Of Lemang and the Floating Blue Thing

Salam Idulfitri to family and friendsWhen comes to Idulfitri, I remember a story. A true story that has been narrated countless times by my late mother to me, alFatihah. It was a story about yours truly, who was then just a toddler about 2 years of age, just knew how to walk, walk and fall. It was the last day of Ramadhan, in the afternoon before hari raya, when all lemang had already been prepared.  My mother and opah, were busy at the kitchen,  cooking rendang and other delicacies for the big day. I was left with my two elder sisters enggo (rokiah) and enab (zainab) who were then 9 and 8 years of age. They were assigned by mother to take care of me while she and opah were busy in the kitchen. Well, kids are kids, my sisters enjoyed play masak2 so much. From time to time mother was checking and shouting from the kitchen, reminding my sisters to keep an eye on me, which then my sisters spontaneously shouted back that everything was okay without checking the real situation, and without realizing that I was already walking towards the perigi (water-well) carrying an empty kettle...and suddenly plunged into the well. Mohd Nor a teenage neighbour who was taking a bath at his family's well nearby saw something blue floating in my family's well. Out of curiousity, he then came closer, and shocked when he found out it was me that blue thing (I wore blue shorts then). Floating and drowning. Mohd Nor then shouted loud to his father the late Tok Lah, and they picked me up from the well. My mother and opah ran from the kitchen and many kampong folks rushed to my house. Mother panicked, she ran amok and chased yong and chek for being so negligent. Luckily some kampong folks were there to stop and cool her down. At the same time, there was a man called abang Daud came to the rescue, doing CPR whatsoever but to no avail. He carried me and ran in circle in my house frontyard, I was still motionless, pale blue with no response. They layed me down on one side of a lesung padi, and pounded on the other side of the lesung with the belantan. Suddenly I came back to life, vomitting. Yes, vomitting lemang to be exact (because I ate lemang before the tragedy..) Everyone was relieved, and it was just about minutes to breaking the fast time (berbuka).To this day when Idulfitri comes, the story crops up in my mind, with a question..where am I now if noone saw the floating blue thing in the well?  in heaven? mmm.....

Ramadhan ini

Ramadhan yang ini terasa lain dari sebelum.

Masih ada

Hanya Dia yang maha mengetahui. Semoga aku dapat meneruskan sisa-sisa perjalanan ini dalam selesa, bahagia dengan penuh bermakna. 

Ramadhan datang lagi

Ramadhan datang lagi. Selamat menjalani ibadah dengan sebaik2nya. Insaflah pada insan2 lain yang tidak bernasib baik.

Malam Pesta

Malam pesta kali ini tak seperti di tahun-tahun awal aku berada di sini. Suasana
tidak seperti dulu...atau faktor usia barangkali.