Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Tuesdays With Bapak (14)


Growing Pains - May 15 2007
Now that I have two teenagers who are growing very fast, I am remembering what a tough time my parents had with Kak Olin, Kak Eda and I.
Actually, Kak Olin was not too bad. Kak Eda and I, I think, must have given Mak a lot of problem. Oh Mak! Bless her! How she tried to hide our misbehaviour from Bapak.
Mak never reported to Bapak those naughty little things that we did. You know, this party and that party that we attended WITHOUT getting his permission.
In our day, that was considered very very naughty. There was no punishment for such transgression because we were not supposed to be doing that. So, the issue of getting caught and getting punished never quite arose because we were not supposed to attend parties without Bapak's permission. As simple as that!
Most times, we would get his permission. But sometimes, we got invited at very short notice and it would be really impossible to get his permission at the last minute.
No compromises! The rule was that Bapak must be informed of any party or outing a week before.
But, oh.... rules were (and are) meant to be broken. Right? Especially when those St John's boys would be there.
Ok. Here's the thing. Our guy friends are from BBBS and La Salle. So, you know, very incestuous to be dating them. We were and still are good friends until today.
When Kak Eda died (on March 8), a bunch of them were at her "tahlill". We were happy to see them, but as always, it would be at a sad occasion that we would be meeting up.
If someone's kid was getting married, that would be the happy occasion when we would be getting together.
So far, though, we have not got together on any of the guys' second marriage.

Let me tell you how permission was sought from Bapak.
You see, we have a library/study where, we would be doing our studying (usually, trying to) or having Maths (tuition) classes with Danny Thaddeus (dear dear wonderful Danny).
Or reading comics.
There was a notice board in the library.

Bapak would leave for work very very early. He worked all seven days.
Except on Saturday and Sunday, he'd be working from 7.30am to 8pm or much much later.
Most times, it'd be very late. If he came back for dinner, he'd usually go back to the office.

I don't know if there were mobile phones and PCs then, he'd want to use them to his full advantage. I think he'd still want to go to the office. He is a very hands-on sort of person.

Now, the notice board was put up for the simple purpose of -- communication between Bapak and his rebellious (hahaha) teenaged children, namely Kak Eda and Nuraina.

Direct communication was not quite possible given Bapak's busy schedule everyday (except Sunday) so any messages, "application to party" et al, had to be pinned on the board.

It suited us just fine. Under the circumstances, we could not have asked for a better mode of communication.

Imagine having to ask Bapak face-to-face:

Us: "Bapak, can we go to Roy's (Rahimah's, Sharifah's etc) party?"

Bapak: " Bila? Di mana? Ada budak2 jantan?"

So it was so much easier to just write this:

Roy's party
2 Jalan 3/5 (or something)
Saturday, June 24 1971
7pm to 11pm.
signed : Eda & Ena (sometimes Olin)

There! And then Bapak would sign on it, if he consented. And he'd usually change the time to 7pm to 9pm.
And he'd send and fetch us to and from the party. And he'd make sure that he was seen doing that by all and sundry at the party.

This went on through our teen years (after form 3) when we were allowed to accept invitations to parties.
It's a wonder there were boys who were STILL interested in us!

We thought how lucky other girls were that their parents allowed them to party and party. No need to ask for written permission.

I realised much later when I began my practical training with the NST (during Bapak's incarceration), that pinning up signed notes, messages, assignments and so forth, was actually how reporters work.

Before the advent of sophisticated and hi-tech IT, it was paper and pen.

At the NST's office then, there was a huge partition behind where I was sitting, which was actually a board where editors and reporters would pin up messages and the like.

Reporters would check the board for their assignments or messages.

Now, I am not sure this will work with my two kids --Adel and Shaira. They'd really think I am a dinosaur. And so not cool!

(PHOTO, taken in 1959 in front of our house at Jalan Sentosa, Petaling Jaya. We had just arrived in Petlaing Jaya from Singapore, following Bapak's acceptance of a job from the Straits Times to start Berita Harian.
Bapak is carrying me, Mak is cradling Azah. Standing are Kak Olin and Kak Eda.)

59 comments:

Mat Salo said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mat Salo said...

Ke-ke-ke... had to stifle so many chuckcles, but with some rather poignant moments too. He's a cool Bapak!! Aaah, parties in the 70's, brings back so much memories (of teen angst)...

Unknown said...

Kak Ena... so systematic ya Bapak... Dia dah train Kak Ena dari awal lagi...

My bapak pulak ruled us to 'mengadap' dia everytime we all nak pi rumah kawan or kedai...and he would ask us questions yang we finally know dia macam tak bagi pegi je... my sister dulu gave up buat camtu so selalu hilang (pi rumah kawan dia without notice). Dia yang hilang we all semua kena marah. Bila dia balik, rotan dah tunggu...we all yang lain sure nyorok belakang pintu, sambil nangis...takut punya pasal.

Tapi sekarang I pun macam bapak I. Anak2 nak pi mana mesti inform. Langgar peraturan rumah, sure kena denda, atau hukuman. Aiyah...ke mana tumpahnya kuah,kan?

Rox said...

Just finished TWB 13 and now TWB 14! What a double treat ... mmm. Worth waiting for. Ha! I'm the first to read TWB 14, right? The early cat catches the bird (licking lips). Now I can go to bed ...

Mior Azhar said...

K. Ena
Like most people, I've been reading TWB religiously. Sekarang dah sampai to a point that on Tuesday kena baca TWB dulu instead of the newspapers. Best lar.
My only wish is that I can write as well as you. My wife pulak dah start compiling all the TWBs - bila boring2 dia boleh baca and baca and baca lagi.
I like the notice board thing le. And yes I remembered the notice board/partition behind your desk.

Typhoon Sue said...

i think written notices like that are much better because it's like a written contract or something. i know that on the few occassions i actually told my mom of things i want to do (normally i just do it and tell her later), she'd say ok. but when i went ahead and do it, i'll get scolded for doing that without her permission. she'd obviously forgotten abt it. i wished i had put up notices and get her to sign it.

so, u were quite the party animal, eh? You naughty you!

Unknown said...

Bapak: " Bila? Di mana? Ada budak2 jantan?"

Nuraina: (dalam hati)kalau tak ada siap nak pi!

Betoi tak?

Anonymous said...

Dear Ena,

If your teeners had seen the regiment of Col Von Trapp in that stone-age musical "The Sound of Music" they would think grandpa Samad's note on board not THAT uncool. ;D

Now let's try the modern version:

NOTICE BOARD

Ena's TWB party
Address: http://strawbox.com/TWB%20Chat/
Tuesday, May 15 2007
10am to EOD
All Invited - No Ropes at Entrance

wanshana said...

Dear K.Ena,

I was like having some sort of "withdrawal syndromes" (symptoms?) while waiting for this week's posting on TWB! I kept on checking your Blog every 15 minutes or so last night!

I saw some new comments appearing every now and then and knew that you were still up in the wee hours in Malaysia approving the comments, and I was telling myself, "Yes!!! Soon...VERY soon TWB will be posted"! And then I fell asleep! Aaaargghhh!!!

Anyway, I think the mode of communication was PRETTY COOL. (Macam dapat inspirasi pulak...)

Take care.

Anonymous said...

assalamualaikum kak ena,
i often tell my kids how much i love to live in the sixties. air ada, letrik ada, telefon ada, tv ada. yang tak ada, traffic jam! these are what your photo reminds me of.

Jorji said...

Saya tak pernah dapat pergi party.Kat kampung mana ada orang buat party!
So,sampai sekarang tak pergi2 party lagi..

p/s: Jari sapa pegang gambar tu? hehe.

J.T. said...

I smiled when I read that. Just as how you communicated with Pak Samad, 'reporter's sytle', my siblings and I had to ask dad for permission 'police style'.
We hardly went to any parties. When we were allowed, it was usually during school holidays.
We had to stand at attention, no fidgeting and then ask him if we could go to so-and-so's party. Then the questions came out - Who? Where? What time? How are you going there? We had to provide details i.e. phone number, names of parents, address, how are we getting to the party (if it was held outside our residential area). If we said we were going with some friends, he'd ask which parent will be driving us there (to double check with the parent himself).
If we ever went out for a day trip, reporting to mum or dad, at least once, was a must - no exceptions. An excuse of "telefon rosak" was not acceptable. Find a phone, do or die. :)

Anonymous said...

Sis Ena
You purposely made this week's TWB a little bit subdue, didn't you? All for a reason, I'm sure. An ace, all the same.

It's unfair you got to wear a polka-dot (?) dress. Why were your elder sisters not wearing polka-dot too? Why you were the odd one out this time?
aMiR

Ayah said...

hmmm.. it think that would work for my kids... don't care dinasour or not!

Keanorlinsya said...

Dear aunty ena, despite having a father who are protective and strict, you and your sisters are still allowed to go to parties. As for me, regardless what, im not allowed..therefore i dont take chances. Tak payah tanya pun dah tau jawapan. NO!

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Ena
Hmm, I wonder if our parents had met and traded experience in handling daughters?
My late grandfather was in the Police Force but my late Bak wasn't but the interrogation I had to go through to get permission from my father to go for parties was I think lagi teruk dari soalsiasat Polis.
The most important question would be "Hah, dia anak siapa?" if he doesn't know who my friend hosting the party is.
Bila ingat balik, I wondered how I survived my growing up years.

Daphne Ling said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Daphne Ling said...

Dear Pn Nuraina,

Hmmm...This is the first time I'm actually reading a 'Bapak' story on the day itself...it helped that today's was not as long as usual...;)

Thank you for sharing that story with us...I could not help but wonder if it would be erm, dangerous to publish the fact that you attended parties without Bapak's permission...Might give your kids ideas...

Hehe...

Pn Nuraina: "Why did you go to the party without asking me?"
Daughter/Son: "You also never ask last time what!"...

Kekeke...*Hiccup*...

Anonymous said...

It's true Nuraina - in bringing up my children especially in their pre-adult years, my basic philosophy was that I was not going to be a hypocrite. There was always this question of how much freedom and leeway to give them so that I would not stifle their souls and their spirit, while at the same time impose enough order and discipline in the family life.

I think they are now doing the same with their children and so the family values are perpetuated.

I'm sure when you look at your Dad now (as I do mine in my mind's eye) you thank him so very much for loving you with all that he had and all that he knew. I'm sure he too relented a little to nurture his little girl into the person that you are today.

I wonder why women turn out to be more their father's daughters than they are their mother's.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mat salo: yes....parties in the 70s! But you were just a kid!

raden galoh: betul tu... mana lagi kuah nak tumpa, kan?
tapi, boleh tahan garang, ya, bapak Raden.

Mior azhar: alahai.. terima kasih mior. thank you. that's really really nice of yr wife to have done that. memang lama dulu, ya, kita di NST masa office lama. ANd you still remember the notice board...

Roxanne: whoa, thank you, old friend. my former colleague.
i am glad we meet in blogosphere, and here in TWB!

Typhoon Sue: sue, dear...umm, er, er, party animal in the 70s was nothing like now. But, it was a load of fun.

prufrock said...

Considering that the whole bunch of you is, by any yardstick, successful, I would submit that your father's parenthood management style was - and I would say, still is - more than effective. And compound that to there being no Parenthood 101 in his youth (as is still the case even to this day), I'm sure many of us would agree that he is one hell of a great father, a bapa mithali even, if I'm allowed to use that sometime fashionable word.

I remember Maria once telling me (if memory serves me right, at the PWTC press centre during one of those annual circuses) the punishment your old man meted out to her for being caught reading Lawrence's then banned Lady C's Lover. She was to send in to him the following day a precis of the story in English and Malay. I wondered to myself then what the punishment would have been if Maria were caught reading the likes of Harold Robbin's Carpetbaggars or Stone for Danny Fisher or Adventurers or any of his other racy book.

Thinking back now with whatever little common sense that I have (if at all I'm commonsensical), the so called punishment is in effect good training for Maria and you guys to be bilingual, sharp and succinct with her two languages, remain cool and be clear headed under pressure, and adhere to tight deadlines.

If only I had half of your old man's knack for doing the right thing as a father, I'm sure my children would be slightly more rounded. Which is not to say that they could ever measure up to the versatility and knowledgeability of you and your siblings. Anyway would you or Maria or Norlin or Hamed or any other sibling of yours consider sitting down and writing a template on Parenting 101, based on your old man's well tested and successful method of raising you guys? Cheers

Rockybru said...

Ena,
Just before we left NST last FEb/March, a white board was still there. Some things stand the test of time.
My kids will paste those little yellow papers (stick-it, i think you call them) on my handphone, where i place my keys, on my shoes, etc. to remind me of the errands that i am supposed to run for them while they are at school. This will be followed up by an sms when they come home to their mobile phone. And at night before they go to bed, another sms to remind me of what I am supposed to bring home. Sometimes it's a bottle of 100 plus and Vitagen, sometimes a tissue box for the girl, or a mechanical pencil. Little things.

When I reach home, there will be a short letter (usually not on the stick-its) to say thank you.

Life's little pleasures. Never thought of the notice board, though. So original!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

kata tak nak: er er how did u know that? heheh......

shana: oh dear, you poor thing. must be the time difference. thanks for always visiting.

mekyam: they watched the sound of music when they were little. thanks for reminding me about the good colonel. will be using him soon enough.
and YES YES, all are welcomed to the TWB party tonight and any night!! no need for parental consent!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

accia: yes... those were the days. thanks for visiting.

Jorji: kat kampung ada temasya tinta, kot?

(hehehh... tertangkap pula jari-jari tu)


JT: ayoyoyo..... lagi dahsyat.

aMiR: actually, didnt think it would come out subdued.
quite unintentional.
the polka-dotted dress... i think
Mak couldnt get one (like my sisters') in my size.

Ayah: betul tu

Kea: Kesian nya

fauziah: adoi. boleh tahan garang

Anonymous said...

Ena

I think Bapak's noticeboard routine rubbed off on all of us despite the archaic methodology.

I have two boards in the house - a whiteboard in my room, and a softboard in the girls'.

Both boards are well utilised, but since my girls are not ready for partying, only reminders and schedules are posted up. I haven't yet figured out how to impose Bapak's "Application to Party" procedure on the girls once they get bitten by party bug. I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Whether or not the convenience of modern technology can really be advantageous in parenting is a moot point.

Imagine this:
- My girls post their "we want go to a party" application on their blog/myspace
- We have a "show cause" interview in a chat room where they give me 57 reasons they shouldn't stay at home on a Saturday night
- Their application gets approved or rejected thru MSN Messenger or SMS.

Call me a Stegosaurus if you want, but Bapak's antiquated system seems better, don't you think?

mob1900 said...

Always therapeutic to read TWB, brings humility and send those nice shingles down your heart no matter how crazy your day went. ;)

Anonymous said...

Abu Rabu: Whether or not the convenience of modern technology can really be advantageous in parenting is a moot point.

Dear Stego,

Moot or not, perhaps the IT parents can squeeze some added mileage.

Imagine THIS:

- My girls post their "we want go to a party" application on their blog/myspace
- We have a "show cause" interview in a chat room where they give me 57 reasons they shouldn't stay at home on a Saturday night
- Their application gets approved or rejected thru MSN Messenger or SMS...
THUS:

Approved - On condition that we're connected by Cell Phone throughout the party and your Cam is kept on!

Your sporting old Dad,

STEGOVICARIOUS

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

daphne : hmmmm.. some things i suppose i can't lie to my kids.
unfortunately for them, i know all the tricks in the trade.
thank you, my dear, for visiting.

O.F Fart: Just look at you! Whan happening mom and grandma! I know it must hv not been that easy raising kids -- letting them live life, as it were, and imposing some form of discipline,
I know you were amazing with your kids, and now with yr grandkids.
And i am wondering why myself. why daughters take so muh after their fathers.. i know i have read about this somewhere sometime...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Prufrock, Prufrock, Prufrock....

goodness! you're just too kind, sir.
thank you...
i know that happened to kak ton and Kak Eda as well.
Parenting101? some of his methods will be thrown out -- deemed archaic. hahaa

Anonymous said...

Dear Ena,

I was so caught up with Abu Rabu's Gen-E parenting scenario that I forgot what I wanted to say first.

What a pretty woman your late Mom was. And such a wonderful smile.

Sorry if this is being too personal, but...

Your dad appears to have all the sharp angles in his features that give those gorgeous definitions in the faces of his good-looking children. But it was your Mom's ayu lines that provided the lovely soft touches.

Who looks most like your Mom, Ena?

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

rocky: aah, clever kids you have.
and that notice board at the NST, placed right behind me? oh, that was not meant to leave messages or assignments for reporters. that board was to praise and shame reporters.

i hear the nst newsroom has moved to the second floor (where the old machine room is). dont know whther they still use the whote board to praise and shame reporters...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mob1900: thanks for visiting, bro,

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mekyam,

we think that we all look so different from one another. but other people say that we all have something in common. but they cannot say what or where.

i think i am the one who looks closest to my mom although she,as the malays would say, "lebih putih".

at the same time, my dad insists that i look like his grandmother.

and thank you, mekyam, for your observation

syed syahrul zarizi b syed abdullah said...

Jari siapa yang pegang gambar tu?

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

syed syahrul: heheheh... tak ingat-lah..

Anonymous said...

Nuraina

Reminds me of the time when I had to submit my "applications". My father must be informed a week before the event, otherwise no go. There were questions he always wanted answers to:
- who the host was
- was I going with a date or alone (always with the same "trusted" date, even if I was going alone)
- how was I getting there
- what time would the party end
- how was I getting home

After a while, I'd figure out which answers worked, and I'd flog those answers to death. By the time my father caught on, I was old enough to go out without needing his permission, heheh.

Will I be fooled when my turn comes? I don't know... I guess every new generation has its own bag of tricks, so we'll see...

Kak Teh said...

ena, I remember the board too. someone used to post naughty and cryptic messages there for me.

why does your father sound so much like my father?

oh yes,my internet is up and running now - after four days!!!

prufrock said...

Archaic, you say? I don't think so, ma'am. So does not Ash Wednesday! After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and in any case it ain't broke, so why fix the methodology! Which is not to say that I'm trying to be clever by half in making the suggestion. But I seriously thought that it is a good idea, all the so called advanced child psychology for bringing 21st C children notwithstanding. In any case it would a shame if you didn't compile the old man's wisdom on how to bring up good children.

Have pleasent days ahead, ma'am.

mutalib saifuddin said...

mdm nuraina..how strict your father was indeed.

so he did to his subordinates. i was told that ramai orang takut your father during he was the boss there during the eighties.haha

if someone buat salah, or pandai pandai, there goes his favourite word then. phew. if i was there, meanwhile, i think that i pun boleh jadi 'pandai'. Everything is just carefully done. (Sebab takut kena marah)

anyway, nice reminiscent mdm ena. Don't stop writing (TWB)! Can't wait for the next post...

Anonymous said...

I dont have a board for sticking messages, but I have a proper schedule for the day for my two sons to follow from the time they wake up until they go to bed - whenever I am away.

I taught them to make their own bed since they were 10. For Jazzril, the elder brother, it is already a habit, whereas Jazlan, my younger one still needs constant reminding.

On the other hand, I still need to cook for Jazzril. However, Jazzlan can make his own meal.

I am strict where "going out" is concerned. They can do so ONLY on Saturdays (but not during their exams)& during school holidays.

I believe in the old fashioon way, "Do I I say - Not do as I do."

And when they ask me "Why not". My reply will be "because I say so."

Anonymous said...

Ena:..but they cannot say what or where.

==========

Ena, it is the nose-lah. We have no problem breathing.:))

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

cheryl: just imagine that? and when it's time for you to be making the rules, i'm sure you wont be easy to fool.

Kak Teh (Ah): I think our father went to the same school of discipline.

Prufrock: sir, thank you. good old fashion discipline is an all-time effective way of bringing up children. Some liberals and new-age parenting gurus may disagree..

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mutalib: memang garang. tapi kadang2 dia saja nak gertak.

Mat Salo said...

'mat salo: yes....parties in the 70s! But you were just a kid!'

Hmmm, I take exception Kak Ena. Just ask Kamal. I assure you, Sis, in the 70s (well.. late 70s anyway) we were the precocious, testerone-filled pubescent zit-faced awkward boys who sat outside, eyeing the gawky girls inside.. while Commodores or E,W, & F spinned on the Patriach's Hi-Fi... Aaah, the first slow-dance Kak Ena. Believe it or not, even now, I close my eyes I can still smell her perfume...

Anonymous said...

LOL @ Mekyam's "added mileage" proviso: Approved - On condition that we're connected by Cell Phone throughout the party and your Cam is kept on!

However, knowing how frightfully creative kids are, a Plan B riposte such as the following is entirely possible:

The kids beam back to their Dad an endlessly looping pre-recorded video that shows them looking utterly bored. Then they flash dear old Daddy-o a text message: "Party BORING-lah. Doing skool project instead. Not likely 2 finish b4 midnite. Dun pick us up until after project is done."

P.S. Am rendered speechless by the way stegosaurus mutated into stegovicarious in one fell swoop - a classic Mekyam manoeuvre. Love the name stegovicarious, though. Has it been trademarked yet? Oh well, who cares...I'll steal, um, nick it regardless.

Anonymous said...

(Ena...sorry to steal this space for something not related to TWB14.)

Mekyam: I'm referring to your final post in TWB13.

Is the office I've been decorating waaaaay too big for you (esp the hallway's eastward extension)? Seems to be okay with everyone else, tho.

Anyway, I've replenished the writing materials (more coloured marker pens now, much to Keanorlisya's delight), plus other goodies which only that little insomniac is privy to. There are benefits to being the only person in the waiting room, after all.

If u drop by the office, and find that you've shrunk to the size of a Hobbit, leave a message with the receptionist (most probably the said insomniac), or whoever else is there. I'll see if I can get a nurse or a civil engineer to either
- resize u by way of a growth hormone, or
- shrink the office to the dimensions of a dollhouse

Cheers,

~ Your ever-accommodating Stegovicarious

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... parties...there ain't no party when I was a teenager - I must have been hanging out with the wrong crowd then.

We can't live without post-it notes in my household, and I receive more than I hand out. Whenever my niece and nephew need to get up early for uni, they will leave me post-it notes (usually stuck on the kitchen door) with the instruction to wake them up before I leave for work. Somehow they think their good old tante is a more reliable waker-upper than their alarm clocks and mobile phones. I am still trying to decide whether I should feel honoured or disparaged.

Hi&Lo said...

Nur,

From a little girl in 1959 to a woman of today making waves.

Besides the hand that rocks the cradle, your Bapak's love is tender and tough. He allowed you and your siblings to explore within limits.

Mine was overprotected. Yeah, we tried all the tricks to beat the system. But couldn't afford to get caught even once.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mat salo: aaaah... the first slow dance, to the sound of "do what u gotta do" by the strollers. can u imagine that? not by commmodores, e.w & f. not even by manhattan or some soulful black group.
yeah...mat salo...
ok, ok... you already big boy then.

Sesat: no parties? perhaps, by anoher name?
and sesat, you are a tante after my own heart.

Hi&Lo: and i thought Bapak was as garang as garang could be.

Mat Salo said...

Kak Ena.. sori nak nyampok on a not-so-related matter.

Beside the sickly-sweet smell of the perfume forever burned into my brain cells since - and that was what? - 30 years ago? - another thing that jogged my memory - that name "abu rabu".

It might've been '77 or '78 when I was that geeky, zit-face testoterone -filled teenager, incarcerated in that ALL-MALE boarding school in the Royal Town of Perak - when I read a Malay Mail article that stopped me in my tracks.

I was music buff then (and now), and every week we ordered "Sounds" or "NME" from the mamak. Rock, Punk and Jazz (but not Disco) we're our favorite reads. So there was an article in MM that more-or-less told of a review of a M'sian US-based jazz-rock group called "Ash Wednesday" - Whoa! - and get this - opening for George Benson at Saginaw Civic Center in Michigan summore! Fuu-yo!

As teenaged mutant jazz-addicts, we were understandably excited and created quite a furore with preceeding discussions in the dormitory afterwards...

Alas.. the next week we opened MM again, the writer wrote that it was all a joke - the week before being April the First.

Celakak betoi! - I think it was the 1st time that as schoolboys, we "kena con" on a mass-scale.. A lot of sheepish faces afterwards, I tell you, especially me. I was the one entrusted to buy MM for it's weekly music reviews . . .

Anonymous said...

Dear Kak Ena

I rasa orang dulu-dulu memang displin tinggi dan tegas. Mungkin cara didikan depa kut.
My dad sediakan kita, a small papan hitam or hijau untuk message. Kalau nak keluar rumah mesti kena cakap nak pergi mana or lepas tu mesti kena 'kecoh' kena marah. Satu lagi no nonsense..

Bukan saja my dad, my late grandmother lagi garang. Ingat lagi masa umur 9 - 10 years, after mengaji kena balik rumah terus dan kalau dia benarkan kita pi main dekat playground 1 hours, lepas satu jam mesti kena balik rumah, kalau tak mesti kena ikut with rotan kat tangan, I yang paling nakal compared to my sister, mesti selalu kena pukul.
Nak selamat diri masuk dalam toilet kunci pintu dari dalam and stay untuk beberapa jam, tapi bila keluar mesti kena jugak.

I guess sebab tu kut antara sebab yang membantu mendisplinkan serta membentuk keperibadian seseorang tu.

Nani

Anonymous said...

Mat Salo wrote: ".. So there was an article in MM that more-or-less told of a review of a M'sian US-based jazz-rock group called 'Ash Wednesday'.."

Bro, you have a darn good memory! I didn't think anyone would remember.

Some corrections, though: The date of the "album review" was Sunday, April 1, 1979. The paper was Sunday Mail, not Malay Mail. The revelation that it was an April Fool's joke was made at the end of that very review, not the week after. Abu Rabu was the name of the (nonexistent) band, and Ash Wednesday the name of the (non-existent) album, not the other way round.

I was in Midland, Michigan, in Sept 1976 for 3 months, for intensive hands-on training in the manufacture of some proprietary chemical products. Midland being a pretty lifeless town (a large portion of the populace were employees, as I was, of Dow Chemicals), I would drive to Saginaw, about 30 mins away, on weekends. So I got to know Saginaw rather well. Saginaw and Midland set the stage for the joke that I was to pull three years later.

The imaginary band Abu Rabu had an equally imaginary guitarist called Gopalasamy Devan, who was based on an actual person, Devandran Gopalasamy. Dev and I played in a blues-rock band in Sydney. The other imaginary members were, um, imaginary.

You're cool, man, just look at your pic with that bass guitar...a Jaco Pastorius wannabe...? ;)

Mat Salo said...

Mampuih bro', Ash. I am just SO flabbergasted.. After three long decades I finally got closure. Maybe in our excitement (an naivity) we didn't know what April Fool was. I remember distinctly, the prose so real that we HAD to take it at face value... If I remember there was an album cover right? Something that looked like a B,S & T cover ke apa. When I go home next time I'm gonna tell my buddies. This is gonna be hoot, bro'. I'm surprised myself I can remember those (silly (non-existent)details after all these years (still crazy)... BTW, that's not a real guitar. "Air Guitar" contest at school's pub in Tejas. Lagu: Suffregette City, D.Bowie. Thanks, bro' I promise to call Kamal next time and let's TT.

Kak Ena, ma'af nenempek lagi!

Anonymous said...

Dear Ena,

May I leave a note to Stego...

Stego, seeing the fait is all but accompli, by all means nick the nicked nick. ;D

Not the Hallway, but the Entrance is still stretching East on my wide screens. But leave it be.

Love what you've done with the Lounge. Didn't see the little resident insomniac when I peeked in today. Lounge empty. But it did give me an idea for a request.

It'd be great if one could find Pak Samad's board/s there in any/all of the salons to leave notes and messages. I'd love to leave cryptic messages to say... Prufrock or Kak Ton. ;D

prufrock said...

Mekyam,

To say that I'm a daft sort of chap is to overstate my ability, or lack thereof, to comprehend subtle understatements. I'm what one might call the proverbial bendul, only that I'm, perhaps, slightly straighter. So, on a scale of 1 to 10 my ability to decipher cryptic messages would probably be minus 6 or thereabout.

Given your sophisticated intelligence - that's how I imagine you to be, ma'am, from your comments - it would take me ages to try and understand a cryptic message of yours; on the assumption that you leave me such a note.

But try I will, because my Neanderthal like chauvanistic ego can't resist intelligent ladies. I'll prepare myself by trying to complete a cryptic crossword!

Have a brilliant weekend ahead, ma'am.

Azmi said...

Dear Nuraina,
Hi&Lo pointed me to your blog, I love it!!!. This posting brings back a flood of teenage memories. 1969...The Bee Gees...first "mixed parties". I refused to accept a "Tak boleh" from my dad. I was in boarding school so the only time to socialise with non-boarders were during the schoolholidays, and if I got invited to birthday parties. For my first "mixed" birthday party I didn't wait for my dad to ask "Ada budak lelaki tak?", I told him upfront and know what the answer was going to be. Somehow I managed to convince him to let me join the party. His condition? He waited for me in the car and at sharp 6 pm (it was a teaparty but with harmless boy ask girl to dance type of party)I saw him signalling for me to get into the car to go home! I received a lecture on the way home, naturally.

Anonymous said...

My fren Jay once asked her uni frenz to read her aunt's blog, which mentioned about her (Jan 10, 07 post). Since then I just can't help feeling uneasy if I didn't catch up with your "Tuesdays with Bapak". I must admit History is the least favourite subject during my schooldays. But this kind of 'history' is really something, at least for younger generation like me who did'nt really know of A Samad Ismail life...except that he used to work with NST... This is GREAT!!!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Nani: adoi. Garang nye bapak dan nenek.
Tapi itu untuk kebaikan kita, kan?

Azmi: Hello, Azmi. So nice to see you here. Bee Gees, mixed parties et al... yes, yes... those were the days.
I can still remember my bell bottoms and my chunky clogs. That is why i refuse to wear bell bottoms and chunky clogs now. Told myself, i aint wearing things I wore when I was a teenager.
Halter-necks? er er ...not at this age, thank you!
alamak azmi, you sure had attitude. cool.

ibuarissa: Jehan's friend, ya? thank you for visiting. Am glad you finf TWB useful. thanks again.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Nani: adoi. Garang nye bapak dan nenek.
Tapi itu untuk kebaikan kita, kan?

Azmi: Hello, Azmi. So nice to see you here. Bee Gees, mixed parties et al... yes, yes... those were the days.
I can still remember my bell bottoms and my chunky clogs. That is why i refuse to wear bell bottoms and chunky clogs now. Told myself, i aint wearing things I wore when I was a teenager.
Halter-necks? er er ...not at this age, thank you!
alamak azmi, you sure had attitude. cool.

ibuarissa: Jehan's friend, ya? thank you for visiting. Am glad you finf TWB useful. thanks again.