The Netherlands 2016

 Though I went to the Netherlands in 2016, I felt that it was not enough for a visit of only 8 days. I want to see more and be there for a longer period. 

I love the smell of the grass during the near-fall season, as I visited Amsterdam, Meppel, Steinwijk and Giethoorn in September. 

My sister found a new friend, Marieke, and so did I. I wish I can visit Marieke, Arie and his family. Lovely kind people.

But who kniws, I would be able to smell the grass and inhale the fresh air Holland's countryside!

POEM : ABUSE

 

ABUSE

(written by Norlilawati MN)

2019

 

A child is a God given

A child is entrusted to you

A child is your source of joy

To be loved and cherished by all

And yet is poorly care and

Sadistically abused by a care taker

 

Though it’s not easy

Mummy still wants me

She hopes for ebullience

As daddy leaves

And she loves me deeply

As a mother can be

 

 

Then I was sent to a devil

in a human mask

The devil that speaks human’s language

That has no heart or soul

 

Words of abuse

Bawl out every morning

You never treat me well

As if I come from hell

What have I ever done to you,

My so-called “baby-sitter”?

 

She is a mother of two

 But has got no shame

Disguise as a human,

But a witch that I fear the most

 

Her sins is mounting

That she needs to pay in judgement day

The sins that cast the darkest cloud

That one could feel

Shadowing a child’s life

 

 When I’m tortured and abused

Life won’t be the same

Cruel as it can be

I need to excrute the pain

Unbridle my sorrow

To seek a refuge is impossible

I’m an innocent child

I can’t say things that I want

But don’t I have my rights?

I’m so mild and fragile

But you put in hot soup,

For I was only a toddler

My worries would not be heard

Nor it be attended to

The pain I was getting

To fade away

 

My distress feeling are damaging me

My aching body is killing me slowly

and

My tormented soul

Barely stands anymore beatings

 

Everything is

Unimaginable to even picture a word

A lady turns a monster

What have turned her to be?

Into heartless human being....

 

 

Suffering of a whip

Lash out recurring and repeatedly

Don’t you have the heart?

That could love a helpless child?

Please let me go and

Free into the hands of my mum,

I swear

I won’t tell a single soul

That you are a beast

 

My misery is eating me alive,

Never a day I hide my smile,

A stigmata ciggerette butts

Can surely tell no lies,

Hardened kicks upon me....

 

So, I battled death

I received a horibble whiplash

You scourged me severely

That I was only a doll with no heart beats.

 

Every single day

It is killing me silently

 

Day by day I pray to God

To make you stop,

Day by day I cry so loud

To make you proud,

Day by day I beg for mercy,

Even though you don’t want to see me,

Day by day I hope for somebody,

To save me from your evil beatings

 

I told mummy but she didn’t believe

I told mummy but she said no worries

I told mummy but she only felt sorry

And I couldn’t do anything.

 

 

You never stop,

Though you look regret

You told me I made you sick,

You told me I made you broken

But I was the one who was broken

 

My tormented life would never fail

To haunt me for life

There’s no escape for a child my age

Could I just disappear?

Could I just die if that is the answer

I can only cry to unbridle my pain

I can only break in tears to convey my message

I can only say I’m sorry for whatever things I’ve never done

I can only sleep in silents with all the sobbings

 

I can’t endure your assaults,

I can’t take you scoldings,

I can’t accept your mistreat,

I’m only a child

 

A toddler that I was.....

How can you think of beating an innocent child?

What were you thinking?

Have you lost your mind?

What were you making?

Aren’t you supposed to care for me?

Why do you hate me so much?

 

My small body is senseless

That sweet smile has gone forever

“Who killed my baby?”

Mummy screamed frantically

Fell onto the ground instantly

And never regain her sanity

 

Corporal punishment,

Lock behind bars

Sentenced for years,

Repentance,

Will not bring me back to life

 

A sad tragic it has been

Such a loss is fore

seen

Though unbearable it can be

Nothing would bring any peace

To a mother of a lifeless child

And a victim of a constant beatings.

 

  

 Recited by

1. Aqeel Faris b. Mohd Asrulnizam 

2. Auni Damia binti Nor Hafizan 

 

 

 

SUDAN : THE LAST BLACK RHINOCEROUS

 

A Poem of the sad passing of a beautiful last of its kind black African Rhinocerous.

Written by Norlilawati MN

SUDAN

It is the sad mourn of the loss of Sudan, the last white Rhinoceros.

(Recited by Aina Hazwani and Arif Iman on 5 April 2018)

On March 19, 2018 History has seen a deep sorrow.... Heart-wrenching misery Cling onto your heart Leaving scars, Regrets The departure of Sudan...... Why can’t we save Sudan? Why can’t we protect all the extinct animals? There’ll be no other like Sudan. Sudan left us with lots of questions, Monologues, Seminars, Debates, Round tables, Researches....Findings... But we see little success. Are we good human beings? Or Are we destructive animals too? Whatever we touch or do in the name of development, We destroy the earth. We impair our nature. We wreck the perfect structure of life existence. We devastate our own lives. We ravage other’s life too. Sudan’s ancestors hunted, Poached, Trapped, Killed, Displaced. Obviously..... Sudan is the symbol of human’s destructive hands. We think we are the superior animals, We are the socially-living animals Clustered in groups Rank in division Set up status quo Ironically, we are the vicious animals Sudan is the symbol of human’s invasion. We shatter our dreams to make this world a better place. Colonist once hunt for fun, Trophies of tiger’s head Who’s the bravest? Who’s the exceptional hunter? All for human’s stupid joy With no apparent reasons They killed tigers of Bengal Now, we realise Sudan is dead It’s our own greed And brutal acts That poachers Sudan was flown to a land Unknown to him The land of snow The land of winds Sudan had never wanted to be in the icy land Sudan lived a sad childhood... Poachers, Are evil.... Cruel.... Greedy.... Displace animals Hunt animals Killed animals.. Animals of your own country’s pride Supposedly to be loved by you Why must the land of Africa The source of illegal trade Man trade their own big games Homeland treasures To the superstitious people of the East Wake up everyone.... Take Sudan.... Sudan is a symbol of breach of trust. When we roam the forest, We open fire Boom boom boom The sound of gun shot Deafening my ears Threatening my life How cruel Shooting four legs creatures Humans are cowards You can wipe out the entire species, Who can do it better than us? Oh yea... The meteor wiped out the whole existence of dinasours. Are we going to be the next meteor? We are the living-bombs in the animals’ world! The tigers are crowned as the King of the jungle, The lions are coronated as the King of the safari, The human’s are seen as the saviours of the world, And yet.... We wiped out The Western Black Rhino, Declared extinct from the wild. The Northern White Rhino. Lost its last male on this earth... Sudan is the symbol of man’s colonization of the animal kingdom. The people of the East Consume exotic animal parts Shark Fin, Rhino’s horn, Tiger’s belly.. Unbelievable eaters Of all sorts! Bones, eyes, whiskers and teeth are used to treat ailments and diseases Don’t kill Sudan’s neighbours.... The big cats, The tiger is a unique animal The “Pak Belang” has a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. A top predator The apex of the food chain The iconic creatures Elephants, Tigers, Rhinos, Pandas Why must we care? Why must we protect them? Because ...they have roles, Paramount to our eco-system Vital Salient To keep the population of wild ungulates in check, Crucial in maintaining the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation in the jungle. Human loves the green land And yet They destroy it every day And what Sudan’s species do? They are the umbrella species. Their survival or demise directly impacts the survival or demise of other species Sudan is important! Sudan’s species Plays a big role in the ecosystem. Sudan browse, keeps the areas trimmed, making paths for smaller animals Sudan’s death is a tragedy for animals conservation And Sudan is the sign of human’s selfishness. Though Sudan’s lost to age-related diseases, Don’t forget, He has suffered human’s brutality Human’s selfishness of having Entertained He was once in a zoo, A place is not to be called home. Now he’s gone, But Sudan’s time With his taker of Ol Pejeta Conservacy remains strong and near to their hearts. Sudan makes us think of our part Are we destroyers or saviours? Please don’t forget Sudan, Sudan is the symbol of love. Sudan’s passing, is the message... It’s time for a new era of conservation where traditional methods; habitat restoration and anti-poaching schemes supplemented with emerging, hi-tech, state-of-the-art methods Can help our treasured animals Yes, science..... the IVF, the stem cell science and, and I dare say it, Sudan provides the means to save the young the yet-to-be born Rhinos will save our new Sudan, We will.... Sudan is the symbol of hope. Sudan has opened the doors could share the hopes... From Sudan’s gift to humanity dignity Of caring homosapeans... What is left of Sudan’s legendary, Is hope for others.... COPYRIGHT @ Norlilawati MN

POEM : THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

                 POEM : THE CIRCLE OF LIFE 

“The Circle of Life” Original poem written by Norlilawati MN (5 April 2018) & @ Norlilawati MN Poem delivered by Nabilah and Nawwal during Poem Recital Competition M10 2018. "THE CIRCLE OF LIFE" I. A Baby From the womb To the palms of the gynaecologists, And mum’s arms There he was born In an operation theatre So cared for that He was everything to them A baby born cried so hard his first breath into the world mark the first sign of a living life From the unnamed to a little John A named infant with a mark on the torso... II. A Toddler Tiny tot has very fine hair Sparkling eyes that you have never seen Chubby cheeks and dimple so deep Tap Tap Tap Tap..... He takes his first steps across the hall mum’s and dad’s arms are stretching out reaching the little tots that couldn’t fall Fear in their eyes For he might lose his decidous teeth III. A Child A kiddy steps into his class Awe of the surroundings Colourful yet frightening Teacher is there A nurse is there, Cajoling him to settle down Throwing tantrums and An Outburst so immediately Just when mum walks away... And waves goodbye IV. A Teenager He’s now a sweet 16 A teen that looks at everything... and everyone only to be all against him What life he sees.... Definitely A turbulent one. “Why must they stare at me A lad with pimples? A lad with earings A boy with Gothic compadres... Who cares?” No one apparently..... Only mum and dad Oh what... An agonizing brood that he has been An offspring Bestowed upon them For they say like father like son V. A Young Adult A guy he becomes A challenging path A winding road Can he beat the odds? Is he struggling to get a diploma? “Why must I get that golden piece of paper?” “To get a job!” So they say. VI. A Yuppie A handsome inamorato As he becomes So desired by many Roses In a neat shirt and nice tie He’s ready to leave for work He walks down the street Gorgeous smile he puts on him surpassed his Harry Potter glasses A briefcase to prove his status That takes everyone’s envies for a mistake he doesn’t feel as he leaps into valley rides with the train And head to the city. Marketing executive, A boring job, So, that is what he thought But a job he sees to it that pays his bills and money to feed the belly VII. An Adult A career man he must be Climbing up the ladder of uncertain success. Creativity is his job, Innovative is his pride, Persuasive is his mastery, Selling ideas is all he does. Now he looks for a bride-to-be, That he will perceive, “Should I propose the girl across the street?” He glances at the sea, and we shall wait and see.... VIII. A Married Man On June the first He walks the aisle A family man he becomes and Jane by his side the girl that steals his heart who paints colours in his scintillating existence, Three kids that he always wanted... But only two that survived, For a baby was sick and shattered his dreams. Despair and misery Forlorn he can be... to see young Max so ill tormented he is that no one can heal. His better half is inconsolable Contains only deep sorrow each time she sees John’s potrait with Max, Mark and Mary, Only a shattered dream. X. Grandpa A pappy he is So fond of the community By means of his magnanimity Prodagality, Is the principe that Pappy John is so immersed and so intrigued since his teens. IX. An Elderly So the arthritis has found the older knee and robbed his joy. Saunter the stairs is daunting to him, Perpetually he’s lamenting... “Arthroplasty?” He quizzes himself and the softie wife So, he braves himself Be under the knife, As months have passed by... he struts for a while... IIX. Deceased Disdain he is... As misfortune has seized his eudaimonia life Dispossess him so much that he longs to die... and waited for his time. Succumbed to death in a worrying sleep. The faithful wife rubbed his eyes for the final one; a closure of a man’s chapter in the book of life. IIIX. Grandson A momento of Pappy’s Has grown in docility of his grandchild A heart transplant brought tears of joy Mary gives John his look alike his heart was “sent” to a deserved one; A progeny... Alex; Is the circle of his life. We are all; John, Mary and Alex For we are homosapiens Adamites that breed and see one generation After another.. Burgeoning like mushrooms Proliferate without fail.... Embelish everything We were born, We live, We die, But we grow As our seeds are our circles of life. --------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT : NORLILAWATI MN 5 APRIL 2018

POSTCROSSING AND POSTCARDS

Have you ever heard of postcrossing.com? No?

Well, it is a site where people from all over the world exchange postcard by getting each other's home address and send cards to random people. It is a joy to see beautiful cards and stamps in your post box whenever you come home from school.

To date, I have received 89 cards and 84 cards are on their way to their respective recipients.
I have been a member of postcrossing.com since 8 years ago. I should have hundreds of cards by now, I haven't. I took a break for 4-5 years due to hectic work schedule.

The best part of this hobby is getting the stamps, and the postcards themselves that give me the favourite themes of mine esp. ANIMALS, landscapes, places and cultures.

Do you know what? I had printed my own postcard! Yea...I snapped a lovely photo of Tempurung Cave in Perak and got it printed. I printed it enough to get me going in this exchange project. I shared the cost with my sister and we send this card, designed and photographed by me, with a serial number of A01 written on it and a trademark "photographed by Norlilawati.

A card from Portugal

From Canada

Top postcard is from Portugal

Isn't my card lovely? I will print more cards after I run out of stock of this cave card.

 I shall wait every day for new cards to arrive in my post box. 

TURKEY TRIP 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009

MY TURKEY EXCURSION DAY ONE

One place that I had dreamt

 to go is Cappadocia, Turkey

 where I wanted to spend a night

 in a cave hotel.

 Yea...a dream comes true! I had

 spent a night in 

DEDELI KONAK, Cappadocia.

 It was awesome as the room is

 always 

cold at night! There was no 

air-conditioned

 in the room and the air there is 

mountain

 fresh. Our dining hall is on the

 roof top where 

we can see the scenic view of

 Cappadokia town 

and villages 

surrounding the motel. 

I had two memorable tour of 

Cappadokia 

with the first one started 

on the day we arrived at 

Cappadokya

 and the second one was on 

the day we were headed to 

another destination 

that is Pamukkale.

3 rd June 2009

I took a seven-day tour of 

Jasminne Tour Agency

 of Istanbul for around RM1880 more or less.

 We had a visit of four places; Istanbul, Cappadocia, 

Pamukkale and Kusadasi. The first day 

at Istanbul I agreed to join a daily tour which was 

Bhosporous Tour for 30 Euro per person.

 It was conducted by Plan Tour. We went for a boat excursion

 for a half day trip. 

It was wonderful and earlier on we had a sight seeing of the city. 

My sister, Norsiah and 

I went around the city on foot and met two locals and we took a snap

 with them. 

We needed local currency, so we went to a money changer outlet

 at Sultanahmet. 

We overnight at Hotel Erboy at Sultanahmet and the staff at first 

seemed unfriendly,

 except for the chief clerk named Sinan. After the boat excursion, 

we went to a nearby 

cyber cafe near the hotel to check emails and to send news home. 

The owner or 

may be a man on duty in the cafe, offered me an apple tea. 

After I had done my work at 

 the internet, the man asked me to join him for a cup of coffee.

 I said, I had to go back 

to the hotel as I was about to be dark. To my surprised,

 it was 7.00 p.m. but it was still very 

bright outside! Wow....I forgot I was in Istanbul.

Lombok, Indonesia 27 - 31 Disember 2016

The best oversea trip ever because the whole family members were here....priceless to me.
Love ya all!

Lombok? Secluded and calm because I like it Gili Air, less crowded. The last day in Gili Air, there was a "Mandi Safar" ceremony at the beach. I had never witnessed one in Malaysia, but I got the chance to feel the air of festivity in Indonesia. Rich in culture...Malays got the same superstitious years ago, but now it is gone. Due to stronger Islamisation of the society, gone would be the superstitious practices.

And as usual.....It is a must for me to visit local schools! Here, I was with the teachers and  pupils of SN1 Gili Indah.

We also met a dance teacher, Mr Maskor, on our way to the Island of Gili Air. Later, on the last day of our trip, we went to Mr Maskor's  shabby hut to meet his family. Truly, I was all emphatized with their humble life.

The happiest moment with my beloved family, again, priceless....