goodbye, hello

let’s end off the year on a positive note.

ahh, the birth of a new life. full of joy and promises – something i wish to all of you in 2008!

“why, hello Tahui Brudder #2! mimmy, why are you making him cry??”

and to us too.

“ahh, that’s better.”

anyone seeing the fireworks today?? not sure if we should stay up outside with the little one for that eight-and-a-half minutes of spectacular sky action, or stay snuggled up indoors catching up on those shows we’ve recorded on Smart TV.

ahh, we can do both, right? tomorrow holiday you know!

girl-on-girl

the sisters i never had. (coz i’m deprived like that.)

for their teary calls late that night, their hugs, their girly company, for being there.

and for ‘luring’ me out for our traditional “AGM“, i needed it.

ps: on another happy note, congrats to the neos on the arrival of another Tahui Boy! one more ‘brudder’ for aniq’s future clan hehe.

apple of my i

… is what u are.

a quick trip to the airport in the evening to let his little legs run free (and this time, even barefooted, seeing how totally people-less terminal three was). just one of our ‘let’s-get-him-totally-knackered-before-bedtime’ ruses.

*********

on another note, it struck me as we left the airport that i probably had the most memories of him there, where he used to work, the many years since i can remember of us travelling in planes. for some reason, i had an image of him sitting by the pick-up area at the arrival hall, waiting for us to fetch him home.

the last he said to mum was, that the plane had arrived and was she going to follow him or not…

happy holidays!

something to bring back a smile on the face after what seems like a gloomy week for us.

remembering the departed

i used to visit the cemetery with my brothers and father every friday after prayers at masjid sultan to maintain my mum’s and other late family members’ graves, as well as to recite prayers. however, since aniq was born, i have been going less frequently. i decided to bring him along on friday, the day after hari raya haji. it was his first time visiting his late grandma’s grave. she has been gone almost six years now.

he always enjoys being in the company of his uncles and yai. he was comfortable despite the sombre atmosphere and weather. he helped pluck out the weeds, sprinkle the flowers, and brought smiles to an otherwise dreary place.

and who knew he was going to visit it again the very next day, this time to bury another grandparent…

qurban

it’s been a surreal day, but don’t worry, we got through it ok.

i guess we’ve been prepared for it for some time, you know? it’s been a long-drawn-out battle, after all, and there was little else we could do when one’s body deteriorates like so. once again, thank you for all your thoughts and concern. (and especially to those who dropped by, we really appreciate it!)

aidiladha, the day before his passing, we had the opportunity to qurban two sheep for him. a last minute thing arranged by a close family friend.

believe it or not, it was my first time looking at sheep at the mosque and collecting the meat. don’t ask me why, i was never asked to go before! i didn’t get to witness the actual act, though. most of the animals sacrificed were already hung up and the fleece were being stripped off them.

this boy, on the other hand, is luckier. my, what round eyes you have there! i do wonder what goes on in his head when he saw all those baa baas without any heads.

we still have some administrative things to do over the next few days. not even sure what they are or how to go about them. guess we’ll have to figure them out along the way, with help and advice from family members (especially izad).

yeah, this IS also my first time at this, after all.

in the meantime…

GET YOUR GRUBBY HANDS OFF THE LIL LADY, MISTER!

so long… farewell.

and so we watched as he gasped for his last breath of air, life slowly ebbing away from his body.

2334hrs, his soul left with his last pulse.

thank you for all your calls and kind words.

al-fatehah.

lazytown

one of the rare few weekdays we get to bunk in together, laze around, and bathe at *looks at time* noon. oops.

random thought of the day

Man with Womb = Woman

Bat with Womb = Wombat?

(ah, the things an idle mind produces…)

somebody, help me!

*counts the seconds till holidays begin*

ok let me think of something to distract myself.

to-do list says: ‘buy xmas gift for $10 to exchange at year-end party’.

how come during hari raya nobody has a party to exchange small envelopes with money ah? ok ok, nevermind.

was thinking of conjuring a gift hamper courtesy of items from those $2-dollar shops, like Daiso. hmm, clothes pegs… Magic sponge… mini manicure set… large bag of twisties… how much is that already? ok, let’s throw in a seat cushion. i sure could do with one myself here. butt is definitely sore from all this sitting in front of the computer. and coming up with loser $10 gift hampers.

can i just give a small envelope with money?

no-brainer

it is an established fact that more often than not, it is the gormless s’porean caller who gets picked to go on radio to answer the most idiot-proof of all quizzes and win prizes.

this morning on ninety-one point three FM:

DJ introduces Gormless Caller (GC) and explains that to win a prize, he has to sing the next line to a song.

Studio Guest (SG), a local singer wielding a guitar, says she will sing a suzanne vega song since she will be performing in s’pore next month.

GC has not heard of suzanne vega, guitars, or music. it is a miracle he managed to dial the number of the said radio station in the first place. he probably meant to order a pizza or KFC buddy meal for himself.

SG proceeds to sing the first line, “My name is Luca…”

GC clams up.

SG begins to understand the gormless nature of radio callers in general and decides to be generous by continuing second line of song, “I live on the second ____.”

GC is still decidedly clueless.

DJ and SG try to cajole an answer out of GC with numerous clues. “It rhymes with door… more… four… etc. Let’s say you live on the ninth…?”

GC attempts.

“… storey?”

:S