tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post2142441441739496225..comments2024-01-27T19:41:05.143+08:00Comments on Nuraina A Samad's 3540 Jalan Sudin: Tuesdays With Bapak (17)NURAINA A SAMADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-45579343826645725842007-06-08T23:18:00.000+08:002007-06-08T23:18:00.000+08:00Ena You know, Ellysha had exactly the same kind of...Ena <BR/><BR/>You know, Ellysha had exactly the same kind of assignment when she was in primary school. Like you, I suggested Bapak as the subject.<BR/><BR/>"But Dad, I have to write about a <I>tokoh negara</I>!" was how Ellysha responded. <BR/><BR/>There I was thinking I could be of help, and my daughter thought I was being irrelevant. I didn't bother to defend my suggestion. After all, she saw Bapak simply as her grandfather - nothing more, nothing less. <BR/><BR/>So she wrote about Dr Mahathir instead (as did 80% of her class). The output from that class of budding writers must have been very predictable indeed. <I>But that was EXACTLY how Teacher liked it.</I><BR/><BR/>My gripe? It isn't that Ellysha didn't want to write about her grandfather. It's that the teacher did not encourage the pupils to go beyond the expected, beyond the formulaic and the predictable. (Wonder what Kata Tak Nak's take on this is...)<BR/><BR/>PS - Reason for this late post: Had to wait for Ellysha to be back home to confirm the above. Ellysha has just returned from coaching in Adam Khoo's holiday camp (<I>I Am Gifted/ Superkids</I>). Both Julia and Ellysha were "promoted" to full-fledged coaches only recently - they were assistant coaches at previous camps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-60647877758552340142007-06-08T18:31:00.000+08:002007-06-08T18:31:00.000+08:00cheryl,i never quite thought about that. thanks fo...cheryl,<BR/><BR/>i never quite thought about that. thanks for pointing that out. i think i sometimes take things for granted.<BR/><BR/>thanks for dropping by.<BR/><BR/>take care.NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-30644574143360986032007-06-08T17:34:00.000+08:002007-06-08T17:34:00.000+08:00NurainaYou are indeed fortunate you are able to kn...Nuraina<BR/><BR/>You are indeed fortunate you are able to know about your father's life - either thru your own conversations with him or thru books that others have written about him - which you can pass down to your own children.<BR/><BR/>Not everyone is in that enviable position.<BR/><BR/>Take me, frinstance. I know almost zilch about my parents' lives in the period before I came into this world. Even if I could go into the deepest recesses of my memory, I can probably only remember bits and pieces of events from the time I was five or so. <BR/><BR/>But a juvenile's early recollections are not necessarily dependable or trustworthy, since they are tempered by a child's perceptions and expectations. As a five-year-old, the house that seemed big was actually small, and the road that was wide was in fact narrow. When you take these perspectives to adulthood, you unwittingly distort reality with your reminiscences. <BR/><BR/>In my own family's version of (Alex Haley's) Roots, the first few chapters are missing - the chapters about events before I was born, about my parents, my grandparents. How do I fill those gaps? I can't, not now. They will remain missing.<BR/><BR/>I think blogs, especially those that record personal events and experiences, are like the diaries of old. Only, these modern diaries are far from private confessions. They are living novels, with the manuscripts constantly being edited and updated by any and all who wish to be part of the story, either as characters onstage or as observers from the wings. <BR/><BR/>Fifty years hence, these blogs become testimonies of our past, generously annotated by witnesses, both named and nameless. A treasure trove of information for our grandchildren.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-40983210424004206212007-06-06T20:53:00.000+08:002007-06-06T20:53:00.000+08:00Dear Nuraina,I agree with Keanorlinsya, I think it...Dear Nuraina,<BR/><BR/>I agree with Keanorlinsya, I think it's more a case of "segan" than "malu". Adel must have been so inspired by the conversation he had with his awe-inspiring Datuk.<BR/><BR/>Investment banking is a good career choice for Adel. You'd better start "grooming" him early; I believe a pin-striped suit is an absolute must.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-28557987305815273942007-06-06T19:03:00.000+08:002007-06-06T19:03:00.000+08:00Oh dearie me,Don't cry now.Austin Chase then...Tak...Oh dearie me,<BR/><BR/>Don't cry now.<BR/>Austin Chase then...<BR/><BR/>Take care..NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-81148828480811450672007-06-06T13:36:00.000+08:002007-06-06T13:36:00.000+08:00Kak Ena,Now stop making me cry. We'll try Austin C...Kak Ena,<BR/><BR/>Now stop making me cry. We'll try Austin Chase. :) <BR/><BR/>I'll call you one of these days.. I pwomise.. :)<BR/><BR/>Love you tonnes my favourite sudoku-crazy editor!<BR/><BR/>x0x, arniAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-10057802898802143672007-06-06T11:06:00.000+08:002007-06-06T11:06:00.000+08:00Dear Arni.Darn it.... I am so misty-eyed already.Y...Dear Arni.<BR/>Darn it.... I am so misty-eyed already.<BR/>Yeah... the newsroom, the assignments,the reporters, the vending machine coffee, the great friends I made over my 27 years there, the teh tarik sessions. sigh sigh sigh..My colleagues there were no mere colleagues, or bosses. We grew old together.And my bosses first knew me when I was, er,er...a sweet, er,er young, ok ok lady. Then one day, they took agood hard looke at me and said, hey, you've grown into a sweet old lady.. no-lah kidding. they wouldn;t dare becos an even more dramatic description could spew from my mouth. heheheh.<BR/>Seriously,vArni... you know how our office was. That was why I could never imagine working in a room, just me and myself.I'd die of boredom. Look at all our bosses. How long do you think they can stay in their rooms? They need to talk to interact. Exchange ideas. Gossip. Haha.<BR/>Yeah.. missing those days. and my friends thought that I'd retire in the NST because they could not imagine me wanting to leave. Yeah.. I loved the place. but you know, things got different. oh well..<BR/>we can still meet up.<BR/>Austin Chase or Lake Club?NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-16735053248942101342007-06-06T10:19:00.000+08:002007-06-06T10:19:00.000+08:00Hi Kak Ena,This has got nothing to do with your po...Hi Kak Ena,<BR/><BR/>This has got nothing to do with your posting (though I do read TWB regularly and I will be among the first to buy a copy of the book when it comes out - and I'll even get you to sign the copy.. heheh).<BR/><BR/>Okay. I'm rambling. See, I'm so good at rambling, kan?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I just want to tell you that I miss you. Entah kenapa, suddenly today, I'm wishing that I'm back at the old newsroom, and you're there, with Syed and all, going through all the papers.. and then you give me my assignment and then I still have time to turun makan breakfast kejap with friends and we gossip about our bosses (hahah!) and the stuff that appear in the papers.<BR/><BR/>Okay. Lets blame it on the rain.. and the gloomy weather.. but today, I miss my favourite editors, I miss the smell of print you get while walking along the corridor, I miss checking the papers to see if I've been scooped or if I've missed an important point from yesterday's assignment, I miss lepaking at the vending machine (no matter how smelly it can get), I miss eating my indomee kacau with telur mata at Anggerik, I miss going over to the desk with my notebook and pen, all ready to jot down my assignment for the day, I miss disturbing Chelvy while she's doing the schedule, I miss getting my favourite editors to sign my pix chit, I miss my wacky friends... heheh. I even miss Rocky, all huge and intimidating (but cute, nonetheless, with his ponytail and all) passing by to get to his office!<BR/><BR/>Yes, yes, I'm certifiably nuts! Hahaha. We should meet up soon, kan? <BR/><BR/>I MISS YOU TONNES!<BR/><BR/>Can't wait to get a hug from you.. take care, and may you have a productive day/week ahead!<BR/><BR/>xox, arni.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-89969099030149281252007-06-06T10:11:00.000+08:002007-06-06T10:11:00.000+08:00mutalib,I know what u mean. Actually, my written M...mutalib,<BR/><BR/>I know what u mean. Actually, my written Malay is far better than my spoken Malay.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for visiting.<BR/>Take careNURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-67238584119161776312007-06-06T10:09:00.000+08:002007-06-06T10:09:00.000+08:00my dear bergen,thank you.you're a sweetie. and tha...my dear bergen,<BR/><BR/>thank you.<BR/><BR/>you're a sweetie. and that is said in the nicest possible way. from the bottom of my (er,old) heart.NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-64887627038393881272007-06-06T10:00:00.000+08:002007-06-06T10:00:00.000+08:00Ma'am, you can reproduce it a million times over.Ma'am, you can reproduce it a million times over.Bergenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09766443566607849335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-58084809096235411492007-06-06T09:44:00.000+08:002007-06-06T09:44:00.000+08:00bergen,thanks for sending me the comment from a co...bergen,<BR/><BR/>thanks for sending me the comment from a commentator in your blog.I am still not good with pasting comments direct from the moderating stage.So I published your comment, copied and pasted in in my notebook and deleted it in the comment box.<BR/>I would like to reproduce it as a posting.<BR/>Would you mind that very much?NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-44080040866728982292007-06-06T09:31:00.000+08:002007-06-06T09:31:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Bergenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09766443566607849335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-49979507480939343582007-06-06T08:34:00.000+08:002007-06-06T08:34:00.000+08:00oh dear. tash.i thought that he would be like his ...oh dear. tash.<BR/><BR/>i thought that he would be like his mom + grandpa. <BR/><BR/>usually when parents is in the media, their anak cucu will be doing the same too.. that's my thought.<BR/><BR/>like your dad was a journalist, and you have followed him. but wait, if he's going to be a banker, surely, at least, he would blog, like his mother right? haha.<BR/><BR/>i am like him too, perhaps. my BM was sucks when SPM result came out. but somehow, my BBM (pengantar bahasa melayu, surely you learnt that almost 30 years ago in ITM right?) was all right, and i was shocked (but in the exam paper, there WAS some english vocabs in it, don't know how to translate it from English to BM).<BR/><BR/>but still, i can't REALLY converse in BM in an OK state. Tersipu-sipu, and malu.mutalib saifuddinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12938555482081358576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-4075719425960907022007-06-06T07:56:00.000+08:002007-06-06T07:56:00.000+08:00enaI once went to the Persatuan Persatuan Anak2 Me...ena<BR/><BR/>I once went to the Persatuan Persatuan Anak2 Mendahiling Selangor/WP dinner held at MCOBA Building many years ago with Abg Ani. <BR/><BR/>Met a few of Abg Ani's friends who were surprised to see me cuz they know me as anak keturunan Jawa. I told them I was representitng mak. <BR/><BR/>Mak was still alive and she was happy when I told her about it. <BR/><BR/>Also made contribution to the persatuan on her behalf.<BR/><BR/>Up & coming singer Sheila Majid was the guest singer (she's a Mendahiling) who rendered among others the popular song "Sipengemis muda"(??).<BR/><BR/>To zhmi "Horas!".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-79272791370445139822007-06-06T00:17:00.000+08:002007-06-06T00:17:00.000+08:00Zhmi.thanks for the response.Talking about the lat...Zhmi.<BR/><BR/>thanks for the response.<BR/>Talking about the late Adam Malik, he was a close friend of my dad's and was especially fond of my mother, because she was a Mendahiling.<BR/>"Mamak" would mean uncle,I know, because my mum's cousins (whom I call Tante and Om) called my Ompong "mamak".<BR/>Anyway the late Adam malik would always come over our place(my dad's) everytime he visited KL.He'd have lunch or dinner with my parents. Bapak and Adam went back years ago since the 40s-50s because Bapak was strongly supporting the Indonesian independence struggle.<BR/>You know, you and I may well be related since you also have Lubis in your family.<BR/>Are you a member of the Persatuan Anak2 Mendahiling Selangor/WP? <BR/>I am not becos I suppose I am Javanese, ikut sebelah Bapak,I reckon.NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-47318469179930149392007-06-05T23:43:00.000+08:002007-06-05T23:43:00.000+08:00Dear Ms. Nuraina,Just to answer your query: Like y...Dear Ms. Nuraina,<BR/><BR/>Just to answer your query: Like your mom's family, we are also from the Lubis clan. I somehow recall the time the late Adam Malek actually asked for and met with my late grandfather (AM addressed him as "Mamak") when he & his entourage came to Kajang many, many moons ago.<BR/><BR/>As for Mendaling Street, it's a rather inconspicuous one-way street with quaint shophouses. It may not be "gorgeous"; still it's something that the Mendaling/Mendahiling/Mandailing can be proud of.<BR/><BR/>If I digress, I apologize. Salam to your Bapak.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-73397664533822880962007-06-05T18:53:00.000+08:002007-06-05T18:53:00.000+08:00JT: Hi,JT.I am hopeful that Adel knows how lucky h...JT: Hi,JT.<BR/><BR/>I am hopeful that Adel knows how lucky he is that he still has his grandfather around to tell him stories.<BR/><BR/>Luckier are Sarah, Haikal, Haris, Sofia, Soraya and Sonia. Sarah and Haikal live with their Datuk. Baby Sharmaine too. <BR/>Haris and his sisters visit their Datuk ever so often, most times, spending nights there.<BR/><BR/>Thanks JT for visiting.NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-46684916962000093972007-06-05T17:56:00.001+08:002007-06-05T17:56:00.001+08:00zhmi : woww... a road called mandaling?my mum was ...zhmi : woww... a road called mandaling?<BR/>my mum was very proud of her mendahiling heritage but you know, Bapak used to tease her, saying the the Mendahiling were really Bataks, only that they were Muslims.<BR/>Mak was very sensitive about this. She didnt want to be reminded of the "Batak-ness" of the Mendahiling, given the history of the Bataks... u know, head hunters and all that.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, Zhmi, nice to know another Bat....I mean Mendahiling.<BR/>What is your marga? My Ompong is a Lubis, and mixed with Nasution. My grandma, though was a Burmese from Pekanbaru.<BR/><BR/>I will surely tell Adel to cherish his time with his Datuk.<BR/><BR/>thank u for visiting.NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-11700527475859325092007-06-05T17:56:00.000+08:002007-06-05T17:56:00.000+08:00Adel is lucky to have his Datuk around. To be able...Adel is lucky to have his Datuk around. To be able to learn about a grandparent's early days is special. To be able to share about one's beginnings with a grandchild is priceless. By the time, I had the interest in my grandfather's lives, there were long gone. The stories I got were from my parents. Nothing like getting it from the original source. :)<BR/><BR/>I agree with Amir (Malaysian in Riyadh). "...We should always be mindful that newer, more sophisticated forms of colonialism, including the colonialism of the mind...."<BR/>You will never know what controlled you until it is too late.J.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13729752991744815923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-89373215399569701472007-06-05T17:17:00.000+08:002007-06-05T17:17:00.000+08:00Dear Ms. Nuraina,Reading your 10:18 a.m. comment b...Dear Ms. Nuraina,<BR/><BR/>Reading your 10:18 a.m. comment brought back memories of my late paternal grandfather. Boy, he was one proud Mandailing who led a paradoxical life. Although a pious man--he would berzikir hours on end after Isyak which would never fail to lull his grandchildren to sleep--he led a colorful life and inevitably had a colorful past. Did you know that--as my late grandfather used to boast--only in Kajang (our hometown) one could find a street named Mandailing?<BR/><BR/>Tell Adel to appreciate & cherish the time he spends with his Datuk; how I wish I could still do the same...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-63688146573103446272007-06-05T17:12:00.000+08:002007-06-05T17:12:00.000+08:00Anon@12:47pm: I know what you mean. Perhaps, yes, ...Anon@12:47pm: I know what you mean. Perhaps, yes, he was "segan" more than anything.And Adel is really a low-profile kind of boy who is not the sort to shout his achievements.<BR/>He will have to develop a more "confident" persona,I suppose. To learn to sell himself.I suppose there is the good and the bad of both sides of the coin.<BR/><BR/>aMiR: Yes.I agree. It is far more insidious,this colonialisation of the mind. Its threat is unseen and unfelt until the damage is done.<BR/>Bapak was actually thrown into the wolves' or lions' den -- very very deep, unprepared -- to find his way around as a journalist. But his sense of nationalism was sown at a very young age because he was close to his father. rather, he had no choice in that as he was the first surviving son and had certain obligations to fulfill.<BR/>Datuk was very fierce and strict.<BR/><BR/>Mutalib: unfortunately, Adel is better in English than in Malay. It is my fault because I had "underestimated" the Bahasa Malaysia curricullum. I thought that being a Malay, Adel would sail through his BM in school.I thought,how could it be so hard. I didnt realise that the BM syllabus was so damn hard.I realised it too late. By then, Adel was already good in his English and so-so in his BM which is an embarrassment. But, he is improving. <BR/>No, he will not be a journalist.He will be an investment banker. Haha!NURAINA A SAMADhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671206532110686716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-34653132725191873462007-06-05T16:48:00.000+08:002007-06-05T16:48:00.000+08:00oo-hoo.if i'm adel, i would feel the same too. bec...oo-hoo.<BR/><BR/>if i'm adel, i would feel the same too. because i think that i would show off. BUT, in other way, i will be proud as my grandpa has done great contributions to the country.<BR/><BR/>great exposure to adel. (Is he going to be a journalist too?)mutalib saifuddinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12938555482081358576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-62454972857143368252007-06-05T13:13:00.000+08:002007-06-05T13:13:00.000+08:00Sis EnaYes I think we should always be mindful tha...Sis Ena<BR/>Yes I think we should always be mindful that newer, more sophisticated forms of colonialism, including the colonialism of the mind, are perhaps a far greater threat than the colonizations that occurred in the past.<BR/>Who groomed Pak Samad when he first started as a reporter? Not his dad, I reckon. <BR/>aMiRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38530403.post-32112015140077349842007-06-05T12:47:00.000+08:002007-06-05T12:47:00.000+08:00If Adel had been brought up in the normal Malay wa...If Adel had been brought up in the normal Malay way I suppose his recation is to be expected. Kan we are always taught to 'merendah diri' and not to show off. Self-praise can even be considered 'takabur'.<BR/><BR/>My son had similar experience when writing his resume and applying for a job - he was reluctant to 'sell himself'. Whereas in the western environment (which is found in local MNC's, for example) you are encouraged to promote yourself with pride, with no feeling of shyness or guilt whatsoever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com