Birth is an experience that demonstrates that life is not merely function and utility, but form and beauty.
– Christopher Largen, US award-winning journalist
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1954 was the year of my birth. Of course my entry into this world of the living was attributed to the love of mom (indai) and dad (apai).
When I looked at my late indai’s back, her scars reminded me of the pain she had to undergo subsequent to my birth – those days an Iban mother had to sit with her back just inches from the burning wood, a mandatory process a woman had to undergo to get her wounds and delivery ailments speedily healed apart from keeping the body warm, a post-delivery requirement before she could regain her usual good state of health.
Those scars reminded me of her pain and courage as well as determination in bringing to the world an extra burden, extra responsibilities as well as extra mouth to feed. Apai too was equally burdened by me not to mention playing similarly responsible role in looking after my existence and upbringing. Mom’s scars implied her love and care and that an offspring should return her these in reciprocity.
I found out throughout our togetherness that her love for her children was pure and simple; on top of it, unconditional. It was truly a mother’s love, unrivalled and unequalled. For that my conscience was clear, as I tried my best to reciprocate, giving her my love in return, providing for her and apai’s needs the best I could.
When they were in Kuching, I let them try staying in classy hotels for a night or two while my wife and I would stay next door alone or at times with our toddler daughter, leaving our house to our two maids.
These episodes were in between 1985 and 1987. On Sept 1, 1988, around 11 am I carried in my arms her lifeless body from a Sarikei Hospital bed to the mortuary while waiting for a vehicle to bring her remains to our Kedap longhouse about 66 kilometres away.
She was 72. The night before, a few of us, comprising mostly my teaching staff at SMK Julau – including a temporary teacher, Edwin Galan Teruki, who played a key role in looking after the needs of indai during her last few hours alive – crowded around her hospital bed knowing her time was near.
Edwin later became Deputy Director General of the Fire and Rescue Services Department Malaysia, the first Iban and probably the first Sarawakian to hold such post. In 1989, a year after indai’s demise I brought apai, then 79, to Kuala Lumpur where we – my wife and our daughter put up at the Federal Hotel and later at Genting Highland’s Genting Hotel that houses the Casino de Genting, nearly 5,000 metres above sea level. I let him sit next to me at a roulette table where I won just enough to cover our expenses and fares.
The year 1954 was where many celebrities were born. They include famous billionaire TV show host Oprah Winfrey; movie actors Jacky Chan, John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Dennis Quaid, Kamal Hassan and Ray Lotta; movie directors Ang Lee, Ron Howard and James Cameron; pop singers Jermaine Jackson and Annie Lennox; politicians Angela Merkel and Malcolm Turnbull; and rock singer Elvis Costella. Born a Libran on October 20 of that year, I am a ‘horse in the sky’ according to the Chinese geomancy.
It claims that a horse in the sky sees things from a panoramic view, from above and most of the time with unique observations which are at times crazy, full of imaginations and creativity. Their minds are sometimes ‘out of the box’ for they are at times detached from realities of the world. My reading of this has made me realised there are some truths in these observations.
Sometimes Pegasus (also spelled Pegasos), the flying winged horse in Greek mythology comes to my mind. This pertains to the Chinese geomancy’s claim that a Libran horse born in 1954 is a ‘horse in the sky’ and my limited knowledge points out that Pegasus is the only horse in the sky.
In a number of movies about ancient Greece, the famous winged horse saved the day for ancient heroes such as Hercules, Perseus, Jason and other legendary heroes. Many also said that Pegasus was the thundering horse of Zeus, the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. It has no relevance to our present day existence but I bring out the subject to expand our ‘weltenschauung’ (German word for ‘world view’).
In 2007, on my 53rd birthday I made some money with 1954 as it came out second prize in the green counter but lately struck it blank in all counters. I’m still trying.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
