Tuesday, January 1, 2008

the jolly hermit

Hello.

Good morning and a very Happy New Year to everyone. Semoga dalam tahun baru ini, kita semua dikurniakan limpahan rezeki dan rahmat serta terdorong memperbaiki diri dalam semua aspek juga sukses dalam apa jua perkara yang kita kerjakan. Amin.

Aku sangat gumbira cuti kali ini, sebab apart from the major outburst by me mum, my holiday was rather relaxed and mundane just the way I prefer it to be. Dah tak ingat la apa aku buat and the highlights. Cuma kali ni aku dapat cuti laaaaaaaama sangat. Best sangat dan dah sampai tahap tepu dek kerana cuti yang lebih sebulan inniew. Did I go anywhere outside Lembah Klang? Tidak. Did I do something extraordinary? Not really. Tapi aku happy sebab aku dengan mak aku takde gaduh macam selalu, and aku dengan adik aku pun okay je. Sebab selalunya adik aku akan stress kalau aku dengan mak aku gaduh sebab dia tatau nak sokong siapa. Huhuhu. Tapi sebenarnya, aku tak patut disokong sebab I am naturally insufferable. Mana taknya mak aku mengamuk.

Dah beli tiket balik 25th tapi sebab abang aku yang baru promoted branch manager kena pindah ke JB plak tu, dia balik dengan family dia ke rumah mak aku, habiskan cuti, apa lagi, tunda la flight balik ke 31st. Ingatkan Ahad, rupanya Isnin. D'oh! Biarlah.

Cuti, mainly aku atau adik aku akan bawak mak and adik kecik tu pergi mana-mana kat area Selangor. Ada la pergi visit my mom's cousin si Major (B) kat Pantai, NS. Then ingat nak singgah umah keluarga angkat aku masa praktikum kat Jelebu dulu, they all dah pindah ke Seremban, tapi malam tu tak dapat cuz they were leaving for Perak. Hai hai hai..... dah 8 tahun aku tak jumpa they all, bila ada kesempatan ni, they all plak tak dapat nak stay. Takde jeki la kut? Takpe, tahun depan plak try lagi.

Kalau keluar, mesti pergi makan-makan. Aku paling seronok, cuz akhirnya aku dapat makan kerang bakar yang tah kenapa, aku mengidam sangat nak makan. Aku order 2kg. Warghahahaha.... Korang nak kata aku buruk makan, takpelah, katalah. Tapi aku dah tunggu setahun untuk jumpa mender tuh kat semenanjung gak, cuz kat KK takdok. Aku tak pasti la ada ke tak, tapi aku tak pandai carik la. Pergi Sebuyau dengan N hari tu, kami juma kerang besar bola golf! Banyak! Tapi kat tepi laut tu mana ada orang jual kerang bakar. Takde lah beli. Tatau nak masak kat mana.

Takde la hebat sangat pun benda yang aku ngidam tu dan itulah kali pertama aku makan kerang bakar seumur hidup aku, tapi itulah, 3 kali pergi, 2 kali aku order kerang bakar. Tettiba je nak sangat makan mender tu. Kedai kat Morib tu, kicap cecah dia sedap la. Pedas dan sedap. Itu je lah yang dapat aku gambarkan. Aku order 2kg, adik aku tolong sesikit. Kali ke dua kami pergi situ, aku order 1kg, ingat ada la orang nak makan sama. Takde! Abis la aku kena makan sorang.

N awal-awal bagitau cuti kali ni maybe we could meet again cuz he was coming for work. Dengan sarcasticnya, I taunted him, ye la, dengan meeting 9 pagi - 9 malam tu la you kata nak meet up with me for a day out... ye lah tu. Terus dia kata dia nak amik leave. Ye lah tu... Berdasarkan pengalaman lalu, mak malas nak pikir sangat bila N kata dia nak datang. I will have no one to blame if I was disappointed this time around.

When the time came, I finally learned my way to KLIA. My sister la showed me the way. Buta kayu or what? Bertahun turun naik flight, tak juga reti-reti jalan ke sana? Tataw!

Pagi tu I left early, alone. My sister pun tak nak ikut sebab tak nak kacau daun katanya. Ye, aku dengan adik aku tu macam belangkas, suka pergi ke mana sesama. Sepanjang cuti ni dia takde pun kuar dengan kengkawan dia. Asyik berkefit dengan aku je. Sukanya aku!

Drove him to The Palace of The Golden Horses. Tinggalkan dia kat sana, hantar ikan-ikan terubuk bunting yang dia bawak as buah tangan and pergi semua ke hotel tu untuk ikut dia pergi shopping kat the Mines. Malam tu dia ada function kat situ, tu pasal dia nak pergi beli baju for the dinner. Tinggal my car kat underground parking tu and we took a water taxi. Sepanjang aku tinggal kat area ni, tak pernah aku naik water taxi tu,ko tau? And I dunno why, tapi dengan fellow passenger yang gila bergambar across from our seat, aku takde pun mintak tolong dia amikkan photo kami. Cipan ke tak? Ye aku gila photo, so bila ada opportunity macam tu I missed, it is a big deal to me, okay?

And mereka turunkan kami kat Resort and Spanya. Pengsan la menapak. Aku tak kisah nak menapak 3 hari 3 malam pun. Tapi aku ni kalau dah start berpeluh, mencurah-curah, taw? And I was in my heels. Kepisan aku! Takpelah, demi abe, aku turutkan jua. Tapi kat The Mines takde plak store yang menarik perhatian dia. Aku pun baru realize, kat The Mines tu the kedai-kedai very for the younger people one. Last-lastnya habis, round-round je. Tapi aku sempat la ajak dia pergi movie dah alang-alang kat situ ada TGV. Lepas tu I suggested we go to South City Plaza plak sebab kat sana ada Parkson. Mana la tau kut ada benda yang dihajatinya kat situ, sebab dia malam nak ke KLCC sebab takut the day wasted in the traffic jam kut?

Dia ni rupanya kuat menelek barang. Aku rimas plak la. Lepas tolong dia cari black pants and a white shirt (which I thought was rather boring for a dinner, until I found out dia nak pakai dengan red tie and suspenders, comel sangat, cuz malam tu themenya red black and white) I left him at the counter, ingatkan dia nak membayar je. Lupa lak dia kena tunggu orang tu jahit kaki seluar dulu. So I waited and read a book outside. Bila dia keluar, pergi temankan dia pergi beli fruits and segala jenis drinks kat Giant bawah tu. Aku terfikir, terhabis ke ni?

Keluar tu, dia tanya lapar ke? I said, tak lapar, but I teman you makan la jugak. So perg la kat Bistro mamak kt luar tu. Ingat I just wanted to sit and drink, so sementara dia pi tengok lauk, I just sat at our table. Tapi dia datang balik dengan tangan kosong. Rupanya dia ajak pi tengok lauk juga. Dia tak nak makan if I don't makan with him. Ler, so I ended up with nasi briyani and lamb curry with some acar. Memang sedap hingga menjilat siku. Tapi as usual, bila he is around, appetite aku macam kena sekat la. So I just makan nasik separuh, but managed to finish the lamb curry of course. Lepas tuikut dia balik ke hotel and amik kereta. As I was leaving, dia kata I should bawak balik some of the fruits and chocolates and juices he bought eralier, sebab dia tak mampu nak lug those heavy things around kalau tak sempat habis by the next day, sebab lepas dinner malam tu, dia nak pindah ke Subang Jaya plak for the meeting. Hmm.... Ye la. I amik je la bawak balik. Tapi malam tu ingat nak kuar with me pergi makan-makan. I said, ye lah, pernah ke you call me after 8pm selama ni? Inikan pulak nak tunggu majlis tu selesai kul 12 malam ni. Lagipun, I don't go out after 8pm bila balik sini. So I don't think that would happen. Sure enough, by the time it was over, he was probably pooped and we never went out again that night.

2 hari seterusnya dia meeting. Tapi dia kata 18th dia free, bleh la kalau nak ke mana-mana. Dia kata nak pergi Port Klang sebab kat sana kawan dia pernah bawak makan sea food. Tapi I said I am not so sure about the way. Fikir-fikir, kita pergi Genting je lah. I siad my mum tak kasi kalau hujan lebat. Bahaya. Tapi sebenarnya memang mak aku tak gemar aku keluar dengan lelaki pergi jauh-jauh lak tu. Hmm... Tapi kan, aku mana pernah pergi keluar dengan lelaki bukan mahram seumur hidup aku. Tapi I guess my mom knows best. Last-last tak jadi, sebab meeting extend lagi. Augh! Geramnya mak! Bukan geram tak dapat pergi Genting, okay? Geram sebab meeting menang lagi! Huhuuhu.... I just wanted to spend time with him la, kat mana tu tak kisah pun.

The next day dia dah nak balik. Sedey sangat. Tapi dia ajak pergi ikut dia ke KLCC plak. Dia bleh naik Transit ke KLIA later on. So pagi tu I went to his hotel early. Sebab takut jam kat Puching and Shah Alam. Oh, mereka pindah lagi ke Shah Alam plak. Tah per per. We had breakfast, and then he checked out and we headed to the Commuter station kat Subang. Dia tak nak me driving, takut sesat and jam kut? Huhuhuhu.... gfnya orang ulu.

Dok dalam komuter dengan dia pun I was happy. Then kat KL Central tukar LRT plak. First time aku sampai kat KL Central tu. Jakun kan? Otherwise, I prefer to drive. Bukan keluar tiap hari pun.

Round-round, lunch and then it was time for him to leave. Cipan betul. Benci. I had to leave first, because the commuter going back to Subang Jaya will arrive in less than 5 minutes. He was headed to KLIA. I salam his hand and said, jumpa lagi in 2009. Hohoho... saja perli. Ala, ada jeki, jumpa la. Jumpa selalu sangat pun watper, I have found myself mati kutu kalau lama sangat jumpa. Apa ke mengongnya aku ni.

Balik cuti kali ini, my biggest regret is that I didn't get to see an old friend and another new friend. It's not their fault that we didn't get to meet. My life is not like everyone else's. Bila time tenang tu, takde plak rasa nak keluar rumah jumpa kawan-kawan. Tapi bila rasa nak melangkah je hari tu, ada je la benda berlaku kat umah tu. That's why aku takut nak call diorang and set a date ke apa ke, takut asyik cancel je. In the end, I simply spent my days at home with my mother or reading Thomas Hardy in my sister's room. That simply makes me even more depressed, naturally. Reading Thomas Hardy, I mean. And senyap-senyap balik sini like a tikus mondok. Yes, I feel guilty tak dapat jumpa they all, sedangkan aku bukannya ramai kawan nak berebut jumpa aku bila time cuti. Yang ada dua kerat tu pun aku tak sempat nak entertain. Bingung tak?

Not knowing how to explain the unexplainable, I just kept quiet.

J contacted me on the 23rd though. Dia ajak pergi kuar and lepak-lepak. Lagipun 24th tu Bday dia. Secara kebetulan, petang 22nd tu aku bawak keta abang aku (seperti yang telah disuruh untuk jangan biar je that big lug tersadai kat parking space tu tak dibawa ke mana-mana sepanjang kereta tu ada kat situ) ke Suria KLCC, bawak adik-adik ku and me mum. Aku lately asyik pergi sana je la. Makan-makan la selalunya, dengan adik/confidant/best friend aku yang sorang tu. Tapi of course aku tak tinggal mak and adik angkat aku tu. Rasa bersalah sangat kalau tinggal, ok?

Sekali nak jadi cerita... When we all balik kat kereta, aku tekan butang unlock kat remote tu, dia takmo respond. Puas aku micitnya. Tapi last-last aku bukak secara manual je. Rupak rupanya... aku lupa padam lampu keter. Mummy!!!

Udahla keter aku tak mo start. Call la abang aku apa bagai. Pergi la ke pejabat pengurusan tempat letak keter tu, kata keter rosak and tak dapat bawak balik malam tu, lepas budak MAA tu dah try repair and takmo juga. Tinggal la keter tu kat situ and kami pun balik naik teksi. Naturally, I feel like a badigol, because believe it or not, I have never left my lampu kereta on sejauh mana pun aku pergi, seletih mana pun aku rasa. Keter aku takde pun warning signal, pandai pun aku pastikan semuanya berpdam sebelum tinggal keter, tapi bawak keta canggih cam tu bersignal bersensor, bleh plak la terlupa. Baik aku naik keter lembu je la, kan?

Well, aku kata la kat J, tak pasti dapat jumpa kat situ ke tak, cuz biasalah living in a volatile household, anything can happen bila aku plan per per, tapi aku akan usahakanlah. 24th tu abang aku call, dia kata kejap lagi dia sampai umah, dia nak tinggal family dia kat situ and amik aku and kawan mechanic dia untuk buat operasi rescue kereta. Kesian abang aku. So aku call J, boleh jumpa dia, cuz aku memang nak kena pergi Suria KLCC. Tapi dia kata tak dapat lak... so pagi tu pergi rescue kereta je la. And bagi menebus dosaku kerana mendrainkan bateri keter and menyusahkan abang aku kena pergi bawak kawan dia rescue keter, aku belanja diorang makan nasik kandar kat Pelita. Diorang bawak keter dorang, aku ikut je kat belakang. Kalau orang suruh aku pergi sana sendiri, haramnya aku ingat jalan pi sana.

Kalau sempat balik bulan June depan, I will have a new niece. Kakak ipar ku akan bersalin lagi tak lama lagi. So empat orang anak buah aku nanti, termasuk sorang yang the estranged one, due to my other brother's divorce. Mak mertua dia, harap je hajjah and bertudung litup apa bagai, tapi perangai tak jauh beza dengan mak mertua Kassim Selamat. The way I see it, dia tu kena sindrom sesetengah orang miskin baru merasa jadi kaya la. Bapak mertua dia okay. Apa-apa je lah, abang aku tu pun satu, tak pandai ukur baju dibadan sendiri orang kata.

Sempat mengutuk tu. Macam la diri ni bagus sangat. Sorry, mak tak sengaja.

Oh ye, the bell flowers yang my mom got from Kundasang last time she was here, my mom dah planted and yesterday, it bloomed! I am simply amazed at my mom's green fingers. Tanam apa saja, semua tumbuh. The thing is, bunga tu tumbuh kat tanah tinggi. My home tu bukan kat Cameron. Tapi dia subur juga dengan layanan my mom. Sungguh mengagumkan. Nantilah ada masa I upload the photos.

I also loved the fact that I got to spend a lot of time with my two nephews. They are growing into such boisterous boys. Pengsan la mak dia. Diorang baik kalau ayah dia ada kat umah je. Tapi I adore them just the same.

I have forgotten what else happened. If I remember, I will write more.

Let me remind you that my writing this is not for other people to learn how dull my life is, but to remind myself that that is the way I prefer it to be and what a great time I had this time round. If you have a bone to pick with me, I suggest you go pick your nose instead cuz I am just gonna delete your silly comments anyway.

Ceh, awal-awal dah warning.

Okaylah, I have things to settle and places to go. W... I miss yew! So sad. That's why I have to go to school now so that I won't be so lonely and sad kat umah ni.

Love and kisses and all the hugs in the world.



2 comments:

Anatel Ameen said...

Yus, aku minta maaf sangat2 sbb cancel jumpa ko aritu...ada masalah sikit kat rumah. Aku dgn amin skrg bukan main rajin bergaduh. Mcm aritu konon nak gi shopping birthday present dgn aku, end up aku bergaduh dgn dia depan Sogo. Anyway, doakan kami bahagia ye...Susah sgt nanti aku lari dari rumah je...hehehe. Miss you so much!

Narcissca Ariadne Alvarez said...

My mom said the first few years of marriage, for some people, can be quite rough. Don't worry about it too much. I don't think you guys are the type who gives up easily, like me. Just work on your differences. I am sure you will be fine.

I miss you too. Don't worry about seeing me over the school break.