Tribute to Eigloo

It was dark. Eirsa and Eivie slept with us so it's one of our strategy to ensure the room was dark; easier for them to fall asleep by themselves. It had been months since they slept with each other and freed Mommy and Papa's bed just for us.

It was around 10pm, perhaps the children had fast asleep. Papa received a call. An another call. And yet another call. Eigloo's boarding place owner kept on calling Papa. Papa just knew that he had to pick up the phone. He slipped into the darkness, out of the room to answer the phone.

Hati aku dah berdebar. Kalau begini persistence, something must had been wrong. And I was not wrong.

* * *

Papa entered the room. And he seemed restless. I didn't ask him what was the phone call about. Until few minutes later. He told me.

* * *

I cried for a good 10 or may be 15 minutes. We were not that close but Eigloo had always been my 'anak angkat'. It teared my heart.

Eigloo had gone. Out of our life. Forever.

* * *

We adopted him on 23 Aug 2013. He was small, but big enough for adoption. Eirsa was super super super excited. Little kids, they always have something with animals, kan. Eivie? Well, she could sometimes be caring, a little time extra caring, but most of of the times she's just being a good companion, not carer.

I believed Papa's level of excitement was as high as Eirsa. Ini orang berdua memang punya passion terhadap binatang. Bagus. Mommy, aku tolong apa yang patut, belikan sayur, top up makanan, top up air. I don't have the same level of passion towards animals, but I don't hate them either. I'm just not good when it comes to manja-manja dan belai-belai binatang. But his company has been acknowledged and thankful for. Aku anggap dia sebagai anak angkat.

While we were at this transition phase (to new house), we had no choice but to board him for a few months at boarding center. Looking for a suitable place high and low we found this place at the cheapest daily rate. Visited the place and found that it was quite ok. Secocok dengan harga, tapi kelihatan seperti Eigloo akan dijaga baik, walau tidak sebaik di rumah kami. We bid him goodbye but Eirsa hadn't had the chance for this last farewell, because she was sleeping in the car.

And who knew that she won't be seeing Eigloo after that moment, Never.

* * *

Papa yang buang tahi dia.

Papa yang sikat bulu dia.

Papa yang jaga dia elok-elok.

Papa ada plan nak improve cage dia kat rumah baru nanti, beli cage besar sikit, letak dua bekas makanan; yang basah  dan yang kering. Improve tempat air dia.

Tu la. Eigloo tu kan gemuk, macam mana kucing bawak lari? Tak kejar ke?

Entah lah, benda dah nak jadi.

Papa sangat bersemangat dalam menjaga Eigloo. Dia baca cara menjaga arnab yang betul, makanan yang betul, dan praktikkan.

Kalau guidelines kata umur arnab sekian sekian tak boleh makan benda A, dia ikut, pi cari makan Eiglook sana sini. Diet Eigloo dijaga ketat.
Kalau guidelines kata arnab tak boleh pijak lama dalam cage, nanti kaki keras, dia cari alas,
Ada sekali Eigloo kena kurap kat telinga, dia pergi bawa inject. Kami semua pun ikut.
Dia juga yang bawa Eigloo pergi 'kasi', dia pergi dengan Eirsa.
Dia bawak pergi grooming.
Dia bawak pergi potong kuku.
Disikatnya rambut Eigloo berselang minggu.
Dia jadi member kat satu kedai binatang peliharaan, supaya dapat beli makanan Eigloo murah sikit.
Eh, memang dedikasi Papa terhadap Eigloo tinggi. Bukan sekadar bela gitu-gitu.

Mata aku bergenang lagi. Aku paling sedih bila kenang cara Eigloo mati.

* * *

Boarding place owner apologized for hundredth times on her negligence. She had some guests at home, her child's friend came over, decided to open Eigloo's cage to play with him. And suddenly a cat caught Eigloo, bawa lari. And just like that. he's gone. She said that it had never happened before. But yet, it happened. She offered to return all our boarding fees and even offered another rabbit as replacement. Tapi entah lah. We are sad. Aku yang paling 'jauh' dengan Eigloo ni pun sedih. Nanti lah kami fikirkan hal itu. It's not about money, it's not about just a pet.

* * *

Eigloo. This post is dedicated to you. For being a good company to us, for bringing joys to our children. Thank you, my boy.

Note : And no, we have not told Eirsa yet. Entah macam mana nak cakap agaknya. Dah janji dengan dia nak bawak Eigloo balik bila rumah baru siap.

Never A Perfect Daughter

Aku suka tiap kali berbual dengan mak. Bukan mahu menjadi cliche yang mendambakan orang memuji 'amboi baiknya you ni selalu ambil tahu pasal mak you, untung mak you ada anak macam you'. Tak bukan macam tu. No.

Tapi memang aku suka berbual dengan mak, tiap kali berbual dengan mak seolah-olah aku berada di satu dimensi yang lain. Hanya aku, mak, iPhone5 aku dan gagang telephone cordless mak di kampung. Bergosip lah kami bukan main lagi, bukan pasal artis sebab aku ni bodoh sikit nak bercerita hal perkembangan artis, tapi gosip perihal yang senang-senang. Pasal perkara sehari-hari, pasal keluarga kami, pasal keluarga orang lain, pasal keluarga tok sidang rumah depan, pasal keluarga menteri, pasal semua lah. Kadang-kadang bergaduh juga kami tapi syukur kepada Tuhan, buat masa ini aku masih lagi sedar diri yang siapalah aku tanpa Puan Sabariah Abas, lalu setiap kali aku berasa hangin, aku akan hembuskan (read : bukan kentut) hangin itu jauh-jauh.

Aku telefon mak tak selalu. Dua tiga kali dalam seminggu. Balik kampung pula, sekali dalam sebulan.

Eh kau ni, tak baik kau buat kat mak kau macam tu, kena la telefon selalu, hari-hari ke, balik kampung seminggu sekali ke.

Kau yang bercakap tu, jika kau wujud, kau diam situ. Sesungguhnya jika diberi peluang, memang aku akan buat. Tapi buat masa ini, mungkin aturan seperti ini adalah yang terbaik untuk kisah percintaan kami. Sehari-hari juga adik-beradik ada beri updates di whatsapp group kami, lalu tidaklah berasa ketinggalan. Oleh itu buat masa ini, the systems works fine. 

Ok. Sebenarnya post ini memang hanya sekadar luahan perasaan sahaja. Sebab dari semalam belum dapat telefon mak dan bercakap betul-betul selama hampir sejam seperti biasanya. Lalu belum sempat mendengar kisah beliau hampir bergaduh dengan pekerja TM tentang telefon rumah yang dah rosak tapi tak dibetulkan.

Ini emak saya sewaktu kami di Hong Kong. Menjadi cita-cita saya untuk membawa emak berjalan-jalan ke mana-mana tempat di seluruh dunia, yang termampu oleh kami. Harap Allah bagi kami peluang ini.

Nota : Ini cerita semalam. 

Bontot, Bonta dan Perang.

Apakah itu 'bonta'?

Bonta adalah satu perkataan yang dicipta oleh si dua tahun lebih Eivie. Asalnya pada satu-satu ketika dia sangat suka sebut perkataan bontot. Entah kenapa sedap bebenor agaknya sebut perkataan bontot lalu segala perkara yang disebut akan dikaitkan dengan bontot. Yang paling selalu "Mommy bontot." I die.

Oleh itu, setelah ditegah beberapa kali (tegahan yang paling laku : Eivie cannot say bontot, saying bontot is not nice.), beliau masih lagi cuba menggunakan perkataan bontot. Namun begitu, setiap kali terkeluarnya suku kata 'bon', mommy akan memberi renungan tajam atau meng'Eivieeee-nak-cakap-apaaaa?'kan beliau, beliau akan terus menukar perkataan bontot kepada bonta. Lalu sehingga kini perkataan bonta menjadi kegemaran.

Kadang-kadang, si lima tahun Eirsa juga turut mahu menceburkan diri dalam kegembiraan penggunaan perkataan bonta ini. 

Contohnya pagi tadi. Dalam kereta, seperti sehari-harian anak-anak berdua ini mengharungi kesesakan trafik di Kuala Lumpur dari rumah menuju ke taska.

Eirsa menyebut-nyebut perkataan bonta dalam kegembiraan. Sekonyong-konyong Eivie menyampuk, "Bonta is not nice." 

Eirsa lawan, "Bonta is nice, bontot is not nice." 

Eivie sahut, "Bonta is not nice." 

Eirsa mengadu pada papa, "Papa, bonta is nice, bontot is not nice, kan?" 

Papa balas, "Yes." 

Eivie masih mahu menyahut, "Bonta is not nice." 

Eirsa berusaha lagi, "Eirsa dah ask papa, papa said bonta is nice."

Eivie, masih lagi, "Bonta is not nice."

Dan anda boleh bayangkan aksi perang mulut seterusnya.

Gambar-gambar Gonjeng

Balik kampung hari tu selak-selak album terjumpa gambar-gambar gonjeng aku. Banyak lagi sebenarnya, terutama sekali album masa zaman sekolah rendah dan sekolah menengah. Tapi mana entah tercampak album-album yang lebih menggeletek hati kalau ditengok semua tu entah.

Aku tak kan nak simpan keseronokan menggelakkan gambar gonjeng sendiri sorang-sorang, ye dak? Mestilah nak share dengan kawan-kawan paparan gembira ini.

Moh le kita tengok gambar-gambar ni semua.

Praise Lord for the creation of camera and printer.

Akak (skirt pink bersinar), Along (baju jenama Asics tuck in dah habis stylo dah la masa tu), Aku (the Rosmah-look-alike-hair, the cropped jeans, could never go wrong, right? *flips shawl*), Yani (dress purple, mak jahit, gigi sebatang hilang).

Along and yours truly. I was a small baby. And I still am small, tapi dah gebu dek lemak. This picture was taken when we were at Kampung Selayang Baru.

Akak and yours truly. Amboi, baju kebaya kilat merah jambu ni memang kegemaran aku sangar masa zaman-zaman ni. I first had this when I participated in persembahan tadika and was my highlight of the life since then. Pergilah event-event yang grand, memang baju ni lah aku tala. Eh, banyak ke event grand tu? Kikikiki..

Aku, Along, Akak. Another adik-beradik berdiri dan duduk tegak style of picture pada zaman itu, di kenduri kahwin salah seorang mak atau bapak sedara. Mana nak ingat yang mana satu. Kami adik beradik yang lahir sebelum raaaaamai lagi sepupu-sepupu mak kahwin. Lalu kami selalu mengunjungi kendiri kahwin sedara-mara sejak dari kecil lagi.
Baju aku dan Akak mak jahitkan (that's why I always believe that I also have talent in sewing but I yet have the time to prove it), bedak seinci memang wajib kalau tak tak shantek, ok! 

Mak kata Suhana Ani yang pada masa bayi memang sangat lasak. Panjat sana, panjat sini, aku pun tak tahu apa masalah dia. Dah ada anak sendiri rasakan, Eirsa dan Eivie, sebiji tiru perangai mak diaorg. Terutama si Eivie.  -__-"

Aku dan Akak. And what's up with me in many red outfits? Aku pun tak tau. Habis glamer dah kot warna merah ni kat mata aku. Oh ya. Rambut aku memang jenis yang wild wild west. Lalu memang suka bercekak sebab konon nak nampak effect rambut lebih lurus. Puih. Selalu je cemburu dengan rambut dak Akak ni, sebab lurus dan boleh simpan panjang.

Aku dan Akak yagi (lagi, Eivie's version). Ini pada masa kami di rumah Kampung Selayang Baru, Selangor. Beberapa tahun lepas tu, semua kena hangkut balik Kampung Bertam Hulu, Melaka.

Yours truly. Air lior menjejeh. But I know, she was and still pretty.

33 Tahun Punya Cerita (Fast Forward Version)

1) Mak aku dulu tak perasan mengandungkan aku sampai kandungan 5 bulan. Sebab masa tu kakak aku baru je umur 9 bulan.

2) Mak aku dulu terpaksa bersalinkan aku atas troli hospital sebab aku ni jenis tak sabar nak tengok dunia. 

3) Tapi nasib baik juga perangai gelojoh aku macam tu, tak perlu mak aku nak rasa sakit bersalin lama-lama. SAKIT GILA OI!

4) Dalam kepayahan mak yang ibu tunggal nak jaga anak semua, alhamdulillah, kami adik beradik semua ok, dan menjadi. Tidaklah mewah tapi alhamdulillah, tak seorang pun yang menyusahkan keluarga, agama, masyarakat dan negara.

5) Harapnya dalam 33 tahun ini (dan masa akan datang), aku tak susahkan mak sangat. Aku tau aku bukan anak yang baik sebaik-baiknya. Kau tahu lah simtom anak yang tengah, seorang abang, seorang kakak, seorang adik perempuan, seorang adik lelaki. Yang paling ketara, perangai degil.

6) Harapnya aku takkan lupa semua jasa mak, bermula dari mak mengandungkan aku, mak kena pulak menahan daripada tak terbersalinkan aku dalam kereta, saaaaampai lah sekarang. Banyak oi 'hutang' aku kat mak 

7) Terima kasih Allah sebab bagi aku rezeki nak ke sekolah menengah berasrama yang perbelanjaannya ditanggung penuh (dapat bantuan pelajar miskin), kemudian dapat pula biasiswa masa di universiti. Tu pun masa sekolah menengah dalam keadaan yang masih tak peka dan tuli dengan kesusahan mak, aku kadang-kadang minta jugak mak duit nak beli benda yang lebihnya sebab terikutkan kawan. Dan kemudian mak jugak la nak hadapkan aku ni nak bertunang, kahwin dan masa nak bersalin pun mak jugak datang hospital temankan dan jaga dalam pantang.

8) Moga mak ampunkan semua dosa aku yang aku tau bukanlah sedikit malah mungkin sentiasa bertambah.

9) Harapnya Allah makbulkan doa aku nak bagi mak rasa benda-benda yang indah kat dunia ini dan doa aku supaya Allah menjaga mak aku di akhirat nanti.

10) Harapnya Allah bagi aku segala peluang, kekuatan, ketabahan, kewangan yang cukup, untuk menjaga mak masa mak dah tua nanti, dalam keadaan yang selesa. By all means, she deserves it.

Amiiin.

Happy birthday, dear me.

Singapore March 2013 - Final Day

Huarrrrgghhh.. Mengeliat bangun pada hari ke empat dan tak sangka dah last day. We planned for this vacation for a year (from date of ticket flight purchase), tiba-tiba je dah nak balik. Ye tiba-tiba. Diam.

Siloso Beach Resort has a nice swimming pool and of course the last day would be the day for everyone to enjoy this beautifully landscape-ed swimming pool (kecuali aku of couse, sebab sedang sibuk packing untuk balik. Dan oh ye, ibu bapa mertua). And to travel with two kids and with the anticipation of at least a swimming session, now you understand why do we always always have to pack for around a total of 15kgs of bags. Tu pun terbabas 1-2 kg, pinjam 'quota' ibu bapa mertua. Bayangkan pula proses packing, unpacking dan repackingnya. Bayangkaaaaan... Bayangkan saja tapi jangan muntah dek kerenyahan kerja. Kami mak-mak dah biasa.

Shhhhwiming time!

Budak-budak biasalah, suka air. Sedangkan mak bapak budak pun suka, ye dak? The resort's swimming pool has this mini water slide and no one was there except my family. Apa lagi, conquer slide entah berapa ratus kali. 

Eirsa was first getting down the slide on Papa's lap.

Then she got down the slide, still Papa but off Papa's lap.

And many many many times later, on her own. Papa pon dah tak larat nak memanjat slide tu entah ke berapa ratus kali.

My baby Eivie on the other hand, macam biasa lah, Opah tak bagi lama-lama sebab kecik. Sejuk katanya. But of course she still had fun. Budak ni pun pencinta air.

Celup-celup air dua tiga round.

Slide dua tiga round.

Makan biskut dua tida round.

Opah dah panggil naik.

Kemas-kemas, bilas-bilas segala, dah ready for checkout at 11.45am. Our flight was at 4.45 pm and we already booked the van for direct transfer to airport at 2pm. With standard checking out time at 12pm, we still have 2 hours to explore the island. So we hopped on and off the train shuttle exploring the island. Banyak lagi tempat yang kami tak pergi, nanti lah. Mana muat nak sumbat semua dalam itinerary 4 hari 3 malam (bajet pun tak muat).

So yeah. Everybody is looking forward for another Singapore trip in November, same arrangement but different hotel (as mentioned here) and of course itinerary. See you in November 2013, Singapore!

Singapore March 2013 - Day 3

So day three was yet another day for the kids. We went to Sentosa Island for the Underwater World and Dolphin show and the Song of the Sea show at night.

The island itself was well developed and well maintained, with many entertainments to be enjoyed if not the beaches. The Underwater World and Dolphin show was as good as you could get here in Malaysia (lebih kurang sama dengan Underwater World Langkawi kot, Aquaria tu pun even up lagi sikit). May be because the place had been around for quite some times. Arrived at 4.15pm and the place closed at 6pm, we basically managed to cover everything that this attraction offered. Kira nak cakap tak besar sangat tempatnya dalam sejam setengah dah boleh cover tengok Dolphin show dan (berlari anak ke) Underwater World. With that price, I could say 70% berbaloi lah. The new underwater world thingy was actually the S.E.A, with a bit more expensive ticket price. I didn't do the homework about this place, but I think it's bigger.

Oh lupa. Separuh hari sebelum check out from Victoria Hotel, we went to Mustaffa Shopping Center. Alah, macam Mydin, with an attraction of cheap perfumes. Mungkin ada barang lain yang lebih murah, cuma kami tak sempat nak compare harga. Memang tak plan nak beli-belah sangat pon.

Checked out at 12pm, hired the same private van to Sentosa Island (he offered flat rate of SGD50 for anywhere in Singapore) and off we went to Sentosa Island.

Siloso Beach Resort was just 2 shuttle-stops away from the Song of The Sea show place. Round-round naik monorail kejap pergi Vivo Shopping Center, patah balik and our session was about to start. Monorail was free but you have to have some sort of pink pass to re-enter the monorail (after departing at Vivo Center). Else, you'll be charged for another entrance fee to Sentosa Island. Tak, kami tak pi singgah USS hatta bergambaq kat depan entrance pun. Tak berapa sempat.

Oh this show. This 40 mins show was highly recommended! I purchased the VIP tickets but frankly, tak de banyak beza. Except that if you arrived late, your seats were still guaranteed tengah-tengah, tak de lah kena duduk bucu tengok pon sipi-sipi, senget-senget je. Eirsa enjoyed the show sooooo much while Eivie.. Hmm.. Eivie was an-easily-distracted baby, enough said. Kejap tengok, kejap lompat, kejap nak baring, kejap nak cuddle, kejap nak susu, kejap nak pergi kat Opah, kejap nak patah balik ke mommy. Nasib baik masa tu tak berjalan lagi, kalau tak, confirm mengeliat menggelungsur dia nak turun main pasir.

Had dinner at a restaurant nearby, not superb but ok, headed back to our room for our final night in Singapore.

Some visual compilations :

Our daily ride. The system is reliable and very affordable. 

On the way to Mustafa Department Store. Budak-budak, tempat lapang dan menarik sikit pun boleh bikin happy.

Spending a night here for a rate of around RM420 (purchased via Asiatravel.com)

The Sentosa Island. Huruf-huruf SILOSO tu biasanya mercu tanda ambil gambar kegemaran ramai, tapi tengah repair le pulok.

Dolphin Show, boleh lah. Eirsa tonton secara on off. Lebih kepada aktiviti makan kentang goreng (literally).

Underwater World. Sebelum masuk tu ada fish feeding section.

The Song of The Sea. 80% of the show was constructed using light, water and fire. Persembahan manusia hanyalah pembukaannya sahaja.

End of Day 3.

Singapore March 2013 - Day 2

That morning of second day we had breakfast at McDonalds, approximately 300 meters from our hotel. 8.30 am was the earliest that we could achieve every morning, considering the little ones. Tak, sebenarnya mak pak mereka yang liat nak bangun penat baq hang!

Around 9.30 we walked back to the hotel, requested the receptionist to call for a cab that could take all of us straight to the Singapore Zoo. 10 minutes later a comfortable private Honda van fetched us with charge of SGD50 per trip. For the 6 + 2 of us, that's considered ok; comfortable, no transit hassle, 30-45 mins ride, yeah, it's convenient if you could spend a little more.

Singapore Zoo was a huge place to visit. 3-4 hours well spent there, also had our lunch at a halal KFC within its zoo compound. The place was well maintained but some areas were closed for renovation (small area). A lot of visitors of course since it was Sunday but it was not crowded (the place is huge, I promise).

Went back to hotel around 2-3pm, we took a shuttle bus from Zoo to the MRT, around 10-mins ride, and straight back to our hotel. Kids were asleep all the way back despite the transit. Traveling using public transportation was very cheap and reliable too.

Lepak hotel kejap hilangkan penat, then we walked to the famous Zamzam restaurant for tapau and later to Bugis Street. A great bargain for souvenirs at Bugis Street especially the Singapore tees. The covered street was crowded with people, we only spent 30 mins there for tees and some other souvenirs. There were still a lot to explore if you walked through every single row within the street. Crazy atelyu.

Walked all the way back to hotel (around 600-700 meters) and of course lah kepenatan lalu melepak di hotel sampai malam, afterall it was around 6.00 pm already.

Day two photos :

All refreshed, perut penuh and ready for day 2. Map reader pon dah ready (dalam stroller)

These are how we carried our kids. Two strollers would be just too macam-macam nak kena bawa. Eirsa walked most of the time but yeah, there were times beside that most of the time. Whenever Eirsa slept, she'll be occupying the stoller and Eivie will be passed around (semua pun nak dukung Eivie).

I also borrowed a carrier from a dear friend, we didn't buy our own considering Eivie doesn't like to be carried that way.  It's actually quite helpful to be having one, easier to move around too.

Half a day at Singapore Zoo (1)

Half a day at Singapore Zoo (2)

Half a day at Singapore Zoo (3)

Half a day at Singapore Zoo (4)

Bugis area and Bugis Street. Please go crazy there.

End of day two.