The Genocide

At the mention of the word WAR – most people would have an image from what we see in Hollywood movies where everything gets destroyed instantly. Maybe a scene from Saving Private Ryan or Dunkirk. At least that is how war was described during those years. Which is why when the Russian-Ukraine war happened, not many really understand how war ‘works’ in modern times. Because it doesn’t fit the picture in their heads.

At the mention of the word GENOCIDE – perhaps what people have in mind is what they see in the movie Hotel Rwanda. Where the offenders would roam around the city and kill whoever it is at the end of their knife or gun. There is this imagination that the offenders need to be on the ground, wearing civilian clothing, shouting profanity and hatred, announcing their greatness and killing the repressed in groups. That probably explains why some people do not understand that what is happening to Palestine is a genocide. Because it doesn’t fit the picture in their heads.

It gets even more confusing when they see Palestinians still living and ‘selling’ things on social media – because if this is war or genocide, shouldn’t everyone be living in fear, without food or water, dying slowly. Where do they spend their money? How do the sellers get their supplies? It puzzles international audiences as to why there are still houses being bombed and Palestinians still evacuating to – Rafah? But that place is still bombed by the offenders because – they want to? Or is it another reason to find Hamas hiding among civilians?

This goes to show that war and genocide in modern times are more complex than what we know based on what we read in books or seen in the movies. But we do know that there are millions of people suffering from the effects of ‘self-defence’ – because a country with great international power decides not to use it SEBAB BOLEH.

Botanical Garden, Melaka

Celebrating husband’s birthday at Rest Haus, Melaka

We’ve been to Rest Haus a couple of times because of its good food and general ambience. The restaurant is air-conditioned with calm music playing in the background. My personal favourite dishes are the Salai and the Rib Eye. I was actually hoping to order the latter but now the menu has changed. There is no more rib eye. So I ordered the salmon dish instead. It was equally delicious. My daughter had the macaroni and cheese whilst Mr Husband ordered the chicken grill. He was disappointed that they didn’t list Mac and Cheese as an adult option. Ha ha.

I bought 2 slices of cake from Secret Recipe but we had that at home. I parked my car at Rest Haus but I walked to Secret Recipe so that I could get my steps in. Managed to get 5K in by walking inside Lotus itself. Makes me feel better devouring the cake afterwards.

I bought an Obermain laptop bag for my husband. I made a really quick trip to Freeport Famosa Outlet Park last Friday during lunch hour just to get it. The salesperson was amusingly inaccurate in her sales pitch and product description. She said things like ‘PVC’ instead of ‘PU leather’. Then she was so confident saying a 14-inch laptop fits in a smaller bag I was looking at just because another customer could fit his. I had to measure the bag in front of her and said nicely, “Look, this bag wouldn’t even measure up to 13 inches, how could you say it fits a 14-inch laptop. That customer must have had a smaller laptop”. And yes, I asked her for a ruler and demonstrated it in front of her.

Thankfully I knew what I was aiming for and got a nice one in brown as opposed to a classic black.

Ramah Tamah

More than 30 years ago, ramah tamah or open houses during festive seasons were uncommon. They were around but mostly organised by public figures or workplaces. For the rest of us, it is mostly just coming up to the house that we’re planning to go and pay a visit. Rarely there was a formality of giving a call first, announcing the arrival and whatnot. Simply because cell phones were not invented yet and to own landlines is a luxury. Instead, it was a culture where, when a guest shows up at your door, you honour them accordingly and serve them food and drinks with anything you have.

Memuliakan tetamu

That’s the word. The great thing about this is that the visits are personalised. You get to give your full attention to those who make time to see you because they want to. Thus, the house is always at its best. Always polished and clean as you never know when someone is coming to say Hi. The not-so-fun part is that you’d end up receiving guests every single day during a festive occasion. In modern times, it can be a hassle because you’re tied up with other commitments – family and job. Hence, we see more people organizing ‘open Houses’ where they can entertain their friends and family in one session. Convenience trumps it all. You still love the idea of meeting everyone but you need your own peace of mind as well.

Datanglah ke rumah

A phrase that is understated nowadays. People are just not sure anymore if it is a sincere invitation or small talk. I do know I rarely say it to others because I don’t want it to happen. Ha ha. I will be ready to receive unexpected visitors once I clean my porch and fix the bathroom at the end of the aisle. Even then I still look forward to entertaining and hosting – not now, one day. Ironically I’ve got all the props, knicks and knacks to make it happen. It’s the energy that I don’t have.

Attending Ramah Tamah

It is almost compulsory that every organisation holds their own Ramah Tamah. My workplace has one too with a different concept every year. This year we are doing it outdoors and although I was not part of the committee, I was keen to contribute. I bought a huge banner that has a picture of a wooden house to be put up as a decoration. The same banner was recycled by my sister for her Ramah Tamah at school. I thought it looked amazing.

Choosing a leader

I went for a 2-day course recently, as part of my certification to become a coach for the Prostar programme. Prostar is a programme designed to raise awareness and impart knowledge to teenagers/youths about HIV. We would go into schools and universities to organise activities pertaining to that.

This particular course involved a lot of group work. Thus, it is natural to select someone as a group leader with a snap of the finger based on only a few hours of knowing each other. Looking around the room, it is always the loudest or the most energetic ones who are easily selected. Once these individuals are chosen to lead – then the members will have to make do for the next 2 days.

And this is what I realised.

If you have the means to select the leader of your organisation in a non-hurried way – choose them well. For these reasons

• They are the face of your group. They represent the mission and vision of the group. A person with a presence would command respect and attention from other groups for the things they want to say. If a leader is meek in the presence of other leaders, the group may not look as good.
• They will be the first person in line to receive messages from other superiors. If this leader is unable to understand, process and share important points with the group members, the group will miss out on important points. This was a profound discovery I stumbled upon while completing our tasks for the day.

I personally do not enjoy being a leader. However, having followed several disturbing commands from dubious individuals, sometimes it is better to take on the reigns than to just sit at the back of the carriage. The pain of not doing anything and watching everything crumble is palpable.