Usually it would be one of my students.

-Hello?
-Hello? Ini nombor siapa? You ada telefon?
-Sorry, salah nombor.

I couldn't possibly explain to a complete stranger that my black cat sudah buat hal.

-Nanti, nanti. Ini siapa?
-Salah nombor ni. Sorry.
-Ohhh. Adik manisss. Sudah kawin ka?

Damn. How many million handphone users are there in Malaysia? And how many of them are available Malaysian bachelors within the 40-45 year old range? So why is it that my fat cat would have to accidently dial the number of a Bangladeshi then?

Can someone please explain this to me? I'm in the dark.

No pun intended.