Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Reflections

There are a lot of things in life I am both wary and weary of; from bad drivers and lousy parkers to conmen and snatch thieves, from fairweather friends and deceitful kin to tale carriers and yarn spinners, from pessimists and nay-sayers to the opinionated, the prejudiced and the holier-than-thous .. the list is endless.

While hardly a model citizen and paragon of virtue myself, having had the unenviable past of being a shallow-thinking moron in my younger days, I try to redeem myself by trying to be more accepting and less judgemental. Be that as it may, I would be the first to admit it is easier said than done.

Given my age, I guess it is no big mystery that I tend to view things from the perspective of a half-centurian who is all too aware of her own mortality.

The death of my mother in May this year brought home this realisation that I, representing the subsequent generation, am not too far away from that eventuality myself.

Which is why, I have difficulty understanding some people in my age group and older (and I am talking about the ones I am acquainted with personally) who just don't seem to be satisfied with their lot in life.

I can well understand if the ones grousing earn minimal pay and have problems making ends meet each month. But we are not talking puny little lots here (with a recent Beemer model in a multiple-car garage, it can't be that puny, can it?).

Lest it be misunderstood, I speak without malice. It is just a reflection of my thoughts, more lucid in this blessed month of Ramadan, brought about by someone's remark about Pak Abu and I settling for an apartment the size of someone's parlour.

"For the money that you paid for this place, you could have bought a piece of land and built a bungalow just outside the city." It is an innocent, true enough statement.

The thing is, I would have, IF I had wanted to. But I didn't. All I wanted was a decent roof over my head; more specifically, a cozy little pad, safe and secure, in a place where everything is within reach.

I found my little corner of paradise tucked away in centrally-located TTDI, in a condo development largely populated by pensioners and retirees. And the size of my living quarters is nobody's business but my own.

When death comes a-calling, what good is a multi-storeyed bungalow in prestigious Damansara Heights, sparklers enough to light up downtown Kuala Lumpur, a king-of-the-road whose engine purrs like a Rhineland fraulein, and stocks and shares and cold hard cash by the millions?

You can't take them with you, not a single darn thing. So when is enough well and truly enough?




15 comments:

Kak Teh said...

My sentiments exactly. We've had visitors from home saying, with the money you paid for this house, you'd be living in a bigger house in Malaysia, drive big cars, have better jobs. Sounds familiar, huh. May be we have same/similar friends.

Anonymous said...

Dear Puteri,

The way I see it, it's your money and you can do whatever you darn please with it.

Don't you agree with me? No?

Hmmmmm...

Kama At-Tarawis said...

kak teh, if 'bigger' translates into 'happier', i'd be the first to acquire the biggest of everything. to me, being happy and contented is all there is to living.

elviza, rest assured there are many well-meaning people out there who just know what to do with your money. btw, pak abu said, buying this condo is the among most meaningful and satisfactory investments he has ever made.

Anonymous said...

For me, enough is enough when I remind myself again and again that the current world we live in is just temporary. To think that we are to use whatever Allah has bestowed upon us right now as a "capital" or platform for us to work for bigger rewards in akhirah. Of course, it is not easy to fight temptation. Who wouldn't want a multi-storeyed bungalow in Damansara Heights, right? No?

A.

Anonymous said...

I watched that Ghau Ghau fellow's running commentary on Tmn Tun's Pasar Ramadan on tv two days back. Wah, how I wish I have a place there. Maybe I had a glimpse of u akak on the tv - could be a different kama though.
Hi "kak enon"(read anon), ltns. How is sek during ramadan?;)

Kama At-Tarawis said...

heh..you are addressing a different anon la lap. that anon is from another thread. hanya dia yg tau soalan2 sek ni becos she is cikgu sek (sek-olah). baik pi sembunyi..takut satgi kak teh tibai..LOL

Anonymous said...

Well said!. Recent news a 41 woman get slashed in her house, remind me to move to an apartment later with better security, be it the size of a "Reban ayam"!

cant satisify everybody...

dont care..

or whatever..

daa

but sometimes we can joke it around...but our final house..(kubur) is definitely smaller than whatever you can imagine.

mayang mengurai said...

A'kum!For what its worth - when will people stop judging us by the size of our house, make of our cars, handbags we carry, and other THINGS we have? But, don't let that stand in the way of your blogging though!
Keep at it - I follow your blog. Selamat berpuasa.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

well said MM...sadly enough, it's so true. Then again, to each his/her own, kan? As long as we know where we stand and hold fast to what we believe is right, we should be fine.

Monster Mom said...

I totally agree with you. What we bring to the grave is nothing but our ibadah....

And people keep forgetting that...

Anonymous said...

Akak,
Tak per..I suka..apt you LAWA...
Laptop...Ramadhan ni,I sek tak lama..12.30tgh abih dahh....:)

Anonymous said...

I apologise. I thought "Anonymous" is my LTNS kak cheak ;)
Hi kak enon, how's puasa? Berbuka with gulai tempoyak ikan patin again?

MrsNordin said...

MrNordin and I planned the same thing. After we retire, we'll live in a condo. It's smaller and easier to manage. No need for big bungalow because the children will have their own place anyway. You and Pak Abu made the right choice!

When is enough truly enough? Never.

Anonymous said...

There is one set back though living in a condo, high up in the cloud. When it is time for one to go to one's "batu 2" abode, the bearers will have to usung one down in the lift in a "standing up right position". Mintak simpang laa!

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Mrs N, I used to think condo living wasn't for me. I didn't like the idea of going up and down the lift, I didn't like the entrance to a condo unit - kecik, sempit, tak cantik. You know la, kalau tak mau tu, macam2 komplen. But I take everything back. I love everything abt condo living now, especially the security, the minimal space (senang jaga), the facilities, pleasant neighbours. Alhamdulillah.

No lah lap. usually condo development ada 3 diff types of lite.. satu for residents, satu lift bomba for emergency (yang ni besar, boleh muat coffin) and satu for evacuation of garbage. Takdernya bawak jenazah upright..