My Unscripted Life

You probably don’t know this, but I have an aunt who drives a London Taxi in Singapore. For as long as I can remember, she always have.

I was in Singapore late last year to clear my annual leave, and we had a lot of fun riding the London Taxi around the city. Generally, my aunt would be too busy to actually join us in sight-seeing and window-shopping, but she tries to make a point to at least give us a free ride to our destination.

The London Taxi is famous for being super spacious. This vehicle can fit 7 passengers comfortably. It is also very popular for being disable-friendly. The vehicle has a special ramp so that you can easily push the wheelchair onto the car, and strap yourself in.

Me with my cousin Rachel, Nicholas and my Aunty Agatha

According to my aunty, her company made a press statement a few years ago to purchase about 400 units of the London Taxi. But to date, there’s only about 15 of them around.

The problem is that the London Taxi rates are more expensive then the normal taxis. (Although it’s the same rate with other taxis if you flag it down, instead of calling for the service).

London Taxis in Singapore exist with personalised service. Much like having a Limo driver around. My aunty usually gets requests by celebrities who are too lazy to drive, or requests from a rich disabled person who wants to get out of the house.

It’s truly a unique service.

At the basement parking of my aunty's condo

Each of the London Taxis are specially made in London, and exported to the country. According to my aunt, a totally basic spec London Taxi is no less than 27,000 pounds. That’s without the intercom system or radio.

Unlike in Malaysia, they are proud of their vehicles

The cost is one of the main reasons why Singapore is going to discontinue the London Taxi. The current London Taxis have about 7 (or was it 3, I can’t remember) years left till it gets scraped. After that, my aunty will have to drive some other boring and totally cheap vehicle.

Free advertising for my aunty! Call her for bookings!

So, until that fateful day, I will try and get as many free London Taxi rides as I can!

If you’re planning to buy a book anytime soon, think no further, and make a beeline for Chaizani Shamsuddin’s From Outer Space. Insightful, humorous and a must read for all women, (and men who wish to understand them) this book will keep you turning the pages until the inevitable end.

Ok, ok, so I may be a little bias, since it is written by my own sister, but seriously, you have to get it. Available in all Borders and Times bookstores across the country. (I checked!)

Blurbs from other readers:

“If Chaizani was a guy and is a Man U fan, I’d kiss her already!” – Limau Kasthuri*

*names have been altered to protect identity.

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged now. Partly because I have been busy with work, partly because my trusty Toshiba laptop have finally called it quits. Laptops never seem to last on me…I wonder why. A new one is out of the question of course, since I have much bigger things to worry about now that it’s almost exactly a year till the big day! (And I’m still chubby!)

There’s alot that I want to write about…but nothing that I dare to put here. I should probably utilise the diary Baby got for me two birthdays ago…but I find myself procrastinating as usual on that front. And so here I am…rambling on about nothing in particular.

I’ve been downloading The Bill Cosby show, partly because my parents wanted it, and also because I was curious. I wanted to know whether I would still find it to be as funny as I thought it was when I was seven. And guess what, it still is! Call me old-fashioned but I find everything in the Bill Cosby show to still be relevant. And something about his comedic timing that never fails to make me laugh. I can never understand how someone can find The Simpsons to be funny. (Unfortunately, Baby is one of them).

My dear friend Kasthuri celebrated her birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Kas!! In my birthday message, I told her, “Haha, you’re 24!” And all she said was, “Dei, wait till next month, then you know!”. Sigh…she’s right, in a month’s time, I’ll be 24 too.

I really  shouldn’t complain about getting older when I am still in my early twenties. It seems almost impertinent, as if ungrateful. In fact, at 23 going on 24, I’ve got a lot going on in my life that most of my peers can only dream about. A steady job, steady relationship, loving family and friends. Sometimes, I feel that I don’t deserve it.

But sometimes, no matter how good one has it, they need to be constantly reminded on just how much they have to be grateful for.

So…here’s a reminder to myself. To be grateful.

A while back we had a barbeque at my house. I think it was for New Year’s Eve. I downloaded the photos to my computer, and totally forgot about it. (Yeah, what else is new eh?) Anyway, we had a blast, and I think the photos pretty much tells that.

Haha…Baby squinting because of the flash. I had no idea how to use the camera in low lights when these pictures were taken. So don’t make fun of him..he was the official cook for the bbq!

Some of you may have already seen it on Facebook. Most had no idea about it. And all, was a little confused.

You see, earlier this month, I became slightly engaged. No, not engaged just yet, only slightly.

On the 7th of March, me and Baby’s family came together for a “Hantar Tanda” ceremony. Hantar Tanda is not unlike the merisik, but it’s definitely got more of a note of finality to it. After meeting a few weeks before to introduce the immediate family members to each other, we discussed on how we were going to do the Hantar Tanda. We decided to hold it in early March.

Our side of the family was going to be small. Tiny in comparison. My brother wasn’t even coming back from Terengganu because of something or other. And the rest of my Malay cousins in KL got misinformed of the time, so in the end, it was only just the five of us…five including Abang Lan. Kak G was out for the count since she was down with high fever. That’s ok we thought…we didn’t need a whole lot of people. It’s just a simple ceremony.

And then they came…11 cars in all. And according to Baby, that’s like 1% of his family. Hehe…it’s always nice to have big family gatherings.

I wasn’t too sure what happened outside…as I was safely tucked in the bedroom. I whiled away the time by reading Harry Potter…again. It must have been the third page when Kak Hamidah came into the room, and asked me to come out.

Awww shucks..so this is the part where I blush. Kak Hamidah then slips the ring to my finger, and we all embraced.

This was perhaps the most flattering picture of me in the bunch. I look funny in the rest. And we all had a nice lunch afterwards. Everyone had second helpings to lemak cili api ikan masin, sambal udang petai, pucuk paku and ulam. His side of the family was relieved that it was not briyani. Hehe!

You would think there should be at least one picture of me and him together. But alas…I managed to get saddled with the guy who is camera shy. Ah well..he makes it up in other ways

We prepared gifts for each other – the hantaran. Simple ones, since it’s just the Hantar Tanda. We had custom made cupcakes for them. They were so pretty, it was hard to eat them!

Baby and his family had a custom made cake for us.

Carrot walnut cake covered in cream cheese. Needless to say, we finished it within a day. The cake was made by Azreena who also made cupcakes for our last Hari Raya open house.

What about a picture of the ring you say? Ah well…for that privilege, we’d have to meet up.

So, that’s the story of how I got slightly engaged. So I’m sure by now all of you are wondering when the big day is. That’s another year to go. Me needs to save up. And lose weight! Rest assured, when the time comes, you will be in the know about it. I promise (crosses fingers!)

Life is filled with joy.

Don’t let the clouds get you down.

Always grin, never frown.

Love Mummy & Daddy,

As much as they love you.

Always say “Bless you!” whenever they go “Atchoo!!”

Life won’t be easy,

Especially with its twisted and winding roads

But like the sayings of a wise old toad,

“Tomorrow will always be a better day.”

Remember that vegetables are good for you,

So eat that green goo.

When you start to walk, try not to bump –

into your Daddy’s tummy hump!

With your new tooth, don’t you bite,

everything in plain sight!

Never use your chubby cuteness,

Although really, who can resist such goodness.

Most of all, remember this aunty of yours,

Cause one day she will the source,

of angpau and presents and candies galore,

and stories of your Daddy and Mummy you’ll never bore.

So my bro was leaving for Terengganu for the new semester. We decided to go some place nice for dinner. My parents, being the creatures of habit, found themselves in front of Secret Recipe yet again for the umpteenth time. Pleading with them to change their dining habits for once, I steered them towards The Gardens where we have yet to test its waters.

After omitting the usual western cuisines that they are usually fond of, I found myself guiding them towards an unknown restaurant at the top floor.

Flying Chillies at the Gardens Midvalley

The thing that struck me the most about Flying Chillies was it’s really contemporary decor for a restaurant which was serving traditional Thai food. Moving away from the cliched Buddhist statues and teak wood decor, the entire restaurant instead was all white with red accents.

Refreshing ambience

The restaurant also had really cosy booths which was great for private gatherings with family or friends.

Nicey Cosy

The place was so comfy, I didn’t mind waiting for the food to arrive. Which is a first, since I can be so impatient when I am hungry.

Giant pretty lights

Even so, the food came in no time. Which was quite a feat, since we ordered a lot. Beef Green Curry, Crispy Pandan Chicken, Tom Yam Kung, Mango Salad, Kangkung Belacan and the piece de resistance, Deep Fried Garoupa in Thai Chilli Sauce. Every single dish came within 20 minutes, all freshly cooked!

I had a mocktail, the Shirley Temple.

Eh...dah habis makan!

As usual in my food escapades, I never remember to take a photo of the food first. Which goes to show that I can never be a food blogger. Nor do I care to. You know why? I love food too much to fawn over them before I eat!

When food is before you, enjoy it!

Convocation is just around the corner. About time too…UiTM are among the last of the Universities to have their convocation. And it isn’t just a ceremony. It counts when apply for jobs, and the kind of salary you are asking.

Graduation is a big deal. Especially when you are the first one to be doing so in the family. My parents had to cancel their holiday plans to Korea when they realized that it would clash with my Convocation. I do feel a smidgen of guilt that their plans for the vacation is ruined. But mostly glad that my parents would be around for my graduation.

I was browsing through the books on our shelf, and came across my parents’ thesis’. I’ve seen them many times before, but have never had the urge to open and read any of them. “Boring adult books” I used to say to myself. But it doesn’t seem so much like that now that I have written my own thesis. Curious to see my parents’ thesis, I took them down.

My dad's and mom's degree thesis.

The thing that struckme most when I opened them was that it was typewritten!

My mom said she went through countless drafts before the final one, coz one mistake meant you had to write the page again!

And the maps were all traced carefully with black felt tip pens. Come to think of it…I recollect seeing lots of tracing paper around my dad’s office. I often wondered what they were for. Now I realize that it was to draw maps!

And the maps had to be traced over carefully. My dad the geographer, helped my mom alot for this.

But perhaps the most poignant part was my mom’s simple acknowledgement. This thesis is about 25 years old. And yet it endured time, and here I am, 25 years later, blogging about it. A thesis is so much more than something you do to pass a semester. Its a testament to just how much you worked in University to get your degree. I realized too, that I don’t have my thesis in hard cover binding. In fact, I didn’t print one for myself, in my haste to chase the deadline. Now I am resolved to print mine, bind it, hot stamp it with my name in gold across its spine, and get my mentor to sign it during my graduation.

Maybe one day, a son or daughter would come to appreciate the labour I have gone through.

Love in simplicity

We were having dinner last night, when suddenly my dad looks up from his food in a state of shock. Slowly he turns to his wife sitting next to him.

“Do you realized that you have forgotten something very, very important?” he says.

“Is it the sambal belacan? Do you want me to get some?” she retorts.

“No, something really, really, REALLY important!” he stresses.

“What lah??!” My mom now on the brink of suspense.

“We’ve forgotten our anniversary!”

Oh dear.

Their anniversary was two days ago! In the crazy schedules that we keep, none of us have remembered. On the 19th of October, they have been married for 24 years.

My mom mused later as they cuddle in front of the television after dinner. “You know, this year’s anniversary is rather significant. I am 48, which means I have been married to you for exactly half of my life.”

My dad can only grin happily.

Hehe, Happy Anniversary Papa & Mama!

Another Hari Raya has come and gone. How has yours been? Mine was rather uneventful. Maybe because I’m a working adult now, and no longer have the luxury to have a long extended holiday. In fact, I only asked for two days leave for Hari Raya. A small part of me actually wished that we were going to “balik kampung” to Terengganu like we did some years ago when Tuk Wan was still alive, she’d be there to make the ketupat from scratch.

On a brighter note, the aunties from JB and Singapore visited us for Hari Raya, and stayed for the night. A sharp contrast compared to the days when all the cousins would be around and we’d be off doing our own thing, and leave the “adults” to their own card game or gossip session. This year was rather gloomy, with everyone either abroad, or expecting babies!

Kas and Rubern came on the first day though, which was a lot of fun! We took a long walk around the lake, and concluded that we should definitely have a bbq party there someday. (after all my events are over la huh?)

At the Jetty

Rubern, my rural buddy.

Rubern actually lives pretty nearby. In fact, actually lives near Baby

My colleagues came on the second day, which was a lot of fun as well!

Everyone was gushing over the cupcakes that I ordered at Cakes and Such. And it was delicious! I’m planning to get a custom made cake for my mom’s birthday in November.

Blueberry and Moist Chocolate Cupcake

I guess holidays changes not only with the times, but with the stages of each person’s life. Hopefully my Hari Raya in many years to come will only continue to improve, with additions to the family. Hopefully…