From Butterworth With Love...ahaks!

I declare today as my "hari Bodos sedonia". I mean it. In fact as I'm writing this, I'm on the verge of breaking down (bbpj). That bad. That bloody stupidosssss me. See? I still am not reacting well to excitement. And I'm forcing a smile on my face but I've turned stupid and my head just refused to register any emotions. Why can't I just cry like I usually do. That would have been right. For once, why can't I just go straight to the point....arggghhhhh

I thought I know Butterworth like the back of my hand. Oooo...how so wrong was I.   I got lost today. Boleh?????? Semalam, selepas keluar dari pagi membawak ke lunch time, baru teringat barang yang Shidah dah poskan. Balik rumah, tunggu, punya tunggu punya tunggu... takde pong. Elok aje keluar rumah nak jemput Mysarah kat sekolah, agaknya, masa tu ler van poslaju tu sampai. Eh, senang-senang hati pulak lekat notis suruh kita pergi ambik. Yang best tu, I bukannye tau kat mane pos ofis yang dia chop tu. Semuanya blur.

Anyhoo, I gagahkan jugak nak call this afternoon. Elok! Dah hampir sekerat hari baru teringat. So, right after zohor I started for the post office in Bagan Dalam (BD). I had been there before when I was little, hokeh, masa my late uncle moved from that post office house on Bagan Luar to this new P.O. But with the new Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR), I hardly notice to which exit I should take. Bukan apa, saja tak rasa that I would one day be using this route to that sleepy hollow. 

Masa kecik-kecik dulu, ingat ler berjalan kaki sakan dalam panas lit lit round dari New Ferry Road ke Assumptions with my cousins. Awat ler sekarang ni rasa semuanya jauh? Worst still, how come I forget. :'(

Iklan kejap tu...

So, masa dah bayar tol kat Bagan Aj*m (BA), I was debating with myself whether to go straight or exit into Jalan Pantai. But no! My stupidos (ni bahse spanish taw)... got the better of me and I went straight hoping there would be another exit exactly at BD. Berderau darah when there was none. Nak tak nak, I have to go ahead...bayar another stupid tol...and I found myself smack in the middle of Prai. Nak tak nak jugak, I have to drive a bit further and make an illegal U-turn kat Prai Megamall...and masuk balik tol----->bayar lagi. Masa ni rasa nak menjerit dah.

But it's okay, I thought. From there on, I boleh terus sampai ke PO tu. And I already saw the signboard shouting "Bagan Dalam"! BUT...

BUT...oh, please...I exited at Dermaga Air Dalam!!!! Nak nangis dengan nak ketawa sama banyak. What the heck am I doing here? Berderet-deret kontena nak masuk tol ke laut...and here I am. Ingat ape? Taking the next boat to China? 

As soon as I saw there were two other cars emerged from nowhere and making a turn toward BD, I just menonong ikut. At last I saw the PO. Dah jumpa, masuk salah parking lot pulak. Sudah-sudahnya park tepi jalan. Sabor ajelah kalo kena saman. In less that one minute, I took my parcel and left. Mende senang jadi susah tak pepasal.

Thanks Shidah! <3

Okay...dah dapat barang----> masuk Jalan Bagan Luar----> and was slapping my face at every traffic light----> masuk Taman Selat----> collected my pre-ordered nasi gor and samsot at PenMutiara----> and headed back to BORR....

Somehow, passing this road again for home, my heart just melts on looking at the magnificent sea ahead. And again, I just had to get off and feast my already teary eyes on the sea... 

I reached MyC's school just in time to pick her and was so relieved when she hugged me tightly and telling me, "Chill, mum...chill!"

*I could almost hear the hubby says: Pi mai pi mai tang tu! Still, I want his hugs...

Some Daze!

Saturday was a very wet, wet day. It rained throughout the day till early Sunday morning, and it sure was a cold one too. Wind travelling haphazardly at a speed only Superman (hiks!) could race, contribute to the already chill condition.

And as early that morning, the tummy growled, in need for the first bite of the day. In fact, I was famished having eaten a small portion of PK the evening before. Going out was impossible lest I'd be swept away by the strong wind or be soaked in rain which lashed at every angle. So much for the.....

...now it's raining more than  ever

know that we'll still have each other

you can stand under my umbrella

you can stand under my umbrella

ella...ella..ella..

ay ay ay..ella ..ella..

iyolah tu berjela..jela...jela...*

Oops...by force of habit kot...hehehehe.... generosity at 'iklan tak berbayor sokmo'! So, so much for the rain, going out to get a grab of piping hot nasi lemak or soto was out of the question. Still, there was nothing much in the pantry nor the freezer...but as always-lah. I know just what's good and filling for cold mornings like this one...

...sour-cream pancakes with leftover chicken curry

By late afternoon, the rain did not show any signs of stopping, and we were left indoors brooding about missing to lepak at Borders with my niece Umai...whom by the way was unable to make it too. The cancelled trip was made to a good use with reading blogs and trying to write a line or two here... and most likely was to mess around with my camera, taking shots that would not see the light of its days here or anywhere...hohoho!  Then I remembered my missing post and thought I'd include it here for the one friend who text me the moment I pulled out the entry... yeah, the one shot that shouldn't be seen! :D

For you Cik Som (ahaks!)...here's a part of the few parts...

eh, silap gambar....hikhik! but just to show you

the sunmaid raisins someone gave me...cute, cute...I loike))

 aaaa...the right one!

*click to enlarge to read it.. :D

still the raisins? gulp))

Bright and sunshine filled Sunday saw us headed for our favourite restaurant for a sumptuous lunch....

 burrppp...excuse me...licin!!!

I think I had more than enough to cover for the whole day...And to think I had eaten a two-day's intake, gulp, again!...I wish it could be raining again when I'm like deprived of real meals....hikhikhik... But then again I'm thankful all the same for what little or much rezki He has bestowed...Alhamdulillah...

Thanks for dropping by... I <3 y'all!

Pulut Kuning...

Pulut oh pulut
kenapa engkau kuning?
 
Macam mane aku tak kuning
Rendam sama kunyit
Rendam sama kunyit...

Kunyit oh kunyit 
kenapa rendam pulut?

Macam mane aku tak rendam
Lili nak kukus pulut
Lili nak kukus pulut...

Lili oh Lili 
kenape kukus pulut?

Macam mane tak kukus pulut
Sebab sini dan sini
Sebab Sizuka, CSI...oopsie!

(sudah, sudah ler....bawak meraban ni...hehehehe!)

 pulut kuning, kari ayam n telur dadar...

***
Mysarah has been busy lately with exams and inter-school debate. So I thought I'd surprise her with pulut kuning for her to celebrate with her tutor and two friends tonight. But I don't think her tutor will stay for supper right after class...hehe... I'll let the three girls have fun, and if her friends want to sleepover pong boleh! By the way, MyC did well in the subjects which the tutor taught. Syukur, Alhamdulillah, baru ler timbul A sikit!  Itu yang dapat idea berpulut kuning bagai....

Kalau ikutkan hati, mati... malas, memang malas dah sebenarnya nak berblog ni...tapi masih ikut rasa, binasa, mood yang tak boleh tidak nak menulis ni, makanya, tertulislah jugak. So harap-harap you all tak kisah ek kalau I tak ber Al-kisah diarimama kisah lagi nak berkisah-kisah. Jangan ler konpius, I sendiri pong konpius dengan apa yang I tulis ni! hikhikhik)))
  
Have a nice weekend, y'all! 

Lots of love,
Lili ;-)

 

Just Another Day....

The weather here changes about every hour...just when you're not looking! Early this morning while engrossed with my reading, I realized I have not pulled back the curtains to let the sunlight in. I was astounded (..hmm..like I've never been before ... in awe sokmo!..hehehe...) when I saw my humble surroundings is shrouded in mist. It had been raining for the past few evenings now. That explained the misty morning... And you all know-lah, when I'm happy, I get misty too!

And then the sun was out again. I hurriedly dry out the washing, and then left the house for jalan-jalan buang minyak time! Minyak dah naik harga ek? Tak perasan, patut ler selalu kena perli dengan hubby: 'you jalan-jalan buang minyak ke?' :0 hikhik!

At about noon, the skies darkened. Sekejap panas, sekejap gelap.... and it was very windy too, so I decided to take another round of jalan-jalan buang minyak kat tepi laut....

 standing at the water-edge ....

 just me and the sea....

the rough waters and a turbulent soul in synchronize!

Anyway...  I got myself some succulent prawns and I started for home - having in mind to cook something simple when the lazy days for cooking are here....

 My no-frills bihun goreng lada hitam

 ...and my no garnish portion!

And it is raining while I'm almost done with this post!

A note to my dear friends at DHW...

Last night was a blast! No matter how much I tried suppressing my laughter, I couldn't help letting more guffaws... I had never laughed so hard like last night sampai dua tiga kali malam tadi CM kejutkan I sebab gelak dalam tidur!

Okay....tu aje...hehehe! Our klabhaus is da best! 

PS: Well...it is not that hard to please a friend. Why can't some people understand?

Of Letting Go...

Only mothers know what another mother is going through when a tragedy strikes her children. Only a mother, who had conceived and went through all the discomforts of carrying and delivering her bundle of joy would understand another mother's predicament when tragedy took away her precious possession; although deep down inside she knew her possession and for that matter, even her own life was on borrowed time.

Who would believe that the child you bonded with from the time he was a zygote to the time when he was laid upon your arms; and with tears of joy you'd scrutinize every part of him ensuring he was as perfect and as normal as any baby should be is now gone? You watched him grow before your eyes all that nineteen years of his life... and that when he was brought into this world, he was perfectly normal; all in one piece...only this time he left this world with only half his body intact? Such is life with so many uncertainties that you are expected to accept, and accept you must.

When I visited Mysarah's teacher, at her son's funeral last Tuesday, I felt for her grief. She was too distraught to speak to her visitors. Only her sad eyes met mine and she acknowledged my presence with a nod. They told me, she had not left her son's coffin from the moment his body arrived from the hospital. Teacher Sheela's nineteen-year old son had died on Monday morning in a road accident involving his motorcycle and (please brace yourselves, my friends...)... with several cars on a highway up north.

As I watched her sitting solemnly and chanting something according to her faith, sadness crept inside me. It was as if I am reading her thoughts. She must have wanted to hold and kiss her baby for the last time like the first time she held him. But all she could muster was a tearful loving embrace over his sealed coffin.
It was too much to bear much less to let go...


*I have written this earlier (before my previous posting), but did not wish to publish it until later on that Tuesday evening while still grieving for this friend, (oh yes...teacher Sheela was MyC's form teacher in her PMR year and her youngest son [the deceased's brother] is MyC's friend since their primary school days)...when MyC came knocking at my bedroom door. She was crying and said that she had never been so sad since the last time when my father passed on. When I told her I was writing this piece but having second thoughts about publishing it, she said, "Mummy, just go for it...it would mean something for teacher..."

Driving Miss MyC

Driving Miss MyC to school for three consecutive days during this school break is rather rewarding. First, I got to send her a little bit late than the usual rush on school days. Meaning, I needn't have to 'race' with other equally impatient drivers! Then, there's always the beautiful eight o'clock sunshine morning greeting us, instead of the cold dark morning at fifteen to seven...

Ooopsie, that's one naughty driver overtaking

the double line! I'm so gonna show this pic to

the traffic police!

 Ooh, I love this scenery...

  ...that is why I always slow down when I pass the area,

It's beautiful!

From MyC's school I can always stop at the fisherman's wharf and it was on that Monday morning, I got myself these beauties....

....ikan loban; adik beradik ikan kedera...hikhik..

I could have bought the senangin  which was aplenty

and as big as cats, but koser nak menyiang! 
Gutting these fish pong dah semput akak! hehehe)))

*Tata! Nak masuk dapur dah....nak masak lomak ciliapi ikan loban ni... er...on second thoughts, goreng pong sodap! ;-)

Title-less For Now!

In light of the recent earthquakes and tsunami disaster in Japan, I couldn't help but recalled the same fate experienced by our Sumateran neighbor more than six years ago. Our west-coast shores too were not spared as they were hit by the secondary waves of tsunami. Also those of the countries along the Indian Ocean.

My own experience may not be as great as the people close by the sea had, but still it was unforgettable.

That 26th December 2004 morning, just after Subuh, I was about to lie in for a bit but was awaken when little MyC sneaked in between me and hubby on our bed. I let her sleep while I decided to start on my chores. I was sitting on the floor in the family area arranging the week's papers. I glanced at the wall clock and it showed exactly 9am. I was about to straighten some books when all of a sudden I felt dizzy and nauseous. Sitting down on the floor I felt like my butt*** being massaged! ( I wanted to say fondle, actually....hikhikhik!). I tried getting up but kept falling down. I called out for hubby but he was so sound asleep.
I looked up and saw all the ceiling fans were swaying. I forced myself up and sat on the armchair and was thinking whether what I felt just then was signs of a hypertension! And it scared the hell out of me when another round of shaking and rocking resumed. Only then I realised it was the tremor. Fear that the porch would cave in, I rushed outside to save the cars first. Ngeh18X!!

It was a very quiet Sunday and people were still on holidays as I ran outside my house. I wanted to confirm that what I felt was really a tremor. Then I saw the residents from the apartment opposite my house flocked outside their buildings. Sadly, I did not know anyone of them but my curiosity was intense so I just walked up and asked a group of ladies. The tremor was real... and it happened a few times too. It was a good three minutes altogether, but when it was over, my heart still raced like anything.

At breakfast that morning, I was explaining to MyC about tsunami. How it happened and the origin of its name. I remembered showing her an atlas and telling her how devastating tsunamis would do. And it was not in my wildest dream, it was about to happen...

It was funny somehow, I did not even turn on the tv to catch the breaking news. But after zohor, we all decided to eat lunch outside. It was already after two when we left home and I had the shock of my life when I saw dozens of fishing boats 'parking' in the middle of the road just as we turned out from our taman. And there were people everywhere, police patrol cars and fire-engines. Then it hit me. What I'd just explained to MyC, must have happened.

On the radio news about the Aceh tsunami disaster were reported. And that was it... I could not believe Penang and parts of the northern province (where I lived) were badly battered. Sadness loomed for weeks afterward.

And yet again, another tsunami hit Japan...

Note: Please read an interesting posting on this at kak Zen's blog.

Once and Again...

I wonder.... Have you ever wonder, the wonder of wonders?

   (picture: courtesy of my cousin Dr Faisal)

I wonder why the grass is green,

And why the wind is never seen

Who taught the birds to build a nest,

And told the trees to take a rest?

And when the moon is not quite round,

Where can the missing bit be found?

Who lights the stars, when they blow out,

And makes the lightning flash about?

Who paints the rainbow in the sky,

And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?

Why is it now, do you suppose,

That Dad won’t tell me if he knows? 

 - Jeanne Kirby

*I remembered reading this poem when I was about nine. Unfortunately it was the first four lines that I memorized. But not now, when you can easily 'google' and there it is...the whole page! 

Hope my friends here will like it as much as I did then, and do now....

Lots of love,
Lili ....


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 A note to myself:

 La Tahzan...la tahzan...la tahzan...

Feeling 'not very nice' for days now, I'm telling myself not to be sad. 

In my contemplation, I recite this ayat as doa...

  
- So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers. (Ali Imran, 139)
(Jangan kamu lemah dan janganlah kamu bersedih hati padahal kamulah orang-orang yang paling tinggi [darjatnya] jika kamu orang yang beriman. Ameen.)

Bila Ateh Berleter....

Hari-hari I tell myself, "jangan terperdaya lagi, jangan terperdaya...jangan...!" tapi tetap aje terperdaya. Percuma-cuma darah meyirap tak tentu pasal. You all tau ke I cakap pasal apa ni? Ni hah, pasal sinetron yang berlambak-lambak kat tv kita ni. Memang mula-mula I tak tengok. In fact, tahu pong tidak. So, satu hari tu, ntah macamne, TER-tengok kekdahnya.

Bila dah tertengok tu, first time rasa macam best jer... masuk tiga empat episodes, mula buat I membebel.... 
Heran, at this point, words come easy ler pulok. Kalo perkataan 'bodos' tu toksah kira ler betapa banyaknye keluar dari bibir I bak delima merkah (blueek!) ni. Tak pasal-pasal jadi tension. Sekejap berdiri...kejap duduk balik...kadang-kadang geram punye pasal I tukor channel. Pastu patah balik take a peep. Kalo dah rasa menyampah tahap gunung merapi depa, I tutup terus tv. Puas hati aih. Agak-agak dah over scene suspense tak masuk akal tu, I on balik tv.  Apa punya turrr.... 
Dah tau cerita Indon ni semua bawak membohong...pegi tengok jugak. Macam-macam masalah kalo ikut standard kita dah boleh selesai lama dah, tapi tak sudah-sudah problemo sokmo derang ni.


Cerita depa ni lebih kurang sama jer... anak orang kita bela, anak sendiri orang lain jaga. Harta orang ni, orang lain beriya nak berebut. BermasaElah betul derang ni. Yang paling tak tahan tu, kalau bab eavesdropping...heh...duduk 100m pong dengar. Tapi tang nak cari orang....lalu depan mata pong tak nampak. Heeehhh, buta mata buta perut ke hape pong tak tahulah. 


You all perasan tak, kalo lari dari rumah ke, kena halau ke, mesti dan-dan tu hujan selebat-lebatnya. Kilat petir tak hengat punya. Nyadin jer jalan dalam hujan. Sempat pulak tu  flashback mende yang sama.... Aduhai...tolonglah. Pastu, yang mencari dengan yang kena cari sama naik blurnya.


Kadang-kadang terfikir jugak, kejam sangat ke yang jadi villain ni. Kalau pompuan kaya jahat, bila nak komplot, mata terbeliak-beliaknya takde dah yang lebih besar. Ya ampun buk...wa tatak takut! Yang baik di portray-kan baik tak bertempat ...sampai dah kena empat lima kali penampar duduk kat situ gak. Larilah weh! Awat, susah sangat ke?


Ada hero, hero bengap. Kena terentak sikit, masuk hospital tak sedor diri berhari-hari. Lepas tu amnesia terus.  Ada heroine cengeng lebih teruk dari...er...oh, never mind! Hikhikhik))) 
Dah kata tak faham, tapi tak...heh, nak tengok jugak! Hambik ko.


Hah, ni lagi satu...bab background music. Sound effect ke hape ke...whateva lah. Contoh sinetron "Sejuta C*nta M*rshanda". Walaupong I tak tengok sangat...(sebab time tu I'm busy preparing Girl's lunch), tapi boleh dengar sampai ke dapur bunyi muzik mengalah filem T*mil. Kita ni lari-lari anak ke depan tv nak tengok apa hal. Rupa-rupanya, kes "hang lari aku ligan". Dah dapat tangkap, masing-masing pakat cakap dalam hati. Oh man, spare me this! Ingat kan yang kejar tu mesti orang badan sasa, muka ala ala John Malkovich ....la...tolonglah...kalo setakat pompuan kurus kering harap mata beliak-beliak yang korang takut.  Heeeee...sesuka hati jer. Sesuka hati jer keluar masuk pergi melawat orang dalam lock-up like nobody's business. Pompuan tu sorang jer...tapi yang takut kat dia ramai ler pulok. Woit, ko tolak jer dia, sure terpelanting punye.

Satu jer yang bagus about drama Indon ni... lagu-lagu derang best sangat. I think the songs make up for the sorry state of story-lines lah.

Sudah. Lagi lama I pong boleh jadi demam macam director Ahmad N*sfu..."hah? yang ini pun bagus? sudah...suruh dia melingkup..."

Glossary:
dan-dan = instantly, tiba-tiba (boleh ka?)
nyadin   = selamba badak
ligan      = kejar


Note: This is my personal take... if you find this entry offending, I apologize in advance... PEACE!

Enjit Enjit Semut...

 ...kepala sakit
makan ubat....

Enjit enjit semut...
kalau sakit
tahan saja...

Enjit enjit semut...
mata sakit
masuk asap....

Enjit enjit semut
sape sakit
tanggung saje


I love messing with songs lyrics. I would change them now and then to suit a situation.
Like this afternoon. I had a migraine attack. It was pretty bad, that I felt my eyes were to pop out anytime soon. My eyes were watery too; which ran, and felt warm, down my face. Trying to lie down was impossible, so I took two tablets of pain-killer and a couple of actifast(!) to relieve the pain. Pressing my fingers on my temples, I recited a doa (prayers) for sakit kepala, and slept. (sape-sape nak doa tu baca jer ayat 19 surah al-Waqiah)

Just before zohor, ada rasa kurang sikit. That was when I started humming some silly songs. hikhik! The one above was one....another song was a sad song, and I'm singing it in my heart....


Alhamdulillah. Lapar ler pulok... Come join me for tea!

Cucur udang n kuah kacang...

 hmm...nak buat macam mane ek, kalau dah kaki dapur! hikhik...sakit pong memasak jugak... ;p

Somebody...Help!

The reason why I play safe with batik materials and silk for my baju kurungs, is because.....

...printed cotton materials look suspiciously like curtains! Please tell me these cotton I bought last month DO NOT pass off as C-U-R-T-A-I-N-s! Hyelp!!

Entry Malas Malasan Lagi!

Sesekali datang malas nak bercerita, cerita masaklah yang paling senang nak blog!

Yesterday's lunch...

 Asam pedas ikan pari

 deep-fried towfoo

 Baby Sawi tumis air

...but I go and spoiled it all by snacking on this 

deep-fried soft silky towfoo in egg batter

Aduhai!

Today's lunch is an impromptu one when I went late to the market to buy water-melon, but saw this beautiful kepala ikan kerisi and decided to cook fish head curry!

Have fun over the weekend, y'all! ;-)

When Nowhere Is Everywhere...

I find it hard to leave home these days. I don't know how many plans I've shelved and how many faces I've not seen, all because I'm comfortable being alone with myself. At some point in my life, I feel it's soothing to be in my solitude.

It's funny though when at times, I had to be dragged out of the house when a friend comes a calling and it is only polite to reciprocate one's kind gesture. It's even humbling to know that you're appreciated and loved by many. Not that I'm counting on that!

After almost a month of not seeing my friends, yesterday, as promised I had breakfast with them. As usual I was the one to arrive first...well, I can't shed that habit of takut lambat! For goodness' sake, it's only a breakfast date! I need to relax on this...hehehe! It was good, really good to see them again. One whole month seemed so long...so much to catch up and I could see how much I missed them! KT, is leaving again for Prague in April.  Ros will be busy again after the school break, that we shall get to see her less. And as for me...well, you'd guessed it right! I'm not going anywhere, but I'd be nowhere!

But yesterday, once I got out of the house, I was everywhere... ;-)

hazy breezy Penang...