Dollah sat sullenly at the counter. Endless lines of people, day in and day out. All wanting to register their babies’ births. And many who came could not read or write, and he had to fill in all the details himself.
He looked up at the shabbily dressed young man. The man smiled proudly. “Tuan. Mau dapat surat branak untuk anak saya”.
“Nama?”
“Gunasekaran”.
Dollah started writing. Then he looked up. “Itu nama anak kah?”
“Oh, he he, bukan tuan. Itu nama saya”,
“Aiyah, bodoh. Saya tanya nama anak la”,
“Manimekala. Anak pompuan tuan.”
“Che, Cakap pelan pelan la”
“Mani Mekala”
“ Money May Kalah a/p Guna Sekarang”, Abdullah wrote on the form.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
How the crude price rise helped Suparman
Aloysius watched as the numbers flashed on his screen. Crude had hit US$200 a barrel. He was making millions in his deals. He smiled as he thought of his Porche, and his new villa at Kenny Hills. And his trophy wife Liz. Life was good indeed.
Kim Leong looked through the window at the bleak grey sky. He mentally calculated his losses on his contracts. Prices of everything was shooting up skywards. He was losing money on all his contracts. He had to trim his costs.
Suparman was frantic. His wife had called from Makassar. His son was very ill. She needed money urgently to pay the hospital. And this morning the Chinese boss had sacked him, saying there was no more work. His pleadings had fallen on deaf ears. Suparman squatted on the pavement. And then he saw Kim Leong emerging from the doorway. Instinctively Suparman knew what he had to do. He got up, and grabbed the piece of metal.
Just then, as Kim Leong stepped off the pavement, the Porche sped around the corner, knocking him down. The car careened on to the pavement, sending Suparman scampering. Suparman saw the flashily dressed man slumped in the sports car. On the passenger seat was his briefcase, half open.
Kim Leong lay on the hospital bed, his left leg amputated at the knee.
Aloysius rested in his grave, oblivious to the legal manoevres of the Commercial Crimes Police, who had frozen his assets. Aloysius had not been content with the millions he was reaping. He was into fraud as well.
Suparman sat with his wife. She was grateful that Suparman has brought the money. Their child was safe. And her husband had told her that he had earned enough, and did not have to go away again.
Kim Leong looked through the window at the bleak grey sky. He mentally calculated his losses on his contracts. Prices of everything was shooting up skywards. He was losing money on all his contracts. He had to trim his costs.
Suparman was frantic. His wife had called from Makassar. His son was very ill. She needed money urgently to pay the hospital. And this morning the Chinese boss had sacked him, saying there was no more work. His pleadings had fallen on deaf ears. Suparman squatted on the pavement. And then he saw Kim Leong emerging from the doorway. Instinctively Suparman knew what he had to do. He got up, and grabbed the piece of metal.
Just then, as Kim Leong stepped off the pavement, the Porche sped around the corner, knocking him down. The car careened on to the pavement, sending Suparman scampering. Suparman saw the flashily dressed man slumped in the sports car. On the passenger seat was his briefcase, half open.
Kim Leong lay on the hospital bed, his left leg amputated at the knee.
Aloysius rested in his grave, oblivious to the legal manoevres of the Commercial Crimes Police, who had frozen his assets. Aloysius had not been content with the millions he was reaping. He was into fraud as well.
Suparman sat with his wife. She was grateful that Suparman has brought the money. Their child was safe. And her husband had told her that he had earned enough, and did not have to go away again.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Mean Jack
Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jill fell down
And broke her crown
But Jack stayed up
And doubled up in laughter
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jill fell down
And broke her crown
But Jack stayed up
And doubled up in laughter
Kevin & Liz
Liz looked downcast. She was overwhelmed by what had happened. She never expected this could happen to her. She sat down and closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She sobbed softly. After a quiet while, she slipped into a slumber.
The doorbell woke her. She ran to the door, wiping her face on her sleeve. It was Kevin, her husband. She opened the door, and as he came in, she fell against him, sobbing again. He just hugged her tightly. “Shshsh…. baby,” he tried to comfort her. But tears welled in his eyes too. Liz looked up at him. “Why did it have to happen to me ? I just had him for 2 weeks !.”
Kevin looked at her, puzzled. What was she blabbering about ? “What did you say?”
“Ruff. He has been with us for hardly 2 weeks. And now he is gone.” And then it dawned on Kevin. Liz did not yet know that her mom had passed away. She was mourning for Ruff. And Kevin had not known Ruff was dead.
The doorbell woke her. She ran to the door, wiping her face on her sleeve. It was Kevin, her husband. She opened the door, and as he came in, she fell against him, sobbing again. He just hugged her tightly. “Shshsh…. baby,” he tried to comfort her. But tears welled in his eyes too. Liz looked up at him. “Why did it have to happen to me ? I just had him for 2 weeks !.”
Kevin looked at her, puzzled. What was she blabbering about ? “What did you say?”
“Ruff. He has been with us for hardly 2 weeks. And now he is gone.” And then it dawned on Kevin. Liz did not yet know that her mom had passed away. She was mourning for Ruff. And Kevin had not known Ruff was dead.
Mob justice
Tamilarasi was furious. But she contained herself until the car turned the corner. The she exploded. “Who does she think she is, ordering me around. It was her son who spilt the soup on the floor.” Mohan was irritated, “Listen, she just asked you to help clean up, what’s wrong with that ?” Tamilarasi couldn’t believe her ears. Her husband was siding with his sister ! She started raising her voice and he responded equally loud. The storm had reached a crescendo when it happened.
In his fury and amidst the loud shouting, Mohan had not noticed the child. A sickening thud, screeching of brakes, Tamilarasi’s screams as she was thrown towards the dashboard. The shouting outside, the ugly mob surrounding the car, the child’s lifeless body lying limp on the tarmac. The mother running up and beating against Mohan, the mob violence. It all went by in a flash.
ROAD ACCIDENT: CHILD KILLED; 2 BEATEN TO DEATH BY MOB
Kuala Lumpur, 30 Feb 2008: A mob beat to death a young couple who had earlier crashed their car into a 6 year old child, Siti Zalizah (6) killing her instantly. Mohan (28) and Tamilarasi (26) were returning after celebrating their first Wedding Anniversary at Mohan’s parents’ home when the accident happened, at Kg Kerinchi. The crowd from the nearby colony surrounded the car, and turned violent on seeing the lifeless child. In the ensuing violence, Mohan and Tamilarasi sustained serious slash wounds and head injuries. They were pronounced dead on arrival at the University Hospital. Mohan’s sister, Vinitha could not control her emotions. “They had been so happy just a short while earlier. I cant believe this happened. I was particularly close to Tamilarasi, who was like my sister”, she said amid tears.
Anon
I wonder who is this guy, Anon, who has spawned so many wonderful sayings, which are so often quoted. Here is another one:
"We can learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp... some are pretty... some are dull... some have weird names... and all are different colors.... But they all have to learn to live in the same box."
- Anon
"We can learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp... some are pretty... some are dull... some have weird names... and all are different colors.... But they all have to learn to live in the same box."
- Anon
Monday, July 7, 2008
Vasthu
Dheenabhandu was emphatic. “You don’t have faith in vasthu, how can you get ahead in life? Have faith ! It is a sure fire and tested principle, handed down by our ancients.”
But to me it was a load of bull. When I met with the car accident, it was just an accident to me. But to Dheenabhandu, it happened because my car was the wrong colour, and the registration number was wrong too. When the tree fell on our bedroom, Dheenabhandu was there saying, “I told you so”. And the fact that everyone was getting ahead in life, while poor old me remained poor, in my hum-dum job at IWK? Vasthu of course.
Then one fine day I had enough. I decided that I too would embrace the principles of vasthu. I wanted to be lucky and rich and famous too.
And within months, it proved true. Vasthu was the magic way to sure riches. I admitted wholeheartedly. Now I went around telling all the other hapless folk why they were meeting with rotten luck all the time. And I would hand them my business card, which had the neat inscription at the auspicious top right (North East) corner: “Mark Antonn, Vasthu Consultant”, with the extra “n”.
But to me it was a load of bull. When I met with the car accident, it was just an accident to me. But to Dheenabhandu, it happened because my car was the wrong colour, and the registration number was wrong too. When the tree fell on our bedroom, Dheenabhandu was there saying, “I told you so”. And the fact that everyone was getting ahead in life, while poor old me remained poor, in my hum-dum job at IWK? Vasthu of course.
Then one fine day I had enough. I decided that I too would embrace the principles of vasthu. I wanted to be lucky and rich and famous too.
And within months, it proved true. Vasthu was the magic way to sure riches. I admitted wholeheartedly. Now I went around telling all the other hapless folk why they were meeting with rotten luck all the time. And I would hand them my business card, which had the neat inscription at the auspicious top right (North East) corner: “Mark Antonn, Vasthu Consultant”, with the extra “n”.
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