Number

To have the opportunity to mingle with other races with different languange is such an honor.
In the cafe, most of my friend are Pinoys. I learn to count numbers from them. So children let's count in Tagalog.

1.  Isa
2. Dalawa
3. Tatlo
4. Apat
5. Lima
6. Anim
7. Pito
8. Walo
9. Siyam
10. Sampu

So similar with Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia. We are from the same archipelago.

Peranakan House

My love for Peranakan House is sooo big and undeniable. Some call it Baba House. The interior and the original design is so practical. High ceiling for ventilation. Courtyard in the middle of the house.
These baba houses are located around the Emerald Hill, Singapore. Just a walk away from the busy Orchard Rd.

Tak percaya?
See. I told ya!!

Main petang

Budak- budak ni main sorok- sorokkan safety pin lepas tu lumba cari. Dia sorok celah tiles tu. Ada clue words dia.

Warm = Dekat
Cold = Jauh

So sambil dua budak cari pin, yang tukang sorok bagi clue.
Warm, warm, very warm
Cold, warm, quite cold.

Hah. Camtu lah tadi. Aku duduk menyibuk pastu bagitau depa
Can I throw the pins?

Maka menyibuklah join sekaki.
These kids are really cool. Cos they play outside of the house in the evening. Other kids I can't see. All them would rather stay inside playing handphone.
Salute to their parents more cos allowed them to have life. A real kids life.

KAlau bab ni I think kids in Malaysia lebih beruntung. Petang-petang boleh main kat laman luar.

Acupunture

I stand and walk a lot when I worked in the cafe previously. Move here and there all the time. My feet pain so much. I suffer for about a year. I can't bear the pain. So sakit. I tried many things ; buy new shoes, buy shoes again and again. Tried reflexology. Massage. Rolled golf ball under the feets. Soak in the warm water. Ok this is very seldom cos I am laaaazy.

All of that helps a bit. But normally it helps other part of the body more that the feet itself. Bcos the feet when they do acupunture they press many points connecting to all other parts of the body.

Then 3 months ago I decided to try acupunture. After the first session the pain decreased by 75%. I was so amazed. I went for another 3 sessions. The acupunturist insert the needles around my belly button like in the picture.

Four or five needles in one go. Scary lah. Not all the needles when the acupunturist insert to the tummy I feel pain. Only the crucial point that connecting to certain part of the feet only.

disclaimer : not my tummy. source from google image

I didn't go see doctor. I only google the symptoms. I believed I suffer from plantar fasciitis. Sakit gile. Everytime standing and walking memanglah azab. So I strongly suggest you to include acupunture in your list. Mostly in Singapore they are qualified Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Physician.
I will go find in JB as well.

The temperature.

I just started working in the cafe for only a month. Everyday was challenging. Either the menu I still not familiar with, the energy I have to gather to carry the heavy fine dining plate or the questions customers asked.

The soup in the menu can be served warm or chilled. Served warm it becomes soup. Served chilled it becomes juice.

You want it hot or chilled sir?
I want it hot.
No problem sir.

What's the temperature?
Huh! ( Gosh. I never asked the chef the temperature of the hot soup neither the customer asked me before?

Yes, the temperature. How cold or warm it is now?
The soup sir? (Still very blur)
Noo!!! The aircond!
Oooo... I thought you asked bout the soup.

Lol. Sengal.

The tattoo

The conversation between two colleagues during break time in the cafe.

Eh you got tattoo eh? I only saw tonight.
Yes. Yes. I have. A bit only. I always wear long sleeves to cover it up.

How long you have that?
Long already. My mum yelled at me you know.  One year plus not talk to me.

The girl in the jungle. I hope she survived.

It was the time I need to find place for my internship. I was so happy to apply a place in a luxury hotel in Taman Negara National Park Pahang. Well two seats actually.

In my imagination I will enjoy the taste of the jungle. Yess!
Playing the boat.
Swimming in the Pahang river like the fish.
Go trackking find the medication leaves. I will go back to Uni with all the skills and can make side income for the sickness my friends create. Fever? Eat this drink. Headache? Oh no problem, apply this paste on your forehead. Slimming? That is quite pricey. Bite this stick.

The scenery from the mountain peak must be breathtaking. I can conquer the top every week cos I will be the tour guide. Oh my sounds soo cool. Tying the bandana around my head, walk up the hill. The troop behind me. Taking picture. My lovely face will be in many houses around the world. Oh I am not exaggerating, cos those visitors come from all around the world.

The journey from Johor to Pahang took about 10 hrs maybe. Stop here and there. Not a pleasant journey.  I reached there. Feeling shock with the place and the road and everything. Except for the opportunity to eat the Ikan Patin masak tempoyak. That was so yummeh.

The parents went back leaving us two brat in the middle of the jungle. We explore the village  a bit. Cross the river to office by boat. That time was raining season. The water level high extremely high.
The feeling of being in very rural place was so strong. I can't even.

So after three days, i run back to Jb. Leaving my BFF** in the jungle. Lucky she didn't turn up like the boy in the Jungle Book movie. If not, fuuuhh. She has 5 brothers man.

** bff in bold capital letter is a serious business.
I give her opportunity to survive. So she owes me for the strong survival skill she has now.
We still bff until now regardless of the continent we live.

Ah Hong

I met Ah Hong when I work in a cafe in Singapore. This is my first job in this tiny island. Ah Hong came from China, been working for two years and still has limited skill to converse in English. He works in the kitchen and I just love his cooking.


About transportation.

Where you live?
Near. Near only.

You take bus?
No.

Oh you walk?
No. No. ( He is rolling his hand on the air)

Oohhh... bicycle.. 

About the house.

Ah Hong. How much you pay house?
$250. Room only.

Room big or small.
Room small. Money small.

My boss is better than yours

Now I am currently working in Singapore in a flower shop. Everytime I think of my bosses, husband and wife, I can't fail to feel so grateful.

Everytime I think of them, especially the wife, it becomes a spell in my mind

"Thank you. The opportunity and the experience working with you give impact to my life. The salary you give me helps many people"

I don't know if I resign later I can spur my spell or not.

The male boss whenever He meets us in shop or we (my friends mostly, not me) send anything in group whatsap He never fails to say thank you. Really He says thank you. Thank you like you come work for free and helping Him do the job.

This is lesson, dude. Please copy. This-is-so-cool-all-bosses-should-learn!

Kindegarten lesson.

Sometimes the kids say and call certain names just because they hear people keep calling that name. They do not know the name have meaning.

The second boy on the third day back from the school.

Mama.
Ye.
Mama tu ibu.

All these while my nieces and nephews call me mama. Must be he had conversation with friends or any lesson in school today that NOW only he knows why is he calling me that name.

The third boy, also after went to the school.
 He talked to his mum, my sil.

Ibu, ibu ni cikgu tau.

Lol. All these while he knows her mother is a teacher. Only NOW after going to kindergarten and met his teacher he understands what a teacher all about.

Pillow serious discussion.

One night before sleep time. I had a pillow talk with the first boy, my elder bro's son.

Kenapa mama tak bersalin?
Mama belum kahwin.

Kenapa mama tak melahirkan?
Mama belum ada suami.

Beranak? Kenapa mama tak beranak?
Mama belum kahwin lagi. Tak beranaklah.

Mak Usu da bersalin sebab dia dah kahwin dengan Pak Usu.

Tapi kan nanti kalau mama dah sakit perut nak pegi hospital Pak Usu ke Ayah ke boleh hantar?

Lol.

Then I know why he asked me that. For him the issue I don't have baby yet is because there is no people to send me to hospital. We had that conversation few days after my sil gave birth to her first boy.

Sakitnya tuh di sini

Markonah kan dah menginjak usia emas. Jadi badan dah tak macho macam dulu. Selalu rasa mengantuk, penat, tak larat, lemah, lemau semua lah.

Kerja pulak kena berdiri min 10 jam. Jadi memang terasa susahnya tu. Baru masuk kerja 2 jam dah mengantuk, penat dan otak tak boleh fokus.

Thinking of solution, dulu pernah makan Shaklee. Jadi google lah distributor area Johor Bahru dan beli Esp dan VitaLea. Ni kira ikhtiar terakhir sebab kronik dah tahap penat lepas tu fikir lagi sebulan nak bulan puasa. Mesti kena readykan badan.

So i just want to jot down my own experience of my Shaklee Journey. How I get started by consuming the supplement myself and how I feel after tking it.

First day makan Esp & VitaLea ok je.
2nd day ok jugak.
3rd day dah start sakit kepala & lepas 2 jam minum Esp memang berak-berak. 5, 6 kali keluar masuk toilet.
Day 4 siang tak minum Esp sebab kerja takut penat nak ulang alik toilet. Tapi minum masa nak tidur.
Tu semua nama dia healing crisis.

Itulah laporan saya setakat ini. Will share what is Esp and VitaLea later. Oh and also the signs of healing crisis.


Love,
Jono & Markonah.
or Jono
or Markonah
or whoever write first.

Sinful Soul

A sinful soul.

I am.

Looking back time I owe huge to The Creator. For the time I wasted. For the money I spent unnecessarily. For the wrongdoing I create despite the blessing I get every single day. Thinking back, I am ashamed of myself. Those history made me me.

Those mistakes made me learn to become humble. I learn what decision to make on what event. What people to trust. What place to go. What people I need to prioritize. What kind of company to work with.

I had a conversation with my bff regarding the hardship I face.

She said "Allah bagi kita ujian samada untuk tingkatkan iman sebab kita muhasabah diri kita balik
or
memang sebab kifarah atas dosa kita yang pernah kita buat. 
Apa-papun yang jadi, ujian yang kita hadapi, kita balik pada pencipta kita".

That is the fact. The latter I must admit.

 It always hit me when I was soo aggressive about future, how much money I want, how things will work out, how my work will be successful, how small business can turn big

then

dangggg

somebody pass away
my dad got sick and hospitalised
somebady is sooo sick in instagram

duhhh

What am I chasing in life anyway. Balance is the best. I will try.

Bilingual.

I am so cool. I can speak English. I can also speak Malay. *flip hair*

So I am bilingual. When people ask me to rate my language profiency I would rate 10/10 for both.
When people rate me they would rate 5/10 for both. :(

They must be so jealous with my beauty and good voice. *cough cough*

So maybe I have the chance to duet with Lata Mangeshkar. Err you get confused?
Inilah.

Well being an average Malaysian girl I can speak English like I mean school English. One word by one word like the word you get from the book. i think that is cool enough because most of the friends can't converse in that language.

Until I came to Singapore to work. The thing my Pinoy colleague did was talking with me. The thing I answered was

Sorry?
Repeat?
Again?

All i heard was the first and the last word. But what was the sentence they said? 

Oh my. Serve you right. They speak English soo fast like I speak Malay. Padan muka. My first day I still many times spur Malay words which they don't have any clue what's the meaning. The second day onwards I started to practice conversational English with my Pinoy friends. They are my teachers. I owe them big. I can now talk faster than before. Credits to them. They are definitely cooooler than I am.

Assalammualaikum. Hello.

Hi.

 I sometimes is Jono ; a handsome dark macho deeply gentleman who can protect and soothe you, ladies, like how Song Joong-Ki stares and smiles to Song Hye-Kyo in 'Descendent of the sun'.

I can also be a Markonah. A stubborn but soft-hearted, fierce but sensitive, adventurous middle aged, Javanese blood woman who believes she can travel the world.

In real life, maybe Jono is searching for Markonah.
Or
Markonah is looking for Jono.
Or
Jono and Markonah are neighbours.
Or
Jono and Markonah are husband and wife.
Or
Jono and Markonah met, they fell in love, fight and now seperated.
Or
Jono and Markonah they met at the traffic light but they do not know each other.

Whatever the situation is, trust me, my writing will confuse your life. Make you wonder your own action. Waste your mobile data. Give you courage somestimes but most of the time will just make you question yourself ; why on earth i found this stupid Jono and Markonah.

Then welcome to the club.

I myself ask the same question.

Love,
Jono & Markonah.
or Jono
or Markonah
or whoever write first.