Today was a special day of sorts. In the afternoon just now, I was going to apply for the MyKad. As usual, when going out, my hair would be pulled back and fastened into a pony tail with an elastic band. To make sure that it did not get dishevelled, I gelled the front firm. Satisfied that I looked good enough to be photographed for an identity card, off I went with Peter to the Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) branch at Sungai Ara. It was packed to the brim when we arrived. Not wanting to wait in the heat, we decided to try our luck at the Balik Pulau branch. It was equally as packed. We figured that everybody must be taking the opportunity to get their MyKad done during this school holidays. I told Peter that I will get it done after the school term begins next year to avoid the crowd.

The kampung road at Permatang Pasir.
(Photo taken during an earlier trip there on March 16, 2004.)

The kampung house where Peter bought the air nira.

We then went to Sungai Pinang to fetch Peter�s parents. His father is Mum�s younger brother. On the way, we made a detour to Permatang Pasir to buy nipah palm toddy, also called the air nira. It is hard to find air nira in Penang as many mangrove swamps have been reclaimed for development. To get the air nira, the inflorescence of the nipah palm is cut and the sap allowed to drip into a container. The sap is collected twice a day, once in the morning and again in the mid-afternoon. It takes many inflorescences to produce 1 litre of air nira which looks cloudy. It ferments fast unless refrigerated. The air nira is slightly pungent but sweet.

Peter talking to the pakcik.
Nipah palms are in the background.

We had to traverse a narrow tarred path to reach the kampong house that sold the air nira. It was RM15 for a 5 litre bottle. Peter paid for one bottle and booked another. As he did not want the air nira to ferment, he left it there and told the makcik there that he would return to collect both bottles after we picked up his parents. On our way out of the kampong, we happened to bump into the pakcik who had just finished harvesting the air nira for the mid-afternoon and also told him that we would be back to collect both bottles later.

Titi Kerawang.

Petai tree.

There used to be a stream beside the clump of bamboo.

Century old durian tree towering above all.

One has to climb down steps made from rocks stacked into the hillslope to reach my uncle�s house. While Peter went to fetch his parents, I waited by the roadside and took some photos. There was the towering 50-foot petai tree by the roadside and an old durian tree that is more than 100 years old and reaching almost 200 feet into the sky and is still fruiting. There was what used to be a stream by the roadside which was cemented up when the road was widened. I used to catch little fresh water crabs and fishes there. Now, it is just a big longkang.

Fragrant leaves.

Air nira @ nipah palm toddy.

I specifically asked Peter to pluck some fragrant leaves for me. I do not know what it is called. Mum used to add these leaves with the bedak sejuk that she made to make it nice smelling. I will be leaving them all over the apartment. These leaves will still give off its nice fragrance many months later when it is all dried up and shrivelled. When I reached home, I got Peter to fill the air nira into a 500ml mineral water plastic bottle for me. I took a sniff of it and was put off by the pungence. In the end, I returned all of it to him without drinking any. I did not manage to apply for the MyKad but I am satisfied that I have some nice photos to show for a pleasant day out. It was not a day wasted despite the circumstances.

The Christmas tree is up, chasing lights, trimmings and all. The tree and decors are all from last year. Wuan brought them from KL. I know it is a little premature to get into a festive mood. But I have been melancholic for some time now. This is a little pick-me-up that I thought could cheer me up.

The living room is almost in darkness with only the corridor lights illuminating from outside. The chasing lights are basking the room in a warm glow. The baubles looked shinier than before. Gold and red ribbon bows added a touch of elegance. This is a pretty tree, like a lady all dressed up for a night out.

Here I am, sitting all by myself, silently watching the lights blink, trying to find a reason to celebrate. I am feeling very emotional. I am so lonesome I could cry. Mum is no longer here. Wuan is 400km away. It is difficult to persuade myself to rejoice the season when there is no one to share in the festivities of the moment with me.

Taman Pekaka apartments viewed from Jalan Bukit Gambir.
This is an update to the issue of fire safety I brought up to the managers of my apartment. There was no reply to the letter I wrote to them regarding my concern. The Residents’ Association (RA) followed up the case with the management who were the developers also. They replied to the RA vaguely stating that they are not responsible for the safety of residents here and that the buildings were built according to plans approved by the authorities and the that fire protection systems are being maintained monthly by contractors appointed by them. They have built everything to specification and that was it. They were not willing to act on my concern. Instead they have asked the RA to organise fire drills together with the Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat to form fire-fighting teams for each apartment block.

To add insult to injury, the management had boldly stated in another letter that the RA does not represent all the parcel owners and the developer alone “is the sole member of the Management Corporation as registered proprietor of all the parcels and possesses specific powers and is responsible for managing the buildings and also the common Property until the First Annual General Meeting of the Management Corporation has been convened to hand over the management of the buildings to the Council Members of the Management Corporation.”

The fire hoses with the couplings intact.
In short, the developer cum building manager is saying that they own our apartments until the Strata Titles are issued. In the meantime, they can do whatever they want without the need to ask for our consent. That is exactly what they have been doing. Rightfully, parcel owners should be consulted when major expenditure has to be incurred. Can you believe that the developer withdrew more than RM200,000 from our sinking fund to purchase unit trusts without our knowledge or consent last year? Only when the RA filed police reports and complained to the Director of Land and Mines that the money was deposited into the fund again.

The developer charges RM4,000 monthly for their “management” services and another RM12,000 for employing security guards. It was understood that we are paying RM1,000 for each guard, six working the day shift and the other six working nights. Very often, there are three guards at the entrance and none at the individual blocks. This is worse during night time when less than six are found to be working.

The fire hoses with the couplings missing.
That is not all. Residents have been complaining of missing shoes, cars being vandalised and tyres punctured. Just a few days ago, nozzles and couplings attached to the fire hoses for the wet riser were stolen from many floors of two blocks. This lax of security and missing crucial components of the fire-fighting equipment has truly put the safety of residents at risk. I dare not think what will happen should a fire break out and the fire hoses cannot be used

The management must realise that they should be working for us and not against us. Our complaints should be investigated and problems rectified. We complain not because we want to make trouble. Why should we cause trouble in the very place that we have called home? Arrogance and lack of forethought is not only working to the detriment of parcel owners and residents. It openly displays the lack of management skills and the irresponsibility on the part of the managers in looking after the interests of the very people that they are working for.

The ceiling fan is spinning at full speed. There is no other way to cool down, except the air-conditioner. That is a luxury reserved for those exceptionally unbearable days. With Malaysia’s perennial heat, I do not want to be addicted to it when I can get by. My buttocks are hurting. Those long hours sitting without a cushion are claiming their toll. The sofa looks inviting but I am too lazy to transfer onto it. Sinking myself into one would make me very immobile. Hence, I am still in my wheelchair, surfing and catching occasional peeks at the television.

“H” is chasing down clues for yet another murder. His confident poise coupled with chic suits and a pair of equally smart shades makes him a chap many would want to imitate in real life. I know I do. This is so shallow. I am basing my standards on television characters. Somehow, sleek black suits have that mysterious allure that captivates me. I hate to admit it but every time I watch these fictional heroes, I wished I am living those exciting lives.

CSI is such an interesting series because the good guys win, always, undeniably. It is a feel good show a lot of us wished would happen in reality. Regrettably real life does not imitate fiction. When the credits start to scroll, I am left with a sense of awe and disappointment at the same time. It signals a wasted hour with the idiot box when I could be resting in bed reducing the pressure on my buttocks.

Aching buttocks is just a minor discomfort. Sitting without bed rests in between poses a very high risk of getting pressure sores. These can take as long as 12 months to heal. The other concern is postural oedema. I sit without standing or walking from the time I am awake until I sleep which can be up to sixteen hours sometimes. This causes the feet and ankle swell up because, by not walking, my calf muscles are not pumping the blood back from the lower extremities, allowing fluids to accumulate there. Elevating the feet higher than the heart while in bed solves the problem.

Sitting for long hours without a proper cushion is like playing the Russian Roulette. If I do not get pressure sores, I win to sit the next day. The good thing is I have sensation which greatly reduces the probabilities of getting it. Still, it does happen. In my case, not getting pressure sores without taking recommended precautions is something extraordinary. The chances are extremely high and I am really asking for it when I have already broken the first cardinal rule of using a wheelchair cushion all the time when sitting up. I tend to slip down the wheelchair seat when using a cushion. That was why I discarded it. I shift my posture often throughout the day to reduce the pressure. Hopefully that is sufficient.

Is the north wind upon us already? It certainly feels like that to me. The air is dry. I know it is. My lips are dry, my palms feel odd and I keep blinking my eyes. Lethargy is slowly sucking the life out of me. This is one of the few times of the year that I dread. In olden China, this is the season they make waxed sausages, waxed duck, waxed pork and every other thing they can wax. These are hung out to dry in the cold winter winds blowing in from the north. I am beginning to see the similarities.

Fortunately, I have a cache of agar-agar in the fridge to tide me over the next few days. I like them less sweet and with a hint of pandan fragrance. I do not know how far this is true but I was told that eating too much of these will cause the hair to fall off. This could be an old wives’ tale. I will never know because for a while now, every time I brush my hair, clumps of it get entangled in the brush and come off, long before I started making agar-agar. It will not make any difference if it is contributing to my hair loss. I was already losing a fair share of hair every day without eating it anyway.

The weather has also caused me to drink more than the usual amount of water. Going to the toilet often is least of my problems. While drinking fluids is encouraged, too much of it will overwork the kidneys. This is not good news for my compromised kidneys. As is with my diet, moderation is the keyword. I am trying hard to balance between quenching my thirst and not drinking excessively. It is a little difficult when the mouth is screaming for hydration while they kidneys are begging for some self-control.