Suka Dalam Duka

BUOH SETO TOK MA (Grandma's Mangosteen)

My feelings have been on a rollercoaster ride since yesterday; the ups and the downs tumbling upon me with equal ferocity.

The good news is that husband-wife blogger combo of Kak Teh and Awang Goneng are in town, and God willing, I may get to meet these old acquaintances of mine again after 30 years.

Another cheery bit is that I finally made my acquaintance with bloggers Mamasita, the lovely and youthful-looking Datin from Kuantan, and busybee corporate lady, Kay_Leeda (albeit via the telephone). If all goes well, we are meeting soon. Looks like the blogging sisterhood is expanding its tentacles (not that I'm complaining!)

The downside is the sudden demise of well-known ad supremo and film-maker Yasmin Ahmad whom I first met in the mid '80s. Yasmin had gone on to become a force to reckon with in the local and international advertising industry. All too soon, she is taken away from us. Al-fatihah.

This morning, I accessed my blog, only to be confronted with yet another devastating bit of news, that blogger Bergen, an old chatter friend and fellow "orang kampung" (we both hail from Dungun), is stricken with high-grade sarcoma (bone cancer). This is so tragic, especially since his beloved aunt (who raised him) passed away hardly a year ago. Bergen, our prayers are with you.

On the tail of all these is Pak Zawi and company, offering a ray of hope for the schoolchildren in and around the village of Tok Sangkut in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, via the establishment of Tabung Kebajikan Tok Sangkut (please read here).

The picture above is that of a painting by talented Cikgu Mazeri Othman (Deen) of Pasir Mas being put up for auction to raise funds for the kids. This is the first of many more such paintings to be so offered for the cause. I can tell it's a lovely piece of work and I am not ashamed to admit that I am smitten.

While not a purebred Kelantanese, one half of me definitely is (courtesy of my maternal grandfather who hailed from Kuala Krai). Flimsy as that may be, I am very proud of this connection. As such, I feel duty-bound to promote this 'Tabung' that aims to assist the future generations of Kelantan in their studies.

Let us do any which way we can to get this Fund rolling. Every little bit helps. Semoga usaha kita diberkati Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala.