MERDEKA!!!!

Today was a special day at work. Why special? Simply because a celebration was held at my workplace to commemorate Malaysia’s Independence Day.

Being in a secondary school allows me to experience the Merdeka celebration with the younger generation i.e my students. It’s wonderful to see how everyone came together to make this occasion a memorable one…and why shouldn’t it be memorable…it is after all our 50th year of Independence. Kudos to all (the administrators, teachers and students) who’ve worked hard in ensuring today’s celebration was a success. And indeed a success it was.

The early morning showers did little to dampen our spirits this morning. We waited anxiously and prayed the sky would lift up soon. God must have heard our prayers coz just little after 8am the light drizzle stopped and we were able to congregate at the assembly ground to begin our celebration.

I’ve never been much of a cameraman/woman. But this time around, with my husband's camera in hand, I made a point to go all out and took as many photos as possible. I have to admit, it wasn't easy running around the school taking shots of the celebration in my formal batik baju kurung. It didn't help either that my inappropriate footwear i.e my high heels got stuck in the earth when I ventured into the water-bogged field, all for the sake of capturing that one in a million shot. Ha! Ha!( Mental note.. high heels and school field certainly don't go together!).

Anyway, they say a picure is worth a thousand words and I can't agree more. I don't think I'll go into much detail as I feel the photos I've taken speak for themselves. So enjoy viewing.

Raising the Jalur Gemilang

Colourful Malaysia

Guess who? Yes none other than Dato Jamali Shahadat, our guest of honour

"Atan" in a light banter with one of the students

The cast of our school's Merdeka sketch

Er..recognise our human Tugu Negara at the back?

MERDEKA!!

A special needs student belting out " ..Inilah Barisan Kita.."

Oh yes! During the sketch our "Tunku Abdul Rahman" had a monologue, as he stood infront of the Tugu Negara.

It was pretty moving and I thought I'd share it with you here;

" WAHAI PAHLAWAN NEGARA,

BANGUNLAH...BANGUNLAH,

50 TAHUN TANAH MELAYU SUDAH MERDEKA,

LIHATLAH WARISAN KITA,

ANAK-ANAK DIPERSIMPANGAN JALAN...MEMBUANG MASA,

MEMBUANG TENAGA...MEMBUANG NYAWA,

BERTELINGKAH TAK SEMENA-MENA.

WAHAI PAHLAWAN NEGARA,

BUMI INI JADI SAKSI,

DARAH KITA YANG TUMPAH KE BUMI,

SEMERAH KELOPAK MAWAR,

SEHARUM BUNGA KASTURI,

DEMI MENYAHUT SERUAN PERTIWI.

WAHAI PAHLAWAN NEGARA,

BUMI INI JADI SAKSI,

AIRMATA YANG GUGUR KEBUMI,

PARA ISTERI MENJADI BALU,

ANAK-ANAK MENJADI PIATU,

IBU-IBU HIBA...ANAKNYA PERGI DAHULU,

MENYAHUT SERUAN TUHAN YANG SATU.

WAHAI PAHLAWAN NEGARA,

ADAKAH PENGORBANAN KITA SIA-SIA?

KITA MEDEKA UNTUK SIAPA?

KITA MERDEKA UNTUK APA?

WARISANKU...SEDARLAH,

SEDARLAH DARI TIDURMU YANG LENA,

ESOK HARI KAU MAHU JADI APA?

ESOK HARI KAU BERADA DI MANA?

ESOK HARI...ADAKAH KAU MASIH BERNYAWA.

WARISANKU...MASA TIDAK MENUNGGU KITA,

REBUTLAH PELUANG YANG ADA,

JADILAH INSAN YANG BERGUNA,

UNTUK AGAMA, BANGSA DAN NEGARA.

WARISANKU...PERJUANGAN INI BELUM SELESAI,

TANAMKANLAH AZAM DAN TEKAD,

PESANAN GURU JADIKANLAH AZIMAT,

BUANGKANLAH DENDAM KESUMAT,

HIDUP SEPAKAT MEMBAWA BERKAT,

MOGA HIDUPMU DILIMPAHI RAHMAT,

HINGGA KE AKHIR HAYAT..."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Yesterday 22nd August, was my husband’s birthday and every birthday since we've been married, I'd notice how he would become very reflective indeed. Being the curious me or for want of a more accurate word…“kaypo”… I'd discover the same thing year in year out. Without fail on his birthday, dear husband would be asking himself “What have I achieved so far to date?"

I think it’s great that he does this. A self-check is always good as it helps us to keep tabs on what we have done, what we’re doing now and where we are heading. It reminds us of the things that we need to improve on or perhaps consider doing in life. Without these self-checks, our birthdays would just be another day…another day of an added number to our age.

So when my husband turned 40 yesterday…yes the B.I.G 40.. I felt compelled to remind him what he has achieved so far to this day and to consider the many blessings that ALLAH has bestowed on him and the family. This of course brought a smile to his face. It also brought a cheeky response from him… an impromptu - off the cuff- amateur attempt at a rhyming couplet which sounded something like this ;

“You are my strength, You are my pillar,
If I go astray, you are my KILLER”

And this of course brought a smile to MY face.
So to dear husband….H.A.P.P.Y B.I.R.T.H.D.A.Y

and may you have many more ahead.

the towering inferno we had for lunch

the aftermath...a meal feat for Mr Tompang

a spidey inspired birthday cake

little V.I.Ps graced our small birthday party

Hannan and her compulsory birthday card for ayah

NEGARAKU

Come 31st August, Malaysia will be celebrating her 50th year of independence. So much has been achieved since 1957 when the late Tunku Abdul Rahman led thousands of other Malaysians to the 7 cheers of MERDEKA! The famous Merdeka cheers signalled the end of the colonialist British rule and a new beginning for the people of this country.

Going around the Klang valley these days, one can’t help but notice the many flags that have been put up. Schools, government buildings, shopping malls have all gone to great lengths to get the Malaysian people into the Merdeka spirit. Heck! Even I have not been spared. My daughter came home one day from school and asked if she could buy this really fancy merdeka visor/cap. She said it was a-must-have as it had a mini flag attached at the side and sunglasses that can come down or go up whichever way you want it to be. She has a lot of hats and I wasn’t very keen on her buying another one. But I had to make an exception to this one, after all it is the Merdeka month.

Anyway, I’m glad my daughter managed to coax me into departing with my Rm24...coz the colourful visors/caps were indeed supercool. Perhaps my young kids may not know the real historical significance of celebrating Independence day but that’s okay. They will learn in time I hope. At least for the moment, the spirit is there and that’s important I think.

Gearing up for 31st August

Moving along on the topic of Merdeka spirit, I have to admit feeling puzzled by the recent act of a Malaysian who came up with an infamous 6 minute video clip called Negarakuku.

He wrote the song in conjunction with the country’s 50th anniversary of independence and it was his gift to the country. He also claimed that he did not mean to offend anyone by producing such a video clip. How can that be? I find it puzzling because the content of the video clip did not reflect his good intentions. Infact, I was very much offended by the lyrics which I felt mocked my religion.

I find it hard to accept that even after many, many years of co-existing with one another, there is still lack of understanding among the races. Living in a multiracial country we have to learn and respect each other’s customs and religions. That goes without saying. We are special in the eyes of the world not only because of the many similarities that we share but also because of our many differences. That is why Malaysia is so unique.

So in view of the coming Independence Day, let's be more understanding and tolerant of each other…only then can we truly embrace the spirit of MERDEKA!

Err...sorry, this space is not for you!

When you go out to shopping malls, finding parking spaces at the carpark can sometimes be a headache, if not most of the times. This is especially true if it’s the weekend or a public holiday. Some may decide to leave their houses early just so they can secure a parking space, often times reaching the malls 15 – 30 mins before they are open ( I admit having done this on several of my Ikea outings). Others on the other hand, decide to leave it to God and simply cruise the parking lot until they find a spot somewhere...hopefully before their petrol runs out!

On some of the occasions when hubby and I chose the latter, he would jokingly ask me if I would mind pretending to be an OKU or a handicapped. We could then easily zero in on the designated parking spaces for the handicapped which are often near to the entrances. This would of course be met with a death stare from yours truly.

I’ve often observed how many Malaysians ignore the signs reserved for the handicapped, and simply park their cars at spaces which are not meant for them. When reminded of this, some choose to feign ignorance whilst others claim that they’re just parking for a few minutes only. Whichever way, their actions are denying others who have the rightful claim to these limited spots.

So when I saw 2 cars being clamped this afternoon at a mall, for parking at spaces reserved for the handicapped, I have to admit feeling…how do I describe it ... somewhat pleased?? Finally…somebody is doing something. We need to be sensitive of others and not just think of ourselves. We need to be less selfish and more civic conscious. Lets champion the rights of the handicapped and be morally upright and caring citizens of Malaysia. It’s time we walk the walk and not just talk the talk!