The KL escapades

It’s sooo good to be in KL again! It is almost exactly a year since I was last here. Coming to KL is such a reality check for Singaporeans – this is real Asia. Malaysian tourism got it right first time round – Malaysia, Truly Asia. It hits you when you walk the sidewalks, skirt around loosely covered potholes with cardboard lids, puddles of water (err, water or urine? Err, we won’t go there!) in corners of buildings, crossing the road, stopping a bus/cab etc.


Clutching your friend’s arm when attempting to cross the road, and there are two ways to do this: 1) Asian style, walk as if it’s your grandfather’s road, without looking at the traffic (er u need to be brave and experienced to do this. Do not attempt this at home (I mean your home country) or 2) grabbing friend’s arm and tossing between do we or do we not cross now. This can be most frustrating when one person is trying to ape Option 1 and the other insists on Option 2.


One lil annoying development in SG to KL travels is along the way from SG-KL, the rise of the Malaysian market to cater to the Singaporean fancy! Yikes. I remember when I was in Secondary School, we would visit Malaysia and enjoy the fact that everything cost in RM and at M’sian standards. Now it’s in RM no less, but at Singaporean standards! Whyyyyy??Cos Singaporeans lay that demand forth – consciously or unconsciously. The rest-stop at Yong Peng is becoming SOOO Singaporeanised (and yes I’m aware Singaporeans own perhaps ¾ of the place), that today I noticed the entire crowd that was taking a pit stop there was non Malaysian. The locals don’t stop here anymore. See lah. Smart.


We had taken Gunung Raya (which although sounds Malay[sian], is probably SG owned as well). My previous trips have been on Malaysian coaches (by choice but it’s almost more leceh (troublesome) as u have to board them on the Johor side of the border. The Malaysian coaches stop at different pit stops than the SG ones… hmm. One wonders why. Not rocket science.We pay for the convenience and it makes market forces go up! Dang. I know for a fact there is a steady sizeable no. of Singaporeans who visit KL on a weekly basis. This has existed from time forgone. The links between the two belie their pre-generational bond. (Aside: I have written a play in 1998, which is set in the Yr 2000, predicting life of Singaporeans and Malaysians if a merger of occurred between the two. It’s a comical take on stereotypes of the two countries. As yet, unpublished. Any interest, email me and I’ll send you a copy!)


Besides the higher prices, the service seems to be going downhill, so different from the ‘asian way’ you get in Thailand, most of Malaysia (sans Johor Bahru!), Cambodia, Lao. I smiled at every service person I met and only got acknowledged glances from the coach drivers. The ladies behind the food service counters – forget it. But today in KL, in Nandos, and on the roadside Ayam Pangeng stalls, what a different world – Malaysians serve with a smile from the heart. Heartwarming.


We offered sweets to the lil kid behind us on the bus (Chinese Singaporean). U know what – as soon as my hand extended towards him, like any child he grabbed the sweets; but worse didn’t say thanks. I smiled at the childlike excitement and before I cld do the adult-policing thing, his grandma and mom both chucked lots of thank yous to me.. but I would have loved to have a thank you from the child (he was at least 6 yrs old!) Kids are the bane of a society. They tell us how well the parents are in their akhlaq (manner and conduct). I was in Australia camping for over a month and every child I met was taught good manners. Even in Pakistan, in the lift in shopping centres, children would be polite and speak to you with courtesy and respond! But Singapore, ha, you’re wishing for the world!


And we blame the education system. Com’on guys, not rocket science again.


Day 1 has been relaxing, taking in the city in small doses. My friend and I believe on a holiday one should do nothing. So we did that today - it was wonderful doing nothing. We got so much out of it :) More later.


20 Nov:
We have been having Rumi for company at our breakfasts and it's been wonderful! So heartwarming the poetry. Feel inspired by the writings and I cld so and should so use that urge to write snippets on observations etc. Will share some Rumi thoughts on Facebook perhaps :)

Future Environment in Peril

http://news.sg.msn.com/topstories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=873932#toolbar

Save the planet? It's now or never, warns landmark UN report

Humanity is changing Earth's climate so fast and devouring resources so voraciously that it is poised to bequeath a ravaged planet to future generations, the UN warned Thursday in its most comprehensive survey of the environment.

The fourth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-4), published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is compiled by 390 experts from observations, studies and data garnered over two decades.

The 570-page report -- which caps a year that saw climate change dominate the news -- says world leaders must propel the environment "to the core of decision-making" to tackle a daily worsening crisis

"The need couldn't be more urgent and the time couldn't be more opportune, with our enhanced understanding of the challenges we face, to act now to safeguard our own survival and that of future generations," GEO-4 said.

The UNEP report offers the broadest and most detailed tableau of environmental change since the Brundtland Report, "Our Common Future," was issued in 1987 and put the environment on the world political map.

"There have been enough wake-up calls since Brundtland. I sincerely hope GEO-4 is the final one," said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

"The systematic destruction of the Earth's natural and nature-based resources has reached a point where the economic viability of economies is being challenged -- and where the bill we hand on to our children may prove impossible to pay," he added.

Earth has experienced five mass extinctions in 450 million years, the latest of which occurred 65 million years ago, says GEO-4.

"A sixth major extinction is under way, this time caused by human behaviour," it says.

Over the past two decades, growing prosperity has tremendously strengthened the capacity to understand and confront the environmental challenges ahead.

Despite this, the global response has been "woefully inadequate," the report said.

The report listed environmental issues by continent and by sector, offering dizzying and often ominous statistics about the future.

Climate is changing faster than at any time in the past 500,000 years.

Global average temperatures rose by 0.74 degrees Celsius (1.33 Fahrenheit) over the past century and are forecast to rise by 1.8 to four C (3.24-7.2 F) by 2100, it said, citing estimates issued this year by the 2007 Nobel Peace co-laureates, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

With more than six billion humans, Earth's population is now so big that "the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available," the report warned, adding that the global population is expected to peak at between eight and 9.7 billion by 2050.

"In Africa, land degradation and even desertification are threats; per capita food production has declined by 12 percent since 1981," it said.

The GEO-4 report went on to enumerate other strains on the planet's resources and biodiversity.

Fish consumption has more than tripled over the past 40 years but catches have stagnated or declined for 20 years, it said.

"Of the major vertebrate groups that have been assessed comprehensively, over 30 percent of amphibians, 23 percent of mammals and 12 percent of birds are threatened," it added.

Stressing it was not seeking to present a "dark and gloomy scenario", UNEP took heart in the successes from efforts to combat ozone loss and chemical air pollution.

But it also stressed that failure to address persistent problems could undo years of hard grind.

And it noted: "Some of the progress achieved in reducing pollution in developed countries has been at the expense of the developing world, where industrial production and its impacts are now being exported."

GEO-4 -- the fourth in a series dating back to 1997 -- also looks at how the current trends may unfold and outlines four scenarios to the year 2050: "Markets First", "Policy First", "Security First", "Sustainability First".

After a year that saw the UN General Assembly devote unprecedented attention to climate change and the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the IPCC and former US vice president Al Gore for raising awareness on the same issue, the report's authors called for radical change.

"For some of the persistent problems, the damage may already be irreversible," they warned.

"The only way to address these harder problems requires moving the environment from the periphery to the core of decision-making: environment for development, not development to the detriment of environment."

A tribute to mom

It's mom's b'day today - 22 October. I called her and spoke at length - and she called back, a lil while later. Mother and daughter conversations never end. It's literally a love-hate r'ship we have. There are periods of absolute in-sync bliss and then a horrifying period of 'pls stay away from me' that I'll always wonder how come they even exist, when there is such understanding already established. I've learnt to leave it to human nature - anything is possible. No matter how one develops a relationship, whether it's with one's partner, lover, mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, friend, confidante - no matter how much you work at and weed the garden, a combination of factors can and will jog the dynamics to leave you quizzed.

But whatever it is, we do patch up fairly quickly. Or so i'd like to think. To me the period of not talking to mom seems like eternity - cos I can't imagine if smthg were to happen to either of us in that span of time, it would be a horrible way to face reality that we ended on that sore note. Yet I also know stepping back is often a way to let the other person breathe and be.

Today the conversation flowed easily - she was telling me the numerous things that were happening there on their side of the world. She was getting depressed from watching the news on TV, smthg Pakistan does little to censor. I keep thinking of the older generation that has lived through a couple of major wars (WW2 and the East Pak-West Pak war), how hardened they must be to see more mayhem and chaos in their land. how painful it must be to witness suicide bombings like a daily affair. Mom and dad have had their fair share of horrific stories.

I shared with mom that she shouldn't watch the news all the time - it's depressing. How dad keeps himself active, and hence I feel his spirit is lighter, whereas mom sometimes gets too caught up in the intensity of what's going on, and lets it affect her. being woman, i guess she lets it affect her way too much emotionally. Dad and bro + sis in law are more on the mainstream path in that they have a public life and a personal life. Mom's life meanwhile is restricted (as I see it) to keeping house and maintaining peace in the home (SIGH~ what an enormous task!)

One of my intentions to get her to come here was to be away from all that responsibility. Although she wasn't that happy by the middle of her stay here, i cld see she had adapted to the 'holiday' mode and was enjoying catching up with her friends here and relaxing. Mom enjoys reading a lot - she sometimes reads till 2 am or whatever time she falls asleep at. There was once she was reading at 3am when i quietly came home after a late night out. Aha, probably just waiting for me to return safely. Such is the silent expression of a mother's love.

I had sms'd dad early this morning a) to remind him to wish her (haha) and b) to make sure she doesn't have to worry abt dinner tonite. Dad replied that he had already wished her at midnight ;) not bad! Actually dad usu is good with mom's dates.. i have to be fair. ;) Wonder what they did for dinner. Have a weird feeling that cos I'm not there, to insist on order-in or dine-out, it prob may not have happened. Hmm, will sms bro to find out.

Among the things i was sharing with mom were the new developments I plan to embark on - smthg mom has always been supportive in and shared my excitement in. Smthg I have to add is rare - cos when I share these anecdotes with my friends, almost none of them have the same "sharing r'ship" with their mothers and they wonder why i bother telling mom so much. Hmm... 'bother' never entered my vocab, but i'd say, i do it out of a bond - a connection to my heritage. After all if we can't connect to our own flesh and blood, what does connect mean then anyway? Ok so it must be rare - cos i share with dad too - completely different things of course. And dad responds in such different ways than mom.

But the chapter on dad shall be reserved for the much awaited book (get your ass cracking on it fudgeo!)
M'while here's wishing you the best of the year, mommy dearest and I pray that you receive love, peace, tranquility, patience and support in your life, everyday. InshaAllah. I send my love to you and hope you will forgive me for the small silly lil things I say that have caused you unnecessary hurt.

Goodbye Ramadan, Hello Eid

Children respond to love. They see not race, age, appearance. It's a simple response - to the Love from within. To Acceptance. When the child's heart connects with ours, you know you have hit home! :) God bless lil children. My last two weeks of Ramadan allowed me to get into that fold of society we (Internet-accessible generation) normally hear about vaguely but not have much to do with. I saw these wonderful children in Lengkok Bahru, one of Singapore's poorest areas.

Every year i would make some calls to find out where to best part with my zakat. There was a year I remember I went to great trouble just to transfer money to a theatre-journalist in Ramallah, Palestine. Soon after I had transferred the money, the place was bombed... I always wondered if the zakat money ever reached her. It was for the lil children who didn't have enough as their families struggled with day to day necessities. (Update: a few months ago, a theatre group from Jordan came to Singapore and i went to watch the play. I went with my Palestinian friend Nadia. After the play, Nadia wanted to meet the cast - it had been a powerfully moving play so we spoke to the organisers and asked to meet the cast. After the usual 'suspect' mentality, [read:'what exactly do u want to do with our cast? kinda looks] we were allowed to meet them backstage. In the socialising, witnessed closely by local Singaporeans (i wondered why they hung around, so protectively) and the exchange of cards, I discovered the cast members knew the journo I had sent my zakat to, many yrs ago. The most relieving news was she was alive and well and still doing theatre for the many traumatised children of Ramallah, Palestine. I was so comforted and conveyed my salaams for her. I know somehow my zakat had reached her. The yr would have been 2001.]

This year I got a phone call telling me there was a family of 10 surviving in a tent by East Coast beach! Ouch. Unable to pay their bills for over 3 months, they were evicted. Dad earns $400 a month and mom is having a worrying anxious spell of sickness. Sigh. Out of 10 kids, 2 are passed to mom's sister, so now 8 kids and their parents are in the tent. So some zakat went to this family.

Another case was a single mother with 2 small kids who had been living out of her niece's home (niece was married and had a spare room) for almost a year while her divorced husband refused to pay maintenance or move out of the flat she had paid for. So a year later, she manages to get her own place, a small one bedroom appt. I went to visit and pass some zakat. Walking into this mature estate was very telling. The people hanging around the shops below stared at me even before I approached the set of flats. They cld tell I was not from there. All these blocks are one room flats. I often wondered if it was a good idea to park all the one room flats together... After all, one person's dirty linen would soon become public laundry... hmm.

So my eyes were opened to the throes of Lengkok Bahru. I had gone past it before but never thru it. Now I know. and so many people live in these one room appts. Families, mind you not successful singles.

The passing of Ramadan was an emotional time ~ like the moments before maghrib when the last light of Ramadan leaves - ouch, i felt so heavy, and just 5 minutes past 7pm (just after maghrib) i broke down and cried uncontrollably. Couldn't figure it out. Cried and cried... so sad, so heavy, like I hadn't done enough - the month had come and gone.

There was no mood to celebrate. Well Allah connects to all his creations in mysterious ways. The takbir had started, in all the mosques, then the thought, that all over the world, at maghrib that day, the same takbir would be recited in throngs, in groups, wow the gell of the brotherhood.

The explosion of emotion continued... i cldn't do much else, except cry and feel connected to Allah - an hour later, I managed to find inner calm. Spoke to a few friends... and it was comforting. I had intentioned to go to the makham of Habib Noh the next day for Eid prayers. And I was glad I did - went with 2 other friends. It was a moving service. Choked with emotion, the imam and then respectively the congregation responded to the soulful call of remembrance of Allah, the oneness, our deeds, conscious living, and reciprocity of our actions.

During the Eid sermon, something the imam said made me silently intend to visit the elderly home where the Muslim ederly folk wd be marking eid as well. So after the Eid prayers, a friend and I headed to Jamiyah Elderly Home in West Coast. What was to await us there was beyond expectation. My friend decided to donate her zakat there while I had bought some food stuff to be distributed. But arriving there, we had taken so long that it was just past midday and it was lunch time. The two nurses on every floor were taking turns feeding the residents. The natural thing was to offer to help. And we did. I ended up feeding lunch (it was bubor) to a 87yr old lady. It was so humbling, I had to hold my emotions back, as I wiped extra food bits that wd stick around her lips. Like feeding a baby, only thing was this lady would keep asking "saya nak kopi. Saya nak biskut". They had fresh watermelon juice and she drank all of it. We couldn't communicate much except I cld see she was hungry. She needed to be moved in her sitting position and held. every now and then she looked into my eyes. It was very touching. Obviously she was not allowed kopi+biskut. her bed tag said Diabetic. I wondered how not even on Eid or any other day, wd they be given what they desired.

Upon retrospection, there are things u let go off and move on, and there are things you love, hold and value. And u still move on. Then there's purification within. U cleanse and live, cleanse and live. Everyday a renewal process. Life within is your only reminder that change is continual and that time is temporary - all else will fade as well. That this whole existence is meant to just last an appointed time. Ira said smthg recently, that stuck: that all that is created will be destroyed. How very true. The fact that it was created means it will see an end. So do we then not believe in eternity? is that just a concept? For this life, I'll take it as temporary and has an end.

But here's food for thought: As long as we can think it, imagine it, visualise it, then it's possible and will/can happen. So if we can imagine eternity, then it can happen. However since we have seen how everything comes to an end (life & death), nothing is for permanent then eternity is not for this life...

Hmm, your thoughts and comments are most welcomed :)

Nisf'u Shaban

At 5.49am, I listened to the Azan. I had just had the pre-dawn meal - for the sunnah (optional) fast. Every cell in my body responding to every syllable in the azan. Wonderful. This was a consciousness my mind, body and soul liked. All 3 focused on One.

What a wondrous morning it is. Past 6am, the morning birds are beginning to make themselves heard. I often wonder at the way birds wake up. Surely they must have some quiet down time (like being awake and not yet making noise) ;) Lying in their nests, acquainting to the slow but sure dawning of the morn'. The skies turning from black to grey, then to blue in a matter of seconds. And then one bird, just one bird, decides to be the First one to break that silence. And slowly another and another ... and another follows.

Nisf Shaban is possibly the most significant day for me, every year. It's a day when we can focus and pray on what is planned for us in the forthcoming year. We can ask for unfavourable things to be changed. Remarkable. If the concept of pre-destination is true, then how can anything be changed? This was a question i had asked when i was 17. And found out the answer then, that, those possessing Faith, know that God/the Power of the universe is fair and that when giving choice, also gives us the ability to ask and seek. When the heart seeks; the body, mind and soul work as One. But then there is a fine line between merely seeking and sincerely seeking. I've learnt to see the difference between the two in the recent years. Very fine line. Sincerely seeking, implies wanting action/change/ movement in one's thinking/life. Most of us are just merely seeking - we don't necessarily act on what we learn. We don't make change in our lives, in our systems. We no doubt share with the people around us, what we are seeking. And this tells everyone where we are at. But at a personal level, to make that change, is quite an effort in itself.

Like deciding to become vegetarian. A vegetarian person makes an effort.
Or deciding to give up something - an addiction - (drugs, prostitution, alcohol, smoking weed/drags).

I was also thinking abt the ever increasing number of atheists in Australia - don't know why i thought of it quite suddenly but it was a stark realisation. I remembered how most of my interactions with people in Oz were with agnostics or atheists and how our conversations often centred on Mercy/Grace - where it comes from, how we survive or are saved in the nick of time. I remember one particular abseil we did in Uni days. It was in Australia - a 5 day trek over 7 peaks. They were called the Stirling Ranges. Parts of it treacherous, cos it was so windy and for southeast Asians, not used to the harsh bitter dry wind, we were tested right thru the journey. There were moments when we traversed on mountain edges, our hearts in our mouths, looking down steep caverns, gorges, bends - 200m, 70-80 degrees above sea level. Phoa. I nearly lost my footing once.. or twice or three times... each time, Grace or Mercy catching me, in the nick of time.

How this happens to all of us...our fates change, in that second. Why?
Nisf Shaban marks that ability of fate to change.
Y'day's fast felt wonderful. It was full - wholesome. I woke up this morning half hour before I was supposed to get up, cos I think my soul knew it wanted to get up and not miss the alarm. Funny how that happens. U just know and u just do.

Y'day incidentally was also the lunar eclipse. Cos it rained so hard all day, it was overcast in Singapore and I watched the whole spectacle online (Thanks to Discovery channel!). Here's alink if you're interested: http://www.spaceweather.com/eclipses/gallery_28aug07.htm
It was awesome - nice red moon, as observed from Southern Cross Observatory, Queensland, Australia.

I'm now looking fwd to Ramadan - abt 2 weeks from now and to more fasting :)

If you've written on the lunar eclipse, pls let me know. I'd love to read of your observations :)

About life passing - by J Green

This poem was shared with me by a dear friend Anthony Green on the passing of his beloved parent. It captures life and living and bonds so well, that I had to share it. 

About life passing

We live
as drops of water
dancing
in a broad river
delighted, 
careless, 
sure of the life
and the movement
and the surging
and the presence
of it all

Absorbed
absorbed
we one day come to feel
our fathers
and our mothers
older than we knew them
feel hints of loss to come
and death, 
and silently taste the passing
of friends we knew
and names we spoke
stand outside houses we could once enter
and look up to see
ourselves
closer to endings
than beginnings

And now we watch our lives
borne onwards
and begin to feel, too, those hints
of so much that has passed
and so little
and taste emptiness
and sense a failure to have built
some small part of all that might be
or might have been
before that river that we were
floods out
as it has always,
into the great sea beyond.

~ Anthony Green, 2007

Lessons on Life

I got this in an email and yes I've received this many times but such a useful lesson to be reminded of every now and then.
:) Enjoy

Lessons on Life

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen . The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches
and better times are sure to come some time or later.
Pic: Lake Saiful Maluk, Northern Areas, Pakistan (Hindu Kush Range)

kabr'estans

I'm so glad that my practise of visiting kabrestans is such a dedicated practise despite all these years of living away from Pakistan.

A visit to the khandan's kabrestan is such an important and timely reminder - about life, death, family, unity, relations, spirituality, mortality, Divine essence, returning back to source...etc.

We live our lives and then we become a mark on a graveyard stone. We are remembered by the kind blessings and prayers of people who visit kabrestans, their duas and flowers left by our graves. The birds chirp by our graves and sometimes strong sturdy trees grow from our middle. Some flower and some just provide shade.

I loved visiting the Sakhi Hassan kabrestan in Karachi because that is where a lot of my close family is buried, including mom's sheikh, John Gilbert Leonord (Hazrat Shaheedullah Fareedi) who leaves behind a rich lineage of murids visiting his shrine dutifully. There's a huge misunderstanding amongst many people that visiting or respecting these sufi practitioners/saints is not Islamic.

Surely, it is one's intent that matters most and lies at the root of all belief. There is no shirk if as humans we place God ABOVE all else and not collude our beliefs mixing up on where our piety and prayer lie.

Khair, to each his/her own. I have deep and uttermost respect for the silsila that mom has been in and I don't see any bida'a (innovation) in the practise of respecting others who have propagated the Love for Allah through their life's course.

May Hazrat saheb's soul and that of my family's passed members rest in peace and may Allah provide ease for all passed souls. Ameen.

A lesson in Patience & some v sweet mangoes

well, it would have been the epitome of my experiences here so far - but the ordeal we went thru y'day (Sunday) tested us at our very core.

Firstly, it was an unusually hot day (hotest was on Friday at 44 deg C) Gosh. On Sat, day time, I saw the temp guage and it was 41 deg. No wind. Then it got so hot that it finally rained down on the land - phew! Hot heavy raindrops and i bared them on my neck, back and head - such a wonderful respite in this sweaty balmy heat. It rained so hard. The winds went crazy, a sandstorm developed. It wasn't fun anymore. Sand gtg in your eyes and you're wondering hang on, you're supposed to be rain, not sand... what the... but no time to react. Just get in. The winds knocked down some old coconut branches that had been dangling by nature's grace. The rain pelted down hard against the purple and white pansies bush making them kneel forward onto the 3 ft walkway that leads to our verandah door.

Then they stopped and the humidity returned. All this with no electricity. We lost electricity at abt 4.30pm and we didn't have power till 5.30am the next morning! Man, a test of patience, utterance, moodiness, tolerance with one's surrounds, family members u name it. We had dinner by faint candle light cos it just so happened that we had run out of candles and were left with tea lights and a couple of lovely scented candles i had brought for the family from DC. We rationed on the UPS which only runs for 4 hours after a blackout and provides energy for two fans and some essential lights.

It was an uncomfortable night but I truly now understand what people go through when they dont have electricity - and theirs is a day to day affair. Mom and i slept right by the flywire and i kept the door wide open and the slight sways of gentle breeze lifted a sound from us every now and then. Relief. Yet the majority of the night turned to absolute humidity, heat from the ground emanating - the earth had had enough too, probably - and the already thin clothes sticking to our bodies. We woke up a few times and each time were in disbelief that only a little time had passed, from the previous time we awoke. Once we awoke at 2.45am and both of us thougt it would be at least 4 or 4.30am. We moved to the inner rooms (me back to my room and mom back to hers where dad was) and managed to find some respite in the slight breeze. At fajr time, I prayed and felt the discomfort on my body and an inner voice prayed for this unease to be lifted away from us. I was soo down, what had been bothering me was how refugees survived in survival camps, not just for days but for years!~Gosh what an ordeal. And how pple evicted from their homes felt - once where they had the comfort of their own homes to be subjected to a mass ball of abusive power and moved out to some unknown place, children away fromtheir safe regularity of life, women away from their simpole abodes where they made life livable for their families and men outraged at being forcibly pushed out of their self-made homes. That bothered me. How they must have to bear the heat, the non-electricity cos of some stupid war, making some country look 'powerful' (ha).

It was with this thought that, that simple prayer was made - that this be lifted from us and then for all those suferring this daily. I do not exaggerate, but within 5 minutes, i heard a sound. The fan in the neighbour's house started moving. I trained my ears and realised what it was. And the first thought, ahh, the elec power is back! Alhamdulillah. Then very slowly things in our house started showing signs of electrical power. You cannot imagine my relief, but slowly I went room by room, made it to the kitchen [the fridge had suffered the most - you can imagine, melted ice creams, thawed meats, stews, thawed mint chutney, soft naan bread, etc]. The fridge has a signal when it's turned on, so I turned that sound off. Dad was going through his duas and the fans we had left on in the different places were going. It had been a full 13 hours. But my prayer was heard ;)

Next morning in the newspapers and TV news, it was reported that over 40 pple were killed by lightning of the previous day - what I had thought was sweet joy of the land being cooled and in the process us too, had killed people. Others were struck by billboards. It had been worse than we could imagine. Roads were glugged by rainwater mixed with some bad sewage which had overflowed. Eeeu. Another realisation that you were in 'third world' Asia. It's a 'third world' in that it's different - neither first world nor developing (second). It's Third alright man. But look at Malaysia, it pulled itself out of third world status in just 30 years. It managed cos it wanted to.

It's now 2 days later: Tuesday 26 June. It's been raining loads. My room is the breeziest. Right now I dont need the fan on, cos it's soo cool from the after-rain mood. The rooster next door is singing again. Hmm, the cats have all disappeared. Poor babies, wonder where they have sought shelter, esp the pregnant one who was comfy and safe in our side porch.

I'm off to Islamabad tomorrow, 27th. Then on to Mansehra, where i'll volunteer for a couple of weeks. Then squeeze in some trekking in the famed kaghan valley and inshaAllah make it further to Skardu (pronounced Skarrr-doo, not 'scar-doo') if possible.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL168823.htm (We made it to Reuters Net!)

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The flipside of all this madness has been the indulgence in mangoes - all kinds! And I've even learnt the names of these :) Sindhri, Serelli, Chausa, Anwar Ratol (my favourite), Dasseri, Langhra... Every day is a mango affair :) Yum. And they don't cost me a dollar fifty each! hooray. More like a dollar for a kilo! Yes eat your heart out peoples :) hehehe

The Crescent Moon & Venus

A rare phenomenon occurred on Monday night soon after Maghrib (sunset). I happened to be sitting in the verandah (which has a fly-wire sheeting to allow breeze to come in and yet is sheltered from the top) as it was humid inside the house. And happened to glance up into the sky through the slightly swaying coconut leaves – voila what a splendid sight withheld my gaze. Venus was bright and standing strong so close to the 3^rd day moon. A gentle crescent carving a cradle beautifully for Venus. It was so bright I was enthralled for a while – then motioned my brother to come see it. Bro went into garden to get a clearer look. Now usually dad is the star-man in the house and dad had gone for 40 winks after maghrib prayers and was in the other end of the house, where even my bugging calls, wouldn’t reach him.

Later that night, on the news, it was reported that this rare phenomenon stayed in that position for abt 3 hrs! Wow. Thereafter the positions reversed and Venus was sitting below the crescent arc. In Arabic the alphabet n’oon is formed when a quart of an arc is below a dot [ﻥ ] and the alphabet ba or ‘bay’ in Urdu is formed when the dot is below the arc [ﺏ]. So the next day everyone is going around asking ‘Did you see the ‘bay’ last night? Stunning wasn’t it?’ which took me a while to realise they were referring to the crescent moon sighting. And questions like “I saw the noon, did you see the bay?” Haha.

Healing Cats

It's amazing how healing it is to watch a cat sleep. Make that a pregnant cat and make it a breezy afternoon.
Watching a cat sleep takes away some of the worry from the ebb of one's life...
Three nights in a row, the cat visits and company have become healing in so many ways. The pregnant cat is growing healthily, I’m happy to report. She esp loves it when I cup her preggie tummy in both hands and just hold her like that. Sweet thing. ;) and then when my hands move, she moves her body so that my hands will land on her lower back and thighs – gosh like a pregnant woman, she must want constant massage, attention – maybe it’s a tad heavy to carry that weight. Food wise whatever I give her is never enough. So now the family is instructed to feed her whenever I’m not around. I’m right now at aunt’s place again – for easier internet usage.

Then last night, wow – pure white mother cat with her gorgeously cute pure white baby cat decided to drop by the area where pregnant Sandy likes to sprawl herself in. White cats were HUNGRY. Woh. So hungry that they splattered the milk so bad they were soon licking it off the ground. Goodness. But later the lil kitty became so friendly with me, she was cuddling up in my lap trying to find grooves. Aww man it was so cute to watch and play with. Gorgeous lil thing. I must say all these cats have been lil acts of graces for me, whenever I’ve felt distanced from my regularity of life, alone from not being understood, or misunderstood in the contrary and inadvertently caused snags. Their unconditional giving of themselves is remarkable – sure they lap up our attention, our loving, but they give of themselves so that we may receive. God bless cats ;)

'Lemon Tree very pretty...'

When I was just a lad of ten, my father said to me,
Come here and learn a lesson from the lovely lemon tree.
Don’t put your faith in love, my boy, my father said to me,
I fear you’ll find that love is like the lovely lemon tree.

Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.
Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.

One day beneath the lemon tree, my love and I did lie
A girl so sweet that when she smiled the stars rose in the sky.
We passed that summer lost in love beneath the lemon tree
The music of her laughter hid my father’s words from me:

Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of poor lemon is impossible to eat.
Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of poor lemon is impossible to eat.

One day she left without a word. She took away the sun.
And in the dark she left behind, I knew what she had done.
She’d left me for another, its a common tale but true.
A sadder man but wiser now I sing these words to you:

Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of poor lemon is impossible to eat.
Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of poor lemon is impossible to eat.

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These are the lyrics of a song I learnt in Girl Guides many moons ago. I find it very touching. I’m sitting here in the verandah looking at our lemon tree and slightly glowing at the number of lemons peeking out from all the branches. I touched them today and they need to grow a lil more, before being used. We have been plucking somefor lemon juice drink every few days... and gosh on hot summery days like these, the lemon tree is most welcomed!

Pic Credit: Gourmet Stock Images

Watching Heroes

Wow I've just caught up to Episode 16 of Heroes... i'm probably 7 or 8 episodes behind.
Amazing storylines that weave in and out with the past episodes...

Still trying to get over how Claire is Nathan's daughter and Peter Petrelli the man who saved her is her uncle! Does Claire know Matt Parkman? hmmm... gosh my brain's overworked on possible scenarios... and then Sylar - Eeeuuu. Hate the guy.

The DNA thing is getting a bit far fetched... but heck for the sake of a story I'll watch it. Hiro is on his own now... hmmm and hey they showed Bozeman, Montanna! Greg Mortenson's hometown! Unreal...

looked picturesque with all that snow. :) I was so excited to read that Suresh and Sylar drove up there.

Man am I hooked on heroes or what! I wish everyone would watch it so we could all talk abt it. But they are not showing it here on Star World... different programming.

On another note, have been indulging heavily on yummy sweet mangoes... every day is mango day. Even had a mango falooda the other day! Awesome.

If there are any other people who watch heroes as regularly as me, and as excitedly as me, pls leave me comments :) Would gladly share your excitement :) hahaha

Ok more comments.... just watching Episode 19 and I got questions...

What was that whole thing between jessica/niki and Nathan? I didnt get the link, isn't jessica working for linderman... wil they pack together ...

hmmm claire being nathan's daughter!!! ... warrao. unreal twist in plot. And Sylar -- eeeuuu, I hate that character. been watching Peter's and Masi Oka's interviews on NBC clips. :) I love Peter! Aww, now find me the man ;)

Green Lungs

Forgotten & left to the chance birds?

It was by chance that I received an sms on Wed announcing a ST article which claimed that Khatib Bongsu was going to be taken over by the military.

I remember the days when we fought to keep 'them' from wallowing up the precious bird nesting grounds - we went and got 25,000 signatures to save Senoko, and that was just 10 years ago - all credit perhaps to Dr Ho Hua Chew (& his band of Nature lovers) who fortituously stuck by the importance of preserving the area as an essential migratory birds spot. Later, research revealed more birds used Khatib Bongsu as a rest point than the (by then) declared Bird Sanctuary of Sungei Buloh Nature Park. Such perserverance lies in the powers that be... History and rundown on Khatib Bongsu background can be found at http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20051112/051111-3.htm

Anyway, so I made an impromptu decision to head out to Khatib Bongsu on Thur morning, right after Subuh, armed with two slices of bread, my cap, small water bottle and the reliable digi cam :) It was with another friend who works from home so we were both gainfully unemployed that morning ;) But ahh, what delights awaited our curious eyes, minds and hearts.

Just off Yishun Ave 6, right opposite from North View Pri School, is a obvious path leading into the forest/woods. There is a small roadside offering 'shelter-hut', unmanned the last I saw at the start of the path. It also has an obvious red & white road barrier (twisted at points - looks damn old) raised at the entrance to the path.
These signs will tell you you're on the right track.
This is the view of Yishun Ave 6 and the blocks next to the pri school once you enter the path. (see right pic)

Be prepared for a nice long trek in - it's not exactly your 20 min morning walk. Firstly to get there, from the nearest bus stop is a walk of abt half an hour. Then another 45 min in to the actual mangrove (but rest assured, you're in when you can't hear any urban sounds) ;) The sounds and scents of the forest truly do make the spirit smile. Uplifting indeed in mad-urban Singapore. So go, go!

If you drive, you could drive in thru the raised barrier to at least halfway point. This is by the two storey house that looked well kept and used. Dog was friendly :) I smiled at him and got a 'Hey, cool dudette!' wag back ;)

Along the way we saw these wonderful creations:

Pagoda Flower

'Epiphany' :)

It's interesting to equip ourselves with a bit of local nature before venturing on these beautiful green lungs we and the birds are blessed with. A good section on mangroves in Singapore is in the Chek Jawa Guide (avail from Nature's Niche)

Some of the mangrove trees at Khatib Bongsu look like ballerinas balancing on the water :) Bakau is the local name for these and otherwise they are officially known as Rhizophora ronata.
These act as natural buffers and protectors in times of floods and tsunamis.

You'd pass this two storey house on your left about 30 min into your walk.

Left:This pathway actually leads to a wooden bridge over the mangrove and within 10 min you're back on Yishun Ave 6 in between 2 major construction sites.
Right: The mangrove surrounds the front of the house. What a view to wake up to :)




(Left): A disused keong style dead end at the mangrove.
There were shaded kelong stops to sit, quietly and read or reflect.
(Right): Other Singaporeans had the same idea as us

By means of trees, wildlife could be conserved,
pollution decreased and the beauty of our landscapes enhanced.
This is the way, or at least one of the ways, to spiritual,
moral, and cultural regeneration. ~ E.F. Schumacher

here's wishing the military treat our dearest khatib bongsu with respect as all humankind should ;)