Postcards

~ Mom's Journal ~

A postcard is a popular means of communication pending a letter. Normally it carries short and sweet messages.

When was the last time you heard someone said “send us a postcard! “  A rare phrase indeed! The phrase indicates someone is going on a holiday…or work. Soon a postcard or a series of postcards will be delivered to us, the recipients. As we read we get to share the experiences and places visited by our senders.

The space to write at the back of the postcard is very limited so it is actually a good way to polish our skills in writing. Of course, the picture or scenery on the postcard will guide us of the things to write and to share with the recipient of our postcards.

Sometimes a son would keep his father informed of his whereabouts by sending a postcard. The son would address his father as “ayahanda” and refer to himself as “anakanda”. As the son undertook a business travel, he would post the postcards from the designated places and would write short notes of the dates of arrivals and departures to the next destination.

Postcards from a son:

A postcard dated 17/10/1975 posted from Hamburg, West Germany. The message read: arrived from Milan, Italy on 16/10/1975 will stay until 19/10/1975.

Incidentally, the West and East Germany were reunited in 1990.

A postcard dated 21/10/1975 posted from Bremen, West Germany. The group arrived in Bremen on 19/10/1975. The postcard was posted prior to their departure to Amsterdam in the evening.

Apparently, the group stopped at Rotterdam on 22/10/1975 and left for Amsterdam in the evening of 24/10/1975.

A postcard posted from Amsterdam, a city of canals and bridges. Amsterdam was 700 years old in 1975. The group departed for Antwerp on 26/10/1975.

On 2/11/1975 a postcard posted from Paris, France. It said: Dear father, I am in Paris 29/10/1975 until 3/11/1975.

And they came home…at intervals the son would travel back home to Kuala Lipis, Pahang to visit his elderly father.

Sometimes a sister would get a postcard from her brother. The brother was still studying and the sister was employed in a FELDA scheme. Sometimes she got transferred to another office in a different FELDA scheme and in different parts of the country hence the need to confirm her address by her dear brother.

My brother sent me a postcard while he was studying in the UK. There must have been others which I must have misplaced. It was quite a long time ago in the 1970s. As siblings, we wrote letters and sent photographs and bought souvenirs for special occasions.

My brother (left) with his friends.

Another brother shared his holiday of “touring Europe” while waiting for his exam result.

A postcard dated 16/7/1980 posted from Hamburg, West Germany. My brother wrote quite a long message about his preparation and his plan of touring Europe and he managed to squeeze all the information in that small space. At that time he and his friends already covered 5 countries in 10 days! Awesome!

A postcard of Luxembourg dated 18/7/1980. The landscape seems to be filled with old buildings from the medieval period.

21/7/1980 my brother arrived in Austria unintentionally as a result of jumping onto the wrong train at Munich.

30/7/1980 he was back at home in Birkenhead. He was doing his A-Levels then. He described Birkenhead as a small town that nobody knows but it is adjacent to Liverpool that everybody knows. Traveling for 22 days in Europe at 11 countries… to be young and adventurous.

Postcards are mementos of your travel.

Each postcard is special because it is a package of memories of sharing notes and experiences of the time and place of travel.

The Pangkin

~ Mom's Journal ~

It`s time for spring cleaning. This picture of a “pangkin” fell off from one of the books. It`s beautiful. “Pangkin” is a Malay word that describes a low-raised platform of planks. It can be a place to rest and relax. The Malaysian garden version of a pangkin is naturally more beautiful than the ordinary-looking pangkin that we find in the villages. In a landscaped garden, the pangkin is built from a more expensive wood and looks glossy with varnish finishing.

The ordinary-looking pangkin that we find in kampong or village would have been built under a shady tree where one can enjoy the light breeze. In the garden, we may find blooming flowers such as bunga cempaka (white champaca flower), bunga melati (jasmine flower) amongst other plants.

Photo of Bunga Cempaka credit to PixCove

Photo of Bunga Melati credit to beautyhealthtips.in

Bunga Melati reminds me of an old song “Melati ditaman”. It was recorded in the 1950s.

The Champaca and Jasmine flowers have a sweet smell and relaxing scents, they are just perfect to soothe the tired mind.

The pangkin is actually an important platform for a “gotong-royong”. In the Malay society, where guests are invited for a special function or celebration, the host will prepare food for guests with the help from families, friends, and relatives. This is the concept of “gotong-royong”. The preparation can start at night until all the dishes are cooked at dawn. This is a great time for bonding and updates! J

The ladies preparing meat and vegetables



The men will cook

Food tasting



The ladies sitting at the pangkin will scoop dishes from the big pots on to the plates




Food is served as the guests arrived




Watching from a safe distance

The Passing of an Era

~ Mom's Journal ~

This is a tribute to my late mother.

In the late 1960's, we were still in primary school. We did not understand politic but as we grew up, we watched with pride whenever our mother wore her white and red baju kurung. We were quite used to her absence as she attended to party matters. It was alright because we knew it was her passion and her struggles, or as the youth of today put it, her "perjuangan".

Her commitment and dedication were real and justified. She wanted to contribute for a better nation and has chosen to be with UMNO. We knew she was doing it for the next generation and she had full support from our father too. Parents always have their children's welfare at heart. They make sacrifices so that the children can enjoy a better life, a better future.

Few days ago, our General Election was held on the 9th May 2018. As the result was announced, amidst all the cheers and jubilation, a new government was formed. It was a vision for a better nation. The same vision.

In that moment, we silently witnessed the passing of an era. We saw it coming but it still did not prepare us for this tinge of sadness. It's like a familiar face is disappearing after 61 years.

Our mothers, in all sincerity.

Thank you, mak.

This Victory

~ Mom's Journal ~

This is a tribute written by my son, Khairul Nizam, for his father, following the outcome of our General Election which was held on 9th May 2018.

#bikesafetyandmore #writingfromexperience

~ Mom's Journal ~

A common experience is riding a bicycle.
As the children grew up they share growing up experience.
The WhatsApp group certainly add colors and flavors to bonding time.

Always start with a tricycle

Graduated to a bicycle

Fast forward: One of my children was watching a video about gym advertisements and was curious to know about the exercise bike seat height. It led to a series of conversation as the siblings shared each others' riding experience.

An insight into the WhatsApp conversation:

Jokingly, it ended like riding a bicycle is a dangerous activity. In reality like any other sport, cycling is safe as long as the cyclist adheres to the safety rules.

Experience and riding together with the whole family certainly bring safety issues into concern. Ride safely, have fun and stay healthy. Action speaks louder than words. #bikesafety #ridesafe

Bicycle riders in a KL Car-Free Morning weekend

Putrajaya MTB Nature Ride

© Cycling Malaysia Magazine

Growing up with many siblings, being the big brother has its perks. 

Many can relate to this: Classic big bro moves

Yes, the younger brothers in the 1980s and 90s wore the stripes T-shirt and were just happy to be included in big bro gamer friends while being totally oblivious to big bro moves. Such bliss! However, this classic move does not last.

Apparently, the millennial kids are quick to notice if the device is not properly connected. Hence, will not easily fall for this classic big bro tactic. Moreover, the wireless controller is now available.

Mastering moves

Another classic is the plant phototropism experiment. I think many of us had conducted this experiment.

We find that plants appear to grow towards the sun or light source. What makes plant grows towards the light? We learn that the plant's hormone auxin is responsible for its ability to grow towards the light. Actually, there are other types of tropism other than phototropism just like there are many other reflections from #writingfromexperience.

We shall end at this juncture, in the meantime:

Clear sky and sunshine!