Methink 'tis truly the season to feel weepy....(sigh)
Abang Khai, a rather weird title for my uncle, has left for Mecca a few weeks ago. What touched me so much was not that he was going to help his almost blind friend, or that he had recovered from a serious vomitting of blood from liver complication just before that, or that I didn't even go to visit him for Eid or on his hospital bed, but because the day before he left, he articulated heart wrenching words to his wife, witnessed by his in-laws, that is to be prepared to be a single mother should he...
I couldn't help but cry to see him walking out of his house for the airport, while his wife stood quietly ( I could imagine the pain) to the sound of Azan being rendered by my brother in law. People must have thought I was crazy to cry, while his wife stood in quiet dignity -- after all I had asked for his forgiveness for all those visits that I didn't make.
Aah, guilt..
I prayed that he will come back alive and kicking and healthy. Abang Khai never failed to make people feel good about themselves, to laugh and be happy when he's around. He's always like a bouncing ball of happiness, and I hope god will return the favor to him and his family.
Meanwhile to all of us, please, please, tell your loved ones that you love them, else when the time come you will be weeping when singing the redemption song.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
MY RAYA ADVENTURE
..sort of, that is.
I haven't visited Alang Nan for hari raya for many years..you know the usual excuses - busy, lazy, apathy and all those blurrrrr..excuses. This man and his wife though, is the perfect couple, if I can say so. Alang, my cousin, is linked to me through his mum and my father, who have no links to any Arab State. So when he married Syarifah Hani, we upgraded his name to Syed Nan, or Adnan in full. Well, Nan has links to Middle Eastern food right? (mailto:#@!..grrrrrr)
Hani isn't your typical mould of Syarifahs I would think (or that's what the common believe circulating n the Malay Peninsula as I know it). After all, she married my cousin, and handle his creative urge for hands-on house renovation extremely well :)
I love these two people and their brood. This year they made me feel guilty big time for all those false excuses that I created in order not to visit my relatives. Hani called to visit, and we ended up at my brother's house nearby. On Friday night (that's Thursday night for those not initiated to the Islamic calendar) I finally went to visit their home after so many many years.
Lo an behold! Spa owners should visit their home to understand the word 'serenity'! Alang's creative urge has certainly rub off on his family big time, perhaps as big as their home now. Alang managed to secure the next house in a 'reasonable' bid ( I thought that was a steal but syhhh..don't tell the past owner) and turn that place into heaven. Opps, wait..just one more thing, maybe we'll have fish spa next. I'll bring my own fish ok, Hani!
Hani, sweet Hani has always made each one of us gobbled up about a kilo of kacang pol every time, and this year is no difference..Let me immortalize her delicious recipe which, if any of you want to try is most welcome -- but if anyone ask, please call it "Nuts on Hani". May god bless this couple on their Haji trip, and always!
NUTS ON HANI
Eggs - to be fried bull's eye.
Tomato - diced
Onions- diced
French loaf/ Nan bread / crusty bun - cut
Shallots, garlic - sliced
Mince beef
A can of baked beans or kacang pol (she used both)
Spice - rempah kurma - to be cooked without oil (sanggai) until aromatic (not burn ahh)
Sauce:
Heat ghee in a pan, put in the cut shallot/garlic, then the mince beef. Cook till done, then put in the cooked spice and the nut (actually she used baked beans, and I thought that was wonderful. I thonk you can try the baked bean with cheese if you like mat salleh)
To eat!
Put your egg in a plate. Top up with the onion and tomato, drip the sauce over it, and voila! you can eat it just like that or with your roti (breads). I kilo, 2 kilo, 3 kilo...help, I can't stop.
My friends say it's from Johor, which is quite true, as Hani is from Johor...
Hmm, Wonder what else Johor has hidden in its belly....
SELAMAT HARI RAYA TO ALL!
I haven't visited Alang Nan for hari raya for many years..you know the usual excuses - busy, lazy, apathy and all those blurrrrr..excuses. This man and his wife though, is the perfect couple, if I can say so. Alang, my cousin, is linked to me through his mum and my father, who have no links to any Arab State. So when he married Syarifah Hani, we upgraded his name to Syed Nan, or Adnan in full. Well, Nan has links to Middle Eastern food right? (mailto:#@!..grrrrrr)
Hani isn't your typical mould of Syarifahs I would think (or that's what the common believe circulating n the Malay Peninsula as I know it). After all, she married my cousin, and handle his creative urge for hands-on house renovation extremely well :)
I love these two people and their brood. This year they made me feel guilty big time for all those false excuses that I created in order not to visit my relatives. Hani called to visit, and we ended up at my brother's house nearby. On Friday night (that's Thursday night for those not initiated to the Islamic calendar) I finally went to visit their home after so many many years.
Lo an behold! Spa owners should visit their home to understand the word 'serenity'! Alang's creative urge has certainly rub off on his family big time, perhaps as big as their home now. Alang managed to secure the next house in a 'reasonable' bid ( I thought that was a steal but syhhh..don't tell the past owner) and turn that place into heaven. Opps, wait..just one more thing, maybe we'll have fish spa next. I'll bring my own fish ok, Hani!
Hani, sweet Hani has always made each one of us gobbled up about a kilo of kacang pol every time, and this year is no difference..Let me immortalize her delicious recipe which, if any of you want to try is most welcome -- but if anyone ask, please call it "Nuts on Hani". May god bless this couple on their Haji trip, and always!
NUTS ON HANI
Eggs - to be fried bull's eye.
Tomato - diced
Onions- diced
French loaf/ Nan bread / crusty bun - cut
Shallots, garlic - sliced
Mince beef
A can of baked beans or kacang pol (she used both)
Spice - rempah kurma - to be cooked without oil (sanggai) until aromatic (not burn ahh)
Sauce:
Heat ghee in a pan, put in the cut shallot/garlic, then the mince beef. Cook till done, then put in the cooked spice and the nut (actually she used baked beans, and I thought that was wonderful. I thonk you can try the baked bean with cheese if you like mat salleh)
To eat!
Put your egg in a plate. Top up with the onion and tomato, drip the sauce over it, and voila! you can eat it just like that or with your roti (breads). I kilo, 2 kilo, 3 kilo...help, I can't stop.
My friends say it's from Johor, which is quite true, as Hani is from Johor...
Hmm, Wonder what else Johor has hidden in its belly....
SELAMAT HARI RAYA TO ALL!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
SPRECHEN ZIE INGLIS?
What do you think the sheeps would say if I go up to them and start mumbling 'Baa, Baa, black sheep, have you any wool?'
I imagine they would say this in sheep language....
"Girl, you're off key, please pronounce the baaaa..slower, and with a higher note, since you are female, and sheep language is full of gender based tongue twisting words. oh, ok, ok, try to twist your tongue this way if you can't enlarge your teeth big enough to say something while you smile.."
"Girl, you are so slow..you can't even say those simple hello word properly (Baaa..) We haven't even started on the Blahs.."
Why do Malays have to so apologetic when they can't speak English?
Be happy when we can speak foreign language, for they help us to broaden our horizon, but no need to have inferiority complex when it's not your 'thing'.. So many Malaysian can't speak Malay, and they don't care. That's how 'boleh lah' Malays are.
Be proud of who you are.
"SELAMAT HARI MERDEKA"
I imagine they would say this in sheep language....
"Girl, you're off key, please pronounce the baaaa..slower, and with a higher note, since you are female, and sheep language is full of gender based tongue twisting words. oh, ok, ok, try to twist your tongue this way if you can't enlarge your teeth big enough to say something while you smile.."
"Girl, you are so slow..you can't even say those simple hello word properly (Baaa..) We haven't even started on the Blahs.."
Why do Malays have to so apologetic when they can't speak English?
Be happy when we can speak foreign language, for they help us to broaden our horizon, but no need to have inferiority complex when it's not your 'thing'.. So many Malaysian can't speak Malay, and they don't care. That's how 'boleh lah' Malays are.
Be proud of who you are.
"SELAMAT HARI MERDEKA"
Monday, June 23, 2008
MY BEAUTIFUL ENGLISH TEACHERS
These celebrations come and go, don't they? But for the last 31 years of my life, I could never forget Puan Rahmah, or Miss Rahmah as she is affectionately known, my first secondary English teacher.
I came from a kampung school, in Johol (that's in Negeri Sembilan) to be exact to enrol in MRSM Kuantan in 1977. In my old school, it was awesome to be able to pronounce 'Hero' as he-ro and not hair-ro. Well, welcome to the real world girl!
This wonderful school had what they call free periods - break between the hours - whereby students could spend their time in the library to browse, read or sleep - you know - just do your thing.
Early in the year, Miss Rahmah made a deal with us - that whoever could recite examples of homonym would be let off early. So we stood in a circle to take turn. Yours truly was lost - what could I say with my limited English, let alone vocabulary? Actually, it went like this Errrrrr..... a number of times, i.e until there were only 4 of us left in class.
The kind Miss Rahmah let us go without penalizing anyone more than the embarrassment for our ignorance. It made me think, and think very hard I did. How could I patch up my weakness? After some thought, I visited Miss Rahmah's room. Knocking the door made me sweaty. imagine standuing there stumbling on my words.
I asked her if she could provide me with extra exercises so that I could improve my English. She didn't even blink her eyes when she gave me a book with a picture of a tiger in front of it. She marked the ones that I had to do. I promised myself I would make a dictionary my best friend (I still keep that promise till today).
After finishing the work, in sadness I must say, I went to her room a few days later. there were a few guys, in From 3 and form 4 in front of me. I was the last to go ini, but I noticed something. They were doing the exercises from the same book as the one that I did. It's the Tiger book! Hey, suddenly, I realized I wasn't so bad, and I know I made the right decision that early in time. Well, I made some mistakes but...what the heck - those guys discovered them when they were ALREADY in form 4. I skipped back to my room while singing along the way.
I've come a long away since then. In the US nobody understood what I wanted to say when I said it the Malaysian way. I had to learn to change my but-ton to butt - en and more..but that was fun. Who cares, I'm Malay and a Malaysian. I never expect an American to speak Malay perfectly.
Miss Rahmah had freed me from my English and inferiority complex. Two years earlier, Cikgu Haris and Cikgu Azizah from Johol had forced upon my twin sister and I FREE TUITION.
Beautiful teachers - these individuals - that's their kind heart and Ikhlas.
MAY GOD BLESS THEM FOREVER.
Manis Jean Tan
p/s: Can you imagine if teachers force free tuition on their students nowadays? How do you think that can happen?
I came from a kampung school, in Johol (that's in Negeri Sembilan) to be exact to enrol in MRSM Kuantan in 1977. In my old school, it was awesome to be able to pronounce 'Hero' as he-ro and not hair-ro. Well, welcome to the real world girl!
This wonderful school had what they call free periods - break between the hours - whereby students could spend their time in the library to browse, read or sleep - you know - just do your thing.
Early in the year, Miss Rahmah made a deal with us - that whoever could recite examples of homonym would be let off early. So we stood in a circle to take turn. Yours truly was lost - what could I say with my limited English, let alone vocabulary? Actually, it went like this Errrrrr..... a number of times, i.e until there were only 4 of us left in class.
The kind Miss Rahmah let us go without penalizing anyone more than the embarrassment for our ignorance. It made me think, and think very hard I did. How could I patch up my weakness? After some thought, I visited Miss Rahmah's room. Knocking the door made me sweaty. imagine standuing there stumbling on my words.
I asked her if she could provide me with extra exercises so that I could improve my English. She didn't even blink her eyes when she gave me a book with a picture of a tiger in front of it. She marked the ones that I had to do. I promised myself I would make a dictionary my best friend (I still keep that promise till today).
After finishing the work, in sadness I must say, I went to her room a few days later. there were a few guys, in From 3 and form 4 in front of me. I was the last to go ini, but I noticed something. They were doing the exercises from the same book as the one that I did. It's the Tiger book! Hey, suddenly, I realized I wasn't so bad, and I know I made the right decision that early in time. Well, I made some mistakes but...what the heck - those guys discovered them when they were ALREADY in form 4. I skipped back to my room while singing along the way.
I've come a long away since then. In the US nobody understood what I wanted to say when I said it the Malaysian way. I had to learn to change my but-ton to butt - en and more..but that was fun. Who cares, I'm Malay and a Malaysian. I never expect an American to speak Malay perfectly.
Miss Rahmah had freed me from my English and inferiority complex. Two years earlier, Cikgu Haris and Cikgu Azizah from Johol had forced upon my twin sister and I FREE TUITION.
Beautiful teachers - these individuals - that's their kind heart and Ikhlas.
MAY GOD BLESS THEM FOREVER.
Manis Jean Tan
p/s: Can you imagine if teachers force free tuition on their students nowadays? How do you think that can happen?
Saturday, June 21, 2008
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Every time I come across this day, I wish I have the opportunity to wish my late father (Abah)Happy Father's Day. He passed away on 2nd April 1995.
He was a great man, to say the least.
I was born 4.5Ibs, the first of an identical twin, bald and expected to die. He whisked me away on a train to Singapore and for the next 22 years, brought me up as an army kid. I grew up curious, a constant traveller, always discovering new things, fearless and ever so confident of my own strength. He wouldn't let me think otherwise. He always push me to the max of my potential -- never to fear falling and failing. Death will stop us, but for anything else, there's a cure for everything, he said.
This amazing man had once gone after a snatch thief in Chow Kit Road market alone. He had waited until he was certain he would catch the guy right there in the bright sunlight - like the most famous hero then - Mannix - before he strike. When I think about how difficult it is to get passersby nowaways to help snatch victims, I know the world shares with me the loss of this man.
My late father wasn't a well educated man. As a young man, the hip thing to do for a young Malay chap was to join the army, and so he did. It brought him to Kuala Pilah, where he 'discovered' my mother and they got married when she turned 14. He was 23. What? you said. Yup, that's a no-no now, but just asked the people of the early 1900-1950 if you like...it seems like that was about the ripe age to get married.
Educated or not, he also pushed for my entry into MRSM - now a ubiquitous boarding school, but then was a very new set-up. How would a kampung girl like myself be able to compete with all those polished urban folks? Well, being 1 of 50 accepted into Kuatagh that year wasn't so bad. The rest was history -One that couldn't have happened without him.
Abah was closest to my eldest son, since he was the first grandchild. He always made excuses to buy things for him (ok- this one is for this year's birthday, that one for next year) and Abah was the happiest person when my son articulated the word 'Atuk' on top of a luggage. Abah's love for children never stopped with mine. He used to suck the noses of his grandchildren whenever they couldn't breathe from cold. Hmm, not too many people would do that.
But most of all, I love him because he never thought of me as an adopted child. He brought me up as his own, and while others jibed me with some very malicious words since I was young, he was, and always is my father.
I would have died if he didn't remind me to buckle up half hour before the accident that took his life away. We were travelling towards Bali from Surabaya, and met an accident just two hours from Banyuwangi. He shielded my second son when they fell off the car. He died from internal bleeding. I was there with him in the back of the lorry in the rain while he breathe his last breath. My poor mother was helping my children. Those last moments seems to be etched forever in my mind.
It didn't seem right that such a good man would be taken away so fast. There were so many things that I wanted to tell him. That I love him. That I love him. That I love him. That he has shaped much of my values about life.
Please learn from my experience:
If you still have a father,
--please keep in touch
...please pray for him
...please tell him that you love him.
If you are a father
--please keep in touch
...please pray for them
...please tell them that you love them.
To the fathers of the world, please realize that you have a big impact on your daughters!
Manis Jean Tan
He was a great man, to say the least.
I was born 4.5Ibs, the first of an identical twin, bald and expected to die. He whisked me away on a train to Singapore and for the next 22 years, brought me up as an army kid. I grew up curious, a constant traveller, always discovering new things, fearless and ever so confident of my own strength. He wouldn't let me think otherwise. He always push me to the max of my potential -- never to fear falling and failing. Death will stop us, but for anything else, there's a cure for everything, he said.
This amazing man had once gone after a snatch thief in Chow Kit Road market alone. He had waited until he was certain he would catch the guy right there in the bright sunlight - like the most famous hero then - Mannix - before he strike. When I think about how difficult it is to get passersby nowaways to help snatch victims, I know the world shares with me the loss of this man.
My late father wasn't a well educated man. As a young man, the hip thing to do for a young Malay chap was to join the army, and so he did. It brought him to Kuala Pilah, where he 'discovered' my mother and they got married when she turned 14. He was 23. What? you said. Yup, that's a no-no now, but just asked the people of the early 1900-1950 if you like...it seems like that was about the ripe age to get married.
Educated or not, he also pushed for my entry into MRSM - now a ubiquitous boarding school, but then was a very new set-up. How would a kampung girl like myself be able to compete with all those polished urban folks? Well, being 1 of 50 accepted into Kuatagh that year wasn't so bad. The rest was history -One that couldn't have happened without him.
Abah was closest to my eldest son, since he was the first grandchild. He always made excuses to buy things for him (ok- this one is for this year's birthday, that one for next year) and Abah was the happiest person when my son articulated the word 'Atuk' on top of a luggage. Abah's love for children never stopped with mine. He used to suck the noses of his grandchildren whenever they couldn't breathe from cold. Hmm, not too many people would do that.
But most of all, I love him because he never thought of me as an adopted child. He brought me up as his own, and while others jibed me with some very malicious words since I was young, he was, and always is my father.
I would have died if he didn't remind me to buckle up half hour before the accident that took his life away. We were travelling towards Bali from Surabaya, and met an accident just two hours from Banyuwangi. He shielded my second son when they fell off the car. He died from internal bleeding. I was there with him in the back of the lorry in the rain while he breathe his last breath. My poor mother was helping my children. Those last moments seems to be etched forever in my mind.
It didn't seem right that such a good man would be taken away so fast. There were so many things that I wanted to tell him. That I love him. That I love him. That I love him. That he has shaped much of my values about life.
Please learn from my experience:
If you still have a father,
--please keep in touch
...please pray for him
...please tell him that you love him.
If you are a father
--please keep in touch
...please pray for them
...please tell them that you love them.
To the fathers of the world, please realize that you have a big impact on your daughters!
Manis Jean Tan
Monday, May 12, 2008
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MAK!
My two daughters woke me up from my slumber with the sweetest greeting yesterday morning - after giving me a pencil as my mother's day gift the day before. My two sons didn't bother - and didn't even realize that it was mother's day. Could it be gender difference? I am not sure. Maybe I have not educate them enough on being sensitive to these 'sweet' things. Maybe it's just a girly thing - to celebrate. Or maybe the girls are more sensitive(and more of the target) to the commercialization side of life. Either way, I was very happy to receive the kisses from them. And I din't think any less of the boys.
It was a good day for me - I was in Penang, on the way to send my eldest to enter UniKL's FET - foundation course - in Kolej Mara Kulim. He has started on a new chapter in his studies - tertiary education style of being proactive and independent - and I know he has to excel all the way to survive. A serious day too!
I never think much of this celebration - for me every day is mother's day (no off day, sorry). But it guess it has its advantages - suddenly I'm getting mother's day wishes from friends who have disappeared from my radar for some time - I was so touched.
Religiously every year , I got a wish from Khairudin in JB in the morning. Then I got to think - if it made me feel good - I was certain my wish would make at least one of my 'long lost friends' feel happy -- and I think I did!
Anyway, I want to share a funny message sent by my daughter who got it from her friend -
'Untuk bakal ibu, ibu tercinta, ibu mertua, ibu sedara, ibu angkat, ibu kaki, ibu jari, ibu tunggal, dan x lupa ibu roti, ibu negeri & ibu-ibu pejabat di ucapkan
'SELAMAT HARI IBU'
(to all mothers to be, beloved mom, mother in laws, aunts, adopted mums, thumbs, single moms and not forgetting yeasts, capital cities and head offices, we wish you a 'happy mothers day --> (in malay all these is in the 'female'/mother form)
Jean Tan
p/s: there'll be other days to be serious - let us relax and enjoy this day!
It was a good day for me - I was in Penang, on the way to send my eldest to enter UniKL's FET - foundation course - in Kolej Mara Kulim. He has started on a new chapter in his studies - tertiary education style of being proactive and independent - and I know he has to excel all the way to survive. A serious day too!
I never think much of this celebration - for me every day is mother's day (no off day, sorry). But it guess it has its advantages - suddenly I'm getting mother's day wishes from friends who have disappeared from my radar for some time - I was so touched.
Religiously every year , I got a wish from Khairudin in JB in the morning. Then I got to think - if it made me feel good - I was certain my wish would make at least one of my 'long lost friends' feel happy -- and I think I did!
Anyway, I want to share a funny message sent by my daughter who got it from her friend -
'Untuk bakal ibu, ibu tercinta, ibu mertua, ibu sedara, ibu angkat, ibu kaki, ibu jari, ibu tunggal, dan x lupa ibu roti, ibu negeri & ibu-ibu pejabat di ucapkan
'SELAMAT HARI IBU'
(to all mothers to be, beloved mom, mother in laws, aunts, adopted mums, thumbs, single moms and not forgetting yeasts, capital cities and head offices, we wish you a 'happy mothers day --> (in malay all these is in the 'female'/mother form)
Jean Tan
p/s: there'll be other days to be serious - let us relax and enjoy this day!
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