Cinta Selat Tebrau - My Version

Later in the day, Rosyam Nor, the 2-time Asia Pacific Film Festival Award-winning Malaysian film producer and stage actor will be in Perkampungan Melayu, Geylang, to audition the public for his coming DVD telemovie, 'Cinta Selat Tebrau'.

He is said to be the lead (?) actor.
The local actress, among others, will be Mastura Ahamd, a well known local tv personality.
I surfed the net if 'Cinta Selat Tebrau' will be based on novel which I have yet to read, but I doubt so, being Rosyam will be the hero.
There's only  one  online short storey found.

Yes, Selat Tebrau has many love stories to unfold.
If the straits can communicate, Selat Tebrau links and breaks many hearts - Many lives and many families too.

I could not remember when was the first time I crossed the Tebrau Straits but it was usually to follow My Late Father visiting His only cousin who travelled with Him together from Central Java, who lived in Kampong Melayu Majidi.
Subsequently when I married and stay across the causeway, it made many hearts worry - The tenants whom My Father rent out houses in Geylang Serai when I was younger, were almost 100% from across the causeway.
Generally they worked in Singapore as construction workers building flats.
Some of them married Singaporeans and having families.

When they were no more working, some uprooted their families to go back to their homeland across the causeway.
Many others left their Singapore wife and children to self defend themselves - These cause more worry for My Parents, Brothers and Sisters as I have no one to turn to in times of need.

The experience of a late ex-neighbour who has had the daughter married off, followed the husband 'balik kampung' and left to tend padi field in Negri Sembilan worried them more.
The lady's husband, as I was informed by her sister, did not bother to renew the wife's travelling documents. That is to say, she lives illegally in Negri Sembilan.

As time passed, it is My turn to worry for those who married across the causeway.
There was once when I was at the checkpoint, I bumped into an old neighbour, whom I knew had moved to KL.
Yes, she was still staying in KL then, but work the 12-hour shift in Seagate Singapore.
The 3 or 4 days she's in Singapore working, she stayed over at her mother's house.
She will travel back to KL on her last working days every week for another 3 or 4 days to spend time with her 7 children.
Her tourist guide husband was in jail for drug offence.
When he was finally hanged, We found a place in JB for the mother to go back to her children every working days.

A girl who used to sleep over at My place before her marriage, suddenly avoided me when we happened to meet in Singapore-Johor Express Bus.
I had to stop lending money to her when she was in great difficulties - She continued to get engaged to her relative, knowingly he suffered from  hernia.
Even during their engagement period, her man would be on long sick leave.
It worried me then, as she's an orphan with only her brother to depend on.

Her man's application to get married to her was turned down by the Singapore government, but they married, anyway - Love is blind, she said, which I replied, yes love is blind but sickness sees money - And money is never enough for the couple before, and worst still, after marriage.

But one jovial Singapore-Johor Express Bus driver, who admitted himself having 3 wives, never fail to cheer the passengers in which the bus he drives with topic of the day - From the numbers that he bought to juggling his time with his wives.
"Oh, Hari Raya satu hari saya duduk kat masjid. Bini semua tak boleh kacau."
What a man!

Love for their family led to many Malaysians cross the Singapore-Johor Causeway daily - average motorists going to work in Singapore is no less than 30,000 per day.

There was this lady who work as a cleaner in Raffles Hospital for S$800 per month.
"Cukup ke? Tambang sendiri, makan lagi," I asked her.

"Sendiri negeri kerja cleaner mau 600 pun tak boleh dapat. Segini dapat, boleh saving lagi."
I feel for her.
She's proud of what she's earning.

I had seen the proud face of a degree holder, working as a S$1,800 security personnel in Changi.
He travelled daily from Pasir Gudang.
The factory-hand widowed mother is even prouder of her son - He schooled his 2 siblings and their house was fully paid, by him.
These 2 Indians,  and many others,  have my full respect.
I always admire their perseverance.

Try lining 'Selat Tebrau' with money those workers earned from across the causeway???

******

A man, who once served at Woodlands Naval Base, would drive his wife to work across the causeway daily from Tun Aminah.
"Dia kerja ukur kain kat Wodlands." Her parents were made known the nature of her work.

"Ukur kain boleh balik kampung kat utara tiap-tiap bulan ke?" I was curious.

A close neighbour of mine would scrimp and save to go back up north once a year.
RM3,000 had to be put aside for the yearly hari raya trip wih 5 kids in tow.
"Nasib baik Ummie, dua-dua kampung tak jauh. Kalau tak, tak salinlah hari raya jawabnya." 

******

At last, the man who drove and wait his wife at work, opened up.
His wife, a licensed prostitute in Singapore.
She would go for check-up every two weeks, so not to worry about that.

They were used to living in Singapore and there's no other ways for them to earn money he used to have, feed their 3 kids and need to send 'kampung'.

That's the couple's 'Cinta Selat Tebrau' too?
Their version?                                                 

Thanking Al-Arqam

Malaysia'a Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday has called on all family members and followers of the late Ashaari Muhammad, who died of lung infection at the Ipoh Specialist Hospital at age 73, last Thursday at 2.10pm, to accept his death, with some 1,000 people attending the funeral, and to abide by the edict banning the Al-Arqam movement that he founded.

There should be no question of the status of the movement, as the movement was banned by the National Fatwa Council on 5 August, 1994 while Ashaari was detained under the Internal Security Act from Sept 2 to Sept 24 in 2004 before he was placed under restricted residence in Rawang and later in Labuan for 10 years.

Speaking to reporters later, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the authorities were constantly monitoring the activities of those attempting to spread deviant religious teachings. He assured the public that the Government's stand on the movement is clear. There is no reason for concern that there might be attempts to revive it.

******

Although I have never touched any local issues where politic and political figures are concerned, that doesn't mean I'm out of touch. This particular topic urged me to do so.

A simple person like me with only simple things in mind, sure want simplicity in nurturing and educating My Children. I did not want to tire them by attend too many classes and bored them with schools.
Preferably, everything has to be under one roof - After much survey of local all-rounders education, the answer then was pre-school set up by the Al-Arqam movement followed by early primary education with the same institution.

There's never a day that My Children wanted to skip school as they did not have to attend the religious school, a must in Johor, if they attended the normal school, and they were not sent to Qur'an recitation session, as all was taught and guided in their day class.

As a parent, loads to teach right from wrong and guiding them being dutiful and observant were much relieved off my shoulders as, as I mentioned earlier, all was taught and guided in their day class.
Even my late Mother-In-Law, a staunch Buddhist, who looked after them, admitted that My Children were her favourite Grandkids, because - They never fail to kiss her hand.
 
My Children were out of the institution not because of it being banned, but because of distance issues - They were not used to being away far too long.

When they were being relocated to the local government school, they were to sit for general examination - either to put them in class according to their age, or demote them as I was told, most ex-Al-Arqam students were known to slack in formal education.
I was surprised to see them bring home new bags, stuffed with school uniforms and new text-books. I called up the school assistant, who happened to be a good friend, asking what's really happening.
The answer shocked me - Ex Al-Arqam students are known to be poor, hence the assistance.

Thank GOD, My Children did not fail their ex-teachers - They obtained straight 'A's for their primary 6 and were top students in their secondary schools. My Son had one 'B' in his SPM. Other than that, it's all 'A's again.

Once, a neighbour's 18-year old son approached My Son with his remark, 'Engkau kecik-kecik lagi dah pakai cermin, nanti dah besar, mesti tebal punya cermin engkau."
To which my then 12-year old Son replied, "Pada engkau, sampai besar tak pakai cermin pun bodoh sekolah, lagi bagus aku pakai cermin pandai belajar."
I was shocked with his rude reply but that's the last time the neighbour's son was heard.

It's because of her background that makes My Daughter rather have her research done fortnightly in Kedah.

******

It was after the movement was banned in 1995 that a group of the Johor's SEDC's Tiram Travel Agency, stopping by at An-Nur Mosque in Woodlands on their way to Changi Airport to Mecca, was surprised for the deviation by MUIS - The pre-schoolers of An-Nur Mosque were reciting their daily Asma'ul Husna when I was stopped by one of the Tiram's jema'ah,  "Lagu tu kan dah haram. Tak boleh nyanyi lagi. Berdosa. Tv pun tak mainkan lagi." 
"Haram? Nama Tuhan haram? Habis, nama siapa yang halal?"
She gave me no answer.

The National Fatwa Council has blundered many simple-minded minds other than the above.

Looking back, Raihan, Rabbani and Hijjaz are some of the nasyid group to have their roots from Al-Arqam. The popularity of these groups make many spirits soar and souls searched and researched.

Whatever it is, Thanks Again, Al-Arqam. 

Picking Up The Pieces

A Chinese farmer, who was wrongly jailed for 11 years for murder he did not commit, has been acquitted after the victim 'came back to life'.

Zhao Zuohai, 57, was recently released from prison after the man he was convicted of killing more than a decade ago reappeared in their home village alive on April 30. The Henan Higher People's Court in China declared Zhao Zuohai, innocent on Saturday after confirming Zhenshang's identity on Friday, May 7.

A press conference was held on Sunday - The court official said Zuohai was declared innocent, released from the prison and helped him settled down.

After being tortured into confessing to the murder of a man who is not even dead, he has been given 650,000 yuan (US$96,000) in government compensation, state media reported on Thursday. He is now asking for more compensation.
Zhao Zuohai, 57, has asked for another 650,000 yuan in compensation after he received the same amount last Thursday morning from judicial officials in Shangqiu City in central Henan province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

He said the money awarded to him earlier was not enough to cover his losses - Spending 11 years behind bars and returning home to find his wife remarried and his children adopted by other families.
After he went to prison, Zhao's wife remarried and two of his children were adopted by her new husband. The other two children left home to work as migrant labourers.

Zhao Zuohai showing the cheque with the compensation money (Photo: China News Service)

Family members said Zhao agreed to the initial compensation because court officials knocked on his door at midnight and persuaded him to sign documents without clarifying certain details.The next day, Zhao regretted signing the papers because he considered the amount "too little", they said.

Yuan Hegang, spokesman for the Henan Higher People's Court said the compensation was in line with the State Compensation Law including 450,000 yuan for wrongful jail for 4,019 days, and 200,000 yuan as allowances to support Zhao’s future.

Wang Jianmin, Party chief of the political and legislative affairs committee of Shangqiu city, shaking hands with Zhao Zuohai.

 "It was better to be dead than alive," he told Beijing News.

******

After his release, Zhao said he had been forced to confess to murder, beaten at the head with a long stick, asked to drink something that made him really sleepy and set off fireworks above his head. He was tortured during the interrogation until he confessed to the crime.
Police made him stay awake for days.

Zhao's ex-wife said she was tortured by the police for about a month in 1999 when the headless body was found. The police kept asking her if she knew Zhao Zuohai killed the man.
She was beaten up when admitted she did have any knowledge about it.

The incident has raised concerns about torture, which is believed to be widely used by Chinese police in criminal cases. China has taken gradual steps to address particular instances of torture.

The local police, court officials and prosecuting authorities are investigating the case and have promised to penalise those responsible for the wrong conviction.
2 police officers have been detained on suspicion of torturing Zhao to get him to confess and a third one is at large.
3 judges who were in charge of Zhao's case, have been suspended and are being investigated.

Last year, Beijing pledged to clamp down on inmate abuse, and nearly 1,800 policemen were suspended, according to a report released on the Ministry of Public Security website.
China has also released guidelines that identify specific acts of torture for which police can be prosecuted in an apparent attempt to reign in such abuses.

******

In 1997, both Zhao Zuohai and Zhao Zhenshang had a fight at their hometown in Shangqiu. Zhenshang went missing after the fight.
After 4 months, his nephew lodged a police report suspecting his uncle had been killed by Zuohai.
Zuohai was detained to assist investigations but released 20 days later.

******

A probe into the false murder charge has been launched, China media reported.

In 1999, Zuohai was convicted of murdering his neighbour after a highly-decomposed headless body believed to be Zhao Zhenshang was found.

He was sentenced to death with a 2-year reprieve by the Intermediate People's Court in Shangqiu in 2002.

 ******

After being missing for 13 years, Zhenshang, 58, returned home on April 30 this year.

Police have returned to the well where the headless body was found and began their probe to re-establish the man's identity.

******

Worrying of having killed Zuohai the farmer, Zhensheng, a petty trader, told the villagers that he ran away after injuring Zuohai in the fight 13 years ago in the wee hours on his bicycle, with only 400 yuan and a quilt.
He did not know anything that happened to Zuohai until after he went back.

He said he decided to return home after suffering from a minor hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body).         

Science Is So Powerful, Yet It Cannot Explain Everything

A good read for like-minded inquisitive minds of mine - The Top 10 Unexplained Phenomena which remain unexplained by science. 

10. The Body/Mind Connection
Medical science is only beginning to understand the ways in which the mind influences the body. The placebo effect, for example, demonstrates that people can at times cause a relief in medical symptoms or suffering by believing the cures to be effective - whether they actually are or not. Using processes only poorly understood, the body's ability to heal itself is far more amazing than anything modern medicine could create.

9. Psychic powers and ESP
Psychic powers and extra-sensory perception (ESP) rank among the top ten unexplained phenomena if for no other reason than that belief in them is so widespread. Many people believe that intuition (see No.3) is a form of psychic power, a way of accessing arcane or special knowledge about the world or the future.

Researchers have tested people who claim to have psychic powers, though the results under controlled scientific conditions have so far been negative or ambiguous. Some have argued that psychic powers cannot be tested, or for some reason diminish in the presence of skeptics or scientists. If this is true, science will never be able to prove or disprove the existence of psychic powers.

8. Near-Death Experiences and Life After Death
People who were once near death have sometimes reported various mystical experiences (such as going into a tunnel and emerging in a light, being reunited with loved ones, a sense of peace, etc.) that may suggest an existence beyond the grave. While such experiences are profound, no one has returned with proof or verifiable information from "beyond the grave." Skeptics suggest that the experiences are explainable as natural and predictable hallucinations of a traumatized brain, yet there is no way to know with certainty what causes near-death experiences, or if they truly are visions of "the other side."

7. UFOs
There is no doubt that UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) exist - many people see things in the skies that they cannot identify, ranging from aircraft to meteors. Whether or not any of those objects and lights are alien spacecraft is another matter entirely; given the fantastic distances and effort involved in just getting to Earth from across the universe, such a scenario seems unlikely. Still, while careful investigation has revealed known causes for most sighting reports, some UFO incidents will always remain unexplained.

6.Deja vu
Deja vu is a French phrase meaning 'already seen,' referring to the distinct, puzzling, and mysterious feeling of having experienced a specific set of circumstances before. A woman might walk into a building, for example, in a foreign country she'd never visited, and sense that the setting is eerily and intimately familiar. Some attribute deja vu to psychic experiences or unbidden glimpses of previous lives. As with intuition (see #3), research into human psychology can offer more naturalistic explanations, but ultimately the cause and nature of the phenomenon itself remains a mystery.

5. Ghosts
From the Shakespeare play "MacBeth" to the NBC show "Medium," spirits of the dead have long made an appearance in our culture and folklore. Many people have reported seeing apparitions of both shadowy strangers and departed loved ones. Though definitive proof for the existence of ghosts remains elusive, sincere eyewitnesses continue to report seeing, photographing, and even communicating with ghosts. Ghost investigators hope to one day prove that the dead can contact the living, providing a final answer to the mystery.

4. Mysterious disappearances
People disappear for various reasons. Most are runaways, some succumb to accident, a few are abducted or killed, but most are eventually found. Not so with the truly mysterious disappearances. From the crew of the Marie Celeste to Jimmy Hoffa, Amelia Earhart, and Natalee Holloway, some people seem to have vanished without a trace. When missing persons are found, it is always through police work, confession, or accident never by 'psychic detectives'). But when the evidence is lacking and leads are lost, even police and forensic science can't always solve the crime.

3. Intuition
Whether we call it gut feelings, a 'sixth sense,' or something else, we have all experienced intuition at one time or another. Of course, gut feelings are often wrong (how many times during aircraft turbulence have you been sure your plane was going down?), but they do seem to be right much of the time. Psychologists note that people subconsciously pick up information about the world around us, leading us to seemingly sense or know information without knowing exactly how or why we know it. But cases of intuition are difficult to prove or study, and psychology may only be part of the answer.

2. Bigfoot
For decades, large, hairy, manlike beasts called Bigfoot have occasionally been reported by eyewitnesses across America. Despite the thousands of Bigfoot that must exist for a breeding population, not a single body has been found. Not one has been killed by a hunter, struck dead by a speeding car, or even died of natural causes. In the absence of hard evidence like teeth or bones, support comes down to eyewitness sightings and ambiguous photos and films. Since it is logically impossible to prove a universal negative, science will never be able to prove that creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster do not exist, and it is possible that these mysterious beasts lurk far from prying eyes.

1.The Taos Hum
Some residents and visitors in the small city of Taos, New Mexico, have for years been annoyed and puzzled by a mysterious and faint low-frequency hum in the desert air. Oddly, only about 2 percent of Taos residents report hearing the sound. Some believe it is caused by unusual acoustics; others suspect mass hysteria or some secret, sinister purpose. Whether described as a whir, hum, or buzz and whether psychological, natural, or supernatural no one has yet been able to locate the sound's origin. - livescience.com

There's Thing That Money Can't Buy

"Ummie, Mak Long dah meninggal pukul satu suku tadi."

"Kat mana mayatnya sekarang?"

"Dah kebumi empat setengah tadi."

"Rose, Mak Long tu masih nak hidup lagi."

"Betul Ummie, betul..."  
Inna Lillaahi wa Inna Ilaihi Rooji'uun.

I was shocked at the 4.35pm phone call as I was about to call Rose's mother, Kak Enon.
I saw Kak Enon's missed calls several times although I did not hear the phone ringing.
I thought of calling her around 4, when things at home are more settled because talking to her is at least an hour affair.
There's just so many things to talk about.

"Ummie, macamana ni? 
Adik beradik Mak Long semua dah tanya barang kemas dia! 
Semua orang tau berkepuk-kepuk pulak tu!"

"Pegang dulu. Uruskan untuk diri Mak Long dulu. 
Nilaikan. 
Lepastu Zakatkan.
Hajikan dia.  
Puasa dia macamana?"

"Rasa macam ok, tapi tak taulah kot."

"Kalau nak sedap hati, bayar Fidyah. Lebih tak pe, jangan kurang."

******

"Sembahyang dia macamana Ummie?"

"Itu... tak delah orang yang boleh bayarkan." 
 It's Mak Long and Mak Long stays in my mind for now.

******

I had just met her 2 weeks ago, at Rose's housewarming gathering.

"Macamana Long rumah kat sana?"

"Dah sewakan dah semua pintu... Jadilah Ummie, duit kocek sikit-sikit."
Her statement in most conversation as I remember:  
Sikit-Sikit, Tak De Duit, Tak Cukup, Mana Ada.

"3 pintu sikit Mak Long? Kalau sayalah, tiap2 bulan pergi holiday. 
Long, kita holiday sama2.  Long cakap aje kat mana, saya uruskan perjalanan."
For ages I've been asking her to enjoy her money, up to a bit of showing off, for her sake, hoping gratefulness to be instilled in her.

"Mana ada duit Mi, ni Long dah tak kerja lagi ni. Mana ada duit masuk..."

******

I could see Mak Long's very happy face with the newly bought terrace-house that Rose and her husband bought 2 months ago.
She finally decided to settle there.

A 68 year-old spinster, Mak Long never believe in man and marriage.
So as age caught up on her, she insisted that its her eldest male sibling's duty to look after her.
It just happened that Long is closest to Rose, being the youngest child.

******

When Kak Enon's children were younger, they often asked her to get married but she snapped,  
"Simpan jantan kat rumah ngabiskan beras aku je."

Not long after all the children were married and moved out, Kak Enon was diagnosed with tumor in the womb.
She was hospitalised and operated on.

After almost a year, her house, next to mine, was left vacant.
Her only son sold it, let the mother went for Haj together with me, and is now living with any of her 5 children.

The mother is a hot property as the 5 children are always eager to have the mother in their house.
And that's what makes Mak Long, her house just opposite the road, wanted to be 'wanted' too.

******

Mak Long was then spending her days alone in her meticulous house.

Before, she would spend her after-works and evenings in Kak Enon's house.

After Kak Enon moved out, she would spent many daily hours in my house.
Although she denied it, I knew she was lonely.

******

She could not work anymore when her legs condition gave in after years, since her 20s, standing-up doing ironing in one of a garment factory in JB.
She defy doctor's advice to rest as she feared of losing the monthly income.
She took overtime daily until the day she was hospitalised when her legs swollen and darkened, not because of diabetes, but just not enough blood flow to both legs.

Until the last time that I saw her, which was 2 weeks ago, she still could not overcome the fact that she could no longer work, although there's SOCSO's monthly allowance to tide her monthly spending.

******

The fact that Mak Long is illiterate is no hindrance for her not to be involved in shares and investments. Lady-luck, it seems, was always smiling at her then.

For the time being, it's only the many figures in Mak Long's several bankbooks for her 7 siblings to savour as all books are without nominee.

Her berkepuk-kepuk jewellery?

"Long, Rose jual satu gelang Long eh. 
Rose nak kena bayar cengkeram nak masukkan Long rumah orang tua-tua swasta. 
Rose tengok Long hari-hari macam biasa sekarang Rose tengok ni."

Tears rolled down her cheeks 2 days ago...

******

Mak Long slipped in the toilet and lied motionless on the cold, wet toilet floor for 4 hours before she finally screamed out Rose's 6 year-old daughter's name.
She told the girl that her Tok Long has had a fall when Rose, her daughter and one month old twins were about to go out for groceries.

All those while, Rose, a month into her maternity leave, was in the house.
She repeatedly asked her Mak Long what's taking the old lady so long to be inside the toilet - The lady's answered: She'll be out any minute.
Do not worry about her, she's fine - Mak Long was too ashamed to be seen not covered.

Mother-children commotion in the house, Mak Long could clearly follow from the toilet.

After 4 hours, when Rose was instructing her daughter to find her car keys, that's when Long realised she could not afford to spend another likely 4 motionless hours.

******

The minute Mak Long was about to be sent to hospital, all her 7 siblings were informed.
What Long needed now is physiotheraphy, her doctor said.

******

She was supposed to be discharged 2 days ago, but there's no sight of any of the 7 turning up.
When asked, their almost unanimous reply,  

"... campakkan aje kat rumah orang tua-tua. Sapa suruh tak nak kahwin? Susahkan orang je..."

Rose, who has had operation for delivery this time, never fail her daily visit to the hospital.
Sometimes, with her 6-year old daughter and the one month old twins in tow.

******

After discussing with her mother and sisters, hiring a maid is the only way out.
But it takes a minimum of 3 weeks and hospital beds in JB are never without patients.
There's always a very long Q.

Things have to be done fast.
Old Folks Home is the only temporary transit before Mak Long will be home with Rose again.
Tears flowed as Old Folks Home was mentioned but that's the best Rose can do to Mak Long, her father's eldest sister.
After a 2-day buying time with Mak Long's siblings, with or without their permission, action has to begin.

The day Long was supposed to be sent to Old Folks Home, she passed away.

The body was sent straight to the grave as there's no more buying time, this time.

******

"Dia nangis, dia tak nak pergi rumah orang tua-tua. Dia nak balik rumah Rose."
Said the diabetic amputated lady, next to Mak Long's bed.
The diabetic amputated lady witnessed Mak Long's final journey.

Mak Long had left us in her long, final journey but her house stood still.
It is just across the road, visible from my verandah...
To Her Soul, Al-Faatihah.

***Changes Made
***Let This Be Reminder To Me Who Always Remind Her To...                   

The Food Story - At The Cross Road

I wonder how is Madam Hajara Aludeen's food business going. 

She must be facing a mounting task to win back customers' trust in her family for her husband, Mr Sheik Allaudin, 70, is in the news again, today. 

He's given the maximum fines totalling $9,000 for causing a massive food poisoning in April last year in one of Singapore's worst incidences in recent years. 

If he fails to pay the fine, he will spend 9 weeks in jail. 

 

48 people were hospitalised while the rest received outpatient treatment. 

The poisoning led to 2 deaths although a verdict of misadventure was recorded against both deaths. 

National Environment Agency senior prosecutor Abdullah Ghani said the history given by all 154 cases showed a strong and consistent association between the food poisoning outbreak and the Geylang Serai stall.

His wife is now the licensee of the new stall at the Geylang Serai Food Centre.  

Mr Sheik Allaudin  is not allowed to handle food. 

He is not even allowed to go to the new stall or, he will be fined. 

 

The market opened for business last July with an $18.2-million building. 

The new premise, which is much  more spacious is with better ventilation thus airy.  

There's also a sheltered overhead bridge that links it to Joo Chiat Complex across the road.

It is high time for MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura) to look into Halal Certification awarded to Muslim food operators too.  

 

******

 

I was buying lunch at a food stall in one of the Woodlands coffee shop. 

As I was about to pay for the food, a young couple came forward and the the lady behind the glass showcase asked me to pay to them. 

The couple then walked away after the payment made. 

 

I asked the lady for the couple's identity and she said they are the stall's owner. 

I walked out with the food which I finally threw away. 

Although I am a nobody to judge anybody, but the said couple, to me, are just like gangsters. 

The girl with countless earrings, cropped top with studded navel and her man, in sleeveless singlet, tattooed whole arms and lower legs. 

Does the couple fit into the 'halal' and 'toyyib' category? 

 

And that's not the first time I throw food away especially when I'm always at both sides of the Causeway. 

I've came across man serving 'laksa' with lighted cigarette passed between hand and mouth ceaselessly. 

Then, those who grilled chicken on flame-red charcoal, secured but with mesh-wire. 

Food vendor coughed into food are some incidents which led to turn-off to food that I had bought, although people around me know I normally eat to the last grain of rice in the plate. 

I abhor wastage.         

 

******

 

I was curious about the famous vegetarian food along Serangoon Road that a number of 'asatizah' enjoyed. 

We were nearing the restaurant, about to enter when My Husband stopped me "Look at him!" 

My Husband pointed to the chef's face. 

He pulled me away and we ended up at Blue Diamond. 

Yes, when it comes to food, that Man is more fussy than I do. 

 

Although I may sound fussy too, nevertheless, bizarre foodist Andrew Zimmern's appetite always stirred my curiosity. 

Forever curious to know what's the next moving creature that will end up in his belly. 

It never fail to churn my stomach. 

His motto 'If It Looks Good, Eat It ' invited  petition  to stop his show shown in Travel Channel. 

He has known to eat guinea pig, green iguana, donkey, tarantula, raw cow heart, the beating bloody heart cut out of a live fish, live mealworms, blood soup, beating frog hearts, and many more. 

 

But it's Jamie Oliver's wish in transforming the way we feed ourselves and our children that I know that there's still celebrity chef out there who does not put his great appetite first. 

His 2009 Food Revolution has cross continent. 

This Londoner bloke is serious about getting Americans to reconnect with their food and change the way they eat. 

He wants to see the whole community cooking again. 

He worked with the school and local families to get everyone back in the kitchen with fresh ingredients.

He wants to save America's health. 

His  Food Revolution  is not just a TV show, it's a movement for the family and the community. 

He realised that it is not that parents did not want to feed their kids properly, it is just that nobody had ever taught them the basics about cooking. 

So, they did not have the knowledge they needed. 

He pleaded, if we care about our kids and their future, do make a few small changes because it will add years to life.

For All - Our Eyes

Pharaoh the ruler, decreed that all male sons born to his Israelite subjects should be killed.

He committed such killings because he heard the Israelites said that they were expecting the birth of a baby who would redeem them and to cause the destruction of him and his supporters.
Pharaoh wished to destroy but THE ALMIGHTY GOD's plan was to protect the Israelites.

Pharaoh took every possible precaution not to let a male baby alive among Israelites.
Male Israelite babies were to be killed but Moses was saved in the marvellous way.
Moses was saved and was brought up in the house of Pharaoh!

Moses's mother was inspired to put her baby in a basket and let the basket float in the River Nile - It did float and reached Pharaoh's palace and baby Moses was picked up and became the ruler's adopted son.

His mother's heart felt the gaping void at parting from her son, but her faith in THE CREATOR soon brought mother and son together:

"... thus we did restore him to his mother, that her eyes might be comforted that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the promise of GOD is true: but most of them do not know." (28:13).

Moses benefited his mother's milk as well as the prestige and the opportunities of being brought up in the palace, with the best teachers to teach him the Egyptian wisdom.

The mother's 'little' inspiration turned around the brutal killing episode for her son.
Moses was always in the comfort and warmth of his mother's arms - GOD's promise is always true but short-sighted people fail to understand that.

The glitter of wealth were the pride of possessions.
Wealth turned into bitterness and hearts into hardness that Pharaoh the ruler was outraged learning his subjects running away, trying to escape from his tyranny and oppression.
His subjects, the Israelites, followed Moses.

The Israelites were taken safely across the Red Sea when the seawater was divided, separated to become like a huge firm mass of 2 mountains.
'The Passover' is never disputed by all sky religions - Jews, Christianity and Islam.

Moses was inspired to strike the sea with his rod and Pharaoh, with his army, who were chasing behind, drowned.
The Red Sea became the catastrophic death-bed for Pharaoh the ruler.

Pharaoh, known as Ramses II, his body was picked up from the sea 3,500 years ago, embalmed - and the mummy is ALL FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

******

A mother's heart is always heard and watched by HIM, THE CREATOR.

Take this man, Tanggang or Malim Kundang, whichever names we want to address him.

He regretted for disowning his own mother. 

The mother was terribly hurt for, after a long search for him, he chose to ignore the person who offered her most sincere prayers all the time for her son's well-being.
The thought of dismissing his mother's presence was thwarted.

His ship froze. Unable to move.

The world around him stopped for he had chose to ignore his mother's plea to acknowledge her.

He's too ashamed for having a poor mother. 

He had traded the mother's love with a princess's heart and wealth.

But GOD show it to  ALL FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

Seeing is believing.
See it at Pantai Air Manis.
See for youself before Mother Nature returned the son to The Owner for the land of Padang, Sumatera, is known to be full of unpredictability - Earthquake.