My early years, the way I remember it...2

I was not exactly of schooling age when I was moved to stay with my stepmom.  She was a wonderful lady who had aspired to be a school teacher after completing her year six education.  In a world where girls were seldom schooled, what more completing the primary education, a year six school certificate was a good enough pre-requisite for her to continue to be trained as a school teacher.  But fate was not on her side as she was forced into marriage soon after completing her year six education.  She had a son from her first husband that ended in a divorce.  Circumstance had it that the son was cared for by her grandmother when she married my father.  My father was then a planter venturing into deep pre-logged jungle to farm rubber trees.  That was not a place for a new born.  However, I was of age to join my father and Ma.  My life long lesson as a biologist, ecologist and agriculturist begins here.

I remember then that the settlement was quite a distance from Rantau Panjang town and was only accessible with a 4-wheel drive, the hardy Land Rover, during the dry season.  A few were used as 'taxies' ferrying passengers into the new landholdings.  Normally these were laden with passengers and their provisions for their extended stay in the settlement.  It used to take us about 4 - 5 hrs to reach our destination using this mode of transport.

During the wet monsoon season, we used the passenger boats.  These boats plied the settlements along the Sungai Golok river.  I remember the frothy swollen river and the ride upstream, against the current.  We boarded the boat at about noon at the Rantau Panjang jetty and with the frequent stops along the way for passengers to disembark at their respective destinations, we would only reached ours at about 9 pm.  Then there was another 30 minutes - 1 hr walk to our house.  Imagine a small sleepy child walking in the dark with the parents at that hour in deep jungle!  I can't hope for a ride on my father's shoulder or Ma to carry me.  They we both laden with our needs for the few weeks stay until our next trip to town.

Things have indeed change.  I don't know about the boats, whether they are still in use or not.  But one thing for sure, with the road that we now have, a car ride to the holding now takes us less than 25 minutes!  The decision to acquire the land to farm was indeed a brilliant foresight on my father.

Of inheritance and family tree

I have always wondered why I got to inherit some property across the border (talk about Rantau Panjang, Kelantan and Sungai Golok, Thailand).  It was some acres of rubber plantation which was under the care of a grandaunt (Tok Su Sitah).  I remember during my primary school days when I would walk across the Rantau Panjanag-Sungai Golok railway bridge (only a hand wave at the immigration officer attending to the border crossing booth would get the approval nod) to collect earnings from the plantation.  Not much, but a 100 Baths (RM10 equivalent) per trip went a long way in those years.  All the while, I thought that the Tok Su was my maternal (Mok Aji Esah) grandma's sister.

It was only recently and after some inheritance complication that I got a clearer picture of who I really am.  Seemed that I had a super rich great great grandfather, Haji Semael (Ismail), residing in Sungai Golok.  One of the sons, Lome (Abdul Rahman, my grandfather) married Esah.  Between them they had my mother, Kalsom (Som).  Som, being the favourite granddaughter, was endowed the said rubber plantation.  The venturesome Lome died young of mushroom poisoning.  I cannot recall anything of my mother.  She passed away when I was only a baby.  I remember spending my school holidays at my grandma's place at Kampung Kubang Bemban, Pasir Mas, located adjacent to Pondok Haji Ghoni.  Turns out that my grandma is a sister-in-law to Tok Su Sitah.

Now caring after my grandson, Adam, the heart is nudging me to seek my roots, wondering who had cared for me when I was a baby.  With the elders mostly gone, this could be a tough venture.

Unusually Loud People

Some people just want to make themselves heard, by everybody around, irrespective of place and even though we don't have ears for them.  I was at the hospital last Wednesday taking my cucu for his medical.  (Adam was diagnosed with a thyroid problem at birth and has to regularly meet up with his endocrinologist).  It was a hospital setting, crowded, what more being in a paediatric clinic.  Due to the long wait, some kids were dozing-off whilst some were screaming their heads off.  Indeed we have enough noise as it was.

Then there had to be a particular lady who was really loud.  Loud to the point of distraction and being a nuisance, let it be talking to her partner or talking over the phone.  I was really pissed off as my cucu was dozing peacefully.  No amount of stares could make her understand.  Wish I could tell her off but refrained to save my regrets later.

Seemed that this kind of people are everywhere in a crowd, let it be hospitals, bus, train, cafe, clubhouse....just name it.  I call this noise pollution and an infringement of other's auditory space and privacy.  It should not happen in a civil society but I guess we have a long way to go.

Happy Birthday Nur Damia Darwisyah

A neighbour's only child turned one today.  A celebration it was but not with the normal cone caps and birthday chorus.  For one it started with a doa selamat led by the neighbourhood surau imam followed by a nasi minyak feast and the dig into pulut kuning.  There was also a continous stream of guests near and afar.  It turned out to be quite a neighbourhood function.

With the reception tents erected, one could easily

mistake the occasion as an 'on-the road' wedding reception! 

The door gift for the guests would easily beat 

the ones offered at most wedding receptions.

What I love most is the garden setting.  The mom should be congratulated for her creativity and the opah for maintaining such a beatiful garden.

Opah's blooming garden.  A welcome sight indeed.

Happy birthday Nur Damia Darwisyah Zulkifli. 

Sorry no pics of the birthday girl.  She tired out and was fast asleep when we came.

I am a big boy now - Adam

Remember me?  Mami Tok had been too busy these days to show me to the world.  I knew she had been snapping my pics.  I flourish well and had a full run of Tok Abah's house with my walker whenever I am back during the weekend.  I know I have been an armfull (no hands can handle me now).  At 9.7 kg, Ayah Cik (Nazim) did compare me with the 10 kg rice pack!  How cruel of him.  But I know I'll melt him with my grin (toothless yet).  Nothing can stop me now, except for the boundaries set so that I would not fall down those steps.  Can't wait to see if I can just launch myself through.

02 May 2011 @ our Banting home

12 May 2012 - Tok Abah came visiting and up his lap I'll be

11 Jun 2012 - They posed me with quite a problem to solve

Yey.....nothing can make me happier with all worldly problems solved

09 Jun 2012 - As wet as a marathon runner can be

My father's age

I was summoned by my father to be home over the weekend over some unsettled family matter.  So it was a quick balik kampung weekend trip for us.  AirAsia did come to mind but thinking of the travelling hassle later, we chose to drive.  Without the normal holiday crowd on the highway we did arrive early at my father's.  The Kajang-Kuala Kangsar-Grik-Jeli-Penglima Bayu route took us just 6 hours using the SKVE-Elite-NKVE-PLUS-Kuala Kangsar-Grik-Jeli highways!

We expect to settle the matter fast.  However, going to the Pasir Mas Land Office and a quick look at the land title by the attending officer we were told to have father's IC verified by Registration Department Head Office at Putrajaya.  For that we have to go through the State Registration Department, Kota Bahru.  Seemed that my father's ID on the title has the KN prefix.  This could be for the population of his age group.  Apart from filling the form provided by the Kota Bahru office, we have to provide a photocopy of my father's ID card.  That was when I realised he was born in 1934.

I made a mention to him in passing, calculating his age.  He laughed it off saying that that was not his real birth year for he was already able to read in 1933!  The date was a random date picked during the ID registration excercise then.  Who knows how old he is.  I figure he is in his mid 80s!

Lost in my own world

I thought I was up and about with technology and current happenings.  It was until I was helping my youngest with her class assignment that I realised I was still living the life of the dinasour era.  She is in Form Two and had been assiged to come up with a group play and has asked me for a likely topic.

Play, theater, broadway, drama...what immediately came to mind was Shakespear.  SMASH did come to mind too.

For class fun and laughter, I suggested Taming of the Shrew.  The script came easily googling the internet.  They even have children's version of it.  I had it printed out for her to share with her group to have the initial idea of things.  Alas, she came back with a long worried face for none in the group understood what the classic was all about, far from appreciating it.  I promised them an abriged version giving them just the main story line.  Still no takers.  I am lost for words.

The lot draw in class got her group as the first to be presenting.  All were panicking as they were yet to come up with an agreable story line and script with only the weekend to come up with the play.  They volunteered to be on their own but seek permission to group at a friend's place to discuss the play, in a matter of life and death.

They came up translating a song video clip to a play.  I salute their ingenuity and more importantly, keeping up with their time.  It was presented to the class getting accolades for their effort.  Another job well done.

Where does this leave me?  I have to move with their time to be with them.  Bye-bye Shakespear, welcome 'modern' literature.