The Sawah Padi

What can a padi field be associated with? Padi, of course. Besides that, there's the mud that helps to contain water so that the padi can obtain nourishment from its roots. Then, there's the rustling of the padi stalks as the breeze coazes it to gently sway left and right like dancing to the rhythm of music. The beating of the padi stalk against the wooden drums as the farmers attempt to separate the rice from the stalks. Rump! Rump! Rump! The farmers seem to be lost in their own pace as each other compete to complete their tasks before the sun sets, with the sun's rays beating on their well worn bodies.

Ladies in straw hats bent down as they plant the padi using the traditional 'kuku kambing' to ease each stalk into the mud in a systematic manner and in neat rows. This has since been replaced with the mechanisation of the padi planting process, with the machines being towed by tractors as the machine steadily and quickly inserts the padi into the soil. Productivity increases as the farmers are now able to cover a much larger area since the padi planting process has been speeded up significantly.

The padi will be left to mature over the next 6 months or so. With plenty of water around, fishes begin their life in the padi field as thousands of eggs hatch over time. Catching fish is sport in the padi field with the 'keli' variety outsurviving the other fishes as the fields dry up over time as the padi matures. Catch a few and place them in our little aquarium as we watch them with excitement over our catch. It won't survive long in this environment because it's habitat is in the muddy padi field.

Being bitten by leeches is also another aspect of fun in the padi field, as we traverse along the raised bunds that separates each padi plot in our endeavour to catch fish. The leech sticks to our legs, increases its grip on our skin as it attempts to suck my blood. A dash of salt would save the day, as it falls off onto the ground due to its adverse reaction to the salinity of the salt. Out comes my magnifying glass as I concentrate the sun's rays onto the leach, to see how much it can tolerate before burning up. Yes, that cruel I am and leeches are not the only objects that get burned under my magnifying glass.

As the padi matures, the whole padi field will be painted by golden yellow hues. The much stiffer stalks that has aged, will give out a soothing rustling sound as it sways in the wind. Images of kite flying now floods the memories as I recall my growing up years with the padi field in front of my house. No, I don't own the padi field. It's someone else's. After the rice has been collected and the dried stalks accumulated in heaps all over the dried padi field, I prepare my eagle shaped fabric kite ready to fly it. My brothers would take turns to run in a few attempts to launch the kite up into the sky. Then, the eagle kite will soar in the wind as it pretends to be a real eagle.

These are my memories of the padi field that has since been replaced with a housing development project. I am a kampung boy at heart and it pains me to see the padi fields slowly being replaced with houses. No doubt, we need more houses as the population grows but couldn't they be sited somewhere else? The padi field was on prime land, therefore it had to make way. In a year's time, I can only expect to see houses where the padi field used to be, in front of my house. I only have a few photographs to remind me of how it used to look like. Film being expensive to develop and print in those days, these few photographs are the only proof of the legacy of the space in front of my house. I will now retreat to dreamland... as I recall my adventures in the padi field as I was growing up.

The Setting Sun

Humans have always been fascinated with sunrises and sunsets. What's the reason, I wonder? Is it because of the sun's rays as it casts its light onto Mother Earth? Is it because of the way shadows are formed when objects are blocking it's rays. Or is because of the warm hues of the sunlight that generates a kind of warmth that touches the humans' hearts as they view the sunrises and sunsets?

Or maybe sunrises and sunrises represent the beginning and the end of life? As the sun rises, it gives energy and food for all living things, humans and plants alike. In so doing, it gives life to all things living. As the sun shines brighter, we can witness the animals and insects get busy forraging for food for their daily sustenance. Bees getting their honey from the flowers' stigmas, ants heaving food 30 times their weight as they soldier on throughout the day, humans of every creed working hard to put food on their table, mother birds feeding their young with worms caught in the early morning, and other types of animals who regurgitate to feed their young. Life is so wonderful, isn't it?

As the day extends into the evening, the sun set represents the later stage in life. Where the young get older and the elder one expire into the netherworld. As the sun sets, it casts a warm glow on mankind before succumbing the world to nightfall. It is this warmth of light that continues to fascinate the world of humans and animals. Some may sit in their garden as they appreciate the view that the sunset provides. Animals will return to their nests as they prepare for the next day. As this warm glow continue to fade away into darkness, it represents the end of the day. Humans and animals alike would return to their respective homes and nests and seek some solace in the quiet of night.

For some, it is easy to seek solace in the quiet of night. However, for some, it could be a challenge. New mums and dads would have to take turns to feed the baby, crying out his/her longing for milk to satisfy the hunger pangs. And that is if the dad manages to wake up at all. I'm sure many of you out there can empathise with this scenario. We have gone through it before. On the other hand, some of us may be working the afternoon or starting the night shift. As the body clocks struggles to catch up with the different levels of melatonin in our body in order to synchronise the sleeping hours, the shift workers would suffer insomnia if the body clock cannot somehow adjust to the difference in light levels. And for them, sunsets would not have any meaning for them, but sunrise will.

That's life. There's the ups and there's the downs. Before the sun sets too often and we begin to take it for granted that there's always another day's sunset to catch, we'd better be sober and do our best to do all the things that we wish or hope to do or achieve, and get on achieving the dreams instead of lounging in front of the idiot box that is the bane of technology, and wasting our life away. Before the next sunset, here's another little article about life...

Independence From ... ?

Everybody is wishing each other 'Happy Independence Day'. In two (2) days' time, we'd be celebrating the big day, in comemoration of the historical day. A historical day so important that it's a crime if Malaysians can't remember the day in which we were liberated from British rule in 1957. A crime punishable by the retraction of citizenship perhaps?

Historical aspect aside, Malaysians have encountered many issues that have been bothering the nation as we grow older. Race and religion being the most outstanding issues that continue to trouble us as we hope for a united nation in the country called 'Malaysia'. Why these two subjects continue to be raised every now and then? The reason being that our rights as Malaysians are ultimately associated to who we are. There's certain privileges that certain race enjoys while another race enjoys a stripped down version of the privileges. As we go towards becoming a developed nation, our 'race' should be 'Malaysian'.

Privileges aside, we have encountered race and religion bigotry. Certain groups would go at great lengths to raise issues that would raise the ire of the various race and religions. Take for example, the recent fracas surrounding the relocation of a temple to another residential area. Is there anything criminally wrong for a temple to be sited in a housing estate? Where is the tolerance that has been the constant rhetoric of political parties? If it's wrong to gather with the severed head of a sacred animal to protest the relocation, where are the cops when you need them? Is there a conspiracy between these two parties? Otherwise, why are the cops quick to be present only at People's Alliance's gatherings?

If the people are to be united, could we have housing developers construct places of worship for the three main religions of Malaysia? Could they exist side by side, as illustrated by historical places such as the famous street in Malacca where Buddhist & Hindu temples and a mosque are sited side by side? Could we return to that part in time where the people of various religions lived together harmoniously? Do we need politicians to create disharmony amongst the peace loving rakyat?

Race and religion aside, corruption continues to deny basic rights and justice to the people. It is so endemic that a day without corruption is like something amiss. Businesses need to be 'facilitated', licenses need to be 'facilitated', offence summonses need to be 'settled', etc. Is it possible for a country to be run with minimum corruption? I don't believe it's possible. Even if not requested for, 'gifts' are given as tokens of 'appreciation'. Should only gifts without monetary value be given? Are the government servants and public sector strictly following the various anti-corruption policies? Even the justice system belongs to those who can afford it. Yes, justice can be bought. Yes, that is also corruption.

As we celebrate Independence Day in a muted form this year due to the H1N1 scare, we should reflect on these few critical issues that have continued to strike feelings of disgust in the citizens of Malaysia, and strive towards a country that is free of corruption and racial/religious polemics.

The country should not accept foreigners as citizens just to ensure the political support of oneself. The country will suffer because of the migration of outsiders into this lovely country. There are many things that we should be independent of. When we are liberated one day, then we can truly appreciate the meaning of independence...

This Disease, That Disease...

In today's day and age, it would seem that dieases are aplenty. This disease, that disease. It is very risky to be alive these days. As we struggle to stay alive, we are also exposed to disease every other day. Diseases are very much a part of our daily lives. We cannot avoid meeting DISEASE any day of our staying alive.

The current critical, high risk disease would be the virus A (H1N1). It could well be NH4 or ... No, it can't be. That's the chemical formula for ammonia. Ha! Almost everyone who have been following both the printed and broadcasted media would know what H1N1 is by now. It is otherwise known as swine flu as it originated from the swine.

If previously, we had bird flu, now swine flu is the 'in-thing'. If you haven't been struck by H1N1, you could well be on the way of contracting the deadly disease if you're not careful about your personal hygiene. Surgical masks and alcohol based hand sanitizers are the minimum measures that one can depend upon to avoid contracting the virus. And due to this, greedy business owners are hoarding the limited masks and hoping to strike it rich while their human brethern suffers or dies from the disease.

Diseases are a source of revenue. Why not? For all we know, the disease could have been cultured in the laboratories for the sole purpose of creating vaccines for the disease. Create the disease, create the cure. Get it? Unethical as it may seem, well, that's business. The creator of anti-virus programs are probably the same ones who created the computer viruses in the same place. Business is business. But the business could have been strategically planned in a better way. At least, get the vaccines out in bulk before letting the virus loose.

Why let the virus loose when you're not ready with the vaccine? As a result, the human race is getting sick by the thousands and most probably would be dying by the thousands too. It could be part of someone's grand idea of human population control, for all we know. The world is getting over populated. A scientist once said that for mother earth to recover from the damage caused by humans, 70% of the human race must die. Well, H1N1 could be among the many options avaible to achieve this effect. But does this necessarily make the scientist bad? Remember the atomic bomb? The physicist regretted ever creating the dreaded bomb that killed thousands of Japanese and the effects carried on for a few generations. The scientist is just doing his job to earn his bowl of rice. Good scientists 'created' botox for the benefit of the fairer sex. Good scientists create artificial intelligence to assist the disabled to lead a better life e.g Stephen Hawkins.

What can we ordinary humans do, as we struggle to carry on our lives despite the economic downturn? Well, there's many things we can do. Masks, sanitizers, self quarantine if we're sick, educating the others on how to defend themselves, controlling the price of masks so that the masses can continue to enjoy some degree of protection against the dreaded disease, etc are things that we can do. Continue to do so, as we battle yet another potential epidemic. Humans are known as survivors. Hopefuly, humans will not go down the way of dinosaurs who were exterminated by viruses and bacterias, whose size is a million times smaller than them. Isn't it strange that no matter how powerful humans think they are, it's the little things that can kill them?

Good luck in battling this disease and hope to see you again in my next blog. Take Care.

Little Kitty Cat

I used to have dogs as my friends in my house, when I was growing up. Our first dog was a stray who happened to pass by our house. It was a nice brown dog. After several rounds of food, as it was hungrily roaming around for food, it finally decided to make our house it's home. Home was under the ciku tree. The ciku tree provided shelter for it for about a month after which it 'graduated' into the house. Dad and mum consented to us keeping it upon seeing that we have grown quite attached to it.

The special thing about this brown dog was that it had the capability of de-husking the coconut. The coconut which was collected by our grandfather from the nearby jungle. We had fun watching it struggle as it attempted to de-husk it. If other dogs were contented to play with balls or sticks thrown at it, ours were happy with the coconut. It was still young then, and it's fangs were strong enough for the task.

During the era of the BMX, we had a bike of our own. The brown dog was happy to tow us along, providing kinetic power to propel the bike. Yes, it was that strong. There was no doubt about it. It was so eager to go out and about, that it was willing to drag us along. Of course, we didn't abuse it more than necessary. After a while, we lead it for its daily walk on foot. Other than de-husking coconuts, the brown dog also pulls our bike. Yes, it was that special. Now it lays buried in front of our house for the last 12 years. My, how time flies. But the brown dog will always remain in our memories forever, as we recall all the fun we had together.

Mating season was one busy time for the brown dog we called 'doggie'. It dug below the chain-linked fence to get out to find it's mate as the pheromones permeate the air. As it dug through, it's back was scratched badly by the fence. Nevertheless, it was adamant on going for a few days at time, to look for its mate. It would return after a few days, with its back bloodied and its body smelled as it went without a bath for such long periods of time. But it came back contented that it had achieved its purpose for that season.

The special thing about our house is that even though there's a dog, cats would never fail to drop by our house. They say that dogs would run after the cats. But no, in this 'house of peace', cats and dogs would stay together for meals. Yes, this house was special and till today, cats continue to come uninvited. It could be due to the aura of the house. Animals thrive in our house, amongst the many plants that we have in our bungalow garden. Ciku, cocoa, starfruit, sugarcane, nangka (jack fruit), 3 types of mango trees, guava, pomelo and custard apple. Yes, our house had those trees and also including a patch at the back where grandfather used to plant vegetables for our daily needs. Yes, we were quite self sufficient. But hey, let's not stray from "doggie's" story.

As time passed, a female dog decided to make our home it's choice of stay. And so, it stayed on and gave us two generations of off-springs. Yes, it was noisy as the puppies yelped through the night as they were kept in the cages. We had to dispose a few by 're-designating' their homes to the housing estate a few kilometres away. Thankfully, they did not find their way back. But if we went to look for them, they could still recognise us. They were 'adopted' by kind people there and we were grateful for that.

The last of the generation left us about 8 years ago. The house doesn't feel the same anymore, without the barking of the dogs. Yes, we miss those days where dogs and cats roam freely in our house. The house has been very quite quiet comparatively. However, cats still come to our house and this is the kitten which came from nowhere. We're happy to let it roam our house and feeding it became the normal routine. Things will never be the same again as we reflect on time past when we were younger and had our hands full 'bringing up' the dogs.

Perhaps we'll never keep dogs anymore in the near future, as the emotional burden is too great to bear. It's like family members who have 'passed away' as we grow older in age. Nothing lasts forever, and we have to accept there. So, appreciate what you already have and savour the moment, because all of it will be taken away from us one day. Till the next blog, I'd say 'hey doggie, you will always be remembered ... ' and may you continue to live happily in the afterlife and may we meet again one day.

The Adults Of Tomorrow

Children - the beginning of innocence as they walk through the journey into being adults. Children - the innocent beings who are subjected to differing experiences as they grow up in different environments. Children - who may grow up one day to be our future leaders ... or criminals.

The innocent joy of them being captured on film - it reflects their innocence in life. They laugh without hesitation, devoid of pre-judgement of people around them. If they are happy, they are happy. If they are sad, they are sad. There's no two ways about it and that is the beauty of innocence.

In the colours of red and white, which are the colours of our national flag, they dress appropriately for the occassion. The event was a colouring contest held as an activity as we near the birth-date of our country's independence from the British. They may or may not know or understand the significance of the colours they are wearing. They are innocent.

However, what has happened in the last two days is unimaginable. Kids were were detained for taking part in the anti-ISA march on 1st August, 2009 (Saturday). They were there because their parents were there. Onlookers they were, as they were innocent victims of the law. It is imperative that they are released immediately and the learned court judge must quickly address the negative-ness that will prevail should he fail to ensure their release by tomorrow, for they are under-aged victims of the law. Do not subject them to adult law for they are children. There's no law to punish children for taking part in a street protest. Do not hold them any longer.

Children who have the intelligence to grow into proper thinking adults. They must not be stained by the activities inside the prison cell. They must not be amongst drug addicts and other kinds of criminals as they await their release. However, the action of the police have firmed up their belief - that they must go against the unnatural justice. In the streets, they witnessed for themselves the solidarity of the various races, as they march together in their call for the abolishment of the draconian ISA. They may or may not understand the significance or even the meaning of the Internal Security Act, let alone read the contents of this piece of legislation. But by seeing so many people voicing their discontent about this unfair law which is mainly used against the opposition members, the kids would have formed their thoughts and made up their mind on who is right and who is wrong.

They saw for themselves how the citizens of Malaysia were bombarded with tear gas and shot with chemical laced water cannon, as they were preparing to disperse after the organisers had announced that the street protests were over. The police moved in because they were prevented earlier, by the huge crowd. It's clearly an act of over agression on the part of the police because the crowd did nothing but just to gather to show support for a common cause. They did no harm to anyone and did not damage anything. The businesses were affected because the police had cordoned a major part of the city. They were never really in any danger of losing their business because the crowd is also their potential customers. No, they didn't lose any more money than they do any other day. The shutters were pulled down because the police were shooting chemical laced water at the citizens of Malaysia.

Throughout the internet, photos and updates were fast on the update. The internet, being the more reliable source of information as the people have grown cynical of the mainstream media as they are instructed to publish only positive news about the people who gave them the orders to do so. Children - they are the ones who are fast catching up on the cyberworld and they are absorbing the information fast. It is the children who will be the future voters and they will know who they will choose. Children - do not belittle them because they are little. They will grow into giants one day...

Defending The Country

If a country cannot defend itself, does it indicate a failure of the country? If the country's soldiers are seen in sandals due to the country's limited defence budget, does it mean that it is able to defend itself against external forces? If a country has nuclear weapons, does it mean that it is very capable of defending itself?

Defend against what? Are external forces a bigger threat than those within the country itself? If a country has a lot of natural resources, does it mean that other countries would want to conquer it? If a country has no natural resources, does it mean that nobody will be interested in fighting for its land and people?

Despite the international publicity over the mass media which broadcasts reports of cross border threats, internal crimes are a bigger problem for a country. Theft, rape, robbery, political demonstrations, criminal breach of trust and get-rich-quick scams are some of the common types of crime committed daily. Internal crimes are those that affect the citizens of the country directly. If such crimes are not reduced to an acceptable level where citizens and members of the public feel safe to walk in the streets or their residential areas, does it mean that the authorities aren't doing enough on their part?

What do we, as the country's citizens and members of the public, need to do to make the country safe? Do we just leave it to the police and other uniformed bodies to secure the country against crime? Do we need to take part in making the streets safe? If you see a snatch theft in progress, will you step in to catch the thief and his accomplice? If you hesitate, will it make you less a citizen? If we get hurt in a public arrest, will it stop us from getting involved in future? Ultimately, we have to get involved in crime reduction actively as the country's uniformed forces and governmental agencies lack the manpower to secure the whole country against the crimes committed within.

Don't get involved because he/she is of the same race as you. Get involved because he/she is a fellow Malaysian. Colours and creed are hindrances to a united country. We must be able to see ourselves as Malaysians first and race second. Do not let politicians pollute our minds with their narrow interpretation of racial belonging to the country. We decide together as a proud Malaysian, defending our beloved motherland.