Isu surat berita BM kali ini kebetulannya diterbitkan sempena cuti Hari Kemerdekaan Malaysia. Pada hari yang berbahagia ini, berapakah orang di kalangan rakyat Malaysia mengingati jasa Utusan Melayu menyemarakkan semangat kemerdekaan?

This issue of surat berita BM coincides with Malaysia's National Day Holiday. I wonder how many among the Malaysians remember the role played by Utusan Melayu in promoting the spirit of nationalism?

Walaupun tidak "bernyawa", Utusan Melayu boleh dianggap sebagai wira kemerdekaan. Namun apabila jualan akhbar jawi ini "nyawa-nyawa ikan", tidak begitu banyak orang yang menghiraukannya. Akhirnya Utusan Melayu "dikuburkan tanpa batu nisan". Kasihan!

Even though inanimate, Utusan Melayu is considered one of the heroes of Independence. Yet when this jawi paper was dying, not many people pay attention to it. Finally poor Utusan Melayu was buried without a gravestone.

Sebaliknya orang ramai lebih meminati berita hangat yang dicetuskan oleh versi rap lagu Negaraku yang begitu menonjolkan imej "mata-mata" sehingga terbeliak "mata" semua penonton. Ada juga yang "terbau" hubungan "bau-bau kacang" antara Negaraku dan Mamula Moon...aloha! Jawapannya kita terpaksalah tunggu...itu pun kalaulah ada pada masa kelak.

On the other hand, folks are more interested in the controversy of the Negaraku rap version in which the image of our cops is projected to an extent that our eyes almost popped out. People are also sniffing out distant relationship between our national anthem and the Hawaiian Mamula Moon. We shall have to wait for the answers in the near future...if there is any.

Rama-rama dan kupu-kupu Yang Wan pasti , rama-rama dan kupu-kupu mempunyai hubungan "bau-bau kacang" kerana mereka tergolong dalam keluarga Lepidoptera. Pada amnya perbezaan rama-rama dan kupu-kupu adalah seperti berikut:

Wan is sure though, rama-rama and kupu-kupu are distant relatives because they are categorised under the family of Lepidoptera. Generally speaking, their differences are as listed below.

Istilah Inggeris	Istilah Bahasa Malaysia	Ciri-ciri
Butterfly	rama-rama kupu-kupu	a.Pupanya berkilau-kilau dan digelar krisalis b.berbadan kurus c.sesungutnya halus d.bersisik halus
Moth	rama-rama	a.Pupanya tidak berkilau dan digelar kokun b.berbadan lebar c.sesungutnya seperti pelepah d.bersisik kasar

Tupai-tupai merupakan kata ganda yang paling "beragam-ragam" nampaknya. Maklumlah, Wan bukan berbahas tentang tupai-tupai yang sibuk makan buah-buahan di dusun. Tupai-tupai yang dimaksudkan ialah keratan kayu yang dipakukan pada tiang untuk menyangga bahagian bumbung.

Tupai-tupai is a duplicated word which seems to have many, many shades of meanings. Wan is not talking about those squirrels busy eating fruits in the orchard. Rather, tupai-tupai are cleats nailed on pillars to support roofing.

*Picture link--Scroll down to section INSTALL CUPOLA ROOF on the right, figure N is the tetupai defined by Kamus Dewan

Itu satu-satunya definisi Kamus Dewan. Kamus Perwira yang menggunakan Kamus Dewan sebagai rujukan juga bersependapat tetapi memberi lebih daripada satu contoh. Menurut cerita Kamus Perwira, tupai-tupai juga ialah baji.

That is the one and only definition from Kamus Dewan. Kamus Perwira which uses Kamus Dewan as a reference concurs with this but it gives additional meanings. According to Kamus Perwira, tupai-tupai is also a wedge.

*Picture link--Tetupai under my door.

Tupai-tupai yang menyangga tiang itu berbentuk baji, kan? Lagipun baji itu keratan plastik yang dilekapkan di bawah pintu untuk menyangga si pintu agar tidak tertutup oleh angin. Tetapi, tupai-tupai tidak disenaraikan sebagai sinonim baji.

The cleat is shaped like a wedge, isn't it? The door wedge fits Kamus Dewan's definition of a piece of plastic fixed under a door as a support the door against the wind. However, tupai-tupai is not listed as a synonym of baji or wedge in Bahasa Malaysia.

Satu lagi istilah Inggeris yang diberi oleh Kamus Perwira untuk tupai-tupai ialah "peg" iaitu pasak kayu. Contohnya perabot yang tidak dipakukan, disisipkan dengan pasak kayu.

Kamus Perwira gave another English equivalent of tupai-tupai that is "peg". For instance furniture that is not nailed is built by using wooden pegs instead.

Bagaimana pula dengan sekerat kayu panjang yang dipakukan pada pintu untuk menyangganya daripada penceroboh? Ini pun salah satu fungsi tupai-tupai.

How about a long piece of wood nailed to the door to hinder intruders? This is also one of the functions of tupai-tupai.

*Picture link--Tetupai on a door

Sebenarnya terdapat banyak lagi contoh teknikal tupai-tupai...Kini Wan pening-pening lalat akibat memeras "otak " mengulas identiti tupai-tuapi. Jadi Wan terpaksa meminta diri untuk merehatkan minda sambil mengecap "otak-otak "sebagai alas perut. Selamat beristirahat cuti Merdeka Wan ucapkan kepada anda.

Actually there are many more technical examples for tupai-tupai...This discussion of tupai-tupai is straining my little brain and giving it a little headache. So I would like to excuse myself and relax a bit by snacking on some "otak-otak". I wish you a great Merdeka holiday.

P.s. The chart showing differences between rama-rama and kupu-kupu cannot be displayed if you receive this newsletter in text format. Wan apologizes for the inconvenience.