Aku masih hidup...

Setahun lebih sudah masa berlalu.

Alhamdulillah aku masih hidup, bernafas...walau pun menghirup udara di tempat lain, menikmati kindahan dan keunikan flora dan fauna yang banyak beza nya dari tempat yang dulu.

Aku sekarang, semenjak setahun lalu, dah bermastautin di Batu Pahat, Johor. Tak pernah aku duga yang aku akan duduk di kampung setelah lama jadi orang bandar, membesar dan selesa di bandar2 besar seperti Ampang dan Kuala Lumpur. Tapi walau pun lama duk di bandar, jiwa aku sebenar nya memang menyukai suasana kampung. Dulu pun aku duk di kampung dalam bandar...Kampung Melayu Ampang! Tapi sekarang betul2 duk di kampung...Kampung Parit Kuda!

Ini la dia rumah yang aku duduk sekarang, di kelilingi dengan pokok sawit di depan dan belakang, pokok2 durian, langsat, kuinin, rambutan, manggis dan kelapa di sekeliling kawasan rumah

Setahun telah berlalu, banyak yang dah berubah, terutama hidupku sekarang sebagai suri rumah sepenuh masa, melayan suami dan anak tiri bujang yang duk sama. Anak2 ku? Masih di Ampang bersama cucu ku yang dah besar berumur setahun lebih. Tapi aku  pasti nya balik menjenguk sekurang2nya sebulan sekali. Anak2 ku dah 2 orang berumahtangga, yang kedua dan baru2 ni yang sulong pulak. Anak2 tiri ku pulak dah 4 orang berkeluarga dan cucu ku pun automatik bertambah dari satu di Ampang, ke 8 orang di sini! Riuh sekampung bila semua nya balik bertandang seperti Hari Raya Aidilfitri yang baru ni. Memang lain suasana nya beraya di kampung, sungguh berbeza. Anak2 ku pun seronok balik kampung pasal dulu dia orang takde kampung nak dituju bila datang nya Hari Raya. Sekarang dia orang tak bagi aku balik beraya di Ampang...biar dia orang yang balik ke kampung!

Aku harap dapat berblogging balik seperti dulu walau pun masa sekarang tak la banyak untuk duduk depan komputer macam dulu. Kawan baik ku Noni merungut, dia kehilangan kawan berjalan makan angin dan untuk morning walk tiap2 pagi.  Tapi sesekali bila aku balik Ampang, memang kami meluangkan masa bersama untuk breakfast atau lunch. Banyak cerite ceriti yang nak di kongsi bersama bila dah berjauhan macam ni!

Salam Aidilfitri.

Happy to be back and blogging again!

Potong Jambul nya!

Sabtu lepas sempena habis pantang menantuku dan cukup umur cucuku 2 bulan, aku buat kenduri kesyukuran berserta potong jambul. Sebenor nya aku nak buat pulut kuning je, pastu hantor ke mesjid pada malam Jemaat seperti arwah mak aku buat dulu bila aku habis pantang. Tak nak la aku nak ikut sangat trend orang sekarang ni...Tapi anak dan menantu dah berhajat nak buat acara potong jambul baby dia orang, maklum la anak sulong...Aku ikutkan aje dan menjemput kumpulan Merhaban dikawasan situ untuk membaca doa tahlil dan berselawat mendodoikan cucu sulong aku.

buai yang dihias bidan terjun oleh adek aku...

Perkakas dan bahan2 yang diperlukan dalam acara potong jambul - semangkuk bedak sejuk direndam dalam air untuk renjisan, semangkuk bunga rampai, semangkuk yang berisi gula, garam dan buah kurma (untuk 'membelah' mulut katanya), semangkuk air kosong untuk mengisi rambut cucu yang akan dipotong, dan sebilah gunting kecik dihias cantek dengan reben

Acara dimulakan dengan bacaan doa tahlil oleh kumpulan Merhaban yang terdiri dari kaum ibu iaitu jiran tetangga aku. Aku baru bercadang nak join sama tapi dah dapat cucu ni, nampaknya kena jadi babysitter la pulak sementara dia nak membesar...pastu mungkin mak bapak dia nak hantar ke day care kot...

buaian yang dihias diletak ditengah2

upacara mendodoi baby dengan diiringi lagu dan selawat Nabi

upacara memotong jambul nak dimulakan dengan mak dan baby berjalan mengelilingi kumpulan Merhaban yang tengah berlagu dan berselawat

Bermula lah acara potong jambul cucuku....menjilat2 dia bila disapukan garam dan gula dibibir nya sebagai syarat 'membelah' mulut (aku pun tak berapa tau benda ni!) tapi ditunjuk ajar oleh kakak angkat aku yang dulu menjadi babysitter kepada 2 dari anak2 aku

Elok pulak cucu aku ni tak mengangis langsung dan tak kelip2 mata dia merenung mak dia, selama upacara Merhaban yang memakan masa 2 jam lebih tu dijalankan! Dah selesai semua nya, baru la di mengobak nak susu dan tido...

Selepas acara potong jambul, aku sediakan sikit jamuan petang (high-tea) untuk meraikan kesemua tetamu yang datang, terdiri dari jiran2 terdekat, kumpulan Merhaban, adek beradek aku, keluarga besan serta sanak saudara yang paling rapat.
Mudah2an cucu aku akan membesar dengan baik, sentiasa sehat, jadi anak yang soleh, bijak bistari, berbudi pekerti yang tinggi dan akan menjadi kebanggaan mak, bapak, bangsa dan negara nya....insyaAllah! Amin!!!

Orang baru...

Betoi2 cukup sebulan hari ni muncul nya orang baru dalam hidup kami sekeluarga....cucu pertama aku! Berat dah naik sekilo, pipi dah tembam, susu tak cukup 3 ounce! Melalak pun dah kuat bila lambat sikit dapat susu. Alhamdulillah setakat ni setelah menjadi Opah (Grandma loghat Perak!) aku dah rase sikit selesa dengan jawatan dan tugasan baru yang aku sandang bila menantu berpantang 3 minggu dirumah aku. Mula2 dulu memang kekok banyak...al maklum la dah lama tak jaga baby (26 tahun yang lepas)! Risau jugak...boleh ke aku? Larat ke aku? Pandai ke aku? Sempat ke nak bermorning walk dan berkebun lagi? Emmm...memang tak sempat dah nak morning walk. Morning walk dalam rumah je la dari bangun subuh hingga la ke petang! Berkebun? Sempat la jugak sikit2 sementara cucu tak bangun lagi. Lepas tu sebok, nak bakar tungku, nak mandikan baby, siapkan dia sebelum dia tido balik...pastu sebok pulak nak berkemas, basuh baju, sidai baju, bagi makan kucing2 aku, ke dapo pulak nak masak untuk menantu dalam pantang....Tak payah morning walk dan diet dah...semenjak dapat cucu ni, body weight turun dengan mendadak! Wah seronok Opah!

amboi cucu Opah ni...baru satu hari dah celik mata dia!

nak tido balik la Opah...


cucu lelaki pertama.....teringin nak cucu pompuan tak dapat, dah la anak tiga2 lelaki..tapi takpe aku bersyukur dia sehat...


one happy Daddy!

Bila menantu dan cucu balik ke rumah mak dia untuk berpantang disana pulak, aku rase rindu amat sangat kat cucu...terdengar2 je suara dia mengobak (menangis)! Bila dia orang datang balik untuk duduk seminggu (nenek sana balik kampung), sebok balik la aku dari pagi sampai petang. Satu malam tu aku tak rase ngantok langsung, kesian kat Mommy O and Daddy O tak cukup tido...aku pun volunteer jaga cucu sampai ke pagi! Baby ni bila siang dia orang tido sakan, tapi bila malam...kejap2 jaga, kejap2 nak susu, kejap2 yak pulak! Ape2 pun seronok dapat dukung baby balik, cium bau baby, dan paling seronok bila time mandi, bukan main ceria dia! Hari ni cucu dah kena first month immunisation. Menjerit sakan dia kena cucuk jarum! Sian cucu Opah...

Banjir kilat!

Dah 2 kali air Sungai Ampang belakang rumah aku yang duk tebi tebing sungai, naik melempah ruah ke kawasan rumah aku dan jiran2 sepanjang sungai tu. Last sekali Jumaat lepas bila hujan yang lebat tak berenti2 dengan kilat petir sabung menyabung, turun petang tu. Dalam setengah jam air sungai dah melebehi tebing dan masuk kawasan rumah! Nasib baik anak bongsu ade dirumah, menolong berkemas barang2 dalam rumah naik ketempat tinggi. Air naik dengan deras nye, memang tak sempat nak angkat kalau tak bersedia awal2. Penah sekali tahun 2007, aku terlelap kejap lepas maghrib masa tengah hujan lebat, sedar2 satu rumah dah ditenggelami air sampai buku lali! Kapet semua dah jadi floating carpet! Kali ni bila hujan lebat je dah mula gulung kapet!

air sungai yang berlumpur dah melepasi tebing sungai, arus yang deras sungguh menggerunkan...kalau terjatuh memang tak boleh diselamatkan!

pada hari biasa, sungai yang mengalir dengan tenang...

rumah sewa jiran sebelah dah dimasukki air sungai...motor pun dah setengah tenggelam, jenuh nak membasuh lumpur!

kawasan rumah aku dan rumah jiran - air naik dengan cepat sekali hampir sampai ke paras lutut beberapa minit sejurus gambar ni diambik

Tapi nasib baik la rumah aku tak masuk air aritu, hanya setakat satu anak tangga je, lebih kurang setengah inci lagi nak masuk ke rumah! Walau bagaimana pun, kawasan keliling rumah dah di tenggelami air hampir paras lutut. Rumah sewa jiran sebelah tak benasib baik! Tapi air naik sekejap je, tetiba je air sungai dah mula surut. Mungkin air naik disebabkan air dilepaskan dari takungan air besar di Bukit Belacan. Atau pun mungkin Smart Tunnel telah digunakan masa hujan lebat untuk mengalirkan limpahan air dari sungai2 dari sekitar kawasan Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor. Ape2 pun, aku rase banyak rumah di tebing Sungai Ampang ni yang rendah, telah dibanjiri air. Memang jenuh jugak lepas tu nak membasuh lumpur dari kawasan rumah, kalau dalam rumah lagi jenuh...boleh patah pinggang dibuat nye!

Bookshow

Followed my friend Noni to the Bookshow in PWTC today. We went quite early to avoid the lunch time crowd. By the time we reached there, the crowd has started to fill in with school children on field trips with their teachers, college students and the general public like us. Before we went on our rounds, first thing first....went to look for breakfast! Hahaha...well actually, I had mine very early after my gardening, but Noni had not taken any yet. So after a meat pie each (Noni said the best she ever tasted!), we started our rounds of the many booths on 2 floors there. Noni wanted to buy novels and I wanted to have a few books to satisfy my passions for gardening, interior decorating, cooking and the one book I must read - the latest by our ex-PM Tun Dr Mahathir!

I got this at MPH booth who is giving a 10% discount on all their books


MPH is having a signing of the book event tomorrow by Tun Dr Mahathir at 11am - 12 noon


got these books on gardening: Tropical Horticulture & Gardening by Francis S.P. Ng and The Pratical Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques by Jonathan Edwards


magazines on creating wedding gifts (hantaran) - the passion I acquired when my second son was getting married last year, and also interior decorating magazines - I like to move my furnitures around when Im bored!


my passion for EATING motivates me in buying these cooking books..haha..

a lot of religious books which are mostly locally published

and some foreign ones especially from the Middle Eastern countries

they even have a stage with school children taking part in quiz, debates and also motivational talks from invited speakers

Noni is an avid reader especially English novels, she bought 6 novels (she said they were much cheaper here) and also a cook book. Usually she lent me her novels after she finished reading them, so I dont have to buy them today...but we did exchange books over the years!

Most of the booths were showcasing educational books for school children, lower and secondary schools and for college and university students. Quite a number on Islamic studies and books but also on the lighter sides like entertainment magazines, comics, novels, cook books etc,. etc...They even have booths on all the states in Malaysia, showcasing the states culture, traditions, history and books by authors from each state. There were so many books on other topics besides the one I mentioned and in other languages too!

Why not pay a visit there and it will be until 1st May.

Close shave!

This morning I walked alone. Noni couldn't go as she is recuperating from an eye operation since yesterday. My youngest son Alan who is on his off-day today, supposed to walk with me but since he had a late nite, couldn't bring himself to wake up early this morning. After walking, felt like having breakfast at McD...their BIG Breakfast! Its been a while I had anything from McD, since Im trying to curb the comfort food I have always fond of. You guess it...Im on DIET again!But their TV ad really makes me crave for that BIG hearty breakfast! "A array of sumptious delights" - delicious pancakes oozing with honey and butter, sausage muffins with egg, lovely golden scrambled egg (I love anything EGG!), delightful hash brown and their hot Premium Roast Coffee! Mmmmmm......mouth watering!

BIG hearty breakfast after a good walk! Hahaha...put back the pounds I lost!

Strangely enough, Alan woke up as I was about to drive to the nearest McD! So away we went to have our breakfast. It was a delicious, heart warming, bellyful of breakfast indeed! Then we came back and I went straight to the garden pulling weeds, snapped photos, transplanted seedlings etc etc....Almost 2 hours later, while taking off my sweaty clothes to bathe, suddenly I remembered I left my wallet on the bench where I sat for breakfast! Alan drove as fast as he could back there to retrieve my wallet while I phoned the credit card company to block my card immediately and praying very hard I will get back my wallet with everything intact especially my ID. Though in my heart, its unlikely I will get it back. I got myself ready to make a police report of my lost while waiting for Alan to come back with the bad news.

Alhamdulillah...Alan came back with the good news, my wallet was found by a McD's staff! Later, I went back there to thank the staff myself but was told the person has finished her shift and gone home. Anyway, the cashier there told me I was lucky that my wallet was found by their staff or else I might not be so lucky.....

While there, snapping a few photos, I couldn't help myself by grabbing a quick lunch! .....*Sigh....another round of comfort food! Its my way of showing my gratefulness to those staff at McD Ampang Jaya! Syabas!

Outing with the boys

Still calling them my boys although they are all grown up men now! My youngest and second one, a 25 and 26 year olds respectively. 15th was my second son's birthday. An excuse to eat out for me since I was not in the mood to cook. Anyway nowadays, always not in the mood after a morning walk, pottering in the garden for half a day...too tired to cook after that! I guess age is catching up with me!

Birthday boy...2nd son, first to get married and soon-to-be father!

youngest (Alan) and second (Rezza) sons

birthday slice of strawberry marble cake




birthday boy's choice...not sure what...Vietnamese or Sarawak noodles?

youngest one's choice - macaroni with cheese, too creamy and cheesy, he couldn't finish it!

Mine..just nice!


We didn't go very far for the outing, just a 10 mins drive to a Secret Recipe outlet near my house. Just to have a simple lunch with my two younger sons, since its very seldom they are having off-day at the same time. The eldest boy is working elsewhere and will only come home on weekends. As far as I can remember, I have always been closer to these two since their age gap is only about 1 1/2 years apart, while the eldest is 7 years apart from the second one. The eldest seemed to go with his friends more rather than with his two younger brothers maybe because of the age gap are too far apart. Anyway, they are all still Mama's boys...still manje2 and close to me like they were small kids! I know I will miss them if they are all married someday and live apart from me!