GARNERING FOR THE KAMPONG ESPRIT DE CORPS

A view of the padi-field and landscape that constitutes Mukim Titi Gajah. The red roof buildings you see at the top right hand corner is the Alor Star Airport and the white patch atop the hill in the background is one of the water reservoir that supplies water to the city 15 kilometers south. With that as a foreground you will be assured that there will be farmers who tilt the land and professionals and technicians who see to flight arrival and departure. Not to mention in other fields.

HOW many of us take pain to know about our home and specifically the very zone or village where we are in? For all purposes we have lived in the area for over decades yet we failed to recognize its origin and much more identify the personalities within. No doubt you may recognize Pak Ma'e ( Ismail), Pak Mud ( Mahmud), Pak Ya ( Yahya or Zakaria), Tok Imam, Tok Penghulu, Mak Cik Mah ( Amah), Mak Yam ( Mariam), Uncle Lee, Madam Ramasamy whom you meet most days. You meet many more at functions such as 'khenduri', Friday Prayer sessions or at the market place. You exchange niceties, sweet words and greetings, even the graceful 'salam' and intimate embrace. It seems to stop at that only.

The picture showing part of the new Federal Government complex at Bandar DiRaja Anak Bukit. Going down the fly-over you come into the greenery seen in the background i.e Mukim Titi Gajah. On both sides of the new road once stood the huge government rice mill and storage built adjacent to the Padang Besar - Prai Railway line.

The community comes together during the annual AidilAdha in conjunction with 'korban'. Here in the compound of Tun Dr Mahathir they helped to distribute portions of meat. The spirit of gotong royong is still steadfast here

Right now I live at Titi Gajah, a riverine zone along the 'Sungai Kedah' river and astride the Kepala Batas - Alor Star main road. Two thirds of a century ago, most residents here would utilize the river as their main source of activities: communication, irrigation and personal usage. Now of course all the comforts of life are there. To top it all, the terminal of Sultan Abdul Halim Airport is in all account a walking distance away: by measurement of the good old days. Now of course, the nearest place between two points would require a motorized movement. Walking would be the last straw. The ten kilometer distance to the city of Alor Star takes us no more than 10 minutes along the two lane road.

Sometimes we received visitors at Titi Gajah. Recently a group came over from Singapore on an organized Expedition - Singapore - Malaysia - Thailand. For what we see so naturally day in and day out surprisingly our visitors found the scenery exciting and interesting.

More comforts and facilities come each passing day. The new 'Putrajaya' of the north has also open its doors to the community. Federal government offices have come very close to home being at Bandar DiRaja Anak Bukit. Soon enough even a railway station will be built here. Then only people would realize that it has come to replace the one that went out of commission before Merdeka 1957.

Friends from across the Causeway found themselves at the back of the house with the greens to lure them to a resort setting. Bamboo trees fringing the riverside seems to add a tint of luxury to what is only a kampong enclave.

'Gajah' as a word gets repeated and defined in many instances. You would of course recognized Alor Gajah', 'Batu Gajah' and 'Gajah Mada'. The former two being names of towns in Malaysia and the last being an Indonesian soldier and statesman of the Mataram Period (1290-1364) whose name bears a university in Indonesia.

Once in a while incidents do happen. We had floods in 1988, 2005 and quite recently this excursion bus came to a halt right into one of the homes along the main road. No injury to anyone but half of the wall of this house was pushed aside.

An old 'ketam' ( planner) which you may not easily find even how hard you try. No carpenter would use such a contraption now. Finding one, would mean you have come across a house-builder who once built wooden Malay homes with such skills that make them a living tradition. I expect there are those men in our kampong who spent their youthful years building such building which are still standing.


Considering the place where we live is called 'Titi Gajah' thus the close affinity with the name associated with that largest of the land animal. Aristotle once said that elephants are beast which passeth all others in wit and mind' Mind you a most popular 'sarong' in the market is traded as 'Gajah Duduk" too. Two exciting resorts in Bali catering for the higher market are known as "Chendi Tanah Gajah" and " Villa Gajah Putih". Rest assured others working and living in zones replicating the elephant are just as happy and assured by their progress and standing. Still there are much more to know about the place we live in. Skimpy anecdotes are short changed.

Quite recently, I began to get closer to the people around my home hoping to discover who they are before they settled here. With the tides of time washing away past episodes, many of the men were reluctant to bare their stories, many excusing as none to reveal, though I know each and everyone of them has a story to tell.

Pak Ya and friends visited the Shaw's Studio in Singapore and guess whom they met?

P Ramlee in younger time but already a star attraction

Pak Hj Yahya is a case in point. Presently I see him exercising and walking daily in the morning, present at prayer times in the mosque and finding him friendly to the point of sharing stories new and old whenever we meet. On occasions I took photographs of the senior group in the community, I never failed to give them a copy. Possibly such photo gifts, helped to open up conversations. 'Pak Ya' being his calling in the kampong invited me to see his photo album and of photographs collected in his younger days. Only then did I discover that Pak Ya had had a colorful life as well. He has worked in Singapore, served in the British Arm Forces and even posted to Hongkong. After leaving the army he became a forester acquiring skills and knowledge about forest products and related skills. Here is a man who can still give us an account of the British Arm Forces where many Malay youths had their first career experiences in the early fifty's,with Singapore and Hong Kong the two British Colonies their bases.

I believe many of his close door neighbors have no idea of his past and for a man coming close to his octogenarian years what's there to brag about! Seriously and sadly even his children failed to fathom the rich and colorful live their dad had experienced. Who failed in discerminating the story?

Photographs stuck to one another in an old album, hidden in the old closet have turned mouldy and brownish. Their small size and no bigger than the postcard added to the discomfort of viewing. Casually and reluctantly they were put aside by the owner himself claiming no significance.

Now with copying, editing, resizing and touch-ups they can be made enticing and newsworthy. For that matter Pak Ya lives again. The photographs that I acquired from him and appearing here brought back memories. We are brought back to times when our young men braved obstacles and languages, yet dared to serve and venture afield. He enlisted in the British Army and was posted to Singapore. Pak Ya and his colleagues had even a taste of soldiering and duty in Hong Kong with the British Royal Air Force , cruised on ocean liner of the time which many of us would give anything to have a taste of. Flights are too common while sea cruise is a luxury now. Yet to reveal his adventure and camaraderie as a forester in Jabatan Perhutanan Negara. While many of us continues to only admire the frolic and crooning of 'seniman negara' Tan Sri P.Ramlee from films and videos, Pak Ya had on all account visited the once popular Shaw's studio at Jalan Ampas in Singapore and met the singer himself.

Such is the anecdotes of one person hidden from view and sadly even from those closer to him. I would like to make a case for sons and daughters to clip back the pages of time, talk to your parents or grand-parents and discover their trails and tribulations. After all, theirs is your story too and yours will be that of your future generations. Life story writing should be our forte and especially for us enjoying blogging. Start now . Don't wait.

There are surely more of such personalities amidst us and sadly their stories left untold, leaving a vacuum of things and happenings that have taken place. Earlier writers and authors who documented account of happenings, cultures and scenes of the country and South East Asia as a whole remained esteemed for their contributions. Now if the 'Mat Salleh' explorers, civil servants and visitors can go down to the fields engrossed with stories to tell, then and now, why do we become otherwise? Bookworms we are, but writers and researchers not.

My adventures with the elders in the mukim continues; each person I choose to know will help to make this 'Gajah' entity a known factor. Far greater "Ayah Pembangunan Negara Malaysia" is a homo sepian who also hails from here too. Like others he came and settled here with his family. Many others like Pak Ya will come forth if we endeavour to seek and search. Never mind that they are not senior ranking officers or leaders but foremost they have unheard stories to be resolved.

What stops this mukim or any other being extraordinary if only we can sit down to know its identity and its people? How exciting and accommodating this program and enterprise they called 'homestay' can be if we have stories to highlight our kampong, mukim and township. It will help to bind the people together while giving pride so much needed when we talk of nationalism at its micro stage.

Do we want our future generation to sleep on without fathoming the significant contributions of their forefathers and the community where they were born or where they exist currently.? The mothers and grandmothers here would surely like to share their oral history. A small step forward is all that is needed. I know for sure my own grand children will get to know something of the past.

IN THE 'TEAK' OF THINGS

An excuse at the start is in order. For all purposes the metaphor should read: "In the thick of things" but the sheer indulgence over the upright tree trunks amidst the canopy walkway and the log cabin sidestepped me . It has been a style, even a technique to capture attention by playing with words and hoping to grab attentions. Juggling with words to that effect is punning and advertisers especially get their way successfully. Attention grabbers mind you are artists at work.

Still relishing from the teak forest of Mata Ayer Perlis, now we move south in link with another corporate entity namely LGM (Lembaga Getah Malaysia) and continue to be 'involved in the center of things' consulting wise. South is of course not at the tip of the peninsular but just southwards of the capital city of Kedah and in the district of Sik. Here LGM or the Malaysian Rubber Board with its headquarters on Jalan Ampang, right in front of the twin towers of Petronas, has chosen to build homes and other facilities for its staff. The huge size of its acreage at Begia near Jeniang, a stylish calling I would agree, once covered by rubber plantation is now fully replaced by oil-palm. The project on site is a tiny drop in the ocean but in lean time of adversity any in the pipeline is God-sent.

Here is a golden opportunity to be at close proximity with the oil palm industry and learn what's happening and plugged the loose gaps of knowledge. Come to think of it I would guess not many of us would score a high average if asked questions relating to the palm tree and its product that garnered one of Malaysia's high revenue. For many, it would only be the distance between the moving vehicles and the plantation by the side of the highway.

A scene that would make Bollywood dancers jumped with grace and delight prompted by tantalizing music. Shahruk Khan recently made a 'Dato' would be wise to capture the scene as it would also replicate the date palms of the Arabian peninsular. I ploughed into such abyss many years ago somewhere near Temerloh Pahang looking for wild fowls which reported aplenty. My .22 carbine rattled out its content but alas no chicken for the frying pan. Don't know whether this area keeps the same secret.

The terrain has been levelled making way for beginning works of housing for staff of LGM at this estate. They would eventually enjoy the pristine calmness and greenery surrounding their homes.

Discovering on the first day, tons of oil palm fruits just harvested being lowered into a chute for processing. Fruits of 'Elaeis guineensis' indigenous to West Africa were first brought to South East Asia and planted at Bogor Indonesia in 1848. Malaysia saw its association through a Frenchman Henri Fauconnier in 1911 when seedlings were planted at Rantau Panjang Estate in Selangor.

Bunches of the oil palm fruits waiting to be collected. Oil palm is a widely produced edible oil next to soya bean oil. Malaysia produced more than 50% of the world's supply. Thanks to the oil palm plantation, our countryside continues to have forested attributes. Not forgetting the rubber estates as well.


The contractor awarded the project has started building the site office and moved machinery to the project site. It will of course meant regular site visits and the often familiar battling for supervision, speed and quality,

A casual reference to the website gives " The Oil Palm Industry in Malaysia From Seeds to Frying Pan" by Teoh Cheng Hai re http://assets.panda.org/. An introductory reading into the industry if we care to start closing some of the vacuum spaces.

Lembaga Getah Malaysia ( Malaysian Rubber Board) has become the custodian of the rubber industry in Malaysia. Established 1/1/1998 it has three main agencies - RRIM,MRRDB,MRELB having a track record of over 78 years in the industry. LGM sits on Jalan Ampang, opposite the Petronas Twin Tower, establishing its earlier player in the industry even before Merdeka.

You are spot right to wonder what the heck is LGM doing with oil palm. LGM has properties and LGMPC i.e its properties corporations handles that aspect of things. What ever it is, I am thankful that the new exposure will be a gainful asset as surely we will gain more knowledge and experience just being in a new spot.

BULAN SAFAR 1430

'Mandi Safar'

Kini kita berada di dalam bulan SAFAR. Hari ini bilal mengingatkan kita tentang kepercayaan dan amalan orang tentang salahlaku semasa bulan kedua ini dalam takwin Hijriah. Sebenarnya khutbah pada hari-hari Jumaat banyak memberi panduan dan rujukan. Saya mengingatkan diri sendiri untuk bawa bersama sebuah buku catatan kecil dan pensil atau pen dan mencatatkan apa yang kita dengar semasa itu. Mungkin lebih baik dibawa bersama 'tape recorder mini' supaya apa yang dibicarakan dapat juga dikongsi bersama dengan orang dirumah. Khutbah Jumaat menerusi RTM tentu sekali kita tidak ikuti, kecuali kalau kita dirumah pada waktu itu. Pesanan itu harap dikotakan minggu depan dan seterusnya.

Katanya 'temasha' membersihkan diri dari malapetaka biasanya dilakukan pada 28 hb Safar hari akhir bulan dan bersamaan 24 Februari ini. Pernah kita membaca dan mendengar tentang peristiwa 'mandi safar' di sebuah pantai terkenal pada satu masa dahulu. Juga ada cara-cara lain yang diamalkan. Kelebakangan ini tak pula terdengar kisah-kisah seperti ini terus berlaku. Apa pun kalau ada teguran itu tentu sekali ada sesuatu yang perlu mendapat nasihat dan ingatan.

Sambil mendekati tentang bulan kedua itu elok juga kita merenung bulan-bulan lain; maklumlah sudah tertera selalu dengan Januari hingga Disember: Muharam, Safar, Rabiul Awal, Rabiul Akhir,Jamadil Awal. Jamadil Akhir, Rajab, Sya'ban, Ramadhan, Syawal, Dzulkaidah dan Zulhijjah. Tentu sekali ramai tak sabar menunggu Ramadhan antara lain.

Alam Fana dan Alam Barzakh

Berturut-turut negeri Kedah dan kenalan kehilangan dua tokoh terkemuka. Dalam minggu ini kita kehilangan seorang tokoh sejarah dan seorang tokoh senilukis. (Dato) Ismail bin Hj Salleh , dikenali rapat oleh rakan-rakannya sebagai 'Tok Wan' seorang pendidik and ahli sejarah terulung di Kedah serta (Dato) Ibrahim Hussein, pelukis tanah air termashur antarabangsa telah dipanggil pulang ke Alam Barzakh. Mereka telah meninggalkan alam fana ini. Kita hadiahkan ALFATIHAH.

TRASH TURN TO TREASURES AT TERATAI PUTIH

TERATAI PUTIH is its name, a restaurant as well as a resort. Even the signature name is carved out of a piece of old wood and standing alongside handcrafted items.

At night, it is as resplendent and welcoming too.

This is one of the chalet on site. Notice that timber pieces have been utilised and including the 'batang pinang' as the pillars fronting the porch.

I am sure Padang Besar being the terminal for KeretaApi Tanah Melayu and also the Thai Railway has provided these old railway sleepers which now adorned Teratai Putih new buildings. Again timber pieces are used on the wall too.



Most contractors would find laboring with broken mosaic and tile a painstaking job. Here they are laid out on the pathway giving color and special identity to Teratai Putih as a resort. Notice the railway sleepers too as a fence.

I am sure the owner must have contracted all the broken and discarded pieces, carted them to his place and gave a tall order to his contractor to design the new extension as we see it

They swing with the wind and ingenuity from discarded beer cans.

IT was late to return home, though it would have taken only just over an hour to reach Titi Gajah from Mata Ayer. Since we have to be here early the next morning, it would be just as well we stayed back at Kangar. But that was not to be. We headed for the border town of Padang Besar an unlikely place to move too at night. Still someone told us we could have our dinner there.

We had good food and even enjoyed the serenade from the three piece band at the restaurant. Then we realized that it was also designated as a resort and rooms for the night were available.

We slept like logs; no thanks to an earlier journey in the morning from Alor Star to Lumut and returning and continuing to Mata Ayer and here we were at close to midnight.

I woke up early, alongside the cock-crows within the kampong astride the resort and the call of the 'azan' from one of the mosques' minarets close by. It had a pleasant feeling to be away perhaps made more so being in a zone more Thai than Malaysia. Even our dinner last night with a serving of 'hot kensom' a Thai serving, my wife's favorite dish was quite relishing. Unexpectedly sometimes you come across a place and cannot help recognizing its potentials and true identity. This is one.

Always perplexed by the territorial border untidiness and complexity, I must take my hat off to the manager and staff of the resort for the care and maintenance of the place. Now if only all of us especially tradesmen in the similar business do care for their place of work as these people do, we are on the right route to a developed status in whatever way we want.

Cleanliness and tidiness were the order of the day. It is kin to godliness. Yet more defined was to discover how 'salvaged' items have been utilised on the site. I cannot help thinking of 'dumpster diving' associated with the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners. In reality useful to the dumpster diver. The practice is so popular that many labels have been given to it: urban foraging, aggressive recycling, garbaging, garbage gleaning or trashing. Over here it was an effort, a strong and determined one to make the best of available discards.

I took several photos of the place in the morning before breakfast and here's hoping that you would recognise what I meant. The manager and owner of Teratai Putih has truly made the best of trash or discarded items perhaps saving for himself and his company a sizable expenditure while of course being at peace with himself and nature too. He has turned discarded items into treasures and we can learn much from him or from what he has displayed. Unfortunately I was unable to meet him in person.

From its size and the new addition of rooms and facilities, it does assure the popularity of the resort and we were told busloads of visitors from the south even as far as Johore would stop for lunch or stay for the night when they come to Padang Besar. Likewise Thai friends and visitors would make a beeline here to taste Malaysian gastronomy as well. To think no one would come to stay at Padang Besar straddling the Thai border and much closer to Hadyai the fun city only an hour away. How wrong can we be.

We sat here for breakfast over cups of hot coffee and 'telur masak setengah dan roti bakar'. Do you see what I mean? You have the call number and kalau kearah sini jangan lepas peluang jenguklah ke Teratai Putih. Tongyam tetap ada. Pulut durian,harum manis pun tentu ada kalau musimnya.

FOR SERENITY AND SATISFACTION

Come along and see what's developing. It has been quite hectic the last few days. Travelling to and fro Alor Star Putrajaya and upon reaching home just a short breather before we headed for north of the border to catch up with appointment at Mata Ayer scheduled at 8.30 pm. Do people work at such an hour? At least for the night as it was 'testing and commissioning' as the term goes continuing the next morning. Well take it as an exercise of good movement.

As you drive in, this is the scene that greets you. Tall teak trees in their natural surrounding cared by the foresters and staff of FRIM Station at this northern corner of Perlis close to the Malaysia-Thai border. The tall frames for the Canopy Walk have been erected and await the bridges to be placed. You would then be walking high above the foliage

Nestled in an open corner of the forested area, a camping site has been created complete with facilities for an all-purpose and prayer hall, toilets and food preparation area. Mature teak trees on site compliment the camping area while lighting provides safety for the campers at night too.

The all purpose hall now seen at night

The food preparation area and the toilet facilities as they appear in the night

Both will cater for the needs of the campers who will have the opportunity to learn more about teak as a timber and why we see them growing on both sides of the North South Highway. Wait for another fifteen years and they would know how pricey they would be. Not surprisingly, illegal loggers may be at their service along the highway.

The client requested for a log cabin. Naturally teak as available in the area was a natural choice for the wall cladding's.

As it is in the day time. Position it on a hill overlooking a vast expanse of open space or the sea such a building would be a delightful rest-house. Now we think it should be located at a hillock in Langkawi.

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IT has indeed been a pleasant beginning New Year when what we have articulated, put to paper, planned and organized on behalf of our client came through with a satisfactory result. Last Friday it was a testing and commissioning of parts of the project that has been completed. Leaving of course another sector i.e the tree top or canopy walkway our next attention. You can get a brief sneak view however what has developed so far for this sector.

Our client for the project is FRIM ( Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) and the project is located at a teak forest zone in Perlis close to the border town of Padang Besar. With funding from the Majlis Tindakan Pelancongan Negeri Perlis it is set to become a pull sector placing this corner of Perlis a must visit spot coupled by the nearby border towns of Padang Besar and Wang Kelian. The verdant teak forest very agreeable to the climate of the Malaysia-Thai border must be a proud possession of the Research Institute and the new additions of a camp-site with good facilities, a log cabin, a hall and especially a sky walkway or canopy walk above the tree - top would only make this place a must visit. Then again where else would you be able to walk through full-grown teak trees some over twenty years in age. No, not necessary to cross the border and travel to the northern part of Thailand as far as Chengmai to experience such vegetation. It is here in our home.

Sharing some comfort and satisfaction and with wooden rafters to look up to.

The project read as 'Cadangan Peningkatan Kemudahan Pelancongan Pusat Rekreasi dan Penyelidikan Alam Flora Kebun Jati SPL FRIM, Mata Ayer Perlis untuk FRIM Kepong Selangor D. Ehsan' gives the two government agencies a good working relationship benefiting tourism and the people especially.

Good coordination between client, consultants and the contractor realised the project completion as per target date though there were hiccups earlier when petrol and building items prices saw a big hike.

The campsite at night with a stalking shadow by the side and four dancing lights in the field. Don't ask me how they come about. Yet it's a beauty.

A good sign of growth. The lamp post shows the shoots sprouting out while as much serving its purpose.

CURIOSITY KILLS THE CAT. GOING FOR THE GREENS

The ‘Huaawei’ modem that transmit messages, pictures etc through the Celcom network was ‘kaput’ for a week. Since the eve of the Chinese New Year I had the pleasure of not nearing my laptop or the desktop while of course accumulating ideas for the next story in the ‘blog’ or other files. The CNY break meant the distributors for the small whitish modem and the Celcom agents were also on holiday. You have to wait till today, a week later. By the way, have you ever been on line with Celcom Care line? Believe me it is a big guessing game to press varied numbers on their instructions before you could get hold of the customer service officer. Come to think of it, clicking and deciphering the numbers on iron safe boxes is a lesser of the two evils. Try to call the number and you will be enhanced.

It was rectified today. Faulty ‘sim card’ was the culprit. For all the waiting and anxiety of not being near the favorite tool, you are slapped with RM 5.00 in exchange for a new card.

With that introduction over, what’s this about the cat? No, I did not see a cat crossing my path on the way to the office today. What I did was magnetic enough to pull me along. It meant following the thing through the morning traffic. Luck was with me because I ended catching up with it though it was out of sight for a while.

This is what I saw from the car windscreen. Don’t ask how I manage to snap the picture while driving?

This is it that pulls me to follow the carrier.He is really loaded with look alike saddle-bags strung across his bike front and back . At RM1.00 a stalk he would scoop quite a haul for the day.But it is no easy job.

He was earnest and focused where he was heading. I could guess there were two places he was moving for. But which one! At one point the road would split, because the other one was at another part of the city. He would make for the nearest if he wanted to get the best of it all. I was right spot on.

By the time, I could find a parking space he had disappeared among the market place. First I saw his vehicle minus several bundles of the delicacies he was carting. Where could he disappear to? Glancing around I saw him minus his jacket doing what he had come for. His merchandise was already attracting the crowd. No time to arrange them on table or counter. It was convenient where they stood. He had sold his first bunch of the exotic ‘fruit’. I guess you could call ‘buah petai’ a fruit too, since you can take it raw or cooked in the styles you desire most.

I approached him. Pak Din as he called himself intimidated that he had rushed from Perik near Jitra to reach this weekly market day. His bunches of fresh ‘petai’ would certainly be a hot cake; clamored by Malays, Chinese and Indians alike. Selling for RM1.00 per stalk Pak Din could easily reap a good profit. He was condescending enough to allow me take a photo of him and also whispered his cost.

I had followed Pak Din all the way; intrigued by the load he was carrying and pulled by the exotic ‘buah petai’ which invariably would lull everyone to its gastronomic delight if prepared by the best of our home chefs. Foremost I was fronted with other ‘sweeties’ that helped to make home-cooked food the delight of us all. I am not surprised that many youngsters and big city dwellers too would be playing the guessing game when asked to identify and more still explain how these particular items are eaten or used.

Have a try at identifying the following items. I believed I had a field day today starting with following Pak Din to the ‘pasar minggu’ and discovering once again some of the ingredients that give flavor to our dishes. I am glad the chase after the elusive Pak Din had taken me to Kampong Berjaya Week Day Market.

Now how many of the greens do you recognize and have tasted? Isn't about time you visit the 'Pasar Minggu' and cart some of the items home and surprise the lady at home. Believe me you will be glad to be around the market place and the lady at home will get a shock of her life. By lunch time you the family would have a taste of 'ubi telur masak ikan haruan'. Pak Haji Kasa told me it is really 'best'.

Pak Din has reached his destination. He has arrived at Pasar Kampong Berjaya and without wasting time is already sorting out the pieces and delivering the pieces to his customer. He made RM10.00 for his first sale less than 10 minutes after opening business. His black pouch will be full by lunch time.

Now this is exciting. What concoction is this? What is it called? Dark, long fruity thing. Excuse me for saying it out. Its content tastes good like sweets but oooh! the name. Ever wonder why it is called " Buah K---- Mamak"? Susah hendak cari. Kalau isteri mengidam hang hendak cari dimana?

Pak Hj Kasa was at his own space. He tells me this is 'ubi telor' which he plants at his own plot near Jerlun. He and several friends around him conformed curry cooked with 'ikan darat' and ubi telur would be sooooo delicious. I have to try it out.

Recognize this. The next time your partner requests you to get 'LENGKUAS' for the rendang go for this. It adds flavor to the 'rendang' which you take with 'ketupat' or 'lemang'

'Belimbing, kucai' and ' nangka muda' all add up to the ingredients for a perfect dish at lunch time.

Ever since cigarette came into the business world the 'buah pinang' dropped its value. Yet I can still remember how the beetle nuts provided me pocket money. I would use a long pole to bring down the nuts and sold them at a sandry shop nearby. The cash would pay for comic books and tickets at the cinema hall.

Next it is the ulum that we go for. Can you name them as they are from right to left? Bunga Kantan, Kangkong, a whole bunch of Pucuk Paku Rawan ( my favorite ulum taken with sambal) and other leafy items ingredients for 'Laksa' in the background. Pucuk Paku Rawan grows wild in the padi-fields.

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Last but no mean least the inevitable 'Daun Pisang' the perennial wrappers. Imagine 'lepat pisang, nasi lemak, pulut udang' without 'daun pisang' as their 'dakapan' or their precious wrappings. Think of nasi lemak your mother sent along with you when you first enter primary school decades ago! Yes dibungkus dengan daun pisang dan aromanya cukup harum .

Terima kasih.