Once Upon A Time
(The Boys’ “Warriors” Explored Every Corner Of The Jungle)
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| Section 17 |
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| Long House |
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| Wooden Shop |
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| Jalan Tanjung 1 |
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| Junction of Jalan Tanjung 1 |
We didn't know who started firing the first bamboo cannon. However he
was the first to declare the battle of sound. Whatever, it was just a matter of
time. Only the first to finish the
homemade bamboo cannon had the opportunity to unofficially fire the first
round. By then it was worthy of effort. Actually the explosion of a bamboo
cannon was a sign of Ramadan. It meant Ramadan was just around the corner. However
the bamboo cannons begun the battle of sound when fasting day was declared. So
all the boys from each Village: Kampung Padang, Kampung Hulu, Kampung Lembak,
Kampung Baru, Kampung Sekolah, Kampung Hilir Terendam and Kampung Tanjung would
struggle hard to make their cannon the loudest of all. It was not surprising
when the boys' "warriors" explored every corner of the jungle to find the best
bamboo for their cannons. Thus everybody tried to be at one’s best.
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| Sungai Sarawak |
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| Sg. Choh Stesen |
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| Sister's Wedding |
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| Jalan Tanjung 1 |
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| House By The Road |
You would be the honour of your village, if
your cannon met the expectation of all “warriors”. That was an homage to the
tradition of bengkulu “warriors”. So of course my eldest brother and I made our
own cannon. Only to find the bamboo from a nearby river. For sure the bamboo was
not as “wild” as the bamboo from the
thick forest. Anyway we couldn’t bother
much, as long as we were together in the battle of bamboo cannon. After all we
could claim the title of bamboo canon “warriors”. By then, it was really an
excitement. “Arok nian” when the explosion broke the silence of the night, and
then repeated after each explosion. It was like a relay of explosion, never
ending until late at night. The more late the night the stronger the
blast. So the bamboo cannon battle
continued until early in the morning. Only occasionally heard in the morning
when many of the bamboo “warriors” had gone to bed, It had been a hard day's night, so they slept soundly.
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| Lonely Counryside |
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| Reality Of Kampung Life |
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| "Di Balik Kedewasaan" |
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| Homestay In Kg. Tanjung |
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| Surau Al-Idris Tulis Tanjung |
However
today’s boys only find themselves in the jungle of the bricks. They
never have experienced the heart beating adventure of a lifetime. Even more,
they never experience the real warriors of bamboo cannon. In fact, we
experienced the hardships, and the pain of wandering through bushes and forests
in search of bamboo. We felt insect bites, pierced by shrubs and thorns and
scratched by thorny forest trees. So they are no more and no less, keyboard warriors. Thus they manifest
their warrior nature in a safe
environment, only fighting in virtual battle. Anyway It's just the invention of
technology without any adventurous life or any fighting spirit. Actually it
doesn't make any difference, either they are the winners or they are the
losers. In the end, they have to
experience from a long mental
fatigue.
