poem: Pekan

another Malay poem in haiku-like format. written in Pekan during my measured drawing about 5 years ago. we were having an evening stroll near a river adjacent to a royal resthouse.

Pekan

Si dayang-dayang
ke sungai mandi petang

Tertawa riang.

prose: 13th anniversary

I was greeted this morning by an sms from an old friend wishing me ‘Selamat ulangtahun ke 13 perkenalan kita, 16 Dec 1991’.

If it weren’t for this sms, I wouldn’t remember this date at all. I don’t remember dates very well. But I’m such a sucker for things like these. Just don’t get me started. I can say many things about this day, 13 years ago. And I can say endless things between that day and 5 years afterwards.
So I think I would succinctly sum it all up-

The best 5 years of my life

(so far).

To Batch 36, Happy 13th Anniversary.
Thanks for everything.

poem: Tetamu

Malay poem in a haiku-like format, but disregarding the number of syllables.

Tetamu

Kupu-kupu terbang petang
Hinggap di lampu kalimantang

Ada orang nak datang.

prose: vanity

The ultimate male vanity is getting an erection when looking at your own reflection in the mirror.

The ultimate female vanity is having other females getting an erection when looking at you.

Or so I’ve been told.

prose: The Incredibles!! (read like a 1950's newscaster)

This is most probably one of the more meaningful movies I have seen this year. The premise of the movie is a solid foundation in itself, added with the well-thought details, renders it to be a far cry from the usually hollow, shallow and bimbo-istic action movies.

This ‘animated feature’, usually dubbed as ‘cartoons’ meant for the consumption of pre-mumayiz children is more ‘grown-up’ than most life action movies in the line of XXX (Vin Diesel, yuckkk), Fair Game (the Cindy Crawford one, yuckk) , to name a few, are. Try tuning in to any Astro movie channels during the afternoon fillers for MORE examples of fucking STUPID, no-brainer movies with clichéd lines you’d used to think mat salleh film makers are incapable of producing.

*Ehem* (got carried away there). Well, anyhow, the movie poses this question> what happens when people of privilege is stripped of that privilege and forced to live like regular people. While this concept has already been explored elsewhere as in the movie ‘The Last Emperor’, or Sue Townsend’s novel ‘The Queen and I’, a super-hero’s super-ordinary privileged life is a twist loony enough for *ehem* a ‘cartoon’. And it is undeniably interesting too.

The paradoxical statement, ‘When everybody is special, no one is’, immediately made me decide that this movie is a damn good one.

I think we can all learn something from........ The Incredibles!!!!! (1950's newscaster again)


*Of course, the fact that the outing is a rare all-siblings one, with milk shakes afterwards at McDonald’s Greenlane (after an hour of sesat mencari jalan due to heavy downpour) would help make it meaningful too.

prose: reminiscing raya

This year’s Raya is not as enjoyable as last years’s. Maybe because I spent a week fasting at home, so the built up of the anticipation and eagerness to ‘balik kampung’ was effectively waned. The only thing that was to relish was the rare gathering of my siblings.

My Raya this year seemed to be about food. Like a food festival where you can just walk in and sample the food, I seriously think that the lady of the house would make it a point to stand out (so as to attract a stream of guests), resulting in different dishes at respective homes. Menu in the households of some family friends and relatives on the first of Raya:



On another point, (though it may sound conceited ) I’d like to declare, there is no other soto, not even in Johor (the famed Soto Kebun Teh pun kalah beb!) that is richer, more delicious, more satisfying, than Soto Mak Aku. This is the only dish that I have ever gone for the 3rd-4th helpings in a single seating.



Tak percaya sudah.

prose: reminiscing breakfast at 7pm (sometimes 7:30)

Soooo last month.

It was already 8pm. He had just eaten a few pieces of char kuey and a murtabak.
Maneuvering his lithe body amidst the grocery boxes he had packed with his junk accumulated in the duration of 6 years of his study, he sashayed his way to the corner skeletal plastic tubes-and-plywood shelves he called his wardrobe. And it is still not empty.

Still a lot to do, he thought, rather panicky. Yesterday he received an SMS from a friend saying, ‘Congrats, grad jugak u at last. Dtg KL skarang.’ Touching, and just the motivation to get him start packing with haste.
Gosh, I’ll never make it at 9!

A ring from his handphone.
“You dah sampai mana?”
“I belum abis kemas”, he replied amidst giggles of embarrassment. He would now be almost always known as the guy who is always slow. “ I rasa I bertolak esok pagi la. Tengahari sampai la kot.”
“You make sure sampai sempat bukak puasa. Flight I kena patah balik sebab ribut. So I’m stuck here. At least dapat jugak jumpa you. Divine intervention jek!”

The next day he embarked on his postponed journey up north at noon (he had just finished packing). His car was like a caravan, every available space encroached to the brim. Taking last glimpses of papers scattered by mini cyclones in the empty spaces of his rented former residence he sighed under heavy breath, This is it. My last walk from here. This place isn’t so wretched after all. So many fond memories too. His brief melodrama was intercepted by a vibration in his pocket.

That phone call again.
“You dah sampai ke?”
“I baru jek bertolak!”
“I dah agak dah”
“Ala…dalam pukul 4 sampai le..sempat punya”
“You make sure aa... We all dah nak prepare prepare ni.”
“Ok. Sampai kang I call.”

Despite all the packing drama, the ride and road seemed to be bottle-neck-free. Perfect, in fact - light drizzle, light traffic (the Raya exodus have not yet started) and travel soundtrack by Dewa. That is, until he stopped to answer nature’s call at Flyover Ayer Keroh.

He came back to the car, turned on the key and – no ignition. Shit.
Now what am I going to do? He tried finding the rest area’s manager only to find his room vacant. So instead, he calmly called the PLUS emergency line like he usually did (this is not the 1st time he encountered car problem on the highway). The only thing that bothers him now is time.

The PLUS team arrived an hour and a half later only to push his car to start ignition (which he can actually ask just about anybody at the rest area-DUH!)

A half hour before breakfast he arrived at The Venue, the smell of cooking and familiar voices indoors were never more welcoming. A glad smile arched his lips. He entered, salam amidst boisterous cheerful enquiries and gave a hug. He looked at their faces.

Such a warm nest this is.