Daun inai banyak getahnya, Ambil segenggam pewarna kuku, Wahai adik abang bertanya, Apa obat penawar rindu. Thick with sap run the henna’s leaves Take some in hand your nails for dying O young maiden, your lover asks you What salve is there to heal longing? Gadis ditegus lalu dikenyit Baik perangai pandang tak jemu […]
Category Archives: Land
Batang jati kangkung
Kangkung, Ipomea aquatica, is a crawling vegetable with hollow stems, allowing it to float on the water, from whence it gets the name water spinach. There’s no relation – in fact it is in the Convulvulaceae or morning glory family. It is a mainstay of kampung cuisine, growing freely in the canals and marshy places. […]
Three Pipers: Lada, Sirih, Kaduk
Black pepper is the quintessential spice of the Spice Route, the ancient trade routes across the Indian Ocean that have brought merchants and travelers to the Nusantara since antiquity. Pepper was once as valuable as gold, and even now, it is the world’s most traded spice. Piper nigrum is well suited to cultivation in Sarawak: pepper […]
Sarawak Bonsai Competition
Wandering into the Hills mall to get haircuts for my five girls, I stumbled upon the last day of the 10th Sarawak Bonsai Competition! I only had my handphone in my pocket so the images don’t begin to do justice to the subjects. But here they are:
Tall Coconuts & Their Harvestation
A step-by-step illustrated guide to getting your hands on your coconuts. Coconut water is the best remedy for the haze and heat we are struggling with this Sha’aban, as any Mat Salleh can tell you. When your coconuts are within easy reach, all is well. But they shoot up fast and before long they are far […]
Two Murrayas
Black on black stack mangosteens
Pity the kemuning as its flowers fall
My dark-skinned beauty is sweet to behold
A light-skinned woman is …
Third Coffee
Coffee beans spread upon a tray Jasmine blooms on the ledge do rest I’ve been dreaming till break of day My sweetheart sleeping upon my chest “Buah kopi di atas loyang Kembang melati letak di bangku Saya bermimpi hampirkan siang Jantung hati tidur di pangku” Island South-east Asia produces a lot of coffee. The word Java, now […]
Ambil galah jolok keranji
Pulasan grows at branch’s end Harvest keranji with a wooden rod O Man! Do not seek to be praised. Know that all praise is only for God. Ambil galah jolok keranji Buah pulasan di hujung dahan Manusia janganlah suka dipuji Segala puji kepunyaan Tuhan As durian season peters out, a couple of marginal fruits make […]