Too old to learn

Certain changes taking place around me are leaving me further and further behind. There is an obvious mass migration to face-book. A few, not just one or two, have suggested, recommended and even tried to persuade Pakcik to progress along with the masses. In defence, let this stubborn old man respond and say in simple words what I feel about all these.

A few years ago my children realised that it was time for their father to lay off the old typewriter in exchange for a laptop, not the massive desktop with all the messy wiring and connections. Seeing how easy it was to write, delete, copy and make all the changes to lines, paragraph and pages I was sold on the idea. So the old father took a giant step, not unlike Neil Armstrong’s 'One Small Step for Man’ on the moon. Then I was shown how to blog. That thrilled me to no end. Nevertheless I must confess I still have problems with anything beyond a simple posting. The recent lost of Almanar blog from the screen sent me into frenzy. Alhamdulillah my heart could take it and it did not take that long for my daughter had it restored.  

Seeing my giant step in IT my children started to coerce me to go Face-book. They made me open an f/b account. As if that was not enough a second account was opened for Almanar blog on f/b. No I have not got used to liking these f/b accounts. However, when I get requests from people to become my “friends” I simply agree. And now I am sure to have close to 200 so-called ‘friends’ on f/b. I suspect they are mainly my ex Almanar pupils, many of whom carry odd names. But I always warn them that I do not look at my f/b. I do not even know how to open and move around that strange language.

Believe me, I am not ashamed to say how tough it was for the old grey matter to absorb the rudimentary steps in blogging. But I made it somehow, and still a no, no to f/b.

Finally, about a year ago my children presented me an i-pad. As the icing on the cake I was asked to select the recital of the whole Quran I liked best. The idea of lazily lying down to listen to a choice Quranic recital by a favourite Qari sounded very exciting. Alas, I still have problems! For instance, I do not know how to stop and move a few lines forwards or backwards.  So the i-pad has been lying idle except when the grand children are around showing their grandfather what an i-pad can do, moving fingers deftly on the screen, taking own photographs, not forgetting music and games.    

 

In short, any one who tries to engage me on f/b will be sadly disappointed. I have grown an intense dislike for it. Here, I will say the reason in a few words.

 “ …. klu ak sekeh mg klu xmri …hehehe”

What the hell is this???? It comes from my f/b.  It sounds like someone giving me four-letter words! Same to you, hehehehehe, with knobs on!

If I am given something in writing I want to see a complete sentence with subject, predicate, finite verb and all. Disciplined life  of over 70 (repeat- over seventy) years is not likely to give way that easily to a change - full stop. Out of necessity I accept shortened expressions on sms, reminiscence of sending telegrams in the 1950’s.

_________________________________

On Sunday 30^th September I was pleased to read in NST the

usual column by Wan a Hulaimi (aka Awang Goneng of the bestseller A Map of Trengganu). This time his subject was ‘A writer chooses words as a painter would colour’.  I enjoy reading about something I believe in. I am not saying “great minds ……”

In summary, dear readers, you see above how Pakcik could spin a simple message in so many words. The title said it all -  Too old to learn. In other words, or another lango , doh tuer gwana nok belajorr.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan