SOUL SCRIBBLES

Melayu itu orang yang bijaksana Nakalnya bersulam jenaka Budi bahasanya tidak terkira Kurang ajarnya tetap santun Jika menipu pun masih bersopan Bila mengampu bijak beralas tangan. Melayu itu berani jika bersalah Kecut takut kerana benar, Janji simpan di perut Selalu pecah di mulut, Biar mati adat Jangan mati anak. Melayu di tanah Semenanjung luas maknanya: Jawa itu Melayu, Bugis itu Melayu Banjar juga disebut Melayu, Minangkabau memang Melayu, Keturunan Acheh adalah Melayu, Jakun dan Sakai asli Melayu, Arab dan Pakistani, semua Melayu Mamak dan Malbari serap ke Melayu Malah mua’alaf bertakrif Melayu (Setelah disunat anunya itu) Dalam sejarahnya Melayu itu pengembara lautan Melorongkan jalur sejarah zaman Begitu luas daerah sempadan Sayangnya kini segala kehilangan Melayu itu kaya falsafahnya Kias kata bidal pusaka Akar budi bersulamkan daya Gedung akal laut bicara Malangnya Melayu itu kuat bersorak Terlalu gh...

If you are a reader of the New Straits Times, you may have seen the changes that we have made to the special interest sections that we called the Life & Times effective last Sunday.  If you’re not (a reader), why don’t you give us a try; well … the SIS, if not the main paper. From August 2 onwards, the Life & Times takes on a new life.  While each pull out section continues to maintain its respective themes, it now has its own titles.  Correct me if I am wrong but I think this is the first time that we've made such drastic changes to the Life & Times.  Before this, we only had separate titles for the Sunday edition.  Once upon a time, we named it Nuance and then changed it to People. I don't quite  remember when we revert to using Life & Times on a Sunday.  So, the Sunday's Life & Times is now Plush, BOTs (Monday), Heal (Tuesday), Flair (Wednesday), JOM! (Thursday), Groove (Friday) and Pulse (Saturday).  We...

When you come to our house on any day during Syawal, you’ll find that my mother would have prepared some kind of dishes, Johor favourites or otherwise, elaborate fare or simple ones, for you and your family or your extended families or friends who tagged along for the visit. If you call ahead a day or two before the visit, you’ll give her enough time to buy the ingredients and cook a storm in the kitchen.  If not, she’ll boil spaghetti and toss it in Prego’s Carbonara sauce, which she has in stock at home. Yes, she’ll go out of her way to make sure that you are fed when you come to the house; never mind the fact that you told her not to susahkan diri nak masak bagai  when you called to inform her of your impending visit. She reminds me of her aunty, who she stayed with her teenage years, whom I addressed as Tok Itam. If we dropped by her house unannounced at Jalan Parit Besar in Batu Pahat, the first thing she would say after the customary greetings, hugs and kisses wil...

Kian Berlabuh Tirai Ramadhan …          Lambaian Syawal Kini Di Nanti … Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk memohon keampunan di atas segala perbuatan dan percakapan saya samada di dalam keadaan sedar atau tidak. Jua, di halalkan segala makan dan minum. Sesungguhnya, yang baik itu datangnya dari Allah SWT dan segala keburukan, kesalahan dan kesilapan itu datangnya dari diri saya sendiri.  Semoga kita dapat perkukuhkan ikatan silaratul rahim yang sedia ada, insya’Allah. Tulus Ikhlas Fauziah Ismail

“She can now stick a fridge magnet on her right arm.” “Bionic woman … ” “Oooh, boleh sepak muka orang sampai ke dinding ni …” "She  “She still has her humour intact ...” after telling them that the doctor had to graft the humerus bone. Humerus … humour … get it? No? Never mind. Yes, my office mates poked fun at me. I was away from the office for almost a month. I had popped in prior to the surgery (on the pretext of sending in the medical chit although the aim was to get out of the house) and a few times after (same reason and on the way from the hospital into the city). When the surgeon finally agreed to discharge me, he gave a month supply of painkillers and medicated plasters. I took home the two ice packs. His nurse asked that I see him in two weeks to get the staples off. It was painless when the nurse took the staples out. The wound was healing nicely. But I asked that she bandaged it loosely (I was going into the office and later do a spot of shopping) inste...

There was phlegm in my throat. Lots of it. I couldn’t breathe.  I could hear the gurgling sound as the nurse used the suction to suck it out. Once it was cleared, I breathed in as deep as I could. When I woke up, I was at the recovery room outside the operating theatre. I had an oxygen mask on. “ Kenapa ni ?” I asked the male nurse seated at the table next to me. “ Kakak kurang oxygen,” he said. I asked him for the time. Half an hour later, I was back in the room. It was 2.30pm. I was hooked up to the oxygen next to the bed. I asked the nurse how long I would have to be on it. “ Sampai pukul lima atau enam. Kalau okay, tak payah guna lah.” I had the oxygen mask on until about four. My mother and brother’s family came at about 4.30pm. My niece will be spending the duration with me at the hospital. The surgeon came right after to check on me. The surgery went well. He showed me the x-ray which showed where he placed the six inch plate and screws. He asked if I was in pa...

I postponed the surgery to the following week. “I have to make some arrangements at work,” I told the surgeon. I lied. I could just go through with it immediately but I wasn’t mentally prepared for the surgery. His nurse penned down the date for surgery. She booked the room and cleared with the insurance company on the necessary payment. I was to be warded the day before for pre-surgical procedures. After the appointment, I went to the office and then back to my own house. My staff thought I had done the surgery the way I was carrying myself. I told them the painkiller was my best friend. Seriously, I have no problem being put under for the surgery. My problem is the pre-surgery procedure, especially having to draw blood for tests. You see, I had a painful and traumatic experience when I was hospitalized for suspected dengue in 1974.  I was poked three times in each arm by an inexperienced nurse. She couldn’t locate the vein on my arm to draw blood. A doctor had to draw bl...