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Write Now

July 24, 2009 by Enida

After supper last night, I was writing a sensational story to share with you. The story morning glory about an affair between a married woman and a married man. (Yeah nothing new to many of us, just a glorified gossip some share over a teh tarik or kopi o’beng at mamaks or kopitiams.) But then my moods changed after tucking me Monchies in bed.

 

Kitreena was asking if I was going back downstairs to work on my netbook. When I said yes, she curiously asked “What is it that you are always busy working on the computer, Mom?” Boy oh boy! I ended up spending half an hour answering that supposedly simple question.

 

We had a long talk about how books are made and published. And more importantly about how one works hard to earn a living – no matter what one does, one has to do it well. And we talked about money that can be made from writing. (The second 15 minutes was just me actually, trying to convince myself that I should become a writer with my own books selling at MPH and Popular bookstores! I wasn’t all that convincing… naaah.)

 

Then I came downstairs. Scrounged for Josh Groban CD for a feel-good music and I, the Enida of Questa è Enida,  instead of working on that sensational story of an affair between a married man and a married woman, did dishes! Forget about the affair. Forget about writing a best-seller. Doing dishes, just like ironing… is way therapeutic than what it looks. Josh didn’t have to try too hard to help send me back to August 2008 when I faced the biggest stumble in my life as a married woman myself, and a daughter.

 

My love of then 10 years was leaving. And so was my mother. Hubby, for a new lover. And Mom, in a coma, for her Creator. As much as keeping my head towards the sky almost a year ago when everything else failed, Josh’s songs reminded me of my struggle. Then and now. Yes, I am still struggling, climbing, and am nowhere near a plateau of bliss. But if I ever learned anything from a year of stumbling and struggling, I do know that there is nothing as precious as my now.

 

So my Little Russian Ballerina and my Little Man Pocoyo…
For all that worth stumbling, struggling, and climbing… my now is for you.

 

Ballerina & PocoyoDishes done. I am off to bed now so we can take that morning walk to the pond to feed the ducks and down to the Pokrovsky Convenient Store to get Mommy’s coffee milk. (I heard that when we go to heaven, sleeping is like going to yet another heaven. So I suppose there’s no Espresso there either. Si?)

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Yasmin Ahmad

July 23, 2009 by Enida

I am frantically clicking on the F5 (Refresh) button on my lappy every two minutes here to see more updates on Yasmin Ahmad’s condition. As frantic as I am, praying for the best of what life and Yasmin Ahmad both have for each other to offer. To have and to hold. Hang in there Kak Yasmin. The way life has… to your beautiful soul.

 

The Star Online Updates on Yasmin Ahmad

 

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Siapa Gerangan

July 22, 2009 by Enida

This entry today is dedicated to that special someone in or near Sri Kembangan or Cheras Selatan who has been reading my blog for many moons. Thank you. I know on weekdays around 0800 or 0830hrs, your eyes would be on my silent words. And to you, another special someone in Johor Bahru who would do the same… I’m glad to be read by you. This morning, like yesterday morning. And many mornings sudah. And of course you too, my special someone in Auckland. (Dee! I know lah it’s you.)

 

But who’s there in Wellington eh?
And who is in Pasig, Rizal (The Philipines)?
Now who is it there in Bandar Penggaram, Johor?
Would you – the one in Puchong, Selangor, leave me a comment someday?

 

The thing that makes it a challenge to kind of guess who and where you are, my special readers, is the FeedJit locator who insists that Sri Kembangan is in Negeri Sembilan. Kajang too is in Negeri Sembilan. Bangi has also been attacked,  conquered by Negeri Sembilan and is no longer in Selangor.  Kota Bharu has been moved to Perak. And I have been worried if Johor Bahru would soon be moved to Singapore… near Signature Park, Toh Tuck Road maybe! FeedJit is, with it’s ralat sifar and all, not overly accurate.

 

But you know who you are, and you know where you are.

 

To my dear readers in Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan  – wherever in Kuala Lumpur you are: Titiwangsa, Bangsar Puteri, TTDI, Wangsamaju, Bandar Pusat Damansara, Bukit Gasing, Istana Budaya, Pesiaran U-Thant, Jalan Binjai, Ampang Hilir, Lorong Chong Khoon Lin, Jalan Watan 1, Gleneagles Intan, or Bandar Manjalara… I send you some Moscow cool morning breeze this morning. And tomorrow morning. And all the mornings, noons and evenings when you come and sit by me at Questa è Enida.

 

Spasiba bolshoi.

 

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Maklum Sajalah

July 22, 2009 by Enida

What exactly is our problem with the word ‘complain’ ha? I mean, really! (Here’s another ‘I mean, really!’ post from Enida.) True enough. The denotation and connotation of the word complain doesn’t always give us that positivity we are hoping for from the word feedback. As a matter of complaining right now, complaining is never a nice thing to do – though many adopt it as a hobby. Well, that said, why don’t we use the term feedback when we complain?

.

Like…
“Uh, Encik Nazib. Saya nak bagi maklumbalas sikit lah Encik Nazib. Tayar belakang kereta ni dah agak botak saya rasa. Hujan rebas sikit aje saya dah mengalami hydroplaning yang agak menggerunkan di Lebuhraya Duke semalam. Oleh kerana saya dah sewa kereta ni selama 6 minggu dan kebelakangan ni baru terasa sebab banyak hujan, rasanya baik saya maklumkan Encik Nazib ni.”

.

Encik Nazib yang muda rumaja lagi ramah mesra di HAWK Rental Car KLIA was very appreciative and grateful that I took the time to mention about the worn and bald tyres, though I was practically running over the speed limit to board the flight to Moscow. And I had sisters waiting for me at The Eden for our last sip-a-tea session this season. A feedback wouldn’t make me miss my flight, nor would it make me miss my sisters. I will miss them gals no matter what.

.

But then, just imagine had I said:
“Uh, Encik Nazib. Saya ni nak merungut lah. Tayar belakang kereta ni dah botak chin. Bila nak tukar ah? Encik Nazib tak periksa dulu ke tayar-tayar ni sebelum sewakan kereta-kereta pada penyewa-penyewa sekalian? Lain kali periksa betul-betul dulu boleh? Kalau kemalangan lah saya itu hari disebabkan fenomena hydroplaning, saya saman Encik Nazib dengan Encik  HAWK sekali. Ada fehemmm?”

.

Oh I am so exaggerating it! But really, the word complain or merungut gives me this mood to irritate and annoy everything that moves in front of me. Especially if this everything has two legs and wears a name tag. After all… it is day and night between rungutan dan maklumbalas.  Affirmative?

.

.

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If

July 21, 2009 by Enida

I have learned that…

If you can’t beat them with your wisdom,
destroy them with your kindness.

Enida
July 20, 2009

Posted in Write On | 2 Comments »

Red Gold and Green

July 20, 2009 by Enida

Healthy and Uh...Safe

 

Of all the people learning, I think I learned my lesson the most today when I almost *raccooned my own daughter with my cili-potong’ed tragedy. I thought after raising this Eurasian girl, feeding her hot spicy stuff more than half of the time for the last 6 and a half years, she would be chili-cut immuned to the heat. Hmmm… I suppose I have to teach her a pantun or two seloka’s before she ever comes close to anything red, ever again. And I learned my lesson for now by playing safe; so for supper… the monchies had:

 

Jasmine Rice cooked in Emborg Chopped Spinach
Special Gold Tolo Mato Kobau Mak Ekau
Cherry Tomatoes

 

Postlude:
*raccooned
From a story I read or heard some time ago, about kids (of Malaysian parents) who spent a long time abroad, saw a sign in Bahasa Malaysia that said RACUN, but was read as RACCOON. The kids got excited about seeing raccoons in Malaysia!

RACUN [rah-choon] = poison

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Hot Done By

July 20, 2009 by Enida

I must have done her really wrong when I let her try my lunch today, the Garlic-Ginger Prawns and Broccoli leftover. Though I always believe in feeding curious minds by hand-on attempts, I really really should not have said yes when Kitreena asked for a scoop of my cili-potong’ed meal.

 

Cili Potong

 

A scoop of my lunch sent Kitreena into a nervous silence. Nervous, me. Silent, her. As soon as the salt in the fish sauce was washed down and she stopped chewing, she gave me the ‘are-you-trying-to-send-me-to-the-seventh-heaven-with-this-bomb’ look! Her eyes went rolling in all directions uncontrollably, hands went fanning left right and center, she went running to the cabinet where the cups were but ended up opening a drawer not knowing what she was desperately looking for!

 

In desperate guilt, I pointed her to a red cup on the kitchen counter but all she could grab was a bottle of hot cocoa powder I left by the microwave oven. I had to run to her and grab the red cup myself when she, in split-second, made a bee-line to the water dispenser. The red cup was still in my hand! And I, in split-second, made my conclusion that this Canadian gal needs some  more Malaysianization. But I will have to start with Heaven Number One. One heaven at a time.

 

But hey, Kitreena did survive the seventh heaven bomb!

 

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Good Ikea!

July 20, 2009 by Enida

Fully Booked RoomAlmost all my bags are unpacked and I’m ready to go reading. Yay! As a monthly anniversary gift yesterday, my significant other set this room up as my little reading corner. We were off to IKEA Khimki on Saturday to grab one of these Hemnes (2-in-1 Daybed + Pull-Out). It turned out really well and I am excited about reading all the 18 books I bought and got this last trip back to Malaysia.

For now we’re calling this room Gramma & Grampa’s Room as… well, actually this room is set up in preparation for the arrival of our very first guests of honor this August. But until then and after then, there will be an engraved plate on the door with “Booked for Mom” on it! The monchies are for now banned from entering the room – they already have their own play area with toys stacked to the nose! Yay for me!

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Numbed

July 19, 2009 by Enida

Numbed

 

To know the artist of the painting above is a privilege for me. At one time in the year 2000, when we were talking about numbness, as artists usually do… he said very little. The next time I saw him, he just handed me this piece – a simple blue-black Hero ink on paper done in half an hour. I asked him if he had given it a title, he said he was still talking about numbness in his head when he painted it. Thus the spilled ink was his thoughts. I am now reading it everyday in Moscow. Every drop. I have persuaded him to keep on painting the way he has persuaded me to keep on writing. Let me know if I should reveal his real name in my next post, will ya?

 

November Rains  Selamanya  Belaian Jiwa

 

Postlude:
You already know his brother.

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Sudoku Sudomu

July 17, 2009 by Enida

Keris Manja Seiras Melena

 

Between midnight and our second stretch to Moscow from Kuala Lumpur, we had a good two-hour loafing session at Silver Kris Lounge in Changi. That was between July 15 and 16, 2009. I tried not to make celeb of my little unit in that very dim light. Hence no flash. Hence not a very good picture. But I felt like a celeb myself being there to capture the emotion and expression from me Monchies, who needed no coaxing from Daddy to lap-seat and play Sudoku on Daddy’s phone. Here, Kitreena thought it was funny when Edrick said, “It’s eeeasy Daaaadd, you just put 1,2,34,5,6,7,8,9!”

 

 

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