RED?

Hastily, Sok Koon came to Diyanah

"Red, red, red! Red come, under fridge!"

"What? Red? What red?" asked Diyanah in suspence.

"Red, long tail, it jump", replied Sok Koon.

"Oh, the lizard? Long tail?", Asked Diyanah.

"NO! Red! Red! I can kill it", retorted Sok Koon.

"What? Red? Long tail? Where?", asked Diyanah.

"It jump in, now under there, fridge", said Sok Koon.

"It big! I kill it, I kill it" she continued, busy pushing, shoving beneath the tight corner of the fridge.

"OOOOOOOh... that RED!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Diyanah... somehow she never went into the kitchen. She just stood by the kitchen door.

Meanwhile, Rizal (Harith's Papa) went round to the kitchen through the back door, wanting to help.  Sok Koon, refused his help.

"It's Ok brother, I can kill red, I can kill red!", said Sok Koon.

From my bedroom which is directly above the kitchen (that's why when pots of soups got burn, I could easily smell them), I could hear commotions and banging on the wall. I just ignored, thinking she was scrubbing the corners of the kitchen.


Half an hour later, when I came down, I saw her soaking in sweat but still smiling at me. When Diyanah explained the "incident', I was laughing my heart out...

It was like a chicken-half-duck talking to a duck-half-chicken... if you knew what I mean.  I also don't know if there is such thing as what I have written here.  LOL!

After such a long hide and seek with the the RED which turned out to be a big rat from the neighborhood, she succumbed to her failure!  Hahahahahha, the rat escaped.  SO, it's a rat and not red as she pronounced.

These conversation was recorded between my youngest daughter and our Cambodian cleaner that comes weekly.

PULL OVER AND HOP IN

The initial TheStarOnline.tv report

The landmark Jaya Supermarket building in Section 14 in Petaling Jaya collapsed after demolition operations went awry Thursday afternoon

PETALING JAYA: 28th May 09

The abandoned Jaya Supermarket in Section 14 here collapsed after demolition operations went awry on Thursday evening.

Part of the four-storey building, a landmark of the city, collapsed at about 4:45pm, trapping nine Indonesian construction workers. Others working at the site managed to escape.

The Fire and Rescue Department received a distress call at 5:08pm and about 50 firemen immediately rushed to the scene.

My Phone camera captured these pics (below) from my moving car as we slowly going through the street in sadness: 14th June 2009

This was the place where I found "THE FAITHFUL" posted on the 1st January 2008...

We started patronizing this super"market" since the 1980's after returning from a-four-year "normadic life" in the UK.

Most times we were there for various obvious reasons:

• to get our grocery supplies, a few times a week
  
• to visit our "panel doctor" - the then Dr.Ruby Majeed and Syed Mahmud Clinic at the far end of the corridor on the second floor, each time the children fell ill
  
• to get our daily "quick lunch" at Dave's Deli, McD, Kentucky FC (for me and the kids as their school was not far off)
  
• to browse for favorite books and to look for stationery from the Popular Book Store
• to try and buy outfits for work from the Thiara Boutique, before it closed down
  
• to get shoes from the BATA Shop and Scholls from the Scholl outlet
  
• to try and buy clothes for me and my children from the most frequented "Reject Shop"
• to repair and buy watches and pens from "The City Chain"
• I would never forget The Cold Storage guys who were familiar with us that we were allowed to open mandarin boxes and choose the fresh ones for our purchase...This happened only occasionally when the Chinese New Year festival season came.
• and there were more list of tenanted retailers and office dwellers

NOW I feel so nostalgic about this place... I almost couldn't go on with "25 years of memories" to list down... Anyway, when the building was standing strong and beautiful I never thought about capturing it from my cam.

I TOLD YOU TO... part FOUR

I did not tell you to...

Perhaps... you may just be luckier than them
Your little diary did not join them
In the fire that vary day
For you were not yet born then

I still kept it somewhere...
Anyway, before you arrived, blood pressure shot high
I was so afraid on that day, 29th October 1991
That the blood transfusion might went "wrong"

A couple of days before "hiv blood"
Found its was into an old man's body
With such mistakes were they forgiven?
Not ever, ever, ever! Poor old man

A prestigious teaching hospital, committed such a mistake?
I was really scared, it might get into me!
The blood pressure was not a history to me
But that day... it shot high of fright!

9:00p.m. ... I was in the labor room
Waiting anxiously as the student doctors took blood samples
Another was trying to poke into my veins
That sent blood dripping to the floor

Nothing exciting but anguish build inside me
Voices of other mothers were heard
One went silent after a loud yell
I thought, has she gone?

When the baby arrived
I was alive and not given any sedatives
She was welcomed like all the other three
With no bother of the snow this time

It was in Kuala Lumpur, the city with tons of characters
But she grew up with no such problems
She was well brought up along with her other siblings
Being too well protected and sheltered!

I am writing all the four poems while waiting for PIC to arrive... tonight she is taking me to a wedding nearby.....so long readers... enjoy your week end.

I TOLD YOU TO... part THREE

You had a blue diary
But I bet if you remembered it at all
I carefully transcripted it for you
In case you want to know all about it

The handsome gynecologist was Prof.Rachagan
Wednesday 20th May 1987 it was
Normal appointment day at the Ante-Natal
What? Did you say "the baby was no good?"

OW! Rushed up rushed here rushed there
The nurses were shoving the wheels
The graph showed a deep sunken valley-like
That showed the heart beat? Yup!

"Fetal distress", was it? Yes? No?
I was shocked... wasn't I? Of course I did
The baby was lacking oxygen?
"Cesarean"! I slumped in that blue chair

It was a taboo to hear that vary word
But the Prof.sent me home for lunch!
Meanwhile blood pressure had shot up
I was so scared of cesarean

Three o'clock was the time on the wall
Someone was with me in that cold room
That sent me shivering to my spine
My teeth were greeting each other endlessly!

For two days I did not get to see him
I was told it was a him
I prayed hard for his hands, fingers and all
Were to be normal

He was in the incubator for observation
It was that bad, the temperature had to be normal
Then he would be with me by my side
I prayed hard for his safe journey into my arms

The pains that followed, was indescribable
But I endured it with patience
Alhamdulillah syukur (Thanks Allah)
I have a little rest at last!

Son, every little word was scribed for you
To read, to share and to treasure later in life
But alas! It went elsewhere
I told you to keep it, didn't I?

I TOLD YOU TO... part TWO

Your diary was the one in red
But you never kept it safely
Or salvaged it from the burning fire
While someone was clearing stuffs in the house

Devastation crept inside me
I was frustrated
My scribes went into ashes
Such a wasted effort!

Watching "Towering Inferno" in the night
At our rented apartment
Just besides the Royal Infirmary
It was 10:00p.m. my resting time

Suddenly this "signal" came
There was no pre warnings
The pain was just (too) enormous
It surely gave me a "towering notice"

I have no idea what could have happened
It was a Sunday Night, on a week end
When we arrived, there were no doctors
I was put in the labor room

There were too few nurses
A loud yell sent them rushing to me
Someone was heard saying "Hold on"
What? Could I, could you?

The shortest arrival time with no difficulties...
4 hours later, the 11th of January 1982
It was snowing outside
You were not properly wrapped

I noticed you easily caught cold
When the temperature was low
I shun visitors with cold carriers to our house
They made you having runny nose throughout!

Living in Lake View... was fun
Our house was just a few feet away from this huge lake
But no body ever dared taking a swim
In that ice cold water

Cramlington was our next destination
The semi-detached house was rented
Friends like Christie, Bob and Mark
Shared your toys, food and drinks

When we came back to Malaysia
It was time to adjust to new things
No problems communicating in Malay language
Soon after Terengganu dialects were practiced

Time to move on, we left my parent's house
Living in the City of Kuala Lumpur
The busy and chaotic life did not bother you
Life was just as normal to you both....

I told you though! Keep that diary dear and read it once in a while. Now, I bet you remember nothing that was scribbled in it. Alas!

I TOLD YOU TO... part ONE

To My first three children...

Each time before your "arrival"
I kept this special diary
Carefully narrated on each page
What happened, when and why

Daughter NO.1... if i could recall...
Bits here and there...
A week before your arrival
We were warded in the Newcastle Royal Infirmary

I took along a change of tiny clothes
Diapers, linens and blanket
As it was wintering
Afraid you might have caught cold
....in case you arrived

But then you were not ready to "arrive"
So we went home instead
Resting a little while longer
Waiting for the "signals" ...ready when you are!

29 years ago... On a winters day
(California dream, dream, dreaming
On such a winter's day)
On the 6th of November 1980
At a much forgotten time (really)
You finally arrived at the delights of new parents

I remember vaguely a nurse from Kuantan (Malaysia)
Working in the Infirmary and sweet as she was
We both were glad we met each other
Our home towns were not far apart
Yet we met in foreign lands

The next thing we knew
You were in the incubator
Your arrived late with jaundice
Hence the naked body shone with strong lights

I was in the other wing resting
Each feeding time was a miracle
There was no sms, no emails received
No phone calls made BUT
I knew it was feeding time

Allah sent me signals that
My baby needed me
So I walked all the way
A Five minute walk...

After you were full
I left and got in bed
Writing away all the happenings
With tiny slanting scribbles

It was a dark blue thin diary
That was not salvaged
From the fire that someone
Carelessly cleared from our bookshelf

I just remembered... had you kept it, we could compare and find similarities between you and your first born, my beloved grandson! You both look alike... but as time went on he changes bit by bit. He has got your bright eyes, your eye lashes and wearing your smiles. BUT most of all he has both his parents intelligence combined!

I told you to keep your own diary that I wrote for you! Now that dairy is no longer around, but memories linger on and on... soon there would be no more memories...

AMATEUR BEAD WORK

Make over on a head gear, a square scarf folded into triangles and worn with matching baju kurong... the beads were sewn to camouflage the faded embroidery threads.

Sleeves with more elaborate beads on a pale colored baju kurong...

Sleeves of my baju kurong (recycled ... the baju is almost 8 years old) that I sewn myself. Notice the hemming is quite fine. Today's tailors never sewn this "fine" (?).

One side of the completed sleeve.

When I tried to smoothen the slightly-crumpled-fabric on the other sleeve... guess what had happened to it???? Notice the darker color(???) in the picture at the bottom? It's the temperature setting doing the bit!!!! (not ME!)...Now my daughter never got to wear this blouse with beads on... sob, sob!

Sad piece of work (I have left the needle and thread intact, for months now)

Out of frustration, leaving the needle and thread on, still thinking out loud what to do with this uncompleted work... I can't figure out how other than buying a piece of new fabric and replace with new sleeves.

This dark blue baju kurong was worn by my youngest daughter on her "college graduation" night. It took me almost a week to complete the bead work. The main focus of this garment is on the sleeves and its bottom part.... knee high length...

This was my oldest bead work on my baju kurong... its almost in the middle part of the baju. Worn many times during different occasion as I love the purple color so much.