Bercakap Dengan Kakak Cleaner (Siri 1)

Yesterday I had a good conversation with akak cleaner, Kak Chik. Kak Chik was absent for the past 1.5 weeks so we had a lot of things to catch up.

I think it would be simpler if I summarized her stories in different segment. That way it will not confuse you and me. Bismillah.

Her Son

Kak Chik had her second baby 3 months ago, she said it was quite late to get a baby at her age but alhamdulillah, Allah itu Maha Pemberi. I forgot to ask her age, but I guessed she's in her late 40s or early 50s.

With teary eyes, she told her baby was admitted during the past 1.5 weeks. The baby previously was doing just great, happy, active and healthy until the day he was discovered with biji mata dan ubun-ubun kepala tenggelam. I mean LITERALLY, tenggelam ke dalam tengkorak. I could not imagine how and I refused when Kak Chik offered to show the photo of her baby in that condition as I knew I would burst into tears if I saw the photo. That brought the whole family to the emergency room that day.

The condition was due to very, very lack of liquid (water and blood) in his body. The baby was dripped with 4-5 bottles of water and blood and he was back to normal. But the baby remained passive and weak. They ran the x-ray procedure, several tests but they could not find the root cause. Until a certain point when the doctor did thorough physical check up, including putting small camera inside the baby's ear, they found something shocking.

The doctor found a mite (perhaps with the 's', I didn't ask whether it was one or more) in his small ear! And not just that, apparently the mite was already there for quite sometimes and they could find some trace of 'sarang' in the baby ear! (I had goosebumps when I typed this). And that was perhaps the root cause of everything, even though I could not relate between the mess done by this little thing with, the draining of water and blood. Doctor said the baby might had picked it up from the carpet. Even until yesterday, the baby's condition was not 100% tip top but improving. The baby was discharged (saya tidak setuju yang ini, kerana bayi itu tidak sembuh sepenuhnya dan masih perlu diberi perhatian yang lebih, tetapi masih disuruh pulang), but they'll go for a follow up session next week. Ya Allah. Kau Maha Penyembuh.

Tong Pad

Kak Chik said that it is a regular procedure for all cleaners to come on Saturday and Sunday (may be half day), to do thorough clean up of the offices, toilets and suraus. During Kak Chik's first working weekend, she did clean everything as instructed, including the 'tong buangan tuala wanita'. It was her job, with the name of Allah, she did it. While cleaning, she found a container heavier than others. Out of curiosity, she asked a workmate to help while she opened the container. And her finding gave me another goosebumps.

She found a tightly tied up plastic bag, with dry stains of blood and some thick liquid. The plastic bag is about the size of a pack of 1kg of sugar, contained some jelly-ish unknown thing. She didn't dare to open the plastic bag. She just tied up everything together in a big bag and threw it away. I didn't want to comment on what she did but rather the thing that she found in the container, in the toilets, at the same level of our office and surau. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Is it true, what we are thinking? Ya Allah, jauhkanlah kami dari perkara-perkara mungkar. Now the very odd stinky smell that I remembered smelling the past several weeks, makes sense. Ya Allah, jauhkanlah kami dari kejahatan syaitan dan manusia.Na'uzubillah. Na'uzubillah.

Acheh Kini

Setelah bahana Tsunami menimpa Acheh, Acheh kini telah semakin pesat dibangunkan. Kak Chik kata dah ada "Sunway Lagoon" di sana. Anak sulung Kak Chik kini berusia 12 tahun, sudah 6 tahun bersekolah di sekolah arab (saya suspect sebenarnya sekolah agama) di Acheh, sekolah yang dibangunkan oleh Professor Diraja Ungku Aziz (wallahu'alam, tidak dapat saya pastikan kesahihan cerita ini). Diberitahu oleh Kak Chik juga, Tun Dr. Mahathir dan Tuan Guru Nik Abduk Aziz Nik Mat juga ada membangunkan sekolah masing-masing di sana (wallahu'alam, tidak dapat saya pastikan kesahihan cerita ini juga). Sambungnya, rata-rata di Acheh, ajaran Islam masih amat dititikberatkan, antaranya pakaian perempuan wajiblah longgar dan menutupi setiap kulit dan bahagian yang wajib dan lelaki dan perempuan yang bukan muhrim tidak dibenarkan berdua-duaan sama sekali. Kak Chik kata, kalau saya nak ke sana, dia boleh uruskan tempat menginap yang tidak menerima bayaran hatta sesen pun. Saya kata, inshaAllah Kak Chik.

P/S : Kak Chik juga direkodkan berkata, "Adik nanti kalau dah kahwin, anak tu jaga betul-betul. Karpet tu bersihkan, pembersih yang betul boleh beli kat farmasi. Kedai biasa tak jual, tau." (I told her that I'm indeed married, with a 2-year old daughter). "Hah? Biar betul dik?! Mati-mati Kak Chik ingatkan adik tak kahwin lagi. Kami dok sembang kata muda lagi adik ni. La... Tak nampak macam dah kahwin pon! Maaf lah Kak Chik salah anggap." (I sengih-sengih malu but told her that I got used to those kind of reactions. But I thought she knew that I'm married with kid, judging from my happy bumpy tummy). "Eh, tak lah! Anak dara sekarang pun sama je perut sekarang ni. Ada tu lagi besar pun ada." (I was speechless).

Perth, May 2006, Bujang.

We went there, mengambil kesempatan of free accommodation by my dear friend, Ishah. She was posted there for 6 months by the company (after many scenes and dramas of ayaq mata, as she was just getting engaged to Raman). The flight ticket was around RM1,500 (one way), if I was not mistaken and the weather was just nice (somewhere between hot and cold). Agak-agak macam pergi Cameron Highlands suatu ketika dahulu. Namun sekarang, kalau matahari tegak atas kepala, Cameron Highlands could be even hotter than lowlands.

Anyways. I went there half-sponsored by Suami. We were still couple at that time; almost 6.5 years of relationship to be exact. (See, how could I not get married to this very kind-hearted man?). The shopping money pun ada lah sikit-sikit and thus the objectives were more to sight-seeings, exploring, rather than shopping.

Since it was in 2006, I was all about simplicity, malas pakai tudung, ala-ala mild punk, oleh itu outfits semua pun ala-ala muda remaja. I could not recall much about each place that we went, so yeah, enjoy the pictures!

Tempat Inap

Parks of many parks in Perth

The Bell Tower, berdekatan Swan River. Kami sampai ke sini dengan menaiki feri.

Kings Park. Musim warga Perth berBBQ. Sangat ramai orang berBBQ.

Caversham Widllife Park.

At one of the aborigin centers. We actually had boomerang training session before this tiup session. That benda alah tiup was super panjang, trust me.

Chocolate factory. Masih di Perth, belum sampai ke Ghana lagi.

Ok. Tau. Kat Malaysia pun ada. Kami ikut tour guide. Maafkanlah dia.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Our tour guide was the best. We had tapau-ed halal food there and the mother made us apple pie. THE BEST apple pie we'd ever had!

At some kind of rumah rehat with mini wildlife park.

At Lancelin on 4WD (this giant was superb!).

At Lancelin, sandboarding. Best amat!

Pinnacles Desert. Padang pasir dengan batu terpacak-pacak.

One of the petapa that we met. Complete with my MP3 player (dia pinjam untuk berzikir).

Hari sangat panas. Laut sangat cantik. Tapi air sangat sejuk.

UoWA.

The famous Freemantle port. We took train from there back to Perth city.

Saja cuba local cinema. Free seating. Bersih.

Shopping and coffee and friends. Blissed.

We cooked bolognaise spaghetti and had picnic at park nearby. Oh. I missed those days!

Ini separuh sahaja sebenarnya.

Selendang Isnin

Harap maaf. Muka ketat.

Ini adalah kali kedua memakai selendang Wardaa dari Al-Humaira' Contemporary ini.


I think I'm going to love this shawl. My first try was a disaster (ye, jangan harap saya nak bubuh gambar di sini. Ha ha..), but this time it is getting a lot better.


Kain nya agak tebal namun tidak memanaskan kepala dan leher, juga senang dibentuk. Berharga RM34 sehelai, corak seperti yang saya pakai sudah habis, terjual tetapi masih ada lagi tiga pilihan lain. Kalau ada duit lebih menjelang hari gaji esok, boleh la beli!

So Your Work Is Bad?

Yesterday, my colleagues told about one of the jobs that she had prior to have permanent work here. She used to work in a factory that requires her to commute 4 hours (one freaking way) daily, for 1 are-you-crazy-or-something year? She did also work as a part-timer in some other factory for some months. And the most challenging work was she had actually worked as a salesperson, whom we could usually find selling items in restaurant, whom you'll get easily annoyed when they approached and memberi salam to you at the very moment when you want to suap nasi masuk ke mulut. Couldn't be more annoying, right?

Least that we know about the rigorousness and embarrassment that they have to undergo, being that kind of salespersons.

The colleague continued; as if she was put on a spell, she was so attracted to a small box of advertisement for a job vacancy. It was saying something about pelatih, rumah disediakan but never ever about selling things. The 'company' was located in Seremban while she was in Rembau. So she asked for a good friend who stayed in Seremban, to check out about the job, 'company' and share the outcome, since both of them were actually sought for temporary suka-suka job.

So went this good friend for a week and she reported that it was actually a good job with a good company. And this colleague of mine, couldn't wait and beg and beg and beg for her parents to allow her to go to Seremban the soonest possible and the parents eventually agreed to allow her to get on a bus alone, to Seremban. The parents trust her good friend and pray hard that their daughter will be in good hands.

As soon as she arrived the 'company' with her good friend, they were taken to a house, later discovered as the house of the owner and immediately told that they were not allowed to to anywhere unless taken to or told so. Food would be given but the cost would be deducted from the employee's salary. And they had to start early in the morning the next day.

The very morning next day, they were taken to the nearby highway Rest&Relax spot and given with a huge super heavy bag containing a lot of religious books and even Surah Yassin. Yes. They were told to carry the bag here and there, to approach as much people as possible from one highway Rest&Relax spot to another to sell as much as possible of those books and kitabs and to never leave the place. Yes. She became one of those 'annoying' salespersons that at least once had approached you when you are about to suap nasi masuk ke mulut.

Listening to her story made me feel sad and bad. I was about to get teary but I have to remain cool at the same time. Macho konon, but it broke my heart listening to all lies that she had to undergo and luckily there was nothing worse happened to her and that she was (and still is) in one piece. She added that there was not a day  that she won't cry and not a day she begged for her parents to come to get her back. She and the other 'work-mates' were told not to go anywhere, not to even balik kampung. She was even once threatened by the 'company' owner "Saya tembak juga awak ni kang.." as she consistently begging him to release her. 

After a while, after pool of tears, the owner finally allowed her to go back to her hometown for a short while. Even that she has to beg him for some RM50, for bus fare. And that was the only pay that she received from the owner for all the books that she had sold, as she was really determined to go back home for good. That was her only chance, anyway.

Later her father came to the owner's house to collect all her belongings and as expected the owner was very angry. Luckily there was no ugly scene but the father was being scolded big time. Thank God that nothing bad happened her and the family after the series of bad experience, until now.

After knowing all these, I still don't know how to react to any salesperson who approached me when I was having my meal. I'm still not 100% OK about it because I think that it is not appropriate and not respectful.  But that is the only way these poor salesperson (if they have the same case like my colleague had) could approach potential buyers and get their attention and their bad-undergoing is just too heart-broken to be ignored.

"Duhai Allah, Kau bantulah kami.."

Wordless Wednesday

Terduga Deria Rasa Akak, Tau!

The four girlfriends tried out a not-so new place, but newly discovered by us. It was actually a cafe and boutique, what a must-visit spot, kan ladies?


The things that tempted us to get in the cafe were actually the clothes and the cakes. The selections of clothes were (and are) fine, even the main course bihun goreng Singapura was also licin sepinggan. But the cake and service were such a turn off. The cakes were pretty but without the unnecessarily sweet and buttery icing, the cakes were actually blunt. And the cupcake costed RM5 whereas the Rainbow cake was RM10 per slice. I didn't mind paying much as long as the taste was at least par with the price. But these two of our selections that day were quite dissapointing. We were yet to try the macaroons, though. And to add to the dissatisfaction, I was paying with my card since my cash was only enough for me to survive till the next payday and that young lady (I noticed she was the only waitress there) had the guts to ask me, "Akak tak de cash ke?" Oh honey. You still have a lot to learn and you have to have the sense of loving your job more.

The color. Only the color looked 'tasty'.

In my humble opinion, business is meant to be sustained forever. And the quality and customer service contribute to most of the points for longevity. So, do it right and good and the customers will come. There is no point having all well-decorated boutique cafe when these two main criterias are being thrown to the dustbin.


But. But. But. As mentioned, the clothes were quite attractive. With three of my unpaid fashion consultants with me, I would usually bring home something. And yes, this time I brought home a chiffon blouse at a quite reasonable price. So, wait for the new episode of Fun Experiment with Mak Bedah.

Mari Terbang ke Marikh!

No. I don't usually buy CD with price of RM41.90, for just 12 tracks. Lagi-lagi pula yang album yang tidak datang dengan lirik.


Yes. I bought Bruno Mars for that exact price, for that number of tracks. With no lyrics attached.


No. I didn't even know him (or them, I thought Bruno Mars was a band! Silly! Malu! Tak nak melihatkan diri kepada dunia dah!) and even searched for "their" album at the International Pop Band section (malu darab dua!).


Yes, I had the whole 40 mins in my car to listen to all tracks because of Monday traffic and it was raining and gosh, ALL SONGS ARE JUST LOVABLE! I macam nak menangis apabila menyedari setiap sen, setiap keringat, setiap aksi gusti bersama Eirsa (she was very cranky last Saturday due to interrupted afternoon nap), setiap titis air liur untuk justify pembelian ini kepada Suami, yang dilaburkan untuk memiliki sekeping album yang asli, adalah berbaloi-baloi-baloi! I love the little husk in his voice, the tone and his talent of being co-writers of all the songs. Sangat hebat dan berbakat.


Before owning the album, I only knew 3-4 songs and I could only mumble those songs but man, the whole album is just worth even more than RM41.90! Even his raggae duet  with Damian Marley, Liquor Store Blues is a genius! My personal favorites are Talking To the Moon and Runaway Baby and The Other Side and Grenade and Just The Way You Are and Marry You and Somewhere in Brooklyn (I know, almost all. Hahaha..)


Nasib baik I hanya mendapat tahu kehebatan Bruno Mars dan magis lagu-lagunya setelah konsert beliau berakhir. Kalau tak, wajib I justify kepada Suami untuk menonton konsert Bruno Mars dengan tiket harga kedua atau ketiga paling mahal.


It is quite rare for us to find songs dedicated for friends. Atau mungkin I je yang tak tahu. Dasar katak bawah tempurung. But this song really is special, specially dedicated to my angels and angelos (you guys know who you are). And this includes you, my Husband.

Count On Me - Bruno Mars

If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea

I'll sail the world to find you

If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see

I'll be the light to guide you

Find out what we're made of

What we are called to help our friends in need

You can count on me like one, two, three

I'll be there and I know when I need it

I can count on you like four, three, two

And you'll be there 'cause that's what friends

Are supposed to do, oh yeah, ooh, ooh

If you toss and you turn and you just can't fall asleep

I'll sing a song beside you

And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me

Everyday I will remind you

Find out what we're made of

What we are called to help our friends in need

You can count on me like one, two, three

I'll be there and I know when I need it

I can count on you like four, three, two

And you'll be there 'cause that's what friends

Are supposed to do, oh yeah, ooh, ooh, yeah, yeah

You'll always have my shoulder when you cry

I'll never let go, never say goodbye

You can count on me like one, two, three

I'll be there and I know when I need it

I can count on you like four, three, two

And you'll be there 'cause that's what friends

Are supposed to do, oh yeah, ooh, ooh

You can count on me 'cause I can count on you

Side note : Saya cuba untuk berpuasa sunat hari ini. Harap-harap tak lupa.