GLS

GLS

Two ink tank each at Yen 1,800
One rim (500 pages) A4 paper at Yen 400
One file at Yen 250
Harga pos berdaftar Yen 3,500
Tangible capital Yen 8,050
Intangible capital Sweat and Blood

Word Count:101,730

Up, up and away...

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99 and useful

Orion TV*google

My father-in-law will be 98 this January. Yesterday, we changed his old TV (the TV is still in good condition) to a newer model, an Orion-19cm. This is in keeping with the latest order (the Japanese are so obedient to order from higher up). Year 2011, will see the beginning of digital TV in Japan. All analogue must go (I wonder what happen to those good TV-sold second hand to 3rd world countries or dismantled and de-souled).
When I saw him after the TV was fixed, he excitedly said the TV was thin. Maybe he didn't know that now all TV are thin, I thought.
FIL handmade Xmas deco

Minako and hubby came home for the holidays last night and only managed to see FIL today. He proudly showed Minako his handicraft. He went to this day care center and there they made all the seniors do this sort of thing to maintain the hand movements.

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Sahaya

Berita Harian, Dis. 17, 2010
Berita Harian Dis. 17, 2010

Susur galur yang mengalir dalam badan ini bukan Melayu asli. Boleh saja saya mengaku diri ini bukan Melayu. Emak dan bapa saya bertemu di Singapura dalam era penjajahan Inggeris. Seorang dari India dan seorang lagi dari Melaka, mencari rezeki dalam bandar yang serba membangun untuk meneruskan kehidupan.
Emak saya bukan orang sekolah tinggi dan bapa pula tidak fasih berbahasa Melayu. Pertuturan saya dari kecil hanya meniru cara emak saya yang pekat dengan loghat Negeri. Apa diharap kepada bapa saya pula dengan bahasa yang meniru imigran baru pada era itu.
Pada peringkat awal persekolahan, kami diajar bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kedua. Bahasa Inggeris menjadi bahasa utama. Kelas kurang sejam dalam 2 kali seminggu. Apa diharap kepada saya, anak separuh Melayu untuk meningkatkan bahasa Melayu.
Selepas menamatkan zaman persekolahan, kerjaya tidak menggalakkan pertuturan Bahasa Melayu.
Mendirikan rumah tangga dengan seorang jejaka Jepun dan selepasnya mengikutnya merantau selama 20 tahun, sejujurnya telah menghilangkan Bahasa Melayu yang daripada asal sudah mengalir lembap dalam diri ini.
Saya tidak sedar bahasa yang saya tuturkan hanya campuran dari berbagai-bagai bahasa. Ini amalan orang-orang di sekeliling saya dan saya hanya meniru sama seperti bapa, imigran dari India, yang meniru juga.
Seorang sahabat menyarankan saya menulis pengalaman hidup di pulau ini dalam blog. Saya mengambil saranan itu dan mula menulis. Pada awalnya catatan saya masih mengikut gaya penulisan pra-Merdeka bersama e-tanda dan segala ejaannya.
Ramai yang membantu untuk memperbaiki kelemahan ini sehingga senaskhah Kamus Dewan juga dihantarkan untuk saya.
Ramai juga yang menghina (mereka orang bijaksana dalam bahasa) kelemahan ini sehingga saya terpaksa berehat dari menulis dan berusaha sendiri untuk mempertingkatkan diri ini.
Berdikit-dikit saya membaca dalam diam tulisan orang-orang bijaksana dalam bahasa. Berdikit-dikit selama 5 tahun, bersendiri.
Dengan bantuan seorang sahabat yang mendorong penulisan novel ini dari awal ia berbenih, saya memanjat gunung itu sampai ke puncak jaya.
Saya bukan mengharapkan nama. Saya hanya ingin membuktikan kepada orang-orang yang pernah menghina saya.
Nah! Saya lulus!

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Cotton Plant

Cotton Plant
Everywhere cotton plants (Pokok Kekabu) are at their blossom peak in Okinawa now. My brother-in-law showed his surprise when he visited us last week, to see the variety in Okinawa has pink flowers. He said in Malaysia and Singapore the flowers are white.
I remember my grandma had a cotton tree standing in the front yard. One of my visits there, she told us she wanted to cut the cotton tree.
When I heard her decision, I thought that would be my last cotton tree. I doubt anyone in Malaysia would be interested in cotton trees anymore. During its hey-day, the cotton trees products pods of cotton, my grandma made beautiful soft pillows and mattresses for us. It was that cotton tree that inspired me while plotting novel Pulut Sakura Serunding Kasih.
For sure after that cotton tree was cut off, I never once see any cotton tree in Malaysia. I sort of missed that cotton tree as it brought back lots of good memories of my childhood.
My cousins used to gather the pods and picked cotton from it and filled up sacks of cotton.
But the story of cotton trees in my life did not stop there.
When I moved in on this island, I saw streets here lined with cotton trees. Then, when it's time for the pod to break, the winds spread the cotton like snow flecks in winter.

Tersipu-sipu
buah pokok kekabu
terpancut isi.

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Harley Davidson

Longing for a Harley
There a shopping paradise in Okinawa with labyrinth of alleyways, Kokusai-dori or International Road. The walking area is huge and the alleys inter-wined. A purely tourist paradise. I don't shop here at all. People with a handicapped sense of direction will not be able to walk out of the alleyways so easily.
Before loosing oneself in the labyrinth of shops, one must go through a busy main road.

This is what we did. We followed this road. But something caught this little man's eyes.
A Harley Davidson parked anyhow on the side of the road.
Haris tawaf the standing giant twice.
The he asked who the owner of the bike. Now, how would I know!
Not satisfied he asked again, how come the owner parked anyhow on the road. What happen if someone steal it?
Now that is a very tough question. How would I know why nobody steal it?
This boy must know lots about Harley Davidson. In fact he refused to budge from it.
After snapping this photo, his mom needed to pull his arm to get him run along.

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Ujian Kebersihan tandas awam

PinkHumairah
Humairah berbaju "merah tak jambu". Saya selalu usik dia. Dia hanya tahu warna merah jambu. Bila sebut merah tak jambu, matanya terbelalak keliru.
Umurnya 7 tahun dan setelah 8 hari bersama saya, dia menjadi rapat dengan saya.
Humairah sangat bersih. Tidak suka barang kotor, jijik melihat benda-benda kotor and sering membasuh tangan jika merasa tangannya kotor.
Satu hari, sambil kami menunggu emak dan kakaknya membeli belah, saya membawa Humairah ke tandas San-A di Nishihara City.

M long go in there and I go in here, kata Humairah.

Selepas kami masuk, kedengaran Humairah bersuara lantang dari dalam ruangnya.
M long duit syiling jatuh dalam air.

Saya diamkan saja.

Tidak lama kemudian, suara Humairah datang lagi.

M long, Humairah dah kutip duit dalam air!

Hah, budak penggeli ini kutip duit yang jatuh dalam bekas tandas awam!

Saya tanya kemudian, "tak geli ke Humairah? Kutip duit dalam jamban?"

"Taklah, m long. Jamban itu bersih dan air pun bersih!"

Nah! Itu dia!

Sedangkan di rumahnya sendiri, Humairah tidak akan lakukan yang sama (mengutip duit yang jatuh dalam tandas!), kata bapanya.

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Hamim Family at ChuraUmi

ChuraUmi Picnic
This photo was taken at ChuraUmi (in Okinawa dialect meaning beautiful sea) which is on the north part of the island. It was exactly one Saturday ago (4 Dec. 2010).
Minus the arrival and departure day, my sister's family has 7 days to see the island. They arrived on Thursday (2 Dec.). We need 2 cars to carry them around. The husband Hamim carried with him International car license from Singapore, so Hamim drive my car.
Area in the south, we covered the ancient cave that Okinawa people used to find cover during the 2WW. Since it was a Friday, the man went for the afternoon prayers and I took the ladies to the vegetable market and to my friend's farmland to see the kedongdong tree (Okinawa people called it Kudongdong).
After prayers and rest, we covered the island in the south, O-jima.
Area in the north we covered the ChuraUmi (6 Dec.) like the gigantic aquarium which is almost like going down in a sub-marine, they said. Also the 2000 varieties of orchid in the Flower dreamland Center.
Area in the west we covered the Zanpa Misaki lighthouse (8 Dec.)
Then area in the east, we covered the 4 chain of islands, HigaHama island, Miyagi Island, Henza Island and Ikei Island. We crossed all these islands on the causeway.

That's about all we covered for a week. Those 3 days not doing sight-seeing, they spent on shopping at San-A in Nishihara City and Jusco at Haebaru Town. Of course not forgetting the sauna and public bath. But I brought them over to this little spring on a hill near the public bath-house, the KakinoHana Spring.

The nature that they see and experienced on this island is unreachable in land scare, prosperous city like Singapore.
Due to our limited choice of food, we mostly dine at home. Home cooked food from me.

Here are some of the things they find very weird in Japan.

...Where is the trash bin?
Yes, no trash bins. Bring back your own trash!
What?

...Why does the bus driver have to repeat "arigatou gozaimasu" (thank you) at every stop? Isn't it more convenient to play a tape?
No dear, it sounds more sincere when you say "thank you" personally.

...Why is the comforter so thick, yet so light?
That's the Japanese comforter called kake-futon and it is used for winter only.

...How come the cashier speaks so much when we pay?
Yes, they say "thank you" when receiving your money. Then, they count your payment, then they count your change, then they return your change, then they say "thank you" again. All the while they say it at the same time.

...How come there is no litter on the street?
Yes dear, they bring home all trash!

...How come no beggar here?
No dear, no beggars here in Okinawa because the government support them and give them money.

...How come we cannot eat Kentucky Fried Chicken?
We eat KFC at home. I make for you a really good KFC. Outside here, in the shop, the chicken is not halal.

...How come the sea water is so clear and clean?
That because the people on this island don't dirty and throw rubbish in the water.

...Why is the sun so bright and shining but I have to put on 3 layers of clothing?
That's because it is winter now. In Singapore, you don't have winter. The sun is everywhere in this world but the weather change in the north and south. Only in Singapore, which is on the center of the earth, it remains the same everyday.

...Why the Japanese people sit so quietly in the train?
That is their habit. They don't make noise in public places because other people also use public places.

...Why we must clean the table at the bread shop?
Yes dear, this is self-service place. Other people clean their table for us and we clean our table for people after us.

...Are you the "bibik" in this house?
No dear, I am not the "bibik". I am the mother in this house!

***Jauh perjalanan, luas pandangan. This goes with children. Hopefully, it will remain forever in their memory.

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Hamim

children

The first night here, they are ready by 9 pm. Must be due to the long flight the night before. Sleeping in the tatami room with winter futon. Eating Japanese kare-raisu and tasting mochi-aisukurimu (ais-krim pulut).
First time drinking calpis soda and they want to bring the bottle drink back to Singapore.
Also first time tasting Fuji Ringo with honey.

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