Minta Pada Allah! Reminder to Self.

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March 2011 In A Flash

1. I'm officially very very old. I was down with fever ( complete with incessant coughing and running nose) and it took me like forever to recover. It has been almost three weekends and I'm still feeling lethargic somewhat. Definitely the old age.

2. And when I'm sick I become extra lazy (and I neglect this space, obviously). Not good.

3. But in between all these drowsiness and sickness, I still made the time to attend my cousin's kenduri aqiqah for her latest grandson in early March (or was it in Feb?) and a wedding of another cousin's son in Ampang. Nice. Especially the nasi mendi.

4. And we also found time to watch I Am No. Four. We enjoyed it! 

5. And last weekend, we also made our way to my BIL's place in Sg Buloh and am happy to note that our nephew Shibli is now up and walking. Almost back to his old self. Alhamdulillah!

6. On the same day, the two daughters, Alia and Asma attended a Yayasan Salam's beginners' workshop where they took part in some community work by cleaning up a river somewhere in Gombak. That's way cool! 

The girls (extreme left) and others during some briefing session

Asma

Alia

The river that they cleaned up... doesn't look like a river, though!

7. Apart from all these happenings (how exciting right?), there's really nothing much going on in this household. And yes, I still hate maths.
8. And oh no, Perempuan Comel No 1 (those who follow my Facebook would know that's the wife) is now down with a fever. Hope she gets well soon!

Amazing Japanese

I have never been a fan of anything Japanese, although my three daughters, for some reasons, love the country and its culture, pop and otherwise! But still the calamity suffered by Japan stunned us all. Understandably, they (the girls, I mean) are more affected by the destruction brought about by the recent earthquake and tsunami. Who wouldn’t, right?

And they have tweeted, blogged and followed the development in Japan rather religiously. In fact, for the past three days or so, like in other household the world over, we have been glued to the TV as we watched the devastation in horror. Our prayers go out to all those affected.

On that note, the Japanese people have apparently been very open on Twitter about their experiences following the quake.  The following tweets (which I found on Facebook and have been duly translated) of what moved them and touched them during these very trying times are incredibly heart-warming. Read on... (and while we are at it, we Malaysians seriously should learn a thing or two from these stories)

#tweetone: At a supermarket where everything was scattered everywhere over the floors, shoppers helped picking them up and putting them back neatly on the shelves before quietly moving into the line to wait to pay for them. 

#tweetone: On the totally jam-packed first train after the quake, an elderly man gave up his seat for a pregnant woman. 

#tweetone: It was freezing and bus was taking ages to arrive.  One person left the queue to run to a nearby pharmacy.  He bought heating pads and gave one to everyone in the queue!  

#tweetone: It was cold and I was getting very weary waiting forever for the train to come.  Some homeless people saw me, gave me some of their own cardboard boxes and saying “you’ll be warmer if you sit on these!”  I have always walked by homeless people pretending I didn’t see them, and yet here they were offering me warmth. 

#tweetone: I see people standing in line, not pushing or shoving to get onto the Yamanote Line (probably the busiest line in central Tokyo), even at a time like this!     

 

#tweetone: There was a small bread shop on the street I take to go to school.  It has long been out of business.  But last night, I saw the old lady of the shop giving people her handmade bread for free.  It was a heart-warming sight.   

#tweetone: I just came back safely from the supermarket!  Man, I was so touched at how everyone there was mindful of others, buying only as much as they needed and leaving the rest for the people behind them. 

#tweetone: Japan is really something!  Yesterday, not a single traffic light was functioning in Gotenba City.  But drivers knew to take turns at intersections and give way to others when needed.  Local people were using flags to direct traffic at intersections.  I drove for 9 hours but never saw a single car trying to get in front of another.  Every single driver on the road contributed to the traffic situation and as a result there was no confusion at all

#tweetone: I spoke with an old taxi driver and some elderly staff at the train stations.  All of them had been working non-stop and had not been able to go home for a long time.  They were visibly very tired, but never once did they show any sign of impatience; they were gentle and very caring.  They told me “… because all of us are in this together.” 

#tweetone: I was impressed and touched by the actions of my neighbor’s 13-year-old-boy.  He was home alone when the earthquake hit.  But instead of hiding, as soon as the earthquake quieted down, he jumped on his bicycle and rode around the block repeatedly shouting at the top of his voice, “Is everyone alright?  Is everyone okay?”  At the time, there were only women and children and the elderly in the homes.  I cannot describe how comforting it was just to hear a strong voice asking if I was okay.  Thank you!  

#tweetone: I went out last night to help some friends who were volunteering as security personnel between Machida City and Sagami Ohno City.  I saw total strangers, both young and old, helping each other along everywhere I turned and was heartened with an overwhelming feeling of encouragement.  I was so touched I hid behind the toilets and cried. 

#tweetone: I’ve been walking for many hours now.  I’m touched at how everywhere I turn, there are shops open with people shouting “Please use our bathroom!” or “Please rest here!” There are also office buildings where people with access to information were voluntarily shouting out helpful tips, like “**** line is now operational

#tweetone: My husband finally got home very late last night after walking for 4 hours.  He told me he felt like giving up at around Akabane, when an elderly man who was going around handing out free coffee saw him, gave him a steaming cup and said, “You must be tired and cold.  Here, have some coffee!”  My husband told me that it was because of this elderly man that he found the will and strength to continue walking. 

#tweetone: At Osaka I saw a LONG line of people waiting to give blood at the blood donation center.  This is the first time I have seen such a queue of selfless people waiting patiently in line just to give.  It was a moving sight! 

#tweetone: A goth youth with white hair and body piercings walked into my store and shoved several hundred dollars (several tens of thousands of yen) into the disaster relief fund donation box.  As he walked out, we heard him saying to his buddies, “I mean, we can buy those games anytime!”  At that, we all opened our wallets and put our money into the donation box.  Really, you cannot judge people by their appearances.

#tweetone: I too saw the guy handing out free rice balls and miso soup on the way back from Akihabara.  I was on my bicycle so I told him, “I’m okay, please give it to other people!”  On hindsight, I should have taken one … they looked absolutely delicious!!

Bumi Sudah Tua!

Archie!

I don't really remember how we had gotten hold of Archie Comics in rural Temoh when we were young (perhaps it was through my aunties and uncles' collection at my grandfather's place in Pengkalan - yes that must be it!). Because of that, I kind of grew up reading those delightful American teenage comics. Archie Andrews and gang Sabrina oops Veronica, Betty, Jughead became my constant 'friends' then. They still are. 

Apparently, since 2007, Archie Comics started to make four-part "new look" series, which really look ... urm..."new". And yesterday, while poking around Book Xcess in Amcorp Mall with Alia and Asma, we stumbled upon the this Archie's Goodbye Forever series. I bought it immediately, of course!

Yeay!

For the love of train rides....

I am no train enthusiast nor I’m a train hobbyist (apparently there are those kinds of people out there) but I do have some sort of affection towards… err… trains.

I guess this fascination with trains can be attributed to the fact that I grew up in a house that’s located next to a railway track. Yes, my home (or rather my parent’s) in Temoh is just about 50-60 metres from the railway track.

I remember guests who stayed overnight at our place, more often than not, would have their sleep interrupted quite constantly when night trains rumbled on nearby. And I must say, the thundering sound of the trains can be rather overwhelming especially in the dead silence of the night. As for us, well, we have embraced the trains whole heartedly that it does not affect us one bit.

My mother told us that once, small town Temoh was thriving once because it has a railway station and she herself travelled daily on the train to Teluk Anson (now Intan) to attend her secondary school (Teluk Intan’s Convent School). That was in the 50s.

And as a child, one of my greatest desires then was to take a ride on those trains. I remember wanting so much to get on a train especially when several relatives from KL would do so and arrived to tell stories about their train ride. (And usually, if we knew someone would be coming over, we would wait by the track just to wave to them – we did this quite often).

I believe my first train ride finally happened when I was in Standard Two and it was a trip to the grand city of KL. If I’m not mistaken, the reason for going to KL then was to send off my uncle Ayah Chu, who’s about to further his study in the UK. Fortunately, my late father decided that maybe my brother and I could go on to KL (my two younger brothers, mother and him who would followed soon by car later) first by train. We were, understandably, overjoyed. So with my young and single aunt Wan Chu acting as chaperone, we boarded the train in Ipoh and began our long ride to KL. It was a Mel Malam (Night Mail) and we left Ipoh around 10pm. And we arrived in KL early the next morning. Punya la jauh……

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to ride on the trains a few more times. Some became quite memorable rides – like the ones in 1982 when we were in KL and my father phoned asking us (I was spending my school holidays at my aunt's place then) to get on the earliest train out of KL as his best friend (my future father in law) had passed on – it was sombre ride indeed; or the first train ride back kampong with two of my college mates (I’m sorry but their names escape me) in 1984 for my very first term break – the train was so crowded that I have to stand all the way back to Kampar!!!

Today, I still occasionally take a ride on the train via KTM Komuter especially on days when I have meetings in and around KL Sentral. I find it is much easier (no need to stress out braving the jam and looking for parking) and cheaper. But of course, on the downside, I don’t fancy riding in one during peak hours when all the cars are packed to the brim.

Anyway yesterday, the wife and I did a train ride again when we balik kampong for a day. And what a nostalgic and emotional day it was!

We started our journey very early. Left home at 4.30am and drove to KL Sentral. It was good driving in KL when the roads are deserted. Anyway, by 5.30am, we are securely seated in the train. At 5.30am on the dot, the KL-Ipoh shuttle service started its journey.

It was an uneventful journey as we were mostly asleep throughout the journey. But unlike many years ago, we arrived in Kampar before 8am. Whoa.... that's fast, considering the last time I took a train ride from KL to Kampar, it took me at least 4 to 5 hours. There's our train leaving the station for Ipoh after depositing us two and one other youngster in Kampar.

I so wanted to take a picture of my home in Temoh during the trip. On the way over, I was already aiming my camera soon after we left Tapah Road station. A few minutes later, Yan informed that we just passed by the house. Of course, I don't believe her because I didn't see the usual landmarks and all and I think I should know how the house look like, kan? But before I knew it, we are already arriving in Kampar. What???!!! Where did the house go???? So on the way back, I was more determined to capture the house on my camera and was so ever ready even before we boarded the train and I nearly missed it again. That's the house, now hidden behind those rambutan trees. If you look carefully, you could see my parent's bedroom window on the left of the pix.

Aaah, that's us all ready to board the train back to our daughters and home in Subang Jaya. The picture looks nicer because this was taken by our niece Nurul who uses camera mahai. Thanks Nurul. :-)