This year February however, started great. We went back to Kelantan for the whole stretch of CNY holidays.
I was delighted to be able to buy and eat the famous Nasi Berlauk Mok Wok.. yummy!
Tour the area that I grew up...
..... once ground of our Pale Green Home
This is the grocery shop I used to frequent in my childhood years. The Chinese owner - Along had a superstitious belief that he's not supposed to sell salt and anything sharp after dawn. He was very strict with his belief, somehow or rather... he surrendered to me! Well, What he could do when there was a pin size girl never gave up knocking on his door begging that she need to buy the needle so her mami could finish customer's order!
Kelantan is unique in my eyes... I love..
like - where else can you find a signboard that still display 5 digits phone number ?
or
this fantastic CPT - cendol pulut tapai.
she's cool, huh?I told Harris I do not know why I am so happy everytime we went back, where as above all listed, all i got is my mami and my mok 'bickering' with each other.
Well, one talk chicken while the other talk duck, but they can't live with out each other. Hmmmm, isn't that just the normal mother-daughter complicated relationship?
May be the bickering is the thing I miss to hear that makes me keep wanting to go back home.
I did sleep a-lot during the break. Nada has her favorite partners in crime - my nephew, Danial and my cousin - Zarif to keep her entertained. Strange... they are quite in the age gap - 15, 9 & 3 but compliment one another well. So, I was not much 'bothered' by her. Harris never dares to disturb my sleep. The one that does is Mok! She woke me up to ask me to EAT.
That made my activities were SLEEP-EAT-SLEEP-EAT!... Heaven!
Mami makes the world's best bake macaroni, trust me.I like listening to Mok also.. but this time around I realize, her tales circles about her children that had passed away.
The most was arwah Ayah Long. She recalled Ayah Long as most loveliest baby boy, she carried him all the time. Apparently, the eldest son of her's.. never crawl because by the time she put him down.. he's about 2 and started walking. How 'true' the story is.. I do not know.
Mok told me Ayah Long went to school at age 5. He was the cleanest boy in school. He wore spanking white shoes to school in the morning and came back with the same condition. Ayah Long once almost drowned in Kelantan River near Kampung Sireh where he grew up. It was in his teenage. Mok said that was one day she can't never forget unless she'll go senile.
When pop-yeh-yeh evaded, Ayah Long never wanted to follow the trend though everybody else couldn't get enough of Joe Jambul hairstyle. He insisted in keeping his own style, Mok described he combed his hair almost Roger Moore.
I sensed Mok is missing her children that had left her...
I pray for Mok's health that she'll live many more years in this humble home I long dream to have for those I love. She's not one grandmother that would hug and kiss but she's one that is so willing not to eat her favorite dish just to make way for others. It's the way she is.
Mami's beautiful Japanese roses ...............
