Being Blithe at Pantai Bisikan Bayu

Since our first spontaneous excursion to Pantai Tok Bali in 2010, Kamal and I now long to experience other beaches in Kelantan each time we visit Ayoh and Mok. Last week, we fell head over heels for the languid and lush landscape of a new beach, found by chance. Today, the most hectic day of the week, I feel the need to rejuvenate with a post on that beach and how Khalish loved it (and how his parents adore the photos of our son being in love).

We initially wanted to revisit Tok Bali for the famous crab noodle. The wish was soon forgotten when we saw a sign to Pantai Bisikan Bayu. Kamal and I were so delighted about the discovery that we were able to joke about Khalish's crabbiness. As soon as our car reached a road that faced the beach, we found ourselves out of breath. Yes, the view was literally breathtaking.

The moment we breathed again, Khalish suddenly forgot about the things he cried for since all of us left Ketereh. He smiled. He said, "wow, cantiknya pantai", and, he simply stood still, facing the sea, for a long while. Kamal, meanwhile, bought jagung bakar and jeli kelapa for tea time. As for yours truly, she was so inspired by the raw beauty of the place that she could not stop from photographing the scenes. We just wished that we were able to comb the beach from the litter. How could they mar a picture perfect place?

Back to Pantai Bisikan Bayu, the three of us were there just to enjoy the view. No extra clothing, no towel. Just extra diapers for the little one. Therefore, Kamal and I looked at each other when Khalish insisted to be in the sea. The beach was deserted except for a few people at the other end, so, we felt that it was fine for the 2.9-year-old to bathe in the sea without any t-shirt, shorts, and diaper, the way he preferred. 

Kamal and I bet that Khalish was the happiest person on earth that day, to be allowed such freedom. By the way, I realise that this is the first time I post photos of Khalish's scar from an accident caused by our former maid when she violated my instructions (while Kamal and I were away). Strangely, Kamal and I are at ease about the incident as we know God is fair and it might have saved our son from worse mishaps. We also think that the scar is unique; it is smaller now, but, you may see a part of world map on his chest. 

So, he played and played on his own. Kamal kept an eye on him. I did so too, albeit with my camera. He was anxious about the foreign concept of waves, but, he could not wait for them to massage his body. While waiting for bigger waves, he played with the sand. Neither sand castles nor sand figures. Only sand bombs.

Lots of sand bombs. Some landed in his nostrils. Ha ha!

None of us wanted to go back. Khalish wanted to cover his whole body with the sand, then, washed it away with the waves, in loops. Kamal wanted to rest his mind with both the view and the comedy provided by Khalish. I wanted to wait for the sunset because I had a hunch that it would be spectacular, based on the promising start:

There was silence between Kamal, Khalish, and I. Each of us simply cherished what we initially wanted. The sand, the waves, the rest. All intertwined harmoniously. Kamal and I loved the way Khalish instinctively positioned himself; right in the path of the sunset.

The sunset, it was indeed beyond spectacular. Subhanallah.

Every now and then, we whispered that 'we will be there again' to Pantai Bisikan Bayu. 

Kelik Klate (After a Long While)

Spontaneously, Kamal and I stopped our morning routines one day last week, smiled at each other, and, knowingly, we exchanged "let's go back to Ketereh this weekend" and "let us". Despite hectic work schedules; despite endless house chores; despite more plans to travel both in and out of the country the following weeks. Our souls longed for solitude, preferably with loved ones we rarely met.

At 10 p.m., Kamal, Khalish, and I left Bangi. The little boy sang along to James Brown's I Feel Good and ended his day with a good night wish to KLCC from the car seat. The parents then had a chat about the feel good factors in our life. Included in the list: our favourite songs, especially compiled by yours truly for the long journey. Most in the list: family and friends.

I volunteered to drive from Bentong onwards, right to the porch of my parents-in-law's place. It was 4 a.m. Mok was already awake. So was Khalish. He felt right at home in Ayoh's embrace. The rest of the weekend, the two remained best chums.

He searched for Ayoh the moment he opened his eyes in the morning. They talked animatedly about random topics, in different accents. If they were not engaged in conversation (and laughter from their differences), the little boy just sat in the man's lap as they watched the television together. On Sunday, the former spent the whole afternoon near the latter; the grandson with his toy truck and the grandfather with his newspapers. Random hugs and kisses from Khalish to Ayoh from time to time.

An opposite to his relationship with the grandmother. With Mok, he simply tagged her along wherever she went. As I helped my sister-in-law, Kak Na, in the kitchen, I could hear Khalish's pitter patter of little feet towards where we were. Once he found us, but not Mok, he asked, "mana Mok?"

He knew Mok often spent her time in the garden. The latter knew she needed a new outdoor broom when the former casually took it away from her hands. "Biar Khalish tolong; Khalish sapu daun macam Mok."

Only for a few seconds. Then, he would search for Mok again. She was with me, admiring fruits hanging on the trees, promising succulence the next time Kamal, Khalish, and I visit Ketereh again. He saw what we saw and immediately manipulated the long broom stick to reach for one of the fruits. The flowers were more accessible to him though. We sensed the need to resort to indoor games when the hibiscus plant almost became flower-less. He played masak-masak with little pots and ladles from Mok's kitchen, and that kept him occupied for hours.

All in all, it was a relaxing weekend in Ketereh. Kamal and I were even in the mood for a new beach. Another spontaneity. Oh, we love Pantai Bisikan Bayu. I will share the photos of Khalish there in a different post.

On Sunday, we left Ketereh (for Bangi) after Maghrib. Khalish was tired from all the activities, particularly the outdoor games he himself invented, that he slept throughout the journey. He only stirred in his sleep when a car from the opposite direction suddenly hit our car's side mirror! Kamal drove without side mirror on his right that evening. Nevertheless, aside from temporary shock, we were not too affected by the incident because we knew it was God's way to remind us to be more aware; we might be careful with our driving, but there could be others who were not. Then, God gave us a reason to be more thankful on the many great things granted on us throughout the weekend (instead of merely focusing on that one unfortunate event).

We reached home safe and sound.
Khalish has started to miss Mok's tools and Ayoh's company.



We will be in Kelantan again, soon.

Treasure Hunt

Khalish rummaged through the only drawer which I allowed him to, and, he did not stop until he found an object that fascinated him. There were times when I purposely put such items in the drawer to spark his curiosity.

Last Sunday, he chanced upon a thing I forgot was in there.

It was a small rectangular white envelope.

I could hardly wait for Khalish to pull the content out of the envelope.

I was the one whose curiosity sparked. Ha ha!

Surprise, surprise, it was a paper 3D glasses, once distributed to the attendees of Herbalife Asia Pacific Extravaganza 2010 (for us to watch a three-dimensional video then, of course). It reminded Kamal and I of the fun we had in Singapore.

Another surprise - there was another similar envelope in the drawer. Yay! 

Because Khalish could not understand the concept of 3D yet, the duo had an open ended game and pretended to be techno musicians. 

Khalishoven

My mother had one prominent word to describe me when I was Khalish's age. Two actually, as there is a superlative. To her, the little Chechah was 'exceedingly imaginative'! I also remember the five-year old me at our Serdang home, reenacting kindergarten scenes all on my own; I took turns between being the graceful art teacher, the clueless boy, the creative girl, the strict mathematics teacher, the obedient twins, the boisterous boy, the eager girl, and a lot more characters imaginable. I once pretended to be my father who fetched me in the middle of a class to see my newborn brother (which afterwards became a reality).

Normal, eh. 

Not that I did not have any real friends. My imaginative friends only came whenever I was alone or the adults were too tied up to more important tasks.

Years later, I can see myself in Khalish. His favourite characters at the moment are Haikal, Alysha, Najib, and, Amira. If he were to imitate one of the teachers, he would announce, "mommy, Khalish macam Teacher Lim." That is about his play school. There is an imaginative Alamanda or Pavilion, with escalators! The prop is an Ikea children's chair. One side for him to ascend and another for him to descend. 

In fact, like other children around his age, he could create new functions for all the things around the house. Now, his fixation are anything that could be used as makeshift drum sticks. "Macam Timmy" he said. 

Colour pencils as drum sticks. 

He sings to the drumming. Usually it would be 'lagu Atuk & Wan', Pandang-Pandang Jeling-Jeling, a traditional song he has been so fond of (aside from Over the Rainbow by Glee cast). 

If my handbag was too full to stuff one of his toys that could keep him occupied during dinner at a restaurant, he would simply strike the table with his bare hands and belted out a song along the tune. Never mind the incoherence. 

Back in Rembau, his uncle gave him the liberty to strum a guitar. The uncle could not contain his laughter hearing the heartfelt yet unintelligible song. 

Too bad Yamaha Alamanda does not run Music Wonderland (for children aged 3 to 3 years 11 months old). The Junior Music Program is for children aged 4 to 5 years 11 months old. I will keep on searching for a suitable program around Bandar Baru Bangi and Putrajaya. He seems to be more inclined towards music. Kamal and I often caught him tapping his fingers according to rhythm as he listened to a soundtrack for an escalator video. He never failed to dance to the music on Playhouse Disney or Got to Dance. He always tried to sing along to songs on the radio or mp3 player. Meanwhile, we practise what this article suggests.

(In primary school, I asked my mother whether or not I could learn to play piano. My mother smiled at me and said, "I'd love to allow that, but, if you go to a class, it is only fair I send your five brothers to such classes as well. Yet, no, I can't because Ayah and I only have enough money for your schooling." Now, I look forward to be involved in Khalish's music lesson for beginners.)

All in all, I applaude creativity, in any positive form.

All in One Weekend

When neither of us works during the weekends, Kamal and I prefer to spend Saturday and Sunday with Khalish within the comfort of our home. Nonetheless, who could resist amiable company and appetizing foods? We were also missing Ayah and Mak when we decided to go to Rembau right after Azfer's birthday party.

Alhamdulillah, there was a delightful surprise. Ayah Soh was there, too, with our mutual friends from Chini:

Abang Man's family joined us later. So did Pak Kassim and Mak Siah. We wished we could join them to visit our sick friends in Melaka afterwards, but, Kamal needed to complete an office task required early morning the next day.

All of us maximised our time together with a good talk over tea. Mak also prepared laksa Kelantan, laksa Penang, ayam goreng berempah, jagung rebus, and popia. The guests helped Ayah to pick kelapa mawar. They then scraped the flesh from the tender coconut and blended its juice with vanilla ice cream and ice cubes for the best coconut shake in town.

All the positive vibes from the guests and the spread of food & beverage gave Khalish more energy to run around the backyard:

Perfect for the parents to burn the calories from such a feast, eh.

We only managed to catch our breath when Khalish's grandfather took out his laptop to show everybody the photos of a recent trip to Beijing. Atuk Ali surely knew how fond his grandson could be of photos. The little boy ended up conquering the laptop all evening long:

Kamal and I decided to wait for Ayah Soh to make a move to Melaka before we went back to Bangi. Khalish, by the way, was too tired from all the different activities throughout the weekend that he sat still post dinner. Perhaps, he also felt the need to behave more because of the jubah he himself requested to wear after the evening bath.

My favourite photo of him so far:

What awaits us this coming weekend?

Azfer is 1

Early April was about celebration for those born in March. At least, in my circle. A day after the potluck do at Kamilla's place for Yani and Nana, I, along with Kamal and Khalish, attended another birthday party. This time around, for Azfer. He has just turned one!

Thank you, Fandi and Siti, for the invitation.
How happy we were to meet Paklong and Maklong again (after Iris' birthday party).
The cousins and their children, too.
We missed Azmel, Lida, and Iris.

It was also nice to catch up with new friends (whom we have met, again, at Iris' birthday party).

The three of us arrived at Halia, Sime Darby Convention Center, just in time for the cake cutting session. Too bad Khalish missed the activities. There was even a story telling session. Let me not start about the food and beverage. The details, as well. Every single thing was exquisite.

Happy first birthday, (oh adorable) Azfer! We hope to meet you again soon.

Cute Alien Party for charming Azfer.
(In the background, in purple top, looking as charming, is Azfer's sister, Alisha).

Khalish and I could not show our signature Colgate smiles because Kamal caught us in the middle of our meal! Haha! 

After the birthday party - we let Khalish had more fun at the spacious hallway.

(I still regret my decision to leave the camera at home during Iris' birthday party late last year. Pak Khal, a photography maestro Kamal and I idolise, once told us to bring our cameras everywhere because opportunities do not usually strike twice.)

Baa, Baa, Bald Sheep

Thank you, Elis and Nana, for the souvenirs from New Zealand and Japan respectively.

I noted that Khalish needs a proper sheep shearing demonstration. He did it to the head only:

A Way Belated Birthday Post (for Yani and Nana)

As promised, a post with photos. When Picasa requested for additional storage purchase two weeks ago, I eventually decided to re-use a Flickr account that I first started in 2006. It took time for me to familiarise myself with the system in Flickr because I mainly spent my leisure hours with Khalish nowadays (instead of being online).

(I was also in a sulk because Blogger.com and Picasa did not state clearly the limited photo storage. I only found out about it when I wanted to add another image to 'A Birthday Post (for Yani and Nana)', which was originally written exactly two weeks ago. A good lesson though; now, I read the terms before utilising a service.)

Withdrawal syndrome no more.
Back to the eventual post with photos: again, happy belated birthday, Yani and Nana!

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Exactly two weeks ago, for the first time in two months, Khalish cried the moment I drove straight after the traffic light instead of going left, for Putrajaya or Kuala Lumpur. He knew I was about to send him to school. He said, "jom kita pergi rumah Aunty Kamilla, mommy, jom!"

Why 'rumah Aunty Kamilla', you wonder?

We were there for another potluck birthday party one fine Saturday. Yani and Nana turned 30 in 03, 2011. Happy, happy birthday, chums!

There were also Elis, Ibah, and, Ainul & her son, Khalis. We had a great chat and laugh over a variety of food and beverage. So relaxed were we that the two little boys felt right at home.

More of Khalis and Khalish.
They went topless (and I love how Ainul gave her son a massage and vice versa later).
They experimented with their voices in front of the table fan.
They sat at the sliding door to play with Kamilla's cat.
They were fond of the host's collection of mini cars, too.
They sang 'happy birthday to you' with all their hearts for Yani and Nana, of course.

Khalish, free from my hold (as I was occupied with the camera), actually poked a finger into Ainul's beautiful moist chocolate cake. He even insisted to cut the cake with the birthday celebrants.

Happy children, happy adults as well. We ate slowly, knowing that we had all day long to catch up with each other. We watched a movie starring Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. We even reminisced our childhood during a rerun of RTM's Sang Kancil series. We exchanged travel stories. We talked about our dreams.

All the while, we did remember to enjoy the present, namely, the indulgence available.

Sorry, not many photos of us that I could post here because it was quite a private affair. Nevertheless, I could assure you that Kamilla has taken the 'best dress' prize from Ibah (simply because the latter was a bit under the weather). Heh heh. We love you, Ibah. You know what the theme is for the next potluck do.

For the lack of the ladies' photos, I present here the little boys in action.

Khalish did not play with the toys I brought from home at all.
Khalis refused to go back with his mama.
All because of a lawn they could simply run around in.
They ran so fast, I had to resort to blind shots. Which was fun.

By the way, Ainul and I now know who could be our boys' babysitter whenever we are in need. Together now, "Aunty Kamilla!"

Before I conclude this post with photos of 'the little boys in action', I would like to state here that we missed those who could not make it to the potluck this time around. (Khalish even kept on asking, "mana Aunty Ulat?"; Lat, sorry, that boy could be too imaginative at times - he refers to a certain Teacher Nor at his school as 'Teacher Naughty').

Now, the photos, that depicted the fun experienced by the mothers and the aunties as well:

How could I describe the boys' cuteness sans the photos? :)

Wrant (Lagi)

You know how I love to write and write and write (with photos here and there) in this little column of mine. I do. I am only stopped by my need to spend more time with Kamal and Khalish instead. Books, too.

Kamal is bound to a hectic work schedule that we even missed an event in Chini during the weekends. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because Khalish showed symptoms of viral fever and conjunctivitis on Saturday. While the conjunctivitis appeared better this morning, the fever and flu worsened. Thus a time off from the society for both of us. No work, no school.

After the second course of medicine, the boy now naps. That leaves a space for me to write, write, write. Or, rant, rant, rant. Wrant!

Without photos though. 

Yesterday, Kamal felt like rewarding himself with sashimi. I really wanted to go to Sushi King, but, Kamal was never fond of the sashimi there. Then, there was Khalish's conjunctivitis. It was mild as there was no bloodshot, yet, who was sure about the level of contagiousness? 

Restoran Miyagi was perfect. Although it has been years since our first visit there, we still remember the foods. Oishii! Less people during weekends, too, we thought. We were right.

We love everything there. I will definitely be there again, with my camera.

About the camera, it has been sent to a Nikon service center. Finally! 

And, there, I blogged, finally! Heh. 

While I was Way Away

Kamal and I were in Melaka for a Herbalife event last weekend. The initial plan was for him to attend the Zero to Hero seminar alone and I care for Khalish within Puteri Resort vicinity (which was surprisingly beautiful). However, my mother called me on Saturday morning to say hi and she immediately volunteered to look after my son when I told her about the aforementioned arrangement. She knew how precious our time together was as both Kamal and I have been busy with our careers (with the fun Herbalife in between). She also wanted to have her grandson all to herself.

I did miss Khalish and a date with my close chums from university years, but, the event was so superb that it consoled my longing for them (Khalish and the close chums).

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I called Mak after Maghrib last Saturday. Khalish wanted to speak to me when he heard my distant voice. Here goes the conversation:

Me: Hello, Khalish! I miss you!

Khalish: Hello, mommy! I miss you!

Then, so suddenly:

Khalish: Mommy di Alamanda ke?

Me: Bukan. Mommy kerja; daddy pun kerja.

Khalish: Oh. Mommy di airport ke?

Me: (Laughing) Bukan, bukan. Mommy dan daddy kerjalah.

I was about to say that we were in Melaka when he asked the funniest question yet:

Khalish: Mommy kerja di Alamanda ke?

I had tears in my eyes from too much laughter. Ha ha!

Kamal commented that he must have thought our work revolves around escalators at shopping complexes and the airport. Heh heh.

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Posts with photos to come soon :).

Temporarily

Blog on hold.

One Fine Weekday II

Fabulous Friday!

I would love to celebrate the pre-beginning of weekends with more photos of Khalish from our recent mini excursion to Alamanda. Just because he is also my source of happiness. Phase II features him at a new favourite place, book store:

I love such quiet moments. 

Especially when it involves an otherwise boisterous little boy.

No worries, Kamal and I have great weekend plans for his energetic side as well.

Nevertheless, for now, we are cherishing the photos of Khalish being as calm as still water.

Enjoy your day, too, fabulous people!