When Nona has a bee in her bonnet, there’s no talking her out of it. I have yet to recover from the whole month of sleepless nights when she backpacked crisscrossing India with her cousin. And now, she is determined to do something else which will bring back that knot in my stomach.
When she was younger, when she wanted something, she’d put her mind to it and do it. Take for instance when she wanted that scooter, which cost something like £100.00. She offered her services at the Malaysia Hall canteen (in Bryanston Square), to wash dishes and mop the floor and serve customers. Once she got the money, off she went to get that scooter.
The same happened when she wanted a guitar. Back she went to the canteen and the mop and the dirty dishes in the sink. And she got her guitar.
Now she takes herself in the mornings to run around the park and parts of London to train for the Paris Marathon on 5th April. During one of these runs, she was lucky enough to find a painting, scattered by street artist Adam Neat. Anyway, now that the weather is somewhat colder, the treadmill in the front room is where she prepares for the marathon. I do the Wii steps to keep her company.
But why, one might ask? Well, I think the heartbreaking pictures and fate of the children of Gaza got to her. She was glued to the TV watching the developments and then she went to the demonstrations in London. Then, she decided she must do something. She is going to run for the children of Gaza. And how can I stop her? I cant. I will just sit in the front room and hope she makes the 26 mile run safely.
And if you want to give Nona a prod on her run and at the same time help the Children of Gaza – please visit Nona’s site HERE.
Nona's other adventures:
Travails of a Cyber Backpacker
Kak Teh, you must take all necessary actions to make sure Nona runs safely - JOIN HER FOR THE RUN! Hehehe... sure Nona tak habis lari punya... belum apa lagi mama dia dah pengsan dulu! :p
ReplyDeleteKak Teh, you've got one helluva gem of an individual as a daughter right there. We need more youngsters like that - independent, aware & responsible. But like I said when we chatted online the other day - with parents like you & AG, I'm not the least bit surprised that your kids turn out to be such well-rounded individuals. Kudos to you & AG for doing such a great job - if only there are Khidmat Negara trainers like you guys around ... hehe ...
ReplyDelete& ahem, can you cerita pasal your eldest next? ;-P
Pi Bani, mak dia buat Wii steps pun dah mengah, never mind the Paris marathon.
ReplyDeletePugs, well, i think they need to be aware and feel some sort of responsibility. As she is already running, she might as well do it for charity, dont you think?
Aaaah, the eldest tu dah tulis pun dalam blog ni.
kak teh,
ReplyDeleteI wish had the same spirit and courage!! Masa i final year kat uni dulu, i nak apply pegi Iraq...my mom freaked out terus terbantut cita2 i...tu baru nak apply, belum tentu dapat lagi kan...hmmm
kakteh my niece in the states also alway to the marathon run....she just finish the Austin run in Texas....its tough before the run she has to run every weekend for the big run...kalau aunty yg run terus pengsan.
ReplyDeleteLyana, my mother pun macam tu. Quite recently pun I was offered a trip to Iraq, but my children said its not advisable for me to go. So, they vetoed the decision.
ReplyDeleteTak pa there are other ways we can help.
Kak Elle, I salute lah orang2 yang dok bermarathon ni. I nak naik tangga pun dah letih. BUT, i do the Wiiiii!
ReplyDeleteKagum dengan Nona tu. Semangatnya tinggi. Moga2 dia berjaya. Kak Teh mesti join dia tu...he he...kurang2nya jadi tukang sorak nanti....
ReplyDeleteTie, Insyaallah, kak teh pun harap dia dapat habiskan marathon tu - kalau last pun tak pa.asalkan buat.
ReplyDeleteKak Teh, Nona ni sebenarnya dah tersampuk penyakit... Penyakit Wanderlust...an affliction yg takder bomoh boleh jampi punya.. Biarkan dia satisfy herself, bila dah kawin nanti leceh.. kena jadi isteri mithali..:)
ReplyDeletePuteri, tu laaa, I think biarklah apa dia nak buat. asalakan semuanya ada batasan. Just wish her well and doakan, Insyaallah. After al in this venture, she is doing something good for the children.
ReplyDeleteKT, a book is a book is a book. And I bet its going to be a treasure to our nation, educatig the young abt syaers kan?
ReplyDeletei envy Nona, i dont have the knees to run...
Tenah, ya, I suppose you are right, but it is not about what you think. One day perhaps.
ReplyDeleteLike you, i dont have the knees that can carry me even one mile.
Nona zaman sekarang! So independent and admirable! Sejuk perut mamanya!
ReplyDeletemamasita, sejuk perut ka kecut perut. I wish I can be there with her, if only to cheer her on. Insyaallah , tengok lah.
ReplyDeleteKak Teh, What a wonderful and noble thing to do. I salute her. Both of you must be proud of her. All my best and may Allah bless and protect her. Credit to you both too for being so supportive. Salam.
ReplyDeleteNanaDJ, thanks for the prayers. I will be praying for her safety too. although she will be with friends, I'd like to be there at the end of the finishing line. twenty six miles is no easy feat.
ReplyDeleteKak Teh,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! You are one fantastic mom to have brought up your daughter this way...I hope my boys will have the same grit, gungho spirit of adventure and social consciousness like your girl displays in her endeavor to help the downtrodden.
May Allah bless you and yours always.
Salam
Bagusnya anak!
ReplyDeleteGo Nona go!
I am blessed with four wonderful boys, but how I wish to have a princess like your Nona to add more colour to our family. Nona seems to be so determine, independence and at the same time are very lucky to have both her parent to guide and show the correct path in life. I wish her an enjoyable trip and a safe run.
ReplyDeleteGo Nona go...!
paula, she has enough spirit of adventure for all of us in the family, enought o make me worry a life time. But , support yes, we will certainly give - with our prayers.
ReplyDeletechahya yes, Go, nona go. Thanks for cheering her on.
Dr Sam, Insyaallah, one day you'll have your princess. and i am sure she will be spoilt by her brothers and of course her doting parents.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky that I have been blessed with two boys and two girls and five cats. Alhamdulillah. enough - and a handful.
hehe... always wondered whether i could run a marathon. nah, I'll jst cheer for Nona instead. ;)
ReplyDeleteRun Nona Run!
D, in my dreams, I can run, I can swim and I can even drive a car. If only in reality I can do all these things. Ya so, i shd be contented to just cheering her by the roadside.
ReplyDeleteKak Teh,
ReplyDeleteSalute to Nona!! Go girl...
Triple salute to Nona's Mama for allowing her to do her run. Orang kata..sayang anak lepas-lepaskan (eh..ader ker such a peribahasa??)
So lepas Nona goes on the treadmill, Kak Teh tak ikut sekali ker..wink...wink :)
kay, tak lepaskan macam mana? so, ikut sajalah and mana tau, my husband and I will be there kut to cheer her on. Insyaallah.
ReplyDeleteOh, no, i stopped the treadmill sometime ago since I had Wii Fit.
hej! kak teh...nona runs for a good cause...hope she won't continue running like forest gum...;-)
ReplyDelete*clapclap* for Nona! Nowadays I tengok ramai dah going for marathon. Not me of course and definitely not now. lol.
ReplyDeleteAm gonna hop on to the other link now.
I think, you are a totally cool mum!
ReplyDeleteKomen Pak Malim kucing ray yg alim.
ReplyDeleteNona suka kucing, tak? kata Pak Malim sambil minum susu kotak. Saya baru dpt menatap gambar yang Kak Teh paparkan, kata Pak Malim sambil menggoreng ikan. Kucing yg sangat comel, kata Pak Malim sambil mengomel. Cute! kata Pak Malim sambil memegang butang mute.
Huh,kak. siang2 nona dah suruh donate dah.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Nona! I'm sure with her determination she'd get to the end of the 26th mile safely. Wish I have her energy...sekarang ni nak fikir pasal running pun dah mengah, apa tah nak actually membuatnya!
ReplyDeleteKak Teh,
ReplyDeleteShe is full of determination and very focussed on what she wants to do. A go getter. Kudos to the parents for bringing up such children. Other children will pester their parent for whatever they want but not your Nona.
That is one feisty young lady you have on your hands, Kak Teh. And she is very lucky to have a great mom who is extremely supportive of her dreams.
ReplyDeleteSo, run safely, Nona..
And another thing: Write your name in big letters on the FRONT of your t-shirt so that people who are cheering you on can call you out by name *grins*
Salam from Kota Bharu, Klntn,Msia.
ReplyDeleteHow re you in London?Looking at all ur snowy pictures,brings nostalgic feeling..
Way to go to ur Nona and have a safe run.I know it s not an easy job to run 26 km.The furthest I could go was 10 km and that was at the age of 40 yrs old.Luckily I didnt faint and could make it until the finishing line..
danial, hehe, yes I remember Forrest Gum. Ya, she is running for a good cause. and I hope she will get some support.
ReplyDeleteFarina, yes, more and more people doing the marathon and apart from doing it for their own health it is also one way to get people to notice certain causes they are supporting.ya, i cant do it too. not marathon.
Mrs N, cool mum? adoiii, you dont know how many knots I have in my tummy and it is just a little over one month away from the event. It is either that or she wants rto go back to India to teach the children in the village, or there's some other ideas that she is toying with.
ReplyDeletePak malim, memanglah nona suka kucing sebab dialah yang kami mula ada kucing, teringat kak teh yang sedang timbang dacing. eh, pak malim tengok gambark kak teh kat mana, tanya kak teh tak semena-mena? Adakah di majalah glam atau hello atau vogue, ataupun dalam gila2 atau mangga, URTV dan yang sewaktu dengannya, tanya kak teh sambil pakai bedak nyonya.
Melayu yang dulu di London, aha, i know, thanks so much for the support. kalau kita nampak dia kat TV bolehlah kita tunggu depan tv ramai2 sementara makan mee bandong dan roti john, kan?
ReplyDeleteMTT, kak teh pun tetap mengah kalau lari. agaknya seminggu selepas tu kena baring. now that I am doing steps, i have increased my stamina.
zawi, she is determined and to a certain extent, stubborn. but as long as it is for a good cause, we will support her. Insyaallah.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, feisty, yes, yes, yes. what to do. I remember during a walkabout in Hyde Park, she was then perhaps abt 12 and she started doing kick-ups with the football. Then I realised there was alarge group of people watching her. Apparently she could do it numerous times without dropping the ball!
And you know the Adam Neat panting that she found? - well, it will cost thousands of pounds and she is keeping it until the price goes up.
andrea, I mean Adam Neat painting. Panting? that is me.
ReplyDeleteMadam Gold, salam perkenalan. Ya semalam pun snow juga tapi tak lekat. dan sekarang memang masih sejuk.
I went to see your blog - aaaah, memories of alork stark!!! Those were the days dok pi mai pi mai tang tu. So, husband you and you dari kedah, ka? You sekolah di mana?
Dear Kak Teh
ReplyDeleteNona has a mind of her own. You must be like her too when you were at her age. She takes charge, that is the trait of a leader.
TM, oh no, she didnt take after me at all. I was so timid and wouldnt go anywhere without my mother. I think if i had wanted to do a marathon, my mum would have insisted on doing it with me.
ReplyDeleteLove reading this posting...i like to see our youngsters so independent and very focus...and yes run Nona run.....run safe and run proud....
ReplyDeletethanks zai. I'll be running in my front room to accompany her, hehe.
ReplyDeleteKak, nona's name even the spelling is the same with my youngest (4yo).I hope mine wl grow up with nona's strong character.
ReplyDeleteButterflutter, thanks for the visit. Insyaallah, we pray for th ebest for our children. and to your Nona too.
ReplyDeleteAh, it's true then what they say. Our children do resemble us. If Nona's so spunky and brave, it's cos she has quite a bit of Kak Teh and Awang Goneng in her... but also a lot of herself too.
ReplyDeleteHere's to good people, everywhere!
Kenny dear, considering both parents are not into sports, I think most of it come from her. I just play Scrabble and crossword puzzles!
ReplyDeleteKak Teh,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me about Adam Neate's painting. I was going to ask you about Nona's find; but somehow got distracted by the idea of getting her to put her name at the front of her t-shirt *laughs*
What I was going to say about Adam Neate is that if I am not mistaken, his signed prints currently command between GBP2000 to as high as GBP 13,500 (re: Bonhams Urban Art Auction). You can "track" the prices of his paintings by visiting the Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in West End. They have one of the biggest Adam Neate Collection 'coz this was where he had his first one man show in 2007.
I love his multi-layered 3D pieces but at the moment, the opportunity cost of splurging on something like that is high. So all I can do is just stalk desperate sellers on eBay and hope that I can get an original one for a steal. *grins*
vas-y nona!!! :D
ReplyDelete[kt, she's gorgeous! cantik luar dalam pulak tu. kudoz to u and ag!]
Happy Valentine's day my dear K Teh, sweetheart. Hugs!
ReplyDeletekak teh, i lari atas threadmill 5km pun just under 1 hour pun raser cam nak putus urat...hahahaha... but kudos to your daughter and also to mommy who obviously have done well in her upbringing...btw..kalau kat malaysia nie nak donate camner? boleh ka?
ReplyDeletehej! Kak Teh...sorry...forest gump...;-)
ReplyDeleteAndrea, yes, I meant to put the picture of the painting in the blog, but I forgot about it. Anyway, Adam Neat scattered his signed paitings - about 1000 of them in the streets of London. Nona was jogging and found one in Portobello. And she is keeping it until the price goes up.
ReplyDeleteBt I think a lot of people are selling them off at e-bay.
mek yam, thank you , thank you!
ReplyDeleteRuby, have a wonderful day today and everyday with your loved ones.
mas, kak teh dah jawab yr soalan in email - kalau tak dapat - look in the entry ada link. thanks.
ReplyDeleteDanial; yes gump - i pun terlupa.