You, me and the haze

can see the haze

cannot see the horizon

can smell the haze

cannot smell the halitus

One morning when I woke up, a funny smell picked up by the nostrils* told me something wasn’t right. It was 1997. When the morning had broken, I saw thick mist and I was happy that I could fantasize as if I was in Genting Highlands. The nice fantasy didn’t last. Hours later,people were talking about the haze. They said an uncontrollable huge forest fire caused the haze. In fire-drill, the procedure is to run away and not to run to which means that uncontrollable is acceptable. It was so nice driving around in an air-conditioned car as the “beautiful” scene had not occurred before. Upon deeper thought, it was an ugly scene for the pedestrians, cyclists, bikers, the young , the old and the sick. The haze doesn’t discriminate who you are for the haze is impartial.

(Note_*Nostrils : Two external openings of the nasal cavity in vertebrates that admit air to the lungs and smell to olfactory nerves.)

Days later, the television station telecasted about firemen fighting forest fire that caused the haze. I was proud of the firemen sacrifices. Not long after the haze has gone, a man dear to me passed away. He was young then and his unfortunate unemployed wife and his three non-school-going age young kids relied on government social security to carry on without their breadwinner. I cried in the car when he was in the emergency room. Thereafter, the annual haze has become an anniversary remembrance of the lost of a dear one.

On the morning of June 17, 2013, the same familiar smell is noted before the morning has broken. Thick haze last Monday, reminded me of 1997 and unexpectedly the mood was dampened when the news from the daughter of a famous Melaka muruku-seller inforrmed us that her father has passed away due to "sesak nafas" . Maybe, both the breadwinner and the muruku-seller were not fit, we don't know. 


Updated 8.20 pm 23 June 2013 ... we don't know, but what known is that we cannot see the Malay muruku-seller anymore doing his business near to Masjid Kampong Hulu.


Now, it is thinkable that,
hearts hate haze
haze hazard health

Source: NEA