Welcoming 2013

HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO 
DEAR VISITORS 

 ______________________________________________________________

My first thought for today's entry was a reminiscence of what I wrote at the stroke of midnight 51 years ago tonight. But I decided otherwise as my last week's entry was also related to a reminiscence. I should not bore my visitors with too much of 'Pakcik reminisces'.

Not unlike many growing up young adults I used to sit back in  front of a new diary enthusiastically thinking what my new year'slist of resolutions ought to consist of. Almost on all occasions the list would be a repeat of the same, year after year, to be forgotten no sooner than it had been put into writing.

Those were the days. Now, not unlike elderly folks, the thought grows more philosophical. I am sorry my today's thought goes in Malay. Perhaps, I should seek someone like Ninotaziz to translate the thought into English. What I am saying below may not sound coherent to my dear readers as it does to me. I apologise for my inadeuacy in modern literary Malay. So, here it goes:

Menghadapi pertemuan

From the long way back

Throughy tunnels

Sudah jauh perjalanan ku

Melalui pelbagai persimpangan

Jalan yang berliku liku

Ada kala melanggar larangan

Bila matahari hampir terbenam

Akan berakhir satu penghijrahan

Tiada lagi yang aku idam

Untuk menghadapi satu pertemuan

Sudak berakhir masanya

Memperbaharui cita cita dan azam 

Dengan kudrat yang masik ada

Biarlah budi sahaja yang ku tanam

Untuk menghadapi pertemuan

The end is there for sure

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

==========================

NINOT has kindly given the followinginterpreration:

To face the Absolute One  



I have travelled the long road

The bends and the corners

Faced with difficult passes

At times, my not so 'kosher' choices 
  

At the end of the road

My journey and salvation

No more shall I ask for

   To face the Absolute One 



I have passed by all the roads

Too late to change course or my mind

What's left in these hands of mine

Deeds shall be all I leave behind



     To face the Absolute One  

=========== 

Thank you, NINOTAZIZ

After the Reunion

______________
Soon after the historic reunion of the two old pen-friends described below, the North-East Monsoon arrived with vengeance. It has been raining for four days and nights non-stop. We wake up in the middle of each night listening to the wind howling through the casuarina trees, the rain beating the roof and window panes, and the terrifying sound of angry waves furiously smashing the shore. Yesterday morning we found a neighbouring coconut tree lying across one side of our chain-link fence, a tall papaya down with large green fruit strewn about,  and a banana tree with a huge bunch of fruit lying across  another side of our fence.

And this morning a group of contract workers were clearing a huge tree lying across the road a few metres away from our premises. A lorry sppeeding in the dark of the morning tried to avoid the falling tree and swerved sharply to crash into one corner of our fence.  

Living where we are , these are not beyond expectation. But the thrill of the recent reunion is still fresh in our mind. We are just sorry for many in the state who have to be evacuated because of floods. 

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

Merry X'mas to my Christian visitors

Pakcik reminisces ( Pt 28 ) – 57 years on

 
                                        

1955 Diary

The front pages of my 1955 diary contain a list of over 30 names and addresses of boys and girls in Malaya and overseas.  If today a school boy spends lot of time on face/book I enjoyed writing letters to those pen-friends. Waiting with anticipation for the arrival of snail mails is a thrill by itself.

List of names and addresses

Among the many pen-friends was a boy named Abdul Khalik Hasan, studying in Anderson School, Ipoh. Like me he was also in Standard 9 (today’s Form 5)

My English school in Kuala Terengganu offered the following subjects for the final examination known as Cambridge School Certificate (CSC), a version of today’s SPM:

English language

English literature

Malay

Mathematics

General science

Health science

Geography

History

Arts

Subjects like Additional Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology had not come to this part of the world. I envied my pen-friend at Anderson School where he was able to choose Additional Maths and the three science subjects, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. And here I had to be satisfied with General Science and Health Science and just one mathematics subject.

I did not like History and was never good at drawing. So Arts was out of question too. As my passion was for Mathematics I begged the school administration to be allowed to take Additional Mathematics after performing well in that subject in Std 7 ( Form 3 ) examination. My wish was granted on one condition that I had to do it all absolutely on my own. There was no Add Maths teacher and the school library had no books on that subject. In my mind, if at that point in time I had fairly easily covered the simpler mathematics well ahead of class, I should not find it too difficult to tackle Add Maths on my own; the rationale of a simple mind!

So I took the challenge to self-teach myself Add Maths all the way without expecting any help from school.

  

The first task was to get hold of books on the subject. The only bookshop in town had nothing to offer. Fortunately I was skilled enough in correspondence. I wrote to a bookseller in KL ( I think it was Merican & Sons, if my memory has not failed me) for advice on a set of books for Add Maths; and subsequently I had one set of Add Maths books  posted to me. Money was not a problem. I was receiving a monthly allowance of 30 ringgits from the Federal Minor Scholarship (FDS). That sum was a lot of money when one could have ‘nasi dagang’ for 10 cents! I wonder, now, how in the first place I was awarded an FDS.

So from the beginning of my Std 8 ( Form 4) I started doing my Add Maths, working my way literally page by page, doing every worked example and all questions that followed every chapter. There were questions that took me days to solve. But I persisted backwards and forwards leaving no stone unturned until correct answers were found. The joy of arriving at correct answers was tremendous. I was enjoying the challenge.

However another six months from the CSC examination I was getting desperate to get at least one set of past question papers in Add Maths. I had to know the format of the two papers. It was in that time of need I realised that my pen-friend in Ipoh, Abdul Khalik, could help. What a joy it was to hear from him that he had one set of past question papers given to him by one of his seniors who sat for the subject in the previous year. Not wanting to part with the papers and in the absence of Photostat facility in those days, Abdul Khalik took the trouble to copy them in long hand, word for word, diagrams and all on sheets of paper which he sent to me by the snail post. I would not know how else I could obtain those valuable sheets of hand-written question paper.

Indeed, how could I ever forget that pen-friend in need?

I kept the handwritten question papers until about a couple of months to the examination. By then I I had covered most of the Add Maths books. So one fine day, with an alarm clock on the table, I sat to time myself working on the papers. At the end of it I was pleased to sense my readiness to enter the examination hall. 

On 5^th and 6^th December 1955 this 'kampong boy' walked all alone into the silence of the examination hall, surrounded by tables and chairs, and watched over by an English lady who was the invigilator.

------------------------------------ 

My 1955 diary carries the following entries on the two days. 

 --------------------------------------------------

Mon       5th Dec.

             10.30 – 12.35

             Add Maths I

              Expect ‘A’

   ------------------------------

Tues       6th Dec

              10.30 – 13.05

              Add Maths II

              Expect ‘A

 

2 hrs   5 min  for the first paper on Monday, and

2   ,,   35  ,,    for the second paper on Tuesday.

                                           

                                                 ------------------------------------

Look, I had the cheek to predict ‘A’ grade for both papers!

How could I tell that 57 years down the line “I shall be 

telling this with a sigh,

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. “

                     Robert Frost 

------------------------ 

A year after the CSC examination I began to slow down 

writing to pen-friends, and finally I stopped altogether until almost towards the end of my working career. Then I began to reminisce my past. Somewhere the memory of that old pen-friend, Abdul Khalik kept surfacing. In vain I began a search for Abdul Khalik. I went so far as contacting the police station in Parit for their help to locate that elderly gentleman named Abdul Khalik Hasan.

As chance would have it, two months ago I read in a blog 

something about Anderson School’s Group of 1955.That rang a loud bell.  From there I was led to the blogger Abbdulhalimshah (of Dalu Dalu) who is one of regular visitors to Almanar. He kindly did a search and put me on the right track and finally, through one

Amran Hamid, I was in possession of a phone 

number which was supposed to belong to that old pen-friend. And soon I was on the phone hearing for the first time the voice of my old and very dear pen-friend, Tuan Hj Abdul Khalik Hassan, an ex Malayan Railway man, an imam who is now settled in Tronoh, Perak.

My Pen-Friend

And on 19th December, barely a week ago, Hj Abd

Khalik drove to Kuatan to see his son.
From there he and wife took the trouble to drive all the way to Kuala Terengganu just to meet us at Nuri. For the very first time we were able to hold hands and hug each other fondly.

The two old pen-friends

I am lost for words to describe how I felt on meeting 

the man who had a hand in shaping the course of my life.

I am glad to know that Hj Abdul Khalik has a very 

successful family, an architect residing in Australia, an engineer, an accountant etc, etc , not to mention one of his grandchildren who has been offered a scholarship even before her SPM result is known. Indeed he is a man to be congratulated.

I am certain I will have more to write about this old 

friend and about his wife, the latter is obviously a very talented lady.

===================  

Words of appreciation

My special thanks go to you En Abdul Halim Shah and 

En Amran Hamid for helping to make our historic meeting a reality.

.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan.

Today – Wed 12-12-12

12.12.12 is too rare a date to let it go without a few words.

How has the day passed for Nuri's occupants?

________________________
  

At 8.30 this morning a small group of Form 3 children came around supposedly to do revision in Mathematics before going into Form 4 in less than three weeks’ time. But it ended up much of the time with Pakcik giving advice. They sure need it after so much of their time being wasted over the last three years ; a wake-up call.

Just before lunch time the two of us took a short drive to a new restaurant about seven kilometers away. There was not much in terms of food variety but it was a very clean place, much to Makcik’s approval. Being rather early we had much of the place to ourselves, having ‘lontong’ and some ‘tea tarik’. The owner’s wife was friendly enough to come and sit to talk with us. She seemed to know well the customers having meals then. There was a small group of lecturers from the Teachers’ Institute and a teacher entertaining a group of children, probably to celebrate the end of their SPM examination.

The conversation with the owner’s wife turned more personal. We found out that she is not from Terengganu but her husband is. He works for an agency of the state government. Surprisingly he is a PhD holder and on a number of occasions has been approached by one of the two universities close by. But he has repeatedly turned down the offer to be a lecturer. He sees a better long term future for the family. Aside from running this restaurant the family has also started operating the business popularly known locally as ‘homestay’. Along the basis of the better known English ‘Bed and Breakfast’, the occupants of their ‘homestay’ are given free breakfast of local delicacies, ‘nasi dagang’ and all at the restaurant, a very attractive deal indeed. Seeing a good future in their venture, one of their children, owning a diploma in electronic has been encouraged to join this family business. I am determined that, one day, I will meet the owner of this restaurant whose outlook in life is one that I have a lot to admire. He does not see it of any benefit that his name card should bear the prestigious ‘Dr’.

As I was paying the bill for our simple meal one of the restaurant assistants came around smiling sheepishly to address Pakcik. “Pakcik Hassan kan? Tak cam saya, pernah belajar di Alamanar. ( You’re Pakcik Hassan, aren’t you? You don’t remember me. I used to study at Almanar.)” She is now doing  part-time work while on holidays.  

Daphne Du Maurier's

Short of doing something in the afternoon I found an old copy of Daphne Du Maurier’s REBECCA from my little library. I sat down reading it, getting more and more absorbed in the book which  was one my favourites more than 40 years ago. I am now in the middle of the book and the plot is becoming familiar. How I love reading Daphne’s works, all of which I must have collected; a few are missing after moving houses over the years.   

After our prayers together I am now sitting to write this short posting while Makcik is preparing our simple dinner.

It has been a simple day on this auspicious 12.12.12, unlike other days I have to sweat over groups of underprivileged children who, for the rest of the school holidays, are away from their ‘home’ a kilometer away from us.   

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan.

What mushroom?

Every so often we find a couple of ball-like mushrooms sitting on the grass in front of our house. Each one looks beautifully white, its short stem invisible beneath. Two days after its appearance it begins to turn brownish and deep cracks would soon appear. Finally, it will rot away. 

Its short stem is invisible beneath the fat top

A gentle knock will break the stem beneath, tearing part ath the bottom

;

Cracking and rotting away

What is this mushroom called?

How do we know whether it is edible or poisonous? 

And Pakcik will continue to ponder "Why does HE create this wonder? There must be a purpose even if we fail to understand."

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

All in the family (Pt 7) – Good bye, SPM!

Children who sat for the UPSR examination already know their results. Parents whose children have performed well are now looking forwards to see their children being admitted into schools of their choice. Some are worried. Pakcik’s grand child knew even before her UPSR examination the secondary school she would be admitted early next year. So we have no worry.  

Earlier, I wrote about our two grandchildren, who had sat for their PMR examination, and were having a good BREAK with us away from city, caring little for whatever examination results which will be released by the end of this month. What they need is just good enough passes to enable them to study science subjects in Form 4 at their present school. Life is that simple. They will continue to study where they are whatever their PMR results may be.

Then we also have two grandchildren who have just sat for their SPM examination. This is where the need for good results is important. But can we expect them to get all A’s and scold them for failing?  I do not forget that their parents and we, their grandparents, never got any where near the elusive all A’s in our SPM nor PMR examination. So why should we put the pressure on them? Come what may.

_______________________________

 

At this juncture I am reminded of my Senior Cambridge School Certificate (the SPM of the mid 1950’s). So I promise myself that one day I will write a posting on my reminiscence of that fateful examination, one that proved to be a fork in my path over half a century ago and I took the one less taken, leading to the less taken route I am leading now.

 _______________________________ 

So our two eldest grandchildren have said goodbye to SPM. About thirty years ago our three children did it. The youngest of them said goodbye to his SPM in style. One day immediately after his examination he asked for our permission to allow him to camp one night with four friends on top of Damansara hill close to our house. Obviously they were in high spirit and very much relieved after that historic examination of theirs.

We did not think much of that top-of-the-hill camping until our boy returned home on the following morning with a broad smile, bringing along a few small Nescafe bottles. He proudly explained that those bottles were the urns holding the ashes of all his SPM note books and text books! It must have been a very exciting evening when he and his four close friends had a big bon-fire which left no more traces of their tormenting SPM examination except the ashes signifying a mixture of vengeance and satisfaction. That was the way they said goodbye to SPM, all in high spirit, knowing fully well that certificates with all A’s were never in their dream.

And they remain friends till today, every one not doing too badly in life, after all. And I, as a father, have never had any regret over it.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan