Lagu cari makan dan musik |
- Lagu cari makan dan musik
- Guatemalan village expels Jewish group (VIDEO)
- Next Media Video: Jewish group expelled from Guatemalan village
- Nasi lemak: The one dish that unites us all
- 10 things about: Malaysia, our home
- Come what may, I am a Malaysian at heart — Dharm Navaratnam
| Posted: 30 Aug 2014 05:58 PM PDT 31 OGOS — Saya sebenarnya pening dengan cerita politik dan MB di Selangor. Dari mula kemelut berlangsung sehingga ke hari ini, saya give up. Seperti kata seorang kawan, " siapapun MB, kita masih macam ni juga, yang untung tetap mereka dan yang berkepentingan juga mereka. Lainlah kalau mereka mampu menyelesaikan masalah hidup kita". Oleh itu lupakanlah sekejap tentang politik, lebih baik kita bercerita tentang muzik. Kepala pun tak akan pening. Selain bermain muzik, saya juga seorang guru mengajar gitar. Saya bersyukur sebenarnya sebab segala penat lelah merapu, melalak tepi tembok, menyanyi siang dan malam, menghafal lagu-lagu orang putih dan Melayu dengan membeli buku buku lagu Inggeris dan Melayu waktu zaman sekolah dulu, akhirnya mendatangkan hasil dan saya mampu hidup dan menanggung keluarga dengan bermain muzik (walau tak kaya). Saya ingin memberi nasihat dan pandangan kepada anak anak muda hari ini juga kepada mereka yang mahu menjadikan muzik sebagai satu kerjaya. Tidak kira samada mereka bercita cita mahu menjadi pemuzik jalanan, pemuzik di pub dan hotel mahupun menjadi seorang 'sessionist'. Kebanyakan anak murid saya umur mereka masih di peringkat belasan tahun. Maka itu citarasa muzik mereka tentulah muzik dan lagu lagu popular di zaman ini. Malah saya mendapat info tentang lagu lagu hari ini pun melalui merekalah. Sewaktu saya mula belajar bermain gitar pada awal tahun 80an dulu, lagu lagu yang saya belajar adalah lagu lagu yang mudah seperti lagu "Biarkan Bunga Berkembang" atau "Mimpi Sedih" nyanyian Broery atau lagu lagu yang sezaman dengannya. Ianya berkesan kerana dari segi melodi dan counting, lagu itu mudah, hanya 3 kord sahaja. Countingnya standard 4/4. Jadi untuk kita yang baru nak belajar main gitar, lagu lagu yang seperti itu sangat berkesan untuk meningkatkan kemahiran kita dalam permainan gitar. Sepatutnya untuk kita belajar muzik, perlu di awal umur lima tahun lagi kerana di waktu itu kita akan diajar untuk mengenal apa itu muzik, bukan apa itu lagu. Kanak kanak di usia begitu mereka akan ikut apa saja jenis melodi yang guru mereka ajar. Mereka belum terdedah dengan muzik yang pelbagai jenis dan rentak. Mereka hanya mengenal melodi. Itulah yang kebanyakan sekolah muzik akan lakukan. Umpamanya kita belajar gitar untuk genre klasikal contohnya. Segala silibus sudah tersedia mengikut susunan dalam buku latihan megnikut gred. Pelajar tidak punya pilihan selain mengikut apa yang guru mereka ajar mengikut silibus yang ditetapkan. Masalahnya saya pula mengajar mengikut apa yang anak murid saya minat dan suka. Pernah saya syorkan supaya mereka belajar lagu yang mudah seperti lagu Biarkan Bunga Berkembang nyanyian Broery itu, nyata mereka tidak berminat. Mungkin sebab lagu itu di zaman saya, bukan mereka. Mereka malah syorkan saya lagu yang mereka minta ajarkan. Biasanya lagu lagu zaman sekaranglah. Jadi pendekatan saya pula, saya tak mahu syok sendiri dalam bab mengajar. Saya mahu mereka enjoy dan bila mereka praktis lagu yang mereka minat, mungkin akan lebih berkesan dan selalunya begitulah. Apabila mengajar, saya cuba untuk memahami apa yang mereka suka dan minat. Dalam masa yang sama kita akan lebih memahami level mereka dalam permainan. Lagu lagu zaman sekarang ni ada yang mudah dan ada yang complicated. Sebabnya dari segi melodi tidak banyak yang menarik, muzik sekarang lebih pentingkan arrangement yang berbelit belit manakala melodinya tidaklah menarik sangat. Untuk mereka yang berminat menjadikan muzik sebagai punca rezeki pula, perbanyakkan lagu lagu evergreen Inggeris mahupun Melayu. Melalui pengalaman saya tidak kiralah samada kita bernyanyi di jalanan mahupun di hotel, lagu evergreen lah yang tetap menjadi pilihan atau lagu top 40 atau lagu pop semasa. Padamkanlah minat anda jika mahu serius dalam muzik. Kerana jika anda ingin menjadi pemuzik, anda akan melayan kehendak pengunjung yang datang ke pub untuk minum dan enjoy. Mereka akan minta anda mainkan lagu "Wonderful Tonight" 10 kali untuk satu malam dan jika anda enggan melayan kehendak mereka, bermakna kontrak anda bermain di tempat itu mungkin akan ditamatkan. Mungkin anda seorang gitaris dan minat akan lagu lagu yang mencabar seperti lagu rock, blues, reggae dan jazz kesukaan anda. Nasihat saya lagu lagu anda minat itu tidak ada tempatnya di pub mahupun di jalanan. Saya boleh namakan lagu rock yang menjadi pilihan di pub. "Hotel California" dan "Highway Star"? lagu blues pula "Still Got the Blues"? Lagu reggae pula "No Woman No Cry"? Atau lagu jazz "Autumn Leaves" mahupun "Fly Me to the Moon"? Lagu lagu yang saya sebutkan ini bukanlah untuk pemuzik suka dan minat. Pemuzik mungkin sudah bosan sangat dengan "Hotel California". Mengapa tidak lagu "Lyin Eyes", "Tequila Sunrise", "Desperado" atau "The Long Run"? Bukankah banyak lagi lagu lagu Eagles yang lebih berkualiti dan menarik selain "Hotel California"? Masalahnya pendengar bukanlah pemuzik. Inilah kenyataannya. Tidak kira samada di pub, hotel mahupun di jalanan, pendengar akan hanya melekat dengan lagu lagu yang mereka minat, yang majoriti menyukainya. Kita sebagai pemuzik kalau nak syok sendiri, payahlah sikit. Bak kata pujangga, Cinta Perlukan Pengorbanan. Begitu jugalah dengan pemuzik. Korbankanlah apa yang kita minat atau sekurang kurangnya yang kita minat itu kita layanlah seorang diri di rumah. Untuk mereka, kita jamukan ramuan yang menyelerakan mereka, kerana mereka bukanlah kita dan kita bukanlah mereka. * Pandangan di atas hanyalah pandangan peribadi penulis dan tidak mewakili pandangan Malay Mail Online.  |
| Guatemalan village expels Jewish group (VIDEO) Posted: 30 Aug 2014 05:50 PM PDT GUATEMALA CITY, Aug 31 — Some 230 members of an Orthodox Jewish group have begun leaving a village in western Guatemala after a bitter dispute with the local indigenous community. The Lev Tahor members were asked to leave San Juan La Laguna after meeting with elders of the village. The edict to leave was delivered on Wednesday after Lev Tahor and the Council of Indigenous Elders were unable to negotiate a solution to their disagreements. Over the last several days, Lev Tahor members were seen packing their belongings on trucks in preparation for their departure. Lev Tahor members, who practice an austere form of Judaism, also said they had received threats that water and electricity would be cut off if they stayed in the village. Locals said a bus full of Lev Tahor families left for Guatemala City on Thursday and a second bus left on Friday morning. Village elders said the Jewish members "wanted to impose their religion" and were undermining the Catholic faith that was predominant in San Juan La Laguna. — Reuters
|
| Next Media Video: Jewish group expelled from Guatemalan village Posted: 30 Aug 2014 05:48 PM PDT Duration: 00:45, Published 31 Aug 2014 Some 230 members of Orthodox Jewish group, Lev Tahor, have begun leaving a village in western Guatemala after a bitter dispute with the local indigenous community. — Reuters |
| Nasi lemak: The one dish that unites us all Posted: 30 Aug 2014 05:39 PM PDT
This fast and hearty breakfast with its wallet-friendly price has been fuelling us Malaysians every morning since... well, it feels like forever. No longer just limited to early birds, night owls can also satisfy their nasi lemak cravings from stalls that open till late at night. You even have 24-hour stalls that peddle nasi lemak bungkus (a small portion wrapped with banana leaf and newspaper) for a quick snack. In Malaysia, any time is nasi lemak o'clock. On the side, you will also have sliced cucumbers together with crunchy fried peanuts and ikan bilis. Your dose of protein is a piece of hard-boiled egg. The size depends on the generosity of the stall owner. Some stalls prefer greasier fried eggs. Going beyond the basic serving, there is very often these days a choice of add-ons from a buffet of dishes like sambal sotong, ayam rendang and the list goes on. While it is originally a Malay dish, there are many variations to the ubiquitous nasi lemak now. Sometimes the changes are made due to health constraints — like the lack of coconut milk in the Chinese variant of nasi lemak. Other times it is reflective of the bountiful produce from that particular area. For instance, fried small fish is a popular add-on in nasi lemak found near seaside villages since fresh catch is readily available. Some add-ons like kangkung remain an unsolved mystery. According to Malacca-born Debbie Teoh, a well-known Peranakan chef, the locals in that state believe that nasi lemak is not complete without kangkung. "It's just a Malaccan thing to be obssessed with kangkung." When it comes to tracing the origins of this dish, you find all kinds of stories or even legends about its beginning. Wikipedia cites its first appearance as far back as 1909 when it appeared in a book titled, The Circumstances of Malay Life by Sir Richard Olof Winstedt. One of the oldest known (and still standing) nasi lemak stalls in Kuala Lumpur is Nasi Lemak Tanglin. According to its third generation owner, Fazaitul Akhma, 30, the stall started out in 1948. That was the year, the Federation of Malaya was formed. It was Fazaitul's Javanese grandmother Suriati Jawirunah who started the stall under the tree. She was assisted by her husband who relocated from Singapore. The stall's nasi lemak quickly gained favour with many, including those who went to Tanglin Hospital, one of the earliest hospitals in the country which was built in 1890, next door.
Even though Suriati died in 1996, her son Zainal Abidin Hassan is faithful to her legacy by using the same recipe to prepare the nasi lemak. Every day, the rice goes through an arduous 10-12 hour process where it is painstakingly washed, soaked, dried and steamed in two stages. Coconut milk is slowly mixed with the partially steamed rice, since any excessive stirring may cause the delicate rice grains to break. Moreover, coconut milk is sensitive to overmixing as it will curdle. Traditionally, the rice is steamed in a wooden bucket. Nowadays, it's impossible to steam that way since they cook a whopping 85 kilogrammes of rice every day. Their compromise is a custom-made stainless steel steamer. Even their sambal takes a few hours to cook over a low fire, and you will notice it is darker in colour than other places. They prefer to use dried chillies, rather than processed chilli boh even though it's a lot of work as they believe you can taste the difference.
They also do telur Bali, Suriati's version of hard boiled eggs fried and cooked in a spicy sambal. The only item omitted from the original menu is sambal kerang or cockles, since they don't have the manpower to painstakingly shuck the cockles. Opting for pre-shucked cockles is a no-no, as many customers complained about the quality. Quality and their name is very important for Fazaitul's family who decided to stop a franchised restaurant in Bangsar, after they received complaints about the food served there. Faizatul, the eldest in the family, gave up a desk job to run the family business after her father persuaded her that it is her heritage. She tries hard to maintain the taste of the food like yesteryear but it's a mammoth task since some ingredients are no longer produced, like a particular brand of belacan or even soy sauce.
While nasi lemak is generally considered unhealthy because of the rich coconut milk the rice is cooked in, Meeta Sheth from The Ganga Cafe has managed to make it not only healthy but meat-free. Her good-for-you vegetarian nasi lemak comes with a light fluffy rice cooked with a little coconut milk, lemongrass and ginger. "The rice does not sit in your stomach like a rock." She practises a little Ayurvedic magic by adding her secret ingredient to the rice; it is supposed to help with digestion and diabetes. The rice is also cooked in small batches to ensure it's fresh. Her preservative-free sambal uses a pure vegetarian soy base with no gluten or flour and is cooked with dried chillies, garlic and onions. She also substitutes mushroom stems for the ikan bilis, which gives the sambal a bit of bite and an umami kick. A plate of her all-day available (except Sundays) nasi lemak is at a reasonable RM3.50, with a choice of mock meat on the side. Up in Penang and Alor Setar, the Indian Muslims serve nasi lemak that bear a closer resemblance to nasi kandar. The rice is flooded with a sweet spicy sambal that is almost like a rich curry. In Alor Setar, the locals frequent places like Nasi Lemak Royale and Nasi Lemak Haji Ali where they serve rice flooded with a mix of curries. The rice at Nasi Lemak Royale is tinged yellow and has a mix of spices.
Unlike the Indian Hindus, the Chittys perform a ceremony known as Parchu Boogie during Ponggal to honour their ancestors with food offerings like nasi lemak, a tradition borrowed from the Chinese culture. The steamed coconut milk rice is presented on a banana leaf with an array of traditional Chitty delicacies. Some of these dishes include acar cili or pickled chillies, sambal telur belimbing where the sourish belimbing buluh is cooked with fish eggs, and itik tim. The Penang Peranakans love to add creamy coconut milk to their rice. According to Debbie Teoh, whose mother is a Penang Nyonya, some would even soak the rice grains in the coconut milk. "It's so rich that sometimes you can't eat it." Usually their nasi lemak is served with assam fried fish, assam prawns and sambal with belacan.
The enterprising man originally started selling cooked noodles in front of his home in Jinjang. Later, he chose to sell nasi lemak since anyone can cook up the dishes. Previously he was a sales executive for a wine trader, and on occasion he used to work as a bodyguard for visiting Hong Kong singers like Aaron Kwok. The unusual name for his stall is a nickname people gave him in Hokkien due to his dark skin tone. He realised that most famous stalls have their own nicknames, hence he decided to adopt it for his stall. Every two months, Patmund also donates his sale collection to charity. Usually, this is to help raise funds for people who need funds for urgent surgery.
Since his stall is relatively unknown, he tries to attract customers with his unusual side dishes, like potatoes cooked with chee yoke yeen or pork balls and his signature tender marinated pork chop. For weekends, he offers a fragrant appetising mix of choy poh or preserved radish fried with har mai or dried shrimps. He also offers different dishes at night; double fried chicken and fried pork with spices. The self-taught cook gets the recipes for his dishes from cookbooks and adjusts the recipes to suit his customer's tastebuds. When it comes to nasi lemak, Meeta sums it up perfectly. "Everyone has a different way with nasi lemak." Even with our cultural differences, everyone sits down in the morning — or throughout the day — to tuck into a plate of nasi lemak. With that one dish, we're truly united despite our differences. Nasi Lemak Tanglin, Gerai no. 6, Kompleks Makan Tanglin, Jalan Cenderasari, Kuala Lumpur. Open:7am to 12.30pm. Closed for 1 week during Hari Raya. The Ganga Cafe, 19, Lorong Kurau, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 8.30am to 9.30pm. Closed on Mondays. Black Man Nasi Lemak, Restaurant Double One, Jalan 3/62A, Bandar Menjalara, Kepong. Open: 8am to 10.30am. Restaurant 1313, Jalan Metro Perdana 3, Kepong. Open: 5pm to 10pm. Closed on Mondays. |
| 10 things about: Malaysia, our home Posted: 30 Aug 2014 05:38 PM PDT
The theme for this year's Merdeka Day, "Malaysia, Where Love Grows", not only symbolises the love of its citizens towards the country, but also the fraternal love between the people.
There are contradictory ideas, clashes of opinions and very often a coming together as one to celebrate, to grief. Much like a family, we have good times and bad times with each other. To remind us, here are 10 choice quotes from our leaders over the years. |
| Come what may, I am a Malaysian at heart — Dharm Navaratnam Posted: 30 Aug 2014 05:38 PM PDT
How true that statement is. After 57 years of independence, we still talk about tolerance and we still insist on looking at our differences based on our racial backgrounds rather than the common uniting factor. That we are Malaysians. Two telco companies recently launched their Merdeka advertisements that were almost identical in their message. The advertisements played on how we all refer to each other, even complete strangers, as family — Kakak, Aunty, Abang, Annai, Macha, Bro, Tai-Koh, Ah-boy, Aunty and the list goes on. That is something quintessentially Malaysian. I don't see this in any other country. So it appears that the typical Malaysian regards other Malaysians as family. It's really nice. But in reality does it seem as if this is just an appearance? What lies on the surface so to speak? When we look at the news each and every day, we seem to be bombarded with all that is divisive. Racial divisiveness, religious divisiveness, even division based on our social standing. Where were our "family values" when we decided that soup kitchens and those it fed should not be allowed to function? I suppose as long as we call them Makcik, Poh Poh and Paati it still means we care for them as family even if we are not supposed to feed them? Where are our family values when we have political parties championing causes based on race whilst simultaneously denigrating other races? Where are our family values when we actually still have race-based parties that are really only interested in serving their own ethnicity. What happened to the concept of doing what is right for the entire family and not just a favourite child? Every second day seems to be someone or other making a power play. Someone or other comes up with racial or religious statements that stoke tension. Someone or the other is charged for sedition. Is the concept of criticism so wrong that every dissenting statement is considered seditious? Relating this back to the family, does it mean that if our children disagree with us we should lock them in their rooms? We are even so fearful of comments made on social media that we consider banning social media altogether. So much resource seems to be spent on making sure there is no dissent, resources that can surely be spent on better things. It is said that values start at home. By the same token, racism and religious extremism start at home too. If your children are taught from a very early age to discriminate between others, be it from a racial, religious or even social perspective, then they will never learn acceptance and they will run the risk of turning out to be bigots. If on the other hand, they are taught to accept each other for their differences and even to celebrate these differences, imagine what kind of people these children will grow up to be. I also believe it is our duty as citizens of this great country to speak up when we think that someone has said, or done, something wrong. It is our duty to speak up to effect change and it is also our duty to stand up and applaud when something right is done. Not speaking up is a far worse crime than speaking up for something that you believe in. And it sure beats grumbling in the coffee shop and not doing anything about it. You may disagree with some of the things I have said. Heck, you may disagree with everything I have said. But therein lies the beauty of it. You are allowed to disagree with my point of view. At the same time it is my prerogative to say what I want. You have the right to stand up and say what you want as well. So yes, even families have problems. Things are not always smooth sailing and you get into arguments with your parents, your children, your siblings. You don't run away from your family and you don't just complain about them. You don't run away from home and go to your neighbour's house just because you think they have it better there. You don't tolerate your family, you accept them for what they are. You celebrate the good and you try to improve the bad. You sit down and try to work things out. And so it is with our extended family of Malaysians and so it is with our country. Because no matter what anyone says, or may want to say, I am Malaysian. I have a birth certificate to prove it, an identity card to prove it and a passport to prove it. But more important than these documents, I have a heart that says that I am Malaysian. I know no other country to call my own. I love no other country. This is my country. I am Malaysian. Many Malaysians may not be stuck with this country, but Malaysia is certainly stuck with me. Happy Merdeka! * This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malay Mail Online | All To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
