Being a man...Javanese way

We are made to differ, as a person, a group, in origin, in culture, etc. We should celebrate the differences, for it is through those differences that we fulfill the needs of each other.

Nakamora was at Mangku Negara kraton the other day when he learned from Pak Agung, the guide who took him around the sultan palace, that for a Javanese to be a man he should have these five things: (1) wismo, which is building or a house; (2) wanito, that refers to wife, (3) vehicle, which he forgot what was it called in Javanese, but refers to means of transportation; (4) curigo, or suspicion that refers to the need to have weapons as personal defense when attached; and (5) burung or bird. These may just be symbolic of the traits that Javanese man should have.

Ramadhan is ending...

Well-consummated iftar

Truly, time flies.. Only a few days ago Nakamora thought fasting started, and suddenly today it is ending in about three days. How swift.. It could be so because of the many events, of global nature, that occupy the airwaves, and brain waves too. The continuing search for MH370 somewhere in the Indian Ocean, the World Cup in Brazil, the ill-fated MH17 in Ukraine, the onslaught of the innocence in Palestine/ Gaza by a party that Nakamora refuses to recognize by writing the name.

On a personal scale, this Ramadhan is different. Extremely rare that Nakamora patronizes the many bazar Ramadhan to buy food for iftar. The sky-rocketing price, the lack of food quality, and the difficulty for parking dampened his spirit. Some, or most of the food items, are priced beyond value for taste.. and some were not even prepared properly to deserve the names they are given. This reminded Nakamora of a stall at a food court in Tanjung Malim that sells nasi lemak. The dish lacks all the main ingredients to deserve the name nasi lemak. It has no ground nuts, no cucumber, and no sambal ikan bilis, or rather sambal ikan bilis full of onions and no anchovies. The owner has the chick and no remorse to call his dish nasi lemak. But there are still people having breakfast at the stall, just as there are still crowds, albeit smaller in size compared to previous years, at the bazar Ramadhan. Perhaps, we have become apathetic and indifference...

Happy Eid to all Muslim readers...

Hardcopy or softcopy?

When e-mails was introduced years ago Nakamora thought that would be the beginning of the end of the postal service. He was wrong. On the contrary, the postal service thrives as orders for goods can be made faster on-line. But goods cannot be virtualized, transmitted, and realized yet - that Star Trek technology isn't here yet.

Now he thought that this time his prediction is right - that social media has replaced greeting cards. This Eid-ul-Fitr for instance he received only three greeting cards. Down by many folds from the number he used to enjoy holding, reading, and keeping. Most greetings come in softcopy - via Facebooks, being tweeted, or short message system.

But then, his observation could be wrong again. He is no longer in circulation for quite a number of years, he is not in the loop but only at the periphery of the circles of major happenings, contributing to society in a manner that is different than before. But then again, some of his friends mused the same thing too. This year there aren't many cards, so they say. Thus, he could be right, or at least half-right.

Anyway, selamat hari raya aidilfitri 1434H to all readers...

Beware of what you want and ask for....

Short stories have the value of providing us with insight into life, into things that we might go through or have gone through. It can rationalize things that may seem irrational. It can put things in perspectives. Hence Nakamora wishes to share the following story which he came across in a daily tabloid quite some time ago.

There was an old lady, staying alone in a village, supporting herself by selling vegetables and other produce at the local farmers' market. One of her best selling product is tempe. Tempe is a traditional soy product produced by fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. Tempes can be eaten fried or cooked in a curry to be taken during regular meals with rice.

The lady is very pious, God-fearing, always do good deeds and never ever cause problems to others or do any bad or evil things.

Tempe - done and sold at a night market near Nakamora's house

Every time, before packing her produce to leave for the market she would check to see if her tempe were done and ready to sell. One day she found that her tempe were only half done. She wondered why as to her best memory she didn't change the recipe and followed exactly the way she always make tempe.

She prayed for her tempe to be done so that she can sell them that morning at the farmers' market. She believed Allah can do anything. She always depended on Him and have great faith in Him. In the meantime she prepared her other products, and when done she checked the tempe again. No change, the tempe were still as before.

She was a bit shaken but not losing confidence. She prayed again asking Allah for miracles. She needed to sell the tempe to support herself. Besides, it is the end of the month; there will be a lot of shoppers in the market. A large part of her monthly revenue comes from sales at the end of the month. She said, “Oh Allah, I know you can make miracle, I know you can make anything at your will. Help me, please make the tempe done. I am asking you for a miracle.”

She packed the tempe together with other products and made the trip to the farmers' market hoping that during the trip her payer would be answered; a miracle would happen; and the tempe would be done.

On arrival she set up to display her products. She peeked into the tempe covering to see if they are done since she wanted to display the tempe too. She was taken aback when she saw that the tempe were still as before, half done. She started wondering why her wish was not granted. She is pious, never forget or intentionally forget to pray, never did anything bad. She felt sad and her faith was somewhat weakened when she almost got angry with her predicament.

She left the tempe in the package in despair, but still harboring the hope that somehow the tempe will be done. Hours went by, occasionally she peeked into the tempe covering to see if they can be sold. No change. The market is about to close and sellers all prepared to go home. So as she.

As she was about to leave, a middle aged lady stopped her and asked if she have tempe, half-cooked; as the lady did not want them fully done. She was surprised, and this time she prayed to Allah not to grant what she has been asking for all along. Please, let the tempe stayed as they were. She responded to the lady that yes, she has plenty of half done tempe. The lady glowed and smiled happily as she has been asking here, there, and everywhere for half-cooked tempe. The lady asked to buy all of her tempe.

Slowly and trembling, she opened her package and took out the tempe. Yes, the tempe remained half-cooked. And the lady bought all of them. Before the lady left she asked why she wanted half-cooked tempe. The lady replied that her son is studying in the USA and craved for tempe, so she wanted to mail him the tempe. Fully cooked tempe would have gone bad while in postage.

Now, the she understood why her prayers were not granted for Allah knows best, and has a better plan for her. It touched her deep in her heart and thank Allah continuously as she made her way back home while regretting to almost show her anger when her wish for the tempe to be done were not granted.

Sometimes, what we asked was not what we actually wanted, Nakamora thought. He philosophized that it's better to ask for the tempe to be sold than for them to be fully done. Focus on the goal - after all, what matters is the tempe are sold, not for them to be fully done. Thus, Nakamora concludes, beware of what you asked for...

Consolidation...

Many years ago I thought that it is better to separate different topics in several blogs, hence I have more than one blog. But with the labeling facility coming into being that would not be necessary anymore. Postings can be labeled accordingly, and as result passive blogs can be avoided. Hence postings at my other blog "Don't Throw Them Away" which was started in November 2007, will be gradually migrated to this blog. The blog is about traditions, knowledge, experience, culture, and heritage and how we can benefit from them...

Old things tend to find uses later, they tend to be recycled and become useful again. This is not just for material things, but also for concept, philosophy, and fashion....

Keris Making (Wavy Blade Daggers) -- A Dying Art / 12 Nov 2007

Keris making at a cottage industry in Terengganu

Making keris (wavy blade daggers) in Terengganu, Malaysia... looks simple, but there are a lot of scientific principles underlying the age old traditional method for making keris... forging, tempering, etching... the tools look equally simple, but they are able to be perform the task of producing a beautiful keris used to make the keris... it is a dying art, no one to pass on the knowledge to; youngsters no longer find such a 'career' or vocation attractive...

Hello again...

At times, knowing the presence of a follower, the least expected that is, can be a motivator to continue what you have been abandoning, due to the lack of internal drive. Such is the case with this blog, and hence this posting after a very long lull period.
A lot happened last weekend. Meeting friends and relatives can be a morale booster. Your presence is acknowledged and the fact that others can still recognize you and remember your name after a long absence is refreshing. In the midst of doing your own things, you tend to forget others. Gatherings such as the one last weekend can put you back on track.
MATTA Fair 2012 is yet a gathering, but of different sort. Tens of thousands potential travelers and tourists were there, including Nakamora and spouse. How else can we see our brethren in other parts of the world go about their lives and to see the wonders of creation and to be humbled by it. Sampling of culture in the form of stage performances, to whet the 'lets travel' instinct, were also at hand at the Fair.

An Iranian perfromance at MATTA Fair 2012, 9/9/2012, PWTC

A Mouse by the Windows

Context gives meaning to words. Every word has different meanings when used in different situations. Within the context there is the philosophy that the word represents. Thus, words are mere labels, if we can say it that way.
Context is also connected to culture, as words are manifestations of culture, to certain extent. So then, what are 'mouse' and 'windows?' What do they represent? They both refer to everyday 'objects' and IT 'objects'; but they hardly sound scientific and technical.
Is that a manifestation that IT has already became an everyday thing? or is it a manifestation that that particular culture has extended the use of its everyday words as technical terms, used worldwide. Is that a manifestation that using its own language in science and technology has somehow over the years makes common, mundane words become acceptable as a technical term? May be so.
'Barn,' which is the unit of the cross-sectional area representing the 'probability' that neutrons would interact with a particular atom, also has its roots in everyday word. A barn, is an area the size of 10E-24 square centimeter.