07 February 2010

Ladang, here I come with songkok



For quite sometime, I was not pretty sure how it all started. Whether it was a voice that descended down from an interstellar space commanding me to do it or was it because I was so deep drowsing in my class somehow got me to fill in the wrong application form for my secondary education endeavor. By some means, after millennium years of heavy indulgence with 'teh O beng' and copious amount of formaldehyde intoxication from eating too much keropok lekor mixed with polluted fish from our neighboring country, I realized later, it was actually my destiny. Well written long-long time ago and the ink had already dried in the luhmanfuz.

That year was 1981 and I remember how shivery cold it was those early mornings. Even it was no snow around but mind you the early dawn of monsoon season with heavy rain pouring down nonstop for days and days had really bitten deep into my bonemarrow and even my nerve too. Having to bath as early as five in the wee morning, from an open well outside the house exposed to the mercy of nature was one hair-raising experience.

Even while my exposed limbs were shivering and my goosebumps raised as tall as mount Kinabalu everytime I painfully struggled to shower with the ice-cold water, I saw from a distant flickering lights dancing in straight line along the paddy field. It was my other colleagues riding their bicycle from as far as Bkt Payong, raced patiently against time to reach our school in Ladang (Ladang is very close to the Ganu town or Kuale, unfortunately I dunno exactly how far to be frank, but it took me almost one hour to get there by bicycle from my kampung). That sight in away managed to inject some strength in me and with a hasty Suboh prayer, a quick and simple breakfast of freshly fried fish and hot sticky rice I jumped onto my bicycle and followed my other comrades of which by that time had already grown in number.

Riding a bicycle that time to the town of Ganukite was still an enjoyable activity and considerably very safe. There was hardly any racing maniac terrorizing the road or any mat rempit flaunting their antic with their underpowered kapcai around. It was heavenly serene. No pollution either except if somebody riding in front of you start to release their natural gas from the rear end. The only rival on the road was pakcik-pakcik beca riding their teksi (the local calls beca = teksi) at snail-pace speed pacing slowly and steadily to their destination.

It was funny though and shocking at the same time for me as I saw some girls registered at that school on the first day. Traditionally SMUSZA was an all boy school. I learned that was the first time the school broke the long tradition and I also later learned the reason was not because some lunatic wanted to start a new revolution for girls' power- but a nearby all girls school (Sekoloh Agama Khairiah) could not accommodate the number anymore and had to delegate some to the nearby neighboring schools. Funny thing was, after three blissful years sitting in the same classroom decoding a foreign language originating somewhere from the Arabian desert, I still could not recall any of their names. My songkok must be the reason why. You don't chat much with girls when you wear your songkok, except when you wanted to borrow their eraser. It's becoming almost like an urban legend.

The most interesting memory however, was during my journey back home. First and for no obvious reason I like our regular pit stop at one of the sugarcane stalls along the road near to Sekoloh TB (TB = Tengku Bariah). The cold and sweet sugarcane drink, probably boosted by ketum extract, during a hot day and sweaty riding trip can really uplifted our spirit. My other comrades like it too. I think we became so addicted to the extend we need have a dose on a daily basis. It was a maelstrom of lunacy after that high sugar consumption and occasionally we became a bunch of hyperactive harebrained who jumped into a nearby river (never told my parent about this) to cool ourselves off before continuing our journey back home.

The vegetation along the road of Pasir Panjang was still like a virgin jungle then and even now I can still see some greenery survived the rapid development. Whenever I passed along those small patches of bushes I couldn't help myself but smiling. Nature's call did not wait until I reach my home and the bushes is the best place to ease myself. My colleagues laughed at me every time this unstoppable urged hit me, but at the same time they felt very uncomfortable as they have to park their bikes suspiciously along the road and guarded me from unwary passerby. In some freak occasions, we fertilized the soil en masse. The local council should thank us for that. At least we saved them some budget in buying fertilizer.

That was one unforgettable experience I keep cherished even it was almost 30 years ago.

I write this story because my younger sister did ask me a question once why I went to Sekolah Arab in the first place. That one I had given the answer already. On the question of why I didn't become an Ustaz or even Ulamak after spending almost 3 + 2 years in religious school/college, that one was answered too.


This group pose reminded me of a popular drama series during the early eighties "The misadventure of Sheriff Lobo". I was the one sitting, just like the sheriff in the drama (hey...what happened to our songkok?). Notice my trusty bicycle on the far left - still shiny and looked brand new.The good thing is, I still keep in touch with some of my comrades in this photos, even way before somebody invented Facebook.

I learned the first time the meaning of inertia - a tendency of body to resist acceleration. Even though in this photo I was way in front of my colleague who was struggling to keep his balance, I bagged second in this competition as that was actually a 'basikal lambat' competition . In the background was the old hostel - now no more standing.Many sweet memories there.

37 comments:

3yearshousewife said...

Dr.,
Wah budak baik ya, tak kenal sorang pun budak pompuan.

Anonymous said...

haha..i did it it too once..
can't wait for home and had to jump into some bushes for nature call..

besi said...

dr sam,,,basikal jenis tue payah nak jumpa dah...
hheheheh

DrSam said...

3yearshousewife,
budak perempun pun mungkin tak kenal saya juga :)

Dino,
Did it many time. Like marking my territory. The urge become very familiar now.

besi,
Basikal Raleigh cap ayam tu. Tahan sampai sekarang.

ReActivate said...

::: salam dr.sam apa khabar? [huhu] mengimbau kenangan lama di sekolah rendah & menengah mmg best kadang2 kelakar pula bila lihat semula foto2 lama.. ya saya pon masih ingat cerita sheriff lobo tuh [hehe] kenapalaa tak ditayang semula di tv ya? seangkatan dgn cerita bj & the bear, chips & buck rogers. tak sangka juga zaman dulu2 dah ada competition basikal lambat ker? [huhu] hebat tul! tapi lagi hebat sekolah agama dr.sam tuh.. sekolah pandai ni.. [re]: terima kasih dr.sam singgah ke blog saya.. have a great weekend!

idasm said...

mengimbau kenangan lalu ni manis rasanya kan. tahun 1981.. saya baru darjah dua sek.ren sultan omar. tp sekolah dr. tu mmg sek pandai tu.. hehe.

DrSam said...

ReActivate,
Salam kembali. Saya alhamdulillah. cerita-cerita era 80an banyak yang menarik. Kalau dapat ditayangkan semula masih boleh menghiburkan lagi. cerita BJ & the bear, Fantasy Island, CHiPS dan banyak lagi...memang ditunggu-tunggu siarannya. Tapi Sherif Lobo paling gelak...sandard zaman tu le.

idasm,
Sekolah Sultan Omar kat Dungun ke? Tu sekolah lama saya juga, tahun 1975.

zino said...

nostalgia tu..

yohteh said...

bab basikal ni... memang kenangang mengusik jiwa sungguh...!

nahmy said...

book it doc! it can be a best seller. masukkan sikit gambar-gambar kekuningan tu, lukis sikit kartun-kartun sebagai perencah...pasti meletup gitu. saya kenal gak beberapa publisher...

Abd Razak said...

Salam Dr

Cerita nostalgia... sungguh kalau diimbau kembali zaman yang silam byk memberi pengajaran utk kita berfikir

Zendra-Maria said...

Aiiit, takde se pung gambo besongkok dingde?

DrSam said...

zino,
kenangan berlalu, pengalaman dirindu

yohteh,
terimakasih yohteh berkongsi maklumat. basikal pong ada llaki ppuang jugok. masa tu, berduyung-duyung ghoheik basikal dok rase penat setabok. Tapi masa tu rasanya kurang doh glamer basikal llaki nning. Kita pong dok goheik basikal ppuang jugok :)

nahmy,
Thank you for your encouragement and support en. nahmy. Insyaallah.

Abd Razak,
Salam. masa berlalu dan zaman berubah. namun kenangan itu tetap kekal diingatan.

Zendra-Maria,
Hi...hi...hairan juga saya kanda. Mungkin masa ni dok sibuk nak kecek dengan budak-budak perempuan, songkok simpan masuk beg kot :)

adiwarnatasya said...

Jue suka basikal tu:)

DrSam said...

adiwarnatasnya,
dah jadi basikal tua, namun masih berjasa.

catz said...

mengimbau kenangan lalu, zaman 80-an, zaman sekolah memang menyeronokkan.
malam tadi saya berjumpa kawan sekolah dlm small gathering. and kami duk cerita hal zaman sekolah tanpa henti..ketawa-ketawa-ketawa.
seronok sgt mengimbau kisah lalu.
wah..student sekolah arab rupanya..
:)

Mia's Mom said...

Salam DrSam :-D,

Jez to ask you something... if you became an Ustaz, wearing your songkok, will you talk to me in the first place? Hehehe...! Or it doesn't matter whether you became an Ustaz or not, the songkok will prevent you from talking to me ... just kidding!!! :-D

Such a nostalgic memory - it brings a smile though. Your uniform reminds me of those of my brothers - white shirt and pants - but both studying at different school - one in VI the other MC.

And the bicycle? Unbeatable.

Cheers!

DrSam said...

catz,
kalau jumpa kawan sekolah lama memang banyak cerita yang ingin dikongsi. Kebanyakannya memang cerita-cerita kelakar. batch saya pun selalu juga buat small/family gathering. Biasanya yang selalu datang muka-muka tu je :)

Mia's Mom,
Salam. Those days, in my school, with ladies as a minority, such unwelcome gesture by simply talking to them could create a hostile situation among the thaliban - wearing songkok or not :) Some quarters considered it as a taboo...Haru betul!

Have a nice day!

wyograd said...

DrSam,

saya setuju sangat dengan cadangan Nahmy, kumpul semue cerita2 nostalgia zamang di Ladang dan sekolah dan bukukan macam Awang Goneng. Sure jd best seller!

Bile sebuk Ladang, ambe teringak arwah nenek isteri, die org asal Ladang. Bila ziarah dia macang2 kueh dia jamu. Sedak2 belake! Lening doh susoh nok dapak, hok ade pung dok same rase -- lompak tikam, mekbab, badak berendam, jale mah.. Lening kalu nok rase kene gi cari kak Pasar Cabang Tige atau Pasar Maghrib Bkt Besor

Paling beh teringak nile makang nasik dengang arwah tok tue. Die kerenyek budu dengang duriang fresh, mangge putik dang cili api cicoh pule dengang ikang parang bakor. Due pinggang nasik tu tak jadi hal punye. Pahtu tu merungut kolestrol naik! Hehehe..

Ambe ni asal je Penang tp bile sangkuk ngang Mek Ganu lening doh jadi 100% Ganu Kite..

Best wishes to all!

I'm Seri said...

Salam Doc,

Wah, teringat zaman sekolah lah. Rindu pula.

Btw Doc, kalau kisah ini dah dijadikan cerita buku, saya pasti membeli dan membacanya.

=)

DrSam said...

wyograd,
Kalu nok bukukan cerita, gamoknye kena berguru dengan Awang Goneng dulu, baru afdal.

Baru ning balik Ganu ambe terliur jugok kuih-muih lama. Gi jalang ke Pasor Keda Buloh juppe lo' lit. Pasar Gaghi' Bkt Besor jaghang singgoh, walaupun tiap-tiap haghi lalu situ.

Itu le agoknye penangang nasi dagang - terbeliat teghuh lidoh lekat G dok habis-habis.

IRIS,
Salam Iris. Terimakasih di atas cadangan tersebut. Insyaallah jika diizinkanNYA.

puspawangi said...

LOL...kelakau sungguh tengok gambo lelama nih. Bebudak lelaki cenonet jek, bebudak pompuan plak pakai tudung ikat bawah dagu...gelak guling-guling tengok doc tengah maneuver basikal lambat (kaki panjang payah).. LOL..

Naddiea said...

Doc,what a sweet memories...nasib baik ada lagi gambar2 lama ni kalo x mesti x igt semua2 kenangan tu kan.Budak2 perempuan dlm kelas Doc pun nampak semua kiut2.pakai tudung tapi nampak rambut.Dato CT punyer stail nih.hihih...

Zareda Norman said...

Dr Sam

salam.. U just have a precious experience during your childhood.. Nostalgik..

Bagus kalau dibukukan atau buat publish journal..

DrSam said...

puspawangi,
mak orang kalau ketawa guling-guling tu kira dah kes haru :) sabor...sabor...

Naddiea,
Zaman tu memang tudung style tu yang paling canggih. Nak tergelak pun ada juga, awat ustaz/ustazah tak tegur masa tu ek?

Zareda Norman,
Salam. Sweet memories last forever.

Berkenaan membukukan cerita, Insyaallah bila bahan dan banyak dan sesuai mungkin boleh menjadi kenyataan.

laki cikgu kimia said...

betol2 oldies dr sam nih!

puspawangi said...

Dr Sam,

Mana pulak mak orang, cuba doc tengok betul-betul, kan gambo tu masih budak kan, kan..

PerantauSepi1306 said...

hehehe.. once i also used to ride that big black bike...rembattsss arwah atok punye ;p rempitttt tu.. kira plg hebat la bila brek je buat ala-ala drift sket ngeh, ngeh, ngeh..

alahaiiii innesen nye muko dak dolu-dolu kan ;D

Ida BorneoLove said...

entah where to find basikal tua nowadays.. One day gonna be on the museum punya wall

Sir Pök Déng said...

That's one interesting thing -- learning inertia by riding a bicycle. I'd rather run down a steep slope and stop when the whistle blows. It's much fun. Haha!

DrSam said...

laki cikgu kimia,
aisey...tukang karut ni pun dah boleh dikategorikan oldies juga.

puspawangi,
kalau bukan mak orang, mak budak le kot ye?

PerantauSepi1306,
zaman dulu merempit tak bingit macam sekarang. paling tidak pun merempit dalam sawah padi aje.

ida Athanazir,
That particular bicycle still survive until today. No more shine and functionally is till sound.

Sir Pok Deng,
Good idea and a good way to learn physics too. Fun yes!

idasm said...

Dr., betullah tu S. R. Sultan Omar, Dungun. Hehe... 1975, sy baru lahir, 1981 sy bru darjah 1.

DrSam said...

idasm,
saya kat SRSO tu satu tahun aje. Darjah satu, sebelum berhijrah ke Kemaman.

annfrendly said...

Masih elok lagi gambar2 ketika persekolahan Dr Sam.

Sebelum ni saya tak pernah melihat uniform budak sekolah menegah agama tahun 80an..

Sekeping gambar sudah boleh mengimbau kenangan bersama kawan2 di alam persekolahan. sungguh manis..

saya takde bergambar macam Dr Sam ketika dialam persekolahan. Rasa macam menyesal aje. Nanti tak dapatlah tunjuk kat cucu2..

DrSam said...

ann frendly,
saya memang dari dulu suka bergambar dan simpan elok-elok. Gambar-gambar lama ni kalau kita tengok semula boleh senyum sorang-sorang.

Naddy said...

funny old times aite.

DrSam said...

mizzyN,
old times always make me smile.

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