A TRIP TO ALOR SETAR, KEDAH

The Preparations (9 June 2012)

Recently I travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh by the new double track train, the Electric Train Service (ETS). It was a day trip that took about 2 hours, and I did enjoy the scenery all the way. I planned to travel much further and by the night train.

I arranged for the train schedule and fare for the trip from KL Sentral to Alor Setar, Kedah. I was information technology personnel prior to my retirement and thus I am used to browse the internet for any information that I need. I browsed the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) website to find out more about the fares, train schedules, the up-to-date discount rates and other information. It is regretted to say that the website seems not updated. You can browse the fares pages, but when it comes to the discounts given, especially to a senior citizen, there were no details on how the discounted fares should be calculated. When I called the Call Centre, they did not explain as how the final fare comes to and the discount rates given on the website are different from what was informed to me. No doubt all those who are eligible to discounted fares are not allowed to book their fare online, as there is no way to prove their age and eligibility. They have to go to the counter and provide all documents necessary to book or buy their tickets.

When I travelled with the ETS, the full fare has to be deducted RM8, which is the charge for the seat, before any discount can be calculated. This discounted fare is then added back with the seat charge to get the right amount payable for the fare. I presume the same system applies to the train fare, where the charge for the berth or seat, wherever applicable, has to be deducted from the total fare to calculate the exact discounted fare. We have to know the berth and the seat charges before calculating the exact fare.

I hope information on how fares are calculated for any persons who are eligible for discounted fares or not, and anywhere the person is travelling to, be displayed on the websites as first-hand information, direct, precise, clear, easy to understand and the website pages are easy to reach continuously from one subject to another. The public will then know how much fare and what they are paying for, and to prepare before hand the actual amount to pay at the counters for their tickets. This up-to-date information would help the public and be a good marketing strategy for KTMB. The staffs at the counters should also be able to explain to their customers on details of the payments. Maybe this information may be printed on the ticket itself, where it would state the actual fare, the berth or seat charges, the discounts, if any and the final fare paid.

Those who are eligible for discounts and given these privileges are senior citizens, retirees, the disabled (OKU). For the other passengers, it would be a straight forward case where the fare is concerned. Since we are in Malaysia and most of the passengers are Malaysian, it would be better if the website could be in dual-language and the public may choose either in Bahasa Melayu or English. It would help the public to understand more on what KTMB has to offer and to make KTMB more users friendly. The internet has become part of our daily life nowadays, and that everybody knows how to use it.

The interactive system to book tickets may not be used widely by the public, not everyone would register and use it, maybe because they seldom or once in a while used the train service. What the public want is information only, and finally they still have to go to the counter to get their tickets.

My wife and I went to the KTMB counter and bought our return tickets early to avoid any disappointment.  We chose the night train with the sleeping berth cabin (1^st Class Coach – ADNFB or Air-Conditioned Day-Night First-Class Berth) as advised by the staff at the counter. My wife and I were given 50% and 60% discounts respectively on the fare and that’s the beauty of being senior citizens. With the little information I got from the counter, I was able to calculate how the fares comes to the amount I paid.

KTMB Tickets: KL Sentral to Alor Setar and Return

We bought our tickets on the 9^th. June 2012, and that is a long wait until our departure date. At least we know that we are already being reserved a seat or cabin and it gave us the time to prepare for a journey that we never had the chance.

The Journey (28 June 2012)

On the departure day, Thursday 28^th June 2012, we left our home for KL Sentral and after dinner, we left for Alor Setar with the train leaving the station at about 9.20 pm, and expected to arrive at 7.15 am the next day.

Preparing for the trip; Waiting for the train, restlessly and very excited …

We boarded the train and look for the Coach L3 and Cabin 5 as stated on our tickets. We were delighted to see the cabin which was clean, complete with all the necessities, and well equipped for travellers like us. If we are on any journey, we don’t expect everything would satisfy our every taste. As a traveller, to anywhere you are going you have to bear the hardship and accept whatever is there for you and have to be moderate in all aspects. We accepted the cabin which is very much adequate for us.

The Coach L3 (Top Left); The Cabin 5 – the lower and the top sleeping berths

To familiarise with the coach, we walked around looking for the café or the toilet to make sure we were able to go whenever there was a need to.

We were very excited as this was our maiden travel first class in a train. The journey took some 10 hours passing through about 20 stations along the way. Since we were travelling at night, we may be sleeping most of the time and have to forget the night sceneries.

During the journey, my wife switched on her notebook. She enjoyed browsing the internet while connecting to her Facebook friends, sending messages that she was travelling by train. We experienced no interruptions to browse the internet while in a train.

Browsing the internet in a moving train

There would be a lot of differences between sleeping quietly at home and on a moving train. There were times when we were awakened by the train stopping at the stations along the way. You have to bear the noise around you, all the screeches, the sound of the train braking, or when the coaches are being pulled to move.

We hope we could wake up early the next morning to look at the sun rise. But then, from Kuala Lumpur we were travelling northward and that our cabin is on the west side. We were not able to see the sun rise after all, the sun will not rise until in the early morning.

When we stopped at Bukit Mertajam, the train has to change its locomotive which would be on the other end of the coaches; this locomotive will pull these coaches to continue the journey northward. At Bukit Mertajam, all the trains will move from a T-junction, either going westward towards Butterworth, going to Alor Setar and Thailand to the north or Kuala Lumpur to the south. This would change our positions in the cabin, either going forward or backward according to the movement of the train itself.

The interchange at Bukit Mertajam; the sunrise, a view from the train

At this early morning hours we would be able to see the sun rises, but we have to go out of the cabin and look through the windows on the other side of the coach.

We reached Alor Setar, Kedah at 7.30 am on Friday, 29^th. June 2012. We were a bit tired but then it good to stretch and breathe the cool morning air.

The Arrival (29 June 2012)

What a surprise! At the Alor Setar railway station, there is no platform and we have to step down the train with care. We were stunned at the condition of the station itself. The station is an old building that was built during the British occupancy in Malaysia, and that would be years ago. Most of the railway stations in the peninsular were built with the same design. The clock tower is still there but the clock itself has retired. We are sure that there would be plans to build a new station along with the new double tracks that are currently being built.

Welcome to Alor Setar;
The nostalgic building – the Alor Setar Railway Station

We were waiting for a taxi at the station, and it seems the taxi were selecting their passengers, offering to those who were going much further than the Alor Setar town itself. I walked around and after a few meters I saw one of the hotels in the town. We decided to walk to the town, and we were right as the hotel that we were looking is just round the corner. We stopped at a food stall to have our breakfast, and then walked on to the hotel, The Regency formerly known as The Grand Continental. We registered ourselves and we were allowed to check-in at that hour.

The beautiful sunset from the hotel’s 4^th. Floor

We spent our first day unpacking and relaxing, getting rid of the tiredness of sleeping in the train. It was Friday and the Friday prayers would be held at the state mosque nearby. At noon, I went to the mosque and told my wife to wait for me for lunch.

The State Mosque

We walked around and just nearby the State Mosque we found a very attractive new restaurant, which was officially opened the day before we arrived. The name really did touch our hearts and the interior decorations were beautiful.

The newly opened Restaurant: D’Dapur Ibuku (At My Mother’s Kitchen)

The foods were very tempting, the arrangement was excellent and well done, and my wife did enjoy her lunch.

Enjoying her lunch

We had our breakfast, lunch or dinners at the hotel restaurant, trying to taste all the different food served. Alor Setar is near the Thai border and thus Thai-tasted foods are abundance, we can have our food even at the stalls around the town until late at night.

Breakfast and Dinner with Chicken Rice and Steak

The Desserts: Glutinous rice with mango; Creamed Caramel and my favourite, The Apple Pie!

It was Saturday, 30^th. June 2012 and is our full day to go around the town. We went to the Pekan Rabu, the famous town market and bazaar where fresh local produce and cultural handicrafts are available. The museum and art galleries are nearby, including the Alor Setar Tower, the state mosque, clock tower to name a few. We went visiting these places and here are some of the memories.

Pekan Rabu

Entrance to the “Yellow” Palace; On top of the Alor Setar Tower;
a replica of an old historical building.

The final day was Sunday 1^st. July 2012 and our return train from Alor Setar to Kuala Lumpur was scheduled at about 7.15 pm. We have the whole morning before we check-out of the hotel and depart to the railway station later in the evening. We took this opportunity to walk around to the nearby shops to do some window shopping.

We may be a local tourist trying to get away from the hustle bustle of the Kuala Lumpur City. We take the opportunity to walk around the town looking for anything that differs from what we have seen in the other towns that we visited. Be it local delicacies, home-made utensils and handicrafts, sarongs, shawls, T-shirts, salted fish or even local cakes and tit-bits. It will be something to remember when you have in your collections from different places you have been.

We stopped at a stall to have the most popular dish in the northern states of the Peninsular. This “Laksa” is the favourite not only to the locals but to the visitors alike. The owner prepared her own “laksa”, made from rice flour, with her own recipe for the gravy and the taste is delicious.

The real taste of “Laksa”

To remember this visit, my wife insisted we keep our memories by taking photos. I would be the photographer and she will be the “model” of all those photos I took. The only problem is that a photographer might not be able to snap his own photos! We did not have any digital camera but we use the mobile phone camera instead. Anyway it is good to have something to remember, and we do not know when we will be coming back to this town again. We sent a few photos to those who are close to us by the mobile phone, to let them know that we were on a holiday.

The places of interest around the town

(Top Left) Visiting the Alor Setar Mall (You looked beautiful, girl),

(Top Right) Star Walk Café, (Below Left) in the lift going up the Alor Setar Tower;
(Below Right) in-front of Holiday Villa Hotel

The Return Journey (1 July 2012)

Our return tickets stated that we will be boarding a train with the same Coach L3 and Cabin 5 when we came to Alor Setar. Maybe it is a different train, coincidentally with the same Coach and Cabin number. We want to relax all the way and hoped to reach home safely. It is expected to reach Kuala Lumpur by 6.00 am the next day, 2^nd. July 2012.

The return trip; Goodbye Alor Setar

On our return journey, I could not have a good sleep. I slept at the top berth which seemed to rock and swayed due to the movement of the train, when it braked or when the coach is suddenly being pulled to move.

Home (2 July 2012)

We reached KL Sentral early in the morning, and we joined the office workers in their rush hour to their offices. We travelled to Gombak Station by way of the Kelana Jaya Line, and from there we hired a taxi home to our residence in Taman Seri Gombak.  My wife is on leave and will only be working the next day, 3^rd. July 2012.

The whole holiday was “awesome” as the young generations used to say and we enjoyed it very much. The train service and its facilities are good and no wonder a lot of people keep using the train for their transportation.

One of the reasons of this trip, or any other trips, is trying to get off the stress and the hectic life in Kuala Lumpur City that we have experienced all these while. Every morning I drove my wife to her office early to avoid the traffic, and rushing home in the evening especially when the weather is not on our side and the rain might create flash floods around the city.

We hope this holiday will give us some peace of mind. I am a retired government staff and my wife will follow suit in about a year, and we feel we need to enjoy our life. We will make ourselves happy and try to forget all those that we had experienced, which we tried to cope with pain and difficulty. We hope to live a quiet life for the many remaining years to come.

We hope to continue going on a holiday like what we have done. The next place we would like to go is the Federal Territory, Labuan. I have been there once but my wife did not have the chance yet. We also planned to go to Pulau Langkawi. We have been to this island a few times but going there this time is to recollect the memoirs that we have had. We hope to go only after the Ramadhan fasting month and the Hari Raya celebration that follows.

During my school days, I remembered my teacher told us that the railway tracks, as far as the eyes could see, will never meet. Let’s hope our life is as far as the railway track which seems to end at nowhere. One of these days, we will travel again, to see the world!

The never ending journey

It’s good to be back at home, sweet home.

Note: Comments written on KTMB are writer’s own personal views.

Memories in Ipoh

It has been a long time ever since I traveled long distance by train. I remembered when I was at a very young age, my mother and I traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Tapah Road, to visit a relative there. The trains in those days were driven using steam, and thus the train needs water to be filled at almost every station it stopped. While on the journey, if you put your head out of the window to see what was around, you may felt sprinkle of water from the steam that might wet your face, or sometimes the dust or soot from the engine where they heat the boiler to get the steam from.

Our train systems nowadays have changed by time, and use either diesel or electric power to generate them. We have “commuter trains” that traveled short distances for the public to go to whatever their destinations, especially to those who are working in and around the Klang Valley. Since 2010, we are introduced to the new double-track Electric Train Service (ETS) that commute between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. This double-track will continue to the Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. There are also the Kelana Jaya Line (formerly Putra LRT), the Monorail Line and the Ampang Line (STAR) systems to commute the public from the city outskirt to and around the city.

Boarding the ETS

There’s no summons for speeding!

Recently I have the chance to travel using the ETS, traveling from Kuala Lumpur City to Ipoh. It was an experience that I have been longing to have. Travelling time took about 2 hours and it was a pleasant journey. The good thing is that my fare was given a discount and that’s the beauty being a Senior Citizen. This ETS trains were made in Korea and you can see the speed displayed on the screen.

I have been to Ipoh a few times, but that was years ago and I traveled by car then. At one time, I went there when I was attached to one of the government agencies under the Federal Government. I was given a room all to myself and, since it was a school break, I took along my family to Ipoh. We stayed at the Excelsior Hotel, and my cute curly haired girl enjoyed herself very much.

A lonely man with a lonely heart !

During this trip, I stayed at the same hotel, to recollect memoirs that have been haunting me all these while. I still remembered this cute girl enjoying herself at the breakfast table with the most hotdogs she could eat, which was her favorite dish. This was the first time I introduced her staying in a hotel, enjoying whatever she liked and advised her on how to take her buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner alike.

The hotdogs were really tasty …

At that young age, she was asked by her mom to get some “panadol” at the stall nearby. She did and with her mom worried restlessly, until she reached back at the room. She asked me whether there is a swimming pool at the hotel, and when I told her “No”, she enjoyed her bath at the bath tub, singing her favorite songs. I used to take her along on my other trips, and I would choose a hotel that has a swimming pool, just to please her and to fulfill her wish, or at least a room with a bath tub.

The next day in Ipoh, I took the chance to walk around to see whatever is new and remembering those days when we were together. I came across a group of people queuing at a stall. It was selling “Tau Fu Fa” and looking at the crowd, I joined in and it took me about 10 minutes to be served. It was one of the finest “Tau Fu Fa” I have ever tasted and I bought some with a small bottle of the juice back to the hotel.

Queue up for “Tau Fu Fa”

I took a walk along the “Memory Lane” where they sell whatever they have memories with it. I came cross a lot of those memorable items, such us the typewriters. Nowadays, many younger generations does not know the types of typewriters that were used in those years. I remember using a few, from the hard-to press keys of “Remington” to the much softer like “Adler”, or even to the electrical types using fonts introduced by IBM, to name a few. Nowadays, our children do not use these typewriters instead they use computers and print it to a printer. I assumed they does not know how to type using the “typewriting system” that were taught at those “typing class” in those days.

The oldies ...

and the faithful!

I have a problem looking for a muslim shop to have lunch or dinner in Ipoh. I found a few after asking around, but to get there, I have to walk and that was a little exercise for me as I am getting older. There are a lot of Chinese restaurant around selling “salted chicken”, “bean sprout chicken”, and not to forget the “chicken rice”, the “koitiau”, the “mee curry”, to name a few. The “bean sprout” is a bit different from what I use to see in other towns, it’s a bit special, germinated from a selected species of bean. No doubt about it as Ipoh is well known with the Chinese community ever since the early tin mines era.

One of the favorite’s foods in Ipoh

I did not planned to go to Ipoh but decided to do so only because my wife has to attend a course somewhere in Kuching, Sarawak. I left KL Sentral quite late in the evening that day, and luckily I got a seat. It was a memorable trip for me and gave me the chance to remember all the memories that I experienced.

I know that I could not forget all the memories with my cute, curly haired girl, but at least I could recollect it, with or without tears, and placed it at the right place for the right time. I left Ipoh at about 3.00 pm, with the same ETS and reached Kuala Lumpur at about 5.30 pm.

BALD HEAD!

I remembered when I was young, of about 4 to 5 years of age, I used to be bald. Whenever my aunt shaved her husband, I would then ask my mother’s permission to do so. My mother did not object and agreed. I was happy with my bald head.

When I started schooling, I seldom shaved and have to keep my hair short. During those years, our barber was a Chinese man who knew our family. My father would just ask me to go to the barber whenever I need a hair cut. It costs only 50 cents per head then compared today.

I am now 65 years old, and have never been bald ever since my younger days. It so happened that I make a wish and promise to be bald again, and when the wish was fulfilled recently, I have to keep my word. On the 29th February, 2012, I went to the barber despite comments and reluctantly agreed by my family. I told them that this was what I promised for and that the day was to celebrate the Leap Year. Thus if I want to do it again, I’ve to wait another four years!

It took almost my age to be bald again. I am happy with it and in the meantime I am carrying an “air-condition” unit on my head, at least until my grey hair grows back to normal. My wife had intended to dye my hair then using the henna leaves, but I am sure it would only be temporary. If you have grey hairs, it will still grow grey. She does not like my new look and told me to wear a cap whenever I have to go out of the house, to avoid the heat of the sun or at least been seen by our neighbours of which I have no problems.

I sacrificed myself being bald just to satisfy myself and to let you know that I would do anything to keep my promise.

This is no “Kojak”, (remember this character?) but plain me!

MAMA, SAYA BALIK ... ...

Hari Khamis, 9 Februari 2012 yang bersejarah. Sejak dua tiga hari sebelumnya, saya sendiri sering mengalami debaran di dada dan ketidaktenteraman di hati, yang saya sendiri tidak tahu sebab musabab dan asal usulnya. Ia membuatkan saya tidak tentu arah, malah isteri saya “bersimpati” dengan keadaan saya sedemikian.

Dalam pada masa saya memikirkan apakah debaran ini akan berpanjangan, handphone saya berdering. Apabila dilihat nama pemanggilnya, ia membuatkan saya tertanya apakah ini yang menyebabkan saya keresahan? Apakah benar ia yang menalipun saya pada ketika ini? Apabila saya menjawab panggilannya, lantas kedengaran pertanyaan “Abah sihat?”. Sememangnya saya “sihat” dan tanpa disedari, air mata yang mengiringi kerinduan turut sama menyokong saya.

Berlanjutanlah perbualan itu sehingga agak lama juga, dari satu perkara ke perkara yang lain, dan terzahirlah keceriaannya yang sudah lama tidak kedengaran. Di akhir perbualan, saya memintanya supaya menghubungi ibunya yang senantiasa menanti berita dan suaranya. Dia berjanji akan berbuat demikian, dan menyatakan akan balik dalam sehari dua berikutnya. Dari kata-katanya, saya nampak keikhlasan dihatinya yang juga merindui kami.

Detik-detik yang menjadi kenangan … …

Akhirnya, setelah sekian lama, kami menjemputnya

di Terminal Putra Gombak pada Sabtu, 11 Februari 2012.

Dengan senyum ia memeluk Mamanya,

betapa rindunya kami tiga beranak.

Hari kesampaiannya, Mama belikan Pizza kegemarannya,

dan kami menjamu selera bersama.

Ketika mengunjungi Pasar Malam …

Apa tengok-tengok! nak beli, beli ajelah…

Wow… Terkejut besar!

Tutup…

Pilih... pilih... biasalah, Mama bayar…

Lewat malamnya kami mengunjungi Uptown Seri Gombak

Sambil mendengar “Kira-OK”, berborak dengan Mama

Pada 14 Februari 2012, kami menghantar anak yang dikasihi ke Pejabatnya di MGCC, Bukit Jelutong.

Breakfast di kedai mamak berhampiran MGCC

Lepas breakfast, Mama hantar ke depan pejabat MGCC.

"Selamat menjalankan tugas, sehingga bertemu kembali ...."

Kami bersyukur ke hadrat Allah swt kerana menemukan kembali kami dengan anak kesayangan kami. Mudah-mudahan kedamaian ini akan kekal sepanjang hidup kami, Insyaallah.

Nota Kaki: Artikel ini disediakan selepas menghantar Fifi ke Pejabat tapi belum di “publish”. Dalam pada itu, Fifi juga menyediakan catatannya sendiri dan dipamerkan dalam blognya. Gambar-gambar hampir sama tapi tak serupa, yang pasti sama ialah kenangan.

Tazkirah Jumaat : Dosa Besar

Hari ini, Jumaat, 27 Januari 2012. Seperti biasa saya akan pergi ke Masjid di kawasan perumahan ini agak awal juga, lebih kurang jam 12.30 tengahari. Saya ambil kesempatan untuk sembahyang sunat dan kemudian seperti biasa saya mencar-cari apa jua buku atau rencana yang menarik perhatian saya. Saya jumpa satu naskah yang ditulis secara ‘booklet’ dan selepas sembahyang sunat, saya terus membacanya, lembaran demi lembaran.

Saya terhenti seketika apabila terbaca satu perenggan yang menerangkan “Sesaorang itu telah melakukan satu dosa besar jika ia menderhaka terhadap ibu atau bapanya”. Saya mengingati kesalahan yang dilakukan oleh seorang anak terhadap ibunya. Berlinangan air mata saya ketika menghayati perenggan itu sambil mengeluh dan mengharap agar anak ini cepat sedar dari “tidur-lenanya”.

Dalam saya mengamati buku ini, penceramah yang menyampaikan tazkirah pada hari ini, Ustaz Rozali al-Hafiz juga memperkatakan perkara yang sama, mengenai anak yang menderhaka kepada ibu bapanya. Seolah-olah berjanji pula, secara kebetulan, buku yang dibaca dan tazkirah yang disampaikan memperkatakan perkara yang sama, walhal, tiada sesiapapun yang memberitahu tajuk yang dibincangkan. Saya mengikuti dengan tenang dengan linangan air mata apa yang diperkatakan oleh penceramah, dan ianya amat menyentuh hati saya.

Khutbah disampaikan oleh ustaz yang sama juga selaku Khatib, memperkatakan perkara yang sama dengan panjang lebar. Dengan nada jelas, khatib meningatkan, kesalahan dosa besar yang kita lakukan seperti “mensyirikkan Allah” dan seumpamanya akan dibalas oleh Allah swt di Hari Kiamat kelak, TETAPI, kesalahan melakukan DOSA BESAR dengan menderhaka kepada ibu atau bapa, Allah swt. akan membalasnya dengan cepat tanpa kita sedari hari dan waktunya. Saya tafakkur seketika, mengingati betapa besarnya dosa jika kita menderhaka kepada ibu atau bapa kita. Khatib menerangkan bagaimanakah perilaku yang ditafsirkan sebagai “menderhaka”, dan mengingatkan kita kepada beberapa ayat Al-Quran yang menerangkan perkara yang sama.

Saya sempat memohon ampun dan maaf daripada ibu saya semasa hayatnya. Malah setiap kali saya mengunjunginya, saya akan memeluk dan menciumnya sambil saya memohon ampun dan maaf atas apa juga kesilapan saya dari saya kecil hingga kedewasa ini; mohon dihalalkan segala makan minum dan susu-ibu yang membesarkan saya. Saya tahu ibu saya memang “manjakan” saya dan memanggil saya “ATAN”, iaitu nama timangan yang amat unik. Setiap kali saya akan mendapat jawapan dari ibu saya. Ibu dengan penuh tenang menerima dan membalas permohonan saya dengan kata-kata yang menyejukkan hati saya. Alhamdulillah.

Saya tidak berhajat untuk memanjangkan cerita dan kisah ini, saya serahkan kepada pembaca untuk menilai dan memikirkannya. Saya tidak juga berhajat untuk menujukan contoh dan teladan ini kepada sesiapa, cuma saya berharap, cerita ini akan menyedarkan kita semua untuk menghormati ibu dan bapa kita, meminta ampun maaf dari hujung rambut hingga ketapak kaki, atas apa jua kesalahan kita selama ini; menghalalkan semua makan minum, juga susu-ibu yang membesarkan kita dari sebesar dua jari telapak kaki hingga kedewasa kini. Setiap permohonan mesti ada jawapannya, dan kita harus menunggu dengan penuh sabar dan menerima jawapan balas dari ibu kita. Jawapan ini kelak akan memberi ketenangan dalam hidup kita, Insya-allah.

Kita harus mengambil kesempatan ini semasa kedua-dua ibu dan bapa kita masih ada bersama kita. Jika mereka sudah tiada kelak, kesesalan tidak harus dizahirkan, kerana semua itu sudah tidak ada ertinya lagi. Kita akan menanggung segala dosa atas kesilapan kita sehingga akhir hayat kita.

MY LIFE AS A KAMPONG BOY

I was born in Kampong Lanchang, Pahang. My father retired when I was only 3 months old, built a house on a piece of land he owned. The only problem was that this house was located far from the protected area. That was during the emergency era in our country where our movements were restricted and bound by the rules and law of the country. The villages were guarded areas, usually fenced up.

In front of our house was a rubber plot belongs to a Chinese family whom we were very close, especially with their children, until today, they still called me by my pet name. Our house is nearby a river, but there were times we took our bath at this family’s well. We knew each other’s family and always dependant with each other.

We were instructed by our headman to leave this new house and move into the protected area. My father was given an area and permission to build a different house in this enclosed area. There were times we heard the “emergency bell” rungs from the police station urging the kampong folks to hide in a pre-built stockade, usually under their houses. It was to inform the villagers that the “communists” were around the area. We heard gun shots and I did saw some people running among the rubber trees at the back of our house. During the emergency, I used to see bodies of the communist being brought to the town before being taken away.

One day while I was walking from my home, I saw a beautifully designed “belt” lying across my path. I bent down to take the “belt”, but to my surprise, it was a snake, with its head stood up on my left, it slide away. I screamed and the assistant headman, whose house was just nearby, rushed out and came to check on me. It was a shocking experience that reminded me to be always alert.

During my younger days, I liked to be bald. Whenever my aunt shaved her husband, I would run home and asked my mother’s permission to do the same. She never objected and I was very happy with my bald head. Last year I promised myself to be bald again, at least once after all these years. I kept my hair long enough for seven months but my wish did not come true as I hoped for (Photo; Not the “bald” I wished for!).

At my young age, I was given a baby monkey by an aborigine who knew my father. I was persuaded by my uncle to have the monkey’s tail for his belt. To fulfill his wish, I took a small parang and cut off the monkey’s tail. My mother screamed at me to what I did and the tailless monkey was later given to someone else.

I learned how to swim in the nearby river. My first try was to jump off from a float upstream and float yourself until you reach the next stop. While floating, you tried to swim as you move until you reach the bank. By time you would able to master it. My friends and I swam across the river and reached the other side. On this bank there are a lot of water apple (“Jambu Air”) fruits that were ripe and tasteful. We enjoyed our self and when the time to return, it will be another problem to swim back. While swimming, we were only afraid of the trunk or globe-fish (“ikan buntal”) as it would bit off part of our toe which looked shiny in the water.

One day the headman came to the river and shouted to us on the other bank to return back. He took all our towels, clothes and whatever we left to his house. We had to go back home, of course, naked. My mother, as always, scolded me and asked me to go to see the headman and get back my towel. Actually, the headman was a good man; he respected my father and was ready to help anyone. What he did was right and I knew what I did was wrong.

I remembered saving a young Chinese boy who came to bathe at the river. He was struggling and his mother was shocked. Seeing this, I jumped in and pulled the boy ashore. I assumed he was wearing his towel while swimming, because I found it being washed ashore later and sent it back to his father’s shop.

Whenever the Ruler of the state came to visit our village, the headman was the person responsible for the welcoming reception. There would be a fish catching activity using a type of poison made from the roots of “tuba” plant or creepers. The whole village would be enjoying themselves trying to catch as many fish as they could, which later would be salted that could be kept for a long period. We would fry the fish and served it with drops of lemon. Nowadays these delicacies are sold in open markets.

I learned to read the Koran starting from the “Mukaddam” with the village Koran teacher. The class usually started at night, between 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm. We went to his home with kerosene lamps, where all the students gathered and learned from one lesson to another until we could recite each and every Surah. Once we had completed the Mukaddam, we would continue with the Koran. I continued to read the Koran when I stayed with my aunt. My uncle taught me the right way to read the Koran and I never forget it as he was very fussy indeed and that makes me remembered them well.

My eldest brother cycled to work daily. I did take the time to learn to ride his bike because its size did not fit my age. I used to ride this bike by going down the hill from the Police Station. There was a time when I felled from the bike after going down the hill towards the main road and nearly hit the electric pole. Luckily there were no vehicles passing through at that time and I was not hurt. When I stood up, I saw an Indian man who wanted to help me but turned away when he saw I’m back on my feet.

One of my friends was an Indian boy whom we just called him “Tambi”. He was a nice guy, knew my family and used to bring fresh cow’s milk for my mother. The cost of a bottle at that time was only 20 cents, and sometime he told my mother that his father gave the milk and did not take any money. We used to gather at the community hall where we talk and play. We used to share “roti canai” we bought from the shop nearby that belongs to Mr. K.V. Mohamad. His retail shop was among the few in this small village and very popular with the villagers.

These were some of my memories. We remembered our young life which is something that may or could be a lesson to our young generations today. What we went through in life during those years may not be the same as what would be today. But there won’t be today if there is no yesterday; there won’t be any tomorrow if there is no today. That is, if we were not there yesterday, experienced the life we had, we won’t be here today to tell the stories to our children, and if we are not here today, we won’t be there and do the same for tomorrow. We cannot just forget what had happened “yesterday”. It will always be in our mind, whether it’s something good or otherwise, and it’s up to us to choose wisely. I do believed whatever we went through “yesterday” will be the valuable experience for “today”. Those experiences then will help us to live our life for the many years to come.

The hard life and high cost of living those days may be the same experience to us today, only it comes in a different way and manner. I hope we would remember all the sacrifices of our parents. They make sure that we are safe and sound, able to live a happy and healthy life, get the best education there is, may be to the highest level, and with enough food and good shelter, or almost everything there is. When we were young we do not care how hard life was, and what we knew was that whatever we need will be there for us. We do not know how difficult and hard life was to our parents to make it possible.

Let’s be grateful to our parents and respect them as it should be; just the way we want others to respect us. We would not isolate ourselves as we are no different from anyone else either. We should do whatever we can to make sure our parents are happy, at least while they are still here with us. Don’t ever let our mother cries, because a drop of her tears will make our life miserable, until we ask for her forgiveness, so they say! Take your time to refer the Holy Koran, Surah al-‘Isra’ 17: 23 – 24, and Surah al-‘Ahqaf 46:15, the least.

Note:

Last December 2011, we held a special prayer or “Tahlil” for our late mother at the kampong’s mosque where I met the Imam. He knew me and was my junior of 5 years at Abu Bakar Secondary School, Temerloh. He recalled of our times, our friends and the memories we went through. At the mosque I met a few more of my childhood friends.

OUR NEW MAILBOX

We moved into our current residence some 25 years ago. We bought a new plastic mailbox and it has been attending to our mails for the many years. It is still strong and ready for the postman, and not to forget all the junk mails and newsletter that comes in once in a while.

Browsing the internet looking for a new mailbox, I found one that is popular in the United State, a half-cylindrical with a flag. I like this model, some of which are made from steel. I found few other mailboxes made from wood of various models. Looking at one model and its specification, I decided to make one by myself, with some modifications, on a DIY principle, or course.

I am not a craftsman myself and I do not have enough tools but I am confident that whatever I have is enough to start making a new mailbox for our home to replace the current mailbox. A few years back, I bought a working table, an electric jig-saw and an electric drill that I seldom used. I knew now that my jig-saw could cut beveled (slanting) at a few degrees as illustrated in the manual. It will take sometime for me to finish this “project” as I have my own chores to do daily. It will be built with my own blood, sweat and tears and no-one else could claim its rights, for sure.

I bought the materials needed, pieces of planed planks and wood, wood glue, nails etc. Before getting started, make sure that the planks and wood are dried enough, or it may crack and shrink later. I started by preparing the box piece by piece. I have to use strong paper clips to clamp the planks when gluing, as I don’t have the right clamping tools. With a lot of patience, it worked. I have to prepare all the parts separately before fixing it.

The first step I did was to glue three pieces of planks with the specific length to form the back of the box, prepared the two sides and the bottom piece. The glued back part was cut beveled at one side and cut off to a standard length. The sides too have to be cut beveled at a 30º at one side. After a careful measurement of all the three components, the back, both sides and bottom were then glued to form a basic box. Once the glue dries, these parts are then nailed to permanently bond them together.

Another two pieces of the planks are then glued to form the roof of the box. The roof has to be measured accurately and when the glue dries, cut off to the exact size with extra length on all sides. It would look nice to cut bevel on all sides except the back of this piece.

Then comes the frontage part, that is the frame, the door and the slots for the incoming mails have to be prepared. The top of the frame have to be cut beveled for the roof. Get the right measurements for both sides of the frame, diagonally and horizontally. Making the slot is a bit tricky but I managed to cut off a piece of wood with a 30º beveled and that the slot would be wide enough for an A4 envelop. Thus our postman will not have to fold any magazines or other documents to fit in the mailbox. Cut another piece to join the bottom of the frame. The length of the frame is measured accurately with the inner length of the box and cut off. The bottom part is then glued to the frame.

Two pieces of plank of a reasonable length and fit the frame has to be glued for the door. When the glue dries, it has to be cut off with the accurate measurement fit into the frame and with enough room to fix the hinges. Nailed a piece of wood horizontally on the inside of the door, both top and bottom to bond them together. Fix the slots to the frame with glue, with the accurate measurements and take into account the size of the door. It could be stapled to fix it permanently to the frame.

A small window of about 5” by 2” has to be cut off at the lower part of the door. A piece of glass or plastic of the same size would fit the hole that can be decorated with a piece of plywood glued to the front part of the door. Maybe personal creativity would help. A lock and key may be fixed for the door, a door knob or handle, and a magnetized door catch could also be installed.

All cracks and holes were covered with filler, and once dried; all parts of the box would be polished with sand-paper. The right color for the external of the box would be the “post office” red. If you want to paint the internal, you may have to spray the paint before fixing the frame to the box. It would be much easier then. Before painting, cover up those joints and strips you want to glue later with tapes. Anyway, you may choose whether you want to paint it or not, but painting would help to protect the box, come rain or shine, especially our weather here in Malaysia.

When all these items including those of the frontage of the box are ready, fix the frame to the box with glue and later nail it together. The roof then be glued and nailed to the top of the box. The door is also fixed by two hinges or piano hinges to the frame. I cut off the house address from the former mailbox, glued and screwed it to the door, as a remembrance of the old faithful.

It’s up to you where you want to install the new mailbox, and maybe it needs your creativity. Cut a piece of wood, preferably 4” by 2”, beveled at a 45º with the length of the box horizontally to give you two pairs of cleats. Fix one of the pieces at the back of the box and another to where you want it to be. The box may be permanently screwed.

At last, after almost 2 months, on this day 1 January 2012, there it is our new MAILBOX for our HOME, SWEET HOME. We hope our letters, books and magazines would fit in this new mailbox. We are sure the junk mails, notices and newsletters though are not welcome, would fit in too. We do sincerely hope that letters from MARA and PTPTN will not reach our new mailbox. We know that these letters are those claiming unpaid loans, and there is no person indebted to those agencies at this address, so sorry! After all, there are only two persons here at this address, Uncle Tan and “ibu d’tinggal”.

I introduced my new mailbox to the local postman. Thank you, bro postman, Encik Surain, the regular guy with whom I used to chat and say “hello” to.

It is a tedious job to build this new mailbox, and I did it to the best of my ability. It was my first experience. Experiences could not be bought, we have to do it ourselves to get it. Anyone interested?

The Legend goes:

I do not know how to grade this new mailbox, but whatever it is, this is what I have done and I am proud of it. This is my first home-made wood working item that I long to do. It would be better someone else would do the comments.

My grandfather’s name on my mother’s side is “Burok” which means “Ugly”. I remembered someone in my family once said that whatever our grandfather did, the final result would be a bit “ugly” or flawed here and there, and thus his name came from. I did not know how far the truth in this story. I hope, as his grandson, what I have done would not be classified as “buruk” or “ugly”.