Weekend with Children

Ajib and Liya had a great weekend. They insisted us to buy magnifying glasses. They searched high and low for tiny things. They checked the kitten named Tiara’s fur and nostrils. They magnified fine clauses and glitters. During mid-day they used the magnifying glasses to focus sun rays and cause a controlled fire in Opah’s lawn.
We later bounced a tennis ball and played catch. Soon, they both will try tennis.
No weekend is exciting enough unless we cook together. We baked vitamins enriched cookies. Since I couldn’t find any wheat germ and soy flour, I substituted triple rich formula with choc milk powder fortified with DHA, Taurine, etc.
Ajib also got himself a new bike. He learned to ride a bigger bike.
They also amazed at mom’s skill to get the ripe rambutan fruits from the high branches. In the evening, with daddy’s help a new tropical refreshing drink was invented.
The kids also had enjoyed maksu’s cooking. Ajib learned the proper way to eat with his hands. He keeps on chanting maksu’s techniques.

Aidilfitri 2009

I waved goodbye to my brother and sister in-law this morning. Yesterday afternoon, the whole office staff asked for each other’s forgiveness and wished everyone happy Eid Mubarak. It’s the time where everyone feels homesick and rushes to his or her hometown.

Liya also wanted to go visit Opah and Nenek. Ajib has been missing cousin brother Aldeen more than anything in his wide wide world. The spirit of family lives despite the miles high or ocean deeps. Being parted actually tests the real feelings we have inside for each other. Sometimes family members stay inches apart but they could not stand the sight of each other.

I had celebrated Aidilfitri away before, 5 years in a row. I also had sent cookies and rendang to my former staff who spent Aidilfitri abroad. I heard all the cries and whines from friends, students and families during festive season for being away far far from home and loved ones. And, I wish when they unite with their loved ones, they don’t take anyone for granted. Celebrating family values and togetherness is far greater than money could buy. Aidilfitri is beyond new clothes, jewelleries, shoes, house adornments, etc. Let the spirit of Aidilfitri live and the true light of love shine..

Maaf Zahir Batin – Azian & Parenting By Accident Team

Aisles of Books

One can easily get lost in Kinokuniya. I kept moving from aisle to aisle searching for books. With tons of  selection, I feared that time was just not on my side. It will be a dream come true if  I could read all day long my whole life. I could travel the world, learn all languages, see various fascinating cultures, meet anyone, walk any timeframe  simply through reading.

Liya and Ajib love going to the bookstores. They pick and choose, put down and add on. The freedom is wide open. The newly renovated Ampang Point’s  Popular attracts more visitors than ever. MPH Midvalley serves many too. A few smaller outlets grow based on demands as well. The Curve has a bookstore too which Liya and Ajib bought 2008 cartoon calendars. They marked birthdays for the family members including Opah and Nenek early this year,

Bestsellers, romance, business, children, history to mystery and horror, each category has its own readers. Lim Goh Tong, Princess Masako, Genghiz Khan and Ka-Shing are prominent Asians. Only in books, world population know and ‘meet’ them.

I was even surprised when foreigners wrote and published books on Malays, cultures and histories…

Rombongan Cik Kiah 2008 – Nilai 3 atau Bandung?

Deruman motor tua memecah kesunyian desa ini. Yang tinggal hanyalah atuk, nenek, tukwan dan opah. Keluarga masing-masing berkilometer jauh. Mujurlah ada talian telefon yang mendekatkan jarak hubungan kekeluargaan.

Rombongan Cik Kiah ke Nilai 3 menunjukkan orang kampung pun tidak ketinggalan berbelanja. Hasil tanaman mahupun wang sumbangan anak-anak. Ibu bapa juga ada yang baru-baru mendapat wang ganjaran tanah diambil oleh kerajaan untuk tujuan pembangunan dan ada masanya hasil jualan tanah pusaka. Rata-ratanya anak-anaknya berpangkat besar di kota, tidak kurang juga menjawat jawatan jurutera, arkitek, dan ahli perniagaan.

Untuk apa membawa orang kampung ke Nilai 3? Bas penuh dengan angan-angan untuk melengkapkan segala isi rumah ataupun untuk ‘cuci mata.’ Adakah boleh digelar lawatan sambil belajar? Lawatan ke Langkawi pun kedengaran untuk ‘shopping’ selain ‘menyelam sambil minum air’ untuk melawat tempat-tempat menarik di dalam negara.

Lawatan sambil belajar ke kota besar diharapkan dapat memberi manfaat dan menjana minda. Dengan itu, atuk dan nenek dapat bercerita dengan cucu-cucu tentang pesatnya negara Malaysia. Tukwan dan opah boleh memberi nasihat agar dapat diambil iktibar untuk terus berusaha keras dapat kemerdekaan negara dapat memakmurkan bangsa dan masyarakat.

Beberapa teman mengajak saya ke Bandung, Indonesia. ‘Shopping sakan’ temanya. Terfikir bagaimana wang yang diraih dengan hasil titik peluh perlu saya serahkan kepada warga Indonesia bagi memakmurkan ekonomi negara Pak Suharto dan Pak Sukarno. Yang boleh dibawa pulang hanya keseronokan berbelanja dan barangan berjenama. Kita pula akan lebih arif dengan budaya, pakaian, percakapan dan makanan masyarakat di Bandung berbanding dengan budaya bangsa sendiri. Dengan adanya ‘Rombongan Cik Kiah’, semakin banyaklah pelaburan asing dapat ditarik masuk ke Indonesia.

Di Malaysia pula, rakyat akan bekerja lebih rajin untuk mengumpul wang ‘shopping’ untuk di masa akan datang. Di Indonesia pula, lebih banyak kilang dibangunkan dan lebih ramai rakyat beroleh pekerjaan untuk memenuhi permintaan ‘Rombongan Cik Kiah.’ Oleh itu, bangsa sendiri yang rugi kerana wang negara (wang pencen, wang ASB, wang bergadai emas, wang elaun daripada anak-anak yang soleh/solehah, wang kerja overtime, wang bonus, wang komisen, wang ‘kutu’) dihabiskan di luar negara, manakala rakyat sendiri – beribu-ribu graduan gagal mendapatkan pekerjaan. Banyak juga syarikat yang gulung tikar. Syarikat multinasional pula menekankan pengalaman kerja dan keupayaan berkomunikasi di dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Terkilan juga mendengan ada pihak universiti juga berlumba-lumba mengadakan lawatan “Cik Kiah’ ke luar negara. RM600++ adalah antara bajet yang dipersetujui untuk makan, minum, penginapan dan tiket ‘belon.’ Wang saku jangan ditanya, mungkin sebulan gaji. Apabila pulang ke Malaysia, apakah kesan terhadap rakyat Malaysia? Adakah kreativiti buruh murah Indon diperkatakan? Industri kampung di kampung akan bertambah majukah? Berbaloi mendengar pengalaman menaiki jalan yang bengkang bengkok ke Danau Toba. Di dalam hati, berbangga juga dengan sistem lebuhraya di Malaysia.

Bercakap tentang makanan Minang. Cukuplah dengan adanya pembantu rumah berbangsa Minang. Betul, kita perlu belajar tentang bangsa lain di dunia tetapi siapa yang mempelajari dan menghormati adat istiadat dan budaya kita ketika ini. Sedangkan ‘kad pengenalan merah’ semakin berleluasa, kita dapat mengagak kesannya di negara kita. Mungkin kita alpa atau mungkin kita sambil mudah perkara ini… Bukan orang lain yang menyebabkan ‘hilang Melayu di dunia,’ puncanya berakar umbi daripada sikap kita sendiri.