Wednesday 16 September 2009

This week and next...

Let's see what I can pack into one entry.

It has been a hectic week - a kind of pay back time for the week that I spent hibernating.

Last week saw me dragging myself to the city - not a place I would normally go but fellow blogger, author of legal thrillers, podaster, Yang-May Ooi was launching her new book that she co-wrote with Sylvia Cambiè. It is called International Communications Strategy. In a nutshell, it is about the emergence of the internet and everything that comes with it; blogging, Facebooking, Twittering, skyping, teleconferencing and many more online activities. And more importantly, it is about you and I - about how this new tool has empowered us as writers and readers, interacting with one another, crossing all kinds of boundaries - age, race, culture.

People turned writers overnight, writing about their life and along the way, they touched the lives of like minded people from all over the world. Who would think that my woes about my missing Tabby would get sympathy from people like mekyam in the US and Shahieda in Cape Town? And my rants about my culinary skills and the lack of it would get the attention of so many? People are interacting like never before and the interesting part is that, we don't care who they are, what their religious beliefs are, what age group they are in. We just share the same thing, And the internet afforded us this luxury.

What Yang-May and Cambiè also noted amongst other things was the effect on mainstream media. Journalists and journalism as we knew it changed dramatically. Then there's the emergence of citizen journalists. Ordinary people without any training in journalism or broadcasting suddenly found themselves reporting on events that touched their lives. Reporting on landslides, tragedies, the tsunami and many more have become more personalised and that made more interesting reading.

I often go to Lilian Chan's blog otherwise known as Obnoxious 5xmum - a blogger I met during my trip to Penang some time ago. This mother of five has become a citizen journalist, going out with her camera, interviewing politicians and giving us another side of stories that we read in the mainstream media.

It is such an exciting time, I think and Yang-May reckons it is going to be more exciting.
You can read it here.

Well, closer to the home front, I would like to report that I am now the proud owner of a brand new oven and hob and as a result the small kitchen of mine has never been a busier place.
Again, the internet plays an important role in this. I surfed the net for recipes and after a visit to several blogs, I attempted some biscuits for raya. Well, I need more practise. That's all I can say for now.

Sabira Sheik as Lady Swettenham

Last night, it was raining cats and dogs but nothing could stop me from going to Asia House to watch the very talented Sabira Shaik's portrayal of Lady Swettenham. For 55 minutes Sabira had us glued to our seats, taking us through a gamut of emotions; giggly light headed 19 year old bride to be exited about life in the east, frightened and dutiful wife of the colonial officer husband who frequently left her on her own, bitter and senile 80 year old spending her last few days in an asylum, where her dark secrets kept her company, haunting her to her death.

In between, the versatile Sabira cleverly transformed from brother Cecil to overbearing father to faithful 'boy' Kassim and society ladies at their soirees. All in all it was a very powerful performance - and a history lesson we never had. That 55 minutes from Sabira Shaik gave us a glimpse of the other side of Sir Frank Swettenham, the Resident General and later Governor of Singapore.

You can read about my take on this in the NST.

I walked back in the heavy rain to the station thinking how horrible it must be to have such bitter memories haunting you to the grave.

Well, nineteen years ago today, as I was sharing a bar of chocolate - Galaxy to be exact - with my husband, I suddenly felt the most excrutiating pain. I knew I was going to give birth but I told my husband that perhaps we could cancel everything and go home. But that was the gas talking - because I went ahead and had the most gorgeous sayang mama ever! Taufiq was brought into this world 19 years ago today and since then he has given me such joy in life as a son, a confidante and a friend. Luckly I didn't cancel this order!

Happy Birthday sayang mama! And enjoy your university days!

And next week? - well apart from Raya, there's the London Fashion Week! Aaaarghhhhh!


SELAMAT HARI RAYA - MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN!

56 comments:

Pi Bani said...

Selamat Hari Raya Kak Teh! Ampun maaf kalau ada tersilap cakap ke apa ke. Nanti mana-mana kuih raya whether menjadi or tak menjadi, jangan lupa letak gambar kat blog ya? :)

MrsNordin said...

For a moment I thought that first picture of Sabira (in the white night cap was you!). I was thinking, what has got into K.Teh to pose in such a manner?

Hee.. hee... silap orang, daa...

And happy birthday to your young man!

Kenny Mah said...

Aye, the changes that come with time... More power to the people, correct?

But it's more than power as you rightly put it, it's also how it has expanded the means by which we connect, and to me, that is a very fine thing indeed. :)

mariahsj said...

Salam Kak Teh,
Selamat hari raya. Semoga raya di sana juga semeriah di sini.Cuma di sini orang ramai balik kampung dan meninggalkan KL menjadi lengang.

Salam hormat,
mariah

Unknown said...

Hi Kak Teh

I read Yang May Ooi's first book years ago and have yet to read her second book and this one too. You look lovely in the pic!

Ah my boy who's just turned 11 last week is also harboring dreams of being a writer cum artist cum musician one day :-) and I just put up the third chapter of his story.

If you have the time, do swing by to have a look at it at THIS LINK.

He would definitely value any positive or negative feedback and is ready to learn. Thanks a lot.

Back on tract...please don't forget to post pics of your visit to the London Fashion Week...must be exciting.

Do take care and all the best to you and yours for the Raya preparations.

In the mean time, Selamat Berpuasa.

Ms B said...

Ok... I only saw London fashion week. Must not miss that. *grins*

Have u checked Naz's recipe? We dont need an oven, ok? So perhaps this year we can have cheesecake on the menu. *smile*

Sweet Serenity said...

happy birthday taufiq!!! ~ from all your aunts and uncles , cousins and anak menakan(s)..., and a very berry selamat hari raya to mak teh and pak teh and all my beloved and faraway cousin mousins, maaf zahir and batin. Wish all of you could be here this weekend...don't forget to skype, and catch the drama @ bandar baru bangi, ok...

Zendra-Maria said...

Kak Teh serta keluarga,
Jari disusun maaf dipinta,
Selamat menyambut Aidil Fitri yang mulia.

Mumsgather said...

Selamat Hari Raya Kak Teh. Yes, I love the internet. Its a wonderful resource. Its my diary, clock, radio, tv, newspaper, dictionary, gaming, money making, networking and gossiping place all rolled into one.

Madam Tai Tai Again said...

Happy Birthday to sayang Mama Taufik! How is his stint at Selfridges? Still there ke? Kak Teh, tak dapat discount ke? :-)

Selamat Hari Raya Kak Teh sekeluarga. Maaf Zahir Batin kalau ada salah dan silap. Pineapple tarts tu ada lagi ke untuk raya??

Wan Nordin Wan Hussin said...

You're right about the power of blog... it has taken many to wonderful unexpected places. And it can also be a place where people discover strange joys from the comfort of strangers. Which reminds me of Venice.

I'm now tempted to plagiarise your post and retitled it "This week and last ..." But where do I begin? To tell a story of a fortnight, of many firsts.

Did you bake the birthday cake too?

Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin to the Wan family.

Naz in Norway said...

Selamat Hari Raya, Kak Teh and family.
Happy, happy birthday to Taufiq from all of us here in Norway.
(Kak Teh, next year you dah tak ada teenager ya!)

NanaDJ said...

Kak Teh,
Selamat Hari Raya to you AG and all your sayang mamas. Happy Birthday to the birthday boy too.

I agree, internet is a wonderful thing.Blogs, facebooks, twitters brought us all closer together. You and AG would have remain contibutors to NST whose articles I so enjoyed but through both your blogs it is as if you are my close friend, which is what you are now.
Salam to you both.

tireless mom said...

Hi kak Teh

Practise harder to make the cookies. Next year punya raya surely it will be all your home made ones.

Happy birthday to your sayang mama Taufiq.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and maaf zahir & batin.

kay_leeda said...

Kak Teh,

FBing and blogging are now second nature to most of people these days. That's how powerful the Internet has become now. I cringe when there is no connectivity - even two minutes would feel so very, very long. Hangat je dibuatnya.

Happy birthday to dear Taufiq. Enjoy the day :) Dah bujang anak Kak Teh & AG.

Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin from all of us in Shah Alam.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Kak Teh,
I'm your "sayang" too right? Yeah, even cats can master the world of letters via internet and such nowadays. Who would have thought that a feline in the antipode (that's moi) would receive news of her kin in London (Tabby) in a matter of seconds? Two centuries ago it would take a letter at least a year to reach both ends. But we must restrain and put constraints that these new technologies don't become too intrusive.

SkyJuice said...

Selamat hari lahir, Taufiq!

Salam 'Aidilfitri, maaf zahir batin, Kak Teh. Have a great Syawal with your loved ones. :-)

ilene said...

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI KAK TEH.

mekyam said...

happy b'day and enjoy your freshman year, taufik!

i'm sure you'll come home often enough give your mama sayang reason to keep using her new oven. ;D

ooh, didn't know that abt mrs swet'nam. that performance of sabira's sounds awesome [and the pix are delish, kt. :D] now i feel rather motivated to go dig up some msian colonial history. it never interest me before.

lastly, selamat menyambut aidilfitri to you and ag and your whole krazy klan of kids and kats!

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Read this story of yours dalam NST semalam. Saya pun dah mula sibuk, Kak Teh, mungkin kena take a breather from blogging. The first three days of raya memang busy ones for the family sebab anak beranak dtg visit and I hv to cook sorang2. lepas tu baru boleh bernafas. Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin dari kami sekeluarga kepada Kak Teh, AG dan anak2.

KG said...

wahhh kak teh,happening nye !!nanti post pics ok!

Selamat HAri Raya Aidil Fitri...buat kueh raya tak? i buat utk ornag sendiuri punya mlm raya baru buat!!

D.N.A.S said...

Kak Teh, Selamat hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin.
Try the biscuits/cookies/cakes recipes at allrecipes.com. The comments/reviews put by users there are very useful.

Fadhil said...

Salam Kak Teh,

I have always loved to write but there always seem to be some inertia when putting pen to paper. Blogging is a refreshing new avenue.

With the new hob and oven, I am sure Sdra AG will be looking forward to more delicious cuisine soon :-)

Salam aidilfitri buat Kak Teh dan AG sekeluarga yang nun jauh di sana di negeri orang. Semuga sentiasa sihat dan terus ceria.

_deli said...

Salam Kak Teh,

Berlagu indah azan isyak,
...Alunan suara merdu sekali;
Berlalu sudah Ramadhan Al-mubarak,
...Entahkan merasa bertemu kembali.

Qamat bilal berbaris jemaah,
...Jeda keheningan damai terasa;
Semangat Syawal manis dijamah,
...Tanda kemenangan usai puasa.

Teratur tari kerlipan pelita,
...Di bawah tabuh menerang sepi;
Dihulur jemari kemaafan dipinta,
...Ukhwah dikukuh jalinan terpatri.

Dalam dunia siber sekarang, dosa turut mengiringi pahala tanpa disedari. Maaf lahir dan bathin; andai ada terselit kekhilafan diantara baris-baris yang pernah tertulis.

Kak Teh said...

Pi Bani,

Kak teh pun samalah, Minta ampun dan maaf sekiranya tersasul bahasa, tersalah kata dan terslap type - (which is often). Eh - memang kueh tak menjadi! Geram betul!

Mrs Nordin. I dah letak caption Sabera - hehe, takkan lah kak teh nak pose macam tu. Yes, Taufiq is a young man now..I wish he is still my small lttle baby. As I am typing now - he is sleeping at the mosque, after a night of qiamullail there with his friends last night.

Kak Teh said...

Kenny Mah, I cant say enough about how the internet has connected each and everyone of us...It is just amazing! keep well, kenny dear and take care.

mariahsj, kak teh boleh bayangkan betapa lengangnya KL. Semuaorang dah balik kampong. Selamat hari raya dari kak teh sekeluarga.

Kak Teh said...

Paula, that's not me in the pix - its sabera shak as Lady swettenham!

I have been to thelink you gave. Wow, your son can really write! ask him to keep up with the good work and make sure it is published - soon!

ms B, yes, i saw the recipe - mesti kena try - walaupun tak payah pakai oven. Selamat hari raya to you and little B.

maszuzu said...

salam kak teh, salam aidilfitri dari kuala lumpur..mohon maaf kalau-kalau ada tersalah kata atau bahasa...

Mama Rock said...

kak teh, raya ni boleh try many more dishes with your new toy :)
salam aidilfitri to you...will think of you as i devour lontong and all over here :)

Adliff said...

Salam,
Kak Teh, Pak Awang dan keluarga. Salam aidilfiti dari Aliff di Seri Kembangan. Going back to my hometown by the night of 18 Sept. Spend a day there then off to Pasir Puteh where the root of my family started.

True, internet is bridging all the gap that used to halt progress in one's doing. Used to read your articles only in NSTP. Now I'm interacting with you thru this delicious blog!:)

Yeah, kuih tak jadi selalu diejek "kuih bantat" oleh kakak saya. Cuba jaya aja Kak teh!

Happy birthday to Taufiq. Agak-agak pat lima taun lagi bleh la anak menantu Kak Teh? :P

zaitgha said...

Selamat Hari Raya kak Teh and selamat beroven baru he he....tak per i dulu pun byk jugak my end baking product masuk tong sampah...

Anonymous said...

Dear Kak Teh,
Selamat Hari Raya Adil-fitri to you and yours. Maaf zahir batin. And a very Happy Birthday to your sayang mama.

Kak Teh said...

oli, i wish i can go back and have a raya with the gila gang - like old times but it is not to be. We will certainly plan for that day when we can all be together. Have a good time and makan banyak2 for me...not that u need any arm twisting!

Zendra, kak teh pun sama, minta ampun minta maaf kalau ada tersilap kata, tersasul bahasa , tergelincir jari terbanyak typos.

Kak Teh said...

mumsgather - so lama tak nampak you! Thanks for droppng by. Yes, thanks to the internet - we have more excuses to waste time..hehe! and loving it.

MTTNM, you must be busy sebab lama pun tak update blog. Yes, my sayang mama is going to uni and am so proud of him. No, no discount at selfridges because he is working for a different company based there. Sayang, kan?

Kak Teh said...

GUiKP so, you are in venice? Dah dekat dengan london tu - singgahlah makan my biskut almond london. Itu satu saja yang menjadi.
Selamat hari raya to you too and maaf zahir dan batin.

Naz, oh please dont remind me! no more teenagers in the house!! Wuaaaaaaaaa!!!! But you forget! The four legged sayang mamas are still in their teens! (not cat years la!)

Kak Teh said...

NanaDJ, thank you so much for everything. I always look forward to your comment and I am so glad that we finally met up. and rest assured that will not be the first and last time. Selamat hari raya to you and yours! Maaf zahir dan batin from both of us.

TM, my attempt to make biskut almond london jadi - well 90%! ada juga yang masih slack - tapi nearly finised sebab ramai yang suka! Selamat hari raya to you and yours too!

Kak Teh said...

kay, the last few days server acted up and I felt so lost without this vital connection with the outside world. How did we manage before?

selamat hari raya to you and family. Maaf zahir dan batin.

Cats-in Sydney, of course you are one of my sayang mamas! I can feel the sympathy coming across the oceans! You lot totally manipulate us human beings and now even our holidays will have to be properly planned so as not to 'hurt' feline feelings.

Selamat hari raya to you and dont curi rendang when your mama is not watching.

Kak Teh said...

skyjuice - you must be quite busy, eh? Selamat hari raya to you too!

ilene, thanks - hope you will enjoy some raya open house too!

Kak Teh said...

mekyam, lady swettenham's story is such a sad one - and sabera shaik perfomed her brilliantly. you can almost feel the pain she was going through. Imagine living out your last few years in an asylum with bitter memories coming back to haunt! Not a good life at all.

Selamat hari raya to you!

Puteri, have a good raya - theblogs will still be here when you are ready. I am replying to all these comments before getting ready to go to the London Fashion Week - one of many. *sigh!*

xplorer said...

selamat hari raya maaf zahir batin to you and your family

Kak Teh said...

KG, I can imagine the frenzy in your kitchen! and how i wish i am nearby to see how you do your stuff. Kak teh ni memang tak ada talent dalam bab-bab ni. Tapi nasib baik my lot dont know any better - depa hentam makan saja - no complains.

D.N.A.S. thanks for the link - kak teh ada plan nak buat kueh lagi - noat tu ada and i will certainly visit that site. Selamat hari raya to you!

Kak Teh said...

Oldstock, thanks to blogging everyone can express their feelings and write. and you can certainly write and bring us all down memory lane and for that I thank you and blogging!

Selamat hari raya to you and yours!

Kak Teh said...

Deli,

Berlagu indah azan isyak,
...Alunan suara merdu sekali;
Kak Teh juga ucapkan eid Mubarak,
...Insyaallah tahun depan bertemu lagi.

Qamat bilal berbaris jemaah,
...Jeda keheningan damai terasa;
Puasa sebulan habislah sudah
...Harap diberkati Tuhan yang esa.

Teratur tari kerlipan pelita,
...Di bawah tabuh menerang sepi;
maaf dan ampun juga dipinta,
...semoga berkekalan persahabatan sejati.

Kak Teh said...

mas, kak teh pun sama-sama menyusun jari meminta ampund an maaf sekiranyatersalah bahasa dan terkasar bahasa. Selamat hari raya.

Mama rock - yes, when you are devouring the lontong for me, go easy on the sambal. nanti kak teh sakit perut.

Selamat hari raya!

Kak Teh said...

Aliff, that is the wonders of the internet, kan? I have met so many people who used to follow my column and have now become cyber friends. Selamat hari raya to you and take care while travelling.

zai, kak teh belum lagi ada yang masuk tong sampah. Yang samperit tu hampir2 lagi - tapi I managed to salvage it by adding water. lepas tu, lembik pulak! hehe!

Kak Teh said...

Andrea, thanks ! Sorry have not had time to blog hop but blogging life will resume once the raya rituals are over.

xplorer, same to you, selamat hari raya dan hati2 di jalan raya, okay?

Shahieda said...

Here's wishing you and your loved ones a joyous Eidul Fitr Kak Teh. And a very happy birthday to Taufik, may the year ahead be filled with prosperity and happiness Insha-Allah!!

It certainly is most amazing how the internet has made the global village smaller.

Had it not been for Sayang who had introduced me to blogging, I wouldn't have been the wiser!! I've had so much fun 'meeting' different people all over the world.

Mind you, I've had my share of weirdos & wackos and luckily it hasn't diminished my overall virtual experience.

I must say though, that blogging is still relatively unknown this side of the world. When speaking in social circles of it, I get the response 'What is that?' *tee hee*

FB, now that's a different story!! And it's quite addictive too, innit?? And I could certainly relate to your qualms about not having connectivity, sheesh!!

Tunku Halim said...

Kak Teh - Selamat Hari Raya to you and the family. All the best! :)

Kak Teh said...

shahieda,

I am sure you've had a woncerful eid. Am just recovering from the shock of suddenly too much food.

Thank you for your wishes for Taufiq...he is into another chapter of his life now.

Yes. blogging is really something. Its been 4 years for me , and although i am slowing dowm a bit, I will still blog...perhaps not as often.

BUT NO FB.

Kak Teh said...

Tunku, thanks and hope you had a nice one too.

Memorable trails... said...

Salam Aidilfitri buat kak teh sekeluarga...

Kak Teh said...

madam gold, salam aidil fitri to you too.

IBU said...

Salam Aidilfitri & Maaf Zahir batin to Kak Teh, Abg AG & whole family from the Rawang clan.

Guess what? We now share something in common - our babies' birthdate of 16th Sept. Except that Taufiq is 19 (yes, nineteen) years older than my newborn baby girl. Can't cancel the order when it's a girl, can i? Finally.... So, yup, officially mother of four now. We need a van!!!! And I'm celebrating raya in confinement la Kak Teh. Pantang, jgn tak pantang ( but my own version of what pantang means la kan? hehehehe....)

Anyway, have a good raya month. Keep on baking. I can smell it from here. Do post some photos of your soon-to-be Kitchen Millionaire mass commercial products! And some photos of you catwalking on the T stage with your non haute couture during the fashion week too plz? (hey... they didn't say i can't have wild imagination during confinement...)

Hugs from Rawang,
Ibu

Shahieda said...

KT, my Eid was tiring but very good nonetheless. I have to remind myself that I can eat now, hehehe!!

No FB?? How come??

Kak Teh said...

Hi Ibu of 4!! Congratulations! Yes, mine is already 19 and will be starting uni this coming monday. Sayu pulak rasanya.

My cooking is not that brilliant sebab mood datang dan pergi...hehe! I wish I am more dedicated to fattening up my family. At the moment am grilling garlic bread. That is all i am willing to do when kerja menimbun. Hajat di hati nak buat jam tarts - sigh! bila lah agaknya nak menjadi kenyataan?

Take care and salam to your other half.

Kak Teh said...

Shahieda, no no no no FB. Twi weeks was all I could endure. and i came running back to blogger.