Peculiar gardening habits on a lazy Sunday afternoon
God is speaking to me through taxi drivers. I am quite convinced. He knows that in the 15-minutes-or-so taxi journeys, my mind is blank and as I stare out of the window and watch the trees, street lamps and road curbs blur into one great colourful swoosh. He knows that whatever He chooses to invoke in me in those pockets of silence, I will hear them loud, resounding, clear, and more attentively and retentively than Sunday mass sermons.
So He sends His taxi driver ministers. They speak of many subjects, in different dialects, voices and moods. And me, I just listen and mutter out the usual Uh huh, Yeah or Yup (in the appropriate language/dialect, of course), and occasionally, reply with longer responses. I don’t know how and why the taxi drivers (I usually call them Uncle, regardless of age and I haven’t met a story-telling Aunty yet) choose who they want to share their nuggets of wisdom with, but they always seem to tell me their stories, unsolicited. Maybe I have the `Tell me a story, talk to me’ look. Sigh.
A few months ago, in the wee hours of the morning en route to Senai Airport in two different cabs, Solemn Uncle and Happy Uncle spoke to me about personal safety, friendship and ambitions as though I was their own daughter or sister. A month ago, Chubby Pakcik discussed nationality, patriotism and the best nasi lemak in
Last week, Funny Sifu Uncle told me about the young men and women he ferried in his taxi, about their quests for happiness and wealth. He wondered if they are searching for true happiness and said that many only knew one kind of wealth – money. Funny Sifu Uncle used Chinese idioms and humourous stories to present his thoughts. Many a time, after a series of `Yes, yes, yes’ responses from me, he’d ask me if I understood. Embarrassed by my halting command of Mandarin, I said `No’. Funny Sifu Uncle would smile and tell me to stop him whenever I did not comprehend and he will explain. Much to my own dismay, half of his explanations were also lost on my Chinese illiterate mind. Surprisingly, the important parts always survived.
Like many of the Uncles before him that told me their stories, Funny Sifu Uncle’s observations left me pondering over them at night as I lay awake staring at my walls or ceilings. I wondered if the Uncles knew that they had somehow distilled all of my muddled thoughts into one or two connected topics which they would discuss about with their entertaining anecdotes and poignant comments. I wondered who they choose to tell which stories to. Is it a random story-telling effort to pass the time and the silence or did they received higher orders? I wondered why I am affected by the stories long after I have forgotten how the Uncles looked like and as the planetary dust on the wall drifted into my dreams…
Perhaps I chose to listen to what I wanted to hear. Perhaps they were the stories in my heart. Perhaps I just think too much.
Anyway, ai wu ji wu… thanks Funny Sifu Uncle!
Lagu dan lirik oleh P. Ramlee
Dari filem Antara Dua Darjat (1960) arahan P. Ramlee
getaran jiwa
melanda hatiku
tersusun nada
irama dan lagu
walau hanya sederhana
tetapi tak mengapa
moga dapat membangkitkan
sedarlah kamu wahai insan
tak mungkin hilang
irama dan lagu
bagaikan kembang
sentiasa bermadu
andai dipisah
lagu dan irama
lemah tiada berjiwa
hampa
planetary dust
threadballs of light
stringing up fishes and stars
Last Christmas i went felt-crazy
A cherished piece that resurfaced amidst my search for some old writings. Fung Kit drew this and stuck it to the back of my upper six year book. He got into trouble with Mrs. Kua for it as well as for the one he drew for Pohf; a long story that was but we both loved the drawings. Hee... Just looking at it brought back an avalanche of memories and made me grin like a silly goat! Leafing through the pages had me howling with laughter, occasionally gasping for air, giggling incessantly and more often than not, feeling sebak. Most importantly I guess, I was reminded of kindred spirits, forgotten dreams and waylaid ambitions...
`Maybe if we each simply strived to be a better person, we'd see the world in a different light...' He said he will remember that...
singapore cityscape from sheares bridge on a cloudy day
steps of pilgrimage
figurine in the cave
Christmas at Suria KLCC
one of the Petronas Twin Towers at night
awaiting the new year
the little adorable crepe monster
Min on Christmas morning
