I Got It From My Mama

Lately, Mamasan and I have been reconnecting. This happens probably because we've been spending time watching TV together. A lot. Ah, TV - the great unifier. We used to be really close when I was in primary school, but secondary school proved to be too much of a barrier, and university was a time for expanding your horizons outside of home. Dunno why, but it just happened. One day she's my sun and I'm her baby (insert a Justin Bieber-ey sound), the next she's The Authority and I'm a Bum. Or at least a hobo-like creature who spent all her time locked up in her bedroom. But now that Mamasan and I are chillin' together, I discovered a lot of new things about her. I also started to realize how similar we are, which kinda freaks me out. I mean, does the phrase "you're turning into your mother" comes to mind? Anyway, here are a few moments where I thought that Hey, I've got a pretty cool mom.


Example 1

My mom just coming into the living room.

Me: Ma, ni boyfren mama berlakon ni, tak nak tengok ke? (it's Harrison Ford in all his Indiana Jones glory)

Mamasan: Mmmph. Dah break lama dah. Tua dah die. Toksahla ungkit2 lagi pasal tu. - sambil gelak sensorg dan berlalu pergi.

HAHAHA. Giler perasan mak aku. err........wait. Kenape cam familiar je. Oh yeah.

Example 2

Justin Bieber's close-up face during commercial.

Mamasan: Tu APE tu??!!??!?

Done. Mmg insult paling hebatla.

Example 3

Toothpaste commercial on tv.

Mamasan: Dulu Darlie ni nama die Darkie.

Me: Hmmm? Darkie?

Mamasan: A'ah. Pastu laki tu pon negro.

Me: (flabbergasted) Biar betol! Giler racist!

Patutla depa tukaq nama ngan imej brand tu. Giler ke ape. So I googled this and found out that it's true. They did use both the name Darkie and the image of a black man wearing a top hat previously, because of the misconception that black people have extremely white teeth (eh tak yeh? hoho), but they changed it in 1985 coz of the whole awareness/sensitivity thing. And they say you can't learn anything from watching tv with your mom. sheesh.

Example 4

A documentary on slavery. Or sumthin'.

Me: Tengok mat saleh, sume bende diorg discuss openly. Mmgla diorg banyak agenda tapi at least pasal slavery sume tu diorg tak sorok. Kita kat sekolah buku sejarah mane ade cerite banyak pasal 13 Mei. Cume cakap bende tu sejarah hitamla, terukla pergaduhan antara kaum2 kt KL mase tu. Spesifik la skit(cakap cam pakcik2 kat kedai kopi).

Mamasan: Hmmm. Mama ingat dulu mase tu, mama kat rumah sewa dgn housemates mama, kitorg tutup sume pintu, tingkap. Tak berani nak keluar. Adela sorg kwn kpd housemate mama ni dok tumpang jugak. Sekali tiba2 kitorg dgr bunyi riuh rendah kat luar. Dgr org jeritla, pistol tembak2 la. Sume kelam kabut mase tu. Tengok2 baru perasan kwn housemate mama tu kene tembak. Mati depan kitorg.

Me: (terdiam 2 saat) Kenape mama tak penah citer pasal ni?

Mamasan: Awak tak tanye.

Isn't that the coolest thing ever? Well, not cool that someone got shot and died. But the fact that she had experienced that. No wonder she never complains about anything (well, except for us being spoiled children, and our generation consisting of a bunch of whimps). I do think that our society has become too complacent right now. We don't have any extreme crisis that may affect us profoundly like previous generations. Not that I'm hoping for World War III, but there must be a reason why the only thing we complain about is either our jobs (or lack thereof), or our love life (or lack thereof). Seriously? Is that ALL there is in this world? We don't deserve to sing Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror or The Earth Song. Next time the MVs for those songs come up on TV, just hide your face in shame.

But right now, I might have to re-watch The Breakfast Club over and over again just to cure the extreme respect and affection that I have for my mom.