THE FLOOD OF '57

Being brought up in Malacca and having lived in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Padang Besar, I had never seen a flood. This was about to change. There were many firsts during my two years sojourn in Kota Bahru, Kelantan where my dad was posted to.

For some reason, my elder brother did not follow in the move. I always thought that it could be due to his Standard 6 exam but then it was not to be in a few years time. So, there we were, just my parents, younger brother and I making the move. We traveled to Kota Bahru by train, the Malayan Railway. The journey was not without it's tense moments as we were actually traversing communist infested jungle areas. Once the train actually stopped somewhere to await for another train to pass and I noticed the urgency in the guards checking all the doors. Some of you may even recall that the last carriage usually carried guards and soldiers. All being well then, we were met at the Kota Bahru Railway Station by a staff who then took us across the Kelantan River by ferry and then by a Land Rover to our quarters. You see the town was across the river from the railway station. My elder brother would come to visit us during the school holidays.

In the East Coast the monsoon would hit long and hard. I had never seen anything like it before. The rain would last a week or so. Then, a short pause and the rain would start again, never really stopping. Makeshift clothes lines were made indoors for the washings. After a week the grass would turn yellow due to lack of sunshine. Rivers would start swelling up and all low lying areas would soon become underwater. We were fortunate that the quarters area was on high ground. Our neighbours were not so lucky. By then,  they must have been so used to the annual weather change. They even had a boat handy for transport to the front gate and hence the main road. I once took a boat ride to inspect the area behind their house. It was then that I knew there was a river back there. No wonder the place was always flooding!

We were told that Kelantanese enjoy the floods. They, especially the young maidens, would come out in nice clothes to play in the flood waters. It was said that that would be a very good opportunity for girls and boys to meet or see one another and foster some hope of matrimony. As "outsiders" we found this rather amusing, dangerous and err...a health hazzard!

The above picture shows my dad, younger brother (shirtless) and myself accompanying my dad's friend, Uncle Ibrahim (with shoes in hand) out from his abode. He had become stuck at home due to the flood. I am further behind with some stuff in my hand.

Now I know why Kelantanese traditional houses have very high stilts.

A LOVELY STORY

A friend sent me this story. I thought that it is so lovely that I ought to save and share it. Enjoy it:

BURNT BISCUIT

Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. That evening, mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed.

All dad did was reach for his biscuit, smiled at mom and asked me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and ate every bite.

When I got up from the table, I remember hearing mom apologize to dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said:

"Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,"Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

"You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else."

"What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others'faults - and choosing to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. Because in the end, you are the master of your own life, to be happy or unhappy, to be positive or negative."

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship , be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship.

Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own.

So please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burnt one will do just fine ...

TINY FLOWERS

It would appear that if you are small, people tend not to notice you so much. I have these pictures of the little, tiny flowers that bloom away relentlessly and yet virtually unnoticed in my garden and elsewhere, kept away in my picture archives for years. Today I am dedicating this write to them, those that have stood up like sentinels both sides of the pathways, the lawns as well as every nook and cranny....

The first one is a wild orchid which I had saved from a huge tree in front of the house. So, it is not truely wild now. I believe it is an Acriopsis. It has real tiny white petals with purple tips. The flowers may last for about a month which is good by any standard. Indeed, some orchid blooms are known to last that long.

The red and yellow flowers next are actually not so small but still very few people would have cared for them. The pictures were taken while on a trip back to my late mum's dusun (fruit plot) in Kelemak, Malacca. I think they are gorgeous. I would be happy if anyone could identify this red flower. Upon maturity, the center part would open up to reveal and scatter the seeds within.

 

The Malays call the yellow flowers Simpoh Air scientifically it is known as Dillenia suffruiticosa. I have never found out what "simpoh" means. As such I suspect it may be a local dialect to mean "simbah" (pour) and pour water does make sense anyway. This attractive shrub can grow up to 7 metres tall. The large robust leaves were commonly used before the days of plastic and styrofoam as disposable platters and wrappers to wrap 'tempeh'(soya cake) and 'rojak'(local salad). Apparently the plant can live to 50-100 years!I think I may need to check on this further!!

Next, the lovely pink flowers are from my starfruit tree. I notice there is always a bunch of blooms up the tree. My brother gave me the grafting many years ago. His tree had long gone but mine still thrives without much ado, really. It sure is a hardy tree! No wonder the locals call it Belimbing Besi (Iron Starfruit).

The small white flowers with a tinge of purple are Cordia cylindristachya, commonly known as String Bush. The plant grows everywhere in my garden so much so that I simply refer them as weeds. They grow back after every weeding. You can't really win with them. So, I now take a different stance on it - a motivation for exercise and gardening. They are actually quite beautiful plants growing up to half meter tall forming a cushy carpet if allowed to thrive.

The plant of the tiny while flowers at the axils is a herb known as Andrographis paniculata. The Malays call it Hempedu Bumi (Bile of the Earth)/Pokok Cerita (Plant of Tales) while other locals call it the antibiotic plant. It is indeed the king of bitters. The leaves are used to make tea and is reported to possess astringent, anodyne, tonic and alexipharmic properties and is helpful in dysentery, cholera, diabetes, influenza, bronchitis, piles, gonorrhoea, hepatomegaly, skin disorders, fever and worm infestation , to name a few. Now you know why my Chinese friends call it the antibiotic plant!The plant grows in every nook and cranny in my garden.

Mimosa pudica or locally known as Semalu ("malu" means shy) is also known as touch-me-not. When the leaves are touched they will just retract and fold up. The plant is prickly and a nuisance in the garden. My hubby usually uses the pliers to pull them out of the ground A native of tropical America, I understand (Gosh, how did it get here, I wonder?) It has pink or almost purple flowers looking very fluffy.

The next few flowers are more of grass and weeds often found in my garden. It would probably take me some time to identify them so I am posting them here to give an idea of how many types there are out there in any garden if one care to look around. The shots were taken as best as I could with just an old, ordinary digital camera - Sony Cyber-shot, our very first one, then.

The thistle-like flowers come in white and purple in colour on every plant.

Next is the Kemuncut which I would love to call forget-me not though it really is not. It grows in every open ground. We use to pull the plant out every time we see one in the ground least we would trample on them. The spike would stick to our clothes and time and again we would have to pick them out individually.

BOOK REVIEW : THE THIEVES OF RIYADH

The Thieves Of Riyadh edited by Haroon M Jadhakhan


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Even if half the revelation is to be taken as true, it is still most disturbing.......

It is a collection of articles from the Muslim Chronicle whose address is in London. I am old enough though to have read some of the older issues in the daily papers during my London days.

The heart of the book is in the revelation of the conspiracy against Islam the biggest agent being a group of people within the Muslim community itself. They are described as wealthy, so wealthy that you and I may not be able to imagine, powerful, bloodthirsty, moronic,degenerate etc...etc...Issues cover a broad spectrum from money extorted from Hajj pilgrimage, child jockeys (a practice which had been banned in the UAE since 2002. Thank God) child "brides" who were actually slaves of a kind, BCCI incident, excesses of the rich and powerful.......while millions of Muslims in Africa and Asia are in gross situation. To cap it all, the book explains why there will be no solidarity in the subcontinent unless...........

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