Thursday 4 December 2008

Yesterday Once More

We drove into the underground car park, with Karen Carpenter still belting out “Yesterday Once More”. There were many parking spaces but we went round and round buying time as none of us wanted to go home. We wanted this time to be together, but the guard making his rounds on the scooter was already getting suspicious of our intentions. So we found a space by the lift. With the headlights switched off, we stayed on in the car and accompanied Karen Carpenter as she finished off the song with…Every shalalalaa, every wo wo wo…still shinessss, every shing-a-ling-a ling as they started to sing, so fineeee…

“What would it be like if we had yesterday once more?” said a voice breaking the silence. As it was getting to be a bit eerie in the underground car park at that time of the night we decided to continue our conversation at the Korean restaurant above. It was above the sizzling of the prawns on the tapanyake and over the din of the hungry midnight crowd that we continued the conversation.

“Yes, what would it be like if we had yesterday once more?” came the nagging question again.

This line of conversation started when we met earlier in the day for lunch at one hotel in PJ, and continued amidst giggles and stifled laughters in the changing rooms of Subang Parade and now in the car park and a Korean restaurant, the one facing RTM.

We’ve known each other since primary one and my trips back home are never complete without outings with my dearest childhood friends. We tried to catch up with developments in our lives; work, family, menantus and cucus – everything. Every get-together was treated as if it was our last one. We all wanted to talk at the same time as if there’s no tomorrow; in the car park, by the side of the road, crammed in changing rooms - all natural progressions of what we used to do when we were growing up.

When that question was posed, we had all been married well over twenty years. Two in the group are already mothers in-law, one with grandchildren. There are still two of us in denial and refused to be dragged into that category.

So what is it? A quarterly review? How would you have lived your life if you are given yesterday once more? Would you have written your life’s sonata differently and plan a totally different storyboard? If only we are in charge of destiny, but we are not. We just plan and dream.

I had never been very ambitious but I did want to further my studies. Friends were applying to Ohio and Syracuse – places I imagined I would be had Eros not struck his arrows so soon. But brooding over lost opportunities only serves to close our eyes and hearts to others. So, I became a married woman at a time when I couldn’t even cook to save my life. Perhaps that was one area I could have prepared myself more. But then again, he didn’t even flinch when I washed the keropoks before frying them, nor did he bat an eyelid when I threw out the tempehs which I thought had gone bad. It was either a take away or eating out or a meal prepared from 8 am for dinner at 8pm. And that was usually after a long consultation with Mak over the phone.

Now, I am glad to say, I still cook very little. But those that I do, I do them well, mainly because those are the only dishes gracing my dinner table all the time, making repeated appearances until children discreetly order kebabs or pizzas for a bit of change. He? No, he never complained. For that I am grateful.

The opportunity to further my studies came a knocking again quite late in my life and I was thankful that I got the support from the whole family. The already chaotic lifestyle became even more chaotic as I began to spend more time at the university and the library than at home. And the day I received the scroll, and was greeted with a bouquet of flowers from my sayang mamas, I thought it was well worth it.

Would I have changed anything about being in a foreign land so soon after marriage? No. If anything, I treasure the time together, to get to know each other as husband and wife and try to live in each other’s bubbles as well as tolerate each other idiosyncrasies. He had had to put up with a lot of Alleycats or other craze and obsessions of mine. Understanding my spoonerism and malapropism was perhaps the biggest challenge but hey, he understands me when I say right and mean left.

We compromised over children – I wanted ten, he wanted lots of cats. Now we have four children and five cats. I gave away ten to the RSPCA while he was away.

There is no such thing as marriage being a bed of roses. But then perhaps I live in another garden. You just have to work things out and because you don’t have anyone else but each other, that’s what you do.

You have to try to sort out problems before the sun goes down, without having to resort to calling up your mother or siblings. I’ve learnt to wash away problems and anger by scrubbing the kitchen table or the bathroom floor.

Looking back, I remember wise words by Kak Adibah Amin when she heard that we were tying the knot. She said she always knew that something was going on and that we looked alike. And that was supposed to be good. I had not given much thought about it until I saw a recent photograph of us together. You don’t live together for more than twenty years without acquiring some mannerisms, some habits of the other. You learn to anticipate jokes, finish each other’s sentences and recognise the sound of the key in the lock. Though he no longer chased me up the steps to the station or hide behind a pillar to make me jump, I still laugh at his jokes. If we used to share malteasers while watching a movie, now he offers me supplements and vitamins.

I guess my yesterday once more would have just minor adjustments here and there but nothing major. My friends at the Korean restaurant too wouldn’t want it any other way. But it was a good session that we had apart from the tapanyake.

So, how would you live your life if you have Yesterday Once More?

Kak Teh's other yesteryears once more:
This Autumn of our Lives



67 comments:

Madam Tai Tai Again said...

Hi Kak Teh,

If I had Yesterday Once More, I'd sing along with it - loudly while taking my shower! :-)

Seriously..don't know lah. I wouldn't change what I had because it wouldn't bring me to what I have now. I'm at the happiest time in my life now. So I'm happy things went the way they were.

But on the vain side of things, I'd probably wouldn't sun bathe banyak2 ikut style minah sallehs kot..Now I worry of the possibility of having 'jeragat' or spot pigmentation on my face!

Anonymous said...

Probably the same as you, Kak Teh, nothing major changed. I would take back every harsh word I ever uttered to my parents or any tears I made them shed though. Those weren't right.

But elsewise, nada. Else we wouldn't be who we are now, rite? :D

Kak Teh said...

MTT, hehe, yes, I;d probably sing it loud and clear too in and out of shower! And how he would have to endure that.
You are blessed MMT and sometimes when things happen, like an illness, be it slight, it makes us think and reassess and value more what we have.

Abt the sunbathing - well beauty comes at a price - always.

kenny dear, i wont even begin to think abt the decision to leave my mother. But bless her, she made it easy for me - everytime I had to leave - she waves me off with her blessings.

Anonymous said...

Komen Pak Malim kucing ray yg alim.

Saya sangat suka lagu Yesterday Once More, kata Pak Malim sambil mengunyah biskut Chipsmore.

Kak Elle said...

KT if given me the choice I would like to meet up my once bf and accept his proposal....hehehe....but it was fated we parted 30 yrs ago:(
yesterday once more ....arggggggh!

pugly said...

Kak Teh, if I had yesterday once more, I wouldn't change a single thing :-)

For all the bad things that had happened & the mistakes that had been done have shaped me into the person I am today.

Alhamdulillah.

Kak Teh said...

pak malim, yesterday once more memang sedap, kata kak teh dengan penuh adab. Lagu tulah selalu kak teh dok terpekik terlolong semasa karaoke, mengaku kak teh sambil membayar taukey.

Kak Elle, itu dinamanya takdir danjodoh, kan? Kita merancang dan Tuhan yang menentukan. Kalau dah berpuluh tahun kahwin pun, kalau ditetapkan Tuhan berpisah, nak buat macam mana, kan? Tapi kita berusaha jugak.

Pugs, you're right. I too believe that I am what I am because of the choice I made and also the trials and errors that we go through. I think it makes us more resilient.

Ezza Aziz said...

Kak Teh,
Kalau saya dan Aziz terdengar lagu Carpenter ni di kereta,kami akan nyanyi sama sama. Biar pun suara tak sedap langsung,tapi hati puas..

If yesterday once more,saya sesekali tak kan menukar apa yang ada ni. apa yang terjadi biar lah terjadi. Semua ini ada pengalaman yang berharga yang tak dapat di jual beli. Biar lah tak kaya
dengan wang dan harta,tapi kami kaya dengan rasa kasih sayang.....

Anonymous said...

It will be the same for me too, Kak Teh. I guess it is an agreement and we stick with it, through thick and thin. Not just any agreement but the divine one, right?

I burst out laughing at the thought of washing the keropok before frying.

pugly said...

Actually kan, Kak Teh, your habit of washing the keropok is not really weird, 'cos my mum does the same thing! Bukan saja keropok, telur pun dia basuh sebelum dipecahkan!

Kak Teh said...

ezza, kak teh pun manalah nak dapat tunjuk harta benda. I have learnt a lot from my husband - and yang tu yang berharga, kan.

lilian, oooh that's a long standing joke - the keropok and I! meletup-letup! As for the contract, yes, it is not to be taken lightly - for better for worse, kan?

tireless mom said...

Ye lah Kak Teh, I can imagine how the minyak will meletup letup over you. You are such a darling!(Actually I did that when I was in my teenage years, and had the wrath of my Emak yelling at me, ha tu lah tak mau masuk dapur lagi!)Yesterday Once More, I wish it was slower so that I can enjoy all the time I missed with the husband and kids.

Justiffa said...

KT - ooh the carpenters are so easy on the ears arent they? :)

If i had yesterday once more i'm thinking maybe i'd have more kids.. now that they're all grown n eager to leave the roost, its slowly dawning on me 3 just isnt enough KT!!! before long there'll just be the hubs & me terkebil2 je pandang each other lol

Nampaknye kena tunggu cucu la plak hehehe.

Anonymous said...

*sniff*
I love this posting, kak.
Anything I would change if we can turn back the time? Travel more and worry less.

Also ambik your resepi for daging masak kicap

Kak Teh said...

Tireless Mom, exactly what my mother would say! Masa dia masak kita dok di luar. I think to be honest I would have done more studies...sekarang dah macam tak larat, although there are lots of opportunities here.
You are working so hard. ke sana sini!

Pugs, your mum, Tireless Mom and I can form a Basuh keropok Club! Ingat kak teh sorang saja! Ikan bilis dia buang tak tulangnya? I do!

Kak Teh said...

RK @Justiffa, more kids? Well now that the children are out of the way, pandang memandang tu bolehlah fulfil your wish. Tapi adoi penatnya pikirkan breastfeeding and changing nappies!

Mdl, yes, more travels before the excess luggage, kan? You can get the recipe anytime.

D said...

alah, kak teh... next time you publish a post, make sure time orang malaysia tido la, ie: evening over here, so that i get to read the juicy piece you've cooked up (whoever said you only have to be a good cook in the kitchen?).

oh dear.. Yesterday Once More?? First reaction would be: to do all the things I did wrong right. But then again, I'm sure that a lesson is only learnt with mistakes and trip-overs. So, I am going to be grateful for the blessings He has given me; especially by awarding me a wonderful man who has guided me well for 11 years.

Otherwise, I don't want to go back. Nope, no more yesterdays for me... It has been too painful.

Kak Teh said...

D, 11 years with a good man is better than a whole life with a maniac. You've got 11 years of memories to last you a lifetime.
Take care , dearest.

zaitgha said...

kak teh,

"I’ve learnt to wash away problems and anger by scrubbing the kitchen table or the bathroom floor."...thats what i did when i was stressed out those days until i discovered baking he he.......

and you washed keropok lekor, i wash sardine until now he he...

take care kak teh.....

Kak Teh said...

zaitgha, I think baking is a better alternatives! Imagine all those stress going into the cupcakes, hehehe! I love that, but I must get myself a new oven first.
wash sardines? now, that's a first! Kita boleh buat satu kelab lagi.

kay_leeda said...

Kak Teh,

Eh...bukan the keropok lekor have to be washed before they go into the hot oil ke?? Heh..heh...just checking :)

You go kitchen scrubbing and washing bathrooms too?? You are not alone. I do that ALL the time in order to difuse all that's boiling inside. Rasa-rasa nak mengamuk tak jadi, hangat, siram je dengan air!!

"Yesterday once more..." well, there are a few that I'd like to correct. But since it was my own doing, I take them as lesson learnt and move on. Life is short, don't want to dwell much about what happened in the past.

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Kak Teh
Lagu2 The Carpenters semuanya "lagu rakyat" where we can easily sing along to.
Kalau out of tune pun tak apa.
Songs like these bring back memories of old ...

Naz in Norway said...

Salam Kak Teh,
Yesterday once more?...hmm...I think I would have liked to spend more time talking with my father and brother...to tell them all the things yang masih berketul kat dalam hati sampai hari ni...

Queen Of The House said...

Yesterday Once More? Hmmm ... to do all the things I did wrong the right way. But all that is with the benefit of hindsight. Kalau first time around, how to know, right? Unless you're living your life ala Back To The Future (the movie). So, maybe it's better for me to dwell on being a better person now; whatever is achievable is fine with me :)

Kak Teh said...

Kay, I have yet to acquire the taste for keropok lekor although the husband loves it.
You're right about life being to short to regret abt the past. We have ro move on, right?

fauziah, theirs are lagu wajib untuk memanaskan karaoke sessions, before progessing to Tony Braxton.

Kak Teh said...

Naz, the more we think about it the more, what ifs there are. I get that as soon as I board the plane. Everytime!

QOTH, Back to Future? that's a thought. When we make mistakes, we learn from these mistakes. and that makes us better people. Hopefully.Insyaallah.

Wan Nordin Wan Hussin said...

If I had yesterday once more, I wish I were a follower of GUiT from the day it made its debut in 2004 (?) and when my MIL was still with us. I could have impressed her more ...

pugly said...

Ya Allah, bukan setakat tulang, Kak Teh - kepala & taik dia (yg hitam kat bahagian dada tu) pun dia buang! & guess who's the one who has to do it for her every single time?

Unknown said...

Kak Teh,

If I had to live my live all over again, I would do everything the same way...

Tak nak kacau the time space continuum thingy... (too much sci fi) and loose what I have now.

I have had big regrets and mistakes but wouln't think of changing anything cos that makes me who I am.

p/s: who do we write to so that they'll make a movie and/or musical of carpenter songs ehhehehehe

Mat Cendana said...

EXCELLENT post, Kak Teh...
The ones that you write, and those of Puteri Kamaliah, of the "Yesterday Once More" kind - they make me feel like wanting to write too.

But not today - it's 10am and I'm in need of some sleep before Jumaat. Yes, it was another all-nighter for me.

This time, "someone you definitely know who is now a senior editorial consultant with a daily in KL" is responsible - she had pushed me into writing something and even setting a deadline!...the first time in 12 years that I had come across something like it. BUT I DID IT, and how liberating it felt!

However, it was at the expense of "other things that I needed to complete". So, after midnight, it was a straight eight hours at the laptop.

Well, your post is my last read for "yesterday" (since I haven't slept yet"...

BTW I remember my elder sister having a Karen Carpenter album with this song - the usual RM3 vinyl, bought somewhere at the "bazaar" at Jalan Langgar (where it later became "Oriental Supermarket")that burned down in 1975 IINM. I think you mught still remember this incident.

Mama Rock said...

yesterday once more would be a few minor touches here and there, but i wouldn't trade it for the world, coz when things happen, it's always for a reason :)

Pi Bani said...

Alamak... now you've got all the Carpenter songs ringing in my ears...

If I had yesterday once more, I wouldn't change a thing - not even the mistakes I made. Without those mistakes I probably wouldn't learn much.

lenzaidi said...

Hubby is truly married to Kak Teh.Taking and accepting kak Teh as she was and is. But mind you Kak Teh was and is a pretty woman not only to the eye of Hubby but many ;-). Orang Trengganu is naturally very accomodating people Fate to be in one matrimonial lah.
Get a nice weekend Kak teh.

Anonymous said...

Liz, if I had yesterday once more, I would ketok less kepala orang and SING to them instead because that will definitely kill them instantaneously.....ha ha ha......

Oh btw....I hope Am and Laili tak akan cerita kat you kisah ada manusia yang toast sandwich bersama-sama wayar sandwich maker sehingga molotup main switch rumah....:)pas tu depa pi tengok woyang to destress.....he he he

Ohhh....i will be ber-raya korban with bapak and mummy as Azmarol willl drive them back to Paris......Selamat berkorban....:)

-samantha-

MrsNordin said...

This thing about look alike... I think couples who look alike are meant for each other. My friends told me that very early in my courtship with MrNordin ~ muka we all sama. Hee.. hee... memanglah sama... sama bulat!

I've never thought about yesterday once more seriously. But perhaps one thing is worth considering, tho ~ I should have studied medicine. But then again, if I had become a doctor, then I'd probably won't be what I am today, and I don't want that!

C'est La Vie!

So,

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh... Yesterday Once More... kalau boleh dapat semula ialah zaman di level 13... kerana ia adalah kehidupan yang sangat hebat dan penuh kenangan pahit dan manis..

Hazia said...

Oooh... one of my favourite Oldies. For me, I'd say what I've always said. If I were to live my life again, I won't change anything. I have no regrets:)

Kak Teh said...

GUiKP, do you know that I hardly took an interest in GUiT before this? He started his blog long before me and I knew he was documenting things Trengganu and I thought I wouldnt understand..and now it is already a year since its launch - in fact 7th December it was launched in Singapore!

Pugs, ya...tulang, tahi hitam, kepala - if not I cant east - i'd be sitting and perisi semua ikan bilis in sambal if thery are not 'done'.

aida, we all have big regrets but there's no point lingering on. We just hope that we can move foreward and better ourselves. and like i said before, I would have love to improve my knowledge.

Kak Teh said...

Mat, that's good news and congratulations!! Can you tell me when it is out? You know, this networking on blogosphere is not bad - positive blogging is the way to go.
So dont forget to tell me, ya?

and oh, I do remember the bazaar jalan langark! dok pi beli rekod Beatles and Tom Jones!!

Mama rock - ya things do happen for a reason. Takdir namanya. We go through it an dhopefully we emerge a better person and we've learnt from the experience.

Kak Teh said...

Pi Bani, The Carpenters is responsible for many things in our lives. Leka tak buat kerja, jiwang tak menentu! sigh!

Lenzaidi, you're right abt them being accomodating. I just dont know how he put up with me. Sometimes I am such a spoilt brat. And i have heard that said of Trengganu men as well from another person married to one.

Samantha, ooooh, am and laili tak ceritapun, masih traumatised kut! I bet Am must be thinking whether he should blog about it! Depa pi tengok wayang tu sebab anibersari ke 21!!
OOh kirim salam kat bapak and mummy- I was thinking of bapak yesterday. Is he alright? Hug both of them for me.

Kak Teh said...

Mrs N, when I saw your photos, I said to myself how well suited you both are to each other. Fate has a way to find us our soulmates, kan?
I still have very strong sixth sense and instincts about mine. Last night, we went separately to our weekly tahlil. When i went in he was not there yet. But during the tazkirah, I just heard a little cough from outside, and I just knew it was him.

as for ambition,i wasnt ambitious. I knew I wanted to be a journalist - that's all. May be one day I will write a book, who knows. Am in the process of writing a book for Routledge but that is nothing literary. Must try a hand at more creative writing.

Kak Teh said...

mazz, yes, level 13 holds lots of happy memories. I will write about it one day in xmasscomm. oooh those were really naughty, naughty days.

Hazia, well said. There's no point regretting anything. Just move foreward.

isabelle said...

My goodness, nampaknya ramai yg x kan buat major change. As for me, I'd love to change a lot of things, so I don't live today with grudges.

Scrubbing kitchen & bathroom tu sounds interesting. Have to try it la, coz I'm bad at anger management.

BTW, i cant help myself reading kakteh throwing the tempe. hehehe.

i once got mad at hubby bcoz he threw the ikan kering away for no reason. hey, it's meant to be kept, thats why it's preserved!

p/s:
Pug, telur tu mmg elok basuh b4 dipecahkan.

Kak Teh said...

Isabelle, I honestly didnt know that tempeh is supposed to look like that. it was mouldy and looked....bad! I am not from tempeh eating region, so, i didnt know.
Ikan kering? well , yang dah berulat tu kena buanglah.

[danial][ma] said...

hej! kak teh & family...just to wish you happy eid udha al mubarak...have a great celebration...

HSMN said...

If I had Yesterday Once More, i would spend the whole day talking to my dad who died without saying goodbye.

people make mistakes, people have regrets. you feel sad, you feel cheated, but somehow through that experience you encounter a choice to be made: either you move on with a positive outlook, or you mope,hold back and let life eat you up until one day you realize that everything around you is gone.

i guess i chose to move on. but if there was a chance to go back to yesterday, that would be one thing that i'd want to do :D

High Power Rocketry said...

: )

The Ceramic Designer said...

dear kak teh,

are you also an ABBA fan???
come dance and kroak with me and my 5yr old son in my blog!!

we are true-blue ABBA fans alright.. ;)

maszuzu said...

i too would not wish for any changes of the yesteryear's kak teh... there are times I wish it was different but as I see things sizzling around me and how people struggle I'm indeed blessed that I have what I have today

Mat Cendana said...

That stall at the bazaar in Jalan Langgar, and one at the same building as Kedah Shopping Centre - I have fond memories of flipping through the RM3 LPs circa 1974 to 1977; of looking at the artwork of album covers and reading ALL the information... It was the days long before we could even imagine what the Internet would bring.

Deep Purple "Machine Head", "Fireball"... That Led Zeppelin album with the rustic picture of an old man with firewood on his back... Pink Floyd, which was to be my most favourite group of all time from 1978; "Dark Side of the Moon", "Wish You Were Here"... Uriah Heep, Manfred Mann Earth Band, Grand Funk Railroad...

Yes, and the albums for "wimps and sissies" too, heheh - David Cassidy (Yuck! My elder sister likes him), Osmonds (Uwerkkk!), Jackson Five, Bread, Englebert Humperdinck (sp?)... But these were joyful places to be at; and I like them as I do bookshops (not many of these in Alor Star then)

BTW can you send me your email address please? There's something that I like to tell you. My address at Gmail is, predictably enough, cendana287ATgmail.com. Can anyone guess what my handle in Yahoo Messenger is?:-P

Argus Lou said...

"If we used to share malteasers while watching a movie, now he offers me supplements and vitamins." That just made me smile. My other half brings me a vitamin C drink and an iron pill in the mornings on the weekend. But we still covet each other's chocolates. :)

mamasita said...

Selamat Hari Raya Haji KT.Hope you and your family will have a very enjoyable day.

I loved and regretted many things in the yesteryears.So if I were to get back to yesterday once more I will undo the mistakes and at the same time want the taste of those lovely times all over again.IF!

However,I am wiser, and still a happy person.Blessed with a lovely brood of children and a 'bolehlah' hubby!haha

Anonymous said...

Salam Kak Teh..

Just to say 'assalamualaikum'.

I love this posting..and post2 akak sebelum ini jugak..

Selamat hari raya aidil adha.

FROM KUANTAN- Sherry.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,

I haven't been to London but have been to Ohio - I'd take Lonon anyday :-)

Kidding aside, I agree with you about marriages not being a bed or roses (at least, not everyday).

I recently read a book called Replay, where this guy had a heart attack at the age of 44, and woke up being 17, but with his memory and experience of pastlife intact. In the book, he still ran into people he knew and ended up marrying the same woman he married the first time. Pretty fun read.

Chahya said...

Kak Teh dearie,
Carpenter's songs are my fav songs. Not forgetting ABBA's too. Must haves for my karaoke sessions :)

Yesterday was what bring me to what I am now, perhaps better n wiser. I'm just grateful that Allah lets me live today to express love to those I may have said less or none before, learn past mistakes and correct them, gain more rezki, listening to my own sayang mama's stories, enjoy what others have too n dont have, and still have opportunity to ask for more. Alhamdulillah.

While u'r so lucky to get away with wet keropok and all, I do know of people whose other half threw her sincere isteri-mithali currypuffs to the floor for making the pastry too soft, saying @#$%*@^%# to her for preparing Maggi not exactly the 'way' he wanted, etc.
Nope, not making up. True stories, tales from the darkside.

Curious juga, tak meletup ke minyak keropok tu? :P

Kak Teh said...

danial ma, thanks and you have a good time too!

Hanie suraya, I know what you mean, I was there by my father's death bed, yet at that time, you can't say much but pray that he went to his Maker and is placed amongst the blessed. Take care.

R2K, you are back! Take care.

Kak Teh said...

Ceramic Designer, ABBA. The Carpenters, all those evergreens! And yes, I have been to read your blog. Your boy has good taste!

mas, it is not wrong to want to change certain things. We all have regrets but certains things happen for a reason, so goes the saying. Take care.

Kak Teh said...

Mat, I remember a shop in Jalan Langgar, cant remember the name now. But that's th shop we used to go and get our Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdink's records. My father asked me to get Sri Mersing, and i regret not buying it for him.
Thanks for your email. All the best!

Argus, how would we cope without them? Same with mine here - vitamins and supplements with a glass of water - to make sure I take them!

Anon: You take care too - May All take care of your family.

Kak Teh said...

Mamasita, we hope that we are all wiser after all these years!! Kalau tidak sia2 saja jadi tua, kan? Take care.

Sherry from Kuantan, Wa'alaikum salam. Thanks fro coming and have a good raya haji.

Farizahb, Replay sounds like a good book. Must look for it. Selamat hari raya!

Kak Teh said...

Chahya, when the keropok meletup2 that was when i realised my mistake! Malu, kan? I do not believe that spouses should be that cruel and unaccomodating. It is a two way thing. And when we were young, everything is a learning curve. We learn all the time. Everyone, and no point in pointing fingers and calling names and apportioning blames. Who are we to be blameless and with no blemishes. Tapi ramai orang yang pandai berkhutbah! Kita terima dengan ucap Alhamdulillah and the best to you too. That is what my husband taught me to say, No need to go down to their level.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
very nostalgic indeed!

IBU said...

If, and only if ...

I wish i didn't do stupid things or say those nasty remarks to irk my mother. Harmless acts & words I must say, but still...I'm sure I must have sliced her hearts once in a while. I'm sure a teardrop or two must have dropped unnecessarily because of me. Those were the things I wish I hadn't done.

Of the things I wish I could have done - err.. perhaps linger around a while longer in the kitchen maybe? tee hee hee ....

Kak Teh said...

mama irma, its that time of the year!

Ibu, yes, we all do that and as mothers now we all feel it too. But I am sure these are nothing compared to what we read about in the media now. Take care.

Kitchen? Kitchen? We'll have to write an entry called "Kitchen revisited".

anak si-hamid said...

Lovely story about your yesterdays. I suppose in our autumn years we become mellower and a tad bit nostalgic. But why not? It's a sign our life has been blessed and we love it warts and all.

Happy anniversary, me duck!

Kak Teh said...

Ms Hamid, you said it! Warts and all and we wouldnt want to change it for anything. Thanks for the visit.

Unknown said...

Hi Kak Teh..I'm so glad to come across your blog..and get pointers on how to stay sane as a mother & wife heehee..! I've been married for 8 years, have 4 kids and yes..marriage is no bed of roses. Kids test our patience CONSTANTLY! I've weeped, wailed, thought "oohh I can't do this"..but when the sea is calm again I seem to be able to just brush those things away..

Oh I dont think that washing keropok is strange..like pugly's mom, I too wash eggs (before placing them in the fridge), buang tulang, taik ikan bilis..semuanya my mom jugak yg ajar :)

When my kids are grown ups, I DO hope that they'll remember all the small small things that I do or teach them..

Kak Teh said...

SOHO Mama, welcome to my blog and how delightful to see that you are in Kajang. Yes, we learn a lot along the way, - all trials and errors but that's the only way to learn. I can now look back and laugh! Thanks for the visit.