Thursday, September 08, 2005

Weekend travelogue

I’m back, with a bang this time. I should apologize for the lack of blogs lately, but that’s how life goes. They throw you a curveball and we strike out. Yeah yeah, unlike Pablo who has a thriving blog, my blog is the Deadwood of blogger.com.

Oh, I’m back at home, actually. Midterm break. I’m here dishing ample love to my PC. I’d invite Pablo to Kangar, but she has other events happening. Check her blog for her hijinks in the midterms.

This entry won’t be like any other entry. This time I’m gonna tell you what had happened during the last weekend, from 2^nd September to 5^th September 2005. Four days is four days, but it felt like an eternity for me. And by the looks of it, this entry will be an eternity to read too. I’ll put up cute picture to break up the texts.

2^nd of September started out innocently. As I wake up, dawn has just started her beautiful routine without fail. The morning’s event was a tight one: Fill up that scholarship form, get the express mail from my buddy in Main Campus, send the form, and wait for Friday Prayers. I also learned previously that Pablo was slated to go to Genting Highlands, and I want to be by her and send her off.

As is with any plans, it always gets screwed. Chalk it up to the Big Kahuna up there, you sly fox you. It turned out that I did not have some of the information needed to finish up the form, even though the contents of the express mail did help some of the details. I thought I could send in the form by that day, but I had to concede defeat.

In the middle of the screw-up, it was time for Pablo’s departure. I borrowed my buddy’s Comeé Loteé (A cute nickname Pablo and I gave to his motorbike. Incidentally, it’s the same bike we used to go to Bon Odori), and went to see Pablo off. After the goodbye kisses we parted ways and I went back to Main campus, trying to finish up the scholarship form and finally accepting that it was a lost cause.

The real fun starts after Friday prayers. My buddy, Giant, and I prepare for our trip. His old Ford Escort was packed full with stuff and people. His girlfriend, another dude, and another girl. We left Shah Alam at 2.30pm. Our first stop was Bangi, to drop off the girlfriend. It was there that I realized I didn’t had lunch, and I proceeded to buy some lunch and ate in the car as we drove to Melaka.

We arrived in Alor Gajah around 5.30pm as we drove carefully. We went to the UiTM campus there to drop off the other girl. We took the time there to stretch and meet up on old friends. We left Alor Gajah at around 6pm, and started on our way to Johor Bahru.

The drive there was very challenging because the old car didn’t have good headlights and the wipers didn’t work at all. Our fears became a reality as we reached Ayer Hitam, where rain struck. Thankfully the rain was partial and we left the rain zone unscathed. But the real challenge was lying ahead as the sun begins to set. It was getting darker on the highway, and without a bright headlight, we just waded through the road blindly. We followed behind slow trucks so they could provide the headlights. When we hit another rain zone it was really scary. Wet and dark, we just prayed that we arrived safely.

Thankfully we reached JB at 8.30pm unscathed. Giant was relieved that we arrived in his hometown without any major incidents. Then it was another 30 minutes through the Pasir Gudang Highway to his house. On the way, he showed me the spot where he was knocked down and broke his leg, regaling me with the story of The Vegetable Truck and The Silver Kancil. The highway was jam-packed with vehicles as it was the main road that connects JB and Pasir Gudang. Crazy people, I tell you. They swerve in and out of the lanes, they drive fast in the slow lane, they drive slow in the fast lane, it’s crazy. Giant also points to the racing spots and drug dens along the highway.

As we reached his house, we were greeted by the kenduri tent being set up. I wasted no time and helped around as best as I could, even though we were tired. It was different with Giant, as he grumbled that we had arrived not less than one minute, and we already had to do menial jobs. Well, it was true. We were not given any refreshments or any rest at all before doing the job. Oh well. I’m not the one who grumbles about this because I actually love the kenduri atmosphere and enjoy being a part of the workforce. Giant has the right to grumble because it’s his own house, and his own family. Heheh.

I think it was around midnight that the work stopped. Giant’s dad told us to go and rest at one of his rental houses in the adjacent housing area. We only got mattresses and pillows and showers, and that’s good enough for me. I asked Giant how much does his dad put the rent rate of this house and he replied that it was about a thousand or so. I was shocked, but then again this is JB and these prices are normal.

Oh yeah, forgot to tell about the food we got after we finished the job for the night. It was the usual white rice and ayam masak merah, but there is another dish that interests me: sambal goreng. Um, I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s like a bowl of salad, fried. The ingredients include long beans, chilies, and tempe, among others. Pergh indeed. I mentioned to his mom that this was my favorite dish and his mom replied, “ni mesti Jawa nih.” Heh. She’s half-right actually. My dad is Johorean. Parit Sulong, Batu Pahat. I told her that my family likes to make the sambal during the Raya, and she smiled a knowing smile.

I woke up to a peaceful morning the next day. The sky was bright, compared to yesterday which was a light drizzle. I woke too early for my own good, and I didn’t want to wake up Giant. He deserved the rest. I took the morning by myself and went out for some fresh air. Yes, the air was fresh, but not the smell. Pasir Gudang is an industrial area, which means factories, factories, factories. There’s a certain smell that lingers in Pasir Gudang but I don’t know what to put my finger on. I just know that this day is gonna be a looong day.

We went back to the kenduri house at ten for breakfast. Well, you could call it lunch as we had a big meal prior to the kenduri. The dishes include Nasi Briyani, a staple kenduri dish, with the assorted lauk. One of the dishes includes Kurma Kambing, which I had a big helping of it. The only bad thing that happened that day was when we were having our meal.

In front of us, they set up big amps so they could play songs all day. I just so happens that they had to play the whole collection of Mawi songs. As some of you might know, I truly dislike Akademi Fantasia and any of its ilk. It’s not that I hate the contestants, but the over-hype is really…. Over-hyped. That POS doesn’t know to sing to save his life, let alone to entertain. Anyway, so here we were, sitting in front of a loud Mawi song. And I almost chocked on my nasi briyani. I grumbled under my breath and rolled my eyes as we munch on the meal. Unfortunately Giant managed to heard one of my grumbles which is “aku ni anti Mawi,” and he silently reminded me that this is Johor, Mawi’s hometown. There’s a lot of his fans here, and if I want to go back home safely, I’d better be quiet about it. I got that message loud and clear, and proceeded to shut my mouth. One grumble that I found interesting was “mawi mania: ad infinitium, ad nauseum.” Sigh.

After the meal, we started to work on the dishes. What do you expect, we’d sit around and goyang kaki? Hell no. I like helping around the kenduri. Besides, I haven’t done any kenduri dishwashing in like, ever. So this something I’d like to experience. Hehe. After a while, it started raining. Don’t know la if you consider the rain as a nuisance or a blessing. Maybe it’s good to consider it a blessing.

After a while of washing the dishes, it was finally time for me to leave Pasir Gudang. I washed my hands, and went to Giant’s mother. I said my goodbyes to her, all the while the kenduri guests are streaming in. I feel bad leaving the kenduri at peak hour, but I had to go to my next destination: Melaka.

Giant dropped me off at Larkin bus station. The place is quite big, comparable to Pudu bus station. I arrived there at 2.45 and I got the 3.45 bus. This means I have to wait for a while. I happily pulled out my radio and tuned to the Singapore radio stations. During my stay in JB, Giant introduced me to the magic of Singaporean media, more specifically, the radio. I love the quality of English their presenters. Top notch. Even the contents are better than of us. My choice of radio station was Symphony 92.4FM. It felt like I was the eye of the storm, as the hustle and bustle of the bus station was all around me. It was kinda peaceful and enjoyable, plugged in and listening to the symphonies while the outside world was being noisy as hell. The one hour I had to wait passed by quickly and by the time I realized, I’m on the bus, on the way to Melaka. The symphony accompanied me all the way as I say goodbye to Johor Bahru. Sigh.

I arrived in Melaka at around 6pm. Just like yesterday, I didn’t have the chance to rest, I went straight to work. And just like yesterday, I actually liked the job. The venue was at the Istana Budaya (or what I think was the actually name, I dunno.) The prominent landmark nearby was the gateway over the Lebuh Ayer Keroh with the three towers. I told the bus driver to drop me off there and I proceeded to walk to the venue. The theatre was huge. The cast and crew were setting up the stuff. I picked up the camcorder and tripod, and set up at the appointed spot. I don’t know why they want me to be the cameraman, but I’m grateful nonetheless. I later found out that it was the main star of the show who wanted me to record the show. I recorded his performance last semester when they came to Shah Alam, and he trusted me to record this show. I’m really flattered and honored by his trust, and I intend not to disappoint him.

The show ended around half past ten, and the cleanup was until midnight. My lecturer and I had to send some of the crew and cast to the bus station before we headed back to her house for the much needed shut eye.

Thankfully, I got some time-off on Sunday. My lecturer let me sleep in until noon. Around 4pm, we went to Tesco to buy some groceries for her house. I waited for Giant to fetch me and drive back to Shah Alam. He arrived at around 7pm. We entertained him a bit until it was time for us to leave. We left Melaka at 9pm.

The story didn’t end to well in Shah Alam. We arrived in Cemara college at 11pm. We were dead tired. Forgot to tell, Giant got another car. This time it’s a Daihatsu Charade Aura. It’s comfortable, but more importantly, it’s road-worthy. Working headlights, wipers and air-conditioning. Back to Cemara. When I got to my floor, I found out that my the house door was padlocked. Oh great. My important documents are all inside the house and I need to bring it back to Kangar. I called my housemate (who actually installed the padlock) but nobody answered. I was so mad at them for not actually telling me when they installed the padlock, and where was the key. I was so angry at them. I shook at the door, trying to rip the padlock loose. After a few tries, the padlock finally broke in half. And it only took me 20 minutes to ‘rip’ the door apart. I got in the house, picked up the documents, grabbed some stuff, and slept at Giant’s room next door.

The next day I got the sms from the no-use roomie of mine, telling me the location of the key. Hello? I tried to bleeping call you last night and sms you, but nothing happened. I ripped the padlock off, told him I ripped it off, and he just couldn’t believe it. What a pansy. I need my documents, and you bleeping padlocked the house without bleeping telling me about it. He should have told me as soon as he installed it, not letting me found out for myself. Because of that one bleeping mistake of yours, your precious bleeping padlock was ripped it half. Bleep you.

My bus going back home was at 9am, Monday morning. Giant sent me to the bus stand. I prayed my thanks as I settled down at my seat in the bus. The ride back home was uneventful enough, but I managed to entertain myself by reading Nick Sparks’ Message in the Bottle, and listening to the radio. Thankfully I was distracted by the mountain formations of the Titiwangsa Range and the limestone hills of Ipoh. I never get tired of seeing them. Although I always say that the most boring section of traveling through the highway is in Perak, I actually love seeing the hills that dot the scenery. Beautiful, just beautiful. As an added bonus, the weather was clear. Sunshine, all the way home.

The bus arrived in Kangar at around 5pm. Surprisingly, I saw that the bus was on the road leading to my house. I decided that I should ask the driver to stop there. It turned out that the driver was actually turning off the road and into another road, missing my house just by a few hundred meters. Oh well. That’s a failed gamble, but I’m not bitter. Alah, just a short walk from the curb, just past the school, bridge, and voila! Home.

Well, that’s the whole story. As promised. 2^nd September to 5^th September. No, I won’t tell the rest of the day after I arrived home. That’s only for me. My private life, my home.

Of course there’s lots of omission in the story, but all that are minor events, better left out of the story. Hell, all of the main points of the essay above were originally written in my cellphone, shorthand. Every time something big happens, I write it down. Then again, there were also times where I actually forgot the details, and for that, I apologize.

Also, here’s one last apology for the oh-so-long blog entry today. I promised I’d write a long and entertaining blog entry, and I hope that I carried out my promise well. And it’s a long blog in another term too: I started writing this morning, and finished this way past midnight. Heh. A long screwed post, is in the can.

In closing, here’s something that I wrote to my princess while I was in JB.

I look at your picture in my wallet,
Reminding how beautiful you are.
I pray for your safety and love,
just as you would for me.

My tears well up as I think of you,
But I brush it away,
And turning my thoughts towards an eventful day today.
I silently mouth “I love you” as I go my way.