Tangga delapan sembilan purnama

Hari ini kanda tidak lupa lagi
menggapai warna dikaki pelangi
kalungan jiwa sijantung hati
mengalun ingatan sematan sanubari

Ini hari istimewamu
salam rindu salam kasihku
kuntuman bunga sulaman kalbu
ikatan cinta pujangga hatiku

Tiadalah lagi kanda bermimpi
bangun pagi kucupan dipipi
tanda ingatan tulus abadi
kuntuman mawar mekar dihati
seharum kasturi semurni bidadari

Tangga delapan sembilan purnama
Selamatlah sudah 41 tahun lamanya
Dipanjangkan umur murah rezeki hendaknya
Hidup diberkati bahagia bersama
Doa ikhlas titipan dariku - buatmu dinda

Songket, Malam Namat and Koleh lemok

Few days back, I called Che' (my mom) at my hometown Kuala Trengganu, the land of keropok lekor. My nephew answered the phone and he told me that Che' was very busy at her kitchen preparing a big feast for the masjid. I was told later the feast was for a special occasion in this holy month, in Ganuspeak we called it 'malam namat' with the sabdu at the alphabet of 'm'.

Again, 'mlam namat' brought back many fond memories for me. As we used to enjoy 'malam namat' with all the special and exotic gastronomical delicacies at the masjid, which happens only once a year in this holy month of Ramadhan. 'Gulai itek sekati' and 'khesek' are the most anticipated dishes. But something stuck at the back of my mind and this has really puzzled me. Until now, frankly speaking (and shame on me), I am not sure what 'malam namat' is. I don't have the gut to call my father and ask him what 'malam namat' really is.

Yours truly : Malang namat tu mende Ayoh?
(What is malam namat Ayoh?)

Ayoh : mende mung Awang (nama manja :), besor jalo tue bake pong dok tahu lagi? (What wrong with you Awang , at this age you still don't know what malam namat is?)

The prospect of having reprehensible conversation with him, has led me to call my younger sister instead , Cendawanintim (who was with Che' doing the same kitchen chores) for some clarification.It turn out that 'malam namat' is actually 'malam penamat' or the day to mark the 'khatam' of 30 juzuk of Al-quran, recited from the first day of Ramadhan by the qariah at the masjid. My younger sister told me later that my kampung is among the first to finish (khatam). Bravo and Alhamdulillah.

This afternoon I received a package from a courier service. It was from my Che'. It was a special order from me earlier for the big day. As Che' is also probably the last remaining traditional Ganu Songket weaver, I have the privilege to choose the 'songket' to match with this years color theme. They are for the request and order from my colleagues as well.

I called her again today to inform that the consignment has safely arrived. Again she was very occupied with my other nephews, in her kitchen preparing and cooking a long list of local saliva-dripping kuih, and some are my favourite traditional kuih-muih. Sekaya, koleh kacang, koleh lemok, beker nyor, kuih telinga lembik, kuih bakor, nekbat, kuih tepung bunga, kuih golek abu, tok aji serban, akok and belede. Ahhhhhh.....neleh air liur :)

Terawikh and tawarikh

I was not in the city center last weekend, when 6000 or so of my countrymen celebrated a scaled down 52th Malaysian Merdeka Day in Parliament square. As far as I can remember, that was the first time one of our country biggest annual festivity was held in that place, with a very limited numbers of people involved.

Actually I was with my family 240 km away from the city center, to be more precise in Kuala Kangsar. We traveled there a day earlier. It was not because I ran away with the fear that the 6000 or so people who mingled freely with other unsuspecting carrier of the dreaded disease will escalate the spread of the already widespread pandemic, but because the school holiday was over and my eldest son once again forgot to remind me to buy him a bus ticket.

On most of the occasion, I will drive up north and come back again the same day. But the idea of doing a terawikh at one of the mosque listed as the most beautiful in Malaysia was so hard to resist. We booked and stayed at Resort Safari Sungai Perak, which is situated closely to the bank of Sungai Kangsar. It was only a walking distance from the bustling marketplace. There was a pasar ramadhan so lively with people and all the delectable choices of delicacies but we decided to have our iftar at the resort as the iftar promotion was very good.

Having an iftar at the resort was quite a memorable experience. The wide selection of traditional buffet was very impressive, tasteful and comparatively cheap (RM15/adult, RM10/kid plus one guess FOC). With our tummy well stuffed, my other half and me finally got the chance to perform tarawikh at Ubudiah mosque.

Indeed the architecture of the mosque was so stunning. If not because the imam beautifully reciting the verses in the Al-quran, I almost couldn't concentrate well in the pray - too mesmerized. We finished the tarawikh with only 8 rakaat. Still donning in my favorite sarong I quickly took the chance to snap some photos of that majestic man made creation (there were few who did the same :)

'Hari ini dalam sejarah'. I was there, 2 years ago on the 50th. year of Merdeka celebration. That was on the rehearsal day (2 weeks of rehearsal and strict practice on 'kawat and tabik spring' under a watchful eyes of 'Mat misai', in the 'terowong' waiting for the procession.

On the day itself with custom made and colorful costumes to mark the different era before the Independence. We marched and marched with pride, chanting with high spirit '..inilah barisan kita...'

"SALAM KEMERDEKAAN BUAT JIWA-JIWA YANG MERDEKA"

Only fools wanted to erase their past

Our ex-headquarter cum Gothic-style dungeon near Jalan Jelatek, Kuala Lumpur (that was the first impression of our previous CEO on the serene and ethereal atmosphere that clouded the remaining few laboratories and offices there - but what do you expect, a laboratory is not a fish market) is going to be gazetted as a National heritage with its old charm and beautiful iconic art deco of french architecture design from the colonial era. The most outstanding feature that really impressed me is the murals that lined the external wall of the old library (depicting the story of rubber) by an Italian artist Rudolfo Noli. He is also well known for his artistic work on Singapore's supreme court. That was a good move by the higher authority and I fully support that noble effort to add another collection into our national heritage coffer.

Being captivated in an open museum type-of-style and spending my entire adulthood in an almost prehistoric place like that, which dated as early as 1920s giving me ample opportunities to stumble upon many ancient relics from the past. While I am not stationed at Jalan Jelatek, but its main experimental station (set up earlier than the one in Jalan Jelatek) which is situated 35 km away near Sg. Buloh, the chance to step onto hidden treasures is of equal likelihood.

From time to time, during my leisure time in between mixing volatile chemicals in the test tubes and peeking into the intimate world of plant cells, I will scour the abandoned storerooms, old cupboards and cabinets scavenging for the past secrets. Depending entirely on luck and my gut feeling, I may find some interesting items that day. Some have been left unnoticed, collecting dust for many years. And some have been write-offed but left in its original place to be disposed away.

The above photo was a good example of such items in my ever growing archive. The brown and cubical shape box is not my lunch box. No...no...no... but actually a tape recorder. The item is still in a considerably good working condition (if I can find the manual and know how to operate it) but time has rendered the item not so fashionable anymore (and not practical either because it is quite heavy to move it around) and becoming an obsolete electronic marvel. The silver colored and smaller item at the bottom of that big box is its not-so-up-to date successor. Notice the size difference. Everything has become smaller these days (except men's greed). Some of the artifacts are still not being 'cataloged' yet especially the written documents, old manuals etc. (though most has been sent to our National Archive).

So it is quite natural for me to almost puke and empty my stomach in a nearby dustbin when I read not in disbelief, but in sheer disgust by some nickampoo out there (alamak... some could be my distant relatives) with their destructive and inconsiderable behavior. As many might already known, a nickampoo may behave like a monkey, and monkeys never appreciate anything even 'bunga tahi ayam' (as in jangan memberi bunga kepada monyet).

I don't want to write in lengthy on the subject matter as others (Abang Awang Goneng, Adik Ahmad Ali Karim, Adik Aiman Amani, here and probably many others.) have really done one good job in conveying the important message to the whole world and pleading everybody to help not only the keropok lekor-eating nation but our country as a whole in preserving the remaining heritage from their premature extinction. Insyaallah, I will do my small part (sending appeal letters - already compiling the list of recipients, campaigning, soft-talk to some old-buddy-now-ADUN friends and of course the doa).

It is very easy to build new buildings and big monuments, but almost impossible to create our past. The best is to preserve it!

The much talked about row of heritage shop lots that is now close to extinction (photo was taken from the opposite Kedai Payang's car park in 2007). I have many fond memories here. Kedai buku Alam Akademik (previously and famously known as Kedai Pok Loh Yunang) is where I could spend many hours browsing the books whenever I go to 'Kuale'. I got my first Enid Blyton's from this bookstore and straight away fell in love)

Another view of the same row. At the far side of the photo is Masjid Putih (not very clear in this photo as it is so putih and blended well with the sky/background).

note : photos of murals are courtesy of En. Salim Hamid (our in-house photographer)

Let's graduate with flying colors

Among the most anticipated family activities during this holy month of Ramadhan is breaking the fast or having iftar with the whole family. With our busy schedule these days, it is not so often we can do that, having a full corum on the dinner table. Thus it is very timely this year as the schools' one-week break happen to be a day before the first day of Ramadhan, giving the opportunity for my family to perform one of our religious observances in this special month.

This holy month has also brought back many fond memories of my yesteryear. I remember during my earlier bujang time, staying with my family in my kampung, when it close to iftar, it was the busiest time for the whole family. Ladies will get busy with their chores in the kitchen preparing food and men....err... making themselves busy anticipating the tasteful foods.

Everybody sat on the floor, ladies one dulang and the men another dulang side by side. That was also a good time to all family members to exchange stories. We sat and waited for the signal in the form of a big bang from a cannon on top of Bukit Puteri (close to the town of Kuala Trengganu) for us to start the iftar. The sound could be heard for miles. I was told it reached even Kuala Brang, which is 30 miles away. The cannon will also fire seven round of shots just after the announcement by the Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-Raja for the Eid and kids will line the paddy fields (because we can see the smoke from each shot) to cheer for the each bangs.

During this month also, our kampung's masjid will have big iftar gatherings by inviting fellow citizen from the neighboring kampung. It was a tradition. This time we invite you, next time you invite us. The foods were contributed by my kampung's folks - potluck style. I remember once, when my mother asked me to deliver the foods in a dulang to the masjid, my inexperience of dulang-balancing on my head had caused me to be showered by sweet tasting gulai all over my body! Throughout the month, we will be invited to other neighboring masjids for the same deed, of which everybody will enthusiastically complied.

Apart from the small part of iftar, this month of Ramadhan more importantly teaches us about patience, modesty and spirituality. Allah S.W.T offers us this whole month to ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance, purify ourselves by self-restraint and doing good deeds.

Let's pray that we enter and register ourselves in this Ramadhan semester with istiqomah. Let's also pray everybody will graduate at the end of this blissful month with flying colors.

The legend of three Awang

I was already in a state of half awake and half asleep when it came to the story of 3 'Awang's. The soft and sweet tune of my late Toki's (grandfather) voice had never failed to sedate me and put me into an instant hallucination. Normally that was the last story after so many other stories that I can vaguely remember now being narrated to me. In between those stories my late Toki would also sang the sweet Malay 'gurindam' dan 'syair'. He was very good at telling those stories and sang me those classical repertoire. The stories and the 'syair' became my bedtime lullaby during my childhood time.

In short, the three Awangs in the above mention story were none other than 'Awang telinga besor' , 'Awang tahi mata banyok' and 'Awang jubo tajam'. The last Awang will send my kids to an unstoppable giggling (gelekek) when I told them the story, and they realized the true meaning of that traditional Trengganuspeak. The bizarre but funny names were probably a nom de plume but they were there for a very specific purpose I will tell later. Fasten your seat belt please, the story goes like this (as far as I can remember, probably there are other untold versions somewhere in somebody's brainbox outside there).

The three Awangs lived in the period of gnomes, 'bughong ghede' and probably shared the same era as the more famous Pak Pandir and Mak Andeh. They were a happy bunch of happy-go-lucky wanderers and roamed this ancient land without any particular purpose. One fine day, during one of their long journey, they came to a big river. Across the river they saw a lively marketplace with lot people and most importantly plenty of food. Tempted by all those view plus the empty stomach, they wanted to quickly cross the river. But there was no bridge or sort of to be seen. Luckily, they saw a sampan left unattended nearby. Being the clumsiest and a no brainer, Awang jubo tajam straight away jumped into the sampan and sat on its floor. This is where the fun begin.

The moment Awang jubo tajam sat on the floor, praakkkkkk....his sharp ass (this is what actually means by 'jubo tajam' if you haven't know yet :) straight away punched a big hole into it, allowing the water to gush in and almost sank the sampan. But help was never far away. With quick thinking, his buddy Awang tahi mata banyok took some of his 'tahi mata' and managed to cover the hole thus stopping the sampan from sinking. I was told that his 'tahi mata' was more powerful that our current superglue. Then they faced another problem. There was no peddle to maneuver the sampan. To cut the long story short, Awang telinga besor, didn't want to be left out of action then happily just stretch away his big ears (imagine elephant's ears) and the boat sail smoothly across the river. the end.


That is the story I still remember until this day. The story that was told in a dim light of 'lampu peliga gas' or 'pelita ayam', with crickets and other nocturnal being serenading in the background. The last time I saw my beloved Toki was when I took a month break from my 'jihad' in 1997, and he waved solemnly from his balcony when we were going back abroad. I've never had any chance to meet him again after that.

During this Ramadhan, there won't be any 'meriam buluh' from my Toki. There won't be any 'pelita buluh' either from him and there won't be any early morning visit to his house in the first light of Syawal. But I will always remember his story and all the love he showered to me. I penned down this story so that it won't lost and my kid can still hear and giggle upon listening to this 'pusaka'. I pray that my Toki will be placed among the Al-solehin.

SELAMAT MENYAMBUT RAMADHAN ALMUBARAK!

Note: the above photo was the last photo of my Toki with one of my younger brother.

An open letter to my beloved wife

Kehadapan adinda yang dikasihi dan diingati sokmo,

Pertamanya dinda, maaf dipinta kerana warkah ini hadir bukan tepat pada harinya. Namun terlewat pun bukanlah sengaja, sehari dua sahaja lebih baik dari terus lupa.

Bersempena ulangtahun ke-17 ikatan cinta kita, buat sekian kalinya kanda meluahkan pendaman rasa kasih sayang yang tidak terhingga. Bahkan hari-hari yang dilalui bersama tidak sedetikpun terasa sunyi dan sepi dengan kehadiran dinda, namun penuh bermakna. Ditambah dengan kurniaan empat cahaya mata anugerahNYA, yang comel-comel belaka, tiadalah lagi bahagia yang dipinta.

Dinda,

Banyak sudah liku ranjau onak duri dilalui bersama. Susah senang bersilih ganti tidaklah terkira, menjadi asam garam hidup kita. Pengorbanan dinda tiada galang gantinya tak terbalas rasanya. Hanya doa mampu kanda panjatkan agar ikatan suci ini berkekalan dan diredhai hingga keakhirnya. Terimakasih tidak terhingga kerana sudi bertakhta dihati, teman hidup dikala suka dan duka penglipurlara.

Akhir kata penghujung bicara. Cinta ini tidak pernah luntur dari dulu kini dan selamanya. Akan kanda pegang erat hingga ke hujung dunia.

Peluk cium dari kanda,

DrSam