The Act of Observation

Observations I've made in these past few days:

1. We are more scared of humans than vicious animals.

For Community Service 2, we have to organize a programme that is grand-o, involves a lot of parties (the media, NGOs, government bodies etc), that, in its essence, ‘serves the community’. So, some people came up with ideas on what to do.

We cannot do another charity car wash drive. If we can, I would surely fight for that, except that this time I’ll make sure we won’t be washing cars, because we’ll only accept motorcycles. Damn tired vacuuming the insides!

*I know it’s for charity, but still..*

There were some ideas that got the attention of the class.

a) An exhibition in collaboration with Agensi Anti-Dadah Kebangsaan.

We will set up booths at Berjaya Megamall with information on illegal drugs that addicts go for, its paraphernalia and all. We even might invite a reformed drug addict to share his/her experiences with the public at the mall. Activities etc. You get the idea.

b) Spending time at Penjara Penuh with the inmates.

They will be pouring their hearts out (or not), and we will be listening and at the same time showing that we still care towards those behind bars, even if they’re in there and we’re out here. One friend even gave a tagline/theme for the programme, without even realizing it. “Masih ada yang sayang..”

c) Spending the weekend, bonding with local orphaned kids at the near-to-TC-but-unknown-to-many Mini Zoo Teruntum.

On Saturday, we will be handing out pamphlets to the public at the local malls to promote the mini zoo. And on Sunday, we will be helping the zoo keepers feeding the tigers (if there’s any. I’ve never been there), patting the elephants (if there’s any) or even teaching the kids about the animals there. Or that’s what I have in mind.

Out of these three ideas, guess which one the class chose?

Yeah.

You guessed it right.

Wild animals trump over reformed drug addicts and inmates who regretted doing whatever they did that made them sent there in the first place, and trying to move on with their life behind bars.

How scary men can be, for other men are more willing to spend time in a place chockfull with wild animals than sitting at an arm’s length with a convict.

2. Animals love their offspring more than (some) humans do theirs.

For FYP, I have to breed a lot of ICR mice. Currently, I am a proud grandmother of about 100 pups. Some of them have already got some white fur on! I am expecting another 70 or so anytime soon.

Like any good grandmother would, I’d feed them every morning, making sure they have enough food and drinking water to last them throughout the day, and that their home isn’t infested with fly-like small flying creatures because there’s too much piss/poop in there, or it’s soaking wet in there (to those who never had any kind of rodents for pets i.e. hamsters, this means I am to change their bedding). Although sometimes, sometimes, I just hope that they’re fasting on the day when I’m so lazy to get off my ass and go top up their food tray.

This week, I saw a female mouse eating one of its many offspring. It was holding up the pup to its mouth and nibbling the head off as if it’s a corn knob. The mother’s mouth, snout and paws were all bloody. It was a sight to behold (and gasp, for it wasn’t pretty).

Mind you, female mice only become carnivores if they feel that the environment is not suitable or secure for her pups to live in, or if there’s an impending danger looming around, such as a predator on prowl. The mother will gobble up all her pups if she has to; because she can always have another set 3 weeks later (average pregnancy period of a mouse is about 21 days). She’s so concerned with the fate of her pups in the future that she’s willing to eat them in the present if the future seems bleak.

Comparing this ‘motherly’ act to that of a human being who throws/dumps/leaves her own baby in a toilet/at the doorsteps of a mosque/in a smelly drain near some bushes, the human being seems like the scarier monster. She gives birth to a child, decides it’s not her time yet to be changing nappies, or even feels ashamed of having an out-of-wedlock baby, and then, tries to chuck the baby down the public toilet. She will not even consider putting the baby up for adoption. She just leaves the baby to die wrapped in a black garbage plastic bag somewhere.

It’s not like I’m asking the mother to chop up the baby, cook some delish dish with the baby meat and serve friends and family. At least have the decency as a human being with feelings and compassion towards another human being, what more a human being you carried for 9 months and pushed out from yourself. Put the baby up for adoption. I’m pretty sure there’s a couple out there who would love a baby to call it their own, albeit not biologically.

Please take note that I’m not saying it is okay and permissible to bear a child out of wedlock. Just get a willing man, a tok kadi and two reliable witnesses. The work is almost-half done already. You’re well on your way to making cute and lovely babies of your own.

Just don’t go leaving it in a basket at a park with a note asking someone to look after it.

3. Some people are more of a writer than a talker/speaker. They can write/type pages and pages of sentences, but when they come up before an audience, no matter how small it is, they will freeze/mumble/babble themselves silly.
This includes yours truly.

The three sentences above are somewhat self-explanatory.

Let’s just say that I’d like to have another go at my FYP Proposal presentation, but without any lecturers firing me questions that I actually know how to answer, but couldn’t form coherent strings of words, or sentences to answer them.

Give me love, give me hope.
Don’t give me another reason to mope.