Poem - Rain

Rain ... It always amaze me!!! The sound of the raindrops & the smell. Have you ever hear the sound of rain from underwater? Or the smell of rain when you are in the jungle? It's so fresh .... Even the 60 Minutes of Earth Hour could not come even close to it, not even an iota ....

As a tribute, I reproduced one of my "Rain" poem - hope I could still remember it as I have never put any of my poems in writing ....

Rain

It's raining ...
I could see it from the window
outside ... everything seems corrugated
shapeless and crooked ....
so is our aimless life.

A raindrop falls onto the window pane
splashing hard into all directions
with no purpose albeit with certain arrogance
with liberty & no dictation.

The rain continues ...
From afar ... in the opaqueness
I could see our filthy residue being washed away..
it would not be long though
as the vicious cycle continues ... in perpetuity.

Good nite all ....

Earth Hour @ 27 March 2010

Just a short note on this issue. It's pity that it has been an "over abused" term since 2004...

at 8.30 PM for 60 minutes, lights all over the world were switched off and of course Malaysia is included . It's a noble idea actually, just imagine how much energy we managed to conserve in that 60 minutes from 8.30 PM to 9.30 PM. We are in "total" (not TOTAL actually)darkness ...

I just hope that in the darkness, we are not losing sight of what had happened to this earth that we "borrowed from our children" .. it had been "raped" and abused over and over again .... Those same buildings - not all though - with the lights off tonight were once the green belt area with hills & catchment areas...

I am not against development but the balance is just not there ... we are prone of doing something or rather "shouting this and that" when there were landslides, worst still when it caused death etc...

Lest I being accused of a pessimist, I still think that it's a good idea. Most important of all is the awareness .... it's the first step rather than just treating this event as a "pesta" for 1 hour without cause.

P/S: I wonder whether the LPPK carry out any survey on the impact of this 1 hour of "total" darkness to our population number ......

Good nite all ....

RK Boys - ACS 76/78 @ Errata

My apology for somehow or rather had inadvertently published the incomplete post re: the above ... Perhaps I was getting sleepy very very sleepy ....

Let's continue ....

Those were the years - 1976 to 1978 -, the antics, silly jokes/pranks that we went through together in the school/class and outside were beyond imagination & would even not passed our "saint" & rigid Censor Board .... I might put some of the antics if not all in my later postings, God willing.

To the "RK Boys", hope to see you again in the near future & God bless us all ...

RK Boys - ACS Ipoh 76/78

Back in '76, we were bunch of boys known as "RK Boys"... "RK" stands for "Rancangan Khas". It was the prudent decision of the establishment then to select those who was not being selected to the Boarding School - mostly who scored 3As 2Bs in the Ujian Penilaian Standard 5, now known as UPSR - to be under a programme called "Rancangan Khas" (RK).

Most of us if not all came from "kampungs" all over Perak but mainly from Teluk Intan & Bagan Datoh. No wonder we were also known as "KG @ Kampung" Boys by our town bred compatriots at school.

I was in Form 1RK1 in 1976 & out of 45 students, 3/4 of the class were RK Boys. There were 2 other RKs @ Form 1RK2 & 1RK3 ... I could safely say that there were about 100 of us from 1976 - 1978 (Form 1 - Form 3)at Anglo Chinese School (ACS), Ipoh.

We were the darlings of the teachers especially in the eyes of Mr. Yeoh who taught Modern Maths & my Form Teacher at the dismay of the rest of the students. Perhaps due to us being from "kampung", we were very polite, timid & very respectful to others (Note: The timidness was somehow or rather slowly eroded as time passed by but not the politeness & being respectful to others).

I could still remember them by names - Mustafa Kamal Assistant Monitor - Form 1RK1), Bakaruddin (Monitor - Form 1RK1), Azhar "Bulat"(he was "bulat then. Our Scool's Hockey Tean Goalkeeper), Zamri "Badak", Zainal "Concorde" (this boy really "cakap laju macam Concorde" & he still speaks "laju" when I met him last year!!!!), Kashful Anwar, Zalazila (Hockey player), Fuad, Syed Ahmad Kamal, Kushairi @ Budak Kecik" ....

Those 3 years were full of fun & hillarious but we never forgot wehere we came from & why we were chosen as "RK Boys" .... The antics - b

My friend - Cheah Fah Thong

His name is Cheah Fah Thong. Nothing outstanding or unusual about him but he is special to me & our group of friends, which I will explain below. He was quite tall -he's sure was taller than me then, back in the 70s. Thin but well built with those "6packs"... good & a brilliant footballer.

We were in the same class - Form 2A1 (1977) Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh - and were siting side by side which led to a catastrophic result!! We just talked & talked & poked jokes/pranks at each other to the dismay of our teachers.

There were on many occasions we were scolded by our teachers especially Ms. Lam (the cute/diminutive/petite Geography teacher)with her favourite remarks " Hey both of u! Pay attention or I will give you a thick slap!!". Of course neither of us was slapped by her ... she was so cute when she's angry ... Then, Cikgu Mohd Nor - the Bahasa Melayu teacher - very moody... his favourite remarks to both of us were "Melayu! Cina! Awak berdua diam!!!". Talk about "1 Malaysia!!!"

We called him Fah Thong aka "Cina Murtad" ... Why? Reason being his circle of friends are mostly Malays, in fact he was the only Chinese among us. We used to hang out together, "tengok wayang", attending tuition classes and at the same time played truants... It just happened that the tuition centre was located right accross Cathay cinema!!! "Makan-makan" at Padang Kanak - Kanak (Food Stalls centre)while listening to the Juke Box.

When the time came for the inter School Hockey matches, there we were at Ipoh Padang with Fah Thong. Our school's main rival those days was St Michael Institution. we will sit by the "padang" but most of the time not focused to the game... we just made jokes and cracked pranks at each other . Funny thing was whenever there was a brawl in the "padang", we would started our own brawl with the opposing team's supporters by the padang... Nobody got hurt actually just a trading of insulting remarks at each other actually.

It had been 30 years plus I have not be in contact with Fah Thong since we parted after our SPM result. Heard that he migrated to Australia... Wherever he is right now, I wish him well and I will always cherish the moments & memories memories with this "Cina Murtad"....

To Fah Thong ... U are the man, mate!!!

P/S: For you who are curious where were we after Form 2A1 ... Well he remained in Form 3A1 but I was "demoted" to Form 3A2. Maybe I was so overzealous in our "good time" lepak in Ipoh town & at the Ipoh Padang!!!!

The Early Books/Poems That I Read

I considered myself as fortunate as I was the youngest of 6 siblings. I am even more fortunate as Apak was a teacher and during those "hip 70s" my elder brother was in Form Six.

The books ... they were in abundance!!! I could still remember reading "Hikayat Malim Deman", "Hikayat Awang Suluh Muda" "Hikayat 1001 Malam" etc when I was in my primary. I was in awe reading those "Hikayats" especially the 1st two .... The protagonists were born with cannon & spear in their hands!! They could even fly using the "baju layang"!! and who says only the States have Superman! We do have our own hero ....

Then came Pak Sako's turn. I read "Anak Mat Lela Gila" & "Putera Gunung Tahan" ... not knowing then they were full of political satirists.Could not blamed me as I was a kid then.

Reading "Hikayat Hang Tuah" by Kassim Ahmad was a thrill. It took quite some time for me to finish that thick green book. Funny thing is that since those days my heart is always inclined to Hang Jebat ... such a rebel and ahead of his time but tragic though. He's also a gentleman, a great lover but an anarchist at the same time. Ask Dang Anum for she surely could vouch for this.

It's true that there would be "Hang Jebats" as time passed by. My favourite poet Chairil Anwar was a mirror image of Hang Jebat with the famed poem entitled "Aku". He dared to communicate - almost bordering being rude & in a challenging manner - in "Di Masjid". He even dared to have a dialogue with Soekarno but very much mellow down in "Doa" ...

I would be committing a sin is I did not mention "Atheist" by Achdiat K Mihardja. Could not really recall the protagonist name (it's a common name, if I'm not mistaken it's "Hassan")...Until now I am of the opinion that "Hassan" is Chairil Anwar!!!!

Last but not least another great writer and another "Hang Jebat" i.e. Pramoedya Ananta Toer. His novels are a gems!!!! "Keluarga Gerilya", "Perburuan" etc.

Those books/poems had a great impact on me then & till now .... There is always a "Jebat" in each of us .. even Tuah himself was a "Jebat" himself!!! Why on earth he defied the death punishment by being in exiled at Ulu Melaka for years & he did not ensure Jebat really dead & ran amok in Melaka for days!!!!

Think about it ....

P/S: Please do not ask me what books I read as I grew up & what is my political inclination is .....

"Tengok Wayang" With Apak

.... the story continues ...

Ipoh was indeed a very very big town to an 8 year old Kampung Boy like me (it"s about 25 km from Gopeng). We went to Grand Cinema - one of the oldest cinema theatre then, there was no cineplex back in the 70s.

The ticket was priced at RM0.65 sen (3rd class)& the movie enetirled "Cambuk Berapi" an Indonesian Martial Art @ Silat flick ... That day I went home to Kota Bahru as a proud little kid & I was the centre of attraction among my friends at school for a whole 2 weeks'!!!!

As I grew up Apak & I "tengok wayang" for quite a number of times ... at Grand Cinema of course! We watched " For a Few Dollars More", "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" (Clint Eastwood @ Cowboy Stuff) & the best of all "The 10 Commandments" (Charlton Heston @ Moses)...

Apak passed away in 1988 & the sweet memories of "tengok wayang" with him remains forever .... May Allah bless his soul & Al Fatihah ....

"Tengok Wayang" With Apak

It was in the 70s that I first experienced "tengok wayang" ... It was in 1971, if I'm not mistaken. I was in Standard 2 then.

The story goes like this .... I went to a Post Office in Gopeng with Mahayuddin Bin Ayib ... my "Apak" (father) to withdraw money to buy school uniform plus school shoes. Gopeng is a town about 12 km from Kota Bahru (Kota Bahru has no post office!).

We went to Gopeng by Apak's motorcycle - Honda 75, nowadays "Honda Kapcha", I don't think it's in the market anymore. Once done with our shopping errands, Apak dropped the bomb shell!!

"Let's go to Ipoh & watch movie" he said. I was so excited as I never "tengok wayang" before and Ipoh sounded like a very very big town to me!

Tribute to Friends @ SMTI 79/80

It was about last 3 weeks ago that I met again with my friends when I was at Sekolah Menengah Teknik Ipoh (SMTI) .... Batch 79/80. It was a splendid & hillarious reunion after ... shall I say close to 3 decades?

We might have changed in our appearances, physical especially ... gray hair - in some cases almost with no hair and "prosperous tummy"... nice meeting you friends - Raja, Nan, Saleh, Shafie, Hj Yusri, Barry, Tod, Ilol, Hilmi & "Adik - Adik" SMTI.

Some of you might not remember me well as I was busy in my "MIA" activities during those 2 years in SMTI....

Sad to hear that a few of our friends had passed away - Abbas @ Afro Hair, Kamil & Dali... they were great & true friends especially Abbas who was quite close with me ..... To them "Al Fatihah & May Allah bless them [also to Kamal, Mohd Abd Rahman & Anuar Ismail @ Law 84/89 UM].

Looking forward to another splendid reunion and this time around hopefully would be able to meet Jamil @ Padukang, Niza, Nasiruddin @ Tojo, Shahri Sujak, Faezah @ Fez, Nizam & wife, Halim @ Mondok, Badli @ Big Daddy, Irza Saila, Julita, Faizah, Zainah, Noraini Saidon, Ding Choo King, Angie ... sorry I could not remember all the names, it is after 3 decades after all!!!!

Till we meet again & to Kamil, Dali & Abbas [as well as Kamal, Mohd Abd Rahman & Anuar Ismail] farewell. May Allah bless all of you.

Kota Bahru, Gopeng

Ever heard of Kota Bahru, Gopeng? It's not in Kelantan but in Perak instead. It's a small - very small town actually- near Gopeng. It's more of a "Pekan" rather than a 'town".

There were two rows of shop houses facing each other along the main road and further up another two rows of shop houses. In between, there it was - the upper primary Sekolah Kebangsaan Kota Bahru which cater for Standard 4 - Standard 6. It has no "padang" but right in front of it across the road, there's the locals' favourite Mamak Aziz stall. The lower primary was located about 3/4 km from the upper primary school... thank God with a "padang"!!!

I was raised here up to Standard 4 before my late father, a scool teacher was transferred to Ipoh. I will come to this in my later postings, God's willing.

Back to this "Pekan", everybody here knew each other very very well... There was Ah Bee, the Chinese grocery shop owner who could speak with a very thick Perak accent and so did the rest of the non Malays there. Huh! 1 Malaysia did exist even far back in the 70s in this small town without it being "imposed" on anybody and it was so natural!!!!

The idea is anything which comes by itself naturally lasts longer or rather indefinitely ..... that's all for tonight .... Till we meet again.

Note: Still could not visualise "Kota Bahru"? Have a sight on Lat's "Kampung Boy" then you would get the idea!

Utopia - 70 @ Why?

As promised .. The dictionary meaning of "utopia" is "any real or imaginary society, place, state etc. considered to be perfect or ideal"... Well nothing wrong for being an idealist for given a choice, everybody yearns for a perfect and ideal life.It is not meant to be though.... But I like the word ... It's kind of exotic eh?

"70" ... That's the year I enrolled as a naive Standard 1 at a primary school in my kampung in Kota Bahru, Gopeng, Perak. Isn't it the same year NEP was introduced? But I am very sure that was the year English Medium ceased to be the medium at all Government Schools in Malaysia.

So, it was in that state of "70 Utopia", I was first introduced to life in school and being the Malay Medium pioneer. The immediate result .... my substandard English as opposed to others.

Lucky me I was blessed with good & dedicated English teachers who were so committed. For that I would unconditionally like to put on record many thanks and appreciation to Ms. Margaret (Primary School), Mr. Chin (ACS, Ipoh - hope the name is correct but I still remember his antics while teaching English like poking out his tounge for umpteen times just to teach the students to pronounce the "th" as in "the" correctly) and Ms. Yip (Sek. Teknik, Ipoh - she is a pretty bespectacle lady with long straight hair!!!!!) and KUDOS TO ALL OF THEM. Not to forget all those comics "Beano" and "Marvel Comics".

Those were the years .... the "utopian" years depending on which side you look at things ... be it from the Malay Medium, the NEP Implementors or from the eyes of a naive 7 years old kampung boy!!!!!

Good nite & think about it .......

welcome to Utopia @ 70

Hi, at last created my own Blog .... Why the name 'utopia @ 70'? Well ... I would reveal later... There is a reason for the name.

This Blog would be where I would share my experience, observation and anything that comes to my mind .... It may be from my past, current or even the future.

Till we meet again ....