On a Trip with My Babies...

"Please change the mew-sic, Mama Mi...."
"Yeah...Gamelan, Gamelan, Gamelan....we are tired of Gamelan"
"Yeah....we want "Buddha Bar Chill Out in Paris", please, please!"
"Yeah, that is real chill-out mew-sic. You drive, we chill out....okay?"
"Yeah, wake us up when we get there....can't wait to get into a brawl with Jebat, although we heard he is full of battle scars after squaring it out with the big, nasty, yellow cat that springs up from nowhere."
"I can't wait to check out the trees for bird nests and if we are lucky, squirrels too"
"Yeah, KL is soooooo bor-ring!. The only "nature" sounds we hear is when you turn on the mood mew-sic on your hi-fi - waterfalls, chirping birds and the pitter patter of rainfall on the awnings!"
"Yeah, we are country cats at heart now, after you left us in kampung for 6 months during your chemo...you can't expect us to transform back to be city cats in blinking second.."
"And best of all, we won't have to be cooped up in a cage no more...we are free, free, free..."
"Hurray..."


Mama Mi: "Okay, okay, cut it out - stop the bawling and yowling. I will put on Buddha Bar and promise you guys stay quiet in your travel cage back there while I concentrate on the driving. My arm is already numb and we are not even halfway there yet....."

Alhamdullilah, we made in to kampung to see my Dad again and to see what's happening at home. One of our cats in kampung, lovely Li-Po has been missing for 2 weeks, and me thinks she has been cat-napped. Li-Po is Jannah's cat, and I have not broken the news to her yet, as she is currently busy with her 11+exams in London, and her Mum (my sister) is the nervous one. I have strict instructions to feed Li-Po only "Cod Fish, aunty, it is a tasty fish" to which I replied, "Cod Liver Oil more like it ! ". I miss Li-Po and I know Jannah will be heart-broken when she finds out when they come over for the summer holidays in July/August. Hopefully, Li-Po will find her way home. So far however, our missing cats ave not returned. In the last 2 years or so, we think the following have been cat-napped because they are so cute and "jinak" - Wira Superboy, Kuning Longtail (my late Mum's), Cat, Tiger, and now Li-Po. I hope she has not been catnapped in the hope of using her as a breeder, as she has been spayed. Whatever, I hope she is well and her new owner will love and care for her like we did, and like we did, have meaningful conversations with her every now and then. You see, Li-Po loves to chat - with purrings and growls of course, much better than the "catty" conversations that we can sometimes find ourselves in with some human beings!

More on the trip. My babies can't wait to leap and roam once we reached kampung. They went about sniffing certain spots as if trying to recall where they last lingered or napped. They love being in kampung as the chances of having rice and tuna is much higher, whereas KL means dry and canned food. Troy ( who is the size of a little dog now) panted real hard after a few laps around the compound, his tongue pink and hanging out. I thought he might pass out, but thankfully did not.

My dad is in a good mood, and that is really nice. We had his favourite thosai and lamb curry for lunch when we visited and he was so energetic and wanted to go shopping! We went to Guardian at Tesco's as he wanted to buy this new product that uses far infra red to help in blood circulation, as advertised in the papers. We found it and he said it really helps - it is a pair of slip on knee supports that one puts on. He really impressed the pharmacist at Guardian when he got up from his wheelchair once he has put it on! They thought he is immobilised at first. The wheelchair we had borrowed from Tesco as I had thought that we might have to cover the lenght and breadth of the Tesco complex in Melaka in order to find the product. He was so pleased that we were able to get the product without having to hunt for it too much.

We wheeled him around for grocery shopping, after which he wanted to belanja us coffee at Kluang Station Kopitiam near the Tesco exit. I was really drooling watching him, Ijan my brother and Vik my maid enjoying a hot cuppa of Kopi Panas and a piece of Roti Bakar each. He reminded me to get married (?????) so that the next time I am sick, there will be someone to take care of me, and that Ijan should also get a wife for the same reason. Well.......I know of cases where it is the spouse that is making the partner sick, so what gives? I think my father was so relieved to see me "okay" with hair "intact' and all that, so much so that he becomes ultra-optimistic!

Will be in kampung for a few more days...I feel much contented here and there's quite a bit to do. And me oh my, in kampung my creative juices really flow when it comes to penning in my journal and also when dabbling in the kitchen. Loads of new recipes to test out and old recipes to modify to "Survivor Style". And I love shopping at the Pasar Tani and Night Markets here - plenty of home grown food not using chemical but "natural" fertilisers. And the fish...lots of variety and really fresh...like being able to buy them just a few hours of being unloaded from the boat of the fishermen. How much fresher can it be?

Hmmm, it is always the same case. Each time I start out to go back to kampung, I tell myself and my friends that I will be back in a few days, and almost always it is the same old story..I end up staying a couple of weeks! That is exactly why I can't commit to a full time and fixed-station job at this time, I want to go with the flow and just be. And for that, a home-based vocation is best.

And my babies, syukur Alhamdullillah they are so, so adaptable. And I love them to bits. And I pray and hope no one will catnap them ever. I will go bonkers. I feel so sorry for Nini (Sharliene, 5 yrs who has been missing since Wednesday 9th Jan, 2008) and her parents, and I hope dear God will take care of her and her abductors, and that they will send her back home soon. Losing a cat is bad enough ( Troy and Putri were missing for 17 days in 2006 and I was upside-down for 17 days as well - will post about this one day) but losing and missing a 5-year old child that one has loved, cherished and cared for , for 6 years (inclusive of the 9 months in the womb) must be extremely painful that I can't even begin to imagine. Ya Allah, kasihan lah kepada hamba Mu yang lemah dan tolong kembalikan Nini kepada keluarga nya. Semoga mereka( dan keluarga lain) mendapat pengajaran daripada pengalaman ini dan akan mengawal anak-anak mereka dengan lebih prihatin lagi. Ameen.