of hide and seek

Sekarang dah pukul 6 pagi tau! One whole night I couldn't sleep. It was all because of you. Isshh... tension sungguh aku dengan budak sekor ni.

I heard about you from other tenants, but I just never thought you would come to me.

At first, I just heard the noises you're making. You never showed your face. You must be scared of me and that's why you don't want to see me, do you?

I tried looking for you, but you just went quiet all of a sudden. I wonder why.

I know there's a cafe downstairs, I guess that must be the reason you have become an illegal tenant, just like your other mates. You don't pay rent. You steal the food. You sleep in our rooms. Dah la tak keje, makan pun nak bersuap ke?

For the last 2 months, I was pretty ok on my own until a few days ago when I had my suspicion that you have invaded my privacy. Can't you just leave me alone?

This morning, I noticed you managed to steal serunding daging. It's going to be raya soon, you silly bugger. Now I don't have serunding to eat with my ketupat. How inconsiderate of you! Thank goodness I still have another packet of serunding to keep me going, but I made sure that is hidden from you.

Over the last few hours, I noticed you have become a little bit daring. You finally showed your face to me. Eh, hello? You're just a little fella. I'm bigger and stronger you know. I will get you this time.

Being hungry makes one become more aggressive and determined. Well, guess what, buddy? I am determined too. Berperang lah kita. You will not be allowed in my place ever again. By hook or by crook I will kick your sorry ass out. I just can't stand you rummaging my place and leaving shits behind. I'm not your maid.

If you want food, go get them at the shops on the street. I'm not a charity. I know you're hungry, but that doesn't entitled you to abuse my place. I saw you running up the steps looking for my serunding. You think I'd leave it there again? Bodoh!

I heard you trying to steal what's left inside the tesco plastic bags. When I called out for you, you stayed hidden. But you can't fool me. I saw you jumping down when you heard me rising from my bed. I opened the door and told you to leave, but you're so stubborn. When you ran, I wanted to smash you so hard with the newspaper that I had in my hand. Lucky you I missed.

But the hunger pang is so strong that you can't afford to stay hidden. When you think it was safe, you slowly came out again. It was like playing hide and seek. I wish I have a baseball bat so that I can hit you so hard that your head just crack. Biar pecah berderai.

I'm not that heartless so I'm going to give you another chance to go quietly. I'd leave the food outside the door and you can eat your heart out. Just don't come back inside. You're not welcome here.

Hey little fella, get lost! If you're still not out from my place by tomorrow night, I'm gonna trap you. Mati kau, tikus!

Do you feel it? Or is it just me?

These days, when Raya comes, everything seems very different from when we were children.

The atmosphere is different. I used to love going to masjid for solat raya with my mom. Not to show off the new baju or shoes but that was the time when mom got to meet her friends before her house was swamped with visitors.

Normally, after we got home, there was little chance for her to get out again until probably late afternoon.

So, it was up to me to deliver all the kueh raya and cakes to the neighbours (kecik-kecik dah keje delivery.. heheh)

As I hardly had any friends in the kampung since I went to school in the city, I didn't go anywhere on the first day. If I wanted to go to friends' house, I had to take the bus and that's only happened on the second or third day.

Normally, my brothers would go to their friends house as soon as the solat ends and they would be back just before midday. So, it was up to me again to be at home helping mom. Well, what do you expect from boys anyway? Takde nye nak tolong in the kitchen sangat pun.

I remember following the kampung kids around to kutip duit raya. We went everywhere, even though we didn't know the hosts. We still went in to drink air sirap and eat a kueh before getting our duit raya. I stopped when I turned 12. Malu.. dah besar kan.

Last year when I went back for raya, I observed that kids these days just stood at the door, salam-ed the hosts and just waited for the duit raya. They didn't even have the decency to go inside the house, which kinda annoy me big time. Semua tunggu nak duit raya je. Some didn't even salam but just ran to the next house as soon as they got what they were after. Kurang sopan sungguh.

Kalau dari kecik tak diajar, dah grow up nanti dah tak makan saman dah. If my nephews and nieces did this, memang dah kena dah ni.

Oh... talking about anak sedara, dah bertambah meriah lagi lah one of my brothers' house. Anak dah semakin ramai. Yang pengsan nya Ucu ni lah. When I'm there, all of them will be like Ucu beli ni, Ucu beli tu, Ucu nak makan ni, Ucu jom main tu. Adoii... penat Ucu korang melayan, but since I go home pun sekali sekala, kasi chan je lah to them kan.

I love it when all of them waiting to hug me when I was at the airport. Even my brothers hugged me without teragak2. When I look back, I find it funny that these alim looking men with goatie hugging a young woman (aheeemm... i young wot) with all the lebai and makcik2 watching. Hehehe... Think whatever you want lah Labuuu.

Before bulan mulia ni ends, I would like to wish my readers well, be it the silent or the chatty ones from all over the world (US, UK, Msia, Brunei, Spore, India, Japan, Switzerland, SouthAfrica, Mexico and a few more countries that I might have missed)

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin.

May God bless you.

Added: Kak Teh asked if I wanted to join her at Mawar for solat hari raya. Mmm... I dunno lah. Sembahyang wajib pun masih tunggang langgang and terawih pun dah bertahun tak penah pegi, tetiba yang sunat ni nak pi.

I feel like a hypocrite, but hypocrisy is not an excuse not to go. My answer would be Insyaallah.

I'm hoping that raya falls on Sunday. It will be work as usual if it's on Monday and I'd be in Wales. Sigh.

of scoop and semak

Finally, I'm finished with the event for this year. Last weekend I took a van to Battle for the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings that changed the course of English history when William the Conqueror defeated King Harold of England.

Apparently it was such a big event that I was so damn busy I didn't even have time to look up at the battles on the showground. I was worried that I might run out of ice cream, which I did. So the next day, I had to call for backups. I asked Mr. C to deliver the stocks and I begged The Black Widow to work with me. Thank goodness for them!

Since the Black Widow was quite slow scooping the ice cream, I told her to be the cashier. Big mistake! To me anyway, cos by the end of the day I felt my arms macam nak terlucut. We sold 900 cones and 700 tubs!

Got back home rather late since the traffic was horrendous with cars driving out of Battle, and even after we got home I could not rest just yet because I had to wait for the parking space to clear out for my van. What a day!

While we were waiting in the Black Widow's room, she showed me some pictures. One of them being a picture of a special function and everyone had to wear 'protocol' costume. No offense to our baju kurung, but when I saw that photo I told her it looks so semak.

I think it's the different patterns of the kurung that makes the photo jadi semak and berserabut.

Engkau tu yang semak, she said to me. Heheheh...

Just look at some of your office photos and you know what I mean. These days, I prefer simple kosong pattern rather than the berbunga2 one. But when raya comes, I haven't got any baju kurung with me at all. Not that I will wear it anyway.

I remember going to a friend's wedding last Nov in KL wearing my jeans. Nobody said anything, but I did feel slightly uncomfortable since I was on my own. None of my other friends turned up. Hmmmmm... I promise I will not go to a wedding alone again. Never!

Anyway, I didn't realise that raya is on the weekend. I was planning to go out on a date with that Gentleguy from work so I had to cancel the date, again. We have been planning for the first date like forever! Entahlah... macam takde rezeki je.

Apa nak buat? Tunggu and lihat je lah.

of cooking and stars

Malam ni dengan sukacitanya I went cooking at friends' place by the river in Deptford. We have been planning to do the makan session for ages, but we never got the chance.

Everybody seems to be busy. In London, if you want to meet friends, you have to ask if they were free on such and such date. They'll check their diaries and get back to you whether it's ok or no go. You have to book a slot in their diaries. That's how it is. None like good ol' malaysian friends. You call them say 'weyyy, jom teh tarik?' and off you go.

It has been, say 6 or 7 months since I last cooked a proper meal. Man! That long? I mean I do eat proper meal ie rice and dishes, but all that were mostly tapaued from Mawar or Nahar.

I still hadn't decided what to cook though. It was for a party of 4 and we go way back when we all first started our job in the UK together. We are all at ease with each other, no pretence whatsoever. We had the same humble beginning and we used to live together at some point.

And all of them love my cooking. Heh! Though I know that Agy cannot stand hot and spicy food, but knowing her she won't be able to resist any of them. She would just leave out the gravy.

So, Kfiatek and I met at the Blackwells on Charing Cross, browsing for books before heading to China Town. I set my eyes on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Time Traveller's Wife. Just can't wait to get started.

Anyway, we were browsing at one supermarket when I finally decided I would make meehoon goreng with lotsa taugeh, fish balls, fish cakes, veggies and some campak-campak chicken dish. Imagine me trying to whip something simple after hanging up my senduk for months. Not a pretty sight, but I guess it's just like riding a bike. It came straight back just like that.

Having Kfiatek as my slave to chop all the veggies makes it easier. In the end, I enjoyed it very much and I'm sure they did too.

Thank goodness I didn't drive to their place or else I would not be able to drive back. I was so full, and I don't think I'd be having any sahur this morning. It's quite warm even though it was raining earlier and considering that we are already in Oct.

As I was walking back from the Bond Street station, I looked up and saw a few stars. I know it's already morning in Malaysia, but if you looked up at the sky tonight, we might be seeing the same stars.

of studio and sugar level

Yesterday, The Mentor and The Grey Hair were guests on Ready Steady Cook. The Grey Hair was a green pepper and The Mentor was a red tomato. It's pudding week so they took our ice cream along.
Quite cheeky The Mentor! She asked her family and me to come along to the studio to vote for her. Hehe...

I brought along The Black Widow, and both of us were excited to be on the set. I thought that the set looks bigger in telly and they look so neat.

Ainsley was faboulous and he was funny as ever. He hardly makes any mistakes therefore they didn't have to retake the scenes. The two guest chefs were James Tanner (isn't he cute and hot?) and Phil Vickery.

As they were filming it, they actually did it within the time slot given. All the preps and cooking, it looks like it was live. However, after the show The Mentor said that when she was asked to separate the eggs, they were already separated but were put back in the shells. Heh.. so now we know how they make it looks so easy and fast! Everything was prepared beforehand.

Being in the audience is a lot of hard work too, you know. We have to cheers, clap, make suitable sounds ie ooooohhh, aaahhh, ooooooo, woooooww etc. When Ainsley asked the audience to vote, you thought that the audience voted straight away didn't you? Nope, we didn't vote.

We waited until the contestants and chefs leave the set for a couple of minutes. It was because one of the regular chefs (Brian Turner) hates it when the audience didn't vote for him. What a sore loser!
Anyway, The GH won and The Mentor had to make do with a hamper. For health and safety reason, the audience can't sample the food. However, as the guests of the participants, we were escorted to the cafe area where we got to sample (I didn't just sample them, I eat them!) all the desserts that were made minutes before.

My favorite were the Chilli Mango and one that I didn't know the name. What a treat! I only break fast with a grape and water, and seeing all the puddings made me go crazy. My sugar level just shoots up to the ceiling!

I had a good time seeing the filming of the show. For me, broadcasting and filming are just wicked.

The show is scheduled on 30 Oct., so watch it! If we were lucky, we can see ourselves during the voting time.

kad raya or orang yang raya?

I am not the kind of person who would normally send kad raya, but this year dah buang tabiat dah agaknya. I bought ten cards but for whom, I have no idea yet.

A friend is selling them, so I thought I'll help her out with a bit of marketing on this blog.


Those who are interested to buy them, there are two designs as displayed. Simple yet very nice.

The card costs £0.80 each. If any of you are interested in purchasing them, please email me or leave a message.

When success comes knocking

A friend of mine complained that she has been the receiving end of malicious treatment. It's all just because she works as a cleaner at some residences owned by the Malays.

"Hina sangat ke aku keje cleaner ni?" She asked me during sahur time.

"Apa duhhh... most melayu memang macam tu, suka pandang rendah kat orang lain," I said to her. "Never mind them, L, we know what we are doing. As long as we happy and tak susahkan orang, to hell with them!"

"You and me are the same huh? You driver, I cleaner."

Yes, that's what we are. I am driver cum delivery woman cum ice cream seller and she is a cleaner cum waitress. Whatever work we do, they help pay the bills. Though at some point, I'm tired of listening to people being high and mighty with me.

What I don't understand is that some people when they striked gold mines, they change overnight. Not just their houses and cars, but their attitude too.

The truth is that real successful people have a sense of dignity that they are pretty solid in themselves. They don't need to show off, brag about what they have or who they are. They maintain modesty because they simply can't be bothered with attention-seeking stuff.

So, listen here. If one day you become the man or woman to be reckon with, show some poise, be a bit separate from the herd, considerate and be someone others might like to look up to. You don't need to be aloof and standoffish. Dignity is about showing self-respect and having quiet self-esteem.

It's amazing to see many self-proclaimed successful Malaysians, yet they lack dignity.

In the meantime, stop being a prick. Unless you want to pay our bills, let us do our jobs and you do yours.