HEY, NEIGHBOUR !

I was blog-hopping this morning and came across this site, and I just have to share this with you guys.

"It appears that whoever owns the yard on the right doesn't like the guy on the left too much. this is, likely,  the most brilliant & well-conceived use of a hedge trimmer ever devised.
now, if only someone would invent the hidden Fart Gun..."

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, I have good neighbours.  Otherwise, I would have been so, SO inspired to do something with the hedge.....he...he......

This is now my holiday retreat.....

Wind Beneath My Wings

I am just back from kampong, visiting my aged mum.  It was a long seven hours journey, and being someone who doesn’t like long-distance journey, driving for seven-long hours can be a real torture.  The only consolation I must confess, was the good company I had on this journey.  Except for my daughter who had to stay back in hostel and prepare for her upcoming Inter-school debates, I had all the other children with me on that trip back to kampong to see my 81 year old mother.

Upon arriving, we were greeted by my mother and Kak Zah, my cousin. I was shocked to see how quickly my mother has aged since I last saw her, somewhat two months back. I suppose it is true that old people are like children, albeit in opposing ways. Children grow up quickly, become bouncier and more energetic whereas old people degenerate quickly, become slower and more tired easily.

It is worth mentioning that my mother has been a career woman all her life.  She was a teacher before she retired. During my own growing up years, it wasn’t my mother who cooked, cleaned and managed the household. It was my cousin, Kak Zah. We, the children, were taken care of most of the time by Kak Zah. And like chicks in a nest, we grew up, went to school, passed university and slowly spread our wings to live and work in the city. However, Kak Zah remained back in the nest to care for my aged mother, after having taken good care of us, the children.

Looking back, Kak Zah is someone with a really big heart. She may not have had the opportunity to continue with her studies, but she is wise in life lessons, this much I can testify to. When talking to her, she makes more sense than some educated people that I know of.  Kak Zah was married once, but her husband passed away of cancer. She has a child, the only one, who is now in his final year doing Economics at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. Kak Zah faced many hardships to raise her only son. But the fruits of her labour can now be seen.

Truly, Kak Zah is an amazing person. A single mother, a cousin (to us), a niece to my mum…However, what makes her so special is the fact that she has never asked for anything in return. Kak Zah has contributed to my family in more ways than one, but never has she demanded anything in return for her deeds. In recent years, her patience has been tested time and time again by the antics of my aged mother. Then again, that is what you’d expect from someone 81 years of age. My mother is constantly grumbling about how the food is never to her taste, how the house is never as she wants it, how the lawn is never attended to. And Kak Zah has somewhat fitted into the role of my mother’s “sparring partner”. Theirs is the typical love-hate relationship.

Kak Zah may not realise it, but she has, all this while, been the backbone of my family. As a son, I feel ashamed of myself.  I have in the past offered my mother to stay with me, but old people have this certain affection towards their own home. And the person who has been there with my mother all this while is none other than Kak Zah. The reason I am writing this entry is to record my appreciation and thankfulness to Kak Zah. She may never get to read this blog, and even if she did, she may not understand a single word, but I still want to write this small tribute about her. To quote kenakelayan, “...you will come across people who will leave you increased in some good way or other, and you keep a part of them with you forever. These are baraka people”. Kak Zah, I want you to know that you are one such person. May Allah bless you for all that you have done for us. You may never make the headline news or attract widespread attention.  Heroism is not reserved only for the namemakers, but can also be found in many lives that are richly filled with the little, common, everyday courtesies, the loving acts of kindness and helpfulness.  These are the things which count so much in the long run, and for that Kak Zah, you will always remain in my heart as my hero.

Kak Zah, thank you, thank you, thank God for you -  the wind beneath my wings.

Tiga Hari Dua Malam

 I remember telling you not too long ago about my trips to Port Dickson, Malacca, Penang or Johore. Those days, people only knew that pycnogenol was a blogger, though his age remained a mystery. Nowadays, most - if not all - bloggers know that pycnogenol is not as young as people thought him to be (young here being the likes of ayumi, iFos, crimsonskye and hiyoshi).

 Now that some of you know of pycno’s true identity, here is a little something that I want to share with you: Those trips that I took before; not all of them are related to work. You would know by now that I like to be with my family, going on holidays and all. But there are times where I just need to be by myself, to retain my sanity (family can be a constant source of insanity, as I say). It is just that from time to time, I needed that ‘tiga hari dua malam’ to just be all by myself. Coincidentally, Fazley has a new programme going to be shown (or has it already been shown?) over tv9 called ‘tiga hari dua malam’. The producers should’ve called me earlier, for I could have easily fitted in.

 I’m actually just back from my tiga hari dua malam. I wanted to write this entry in a cybercafé. Indeed, I already stepped into one in Penang. However, with my tired old eyes, it was a challenge to recognize the letters on the keyboards which had already been ‘typed’ away by kids frequenting the cybercafé to play games.

 You may be wondering “What can a married man with a number of kids do on holiday by himself?” Well, there are lots of things to do. But before we go to that, let me tell you that I was at a hotel at 1-Stop Midland’s Park, Burmah Road, Penang. It’s located just a stone’s throw away from Gurney Plaza. Yes, that shopping haven by the beach.

 So back to what I did on holiday. Everything I did on this holiday was so relaxing, even from the beginning of the journey. I took the 12.30 a.m. “flight” from Puduraya to Penang and reached the bus terminal (did I say bus? Wasn’t it a flight just now?) at Sungai Nibong, Bayan Lepas Penang, just before Subuh. After performing my Subuh prayers, I took another (flight?) bus to the hotel. I just enjoy doing this kind of traveling i.e. traveling as a commoner, without the fancy aeroplanes whatsoever, and meeting  friendly, ordinary people (the occasional rude ones too) on the bus. At the hotel, the receptionist was kind enough to let me check in early.

 The morning was spent just sleeping. I’m a light sleeper and get easily agitated when people make noise when I start to doze off. And this curse of mine results in stress. So basically on this kind of holiday, I can sleep as peaceful as I want to without anyone interrupting me. Sleep is a big agenda on my solo holidays.

 Second on the list would be food. And it’s a well known fact that Penang is a serious destination for diners. Not that I can eat that much, but it’s a nice treat for the tummy. My favourite has got to be Nasi Kandar Kassim Mustafa. Just a simple plate of nasi kandar with the chicken, mutton or fish curry, and a portion of vegetables. Best of all is that they add a tad bit of kuah-kuah. This small concoction is what brings out the magic of nasi kandar, and till today, no outlet in Kuala Lumpur has managed to offer the same taste. There’s something about the soft and fluffy rice which goes down so well with the kuah and lauk. It’s so good that I have it three times a day, as compared to back at home where I only take rice once a day.

 I don’t go to fancy restaurants. Why should I when I only need to pay under RM 10 for a delicious plate of nasi kandar. Call me cheapskate whatever, but it’s these small pleasures that make me happy. Another favourite on my list is the ABC found at the foodcourt of Gurney Plaza. The vendor just keeps on heaping the red beans, the sweet corn, the agar-agar….Definitely not healthy, but I don’t mind. Another piece of sinful eating would be cheesecake from Secret Recipe, whilst watching television in my hotel room.

 The other thing that I would do is go to a small, quaint bookshop in the shopping complex found next to the hotel itself. Here, I got myself Sue Townsend’s book entitled “Adrian Mole – The Cappucino Years”. It’s a really good book, and really funny too. Got me in stitches while on the bus, and I’m still reading it now.

 Besides that, I also go to the movies by myself. People normally go to movies with their friends, family members or any other stranger. But not me. I just want to enjoy the movie all by myself. If it’s a sad movie, I just want to cry my heart out. If it’s a comedy, I want to laugh my heart out too. This time around, I watched “The Sentinel” and “When A Stranger Calls”. Out of the two, I’d recommend the former.

 Last but not least, shopping. But if you ask me, this time I didn’t buy anything. In the back of my mind, I remember that Bea and the kids are busy spring cleaning the house. I must admit that our house definitely needs this exercise from time to time. If not, there’d be not enough oxygen to go around. However, my clothes are sacred and can never be touched. The others’ clothes are okay to be recycled.

 Tomorrow, after fetching my fourth son from boarding school, we’re going back for yet another tiga hari dua malam, but this time around, it’s a family affair to visit my mother at the kampong. Inspired by drroza’s entry actually, I decided it’s time to perform my sonly (is there such a word?) duties. I wished I could bring along the whole family. Unfortunately, my daughter has debate practice and can’t come along. Otherwise, it’d be nice to have the whole family visiting the grandmother.

 p.s. Now that I’m going for another tiga hari dua malam, should the title be enam hari empat malam?????