02 May 2010

Blue Eyes

This is the picture accompanying an article on the front page of the Media Permata of 26 April 2010. It shows a local fellow called Ahmad with his grandson, who rather surprisingly has blue eyes.The article discusses the issue, including the fact that there is no history of mixed blood in the family. But what caught my eye was the final paragraph:
Ahmad berkata, ibu cucunya itu ... semasa hamil gemar bermain dengan seekor kucing peliharaan mereka yang bermata biru.
which can be translated as "Ahmad said that, while the mother of his grandson was pregnant, she liked to play with their pet cat whose eyes are blue."

The idea that a pregnant woman playing with a blue-eyed cat could result in her baby having blue eyes seems to reflect a particularly Malay outlook on the world.