Nenek In Her Mystery World

Seeing Japanese soldiers around Nenek's house in Kempas was a usual sight during Japanese Occupation as these soldiers used to ask her ( Nenek's ) mother, to cook for them.

But there was once, when one of these soldiers while walking past Nenek's house, he saw a Chinese woman, into her late pregnancy.
One of the Japanese soldier caught the woman, tied both her hands to her back.
Both her legs were tied too.

Then, without showing any sympathy, the Japanese soldier thrust his long sword into the woman's big belly...

Nenek pre-schooling age then, ran into her house.
She told her mother of what she had just saw: The Chinese woman's belly oozing blood...

Her mother without further delay, quickly bundled her.
They ran further into the deeper jungle of Kempas, to Lukud.
Lukud was the third place of residence for the family of two in Johor Bahru, since Japanese landed in Tanah Melayu, Malaya.

Before, they were staying in Stulang Darat.
Their house was bombed by the invading force.
The only house in the village that escaped the bombing, despite all surrounding houses flattened and on fire, was that belonged to Haji Rashid's.
But that was with his family's rituals safeguarding it.

Often, the young Nenek saw Haji Rashid with his children would sit around the house.
Then ritual prayers were recited.

When Nenek could feel the earth trembling and wobbling, she knew that the very big and very tall giant guard that looked after Haji Rashid's house, was walking around his compound.

****** 

For the past few nights, the Japanese soldier who strike the pregnant Chinese woman's belly with his long sharp sword appeared in Nenek's sleep.
He brought along the woman with him.

He went to Nenek, asking for rice for him to eat. 

"Tak mau, tak mau kasi engkau. Engkau setan."

Nenek refused to give him any food.
He was a satan to her.

Both the soldier and the woman appeared in Nenek's sleep for a few nights, before Nenek prepared a handful of rice grains mixed with turmeric and rock salt.
She mixed them together and throw it around her house.
Then the dream stopped.

****** 

That was what was being said by Nenek when my daughter and I visited her in her new house in Kempas.

The girl was very close to her Nenek.
The grandmother used to be our next door neighbour.
She treated my daughter as her own grandchild, always showed the girl her greatest concern, always preparing her favourite asam pedas kepala ikan sembilang, whenever the girl was around.
The grandmother was forever willing to stretch her limited finance that she had, for her granddaughter.

I knew that Kempas used to be a black area.
It is only recently that housing development in Kempas took place.

I had heard of communist activity in Kempas area.
One of my husband's friend, his brother disappeared for good in the jungle.
Until today, there is still no trace to his alive or dead body.

My husband's cousin was caught, beaten and thrown into jail.
All of my husband's siblings and relatives, except him, went to Chinese school.
The cousin was suspected to be a communist as one of his friend had vaguely linked to the jungle party.

My husband said, being Chinese and staying not far from forested area, they easy fall prey into becoming one.
So, any Chinese then, could be suspected to be a communist.

The cousin however, was freed from jail.
Alive and kicking today, thriving in his automobile business.

****** 

It was only yesterday that I knew Kempas had its own story of Japanese Occupation to tell.

Life has almost comes to a complete circle for Nenek.
Her house she lives in, today, is around the place where she fled after seeing the Japanese soldier with the pregnant Chinese woman.

The peaceful river in front of Nenek's house, with spring water flowing down stream, she said yesterday, its water used to be red.
It was where can easily be found, many Chinese heads and bodies... separated.

In the meantime, Nenek is till mixing a handful of rice grains with turmeric and rock salt.
She is still placing the mixture all around her house.

Let These 'Ah Long' Do Their Work

Loan Sharks Listen To Man’s Wife
By ZALINAH NOORDIN

GEORGE TOWN: A group of loan sharks, in a rare show of diplomacy, sat down with the wife of a man who had borrowed money from them and listened to her side of the story.

The woman, a marketing and sales executive, who only wanted to be known as Lim, said the men were not aggressive towards her and only said they would wait for her husband to return after learning he was not in the country.

She said the loan sharks who came to her apartment in Tanjung Bungah had actually shown some empathy, unlike others she had read about who use ruthless means to get their money back.

Lim, 37, said her husband left her a note on March 1 to say he was leaving for China to start a business there to settle his debts.

She said the Ah Long had told her that her husband had borrowed RM14,000 from them.

She learnt that her husband had initially borrowed RM30,000 from the same people but the amount was settled by his parents.

“I was surprised they understood my situation and told me they would wait for him (Lim's husband) to come back,” she said at a press conference at the MCA public complaints bureau here yesterday.

“All I want is for my husband to return to pay off the debts and the housing loan payments that had not been paid since last October,” she said, adding the apartment was about to be sealed off by the bank.

The bureau's deputy chief Lim Thoon Deong said Lim's husband told him that he needed more time to save up enough money to pay off the debts.

Source: The Star - June 17, 2011

******

For every RM10,000 that My 2 doors away neighbour Laila* borrowed, before she get the money, RM3,000 will be straight away deducted.
With registration fee of RM25.00, Laila will only receive RM6, 975.

With that capital, Laila rolled to finance her evening food business, and feeding her family.
Every night after closing shop, the money lender will collect some money until the capital of RM10,000 was paid.
The RM3,000 earlier deducted was for the loan interest.

I was initially shocked when Laila detailed me her loan.
Two families sat together discussing ways for them to save on Ah Long interest.

Since the husband had promised to turn over a new leaf, and we wanted the family to save the RM3,000, we came up with fresh capital hoping that their food business, since starting afresh with interest-free capital, will bring greater fortune to the family.

The husband was initially ok, kept his promise, woke up early to go to the market.
Thus they were able to leave their house at 3pm, selling their arrays of dinner varieties of fish, meat, vegetables and their speciality, Laksa Kedah, earlier than usual at Sentosa.
They wrapped up early too, already home before midnight.

Laila had regular customers, mostly Chinese, as she cooked to their likings.
Occasionally I dropped by her working place early, just to see her customers already waiting for her to arrange the cooked food.
She had no problem having her cooking soldout every night.

Things went well initially, and Laila managed to put aside some money with Me when she made part-payment of the capital.
She knew business can flourish to the next level, if her husband manage the time well.

But when good money was rolling in, Laila was ashamed to tell Me that her husband bet more money in his 4D.
Things came back to square when rain never seem to stop and their customers were restricted to eat only at the 5foot way of rows of closed shops, not on closed car park.

Those were the days when she saw money depleting fast.
Even her saving with Me which she intended for her yearly trip up north to Kedah that usually cost her RM3,000 with 7 children tagging along, to visit her in-laws were taken too.

Big brother, Ah Long, came back into the picture.
Unlike the red paint splasher we used to read on papers, these Ah Long would sit and advice Laila on how to keep her family intact.

Yes, these Ah Long are intimidating people, but only to Laila's husband, to make him realise his duty as the head of his family.
He would use harsh words, showed his gangster way in front of Laila's husband and full of threat towards him.

But other than that, the Ah Long would bring gift of health tonic and food for My elderly neighbour, whose house the money lender would occasionally visit.
It was from where he observed that Laila's husband ran his duty.
Funny it may seem, but some men just prefer brutality than compassion.

It was after one of those 'Aidilfitri break some years ago.
After another fresh RM10,000 loan had just been made, Laila's husband sold the house and uprooted his family to Kedah.
The Ah Long was surprised at the silent move, the husband short term thinking for easily giving up good business premise and crowd of customers. 
Regular customers (My Family too), really miss Laila's cooking.

The Ah Long managed to track them, that sent shivers to Laila's husband, who had since become a lorry driver.
The Ah Long reminded the husband that if ever he heard that Laila had difficulties feeding her children because of the husband being lazy, he will not think twice to send men to chop his (Laila's husband) legs off.

The Maid - Why A No Malaysia, And A No - Yes, Singapore

Where Have S'pore's Indonesian Maids Gone? 
Radha Basu

It makes for an unlikely dream factory. At a whitewashed house on the outskirts of Jakarta, 120 Indonesian women are striving to fulfill a cherished migrant ambition.

They are training to be maids and to look after other people's homes in affluent parts of the region. It is often their only ticket out of penury.

Singapore has long been a coveted destination. But its allure is fading fast.

Ask how many want to work in Taiwan and 66 hands promptly shoot skywards. Another 39 favor Hong Kong, but only 15 cite Singapore as their dream destination.

Why is that, you ask. Singapore is safe, clean and so close to home. Why do they not want to work there?

"Money not enough, Ma'am," the women intone in unison. "Taiwan, Hong Kong got higher salary."

The labor squeeze that has long been a by-product of globalization and booming Asian economies seems to have reached the lower strata of the job market. Women, even from desperately poor backgrounds, can afford to be a bit choosier these days, as maid recruiters in Indonesia are finding out.

This group of women is being trained by Sejahtera Eka Pratama (SEP), an employment agency in Bekasi, near Jakarta.

A similar story is playing out in Pangkalan, a sleepy West Java hamlet about 250km away. Of the 5,000 families living there, at least 4,000 have a son or a daughter working in a low-paying job overseas. The hamlet's dirt roads are accessible only via motorbike.

Sukarma Mahmud, 50, a village recruiter who supplies Indonesian employment agencies with women willing to work as domestic labor overseas, is doing his rounds.

He is making his pitch to Kesih Suta, 23, as she sits on a mat in her parents' two-room home. She returned to her village last December after seven years away working as a maid in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

"You will earn more than you did for sure," he promises the petite woman whose last pay was around $320 per month. "You may even get four days off a month."

But Kesih, the eldest child of an odd-job worker and a farmer, looks unconvinced. "I can earn even more in Taiwan,' she says in Bahasa.

Sukarma changes tack. "You help me and I help you," he cajoles.

"You pay me something then?" she counters, as her two younger siblings - both under 10 - play nearby. "My parents could use the money.

Would 2 million rupiah (S$290) be enough, he asks.

'I'll think about it,' she smiles. 'No promises.'

Low pay, high qualifications
Indonesia is Singapore's biggest supplier of foreign domestic workers, with at least 90,000 of its citizens working in the Republic.

But a number of factors are taking the gloss off Singapore as a destination, as The Straits Times discovered during a recent visit to training centers and kampungs near Jakarta.

Interviews with 10 Jakarta-based employment agencies and dozens of women who have worked or plan to work as maids overseas found that low pay, high eligibility criteria and the surge in demand from Taiwan, where the women can earn twice what they can here, are undermining Singapore's appeal.

The relatively low wages that Singaporean employers pay for domestic help compared with rates in Hong Kong or Taiwan are by far the biggest disincentive.

An Indonesian maid with no experience who comes to Singapore gets around S$380 a month, though some recruiters are trying to increase that to S$450, with at least one day off.

With wage levels left strictly to market forces and individual employers and maids to determine, some earn even less. Some agencies in Indonesia still recruit maids for S$350 a month or less. Some of these operators are unlicensed.

In Hong Kong, where minimum wage laws are in place, a maid earns at least HK$3,580 (S$581), with at least one day off a week. Unlike in Singapore, domestic workers there are also covered by employment laws and entitled to all public holidays off plus paid annual leave.

Maids in Taiwan can command at least NT$15,840 ($678), with four days off a month. They are also paid extra for working on days off.

Malaysia used to be at the bottom of the table when it came to paying Indonesian maids, but the Jakarta government banned its maids from working there last year after a rise in alleged cases of abuse. Maids in the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the Middle East still receive S$350, or less, but the employers absorb all recruitment costs, unlike in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Also, typically, better-off Middle Eastern households employ a few maids each, so the individual workload is lighter.

While Singapore employers generally pay less than those in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the eligibility criteria are the highest.

A worker has to be at least 23 years old and have at least eight years' education to come here. Taiwan and Hong Kong only require domestic workers to be 21 or over. There are no official education criteria, though maids generally have at least primary-level education.

Nurfaizi Suwandi, chairman of Apjati, the Indonesian Manpower Services Association, says: "Twenty-three-year-olds might find it hard to want to work in Singapore for S$380 or S$400, when 21-year-olds are getting close to S$700 in Taiwan."

The body has 330 members, making it Indonesia's largest association for employment agencies.

"The 19- and 20-year-olds who want to come and work in Singapore don't stand a chance."

A few years ago, domestic workers fresh from their villages initially went to Malaysia or Singapore to gain experience, before moving on to higher-paid jobs elsewhere. As Singapore provided an important training ground, it seemed fair that maids were paid less, say agents.

For instance, when Titin Kartini, 26, the eldest of three children of penniless West Java farmers, decided to work overseas a decade ago, she chose Singapore. She earned S$230 a month and worked for a family with three young children.

She had no days off and was not allowed to go out on her own, but she did not mind. "I just focused on learning how to cook and clean, and I also picked up Mandarin," she says. "All I wanted was to move to Hong Kong."

She did so in 2004, and worked there until 2008 for around S$600 a month.

Titin has spent the past three years teaching English at a village school, but is now keen to be off again, this time to Taiwan. "I have always had good employers, but I really want to earn more," says the articulate and confident woman, who can cook for up to 30 people at a time.

Taiwan is attractive not just for the $700 salary.

Unlike in Hong Kong, where she says she was forced to take four days off a month by law - and in doing so spending precious money - she says Taiwan allows her to work on her days off.

By working three Sundays a month, she can earn an additional $70, she calculates.

Opportunities elsewhere
But experienced workers like Titin are not the only ones flocking to Taiwan and Hong Kong these days, says Charles Butar Butar, who heads SEP. Increasingly, even Indonesians with limited or no experience also prefer to start out there.

His agency now supplies around 120 maids to Taiwan and 100 to Hong Kong every month, up from around 80 and 50, respectively, five years ago. There has been a corresponding decrease in supply to Singapore, with only 20 or so of his maids headed here, down from 100 five years ago.

Said Butar Butar: "The Indonesians are increasingly seen to be more obedient and willing to fit into the Chinese culture. And Taiwan and Hong Kong employers don't mind if they have little or no experience."

The Singapore market is getting hit by another factor as well - a depleting supply of Filipino domestic workers, who have long been the Indonesians' rivals in the region.

"For some reason, Filipinas are not coming in the numbers they used to be," says the agency boss. "Indonesians are taking their place."

Filipino maids are increasingly turning down Singapore jobs unless they are paid a Philippine government-stipulated minimum salary of US$400 ($506). This has led to a surge in demand for Indonesians here.

The Philippine Embassy in Singapore confirms that the supply of Filipina domestic workers in the region has been falling in recent years.

More of them prefer to work as retail assistants and factory workers, or go further afield for higher-paying jobs as domestic workers in Canada, Spain and Italy or factory workers in Taiwan, its labor attache Rodolfo Sabulao told The Straits Times.

Indonesians, too, are navigating hitherto unexplored fields, points out Nurfaizi. They are finding jobs on cruise ships in the United States and Europe, and - through a government-to-government program - as health-care workers in Japan.

Even bribes do not work

In a region flush with opportunity, it is small wonder then that many young women in Indonesian villages are reluctant to come to Singapore.

After failing to convince Kesih, Sukarma, the village recruiter, drops in on Zubaidah Nono Suoyana, 27, a former factory worker now planning to work overseas as a maid.

Zubaidah has two young children, including a month-old son, and her husband's pay as an odd-job laborer is not enough for the family. She says she heard on the radio that girls willing to go to Singapore stand to gain an advance payment of 4 million rupiah.

As she has no experience as a maid - a stint in Saudi Arabia was aborted last year when her employer sent her home within a month - Zubaidah initially agrees to work for anything above $350 a month.

But the moment she learns that she might have to live on only $20 a month - or possibly even $10 - for up to nine months while she pays off the recruitment costs, she lets out a small shriek. "I won't even be able to breathe on that money. No way I could survive."

She says her Saudi employer's wife sent her back because she believed her husband was paying her too much attention.

"In Saudi Arabia, there were no deductions," she says. "How do maids survive in Singapore for so long with so little money?"

As he leaves her home, Sukarma claims that he increasingly has to pay maids and their families up to 5 million rupiah to coax them to even consider Singapore.

Recruiters emphasize that the supply of maids from Indonesia has not dried up. But there is a definite crunch in the supply of quality maids.

Says recruitment agent Rudy Hart: "There will always be some who want to go, but their quality is in question." He knows of women who take the "ang pow" money and come to Singapore, only to find that the work is too hard for them. "They then run away and return home," he says. "The agents try to chase them for refunds, but often they don't get any."

Dreaded English test
Singapore's supply is further depleted by the exacting entrance requirements, say Indonesian agents. In April 2005, Singapore introduced a compulsory test in English for all maids that radically changed the game, says Butar Butar.

With better-educated women generally gunning for higher-paying jobs in Hong Kong and Taiwan or other professions elsewhere - and Malaysia out of bounds due to the Indonesian government ban - Singapore is increasingly becoming the place for those who cannot really go anywhere else.

Even if they have completed the mandatory eight years of schooling that Singapore requires, they hardly know any English, points out Antony Rais, who teaches English at Sumber Kencana Sejahtera, a large employment agency on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Although statistics from Singapore's Ministry of Manpower show that nearly 95 per cent of all domestic workers pass the test, Indonesian agents say the number for Indonesians is lower.

Says Mr Hart: "The 95 per cent includes Filipinos, who probably find the test easy." In his agency, which supplies around 50 girls to Singapore every month, about a third fail the test.

In Butar Butar's agency, the pass rate sometimes falls even lower. "Just last week, I sent nine girls to Singapore and six returned after failing the test," he says.

One sultry afternoon earlier this month,  Antony coached a class of 40.

The women prepare for the class by memorizing the answers to 400 questions similar to those found in the Singapore test, with a Bahasa-English dictionary at their side.

The questions are framed in such a way that the women learn not only the basics of English, but also information directly relevant to their work as domestic workers. They also learn about their rights.

"Where in Singapore can you work?" asks Mr Antony, first in English and then in Bahasa. "Only in my employer's house," choruses the class, picking the correct answer from the list of four options.

Later, they learn what a "three-in-one" coffee mix is, how Indonesian helpers should be given at least one day off a month when they work in Singapore and how they can call their agent, embassy or a hotline run by the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) if they are not paid.

But learning by rote in a group setting is not always effective. As the class progresses, some play with their pencils or stare at the corridor outside, lost in thought.

Tough employers
While novices are eager to work in Singapore, some returnees are reluctant to go back.

Many narrate stories of how Singaporeans can be tough employers, unlike those in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Many rue what they call their lack of freedom.

From June 2009, when Siti Nurjanah Surjono left Jakarta to go to Singapore to work, till October last year, her parents did not hear from her even once.

Then, on Hari Raya last year, she called her mother. "It was like she came back from the dead," recounts her mother, Julekha Sutana, 45.

Nurjanah, 24, claims that from the time she began working for a family of five adults in Jurong, she was not allowed to leave her employer's home on her own, or even to make a phone call. Her primary duty was to look after the ailing matriarch of the family. She also claims that both she and the elderly woman were not given enough to eat.

Shortly after her first phone call home - 16 months later - the elderly woman died. Nurjanah was returned to the agency and asked to be sent back home.

Meanwhile, her sister Marfuah Surjono, 27, spent eight years working for two families in Hong Kong without incident. She was given enough food, had regular days off and the keys to the house. "My employers even took me to Ocean Park," she beams, referring to a theme park.

Marfuah, who now works as a Cantonese teacher to trainee maids, says she frequently shares her story - and that of her sister's - with prospective maids: "They need to be informed about the risks before they can make choices."

But Singapore still retains its attraction for one group of women who would work here again in a heartbeat - maids who have had fair employers and enjoyed their stints in the Lion City.

Siti Sopiah, 28, a farmer's wife with a one-year-old son worked for the same Bukit Timah family - a married couple, their son and the child's elderly grandmother - for seven years.

She said her employers were concerned about her well-being, frequently asking her if she was happy. They also bought her clothes and gave her generous ang pows during Chinese New Year.

When she left - she says she wanted to "take a rest and get married" - they gave her four gold chains. "All my time there, I only received kindness," she says. "And I tried to pay it back by working hard."

She is now training to return to Singapore. "It's clean, safe and the people are kind," she adds.

The best part, she says, is that her agency is negotiating a salary of at least S$450. "I am really looking forward to going back."

Source: The Jakarta Globe - March 27, 2011

The Food - Why Pumpkin?

I watched Iron Chef, a Japanese cooking show two nights ago, over Asian Food Channel, with 'Pumpkin' as its theme ingredient.

The very versatile fruit, popularly used in Halloween and Thanksgiving, can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted, whichever way we want to go about it.

I often have it boiled in coconut milk.
Mix together with prior stir fry ground, pound or slice fresh turmeric (if there is any), shallots (or onion), garlic and any kind of chilli.
Anchovies, prawns, dried or fresh, or the paste, is optional.
Throw in fresh turmeric leave, the aroma will be heaven.
Have it with rice.

Try frying thin slice pumpkin using tempura flour ( or mixture of wheat and corn flour, dash of dried turmeric and salt).
Then eat it hot.
Usually it substitutes My meal.

Another meal substitution is to boil pumpkin in thin coconut milk, brown sugar (preferably palm sugar or 'gula melaka') and screwpine (pandan) leave, if there is.
Then lower heat, add thick coconut, stir so as not to coagulate the thick milk.

I've never fail to order pumpkin soup whenever I eat out at Secret Recipes.
Pumpkin to Me, is comfort dish.
Soup, puree or pie, it is GOD gift.

My Mother used to slice sideway, opening the top, put in coconut milk, eggs, brown sugar (preferably palm sugar or 'gula melaka'), screwpine (pandan) leave (if its around the kitchen), then bake it.
Pumpkin Custard is ready!

Or it can be served sweet as 'halawa' a Middle Eastern dish.

******

Pumpkin is enjoyed by the Prophet Muhammad sollallaahu 'alaihi wasallam.

Anas b Malik radhiallahu anhu reported:

"A tailor invite the Messenger s.a.w. to a meal which he had prepared.

Anas bib Malik said:

I went along with the Messenger of ALLAH SUBHAANAHU WA TA'AALA to the feast.

He presented to the Messenger s.a.w. barley bread and soup containing pumpkin, and slices of meat.

Anas said:

I saw the Messenger of ALLAH S.W.T. going round the dish,

ate that pumpkin with relish.

So I always liked the pumpkin since that day."

- Narrated by Muslim, Book 23, Hadith 5068.

Anas r.a. reported:

“GOD’s Messenger s.a.w. used to like pumpkin.

If a dish of bread, meat and broth was put before him,

and it contained pumpkin,

he would pick up the pumpkin.

I do like to eat pumpkin because the Prophet loved it.”

- Ibn Majah and Al-Darimi radhiallaahu 'anha.

Jabir r.a. narrated from his son Hakem r.a :

“I entered the Prophet s.a.w.’s home and I saw pumpkin being cut into pieces.

I asked what that was for.

He s.a.w. said:

‘Something we put in our food to increase it.’”

- Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah r.a.

"The Holy Prophet s.a.w., amongst all other foods, liked pumpkin.

- Tirmidhi r.a.

Abu’l-Hasan bin Dahhaq r.a. narrated from Aisha radhiallaahu 'anhu that Rasulullah s.a.w. said:

“Ya Aisha, when you cook,

add pumpkins abundantly.

Because it strengthens the heart."

****** 

The pumpkin's color is a clue to its nutritional value as a great source of antioxidant carotenoids. 
 It is low in calories, and provides fiber, vitamin C, potassium and phosphorus.

Research in China reveals that pumpkin extract promotes regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells.
Compounds found in pumpkin could potentially replace or at least drastically reduce the daily insulin injections.
Pumpkin may be a source of medication, hoping to be able to boost insulin levels in order to lower blood sugar levels. 

According to Wikipedia, "research on type-1 diabetic rats, published in July 2007, suggests that chemical compounds found in pumpkin promote regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells, resulting in increased bloodstream insulin levels. According to the research team leader, pumpkin extract may be "a very good product for pre-diabetic people, as well as those who already have diabetes," possibly reducing or eliminating the need for insulin injections for some type-1 diabetics". 

******

Some people blend pumpkin and a yolk as face packs to refresh and rejuvenate the skin.

Honestly, I've never tried, as I'm faithful to using Eumora.

******

Roasted pumpkin seeds (kuaci putih) can be a great snack, some topped the seeds on ice cream.
Roasted seeds sold then, used to be saltish.
But just recently, I've found flavoured with garlic (at Sun Plaza, if I'm not mistaken).

Again, according to Wikipedia, "Pumpkin seeds have many health benefits, some of which include a good source of protein, zinc, and other vitamins, and are even said to lower cholesterol.
One gram of pumpkin seed protein contains as much tryptophan as a full glass of milk.
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and phytosterols."

Pumpkin seed oil is believed to be a folk remedy for prostate problems, as it contains essential fatty acids that help to maintain healthy blood vessels, nerves and tissues.

*****

The Chinese is known to stir fry pumpkin leaves or put into soup, but I've never eaten it before.
Anyway, My late Mother-In-Law used to prepare sweet potato leaves the same way.

******

The warm weather crop is grown round the world, maybe the exception of Arctic and Antartic.

I used to grow orange pumpkin along the side of My house..
Just throw the seeds on a bed of soil, and let nature takes its course.

I've never able to pluck the pumpkin fruit that I planted, but that is fine with Me.
The flowers are always plucked by My neighbours, turning them to 'kerabu' to Malaysian (?) or 'urap' (Is it Singaporean or Javanese?), mixed with grated coconut fresh chilli, and dried anchovies or prawns.

******

Loofah plant, related to the pumpkin, used to self-creep into My backyard.
I always had guilty feeling seeing the fruits hanging on cherry tree, and always offered them to (who else) neighbours.
I've never cooked it before.
The timing of the fruit ripening and my free time is always 'clash of the titan', wrong timing.

The fruit, by the time I was free, had already hardened.
Many of them dried up, the pod soon turned to natural sponge, in its long, natural shape.
Again, felt guilty seeing dried loofah sponge scattered behind My house.
Not appreciating GOD Gift, nature and My late Mother-In-Law.

******

In the 90s, I did not care much about recycling.
When My late Mother-In-Law brought Me those things, from Her Elder Sister who went back to their home village in China, I let those things staring at me at the kitchen sink for many years.
Maybe it was pleading Me to make full use of its presence.
I was more ignorant in the 90s about recycling then now, although I hate wastage.

My late Mother-In-Law used that to wash disheswhenever She was at My house, although there was sponge for Her.
She is a recycle freak, till the last of Her breath.

When My Son was six-years old, My Husband had the shock of His life.
His Mother had My Son wearing The Father's white primary school uniform.
My late Mother-In-Law then passed me a plastic bag full of white shitrs, all still gleaming white.
She had boiled them with clorox, and hand-washed them.
Yes, she hand-washed Her clothing, and My bachelor Elder Brother-In-Law's too, till She passed away.
We did buy for Her a washing machine, but it stayed covered ...

She had treasured those white shirts for more than 20 years, eagerly waiting for the day when those shirts fitted nicely on My Son.
20 years on, if She is alive today, asking for those shirts and the memory, I'll be lost...

******

The usage of loofah sponge reminded Me of commonly use of coconut husk before dish-sponge was widely available.

When I was in China sometime ago, I realised the traditional loofah sponge usage and its Chinese link.
No wonder My Husband bought them for sentimental reason and kept them for so long.

I was in Body Shop at Causeway Point when I realised it can be used during shower.
It is believe that the natural sponge cleans and exfoliates more deeply to hard-to-reach areas.
But watch out!
Loofah sponge can become a haven for mold if not properly maintained.
If it is properly dried up, it can last for hundreds of showers or baths.

******

It was during an Eidul Fitri visit at a house in Tampines when a bowl of extraordinary potpurri attracts My attention.
Upon closer look, it's a mixture of discarded coconut husk, its twiglets and small cuts of loofah sponge.

That bowl of potpurri led Me to appreciate the loofah plant that crept into My backyard, in memory of My late Mother-In-Law.

The Train Is Coming (To Mecca)

A Makkah Metro train during a test run. (AN photo)

30-Day Test Run For Makkah Metro
JEDDAH: The newly established Mashair Railway, which links the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa with Makkah, will have a 30-day test run before opening to transport domestic and GCC pilgrims during the upcoming Haj season.

Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb will inspect the railway (also known as the Makkah Metro) on Tuesday to make sure the facility is ready to transport the guests of God. The railway will bring about a dramatic change in pilgrim transportation between the holy sites.
Established at a cost of SR6.5 billion, the new railway will have a capacity to transport 72,000 pilgrims in an hour. Nine stations have been constructed in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifa, each having three stations. This is the second largest project implemented by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs after the SR4.5 billion high-tech Jamrat Bridge project in Mina.
Habib Zain Al-Abidine, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs, said the railway will have 10 trains in the first phase, each with a length of 300 meters. “Each train will carry 3,000 passengers.”
He said Saudi authorities have not yet fixed the fare. “The matter is in the hands of Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee. Once the prince gives his directives, we’ll announce the fare,” he said.
The time for transporting pilgrims from Arafat to Muzdalifa will be reduced to five minutes on the 9th of Dul Hijjah when the faithful will move together from the plain of Arafat to Muzdalifa. And another five minutes will take them from Muzdalifa to Mina on the 10th.
Zain Al-Abidine said the railway would operate throughout the year.
The second phase of the project will link Mashair Railway with the Grand Mosque in Makkah with a station on Umm Al-Qura Road. It will also be linked with the Haramain Railway that connects Makkah with Madinah and Jeddah.
The trains will have a test run covering 6,000 km each before starting regular operations. The first test run took place last Thursday. The railway will have 20 trains in the next stage, each with 12 carriages and each carriage holding 250 passengers. About 20 percent of passengers will be seated while 80 percent will be standing. Trains will have a speed of 80 to 120 km/hour.

******

A 'Train' Of Thoughts 
In Singapore, I saw the most intelligent and safest train in the world. It runs underground without a driver. It has 29 stations above ground.

The length of its track is 33.3 km and its speed 90 km per hour. This train is electronically controlled from an operations room, whose director says controlling the train is like playing a Playstation.
There are of course other examples. Let us go to Iran. A news item says China and Iran have signed a $2 billion deal (approximately SR7.5 billion) to construct a railway line from Iran to the city of Khisrawi in Iraq, passing through a number of other cities. The story was covered on Sept. 11 by a number of newspapers, including the Egyptian publication Akhbar Al-Youm.
Now let us go to an Arab country, Libya, which has a project for two railway lines with the total length of more than 1,152 km and costing SR9.75 billion.
This means that the cost of a single kilometer of rail is SR8.5 million. These two lines are being constructed by a Chinese company.
In Saudi Arabia there is Al-Mashaer (Holy Sites) Metro, which runs on track that is only 18-km long. It is also being built by a Chinese company. Its cost is SR6.6 billion, which means that the cost of a single kilometer is SR369 million.
Let us, without any prejudice, try to understand the high cost of this metro. It is a traditional historic tram. From the pictures that were leaked, it seems that in terms of decor its cars could compete with Van Gogh’s Opium Flower painting (which was recently stolen from an Egyptian museum). The cars are painted with 24-carat gold. The floors are encrusted with jewels and precious stones. Its seats are made of silver. It incorporates state-of-the-art technology and has an intercom system, which talks to each pilgrim in his or her own language guiding on the correct methods of performing Haj.
If need be, these cars will complete the rituals for the pilgrims. All the above is no more than hypotheses and theories. The truth lies in the hearts of the officials. I asked a friend why the Singaporean train is more intelligent and cheaper? He answered: “Because you are stupid!”
— aaljamili@yahoo.com

Source: Arab News

Whose Haven Is Johor Bahru?

It was reported in The Star 2 days ago that residents of Taman Majidee are living in increasing fear for the past 20 years as criminals are getting more daring and aggressive.

The neighbourhood used to be a nice place to live in the 70s but now no one can walk the streets alone without worrying about snatch thieves and robbers.
Many residents hope for a stronger police presence in the neighbourhood to curb multiple crimes, especially house break-ins. The question lingers of why the police had not been keeping an eye on the neighbourhood with the high crime rate there.

Zainab Ibrahim, 54, a retiree living with her daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandchildren, had her house been broken into at least 10 times in the past 30 years. She had also been a victim of snatch theft 3 times last year.

Low, 57, a businessman echoed Zainab’s sentiment that the crime rate in the area was much lower 20 years ago.
He owns a shop lot in the area and it is disturbing that so many crimes occur on a monthly basis.  

A retired doctor Another resident, Govind, 71, said crime was a common occurrence in the neighbourhood.

Almost every month, a house is robbed so it is no more a surprise news hearing about the robbery attempt on June 1, about 300m from his house, where robbers used a woman as a human shield when pursued by a security guard.
In the robbery attempt, a 19-year-old girl, a Datuk's daughter, suffered head injuries in the botched heist at her house has died around 10.45pm on Thursday.

The security guard opened fire on the 3 robbers while trying to escape with stolen goods on Tuesday night.
It was earlier reported that one robber involved in the heist was shot dead and another shot in the leg by the security guard.
The third robber was arrested after a car chase near Taman Kebun Teh.

Johor Baru (South) OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaakob said that police would step up patrols in the housing estate. “We are aware of the residents’ concerns. We will increase patrols as well as police presence,” he said.
He urged anyone with information on any crime related cases to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999 or the nearest police station.

Upon reading this, and reading the police statement of  "we will increase patrols and he urged anyone with information on any crime related cases to contact the police", my instinct of the ever increasing crime rate will never dip with such answers given.

I am about to share my story with readers in this blog when my eyes caught another news of JB city council taken to task for inaction.

The Johor Baru City Council has been taken to task for failing to act on public complaints despite numerous calls from local representatives.
Johor Baru MCA division chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) said the council must take drastic action in dealing with the people’s complaints or face the wrath of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC).
“We feel disappointed over the lack of cooperation by the city council in taking action on complaints.
“For example, the residents in Taman Century have been complaining about excessive noise from nearby nightclubs, but they (city council) have not taken action,” he told newsmen after the division’s annual general meeting, which was launched by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Dr Wee said the people in Taman Century wanted the council to ensure that the clubs kept out the noise but to no avail.
“Lack of action by the city council reflects badly on the Barisan Nasional government.
“If the mayor does not take action on public complaints, then the party has to report the matter to the MACC,” he said.
He added that he and Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad had visited places which the people had complained about.
“The people’s concerns must be heard and acted upon quickly. The cooperation of the council is paramount towards ensuring the people’s support for Barisan here,” he said.
On the AGM, Dr Wee said that the party had grown more stable under the leadership of Dr Chua.
“The Chinese community is happy that the party is voicing their concerns on various matters,” he said.

Today, JB's mayor has defended the MBJB.

Mayor Mohd Jaafar Awang has defended the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), which has been criticised for allegedly not being proactive towards complaints.

The city council, he said, was doing its part to address issues brought to its attention but it could not promise that all the problems could be solved.
He said the council was trying its best but “it is premature to say that it has not been taking any action on the complaints”.
Jaafar was responding to remarks made by Johor Baru MCA division chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong on Sunday that MBJB had failed to act on public complaints, even those raised by local representatives.
Dr Wee cited the example of Taman Century residents, who were upset about the loud noise from nearby nightspots, but MBJB allegedly did not act on the complaints.
Contacted by The Star, Jaafar said it was unfair to blame MBJB as “we are only human and cannot assure that all problems will be solved”.
“All problems are noted during council meetings regardless if they are brought up by local representatives or the public. And we always follow up on them,” he said.
Jaafar also said that Dr Wee should forward details of the grouses he received to the council.
“We would also like to urge residents who have complaints to come to our office every Thursday from 2pm to 5pm if they feel that their problems are inadequately addres­sed,” he said, adding that no appointment was required.
Jaafar said the city council had also received complaints via telephone.
“As for the residents in Taman Century, I would like to state that we have visited the area but we did not find that the noise was disturbing,” he said.
Besides MBJB, he said the district office was also in charge of issuing entertainment licences and it was equally responsible for taking action against loud entertainment outlets.

****** 

As for now, JB is all defended. Save my breath.

Mr Lee, My Father And I

"The first thing you learn as a small country is to act small and humble. You go around telling people, they say you are out of your depth, you don't understand my problems. So we keep our mouth shut unless we are asked." 

I heard these statements in the 7am news.
It rings in my ears and I think, will stay there for a very long time.

Nothing is more than the truth as what was said by  Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
That's what I've been practising, or put it into practise although occasionally there's slip of the tongue or just had to trash things out.

We are in foreign land, we can only look, see, feel and taste any bitterness that comes along our way.

******

Pride is very difficult for a normal being to do away with.
Live with ignorance... Yes.
But to live without pride?
Pride travels as far deep as into the jungle: A ______ of lion.

******

Mr Lee was then speaking at the 20th annual conference of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association on the theme "Climate Change And Legal Practice" at the Marina Sands Convention Centre.

He does not think much will come out from the next round of talks in Cancun, as long as countries like the US, China and India keep to their stand on the issue although it is something that has real consequences many years down the road.
Even as the climate change talks last year weren't a complete failure, no country could commit itself.
No one could commit to reduce a percentage of carbon footprint although all cards are on the table.

The Chinese and the Indians would also not want to commit themselves.
There's more dilly-dallying internationally.
Every country focus on its own internal problems.
Everybody are into a very difficult, messy situation.
The governments in power promise the people a better life…
So the idea of taking tough action now against putting off to the future generation.
The result is - "Let's put it off and talk about it."

That's Mr Lee Kuan Yew...
I live with what he visualise, he did, and ... ALL FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

******

I was very, very small when there's a  'barongan'  to welcome his visit to where I was staying then - Not too faraway from Izhar's house, one of the  'Black Dog Bone's'  member.

All I can say is that Mr Lee Kuan Yew is a very, very, very far sighted Prime Minister.
There's just too much father figure in him.

Until today, I see My Father in him.

******

My Father came to Singapore not out of poverty, but to seek knowledge.
He saw the Dutch that with knowledge they prosper.
Manipulating their knowledge in business, they monopolise trade in Indonesia and later colonise the country.

On My Father's journey to Singapore with his cousin, he saw many Japanese in Batam.
Japanese left their mark in Batam with a place called Nagoya - My Father learn to read, write and speak Japanese.

After the war, he married my Mother, who was 15 then, and still schooling.

She's The Only Girl in the school who's still attending class until 16.

The cousin, who hailed with him together from Kaliwungu, Kendal, adjourned to Johor where he became landlord, making and renting out houses.

When My Father was offered a piece of land in Johor by his cousin, My Father, though tempted, he had to refuse the land.
He priorotise the education of his eight children.
Ironically, as much as He valued education, I am the least schooled among the eight children.

******

Too far sighted Mr Lee Kuan Yew was then, that he saw all Singaporeans: en-mass.
I lagged behind.
Thank GOD, because of the lagging behind that I ventured out of the study world.

******

My Husband is also the product of not fitting into the local education system.
The only English-schooled Son in the Chinese educated family, His Malay language added many numbers to His aggregate, although He's an "A" student where schooling is concerned.

When all his Chinese childhood friends went to Australia, UK, US and Canada after their GCE, the only place he could venture out to further his education was, across the Causeway - to Stamford.

His Tailor Father who hailed from Kwantong (GuanDong), China, seemed resigned to fate - Whatever will be, will be.

My Husband could only console himself when he met one of his buddy, directing vehicles, trafficking himself in the middle of the busy Jalan Meldrum, JB, in his smart attire.
The good buddy was supposed to still furthering his study in UK then, but his mind just snapped.
Many years later, he was still stationing himself in the middle of Jalan Meldrum or Jalan Ah Fook, as usual, in his immaculate dressing: clean polo t-shirt, tucked neatly into his pressed slack, leather belt and clean sports shoes.

******

Did My Father conform to His Father's wish? No.
My Grandfather wanted him to attend to his many acres of land but He chose to venture into a new, alien territory.
He was back to his home-village several times or there's always money to be sent home.
I was with Him when He went back to his village to subdivide his land among his living siblings.

By then, My Grandfather had already passed away but, Mr Lee Kuan Yew is still alive.

Did the current PM, follow his father's way of how Singapore should be run? No.
I remembered when Mr Lee Hsien Loong had just become a PM,
he stressed, "... it's ok to have a bit of rubbish here and a bit there. It's ok for the shrubs to be a bit overgrown or not trimmed..."
That's not exactly his sentence, but that's roughly what's being said.

Is the current PM bring up his children as he was being brought up? Neither.

I do not turn out as what My Father expected his children to be, but yes. I wish My Children to be an observant servant to THE CREATOR and Somebody whom the society can rely on, GOD Willing.

***Thanking My Late Father And Mr Lee Kuan Yew For Their Far Sightedness That My Husband And I Are Together. 

*Life is full of irony. I'm now living not far from where My Father's cousin had wanted My Father to build a house then.

*Before my last visit to My Father's homeland a couple of years ago, I visited My Father's cousin a day before the departure.
He wept claiming how fortunate My Late Father, even after He's no more alive, His Children do return to where Their Father came from.
- Since the 2 of them left home, the cousin had never set foot again back to his hometown.

-10 minutes after I left My Father's cousin's house with his latest photographs to be shown back to his family in Kaliwungu, Kendal, Indonesia, I was called back to the house - he passed away.
Mission accomplished?

******

***Late posting as there's sudden black-out starting at 6.58pm when I was halfway doing this until 9.46pm when we were out having dinner. The  black-out  stretched 6 miles away.