'Friends' from parallel universe and 25-random-things

Shills, kawan auntie dok tanya pasai 'kawan from the parallel universe' yg auntie mention in yesterday's entry. Kepada yg highly sceptical about twilight zone issues, probably nothing la. Auntie ni adalah 50% sceptic dan 50% opened to the possibility. Kalau ada yg still tak paham, camni...

At the moment, auntie and AH have not fully lived in out new nest. We would go to the apartment almost everyday, do this and that, and before sunset, would go back to our current abode. So, a bit like getaway nest la, so far. In fact, auntie has only spent one night there to date. With Sleepyhead and Uncle Joe. AH pulak belum pernah bermalam. Every time it's time to leave the apartment auntie and AH would make sure that all lights and electrical items are switched off. Ada kadang-kadang bila we came back in the morning, the hall light near the front door was on and auntie always thought that perhaps auntie memang lupa tutup despite out diligent reminders to ourselves. The last time before Thursday, however, both of us were very sure we switched off all lights because dah a few times we thought we terlupa. Tengok2, on Thursday morning, not only was the hall lights yg ON but also the wall light and the air vent fan in the master bathroom. So, possible answers to this puzzle:

• Auntie and AH memang hopeless punya pelupa (my skeptic side will accept this for now)

• We have human visitors who have access to our nest. We totally dismissed this because we just changed all three front entrances locks and no one has the keys accept auntie and AH. No sign of forced entries on the entrances. All other windows and doors throughout the apartment were also locked. Nothing is missing.
  

• We have non-human but earthly real visitors (like birds or cicak) that can switch on lights and electrical items. We also dismissed this because the only animals we have found so far are birds perched on the railings of the balcony.

• There is an automatic timer/ sensor placed somewhere (without our knowledge) where the lights would be on when we open the front door. This is scientific and believable if we could find the timer/ sensor.
  

• We have friends from the parallel universe. Now, get it?

So far auntie's non-sceptic 50% is mulling over this. The apartments on both sides of our nest were empty for some time. The one on one side is now lived in. The other is still empty. Our apartment used to be empty for some months. Some people would say these are fertile grounds for the 'friends' to come a-visiting or a-passing. Kalau betul, auntie berdoa jika betul telahan ini, bahawa 'kawan2' itu 'lalu' sahaja dan selepas tengok kawasan itu kepunyaan auntie, dia/ mereka akan beredar ke tempat lain dan tidak bertandang lagi.

Tetapi, auntie lebih berharap bahawa option yg pertama di atas ialah explanation yg sebenarnya.

OK, let's leave cerita 'friends' ni and talk about something more mundane. Shills juga telah tag auntie in Facebook with this '25 random things' thingy. Auntie thought it would be interesting to re-post auntie's response to the tag in this blog as well. So here goes:

*****************************

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. (To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.) Here are mine:

1. I'm known in the family to be the most 'garang' person. My husband sometimes calls me 'samseng'. Can't really understand why.

2. Although my parents think I am a quiet person, my husband sometimes wish I would shut up.

3. I have intolerance (it's a physiological thing, not because I'm a bigot!) towards prawns and crabs and their families. For the prawns, I think it's God's punishment for taking my sister's share of 'udang goreng kunyit' when we were young. The crab issue is still a mystery to me.

4. When I was about nine, I once threatened to hit a 20plus yr-old man with a batang paip for calling me 'debab' (he always lalu depan my rumah masa I tunggu bas to go to school). I would have done the same thing all over again at 39. So, this may explain random thing no.1.

5. On a related topic, I have been catcalled with 'gemuk' in Madinah (by the Arabs!). Being in Tanah Suci, I managed to refrain from injuring anyone.

6. I sometimes regret being too serious with my students. But only sometimes :).

7. I once thought Hail Amir was handsome. And wished he would marry Uji Rashid (my idea of a grown up woman at that time). You must forgive a child who was brought up on A. Ramlee's lullabies.

8. I have NOT given up the fight to be svelte and sleek. I'm just taking a break to strategise best ways to fight the bulge.

9. My husband thinks I desire jewelry but I would be happy with just a KENWOOD chef (or its equivalent) mixer.

10. I am more polite when speaking and thinking in English (hahaha, ala2 Sharifah Amani, ni!)

11. I once was asked to translate the controversial book "Shit' into English (by the author's son, no less) and I completed it but the manuscript was never collected because the project just died down.

12. Saya pernah berlakon dalam rancangan radio "Manis-manis garam" anchored by Mustaza Maah (another media personality yg ala2 hensem in a young girl's eyes in the mid-1980s). RTM bagi check RM30 for the stint. Good money at the time.

13. I don't like pets but I have been known to nurse cats and birds in distress to good health (and earn brownie points with my animal-loving niece, Shasha).

14. I wish I am kinder and more tolerant towards people and things around me.

15. If we got separated in the supermarkets and my husband wants to find me, he will just listen for sounds of things being dropped (eg, in household or canned items sections). The culprit would likely be me.

16. My badak friends (to my non-badak friends, this is a group I belong too) find it funny that I like to speak (or sing at karaoke) with my arms constantly akimbo and my chest forward (I already told them why, them of small-almost-non-existent-

br--sts!).

17. People who has the pleasure of sharing a sleeping area with me would sometimes find themselves black and blue in the morning. I do a lot of fighting in my sleep (especially against ghosts).

18. Baking and sewing are my idea of therapy even though I will never (or even desire to) reach professional standards for either.

19. When I was studying and living in Sheffield, UK, I once witnessed an electric shop being broken into from my bedroom window (which was about 5 meters from the shop) at 3.00 in the morning. Nobody came to get statements from me, though.

20. I think all babies are beautiful.

21. I think all reptiles (including human-born pseudo-reptiles) are UGGGLYYYY!

22. I like both being single and being married. I think I'm a reasonable authority on being single because I live the life for a sufficient number of years. I am now 'building a databank' on being married.

23. I wish my nieces and nephews (including pseudo-ones) could stay babies forever so that they don't have to face adult hardships (especially in the seemingly more uncertain world now).

24. I fancy myself a musical person but many events and feedback have proven otherwise.

25. I got to become an academic (and journeyed into postgraduate studies) more or less by accident. I thought I would surely fail if I continued with my professional certification studies so was looking for an easier option. Foolishly, I thought pursuing PhD is that option. I thank God everyday for making my choice a correct one.

******************

Most kith and kin dlm blog roll auntie telah di-tag melalui FB. But they are welcomed to include their responses to the tags in their blogs. Auntie jugak mau tag kengkawan blogger yg setahu auntie takde FB iaitu Ms Hart dan Nyonya Segamat. And also Shasha (whenever mommy allows to blog. Nampaknya blog Shasha pun dah berkapang). Sudi-sudikanlah.

Auntie orang dapur

Apa khabar everyone?

Memang nampaknya blog auntie ni macam agak2 berkapang. And auntie notice sleepyhead dah mintak auntie update (walaupong blog dia lebih berkapang dari auntie's). Tetiba blog bro1 pulak yg agak rancak, 2-3 entry bulan ni. Blog mamachupan toksah citer la. Memang dia seorang yg diligent dan when she has set blogging as her routine activity, you can guarantee that she'll have consistent entry everyday. And thank God for small blessings!

Blog badak happy tu nampaknya kureng sket active semenjak-dua menjak ni. Apa da itu President and and Vice President. Kalau puang2 dok buak entry, manakang kuncu2 mu nok tulih jugok. Especially puang yg takdok official blog sendiri tuh! Tulungla tulih. Blog badak alter-ego masih adalah puisi2 yg menyayat hati. Keep it up badak poets!

Blog kawan auntie kat negara Hang Li Po tu pun ala2 slow jugak (oo auntie better wish dia: Happy Birthday, TATI! Her birthday is in two days, tapi just in case auntie tak blog on the 8th.). Samala jugak ke-slow-an blog kawan auntie sorang lagi tu, la petite maman de les enfants. (haha, practice french auntie yg berkarat)

Well, actually-nya memang auntie baru terpikir nak update pastu nampak pulak sleepyhead nye comment tu, so walaupong AH dah dok tepon2 suruh balik rumah (sambil singgah kedai adik mami beli roti), auntie lengah2 la sekejap so auntie could at least start a word or two of entries.

OK...auntie kena balik dah ni coz looks like everyone's gone from the office and since semenjak-dua menjak ni auntie selalu perasan macam ada 'kawan-kawan' from parallel universe jek kat opis ni, baiklah auntie balik. Auntie akan sambung bila sampai rumah dan selesai bagi makan ahli keluarga auntie yg sorang tu. Babai!


Welcome back everyone! Auntie kat rumah ni and baru free dari distractions (spt makan, membersihkan diri and tengok Perak crisis on TV) to continue the entry. Untuk kengkawan dan sedara mara yg curious tentang kehidupan seorang 'guru' yg on sabbatical ni, auntie nak bagi tau, TIDAK ADA APA2 YG BERBEZA kecuali auntie boleh la balik Kuantan tengok Wan and Aki pada tarikh yg convenient ngan auntie tanpa perlu menjuggle kelas and auntie tak perlu beri justification kenapa auntie tak hadir sesuatu mesyuarat di opis (dan depa pun akan mintak maap berbanyak kalau terpaksa panggil auntie mai mesyuarat). Selain drpd itu, auntie rasa sama busy, sama running around catching up with deadlines. Oleh kerana auntie bersabbatical di opis, org2 di opis dan students yg buat assignments berkaitan dgn bidang auntie (they are not my students, though) masih menganggap auntie available for walk-in consultation during office hours walaupun auntie dah letak kat pintu (OUT, 'I'M BUSY, PLS COME AGAIN ANOTHER TIME).


On the Chinese New Year week auntie managed to balik Kuantan just to spend time with Wan and Aki but sans AH. AH's mom was not well, so he has to stay behind. But auntie had good relaxing time with both parents, even though Aki's rants and raves about everything and nothing in particular could possibly drive saints to the brink. Auntie understands that Aki is venting his frustration about his pain because of the prolapsed disc he's suffering. So, everything does not seems right to him. Tapi, of course yg kesian is also Wan. Imagine Wan having to withstand this for weeks on end. Tapi auntie thinks somehow Wan had found a way to shut things out, so she seems alright and not too stressed out. Cuma auntie a bit worried about the eating habit of both parents. Aki thinks he's gained weight because he has not been moving too much (he's walking less because of the pain), so he's refusing to eat. Wan is trying to whet his appetite by cooking santan-laden fish and meats. But Aki still won't eat (he only wants vegetable soup for lunch and dinner). Wan doesn't want the food to go to waste, so she would try to finish the food (even after it is in the fridge for a few days). So, Wan's blood sugar is on the high side now. And Wan sometimes forgets to take her medication, which is real bad for diabetics. So, donno la. Anyway, auntie is going back to Kuantan again on the 25th this month to take Wan for her hospital appointment.

To auntie's adik beradik, we may not have forgotten but perhaps we had not been too enthusiastic about wishing Wan and Aki Happy 44th Anniversary on the 25th Jan hari tu. It was the day auntie arrived in Kuantan. Auntie was busy with arranging for auntie's kitchen cabinet that auntie forgot to buy any present for them. Tapi auntie ada la wish them in passing. Pastu Cik Din and Cik Ja ada la tanya depa dapat tak anniversary present. Of course, nampaknya takde. So, sis and bros, adakah plan utk do a belated celebration or get a collective belated present? Hari tu, Wan ada kata dia mau pinggan bujur (oblong) so that kalau dia masak ikan bawal masak merah tu dia boleh boh ikan tu sekor2 kat dalam pinggan. Tak perlu la potong ikan coz pinggan tak muat. We went looking for it in Giant (auntie took Wan strolling on her chair) but could not find any. So, kalau sape2 ada ternampak pinggan sedemikian rupa dan rasa nak bagi present kat Wan, amatlah auntie alu-alukan. Auntie pon akan be on the lookout for them. Tapi kalau sorang dah beli, tolong la msg kat yg lain coz tak yah la bagi 5 bijik (or 10 bijik kalau decided to beli a pair) pinggan tu kat Wan. Sapa la nak makan 5 ekor ikan bawal masak merah sekali hidang?

O, auntie juga memohon sesapa yg ada details about the proposed family fund for family holiday yg dengar khabarnya dibincangkan di satu family holiday di Awana Kijal itu, supaya tolong story kat auntie so that auntie boleh buat plan berapa banyak auntie punya food allowance harus auntie potong so that auntie boleh membuat contribution ke fund itu. Auntie rela berdiet (memang perlu pun!) utk pergi bersukaria bersama kaum kerabat. Lagipun, kalau auntie dapat potong food allowance itu, Insya Allah, auntie akan fit better into auntie's swimsuit semasa berenang di kolam ketika family holiday nanti. Kali ini auntie akan pakai swimsuit menutup aurat seperti sleepyhead kerana auntie sudah tobat menyamar sebagai pompuan German.

OK, now let's go into the topic in the title of this entry. Selepas menunggu lebih daripada enam bulan, auntie finally mendapat a kitchen to call my own. No thanks to A Seng yg telah run away with auntie's first dream of having a kitchen. But thanks to Mat yg more or less berjaya fulfil auntie's dream of having a nice, cozy kitchen. Mat sedikit sebanyak menaikkan semula kepercayaan auntie kepada contractor bumiputera kerana dia adalah agak professional dlm kerjanya. Walaupun ada la benda2 auntie tak puas hati seperti tak tau nak vacuum habuk kayu lepas pasang cabinet (walaupun AH dah sua vacuum cleaner), hisap rokok (walau sekejap) dlm spanking new home auntie dan mebiarkan stafnya membuat kerja atas meja makan tempered glass auntie. Hampir gugur jantung auntie! And terlupa nak jerit dan mengamuk kerana terlalu terkojut. Nasib baik meja kaca murahan ku masih intact. Kalau tidak harus ku taram muka budak beng--g itu dengan screw driver letrik AH.

Oh, and colour yg diberi oleh Mat adalah sedikit lari dari kaler sample yg diberi dan sepatutnya ada 'texture' tapi hampeh (penting you know, if i buy texture, i want to have texture!) tetapi auntie sudah capek (ie, penat, ini sbb baru tengok citer Indonesia pagi tadi) nak bergaduh ngan kontraktor. In any case, the resulting work is reasonably OK by auntie. Auntie tak lah ecstatic, tapi satisfied la.

So, inilah phoenix yg arose from auntie's ashes of a kitchen.

Impian AH utk memiliki dapur ala2 gerai char kuew teow utk menggoreng mee-nya nampaknya tak kesampaian coz no more space in the kitchen. Unless he can turn this two-burner hobs into doing the job for him.

Using all available space. Now I don't have to use TOYOGO anymore to keep my baking items. Getting the fridge into the kitchen required the front door to be unhinged first. So, this fridge is not going anywhere for a loooooong time!

Mat is quite ingenious in his ideas. See the little steel holes in on the cabinet door on the right? AH wanted a space where we can keep short term leftovers (ie food yg tak habis in one go but can be revisited throughout the day) without putting them in the fridge (and having to reheat them each time to eat). AH ori idea is to have that jaring like gerobok lauk lama2 tu, tapi Mat came with this eyelets on the door idea. And we like!

More swing-up frosted glass door options. Auntie is also happy with the hanging dish drainer.

Wet section of the kitchen, as in tempat boleh berkenjah.

Ample dish-washing space (and CSI tap).

This wall-hanging kitchen tidy thingy auntie bought many2 years ago through catalogue shopping in UK. Auntie thought auntie would never get to use it. In fact, the plastic pun was already kusam but with a little bit of help from 'sun of a gun' cleaner, it looks good as new.

More view of psedo- gerobok lauk.

Long-awaited oven, now installed. Not the most ideal place for auntie (coz will have to do a lot of squatting down) but will have to do. At the moment still not connected coz we need to get the electrician to hook it up (it's complicated!). Hopefully, soon, so auntie can be baking-mad!

What remains now is for Auntie and AH to gradually move to our penultimate nest. But not before we do some negotiation with 'friends' from the parallel universe.... (will elaborate in another entry, this one is getting a tad too long).

GOOD NIGHT, MY LOVELIES!