Exactly a week ago, we were in Singapore. Our dear host Jailani took us for a tosay and teh tarik breakfast at Tek Kah - a must-stopover for us whenever we cross the Causeway to Temasek. We were given a special treat - a Saturday morning car ride to MacRitchie Reservoir.
I've always remembered MacRitchie as a venue for P. Ramlee's movies. This video was taken from the 1957 'Bujang Lapok'.
It was also where we were taken by our Guide Captain to undergo the Trekking test - to earn our Second Class Badge.
My very own Second Class badge.
Miss Lam would lay out the trail of sticks and stones and leaves for us to translate into directions for our route through the Reservoir's forest.
Here's a 1961 map of Singapore - the red arrow points to MacRitchie Reservoir.
This map was extracted from Collins-Longman's World Atlas for Malaya - part of my Secondary School's Geography Textbooks .
Jai had a surprise for us. He took us for a walk around the northern periphery of the reservoir - something we could only dream about all those years when we went for hikes at this most popular 'water feature' . I do take off my hat to the Singapore authorities. They are certainly short of land space and natural greenery. But they do so much with the little they've got. Furthermore, with a population of 5.5 million within a land area of 718.3 sq km which means a population density of 7,615 per sq km - they have done a remarkable job in training their citizens to be proud of their country, by keeping the environment clean and tidy. All I can say is "Wake up Malaysia!!"
On that walk of nearly an hour - we have these to 'show and tell'.
A trefoil of three rubber seeds in a pod.
To think; when Ridley brought these seeds to Singapore for trial-planting, it marked - for the Malay Peninsula - the beginning of an industry and an economy that brought wealth and development (for some - mainly non-natives) and chaos and lopsidedness to the Malays who were left on the fringe. It was a boom for some and bust for others.
As we were walking on the wooden platform along the edge of the reservoir, we heard this very slight movement of water. We turned and this was what awaited us!
All in all. we observed 3-4 terrapins in the water and just at the edge there was a little notice informing members of the public not to release their unwanted terrapins in the Reservoir!
We have a similar problem up here. Where we live in KL a number of domesticated cats have been 'released' in our neighbourhood - leaving us and our neighbours who care for cats with more strays to look after.
Whenever we get to Singapore, Jai will always be available to help us get to Pusara Abadi at Yio Chu Kang Road to 'menziarah' the graves of my father and brother. This time, we also visited the grave of Jai's mother - arwah Macik Alimah who passed away 3 months ago. http://anaksihamid.blogspot.com/2014/12/al-fatihah-hjh-alimah-binti-awang.html
Al -Fatihah to the three beloved.
You see, going back to Singapore is very much like visiting an abode where the furniture is being moved about ever so often.
Up to 2008, this was my father's grave .........
........ and my brother's at Pusara Aman.
As of 2009, this is what we ziarah....
My sister and family at Pusara Abadi.
....... downsizing of the previous plots at Pusara Aman.
Eight to a plot - if the families claim the remains.
I cannot resist saying this again - Wake up Malaysia and Malaysians! Do you know how fortunate you are? You all have a choice in the size and location of a piece of Malaysia for your dear departed!
Dear Jai, remember this at our Oxford Avenue house in Leicester 1995?
And you have now become our host at your house since 2005(?).
Irene and the two septuagenarians, 2015.
Finally here's a beautiful song for three beautiful people in Singapore - Jai, Irene and Lely. This is my favourite concerto, it's so sweet and longing - just how I feel about the ones who have left me forever - in Batu Pahat and Singapore.
Martin Frost playing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto Part 2
For the Senior Cambridge Examination, Mrs Quah, - my very inspiring literature teacher - instructed us to learn by heart, and to quote, various passages from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'. Here are the first four lines of one of them:
To be, or not to be, that is the question - Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
According to Wiki, the American-Muslim human rights activist Malcolm X or Malik El-Shabazz (1925-1965) quoted the above lines at a debate in Oxford (1963) about "extremism in defence of liberty".
Growing up in a Malay kampung in Singapore throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, we had a father who was worldly wise and street savvy about the world around him (and us). He was fluent and knowledgeable in both his Malayness and the wider English language milieu that was present then in Singapore and in Malaya. You would not describe him as "alim" or "warak". His familiarity with the Arabic language was limited to the ability to read the Quran. He had a Quran which also provided a Malay translation and when he was teaching us about 'Rukun Islam' and prayers he always wrote down the translation in English as well. He wanted us to know the meaning and the spirit of what we were reciting and doing.
I think Akim and I were the most bolshie with our queries and I reckon we gave him a bit of a headache. When Akim was in his early 20s ( I was then 25), I overheard him asking Abah:
"Abah, prove to me there's God." Wow!! I skedaddled away because this was really strong stuff coming from my very quiet and serious kid brother and I thought I'd better make myself scarce. I regretted I did not hang around to hear my father's QED. (QED is something you write when you have proven a theorem in Geometry). It must have worked because Akim kept his faith and I could see more strength and acceptance in him especially whenever he suffered his very frequent asthma attacks.
When I was teaching in Sekolah Menengah Yusof Ishak I found myself slowly but surely losing my patience with my Malay-Muslim colleagues (to be expected) and even my students. When one of them complained to me that it was not 'halal' to buy hot drinks from the Chinese stall in the school canteen and that it was not 'right' to sit next to some one eating Chinese food, I took a deep breath and said, "Duit-duit yang kamu pegang tu, tahu kah kamu jika apek jual babi yang telah memegang-nya terlebih dahulu? Dengan cikgu, cuba bincangkan lain perkara bersabit dengan cara membaiki latihan ilmu alam, ilmu hisab, mengaturkan jadual kerja sekolah sambil menolong emak di-rumah, dan bagaimana berjimat cermat dalam perbelanjaan di-sekolah. Cikgu perhatikan bagaimana murid-murid Cina tidak kesahkan apa jenis kasut dan beg sekolah yang mereka gunakan, jelas pilihan mereka lebih murah dari pilihan murid Melayu!! Satu lagi perkara, berbanding dengan murid-murid Melayu, Cikgu jarang kali melihat murid-murid Cina merambu di tepi jalan selepas sekolah."
I saw a sea of mixed reactions: sheepish, resentful and approving. AsH always seems to have this effect on people!!
In the midst of such an environment at work, I had to ask my Abah what's wrong with these Malays and Muslims? Haven't they absorbed anything positive from their culture and their ugama? He said, "There is nothing negative about our culture and ugama. It all depends on the interpretation - on what we choose to select. It's human nature to choose the easiest path and that choice is often based on irresponsibility. Your choices can lead to good or bad and we are capable of both. But remember in all your doings and thoughts you are only accountable to the One, to God. There is no go-between, there is no excommunication in Islam - there's only you and God."
That advice abides with me from then till today and it has put me in good stead, guiding me through all my ups and downs
As Malays and Muslims - though today the latter takes precedence - we are made aware of the various taboos, of the 'halal' and 'haram', of the 'dosa' and 'pahala', from an early age. These dichotomies seemed rational enough for us when we were growing up. But today, I see my world being circumscribed and digitized by so many sets and sub-sets and binary applications of these rules that I might as well be living in a fishbowl instead of God's glorious and multi-faceted world.
As a consequence of these 'revelations' and rulings I begin to wonder if some aspects of my life would be deemed today as 'unacceptable' - according to the interpretations of our clerics.
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I have entered a Church, not once, but several times. I have attended a Christmas Mass at Durham Cathedral with the spouse's Aunt Peggy in 1987.
When I was just 15, Mrs Darke. my Guide Captain came to our kampung house to ask my father's permission for me to attend a Thinking Day Service at St Andrew's Cathedral in Singapore. Of course my father gave the green light - he did not have to sit me down to caution me about what I should or should not do while I was in the Cathedral. He had faith in me and in the strength of my faith. And Mrs Darke had no ulterior evangelistic motive!
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When our dear neighbour Eva passed away in 2003, Iain and I, and our neighbours Celia and Philip accompanied her in the funeral limousine as we were the only 'family' she had. For nearly twenty years, Eva was like a mother to me - wise, sweet, and understanding. Iain wrote the obituary for the Vicar to read during the funeral service in Church. We chose a song she often played on her piano - we could hear her doing so because we were at No 10 and Eva was just next door at No 11. And when "The Ash Grove" was played by the Church Organ my heart got stuck in my throat and the tears could not be held back.
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Peggy, the spouse's Aunt, was a regular churchgoer at St Anne's, Bishop Auckland. She respected and loved animals enormously. Once, she got fed up with the wife of the Bishop of Durham for shooting the magpies in the grounds of Bishop Auckland Castle. So, very early one morning, she retrieved one of the magpies that had been shot by the lady of the house - and pinned it on the front door of the Bishop's Castle!
Peggy, like the other Wicks sisters, had an indomitable spirit, creative and a strong sense of civic-mindedness and fair play. At the height of the Salman Rushdie affair, she expressed to me that no one has the right to insult another religion in the name of freedom of speech. Peggy did not have an easy life, she had no opportunity to travel far away from home but she was always fascinated about different worlds and different cultures. So whenever we visited her, about 4-5 times a year, I made sure I cooked a Malay dinner, while Peggy cooked an English dessert, I also made sure I left her a bottle-full of fried ikan bilis beforewe went home to Leicester She could never get enough of it! When she passed away in 2005, the Vicar had chosen her favourite hymn, "All things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all". And I joined in that hymn to celebrate the life and times of a loving and lovely lady.
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When I settled down in Leicester around 1985, Dorothy and Frank Moule became our dearest friends. Frank was a painter-decorator who left school at 14 and who, through sheer hard work and determination, went to University as a mature student when he was in his mid-40s, determined to be a teacher. In his first year, Iain was his lecturer/tutor and Frank - who was ten years older than Iain - was his favourite student. During my first winter in Leicester, Frank and Dot bought me an electric blanket so that 'the little tropical flower' would not suffer too much in the cold. Frank went on to take his Masters, and even wrote an autobiography about his life as a painter and decorator, a union man, and a university student: I gave him his title - "Sitting on a Paint Tin".
We attended the service for Frank's funeral at the Unitarian Church in 2002. It was a non-denominational Church and Iain wrote and read his celebration of the life of a good friend, an honourable man and a noble soul. I asked Iain to add this, from and of Hamlet at the end of his reading; "Good-night sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
I sobbed my heart out for Frank and Dot and his three kids. To the right of me, sitting by herself in the pew was another lady distraught with sorrow - it was Frank's estranged, older sister.
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So there we are. That's my admittance of the number of times I have attended Church. It has not tainted my faith or diluted my commitment to Islam. As for uttering Merry Christmas and enjoying Christmas trees, I have done that enough times, I think, to ensure me a place in hell - according to the instructions of Malaysia's clerics.
But I held firm to my Abah's words - " in whatever you do, you are accountable only to God".
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Here is Frank's choice of the song (his personal hymn) to be played at his funeral service.
What profits now to understand The merits of a spotless shirt - A dapper boot - a little hand - If half the little soul is dirt? (Tennyson 1809 - 1892)
Mrs G.P. Darke was my Girl Guide Captain when I was in Crescent Girls' School. She came to visit me and the family at our kampung house - partly to ask my father's permission for me to attend a Thinking Day service, in honour of Lord Baden-Powell's birthday on the 22nd of February at St Andrew's Cathedral.
She brought us this 'buah tangan' (literally, fruit of the hand) of a tin of Cadburys Milk Tray Chocolates!!
Can you imagine my joy! A whole tin of chocolates! In those days (1958/1959?), we couldn't begin to imagine the luxury of touching a piece of Cadburys chocolate, much less consuming even a tiny morsel. Kacang putih and kacang rebus (types of roasted and boiled peas/nuts) wrapped in newspaper cones- yes! But chocolates? Never ever. It was so special for me that I kept this tin all these years to store my little treasures.
So we both attended the service at St. Andrew's Cathedral. I was nervous to be in this huge and formidable structure but Mrs Darke was good company and she made sure I followed the routine.
I was so grateful to my broadminded Abah for allowing me (and Mrs Darke) to undertake what could be regarded in those days, and now, as a chancey thing to do. Then and today, such trusts can be misplaced and abused. There's always the old English proverb of 'beware the Greek bearing gifts' and our own equivalent of the 'udang di sebalik batu'. It is sad that one has to be suspicious of kindnesses and gifts pressed upon one but in our part of the world and even here in England for a foreigner like me, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Attempts to evangelize young and especially educated Muslims have been around since my school days and maybe even further back since the imperialism of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Today however, the process has become more corporatised, more perfidious and persuasive.
Although my Sixth Form History teacher Miss Then attempted to seduce me into her faith with her books and her smiles - it cut no ice with me. Thank goodness I was an unrepentant teenage hedonist then!
But any teenager at that time of life would have a lot of questions to ask of the present and the future, of having and concealing so many fears and uncertainties as to what life is all about. I wrote a letter to Mrs. Darke about some of my questions. It's no disparagement to my wonderful parents, but sometimes it is easier to talk with non-family members. Mrs. Darke replied and she was very down-to-earth, understanding and non-judgemental. As to my query about religion she simply wrote (non-verbatim), "Go and read and learn more about your faith. A religion is more than just rituals. Give Islam a chance."
Years and years later, a student of mine posed a similar question to me about his Hindu faith. I gave him Mrs. Darke's advice. "Read, and give your religion a chance".
I am glad that I did not consult Miss Then about my queries. I would be like the fly entering the spider's web! I am also pleased that this student of mine decided to talk to this eccentric and strict teacher and not to his very sweet Primary School teacher who had invited him and his classmates to her house for drinks and cakes and an introduction to Jesus and the Good News. Mrs Darke is fourth from the left in the Front Row and chubby sapling AsH is third to her right - on the edge as usual.
All humans are dead except those who have knowledge .... and all those who have knowledge are asleep except those who do good deeds .... and those who do good deeds are deceived except those who are sincere .... and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry.
Imam Shafi, Muslim jurist (767 - 820 AD)
Appendix: To Jooli, I wished I had joined USM earlier - just for the chance to know you and torment you!!
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