YOU MALAY OR CHINESE ???
THE FAMILY HISTORY ACCORDING TO MUNIRAH
NIRAH'S DAD : Used to be a Siamese.
MOM: Chinese.
and NIRAH?: Be prepared for the shock of your life...

MUNIRAH AND MOM


MUNIRAH AND MOM, LULU LOH BEE LOO


FLOWERS IN SYDNEY


KAMPUNG GIRL LOST NEAR PADDY'S MARKET, SYDNEY


PROLOGUE

Our daughter Nirah, naturally has the mixed look of a little bit slit Chinese eyes and some Malay features and that has robbed her some peace of the confusion over her looks by friends, acquaintances and strangers alike. Probably that prompted her to explain why and how she got the looks that she has got by writing her family history (her version) and emailing it to all her friends, her mom included.

Well, I have added some pictures as well, relevant to 'our family history and background'. So here is the story, at least according to Munirah....

OUR FAMILY HISTORY: according to MUNIRAH



"YOU MALAY OR CHINESE ?

If there's a story that I never told anyone, it would be the origins of my Borneo face. I never really bothered going out of my way to say much, so the easiest would be to tell people, " My dad's Malay. My mom's Chinese." Go make yourself something to drink and come back. This is an interesting relevation of what makes me, me.

My dad was a sweet young man from Pattani, exploring the world and somehow found his way to Sabah. That was where he met my mom, a wonderful Chinese woman from Chongqing who ironically don't really look so Chinese. I wouldn't know how they really got started, but love being love has its way of glueing people of different backgrounds, even when they are as different as coffee and curry powder. They were blessed with a wonderful life as well as friends. And so they got married and let a decent life. *yawns*

Then came a little bump on my mom's belly. My dad's friend Uncle Rashid Mohd Noor, being one of the rare Malays from the Peninsula at that time was excited to be my god dad, according to my mom. He wanted to know if my dad would honour his wish of naming me. Friendship do possess a power with limits unknown, and as you may have it, my dad wouldn't bite his thumb at his good pal, much to my mom's frustration. She wanted to name her first daughter Dazene.:)

Somehow, Uncle Rashid got involved in a freak accident a few weeks to my birth, and it was a mixture of sadness and joy for my dad. To honour his friend's wish, he wanted to register my name as Munirah when the registrar told him that it is very much a Muslim name. My dad gave a green and so my name has a dramatic history to it.

Over the years, my dad got attracted to Islam and embraced it with my mom; that's how both my parents have Abdullahs as their pseudo last name. It wasn't so surprising as my dad right up to his adolescence years had grown in a predominantly Muslim area, Mai Kaen. That is how Mongkut Saikhwan became Muhamad Abdullah and Lulu Loh Bee Loo became Mariana Hawa Loh Abdullah.


BEING THAI, MONGKUT ( NIRAH'S DAD) WAS NATURALLY A MUANG THAI BOXER. CHAMP OF 18 PROVINCES...


MONGKUT ALSO REPRESENTED THE VILLAGE FOOTBALL TEAM.

MONGKUT'S (NIRAH'S DAD'S) SIAMESE CAT (COZ MONGKUT IS SIAMESE MEH...)


THAI ELEPHANT IN MAI KAEN (NIRAH'S DAD'S KAMPUNG)


THE FAMILY HOUSE IN MAI KAEN (NIRAH'S DAD'S KAMPUNG)


MONGKUT'S RELATIVES BACK HOME IN THAILAND


THE RIVER TO MAI KAEN (NIRAH'S DAD'S KAMPUNG)


BOATS TO MAI KAEN (OUR KAMPUNG)


And my Borneo face? I guess it coincides with my parents history of Sabah.:)


NEERAHDEE MONGKUT SAIKHWAN CHITTAPONG
a.k.a. MUNIRAH."

EPILOGUE

So, that's our family history according to Mongkut's daughter, NEERAADEE MONGKUT SAIKHWAN. And my full name was actually
MONGKUT SAIKHWAN CHITTAPONG.

Got it?

Yours truly,

Muhamad Abdullah a.k.a. Mongkut Saikhwan Chittapong.

BUKA PUASA AT RAMADAN FAIR, MEDAN, INDONESIA

After a year of many return trips to Medan, this last one was my best trip ever. Short trip (touched down at Polonia Airport about 9.45 local time on Thursday 4th October 2007 and left on Saturday morning at 8.45 am). That left me with only exactly 1 day in Medan.

Anyway it was both business and leisure trip all in one.

Bought the ticket to Medan basically to deliver some money to a friend who joined me in a business venture earlier during the year. Even though my plane tickets and the hotel cost more than the money due, but it was having the satisfaction of clearing my conscience by delivering what was due to someone. After all, aidilfitri was just slightly over a week away.

To begin with, met this gentleman Mr Navin Kini which I wrote earlier. Real pleasure knowing a fine guy like him.


SISINGAMARAJAH ROAD

The Hotel Garuda Plaza was strategically located along Jalan Sisingamarah and it permeated a warm feeling the moment we walked in.Felt at home almost immediately.



The following morning met Marwan, the guy who drove Mr Navin Kini to Lake Toba. He looked like a fine guy as well.

Later in the afternoon a friend came over and it was nice to let him know that meeting him was of no business interest at all but pure friendship.

And he just had a new baby boy who was only 3 days old. Went to the maternity hospital and had a peek of his baby boy. And God always created babies to be super cute! His was no exception.

Later in the evening, went to Medan's Ramadan Fair right smack on the street in front of the Maimun Mosque. The atmosphere was pure magic. Just love the feeling in the air with people walking around leisurely preying for the right food from the right stall.

ENTRANCE TO RAMADAN FAIR


RAMADAN FAIR, MEDAN.


IT WAS A TRYING MOMENT TO WALK THROUGH...

Finally settled at a stall selling Nasi Padang. Barkah Stall. The food was not only good but so reasonably priced as compared to all my past experience in Medan.

The order takers, is something that we should learn about. But be careful, you would end up paying more than ordering the food from the respective stalls yourself! The bills do got inflated between the stalls and you!


THE STYLISH ORDER TAKERS


The owner, Mr Barkah, was a fine young gentleman. I developed a liking almost instantly after watching him treating customers and sitting down for a chat with us after our buka puasa (breaking our fast).

Apparently, his family busines is doing very well and they used travel to Kuala Lumpur quite a number of times sending their mom to a private hospital in KL, the Ampang Puteri.

Upon leaving I told him, to contact me in case he needs anything from KL or ever in KL again. We exchanged our contacts. Well, thought that was goodbye for this trip.

At around 10.00pm, Pak Subiyanto, Awal and another friend, finally appeared. Went for a drink across the road in front of the Garuda Plaza. Had a nice chat and felt so good delivering them the
money due, plus a bag of goodies for Subiyanto's kids and some samples of maca that I brought along.

I just wanted to establish the fact that friendship does not have to be based on any specific interest alone. Friendship is something to be enjoyed. That is the way I treasure and enjoy my friends irrespective of class, creed or what ever other definition others have about it. Could sense it in the air that message did finally get across.

And it was almost mid night after they left.


VIEW ACROSS THE ROAD FROM GARUDA PLAZA HOTEL

The adventure did not end yet for me. I read in a travel magazine about this special bone marrow soup called Sop Sumsum Langsa. Just curious. And so there I was again in front of the hotel by the road side looking for a becak (motorised trishaw) to get me the soup. And lo and behold a motorbike stopped. And there he was, Mr Barkah the new friend I made at The Ramadan Fair!

To cut long story short I was the next second his pillion rider taking me to the outlet which was something like 10 minutes away on a motorbike with no traffic in Medan. Even the ride with the cool night breeze was anything but theuraphatic. Enjoyed every minute of it like a small kid taken for a ride on dad's bike for the first time.

By the time we reached the outlet in Pasar Ikan in Gelugor, the restaurant was 98% closed. Only a few workers left packing their stuff into a van. But this great guy went to plead to get some for me telling them I was from KL and would be leaving the following morning. And he managed to talk his way into getting some takeaway for me.

And since soup would never be nice unless taken hot, he suggested I went along to his home. And this was a guy I made friend just a few hours earlier. I was a total stranger.

And so we went to his house. A huge family house. His wife and kids were asleep. And he took the trouble to reheat the soup for me.

About 20 minutes later, I had the experience of my life as far as soup was concerned. Used straw to suck the bone marrow and the soup was just out of this world! 20,000 rupiah for a soup was not that cheap, but it was worth every rupiah. If you ever go to Medan, remember, SOP SUMSUM LANGSA!!!


SOP TULANG SUMSUM LANGSA

It was almost 2.00 am by the time Barkah sent me back to the hotel. He quickly headed back to his food stall at the Ramadan Fair which was a few hundred meters away. That new friend of mine is definitely going to be a life long friend, I'll make sure of that. He created a very new meaning about Medan.


BARKAH, MY GODSENT FRIEND!

Terima kasih banyak-banyak Adik Barkah. I appreciate every single second the time you gave me. I thanked God that some real good things in life like friendship, still comes free.

And the following morning at the airport I bumped into Wulandri and Lina at one of the Souveneir shops at the Polonia Airport. Was so impressed at the way they were treating a couple of ladies. And I ended having a seat and a good chat with them. At least that eased the pain a little on my ribs, from my nasty fall in the bath tub earlier in the morning.


LINA AND WULANDARI, POLONIA AIRPORT

Apart from that nasty fall I had which still hurts until today, this trip was no doubdt the best ever to Indonesia, not only Medan. It gave a warm feeling now, unlike before which made me glad to leave Indonesia as soon as possible every time I was there.

To Barkah and the rest in Medan, Selamat Menyambut Idulfitri. Maaf zahir batin, mudah-mudahan semakin murah rejeki...


Salam Idulfitri...

Yours truly,

m.a.

MR NAVIN KINI.

THE MAIMUN PALACE, MEDAN, INDONESIA.

VIEW FROM THE PALACE

MR. KINI AT THE FOUNTAIN IN FRONT OF THE PALACE



ON THE CORRIDORS OF POWER OF THE PAST

THE ROYAL COURTROOM.


The AirAsia Medan flight was delayed. Seated one seat away from me on that 9.45pm flight from KL LCCT was an Indian gentelman. Only upon arrival we exchanged some small talk while waiting to disembark.

I quickly discovered that he was from India and first time in Medan. Since I have been to Medan for a number of times and had my hotel room booked from KL, offered him to come along with me. At least saved him the trouble of ending up in the wrong hotel for the wrong price.

In the taxi to Garuda Plaza Hotel, found out that he was traveling to Lake Toba the following day and was buying an apartment on 'Malaysia My Second Home Program'.

Anyway, we checked into the hotel with our rooms next to each other. Went for a late dinner at the Famili Restaurant across the Sisingamaraja Road, braving the cool Medan night rain, which was more like supper. But that was my sahur, anyway.

The following morning arranged for him to get a transport to Medan, ending up with Marwan, a local who apparently knew KL quite well and worked for CARE an NGO from Malaysia the post tsunami days for 2 years.

Prior to their departure to Lake Toba, 4 hours away, we went for a quick tour of Medan, notably the Maimun Palace, a sad remnant of past monarchy glory which ended with the Independence of Indonesia in 1945.

Nevertheless, traces of past grandeur of royal life was still displayed albeit more like museum pieces but in rather sad state of affairs. We were told that some family members are still residing in some parts of the palace.

Wonder why the local authorities does not take over the property for better maintennance and upkeep.

Anyway, after the short tour, we parted ways with Mr Kini leaving for Lake Toba. And me? Back to the room to continue with Chapter 2 of my sleep!

A PERSONAL NOTE.

Had just a few hours of sleep and woke up at 9.00am yesterday to prepare for my first talk at our first Business Seminar at the Grand Continental KL at 3.30pm yesterday.

After about a year or so not delivering a talk, I was just a little apprehensive whether I still had what it takes to do a seminar. Alhamdullillah, it went just fine even though it was not a peak performance.

As usual, a measure of a good talk was the excitement of attendees about the business after the event. Well, it happened just that.

All of us adjourned to the Kari Kepala Ikan at Yap Kwan Seng. Oh ya, the CEO who came in was reportedly to be very pleased with the event. And of course, certain people's perception of me did change a little well out of that event. What they did not know, I did not need any of their recognition. It was all about me doing my best in measuring up to my own expectations.

Good events obviously, still remain very much a great essential of a high touch business. And that's why huge companies are willing to pay big money to good speakers. Glad I have not lost my touch as far as speaking is concerned.

Oh ya, I told my business partner what I had to tell him of certain developments known only to me about the organisation. He was a little surprised but being the man that he is, took things very positively of the better things coming our way.

m.a.
KL