Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Tuesdays With Bapak (13)




Azah's Story - May 8 2007
Azah is my younger sister. We look very very different. She is taller, a little duskier, wavy hair and she takes a lot from Bapak's Parsi side of the family.
I look a lot like Mak who was Mendahiling/Burmese and Bapak's Javanese (maternal) grandmother.
Azah is also a lot friendlier than I am. She is the sort to whom you'd want to tell your whole life story.
Azah would, in fact, make a good reporter because she has a way with people. But, writing is not her passion.
Although we were and still are different in many ways, we are quite alike in some. I suppose that's the way with sisters.
When we were children, I used to be protective of her. There were times I would also bully her.
When we were older, I used to be protective of her. There were times I would also bully her.
That was the way things were. I suppose that was the way things were supposed to be.

We played dolls and house together. When we played school, I was teacher and she and Kamal were my pupils.
I would scold them the way Mrs Wong would scold the class.
They enjoyed it at first but when I became maniacally immersed in my role, they would invariably cop out.
They just cried. No more fun.

When I joined Tan (now Lee) Lee Lan's ballet classes in 1965, I asked Bapak to also allow Azah to join.
Bapak thought it was a good idea as it was a creative way of spending our free time.
"Instead of fighting," he had remarked.
I suppose we did cause a din at home whenever we fought. Azah was prone to hysterical outbursts that could be quite unbearable.
I was quite a sadist at times. I would purposely make her cry.
But I would be the first to protect her against any bully. Later in life, from neighbourhood Romeos. And there were many.

In ballet, I got straight into the grade one class while Azah was put in the primary grade with the younger children.
Ballet, dancing and music were our common interests. We were passionate about them.

There is a three-year age gap between us. Although Azah has five older sisters, I was THE big sister to her, as I was the closest in age.
When she was old enough to stand her ground, to protest my bullying, we would fight. Sometimes I would pull her hair. When she grew to be taller than me, she pulled my hair back. So, I stopped pulling her hair.

The neighbourhood roti man called Azah "anak Bhai", sometimes "anak Hindustan". I used to think they both meant one and the same thing.
"Kasi saya-lah. Macam anak Bhai," he would tell Mak, in jest, everytime he delivered our packed loaf of bread. He would always give Azah some goodies. We would always take some of the goodies from her. Azah had always been a generous kid.
It was the same at the neighbourhood store, "Aladdin". The shopkeepers were North Indians and they adored Azah.
Perhaps Azah reminded them of their daughters or sisters they had to leave behind in search of a better life in Malaya.
I remember always insisting on following Mak to the store whenever she brought Azah along. Mak didn't mind at all because I could mind Azah while she could attend to her shopping.
Sometimes, they would give Mak huge discounts. Everytime, Azah would get free "Mars" chocolates. That was my favourite chocolate.
The Malays would call it -- "tumpang se kaki".

Azah grew to be tall and very model-like. In her late teens, she had that much sought-after look, and height -- for commercials and the catwalk.

Azah was in Form 5 when Bapak was detained. On the day of Bapak's arrest, she did not go to school.
When she did the following day, her school headmistress Sister Enda made an announcement about Bapak's detention and called for a prayer.
Bapak's detention affected Azah, though in a different way. She was in a way, lucky. She was somewhat protected by her older sisters and Abang Med.

Kak Olin, Kak Eda and I went to college in 1973 when Azah was still in Form 2. Until we graduated, she was the only older sister to Kamal, Lalin and Nina, who was at home during the week. Kak Piah and Kak Ton lived with their families but would visit Mak in the evenings. They would sometimes drop by for lunch.

Azah would wait for the weekend to tell us about her week -- the good and the bad.

Ever since she was a little girl, Azah loved to go into the kitchen. I remember her as a 5 year-old helping Mak and our maid, Kak Saemah, in the kitchen.
Mak couldn't get her out of the kitchen. She would just be there, doing something.
By the time she was 10, Azah was already able to cook dishes -- assam pedas, sambal tumis, pindang serani, singgang, sop sayur ketola and kari ikan.
I quite envied her culinary skill only because cooking seemed to me, as a young girl, so complicated. I preferred helping Mak with the laundry instead, whenever Kak Saemah went back home to her village in Klang.
It was natural that Azah was the one Mak turned to, in later years, to help her when the older girls were not around.
And it was to her we turned, after Mak died, for our favourite dishes that our dear mother used to cook for us.
To this day, Kamal, Lalin and Nina (and everyone else tumpang se-kaki), would go over her place in USJ to just have the simple but oh-so-special dishes which Mak used to cook for us.
Azah somehow has the touch. I know I don't.

After her sixth form, Azah took a secretarial course. But she was not interested in becoming a secretary. She was more interested in the beauty line.
After her sixth form, while waiting for results, Mak thought it would be a good idea to enrol Azah in a modelling school so that she could learn to walk elegantly.
She thought Azah, being so tall, was "not walking properly". Perhaps, people trained in ballet aren't supposed to be tall. Tall ballerinas surely have an odd way of walking.

The modelling school Azah enrolled in was "Nefertiti" run by one of the top models then, Stella Prasad. After completing the three-month course, Azah registered at the Hawkins Academy where she submitted her portfolio to gain stints in commercials, on the catwalk, become house models and so forth.

Azah was also photogenic, so aside from the catwalk experience, she was also offered roles in commercials -- Snap chocolates, Mamee instant noodles, Lancer (automobile) in which hers were among the 500 pairs of eyes, Dream soap, the first launch of Joy (drink) and National (electrical brand) calendar, to name a few.

So, were we okay with her involvement in this line? Yes and no.
Yes, because she never got out of line and she would religiously inform us of the people she was working with and the location of her assignments.
We were not judgemental. But modelling and shooting for advertisments presented us with a worrying set of circumstances -- late nights, irregular hours and all sorts of follow-up telephone calls by strangers. People can be very resourceful you know.

And was Bapak okay with Azah's part-time modelling career?
Well, for as long as it was part-time and Azah took care to take care of herself. And we had to make sure that our younger sister did not go over and beyond the limit like modelling in skimpy and sexy clothes, appearing in sexy ads. Oh, you know.
Bapak also drew the line when it came to the location of her modelling assignments. Azah had to turn down trips to the Philippines and Indonesia.

Azah who was doing a secretarial course, had also wanted to earn extra pocket money.
Writing was not her forte. So, she decided to do something she felt she was good at.
Now we know why some girls would give up other things to become models. And this was in the 70s.
It was good money but Azah had to have her feet firmly on the ground.
Modelling, we told her, cannot be her permanent vocation.
Besides, models have a shelf-life.
"Don't you want to make a graceful exit?"
"There's more to (working) life than just modelling."

Sometime in 1979 when I had already started work at the NST, Azah told me that she was selected to take part in a contest -- Malaysian Model of the Year.

"Do you have to wear a bikini?", I asked, worried that it was just another name for a cattle show.
It seemed a decent enough contest. So the family said okay.

We did not tell Bapak because we assumed that since he was okay with Azah's modelling, he'd be okay with this very decent contest.

Then, she was shortlisted among the 10 finalists.
The story was in the newspapers, including the Malay Mail.

Come Tuesday, we were ready to visit Bapak.
By 1979, I believe, our rendezvous had been moved to the Petaling Jaya police station, which made us think that Bapak must have also been moved to an area in Petaling Jaya.

*************************

Tuesday, sometime in 1979 @ the Petaling Jaya Police Station, Petaling Jaya.

Bapak was already seated. His "bodyguards" standing behind him. By this time, they appeared to be very protective of him. In fact, we could detect a certain closeness, gentle exchanges like between father and sons.

We sat around him after the usual greeting. And before we could ask him anything ...

Bapak: "Aku tak nak Azah masuk model contest tu."

We all looked at one another. "He knows?".
Azah was not with us as she had classes.
Mak looked a little perplexed but remained calm. Kak Piah and Kak Ton possibly did not know what to say.
Abang Med who was working with Pacific Chemicals, was away in the US attending a course.
He would have been our ideal representative in this case. As the man of the house in Bapak's absence, we would have gladly elected him to answer all Bapak's questions such as:

"Why did you allow Azah to enter the contest?"

No Abang Med. Kak Piah and Kak Ton, I could tell, gave me that "we don't know anything" look.

Nuraina: "It's a decent contest. No bikini, swimsuit or short skirts."

Bapak: "That's what they say. She can model. As a hobby, as her pastime, that's ok. But not for competition. Not to compete. What for? Tell her to pull out.."

Pull out, ya? The contest was just a few days away. Easier said than done, Bapak, I said to myself.

Bapak explained that he saw nothing wrong in Azah modelling and appearing in advertisements. In case we didn't know, he had seen some of the ads Azah was in.

He did not object to Azah enrolling in a modelling school in the first place because, any form of learning, any form of discipline was good.
Learning was enriching. An added advantage.
So, Azah doing modelling part-time and earning some honest money along the way was fine with Bapak.
Competing to be the Malaysian Model of Year was not.
Especially that her father was in detention.

As expected, Azah was quite upset. Maybe very upset, because she cried. The contest must be important to her. But, she knew that she could not defy Bapak. She accepted Bapak's reasoning.Well, ok. She had no choice.

She had already bought shoes for the contest -- two pairs , one in black and the other, white.
I was the one who took her shopping for the shoes.

"What do I say? What do I tell the organisers? I don't think they'd allow. I must have a good reason."

Oh, Azah. Kak Ena was not born yesterday. Of course, they'd have to allow.

"Takut organisers ke takut Bapak? I have to answer to Bapak, you know", I said.

Now, guess who had to tell the organisers that Azah was unable to take part in the finals.

One day (maybe on a Friday), at the office, (then) Sunday Mail editor, Joachim Ng asked if Azah was my sister.
"We're using the story of the contest on our centrespread".
He showed me the "advanced" Sunday Mail centrespread with Azah's photo in it.
"I hear she is a favourite," he said.
Hmmm. Really? I didn't know.
I think the story was to come out on the day of the contest.

I told him Azah was pulling out of the contest. I am not sure now what else I told him.

Just before the contest took place, a news article stated that one of the contestants -- your guess is as good as mine -- had to pull out.

"She is down with German measles," or something like that, according to the report.
And, well, the Sunday Mail had to make changes to its centrespread.


NOTE: Azah has long stopped modelling. After Bapak was released he enrolled her in the Aesthetic Beauty Academy in Petaling Jaya. Azah is a trained aesthetician, having worked in a German cosmetic company and Nutrimetrics.
Azah should have been a nurse. We all took turns to care for Kak Eda but it was Azah who spent the longest time with arwah, helping to bathe her, wash her.
So, we make sure Azah stays healthy, healthier than us all, so that she can take care of us later. Haha...kidding, Azah, kidding.

Azah has two children, Muhammad Jazzril, 19 and Muhammad Jazzlan, 14.
She is married to Englishman Terry Hughes AKA Yahya Abdullah, a rabid West Ham supporter.

Photos of Azah: (from bottom) 1. Azah, maybe 2 years old, eating an apple. Pix was taken at our Jalan Sentosa house in Kawasan Melayu, Petaling Jaya. 2. Azah, a big girl already. 3. Pix of little Kamal, Tante (Chairani Nasution -my mum's cousin from Medan) and Azah, "melaram" in sunglasses belonging, I think, to kak Ton.

126 comments:

Unknown said...

Kak Ena kuat menyakat yeee...

Bagusnye Azah tu by 10 dah boleh masak lauk pauk sebegitu...saya? by 10 cuma boleh masak nasi, goreng telur...

Baca warning bapak tu teringat kat warning bapak saya bila terpilih masuk pertandingan talent time...dia kata takleh nyanyi.. if nyanyi jugak nah...angkut beg ni sekali..dah jangan balik rumah lagi...since then takut nak nyanyi...tajkut ketulahan...

Anonymous said...

Aha! Noraina, Kak Ton,

Now we know the reason of little Azah's predilection to "tawab keliling rumah" and hempas diri on the ground when upset, it's the Hindi syndrome! ;D

Nora aka Anon Fm Miri said...

"She is down with German measles,"

Is it true sis, or just a cover up?

BaitiBadarudin said...

Such a pretty girl, turned beautiful woman!
But as Pak Samad once told a female reporter: "Anak-anak perempuan aku semua cantik-cantik", or something like that.
Your story is so much like mine. I had an older middle sister three years older - a bully or perfectionist, yet very concerned and protective. But she left us almost 13 years ago; so enjoy your complex sibling 'rivalry' while u both can.

Anonymous said...

You can now chat LIVE in TWB's own chat room.

Here's the link. Click on TWB Lounge. Or you can go directly there using this link.

Hope to see some of you there.

J.T. said...

Guess what Nuraina? Stella Prasad is my relative! (I believe we are talking about the same one - formerly Stella Read?) I met her only once in my life - back in the mid-80s. My paternal grandmother was Edith Read (Penang). Stella was a very pretty lady.

Wow..Azah is gorgeous. In fact,as I said it earlier, everyone in your family is good looking. It is pity Azah had to pull out of the contest. Then again, I can understand where Pak Samad was coming from. He knows what goes through a man's mind and I think he was not going to have his girl be that object of desire. Anyway, that is my two-cents worth.

Keanorlinsya said...

Fuuhhh..dari pagi tunggu!

the Razzler said...

Kak Ena .. totally enjoy another enlightening & heart warming episode of TWB!!

"When we were children, I used to be protective of her. There were times I would also bully her."
"When we were older, I used to be protective of her. There were times I would also bully her."

The above two paragraphs puts a long lasting wry smile on my face .. hehe :) :)

Anonymous said...

Dearest Kak Ena,

This is a message for Kak Azah:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE her company. Have I said it enough? Okay, once more, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE her company. And of course, Kak Ton's too.

What a privilege to have known them.

And Raden Galoh, by the way, rumour has it that Kak Ena tu beside kuat menyakat, dia kuat mengadu! He he he he...

Betul tak Kak Azah? Betul tak Kak Ton?

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

raden,
biasa lah big sister menyakat. Tapi, kak olin and kak eda tak menyakat kak ena pulak.

azah tu memang pandai masak. dia kalau masuk dapur, sekejap aje dah siap masak. dapur tek berkecah pun.

kita orang, kalau nak mintak orang tolong house clean, kita panggil Azah.

Aaah.... Raden pandai nyanyi, ek? Kalau bapak nya bagi nyanyi dulu, hmmmm mungkin dah jadi penyanyi pujaan ramai.
Ada lah sebab nya tidak, kan?

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mekyam,

It must be! She was cute when she was little. But when she threw tantrums, "tawab keliling rumah" and hempas diri on the ground... NOT cute at all.

Typhoon Sue said...

what a pweety liddle girl

your dad's stand on the matter is a typical one of a father. Mine too.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anon frm miri: apa khabar, bro? Thanks for visiting. German measles? not true-lah. terpaksa give alasan gitu. German measles kan contagious.

QueenB: I suppose, as siblings, we can get away with almost anything because, we are siblings. As they say, "air di cincang..." or something like that.
Where is your sister, B?


Keanorlinsya: Lama sangat. ek? Sorry, my dear.

Razzler: Thanks, Razz. Hmmmm.... you are reminded of yourself?

Pi Bani said...

Protective and kaki bully at the same time, eh? Something like...

"She's my little sister... I can do as I like... but YOU stay away from her, you hear?!"

Itu macam ka??

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

JT: then she must be. There cant be too many Stella Prasad. Let's hope Azah can confirm this.
JT, so sweet of you to say that. thank u.

Elviza: she hears you, girl. she hears you....

heheheh...tengok tu, Elviza mengadu tu.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

typhoon sue: sigh sigh sigh. fathers!
hi sue! thanks for visiting. long time no "see"..

Pi: alahai... teruk kan?
tapi bully tu tak lah bully, dera or abuse.
bully sayang. Boleh?

Anonymous said...

Kak ena

I have vivid memories of our childhood days - yeah most of the time getting bulied by you. Lol!

Thank you for reliving those memories.

Rockybru said...

While waiting for my "O" Levels in Singapore in late November/early Dec of 1977, I was doing nothing while many of my classmates got temporary jobs as production operators in the many factories in Jurong. The money was good. They could earn S$7 or S$8 a day. Being a December kid, I was not yet 16 and therefore the factories could not hire me even though I was physically bigger than my classmates. My late dad told me to try modeling. Lol! I don't think he would have even thought about it if I was a daughter. Typhoon Sue is right: Pak Samad's reaction is typical of a father.
Me, if my girls want to be models, go right ahead. But once they turn 16, no way. I dunno why. I know modelling's not bad and the money's good. I guess a father reads too much into the modelling world. And worry too much.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Your sister is so pretty. Just like you. And your other sisters, too. What is Pak Samad's secret?

Anonymous said...

Elviza: This is a message for Kak Azah:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE her company. Have I said it enough? Okay, once more, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE her company. And of course, Kak Ton's too.

Dear Elviza,

Hugs & muaah muaaah. Love you too.
It was so nice to have met you two weeks ago. We had such a lovely chat together with kak Ton and Jasmine, her daughter (my niece).

Hope to meet up with you during one of the blogger's Tuesday sessions (although I aint no blogger).

****
Elviza: Kak Ena tu beside kuat menyakat, dia kuat mengadu! He he he he...

Betul tak Kak Azah? Betul tak Kak Ton?

Dont have to ask kak ton for confirmation. Hehehe!

The answer is:

BETUL! :))

Kak Azah

Anonymous said...

Puan Nuraina,

Azah ought to be oh-so-flattered to be featured rather prominently in TWB. I hope she comes in to give her side of the story.

I can't help but notice a lil tangent off the normal TWB weave. Assuaging guilt pangs of yester-years, perhaps? :)

Keep chugging along, Puan Nuraina..LOVE TWB to bits!

Your faithful reader...tiger woodie

aku said...

salam auntie nur..emm,should i call u auntie or something else ek??hehe...i've found out that this blog really funlah..best & enjoy bile bace..i'ts gonna be 1 of my fav blog after this...:)

Unknown said...

Nuraina the protective bully, nice oxymoron eh?

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Azah,

Our childhood was full of fun and great memories.

just look at our photo albums.

Arwah Mak had a handful!

Salam to Terry!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Rocky,

I have seen photos of you when you were a teenager.
Man, you would've made a great model. You would too.
Azah was lucky. She had older sisters to look out for her.
Even then Bapak didnt want Azah to take up modelling as a profession.
I think he was being practical and realistic.

It was just like in the case of Abang Med. He felt Abang Med should be a full-time bio-chemist and a part-time musician than a part-time bio-chemist and a full-time musician.

you know, i think these days, the situation is a little diffrent. the music industry is awesome.

wanshana said...

She truly was (and I'm sure still IS) a head-turner! I bet if she were to go ahead and entered the contest, she would have won the title hands down. Hmmm, come to think of it, boleh menang tanpa bertanding pun!

Pandai masak pulak tu...Pandai mengemas lagi!

Rare 'species' nowadays...LOL!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anonymous@ 5:56pm:

dunno what to say.
thank you.


Anonymous (tiger woodie): thank you. you are right. a little off tangent.

thanks for visiting.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Aku : Terima kasih. Boleh panggil aunty. umur below 30?


KTN: yah-lah, KTN... nice one.

Anonymous said...

"When we were children, I used to be protective of her. There were times I would also bully her."
"When we were older, I used to be protective of her. There were times I would also bully her."

Hahaha.. Tante Ena bully Tante Azah.. XD
Those lines made me giggle. (:

Fuyoh, Tante Azah looks so 'glamour' with those shades.. XD

She could cook at age ten? D: I'm sixteen and I'm liable to burn the kitchen if I try to cook anything more complex than instant noodles.. Ahahah.

Anonymous said...

Wah...got own chatroom one, ar?

I went there just now, and saw keanorlinsya, but she no want to talk, just keep quiet one.

Maybe we all should fix a time, say between 10 to midnite, and just check out the chat room. If someone's there, we talk-talk lah.

Anonymous said...

Another week of TWB, another drama unfolded, of a different kind. What is in store in the future? Limitless prospect and refreshingly unpredictable is not far-fetched, right? A couple of things came immediately to mind:
1. When you played school, with poor Azah and Kamal as your easy target, did you dress up like Mrs Wong, presumably in tight fitting cheongsam or kebaya nyonya ketat too?
2. When Azah appeared in the Joy drink commercial, did they already use the tagline “ingat buah ingat Joy”?
aMiR

Anonymous said...

I must say that Azah looks gorgeous in the picture (pic no. 2).

Aren't you going to admit that you bullied her because you were jealous of her looks?

Hahaha, just kidding. Bet you were just as ravishing.

Looking forward to more photos.

Anonymous said...

Tolong sampaikan my salam to Azah. We were colleagues back then in Nutrimetics.

Look forward to more TWB!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

i just went into the chat room that TWB compiler set up and chatted with Kak Ton, Keanorlinsya and IpohMali. I have never never chatted before in cyberspace. that was the first time. it is really really cool.

TRY IT.... u can chat with any of our readers. MEKYAM, NANI, CHERYL, HI&LO, aMiR..... let's chat!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

julia: you shld learn from yr mom. i'm sure there are some really good dishes she can teach u.

It was fun, Julia.. we had real good fun. there were no computers, PDAs, iPods etc... but we had so much fun.

Datuk and Andung were so sporting, they allowed us to hike up gasing Hill, go to the waterfalls there.

when we were little, we made our own paperdolls.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

aMiR,

Hello aMiR, in answer to yr questions

1. no, but i wore Kak Ton's high heels. I always held a cane in my left hand.

2. Hmmm... must ask Azah.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

hi wanshana,

how is yr hero at home? coping with his more than one girlfriends?
he is so handsome..

anyway, thank u, wanshana.
actually, ramai anak2 gadis sekarang yg modern dan hip and very very adept at housekeeping.
surprise, kan?

take care!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

cheryl,

hi cheryl.

heheh.. actually I was so geram with azah becasuse she was so soooo cute. i cubit dia selalu. haaahaa. no-lah.

thanks for visiting again, cheryl.

go chat, cheryl

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

maztx: hi ... i will certainly.

azah herself may say hi if/when she visits this blog.

Anonymous said...

If I were editor of newspaper, I would serialise TWB.

Anonymous said...

Sis Ena
Thank you for the invite. But am not ready to take the plunge yet and be part of the maddening crowd, and be bullied by you. Aha, just kidding, kidding, kidding. It is uncharted (unchartered?) water for me. Truth be told, I did enter the chatroom much earlier but I was the only person online then and made a quick exit.
You now what is my dearest, fervent wish? That one day cartoonist Lat will draw sketches of the hilarious and affectionate scenes, acts of daredevil/bravado, and heart-wrenching drama that you have exquisitely crafted/sculpted in TWB. Hmm, how will he caricature you … wonder what is the idiosyncratic, unmistakable feature of yours that he will emphasised? And what a double treat if Mamat Khalid also direct the movie – TWB. Again, not far-fetched, right?
Meanwhile, have good clean fun in the chatroom with your loyal followers.
aMiR

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

hi aMiR,

it's ok, bro. when you are ready, when you are ready. and thank you for those words of encouragement and inspiration. just got back from the chat room, with Kak Ton, Keanorlinsya, Mekyam and Ipohmali.

nothing to it... actually...just chatting.

thanks again, bro aMiR. you've been such a good sport. dont stop visiting.

mob1900 said...

So the truth is out of the bag, Rocky, an aspiring model! he definately got the height and I'm sure your sis could help him with the catwalk and poses. lol

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mob:

if rocky starts modelling now, at this stage in his life... that would be really something to see.

the malays would say that rocky 'buang tabiat' if he decides to shake his booty and boogey.

however, we have seen stranger and weirder things.
so, we'll never know ....

Anonymous said...

Dear Kak Ena,

Kak Azah so beautiful la, and I am sure kalau bukan alasan german measles mesti dah bawa balik piala, the picture dengan 'cermin hitam' so cute.

Bila nak tunjuk gambar you kak Ena, especially masa umur remaja, mesti menawan kalbu jugak.

Your TWB buat I rasa your bapak macam bapak I jugak.

Thanks again Kak Ena, sharing all the history of your life.

To Kak Azah, Kak Ton, Lalin, Nina and Abang Med salam perkenalan from both of u here in Big Apple, the more I baca TWB rasa kalian semua macam dah lama pulak kenal.

Take care and will wait for next episod pulak.

Nani-Big Apple

Anonymous said...

Dear Kak Ena,

Bro Rocky sekarang pun masih hesem, kalau dulu-dulu mesti lagi hesem kan.

Nani-Big Apple

wanshana said...

Dear K.Ena,

Thank you. My hero at home is coping VERY well,I think. He sees no problem with "pasang dua" at all! I guess he's leaving his options open - just in case?!

And if you were to tell him, "Hilman ni handsome laaa!", his standard reply will be, "Uh-uh!"...(talk about vain pots!) HAHAHA!

Trying to expose my daughters to cooking and helping with the chores so that they would be "modern and hip, and adept at housekeeping, etc", but, err...macam mission impossible...

Take care!

Anonymous said...

mekyam said...

..."tawab keliling rumah" and hempas diri on the ground when upset, it's the Hindi syndrome! ;D

Betul tu! :)) Azah says bukan hindi, tapi Bollywood sindrom. Sama ajelah tu.
------------

Elviza said..

...Kak Ena tu beside kuat menyakat, dia kuat mengadu! He he he he...

Betul tak Kak Azah? Betul tak Kak Ton?

Elviza. Memang betul!

-----------------

Anonymous said...

Dear Nuraina,
Lovely pictures. Beats the "Kapoor dynasty" any time, hands down. What if Azah had gone ahead with her plans (you know, head bangging and wailing her lungs out and got her way....)maybe by now Azah would have "tawaf" around the world and got to be very famous! Sometimes its difficult to understand how "GOD WORKS". Maybe for the best, we say. But one good thing, she's a good cook, next time boleh buat catering business, then I come and eat (pay of course). Muah muah to all at home and one big MUAH for baby.

Rubiah

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anonymous 11:53pm: you would? really?
that's really encouraging.

nani(big apple) : thanks again, nani.
terpaksa beri alasan tu. tak tahu-lah whether boleh menang. mungkin, kot. contestants lain pun cun.
selalu nya kalau adik atau kakak sendiri kita di beri pujian, susah nak ngaku. Kita ucap "thank u" aje lah, syukur, pemberian Tuhan. Kan?

gambar kak ena? alamak. kita tak photogenic-lah. nanti kak ena cari gambar lama-lama masih remaja.
it's true, what you say... kita dah macam kenal lama...

aaah.... brother rocky kita tu... hemsem, memang masih hemsem. heheheh.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Wanshana,

your son is a real good looker. I am not surprised he's got serious admirers.

Let's see how he handles women later, ya? Satu dah more than a handful.

I can already imagine the problems you will be faced with when Hero is faced with one too many "distractions".

I think, Wanshana, the world is changing. Some of my friends have got sons, (teenagers), who are so comfortable cooking in the kitchen. Their mom never ask them to go into the dapur. On their own volition. These are macho boys who play tennis and football. And good in their studies.
But you know what, all of them say they enjoy Jamie Oliver's programme.

Take care.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

wanshana,

my son, adel, told me thatthe way to a girl's heart is through her stomache.

"through our own cooked dishes for her, mummy!"

Times, they are a-changing.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

rubiah,

how are you? hope u are well.

indeed. I always believe God moves in mysterious ways. And I always believe that things happen or don't happen for a reason... and a real good reason.

When you come to semananjung, specifically to KL, please call. This is the little bit of hospitality I can offer to my friends in cyberspace.
Then, we can ask Azah and Kak Ton to masak. Honestly and sincerely.
We have a jamuan. Will bring Sharmaine, with or without her mummy.

Boleh?

Take care, Rubiah.
muah muah

Anonymous said...

Sorry to say this but I can't help it...............

She's a BABE!

Wooooohooooooooooooooooooooooo


So different now and then. She is so fortunate to be given such beauty. I would have think about her beauty for weeks just before I fall asleep at night!

Hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahha :)

Anonymous said...

Kak Ena

Ajak kak Rubiah saja ka, nani pun nak rasa masakan Kak Ton and Kak Azah jugak, you know setiap kali all of you cakap pasal mee rebus, I akan terbayang-bayangkan kelazatan mee rebus tu, kesian kan dekat I ni.

Insyallah kalau tak ada aral melintang, end May ni I am going home for a month. So boleh la rasa mee rebus by your sister tu. hehehehehe. Tenguk tu orang tak ajak, pipi duk pi sorong-sorong... hehehehe!

Nani-Big Apple

Anonymous said...

enah: Then, we can ask Azah and Kak Ton to masak. Honestly and sincerely.
*******

Dear Rubiah

Anytime. No problms ...and honestly & sincerely.

******

Wanshana: "modern and hip, and adept at housekeeping, etc", but, err...macam mission impossible...

Dear wanshana,

Not to worry. Except for Azah, who loves to be in the kitchen, non-of us were taught how to cook or knew how to cook when we were young.

Our parents dont believe in the notion that a woman's place is in the kitchen.

But we learned somehow to cook (thru trial & error, of course) after marriage. Like tbey say, practice makes perfect.

Enah forgot to mention that our sister, Olin , is a great cook. She makes the best nasi lemak, roast beef, yorkshire pudding and roast chicken, our favourite Javanese dish "sambal goreng pengantin" & lodeh.

And she is a "corporate mum".

As Enah says "...Times, they are a-changing..."

Her son Adel - that macho of guy - makes good pasta. He is one of those who enjoys Jamie Oliver's programme Enah was talking abt.

No kidding!

BaitiBadarudin said...

Sis Ena,
My middle sister Noor Hayati, who was Norlin's batch at Assunta, died of ovarian cancer at a 'krankenhaus' in Bonn, Germany (14 June 1994).
We fought like cats and dogs but we were also very close - 'macam isi dengan kuku, aur dengan tebing' - I got the honor to care for her the last two weeks of her life and spent her last night with.
Perhaps I should write about those last days spent together.
Al-fatihah and Wassalam.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Nani,

alah alah alah..... of course, Nani.. you are naturally, automatically invited. you MUST be invited. and you MUST come.
tell us when you nak balik. kita buat makan, ek?
cakap aje, nak makan apa. Mee Rebus? Lontong?
ok... jangan merajuk, ek? sebab kak ena respond to Rubiah tadi.
take care. hope to hear from u WHEN you are coming back.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

BigDog,

esh esh esh.. BigDog. behave yourself! heheheh...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

QB: i am so so so sorry to hear about your sister, arwah noor hayati.
hope it isnt too later to offer my condolonces.
DO that, B, do that, write about that part of yr life that u shared with her.
i would love to read about it.

Al Fatihah.

Anonymous said...

Kak Ena,
Maybe this end of the month I nak balik Msia sebab nak ziarah kubur my dad who passed away last Thursday in Penang. My mum still dalam keadaan sedih so better balik sebelum terlambat. I might also visiting Jalan Riong to see one of the pengarang kat BMggu. So will be in KL a few days.

Will let you inform.

Take care

nani

Anonymous said...

Kak Ena, Kak Azah & Kak Ton,

The pleasure was all mine. On sunday when Kak Ena came over to my place for luqman s birthday my mother in law says this

"ya allah kawan menantu aku nih, cina, india, melayu, muda, tua, lawyer, bukan lawyer, sampai pemberita pun jadi member baik dia" (referring to Kak Ena). Mama knows you Kak Ena!

What a great life. I am thankful.

Kak Azah & Kak Ton, I really look forward to see you guys again

Anonymous said...

Kak Ena,

The "Joy" ad yang Kak Azah buat tu, was it with a guy who name is Rosli? Masa tu dia famous sangat dekat my school. Personnally I tak kenal dia tapi we shared the same special friend.

Mesti ramai yang admired/gilakan your sister at that time. Dulu in my school, kalau dah jadi model - famous and one class above the rest le kiranya. Maklumlah mesti stylo-milo sebab dah ada duit sendiri. Rambut masa tu pulak, ramai yang ikut style Farrah Fawcett.

Kak Ena,

I don't think I have tried Kak Ton's mee rebus yet (baru cadang2 nak pi cari the kedai), BUT I have tried your Bapak's cooking. If I am not mistaken, the dish he cooked for me was Bamia (betul ke eja ni. Makan aje tahu). Memang sedap!!! Masih teringat kelazatannya sampai sekarang. Dapat juga rasa air tangan Pak Samad, tapi Pak Samad belum lagi dapat rasa my air tangan!

Salam to all.

Anonymous said...

j.t.: Guess what Nuraina? Stella Prasad is my relative! (I believe we are talking about the same one - formerly Stella Read?) I met her only once in my life - back in the mid-80s. My paternal grandmother was Edith Read (Penang). Stella was a very pretty lady.

j.t.,

I believe so. There is only ONE Prasad I knew. Didn’t know any other Prasads.

Stella was married then to a planter who lived in Malacca. I do not know if we are talking abt the same person.


mazTX said...
Tolong sampaikan my salam to Azah. We were colleagues back then in Nutrimetics.

Wa alaikum salam mazTX

I assume you are a Malay. But I do not know yr gender. Who are you? Can reveal your name? Lol.
Anyway, nice of you to remember me. Take care.


Cheryl: I must say that Azah looks gorgeous in the picture (pic no. 2).

Aren't you going to admit that you bullied her because you were jealous of her looks?

Hi Cheryl,

It was true she was a BIG Bully. She took my things and often hid them away from me. Nasty, nasty sister she was. But today, she is one of the most generous sisters (am not saying the rest arent).

To me, she was pretty as a child, she looked like “anak campur” fair skin, light brown hair with a pert nose & she didn’t know I was envious of her looks.

Now that she has matured she is like a vintage wine, she gets better as she gets older. That is what my husband, Terry, says of her.

a malaysian in Riyadh: When Azah appeared in the Joy drink commercial, did they already use the tagline “ingat buah ingat Joy”?

Hi aMIR,

If I remember correctly, that tagline appeared towards the end of the advert. It was the launch of the new Joy packet drink .
Anyway, were you in anyway involved with the promotion of the product?

Xulija said: Fuyoh, Tante Azah looks so 'glamour' with those shades.. XD

Hi Julia,

Must confess one lah. Those shades (glasses as we called them then) were Cik Ton’s. I misplaced them and when she went screaming in the house looking for them I was too scared to tell her the truth.

Now Cik Ton knows abt it after more than 40 yrs. Alamak I regret that I chose that pix for Tante Ena to put it up here.

Bigdog: You make me blush.

zorro said...

Every Tuesday, after reading your post, I envy your so closely-knitted family. Out of adversity, the bond that binds do thicken. I have met 4 of you and everytime I read Tuesday, the images of how you were are very vivid.
Mars, chocolate bar, I had them when I was eight years old, before entering Lido cinema. The bar is still the same with the unmistakable wrapper. Good things endure....like the Samad Ismail clan. More power to you all....still havent met Abang Med...maybe next Tuesday.

zorro said...

To Azah.....you could have been Miss Malaysia if your Dad allowed....hands down that is.

shar101 said...

Nuraina,

Was this the first Malaysian model of the year contest? Coz as I've mentioned to you previously, I..ahem...used to hang around with the crowd from Act One Modeling Agency and if I recalled correctly, Yvvone Gabriel won the inaugural event.

No, Y.G. was not my girlfriend. She was with another guy, Augustine Woo, who is better looking and much taller than me. *sigh* Anyway, 'Gus' and I were close buddies, hence, I get to hang out with the 'pretty pretty' ladies.

At one time, there was a pool party at the Holiday Inn, Jalan Pinang (it's gone now) for three birthdays simultaneously and I think half the crowd got dunked fully clothed into the pool before the night was over.

And you know who else was there too?
A certain ex-politician who shall not be named. Nope, he didn't join us in the pool.

Ahhh! Those long gone, carefree days of debauchery and misogynistic(sp?) personalities.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

nani (big apple)

Innallillah wa'innalillarajiin. Nani, I am so sorry to hear about your dad's passing. my condolences.
i hope your mom is hold on ok.
i am sure she has got strong family support.
stay strong. Insyallah, you mom will be ok.

so take care. And when you come back do call me.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Zorro:

zorro, thank you very much.
Those are wonderful things said, zorro. i am touched. so are kak ton and azah and the rest of our family.
we've never thought ours was any different from everyone else's.
but, it's good to know that we've been able to share something of us.

on behalf of azah: thank you. (I'm sure she'll come in later to say thank you herself).

and i do hope Abang Med can make it the next time Tuesday.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mariani,

kak ena tak tahu-lah, mariani. nanti Azah akan clarifykan.

memang, mariani, Bapak punya specialty Bamiah/bahmiah. itu akan2 goulash (hungarian dish). dari wilayah yg sama.
di malaysia, orang keturunan arab/india utara terutama dari Johor, gemar sajian ini.

ingat tak, kalau Bapak nak jamu Aishah Ali, Rose Ismail, Fatimah Abu Bakar, Hisham Harun, Muharyani Othman, Rocky, Azmi and budak2 NST /BH dulu2 tu, Bapak sajikan bahmiah masakan dia sendiri.

Bapak dalam tahanan/detention, dia hone culinary skills dia.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

elviza,

how is Luqman? gorgeous, gorgeous. Nak book untuk Sharmaine. Alamak ingat nak book Wanshana's Hilman (Mr Handsome Hero). Hmmm... ada masa lagi..

anyway... you mama tu sporting-lah.

elviza, kalau kak ena tak blog, kita takkan ketemu. dan elviza takkan ketemu kak ton dan azah. pening elviza nanti. wait till kak olin, nina, lalin and the rest ada. adoiii....elviza pengsan.

thank you, elviza.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Shar101,

You see, that was why my dad was very adamant that Azah not go into full-time modelling, that we made sure Azah went out at night chaperoned. Yep, I forgot to mention it, but she was always chaperoned by an older relative.

So, there was some truth in those stories. And you were part of the scene. Hmmm.

However, I am not sure whether that was the first Model of the Year (Malaysia). Perhaps.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Azah said: To me, she was pretty as a child, she looked like “anak campur” fair skin, light brown hair with a pert nose..."

*****
May I add - and a pout like Brigitte Bardot. ;)

Anonymous said...

Ena

That pix of two-year-old Azah eating an apple was actually taken at Uncle Siew Yee's (Tan Sri Lee Siew, the former Straits Times later NST Editor-in-Chief) house during Chinese New Year.

Uncle Lee sort of "adopted" Azah and always referred to her as his daughter - a daughter he never had.

Kalau Chinese New Year Azah got more ang pow than any of us.

That pix was one of the many that Uncle Lee took of Azah.

wanshana said...

Dear K.Ena,

You wrote : "Let's see how he handles women later, ya?"

Yep! We'll cross the jambatan when we get there! Hehehe!

You also wrote : "These are macho boys who play tennis and football. And good in their studies"

I pray that my boy will be an all-rounder, too - including being an awesome cook! (And THAT will surely make his sisters be on their toes all the time!! Where got road?!)LOL!

And you also wrote : "My son, adel, told me that the way to a girl's heart is through her stomache, "through our own cooked dishes for her, mummy!"

And all I have to say to that is -

Aaawwwwhhhhh...THAT IS SO SWEET...I bet he must have girls drooling all over and around him....(Errrr....for his pasta?!) Winks*

Take care, K.Ena!

wanshana said...

Dear K.Ton,

You wrote : "Not to worry. Except for Azah, who loves to be in the kitchen, non-of us were taught how to cook or knew how to cook when we were young".

Thank you for the reassurance... Yeah, come to think of it, I only learned how to cook bila dah terpaksa - tercampak jauh kat negeri orang...Hidup pun! And now ni, kira not bad jugak lah when it comes to my culinary skills. My mom would have thought I would not be able to even goreng telur mata sapi judging from my hopelessness back then...Hahaha!

And Kak Ton also wrote : "Enah forgot to mention that our sister, Olin , is a great cook. She makes the best nasi lemak, roast beef, yorkshire pudding and roast chicken, our favourite Javanese dish "sambal goreng pengantin" & lodeh"

Hmmm...you know what? I think ALL of Pak Samad's children are awesome cooks (including Abang Med and Kamal) by the look of things! Betul tak?!

Take care, Kak Ton!

J.T. said...

Nuraina, if I may?
Azah... I will have to check with a relative about Stella's husband's job then.
Will get back to you about it. :)

Anonymous said...

WANSHANA said...

I bet if she were to go ahead and entered the contest... come to think of it, boleh menang tanpa bertanding pun!

Lol@boleh menang tanpa bertanding.

Macam bertanding dlm pilihanraya pula.

No, no, I mean bertanding dalam parti Umno.

Maap Kak Azah, dont mean any offence to you.

Agree with wanshana you sure could have won with hands down!

Hi&Lo said...

Nuraina,

A peek into your happy family is like heaven on earth.

You are rightly brimming with pride for having a sister like Azah. Stunning looks with brain and cooking skills. Her husband luckiest man on earth. {^^}

Hope to find time to join your chatroom. Your loyalists make up of wonderful people.

Anonymous said...

tiger woodie said : can't help but notice a lil tangent off the normal TWB weave.

Hi tiger woodie,

I beg to differ.

It is about family and any family matters - what the children were doing & how they were making progress would certainly be of concern to Pak Samad.

In this particular segment, Nuraina was talking about Azah.

I like the way Nuraina built up her story - her relationship with her younger sister, the "bully" that she was and at the same time how very protective she is of lil Azah. This is something that most of us could relate to.

Anonymous said...

Azah, ah Azah... With your culinary wizardry, you would be my "dream" sister. Unlike your kak Ena, I wouldn't have pulled your hair nor bullied you. I love eating and have the horizontal dimension to show for it (persistent pavement-pounding has somewhat downsized it though). Despite my love of food, I find cooking a stress-inducing exercise and is to be avoided as much as possible. A male colleague once told me that he found cooking therapeutic, to which I quipped "come again?" in deafening decibel.

Thank you Nuraina for acquainting us with your dear sister Azah.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

calling abu rabu, calling ash wednesday, calling black orpheus, calling princess fiona....

Abang Med, where are you? What are dressed in this time?

Julia, where's daddy? what is he up to?

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

kak ton & azah,

ayoyo...,anak campur, pouting brigitte bardot lips. OMG!

very the hard to believe-lah! where got?

i say, if yr own sisters dont puji you, who will. aah? ( maybe doing boyfriends?)

enuf said!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

kak ton,

whoops. sorry folks, for the mistake in the caption of pix of azah eating an apple.
thanks, kak ton, for the correction.

but, hey.... wasn't Kak Olin's Uncle Siew's "anak angkat"?
Aunty Lin adored Kak Olin, kan?

Anonymous said...

ena: i say, if yr own sisters dont puji you, who will. aah? ( maybe doing boyfriends?)

*****

Dek oi,

Kalau nak suruh kutuk, boleh juga. :)

You should also know how good we are at poking fun at one another!

Nope, Ena. Uncle Siew Yee adored Azah & thought her sooo adorable.

Aunty Lin adored Kak Olin because Kak Olin can pass off as her daughter.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Adik : kita semua having loads of fun commenting, and responding. so, no worries, i am sure azah ok with anything said here.

thanks for visiting, adik.

wanshana : adoi... tak lah awesome. maybe kak ton, kak olin and azah terror(ist) in the kitchen. abang med and kamal, mmmmm, i suppose kalau terpaksa, ok, kot?

but, this i must tell you. bukan nak show off. our younger sister, Lalin, memang terror buat cake. Azah masak since she was 10, kan? Lalin baked cakes since she was 10. she used to accompany my mom to Angel Cake House in SS2 and fell in love with the fragrance and scent of
baked dough, buns and bread. she used to watch the bakers through the glass window. DUlu tak ada La Manila or Secret Recipe.,
I think she has a passion for baking. Almost wanted to open a bakery after completing her law studies in England. Bapak had to put his foot down. He wouldnt have it, though he didnt mind her baking as a hobby, even selling her cakes ( as a hobby).
"Aku hantar kau ke England buat law.." he told her, after she made and distributed her call cards "Lalin's Cake & Crafts". He wasnt amused. But still encouraged her to bake, AS A HOBBY.

Kak Ton, I didnt learn how to cook after marriage. I learnt thru dahsyat punya trial and error when I was in Boston sebab tak larat nak makan fast food and pasta,pasta,pasta.
I didnt even know how to masak nasi when I left for the US.
I stopped over in England enroute to Boston (1979), stayed with Kak Olin in chelmsford.
The story was like this: kak olin was going to cook dinner for us all (at her house in chelmsford). so she asked me to masak nasi.
I was momentarily dazed. also embarrassed becos i didnit know how to. I just held the periok and then asked meekly, "macam mana nak masak nasi, ek?".
kak olin almost died. she couldnt believe it!
eeeh... malu, nyee

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

wanshana,

for sure, hilman will be an allrounder. handsome pulak tu! heartbreaker, tengok-lah. guarantee.

but, importantly -- an allrounder I am sure he'll be.
he'd have all the encouragment from his mom.
he'll make you one proud mom, wanshana. Insyallah!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

HI&Lo: Thank you, H&L. Actually, we're pretty ordinary. As ordinary as any large family.

If you were areound when all of us are sitting around, say, in the living room. Be prepared. Can be pretty, er, er noisy, you know.

we just have so much to say.

Oh. goody. you'll be chatting? I tried last night, for the first time. I am not good-lah at chatting.
I was just doing one-liners and there were 5 of us... and i had problem keeping up with who said what and when. But, it was fun...

I'll just look-see later.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

silent observer: u think so?
that is very encouraging. thank u.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Sesat,

actually, i bully Kak Ton too. Before I learnt how to cook Laksa Johor, which, yes, seemed stress-inducing but I love it so much that i had to learn to make it. sorry, digressing too much. before i learnt to cook laksa johor, and when i didnt have the heart to always be telling Mak to cook it, i turned my attention to Kak Ton.

I'd say : "Kak Ton, I am dying for
Laksa Johor".

then Kak Ton would say: "Ok-lah. tomoro i make for you".

then i'd say, sans any shame : "oooh... best nya. ok. I come tomoro".

sweet or what? bully or what?

wanshana said...

K.Ena wrote : "he'll make you one proud mom, wanshana. Insyallah"

Insya Allah...Aamin.

K.Ena also wrote : "I just held the periok and then asked meekly, "macam mana nak masak nasi, ek?". kak olin almost died. she couldnt believe it! eeeh... malu, nyee

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!CLAASSSSSIIIICCC!!!

And P/S : Between Luqman and Hilman - we can have the game of "siapa cepat dia dapat?" LOL!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

kak ton & azah,

sorry. this sounds awful.

earlier, i said: if yr own sisters dont puji you, who will, aah? (maybe DOING boyfriends?)

i meant DOTING boyfriends.

Rockybru said...

mob, with your hair and mine, plus our good malaysian looks, we can put the modelling world in our pockets, man.
and when they know your skills with posters, that's it man! you're probably the next james bond .. the first with those curls.

Anonymous said...

Dear Nuraina,
Thanks for another great episode of TWB. It gets more addictive every time and you should eventually get the book published. "Addicts" will need their daily read.

"DOING boyfriends?" you commented. Nearly fell off my chair when i first read it. Was sure there must have been a typo error (fingers faster than brain at keyboard kot ;)) but could not figure the correct word of your choice though quite good at word guessing/detective-ing. (Was also thrown offguard because the "i" and "t" keys are quite far apart from one another and involved different fingers in touch-typing.) Yah, "DOTING boyfriends" is absolutely normal and very acceptable. Phew.

Anonymous said...

One more thing,

Rocky tuh memang hensem. Heh he heh....

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

in the TWB lounge last night, chatting away were me, Kak ton, Adik (who had to make an exit because her mother was calling her), keanorlinsya, wanshana and mekyam. later aMiR visited.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

wanshana: alamak...nampak nya pilihan yang amat sukar di buat di antara luqman dan hilman.
"siapa cepat dia dapat" atau "may the best man wins"....

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

ewoon: thank u, eric.

i think when i typed the "t" key, it must have been too fast. or i typed the wrong key, deleted it, and forgot to replace it with correct alphabet. or something as plausible as that.

it sounds naughty, doesn't it? - "doing boyfriends". Indeed. Jeeez.

elviza: haaiii. orang dah kata hemsem. asalkan rocky tak syok sendiri..

Anonymous said...

Ena said:
"calling abu rabu, calling ash wednesday, calling black orpheus, calling princess fiona...."

Ena, I was rather busy on Monday cleaning up and decorating my, um, office, as I was expecting visitors. I had to work late into the night, even up to the following morning, so I thought I deserved a break for a few days.

Anyway, this week is Azah's week...no need to steal her thunder.

Maybe just this one comment:

Wanshana said: "Hmmm...you know what? I think ALL of Pak Samad's children are awesome cooks (including Abang Med and Kamal) by the look of things! Betul tak?!"

Wanshana, while I was a student in Australia, my Australian housemates considered me an awesome cook (of Malaysian dishes), when I was in fact an awful one. 'Course, they couldn't tell one from the other.

I suppose there was an exchange of skills between me and my Aussie friends, though the transfer of technology was slightly disproportionate. My Aussie friends were soon experts at cooking terrible Malaysian food, and I became an expert in making perfect "telur goreng mata sapi".

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Abang Med AKA Ash Wednesday AKA Abu Rabu,

Hah. Finally.

wanshana said...

Dear Abang Med,

Tau tak aper...Hehehe!

Hmmm...something like me over here - terlalu selalu sangatlah masak fish curry (modified version, that is!) so much so that my flatmates now associate Malaysia with my not-so-authentic concoction of a SALMON (?!) curry dish!

Well, at least you learnt how to cook a mean 'telur goreng mata sapi', eh?!

Tunku Halim said...

What interesting stories from childhood. Thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Yes, made a giant leap last night by chatting, albeit briefly, with the, err, shall I say, the aMiR’s angels i.e. Sis Ena, Kak Ton and Mek Yam. Phew! There is one comment by Mek Yam which really took me by surprise. Keep them guessing Mek Yam, keep them guessing who you are ....

I was a bit like Abang Med during my late teen – a bankable chef. There were like 14 of us Malaysian boys staying in a house when we did our “A” levels, and we took turn to cook dinner. I remember, when it was my day of the week to cook, there were no leftover of all the lauk I prepared and I had to cook extra portion of Sainsbury rice too. When I first started working in Kuala Lumpur and later Penang before returning to Kedah to stay with Wan (our mother) after ayah passed away, I then stopped cooking in earnest. There was no need for it as my rented house in Bangsar was right infront of the happening foodcourt. And now 12 years after being married, with my wife in pantang and no maid, my foray into the kitchen is to take out the home-cooked frozen food from the fridge (we have roti canai, rending daging/ayam, ayam masak kicap/tomato, asam pedas ikan tenggiri/tulang, sambal tumis ikan tongkol/udang, kari daging buku halus (? – that is how Elham’s mum labeled it), etc, etc and heat them. Yes, Sis Ena I still know the basic like how to cook rice, despite all that.

Oh, one one occasion when all the pujian from my “A” level mates got into my head, I started to be adventurous with my cooking. I tried sup keropok keping, and they tasted, remotely like fish ball soup eventhough I used premium keropok keping like the one from Kemaman.
aMiR

Anonymous said...

BigDogDotCom said: So different now and then…

BigDog,

Well, surely different-lah. You’re talking about px taken 150 years ago.:))

Mariani said: The "Joy" ad yang Kak Azah buat tu, was it with a guy who name is Rosli?

Hi Mariani,

I can’t remember it was such a long time ago. But I remember an architect who was with me in the same ad. But I didn’t know his name.


zorro said: To Azah.....you could have been Miss Malaysia if your Dad allowed....hands down that is.

Dear Zorro,

Thank you Zorro for the compliments. But I don’t think so because I didn’t have the “curves” in the right places. :))

BTW, my hubby was happy when I told him you addressed me as "Terry’s wife”. He sends his regards & hopes to meet up with you. He says “Sunday is the crucial day …We are back & staying…hard as Iron.” 

shar101 said: Nuraina, was this the first Malaysian model of the year contest.


Hi shar101,

No. It was Noor Kumalasari who was voted the1st Malaysian model of the year by polls. Yvonne Gabriel was the winner of the 2nd Malaysian model of the year in a contest (not by poll).


Hi&Lo said: …having a sister like Azah. Stunning looks with brain and cooking skills.

Ayo, yo Hi&Lo. Am getting dizzy. Cooking skills maybe can acceptlah.

But stunning looks with brain…ayaa abit over the top. Malulah!

Anyway thank you for such a generous compliment.


Adik said: Maap Kak Azah, dont mean any offence to you.

Agree with wanshana you sure could have won with hands down!

Dear adik,

No worries. Nothing for you to apologise.

Anonymous said...

Abu Rabu wrote:
"Ena, I was rather busy on Monday cleaning up and decorating my, um, office, as I was expecting visitors."
===========

Is this a vague reference to the CHAT ROOM? Can Abu Rabu be...?

Naah! He can't have that many personalities. Can he?

Anonymous said...

Abu rabu wrote: "...while I was a student in Australia, my Australian housemates considered me an awesome cook (of Malaysian dishes), when I was in fact an awful one. 'Course, they couldn't tell one from the other..."

awesome / awful - wouldn't u say that "some" is less than "full"? Therefore an awful cook must be more terror than an awesome cook.

Anonymous said...

Nuraina,

I just came back from a huge Nasi Kandar lunch with A Voice and my lawyer, talked a lot about too many things, come to this blog, stared at your sister's photo.....God, she is still a HOT BABE! (As she was, yesterday!)

Rocky,

"Kau, yang berselindung dibalik sutra
Warnamu, pelangi
Kau, mustika hati
Persona cinta
Mahligai rindu...."

You must change your M Nasir landmark and migrate to the Juara Lagu 1989 champion song.


Who let the dogs out????

Woof.....woof......woof

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Tunku Halim: Thank Youuuu....for visiting.

aMiR: cool chat.
aMiR, you must be really a whizzz in the kitchen.
Now, you know what u can do when you get tired of what u're doing in Riyadh.
By the way,wht was it that Mekyan said? Hmmm, I am trying to remember..

Khalil Gibran: Er er, can he? mmmm, Naaah!

BigDog: down, boy, down....

Anonymous said...

Sis Ena wondered:
By the way,wht was it that Mekyan said? Hmmm, I am trying to remember..
**************
Sorry the comment MekYam made was not related to who she is, rather where she is. Or may be I'm reading too much into it ...

Hope the meeting goes/went well MekYam.

Gee, I still can't get over the way I was greeted split-second after I entered the chat room. "Ah, the man from Riyadh"
It was like a grand entrance and the 60s cult TV show "The Man from UNCLE" came to mind.
aMiR

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

aMiR:

uh-huh. i see what u mean.
hmmm.....mekyam....

"our man from Riyadh". steady-lah.

Anonymous said...

Khalil Gibran wrote: "...Is this a vague reference to the CHAT ROOM? Can Abu Rabu be...?"

Khalil,

I come from the middle period of the Mesozoic era. I was born among dinosaurs, so I'm practically computer illiterate. I don't even know what a chat room is, let alone set one up.

You're reading too much into the schizofrenzy of last week's episode, I think.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nuraina

Just wondering - seeing how concertedly you are blogging about Tuesdays With Bapak have you decided to use the diary/journal genre to publish the book on your Dad? It seems like by the end of the year you will have covered much of what you want to say about your family.

I think it's an interesting way of presenting your Dad's life and times. The only worry is that you might write less about the man's intellectual capacity - which is what Pak Samad is known and respected for.

Just a passing thought as another daughter of a man who made an impact on his times, albeit in an unexceptional way!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Old F Fart:
thanks for your thoughts on TWB.
Indeed indeed. that is my worry too.
thanks again

Jorji said...

cantik... :)

Anonymous said...

old female fart said: "The only worry is that you might write less about the man's intellectual capacity..."

====================

I wouldn't worry about this. From what I see, TWB is a collection of anecdotes from the family's perspective. Nuraina approaches her story from the human angle rather than from an intellectual or academic one. This approach demystifies the man, who seems larger than life otherwise. And it makes it easier for us ordinary folk to relate to.

This certainly doesn't make it any less valid.

So, Nuraina, I'm quite happy with this informal exposè. Leave the analytical dissertations to graduate students and academics.

Anonymous said...

Abu Rabu wrote: "You're reading too much into the schizofrenzy of last week's episode, I think."

================

Not so fast my friend. The internet may be a good place to hide, but it is also a good place to look for information. The TWB chat room is in strawbox.com, right?

Without too much effort, I got the following link:

https://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=strawbox.com

Guess what I found? Hah!

Score: 2-1 in my favor.

Anonymous said...

Dear Nuraina

Just my two sens here.

It is okay for you to continue writing the series on TWB. I believe it is a personal journey that you, your beloved mother arwah Mak Midah & your siblings went through during Pak Samad’s five and half years of incarceration..

It does not mean by doing so you have forgotten what Pak Samad is - a man respected for his “intellectual capacity”- to quote old female fart.

As silent observer said what you have written is “… about family and any family matters - what the children were doing & how they were making progress would certainly be of concern to Pak Samad.”

So do continue what you are doing. We have cried with you & your family and we will continue to do. And laugh with you we will.

What you have done is to allow us to share the trial & tribulations of your family.

Thank you for sharing.

God bless & take care

Anonymous said...

Deares Kak Ena

I agree with Khalil Gibran and anak didik pak samad.

You've written the TWB series from a "human interest" perspective.

It's not supposed to be an intellectual/analytical dissertation.

I love the series as they are, enjoy reading them and the accompanying comments of your siblings and readers.

Please keep them coming.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 1:44 PM wrote: awesome / awful - wouldn't u say that "some" is less than "full"? Therefore an awful cook must be more terror than an awesome cook.

Anon, you must be a lawyer or an accountant, no? If I need somebody to argue my case, or doctor my books, can I count on you?

The first task of the day is to draft a reply to Khalil Gibran.

adik said...

abu rabu aka ash wednesday is back.

Wooo hoooo!!

Anonymous said...

Abu Rabu wrote: "Anon, you must be a lawyer or an accountant, no?"
********************************
Actually, I am an English teacher. With that revelation, I guess there's little hope for the kids now, ay?

You have to handle Khalil Gibran on your own, I'm afraid.

Anonymous said...

Kak Aina,

Just to drop by to say good bye. Will always read TWB.

nooryahaya said...

beautiful story. I am becoming your rabid reader already.
you are a legend!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

khalil Gibrfam, Anak didik Pak Samad, Adik, Anon the un-anon, Noor Yahaya:


Thank you ofr the kind words and encouragement.

See u next Tuesday.

Remember, there is the chat room at TWB lounge.

Anonymous said...

Abu Rabu: I was rather busy on Monday cleaning up and decorating my, um, office, as I was expecting visitors.

Pssst Abu Rabu!

Two hopes... 1) that everyone has moved to more recent reads, and 2) you still come in to peek here and will read this.

You're not kidding about being busy decorating the lounge, err I mean office. I just went there and saw the result of your messing around.

The interior, v v neat... but you've thrown the hallway out of whack la Mr Ash. Elongated it horizontally, that's what. I have a wide-screen monitor (22") and my laptop is 17" but still a chunk of the hallway has gone east.

Please remind Ena to put link to chat-lounge on her main page otherwise the only visitor will be that little insomniac, Keanorlinsya. :D