Departure Hall....

"This is a final call for all passengers on flight 6by4 to Final Destination - will all passengers please go to the departure hall for immediate boarding!!" That call is intended to those who are ready for the flight and to those who are not ready for the flight alike! Whether or not you have checked in or have your passport stamped, if your time has come and you are on the passenger's list - you will not be able to miss this flight.

Passengers on the flight 6by4 to Final Destination come from all sort - young, rich, poor, good-looking, ugly looking, married, single, fat, thin, educated, high ranking, lowly paid, old, white, black! There is no discrimination!
All of us, therefore, are on standby at this Departure hall - for a flight to eternity. Flight times are unknown and seat numbers untold. When it is time, it is time! This is a flight which departs punctually, everytime.

"Please show your boarding pass!" Some unsuspecting passengers are given first class seats, while others tried to pay their way for a good seat only to be showed the last row seat by the toilet. This is a flight on which seats are allocated based not on how much you are willing to pay, but on how little baggage you carry with you.

If you know you are at the departue hall for this flight to eternity - what will you do differently?
How would you spend your time?
What do you want to say to your loved ones who will be there to see you go.....teary eyed as they wave you goodbye!
How would you feel? Anxious? Scared? Prepared and ready?

This is a flight where you need not fasten your seat belt! A flight to eternity.....your deeds prior to departure will determine the level of turbulence and in-flight service you receive.
You and you alone will pilot the plane.

Come join me - let us be ready for this flight - so that we can enter the departure hall with peace and love in our heart.

There is only one Kelantan: a re-run!

The entry below was first posted on 7th August last year. For some reasons, lately I think about Kelantan quite a bit. Perhaps it was listening to beloved TG Nik Aziz's voice saying in jest about 'sending PAS some fund for buying biscuits and tea' - as written here. It could also be due to a glimpse I caught of the ADUN for my little kampung, YB Dato' Anuar Musa walking behind Dato Najib to a stage in KB on bulletin Utama. Dato' Anuar is someone I knew from school days. A nice man......

Whatever the cause, I miss my beloved kampung and state of Kelantan.

I read about the campaign launched by Khairy - Kempen "Kelik Ngundi". As a proud Kelantanese, I felt a tinge offended that such campaign was not led by a political leader from Kelantan. It would have been 'more gedebe' if say Dato Anuar himself making such a call in pure Kelate speak, instead of an 'outsider'. We Kelantanese still and will always consider people from other states as 'outsiders'. We may soften our stand and accept the person to masuk gu ( join our group ), if the outsider showed some humility and modesty - and make symbolic gestures to be like us, such as paka kain sarong dengae semuta!( such as adorning sarong and a head-bandage ) Or makae budu cicoh ikae tawa! (Or eat grilled fish with Budu ).

In truth, we don't like to outsiders who try to be 'gedebe' with us.

Being emotional aside, which may even appear a wee bit trivial compared to the subject under discussion, my message to my adik2 dan anak2 di Kuala Lumpur sana is - "Kelik lah - tiket free tuh! Pah tu pakoh la gappo pung!" ("Go back lah - it is free ticket! When the time comes you can vote as you please")

This nostalgic re-run could also be due to the writing here - bertajuk "Kelantan: Demi sebuah cinta".

In any case, there is only one Kelantan and I hope we are able to remain proud of who we are.

Lemah lembut berbudi sopan

Senyumannya manis mek Kelantan

Usah di sebut janji kemewahan

Hidanganku manis nikmat Tuhan.

---there is only one Kelantan - below is the original posting --

Tuesday, 7 August 2007

Tanam jagung di atas batas
Selasih ku cari...padi ku galas
Balik kampung hatiku puas
Kasih kau beri...budi tak terbalas

"Abe....abe cari gappo? Keropok ko? Sambal daging ko?"The voice soft...and melodic. The smile enticing. Her charm nearly made me purchased what I did not really need. And her smile broke into a little laughter when I replied...."Abe dok cari keropok....abe cari kakok ilae nie...".I was in Pasar Khadijah in Kota Baru Kelantan. There is only one such scene, one such charm, and one such enterprising group of women in this wide world. Found LiL later on amongst the stalls selling clothes....below!
That was during a brief stop over from the Pengakalan Cepa airport to our kampung.
A real joy awaited us when we arrived to the welcome of my sisters, and nieces and nephews. Aunties and uncles came the next day......for the Kenduri Tahlil. I felt the warmth of kampung style love and caring.....a tradition of old which thankfully, has not faded. Their conversation was genuine, their interest deep, and their care was not for your wealth but for your health. I drifted into my comfort zones......with my kain pelikat, walked along the batas of the padi fields......went deep into the rubber plantation....enjoying the fresh air and captivated with rustic village beauty.
A bunch of banana.....
Above is Duku...and below is rambutan....
From preparing the goat's meat above to the gulai kawah below.....Only in Kelantan do I feel this way...."Adequate with little, Blissful with nothingness, and love so real!"
posted by idham @ Tuesday, August 07, 2007

21 Comments:

At Tuesday, August 07, 2007 6:41:00 PM , SHERRY said...
amazing scenary lovelllyyyyyyyy photography :)

At Tuesday, August 07, 2007 8:24:00 PM , loveujordan said...
seronoknya kembali ke kampong yang dirindui...such a bless !!

At Tuesday, August 07, 2007 9:22:00 PM , Cat Cat said...
What a great country we have... Great pictures En. Idham.Rambutan tu mintak cikit, boleh? ;D

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 6:03:00 AM , ondeonde said...
our kenduri nikah kawen was done in such a way - gulai kawah! all prepared by gotong royong - tebang pokok kelapa to get the umbut muda, my mom prepared solok lada, kerisek jantung pisang, labu sira...the daging is fresh..aiyooo abe id, ni braso nok balik niiii!

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 6:09:00 AM , IBU said...
salam...wahhhh....best nyer!!!! the greens, the fruits, the shopping and the company most of all. i'm on extended medical leave ( dah masuk 2nd week) - not sure if I can make it to the 3 serangkai dinner. Frens dok pujuk2. Maybe I should, they have to drive me there. I'll call you re the drinks ok? insyaAllah. Ibu

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 6:35:00 AM , noha chomel said...
best eh?? ;P, tinggal sini terus la..

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 6:49:00 AM , dlt said...
uwaaa.... rendunyo kelate.... lamo doh tok lik. last bule 4 hari tu. 4 bule doh. napok gayonyo rayo ni baru lik lagi kelate. abe id, kiring sale ko mama n ayoh sayo, deh. huhu! homesick ni lagu ni.

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 8:03:00 AM , Mama Rock said...
there's no place like home kan...welcome back!

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 4:15:00 PM , ruby ahmad said...
Hi Arif,Thought I'd come and visit you here to wish you good luck for the upcoming 11th Aug do at the orphanage. I wish to apologise tak dapat join you and gang that day.Btw, I love your sister's house setting. So tranquil and serene. Wow tu dia pokok duku ya. Malu nak mengaku I tak pernah tengok pokok duku for real. Anyway glad you had a good time balik kampung.Ok, again I wish you and gang a good time this Sat. My thanks to Lil and you for susah payah bawa pesan I. So kind and sweet the both of you. Cheers.

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 4:19:00 PM , anggerik merah said...
Wow...you make me feel to go back to my kampung now..

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:38:00 PM , idham said...
Sherry....you and your hubby are of course invited to visit....and i will be your personal host and guide..missing friends in dubai and Jeddah dearly...:)idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:38:00 PM , idham said...
loveujordan..rina...:) dengar2 rina juga akan pulang tak lama lagi kan....hope all is well with u...:)idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:39:00 PM , idham said...
cat cat....:) yess yess.....tanah tumpah kita tak akan ada yang serupa...rambutan and durian sekebun menunggu cath cath when u r back...:)idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:42:00 PM , idham said...
onde onde.....kan kan kan....best kan ...cara gotong royong macam tu...and guess what, time macam tu lah pakcik2 dan makcik2 risik merisk pasal anak2 teruna dan dara....and lepas tu buat pulak match making....hehehehewow...your wedding so grand tu....kerisik jantung pisae tu best tu...:)idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:44:00 PM , idham said...
ibu.....pls get well soon...and kalau masih di hospital or belum sihat, pls dont you worry abt the aug 11th event tu...your thoughts count millions already....we want to see you in full recovery....my number if you wish to call is 016-6736723.i would hv called u if i hv yor number.....but i don't.idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:45:00 PM , idham said...
noha....:) dtg ye nanti....aug 11th....bawak suami sekali ye....:)idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:46:00 PM , idham said...
dlt....lamo tu ppat bulae doh tu....keno balik tu rayo nih...hehehe....abe id pun balik tigo malae jah...:)idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:48:00 PM , idham said...
mamarock...tq! :)i really wish i can meet u...dah dua kali tau i went to KLCC....but i dont hv ur number la....pls give me a buzz....my son is also working in the petronas tower...:)pls join us on aug 11th if u can... idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:54:00 PM , idham said...
hai Ruby...*smiling*thank you for making time to meet up with me the other day.....it is always a joy to sembang2 dengan u...the 2 over hours spent over cammomile tea accompanied by carrot cake and filled with lots of sharing ....the time ticked past so fast!!love ur new hair do, serious....!and best wishes with what you are organizing...i am sure it will be another one of your sterling performance.:)enjoyed it!idham

At Wednesday, August 08, 2007 5:55:00 PM , idham said...
anggerik....we must meet soon....:)jangan la bz sokmo...hehehewe r so dekat jer tau...idham

At Monday, August 20, 2007 10:14:00 PM , drNO said...
bila tgk ur name kan ada tulis 'bakpo', my hubby dah kata u ni mesti org kg dia...rupa2nya mmg la betul...anyway, we're going back to klate this thursday....jom ah

Be a DoBeDo ...

I came home from work today with a big plan to go for a movie & and to eat out with the family. LiL and the boys voted against it, and counter proposed for a Movie marathon at home and ordering home delivery bruger King for dinner. The idea sounds like a good one too...so I agreed. What a democratic family we have - perhaps more than can be said for the Boleh land!

Amirul got busy immediately setting up the screen and the projector complete with a set of home theatre speakers. Haziq brought down the air mattress! Luqman was getting comfortable with pillows and cushions. LiL made me a hot mug of tea. And we were ready!!

The first movie we watched was - I am Legion Legend! Luqman decided to skip his one due to its erratic horror scenes. We were glued to the big screen - only at the end to be quite dissappointed with its abrupt ending. Verdict : A dissappointment, looks like a cheap flick.

Next, we watched the TV3 Anugerah Juara Lagu. Back-dated, but with a feel of live telecast since we have not read about the results. Having our living room filled with Malaysian songs in its magical splendour was nostalgic! We love the ambience and a sense of being truly home. From start to finish, we were captivated and entertained. Verdict : Super show - and we fully agreed wth the judges decision.

Satu Bulletin Utama - Berbagai wajah menjelang pilihan Raya.
We took a break and ordered our burgers. While the boys were having their strecth, LiL and I decided to watch TV3 Bulletin Utama - Edisi Feb 14th. So, only a few hours after - we were watching the news almost live. With technology, even living abroad we can keep in-touch with what is going on back home. As expected - the headlines were about the General Election. I will write on the topic as my next entry! Watch this space.... ( In the mean while please respond to my Survey!)

Back to the big screen at home - our last movie for the night was 'Die Hard 4'. Wow - what a movie. Well acted, action packed, super visual effect and full of drama! Everyone loves it....we munched through our burger and fries without blinking.

Happiness is a moment created !

What's with all the above report of what we have done at home today. Surely it is a subject only interesting to the six of us....maybe, but that does not stop me from feeling proud of what we did today. hehehe
Well, I do believe in small cells of living. In my simple mind, this is the equation!
A happy individual makes a happy companion.
A happy family makes a happy neighbourhood.
A happy neighbourhood makes a happy society.
A happy society hopefully can multiply into a happy nation
which multiply further into a happy world.

I am trying to do my part - keeping our family as one unit, happy with what we have wherever we are, anytime. We break no laws, steal from no one, and think evil of no body. We want to believe, however naive it actually is, that everyone is born to be good.

Little pearls for today: Do-Be-Do!
Do = do happy things by yourself, or your own family.
Be = feel happy. Even if you have to fake it, keep faking happiness until you really feel happy.
Do = do more happy things with others. This is easier done if you are happy yourself!
A table Tennis game with the boys - in our garage - while waiting for the @home movie time.