A THING OF BEAUTY

I found it in the most likely place, at an old abandon home on the island of Langkawi deep in the woods and away from the nearest kampong. Pak Wan a friend and a man of many skills and experience once lived here. That day he took us back to the old home, though reluctantly at first as he did not want to relish the memory of quiting the homes after so much sweat and toil. He wanted only to show us some of the works he had put in to make the place a deserving 'Shangrila'. It was indeed one and if we should get a good piece of land on the island we would certainly ask him to help us shape the piece to a similar if not better landscape or landmark.

Now what did I discover? It was an old charcoal iron piece, heavy and certainly in good service if we need to use it for the function it is meant for. Heavy with hot charcoal burning inside it, the user would definitely get good works done with the cloth pressed to satisfaction. Still it asks for patience and coolness, Because time is an essence and temperature and heat a challenging factor. It's surely a far cry from the electric iron and the iron board you are familiar with while being caressed by airconditioning or the electric fan blowing cool breeze away while you work away.

Still it can be a labor of love: appreciating and loving the grand old time our mothers endured before electricity found its way to Kedah or the peninsular. Like other old items the iron piece has become a collector's treasure piece.