mommy and the julias

Family Gathering

2007-04-26T16:54:00.000+08:00

We visited our second maternal uncle, Wak Din, in hospital a couple of weeks ago and then, two weeks later, he died. Inalillah, etc, etc. It's funny how these things can sometimes lead to positive outcomes. In our case, having met the cousins at his wake spurred us to organise for a get-together a month later on this day in April.

It was meant to be a no-parents gathering but someone accidentally let the proverbial cat out of the bag and so, enter the makciks, pakciks, and everyone else in between from maids to maggots (babies below 7 years old).

We did not really manage to catch up with one another, find out what's going on in everybody's lives, as much as we wanted to. But it was a good feeling anyways to just hang out with old and new faces. People you don't really know very much about, but to whom you feel strangely connected. Just because somewhere somehow we share the same blood.

Not surprisingly, there were heaps of food. It was a potluck arranegement, whereby each person was told in advance what to bring. Mine was desserts, and Uncle Ari very kindly sponsored beautiful cakes and pastries from Sun Moulin... the strawberry cake was divine! Likewise the choc fudge. I didn't even bother with the cream puffs but everyone said everything was good. Mommy told everyone that Armando made them... ha, ha ;-).

It was held at Kak Ros and Abang Badli's condo, at the BBQ area. We even had a spot of karaoke. I sang Love Hurts by Nazareth with Abang Bad. So minah, "rock 4eva" kinda thing. It was a laugh! You go try to carry that high-pitched rock ballad with another screamer and tell me if you could do an encore. I couldn't.

Wak Sa'ad (Wak Lilim's hubby), Wak Lilim (Mom's eldest sis) and Mommy

Bug & Bobo

Clockwise from left (back row): Eva (Bo's helper), Bug (my 2nd sis), Bola (Bug's son), Lin (cousin Rizal's wife), Pat (cousin Yati's 1st), Yati (cousin), me (Banana), Ros (hostess with the mostest and eldest cousin), I dunno what this boy's name is but he is Abg Ijat's son... I think, Putera's back (Ros' son's back), unknown, Yati's youngest child Ayuni, Heidi (my goddaughter), Bobo (my 3rd sis), Yati's maid

Bo and Bola play house

Ros' hubby, Abang Badli, tarik-ing Nazareth

We sing together. I feel true to my minah roots

(Bo, Lin and Yati) La la la... thank you, come again!

CNY 07

2007-02-22T08:10:00.001+08:00

Here's the full entry on my Bangkok trip with my little bird.

I'm just gonna post photos on my whole four days of no work during the Chinese New Year period.

View from the top

We stayed at Holiday Inn Bangkok in Chit Lom

This was out first stop: Suan Lum

We took the big ferris wheel over there. It was my first time.

The people there are so spiritual. Many times a day I'd see people taking a few seconds to offer blessings whenever they come across a Buddhist shrine.

Cats there are fluffy

While the dogs are lazy. We saw this lazy fuzz butt at the MRT station in Ma Bu Kong

MLB loves the mango salad which actually has soft shell crab in the ingredient. Urgh.

They celebrate Chinese New Year too. This one's at The Amarin right across our hotel. I haven't seen a proper long dragon since I was living in Ang Mo Kio yeeeears back when I was still a toddler.

We went bowling on the fourth day of CNY. Here's Mr Bola showing his stuff in all his gusto.

EeEEEYah!

Strikestrikestrikestrikestrikestrike

Go Heidiiiiiii!!!

Huuuuarghk!

This one's going in (to the side) heh heh heh

Everybody clear out. Let the expert show you how it's done.

Pscyho is getting focused

Ok let's roll!

And it's aaaaa SteeeeeeeRIKE!

Bon Voyage, Mommy!

2007-02-19T15:57:00.000+08:00

Okay we are not actually lazy children. In fact, we have taken many pictures the many times we hang out with our Mommy. We just forgot to update this blog... in fact, also our own personal blogs... uhrm, maybe we should start hiring staff to do the dirty work for us.

Anyways, fresh off the boat from the Land of Smiles last Monday (check out my colour! Rrrr) , I returned to Changi Airport again later that same day to bid adieu to our dearest Mom. It was a little delayed due to a medical scare (my mom's trip, not my return to Changi), but alhamdulillah, all is good in the end.

Mommy is always late! What are we kids supposed to do but turn trigger happy in the carpark by the hired Maxicab? Here are from left Banana, Bobo & Blackie.

And these are our feet. Clockwise from bottom Banana's, Bobo's, Blackie's.

My brudder Blackie and me Banana in front of Uncle's Maxicab. What, can't see Blackie? You dying, what?

Finally! In the Maxicab! Lollipop in, er, Lollipop's mouth and she is on Bobo's lap. Then Bola in the middle and Bug to the side.

And over on this side, Eva, Mommy and me.

Wah kencang seh, sungguh S Jibeng and M Daud Kilau. Inilah Mommy and Banana.

At Changi... Mommy cannot see flowers, one, surely must pose.

Ooh-err... time to go... bye Mother, take care, we love you, stay with Fish for as long as you want, she needs you... We'll be fine!

Uhuk-uhuk... bye Mommy... I'll miss your rendang.

OK now... really bye, Mommy! And Blackie, thanks for taking Mom to Blowfish... see you guys soon!

Farewell Ai

2007-01-25T07:23:00.000+08:00

Had a stroke of luck. For some reason I couldn't take time off Friday the week before (I don't have any off days) so I took it on Sunday instead.

We were planning to visit the night safari (us being wild animals and all, how nice to see our friends of the furry kind) but I got a call from Dickhead* my brother to attend his girl's farewell party instead. Ai is returning to Tokyo. Had enough of Lah lah land I reckon. I'm so jealous. Humph!

Nice party that. Loads of pizza and KFC.

I was having loadsa fun with my little bird's camera. That's when I decided to sell Waffles away. The dumb piece of #@#^&%... .

Everyone ready?

Ya mon... hur hur hur...

Ok, ready!

Everyone hide! They're coming!

(It's getting a bit old but) SURPRISE!

Like, I sooo didn't expect this, uh huh, how original you guys!

Yum... NOT.

Woohoo! Presents!

What can be more Japanese than a "V" sign in photos, eh?

Woo! I'm so gonna get some sugar tonight!

Wheeeeeee!!!

Yum. Really.

Thanks for coming guys, we love you. Sayonara!

* No, really, everyone calls him that.

PS: Pssst. Goat guys go to heaven. Ssssh.

New Year 07

2007-01-02T07:41:00.003+08:00

There is nothing in the world like spending a great time with the people you love and give a damn about.

Bobo's Day In with Mom

2006-11-18T22:36:00.000+08:00

I volunteered to tag along Bobo when she spends time with Mom today. I found out I wasn't alone - her daughter Lollipop, hubby Wang and even maid Eva came along. Safety in numbers or what, Bobo? :-)

See, we are trying to schedulise our time, to ensure that Mom gets one (or all) of her kids to herself once a week.

It is easier said than done, though. When you consider the 6 different adult-kids, half of them with their own families, the other half chasing pipe dreams. One or two would skip the country every so often and still another is living in another continent (well, it seems like it, at least) - you know who you are!

But ha, ha, you get to have Mom go over there and be by your side 24/7 soon.... :-)

But we have to try. So on Saturday, it was Bobo's (kid #3 out of 6) lucky day. We decided to hang out at Mommy's.

We arrived with a stalk of carnations. Notice the bean sprout thingies. Bola (Bug' - #2's - son) learnt how to grow them in school. The one in the middle he made for me, Aunty Banana (lucky number 4). The one to the right of the picture is Lilies aka Bobo #3.

Last time I went over, I got Mom a stalk of lilies (not to be confused with the spastic above). Mom has immortalised those in an oil painting rendition... awwww!

We dunno who bought her a seaside town but Mom was painting this when we were there.

Much of the time with Mom was spent testing out Bobo's new camera-word processor-phone. We tried to send this to Fish (#1) in Perth but we failed miserably. So here it is, for you vieweing pleasure, Fish. Clockwise from top: Lollipop, me, Bobo.

Family outing Day 02 Eid 06

2006-11-08T07:46:00.000+08:00

Wonder Banana Girl and Superhuman Dickhead having a Bollywood moment

Liana's toes were trying to escape

Time for chow at Pak Long's place

Shot this photo of me and my late grandma from an album. The result was very errie

Katak and Dickhead being blue

Nerds

Mom and her brother Pak Long

Mom and her brother's wife, Mak Long

Liana, Lilies and Heidi being cheesy

Family shot before we parted

Day 01 Eid 06

2006-10-25T09:57:00.000+08:00

Blogger's note: Apologies for a few lousy photos. It's confirmed. Waffles suck. Also apologies for a few shaky photos. I really shouldn't have um, er, entertained myself last night.

Anyway, the only other person to hold Waffles today was Lilies. So if I am in the photo and the photo's shaky, it's her fault. But what's her excuse? *raising eyebrows a few times* Heh.

So the plan was for me to go to The Wang's at Serangoon North at early 7ish today, drop mom's layer cake and scoot over to the Istiqamah Mosque across the road for my Eid prayers.

By the time I get back in about an hour, they should be all dressed and ready to go to mom's with me, but were they?

Nyet. Lazy buggers.

But after an hour more or so, there they were, all set to go.

No prizes for correctly guessing who the hunk beside Heidi is.

Bananas in pyjamas are running down the stairs. Bananas in pyjamas are coming down in pairs.

There we were a while later at mom's (technically it should be Leita's, my 2nd sis who's in the middle of this photo).

We miss each other, Leita and I. Can you tell?

Lilies and I. I managed to develop a small pimple right smack in the top middle of my forehead in the course of a few hours.

The Wangs getting comfy.

As usual, Wang could only muster the energy to be excited for 7.3998 seconds.

Yeeeeeah...

Mr Bola and Heidi having a ball at the mini swing.

What are they doing!?

Oh eeeyuks... so, so young!

Even I don't have that kinda luck.

Ok that's it. That's gross.

Dude!

Her handbag's getting more heavy than she was. And that's all paper in there! Paper money. Some people have all the luck, just because they're cute. Harrrumph!

Mom, do I still qualify for a handout? Pleeease?

Soon after, my stepbrother Rudi's family arrived. This is my nephew Zarie who's just enlisted in the police force for National Service. Good luck man, heh heh.

Lilies, my babe-in-the-making niece, Shereen and Rudi. I look up to this guy a lot.

Let's have another look. Yup. Definitely gonna make a few hundred men cry in the course of her life.

Usually a day like this ends up boring without Dickhead who's in the sky somewhere on this planet and Liana who's in Hanoi for two weeks but with free entertainment from clowns like these, it turned out to be quite alright.

And off we were packed like illegal immigrants in the back of Rudi's van to visit dad at Ren Ci.

Hey dad!

Some of you may have met Calamity Bike which has by now been sold.

Now meet Calamity Bike 0.5.

Why 0.5? Because usually a superhero's later editions of weapons and accessories are always better than the last one but this one isn't. Heh heh.

It's not really mine anyway. I loaned it from Lilies. We went to her place after Ren Ci. I just kinda asked her that if she wasn't using the bike to might as well let me use it. She said ok. I said ok. So I cycled for an hour back home on this rickety thing.

Well at least I got a chance to sweat away 3% of the fats I accumulated since morning. But man... my knees... my butt... Oh oh oh.

By The Calamity Man

Prehistoric photos

2006-10-04T17:18:00.000+08:00

I was packing my things just now when I found some really old pictures of me and my family. Some are reeeally old.

Some of you may be trying to hide your past or something so before I begin I'd like to apologise in advance to anybody whose unflattering photos of yore I'm gonna put up real soon.

...
.....
.......

NAH!

Dick, Liana's ex Tin Tin and I. Hired mafiaso.

You wouldn't wanna mess with us. We were scary-looking.

No one dared to go near Lilies. Even the bees stayed away from the flowers.

Oh Gaaawd. Seriously man, what was I thinking with a suede shirt and all...? Notice Lilies turning pale. She was actually suffocating but she likes to suffocate in style so she made the effort to smile for the camera first.

Aiyoh, chokers? Friendship bands?

My first girlfriend. As you may have guessed, I was only after her skirt. Good for her we didn't last. I'm so sorry for being such a jerk. She's a good girl and deserved better at the time.

Sweeet!

Aw... all the siblings together. Yeap yeap yeap, the fat kid was me. But the kid on my left was WHO? Liana? What? You kidding me? NAW. You sure?! *covering agape mouth with both hands*

Uh-hmm, once upon a time my brother WAS shorter than I was.

Scuba glasses were the rage at the time. Notice Leita was actually skinny at one point of her life. One thing remains the same though. Her BIG hair.

On the left is the woman who used to raise me since I was a baby, my grandma. On the right is the woman who's always made it happen by putting food on the table no matter what, my mom. Anyway, only one person in this photo brushed her teeth that morning. Guess who?

By The Calamity Man

Hi, I'm Mommy

2006-09-14T20:37:00.001+08:00

Hi, I'm Mommy and this blog about me is started by my kids.