3 months had passed.
Today is the 16th day of Syawal. A month long of 'Aidilfitri celebration after a month of Ramadhan fasting.
Almost everyday in the month of Syawal, neighbours, family or friends paid me a visit or I go around home-visit them.
In the month where we celebrated with good food and forgiveness, my heart goes out to the people of Padang, Sumatra.
In the midst of joyful rekindled-relationship and visitations, suddenly... the earth beneath them shaken.
The roof above them befell on their heads and the shaken earth trembled their fearful heart, running around searching for safe ground and safe-shelter roof.
I called up a cousin in Batam, Indonesia.
They did not feel the tremor unlike in Singapore where it was reported that more than 200 flats were shaken though it was later checked and found safe.
Almost after a week of the 30th September 7.6 richter scale earthquake, that forced open the earth to almost 50 miles deep, our call to a relative in Padang is still futile.There's nothing much we can do except to keep calling, waiting for the latest news and... pray.
This relative of mine has not yet seen the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow although her life is full of determination and she has had put in lots of struggle.
Living always in-fear in fighting-for-independent Aceh give her no choice but to leave behind her herds of cows and acres after acres of padi-field.
She traded them all, just to live her life all over again on the rich soil of Padang.
Tsunami had decimated all of what she left behind in Aceh.
She had just bought a piece of padi-field last month after her small hut by the sea and at the foot
of a mountain was flattened by yet another earthquake prior to this.And now... what is left behind???
Not even our anxious calls was returned...
