Laughing Out Hard

Laughter is the best medicine. It reduces stress. It takes less muscles to laugh than to frown. Dik Yan and me were once in the kitchen doing our usual bonding while whipping up dinner for the night. During our conversation something tickled us madly. It was so funny that we both laughed uncontrollably. She drooped her head so low that she knocked her teeth on the kitchen sink. We were so glad that she did not cut her lips nor did she chip any teeth.

Sleepmaster

Mameh seem to sleep easily in the car. Some of us try to sleep in the car like him. One day Bubba tried to sleep in the car the way Mameh does; with the head propped up onto the seat headrest. As him fell deep into his nap you can hear him snoring away. With the cool aircon blowing on to his face he went further into dreamland. Suddenly we heard someone choking. It was Bubba. Choking on his own saliva. He immediately woke up laughing. Nobody can challenge Mameh the sleepmaster.

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ
قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
نِصْفَهُ أَوِ انقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا
أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا

Al-Muzzammil 73:1-4
* O thou folded in garments!
* Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night,
* Half of it, or a little less,
* Or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones.

Ketchup, Catch Up

I needed an article of clothing from the wardrobe. As I opened the door "Splat!", a creature fell to the floor. I screamed and ran. And then I realised it was a sand-stuffed gecko that the children had bought from Langkawi.

I knew exactly who had planted the stuffed gecko on top of the wardrobe door. Then the classic chasing around the house started. It was similar to a scene in the "Happy Feet" movie when the walrus tried to chase the penguins. As one of the penguins looked back he said "If you want to eat me with ketchup the you'll have to catch up."

I could not catch up with Ayah. Later when he had forgotten the incident I really made him into ketchup.

No Dogs, No Geese, No Fences

The recent break-in into my office caused the feeling of uneasiness and insecurity. It was just like the times when our previous jungle house in the city was twice broken into.

The first time it happened we reported the incident to the police. A police team came together with their forensic. A police officer came into the house and looked at the floor wondering if the thief also took the carpets. Ayah replied that we don't have carpets for the house.

To ascertain our security level the officer asked if we had guard dogs for the property and we answered to the negative. He then asked if we had "geese" and we answered no as well. We also added that we don't even have fences.

Dik Yan's Fetish

New Zealand, Australia, Lebanon, Greece, Saudi Arabia; don't know how many more countries I have travelled in search of feeding Dik Yan's fetish. It didn't cost much to buy the items that make her happy. But the travelling costs were quite hefty. She has a closet full of them. No matter how often we disposed of the excess, the closet still kept filling up. They came in different sizes, shapes, and colors. We later discovered that Dik Yan shared the same fetish as Aunty Annie. They both love to collect bottles, mainly drinking water bottles.

Comedy On Ice

The three siblings Mameh, Bubba and Dik Yan, were once at the ice-skating rink at the Sunway Pyramid. Being first timers on ice they were putting up a comedy show with arms flapping like birds and legs shuffling back and forth trying to move forward while keeping their balance. After a while Mameh and Bubba were getting better at it. Dik Yan however was silently trying very hard to keep up with her brothers. The silence was shattered as Dik Yan fell. According to Mameh and Bubba it felt like the earth shook with a loud thud. Dik Yan was as white as a sheet and refused any further attempts at ice-skating.