The Month of May...

May comes again...bringing along happiness and sadness that are significant to me...
Firstly...every second Sunday of May is celebrated as Mother's Day in Malaysia and most of other countries around the world...Personally, I didn't really put any effort to cherish this day, it is not that I didn't find it is significant to cheer up all mums around me, but the history of the second Sunday really put me off...for me everyday is Mother's Day and mothers need to be cherished every day instead of only one day in a year...

13th May...on 1969, this date was a turning point to Malaysian Political History...they called it as 'Peristiwa 13 Mei'. I read the writing of Tunku Abd Rahman on 'Peristiwa 13 Mei' and it really put a chilly feeling to me up to this day...But, 13th May is also a special day coz this is the birthdate of my second younger sister, Uffairah...Happy 23rd Birthday Mak Opai! Tak sangka, adik2 aku semua dah besar panjang...I was married at your age now...bila Shidee nak masuk meminang nih? Hohoho...let me tell some story about Uffairrah...When she was small, relatives loved to tease and call her as "anak Bosnia" coz her figure was very much alike a Bosnian child...with blushing cheeks, pink lips, big eyes and long eye lashes...my Mak Ngah loves to call her 'menantu raja'...hohoho...anak manja...she was the mama child until Atiqah was born seven years later...

She always felt inferior when it came to academic...she used to say, Opai tak pandai macam kakak-kakak lain...her examination results, for her were not as outstanding as other siblings. After her PMR, I encouraged her to choose something that was close to her interest...so she chose to take cateering course in Technical School...though many relatives said that the course has no future prospect...how close-minded they were...Opai strived hard and enjoyed herself as she was doing something that she like..when the SPM result was released, Opai was announced as the best Technical Student in the whole state of Perlis...and her success had really 'tutup' mulut-mulut cabul' relatives yang banyak mengutuk tapi nak menyokongnya tidak...now Opai is in her final year in Food Manangement Science under the Faculty of Hotel and Hospitality, Uitm Main Campus...she's going to be a great manager of her own cateering business one day...Gambatte Kudasai, Mak Opai!!! I'm really proud of you..

14th and 15th of May is the Nakba Day...ramai umat Islam yang jahil tentang tarikh ini...jika Hari Ibu yang diwujudkan oleh orang2 Kristian itu sangat2 dihargai, diberi perhatian dan disambut di sana-sini, tapi ramai yang lupa atau tak tahu pun tentang hari Nakba...14-15 Mei setiap tahun umat Islam menangisi Nakba يوم النكبة yang merujuk kepada peristiwa malang pada tahun 1948. Dua pertiga saudara kita, penghuni tanah 'suci' Palestin telah diusir. Ayuh mengenang dan membantu mereka dengan apa sahaja yang kita miliki, biarpun hanya sepotong do'a.

Then, it is 16th of May already...Teachers' Day! The first teacher that I would like to wish is Cikgu Halim at Sekolah Menengah Teknik, Kangar...my truly and greatest teacher....my beloved Abah! I know I inherit the talent of teaching from him...Abah, guru pertama yang mengajarku mengenal Quran semenjak usiaku 3 tahun lagi...mengajarku mengenal setiap huruf-huruf dalam Quran...mengajarku membaca Quran dengan tarannum Bayatinya yang indah (tak sempat belajar tarannum Hijjaz, Nahwan, Sikah dll dengan abah..), guru dan bapa sejati yang tiada tolok bandingnya...mengajarku erti ketabahan dan kesabaran dalam hidup, mengajarku kekuatan jiwa dan rohani, mengajarku ilmu tasawuf dan mengenal Allah....tanpa abah, siapalah aku....Abah akan pencen bulan depan, tapi aku tahu, ramai yang pasti memujuk supaya abah teruskan lagi berkhidmat dalam bidang pendidikan selagi boleh...mereka sangat menyayangimu Cikgu Halim...semoga abah dilanjutkan usia sehingga aku sempat hadiahkan abah satu CRV...abah tunggu ek!

To all my teachers at SRK Convent Seremban, Sek. Menengah Agama Persekutuan, Labu, lecturers in Science Matriculation Centre, USM, Mineral and Material Resources Engineering Faculty, USM and Health Sciences Faculty USM...Happy Educators Day! Hanya Allah yang dapat membalas segala jasa baik kalian mencurahkan ilmu dan mendidik diri ini...

For me, being a teacher is not my chosen profesion but will always be my chosen responsibility...being an educator is always close to my heart...the passion that runs in my blood..the talent that I inherit from both my mama and my abah...

Happy Teachers' Day to all teachers out there...without you there will be no doctor, no engineer, no prime minister, no great businessman and etc...in this world...

Untuk semua warga pendidik...hayati sajak ini, yang menjadi kecintaanku..yang ditulis oleh bekas guruku juga, Allahyarham Usman Awang (Tongkat Warran)

GURU OH GURU

BERBURU ke padang datar
Dapat rusa berbelang kaki
Berguru kepalang ajar
Ibarat bunga kembang tak jadi
(dedikasi kepada Hari Guru dan guruku tercinta)
Dialah pemberi paling setia
Tiap akar ilmu miliknya
Pelita dan lampu segala
Untuk manusia sebelum jadi dewasa.

Dialah ibu dialah bapa juga sahabat
Alur kesetiaan mengalirkan nasihat
Pemimpin yang ditauliahkan segala umat
Seribu tahun katanya menjadi hikmat.

Jika hari ini seorang Perdana Menteri berkuasa
Jika hari ini seorang Raja menaiki takhta
Jika hari ini seorang Presiden sebuah negara
Jika hari ini seorang ulama yang mulia
Jika hari ini seorang peguam menang bicara
Jika hari ini seorang penulis terkemuka
Jika hari ini siapa sahaja menjadi dewasa;
Sejarahnya dimulakan oleh seorang guru biasa
Dengan lembut sabarnya mengajar tulis-baca.

Di mana-mana dia berdiri di muka muridnya
Di sebuah sekolah mewah di Ibu Kota
Di bangunan tua sekolah Hulu Terengganu
Dia adalah guru mewakili seribu buku;
Semakin terpencil duduknya di ceruk desa
Semakin bererti tugasnya kepada negara.
Jadilah apa pun pada akhir kehidupanmu, guruku
Budi yang diapungkan di dulangi ilmu
Panggilan keramat "cikgu" kekal terpahat
Menjadi kenangan ke akhir hayat.

USMAN AWANG
1979