Two weekends ago, my youngest brother and i accompanied our dad to a kenduri kahwin of one of the staffs in his department..initially i was very reluctant to go there for the fear that they might mistaken me as 'his wife'..haha..anak ayah dah besar..but because he was so bersemangat nak pergi to that kenduri, I, with a heavy heart, obeyed..
The kenduri was in kuala selangor, which i THOUGHT took a little bit more than an hour to reach. How I was wrong! It took us two long hours and a bit to get to our destination..and when I say long, i really mean a looooong journey..we didn't exactly know where the place of kenduri was (my dad had wonderfully left the map at his office in Terengganu) so we had to keep our eyes on the signs by the road to navigate our way there..poor Imran, who was the co-pilot, couldn't sleep during the journey..tu la, that's the bliss of sitting in front ;P
Eventually we managed to arrive in Sekinchan..the watch showed 2.30 p.m. as we entered the kenduri place..i made sure i was introduced as HIS DAUGHTER to prevent confusion..hehe..
We stayed for about half-an-hour, met the pengantin, took some pictures, and headed back. I could see that the bride (my dad's staff) really appreciated my dad's attendance.. come to think of it, wouldnt you feel glad knowing that The Dean of the Faculty travelled 2 hours and a half just to be at your wedding? I know I would..
And then it was time to go back..this time i assumed the co-pilot position, saving both my brother and my dad from moments of mute and silence..my youngest brother tends to let his mind wander off into the the land of Allah-knows-where..cars and robots perhaps? I, on the other hand, have the tendency to doze off if i sat at the back and poor ayah would have had to battle against sleepiness all by himself..
Being the good daughter I am and the only biological daughter he will always have, I opened up conversations on various topics and issues..i've always been amazed at how rich my dad's general knowledge is..that is one thing in common that i see in adults his age..or his generation, might I say..they know plenty! these are the likes of Prof Nasa, Prof Tahir, and Prof Pakeer to name a few..
The journey back was far more exciting and adventurous..we embarked on a different route from which we came and how contrary the journey was! When we came, we used the long straight highway lined up by blocks of buildings and skyscrapers with tall, skinny trees occasionally decorating the roadsides..when we got back, we traversed on a long, winding road passing through palm-oil estates, orchards, and forests - lush green trees upon which our eyes feast..
At one point, my brother started seeing monkeys..initially i thought it was just his illusion, being the city boy he is..but shortly after, i started seeing them too! monkeys of all ages, from baby monkeys to grampa monkeys..some were just sitting around, others playfully wrestling with one another..there were clusters of families with the young clinging onto its mother's back..they were looking for food..Imran was so excited, giggling gleefully at each passing monkey..my dad further elevated his state of excitement by honking to the poor monkeys and startled them..oh how my brother laughed hysterically watching the poor monkeys jump! i laughed, too..
Suddenly a realisation came..there were too many monkeys by the roadside..too many to be recreational..once in a while you find monkeys loitering, trying to entice the people around them so that they'll be fed..but this was a road with cars driving non-stop and without food stalls or human residents detectable within the proximity..what were these monkeys doing there?
I turned my head to see beyond the trees..i looked hard and saw some yellowish-brown patches..i strained my eyes to get a better view..and then everything was revealed..behind the thin green barrier, a vast area of denuded forest lied still..tracktors and buldozers swarmed what was once home to the monkey population..i felt a pang of anger in my chest..humans, the civilised species we love to claim, have effectively rendered these monkeys homeless! No wonder there was emptiness in the eyes of the elderly monkeys..they had nowhere to go, nothing to eat..there was no place they could call home..the neighbouring forest was beyond bound..they risk their life entering the restricted territory..
There is no telling as to how much damages we humans can potentially cause..in the name of wealth, we destroy the ecosystem..we try to justify our acts by saying, "we mean well..it's all for the benefits of the society.." Our benefits, huh? what about the well-being of other species co-existing with us homosapiens? are their lives not worth conserving? those who oppose such massive destruction are accused as being backwards and anti-development..haven't we had enough already? Oh, pardon my forgetfulness..we humans are never contented..
The journey went on..and I sat quietly, pondering upon the prospects of a bleak future..
As a Malay proverb puts it, 'jauh perjalanan, luas pemandangan.' Indeed I have learnt much from this journey alone. Truly Allah has given us the chance to get to know Him and understand His creations..many such experiences may be encountered by us daily but because of how drowned we are in our human lives, we have failed to connect with nature and observe Allah's signs. We then shall never learn. We shall never notice how foolish and selfish we are..
From this journey, I was able to spend quality time with my dad and bro..and by agreeing to accompany my dad to this kenduri, i have actually encouraged and acknowledged a good trait of his - being a good boss. Sometimes we fail to see how very rewarding our small contribution can be. Everywhere we go, in everything we do there is always a chance for us to practice our role as a Khalifah. There will always be those moments for us to gain some extra pahala. It's up to us to find it..or ignore it..
We stayed for about half-an-hour, met the pengantin, took some pictures, and headed back. I could see that the bride (my dad's staff) really appreciated my dad's attendance.. come to think of it, wouldnt you feel glad knowing that The Dean of the Faculty travelled 2 hours and a half just to be at your wedding? I know I would..
And then it was time to go back..this time i assumed the co-pilot position, saving both my brother and my dad from moments of mute and silence..my youngest brother tends to let his mind wander off into the the land of Allah-knows-where..cars and robots perhaps? I, on the other hand, have the tendency to doze off if i sat at the back and poor ayah would have had to battle against sleepiness all by himself..
Being the good daughter I am and the only biological daughter he will always have, I opened up conversations on various topics and issues..i've always been amazed at how rich my dad's general knowledge is..that is one thing in common that i see in adults his age..or his generation, might I say..they know plenty! these are the likes of Prof Nasa, Prof Tahir, and Prof Pakeer to name a few..
The journey back was far more exciting and adventurous..we embarked on a different route from which we came and how contrary the journey was! When we came, we used the long straight highway lined up by blocks of buildings and skyscrapers with tall, skinny trees occasionally decorating the roadsides..when we got back, we traversed on a long, winding road passing through palm-oil estates, orchards, and forests - lush green trees upon which our eyes feast..
At one point, my brother started seeing monkeys..initially i thought it was just his illusion, being the city boy he is..but shortly after, i started seeing them too! monkeys of all ages, from baby monkeys to grampa monkeys..some were just sitting around, others playfully wrestling with one another..there were clusters of families with the young clinging onto its mother's back..they were looking for food..Imran was so excited, giggling gleefully at each passing monkey..my dad further elevated his state of excitement by honking to the poor monkeys and startled them..oh how my brother laughed hysterically watching the poor monkeys jump! i laughed, too..
Suddenly a realisation came..there were too many monkeys by the roadside..too many to be recreational..once in a while you find monkeys loitering, trying to entice the people around them so that they'll be fed..but this was a road with cars driving non-stop and without food stalls or human residents detectable within the proximity..what were these monkeys doing there?
I turned my head to see beyond the trees..i looked hard and saw some yellowish-brown patches..i strained my eyes to get a better view..and then everything was revealed..behind the thin green barrier, a vast area of denuded forest lied still..tracktors and buldozers swarmed what was once home to the monkey population..i felt a pang of anger in my chest..humans, the civilised species we love to claim, have effectively rendered these monkeys homeless! No wonder there was emptiness in the eyes of the elderly monkeys..they had nowhere to go, nothing to eat..there was no place they could call home..the neighbouring forest was beyond bound..they risk their life entering the restricted territory..
There is no telling as to how much damages we humans can potentially cause..in the name of wealth, we destroy the ecosystem..we try to justify our acts by saying, "we mean well..it's all for the benefits of the society.." Our benefits, huh? what about the well-being of other species co-existing with us homosapiens? are their lives not worth conserving? those who oppose such massive destruction are accused as being backwards and anti-development..haven't we had enough already? Oh, pardon my forgetfulness..we humans are never contented..
The journey went on..and I sat quietly, pondering upon the prospects of a bleak future..
As a Malay proverb puts it, 'jauh perjalanan, luas pemandangan.' Indeed I have learnt much from this journey alone. Truly Allah has given us the chance to get to know Him and understand His creations..many such experiences may be encountered by us daily but because of how drowned we are in our human lives, we have failed to connect with nature and observe Allah's signs. We then shall never learn. We shall never notice how foolish and selfish we are..
From this journey, I was able to spend quality time with my dad and bro..and by agreeing to accompany my dad to this kenduri, i have actually encouraged and acknowledged a good trait of his - being a good boss. Sometimes we fail to see how very rewarding our small contribution can be. Everywhere we go, in everything we do there is always a chance for us to practice our role as a Khalifah. There will always be those moments for us to gain some extra pahala. It's up to us to find it..or ignore it..
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