Kelantan-my own definition

Assalamualaikum, readers.

*gasp*

*gasp again* 

How long has it been since my last update? 7 months?

seriously? 

*falls to the ground*

So, it's been 4 years since I lived in Kelantan. There were lots of stigma about how Kelantan and the people really are. 

I've been planning to blog on this since first year but I kept forgetting...

Ready for the TOP 5 MYTHS about Kelantan that are not true?

anyways, here we go!

1- Kelantanese are poor

To be honest, I have no idea how do you judge a person poor or rich just by looking at the person.

Some people may drive imported cars, but they still struggle to pay their bills every month.

Some people don't own lots of jewelleries, but they have lots of savings in the bank.

Based on my observations, majority of Kelantanese are involved in business. Whether it's selling tudungs, kitchenware, vegetables and food or toys, they are up for it. And surprisingly, the ones you see running the business are both teenagers and the elderly. 

Pasar Siti Khadijah: 3 floors packed with all kinds of stuff you wanna shop for!

Most of the teens who start business at an early age are the ones who refuse to further studies and the elderly are just spending some time doing something else other than sitting on a lazy chair at home, watching TV and sleep all day.

Nevertheless, there are people who are so poor, they starve every day. I've came across a small boy eating french fries from the floor because he had no money to eat. 

2- Kelantan has no tar roads

This was the first thing I imagined when people even mention Kelantan. I've always imagined the roads were sandy with no tar, and people either walk or use bicycles to travel because they had no cars. 

*laughs hard*

Much to my surprise, people here drive imported cars and own more than one car! and yes, the roads are tarred!

3- Kelantan is an Islamic country, ALL Muslim women wear tudungs, zero crime rate.
It took me by surprise as well when I first stepped foot in Kelantan. 
Kelantan is ruled by an Islamic political party (PAS) and is by far the only state ruled by it. *PAS is known as the opposition party here*
The politicians in this party are very religious, or appear religious. I was told once that the state fines any Muslim women who does not cover their heads (part of aurah), about 10 years back. 
I have no idea what happened after that, but now, nobody is fined anymore. And so, you'll still see Muslim women exposing their hair, men and women who aren't married sitting so closely...just like anywhere else.
Zero crime rate? Pfftttt...
People has nothing to do with a state. If a person is bad, then, nothing you can do to change the person to a good one, none other than the person himself. That's pretty much it.
Not in the mood to elaborate on this any longer...

4- Kelantan is under developed, there's no proper buildings there.
Excuse you! 
There's a few malls in Kelantan now. And the malls are always packed with people. 
We have Sushi King, Domino's Pizza, Big Apple's, Watsons....you name it, we've got it! 
*eh, since when did I become a Kelantanese myself?* *oppssss*

5- Food in Kelantan are all sweet, highest diabetes prevalence.

Nasi kerabu

Not TRUE!

You can ask for your food to be less sweet, if you want. They'd actually make yours just the way you want it...

Kelantan also serve savoury food like sambal pedas and masak lemak cili padi. And, we also have nasi kerabu. It's pretty spicy because of the chilli...
About diabetes...
One question. Will you get diabetes if you drink two glasses of sugar dissolved in water?
NOPE!
You'd get diabetes if your Beta cells on your pancreas are resistant to glucose or your Beta cells are not producing enough insulin. 
If you exercise and monitor what you eat, you'll be safe from diseases. Nothing to do with the state or whatever.  

What do you think of Kelantan now?
I hope you realize that Kelantan is just another state, the people are as NORMAL as the ones in KL, Johor or Sarawak. 
They have the right to live, just as much as we do. 

Wallahua'lam.

BEWARE, mummies wannabe!

Assalamualaikum, readers.

I'll be cursing, screaming and shouting throughout the whole entry, so, if you don;t like to see a monster, just leave the blog immediately.

This entry is inspired by Sarimah and The Rod from The Mix Breakfast Show, based on what they were discussing this morning.

Lately, there's been a lot of people getting married at young ages, be it men or women. And most of them have just started working and owns a house that was presented as a wedding gift from their parents, and the house happens to be very close to their parents' place.
Basically, the kids are safe! Safe from any form of trouble, I would say.

"Mum, my husband and I will be having dinner tonight with you guys!"
"Dad, my wife's car broke down. Can she borrow your car?"

In my opinion, people who behave these ways are no different than when they were single. Marriage represents responsibilities, capability to solve problems among yourselves and most importantly, INDEPENDENCE. You should be able to stand on your feet with your partner and leave your parents to rest and not worry about you anymore.

Back to the main topic....

It has also become a "trend", or should I say "RACE" on who'll get pregnant first.

What does rapid pregnancy do to you and your so-called rivalries?

Will you get a bonus?
Will you get a diamond ring from your parents?
Will you get a free meal from your rivalry?

Baby, why are you so cute?

Wake up, people! The baby is not a toy!


And sadly, reality does not hit the mother until the baby finally comes out from her big round belly.

When she hears the baby crying every now and then, she gets annoyed!
When she tries to get some sleep, the baby asks to be fed, she gets mad!
When she tries to put the baby to sleep and it's taking her hours, she goes crazy!

She feels it's so much trouble to carry a newborn baby that needs her full attention in her arms at all times during family occasions, because all she wanted to do was show off her slim body after shedding off her pregnancy weight!

Whoa! I do sound mad!

I'm sorry...but I truly am. 

I'm talking based on my experiences watching a few women pregnant at young ages, or are trying to conceive right away after marriage...
Why are you rushing?

Are you even ready to carry the responsibilities of a parent? 

I just finished my paediatric posting at the hospital a couple of weeks back, and I watched lots of ignorant parents who are just too tired of taking care of their children. 
But, again, I'm not referring to all of them.

There was a baby who fell from her cradle and the mother didn't bring her child to the hospital right away. The next day, the baby suffered from a two hour seizure!

Another kid swallowed a cup of petrol because someone left some petrol in front of the house while repairing his motorbike. The mother was busy cooking in the kitchen!

The other kid had a fall while playing and he vomited right after that. But the father also didn;t bring the kid for check-up. By the time they came to the hospital, which was a few months later, the boy was suspected of having leukaemia with cerebral involvement.

Most of the things that happened here could be prevented if the parents were very careful and responsible towards their kids. 
And when I see these mummies wannabes who are just eager to show off to other people that they are pregnant and not think of what plans do they have for the kid after birth, it breaks my heart.

I knew this one person who has a boy after suffering from a miscarriage at about 3 months of pregnancy. She stopped breastfeeding after one month. And the baby has been on formula milk ever since. He has developed some sort of illness, where he has stomachache frequently. The parents say he has flatus. 
Surprisingly, and luckily though, the father of the kid is very alert of his needs and he takes care of his child like he is the mother. He knows how to put the kid to sleep better than his wife. 

Please, please, please...

I know I'm not married and I have no right to teach you people, but, I urge all of you to please spend a few minutes to think of your kid's future...

I know it's silly of me to think ahead of my life, but I have thought about my baby, or babies... ;)

I would wanna breastfeed my baby for as long as he/she needs, but no more than 2 years...
I would interact with him/her as I'm breastfeeding with him/her because I believe it's a very special moment between us. 
I would have extra milk supply in the fridge in case the baby is hungry at night, so that my husband won't be able to escape from his job as a Daddy at night. 50-50 right?
I would still spend some time with my husband, watching TV, asking him about work, cook, clean whatever...only when the baby is asleep and I have had my share of rest.
I won't hesitate to bring my baby to occasions, although it's gonna be tough, with the baby stroller, diaper bag, bottle, bib, extra clothes (just in case)...the list goes on and on...

"You have no idea what it's like to be a mother!"
"That's easy for you to say, you haven;t a clue what I'm dealing with!"
"Pfffttt...budak hingus!"

I get it! I'm not married...I don't understand half the things you're going through...but at least I have a plan. 
Trust me, I watched a lot of movies, listened to the Dr(s) in the lecture halls, and they have provided me with more than enough information to keep me paranoid when I'm around other kids. 
Imagine how paranoid I'd be with my own kid?

- Nobody can touch my kid without proper sanitation
- Video camera will be put in the nursery, in case things happened when my husband and I were away
- Baby can't play on his/her own without supervision
- Baby will only play with very clean toys, trust me, it's Dettol soaked clean.
- Emergency numbers are on speed dial. Husband who has a medical background is a bonus

The list goes on and on...when something bad happens to other kid, I'll add something new to my list.
You don't have to be as paranoid as me, but please, read books on parenting, how to deal when something bad happens....

Wallahua'lam...