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It’s been 8 weeks since my last post, if you could call that a post anyway. I promised myself when I started this blog business that I’d post at least once a month. Well, I’ve missed August 2005. What a month August had been. It began while I was stil back home in Subang Jaya and it ended on a very fateful Merdeka day back in Dublin. Fateful for possibly 2 life changing events of my young adult life.
The trip home was good; a refresher, an eye-opener as well as a bridge built for the future. Dad had aged visibly, that was the first thing that caught me when I first laid eyes on him when exiting the arrival doors. Had two years been that long? Was it all the treatment finally catching up with him? All I knew was I couldn’t bear to stay away that long again, it was all too much change not to be part of on a much regular basis. After being home a few days only did Mom’s changes became visible. She looked the same, but she was a tad less ‘active’ if you get my drift. Of being told all of this, friends reminded me that it was all natural progress, that they were looking at the same thing.
I witnessed a dear friend bury his father. Managed to sedekah tahlil and went to kubur. That was the least I could do for someone I spent about six years of my life with, pretty much growing into our adulthood, from the decaying dwellings of PPP to the cramped luxury of Palm Gardens. I realised while listening to the talkin that one day I would be doing the same, and I can only pray to Allah that I’d be good son that would bring joy both present and in the afterlife.
There was a different feel to home. Dad is retiring at the beginning of the New Year and on the day I arrived we discussed about the impending event and the changes that were needed to be made to a few daily stuff. That made me realise that I couldn’t be too nonchalant about life anymore and that there will soon a huge reliance on these shoulders. At the beginning of the year I honestly felt that 27 was going to be a difficult year but I didn’t imagine this. Bibi has this theory that I constantly berate, that 27 is actually when one experiences mid-life crisis, and not 40 (possibly due to the increasingly shortening lifespan of man?). Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. All I know is that I’ve got to sort myself out quickish. Ayu’s finished school and is now working. She feels she’s finally grown up now, own job own car and all. I tell her it’s a different world now out there and she needs to be stronger than she ever was before. Deep down I know that she’s a survivor.
The last time I was home it was for a measly two weeks and even that was laden with Dad’s coursework and my quick sneak to Janda Baik. Four weeks seems like a long time and during the first days I felt that I could possibly be a mite bored at the end of it. Boy could I have possibly prepared myself for the whirlwind final days of it.
Managed to meet the regular Joes... actually started with Joe who came over with Mimi. Recently hitched, Dude and I promised them a wedding gift and he duly collected. He seemed happy and I wished him happiness. Then there was the old Dubs flying squad that turned up for Berg’s do. Mud, Jijan, Rasyid, Izhar, Iky, Shahnaz, Che Wah, Pak E, Penew, Alan, Botak, Wyre, Sawdee, Syamil, Kantat, Mancak, Farid and Adri followed suit one location or a few. A gathering at newly hitched Mre also yielded quite a nice line-up.
After missing my 10-year reunion and a few OBWs, went back to Kuala on the second weekend with Botak and Alan. While at Koleq, hooked up with Kutub & spouse, and with Berg, Todd and Smuque who arrived in the afternoon. Koleq looked different with all the facelift for the centennial celebration. By saying different and not better it didn’t really agree with me for some reason. The buzz wasn’t really there anymore. Being sentimental, I suppose I didn’t enjoy the fact that my memory of Koleq when I left didn’t fit into the show horse it is now. Arrived too late to watch the hockey game. Walked through East Wing to find that all the blue glass windows were replaced with normal clear ones to in order to match those that was broken earlier.
The cricket store had broken locks. The mat was torn and there was no one who was interested in replacing them. There wasn’t even an U-15 state tournament anymore such was the degradation of the game. That was immensely sad. There wasn’t a proper coach nor a proper team. Hope I’ll be some day well-off enough to bring things back to life.
Had lunch in New York (the Kuala Kangsar version) and lepaked at Pakcik’s before watching the Vaji matched in the evening. Well at least that bit didn’t change; we got a severe thrashing, as usual. On the way home we stopped in Tapah for some coffee. Conversations were flying upon the day’s trip when questions were raised as to the changing scene of our peers where there would almost never be a repeat of the heyday uber -slacking road trips. One magnanimously suggested that as one was free as a bird, those requiring a fellow uber-slacker during my time at home would almost instantly be granted a big fat YES! Kutub’s better half, sensing this was all poison to her ears, sharply enquired as to my possible plans for settling down, where one replied that although the idea sounded splendid, where one came from the nice ones lived in caverns. A name was suggested and after that everyone (including yours truly) lived happily ever after.
The trip home was good; a refresher, an eye-opener as well as a bridge built for the future. Dad had aged visibly, that was the first thing that caught me when I first laid eyes on him when exiting the arrival doors. Had two years been that long? Was it all the treatment finally catching up with him? All I knew was I couldn’t bear to stay away that long again, it was all too much change not to be part of on a much regular basis. After being home a few days only did Mom’s changes became visible. She looked the same, but she was a tad less ‘active’ if you get my drift. Of being told all of this, friends reminded me that it was all natural progress, that they were looking at the same thing.
I witnessed a dear friend bury his father. Managed to sedekah tahlil and went to kubur. That was the least I could do for someone I spent about six years of my life with, pretty much growing into our adulthood, from the decaying dwellings of PPP to the cramped luxury of Palm Gardens. I realised while listening to the talkin that one day I would be doing the same, and I can only pray to Allah that I’d be good son that would bring joy both present and in the afterlife.
There was a different feel to home. Dad is retiring at the beginning of the New Year and on the day I arrived we discussed about the impending event and the changes that were needed to be made to a few daily stuff. That made me realise that I couldn’t be too nonchalant about life anymore and that there will soon a huge reliance on these shoulders. At the beginning of the year I honestly felt that 27 was going to be a difficult year but I didn’t imagine this. Bibi has this theory that I constantly berate, that 27 is actually when one experiences mid-life crisis, and not 40 (possibly due to the increasingly shortening lifespan of man?). Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. All I know is that I’ve got to sort myself out quickish. Ayu’s finished school and is now working. She feels she’s finally grown up now, own job own car and all. I tell her it’s a different world now out there and she needs to be stronger than she ever was before. Deep down I know that she’s a survivor.
The last time I was home it was for a measly two weeks and even that was laden with Dad’s coursework and my quick sneak to Janda Baik. Four weeks seems like a long time and during the first days I felt that I could possibly be a mite bored at the end of it. Boy could I have possibly prepared myself for the whirlwind final days of it.
Managed to meet the regular Joes... actually started with Joe who came over with Mimi. Recently hitched, Dude and I promised them a wedding gift and he duly collected. He seemed happy and I wished him happiness. Then there was the old Dubs flying squad that turned up for Berg’s do. Mud, Jijan, Rasyid, Izhar, Iky, Shahnaz, Che Wah, Pak E, Penew, Alan, Botak, Wyre, Sawdee, Syamil, Kantat, Mancak, Farid and Adri followed suit one location or a few. A gathering at newly hitched Mre also yielded quite a nice line-up.
After missing my 10-year reunion and a few OBWs, went back to Kuala on the second weekend with Botak and Alan. While at Koleq, hooked up with Kutub & spouse, and with Berg, Todd and Smuque who arrived in the afternoon. Koleq looked different with all the facelift for the centennial celebration. By saying different and not better it didn’t really agree with me for some reason. The buzz wasn’t really there anymore. Being sentimental, I suppose I didn’t enjoy the fact that my memory of Koleq when I left didn’t fit into the show horse it is now. Arrived too late to watch the hockey game. Walked through East Wing to find that all the blue glass windows were replaced with normal clear ones to in order to match those that was broken earlier.
The cricket store had broken locks. The mat was torn and there was no one who was interested in replacing them. There wasn’t even an U-15 state tournament anymore such was the degradation of the game. That was immensely sad. There wasn’t a proper coach nor a proper team. Hope I’ll be some day well-off enough to bring things back to life.
Had lunch in New York (the Kuala Kangsar version) and lepaked at Pakcik’s before watching the Vaji matched in the evening. Well at least that bit didn’t change; we got a severe thrashing, as usual. On the way home we stopped in Tapah for some coffee. Conversations were flying upon the day’s trip when questions were raised as to the changing scene of our peers where there would almost never be a repeat of the heyday uber -slacking road trips. One magnanimously suggested that as one was free as a bird, those requiring a fellow uber-slacker during my time at home would almost instantly be granted a big fat YES! Kutub’s better half, sensing this was all poison to her ears, sharply enquired as to my possible plans for settling down, where one replied that although the idea sounded splendid, where one came from the nice ones lived in caverns. A name was suggested and after that everyone (including yours truly) lived happily ever after.
posted by ash raf at 22:09
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