I was at Mothercare when a gown on display caught my attention. I couldn't find it on the racks, so I asked the salesgirl for help.

It was just a simple polka dot gown, with scenery of London cartoons at the hem.

The salesgirl found it, I was happy, but then she said, "Kak, baju ni ada gambar anjing," as she pointed at the 3cm cartoon picture.

I...I didn't know how to react to that.

I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I put it back. But, when she was not looking, I grabbed it again and brought it to my husband, haha.

"Abang! Orang tu bagi warning baju ni ada gambar anjing. Sejak bila tak boleh pakai baju gambar anjing?"

I dulu-dulu pakai je baju Snoopy, tak ada masalah pun, gambar besar pula tu. And those people who wear Hush Puppies...

Well, Malay people nowadays...We all should stop to overanalyze little little things like this... (-___-")

Yesterday, I interviewed a client with a rare illness. Most people fail to understand the illness, because it is a type of sleep disorder.

Oh, my, I felt like giving him a hug.

He told me how he prefers to be lonely, because when he's around people, he has to bear listening to the accusations of him simply being lazy and kuat tidur, despite him explaining that he has a disease. Even his marriage fails.

All I could say is, "Maaf."

"Maaf," to me, sounds so fake. It's more natural to say, "I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I'm sorry to hear about your divorce."

Since the interview was conducted in Malay, I said, "Maaf." Couldn't find other words to console him.

He was pleasant and coorperative though, enthusiastic to answer my questions even, as if he was happy that I was trying to understand his life.

Driving back home, I almost cried. I feel so lucky to be blessed with health. That man must be special, because he was chosen by God to endure it. Even listening to his experience is depressing.

It also make me realize, not to quickly judge a person. A lazy, sleepy man, might appear to be one, because he has an actual debilitating medical condition.

Someone told me:

When you see dead children, they don't look lifeless. They look like they are sleeping. So peaceful. But then, you see their parents crying.

When my daughter was born, my niece looked at her little feet and said, "Kaki baby ni macam udang!"

Udang?!

After a while, I understood what she meant: udang kering. Small, curled up, wrinkly and pink. She was referring to her little toes.

Haha. The reference that she made!