The Best Time to Plant a Tree II - The surveying

Ini pohon durian? Are they mine?

It has been quite a while since I last updated the blog.

Of course the excuses are numerous. Busy could be one. Mental block is another. Lazy. Loss of interest. Did I mention lazy? Oh I did, but let's have another laziness as the excuse. I think it is three times lazy to be honest.

You can name anything, they are all applicable.

It has also been awhile since I first bought a piece of land in Ulu Langat. At least two year, to be precise. Since then I have done nothing. If I had planted some cempedak or rambutan trees, they would be bearing some fruits for me by now.

But I did nothing; and obviously, I got nothing in return.

Just lost opportunities. Time flies away, and it is gone for sure.

But lament I will not. I knew about the African proverb very well from nearly a decade ago. "The best to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is today."

The last entry I wrote about this proverb, it is more as a metaphor. But this time, it is literal.

The view of the durian trees from the valley. 

Just for the record, it is a small piece of land. Nothing of significant, but more than enough for a family of four. Tanah sekangkang kera. As far as I am concerned too, there is nothing of value there. It is more a jungle out there; hilly enough for us enjoy some view and the fresh air, but flat enough to let this unfit forty something to enjoy the little terrain without breaking his back and twisting his muscles.

Reasonably dense I would say. I am a couple
of feets away from Arif and yet I can't be seen here.

So yesterday we went trekking to the site. The objective is to identify trees that will have to go and those that will be retained for one reason or another. The bulldozer will be coming in soon to clear the site and (re)planting will have to start very soon.

Just like in Ali Baba dan 40 Penyamum, we bought red and gold spray paint to identify trees that will be retained. You know the X symbol that the Penyamuns used to identify their victim's home is used in our endevour this time around.

Silap-silap memang boleh tergolek. Been there before! The slope is
reasonably steep. A good one for planting D24 or Musang King durians!

But we managed to identify only three trees; once we started scaling down the steep slope, and upon hearing to sound of water stream, we lost focus and started imagining ourselves enjoying the cool stream.

Kali or mata air. Too small to be called a river.

I would say the water is pure mineral water and the stream passes our land.

We stayed put for about 15 mins, clearing the shrubs so that the stream can be seen clearly. The previous owner had taken bottles of water from this stream whenever he at site. I am yet to do that, of course, as this was only the second time I had been here, but hopefully I would do that more often once site clearing has been done.

Beautiful small stream; full of rocks and soft sands. I wish it is a bit bigger,
but hey, this is mine. A small pondok somewhere and I would be able
to enjoy this weekly. The question is how long this stream can last
in view of the development taking place in Langat.

Another view of the stream, downstream I guess. This is no longer part of my land.

This part is very sandy. The question is how long will it last.
As long as there is no development upstream, may be I will enjoy this,
but once owners upstream start demarcating their lands for house
development, then we are doomed.

We had two choices. We could climb back and follow the same path to return to civilization. Or we could follow the stream and hope for the best that it would take us to a kampung or main road.

We decided on the second option.

Fortunately the two pianists are ever willing to accompany their dad
in surveying the land. I guess this is not their normal chore and hence
it is nice distraction for them.

Until we reached this part, we thought we had made the wrong decision. There is no way through vertically. We had to walk close to horizontally. Well, not quite, but all three of us were on our knees.

Arif on bended knees. I think I have pulled a muscle or two in
this position while trying to pass through.

It was a long walk in the stream, close to 45 mins, at times lamenting on our decision that we've made. By this time, we were tired, but we weren't dehydrated as there was plenty of water!

Obviously we found our way back to the car. And I guess that was no incident worthing writing.

Heck, it is not even interesting.

Love this, but I am not sure of the species. Anyone can identify them for me?

But we love the floral and fauna in the jungle of ours. Well for now let's just enjoy the floral. We didn't get to me the small four legged animals, which we had met a couple of years ago, and obviously our hearts skipped many beats that day.

And the floral was just beautiful. I am sure if we were to explore a bit more, we would find more exotic plants in there.

The question is whether I have the stamina to do this on a weekly basis.

This is our heritage Revisited

Prologue

I posted this in Oct 2008 and thought I should re-post it as I have new info update to go with this one. For the record.

And wait for the new entry please. It is such a heart warming story that I would travel 300 km just to get it.

Friday, October 24, 2008

This is our heritage

Such a beautiful building in a very dilapidated condition. This is our heritage; this is our soul, for who are we without ourhistory.

Yet no one cares.

Tell me, how many historical site do we have in the country that traced back our history? Where are the Malacca Sultanate palaces that would showcased the empire our forefathers built in the 1400s? The Portuguese have the A Famosa or whatever remains of it; The Dutch the Stadyhust; the Babas the various building in Malacca.

Is Islam a new religion in Malaysia? Does it come in mainly after Merdeka?

I would think so. If you dont believe me, check out the mosques in Kuala Lumpur.

Masjid Negara, in the early 60s, Masjid Wilayah, very recently, Masjid Sultan Abdul Aziz in Shah Alam, may in the late 80s.

We have the Chandis in Lembah Bujang; The old church ruin on top of the hill in Melaka. All dated hundreds of years ago.

Where are our old Mosques?

It seems that we Malays are the pendatang, and a recent one at that, as we have the habit to demolish our beautiful old mosques and build non-descript buildings on its remain so much much so people are saying, "You guys must be new here. Look at all the brand new mosques. There is no evidence that you guys have been heer for too long."


This is what we saw on our raya trip to Kuala Kangsar on the second day of Raya. If you want to imagine this building in its full glory, please visit the Craft Centre at Jalan Conlay. You can buy the painting for about RM100.00.

The real one is in Padang Asam Kuala Kangsar.


The side of the building

A closer up on the side of the mosque

It is still beautiful though it is in ruins

The wall

The carving on the roof


These two pictures are the inside of the mosque

Can the state government of Perak declare the building as a heritage, and perhaps rehabilitate it to its former glory?

Kita dok sibuk with the House of Bok la, and the various buildings in Penang and Melaka, and yet we forgot - or conveniently forgot, about these beautiful buildings.

Where are the souls of the Malays in this country?

(All pictures were taken by Arif)

4 comments:

farahmunirah said...

oh, well, everything comes to an end.

October 26, 2008 6:08 AM

Rahman Hariri said...

Disagree and in this particular case, not the proper attitude to have. It can be salvaged. Just imagine the hundreds of people praying in this mosques for a hundred of years. Historical sites must be kept intact since we dont have that many.

If we think that the twin towers is full of ciri2 kebudayaan islam, then this building epitomized it all.

Kementerian Kesenian can do something.

October 26, 2008 5:49 PM

Bo Boon@Yasmin said...

I love to read your writings and your conservation awareness.Keep it up. I have always wanted to travel back ( if only a time machine coulds make it possible! LOL ) and relive the 60s and 70s, away from the busy and hustle of city life ( not that i live in a city though! lol ), away from all the environmental issues that i see almost everyday, the evil abusive of mankind , the increase in crime rate etc... I am almost afraid to see how it will turn out in the next decade or two. what is in store for my children and their generation?
If people are willing to make changes, I believe all is not lost yet. Oops, sorry for babbling here.. I can get carried away sometimes .. hehehehe..

December 15, 2008 9:13 PM

Rahman Hariri said...

Bo Boon, thank you for dropping by. I am glad to find someone with the same interest! And passion I must say.

I totally agree with your view.

December 18, 2008 4:33 AM

I feel so guilty

At last, the pictures that I have been waiting are ready for uploading.

Well, I didn't get all of them, perhaps there were 1000 of them and I need to vet the personal pictures from the lot.

I am glad that my bro and his family went to the kampung in Sumatra for the Raya Haji and be able to perform the kurban there.

Arriving on the Friday before haj, he went looking for the cow for kurban only on Saturday and were greeted with the dilemma of picking up the thin and small local cow, or the big Australian one. Unfortunately we had given him the budget and he ended up having to pick up the local one which has, in a good way, a leaner meat.

But when I first saw it, I said, "Ha? Anak lembu can ah?"

What to do? It costs us Rp 6 M for it while the Australian one would have cost us nearly double that. No time for a change of plan anyway - there is no bank in Kampung for money transmittal except the one at the back of the house.

So I present you, my first kurban ever thought not all of its portions are mine.

My transportation at the Mahsyar?

I am glad in some way to be able to contribute my part, even if I have to admit that it is way too small to be mentioned here or anywhere else. In fact I am a bit embarrassed about it.

But I know, the kampung folks are humble and polite people. They accepted our small gift with open arms. And open hearts, I must add.

When we were kids in the early 70s in a small town in Lenggong, having meat for our meals would be an occasion to savour. Meat would typically be available perhaps once or twice a month. It was a luxury then.

Unlike nowadays.

Masjid Abrar in Kampung Haraban where we slaughter the cow.


I know that that would be the case in Kampung Haraban. Their diets would typically be the small freshwater fish, with sambal and ahh, beras kampung.

I was told that each house would get their share of about 1 kg of meat , and they would cut the meat very thinly before it is cooked. This is to ensure that that would allow more to be shared around.

My heart sank. I knew I should have followed my heart and not my brain when I determine my budget. I was just too cautious (read: stingy). Stupid me, I told myself. When opportunity comes a-knocking (todo some good deeds), I complained of the noise!

I know we should have gone around looking for more people willing to do their kurban away from our comfort zone in Kuala Lumpur. I do wish we had taken time off to do the needful so that many more would enjoy the jor of Hari Raya.

I am 'cursing' myself for that.

The kampung kids watching the spectacle.

Hari Raya Haji in Kampung was celebrated in a very small scale. Lemang, which according to my bro are a bit tough, and biskut Mary. Biskut Mary for Raya? I mean when I was small, yes, it was fun to have biskut Mary for tea.

But biskut Mary for Raya?

The menfolks with the Raya dishes after the solat.

And how do I celebrate my Raya?

Very delicious lemang, with rendang, ketupat and kuah kacang, cakes and cookies, and nasik minyak for lunch!

I really am guilty.


The womenfolks in the mosque after solat


My bro's family walking to the mosque for the solat Raya. Gentlemen, and Ladies, this road is part of the trans-Sumatran hiway that connects Medan and Palembang, and passes through our kampung.

The kenduri after the kurban. This is more like it for us here I guess.

Peristiwa dibulan November

Prologue

Found in the online NST.

Khadijah Ibrahim’s The Pearl Anniversary Concert at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas had the audience mesmerised.

SHUIB TAIB was one of them.

THIRTY years of a glittering showbiz career sallied forth in a remarkable show by Khadijah Ibrahim billed “The Pearl Anniversary Concert” at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, Kuala Lumpur.

Khadijah took her audience back to the days when her hits like Ku Sangka Siang Kiranya Malam, Ku Pendam Sebuah Duka, Tangisan Hati Yang Derita and Janji Mu dominated the airwaves.

She began the show by singing a line from Leaving on a Jetplane, the first song she sang in public. Kathy, as she was known when she started her career, also entertained the audience with anecdotes.

“To finally make it here is just great. It’s tough competing with all the new stars like Mawi, er, who is he?, she joked. When I first started touring, I went to places like Jengka, Machang, Tasik Cini... not Los Angeles, mind you!
“With my looks, height, a name like Kathy and the fact that I could speak a little English, kampung folk thought I was a mat salleh. So it was all right for me to sing in English. They found it surprising though that I could sing in Malay as well.”

Back in 1979, this writer attended a RM5 concert on a school football field in Kampung Manjoi, Ipoh.

Artistes included Khadijah’s brother Latiff and comedians A.R Badul and the late Yusni Jaafar but Khadijah was the main draw with a 40-minute slot.

Those days, anyone worth her salt would be compared to the dynamic Anita Sarawak who was already well-known in the Asian region. The local Press was predicting Kathy to be the next Anita.

Thankfully, there was no need for comparisons. Khadijah proved that she could hold her own.

And her Pearl concert was added proof. With her powerful and at times husky vocals, Khadijah had the audience in the packed hall mesmerised.

“Before I recorded my first English album, I was required to prove that I could sing in English. I was asked to sing a song of Donna Summer’s (the queen of disco at the time),” said Khadijah before giving a soulful rendition of Summer’s version of MacArthur’s Park, another song she used to sing.

Khadijah recalled how her father did not get to see the day when she released her first album in 1978.

“Mum would follow me around then but after six months, I lost her too. Ladies and gentlemen, I dedicate this next song to my mother,” she said before belting out Mama Oh Mama.

Khadijah’s following medley of numbers reflected her career journey, with the audience cheering her on: Oh Kekasih Ku (a Malay version of Wishing on a Star), Ku Gembira Di Samping Mu, Potret Kasih, Kau Timbul Kembali, Sabar Menanti and English numbers like Memories (which she dedicated to her ex-husband, Mohd Rashid Fahmi Bastaloo), Everyday Girl as well as a cover version of Autumn Leaves.

In between her three costume changes, Khadijah introduced her guests, Datuk Ahmad Nawab and Ramli Sarip.

Ahmad was the man who was instrumental in Khadijah’s success, her mentor of sorts, having penned more than 2,000 songs and so many of her hits. The 75-year-old saxman hit the right notes with the audience when he played Spanish number Besame Mucho and his self-composed winner, Kali Terakhir Ku Lihat Wajah Mu.

Khadijah and Ramli did a beautiful duet with Doa Buat Kekasih, one of their evergreen hits. It also turned out to be the favourite number of Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Nur Zahirah, who was also present.

Others in the audience included singers Syafinaz Selamat, Halil Chik, politician Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and several corporate figures.

She ended her show with Peristiwa Di Bulan November, and from her performance that day, November 2008 will be hard to forget.

If you haven’t caught any of her shows, you should not miss any of her performances. For here is one entertainer who can lift up your spirit as high as her immitable vocals can soar!

PERISTIWA DIBULAN NOVEMBER

AAH, it has been thirty long years and how I wish I had been able to see her perform during her heyday. Not that I was anywhere near Jengka or Cini the past 30 years. Then again I was not near New Zealand at any stage of my life either.

Kampung New Zealand I may have passed on the way to the East Coast though!

Like Shuib and many others in the sold out concert, I was mesmerized.

Mak thought she looks younger and smaller when she first appeared on stage. May be. She had to ask if she was my age which is not! She is older than me, but of definitely she looks younger than this blogger. But smaller?

I guess she didn't see her at Imbauan recently.

All in all, I have enjoyed her performance. She was cheeky with the glitters of the diamonds that she wore that night - I guess she was not unlike Madonna. She was funny and no one would be in doubt of her stature in the Malaysian entertainment scene.

Many song I seems to have forgotten but were rekindled in my mind. Memories - one song that caused this blogger to quiver in his seat. It has been so long. Everyday Girl too. I thought the best performance was Salam dari Benua. The composition was excellent, beside the singer of course.

All her songs from Ku Gembira disampingmu, Tangisan Hati, Ku sangka Siang, Potret Kasih would cause to writer to jog down memory lane. In fact those songs would have him running out breath, just to keep himself up. Her songs were great, so was she. You would have read the review in Mingguan last week beyond the excerpt above.

But to be honest, at one stage I was disappointed. In fact I was disappointed the moment I stepped into the hall, still smiling in anticipation of Janjimu for which this blogger would be ever so grateful to her. (I mentioned to Datuk Ahmad Jais that I have not heard of Nak Dara Rindu, an asli-laced song not to be confused with PRamlee's. But he didn't perform it when he did the concert at Istana budaya.)

I was expecting a full philharmonic orchestra to complement the DFP but instead we had a 'normal' band (3 guitars, keyboard, and a piano).

To say I am a bit disappointed would be an understatement to be honest. I guess I am now old enough to be wanting to listen to a bit more sophistication in musical presentation than say a 3-guitar and a keyboard band. Nevermind if Jenny Chin was on keyboard. To me, keyboard cheapen the sound especially if it was trying to imitate the wonderful sound of violins in an orchestra.

Especially when the DFP has a full size pipe organ adorning the wall of the stage!

Hence I thought highly of the arrangement of Salam dari Benua with violin, acoustic guitar and I guess a piano. Excellent!

I was hoping that she would not do medley of her major songs. Unfortunately Tangisan Hatiku Yang Derita, and Ku sangka Siang (not to mention Janjimu) were sung in shorter version of a medley.

I wonder how she would sound in the full splendour of a phiharmonic orchestra.

My other dislike would be all the names of the politicians and corporate figures mentioned over and over again by her. I never thought highly of them, and wonder what they had done to her career anyway. But I guess it is her show and not for me to decide how she wants to thank anyone for their support

Anyway, Dear Khatijah Ibrahim, I grew up listening to many of your songs especially the ones in 1980. Your songs remain high on my list of songs I would listen to, but please don't take what I am saying here in negativity.

I am giving you my honest opinion. I hope you would do another concert, this time with the back up of a full orchestra.

I would be the first to buy the ticket.

EPILOGUE

I thought there is no need for me to be waxing lyrically about her performance. It had been published by NST and Utusan. She is that good, I must admit. In fact I think she is great!

The D Day today

Raden Adjeng Kartini, says the history book. An article in the The Sunday Star named her as Raden Ayu Kartini.

She's Javanese for sure. The latter is probably easier to our Malaysian tongue and hence it was used in the article. May be, I dont know. Apparently she played an important role in the birth of nationalism in South East Asia, or Indonesia in particular. She reckoned in order for Indonesians to get out of the poverty cycle, education is the keyword.

However, she died at 24 while giving birth.

But her effort would not go unnoticed or unremembered. She is considered as Srikandi in Indonesia and would be fondly remembered for her effort.

And why, you would ask, that I would be talking about this Indonesian lady who died in the 1900s in Indonesia?

The truth is I am sitting for my SPM and the history paper today (Tuesday).

Eh, I mean, my son Arif is sitting for SPM and his first paper is today.

But of course in this age, it goes without saying that the parent – in this case, it is this blogger, would be sitting for the same paper too. So I had been in the past week reading along his text on history, which is not really this blogger's cup of tea.

I mean years ago – 28 years ago to be exact, when he was sitting for his SPM, we had the choice to choose geography over history and I believe over 90% of us chosed geography which resembles more to science than history.

Nevermind that this blogger during F1 would want to be a archaelogist! So Add Math, Physics and Chemistry; these were difficult subjects to him then. But now, they are a piece of cake.

Sort of. With the benefit of hindsight, of course.

But Biology is still not my cup of tea, just like history or Bahasa Melayu.

To be honest, I am taking it easy this time around. Que Sera sera, so they say, what will be will be.

Sure, I would do anything for him to get good results. But life is a marathon and not a sprint. My regret in life was treating it like a 100 m sprint when it is really is a 42km run. By the time one reaches 100 m mark, one was almost dead if one were to sprint ala Carl Lewis.

So Arif (and Akmal of course), good luck and all the best for tomorrow. I do wish I have one more month to prepare you for the exam. But then again, it would still be one month short and it would never end.

In the end, what is more important is how you lead you life in the future.

EPILOGUE

I don't remember my SPM that well in 1980 beyond the fact that we were all expected to breeze through. The expectation were high but so were the confidence then. To be honest, at that point, we didn't really care much. Many of us were already visualizing ourselves in Australia or England, or in this blogger's case America.

Someone with his dad in Dewan Bahasa was putting out spot questions for BM on the Dewan Makan notice board. Hampeh, to be honest; we should know better though.

I don't recall much of the other papers. Add math and physics – we were quite nervous then. After all half of the us failed our first add math exam in F4 with getting the egg. This blogger was lucky he was not in that esteemed group. He probably score a 6 (out of 100 of course!).

Aah TY! Where would we be without you?

Honestly in hindsight, except for may be Rashid and Rozhan and a few others, I am not sure if many of us cared that much that year for our SPM.

If at least in reflection.

Karya Symphonic - SM Bandar Tun Hussein Onn 2 Orchestra

http://

Or you can go here.

I have to say that I am proud to have Arif and Akmal playing their roles in interpreting the classic Merdeka song, Bahtera Merdeka, and yes, I am equally proud to hear these students attempting to create a school orchestra on their own, and be able to perform during a Merdeka celebration.

Nevermind the sound, the out of pitch or out of key notes, with less than a month of practice, the students of Sekolah Menengah Bandar Tun Hussein Onn 2 managed to stand out with their performance.

Mind you, it was Arif on the violin and Akmal on acoustic guitar. While you can clearly see Arif and his violin, you can barely see Akmal as he was sitting immediately in front of the conductor.

I have to say I like the violin intro by Arif. I am sure without your guitar Akmal, the arrangement would not work either.

How about this one then - Warisan? A Sudirman's song. You can go here too.

http://

Thirty Five Years of Excellence

So my primary school is celebrating its 125th year anniversary this year and last night my secondary school celebrated its 35th anniversary at the KL Convention Centre.

MRSM Kota Bharu as it was known then, is the second MRSM to be constructed, I guess amidst the misgiving then that may be - just may be, that educating the bumiputra's children was not MARA's raison d'etre. But I guess the persistence of En Wahab Alwi bore fruits for the nation years later.

It was an unknown entity in the 70's. When my Std 6 teacher announced about an MRSM entrance test, not many were interested to go. By the time I joined, the first batch had just completed the LCE/SRP exam, and the country took notice since even the MCKK had to play second fiddle to MRSM KB. For the first time an unknown school that was only recently set-up had beaten the Eaton of the East. And one could not get more East than MRSM KB!

Of course when our batch - the 4th took the SRP exams, we were by far the best school in the country.

After all, which other school would get RTM declaring that more than 90 (out of 146) of its students were studying overseas by the time SPM results were announced?

And the rests, as the saying goes, are history!

I was a bit hesitant to attend, mainly because I thought I would be lost in the sea of ex-students attending. All in all, I calculated we would have 35 batches of students, with this blogger's batch to be #4.

And my apprehension was not without basis; for a good 10 mins, this writer stood in the hallway of the Convention Centre, alone and feeling very lonely. I was scanning the hallway furiously looking for familiar faces, but being my first reunion with all the batches being there, I can't seems to find a familiar face at all. I simply could not recognize anyone and I guess many didn't recognize me either.

As KB76ers - a term of endearment for our batch - started to trickle in, my anxiety turned to the better. With some help, we were able to put names to some of the faces. The night has turned around for me.

We had a parade of former principals and teachers in the beginning. We had quickie speeches from Zahari, the president of the KB chapter and of course Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir himself. The host for the night was Aidil of TV3; and of course we had a singer by the name of Dia Faidilla.

"Dia tu sapa?" I heard myself asking Zul, a classmate seated next to me. Dia!; the pun was intentional.

He gave me a blank look. Blur, like myself.

Aiyah, what do you expect? The organizer should have invited Khadijah Ibrahim ke, or as requested by Jamil, another former classmate, Julie Remie!

I don't think so bro, I think she was done with by 1977 when she got herself a husband, though no doubt she, or Rina Rahman (Datin now), as suggested by Shema (I thought you didn't know her, maam?) would be better for us the veterans and the teachers, rather than the sexily-dressed Dia "who-is-she?" Fadilla.

Why not Jay Jay for example? The ladies would appreciate him!

While I must admit I do enjoyed the company of my friends, and the fact that I met again with my F1 Math teacher Cikgu Ghani ("Hari ini kita akan belajar mengenai Persamaan Linar!") whom I had not met perhaps since 1979 or thereabout. There is one incident involving him with the boys in our class including this blogger then that ended with us having to pay him a visit at his office.

Of course, we got quite an earful from him, and luckily not the cane. It was our fault really, but like the Doel Sumbang song in the previous entry, the fault "tidak termasuk saya!"

Cikgu Wan Raimah is another teacher I have not met since the 70s. She taught us Sains Paduan in F1 and I guess she got quite a beating from some of us in class then with the topic of human reproduction was taught.

I know who you are bro, who was so much anticipating this topic so much and could not in fact for her to delve into it. But when the time come, he was a timid as a mouse.

Anyway, many of my favourite teachers were around. Cigu Wan Nasihah upon seeing me told me that she had seen my blog with her picture singing with the late Cikgu Wan Rosli. I told her I am not guilty. It must be Cikgu Nik Faridah who told her about this blog and apparently they and their current students at the nursing college in Kota Bharu had a good laugh seeing all those pictures.

Cikgu Dr Fatanah, my Geography teacher said of our batch "This is a unique batch" when we tried to salam with them from running both counter and clock-wise when everybody else did clockwise. Cikgu Wan Tik was there too, so was Cikgu Norbibi.

I ran out of battery to take pictures unfortunately. I managed to take a few. All in all, the main dishes were good. I like the Kuzi daging with gajus.

The desert is nothing to shout about. I know I have been cooking the sago that way since my matric days though I prefer to use evaporated milk.

Many from our batch who attended were from my classmates - Aya, Shema and Liza were always an attraction from the boys then and even now as admitted by Nor Art, and other classmate. Jamil, MatJepun, Zul and this blogger were the others. The other classes were represented by Ku "I will always be there" Hamid aka Atuk, Haris, Ramli, Zali, An, Sarina and Dr Maheran. Dahlan Zainuddin, eh bukan, Nasir came in later.

To be honest, if not for Pasteur 5 '80 - my class, we would not have been able to fill up the table. Thank you guys/gals, but if not for Aya organizing us, perhaps even this blogger would not have been there.

From my perspective, the program proper is very dull. They had celebrity couples - those of us who married each other. It went a tad too long for my liking. I thought the one who truly deserve their place in the sun is An and Liza, but somehow An told me that they asked too many questions and he didn't have the time to answer them.

Next time An, you don't have to answer it yourself. In your case, I am sure there are so many eye-witnesses around to vouch for the fact that you and Liza were a couple then, unlike many of the chosen ones that night on stage.

The singer was boring to me, the only highlight was the Dayangku Intan & Jay Jay's song, though it was the wrong song to be honest. They should have picked up the song about reunion.

Here are my takes in a nutshell:

1. The program started nearly 45 mins late. If I were the boss, the organizer would have gotten an earful from me. But since we were there to see friends, it didn't matter in the end.
2. No usherer for the VIP (the P is pengetua). Cikgu Wan Nasihah came, and after my chat, was wondering if she needs to register, and I didn't know either as I was not part of the committee.
3. The thanking the teachers segment was a bit of a non-event. The presents given too are a bit funny (table lamp without any wrapping what-so-ever).
4. The celebrity couples segments too long
5. The singing was, ah well, forgetful.
6. The event booklet was a second thought to be honest. There was not much in there, if at all.

Arif commented that the Cherish magazine I did five years ago for our batch reunion was much better with stories and pictures in there. (Well, I know he could be a bit biased for his dad, ehem!) And the fact we only charged RM50 per person as entrance fee and still be able to produce a colourful magazine filled to the brim with their pictures and stories as a sweet reminder of the reunion to bring home with them. I guess we were then working voluntarily and that we know we were there not to make money. It gave us great satisfaction to be able to do our parts.

This time around, with a fee of RM150, the doggie bag has nothing in there except for an ANSARA sticker and cheap promo. The reunion booklet is full of advert and no information. I guess I should not complain, as I had posted my company in the business directory of the ANSARA. With advert money, they could have done a better job.

Despite all of these shortcomings, I must say I have enjoyed it myself. Meeting with friends, some of whom I had not seen for over 20 years, teachers I have not met for more than 30 years; these are sweet memories of the night.

We had our photography session; since were the 4th batch, we didn't have to wait that long. It will be a long wait for the other batches; but I guess they are young enough to wait.

But one more thing that caught my attention, the event says 35th Anniversary of MRSM Kota Bharu, as it was known then to all of us, and not as MRSM Pengkalan Chepas. I am hoping that I would still be around for the 40th anniversary in five years' time.

Happy anniversary, my dear alma mater. Here's to another 35 years.

EPILOGUE

While I do sound like a critic, I must admit that in this case I am an armchair's critic. Thank you to the commitee members for their hardwork.

Itulah Lelaki...tapi tidak termasuk saya

I was doing my driving chore this morning with Klasik Nasional blaring on the radio when a song I have not heard before caught my attention. It is seldom they would air such (new) song at Klasik Nasional, but that's not the main reason why it caught my attention.

It was the lyric of the song actual. It is damn witty.

I seldom pay much attention to the lyric. To me, the melody is more important, irrespective of what the late PRamlee had said about lagu and irama.

Anyway, the song tells about all the bad traits of men. Anything and everything that you can think of. Nothing new there I guess, but the way the singer categorically denied that he was one put a smile back on my face, despite the mundane driving I had to make on my little Kelisa.

Apparently according to the singer, for each of the bad trait he mentioned, somehow he is not one of them!

"Tapi tidak termasuk saya," he said, straight-faced. I can imagine him saying that with a straight face! And non-chalantly.

That put a smile on my face.

I am sure you have heard of that before. Everybody is bad, I am the nice guy, so to speak. Typical men, huh?

But there are traits that the singer would readily admit that he is one of them. "Kadang-kadang termasuk saya," admitted Hang Mokhtar. So I guess he was not a hypocrite.

Anyway, I could not find the Hang Mokhtar's version that was aired around 7.30 am this morning, but I found out that it is actually an Indonesian song written by Doel Sumbang, quite a well known song-writer in Indonesia. You can't beat the Indonesians, when it comes to witty song.

I paste for you here the Indonesian version.

AKU LELAKI

Umumnya lelaki punya sipat bajingan
Tak pernah puas dengan satu perempuan
Itulah lelaki..

Tapi tidak termasuk saya

Kalau ditolak cinta oleh seorang wanita
Banyak yang pergi kedukun main guna-guna
Itulah lelaki..

Tapi tidak termasuk saya

Kalau merayu bilang cinta pake sumpah
Diajak nikah alasan sekarung sampah
Itulah lelaki..

Tapi tidak termasuk saya

Jarang sadar kalau diri sendiri bekas
Selalu ingin punya pacar yang bukan bekas
Itulah lelaki..

Ini baru termasuk saya

Kalau pacar pergi sendiri cemburuan
Dia sendiri tak mau dicemburui
Itulah lelaki..

Tapi tidak termasuk saya

Malam minggu menggandeng pacar jalan-jalan
Lihat yang molek mata aktif jelalatan
Itulah lelaki..

Tapi tidak termasuk saya

Didepan mertua seperti Malaikat
Dibelakang moral bejad busuk berkarat
Itulah lelaki..

Tapi tidak termasuk saya

Benci pada gadis yang berpacar lebih satu
Dia sendiri punya pacar sampai tiga
Itulah lelaki..

Ini juga termasuk saya

Sebulan dua bulan pacar dibaikin
Bulan ketiga disergap dan dikerjain

Itulah lelaki..

Jelas… termasuk saya
Ini jelas termasuk saya
Jelas ini termasuk saya

Cipt: Doel Sumbang

EPILOGUE

Hmm, this blog is fast becoming a blog about songs. I guess it is by chance, it was not meant to be. And err, my dear sis, please do not misinterpret this entry. You were off target there the last time! :-)

You should listen to the song the way it is supposed to be enjoyed. If the previous ones are so depressing, this song is witty.

Imbauan at the Philharmonic with Khadijah Ibrahim

Tonight is the night Khadijah Ibrahim overwhelmes the orchestra at the Philharmonic!

Seriously I thought she would not be able to carry many of the songs especially on the high notes, but carry it she could and more actually.

I love her rendition of Jimmy Boyle's Jauh Jauh. Actually I like the elegant arrangement of that song. To me, I have heard many versions of this beautiful song, but this arrangement tops it all. Khadijah is as always soulful. She is so classy.

She is good too with her rendition of Cemburu and Tanah Pusaka, among others.

The PETRONAS Performing Group come out great, to my opinion. Much better arrangement, much better display from the orchestra than say at Istana Budaya. The instrument are more subtle, the different sections of the orchestra tend to complement each other, rather than competing with one another, like always at Istana Budaya. Hiburkan lah Hati ku, Mohon Kasih, Resam Dunia are some of the songs being showcased tonight.

I have really enjoyed my night at the MPO.

But it is not without shortcoming, and I guess at times it may sound petty. But I would say my piece here and I didn't like the initial arrangement of the traditional song Mas Merah. I believe that you cannot get more Malay than this song. This song epitomize the very essence of the Malays and yet it was led by the "Chinese Violin" (I don't know the its real name), and for a good part of the song, it sounds Chinese to me, and the irony of it all, that this song to my mind, is Andre Goh's.

Until the singer with full traditional gear starts singing it that is. May be I am too much a traditionalist, I don't know.

It is a beautiful traditional piece.

I would like to see more of the traditional instrument like the gambus and accordian being featured as solo instrument rather than as back-up and perhaps putting these musicians at the front rather than the back.

Any kudos to PETRONAS Performing Art Group and PETRONAS in general. Tan Sri Hassan Merican, the PETRONAS' President was a guest tonight and I saw Adibah Nor in the audience and I must say Khadijah Ibrahim's rendition of Jauh Jauh is far superior to Adibah's.

Khadijah was playful enough in her performance quite often teasing the orchestra members and the conductor, and apparently even Tan Sri Hassan was not spared when she noted that a medly of the songs from the 50s she is singing perhaps suits him more than it suits her!

I have a guest, Kak Yus, a former principal of the Ambacang Primary School in Padang. I am sure she had enjoyed it as much as I do. I met her while I was tracking the foot steps and life of Sitti Nurbaya during one of my trip to the land of the Minang more than 10 years ago.

My guest Kak Yus (2nd from left) and the family with the MPO CEO Puan Juniwati (sixth from left) and her husband En Harun (third from left). All three of us used to work in the same section, in the department that the good datuk who signed the contract in the previous entry, headed. And I used to report to her at one time at the oil refinery in the East Coast.

I am now a fan of the PPAG and I am saying goodbye to Istana Budaya (in principle). For sure I would be coming back for the 30th Anniversary Concert of Khadijah Ibrahim. I am praying hard that she would be singing Janjimu. Of course I have many favourites like Ku Sangka Siang kiranya Malam, Tangisan Hati yang Derita, Ku Pendam Sebuah Duka, but this song from 1980, Janjimu is special. Just way too special for me.

I wonder if I could ask the MPO CEO to do me a favour and convey it to Kathy. Hmmm...

I would melt, if she sings that song in November, I know I would.

And of course my SPM 1980 will always be remembered by her song "Peristiwa dibulan November."

"You only have each other"

Prologue

I thought this time around with their birthdays looming (both were born in the month of July), I thought I would pay a tribute to them with this entry. Arif is now 17 and Akmal 14 on the 25th, and growing up. I could not ask for better kids than them, for that I am thankful to Him.

And with only the two of them around, I always told them that they only have each other. I know, I know, they do have cousins from both sides of the family, and they are close to many of them or more like big brothers to the rests, but I guess they know what I mean.

Oh by the way, as noted in the blog windows on the right, selamat pengantin baru to my bro-in-law and his wife. Here you have both Arif and Akmal serenading the pengantin baru.

This year we have had two weddings and in some ways I am glad that there will not be one in the next years, right, my unmarried siblings? ;-)

Anyway, even if you do, with Arif hopefully shipped somewhere for his tertiary education, it won't be easy to assemble the two brothers again for a duet.

The kis entertaining the guests prior to the pengantin arrival. Arif was mistaken as the pengantin when he appeared at the tent in his full songket baju Melayu. No, he is too young to be one, and even too young to have a girlfriend.

The last wedding we had was for my brother in law at Rawang, just after the Users' Conference, and again this blogger was in charge of music for the day, and again the kids were his victims. Like for their auntie's wedding in June, they had to serenade the couple; this time their uncle.

Arif went a step ahead this time around with his solo rendition of 'Direnjis-renjis dipilis' violin solo during the Menepung Tawar ceremony.

Now, I think it is time to get them beyond the PRamlee and keroncong repertoire, and so during the last trip to Jakarta I have gotten some more music notes on Indonesians and more English songs.

But we are waiting for someone's wedding eh?

Arif with his piano solo rendition of the lovely love song 'Winter Sonata' on the keyboard. We can't be carrying the piano everywhere, unfortunately. It would have been great if we could.

While Akmal did a guitar solo on Romance

OK, so whose wedding is next?

The sound recorded from the wedding performances weren't that great with the high noise background. So I thought I post here the practice session at home.

Tunggu sekejap guys; please don't grow up too fast!

EPILOGUE

I remember when I was 17. It was great. I know the pressure of SPM was just around the corner, but I don't remember much of that now. I guess we were then expected to breeze through, though in the end we didn't. But we didn't know any better then, so I guess 1980 was a very enjoyable year indeed, if only in hindsight!

Huh? What I am talking about here?

Never mind.