I wrote this several years ago and was sent to Bapak. I felt it was a very personal thing and was not ready to share although Bapak had coaxed me into sending this to be published in a daily. Bapak had always encoraged me to write. We shared the joys of writing. Someone commented that we have the same style. Nothing can compare with my Sifu's, namely Bapa.
Dear Bapak, I have finally decided that the write up about Mak is to be shared. I finally found my courage....out of the love of writing and out of the love for you.
To my dearest Mak....this is what you are and this is what you have taught all us , your children to be
Al Fatihah to both Mak and Bapak
****************
Mak,Tah, Encik, Che Tah, Kak Tah, Mak Tah, Mak Chor, Mak Chik ,Kak Shamsiah, Kak Sham, Mak Tok, Datin Sham, Datin, Datin Seri , Pah Tah and Pah Datin .
These are all the names that refer to our beloved Mak. These names also refer to different roles that she played. Not even once she was confused by the roles that she played. The grace she potrayed while assuming these roles was beyond my understanding.
Mak was `Encik’ to her only sister, Chu Nandak. Nothing much can be heard from Chu. She ia a lady of few words but from her eyes and her body language she has nothing but admiration for her elder sister. Although they coming from the same `mould’ they are like `chalk and cheese’ in every other sense. Probably Mak was groomed by her grandmother Hajjah Ensah whom I understand was a very hard to please lady when it comes to `upbringing.
She was also known as `Che Tah’ to her in-laws, Bapa’s sibling. They are very much like her flesh and blood. This was probably because she knew them from before. She has never quarreled with any of them. She never succumbed to their follies. Being non committal to their bickering when any of them reported or confided, she always kept her cool and was very philosophical about everything. “Bior le” would be the most response.
` To her cousins she was known as Yong’. Of all the cousins she had, Pak We was the closest. Pak We had stayed with us for a long time. Every body called her male cousin Pak We. She was duly worried when Pak We became ill and lost his sight. . They looked up to each other so much. Mak was the elder sister that Pak We never had, and Pak We was the jovial, funny and younger brother Mak wished she had. . Pak We was already frail and in spite of not being able to see he insisted that he accompanied Mak’s cortege. One could sense the respect Pak We had for Mak
To her husband’s nieces and nephews even to their second cousins `Mak Tah’. Favoritism had never been in her vocabulary and practice….. `Mak Tah tu rasa mak saudara sendiri’ said a female cousin…Why not? She goes all the way and at length to make sure that the nephews and nieces shall adorn the best on their wedding day. She took the trouble to retrieve her jewellery from the bank for that purpose. Her crockery will spread the bridal banquet, the `semerit’ for the display of hantaran, carpets to brighten up the wedding dais, platform and other wedding paraphernalia was for all to be made available to these nieces…to her it was meant to be shared. The groom or the bride should never be devoid of being made the `the queen or king of the day’ At weddings her opinion was often sought and consulted. Her words confirmed decisions. Never once she bragged or `ungkit’ about borrowing hers. . One can always tell another’s’ sincerity and Mak’s sincerity was deeply felt.
`Mak Chor’ Even though she was not as expressive, she showered her love to her own nieces and nephews. After settling down back at Kampung Buaia, Atikah became her doted one. After every trip from somewhere there will always be some `buah tangan ‘for Atikah. Atikah was her youngest grand neice
Mak Cik was to those who have no blood ties. Kak Yah was nine when she first stayed with us and way before I was born. She was very much like our own sister even though Teh, Kak Yah’s mother was Mak’s helper. When I was much younger I envied Kak Yah because she got to go wherever Mak went. When she had some problems, it was Mak that Kak Yah turned to. Mak groomed her, taught her so many things. Kak Yahs wedding was `Wedding of the Year in `Kuala Selangor’ One could see the strong bond between them, it was like sister and sister and at times it was like mother and child. Mak could do both… the interplay of roles. Arwah Teh once told Mak….”Yah tu… macang Cik Sangsiah” What was that that Teh meant?
Kak Tah it was to Kak Nah and Abang Ramli. They were small traders who sold daily provisions from their van. When they got back to Semenanjung they had a `gerai’ at Pasir Putih. It was a shack really. From time to time Mak would visit them and bought goodies and clothes for the children. For countless Hari Raya the whole family moved to our house. Mak gave a room close to the kitchen. She took pity on Kak Nah’s six children. She said they deserve a decent place to stay especially during festive occasion like Hari Raya. They had a fat son whom Mak lovingly called `Endut’. The only person who could call him by that` degerotory term’ was Mak. The term by Mak was to him meant an endearment. Even a child warms up to Mak knowing that that was no malice on Mak’s part
Whenever `pacri terong’ became the menu of day, a portion of the dish was sent to Kak Rose and Abang Nazim’s house (Datin Rose and Dato Nazim) Abang Nazim never forget to praise Mak’s pajri. So much was Mak thoughtfulness of others. She served from her heart.
Datin Sham as she was known to the wives of Rotarians and other wives of her own stature. Rotarians love to come for the committee meeting held at our house because she would not have her food catered. She just would not have it done that way and instead would cook herself….of course she had a stable of assistants. Dato’ Sharma and Datin are Brahmin and they are Vegans. Mak would make sure that there was a vegetarian dish on the table for both of them though they brought their own. Sometimes a so called `educated’ person is not as sensitive to the needs of other religion. Unlike Mak.
Siva was Bapa’s driver and he called Mak , Datin. Thiru was Mak’s domestic helper and she calls Mak, Auntie. How many `Mems’ would want to eat with a helper. Seeing both Thiru and Mak sharing the same food and talking to each other at same dining table, makes one humble. Thiru of course was rattling away. Every year be it the 3rd or the 4th night of Hari Raya , Mak will have a special invitation to Siva’s family and Thiru’s family and her sister’s as well. They were not employees on that day but very special guests of Dato Seri Yang Rashdi. Mak saw to it as an appreciation of their service and also as being a part of our `big’ family. Mak , she was blind to kind and creed.
One can go on telling what a fine person she was. She knew when she was just Mak Tah or, Mak Cik or when she was Datin. She was a person who was at ease with herself, unassuming, not conscious that she is a Datin twice over and Mak Tok as she was referred to at the istana. She carried herself well and with decorum, played her role to the fullest. It was her big heart and a heart of gold that made her stood out anytime and anywhere.
Like a rose you can call her by any other name but a rose would smell as sweet…. That’s my Mother.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The letter I promise to write
Dear Bapa,
The last time I posted an email to you was the very day you were admitted to Hospital Tuanku Bainun ( Hospital Ipoh) You never got to read the letter.
In my last paragraph, I said that I will write to you soon.
Bapa, I always get excited when there is an activity or any news that is related to you. You always respond immediately. You never cease to say that you are proud of me. I thank you for your concern and appreciation.
I mentioned to you earlier that , I have granted a permission to start an Interact Club at Kolej Yayasan Saad. You responded by forwarding somes news about an Interact Club in Ipoh.
We had our first Installation Night last Friday. The District Governor himself came. Dato Abdul Latif Saruggi. There is one Mr Vohrah from a family of distinguished lawyers. Mr Arumugam from President of Roratry Club of Malacca, the sponsoring club.
In my speech I said, " when a proposal letter was sent in for the approval of starting of an Interact Club, I need not look into it further because for the past 40 years of my life I have been directly involved with Rotarians, Rotary Anns, Innerwheelers and Interactors." There was a spontaneous applause by the audience. There was some pride when I mentioned that.
Before the District Governor proceeded in his speech, he requested the audience to stand up and observe a minute of silence and also to recite `Al Fatihah'. It was a very touching moment for me. I was almost in tears. The words of praise they have for you, makes me very proud to be your daughter.
I am very sure had you been here then, you would have attended our First Installation. I would have invited you to give a talk on the organisation, the very person to give words of encouragement to my intelligent students.
Alas, it was not to be. You had wanted to come and stay with me for a short spell here at Kolej yayasan Saad. You said that you would come when you are slightly better. I had looked forward to it.
Bapa, this is the `soon' letter that I promised to write. I hope this is also not the last one to you. I shall miss your responses to my mails.
love always
Nun
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
He has always said 'once a scouts always a scouts'
1949 - 1956 Pemimpin Pengakap Kumpulan Sekolah Sultan Sulaiman, KTrengganu
1956 - 1961 Pesuruhjaya Pengakap Daerah
1961 - 1967 Setiausaha Kehormat, Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia
1969 - 1973 Pesuruhjaya Wilayah, Malaysia Timur (Sabah, Sarawak)
1961 Ahli Majlis Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia
1989-2001 Ketua Pesuruhjaya Pengakap Negara (National Chief Commissioner)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Dato' Seri (Bapak) wrote an Eulogy for Datin Seri Shamsiah (Mak)....dated 20 Jul 2003
An “Eulogy” on your Opah Your Opah passed away peacefully last Tuesday 1st July 2003. Her demise was a surprise to me and to many others far and near. She had not shown that she was very sick. She just had a little “womanly” problem and was going to have a little operation on it , to be exact 1st July, in the General Hospital in Taiping. She was all pepared to go to Taiping that morning and after taking her bath and was about to dress herself up she complained of feeling tired. Your Wan Yah, our housemaid, advised your Opah to lie down to rest. She did and during these last two or three minutes of resting your Opah just left us for good. It was that simple. Allah must have loved her and taken her away that peacefully with just a few of us around her i.e Ki, Yang Lan (Ki’s son), Ijan (Ki’s grandaughter) both of whom were back home for that week-end , Wan Yah, and our family friend Pah Endit.
Your Opah was born in this very kampong where your Pak Chu Haji Rahman and Chu Nandak's house is to-day. She went to the Sekolah Melayu Perempuan then in Kampong Lalang. Imagine your Opah had to walk all that distance to school in those days. In those days young girls and anak dara riding a bicycle was taboo! Your Opah only passed her Standard Six in the Malay School and after school she settled down in her kampong and attended her Arabic and religious classes at the Madarasah Falahiah, at this Kampong Buaia. It is not known how good Opah was as a student at the religious and Arabic classes but it is well-known today that your Opah read the Quran well and was considered the “champion quran reader” of this kampong and its surrounding. Being a local boy Ki remembered that your Opah was invited to many Khenduri Perkahwinan in this Kampong Buaia and outside Kampong Buaia.
Ki married Opah when Opah was only 16 years old. It was an arranged marriage between your Opah and Ki by our two families. Both the families were already interrelated. We got married on 7th April,1947 (56 years ago!). Over our marriage of 56 years we have 6 children, 4 girls and 2 boys all married except Ki's son Che Om (Shahrome} who is not yet but will be soon. We have 9 grand-children 3 grandsons and 6 grand-daughters.
When Ki married your Opah she was a truly kampong girl being born and bred in this kampong. Her grandmother (my Pah Tah) was a kampong disciplinarian in the fashion of olden days- no contact with boys, no very outlandish activities in social lives, was brainwashed thoroughly about sopan santun , about housekeeping. Cooking was a must. At the age of 16 your Opah was almost very matured.
In the first year of our marriage I took her with me to Kuala Trengganu where I became an English School teacher at the Sultan Sulaiman English Secondary School. We lived in Kuala Treangganu for almost 9 years. To-day I still consider it as my second home and we still consider many people around the kampongs as our own relatives especially your Opah who was loved by all. She was a very simple girl. Everybody knew her as Cik Sang! (Trengganu slang!)
After 9 years in Kuala Terengganu I was still moving around in the country being an officer in the top government civil service in Selangor, in Negeri Sembilan, in Melaka, in Sabah and in Perak itself as a senior government officer. I have served as the District Officer in Kuala Selangor and once again as a District Officer in Taiping. My final office was as the Perak State Director of Lands and Mines.
All these years your Opah was with me. As the years moved on your Opah also moved with time. When I became a more senior officer with high position your Opah did not change her outlook in her life.. She was still as simple as she ever was - ”tak sombong, tak mengada” For many years as time went on I was quite involved in a number of voluntary organizations especially in the Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia and in Rotary International both of which took me to quite a higher status than many. As a government officer and in these voluntary organization your Opah and I have travelled a bit around the world. Together we have been to the United States of America, the United Kingdom (England,Wales ans Scotland), to Europe covering Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Germany. We have been to Mekah twice. In Souteast Asia we have been to Indonesia (Java), Thailand, Japan,, Korea, and to Taiwan. We have also been to Australia.
It surprised me that your Opah took up all these new experiences very ordinarily meaning just being herself! At social functions abroad or at home in Malaysia your Opah has been seated at VIP high-tables and many times with royalty . At suh occasions your Opah was always as cool as a cucunber in the midst of such high personalities. She did not speak English very well, only a smattering of the language but that did not deter her. If she could she would answer simply but somehow I could see that they “were talking away warmly”. May be the other party could not speak English herself or himself as well!!
Your Opah has set herself a certain standard when being addressed At a higher level your Opah would always be the first to start a small conversation herself to break the ice. Among her relatives, her friends, her acquaintances and such people your Opah address herself as Che Tah, Mak Tah, Kak Tah . At times she addressed herself as Tah to older people She did not bother herself if people do not address her as Datin or Datin Seri, even in the Istana , except in a very protocolled occasion!
As far as I remember your Opah never failed her solat even if she was sick to even the last one or two days before she died last week. She also never missed to read the Surah Yassin every Malam Jumaat.
I feel that your Opah was a good wife to me and a good mother to her children
Let us say a little Doa to your Opah. We will always remember her – seorang anak kampong yang disayangi ramai. To Ki, Ki berdoa Allah SWT akan memelihara Opah dengan kasih sayang dalam peliharaaNYA
Termaktub di Kampong Buaia
20 Julai,2003
Monday, August 4, 2008
Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi's last article (Excerpt from Ipoh Echo Issue 55)
- Gentle Last Words -
Raja Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak. His hospital visit,
according to the late Dato Seri Yang Rashdi, was “the greatest gift of all” .
Yang Rashdi's last piece for Ipoh Echo relates his joy at seeing his friends and the royal couple who came visiting when he was in hospital. (Written on June 21, 2008) Read more…
I am now back home after two weeks at the Pantai Puteri Medical Centre, Ipoh. I am not fully recovered yet – it may take another month or so for me to be my normal self again. But I am such a restless person and have to be at my computer and try to write again.
I want to thank the dear friends from the Kelab Bakti Gunung Keledang who visited me in hospital. Tan Sri Azizuddin came when I was in a very critical condition. I could barely say a word and had to say sorry by sign language from afar. Then the others … Dato’ Syed Azman and Datin, Dato’ Ahmad Ismail, Dr Ameen, the Club Secretary, Haris and his family, my great friend Mohamad Hamzah who, together with Razali, our artist, brought a very valuable gift on behalf of the Club – a robotic hospital bed. (I heard it cost the Club a bomb). But I feel that I will not be bed-ridden for long. Insya Allah (God's willing).
The greatest gift of all was the surprise visit of our beloved Sultan, Raja Azlan Shah and Raja Perempuan, Tuanku Bainun.
One quiet afternoon, Tuanku trotted in, affecting a cheerful tone, in jest, asking, “Hey, what are you doing here?” The two doctors present briefed the Sultan. My chat with the royal couple lasted about 40 minutes. The Sultan queried about my age and compared it with our Tun Bendahara's age. Of course, Tun is about four or five years my senior, I am just turning 83. He then asked me about my College contemporaries. I rattled off a few names. He then added a few more to see how I would respond.
We rambled on about other matters like my sporting days. I gladly told him that I too was a hockey player like him. Perhaps, wanting to test me, he asked what position I played. I said, readily, ‘right wing’. I even added, rather cheekily (I realise this now) that I was quite a nippy player. He asked, “apa lagi cerita?” So I talked about my involvement in the scouting movement. The Sultan was a patrol leader during his school days.
He enquired about my leisure time. I told him of the support I give my daughter, Ju, who works to alleviate the problems of single mothers in Kampong Buaia. Ju, who was there during the visit was very articulate in her discourse with the royal couple.
I informed the Sultan that my family had started our own agro-project, planting lemon grass on the land around my house. When I told him that it was only five acres, the Sultan exclaimed that it was big. He asked again, “apa lagi cerita?” I remembered the Ipoh Echo.
I told him one of my articles was published in Ipoh Echo Issue 47. It was a story about me and my brothers when we were kids growing up in the kampung. Tuanku prodded me to carry on writing.
My four children, Ida, Lahn, Ju and Shima smartly dressed in baju kurong and samping, were on hand to provide me support whenever I faltered.
Ida and Ju attended to Tuanku Bainun who was very sweet and friendly. Shima was awed by Tuanku’s charm and became speechless.
Ya-Ya, Ida’s teenage daughter, was assigned to take photos but lost her composure. Let us say she got a bad attack of stage fright – so there went my treasure trove of pictures.
Raja Azlan told my kids never to leave their father all by himself. They nodded in agreement. Ida walked them to the staff car which was parked under the hospital porch below.
What a day it was! Thank you, Tuanku!
Dato Seri Rashdi requested his daughter to forward the above article to the Ipoh Echo. He died on July 3. See our tribute, IE Issue 54
Raja Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak. His hospital visit,
according to the late Dato Seri Yang Rashdi, was “the greatest gift of all” .
Yang Rashdi's last piece for Ipoh Echo relates his joy at seeing his friends and the royal couple who came visiting when he was in hospital. (Written on June 21, 2008) Read more…
I am now back home after two weeks at the Pantai Puteri Medical Centre, Ipoh. I am not fully recovered yet – it may take another month or so for me to be my normal self again. But I am such a restless person and have to be at my computer and try to write again.
I want to thank the dear friends from the Kelab Bakti Gunung Keledang who visited me in hospital. Tan Sri Azizuddin came when I was in a very critical condition. I could barely say a word and had to say sorry by sign language from afar. Then the others … Dato’ Syed Azman and Datin, Dato’ Ahmad Ismail, Dr Ameen, the Club Secretary, Haris and his family, my great friend Mohamad Hamzah who, together with Razali, our artist, brought a very valuable gift on behalf of the Club – a robotic hospital bed. (I heard it cost the Club a bomb). But I feel that I will not be bed-ridden for long. Insya Allah (God's willing).
The greatest gift of all was the surprise visit of our beloved Sultan, Raja Azlan Shah and Raja Perempuan, Tuanku Bainun.
One quiet afternoon, Tuanku trotted in, affecting a cheerful tone, in jest, asking, “Hey, what are you doing here?” The two doctors present briefed the Sultan. My chat with the royal couple lasted about 40 minutes. The Sultan queried about my age and compared it with our Tun Bendahara's age. Of course, Tun is about four or five years my senior, I am just turning 83. He then asked me about my College contemporaries. I rattled off a few names. He then added a few more to see how I would respond.
We rambled on about other matters like my sporting days. I gladly told him that I too was a hockey player like him. Perhaps, wanting to test me, he asked what position I played. I said, readily, ‘right wing’. I even added, rather cheekily (I realise this now) that I was quite a nippy player. He asked, “apa lagi cerita?” So I talked about my involvement in the scouting movement. The Sultan was a patrol leader during his school days.
He enquired about my leisure time. I told him of the support I give my daughter, Ju, who works to alleviate the problems of single mothers in Kampong Buaia. Ju, who was there during the visit was very articulate in her discourse with the royal couple.
I informed the Sultan that my family had started our own agro-project, planting lemon grass on the land around my house. When I told him that it was only five acres, the Sultan exclaimed that it was big. He asked again, “apa lagi cerita?” I remembered the Ipoh Echo.
I told him one of my articles was published in Ipoh Echo Issue 47. It was a story about me and my brothers when we were kids growing up in the kampung. Tuanku prodded me to carry on writing.
My four children, Ida, Lahn, Ju and Shima smartly dressed in baju kurong and samping, were on hand to provide me support whenever I faltered.
Ida and Ju attended to Tuanku Bainun who was very sweet and friendly. Shima was awed by Tuanku’s charm and became speechless.
Ya-Ya, Ida’s teenage daughter, was assigned to take photos but lost her composure. Let us say she got a bad attack of stage fright – so there went my treasure trove of pictures.
Raja Azlan told my kids never to leave their father all by himself. They nodded in agreement. Ida walked them to the staff car which was parked under the hospital porch below.
What a day it was! Thank you, Tuanku!
Dato Seri Rashdi requested his daughter to forward the above article to the Ipoh Echo. He died on July 3. See our tribute, IE Issue 54
Friday, August 1, 2008
A Moving Poem
(Datuk Suleiman/Abang Man's birthday greetings dated 3 July 08 that comes with a very moving poem by an anynomous poet....coincidently on the day he passed away....).
Beautitudes for Friends of the Aged
Blessed are they who understand my
faltering step and palsied hand
Blessed are they who know that my ears today
must strain to catch the things they say
Blessed are they who seem to know that my eyes
are dim and my wits are slow.
Blessed are they who looked away when coffee
spilled at the table today
Blessed are they with cheery smile who
stop to chat for a little while
Blessed are they who never say "You've
told that story twice today"
Blessed are they who know the ways to
bring back memories of yesterdays.
Blessed are they who make it known that
I'm loved, respected, and not alone.
Blessed are they who know I'm at a loss
to find the strength to carry the torch.
Blessed are those who ease the days on my
journey home in loving ways.
Beautitudes for Friends of the Aged
Blessed are they who understand my
faltering step and palsied hand
Blessed are they who know that my ears today
must strain to catch the things they say
Blessed are they who seem to know that my eyes
are dim and my wits are slow.
Blessed are they who looked away when coffee
spilled at the table today
Blessed are they with cheery smile who
stop to chat for a little while
Blessed are they who never say "You've
told that story twice today"
Blessed are they who know the ways to
bring back memories of yesterdays.
Blessed are they who make it known that
I'm loved, respected, and not alone.
Blessed are they who know I'm at a loss
to find the strength to carry the torch.
Blessed are those who ease the days on my
journey home in loving ways.
Dear Da......
Letter to Da... from Bapak
(bapak praises how good Da's cooking is, and its just as good as mak's!!)
Written on July 1th, 2005
Dear Da,
During the few days you took me under your care I know you did so with a daughter's sincere good heart for the love for a father! Many a time when you were around I cried in my heart to think that it had been a long time since I have had your Mak's touches at cooking with (sambal and all that!) and doing up the house as you did the other day. I appreciate you and the others that you organised yourself that while the others took a turn for a few days to rest elsewhere one or two of you would stay back to take care of me ( just in case………! ) What other families would do such a thing to take care of their parents they way you all did?
As a stubborn person that I am I would want to say that there was no need for you all to go that far. After all I am only 80!! Although it was a matter of a few days you honestly did overfeed me. I know my weight has increased by some few GRAMS these last few days!............
I will remember this one instance for a long long time that night when I was just going into slumberland in my room and the light was just being switched off when I saw two shadowy figures peeping into the bed , my bed, possibly the figures were giving it the the last peep for the night before the figures themselves went into their dream-land knowing that I was already safe and sound to retire for the day; and the next day you were already going home yourself! ( I thought you were leaving that very early the next morning!) .
To-day (15th July) is about to be normal again . As you remember Lahn came back from Sarawak with fever and was in bed for two days and did not move very much (and is still feverish to-day!). Ju seems alright and is setting herself right into the house-chores. She said she enjoyed the trip to Sarawak. Ohm and Shima said they would be coming back to the villa to-day (Saturday) although it is already noon-time as I jotted this letter!!
The work at the outside kitchen-sink is not over yet. They are still doing the final touches on the job. Hashim has to buy another dozen of the tiles from KK. The earlier portion bought with Yaya is somewhat insufficient. From my own assessment of the work it is extremely fine. The work got a little longer to enable the plastering of the cement to properly dried up. Some of the neigbouring folks (Chu Nandak, Latt, Ani and the others think the “outside" sink looks more stylish and presentable than the one inside. Now they are suggesting that the entire outside luar dapor be tidied up as good as the new sink. I thought that it was a good idea but told them the Towkeh must be agreeable with it . We will wait for her to come back to agree or not.
Ju has not brought our new car back yet. It is still under “process” so it seems! I am sending Ju back to Kuala Lumpur next week to settle the problem. It has been a hell of a problem for me without a transportation. I have been holed up in this situation for many days now. Anyway, I hope by next week things will brighten up for all of us.
Love to you all.
From Bapak
(bapak praises how good Da's cooking is, and its just as good as mak's!!)
Written on July 1th, 2005
Dear Da,
During the few days you took me under your care I know you did so with a daughter's sincere good heart for the love for a father! Many a time when you were around I cried in my heart to think that it had been a long time since I have had your Mak's touches at cooking with (sambal and all that!) and doing up the house as you did the other day. I appreciate you and the others that you organised yourself that while the others took a turn for a few days to rest elsewhere one or two of you would stay back to take care of me ( just in case………! ) What other families would do such a thing to take care of their parents they way you all did?
As a stubborn person that I am I would want to say that there was no need for you all to go that far. After all I am only 80!! Although it was a matter of a few days you honestly did overfeed me. I know my weight has increased by some few GRAMS these last few days!............
I will remember this one instance for a long long time that night when I was just going into slumberland in my room and the light was just being switched off when I saw two shadowy figures peeping into the bed , my bed, possibly the figures were giving it the the last peep for the night before the figures themselves went into their dream-land knowing that I was already safe and sound to retire for the day; and the next day you were already going home yourself! ( I thought you were leaving that very early the next morning!) .
To-day (15th July) is about to be normal again . As you remember Lahn came back from Sarawak with fever and was in bed for two days and did not move very much (and is still feverish to-day!). Ju seems alright and is setting herself right into the house-chores. She said she enjoyed the trip to Sarawak. Ohm and Shima said they would be coming back to the villa to-day (Saturday) although it is already noon-time as I jotted this letter!!
The work at the outside kitchen-sink is not over yet. They are still doing the final touches on the job. Hashim has to buy another dozen of the tiles from KK. The earlier portion bought with Yaya is somewhat insufficient. From my own assessment of the work it is extremely fine. The work got a little longer to enable the plastering of the cement to properly dried up. Some of the neigbouring folks (Chu Nandak, Latt, Ani and the others think the “outside" sink looks more stylish and presentable than the one inside. Now they are suggesting that the entire outside luar dapor be tidied up as good as the new sink. I thought that it was a good idea but told them the Towkeh must be agreeable with it . We will wait for her to come back to agree or not.
Ju has not brought our new car back yet. It is still under “process” so it seems! I am sending Ju back to Kuala Lumpur next week to settle the problem. It has been a hell of a problem for me without a transportation. I have been holed up in this situation for many days now. Anyway, I hope by next week things will brighten up for all of us.
Love to you all.
From Bapak
Friday, July 25, 2008
Bapak loves to send letters....
In one of his letters to his children and grandchildren, he described how he adores the "taman sayur".Villa Pijay Padang Rengas
27th May,2003
Dear Anak-Anak,
27th May,2003
Dear Anak-Anak,
Since you were around at Villa Pijay things seemed to be moving.. The "pondok" behind the house is almost completed and the area around it is being tidied up. A pipe-line to the "pondok" has also been fixed and the sink is now being used. . We are storing up the rubbish at the back into the "pondok". That piece of the plot of land belonging to a neighbour adjacent to our Kebun Sayur has been ploughed up and I heard a new house is going to be built some time or so..
However,the area is being tidied up and I can now see the traffic plying east-west on the "main-road"! (Lat and I are planning to make the cleared area as a reserved parking ground during Om's kenduri!). Now that the "pondok" is getting fully utilized Yah and I are planning to make that plot of land the Kebun Sayur into a "Taman Sayur" . Your Mak has reserved a small area to plant her intended "medicinal plants".
The wetland area nearer the house across the spring-river has been nicely cleaned of bushes and grass by our hard-working Mak Andak and this area has been now planted with fruit plants, some 30 varieties of them which cost me some $300.00. Some. of them are-budgrafted, of these are a dozen durian trees. The others covered plants like dokong, rambutan, limau manis, langsat, salak manis, mangoes, nangka madu, salak manis, sukun, jambu madu. All about 30 of them. I have wanted you all and my cucus to organize themselves to do the planting "ceremoniously" but it saddened me that you people are not "interested" to organize themselves to do so. So this last 24th Saturday taking the opportunity of the visit of some of my Rotarian friends from lpoh calling over to hold a Committee Meeting at this PJ retreat with their annes and a few children, some 20 of them or so including our Japanese girl Gakko Koukan Sei (Student Exchange) took up the opportunity to plant-up the pokok-pokok buahan each one marking up their personal pokok and also mark up their position so that they may come back over some time to look how their pokoks fair in the orchard!. A few of them had made me promise that when one day the trees bear fruits that their children will be free to collect them!. The plants are caringly watered every day.
The corns are already being picked now. Already we have picked up a lot of them for home consumption. But how much can we eat them? In consultation with your Mak Andak we have already distributed some to our neghbours and saudara-mara around here since my anak-cucu can buy their jagungs easily in the cities- no hardwork!!! My next step is being discussed with Din our neighbour down there that the space beside the boundary with The Technical School now being cleared nicely will be utilized to plant with Limau Bali hopefully with the help pf AH KEE in Tambun,Ipoh (Nun, please take note when you are around in lpoh or when you are coming back to Villa Pijay). I cannot remember Ah Kee's house in Ampang and so can't go as yet to talk to him.
I am very happy indeed with my "Fruit Orchard" here in this Villa Pijay. A number of "people" have been coming around to visit your Mak and me and..some for the purpose to "see" our Taman Sayur and Kebun Buahan! ! You note that I call the vegetable plot "Taman Sayur" and not "Kebun Sayur".
Now I am planning to install a water pipe-line to the Taman Buahan and a wooden bridge from the ridge this side across. We also want to have a small hut the other side as a rest area. Mak mentioned about a variation of a "pondok wakaf' in Trengganu or in Kelantan.If any member of the family wants to donate any of these items and name it after its own family name you are welcome.
Health wise your Mak has been ill for some time but is now almost back to normal except that she still complains of her leg'pain. I seem to be alright nowdays. I do not use the walking stick as I used to so much these days. In fact, since the last three days I seem to have lost one of my walking sticks, a favourite one, indicating that I really do not need walking stick! The pijay SS &Sudut Sembang\Gossip corner) is gathering bigger still but now appear to be moving from one "statiton" to " another" i.e from the old Taman Sayur to the "Taman Pokok Buahan"!
It is a lot of fun being around at this Villa Pijay!
Yours affectionately
Bapak / Ki
Stop Press
This noon we decided to trade off some of our corns and had been able to dispose offabout 5 gunny bagful of them to a trader who came to our Pijay. Tomorrow they will be coming around for a gunny bagful or two more. Despite that we still some off the corns for a small berkelah at the orchard also with laksa from your Acik today! ltulah kau orang tak nak balik.
This noon we decided to trade off some of our corns and had been able to dispose offabout 5 gunny bagful of them to a trader who came to our Pijay. Tomorrow they will be coming around for a gunny bagful or two more. Despite that we still some off the corns for a small berkelah at the orchard also with laksa from your Acik today! ltulah kau orang tak nak balik.
(Sadly mak passed away on 1 July 2003, just about a month after this letter was written)
As I look back... A Letter from Bapak
Dato'Seri Haji Yang Rashdi Ma'asom
Khazanah/Harta Keluanga.
16 Mar 2006
Dear Kak Chik/Meil & Wan
I know I could use this e-mail to send this message to you as I should, but since some of you do not regularly open up your mail-box I ,therefore, take the stand to utilize the old -fashioned way by sending my notes through the ordinary mail!
I am sending over to you in this envelop for the safe-keep of some old articles and pictures from some of the old papers which I am now "commanding" you on behalf of the family and as my personal Trustee to open up in a Family Web and to inform the family so; so that we can always be assured that we can always locate the relics about the family. As regards to the proposed webs you could place them serially with pictures, articles and comments from the family and so forth.
I am now seriously writing about my life story and my life experiences since the last 70 years. Give me one more full year and I shall be able to complete the whole episodes of the experiences for the sake of my immediate family (you all) and for the later Ma' asom and Akidah family (i.e your children and your children's family).
My health has tremendously improved as days go by feeling better and stronger each day but most of all with stronger wills and enthusiasm as my current life goes into another year! Thank you to all of you for sharing the costs of the hospital bills when I was down some months ago. I pray to Allah that I may repay you all the costs of my stay at the hospital. Until to-day I feel quite embarrassed with myself at having to cause you all the bothers on my life and health.
Believe me I love you all.
BAPAK& Ki .
A confession to make
For the last few days I have always been melancholic about my life. Returning from Ipoh this afternoon while Ju and Lahn were resting (the weather had been hot these few days) I sneaked out on my own and driving the car I went to your Mak's kubur and Ohm's. I wept a bit at the graveyard and actually spoke to your Mak and asked for her forgiveness for failing to be a good father to our anak-anak and that I have promised that I will be a close to God for support. To ohm l told him that the family are missing him very much indeed and sought Allah to forgive him and your Mak and put them in Syurga. I also said to Ohm not to be worried about Shima as we have undertaken to look after her as a full-blooded family member. NOW I feel more relieved that I have done so when my heart felt the urge to be with them so suddenly. So much for this time. To Wan please keep this letter so that one day when I am no more around you and your children and your own nephew and nieces they may know the kind of a grand father you had..
Love and regards to you all.
Your Bapak & Ki
Khazanah/Harta Keluanga.
16 Mar 2006
Dear Kak Chik/Meil & Wan
I know I could use this e-mail to send this message to you as I should, but since some of you do not regularly open up your mail-box I ,therefore, take the stand to utilize the old -fashioned way by sending my notes through the ordinary mail!
I am sending over to you in this envelop for the safe-keep of some old articles and pictures from some of the old papers which I am now "commanding" you on behalf of the family and as my personal Trustee to open up in a Family Web and to inform the family so; so that we can always be assured that we can always locate the relics about the family. As regards to the proposed webs you could place them serially with pictures, articles and comments from the family and so forth.
I am now seriously writing about my life story and my life experiences since the last 70 years. Give me one more full year and I shall be able to complete the whole episodes of the experiences for the sake of my immediate family (you all) and for the later Ma' asom and Akidah family (i.e your children and your children's family).
My health has tremendously improved as days go by feeling better and stronger each day but most of all with stronger wills and enthusiasm as my current life goes into another year! Thank you to all of you for sharing the costs of the hospital bills when I was down some months ago. I pray to Allah that I may repay you all the costs of my stay at the hospital. Until to-day I feel quite embarrassed with myself at having to cause you all the bothers on my life and health.
Believe me I love you all.
BAPAK& Ki .
A confession to make
For the last few days I have always been melancholic about my life. Returning from Ipoh this afternoon while Ju and Lahn were resting (the weather had been hot these few days) I sneaked out on my own and driving the car I went to your Mak's kubur and Ohm's. I wept a bit at the graveyard and actually spoke to your Mak and asked for her forgiveness for failing to be a good father to our anak-anak and that I have promised that I will be a close to God for support. To ohm l told him that the family are missing him very much indeed and sought Allah to forgive him and your Mak and put them in Syurga. I also said to Ohm not to be worried about Shima as we have undertaken to look after her as a full-blooded family member. NOW I feel more relieved that I have done so when my heart felt the urge to be with them so suddenly. So much for this time. To Wan please keep this letter so that one day when I am no more around you and your children and your own nephew and nieces they may know the kind of a grand father you had..
Love and regards to you all.
Your Bapak & Ki
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi loves children
Serving the people even after retirement The Star newspaper - Dec 2005
KUALA KANGSAR, Tues. - The home of a Perak titled chieftain was filled with the sound of "Chicken ..Licken" and "Little Red Riding Hood" yesterday. Almost 30 children and teenagers held their first mini-concert ever, and in English, after 13 months of coaching from Datuk Seri Yang Rashdi Ma'asom, (picture) one of Perak's "Orang Besar Enam Belas", and a retired Land and Mines director. Even though he is 79, and retired 24 years ago, Yang Rashdi still serves the people through teaching English to the children of Kampung Buaia, the village where his late wife was born. There were weekly visits to the Kuala Kangsar library, and occasional trips to river banks, zoos and even to Ipoh for an inter-school debate. Every week, he held discussions with Form Three to Form Five students from the village, and told stories, including one about the legend of Gunung Pondok, a prominent mountain near here. "I was surprised that some ofthem didn't even know the stories of their own village," he said at his home in Padang Rengas yesterday. Shortly after his classes started, his daughter Zurina began holding story-telling sessions at home for the younger children. Zurina said her family believed children should not focus solely on passing English examinations but should learn to communicate in the language. She said the children's theatre group may be named "Shamsiah's Children's Group" after her late mother.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
From PPM Daerah Gombak blog
PPM Daerah Gombak blog
Friday, July 4, 2008
UCAPAN TAKZIAH
Seluruh warga PPM Gombak mengucapkan salam takziah kepada keluarga Alllahyarham Dato' Seri Yang Rashidi bin Ma'asom, S.P.M.P., D.P.M.P., J.S.M., A.S.D.K., A.M.N., P.J.K., A.D.K. ( mantan Ketua Pesuruhjaya Pengakap Negara - 1990 hingga 2002 ) yang telah kembali ke Rahmatullah pada jam 2.30 pagi 3hb. Julai 2008.
Allahyarham juga merupakan salah seorang pembesar negeri Perak iaitu Orang Besar Enam Belas yang bergelar Y.D.H Toh Maharaja InderaAL-FATIHAHSemoga Allah memberkati segala sumbangan Allahyarham kepada Pengakap sepanjang hidup Allahyarham.
Friday, July 4, 2008
UCAPAN TAKZIAH
Seluruh warga PPM Gombak mengucapkan salam takziah kepada keluarga Alllahyarham Dato' Seri Yang Rashidi bin Ma'asom, S.P.M.P., D.P.M.P., J.S.M., A.S.D.K., A.M.N., P.J.K., A.D.K. ( mantan Ketua Pesuruhjaya Pengakap Negara - 1990 hingga 2002 ) yang telah kembali ke Rahmatullah pada jam 2.30 pagi 3hb. Julai 2008.
Allahyarham juga merupakan salah seorang pembesar negeri Perak iaitu Orang Besar Enam Belas yang bergelar Y.D.H Toh Maharaja InderaAL-FATIHAHSemoga Allah memberkati segala sumbangan Allahyarham kepada Pengakap sepanjang hidup Allahyarham.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Our Founder and Father (Midwife) - Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi Ma'asom
Rotarian Robin Arumugam shared this writing during the recent club meeting and one minute of silence
The loss of our midwife so to speak PDG Dato' Seri Yang, has been an immensely sad and emotional time for us all members of the Rotary Club of Kinta. As many of you know, he was a great man who was not only well known in the government service, but also had tremendous humility and an abiding sense of community, which led him to become involved in many aspects of life outside Rotary. He was a Rotarian with a long and distinguished service record. His most outstanding work being the legacy he has left in an outstanding history of his Club and its activities.
It was typical of the manner in which he approached problems, in many cases through imagination, hard work and leadership, turning adversity into opportunity.
Fifty years later in the dying months of 1979 when the Rotary Club of Ipoh celebrated its 50th Anniversary of the Club made the significant decision to initiate a new club in Ipoh. PDG Dato' Seri Yang was the then President of the Rotary Club of Ipoh. As special committee was headed by him at the first meeting there were about 50 interested people listening to the explanation of the aims, objectives, privileges and responsibilities of Rotary to them. The following year Rotary Club of Ipoh-Kinta was Chartered while PDG Dato' Seri Yang was still the President. He spent considerable time nurturing us and was always present whenever we had functions to lend us support.
He was the District Governor for the year 1985/86 and I had the distinct honour of serving the District as the joint secretary for him when the appointed Editor of the DG Newsletter suddenly resigned before the year started for reasons best known to him. I had already accepted to serve as Chairman for Youth Service for the District 330. And because of the DG's Newsletter being delayed, several letters of criticism were received from two brothers: Tan Sri Dato' PDG James Peter Chin and PDG Gilbert Chin he approached me to fill in. Together we produced the best DG's Newsletters which received commendation and praise not only from the two foremost critics but from other Districts as well.
PDG Dato' Seri Yang showed a great flair for friendship, not only because of his endearing personality and ability, but also because he showed a genuine interest and curiosity in the wants and needs of Rotarians. I will always remember him as the "Singing Governor' for he wrote his song, titled 'Smile,' for his Rotary year for all Rotarians to sing with him during his official club meetings and fellowship gatherings. I can vividly remember the starting lyrics, "Smile and the world will smile with you."
I remember his saying to us,” You will experience many pressures in life, in your job or profession, in your family life and in your community involvement. Be tolerant of others. Don’t ride roughshod over them. If you reach positions of responsibility where you have influence over others, never lose the common touch. There are not many who reach the top. The control or direction of people is both a privilege and a responsibility. All people with whom you are in contact are entitled to consideration and courtesy. People can be and often are very sensitive and you must always bear this in mind. They often have many more worries and problems than you do, although you may never know what they are. Remember that all occupations are worthy and should be treated as such. Human kindness is the greatest balm of all.”
He went on to speak of other things, culminating with the following: “Finally, be tolerant of each others' weaknesses, because who are we to stand in judgement of others, in the home, in business or in the community.”
These and other sayings encapsulate his sense of propriety and fair play – laying further foundation to a District run on honest and ethical guidelines.
He will be remembered for many things by all of us who in some way touched during his life. His enthusiasm for life and for living, his common touch with people at all levels, his energy and activity levels, his passion for things he loved or believed in and his honesty and humility at all times will be aspects of his life that we shall never forget. Farewell to a great man, an outstanding Rotarian and a dear friend.
My wife would vividly remember both Dato' Seri and Datin Seri for they found time for her during many Rotary functions. Datin Seri would sit and chat with my wife until the official time.
PDG Dato' Seri set for us a great example by his adherence to proper ethics and his willingness to guide and to trust young Rotarians. Well, that was how he thought, and that’s how he was.
PDG Dato' Seri was a ‘people’ person; one of his great skills was with young people – he liked young people, and was good at communicating with them. As the number one in Scouting he was there when the young needed him. I spent considerable amount of time with him because I was a Scout Master once. In fact, he liked people, and saw the best in them. It was a rare day to hear PDG Dato' Seri say something critical of another person, and then only if the circumstances really demanded it.
When I was chatting with him some days before he left for his home, he told me that he would write some thoughts on how he thought people, and in particular, his children and grandchildren should aspire to behave in their lives. I didn't know of the existence of what he had written until the last few days after his death. His own words speak far more eloquently of him than any I could pen.
PDG Dato' Seri Yang believed that it was very important to serve his community, and to try and leave it a better place than he found it. We will miss his cheerful optimism and his ready smile. We will miss his boundless enthusiasm for whatever new project he or we were embarking on. We will miss his love, encouragement, guidance and support. But we will have, for the rest of our lives, great memories of a warm and wonderful man.
Robin Arumugam
The loss of our midwife so to speak PDG Dato' Seri Yang, has been an immensely sad and emotional time for us all members of the Rotary Club of Kinta. As many of you know, he was a great man who was not only well known in the government service, but also had tremendous humility and an abiding sense of community, which led him to become involved in many aspects of life outside Rotary. He was a Rotarian with a long and distinguished service record. His most outstanding work being the legacy he has left in an outstanding history of his Club and its activities.
It was typical of the manner in which he approached problems, in many cases through imagination, hard work and leadership, turning adversity into opportunity.
Fifty years later in the dying months of 1979 when the Rotary Club of Ipoh celebrated its 50th Anniversary of the Club made the significant decision to initiate a new club in Ipoh. PDG Dato' Seri Yang was the then President of the Rotary Club of Ipoh. As special committee was headed by him at the first meeting there were about 50 interested people listening to the explanation of the aims, objectives, privileges and responsibilities of Rotary to them. The following year Rotary Club of Ipoh-Kinta was Chartered while PDG Dato' Seri Yang was still the President. He spent considerable time nurturing us and was always present whenever we had functions to lend us support.
He was the District Governor for the year 1985/86 and I had the distinct honour of serving the District as the joint secretary for him when the appointed Editor of the DG Newsletter suddenly resigned before the year started for reasons best known to him. I had already accepted to serve as Chairman for Youth Service for the District 330. And because of the DG's Newsletter being delayed, several letters of criticism were received from two brothers: Tan Sri Dato' PDG James Peter Chin and PDG Gilbert Chin he approached me to fill in. Together we produced the best DG's Newsletters which received commendation and praise not only from the two foremost critics but from other Districts as well.
PDG Dato' Seri Yang showed a great flair for friendship, not only because of his endearing personality and ability, but also because he showed a genuine interest and curiosity in the wants and needs of Rotarians. I will always remember him as the "Singing Governor' for he wrote his song, titled 'Smile,' for his Rotary year for all Rotarians to sing with him during his official club meetings and fellowship gatherings. I can vividly remember the starting lyrics, "Smile and the world will smile with you."
I remember his saying to us,” You will experience many pressures in life, in your job or profession, in your family life and in your community involvement. Be tolerant of others. Don’t ride roughshod over them. If you reach positions of responsibility where you have influence over others, never lose the common touch. There are not many who reach the top. The control or direction of people is both a privilege and a responsibility. All people with whom you are in contact are entitled to consideration and courtesy. People can be and often are very sensitive and you must always bear this in mind. They often have many more worries and problems than you do, although you may never know what they are. Remember that all occupations are worthy and should be treated as such. Human kindness is the greatest balm of all.”
He went on to speak of other things, culminating with the following: “Finally, be tolerant of each others' weaknesses, because who are we to stand in judgement of others, in the home, in business or in the community.”
These and other sayings encapsulate his sense of propriety and fair play – laying further foundation to a District run on honest and ethical guidelines.
He will be remembered for many things by all of us who in some way touched during his life. His enthusiasm for life and for living, his common touch with people at all levels, his energy and activity levels, his passion for things he loved or believed in and his honesty and humility at all times will be aspects of his life that we shall never forget. Farewell to a great man, an outstanding Rotarian and a dear friend.
My wife would vividly remember both Dato' Seri and Datin Seri for they found time for her during many Rotary functions. Datin Seri would sit and chat with my wife until the official time.
PDG Dato' Seri set for us a great example by his adherence to proper ethics and his willingness to guide and to trust young Rotarians. Well, that was how he thought, and that’s how he was.
PDG Dato' Seri was a ‘people’ person; one of his great skills was with young people – he liked young people, and was good at communicating with them. As the number one in Scouting he was there when the young needed him. I spent considerable amount of time with him because I was a Scout Master once. In fact, he liked people, and saw the best in them. It was a rare day to hear PDG Dato' Seri say something critical of another person, and then only if the circumstances really demanded it.
When I was chatting with him some days before he left for his home, he told me that he would write some thoughts on how he thought people, and in particular, his children and grandchildren should aspire to behave in their lives. I didn't know of the existence of what he had written until the last few days after his death. His own words speak far more eloquently of him than any I could pen.
PDG Dato' Seri Yang believed that it was very important to serve his community, and to try and leave it a better place than he found it. We will miss his cheerful optimism and his ready smile. We will miss his boundless enthusiasm for whatever new project he or we were embarking on. We will miss his love, encouragement, guidance and support. But we will have, for the rest of our lives, great memories of a warm and wonderful man.
Robin Arumugam
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Villa PiJay
A letter sent from Bapak to anak-anak in KL - 8.6.2005
The weather around this kampong has just been fair and tolerable although sometimes it gets gloomy. The gloominess seems to be more set for us at home when schools have just closed for the next two weeks and as such we missed the real shrieks and shoutings of the kids around the house when Ju’s kids are not around. The kompang sessions seem to be “resting” until the schools reopen while my two classes adjourned for the “semester! But the sun and the rain have been kind to us when the vegetables at the backyard seem to be flourishing. We have been having a lot of greens from the vebetable plots with kacang panjang, brinjals, timun, petola and when Shima is around we seem to be ordering Shima Tempura from the kitchen more often! You should see the spread of green colour taintng the whole scenario when our jagung seems to be to flourish. In about two weeks we should be having jagung to boil or bubur jagung to enjoy. As usual Endit will start with Lemang Jagung with Rendang Tok!!Lahn is already cherishing the young shoots from the young jagung which he loves to nible on and I have seen him plucking the young shoots direct from the plants themselves without prior rebus or making sayur manis. Ohm and Shima were around this last week-end and I saw him carry back home to Ipoh an armful of the jagung and he got them after bribing Endit with two packets of her favourite Perilly.
One of the happiest occasions for me of late was when we have been able to pluck quite a few of the fruits from our 3-year old sour-sop plant. I have been counting the number we have on the tree due to ripen which number now I counted about 20! Looking at the success of the sour-sop plant I went out to the pasar-malam with Yah the other day and bought 10 plants of the sour sop tree seedlings to be planted at the other end our our fish-pond now that we have been having some regular rains good enough for a thriving young plants. Going to the Jaya Jusco super-market in Ipoh the other day we saw sour-sops selling at 45 cts a kilogram. Now after discussion with Alun (Lan’s close friend and pangkat anak-saudara to me) we may start a little project to plant sour-sops at my tiny kebun near Achik’s residence at Tembok and at Mak’s Dusun where we propose to plant in between the proposed kebun pisang (When are you people building up some interest in you Mak’s dusun which is now in the process of being transferred to you four!!) .Incidently although not in full-scale some 20 pisang found at this Paya Jerangau at this villa has been producing quite a surprising amount of bananas of the very edible and very palatable kinds (pisang emas,pisang rastali,pisang berangan etc) but how much can the three of us eat bananas every day? It is too little to sell them in bulk yet!!. And so it becomes a routinistic matter that we gave (sedekah?) of our bananas around the villa as far as Temok for Achik. The other day we collected some tandans of Pisang Tanduk from the plaintains each pisang tanduk measuring at ease one and half feet! We gave them out for free to all those during our “afternoon- meetings” belakang dapur rumah! Now,Lan has dubbed our Villa sarcstically as the Home for the Community!
About the fish-pond and its denizens it seems to be more than O.K. The regular Pegawai Perikanan who was always around giving us advice seems to be giving us the V sign every time and commented that the fish can already be “harvested”. There had been some comments before that much of the fish would die before they can be harvested .It did not deter us, We are very proud that the mortality rate was very small. Originally it was anticipated (by the Fishery Officer that 10% of the about 1,000 fries would. Recently, all told we believe only a very small margin died generally due the the reason ,we believe, that they are being over-fed, (by the budak-budak nakal!) We are at the moment deciding when we are going to harvest the ikan.. May be in two or three weeks time among our people around this villa not beyond. My only regret is it that not all my grand-children have even seen the pond yet. Oh Well!!
Finally the musim durian` is just starting…….to some but not to us or to your Mak;s dusun. I have had 2 or 3 of the very early (buang busuk) durians and I can say that the durian tembaga (on the bukit side) is class by itself. It is a pity that your Mak’s dusun was rather neglected. Lahn,Ohm.Ju nd Shima have all gone to see the dusun themslves all complaining, coming back, that the dusun has been neglected and ignored (Deep in my heart I cry!!!). It is so difficult to get really honest people to work nowadays. Even if they are around they have found for themselves dusun durians belonging to others on the normal win-win basis system as usual; Regarding your Mak’s dusun ,I feel, that at most we can get about 2 or less outings to the dusun if we bring along our friends and cronies to berkelah in the kampong as we used to do. For the future we need some dough to be injected for the dusun to be better developed and I know it can be done. I still believe that a musim durian occasion is still a moment of family get-together unless you are thoroughly convinced or still hold to it that durians are aplentiful and are easily available and cheaper in your towns and your locations then we can all forget any of the dusuns bereft by our ancestors for their anak cucu cicit.
The weather around this kampong has just been fair and tolerable although sometimes it gets gloomy. The gloominess seems to be more set for us at home when schools have just closed for the next two weeks and as such we missed the real shrieks and shoutings of the kids around the house when Ju’s kids are not around. The kompang sessions seem to be “resting” until the schools reopen while my two classes adjourned for the “semester! But the sun and the rain have been kind to us when the vegetables at the backyard seem to be flourishing. We have been having a lot of greens from the vebetable plots with kacang panjang, brinjals, timun, petola and when Shima is around we seem to be ordering Shima Tempura from the kitchen more often! You should see the spread of green colour taintng the whole scenario when our jagung seems to be to flourish. In about two weeks we should be having jagung to boil or bubur jagung to enjoy. As usual Endit will start with Lemang Jagung with Rendang Tok!!Lahn is already cherishing the young shoots from the young jagung which he loves to nible on and I have seen him plucking the young shoots direct from the plants themselves without prior rebus or making sayur manis. Ohm and Shima were around this last week-end and I saw him carry back home to Ipoh an armful of the jagung and he got them after bribing Endit with two packets of her favourite Perilly.
One of the happiest occasions for me of late was when we have been able to pluck quite a few of the fruits from our 3-year old sour-sop plant. I have been counting the number we have on the tree due to ripen which number now I counted about 20! Looking at the success of the sour-sop plant I went out to the pasar-malam with Yah the other day and bought 10 plants of the sour sop tree seedlings to be planted at the other end our our fish-pond now that we have been having some regular rains good enough for a thriving young plants. Going to the Jaya Jusco super-market in Ipoh the other day we saw sour-sops selling at 45 cts a kilogram. Now after discussion with Alun (Lan’s close friend and pangkat anak-saudara to me) we may start a little project to plant sour-sops at my tiny kebun near Achik’s residence at Tembok and at Mak’s Dusun where we propose to plant in between the proposed kebun pisang (When are you people building up some interest in you Mak’s dusun which is now in the process of being transferred to you four!!) .Incidently although not in full-scale some 20 pisang found at this Paya Jerangau at this villa has been producing quite a surprising amount of bananas of the very edible and very palatable kinds (pisang emas,pisang rastali,pisang berangan etc) but how much can the three of us eat bananas every day? It is too little to sell them in bulk yet!!. And so it becomes a routinistic matter that we gave (sedekah?) of our bananas around the villa as far as Temok for Achik. The other day we collected some tandans of Pisang Tanduk from the plaintains each pisang tanduk measuring at ease one and half feet! We gave them out for free to all those during our “afternoon- meetings” belakang dapur rumah! Now,Lan has dubbed our Villa sarcstically as the Home for the Community!
About the fish-pond and its denizens it seems to be more than O.K. The regular Pegawai Perikanan who was always around giving us advice seems to be giving us the V sign every time and commented that the fish can already be “harvested”. There had been some comments before that much of the fish would die before they can be harvested .It did not deter us, We are very proud that the mortality rate was very small. Originally it was anticipated (by the Fishery Officer that 10% of the about 1,000 fries would. Recently, all told we believe only a very small margin died generally due the the reason ,we believe, that they are being over-fed, (by the budak-budak nakal!) We are at the moment deciding when we are going to harvest the ikan.. May be in two or three weeks time among our people around this villa not beyond. My only regret is it that not all my grand-children have even seen the pond yet. Oh Well!!
Finally the musim durian` is just starting…….to some but not to us or to your Mak;s dusun. I have had 2 or 3 of the very early (buang busuk) durians and I can say that the durian tembaga (on the bukit side) is class by itself. It is a pity that your Mak’s dusun was rather neglected. Lahn,Ohm.Ju nd Shima have all gone to see the dusun themslves all complaining, coming back, that the dusun has been neglected and ignored (Deep in my heart I cry!!!). It is so difficult to get really honest people to work nowadays. Even if they are around they have found for themselves dusun durians belonging to others on the normal win-win basis system as usual; Regarding your Mak’s dusun ,I feel, that at most we can get about 2 or less outings to the dusun if we bring along our friends and cronies to berkelah in the kampong as we used to do. For the future we need some dough to be injected for the dusun to be better developed and I know it can be done. I still believe that a musim durian occasion is still a moment of family get-together unless you are thoroughly convinced or still hold to it that durians are aplentiful and are easily available and cheaper in your towns and your locations then we can all forget any of the dusuns bereft by our ancestors for their anak cucu cicit.
Cameron Highlands Family Holiday Trip
Camerons Tea Plantation and Infront of our apartment
At the night market Brrrrr... so cold
Remembering Datuk Seri
This is an email from a family friend .. on her memories of ki
An Extraordinary Man
I've lost my grandfather when I was 7 and my paternal grandfather a year later. Such young age did not permit me to have large recollection of memories of them. Not having both grandparents whilst growing was never an issue for me. Well, I guess you don't actually felt the lost when you never own it at first place.
I knew Ki initially from Wan's stories; he was full of praises and was so proud when he talked about his grandfather. Of course, I would only able to play a passive part; listening without being able to share my side of stories.
I finally met Ki in person when I went for Hari Raya celebration...it was Hari Raya Haji, and Tah was still alive at that time. I couldn't avoid myself from having at the back of my mind the impression that he would probably be a 'typical Dato' Seri'-probably because I watched too much Malay dramas portraying as such.
It soon faded as my friends and I entered the mansion (apt description of the house-very big with huge compound); we were warmly greeted by him. He welcomed us in and Tah ensured that we were treated accordingly, quickly sent Wan to the kitchen to prepare drinks for us. 'Abang' (probably the biggest cat I've ever seen) tagged along with Tah as she came out from the kitchen with food. Both of them entertained us as if we came by their invitation. The fact that one of my friend was from MCKK added an extra topic of conversation for Ki. The impression I had totally shattered, Ki was totally the opposite! In fact, Wan was being very humble in his praises!
From thereon, it led to string of pleasant experiences with Ki. Not much do I know about Tah thus less I can say about her, only that she is a good cook-(I tasted her pajeri ambra and it was simply awesome!).
As for Ki, I had the opportunity to know him better, especially after the family moved to Kampung Buaia. To me, he will always be remembered as a person with an impeccable character. Despite his age, he would find his way to contribute to the society, whether it is through his writing or his social work. This is evident by his selfless initiative of teaching english language to the 'budak-budak kampung'. Once I visited him, he just finished teaching. He told me-"Ki cakap pada budak-budak kampung ni, jangan segan jadi budak kampung. You have to be proud of who you are. Tah orang kampung, tapi dia boleh bercampur dengan macam-macam orang. Siti Nurhaliza pun budak kampung, tapi dia boleh berjaya" (later I learned that Ki is a big fan of Siti-well, that is beside the point).
He even went to the extent of organising 'functions' and 'entertainment' for the local community. The house was never without guest, off and on there would be kampung folks visiting. Whenever there is a function, Ki would be very busy directing to ensure that everything was in its proper manner and his guests were well treated. He would repeatedly ask his guests-"Dah makan ke belum? Makan le, ambik apa yang ada". He had the remarkable ability of making his guests felt at ease, comfortable and at home, and I guess that is one apparent reason why his guests repeated their visits.
And he is a person full of jest! He would at times tease me, asking “Ni anak siapa ni?” or “Mana datang budak ni?” with a smirk on his face! Once I was making myself useful by sweeping the floor as at that time, there was a Rotary function preparation ongoing, when he came to me; in jest said “Ki tak de duit nak bayor Indonesia ni” I jokingly replied, “Mahal nak bayor ni Ki, ada degree ni.” To that, he laughed.
Another common topic for me and Ki was about my work since he knew Mr Tang (my boss), whom Ki referred as Khai Kit. He would advise me to work hard. He told me he was among the founder of POWA, a Rotary award appreciating the Rotarian’s staff for their assistance.
The joys were however short lived.
Ki then gradually became very sick, he would be in and out of the hospital and this limits his social work, which later crept to limit his movement. Ateh would be his 'walking stick' most of the time. Nonetheless, he couldn't help himself not to entertain his visitors even at the hospital. He was lying on the hospital bed but he instead he asked me how I am! He was a very caring person indeed.
When the doctor examined his heart condition, he was very calm whereas I was quite restless; I pitied him for having to undergo such procedure in his late age. He told others that I was very brave to accompany him in the examining room where in actual fact he was the brave one! He fought his sickness with great will power.
He was admitted in ICU and with great determination passed through the terrifying stage and later was discharged from the hospital.
Months later his health condition escalated and he was again in Hospital Pantai Puteri. After he was discharged, he managed to take a short trip to KL and upon returning, he was once again admitted to Ipoh General Hospital. Ki passed away on the hospital bed as a great fighter...
6.00 p.m 1st July- I went to visit Ki at the Ipoh General Hospital. Opah Chu and Rais, Ateh and Ijan were there when I arrived. Ki was sleeping most of the time, though he constantly turned himself. He sipped some yogurt drinks, and he slept again. Ateh later informed me he slept most of the times that day and had no appetite. He ate the kanji sum-sum Opah Chu prepared for him and nothing else.
2nd July- I wished Wan Yong, it was her birthday. Wan Yong reply was “Thx 4 yr thought. Ki pagi ni msuk CCU.”
2.35 a.m 3rd July-I received phone call from Wan. When he told "Ki dah tak ada," I was partially awake. The message took sometimes to sink in. "Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rajiun", I finally said and consoled him. I can't sleep after that.
7.30 a.m- I made the first journey to Kampung Buaia without Ki to greet me. The longest journey I ever had.
8.15 a.m- As I arrived at Kampung Buaia, I saw Auntie (Wan Chik) at the compund. She cried when we hugged, needless to say a word. I consoled her and later approached in where Ateh hugged me in tears and said-'Lily thank you so much'. I then sat near Ki's body-he looked as if he was sleeping, only pale and I recited Yassin for him. Nearing to the end of my recital, I realised that this is the first Yassin I recited for him. He would not be able to tease, joke or give me advise anymore. After the Yassin, I stormed out where I cried my heart out.
Ki was like a grandfather I never had. And I finally understand the feeling of losing a grandfather. And for the family of an extraordinary man, Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi, many thanks for allowing me 'menumpang datuk.' I really appreciated it.
Lily
An Extraordinary Man
I've lost my grandfather when I was 7 and my paternal grandfather a year later. Such young age did not permit me to have large recollection of memories of them. Not having both grandparents whilst growing was never an issue for me. Well, I guess you don't actually felt the lost when you never own it at first place.
I knew Ki initially from Wan's stories; he was full of praises and was so proud when he talked about his grandfather. Of course, I would only able to play a passive part; listening without being able to share my side of stories.
I finally met Ki in person when I went for Hari Raya celebration...it was Hari Raya Haji, and Tah was still alive at that time. I couldn't avoid myself from having at the back of my mind the impression that he would probably be a 'typical Dato' Seri'-probably because I watched too much Malay dramas portraying as such.
It soon faded as my friends and I entered the mansion (apt description of the house-very big with huge compound); we were warmly greeted by him. He welcomed us in and Tah ensured that we were treated accordingly, quickly sent Wan to the kitchen to prepare drinks for us. 'Abang' (probably the biggest cat I've ever seen) tagged along with Tah as she came out from the kitchen with food. Both of them entertained us as if we came by their invitation. The fact that one of my friend was from MCKK added an extra topic of conversation for Ki. The impression I had totally shattered, Ki was totally the opposite! In fact, Wan was being very humble in his praises!
From thereon, it led to string of pleasant experiences with Ki. Not much do I know about Tah thus less I can say about her, only that she is a good cook-(I tasted her pajeri ambra and it was simply awesome!).
As for Ki, I had the opportunity to know him better, especially after the family moved to Kampung Buaia. To me, he will always be remembered as a person with an impeccable character. Despite his age, he would find his way to contribute to the society, whether it is through his writing or his social work. This is evident by his selfless initiative of teaching english language to the 'budak-budak kampung'. Once I visited him, he just finished teaching. He told me-"Ki cakap pada budak-budak kampung ni, jangan segan jadi budak kampung. You have to be proud of who you are. Tah orang kampung, tapi dia boleh bercampur dengan macam-macam orang. Siti Nurhaliza pun budak kampung, tapi dia boleh berjaya" (later I learned that Ki is a big fan of Siti-well, that is beside the point).
He even went to the extent of organising 'functions' and 'entertainment' for the local community. The house was never without guest, off and on there would be kampung folks visiting. Whenever there is a function, Ki would be very busy directing to ensure that everything was in its proper manner and his guests were well treated. He would repeatedly ask his guests-"Dah makan ke belum? Makan le, ambik apa yang ada". He had the remarkable ability of making his guests felt at ease, comfortable and at home, and I guess that is one apparent reason why his guests repeated their visits.
And he is a person full of jest! He would at times tease me, asking “Ni anak siapa ni?” or “Mana datang budak ni?” with a smirk on his face! Once I was making myself useful by sweeping the floor as at that time, there was a Rotary function preparation ongoing, when he came to me; in jest said “Ki tak de duit nak bayor Indonesia ni” I jokingly replied, “Mahal nak bayor ni Ki, ada degree ni.” To that, he laughed.
Another common topic for me and Ki was about my work since he knew Mr Tang (my boss), whom Ki referred as Khai Kit. He would advise me to work hard. He told me he was among the founder of POWA, a Rotary award appreciating the Rotarian’s staff for their assistance.
The joys were however short lived.
Ki then gradually became very sick, he would be in and out of the hospital and this limits his social work, which later crept to limit his movement. Ateh would be his 'walking stick' most of the time. Nonetheless, he couldn't help himself not to entertain his visitors even at the hospital. He was lying on the hospital bed but he instead he asked me how I am! He was a very caring person indeed.
When the doctor examined his heart condition, he was very calm whereas I was quite restless; I pitied him for having to undergo such procedure in his late age. He told others that I was very brave to accompany him in the examining room where in actual fact he was the brave one! He fought his sickness with great will power.
He was admitted in ICU and with great determination passed through the terrifying stage and later was discharged from the hospital.
Months later his health condition escalated and he was again in Hospital Pantai Puteri. After he was discharged, he managed to take a short trip to KL and upon returning, he was once again admitted to Ipoh General Hospital. Ki passed away on the hospital bed as a great fighter...
6.00 p.m 1st July- I went to visit Ki at the Ipoh General Hospital. Opah Chu and Rais, Ateh and Ijan were there when I arrived. Ki was sleeping most of the time, though he constantly turned himself. He sipped some yogurt drinks, and he slept again. Ateh later informed me he slept most of the times that day and had no appetite. He ate the kanji sum-sum Opah Chu prepared for him and nothing else.
2nd July- I wished Wan Yong, it was her birthday. Wan Yong reply was “Thx 4 yr thought. Ki pagi ni msuk CCU.”
2.35 a.m 3rd July-I received phone call from Wan. When he told "Ki dah tak ada," I was partially awake. The message took sometimes to sink in. "Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rajiun", I finally said and consoled him. I can't sleep after that.
7.30 a.m- I made the first journey to Kampung Buaia without Ki to greet me. The longest journey I ever had.
8.15 a.m- As I arrived at Kampung Buaia, I saw Auntie (Wan Chik) at the compund. She cried when we hugged, needless to say a word. I consoled her and later approached in where Ateh hugged me in tears and said-'Lily thank you so much'. I then sat near Ki's body-he looked as if he was sleeping, only pale and I recited Yassin for him. Nearing to the end of my recital, I realised that this is the first Yassin I recited for him. He would not be able to tease, joke or give me advise anymore. After the Yassin, I stormed out where I cried my heart out.
Ki was like a grandfather I never had. And I finally understand the feeling of losing a grandfather. And for the family of an extraordinary man, Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi, many thanks for allowing me 'menumpang datuk.' I really appreciated it.
Lily
Monday, July 7, 2008
Then & Now....ABOUT ME & MY BARBERS
(Extracted from IPOH ECHO Apr 16-30, 2008)
http://www.ipohecho.com.my/ (issue 48)
Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi sadly passed away on 3 July, 2008 - ALFATIHA
It was his wish to see this blog lived on long after he is gone...
This morning I went to have a haircut in town. My grand-daughter Ijan is coming back from KL and she complains when my hair is unkempt and not properly trimmed. Day after tomorrow there will be an important event at Villa Indera. Somebody is getting married. We have not had a wedding in the family since 2005. But that is another story.
Today, I am preoccupied with memories of trips to the barber shop. My father had been pretty strict about haircuts himself. He made a point of supervising this regular cutting and trimming himself.
It was quite an outing, us packed like sardines in the small - we called it a "baby car" - Austin 7 (PK 2037). I had an older brother, two younger brothers and there were our two sisters, the last two additions in the family. Being "special" they always sat in front, beside our father who drove. Our mother, Akidah had died when the girls were mere toddlers. I am talking of a time in the 1920s.
GREAT FUN
We enjoyed getting our hair trimed except for Tum, the youngest. She would cover her face with her arms and needed much cajoling from both our dad and the Indian barber.
It was the protocol of the day that my older brother and I should be last in the haircutting queue. This gave us sufficient time to kill and be entertained. The barber's shop was one of six or seven little establishments - they were no more than shacks - at kedai bawah Gunung Pondok just at the foot of, yes, Gunung Pondok. Pekan Gunung Pondok was then a tiny, thriving world. People going to Kampong Lalang, Setor, Sungai Ati and Paya Ranggam and beyond to Laneh passed through these little village-shacks where they could buy local cooked food and vegetables. And, if they wished or needed one, they could drop and have their trim in the shop where two Indian barbers worked.
A few yards away going into Pekan Padang Rengas, about a quarter of a mile away from the row of shops, was a railway gate that was closed whenever a train - a passenger mail train or goods train - would chug its way up north through the famed Bukit Berapit tunnels.
MY TURN
Waiting for my turn at the barber's, I was intrigued to watch the hugh locomotive-engines chugging away, white steam or smoke spiralling up and over their funnels. In those days, Padang Rengas Railway Station was a must for all trains going up north or south. The locos sometimes needed power to push them up Bukit Berapit or required "controlling" any long line of the mail or the good trains sliding down the rails from the hill after a very heavy downpour. This happened a few times.
Suffice to say I was never impatient while I waited to be called to have my hair cut. The barber shop of my childhood was quite cosy. It had only two hair-dressing chairs and when the kids came, a plank of wood was placed over the "arms" for them to sit on. Sometimes, I would doze off in the barber's chair. It was so pleasant having my face massaged. But there are occassions I would suddenly sit up with a jolt, thinking the barber might, out of the blue, lose his mind and cut off my ears or nose! This phobia remains with me to this day.
We had a different type of "air-conditioning" then. We had punkahs - a broad cloth attached to a frame with a cord operated manually by a man-servant called a punkawallah. It worked for many of us. In fact, it made one so drowsy. Later, a radio was added to the set-up and it naturally played Tamil songs!
TIME PASSES
In the 1960s, I worked in the big city's State Secretariat and found myself a barber that suited me. His shop was on a river bank, behind the Secretariat building. There was nothing posh about the establishment but it was tidy and everything was in order. The Indian music was perpetually on! This barber shop introduced me to Bay Rum, a hair tonic that was very popular in those days. It was French. Your head was massaged using this tonic; sometimes it was rubbed gently all over your face. It could last on you for as long as three weeks!. I paid the princely sum of between $1.50 and $2.00 each time I visited that river bank barber. An extra 50 cent was levied for a shave if you needed one and for the Bay Rum rub. It was cukup berbaloi sekali.
Later, when I was in the State capital, I frequented a barber shop known as the 'Hollywood Hair Dressing Saloon'. It reminded me a lot of the shop in the Federal capital years earlier. This Hollywood Hair Saloon was manned by two or three nearly middle-aged barbers. They were very experienced, very gentle and very courteous. When they saw me coming up, one of them would wait for me at the door and usher me gently into a seat. The Hollywood Hair Saloon also had its brand of 'in-house' hair tonic. It was not as potent as the genuine Bay Rum - its fragrance would last only a week - but satisfying enough.
RECENT BOUTS
A few years ago, I tried two different barbers in our small pekan. My visit to the Chinese one was never repeated. His shaving razor was blunt; it hurt! The Indian entrepreneur was OK professionally in the beginning but he developed the tendency to push my head about; also, he enjoyed chatting loudly (and endlessly) with a friend who was loittering about or talking to his wife who was in the kitchen.
More recently, I made a rewarding discovery when I visited Romeo Tukang Gunting in town. It was run by two youths from India both of whom confessed to me that they graduated from a Barbers' Academy to earn a Barber's Certificate!
I recall having a good look at the row of half-sized bottles arranged neatly below the big mirror in front of me. They contained a bright pink liquid very much like the colour of Bay Rum. I requested a splash. I was told by the barber that it was not Bay Rum - he quoted something about it in Indian! He had not heard of the long lasting fragrance. The hair-cut and the splash of liquid that was non-Bay Rum cost only RM7.00!
This brings me to my last memory of barbers and their shops. During the transition period called interregnum (the time immediately following the surrender of the Japanese and the period of the British Civilian Adminstration), I was, of course, jobless. One fine day my father handed me a box containing a set of hair-clipper, a razor blade knife and other paraphernalia a barber needs. He said, "Rashdi, while you are waiting for a job - and it may take time for the country to settle down for you to find one - why don't you learn to be a barber? There's money in it! Everybody needs a haircut. People have to see you sometime!".
My father meant well but I just could not understand how he'd want me to be a barber - why, I'd attended a very well-established and well-known institution in the whole country!. I was young and proud. At that time there were only two Malay barbers in the village-town. I would not mention their names here but in time the two would be remembered as the nucleus of the famous or as the infamous API Movement, forerunning of our modern Youth Movements!.
DATO' SERI YANG RASHDI BIN MAASOM
Termaktub di Villa PiJ Indera
Kampong Buiai, Padang Rengas
http://www.ipohecho.com.my/ (issue 48)
Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi sadly passed away on 3 July, 2008 - ALFATIHA
It was his wish to see this blog lived on long after he is gone...
This morning I went to have a haircut in town. My grand-daughter Ijan is coming back from KL and she complains when my hair is unkempt and not properly trimmed. Day after tomorrow there will be an important event at Villa Indera. Somebody is getting married. We have not had a wedding in the family since 2005. But that is another story.
Today, I am preoccupied with memories of trips to the barber shop. My father had been pretty strict about haircuts himself. He made a point of supervising this regular cutting and trimming himself.
It was quite an outing, us packed like sardines in the small - we called it a "baby car" - Austin 7 (PK 2037). I had an older brother, two younger brothers and there were our two sisters, the last two additions in the family. Being "special" they always sat in front, beside our father who drove. Our mother, Akidah had died when the girls were mere toddlers. I am talking of a time in the 1920s.
GREAT FUN
We enjoyed getting our hair trimed except for Tum, the youngest. She would cover her face with her arms and needed much cajoling from both our dad and the Indian barber.
It was the protocol of the day that my older brother and I should be last in the haircutting queue. This gave us sufficient time to kill and be entertained. The barber's shop was one of six or seven little establishments - they were no more than shacks - at kedai bawah Gunung Pondok just at the foot of, yes, Gunung Pondok. Pekan Gunung Pondok was then a tiny, thriving world. People going to Kampong Lalang, Setor, Sungai Ati and Paya Ranggam and beyond to Laneh passed through these little village-shacks where they could buy local cooked food and vegetables. And, if they wished or needed one, they could drop and have their trim in the shop where two Indian barbers worked.
A few yards away going into Pekan Padang Rengas, about a quarter of a mile away from the row of shops, was a railway gate that was closed whenever a train - a passenger mail train or goods train - would chug its way up north through the famed Bukit Berapit tunnels.
MY TURN
Waiting for my turn at the barber's, I was intrigued to watch the hugh locomotive-engines chugging away, white steam or smoke spiralling up and over their funnels. In those days, Padang Rengas Railway Station was a must for all trains going up north or south. The locos sometimes needed power to push them up Bukit Berapit or required "controlling" any long line of the mail or the good trains sliding down the rails from the hill after a very heavy downpour. This happened a few times.
Suffice to say I was never impatient while I waited to be called to have my hair cut. The barber shop of my childhood was quite cosy. It had only two hair-dressing chairs and when the kids came, a plank of wood was placed over the "arms" for them to sit on. Sometimes, I would doze off in the barber's chair. It was so pleasant having my face massaged. But there are occassions I would suddenly sit up with a jolt, thinking the barber might, out of the blue, lose his mind and cut off my ears or nose! This phobia remains with me to this day.
We had a different type of "air-conditioning" then. We had punkahs - a broad cloth attached to a frame with a cord operated manually by a man-servant called a punkawallah. It worked for many of us. In fact, it made one so drowsy. Later, a radio was added to the set-up and it naturally played Tamil songs!
TIME PASSES
In the 1960s, I worked in the big city's State Secretariat and found myself a barber that suited me. His shop was on a river bank, behind the Secretariat building. There was nothing posh about the establishment but it was tidy and everything was in order. The Indian music was perpetually on! This barber shop introduced me to Bay Rum, a hair tonic that was very popular in those days. It was French. Your head was massaged using this tonic; sometimes it was rubbed gently all over your face. It could last on you for as long as three weeks!. I paid the princely sum of between $1.50 and $2.00 each time I visited that river bank barber. An extra 50 cent was levied for a shave if you needed one and for the Bay Rum rub. It was cukup berbaloi sekali.
Later, when I was in the State capital, I frequented a barber shop known as the 'Hollywood Hair Dressing Saloon'. It reminded me a lot of the shop in the Federal capital years earlier. This Hollywood Hair Saloon was manned by two or three nearly middle-aged barbers. They were very experienced, very gentle and very courteous. When they saw me coming up, one of them would wait for me at the door and usher me gently into a seat. The Hollywood Hair Saloon also had its brand of 'in-house' hair tonic. It was not as potent as the genuine Bay Rum - its fragrance would last only a week - but satisfying enough.
RECENT BOUTS
A few years ago, I tried two different barbers in our small pekan. My visit to the Chinese one was never repeated. His shaving razor was blunt; it hurt! The Indian entrepreneur was OK professionally in the beginning but he developed the tendency to push my head about; also, he enjoyed chatting loudly (and endlessly) with a friend who was loittering about or talking to his wife who was in the kitchen.
More recently, I made a rewarding discovery when I visited Romeo Tukang Gunting in town. It was run by two youths from India both of whom confessed to me that they graduated from a Barbers' Academy to earn a Barber's Certificate!
I recall having a good look at the row of half-sized bottles arranged neatly below the big mirror in front of me. They contained a bright pink liquid very much like the colour of Bay Rum. I requested a splash. I was told by the barber that it was not Bay Rum - he quoted something about it in Indian! He had not heard of the long lasting fragrance. The hair-cut and the splash of liquid that was non-Bay Rum cost only RM7.00!
This brings me to my last memory of barbers and their shops. During the transition period called interregnum (the time immediately following the surrender of the Japanese and the period of the British Civilian Adminstration), I was, of course, jobless. One fine day my father handed me a box containing a set of hair-clipper, a razor blade knife and other paraphernalia a barber needs. He said, "Rashdi, while you are waiting for a job - and it may take time for the country to settle down for you to find one - why don't you learn to be a barber? There's money in it! Everybody needs a haircut. People have to see you sometime!".
My father meant well but I just could not understand how he'd want me to be a barber - why, I'd attended a very well-established and well-known institution in the whole country!. I was young and proud. At that time there were only two Malay barbers in the village-town. I would not mention their names here but in time the two would be remembered as the nucleus of the famous or as the infamous API Movement, forerunning of our modern Youth Movements!.
DATO' SERI YANG RASHDI BIN MAASOM
Termaktub di Villa PiJ Indera
Kampong Buiai, Padang Rengas
Monday, June 23, 2008
Jinrikishaw @ The Lanca
Ipoh Echo July 1st-15th, 2008
http://www.ipohecho.com.my/ (issue 53)
When I was a little boy I had the choice of staying between the two of my beloved grand-parents. One was at Talang, a small home village just about three miles north of the town of Kuala Kangsar. The other was at Padang Rengas which was the home of my other grand-parents on my father's side. At times I used to be chided by one family or the other if I should overstay myself in one home especially during the festivals like Hari Rayas or during the long school terminal holidays. The discrimination, I thought, was logical to me. Kuala Kangsar was a coming-up town. It had already some big buildings like the Malay College, the Clifford School and of course the Istana Iskandariah at Bukit Chandan albeit its old version. Of course, there was already the Mesjid Ubudiah and others. One building of only wood and of zinc roofing I remember well to this days was the Empire Theater so much patronized by many of us kids for a "Tarzan" or "Laurel & Hardy" slap-stick comedian movies at 30 cents back seat, 20 cents middle area and 10 cents at the very front seats per one show!
Padang Rengas at that time was a very rural quiet kampong. The only consolation was that it was the home of the Tohmaharaja Indera's clans and siblings. Tohmaharaja Indera was my grandfather. At Talang it was always almost interesting especially at the prospect of going to town with Nek (Nenek - my great grandmother) to shop for Hari Raya or for other visits. In those days it was almost impossible to find plying taxis as we do today but we were very happy that the LANCAs were plying around in the town.
As the history went, the Jinriksha or Lanca as we mostly called them in due course started in China or Japan. If I remember my Japanese well when I was in the Nihon-Go Gakko the lanca used to be called by the Westerners as the Jinrikshaw. In the Kanji characters Jin signifies man; riki means strength while sha is a vehicle or cart thus the "man labour cart" - so the Lanca! The Lanca was a very unique man-made innovation. It has a seat for two on a shaft attached to two huge wheels on both sides. The wheels may be four to five meters high each. The seat had a collapsible canvass cover in cases of inclemental weather. The cart had also a front cover. The front cover was very popular with the young Muslim maidens on a shopping out by themselves or with friends and generally to keep themselves off from the prying male human eyes! The cart had a foot rest floor; a small area to keep one's small shopping items. I enjoyed accompanying Nek to the town for her marketing but more specially for Nek's preparations for Hari Raya. For this purpose Nek would require the services of two of our regular lanca men "Panjang" and "Pendek" as we called them referring to their statures but Nek, always courteous, would at times address them as Taukeh, may be to the chagrin of our two friends! Of course, Nek did not know the real concept and significance if a Chinese man is addressed as Taukeh when he is doing only manual jobs. While riding on the lanca with Nek she would always warn me not to be too restless while the cart was being pulled because that would inbalance our lanca-men in doing the tasks! Nek would generally take half a day for our shopping and marketing for our Hari Raya. It was unlike today when one could find all kinds of goods under one roof as in a supermarket. Nek had to go to as many shops to pick the best prices despite the fact that she too had her regular shops but then Hari Raya was always different! When we returned home the two lancas were laden with our purchases with bagfuls of rice and flour, sugar, milk, coffee, and cooking oil and kerosene and all the barang-barang dapor needful for Hari Raya for which Nek only paid a total amount of about $10.00 to $12.00! Our lanca trips to and from Talang and Kuala Kangsar did not cost Nek more than a dollar. One way trip by the lancas would take them between 45 minutes to a little more depending on the weight carried by them. Some of the items purchased could at least last three weeks or the full month before Nek and the others would go for another round of one month's ration. Nyang Abas, Nek's spouse (my great grandfather) was a retired Penghulu and in time I got to know that our Nyang Abas's pension was only THIRTY TWO dollars per mensem! Over the many years I was in and out, as it were, of Talang, the lanca people and their riskshas seemed to have decreased in number. On a number of times accompanying Nek going avisiting to our relatives in Kota Lama Kiri, 3 miles south of Kuala Kangsar I remembered noticing an almost dilapidated shack with a big number of some rickshaw pullers gathering among themselves smoking away with their weird looking pipes and I used to see also a number of the rickshaws going under repair or just going to dust! For a long time these people were very needful to a number of people wanting their services. As a people they were very hardy and really hardworking although they would only keep to themselves! Maybe now they knew their days were numbered. The memory of the rickshaws or lancas was very nostalgic to me to this day. To this day we wondered where these people came from and from what provinces in China; their clans; their dialects they spoke or why they immigrated themselves here to this country.... It would be good to know the history of our past heritage. When I was later a young teenager I used to follow my Tok (my Padang Rengas grandfather) to Ipoh. Ipoh then was already a thriving town being in the midst of the richest mining field in the world and my grandfather was buying for himself a new Morris Eight after disposing off his old Morris Cowley and my grandfather paid only Eight Hundred Dollars for his new car at the Ipoh Motors which still stands to-day, I understand! But it was then some sixty years ago. It was intriguing to observe the number of motor vehicles in Ipoh already at that time. There were all sorts of cars plying over the whole town and some of them running as taxis but I could not see any sight of the Lancas anymore except for some stray remnants! Trying to improve myself of the various brands or makes of the many cars around there, there were of course the Morris Minor and Morris Eight imported from England and there were the Austin Seven and Austin Eight also from the U.K. Then we had the Overland Whippet exported from the USA and we also had a Fiat Orlando from Italy! The Japanese and Korean cars only came into the pictures almost half a century later!
In my later days I overheard the yarn about some of the modern millionnaires dealing in the motor businesses today who could be the descendants of some of the earlier immigrant people who eked themselves out for a living pulling the Jinkishas. Millioniare Boon Siew started his life and beginning as a small bicycle repairer! Today Boon Siew is well known name all over this region who owns the Honda Empire.
http://www.ipohecho.com.my/ (issue 53)
When I was a little boy I had the choice of staying between the two of my beloved grand-parents. One was at Talang, a small home village just about three miles north of the town of Kuala Kangsar. The other was at Padang Rengas which was the home of my other grand-parents on my father's side. At times I used to be chided by one family or the other if I should overstay myself in one home especially during the festivals like Hari Rayas or during the long school terminal holidays. The discrimination, I thought, was logical to me. Kuala Kangsar was a coming-up town. It had already some big buildings like the Malay College, the Clifford School and of course the Istana Iskandariah at Bukit Chandan albeit its old version. Of course, there was already the Mesjid Ubudiah and others. One building of only wood and of zinc roofing I remember well to this days was the Empire Theater so much patronized by many of us kids for a "Tarzan" or "Laurel & Hardy" slap-stick comedian movies at 30 cents back seat, 20 cents middle area and 10 cents at the very front seats per one show!
Padang Rengas at that time was a very rural quiet kampong. The only consolation was that it was the home of the Tohmaharaja Indera's clans and siblings. Tohmaharaja Indera was my grandfather. At Talang it was always almost interesting especially at the prospect of going to town with Nek (Nenek - my great grandmother) to shop for Hari Raya or for other visits. In those days it was almost impossible to find plying taxis as we do today but we were very happy that the LANCAs were plying around in the town.
As the history went, the Jinriksha or Lanca as we mostly called them in due course started in China or Japan. If I remember my Japanese well when I was in the Nihon-Go Gakko the lanca used to be called by the Westerners as the Jinrikshaw. In the Kanji characters Jin signifies man; riki means strength while sha is a vehicle or cart thus the "man labour cart" - so the Lanca! The Lanca was a very unique man-made innovation. It has a seat for two on a shaft attached to two huge wheels on both sides. The wheels may be four to five meters high each. The seat had a collapsible canvass cover in cases of inclemental weather. The cart had also a front cover. The front cover was very popular with the young Muslim maidens on a shopping out by themselves or with friends and generally to keep themselves off from the prying male human eyes! The cart had a foot rest floor; a small area to keep one's small shopping items. I enjoyed accompanying Nek to the town for her marketing but more specially for Nek's preparations for Hari Raya. For this purpose Nek would require the services of two of our regular lanca men "Panjang" and "Pendek" as we called them referring to their statures but Nek, always courteous, would at times address them as Taukeh, may be to the chagrin of our two friends! Of course, Nek did not know the real concept and significance if a Chinese man is addressed as Taukeh when he is doing only manual jobs. While riding on the lanca with Nek she would always warn me not to be too restless while the cart was being pulled because that would inbalance our lanca-men in doing the tasks! Nek would generally take half a day for our shopping and marketing for our Hari Raya. It was unlike today when one could find all kinds of goods under one roof as in a supermarket. Nek had to go to as many shops to pick the best prices despite the fact that she too had her regular shops but then Hari Raya was always different! When we returned home the two lancas were laden with our purchases with bagfuls of rice and flour, sugar, milk, coffee, and cooking oil and kerosene and all the barang-barang dapor needful for Hari Raya for which Nek only paid a total amount of about $10.00 to $12.00! Our lanca trips to and from Talang and Kuala Kangsar did not cost Nek more than a dollar. One way trip by the lancas would take them between 45 minutes to a little more depending on the weight carried by them. Some of the items purchased could at least last three weeks or the full month before Nek and the others would go for another round of one month's ration. Nyang Abas, Nek's spouse (my great grandfather) was a retired Penghulu and in time I got to know that our Nyang Abas's pension was only THIRTY TWO dollars per mensem! Over the many years I was in and out, as it were, of Talang, the lanca people and their riskshas seemed to have decreased in number. On a number of times accompanying Nek going avisiting to our relatives in Kota Lama Kiri, 3 miles south of Kuala Kangsar I remembered noticing an almost dilapidated shack with a big number of some rickshaw pullers gathering among themselves smoking away with their weird looking pipes and I used to see also a number of the rickshaws going under repair or just going to dust! For a long time these people were very needful to a number of people wanting their services. As a people they were very hardy and really hardworking although they would only keep to themselves! Maybe now they knew their days were numbered. The memory of the rickshaws or lancas was very nostalgic to me to this day. To this day we wondered where these people came from and from what provinces in China; their clans; their dialects they spoke or why they immigrated themselves here to this country.... It would be good to know the history of our past heritage. When I was later a young teenager I used to follow my Tok (my Padang Rengas grandfather) to Ipoh. Ipoh then was already a thriving town being in the midst of the richest mining field in the world and my grandfather was buying for himself a new Morris Eight after disposing off his old Morris Cowley and my grandfather paid only Eight Hundred Dollars for his new car at the Ipoh Motors which still stands to-day, I understand! But it was then some sixty years ago. It was intriguing to observe the number of motor vehicles in Ipoh already at that time. There were all sorts of cars plying over the whole town and some of them running as taxis but I could not see any sight of the Lancas anymore except for some stray remnants! Trying to improve myself of the various brands or makes of the many cars around there, there were of course the Morris Minor and Morris Eight imported from England and there were the Austin Seven and Austin Eight also from the U.K. Then we had the Overland Whippet exported from the USA and we also had a Fiat Orlando from Italy! The Japanese and Korean cars only came into the pictures almost half a century later!
In my later days I overheard the yarn about some of the modern millionnaires dealing in the motor businesses today who could be the descendants of some of the earlier immigrant people who eked themselves out for a living pulling the Jinkishas. Millioniare Boon Siew started his life and beginning as a small bicycle repairer! Today Boon Siew is well known name all over this region who owns the Honda Empire.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Our Dusun Durian
MUSIM DURIAN DI KAMPONG Cerita 1 (27.07.07)( Sebutan “dusun kita” dalam tulisan ini bermaksud dusun keluarga asalkami Datin Seri Shamsiah di seberang sungai)Semalam sedang aku melihat program TV, Man ( Yah ) datang cuba mengajak aku ke dusun “kita” kerana katanya nak diadakan Doa Arwah di dusun pada malam itu. Malam itu? Bila aku tanya sesiapa akan datang ke majlis, katanya “ramai!” tetapi tak tahu sesiapa orang yang disegani akan datang !Yang tentunya “Ustaz Shadat” akan datang untuk membaca do’a arwah. “ Willy-Nilly”, kata phrase dalam bahasa Inggeris , aku rasa nak turut hadir di majlis itu sungguhpun kesihatan aku terlampau mengganggu untuk ikut sama tetapi oleh kerana, kononnya, majlis ini majlis membaca doa selamat untuk Shamsiah (Allah Yarham ) dan juga Ohm (anak ku yang juga sudah tiada) aku pasang niat akan hadir yang akan bermula, kata Man, selepas Solat I’sya , kira-kira jam 9.30 malam. Aku menunggu Lahn balik daripada sesuatu diluar kampong yang beliau cuma sampai balik hampir jam 9.30 malam itu! Aku dihantar oleh Ju dengan kereta Myvi kecil kami hingga ke laman rumah Halimah (kenalan dan sepupu jauh Shamsiah) dan Man sudah menunggu dengan motornya untuk membawa aku ke dusun terus. Seksanya untuk menaikki motor kerana tubuh badan ku sudah tegang sakit tua! Alhamdulilah dari jauh laman dangau (pondok) sudah nampak terang daripada jangkaan aku kerana sudah dipasang lampu torchlight besar batteri! Aku lihat begitu ramai dihalaman dangau , tidak kurang daripada 30 orang dewasa , yang baru sudah makan dan juga yang sedang menjamu selera mereka! Di atas lepor dangau “tetamu khas” kita (Ustaz Shadat dan anak-anaknya ! ) juga sedang menjamu selera mereka.! Aku tanya Lahn dan diberitahu mereka yang ada pada malam itu adalah “budak-budak kampong” yang menjaga dusun di musim durian disekitar dusun kita dan juga penjaga-penjaga kebun durian disekitarnya! (Man menjaga dusun kita) Membaca do’a pun sudah selesai cuma berehat-berehat selepas makan. Nampaknya Lahn begitu mesra dan ramah dengan mereka atau “gengnya”(almaklum sudah jadi orang kampong (begitulah hendaknya!)Aku terkejut pada jamuan tersebut seorang dua daripada mereka sedang membakar BBQ kambing , sebahagian daripada jamuan malam itu, selain daripada nasi minyak, gulai daging kambing, dan daging panggang bbq kambing; itu sahaja! Pada diri aku lazat makan malam itu. Secara berseloroh bila aku bertanya siapa tukang masak mereka pada malam itu mreka mula tunjuk menunjuk sesame sendiri masing-masing menyebut nama si-anu si-anu ; semua tidak mahu mengakui diri hingga ramai mengatakan “Pak Razak!” Memang sedap sungguh masak “Pak Razak”utamanya gulai kambing malam itu. Tukang masaknya yang sebenarnya memanglah Pak Razak dan gengnya.Selepas beberapa waktu secara bergurau aku bertanya kepada Pak Razak mana manisan selepas makan; mana kudap-kudapan kampong Buaia, masing-masing gelak ketawa dan menyatakan “Tahun depan!!!”. Bila aku terus bergurau “apa program selepas ini, siapa penyanyi dan band siapa” mereka juga semua mejawab “ Tahun depan!!Aku selidiki daripada Man jamuan malam itu adalah sumbangan kutipan daripada semua ala kadar antara $10.00 hingga $20.00 masing-masing siapa yan mampu! Jumlah kutipan untuk jamuan pada malam itu dikatakan lebih kurang $300.00. Daging kambing sebelah potongan badan kambing itu sahaja berharga $100.00 ! Tetap jamuan malam itu begitu berselera dan alam sekitarnya juga begitu nyaman. Rasaku semua orang telah rasa puas hati dengan majlis “makan malam” itu. Semua bercadang dimusim tahun depan akan diadakan jamuan seperti malam itu lagi; Insyaha allah!Sebelum aku dibawa balik aku dapat memerhatikan bahawa tukang bakar BBQ masih lagi membakar dagingnya sementara yang lain sedang membukus habuan lauk-lauk dan daging paggang dan juga nasi minyak dalam bungkus plastic untuk mereka balik ke rumah untuk mereka yang menuggu dan yang dikasihi. It was a “great night” for me. Malangnya melainkan aku dan Razlan dan Ju yang ada dirumah seorangpun tuan-punya nama tanah dusun kita TIDAk datang atau tidak ada balik pada musim durian tahun ini. Bebal rasa hatiku! Keadaannya zaman “ubanisation” sudah mula mengikis nilai-nilai murni zaman silam; sudah banyak yang mula akan hapus atau luput. Selalu aku dengar sebutan diantara mereka yang mengatakan “dibandar kames pun sudah banyak durian djual. Murah dan tak payah balik kampong!” Entahlah aku akan tak tahu lagi. Umur aku dan zaman akhirku sudah agak sudah sampai”Sebelum aku menutup ruangan ini aku diberitahu Razlan tidak balik malam ini kerana memburu landak( atau bersukan atau ke membunuh atau ke menimbak binatang yang tak berdosa!) Itulah gembira dan seronoknya tinggal dikampong!Aku akan menurunkan diruangan lain cerita menjaga kebun durian dimasa remajaku Insya AllahCatitan: jam 11.30 malam
Posted by TOH MAHARAJA
Posted by TOH MAHARAJA
Pantai Putri and the Royal Visit...
I am now back home after full two weeks at the Pantai Puteri Medical Centre as you know and came back home to my dear kampong only last 9th June , past week or so ago. I am not fully recovered yet. I feel I may take another month or so to be part of my normal self again. As you you know I am such a restless person thus I am trying on my computer writing to you again!
If you are attending the Kelab meeting at any time soon please extend my most grateful thanks to all my dear friends who came to visit me at the hospital. Tan Sri Azizuddin visited me very early when I was in a very crucial and critical condition that I could barely say a word to him but to sign off to say “sorry” to him from afar. He fully accepted my situation. I remember those others who came a visiting…Dato’ Syed Azman and his Datin , Dato’ Ahmad Ismail, Dr Ameen(?) , our dear Secretary Haris and family, my great friend Dato Mohamad Hamzah who together with Razalli, our artiste, brought me a very valuable gift on behalf of the Club that of a “robotic” hospital bed! (I heard it cost the Kelab almost a fortune!)!! But I feel that I will NOT be that bed-ridden as long as I can, Insya Allah!
But one of the greatest gifts in all these many years of my life was the “surprise” visit of our beloved Tuanku Raja Azlan and Tuanku Bainun to me at the hospital. A day or two earlier I heard rumours of the impending visit but I totally ignored about it. Who was I to be so visited? I am just an ordinary kampong boy. I was told that those in the know did not want it confirmed to me earlier for fear of “upsetting” me. NO way , Dato’ Ariff , I l never would! Only earlier that afternoon when I saw four or five chairs being set up in my room, I thought the family was arranging for a makan for us at dinner time until I was informed that Tuanku and Tuanku Bainun would be arriving a-visiting me at the hospital and the room clock showed that it will be in about another 45 minutes or so! I knew it was all agog outside; the doctors, nurses and staffs trying to make the hospital cleaner when it is already more than clean!
Waiting for the Tuankus I was already seated on my “relaxed” plastic reclining chair by the hospital bed and both the Tuankus were to be seated on both sides of me!. Tuanku entered seemingly cheerily and and asked me, I think in jest, “what are you doing here?” The two doctors took up this matter up to Tuanku. While doing so I mentiond to Tuanku that the doctors were looking after me well and Tuanku quipped “They are doctors and they have to be good!”
My chit-chat with both the Tuankus took a full 40 minutes! Can you believe it? The chats were nothing serious. Tuanku Azlan queried about my age again and compared my age with our Tun Bendahara’s age! Of course, our Tun is about 4 or 5 years senior, I am 83. Then Tuanku asked me about my College contemporaries and I rattled off…late Sultan Idris, late Sultan Selangor, Tuanku Jaafar Yang Dipertuan Besar ,Negeri Sembilan (my Head Boy ) his brother Tunku Abdullah ( a big corporat - my classmate), Hamzah Abu Samah once a Minister (another class-mate ) and then Tuanku added a few names himself to confirm or not! Then we rambled away over other matters like my sporting days and I gladly mentioned to Tuanku that once I was a good hockey player and perhaps wanting to check on me Tuanku asked me what position I played and spontaneously I replied that I was a “right winger” which in fact I was. I said further to Tuanku that I was once “quite a nippy hockey player”. After a few seconds of silence came again from Tuanku “apa lagi cerita?‘ So I had to continue build up something to talk about to Tuanku and Tuanku and I talked about Scouting in which we both were solidly ingrained even to-day! Tuanku was a 2nd Patrol Leader during his days!!! I apologized to Tuanku that I have not been to Tuanku’s Birthday Celebrations these few years. Tuanku understood my conditions but I told Tuanku I never missed watching the ritual ceremonies. I myself have gone through the rigid ritual when I was given myself the gelaran Orang Besar as Toh Maharaja Indera. I settled with Tuanku that the Istiadat is almost sacred when the recipients were accompanied by the Nobat unlike almost all other datoship ceremonies when such pingats are just serahan by Tuanku! Tuanku added that the accompaniment of the nobat is really keturunan and it will continue to be so! I said I fully concurred with Tuanku specially with the non-Muslim observers at such rituals showing the strength of the adat istiadat dalam kewujudan kesultanan Raja-Raja Melayu. ….”Apa lagi cerita?...we talked about the “political” situations in the State but it was Tuanku more than me voicing his feeling of the uneasiness among the rakyat! Tuanku enquired from me about my time at leisure at home. I mentioned to Tuanku I helped support Ju in her efforts to alleviate the problems of the “Ibu Tunggals” in Kampong Buaia and around. Tuanku and Tuanku Bainun complimented Ju on her efforts. Ju also mentioned her efforts encouraging the Ibu Tunggals to be on their feet through various government agencies in which Ju is getting a good support other than the very supportive NGO’s i.e , the RCs of Ipoh , KK and Kelab Bakti. Hearing about this topic both the Tuankus appeared to have perked their ears especially Tuanku Bainun! Ju was very fluent in her discourse with both the Tuankus. We mentioned to Tuanku that our own family has just started our very own a small agro-project planting SERAI on my own land around the house and when I mentioned it is only 5 acres, just a small attempt as an example to the Ibu Tunggal, Tuanku exclaimed that it is BIG! Then “apa lagi cerita?” and I was almost out of topic now but I mentioned about my interest in writing and now I have my own blog but the blog is only for the family and the inner clans. I mentioned to Tuanku that one of my “articles” was picked to be published in the Ipoh Echo No 47 about me and my brothers when we were young kids in the kampong and enjoying our very happy lifes. Tuanku was impressed and goaded me on! (KBGKs , come and visit my new kampong set-up and try look up my article in the Ipoh Echo series 47 although it is only on a small scale in Ipoh and for its surrounding districts).
My four anak-anak i.e Ida, Lahn. Ju and Shima ++ Rais smartly in samping after Jumaat were at hand to give me a booster when I fell out over some points. Both Ida and Ju attended to Tuanku Bainun who was so very sweet, homely and friendly. However, Shima panicked a bit informing me afterwards that she was so struck by Tuanku's charms that she was speechless! Ya-Ya , Ida's teenager daughter was “assigned" to take some photos at the “session" but last minute lost her courage and so we lost a treasure box of pictures! When the Tuankus left our Sultan Azlan left some words to my anak-anak i.e never ever allow your father to be lonely. He said your father is still OK!
Ida escorted both our beloved Rulers to their car. What a day for the family! Thank you Tuanku!
Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi bin Maasom
Kampung Buaia
Note :
(Sadly missed by the family. Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi passed away on 3 Jul, 2008 at 2.05am. Alfatihah)
If you are attending the Kelab meeting at any time soon please extend my most grateful thanks to all my dear friends who came to visit me at the hospital. Tan Sri Azizuddin visited me very early when I was in a very crucial and critical condition that I could barely say a word to him but to sign off to say “sorry” to him from afar. He fully accepted my situation. I remember those others who came a visiting…Dato’ Syed Azman and his Datin , Dato’ Ahmad Ismail, Dr Ameen(?) , our dear Secretary Haris and family, my great friend Dato Mohamad Hamzah who together with Razalli, our artiste, brought me a very valuable gift on behalf of the Club that of a “robotic” hospital bed! (I heard it cost the Kelab almost a fortune!)!! But I feel that I will NOT be that bed-ridden as long as I can, Insya Allah!
But one of the greatest gifts in all these many years of my life was the “surprise” visit of our beloved Tuanku Raja Azlan and Tuanku Bainun to me at the hospital. A day or two earlier I heard rumours of the impending visit but I totally ignored about it. Who was I to be so visited? I am just an ordinary kampong boy. I was told that those in the know did not want it confirmed to me earlier for fear of “upsetting” me. NO way , Dato’ Ariff , I l never would! Only earlier that afternoon when I saw four or five chairs being set up in my room, I thought the family was arranging for a makan for us at dinner time until I was informed that Tuanku and Tuanku Bainun would be arriving a-visiting me at the hospital and the room clock showed that it will be in about another 45 minutes or so! I knew it was all agog outside; the doctors, nurses and staffs trying to make the hospital cleaner when it is already more than clean!
Waiting for the Tuankus I was already seated on my “relaxed” plastic reclining chair by the hospital bed and both the Tuankus were to be seated on both sides of me!. Tuanku entered seemingly cheerily and and asked me, I think in jest, “what are you doing here?” The two doctors took up this matter up to Tuanku. While doing so I mentiond to Tuanku that the doctors were looking after me well and Tuanku quipped “They are doctors and they have to be good!”
My chit-chat with both the Tuankus took a full 40 minutes! Can you believe it? The chats were nothing serious. Tuanku Azlan queried about my age again and compared my age with our Tun Bendahara’s age! Of course, our Tun is about 4 or 5 years senior, I am 83. Then Tuanku asked me about my College contemporaries and I rattled off…late Sultan Idris, late Sultan Selangor, Tuanku Jaafar Yang Dipertuan Besar ,Negeri Sembilan (my Head Boy ) his brother Tunku Abdullah ( a big corporat - my classmate), Hamzah Abu Samah once a Minister (another class-mate ) and then Tuanku added a few names himself to confirm or not! Then we rambled away over other matters like my sporting days and I gladly mentioned to Tuanku that once I was a good hockey player and perhaps wanting to check on me Tuanku asked me what position I played and spontaneously I replied that I was a “right winger” which in fact I was. I said further to Tuanku that I was once “quite a nippy hockey player”. After a few seconds of silence came again from Tuanku “apa lagi cerita?‘ So I had to continue build up something to talk about to Tuanku and Tuanku and I talked about Scouting in which we both were solidly ingrained even to-day! Tuanku was a 2nd Patrol Leader during his days!!! I apologized to Tuanku that I have not been to Tuanku’s Birthday Celebrations these few years. Tuanku understood my conditions but I told Tuanku I never missed watching the ritual ceremonies. I myself have gone through the rigid ritual when I was given myself the gelaran Orang Besar as Toh Maharaja Indera. I settled with Tuanku that the Istiadat is almost sacred when the recipients were accompanied by the Nobat unlike almost all other datoship ceremonies when such pingats are just serahan by Tuanku! Tuanku added that the accompaniment of the nobat is really keturunan and it will continue to be so! I said I fully concurred with Tuanku specially with the non-Muslim observers at such rituals showing the strength of the adat istiadat dalam kewujudan kesultanan Raja-Raja Melayu. ….”Apa lagi cerita?...we talked about the “political” situations in the State but it was Tuanku more than me voicing his feeling of the uneasiness among the rakyat! Tuanku enquired from me about my time at leisure at home. I mentioned to Tuanku I helped support Ju in her efforts to alleviate the problems of the “Ibu Tunggals” in Kampong Buaia and around. Tuanku and Tuanku Bainun complimented Ju on her efforts. Ju also mentioned her efforts encouraging the Ibu Tunggals to be on their feet through various government agencies in which Ju is getting a good support other than the very supportive NGO’s i.e , the RCs of Ipoh , KK and Kelab Bakti. Hearing about this topic both the Tuankus appeared to have perked their ears especially Tuanku Bainun! Ju was very fluent in her discourse with both the Tuankus. We mentioned to Tuanku that our own family has just started our very own a small agro-project planting SERAI on my own land around the house and when I mentioned it is only 5 acres, just a small attempt as an example to the Ibu Tunggal, Tuanku exclaimed that it is BIG! Then “apa lagi cerita?” and I was almost out of topic now but I mentioned about my interest in writing and now I have my own blog but the blog is only for the family and the inner clans. I mentioned to Tuanku that one of my “articles” was picked to be published in the Ipoh Echo No 47 about me and my brothers when we were young kids in the kampong and enjoying our very happy lifes. Tuanku was impressed and goaded me on! (KBGKs , come and visit my new kampong set-up and try look up my article in the Ipoh Echo series 47 although it is only on a small scale in Ipoh and for its surrounding districts).
My four anak-anak i.e Ida, Lahn. Ju and Shima ++ Rais smartly in samping after Jumaat were at hand to give me a booster when I fell out over some points. Both Ida and Ju attended to Tuanku Bainun who was so very sweet, homely and friendly. However, Shima panicked a bit informing me afterwards that she was so struck by Tuanku's charms that she was speechless! Ya-Ya , Ida's teenager daughter was “assigned" to take some photos at the “session" but last minute lost her courage and so we lost a treasure box of pictures! When the Tuankus left our Sultan Azlan left some words to my anak-anak i.e never ever allow your father to be lonely. He said your father is still OK!
Ida escorted both our beloved Rulers to their car. What a day for the family! Thank you Tuanku!
Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi bin Maasom
Kampung Buaia
Note :
(Sadly missed by the family. Dato' Seri Yang Rashdi passed away on 3 Jul, 2008 at 2.05am. Alfatihah)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
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