As a child, I used to like MILO so much. I still do. Not as much…but still do. But back then, it was always about sharing. Getting a little today, so there’s a little for others. About berjimat. Getting a little today for a little again the day after. Milo was a reward. A treasure. Not just a drink. It was also ‘food’ for those tea-times when there wasn’t enough flour for mom to make any kueh.
When I got my first biasiswa, the first thing I bought was a BIG can of MILO. I didn’t drink it. I ate it. I ate it like I was going to stop breathing the next minute. I ate it ’til I dropped (and that was after ‘dropping’ half a can of MILO-like droppings lah of course!) I had Milo that day like I never did before, and like I was never going to, again. I had enough MILO to last me for a lifetime. Or two! Talk about deprivation and balas dendam, eh?
My childhood was not an unhappy one. But there were a lot of things that I was kinda deprived of. Things that I didn’t ask for…because I knew it wasn’t easy for Mom and Dad. I remember how Mom had to make bubur nasi for weeks because we didn’t have enough rice to have the regular solid nasi.
Dad was in Sabah for a year – on duty. We got to see him once every three months in the form of mailed Money/Postal Order. The cue for an early day the next day – off to the post office, Supermarket Larut & Matang and a satay treat. Hoyehh! We shied away from Kedai Pak Usop and Kedai Cik Milah for a few weeks, at least.
But even then, MILO never really made it to our shopping list. There were other things. Many other things to consider. Like our school books and stuff. We sisters never ran short of pencils and papers, that’s for sure. We grew up fine and dandy Milo-less. Mom’s bubur nasi was always with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And with lots and lots of nutrition.
Once in a while I find myself looking and craving for MILO. I mean the REAL Milo. Malaysian MILO, not Jamaican or European MILO which tend to be too creamy and coco’ey. And don’t even suggest Ovaltine to me, puh-leeease! When I was in Oman, I was lucky to have Esther and Philomina who stocked up cans and cans of MILO for their kids but ended up donating those MILOs to me. Those kids didn’t know what they were missing!
But here in Calgary, I have yet to find Malaysian MILO. Not at T&T, nor it is sold at Center St. Market. Arrgghh! I however bought two 500g cans when I was in Toronto. I had to have my small luggage bag checked-in because it was a little too heavy for me to usung as a cabin piece. I packed two 500g cans of MILO all the way back to Calgary from Toronto. Demi MILO, kugagahi jua!
So for now I am good for another week or two (just finished my first can of MILO this morning). I told you I still like Milo. No I don’t eat MILO anymore. I drink it now, savoring every sip and gulp. And every now and again, more than I miss MILO, I miss Mom’s bubur nasi. I miss Mom. And that…is more than anything.
Questa è Enida 
Hi Dan,
Thanks for posting a comment. Oh yes I do know Jaja & Ismail and Shireen. I even went to the “Coffee Morning” slash farewell party for Esther at Shireen’s. That was uh, way back when. My hubby and I left for Milan (but kept the PDO House) in June 2001, returned in April 2002. Left for Calgary July 2002 and went back to Muscat November 2003. We pretty much stayed put right to the end of the contract with PDO June this year. My hubby is with SGS KL since.
We were never meant to meet up eh?
So whereabouts are you now? Back in Malaysia? Did you know that Philo just shifted to Brunei, and Esther is in Miri? Jaja & Ismail left PDO as well, just about a month or two ahead of us. I am not sure about Shireen but I bet she’s still in Oman.
Oh wow! For people who have never met, we sure can exchange a load of info. Well, tell you what…email me you email contact to enida@mail.com. Nanti kita sembang panjang once I ‘clue you in’. Hee hee hee.
My regards to your wifey poo.
This is a very interesting memoir. Milo had this contest quite some time ago but they only allowed a very limited text – otherwise you would’ve won.
You other entries are interesting too, but when I get to this one, I was like… wait a minute, Oman? Esther? Philomena? I know them. I was in PDO most of my time from 2002 till Nov 2004. Hmmm… I bet you know Jaja & Shireen as well.