This song "Mengapa" sung by Rien is from the 1957 Indonesian movie "Delapan Pendjuru Angin". Our whole family went to see the film at Starlight Cinema, Pasir Panjang Road sometime in 1958. It was a wonderful love story with such beautiful songs that absolutely took over the mind of this 13 year-old budding teenager.
Years and years later, sometime in the late 1980s, while wandering around Arab Street with the spouse, we discovered this shop selling Indonesian 10 inch long-playing records - for SGD5 each - and we bought the lot. Actually there were ony 3 copies of each album!
It was the late 80s and all I could do was to transfer these songs to a cassette because the vinyls were not in good condition - marked with bubbles, due to age and the heat maybe.
In 2003 or thereabouts, after CDs came on the scene and cassette tapes were getting redundant, I decided to transfer my Indonesian tapes - which were getting a little frayed - to a video using my little camera - all very unprofessional and lacking in audio perfection. But it did the trick and I can still sit back and relive those 'romantic' teenage years!
All this hi-tech reproduction was conducted in my study in our house in Leicester. It was a cold winter's day. Outside my window, the scene was grey, with people wrapped in overcoats and bent against the wind. What lovely memories - to listen to this once again in hot and sunny Kuala Lumpur during a Covid 19 Lockdown!!
With regards to the video above, please note this.
Thank you.
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But, in the midst of this nostalgic bliss, reality came a-creeping.
While we were still reeling from the surge of Covid 19 cases in Malaysia , our politicians have also been carrying on with their own personal 'surges' for power. For the past 2 or 3 days we were once again seeing the spectacle of our great parliamentarians making a bee-line for the Istana.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the prettiest of them all?"
This time, what have we got? Surprise, surprise. We have got the same drama kings, the same salesmen and fortune tellers.
You might have noticed I arranged the images of these alpha males, these PM hopefuls (and incumbent PM)), and their movers and shakers in alphabetical order, not according to the size of their clout or their ego.
What are they offering us - in concrete practical language - the Rakyat, this time.
Aaaahh, democracy!!!!
However, our Parliament is NOT an "assembly of ONE nation with ONE interest". It is a web of "different and hostile interests", empowered by a great deal of horse-trading (inside and outside Parliament) to determine the direction and future of the nation.
Just to bring a touch of levity to this fiasco in Malaysia, I shall escape into the lyrics of my romantic song by Rien to get an insight into what will be in store for us, Covid 19 or no Covid 19!
M. Habis ni, kita pergi saja dari sini. Kita naik mobil ..........
F. Kemana?
M. Ke langit! ke bulan! ke bintang!
Aaaah, promises, promises, very like what's coming from our movers and shakers and politicians.
F. Kau nakal Seth.
M. Kenapa?
F. Kau berbuat aku lemah, seperti hilang tenaga melawan.
Yeeess, yeeesss, yeeess! All this political jiggery pokery, MCOs, Covid 19, SOPs - we are absolutely at your mercy!!!!
There! When we get over Covid 19, someone should write a play about Malaysia's political saga during this pandemic and our hero will be Lord Buckethead or Tun/ Tan Sri/Datuk/ Dato Seri (just insert the right honorific title here) Kepala Baldi.
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| It will be cheap to produce. You can stuff any idiot into this outfit. |
The future of this nation is like a game of lotto. You are free to pick a number, any number or numbers. But the certainty of picking the right one, the winner for Malaysia; is almost zilch at these present times, with this political scenario.
We are used to acronyms like PKP, PPKP, PKR, DAP, UMNO, PAS, EMCO, SOPs and MAGERAN (NOC 2).
We might as well add SRRS to our list - Shifty Rogues, Rascals and Scalawags.
So, I am no Optimist. And I have not as yet, gone to the edge to be a Pessimist.
Maybe a Pesseptomist. Maybe I can still make a journey up to the Sky, the Moon and the Stars!
Maybe I shall just seek comfort in this dream ......
..... and maybe on 29 June, I will be able to go out for my tosay breakfast.
2 comments:
p.s. Starlight!
I remember the panggung next to Jubilee Primary School but am not sure if it was called "Keppel". Watched my first Bruce Lee and Pengantin Remaja there. The panggung was open air except for the last few rows of wooden benches (not cushioned seats). Its walls were half wood and half zinc. I don't remember a toilet.
A little further from Batu 8 home was Ciros. Bigger, cleaner with more plush seats and toilets. And fully covered .. you could leave your umbrellas home!
As for our political future, Ms Hamid, check out Stealers Wheel's Stuck in the Middle With You (1972).
"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle of you".
Hello Din, Apologies for the late reply. Been feeling a bit under the weather. Maybe AstraZeneca doesn't like me.
I am glad a youngster like you remembers the old cinemas with fondness. You forgot to mention the Pijat (bugs) in the seats.
I am quite used to jokers and clowns. BTW Akim used to pound that song on Sunday mornings, which exasperated me ole mum, bless them both.
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