Have you ever felt so disappointed that it rendered you speechless, numb and empty?
In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace is a Scotsman who fought to free his country from British rule. He discovered that the very enemy who wanted to kill him in battle was his own Crown Prince of Scotland, Robert the Bruce. The future heir gambled his country and his people...for land.
Shame.
Personally, I have had 3 of these experiences through out my existence, the first making its debut in 1994, and I would say was life changing. The most recent one is 2010.
Sometimes I wonder, where did I go wrong?
Has my desire to believe in the good of others (husnu dhan) served me well?
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Apple of My Eye
My nephew Emir enjoys hanging out with his family. When I am back in Bangi, he will stick to me like glue. He also sticks to his uncle Shahir like glue. So I love taking him out for lunch, bringing him to hang out with friends, etc. He loves helping the adults out i.e. gardening with his grandpa, baking and cooking with the ladies, washing the car, cleaning up after guests, and etc.
Having said that, he is still just 35 months old.
When I was doing the groceries for the family, I forget that these hypermarkets love planting toys at the paying counter. It's a strategic location because most parents will just end up buying the toys for their kids if the kids throw a tantrum. It's always a challenge because Emir will spot a toy car and insists that I buy it for him. This is one recent encounter I will never forget:
Emir disappeared into the aisle while I was hoarding ground beef for the family. Once noticed he was not beside me, I searched for him. Then I found him holding a pack of Vitagen and casually dumping it into the shopping cart. As we made our way to get pasta, he spotted a box showcasing some really neat racing cars. Emir has a thing for cars like women have a thing for shoes.
So he took the box and stated as a matter-of-factly to me: ''Emir nak beli''.
Knowing that I was not going to pay RM30 for that, I tried to reason with a 2 year old:
Me: Emir, I'm getting you the Vitagen so you can't have the toy.
Emir walked to the cart, took out the Vitagen, the cars still in his hand: ''I don't want the Vitagen anymore.''
Me: Emir, you have a lot of toys at home. We are not buying this ok? Muah can't afford it.
Emir then walks up to the price scanner, on his tippy toes and scans the toy a few times.
Me: Emir, what are you doing?
Emir: I'm paying for my toy.
Me: (laughs) Emir, that machine shows you the price ( I don't know how to explain what price is). You pay somewhere else. Not there. Plus, we don't have money to buy that.
Emir: I have money (he takes out a RM1 note and waves it at me).
So Emir follows me around until we arrive at the cashier. He helps me put the items on the conveyor belt, and he ensures that his toy makes it safely on the conveyor belt. Once it was there, he flashed a triumphant smile, started dancing and singing that he was going to get his toy...which caused our neigboring shoppers in front and behind us to crack up.
I'm not sure whether all 2 year olds are like this, but I'm pretty sure they are. So I telepathically told my sister Murni to take him to the front of the counter where they bag the groceries. Emir somehow understood this as ''adult tampering''. He walked back to the counter where I was and said:
Emir: Muah kena beli car Emir. Nanti Emir marah tau.
A little amused, that statement sounded very familiar (It's something I would say when I am getting really angry).
While he looked away, I took the car and snuck it back. He later saw it not there and asked me where the car was.
Me: The cashier isn't selling that toy. It's his (lame).
Emir had such a sad look I nearly died. But I couldn't buy it for him because I do feel he has enough toys. In addition to that, I didn't want to give in to his whims and fancies.
Murni took him away to divert his attention. He was trying not to cry eventhough his face was all teary.
In that instant I had so much respect for mothers. I know I probably could have handled the situation better. Probably should have slow talked and reasoned with him or something. Honestly, I think mothers make good managers because if they can manage and lead their children, I bet they can lead an organization. It feels easier to lead a graduate and a senior staff.
Hats off to all mothers and my female and male friends who are home makers!
(note: My conversations with Emir is usually all in Malay. He is currently learning Bosnian and English)
PS> When my sister Murni has her children, I'll have more than 1 apples of my eye. She currently thinks we won't love her children as much as Emir.
Having said that, he is still just 35 months old.
When I was doing the groceries for the family, I forget that these hypermarkets love planting toys at the paying counter. It's a strategic location because most parents will just end up buying the toys for their kids if the kids throw a tantrum. It's always a challenge because Emir will spot a toy car and insists that I buy it for him. This is one recent encounter I will never forget:
Emir disappeared into the aisle while I was hoarding ground beef for the family. Once noticed he was not beside me, I searched for him. Then I found him holding a pack of Vitagen and casually dumping it into the shopping cart. As we made our way to get pasta, he spotted a box showcasing some really neat racing cars. Emir has a thing for cars like women have a thing for shoes.
So he took the box and stated as a matter-of-factly to me: ''Emir nak beli''.
Knowing that I was not going to pay RM30 for that, I tried to reason with a 2 year old:
Me: Emir, I'm getting you the Vitagen so you can't have the toy.
Emir walked to the cart, took out the Vitagen, the cars still in his hand: ''I don't want the Vitagen anymore.''
Me: Emir, you have a lot of toys at home. We are not buying this ok? Muah can't afford it.
Emir then walks up to the price scanner, on his tippy toes and scans the toy a few times.
Me: Emir, what are you doing?
Emir: I'm paying for my toy.
Me: (laughs) Emir, that machine shows you the price ( I don't know how to explain what price is). You pay somewhere else. Not there. Plus, we don't have money to buy that.
Emir: I have money (he takes out a RM1 note and waves it at me).
So Emir follows me around until we arrive at the cashier. He helps me put the items on the conveyor belt, and he ensures that his toy makes it safely on the conveyor belt. Once it was there, he flashed a triumphant smile, started dancing and singing that he was going to get his toy...which caused our neigboring shoppers in front and behind us to crack up.
I'm not sure whether all 2 year olds are like this, but I'm pretty sure they are. So I telepathically told my sister Murni to take him to the front of the counter where they bag the groceries. Emir somehow understood this as ''adult tampering''. He walked back to the counter where I was and said:
Emir: Muah kena beli car Emir. Nanti Emir marah tau.
A little amused, that statement sounded very familiar (It's something I would say when I am getting really angry).
While he looked away, I took the car and snuck it back. He later saw it not there and asked me where the car was.
Me: The cashier isn't selling that toy. It's his (lame).
Emir had such a sad look I nearly died. But I couldn't buy it for him because I do feel he has enough toys. In addition to that, I didn't want to give in to his whims and fancies.
Murni took him away to divert his attention. He was trying not to cry eventhough his face was all teary.
In that instant I had so much respect for mothers. I know I probably could have handled the situation better. Probably should have slow talked and reasoned with him or something. Honestly, I think mothers make good managers because if they can manage and lead their children, I bet they can lead an organization. It feels easier to lead a graduate and a senior staff.
Hats off to all mothers and my female and male friends who are home makers!
(note: My conversations with Emir is usually all in Malay. He is currently learning Bosnian and English)
PS> When my sister Murni has her children, I'll have more than 1 apples of my eye. She currently thinks we won't love her children as much as Emir.
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