Thursday, October 25, 2007

Of Pos Brook, Lojing and Brinchang



The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands

Tudor-style boutique resort, The Lakehouse - Cameron Highlands, an exclusive getaway in the natural beauty of the Cameron Highlands.




Heard of Pos Brook? Lojing? I bet many of you hardly have heard the names. Yes, Brinchang perhaps not too strange to the holiday makers because it’s a major part of the renowned Cameron Highlands. Those are the names of places along the road that cut across from Gua Musang, Kelantan to the western side of the Malaysian Peninsular. The names are captivating to me.

On our trip back to our place in Sungai Buluh after Hari Raya, upon reaching Gua Musang, I decided to take a route through Cameron Highlands instead of our usual route Kuala Lipis – Raub – Bentong – KL.

It was a different experience altogether. All of us love the mountainous scenery that became a staple background throughout the journey. Unlike Fara and Edrin, my son Sam had showed the least excitement seeing the views for he was more interested to doze off in the back seat. But that didn’t stop me to bug him, asking him to be alert over beautiful landscapes that complete with the vast greeneries of the jungles that turn into bluish tones of mountain range in the distance just like a drawing, goes as far as your eyes can see, and the grandiose of rocks and boulders, the fog-covered peaks and the splendid formations of clouds in the milieu.

The road condition was good or rather very good as compared to the usual route despite of having to tolerate the hilly terrain in a pleasant roller-coaster ride, up and down to my proclivity and penchant. Less traffic that sometimes made me thinking we were the only road-users of the day was a plus point too.

My basic nature is a reclusive type despite of my daily chores of meeting many people. Living up to the attribute, while driving alone with the family, seeing what I was seeing, entertaining my own thoughts that sometimes drowned me in paradise and having not found any living soul or settlement areas in that region, was simply blissful – that made me cheery and chirpy. May be it was nice too when every once in a while stumbled upon small makeshift huts of the indigenous Orang Asli down the slopes – that brought me into thinking they were enjoying their lives better as compared to us for being shoved into the rat race in the concrete jungle – and it created a kind of whimsical fusion of envy and gratitude in me. Above anything, in clandestine, I capitalized it fully to fuel up my spiritual vitality. And had my soul filled and my heart sang.

It was not complete for us if we did not stop at Cameron Highlands. Of which we did. At one particular junction from the main road leading to Simpang Pulai before joining PLUS Highway, I decided to detour to Brinchang. After all it was only slightly more than 20 km away that made the round trip from where we started to detour of some 50 km. Winding roads and the uphill climb was not the issue when you know it too well your family would enjoy it.

True enough, it served as a good transition point from the serenity and tranquility of our kampung during Hari Raya to a cool place with fresh air that graced with splendid landscapes from the tea plantations and the undulating slopes, beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables – are all worth our while – before we head back to run our routine in the city.

It has been a wonderful journey, to say the least.






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Monday, October 08, 2007

Late Ramadhan Ramble


Bazaar Ramadhan in our place, Saujana Utama (Courtesy: SUDOTNET)


Only now I realize it’s been a while since I last update my blog. It’s been a month.

Time flies when we enjoy moments of our lives.

(While we are having time of our lives, there are people somewhere live in misery)

I am contemplating of having my tepung pelita and akok for my iftar and ayam percik and ikan pari bakar to go with for my heavy meal, whilst some poor souls somewhere are only contented if they are spared another breath to continue living. I thought my kids had gone through enough bad evening when I failed to buy their favorite “Roti John” in time for them to break their fast but there are kids out there deprived not just from their meals but also love and care.

Solemn and somber were the order of the days when their mom was away to Cameron Highland attending a course. Reinstating missing of their mother’s cooking in the fasting month like this has not been an easy task for me as a father – Bazaar Ramadhan came to the rescue.

But still, it is beyond compare for a father that have to wait for his missing daughter to come back home like what Jazimin had gone through. The agony of waiting for his Nurin Jazlin to be home safe and sound had ended with a thunderous bang of lightning for him and family.

It moved the nation when the missing Nurin Jazlin was then found sexually assaulted and brutally murdered. I supposed I am not the only person that touched by the incident. It made me weeping every time it flashes in the news. I am also among the millions that now anxiously wait for the break by the authority to nab on the culprit.

What a cruel way to send that little soul to heaven.

On the news front recently; Hui Yi, known as a girl lugging a 9 kg battery pack that resembles a schoolbag to power her mechanical heart, had received a heart from a donor after a year wait. Thought everything went well until it put the medical team in dismay and at the brim of frustrations when Hui Yi’s body rejected the newly-stitched heart. But the fate has it, just when the medical team had to succumb to it, another heart donor came in. It’s a miracle to have it happened very timely and Hui Yi was then saved by the second (heart) donor.

The whole nation overwhelmed with the news.



While the nation still wait for Hui Yi to recuperate from the heart transplant, I have discovered that my own heart starts to beat normally now when Fara had just finished her PMR. It took a toll on me when she had to fight her own battle in the examination hall. I took day off on her first day exams. I sent her off with all my blessings to the exam hall minutes before she had to sit for her first paper,
Bahasa Malaysia, Paper 1. Then, I went back home for my sembahyang hajat to wish her well.

Perhaps I was more worried than her throughout the exams. Though, I keep my stand clear; it’s not what the exam results would be for her but it is due to my long shot on what would educations be for her.

And also the long shot on what emotions would bring for her, to know how much I do care as a father.




SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI
From GAB (Zack), Anie (wife), Fara, Sam & Edrin
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