Sending Sara

Hey everyone,

I got up this one morning feeling rather down. Sara, the youngest of my four children is soon leaving us. She's got an offer to further her studies in science at one matriculation college in Kuala Pilah. A little town not too far away from where I live now.
For my readers abroad, matriculation is some sort of preparatory college opened to those who did well in their Science and Accounting exam. They will have to be in this prep college for one year. Upon receiving an excellent result (usually 3.5 ~ 4 GPA), they will then be automatically qualified to enroll for any universities in Malaysia.

Remember when Sophie left for the U.S trip in 2012? I was still under chemotherapy treatment then for my cancer. I had a mixed and jumbled emotion about letting her go. I was afraid if my time had come then, I wouldn't be able to see her for the last time. There's no word to explain how I really felt back then but I still let her go because I wanted her to live her life to the fullest.

Now I am about to go through the same ordeal again. She was our little Miss Perfect. Everything has to be done in proper manner. She doesn't swear or curse. She doesn't use foul language. She'd discreetly put me back in my track if she thinks I am exaggerating my story. It was annoying at times when she did that but I am beginning to realize after reading somewhere about people who is good in mathematics. They tend to be accurate, exact and had to do things according to it's conformity. Simply put, she's a no nonsense person. One look at her trait, one is forgiven to think that she's a boring person. Contrary to that, she can be a real funny and witty person. She is terribly good at impersonating people and she would crack a joke at the least expected moment.

Come saturday (24th.May '14), we will be sending her to that matriculation college. Actually she got another offer at another university in Sabah, east of Malaysia. Not accessible by land, can only get there by flight. I left the choice to her. She was torn between the two colleges. Both were good but.. In the end she chose the matriculation college. Why? Because it is way closer to home than the other one.

We had our discussion before about her future, she was thinking of taking up medicine then. Now, she's in dilemma. She read somewhere, young and new doctors are in abundance in Malaysia. She sought my opinion on this matter. I told her I had some ideas about this but in the end it will be her call. She had to decide, it's her life.
After a long and hard thinking, she is now really keen into taking up forensic science. I was always intrigued with this profession all these while (too much of CSIs), so I am hundred percent behind her if she were to take up this course.  She's living my dream? You can say that but it's her choice.

A week prior to sending her was rather chaotic. We had to visit the bank for enrollment fees, we had to go to the post office for stamping purpose, we had to visit the cell phone company to check the availability for a portable wi-fi, we had to buy her necessities while there and the list goes on.

By the look on her face, she looked both excited and sad. Excited because this will be her first time away from home and being on her own, albeit living in a college dorm. Sad because she would be leaving us.
She would say to me, I am your other half, ma. Sob..sob..

Without realizing it, Saturday arrived. We set out ( Sara, her dad and I) at 0900hrs but arrived Kuala Pilah longer than expected. We got lost a couple of times. Since there were not too many hotels in that town and all were taken up due to this event, we opted to stay at a local homestay. I will post a little write up about  homestay in Malaysia in the next extry.
She was chirpy and bright on Saturday but when Sunday appeared, her previous enthusiasm evaporated. She was quiet and suddenly  didn't look eager anymore. We arrived at the college at 07:30am and we went straight to the registration venue set up by the college administration. She did her compulsory registration and by 08:40am, she was done. That was fast.  She was one of the first to complete the registration, most probably because she did everything online prior to arriving at the college.

Now the hard part. Since cars were not allowed to their respective dormitories, we had to carry her luggage by hand. Her dorm was situated a good ten minutes away from where the main building was. As if that's not enough, it's on the high ground. We had to climb a good flight of steps (I would say about 40 steep steps) with luggage and her other belongings on both hands. By the time we reached the top, I was out of breath. What? I am valid to use the word out of breath okay, since I am fifty one. You should see the rest of other people, didn't matter young or old, everybody was panting and puffing out air that probably make the plants cried, "stop the puffing, we were overloaded with carbon dioxide."

After getting the keys from the staff downstairs, we got to her pre-allocated room and bed, the first thing that came to my mind was no privacy. Four to a room and each 2 single beds were bind together. That's the first thing I did, I pulled it away. We did what had to be done quickly, afraid her about-to-be roommate will get there soon.
I went to take a look at the shared bathroom, it was old but considerably clean. The prayer room was next to her room. So does the ironing room. It's not home but it will work just fine. All I am worry about is her. She is too nice and too precise.

Now it's time to say goodbye. People everywhere. Thousands of students and parents flocked the college ground everywhere we turned our head to. We had to leave earlier since Sophie was in Kuala Lumpur attending the student exchange program and we had to fetch her on our way home.

I turned my head to the back seat and saw she was already crying. Seeing her in tears, brought tears to my eyes too. Both of us were already sobbing. I told her to be strong, it's only for a year.
 Meanwhile, my husband tried to find a quieter place to park but to no avail. Finally there's a little space barely enough for him to squeeze in the car and say our goodbyes. I got out of the car and went to the other side. Sara got out too. My heart broke a thousand pieces when I saw tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. I can't let her go, I can't let her go... She looked so small and sad. I hugged her tightly and never wanted to leave her there alone. People passing were casting little glances towards us.
At last I force myself to pull away from her. We left her to start her new life at about one o'clock.

All the way back home, I felt hollow. It only took us about 3 hours to reach home. Later on Sophie called and said she's nearly home. I went to fetch her, she looked pale as she was having fever. Lucky thing I got some medication at home. She too was exhausted and missing her sister. We end up crying again thinking about her. We missed her terribly.

I told myself I had to be strong, for her sake and mine.
She would be alright there. It's just a matter of time.
Sara, we love you and missing you every minute of the day.
See you in a while, sweetheart!
With deepest love,Mama.

Rose
27th.May '14

Shawl Dan Tudung

Assalamualaikum semua,

Ramadhan dah dekat, raya pun dah dekat. Jadi agaknya dah ramai mula nak cari kain-kain ela dan tudung untuk persiapan hari raya nanti.

Di sini saya sikit jenis-jenis kain tudung yang mungkin anda semua inginkan.
Harga sangat berpatutan. Cuma PM saya kalau nak banyak sebab harga boleh dirunding.

Pashmina Collection 1

Harga bagi Pashmina diatas ialah RM 18.00

Shawl Cotton 1

Shawl Cotton 1 ni cuma tinggal lima helai saja lagi. Kawan anak-anak dah book awal. Harga setiap satu RM 11.00

Tudung Bawal Biasa

Untuk Tudung Bawal ni harga RM 8.00 sehelai.

Shawl Cotton

Untuk Shawl Cotton yang di atas, harganya ialah RM 13.00 sehelai.

Kalau ada yang ingin membeli secara pukal, PM saya price range yang dikehendaki, jenis kain ataupun lain-lain informasi yang diinginkan.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
18th.May '14

Aneka Nasi Goreng

Assalamualaikum,

Baru-baru ni, saya tengah fikir-fikirkan nak masukkan resipi apa pula kali ni. Tiba-tiba anak bongsu saya, Sara bagi tau saya macam ni, "Ma, ni ada satu idea untuk blog resipi ma. Apa kata ma compile-kan tiga atau empat jenis nasi goreng dan masukkan ke dalam blog."
Tau kenapa dia bagi idea macam tu? Sebab dia kata nanti bila dia masuk mana-mana IPTA, boleh juga dia rujuk kat blog saya bila rasa nak masak. Hemmm..

Jadi, hari ni saya letak 3 jenis nasi goreng untuk tatapan dan untuk di cuba bersama.


1) Nasi Goreng Cili Segar

Nasi sejuk 1 mangkuk
1 biji telur
1/2 cawan sayur campur (kcg peas/jagung/carrot)
2 sudu makan marjerin
1 sudu makan minyak masak
2 biji cili hijau di potong kasar
2 biji cili merah di potong kasar
(kedua dua jenis cili dikisar sekali)
2 sudu makan kicap manis
2 sudu kecil sos ikan
5 ekor udang/ atau ayam atau apa-apa yang anda suka

3 biji bwg merah
2 ulas bwg putih
3 biji tomato ceri
(semua di kisar sekali)

Panaskan sikit minyak dan marjerin dalam kuali. Tumiskan semua bahan kisar tadi. Biarkan sehingga agak garing.
Masukkan ayam atau apa saja yang anda suka bersama dengan sayur campur.

Setelah itu, masukkan cili kisar kedalam kuali. Biar sehingga cili agak garing.

Sekarang bolehlah dimasukkan pula nasi dan gaul rata.

Kosongkan di tengah kuali, pecahkan telur ke dalam kuali dan kacau biar pecah.
Sekarang kaup balikkan nasi supaya tergaul mesra dengan telur yang pecah tadi.
Terakhir, tuangkan kicap manis, sos ikan dan kalau perlu sedikit garam.

Siap untuk dimakan


2) Nasi Goreng Bujang

I mangkuk nasi sejuk
1 biji bwg besar di mayang
2 ulas bwg putih di rincik halus
1/2 cawan mixed vege (kalau tak ada pun tak apa)
2 biji telur
2 sudu makan sos tiram dan 1/2 sudu makan sos ikan dicampur dengan 2 sudu makan air
Sikit serbuk kasar lada putih

Nasi goreng yang sangat mudah, sangat sedap dan sangat murah khas untuk anak-anak pelajar yang berjauhan dengan famili dan tengah kering kocek bila sampai tengah bulan.

Seperti biasa, panaskan kuali dengan sedikit minyak.
Tumiskan bwg besar dan bawang putih, tumis sehingga naik bau.
Sekarang masukkan nasi dan gaul rata dengan sos tiram sehingga sebati dengan minyak tumisan tadi.

Buatkan bulatan kosong ditengah, kemudian pecahkan telur dan kacau sehingga hancur.

Kaup balikkan nasi sehingga semua sebati.
Terakhir masukkan sedikit sos ikan dan juga lada putih.

Nasi Goreng Bujang

Sangat cepat dan memang sedap. Tak percaya ek? Cuba buat kat dorm, lepas tu bagi tau mak cik Rose sedap ke tak.


3) Nasi Goreng Sambal Tumis

Nasi goreng ni, kita pakai lebihan masakan yang kita makan sebelumnya.

Bahan-bahan :

1 mangkuk nasi sejuk
1 biji telur
2 ulas bwg merah dan 2 ulas bwg putih ( di mayang)
4 urat kcg panjang dipotong kecil (tengok gambar)
2 sudu makan sambal tumis (ikut selera, kalau nak kurang pedas, kurangkan sambalnya)
Untuk perisiannya boleh di pakai lebihan ayam atau ikan goreng atau apa saja (digaul bersama dengan nasi sejuk tadi)
2 sudu makan kicap manis
2 sudu teh sos ikan

Caranya  sama jugak dengan memasak nasi goreng yg lain.

Kita tumis bwg putih dan bwg merah dulu. Biarkan sehingga agak kekuningan.

Gaul rata dengan bahan tumisan tadi. Buatkan bulatan ditengah sambil menolak nasi ke sudut kuali.

Pecahkan telur ke dalam bulatan di dalam kuali  dan kacau-kacau sampai pecah.

Kemudian, ambil nasi (yang dah di gaul dengan sambal tumis atau pun lebihan ikan goreng) dan masukkan kedalam kuali.

Sekarang, masukkan kicap manis, sos ikan dan potongan kacang panjang.
Gaul biar sekata. Kalau rasa kurang masin, bolehlah ditambah dengan sikit garam.

Dan dah boleh dimakan. Selamat mencuba anak-anak..

Happy Birthday Mama !

17th May 1963
Rosni bt Rahim

Mama officially turned 51 today. Wooo woo. Happy Birthday Mama. Selamat Hari Lahir. 생일축하합니다 . 

Eh ? Who's writing this post ?
Mama's cutest sweetest kindest daughter did. Muahahaha.
How ?
Simple. Mama never sign out. xD

Am writing this post to remind Mama abt a few things, in case i forgot to tell her when i leave in 7 days time.

But before that, I would like all readers to know how Rose Rahim as a mom truly is.

First of all, mama is the best mom in the world, literally. And am not just saying this because she's my mom or its the right thing to say, but because she really is, the best mom one could ever have.

I don't like how parents nowadays try hard to be their children's friend. imo, you guys already have enough friends. Just be their mom, they have only one anyway' - Rose Rahim
Hehehe, I find it funny how most parents nowadays trying to be their children's friend to show that they understand them but there's my mom, 'rebelling' against the parents-friend idea, as she always has. And that is only one reason why i love my mother amongst a million other reason, she always,
always, has a different mindset than most people.

Oh yeah, one thing you guys should know about Rose Rahim is..
She thinks like a man, act like one, but has a feeling of a sensitive lady.
She would curse a female driver on the road. She is not a sentimental person that would keep her children's picture on her purse etc. Oh, just a few days ago, i said to her, 'Mama, do you want me to put my picture in your purse ?'. 'Ah, sure, just put it in there', she replied unenthusiastically. xD But, she is one that would think and worry all day long thinking if she had made someone hurt. And for that, I love her, a lot at that. 

Okay, moving on, mama,..
This is the list of things you should do and remember when am not around..

1- Don't leave the balcony door open at night. Rose Rahim replied : It's hot.. I need fresh air 
2- Make sure you check the door and windows are locked. : Yes maam, eee takutnya..
3- Don't keep anything to yourself, tell me !
4- Buy yourself something nice sometimes and don't worry about the money. Ehmm lets see, nak apa ya?
5- Don't worry yourself too much.
6- Don't get over excited over a kitchen appliances shop. xD.. Am thinking of getting a new non-stick pot!
7- Don't intimidate female drivers anymore. Remember, your daughter here is the same as them. Did I do that? Sara, you are exaggerating! 
8- I love you.. And I you
9- I love you ..Yes you
10- And I love you so much and will always be there for you. That makes the two of us..
I love you more than you love me bcz you have to split your love for four of us, but i only have you.
Yes I know I have to split four loves, but my heart is bigger than yours..

Happy Birthday Mama. Yaya sayang mama banyak banyak. Banyak semua sayang manusia dekat dunia ni.
Thank you Yaya, Mama sayang Yaya banyak sebutan I love you di dunia ni..hehe..

Thank you for everything. I'm your biggest fan.


Sara Ismail
17th. May 2014.

Where Did All The Good Manners Go? / Mana hilangnya Budi Bahasa Kita?

Sila scroll ke bawah untuk Bahasa Melayu.

Hello dear readers,

I was given an appointment  to have my eyes checked at one local government clinic one morning (9th. May). Time was not stated in the appointment. Since we, that is Sara and me, didn't know the location of the clinic, we left home at about 09:50am and get ready our GPS to look for the clinic. It wasn't the same clinic that I regulate monthly. This clinic was situated about 10km away from my home and  located far inside the housing area. After a couple of stoppings to ask the passersby of the where about of the clinic, we finally found it at about 11.20am. (My phone GPS didn't help much)

We went inside and I went straight to the information counter and showed them the appointment slip I was given by the other clinic. The nurse took one look at it and asked me to walk over to Room 12, if the person in-charge was not there, go to Room 8, she went on without smiling. We walked over to both rooms and the person in-charge was nowhere to be seen. I walked back to the counter and told the nurse the M.O wasn't in either. She didn't look too happy to attend to me. I ignored the look.
You will have to wait then, she said. There's a death case they are attending. We went to wait near Room 8. A few minutes later a nurse emerged from another room. I handed her my slip. She took a look at it and said, "You are here for eye check, at this time of hour?" It's late. You should have been here earlier." I calmly said I am new at this place and the slip didn't mention any specific time on it. By the way, what time does the eye clinic closed, I asked? She said 12 o'clock and she turned to the wall to take a look at the time. It showed 11:30am. This time she said, It's eleven thirty now but the M.O is busy attending to a death case. You can either wait here but it will take a long time or you can go back to the previous clinic and tell them that you were late, ask them to make a new appointment. Can you do that? She asked me again. This time I quietly told her, Yes I can do that but I don't know if I want to come back here again. The nurses here are scary.
She got my message and touched my arm lightly and said she didn't mean that way but I must understand that they were busy at that moment. Oh I understand all right but do they understand me?
Two things I was not happy with. One, I wasn't late. They still got half an hour to run a check on my eye.
Two, Instead of apologizing, she indirectly put the blame on me. How can she ask me to go back to the other clinic and inform the nurses there I didn't get my eyes checked because I was late (that's her exact words).  I was late or they were too busy to attend to me?

Just a general information for you guys, every time we visit a Government clinic, we only had to pay RM1.00 equivalent to about USD0.30 for a check up and RM5.00 (USD 1.60) if we were to see a specialist. Overall, the services at these clinics and hospitals had improved tremendously since ten years or so, except for a few hitches caused by these type of people.

Last week, we went to have dinner at a diner/restaurant at one of the malls in town.The restaurant name is Nando's. I don't know about other countries but here in Malaysia it was quite pricey. Ariff, my son was here with us for a week and he was going back to Langkawi the next day. We arrived quite late (about 2030hrs) and there was not too many people dining at that moment. The waiter came and we placed our order. He didn't smile, not one bit. After about ten minutes we got our order. He placed it on the table and left. No "enjoy your dinner" or a smile on his face. I whispered to Sophie, don't they know how to smile around here? She said she's been to their two other branches with her friends before and the services were all the same. The table in front of us which was empty earlier was taken by a family. A waitress came and took their order. Also, I didn't see any smile on this face as well.
Oh never mind. I am hungry. I am not the supervisor anyway. The chicken was surprisingly good. I loved the garlic bread, crunchy and soft at the same time. I especially loved their burger. The ciabatta was aromatic and had a real taste in it.
We finished our dinner, signaled for the waiter to bring our bill. Waiting, 2 minutes, no sign of anybody bringing our bill. Waiting 5 minutes, still nobody came. We signaled again. A different one saw us. The waitress who took order from the table in front of us just now. She nodded an acknowledgement to my signal. Waiting again, 2, 3,4 minutes still no show. I was already not happy with their services and now I have to wait even when I am about to pay? Mind you, we had to pay for their services as well. The service tax was included. For what service? Beats me!
I think, overall we waited for about 10 minutes before I finally got up and walked over to the cashier counter. A soft guy was manning the cashier counter. I asked softly ( no pun intended) how much was the bill. He gestured me to wait a while, while he printed out the bill. I paid him and for the first time, I saw someone at this place smile. Hoorey! He smile, he actually smiled! I took my change back, no intention of leaving any tips to them, and I said to him, "You are the only person in this restaurant who smiled. If you could advise your colleagues to do the same, it would have been better for the restaurant.

At another time, I was at a wet market. Remember, I am a fish person? Ok, ok, so I've reminded you people countless times. I drove all the way to this place called Kuala Selangor once in every two weeks just to get my fresh supplies of fish. It took me about half an hour to get there via expressway.
We reached there about 14:30hrs. The girls were inside the car. They were not as fascinated with the fresh fish as I do. I was going from one stall to another surveying the type of fish I was about to buy. Finally I stopped at the one towards the end. I was picking the fish and needed a container to fill in the selected fish. I asked from the owner of the stall to give me one. He was, at that time, busy talking to a person next to him. He took the little container and literally threw it across to where I was standing. That was totally, out-rightly rude. I glared at him and walked away from his stall. He can keep his fish for all I care. I can see from the corner of my eyes that he wasn't happy that I left without buying.

Today (10th.May), we were at a mall looking for some scarves and Muslim maxi dress. We saw a shop that sells a rather attractive designs of scarves. We walked in. I saw the maxi dress displayed with price written on top of it as RM 60.00. I asked the salesgirl, if we were to buy 2 pieces, will there be a discount? "No, that's the selling price." She said in a high pitch tone. Sophie who was standing next to her tried her luck, "What if we were to buy six pieces? Will you.." Before she could even finish the sentence, the salesgirl said in an annoying voice, "No, that price has been discounted already from it's actual price". Sophie was so mad that she mumbled " Spoil my day with people like this" loudly enough for the salesgirl to hear. Sara and me walked closely behind her and try to calm her down.

I was neither fussy nor a difficult person. I am just being observant. I liked it when people do their works or duties with smile on their faces. That shows that he or she is happy (or at least I think they do) with what they're doing.
We should honour our jobs and carry it out to the best of our abilities. If one is not happy with his/her job, quit the job. Find something that makes them look forward to come to work every day. Leave the jobs they hate to others who might be happy just to have a job.

Rose
12th.May '14

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Assalamualaikum semua,

Baru-baru ni saya di beri appointment untuk membuat pemeriksaan mata di klinik kesihatan Rawang. Masa tidak di tulis di dalam slip appointment tu. Memandangkan saya dan Sara belum pernah ke klinik di Rawang ni, kami bersedia dengan GPS dan keluar rumah dalam pukul 09:50pagi. Rasanya Rawang terletak lebih kurang 10 kilometer dari tempat tinggal saya. Selepas berhenti dua tiga kali untuk bertanya jalan (GPS saya tak dapat mencari tempat ni), kami sampai ke klinik ini lebih kurang pukul 11:20pagi.

Kami masuk ke dalam dan saya terus ke kaunter pertanyaan sambil menunjukkan slip appointment saya. Salah seorang jururawat yang bertugas di situ meneliti slip saya dan tanpa senyuman mengarahkan saya ke Bilik 12, kalau tak ada orang di Bilik 12, pergi terus kebilik 8. Kami pergi ke dua-dua bilik tapi tak ada pegawai bertugas di situ. Saya patah balik ke kaunter pertanyaan tadi. Kali ni jururawat yang sorang lagi beritau, saya harus tunggu. Ada kes kematian.

Kami berjalan semula ke Bilik lapan dan tunggu di luar sana. Selepas seketika, seorang jururawat lalu didepan saya untuk masuk ke bilik 8. Saya bangun dan tunjukkan dia slip appointment saya.
Dia meneliti slip saya dan kata, " Akak datang nak buat pemeriksaan mata? Sekarang dah pukul berapa ni? Kenapa lambat sangat? Kami tak buat kalau dah lambat."
Saya tanya dengan dia pukul berapa sepatutnya pemeriksaan tu di lakukan sebab dalam slip tak ada tulis time. Dia kata dari awal pagi sampai pukul 12 tengahari sambil memandang ke dinding untuk melihat waktu di jam yang tergantung di dinding. "Oh, sekarang pukul 11:30pagi, tapi kami tak sempat buat sebab ada kes kematian. Kalau nak buat jugak akak boleh tunggu, tapi lambat sebab kami nak bereskan kes kematian dulu." Pulak! Tadi dia kata dah lambat tak boleh buat tapi sekarang boleh tunggu pulak.
Kemudian jururawat ni sambung lagi, ataupun akak balik ke Klinik Kuang dan bagitau dia orang akak nak minta appointment di hari lain sebab akak sampai lambat ke sini. "Akak faham tak?" Soal dia.
"Ya, saya faham dan saya boleh buat macam tu cuma saya takut dengan jururawat-jururawat disini. Semuanya garang dan tak tahu senyum." Balas saya.
Dia agak tersentak dengan jawapan saya. Cepat-cepat dia pegang lengan saya dan cakap dia bukan bermaksud macam tu tapi dia orang agak sibuk dengan kes kematian waktu itu dan harap saya harap dengan situasi mereka.
Ya, saya faham ada kes kematian (sebab dia orang ulang benda yang sama berkali-kali) tapi macam mana dengan saya? Kenapa dia orang tak nak faham bila saya cakap saya masih baru di sini dan juga tiada masa di catitkan di slip itu.
Dan saya rasa agak marah bila dia suruh saya balik ke Klinik Kuang beritau petugas disana yang saya datang lewat dan minta appointment baru. Dan yang keduanya, saya tak lambat sebab pemeriksaan mata masih boleh dilakukan sehingga pukul 12 tengahari. Mereka yang sibuk bukan saya yang lambat.

Minggu lepas, kami pergi makan malam kat The Nando's. Boleh tahan jugak la harga dia. Anak sulung saya, Ariff dah nak balik ke Langkawi keesokkan harinya jadi kami nak luangkan masa bersama sebelum dia balik ke sana.
Kami sampai agak lambat, dalam pukul 8.20malam. (Kami di rumah selalu makan lebih awal, lebih kurang pukul 7 begitu.) Pelayan datang dan ambil order kami. Tak ada senyum. Lepas sepuluh minit makanan kami sampai. Dia letakkan diatas meja dan berlalu pergi. Masih tak ada senyuman atau ucapan apa-apa. Cuma letak dan pergi. Tempat ni tak ajar staf dia orang cara mengendali pelanggan ke? Tempat cantik, harga mahal tapi servis...
Meja di depan kami yang tadinya kosong di penuhi dengan satu famili. Pelayan wanita pula yang datang ambil pesanan dia orang. Juga tak reti senyum. Ambik order terus berlalu pergi. Hebat!
Tapi lantaklah. Perut pun dah lapar. Saya bukannya supervisor dia orang. Ayam yang kami order tu sangat sedap. Garlic bread dia pun bagus. Saya paling suka burger dia. Roti ciabatta nya wangi  dan mempunyai rasa yang saya harapkan.

Setelah selesai makan, kami signal kepada pelayan kami tadi minta dibawakan bil. Tunggu, dua, tiga minit tak ada sesiapa bawa. Kali ni kami signal pula kepada pelayan wanita yang ambil order meja depan kami tadi. Dia menganggukkan kepala. Tunggu lagi, tiga, empat minit, masih tak ada sesiapa yang bawa bil kepada kami. Saya dah la tak berapa nak happy dengan pekerja-pekerja yang tak tau nak senyum ni ditambah pulak sekarang nak bayar duit pun dia orang macam acuh tak acuh ja. Bukannya ramai orang pun dalam restaurant tu. Pulak tu bila kita bayar, servis charge dimasukkan sekali dalam bil tu. Servis pun ke laut, nak minta kita bayar lagi.
Selepas lebih kurang sepuluh minit menunggu dan bil tak sampai-sampai juga, saya berjalan ke kaunter juruwang. Saya tanya berapa dan dia berikan resit kepada saya dan saya bayar. Selepas saya bayar, juruwang (lelaki) ni senyum kepada saya dan ucapkan terima kasih. Ada orang dalam restaurant ni yang tau macam mana nak senyum. Hoorey! Ada orang senyum!
Saya ambil balik baki wang saya, (selalunya saya tinggalkan sikit tips buat anak-anak yang bekerja dalam servis industry ni sebab saya pun pernah terlibat didalam servis industry  ini) dan saya cakap kat juruwang ni, "Awak satu-satunya orang yang senyum didalam restaurant ni. Kalau boleh awak bagitau teman-teman yang lain supaya belajar senyum sikit, pelanggan akan lebih happy walaupun hanya dengan senyuman."

Pada masa yang lain pulak, saya ke pasar basah di Kuala Selangor. Saya memandu kesana dua minggu sekali hanya untuk mendapatkan ikan segar walaupun jaraknya agak jauh dari rumah saya. Saya guna Latar Highway, itupun ambil 1/2 jam untuk sampai kesana. Tak palah, janji saya dapat ikan elok.
Kami sampai ke sana dalam pukul 2.30petang. Kedua-dua Sophie dan Sara tunggu dalam kereta, dia orang tak berminat nak tengok ikan macam saya ni.
Saya berjalan dari satu gerai kegerai yang lain menjamu mata nak beli ikan apa. Tiba di satu gerai yang hujung sekali, saya nampak ikan kerisi yang sangat segar. Taukeh kedai tu sedang rancak bersembang dengan orang disebelah dia. Saya minta satu bakul kecil nak isi ikan yang saya nak beli. Agaknya agak kurang senang sebab saya mengganggu perbualan dia, dia ambil satu bakaul biru didepan dia dan lontarkan terus kedepan saya. Berderau darah saya menahan marah. Saya pandang dia dan saya tinggalkan semua ikan-ikan yang saya dah pilih tadi. Saya nampak dengan ekor mata yang dia agak marah saya tak ambil ikan-ikan yang saya pilih tadi. Bagi saya, sangat kurang ajar sikap sebegitu.

Hari ni (10hb.May), kami ke satu kedai wholesaler ni nak cari tudung, jubah dan baju kurung. Ada orang order nak banyak. Jadi dah tentunya saya nak beli pun dalam kuantiti yang agak banyak. Kami nampak satu kedai yang mempunyai corak dan kain yang menarik. Ada satu jubah ni sangat menarik warna dan kainnya. Tertera diatas jubah tu harga RM80.00. Saya tanya pada satu pekerja yang kebetulan tengah mengambil sesuatu di dalam kotak di lantai. Kalau saya nak ambil dua helai, boleh dapat murah lagi ke? Dia jawab dalam nada yang tak menyenangkan, "Tak ada, itu memang harga jualan. Sophie yang berdiri berhampiran dengan gadis tu mencuba nasib lagi, "Kalau nak nak ambil enam helai, boleh..." Dia tak sempat nak habiskan ayat bila penjual ni mencelah dengan nada yang kurang senang. "Tak boleehh, harga tu sama ja tak kira berapa banyak pun yang awak beli". Nampak muka Sophie yang sangat marah. Dia merungut dengan agak kuat, merosakkan hari ja dengan orang yang macam ni.
Kami ke kedai yang lain yang mana pekerjanya lebih sopan dan dapat harga yang lebih baik daripada tadi. Alhamdulillah.

Saya ni bukanlah jenis yang cerewet atau suka complain. Kalau saya masuk ke satu-satu tempat tu dan pekerja-nya nampak happy dan senyum selalu pun dah cukup. Bukan nak minta mereka tatang kita kehulu ke hilir.
Bab budi bahasa dan tata susila ni sangat saya titik beratkan. Sebab tu dah beratus kali say tegur anak-anak, selalu senyum dengan orang walaupun pada mulanya orang tak ingin nak senyum dengan kita. Cakap dengan suara yang lembut dan selalu gunakan pangkat di awal atau pangkal seseorang itu. Umpamanya, kita mulakan dengan " maaf cik atau maaf abang". Bila kita bersopan dengan orang, orang juga akan bersopan dengan kita.
Tapi sekarang ni, sangat payah nak dapat senyuman dari seseorang. Mahal sungguh harga senyuman sekarang ni.
Dari kecil, kita harus asuh anak supaya lebih berbudi bahasa dan bersopan terhadap orang lain. Tak rugi apa-apa pun.

Rose
12th.May '14

Yogurt Cheesecake With Crumbled Cookies

Assalamualaikum semua,

Saya ni bukanlah pakar dalam bidang membuat kek dan cookies. Saya lebih kepada hidangan semasa. Tetapi hari ni saya nak letak resipi cheesecake yang menjadi gilaan ramai tu. No,no,no..bukan saya yang buat tapi anak lelaki sulung saya iaitu, Ahmad Ariff. Dia pakar dalam bidang buat kek dan cookies ni sebab memang kerja dia pun buat kek setiap hari di hotel tempat dia bekerja. Nak tau dia kerja di mana? Saya boleh bagi tau tempat terdahulu yang dia biasa kerja, iaitu hotel Tg Rhu Resort, Sheraton dan juga The Danna Hotel di Langkawi. Ketiga-tiga hotel ni bertaraf lima bintang dan dia dah berpengalaman selama lebih kurang 7 tahun dalam bidang ni.

Bukan saya nak riak kata anak hebat kerja kat situ tapi supaya orang tak kata saya main suka-suka saja letak resipi walaupun tak berapa mahir nak buat kek.

Untuk pengetahuan pembaca, semua resipi yang saya paparkan disini dari dulu sampai sekarang, sama seperti apa yang saya masak di rumah. Kalau sesiapa yang pernah mencuba dirumah tapi tak berapa menjadi, itu mungkin disebabkan sukatan yang kita gunakan tidak sama. Walau apapun saya ingin memohon maaf sekiranya cubaan anda tidak menepati apa yang anda harapkan.

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Perhatian : Cara membuat cheesecake yang saya kongsi dibawah adalah bagi teman2 yang tak ada  mixer atau pun mixer rosak. Untuk membuat seperti biasa sila lihat dibahagian paling bawah, saya tulis serba ringkas resepinya.

Sekarang jom kita tengok bahan apa yang diperlukan :

Biskut utk base cheesecake dan dark choc untuk hiasan

500gm cream cheese ( keluarkan dari peti sejuk dan biarkan cheese ini pada suhu bilik.)
250gm whip cream
60gm yogurt
4 biji telur
200gm biskut tiger atau biskut yg macam dalam gambar ni
60gm gula (sukatan ni ialah sukatan kurang manis)
130gm butter tanpa garam ataupun unsalted butter
1 keping dark chocolate

Untuk loyang saya pakai loyang yang boleh ditolak base nya supaya senang nak keluarkan kek itu nanti.
Saya pakai loyang segi empat sama dengan ukuran 6 x 6 x 3.

Loyang yg boleh ditolak keluar bahagian bawahnya

Dah siap semua bahan? Okay jom kita mulakan.

Pertama kita buat bahagian bawah kek dulu. Separuh orang pakai sponge kek untuk bahagian bawah kek ni tapi saya suka cookie base sebab lebih rangup. Jadi kalau nak tukar pakai base lain pun boleh.
Ramaskan biskut sehingga hancur. Kalau boleh jangan guna blender sebab mungkin terlalu halus.
Panaskan butter didalam kuali sehingga betul-betul cair.

Bila dah cair, angkat dan tuangkan kedalam biskut yang diramas hancur tadi lalu kita gaulkan sehingga sekata.

Sediakan loyang. Sekarang masukkan biskut ini kedalam loyang dan tekan hingga mampat. Ketepikan dulu.

Ambil cream cheese dan gula tadi dan letakkan didalam satu bekas.

Panaskan kuali besar yang leper ataupun periuk yang luas dan masukkan sikit air.
Kemudian letakkan bekas yg berisi cheese dan gula tadi kedalam kuali seperti di atas dan kacau diatas api tersebut.

Proses ini dinamakan double boiling. Kacau jangan henti sampai cheese menjadi lembut dan licin.

Bila dah lembut, angkat dari api. Teruskan mengacau cheese tersebut sambil menuang yogurt ke dalam adunan tersebut.
Sekarang angkat adunan ini dan letakkan kembali kedalam kuali yang berisi air tadi dan kita lakukan proses double boiling sekali lagi.

Kacau sampai  halus dan licin. Angkat dari api dan letakkan diatas meja. Teruskan mengacau.
Sekarang pecahkan telur dan tuang masuk kedalam adunan ini dan kacau lagi jangan henti.

Terakhir, tuang masuk whipping cream dan kacau sehingga betul-betul halus, sebati dan licin.

Lihat gambar diatas. Adunan harus menjadi begini.

Panaskan oven pada suhu 150darjah. Letakkan satu bekas berisi air didalam oven.
Tuang adunan tadi kedalam loyang yang berisi biskut crumbled tadi.

Masukkan adunan kedlam bekas berisi air (didalam oven) dan bakar selama satu jam (atas dan bawah). Jangan lupa periksa dengan mencucuk dengan garfu utk melihat samada kek dah masak.

** Disebabkan saya menggunakan loyang yang boleh ditolak dari bawah, maka saya harus melilit sekeliling loyang dengan menggunakan aluminium foil. Kepada yang memakai loyang biasa tak perlu melakukan seperti yang saya lakukan.

Bila dah masak, keluarkan dari oven dan biarkan sejuk sekejap. Selepas lebih kurang sejam, masukkan kedalam peti sejuk dan simpan selama lebih kurang 45 minit.
Keluarkan, kemudian bolehlah dihiaskan megikut citarasa kita. Untuk cheesecake ini, kami menggunakan dark chocolate yang di parut nipis kemudian ditaburkan diatas kek ini.

Gambar oleh Ahmad Ariff

Ini dia cheesecake 500gm yang pure cheese nya tanpa tepung.

Ariff membuat kek ini menggunakan kaedah double boiling sebab mixer saya rosak, jadi dia harus membuatnya secara manual atau menggunakan tangan.

Secara ringkasnya kalau menggunakan mixer masa dapat dijimatkan dengan ketara.  Kita hanya perlu,
Campurkan gula kedalam cream cheese dan putar dengan mixer pada kelajuan perlahan dulu sampai cheese menjadi lembut, kemudian baru di tukar ke tahap sederhana.
Masukkan semua telur dan putar lagi (speed perlahan).
Sekarang masukkan whipping cream dan yogurt sekali. Putar pada speed perlahan sehingga halus dan licin.
Bila adunan dah jadi cantik tuang masuk kedalam loyang crumbled cookies tadi dan mula masak. Mudahkan.

Jadi disini ada dua pilihan dan cara yang boleh kita guna pakai untuk membuat cheese cake yang sedap gile ni.


Masa penyediaan : 30 minit / Masa memasak : 1 jam

Anggaran cost    :
Cream cheese    : RM 15.00
Dark choc         : RM    1.00 (saya hanya pakai sedikit utk hiasan jadi saya kurangkan kosnya disini)
Whip cream      :  RM   6.50
Telur                 : RM    1.60
Biskut               : RM    3.00
Butter               : RM    3.20 (separuh)
Yoghurt            : RM    1.90

Jumlah                 RM 32.20

Kalau kita tengok pada anggaran kos ni, kita boleh agaklah ya kenapa cheesecake ni di jual pada harga yang sangat mahal walaupun hanya sepotong.

Selamat mencuba,

Rose
7th.May '14 (1710hrs)

Paranormal/ Alam Ghaib

Untuk bahasa Melayu sila scroll ke bawah..


Hello again people,

What I am about to write may have been experienced or encountered by many of you out there. The paranormal incidences that you may have came across once.
Remember my previous entry in A String Of Badluck? The last paragraph where Sophie and I was in the elevator and it opened twice? Well I am sure it wasn't a paranormal thing but that was the kind of thing that can be called paranormal.

How do we know the presence of the unseen? Usually we got goose bumps for no apparent reasons, then we felt the chill at the location where we were standing. And then the eerie silence that could be sensed and felt  to the bone. These were the element sensed prior to "meeting" the entity.
Has any one of you been through this experience? I did. I had a few brush with paranormal activity. Some people don't believe in it  but I believe most do.

Incident 1 : A few years ago, while I was taking an afternoon nap at home, I felt something heavy pinned me down. I can't move, I can't breathe and I was  yelling at the top of my voice but nothing came out. I can't even open my eyes. It felt like a concrete block was placed on top of my body. I read a few verses from the Quran and after what seemed like eternity, I finally was able to move. It was one of the scariest moment of my life.

Incident 2 : We had moved out from the house we lived in a few years ago. After about a week, Soffian said to me he left his skateboard or something, (I can't really remember what) so late afternoon at about seven something I drove to the old house with Sara tagging along. The house suddenly looked creepy without human living in it. It was totally dark. The fruit orchard next to the house made the surrounding more eerie. I followed Pian upstairs to get his thing and we quickly left the house. After locking the sliding door, all three of us walked hurriedly to the car. Suddenly, as usual, Pian being Pian, said he forgot something else. I asked him to hurry up and get whatever thing he needed while we waited inside the car. Halfway walking, he turned and signaled me for the house key. Arghh.. I had to get out again. He got to the door first when he turned to me and said, "Didn't you lock the door just now?" I said, yes, I did.
When I reached the door, I saw it was slightly opened. About six inch opening. Both of us looked at one another and I said to him slowly, do you really need that whatever thing you left behind? He turned to me and shook his head suggesting we should leave right away. I locked the door again and we walked quickly back to the car. Once inside the car, I needed some sort of confirmation. I asked Sara whether or not I locked the door just now. She nodded and said yes.

Just to share with you readers, the children, none of them really liked the house except for Ariff. I only knew about it after we moved out from there. On the contrary I loved the house since it was bought with our hard earned money.It was a beautiful double storey house with a yard big enough for me to do my gardening. A few of our friends and relatives who had stayed at that  house told us that they felt disturbed while there. They only told us about it after we were no longer there.

Incident 3 : Scene:- Still at the same house. This is from Sophie's experience. It was early morning, probably five something in the morning. She was still a young girl then, maybe twelve. She said, she felt as if someone shook hard at one side of the bed and stroking her to get up. She opened her eyes but nobody was there. Thinking it was me trying to wake her up she ignored and fell asleep again. Not long after that, she felt the same tap again on the side of the bed urging her to get up. This time she was truly awake and looked around the room. There was nobody except for Sara who was sleeping on the other bed. Who was that?

Incident 4 : Scene:- The same house. I went up to sleep early. I wasn't feeling well. Come to think of it, I was always sick whilst living in that house.
The view from my room oversees the orchard directly. You can imagine how spooky it was. I never lifted up the drape in the evening for fearing of seeing the unthinkable. So, as I was lying on the bed, alone, reading, I started to get sleepy. Everybody was still downstairs. I turned off the light with only some dim lighting coming from the street. I was tossing and turning when I thought I saw a shadow moving on the ceiling above me. With my eyes opened just a slit and in a curled up position, I braved myself to steal a look at it again. As I  squinted my eyes to steal a look at it,  I saw as if it jumped to another corner of the ceiling. Holy @#*#,  that got me up faster than Usain Bolt. I raced downstairs where everyone was still watching TV. I told them about it. That night everybody pulled their pillows and blankets and sleep in the living room, all six of us.

Incident 5 : The same house. Both my husband and I were in the living room watching T.V. at about 9 p.m.
The two boys were at their tuition class while the girls were inside the room next to where we were sitting, most probably playing with their dolls. Since it was a relatively safe neighbourhood, we let the main entrance door open and let the fresh breeze in. Suddenly, simultaneously both of us thought we heard someone rushing in from outside into the house and went up the staircase. My husband said to me, Is that Pian? I shrugged my shoulders, then as an afterthought, I called up Pian's name. He of course didn't answer since he wasn't home yet. I went up to check if he was playing hide and seek with me. He was nowhere to be found. I came down and checked the two girls. Sure enough, they were on the floor playing quietly.
The two boys came back about half an hour later. Who was that?

Incident 6 : The same house . Ariff, my eldest son, said there was one night when all were asleep. Suddenly my other son, Soffian, shook him up from sleep and said he heard something running on the roof. Ariff opened his eyes and tried to listen. Then he said he heard something like a footstep on the roof. Both of them were quiet for a while. They were sure it sounded like someone was running up there. Both of them took their pillows and crashed in together with us until the next morning.

Incident 7 : Years ago when I was pregnant with Sophie, we lived in our first rented house in Langkawi. We had just moved down there from Penang. The landlord's house was just about 100 meters away from us. Behind our house was a rice field. There wasn't many houses there. When the night fall, the whole area was totally dark and creepy. One night, while we were ready for bed, probably about eleven o'clock, we heard something coming from behind the house. At first I thought one of the boys were crying. I went in to check but they were sound asleep. I sat still and strain my ears to hear the sound again. It went quiet for a few minutes. Thinking my mind was playing tricks on me, I relaxed a little and slid myself back onto the bed. Then, it came again. I turned to look at my husband, "Did you hear that?" He said yes. This time around, I sat up bolt upright and became alert with the sound. After a few seconds later we heard it again. This time we were sure it was a woman's voice crying as if she's in pain or in suffer. I held my husband's arm tightly and both of us got up slowly and walked over to the kitchen where it was much nearer to the wailing voice. My husband was about to open the door when I pulled his hand away from the knob. Who knows it could be a "pontianak" flying around above our heads. * Pontianak, Malay folklore belief of a woman who died at childbirth.*
It went on for about five minutes before it finally stopped.

The next day, as soon as I saw the landlord's wife, I went up to her and told her about our harrowing night. I said we can hear very clearly the wailing voice behind the house. Her answer? It's the buffalo. The buffalo made that kind of sound every now and then. To this day I was still not convinced with that buffalo theory but it was a much better version than having to dwell on a pontianak theory.

To believe or not to believe. That's entirely up to one's opinion. Me? I heard enough stories of ghosts and invisible entity to last me a lifetime but I chose to stay neutral.

Well, I think that's all for today. Have a great day every one and stay safe wherever you may be.

Warmest regards,
Rose
3rd.May '14





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Salam semua,

Apa yang saya nak tulis ni mungkin pernah di lalui oleh kebanyakan daripada kita semua. Berhadapan dengan kejadian yang agak menyeramkan dan membuat bulu roma meremang.
Ada sesiapa yang membaca entri lepas saya dalam bahasa Inggeris yang bertajuk A String Of Badluck tak? Dalam tulisan tu, pada perenggan terakhir saya tulis yang saya dan Sophie nak masuk lif di perumahan yang kami tinggal. Waktu tu pukul enam pagi. Bila kami tekan tutup, pintu tu hampir tertutup tapi terbuka semula. Kemudian ia ulangi perkara yang sama. Jadi kami berjalan turun kebawah sebab nak cepat. Kami sampai kebawah pada masa yang sama dengan lif itu. Lif sampai dengan membuka pintunya. Tapi saya tak rasa itu salah satu kejadian yang akan saya kongsikan disini, cuma ia salah satu dari perkara-perkara dialam paranormal yang berlaku disekeliling kita.

Macam mana kita tahu kehadhiran "benda" yang menakutkan ini? Selalunya kita dapat rasakan keadaan seram sejuk, meremang bulu roma dan juga keadaan sunyi sepi tanpa ada apa-apa bunyian disekeliling kita. Ini lah elemen yang selalunya di rasai oleh seseorang sebelum "bertemu" dengan sesuatu entiti.

Ada sesiapa yang pernah melalui pengalaman ini? Saya pasti ramai yang pernah melaluinya walaupun kita kurang percaya atau cuba menafikannya.
Saya sendiri pernah melalui pengalaman ini.

Insiden 1: Beberapa tahun dulu, sewaktu sedang tidur. Rasanya waktu tu sebelum masuknya 'Asar. Bila saya dah terjaga dan cuba nak bangun, saya tak dapat nak gerakkan badan. Rasa ditindih dengan sesuatu yang sangat sangat berat. Rasanya seperti batu berat diletak diatas badan saya. Saya cuba menjerit, cuba mengalih badan dan cuba bernafas dengan betul tapi tak boleh. Saya membaca ayat Kursi berulang kali tapi rasa seperti saya tak akan dapat bernafas semula. Selepas beberapa ketika, barulah saya dapat bergerak dan bangun duduk dengan cepatnya. Sangat menakutkan.

Insiden 2 : Kami baru pindah keluar dari rumah yang didiami sebelum itu ke rumah lain di pekan Kuah. Selepas lebih kurang seminggu, Soffian bagitau saya dia tertinggal barangnya di rumah lama, kalau tak silap saya skateboard dia. Jadi, satu hari tu, sebelah petang, sebelum maghrib, saya bersama dengan Soffian dan Sara memandu kesana untuk mengambil barang tersebut.
Sampai disana, saya tengok rumah tu macam hilang seri (mungkin sebab tiada penghuni). Hari dah mula gelap. Disebelah rumah tu ada dusun buah-buahan jadi keadaan nampak lebih menakutkan sebab sunyi dan gelap. Sebelum ni pun, ada jiran-jiran bagi tau saya, tuan punya dusun ada bela hantu raya tapi memandangkan saya ni agak kurang ambil pusing (bukan tak percaya cuma kurang ambil berat) hal-hal sebegini, saya buat tak kisah saja lah.
Saya suruh Pian cepat-cepat naik ambil barangnya. Saya mengekori di belakang. Kami cepat-cepat turun sebab dalam rumah dah terlalu gelap sangat. Selepas kami keluar, saya pun mengunci semula pintu utama (sliding) dan berjalan ke kereta saya. Hampir saja saya nak bergerak, Pian cakap dia terlupa lagi satu benda. Saya dah nak bising sebab hari dah sangat gelap tapi saya ikut juga kata dia. Saya minta dia cepat. Separuh jalan dia pusing dan buat gerak badan meminta saya buka semula pintu depan yang dikunci tadi. Saya bangun keluar dari kereta sambil mulut membebel. Soffian sampai ke pintu itu dulu, dan dia berpaling kearah saya yang sudah hampir ke pintu. Dengan suara perlahan dia tanya saya," mama tadi dah kunci kan pintu ni?"
Ya, jawab saya. Yang menyeramkan kami ialah pintu itu terbuka lebih kurang 6 inci begitu.
Saya bertanya pada Soffian perlukah dia mengambil apa jua barang yang dia nak ambil tu, dia jawab tak jadilah, lain kali saja kita ambil.
Saya kunci semula pintu itu dan kami berdua beredar dengan cepat ke kereta. Didalam kereta, saya tanya semula dengan Sara, samada saya kunci pintu tadi, dia jawab ya, saya kunci.
Kami semua senyap dan saya terus memandu laju keluar dari situ.

Insiden 3: Kejadian dirumah yang sama : Ini dari apa yang Sophie alami. Waktu tu barangkali sebelum subuh. Dia pun masih anak-anak lagi, lingkungan umur dua belas tahun, mungkin.
Dia kata, dia rasa ada orang tepuk tepi katilnya dengan agak kuat seolah olah menyuruhnya bangun. Dia buka mata dan lihat sekeliling, dia fikir saya yang kejutkannya. Bila tak ada sesiapa dia sambung semula tidur. Tak berapa lama selepas tu, sekali lagi, tepi katilnya ditepuk dan seolah olah ada orang memanggilnya bangun. Kali ni dia betul-betul terjaga dan buka mata untuk melihat sayakah orang nya yang mengejutkannya. Tapi masih tak ada sesiapa. Adiknya Sara masih tidur di katil yang lagi satu. Kerana terlalu takut dia terus ke bilik saya dan tidur di sebelah saya.

Insiden 4 : Rumah yang sama : I naik keatas untuk tidur lebih awal sebab kurang sihat malam tu. Bila difikirkan balik, saya kerap sakit semasa tinggal di rumah itu.
Bilik saya mengadap terus ke dusun buah-buahan di tepi rumah saya. Anda boleh bayangkan keadaan yang gelap dan menyeramkan disekitar kawasan rumah saya itu. Saya tidak pernah mengikat kain langsir di bilik saya sebab takut nak pandang ke luar.
Sebelum tidur saya sempat membaca sekejap dan bila dah rasa lali, saya tutup lampu. Hanya cahaya yang amat samar dari cahaya lampu jalan yang menembusi tingkap bilik saya. Saya berpusing ke kiri dan kanan sebab masih tak dapat posisi yang betul. Tiba-tiba saya rasa saya nampak seperti satu bayangan di atas siling  yang bergerak pantas. Saya diam kaku tak berani nak gerak. Saya beranikan diri dan buka sikit mata cuba nak tengok apa yang saya nampak tadi. Lagi sekali saya nampak seolah olah ada bayangan yang melompat dari tempat terakhir yang saya nampak ke satu lagi tempat yang dah agak hampir ke katil saya.
Saya tak tunggu lama tapi terus meluru kebawah. Suami dan anak-anak saya masih di bawah menonton TV. Saya ceritakan apa yang saya nampak sebentar tadi. Akhirnya kami berenam ambil tilam bantal masing-masing dan tidur di depan TV.

Insiden 5 : Masih di rumah yang sama . Saya dan suami sedang menonton T.V dalam lebih kurang pukul sembilan malam macam tu. Kedua-dua anak lelaki ada di kelas tuition. Manakala anak-anak perempuan saya di dalam bilik bersebelahan dengan ruang tamu kami. Kawasan perumahan saya ini agak selamat sebab ada pagar disekeliling kawasan ini. Jadi saya biarkan pintu depan terbuka supaya dapat udara segar masuk.
Secara tiba-tiba, kedua-dua kami terdengar seperti ada orang yang bergegas lari masuk kedalam rumah dan terus naik ke atas. Suami tanya saya, Pian ke tu? Saya goyangkan bahu mengatakan tak tahu tapi selepas tu saya terfikir nak check samada dia dah sampai balik ke? kalau ya kenapa abang dia belum sampai. Jadi saya laung nama dia dari bawah. Tak ada jawapan. Saya naik keatas dan cari di dalam bilik dia,pun tak ada. Saya turun semula ke bawah dan terus ke bilik dimana anak-anak perempuan saya sedang bermain tadi. Kedua-duanya masih disitu sedang bermain.
Soffian dan abangnya hanya pulang selepas lebih kurang setengah jam selepas tu.

Insiden 6 : Di rumah yang sama . Ariff beritau saya ada satu malam tu, semua orang dah tidur. Di pertengahan malam, Soffian, adiknya mengejutkan dia dari tidur. "Abang dengar dak bunyi tu?" Ariff yang masih lali dari tidur tanya semula bunyi apa. Soffian tunjuk kat atas bumbung. Bunyi orang berlari, kata Soffian. Memang betul, kata Ariff, bunyi seakan-akan orang berlari di atas bumbung. Dia orang tak tahu samada bunyi tikus atau bunyi benda lain. Kedua-duanya tak tunggu lagi, terus capai bantal masing-masing dan meluru tidur dengan kami.

Insiden 7 : Lama dulu sewaktu saya sedang mengandungkan si Sophie, kami baru pindah dari Pulau Pinang ke Langkawi dan menyewa sebuah rumah berhampiran Padang Mat Sirat. Rumah tuan rumah pun tak jauh sangat dari rumah yang kami sewa, dalam 100 meter macam tu saja.
Kat belakang rumah ni ada sawah padi manakala kat depan tumbuhan renek dan liar. Rumah pun tak banyak di kawasan ni. Satu malam, saya dah bersedia nak tidur, rasanya dah pukul sebelas malam. Tiba-tiba terdengar bunyi seperti orang menangis. Mula-mula saya ingatkan salah sorang daripada anak-anak lelaki saya. Saya masuk ke dalam bilik mereka, memang pun keduanya sedang nyenyak tidur.
Saya kembali semula ke tempat tidur. Selepas beberapa ketika, saya terdengar lagi. Saya cuit suami saya dan tanya dia, "Abah dengar dak?" Dia cakap ya. Kami berdua bangun dan duduk tegak dan tidak bergerak, cuba untuk mengesan suara tadi. Kami bangun perlahan-lahan dan berjalan ke bahagian dapur. Dari sini suara sayu tangisan tadi lebih jelas. Suami saya berjalan ke pintu dan hampir membuka pintu belakang cuba meninjau suara apa diluar sana. Cepat-cepat saya tarik tangan dia dari tombol pintu. "Jangan buka, mana tau pontianak ke apa tengah terbang kat atas tu."
Walaupun keadaan agak menakutkan saya nampak suami tersenyum sikit dengan imaginasi saya itu. Dia tidak jadi membuka pintu dan kami hanya berdiri tercegat di situ untuk lebih kurang lima minit.
Suara itu hilang selepas itu.
Esoknya pagi-pagi lagi bila saya nampak saja isteri tuan rumah, saya terus meluru kearahnya. Saya kata, "Mak Cik, malam tadi, saya dengar perempuan menangis kat belakang rumah. Suara siapa tu?
Dia agak skeptikal dengan soalan saya. Suara orang menangis?  Saya bersungguh-sungguh cuba meyakinkan dia yang bukan saya sorang saja yang dengar suara tangisan tu, malah suami saya pun juga. Jawapan yang dia berikan ialah bunyi kerbau. Adakalanya kerbau memang mengeluarkan bunyi seakan-akan suara wanita.
Saya tak tahu mana boleh lebih diterima, samada suara pontianak (walhal sepanjang hidup saya tak pernah lagi saya nampak kelibatnya) ataupun suara kerbau yang mempunyai persamaan dengan suara wanita.
Mungkin juga imaginasi saya. Wallahualam.

Apa pun, kita jangan terlalu taksub dengan kejadian sebegini sebab sekiranya kita di ganggu dengan makhluk ini, kita harus ingat dia juga makhluk Allah. Kita juga makhluk Allah. Cuma bezanya, kita manusia dijadikan dengan sebaik-baik kejadian.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
3rd.May '14