What Mummy Said

This coming weekend will mark six years since Mummy left us. Not a day goes by that I do not think about her, that I don’t miss her. Mummy and I didn’t agree on some things; she and Akak got along very well. I’m more like Mummy: stubborn, hard-headed, determined and assertive. Maybe I reminded her too much of herself, wallahualam. Anyway, I digress. I think it’d be appropriate to share what Mummy used to advise us, most of it concerning money because life wasn’t easy when we were growing up with Abah the sole bread winner. And I think it’s still appropriate now in the face of the slowing economy. OK, here goes:

Live within your means. Don’t pretend you’re someone you’re not. There’s this Malay phrase which says ‘Biar papa asal bergaya’ which loosely translated means one should be stylish even if one is broke or destitute. Well, we don’t believe in this. If you don’t have the money, then act accordingly. Don’t envy what another has. Don’t beg, borrow or steal just so you can keep with the Joneses. By extension, don’t run into debts or spend too much on your credit card. Another thing she liked to say is not to dream of marrying someone’s daughter if you don’t have the money.

If you have the money, then save and spoil yourself to a little luxury every now and then. Treat yourself occasionally. Dress accordingly. Don’t insult yourself by buying clothes from the night market (yes, Mummy said exactly that). You deserve to. As Shakespeare said, ‘Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting.’ There are people who neglect themselves, some who even neglect their families, trusting the others (family, community, and even God) to provide for their families. Their argument is they want to spend their wealth in the way of religion. Nothing wrong with that but in Islam, you’re supposed to spend on your family first. My parents also advised us not to lend anyone money because they had done just that to relatives and the monies lent to various individuals still remain outstanding decades later to this day.

Don’t cause trouble or inconvenience others. Be courteous. Mummy shared that when she left Batu Pahat for good, she and her sister cleared the house and then cleaned and washed it thoroughly for the next occupants. When we stay at hotels, we make up our beds and not leave the room in a tip when we check out. Leave such that it reflects well on your upbringing and so that people will have a good impression of the guest you are. For car owners, you can own several vehicles but make sure you don’t inconvenience others by parking haphazardly or blocking other road users. Don’t be like some Malaysians who double park or park like they’re in a drive-through.

Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto yourself. Don’t bully others if you don’t like to be bullied. Don’t make others wait if you hate waiting for others.

Like most mothers, Mummy was a realist. There is no shortcut; one has to work and study hard and smart to achieve what one wants from life. My family doesn’t have blue blood and we aren’t connected to anyone so we have to work doubly hard to get what we want. As such, she would be quick to cut short any fantasy I entertained of winning anything grand or achieving something great without much input on my part. There must be an effort before any result is had. While this has made me a practical and realistic person, I can’t help being impatient at those whom I don’t deem of putting in any effort.

My parents are of the view that a good education is the best gift any parents can ensure their kids have because no one can take away your knowledge from you whereas wealth can simply be frittered away. They also hate to see us waste our time because there is always something to be done around the house.

I’d like to think that my parents have raised me to be a good person who is courteous and mindful of others. Someone who doesn’t inconvenience others and who works hard for her keep. I know sometimes I rolled my eyes when you started lecturing me but to this day, I still remember and follow your advice, Mummy. I know I caused you a lot of grief with my stubbornness and hard-headedness but I hope that I didn’t make you cry over me.

I still miss you so very much, Mummy.

Not Falling For Fall

I always consider myself an early summer child as my birthday falls in early July, never mind that I live in the tropics and it’s summer here all year round! As such, my favourite seasons are spring and early summer. I probably am one of those few who are not a fan of autumn because despite its beautiful changing colours, I find autumn depressing.

I find it depressing when the leaves turn colour from green to red to brown before disentangling themselves from the trees. I find it sad to see dry leaves on the pavement. The changing wardrobe and make-up colours (admittedly I wear only lipstick) from the pale fresh colours of summer to berry, maroon and plum make me glum. It doesn’t lift my mood any when I step into stores and see plaid flannel tops. The increasingly shorter and colder days doesn’t improve autumn for me at all either. And varsity life in England started in September. Who wouldn’t be depressed to start a new academic year after a long summer break? So no, I don’t fall for autumn or fall as the Americans call it.

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Let me now touch on the much publicised and expensive burglary that happened early last week. I’m not a fan of Kim Kardashian or her family. I don’t watch their show, I don’t follow any of them on social media, and I really don’t care for them. I think Kim is trashy, vulgar and slutty (no amount of money, expensive bags and shoes can bring one class), I think she’s silly for sharing too much on social media (like I said, I don’t follow her but some of her tweets are reproduced elsewhere), I think she’s media-crazy and craves attention (even Karl Lagerfeld condemned Kim for being too public). But I have nothing really against her; I mean if she prefers to flaunt her assets (in whatever form) then by all means just do it.

I do think and know from experience that it sucks to be robbed, to have your precious things that you work so hard for stolen from you. Worse, she was alone in her apartment in a foreign country when it happened, defenceless and at the mercy of five armed robbers. I would be scared shitless too if it had happened to me when I’m all alone and abroad. Think how you would feel if your mother, sister, cousin or daughter suffer the same fate.

And that’s why I think it’s unwise to share too much on social media. You can share your blings and bags and shoes with the world (I love viewing expensive jewellery, shoes and bags myself) but don’t show where you live. Don’t share your boarding pass on social media because the bar code or QR code on the boarding pass can contain information about you, including your future travel plans or your frequent flyer details. Criminals can find out when you’ll be away and for how long and you wouldn’t want to come back from your trip or holidays to a burglarised house or stolen car, would you (my parents once returned from a trip to a burglarised house and they didn’t even partake in social media!). It happened here last year if I recall correctly when someone posted on Facebook that she and her family would be spending Eid abroad. So be sensible. There is such a thing as sharing too much. You might end up being a victim so think twice before you post. Unless you’re confident no one will be able to figure out where you stay or work, don’t post photos of your house, neighbourhood and workplace. Don’t let yourself fall victim to criminals preying on the social media.

Awal Muharram 1438 Hijrah Weekend

I had earlier planned to head to the East Coast during the weekend but changed plans when I was at Gaya Island and bought ticket to Penang instead. I wanted to stay somewhere near Padang Kota but at the same time near KOMTAR so I could catch the early morning bus back to the airport. Finally I decided to stay at two hotels and booked them on Tuesday, a few days before my departure. Because I made the bookings very close to the check-in dates, I was charged for the rooms at the time of booking.

Saturday, 1 October 2016

I went for my morning walk and jogged the last 1.5 km back to micasa. Back at micasa, I cooked pasta soup then took my bath. I finished packing, had breakfast and left for KL Sentral at 09:45. Traffic was light enough that I managed to reach KL Sentral ten minutes later. I quickly ran in, scanned my KLIA Express ticket barcode and ran down to the platform. There was a train waiting at the platform but it was the KLIA Transit train. I quickly went up the platform to find someone I could ask and one staff told me KLIA Express wasn’t operating that day. Phew, it was a good thing I asked. If I had not asked and missed the train, I’d have to wait another 20 minutes for the next train and would only reach KLIA at 10:55, barely an hour before my ETD.

When I got there, I immediately cleared security at KLIA and walked to my gate. Our ETD was slightly delayed due to the late arrival of the plane from Alor Star and we only took off at almost 11:00. It was a full flight and I even met a former officemate who was heading there for office teambuilding.

We landed at 12:45 and after using the washroom, I walked out to the bus stop. Alhamdulillah, I didn’t have to wait long. Bus 401E bound for KOMTAR arrived within five minutes. There were a lot of vehicles on the road though and the journey took an hour. I even managed to doze off in the bus.

At KOMTAR, I got down and made my way to Penang Road. There were a lot of vehicles in George Town too. I walked past Joo Hooi Café before realising it was under renovation (didn’t realise it due to the scaffolding). I then went to find the building where it is temporary sited (just behind the original site) and asked if it was operating the following day. The Chinese man in charge of laksa told me of course so I told him I’d be back then. I then walked to Bee Hwa Café at Lebuh Dickens and had a plate of char kuay teow and a glass of warm barleyless barley. Things must be bad in Penang if they can’t give you some barley in your barley drink!

After lunch, I walked to my hotel at Lebuh Chulia. I arrived after 15:30 and checked in. It was so dang hot and I was so glad to be inside. The hotel staff (most looked foreign) gave me a welcome drink before showing me to my room. The hotel was nice with a lot of Chinese furniture (rosewood chairs of various sizes with mother-of-pearl inlay) and various rest areas but I also saw some items that should not have been in view like the spare bed and towels in the living area and the vacuum cleaner next to a console table and chair just to name a few.

I left the hotel at 16:50 and walked to Padang Kota Lama. There was already a long queue for the Hameed Pata mee sotong and I ended up queuing for 70 minutes! I wanted the fried noodles and mee rebus but the latter had been all sold out (well, I figured after all that queuing, I deserved two plates of noodles!). Anyway, no rezeki for me.

After dinner, I took a circuitous route back to my hotel. I also wanted to check Muntri Mews so I walked to Jalan Muntri before returning to my room. I stayed in for the rest of the evening reading. There was a persistent sound of a pitiful kitten mewing and I looked out my window a few times but couldn’t locate it.

Sunday, 2 October 2016

I woke up for morning prayers and after 07:30, I went out for a morning walk. I first tried to locate the poor kitten but couldn’t find it. I walked around before making my way to Jalan Kuala Kangsar to check out the weekend market. It drizzled briefly in the sun at some point. After checking out the stalls, I went to have some vegetarian wan tan noodles and another glass of warm barleyless barley drink. There were a lot of people waiting for the wan tan noodles and it took more than ten minutes before I got my bowl. It only cost RM2.00. How’s that for value?

I walked back to my hotel and showered. I then went down for breakfast (served in the restaurant next door). Well, I must say I was glad that I had that bowl of wan tan noodles because the breakfast at the hotel restaurant was nothing to shout about at all. After breakfast, I returned to my room to read. I wasn’t keen to go out in the heat yet.

I finally left at 11:45 and walked to Lorong Macalister. I decided to bring my suitcase along as I didn’t feel like returning back to get it. I wasn’t impressed with the chee cheong fun I had back in August last year but decided to give it another chance. Alas for me, the stall had already run out of chee cheong fun. Again, no rezeki for me.

I walked up Jalan Burma to to Penang Plaza and spent about 40 minutes there. I then made my way in the hot relentless sun to 1^st Avenue. I wasn’t planning on shopping but wanted some air-conditioned relief. I stayed there until 14:30 before walking to Noordin Street House.

I had stayed here before in February 2014 (I actually booked Noordin Mews but when I got there, I was informed that the room I booked had a leak and the owner had no choice but to put me at Noordin Street House a few doors away) and was impressed with it then. However, I could not say the same for this trip. I was offered an option of either the Batik or Pelikat room and after reviewing both, I decided on Pelikat Room. Well, the air-condition didn’t work despite me lowering the temperature to 20C and turning on the fan. I thought it might be because the room faced the sun and it was just hot during the day so I decided to just stay put. Then I discovered that some water leaked from the fridge (don’t ask). And when I turned on the TV, there were only seven channels offered and nothing caught my fancy at all.

I rested before leaving at 16:45 for Joo Hooi Café. I had assam laksa and then joined the long queue for cendol/ais kacang. After that, I went to Chowrasta to buy some nutmeg oil and nutmeg balm before returning to Lebuh Keng Kwee for some char kuay teow. Well, I didn’t have any lunch. The char kuay teow was good but I had to eat it hurriedly as I was being attacked by bloody bloodsuckers. Outrageous!

I walked to Penang Times Square but as my previous trips there, I quickly found that I really shouldn’t have bothered. The place was deserted with only a few shop lots even rented. There is a Mr DIY there anyway although on the third floor (I don’t think it’s a strategic floor to operate from, and especially not when the first and second floors were empty). I didn’t stay long and returned back to the hotel. There were some floats at Lebuh Noordin. I asked and was told that there would be a parade to celebrate the Nine Emperor Gods Festival (the Taoist devotees observe a vegetarian diet for the first nine days of the ninth month in their lunar calendar).

There was no football action I could catch so I spent the evening reading and even dozed off while reading.

Monday, 3 October 2016

I woke up early and left my room at 07:35. I had a quick breakfast and left at 08:03 for the bus station. again, I didn’t have to wait long for the bus to the airport (and Alhamdulillah too because there was this awful sour stench at the bus station). This time, it took only 40 minutes to reach the airport. It rained during the night/early morning and the ground was wet.

I had checked in online but had to go to the check-in counter anyway to get my boarding pass. I then immediately went to clear security and waited at the gate. I spent the flight reading. We landed at 11:40 and there were a lot of people at the arrival area – the pilgrims back fr Haj and those waiting to greet them. I had to go up to the arrival level to meet up CT who was picking me up and sending my munchkin nephew back to boarding school.

I only reached micasa at 16:45 and rested. InsyaAllah there will be another trip to Penang in 2017 and I’m already looking forward to it - scorching sweltering hot humid sticky weather notwithstanding.