Saturday, January 25, 2020

Rahman Tahir

Sat 25 Jan 2020.




I'd been thinking of visiting "Rahman 'Ol" for a few days. I'd called him a month or so ago - I got the number from Jay, his sister, who I often meet at the golf club. She was the one who told me that her brother has not been feeling well. But this wasn't the real reason for this wanting to see him again. We go back to 1969, when we were housemates in Kampong Baru. The old memory was rekindled when Jay mentioned his name. And the last few days I'd been doing other things than golf, and got to thinking about my old friend again.

Today being Chinese New Year, I thought the highway would be less congested, and a good time for the  drive to Sg. Ramal Luar, Kajang, where Rahman stays. In fact the traffic northward to KL wasn't bad, but the opposite way was worse than normal. I told myself the Lekas highway would have less traffic, and I should take it on the return journey. I was wrong!

Over the years, whenever I drove back to Seremban from KL, whenever I passed the Kajang junction, I'd always think of stopping over at Rahman's house. Each time I'd look at my watch and decided to do it next time. On a few occasions I did turn to get to his house, but had always missed the turn off the new Kajang-Semenyih highway and ended up missing the visit altogether. One time I even turned, by mistake, to Sg. Ramal Dalam, which is the opposite direction, and lost my way deep in that congested settlement.

I know the house is near the Sg. Ramal mosque. I'd been to the old wooden house of Rahman's mother-in-law once. I'd been to the new brick house that replaced that wooden house when I came to his daughter's wedding. But then the area was not as highly built up as it is now, and I've lost the sense of direction. So this morning I thought I'd get company before venturing forth, and called Hank about 9. "I'm washing the dishes" was his answer. He couldn't come, anyway. "Got to go to Melaka for a wedding." So I drove solo.

When I moved to KL from Alor Gajah in 1969, Padir and I stayed on the top floor of Shuib's house in Kampong Baru that was rented out. I can't remember how we got there, but we ended up sharing  quarters with  Aziz Kadir (later becoming RRI Director, after his PhD from USA) and Rahman, Shuib's younger brother.

We were there when the May 13 Riots happened, right there in Kampong Baru. We had no choice but to eat with Shuib and his family during the curfew, and under those circumstances got to be close with Rahman. That he's from Seremban, and had worked in KP, also helped foster the closeness. 

In fact Rahman gave me Jay's phone number when I asked for it, after seeing her photo wearing dark glasses, which Aziz had picked up from Rahman's table and asked "Jay ke, Man?" Aziz knows the Hj. Tahir family. Later I did call Jay and spoke to her. "10,000 if you want her" Rahman replied when I jokingly asked if I could marry Jay. 10,000 in 1969 was huge. A semi-detached bungalow in Ampang Jaya at that time only cost 15,000. A 144 Volvo 8,000."Her clitoris is made of diamond ah?" I retorted. I never followed up on the call. Ahmad Salleh, a university lecturer from Terengganu came in, and married Jay. So when I tell the golf club marshalls  about Jay "laki dia mat salleh", they are  awed. "Yo ko?" Mat salleh is the jargon for "White man" - a Caucasian. I wasn't lying.

We did many things together, Rahman and I, before I moved house to Ampamg Jaya. He even took me to his Rasah house, near the Rasah mosque. The house is now demolished. I met his father. Rahman said he was an fierce PAS supporter, and each time the PM Tunku Abdul Rahman came on tv, his father would put his foot on the screen ! We often went out together, and Rahman would provide the female partners - "Chom", "Yati" and others. He also introduced me to a widow working in one of the carpet shops in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, and even took me to her rented room near the GH. 

The Kampong Baru house was next to another one where some nurses were renting out. Since we were on the top floor, our windows overlooked the rented rooms next door. At night Rahman would climb our closed window sill and peeped over the top glass pane. I caught him doing it late one night, and decided to join in ! 

Then I moved house, but once in a while, before my first transfer out of KL, I'd meet him at the PM's Department. Those days you could drive across town for lunch and still get back to office before 2. Then I moved to Seremban and lost contact. 

Rahman got married, then got posted to  Belgrade for 2-3 years, before the breakup of Yugoslavia. In fact my family and I did stop over in Belgrade when on holiday to London and took  "Yat" airline that stopped there for the Singapore-London flight. I told Rahman just now, had I known he was in Belgrade then, I'd have stopped over.

Rahman came to some of my children's wedding, he recalled today. I had met him once at the Kajang bazaar a long time ago, after his retirement. He ran a stall there for a short while. We had a few phone contacts through the years.

His daughters have done well, scholastically and professionally. All are engineers, all foreign-trained, all apparently successful. One has been posted by her employers to Singapore for many years now, and Rahman often stayed there when he was much stronger.

Rahman is 81 now. His lean frame has not changed much, nor his countenance. But he says he has aches all over the place, and his eyesight prevents him from driving. I said the aches are normal, as are the midnight bathroom breaks. I said take daily walks to improve the blood circulation. I play golf everyday instead, I said.

So this morning I drove to Sg. Ramal Luar, and made at least 2 false turns before I decided to take a break at the Sg. Ramal mosque, where I took a leak, and was surprised to see a roti canai stall operating in the mosque compound.  I stopped and had a teh o kosong and roti canai, which it turned out later was paid for by two young guys who were there earlier. I sat at the table occupied by a lone old man and asked about Rahman, whom he knew, and he then gave me directions. The house is just 100m from the mosque. I also called Rahman, and he gave me the same instructions, but not before answering tersely "mano den tau !" when I asked if he knew who was calling. He knew, but it was just Rahman !

I couldn't help being emotional when I took leave from Rahman and Aishah. I saw that Aishah had tears, too. Rahman seemed steady. "I don't know when we'll meet again" I said.



..........................................................................................................

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Fuad Jaafar.

Fri 24 Jan 2020.



I'd learned from Rizal Sardon during our FMC PD Reunion on 15th December 2019 that Fuad had a stroke in Hainan, and his 2 children had gone to join Hasnah, their mom, there to look after things.  Rizal had studied in Brighton with Fuad, and Rizal was with me when I enrolled at the then Federation Military College, Port Dickson, in 1961. FMC later moved to Sg. Besi and became Royal Military College.

I'd immediately asked Padir to check the facts, but he only came back to me after several days, after he'd heard from Aziz Zakaria about Fuad. There wasn't any other info. Then Ajit also mentioned that Bedah had passed the word around about the same basic info, and nothing else.

Last Wednesday  Padir  updated the info, that Fuad is now in Avisina Hospital, Shah Alam. So I called Calit, and after Zohor Thursday I picked him up and were at Avisina Hospital before Asr. Hasnah said Padir  came that morning.

Fuad was the CEO Tenaga Nasional. Hasnah, his wife, is my father's elder brother's daughter. That makes her a first cousin, of course. I first met Fuad when Hasnah brought him to see my father in Tebat Kering, KP. Later we would often meet because we share the same love for golf. I attended his sons' weddings. The last time I met him was the day before he left for Australia for golf, and that must have been no more than a month before this Hainan trip, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, Hainan was also a golf trip. His friends were waiting for him to come out of the changing room at the golf club, but he never did. They found him on the floor, in a helpless state, but still conscious. It was only in the ambulance that he lost consciousness. It was a stroke.

Fuad was in the hospital in Hainan, which is a 4-hour flight from KL, for nearly a month. Early January he was flown back to Singapore, then driven by road in an ambulance to Shah Alam, and has been here for more than 3 weeks now.

Fortunately Hasnah had always followed him for every golf trip he made. That was the most important factor this time, because of the language and technical constraints. There were disbursement issues, immigration issues, and the medical arrangements involving many parties, and these certainly were facilitated by having Hasnah personally present throughout.

Hasnah related the massive efforts in all matters relating to Fuad's treatment in Hainan, and the transfer back home to Shah Alam. Apparently a special "ambulance" aircraft was arranged, complete with attending medical staff, just for Fuad alone. Even Hasnah wasn't allowed to accompany him.  Hasnah had sorted out the visa problems earlier. Now Fuad is here, about to be transferred again to a special therapy ward later this month.

Fuad is fully conscious but still not able to communicate when we visited him in Shah Alam. Hasnah, of course, has a way to communicate with her husband. They are assigned to one of the executive suites in this private hospital. I wouldn't venture to assess the financial implications, but I'm sure TNB takes care of their  senior people.

Fuad is one year my senior in age, I just found out from Hasnah at the hospital. Several of my old friends were with him in MCKK. There was Tajuddin Ariff, Ghazali Kamal Baharin, Ramli Ujang, Md. Zain Yusof, and others. In fact if my father didn't stop me, I would have joined Fuad in MCKK in 1958, but that's another story.   

Fuad must have had a superior golf game than mine, because I know he was a single-handicapper when I was just starting. I would bump into him in KGNS with his golf "kaki's". That was when he was still working. That golf became a fixture after retirement wasn't surprising, of course. I've played in Australia, but not China. He must have covered more countries than me. Now his priority is  his health's full recovery, and golf must wait. I hope he'll be able to come back to the game he loves.

Through life you don't always get to be close to close relatives. Each has his own path and destiny. But one thing I've made up my mind to do is to keep tabs on family members that I know of, that I hear about.  I hope our visit to the hospital helped cheer Fuad up, but  we all pray for his complete recovery, Amin !


.....................................................................................


Friday, January 17, 2020

Friday prayers.

Sat 18 Jan 2020.



I don't know why I called Hank Thursday, but I did, and we agreed to meet at the  State Mosque after Friday prayers, which was yesterday. He's mostly in Seremban now, and we hadn't met since the PD FMC Group gathering. I said to meet on the mosque's steps, and he said he'll bring Bhajan's book. Hank naturally missed both - the mosque's steps, because he went to the side entrance, and Bhajan's book, because he just plainly forgot about it.

Hank normally goes to the Hussein Mosque in S2. He said he was unimpressed with the "bilal" just now, with the quality of his rendition. I said there is a worse bilal who was off today. I said usually I'm the first jemaah to arrive, around 11.30. To Hank's question I said I just recite prayers and read Surah Kahfi while waiting for the proper prayers to start.

We both agreed about the unbecoming behaviour of some members of the congregation. Not waiting for the main doa after the main prayers, and reciting out too loudly when praying, were two behaviours  that  we both agree irk us. I said those who immediately stand up to do their "sunnat" prayers and refuse to join the imam's supplications are stingy and uncharitable. Those who recite too loudly are "haram" according to the  majority of ulamas.  But I said I console myself by saying at least they bother to come to the mosque.

I kept my promise and took Hank to the regular restaurant I normally go to after  Friday prayers at the State Mosque. I chanced upon this little shop many years ago, when I went to the bank just a few doors away. I found the freshly prepared mee tasteful, and try to make lunch here whenever I could after Friday prayers. The State Mosque is close by.  So this time I ordered mee ladna for the both of us while Hank was busy trying to park his car properly in the parking spot right in front of the restaurant. At the end of our meal Hank said the mee was ok.  As we were having our post-prandial coffee, Terence walked by and I called him, and  he joined us. Terence is a lawyer and his office is close by.

We covered a lot of topics, the three of us.  We asked Terence what he thinks of Lateefa Koya at the MACC. We commented on Malaysian education, now that Mahathir has taken over the ministry. We touched on the fate of pensioners - Hank and I and Terence's mother are all pensioners. We even spoke about Hank's mention of a second spouse, which I discouraged, but Terence kept his counsel. His advice obviously isn't gratis.

We spent more than an hour at the restaurant. Hank had to send me back to the mosque to get my motorcycle. I had picked the tab this time. I said "the next one is yours".


...................................................................................

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Another 75-year old in the family.

Thurs 16 Jan 2020.



Cinut was given a 75th. birthday lunch this afternoon. Ari hosted it at "the Rebong" close to the Bkt. Aman Police HQ, KL. He was 300 poorer for it, but surely immeasuribly  richer  because of it.

Eight of us had "bisek-bisek" about it a couple of weeks ago. We wanted to hold a small, close-knit gathering in a nice place in KL because Cinut lives in KL. Two bisek-biseks pulled out but another two (not bisek-biseks) were pulled in, so the total of eight remained to the happy ending.

This was my first visit to "the Rebong". Ari, Wira and Idah were impressed by the place.  It was "ok" to me.  They laid out a lot of Negeri dishes, but there were other stuff, too, except Western. The sweets and fruits and tit bits were plentiful and tasty, not like some hotels that offer watered-down coconut milk and little stale Malay cakes. 

We took what was apparently the only air-conned room there, so there was some privacy, because by 1 pm the place was quite full. Ari had asked a group of the staff to sing "Happy Birthday" and "Allah Selamatkan Kamu", and Cinut blew out some (not 75) candles on the fruit cake I bought on the way here, and Ari and I gave our birthday gifts, and the birthday party was complete !

I told Ari last week I'd like to bring a birthday cake. I told him to keep it a secret so that it'll be a real surprise. I wasn't surprised, though, when Idah inquired about it a few days ago, which meant  Ari had let the cat out of the bag. 

So right then I decided to go for something else. I thought of chocolates, then "Scholl" sandals, and, Tuesday finally decided on dress material, which I bought Wednesday from "Gulati's" Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. It was  3.5 m. of fine, expensive cloth, and I bought the birthday greeting card as well as a nice gift box from "MPH Bookstore" at NuSentral, KL Sentral. 

On the way to the Rebong this morning, when Ari inquired about my cake, I said I didn't buy it because it'd cumbersome carrying it in the train. I had wanted to come by train to KL, and take a taxi to the Rebong. Ari then said ok we'll stop on the way and buy the cake, now that we were all going in Ari's SUV instead.  I had to agree, to hide about the gift I'd already bought,  which was  in my knapsack I had with me. That was why we had the cake at the party after all. 

Ari and Wira had bought a nice, branded scarf, which Shima had in her house at Kota Damansara, which was why we had to go there before going to the Rebong. As it turned out, the scarf and my material matched ! 

I was also thinking, the cake or the chocolate would be consumed, and that was the end, but a dress would last forever, and  it'd be a nice reminder.

There's a soft spot for me for Cinut, who's more than a sister-in-law.  I don't always show it.

Our families, my late parents and her late parents, were friends from 1951 when we were in Tanjung Malim. In 1957 we both moved back to Kuala Pilah, but the contact was always there. So when I proposed to Idah in 1970, the two families were only too happy about it.

In 1963 or 1964, before I went to university, Cinut came to my parents' house in Tebat Kering, with Nodi,  who was just a small girl in a skirt. I can't recall the reason for the visit, but Cinut did tell me she was getting married to Bang Piei. And Bang Enon took me to their  wedding in Lonek, because he was invited by his school mate, Bang Piei. I remember the muddy track serving as a road. It was wet. I also remember we stopped for directions at exactly the front of Idah's house, and that person ( I think it was Idah ) pointed the way.

 Later when already married, we went to Cinut's house in Johor Baru many times, both when in the police quarters and in Century Garden. Once we took the train and Bang Piei was supposed to pick us from the station but conveniently forgot about it and we had to take a taxi. When Cinut was in Kota Bharu, we went there many times, and we played golf several times in Pengkalan Chepa. 

I took Cinut to Hawaii when No. 1 Son was studying there. Idah and Cinut went shopping and the Japanese-American street vendors cried "don't come, don't come!" the second day they went shopping again, because they had bargained like in Chow Kit, and the Hawaiians became alarmed ! 

I took Cinut to Orlando, too, when holidaying there, and we stayed for a week and went to Disneyland. Cinut cried the second day, and I thought it was because Bang Piei didn't come along, but recently Idah said it was something to do with Klemot.

I also took Cinut to Sydney when we went for No. 2 Son's graduation. 

And all the time Cinut and I  still are  arguing about everything. My emotions got hold of me momentarily when I passed my gift to Cinut this afternoon. I had inscribed on the card "To Cinut, A Happy Birthday, with eternal rememberance, from Zainal and Idah".

We're both 75 now. I had wanted very much to make it today, once we were talking about it. 75 is a special number, a milestone. Nodi, the only "bisek-bisek" missing, that little girl in the skirt in 1963, should have come.


....................................................................................

Monday, January 13, 2020

"LETTERS"

Tues 14 Jan 2020.



Before I took to blogging, which was quite late, anyway, about 12 years ago, I used to write to NST's "Letters", and  quite a few of them got published. Unfortunately I didn't keep the newspapers and those letters are lost. I stopped writing to NST once I started my blog. However, recently I found a few cuttings from among the loose papers in my old, stuffed and disorganized filing system. Here I'll start posting them as part of my penned thoughts that I may want to recollect.  You might say I've published before I blogged   he he.

This one was published by NST on  8  December, 2003.

"We need more traffic policemen to watch road users."

"The objective of any exercise to reduce accidents because of bad driving should be to take the bad drivers off the roads.

Driving licences should only be given to those who are 21 and above.

Have a compulsory half-day class on road safety for heavy vehicle drivers.

The traffic police should be doubled in size to pull traffic offenders off the roads and put some fear in would-be offenders.

Convene Special Traffic Courts six days a week to quickly deal with traffic offenders.

A life ban on drivers convicted of causing fatalities should be made mandatory, on top of other punitive penalties."

On 10 March 2004 was published:

"System needed to prevent rail mishaps."

"I wonder how the recent KTM Commuter train accident happened.  What was the tailing driver thinking, or was he thinking at all ?

This is certainly not the busiest line in the world, and it was still daylight. There must be some kind of system installed to prevent such mishaps.

While on KTM, why can't something be done to the flood-prone lines in Kajang ? It's ridiculous to think that a downpour can stop our trains in this area. I notice that the problem is the flooding of the big drains parallel to the tracks. Why can't KTM enlarge these, or divert the water ?"

NST on 29 March 2004 published:

"Younger voters less reserved about making demands."

"The most heartening feature of the elections must be the high turnout, indicating that the population is interested in the type of government it wants. The new Government shouldn't lose sight of this fact - it must be sensitive to the aspirations of the people.

The second observation is the significant number of younger voters who participated. Therein lies the future depth and strength of the voice of the people: they are better educated and informed; and are more articulate and less reserved about making their demands known.

The racial mix of candidates should impress the political parties of the need to appeal across the ethnic barrier. MIC certainly cannot win a single seat without the support of the Malays and Chinese. The urban Chinese are still very much influenced by Chinese issues and Chinese candidates. But in the long run they have to accept that to have any long-lasting impact on national government, they must compromise on issues close to the hearts of their Indian and Malay countrymen. In turn, the obvious change in the so-called Malay belt means only moderation can stand the test of time.

My observation in my locality this time was that the role of the individual candidate was not very important. A few obviously  unpopular  candidates still won handily, thanks to the political party that backed them. People realise that the candidate alone cannot make things happen. Rather, it is the party that is put in power that can embark on programs for the benefit of the population.

The results also showed that the people are realistic. They want a strong government that can deliver. We will wait and see whether this is made good. At the same time,  however, they have also voted in what they obviously consider  a credible Opposition, indicating that they are sending a signal to the Government that it had better be on its toes."  

On 14 April 2004 they published:

"Get on with the job and fulfil promises quickly."

"Now that the polls are over, the Government should get on with the job and fulfil as quickly as possible all the promises made. No election is perfect. Even the self-proclaimed protector of democracy, the United States, didn't have one the last time they chose a President.

Now, we hear all kinds of increasingly ludicrous pronouncements from the political parties. One says it will only recognize the election results where it won. Another is intent on dragging the EC to disgrace. The largest political party is gearing up for party elections, which are usually bloodier than the general elections.

There are bigger issues. Crime is on the rise. Town and country are still susceptible to fire, floods, diseases and neglect.

But this is not to paint a picture of despair for Malaysia. This is about doing something relevant."

On 16 April 2004 was published:

"Address shortcomings in implementation of NS."

"The concept of national service is good and the intentions noble. However, the implementation suffers the Malaysian malaise.

Malaysian leaders often come up with great and well thought-out ideas, but fall short in the implementation or enforcement. 

We have to realise that NS is a totally different animal. The mess during the initial registration and transportation was avoidable.

Then we  really must look  at the trainers - who are these people ?  Are they qualified ? The syllabus may be fine, but what about the interpretation of the syllabus at the various camps ?

Proper psychology is imperative in dealing with high-spirited youth. Hooliganism is not an NS problem. It's international.

It's ironic that these fights are reported in NS camps when it's esprit de corps, tolerence, understanding and patriotism that are supposed to be the values the trainees learn.

The ministry concerned must address these shortcomings urgently."

The next one was published  on 20 April 2004.

"SPMC fiasco avoidable if PSD, State had talked."

"Were it not for the grave implications, the case of two Presidents for the Seberang Prai Municipal Council would be a comedy of errors. As it is, the episode has led to some hearty laughs at my golf club.

First of all, do our elected leaders, both old and new, understand the principles of federalism ? The Federal Constitution clearly gives certain powers to the State, and others to the Federal Government.

If the legal staff in Penang and PSD had bothered to check, perhaps we would not have seen this problem.

The SPMC fiasco wouldn't have happened if the PSD and the State Government had simply communicated directly with each other, and not assumed anything.

This reminds me of an estate manager I used to know, who was often at odds with his contractors. He would simply end their arguments by shouting "sapa besar, lu ka saya?""

Published on 29 April 2004 was:

"Truants should not be treated as criminals."

"Let's not over-react in dealing with school truants. We had truancy in my days, and will continue to have it in my grandchildren's days.

Many of us played truant but still managed to get our university degrees, and went on to have children with university degrees. Truancy is not a crime.

Even not attending school at all is still not yet a crime. If truancy is wrong, using the police is also wrong, and two wrongs don't make a right.

The police have more urgent matters to deal with than going on moral patrols.  We often do bad things in the name of good intentions.

This is sad because a lot of misery may be avoided. Truancy is not fatal, so let's not treat it like it is.

The best people to deal with it are parents. Have we forgotten our own experiences ?

We are now trying to enhance the family as an institution with the National Integrity Plan.

Passing the responsibility of disciplining our children to the police would hardly help. The police, under the present conditions, are in no position to handle our schoolchildren.

Are you willing to traumatise your children with poor handling by untrained people over an issue that is your parental duty to resolve? 

Can you imagine the permanent psychological scar on your children if they are summarily shoved by a group of uniformed personnel and hauled to the police station where real criminals are taken ?

Children are the parents' responsibility, and until they commit a crime, no one has the right to infringe on their legal freedom.

The Government that we put into power must ask for our opinion before it embarks on something that is important to us parents - the right to bring up our children the way we want.

This is supposed to be a caring government that has just been returned to power.

So let's be caring and not use the big stick at the slightest excuse. For starters, let's recognise truancy for what it is - a phase in an adolescent's life.

If the phenomenon is so rampant as to be epidemic, then it's a sympton of something gone wrong with the whole school environment."

On 10 May 2004 was published:

"Bush should take blame for torture."

"Bit by bit, the story of what's taken place inside Iraq since the invasion is coming out in graphic pictures that are, as they say, worth a thousand words.

The torture and murder of Iraqi prisoners-of-war by US and British soldiers is not supposed to happen. They are supposed to teach the Iraqis decency, morality and democracy. They are supposed to be civilised people wearing the uniforms of the US and British forces.

Their acts have no place among civilised human beings. In fact, the blame should not end with US Brig-Gen Janice Karpinski, but must go all the way up to the Commander-in-chief, US President George W. Bush. Saddam Hussein was supposed to be the evil one. Well, he's in good company."

And on 10 September 2004 was published the following:

"Closing TNB service centre bad move." 

"We are glad that TNB is making a whole load of money every year, give and take a few ringgit not collected here and there from a few very visible and very large accounts. What the company needs to show is that it also has a heart and thought for the convenience of the small-town consumers whose few ringgits also add to the TNB pile.

I'm talking about the closure of the one-woman-clerk TNB service centre at Jalan Pulasan, Bandar Baru Ampangan, Seremban, this month.

The whole idea of this township built several years ago was to distribute the services for the Seremban town folk and ease the congestion inthe heart of the old town.

Now TNB has decided to save the cost of that one clerk and force consumers in this area to join the crowds at the TNB offices near the forever-jammed railway station and main market areas.

Why can't TNB for once think of the plight of its customers instead of its bottomline ?" 

These are a few of the earlier ones found intact.



................................................................................





Saturday, January 11, 2020

The old jalopy.

Sat 11 Jan 2020.



The 18-year old jalopy has served me well, it can be said. It has to, because I pay through my nose for it.

Road tax and insurance cost me RM 212 monthly.

This year's running costs, inclusive of fuel, engine and a/c servicing and spare parts, and tyres, have already cost me RM 520 monthly.

That's a total of RM 732 monthly, or almost 25 ringgit per day!

So if I can find a car rental of that amount, I might as well rent and not have any headache from the problems of ownership.

Even now, I go to KL by bus and thereon take the LRT-MRT-Monorail route. The senior citizen discounts mean Seremban-KL is only RM 4.50, and the inner-city travel averages about another RM 4, for a grand total of RM 13 per day. The toll alone would cost RM 20, to and fro, if I take the car. What about fuel and parking fees ? And the worst part. of course, is the driving, with the damn jams.

Around Seremban I ride my 135 cc Yamaha. It outruns the fastest model of any car in town. I also beat the lights when the coast is clear, albeit the red light. Of course I've been caught, but the trick is to sheepishly grin and say sorry, and not act "loyar buruk". It works everytime. I had fallen from the bike more than once before, one time even losing consciousness and only waking up in hospital. Each time the safety helmet had saved me, thank God. That time I was unconscious, the good samaritan who took me to hospital even kept for me my wallet and credit cards and my 1990 Rolex that cost me RM 5 K then.

So my old jalopy is used mainly for the morning golf appointments, and going to the malls for  provisions. Other than that, it stays under the patio roof, protected from the weather, but not from the pesky neighbour's cats who prefer my car roof rather than their owner's. 

18 years is a long time, but the old jalopy stays. Why, I can still exceed 160 kph in it if I want to. Only the consumption is also 18. Miles per gallon, that is(sigh!).

.........................................................................................

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Kg. Paya Besar, Buluh Kasap.

Sunday 5 Jan 2020.



This is posting no. 1 for 2020 - that mementeous year Mahathir had set his sights on 25 years ago, as the "Malaysia Developed Economy Year". This also happens to be the optometrists' notation for perfect vision: 20:20. I'm sure this was not lost to Mahathir then, the old fox!.

Yesterday the "indoks" of the "Ujang-Banun Clan", all but 2 of the surviving members, trooped to Nodi's cottage perched on the edge of the "paya" here in Kg. Paya Besar , Segamat. Bibah and Kak Inam must have had other more important things to do.

Ari and Wira came with us in Dekna's Carnival,  after Idah insisted we pick Kak Mot first. I had asked Ari to fetch Kak Mot, but he asked me, instead. I was ready to skip it, but Idah intervened. As it was, Idah had to crawl into the third-row seat. Serves her right ! Anyway, Kak Mot must have somehow sensed Ari's and my pranks, because as she alighted from Dekna's Carnival on being brought back home, she almost sadly said " akak ni kok ado yang bawak dapek lah samo, kok tak, takdo lah". (Sob).

Ari suggested we go via Bahau.  Traffic shouldn't be heavy as it was only 9 a.m. I'd told Ari I'll fetch him at 9 o'clock but purposely came half-an hour early, and caught them both un-ready. Later we even stopped for breakfast at Ah Meng's popular coffee shop in Parit, where we met several acquaintances, including Nosa Ngat-ngat and family, and Nosa ended up picking the tab ! She was on her way to KL for fresh stock - she operates a dress shop in KP.

In spite of the stop and the leisurely drive, we arrived at Nodi's place early. In fact Nodi & Olin were still not home from a last-minute shopping trip. We left the party at about 4. But we went back via Rembau, and  stopped for some satay in Senawang. It was 6.30 then.

This was the third such meeting, after the first one at Ai's little cottage in Kg. Durian Tiga Batang, and the second one at that forgetable restaurant near Forest Hills, Senawang. The next one would be hosted by Cik Ani, and she suggested "the Rebong" KL, though loudly objected to by Bang Piei."Membazir!" The Rebong is supposed to be expensive, thus the objection by stingy Bang Piei. But Cik Ani is probably planning her own 75th. birthday party. I think I'll give her a secret birthday present.

Nodi had taken a lot of trouble to prepare a nice table, with traditional dishes and fruits and lots of Malay cakes. I concentrated on the fruits and cakes, taking just a senduk of rice with tempoyak and gulai daging, washed down with plain water. The others attacked the food with gusto, especially Bang Piei, who loudly asked for more rice before finishing his first serving. But he had to use fork & spoon. He can no longer control his fingers when scooping the rice into his mouth. That was why when he arrived earlier, his shirt was unbuttoned. Cik Ani had to do it for him, poor Bang Piei. He's already using a cane to walk. Like Bang Dek. "Playing rugby" Kak Mot said in the Carnival. I said my brother Dr. Din played international rugby at university, and Md. Nor Jidin played rugby in UiTM, but they're still walking upright. "Not yet" Kak Mot defended Bang Piei.

These meetings, starting with the first, emotional one at Ai's house, are supposed to complement the periodical gatherings organized by "The Clan", but limited to the induks only. There are 9 left - Kak Mot (single), Kak Inam (single), Bang Dek (couple), Cik Ani (couple), Bibah (single), Idah (couple), Ari (couple), Bal (single) and Nodi (couple). Bang Dek and Ari are the last two male induks.

The first meeting  was emotional because it was the first one. The subsequent ones were not. Both Ari, who acted as M.C., and Bang Dek, the most senior male member, shed tears. I wasn't moved because it was just a gathering of surviving siblings, trying to maintain close family ties. In many families the strong ties are evident, borne by frequent contact and close proximity. In this clan, members have married in various directions, children have carved separate careers where work often made contact infrequent, and life generally follow different paths. So this effort to keep contact is credible in sustaining a good family tie. The only danger I see is to make it forced and too formal. There are signs.

Bang Dek has grown more emotional with time. Age and bodily degeneration would do this to you. Family experience does that, too. He used to criticise Bang Tai when he was emotional when marrying off Dek Mar. Now he knows.

Ari is always emotional, but in a good sense. He's always close to his brother and sisters, and they him. The nephews and neices, too, see this trait and return their warm feelings for this particular uncle. So whenever the family get-together calls for some tears (of joy, really) Ari behaves accordingly !

The drive to Segamat was filled with chatter. I contributed only intermittently. Kak Mot didn't want to lose out and contributed her share, which was ok, because she's no Idah (she's the strong & silent type lah ). We talked of Wira family members and Kak Mot's family members and Bang Dek's family members, and other family members who were not in the Carnival (they don't know so shouldn't mind). The one thing that Ari wanted to stress on  was his appreciation for his nephews' and nieces' and grand nephews' and grand nieces' love and respect for him. Let me tell you, this isn't universal, certainly not in this family, and I admire Ari's predicament. I don't teach my four kids disrespect for elders, and I see they're ok there, so far. But there is one or two  among them who won't even acknowledge my presence, not that I'm disturbed by it.

We also talked about how Ari met Wira, how Nodi met Olin, and how I met Idah. So we mentioned Taman Murugesu 1974 and Bang Jat getting chocolates from Wira everyday because she'd walk up in front of my house to get home on the top of the hill. Ari was mostly in my house, because I was in University of Birmingham for six months, attending a management course. On Nodi I asked how come she met Olin because she was with Felda, Seremban (I put her there),  and Olin was a Malaysian clerk in London. Ari said to ask them later in Segamat, but it didn't happen. In my case, and Ari knows some of the details, I mentioned Nazri Adam and Hussin Lonek and Bang Dek in Ampang Jaya, but didn't continue with the narration because I could feel the cold breeze from the back of the Carnival !

We all took opportunity to congratulate Ai for his appointment as the Chairman of the J.K.K.K. making him the "Ketua Kampong." It's a political appointment but carries a stipend, and the resposibilities are many. They call the K.K. "Datuk Ketua Kampong." So I told Ai's wife "You're Datin now."

Ari also mentioned that he heard Sham wants to sell her house and stay with one of her kids. Everybody at the back of the Carnival suggested advising Sham to not follow the style of her Singaporean kin, looking for cash just to  travel.

Wira said in Nodi's house that Mizi is competing again in golf. I could only give my vehement support, quoting Gavin Green and Nicholas Fung, and that Mizi had invested so much time and effort to be a pro golfer that it's a waste to abondon the game when he has gone so far. Later I even strongly advised Kamil to take up golf, and called aside Ari and suggested he transfer his SIGC membership to Kamil, for a fee, of course. Ari just smiled, but said he has to consider Mizi, too, because he's not a member.  

Nodi had built this house while still working in Sabah. I went to the back, and picked some ant-infested but very tasty rambutan there. I see the house built right into the swamp. I can visualize the insects and other pests climbing out of the stagnant water invading the house. They should have built their house on the other side of the road, I think. But then, this was the plot available, I suppose.

Nodi's youngest daughter is completing her Hotel Catering Diploma course this year, and is already talking marriage, to a fellow student from Kelang. I call her "Iban." She was born when Nodi was working in Sarawak.

Kak Mot said Kak Munah (Orang Putih) was very different when Bang Din was around, and she was still a Singapore police officer. She'd hog the talk, cooked fast (and tastefully) and was the life of the party. Now she's down with Alzeimer's, mute and helpless, though she can still walk. Ai is a wonderful son. He takes care of her, toilet and all. It's, sadly, an uncommon action of a dutiful son, God Bless him !


...................................................................................