Category: Daily Whatevers

Posted on

Putu Mayam

6 pieces of Putumayam

Putu Mayam (or Stringhoppers, in English) is a close relative of the Iddiyappam, a native of the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as well as Sri Lanka. It is a dish of rice flour served with coconut and jaggery or date palm sugar.

My first encounter with the Putu Mayam was back in 1976 when I was living at the quarters which is now part of the Tun Razak Memorial on Jalan Perdana (formerly Venning Road). An Indian man would cycle and cry out, “Mayaaaaaaaammmmm!” followed by by four honks of his rubber air horn sounding “Pek! Pek! Pek! Pek!” Those were the days when there were lots of government quarters in the area where the Taman Orkid and Taman Rama-Rama are now. On top of that were the workers quarters at the residence of the late Tun Abdul Razak, our house, more quarters where the present Royal Malaysian Police Museum is when it was the Officers’ Mess.

Over the years would see the number of people living there get lesser and lesser. After Tun Hussein Onn stepped down in 1981, they started constructing the Taman Orkid and Taman Rama-Rama. The Venning Road Officers’ Mess was abandoned awaiting reconstruction as the police’s museum. Only my family remained there until July 1994, six months after my father’s retirement, before we all moved to USJ (well, I was still in Kedah/Thailand then). But that old Indian man, never failed to do his rounds, with that familiar cry and horn…all 18 years that we were there.

That old man is no more. There is no more Putu Mayam in that woven basket. No more police personnel from the Guards & Escort branch that were guarding my father’s house stopping that old man to buy Putu Mayam.

Then today, as my daughter Fazira and I walked to the Ramadhan Bazaar to buy food for the breaking of the fast, I heard a familiar cry with a somewhat cheery musical tone added to it crying, “Puttu Mayyam!” The Puttu with a rising and falling tone in the respective syllable, and a mid-tone and rising tone in the Mayyam part. That caught my ears as well as the ears of several more people that kids were mimicking him. I took a detour and went to this Indian chap standing next to his motorcycle.

“Berapa?” I asked him.

“Lima Dua Ringgit, boss, tapi boss punya saya kasi Anam!” with the typical head-shake-roll.

“Wokeh,” I replied, also with the head-shake-roll I learnt through my years working at the nation’s most favoured multinational company. “Kasi dua Ringgit juga kalu.”

I looked at the Putumayam on the clear plastic sheet and smiled to myself: “One up for tradition.”

Posted on

First Muslim In Space???

NO!

That was my answer. People were ranting and raving digitally when I told them online that our happy Angkasawan will NOT be the first Muslim to fly into space.

The confusion seems to have stemmed from the fact that the National Space Agency does not know how the first Malaysian Angkasawan will find his direction to the Kaabah when he performs his prayer. IF HE PRAYS AT ALL, THAT IS. Until some smart alec who thinks he is smart came out with a calculation on how to face Mecca to pray.

So is he going to be the first Muslim to fly into space?

Before I answer that question, let me just go on a bit more on this confusing confusion.

When I was part of the North Pole Freefall Expedition back in 1998, I asked the Religious Advisor to the King that since I would be at the North Pole at a time when the sun never sets, and whichever direction I would look to would be South, how do I face the Kiblat (Mecca). His answer was simple. There is a verse in the Holy Quran that mentions whichever you look, whether to the East or to the West, you will see the “face” of Allah. So you can pray to him anytime, anywhere and in any direction. However, the Kiblat is set so it would be universally uniformed for Muslims to pray towards one symbolic direction. After all, God is Almighty, and everywhere you look He is there. So in our case, agree on a concensus for one direction, and pray towards that direction.

So is he going to be the first Muslim to fly into space?

Wait! So is the happy guy going to pray at all?

Would he not be a musafir (traveller) and is therefore not made compulsory to pray? Some would say since he will be “living” in the International Space Station for a week, he would have his musafir status revoked as he would be a mastautin (dweller) of the International Space Station.

My argument is: since the International Space Station itself is a moving vehicle, wouldn’t he still be a musafir? It does not permanently face any single direction. It is definitely not geostationary. So it conforms to a moving vehicle. Do you pray inside your car while it moves? You can sleep in it too while it moves. I know. I’ve done it even while driving. Therefore, to me, our Angkasawan would be a musafir until he is back on terra firma.

So is he going to be the first Muslim to fly into space?

My answer is NO!

The first Muslim in space was Prince Sultan ibn Salman ibn Abdul Aziz al Saud, now a minister in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery from the 17th through the 24th June 1985. Yes, he read the Quran and prayed in space. So the idiots at the National Space Agency should have studied some history on space missions before embarking in some quest that made Islam look like a very restrictive religion that is so anti-science and progress in the eyes of the Western media last year, when Islam is all about science and technology before the Muslims became stupid and let the Caliphs rule and let them into poverty and stupidity.

Oh, and as for the term ANGKASAWAN, it came from two words: ANGKA and SAWAN. Literally: Epileptic Figures. Look at the cost of sending one happy man into space and you would know my meaning.

Posted on

Bonne Chance, Mes Amis!

I have two announcements to make.

Firstly, Major Yuen Yoon Ming a.k.a Mocha is now at the KLIA waiting for his flight to Melbourne. He will be away on a course until 8th December 2007. We hope that he will be able to find Internet connection as soon as he gets there. He has written about this course on his blog posting entitled All Set.

Mocha and I at the Gua Musang food court on our way to Perhentian

Secondly, Azlan a.k.a Ironore, is now in Jakarta awaiting deployment offshore in the Riau archipelago. He will be away for a month again and shall not be celebrating Hari Raya Aidil Fitri…much like me.

Ironore at KLIA

To these two brothers of mine, good luck, have fun, stay safe, and don’t forget to wear rubber. AHA!

Posted on

Selamat Berbuka Puasa

Mosque in the setting sun

Melancholy has just set in.

The sun is setting.

I sit here staring at this screen wondering…

…when will I ever get to feel the joys of breaking fast

with a wife who would keep the ambience warm…

…feeding each other dates and sweets…

~sigh~

With this neck, head and shoulder ache, I often wonder if I will ever get to enjoy that feeling at all…

Boatman has just SMSed me from Perhentian:

SELAMAT BERBUKA PUASA, SD, AND GET WELL SOON.

Selamat Berbuka Puasa with your loved ones, people.

Enjoy the moment.

Posted on

This Hari Raya

On the eve of Hari Raya in 2005, I was still at work. My daughters Farhanah and Fazira were already in Kedah to spend the holidays with their mother and (now, late) step-father. And last year, I hated Hari Raya.

So how is it going to be like this Hari Raya?

I will be alone. That’s for sure. Farhanah and Fazira will be in Kedah with their mother as she will be spending her first Hari Raya being a widow. Mohammad Amirul Farhan and Noorunnisaa will be spending hari raya with their mother. Maybe the eve of Hari Raya I shall go buy myself some lemang and rendang and VSOY soya drink. Stay home watch original imitation movies, or gatecrash other people’s open house for free meals.

I should do that for the first two days. On the third day I plan to remain incommunicado and disappear the whole day, totally out of touch with civilisation; and get one with nature.

I hope next Hari Raya would be more meaningful for me…in the twilight years of my life.

Posted on

Sleep-Driving

Can't see straight when you are sleep driving

Out of 1,000 drivers, 7% have fell asleep at the wheel last year. 41% said they took caffeine to avoid feeling sleepy but only 30% of this said it was somewhat effective. More than 70% say they take regular breaks to avoid fatigue.

I used to do a lot of long-distance driving even before there were highways. I used to do daytrips to Redang, Perhentian and Tioman two years ago.

Of late, I am unable to. Especially after being on medication. Now I have to do breaks. There was once on the way back froma dive trip, I felt so sleepy that I think my car was on autopilot. I remember looking at the PETRONAS station at Genting Sempah and cannot recall how I got there and when did I do the climb up Bukit Tinggi. Then on my penultimate trip to Perhentian, I had to stop at the 7-11 near Gong Badak in Terengganu just to fight the sleepiness I felt. On the last trip I actually had to take a power nap for half an hour at Ru Sepuluh.

I think I will have to have enough sleep tonight before tomorrow’s journey to Redang.

Posted on

I’ve Been Tagged Again

Tagged

I’ve been tagged yet again. This time it is by Blue-Fins (Person Formerly Known As Pink Fins). This time it is about bags!

5 Things In My Bag (I’ll take it as my pouch bag)

1. Swiss Army Knife
2. One-week’s medication
3. Opticrom Eye Ointment
4. Last weekend’s and the previous weekend’s marine park fees stubs
5. Coins

5 Things That Are In My Wallet

1. Money
2. Credit Cards
3. ATM card
4. My daughters’ photos
5. A&W Discount Card

5 Favourite Things In My Bedroom

1. This notebook
2. Magazines
3. Toilet
4. Bed
5. Sphygmomanometer

5 Things I Wish To Do

1. Go to the moon
2. Get this tag over and done with
3. Have the ability to fly
4. Get filthy rich
5. Marry the right woman

5 Things That I Am Doing Now

1. Typing this thing
2. Thinking of what to type
3. Yawning
4. Thinking of someone
5. Watching this screen

5 People I Would Like To Tag

1. Mocha
2. Icecool
3. Choy
4. Neomesuff
5. Jazzy

Now, can I sleep in peace?

Posted on

Selamat Menyambut Kemerdekaan Ke-50

Tomorrow, Malaysia will celebrate its 50th independence anniversary.

Countloon prompted me to this recent independent survey commissioned by the New Straits Times, supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and was conducted by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research.

The telephone survey of about 1,200 Malaysians also found that the majority of the various races find comfort and security in their respective ethnicity and not in a common ‘Malaysian’ identity. The survey also found that negative racial stereotyping was deeply entrenched. For example, minority Chinese and Indians see the majority Malays, who make up 60 percent of the population of 25 million people, as lazy.

Chinese and Indians make up 26 percent and 8.0 percent of the population respectively.

It found that more than half the population does not trust each other. For a nation that claims to be a ‘melting pot’, only eleven percent of the respondents said they had eaten often with friends from other races in the past three months. Thirty four percent said they have never had a meal with people of other races.

The survey found that 42 percent do not consider themselves Malaysian first, 46 percent say ethnicity is important in voting, 55 percent blame politicians for racial problems and 70 percent would help their own ethnic group first.

According to the survey, 58 percent of Malays, 63 percent of Chinese and 43 percent of Indians polled agreed that ”in general, most Malays are lazy.”

Meanwhile, 71 percent of Malays, 60 percent of Chinese and 47 percent of Indians agree that ”in general, most Chinese are greedy.” Sixty-four percent of Malays, 58 percent of Chinese and 20 percent of Indians agreed that ”in general, most Indians cannot be trusted.”

Hari Raya Puasa was wrongly perceived as the Malay New Year by 32 per cent of Malays, 84 per cent of Chinese and 45 per cent of Indians –when the festival actually marks the culmination of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

Similarly, the Chinese New Year was thought to be a religious festival by 57 percent of Malays, 53 percent of Indians and a whopping 62 percent of Chinese respondents.

Despite the lack of unity, the country has enjoyed long periods of peace except for one race riot in 1969.

And unlike in some neighbouring countries where uniformity is enforced, Malaysia’s minorities are not restricted and are free to practice their own cultures and religions and enjoy a vernacular education.

So, where will we be 50 years from now?

Xmas Gifts Exchange 2004
Muhibbah? Hopefully always. Front bending: James. Center row: Angel, Lily, Poo Geok, Alvina, me, Alice, Savina, Poh Le, Moon Siew Back row: Andy Lim, Muaazam, Khor, Phang

Posted on

Turning Kelantanese?

Really?

Well, no, not really. I still dislike the sticky sweet taste of the Jala Mas because I dislike sweet things unless it is naturally sweet. I don’t mind the nasi lemak with sweet sambal, as long as the sambal is hot. My first crush is a Kelantanese, well, maybe a mixture of Afghan, Thai and Kelantanese. Come to think of it, I was almost married off to a beautiful Thai young lady who is the youngest daughter of a village headman back in 1989, being a Leftenan Muda (Second Lieutenant) on a task in Southern Thailand with an army Captain near Tak Bai in Narathiwat. I couldn’t speak Thai then but those people spoke the Thai-Kelantanese dialect, which really is a rojak of Thai and Kelantanese words. I was even told by the father that I could return every quarter or so to have my wife-to-be’s “needs” be fulfilled. If it weren’t for the need to acquire permission from my Commanding Officer, I would have perhaps jumped at the chance. Anyway, for the one month that I was there, she introduced me to the kampung culture of South Thailand and I fell in love with things “Thai/Kelantanese” such as Dikir Barat. Wayang Kulit, however, has always been my object of curiosity and interest since I was little. Until today, Thai music, especially folk tunes like Loog Thoong, becomes my main musical interest.

No, I do not have Thai nor Kelantanese genes in my bloodstream. I am a full-blooded Nasution of the Mandailing tribe of North Sumatera. My compatriots include Ahmad Tarmimi of the Siregar marga (clan), Rubiah of the Lubis marga, and the infamous Datuk Mokhtar Hashim of the Harahap marga. My great-grandfather, Abdul Jabbar, or well-known as Ngah Jabor in the annals of Perak history, was jailed for 6 years for participating in the assassination of JWW Birch. But I know no words in Mandailing except “Horas.” I know more Thai and Kelantanese than my own mother-dialect.

Wayang Kulit Siam

My greatest love for things Kelantanese/Thai is the Wayang Kulit (shadow puppeteering). Not just any wayang kulit but Wayang Kulit Siam or Nang Thalung in Thai. I love it so much that I learnt how to perform, and also perform the accompanying musical instruments such as the canang, kesi and gong. I have yet to master the serunai. Even my sifu whom the United Nations has recognised as a Puppet Master wonders what is it about me that is Kelantanese if at all.

My ex-wife’s late husband (bless his kind soul) would converse with me in the Kelantanese-dialect and also used to wonder about my Kelantanese-ties. He even used to get me the best Budu for me to take home.

Budu fermenting in claypots

Actually Budu is the reason I write this posting today. Whenever I go diving, I’d ask Boatman to make sure Budu is available for me during all meals. I can live with just Budu mixed with some lime and cili padi, plain rice, omelette and ulam.

Aargh! I need to go back to Perhentian.