Little lamps to find their ways

Melaka

Saturday 24^th October 2015

Early this week, a sudden closure of classes due to the haze blown from Indonesia made me to find the easiest way to prepare breakfast for the children. The announcement was made with no choice resting only on unpopular hours close to classes beginning next morning. The reason for this choice is because the Ministry of Education would prefer not to close classes in schools unnecessarily, more so for the coming Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia examination. The examination will begin on November the 2^nd. I wonder would the Ministry be more caring and lenient this year in considering the passing level. Haze is depressive and is bad for health plus visibility. Breathing irritation and eyes irritation.

The whole town looks so gloomy and dull. When I reached the best nasi lemak stall in town, everyone couldn’t smile. I picked eight banana leaf-wrap nasi lemak, ten curry puffs, four ketupat daun kelapa and the brewer filled a BRIDGESTONE’s thermo flask of my favorite Teh Tarik Halia Kurang Manis. “Berapa mak ?” Mak replied, “Sembilan Ringgit Sembilan Puluh Sen” When I put those items on the breakfast table, I felt funny about the price and turned to my wife, “Dear, Mak silap kira”

This morning, I spread Blueberry Body Butter one her neck and back while she apply Renergie Multi-Lift after cleansing to shield the dirt of the 9.00 a.m. haze that read at 125, unhealthy for sensitive group reported by www.aqicn.org .

After we pull over to the side of a triangle junction, we walk to the same best nasi lemak stall and we tell Mak, “Itu hari, mak kurang kira” Mak jawab, “Tak apa, makan dulu. Nanti baru kita kira.” I take a table spoon for my wife and she take a banana leaf-wrap nasi lemak for me. No need to repeat at all, the drink maker brew our favorite Teh Halia and Nescafe O. While enjoying the gustatory chew of the nasi lemak, one Indian speak three important words that draw my attention on him. He uses “Malacca High School” in his morning chat with a Malay man sitting on his right of a bench, who is breaking fast by the stall counter.

I ask him, “Are you a former pupil of High School ?” The Indian man reply, “Yes” That is how we begin and we reach this stage….

C. Ramasamy a Form 5 student of Malacca High School in 1957 retired as a civil servant of the Health Unit of the Majlis Perbandaran Melaka a long time ago. Unable to hide his love for his alma mater, I found him this morning. During the brief chat, Ramasamy quoted Mr. Kumaradas and Mr. Goh Tiow Chong as his teachers, Mr. Ee Tiang Heng as his batchmate and Mr. Robin Goh as his junior. He highlighted to me that Mr. Ee Yew Lin who was the school PIBG member has acted as a trustee member for Bukit Cina, which sounded like he valued the heritage of Melaka. C. Ramasamy is being honored with the State Pingat Jaksa Kebaktian and he invited me to his Deepavali Open House on Tuesday 10^th November 2015. A Chinese like me enjoying a breakfast chat with an Indian served by a Malay is what I called 1Malaysia.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lord Rama and his wife, Sita, this enlightenment to find a very senior Malacca High School pupil on a simple street of Melaka.

May this Diwali bring you clearly the joy and happiness. May the little lamps help everyone to find each one way.

Happy Deepavali.

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