What is one day...

A day will not end, except by the coming of a night. A night will not end, except by the coming of a day. That cycle constitutes a complete day. 24 hours, by the measure of our clock. That's the will of The Creator.

In four-season countries, the days last longer than nights during summer and shorter during winter seasons. In the northern hemisphere, the day-night cycle can be the whole year; six months of night.

So how do we measure one day then, is it by the hour or by the alternation of a day and a night. If a day is constituted by one daytime and one nighttime, then one day in the northern hemisphere could well be one year, isn't it?

Virtual in reality

It is a tiring journey, being in a plane for over fifty percent of a day. Amsterdam Schipol airport is 13 hours 10 minutes away from KLIA by the midnight flight. Arriving at Amsterdam just as the sun breaks through the horizon. Lucky that the airport has nice waiting areas, open to passengers of all classes, secluded from the main thoroughfare where other passengers are departing or arriving. Not all trees there are real, but the prerecorded background sound of a farm area, birds chirping, ducks quacking, give it a sense of reality. A nice place to rest before boarding the  next connecting flight to his final destination. Nakamora has just to be aware not to fall asleep there, like others also in waiting.

A Tale of Two Turtles...

It was about three weekends ago that Nakamora released two turtles into a lake. They have been staying in an aquarium of sort in his house under the care of his wife. Kuru-kuru and Kuri-kuri, the name given to the two turtles, must have been very happy to be in the open waters, many thousands times the size of their home in Nakamora's house; the place they stayed for over a year. They don't know that they are known as Kuru-kuru and Kuri-kuri, of course, unlike other pets such as cats. The lake, Tasik Komanwel, is just nearby the sports stadium at Bukit Jalil. There are many turtles in the lake; must have been put there by others like him, Nakamora thought.

Kuru-kuru, or was it Kuri-kuri, crossing Lake Komanwel

As he drove away, after spending some time beside the lake to ensure that both Kuru-kuru and Kuri-kuri are safe, images of Kuru-kuru, or was it Kuri-kuri, swimming away to the other side of the lake, the manner in which they climbed out the bucket as he lowered it into the water played in his head. He wondered how natural it was for the turtle to swim away, to be at home in the lake, even though they have not been swimming before since their home in Nakamora's house is so small. It is an intrinsic, in-built ability, he thought. He felt happy, and satisfied. Satisfied in the thought that his wife, and even more so himself, agreed to release them. Happy in the thought that the turtles will have many more varieties of food, much wider space to play around, plenty of nice spots to sleep and rest or sunbathe. They will in time meet others; and probably share their experiences too..

Turtles can outlive him, he thought. Turtles can live for a hundred years or more. Perhaps 100 years from today the lake will be full of turtles. It may come to be an attraction - a zoo of turtle, a turtle territory, a sanctuary. And Nakamora smiled to himself, contented with the thought that he contributed to that future, and two of them have spent one percent of their lives in his home...

A space away

Taking a break, spending time away where one can be detached, to some extent, from the usual routine, is refreshing. The sound of waves, unobstructed views, colorful fishes and sea plants, and the leisurely pace all cooperate to instill a relaxed feeling, allowing time for self re-discovery. Should have this more regularly I guess...

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Time travel - spatially...

Sceneries can evoke many memories and imaginations. Memories of days past: idyllic village, carefree chores, backwardness of surroundings, quiet and abandoned looking country roads. Imaginations of what the future may look like: modern, bustling cities, rushing crowds, people glued to their gadgets.
The world is not developing uniformly, some develop faster than others. Thus, travelling from one place to another can bring us back to the days past and take us to the future to give a glimpse of what the neighbourhood come to be in the future. Time travel, undertaken spatially.
(Jetty to Samosir island at Parapat)

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Receding Mist

Mornings used to give refreshing sights around the place. So as after raining. Looking through his window Nakamora can see mist hanging in the air, almost blanketing the top half of that little mountain, adding welcoming contrast to the greens around it. The clear sky looks happy too with the mist around. Nice paintings indeed; a lively one that comforts the eyes.
It did not take long before modern machinery, driven by modern men with capitalist instinct, tore down the painting. The mist is receding. Soon it would be gone altogether. It can no longer be at the place it used to hang around. Men has claimed it to be theirs.
The morning scenery is now something else. There is still contrast, but an irritating one. It is unfortunately a typical picture that can be seen anywhere in the country. The onslaught of development is painting the same picture everywhere. A picture painted not by needs, but by greed. He tried to place the need in men that lead to that destruction in Maslow's pyramid of needs, but failed. There must be some other motivators...

The Slopes Strike Back

Peaceful co-existence.
That's the phrase often used to describe development and the environment. Recent spates of incidents, or shall we say accidents, involving developed area at or near hillside shows that the co-existence was not a peaceful one. After some time, the slopes claim their rightful place... and we were shaken awake, temporarily.
But at the same time, elsewhere, armed with modern machines man continue to deny hills and mountains to continue their existence. They are not there to stay.

The Garden Below

Close to the end of year is the time for cleaning up, including the computer.. purging orphans and unwanted files, storing important information in CDs, etc. It was during such activity that Nakamora stumbled upon a journal entry he wrote on his first dive at Redang Island at about 8 years ago; and he is sharing it here:
The speedboat eased out into the open seas steadily. Gradually the white sandy beach turned to look more like a mere line and the surrounding islands like series of dots at the horizon. Once at the deeper water the second engine kicked in. The boat sped ahead leaving wakes marking its trail. The line and the dots were now lost, completely hidden from view. It’s a trip back to the mainland.
I sat at the starboard side. My sight traveled to an unknown space beyond the stern, and stayed there. Images of the undersea garden flashed rapidly, vividly, and colorfully in my mind.
The ride was bumpy, but not as bad as the inward journey a few days ago. As the speedboat pounded ahead memories of trips on a dive boat to the dive sites were relived. The pounding was familiar, the engine noise was familiar too; but I was now without the tank, the mask, and the fin. I wished I was, but diving has its own discipline. I had two repetitive 18-meter dives the day before. To fly home today I shouldn’t be diving for at least twelve hours so that excess nitrogen level in the body can decrease. Those dives placed me as Group V divers.
At the end of every dive, divers belong to any of the A to Z groups representing excess nitrogen level in the body, which increases with dive depth and duration. Group Z is the highest. Progressively a diver moves from a higher to a lower group by staying longer at the surface as more nitrogen would be released. Excess nitrogen appears in body tissues as micro bubbles, which would expand in response to pressure reduction such as due to increase in altitude.
***
I recalled my very first dive into the deep end, twelve feet, of a swimming pool during training. That was already deep to me. I had to gather enough courage to jump in with my back facing the water and let my body fall rolling back into the water – the splash back entry. The pool was not deep. It takes only a few kicks to resurface, but as a first timer, the anxiety was always there. Having learned how to handle abnormal situations such as out of air, flooded mask, dislodged regulator, and buoyancy control, hovering, excursion, descending, ascending, remaining afloat, and pressure equalization I found that to be in and under water is quite manageable and interesting.
Despite those trainings anxiety still greeted me, and with heightened levels, as the day to my first dive at sea drew closer. It was hard to silence the inner voice that every so often cast a cloud of doubt. Yes, it was okay at the pool, but now it is going to be 60 feet, five times deeper, the pressure would be much greater, what about the temperature, would I be able to do all the things that I did in the pool. Yes, I wouldn’t be alone, as divers ought not to be, but still I am responsible for my own safety.
***
The day came. It was a beautiful morning. Everybody got ready and boarded the dive boat for a short boat ride to the dive site. Once there one after another we splashed into the sea. The moment I was in the water I inflated the buoyancy control device a bit more. I peeked down and I saw the seabed. It was comforting. It was beautiful. It looked like a faraway settlement seen from above. Meanwhile, the small waves lifted me up and down, turning my stomach inside out much like when riding a roller coaster. After checking buoyancy settings, we descended. Under the surface the waves have little effect. While descending I whispered to myself the rules; breathe deeply and continuously, do not hold your breath, do not ascend faster than your smallest bubble, etc. As I reached the seabed the place looked even more beautiful from close range, but the “test” kept me occupied. The dive and the test went well. I know that I earned the certificate and would be a certified Open Water Diver. With that I gained confidence and was able to enjoy the sights a bit more.
.....
I felt a sense of accomplishment. I noticed an ephemeral smile of the instructor - satisfied of making this bunch of student able to scuba dive. The facial expression seemed similar to some that I have seen before, displayed by dedicated people who take pride in their works at the completion of successful missions
***
The beginning of the last dive however was a bit different. It was in the afternoon and visibility wasn’t very good. All I could see below, as I floated waiting for the rest to enter the water before descending, was a seemingly bottomless deep blue water. I felt alarmed, but regained my composure a moment later. I was able to invoke the rule – never let panic overcome you, stop, think, reason out, take necessary action.
***
It was a significant and an eventful occasion. My view of the underwater world was initially shaped by visits to aquariums, snorkeling trips, and National Geographic documentaries. Its all different now. I was there. I understand it better than before and somehow I feel I can relate to it. At 18 meters below the surface it’s a different world, a new world, a new experience, and a different kind of existence. The corals are so vast in coverage, so diverse in shapes and sizes, and the surroundings are so vibrant and lively in colors. Yet, except for the bubbles and the sound of my own breathing through the regulator it is quiet and serene.
...
The fishes swim peacefully and the plants wave gracefully. It is their home, their playgrounds, their world – the world of marine life that I now come to like much more. And I swam too, among and between them, to explore and to appreciate. The feeling accompanying my realization that I was seeing stingray, angelfish, jellyfish, batfish and the rest in and within their own natural habitats is hard to put in words. I was fascinated and exhilarated. I was also indeed humbled by it all, by the sight and feel of the magnificent garden below that the Creator has let us to enjoy, and yet others are intent at destroying them through uncontrolled and unscrupulous activities in the name of development...
***
The trip back was laden with a heavy heart, but other activities must go on as well. Nonetheless, I take comfort in knowing that now I can have return visits.

Forget the Engine, Let's Ride a Bike...

It's already more than 60 years ago. It is something that we should forget, others are beginning to forget that too; or are they? It happened so far away, not here. Why should we bother having anything that day, like some sort of commemoration?
Nakamora is not alone in asking those questions. Many others wonder the same too, but he got it cleared after the event. He followed the whole program of the Hiroshima & Nagasaki commemoration day, or H&N08, as the organizer, the Malaysian Nuclear Society (MNS) dubbed it. It was on Wednesday, 6 August, at USIM campus, Bandar Baru Nilai.
He took note of the officiating speech of the university's vice chancellor on the importance of tempering knowledge with morality and having good moral values, of using using knowledge only for the good of mankind, and the environment. The program showed that there are many ways of using the technology to benefit mankind. Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened, but that should not be reasons to abandon the many other benefits of the technology.
That was the message he got, and he could not agree more. After all, he thought, the engine that powers his car uses the same principle as the one that moves tanks used in battlefields. To be consistent, we should hate the engine too; let's ride a bike. But of course, he rationalizes, human is not always rationale, is not always logical, is not always consistent...

Environmental Consciousness

Normally Nakamora prefers to listen to debates in his head while driving through traffic jam of Kuala Lumpur. Occasionally he tunes to the local radio stations. Today is one of that occasion and he keeps on changing stations hoping to catch Carole King, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, or even Bob Marley or Michael Buble singing. None of the station have any of them on at that time.
But wait, here is something that catches his attention. The melody is strange and yet familiar. He could not understand some of the words but can make them out with a little bit more efforts.
It was a Kelantanese song. It starts by introducing a hungry squirrel, its tail cutoff, looking for food by a rambutan tree. The song goes on saying that squirrel is a mammalian that can jump from tree branches to another with ease. But sometimes it falls due to impatience.
Villagers used to chase squirrel away from their fruit trees like rambutan and durian using catapults and by throwing stones, woods, or even a piece of tree branches. They run away, escape, and still stay alive.
With the advent of modern technology nowadays squirrels are shot at. Most of them are dead. They cannot escape. The song goes on regretting that killings. Its hard to see squirrel nowadays. We cannot make even one of them, no matter how high is our education.
Finally the song introduced a thin, tired looking baby squirrel. It is on the ground, instead of up at tree branches, trying to cross a small stream, but cannot make it. Some of its feathers are lost, perhaps it has just escaped from a farm nearby, looking for food. Perhaps its mother cannot make it and lost its live there. The singer was touched by that scenery and appealed for more compassion to animals. They are part of our environment.
Nakamora felt moved by it too. It was a good song; while entertaining, it has a strong message. He later learned that the singer is Halim Yazid. That reminded him of a similar song years ago about a turtle by Abu Bakar Ellah. Hmm... we are not poor of songs and singers with good renditions of the environment and the living things around us.
Motivated by the song, Nakamora searched around in the hope of taking a photo of a squirrel. He wanted to make a tribute by posting its photo here; but he needed more time to find one, squirrel is not easy to see anymore. Thus he put the photo of a tortoise just finishing its meal given by a forest ranger at Kubah National Park in Sarawak.
In between Bob Dylan and the rest, he now make a mental note of that local singers and keep on tuning if there would be more such songs in the local environment.

Morning Mist

What a sight it was this morning.. the refreshing mist, a rare sight indeed.. he continues driving to his destination, but unlike the other "usual" days, Nakamora doesn't grumble of the traffic jam this morning - instead enjoying the fresh, pure, air, it seems..

But like the usual morning, or anytime he is at the wheel, he keeps on dreaming.. pondering on life.. usually he would stop by the Shell station Select kiosk to get something to eat - some snack for lunch, but today being in the month of Ramadhan, he skips that altogether. He nearly missed his sahur this dawn for waking up late - enough for just a cup of hot Nescafe and a few tamars. That will do until breaking fast. He doesn't need so much calories to move pen or pencil around papers, signing things, and all that.


People said that post office will close down when e-mail was invented. That didn't happen. Instead delivery business is booming - Fedex is there, DHL is there, Citilink too, etc. But the items they are delivering is no more letters but boxes of goods ordered through e-mails.
People said that meeting is not needed anymore, as teleconferencing is now possible..