Fishy Wong

When I heard over radio the other day, I was wondering - don't they have ethics in advertisement. Maybe they have but I would say some of our advertisements are "non ethical" at least morally/socially/economically ... In this particular case, I would say it is so insensitive ...

The advertisement goes like this ....

It's about this particular "Fishy Wong" who is a fish noodle seller. He is quite successful in his business judging from the fact that he normally managed to sell about 300 fish noodles per day... Until a well known giant food chain Company introduced new product - Pizza - if I am not mistaken. Of all you know one of the ingredients is an imported fish finger!!! Guess what? the same ingredient in Fishy Wong's fish noodle!!!

Now what happened to Fishy Wong? He "switched" job and currently work as an old newspaper vendor somewhere in Mentakab & Raub!!!

Pity Fishy Wong being "eaten" by the "Big Guy". My point is this is what happened in reality actually - the "Big Companies" eating the small companies... Look around and you may see this happening around you... It's an open market out there where small fry like Fishy Wong being "eaten" and out beaten and joining the masses of unfortunate "marhaen" ...

If only Karl Marx were alive today, I bet he would send a copy of his "Das Kapital" to the CEO of that particular giant food chain Company.... and joined by Fidel Castro & Che Guevara. What a sight!!!!

To Fishy Wong, I wish him luck ... at least as an old newspaper vendor he contributed to the "greening" of earth unlike the big giants/capitalists... Just ask BP what really happened re: the leakage of oil in the Gulf of Mexico & it's still leaking!!!

Till the next posting ....

My Teachers @ Yours too

I am behind schedule ... Just posted a brief re: my Mak & I would dedicate this post to my teachers - they might be yours too ...

I could not really recalled any particular teachers who had a great impact on my life as a student in my early primary years at school ... except for my English teacher (Standard 5 & 6) Mrs. Margaret... of course there were Cikgu Abbas, Cikgu Rosli & Cikgu Naemah who somehow or rather shaped and moulded me for the next battle at the secondary level.

Mrs. Margaret was a class of her own - so "garang" but gentle at the same time. never in my 2 years have I ever heard her spoke Malay - not even when I bumped into her at Ipoh Town. That's how dedicated she was to her being an English teacher.

I was at Anglo Chinese School Ipoh from Form 1 up to Form 4 and here there were abundant of excellent & dedicated teachers not to mention the funny ones!!! I had mentioned in my earlier posting about Mr. Chin (I think that's the name) our English teacher who was so dramatic and full of action in his teaching methodology.

Not to mention the "funny guy" Mr. Dass who taught us History but instead of learning about the Roman Empire/the Spartan we always ended up having a good laugh . He would relate everything in History to the real life characters who we knew - like relating Nero @ the Roman Emperor to - guess who? - our own Head Master!!!!.We couldn't but laugh imagining our Head Master playing violin at the hill overlooking our school while it's on fire ...

Then, the petite & cute Ms. Lam, our Geography teacher - she's as petite as the state of Perlis .... so cute and that's the only reason why most of us - boys - did not "ponteng" her class!!! I would commit a crime if I did not mention Cikgu Mod Noor (Bahasa Melayu teacher), Cikgu Asmah (the other cute Bahasa Melayu teacher),Mr. Yeoh (Modern Maths)...

When I was in Sekolah Menengah Teknik Ipoh @ SMTI (Form 4 to Form 5), Ms. Yip (English teacher) had a great impact on me as a student. Let me try to described her ... She's bespectacled with long hair, slender with long legs with a smiling face. She did not really rely on textbooks but taught English in her own interesting way - we had our Poem Recitation once a week & debates sessions.

Then, we have Cikgu Kassim with his high platform shoes, Mr. Segar (the Disciplinary Teacher), Ustaz Husni with his big bike, Mr. Fan (Physics), Mr. Tan (Survey), and last but not least the "flamboyant" Mr. Tan (Add Maths)...

I met Mr. Tan (Add Maths) at Ipoh Railway Station in 1985 when I was studying at UM and he laughed when I told him that I was doing Law!!! But I could sensed his pride in seeing his student doing OK - considering all those "pontengs" and "tidor" in the classroom.

I may have left a few names as I could not recall all my teachers but wherever they are or might be, I owe them a lot for what I am today...

To all teachers out there - Happy Belated Teachers' Day - My Apak was a teacher so do some of my friends from SMTI, Cikgu Jai, Cikgu Angie and the rest .... Perhaps one day I would write on those who taught me during my college days - interesting & funny lots!!!

Good nite ....

Yah Binti Dahaman - My "Mak"

To be frank the above title had been "untouched" for weeks ... I have no particular reasons but what I am very sure is, I am trying to find how and what is the best way to write/describe this wonderful lady - Yah Binti Dahaman - my Mak.

There's no words in this world that could describe her. She's a wonderful Mak & soft and I was so "manja" with her...

Let's just begin this short narrative ...

I am the youngest of 6 and being the youngest everything was somehow or rather "centred" around me. I remember as a kid, she would "suap" me - makan nasi panas) kicap & ikan rebus/ikan bilis goreng. She would wait at the verandah with a plate of rice ... and this would went on until I was in Standard 6!!!

In fact, there were so many fond memories but for lack of space/time, let it just be in my memory...

One thing which I would want to share is that I have this habit of whenever I "balik kampung", I would always look for her in her room @ that particular room and there she was - as usual - "baring - baring & lepak - lepak" on her bed listening to her "loyal" radio... I would then wasted no time and "baring-baring & lepak -lepak" beside her... even for few minutes. That's the one thing that I never failed to do till she passed away few years back.

I was so used to the ritual that when I went back to Ipoh one day, I dashed to that particular room - feeling excited as usual - but only to find that my Mak was not there ... she's just not there!. What did I do? On that particular day I just "baring-baring & lepak" on her bed alone till I went asleep ...with her fond & sweet memories in my dream...

Nite & till my next posting .... Happy Belated Mother's Day!!!!

Railway Track & Love - In Common

My "kampung" during the early years of my childhood was Kota Bahru, Gopeng.It's a small town divided by a railway track ... It has a small railway station.

As a kid, I always wondered and asked whether railway track ever has a meeting point ... The track is basically a parallel lines "running" in tandem with each other... It never meets - there is no meeting point actually, not even at the railway station ... Only the train coach stops - briefly to cater for its passengers getting on or off the coach - but not the track.

I am just wondering whether love is like a railway track ... Will it meet at one point along the line? What would happen if it meets ....

Nobody would have the answer actually as it would never happened. Not in our life time at least. It never meets ... Perhaps those people on board the train coach might know and have the answer as when the coach stops at the station, it's either they have found their "meeting point" - their love - or they have grown tired of drifting aimlessly along the track seeking for love ...

P/S: What about those who board the coach? I guess their journey to find love - that meeting point - had just begun!!!! Good luck to them .....

Mother's Day, Father's Day, Life etc

This May would be a back to back celebration of Mother's Day & Father's Day. Mother's Day would fall on 9 May ... Father's Day? I am not really sure but it is in the same month of May, I guess.

I have been writing about Apak in most of my postings but none on my Mak... I will wait for the day @ Mother's Day to write about her.

Suffice for now to put on record that Yah Binti Dahaman, my Mak was a great Mak. She passed away years ago a day before Eidl Fitri.Being the youngest, I was very close to Mak and she really loved me ... Of course she also loved my other siblings being a Mak she was ....

I came across the story of Ganesha, one of the Hindu Gods - quite interesting actually....

The story goes like this ... It was when both Shanmuka & Ganesha, sons of Shiva & Parvati grew up and about to get married. The parents told their sons to compete with each other by going round the world. As a reward, there would be a grand celebration of marriage for the person who managed to achieve the task.

Shanmuka who wanted to win immediately rode on his peacock at great speed while Ganesha thought for a while. He then went to take a bath and went round his parents 7times with utmost devotion and bowed to them.

When asked by Shiva on why he did not even started the journey, Shiva said: " Father, all the worlds are within you two. By going around both of you, I have completed the task of going round the world"...

Ganesha being the cunning and shrewd but most of all being a very respectful son was rewarded in a grand wedding celebration....

So let's ponder for a while and give due respect to our parents while they still around and cite Doa for them if you are in my shoes ....

Till we meet again & smile always ......

It's been quite a while since my "Rain" poem. I am out of idea actually ... not in the mood and wart not ... but let me try this:

"Rainbow"

There it was ... the rainbow - at the edge of the horizon
the colours were so radiant
full of love, tinged with hope.

I tried to chase & catch the rainbow .. its colours
its love & its hope ..
as I came closer it vanished,
as if mocking me ...

It's just a mirage ...
In between breath I smiled though
Mocking me you may
but I will be waiting for another mirage
.... another rainbow - full of love & hope...

And waiting I shall .....


Good nite & till we meet again ....

No Topic - Free Form

I decided not to limit myself to any particular topic in this posting. I will just let my mental faculty flows wherever it wants...

It had been quite a hectic weekend for me. Normally I would just spend my weekend at home after 5 days working like a dog at the office. The last 3 days I (accompanied by Aishah, my wife) was in the thick of action/hustle bustle of Batang Kali, Rasa, Kuala Kubu Bahru & Serendah.

Who would imagine that these sleepy towns would be full of life & activities for the past 1 week... I could not help but browsing through the history of these towns. We may learn few "lessons" from their history...

Batang Kali was also known for its infamous "Batang Kali Massacre /The British My Lai" way back in 1948... Templer set up New Village here in his campaign of winning the "heart & minds" of the Malaya population then ... The damage was done then and the effect could still be felt until now!!!!

Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB) was where Henry Gurney was murdered - shot dead!!! It signalled the start of the demarcation and alienation of Malayans during those 1948-1960 period ... We have actually being demarcated almost 500 years back by the colonial powers....

Interestingly, there's a small town near KKB known as "Ampang Pechah" ... It was recorded that in 1883 a big flood submerged the settlement and the only monuments survival were a mosque and a Budhist Temple - I think this is what "Muhibbah" is all about!

Looking back Hulu Selangor is definitely full of historical trivia - I would say a very tragic, sad & melancholic episodes perhaps .... But for the past 1 week, there were hope and expectations though the ending may not as what it is expected ....

But one thing I am very sure is the demarcation is not there anymore ... there's no longer any alienation as all races gather together with a common hope & expectations .... Judging by these factors all is not lost ... I am very confident of this .....