The Sky Doctors

28 Rejab 1430H



I am an old wooden hut on the edge of the polluted river. In me, the old doctor bends over his work-table, focusing his attention to his quasi-flat patient; cutting little details into what locals call a wau. The old man is a rare breed among the languishing craftsmen who produce the traditional kites. Their flying arts decorate the windy evening skies of the paddy harvesting season.

My Dad’s tale of how the name, “wau” came to be:
Foreigners in the peninsular were amazed when they saw the flying kites, exclaiming “Wow!” with fingers pointing to the kite dancing with the wind. The locals thought that “Wow” was its name in the outsiders’ tongue; and nodded with a smile, confidently repeating the name. The foreigners thought that “Wow” was what locals call such an item. Thus an amazing example of miscommunication. The jawi spelling of the sound “wow” and the word “wau” would be the letters wau-alif-wau.

A silhouette of the wau kucing is visible on the vertical stabilizer of a MAS airplane.


Thanx to Sooch for information on the location of the picture.

[Doa] Surah Al Isra', ayat 24

21 Rejab 1430H

Pic 1 -



See also,

• Doa untuk ibu bapa

Guy Ring Finger and the silver ring quest

Dikemaskini: 8 September 2011M / 10 Syawal 1432H, Khamis.

8 Rejab 1430H



“What are the elements in suasa?”, Guy Ring Finger asked the To: Me jewelry saleswoman.

“Silver, gold, some...”, she replied.

Upon hearing the word “gold”, Guy was stunned and masked it with a set of nods.

Guy was on a quest for a special ring to milestone a very special occasion in his life. The bizarre quest required the special ring to be of neither platinum, nor suasa, nor white gold, nor yellow gold. That left the option to point him towards a silver ring.

For Girl Ring Finger, Guy had bought – simple and sweet – a beautiful white gold ring with a sole precious stone. At this point in time, Guy purposely ignored a ring for himself.

Hunting online, Guy discovers a silver collection of rings hosted by Tiff. A trip to the Tiff shop, Guy finds a corrugated silver ring of just the right size snugly hugging him. The silver little hoop was within Girl’s means.

Fast-forward several chapters later, both fingers married and exchanged their rings. They lived blissfully within company of the other.



After a check at DBP's official website, suasa can either be electrum or pinchbeck or something else. Just to be on the safe side, the Malay term is used.

Hukum memakai cincin suasa bagi lelaki Islam adalah HARAM!
Untuk mendapat penerangan lebih lanjut, sila dengar video ini sekitar minit ke-5:26
USTAZ AZHAR - TAKBIR MAT REMPIT [PART 4]

Badminton match at Garment Land

25 Jamadil Akhir 1430H



Once upon a time...

anywhere in the realm of imagination; the prosperous Garment Land, formed by 13 diverse clothe racks, was ruled by the ingenious ruler, Royal Tengkolok.

One day, Tengkolok ordered a royal mixed-doubles badminton match. The chosen participants were Baju Melayu and Baju Kurung, Changshan and Qipao, and, Kurta and Sari. Garments from across the racks came that placid morning.

As the match progressed, an odd-fashioned garment suddenly descended into the court. The Security Uniforms immediately detained the intruding garment. Introducing itself as Lingerie, it offensively challenged the players to a back-to-back duel.

Unbeknown to the arrogant Lingerie, the players are professionals refining their ambidexterity by playing in their less-dominant hand. The match was intended as a ‘warming-up’ session.

Tengkolok sent the participants on a trip to meet the glorious Champion’s Robe while Lingerie was sent to the horrifying Washing Machine who lived in the neighboring Dhobi Land.



Thanks to Ian Yates for the Adobe Illustrator tutorial :).
See the tutorial here, Create the First Page of a Fairy Tale Story Book, with a Hint of Kitsch.


Thanks to Mei Mei for the help with the terms: Changshan, Cheongsam, and Qipao.

Dad & Computers

23 Jamadil Akhir 1430H



Dad has a faintly bad spot for computers. Computers are as foreign as the continent on the other side of the world – behaving like you know, and yet ignorant of its customs.

Dad is a Generation Jones, who came to know computers some 20 years later in life. His acceptance is fair as he was once a typist – tapping away the QWERTY buttons on the old-fashioned typewriter.

Rapid evolution contributed to the bad spot; the old man was slow to catch-up, consequently couldn’t grasp the knowledge firmly although gave learning some tries. He was left at the furthest station.

Dad says modern life is too challenging for him, that it’s not a place for old men. He hates wearing glasses meant for his farsightedness. The glasses are aging traits that reminds him.

However difficult to assimilate computers in everyday life, and avoids being ruled by them, Dad does use the computer at work. At home, he uses it to listen to religious recitals.

Dad spores a similar spot for telephones, but that’s another story.