Ke Makam Bonda : Noriza (1957–2003)

there is a tanah perkuburan near our home in ipoh.

the cemetary is at the area at the back of our home, so we hardly drove by that road. usually we just go from the big main road up front.

however, for some unexplained reason, weeks before mak passed away, we drove along that road that led up to the cemetery. then mak casually said, “oh, ade kubur ke kat belakang ni. senang lah ye..”

we thought nothing of it at the time. little did we know it was meant for her.

i went to visit mak’s grave at the cemetery with my younger sisters syida and azi. we asked faiz, azi’s other half to follow, because we need another hand at cleaning up the wild sprouts around mak’s grave, and having a guy around will avoid any unwanted incident.

(once, i went to the cemetary once with JUST my sister syima, and the caretaker of the cemetery warned us against drug-abusers who sometimes hid at the cemetery – so he advised us to come in big groups or with men.)

nampak tak faiz si baju biru? tu lah kubur mak. senang kan nak cari?

the cemetery is just a fairly small piece of land, but it looks spacious, calm and clean. the caretaker did his job well. there were no messy bushes, overgrown grass or uprooted tree.

mak’s grave was very easy to locate. just look for a narrow path in between the graves, and hers is just right at the end. you can see it as you walk along that path.

my heart sank with so much rindu in my heart, and yet so calm and peaceful to visit her grave at last. i tried hard not to cry.

i thank faiz naquiddin for bringing all the tools to cut and scrape and pull all the dry grass and wild sprouts on and all around mak’s grave with us. berpeluh-peluh dia. we read Yaasin, placed pandan leaves as we read Al-Fatihah, and pour water on the soil.

i touched mak’s gravestone and stared one last time before leaving, as i know that it would be quite awhile before i ever get to visit the grave again.

it’s so hard to continue writing as i think i will break down once again. dear friends, please sedekahkan Al-Fatihah for my mak, noriza mohd. anuar. only Allah will repay your kind thoughts and prayers.

* * *

click here to read about the first time i took mr. khairul to visit mak’s grave as husband and wife.

Ke Makam Bonda

Kami mengunjungi pusara bonda
Sunyi pagi disinari suria
Wangi berseri puspa kemboja
Menyambut kami mewakili bonda

Tegak kami di makam sepi
Lalang-lalang tinggi berdiri
Dua nisan terkapar mati
Hanya papan dimakan bumi

Dalam kenangan kami melihat
Mesra kasih bonda menatap
Sedang lena dalam rahap
Dua tangan kaku berdakap

Bibir bonda bersih lesu
Pernah dulu mengucupi dahiku
Kini kurasakan kasihnya lagi
Meski jauh dibatasi bumi

Nisan batu kami tegakkan
Tiada lagi lalang memanjang
Ada doa kami pohonkan
Air mawar kami siramkan

Senyum kemboja mengantar kami
Meninggalkan makam sepi sendiri
Damailah bonda dalam pengabadian
Insan kerdil mengadap Tuhan

Begitu bakti kami berikan
Tiada sama bonda melahirkan
Kasih bonda tiada sempadan
Kemuncak murni kemuliaan insan

~Usman Awang

Super Mama, Captain Mak & Ultra Bio Mama

happy mother’s day to all you lovely ladies! to all moms, moms-to-be, and the moms in you. a special momsies day shout out goes to my comot sisters; yong and syimot. may we resemble mak in any small way.

her passion for learning. her indulgence in knowledge. her cookings of the yummy ayam masak merah, rendang or pengat durian. her humility. her simplicity. her ability to listen to us speak about boys and NOT freak out haha. her coolness. her youthfulness. her beauty. her grace. her patience. her strength.

we miss you so much, mak.

 

supermama puan syazrin syimee with her 4 kiddos : haiqal, haqeem, husna & adam harris

 

captain mak puan syazrin syigim with her 3 kiddos : khaleef, kahfi & kazim 

 

ultra bio mama puan syazrin syima with her 2 kiddos : suffiya & marissa

 

* * *

 

here are some of the cute little mother’s day wishes i found in my facebook feed. there are so many more, but these are the ones i like. hihi.

 

Happy mother's day semua! Hadiah hari ibu, tertusuk kaca di tapak kaki, hadiah yg Allah kurniakan untuk sentiasa beringat dan sakit itu adalah rahmat Allah Taala.

this is taken from my schoolmate’s fb yus. a dedicated teacher, her facebook status is always laced with remembrance of Allah and our religious and moral duties. reading this status reminds me of MY own sacrifice haha – stepping on lego blocks yang merata-rata and also how painful it is to step on one of those small green soldiers! betul, sakit gile!

 

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together -Pearl S. Buck-

i kiss and pinch together. hahahaha.

 

To all mothers: It's NORMAL when u're in yr 20s, u'll look very 'MENGANCAM'.. When u're in yr 30s, u begin 2 behave 'BER MACAM2 ..When u turn 40s-50s, u'll feel 'TERANCAM' & sadly, when u reach above 60s, orang langsung tak boleh 'CAM'!! Anyway, Happy Mother's Day!! Hope we'll all maintain MENGANCAM..! Selamat Hari Ibu! ♥

lawak kan! i am forever a very mengancam mak, ok!

 

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world" Happy Mother's Day...

so true. and i’m so lucky to have 3 little men calling me ‘mak’ each day. alhamdulillah. (though when they repeatedly call “mak! mak! mak! mak! mak! mak! look here mak! mak! mak! mak!” i just go bonkers!)

 

Hari Ibu : Ternampak tadi ibu kucing menyusu anak2nya, binatang pun tahu tanggung jawabnya, selamat hari ibu kepada ibu kucing tersebut, Allahuakbar ! :)

this is a really cute one from my wise uncle rosli, who likes to put these little anecdotes as his facebook status. jadi, sudahkah anda ucapkan selamat hari ibu pada kucing kat rumah tu? hihi.

 

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

My Mother’s Day Gift : Al-Fatihah

does your gift this year say it all?

‘i love you’? ‘you’re so special so you deserve a very expensive present’ or ‘because this is your favorite’, or maybe ‘i know you’ve always wanted one of these’ or ‘i’m broke but i hope you like it’. maybe even, ‘i wanna get you something that i could enjoy too, so i’m taking you to see justin bieber’.

mine usually say something like, ‘this is from your 2nd born who is a bit weird so that explains the gift’. haha.

most mothers will get the usual gifts – flowers, cards and a reserved seat at her favorite restaurant. practical children might get their moms a vacuum cleaner, a china set or a flower pot. those fortunate enough to have extra money to spare may splurge on designer handbags, a weekend spa or even jewelleries.

i haven’t been buying mother’s day gifts since new year’s eve 2004, when my mak passed away. and oh, how i miss going to the mall looking for something quirky for her. my sisters all felt the same way when they passed a mother’s day gifts promo at the mall, or received an e-mail notification about a free flower delivery for mother’s day.

we all thought of mak.

when it comes to me – yes, never a girly bouquet for my mak. or a flashy bracelet. mak was too gorgeous to get a facial hihi, nor did she ever need another electrical item. she’s a very simple person, so buying gifts for her was never a difficult thing.

when she passed away, i was just starting on my first ever job, so i don’t have that much money to buy expensive gifts. every mother’s day before that, mak will get a fairly affordable gift from me, and it was always something quirky, and unpredictable. oh, maybe a cake too thrown into the mix. hihi.

one time, it was a chicken-shaped metal-net container to put eggs in. i think the most NORMAL, practical gift i had ever gotten her was a silk flowery tudung. hihi.

so on this mother’s day, i give my mak al-Fatihah and it’s keberkatan. dengan izin Allah, harap-harap sampai lah doa anak-anak mak. kawan-kawan tolong sedekahkan sekali ye. buat mak aku, noriza binti mohd. anuar yang menemui ilahi pada malam tahun baru 2004.

to the rest, please let your mother know how much she is still needed in your world. because only Allah knows – after years of sharing my life with mr khairul, living in dubai and 3 boys later – i still need my mak very very much, if only just to talk to her, and tell her about my day.

Al-Fatihah Untuk Mak, 270357 ~ 311203

minta sedekahkan al-Fatihah untuk mak tersayang, Noriza Bt Mohd Anuar yang kembali pada Ilahi 7 tahun lepas hari ini. al-Fatihah.

 

 

* * *

 

7 years ago, tonight – was our last night together. i remember she made a huge plate of cucur udang that afternoon. her cucur udang is very simple; with shrimp and onion only, but it was the most delicious i’ve ever tasted. hari terakhir mak, mak sempat lagi masak cucur udang. once a mom, always a mom – till her last breath.

malam tu aku nak pegi tidur rumah kawan baik aku. mak pun tak kisah, sebab mak dia tinggal seorang. kawan baik aku tu belajar di london, jadi aku memang biase tidur rumah dia temankan mak dia. aku cium tangan mak sebelum keluar. pergi dulu, ye mak. itu kali terakhir aku bercakap dengan mak.

tengah malam, adik bongsu aku call – nangis-nangis. katanya, mak pengsan.

oh, aku tak boleh sambung lah. dah nangis dah. menitik-nitik kat keyboard ni. korang sedekahkan lah al-Fatihah ye. hanya Allah yang dapat membalas kiriman doa-doa kalian.

terima kasih!

 

 

hargailah mak-mak korang selagi dia dipinjamkan Allah ke dunia…

 

* * *

 

What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;

~ William Wordsworth

click here to read my dedication to this beautiful person i know as Mak.

Ya Allah, Moga Mak Kami Dibenarkan Pulang!

dalam bulan ramadhan, roh akan pulang melawat jasad mereka, melawat anak-anak, dan mereka yang mendoakan.

"Menurut hadith Rasulullah, semua roh akan berkumpul di Luh Mahfuz memohon kepada Allah S.W.T untuk kembali ke bumi. Ada roh yang dibenarkan pulang ke bumi dan ada yang tidak dibenarkan.."

Ya Allah, kami mohon mak kami dibenarkan pulang.

anak-anak mak akan sedaya hati menyiapkan 'bekal' untuk mak bawa pulang ke luh mahfuz.

sayang mak, rindu mak.

klik sini untuk ke blog adik bongsu aku, dan baca selanjutnya.

Al-Fatihah.

What World Cup?

i'm SO not into football, but it's hard to ignore the 'invasion' of the FIFA world cup 2010. oh, it's nothing - just the biggest thing in any football fans' calendar.

i can't remember the last time i actually watched a match, intentionally.

i'm also happy to report that, though he was pretty excited over seeing the world cup matches, my mr. khairul is not a football freak. he was more of a martial arts kinda guy, golf for sure and definitely more into swimming.

so there wasn't a must-watch late night matches week in week out, or having the tv turned to sports channel 24-7, or afternoon out with the guys to play footie every weekend (blow cigar smoke kat jbr ade lah! hmmph!), or opening his closet to see half of it taken by nothing but jerseys!

but hey, guess what - my mak was a great football fan.

well, she doesn't play the sport - imagine that! - but my, was she a fan. she knew all the players. she knew who's the best goalkeeper. she had a dream-team. she even had a poster of the italian football player roberto baggio at the back of the kitchen door!

i remember us girls staying up with her watching a match, even when none of us were much of a fan like mak. i remember us 'setting up camp' in front of the telly - mattress, lots and lots of pillows, with snacks and such - to join mak in watching the final world cup match. she would explain the what and whys. especially the whos.

sigh. i miss her.


oh, yes - the world cup 2010. well, at least i know the host south africa drew 1-1 with mexico in the opening game. hihi.

oh, also, it looks like khaleef loves football, and has pretty kick-ass moves too around a ball. so i guess i just have to be ready to be a soccer mom when the time comes.

or can you be interested in, say - fencing instead? or just be a debater like mak? hmm, khaleef?

A Little Note of Thought & Thanks

a note of thought:

hari tu dalam kereta, mak khairul duduk kat depan dengan khairul, aku duduk belakang dengan budak-budak. tiba-tiba tengah bersembang khairul cium tangan mak dia. saje-saje. comel kan? aku terus nangis senyap-senyap kat belakang. pertama, sebab terharu tengok betapa anak sayangkan maknya. kedua, teringat terus kat mak aku.

mak, rindu kat mak.

mak, rindu nak cium tangan mak.

baper hari lepas tu pulak mak bestfren aku call dari malaysia ni! terharu sungguh. tima kasih, makcik! ingat jugak makcik kat syigim ye. tiba-tiba tengah bersembang makcik mention yang dia masih lagi teringat - malam yg mak aku meninggal tu, aku sebenarnya tidur rumah makcik tu saje nak temankan dia sebab bestfren aku masa tu blaja kat oversea, jadi mak dia sorang-sorang je kat umah.

makcik citer pun dengan nada sebak.

aku pun pujuk cakap kat makcik, "takpe makcik, malam tu memang mak izin pegi tido umah makcik. dah siap-siap cium tangan mak."

pasal aku pun cium tangan mak cuma bila nak klua je. seblom naik bas kat medan gopeng nak balik kl. seblom klua pegi mall. pagi-pagi sblom pegi keja. mesti cium tangan mak. kalo aku tak klua nak pegi tido rumah makcik hari tu, takde la aku rasa hangat tangan mak.

jadi, malam tu nak ditakdirkan Allah, aku klua nak gi tido rumah besfren aku tu, nak temankan mak dia. jadi aku cium tangan mak sblom klua. kalo aku tak klua ke rumah dia, mesti malam terakhir mak, aku masuk tido je without cium tangan mak kan?

jadi, Allah tu Maha Mengetahui. semua yang berlaku ade hikmahnya.

* * *

okeh, takmo sedih-sedih.

* * *

a note of thanks:

tapi, sebenarnya sedih jugak, pasal bantuan dari malaysia dah pulang! hihi.

dah seminggu mak mr. khairul balik malaysia, meninggalkan anak sulungnya cuba meneruskan penghidupan dengan isteri dan anak-anak keciknya!

opah yan bersama cucu terbarunya

terima kasih tak terhingga kepada mak mertua :

• masakkan lauk pantang yang sedap-sedap dan panas-panas
• bakarkan tungku, rebuskan daun-daun untuk mandi, bancuhkan kapur + limau untuk bengkung
  
• sabar melayan karenah mengade-ngade manja si khaleef dan kahfi, termasuk la bapak budak-budak tu sekali!
  
• tiap pagi bawakkan kazim naik atas ke rooftop poolside untuk jemur dia bawah matahari
  
• ironkan semua baju-baju kemeja keja khairul
• mengorbankan waktu berjalan-jalan untuk duk rumah je menjaga cucu dan menantu yg tengah pantang - khairul tak sempat bawak berjalan pun (pasal dia banyak travel sini sana masa tu) dan bawak mak dia makan luar best-best pun cuma hari terakhir
  

dan banyak lagi yang tak tersebut di sini. TERIMA KASIH!

* * *

siapa yang masih punya mak, genggam erat tangannya.

rasala kulit kering mak yang bertahun-tahun jaga makan pakai kita. ciumlah tangan kasar mak yang kerja keras membesarkan kita. jiwailah sentuhan lembut mak yang saban waktu tenangkan kita.

sebab kita tak tahu sampai bila kita boleh rasa sentuhan itu.

Untuk Mak Sedunia

i am a mother.

(boy, that sounds so wonderful!)

i am a mother of three boys. 3. THREE. tiga. 3 BOYS. which sounds totally insane 15 years before - but seemed so fulfilling at this moment in my life.

happy mothers day to me!

* * *

much has been said about my mak in this blog, so no more sad tales here. instead, i will just honor her in this small mention in my humble blog, totally insignificant as compared to what she had done for me and my sisters.

a mak who was very strict when it comes to making sure we've done our homeworks. a mak who was so cool i could tell her about the crush i had for this cute boy in poetry101 class. a mak so smart she could quote shakespeare. a mak who can make the best ayam masak merah. a mak whose eyes squinted when she laughed at my jokes. a mak who was the best listener - ever.

al-Fatihah.

a mak who is my mak. happy mother's day.

* * *

my eldest sis yong, and my younger sis syimot

yong wrote this as her facebook status today :

"Wishing my sisters Syigim Sharifuddin (mother of 3) and Syima Sharifuddin (mother of 2) 'Happy Mother's Day'. Walaupun mak tak sempat melihat the 2 of u as mothers, u have turn out to be great moms. Al-fatihah to arwah mak."

~ From Syimee Sharifuddin (future mother of 4!)

my sisters. dulu kakak dan adik comot. sekarang mama kepada budak-budak comot. happy mother's day.

* * *

god works in mysterious ways. He took one, but He gave 3 and more in return!

these are the women i go to when i wanna know how to steam fish. i went to them to introduce mr. khairul for the very first time. i call them up to tell them i'm at the hospital doing check-ups. i share news with them. share stories. share updates. most importantly, these are the women i go to when i'm hungry!

these are my 'moms' too.

my mak's sisters - aunty na, mak keh and cik. happy mother's day.

auntyna, mak keh and cik

* * *

abah, my younger sisters syidot and azot, with umi

to umi, thank you for being there taking care of abah. happy mother's day.

* * *

this is the mother who gave birth to her first born, who would soon grow up to be a smooth-talker. he eventually won the heart of this ipoh girl, and rode off into the sunset to a castle built on a rainbow.

thank you to mr. khairul's mom for bringing him up well to notice me as mother to his children. happy mother's day.

* * *

got this from fida's facebook wall :

i am a parent, cook, housekeeper, teacher, nurse, handy man, maid, security, coordinator, supervisor, nutritionist, caretaker, personal assistant, life coach, bookkeeper, laundry maid, taxi driver and a motivational speaker. i don't get holiday pay, sick pay, or days off. i am on call 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. now, ......tell me YOUR job is harder than mine. post this if you're a MOM...(～o❤‿❤～o)

says it all, huh?

* * *

happy mother's day to all my buddies who are mothers, moms-to-be and moms-at-heart. we are the queens of the world!

The Day My Husband Visited Mak's Grave

she would have been 53 today.

i miss going to malls looking for the weirdest stuff as a birthday present from her most quirky daughter. i don't buy 'practical gifts' for her - i buy presents she won't even look twice to buy for herself! hihi.

i also especially enjoyed looking for whimsical birthday card for her. one that i really like went like this :

on the cover : "mom, you do such nice things for me all these while that i feel really guilty". and she opens the card and sees this : "..but it's a guilt i can live with! happy birthday, mom!"

this is an excerpt from my very old friendster blog, written a few days after my nikah with the wonderful mr. khairul.

it was my third day of being able to tick the box that says ‘puan‘ instead of ‘cik‘ in forms. yes right after my wedding reception in ipoh.

that morning started out beautifully. we were going to visit mak’s grave. i said to him, "it is the perfect time." i went outside to cut some pandan leaves while he filled a bottle with water.

told mak keh and tokchik who were buzy fixing breakfast in the kitchen. "alhamdulillah. go take some of the roses in your room, pluck out the petals and spread it across the grave later." in perfect utara bm of course! on the way out i picked up two Yaasin and off we went. my husband drove. i showed the way. upon arriving he seemed impressed. "this is one clear, clean and not at all murky and gothic graveyard."

i can see mak’s grave even from the side of the road where we parked our car and a feeling swept over me like waves hitting a lonely beach. i miss mak so much. we walked slowly towards the graves. as i said my salaam to the ahli kubur.

however, i was not the least bit sad; but rather happy to have brought my husband, and glad to be near mak. i was carrying the pandan leaves in one hand, and the tupperware of white rose petals in the other, while my husband held the bottle of water and both Yaasin.

we sat on two of the three stone stools made of bricks right beside mak’s grave. i plucked out little parasitic plants resting on the grave. my husband followed suit. there we were, pulling out little leaves poking out here and there until the surface of mak’s grave has nothing but the white marble stones.

and then we started reciting. my husband’s voice, calm and so beautiful to hear. it was low, and soft - but i heard it. i experienced a sense of serenity as we recited together; slow and steady til the end. it was a most wonderful, rewarding moment especially since we sedekahkan to mak.

upon finishing, i stood up and spread the white rose petals on the grave. we placed the pandan leaves across mak’s grave as we recited the Al-Fatihah and topped it off with pouring the water.

i placed my hand lovingly on mak’s gravestone before leaving her grave as my husband looked on. we walked slowly back to the car, and he took my hand, held it tight - an assurance that he would always be there for me.

our gentle gestures spoke; without uttering a single word.

* * *

later, much later, i asked him, "how do you feel, going to mak’s grave?"

with a slight nanosecond pause, he answered, "..calm."

sigh.

i did not cry at all at the grave. my husband was there. and always will be. God willing.

dont worry. he will take care of me now, mak.

read about my tribute to my mak here.

Al-Fatihah

Hajah Noriza Binti Mohd Anuar

270357 - 311203

Al-Fatihah : Mak (270357 ~ 311203)

six years have passed.

six years of trying to be a woman, mom and daughter without mak to guide and share her wisdom. i hope she's proud of how i turned out to be!

here's a special post to my mak that i wrote last year.

i miss her so much.

Bibir bonda bersih lesu
Pernah dulu mengucupi dahiku
Kini kurasakan kasihnya lagi
Meski jauh dibatasi bumi

~ Usman Awang's 'Ke Makan Bonda'

* * *

al-Fatihah too for mr. khairul's opah (his bapak's mom) who passed away yesterday afternoon at ipoh. her deep perghok accent always reminds me of kampung, of hanging out with abah's side of the family, always a comfort.

"As the first grandson from my father's side, I will miss her best daging serunding on every Eid Fitri. On my last trip back (to Malaysia) in July, met her and she whispered "along kerol..mana tahu tahun depan opah tak jumpa kamu dah.."

true indeed.."

~mr. khairul

she will be missed.

Cheers to All Supermoms!

never in my life had i thought that this day would come when i have to blog about being a mother of TWO kids. man, TWO BOYS!

motherhood happened so fast for me. we met, fell in love instantly, i flew to melbourne the next day, came back after a year, got engaged, then married almost immediately - giving us no time to "you nak anak berape?" >senyap< "you dulu." "you la cakap dulu." "you lah." "you la dulu.."

we got married. fast-forward 4 years later - bam! - 2 boys in tow!


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, to all golden mothers, new mommies, moms-to-be, and mothers at heart. thanks to blogger-mom nekPP and fida for the mother's day cards

these are some amusing mother's day stuff i found all over the net:

* * *

4 Years Of Age - My Mommy can do anything;
8 Years Of Age - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot
12 Years Of Age -My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 Years Of Age -Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either
16 Years Of Age -Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned
18 Years Of Age -That old woman? She's way out of date
25 Years Of Age -Well, she might know a little bit about it
35 Years Of Age -Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion
45 Years Of Age -Wonder what Mom would have thought about it
65 Years Of Age -Wish, I could talk it over with Mom

mak passed away 5 years ago. from then on, yong has been my shoulder to cry on, my pillar of strength and she's able to cook rendang mak, which is a very big deal since it's our hari raya must!

with my aunts, auntyna and cik

i must also thank my mom's sisters, auntyna and cik, also mak keh for being there when i need advice on motherhood and cooking. one phone call and my sisters and i can order our favorite dish from these wonderful aunts. happy mother's day!

* * *

A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: "My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?" When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the students answered the question with the word - M o t h e r!

i'm glad to say that khaleef learns to pick, stash, put-things-back and arrange at a very young age, almost as soon as he could walk. i remember it began with his shoes. and graduated on with his many many little mcd toys.

at 3+ now, he is obligated to put his plate/bowl/cup back into the sink after every single meal, put his dvd cartoon back in the (correct) casing after watching, and of course, his toys - goes without saying! be it the beach toys in the bath tub, his football or his green beret.

when he can reach the sink, i'll be sure to teach him to wash his own plate! it's only a matter of time for him to have to wash the whole pile in the kitchen sink!

* * *

5 or 50, moms are moms...

One early morning, a lady went in to wake up her son. "Wake up, son. It's time to go to school!"
Son: "But why Mom? I don't want to go."
Mom: "Give me two reasons why you don't want to go."
Son: "Well, the kids hate me for one, and the teachers hate me, too!"
Mom: "Oh, that's no reason to not to go to school. Come on now and get ready."
Son: "Give me two reasons why I should go to school."
Mom: "Well, for one, you're 52 years old. And for another, you're the Principal!"

mommy's boy

mr. khairul has certainly done his mother proud. the eldest of six, he certainly has a lot to live up to, having his brothers and sisters looking up to him for examples and wisdom. sigh. and yet, and yet... he's forever his mom's manja along!

* * *

and behind every successful mothers, there's a hyperventilating father. ha ha. i love you honey, and you're a fantabulous bapak but this is just too cute!

answers given by elementary school age children:
"what's the difference between moms and dads?"

• moms work at work and work at home, but dads just go to work at work
• moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them
• dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power because that's who you got to ask if you want ice-cream
• moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine

fathers are equally important as we share the same roles, executed in different ways and delegated to different zones and time. i am lucky to have a husband who doesn't mind getting down and dirty with the diapers, mid-sleep milk time and kiss all the boo-boo-s away.

thanks honey, for mothering the boys when i need some time-out!

* * *

save the best for last.
remembering mak.
al-Fatihah.

*Ke Makam Bonda

Kami mengunjungi pusara bonda
Sunyi pagi disinari suria
Wangi berseri puspa kemboja
Menyambut kami mewakili bonda

Dalam kenangan kami melihat
Mesra kasih bonda menatap
Sedang lena dalam rahap
Dua tangan kaku berdakap

Bibir bonda bersih lesu
Pernah dulu mengucupi dahiku
Kini kurasakan kasihnya lagi
Meski jauh dibatasi bumi

Begitu bakti kami berikan
Tiada sama bonda melahirkan
Kasih bonda tiada sempadan
Kemuncak murni kemuliaan insan

~Usman Awang

* shortened. i admit it's because the actual length tu sedih sangat. whereever you are, call your mom! if you're at home, go and give her a great big hug. i'm calling abah in a sec...

in the meantime, i'm waiting for mr. khairul to come home for us to go have my mother's day special makan. yum!

Thinking of Mak

she would have been 52 today.

over facebook, yong listed out which of mak's signature dish did we inherit. because i told her we're lucky yong is able to cook mak's rendang that tastes exactly like what she used to make every raya.

alhamdulillah...sedikit sebanyak ada masakan mak yang kita tahu skit2... :))

syigim : masak nasik minyak mak...
syima : masak bihun mak...
syida : pandai cekodok pisang & bubur jagung mak......
azie : masak popiah / karipap mak...

okay le tu... :))

~yong

read about my tribute to her here.


always love you, mak.
270357 ~ 311203
Al-Fatihah

Mak ~ 270357 - 311203

it has been 5 years already since mak passed away. we all miss her everyday.

mak in 1977 and mak in 2000 - beautiful as always

my mak. what a fascinating person indeed. she looked like your typical housewife, mother of 5 exceptionally unique girls (esp the second one! hihi) - but deep down she's my walking dictionary of life.

she is the best person i can really *talk* to. she didn't just understand me, but she *speaks* my language and we can borak in english like heck. man, we can chat about a lot of stuff - from normal happenings in college to intimate details after a hot date! like what my youngest sister once claimed, mak is a 'best friend' any daughter could want.

she's a really simple person. despite being able to afford stuff a typical housewife would pester her husband for, she didn't lavish money on unnecessary wants. she didn't insist on gucci or lv - she shopped smart and spent wisely. all of us girls grew up in her simplicity and i would definitely nurture my sons to live life simple yet meaningful.

with mak on our trip to sydney

the one with mak's habits
how much did she KNOW her daughters? mak would cut out articles from newspapers and kept them for her daughters. for her, man - she had tons of scrapbooks - from movies to updates on piala thomas. from recipes to comic strips. i remember was it cik or aunty na (mak's sisters) who told me that even in her teens mak would keep scrapbook on song lyrics. what can i say? she was a 'collector' - like me!

for me, she would keep everything about english or weird stuff like 'why do buttons on girls and boys shirts on different sides'. for azi, maybe on local music scene, gossips or sports. if its syima then science articles would be put aside for our family microbiologist. for yong, it's business and when it comes to syida - i guess it's recipes for butter cake. recently esp, she does show a lot of potential in trying out new recipes...

bottom line, she would customized her findings according to the interests of her 5 daughters who are all different as day and night and unique as snowflakes!

the one with mak's yummiest dish
how i miss these cookings - the best of the best! fortunately yong was able to cook the rendang to taste exactly like mak's so every raya she's the appointed rendang cook. it wouldn't be raya without her rendang...

• ayam masak merah (terbaik!)
  
• pulut durian (the lumps of sweet gravy!)
  
• rendang ayam for hari raya (incomplete without!)
  
• nasi lemak (never taste anything quite like hers)
  
• cucur udang
• karipap daging (oooo the rich buttery taste)
  
• bihun goreng (simplest ever - tomato, daging, egg. period)
  

i like english because of mak
it's safe to credit mak for my incredible passion for language. she and i both did shakespeare's macbeth in high school and i cannot think of anyone else i can talk about shakespeare with. (mr. khairul would start merepeking using 'thee' and 'thou's in all the wrong ways when i started with him!) she's the reason i wanted to take up literature in english way back when i was in form 4.

she really encouraged reading and in my posting about books, i did mention that she introduced a lot of authors to me - including richard adams' who i am yet to read. all in good time, mak.

with mak on yong's wedding day - busy lady!

the one about what she likes
mak liked to play computer games. period. her favorite computer game was burger time. another game in her favor was scrabble - man, she could play scrabble even when noone's around to play with her. she just loved words - and so do i. i really miss that.

she liked to cook this plain luffa soup - (ala sup petola ckp orang melayu) which was just luffa, prawn and onions boiled in water. she just loved to eat that lauk.

and man, she loved football. yes, she did. she even had her own 'dream team' with her fav striker and goalie. only yesterday i was chatting with my sister syida about this - and we were debating on which football team she was rooting for in one world cup. she said it was argentina and i claimed it's italy. weh yong, syima, azi - korang boleh verify tak?

us @ mak's fav (syida called it) 'thinking couch' - ngan bau minyak angin mak

the one about our everlasting memories of mak
5 girls and infinite number of memories - all in the name of love for our beloved mak.

"..yong akan miss nak cerita to mak all about haiqal n haqeem...mak kan jaga haiqal dulu.." ~ syimee, puteri sulung

"a'ah la..lupa nak add. mak pun suka gile tgk....HINDI movies!!!! and also FOOTBALL! ingat tak mak paste poster italian footballer masa world cup fever? and we stayed up really really late tgk football ngan mak. and when whose line is on mak akan panggil suh tgk.." ~ syigim, second born

"kalau dengan ma, mak selalu bgtau citer2 hindustan yang best2 n tgk sesama....tgk world cup...kalau time sekolah dulu study mlm2, mak pun stay up jugak..paling tak lupa masa sek rendah dulu masuk lwn congkak...sebab mak yg ajar mcm2 trick....mak sebenarnye yg beria2 suruh masuk...dpt number satu... tp syg dah lupa..." syima, middle child

"mak will wait for me each year from form 4 sampai matrics kuala nerang to watch the lord of the rings together... and syida stayed up late tgk tv dgn mak malam2 tgk sitcom2 and tv dramas like ally mcbeal & west wing" ~ syida, fourth kid

"mak suka tengok cite yg boring tu, the west wing kot (xle kaco kalo tengah tengok) dan suka kumpulan carefree kot. haha dan suka tengok bola, pastu demam bola. tengok cite kuci2 hota hai smpai 5-6 kali.." ~ azi, adik bongsu

"i still remember vividly our last hug b4 me off to london. dat was da last day i saw ur mom. She was a remarkable lady. I have always been one of her favs..u hafta admit dat ok. May Allah grant Mak Cik Jannatul Firdaus, ameen." ~ niraku - my best buddy

with mak on our raya open house

i would like to share a beautiful excerpt i got from this sasteraful blog. i find this blog wonderfully engaging in its bahasa melayu simplicity. i'm not one for poetic malay style of writing but this blogger can really write! reading this particular excerpt never failed to make me shed a tear...

semua ni buat aku terkenang arwah bunda.
nah.

siapa yang pernah hilang ayahbunda, mari pegang tangan saya. kita sama2 kuat...siapa yang masih punya mereka, jaga sementara ada. kita tak akan tahu sampai bila sempat kita rasa kulit kering mereka.

kan...?

tuhan, jagakan mereka.
temukan kami di akhirat sana.

mom, see u in our rendezvous.
by the milky lake, dressed in white and pink,
like u said.

tunggu kami, mak.

Al-Fatihah.