I read an interesting interview over the weekend between Mingguan Malaysia and Prof Dr. Khoo Kay Kim about the sejarah Melayu and the existence on Hang Tuah. To me personally who lacks general knowledge and any other knowledge for that matter, when Malaysian history issues are discussed, the only person that come to mind is Dr. Khoo. To me he is a renown historian and he is an expert about Malaysian history.. errr... yelah kan.. dah berpuluh-puluh tahun hidup mengkaji sejarah kan.. kalau tak expert gak, tak tau lah nak kata.
I took history when I was in form 4 and form 5. We were given an option of taking either history or geography and I opted for history. For a simple reason – there’s only one book for history and a few books for geography. I am lazy, hence opted for history. Plus I just couldn’t get it into my head all the climates, location of places, pekerjaan penduduk (if only I could answer the people in the country work as clerk, engineer, doctor, driver among others.. senang kan?) etc etc. History is simpler, I think. It’s purely fact, with no alternate answer.
Years after I left school only I understood the importance of history. Because of history, we sold our fresh water to Singapore at dirt cheap price which is almost like giving them FOC and in return we pay them huge amount of money for ‘clean’ water from them. Because of history, we lost the battle over Pulau Batu Putih, a tiny little island but with huge significant strategically. Because of history, we have the races in Malaysia like it is now. And plenty more. It’s all because of history. In order to understand the reasons of those that happened, we need to understand the history behind it. And I only realised about it when I got to know Lis – who I think is very passionate about history, that she took South East Asian Study (or something like that) in university. Gilak! Tak pernah aku dengar orang nak study benda alah tu. And yet she did. That’s really passion. If it’s not about passion, I don’t think anyone would learn it. I am pretty damn sure that’s it’s all about reading and researching and comprehending what has been read. Bahan lelap mata untuk aku tu. And I believe that’s the kind of passion that historians have. History is really a story telling, if you can make it interesting enough and if you can keep your eyes open while reading and understanding and memorising the facts. I am not one of them who can do that. Since I took history because I have to, I didn’t excel in it. I spotted questions for my SPM and I am not all that luckylah kan. Ekekeke.. Tak sanggup aku nak baca and hafal every facts in the history book. Penuh brain cells aku and harus leh nyanyuk! Ekekekeke.. Tuuuu dia alasan orang pemalas, okeh!
Anyway, when I was in school, Sejarah Kesultanan Melayu Melaka still evolved around how Parameswara opened Melaka until the day Portuguese came and followed by Dutch. I can’t recall Hang Tuah’s character in the book. I am not even sure if it’s there. But I sure know about Hang Tuah lima bersaudara. And Hang Li Po. And kesetiaan Hang Tuah. If it’s not from book, or hearing it from others, it must be from P Ramlee’s movie. I used to wonder how the story came about. I wonder if there’s any proof of such story. I don’t think there’s much proof on Sejarah Melayu, unlike those of Greek history, or Dutch history or any European history. Nak kata tinggalan bangunan pun takde because they were wooden buildings and all were somehow burned down.. or probably dimakan anai-anai or reput over the years.. Photographic evidence apatah lagi. So the best would be written evidence, if any. But I wonder who would have kept preserved such evidence. Entah.
From the weekend’s paper, I understood that Prof. Khoo had came out with a statement that Hang Tuah doesn’t really exist and he is only a legendary figure because there’s no proof of his existence. I am pretttyyyy sure that there are many who would disagree with him. Interestingly, in the same paper, there’s a group that came out with a statement saying that they are the descendants from Hang Tuah and Tun Perak. Apparently, they claimed that Tun Perak was Hang Tuah’s father in law. Waaa... I am curious to know which daughter of Tun Perak managed to win the heart of Hang Tuah. According to them, there’s a manuscript or book or something that prove Hang Tuah’s existence and that material has been kept in secret by the descendents of Hang Tuah, and only a few lucky ones have been granted the privilege of reading it. Why eh? I am curious. Because of the statement made by Prof. Khoo, this group is willing to share the material. I personally can’t wait for it. It would be great, man!! Barulah real kewujudan orang yang kata ‘Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia’, kan? All these while, cuma kewujudan orang yang kata ‘Melayu Mudah Lupa’ je yang aku tau.. Ekekekek.. Interesting indeed.
Prof. Khoo also said in the interview that yes, people claimed that there’s Hang Tuah’s tomb in Melaka which is unnamed. But, there’s also claim that Hang Tuah never returned from Gunung Ledang. So which is which? He can’t be disappearing in Gunung Ledang yet there’s his tomb in Melaka. Betul gak kan? So the storyline has to be accurate since history is fact. There’s no alternative to a fact.
Besides Hang Tuah, Prof. Khoo touched the points where many Malaysians took for granted or don’t even bother of knowing. Many roads in KL are named after historical figures like Jalan Maharajalela, Jalan Raja Chulan to name a few. Maharajalela is a taken from Datuk Maharajalela who killed JWW Birch. But many don’t know that ‘Maharajalela’ is only his title. His real name is something else.. and... damn I have forgotten the name despite reading it over the weekend. Hish! And how many of us really know who is Raja Chulan? Interesting kan? Nasib I know Tuanku Abdul Rahman.. and Tunku Abdul Rahman.. errr which one is Jalan TAR eh? The first Agung or the first PM? Hahahahahah.. Mamposlah tu pun tak tau. He also mentioned that there are other figures that worth to be remembered like the first Malay doctor. Korang tau? His name is Dr. Latiff and I have forgotten his full name. Hampeh sangat!!
Errr tu baru sejarah Melayu and sejarah Malaysia. Sejarah Islam, how? Lagi haru.. I am pretty sure that I don’t know much about our Rasulullah SAW. Probably I know more about some people who can’t give me syafaat di akhirat nanti. Haru sangat kan? And yet I ‘claimed’ to love Rasulullah SAW. Sejarah perjuangan dia menegakkan Islam, sahabat-sahabat dia, those who fought the battle with him during zaman jahiliyah etc. I don’t know much about how Islam came to Spain and Turkey when it’s actually something interesting to learn. I actually have a lot of time to read about those facts if I want to. But I prefer to learn about angry birds now. Damn you angry birds! If only I can find ways to get addicted to read these histories kannnnnn...
So peeps.. how much do you know about any history?
Angah
Monday, 30 January 2012
Friday, 27 January 2012
Announcement Air Hostess Style
Have you ever flown on a commercial flight and really listened carefully to what air hostess said when he/she made in-flight announcement? Honestly, I always think that they have their own language. It’s universal, and it’s their language.
I don’t know where they learn to speak the language. I would presume in the air hostess’ school. Of course I can’t say anything about it when the announcement was made in language other than Malay or English. But I would think that it would be just the same.
Frankly, I think they really, really need to work on their diction. They really, really need to learn how to pronounce the words properly. It can’t be too difficult. Even if they are as dumb as whatever, if they keep on reading the same script over and over and over again for probably a gazillion time, they should be able to pronounce it better every time. They could even learn to pronounce it in Queen’s English or any accent that they want but proper. Or for the Malay version, to me they could say it in any dialect they want depending on the route of the flight. It doesn’t matter to me but it has to be proper. Instead, they decided to pronounce words their way – like ‘I did it my way’ kind of thing. Cute kot?
I seriously feel that they should employ people who train those newscasters to train them. They are making safety announcement for goodness sake or any other important announcement in flight. And, if it’s important enough to make such announcement, then it should be important enough for them to pay attention to what they are saying. Mumbling or saying things that are undecipherable won’t help. And they way the pronounce things irritate me. They don’t know which points to stress on or which points that they can lay it low. They probably think that saying things in their own ‘soft’ way or ‘meleweh’ (I seriously don’t know any other words for this) way work for the passengers. Even the male hostesses say things in the same ‘soft’ way. Gosh.
Erk. Why do I blog about this? Dah lama dah nak blog about this but I keep on forgetting. I always ‘blog’ about it in my head when I fly but never really put it in writing. So this is sort of a long overdue entry. Ekekekeke.. Aci tak?
Happy Friday people. I just wish I could fly anywhere for a holiday!
Angah
I don’t know where they learn to speak the language. I would presume in the air hostess’ school. Of course I can’t say anything about it when the announcement was made in language other than Malay or English. But I would think that it would be just the same.
Frankly, I think they really, really need to work on their diction. They really, really need to learn how to pronounce the words properly. It can’t be too difficult. Even if they are as dumb as whatever, if they keep on reading the same script over and over and over again for probably a gazillion time, they should be able to pronounce it better every time. They could even learn to pronounce it in Queen’s English or any accent that they want but proper. Or for the Malay version, to me they could say it in any dialect they want depending on the route of the flight. It doesn’t matter to me but it has to be proper. Instead, they decided to pronounce words their way – like ‘I did it my way’ kind of thing. Cute kot?
I seriously feel that they should employ people who train those newscasters to train them. They are making safety announcement for goodness sake or any other important announcement in flight. And, if it’s important enough to make such announcement, then it should be important enough for them to pay attention to what they are saying. Mumbling or saying things that are undecipherable won’t help. And they way the pronounce things irritate me. They don’t know which points to stress on or which points that they can lay it low. They probably think that saying things in their own ‘soft’ way or ‘meleweh’ (I seriously don’t know any other words for this) way work for the passengers. Even the male hostesses say things in the same ‘soft’ way. Gosh.
Erk. Why do I blog about this? Dah lama dah nak blog about this but I keep on forgetting. I always ‘blog’ about it in my head when I fly but never really put it in writing. So this is sort of a long overdue entry. Ekekekeke.. Aci tak?
Happy Friday people. I just wish I could fly anywhere for a holiday!
Angah
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Teringat - Roti Canai
Weather was good. And so was traffic. Many KL dwellers were probably still sound asleep or happily holidaying somewhere away from hustling and bustling KL. I was having roti canai for my breakfast when the images of the past came to mind.
Back then, mamak shops were not a common sight. Not many stalls that sell nasi lemak or kuih for breakfast either. And I can’t recall many food outlets around. Most of the time, when we ate something, they had to be home cooked. And to me, Emak is an excellent cook. Not that she can cook like those decorated chefs. But whatever she cooks, are to my liking. Okay, not all but most of them. And she cooks almost everything. All the lauks for lunch and dinner, and kuihs for breakfast or teatime. Including roti canai.
The skill of making kuihs is probably common to many Malay women – especially the generation above me. I can’t say the same about my generation. But I am not sure about the skill of making roti canai. I am not sure if many mothers know how to make roti canai. But I am sure Emak can or could actually make roti canai.
Growing up, I loved to be with Emak when she was in the kitchen. I would spend time with her in the kitchen and helped her with little chores that she would asked me to. I would be with her when she cooked daily meals after she came back from work late evening. I would be with her when she woke up early to cook nasi lemak for breakfast. I would be with her when she made karipap and attempted on making one myself even though Emak would say that the karipap looked like my face. Comel lah tu kannn.. Ekekekeke.. I would be with her when she made kuih raya during the fasting month. I would also be with her when she made roti canai.
Emak would prepare the dough the night before. I don’t know where she learned how to make the dough. Certainly not from Google. She would tebar the roti canai just like the pros and then later in the morning cooked like the pros as well. I can’t recall the taste, and I can’t recall if there’s any complain. So I guess her roti canais were as good as those from the shops.
I wonder if Emak can still make roti canai or still remember how to make one. Of course there’s no need for that anymore with a lot of shops and stalls selling roti canai around. And not forgetting those frozen and readymade ones. But the fact that once upon at time she made roti canai for the family is something that’s worth remembering her for. Probably if I were a mother in those years where Google and internet and iPad were not in existence, my kids would only have bread for breakfast. Nasiblah.
Angah
Back then, mamak shops were not a common sight. Not many stalls that sell nasi lemak or kuih for breakfast either. And I can’t recall many food outlets around. Most of the time, when we ate something, they had to be home cooked. And to me, Emak is an excellent cook. Not that she can cook like those decorated chefs. But whatever she cooks, are to my liking. Okay, not all but most of them. And she cooks almost everything. All the lauks for lunch and dinner, and kuihs for breakfast or teatime. Including roti canai.
The skill of making kuihs is probably common to many Malay women – especially the generation above me. I can’t say the same about my generation. But I am not sure about the skill of making roti canai. I am not sure if many mothers know how to make roti canai. But I am sure Emak can or could actually make roti canai.
Growing up, I loved to be with Emak when she was in the kitchen. I would spend time with her in the kitchen and helped her with little chores that she would asked me to. I would be with her when she cooked daily meals after she came back from work late evening. I would be with her when she woke up early to cook nasi lemak for breakfast. I would be with her when she made karipap and attempted on making one myself even though Emak would say that the karipap looked like my face. Comel lah tu kannn.. Ekekekeke.. I would be with her when she made kuih raya during the fasting month. I would also be with her when she made roti canai.
Emak would prepare the dough the night before. I don’t know where she learned how to make the dough. Certainly not from Google. She would tebar the roti canai just like the pros and then later in the morning cooked like the pros as well. I can’t recall the taste, and I can’t recall if there’s any complain. So I guess her roti canais were as good as those from the shops.
I wonder if Emak can still make roti canai or still remember how to make one. Of course there’s no need for that anymore with a lot of shops and stalls selling roti canai around. And not forgetting those frozen and readymade ones. But the fact that once upon at time she made roti canai for the family is something that’s worth remembering her for. Probably if I were a mother in those years where Google and internet and iPad were not in existence, my kids would only have bread for breakfast. Nasiblah.
Angah
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Monday, 23 January 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)