SUNGAI CHOH (28) : Once Upon A Time | Poetic Psychology

Poetic Psychology

(An Actor Who Had Lost His Confidence)

Poetic Psychology

Dramatic Irony

A Stage Fright

Venue Of Escapism

Someone Of Note

My elder brother told me, it was just an ant bite. No harm done whatever, and everything would go as simple as ABC. Anyway it was just a poetic psychology or a dramatic irony. Just an attempt to boost my spirits and strength. Probably I was just an actor who had lost his confidence and suffered a stage fright. Yet, the circumcision still triggered fear in me. Feeling afraid to count each day to be circumcised. However I couldn't help myself or reject the appointed day. The closer the day, the more scary I felt. There was no venue of escapism and no way to switch dimensions. What a fright moment. Anyhow that moment would be my history then. That’s the beginning to be someone of note.

Scary Moments

Scared To Death

Really Scary

Ideal Situation

Circumcision Ritual

However the clock seemed ticking quickly. As if to challenge my courage. But I was  anxious  and depressed  to think of scary moments. Nobody cared about me, who was scared to death. So that morning as early as six o'clock, my dad told me to dive into Sungai Choh. So I was forced to cycle down the road with heart beating moments. It only took 5 minutes to reach the river bridge. So fast, it's like being chased by a ghost. Little did I realize that I was pursuing all that energy. It's really scary to think of something would happen to me. However, that's the beginning of once upon a time story. After a few dive I was chilled to the bone, the ideal situation to go through the the religious circumcision ritual. Later I cycled home, but then my body got warm again.

Unpopular Figure

Psychological Effect

Not So Friendly

Banana Trunk

Worthy Of Respect

Finally the unpopular figure of Tok Ain, popular called Tok Mudim, came with a broad smile. Yet it did not bring any psychological effect. But suddenly the atmosphere became tense and not so friendly. As if the situation did not welcome someone's presence. Anxious and nervous began to dominate my confidence and courage. Even my fear was getting worse. It seemed my fear reached its end then. However, I could not change what's going to happen. I could not even postpone the ritual. There was no magic wand to change the upcoming event. So with tremble hands I just sat on the banana trunk. Then, all of a sudden it happened, without me completely aware of the moments. By then, for just a few seconds, I was a man worthy of respect. Eligible to have a girl friend, as told by my elder brother.

SUNGAI CHOH (27) : Once Upon A Time | Flow Of Change

Flow Of Change

(Lagging Behind In Terms Ofc Progress)

Flow Of Change

Lagging Behind

A Normal Life

Feeling Of Love

Uninvited Guest

There were not many facilities to help improve the status of the village. By then Kampung Sungai Choh was not in the flow of change. Being in the upstream area of the State of Selangor was an area that was lagging behind in terms of progress. However, few facilities were available enough for every villager to live a normal life. But most importantly, calm and peaceful became the landscape of the village's livelihood, not to mention a sense of warmth and brotherhood among the people. Every corner was free from harassment and threats. Nothing to fear. Feeling of love and caring for each other, filled the atmosphere of the neighborhood. There was no restriction to roam around the village, even at night. But today's neighbourhood is full of suspicion and prejudice. Everyone is scared of dark corners. Surely foreigner will be treated as persona non grata, uninvited guest.

Pattern Of Evil

Negative Influence

Create Fear

Socially Restricted

Feels Missing

Nowadays criminals  will come even during the daytime. Usually they   will leave their crimes behind, without a trace. This is a pattern of evil in the west that is  beginning to spread in the East. So our country is no exception to its negative influence. Even media coverage has sparked more anxiety to the parents, not to mention, news of kidnapping, organ trafficking, rape and murder. All these create  fear for the families. Children are socially restricted and the family only hang out among themselves. Every now and then they seem to expect evil to happen. Not for a moment are they neglected to watch over their children. There seems there are no such thing as freedom and peace. Everyone feels missing in those days, when they felt so blessed and grateful without anxiety and fear.

Fostered Unity

"Gotong-Royong"

Sharing Food

Respected The Elders

Friendly Atmosphere

However in the mid-fifties and sixties, the relationship among the villagers of Sungai Choh was very close. They fostered unity and cooperation through “gotong-royong” and wedding ceremony. In fact, they really knew their neighbours. Sometimes sharing food and caring for each other in difficulty.  They even called each other according to their status in the family or their nature of work, such as Pakwo Long, Mak Ngah, Ayah De, Pak Iman, Tok Pek and Tok Mudim. So, as little boys we really respected the elders by their names, such as Tok Su Ali, Mak Tam Mun, Pak Long Lah, Mak Ngah Nab, Ucu Botit, Do Mud, Wo Piah, and various other names. Thus respect created a warm and friendly atmosphere. Even knowing each other also created a sense of belonging.

SUNGAI CHOH (26) : Once Upon A Time | Home Of Evil

Home Of Evil 

(A Team Of Disaster Rejection Rituals)

Infectious Disease

Common Sense

Cloud Of Evil

Faith Healing

God Almighty

That night after Isha prayer, I had the opportunity to watch a rarely practised Bangkahulu tradition, by a team of disaster rejection rituals. They walked in a parade as far as Kampung Hulu. Kampung Hulu was believed to be the home of evil. So when the infectious disease began to spread in the village, this team would seem to read sholawat or zanji and recite a few verses from Al Quran. Though it was illogical to our common sense, yet our kampung was then cleared from the cloud of evil. This was really a miracle of faith healing. Sometimes I found it difficult to understand. Anyway I believed, it was really the Mercy of God Almighty.

Couldn't Avoiod

Special License

Bomoh's Work

Abdominal Pain

For Freshness

So those were the days when Tok Bomoh and Mak Bidan were respected and trusted, not to mention Tok Mudin who was not popular amongst the boys. Yet boys couldn’t avoid meeting him. It was said that only Tok Mudim had the authority to give a special license to find a girl friend. Tok Bomoh and Mak Bidan eventually replaced the doctors to serve sick people in the village. Even my mother knew a little bit of bomoh's work. As “a self-made dukun” in the house, she would rub kunyit on my forehead if I got hedache and put a few nila on my swollen neck under the chin. To release my abdominal pain my mother would then give me ginger juice to drink. As well as she showered me with rice water for freshness, especially hair and skin.

Stop Bleeding

Mysterious Herbs

Cure Diseases

Herbal Medicine

History Of Medicine

As well as my friends, they used chewed keduduk leaves to stop bleeding from any scratch or wound. Gelanggang leaves were used to get rid of ringwarm or kurap on our body. Similarly, other leaves have amazing medicinal properties. What were mysterious herbs in those days? It really helped to stimulate the body's healing powers. Only then, did I discover that some herbs have the healing properties to cure diseases. But nowadays these medical herbs are ignored and gradually forgotten over time. However, herbal medicine is actually part of the history of medicine itself.  Undeniably some herbs can be very effective in the treatment of many conditions, such as dukung anak, kucing galak, rerama, ketumpang air, rumput mutiara, putri malu, semanggi gunung, ketumbit  jantan, and various others.

SUNGAI CHOH (25) : Once Upon A Time | No Fancy Shops

No Fancy Shops

(Were Actually Mouth-Watering Favourites)

No Fancy Shops

Traditional Kueh

Kueh Gelembong

Mouth-Watering

School Canteen

Those were the days, when not many dishes were appetizing. Probably my "cc", that's cubic centimeter, was too small or I had no other choice. However, there were no fancy shops offering fast food like KFC, Macdonald and Fizza Hut and what  have you. That's why I only had 20 cents in my pocket. 5 cent for pandan syrup, 10 cents for nasi lemak and the rest for kueh. Many traditional kueh were actually my mouth-watering favourites, such as kueh gelembong, cok kodok pisang, lempeng gulung, kueh bengkang ubi and cucur badak. Well, that's all my spending  at the school canteen. Simple and not demanding, when it's time to eat. After all, just ate when I was hungry and enough when I was full.

Quite Expensive

Solely Contracted

Price Competition

Home Supplies

Extra Money

However, it is normal nowadays when our grandchildren spend RM3.00 or RM5.00 in the school canteen. Everything is quite expensive because the canteen is solely contracted by one tenderer. So no price competition and even not much of a choice. When worse comes to worst, they just eat whatever are available. To bring home supplies is a bit embarrassing. That's why we rarely see our pupils bring food to the canteen. It is better to drink only water than to  bring home food supplies. Maybe it's a culture of buying and eating. Sometimes when our grandchildren don't have  enough money to spend, we will not ask anything. Of course the extra money comes from grandfather's pockets.

Providing Food

Quite Competative

More Valuable

"Air Tangan Ibu"

Common Phenomenon

Back then, however, we had two or three sellers providing food for the pupils at the canteen. So food prices were quite competative and reasonable. Sometimes some pupils went to the edge of the fence, across the school field. That's near my friend's house, Wai Uyub, where two or three villagers sold their food. This place was an attraction for the pupils because of the "kueh gelembong kuah kacang", which was one of my favorites.  However, nothing was more valuable than my mother's cooking or “air tangan ibu”. How delicious to eat under a shady tree.  So then it was a common phenomenon every once in a while to bring food from home. Of course my supply was usually teh O in a bottle and fried rice kicap or cok kodok wrapped in a banana leaf.