Chapter 9: Life Must Go On And On

Whenever there is a beginning there should be an end, but a question does not necessarily is solve by an answer. I am no doctor and I could not diagnose a sickness, and I do not even know how to differentiate the symptoms. Rain or shine, sick or well, busy or not, time will always be there though the available years will be lesser and lesser for me. Will there be any more writing after this? I hope so. Right now, I will spend more time to wrapping things up, built up my little garden world and attend to the weddings of members of my families and friends. So the family keeps on expending and as a senior (orang tua) my place always is there.

            The way I am should not be question or debated. In the old days I like to dream to be a lawyer (Like Marcel Jude) and or be a Seaman (like Captain James Lee or the late Captain Reuterns ) and be a gangster like Vincent Yong who rank as a shingko but unfortunately I end up being a pensioner. Nothing bad I guess as a matter of expression. I have all the families especially my own family and friends supporting me, what more do I want.

            I read a lot of writings including those of Tun Dr. Mahadir Mohamad though I never did completed reading his ' Malay Dilemma ', and I read ' Looking Back ' written by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Al Haj. I like his language, soft and comfortable. I did read the writings of the late Datuk Abang Yusof Putih where my father-in law name was mentioned. These writings did give inspirations to me in one way or another, but the person who is responsible for the greater part of the lay out of this writing is my old teacher Mr. Lee Torvi. But by far I am still a novice in writing.

            When I was a small boy my parents home got 'attap' roof, and there was a mosque close to where is our house, also with 'attap' roof. When the rain came, there were leaks here and there and we had to gather the rain drops using pails or tins. I liked to hear the sound of the beatings of the Beduk- Dok, dok, dok... , followed by the call to prayer. Now after more than fifty years, I hardly heard those sound coming from the beating of the 'Beduk' anymore, and I hardly seen any of it, not even in small villages in Sabah or places I had gone to, except from the beatings of the drums from those of the Chinese Lion dances. Time past things are left behind and forgotten, but whatever, perhaps the old days were far more better off. Now, the new generation is taking over, and as a pensioner I rest to wait for my time, and just passing it, without any exception or choice, and as I follow, many of my old friends had gone, with those remains are far away with their own life just like my children.

             The life of the 'bangau' is far better off, moving around from season to season and finally disappeared somewhere. It got wings to fly and could land anywhere and spend nothing unlike mankind. Life should be made simple like that of the 'bangau' a seabird which could easily adapt itself to the shallow waters of the seashores and paddy fields, and immune to developments. Traditions and cultures should stay or else we have little left except for memories.

~END~