Today's Entry is Brought to You by the Letter R

It was the English Oral Exam and I was testing some Primary 1 kids.

A boy came to me and I asked for his name. (The story is true but I'm giving him a new name so as to protect his identity.)

"Hanif," he replied, his eyes locked on his feet.

I scanned the class register in front of me looking for a Hanif and found Muhammad Hanif Ikhsan Bin Mohd R; the father's name truncated to fit into a computer system that prefers brevity.

"Are you Muhammad Hanif Ikhsan Bin Mohd R?"

He nodded.

"And what does the R stand for?" I asked, thinking that a casual question like that would put the boy at ease.

He looked up, wondered if this was part of the exam and replied, "R is for rabbit."

Z is for Zebra

Sometimes, at unearthly hours of the morning when sleep should have overcome me a long time ago, I find myself tossing and turning in bed thinking of inconsequential stuff. Sigh.

So, today's inconsequential stuff is breastfeeding in baju kurung. Which is very inelegant.

As the baju kurung top is a long dress which reaches your knee and it is really quite ungainly to pull up your baju kurung all the way up to breastfeed your hungry child, I've been wearing the front-buttoning baju kebaya whenever the occasion calls for a traditional outfit. I don't like wearing the baju kebaya  top because too loose, it'll look unflattering and too tight, all my post-natal bulges will be up for scrutiny.

I fell in love with some songket that my sister-in-law (syarni.multiply.com - go and buy!!)  is selling but I don't fancy turning them into baju kebaya cos I don't intend to breastfeed Huda til she's 8 but the kebaya (barring any more undesirable bulges) will last beyond that.

(My sentences are getting longer and more convoluted the later I go to sleep. This is ridiculous. So I shall now punctuate all my sentences. midway needlessly like so . just so that I. don't get breathless just looking at them.)

So I thought, I shall just turn the songket into baju kurung and unbecoming or not, will just expose my flabby one-pack for all to see when the girl cries for milk? Oh no!

And then came the most super duper brilliant idea that I've ever thought of (next only to my decision to buy a Turbo Tiger) which is to put zippers by the sides so that I can just unzip, twist and feed.

So, my baju kurung for Hari Raya will come with zippers on the sides. Woohooo! Let's hope that the makcik who's going to sew my baju kurung will not throw the songket in my face and tell me to go zip myself up.

Charge

Yayyyy!!!!

Harry Potter's not gay!

And, I also wonder if they ever need to charge their magic wands?

I'm dying to talk about Deathly Hallows but gotta keep my mouth shut until more people have finished reading the book.

HelP.

I don't normally write often here but I'm having real trouble keeping Harry Potter (what a nondescript so-not-hero name that is) and friends (and foes) out of my head.

After rereading Half-Blood Prince on Wednesday (yes, I bought the book), I told myself that I shall make Thursday and Friday Harry-Potter-free days yet my dreams are still tormented by Dementors. (And I cant help re re reading...)

Tomorrow's only Friday? Gaaaahhh!! I need Saturday to come real quick!!

Unrelated stuff:

 

a. Notes to self:

1. Practise that half-clutch and next driving lesson, I can only kill the engine a maximum of 2 times

2. Fill in the insurance forms

3. Book a date for the driving test

 

b. I quite like the Anthologies of Love series. A welcome change from all the reruns and kiddy shows on prime time (Spell Cast, for example).

 

c. I finally know why Huda babbles in Tamil. My teen neighbour living on the first floor often has conferences with his pals around Huda's bedtime and I suppose, that's the language that makes the most impression on her.

 

d. Final note to self: Never attempt to cut Huda's hair on my own anymore.

Mosquito

Should I? Should I? Should I?

I've been revising my Harry Potter by reading the books again. In the past, a lifetime ago, I could easily finish Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in a day (sleep, eat, poo, pee, bath, social life all sacrificed to do the all-important). Now? I've been reading it from Friday and still have not finished. I can't re-read Half-Blood Prince because my brother, to whom we sent the book when he was still in Egypt cannot find the book now. As I'm anal-retentive, I've got to buy the book so that I have a nice, complete collection. And that reminds me, Prisoner of Azkaban is also missing. I remember lending it to someone (but I can't remember who) and it's still missing.

Anyway, I now have two choices.

1. Order the final instalment and collect it at 7am on Saturday morning and then spend the entire weekend reading it, only ocassionally (I hate this word cos I'm still not sure whether it's double c single s or double s single c so I anyhow spell) lifiting up my shirt to feed Huda (who will be in the good hands of The Husband throughout the weekend)

OR

2. Wait for my sister to finish reading her copy and borrow the book from her but must bear her gloating that she finished reading it first and that she knew who died

Of course, I have other problems like some of the books are paperbacks and some are hard covers. So, all these will affect my collection somewhat. I *am* super-duper anal about these things. Maybe, I should just wait for the boxed set to be released.

I think my insane side which I have successfully (really?) repressed is showing up more regularly now.

Rat

The Husband, siblings and I were playing Pictionary and they knew that I had to draw an animal whenever I laughed like a maniac. My inability to draw is legendary. After many failed attempts and what looked more like charade than Pictionary, someone managed to guess rat. It would have come out sooner or later, considering that they were guessing all animals from aadvark to babirusa to tyrannosaurus rex.

Now, now. What's the point of this entry?

Nope. No point. Just talking about the rodent. And, also making full use of Huda's naptime. Ooops. I'm supposed to iron some clothes.

Cows

I hate trying to come up with titles for blog entries so from now on, all titles will be completely irrelevant. Today's title is inspired by polite cows that may help in keeping the global temperature in check,

Anyway. My father (of all people) received a pair of tickets to Harry Potter's movie premiere which is happening this evening. I thought of making full use of the tickets with my sister. We have it all planned out:

5.30pm - Leave house

6.30pm - Reach there in time for the light refreshments

7.15pm - A quick trip to Crowne Plaza for Maghrib

7.30pm - Movie starts

9.30pm - Rush back home

10.30pm - Home

But. I can't bear to leave Huda for 5 hours and (me) missing her bedtime, even though The Husband does not mind being the sole caregiver for the night. The main problem is, she only drinks milk straight from the source and refuses the bottle. And, I can't bear the thought of her wailing for her milk from about 9pm onwards. What am I to do? Then again, it may not be too bad an idea as it may result in a successful attempt at reintroducing the bottle to Huda. (Right.) Sigh. What am I to do?

On another note. Third driving lesson earlier and these are points to remember for the next lesson:

1. Don't panic. Everyone's scared of an L-plate and will give the L-plated car a wide berth.

2. The scenery is for passengers. My eyes are supposed to be on

  a) the road ahead

  b) the mirrors

  c) the blind spots

3. Don't wear sandals with thick soles.

4. Keep within my lane when turning!

 

The instructor has been very kind so far and very patient. But I need to break out of this need to hear him telling me before stepping on the clutch or brake or accelerator or for him to hold the steering wheel steady while I change gear. Am I dangerous or what? If I ever get my license, I'll definitely take a course on how to drive an auto car and hopefully, I'll be good enough for the roads.

 

Oh. And, my maximum speed so far is 40km/h. If I were to drive at this speed to my grandmother's place in Malacca, goodness knows when I'll ever reach her place! Top that off with my frequent engine stalling... I think, I'll need a good 6-hour lead time before the rest of the convoy sets off.

 

But that's wishful thinking. Let's see if I can get from my place to my mom's within half an hour. (My mother's place is a $2.50 taxi ride away.)