5-car-crash on the NKVE

Now I know what it means when one says it was like it was happening to someone else.

It was surreal.

I was thinking about the payments I was going to make to my writers and translators and cheques I had to prepare when I suddenly realised the car in front me had stopped suddenly. Screeching tyres alarmed me.

I pressed on the brakes suddenly and thought to myself, "Would I stop in time?" Right then, everything moved so slowly. Then, BANG. The car stopped.

Just when I was about to feel relieved, another bang. And another.

Followed by silence.

Again my thoughts concentrated on the most important things, I guess. I felt myself all over. Felt okay. "Wow, alhamdulillah. The seat-belts really work." I opened the door, got off and counted the cars.

Five altogether.

A Merc, a BMW, my car, a WAJA and a MYVi right at the back. Stuck together like Ikesha's toy choo choo train.

Oops, I did not switch off the car. The engine was running. I switched it off.

Everyone looked pretty intense. What do I do? I called Rudy. After his warning about not taking any offers for tow trucks, he told me to stay put. He's coming. Where would I go? We were in the third lane on the NKVE at 10.00am in the morning on a working day. I assured him I will be right here waiting, just before the jejantas Sg Buloh. "Now, try not to be extra friendly. And only give your details to the car owner in front of you," he concluded his Car Accident tutorial 101.

I put down the phone. Well, you know what I mean. Then I walked over to the WAJA owner.

"Hello, saya Zalina." "Nasri."

"Hi, I am Zalina," I said to the BMW owner. "Hi, Michelle."

"Hello, saya Zalina. Auntie, Uncle ok?" "Ok..." "Nama Uncle?" "Saya Chang." "Oh, Mr Chang."

"Hi... Zalina." "Saya, Wong." said the MyVi owner.

To be continued.

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Not much to say except Rudy came to take care of things, took me to the police station and settled the workshop stuff. After that he sent me to my Mum's to rest.

However, there is one thing I would like to state. I was so lucky. For three things.

That Allah took care of my state of mind and did not let me panic, swerve to the left or right, or let go of the steering - it was my first major accident.

That Allah kept my body safe, intact and my spirits levelled. Calm at the time.

That Allah enlightened me to extend my hand to those involved in the accident. We ended up being very nice to each other, there were no arguments, just relieved that we were all okay. At the police station, there were no conflicts in our statements - this was amazing to the police.

This Maal Hijrah I start my year full of gratitude for the life I have.

Malaysian Tigers, then and tonight

Malaysian Tigers, Tasmania AUSTRALIA 1967

I dedicate Malaysia's historic win in the SEA games finals against Indonesia tonight to my Dad, the late Abdul Aziz bin Salehuddin (back row, fifth from left) who was an ardent football fan, a loving father and a gentleman who always, always said thank you.

Al-Fatihah.

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Coach Ong Kim Swee teaches his Tigers and all of us what it means to be Malaysian. Respect for ourselves, our flag, our King and parents.

Thank you, Coach.

UBIQUITOUS

What is it about this word that everyone suddenly wants to use it?

I have seen it three times today.

u·biq·ui·tous 
adjective
existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent: ubiquitous fog; ubiquitous little ants.

"We (the indivisible divinity that works in us) have dreamed the world. We have dreamed it resistant, mysterious, visible, ubiquitous in space and firm in time, but we have allowed slight, and eternal, bits of the irrational to form part of its architecture so as to know that it is false. "

Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986), Argentinian author. "Avatars of the Tortoise" ["Avatares de la tortuga"], Discussion [Discusión] (1932).

Now what does that quote mean? Sounds like it came straight from Matrix. Anyone?

Well, I certainly would not want to use it. Ubiquitous. Unnecessarily, I mean.

OLD NUSANTARA

An old friend , Sadie Sulaiman, asked me what is OLD NUSANTARA. This was my impromptu answer.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

OLD NUSANTARA is a world slowly being eroded in our own country, the playground of Nusantara for a thousand years if not more. The Peninsular was the bridge connecting all people from the Philippines archipelago to the Indonesia far end islands. Champa, Siam throughout Indo-China. While the language spoken all over the Nusantara were varied with Tagalog, Javanese, Bugis and Thai up north, we were the keepers of the Malay language - the lingua franca of the Nusantara.

The kingdoms of Gangga Nagara, Majapahit, Srivijaya, Sailendra, Mataram, Langkasuka, Ayuthaya, Melaka and Patani represent some of the lost worlds. Some have monuments preserved from ancient times like the Borobodur Temple despite being buried for centuries under volcanic ash, others retain their classical manuscript as a reminder of a grandeur past like Nekaragatama, Sejarah Melayu, Hikayat Patani , Misa Melayu and more.

Others, like Singapore wants to now present their Makyung, Angklung and Gamelan to the world (imported from Rantau Panjang and Terengganu expertise), the Balinese of course is strong on their culture while Thailand has captured the world of food and craftsmanship. Which is well and good as we can only survive if a large body of nations acknowledge the lure and beauty of the Nusantara.

But we must make a stand and stake our own claim and expertise.

So I do my bit to promote the Malay Hikayat, which God willing, no one will take away from us - if we are careful and diligent. I publish Malay Hikayat under Utusan Publishers and just as diligently continue to write. I try to provide a good dose of research that can be translated into worthy projects, hopefully movies and others for coming generations.

What is your take?

Rememberance

Pakcik from Almanar wrote about Rememberance Day here . His blog somehow often sparks nuggets of inspiration for me to leave him a poem in his comment box even though he says that my poetry, while beautiful, escapes him! Anyway, Pakcik kindly featured my little poem on rememberance on his blog.

By Ninotaziz
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It is the way of the world
Time and tide, await no man

Except in the heart
Where memories reside

And yet there are those
Who belittle our hold to the past

I say to them...

Learning and teachings
Would be meaningless lessons

Why, civilisation was built
upon the memories of man!