"Tujuh puluh tiga pintu, tujuh puluh tiga jalan, yang sampai hanya satu jalan,
Ribu-ribu margasatua, mencari Raja Si Murag, yang sampai hanya tiga puluh..."
This is a line from that song "Tanya Sama Itu Hud-hud". For all this while, my dad has taught me the whole meaning of the lyrics but never this one line. I was never satisfied by it, since this is the line that I wanted to know most. So I dig it up like some weird Dan Brown-ish book character trying to decode messages and here's what I found. (Yay me! So bored, that she studied)
So, Raja si Murag actually is a mythical creature from Persian literature. It is called 'Simurgh' (and of course in Malay term it's called Si Murag), and it looked like some kind of griffin bird (if you watch Harry Potter, you'll know how a Griffin looks like). Okay, so.... the story is like this. Thousands of birds, lead by burung Hudhud were adamant in finding Simurgh - the kings of all birds in order to gain the highest knowledge... you know, like some kind of Maslow's Self Actualisation thing... as you all know, Hud Hud (hoopoe bird) is the bird of wisdom, as in the story of Nabi Sulaiman (Solomon) and the Queen of Saba (Ratu Balqis). In Malay culture, Hudhud is a symbol of knowledge. So, in their quest to find Simurgh, there's a long story about how certain birds went astray, some lost its focus and fell victim to the world's beauty and all those ladidas (which is of course, is a metaphor for human's ignorance and all that).And in the end, only thirty birds arrived at the place where it is said that Simurgh resides, Hudhud still leading them. But in the end, they realise that there is no Simurgh, and that Simurgh is actually all thirty of them.... as in Persian language, Simurgh means 'Thirty' and the gathering of all thirty birds created a sight of this Simurgh creature.
In short, what the line in that song really meant is that, there will be so many of us looking for "something", but many of us will finally succumb to the world's pleasure and only those who finally find the thing they seek (or in Ar-Rummi's word - 'the one that cannot be found') will realise that they have acquire a lot and that is itself the discovery. Only then that God will open their eyes.
See, that's why I love M.Nasir and Loloq.
Tanya Sama Itu Hud Hud - M.Nasir
BUS RIDING
So, I was waiting for the U80 bus after the press preview for fifteen minutes before the first one arrives. But then suke-suke hati je it went pass by even though there are only few people inside it. I mean, buses are only allowed to do that if it's friggin full. As I was cursing inside my heart, a U64 bus stops in front of me, the door opens, and the abang driver rambut PLKN asked me where am I heading to.
Hmm.. why do we always call people that we don't know by their physicalities? I mean, 'makcik gemuk' atau 'pakcik botak' or 'mamat keding'... I mean, heck, I don't want strangers calling me names like 'akak hidung panjang' atau 'awek Pakistan' behind my back. So, let's give them proper names, eyh? Like, let us call abang driver bas rambut PLKN as encik Amin (I know it's not his name, but it's better than 'rambut PLKN').
So, encik Amin called me and asked me where I'm heading to and I said that I am taking u80. He told me to get on board anyway, so I did. You know what encik Amin did? He chased the U80 bus that just passed me by earlier, until sampai depan Abdullah Hukum so I could get on it. Cool. See, that's why sometimes I love being in a bus. These little things and good people, like encik Amin U64.
And anyway, I just realised how we tend to use physicalities in judging things. Like, when we're mad at someone. Often we said, "Eyh, nasib baikla dia hensem, kalau tak dah lama aku pakuk kepala dia."
I mean, it's kinda double standard in a way. I mean, so, if a jerk is ugly, he deserved to be hated, but if he's handsome all's forgiven? Well, then, if people are angry at me, they must be really keen on hitting me, because never once in my life anybody said "Nasib baik ko cantik, kalau tak dah lama aku sepak..."
Let's not use such words, can we? Ugly, pretty, handsome, beautiful, plain... if you're a jerk, you're still an A-class Pain in the Ass. Being more good looking doesn't make you any better.
Ah, maybe I'm the only one who think too much.
