On a rainy day

I spoke too soon. I thought yesterday the weather would be fine today, not sunny but not raining either. How wrong I was, cos at about 4.30 this morning the rain felled heavily, with bouts of thunder. It did not let up come 6.00am, so I practically had to drag dadi and Igat out of bed to avoid being late for mass. Thank God Stella Maris is just 5 minutes away from home, so we made it to church in the nick of time. Talk about JIT. Poor dad had his shoes and half of his pants soaking wet as he had to park the car. It rained heavily throughout the mass that Fr Dom said he would just give a short sermon as those at the back might not hear clearly what he said. No worry there, he has a strong voice. He focused his sermon on the 2nd reading from 1 Cor 6, the part asking us to stay away from fornication, to keep our body holy as it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In that context Fr Dom spoke of the challenges facing parents today. He said "I know you are doing your best, I know you are doing a good job as parents... " Notwithstanding that Fr Dom lamented the fact that we still have teenage pregnancies occurring in our midst. So we inevitably marry the children at such young age. As they are not ready for responsibility as parents and spouses, the marriages often break up after one or two kids. Or we have children running away from home and when they are found, more often than not they are with their boyfriends. Some reported the matter to the authorities, so then began the rounds of court cases, accusations of statutory rapes...Fr Dom said these things happen b'cos of our fallen nature, our inclination to sin, so that is why we need Jesus in our lives, to redeem us. And that is why Fr Dom said we must emulate young Samuel in the 1st reading, to use our body to the glory of God, saying yes to the Lord, "speak Lord, your servant is listening".

Yes, the things he said do happen, even in the best of families. Imagine the heartbreaks, of parents soul searching, asking where they went wrong, of kids broken or rebellious, of hopes dashed. Munyi ku jaku tuai, tak ngenggam semengat kitai nyaga, ngemataka bala anak. Maya sida agi biak agi, kitai nangika sida ngaga pengawa ke disebut Fr Dom nya, nangika enda meruan belajar, enda pandai, enda ulih masuk universiti. Nya kebuah kitai ke apai indai enggai amat ngasuh sida be boyfriend girlfriend. Enggaika pelajar tebasau, enggaika tubuh tebasau. Tang dalam kitai ngenggaika utai ke bakanya, kitai mega nemu attraction bakanya sigi enda ulih dikelaung. Bepangan meh urang, nya alai bendar amat nyadi polis maya sida anak agi ba high school. Enti bc aktiviti sekula ke luar ari jam sekula, sigi di anjung & ambi, enggaika ngigau ke bukai. Enti udah tembu program ba sekula sigi enda tau enda pulai, enda tau lepak. Enti ka lepak bai bala pangan ke rumah, begulai di rumah. Aktiviti di sekula enda tau sepeneka enggau, enda tau enda ditapis tua dadi dulu, enggaika ngelimpangka ari pelajar. Maie laban ke aktif enggau urang debate, public speaking, choral speaking, scout, prefect, interact club, suah amat ngedun mua ngagai tua dadi lebuh maya program ke enda di kemendar. Pia mega enda tau enda nemu sapa bagi urang ke enggau sida begulai, ke pangan di sekula, dataika kami ke apai indai nyu bekelala pangan diri laban ari bala anak ke bekaling.

Maya udah kereja, kitai nangika sida salah milih indu/lelaki ke bini/laki sida. Maya sida ba u, kitai nangika sida bepangan enda tejagaka diri, tauka enda meresa ati diri empu dulu, enda chukup pansik dulu sebedau ngaga pemutus ati ba senentang bepangan. Maya sida nyu udah ba u, open agi ga kitai, ngasaika tua dadi, ulih nerima sida ke bepangan, tang meh munyi ku Melayu, agi waspada. Kitai enggai meda sida nyu kulu kili baka ke udah betunang. Nama kebuah, nya meh laban ke ngembuan pengirau, enggaika sida telih. Kati kitai ulih ngelindung sida ari ditinggang penusah ati (hurts)? Aku ingat bisi tiga tauka empat taun ti udah aku bisi begulai seminar di KL enggau indu China siku, agi biak, muti tuai setaun dua kini ari sida Maie umur iya maya nya. Ia single, besekula ba menua tasik. Sekali maya merarau ia mendingka kami ke bisi anak bekenangka cabaran ke nuntung apai indai, penangi kitai enggaika sida salah singkang, ngaga penyai, penakut kitai enggaika anak kitai telih ati kasak urang bukai, kelebih agi pangan indu/lelaki sida. Dia ia nyebut, ku iya, enda ulih kita nyaga ngemataka sida belama, kelebih agi enti sida nyau enda begulai enggau kita. Ke beguna amat kita apai indai enda tau enda madahka sida ni bagi utai ke ngena, ni bagi utai ke salah, ngambi sida nemu mutarka diri maya sida ngaga pemutus runding. Munyi ku Melayu, tepegun aku, so young and yet so wise. Kira ba aku iya nyebut nyadika pengari sida ke anembiak, madahka dini endur adan apai indai ngelengkaka penangi. So I have been doing that all these while, getuk getuk, ga aku kumbai sida tiga "mafa mifi pafa mafa" .. nya bahasa F, begedi aku ninga sida bejaku munyi nya. Enti ka belalaika aku & dadi utai disebut, mulalah urang bebahasa F. Nyu kasih Igat ke aku, dia iya madah bakani aku ulih nemu utai ku sida, buai aja utai ke F ari belakang mami, sambung dik nyadi leka jaku ku Igat. Thank you Lord for the son. Diatu agi mengkang nyadi polis, lebih ari ke enda ulih temu, serahka aja ngagai Tuhan, nemu Iya kasih ke kitai deh, nulung kitai.

So what do you do on a rainy Sunday? I made simple lunch and baked today. I have kilos of flour and tubs of butter in the fridge, left over from Christmas, that I have to put to good use. So since today I will visit indai and my elder sister, I baked banana cake, my family's favourite. I have been looking for the perfect recipe all these years and finally after many tries, found just the perfect one that is loved by my family. Its's fluffy, light and has all the banana goodness. Tu gambar kek aku.

Enti ka nguji, tu resipi ia:

3 cups mashed banana
3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup roasted, chopped walnuts ( I use cashewnuts when I run out of walnuts)
2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
250 gm melted butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar ( I use 1.3/4 cups, umbas ia pemanis)

Beat sugar and butter, add eggs one at a time. Fold in flour and later mashed banana. lastly, put in the nuts. The batter makes 3 loaf tins. Bake for 50 min or more at 160c. It's perfect coated with cream cheese frosting.

Selamat mencuba.Madahka aku.