Tale Of Human Curiosity..Nosy More Like !!

- THE CONVENTIONAL WAY, BY A CONVENTIONAL PEOPLE.AL FATIHAH TO ABDUL RAHMAN SAPO, DAYANG PATIMAH, MY DEAR DZUL 'ATFI & ALL THOSE WHO PERISHED IN MEULABOH, BANDA ACHEH.


Some of us are fortunate enough to be given a choice of how they want things done for them. I am too, apart from certain things. Non-Muslims can opt to have their body cremated and scattered anywhere in the world or their local TESCOs. JFK Jr wished to rest in the ocean. They discovered that in his will. People went through the tough task locating him and the wife when their self driven plane nosedives into the ocean, courtesy of John John himself. Their bodies were found a week after..floating in the ocean. They were brought back to the land for the civil formality..saying goodbye and stuff. After hi, bye and wasting the Kennedy’s family unlimited supply of cash, John John and wife are brought back to where their bodies were found, in the ocean. This time, in ashes. What do you make of that? Is it really necessary to put the rescue team through grim? I won’t bother, if you ask. What for? They already in there (the ocean) Dead, obviously. Leave ‘em there. Well, his choice..their choice.

I accompanied my best friend to her mom’s resting place at Bukit Kiara recently. One of the Muslim’s poshest resting ground. Populated by those Tan Sri/Puan Sri’s, Datuk/Datin’s, Yang Mulia Tengku This That and some famous soul. I pitied those departed soul in there because Bukit Kiara Cemetery is not so much a resting place anymore. The left, right, centre and corner development and even storeys of motorways run across the grave. How can they rest? On the other hand, I don’t think they (the posh lot) mind so much as maybe when they’re still breathing, they are used to traffic jams, construction noise and all that stuff.

I can’t help but to notice the ‘unusual’ sight in the cemetery. Nothing malicious but I’m amazed on how creative people are nowadays with the tombstone. I’m so used to the conventional way of addressing the deceased. Name, birth date, departed date and some ayat-ayat suci carved on them. I don’t believe that people are born and have their birth registered with award they acquire in their later life i.e. Datukship, Tan Sriship..the nonsense. If you were born as Dzul ‘Atfi bin Mohd.Rawi, you should be buried as the same. No offence to the posh, but do you really think your title matter 6 foot under? I supposed that when you really worked hard in your life to achieve something worth flaunting, then maybe why not? And that come down to people’s freedom of choice. It’s a bit pretentious, but hey, it’s still a human choice. Deciding to add your son’s nick name on his tombstone, however silly, is still a choice. Rest in peace Chi Chi.

While my mate is having a silent moment with her mom, I combed through the row of graves. I recognised some. MUSTAFA NOOR, NURAINA EMIR, KAMAL BAMADHAJ, LOKMAN MUSA to name a few.

Life is so short. Live a little.