Christmas is finally upon us.
The season and not the day itself, I mean. Sometime in June, I remarked to a friend that Christmas was taking a mighty long time to come this year.
But, lo and behind, it is here and the days will pass by soon enough before Dec 25 dawns and church bells ring.Christmas has always held a unique allure for me because I grew up beside the Zion Lutheran Cathedral (church only then) in Brickfields with a myriad activities on its premises from the beginning of Advent (the first Sunday of the Christmas season) until Christmas Day service at the church.
There was no way I could have missed any of the happening at church as my late father, Rev D. Moses, was a leader of the church and expected his family to fully participate in the Christmas programme.
This meant taking part in the annual Sunday School pageant, the carols from my teenage years onwards and the numerous services that filled the four Sundays until Christmas Day.
Then, there were the preparations at home. We, the four children (and I am quite sure our parents too), had a whale of a time as the Moses family did what was necessary to get ready for the greatest day of the year.
It was really a season of joy more than a one-day happening as we eagerly lived every day from Advent with the joy that only kids can derive from anticipating a day of food and fun.
It would begin sometime early in December when the lorry from F and N and another company whose names skips my mind screeched to a halt at the kerb. The salsmen would soon knock on the doors of Christian families to find out how many crates of aerated water we needed.
The crates would be stacked out back beside the kitchen with a warning from our parents not to touch the coloured drinks which were meant for visitors to our home.
And there were scores of visitors who would wander over from church on Christmas day or the legion of relatives and friends who would stop by before or after the festival.Our house was a must stop for the many who knew my parents.
We kids would invite our friends over on the sly for a quick drink or two.My mother and a house help would also start preparing sweetmeats and savoury Tamil cakes from the first week of December.
The murukku, achi murukku, candy, kothu urundai (sweet balls of gram), nei urundai (ghee balls) would be placed in large biscuit tins and deposited in the store room.But our hands would soon find their way into the repositories for goodies with the attendant scolding and threats from my mother following suit.
The Big Sister fruit cake would be stached in a cupboard under lock and key and away from our hands looking for something to nibble at tea time.Where has this brand gone?
It used to have large cherries that would make a little boy's day and smaller but sizeable raisins which used to taste great after lunch or dinner. The carolling sessions, usually over three days, must get honorable mention here. They usually degenerated into eating binges in between rounds of singing Christmas carols from home to home.
By the end of the day, the younger members of the carol party would be almost sick with all manner of food and drink taken in excess while one or two of the older ones would have to sent home in taxi's in various stages of inebriation.
And soon the big day would arrive and we would go to church in our Christmas best. Today, much has gone out of the Christmas I used to know and love.
We work until a few days before D-day and then try to catch a little rest over the holidays with a couple of church services in between.
So, here's to preparing for Christmas.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Cheaper consumer goods through cooperatives?
Prices of consumer goods have skyrocketted of late with the average wage earner at odds on how to make ends meet. The fall in petrol prices have not had a noticeable effect on other prices across the board. In true Malaysian tradition, the purveyors of essentials conveniently forget, or are made to forget, that petrol is cheaper. To be fair, they are also complaining of hikes in other prices which also have an effect on their pricing.
It is a vicious cycle. Take for example, the humble roti canai that almost all Malaysians love "banjir" (flooded) with dhall and sambal. When petrol prices went up, the cost of the breakfast favourite also went up because the chap who supplied gas to the restaurant also upped his charges as did the host of others who played a role in keeping the eatery going .
The restauranteer also has to pay higher prices for his clothes. his food, his entertainment. The list goes on.
When the petrol price went down quite a bit recently, roti canai prices slipped by 10 sen or so. And have you seen the roti canai of late? Two bites and its gone. One has to order three roti canai for a hearty breakfast.
So where does that leave us? The situation appears to be worsening with no end in sight to spiralling prices - of everything.
I think we are forgetting a valuable resource that has almost become an institution in Malaysia that can help find some comfort for the average Malaysian whose wallet has been hit hard.
I am talking of the co-operatives that exist in almost all sectors. I believe the time has come for them to spring into action in terms of selling dry and "wet' consumers items - and cut out the midleman who for the record has my sympathies. But being the resilient lot that they are, I am sure they can find alternative sources of income by being middlemen in areas that do not touch our stomachs.
There was a time when some co-operatives had shops in company premises or in rented space outside selling, among others, rice, oil, and canned goods. These were almost regular shops which staff frequented after working hours or during their tea and lunch breaks.
But those were the halycon days before the economic crunch hit the country when people were more worried about convenience than prices. But today, price is the bottomline in purchases for most, with perhaps the exception being the well-heeled who don't have to count their ringgit every time they go grocery shopping.
I believe the time has come for co-operatives to go back to helping members facing the shrinking ringgit by buying in bulk from wholesalers and selling them at less-than-market prices to members.
We may save a few ringgit a week but they will definitely total a tidy sum over the months. This is where membership in co-operatives can help the ordinary Malaysian wage-earner.
In India, there is a different system that works on almost the same principle.
The government sells "rationed' goods, among others, like oil, rice, wheat flour, dhall and milk at lower prices to all households. All one has to do is get a ration card from the municipal authorities.
No one is shy about getting the rationed goods as they translate into smaller grocery budgets at the end of the month.
We need to rethink our options, especially where our stomachs are concerned, at a time when the average pay packet does not go as far as it did.
Food for thought?
It is a vicious cycle. Take for example, the humble roti canai that almost all Malaysians love "banjir" (flooded) with dhall and sambal. When petrol prices went up, the cost of the breakfast favourite also went up because the chap who supplied gas to the restaurant also upped his charges as did the host of others who played a role in keeping the eatery going .
The restauranteer also has to pay higher prices for his clothes. his food, his entertainment. The list goes on.
When the petrol price went down quite a bit recently, roti canai prices slipped by 10 sen or so. And have you seen the roti canai of late? Two bites and its gone. One has to order three roti canai for a hearty breakfast.
So where does that leave us? The situation appears to be worsening with no end in sight to spiralling prices - of everything.
I think we are forgetting a valuable resource that has almost become an institution in Malaysia that can help find some comfort for the average Malaysian whose wallet has been hit hard.
I am talking of the co-operatives that exist in almost all sectors. I believe the time has come for them to spring into action in terms of selling dry and "wet' consumers items - and cut out the midleman who for the record has my sympathies. But being the resilient lot that they are, I am sure they can find alternative sources of income by being middlemen in areas that do not touch our stomachs.
There was a time when some co-operatives had shops in company premises or in rented space outside selling, among others, rice, oil, and canned goods. These were almost regular shops which staff frequented after working hours or during their tea and lunch breaks.
But those were the halycon days before the economic crunch hit the country when people were more worried about convenience than prices. But today, price is the bottomline in purchases for most, with perhaps the exception being the well-heeled who don't have to count their ringgit every time they go grocery shopping.
I believe the time has come for co-operatives to go back to helping members facing the shrinking ringgit by buying in bulk from wholesalers and selling them at less-than-market prices to members.
We may save a few ringgit a week but they will definitely total a tidy sum over the months. This is where membership in co-operatives can help the ordinary Malaysian wage-earner.
In India, there is a different system that works on almost the same principle.
The government sells "rationed' goods, among others, like oil, rice, wheat flour, dhall and milk at lower prices to all households. All one has to do is get a ration card from the municipal authorities.
No one is shy about getting the rationed goods as they translate into smaller grocery budgets at the end of the month.
We need to rethink our options, especially where our stomachs are concerned, at a time when the average pay packet does not go as far as it did.
Food for thought?
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