Let’s see how many yes’s you will have to the next 12 questions on how much you know about me…
- Did you know that I am only 10 months younger than my elder sister, KaCher? We were born in the same year – she in February, and I in December. Yes, February and December of the same year. So we were cohorts, in the same class right from Grade 1 through Grade 11 (Primary 1 through Form 5, as we call our grades in Malaysia). We went to the same university, took the same course – though were not put in the same class throughout the 6 years, nor achieved the same class for our baccalaureate – we were colleagues, teaching at the same university for quite a few years.
- Did you know that I have a serious OCD when it comes to HFM cleanliness? The only time will I go to bed without washing and cleaning my feet is if I have been wearing socks all day. And the only time will I go to bed without brushing my teeth is… uh, never! Hands? Mine will be washed everytime I see a sink! (That’s Enida, interrupted and exaggerated.)
- Did you know that I am actually an introvert? Many would say I am a mix. While I can, and tremendously do enjoy being in front of 300-500 people, giving talks, doing training, talking about what I do best – which is PUBLIC SPEAKING – I shy away from almost everyone at times. A lot of time. I savor my private corner where I recharge, reload and regroup. And boy, I sure get cranky when I don’t get my ‘Enida Time’ – alone.
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Did you know that I immensely love reading anything that is ‘properly’ written. I’m not talking about printed matters here. They have to be perfectly written before they make it to the press. I am talking about simpler things done properly. And properly is: when capital letters are in the right places, sentences are decently punctuated, only single exclamation and question marks, and only one or three dots are used at a time…………………, not 12 or 25, okay??????????!!!!!! Yeah, not like that. These little things are a sign of either the non-existence of knowledge or the absence of wisdom. I am sure you know the difference between the two conditions, don’t you? And I can easily tell by looking at how you write in your:
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letters, cards, postcards, or even flyers, etc.
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email, blog, Facebook (wall, status, notes)
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text messages
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Did you know that the only chocolate I like is dark bitter chocolate, the only chocolate drink I would drink is chocolate malt (only Milo), and the only milk I enjoy is rice milk? (Coconut milk is not a drink, hello!) I grew up on Dumex, but later developed mild lactose-intolerance. At 26 of age, I had my very first cheese and fainted due to the smell, not the lactose.
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Did you know that I wish someone would come up with a smart hanger or drawer (or something!) for us women to store our bras. Yes, brassiere, bandeaux or what KaCher and I used to call penyangkut tetek (boobs hangers). (That was before we had grown and developed those hanging things! Once we knew how challenging it was to ‘maintain’ them bouncing kittens, we started calling bras with respectful names.) Bras are not easily folded, if you notice. In fact, they shouldn’t be folded at all. And if you do fold them to save storage space, one of the cups will definitely be folded invertedly. (But of course this applies only to those with foam, or sponge cups. If you’re still wearing ones without any support – no wire, no stiff cups… you must be either in grade 6, have nothing hanging, or just had an implant as an excuse to go bouncing carelessly bralessly. -
Did you know that not many people can tell my voice from my KaCher’s, my Lil Sis, Reen’s and my mom’s. It sometimes even takes my Dad a few minutes into a phone conversation to realize it is a call from Prima Saujana, not Pokrovsky Boulevard or Intanaria II.
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Did you know that I was supposed to be a lawyer – it was an ambition ‘given’ by my parents. KaCher was supposed to be a doctor, Lil Sis a lecturer, Deal an engineer, Mel… hehe, an architecture! (Excuse my parents’ vocabulary and word form!) Since most occupations end with ‘er’, architect didn’t sound right to them. Well, there is no doctor in our little big family. The only doctor that ever came close was the one I had a huge crush on… err when was that? Heeeeee. Well, no lawyer either. No architect, nor architecture! But six out of eight of us went to uni. The other two super sleuths are on the case!
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Did you know that I have been not once, not twice, but three times a lady struck by lightning? The first time I was just 19 and in Shah Alam. Got off a taxi, was walking in the rain and was holding an umbrella when I suddenly saw sparks coming out of my hand that was holding the umbrella! I did feel little jolts, but they were too mild to make me jump or anything. The second time was in Cherating – my siblings and I were walking on the beach on a very cloudy afternoon. All of a sudden Reen and Mel were yelling, “Oh my God, oh my God! Look at Ngah’s hair! Look at Ngah’s hair!” Sure enough my hair was upright and in the air just like that girl in the 80’s Twisties TV commercial! The third time was just a few years ago in Ampang. It was raining and I was about to open my car door when I just jumped aback feeling a big jolt on my hand as I touched the door handle. My hand went numb for a few good minutes. But I survived to blog about it.
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Did you know that my big crush was on Eric Estrada? If you don’t know who he is, you are probably too young to be reading this. So go Google! Yeeeeeeesyyy!
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Did you know that I am half Chinese and half Indian but was raised to wonder if the Chinese people eat nothing but jyū kuey teow, and Indian people eat nothing but masalavadey! Nobody talked about races back then as it was almost too sensitive. Us kids didn’t know our racial background. We ooh-ed over Achamma’s puttu and we aah-ed when we saw Poupou stirring her drinks with bamboo chopsticks! Huh?
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Did you know that I had some cosmetic surgeries done on me so I would not have too much of a resemblance to Anne Raj? They left me with my own eyes though, uncut. Even they had been lasik-ed. Nnngggeeeeeeeeeee!
Summer refuses to linger. Very quickly 24°C weather has turned the page and me ducklings… instead of splashing at the Pokrovsky pond, will have to make do splashing in the bath tub these last couple days or so. It stayed 11°C for a few good morning hours yesterday as Autumn rain has fallen. And I? I stayed indoors minding my wordpress and mending my Spring chook.
This other mother of mine had once asked me to come home to her when her son lost his way home to me. And this other mother of mine looked me in the teary eyes at half past three in the morning and wished me luck as she knew all I need now is just that. Luck. She knows what I am out of.
Questa è Enida 
