SOUL SCRIBBLES

When you come to our house on any day during Syawal, you’ll find that my mother would have prepared some kind of dishes, Johor favourites or otherwise, elaborate fare or simple ones, for you and your family or your extended families or friends who tagged along for the visit. If you call ahead a day or two before the visit, you’ll give her enough time to buy the ingredients and cook a storm in the kitchen.  If not, she’ll boil spaghetti and toss it in Prego’s Carbonara sauce, which she has in stock at home. Yes, she’ll go out of her way to make sure that you are fed when you come to the house; never mind the fact that you told her not to susahkan diri nak masak bagai  when you called to inform her of your impending visit. She reminds me of her aunty, who she stayed with her teenage years, whom I addressed as Tok Itam. If we dropped by her house unannounced at Jalan Parit Besar in Batu Pahat, the first thing she would say after the customary greetings, hugs and kisses wil...

Kian Berlabuh Tirai Ramadhan …          Lambaian Syawal Kini Di Nanti … Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk memohon keampunan di atas segala perbuatan dan percakapan saya samada di dalam keadaan sedar atau tidak. Jua, di halalkan segala makan dan minum. Sesungguhnya, yang baik itu datangnya dari Allah SWT dan segala keburukan, kesalahan dan kesilapan itu datangnya dari diri saya sendiri.  Semoga kita dapat perkukuhkan ikatan silaratul rahim yang sedia ada, insya’Allah. Tulus Ikhlas Fauziah Ismail

“She can now stick a fridge magnet on her right arm.” “Bionic woman … ” “Oooh, boleh sepak muka orang sampai ke dinding ni …” "She  “She still has her humour intact ...” after telling them that the doctor had to graft the humerus bone. Humerus … humour … get it? No? Never mind. Yes, my office mates poked fun at me. I was away from the office for almost a month. I had popped in prior to the surgery (on the pretext of sending in the medical chit although the aim was to get out of the house) and a few times after (same reason and on the way from the hospital into the city). When the surgeon finally agreed to discharge me, he gave a month supply of painkillers and medicated plasters. I took home the two ice packs. His nurse asked that I see him in two weeks to get the staples off. It was painless when the nurse took the staples out. The wound was healing nicely. But I asked that she bandaged it loosely (I was going into the office and later do a spot of shopping) inste...

There was phlegm in my throat. Lots of it. I couldn’t breathe.  I could hear the gurgling sound as the nurse used the suction to suck it out. Once it was cleared, I breathed in as deep as I could. When I woke up, I was at the recovery room outside the operating theatre. I had an oxygen mask on. “ Kenapa ni ?” I asked the male nurse seated at the table next to me. “ Kakak kurang oxygen,” he said. I asked him for the time. Half an hour later, I was back in the room. It was 2.30pm. I was hooked up to the oxygen next to the bed. I asked the nurse how long I would have to be on it. “ Sampai pukul lima atau enam. Kalau okay, tak payah guna lah.” I had the oxygen mask on until about four. My mother and brother’s family came at about 4.30pm. My niece will be spending the duration with me at the hospital. The surgeon came right after to check on me. The surgery went well. He showed me the x-ray which showed where he placed the six inch plate and screws. He asked if I was in pa...