The Old Diary

It is actually a tired old diary trying to masquerade as a Filofax. It is leather bound and in quite a sorry state as it had spent a good many years in a box with some old tapes; both rich archives of old stories and events of years gone by.

It is my 1997 diary – six years after I started life as a freelance – six years after I regained confidence to get a proper diary, or personal organiser as some preferred to call it. I said regained confidence because after more than ten years waking up to routine work, life as a freelance is less predictable and at first I wasn’t sure whether there’d be any work, any projects coming my way. What if I had blank pages staring back at me with doodles adorning them; no important appointments and assignments?

By 1997, I realised that that was the least of my worries. It was a good year, alas like this year, it ended with a financial crash in SEA that had a domino effect everywhere.

Organise my life it didn’t, but it sure looked impressive carrying a bulging Filofax. In those days, anyone young and fancied themselves upwardly mobile, must be seen carrying one of these. I wasn’t young, but I still fancied myself upwardly mobile.

Anyway, mine was a freebie that MAS used to give to their first class passengers, and I got mine from one of those privileged ones.

I scanned through the pages, littered with phone numbers and names jotted hurriedly in places they shouldn’t be. There were calculations in pencils, email addresses in lipliners and cryptic messages that defy logic and common sense, especially written in columns that say finance. But that shows how organised I was/am.

But that’s not the point of this entry. This is the year that started with an entry that says:

Another year! Wonder what’s in store!

It was a cold start to the new year, but from the entries right through the pages, it seems that I had had a good year, travelling a lot in and out of the country. I realised now that it was at this time that I met the maths genius and her family, travelled to Cardiff and Liverpool to meet the Malay community there and then off to Holland for the same purpose. Looking back, I had truly enjoyed these visits and meeting such interesting people with interesting stories to tell. They were old Malay Sailors in Liverpool and Cardiff who shared with me their stories of adventures at sea.

I see that I also went back to Malaysia for what was to be the first hari raya back home in 17 years!! The children truly enjoyed themselves and experienced real hari raya for the first time; playing crackers and fireworks and most of all helping with the preparation. I jotted down in the entry on 9^th February 1997 “They really look good in their baju Melayu!”

Aaaah, at the National Archives open house, I met the incredible Ahmad Daud! By then, he had forgotten that I had interviewed him way back in 1992, but I remember his conversation, as he was walking to the car, to be most interesting. But I didn’t have my video recorder with me.

It was a wonderful holiday with the entire family as I noted at the end of our trip. Since then, we have not had a family holiday together, what with commitments and what nots.

I came back to London with an urgent assignment waiting for me. “ A very uplifting experience” – I wrote in the entry on 8^th March. Took the train from Paddington to Theale where I was taken on board a helicopter to do a voice over job. I had done lots of voice overs in studios of varying nature, but never in a helicopter, a few hundred feet above the green fields of Berkshire.

This was also the year I covered the All England Badminton in Birmingham. Rashid Sidek lost to a Chinese player and suffice to say, nothing much after that to report back.

Friday 28^th March was an eventful day. We drove aimlessly and found ourselves in Brighton. All along the way, we could see a strange something in the sky – it turned out to be the Haley Bopp!! It will make another appearance approximately in the year 4377. So put that in your diary!

Oh, on April 11^th, after a consultation with a Dr Li, I was told I had low platelets in my blood So, that explains all the bruises at the slightest nudge. Does that also explain the severe headaches that I complained on almost every page?

We made a convoy to Great Yarmouth on May 3^th. Started off at about 11pm because the other half was still working. It was fun because we got to celebrate his birthday – another surprise one at Kak Long’s house and then we went off to the great Bally outlet in Norwich. This place used to be crawling with Malaysians buying – what else, Bally shoes, Bally handbags, Bally belts at a fraction of the price at the stores.

As I got to June 1997, things became more exciting. I got to visit Book Villages in Europe – the one in Redu, Belgium and Hay on Wye in Wales. I remember train rides, flights, car rides deep into the Belgium and Welsh countryside and having lots of fun while working. I must have had such a lot of energy then. Where has it gone now?

Before we could unpack the bags from the trip to Wales, we were off to Hungary, by train!!! That was a busy year too for the then PM, so we had no rest at all, traipsing around England and Europe in the name of work. But getting to Budapest by train was quite an experience and it is certainly a very beautiful city.

And of course, this was the year Princess Diana met with her tragic death. I even remember the dress that I wore on that day – a bright red kebaya, as I was assigned to cover the Merdeka celebration. I was somewhere on the A40 when I heard the news on the radio.

How time flies.

Estrella and Seven Collar TShirt in UK

With Joe Flizzow's fast flowing free style rap still playing in my mind, rather than the usual old time favourites by the Alleycats, I hear news about the UK tour by Malaysia's up and coming bands - Estrella and Seven Collar TShirt. KNUKE - Kugiran Negara ke United Kingdom, who brought the rain - Hujan - here last year, has once again put together a three city tour and performance for these two bands.

This is the programme from www.knuke.org

LONDON GIG

Date: 29 March 2009

Venue: The Venue, ULU

Time: 1800 hrs (6pm)

Entrance Fee: £10

Opening Bands:

Johann

Colonel Boxmaster & The Womanizers

Izrin Thani

The Stowaways

Secure your tickets by contacting one of our London representatives:

Shasa (general) - 07921193447
Ifham (general)- 07878362335

Faz (UCL)- 07789933666
Nik Imran ( UCL) - 07846240651
Nik Izrin (UWE) - 07595310846
Alia Ishak (QM) - 07515488798
Dayana Rogayah (UMNO) - 07886418326
Akmal (LSE) - 07894470170

___________________________

MANCHESTER GIG

Date: 5 April 2009

Venue: MOHO Live

Time: 1800 hrs (6pm)

Entrance Fee: Door - £9, Book & Pay - £7

Opening Bands:

The Paris Riots

The Torrentz

Myo Oh Chentaku

Get your tickets from our Manchester representative:

Ungku Iskandar - 07515102388

Alternatively our Manchester venue has its own online ticketing service. Click here to get your tickets from the MOHO Live website.

They are also performing at Holiday Villa on 27th March at abt 7.30pm


You can read a write up about their tour here.













For the article on Joe Flizzow's trip to London, read here.

Of birthdays and relatives

When you get to my age, there's bound to be celebrations that you think back with fondness. I have had a birthday surprise up in a magnificient country house hotel, set within the beautiful Chiltern Hills overlooking The Thames. Then another year, a singer jumped up on to the table and serenaded me with a birthday song, all breathless like Marilyn Monroe and another unforgetable one was the mother of all surprises when I found the husband of mine hovering over the stove at a friend's house, cooking my birthday dinner. Oh, and last year it was Raihan who sang their birthday rendition to me. But nothing can beat this! It had me rolling on the floor! Thanks everyone! Love you lots. ENJOY THIS!!

PS:
To my other significant half, Hafiz, Rehana, Nona and Taufiq - thanks for a wonderful evening and prezzies and delicious cake.
To Jefri - THANK YOU!!! A wonderful treat.
To the staff who sang when I stepped into the hotel lounge..hahaha! what a wonderful surprise.

I had a very fulfilling day working and a wonderful evening with the family.
THANK YOU.

Something about the guy

Well, its tagging time again. And all around blogosphere, mak cik bloggers are revealing a little something about their unsuspecting Pak Ciks. I have been tagged by Wanshana and so, here goes:



1) He’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?

He hardly sits in front of the TV unless there's a very good documentary on. But more often than not, during the MasterChef season, he'd keep me company to watch the antics of the two presenters, John Torode and Gregg Wallace, only to imitate them when I produce something outrageous from the kitchen: "Hmmm, the flavour bursts in the mouth and swirls around teasing the taste buds...." says he about my bland nasi goreng.


2) You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

I think he likes balsamic vinegar - is that a dressing?


3) What’s one food he doesn’t like?

Everything that I like such as scrumptious albeit greasy fried chicken wings from Chicken Cottage, very sweet condensed milk with a dash of coffee, cheese, lots of creamy cheese.


4) You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?

Teh O kurang manis. Anything organic and anything bran.
Oh, if it is Indian - it is prawn briyani.


5) Where did he go to high school?

Victoria Institute laaaa.


6) What size shoes does he wear?

This is a guess - 8.


7) If he was to collect anything, what would it be?

Newspapers, magazines. Phone cards. Anything that is being threatened by extinction. First day covers, books and more books.


8) What is his favorite type of sandwich?

Tuna or prawn mayo on wholemeal brown bread.


9) What would this person eat every day if he could?

He is a non fussy eater - I could be cooking nasi goreng everyday and he wouldnt mind. But of late he has expressed for lesser gorenged food. If and when he is in the kitchen, it'd be grilled chicken and potatoes.


10) What is his favorite cereal?

hmmmm, never seen him with cereals.


11) What would he never wear?

Anything with alphabets that boast of brandnames. He has been known to patiently unpick the stitches and labels.


12) What is his favorite sports team?

Just to be able to have a father to sons talk, he has read up about Arsenal and Barcelona. So, really, they are not his favourites. But he can impress them with terms like corner kicks and penalty kicks and rattle off names of footballers like he knows them personally.


13) Who did he vote for?

Oooooooo.....


14) Who is his best friend?

Apart from the guy in Brazil, there's his surau mate - Haji Amin and then of course, me laah! Who else would he turn to to tell his repeated jokes?


15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?

Do you have until tomorrow to read? Here goes: Eat too much sugar, sigh, use the laptop on the lap (then why call laptop?) , spend too much time on mobile phone which he thinks fry the brain, disturb his cats sleeping, forgetting to take my supplements, etc, etc...


16. What is his heritage?

I think from across the Thai border. Will have to look at the family tree again.


17. What is his favourite colour?

Anything not glaring.

18. What is his habit?

Pulling off the duvet to wake me up for subuh.


19. What is he proud of?

His father .


20. Lastly, do you think he will read this?

A test would be to have severeal spelling misteaks and grandma eerors!

A "Surprise" on Sunday

The “surprise” came at 0813 while I was propped up in bed, cajoling the internet to talk to me. “Oh!”, I said feigning an appropriate “surprise” and took the bouquet of flowers and cards and the hugs and kisses. My bedmate, still in deep slumber, stirred and turned to face the wall, perhaps dreaming about the adventures of his alter ego, Mat Sprong.

It is Mothering Sunday in the UK, thus the flowers and the cards and the hugs and kisses. And, of course a date for dinner on Tuesday.

As I gave the crystal vase a rinse, leaving the other half to help solve mysteries plaguing the best detective agency in Trengganu, I thought back to the days before their arrival. I had wanted ten but was blessed with seven; three didn’t quite make it. It was one miscarriage after another. Even our first just about made it after strict orders from the doctor to rest in bed.

The flowers now sit nicely and sort of blend quite well with the vase; the only vase I can safely say I own. And even then it was a present for emceeing an event. The flowers, like the vase, are delicate and precious; to be handled with care. A few petals inevitably dropped to the floor.

The children, who came in quick succession; one after another, came without any instructions or An Idiot’s Guide to Parenting: Especially Without Support of The Extended Family. So, we did it through trial and error and learn along the way. We are still learning; from the time we heard their first wail in the labour ward to the constant desperate calls of “Where are you and come back right now!”

Mothering can be a headache, a constant worry, and it can be rewarding. Even without the flowers in the morning such as this, the very mention of the word Mama, early in the morning, late at night or anytime at all, is very sweet to the ears.

The vase with the flowers whose names I am just too lazy to google, sits on the window sill where Snowbell had claimed squatter’s rights. I slipped back under the duvet to enjoy the rest of Mothering Sunday, taking comfort in sound of the soft snore coming from the other side of the bed. Presumably, Mat Sprong is about to close his case.

We dont talk much anymore....

There was a time when communication was not a problem. Anything and everything was a possibility. Now, silence reigns; conversations interupted in mid sentence, in awkward pauses.

I know not what the problem is. I have tried diagnosing the situation but to no avail. I have clung on to that cable of life that has sustained my very existence here, but the problem persists.

Everytime I try, I get 'page load error' or ' No connection'.

Will be back, when the internet and I are back on speaking terms.

In the meantime, sing this to the tune of :
"You dont bring me flowers anymore"

You dont talk to me anymore
You dont connect me to yahoo messenger
You hardly let me online
When I sign in
At the beginning of the day

I remember when
You couldn't wait to connect me
Used to let me surf and entertain me
Now after letting me enjoy you
When its good for you
And youre feelin bored
You just act cruel
And cut me off
And you dont let me ym anymore

It used to be so natural
To chat on and on forever
But used to bes dont count anymore
They just lay on the floor
til we sweep them away

And baby, I remember
All the chats and blogs that I surf
I learned how to FB
And I learned how to skype
But those were the good times
Cos connection was good
But I took you for granted
But now I don’t know why
cause you dont want to connect me anymore....

CHORUS:

(Kak Teh raps ala Joe Flizzow - a few days with him has sort of influenced her)

I tolerated you, when you sent me spam

When all I wanted to say was damn, damn damn,

How cld u do dis, so reconnect me pleazeee,

So I cld do me work with ease,

I put up a lot with yr idiosyncrasy

Messing up my blog and and make them messy,

So put it right, and we call off the fight

Ahaaaa! Orait!

Kak Teh laments other internet headaches here:

Syaer to Blogspot

Syaer to Sang Spammer

Birthday celebrations sans moi?

My sms’es went unanswered and am feeling so left out. They are all out having fun by the poolside, with the chicken and lamb sizzling merrily on the grill, the children plunging into the water and splashing the adults sitting around and chatting.

And here I am facing my laptop, just imagining the fun and laughter, the teasing and the banter.

It is a collective birthday celebration. Today (14^th March) is Kak Cik’s. She had her present much earlier when she was blessed with a granddaughter, Nasya. So, Ton, Nasya is the present that all of us commissioned Dena to give to you.

Three days ago was my Nona’s birthday but I was busy all day at Stansted Airport, before that was brother in law, Wan’s birthday, his son Adam, and then Nasri. Also being celebrated is my birthday (soon), my brother Ajie and niece Oli.

So I can just imagine the look on Mak’s face – surrounded by all her children, daughter and son in-laws and grandchildren. She has her new set of teeth now and it shouldn’t be much of a problem for her to eat the grilled chicken. She’d want to walk around but a few steps would tire her out. She will refuse to be in the wheelchair although there are a lot of volunteers, reckless unlicensed ones, who are willing to push her around.

But she is happy, that I know. And out will come the stories of yesteryears.

She will probably tell about the birthday parties she had for us. She’d take out her collection of Pyrex – those with red roses – her pride and joy. It wasn’t everyday that we got to eat from those plates. She’d wash and keep them back in her glass cupboard, to be admired and dusted once in a while until the next special occasion.

Then, there’s her Tupperware collection too; those blue and green tumblers with matching containers for our sardine sandwiches and sardine rolls.

We’d have musical chairs and passing the parcel the way people now have Poco poco, I guess. But what simple harmless fun we had. Presents of a set of colour pencils and picture frames and autograph albums were much appreciated. No expensive ones.

I think the most expensive gift I got from Mak was the brown minibike when it was all the rave in the early seventies, and that was also for my birthday and for passing my exams. It was like receiving the key to a sports car!! I was flying in the air, and every morning I would meet up with Cik Na, also with a similar brand of minibike to cycle along Jalan Teluk Wan Jah to St Nicholas Convent. On the way back, a group of us minibikers would cycle back together and stop at Abu for noodles. Those were the days.

Anyway, have fun, everyone. Don’t mind me in cold and gloomy London. It is 11.33 am and you are all probably stuffing your face with the profiteroles that I ordered. And where is that promise to webcam? Don’t worry, I will find my own source of entertainment. I’ve watched several repeats of EastEnders as I have missed several episodes and later I have to attend an akad nikah. And I will have fun.

PS At last I got an sms from Dena: "Sedang tergolek sebab makan banyak sangat."

PPS, So, as usual, we skyped and after several interuptions and disruption, I felt as if we were all there - laughing and joking. There was Kak D, cari uban Pak Ajie, children running around and then things became quite hilarious when my husband took over the skype in a Tudung Ekin. The other side too responded with my bro in law Wan, in a Tudung Munawarah! If only I had captured it on screen! It became too much for the laptop - terus padam!

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UPDATED WITH PICTURES FROM OLI (Who didnt sleep a wink for fear she'd be thrown in the pool.

Ps Oli, it would take the entire clan to throw you in.

and......Why I'd rather celebrate from a safe (and drier) distance:

Everyone thrown in!

Mak happy watching from a safe distance as well!

Kak Teh skyped here as well:

And I was there too!

Look what came with AirAsia....

The Kuala Lumpur-Stansted AirAsia inaugural flight landed 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. And there were lots of excitement too at the departure lounge as some people were handpicked and upgraded to XL class. We were also treated to some Cadbury chocolates.

Later at the Radisson Hotel, the special guest of honour came and mingled very freely and even shook my hand and there were lots of laughter and rejoice as the 11^th of March came and everything seemed to go swimmingly well.

The 1800 flight from Stansted to KL too left on time, bringing holiday makers who grabbed the £99 offer one way as soon as they became available online.

That evening, there's more merriment at Millbank Tower and I was there quite late although the event too started late. The view on the 29^th floor, overlooking the Thames, with the London Eye and the bridges spanning the river – it was magnificient.

Air Asia brought The Saturdays to kick off the evening. I have not heard of them, and the children sort of tsk, tsk me. Then came Johan, or now better known as JoeFlizzow and his brother Iman as his DJ. Looking at him now doing the rap, I just couldn’t believe that that was the child who sang “Siapa kata gadis Melayu tak menawan” in my kithen in Bayswater some years ago. There and then on the 29^th floor of Millbank Tower, surrounded by all very young people, I felt 70.

Iman brought with him a gift from his mother – some beautiful Ekin tudungs. Thank you, Kudu. Another friend sent through another journalist, a new book by friend Lydia Teh, that prolific writer – Do You Wear Suspenders? Thanks, Marina. All brought on that historic flight from KL to Stansted.

But of course, AirAsia also brought Noryn Aziz, a gem of a jazz singer. Simply love her voice.

The party was still in full swing when I left. Old people, like young children have to sleep early.

A Walk Down Petticoat Lane

It was a very cold morning one winter, more than 20 years ago, that I was introduced to Petticoat Lane. The very mention of the word conjured an image straight out of a western movie, with raunchy ladies and their raucous laughters doing the can can, teasing their audience with their lacy petticoats. Perhaps it was for this very reason that the name Petticoat Lane, the world famous Sunday market in East London, was changed to something more sedate – Middlesex Street.

When a friend suggested a visit to this street market last Sunday, I eagerly agreed, forsaking a Sunday lie in for a walk down memory lane. Petticoat Lane Market, Portobello Market, Wembley Market are the haunts of Malaysians; visitors and locals alike – these are places you can find good bargains, almost original fakes and good leather products. And I am in need of a new leather jacket.

The market has been in existence since 1750’s, according to its history and was named after the petticoats and lace once sold there by the Huguenots who came to London from France. With more than one thousand stalls, you can find household goods, clothes, shoes, accessories and many more.

During the 40-minute tube ride on the central line to Liverpool Street, I tried to recapture the Petticoat Lane of yesteryears. The Petticoat Lane in the deep recesses of my mind was totally an alien place with a totally alien language to my uninitiated ears. Cockney was the language, so I heard, and everyone called you sweet’art or luv.

I was introduced to one Cockney word – Dicky Dirt – a shop in Bayswater where I went to look for some jumpers. Dicky Dirt is a Cockney slang for shirts, just like Her Indoors – meaning someone’s wife, similar to the Malay Orang rumah.

It was a busy market place where the likes of Del Boy (Only Fools and Horses) charmed you with their sales talks to buy yesteryears’ rejects or things that had fallen off the back of lorries. The sweet smell of roasting chestnut from corner street stalls intermingled with the aroma of hotdogs on grills. That was the Petticoat Lane Market in my mind.

And of course, as I made my way out of the station, (turn left and then right again, said the guard at the station), a familiar jingle played in my mind..”That big red building in Petticoat Lane…” It was an advertisement for a big leather shop at the top of the road, much hummed and repeated by the husband of mine. Is it still there? I doubt it.

I didn’t have any difficulties finding the street market. In the cold morning air, there were droves of people making their way there and I just went with the flow. From a distance, I could already hear the stallholders calling out to shoppers. The music coming from the stalls selling so called ori(s) prepared me for the Petticoat Lane of the here and now. There were more Bollywood songs wafting in the atmosphere of this East London marketplace. Places in East London, such as Brick Lane are more familiarly known as Bangla Town. There is a huge Asian community and so it was altogether not unexpected that I found many stallholders to be Asians, selling clothes made in made by aunts and grannies and cousins in their own warehouses nearby. Many are copied from designer labels and sold at a fraction of the price.

And of course an Asian Del Boy is bound to be found among them. As I was admiring a blouse, I could hear one chatting up my friend, telling her, he could tell from her aura that she was an intelligent girl. “And this one,” he said,” is the peaceful one. She is a very calm person.” And believe it or not, he was referring to me.

“Calm? Moi?” I asked sceptically.

“Yes,” said the Pakistani Del Boy, “ and if only you are younger!”

Suffice to say, I floated away with that blouse in my hand and spring in my step.

It was LV, Chanel and Prada galore. They even got the spelling and the colour tone almost right.

I went searching for my leather jacket – alas, I couldn’t find any that fitted me. In fact nothing suits me nowadays. They are either too small or too young. And the leather jacket that I was wearing that cold morning seemed okay still. I also scanned the area for the famous Pearly Kings of East London. Sadly, they were no longer around, only making their appearances on certain occasions.


As we walked away towards Aldgate East station, the smell of hamburger greeted us.
Halal hamburgers it says, being grilled by someone donning a ketayap. A nearby Chinese stall was selling fried noodles and we were greeted with a cheerful “Selamat Pagi!”


Petticoat Lane has changed somewhat, but that change is inevitable. But before we left, I found Fred, hunched over his stove of sweet roasted chestnuts. I ordered two packets; he burnt his already charred hands picking them up from the burning grills.

“I’ve been doin’ this for 51 years, I 'ave. This same spot ‘ere. Ne'er had to use thongs or nuthing’, he volunteered. “Mind how you go, sweer’art”, he said, waving us goodbye.

So, that was Petticoat Lane last Sunday, and I still have the jingle of the red big building in Petticoat Lane, playing in my head.

Picture of Pearly Kings and Queen taken from Strangebritain.co.uk

Petticoat Lane market is open every Sunday from 9-2pm.
Take the Central Line to Liverpool Street station. Turn left and then right - you will not miss it.
Or take District or Hammersmith Line to Aldgate East station.

A Tribute to Loga and Congratulations Datuk David Arumugam

Rummaging through my box of MiniDv’s and labelling them, I found one that I had been searching for high and low. Long time readers of this blog would know about my obsession with The Alleycats. And heaven help them, now that I have found the recording of their performance in London some years ago. This was at Oriental City, a year after Cik Siti performed on the same stage before her Royal Albert Hall debut.

I have learnt a thing or two about transferring visuals on to Movie Maker but I have yet to learn how to edit music. That’s a tough one.

Anyway, I remember the last time I was watching this video, I told my youngest about Loga. I said, Loga is not well as he had some sort of cancer. Imagine my shock when I heard that he died the very next day. I couldn’t even write a tribute although many readers came to my blog expecting me to write something about him.

The last time I went home to Malaysia, I was supposed to meet them and give them a copy of the video as I think it has some sentimental values, especially to David.

You can see two youngsters enjoying the performance by the side of the stage. That’s David’s son and daughter who came to meet him in London. Before that, they had not seen each other for 11 years, I think. You can see how proud they were of their father and uncle.

As you can see, it was a last minute decision to have the performance, but fans young and old came from as far as Liverpool. They danced and sang along. And Kak Teh managed to sit with David on the steps of the stage and hold the microphone while he sang. And guess what? I managed to say, Ma Kaseeeeeh!!!!! when he finished singing.

I have just edited this one song out of a whole hour’s recording. Enjoy it –

Loga, you will be missed. And congratulations to Datuk David Arumugam and Datin Sabrina.

Other Alleycats memories:

A Hair Raising Experience with the Alleycats

Obsessions

Wednesday Night Fever

I had forgotten how it felt having a fever. But last night, as I struggled to finish some work, it came back. I felt feverish all over. My head was pounding and my face was flushed. My whole body was aching. No amount of duvet could make me feel warm, not even with the heat radiating from the laptop, which I put by my side to continue my work.

It is strange that whenever you are ill, well, in my case actually, I think back to the days when Mak would instantly make chicken soup. Chicken soup seemed to be the cure for everything. And of course with moi – rice porridge with lots of ginger.

I was yearning for that last night but the chicken that Taufiq bought earlier was already in the oven. And I had roast chicken instead, with mashed potatoes. And although it was nice, it felt rough as I also had sore throat. The rest of the chicken went into Kissinger who was sleeping nearby.

This is a household where you’d be hardpressed to find any panadol or asprin or anything that spells drugs from the chemist. I was given Vitamin C and cod liver oil and Rehana made me camomile tea. And with that I drifted to sleep.

I think the excitement of last week’s events had taken its toll. It was non stop since last Saturday and the next few weeks promise the same what with Air Asia’s inaugural flight and some exhibitions and visits of some people that I cannot really avoid.

Am feeling better this morning and trudge to work I must. The temperature has plummeted again and as you can tell from the tone of this writing, I just want my duvet and hot chicken soup.
Pix from culinarycrafts.com

The week that was

The above video is actually the radio programme that I hosted, with some song requests from some of you. Apologies I couldnt play all as we ran out of time - but if you have time do enjoy the chit chat. The pictures I pasted in the video was to enable me to post mp3 on blogspot.

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I believe I have lost a week and need to recover. It all started with a trip to Manchester for the Manchester Games, which I thoroughly enjoyed – being among the students there, watching them play and enjoying the food at their food court. But it was all work, work, work. Then, back in London, as you know, we had some very important visitors in town, thus the new baju being flown in from KL.

I am sorry I can't publish any of those photos here as we were not allowed to take pictures. But it was a pleasant enough dinner and suffice to say, I didn’t trip or do anything outrageous as I was introduced.

The following day was indeed hectic – it was the event at Harrods. Oooh, so many celebs – and VVIP’s – I saw Lady Raine Spencer (Princess Di's stepmom) walking around saying hello to everyone and then suddenly she walked over and paid compliments to my dress which I bought at KL Sentral! Haha – if only she knew that it cost only £10!

Dt JC was busy with Nancy DellO’llio, and Datuk Bernard Chandran and wife were also there..some of the pictures I’ve put in the video as apparently that’s what I have to do to publish the Radio programme I did last Sunday, That’s another story :–

In the studio with me was also Khalid Din, an old friend of mine who is also, what I consider a cultural Ambassador to Europe. It was a good interview and I managed to play a few songs that you have requested. Unfortunately, there were lot of adverts so, we had to play that and we soon ran out of time.

The song Kekasih at the end was cut short but will remedy that when I come back from work later.

Ps. I dont think I can do more with the song as it took a good three hours to post and publish the whole thing.

Radio Revisited

Radio was my first love. But let’s just say when I first flirted with radio, I didn’t have the right assets for it. I was far too shy, my voice was too, too timid and soft, even after several sessions of voice production. But I remember my first Drama Minggu Ini with Shuhaimi Baba gosh, didn’t she just drill me into talking out loud and clear.

Anyway, inspite of all the limitations, I joined the radio newsroom of RTM when I was still a student; taking down weather reports (hujan di sana sini) and typing down stories from stringers carrying loads of equipments during assignments.

I met the likes of Yahya Long Chik, Patrick Teoh, Constance Haslam, people whose voices I grew up with. I was then able to put voices to faces, so to speak. And I really admired them.

It wasn’t until London that I went into radio wholeheartedly. And for this, I must thank my friend Aziz Ibrahim who was at the BBC Malay Service in the late 70’s when we arrived. He introduced me to the big man honcho, Mr Colin Wild, a kind genial man who spoke good Indonesian Malay and trained me in the art of broadcasting. To cut the story short, BBC, I think provided the best training for radio broadcasters and for that I am most thankful. Thus my forays into the world of journalism began, speaking to the world, everyday at 1.30 London time from that big building straddling Kingsway and The Strand.

The expected announcement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to close down the Malay section came in 1990. Someone had leaked the story to the Financial Times, and I rushed to the office to be met by seven men in grey suits. They apologised about the leak to the press, expressed concern and more apologies because they couldn’t do more to save the Malay Service which had been around from before the war, if I am not mistaken. Broadcasters then had included people like Tun Suffian.

But BBC had prepared me for life ahead, I picked up the pieces and started life a new, but I still had lingering feelings, wonderful memories of life in radio.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I was asked to be a special guest for Sounds of Malaysia, (nusoundradio.com) a community radio service, where one hour every Sunday was given to broadcast for the Malaysian community.

I had butterflies in my stomach through, ……..

(I don’t know how to explain this. My writing was interrupted by a phonecall, that brought me back to those BBC days, a phone call from someone in the Indonesian service, someone I have not heard from since he retired. It was Pak Brahim, who was appointed Senior Producer of the Indonesian Service at the same time I was appointed Senior Producer of the Malay Service. He wanted to know the phone number of Ishak Nengah and Aziz Ibrahim. There must be some thing here at work, I don’t know, and it is quite eerie!)

Yes, back to the interview at the studio in Forest Gate. Like I said, I had butterflies in my stomach but Miriam, who is the DJ, promised that it was going to be very casual. And once we were in the studio, headset in place, I was transported back in time.

We were then joined by DJs from Traxx FM DJ Par and DJ Fad Da Dilly’ O and from then on we were in our own world.

We talked about the Pak Cik sailors and my life as a freelance journalist and before I knew it, Miriam said why not present the programme on 1st March (Sunday 3pm – 4pm London time , Malaysia 11pm – 2 pm ) as she is going to be away.

So, the butterflies are back flying in my stomach. I have lined up a few items, and hey, if you want to request any songs (and if we can find them), please do! You can email me here – zwan_uk@yahoo.co.uk or leave your requests in my blog.

Please do so before Saturday – we need to see if we can find the songs. And as we have very limited time, one hour – I think we can only play a few songs. The first seven minutes are taken up by news and advertisements.

So, do tune in to www.nusoundradio.com or 92FM this Sunday.

On Air? Insyaallah, Tune in to nusoundradio.com

This week, life is going to be choc-a-bloc. Excitingly so because the Malaysian community in London is expecting some very, very important and distinguished guests. I am already practicing my curtsey, (Does one curtsey?) Anyway, my special dress for the occassion is right this minute, being flown all the way from Malaysia, and all I have to do is find my pair of JC shoes fit for the occassion and learn how to walk properly without tripping over.

So, watch this space.

But in the meantime, if things go according to plan, today (22nd February 09) I will be somewhere in a studio in East London, this time, with me sitting on the other side of the table, so to speak, being interviewed by Miriam Watt of Sounds of Malaysia on http://www.nusoundradio.com/ . Then click on Click here to listen Live. This will be at 3 - 4pm London time and I think that is 11pm in Malaysia. So, if you are still awake, and have nothing better to do, listen to Kak Teh being interviewed on this new community radio in London. That will either keep you awake right through the night or send you off to sleep within five minutes.

At a certain point during the programme, nusound will have a live link up with Traxx FM in Malaysia.

So, what will I be talking about? Well, what else, my favourite subject - The Pak Cik Sailors AND...Blogging!!

And guess what, if you want to request songs and send messages to friends and families, you can do so by emailing info@nusoundradio.com .

This is so exciting. I just love radio.

PS,

Sorry, I have not been able to put the interview here yet. Perhaps will do so tomorrow.

Thanks to those who listened - I thoroughly enjoyed myself. and it sort of brought back memories of those broadcasting days.

Ibu Melayu Mengelilingi Dunia - A Journey in Search of Her First Love

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It was done on impulse, a visit long overdue. As soon as I stepped foot on the third floor of the building, I felt a strange but familiar feeling, a familiarity that guided me to the place where I used to treasure the feeling of solitude while being at one with the surroundings. It was a feeling akin to visiting the place you used to haunt with a loved one.

I walked along the rows and rows of books, running my hand across the neatly stacked books between lane 92 and 94. There were loads of books from our literary greats, but my eyes were scanning and searching for one particular book.

And then I found it. I first set eyes on this book while doing some work at the British Library in the early nineties and I must say I was blown away by the courage of the writer, by her sentiments and vision.

A poem that she wrote in the book, and I reproduce a few stanzas here, will be etched in my memory forever.

“ Sekarang tibalah saat-nya kita berpisah,

Ku tinggalkan di-kau dengan penoh air mata,

Jiwaku dan jiwamu akan menangis meratap sendu,

Hanyut dalam kenangan yang tiada bertepi.

Tahukah kau, oh, sayang,

Sebelom kau dan aku berkenalan,

Aku telah menchintai sesuatu,

Kuanggap ia sebagai kekasehku pula

Tapi keadaan tak meizinkan kami bertemu,

Kerana kekurangan sharat pada diriku.

……..

Sayang:

Izinkan aku pergi menemui kekasihku,

Dan aku akan kembali kepadamu,

Setelah kami puas berchumbu, berchengkerama,

Di-pantai chita-chita.”

It was in aisle 92I that I found this book again “Ibu Melayu Mengelilingi Dunia 1 – Dari Rumah ke London by Aishah Aziz, a second edition published in 1956 – the journey of a wife, a mother of three young children then, the youngest only 20 months, in pursuit of her first love. Thus the heart-wrenching poem above, which she wrote before she left her loved ones.

The poem and her vivid description of the moment the ship Canton, pulled away from the Tanjong Pagar harbour, tugged at my heart strings and brought tears to my eyes. After a tearful goodbye and kisses for her children and husband, she watched them disappear from her sight. All she remembered and what became the strength that saw her through their years of separation, she wrote, was the loving look of the husband she left behind to look after their young children.

That was 10^th April 1955. Such was the resolute and strong conviction of a young woman, in search of education, to further her studies and widen her knowledge. That was her first love.

Reading through the thin, fragile pages of the 83-page book, I couldn’t help but feel in awe of this woman who must have wrestled with her conscience and struggled with her sense of responsibilities, to give priorities to an ambition she had nurtured even before her marriage. Along the way, I suspected that, her determination would take her a long way and I wasn’t far wrong.

Aishah wrote about her voyage on Canton, which started on 10^th April 1955 from Tanjong Pagar, Singapore, a voyage sometimes on rough open seas that ended at the Tilbury Docks, London on 9^th May of the same year. She chronicles life on the ship, in her cabin for four, her friendship with people from different backgrounds, the dancing, activities and entertainment on board as well as the meals served, which left her Malay palate yearning for home cooked food.

It was her account of the various stops in Colombo, Bombay, Aden, and the cruise along the Nile, Port Said, the turbulent waters and her reflections on events that made it compulsive reading. It is a travelogue that takes a reader on a journey of her mind and body.

What is profound about Aishah’s writing is her nationalistic feeling, her yearning for the country to be independent and progressive. She had visions and great ambitions for her country and the people she left behind. Her accounts of her stint in London, her visits to other places like Liverpool and Kirkby, resonate with reflections and comments on current affairs and social developments during that time. While she enthuses on the women’s rights and the British love for arts, she laments on moral decadence, on infidelity and free sex. And that was in the fifties. I wonder what her take would be on the latest story of a 13-year old father, with at least two other boys claiming to be sexual partners of the 15-year old mother.

What heightened my interest in this very thin book, written in old Malay, are several episodes of her life here which touched based, so to speak with some events in my life. She visited the colony of Malay sailors in Liverpool, a subject after my own heart. I visited them 40 years after her. She met Pak Cik Sailors who had been there for thirty or forty years before. And then her visits to Kirkby and Brinsford where Malaya then had Teacher training colleges. She has given us peeks and glimpses into the past. I had met some of the teachers who were trained in those colleges and heard their interesting stories. I had visited Brinsford and saw what remained of the college, and stood at the spot where my brother-in-law said he had his ballroom dancing lessons. I spoke to a local cycling past, who remembered the Malays who played football in the snow.

Another area of interest was her role as an extra in a movie “A Town Like Alice”. I know for a fact that many Pak Cik Sailors, like Pak Cik Ngah Musa and Pak Man Tokyo who made a lot of money in between sailing, working as extras. Aishah was an extra in A Town Like Alice. When I interviewed Pak Man in late 80’s just before he died, Pak Man told me he too acted in that movie, as a Japanese soldier. In 1990’s I was to take on the role of Fatimah in a BBC radio production of A Town Like Alice.

Since reading the book, I harboured a secret wish to meet Aishah. And I did some years ago at a wedding in Malaysia. She promised to give me the second part of the book.

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I knew she’d climb to great heights. She, Tan Sri Aishah Ghani, was Malaysia’s Minister of Welfare Services in the 70’s and one of the pioneers of Wanita Umno.

Picture from Wikipedia Bahasa Melayu.

Terima kasih reader Lanangkota for this information and link.

A copy of this book is available here:

Perpustakaan Peringatan Zaaba, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.

http://www.pendeta.um.edu.my