You Can't Dance The Tango To A Ghazal Tune

As I write, I am also listening to ydiana's recording of 'Could It Be Magic?'.

Back a week or two, I had made the request for her to play this song. Ydiana graciously accepted the challenge, and in the short time between then and now, I must say she played remarkably well for someone who has just picked up playing the piano. Bravo! And if someone ask me how well do I play to comment on someone else, the answer would be 'I don't play well!'

Forced to picked it up at 13, I never progress beyond beginners level. Years later, repeated attempt to get professional teachers only saw me being chased out as they thought I was just fooling around with them. So no, I don't play well. But my playing style would definitely be different from the way ydiana played. For this song, I would definitely play it loud at the chorus. Still, playing styles always differ from one song to another, most especially the mood one is in.

Coincidentally, I see ydiana's performance being related to Dato' Jefflam's entry about Unesco declaring Melaka and Penang as World Heritage Site. My view is simple; heritage is related to tradition, and tradition is related to music, where music has a universal appeal no matter the style or beat. Off course, one person's preference may be another's poison. Now, that brings us to a topic which I have just read.

Clearing the stack of old newspapers and magazines in my room, I came across a 2005 issue of WWF's magazine, Green Heart. The topic which interest me most was on Malaysia's own Tarantulas, as well as turtle nesting season. For the former, insyAllah, I will write about it some other time; its the turtles that I wish to share.

Reading the very short article, I was surprised that there are still turtles coming to Terengganu to nest. I mentioned surprised, as I had thought Giant Leatherback Turtles are already extinct, or at least on Malaysia's shores.

Apart from having been a tourist attractions in the past years, the very activity which pulled in the tourist drove the turtles away as they are normally timid creatures from the deep. Part of the reason why they come ashore to lay their eggs at night, is to ensure safety of their nest. But with tourist clambering all over just to gawk at them, they lose their privacy and begin nesting elsewhere in the pacific. Apart from the tourist distraction, their eggs are also poached by people wanting to make quick money; turtle eggs after all, are considered a delicacy by some. It was a good thing then that the Fishery Department managed to reduce the egg-poaching activity and began moving newly laid eggs to protected sites. Whether it was timely or not to save the turtles, only Allah s.w.t. knows.

Now, I was not a witness to this, but was told of the tireless effort by our marine officers in looking after this natural heritage we have.

As soon as the eggs in the protected sites hatch, the officers would scoop them by the pail-load, and take them far out into the sea where they are released by hand, several at a time. But many of the baby turtles - attracted to the electric lights on the mainland - swims back to the shore. There, before predators swoops in, other waiting officers pick them up, and the process is repeated again. This, goes on for 3 nights until the last of the baby turtles are nowhere to be found on the beach.

Anyway, I'm not about to write a thesis about turtles now. Just that, next when someone offer you to eat turtle eggs, perhaps it would be better to think of our of the efforts of our marine officers. For those interested to know more, this site here, might assist.

So, what has these all got to do with the title of this entry, one might ask. Well, nothing direct actually. The title was just a headline proposed to a client some many years ago. When another was chosen, I used it as my own tagline. Got the idea from the Wolverine character in Marvel's Uncanny X-Men comic books. Basically, the meaning is straight forward. Like nature for example, you cannot expect it to change to our wants and desire; rather, it is we who should blend into them. Hey, nature don't need humans! But we certainly do need them.


ps. Now that I had another look at the picture, I think it is a Hawksbill and not Giant Leatherback.