The Day Kids Ask The Bloodiest Thing

Kids' Downward-facing Dog
(somehow, a slightly bigger sister I wish I have, Petite
managed to snap this picture of my little sisters imitating downward dog
from a page of magazine that I modeled in. Cuteness!
P.S. Famous Iqin is the one in pink)

I wasn't finished with my tampon story.

Remember my confession-of-a-teenage-drama-queen sister, Iqin and how my mom concluded, it runs in the family?

* * * * * * *

I had my first period when I was only 10 years old. Days away from my first khatam Quran celebration, where I was supposed to be 'diarak' (the power of imbuhan and the beauty of Bahasa Melayu, 'di-' and 'ber-' in 'arak' do not mean, getting drunk or am drinking) satu pekan (what was the name of the jalan of the surau I belajar mengaji, cousin? Was it Surau Kampung Dalam?), where my mom had specially requested me to wear her baju nikah (songket kemilau kaler silver, okkkkkk?) for my berkhatam ceremony,

only for me to experience my very first period 4 days from the grand kenduri khatam my family and orang surau had planned and prepared for me.

I, was yet to be a Bangsar girl when I was 10, who grew up and raised in a small cowboy town to the north of Johore, who cycled in my red BMX to evening session of sekolah agama, when told by my mom who first spotted the red patch of blood behind my baju kurung, immediately asked me to cycle myself to a shop nearby to buy sanitary pad for myself,

(now laugh, roll on the floor if you wish to)

dan-dan
AKU
PAKAI
TUDUNGGGGGGG
okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

masa naik basikal nak pergi kedai time tu!

Yelah, kan pergi sekolah agama, kan... Ustaz kata, 'kalau lepas akil baligh tak tutup aurat, ibu bapa tak tanggung dosa kita lagi'. Masa kecik, the thought and illusion of 'rambut kena ikat, kaki kat atas, kepala kat bawah kena salai dalam neraka' did freak me, and I know us all out big time. Apa jadik sekarang ni aku tak tau but I know the tudung only lasted me for about two days and so did my first period. Making ample time for my big khatam Quran to be summoned as scheduled.

My family moved to Bangsar shortly two months after and what you see of me now is what 16 years living in the heart of Bangsar has done to me. Aku budak kg.com baik dulu...

Wait till you hear what and how born in Nottingham and growing up in Bangsar with a cool sister like me have affected my 10 year old sister, Iqin.

* * * * * * *

Since it runs in the family, Iqin too, had her first period just last month. And yes, she is only 10.

It's her time of the month again and so when Iqin asked me a few days ago if she could rummage through my goody drawer wardrobe for some pads, I responsed, "Along tak pakai pad kalau period."

Curious Iqin asked, "Habis, Along pakai apa?"

"Tampon."

"Tem-pond? Oh, yang macam peluru ni eh? Kalau Iqin nak cuba pakai, nak masukkan dekat mana (A)long?"

Kalau aku jawab,
- 'Iqin budak kecik lagi, kena tunggu besar sikit baru boleh cuba', adalah kurang bernas.
Kalau nak kata,
- 'tunggu dah kahwin baru boleh guna', lagi cari nahas.

Sebelum dia tanya mak aku dan mak aku bising lagi with her 'anak dara tak baik pakai tampon', saper nak jawabkan adik aku sorang ni?