Views of USM Health Campus

These are views of the USM Health Campus from the 8th floor (top floor) of the USM hospital building, Hospital USM (HUSM). The land surrounding the campus is flat. It is flat for miles, right up to the South China Sea. Because it is this flat, it floods easily everywhere except for built-up areas, hillocks, hills, foothills,  and the central mountain range in Jeli (~2 hours from Kota Bharu).

These views were taken while my daughter was admitted for tympanoplasty, to patch her eardrum, after she cleaned her left ear so hard and it bled from the burst eardrum. She had gone swimming at a ladies swimming pool in Bangalore, India. The surgery and recovery took 4 hours. So I took photos instead to kill time. I am no heroine when it comes to heights, so my husband had to hold me and direct me where to point the camera. I am scared of heights! My office was on this floor too back in 1983/84, in the left wing or Wad 8 Selatan. I was 3rd in rank for looking after the administration for this hospital then. Then I left for Australia to do my PhD in Feb 1985.

It was also on this top floor, in east wing (Wad 8 Timur), that Prof Salem and I taught programming to HUSM staff. That was the beginning of laboratory computerisation and hospital information system (HIS) for us. Today, we have our own in-house LifeLine for HIS and also for electronic medical records (EMR). We are presently on to the Case-Mix System from UNU-IIGH, despite the cons of the Case-Mix System. We think we can design a better Case-Mix System later but that needs a lot of discussion, and that is another story. I will be fully retired.

Big roofs in the foreground are those of the present (old) A&E Dept (a new one will open soon). The USM Dental School is the white-orange building with a blue dome. A covered bridge (at left) links the Dental School to the Medical School complex. The water tower is next to the surau (can see its minaret, top left corner). The pink roof (top left corner) is the old Sports Complex.

USM Medical School complex, Phase II, built in mid-1990s. The end of the campus is Sg Datu (near the skyline). The hexagon roofs are the lecture theatres. There are 3 such roofs and 5 lectures theatres. The 2 parallel roofs in the foreground are lecturers rooms. The long blue plastic strip joins the roofs. On the right are the rooms above the old Oren Mall. The previous shops of Oren Mall have now been renovated and converted to USAINS spaces for private ventures.

HUSM Students' Exam Block (big roofs), kitchen (lower roof with air vents), dhobi and incinerator (with long chimney). The north wing (Wad Utara) of HUSM can be seen at left edge of the photo. The airport in Pengkalan Chepa is towards the skyline and to the right.

A new shopping place called the Kubang Kerian Square is in front of USM Health Campus. There is Mydin and everything else. You can get everything here. All food is halal in Kubang Kerian except at a few ethnic eateries. This new shopping place is convenient for both USM staff and the patients' families. There is no need to stay in Kota Bharu. Kubang Kerian and Kubang Kerian Square have many places to stay. The roofs in the foreground are the Students' Exam Block. The lower roof beyond that (with exhaust fans and vents) is the recently renovated hospital kitchen.

Other photos of USM Health Campus

Close-up of the students' hostels viewed from the Medical School bridge to the library. The water tower is behind the students' hostel.

Distant view of the students' hostel from Medical School at the bridge to the library

Dewan Utama, the main hall for most public lectures on campus

School of Medical Sciences, USM Health Campus in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan since 1990

The Director of Campus office has moved to a new complex near the new playing field in early 2012

Old photo of the water tower in 2010. The students' old hostel block is behind the water tower. The campus surau is to the left of the water tower (not in pic). A new block of students' hostel was later built adjacent to the water tower and was commissioned in September 2012.

Courses offered at USM Health Campus:
http://www.usm.my/images/stories/pdf/Health_Campus.pdf

Sungai Datu

This river is behind USM Health Campus. The river swells during the monsoon season and appears as in the photos below during off monsoon season. Many have used photos of the river for book covers, etc. There was talk of building a bridge from USM to the other side of the river but that has not materialised. The concrete slabs you see are for the intended bridge. Since it was known that the bridge was going to be build, many people bought land on the other side of the river, for setting up homes. However, since the bridge has been built, the landowners are frustrated. Land across this river is no longer cheap. The other side of the river is low lying and floods easily, and not many people know, so they buy up. When it floods, the water reaches waist deep. I don't see any point in purchasing land on the other side of the river and prospective buyers should know. To buy land in Kelantan, it is worth coming here during the monsoon months and then decide. There is no point crying after buying. A rule of thumb when buying land here is to look for the nipah palms. These palms thrive in marshland and signifies a waterlogged land. So don't buy land where you can clearly see the nipah palms unless you don't understand what they signify.

The present USM Campus is sited on very high grounds. If I recall correctly, they had to top up the land to about 50 feet high and then build the hospital buildings, the teaching complexes, etc. It does not flood on campus but the river water overflows and floods its river banks. My brother-in-law's family lives on the other side of the river. They were cheated into buying land there under the poor families scheme (PPRT). He has 10 kids, and during the flood, they all have to wade in waist deep water to go elsewhere. It is terrible to have to cope that way.

View of Sg Datu from USM Health Campus. There are nipah palms lining the river banks. The concrete slabs are meant for the proposed bridge.

Clear blue waters of Sg Datu. I have heard of crocodiles thriving in this river.

Another view of the Sg Datu river from USM Health Campus

Working definition of Malay

I'm copying this here from my old Zimbra Inbox before I lose it.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Prof Faridah Abdul Rashid" <faridah@kb.usm.my>
To: "Akademik" <akademik@warga.kck.usmnet>
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 10:38:28 AM GMT +08:00
Subject: [akademik] Working definition of 'Malay'

Salam
Back to the definition of Malay.
This is my working definition of the term 'Malay':
1) Has a Malay or Muslim name
2) Speaks Malay most of the time
3) Eats Malay food most of the time
4) Dresses to cover most part of the body
5) Professes Islam as a religion and way of life; the male goes for Friday prayers
6) Has Malay/Indian/Chinese parents born within the Malay World who are also Muslims
7) Has pan-Asian facial features with flat/high nose bridge
8) Has fair to dark complexion determined by his/her genes
9) Has black/brown/hazel-coloured iris depending on genes inherited
10) Has short stature, about 5 feet but not higher than 6 feet
11) Has black/brunette/pale orange (warna sireh) straight/wavy/frizzy hair depending on genes inherited
12) Greets by salam gesture (holds the palms of the friend in his/her palms for a few seconds) or similar
13) Has a headgear most of the time - the ladies wear a scarf, serban or tudung and the males wear a black songkok, white kopiah or serban
14) Observes Ramadan fasting most of the time
15) Goes for hajj pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime
16) Eats halal foods and avoids non-halal foods (pig products and alcoholic beverages)
17) Does not advocate gambling, prostitution and free sex
18) Marries a wife and can possibly have up to 4 wives at a time but does not have mistresses or call girls and the like
19) Has a halal source of income
20) Pays zakat of mainly 2 kinds - zakat fitrah and zakat harta\

Kota Jembal, Kelantan

If you reach the Kubang Kerian traffic lights, and proceed towards Bachok (beach), you will pass by a place named Kota Jembal. As you approach the traffic lights at the Kota Jembal junction, the marketplace will be on your left. Why is Kota Jembal important in Kelantan Malay history?

Kota Jembal was one of the many 'kingdoms' or 'rajadom' in the early vast Malay kingdom in Kelantan. Kota Jembal is a region on the eastern bank of Sungai Pengkalan Datu. As a landing place or pengkalan, it was (may still be) a place of trade. Pasar Kota Jembal is the present marketplace in Kota Jembal, an ancient Malay city. Its architecture is a mark of the ancient Malay architecture, very unique to the Kelantan Malay craftmanship of this region, and I don't think it is found outside Kelantan - I have not seen it outside Kelantan.

Next time you come and visit Kelantan, come and visit this ancient princely city of Kota Jembal and see its marketplace, Pasar Kota Jembal (they didn't have malls in ancient cities). I have not been around on foot in this city, but my vibes tell me, this place is 'very ancient'. Looks spooky too but I didn't see any big blood-shot eyes. That's ancient legend.

The people of Kota Jembal were religious people (Hindu in ancient times but now Muslims) and some of the descendants of that early kingdom are still around and rule this state. They are related to the other Malay royalties of a large Malay kingdom in this region. The ancient Malay kingdom spreads from southern Siam (now Thailand) to Kota Jembal and beyond. Sungai Pengkalan Datu opens into the South China Sea. There is an artificial sandbar built by the villagers to dampen the waves, to avoid erosion of the beach front. Many Malays settle at this rivermouth (muara). The homes are wooden and built high on stilts as this rivermouth is flooded during the monsoon season. Malay people from Cambodia and also from Malacca probably came to Kota Jembal via this rivermouth. The Malacca migrants settled at Pulau Melaka (a large sandy island in Sungai Pengkalan Datu) and others settled on the river bank at Kota Jembal. Both cities are princely cities. I would say that this part of the Malay region probably contains inhabitants who are descended from ancient Malay royalties, and thus we see the prefix 'Raja' and 'Puteri/Putri' in their names. Most have dark skin as they are descended from ancient Indian forebearers. However, the ones descended from the Cambodian Malays have fair skin - they carry the prefix 'Wan' in their names.

Prayer place at the entrance to the Ramadan bazaar adjacent to Pasar Kota Jembal.

I can't make out what the buildings are. The Ramadan bazaar is in the centre.

Ramadan bazaar in full swing in 2012

After the Ramadan bazaar, after the fasting month was over, back to normal.

Fenced marketplace, this is Pasar Kota Jembal. Note the unique architecture. Looks like a lodge or a princely residence. This is an example of fine Malay architecture. I like it very much.

There is a meeting of the royals of Kota Jembal on 6 November 2012(?).

eBook

The eBook is very cheap, at USD$3.79 per download.

Research on the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and ... 
http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/faridah-abdul-rashid/research-on-the-early-malay-doctors-... 
Jul 1, 2012 ... Research on the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and Singapore. by Faridah Abdul Rashid; Avg. Rating: Not yet rated; Publish Date: ... 

It's gadgets time again!

It is time for me to try different gadgets for this blogspot/website. Sometimes this entire blog will disappear. Do not panic. I am not an expert blog developer but it pays to try a few things. I will add a few things. So far this website is not worth as much as my other website, which is worth USD1mil. So don't panic. Stay calm and come and visit another time when this website is doing fine. I will make a copy of this blog before I venture into gadgets. Usually I will destroy my entire blog when I fall asleep, only to discover I have lost my blog when I wake up! It happens. So don't expect it doesn't happen. Unexpected things happen. My eldest daughter keeps reminding me to save a copy of this blog - I have never done it. I will now save a copy just in case this entire blog disappears. There's always a 3-month's grace in anything electronic before it totally gets deleted from the Blogger server, so there is still a safety margin or grace there in itself. Tak payah nak takut-takut nak cuba sesuatu yang baru,. That is what IT is to me. You don't try the unexpected, you will never get anywhere unexpected.

How to export/import a blog & How to save (backup) a blog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2A2NATnKhss

I have saved this blog as an XML file, which is 6.76MB.
There are altogether 734 posts, of which 64 are drafts and 670 are published.
Published comments 164
Pageviews today 278
Followers 17
This blog has existed for 3 years, 3 months and 3 days.
The blog hit is presently 73,825.
This blog ranks at 5,382,401 (#1 is best).

I have created the TEMD Toolbar using Alexa, but it only works in Firefox and IE.
You can write a review about this blog (click the Alexa review button at right).

Resources on Accessible Web Design:
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/web-design.html

Ismail bin Abu Sittee

I was browsing the USM collection of videos hosted by the Engineering Campus and saw this Hari Raya 2012 video. I decided to give it a try to see if the video runs on my laptop. It does run in HTML mode. It doesn't seem to work in the FLV mode (wonder why).
http://u-channel.eng.usm.my/videos/1406/klip-raya-kampus-kesihatan-2012

Anyway, half-way through the video, I saw my former schoolmate/classmate(?) from Std 1 at Sultanah Asma Primary School in Alor Star, Kedah - that was 1965. She is Asma bt Ismail, now Prof Asma Ismail.

I managed to write to her just before my book went to print. I was hoping to fix a passage for her in my book but maybe because I was hurrying through the last stages of editing, I totally omitted her info about her father. Who was he?

Asma's father, Encik Ismail, as he was known, was an educated man who served in Jitra, together with Tan Sri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin (arwah). Tan Sri had requested me to find out about one man who appeared twice in 2 of his photos. At the time, it was a difficult request to fulfill and I thought it would be next to impossible to locate a man from 1965 today. His features would change and he may not look like he did in the photos that Tan Sri gave me. I was worried but I promised myself I would search for the man and made a photographic imprint of him so I could spot him if I saw him (a very big hope).

One day, I was going through a list of my schoolfriends from childhood; there were a few I remembered from 1965, in Std 1. One was Fauzaih Fakaruddin. Another who I knew much later at Tunku Kurshiah College (TKC) in 1974 and right through Form 6 at Methodist Boys' School in 1976, was Asma Ismail.

Asma's mother worked for my maternal grandfather, Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos, a Penangite from Jelutong. I met the mother on a trip to the community clinic (Klinik Desa) at Sungai Dua. She worked there. When I met her she asked if I was Dr Che Lah's granddaughter and I replied yes. I had never met her before.

I later visited Asma and her family at home. I met her mother again, her 2 brothers and herself (eldest). Her father was not at home when I was there but for a brief time. Then her father returned and that was the first time I met him. He looked a bit like Tunku Abdul Rahman and I got confused. Why would Tunku appear in Asma's house? Then I was told that he was the father. In case you haven't noticed, the men in those days, they all wore their pants up high on the waist - I think it was a trend at the time.

Mr Ismail, as I remember him, was a quiet man of few words. He didn't say much. I probably told him who I was and he knew. Then I left. Her 2 brothers were my brothers' friends.

When Tan Sri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin requested for me to search for a 'Mr Ismail', I hadn't the faintest idea that he was Asma's father. Time was a factor and he had changed. I couldn't figure out that this Mr Ismail, father of Asma, was the same man that had worked with Tan Sri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin at the RHTC in Jitra, Kedah. It was only when I emailed Asma to ask about her father that we both discovered the missing link! That was after 9 email exchanges. It was great news for me but I could not get the new info in time into my books on The Early Malay Doctors. Asma's father died in 1992.

This is Asma's description of her father:

My father was Ismail bin Abu Sittee. He was the chief public health inspector of Penang. While in the Health Centre in Jitra Kedah he served as phi and health trainer under Raja Nordin and then under Siti Hasmah. My father was at Jitra till we transferred to Penang in 1969 when I was in Std 3. not in 1964. He was transferred to pg to take up the post of chief phi. He was a health trainer, a very good one at that. My public speaking ability in all probability followed his footsteps. I cannot make out the pictures sent. Pls resend. I have his pictures at home but would not be able to find the old pictures. My father was at Trengganu but never in Kelantan. He was big in malaria eradication but am not aware of yaws. He hardly spoke of yaws. I am privy to work done by my father in malaria since he brought home the gurus in the field from WHO. I met them all. I hope have shed some light on my father. Thank you for re living nostalgic memories. Pls ensure that the facts are right difficult as it is to dig up the past. Raja Nordin punya son Norman may shed more light. We played as kids in the Health Centre at Jitra. Don't think he remembers me. wassalam. 

Asma

Asma's father had also worked with Tun Dr Siti Hasmah in Kedah. I guess he would be in some of her earlier pictures taken in Kedah, before 1969. I have to ask Arkib Negara Malaysia if it can search for Encik Ismail, formerly at RHTC, and later as Chief Public Health Inspector in Penang. I will also need to search my grandfather's old photos for Encik Ismail.

Asma's father, Encik Ismail bin Abu Sittee (left) and Norman's father, Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin, at the RHTC in Jitra, circa early 1960s.

Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin is seated at the table edge. Encik Ismail bin Abu Sittee is standing at left, helping out with filming of the Malayan Yaws Campaign in Kelantan, in early 1960s.

Portrait of (Tan Sri) Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin bin Raja Shahbuddin, in 1965 when he went to UC Berkeley to  complete his MSc in Public Health. His Academic Supervisor was Prof Beryl Josephine Roberts.

Asma's mother, Hjh Aminah bt Yusoff, is linked to the first Malay doctor, Dr Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak.

Hjh Aminah Yusoff (photo was obtained from an A4 collage of female descendants of the Bugis Daeng warriors contributed by Zainuddin Dato Yahya). Dr Abdul Latiff was Hjh Aminah's granduncle.

Prof Asma Ismail (photo frame created from USM Aidilfitri 2012 video made by Zamri et al, UKAST). Her great-granduncle was Dr Abdul Latiff.

RAWATID

Assalamualaikum w.w.


KLINIK RAWATAN ISLAM DAN TRADISIONAL PUSAT ISLAM KAMPUS KESIHATAN (RAWATID)

Sukacita dimaklumkan Klinik Rawatan Islam Dan Tradisional Pusat Islam Kampus Kesihatan (RAWATID) telah dibuka pada setiap minggu mengikut maklumat seperti berikut:

Hari : Setiap hari Sabtu (9.30 pg hingga 12.30 tgh)
Tempat : Masjid Kampus Kesihatan USM

Warga kampus dan masyarakat sekitar yang mempunyai masalah penyakit terutamanya yang berkaitan dengan penyakit kerohanian dan gangguan makhluk halus dipelawa untuk mendapatkan rawatan tersebut. Rawatan ini adalah dengan kerjasamasa Darussyifa’ Kelantan. Klinik ini tidak menetapkan sebarang bayaran. Hanya Tabung Derma disediakan bagi pesakit yang ingin menyumbang derma ikhlas. Untuk mendapatkan rawatan bolehlah terus datang pada waktu klinik dibuka atau bagi mendapatkan maklumat lanjut bolehlah menghubungi Pusat Islam Kampus Kesihatan USM di Ext: 1067/ 1068/ 013-2331150 (Ustaz Rosdian)

Rosdian Hassan
Penyelaras Klinik

Malay beliefs and concerns

I will share with you some of the emails I received re Malay beliefs and their concerns. I cannot interpret them nor do I understand everything but I will share them here with you. You can interpret them.

[1] 8 December 2010

sekadar bertanyakan pendapat..

kebanyakan bpendapat,org tua2 dulu banyak 'memakai' dan bnda tu manjadikan beliau susah nak meninggal dunia kena 'pelepas' dengan barbagai cara.Sejauh mana benda ni benar dan bagaimana pula dengan isu 'menteri' dan 'main makyong' itu ..adakah benda ini blh diambil kira atau secara kebetulan??Pohon penjelasan dari yang lebih arif...nauzubillah drpd dilaknati Allah. 


[2] 8 December 2010

Tak kalamulo, sebutkato muluk, sederak pado hati, 
melaye pepeh, bogolek mari, jatuh kemano, jatuh kemato  melerat ke hati,
asal titeh anak rajo mudo, mano mari asal segunung tujuh, tujuh puteri,
puh kane, puh kiri....

Ilmu ore dulu-dulu. Ado (Banyak tahyul+ khurafat)
Memakai tu Wajib...Kalau tak pakai itu HARAM.. (tak tutup aurat)..
Keyakinan kepada Allah lebih utama.
(Ilmu hitam dan janji Iblis pengoda yang akan menyesatkan umat Anak Adam sehingga akhir zaman).



[3] 8 December 2012

Tengok keadaan
Makyong ,menora, wayang, kulit, selampit adalah sejenis hiburan terdapat juga unsur khurafat.
Mainteri, bageh tu untuk rawatan sah guna makhluk halus

orang dulu-dulu orang biasa pun "memakai" lebih-lebih lagi ahli dalam bidang tersebut diatas.
Ada kumpulan makyong sekarang ini menyatakan mereka tidak mengamalkan unsur khurafat.
mereka cuma lakonkan sahaja upacara-upacara yang diamalkan oleh orang lama-lama.


[4] 8 December 2010

Kita tak leh blame orang lama, kerana itu aje ilmu yang digalakkan oleh Inggeris selama 500 tahun. Orang baru ni patut dipersalahkan, kerajaan kita dah banyak membantu. Tapi yang balog liat tu dok macam tu juga.

Alam Melayu

Back in 2010, I was still struggling with the definition of the word 'Malay' or 'Melayu'. I visited ATMA UKM website and studied about the Malays there (online). This is the ATMA UKM Site Admin's email to me at the time. It is a good site and has a lot of stuff about the Malays.


Subject: Malaycivilization.ukm.my Portal Transformation
Sent By: "malaycivilization portal" <malaycivilization.portal@gmail.com>  
On: November 20, 2010 3:17 AM
To: Prof Faridah


Dear Faridah Abdul Rashid,

Greetings of the Day!

Pleased to inform you that Malaycivilization.com portal has been transformed successfully. This portal was developed by the Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2002 to meet the information needs of local and international researchers in Malay world studies. It is now ready to be accessed by users at its URL address malaycivilization.ukm.my with lots of content and interactive features like blog, discussion, review etc.

Please explore it and provide your valuable feedback or suggestions.

Thanks & Regards,
Site Administrator

Useful links:
Institute of Malay World and Civilisation (ATMA): http://www.atma.ukm.my
Prospectus ATMA: https://smp.ukm.my/kemasukan/gsb/pdf/ProspectusATMA.pdf
SARI (ATMA journal): http://www.ukm.my/sari/

Contact:
Director
Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA),

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 

43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel : 603 8921 5254 / 5280 Faks : 603 8925 4698
Website : http://www.atma.ukm.my
E-mel : pghatma@ukm.my

USM Convex 46

Here are the photos of the promotion for the book, Research on the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and Singapore at the USM Convex 46 in Penang on 19-23 September 2012. The students did the promotion (Fatihin - Science Forensic 2, Zaki - Biomedicine 2, Aiman - Sports Science 2, Shaada - Medic 2 and Vani - Medic 2). This is the first public display and promotion of the book. Will be doing more promotions in future, insyaAllah.

Contact person:
Ahmad Fauzan Zainal Bakri
Year 2 Medicine
USM Medical School
16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
syabab_addeen@yahoo.com

USM Health Campus booth

Theme: Alternative Medicine

Book on display at the first booth, Introductory Booth ...

Pray for Adam

Baby Adam suffers from HIE (hypoxic-ishaemic encephalopathy). He is cared for at home by his young parents. Follow his story in Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/AhmadAdamSyukri


Update 21 February 2013
Baby Adam has passed away. Please follow his update in Facebook.

Innalillah. Adam sudah meninggal.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/AHMAD-ADAM-Syukri/514132021941334

Useful links:
Medscape: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/973501-overview
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/drAjayAgale/hypoxic-ischaemic-encephalopathy-12745905
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/alanialiraqi/hypoxic-ischemic-encephalopathy

USM CONVEX 2012

USM CONVO 2012

The USM Convocation (Convo) begins today and is open to the public for 5 days (19-23 Sept 2012). Live streaming of the event is online at USM website (I have posted on this earlier). If you have some time or happen to be in Penang, please visit the USM Convocation Exposition (Convex) outside Dewan Tunku Syed Putra (DTSP).

USM CONVEX 2012

USM Medical School is also taking part. Year 2 medical students are taking charge of the Medical School booth. We take part every year. This year is a bit special because I have allowed my book to be promoted there. Only one book is on display at the USM Medical School booth. Only this title will be displayed for 5 days, "Research on the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and Singapore". Since there are only 2 author's copies, I cannot let my students sell my copies. You can however take a look at the interior and see what is inside. Then you can buy it online at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or Xlibris.

The student who is in-charge of the display for my book is Fauzan. I gave him the materials for display on Saturday.

Fauzan, Year 2 medical student, USM Kubang Kerian

Hari Malaysia

I almost forgot that today is Hari Malaysia. With 1001 things on my mind, it is not easy to remember, even important dates like this Hari Malaysia. What's Hari Malaysia? What about Hari Malaysia? What's the fuss about Hari Malaysia?

Will & Kate visited Malaysia; QEII is still alive in her palace in London; Queen Mother? I have not seen the 2 of them for quite some time now. I remember Diana and also Princess Anne. Nobody sings 'London Bridge is Falling Down' nowadays. Why not? Of course London Bridge does not fall apart. It opens up and comes back down, that's all. I loved London bridge when I first saw it in 1980. It was huge and light blue, and the brickwork was so massive. (The San Francisco bridge is red).

Back to Hari Malaysia. Since I forgot today's date and therefore did not know it is Hari Malaysia, I got up to have leftover nasi tomato from yesterday's lunch. I made some gravy to go with the rice. That was breakfast. Then I went shopping at TESCO, to the tune of RM731. Why so much? Cos I bought stuff for the kids and the house for a month. My husband & #2 son will be away in Perth, so I have to stock up and feed the rest. Also because the monsoon rain has arrived. So a food stockpile is worth the effort. October, November, December and January maybe holiday months for most people, but not for me. These are my busy months and I really get too busy with work at USM, not so much at home.

I have pushed a lot of my teaching for year 2 medicine to March 2013 because I just won't have time for everything. I presently have a PhD thesis of a Chinese girl, in Industrial Food Technology (it arrived in my pigeonhole on 13 September 2012). She's written on probiotics in tofu and tofufa. Not had time to examine it yet. Will do when I can find a sharp pencil. Went to TESCO to buy a pack of neon colour page marker. Expect a lot of pasting and writing little notes, as I usually do when I examine any document, including books.

Back to the question of Hari Malaysia. What is it? It was the day Malaysia was formed, on 16 September 1963. Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaya (FoM) to form Malaysia. Singapore left in August 1965, and became Republic of Singapore on 9 August 1965. I was in Standard 1 at Sultanah Asma Primary School in Alor Star, Kedah. Sultan Abdul Hamid College and the Day Training College were farther up the same road, Jalan Langgar. (Tun) Dr Mahathir operated MAHA Klinik at Kg Cina/Kg Melayu in Alor Star. This clinic was near the bridge. My late mother also went to his clinic although I don't know for what, maybe for family planning. That was how my parents new the Tuns then. I remember my mother was thin but she became ill at some point. And when she came through, she was double her size. She was in baju kebaya pendek before she was taken ill and after that she switched to baju kurung for life. Of course when I was a student in primary school in Alor Star, I did not know (Tun) Dr Mahathir. I only became aware he was a minister when I was at Tunku Kurshiah College (TKC) in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. At the time, Tun Abdul Razak was still the prime minister - he had the Buku Hijau on. We had to plant kacang panjang at college for a house project. We also had to ferilize the soil by mixing it with dried cow dung. I can still recall the pong from the cow dung. Stinking or not, the kacang panjang grew very well and were harvested and sent to the mak cik and pak cik at the hostel kitchen to make our vegetables.

So how should I remember Hari Malaysia in the future and not miss it? Last year (2011) I cooked trigone pasta to remember Hari Malaysia. This year (2012) because I forgot, I went out to TESCO to 'enjoy' laksa Penang and nasi goreng Pattaya with air bandung milkshake for under RM15. I used to enjoy laksa Penang when I got married in Penang but nowadays the laska Penang tastes different from 30 years ago. Nasi goreng Pattaya didn't look too enticing today. That was lunch outside, and of all days, Hari Malaysia. I should have stayed home and cooked a new pasta recipe if I had remembered it is Hari Malaysia today. That can't be undone now. Wait for Hari Malaysia 2013 in the next 365 days.

It rained today so I could not take photographs except for a few shots from my car window. I also got out of my car to get 2 photos of the newly constructed flyover, probably Kota Bharu's first. I would say it was a dull day in Kota Bharu and Kubang Kerian because I didn't get much done today.

Renaissance Universities

I taught History of Medicine on Tuesday, 11 September 2012 to 200+ medical students in Year 1 in Dewan Kuliah 1 (DK1). InsyaAllah, I will have another 6 lectures in 6 years time before I retire at 60. That's how old I am today.

What did I teach this time? This time around I only had 1 hour. I covered the various civilisations in human history and touched on medicine where possible. Otherwise it was just mythology and magic potions.

I covered in sequence: ancient Egyptian civilisation, Greek civilisation, Roman civilisation, Arab civilisation,  and Renaissance. I mentioned Spain, Iran, Iraq and the Middle-East in passing as I had not much time. I also pointed out the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st century discoveries in medicine.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mediterranean_Sea
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Spain
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/France
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Italy

For ancient Egypt, I covered the Pharaohs (Fir'aun). I mentioned they had the Book of the Dead that described procedures for preparing the dead for burial as mummies. I mentioned that the ancient Egyptians slit open the torso and took out the internal organs and placed them in canopy jars. (A lot of reactions from the students.) Then they replace the cavity with salt and sewed the torso and prepared them as mummies, to be stowed in sarcophagus, tombs or coffins. The interesting here was the use of scalpel to slit open the torso. I asked the students to identify the scalpel but in the illustration I showed the students, the scalpel looked like giant walking sticks (tongkat) or crochet needles. LOL
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Lighthouse_of_Alexandria

For ancient Greece, I mentioned that the Greeks were steeped in mythology and have more than 40 gods and goddesses. I named some of the gods & goddess, of course with tongue-twister names, it was a lot of laughter. There was a family of god & goddesses of medicine and healing. Asclepius married Lampetia (goddess) and they had 4 daughters (goddesses). For the capital of Greece, I mentioned Athena and showed them her statue, pole and serpent that would around her pole. I also mentioned the Greeks believed Athena metamorphed into an owl and was often depicted as an owl in images of ancient Greece. I mentioned the Acropolis and the Pantheon where the Greek prayed to their gods & goddesses. The renovated Pantheon still has many Doric columns, and pointed to the students how Malaysian have copied and lived the glory of the ancient Greek Pantheon in their very homes. Almost every modern Malaysian home today has 2 Doric columns in front; some have them inside the homes too. Pantheon was the prayer place while Pathenos meant barren or infertile. I elaborated the differences with "you don't ask your friend, "Are you pathenos while your friend prays in the Pantheon." There was a lot of laughter after that. I mentioned 2 Greeks - Hippocrates and Galen. Hippocrates was the village doctor who practised under a tree in Kos. He was the man who founded concepts used since his time and up till now in modern medicine. Galen went to Alexandria and learned Anatomy from the Egyptians who were highly skilled. He also made lots of medicinal mixtures and wrote about their uses. Galen also returned to Greece but went on to work for the Gladiators in Rome. I queried the students about the Gladiators - they were okay.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Statue_of_Zeus_at_Olympia

The Arabs learned about medicine from the Greeks. I emphasized that the word Arab is a misnomer and incorrectly used by historians and almost everyone. The Arabs have 'al' name for objects and 'Al' suffix for clan name or surname. The non Arabs do not have 'Al' as name suffix. That alone should tell us whether an ancient man was an Arab or a non Arab. I also corrected the general understanding of what constitutes Arabic medicine, Islamic medicine and Prophetic medicine. Besides the Arabs and Iranians or Persians, there were Lebanese, Syrians, Jordanians, etc. The students have heard of Avicenna and they could read up on their own. They can also read up on the Golden Age of Islamic medicine in these countries. I mentioned Al-Qurrawiyun University as the oldest university and the first to offer medicine. University of Al-Azhar only adopted medicine in 1965 which is still quite recent. I mentioned some of the places in Spain and they can read up.

I covered Renaissance Europe. At the time, Europeans were fighting over land ownership and there were a lot of wars and battles. France moved north towards England and Normandy signifies French influences. The churches were active in keeping up with medicine. Popes became barbers and surgeons. Univerisities sprung up in Europe. These included Oxford University and Cambridge University. So these 2 universities (and others) are ancient centres of tertiary learning. I also covered the discoveries made in Europe (a lot of slides).

I did not cover Chinese, Indian and Malay medicine nor their history as time was limited.

Graduate Studies @USM

IPS = Institut Pengajian Siswazah (Malay) / Institute of Graduate Studies

IPS Dean:
Prof. Roshada Hashim
Dean, Institute of Graduate Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), 11800 Penang, Malaysia
Phone: +604-653-2930 Fax: +604-653-2931 E-mail: roshada@usm.my

Website: http://www.ips.usm.my/ 

IPS, USM

USM CONVO 2012

USM 46th Convocation Ceremony
19-23 September 2012
Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra
Penang


USM live streaming:
http://www.usm.my/streaming/

Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra, USM

Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Kota Bharu, Kelantan
http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MC_kotabahru1.htm

Istana:
Built: First built by the easily flooded river bank of Sungai Kelantan. Later shifted to higher grounds.

Major floods:
Bah Merah (Dec 1926/Jan 1927), Bah Besar (Dec 1966/Jan 1967)

Masjid Kampung Laut
http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MHIS_nilampuri.htm
http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masjid_Kampung_Laut,_Nilam_Puri
http://www.arkib.gov.my/masjid-kampung-laut-kelantan
Built: 1400s / 1401 / 1730s / 18th Century / other
Actual date built: Unknown
Original site: Kampung Laut, Tumpat, Kelantan
Present location: Nilam Puri, near Pusat Pengajian Islam, Cawangan Universiti Malaya in Kelantan.
Repute: Oldest mosque in Kelantan (true). Oldest mosque in Malaysia (untrue). Oldest mosque in Southeast Asia (untrue).
Architecture: Hindu / Buddhist chandi
Previous status: Hindu chandi or kuil Hindu
Present status: presently a mosque
Attached stories: Muslim missionaries washed ashore after a shipwreck while en route from Java to Pattani or vice versa
Other related structures: The mosque built at the old Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa, Masjid Demak in Java, Masjid Kono in Champa, Masjid Nad Tanjung and Masjid Wadi Hussein in Thailand.
Associated structures at present site: Istana Nilam Puri is an old Malay palace of the Kelantan royalty. My father-in-law and my husband used to live in the palace at Nilam Puri.

Masjid Muhammadi
http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masjid_Muhammadi
http://www.ridelhotel.com.my/masjid%20muhammadi.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2eHwQ1US4A
Built: 1867
Location: Heart of Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Referred names: Masjid Besar / Masjid Besar Kota Bharu
Name: Named after Sultan Muhammad IV
First built: wooden mosque 1867-1920
Second built: brick mosque by British 1920-today
Renovations: many

Initial Masjid Muhammadi was a wooden structure 1867-1920, Kota Bharu.
From Rosli Che Soh in Facebook
http://archive.org/details/kelantanstateofm00grah

Markets & Shopping
http://www.kelantan.gov.my/

Hotels
http://www.ridelhotel.com.my/rooms.php

Mosques in Malaysia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLLax5mF8Ek&feature=fvwrel

501451 Biography of the Early Malay Doctors

Book ID: 501451

Book Title:
BIOGRAPHY OF THE EARLY MALAY DOCTORS 1900-1957 MALAYA AND SINGAPORE

Author: Faridah Abdul Rashid

Total no. pages: 982
Book dimensions: 6" x 9" x 2.1"

Description of contents:

This book contains 43 biographies of the early Malay doctors. The biographies take a womb-to-tomb approach for each doctor. Family history is also included where there is information about the ascendants and descendants of these doctors. This brings the book into reaching farther back into our history. The setting for writing is from 1905 when the Straits and Federated Malay States Government opened the medical school in Singapore, till 1957 when Malaya gained its independence (Merdeka). However, a few doctors were born before the turn of the 19th Century (late 1800s). Their fathers either came to Malaya or they were born in Malaya. Most of the early doctors were the third, fourth or fifth generation of migrant families in Malaya. There is a lot to be learned about our past medical history, the biographies of the early doctors, and their ascendants.

Cover (10 Sept 2012)

Copyright © 2012 by Faridah Abdul Rashid.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012915816

ISBN 13: Softcover   978-1-4771-5994-1
ISBN 13: Hardcover 978-1-4771-5995-8

ISBN 13: eBook       978-1-4771-5996-5

Website:
http://www2.xlibris.com/books/webimages/wd/anz/501451/
(temporary link)

http://www.faridahabdulrashid.com/index.html
(this is the official website till Sept 2013)

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/EarlyMalayDoctors

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Amazon (price is in US Dollars):

http://www.amazon.com/Biography-Doctors-1900-1957-Malaya-Singapore

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/biography-of-the-early-malay-doctors-1900-1957-malaya-and-singapore

Muslim Journeys

MUSLIMS IN AUSTRALIA

This is from the Australian National Archives:
http://uncommonlives.naa.gov.au/muslim-journeys/index.aspx

Includes the different waves of Muslims to Australia - Afghans, Indians, Albanians, Lebanese, Turks and Malays.
http://uncommonlives.naa.gov.au/muslim-journeys/arrivals/early-voyagers.aspx

Various Malay groups and persons who arrived in Australia:
http://uncommonlives.naa.gov.au/muslim-journeys/arrivals/malays.aspx

1. Malay pearl divers in Broome
2. Malay students involved with the Colombo Plan 1950s-1960s
3. Malays of Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas Island
4. Malays of Western Australia 1870-1970

Contact:

http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/contact/index.aspx

Karachi Literature Festival

First Karachi Literature Festival, 20-21 March 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=GrneaJHu9SI

Author Solutions - Ebooks

Ebooks and Bookstubs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kju9-kpgq4A&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ERKoRha0JaY

Book signing events
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks4ZTVrbJgU&feature=relmfu

Booktango E-book Publishing

Booktango.com offers free publishing of ebooks under its Freetango option. Free ISBN assignment, online ebook editor/editing, and authors keep all royalties earned and all sales made. Sounds good.

More: http://www.booktango.com/Services/

Penang Politics Before 1945

Politics throughout Tanah Melayu was different before colonial times, and each time a colonizer arrived. At the time of British Malaya, there were many migrants, notably Indians, Chinese and Arabs. There were other minority groups - Europeans and Jews who fled the 2 World Wars.

Because of the influx on migrants, not only did the Malays suffer to make their stand and voice heard, even among the migrants, there was struggle to be at the top, especially in the political struggle.

For the 3 British Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore, the fight of the Malays and among the Malays were difficult. In Penang in particular, the fight was to regain Penang after Captain Francis Light and the British East India Company could not comply with the terms of the Sultan of Kedah. The Malays fought back to regain Penang but lost not only Penang, Francis Light and the BEIC also captured Seberang Perai (Province Wellesley).

After Penang became a British Settlement, things were still not right between the Penang Malays. At the time because of second generation of Indian and Arab families, even the politics was divided between those who favoured the Peranakan India (Penang Indian Muslims) who comprised the Penang Malays Association (PMA) and the Peranakan Arab (Penang Arabs)  who belonged to a different body. The Indian Muslims and Arabs may look similar but they have dissimilar priorities and wealth ownership. The Peranakan India remained in Georgetown while the Penang Arabs are at mainly 3 locations (even today) - Batu Uban, Jelutong and Kelawai. The politics and fight for political freedom are different between the 2 groups. Not only that, even the mosques are different. There is Masjid Kapitan Keling in Georgetown built by Penang Tamil Muslims, and many masjid jamek built by the Penang Arab-Malays such as Masjid Jamek Batu Uban, which is the oldest mosque in Malaysia - dated 1734. The founder of Masjid Jamek Batu Uban was a Minangkabau Malay who was called Nakhoda Nan Intan - signifying his skin colour as very dark. The Malay descriptive term Nan Intan points to a very dark skin, and most probably of Indian extract. So now we have the Indians subdivided between the earlier arrivals and the latter arrivals. Both the Penang Indian Muslims and the Penang Malay-Arabs practised in-breeding and marry among their clan members. It is very rare that they married to people outside their clans. The main aim being to maintain the family's wealth or clan wealth.

This is an article about the political scenario then:
Pergerakan Politik Melayu Negeri Pulau Pinang Sebelum 1945 oleh Md. Salleh bin Md. Ghaus.
Download: http://journalarticle.ukm.my/510/1/1.pdf

It should be noted that some of the early Malay doctors before Merdeka (1900-1957) were from the Peranakan India families and one was from the Penang Arab family.

The Nenek by the Surau

Back when I first came to work in Kelantan in 1983, we visited a nenek (grandmother) who lived near a surau in Pasir Mas. This is the surau nearest the roundabout in Pasir Mas-Rantau Panjang-Pasir Mas/Salor bridge. My husband and I went to search for this nenek as she was reputed to be a pious lady whose prayers worked. I was thrilled as I have never met a pious nenek whose prayers worked. We parked our car by the Pasir Mas-Tanah Merah trunk road and walked down to locate her home. We were told she lived by the surau before the roundabout. It was a small surau when I first saw it but we didn't see any good-looking homes which could possibly be her home. We walked all over the village, trying to locate her house. Then we decided to ask the villagers even though we didn't know the nenek's name. We were lucky because the villagers knew her and gave directions to her home. We went back to the main road and started counting our steps to the surau and leftward towards the nenek's home. It was a rather dilapidated wooden house and almost falling apart, with the roof not looking too good. I thought maybe the villagers gave us the wrong house where nobody lived. Anyway, my husband called out and we waited for some human movement. Soon enough the door opened and a nenek peered through to see who was calling at her home. She was probably 90+ but still strong and she could hear us very well. She invited us up to her verandah where we sat to talk to her and the reason for our visit. She knew why we were there even without us telling her! I found that strange. How could she know when we had never met and I have never talked to her? At that point I knew she was indeed a pious lady. And only pious people have this ability of reading other people's minds and intentions. I thought maybe she reared jinns and these jinns eaves-dropped on our conversation prior to meeting her. Anyway, she was working on her own cottage industry, making the traditional small white rice powder drops for facial powder. They are sold in RM2-packs. That's her income. I was thrilled by the little white drops which glistened in the morning sunshine. She made them all the same size and they were perfect - the skills of an elderly's hand. I can never do that right - I would possibly make big and small ones with some imperfect ones. Next time you buy a bottle of white rice powder drops, take a look at the sizes of the drops. They are handmade, drop by drop, by steady hands of the elderly. Anyway, the reason I was there was to have her look at my tummy - I was pregnant with my first child! Why do we visit such nenek? According to the Malay folks, it is best to seek such nenek first to take a look at the pregnant abdomen, and then go to hospital to deliver. Of course in Kelantan, it is better to go with the flow rather than challenge it. Any mak mertua (mother-in-law) will scorn if her menantu (daughter-in-law) decides to break tradition. But I enjoyed the visit to the nenek's humble abode. I still remember the sun's rays shining on some strands of silver hair which were partially covered with a light kain kelubung, and she was talking about the rice drops and how perfect they should be made. She was bent double but she was a polite and cute nenek who will never leave my memory. Her beautiful blue floral baju kurung pendek Kedah top and her floral kain sarong. She must have been a beautiful maiden before.

Solar Energy for Ages

If you remember from childhood days, families depended heavily on solar energy for everything. The sun was valuable to lives then and still is today and will be forever. Only that maybe our parents forgot that they were using solar energy and all they knew was the sunshine that reached them. Maybe.

What do we use solar energy for? If you remember, our mothers used to wake us up early before sunrise. Then they would take our mattresses, blankets and pillows and placed them on the window sill so the sun would shine on them for at least 3 hours before lunch time. They were removed and replaced on the floor before the next sleeping session or siesta. Remember the good afternoon naps? Our mothers were efficient and hardworking. We had the cleanest and puffiest pillows and mattresses - no problem of ticks or dust mites, no problems of asthma and skin allergies. No problem whatsoever. Our homes were free from such infestations. That was yesteryear.

Today, we have forgotten how to make the best use of solar energy except to dry the children's wet school shoes or our cars after a good car wash on a Saturday, or maybe Sunday. Have we forgotten that the sun is an important source of great energy that is left untapped and almost forgotten about its usefulness?

Has anyone given a thought about solar air-conditioning for homes? Why not? Solar energy is not only for heating, it is also good for air-conditioning. How come nobody wants to take it up? We are constantly installing air-conditioning units but that drains electrical energy from the powerhouses (TNB) and natural but depleting reserves. Of course with air-conditioning, electricity bills also triple. Who cares? I do! The University of California at Davis campus experimented on solar air-conditioning for homes in the late 1970s. They built 5 family homes and used solar energy for air-conditioning. That worked very well.

So I am advocating for solar air-conditioning of Malaysian schools, offices, shops and homes. The sun is always there. Why don't we use it? The sun belongs to everyone and it is freely available. Why not use it? Give it a try at least. It might cool your little offices or your TV room, etc. Just give it a try. How many engineers do we have that can take this challenge? This is 55 years post-Merdeka.

So we all have a job to do - to cool Malaysian homes comfortably. That is in repayment for chopping all our trees which kept our homes cool for the last 50 years. I remember as a kid I had to wear thick clothing in the morning and I had to have hot bath at about 11 am because it was so cold. Now I wake up sweating! It is hot and it will remain hot. Why not plant the trees back? They did for schools. But it is the 'big feet' who cleared the big forests who are the culprits. Of course we can all do our part to cool our homes - plant lots of trees and green, green grass. Green our homes, villages, cities and parks.

In the meantime, think about the possibility of solar air-conditioning.

http://www.ditrolic.com.my/services/1/Full-Service-Provider

Hong Hong Factory biscuits

Biscuits were here before I was born. Even when the early Malay doctors were students, they too survived on biscuits in Singapore. Our medical students today also survive on biscuits and Milo for a quick breakfast before they rush off to morning lectures. The other food that today's medical students eat is Maggi! They say that they don't have time and all they have time for is to make Maggi and slurp and rush off. I will take up biscuits in this post.

There were a few biscuit manufacturers in Singapore between 1900 and 1957. The famous ones are:

1. Thye Hong Biscuit Factory. It was started by Lee Gee Chong in 1935.  http://heritagetrails.sg/content/750/Thye_Hong_Centre.html
2. Ho Ho Biscuit Factory Limited.  http://blogtoexpress.blogspot.com/2012/08/ways-done-in-past-factory-workers.html
3. Khong Guan Biscuit Company. It was started by two brothers Chew Choo Keng (elder brother) and Chew Choo Han (younger brother). Re-opened in the post-war in 1947 by the 2 brothers.  http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/five-oldest-fnb-brands-singapore-083248686.html and  http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1670_2010-06-16.html

In a book written by Dr Abdul Wahab bin Mohd Ariff (Medical Students During the Japanese Invasion of

Singapore, 1941-1942), he wrote that he had gone out to buy Hong Hong Factory biscuits one evening in 1941-42 with S. M. A. Alhady before the Battle of Singapore.

There is no update on Hong Hong Factory biscuits or Hong Kong Factory biscuits. The correct spelling is unknown.

Battle for Kedah

Kedah is a flat plain except for Gunung Jerai. It was easy for the Japanese to capture Kedah. I visited Kedah to see for myself, and true enough, Kedah is as flat as a pancake and very easy to capture. Even the roads are straight. I passed by the aerodrome and thought for a second, this must be where things happened.

This is the account of the battle that occurred in Kedah:
http://www.fepow-community.org.uk/arthur_lane/Percivals_Report/html/battle_for_kedah.htm

There's mention of Singora, Jitra, Changlun, etc.

Malaysian traditional dances

When we look at the Malaysian traditional dances, we can see that they resemble a lot of dances throughout Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Why?

A lot of the dances are about another world, the world of fairy princes and princesses, of beasts and spirits, and many have to do with nature - the sea, waterfall, caves, rock forms, big trees, etc. Why?

Are we superstitious? Must we be superstitious?

Sometimes the dances are nice to watch, sometimes it is hard to believe that that is what the people truly believe in. Sometimes it makes us wonder, whether people ever stop and leave the unseen alone or they live with it.

Does superstition govern what the Malays believe in and what they do? Yes, most of the time. Why?

Are the dancers drugged before the dances? No, not that I know of. But in some dances, they appear as if drugged. How do we tell?

Dancing all night long and not stopping may point to drug consumption prior to the dances. A normal Malay dance will tire the dancer easily and an hour is sufficient to force a traditional dancer to rest.

Do the Malays mix drugs and dancing? I don't know. Well, if I see people dancing like the flickering candle-light, like jello or worms on ambers, I would suspect some drug consumption by the dancers. If they do weird dance steps unlike the normal ones, then maybe too, they are on drugs. Sometimes the dancers look like they are in a trance. Why? How is this possible without drugs?

Is it easy to get up and dance a Malay dance? In school, we were forced to dance, like it or not, or we get the feather duster caning on our lazy legs. Nobody wants to dance for nothing in public. But at international festivals, Malaysian students dance for Malaysia.

Will Malaysians dance and not mix drugs and dance? I think that is the best way to go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mak_yong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulek_Mayang