Epidemic at 1 Baiduri

There is a new epidemic at Umar’s school. It is really scary and has me scratching my head with worry and fear of contagion. It is one of the worst kind of epidemic that mothers ( especially mine because she has 8 children ) scream with fear and have sleepless nights.

Yup, the kutu outbreak. I am really scared that I have been thinking of shaving Umar’s hair off. I had wanted to last week but well… do not want to overdo it. But after meeting with Dan’s sister whose daughter is in the same class as Umar, I am determine to do so.

I pity the source as she gets regular jibes and cynical remarks from her friends. The teacher said the kids are not deliberately cruel it is just that they have no social understanding yet. Kesian…

But, well… Sometimes I could feel little feet running through my hair. I have obessesively checked Umar and Elsa’s hair for signs of invasion. I am also contemplating to do a new sleeping arrangement, the same arrangement my sisters and I designed when we were kids and were bloody petrified of getting infected, the alternate head and feet layout. If one sister slept at the head of the bed, the other sister who shared the bed will sleep at the foot of the bed. Meaning instead of sleeping or talking next to your sister’s face, we will be sleeping and talking with your sister’s feet. No two heads were ever together and therefore no kutu ( if any ) can jump on anybody’s head, unless kutus can live on your bulu roma kaki…. Ingenious.

So, Umar will go Kojak. Will send pictures soon… he he…

Book Review : Spinster Sisters By Stacey Ballis

This is a story of two sisters who made it big by being single. They have talk shows and books celebrating life as a single. However things started to take a different turn when one decided to marry. This story is more on the other sister trying to cope with the bad press and her worry if the company will survive with one sister not a spinster anymore. Of course she is trying to manage her love life as well plus her ffriendship with her ex-husband.

The book has a good idea. I mean the idea is quite an original, something that I have never stumbled upon. But it was marred by the way she writes. It was boring. The storyline was okay but needs more work. The praises in front of the book somehow does not match the filling of the book at all.

It held a lot of promises but… well, she has to write better. Try it though, you might like it.

Magazine Review : Reader's Digest May Issue

I have been reading Reader’s Digest for as long as I could remember. My dad forced us to read it month by month and I am glad he did. This puny magazine has a lot to offer. It contains a wealth of information and stories and I can say that it will help to mould your life.

Let me tell you how it shaped mine. One very nice thing ( and the very thing that attracted me to read it when my father initially pushed it to me ) about it is it has a lot of jokes insides. From Laughter Is The Best Medicine to Life’s Like That, jokes also make their appearances after the ending of an article.

One joke went like this, At a conference for worriers, the speaker advised his audience the futility of worrying and the side effects it could have on a person. He said “ Usually, 70% of what you worried about, never happened !! “. One participant shouted “ Then it worked, didn’t it ? “.

It is only a joke but it has such a profound effect on me. So much so, as I told my boss about 2 months ago, it has made me the person I am today, a first class worrier. I couldn’t let go any of my worries, as I fear it would happen when I stop. Therefore I am content to frown and be edgy until the situation passes. Or if it is a long standing issue, I take comfort when the worry surfaces now and then, because when they do then I have hope that it will not happen. Psychological thing, trust me.

Anyway, this month there is an article on the medical dramas that has graced television screens all these years, from Dr Kildare to House, which is my absolute favourite. Then there is an article on the piracy on the Straits of Malacca and told 2 heroic stories of Malaysians who helped to save the day ( and lives ). That was a good one and made me proud.

There is also an article on why insurance buyers should read the small prints of the contract. It also advised on the important things we should ask our agents before we sign up for anything. Brilliant. One sad article is on how families who lost their children try to re- build their lives. These children died when their own family car backed into them. Truly tragic.

Read it. There are other great articles too that either could help you or just be an enjoyable piece to read. The jokes ? Wa ha ha… funny !!

Badminton

Yesterday I played badminton with my husband. He hates playing badminton with me. The problem is he said is my hits never went to him. If he is on the right side I will hit the ball to the left and vice versa. If he is in front of the net, I will hit the ball far back and if he is at the end of the court the ball will fall near the net. He even went as far as saying that is where Umar get his lack of co-ordination genes from. Oii… tolong sikit ye….

Okay, this is what my father taught me. When you play badminton, you want your opponent to be unable to serve back your balls. Make him run to return them. That is how we score points. This explanation came when I cried in frustration due to my inability to return my dad’s ball. I mean that makes sense innit ? Our opponents dropped ball is a gained point for us. And therefore, I do not know how to play badminton any other way.

Dan’s reasoning is we are playing for fun and not collecting points. But…. Where is the fun in that when I have to return all his balls back to him ?

Hmmm........

Movie Review : Chermin

We watched Chermin during the weekend on our telly ( I bought original DVD okay ). I am not gonna mention about the story line much as I really want you guys to watch it. The gist of it, it is about Nasrin who was involved in a mysterious accident and was scarred at her cheeks because of it. The accident of course is a result of something deeper and sinister as it involves a family curse. Deanna Yusoff plays Mastura, the curser ( he he ) and Natasha Hudson as the chosen great granddaughter that she wants to possess. Why is Mastura so evil ? What happened ? Well, it is actually quite sad. I am not saying that Mastura has a right to do what she did, but I understand why she did it. Really. Of course she was half crazy anyway… so… well….

It is a better movie to me then Jangan Pandang Belakang. Deanna Yusof’s acting was good however it was marred by her inability to speak Malay properly. The intonation was not there. They should’ve probably chosen somebody who is a native Malay speaker or should’ve spent more time teaching Deanna to talk. I have no complains about her acting though, I mean she is a scary hantu, albeit a very beautiful one. The scene where she was taunting them from inside the mirror was excellent and her portray of a deranged wife is spot on, but I just couldn’t relate to her way of talking. It is just not there yet. Seems forced somehow and it made her sound unrealistic. I mean the face and the modulation didn’t match. But all the same, good acting Ms Yusof.

Natasha Hudson was okay. We could tell when Mastura had possessed Nassrin because the way she talked was already different. She was successful in her attempt to talk like Deanna. So yes, that was excellent.

The cinematography was admirable and the songs were brilliant. I like that. Like Cinta, the songs came at appropriate moments and the choices were apt. The location.. well, where did they film the movie ? The kampong is a very beautiful kampong. Very clean and well kept. The houses were fine-looking and deserved a mention in interior and exterior design journals. Rumah sapa lah tu ye… Maybe somewhere in Hulu Langat.

I don’t know why it didn’t receive more rave reviews or stayed longer in the cinemas. I don’t know why they said it’s boring too. I mean, the dishy Farid Kamil should’ve taken out all the boring bits, if any, immediately. However, I do have to say he didn’t appear enough times in this movie, so maybe that’s why. Ha ha.. Seriously it is a good movie.

Complains ? Well again ( check my review on Jangan Pandang Belakang ), the exorcism was too easy. I need a more elaborate scene. It has to be harder than that, surely ? Nevertheless, is she really gone ? Really ? She’s dead ? They are never truly gone are they ? Ha ha…. Hmm.. maybe that is the boring part.

The unrealistic moment was very funny. It highlighted the problem with all Malaysian movies, lack of attention to detail. What happened was Natasha Hudson’s scar was.. well how can I put this ajar ? The scar was not properly attached to her skin. We could actually see the gap between skin and the paste on scar.

Moral of the story ?

Don’t force arranged marriages on your children. Something could go wrong. Sure love marriages could turn out bad too but at least the love factor ( which I feel is very essential to all unions ) is there.
If you are a second wife, don’t be cruel.
If you feel hopeless and could hear voices and you know you are going crazy, seek help and seek God !!

Okay ? Watch it.

Bye bye Anu..

My friend Anu has left Shah Alam. He is in Melaka now, working for a new company. What a group of friends to do but host a farewell dinner for our dearest Anu.

From the picture you can see Amelia and I were allowed to sit next to each other. But soon of course we started to whisper. Shazmi protested with a " Oi.. oii.. oiii " and Anu just lifted his hand in despair.

Eii... suka hati lah...

Shah only arrived after Amelia left for her meeting, so next is the picture of 4B !! Ha ha...

PS : Anu will only be in Melaka for 3 months... after that he will return to his beloved Shah Alam.

Book Review : Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes

I remember reading a book by Marian Keyes on the plane. I was from Singapore back to Malaysian soil and I was sitting next to a mat salleh. Marian being Marian were hilarious. The guy next to me kept putting his book down to watch me laugh. After awhile, he remarked that that must be a really good book. I looked up at him, eyes twinkling and said, “ I love Irish writers. They are the best !! “ He nodded at me and I continued with my reading. I couldn’t concentrate after that though ( not just because he was kinda hot ) because it had me thinking why did I say that ? Apart from Maeve Binchy, I couldn’t think of any other Irish authors. “

I closed my book and said to him “ I’m sorry but I do not know why I said that. To be honest, I couldn’t think of any other Irish writers !! “ He smiled and said “ I know !! “ and we got to talking. His name is Paul ( Merkin I think ) and at that time was working with Manchester United ( could you believe my luck ? ). I was scheduled to go to London the month after and he graciously offered tickets for me and gave me his e-mail address. Sadly, I lost it and I was mad with regret when I touched down in London ( sadly when we met on the plane, Paul was leaving for England with his best friend’s body, who was a victim of the Bali bombing. MAS graciously offered to fly him first class back to England. He flew MAS from London to KL, stayed a few weeks in KL and Penang, went to Singapore then to his unfortunate trip to Bali ).

Anyway, whatever it is, this Irish novelist is simply marvelous. My first book by Ms Keyes was ‘ Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married’ and from then on I was hooked. It was so funny, deep and described the trial and tribulations of the singles trying to find love ( permanent one ) beautifully. Her angst and yearnings was so vivid and believable. I totally could relate to Lucy.

Her latest book is ‘Anybody Out There’ and it is just so sad. I cried because the ending is so bittersweet. It is about the 4th Walsh sister ( Rachel was in Rachel’s Holiday, Maggie was in Angels, Claire was in Watermelon and Helen hadn’t got a book yet. Next one I hope because Helen is a real interesting character ).

It is about Anna who lost her husband of less than 1 year. She was ignoring the fact that her husband died and kept on e-mailing him and leaving messages on his mobile and I just wondered why did this Aidan disappeared ? She was badly wounded and he just upped and left her alone ? Then it turned out she was just blanking out the fact that her beloved, perfect Aidan died in a car accident. The same car accident that wounded our Anna.

When she finally acknowledged that Aidan had passed on, she went crazy trying to find mediums that could contact Aidan from the other side. Then, came the startling news that so broke her heart. The news that Aidan wanted to break to her gently over the dinner. The dinner that they were trying to get to before Aidan was ruthlessly taken from her. The last dinner that Aidan had planned for them.

I liked the way she finally embraced the news even though it hurt like mad. I liked the way Aidan finally came to her from the other side at the end of the book. It was gentle and sweet and oh so sad…. I like the way it ended with promises of a new love in the future and that she actually is not alone. She has 4 crazy sisters that love her, an even battier mother, a silent, loving father ( who was lovingly ruled and trampled by the 6 opiniated women in his life ) plus marvelous and motley collection of friends that desperately tried to help her get by.

Beautiful… hmmm……………

Pasar Tani

Today I was thinking of joining Umar’s tennis class. I asked his coach if it is possible and he doesn’t mind at all. He is just concerned that I might get bored since his students are from5 – 14 year olds. As I was discussing with him, I received an sms from Amelia asking for my company. She needed to go to Pasir Tani.

Female companionship wins over tennis expertise. Kamalia joined us and it was good. I was craving for some female bonding. I love pasar tani. You can virtually get everything there from fresh produce, halal ( Muslim produced ) fisballs, beefballs and noodles ( keaw tiaw, mee etc ), clothes, food even cars !! What they still do not have is sadly good Laksa Penang. I have tried most of them and none came up to my standard.

I especially love the tudungs on sale there. Many times whenever I go to the office attired with a new tudung from there, I was pestered by my colleagues to go again to get them the same design. At one time, I got high fever because I went every week !! It is so hot there and preferably one must go before 8.30 am if you want to save your skin from being burnt and not getting your throat parched beyond believe.

I have gone to pasar tani with Dan but choosing tudung is not the same as he is just so difficult to please. Everything is ugly. I once went with my mom, dad and grand ma and that was as bad as going with my kids. Same amount of whining and complaining.. he he. Going with my girlfriends was good as I can get honest opinions and retail expertise. The conversation is great too.

It brought me to my shopping spree with Yasmin and Amelia a few years back. Min was about to return to work after 3 months confinement at home when she had Farah. We were at Mid Valley from 10 am to 5 pm. We had to stop for refreshments twice, once for lunch and once from exhaustion. By 2 pm, 3 husbands were constantly ringing asking and pleading ( and at one point ordering ) their wives to come home.

Ahhh…. Bliss…… Bila nak buat perangai lagi nih ?