Letting Go

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This morning, Nazzim went on a school camping trip to Melaka. That’s a first. There was no way we could say no. We wanted to but we couldn’t, we have to start letting go. He has been very excited about it and it seemed that places for the trip were limited, the cute girl sitting in front of him in class couldn’t get a place. Heh, heh, I have been kidding him about her these few weeks. This last week, it has been six more days before I go camping, three more days, two more days etc. etc. etc. And it's been a case of going through his list of things to bring and making sure that he has everything that he might need.

He managed to get a place by virtue of being in the taekwondo club. That there son of mine is a red-belted taekwondo exponent. One notch blow red and black and when he is sixteen, he could go for the full-fledged genuine 24-carat black belt.

“Kalau black belt, tali pinggang ada nama nanti…”

“By all means, get your black belt and get your name embossed, burnt or engraved on it”, I’d say, “And I’ll pay for it!!!”.

As if I have been doing otherwise…..

And now Sofia is on our case.

“Adik nak pergi dulu Mama and Papa tak kasi….”

“Adik……., Adik kecik lagi, nanti bila dah besar nanti, pergilah…”

“Bila?”

“Nantilah, bila dah besar nanti….”

In my heart, “When you are 35....”

We can’t wait for Sunday when he comes back…..

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Lady Luck.......

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....and a bit of sweat.

Last weekend must surely qualify as one of the most memorable in a very long time.

As of late Friday, I completed the departmental budget for 2007/08, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and submitted it at the end of the day, which was the deadline. That thing has been a very painful thorn in my side for a very long time. Don’t ask me why do I have to do it until 2012 but that’s what I had to do and I did it. A crystal ball would have been handy. That night I got a dinner at a hotel in Jalan Ampang. I haven’t been to one of those dinners in a very long time and the prospect of good food, good entertainment, good company and finally the lucky draw was something to look forward to.

As it turned out, the food was nice, the entertainment alright, the company excellent and the lucky draw outrageous. I got myself a Sony Cybershot CWS-50 digital camera or something like that. Invitation card number 375. It’s worth a few hundred bucks at least, maybe even a grand. Well, when you are lucky, you are lucky……

That was not all.

The next morning, I was in a golf competition. I played very well, the best game ever in my life and I reckoned good enough for maybe 7th or 8th placing in the Medal B category. Forget about the Medal A category, there are too many big crocodiles there. Another good thing was that I was also a frontrunner in one of the novelties, a Nearest To Pin (NTP) at one of the Par 3’s. The ball was 4 feet 3 inches away from the pin and I pray that no one gets any nearer. Yummy, that’s good for something too, I reckoned. The closest one before mine was a full 10 feet away.

After completing the course, I took a shower, had lunch and just when we started tucking into dessert, they started announcing the winners. In Medal B, they started with prizes for 15th placing.

14th, 13th etc.

8th and 7th came and went.

6th and 5th……

My name was not announced. Ah well, at least I got the NTP.

4th and 3rd. I lost interest already.

Runners-up. I don’t even remember who it was as I was speaking to my friend, J Lo. Yes, I have a friend named J Lo.

“AND THE CHAMPION OF THE MEDAL B CATEGORY IS………..!!!!”

I heard that, for the guy was screaming into the microphone…….

“Aiyo…. Another new buayalah……”, he added.

“AND THE CHAMPION OF THE MEDAL B CATEGORY IS………..!!!!”

Well, it was me.

Ramai terkejut beruk, me inclusive. Like I said, I’d be happy with maybe 7th or 8th placing, but 1st place? Huhhh!!!!!

The prizes? Isetan vouchers. I got RM 1,500 for being first in the Medal B category and another RM 600 for the NTP. I ain’t complaining. Happy days are here again…… I only need another 253 such weekends.

Tiger Woods, here I come.

Heh heh, joking onlylah, Tiger…..

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Her 51%

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When Lina was carrying Nazzim, I think it was me who broached the idea of what our children should call us.

I opted for Ayah and Ibu. I just liked the way Kak Munirah's children calls her and Abang Ghani. And from a long time ago, how my friend Noei calls his parents.

As for me, to this day, it is Abah and Emak. From Lina's side, it's Papa and Mama.

She wanted Papa and Mama.

Well, I don't have to tell you what Nazzim and Sofia call us.

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Our Lovely Two Quarters

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A while back, my friend K, the same K with the problem of buying which car fame, told me that his wife told him that she will be going to Kampuchea with a few of her friends.

“Then it dawned on me that I’ll be paying for her trip and I laughed, there’s nothing else that I could do except laugh. Of course I’ll pay for it, that goes without saying.”

“Same with this here Tag Heuer watch I’m wearing”, he said while wriggling his left hand at the same time.

“She bought it for my birthday. With her credit card. Which is a supplementary card. Supplementary to mine.”

We both broke out laughing.

”Thank the stars it’s only RM 1,200….”

And we laughed again. At least I think it was RM 1,200. That reminds me of Lina and my diamond ring. Ah well…………….

I am sure that many husbands think so too, our relationships with our better halves could be funny at times. I am one of those husbands who do not agree in belittling our better halves. It would be too disrespectful.

We’d go “Alamak, wife aku tak kasi…….”, at times or “Tak dapat, wife aku dah arrange something……”, at other times but never any more than that.

Every couple have their own problems in dealing with each other. Some problems are none problems, while some are, oh boy…… When we first got married, I made her cry quite a few times the first few months. Not easy living with this fellow lah…. But no sepak-sepak, tinju-tinju or tendang-tendang stuff, OK? Never, not now and never will. As time goes by, we learned how to handle each other.

A colleague proudly told me recently that he tells his wife everything. Everything. OK, if you are such a saint that you pijak semut pun tak mati, then by all means, do that. Me, I think like many other husbands, am not and I think it is not too clever to volunteer unnecessary information.

Hang on, hang on, that does not sound right. Many of us are not saints but but but but………., you know what I mean. Well, go ahead……, let your imagination run wild and just try to postulate what sort of a maniac we non-saints are. Heh, heh, you have no idea….

Anyway, Betty Ford, at least I think it was Betty Ford, said that marriage is never a 50-50 affair. It’s a 70-30, 80-20 or 90-10 affair. The difference is when to know to take the 20 or give the 70. Or something like that lah……

That makes sense, doesn't it?

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